First Session, 43rd Parliament

Official Report

of Debates

( Hansard )

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 17

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

Members’ Statements

War in Ukraine and Support for Ukrainians

Susie Chant

Harry Greenwood

Lynne Block

Castlegar Community Services

Steve Morissette

Alice Maitland

Sharon Hartwell

Fraser Street and Work of South Hill Business Association

Mable Elmore

Remembrance of RCMP Officer Deaths in Mayerthorpe

Bryan Tepper

Ministerial Statements

Response to U.S. Tariffs

Hon. David Eby

John Rustad

Rob Botterell

Oral Questions

Government Policies on Carbon Tax and Interprovincial Trade

John Rustad

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Access to Cancer Care Services in U.S. Facilities

John Rustad

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Fraser Valley Transportation Infrastructure Projects

Bruce Banman

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Budget Priorities and Support for Agriculture

Bruce Banman

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Budget Provisions for Environmental Assessment and Consultation Processes

Rob Botterell

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Budget Provisions for Conservation Goals

Rob Botterell

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Involuntary Care for Mental Health and Addiction Issues

Claire Rattée

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Budget Provisions for Addiction Treatment and Recovery

Claire Rattée

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Government Action on Repeat Offenders and Crime in Communities

Elenore Sturko

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Illicit Drug Trade Activities and Funding for Enforcement Response

Elenore Sturko

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Budget Priorities and Premier’s Office Funding

Trevor Halford

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Budget Priorities and Public Service Hiring Freeze

Peter Milobar

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Budget Priorities and Tax Credit for Technology Sector

Peter Milobar

Hon. Mike Farnworth

Orders of the Day

Budget Debate (continued)

Peter Milobar

Rob Botterell

Hon. Ravi Parmar

Teresa Wat

Hon. Bowinn Ma

Ward Stamer

Hon. Randene Neill

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

The House met at 1:33 p.m.

[The Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: Hon. Bowinn Ma.

Introductions by Members

Hon. Ravi Parmar : It’s always a pleasure to be able to rise in the House and talk about the sports

capital of the world, the city of Langford.

May 19 — a big day. Tickets are going out soon. Starlight Stadium is the place to

be. The B.C. Lions are playing a pre-season game in Langford. I’m really excited,

because I don’t have to drive to Victoria. It was fun to be in Victoria for the game

last time, but it’s always nice when it’s in your backyard.

It was great to have George Chayka, senior vice-president of business, and Jamie Taras,

director of community partnership, to have lunch with the Minister of Agriculture,

Minister of Mining and myself.

Anyone who’s in town on the 19th, come on out to Langford to cheer on the Lions.

[1:35 p.m.]

Elenore Sturko : I see a couple of familiar faces up in the gallery. It’s the mayor of Surrey, Her

Worship Mayor Brenda Locke, and her chief of staff, Kristy Wawryk.

Very nice to see you here in Victoria, advocating for our city of Surrey.

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

Hon. Jennifer Whiteside : It’s a real honour today to introduce members of the United Steelworkers union who

are in attendance with us here today and who will be on the precinct for a couple

of days.

United Steelworkers is the largest private sector union in North America, with more

than 225,000 members across Canada. I really want to thank them for joining us today.

I want to thank their members for all of the work that they do across resource sectors

and service sectors. They are important partners in our fight against the tariffs.

We’re joined by Phil Ducharme, Adam Connell, Todd Shultis, Tyler Fitzpatrick, Mary

Jackson, Michael Phillips, Ross Brown, Brian O’Rourke, Rod Park, Chris Walker, Ron

McKenzie, Jason Cox, Al Bieksa, Aman Chumber, Tamara Marshall, Veronica Tanner, Jeff

Mather, Gord Haine, Keith Carson, Frank Roseger, Scott Lunny, Mike Duhra, Dean Lott,

Cindy Lee, Debra Burton, Sean Ball, Jayson Little, Julia McKay, Ed Kent, Brad Thompson,

Jeff Bromley and Brett Barden.

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

Hon. Randene Neill : I am so delighted at the opportunity today to welcome someone whose work we in the

government and my ministry value so much. Mike Meneer, the president and CEO of the

Pacific Salmon Foundation, is gracing our halls and our gallery this afternoon.

As we all know, as British Columbians, salmon is in our blood, in our ecosystems,

our economy, and the way of life for people of all backgrounds. It was actually Mike

who told me that my own riding, Powell River–Sunshine Coast, is actually home to all

five salmon species in B.C.

I would ask the House to join me in welcoming Mike Meneer to our provincial Legislature.

Linda Hepner : I would like to recognize in the House today my best friend and husband — and luckily,

they’re the same person — Alan MacMillan, who has retired from the director of student

services of Emily Carr University in order to occasionally pick up my dry cleaning.

Please welcome him to the House this afternoon.

Kristina Loewen : Today it’s my pleasure to welcome somebody who helped on my campaign door-knocking,

and I really appreciated his expertise, having served door-knocking in other areas.

Today I have Brendon Lumgair here from Kelowna Centre. As well, he has brought his

parents, Barry and Darlene, and they’re from Beacon Hill.

Please join me in welcoming them today.

Hon. Christine Boyle : Joining us in the gallery today are Jeff McCarthy and Alexis Carpenter, two remarkable

constituents from Vancouver–Little Mountain who have chosen Victoria as their holiday

destination in lieu of Seattle.

Jeff and Alexis, now retired and semi-retired, enjoyed long careers in the biotech

industry, where they’ve made significant impact through their distinguished careers

in British Columbia. Jeff focused in both biotech as well as wood and paper products

research, and Alexis in chemistry manufacturing and controls.

I would ask that the House make them welcome.

Hon. Garry Begg : It’s always nice to welcome old friends back to this House, and I’m able to do that

today. My former assistant in the Whip’s office, Raj Virk, is here today.

I would like the House to make her really welcome.

[1:40 p.m.]

The Speaker : Member for Kamloops–North Thompson. No.

Surrey-Panorama.

Bryan Tepper : We’ll get that right soon.

I rise today to express how pleased I am that Prince George resident Jasper Sunshine,

a popular YouTuber best known as mistersunshinebaby, is with us today.

Please make this Canadian patriot and independent commentator feel most welcome.

Hon. Bowinn Ma : Eid-e shomā mobārak is just one of several ways to wish somebody a very happy Nowruz,

the Persian New Year.

For those of us who were in the Hall of Honour today, you will know that a wonderful

celebration of Nowruz was put on by several members of the community who have now

joined us in the gallery. I would like to introduce each of them by name.

We have Kamy Amir Teymourian — you’re welcome to stand as you’re recognized; Arash

Kamancheh; Arisa Fakharzadeh; Arnika Sadeghiannejad; Mehrdad Majidi; Melody Teymourian;

Mona Rajabi; Mosi Gharbaghi; Narin Naghdi; Ramin Bahrami; Soheila Ebrahimi; and the

artistic director of AMED Dance Academy, who put all of the displays and the entire

event together, under the support of Mr. Speaker, of course, Pooneh Alazadi.

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

Trevor Halford : I’m always privileged and honoured when I have guests and friends that are joining

me today. Somewhere here in this House are — and there they are right there — Ian

and Janice Routledge. I’m proud to call them constituents, and I’m proud to call them

friends.

I ask that the House make them welcome today.

Hon. Josie Osborne : I have two introductions to make today.

First of all, I’m really pleased to rise to welcome Jason Jackson, the provincial

president of the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C., and Warren Leeder, who is their health

and wellness director.

As members know, the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C., CUPE 873, is the union that represents

ambulance paramedics and emergency dispatchers working across the province for B.C.

emergency health services. This is no easy task, given the growth this organization

has undergone since 2017 thanks to investments by our government. The total number

of paramedics has increased from 3,700 to 5,100 today, almost 1,700 more full-time

and permanent paramedics that are helping to keep people safe during medical emergencies.

We are so grateful for their service.

Would the House please help me make them feel very welcome today.

For my second introduction today, it is my pleasure to introduce four representatives

who are joining us from the B.C. Lung Foundation. They are president and CEO Christopher

Lam, senior manager Kira Rowsell, board chair Tom DeSorcy and board member Mike Ellis.

The B.C. Lung Foundation and the Ministry of Health have a long-standing and very

successful partnership in caring for the respiratory health of all British Columbians.

The profound impact of programs like QuitNow and their extensive work done on youth

vaping are highlights that we’re going to continue to explore and improve as we all

work together to improve lung health for British Columbians for generations to come.

Would the House please help me make them feel very welcome as well.

Teresa Wat : I would like to, on behalf of our official opposition party leader and our whole

caucus, welcome the Iranian delegation for coming to this Legislature today to celebrate

Nowruz with all of us.

Thank you to the Premier and the Minister of Infrastructure and the Green Party Leader

for also attending and speaking at the celebration.

Nowruz Mobarak.

Hon. George Chow : Joining us today in the gallery are two very important members of the Citizens’ Services

team: Vivian Thomas, our communication director, and communication manager Jennifer

Fernandes.

[1:45 p.m.]

They’re with us today to mark a very significant milestone. After 36 years of public

service and 25 years in B.C. government communication, Vivian is retiring this Friday.

Vivian spent 19 years in communications in the Ministry of Forests, four years with

Social Development and Poverty Reduction and capped her career in the past two years

in the best ministry, Citizens’ Services. I would like to thank Vivian for writing

my speeches — they were perfect — and her hard work.

Please join me in wishing her the very best in her new

chapter of life.

Bruce Banman : This House has heard me talk about my grandchildren more than once. Today it is my

favourite granddaughter’s birthday. I have one granddaughter, the marine biologist,

who I love deeply, who makes me proud every day. In honour of her, I wore my Donald

Duck socks that she gave me for Christmas.

Would this House please give very warm birthday wishes to Kenadee Maxwell.

Kiel Giddens : Following the Minister of Labour, I also want to welcome to the gallery all of the

members of the United Steelworkers who are here today. I was actually formerly a steelworker

myself, so I know the contributions they make to communities large and small across

the province.

Will the House please give them another round of applause today in the House.

Susie Chant : Members on both sides of the House took

part in a great event last night, the B.C.

Care Awards. We’ve got a number of guests here from that group, including the award-winners

from the B.C. Care Providers.

The board president, Marc Kinna, is here. The president and CEO — some of you may

know this name — Terry Lake, is here, and it’s great to have him. He and his team

did a great job of putting together a wonderful event last night: Cathy Szmaus, Lara

Croll, Andrea Mameri, Jamie Lozano, Tiffany Trownson — all here.

And the award winners, such as Dina Alvarado, Lisa Bysterveld, Avril McLeod, Lisa

Dawson, Maureen McIntosh, Nancy Webb and Nitin Jain are all here.

I wish that everybody will make the people from the B.C. Care Providers welcome, congratulate

the winners of the B.C. Care Awards and thank them so much for the service that they

do for our province.

Dallas Brodie : Last night at the B.C. Care Awards ceremony, a constituent of mine in Vancouver-Quilchena,

Maureen McIntosh, was presented with the 2024 Ed Helfrich Long-Service Excellence

Award. Maureen, who has joined us here today, is president of the Care Group, senior

living and care. For four decades, she has been a champion of quality care for seniors.

Please join me with a congratulatory welcome for Maureen McIntosh.

Hon. Brenda Bailey : I, too, would like to welcome my spouse. My husband, Bijan Sanii, is here on the

precinct. He was here to support me yesterday in delivering my first budget.

But I want to point out that Bijan, in addition to being a wonderful supportive spouse,

has been a leader in our technology sector in British Columbia for more than 40 years,

has built six businesses and today is leaving here to go to the Lieutenant Governor’s

mansion to receive his King Charles III’s Coronation Medal— so very well deserved.

I’m so proud of you, my love.

Please join me in congratulating Bijan Sanii.

