British Columbia Hansard — Thursday, April 28, 2011

H0428pm-10

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Third Session, 39th Parliament official rePort of Debates of the Legis Lative a ssemb Ly (hansarD) the honourable bill bari Soff, SPeaker iSSn 0709-1281 Thursday, April 28, 2011 Afternoon Sitting Volume 20, Number 10

Pro Vince of britiS h colu Mbia (entered c onfederation July 20, 1871) lieutenant -Go Vernor h is h onour the h onourable Steven l.

Point, obc Third Session, 39th Parliament SPeaker of the leGiS latiVe a SSeMbl Y h onourable bill barisoff eXecutiVe council Premier and President of the executive c ouncil .............................................................................................................. h on. c hristy c lark Deputy Premier and Minister of finance ............................................................................................................................h on. k evin f alcon Minister of a boriginal r elations and r econciliation ...........................................................................................................h on.

Mary Polak Minister of a dvanced e ducation .................................................................................................................................h on. n aomi Y amamoto Minister of a griculture ........................................................................................................................................................... h on.

Don Mcr ae a ttorney General ........................................................................................................................................................... h on. barry Penner, Qc Minister of c hildren and f amily Development ................................................................................................................ h on.

Mary Mcn eil Minister of c ommunity, Sport and cultural Development .................................................................................................. h on. ida c hong Minister of e ducation .........................................................................................................................................................h on.

George a bbott Minister of energy and Mines and Minister r esponsible for h ousing.........................................................................h on. r ich c oleman Minister of environment ....................................................................................................................................................h on. Dr. t erry l ake Minister of f orests, l ands and n atural r esource o perations......................................................................................h on.

Steve Thomson Minister of h ealth .................................................................................................................................................... h on. Michael de Jong, Qc Minister of Jobs, t ourism and innovation ................................................................................................................................... h on. Pat bell Minister of l abour, citizens' Services and o pen Government .............................................................................. h on.

Stephanie c adieux Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General .................................................................................................................h on.

Shirley bond Minister of Social Development and Minister r esponsible for Multiculturalism ............................................................ h on. h arry bloy Minister of t ransportation and infrastructure ................................................................................................................h on. blair l ekstrom leGiS latiVe a SSeMbl Y l eader of the official o pposition ......................................................................................................................................................a drian Dix Deputy Speaker .................................................................................................................................................................................... l inda r eid a ssistant Deputy Speaker .............................................................................................................................................................c laire t revena Deputy c hair, c ommittee of the Whole ...................................................................................................................................Douglas h orne c lerk of the l egislative a ssembly...................................................................................................................e.

George MacMinn, obc, Q c c lerk a ssistant ..................................................................................................................................................................................r obert Vaive c lerk a ssistant and l aw c lerk................................................................................................................................................. ian D. izard, Qc c lerk a ssistant and c lerk of c ommittees ............................................................................................................... craig h.

James (on leave) c lerk a ssistant and a cting c lerk of c ommittees ................................................................................................................. k ate r yan-l loyd Sergeant-at-a rms ................................................................................................................................................................................. Gary l enz

alP habetical liS t of MeMberS a bbott, h on. George (l) ........................................................................ Shuswap a ustin, r obin (nDP) ................................................................................ Skeena bains, h arry (nDP) ....................................................................Surrey-n ewton barisoff, h on. bill (l) ............................................................................Penticton barnett, Donna (l) ................................................................ c ariboo-c hilcotin bell, h on.

Pat (l) ..................................................... Prince George–Mackenzie bennett, bill (l) .............................................................................k ootenay e ast black, Dawn (nDP) ................................................................n ew Westminster black, iain (l) .............................................................. Port Moody–c oquitlam bloy, h on. h arry (l) ............................................................burnaby-l ougheed bond, h on.

Shirley (l) ...........................................Prince George–Valemount brar, Jagrup (nDP) ................................................................ Surrey-fleetwood c adieux, h on. Stephanie (l) ................................................Surrey-Panorama c antelon, r on (l) ..............................................................

Parksville-Qualicum c handra h erbert, Spencer (nDP) ................................Vancouver–West end c hong, h on. ida (l) ..................................................... o ak bay–Gordon h ead c houhan, r aj (nDP) ........................................................... burnaby-e dmonds c oell, Murray (l) ..............................................Saanich n orth and the islands c oleman, h on. r ich (l) ........................................... f ort l angley–a ldergrove c onroy, katrine (nDP) .............................................................. k ootenay West c oons, Gary (nDP) .........................................................................n orth c oast c orrigan, k athy (nDP) ..................................................... burnaby–Deer l ake Dalton, Marc (l) ..............................................................

Maple r idge–Mission de Jong, h on. Michael, Qc (l) .............................................. a bbotsford West Dix, a drian (nDP) ............................................................Vancouver-kingsway Donaldson, Doug (nDP) ......................................................................... Stikine e lmore, Mable (nDP) ................................................... Vancouver-kensington f alcon, h on. k evin (l) ..........................................................Surrey-c loverdale f arnworth, Mike (nDP) ............................................................

Port c oquitlam fleming, r ob (nDP) .......................................................... Victoria–Swan l ake f oster, eric (l) .......................................................................Vernon-Monashee f raser, Scott (nDP) ............................................................a lberni–Pacific r im Gentner, Guy (nDP) .........................................................................Delta n orth h ammell, Sue (nDP) .................................................... Surrey–Green t imbers h ansen, c olin (l) ............................................................

Vancouver-Quilchena h awes, r andy (l) ............................................................... a bbotsford-Mission h ayer, Dave S. (l) .................................................................... Surrey-t ynehead h eed, k ash (l) ................................................................ Vancouver-fraserview h ogg, Gordon (l) ............................................................... Surrey–White r ock h organ, John (nDP) .......................................................................

Juan de f uca h orne, Douglas (l) ..............................................c oquitlam–b urke Mountain h oward, r ob (l) .....................................................................r ichmond c entre h untington, Vicki (ind.) ..................................................................Delta South James, c arole (nDP) .........................................................Victoria–b eacon h ill k aragianis, Maurine (nDP) ........................................e squimalt–r oyal r oads k rog, l eonard (nDP) ........................................................................... n anaimo k rueger, kevin (l) ............................................... k amloops–South Thompson kwan, Jenny Wai ching (nDP) ...........................

Vancouver–Mount Pleasant l ake, h on. Dr. t erry (l) .....................................k amloops–n orth Thompson l ali, h arry (nDP) ..........................................................................f raser-n icola l ee, r ichard t . (l) .......................................................................burnaby n orth l ekstrom, h on. blair (l) .......................................................

Peace r iver South l es, John (l) .........................................................................................c hilliwack l etnick, n orm (l) ........................................................k elowna–l ake c ountry MacDiarmid, Dr. Margaret (l) ......................................... Vancouver-fairview Macdonald, n orm (nDP) ....................................c olumbia r iver–r evelstoke Mcintyre, Joan (l) ..................................................West Vancouver–Sea to Sky Mcn eil, h on. Mary (l) .................................................Vancouver–f alse creek Mcr ae, h on.

Don (l) ................................................................... c omox Valley Mungall, Michelle (nDP) ..........................................................n elson-creston Penner, hon. barry, Qc (l) ....................................................c hilliwack-h ope Pimm, Pat (l) ..........................................................................Peace r iver n orth Polak, h on.

Mary (l) ...............................................................................l angley Popham, l ana (nDP) ...................................................................Saanich South r alston, bruce (nDP) ................................................................

Surrey-Whalley r eid, l inda (l) .............................................................................r ichmond e ast r outley, bill (nDP) .................................................................. c owichan Valley r outley, Doug (nDP) ............................................n anaimo–n orth c owichan r ustad, John (l) ........................................................................... n echako l akes Sather, Michael (nDP) ......................................... Maple r idge–Pitt Meadows Simons, n icholas (nDP) ...................................

Powell r iver–Sunshine c oast Simpson, bob (ind.) .....................................................................c ariboo n orth Simpson, Shane (nDP) .....................................................Vancouver-hastings Slater, John (l) ..............................................................boundary-Similkameen Stewart, ben (l) ..................................................................... Westside-kelowna Stilwell, Dr. Moira (l) ......................................................... Vancouver-l angara Sultan, r alph (l) .....................................................

West Vancouver–capilano Thomson, hon.

Steve (l) ........................................................k elowna-Mission Thorne, Diane (nDP) .................................................c oquitlam-Maillardville Thornthwaite, Jane (l) .......................................... n orth Vancouver–Seymour t revena, c laire (nDP) .................................................................... n orth island van Dongen, John (l) .............................................................a bbotsford South Y amamoto, hon. n aomi (l) ................................. n orth Vancouver–l onsdale Y ap, John (l) .......................................................................r ichmond-Steveston Vacant ...............................................................................Vancouver–Point Grey liS t of MeMberS bY riD in G a bbotsford-Mission .......................................................................r andy h awes a bbotsford South .....................................................................John van Dongen a bbotsford West ......................................................h on.

Michael de Jong, Qc a lberni–Pacific r im ..........................................................................

Scott f raser boundary-Similkameen .....................................................................John Slater burnaby–Deer l ake ................................................................... k athy c orrigan burnaby-e dmonds ......................................................................... r aj c houhan burnaby-l ougheed ...................................................................h on. h arry bloy burnaby n orth .............................................................................. r ichard t . l ee c ariboo-c hilcotin ........................................................................Donna barnett c ariboo n orth ................................................................................ bob Simpson c hilliwack ...............................................................................................

John l es c hilliwack-h ope .......................................................... h on. barry Penner, Qc c olumbia r iver–r evelstoke .................................................. n orm Macdonald c omox Valley...........................................................................h on. Don Mcr ae c oquitlam–b urke Mountain .....................................................Douglas h orne c oquitlam-Maillardville...............................................................

Diane Thorne c owichan Valley ................................................................................ bill r outley Delta n orth ......................................................................................Guy Gentner Delta South ...............................................................................Vicki h untington e squimalt–r oyal r oads .....................................................Maurine k aragianis f ort l angley–a ldergrove ...................................................h on. r ich c oleman f raser-n icola........................................................................................ h arry l ali Juan de f uca .....................................................................................John h organ k amloops–n orth Thompson ............................................ h on.

Dr. t erry l ake k amloops–South Thompson ...................................................... k evin k rueger k elowna–l ake c ountry ...............................................................n orm l etnick k elowna-Mission .............................................................. h on.

Steve Thomson k ootenay e ast ....................................................................................bill bennett k ootenay West ............................................................................ k atrine c onroy l angley.......................................................................................h on. Mary Polak Maple r idge–Mission .....................................................................

Marc Dalton Maple r idge–Pitt Meadows ........................................................Michael Sather n anaimo ......................................................................................... l eonard k rog n anaimo–n orth c owichan ......................................................... Doug r outley n echako l akes ..................................................................................

John r ustad n elson-creston ........................................................................Michelle Mungall n ew Westminster ..............................................................................Dawn black n orth c oast....................................................................................... Gary c oons n orth island .................................................................................. c laire t revena n orth Vancouver–l onsdale ........................................h on. n aomi Y amamoto n orth Vancouver–Seymour .................................................

