Second Session, 43rd Parliament

Official Report

of Debates

( Hansard )

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 120

The Honourable Raj Chouhan , Speaker

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

Contents

Routine Business

Introduction and First Reading of Bills

Bill 7 — Post-Secondary International Education (Designated Institutions) Act

Hon. Jessie Sunner

Orders of the Day

Budget Debate (continued)

Hon. Christine Boyle

Brennan Day

Susie Chant

Ian Paton

Scott McInnis

Hon. Brittny Anderson

Jeremy Valeriote

Tony Luck

Steve Morissette

Sheldon Clare

Thursday, February 19, 2026

The House met at 1:01 p.m.

[The Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

Bill 7 — Post-Secondary

International Education

(Designated Institutions) Act

Hon. Jessie Sunner presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor: a

bill intituled Post-Secondary International Education (Designated Institutions) Act.

Hon. Jessie Sunner : I move that Bill 7 be introduced and read a first time now.

Today I am proud to introduce the Post-Secondary International Education (Designated

Institutions) Act. This bill creates a legislative framework for the education quality

assurance designation, setting clear standards for institutions to meet in order to

be authorized to enrol international students.

Bill 7 turns education quality assurance from a policy into legislation, strengthening

oversight and giving government the enforcement tools needed to uphold quality education

standards and hold institutions to account. This legislation will provide clear authority

for government to conduct inspections, address non-compliance and take enforcement

action against bad actors. It will put a clear appeal process in place and introduce

program fees to support enforcement action and oversight across the sector.

I am proud to introduce this legislation. It will enhance the integrity and reputation

of B.C.’s post-secondary system and ensure that international students receive the

quality education and support they deserve.

The Speaker : Members, the question is first reading of the bill.

Motion approved.

Hon. Jessie Sunner : I move that Bill 7 be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next

sitting of the House after today.

Motion approved.

Orders of the Day

Hon. Mike Farnworth : I call continued debate on the budget.

Budget Debate

(continued)

Hon. Christine Boyle : When I left off before lunch, I was sharing the story of Jay in Nanaimo, who found

supportive housing through the HEART and HEARTH partnership in Nanaimo and as a result,

was able to reconnect with his daughter, to find employment and to move into affordable,

non-profit housing and continue to stabilize his life.

Jay’s story is just one of so many that we hear about and even more that we know exist

across the province.

[1:05 p.m.]

The programs we choose to invest in are bringing more people off the street than ever

before. Our investments are putting the keys to affordable housing, including affordable

home ownership, in the hands of more people than ever.

[Mable Elmore in the chair.]

We’re doing it by bringing together a team of resources. Chief among them is a dramatic

and much-needed increase in the number of homes built right across the housing spectrum,

and while we’re making record investments in building new housing, we’ve also pioneered

new ways to ensure that these are the most cost-effective homes in our lifetime. That

work will continue.

I want to speak a bit about the belonging in B.C. plan. HEART and HEARTH, the programs

I was speaking to before lunch, build upon record investments and success with supportive

housing that we have seen since we began this work in 2018. Budget 2026 makes a deliberate

choice to keep funding the essential services and supports that we see are making

a difference.

We have built more than 5,000 homes, through the supportive housing fund, to help

people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Programs like HEART and HEARTH and

supportive housing are part of belonging in B.C. — our effort to bring together the

wide range of initiatives and strategies our government has developed and implemented

to ensure that people don’t become homeless and if they do, that they can quickly

find a stable home.

We are determined to get people the care and supports they need and to transform our

systems to end the cycle of people falling through the gaps — a cycle that was driven

in previous decades through a lack of sufficient action and investment in housing

by the previous government. That’s why our government has made investing in housing

such a central priority.

It’s not just homelessness. We’re tackling other issues, like intimate partner violence.

So far we’ve created more than 1,450 spaces through the women’s transition fund to

create safe spaces for women and their children leaving violence.

This includes 130 spaces on Vancouver Island and almost 100 spaces in Metro Vancouver,

all of which we opened just last year — safe spaces like the 33 second-stage units

at Kw’i Lelum, also called Rise House, which is operated by the Cowichan Women Against

Violence Society in Duncan; and 14 beds at Nisa Homes, which is operated by Nisa Foundation

in Surrey.

Nisa Homes offers support for women and children, primarily those who are immigrant,

refugee, non-status and Muslim, and any woman in need of help. They are one of the

many organizations in B.C. that empower women to heal from trauma, to regain their

confidence and to equip them with tools to start afresh.

Last March we were fortunate to share the story of a resident whose anonymity is being

protected for safety purposes. She said: “Nisa Homes gave me and my children a place

to heal and rebuild our lives. The staff was incredibly supportive, always there to

listen and provide guidance. I feel safe, understood and empowered to move forward.

I don’t know where I would be without this place.”

I have been fortunate to be at the opening of a number of women’s transition housing

projects and have heard from women and their children who have moved in about what

a huge difference it makes for a mother to know that her kids have a place they feel

safe and secure, a place where they feel comfortable and even proud to invite friends

to come over after school, a place where they’re having sleepovers and where they’re

planning and imagining, dreaming about a future.

[1:10 p.m.]

The courage that it takes for a woman to leave a violent situation, to protect herself

and her children and to start to rebuild that life…. That opportunity for dreaming

and imagining something better is profound. To be able to meet that courage with the

housing and supports needed continues to be a priority for our government.

We are also tackling decades of neglect for housing for Indigenous communities as

well. We’re building more than 3,200 homes both on and off reserve through the Indigenous

housing fund, which supports Indigenous-led and culturally appropriate housing solutions.

Regional Chief Terry Teegee of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations said it best when

he said: “With each new home built through the Indigenous housing fund, we are taking

meaningful action to address the critical need for culturally supportive shelter and

to foster a lasting vision of community and resilience for First Nations in B.C.”

He continues: “As the first-of-its-kind fund in Canada to provide provincial investments

for on-reserve housing, the province of B.C. is leading by example on the collective

effort needed to address this crisis, which disproportionately impacts First Nations

in B.C.”

By meeting the fundamental needs of families and Elders, both on and off reserve,

we lay a strong foundation for people to thrive while advancing our collective journey

toward reconciliation.

In October of last year, the Indigenous housing fund helped the Lax Kw’alaams First

Nation celebrate two fantastic milestones. They broke ground on 38 affordable rental

homes for families, people living with disabilities and nation Elders who live with

a family member who provides care and support. And they opened 20 new rental homes

for First Nations families and Elders. These projects are led by the Lax Kw’alaams

Band and managed by the Lax Kw’alaams Housing Society, creating affordable homes,

good-paying jobs and economic opportunities in a boat-access-only, on-reserve community

near Prince Rupert.

In times of strong economic headwinds, unreliable trading partners and difficult choices,

we remain committed to addressing the housing crisis and to our investments in new,

affordable housing. In this budget, we continue putting people first and investing

in affordable rental housing. We are clear-eyed and acknowledge that, given fiscal

constraints, we need to adjust the pace of our record-setting housing investments.

By adjusting our pace, we can continue to deliver the housing we’ve committed to,

through programs that are delivering homes at a range of rent levels to meet the range

of need across the province — programs like the community housing fund, which has

already delivered more than 13,600 affordable homes.

While we have to make the difficult decision not to proceed with last year’s intake,

we will continue to deliver the thousands of homes under construction right now under

the fund, and we’ll issue another intake when we’re ready to take on additional projects

under this fund. We remain firm in our commitment to meeting the overall housing targets

for the program and in the meantime, focus our attention on getting current under-construction

projects open for people faster. Thousands of units under construction right now will

become good, stable, affordable homes for families across British Columbia.

Now, as folks in the House may know, housing developers today are impacted by inflation,

the cost of land, the cost of construction and high interest rates. This can make

financing and building new market rental housing challenging. That’s why we’re working

with B.C. Housing to deliver an innovative program, BC Builds, to speed up the development

of new homes for middle-income working people throughout British Columbia.

BC Builds partners with government, First Nations, community, non-profit and private

landowners, providing low-interest, repayable loans and grants and speeding up project

timelines to reduce how long it takes to get a building from concept to construction.

[1:15 p.m.]

We’re leveraging a major provincial investment of $950 million alongside $2 billion

in province-funded, low-cost financing, along with $2 billion in federal financing

through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. By matching provincial investments with

further provincial and federal financing, we can get projects off the ground faster

and more affordably than by working alone.

We’re looking beyond traditional government housing programs that provide ongoing

subsidies to create affordability. Instead, BC Builds acts to lower development costs

so that rents will be attainable for middle-income households.

In September, construction began on nearly 250 rental homes in the township of Langley,

helping more people find housing options close to work, school and community services.

Langley township mayor Eric Woodward said, and I quote: “Residents have made it clear.

Housing that meets the needs of working families, seniors and individuals is a top

priority, and these projects show how quickly progress can happen with the right partnerships

in place.”

These sites are among the first BC Builds projects to break ground, showing the power

of connecting eager builders with ready-to-go land and excited municipalities that

want to expedite projects.

Beyond building new housing, we’ve also made the choice to help preserve affordable

rental housing as well. In 2023, we made the choice to invest $500 million to create

a first-of-its-kind rental protection fund because we know that people thrive when

they have safe, secure homes without living in fear of being evicted or of sudden

rent increases. This fund partners with non-profit housing providers to buy rental

buildings at risk of being lost to the private market, ensuring people keep their

homes and rents remain affordable.

Two years ago we set a mandate for the fund to protect 2,000 homes in three years.

We made the choice to aim high because we knew that more and more people are at risk

of being priced out of their homes. We didn’t just meet that bold mandate. We beat

it, and we beat it earlier than expected.

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of announcing that the rental protection fund

had surpassed its original goal by protecting nearly 2,200 homes and helping renters

stay in their communities with affordable rents. With a third of the funding still

remaining, the fund will be able to continue to protect more buildings to come — on

budget, ahead of time and keeping more house keys in the hands of people who get to

keep calling B.C. home.

You don’t need to take my word for it. In June last year, CBC’s flagship news program

The National visited B.C. to fact-check our progress and speak with real people behind these programs.

They spoke with Marleny Felix, a single mother of three, who now has a guarantee that

her home will remain affordable, thanks to our efforts. The CBC reported that she

pays roughly $1,390 less for her apartment than the average rent in the area. And

because of the choices we’ve made in investing in affordable housing, Marleny’s house

is safe.

The CBC explained that when her building went up for sale, chances were high that

a for-profit landlord would purchase it, be it a small private equity firm or a large

corporation whose focus is to make a return for investors. Instead, the rental protection

fund made it possible for Aunt Leah’s properties, a not-for-profit organization, to

buy the building with the explicit goal of keeping rents accessible. Marleny told

the CBC, and I quote: “I would be out on the street with my children if we were evicted.

I just can’t afford anything else that I see on the market in this neighbourhood.”

The fund doesn’t just preserve affordable rent prices for current tenants. It also

keeps rents from skyrocketing if there’s a turnover, preserving some of the most affordable

homes that exist today. The threat to those homes, without our intervention, is very

real.

[1:20 p.m.]

The CBC also spoke with housing and policy expert Steve Pomeroy, who explained that

Canada lost more than 550,000 affordable housing units between 2011 and 2021. These

units themselves are still there. They just are no longer as affordable.

Now, affordability is a complex issue, and as I’ve mentioned, we’ve made record investments

into building homes ourselves and preserving affordable homes. We’ve also chosen to

make life better for people and families by breaking down barriers for homebuilders

to do their

part in building more affordable housing.