Donegal Wilson : I will follow Minister Neill’s welcome to Mike Meneer and his staff from the Pacific

Salmon Foundation. They are here today on the precinct and presented to our caucus

this morning and gave us a great presentation on the state of salmon in B.C.

We look forward to working with them on improving salmon stocks in B.C.

Harwinder Sandhu : Today my son, Avishaan, turns nine. It’s his birthday today. Of course, like many

moms, I’m so proud. He’s kind, caring, loving and such a brilliant little guy.

[1:50 p.m.]

Besides being my French tutor, he’s also my fill-in CA. He knows politics so well.

Last week adults were confused about party leaders, and he said the Leader of the

Opposition’s name so eloquently, correcting them on who the leader is for the opposition.

I thought I don’t talk politics that much, but….

Avishaan is used to me being away for his birthdays, whether I was working in health

care or now as a second-term MLA, but this time he expressed his feelings. He was

so sad that I’ll be gone again. So I did promise him that all members of this House,

across the aisle and the government caucus, will wish him a very happy birthday.

Would the House please join me to wish my son a very happy birthday today.

Members’ Statements

War in Ukraine and

Support for Ukrainians

Susie Chant : I would like to acknowledge I’m speaking on the lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən people, specifically the Songhees and Esquimalt.

I live and work in North Vancouver–Seymour, home to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and the səlilwətaɬ Nations.

On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin unleashed an unprovoked, full-scale invasion

of Ukraine. It shattered peace and stability, violating international law. Three years

of fighting, destruction, sacrifice and loss. Bombs and tanks aimed to break Ukraine.

They have only strengthened Ukraine’s resolve. The people have demonstrated resilience,

strength and courage while defending their country, their land and their independence,

fighting for democracy and peace. They continue to need our support.

In my riding of North Vancouver–Seymour, we have citizens who support Ukraine in remarkable

ways.

On Monday, when I spoke of the district of North Vancouver firefighters, I didn’t

realize their service extends internationally to those in need. Last October CJ Summers

and Ryan Svendsen partnered with Firefighter Aid Ukraine and travelled to Ukraine

to teach over 60 students rope-rescue training in abandoned buildings, on mountains,

scaling cliffs and performing high lines.

The fire department fundraised to cover the costs of new harnesses, rigging mechanisms,

ropes and other safety gear for Ukraine’s emergency services, with an additional $10,000

raised through the Firefighters Charitable Society.

And 84-year-old Margaret Davies knitted 200 toques for the UHelp Ukraine Society,

which sends supplies to civilians. Margaret spent World War II between her parents’

café and a bomb shelter in England. She was six. Food was scarce. Her parents shared

what they had with the neighbours. After armistice, they received a gift of Canadian

apples, a kindness she has never forgotten.

From North Vancouver–Seymour, from British Columbia and from Canada: we support you,

and we are all hoping for the lasting peace that protects Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Ukraine, you are not alone. We stand with Ukraine today, tomorrow and always.

Slava Ukrayini.

Harry Greenwood

Lynne Block : Where can you swim in a sparkling ocean in the morning and ski at the top of a mountain

in the evening? Where do you find grateful immigrants like me from all over the world,

appreciative of new opportunities and democratic freedoms? Where is there a strong

culture of volunteerism, of service and of doing the right thing? Where? In my beautiful

riding of West Vancouver–Capilano.

One person who epitomizes service, volunteering and doing the right thing is a long-time

resident of my riding, Harry Greenwood. Born in Scotland, Harry, at 17 years old,

joined the navy to fight in World War II. After surviving D-Day and the horrors of

war, Harry wanted new opportunities, and so, like my parents, my sister and I, he

emigrated to Canada.

Here on the north shore, Harry has made an indelible impression, serving, mentoring

and volunteering, being named super trustee by the West Vancouver Memorial Library,

Citizen of the Year by the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and honoured by the

Royal Canadian Legion, as well as the recipient of the Legion of Honour medal from

the French government in 2014.

[1:55 p.m.]

Today I am recognizing and thanking Harry Greenwood for his incredible contributions

and service during his lifetime.

On April 18, Harry Greenwood turns 100 years old. But make no mistake. Harry’s memory

is still razor-sharp, with Harry being able to regale you with many stories, including

that of his first day of school when he was 4½ years old. I’ve heard it.

On behalf of everyone here, I thank him from the bottom of my heart for all that he

has contributed in his lifetime. I wish Harry Greenwood, on behalf of us all, a very

happy 100th birthday.

Castlegar Community Services

Steve Morissette : Throughout British Columbia, we all have organizations that are critical to coordinating

and providing services to our communities. Castlegar Community Services is one of

these. I’d like to highlight them today. This organization provides a multitude of

services throughout the area, led by executive director Reidun Rosi and a volunteer

board of directors.

Currently they operate 17 active programs, some of which are the Better at Home program

for seniors run by a couple of tireless workers, Sandi McCreight and Michelle Postnikoff;

the Castlegar youth action network, which has been stewarded by Zoe Mackay for years;

the affordable housing project, working with the Castlegar city council for a new

shelter for the unhoused this year — this while Deb McIntosh and team do a great job

in challenging circumstances to manage the current winter shelter, helping as many

vulnerable people as possible; police-based victim services with Kayla Ferguson, servicing

people that have suffered trauma or crime; safe home for domestic violence with Camela

Cowan; sexual abuse intervention counselling for children with Martine Oosting.

They also manage a valuable West Kootenay volunteer driver program. This program provides

daytime, Monday through Friday, volunteer driver service throughout most of the West

Kootenay area for essential non-emergency appointments.

We also have women’s outreach and support run by Nicole Maskerine. This program provides

multiple services for women, from housing searches, referrals to community services,

transportation and access to safe homes and transition houses.

This is a snapshot of a few of their programs, run by committed individuals who put

their heart and soul into helping our communities.

Thank you, Castlegar Community Services. You are awesome.

Alice Maitland

Sharon Hartwell : I rise today to remember a remarkable leader from the Bulkley Valley–Stikine riding,

Alice Maitland, the longest-serving mayor in our province. Alice passed away at the

age of 91 after dedicating over 42 years of service to the village of Hazelton.

Alice’s journey in local politics began in 1956 when she played a pivotal role in

mapping out property locations for the village’s official recognition as a municipality.

In those early days, the northwest was still developing, and it was visionaries like

Alice and her family who laid the foundation for the communities we know today.

I had the privilege of working alongside Alice for 20 years, first as councillor,

then as mayor. Alice was passionate, not just about Hazelton but about all of northern

British Columbia. She fought tirelessly for her community and the surrounding region,

always advocating for what was best for the people that she served. She was a leader

and a mentor to many, and her legacy is especially significant for women in politics.

Alice’s daughter Julie has now taken up her mother’s mantle, serving as the current

mayor of Hazelton. I have no doubt that she will continue her mother’s legacy with

the same dedication and passion.

Alice and I also worked on key initiatives like the trades program at the Hazelton

college, helping train First Nations youth for jobs in industries like mining and

forestry. Through our work, we secured funding from both government and industry,

ensuring future opportunities for young people in the region.

Hazelton, known as the totem pole capital of the world, is home to many cultural and

historical landmarks, such as the Ksan Historical Village and the Hagwilget Bridge.

These are just some of the many legacies Alice helped build.

[2:00 p.m.]

Alice was a champion for rural communities, and her contributions will continue to

shape the future of this region. She leaves behind a lasting legacy of service, leadership

and love for the community she called home.

May we honour her memory by continuing the work she began.

Fraser Street and Work of

South Hill Business Association

Mable Elmore : In the face of global uncertainties, the importance of protecting our local economies

by shopping and buying locally has never been greater.

In my riding in Vancouver-Kensington, growing and building resilience for community-based

and independent businesses has been part of the community’s history and DNA. Today

100 businesses are thriving on the stretch of Fraser Street from East 41st Avenue

to East 50th Avenue, in what is the most culturally diverse shopping district in the

city of Vancouver.

Based on one historical account, Fraser Street is one of Vancouver’s oldest roads,

which began as a muddy wagon path in 1875 in the South Hill neighbourhood of what

was then the municipality of South Vancouver. Linking two former First Nations trails

that we now call Kingsway and Southwest Marine Drive, Fraser Street grew to become

the business district of South Hill. In 1929, the municipality of South Vancouver

amalgamated with Vancouver to form the Vancouver city we now know, and South Hill

came to be known then as the Sunset neighbourhood.

I wish to commend the South Hill Business Association for the great work it’s doing

to help local establishments to flourish and serve members of the community. Doing

business as Sunset on Fraser, to reflect the rich history of the neighbourhood, the

business association has created one of the most eye-catching streets in Vancouver,

offering a dynamic shopping experience through artwork and banners, and organizing

local community events. They’ll be co-hosting the Lapu-Lapu Day block party next month.

Everyone’s invited for that.

In the area, shopping and dining go together. The Sunset on Fraser offers an extraordinary

range of whatever you could find for your palate, including culinary choices from

Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, South Asian, Mexican and more.

I want to extend kudos to Rob Nijjar, the hard-working executive director of the South

Hill Business Association, their executive members, all the volunteers and the participating

businesses, the whole team, for making sure that our neighbourhood businesses remain

strong and continue to grow.

Remembrance of RCMP

Officer Deaths in Mayerthorpe

Bryan Tepper : We all get busy in our lives and forget important events, and it just happened to

a post from a friend of mine, Lee Johnson, about our police.

I appreciate allowing this last-minute change.

I want to read directly from his post on Facebook:

“RCMP Const. Leo Johnston was probably already shot, bleeding and on his back dying,

his colleagues falling around him, as James Roszko sprayed the steel shed they were

in with gunfire. But the 32-year-old ace marksman from Lac La Biche, Alberta, still

managed to draw his gun, aim at Roszko and fire.

“Outside court, RCMP Supt. Brian Simpson said, ‘Regardless of the outcome, Johnston

set an example.

“‘The warrior spirit, fighting to the end, trying to save himself, trying to save

his fellow officers and doing what he could under extreme circumstances,’ said Simpson,

who was representing the Alberta RCMP at the hearing.”

That just speaks a lot about the character of the individuals who were there that

day, and I think it speaks a lot about the individuals that enter the career of policing.

We have many of us in this House.

I would just like to make sure we take a moment to remember Const. Leo Johnston and

prayers for all of the people who died that day and their families.

Ministerial Statements

Response to U.S. Tariffs

Hon. David Eby : We face today in Canada and in British Columbia an economic crisis that is unprecedented

in our lifetime. The President of the United States is imposing unfair and unjustified

tariffs on B.C. and Canadian imports. He’s tearing up a trade agreement that he himself

negotiated during his first term. He’s declaring economic war on a friendly neighbour.

It is a betrayal of the worst kind.

[2:05 p.m.]

The U.S. President is causing turmoil here in Canada, at home and around the world.

One day he says that the tariffs are imposed for a particular reason; the next day,

new pretext is delivered by the President. They make demands; they change the demands;

there are new demands. The one consistent demand is that there’ll be no tariffs as

long as Canada becomes the 51st state. It will never be the 51st state.

The White House continues to move the goalposts. This is no way to conduct business,

let alone to negotiate with a friend and a neighbour.

The behaviour by the White House is chaotic in looks and in how it feels here. That’s

the point. It is a crude negotiating tactic being used as a club to try to create

fear and mistrust among Canadians. It’s designed to break our resolve, but we will

never break. I rise to reassure British Columbians, in this chamber, that we remain

steadfast. We will do anything necessary to protect British Columbian families and

the jobs they depend on.

It’s important to be clear about the moment that we face. For generations, our two

nations have been friends and trading partners. We share links of love and family

and commerce. When there’s an emergency facing America, we step up. We go and fight

the wildfires. On 9/11, we supported Americans who were stranded. Americans have always

done the same for us.

We’ve strengthened the bond between our two countries over generations. In fact, in

our province at the biggest border crossing, there’s a monument called the Peace Arch.

