First Session, 43rd Parliament

Official Report

of Debates

( Hansard )

Monday, April 14, 2025

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 42

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

Introductions by Members

Statements

Nanaimo Clippers and Cowichan Valley Capitals Hockey Teams

George Anderson

Introductions by Members

Introduction and First Reading of Bills

Bill 10 — Attorney General Statutes Amendment Act, 2025

Hon. Niki Sharma

Members’ Statements

Remembrance of RCMP Constable Neil M c Arthur Bruce

Macklin McCall

Creative Industries Week

Nina Krieger

Food Bank on Wheels

Lawrence Mok

Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade

Sunita Dhir

Penticton-Summerland School Closings and Work of Trustees

Amelia Boultbee

Food Link Society

Jennifer Blatherwick

Oral Questions

Crime in Communities and Action on Community Safety

John Rustad

Hon. David Eby

Government Action on Illicit Drug Trade Activities

Bruce Banman

Hon. Garry Begg

Government Action on Drug Toxicity Crisis and Overdose Deaths

Jeremy Valeriote

Hon. Josie Osborne

Attacks on Police Officers and Government Action on Repeat Offenders

Macklin McCall

Hon. Garry Begg

Bryan Tepper

Violent Attacks and Action on Community Safety

Brennan Day

Hon. Niki Sharma

Anna Kindy

Brent Chapman

Hon. Garry Begg

Korky Neufeld

Jody Toor

Claire Rattée

Sheldon Clare

Government Action on Repeat Offenders and Crime in Communities

Lorne Doerkson

Hon. Niki Sharma

Support for Police Officers and Government Action on Community Safety

Elenore Sturko

Hon. Garry Begg

Question of Privilege (Reservation of Right)

Elenore Sturko

Tabling Documents

ICBC, report, Insurance (Vehichle) Act,

part 7 accident benefits review, recommendations,

March 31, 2025

Orders of the Day

Government Motions on Notice

Motion 18 — Indigenous Rights and Recognition of Historical Wrongs and Legacies

Hon. Laanas / Tamara Davidson

Scott McInnis

Rob Botterell

Hon. Christine Boyle

Amshen / Joan Phillip

Debra Toporowski / Qwulti’stunaat

Rohini Arora

Stephanie Higginson

Hon. Laanas / Tamara Davidson

Second Reading of Bills

Bill 5 — Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2025

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Peter Milobar

Hon Chan

Donegal Wilson

Brent Chapman

Á’a:líya Warbus

Kristina Loewen

Pete Davis

Sharon Hartwell

Bill M208 — Emergency and Disaster Management Amendment Act, 2025 (continued )

Question of Privilege (Reservation of Right)

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Proceedings in the Douglas Fir Room

Committee of Supply

Estimates: Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals (continued)

Hon. Jagrup Brar

Ian Paton

Pete Davis

Amelia Boultbee

Committee of the Whole

Bill 7 — Economic Stabilization (Tariff Response) Act

Hon. Niki Sharma

Steve Kooner

Kiel Giddens

Gavin Dew

Rob Botterell

Peter Milobar

Sheldon Clare

Monday, April 14, 2025

The House met at 1:33 p.m.

[The Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Introductions by Members

Hon. Sheila Malcolmson : Joining us in the chamber today is a historic, first-ever, self-advocate-led delegation

meeting with the Premier this morning. We don’t think this has ever happened before.

They are leaders in the diversability movement.

Will the House please make welcome these four really powerful self-advocates.

Michael McLellan is president of the B.C. Self Advocate Leadership Network. He’s vice-president

committee, UNITI and the Inclusion B.C. board.

Bryce Schaufelberger is president of Mission Self Advocacy Group and Reimagining Community

Inclusion. Kara Anderson from Nanaimo sits on the Inclusion B.C. board, and Krista

Milne sits on the Self-Advocates of Semiahmoo.

Will the House please make their support workers and these four powerful self-advocates

very welcome.

[1:35 p.m.]

Hon. Kelly Greene : I am hoping that everybody here can welcome Ali Safdari. He is celebrating his 19th

birthday with us. He’s studying political science at Langara, and he’s a proud Young

New Democrat. He’s passionate about provincial politics, and maybe we’ll see him down

here on the floor as an MLA one day.

If we can all please wish Ali a very happy 19th birthday.

Welcome to him and his dad.

Claire Rattée : It’s an honour to recognize someone today that I deeply respect and admire. Mayor

Sean Bujtas is up here from Terrace, B.C., from my riding, and I’m really grateful

to consider him both a friend and somebody that I’ve worked alongside for a number

of years now.

I would ask that the House make him feel very welcome.

Hon. David Eby : Good to see….

I’ll follow the member for Skeena in recognizing someone who is respected on both

sides of the aisle, Mayor Sean Bujtas, here to meet with the Minister of State for

Local Governments and rural matters to talk about the Northwest B.C. Resource Benefits

Alliance, along with many other issues, I’m sure.

Good to see you, Sean, and welcome to the House.

Sharon Hartwell : It’s a pleasure to stand today and welcome a mayor from my riding, Her Worship Mayor

Gladys Atrill, and her CAO, Michael Dewar. They’ve travelled all the way from the

beautiful Bulkley Valley to come here and speak with ministers this morning, and it’s

a long trek.

Would the House please make them welcome.

Statements

Nanaimo Clippers and

Cowichan Valley Capitals

Hockey Teams

George Anderson : Every once in a while there is a hockey game that occurs, and last Thursday there

was a hockey game between the Nanaimo Clippers and the Cowichan Valley Capitals. I

expected, as usual, for Nanaimo to do as great as it normally does, but unfortunately,

in this one scenario, we did not win.

It was actually my friend the MLA for Cowichan Valley, who…. We had this bet that

whoever won, the other person would wear the jersey. So here I am in the House representing

the Cowichan something or whatever.

I know that next year it’ll be the Nanaimo Clippers who are on top, and the MLA will

be wearing the Nanaimo Clippers jersey.

Introductions by Members

Gavin Dew : There was so much competition to introduce the next individual among the MLAs from

Abbotsford that I had to step in and provide a neutral voice.

Don Campbell is an Abbotsford-based economic and real estate researcher, author and

analyst who for 30 years has provided unbiased research and analysis on the fundamentals

of the Canadian commercial, residential, agricultural and industrial real estate markets.

Don is Canada’s number one best-selling real estate author of seven best-selling books,

including Real Estate Investing in Canada , which is the all-time best-selling real estate book in Canadian history. Don donates

100 percent of his author royalties from all of his books directly to Habitat for

Humanity, and so far, this initiative has been the catalyst to raising over $1.3 million,

almost $1.4 million to build homes for those in need of a hand up.

In addition, Don has raised an additional $1 million for the A440 Foundation charity,

which provides a hand up to those in the Fraser Valley who are making a difference

in the community.

Please make Don very welcome.

Hon. Josie Osborne : It’s my pleasure today to introduce members from the B.C. and Yukon branch of the

Kidney Foundation of Canada, who are joining us in the gallery this afternoon.

Many members and I were privileged to spend breakfast with them this morning and their

board of directors, including president Glenn Powers, executive director Pia Schindler

and many wonderful volunteers with the Kidney Foundation. We were reminded of the

work that the Kidney Foundation does in promoting and improving the lives of the one

in ten British Columbians who are living with kidney disease through their advocacy,

critical research and innovative programs.

Would the House please join me in making them feel very welcome this afternoon.

Heather Maahs : It is my pleasure to welcome my first guest to the Legislature and, rightfully so,

my very good friend, my campaign manager, my executive assistant, the former Abbotsford

school board chair — so she comes with lots of great qualifications — Cindy Evans.

Please make her welcome.

[1:40 p.m.]

Hon. Jodie Wickens : We are celebrating someone very special in our caucus today. She is probably one

of the most selfless people that I know. She has dedicated her life to her community.

She is a mom of five. She is my special friend and colleague.

The MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville is celebrating her 50th birthday today, and I

would hope that the entire House would say happy birthday to her, thank her for her

service, and just thank her for being the wonderful, absolutely amazing human being

that she is.

Bruce Banman : As we’ve heard, Abbotsford is well represented today. My colleague from Kelowna-Mission

and I will have a chat in the Whip’s office about taking credit for stuff when he

begged me for an introduction, but that’s another story.

I am here, actually, to introduce my wife, Sharon Banman, who has asked me not to

embarrass her, so I think I will leave it at that.

The love of my life is here, Sharon.

Would the House please give her a huge, warm welcome for having to put up with me

for 44 years.

Nina Krieger : Today in the gallery, we are joined by Tara-Lee Novak, the film commissioner for

Vancouver Island south. This regional film commission is a non-profit dedicated to

marketing and promoting the locations, skills and creativity we have here in Victoria

and Vancouver Island to the global film industry.

Their work is yielding very exciting results. Filming will soon begin on the TV series

Private Eyes West Coast starring Jason Priestley. After five seasons set and filmed in Toronto, Priestley’s

character is moving to Victoria to start a new chapter. This is a rare opportunity

for the city to play itself and speaks to the appetite of Canadian audiences wanting

to see our region on camera.

We are very fortunate to have Tara-Lee Novak in this important role.

Please join me in making her feel very welcome.

Hon. Ravi Parmar : I’ve got some good friends in the House. One person in particular, Sharon Wilkinson.

It was about 11 years ago. I was 19 years old. I asked Sharon to be my campaign manager

for my first run as a school board trustee. She’s a former trustee herself, former

chair of the Sooke school district.

Sharon, it’s good to see you, my friend.

I often joke with my mom that Sharon is mom No. 2 for me and our family.

Joining Sharon in the House here today are Ingrid Busch and Kathy Krogh. Kathy is

all the way from Toronto. I asked her if she was planning on bringing any weather

from Toronto to the west coast, and she said no.

Thank you for that.

It’s Kathy’s first time in the House watching question period.

Will the House please join me in making them all feel very welcome.

Lynne Block : I did this introduction this morning, but I think they’re here this afternoon. I

was wondering if, with your permission, I could say the introduction again.

The Speaker : That will be fine.

Lynne Block : Thank you.

It’s my pleasure to introduce a friend and near constituent from Eagle Harbour in

West Vancouver, Alexis Mackay-Dunn.

Alexis is a small business owner, a devoted mother of two and a patient living with

late-stage kidney disease. Drawing strength from her own experience, Alexis has become

a passionate advocate for kidney health across British Columbia.

Today Alexis is part of a powerhouse delegation from the Kidney Foundation, here to

meet with MLAs and shine the light on a growing issue. Kidney disease now affects

one in ten British Columbians, many of whom are unaware they even have it.

Please join me in welcoming Alexis and in thanking the Kidney Foundation for their

vital work to improve outcomes for kidney patients and their families throughout our

province.

George Anderson : I have the pleasure of introducing Ms. Marilee Washington, a youth and family counsellor,

and Ms. Catherine Wallace, a teacher from Stelly’s Secondary. They’re up here in the

gallery.

They’re focused on making sure that students have the resources that they need and

also just uplifting voices all across their secondary school.

I would hope that everyone would give them a warm welcome.

[1:45 p.m.]

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

Bill 10 — Attorney General

Statutes Amendment Act, 2025

Hon. Niki Sharma presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor: a bill

intituled Attorney General Statutes Amendment Act, 2025.

Hon. Niki Sharma : I move that the bill be introduced and read a first time now.

I am pleased to introduce Bill 10, the Attorney General Statutes Amendment Act, 2025.

This bill amends the following statutes: the Judicial Compensation Act; the Land Title

Act; the Libel and Slander Act; the Members’ Remuneration and Pensions Act; the Police

Act; the Small Claims Act; the Wills, Estates and Succession Act.