B.C. is not alone in facing a global housing crisis and rising development costs.

We’ve also seen the choices of governments before us that let speculators and bad

actors raise prices to record levels. We’ve seen decades of outdated zoning and too

much red tape, making things harder for developers and homebuilders to build the kind

of housing we need in the places we need it most. That’s why we’re continuing, in

Budget 2026, to support the choices that we’ve made to dramatically speed up the delivery

of homes across B.C.

I could go on and on talking about our DASH program, the digitally accelerated standardized

housing program, that is seeing homes delivered more quickly in communities across

the province; talking about the building permit hub and our work on standardized designs;

our work to speed up development approvals and secure financing and permits more quickly;

to create opportunities for larger multi-bedroom units and family-oriented housing;

our work that is particularly important to me as a former city councillor to work

in partnership with local governments to deliver, because their work is so important.

British Columbia is at a crossroads, and in this budget, the Premier, the Minister

of Finance and our government have a vision for people and families in this province.

We continue to deliver for them, and I am proud to do so.

Brennan Day : It’s not my file. I did notice a few things in the Minister of Housing’s speech that

I think need to get pointed out.

She mentioned record-setting and most cost-effective housing. I would beg her to talk

to any developer in this province about what cost-effective now looks like at $500

a square foot to build.

The other thing she took a victory lap on is how many houses are getting built. I’d

encourage her to look and see how many of those projects are on budget or on time.

Certainly nothing that showed up in this budget. In addition, she was talking about

rental protections, which are critically important, but we’re seeing cuts to the Rent

Bank under this budget.

These aren’t very optimistic for people looking for affordable housing in this province

or people looking to get houses built in this province.

I’ll recognize, because I noticed he was sitting there…. We do have the member for

Peace River South joining us virtually. I know we’re not supposed to pick on people

that aren’t here.

Deputy Speaker : Member, we don’t mention who is present.

Brennan Day : I’d just like to recognize the hard work he’s doing up in Tumbler Ridge and getting

here.

Deputy Speaker : Fair enough.

Brennan Day : Thank you.

Budgets are not simply financial documents. These are moral documents. They reveal

priorities. They reveal judgment. They reveal competence. When the numbers are this

stark, they certainly reveal failure.

This budget confirms that British Columbia now faces the largest deficit in history,

following last year’s largest deficit in history — $13.3 billion. Not during a global

pandemic, not during an economic collapse, although this government is trying its

hardest to make that a reality, but today.

At the same time, taxes are increasing in this budget. Personal income taxes are increasing.

The provincial sales tax is expanding. Government is taking far more from British

Columbians than ever before, and despite this record taxation, despite record spending

approaching $100 billion — that’s with a b — and despite projected revenue to exceed

$200 billion within three years, of debt, the outcomes that matter most to British

Columbians are not improving.

Health care access is not improving. Long-term-care access is not improving. Emergency

room stability is not improving.

[1:25 p.m.]

This is the central contradiction in this government’s budget: record spending, record

debt, record taxes, yet declining confidence and declining access where it matters

most.

Independent observers have already recognized the seriousness of this moment, and

you do not need to take my word for it. Veteran political journalist Keith Baldrey

described this as one of the bleakest budgets he has seen. Rob Shaw with CHEK News reported that government is raising taxes by more than $800 million while still projecting

record-breaking deficits. This is not fiscal stability. This is fiscal deterioration.

It is poorly managed decline.

Government claims health care funding will increase by approximately 4 percent this

year or 3.1 percent annually over the next three years. But that number does not reflect

reality. Health care costs do not rise at 3 percent. They rise at 6 percent. They’ve

risen at 8 percent over the last several years. Anything less than that does not expand

care. It reduces it in real terms, terms that see care contracting and throttled.

Inflation alone consumes more than 2 percent. Collective agreements across the health

care system are increasing wages by about 3 percent annually. These increases are

justified. They reflect the value of nurses, care aides and front-line staff who carry

this system every single day. But they also reflect unavoidable financial reality.

They consume the entirety and more of the funding increase.

This means that before a single new long-term-care bed opens — all those have been

cancelled, by the way — before a single new doctor is recruited, before a single wait-list

is reduced, the money has already been spent, absorbed by inflation, absorbed by existing

obligations, leaving nothing for expansion of services in British Columbia, leaving

nothing for growth of services in British Columbia, leaving nothing to meet the needs

of a rapidly aging population of British Columbia.

On paper, spending is increasing. But in reality, capacity is not increasing, access

is not improving, and the health care system is falling further behind the very people

it exists to serve. That is the most troubling reality revealed in this budget.

We are seeing the same pattern in education. Student outcomes have declined by the

equivalent of a full grade level since 2012, despite record spending. In most classrooms,

that would be considered a failure. But in the government’s grading system, perhaps

they would call it an E for “emerging.” British Columbians see it for what it is:

more spending, worse results.

If we continue on this path of educational decline, looking only at top-line budget

numbers and ignoring educational outcomes, my eight-year-old son Lachlan will likely

be on track to graduate with the equivalent of a grade 10 level. This is managed decline.

Parents see it, teachers see it, and I’m not sure why this government doesn’t see

it.

We are spending more; we are getting less. And we are failing our children and ensuring

that the next generation of British Columbians is less educated, less prepared for

the real world and wallowing in heaps of debt that this government has left squarely

on their shoulders.

If this government is looking for a rebranding strategy, and after this budget I suspect

you’ll need it, perhaps the MDP, Managed Decline Party. When funding increases fail

to keep pace with costs, capacity does not grow. It shrinks. That is the reality behind

the bleak numbers in this week’s budget, and we are already seeing those consequences.

The government promised that every British Columbian would have access to a family

doctor by 2025 in the last election. That promise has now been pushed by this Premier

to 2027, and even that date remains uncertain. Now 1.4 million British Columbians

are currently without a family doctor. Without that doctor, patients cannot access

specialists. They cannot access preventive care. Minor conditions become major conditions.

Treatable illnesses become emergencies.

[1:30 p.m.]

You don’t need to take it from me. The Consultant Specialists of B.C. state:

“We are deeply concerned that Budget 2026 misrepresents the current state of specialist

access and does not meaningfully respond to the growing wait-list crisis, with more

than 1.2 million British Columbians currently waiting for a specialist consultation.

This represents a critical system pressure affecting patients across the province

and worsening outcomes through delayed diagnosis and treatment.”

Patients end up in emergency rooms not because they should be there but because they

have nowhere else to go. This creates pressure throughout the system.

Thousands of hospital beds today are occupied by patients who do not need hospital-level

care but cannot be discharged because there is nowhere else for them to go. These

are alternative-level-of-care patients — seniors, often medically stable, waiting

for long-term-care placements that do not exist. I will reiterate again. They do not

exist, and this government has cut any funding for the proposed beds. This is not

an isolated problem. This is a structural bottleneck, and it is growing.

The B.C. seniors advocate has been crystal clear. British Columbia must build approximately

2,000 new long-term-care beds every single year between now and 2036 just to keep

pace with demographic reality — not to improve access, not to reduce wait-lists, simply

to avoid falling further behind. As of today, we are 3,000 beds behind in British

Columbia. By 2036, British Columbia is projected to face a shortfall of 16,000 long-term-care

beds.

Today seniors are already waiting years for placement — three to four years. In Campbell

River, that project, which was supposed to be online years ago, cancelled. Families

are carrying this burden at home. Hospitals are absorbing the consequences, and some

seniors are dying while waiting for care that never arrives.

This government has promised to transition long-term-care homes to stable, hospital-style

funding agreements through the Health Employers Association of B.C. That transition

was expected to begin this year, but this budget contains no clear funding to help

implement that transition. Without that funding, providers cannot hire more staff

and they cannot expand capacity. They cannot sign agreements based on promises alone.

The result is uncertainty, and uncertainty delays investment, delays expansion and

delays care.

The same instability is reflected throughout the health care system. Emergency rooms

across B.C. continue to face intermittent closures due to staffing shortages. Communities

like Tumbler Ridge, Port Alberni and others face growing uncertainty about their access

to emergency care. Even major regional hospitals are experiencing staffing instability

in critical care areas. Hospitalists, emergency physicians and health care professionals

across the province are working under increasing pressure, with no clear evidence

in this budget that capacity will grow fast enough to stabilize our crumbling system.

Government can point to the size of the health care budget, but size alone does not

determine outcomes. Capacity determines outcomes. The number of staffed beds determines

outcomes. The number of physicians practising determines outcomes. The number of long-term-care

placements available determines outcomes.

Today capacity is not keeping up with the need. This budget does nothing to reverse

that trend. It confirms it. We are managing the decline of health care in British

Columbia under this NDP budget.

Investor confidence is built on credibility, stability and fiscal discipline. Investors

evaluate risk-adjusted returns. I used to do this in the private sector. They assess

expected returns, and then they assess risk. When government deficits grow rapidly,

when debt accelerates and when there is no credible path to balance, risk increases.

When risk increases, capital moves elsewhere.

This budget sends deeply concerning signals about the stability of our province’s

long-term future. It projects a record $13.3 billion — that’s with a b — deficit and

pushes total provincial debt beyond $230 billion. At the same time, the cost of servicing

that debt is rising rapidly. Debt-servicing costs are now projected to reach nearly

$9 billion annually. That is one of the fastest-growing expenditures in the entire

budget, and it is taking money directly out of schools and hospitals.

This creates a dangerous cycle. As debt rises, debt-servicing costs rise. As debt-servicing

costs rise, fiscal flexibility shrinks, and the cost of borrowing continues to skyrocket

as we see increased pressure downward on our debt rating.

Independent observers have warned that British Columbia is now at risk of further

credit rating downgrades. Nobody that read that budget will be surprised to see that

being the next headline in the paper. When that confidence weakens, investment slows.

[1:35 p.m.]

This budget makes a quiet but deeply consequential change to the property tax deferment

program, and seniors deserve to understand what that means. I’ll communicate to you

a letter that I received from a constituent of mine, Peter Dobo. He’s asked me to

share it with the House, and I’ll read it in its entirety because I think it cuts

to the core of this problem:

“This morning I saw a sound bite of Finance Minister Brenda Bailey justifying the

increased interest rate, along with the added monthly compounding interest rate, of

the property tax deferment program, by declaring that people like myself who were

enrolled in the tax deferment program were actually abusing the system by using cheap

money to further their investments at the expense of all other taxpayers in the province

and that, therefore, we should be punished for our malfeasance. I love being reduced

to a stereotype first thing in the morning.

“She expressed that the system was placed to help out low-income homeowners to stay

in their homes longer, but too many others took tax savings and put the money into

their investment portfolios. Could she possibly have used a broader brush to paint

homeowners with?

“What about the people who were using the program exactly for what it was intended

to do? Were they a minority of those enrolled? Do they no longer matter? Are they

just collateral damage as we villains are punished by righteous, punitive legislation?

“I would be happy to open my books on my investment portfolio for the minister to

look at any egregious use of government cheap money to advance my growing personal

fortune.

“Well done, Minister Bailey. If nothing else, you epitomize the thoughtful, compassionate

and well-balanced performance of our current provincial government.

“Sincerely, a former NDP supporter. Best regards, Peter Dobo.”

He came into our office yesterday and ripped up his NDP membership card of 35 years.

I suspect you’ll be seeing many in your constituency offices doing the very same.

This program was created with a clear purpose: to allow seniors to remain in their

homes, without being forced out by rising property taxes. It recognized a simple reality.