It separates the cities of Blaine, Washington, and Surrey, British Columbia. Within

that monument, there are two ceremonial iron gates. The inscription reads: “May these

gates never be closed.”

The monument celebrates 100 years of peace between our nations, and we’ve had another

111 years since then. Have any two nations in history ever had such a fruitful and

prosperous relationship as Canada and the United States? Yet now we have a friend

behaving as a foe, and sadly, in this we are not alone. Nearly every country in the

world is being threatened by this American President.

There can be no doubt about the intent of the tariffs. They are intended to weaken

us as a nation. It is a precarious moment, and we have to make decisions with great

care. The stakes are too high. We’ll be guided by our values, we’ll work hard, we’ll

respect our neighbours, we’ll be faithful and truthful friends, and our word will

be our bond.

We will extend the hand of friendship to everyone in the world who seeks freedom and

peace. This is how to protect British Columbian businesses and families: by sticking

to the values that have served us so well, so far.

We have taken the time we’ve had since the President’s first tweet to prepare for

this moment. We are ready; we are responding. We’re responding to this unprecedented

attack with record investments in infrastructure and by accelerating projects across

the province, because the most important support that government can give to families

right now is a good-paying job.

We’re doing this work hand in hand with business, labour and Indigenous leadership.

We’re removing international trade barriers…. Pardon me. We’re working on that too.

We’re removing internal trade barriers within our own province and in partnership

with provinces and territories across Canada — a long-overdue move. We’re ramping

up the Buy B.C. campaign so that British Columbians can choose to support B.C. businesses

and farmers.

We’re working with a Team Canada approach to deliver the message to Americans that

this hurts American families as much as it hurts Canadians, with higher prices, less

employment and less prosperity on both sides of the border. We’ve removed alcohol

produced in Republican states from the shelves of our B.C. Liquor Stores, pulling

Florida rum, Texas vodka, Tennessee whiskey and Kentucky bourbon from our shelves

to show the President’s allies about the integrated nature of our relationship.

[2:10 p.m.]

We do this not because we’re malicious but because we refuse to surrender. When it

comes to what we buy as a government, we’re ensuring that we buy Canadian first, as

are our schools, our health authorities and Crown corporations.

We’re going to continue to diversify our trading partners around the world so that

we never again are beholden to the actions of one person in the White House.

Let’s remind members that this trade agreement that the President has ripped up is

the trade agreement that he negotiated. He said there’ll be no tariffs if Canada becomes

the 51st state. This is not an invitation to negotiate. That is a threat.

We will not be shaken by these threats. Canada will remain a sovereign nation. We

will address this issue with Canadian solutions, the Canadian way. Canadians are as

united today as we have ever been. We fought wars in the ’40s. We celebrated our centennial

in the ’60s with a new flag. We celebrate hockey victories.

Canadians are not quick to anger. We don’t seek strife. We see it in our founding

document. It gives the parliament power to “make laws for peace, order and good government”

— not very dramatic stuff but core to the Canadian personality and identity. We will

not be dictated to. We will not be intimidated by bullies.

Everybody in this place knows how fortunate we are to live in British Columbia, blessed

by geography, blessed with resources, blessed by our most important resource, the

people who call this place home and make it what it is.

We’ll come through this together because we are stronger together. We’ll protect the

services that people rely on. We’ll have a stronger, even more diversified economy

in the future. And we will prevail. We will endure what comes next because all of

us know what we’ve built together is worth preserving.

Last weekend Canadian comedian Mike Myers was on Saturday Night Live . He wore a T-shirt that said “Canada is not for sale,” and he mouthed the words to

the cameras “Elbows up.” For those of you who may not be hockey fans, elbows up means

the other team is trying to take advantage. If they come at you, they’re going to

feel it.

As Canadians, we have a reputation for politeness. We’re polite, sometimes to a fault,

but it is a grave mistake to see that politeness as weakness. We will always be the

true north strong and free, with our elbows up.

John Rustad : I wish I wasn’t giving a statement today. Clearly, the tariffs, the impact that will

have on the people in British Columbia is wrong. It is something that we need to push

back on.

We need to stand and protect people in British Columbia. We need to protect people

in Canada. We are Canadians. We are British Columbians.

I can say this, and I will echo the words of the Premier: the 51st state is not on.

I will not, and I know our caucus will never, accept the idea of being the 51st state

of the United States.

There are hard days ahead of us; there’s no question. Unfortunately, we’re in a very

vulnerable position. We’ve had somebody who has smacked us across the head, and unfortunately,

our hands have been tied behind our back, because we have been left vulnerable.

It is unfortunate that we are in this situation, because Canada and British Columbia

have all the strength that we could ever want. Canada is the tenth-largest economy

in the world — tenth largest. It is a powerhouse. It has the potential to be a powerhouse,

but it has been held back.

British Columbia is incredibly vulnerable. We need to do everything we can to stop

this vulnerability, to make sure that we look after our people in British Columbia

and, as part of Canada, to make sure that we are there for all Canadians. But we have

been held back.

[2:15 p.m.]

In the last couple of years, between 20 and 30 percent of the electricity we consume

comes from the United States. That’s a vulnerability that we should not have. That’s

a vulnerability and a failure of government and government policies.

Close to half the food we consume comes from the United States. We’re vulnerable.

We need to be doubling our food production. We need to be doing everything we can

to support our local farmers, driving down those cost structures, so that we can look

after our own people and not be vulnerable.

Business confidence in this province has plummeted. We need to have an environment

that is welcoming for investment so that we can see the innovation, so that we can

see the good job creations.

Our refining capacity in this province is laughable. Less than 40 percent of the energy

we consume from refined products comes from our own province. Most of that comes from

south of the border, especially when it comes to aviation fuel.

We are tied with the Americans, and we trusted the Americans as our trading partners,

for good reason. But at the same time, we continually undermined our own province,

our own people, with these vulnerabilities, to the place now where we have a change

south of the border and now we know who has been swimming without a bathing suit.

We have sent patients to the Americans for care because our own system can’t handle

it. What would happen if they stopped? We accept money from environmental organizations

south of the border that get involved in stopping our projects in British Columbia.

How is this acceptable? Why have steps not been taken to stop that so that we make

our own decisions here in British Columbia for British Columbians?

These tariffs are wrong, just as our forestry and the duties that have been on our

forestry for the last eight years are wrong. We entered into a free trade agreement

with the Americans in good faith. We entered into that agreement knowing that free

trade can strengthen both countries and give us the ability to be able to grow, to

be able to prosper and to make sure that people have that hope and dream for a future.

The free trade agreement, obviously, is being disrupted. Hopefully, we get to a place

where we can remove those tariffs and get back to the idea of trade. But in the meantime,

we need to be taking every step we can to strengthen British Columbia. The Premier

has said it. He said we need to do anything necessary to make sure that we look after

our own people.

Well, here are some ideas. The Canada-wide free trade agreement — talked about that.

It’s something that was first proposed back in 1992, and successive governments have

failed to do anything. Time we implement that.

We need to understand that we have a fiscal emergency. We introduced a budget yesterday

with an $11 billion deficit, leaving ourselves vulnerable, not having the flexibility

to be able to do things. We need to get our spending under control. We need to be

able to make sure that we can invest into our economy and get things happening.

We need to deal with our port security. We need to deal with fentanyl. We need to

deal with these issues that we have for the protection of our own people. Not to mention,

even though we may not have a good neighbour at the moment south of the border, it’s

the right thing to do for everyone in Canada and in North America.

We should be looking at everything that is blocking projects from going forward in

this province and removing those barriers. We should not be putting in place these

2030 strategies and everything else that is restricting our economy. We need to remove

these things. We need to get our minds open.

We need to get LNG happening. We need to drive down the costs for our forest sector.

We need to reopen trade offices. We need to do so much to make sure that British Columbians

are going to be looked after by British Columbians, taking advantage of our resources

to provide the quality of life that’s needed. As the Premier says: anything that is

necessary. These steps are necessary.

[2:20 p.m.]

We need to stop with this partisan stuff. We need to stop with the woke nonsense.

We need to get on with looking after people in this province and opening up our economy

in British Columbia.

We need to take steps such as making sure that jobs in British Columbia and the unions

that work in British Columbia are British Columbian. In community benefits agreements,

there are 19 unions that are headquartered in the United States, 19 of those unions,

and Canadian companies and Canadian unions are being blocked from working on projects.

Enough. Let’s start putting Canada first. Let’s put British Columbians first. Let’s

make sure that everything we do is about supporting our economy here in British Columbia.

I’ll join the Premier in doing anything that we can to support this.

I understand when the Premier says: “If it were easy, it would already be done.” It

is not easy. There are tough decisions that need to be made. There are important decisions

that need to be made. Who knows how long this will go on for? It’s not a matter of

stopping to drink alcohol. It’s a matter of fundamentally restructuring what we do

in British Columbia and in Canada, how we support ourselves as a nation, how we build

ourselves as a nation, how we make sure that we take our rightful place in the economy

of the world, taking advantage of our resources. That is what we need to do.

What we need to do is make sure we fulfil our God-given right for something better

for the people in British Columbia, and that’s what the Conservatives will stand for.

We will stand against Trump. We will stand against the tariffs. We will make sure

that we do everything we can to fight for British Columbians so that they can have

the hope and prosperity that is deserved to them in this great province.

Rob Botterell : Thank you to the Premier and my fellow speaker from the opposition for their comments.

Yesterday was a tough day for British Columbia. What had been our closest ally and

trade partner proved itself to be untrustworthy, disruptive and economically illiterate.

For British Columbians and, indeed, people across this entire continent, the coming

days, months and years will be filled with uncertainty, with policy decisions impacting

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the mental health impacts of

this uncertainty. Waking up each day and immediately turning on the news, waiting

to see what announcements have been made and how they will shape our lives and livelihood,

is a stress that no one needs. I hope that everyone has the support networks in place

to deal with this and can access any formal supports that they need.

As provincial politicians, we have a limited ability to shape international trade,

but what we do have the ability to do is to help shape our own province. Protecting

B.C. workers and livelihoods as we transition away from reliance on trade with the

United States must be a priority. We must ensure that our response protects people

but does not undo the important work to build a clean, green economy to prevent and

mitigate the worst of the climate crisis or undo the progress that we have made on

reconciliation.

We must ensure that we look after each other. The coming months will impact people,

their livelihoods, their finances and their cross-border relationships. As political

leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure that the supports that people need are

there when they need them.

We must use this crisis to forge a future that is resilient, fair and environmentally

sound.

[2:25 p.m.]

Oral Questions

Government Policies on Carbon Tax

and Interprovincial Trade

John Rustad : This government has failed to deliver a plan for B.C.’s future. The NDP delivered

a budget which, quite frankly, is just devastating for the people in this province.

It’s hard to imagine people struggling today with affordability are now going to be

facing a 20 percent increase in the carbon tax on April 1 — a 20 percent increase.

That’s not just for the individuals struggling; that’s for all businesses. This government

hikes taxes. They’re wasting money, and they’re leaving British Columbians with nothing

but debt.

To the Premier, will this government halt the 20 percent increase on the carbon tax?

I know they won’t eliminate it, because they don’t have the courage for that. Will

they at least halt this carbon tax increase so that we can give the people in the

province the break that they need?

Hon. Brenda Bailey : As the member opposite knows, the federal government introduced a national carbon

tax in 2019 and sets the carbon tax rate. We’ve said it before: if Ottawa removes

their requirement for the carbon tax, we will remove carbon tax on British Columbians

while ensuring that big polluters pay.

The member forgets to mention, of course, that this is a federally required government

carbon tax and the money that comes in from the carbon tax is in fact dispersed, all

of it, to British Columbians.

Interjections.

The Speaker : Shhh.

The Leader of the Official Opposition, supplemental.

John Rustad : That shows the backbone that this government does not have in taking the right steps

to protect British Columbians and put money in their pocket, just like their promise

for a $1,000 rebate immediately for people in this province that are struggling to

put food on the table and that it would be permanent in the budget to have that kind

of a tax relief. Yet they refuse to stand up on things like carbon tax.

