Second Session, 42nd Parliament

(2021) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Monday, October 4, 2021

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 100

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Introductions by Members

Statements (Standing Order 25B)

Foster Family Month

J. Brar

Women in politics

K. Kirkpatrick

Community resilience and non-profit sector

N. Sharma

Award recipients in water engineering technology

program

R. Merrifield

Misinformation and COVID-19

R. Russell

William “Robbie” Robertson

P. Milobar

Ministerial Statements

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Hon. J. Horgan

S. Bond

A. Olsen

Oral Questions

Government response to overdose deaths

S. Bond

Hon. J. Horgan

T. Halford

Hon. S. Malcolmson

Overdose deaths and access to safe supply

S. Furstenau

Hon. S. Malcolmson

Youth mental health and addiction treatment beds

and centres

K. Kirkpatrick

Hon. S. Malcolmson

Mental health crisis intervention services and

funding

T. Stone

Hon. S. Malcolmson

Youth addiction services and naloxone kit funding

and supply

M. de Jong

Hon. M. Farnworth

Tabling Documents

Elections B.C., report of the Chief Electoral Officer, provincial general

election, October 24, 2020

Office of the Auditor General, independent audit report, Oversight of

Dam Safety in British Columbia , September 2021

Office of the Auditor General, information report, Update on the

Connecting British Columbia Program , August 2021

Office of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner, annual report,

Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, annual report,

2020-21

Office of the Ombudsperson, annual report, 2020-21

Office of the Ombudsperson, public report, Severed Trust: Enabling

WorkSafeBC to Do the Right Thing When Its Mistakes Hurt Injured

Workers , September 2021

Office of the Ombudsperson, strategic plan, 2021–2026

Office of the registrar of lobbyists for B.C., annual report,

2020-21

Office of the Representative for Children and Youth, annual report,

2020-21, and service plan, 2021-22

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council M273/2021, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor

General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council M274/2021, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor

General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council 372/2021, Attorney General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council 420/2021, Attorney General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council 428/2021, Attorney General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council 429/2021, Attorney General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council 430/2021, Attorney General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council 431/2021, Attorney General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council 432/2021, Attorney General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council 433/2021, Attorney General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council 437/2021, Attorney General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council 518/2021, Attorney General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council 526/2021, Attorney General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council 530/2021, Attorney General

Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding

Order-in-Council 538/2021, Attorney General

TogetherBC, annual report, 2020

Motions Without Notice

Membership change to Finance Committee

Hon. M. Farnworth

Orders of the Day

Second Reading of Bills

Bill 12 — Insurance (Vehicle) Amendment Act,

Hon. M. Farnworth

M. Morris

Hon. M. Farnworth

Bill 15 — Early Learning and Child Care

Act

Hon. M. Dean

K. Kirkpatrick

Hon. K. Chen

S. Furstenau

R. Merrifield

J. Brar

A. Mercier

S. Chant

J. Sims

H. Yao

R. Leonard

Hon. M. Dean

Bill 14 — Early Childhood Educators Act

Hon. M. Dean

K. Kirkpatrick

Hon. K. Chen

C. Oakes

N. Sharma

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021

The House met at 1:32 p.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Introductions by Members

Hon. H. Bains: It’s really, really good to be here with all of you.

I’m really, really pleased to introduce a good friend of mine, CUPE

B.C. president Karen Ranalletta, the first female president of CUPE B.C. in

26 years. Prior to her election as president, she served three terms as a

general vice-president of CUPE B.C. She currently sits on the board of

directors for B.C. Labour Heritage Centre and chairs the B.C. Federation of

Labour occupational health and safety committee.

Also joining her is Martina Boyd, the legislative coordinator for CUPE

B.C. This is her first QP experience, I understand, so welcome.

Please help me throw a really warm welcome to both of them.

M. Bernier: I’m really, really, really excited to introduce to the House my fairly

new constituency assistant. Ms. Lisa Ward is with us today, as well as my

beautiful wife, Valerie. As we all know, it’s really exciting that we get

the opportunity to introduce people to this House in person — really excited

to do that.

Will the House please make both of them welcome today.

Hon. G. Chow: Mr. Speaker, it’s great to be able to speak to you in person, from

over 1½ years ago.

[1:35 p.m.]

I have the great pleasure on this auspicious day to introduce to you

members who are visiting our gallery, who are sitting behind me, members of

the Chinese Federation of Commerce Canada, based in Richmond, led by

President Joseph Hui. The other members are Sheila Hui, Hans Wong, Eliza

Wong, Kitty Chan, Clara Chow, Mingson Chui, Lin Ho, Lin Fong Ho, Pius Chan,

Emily Jiang, John Pak and Mimi Hui Pak.

Would the House please welcome these members.

T. Halford: October 4, 2008, was a fairly special day in my life. It’s the day we

welcomed Nicolas Alexander Halford into our family. I am sure he is not

glued to his television set watching his dad do this right now, or else he

would have some concerns. But I am so proud of the young man that he is, the

man that he is going to become. I could not wish for a better son than

Nicolas. Love him lots, and I will see him on Thursday.

Hon. B. Ma: I’d love the opportunity to introduce the House to a woman, Constance

Blundy, who has come to Victoria all the way from my home riding of North

Vancouver–Lonsdale. I also know her as Connie.

I know Connie as a devoted climate advocate and a valued volunteer,

somebody whose passion is matched only by her kindness. She is somebody who

has always simultaneously pushed and supported me to doing the most that I

can do on the climate action file.

She’s not physically in the chamber with us today. She’s actually

exercising her democratic rights out on the Legislature lawn, but I’d still

like to invite the Legislature to please join me in welcoming her to the

Legislature.

H. Yao: I want to continue the tradition, saying I’m very, very excited to be

here to speak to everybody in person.

To start, I would like to ask everybody to welcome Vancouver

Metropolitan Lions Club, the group that’s wearing the orange blazers, led by

President Linda Li. They’ve done fabulous fundraising, including fundraising

money for the Richmond Hospital Foundation, SUCCESS and Richmond Lions

Manor.

I also have a second introduction I would like to say as well. I’d

like everyone to welcome my CA, Dicken Lau, who is joining us today. He has

done a fabulous job to help us overcome culture and language barriers so we

can connect with our constituents.

Everyone, please join me. Let’s welcome them warmly.

M. Babchuk: It’s my honour today to stand and introduce to you some lifelong

family friends that we have visiting from Salmon Arm today, Ken and Pam

Jamieson, and their sister-in-law, Helen Jamieson. Ken is a retired educator

and has served as a multi-term councillor in the past in Salmon

Arm.

Would all members please join me in welcoming them to our illustrious

chamber today.

Mr. Speaker: And I’m really, really, really happy to see you all here in the House.

We are going to have very productive sessions. Welcome.