Jane Thornthwaite o ak bay–Gordon h ead ............................................................ h on. ida c hong Parksville-Qualicum ..................................................................... r on c antelon Peace r iver n orth ................................................................................Pat Pimm Peace r iver South ...............................................................h on. blair l ekstrom Penticton................................................................................... h on. bill barisoff Port c oquitlam ..........................................................................Mike f arnworth Port Moody–c oquitlam ...................................................................... iain black Powell r iver–Sunshine c oast ................................................. n icholas Simons Prince George–Mackenzie .............................................................h on.

Pat bell Prince George–Valemount ...................................................h on. Shirley bond r ichmond c entre ............................................................................ r ob h oward r ichmond e ast ................................................................................... l inda r eid r ichmond-Steveston ..............................................................................John Y ap Saanich n orth and the islands .....................................................

Murray c oell Saanich South ................................................................................ l ana Popham Shuswap ...............................................................................h on.

George a bbott Skeena .............................................................................................. r obin a ustin Stikine ........................................................................................Doug Donaldson Surrey-c loverdale .................................................................h on. k evin f alcon Surrey-fleetwood ...............................................................................Jagrup brar Surrey–Green t imbers ..................................................................Sue h ammell Surrey-n ewton ................................................................................. h arry b ains Surrey-Panorama ........................................................ h on.

Stephanie c adieux Surrey-t ynehead ........................................................................... Dave S. h ayer Surrey-Whalley.............................................................................. bruce r alston Surrey–White r ock ....................................................................... Gordon h ogg Vancouver-fairview ................................................ Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid Vancouver–f alse creek ........................................................ h on.

Mary Mcn eil Vancouver-fraserview ........................................................................k ash h eed Vancouver-hastings ....................................................................Shane Simpson Vancouver-kensington .................................................................Mable e lmore Vancouver-kingsway..........................................................................a drian Dix Vancouver-l angara .................................................................Dr.

Moira Stilwell Vancouver–Mount Pleasant ..........................................Jenny Wai ching kwan Vancouver–Point Grey ...............................................................................Vacant Vancouver-Quilchena ................................................................... c olin h ansen Vancouver–West end ...............................................Spencer c handra h erbert Vernon-Monashee ...............................................................................eric f oster Victoria–b eacon h ill .......................................................................c arole James Victoria–Swan l ake.........................................................................r ob fleming West Vancouver–capilano ............................................................. r alph Sultan West Vancouver–Sea to Sky ........................................................

Joan Mcintyre Westside-kelowna .............................................................................ben Stewart Party Standings: l iberal 48; n ew Democratic 34; independent 2; Vacant 1

CONTENTS Thursday, april 28, 2011 a fternoon Sitting Page Routine Business introductions by Members ..................................................................................................................................................... 6471 introduction and first r eading of bills ................................................................................................................................ 6471 bill 5 — n ew West Partnership trade a greement implementation a ct h on.

P . bell Statements ................................................................................................................................................................................ 6471 c ongratulations on royal wedding h on. k. f alcon J. h organ Statements (Standing order 25b) ......................................................................................................................................... 6471 Day of Mourning for workers k. c onroy D. h ayer r oller derby M. Mungall Samantha n utt and assistance for women in war zones J.

Thornthwaite a utism awareness c. t revena Steveston fundraising for Japan earthquake relief J. Y ap oral Questions ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6473 Government response to court ruling on teachers' collective bargaining a. Di x h on. G. a bbott School district funding and court ruling on teachers' bargaining r . a ustin h on. G. a bbott f unding for school meal program in Surrey h. b ains h on.

G. a bbott c ost of government information on harmonized sales tax b. r alston h on. k. f alcon Government and third-party information on harmonized sales tax J. kwan h on. k. f alcon a ppointment of judges l. k rog h on. b. Penner

Orders of the Day budget Debate (continued) ..................................................................................................................................................... 6478 h. l ali D. h ayer D. Thorne J. Mcintyre b. r outley e. f oster M. Mungall J. Thornthwaite Motions Without notice ......................................................................................................................................................... 6507 c ommittee of Supply to sit in two sections h on. r . c oleman

6471 thurSD a Y , aPril 28, 2011 The h ouse met at 1:35 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Introductions by Members J. Horgan: i'd like to introduce in the gallery a con - stituent of mine, r ick a tkinson, who is the regional vice-president of the paramedics association here in Victoria, cuP e l ocal 873. r ick is in the precinct today. There he is there. Thank you very much, r ick. Would the h ouse please make him very welcome. Introduction and First Reading of Bills bill 5 — n e W We St Partner Shi P traD e aGreeMent iMPleMentation a ct h on.

P . bell presented a message from h is h onour the a dministrator: a bill intituled n ew West Partnership t rade a greement implementation a ct. Hon. P . Bell: i move that bill 5 be introduced and read for the first time now. Motion approved. Hon. P . Bell: i'm pleased to introduce bill 5, the n ew West Partnership t rade a greement implementation a ct, 2011. The new west partnership trade agreement was signed by british c olumbia, a lberta and Saskatchewan on a pril 30, 2010.

The agreement seeks to further re - duce and eliminate barriers to the free trade movement of workers, goods, services and investments across west- ern c anada between british c olumbia, a lberta and Saskatchewan. o ur common goal is an open, efficient and stable market that operates in the best interests of our workers, our businesses and our investors. bill 5 introduces provisions that do the following three things, all of which are necessary to ensure that the province meets its obligations under the new west partnership trade agreement and the national agreement on internal trade: first, to ensure that the province has the statutory authority to exercise its rights and fulfil its obligations under the agreements; second, to provide a right of appeal and judicial review of panel decisions and ensure monetary awards are enforceable, all of which will effectively implement the agreement's dispute resolution procedures; and finally, amend the provisions to the c ollege of a pplied biology a ct to ensure that the rules of the council of the c ollege of a pplied biology comply with the labour mobility provisions of the new west partnership agreement. i move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the house after today. bill 5, n ew West Partnership t rade a greement imple- mentation a ct, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the h ouse after today.

Statements con GratulationS on ro Yal WeDD in G Hon. K. Falcon: t omorrow, a pril 29, at 11 a.m., the marriage of Prince William of Wales and c atherine e lizabeth Middleton will take place in l ondon, england. o n behalf of all members of this l egislature, i would ask that the Speaker send a letter of congratulations to Prince William and c atherine Middleton for their wedding tomorrow. J.

Horgan: i want to join with the Minister of finance. a s a descendant of irish ancestors, i will be more colloquial and say, on the opposition side, we give our best wishes to Wills and k ate on their most auspicious of occasions. t omorrow, sometime at four in the morning, my spouse will be watching on the television. Mr. Speaker: c onsider it done. Statements (Standing Order 25B) Da Y of Mournin G for Worker S K.

Conroy: t oday the Day of Mourning is being held to remember people who've been killed or injured on the job. in addition to the pin from WorkSafe b.c., we've all been given the opportunity to wear a pin that has come to symbolize this day. The pin shows a canary in a birdcage. a s i'm sure most of you know, in the early days of coalmining, miners were sent into the mines carrying canaries in a birdcage to determine the air quality in the shafts. if the bird died, the miners had to quickly evacuate or perish themselves.

Steve h unt, a member of the u nited Steelworkers, designed the pin after sitting through the W estray mining disaster hearings. The Westray mine was a coalmine in Plymouth, n ova Scotia, where, in 1992, a methane explosion killed 26 miners. Steve felt that the day of mourning required a symbol that would ensure we not forget the tragedy of the miners and the lives lost. h e took the image of the canary and used it to symbolize the plight of workers worldwide. n othing got done to ensure workers' safety until the canary died.

british c olumbia Debates6472 t hursday, april 28, 2011 u nfortunately, it's much the same for far too many workers today. t oday this pin is being worn across c anada and the u nited States not just by steelworkers, but by thousands of people from many different unions and by politicians like us on both sides of the h ouse and both sides of the border. a s legislators, it is our duty to make sure legislation is in place that ensures every worker in b.c. can go to work in a safe environment and return home to their families at the end of their shift. [1340] i want to thank the steelworkers for providing the members of the l egislature this pin that we can all wear in solidarity as we remember workers who have died or been injured on the job and their families who are left behind.

D. Hayer: Mr. Speaker, the c anadian flag is flying at half-mast on Parliament h ill in o ttawa and over the l egislative a ssembly in Victoria, not honouring the loss of a major leader or a captain of industry but in honour of the everyday worker lost or injured while on the job. t oday across this land we recognize a pril 28 as a n ational Day of Mourning to commemorate those who died or were injured in the line of duty while performing their jobs. in 2009 alone almost 1,000 c anadian workers lost their lives while on the job. That is more than 2½ deaths every day.

Since 1993 well over 15,000 men and women lost their lives due to work-related causes. That is equiva- lent to the entire population of a medium-sized town in british c olumbia, and that is an immense tragedy. We have been commemorating this day and the loss of workers in our nation since 1991, and today what c anada began then has been adopted by 80 countries around the world.

So if we see legislative employees or other workers wearing black arm bands, ribbons or lighting candles, we will know that they are remem - bering so many fellow workers who truly gave their all for their jobs. i ask all members of the h ouse to bow their heads for a moment, to join me in remembering all those who have lost their lives as a result of their work and to work diligently towards ensuring safety in the workplace to curtail this tragic loss of life. roller DerbY M.

Mungall: Well, it was just one year ago that i was getting ready for the Salmo Slamo, where the babes of brutality of the West k ootenay Women's r oller Derby l eague were doing their first demo of the sport. i even spoke about it in this h ouse. a t the time the league had two fresh teams, not quite ready for a bout, but that bout did happen not long after the Salmo Slamo. The Gnarlie's a ngels went head-to- head with the babes.

Watching from the suicide seats, i cheered the babes to victory at the league's first match. f ast-forward to now, just months from that first bout, and you will find my local league boasting a full eight teams, making it the largest in c anada. n ow on the roster for this season's bouts, the a ngels and the babes are joined by the c astlegar Dam city r ollers; the Slocan Valley Vendettas; as well as both n elson teams, the k illjoys and the l umber Jackies. i can't forget our junior team nor our travel team, the k ootenay k annibelles, who recently trounced the o kanagan's SS r odeo. n ow, the coolest part of the roller derby explosion is that the West k ootenay women, while the largest league, aren't the only growing league.

We have o kanagan, e ast k ootenay, o kanagan-Shuswap, a bbotsford, r ain Valley Vixens, Vancouver t erminal city r ollers. f ort St. John has got a league too, and it's accepting fresh meat for the energetic city r oller Derby a ssociation so that they can battle it out with Prince George's r ated PG teams or any of the teams in the unbc league. Who can forget the gals that started it all in b.c., Victoria's very own e ves of Destruction? The e ves spread the derby word wide and far, and now bout hunters like myself are league sponsors. on May 6 i'll be attending my first bout as a sponsor.