Let me maybe ask this question, then, of the Premier.

You’ve introduced…. You’ve accepted the idea of a carbon tax on thermal coal coming

from the U.S. You’ve dealt with the carbon tax problem on biodiesel so that we can

protect the jobs up in the North. You say you’re going to do that.

Will this Premier today call the bill that I just introduced, the Free Trade and Mobility

Within Canada Act, to make sure that we bring down our barriers in this province with

other provinces so that we get free trade happening in this country?

Hon. Brenda Bailey : The member opposite knows that part of our response to these unjustified tariffs

is to work diligently on bringing down the barriers between our provinces. The Minister

of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation has been doing this work.

We’ve already identified two things that…. We’re moving our exemptions.

Interjections.

The Speaker : Members. Members, let the minister answer.

Hon. Brenda Bailey : We’re going to continue this important work because we have the opportunity to grow

our economy not only in looking at diversifying trade to the east but diversifying

trade to the west, and that work is going on.

The Speaker : Leader of the Official Opposition, second supplemental.

Access to Cancer Care Services

in U.S. Facilities

John Rustad : Well, call me a little underwhelmed, given the fact that Nova Scotia brought this

bill in. It’s the same bill. It’s a simple reciprocal bill to bring down barriers

if other provinces do. It’s the right thing to do for British Columbia.

Let me ask another simple question. If this trade war accelerates and the Americans

stop taking our patients, what is this government’s plan for dealing with the health

care crisis that we have, for making sure that our cancer patients are going to be

able to receive care if they can’t be sent south of the border?

Hon. Brenda Bailey : I appreciate the question from the member opposite, because he allows me the opportunity

to again reiterate the importance of protecting services for British Columbians, which

is what our budget does.

We are continuing to move forward to….

Interjections.

The Speaker : Members, Members.

Hon. Brenda Bailey : We are continuing to support health care in British Columbia. We are attaching more

people than ever to primary care doctors, 600 people a day.

Interjections.

[2:30 p.m.]

The Speaker : Members, you are wasting your own time.

The minister will conclude.

Hon. Brenda Bailey : This budget protects health care for British Columbians. It adds $4.6 billion over

the fiscal plan to continue to grow our health care system. These are things like

building the hospitals that people need in places like Terrace, which just opened

last month.

We will continue to support British Columbians to make sure that they have access

to health care when they need it and where they need it, not selling off hospital

lands, as the member opposite did.

Fraser Valley Transportation

Infrastructure Projects

Bruce Banman : You know, this government has failed to deliver on critical infrastructure projects

either on time or on budget again and again.

Highway 1 is B.C.’s number one highway, and it’s the most important trade corridor

in the Fraser Valley, if not in British Columbia. In spite of a budget and talking

about it in the budget, this government announced zero new dollars to upgrade Highway

This Premier is inept at getting things built. Current infrastructure projects are

$15 billion over budget and way past their deadlines.

Can this Premier please explain to truckers and the public why he has failed to build

anything on time or on budget?

Hon. Brenda Bailey : This budget commits more capital than ever before. Fifteen billion dollars each year

over the fiscal plan is more than $45 billion for capital projects.

It’s about building British Columbia. This budget is so focused on that, and creating

180,000 jobs while we do it. This critical infrastructure is important to the truckers

that were mentioned opposite.

We know that having investments in infrastructure, in bridges and in highways is crucial

not only to getting people where they need to go but to keeping our supply chain moving.

It’s important to businesses as well.

The Speaker : Member, supplemental.

Budget Priorities and

Support for Agriculture

Bruce Banman : In spite of all the flowery words, this government has failed to cultivate our agricultural

industry. In 2024, we saw over 7,000 farmworkers lose their jobs, and then the NDP

cut the Agriculture Ministry by $86 million in this budget.

We Conservatives promised to double agriculture production, but this Premier wants

to cut ag production in half. The Premier talks a big game about the importance of

food security, but that’s all it is, is talk.

What is his solution to cut the Agriculture budget, and how can the Agriculture Minister

justify cuts to her budget at such a crucial time, when we are threatened with U.S.A.

tariffs?

Hon. Brenda Bailey : It seems appropriate that this member is asking about agriculture. He can’t resist

shoveling manure.

Let me be very, very clear.

Interjections.

The Speaker : Members, shhh.

Hon. Brenda Bailey : Member, let me be very, very clear. Let’s see if you can take this in. There is no

cut to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food budget. Not true. Not true.

Interjections.

The Speaker : Members. Members.

Hon. Brenda Bailey : Oh, believe me, I know the budget.

Interjection.

The Speaker : Shhh, Member.

Hon. Brenda Bailey : There was close to $100 million the prior year that had been accessed by people in

agriculture, which was available to them because of challenges that they had due to

climate change. That would be available to them again should they need it.

[2:35 p.m.]

That is not a $100 million cut to Agriculture. In fact, the Ministry of Agriculture

and Food budget is increased in this budget from $130 million to $143 million. May

I also add that the 2024-25 forecast includes an additional one-time amount of $99

million for insurance claims, should they be needed.

Budget Provisions for

Environmental Assessment

and Consultation Processes

Rob Botterell : In response to tariff threats, this government has promised a wave of new mines, fossil

fuel infrastructure and clean energy projects, all with faster review processes.

The government is assuring British Columbians that accelerated environmental assessment

processes will be just as rigorous, that Indigenous rights will be respected and the

public will be engaged. Yet the budget for the Ministry of Environment and Parks decreased

from $225 million last year to $221 million per year, and the budget of the Ministry

of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship increases very slightly from $219 million

to $221 million. Where are the resources for these accelerated approvals?

My question is to the Premier. How does his government plan to deliver both rigorous

assessments for this massive increase in projects and, at the same time, accelerated

process with a decreased budget?

Hon. Brenda Bailey : Thank you to the colleague opposite for the question.

I will provide a bit of a correction, if I may, which is that the budget for the Ministry

of Environment saw an increase of $4 million over last year’s budget.

I will share with the member opposite that while it is true that we’re very focused

on accelerating projects that can help us grow our GDP during this time of significant

economic threat, we will continue to prioritize the environment and working closely

with Indigenous partners. It’s so integral.

It’s absolutely integral, Member.

I do want to share with you that there have been a number of validator quotes that

have come in, in regard to this budget.

Perhaps I could share with you that Alexa Young from New Economy Canada, the vice-president

there, says that today’s budget stays the course with its focus on delivering the

services British Columbians rely on, while also reaffirming earlier commitments to

getting things built, including an important focus on critical mines, clean energy

projects and electricity transmission infrastructure.

The Speaker : Member, supplemental.

Budget Provisions for

Conservation Goals

Rob Botterell : The Premier of this province made a solemn commitment to future generations to protect

30 percent of land and water by 2030.

We are currently at only 19 percent. We still have a long way to go, yet there doesn’t

appear to be any funding in this year’s budget to increase the amount of conserved

lands in B.C.

The same is true for the long-promised biodiversity and ecosystem health framework.

It’s absent from this budget.

This seems to be a pattern for this government. The promises are made, but where’s

the funding to secure them? We are still in the midst of a climate and biodiversity

crisis. We cannot rely on contingency funds to secure a livable future.

My question is to the Premier. Where in Budget 2025 is there adequate funding to support

the province’s stated goals on conservation?

Hon. Brenda Bailey : Our work on climate action remains core, and we’re absolutely devoted to building

a sustainable future together. Protecting our environment is essential for supporting

healthy communities, ensuring a prosperous economy and protecting against climate

change.

About 18.5 million hectares of protected and conserved areas in B.C. have already

been protected, which is nearly 20 percent of B.C.’s total land area.

[2:40 p.m.]

The Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship has a clear mandate to protect

30 percent of lands and waters by 2030, and we’re going to keep doing that work together.

Involuntary Care for

Mental Health and Addiction Issues

Claire Rattée : This government has failed to address B.C.’s overdose crisis. They made no mention

— none — of fentanyl, no mention of opioids, not a single mention of overdoses in

their budget that was presented yesterday. If you don’t believe me, go do a word search

of this budget right now. Not one word.

Not only did this government not fund any new treatment and recovery beds, but they

announced no plan for involuntary care. On October 29, this Premier said that he was

committed to bringing in involuntary care.

Why has this government abandoned its promise to bring in involuntary care for those

in need?

Hon. Brenda Bailey : This budget is very much focused on protecting the health of British Columbians and

continuing the important work in regards to mental health. There’s $500 million put

forward in that work.

I want the member opposite to know there is money that is moving forward already in

the system to continue to expand vital treatment centres and treatment care. We will

continue to expand the work that we’re doing with Foundry centres, the work on Road

to Recovery and beyond. It’s vital work, and we’re continuing that work.

I do want to also share a quote with the member opposite. The quote is from Jonny

Morris, who’s the CEO of the Mental Health Association: “Grateful to see that language

to sustain and support services. We often see in situations like this that we see

some of the first services to go are mental health and addiction services, so we’re

reassured to see this commitment.”

The Speaker : Member for Skeena, supplemental.

Budget Provisions for

Addiction Treatment and Recovery

Claire Rattée : With all due respect — I believe it’s page 7 of the budget, if memory serves — it

says right in there that that $500 million is going towards continuing to support

existing beds. There’s no mention of new beds in there.

This government has failed to plan a way out of the mess that they have created. But

don’t bother asking them about their plan to fight the overdose crisis either. It’s

simple. It’s not to talk about it. No mention in the budget.

After nine budgets, why does this Premier continue to let people die in the street

instead of fund treatment and recovery?

Hon. Brenda Bailey : I’m happy to talk about it, because we do continue these investments. As I’ve said,

in previous budgets…. For example, $1 billion in 2023 was earmarked for mental health.

We are growing out this program. We are growing it out.

For example, when we first started this work, there was one Foundry. Now there are

15, in addition to an online Foundry available for people where there isn’t a Foundry

in their community, and there are more coming.

This is very, very important work, and we’ll continue to do it.

Government Action on Repeat

Offenders and Crime in Communities

Elenore Sturko : Last night a VPD officer on patrol in the Downtown Eastside was slashed with a weapon

several times and injured. Only last week an officer in Surrey was attacked by a suspect

who choked them and tried to take their gun.

Both suspects have a history of violence. The man who choked the officer in Surrey

was the subject of a release order when he performed that attack.

Police leaders in Vancouver have told me that, on average, one of their officers is

injured by a violent suspect every three days. We need justice reform to protect communities

and the police who serve them.

When will the Premier take public safety seriously and lock dangerous people up?

Hon. Brenda Bailey : Thank you to the member opposite.

To speak about what exists for public safety measures inside of our budget — which,

may I point out, is a lot…. One of the most important things you’ll find in the budget

is a commitment to expand the training available for new police officers through the

Justice Institute of British Columbia.

Interjection.

The Speaker : Shhh, Member. Member.

[2:45 p.m.]

Hon. Brenda Bailey : We do agree. Police are doing their job, and we need more of them to continue that

important work.

We’ll also be introducing a pilot program that will be helpful to small businesses

and something that I think is deeply important, which is assisting with the challenge

of small crimes that add up for small businesses and make it difficult for them to

continue their work. That is going to be focused on shoplifting and vandalism.

The member opposite might also be interested in knowing that we’re moving forward

with secure care. Secure care is so important. There are many different experiences

that people on the street have. There are a small number of people who really need

to be in secure care.

We are moving forward with that. We have two secure care facilities that will be opening

this spring, and there is more money in the budget for this work to continue.

The Speaker : Member, supplemental.

Illicit Drug Trade Activities and

Funding for Enforcement Response

Elenore Sturko : The Premier’s taxpayer-funded safe supply is fuelling the fentanyl trade, and it’s

enriching drug traffickers. His decriminalization experiment handcuffed the police.

It took away their enforcement powers for 15 months.