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

FOSTER FAMILY MONTH

J. Brar: I’m also really, really, really very pleased to be back and just

really pleased to see every member of this House in the House today

after a long time. My best wishes for a very productive and friendly

debate, moving forward.

That’s not my statement, by the way. October is Foster Family

Month. This annual proclamation is meant to celebrate, honour and raise

awareness about the urgent need to recruit more foster families for

B.C.

This year marks the 31st annual Foster Family Month. We want to

thank foster caregivers for their commitment to support B.C.’s young

people. This appreciation is not only for what they do on a daily basis

but for what they were doing under the additional stresses of the last

18 months.

[1:40 p.m.]

The government is committed to all youth but particularly

Indigenous youth remaining within their families or within their

extended communities so that cultural traditions, practices and

connections are recognized, maintained and supported.

The government is also committed to ensuring foster families

provide safe, nurturing and culturally relevant homes for B.C.’s

children, youth and sibling groups in need of foster homes.

There is an ever-present demand for caring adults and families to

provide safe, supportive homes to all children and youth who need them

across B.C. So anyone interested in becoming a foster caregiver should

contact the B.C. Foster Parent Association for more

information.

WOMEN IN POLITICS

K. Kirkpatrick: Mr. Speaker, of course, I’m very happy to be here. October marks a

month-long celebration of the outstanding achievements of women

throughout Canada’s history. History was often written without women,

but in the last decades, there’s been a lot to rewrite the largely

masculine history of British Columbia to include the incredible women

who accomplished such great things.

Now, I’m embarrassed to say that I only just read Klee

Wyck by Emily Carr over the summer. I walk by her house every

day, and I thought it was time that I learned a little bit more about

her. Her life’s story, her art, her travels across British Columbia

beginning at the turn of the last century are quite

extraordinary.

Over the years, there have been many women who have made

contributions to British Columbia, and many of those were made through

politics. Today I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge but a few. I

apologize to those I miss, but it’s only a two-minute

statement.

As many of you know and have read as you walked through the

rotunda down in the main entrance area, in 1918, Mary Ellen Smith, a

prominent suffragist in British Columbia, became the first woman elected

to the Legislature of British Columbia. In 1972, Rosemary Brown became

the first Black woman elected to a provincial Legislature in all of

Canada. In 1993, a former B.C. MLA, Kim Campbell, became the first and,

I note sadly, the only female Canadian Prime Minister.

I would be remiss to not mention there are women in this House

today, and I hope they don’t mind being acknowledged. In 2009, the

member for Vancouver-Ken­sington became the first person of

Filipino heritage to be elected to the B.C. Legislature. In 2011, the

member from Prince George became the first woman to serve as Attorney

General. In 2016, the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant became the

first First Nations woman elected to the B.C. Legislature and to hold a

cabinet position.

Women understand the importance of being role models, and they

understand the weight of being first. Thank you very much to all the

women who have made history.

COMMUNITY RESILIENCE

AND NON-PROFIT

SECTOR

N. Sharma: It’s so great to be here in person with everybody. Today I want to

speak about community resilience. Community resilience is a measure of

the ability of a community to respond, withstand and recover from

crisis. Community resilience doesn’t happen overnight. It is built up

through the steady hands of many over time.

Non-profit organizations across this province serve so many

community needs every day and help us build our resilience. Their work

quietly weaves the social fabric of our communities that we can rely

upon during our times of need.

This summer we witnessed a network of non-profit organizations

that worked with us to confront the unprecedented challenges from the

pandemic to heatwave to wildfires. I want to spend a moment to

appreciate those organizations. As I’m sure we can all attest to in our

own communities, they’re often made of people who don’t look for

recognition, who steadfastly go about their work to make our communities

better.

People like Upkar Tatlay from Engaged Communities B.C., who has

many strong connections in community and during the heatwave, taught

himself how to rig a PVC pipe and make a cooling station to directly

help the people he was serving.

Or the Overdose Prevention Society that saved lives every day by

responding to the opioid crisis. Every day they are also building trust

and community. When the heatwave hit, they hosted a cooling station for

these vulnerable residents, who then had a trusted place to

cool.

Not to mention the countless groups who came together to help

survivors of the Lytton fire, including the Red Cross and the Katzie

First Nation that were overwhelmed by the community response.

[1:45 p.m.]

These organizations remind us all that we are in this together —

that together, we can build a society that can face the challenges of

the present and future, one that is compassionate, inclusive and

sustainable.

To all those non-profit organizations who helped us respond to the

challenges of the summer, I want to thank you for being there for

British Columbians and helping us build resilient

communities.

AWARD RECIPIENTS IN WATER

ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

PROGRAM

R. Merrifield: Well, I love it when industry, our learning institutions and our

future entrepreneurs all come together. It’s called innovation. I

especially love it when it’s recognized. Recently my riding had such an

occasion, as three Okanagan College students in the water engineering

technology, or WET, diploma program were awarded financial prizes in

recognition of their commitment to their field and academic

achievement.

Ryder Fortes, Richard Graham and Vladimir Tuazon all received the

Outstanding Student Award from the environmental operators certification

program. The EOCP Outstanding Student Award is a cash prize awarded to

second-year students in water and wastewater programs who’ve obtained

good grades in their program of study, as well as showing a commitment

to the field of water and wastewater.

Ryder Fortes became interested in the WET diploma as a way of

giving back to his community and being a part of the solution in

providing safe drinking water. Richard Graham said that learning about

treatment technologies and processes has opened his eyes to the

importance of the field. Vladimir Tuazon loved the hands-on learning

opportunities of working with bodies of water, testing characteristics

of surface and groundwater as they built up his practical experience and

showed him a future of protecting the environment.

The program prepares students to play a leading role in the water

industry by learning to monitor, assess and protect both public health

and water in the environment. It also covers topics such as water

quality, testing, treatment, biology and chemistry.

Please join me in congratulating Ryder Fortes, Richard Graham and

Vladimir Tuazon on their outstanding achievement.

MISINFORMATION AND COVID-19

R. Russell: Friday I was approached by a constituent who wanted to discuss

ivermectin. I left the conversation saddened, not because we didn’t come

to an agreement on the role of an antiparasitic medicine for treating a

viral pandemic but because it dawned on me that a belief in a conspiracy

of unfathomable breadth across science and government was killing people

in my communities.

I suspect most of you in this House have had similar conversations

with strangers, friends or family members. These conversations are

straining already brittle relationships. Science, though, provides us

with data to inform our decisions. A vocal minority of people are

eroding that value with pseudo-science concocted in a world of social

media.

Vaccination, science and public health may have catalyzed these

challenges, but it is the potential for magnification and propagation of

misinformation on longer time scales and more diverse topics that keeps

an exhausted person, like myself, up at night.