We’d be pleased to elaborate on the nature of these amendments during the second reading

of this bill.

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

Motion approved.

Hon. Niki Sharma : I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the

next sitting of the House after today.

Motion approved.

Members’ Statements

Remembrance of RCMP Constable

Neil M c Arthur Bruce

Macklin McCall : Today we pause to remember a courageous officer whose legacy continues to inspire.

Const. Neil McArthur Bruce of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police tragically lost his

life on April 14, 1965, at the age of 26, 60 years ago today.

He was fatally wounded while attempting to negotiate the release of a young woman

being held against her will in West Kelowna, which was then Westbank. Despite his

valiant efforts, he succumbed to his injuries four days later. His sacrifice is commemorated

on page 130 of the RCMP honour roll book.

In 2000, to honour his memory, Constable Neil Bruce Middle School was established

in West Kelowna. It stands as one of only two schools in western Canada named after

a fallen police officer, ensuring that future generations remember his dedication

and bravery.

Constable Bruce’s legacy lives on through his son Don Bruce, who followed in his father’s

footsteps and became a member of the RCMP. As of the latest available information,

he serves as an inspector in Ottawa, continuing the family’s commitment to public

service.

At the West Kelowna RCMP detachment, Constable Bruce’s regimental number, 20824, is

displayed above each door, serving as a reminder of his sacrifice and the values he

upheld. As we reflect on Constable Bruce’s life, we are reminded of the daily risks

law enforcement officers take to keep us safe.

We honour not only his memory but also his legacy of service and bravery. Let us never

take for granted those who run towards danger to shield us from harm.

May the memory of Const. Neil Bruce forever remind us of the price of peace and the

strength of those who guard it.

Creative Industries Week

Nina Krieger : I rise today to recognize Creative Industries Week in B.C., running today through

April 18. This year marks the tenth anniversary of celebrating the people and businesses

driving B.C.’s vibrant creative sector, from film, television, music and publishing

to interactive digital media.

These industries are not only the cultural cornerstones of our province but major

economic drivers, generating $5.6 billion in GDP and employing nearly 122,000 people

in 2023. That’s why our government has made the largest one-time investment in B.C.’s

creative sector, an historic $42 million, spread over three years, to help the sector

continue to grow and to thrive.

B.C. is a global hub for motion picture production. Despite recent challenges, our

industry is recovering, and B.C. remains a top filming destination. Productions like

Virgin River , season 7, and the upcoming Murder in a Small Town, season 2, written by a B.C. author and filmed on the Sunshine Coast, highlight our

strength in this sector.

Our province is a powerhouse in music and home to world-class songwriters, producers,

technicians, record labels and performers. And 2025 marks the Year of Music in B.C.,

with Juno wins for local artists, star-studded performances at the Invictus Games

2025, and the upcoming Canadian Country Music Awards in Kelowna.

From being a world leader in animation and visual effects to hosting the international

Web Summit in May, our interactive digital media sector is thriving.

[1:50 p.m.]

publishing market.

I would like to thank Creative B.C., the B.C. Film Commission, B.C. film unions, Screen

B.C., Music B.C., Books B.C., MagsBC, DigiBC and many others for championing this

sector.

Thank you to the thousands of workers with their talents that they bring to the creative

industry, which really bring it to life. We cannot wait to celebrate you this week

and beyond.

Food Bank on Wheels

Lawrence Mok : Today I rise to recognize the outstanding contributions of Food Bank on Wheels Society.

Established since 2018, their team has delivered food hampers to single-parent families

who would otherwise struggle to access local food banks because of illness or disability.

Their focus on single-parent families is an important one. The child poverty rate

in single-parent households in B.C. is approximately 45 percent. That is nearly five

times the child poverty rate in two-parent households.

These single-parent families struggle from a combination of factors, but the added

difficulty of illness or disability can be very challenging. That is a major gap in

food bank service for British Columbians, but Food Bank on Wheels steps in and does

their very best to fill that gap across 11 different communities in B.C., including

in my constituency of Maple Ridge.

Last month I had the opportunity to meet members of their team at a local event. Their

stories, hard work and determination inspired me a lot. Like myself, they are strong

believers that no family should go hungry, and their efforts to feed as many parents

and children as possible go above and beyond.

As the organization says themselves, they are not just an illness-disability home

delivery service; they are a lifeline for families who need it the most.

I hope that this House can join me in thanking all the hardworking staff, volunteers

and supporters of Food Bank on Wheels.

Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade

Sunita Dhir : This past Saturday, April 12, the Khalsa Diwan Society of Vancouver hosted the annual

Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade, and what a celebration it was. About 200,000 people came

out to walk the parade route, enjoy incredible food made by volunteers and soak in

the vibrant colours and joyful energy across South Vancouver.

The day began with a prayer at the historic Ross Street Gurdwara, marking the birth

of the Khalsa in 1699, by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, a moment that grounds this celebration

in deep spiritual roots.

Vaisakhi is also a harvest festival, a time to give thanks, come together and honour

hard work and new beginnings. That spirit was felt throughout the day.

A big shout-out to the executive committee of Khalsa Diwan Society of Vancouver —

president Kuldip Singh Thandi, Kashmir Singh Dhaliwal, Jagdeep Singh Sanghera, Jarnail

Singh Bhandal and Joginder Singh Sunner; and all the volunteers who helped make the

event such a success.

Our government is proud to recognize the Sikh community’s contributions to our economy,

to our communities and to our shared future. The values of Sikhism — equality, compassion

and justice — reflect the best of who we are.

We must also remember where we have come from. In 1914, 376 passengers aboard the

Komagata Maru were denied entry into Vancouver, a painful

chapter in our history.

But through resilience and perseverance, Sikh Canadians are now thriving in leadership

roles and helping shape a better future.

[1:55 p.m.]

Vaisakhi is more than just a celebration; it’s about identity, courage and gratitude.

This weekend Vancouver truly reflected that spirit.

Happy Vaisakhi to all.

Penticton-Summerland School Closings

and Work of Trustees

Amelia Boultbee : Schools have always been more than just buildings. They are the heart of our neighbourhoods,

places where children learn, friendships are built and where families and communities

come together. That’s why news of school closures in Penticton and Summerland is so

difficult for so many people across our region.

As the MLA for this community, I know how emotional and deeply personal these decisions

are. Schools shape our daily lives. They provide child care, sports, after-school

programs and a sense of belonging for kids and families. Losing that connection hurts.

I’d like to recognize and thank the teachers, education assistants and school staff

who work so hard to create safe and supportive learning environments for our children.

No matter where classrooms are located, it is these dedicated people who make the

biggest difference in the lives of students.

I want to acknowledge the school district 67 board of trustees. Trustees are elected

by their communities to make incredibly difficult decisions, decisions no one takes

lightly. I know how much time, care and consultation went into reaching this point.

Trustees were asked to make choices in a challenging environment, balancing the needs

of students today with the long-term sustainability of our education system. But that

doesn’t take away from the real impact these closures will have on students, families

and neighbourhoods. Change on this scale is never easy.

As the MLA in Penticton-Summerland, I am committed to listening to families, supporting

students and working with local leaders to make sure that these school spaces, which

hold so much significance for children and families, continue to benefit our communities

in new ways.

In difficult moments like this, what gives me hope is knowing the strength, resilience

and heart of the people of Penticton-Summerland. I know we will get through this together.

Food Link Society

Jennifer Blatherwick : I rise today to recognize Food Link, an organization doing groundbreaking work to

both combat food waste and support food security in my Coquitlam community and across

the Lower Mainland.

Food Link was founded in 2016 by a group of new immigrants who met at the language

instruction for newcomers to Canada classes in our local school district. Coming from

different backgrounds and different areas of the world, Reihaneh Mirjani and Ali Haeri

brought their experience from Iran, and Igor Bjelac brought his knowledge from Serbia.

Moved by a documentary on food waste, they collected food from grocery stores that

would otherwise have been thrown out and distributed it to their fellow students.

Over the last nine years, the charity has grown to support thousands of people in

the community every week. An army of volunteers travels to grocery stores across the

Lower Mainland, gathering up donations and bringing food back to their location partners,

which include churches, schools and local legions, where it’s sorted, packaged into

hampers and distributed.

Food Link has recovered and redistributed 4,232,629 kilograms of surplus food as of

January, with a total value of more than $32 million. Keeping this food from the landfill

means that almost 11 million kilograms of CO 2 emissions have been prevented, and every week, they feed 4,000 people.

A few weeks ago Food Link opened its first community kitchen so volunteers and staff

can learn and teach techniques to preserve the good food they rescue.

This massive operation works so well because of the dedication of the founders but

also dedicated staff like Young and Melody, who help coordinate, and the large group

of volunteers who pick up, sort and distribute the food. For many, this volunteering

is their first Canadian job experience.

My heart and the hearts of thousands of British Columbians are grateful for the work

they do to prevent food waste, save our environment and help families.

Oral Questions

Crime in Communities

and Action on Community Safety

John Rustad : A 92-year-old man was assaulted by multiple people in Downtown Vancouver Eastside.

He later died in hospital. What was the issue? He simply wanted to use a washroom,

went into Carnegie Centre and was assaulted. His family went looking for him when

he didn’t return, and they received a call from the hospital two hours later.

[2:00 p.m.]

Businesses around the province have to have security guards. Is this Premier really

prepared to say that we have to have security guards at all public washrooms now in

the province? This is completely unacceptable.

Maybe the Premier can explain why seniors aren’t safe using public facilities in British

Columbia.

Hon. David Eby : This is a terrible story about an elderly man who just wanted to access a public

facility at the corner of Main and Hastings in the Downtown Eastside. It shouldn’t

matter where it is in the province; seniors need to be safe in our communities.

We’ve worked closely with the city of Vancouver to support additional enforcement

in the Downtown Eastside to address those issues. We have larger systemic work to

do with them. What’s happening in the community and across the province? We stood

up 12 repeat violent offender teams. We’re tracking 400 people, driving down criminal

activity in the province. We are increasing funding for the Justice Institute of B.C.

— it’s up 50 percent — for more police officers across the province.

But it can’t just be police. It also needs to be addressing issues of mental health

and addiction, which is why we’re working with an expert in the area to open up facilities

to support people with serious brain injuries and mental health issues that lead them

to be a danger to themselves and to other people. We’ve got lots more work to do.

This is an unacceptable and deplorable incident.

The Speaker : Leader of the Official Opposition, supplemental.

John Rustad : Well, the reality is the streets are becoming more violent, more chaotic, and we’re

seeing more brazen attacks by the day. Mental health and addictions is a serious issue,

there’s no question, but what we have seen is a soft-on-crime, soft-on-drugs approach

by this government for years which has perpetuated and grown this problem.

Perhaps the Premier can just answer a simple question. Will he admit that his approach

in British Columbia has failed?

Hon. David Eby : This is a serious issue that we’re seeing, actually, across the country and across

North America: random stranger attacks, issues around safety in public spaces.

Here in B.C., we’re taking an approach to really focus on those individuals that are

causing that chaos. Our repeat violent offender program has driven down repeat offending

by 40 percent. We’re seeing double-digit crime reductions in a number of communities

across the province.

Now, we’ve got more work to do here. That’s why we’re opening a new facility this

month at Surrey Pretrial for people with serious mental health and addiction issues

and another facility in Maple Ridge on the Alouette grounds to ensure that people

get the care that they need.

We’ve got more work to do, but we’re headed in the right direction. With that said,

you get incidents like this. It shakes people’s confidence, and rightly so.

Everyone needs to be safe in every corner of the province. That’s our goal. That’s

what we’re going to deliver.