So it should be no surprise that a recent Criminal Intelligence Service Canada report

said gangs and cartels that make fentanyl operate mostly in British Columbia and Ontario.

We’re tied for being the worst in manufacturing deadly fentanyl. This is not the kind

of buy-B.C. campaign that our province should be known for.

With a fentanyl crisis that is killing six people every day in our province, why didn’t

the Premier announce any new funding specifically tied to fighting fentanyl production

and trafficking in the 2025 budget?

Hon. Brenda Bailey : In addition to the public safety items that I mentioned previously when speaking,

Budget 2025 provides $67 million to improve community safety, increasing funding for

coordinated response teams through the repeat violent offending intervention initiative

and special investigation and targeted enforcement.

These are very important tools. The way that they work is they bring together probation

officers, police officers, and they make sure that there is a coordinated effort to

ensure that people who have this behaviour are either getting the support they need

or are in jail.

Budget Priorities and

Premier’s Office Funding

Trevor Halford : In the spirit of never letting a crisis go by without taking advantage of it, the

Premier did just that. How did he do it? He doubled his budget. What does that mean?

That means double the spin doctors. It means double the comms officers. It means double

everything in the Premier’s office.

How did he do it? He did it at the expense of his own ministers, so reducing the budgets

in the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environment.

By the way, if you go to page 22 in the book, you clearly see a reduction of $4 million

in the Ministry of Environment’s operating budget. That’s right there in the book

if the minister finds the time to look through it.

With that, how does this Premier justify those cuts at the expense of bloating his

own personal office?

Interjection.

The Speaker : Member.

Hon. Brenda Bailey : As the member opposite knows, we have put in a hiring freeze. The way that it works

is we make exemptions for filling vacancies that are either core services or deeply

required for that work to move forward. There are some vacancies that we are not filling,

and there are some vacancies that we are.

Interjections.

The Speaker : Members.

Member for Abbotsford South.

Please continue.

The minister will continue.

[2:50 p.m.]

Hon. Brenda Bailey : The truth of the matter is, leading up to the election, there were a number of people

in GCPE who stepped back from that work. We knew that that shop was not going to be

as busy. This is actually good news because it saves us money. But those roles have

to be filled. It’s important work.

In regards to the Premier’s office, since the election, we have had a number of staff

changes. Some people have left, and others have moved into positions to support government

priorities.

You will see in this budget that the public service line, the FTE increase, is going

to be zero. It’s going to be zero.

The Speaker : Member from White Rock, supplemental.

Trevor Halford : In this question period, we are giving a new definition to NDP math. I can, for the

life of me, not understand how the Minister of Finance and the Premier can say that

they’re not increasing. The Premier has doubled his own budget at the expense of his

various ministers.

We talk about the fact…. We talk about people in the Premier’s office. The first thing

this Premier did after the election is give a $300,000 severance package to his top

adviser.

Again, the Minister of Finance stands in this House and says: “No cuts.” If she checks

her own budget on page 22, you see a $4 million cut to the Ministry of Environment.

Again, we have seen the Premier’s office double. How does the Premier justify these

cuts and the expansion of his own personal office?

Hon. Brenda Bailey : It is not true that there is a cut to the Ministry of Environment.

Interjections.

The Speaker : Members.

Hon. Brenda Bailey : There have been changes made to that ministry in dividing it. I’m happy to meet with

the member opposite and walk them through those changes. There is no cut to the Ministry

of Environment.

But I do have to point out how unbelievably rich this line of questioning is, coming

from a team of people who are double-dipping — double-dipping people sitting on this

team, getting paid twice by taxpayers. Twice.

Budget Priorities and

Public Service Hiring Freeze

Peter Milobar : The Finance Minister just said that there will be no new hires in this year’s budget.

Can the minister confirm, then, that the budget book that says they are going from

520,000 public-service-compensated members to 593,000 public-service-compensated members

in this year’s budget is on hold, and those 73,000 hires are no longer happening?

Hon. Brenda Bailey : The FTE growth over this fiscal plan will be zero. There will be people who come

and people who go, but this FTE growth over the fiscal plan in our public service

will be zero.

The Speaker : Member, supplemental.

Budget Priorities and

Tax Credit for Technology Sector

Peter Milobar : Let’s be clear. This government said they were only going to hire 500 people last

year. Then they hired 2,000 and said, “Now we’re going to freeze it,” and now they’re

telling us they’re going to freeze that. That’s one component.

Directly below that in the budget, it says public-service-compensated employees are

going from 520,000 to 593,000 in this year. Those are still paid for by taxpayers

as well. I don’t think the average person would consider that to be a hiring freeze.

I don’t know. That’s just me, perhaps.

Let’s look at some other reviews of this budget.

The B.C. chamber says it doesn’t deliver.

BCBC, missed opportunity.

BCTF says, well, it’s met contractual obligations.

The Pembina Institute, missed opportunity.

AME, does not provide additional resourcing to support permitting or consultation

with First Nations.

And COFI, who has been under attack for softwood for eight years with no action from

this government, says it’s disappointed about lack of forestry support.

Now, the minister goes on about support for DigiBC, which is wonderful. They’ve been

lobbying this government since 2018. They’ve never actually got that in. They’ve never

been able to get to that 25 percent tax credit. Since 2018, this government has refused

to do that.

You know what has changed? The person lobbying for DigiBC in 2018 is the now Minister

of Finance.

Could the Minister of Finance tell us why the only people…

Interjections.

The Speaker : Shhh.

[2:55 p.m.]

Peter Milobar : …out there that seem to get preference for tax relief in this budget — not the forest

sector, not mining, certainly not small business — is the agency she used to lobby

for, yet it was rejected by this government until she became the Finance Minister?

Interjections.

The Speaker : Members.

Members. Members.

[The Speaker rose.]

The Speaker : Members, come to order.

Members, that’s enough. Come to order.

Interjection.

The Speaker : Member.

Government House Leader.

[The Speaker resumed their seat.]

Hon. Mike Farnworth : Thank you, hon. Speaker.

Today our Finance Minister has been answering questions on a budget that’s designed

to get us through the tariffs, the most grave threat…

Interjection.

The Speaker : Member.

Hon. Mike Farnworth : …that this province faces. The Premier gave a statement on the importance of our

province being ready and prepared.

The Leader of the Opposition got up and said some words about standing up for Canada.

Well, it’s important that we all stand up for Canada. I’m a firm believer that when

you wear the hat, you support the team. So when we hear from a Leader of the Opposition….

Interjections.

The Speaker : Shhh, Members.

Hon. Mike Farnworth : I won’t address all the issues I have with the opposition when it comes to those

on his side who want to wear a MAGA hat, but I do have a question for the Leader of

the Opposition. Does he think it’s appropriate…?

Interjection.

The Speaker : Member.

Hon. Mike Farnworth : Does he think it’s appropriate that a member of his caucus stands up in this House

today and introduces someone known as mistersunshinebaby, seated in the gallery?

Interjection.

The Speaker : Member.

Hon. Mike Farnworth : I’ll tell you what it has to do…. Yesterday the person introduced by this caucus

posted a video that said: “The fat pig Doug Ford in Ontario is ready to cut off the

power, and Liberals are cheering him on. This is quite literally, by definition, an

act of war.”

Does the Leader of the Opposition think it’s appropriate for a member of his caucus

to introduce somebody like that when tariffs are the greatest issue we face?

The Speaker : Thank you, Members. Please take your seats.

Members, take your seats.

[End of question period.]

Interjection.

The Speaker : Member, question period is over.

Member, you can continue this discussion outside in the hall if you want. Okay?

Orders of the Day

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

Budget Debate

(continued)

Peter Milobar : Wow. I did not think that a question asking the minister why one preferred agency

got a tax break and no one else did would have struck such a nerve in question period,

but apparently it did. Apparently it did. It makes one wonder what else is hidden

in this budget.

The minister had every opportunity to answer. This is a very straightforward question

actually. It is unfortunate, as I say. I mean it was a very straightforward question

to the minister about the budget that we are talking about over the next week and

a half as to decision-making for tax breaks in this budget.

The reality is the Minister of Finance, in 2018, was the executive director of DigiBC.

It’s well documented. She doesn’t hide it. It’s actually on the government website.

People know she was there. People know she made presentations to the Finance Committee

for budget input in 2018, heading into the 2019 budget. It’s all factual.

[3:00 p.m.]

[Lorne Doerkson in the chair.]

In fact, DigiBC actually has a press release talking about her presentation, singing

her praises. And so they should. That was her job at the time. I don’t begrudge any

of that.

The reality is the government was not going to make…. In fact, the actual presentation

was to increase the B.C. interactive digital media tax credit from 17½ percent to

25 percent. In this year’s budget, the digital tax credits go from 17½ percent to

25 percent. In this year’s budget, the exact change to the tax credit happens as the

then executive director, now Minister of Finance, pitched to the government back in

Unfortunately, that was nowhere near an answer. I don’t know what the Minister of

Transportation, the House Leader, was going on about or that it had anything to do

with that question whatsoever, but it certainly must have struck a nerve. When you’re

in politics, it makes you wonder why.

Now, as best as I can ascertain, based on this budget, that tax break has now been

made permanent in this budget. It’ll be effective on September 1 this year and moving

forward. In fact, it’s a low-dollar-value tax break. Next year it’s only $5 million

for the whole year. I’m not quite sure why we got the reaction out of government we

did for something as basic as that.

COFI, the Council of Forest Industries, has their convention at the beginning of April.

They’ve said they’re disappointed in the lack of forestry support in this budget.

They’ve been subjected to eight years of punitive softwood lumber tariffs or duties,

whatever you want to call them. I believe there’s around $10 billion now sitting in

a reserve fund that they’ve had to pay into. I think they deserve…. When you look

at that scale, why are there no supports in this budget, which they’ve been lobbying

for, for eight years?

While the government rebuffed requests from DigiBC for the same length of time, to

change their tax structure to get that up to a 25 percent tax credit, now the one

person that lobbied the government in 2018 directly is in charge of the finances of

British Columbia. Magically, the first course of action, in a budget that’s supposed

to be tightening belts and sharpening our pencils, is to give that agency their wish

and get to a 25 percent tax break.

Those are the simple facts. The question was asked in good faith, just to clear it

up for everybody to understand. The minister could have dealt with it very quickly.

Instead, we got the diatribe from the Minister of Finance about totally irrelevant

things, and we won’t know.

Rest assured that I will follow up on this in budget estimates if the minister doesn’t

want to actually give a very straightforward answer, which not just the residents

of British Columbia but certainly the various business groups in British Columbia

would be curious about. It shines a light into how this budget was created, and it

shines a light into the decision-making process of this government around these types

of decisions on tax credits, especially against the backdrop of a tariff war.

There’s nothing in this budget for a tariff war, so these groups want to know. Perhaps

it would be good for them to know whom they could hire as an executive director now,

who might want to run for the NDP in the future and become an MLA. Who knows? Maybe

then their wish comes true. Is that how this government operates? Only they can answer

that question. I don’t know.

That’s fundamentally the problem with this government. They hide everything in secrecy.

They deflect. They try to make things seem better than they are. This whole budget

is an attempt to make things seem better than they are. The only people that have

given this budget, in any sense, a passing grade is the mutual admiration society

that sits on the other side of this House.

[3:05 p.m.]

If you look at the coverage from the budget lockup, of the groups that were there

being clipped, I couldn’t find one that was singing the praises of this. As close

as we got was, really, the BCTF saying: “Well, at least they are meeting their contractual

obligations.”

That’s a far cry from the Premier’s election promise of one teacher assistant in every

classroom from K to 3 — another broken campaign promise for kids that need that support

and that the Premier broke the promise to.

It’s gut-wrenching for the parents that have a child that needs that extra support

in a classroom, but it truly impacts that child directly, and not just for K to 3.

That will carry on with that child through the rest of their school years if they

don’t get the right supports at the earlier ages.