This is, to be sure, not new. Eight years ago Jim Hoggan wrote:

“The public square, the forum for free debate that we depend on in a

democracy, is being choked by misinformation, denial and bitter

adversarial rhetoric. It is causing the Canadian public to turn away in

despair, creating an epidemic of mistrust and, what’s worse,

disinterest.”

My call to action here is simple. Let’s all listen openly and

compassionately yet do our best to actively correct misinformation. This

cannot be done by government nor grassroots alone. It must be a

collective effort. We can all help reduce the mistrust and despair

swirling around us. This shared opportunity holds true whether we are

school teachers, scientists, fruit pickers, legislators or any other

active participant in society.

The truth matters, and while we can get to truth on many different

paths, not all paths lead to truth. I wanted to triage that initial

conversation into the realm of things I won’t ever change so I can give

up on them now, but I realize that would be unfair for everyone. Yes, I

tracked down that constituent to continue a difficult

conversation.

In these strange times, it seems that an ability to communicate

compassionately and honestly has the potential to, quite literally, save

lives.

[1:50 p.m.]

WILLIAM “ROBBIE” ROBERTSON

P. Milobar: I rise today to pay tribute to one of the most decorated Canadian

veterans, Col. William “Robbie” Robertson, a true Canadian

patriot.

Colonel Robertson served in World War II with the Saskatoon Light

Infantry in Sicily and Italy and with follow-on forces joining the rest

of the Canadian army in the liberation of the Netherlands. He later

served in the Korean conflict with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light

Infantry, with whom he would serve the rest of his regular army

career.

Colonel Robertson received the Military Cross for twice extracting

soldiers trapped behind enemy lines in Korea and a Queen’s commendation

for courage for his tremendous bravery and selflessness in helping to

save the life of a fellow paratrooper whose chute didn’t open. Colonel

Robertson didn’t think twice but dove, quite literally, from the plane

down to help him open his chute, saving the soldier.

Colonel Robertson was also a commanding officer of the Rocky

Mountain Rangers in Kamloops from 1975 to 1980 and was handed the Order

of Military Merit for his exemplary service as the regiment’s honorary

lieutenant colonel and honorary colonel. He was a 57-year member of the

Kamloops Legion Branch 52. As Lt. Col. Amedeo Vecchio said of the Rocky

Mountain Rangers: “Colonel Robbie exemplified the essence of true

leadership, and his commitment to the security of our nation and free

world was unwavering. He was a true role model and mentor to all who

served with him.”

We lost Colonel Robertson back in November of 2020 to COVID.

Unfortunately, due to COVID, his service and proper send-off were

delayed, but he received a beautiful send-off in Kamloops on September

18 of this year.

I ask all members of this House to join me in thanking him for his

esteemed service and sending condolences to his many loved ones and all

who knew and respected him.

Ministerial Statements

NATIONAL DAY FOR

TRUTH AND

RECONCILIATION

Hon. J. Horgan: Last Thursday we marked the first National Day for Truth and

Reconciliation. Of course, it was a day of sombre reflection, a day to

reflect on our true history.

We gathered across the country to share, to listen and to learn.

It was a day to stand with survivors and their families, a day to honour

the truth of their experiences. The lights here at the Legislature

blazed orange, as they did at B.C. Place and at dozens of buildings

across British Columbia. We all wore orange shirts, a simple but

important way to show that every child matters.

Orange Shirt Day would not have come into existence without the

strength and courage of Phyllis Webstad. In 1973, Phyllis wore an orange

shirt to her first day of school at the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential

School in Williams Lake. The orange shirt was given to her by her

grandmother. It was taken from her that day, and she never saw it again.

She was six years old.

I also think of Eddy Charlie, a friend from here on the Island, a

strong voice for survivors here on the Island and, of course, across

British Columbia.

I raise my hands in gratitude and respect to both Phyllis and Eddy

and to the survivors and witnesses who have shared their truths over the

past number of years. They carry a heavy burden, and it is our duty to

go forward and ease that load in every way we possibly can.

Recent discoveries on the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc territory of

unmarked graves of residential school kids highlight the urgency of

reconciliation. Six years ago the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

released its final report, a landmark commission that unearthed the real

truth of residential schools in Canada. So 6,500 witnesses shared their

experiences. Their testimony was of profound importance not just to us

today but to those generations who come after us.

Many Canadians have taken the opportunity, over the past number of

months, to learn more about residential schools, to learn more about the

truths of Indigenous peoples, not just in British Columbia but, indeed,

across the country.

International recognition of how Canadians treated young children

is now part and parcel of the badge we carry when we travel away from

this great country, all of us proud to be Canadian. I don’t think

there’s a person in this room who doesn’t celebrate the good fortune of

being a Canadian citizen. But with that citizenship comes, also, a

responsibility to reflect and understand the true nature of how all of

us came to this place today.

[1:55 p.m.]

Orange Shirt Day and National Truth and Reconciliation Day will

remind us and generations to come after us about the profound

responsibility we all have to each other to make sure we don’t turn away

from the ugly, we don’t turn away from the uncomfortable, but we go

directly towards it as best we can to make a difference.

I know there are 87 people in this institution today that are

committed to that. I know there are countless British Columbians and

Canadians across the land that are also committed to that. But we have

to listen to the truth. We have to accept it and embrace it and then

collectively move forward.

I’ve said in this place in the past that I have two degrees in

history from universities, and I did not learn about the residential

school system until I met survivors in a gymnasium with my friend from

Nanaimo–North Cowichan. It was only hearing the testimony of survivors

that opened up my eyes to the challenges that generations of Indigenous

people have faced because of policy decisions that the government of

Canada made.

We all know that truth now, and we can’t turn away from it. Last

Thursday was our first opportunity to step into the light, to embrace

all that it is to be Canadian, to celebrate those positive times and to

commit to each other that we will do what we can to redress the wrongs —

and they are many — of successive governments over generations that have

brought us all to this place today.

HÍSW̱ḴE

SIÁM .

S. Bond: Thank you to the Premier for his remarks.

I want to recognize that together we do our work as legislators on

the traditional territories of the

Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-​speaking

people, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations. We are grateful to be

able to spend time here working on behalf of British

Columbians.

Since late May, hundreds of unmarked graves have been discovered

on the grounds of residential schools across Canada. Starting in the

late 1800s, thousands of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were

forced to attend residential school. As horrified as we felt, it should

have come as no surprise to us. Residential school survivors and their

families have been sharing their stories, and all of us have to ask

ourselves: did we listen?

Survivors told stories of children who disappeared, stories of

unmarked graves and stories of countless children who never returned

home. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada collected

testimonies from thousands of survivors and ultimately concluded that

the existence of unmarked graves at residential schools was inevitable.

We heard the stories, but did we listen?

Last week we marked the first-ever National Day for Truth and

Reconciliation, many wearing orange shirts in response to the story that

the Premier shared of residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad.