Many seniors are asset-rich but cash-poor. Has that changed under this government’s

eight years? I think not. They may own their homes, but they live on very fixed incomes.

For decades, this program operated on simple interest. It was predictable, it was

stable, and it reflected the spirit of the program, which was support, not profit.

This budget changes that. Government is moving from simple interest to compound interest.

That is not a technical change. It’s a fundamental one. Simple interest grows slowly

and predictably. Compound interest accelerates over time, pegged to the published

rate. It grows faster each year because seniors are now paying interest on the interest

itself. Anybody that didn’t learn that in school, I assure you, you need to go back

and learn it. I don’t think that class was seen by everyone in this House.

This dramatically increases the long-term cost of deferment. A senior who defers property

taxes for ten or 15 years will now face significantly higher repayment costs than

under the previous system. We’ve actually done the math. It could turn into an increase

of about $100,000 if you’ve done it over the long term. That is absolutely unsustainable.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

This is a program designed to protect seniors into one that extracts more from them

the longer they rely on it…. It creates a direct contradiction. This government, in

last year’s budget, said they wanted more seniors to age in place because we had a

shortage of long-term-care homes.

It says: “We want to reduce pressures on long-term-care homes and health care facilities.”

This was one year ago today. But at the very same time, it is making it more expensive

for seniors to remain in those homes. It’s increasing the financial penalty for aging

in place. It is increasing the cost of stability. It is completely contradictory to

this government’s own budget last year.

Now on top of that, there will be less long-term-care homes available for seniors

because they’ve been cut in this budget. Unbelievable. That is not support. That is

shifting costs onto seniors, and seniors in British Columbia deserve far better than

what this government is offering them.

[1:40 p.m.]

I’ll go into a few specifics here because I think they’re important. Who’s affected

by the long-term-care home cuts? We’ve got Three Links in Vancouver. They were affected

by last year’s cut. Non-profit serving low-income British Columbians and vulnerable

British Columbians — they faced cuts last year. The new HEABC changes may affect them

as well. They are not alone.

We’ll go back to the hospice and long-term-care capacity crisis. Hospice. Thank you

to the Minister of Health for opening the hospice beds back in my riding after much

pressure and community outrage. Nothing in this budget to address the lack of consistent

and stable hospice and palliative care funding in the province of British Columbia.

Again, we still have a 16,000-bed shortfall projected by 2036 and now cuts to long-term-care

capacity.

The Doctors of B.C. have already warned that insufficient investment in capacity will

worsen access problems. You cannot recruit physicians into a system that cannot support

them. Nothing in this budget fixes that.

I’ll tell a story about my son very quickly, before I get into my wrap.

Kindergarten. In class, they had the standardized hearing test. Deaf in one ear. We

make an appointment to see the GP. Blockage in the ear. Referral to a specialist,

an ENT. Very basic health care. Eighteen months passed before we got that appointment.

Over those 18 months, he was in emergency three times for infections and once because

his eardrum ruptured.

The cost to our system to not care for that individual: thousands of dollars of front-line

support. What was the solution? A $200 tubal ligation procedure that was done in 30

seconds.

That is the result of wait-lists and poor care in British Columbia under this NDP.

We are spending more to treat patients worse. This is not sustainable.

We’ll go back to the family doctor crisis that this government loves to take a victory

lap on, using top-line numbers. In their last report, the primary care report produced

under the CARGA agreement, which no longer exists, and I can’t imagine why…. The one

line that was buried in that report was: “1.37 million British Columbians are without

a doctor.” That certainly wasn’t the headline.

I had to do the math backwards because they buried it in that report so much. We had

to put in an FOI to get a basic statistic out of this government. The level of transparency

is truly staggering, and in this budget, that opaqueness continues, although it’s

hard to hide behind a budget that is so poorly formed.

Without GP access, access to specialists collapses. The 1.2 million people that are

on a wait-list to see a specialist were lucky enough to be able to see a family doctor,

and 1.4 million British Columbians don’t have that luxury. Without that doctor, they

can’t access specialists. Then they can’t access preventative care. Conditions worsen,

as I showed in the case of my son. Costs increase, and outcomes decline. So this has

real-world consequences for everybody here in this room.

The old joke back in the ’90s, I remember, when my family first moved here in ’93,

was that B.C. stood for “bring cash.” I can’t remember who was the government in the

1990s, but it seems we’re right back to that in this budget.

In my own riding, the Connect Centre, which houses vulnerable individuals and has

been slated for replacement with the Braidwood project…. The transition society that

runs it is now running a $500,000 deficit, backfilling for government commitments.

Again, this budget — nothing in it to stabilize that. Braidwood is still delayed.

Hopefully it’ll break ground this year. Will it? I don’t know. Everything else is

getting cancelled in this budget. I certainly hope not. That would put about 100 vulnerable

individuals back out on the street, affecting businesses throughout my community.

The rollback on the Merit Commissioner. You cannot write this. If I was a speechwriter….

I don’t have to hire a joke writer. It’s right there in the budget. Save you some

money there, for sure.

In conclusion, the failure of this budget is not abstract. It is visible in every

emergency room waiting area. It’s visible in every family struggling to find care

for a loved one. It is visible in every single health care worker being asked to do

more with less.

The crisis in long-term care is just the starkest example in this budget of where

this government is failing British Columbians, and 2,000 new long-term-care beds per

year simply keep pace, yet we’re cutting. So we will fall further behind the 3,000

beds we are currently behind by this time next year.

[1:45 p.m.]

Is that acceptable to British Columbians? It’s certainly not acceptable to me. It’s

certainly not acceptable to this side of the House. I guess they just read the budget

the day it was released.

Without sufficient long-term-care capacity, patients remain in hospital beds that

should be available for acute care. This blocks access for others. Surgeries are delayed.

Emergency departments become congested. Ambulances wait outside hospitals. This is

how systemic failure spreads. It’s not one thing.

There’s a term in private industry that you should all learn. It’s called the de-bottlenecking.

You look for the issue that’s plugging up the system, and you fix that issue. In the

case of British Columbians, it is getting people out of the hospital when they’re

no longer needed to be there. I have talked to people that have spent 18 months in

alternative level of care in hospitals in British Columbia at great cost. This budget

doesn’t fix that problem.

Providers can now not build facilities without certainty. They cannot hire staff without

funding. They cannot expand capacity based on what is in this budget, because there

is literally nothing there for seniors. As a result, both public and private capacity

expansion have now been significantly throttled when we need them most. This creates

a compounding effect. Every single year of delay makes this shortfall larger. Every

year of delay makes this system more fragile.

How long is the government going to take to figure out how to stop spending $1.8 million

per bed, as the Finance Minister indicated, to get it down? How much of those savings

are going to get eaten up by the fact that costs will continue to rise the longer

they kick this can down the road?

Health care professionals face increasing administrative burdens, regulatory uncertainty

and unsustainable workloads. Many are choosing early retirement. Others are leaving

the province entirely. As this happens, recruitment becomes harder, retention becomes

harder, and staffing shortages that are already acute in this province — 40 percent

in Northern Health — get worse.

This budget doesn’t present a clear, credible workforce stabilization strategy. Quite

the opposite, this is the budgetary equivalent of a band-aid. Instead, it relies on

projections that assume stability will somehow emerge on its own, but stability does

not emerge on its own. It must be funded. It must be planned, and it must be executed.

At the same time, government continues to expand costly administrative structures

and care delivery models without demonstrating improved efficiency or improved outcome.

Spending rises, but access doesn’t improve.

I’ll tell another story here. It’ll be a tough one. It’s on the back of Tumbler Ridge,

but it needs to get told. I’ve been talking to Tumbler Ridge for months. I’ve got

this sticker off the wall in my office that says: “Care after dark. Save our emergency

room. District of Tumbler Ridge.” When we found out about that tragic incident, my

first thought was: “Is that ER even open?” That is the state of health care in rural

B.C. today under this government.

Capacity must grow now. Stability must be restored. This budget does not do that.

Budgets reveal priorities, and this budget reveals a government that is spending more

and delivering less. It fails British Columbians. What makes this budget so very,

very troubling is not what it says but what it accepts. It accepts longer wait times.

It accepts fewer staffed beds. It accepts emergency room closures as routine, rather

than unacceptable and exceptional. It accepts seniors waiting years for care and families

carrying burdens that they should never be forced to carry alone.

[1:50 p.m.]

This budget does not mark the recovery of health care in this province. It does not

mark the bolstering of our education system. It marks poorly, poorly managed decline

in British Columbia, and the people of British Columbia damn well know it.

Susie Chant : Thank you for the opportunity to speak today in support of Budget 2026.

To begin, I acknowledge that I am speaking on the lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən People, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. I remain grateful for the time that I

spend here and for the opportunities to learn and work towards meaningful reconciliation.

I also recognize with appreciation the səlilwətaɬ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations, whose unceded territories formed the foundation of North Vancouver–Seymour.

Their ongoing stewardship of land and water is actively restoring local ecosystems,

and it’s been an honour to witness and acknowledge the impact of their work.

I will echo my colleagues in sending love, strength and stamina to the people in Tumbler

Ridge as they move through the difficult times of grief and loss. Young Maya remains

in all of our hearts, just as she remains in specialized care, surrounded by the love

of her family.

To the member for Peace River South: allow me to send hugs to you and through you

to all that might benefit.

It is my privilege and honour to rise today in support of the budget speech delivered

by our Minister of Finance, the MLA for Vancouver–South Granville.

I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge the unwavering support of my husband,

Rick, my family — Lindsey, Nicole, Troy and Rebecca. Their encouragement and understanding

provide me with the energy and commitment required to fully engage in this important

work. I am deeply grateful for the role they play in enabling me to serve.

I also want to express my gratitude to the dedicated team supporting my work as an

MLA for the North Vancouver–Seymour area, also as the Parliamentary Secretary for

Seniors’ Services and Long-Term Care and parliamentary secretary responsible for the

Consular Corps.

My constituency office staff — Stephen Tweedale, Michael Charrois, Graham Assels and

Lena McLauchlan — ensure that residents receive the assistance they need and create

meaningful space for conversations with constituents.

I’m also thankful for the Ministry of Health team, the international government relations

and services team, colleagues in the trade and Premier’s offices — all of whom contribute

to a full

schedule of meetings and events. Their patience, professionalism and hard

work are deeply appreciated.

Of course, I do also have to make an ongoing thank-you to the people of North Vancouver–Seymour

for entrusting me with the privilege of serving as your MLA over the past five years.

My dedicated constituency office staff provide exceptional service and meaningful

connection with our community.

I also extend my thanks to the many constituents who reach out with questions, concerns

and feedback. This ongoing dialogue strengthens our democracy.

Finally, my deep appreciation goes to the steadfast volunteers whose commitment enables

our outreach and community engagement. It is truly a team effort to serve our community,

our ministries and our province.

Our constituency office is a vibrant community hub, a space for local art displays,

a meeting place for guiding units exploring politics and leadership and a gathering

spot for a monthly book club. We welcome high school students for job experience and

internships. Our youth council meets regularly to ensure young people’s voices shape

our work through discussion, outreach and research. Led by our youth outreach coordinator,

the council brings together representatives from high schools across the riding as

well as the local university.

All of these activities and others allow a free flow of communication that, in turn,

supports and strengthens the care and maintenance of democracy.