Sinful de Mayo is a doubleheader. Get your tickets quick, because they go fast. r emember, Mr. Speaker, to whip it and whip it good. Sa Mantha nutt an D a SSiStance for Wo Men in War ZoneS J. Thornthwaite: on March 8, i was honoured, along with my colleague the member for burnaby n orth, to attend the international Women's Day presentation sponsored by c apilano u niversity. t ogether we presented a certificate of appreciation to Dr.

Samantha n utt, the founder and executive director of War child c anada. [1345] Dr. n utt has worked tirelessly for the last 15 years to expose the atrocities and violent sexual and physical abuse of women in war-torn countries. a s a keynote guest speaker at the event, Dr. n utt shared three heart- wrenching stories that she experienced while working in the r epublic of c ongo, Darfur and a fghanistan.

She spoke of the horrors of violent rape and physical abuse that millions of women all over the ages suffer on a daily basis while simply trying to provide food and water for their families. h owever, she was heartened to share that the efforts of many non-governmental organizations who focus on providing education and assistance by women to women can help turn around the abuse they must endure every day.

While we here in b.c. can boast of all the encouraging numbers of our fellow women as doctors, lawyers and many high-level executive positions, including our new Premier, we must also realize that this is not universal and that in developed and developing countries we still

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, april 28, 2011 6473 have a long way to go. it is up to each and every one of us to talk about it and to help make a change. in the words of Dr. Samantha n utt, all women need to be heard, respected and empowered, no matter where they live. autiSM a WareneSS C.

Trevena: a pril is a utism a wareness Month. h aving one month dedicated to the disorders allows for a greater discussion around autism and gives individuals, families and governments the opportunity to address concerns, interventions and supports. a bout one in 110 children is affected by autism spectrum disorders, which are believed to have neurological roots. There is no typical child or person with autism, but the disorders affect development. Many find it hard to form social relationships.

Some find difficulty in communication, interest or focus, and behaviour may appear extreme. a utism is more likely to affect boys than girls, and there are close to 7,000 children and youth in b.c. diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. n ot everyone who has autism needs treatment.

Some are so-called high-functioning, but among the chal - lenges for parents is trying to access support services for their child who does need help if the disorder is diagnosed. e arly intervention is proven to help children and their families deal with the characteristics. but controversy is never far from the surface. a t the moment it's whether to build a special centre which provides support for autism or to ensure families have money to select the supports themselves. a ccess to therapists is always contentious.

Money is, like in so many areas, always a problem, and for many parents, answers are too slow — parents who see their children grow up without the help they perceive is needed, parents who age themselves and are worried about future care for their adult offspring. n etworking is vital for many families. in n anaimo this weekend there will be a chance for families from across Vancouver island to get together for the first annual a utism e xpo, designed as a celebration, a community gathering and an opportunity for families to connect with one another as well as local organizations that provide intervention or support services to the mid-island area.

Ste Ve Ston fun Drai Sin G for Ja Pan earth Quake relief J. Y ap: i rise today to highlight two recent events in my community. Steveston is well known for its big- heartedness, having welcomed the first Japanese immigrants to c anada in 1877. So when the tsunami struck Japan last month, Stevestoners immediately answered the call. in late March the historic Steveston Wharf was transformed into a festival ground as 7,000 participants took

part in the Walk for Japan. organized in a matter of days by the Steveston r otary c lub, Steveston c ommunity Society and the Steveston buddhist church, this event raised over $80,000 for the Japanese r ed cross. Steveston resident Janet Y au is another example of compassion and kindness. She decided to hold a raffle in support of Japan's people after hearing about the tsunami, so she went to work recruiting 55 local businesses to donate prizes. Janet then spent three weeks selling tickets all day, every day.

She formed a team of ticket sellers, in - cluding more than two dozen moms in the area and even her four-year-old son, t yson. by the draw date Janet had sold 4,050 tickets and had raised a total of $8,100 for the r ed cross. Janet is quoted as saying in the Richmond News: "if anything, this whole experience has reaffirmed to me that Steveston is truly a village. This small-town community aspect makes this place unique." [1350] i'd like the h ouse to join me in recognizing the work, community spirit and compassion of Stevestoners who contributed to this important task of helping people in a time of great need.

Oral Questions Go Vern Ment re SPon Se to court rulin G on teacherS' collectiVe bar Gainin G A. Dix: in order to continue our era of good feeling in the h ouse, yesterday i asked a question of the Minister of finance, and today i'm going to move on to the Minister of e ducation. The Minister of h ealth may want to wait for t uesday. i'll give him a little preview. i'll ask him if he now agrees with the Premier's policy on health spending. but we know where the Minister of e ducation stands on that, so i'll ask him a straightforward education question. h e knows that the b.c.

Supreme c ourt ruled against the government and found the government's decision to not allow teachers to negotiate improved classroom condi - tions for students to be illegal. i want to ask the minister if he's planning to appeal that decision. Mr. Speaker: Minister of e ducation. [a pplause.] An Hon. Member: That's the last applause you're going to get. Hon. G. Abbott: Y es. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Hon. G. Abbott: i am certain that i'll be able to weather this storm of appreciation from both sides of

british c olumbia Debates6474 t hursday, april 28, 2011 the h ouse. The recent ruling of the b.c. Supreme c ourt is, of course, appealable. That is an important decision which government will have to make — whether to appeal or not. i can advise the l eader of the o pposition that the con- sideration of whether to appeal is ongoing. l egal analysis is ongoing, and government will make its decision shortly. i believe the appeal period reaches its end mid-May, so the member will be hearing, i'm sure, relatively shortly about the government's decision with respect to that. Mr.

Speaker: The l eader of the o pposition has a supplemental. A. Dix: Well, i'm puzzled, hon. Speaker, because… interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. A. Dix: …the Premier of b ritish c olumbia said when the court decision came out that she would respect the decision. She said she'd respect the decision and change the law. So i wanted to ask the minister whether his new role is to tell us what the Premier meant to say or whether he thinks that considering an appeal is respecting the decision of the b.c. Supreme c ourt. Hon. G.

Abbott: it's pretty clear that the l eader of the opposition is a better politician than he is a lawyer. c learly, the fact that the Premier respects a decision does not make it non-appealable. it is important…. interjections. Mr. Speaker: c ontinue. Hon. G. Abbott: n ow, i know, Mr. Speaker, that the l eader of the o pposition is a master of revisionist history. if their…. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Hon. G.

Abbott: h owever, i think i might be able to cite quite a number of cases from that period of time between 1991 and 2001 where a former n DP government respected a number of decisions of courts in this province but also elected to appeal those decisions. The distinction is not that subtle, and i hope the member can understand that. Mr. Speaker: The l eader of the o pposition has a further supplemental. [1355] A. Dix: You know, hon. Speaker, the Premier was explicit. She said she'd respect the decision. She said she'd come back here and change the law. That's what she said.

She didn't say she was considering an appeal. That's the Minister of e ducation. That's what he's saying now. That's not what she said. i just want to remind…. So it's a little bit of he said, she said here, but i would say this. This is important.

The court ruled: "The evidence that the government relied on in the hearing before me to support its assertion that class-size limits were causing hardships to students and parents was anecdotal hearsay." What is needed in b.c . at a time when 12,000 classrooms are outside the composition limits, at a time that 4,000 classrooms are outside the class-size limits, is action. Why doesn't the government accept the court decision and negotiate class size and composition with the bctf? Hon. G. Abbott: So now i think i'm starting to under- stand the nature of the question.

This is actually about the l eader of the o pposition returning some favours to the b.c. t eachers f ederation early on. We know…. interjections. Mr. Speaker: t ake your seat, Minister. c ontinue, Minister. Hon. G. Abbott: We know that the l eader of the o pposition has always relied very heavily on the public sector unions to support his campaigns, and so i appreciate that he will raise this important issue. it may well be…. i've reviewed the words of the Premier very carefully on this point.

There is nothing in her words that indicates that this is not an appealable issue nor that we would not give appropriate consideration to that. The member is thinly disguising a supposed question in order to get where he wants to be, which is openly shilling for the b.c. t eachers f ederation. School DiStrict fun Din G an D court rulin G on teacherS' bar Gainin G R. Austin: a ctually, i think what we would like on this side of the h ouse is to put our children's education first and foremost.

That's what we consider to be putting fam- ilies first. it's been six years since this government last made a substantial investment in new schools for Surrey. n ow after years of increased enrolment, the school district is making students in schools, like e arl Marriott, attend in shifts because of a lack of classroom space. r ecently the b.c. Supreme c ourt ruling has struck down provisions restricting teachers from negotiating calendars and timetables, and the Surrey school district may be hit with increased costs because of this government's failure to invest in Surrey schools.

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, april 28, 2011 6475 Given the fact that this Supreme c ourt judgment will take effect before the end of the next school year, is the government ready to help districts like Surrey comply with this ruling? Hon. G. Abbott: i appreciate the member raising this important question. i had the opportunity recently to meet with the Surrey board of education. it was a very good and constructive meeting. They do have challenges with respect to growing school population, and i'm delighted to say that this government, since 2001, has invested $230 million.

So $230 million, ten new schools and 3,000 new student spaces in Surrey school districts since 2001. W e'll continue to make those investments. i am sure…. i am dead certain that all of the members from Surrey will show up in June when we celebrate the opening of the a dams r oad elementary School in Surrey. They'll all be there. [1400] Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. R.

Austin: School districts all over b.c. are currently in the final stage of planning their budgets for the next school year, and several districts are planning increased class sizes in order to balance their books after years of cuts from this government. Given the fact that the Supreme c ourt judgment on class size and composition will take effect before the end of the next school year, will the government act immedi- ately to budget for the implications of this judgment, or do they plan on leaving school districts to pick up the tab for their mismanagement yet again? Hon. G.

Abbott: i thank the member for his submission. i heard a similar submission just two days ago when i met with the b.c. t eachers f ederation in one of my con- tinuing meetings with the federation, and i appreciate the member reiterating the theme again. but the important thing is this. We have never — never once, in ten years as this government — reduced education funding in the province of british columbia — never once. o verall, we have seen the budget for education in this province grow from $4.1 billion in 2001, when these folks left office, to, today, $5.8 billion in education funding.

That equates, on a per-student basis, that we've moved from $6,262 per student back in 2001 to $8,357 today. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. funD in G for School Meal Pro GraM in Surre Y H.

Bains: f ive different l iberal e ducation ministers have promised to fix c ommunitylink's unequal funding formula, a formula that forces the Surrey school district to make cuts to the classroom learning to pay for the school meal program, and yet nothing has been done — nothing. a ccording to l aurae Mcn ally, the chair of the Surrey school district, if the government doesn't take immediate action, the board will "probably eliminate part of our school meal program, or we will have to make up the shortfall out of our operating budget, which will mean taking away from every classroom in the district." t o the Minister of education: will he be any different than his previous colleagues by acting immediately to ensure that the Surrey school district doesn't have to make cuts into the in-class learning to pay for the hungry stu - dents' meals in our schools?