Government Action on

Illicit Drug Trade Activities

Bruce Banman : The Premier just mentioned what shakes people’s confidence. Let me tell you what

else shakes people’s confidence in British Columbia.

Within the last week, the RCMP dismantled not one, not two but three highly sophisticated

drug labs in Pitt Meadows, Mission and then Aldergrove. They were set up in commercial

buildings just steps away from residential areas.

We’ve learned that these were not street dealers. These criminals were running super

labs with industrial equipment and expert chemists that were tied to international

organized crime. We also know that two suspects were arrested — oh, and then, surprise,

surprise, released.

How did this NDP government allow B.C. to become a safe haven for industrial-scale

fentanyl production where drug-peddling criminals operate with virtual impunity?

Hon. Garry Begg : Thank you to the member opposite for the question.

Enforcement is the key pillar of our efforts to fight the toxic drug crisis. We’re

ensuring police have the tools to go after drug traffickers and seize all of their

equipment, which is exactly what happened all across the province.

Your question about the release of the offender in this case is one that is better

addressed because it is a federal Crown counsel responsibility…. We’re not responsible

for it. We’ve advocated to the federal government to change the law, and it is a work-in-progress

with us and them.

The Speaker : Member, supplemental.

[2:05 p.m.]

Bruce Banman : The Premier can sit there and roll his eyes and shake his head, but several million

lethal doses of fentanyl were intercepted over the weekend. If it was not for the

hard-working police officers, five million doses of fentanyl could be flooding our

streets right now.

The RCMP are pleading for stronger tools to fight national crime. The RCMP are pleading

for stronger tools to fight transnational crime.

When will this soft-on-crime, pro-drug NDP government stop playing games, put the

rights of victims before violent criminals and bring the legislative reforms needed

to shut down organized criminal operations?

Hon. Garry Begg : It’s important that the opposition understand that we’ve made the largest investment

in policing in our province’s history, as $230 million has been expended to hire more

RCMP officers across the province. This is filling vacancies in rural detachments

and hiring additional officers in areas like major crime.

We’ve created the integrated gang task force team, which is improving intelligence

coordination related to gang activities.

At the root of all of these offences are money laundering and organized crime. We’re

prioritizing those groups for enforcement all across the province.

Government Action on

Drug Toxicity Crisis and

Overdose Deaths

Jeremy Valeriote : It’s a solemn day, as was reflected on the front steps of this building at the noon

hour. Since the toxic drug crisis was declared a public health emergency nine years

ago today, we have lost more than 16,000 British Columbians.

We must make every effort to avoid normalizing this emergency and continuing with

business as usual. I recognize the efforts this government has made to address the

crisis. But it is not enough, not when we continue to lose loved ones — five, six

and seven every day.

To the Premier, does he see a day when we can set aside political calculus — as we

did during the other recent public health emergency, which was COVID — and implement

the evidence-based policies that are urgently needed to save lives?

Hon. Josie Osborne : Thank you so much to the member for the question and for noting that today is indeed

a very solemn and somber day, on this ninth anniversary of the declaration of a public

health crisis, a toxic drug crisis that has taken the lives of over 16,000 British

Columbians.

Each and every one of these people were loved. They were daughters and sons. Some

were mothers and fathers. Each and every one of these people are grieved by the people

that they’ve left behind. It’s important that we always remember these people, their

families, and put them at the centre of the work that we’re doing.

I appreciate the support of the member opposite in the work that we are doing and

his encouragement for the work that we have to continue to do. That’s why we, as a

government, have invested so much into a full continuum of care, providing supports

for people at every stage of the journey that they are facing in battling their addictions.

We have a lot more to do, but there are new services. There are new treatment beds,

over 750 publicly funded new treatment beds.

We are continuing to build out services for youth, for Indigenous people, for women

and ensuring that people have access to the full continuum of supports that they need.

The Speaker : Member, supplemental.

Jeremy Valeriote : Nine years of an emergency and drug poisoning continues to be the leading cause of

death among people aged ten to 59. I’m failing to hear the urgency.

Report after report, experts continue to provide this government with the solutions

needed to save lives: more treatment beds, prescribed and non-prescribed safe supply,

regulated and evidence-based treatment services and more of them, barrier-free access

to health care that can be a starting point for healing and accessible housing for

all, and basic human dignity. After nine years, I think it’s time we recognize that

every drug death is a policy choice.

Again to the Premier, the evidence, research and policy solutions are in front of

us. When will this government make the changes urgently needed to save lives?

[2:10 p.m.]

Hon. Josie Osborne : I don’t disagree with the member at all about all of the supports that he has listed.

That is why this government will continue to add new resources, as we did in this

year’s budget, to continue to support people through every stage of their journey.

Whether that’s harm prevention services like take-home-naloxone kits, like drug-checking

services, like overdose prevention services to keep people alive, connecting them

to the supports that they need, building more treatment and recovery beds and adding

mental health resources for adults and for youth alike.

Working with First Nations on eight new Indigenous-led treatment centres — two that

are already open, more that are underway — and continuing to do the work that is needed.

There is a sense of urgency. While we know that lives lost to the toxic drug crisis

are starting to come down, we cannot lift our foot off this gas pedal.

We have to continue to invest. That is what this government is going to continue to

do, and I look forward to the support of all members of this House in doing this work.

Attacks on Police Officers

and Government Action

on Repeat Offenders

Macklin McCall : As a former police officer, I’ve seen the risks our front-line officers take to keep

communities safe.

Two Vancouver police officers were set on fire while patrolling the Downtown Eastside.

The suspect was wanted on ten outstanding warrants for his arrest, which included

violent offences. One of the officers was burned. This is just the latest in a string

of over 35 assaults on VPD this year alone. That’s a 25 percent increase.

Will this Premier abandon his anti-police activism and finally stand with the men

and women who risk their lives every single day to keep our streets safe and for once

put the rights of victims ahead of violent criminals?

Hon. Garry Begg : I, too, spent most of my life as a police officer.

The incident on the Downtown Eastside is horrific. It’s a senseless act of violence.

There’s no justification for that type of behaviour. I’m glad to hear that a suspect

has been arrested and charged in this incident.

I should thank police for their swift action in apprehending the suspect.

My thoughts are with those two officers, and I wish them a full recovery.

Bryan Tepper : B.C.’s police officers put their lives on the line every single day. I know this

because I was a police officer. I’ve lost friends. What they need is a Premier focused

on public safety, not how to sue the police.

With officers being spat on, slashed and set on fire, when will this Premier finally

stand up and restore peace and order to British Columbia?

Hon. Garry Begg : Thank you to the member opposite for the question.

It’s important that we understand that policing in Canadian society has not changed

in many years. We believe that police officers are centurions at the gates of justice.

I, like you, took an oath to protect the law in this country, and I worked almost

40 years to do that.

What has changed is, to some degree, the way we treat people who have, for example,

concurrent drug and alcohol addictions. That has changed. So what we must do, what

we will do, every day, as the rationale changes for behaviour, is make sure that we

adapt our plans to do that. Every day, every month, every year across this province,

when men and women who wear the uniform to protect the country go out there to do

that, we arm them by giving them the tools to do the job.

In British Columbia, we continue to do that, and that will be my pledge to you. We

will continue to give the police the tools to do the job they need in British Columbia.

Violent Attacks and Action

on Community Safety

Brennan Day : On March 25, a man in Parksville was attacked in his own home. A stranger rammed

a car through his garage, broke in, wrapped a chain around his neck and threatened

to kill him. The suspect was arrested and then released on $500 bail.

[2:15 p.m.]

This wasn’t petty theft. This was a violent home invasion. He is currently out free.

Can the Premier explain to British Columbians why someone capable of that kind of

violence is currently free and back out on the streets?

Hon. Niki Sharma : I think we can all agree that that’s a horrific incident and that we are thinking

of the family and the victims. In such a case, it’s very important in the province

that we have very strong bail laws. That’s why we led the charge across Canada to

make sure that the federal government changed the Criminal Code to strengthen our

bail laws for repeat violent offenders.

We’re not done yet. We’re going to continue to advocate for a stronger bail system

in Canada, and we’re going to put the resources in place on the ground to make sure

that our system is ready to respond, no matter what happens.

Anna Kindy : Just days later in nearby Parksville, another family was terrorized by a stranger

who broke in while they were sleeping. The intruder tried to re-enter the home after

being forced out. The man was reportedly intoxicated and was released, no charges.

Why does this Premier prefer to sue police instead of prosecuting criminals?

Hon. Niki Sharma : We haven’t just advocated for stronger bail laws across this country; we’ve been

successful in some Criminal Code changes. We’re going to keep at that advocacy. We’ve

also put direct resources on the ground. That means the repeat violent offender program,

which is currently seeing over 400 individuals.

I’ve visited some of these hubs of the repeat violent offender initiative, of front-line

workers that are circling around those most violent offenders in our system and making

sure that they stay off the streets and that the tools are in place to keep communities

safe.

We are investing in police officers, record investments in the province. We’re investing

in Crown prosecutors. We’re investing in all those tools that we know the system needs

in order to address public safety, and we’ll continue to do so.

Brent Chapman : There’s more. A Surrey couple was left covered in blood after a violent, random,

home invasion, attacked by a man demanding their car keys, in the middle of the night.

The suspect didn’t stop there. He tried breaking into two other homes and a community

building before he was finally arrested. B.C., where home invasions have become a

normal part of life.

Why does this Premier keep putting criminals first, and if he does not put them first,

how can British Columbians tell the difference?

Hon. Garry Begg : I think we all want the same thing in this House. We all want to feel safe in our

neighbourhoods, downtown and in our communities.

Our repeat violent offender intervention program is making a big difference in helping

people to break the cycle of reoffending.

For example, in Surrey, the ReVOII hub there is monitoring 40 people. One of these

people used to generate over 100 calls a month to the police. Through that program,

he got access to a support person who is helping him to keep his life on the right

track. In four months, after being in the program, there were zero calls for this

man to the police.

We’re going to continue our actions to make our streets and our neighbourhoods safe

for everyone.

Korky Neufeld : Well, that is no comfort to a woman who was sexually assaulted, in broad daylight,

at Mill Lake Park in Abbotsford. The suspect is still on the loose. Again, bad provincial

policies are putting criminal rights ahead of victims. That is not okay.

How can this Premier claim he’s keeping British Columbians safe, when people can’t

even walk in their own neighbourhood parks?

Hon. Garry Begg : I repeat that every British Columbian deserves to feel safe everywhere in British

Columbia. We’re acting not only to strengthen policing but also to rebuild the critical

services that were cut under the opposition leader’s time in government.

The opposition leader’s old government cut funding…

Interjections.

[2:20 p.m.]

The Speaker : Shhh. Shhh.

Hon. Garry Begg : …for crime prevention and for victim services.

Interjections.

The Speaker : Shhh, Members. Members.

Hon. Garry Begg : This is at the root of what causes our crime. They ended the prolific offender management

program that had reduced reoffending by 40 percent in its first year, and they also

slashed $360 million from health care and mental health.

We are making record investments in mental health to break the cycle of crime, including

intervention programs and front-line community supports.

We know there’s more to do, but we’re taking action to keep British Columbians safe.

Jody Toor : A brazen armed robbery led to a police chase that ended in Langley after suspects

stole a cart of tools and pulled a gun on staff. The chase ended in a multi-vehicle

crash that sent two RCMP officers to the hospital. One of the drivers is now under

investigation for drunk driving.

At what point will this Premier put the rights of victims ahead of the rights of violent

criminals?