Orange Shirt Day serves as a visible symbol of our recognition of those

stories and of our commitment to reconciliation.

In Prince George, I joined many other community members as

together we walked, we placed flowers and we reflected on the dark past

of residential schools. We honoured survivors and their families, and we

made a pledge to do more.

The past year has been extraordinarily painful. It’s been painful

for the more than 1.8 million First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.

Today we must acknowledge the strength and determination of all those

who have committed to the important work of finding these children,

bringing answers to the families who loved them and lost

them.

We also have to acknowledge that we as individuals have a lot of

work to do ourselves. That starts with truly listening to Indigenous

voices and educating ourselves about their experiences and how the

legacy of residential schools has impacted generations of families and

communities, and it continues to this day. We must listen, we must

learn, but we must also commit to meaningful action.

The time for action is long overdue. Today I encourage every

member of this House to think about the steps they can take personally

to move forward on the journey of reconciliation, not just here in the

chamber but in our home communities as well.

[2:00 p.m.]

Most of all, today I want to recognize the survivors who have

shared their truth with all of us. We know that for them and their loved

ones, it has meant reliving deeply painful, life-altering memories. We

are grateful for the courage they have shown in sharing their stories.

We have the responsibility to open our ears, to open our hearts, to

listen, to learn and to act.

While one day has been designated as National Truth and

Reconciliation Day, the work that we need to do will take far more than

a single day of commemoration. Very few of us in this chamber can say

that we truly understand what happened. It is hard to even find the

words to describe the pain of children being separated from their

families in order to isolate them from the influence of their homes,

their families, their traditions and their culture. We need to shine a

light on the past while also looking forward and working together to

build a better future for everyone who calls this land home.

Over the past months, I’ve spent some time reading and reflecting.

I read Bev Sellar’s book, Price Paid: The Fight for First Nations

Survival , and I have started to read her book They Called

Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential

School.

But there is a quote in the collection of stories written by

Phyllis Webstad, in her book called Beyond The Orange Shirt

Story , that should move us all to action. “Gram was

good with babies. But then, at about the age of five, Gram would start

to distance herself and the child. There were a couple of reasons for

that. The first was that Gram had to prepare her heart to lose her

children, child after child, year after year. The second reason for

distancing that child was to prepare that child to be in an environment

where they didn’t matter.”

Phyllis Webstad shares these stories to help us educate ourselves

and gain a deeper understanding. She challenges us to honour the lives

and the experiences of survivors as they move beyond the orange shirt

story. Together we need to ensure that in our province and our country,

every child finds themself in an environment where they

matter.

A. Olsen: ÍY SC̸ÁĆEL .

HÍSW̱ḴE SIÁM . Good

day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s good to see you all.

Last week we commemorated the first annual National Day for Truth

and Reconciliation, a day of reflection and healing. Today and every day

I’m thinking of my relatives and all the survivors of Indian residential

and day schools.

Before reconciliation must come truth. Here are some

truths.

Six years ago Truth and Reconciliation published 94 calls to

action for all governments in Canada — the federal, provincial and

territorial governments — to act on the horrific information that was

gathered through an intense truth-telling exercise that finally forced

Crown governments and politicians to listen to what Indigenous people

had been telling for decades about the tragic, disgusting history of

Indian residential and day schools.

It’s not just history though. It’s how Crown governments relate to

Indigenous people today as well.

For six years, action 80 languished, collecting dust on a shelf in

federal, provincial and territorial offices, the action calling on those

governments to create a “statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and

Reconciliation to honour survivors, their families and communities and

ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of

residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation

process.”

On May 27, 2021, we learned more about the truth of Indian

residential and day schools when Kúkwpi7 Rosanne Casimir, chief of the

Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, shared that ground-penetrating radar had

identified 215 remains of children that were sent to and never returned

home from the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

[2:05 p.m.]

After an overwhelming response from British Columbians and

Canadians, after our true history was exposed once again for the whole

world to see, it took our federal government only six days — what

languished on the books for six years. They finally created that

statutory holiday for September the 30th each year.

Even then, our provincial and territorial governments were

ill-prepared to respond. On the first annual federal statutory holiday

to commemorate the survivors and their families of Indian, residential

and day schools, we saw, across the country, an uncoordinated, patchwork

reaction that, frankly, tells a story unto itself.

If it were just action 80, that would be one thing, but

unfortunately, it is not. The Truth and Reconciliation Com­mission

calls to action names provincial governments 22 times, demanding our

leadership take this work seriously. Commissioners call on our

government to reduce the number of children in care, not just by

changing how we account for children in care but, rather, actually

changing our systems.

The commission calls on the provincial governments to reform

education, health care and justice systems. Much of this might be done

in British Columbia. But how much have we accomplished? What mechanism

is holding government accountable to ensure that these reforms actually

happen? The TRC asks that the provincial governments repudiate the

doctrine of discovery and terra nullius and to reform those

laws, government policies and litigation strategies that continue to

rely on such concepts. Has that been done yet? I don’t think

so.

What do we have? The provincial government arguing some Indigenous

people don’t exist and, as a result, Indigenous people wasting precious

resources establishing their basic existence. This is not just our past.

This is what is happening in our province today, and in provinces across

the country, and in our federal government.

Since the TRC’s calls to action were published, the final report

of the national inquiry into the missing and murdered Indigenous women

and girls was published, along with 231 calls to justice. The inquiry

was charged with getting to the root causes of the violence experienced

by Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The report stated

clearly:

“The violence the national inquiry heard about amounts to a

race-based genocide of Indigenous peoples, including First Nations,

Inuit and Métis, which especially targets women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA

people. This genocide has been empowered by colonial structures,

evidenced notably by the Indian Act, the Sixties Scoop, residential

schools and breaches of human Indigenous rights, leading directly to the

current increased rates of violence, death and suicide in Indigenous

populations.”

Today is the National Day of Action for missing and murdered

Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people. The Union of B.C.

Indian Chiefs wrote in their media advisory announcing a vigil this

evening at Vancouver City Hall, saying the following:

“Although the vigil today reminds us of the ongoing tragedies we

must mourn, it also empowers us to proudly assert our identities,

cultures and traditions, as we continue the fight for justice. We call

upon Canada and British Columbia to take immediate, meaningful action to

implement the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls ‘Calls for

Justice’ that are focused on replacing a justice model that perpetuates

trauma with one that is aligned with Indigenous values, cultures and

traditions.”

Indigenous leaders were deeply critical of the national action

plan released earlier this summer. The UBCIC wrote in their response on

June 3:

“This plan does not answer how to keep Indigenous women and girls

and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people safe, with no specific information about how,

when and by whom concrete actions will be taken. Nowhere in this

document do governments acknowledge and accept responsibility for laws,

policies and practices that contribute to and perpetuate the ongoing

genocide of Indigenous peoples, and specifically of Indigenous women,

girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.”