Hon. G. Abbott: Thank you…. interjections. Mr. Speaker: c ontinue, Minister. Hon. G. Abbott: c ertainly, i am looking forward to acting thoughtfully in respect of c ommunitylink. i wouldn't say necessarily acting immediately. The nDP philosophy of acting immediately was what led, for example, to the accumulation in the Surrey school district of 363 portables back in the 1990s. That's the kind of approach of ready, fire, aim that the nDP has always undertaken. [1405] but we will be looking very thoughtfully at the c om- munitylink program.

We will be looking thoughtfully at the formula. r egrettably, when the c ommunitylink program was formed in 1996, the government of the day that produced it i don't think put in provision in the formula to respect the growth in student population that would occur over time, and that has proven challenging to others. We will review the formula, and we will thought- fully reform it. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. H. Bains: The minister wants to talk about portables? Mr. Speaker, 9,000 students today are studying in portables. it's a shameful record of your government, Minister — 9,000.

Surrey school district…. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. c ontinue, Member. H. Bains: f or the benefit of the minister, Surrey school district added more than a thousand students last year,

british c olumbia Debates6476 t hursday, april 28, 2011 and yet the c ommunitylink funding formula remained unchanged. even worse, on a per-capita basis, Surrey re- ceives, if not the lowest, one of the lowest of all school districts in the c ommunitylink program on a per- student basis, leaving them with a $600,000 shortfall for their school meal program this year. So my question again is to the minister. five ministers they have gone through, and you are saying that we are still waiting. Y ou still have to think about it.

When will you take action so that the students in Surrey are treated equally as everywhere else in the province? Hon. G. Abbott: Well, let me just remind the member, first of all, as he said in his

preamble around portables, that we can't hold a candle to the nDP government in terms of use of portables in the Surrey school district — can't hold a candle; not even close. Y ou know, i am very proud that our government, despite economic pressures that we have faced, has main- tained $51 million annually to the c ommunitylink program in this province. i'm proud of that. The formula that is in place today has been in place since 1996. i have agreed that that formula should better reflect student numbers. it is regrettable, perhaps, that in my five weeks i haven't reformed it.

Y ou apparently had five years to do that and were unable to do it. We will be working on that, because c ommunitylink is an important program. but we will be doing it thoughtfully. We won't be doing it on the back of an envelope, as the member suggests we should. We will be pursuing this thoughtfully, i'm sure. i know this member is very thoughtful. if he has some good ideas on how to reform c ommunitylink, i'd like him to tell me, because i know, regardless of what we do, he'll line up to oppose it. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. co St of Go Vern Ment infor Mation on harM oniZeD SaleS taX B.

Ralston: e veryone in the province knows that the b.c. l iberal government misled british c olumbians about the hS t during the last election. e ver since, the b.c. l iberal government has been spending the pub - lic's money in an effort to change their mind about the wisdom of shifting $2 billion from big business onto in - dividuals and small business here in british c olumbia: paid t om Syer $200,000; pro-hS t website, $70,000; $780,000 on pamphlets thrown into the wastebasket; an undisclosed amount to run radio ads. [1410] The Minister of finance surely knows the cost that this campaign is going to take in the months before the referendum.

Will he lay out now, before the public, the entire cost of the public portion of the referendum campaign? Surely he knows, and the public has a right to know. Hon. K. Falcon: if there was ever a better example of why government has an obligation to make sure the public has accurate facts and information on the hS t , it was certainly provided yesterday when the finance critic for the nDP stood up and asked the question on hS t rebates which demonstrated he had absolutely no idea of what an hS t rebate was all about.

Y ou know, a week and a half earlier another one of their leaders, Jack l ayton, was in b.c. saying: "Y ou know what? The hS t is good in a tlantic c anada because they don't charge it on home heating fuels." Well, guess what. We don't charge it on home heating fuels in british c olumbia either. So as i committed to from the very beginning, i will make sure that all of the information associated with informing the public of what the facts are around the hS t will be made public prior to the end of this legisla - tive session. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. B.

Ralston: The Minister of finance is frequently wrong, occasionally right, but never in doubt, and this response just proves that. h e's going to be using the public's money…. The b.c. l iberal government will be using the public's money to promote the hS t here in british c olumbia, to justify the shift of $2 billion from big business onto small business and individuals. h ow much of the $600 million contingency fund is he planning to use to advance that campaign? Hon. K.

Falcon: a s i committed, fully and up front, all of that information would be made available the moment i am aware of what that dollar amount will be. i said that right from the very beginning. but i notice the finance critic…. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Minister, just take your seat for a second. c ontinue, Minister. Hon. K.

Falcon: i am sure that the member might want to check his facts on the question he asked yesterday, because he hasn't acknowledged how very wrong he was. a nd i do think that if the finance critic for the nDP does not understand something so fundamental as hS t rebates, as distinct from GS t rebates, then you can see that getting accurate information out to the public is absolutely the right thing to do. We will do that, and

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, april 28, 2011 6477 we will make sure the public knows exactly what we're spending to provide accurate information to the public. Go VernMent anD thirD-P art Y inforMation on harM oniZeD SaleS taX J.

Kwan: The minister wants all to be forgiven. h e says: "We did a terrible job introducing the tax." Then what does he do? h e steps up an advertising slush fund with an undisclosed amount of taxpayers' money so that he could tell british c olumbians that what's bad for them is actually really good for them. [1415] Then to top it off — just wait — he allows for an un - limited third-party advertising campaign for the people's referendum. That's not mea culpa. That's another con job, and the minister knows it.

Will the minister cancel the hS t advertising cam - paign and put spending limits on third-party advertising so that the people of british c olumbia will have some balance and fairness in the referendum that they fought for? Hon. K. Falcon: Well, allow me, if you will, to roll back the date a little bit here if i could. i'd like to talk about an advertising campaign that…. a ctually, the l eader of the o pposition was chief of staff at the time when one of the largest advertising campaigns, $7.8 million to promote the n isga'a treaty, was put into place by that government. n ow, what is interesting about this?

What is interest - ing about this is that the nDP said that it would cost no more than $2.3 million. a nd what happened? Well, three days before c hristmas, the chief of staff at the time quietly released the cost: 400 percent more than they said it would be. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Members. The member has a supplemental. J. Kwan: i'll remind the minister that this hS t referen - dum is not the minister's referendum. it is not corporate b.c.'s referendum. it is the people's referendum, Minister. They are the ones that went out…. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. c ontinue, Member. J.

Kwan: They're the ones that went out and got others to sign the petition. They're the ones that went out and put their sweat so that they can hold this government to ac - count, so that they could finally have a say on this $2 billion tax shift onto the backs of families and small businesses. Will the minister stop insulting british c olumbians and stop with the advertising campaign and trying to pull the wool over the eyes of them once again? Hon. K.

Falcon: i would think that that member, of all people, would want to make sure that low-income folks in her riding have the facts on hS t rebates. i would hope that that member, when she knows that she's got single parents in her riding with several children that are receiving $920 a year of hS t rebates, would want that individual to know that the nDP position of going back to the PSt means they get zero. i would think that that's an important fact for folks in her riding. i cannot understand why those members are so afraid of having information in the public. l ast night i was on a telephone town hall in Surrey, and 27,000 residents took part. t he n DP is absolutely terrified to have a debate over the facts because the facts actually aren't with them.

That is what they're afraid of. aPPoint Ment of JuDGeS L. Krog: b.c. l iberal inaction has created a serious shortage of judges in british c olumbia. There are 17 judicial vacancies as we speak here today, and the conse- quences of that are serious. e ven judges are speaking out publicly in an unprecedented way about this. [1420] So the question to the a ttorney General is very simple. is he going to fill these vacancies — yes or no? Hon. B. Penner: We have appointed nine judges in the past year in british c olumbia. That's not to say that there aren't challenges in the court system.

We are managing to a budget, something the nDP would never want to do if they were in government. Their option is always to tax more, borrow more and spend more. on our side of the h ouse we believe in living within a budget and trying to get the best value for every dollar spent. [end of question period.] Orders of the Day Hon. R. Coleman: in this h ouse we will continue budget debate. D. Hayer: May i have leave to make an introduction? Mr. Speaker: Proceed. Introductions by Members D. Hayer: it gives me great pleasure to introduce 63 students from grades 8 to 12 who are visiting from the

british c olumbia Debates6478 t hursday, april 28, 2011 f raser h eights Secondary School in my riding of Surrey- t ynehead. Joining them are five teachers — Ms. l ouise h azemi, Mr. brent Derbyshire, Ms. a ngela Monk, Mr. Perrie Scarlett and Ms. Vicki Schrader — who have taken time out of their busy schedules to bring students here. Would the house please make them very welcome. Budget Debate (continued) Mr. Speaker: Member for f raser-n icola. [a pplause.] H. Lali: Thank you. Well, keep going.

Don't stop there. [l. r eid in the chair.] i continue debate from this morning on the budget that was presented in f ebruary by the government. i was reading into the record some of the comments in terms of the budget that folks who are observing or folks in the media are saying so that the ministers across the way don't think that i'm just making this up. it's right there in the record. i'm going to read this out. it's an editorial in the Vancouver Sun on f ebruary 16, 2011. The caption reads: "a Stand-Pat budget Sees Debt Growing o ut of c ontrol." i quote the editorial from the Vancouver Sun.

"f inance Minister…said he couldn't describe the status quo budget he presented t uesday as exciting given the absence of new spending programs or tax measures. it may not be exciting, but it is alarming given the massive increase in overall debt." i continue. "h owever, economic growth going forward is hardly robust. The budget forecast the economy to grow by 2 percent in 2011, 2.6 percent in 2012 and 2.8 percent a year thereafter through 2015.

"The government insists that the debt remains affordable, cit - ing the debt-to-GDP ratio, which will peak at 17.8 percent next year for tax-supported debt and 26.1 percent for total debt. but total debt has been growing at an annual average of 6 percent, far outpacing the rate of revenue growth. Without robust economic growth, the government's debt management plan — that is, hold- ing the debt-to-GDP ratio below 18 percent — cannot succeed." [1425] This is from the editorial of the Vancouver Sun, and the l iberals are just pouring on debt for future genera - tions.

The editorial also continues: "if there was one thing that stood out from this status quo, stand- pat budget, it was a rise in total provincial debt, which includes the debt of c rown corporations. by 2013 debt is expected to reach $60.4 billion, up from $33.4 billion in 2006, an 80 percent increase" in just four and a half years. "That will bring annual interest costs to $2.9 billion, accounting for more than five cents of every dollar of government revenue.

"Debt now represents more than 100 percent of revenue, and the budget plan has it rising still higher. t o put all this in the worst possible light, the budget sees per-capita debt growing from $7,880 in 2006 to $12,762 in 2013, despite projected population growth of nearly 500,000." it's unbelievable the amount of debt that this govern - ment is piling on. When they took office in 2001, the former Premier, Mr. c ampbell, swore on a stack of bibles that he was going to bring down the deficit, when the budget was already balanced three years in a row; that he was going to control the debt, and here it is.