Hon. Garry Begg : I know, we know that incidents like this, as told by the member, can make communities

and people feel less safe. Reducing violent crime means addressing it by examining

the causes that hold offenders accountable. For example, what we’ve done is expanded

peer-led response teams bringing together police, mental health professionals and

outreach workers to proactively address public safety concerns like the one raised

by the member opposite.

In the first nine months of 2024, these teams responded to over 4,000 calls. These

teams are now operating across B.C., helping people in crisis and breaking cycles

of crime. Programs like this show that real intervention makes a real difference.

We will continue to invest in community-driven solutions that help keep British Columbians

safe wherever they are.

Claire Rattée : This weekend in Terrace, a man known to police pointed a gun at his neighbours, threatened

to kill them and then barricaded himself in his home during a nearly eight-hour standoff

with police and SWAT.

Police seized multiple firearms, yet he was out of jail just eight hours later. His

victims, who were also his neighbours, were not informed that he was released.

When will this government end its disastrous catch-and-release policies and start

protecting innocent people in our communities?

Hon. Niki Sharma : It’s vitally important that we have really strong bail laws in this province and,

in fact, across the country, which is why we led the charge and will continue to lead

the charge with the federal government to make sure that the Criminal Code has the

right tools in it for our justice system here in B.C.

It’s vitally important that we keep guns off our streets, that we make sure that guns

are not in the hands of criminals. That’s why I’m surprised to hear this question

from across the way, because when the Leader of the Opposition was campaigning to

be Premier…

Interjections.

The Speaker : Shhh, Members.

Member, wait for your turn.

Hon. Niki Sharma : …he said that if he was Premier, he would instruct police officers to stop enforcing

the laws related to semi-automatic guns.

You can imagine how safe we would be in this province. That’s why I’m glad we’re over

here and they’re over there.

Sheldon Clare : On Tuesday, April 8, 2025, a man was randomly stabbed in broad daylight behind the

Odeon theatre in downtown Victoria. The suspect is still at large.

Police believe this was a completely unprovoked attack. It happened at noon in the

heart of our capital city.

Why does this Premier allow British Columbia to turn into a dystopian hellscape where

criminals have free reign and often more rights than their victims?

[2:25 p.m.]

Hon. Garry Begg : It’s disturbing to hear the member using dystopian terms to describe what’s happening

here in British Columbia. This is not a dystopian society. We condemn crime where

it happens and when it happens, and for you to suggest that we allow criminals to

go free is contrary to the facts.

Everyone who is arrested in British Columbia is taken before a court, and a court

decides whether or not he or she will be released. That is the police’s job: to ensure

that a criminal is brought before the bar of justice. That happens every day in this

province.

We do have a disagreement with the federal government on the way some of their release

provisions work. The Premier and the Attorney General have made trips to Ottawa to

talk about that and to ensure that changes are made.

Government Action on Repeat

Offenders and Crime in Communities

Lorne Doerkson : In Williams Lake, a prolific offender smashes into a tire shop. He then steals a

truck from inside, drives it through a second door. A few days later a prolific offender

trashes a local tea shop’s front door.

Fires, vandalism, violence and prolific crime is daily life now. And while B.C. families

are afraid to walk their own streets, a Mexican hitman tied to the La Familia Michoacana

cartel is seeking refugee status right here in British Columbia.

If the government will not solve prolific crime, at the very least, will the Premier

assure British Columbians that today hitmen and hired killers are not welcome in B.C.?

Hon. Niki Sharma : Let me be clear on behalf of government. Individuals like that are not welcome in

B.C.

Support for Police Officers

and Government Action

on Community Safety

Elenore Sturko : Senior citizens beaten to death. Fentanyl superlabs. Home invasions. People threatened

with firearms. Random stabbings. Sexual assaults. A little six-year-old girl killed

by a hit-and-run driver suspected of impaired driving.

Terrible incidents, not just examples from one city, but these incidents are happening

all across the province. Based on everything that we’ve heard today, it’s no wonder

that a recent survey found that 58 percent of British Columbians don’t feel safe in

their communities.

As a former police officer, I’ve seen assaults on police. But I was shocked — shocked

— to see the video of two Vancouver police officers set on fire last week. Thirty-five

assaults on VPD officers in just over three months, and instead of standing with police,

this Premier funds pro-drug, anti-police groups that actively work against them.

My question is: how can British Columbians feel safe when the people risking their

lives to protect us are under attack and this Premier is working against them?

Hon. Garry Begg : It has become obviously repetitive to read the headlines here and accuse the government

and the police of not doing their job. We support….

Interjections.

The Speaker : Members. Members.

Members, order.

Hon. Garry Begg : This is a government that supports the police. Unlike the members opposite, we’ve

made the largest investment in policing in our province’s history. We’re training

today and hiring more police officers. JIBC training is up 50 percent, from 192 to

288 police officers per year.

Where were you when that was happening? This is a government….

Interjections.

The Speaker : Members, shhh.

Hon. Garry Begg : This is a government that gives resources to strengthen our law enforcement.

Interjections.

[2:30 p.m.]

The Speaker : Members, come to order.

Members, through the Chair.

Hon. Garry Begg : That’s something that we will do and will continue to do.

[End of question period.]

Question of Privilege

(Reservation of Right)

Elenore Sturko : I’d like to reserve my right to speak on a point of privilege with the member stating

that this side does not support the police.

The Speaker : Thank you.

Tabling Documents

Hon. Garry Begg : As minister responsible for the Insurance Corp. of British Columbia, I have the honour

to present the results of the accident benefits review of compensation rates under

part 7 of the Insurance (Vehicle)Regulation.

Per

section 46(2) of the Insurance (Vehicle) Act, the minister responsible for ICBC

must initiate a review at least once every five years of the amounts payable as accident

benefits to a person injured in a car accident and for the provision of health care

services — for example, physical therapy — to a person injured in an accident.

This review specifically addresses benefits for accidents that occurred prior to May

1, 2021.

Orders of the Day

Hon. Mike Farnworth : In this House, I will call Motion 18.

In the Douglas Fir Room, I call continued estimates for the Ministry of Mining and

Critical Minerals.

Government Motions on Notice

Motion 18 — Indigenous Rights and

Recognition of Historical

Wrongs and Legacies

Hon. Laanas / Tamara Davidson : I move Motion 18, of which notice has been given in my name, on the order paper:

[That this House:

1. Acknowledges the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the National

Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls that cultural genocide

occurred in Canada.

2. Recognizes this cultural genocide was born out of the Canadian government’s multifaceted

attempts to separate Indigenous people from their land, culture, and languages and

that residential schools were a key pillar of this strategy.

3. Recognizes that the remains of 4,000 Indigenous children remain buried in marked

and unmarked graves at residential school sites across the country.

4. Recognizes that decades of legal precedent in Canada and British Columbia have

affirmed the existence of Indigenous rights and title, which places an obligation

on government to acknowledge, respect, and uphold these rights and title.

5. Accepts that the voices of residential school survivors, intergenerational survivors,

their families, and communities must be at the centre of all discussions on the real

and ongoing impacts of this tragic

chapter of Canadian history.]

As I rise today to speak, I reflect on my journey to get to this moment. This is the

people’s House — all peoples’ House. It’s hard to believe that in 2025 there are still

people that try and deny the experiences of First Nation, Inuit and Métis children.

But here we are.

Attempts to discredit the experiences of former residential school students are deeply

disturbing and damaging for survivors and their families.

[Lorne Doerkson in the chair.]

For over 150 years, the residential school system operated as a systematic, government-sponsored

attempt to destroy Aboriginal cultures and languages and to assimilate Aboriginal

Peoples so they no longer existed as distinct peoples.

This intent was cultural genocide. One hundred and fifty thousand children were stolen.

The legacy of the residential school system is one of generational trauma. There is

no disputing that.

Reconciliation is complex work, and we owe it to our children and our grandchildren

to do better.

The heart of this motion are children: children taken away from their families; children

taken away from their communities; children sexually and emotionally abused; children

who died with no grave, no ceremony, not being brought back to their parents to grieve

their loss.

Why in the year 2025 would anyone question this? What do they intend to gain from

having survivors and their families relive their pain to provide proof. Proof of what

— bodies, bones, spirits? My heart hurts for the survivors and their families who

have to keep hearing these people dispute what happened to them.

[2:35 p.m.]

Each year we remember our veterans that bravely served in battle, and each year we

remember the brave children that survived the residential schools in Canada.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission began in 2007. I can list facts and figures

like others have. The commission spent six years interviewing 6,500 witnesses. There

were seven national events. I personally attended and helped plan the one in Vancouver.

There were 94 calls to action for further reconciliation between Indigenous Peoples

and Canadians.

This is Canadian history. This involves each of us who is alive today and sitting

in here representing all British Columbians in this House. Each riding in here represents

survivors. Resilience. Healing. Truth.

I met an Elder in Quebec that described to me…. He was six years old. It was a sunny

day, and he was playing in the playground with his eight brothers and sisters. A school

bus pulled up and loaded every single child onto that bus and took them to the local

residential school. I never thought about how they got the children to the school.

And what he described that day changed me forever. He said his parents showed up to

that school days later, his mother crying, unconsolable. The children were lined up

on one side of the room, and the priest and the nuns were sitting in the middle, and

he and his brothers and sisters were lined up on the other wall. The priest had told

those children that their parents didn’t care about them anymore and they were going

to live there with them. And the mother and the father knew they’d be arrested if

they tried to take their children home.

We have all witnessed the stories that the survivors have been brave enough to share.

Our Indigenous sisters go missing at an alarming rate in Canada.

Between 2009 and 2021, Indigenous women and girls made up only 3 percent of the population

in Canada, but they represented 7 percent of homicide victims. Women matter. They

are loved. They are mothers and sisters and aunties and daughters and granddaughters.

And they are missed. They will always be remembered.

We shouldn’t have to stand in here and talk about whether this is the truth. We should

be inspiring hope and continuing the good work that has been done by all the survivors

and their families to share the very personal and hard stories of their lives. We

should be working hard to protect the children and the women today. We should be listening

and understanding. We should be including and validating.

That’s the type of future that I want to build for my daughter. That is the future

that I owe to those Indigenous children, who were the true heroes in our history.

Justice Murray Sinclair said: “Remember, reconciliation is yours to achieve. We owe

it to each other to build a Canada based on our shared future, a future of healing

and trust.”

[2:40 p.m.]

And Dr. Martin Luther King said it best: “Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself

to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself,

a great nation of your country and a finer world to live in.”

Scott McInnis : Before I begin, I’d firstly like to formally congratulate the Kitselas First Nation

on their treaty and constitution ratification, which happened late last week. This

is a huge milestone for Chief Bennett and council and the entire community.

Unfortunately, we’re not spending any time in this House recognizing such an important,

historic time that was over 30 years in the making. Instead, we are here spending

public tax money on wedge politics, again, by this government who has utterly failed

Indigenous people in British Columbia. I’ll get to the details if you stick around.

I must also speak plainly about this motion on behalf of the official opposition.

Why are we debating this motion right now in the face of urgent, ongoing and worsening

crises that Indigenous communities are experiencing across this province?

We are not lacking statements. We’re not lacking acknowledgements. What we are lacking,

and what Indigenous communities are pleading for, is action. What we are lacking is

the political courage to confront the hard, modern realities that persist long after

the last residential school closed.

Under this government’s watch, First Nations’ life expectancy is declining. Despite

decades of commitments and reports and promises of reconciliation, the basic outcome

of a longer, healthier life, something that every British Columbian deserves, is moving

in the wrong direction for Indigenous people in this province.

We see the consequences everywhere. In our foster care system, Indigenous children

remain grossly overrepresented in government care. And as we saw with Chantelle Williams

recently, kids are dying in care. Despite making up less than 10 percent of B.C.’s

child population, Indigenous children account for over two-thirds of those in care.