British Columbia stepped up with $5.5 million worth of funding, a

frustratingly small investment, especially when taken into consideration

with the context of a provincial budget that is worth tens of billions

of dollars. Throughout the last parliament, I worked closely with the

former Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Scott

Fraser, on these issues.

[2:10 p.m.]

We all celebrated together, completing action 43 of the TRC calls

to action “to fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration

on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for reconciliation.”

British Columbia was the first province to do so. This is an important

step that this colonial institution takes towards

reconciliation.

This past summer government released a draft action plan for the

implementation of the commitments within that declaration act. These

actions commit all cabinet ministers in our government to aligning their

ministerial operations — the new laws they are creating, the old laws

already on the books, the regulations, the policy — with the spirit of

that declaration.

The declaration act was passed in November 2019. We are nearing

the two-year anniversary of this act. Where do we stand today?

Unfortunately, we are not as far down that road as I believed we’d all

hoped we would be on that celebratory autumn day when the Indigenous

leaders of our province spoke right there at that Clerks’

table.

Following the election last year, the Premier mandated the

Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation “to create a

dedicated secretariat by the end of 2021 to coordinate government’s

reconciliation efforts and to ensure new legislation and policies are

consistent with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Act.” We are getting close to the end of 2021, and I know that

Indigenous leaders in British Columbia are eagerly anticipating the news

of the creation of this secretariat as they continue to express the

frustration of working with a government that has yet to coordinate

these efforts.

As we heard from so many Indigenous leaders on Sep­tember

30, truth must come before reconciliation. We start with truth, and the

next steps we take together will not be easy. As Hon. Murray Sinclair,

the former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said, he

recognized that getting to the truth was going to be hard, but getting

to reconciliation was going to be even more difficult.

None of this criticism is going to be easy for any of us in this

place or government officials to hear, but I can assure you that it is a

fraction of the challenge that life has been for Indigenous people, for

my family, for my ancestors and, indeed, all survivors of Indian

residential and day schools.

Let’s not forget the words of Hon. Murray Sinclair: “We may not

achieve reconciliation within my lifetime or within the lifetime of my

children, but we will be able to achieve it if we all commit to working

towards it properly. Part of that commitment is that” — this year, on

September 30 — “we will stand up together and we will say: ‘Never again.

What we did in this country was wrong, and we will never allow it to

happen again.’”

I am thankful that this work started last week, and I look forward

to contributing to it in years to come.

HÍSW̱ḴE SIÁM.

Mr. Speaker: We are very excited to start question period. Before we do that, I

want to remind people, all members, to turn their electronic devices on

silent mode. No phones are to be ringing during the question period or

after.

Oral Questions

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

TO OVERDOSE

DEATHS

S. Bond: In July, British Columbia saw the second highest number of

overdose deaths ever recorded: 184 deaths, almost six people every day.

We are on track for the worst year on record. When he was in opposition,

the Premier had a lot to say about this issue. He had lots of

answers.

Well, here’s what B.C. coroner Lisa Lapointe said about the

response from this Premier and his government: “It makes me sad. It

honestly makes me very, very sad. What we have seen are small steps

primarily left to one ministry. That is not enough. It needs a really

meaningful response that will actually effect change.”

How many months will have to go by, with ongoing record numbers of

deaths in British Columbia, before this Premier admits that the approach

he has taken for 4½ years is not working?

[2:15 p.m.]

Hon. J. Horgan: I thank the member for her question. Clearly, all members are

aware of the absolutely tragic outcomes we’re seeing, not just across

British Columbia but indeed across Canada, as an increasingly toxic drug

supply has profound impacts on individuals, families and communities. We

have redoubled our efforts since last October by making repeated

overtures to the federal government to ensure that we can start by

decriminalizing simple possession of opioids.

We have run into resistance on that front, but I’m confident that

the work of the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and the work of

the incoming federal government will bear fruit in that

regard.

At the time of our swearing-in, the then Solicitor General — the

current Solicitor General — made it clear to law enforcement that we

were not interested in prosecuting people. We were more interested in

finding health care. That’s why we’ve increased the number of wellness

beds at Royal Columbian Hospital. We’ve increased the number of youth

treatment beds in Chilliwack. The list goes on. The establishment of

Foundries, which were begun as an idea and a concept by the former

government. All of us working together is the way we come out of

this.

I share the disappointment and profound unhappiness for the

results that we’ve seen over the past two years, but I think that the

context is important. I know the member didn’t want to leave anyone with

the perception that we didn’t have other things going on. A parallel

health crisis, with respect to COVID-19, has meant that we’ve had to

amend and deal with addictions differently, deal with housing

differently, than we have in the past. That has produced tragic

consequences. But we take full responsibility for where we are, and we

take absolute responsibility for how we’re going to go

forward.

Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Official Opposition on a

supplemental.

S. Bond: If the Premier is prepared to take responsibility, he needs to

stand up and tell British Columbians and confirm the fact that things

are getting worse, not better. Let’s look at the numbers: 6,120 people

have died of an overdose since the Ministry of Mental Health and

Addictions was created in June of 2017. According to the coroner, again:

“What we have seen are small steps, not always in the same direction and

really not addressing the bigger issues. The fact that we haven’t seen a

coordinated response…to reduce these numbers of deaths is just sad. It’s

heartbreaking.”

The Premier stood up and he told British Columbia that the reason

he was creating a Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions was to make

sure that there was a coordinated response. It is getting worse. It is

not getting better. The Premier’s answer just isn’t good

enough.

To the Premier, will he stand in the House today and finally admit

that, after 4½ years, the approach isn’t working? He needs to fix the

ministry that he created, to make sure that we don’t stand in this House

month after month talking about record numbers of lives lost in our

province.

Hon. J. Horgan: We were making progress up until 2019 and the advent of COVID-19.

The evidence is demonstrable — the member should know that; we’ll

certainly pass that data over to her so that she can review it — in the

past budget, a historic $500 million commitment to Mental Health and

Addictions. There was no Minister of Mental Health and Addictions four

years ago, because those on that side of the House didn’t put the same

level of interest in it then as they do today. That’s unfortunate. It’s

unfortunate.

We’ve also taken other additional steps in communities by making

sure that urgent primary care centres have access to social workers and

other health care providers, so that they can directly intervene when

opportunities present themselves. Safe injection sites and other harm

reduction policies are the foundation of success. It will take time, it

will take patience, and it will take collective action by all of

us.

I appreciate that it’s question period. I appreciate that the

members on the other side came here to shake their heads in

disappointment. We on this side of the House are working every single

day to improve the lives of British Columbians, and we’re not going to

stop because you’re unhappy.

T. Halford: Well, to correct the Premier, it’s just not working. What is clear

is that the minister and the ministry responsible are failing British

Columbians, and we are seeing that month after month. Six people a day.