The debt is just skyrocketing. h ere's another one of these testimonials. a gain, this is from the Vancouver Province on f ebruary 16. Michael Smyth, the columnist, writes: "b udget Swimming in Slush for n ew l eader." it says: "The weather outside the Victoria convention centre was unseasonably warm and sunny, but the conditions inside were considerably slushy. a s in slush fund, that is, although the f inance Minister preferred to call it 'flexibility' built into his new budget for whoever becomes the next leader." This was written a couple months back.

"With the l iberals in the home stretch of a hotly contested leadership race, the f inance Minister said his 'status quo' budget was designed to give the winner some money to play with after he or she moves into Gordon c ampbell's west-wing office…there's enough slush sloshing around to fill every Slurpee machine in b.c." This is from the Vancouver Province, Michael Smyth's column. a nd of course, there's a $600 million contingency fund. o bviously, there's another $350 million in the forecast allowance in the budget. if you add all of that up, you've got a billion-dollar slush fund this year alone, with actually billions more in goodies that the l iberals hope to push out during the election campaign to try to win back the public and buy their vote.

The Minister of finance — the former Minister of finance — tried to paint a picture that everything was gloomy supposedly in the '90s and that everything is really glossy in the first decade of this century. i quote the Vancouver Province again: "o f course, there were no overhead slides showing all the deficit budgets under c ampbell's watch or how the accumulated debt is now set to hit an astronomical $60 billion. i remember a time when c ampbell said mounting debt was simply an irresponsible 'tax on our kids.' n ow the interest costs alone on the debt repre- sent the third-biggest expense in government." it's unreal how the former Premier and now the present Premier, who's obviously still waiting to take a seat in the h ouse, can sit there and try to justify their ballooning of the debt when they railed against it, both of them and many members who were still sitting on the opposite side there when they were in opposition in the 1990s. h ere's another one from l es l eyne, the Times Colonist, f ebruary 16, 2011.

The caption reads "b udget built on l iberal-created Myths." "by now" — this would be the former finance Minister — "… knows the story so well he recites it from memory. With nothing much new to say about t uesday's budget, he took the opportun- ity in his budget speech — the last one Premier Gordon c ampbell will likely applaud in the l egislature — to tell the old story yet again." it's the liberals' "very own creation myth," les l eyne calls it. h e talks about some of the myths of the supposed structural deficit of $4 billion when it was actually a bal- anced budget. Their own a uditor General's report in

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, april 28, 2011 6479 2004 said it was a $1.4 billion surplus in the last year of the nDP . [1430] Then there's obviously the myth that they approved $45 billion worth of building. of course we need a lot of the structures that are going up.

They keep talking about the myth of their significant growth in the standard of living and, also, how supposedly when the nDP was in office, they put out a myth that thousands of people actually left this province in search of work, when the reality was that tens of thousands of people actually moved here from other parts of the province during those years. Y ou check the stats. t ake a look at the stats. The former Minister of finance is getting a little edgy because of the misrepresentation of the facts that they were putting out. c heck the stats.

The population of british c olumbia during the 1990s grew by over 600,000 people, and the unemployment rate in 1991 was over 9.5 percent at the time. by the time we left office when the l iberals took over, it was 6.5 percent. u nder their ten years, when the l iberals have been in government, the average unemployment rate in british c olumbia has been over 8 percent — over 8 percent. u nder the last ten years of the Social c redit government, because they like to talk about GDP growth on an annual basis as the mark of how well an economy is doing…. u nder the ten years of the Social c redit, the annual growth was 2.9 percent.

That's a percentage of the GDP . During the years of the n DP , the 1990s, the average annual growth was 3 percent. Guess what. u nder the tenure of the b.c. l iberals, while that member was Minister of finance, the average has been a distant third at 2.4 percent.

So if they want to talk about numbers and they want to talk about job creation, all they need to do is take a look at those reports, which are put forward by the a uditor General of this province — not by any left- wing think tank or right-wing think tank but an auditor general. n ow i see that the minister is just sitting there with his head bowed, because he knows the kind of misleading facts that the l iberals have been putting out, especially on the hS t during the election. When that member was asked a question point-blank about the hS t during the election, "n o, it's not on our radar," they said.

We know the truth. They were already negotiating this. There's been enough foi information that has come out to say that the l iberals were already in negotiations with the federal government in terms of the implemen - tation of the hS t , which they Pearl-harbored the people of british c olumbia on right after winning the election. h ad they answered that question in the affirmative and said the hS t was on their radar, they know the results of the election would have been different. The member knows that, and the member opposite knows that, but he continues to mislead.

Deputy Speaker: i would caution the member. H. Lali: Thank you, hon. Speaker. if i also may, the member opposite across the way is shouting a whole lot of things, and i think he needs a caution there as well, hon. Speaker. but anyway, hon. Speaker…. Deputy Speaker: Member, i would ask you to with - draw that last remark. H. Lali: i withdraw. i apologize. i wasn't trying to challenge the c hair, hon. Speaker. i was just sort of making a comment. Deputy Speaker: i will accept that, Member. continue. H. Lali: Thank you, hon.

Speaker. t o continue on, l es l eyne continues in his editorial comment here. h e says: "Start with the $4 billion deficit they inherited" — or supposedly they did, when they were saying that. "it was more or less imaginary. The last budget the nDP posted was balanced. The deficit was forecast by a fiscal review team that applied worst-case projections to make things look as bad as possible in order to give the l iberals room to work." So they can justify the massive cuts that they made.

See, on the one side, they've painted this gloomy picture to the people of british c olumbia: oh my god, there's a structural deficit of $4 billion. They didn't tell the people of b.c. that it was $2 billion in corporate tax giveaways and people in the richest 2 percent of the province which formed a part of that. but they turned around and made massive cuts to health and education and social services and ministries all across the board.

There were courthouses that were closed all across the province, five of them in my constituency, which was known as Y ale-l illooet at the time. t ransportation offices, probation offices, environment offices, ministry offices, etc., all across the province. h ospitals closed, wings in hospitals closed in rural b.c. and across other parts of the province and on the upper island as well. [1435] They gutted the health care system in rural british c olumbia, all because of the misleading information that was put out there at the time.

So l es l eyne continues: "The most telling comparison between the l iberal myth and the reality is on defi - cits. The entire thrust of c ampbell's tenure as Premier was to eliminate deficit spending…but according to the current plan, at the end of what would have been c ampbell's third term, the l iberals will have run seven deficit budgets." i would also like to read a portion of some of the editorials that have come forward. There's an article, again by Vaughn Palmer, in the National Post this time, which was submitted on f ebruary 16. The caption reads:

british c olumbia Debates6480 t hursday, april 28, 2011 "f rom Debt l oathers to Debt l oaders." That's what it says right here. i want to quote what Mr. Palmer says. "f or all of finance Minister's" — and he names the former min- ister — "insistence on a status quo theme for budget 2011, he wasn't standing pat on borrowing and the provincial debt. The minister projects for the debt burden to exceed $60 billion three years from now, at the end of the current b.c. l iberal fiscal plan.

"f or comparison's sake, just three years ago, as then f inance Minister c arole t aylor tabled her last budget in the l egislature, the debt stood at $34 billion, about where it was when the l iber- als took office.

"f rom debt loathers to debt loaders in the space of six years." it says here also, and i continue: "f inance reports that each additional $1 billion in debt adds $42 million in interest cost each year. a nd that is at the current rela- tively low interest rates contracted by the public sector. a s well, each additional one-point rise in interest rates is projected to boost interest charges across government, its c rown corporations and agencies, by a further $200 million a year." i continue: "The total provincial debt is scheduled to reach 100 percent of revenue this year, up from 80 percent when the l iberals took office… o n a per-capita basis, debt will be up almost 50 percent from the good years in the middle of the past decade. a nd the debt load, expressed as a share of provincial economic output, is jumping from less than a fifth to more than one-quarter of prov- incial output." i'll skip a little bit here, and i'll continue with what else he quotes. f rom Mr.

Palmer: "a ll manageable, the f inance Minister insisted t uesday. n othing that would pose any risk to the province's vaunted triple-a credit rating. Still, by the standards professed by the l iberals when they came to office, one wouldn't have expected anything like this degree of indebtedness at the provincial level.

"u nless the next leader of the party is prepared to return the government to its earlier ways, the direction is toward much more borrowing, more debt and a correspondingly higher exposure of taxpayers to higher interest rates, and less money to provide services." So you can imagine, the new Premier, when she takes her seat — the reality for her is to either cut services or raise taxes. because you can't have it both ways, if they say they're going to try to protect health care and education.

Y ou know, what's missing out of this budget — be - cause it's the same old, same old — is there's a lack of any strategy on job creation. There's also a lack of any strategy on protecting the jobs that we have, especially in the resource sector of this province. e specially in the resource sector — whether you're talking about forestry, agriculture, ranching, or you're talking about tourism, or many other areas. Mining, for instance, oil and gas. There's no strategy there.

There's nothing put in place to actually protect jobs or to even shift the economy, to diversify the economy, into the new clean, green tech- nologies that the rest of the world is already pouncing on, especially e uropean countries. n one of that is in the budget to be able to promote all of that. [1440] Y ou know, under the b.c. l iberals, with the abandon- ment that they perpetrated on rural british c olumbia especially….

Y ou look at the resource industries where there've been massive job losses. t o give you an example, under this l iberal government's mismanagement of the forestry file and their sellout of the softwood lumber deal by joining in with Mr. h arper, selling out to the a mericans, and their deliberate neglect of the pine beetle infestation…. When the federal government was coming forward with a couple hundred million dollars of their own money, these l iberals refused to match it.

So what you had as a net result over the last ten years under this l iberal government is that 78 sawmills and pulp mills in this province were forced to close by this l iberal government putting 42,000 permanent, family- supporting forestry jobs out of commission and most of that in rural and coastal communities in this province. That's their commitment to job creation, and there's none of that in this budget to be able to protect that. When you look at the level of poverty….

Y ou know, the number of people not only in absolute numbers but as a percentage of our population has steadily risen for ten years under this l iberal government to one of the highest in the country. but when you look at child poverty, it is now, for the eighth year in a row, the highest rate of child poverty of any province in the country, under this l iberal government. They have the audacity to stand up here in this h ouse and try to tell british c olumbians that they are the better man- agers of the economy and that they are creating jobs when what they've done is made hardship for families.

The new Premier now has the gall to actually stand up and say: "i'm going to put families first." She says, "i'm going to advance education," or make education better. but when you look at her own record when she was in this h ouse, it was exactly the opposite as a record number of schools were closed. a nd a record number of cuts to children and families…. D.

Hayer: it is an honour to speak in support of this budget that we will be debating during this session of the l egislature. h owever, i would like to welcome you back to these chambers, as i welcome all other members. i also have the honour and privilege to welcome two new leaders to this h ouse — our new Premier, c hristy c lark; and our new opposition leader, the member for Vancouver-k ingsway — in their new roles in the government. i look forward with great anticipation to the day when our new Premier joins us in this h ouse.