This is not ancient history. This is happening today, under this government, and we

are wasting more time not funding solutions to the disaster this government has created.

We are talking about a motion, a virtue-signalling motion.

In our criminal justice system, Indigenous incarceration rates remain staggeringly

high, reflecting a system that continues to punish poverty, trauma and disconnect

rather than fix it.

While we gather here to revisit the past — and yes, those chapters must be remembered

— too many Indigenous people are still caught in a cycle of marginalization that policy

after policy has failed to break. There has been no meaningful work to fix the foundation.

Again, wedge politics are what this government wants to spend time on.

In the addictions crisis, the most pressing health emergency of our time, First Nations

individuals are dying at rates five times that of non-Indigenous British Columbians.

The First Nations Health Authority has called it a state of emergency. Families are

grieving. Communities are stretched to the breaking point. And we’re debating a motion

that we have talked about time and again, which does not address the immediate crisis

unfolding right now across this province.

This House must ask itself a serious question. What are we doing with our time? While

we debate this motion, restating points that have already been acknowledged at the

highest levels of this Legislature and across this country, families are attending

funerals, children are being taken from their homes and people are dying.

[2:45 p.m.]

I do not question the intent of this motion, but I do question the decision to bring

it forward now instead of using our time to debate legislation, policies and investment

that could actually start to shift outcomes on the ground. This pattern of returning

again and again to symbolic affirmations while delaying the hard work is becoming

too familiar.

Indigenous people are not asking for more recognition. They are asking for respect

through results, through action, through real reconciliation, measured not by speeches

but by outcomes. This government needs to stop waving their virtue-signalling flag

for political gain and start working to better the lives of Indigenous people in this

province. This is your responsibility.

We in the opposition are fully prepared to work with the government to advance meaningful,

tangible reconciliation. If this government brings forward bold policies to improve

life expectancy, reduce child despair, tackle poverty and treat the addiction crisis

with the urgency it deserves, we will meet them in good faith.

But we do not support motions like this when we should be in our offices working on

solutions. What we see instead is a government that prefers to invest its time and

the Legislature’s time in reiterating what we already know instead of doing what is

so desperately needed.

To be blunt, motions do not change lives. Services do. Housing does. Justice reform

does. Community-led healing initiatives do. The reality today is that Indigenous communities

are asking this government to listen not just to stories of the past but to their

needs in the present.

Let’s listen when nations say they want authority over child welfare. Let’s listen

when they call for stable, long-term housing. Let’s listen when they demand addiction

treatment centres that reflect Indigenous culture, language and leadership. Let’s

stop spending so much time saying that we’ve heard them and start showing it through

action.

I’m going to close with this. Every single person in this House carries a responsibility

not just to acknowledge our shared history but to act on it. That responsibility does

not end with remembrance; it begins there. And it continues with every choice we make,

every bill we table, every hour we spend in debate. It requires humility, yes, but

it also demands courage — courage to shift power, courage to move resources, courage

to do the work that is uncomfortable, complex and long overdue.

This House should be a place where our time is dedicated not to polishing our reputations

but to building a province where Indigenous people are no longer overrepresented in

tragedy and underrepresented in opportunity; where life expectancy rises, not falls;

where a child grows up safe in their culture, in their family, in their community,

not in a system that continues to fail them.

To Indigenous families who are watching today: I want you to know we hear you. I know

you’re tired — tired of ceremonies that don’t translate into safety, tired of apologies

that aren’t followed by justice, tired of being seen as symbolic figures rather than

equal partners in the shaping of this province.

You deserve better. You deserve to see the change in your lifetime, not in another

generation, not in another report, not in another future that never comes. You deserve

a government that is just as invested in your children’s potential as you are.

The time for delay is over. The time for empty affirmations is over. You’re asking

for action. You’re asking for investments in your communities. You’re asking for control

over your own futures. It is this House’s duty to deliver — truly serious. Then the

pathway is clear about reconciliation.

Stop using this House’s time to restate what has already been accepted, and start

using it to pass laws that make lives better. Bring forward the legislation that recognizes

and supports Indigenous self-government. Bring forward real investments in health,

housing, education and justice. Put reconciliation into actions, not just on the order

paper.

[2:50 p.m.]

And know this. When you bring those solutions, we will work with you. We will not

play politics with people’s lives. We will support measures that bring healing, dignity

and real measurable change, because that is the work reconciliation truly requires;

not performance, not symbolism, but shared effort and shared accountability.

Let’s stop wasting time on these ridiculous motions that are nothing more than meaningless

political posturing with no measurable action or outcomes. Let’s make this chamber

worthy of what we’ve already heard and the futures we still have the power to shape.

Enough of the wedge politics. The public, who we’ve been elected to serve, are sick

and tired of it.

Let’s get on with making a real difference in this place.

Rob Botterell : For the record, I’ll be the designated speaker for the Green caucus.

I rise in support of the motion put forward by the member for North Coast–Haida Gwaii,

the Minister of Environment and Parks.

I’m very disturbed by the comments by the MLA for Columbia River–Revelstoke. I will

take the time I have to speak in support of this motion, and I trust the MLA for Columbia

River–Revelstoke will take the time to listen to what I have to say with an open mind.

I thank the minister for stepping forward in this manner, for calling us together

in support of fundamental truths. I acknowledge that in doing so, she puts herself

in a position to be targeted by those who spread hate and disinformation and call

into question her motivation and integrity. I thank her for her courage in refusing

to be silenced.

I raise my hands to the minister, to the Indigenous members of her caucus and across

this House who will step forward in support of this motion and to the truth-tellers

and knowledge-holders across this province and across the country, who speak bravely

and fiercely to bring truth to light, to remind us of those truths. We must always

be reminded. I acknowledge that in too many cases they speak on behalf of people who

didn’t make it, and I’m sorry for the burden that they carry.

The truth has been hard fought in this country. One of the tools of genocide, of colonization,

is limiting access to information.

Early settlers were upfront about their desire to ensure Indigenous communities weren’t

easily able to share their history and their truths. There was an extensive set of

measures put in place, including residential schools, forcible relocation to reservations,

outlawing of ceremonies such as the potlatch, designed to ensure that history and

culture could not be passed on. That is why we must take such great care with the

truth, why we have such a responsibility to seek it out, to share it and to defend

it.

One of the reports that the minister referenced, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,

spent six years travelling to all parts of Canada and heard from over 6,000 witnesses.

That is over 6,000 people who spoke about their history, their family’s history, their

experience of genocide perpetrated by this country.

[2:55 p.m.]

The mandate of the commission was to reveal to Canadians the complex truth about the

history and the ongoing legacy of the church-run residential schools in a manner that

fully documents the individual and collective harms perpetrated against Indigenous

peoples and honours the resilience and courage of former students, their families

and communities; and to guide and inspire a process of truth and healing, leading

towards reconciliation within Indigenous families and between Aboriginal Peoples and

non-Aboriginal communities, churches, governments and Canadians generally.

The process was to work to renew relationships on a basis of inclusion, mutual understanding

and respect. This mandate sets out an expectation for all of us as individuals and

as representatives to learn the history of the lands on which we stand.

For those of us, such as myself, who aren’t Indigenous, it sets out an expectation

and puts a responsibility upon me to understand the experiences of the people upon

whose lands I work, live and play and to commit myself to doing better than my ancestors

did.

There is never a time when we shouldn’t reflect on the importance of this. As elected

representatives, there is a clear expectation upon all of us to remember the actions

of our predecessors who stood in this very building and who made decisions whose actions

live on. We must face that responsibility squarely. We cannot attempt to ignore it

or pretend it did not happen.

For too long, the policy of this House was outright denial of the Indigenous rights

and titles or even attempts to eliminate peoples altogether. The history of these

lands and this place is a burden that we must all shoulder in order to walk forward

together. The stories in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s reports reveal

the depths that the government went to, to try and eliminate the peoples of this land,

and their stories are evidence of the failure to do so.

This report is one of the greatest gifts that we could ever receive. It is a beacon

for the future, and we must respect it as such. We owe it to the people who told their

stories, who spoke on behalf of themselves and those who didn’t survive, to treat

this history with deep respect and with a deep and true desire to do all that we can

to ensure that this never happens again.

The authors of the report, Justice Murray Sinclair, Chief Wilton Littlechild and Dr.

Marie Wilson, said it so well in their introduction to The Survivors Speak

section of the report.

“A survivor is not just someone who made it through the schools or got by or was making

do. A survivor is a person who persevered against and overcame adversity. The word

came to mean someone who emerged victorious, though not unscathed; whose head was

bloody, but unbowed.

“It referred to someone who’d taken all that could be thrown at them and remained

standing at the end. It came to mean someone who could legitimately say: ‘I am still

here.’ For that achievement, survivors deserve our highest respect. But for that achievement,

we also owe them the debt of doing the right thing, coming out of this history.”

That introduction is a call to action for all members of this House. More than almost

any other people, we have an ability to set the direction for the next 100 years of

interaction between our government, First Nations and Indigenous Peoples across this

province.

Each year the Truth and Reconciliation Commission provides an annual report outlining

the work that has been done to uphold and progress the commission’s work. Executive

director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Stephanie Scott comments:

“There are hard truths about our country’s colonial history that some people are still

not prepared to hear and do not want to be told. But we all must learn the true history

of residential schools, listen to survivors and take a stand against deniers. Sadly,

we see increased ugliness from those who deny our truths, experiences and oral histories

as reality, and that is something that we must address.

“It is disheartening, to say the least, to read hateful comments challenging the documented

experiences of Indigenous people, particularly survivors. People perpetuating myths

like ‘It didn’t happen’ or ‘Some good came out of the schools’ is bad enough. But

reading statements like ‘Children never died in those institutions’ is truly repugnant.

[3:00 p.m.]

“At the NCTR, we see these baseless claims and attempts to erase history firsthand,

and they must be countered with education and truth. But the responsibility of truth-telling

should not be placed solely on survivors’ shoulders. Each and every Canadian must

reflect on the role they can play in reconciliation. It requires institutions, governments

and individuals to live up to their responsibilities and complete and fulfil the TRC’s

94 calls to action.”

While the commission has made significant progress, there remains a great deal of

work ahead to address the ongoing denialism and injustices that persist. True progress

requires action and reparations, and we must never forget that each and every one

of us has a role to play in truth and reconciliation. We have work to do, but we must

always take the time to remind ourselves of the history that has led to this point

where we are taking the steps.

As Stephanie Scott points out, those who deny the claims of realities of residential

schools do harm to survivors and do harm to all Canadians as we walk the path of reconciliation.

And those who deny the claims of residential schools and the harm of colonization,

clearly, also ignore the reality that we see every day.

The harms of colonization are not something that is in the past, but something that

we continue to live with. It persists in the over-representation of Indigenous Peoples

in our justice system, in the over-representation of Indigenous people in people experiencing

homelessness, and the challenges that still exist between Indigenous Peoples and police

forces.

I was glad that the minister referenced the report on missing and murdered Indigenous

women and girls. One of the truly heartbreaking damages that our colonial system continues

to exert is in the numbers of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people who are

missing or who are murdered. We know the names of some of these women, names like

Carsyn Mackenzie Seaweed and Chelsea Poorman, but there are so many more that we do

not — women and girls who deserve to live, to be with their families and their friends,

who deserve a government that prioritizes their safety.

The national inquiry into missing and murdered women and girls presented their final

report in 2019. The final report reveals that persistent and deliberate human Indigenous

rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of

violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people. The two-volume report

calls for transformative legal and social change to resolve the crisis that has devastated

Indigenous communities across the country.