We are losing six people a day. This minister says: “This year continues

to be incredibly sad.”

[2:20 p.m.]

We can’t just be sad. We need this Premier to do something, and he

needs to do it now. Since this ministry was created, the per-capita

death rate has doubled.

My question to the Premier is this. His approach with this

ministry and this minister has failed. Will he put someone in charge who

can take the appropriate action?

Hon. S. Malcolmson: That — despite an unprecedented new wave of measures year after

year, despite unprecedented spending, despite unprecedented effort on

the part of our health care workers and front-line providers — we

continue to lose lives at such a tragic rate is a tragedy. It is a

phenomenon that is being experienced across North America. It has been

directly correlated that as soon as the pandemic hit, drug toxicity

spiked.

The coroner has continued to document the increased toxicity that

is falling people, despite the fact that we have doubled the number of

supervised consumption sites and despite all of the measures that we’ve

brought in.

I have another quote from the coroner, from February, when she had

yet another terrible report about the loss of life in the province. She

said: “The fact that there is a Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions

whose focus is on supporting people to wellness is a huge step. As I

say, it is a big ship to turn around. We are shifting from punishment

and criminalization to supporting and providing medical treatments to

people who are struggling with addiction.”

Mr. Speaker: The member for Surrey–White Rock on a supplemental.

T. Halford: What we are seeing from this ministry, this minister and this

Premier is an unprecedented failure. The words of the minister speaking

offer no comment as the numbers climb and as people continue to lose

loved ones across this province.

The minister just cited a quote from the coroner, and I will give

another one from the coroner: “For the coroner and the paramedics, we

know what 1,000 people who have died looks like, and it’s just

astounding. The fact that we haven’t seen a coordinated response…is

heartbreaking.”

We know the ministry has no actual authority. Its budget is

smaller than the Office of the Premier’s, and sadly, it is now being

called the ministry of air.

My question is to the Premier. Will he admit that it’s time for a

new minister and that it’s time for a ministry that can solve these

issues and save British Columbians?

Hon. S. Malcolmson: Here’s what the province has been doing with the coordinated

response that our ministry provides, fanning out services through

Health, through Education, through Social Development and Poverty

Reduction, through the Ministry of Children and Families. No one ever

suggested that we were going to build an additional bureaucracy but that

we were going to bring addictions and mental health care in parallel

with our physical health care system. There was never any intention

otherwise.

The Premier’s instruction to my predecessor and friend Judy Darcy

and to me was: “We want you to be single-minded in your cross-government

focus.” It is the overdose emergency response centre that’s housed

within our ministry that coordinates overdose response strategy. It is

the Pathway to Hope — which was designed with the input from people with

lived and living experience with families across British Columbia — that

is our road map, and we are working hard on it every day.

I anticipate that the member is going to have more questions on

this — fair enough — and I’ll be able to elaborate, in more detail, each

element of the plan and the increased number of both practitioners and

people seeking help that are coming forward. We will work hard every day

to continue to try to end the public health emergency and work hard

every day on that.

OVERDOSE DEATHS AND

ACCESS TO SAFE

SUPPLY

S. Furstenau: It has been fascinating to hear four questions from the official

opposition and four responses from the government on this issue. In the

last 100 days since we haven’t been sitting, 600 people have died. We

know what they have died from. They have died from a poisonous drug

supply.

[2:25 p.m.]

Yet in the four questions we’ve heard and the four responses we’ve

heard, we’ve heard about overtures to the federal government for

decriminalization, social workers, safe injection sites, other harm

reduction methods, new waves of measures. It’s a tragedy.

Nobody has spoken about a regulated safe supply, which is…. What

experts, doctors, health care workers and advocates have made clear is

that if we want people to stop dying in this province at the rate of six

people per day, then the poisonous, illicit drug supply needs to be

replaced with a regulated safe supply.

My question is to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Will we see steps taken to ensure that it is not a poisonous drug supply

that is killing British Columbians every day?

Hon. S. Malcolmson: The previous minister, my friend and predecessor Judy Darcy; the

Minister of Health; and the public health officer were already working

on safe supply as a way to separate people from the toxic drug supply,

because what we’re hearing from people on the ground and from families

is that it was toxic drug supply that was killing people.

When the pandemic hit, within two weeks, we were able to implement

quickly, through public health orders and through cooperation across all

of government, a prescribed safer supply. The uptake in that, in the

year and a half since, has been a 425 percent increase in the number of

people that are receiving a prescribed safe supply. In July, I stood

with Dr. Bonnie Henry, and we announced an expansion of that prescribed

safe supply.

Nobody else in Canada is doing this. That people now can be

prescribed a fentanyl patch for the purpose of avoiding an overdose is

unprecedented. We’re grateful to the front-line nurse practitioners and

addictions medicine doctors that helped us design this system and those

brave front-line people, particularly in the Downtown Eastside, who have

piloted this work. We are continuing to expand it every week with every

health authority across the province. We’re determined to do more, and

there’s more to do.

Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Third Party on a supplemental.

S. Furstenau: I appreciate the minister’s response. I think it’s important to

note that prescribed safe supply presents an extraordinary barrier for

people, particularly those who have had less-than-ideal interactions

with the health care system. When we consider, for example, the

indications and evidence of systemic racism for Indigenous people in the

health care system and the number of Indigenous people dying from the

toxic drug supply, we need to be able to go beyond what is existing

right now.

In July, Crosstown Clinic in Vancouver started providing safe,

medical-grade heroin for patients to take home. It was the first of its

kind on this continent. The dozen or so initial patients said it was

humanizing. It was humanizing not to have to line up daily for their

doses. It lets people take on jobs, spend time with loved ones and take

care of their families.

Just last week this program was quietly cancelled. No word from

the Minister of Health, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions or

Vancouver health has been received.

When we compare ourselves to the lowest denominator, we are the

most progressive in North America. Yet we have the third-highest death

rate from the toxic drug supply in North America. This government needs

greater ambition if we are to truly save people from this toxic supply,

and that starts with transparency and progress and a commitment to

maintaining programs that remove the influence of illicit

drugs.

My question is to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Why was the regulated heroin program cancelled only months after it

started, and what is the minister doing to not only get it back up and

running but to expand it?

Hon. S. Malcolmson: The work of Crosstown Clinic and multiple other service providers

in Vancouver and across British Columbia is saving lives, breaking new

ground, working within the framework that federal legislation requires.

We are learning lots from them, and we are removing barriers wherever we

can.

[2:30 p.m.]

The Crosstown Clinic home carry program that the member references

has not been cancelled, but the 11 people that are receiving that

groundbreaking service delivery as another way to separate them from the

toxic drug supply have encountered a barrier through the College of

Pharmacists that we are working hard right now to resolve.