I also wish to express enormous gratitude to the members of the Consular Corps, who

have extended to me a warm welcome, a functional work environment and a superb cultural

exposure to the many and diverse countries that are represented through the consuls

general and the honourary consuls in our province.

[1:55 p.m.]

They are enthusiastically supporting and promoting British Columbia and Canada on

the international market as a reliable and trustworthy place for trade and investment.

Budget 2026 is being introduced at a time of global turbulence, marked by conflict,

geopolitical instability, climate pressures and tragic events that shake communities

worldwide. Despite this uncertainty, British Columbia has built a strong foundation,

advancing major projects that support thousands of jobs.

The province now has more family doctors, more patients attached to primary care providers

and expanded access to nurse practitioners, strengthening longitudinal and continuous

health care. Housing pressures are easing, with rental costs declining for the first

time in years, and families continue to receive support through the B.C. family benefit,

lower insurance rates and more affordable child care.

Budget 2026 focuses on protecting what matters most to people in B.C. — strong public

services like health care and education, manageable taxes for working families and

a steady, credible path to reducing the deficit. Key strategies include improving

public sector efficiency to direct more resources to front-line services, pacing infrastructure

investments to control costs and continuing to grow the economy, create jobs and generate

new revenue.

Since being appointed by the Premier as the Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors’ Services

and Long-Term Care, I have met with key stakeholders, service providers, advocates,

the seniors advocate and seniors themselves to understand their priorities and identify

opportunities to strengthen care across the province.

Working closely with the Minister of Health, we are advancing initiatives that support

seniors to live longer in the comfort and safety of their own homes, while ensuring

long-term-care facilities are staffed, stable and able to provide consistent, high-quality

care. This budget recognizes the growing number of seniors who are unhoused or at

a risk of homelessness and continues funding for rental housing and services that

help low- and moderate-income seniors and people with disabilities live independently.

It also acknowledges the $447 million in federal funding that will enhance seniors

health care, support treatment of complex conditions outside hospitals and improve

safety and quality in the long-term-care realm. These investments build on the 2025

expansion of the Shelter Aid For Elderly Renters program, including raising the income

cap to $40,000, as well as existing supports such as the seniors supplement, B.C.

bus pass and the life-threatening health needs program.

In 2025, British Columbia advanced its commitment to building a province where everyone

can thrive, where people can earn a liveable wage, afford a safe home, access food,

water and health care, and live in a sustainable environment for future generations.

This budget continues to strengthen health care, education and affordability while

supporting progress in child care, housing, public safety, reconciliation, climate

action, mental health and addiction, community well-being, gender equity and a variety

of other important areas.

Central to all of this work is a sustained, respectful government-to-government relationship

with Indigenous Peoples. Guided by the voices and experiences of communities across

B.C., ministries work together to identify needs, address gaps and build on progress.

This budget provides a strong, flexible foundation for government and legislators

as they collaborate with representatives and constituents to enhance the everyday

lives of people throughout British Columbia.

With a clear focus on British Columbia’s future, we have made major investments to

ensure every child has a safe, accessible place to learn. Over the next three years,

$634 million is being directed to K-to-12 education, including $167 million for the

classroom enhancement fund and $5 million for First Nations reciprocal tuition.

We are also continuing historic investments in child care, with $330 million over

three years to create more spaces and continue to reduce fees for families.

[2:00 p.m.]

These investments are already making a difference. Students at Seymour Heights Elementary

in North Vancouver are enjoying a new universally accessible playground funded by

$200,000 in provincial support. North Vancouver is preparing for the opening of the

new Cloverley School, which will include child care spaces and before- and after-school

care. Capilano University will soon open new on-campus student housing, reducing commuter

times and helping students focus on learning, alongside a new early childhood education

centre with 70 preschool places and training capacity for future educators. A new

pedestrian and cycling overpass will also provide safe access to schools and sports

fields.

These projects, many already complete and others set for completion by 2026, are the

result of steady, long-term planning through past budgets, despite criticism from

the opposition parties.

Families in North Vancouver are also benefiting from new child care centres, including

37 new spaces in the Lynn Creek Community Recreation Centre, through the new spaces

fund, all eligible for the province’s fee reduction program, to keep child care affordable.

Improving affordability includes investing in infrastructure and reliable public transit.

Provincial funding is expanding active transportation in North Vancouver. We invested

over $300,000 in the Spirit Trail eastern extension in order to add new cycling routes,

multi-use pathways and safer pedestrian walkways that connect Horseshoe Bay to Deep

Cove.

Rapid bus service from Metrotown to Park Royal is coming to the North Shore to increase

commuter capacity and reduce congestion. The upgraded Phibbs Exchange, now surrounded

by new and existing multi-unit housing, a rec centre, a long-term-care facility and

a local Sḵwx̱wú7mesh village, provides faster, safer access into Metro Vancouver and across North Vancouver,

including Capilano University. These improvements support kids, students, workers,

families and seniors in choosing active and public transportation.

All of this progress has been made under our government, which continues to invest

in people through each year’s budget, including Budget 2026.

Provincial funding for disaster risk reduction has strengthened the North Shore’s

ability to withstand and adapt to natural hazards and climate-driven emergencies.

Through a collaborative effort between the three North Shore municipalities, the səlilwətaɬ Nation, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation and critical infrastructure partners, our communities are reducing risk and

empowering residents and organizations to share responsibility for preparedness.

This work includes staff and volunteer training, stronger relationships between Indigenous

and non-Indigenous communities and improved supports for people forced to evacuate

during emergencies. These investments have expanded our capacity to deliver emergency

support services through volunteer recruitment and retention, training and essential

equipment.

We have seen firsthand why this matters. Floods have torn through neighbourhoods,

carrying trees and boulders into homes and across roads. A devastating fire in a subsidized

seniors residence left 38 vulnerable people without homes, belongings or medications.

In each case, our firefighters, supported by neighbouring departments, responded within

minutes and stayed for days. North Shore emergency services was on the ground almost

immediately, assessing needs, prioritizing care and contacting family. Thanks to their

rapid response, lives were saved.

Every community faces emergencies like these, and today they are better prepared than

they were a decade ago because of a sustained provincial investment.

These budgets are built on careful consideration, listening to the people of B.C.

through provincewide consultations, assessing local and global economic conditions

and recognizing both the current and future impacts of climate change. These principles

continue to guide, and did guide in the development of Budget 2026.

In North Vancouver, the B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation had a $1.2 million investment

done in Foxy Produce Ltd. That is already delivering results, from a new produce store,

to an advanced air-insulated greenhouse that is cutting energy use down, to the creation

of approximately 62 jobs and about a 30 percent revenue increase driven by fresh,

B.C.-grown produce produced with less energy.

These are real, measurable outcomes that show what happens when we invest in people

and ideas.

[2:05 p.m.]

At the same time, Seaspan continues to expand its skilled-trades workforce for the

national shipbuilding program, generating major economic ripple effects across the

province. The company is even running worker shuttles from the surrounding communities

to its North Vancouver yard, easing traffic congestion — a practical solution that

is visible every day at shift change.

These types of examples are seen in various communities in the province — small and

large businesses providing good-paying employment.

British Columbia’s housing crisis has been affecting people across the province for

a long time, and our government has taken decisive action to ensure everyone has access

to safe, appropriate housing. In my community, this work is already making a real

difference, from Capilano University’s first student residences, to the full rebuild

of a deteriorating home for adults with disabilities, through the opening of a new

safe house for seniors facing violence or homelessness.

Affordable, low-income, market and supportive housing projects are underway, including

a new supportive housing complex in North Vancouver developed in partnership with

the community. These initiatives reflect our commitment to delivering on annual budget

promises and creating housing options that meet the diverse needs of our residents.

BC Builds is delivering more affordable housing for North Vancouver, with new projects

supporting families, seniors and individuals. Since its launch in 2024, the program

has fast-tracked significant developments, including 179 new homes and a new community

services facility, which is the North Shore Neighbourhood House. It has now expanded

to meet growing demand and will offer child care, food programs, wellness activities

and youth and seniors services.

These projects reflect the broader progress across the province, where increased housing

supply has contributed to higher vacancy rates and lower rental costs.

Let’s talk a little bit about mental health care. Mental health supports across the

province have expanded significantly. Peer-assisted care teams, first piloted in North

Vancouver, now operate in many communities, offering in-person or phone-based responses

with increased hours of availability. Car programs pairing mental health clinicians

with police have been introduced or strengthened in multiple regions. New treatment

beds for detox, rehabilitation and ongoing therapy are being built to ensure timely

access for people seeking help with addiction.

Indigenous communities are developing culturally grounded healing centres that provide

effective, inclusive assessment and treatment. There are a number of communities who

will benefit from increased services, and this progress is ongoing, with recognition

that continued work is needed.

In other areas, many steps have been taken to strengthen and rebuild our health care

system. In nursing, new training seats have been added so more graduates can come

from B.C.’s own programs.

Just a couple of weeks ago I visited a centre in Surrey that now hosts an additional

nurse practitioner program with about 30 seats and a long list of eager applicants.

The facility included one of the most comprehensive skills-training labs I’ve seen,

alongside physiotherapy, occupational therapy and midwifery programs, complete with

classrooms and off-site clinics for practicums.

Work with colleges, unions and professional bodies has accelerated the process for

internationally trained doctors, nurses and other care providers to become qualified

and registered, allowing them to join our workforce more quickly. These professionals

bring valuable skills, cultural knowledge and languages that enrich the care available

to patients.

Financial supports have been introduced to help internationally trained nurses overcome

the high costs of getting qualified here, costs that have historically discouraged

many from continuing in the profession.

Across the system, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and community pharmacists

are now working to full scope of practice, delivering specialized care in many areas,

including that of substance use management.

Speaking of nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives, people that are near and dear

to my heart, let me speak again about the Canopy clinic, Canada’s first clinic staffed

exclusively by nurse practitioners and midwives when it was set up. It has now enrolled

more than 1,500 patients who previously lacked a family practitioner, setting a model

for innovative, community-focused care.

Investments in paramedic training, expanded ambulance fleets and improved staffing

have strengthened emergency services, while new hospitals, updated technologies and

modernized legislation continue to advance health care across this province.

[2:10 p.m.]

In North Vancouver, the new Lions Gate Hospital tower has opened with 108 single-patient

rooms, a state-of-the-art operating suite with eight ORs and streamlined perioperative

spaces. Designed with the latest infection control standards, this facility supports

shorter hospital stays and reduces in-hospital transmission.

I recently had the opportunity to tour the new St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, a

long-awaited facility with purpose-designed spaces throughout. Each specialty unit

reflects thoughtful input not only from architects and engineers but also from the

people who will work and receive care there. Even the power complex has been placed

on the fourth floor to improve resilience against floods and earthquakes.

Not long ago, I was walking through an area that used to be a driving range and an

informal green space in North Vancouver. Today a major new building stands there on

səlilwətaɬ land, soon to open as a purpose-built home for the First Nations Health Authority,

replacing its current commercial office space. It will serve as an important and dedicated

part of the B.C. health system.

These projects and many others across British Columbia have taken shape over the five

years that I’ve been in this role, supported by annual budgets that recognize and

respond to the province’s evolving needs.

As we all know, and some of us are currently experiencing, B.C.’s senior population

is rapidly growing, with nearly 22 percent of residents expected to be 65 or older

by 2035-36. To meet rising needs, the province invested about $2 billion over the

past five years to expand and improve care for seniors, including long-term care,

health care staffing, seniors services and primary care.