The final report is comprised of the truths of more than 2,380 family members, survivors

of violence, experts and knowledge keepers, shared over two years of cross-country

public hearings and evidence-gathering. It delivers 231 individual calls for justice

directed at governments, institutions, social service providers, industries and all

Canadians.

Six years on from the delivery of this final report, Indigenous women are four times

more likely than non-Indigenous women to be victims of violence. Indigenous women

make up 16 percent of all female homicide victims and 11 percent of missing women,

yet Indigenous People make up only 4.3 percent of the population of Canada. And 56

percent of Indigenous women have suffered physical assault, and 46 percent have experienced

sexual assault. By comparison, about one-third of non-Indigenous women have suffered

these assaults in their lifetimes.

The Assembly of First Nations has repeatedly called out the lack of progress in implementing

the findings of the inquiry and, in the 2024 progress report, were clear on their

expectations for all levels of government to do better in this work.

[3:05 p.m.]

They noted it is not enough for institutions like governments, police forces, hospitals,

courts and the criminal justice system to use cultural awareness training as a cure-all

for systemic institutional racism. These institutions must undertake an honest review

of their laws, regulations, policies and practices to uncover the built-in systemic

biases against First Nations people and commit to making real substantive changes.

This is the work that this House needs to do, as well, to go beyond awareness and

to undertake a clear-eyed review of how our processes, our biases and our adherence

to historic norms entrench systemic racism that makes life more difficult for Indigenous

members, Indigenous staff and all British Columbians who look to this House.

I want to acknowledge the work that our Speaker is leading in this area, and I urge

all members to support him, to continue to support him and to ensure this work is

a high priority.

However, of the 231 calls for justice in the final report, only two have been completed.

This is unacceptable. We must do better. We owe it to the Indigenous women, girls

and two-spirit people in our lives to make clear that we value them, we love them,

and we’ll do all that we can to protect and uplift them.

This is why our caucus has pushed so hard for public safety and police reform, why

we continue to urge the government to spend more protecting Indigenous women, girls,

two-spirit people, as they do protecting industry, and why we continue to raise concerns

about systemic racism within the Ministry of Children and Family Development. These

are systemic issues. They need a systemic response.

Unlike my colleague, earlier, on this side of the House, we will work with the government,

and we are not pointing fingers. We see a path forward. There’s a lot of work to do,

and we want to work together, not with the tone and approach that we heard earlier.

I raise my hands to my predecessor as MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, Adam

Olsen, who rightly took issue with the government investing more in policing opposition

to resource development than it does on protecting First Nations, opposition that

is frequently Indigenous-led and generally occurs in remote areas such as the Wet’suwet’en

opposition to the Coastal GasLink pipeline throughout northern B.C.

In this

section of the House, we are committed to working through these issues in

the priority they deserve. The offer remains open to all members of the House, particularly

those members with responsibility in these areas, to bring life to these recommendations.

The reports on systemic challenges that First Nations and Indigenous people face do

not end with these two reports. I’d like to also speak to the In Plain Sight report, which looks into Indigenous-specific racism within the British Columbian health

care system. The report was finalized in 2020 and found a B.C. health care system

with widespread systemic racism against Indigenous Peoples. This racism results in

a range of negative impacts, harm and even death.

The review also found that this widespread racism has long been known by many within

the health care system, including those in positions of authority, and is widely acknowledged

by many who work in the system. The report contains the following contextual statement,

which is true of the health care system and of so many systems which we oversee as

a Legislative Assembly.

“This review has been conducted in a moment of increasing understanding about the

colonial history of Canada and its enduring legacy and the moment of transition we

are in.

“Prejudice and racism against Indigenous Peoples have roots in colonial beliefs that

Indigenous Peoples were weak, less worthy of care, dying off, incapable, savage and

primitive. These beliefs, embedded in laws and policies for more than a century, have

shaped and continued to permeate public services such as health, education, justice

and child welfare. A lack of readily available factual information, knowledge and

understanding about this history contributes to ongoing negative attitudes and social

inequities.”

[3:10 p.m.]

The report found that widespread, Indigenous-specific stereotyping, racism and discrimination

exist in the British Columbian health care system, that racism limits access to medical

treatment and negatively affects the health and wellness of Indigenous Peoples in

British Columbia, that Indigenous women and girls are disproportionately impacted

by Indigenous-specific racism in the health care system, that Indigenous health care

workers face racism and discrimination in their work environments.

We are seeing the outcomes of this disparity every day in our communities, in our

families, across the entire province. We can see firsthand the impact that it is having

on life expectancy among First Nations people in British Columbia, which has dropped

by more than six years. Between 2017 and 2021, a loss of six years, from 73.3 years

to 67.2 years. Yet people have the audacity to stand up and suggest that racism doesn’t

exist, that discrimination doesn’t exist.

This statistic hits particularly hard for me today as I mark my 69th birthday, a milestone

that now, on average, more than half of Indigenous Peoples in this province will not

reach. I think of the years that I have ahead of me, contributing as a member of this

House, as a member of a community, a family, as a husband and a father, and I think

of the loss to communities who are losing their Elders before they are old.

Systemic racism has torn communities apart. It has deprived people of their family

members before their time. It has stopped the passing down of lessons, of language,

of learnings, of time. It is the fault of the institutions, such as this House, and

of the system that we oversee. We must work together to answer all of this.

Today is a milestone in so many ways. It is the ninth anniversary of the declaration

of the toxic drug crisis as a public health emergency in British Columbia, and it

feels apt that we are having this discussion on this day and with that at the forefront

of our minds. One of the other findings of the In Plain Sight report was that current public health emergencies magnify racism and vulnerabilities

and disproportionately impact Indigenous Peoples.

The First Nations Health Authority reports monthly on the impact of the toxic drug

crisis in British Columbia, and I thank them for their data. In December 2024, the

last month for which data is publicly available, they found there were a total of

219 paramedic-attended drug poisoning events reported amongst First Nations people.

This represents an 11.2 percent increase from the previous month and an almost 16

percent decrease from December ’23. But First Nations people represent 20.6 percent

of all toxic drug poisoning events this month.

In 2024, women represented 38.3 percent of all First Nations toxic drug poisoning

events. Among other residents, 25.6 percent of all drug poisoning events involve women.

In December 2024, we lost an additional 24 First Nations people due to toxic drug

poisoning. First Nations people represent 16.3 percent of all deaths this month. Since

2016, the year in which a public health emergency was declared, we have lost 2,536

First Nations people to toxic drug poisoning. I could go on.

It remains shocking to me that in the year 2025 we need to continue to have these

conversations. There are people within this province that would disagree with the

statements made by the government’s Indigenous caucus this afternoon. It remains shocking

to me that such blatant discrimination and racism has been normalized and accepted

in this incredible place that we are allowed to call home.

[3:15 p.m.]

I would like to end today with some fundamental truth that speaks to the heart, on

behalf of the Green caucus. The rights of Indigenous Peoples are inherent, existing,

and cannot be infringed upon. First Nations hold rights and title to land, because

it was never legally surrendered or ceded, with very few exceptions, and historic

treaties have not been honoured. Ignoring this reality is not only unjust but also

creates uncertainty and leads to costly, protracted litigation for the province.

While economic reconciliation is essential, it is not enough. We must strive for full

reconciliation, supporting Indigenous Peoples as they heal from the damaging legacies

of colonization. Reconciliation should inspire Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals

to transform Canadian society, ensuring that future generations can live together

in dignity, peace and prosperity on these shared lands.

I have been honoured to get to know and work with so many nations over the course

of my career — among them, Huu-ay-aht First Nations, Cowichan Tribes and Tsawwassen

First Nation. The Huu-ay-aht honoured me with the traditional name Naacałuk, which

means “always watching” in nuučaan̓uɫ. It is a name I carry with pride and deep respect for the responsibility it carries.

It is in the spirit of that name that I rise today to honour the comments put forward

by the Minister of Environment and Parks.

It is in that spirit that I congratulate the government for the work they have done

on upholding Indigenous rights and title and incorporating the Declaration on the

Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act in British Columbia. That is very important work,

and we should all be congratulating the government for that work.

It is also in that spirit that I will call attention, respectfully, to the work that

is yet to be done, to the many ways in which this House, this institution and the

system that it upholds continues to fail Indigenous people across this province.

I’ve spoken at length today about the impact that colonization, the history of residential

schools and genocide have had on Indigenous communities within British Columbia. This

has been a tough speech to make and, I’m sure, a tough speech to hear for those members

here today, but I appreciate and thank you for hearing these words.

I do want to speak briefly to the settlers and their descendants, those of us who

are feeling awkward as we sit in this room and hear of the actions of our ancestors

and their compatriots. I want to acknowledge that it can be really challenging to

hear about the harms perpetrated by those who came before, the people whose actions

allowed you to be here today.

We all want to reflect positively on our families, to think back fondly on our grandparents

and great-grandparents. The idea that our families did harm, that they displaced people

and that they committed genocide is challenging, but I urge you to sit with that feeling,

to think not about the people who may have committed harms, but to think, instead,

about those who are certainly the victims of it.

This is not the time for white fragility. This is the time to acknowledge the harms

of the past in order that we may learn from them and ensure that they do not happen

again. We who sit in this House give many gifts to our descendants, one that not all

of our ancestors have given to us. Our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren

will never have to wonder where we stood on an issue. Thanks to the wonderful team

at Hansard, our words and actions will be readily available for them to see.

I urge everyone who is feeling uncomfortable today to be the ancestor that they wish

they had, to speak up, to speak out, to acknowledge that we built our country on stolen

lands, that genocide was committed in our name, and then to move forward with that

knowledge to be better, to do better and to remember that we are not the victims,

that we can contribute to a better future.

[3:20 p.m.]

I want to speak, though, to the strengths of our Indigenous peoples across this province.

I do not…. I want to leave this speech in a strengths-based manner, because that is

what our First Nations Peoples deserve, what they continue to demonstrate day after

day, month after month.

These people are survivors. They have faced racism and discrimination, but they are

so much more than that. Indigenous peoples have lived on and stewarded these lands

since time immemorial.

All of the Indigenous people I know are strong, smart, thoughtful people. They are

funny. They’re interesting. They have so much more than the wrongs that their people

have faced. The Indigenous people that I know are great parents, strong community

members. They’re athletes, performers, professionals, business people. In the shocking

statistics that we’re speaking of today, I don’t want us to lose sight of that.

Every community is more than the worst things that have happened to it, and this is

so true for Indigenous communities in British Columbia.

I want to once again acknowledge the Minister of Environment and Parks for her role

in pulling today together and for sharing her experiences so fully and allowing us

an opportunity to reflect on and support the motion in front of us.

As Antonio Lamer, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, said: “We are

all here to stay.” It is with that in mind that each of us must work together every

day to complete the hard work of putting this genocidal

chapter of our history as

British Columbians and Canadians behind us and building a bright future for Indigenous

people across this province.

Hon. Christine Boyle : I want to begin by acknowledging, with deep gratitude, the Minister of Environment

and Parks for bringing this important motion to our attention and to thank her for

her leadership and her strength and her friendship, as well as to thank the powerful

voices of Indigenous MLAs in this House, who we will also get to hear from and whose

presence and leadership here is profoundly changing this place for the better.

I rise in the House today to speak in support of this motion, but first I want to

speak very briefly in response to the comments that we heard from the member of the

opposition. I expected better from him. For the vast majority of British Columbians,

this is not a wedge issue. Indigenous people are asking that we push back against

the harmful misinformation and denialism and anti-Indigenous racism being spread by

members of this House.