I spoke just this morning with Dr. Scott MacDonald, the lead on

this. The program is not cancelled. Those people are still receiving the

treatment that they need, the medication that they need. But the

home-carry piece, which had been working well, is now, through the

college, a conversation that we are having.

I’d be very happy to update the member on what I learn in coming

days. We’re working hard to resolve it.

YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION

TREATMENT BEDS AND

CENTRES

K. Kirkpatrick: Two weeks ago a so-called progress re­port on mental health

and addictions was released which included a disappointing update on the

youth treatment beds promised by this government in August of 2020. This

is what the government’s own report says, on page 11: “Thirty beds are

currently in the process of implementation, with the remaining 93 beds

in planning.” That’s right. After 14 months in the middle of a crisis,

implementation hasn’t even started on more than three-quarters of the

promised beds.

My question to the Premier: why has this minister failed to

actually implement what was promised 14 months ago?

Hon. S. Malcolmson: The commitment to double youth treatment beds, which is an

unprecedented expansion in British Columbia and long overdue, had a

promised delivery date of 2023. We are well on track to meet

that.

In the meantime, earlier this year we added 95 adult treatment

beds. We have a commitment to implement another 195. A year ago we

opened a new, really innovative youth treatment centre — 20 beds in

Chilliwack. It’s named Traverse. I just visited it last week, along with

the member for Chilliwack. And there are more and more addiction

treatment, bed-based detox recovery programs and supports that we’ve

added for youth across British Columbia.

The Interior Health was able to move more quickly than some of the

other health authorities during the pandemic to stand up and let the

contracts for those youth treatment beds, but they’ll all be in place by

2023, as promised.

Mr. Speaker: The member for West Vancouver–Capi­lano,

supplemental.

K. Kirkpatrick: In June 2019, this NDP government claimed they would “help people

immediately by opening more Foundry centres.” Yet 28 months later, this

is what the report says: “The additional eight Foundry centres are in

development.” Promised beds are missing, and there have been no new

Foundry centres actually opened over the two years since they’ve been

promised. So the minister is failing to deliver.

Can the Premier offer details, not just words, on when exactly

British Columbians will receive beds and Foundry centres that were

promised years ago?

Hon. S. Malcolmson: Foundries do not have any bed-based component, but they do offer a

fantastic connection to addiction and treatment recovery services, to

reproductive health, to primary health and mental health counselling. As

the member can appreciate, during the time of the pandemic, most Foundry

centres were not able to open at all. We instead moved the platform

online and developed with youth something designed by youth.

Also, a Foundry app so that now people in every community across

British Columbia are able to connect. The data that comes from the

Foundry leads is quite encouraging around new people that maybe were not

willing to walk into a centre that are willing to engage

online.

We are still on track to open. It will be a total of 23 Foundry

centres. Some of them will be opening in some of the opposition members’

communities very soon.

MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

INTERVENTION SERVICES AND

FUNDING

T. Stone: Communities are pleading for more crisis intervention units with

police and trained mental health workers. But requests to expand units

like Car 40 in Kamloops, and proposals for new units in other

communities, have consistently been rejected by health authorities and

by this government.

[2:35 p.m.]

The mayor of Coquitlam has written about his personal experience,

saying: “For several years now, Coquitlam has pressed for a mental

health car program similar to Surrey’s Car 67. Unfortunately, Fraser

Health has so far refused and has just rejected a similar request from

Burnaby.”

The question to the Premier is this. Why are communities across

the province being left to deal with this crisis alone?

Hon. S. Malcolmson: The manner of deciding where the implementation of mental health

support dollars will go is done always with the people that are most

connected on the ground, and that is health authorities across British

Columbia.

There are extremely successful car programs across British

Columbia where psychiatric nurses or mental health care workers will be

paired with police. We have a lot of successes to point to. Also, a

number of areas where the health authorities say that, actually, direct

funding to an on-call nurse or a home support nurse to deliver mental

health services would have worked better.

We continue to be open to the proposals that the health

authorities bring to us. We continue to be informed by the work that’s

happening through the Police Act review around how we can — and the

Premier has asked me to work on this specifically — better stand up

community mental health and addictions supports so that we can allow

police to focus on true crime and what they were trained to

do.

We will continue to work with health authorities and with police,

learning from the results of the Police Act review around how we can

best resource this. In the meantime, communities should continue to

speak with their health authority because they’re the lead

decision.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Kamloops–South Thompson, supplemental.

T. Stone: The government’s efforts are not working. The calls that police

are being asked to respond to relating to the Mental Health Act are

increasing dramatically.

In Kamloops alone, over 100 police calls every month relating to

the Mental Health Act are happening. The Car 40 program in Kamloops can

only respond to about a quarter, 25 percent, of those calls. Why?

Because the existing service is only funded by this government to the

tune of four days a week, until about 4:30 — so regular business

hours.

Now, a news flash for the Premier: mental health

inter­ventions actually also happen in the evenings, and they

happen on weekends. This service has proven to be effective, and it

needs a modest increase in funding to add an additional mental health

nurse so those British Columbians in our community who need the help

will get the help.

The mayor of Kamloops says that the hesitation from this

government is frustrating: “We’re providing most of the cards at the

table here, because we’ve got the police officer, we’ve got the

equipment, and we’re providing the car. We’re prepared to make that

investment. I’m really getting a little frustrated that their” — the

government’s — “smaller portion of that is holding up the

implementation.”

In Fraser Health, it’s the exact same situation. There’s no plan

to increase Car 67, as it’s called there. The Premier keeps saying that

they’re trying. Well, they’re not. Whether it’s beds or supports or

counselling or mental health intervention, this government is

failing.

My question, again to the Premier, is this. Will the Premier

commit today to expanding programs like Car 40, like Car 67 in the

communities that desperately need those services?

Hon. S. Malcolmson: The focus that we are bringing to support people that are in

active psychosis, people who are in untreated addiction, particularly

where we are seeing impacts on street disorder, impacts on businesses

and neighbours of people that have been living outside…. All of that is

built into the homelessness strategy and the work that I’ve been asked

to do on complex care housing, finding a new way to connect people who

have not been able to do well in supportive housing — to connect them

better with the kind of treatment and housing that can allow them to be

a successful tenant and stabilize.

All of this is bolstered by our continued investment in ACT teams,

in community action teams, all the ways that we can try to get at the

kind of disorder and untreated mental health and addictions impacts that

lead police to be called.

[2:40 p.m.]

That is happening in one branch of work. The other is the work

with the Police Act review, where we continue to be informed by the

evidence, working with the health authorities and working with police

around where they need a direct pairing of mental health and

policing.

We are committed to doing that work. That work study is underway,

and we look forward to receiving the recommendations of the

committee.