In 2024, more than $354 million over three years was put in place to strengthen community-based

and home health services, including $227 million to enhance home health quality by

adding over 900 new health care providers. An additional $127 million was dedicated

to stabilizing and expanding high-demand provincewide non-medical supports that help

seniors stay active, socially connected and safely at home longer.

I was recently at my local health authority in a case management meeting and saw the

results of these investments — results such as an outreach team that includes a physician

and other health professionals to go into the homes and see fragile clients who can’t

get out of the home to go to the doctor; an obligated social worker to manage adult

guardianship concerns, rather than taking other care professionals into a realm that

is often complex and difficult; RNs and LPNs working together in community to support

seniors to stay in their homes longer. These are things that were not part of community

health in 2017.

Better at Home, a provincially funded program managed by the United Way B.C., got

a significant funding boost last spring and has provided seniors with non-medical

home support such as housekeeping, grocery shopping, yard work, transportation and

friendly visits to help them remain independent and connected in their community.

New services have included system navigation support, peers programs, expanded group

activities, social meals and more flexible transportation.

Three additional seniors programs also expanded: the family and friend caregiver support

program, the therapeutic activation program for seniors and social prescribing. If

you want to know about any of those programs, please come and talk to me.

The number of community connector positions has increased, strengthening support for

seniors who are frail or at risk by helping them develop wellness plans and access

appropriate community and health services.

To enhance communication and collaboration in long-term care, resident and family

councils have been stood up, and regular regional and provincial meetings have been

implemented.

Although we’ve made meaningful progress in preparing to care for our elders with the

dignity that they deserve, B.C.’s health care system still needs greater cohesion.

We will continue to re-evaluate our care models, build robust social systems and supports

in every community, explore alternative housing options and strengthen communication

across organizations. Moving towards these things together requires nimble, adaptive

decision-making and a willingness to embrace creative change.

[2:15 p.m.]

I would be remiss if I did not mention the B.C. film industry in this speech. Over

the past years, investments and changes have been made to support jobs and encourage

filmmakers to come to B.C. or return to B.C. In Budget 2026, further changes work

towards removing administrative burdens that can lead to slowing down production.

In order to keep Creative B.C. doing the great work that they do, certificate fees

for some film and TV tax credit applications will be increased. This is an industry

that continues to thrive in North Vancouver.

Budget 2026 moves forward with a steady hand and a clear focus on the challenges of

today and tomorrow. It builds towards a province where everyone has a home, a liveable

income and a safe community to thrive in. Many of the measures needed to achieve this

vision are already underway, with more to come.

In the year ahead, our government will continue delivering work that puts people first,

strengthening the services that matter most, including health care and education,

while keeping B.C. one of the lowest-taxed provinces for working families.

I am honoured to represent North Vancouver–Seymour, and I remain optimistic about

the future of my community and our province. That future includes a beautiful British

Columbia enjoyed by residents and visitors alike, a growing and resilient economy

and a continued commitment to diversity and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

Thank you for the opportunity to rise in support of Budget 2026.

Ian Paton : Before I begin, I want to pass on condolences and love from the people of Delta South

that have come to my office, have phoned me, have sent me emails passing on their

respect and their love and condolences for the people of Tumbler Ridge that have lived

through such a tragedy and to all the victims and their families.

I personally want to shout out to the RCMP, the nurses, the doctors, the paramedics

and everybody that was involved in such a horrific incident that happened. I also

want to pass along my grateful thanks to my member for Peace River South and my member

from West Kelowna that hustled up there in airplanes to get involved and help out

in any way they could with organization.

Let me speak plainly today about this budget. The recent budget delivered by the British

Columbia New Democratic Party government is being marked as compassionate, responsible

and necessary. But behind the press releases and podium lines lies something far less

comforting: runaway spending, ballooning debt, structural deficits and a shrinking

margin of error.

We’ve seen this movie before. Whenever an NDP government has been in power in this

province, the fiscal trajectory has bent downwards. Investment confidence weakens.

Business hesitates. Growth slows, and debt accelerates. The result? Working families

pay the price through higher taxes, rising costs and fewer opportunities.

Look at where we stand today. Total government revenue is forecast at $85.5 billion

in ’26-27, rising to $88.6 billion the following year and $91 billion the year after

that. Revenue is growing, largely off the backs of taxpayers paying more and in part

due to the new measures introduced in this very budget. Yet despite record revenues,

we are staring at a projected annual deficit of roughly $13 billion. That tells you

something fundamental. This isn’t a revenue problem. It’s a spending problem.

In 2017, when this government took office, provincial debt stood at approximately

$65.9 billion. Today we are on a trajectory pushing toward and beyond $235 billion

that this province is in debt. The taxpayer-supported debt-to-GDP ratio is forecast

at 30.6 next year, climbing to 30.4 and then 37 percent the year after that.

This ratio is a way of measuring how big government’s debt is compared to the size

of the economy, so we can see that the debt is growing faster than our economy is

growing. It means less room for the government to spend money on schools, hospitals,

roads and helping people. It makes it more expensive for the government to borrow

money in the future. Debt is rising faster than the economy that supports it. When

that happens, flexibility shrinks.

[2:20 p.m.]

Every dollar spent servicing interest is a dollar not going to health care, not going

to classrooms, not going to infrastructure, not going to seniors. Interest payments

build nothing. They heal nothing. They educate nothing. When borrowing becomes routine

instead of rare, priorities begin to shift.

That brings me to Delta, because it isn’t theoretical for us. It’s personal where

I live. Delta’s seniors population is growing faster than the provincial average.

These are the people who built our community, paid their taxes and contributed to

society for decades. They deserve to know that in their later years, they will have

a safe, dignified place to age.

Yet according to this budget, the long-promised Delta long-term-care project is now

one of seven facilities across British Columbia whose timelines are being adjusted

— not cancelled, they say, just re-sequenced. That is bureaucratic code for “I wouldn’t

hold my breath.”

Here’s the part that stings the most. The Delta Hospital Foundation was told that

if they raised $18 million, which they did, and absolutely knocked it out of the park

with support of people directly from our community, the government would deliver its

share.

It’s not just the community foundation feeling blindsided. Fraser Health had no warning

either. What kind of relationship blindsides the health authority, the community?

The people who suffer the most are seniors. Families are already scrambling to find

beds. Hospitals are already under strain, and now Delta South is being told to get

to the back of the line.

The government says it is adjusting the timing of several approved long-term-care

projects to incorporate lessons learned. Well, let’s be real. When spending explodes

without discipline, when debt quadruples, when deficits reach $13 billion and climbing,

promises get triaged. The people paying the price are Delta seniors, the very people

who gave so much to our province. They deserve better from this budget.

Then there’s the George Massey Tunnel replacement. For nearly a decade, we’ve seen

announcements, redesigns, consultations, resets, revised timelines and new renderings.

Under the past government, we’d be driving over the new bridge to replace the George

Massey Tunnel three years ago. Instead, what do we have? Nothing. Every year there’s

another photo op, another next phase. Meanwhile, commuters sit in traffic, truckers

lose hours, emergency vehicles inch through congestion and businesses absorb the cost.

We’re told completion could come around 2030. That is laughable. They tell us that

they’re still on budget to replace the George Massey Tunnel for $4.1 billion. I would

suggest, from people in the financial institutions that I know, that this will be

north of $9 billion if this project ever gets completed. We’re well into 2026 right

now. Nothing has been started, yet they’re still telling us that it will be completed

by 2030. This is laughable.

If priorities don’t shift, if nothing else gets re-sequenced…. Quietly added to the

project was the footnote that the tunnel project is in design and the estimated cost

of the project is being updated and reviewed as the design and contract negotiations

progress and that an updated estimate for the project will be announced before the

contract is executed.

Given this government’s fiscal trajectory, I would say that everyone south of the

Fraser is already thinking this project risks either being quietly pushed to the back

shelf while congestion worsens and accountability evaporates or it will be wildly

over budget since there has been no fiscal update to this project in years. Now they

are pushing that responsibility onto a contractor who hasn’t even been picked yet,

and the environmental assessment for this project still has not been granted.

That tunnel is a luxury. It’s a critical trade corridor. It’s a lifeline for port

activity, trade, agriculture and business in our region. Every delay sends a message

that businesses and residents south of the Fraser are not a priority.

You cannot run record deficits, balloon the debt and then act surprised when infrastructure

stalls and seniors care gets postponed. Budget reveals priorities, and right now Delta

South is being asked to wait while these budget cuts bleed red across the province.

[2:25 p.m.]

I’d like to speak now about child care in Delta South. Let’s talk about affordability

in this budget for families with children. The province says families are saving under

the $10-a-day daycare program. That’s the headline in the budget, but here in south

Delta, parents are living a very different reality. In Tsawwassen, there are about

3,380 children from ages one to 14. In Ladner, there are about 3,590 children ages

one to 14.

That’s nearly 7,000 children across my community. Even if only a portion are daycare

age, we are talking about thousands of families who need licensed child care. Yet

according to the provincial directory, there is only one $10-a-day daycare location

serving all of my riding of Delta South.

Across B.C., recent reporting has highlighted long wait-lists, uneven rollout and

staffing shortages that limit how fast new spaces can open. Families who secure a

$10-a-day space say it’s life-changing. But for most others, access remains out of

reach. Parents here don’t need another announcement about how great this program can

be if they actually win the lottery and get a space. They need a space for their child,

and they need it now, because right now, in Delta South, this isn’t a $10-a-day program.

It’s a one-centre program.

I’ll tell you, on a personal note, in my family, my granddaughter…. My son and his

wife could not find anywhere to get little Natalie into some sort of daycare. Where

did they end up going? To a private daycare facility, paying $1,400 a month to have

little Natalie in daycare.

Every $1 billion added to the debt ledger is a silent decision made on behalf of people

who did not vote for it. Young families already struggling with housing costs will

shoulder higher taxes or reduce services later. We should be asking: what kind of

province are we handing them, one of resilience or one of repayment? The answer matters.

British Columbians have immense strengths — natural resources, entrepreneurial talent,

world-class geography, global trade access, a skilled workforce. But strengths must

be stewarded. The path forward requires discipline; a credible plan to eliminate structural

deficits; spending growth tied to economic growth; transparent reporting that doesn’t

bury risk; policies that encourage investment, not drive it away; and recognition

that debt has consequences.

Criticism is not cynicism. It’s accountability.

A government that increases debt fourfold and swings from multi-year surpluses to

a $13 billion deficit should expect scrutiny. That scrutiny isn’t partisan. It’s prudent.

If history teaches us anything, it’s this: fiscal mismanagement compounds quickly.

Recovery takes far longer. After the 1990s, it took nearly 20 years to steady management

to restore stability, 20 years to regain confidence, 20 years to rebuild credibility.

Do we really want to repeat that cycle, or do we demand better?

British Columbia deserves a government that understands that every dollar spent comes

from someone who worked hard for it; a government that views debt as a last resort,

not a first instinct; a government that prepares for downturns during good times,

instead of spending through them; a government that sees budgets not as political

documents but as moral ones.

Let’s ground this in facts. In 2017, when this government took office, British Columbia’s

total provincial debt was roughly $66 billion. Today we are on a trajectory that pushes

that number toward, in the coming years, beyond $235 billion of provincial debt. That

is not incremental growth. That is not routine expansion. That is a structural transformation

to our province’s balance sheet. In less than a decade, the debt burden has more than

doubled and on some projections will approach nearly triple the level it was when

the keys changed hands.