It also has a ripple effect to all the other kids, especially because they’re that

young, on how to navigate their own school day in a classroom where a child needs

that extra support and help. It’s a very real-world impact, at a very small-classroom

level, that impacts a whole neighbourhood’s worth of kids for years to come.

It makes the need for increased bullying initiatives even harder…. That’s what starts

to spiral out of that situation, as well, when the right supports aren’t in the classroom,

with kids struggling to figure out how to deal with things on both sides. That’s the

implication when this Premier and this Finance Minister shrug and refuse to answer

proper, legitimate questions in this House about failed campaign promises not being

in this budget.

It’s a disservice to the public that the Premier and the Finance Minister can never

seem to get themselves off that moral high ground they like to stand on whenever someone

from the B.C. Conservatives dares ask a question challenging the promises and commitments

in their own budget, where they’re not in. Instead of answering the question straight

up — it was asked straight up — we get bizarre rants and raves, in total evasion of

the question.

It’s not good enough. The Premier doesn’t get to wrap himself in the Canadian and

B.C. flags, invoke all sorts of Second World War imagery about the tariff fight we’re

in, and then — when faced with a legitimate question, perhaps uncomfortable for him

because it’s about his own broken promises — try to be evasive and play games with

the question and the answer. The public rightfully deserves better.

As people were leaving after question period and moving around, I heard some fairly

prominent ministers telling me I’m nothing but hot air. I guess it’s because I like

to speak for a little while in this place, maybe because they felt very uncomfortable

as I was pointing things out in the budget yesterday after they’d been patting each

other on the back, as people were leaving a budget lockup saying the exact opposite

about their budget.

Even the unions that are waiting to get a negotiated contract with this government

had a pretty tepid response about this budget yesterday. The best they could say was:

“Well, thankfully, we didn’t have all our members laid off.”

Despite what the government wants to keep trying to say about this side of the House,

we’re not advocating for massive cuts in health care. We’re not saying that those

schools that desperately need teachers assistants should have a cut in staffing. What

we’re saying is that we need a government that’s willing to tell us what benchmark

it’s shooting for.

What is the deliverable you’re trying to achieve as you run an $11 billion deficit?

If it’s health care, how does that relate to a better health care system, or not?

In 2017, health care used to be $18 billion, and now it’s $35 billion. Who says health

care is any better now than it was in 2017? It had issues in 2017 — no one disputes

that at all — but nowhere near what we have now.

[3:10 p.m.]

When the government and the ministers accuse us of having hot air or frivolous questions,

or of being non-serious, that’s just deflection. That’s because this government doesn’t

want to actually be held accountable for their failures.

You know, it’s interesting. The Premier at the start of his speech today rightfully

pointed out how the President is saying this is such a horrible trade deal, and the

irony is that it’s the President that demanded this new trade deal and signed the

new trade deal.

I would suggest the Premier reflect on those words and look in the mirror the next

time he stands in this place or his minister stands in this place and they try blaming

a former government for the problems that we’re faced today. Because I got news for

them. They are the former government, and they were the former government before that.

This is their third term.

The fact that we have cancer patients still needing to go to Bellingham — because

under their watch, we went from the best cancer care in the country to the worst —

is 100 percent on them. We had issues in health care in 2017; cancer care wasn’t one

of them. It is now.

They like to go on about how we say…. They’re trying to say that the B.C. Conservatives

are saying that we want to have people pay for health care. We’ve never said that.

The only people that say that are the NDP about us.

We do say you shouldn’t need to have your Canadian passport to access cancer care.

We shouldn’t need to be able to make sure you have proper federal ID documentation,

you and your loved one both, to be able to cross the border to get down to Bellingham

to go through cancer treatments because they can’t get things built fast enough or

properly or run properly in British Columbia.

The only other time in B.C.’s history we’ve had to send patients to the United States

into a for-profit private hospital system under contract was the last time the NDP

were in government. So as much as the NDP wants to say that’s the system we want,

which is not the system B.C. Conservatives want, that is quite literally the system

this government is operating.

They are contracting with U.S. private hospitals to provide cancer care. I agree that

we need to get those people that cancer care. They should not be languishing waiting.

So this isn’t about that. This isn’t about making sure people get that access. This

is about the hypocrisy when they try to fling that at us, when they’re trying to defend

an indefensible budget, a budget that the Finance Minister says is about sharpening

our pencils and tightening our belts and a hiring freeze.

The belt was so tight in the Ministry of Finance yesterday, on budget day, the cabinet

had enough time to sign two more cabinet orders, giving promotions to two more people

in the Ministry of Finance communication department, on budget day, complete with

raises. Tightening our belts, sharpening our pencil…. Apparently they’re sharpening

their pencil to sign orders in councils to hire political staff.

Let’s look at a few of these other things that the government doesn’t really like

to talk about in their budget when we want to talk about prioritization of spending.

Another $109 million for FIFA. I think everyone agrees FIFA is going to be a great

event. Would be sure nice if the government for once would just come clean with what

the total cost is going to be of FIFA, instead of these constant little announcements

of a $100 million there and $50 million there. So now we’ve got another $109 million

in the provincial budget for FIFA.

They talk in this budget about how they’re accelerating housing. Well, let’s take

a closer look at that. When you look in the charts and the descriptions on projects

already underway over $50 million: B.C. Housing, four projects are all delayed. Four

projects that are all well over $50 million. They’re all in the hundreds of millions

of dollars. So significant buildings, quite a few units, all delayed because this

government has an urgency to get people into the housing they need. That’s why their

housing projects are all delayed.

[3:15 p.m.]

This government says there’s an urgency to get the skills trades going, training for

students in universities. We need to build capacity. Well, let’s see. Three school

projects and a couple of university projects delayed. Good to know they’ve got urgency

on that file as well.

The best one of all, and it kind of is a twofer, is actually student housing, and

that’s delayed too.

I wasn’t sure how to mark that down. Is it five housing, not four delayed, or four

schooling, not three delayed? I thought: “Well, no. Actually, it needs its own separate

category because it’s for our students, who need proper housing, as well, to get a

proper education at the university.” That’s gone.

This government made great fanfare, I believe it was one or two budgets ago, about

how there was no longer in their effort to help green up B.C., help drive down emissions,

help make EV transportation more affordable for the average British Columbian. “We’re

removing the sales tax, PST, on used EVs.” That was a couple of budgets ago.

I know, because I said: “Well, if you’re going to do that, maybe we could use the

exact same language,” and I brought a private members’ bill in a few times, “and have

the same tax break apply to a used car that’s a gas combustion used car.” What it

is, is if it’s under a $20,000 vehicle, you don’t pay PST on a used vehicle with over

6,000 kilometres. It was the exact same language the government used for the exemption

for the electric vehicles.

Government refused to call the bill. Government didn’t want to talk about it. “No,

no, no. We can’t do that for people trying to get by and buy a safe, reliable, cheap

car to get to work or school unless they want to spend a few extra bucks and buy an

EV.” That was the government’s mindset, because it was all about greening up the economy,

all about greening up B.C. Therefore, it was appropriate to waive the PST on a used

EV.

Once again, somewhat ironically, in the year that they are clinging to power with

a deal with the Green Party, guess what. You now have to pay PST on a used electric

vehicle. So I guess they needed that $48 million, probably to pay for the extra political

staff the Premier keeps hiring. I’m not sure. But that’s the problem.

This budget is a complex document. The minister’s absolutely right about that. It’s

all about trade-offs. It’s $1 million here, $1 million there, $1 million here, $1

million there. With those last two hires in promotions and communications signed off

on, on budget day, our running tally shows that’s pushing now $4½ million of promotions

and new hires signed off by the cabinet and by the Finance Minister, 21 of which are

in the Finance Ministry, of the 38, for promotions and new hires. So $4½ million after

they announced a hiring freeze.

The minister said very clearly, when it was brought up in question period, that political

staff are exempt from the hiring freeze. They’re considered core to government operations.

There’s no way they could do more with less in the political offices if they didn’t

have a few more advisers, if they didn’t have a few more communications staff, a few

more strategists. After all, how can you possibly solve the softwood lumber deal if

you don’t have a few more extra people working in communications?

I don’t think people that work in the forest industry give two hoots how many people

work in the communications department in government. They want their softwood deal

solved. I think, when you start layering in…. We have to keep in mind, when I’m talking

about communications, this is just the GCPE and the political staff communications.

I’m not even talking about the health authorities, the universities, the school boards,

various ministries that have internal…. It’s a massive machine. It comes at a time….

[3:20 p.m.]

It’s very interesting. I was going back and forth, actually, with a reporter this

morning about this. They said: “Wow. You start looking at those pays. That’s more

than any newsroom pays for a lot of these positions.” I said: “Yeah.”

It was an actual text string, back and forth. I said: “Yeah, I was thinking about

this last night too — that at a time where newsrooms aren’t even sure if they’re going

to survive, a time when newsrooms have less staff than they’ve ever had before, expected

to do more work….” What do they do? They actually adapt. They come up with newer programs

and software and tools to help them get their product out the door. They’ve adapted

their workplace to make it happen.

It doesn’t mean it’s been seamless. It doesn’t mean it’s easy on the staff. They’ve

had some gut-wrenching decisions where colleagues have to move on in their careers

or go find something else. But it’s been happening over and over again.

The only realm in the communication sphere that seems to be growing exponentially,

unchecked, to deal with those same newsrooms, is government communications in B.C.

Again, if the government, if the Premier, if the minister are actually sincere about

addressing true non-core areas, given the light….

You go to the government website. There are not that many news releases that are on

that website. I get you need people that actually know how to write and have proper

grammar and sentence structure and all of that. I’m certainly not one of those people.

I’m not even going to try to pretend otherwise. I rely on my communications person

to help me with that.

Before everyone at home goes, “Aha, he’s got a communications person,” you know how

the opposition functions? I have a communications person that I share with four other

MLAs. That’s our staffing level. I have an assistant in Victoria that I share with

four other MLAs. I have a research person that I share with five other critics.

The research person I share with five other critics…. When we get the budget estimates,

it’ll be myself and all our…. Just saying me, but all of our critics will be in the

same boat. We’ll be standing in our chair just like this, talking about the budget

with our respective ministries.

The minister will be in their chair. The minister will have three or four staff on

site so we can get proper and full answers, and that’s great. The minister will have

several people in a back room, depending which chamber we’re in, watching, ready to

come in and assist if there’s a more technical question. Then, depending on the ministry,

you’ll have a whole whack of senior management around the province watching on TV

live, texting some of those staff as well.

Myself or our critics will be standing here by ourselves. This isn’t meant to be a

pity party. We’ll have a researcher that may or may not be occupied — because remember,

they’ve got five to six of us that they’re helping at any given time, as well as other

duties — to basically fact-check, to know whether or not we should be pushing a little

bit more on that answer, because it really was kind of an evasive answer. And God

forbid the government ever be evasive with answers. They certainly were in question

period today.

So that’s what we’re up against, and we accept that. But does the government really,

when they’re talking about belt-tightening and pencil-sharpening, expect the public

to think that they need that level of resources on a regular basis, essentially to

push back against valid questions that critics, by way of the public, have about their

ministry?

At its core, that’s all we’re doing. We’re simply conveying back what we’re hearing

in our communities. We’re conveying back what we’re hearing from stakeholders. We’re

conveying back what we have formulated in our own minds with all of those inputs overlaid.

The government seems to always take great offence to that process. They do it in question

period. They do it in budget estimates. They’ll get evasive in bill debate. And when

we get to committee stage on a bill, it’ll be much like estimates. It’ll be the same

thing. We’ll be standing in our chair, and the minister will be over there with several

staff, lots of other staff watching, backfilling, providing answers, spin, as we try

to question a bill, clause by clause, with valid concerns about what’s in that bill.

[3:25 p.m.]