The leadership races were extremely exciting, and this new leadership will certainly usher a breath of fresh air into these chambers as we proceed through the session and through the rest of the year. i have always believed that new ideas and opinions are good and that changes of direction bode well for our citizens, for our province and for the future. i would be remiss, however, if i did not thank our former Premier Gordon c ampbell for his work in the public service and everything he did to ensure that our city of Surrey and all of british c olumbia was a better place.

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, april 28, 2011 6481 i also want to personally and especially thank him for keeping with and understanding the pain of the vic - tims, of families of those 329 men, women and children who died as a result of the a ir india bombing and those who died in the similar bomb attempt at Japan's n arita airport. in 2005, on the 20th anniversary of the a ir india bombing, my wife and i travelled by ourselves to ireland to pay homage to the victims. i was very pleased and proud to see Premier Gordon c ampbell in c ork and in bantry in ireland at the same time, representing the government of british c olumbia to recognize the tragedy that occurred in the skies 20 years before that date.

Premier c ampbell's creation of a special memorial at Stanley Park with the help of the Prime Minister of c anada and the mayor of Vancouver on the 25th an - niversary of the tragedy earned a special place in our hearts and in the hearts of every victim of terrorism. our former Premier was also a leader in the recognition and reconciliation of the tragedy that was the Komagata Maru, one of the darkest days of our province. i would also like to give my due thanks to the leader of the opposition party across the aisle for the excellent contribution to this h ouse and to the people of british c olumbia. [1445] Since i was first elected in 2001 i have been impressed by the work ethics of Joy MacPhail from 2001 to 2005 and the member for Victoria–b eacon h ill from 2005 to 2010 and of the member for n ew Westminster from 2010 to 2011.

Most of all, i want to thank the people of british c olumbia and the party members who participated enthusiastically in our democratic system to elect both of our new leaders with grace and dignity.

We all are very lucky and fortunate in british c olumbia and in c anada. in other parts of the world where they want a democracy, where they want elections, they have to pay with their lives to achieve the freedoms and the privileges that we enjoy here, and sometimes we take it for granted. because of the beliefs and strengths and dedication of our pioneers, we have a country and a province we can be proud of. o ur province, our country, is considered the best place in the world to live, to work, to visit and to do business in. We must not forget our soldiers who fought and died to keep us free.

Without the spirit of the pioneers, the dedication and sacrifices of our soldiers and the contri - butions of our seniors, we would not have the freedom to choose, the freedom to speak out and the freedom to enjoy a lifestyle and a future that is second to no country in the world.

Madam Speaker, that is what our government and our budgets are all about — creating and ensuring a future not just for ourselves but for all the generations to come. it is our task within this chamber to chart a course that will maintain the services we have all come to expect, that will strengthen the economy that we all depend on and that will build on the livability of british c olumbia for today, for tomorrow and for decades to come. Without a sound financial footing, without a strong and vibrant economy, we could not be doing the things that are im - portant to all british c olumbians.

We also could not be doing all the things that are so important to my constituents in Surrey-t ynehead. The accomplishments in Surrey-t ynehead depend on the strong economy, but they also depend on the invest - ments that our government has made and is making to make our homes, our lifestyles and the families better and stronger. Just recently our new Premier, christy clark; the Minister of h ealth; and i, along with my other colleagues, attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the new eight- storey addition to the Surrey Memorial h ospital.

This massive undertaking, which is worth more than half a billion dollars, is the largest investment in health care in the history of our province. This project will add more than 150 new care beds to Surrey Memorial h ospital. The new tower at Surrey Memorial h ospital will expand many services, including 48 children's neonatal intensive care beds and specialized mental health and pediatrics units.

The new tower is projected to cost over $500 mil - lion and will contain a new emergency department that will be five times larger than the existing facility at Surrey Memorial h ospital. it will include a separate children's emergency, an en- hanced minor treatment unit, a maternity department that will have 13 new birthing beds, private rooms for moms and their families, and additional academic space for new doctors and other health care professionals in part- nership with ubc medical school and f raser h ealth. The new tower will also have a new rooftop helipad to deal with emergencies in Surrey.

This is just one of the numerous investments our government is making in health care throughout Surrey, and it will create more than 3,760 jobs. a ll of this comes on the heels of 73 new acute care beds we opened at Surrey Memorial h ospital in a ugust 2008. a s well, there was a $10 million expansion of Surrey Memorial h ospital's kidney dialysis unit, which increased the availability of stations from 18 to 30. This was all part of a $30 million upgrade initiative at Surrey Memorial h ospital that began in 2005.

This project aimed to build capacity, expand services and ease congestion at the Surrey Memorial h ospital. These additional beds repre- sent a 26 percent increase in acute care beds in Surrey; that is 491 of them since f raser h ealth was created by our government. [1450] f or cancer services, this government has spent $12.5 million on renovations to the b.c . cancer centre in Surrey. These vastly improved services for cancer patients in

british c olumbia Debates6482 t hursday, april 28, 2011 our community will allow them to stay in the commun - ity and be treated with first-class service at the Surrey cancer centre from the b.c. agency. The health care improvement for Surrey residents will be immense. The incredible addition to Surrey Memorial h ospital is not alone. in June of this year a new $239 million out- patient hospital will be opened at f raser h ighway and 140th Street in Surrey. it will be officially opened and will accept its first patients in June of this year.

This tre - mendous new facility will be 188,000 square feet, and it has created more than 1,500 construction jobs. This new hospital will feature expanded day surgeries and diagnostic services, including four operating rooms and ten procedure rooms. it will also include a primary care area for seniors or people living with chronic dis - eases or hiV/aiDS. This facility will decrease wait-lists, make day surgery more accessible and greatly ease the patient load on Surrey Memorial h ospital.

These excellent additions to the health care in Surrey, which will be filled with state-of-the-art equipment and technology, would not have come about if it had not been for prudent budgeting by a government driven to ensure that our economy stayed strong.

There is almost $1 billion being invested in health care in Surrey. because of this budget and past budgets, we have been able to accomplish so many more things. in transportation improvements alone in Surrey, we have built the 156th Street underpass at h ighway 1; widened to four lanes Pacific h ighway, 176th Street, from the u .S. border to h ighway 1 in my riding; four-laned the f raser h ighway and h ighway 10, which was promised for dec- ades and decades; built the Golden e ars bridge; and are building a pedestrian and bicycle overpass on h ighway 1 and 168th Street in my riding, which will connect the f raser h eights, t ynehead, Guildford, fleetwood and Port k ells area.

Most important of all, we are building and soon will open the new 10-lane Port Mann bridge, which will have buses running on it for the first time since 1989, and it will include a separate bicycle lane and a pedes - trian walking lane. This new 10-lane Port Mann bridge is designed to handle future light rail system expansions to Surrey and l angley.

This incredible and long-awaited project is expected to be opened at least a year ahead of schedule, probably next year. c oupled with that massive project is the widening of h ighway 1 to eight lanes, all the way from Vancouver to l angley. a long with ambitious construction projects that em - ploy thousands of people, there will be improvements to all the interchanges on h ighway 1 and completely new overpasses and interchanges all along the h ighway 1 route from l angley to Vancouver. These projects will get my constituents to work and back home much quicker.

They will also provide mas - sive boosts to business and commerce by getting goods and services moved much faster and more efficiently. u ntil this project is completed, the loss to the econ - omy is estimated at $1 billion a year, and that's a lot of money being wasted by individuals and businesses.

Those savings alone justify this massive investment in infrastructure in our project, which is needed for our future generations to enjoy and use. a nother important aspect of this project is that it will greatly improve the air quality for people who live in my riding and throughout the f raser Valley. r ight now people are standing in the traffic for hours and hours and wasting time, when it should be taking only minutes to go through. a t my old office on the f raser h ighway and 160th Street…. f rom there to go to the Port Mann bridge used to take, in traffic, 45 minutes to one and a half hours.

When there is no traffic, it takes only 5 minutes. So you can see how people are gridlocked and wasting time and burning fuel, which is not good for the environment or for anybody else. in addition, the South f raser perimeter road is on its way, with the construction expected to complete in about two years. This route from Deltaport to the t rans- c anada h ighway 1 and 176th Street to Golden e ars bridge, will take commercial trucks off the residential street.

This will improve safety and traffic flow while cutting truck travel time. [1455] a nother great addition to the transportation in Surrey will be the construction of an expansion of Skyt rain or light rail from the current station in Surrey c entre, Whalley area and to Guildford and then to the f raser h ighway and 168th Street — this future expansion going so far as downtown l angley, and probably later on, to the a bbotsford area. a dditionally, there will be new rapid buses added and future rapid transit in the form of Skyt rain or light rail system down the k ing George h ighway to n ewton and other parts of the rapidly growing city of Surrey.

This budget and past budgets have also allowed us to accomplish a great deal for our young people and for our future leaders. f or them, for their future and the future of their families, we have built Simon f raser u niversity's new Surrey c entre campus, created kwantlen u niversity and built the new world-class trade and technology campus in cloverdale, along with expanding the n ewton campus of kwantlen. We are also building and opening a number of new elementary schools and began all-day kindergarten for those parents who wish it for their children.

We have also seismically upgraded schools, and we will continue to do those critical upgrades when needed. Madam Speaker, we have developed so many more StrongStart programs throughout Surrey schools that parents are really happy to see, and this will ensure that children and the families receive a good beginning to school, to our education system and to our society.

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, april 28, 2011 6483 i am working closely with the Surrey board of educa - tion and the Minister of e ducation to help vulnerable students within the city of Surrey by helping to fix that c ommunitylink funding formula. This board has been wrestling with this funding inequity for more than 15 years, and i want to see it fixed. i will be working closely with my colleague Mla s and also with the Surrey board of education and our Minister of education. in this world there is no place for vulnerable children and their families to be treated like second-class citizens.

The Surrey school district is b.c.'s largest, with more than 12 percent of the province's total public school enrolment, and it needs to be treated equally and fairly with all other districts in the province. i am working with the Minister of e ducation and the board of education to ensure that this occurs as soon as possible. i am also working with both of them to obtain capital budgeting and funding for the Surrey school district to replace portables at the f raser h eights Secondary School in my riding of Surrey-t ynehead and to build more new schools in Surrey, and we have many more new schools. because the population of Surrey is growing so fast — especially the children — we need to have more funding for capital to build more schools for the new kids that will be coming and attending our schools. c ommunitylink , by the way, means learning good nutrition and knowledge. its funding provides services such as the breakfast and lunch program, inner-city and community school programs, school-based sup - port workers and counselling for at-risk children and youth.

We can also thank this budget and those of the past ten years for creating many great new housing projects for seniors, creating libraries and recreational centres for them to join and to mingle with others of their own age group. f or example, there is the h arrison at e lim Village, a $30 million residential care facility for seniors. Introductions by Members Deputy Speaker: Thank you most sincerely, Member. if i might ask you to join with me in acknowledging the students who have just arrived in the gallery. They are students from Mitchell e lementary School in my riding. i'm very proud of them.