This is the work that we have been doing since forming government and that we will

continue to do, creating transformative change in partnership with First Nations;

in governance; in decision-making; in land stewardship; in children, youth and families;

jurisdiction; and so much more. This work is rooted in respect for survivors, for

families and communities. It’s rooted in the truth of our past and the promise of

a better future ahead.

We are listening and we are acting because this work matters to us as a government.

It is a shame that it doesn’t matter to the opposition.

We find ourselves at a critical moment in the history of our country, in a time of

great economic and political anxiety, when we should be working together to meet the

threats we face as a nation. Instead, some elected officials are trying to drive wedges

between us, seemingly against Indigenous people in general and residential school

survivors in particular.

Reconciliation is imperative, embedded in law and the constitution. It is the foundation

of who we are as a country and who we must continue to be.

[3:25 p.m.]

Reconciliation is about moving along the same path we should have been taking together

since contact. It requires us to work together and find a path forward that works

for everyone, one that finally accepts the truth of our shared history and the systemic

and institutional racism that Indigenous people have endured with devastating consequences.

It compels us as individuals and leaders to not only accept what happened but to take

responsibility to ensure it never happens again.

Reconciliation is necessary for all of us as citizens, as neighbours and as governments.

Everyone holds the responsibility to foster a path of true partnership that brings

people together. Everyone holds the responsibility to learn about the uncomfortable

truths and injustices in our society and in our communities, to know the facts of

our history and the truth of our realities. Together we must stand up against the

things that drive us apart — stand up against anti-Indigenous racism, against residential

school denialism, against anti-Indigenous stereotypes and the harm that each of these

things causes every day to members of our community.

To chart a path forward together, we must first acknowledge and understand that shared

history. The path to a stronger British Columbia is not through ignoring our own history

or the lived experiences of Indigenous peoples. It is through listening that we can

begin to understand the responsibility we have as leaders in this, the people’s House,

to follow the overwhelming direction of the Supreme Court, the Truth and Reconciliation

Commission, and most importantly, the survivors of residential schools.

Decades of court rulings and extensive documentation and testimonies from survivors

and witnesses have affirmed the truth: cultural genocide occurred in Canada; it occurred

in B.C. This genocide was born out of the Canadian government’s efforts to separate

Indigenous People from their land, culture, languages, legal orders, economies and

communities. Residential schools were a key pillar of this unfathomable and deliberate

strategy. This undeniable fact was proven through the Indian residential schools settlement

agreement in 2006. At the time, it was the largest class action lawsuit in Canadian

history.

According to the definition of genocide in the 1948 genocide convention, the Indian

residential school system constitutes genocide against Indigenous people. This was

affirmed in 2022 when Canada’s House of Commons unanimously recognized the Indian

residential school system as genocide, following Pope Francis’s acknowledgement, during

his visit to Canada, of the impact of residential schools on Indigenous communities.

As a province and as a nation, we continue to grapple with the attempted genocide

of Indigenous people, with the apprehension and death of children at residential schools

and with the very real impact this continues to have on Indigenous people’s lives

today.

Through the settlement agreement process, the court confirmed the truth of the common

experiences of those Indigenous children who were forced to attend residential schools

— that there were violent impacts and specific sweeping abuses of thousands of students

over generations. It provided compensation for common experiences and specific abuse,

like sexual abuse, murder, infanticide, torture and malnourishment. It directed all

of us as Canadian citizens to reconcile with this painful but overwhelming truth.

Created in 2008 as a result of the Indian residential schools settlement agreement,

the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada had a mandate to listen to survivors,

their families, communities and others affected by the residential school system and

inform all Canadians about the residential school system and its legacies.

[3:30 p.m.]

Extensive work was carried out from 2008 to 2015, which included documenting the truth

of survivors, their families, members of their communities, former staff of residential

schools and others; hosting seven national events to promote awareness and public

education, including one in my home community of Vancouver, which I attended and spoke

at as part of a presentation about the intergenerational impacts of the residential

school system.

It included collecting all documents from churches and government entities and creating

a historical record of the residential school system, establishing the National Centre

for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba and issuing a comprehensive

report on the policies and operations of the schools and their lasting impacts.

The commission recorded testimony of more than 6,000 survivors affected by residential

schools. It estimated that over a century, about 150,000 Indigenous students, Indigenous

children, were separated from their families and communities and forced to attend

one of 139 residential schools across Canada.

Over 4,000 Indigenous children died at residential schools, and their remains are

buried in marked and unmarked graves at residential school sites across this country.

The final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission included ten principles

for reconciliation and 94 calls to action that speak to all sectors of Canadian society.

The calls to action include specific actions related to missing children, residential

school cemeteries and unmarked burials.

A few of those actions that directly guide us in our response include working cooperatively

on strategies to identify, document, commemorate and protect residential school cemeteries

or other sites at which residential school children were buried, and working to identify

and collect copies of all records and provide these to the National Centre for Truth

and Reconciliation. These calls to action continue to guide the province in our response

to work on the sites of former Indian residential schools and Indian hospitals throughout

B.C.

The legacy of the residential school system is showing itself in many ways. One of

the most horrific is the legacy borne by Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people,

who remain more vulnerable to violence. There are very real underlying social, economic,

cultural, institutional and historic causes that contribute to the ongoing violence

and vulnerabilities of Indigenous women and girls across Canada.

Indigenous women are four times more likely than non-Indigenous women to be victims

of violence. Indigenous women make up 16 percent of all female homicide victims and

11 percent of missing women. Indigenous women are more likely to not just experience

violence but to lose their lives as a result. Yet Indigenous people make up only 4.3

percent of the population of Canada.

Ending the critical situation of violence, disappearance and murder of First Nations

women, girls and gender-diverse people is a collective imperative. The national inquiry

into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls has 231 calls for justice. Together

with B.C.’s own report entitled Forsaken: The Report of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry , there continues to be an urgency to our collective efforts to do better.

So what is the way forward, then, if Indigenous peoples’ rights are to continue to

be recognized, respected and implemented? Well, B.C. is an extraordinary place. First

Nations are a fundamental part of the fabric of this country and of this province.

This is recognized in the constitution and reinforced by court decisions, going back

decades.

[3:35 p.m.]

The work of reconciliation is in reflecting this legal reality in our laws and our

systems of governance. Rather than equating assertions of sovereignty to foreign interference

or threats of annexation, the work we need to do is to ensure that First Nations rights

are appropriately recognized and implemented as part of British Columbia and Canada.

That’s what makes our country stronger. Recognizing our diversity and legal pluralism

makes us stronger and brings us together.

We all want to build a good life here, but for too long, Indigenous people have been

denied basic rights and opportunities. Since time immemorial, First Nations people

have owned, governed and managed their territories and resources according to their

distinct legal orders and governance structures. First Nations inherent rights of

self-determination and self-government, as well as their inherent rights and title

to and within their territories, are affirmed in the UN declaration.

The rights of Indigenous people in Canada are recognized and affirmed by

section 35

of the Constitution Act from 1982. Here in B.C., we have binding obligations to uphold

Indigenous rights and find a way forward together.

Unfortunately, there are people, including some elected members in this place, who

would still rather divide communities than bring people together. There are members

who seek to turn back the clock and justify the limitations of Indigenous Peoples

section 35 rights. One has done this while repeatedly bringing up their career as

a lawyer as some type of validation for their views on Aboriginal rights and title.

For a self-proclaimed legal expert, the member conveniently leaves out the constitutional

reality of our country, as well as half a century worth of court cases that recognize

and affirm the rights, including title, of First Nations.

We have learned a lot together in the past decade about the benefits that come from

bringing people together to find solutions. At a time when our economy is under threat

and when quick and decisive action is needed in a variety of places, it’s imperative

that we recognize that the path of partnership, of working together with Indigenous

and non-Indigenous people, local governments, organizations and businesses is the

path to a stronger B.C.

It is clear to me today that many members of this House have more work to do in recognizing

the truth and educating themselves so that we can respect survivors and their families

and communities, so that we can find a better path forward for all of us.

It is my hope that every member of this place takes the opportunity to reflect on

our history so that we can move forward in a good way together on this shared path

of reconciliation in British Columbia. As I said at the beginning, this is work that

matters to us. It should be work that matters to every member of this House. And it

is work that we will continue to do as a government for a better British Columbia

for all of us.

I want to end, again, by acknowledging and thanking my colleague and good friend,

who is also the Minister of Environment and Parks, for bringing forward this timely

and important conversation today.

I look forward to continuing the work alongside her and other members of our caucus.

Amshen / Joan Phillip : I am just so proud of our Minister of Environment for presenting this motion, and

I am speaking in favour of it.

In order to have reconciliation, the truth needs to be told. I’m so very glad that

our Green Party representative also spoke in favour of this motion. I was shocked

at one of the members not wanting to really face the truth. So far, it feels like

there’s been a snowballing of denial not just in this House but nationally, across

the country.

[3:40 p.m.]

I want to talk about our inherent rights, our sovereign rights. Our Indigenous title

was first recognized through the Royal Proclamation of 1763. This was during the time,

of course, of European settlement of what is now Canada, or the New World. In the

formation of Canada, it was also recognized through the British North America Act

of 1867, which divided up the responsibilities both federally and provincially.

All across the country, England, at the time, had made treaties with the Indigenous

Peoples to ensure that settlement was legitimate. They negotiated up to as far as

British Columbia. And in B.C., Treaty 8…. There were 14 treaties on Vancouver Island,

actually, that were negotiated by England. Then they said: “Okay, we’re out of money.

You settlers are on your own, but we want to make sure that you promise to deal fairly

with the Indigenous Peoples here.”

Well, that didn’t happen. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Through a lot of protesting

from the Indigenous Peoples, where settlers were coming in, in bigger numbers, without

any real authority, the federal government chose to say, from 1927 to 1951: “Okay,

no more talking about the land question issue.” It was illegal for us to talk about

the land question issue. It was illegal for us to hire people to talk about the land

question issue.

We couldn’t pursue our land rights. We couldn’t gather more than five people at a

time to talk about those issues. So when the Native Indian Brotherhood was formed

in 1931, they feigned being a Christian organization. They started off every meeting

singing “Onward, Christian Soldiers.” Today when they meet, that’s exactly what they

still do. They sing “Onward, Christian Soldiers,” in honour of that history.

When we finally were “allowed” to pursue our land issues, the Nisg̱a’a decided to take their title matter to court. All seven judges agreed that Aboriginal

title existed. That’s affectionately referred to as the Calder case in 1973.

Again, because of denial of those rights in 1982, the Guerin case was brought forward

to the Supreme Court of Canada. All of the Supreme Court justices declared that Aboriginal

title was “sui generis,” which is unique, and that the federal government was the

one that had the fiduciary duty to preserve it.

Again, 1997, Delgamuukw. The Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en people brought theirs to court.

But more importantly, it laid out the process for proving that you have Aboriginal

title.

[3:45 p.m.]

The first one was that you had to occupy the land prior to 1846, that you had present

and continuous occupation of those lands and that your occupation of the lands was

exclusive.

Finally, what Delgamuukw said was that our title was not just an interest in the land;

it carried with it an undeniable economic interest. And the slogan at the time was

“Nothing about us without us.”

In 2007, the United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted

internationally, but Canada didn’t sign on until 2016. In fact, they opposed UNDRIP

at the time, and they said that we were a domestic issue, not to be connected to the

United Nations declaration.

Now, what Delgamuukw also said was that…. In that case, it said that in order to infringe

on our title, it at times required our consent.”