It’s interesting, with how bad our health care system is these days, that the minister

and the Premier…. They must have done some polling on this, and probably with some

of the staff they’ve hired, because they like to do a lot of internal government polling

as well. They spend a lot of money doing that, a lot on an election year. I tell you.

You watch. That budget goes up every election year. Not that they’re polling for election

purposes. No, no, no. That would never happen. But it just magically always seems

that every fourth year, the budget spikes.

Anyways, health care is a mess. The Premier, the Finance Minister, leading up to the

budget…. They’re going to sharpen their pencils. They’re going to tighten their belts,

but they’re not going after core services. They’re going to go after things like administration

in health care.

I think we all agree we don’t have a doctor or a nurse to spare, so we can’t be cutting

there, obviously. So they’re going to go after administration. And believe me, I agree

100 percent there’s a lot of waste in health care administration, leading to other

waste and leading to duplication and everything else. There are a lot of efficiencies

to be found on the administrative side, absolutely.

But don’t you find it strange, if you’re viewing at home right now, that the government

feels that it needs some belt-tightening and pencil-sharpening, but political staff

in the Premier’s office and the Minister of Finance’s office and in all of government

can just keep expanding at will and be exempt from any type of belt-tightening and

pencil-sharpening?

Doesn’t that seem strange in the face of a tariff war, in the face of record deficits,

despite tariffs actually not being taken into account for that budget that has record

deficits? Don’t you find it strange that that’s the government’s priority around how

they’re going to try to get things under control?

I thought you were supposed to lead by example. I’ve always thought you should be

showing the rest of the government operation how a government can operate effectively

for the public and deliver the services within a certain fiscal envelope by actually

demonstrating that you’re willing to have a change to how you work and how that happens.

Not this government. This government, as they do with everything, is willing to point

the finger everywhere else.

Is the government spending out of control? It’s health care administration’s fault.

They seem to forget that they’ve been in charge of overseeing health care administration

for the last seven years.

Is spending out of control? It’s this other ministry’s fault. Well, they’ve been in

charge of that other ministry for the last 7½ years.

Political staff spending is out of control. Severances are out of control for political

staff. What do they do? They don’t take responsibility for it. They try to blame the

opposition for raising the question. They hope that the question will just disappear,

that the public won’t be outraged about the lack of direction setting a budget.

So when the Finance Minister says, “We’re on a path to balanced budgets,” and you

look at this balanced budget that says $11 billion this year, $10 billion next year,

$9 billion the following year as a deficit, I have a hard time believing that’s a

path to balanced budgets. I’ll tell you why. This time last year the government was

telling us this year’s deficit was going to be $7.8 billion. By the time we got here,

it was $10.9 billion.

I don’t believe the $10 billion for next year, and I certainly don’t believe the $9

billion for the following year, not at the rate that they’re sharpening their pencils

and tightening their belts. It’s all lip service.

We have a situation right now with a tariff threat, and no one knows exactly where

it’s going to go. Frankly, B.C. can’t control, directly, what the president will or

won’t do. I’m not sure anyone in the world can. Maybe Mr. Musk. I don’t know. I also

don’t know what his thought process is on all this stuff. So we will have to adapt

and adjust, absolutely, as a province and as a country as things down in the States

happen.

[3:30 p.m.]

Given that our internal trade barriers between provinces create a 23 percent tariff

equivalent to the B.C. economy…. Why, at a bare minimum, if the government was willing

to show us modelling on what the impacts of the U.S. tariff threat is…?

I congratulate and thank the minister for updating that. They are still scary numbers

— better than the first model but still need to be taken very seriously, absolutely.

Why hasn’t the government modelled and shown us the positive side of getting rid of

the internal trade barriers? Why won’t they model to build the political will within

B.C., within the population, to tear down the trade barriers between provinces?

They might say: “Okay, we’ve modelled the bad news from the United States. Here’s

what would happen if we just trade between provinces, properly. This is the good that

would be had by our B.C. economy.” Why won’t the government do that? If they’ve done

that, why won’t they just release it? If they haven’t done it, why not? What are they

negotiating?

The minister says today that we’re making progress on two items. There are a lot more

than two items that we need to solve with trade barrier issues between our provinces.

Nova Scotia signed off on it. They just said: “We’re done. We will accept and agree

with mutual recognition of all provinces — full stop.” Our leader has introduced a

private members’ bill that’s sitting on the floor right now, modelled on Nova Scotia.

We could pass that within a day or two in this place, and we would actually be trying

to shore up B.C. against the tariff threat.

If the tariff threat actually doesn’t materialize for any length of time, imagine

that. We’d actually have an economy firing on all cylinders and going a long way to

getting rid of our record deficits. That seems to be a bad outcome for this government.

They’d rather work on one item at a time.

It simply defies logic when you look at this budget, when you look at the sheer hemorrhaging

of dollars. We have a $10 billion structural operational deficit in this budget. There’s

a lot that needs to happen to get rid of that.

I know the government always tries to portray that we’re saying to cut, cut, cut.

We’re not. We’re saying be efficient, reallocate, get better outcomes, especially

on the economic files, because that will spur on more growth, more dollars. Don’t

sit back idly and watch 7,300 agricultural workers lose their job. Increase supports

to agriculture in a meaningful, sustained way to get it going so we can actually not

be reliant on the United States for half of our produce and food.

That’s why, when we announced, in our platform, about doubling food production in

B.C.…. That’s what that came from. We announced “Get rid of interprovincial trade

barriers” in our platform, in the election, before all this happened down in the States.

When the government says we don’t bring anything to the table, with that tirade that

the Transportation Minister tried lobbing out there to deflect at the end of question

period, it’s simply not true. We’ve been delivering real and tangible ways to deal

with the threat of tariffs, to improve the economy of B.C., all while making it very

clear that we do not want to undermine health care, that we do not want to undermine

education services in this province. The way we’re going is simply not sustainable.

If you cannot even close to balance a budget with what the government tries to say

is one of the strongest economies in Canada, what exactly are you expecting to happen,

then, to our budget if tariffs take full effect for any sustained period?

[3:35 p.m.]

This is a government that inherited surpluses, balanced budgets and surpluses. In

fact, through Carole James as Finance Minister, they were still balancing the budget

and staying in surplus. I never thought I’d see that, but it was repeated years of

an NDP cabinet minister, a Finance Minister delivering balanced budgets and surpluses.

That record is very clear.

Boy, did the world change in B.C. when the current Premier took office. You just have

to look at the trajectory of spending in this province and the trajectory of our deficits

— all under this Premier’s watch and, one would argue, his direction.

There have always been question marks about how much autonomy the Finance Minister

really has in budgets versus the Premier’s office. No one will ever really know. I’m

sure they have NDAs when they’re signing their cheques for $350,000 severances, so

we’ll probably never find that out.

Overall, that’s the problem with the budget. I could start diving into specific line

items on a much more granular basis, but really, I’ve always felt the critic’s role

is to set that higher overview of why this is such a problematic budget.

We have business confidence collapsing in this province leading up to this budget.

Every business group has been disappointed.

You know, it was funny. I got asked yesterday in the media scrum after the budget….

Again, I’m in my own lockup with a few staff and a couple of MLA colleagues. We’re

not with the minister and the media and the stakeholders. We’re on a kind of information

blackout, if you will, so I don’t know what they’re all saying to the media, especially

as I’m coming straight to here, and they can’t talk to the media till the minister

is standing up. So all of that was unknown to me.

What I found interesting was that I was asked at the media scrum immediately after

my speech yesterday: “What letter grade would you give this budget?” Well, my first

response was: “I thought we got rid of letter grades in B.C.”

The second response was — I know it’s going to sound, because I’m opposition…. But

I’d give it a D. It’s uninspiring. There’s no great reach. There’s no inspiration

for “what if” tariff impact. There are just tons of missed opportunities everywhere.

Then I was watching a recap last night of the various newscasts and that’s where you

start seeing the interviews of the people that were in the lockup in the other convention

centre. It was interesting because they had a whiteboard there and almost all of them

were giving it a C-minus.

So I wasn’t really that far off, and usually, I’m supposed to be the hardest grader

of the bunch. You had business groups, non-profits, pretty much everyone giving it

a C-minus. That’s not a very good start to a four-year term that the government hopes

to cling to.

No plan for the U.S. tariffs in this budget. We covered that off yesterday. Again,

you’ve just got to go back to the second-quarter update. Government was projecting

1.9 percent growth for this coming year. Government was already projecting an $8 billion….

Here’s the thing. I’ll get into the weeds. I’ve got time. In last year’s budget, government

projected an $8 billion deficit for this current fiscal year and, essentially, an

$8 billion deficit for this fiscal year that we’re talking about in this budget.

You go to the six-month check-in point, the September 30 document that I keep referencing,

the second-quarter update…. Government is now up to a $9.4 billion deficit, but the

growth was actually a little bit ahead of what they had projected. Despite better-than-expected

growth in the economy, the deficit went from $8 billion to $9½ billion. This is the

scary part. It doesn’t seem to matter if we have an economy that outperforms the budget

document. The budget document will still outperform it when it comes to deficits.

In that same document, when they were downgrading the growth for this coming year

at 1.9 percent…. I say downgrading because last year’s budget document forecast 2.3

percent growth for this coming year.

[3:40 p.m.]

I recognize it gets a little confusing here in all that bounce around. Essentially,

their growth was higher yet their deficit was higher at the six-month check-in. At

the same time, their projection for this coming year was that growth was going to

be slower than what they were first projecting.

I was telling anyone that would listen, even then, that there’s no way it’s going

to be an $8 billion deficit. It’s got to be at least $10 billion because their growth

projections are lower.

Then you get to this budget document. It’s $11 billion, and their growth projection

is 0.1 percent lower than what they said it would be in September. All of that happened

long before the tariffs.

This should not be a surprise to the government. It certainly shouldn’t have been

a surprise to the Premier when he was making election promises, when he was telling

people they’d all have teachers assistants for all their kids, when he was telling

seniors that they’d have free bus passes.

It’s interesting. They were taking cheap shots the other day about bus passes, in

this place that no one even remembers, which wasn’t really even a clawback of bus

passes. But it’s how the NDP wanted to convey it to the public, and they did good

marketing.

That was in opposition. They were actually better communicators when they had fewer

staff. I would just give them that tidbit of advice.

Interjection.

Peter Milobar : Yeah.

But in this case, they actually promised seniors of British Columbia — who disproportionately

vote, I would point out — they’d get a $1,000 grocery rebate if they still had decent

pension incomes.

Even if they didn’t have a decent pension income, the ones that really need it the

most would get free transit service. That’s not in this. Where’s the shingles vaccine

promised to the seniors? That’s not in this. It’s astounding to me….

All those promises were made with the exact same fiscal backdrop that this budget

was created on. Quite literally. If you go to the projections of where they were talking

about natural gas and lumber, and you look at what they were projecting February of

last year and then March of this year and how those numbers swing and sway…. They

always do that. All of those projections are in the realm of what they would normally

have, and they were on September 30 too.

Talk about a game of three-card monte this government was playing, this Premier was

playing in the election, with people in terms of: “Follow the election promise. Follow

the election promise. What cup is it under? What cup is it under? Oh, sorry. I guess

you get nothing.” Fundamentally, I can understand why people feel disappointed and

feel like they were misled by election promises.

Housing starts — again, this government is praising themselves for their housing starts

and their acumen around housing. Housing starts are at about the same level as they

were in 2017, despite the fact that we’ve added 700,000 more people to the province.

No plan whatsoever in this for trade, for economic growth. In fact, our exports were

down 3 percent. Once again, before tariffs.

Higher taxes across the board — well, sorry, not higher taxes for DigiBC. They got

that tax break. Higher taxes for everyone else though. What a stroke of luck that

was for them that they got their tax break in, though. That’s good news.

Higher costs. We’re facing a tariff threat. I haven’t tracked this down; I just had

a colleague tell me that Manitoba has frozen carbon tax. Last I checked, that’s an

NDP government, unless there’s been a Manitoba election in the last little while.