We had a discussion sometime back about what they might see when they're here, and i told them you would all be fabulous. So thank you very, very much. Welcome. Debate Continued D. Hayer: Welcome to the students that are here. Madam Speaker, for example, there is the h arrison at e lim Village — as i was stating — a $30 million residen - tial care facility for seniors. k insmen Place l odge, a $33.7 million building project, and over $91,000 for the a ctn ow b.c. seniors park at fleetwood c ommunity c entre. [1500] We also provided over $365,000 for f raser h ealth — three new stroke prevention clinics.

We have also created centres for the homeless people and for those who are at risk of homelessness, and have funded many programs, facilities and sites to combat the tragedy of addiction and mental health. a dditionally, we opened up the first phase of a $17.9 million Maxxine Wright centre, which provides pregnant women and their children with safe and supportive housing. We opened up f reedom Place, a $7.3 million develop- ment which provides 20 assisted-living units for young adults with physical disabilities in the Guildford area of my Surrey-t ynehead riding.

Most of these accomplish - ments have been done through responsible and decisive budgeting in the past. l et's talk about what specifically is in budget 2011. it reaffirms the government's commitment to funding the vital public services that british c olumbia depends on, while continuing to demonstrate prudent fiscal manage- ment during a time of transition and ongoing economic recovery. it provides the government with the spending authority to manage the province's affairs for coming years, focusing on new spending on health care and social services, while providing some fiscal flexibility priorities for the new Premier and executive council. budget 2011 also reflects our responsibility to hold the line on government spending as the b.c . economic recovery continues. o ur approach is helping b.c. successfully manage the economic downturn better than other juris- dictions around the world.

Most of the people agree that b.c. has come out ahead, when you compare to other parts of c anada and other parts of the world, from this economic recession we've had the past couple of years.

While we are holding the line on spending, we will continue to deliver new schools and new health care facilities, road improvements, social programs and hydroelectric facilities. british c olumbia's economy performed better than expected in 2010, with an estimated growth rate of 3.1 percent. b.c.'s independent e conomic f orecast c ouncil is forecasting growth of 2.7 percent in 2011. e xports, housing starts, retail sales and tourism numbers are all on the rise. Mining is back. We have mineral exploration spending now more than ten times higher than it was at the end of the 1990s.

Thanks in part to our accelerated infrastructure program, construction activity surged in the last two years. What has also surged is the amount of money left in taxpayers' pockets. Since this government was first elected in 2001, most british c olumbians have had their personal income taxes reduced by 37 percent or more. a n additional 325,000 people no longer pay any income tax in british c olumbia at all. a nyone earning less than

british c olumbia Debates6484 t hursday, april 28, 2011 $20,000 per year does not pay any provincial income tax at all in british c olumbia, and we have c anada's low- est personal income tax rates for any individuals earning less than $120,000 a year. k eeping taxes low is an essential part of our plan to ensure job creation, attract new investment and keep our economy growing and expanding. l ooking after the family is very important, creating jobs is very important, open government is very important, and connecting with british c olumbians is very important.

So in addi - tion to all these investments in health care in Surrey, as i previously mentioned, i want to point out that this budget contains a $6.5 million increase for 2013-14 for the Ministry of h ealth to sustain front-line service delivery. in fact, the new funding provided in this budget 2011 builds on the funding increases in the past to raise the Ministry of h ealth's budget by almost $2 billion com - pared to 2010. by 2013-14 health care budget expenses will be reaching $18.5 billion, and the total health care expenses will make up almost 50 percent of total gov - ernment spending. of almost every dollar government spends, 50 percent of that goes on health care services. f or those who are vulnerable, budget 2011 will provide $65 million over the three years to the Ministry of Social Development for income assistance for individuals and families in need. in education this budget sees per-pupil funding rising to $8,357 in 2011-12, the highest level ever in the history of the province of british c olumbia. [1505] Just so everyone is clear on how much we are investing on education, our government spent more than $24 mil- lion per school day on education programs and services to support students across the province.

The funding in higher education will also be increased. We will pro - vide $1.9 billion for post-secondary institutions in the 2011-12 year. Post-secondary funding has increased by 36 percent since 2001-02. That is a 36 percent increase since we were first elected in 2001. it is clear to me and should be clear to everyone who reads this budget document that our government is once again on the right path to funding the needs of to - day and the needs of future generations. This is a good budget.

This budget gives our government flexibility, and it sets the stage for future generations to succeed, because as the future generations succeed, our province will stay the best place in the world to live in, to work in, to raise a family in, to visit in or to do business in. i support this budget fully and stand by our govern - ment for the budget and look forward to the members from the opposition to respond and agree with all the great things i have said that are in this budget and every- thing else our government has done over the last ten years to make sure the economy of british c olumbia stays the best economy, not just in Surrey-tynehead but all over british c olumbia.

D. Thorne: i rise to respond to the 2011 budget, but first i would like to congratulate the new Premier and the new l eader of the official o pposition. Generally, this budget is status quo in that it doesn't introduce any new programs or significant spending in- itiatives.

This budget continues to cut spending and fails to invest in key areas, like protecting vulnerable children, improving access to education and training, protecting the environment or introducing a poverty reduction plan which would meet the new government's mandate of putting families first. h owever, a significant budget cushion of approximately $2.5 billion over the next three years has been left for the new Premier and her caucus. i am honoured to stand before you once again repre - senting the people of c oquitlam-Maillardville, who have placed their trust in me since 2005. i take this trust seriously and hope i have represented my constituents with dignity, honour and passion. i say "passion" be - cause i am passionate about this beautiful province and its future.

That's why i stand before you today to look back at what this government has and has not achieved in the last ten years in power and in their yearly budgets. They may have changed Premiers and shuffled cabinet titles and ministers, but the fundamental issues that trouble our province remain the same. h ealth care and education continue to suffer. We are ignoring climate change and environmental issues at our peril. The floundering economy is reflected in our high rate of unemployment and the thousands of for - estry jobs lost. c hild poverty is worse here than almost anywhere in c anada.

My constituents wonder if they will end up in a t im h ortons outlet when they go for help in the emergency department at the r oyal c olumbian h ospital, and they wonder if their neighbourhood schools will close. t oday i'm going to take a stroll through several min - istries and look at some of the issues that are particularly important to my constituents and how or whether the new budget has affected them negatively, positively or at all. i look first at the Ministry of c ommunity, Sport and c ultural Development.

More than a year ago, same time, same place, i talked about cuts to the arts and what they mean to my riding. n othing has changed. The arts con- tinue to be underfunded in c oquitlam-Maillardville and around the province. The national provincial arts funding average is $25 per capita. in b.c. it is $6.54 per capita.

That is an $18- per-person difference, and meeting the national average would make a huge impact for artists, musicians, dan - cers, actors and creative groups as they seek to enrich our society. [1510] The only good news last year regarding the arts was that this government was forced to back down and re - turn $7 million in funding to the b.c. a rts c ouncil. of

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, april 28, 2011 6485 course, this reversal came only after months of protests and outcry from the arts community, the resignation of b.c. a rts c ouncil chair Jane Danzo and continued de - bates in the l egislature.

This partial restoration of funds doesn't change the fact that programs and productions had already been cut and many talented people have lost their jobs and left our province. n or does it address the huge cut in funding through gaming grants in general. i am proud that the official opposition has been unwaver- ing in its support for the arts, constantly pointing out their importance to our quality of life, our economy and our future.

Without the arts, how would we see beyond the re- alities of the present day and express our dreams of change? i am also proud that the official opposition has sup - ported small community charities which have seen gaming grants eliminated completely or cut back drastically. i call on the government to restore gaming funds to their former levels and, finally, to involve the community if new grant categories are to be created or older ones eliminated. i look now at the Ministry of e ducation. h aving been one of two e ducation critics for the past two years, i know firsthand that these have not been easy days for public education.

School boards have had to grapple with budget cuts as the e ducation budget has remained largely unchanged. While there has been an increase in per-student fund- ing to $8,357, no inflationary pressures faced by school districts have been addressed. My own school district, c oquitlam, the third-largest district in the province, receives only $6,781 per-pupil funding, the lowest in british c olumbia. The only funding increase will go to full-day kindergarten and the remaining portion of teacher pay increases in the current contract.

Many school districts have tacked an extra week on to spring break to balance their budgets. W e have seen 190 public schools close in this province since 2002. Why, when our new Premier was e ducation Minister, 120 schools were closed, 2,000 teachers were laid off and many librarians and special needs supports were cut. i was more than pleased when a provincial law that stopped the ability of teachers to bargain for class size and composition was ruled recently as unconstitutional. The legislation was brought in by our new Premier when she was e ducation Minister.

"it is clear from the government's own evidence that a key reason that school administrators and the gov - ernment did not like to have class size and composition limits included in collective agreements was the fact that these districts increased costs to school districts," said Justice Susan Griffin. She also said that the legislation came at a cost to teachers.

"They lost the ability to be involved in decisions which could greatly affect their working conditions." on a happier note, from school district 43, the new Mandarin bilingual program has been a great success. because c oquitlam, as i mentioned, has the lowest per- pupil funding, we are especially grateful for the funding for this program, as it has come from external sources. l ast year 140 families hoped to enrol their children in the 90 available spaces, and we're expecting that this year we'll see even larger numbers. i move now to the Ministry of a dvanced e ducation. h igher education has moved beyond the reach of many young people in b.c. at a time when we will need a more educated workforce, as many jobs will require a univer - sity degree. r ight now b.c. ranks seventh among the ten provinces in the number of university degrees granted per capita.

What is stopping our young people? t uition fees have doubled since 2001, forcing student debt levels to among the highest in c anada, averaging $27,000 for a four- year program. Student aid has been cut by $34 million. u nderfunding of trades and apprenticeship training often means long waiting lists, which makes little sense when we keep hearing that there is a trade shortage on the horizon. [1515] u nder the b.c. l iberals, b.c. became the only prov - ince in the country to eliminate a needs-based grant program.

The province of b.c. also currently provides the least amount of student aid in c anada. a t 2.5 per - cent above prime, student loan interest rates in b.c. are the highest in c anada.

These are not statistics that bode well for a society that will depend not just on knowledge but on creativity and innovation. l et's look now at the Ministry of Jobs, t ourism and innovation. l et's look at some hard numbers when it comes to job creation and economic growth. between 2001 and 2009 b.c. was a have-not province six times and was the only province in western c anada to have negative growth in exports. between 2001 and 2009 b.c. had the lowest growth in average hourly wages and lost approximately 50,000 jobs in natural resource and manufacturing industries.

Why, in December 2010, b.c. lost a shocking 20,000 full-time jobs, half of which were in construction, and let's recall that this government claimed that 46 percent from the hS t would flow to the construction industry. but according to Statsc an, b.c. had the second-worst drop-off in building permits in c anada, and residential building permits fell by 51 percent in november alone. Some 3,400 jobs were lost in the accommodation and food services industry over the last year, and the b.c . r estaurant a ssociation tells us that the h St certainly played a hand in that.