I’d like now to speak a bit about agriculture, which is obviously very dear to my

heart, still living on the farm in Delta that I was born and raised on.

Here’s what’s troubling. British Columbia has been promising to reduce internal trade

barriers for over a year, yet many of our own food and agriculture producers are still

facing them.

Right now B.C. wineries still cannot sell directly to most Canadians, despite the

Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement that was signed late last year between all provinces,

because this agreement excluded alcohol and food. That’s a significant trade barrier

for our wine sector and distillers.

[2:30 p.m.]

Last month Wine Growers British Columbia, the leading industry association, sent a

letter to all provincial Premiers, together with Wine Growers Canada, to urge again

for a workable national framework for direct-to-consumer wine sales.

They continue to face provincial markups, taxes and regulatory uncertainty — all of

which are real barriers that limit competition, raise consumer prices and undermine

the province’s own food and beverage sector.

The livestock sector still has problems with provincial trade barriers as well. Many

meat producers operate under provincially regulated inspection, which means their

products cannot legally be sold in other provinces unless they spend significant time

and money upgrading facilities to meet federal standards, often costing more than

half their annual revenue, for smaller processors. This makes interprovincial expansion

difficult.

Then there are the craft brewers, who are still trying to expand beyond their own

province and who must navigate a confusing patchwork of provincial liquor boards,

markup systems and licensing requirements.

Small-scale food businesses in B.C. like specialty foods, small farms and artisanal

producers are most affected by this lack of trade options as they often lack the resources

to navigate multiple provincial regulatory systems.

Even though interprovincial trade barriers are a single line in your budget, the remaining

barriers between provinces remain, and there is nothing in the budget to signal that

these barriers are coming down.

The stalls to interprovincial trade also apply to fresh vegetables, which can’t freely

flow from B.C. growers into other provincial markets without complying with duplicative

or province-specific requirements that raise costs and complicate logistics. Those

extra requirements increase labour and compliance costs, reduce competitiveness and,

ultimately, are passed on to consumers on grocery store shelves. Because of these

lingering barriers, many vegetables grown in B.C. don’t circulate freely across Canada.

These aren’t theoretical barriers. They affect farmers and food producers in B.C.

Despite repeated commitments to improve mutual recognition and streamline standards,

many of these barriers remain firmly in place.

So when the government now says it will make it easier to move goods and services

across provincial borders, British Columbians are right to ask: “Why hasn’t this been

done already? Why are B.C. producers still fighting red tape now after promises were

made to tear it down?”

Reducing interprovincial trade barriers isn’t a new idea. Provinces have had years

to streamline mutual recognition, harmonize standards and remove unnecessary internal

barriers. Yet progress has been slow and uneven. This matters because these barriers

don’t just inconvenience producers. They drive up costs for families at the grocery

store, slow down supply chains and limit competition.

Lowering food prices and strengthening supply chains requires more than speeches.

It requires real cooperation with other provinces and real results for families and

producers here at home. Right now what families and B.C. farmers don’t need is a regulatory

promise.

Here’s a quote about agriculture from the B.C. Agriculture Council:

“With few agriculture-specific measures announced, the modest increase represents

a missed opportunity to strengthen investment in a sector that plays a critical role

in B.C.’s food security and economic resilience. The budget is disappointing. While

we recognize the broader fiscal pressures reflected in this year’s budget, BCAC holds

its position that the agriculture sector be prioritized as an essential service and

valued as a strategic priority, especially given that food security and affordability

is a top concern of British Columbians.”

That is a quote from the president, Jennifer Woike.

British Columbia currently ranks last amongst other provinces in operational funding

for its Ministry of Agriculture.

I also want to chat about the Agricultural Land Commission. Now, there’s one thing

in this budget that is absolutely flatlined, like all other portions of the Agriculture

Ministry. The flatlining here is for the Agricultural Land Commission.

[2:35 p.m.]

Between 2012 and 2017, funding for the Agricultural Land Commission, or ALC, followed

a historical and ever-increasing trajectory. Those investments were designed to arm

the commission with the resources it needed to do its job to preserve farmland, enforce

regulations and protect the agricultural land reserve.

Importantly, these investments were made even as the provincial budget was either

balanced or ran surpluses year over year. Farmers and stakeholders recognized that

a well-funded ALC was essential to maintain B.C.’s farmland for future generations.

Fast-forward to Budget 2026, and we see a troubling pattern. ALC’s operating budget

is flat, at $5.5 million, now for multiple years in a row. This is not a small detail.

It has profound implications. Operational funding has not kept pace with the commission’s

expanding responsibilities — enforcement, compliance, farmland protection, digital

mapping and all the work stakeholders have consistently highlighted.

At the same time, the demand for these services is growing. The ALC is being asked

to prevent unauthorized activities, from illegal dumping to non-farm-use buildings

on farmland, at a time when land values are soaring and development pressures are

more intense than ever. With farmland values high, due to a failed Bill 52 from several

years ago, and development pressures mounting, a flatlined budget does more than constrain

operations. It puts farmland at risk. Enforcement is delayed, compliance is weakened,

and proactive planning is nearly impossible.

The commission is being asked to do more with the same resources, while the stakes

for B.C. farmers, ranchers and communities have never been higher. Yet the commission

is expected to operate at the same level as it did years ago, despite rising costs

for staff, compliance, mapping and enforcement. To put this into perspective, the

real value of $5.5 million today is far lower than it was even five years ago. In

short, the ALC cannot fully deliver on its mandate under these conditions.

Budget 2026 is another missed opportunity. If B.C. truly wants to maintain its agricultural

land, protect farmers and ensure future food security, the province must reinvest

in the ALC, increase operational funding and ensure that resources keep pace with

inflation, workloads and the growing challenges facing our farmland.

When we speak about agriculture and production insurance, speaking of flatlining,

there is something else in the budget that is going to flatline farmers. It is a topic

that goes straight to the heart of the viability of farming in British Columbia, and

it has been severely decreased. In previous years, if this item had been cut so drastically,

it would have lost whole agricultural industries in B.C.

In Budget 2026, the provincial government has made a choice to decrease funding for

production insurance — the program that protects farmers and ranchers when crop-destroying

weather or other perils strike. According to the Ministry of Agriculture’s own numbers,

the production insurance account drops from about $38.3 million in 2025-26 to just

$21.2 million in 2026-27. That’s not a minor adjustment. That’s a drastic curtailment

of the core risk management safety net that farmers rely on.

Let’s be clear about what production insurance does. When hail wipes out a berry crop,

when frost devastates an orchard, when drought hits a field of grains or when flooding

washes out a pasture, production insurance is there to keep farms in business. It’s

not a luxury. It’s not a handout. It’s a program farmers pay into. It’s financial

resilience in the face of forces no farmer can control.

Now ask yourself: if this cut had been in place over the last five years, what industries

wouldn’t have been able to recover? Just two years ago unprecedented cold snaps and

extreme weather led to major payouts for tree fruit growers, grape growers and berry

producers. Those insurance payments were the difference between closure and survival

for dozens of operations. Without robust production insurance, many of those farms

would not have been able to absorb those losses in British Columbia.

The livestock sector has also felt unprecedented pressure from heat stress; pasture

loss; feed shortages; and, of course, the AWP program — the agriculture wildlife program

that reimburses farmers for major, major damage to their fields and their crops from

elk, from bears, from ducks and from geese, and it is a major thing that happens in

this province. We certainly know that from my good friends up in the Cariboo, the

Chilcotin, Vancouver Island and, of course, the Kootenays.

[2:40 p.m.]

Without adequate coverage, ranch operations, many of which are multigenerational,

would be forced to downsize or to exit the industry entirely. We all know the trends.

Climate volatility is increasing, not decreasing.

The question is not just what this cut means, but why now? Why slash production insurance

funding at a moment when all indicators — climate risk data, market volatility, input

cost pressures — point to further vulnerability for farmers? Why weaken the very safety

net that helps farmers survive the inevitable bad years, the years that have actually

happened and are forecast to become more frequent? This isn’t austerity. This is risk

transfer. This is telling producers: “You shoulder more risk. We reduce our commitment

from government.”

This is not just a budget line item. This is a decision that undermines the stability

of farm businesses, jeopardizes food production and weakens rural communities when

they can least afford it. If this government truly understood the realities facing

farmers and ranchers, it would be expanding production insurance, not shrinking it,

especially after a decade of increasingly unpredictable growing conditions.

Now let me cut to the part of this budget that hits working people so hard, and that

is taxes. That’s exactly what Budget ’26 does with the property tax deferment program.

Seniors, families, people planning responsibly — all of them now facing bills that

grow faster than they can keep up. For decades, the property tax deferment program

has been a lifeline. If you couldn’t pay your property taxes, you could defer them.

Pay later, not now. It helped seniors age in place. It helped families stay in their

homes through tough times. It was a bridge. It was reliable.

Not anymore. Interest is no longer simple. It’s now compound interest at prime plus

2 percent, applied monthly. That $20,000 deferred tax bill that used to grow slowly

can now balloon to tens of thousands of dollars more. The longer you wait, the faster

it compounds. Ask yourself who benefits from this.

Every working person in British Columbia is also paying more right now. Budget 2026

raised the lowest personal income tax rate from 5.06 percent to 5.60 percent. That

means every worker, from the nurse to the retail clerk, the teacher to the tradesperson,

is paying more on the first dollars that they earn.

Meanwhile, the government has expanded the provincial sales tax to cover services

that were once exempt: accounting, bookkeeping, engineering, strata management, even

security services. Small businesses that already juggle payroll, rent and overhead

now face 7 percent added costs on services they cannot avoid.

This is all about accountability. A government that moves from multi-year surpluses

to $13 billion deficits, that sees debt climb from $65.9 billion towards $235 billion

and that delays seniors care in Delta South should expect scrutiny. Once fiscal credibility

is lost, it takes decades to rebuild.

I hate to say it, but we’ve been there before. It took nearly 20 years to restore

stability in this province after the 1990s. Do we really want to repeat that cycle?

British Columbians are resilient. Delta South folks are resilient. But resilience

is not a substitute for responsibility. We don’t need more announcements. We need

discipline. We don’t need more resets. We need results.

Budgets are not just financial documents. They are moral documents. Right now this

budget tells Delta South, my constituents and the people across B.C. to wait — wait

while the debt keeps growing. That is not good enough. British Columbians deserve

better.

Scott McInnis : It’s wonderful to be back in this beautiful chamber speaking with my colleagues from

around the province. It’s truly an honour to stand here and represent the wonderful,

hard-working and adventurous people of Columbia River–Revelstoke. It never gets lost

on me, the honour that it is to stand in this House and speak.

[2:45 p.m.]

Before I begin, I want to echo the comments made by all of my colleagues about the

tragedies last week in Tumbler Ridge. As a high school teacher, I can’t imagine the

horrors that the adults and the children in that school faced last week. I can’t imagine

the suffering that’s happening in that small rural community.

I want to thank members from government, the Premier, our members and especially my

friend from Peace River South, who has shown tremendous resilience in supporting his

constituents during this very, very difficult time.

I also want to extend our continued prayers and thoughts to young Maya, who is battling

very hard right now in Vancouver General Hospital. Some good news for Maya. I’m hearing

from her parents’ latest posts that she’s starting to take some breaths on her own,

which is a very, very encouraging sign.

Maya, we’re going to continue with our thoughts from the East Kootenay until the day

you get out of that hospital, and to your family as well.