Huh. Go figure.

And you know, I talked about Carole James a few minutes ago. The other interesting

part about Carole James was…. I’m old enough to remember when she brought in the COVID

budget.

You know what that government did as a way to help people with costs, basically admitting

that carbon tax was a cost to households? They froze the carbon tax for one year during

COVID. They froze the carbon tax increase during COVID and still had a much lower

deficit than we have.

We’re still providing…. Some would argue, were you not providing health services during

COVID? I think they were. They still managed to do that without an $11 billion deficit.

[3:45 p.m.]

The government once before has acknowledged that in times of financial crisis, a hike

to the carbon tax might not be the best idea. The funny thing is that that was a $5

hike. That’s when they were going from $30 to $50 because of the deal they cut with

the Greens the first time. That’s what then Minister Heyman assured me, as the Environment

critic, that they would never ever, ever go to a $100 carbon tax. Never. It will never

happen.

Well, April 1 it goes up another $15, three times the hike in the carbon tax that

Carole James froze during COVID, recognizing that it would be an increased cost to

people. People can google it. I can remember her having a press conference and talking

about the measures they were going to do in that COVID budget to try to keep people

with a little bit more money in their pockets — $5, which is 1.1 cents a litre. She

saw that as significant enough to freeze it.

April 1 this government is adding an extra 3.3 cents to every litre of gas. People

should check their Fortis bills. Home heating right now is higher than ever before,

all because of the carbon tax they’re currently paying, not because of the cost of

gas. They’re paying much more in carbon tax than they actually pay for the gas on

the bill.

This government won’t even stand up to the federal government and say, “We’re removing

it on home heating,” like the special deal that was cut by the federal government

for Atlantic Canada on home heating oil — which is, I will point out, a much more

polluting oil to heat your home with than natural gas.

The reality of actually doing tangible things to help people in their daily budgets

so they can manage their own budget versus hope that the government may follow through

on a campaign promise and maybe distribute a cheque to you sometime in the future

— that’s lost on this government. They’d much rather just control your household money

and slowly dole it back to you when they think it’s appropriate.

Government is making a big deal about $110 for ICBC. I agree. It’s great. People are

getting money back for ICBC. It’s too bad they charged us too much for the first year

or the second draw or the third draw or now this fifth time. How about they just structurally

fix the finances of ICBC and let us keep more of our money on the front end?

I’d love to know if there was a briefing memo heading into this budget that said:

“If you’re looking for a big shiny announcement in the budget, give them $110 of ICBC.”

Last time it was: “If you want a big shiny announcement, give them $100 in B.C. Hydro.

Give them $8 a month off of their hydro bill, and they’ll love you forever.” Nice

big shiny announcement.

Government downplayed it. “Oh, that’s ridiculous. Those were just some notes that

were accidentally left off to the side.” Then lo and behold, the budget came out,

and there was a $100 credit for B.C. Hydro.

B.C. Hydro — this government still won’t tell us what the final cost is, even though

the turbines are starting to turn. It’s still booked at $16 billion, if anyone believes

that. I find that hard to believe. But remember. Site C when it first was announced

was going to be $6 billion. The NDP said it would be the ruin of our rate structures.

People would never be able to afford B.C. Hydro again with Site C at a $6 billion

build.

Site C is now on the books at $16 billion under this government’s management, and

they won’t tell us what it’s going to do to the rate structure. So $16 billion does

have to come from somewhere, and last I checked, we’re the only people that pay into

B.C. Hydro.

It’s interesting because then Minister Michelle Mungall, as the Environment Minister,

in July, shortly after this government took office in 2017, made it very clear during

budget estimates. Site C, as of June 30, 2017, was on time and on budget. When the

keys to government were handed over to the NDP, Site C was on time, on budget at $6

billion and it was going to be the ruin of our B.C. Hydro rates, according to the

NDP, at $6 billion.

[3:50 p.m.]

Here we are, over a year late getting it online, $16 billion and climbing, and the

government doesn’t have the decency to tell you what it’s going to do to your hydro

rates or what the full cost of B.C. Hydro is in this budget book. Talk about lack

of transparency.

But they’ll stand up and bluster about somebody else’s, that’s not even a member of

The housing and the corporate income tax…. Corporate income taxes drop by 25 percent

in B.C. in this budget. If that doesn’t spell headwinds, I’m not sure…. I understand

the calculation of it. I fully understand it’s partly a recalibration of a reconciliation

with the federal government of filings and appeals and things of that nature. But

the outlook’s not any better for the next year and the year after. It’s not at 25

percent yet, but it’s definitely not in a positive category whatsoever.

The overdose crisis…. Six people a day die in this province — six people. You do a

word search in the budget. Despite the fact six people are dying, there’s nothing

in there. The word opioid doesn’t show up in the budget. Fentanyl does not show up

in the budget. Involuntary care does not show up in the budget.

The program the minister was alluding to at $500 million…. My colleague was right.

The only thing she had a slight error on…. I totally understand that, because I do

it from time to time, too, with page numbers as you’re trying to…. Again, we’re a

lean…. Well, I’m not so lean, but the team is a lean team of people trying to do our

best for the residents of British Columbia. It was page 9, not page 7, so she was

pretty darn close. You just flip one page, and it’s right there. She was in the right

category because page 7 starts the overdose response.

So $500 million for continuing and sustaining — not $500 million for more, not $500

million for expanded, $500 million for sustaining. You know why they need $500 million

for sustaining? Because they can’t keep anything to budget. What they need is $500

million more to try to provide the same services they’re currently providing, which

they acknowledge are not good enough.

That, I think, summarizes this budget best of all, sadly. This budget is rife with:

“We’ve put money here. We’ve put money there, for this program, that program, the

other program.” They’ve put more money in all these programs with no extra capacity

being created. That’s why it’s not sustainable. They won’t tell us what an actual

benchmark is to measure because, god forbid, we actually hold the government to account

and say: “You’re not meeting your targets.”

I’m not sure of any entity out there that would be spending $90 billion and not have

some form of a benchmark they’re shooting for. What exactly is it?

Now, I get you’re not looking for return on investment in the traditional sense of

a corporation. I’ve always said governments aren’t business. Governments should not

be run like a business, but governments should be run business-like. They should actually

have targets. They should have deliverables. They should hold people accountable in

the ministries.

[3:55 p.m.]

Front-line staff, management, everybody should be held accountable. But everyone needs

to know, in fairness to them, what’s the target they’re actually striving for. No

one knows. Even yesterday when the minister was talking about the plan to get the

balanced budget…. “Well, I can’t really talk about the work we’re undertaking as we’re

taking the work to try to get to the work, but we’ll know when we get the work done,

and then we will tell you about the work.” I’m paraphrasing, obviously, and embellishing

a little, but that was essentially the gist of it. That’s not an answer.

When we hear “sharpen our pencils” and “belt-tightening” and the best they come up

is possibly $300 million on a $90 billion budget, it doesn’t really sound like a lot

of belt-tightening, considering spending is up $3 billion this year. Only the NDP

would say they’re sharpening their pencils and increase spending.

If you’re going to find true and real and meaningful systemic efficiencies and change

— efficiencies, it doesn’t mean cuts to service — $300 million on a $90 billion budget

is not getting you there. An $11 billion deficit does not drive the change that you

need to have in your system.

When the minister stands up and says there will be no hiring this year, yet we have

73,000 more employees going to be paid for by the taxpayers of British Columbia in

this budget, that is the minister reading directly from one line item and choosing

to ignore a completely different line item that the taxpayers still pay for.

Those 73,000 people, rightfully so, are not going to work for free. They need to be

paid. What’s scary is you would think a government with this big of a political spin

doctor office would have already broken down and no one in opposition would hone in

on that because that number was 320,000 when they first took office. It’s now 593

and almost doubling.

Has health care gotten better with that number? Has education gotten better with that?

Numeracy rates are down, reading rates are down in elementary schools. In high schools,

graduation rates are starting to falter.

Overdoses are up. People feel less safe on their streets than ever before. Catch-and-release

is like we have never seen before. Correctional facilities that used to be full are

running at 40 percent. Business confidence is at an all-time low. Debt-to-GDP is up.

Debt is up. Deficit is up. Spending is up. Results are horrible. Housing costs are

up. Housing projects are delayed.

I have a housing project in my riding. It’s called Cherry Avenue apartments.

I’m good. I’ve still got some time. Hopefully, people at home are sitting by a fireplace,

because this is going to be a nice chat.

Cherry Avenue apartments. That was bought, and the then Minister of Housing — it’s

the same Minister of Housing — paid three times the assessed value for that property.

It was a vacant 42-apartment building that was built probably in the ’60s. It had

a fire a couple years earlier, had sat vacant while the landlord — I’ll use that term

generously — was trying to decide what he wanted to do. He hadn’t done any repairs.

One can only assume there was some form of an insurance payout or waiting for an insurance

payout.

The government comes in and insists — even though it had sat in Kamloops for a couple

of years, no one wanting to buy it — that they had to snap it up, and that’s why they

paid three times the assessed value. They drove up property values in that whole neighbourhood

when they did that. One of the last few more affordable areas of Kamloops. They drove

up all the property values around there while they did it.

The minister assured me in this place twice — this is how long this project’s been

going on, two separate occasions of budget estimates, 2023 and 2024; this was the

spring of 2023 that it was purchased — that all due diligence had been done. In fact,

the government was paying the landlord to do the repairs that he hadn’t done for the

previous two years as part of the deal. That always is going to work out well, we

pointed out to them, but they insisted.

It was all built into the price. Due diligence was done. It’s well worth the three

times assessed value plus the premium we’re paying for the repairs. Jump forward a

whole year…. Oh, and people were supposed to be living in it by fall of 2023. So this

is spring of 2023. People living in it by fall of 2023. Well, people aren’t living

in it by fall of 2023.

[4:00 p.m.]

B.C. Housing, despite the fact a different motel they had bought four blocks away

a couple years earlier and let that building freeze up over winter to the point they

had to do massive repairs, delay people living in it for a year and a half…. I think

one building actually had to be torn down because of the water damage.

Lo and behold, B.C. Housing let this building freeze up too, four blocks away. Apparently,

they didn’t learn the first time. Maybe they thought four blocks away was a different

climate. I’m not sure. Even if that was the case, it was on a bit of a hill compared

to the other one, about 50 feet higher in the air than the other one. So they would

have thought…. Maybe the altitude would have clued them in that it would get chillier

there. I’m not sure.

Anyway, no one’s living in it, frozen pipes, way more damage inside now. Lo and behold,

the landlord, shockingly, hadn’t done any repairs that they were supposed to do. B.C.

Housing then says: “Oh, it’s okay. We withheld the $250,000 or $400,000.” It’s 42

units, so $10,000 a unit for fire damage repairs. That’ll get a lot done in a building

that didn’t have enough power to actually power air conditioners in Kamloops.

That’s a great, humane way to have people live in very small apartments with small

windows and not have proper airflow or air conditioning — all known by the people

in the community, which is why this building had never been sold. But B.C. Housing

insisted to pay three times the assessed value to get it.

I had said to the minister at the time: “Look, if part of the reason you overpaid

is that it’s such a big property, why don’t you just tear it down and build the new

building while no one is living in there?” Then you’re not having to displace anyone

once you repair it, and you can move however…. Just build 100 units. Build 150 units,

and then you can move people into those 150 units and tear down the next really old

motel you bought that needs to be replaced, without displacing people.

Leapfrog — hey, great opportunity. What do I know? “No, no. We’re going to get the

repairs done. We’ll have people in it.” They were supposed to be in last fall. Well,

they’re not.

Three times the assessed value. That was about $12½ million at three times the assessed

value. We’re now hearing reports that the original half a million dollars’ worth of

repairs is now going to be $4.2 million. There may be people living in it this fall,

three years after they were supposed to be, and we’re not actually confident about

that.