With higher ferry fares, fewer provincial park services, fewer fish for recreation anglers, it is no wonder the tourism industry is suffering. l ooking now at the Ministry of environment. in my riding of c oquitlam-Maillardville the environment and its preservation are huge issues. We have several com - mitted and active environmental organizations that

british c olumbia Debates6486 t hursday, april 28, 2011 monitor local waterways, clean up parks and trails, and work to further educate the public about clean water, clean air and the future of our beautiful but beleaguered planet. h ere are just some of the ways the Ministry of e nvironment has failed to act to protect our parks system. interpretative programs were eliminated. Massive cuts between 2002 and 2004 led to the removal of toilets and boat launch facilities from many parks. t rails, bridges and other park infrastructure have also been in decline.

Some 22 conservation officers were eliminated, along with 128 scientific technical officers, 21 park assistants, 17 biolo - gists and 26 licensed science officers. in 2003 the Parks and Protected a reas Statutes a ct was amended to allow for oil and gas exploration and develop- ment within b.c. parks. a s well, there continues to be ongoing subsidies and tax breaks to the fossil fuel sector. i am proud that the official opposition supports policies that put environmental sustainability at the forefront of decision-making. a s an example, the Special c ommittee on Sustainable a quaculture, established in 2007, firmly es- tablished the opposition position on closed-containment fish farming. o ur policies are science-based, transparent, and we are always aware of our accountability to the public. u nfortunately, the current government has taken no action on the recommendations of this committee. n ow, moving on to the Ministry of h ealth, everybody's favourite. f raser h ealth, which serves my riding, con - tinues to experience a shortage of acute care beds.

We even made the national news earlier this year when the r oyal c olumbian h ospital emergency department was so overcrowded that beds were moved into the nearby t im h ortons. There were many jokes: "Will that be a double-double on meds?" and "r oll up your rim to win your turn with a doctor." but really, it is no laughing matter. Stretchers often block the hallways and exits of the er , and ambulances are diverted to other hospitals. The fire marshal was called in twice to the r oyal c olumbian to deal with overcrowding in 2008. What do we hear as the solution from the govern - ment?

More calls for privatization. if it hasn't worked so far, why would we continue with this same tired policy? [1520] e agle r idge h ospital, which also serves my riding, was built to accommodate 200 beds but has never reached that goal. l ocal city councils have passed many motions calling on f raser h ealth to "quickly and publicly address all 27 recommendations" in the service review delivered to the health authority in 2009. i recently attended a status update on these recom - mendations at city hall, and i'm happy to report that many of them have been achieved, so we are making some progress. h owever, too many are "in progress," and i can only hope that they will soon be put in place. one of the questions that came up at this public meet- ing was how the t ri-cities, with 215,000 residents and expected to grow to 290,000 by 2020, still has no mater - nity facilities at its only hospital. i wonder the same thing, and i suspect, like Skyt rain to c oquitlam, that i may not live long enough to see that happen.

Preservation of the r iverview lands continues to be a high-profile issue in my riding. in 2007 the media printed a story that the government was considering selling much of the r iverview property to develop up to 10,000 units of market housing and 1,000 units of social housing, probably a token amount. a pproximately 15,000 people from around the province have signed our petition in response to this announcement. Since that time the government has remained omin - ously silent. in this case, Madam Speaker, no news is not necessarily good news.

With the provincial government short of funds and possibly owing money to o ttawa in the future for the ill-conceived hS t , i worry that it will look to r iverview to fill its coffers. i have been proud to champion the cause of pro - tecting what is left of the r iverview h ospital, and i will continue to do so. The land contains many valuable and rare trees, along with precious wildlife and other horti - culture worth preserving.

This land must be preserved for people with mental illness and for its environmental and heritage value. instead of continuing to cut beds, we should be increasing the hospital's role to help with our many vulnerable citizens with mental illness. a s of o ctober 2010, r iverview had only 189 patients remaining. Since 2002, as part of the r iverview redevel- opment project, patients have been, and continue to be, moved into private long-term care facilities, often ne - cessitating the transfer of current residents.

This is no doubt a dramatic process for all concerned. t ucked into the Ministry of h ealth are women and seniors — grouped together, i assume, because both groups are marginalized by this current government. The problems of poverty, hS t , higher food and energy costs, etc., affect seniors to a disproportionate degree — those who are able to remain in their own homes and the men and women in seniors housing communities. Meanwhile, our frail seniors who are in residential care are looking at yet another rate hike.

This $54 million revenue grab will leave many men and women struggling to pay for basic needs. a senior whose before-tax income is $22,000 will now have to pay close to $2,000 more for long-term care. This translates into fewer necessities such as toiletries, dental care, over-the-counter medicine, hearing aids and clothing for seniors. it will mean that seniors might remain in their homes longer than they should, with many eventually ending up in acute care as what are commonly called "bed-blockers." This certainly seems like false economy to me.

Just looking briefly at the Ministry of a griculture. a lthough my riding is suburban, i am still angered that this government has allowed the a gricultural l and c ommission to remove thousands of acres from the

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, april 28, 2011 6487 alr , while at the same time weakening legislation for environmental assessments. i'm also disappointed that the buy b.c. program seems to become less important in the budget every year.

Moving now to the Ministry of t ransportation and infrastructure, which is very, very important to my riding. because only 25 percent of people who live in c oquitlam- Maillardville work in the city they live in, transportation issues are very important. o ur residents use the West c oast express for commuter rail service into Vancouver and east to Mission, and you will see many t ransl ink buses on our streets, although many neighbourhoods are not served.

This is despite the fact that automobile ex - haust is one of the largest sources of pollution in b.c. [1525] a nd the n evergreen line, as i call it, has been on track and off track and then back on track so many times that everybody has lost track. The government announced the line would go ahead several years ago, before the es - timated $1.4 billion in funding had been secured.

The federal government made its financial commit - ment, and construction was finally expected to start in 2010. h owever, the provincial government was $2 mil - lion short, and now t ransl ink has announced it cannot afford to build or operate the line, which they estimate will cost at least $350 million per year. i would be pleased if someone, anyone, could tell me and the community what is going on.

The last time i looked, Skyt rain's website said construction would begin in early 2011. l ike my constituents, i'll believe it when i see it. it seems to me that we've passed early 2011, so the website will probably be updated any day now. l ooking at the Ministry of finance, which flows quite naturally, i think, from the transportation ministry and talking about the n evergreen Skyt rain line to c oquitlam, i hear from my constituents that the hS t continues to be a huge issue in my riding. i can understand why, as the $1.9 billion tax shift from business to consumers hits everyone, from small business to those families that are struggling to make the end of the month come before the end of their money. a s everywhere else in the province, c oquitlam- Maillardville residents were outraged with the introduction of the hS t just weeks after an election campaign where they were not told it was on the table. i meet people of every political stripe who are willing to be counted in the fight to stop the tax. but let's remember that all the l iberal Mla s voted for it right here in this h ouse and are now making a concerted effort to resell the hS t to british c olumbians before the referendum is held this summer, and it's all at taxpayers' expense. a ll of us in the opposition are pleased, of course — moving on to something positive to say — that the government finally listened to working british c olumbians and raised the minimum wage. [applause.] Well, it's good to know that they're listening. i always appreciate that. of course, it took about ten years, and unless some action is taken on affordable housing, the rising costs of transit, hydro increases, tuition costs, user fees, etc., the government is going to have to look at raising it again to keep up with costs that have spiralled out of control since 2003. i want to get through these before my time is up, Madam Speaker, so i'm not pausing in between the ministries.

The Ministry of a ttorney General. We do live in inter- esting times. The crown c ounsel a ssociation says there are not enough prosecutors to fight crime in this province. The association president disputes claims that ten pros - ecutors have been hired to deal with gang violence. instead, prosecutors were moved from other offices, leaving those offices understaffed. That is coming from the association. a s well, 60 legal aid offices have been cut, ten jails and 24 courthouses have closed, and there are not enough judges to oversee trials.

Pretrial facilities are 200 percent over capacity, which increases the threat of violence. Surely we must make sure that the justice system has the resources it needs to keep our streets safe. Much as i would like to ignore the b.c. r ail deal, i simply can't.

The office of the a ttorney General signed off on a $6 million deal to secure guilty pleas from two former political aids in this corruption trial. i have to believe this was so the government could save face and avoid media and public scrutiny. a s well, for more than seven years, the government has refused to answer questions relating to the sale of b.c. r ail. They have refused repeated public calls for an independent inquiry into the sale of the former crown corporation, and like my constituents, i wonder what they are afraid of. Moving onto the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General and gaming.

Gaming policy and enforcement and responsible gambling strategy come under the Minister of Public Safety, along with the b.c . l ottery c orporation. i remember very well when casinos first came to this province with a promise that they would generate revenue for non-profits and charities, many in the arts sector. [1530] [c. t revena in the chair.] but that social contract, which led to city councils approving casino locations, has been broken. in fact, gaming grants are actually lower now than they were in the 1990s, despite a huge increase in profits. l ike most of the people in this province, i question why the top priority for gaming revenue should be subsidizing private casino companies' car parks and show lounges. a ren't the casino companies making enough money?

Do they really need subsidies when grants are being cut

british c olumbia Debates6488 t hursday, april 28, 2011 for the arts and for charities that help people with dis - abilities, seniors and children who want to play sports, take music lessons or perform? c asinos can receive a subsidy of 3 percent of their net win plus an additional one-time subsidy, which is an additional 2 percent of a casino's net win. t ogether these subsidies have offset about 40 percent — 40 per - cent, Madam Speaker — of the capital costs of casino development in b.c. in recent years alone. i can assure you that these casinos have not spent 40 percent of their capital costs on programs for problem gamblers or help- ing their families. a gain, it is difficult to see why casinos need subsidies at all.

Gambling revenues at the lottery corp were at $2.5 billion in 2009-10. c asino receipts increased from about $492 million to about $1.3 billion, with casino growth going from one-third of the crown corporation's total revenue to more than half of it. Slot machine revenue has jumped to $1.3 billion, an interesting statistic when i remember something about the b.c. l iberals talking about stopping the expansion of gambling.

Gaming, as it is now called instead of gam- bling, is a big business. a t the very least, isn't it time that we separated gaming policy and gaming enforcement into separate ministries? l ooking now at the Ministry of Social Development and references to the budget and what occurred there in the 2011 budget. in f ebruary the budget projected 3,000 more people would be on income assistance over the next two years.

So what does the government do? it cuts em- ployment programs for people on income assistance by $16 million. income and disability assistance is shamefully low. c ertainly thousands of b.c. children live in poverty, the most in c anada. Where is the poverty reduction plan? What is this government doing to be sure that children have enough to eat and warm winter coats? in my riding of c oquitlam-Maillardville we see home- lessness.

Since 2007 the number of homeless people in the t ri-cities has fluctuated between 160 and 210 people. a fter threats, obscenities and impassioned de - bate, c oquitlam council approved rezoning land for a homeless shelter in the eastern part

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	H0428pm-10
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	H0428pm 10
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	51f146a7c64a7dbe71153da363da0e7defb1e954

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