I’ve got a lot to cover here today, and I’m not going to pull any punches. I obviously

can’t support this budget for the reasons I’m going to outline in detail here with

my notes. I’m trying to think of a theme to highlight what this budget means for British

Columbians. The only thing I can think about is how to polish a turd, is what this

budget sounds like. There’s nothing.

This is an attack on rural British Columbians. I’ll get into that in detail. This

isn’t coming from myself, the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke. I’m going to speak

directly from people I represent as to how bad this budget is for them.

Back to my theme title. I hear things from the Finance Minister, such as “the budget

starts from a position of strength,” “protecting the progress we’ve made” and — the

icing on the cake just this morning — that this is a “balanced budget.” Let me give

you the other side of the coin as to what British Columbians think about this budget.

From the Business Council of B.C., who represents over 200 businesses in this province:

“The current fiscal plan fails to stabilize the province’s finances. Debt-servicing

is the fastest growing line item in this year’s budget. Provincial finances remain

on track for a fifth consecutive credit downgrade that will further increase the cost

of debt-servicing.”

This is a serious problem — the fact that we are running a $13.3 billion deficit and

piling massive debt on, day after day, eventually leading to, as many of my colleagues

have highlighted, $9 billion worth of debt-servicing costs in just the coming short

years ahead. That’s over $1 million an hour in payments just to service the debt.

In real terms, every day we could be hiring 20 to 30 nurses, 20 to 30 teachers, half

a dozen doctors. But instead, we’re flushing that money down the toilet for debt-servicing,

because this government doesn’t know how to responsibly spend.

It’s shameful. They’ve gone from a $5 billion surplus in 2022 to a $13.3 billion deficit

today. How is that possible that we can have a government so recklessly spending the

provincial purse? Spending is up 90 percent since 2017. Call me crazy: I haven’t seen

services in this province improve by 90 percent in that time period.

[2:50 p.m.]

The minister is boasting about cutting 15,000 jobs from the public sector over three

years, saving on administrative costs. These are costs this government has incurred.

The public sector has grown by 50 percent under this government. So they’re swooping

in, saying, “We’re going to save the day. We’re going to cut the costs” — that they’ve

piled on. It’s out of control, and the public needs to know this. This is a crisis.

Seniors in my riding who have generational ranches….

Thank you to my colleague from Delta South for pointing out that, yes, wildlife losses

in agriculture have been slashed.

A wonderful constituent of mine, Mrs. Karen Barraclough, sent me a letter saying,

“Scott, I need help. I was supposed to get a cheque for $30,000 from elk losses on

my hay fields. I just got a letter, with an apology letter from the Minister of Forests,

and a cheque for $16,000” — just over half. She’d already budgeted for that — fertilizer,

feed and medicine for her animals. Sorry?

Ranchers who built our communities — people in Golden, Invermere and Revelstoke —

built a forestry industry there for over a hundred years.

The seniors who worked in the mighty Sullivan mine in Kimberley where I live, which

was the largest lead-zinc mine in the world for nearly 100 years, are under attack

from this government.

I received an email this morning from my constituent Rolly Garrelts. I quote:

“Good morning, Scott. I just received notice about the changes to this program” —

referring to the homeowner tax credit — “and I’m quite concerned as it is going to

make a huge difference in my living situation. I’m not a multi-millionaire with a

huge home in Vancouver but a pensioner with a joint family income that, at best, places

me at the low end of the middle class. I don’t live an exorbitant lifestyle.

“I have a 13-year-old car and a nine-year-old truck that will need upgrading in the

near future, a 30-year-old RV and a very small house. I heat with wood and grow a

good portion of my own food. A 4 percent interest increase in this program and the

resulting $300 monthly payments of property tax will have a huge effect on my ability

to stay in my home comfortably.

“Hopefully you can start some discussion around this matter.”

Rolly, I certainly will, and so will my colleagues. This is unacceptable.

[Lorne Doerkson in the chair.]

I have been trying to find some silver linings in this budget. I’ve scoured the media

— nothing.

I did see there was some funding for hormone therapy for menopausal women. I think

that’s fantastic; I really do. Continued funding for IVF treatment, although it does

nothing, really, for people in rural B.C. We have a $2,000 flight and a $500-a-night

hotel bill on top of the payments for the IVF treatment, because there’s nowhere within

a 12-hour drive of where I live to receive that. But I’ll give credit where it’s due.

I appreciate that funding.

Back to what associations are saying in this province. The Greater Vancouver Board

of Trade: “The budget confirms slow growth, higher taxes and continued runaway spending.”

This is Bridgitte Anderson, President and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade,

by the way. “Despite significant new tax increases, the province’s fiscal situation

continues on a perilous trajectory, with an eye-popping $80 billion to be added to

the debt over the next three years” — and a generous D given on the report card for

this budget.

[2:55 p.m.]

PST expansion on accounting and bookkeeping services for small businesses. I had a

call yesterday with a young woman who owns a diner in Golden, B.C., in my riding.

She’s struggling to hang on. February is a tough month for businesses in my riding.

Tourism is down. People don’t nearly…. The locals who support businesses during the

shoulder season do not have the expendable income they did five years ago. She was

almost in tears, saying, “Help me.”

I had to break it to her: “Sorry. Now you have to pay PST on bookkeeping and accounting

services that are necessary for you to operate your business. Sorry about that.” “Well,”

she said, “what can you do about it, Scott?” I said: “I can stand up here and yell

and scream, but ultimately it’s those guys who get to make the decisions around here.”

I’ve got to say that the decisions being made around this budget are not very informed,

to say the very least.

The Finance Minister and several colleagues from across the way keep talking about

GDP-to-debt ratio and the GDP numbers in Canada, comparatively so. Come to Nicholson,

B.C., in my riding, and talk to the single mother with three kids, who is paying $100

for a bag of basic groceries. Tell her about your GDP numbers. I dare you. It’s embarrassing.

Education is something I hold very near and dear to my heart. I always consider myself

to be a teacher. Where are these K-to-3 EAs in every classroom? Now, I’ll give the

government credit. I’m sure they’re working on it. But at the end of last year, I

heard nothing from local school administrators but that hours were being cut for EAs

in high schools.

I asked the minister about that in estimates last year. “Are you going to take from

one to give to another?” “No, no, no. That’s not what we’re going to do.”

What about the autism funding being cut? I had the pleasure of working with dozens

of children with autism over my career. Sorry, families, you’re out. We’re robbing

Peter to pay Paul somewhere else.

Health care. Some 250 ER closures in 2025. I didn’t hear anything to address that

crisis.

I know, Mr. Speaker, that in your very own riding, you face that challenge just about

weekly.

I’d like to read something I got this morning from the B.C. Rural Health Network and

that’s important to get on the record:

“B.C. Budget 2026 does not adequately address the structural realities facing rural

and remote communities. Although overall spending continues, the budget still lacks

the rural-specific design, targeting and accountability needed to improve real access.

“Our concern is straightforward: broad provincial commitments do not automatically

produce equitable rural outcomes. Instead, in many areas, this budget relies on systemwide

framing rather than rural-specific solutions.

[3:00 p.m.]

“There is little mention of rural focus and no mention of rural-specific health spending

in Budget 2026. In fact, the word ‘rural’ does not appear in any specific funding

initiatives or service allocations. The budget only acknowledges rural communities

through tax increases and reduced homeowner benefits.”

I’ve been trying for a year in this place to get the very basics for health care professionals

in the southern part of my riding, nurses and other health care workers who do not

receive the provincial rural retention incentive. I can’t even get an answer out of

the Health Minister. What is the criteria for that? X number of hours from a major

city? The size of local communities? “We’re re-evaluating it. We’re looking at it.”

I had a meeting with about 60 regional nurses last week, and they said: “Scott, what’s

going on with the PRRI?” You know what I told them? “I don’t know.”

I’ve been trying with the Health Minister to get a deal done with Alberta for cross-border

access to acute care, a deal that used to exist. If you live in Kimberley, it’s a

7½-hour drive to Kelowna over three pretty severe mountain passes. It’s four hours

on the flat prairie to Lethbridge, 4½ to Calgary. Alberta and Saskatchewan have a

deal where they can have cross-border services. Why can’t we?

I’ve been trying to secure long-term funding for Angel Flight East Kootenay, which

now needs a new airplane, by the way. They’ve had three engine replacements on their

Cessna 414. Can’t get it. They still have to rely primarily on private donations.

It’s all volunteer-run for people to get to Kelowna for things like cancer treatment.

My neighbour two doors down has had to use that service for several months. We need

this. This is not a luxury service.

Again, I’m pulling no punches saying this is an attack on rural B.C. — this atrocious

budget.

I came into this House with high hopes that we would address some of the serious concerns

in this province. When are we going to have a conversation in here about our energy

deficiencies and our energy sovereignty? Not for today but 20 years from now, because

it will take at least that to build anything in this province under this government.

Where’s the state of emergency around forestry? All I heard is the Forests Minister

call the opposition a bunch of crazy people.

Keep it up. Don’t forget a million people voted for us in the last election.

How are we actually going to address the spiralling addiction and homelessness crisis

in this province? It seems that extortion and crime are at a teetering point in certain

communities in this province. How are we actually tackling that? Instead, it seems

like we’ll just keep the status quo.

Mining. Obviously a cornerstone of the resource development in this province. We’re

blessed with the natural resources we have here in British Columbia. The exploration

industry in this province is just about done. Those people that are out in the mountains

prospecting….

I know the Minister of Mines is laughing, but I dare him to come and speak to the

East Kootenay Chamber of Mines with a smile on his face saying: “Everything’s fine.”

Interjections.

[3:05 p.m.]

Deputy Speaker : Members, the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke has the floor.

We’ll get back to the budget speech.

Scott McInnis : I appreciate that, Mr. Speaker. It actually gets me excited here, to be frank with

you.

Mineral claims are down, the timeline is up, and, yes, there’s money coming in. But

we’ll see if that does anything substantive.

It’s unfortunate that First Nations were burdened with the MCCF and that it’s taken

nearly a year to actually give them some support to move some of these claims through.

AME was saying for a year that this isn’t going to work. From AME: “It’s unhelpful

to see a government who claimed to be trying to fix a dire fiscal situation also lean

into policy objectives that only serve to reduce access to land for economic development.

If the Premier is serious about maximizing our opportunities, we must see more clarity

on land use planning in our province.”

From the Mining Association: “Unfortunately, the budget is unlikely to improve B.C.’s

competitive position and attract more capital investment to B.C.’s mining sector.”

I’m going to keep my powder dry on the Eskay Creek agreement. There are some serious

questions to ask about that, but that’s for another day.

I can’t conclude without speaking about reconciliation. What’s the plan? That’s my

simple question. Do we have one? This is the most serious and pressing file in our

province right now.

We’ve heard nothing about a long-term strategy to achieve reconciliation with the

204 First Nations in this province. We see an agreement there on a Friday afternoon.

We see another one here five months later, after it was signed. You cannot do this

without the public input and public transparency. Reconciliation involves everybody

in this province — everyone.

We’re at a crossroads. Obviously, the Declaration Act is at a crossroads in itself.

It’s supposed to be a mechanism to implement the constitutionally entrenched

section

35 rights — hunting and fishing rights, treaty rights, land rights. Taking away the

Declaration Act doesn’t take away those rights. It says that this plan is not working.

I find it hard, in a lot of respects, to find how it is working. The Declaration Act

is currently being challenged in the B.C. Supreme Court by a local organization. The

Premier has sought leave to the Supreme Court of Canada about the implementation on

the Declaration Act — an implementation he drafted. How is this working?