In 2019, again, the Tŝilhqot’in Nation brought their case to court. And in that case,

the Crown was attempting to argue that their title was based on small spots. “This

is your fishing station, and that’s where you can harvest the forests or gather things,”

or “This is your traditional village.” But the courts denied that. They said, “No,

no. Title is to the extent of the whole of the territory, not small spots within that.”

So I’m so glad that it also included “consent.”

This is what Justice McLachlin said: “Aboriginal title confers the right to use and

control of the land and to reap the benefits of it.” So I’m so happy that we had justices

that were interested in just that — justice.

In 1982, during the constitutional discussions, they were going to reconstitute our

Canadian constitution, and they were going to do it without us. Well, we did protest,

and we finally got to sit at the table with them.

I recall…. I have a relative, an uncle, Richard Wilson, whose nephew was also Bill

Wilson at the time. Bill Wilson was in direct discussions with Prime Minister Trudeau,

and he successfully argued

section 35 within the Canadian constitution.

His last parting shot was, “Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. I would hope that the next

time we have some talks, we could do more than just educate you.” It’s the first time

I’d ever seen anybody get the best of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the Prime Minister at

the time.

I next want to talk about what genocide is. Let’s define that. It’s

an act committed

with the intent to destroy, either whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or

religious group, specifically, forcibly transferring children from a group to either

residential school or into care, preventing births through sterilization. And there

was a sterilization program in this country.

[3:50 p.m.]

I was a counsellor at an outreach alternate school in Vancouver that operated at the

old United Church at Hastings and Gore. A young lady had gone in to get checked out

by the hospital, and she found out she had been sterilized. As luck would have it,

they missed the fact that she was already pregnant, so she did have one child. That’s

genocide.

I want to tell a story that my uncle, Sam George, had published. I asked him if I

could present his story in this House, and he said yes. It was a story about his young

friend at residential school, who was much younger than him. He befriended him because

the little kid was always by himself and really sad, so Uncle Sam went over and made

friends with him.

They were lying out in the residential school yard, and they were sharing a pear.

And Uncle Sam said: “Don’t tell the nuns.” They shared the little pear, and they went

to bed. He was moaning; there was something wrong with him. So a nun came over and

took little Sam away, but he never came back to bed.

Years later another student who was also from that school told Sam: “You know what

happened to that little boy, Charlie?” He goes: “No.” He said: “Well, a nun had thrown

him down the stairs, and he died of his internal injuries at the hospital.” It’s stories

like that.

My grandpa, Dan George, at five years old, started residential school. They chopped

Thank goodness he overcame that impediment and became a good actor.

Part of what is also determined as genocide is causing bodily harm or mental harm,

inflicting conditions of life to destroy the group, such as disease-infected blankets,

poor housing or lack of housing, or even the killing of a student. Little Sam was

just one example of that. As I’ve said in this House before, a girlfriend of mine….

After they found the 215 anomalies, he said, “I know where the bodies are buried,”

because they made the older kids bury the little kids. They put the newborns next

to the river for high water to wash away, because they were the ones that were illegitimate

children of the staff at the residential school.

He was very angry. He’s 80 years old, and he was still angry. What’s helping him now

is that he’s spending his time talking to young people in schools about his residential

school experience, and that seems to calm him down some. I’m so happy for him that

he’s getting over it. He’s 80 years old, but he’s sharing his experience. The whole

thing about stories is that you have to humanize what happened. It’s not just statistics

and numbers.

[3:55 p.m.]

There were many of our people that remember being with the RCMP police present, all

the kids being loaded up onto cattle trucks. They’d have to stand, crammed in like

little sardines, soiling themselves. They called it the crying truck, because all

the little kids were crying because they got crammed on, these little…. Taken away

from home, and their parents were left fighting with the RCMP police back in the community.

Much like what happened with the Jewish people in Germany, we children were given

a number. One of the stories from Kuper Island was that when you got the number you

could never, ever sit out and play in the yard and relax and have fun, because every

now and again, a window would fly open, your number would get called, and you’d have

to go upstairs. All the kids knew what was happening to that child. When they’d come

back like this, nobody’d want to look at them. They were shunned. It was just heartbreaking,

those kinds of stories.

Of course there was the starvation. They were taken away without extra clothes, without

food, and then soiling themselves. Then we wonder why women don’t feel good about

themselves. I was a victim of sexual abuse, and he made it perfectly clear that it

was because I was a dirty blah, blah, blah, a dirty Indian. I was beaten within an

inch of my life. The whole side of my head was bloodied because I’d been pounded with

a rock. If there hadn’t been witnesses available, I would have been a statistic by

those railroad tracks.

Something has to be done. It’s got to stop. When is it going to stop? We heard about

the statistics around Indigenous women being sexually assaulted and how many are missing.

Just a month ago one of my niece’s daughters went missing. They’ve since found her,

but I worry about my own granddaughters. I had to wait for the grandchildren to have

daughters; I raised four boys. It’s just so…. Something has got to stop.

We go missing at a higher rate; we die at a higher rate; our infant mortality is at

a higher rate; our representation in the Downtown Eastside is a higher rate. I know

things are getting better.

In spite of the fact that it’s Canada’s responsibility to look after Indigenous Peoples,

we’re still colonized. I can’t cut a tree down on my property, on a reserve, without

a permit signed by His Majesty, because the land doesn’t belong to us, it belongs

to His Majesty, set aside for our use and benefit. I’m still controlled by the Indian

Act. So colonization still exists today.

I’m so proud of this government that not only adopted the United Nations declaration

on the rights of Indigenous Peoples but developed an action plan. We’re moving through

that action plan. I know we need to do more, but at least we’re moving forward. It’s

a start.

[4:00 p.m.]

The start is understanding who we were, what had happened to us and the rights that

are legally entrenched in the constitution and the laws of this country.

This is a good little book to read. It’s the United Nations declaration on the rights

of Indigenous Peoples in a neat, tidy little booklet. I would suggest it’s a very

good read.

I just want to thank everyone for listening to me. I may have more to say, but suffice

it to say that I’m proud of the work that we are doing, and I really look forward

to the more that needs to get done.

Thank you. Huy ch q’u siem.

Debra Toporowski / Qwulti’stunaat : This motion was made necessary by some members of this House choosing to spread misinformation

about the residential school systems and about Canada’s treatment of Indigenous Peoples.

It’s really sad that I’m having to get up and speak about this, but also just recognizing

and having in this space, in this House and in my speeches, bringing forward my mother’s

story, the Elders that I sat with, the Elders that are still here and the Elders that

have already passed. Those voices that I’m bringing here into this space are the ones

that are now gone. I’m the one to be able to bring these messages forward. I’m the

one to be strong enough to bring this forward just like other people that are standing

up.

I raise my hands to the Elder of the House here. She’s been such an inspiration, such

a strong woman.

When I think of my mom, of how she suffered…. The misinformation that’s being spread

is harming. Not only is this being spread in this House, but it’s being spread in

my community and across B.C. The Elders of the past, the Elders that are still here,

were hurt by what they’ve heard, what they’ve witnessed and what they felt.

Indigenous women, men, boys, girls are more likely to be victims of violence or to

go missing in their lifetimes, including in my riding in the Cowichan Valley, where

many families were lost, who’ve lost their loved ones. They still have unsolved cases

today. It will take all levels of government to have a role to play in addressing

these issues that are affecting thousands of Indigenous families and communities across

Canada.

I send strength and solidarity to all the survivors of this violence and their families

on this day. I’ve stood at rallies where they’ve brought recognition of wanting to

get answers about their missing loved ones, their murdered mother and the pain and

the sorrow of having unanswered questions.

[4:05 p.m.]

Reconciliation is an imperative in abetting in law, and it requires us to work together

to find a path forward that works for everyone.

For too long, neighbours, communities have been divided, fueled by court battles and

hurtful misinformation. Reconciliation is ongoing and complex work, and we owe it

to our children and our grandchildren to do better and to be better.

My grandson shared a story. He was hearing some things in school, and he just looked

at me and said: “Grandy, it has to start at home.”

Everybody has to go back to their communities and do their best in trying to work

towards a better relationship. Reconciliation means so many different things to so

many different people, but for me, it’s the move towards what we really need to do

here, the work that I have to continue on in this House.

The Elders were very strong. They were always talking about what they had gone through,

the stories about their hurt and their pain of not even being able to go into a grocery

in Duncan that said that the First Nations sat upstairs. The Indigenous people sat

upstairs, and the non-Indigenous people sat downstairs. He couldn’t believe it, and

I said: “Yep, it was there.”

Same thing with my mom carrying around a blue card for her to be able to get into

the old Eaton Centre that we had in Duncan. I just mentioned to someone the other

day that my office is in the old Eaton’s building, and she said: “Wow, you’re in the

Eaton’s building.” It was just one of those things where our neighbour…. As my mom

married a non–First Nations, she received this blue card that gave her the right to

go shopping in the store. She had to go with her, because she would be stopped. She’s

carrying a blue card to say she’s disenfranchised as an Indian. She looks like an

Indian.

Again, the word “Indian.” You know, when the colonizers landed, they thought they

landed in India. That’s how we became Indians, by the way. I laugh about it, but it’s

not funny. I think that’s just where…. I said to somebody the other day: “We’ve been

called Indians, Indigenous, Aboriginal, First Nations.” I don’t know. It changes,

right?

But all we really want and all we’re looking forward to is being able to be included,

not to be looked at sideways when we walk into places, not to be followed around thinking

that we’re going to steal stuff out of the store. This still happens today in Duncan.

I hear people sharing stories with me. I see it on Facebook that someone has been

followed at Superstore or in a grocery store somewhere else. It’s just sad to hear,

but it still happens today. People are shocked when I tell people about it, but it

still happens.

Reconciliation requires recognition of the rights and the acknowledgement of the wrongs

of the past, knowing of the history and working together and upholding Indigenous

rights.

I was at the yacht club last year when they were celebrating 99 years. I’ve been invited

to the 100th. As I was sitting there, one of the fellows said: “I’m really sorry for

my fellow friends here. Some of them don’t believe.” I said: “Well, I’m not here to

come and take your house from you.”

[4:10 p.m.]

It’s about correcting a wrong and being able to belong in our communities that we

live in, being treated like a human being. The Indian Act actually says that we’re

not human. That’s weird. Like, I just think it’s so outrageous that it’s still there.

There are still old bylaws and stuff within municipalities that still have these weird

things that have to be looked at and brought forward. Then we hear the cries from

the community that it’s going to cost a lot of money for us to hire a consultant to

look at all of these to make sure that we’re doing these things right. But it is going

to take money to try to fix the wrongs of yesterday.

People are going to be scared of change. I think that the change is scary. I’m scared

of change. I don’t like anything to change, that’s for sure. Ask my husband. He’ll

tell you. But I think you don’t have to be afraid. We do have to start doing things

differently, and that’s what we owe British Columbians — to work together and to come

up with a way forward.

It’s unfortunate in my community that this has bubbled up to the surface of this —

racial comments of wanting to change land back to what it used to be before. It’s

very hurtful to hear these comments from people in my community that continue to say

that we didn’t consult, that we didn’t do anything, blah, blah, blah, all of this

stuff.

I’m allowed to say blah, blah, blah, hon. Speaker? Anyways, I did.

It’s been many, many years of work. I’m going to say maybe ten years that I heard

that this piece of property was going to be changed into something wonderful. If any

members here sell their piece of property, you’ve sold it. It’s not yours anymore,

right? You don’t have any control over that piece of property anymore. You sell your

property, like my husband did in his old house, and people come and cut all the trees

down. He’s upset about it. He can’t do anything about it.

The same thing here, same thing in the Cowichan Valley. It’s that piece of property.

You wouldn’t want someone to come along and say: “This is what we want you to do with

your p