I think, with or without DRIPA, this government is failing. Just last month the province

lost a case in the B.C. Supreme Court because they didn’t meet the bare minimum consultation

standards for the transfer of a forest licence between two First Nations. They put

the wrong email address into a communication from one of those First Nations that

was seeking some clarification — embarrassing.

[3:10 p.m.]

DRIPA is going to keep us out of the court? Not when this government can’t even complete

basic communication with First Nations about pretty serious issues.

There’s been another lawsuit filed in the last few days for a very similar issue.

I can’t speak about it. It’s before the courts. This government can’t stay out of

the courts. There’s no major project consultation framework. They go from project

to project, nation to nation — different deal for everybody. That’s not reconciliation.

That’s making it up on the fly.

Here’s what we need in Columbia River–Revelstoke. Many of these I’ve already mentioned.

We need homes built as fast as possible. In Revelstoke, it’s hard to find a home under

a million bucks, and that’s not a palace. Affordable homes, so seniors can stay, so

that young people, just starting out in the workforce, can afford a place to live.

We’ve got to stop this arbitrary closure of the back country. It’s not a luxury for

the people in my riding. It’s a way of life. You see closure after closure. No explanation.

Roads deactivated. Access cut off. It has got to stop.

We need transportation, not only within our communities but between communities. We

need child care spaces and professionals to work in those spaces. We need teachers.

We need doctors. We need nurses. We need infrastructure. Unfortunately, and I’m sorry

to the people of Columbia River–Revelstoke, this budget offers nothing for us. Nothing.

But I’m not surprised. The only time this Premier has been to my riding was under

tragic circumstances, when we lost a wildland firefighter several years ago. I can’t

remember the last time a senior minister came to my riding for anything, so how would

they know?

I’m ashamed of this budget, and there’s no way I will support it.

Hon. Brittny Anderson : First, I would like to acknowledge that we are here today on the traditional territory

of the lək̓ʷəŋən-speaking Peoples, the Songhees and the Esquimalt First Nations.

I am also the MLA for Kootenay Central, and that is on the traditional territory of

the Ktunaxa, the sn̓ʕay̓čkstx and the Syilx Peoples.

Before I get started to support this budget, I just want to recognize the incredible

tragedy that, of course, has faced the community of Tumbler Ridge. I want to express

that not only myself but our government…. Certainly, I’ve received a lot of messages

from community members from across my riding about how devastated they were by the

events that took place in Tumbler Ridge.

I want to thank the mayor of Tumbler Ridge — Darryl, who I consider a good friend

— his council, his entire community, all of the first responders, the teachers and

the faculty for trying their very best to keep the community safe as they work to

rebuild. Of course, more than anything, our hearts are with the families of those

who have suffered the most incredible loss you could possibly imagine.

I was really grateful to hear the other night when members on all sides spoke about

working together across government.

With that, I just want to say to my colleague from Peace River South that we are with

you and we’re here to support you in the recovery of your community. Thank you.

[3:15 p.m.]

I would also like to thank my family for all of their support. We all know the toll

that this place can take on us, and if it wasn’t for our families, our close friends

and our communities that uplift us, none of us would be able to do this work. So I

just want to give my love and gratitude to them.

I also want to thank my team. I have an incredible team based in the Kootenays that

works so hard to deliver to the constituents across my very vast riding. The northern

tip is beyond the community of Nakusp. It extends down the Arrow Lakes to Silverton

and New Denver, over to Kaslo, to Nelson, to Salmo and then over to the communities

on the East Shore, Creston and Yahk. So it’s a very large riding, and I’m really grateful

for my team that’s based in Nelson that’s able to deliver services and to support

people across the riding.

I also just want to thank all of my constituents, the people that voted to elect me

to represent them again in this House. It is a true honour, and I will work hard every

day to represent you and your needs. I just want to say thank you and extend my gratitude

for this incredible honour and privilege to serve.

I’m also so grateful for my colleagues that I get to work with here in Victoria. I

have an incredible team. My chief of staff…. We’re a really small team in my portfolio

as the Minister of State for Local Government and Rural Communities. We primarily

work with IGRS, but we also work across all of the ministries, which is a really new

and unique position. I’ve been in it for just over a year now. It really affords me

the opportunity to work across various ministries in support of local governments

and really focus on rural communities and supporting their needs across the province.

I just finished a tour. We met with over 42 local governments. We started off in Cherryville,

wound our way through the Monashee, down through the West Kootenays, the East Kootenays,

over through Kamloops and then all the way up on our way to Prince George, where we

ended at the natural resource forum. It was fantastic to get to meet people within

their home communities and hear directly from those local leaders about how we can

best work together.

It is an incredible privilege to be able to work with these local governments, these

local government leaders, both the electeds and their staff. It’s incredible, also,

how community to community, every leader is incredibly proud. There is so much love

for their communities, and they work so hard to deliver services.

The reason why I asked for this portfolio is because I really believe that local governments

are some of our most important delivery partners in all of the services that our government

is able to provide. By making sure that we’re able to communicate more effectively,

work more closely, identify challenges and then work together to solve those problems,

it’s really something that I feel really passionate about, and it’s an honour to be

able to get to do.

As part of that work at UBCM, we announced the local government awareness project,

and that is to make sure that our government, as we are working on different programs

and policies, whether it’s something like legislation, is engaging early with local

governments, that we are hearing from them, that we are trying to make sure that we’re

incorporating their needs and their ideas to make sure that these programs and policies

work best for them and also across rural British Columbia.

In one of the communities I was in, I commented on how every small community is like

a snowflake because they are so unique and special. Even in two communities that might

be neighbours, their industries can be different, and they can be quite culturally

different. Their facilities, their recreation — it’s all unique. They offer really

interesting and unique perspectives. I think the more diversity that we’re able to

get from those perspectives and from that feedback makes our government’s work stronger.

I am grateful to get to do this work.

[3:20 p.m.]

I’ve also been working really closely with UBCM. I want to thank Cori Ramsay for her

really incredible leadership. She is the current president of UBCM, and she’s working

with a really incredible group of electeds from across British Columbia to serve on

that board. It has been fantastic to get to work really closely with them. I think

by having that really direct communication, we’re able to solve problems a lot sooner.

I’ve just really appreciated the board’s work and all of the staff’s work as we get

to work in collaboration across different ministries, solving different challenges

that arise.

I also wanted to speak a little bit about our rural lens, which was also announced

at UBC in September. There’s a matrix that is included within the rural lens because,

again, we know that rural communities are not all the same. It depends on your size.

It also depends on your distance to different services.

That matrix provides us with a much…. You’re able to look at the different factors

of rural communities and then place them within that matrix, which gives decision-makers

and people that are working on policy within government a better idea of how they

can better serve those communities.

It’s a slow rollout. We’re working right now on the low-hanging fruit to make sure

that we can have lessons learned and find those successes. I really believe that if

we’re able to make sure that we’re doing this work really meaningfully across the

different ministries, our government will be able to serve rural communities in a

better way.

With our budget, I also just want to thank the Premier and, particularly, our Minister

of Finance, who I know has been working very, very hard with her team to make some

really challenging decisions. But I think that she’s really been able to find a balance

here, making sure that we are protecting core services — like health care, like education

— that British Columbians value. Those are part of our core values.

Our public education system. Every parent wants the best, wants excellence, wants

the supports that are necessary for their children. We are protecting that, and we

also want to make sure that we have a robust health care system. We are protecting

those services within health.

Why I think it’s so critically important to mention those off the top is that when

you look at the provincial budget, the two biggest line items, by a large majority….

When you look at the pie of this, the education system and the health system take

up the most of government’s expenditures. We also know that we need to continue to

invest in our health care system and in our education system.

We have an aging population. Of course, all of us know that, which means that there

is an additional burden on our health care system. We know that there have been not

enough doctors, not enough people that are attached, so we are working every single

day to attach patients to our health care providers, whether those are doctors or

nurse practitioners. My understanding is that currently, on a weekly basis, we are

attaching 4,200 patients to those primary health care providers every single week,

so I think that that is really significant progress that we are making.

Budget 2026 makes careful choices to protect what matters most to secure B.C.’s future.

Over the last eight years, the B.C. government has focused on the foundations of a

strong province by expanding access to family doctors, more affordable housing, easing

everyday costs for families through lower child care and the B.C. family benefit,

and investing on building the hospitals, schools and roads that people rely on.

I want to talk a little bit about affordable housing. I was getting a blood test.

I’m not very good at getting blood tests, so I’m always a little bit nervous going

in. When I sat down on the chair, the woman could tell I was nervous. She looked at

me and said: “I know who you are.” I said: “Oh, okay.” She then proceeded to thank

our government for the work that we had done to provide housing.

[3:25 p.m.]

She was a single mom with a young daughter, who I had seen earlier. She was getting

picked up to go to school. That mom told me that she would not be able to work in

our health care system and live in the community, which was the community of Nelson,

if it wasn’t for the opportunity that our government provided her with affordable,

secure housing.

I am so grateful for the non-profits and the community leaders that have worked so

hard across my riding to deliver housing in communities like Nelson. We’ve had several

projects, including at Selkirk College. We’ve had student housing built. In communities

like Nakusp, New Denver, Kaslo, Creston, they’ve also had housing projects built.

I know these communities are also looking forward to having more housing built in

their riding.

We have been leading the way in Canada, and actually in North America, on delivering

housing for people, and that work is incredibly important. It’s not just this single

mother that was telling me about how it has changed her life. I know former small

business owners who are now retired that have really benefited from housing in one

of our seniors housing complexes.

There are other people that are still working that are in those housing complexes.

Actually, a woman that I know…. Our grandmas actually knew each other when my mom

was a young teenager living up in Watson Lake. That’s when our families first got

to know each other. Now she’s in one of the affordable housing units. She’s an incredible

community member. She works at our grocery store, but she is benefiting from that

type of housing.

So there’s workforce housing in Nelson. We’re also going to be getting more supportive

housing. We know there’s an incredible need for that. That is in the process of being

completed as we speak. I’m just so grateful for all of the community leaders that

have worked so hard to help deliver housing projects across our riding, so thank you.

Another piece, of course, is lowering child care costs. We’ve been able to more than

double our investments in child care. Most families now are benefiting — up to $900

decreases in child care. I believe the average for child care costs is $25 a day,

and some people are paying as low as $10 a day.

We know that this isn’t just a social program, but this is an economic program. We

know that it benefits families. I also want to speak to how, generally, if there’s

going to be someone that stays home, it tends to be a woman in the household. So this

is also a feminist investment. By having child care spaces that are available for

families, we’re able to make sure that parents, and mothers in particular, are able

to go out into the workforce if they choose and to be able to contribute to our economy.

I am so grateful to see that we have additional investments in our child care sector

because it is so important that we’re able to provide good quality, affordable child

care across my riding and throughout British Columbia.

I want to talk a little bit about the attachment of patients to family doctors. We’ve

been working really hard.

I’m going to go back. I remember when I was in high school. I remember hearing people

tell me: “One day all the boomers are going to retire, and there are going to be so

many jobs for your generation.”

Well, unfortunately, previous governments didn’t invest in things like a medical school.

We are the first government that has invested in a medical school in 60 years in western

Canada, and it is so, so needed. We’ve invested in spaces for nurses. We’re making

sure that other health care seats…. We’re also investing in those, as well, because

we know that that training is incredibly important to be able to support our health

care se