YOUTH ADDICTION SERVICES AND

NALOXONE KIT FUNDING AND

SUPPLY

M. de Jong: I’m afraid the answers and the excuses that we’re hearing today

will be of little comfort to grieving parents across the province, the

grieving parents that wrote to me on Friday. Here’s what they

said.

“Our 17-year-old son was found yesterday morning in Vancouver, far

from his Abbotsford home. He left his treatment facility after just a

few weeks, and because of the laws in B.C., we couldn’t keep him there.

Now he’s dead. The system in place for children suffering from drug

addiction is failing our youth. Tell your colleagues,” they wrote to me.

“Tell anyone who has the ability to make a difference that the way we

are dealing with at-risk youth is most definitely not working.”

Then we find out last month that some time ago the government

decided to cut funding for naloxone kits for emergency responders. The

Premier explained that by saying there was a supply issue, only to be

contradicted a few days later by the Centre for Disease Control, who

said there was no question about problems with supply.

How do we take the words and the answers of the minister and the

Premier seriously when at the very time that they’re needed most, the

government decides to cut funding for naloxone kits — life-saving

naloxone kits — to first responders?

Hon. M. Farnworth: I appreciate the question from the member opposite. I want to

assure the member opposite that there is no shortage of naloxone kits

that are….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Let’s listen to the answer, please.

Minister.

Hon. M. Farnworth: Thank you, hon. Speaker. The questions have been asked and have

been listened to respectfully and not been heckled. The member asked a

question, and I’m providing him with the answer, which is: there is no

shortage of naloxone kits. The issue that was raised was with one

particular police department, in Oak Bay, that used a total of two

naloxone kits this year.

We’ve made it clear that naloxone is available to police

departments right across this province. We work with police departments

to ensure that they have a steady supply. The government is committed to

doing that, and that is what is taking place. There is no shortage of

naloxone, and if police departments need it, it is there for

them.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Abbotsford West on a supplemental.

M. de Jong: Well, the Minister of Public Safety says supply wasn’t a problem.

The Minister of Mental Health, I think, chimed in at one point to say

supply wasn’t a problem. I guess the only person who seemed to be

arguing that supply was a problem was the Premier.

But here’s what the Victoria police chief said about a decision

that was communicated to him and to police forces. He said: “I’ll be

honest. When we all received a letter from police services that funding

was going to be eliminated for naloxone training and naloxone kits, it

was a bit of a head-scratcher. We’re all wondering why this would happen

when we’re in the midst of a provincial health emergency.”

For the police chief, for the first responders and for those

parents like the ones that wrote to me on Friday, decisions that lead to

letters indicating funding for life-saving naloxone kits are more than

just a head-scratcher; they’re tragic examples of faulty

judgment.

[2:45 p.m.]

When is this government going to move forward with a strategy and

an approach that has a positive impact? When are they going to take

steps that make it better and not worse so that the kinds of letters I

got on Friday aren’t being sent with the frequency they are

now?

Hon. M. Farnworth: I think what we’ve seen is that the Minister of Mental Health and

Addictions has outlined exactly the work that is taking place on a

cross-ministry basis, right across this government. And all ministries,

as part of their mandate letter associated with this issue, are working

in a coordinated fashion to ensure that we’re doing everything that we

can.

What the member has asked in terms of naloxone, again, I will

repeat. There is (1) no shortage of naloxone and (2) it came about as a

result of one police department. It has been in place for 18 months.

There is enough naloxone there. Police departments need it. They get it

and training. All of those things are there, in place, to deliver

naloxone when and where it’s needed.

[End of question period.]

Tabling Documents

Mr. Speaker: Members, I have the honour of tabling the following

reports.

The Auditor General’s reports, Oversight of Dam Safety in British

Columbia , September 2021, and Update on the Connecting British

Columbia Program , August 2021.

The Chief Electoral Officer’s report on the 42nd provincial general

election, October 24, 2020.

The Conflict of Interest Commissioner, Annual Report

2020 .

The Information and Privacy Commissioner, Annual Report

2020-2021 .

The Ombudsperson, Annual Report 2020-2021 ; public report No.

52, Severed Trust: Enabling WorkSafeBC to Do the Right Thing When Its

Mistakes Hurt Injured Workers, September 2021; special report No.

49, 2021–2026 Strategic Plan , July 2021.

The registrar of lobbyists, Annual Report 2020-21 .

The Representative for Children and Youth’s annual report and service

plan.

And 15 reports pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures

Act.

Hon. N. Simons: I have the honour to present the 2020 annual report on our province’s

poverty reduction strategy, TogetherBC.

Motions Without Notice

MEMBERSHIP CHANGE

TO FINANCE

COMMITTEE

Hon. M. Farnworth: Mr. Speaker, I submit to you a motion regarding a substitution on

the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government

Services.

Leave granted.

Mr. Speaker: Please proceed and read the motion, Member.

Hon. M. Farnworth: I move:

[That the written agreement between the Government House Leader, the

Official Opposition House Leader, and the Third Party House Leader,

dated September 24, 2021, be ratified to substitute Jagrup

Brar , MLA for Pam Alexis , MLA as a Member on the Select

Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services for the second

session of the Forty-second Parliament.]

Motion approved.

Orders of the Day

Hon. M. Farnworth: I call second reading of Bill 12, Insurance (Vehicle) Amendment Act, and

other statutes.

[2:50 p.m.]

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

Second Reading of Bills

BILL 12 — INSURANCE (VEHICLE)

AMENDMENT ACT,

Hon. M. Farnworth: It’s my pleasure to rise today to speak about Bill 12, the

Insurance (Vehicle) Amendment Act, 2021. All of the amendments in Bill

12 are technical in nature, and none represent a shift in policy, but

they are nonetheless necessary to validate past and current government

policy and to ensure that the legal framework for vehicle insurance,

including enhanced care, works as intended. Bill 12 addresses legal

questions that have developed as a result of two proposed class action

suits that could have significant financial implications for both

ratepayers and taxpayers.

First, the bill amends the Insurance (Vehicle) Act to validate

past payments by ICBC for the costs of health-related services arising

from injuries sustained in vehicle accidents and makes explicit the

legal authority for future payments. ICBC has been reimbursing

government for these costs for decades. In fact, more than decades, I

guess you could say, dating all the way back to the 1980s, through

successive governments.

Second, the bill will validate basic premiums set for owner

certificates on the basis of geographic region between August 2003 and

May 2018 to address an ambiguity in that period. Bill 12 also amends the

Insurance (Vehicle) Act to clarify the priority of coverage between

vehicle insurers and the priority of coverage between vehicle insurance

and other sources of compensation so that enhanced care works as

intended. In addition, Bill 12 makes a number of technical amendments to

the Insurance (Vehicle) Act to ensure that regulations are clearly

authorized so that the legislative framework works as

intended.

Finally, Bill 12 amends the Motor Vehicle Act to change the

minimum refund amount from $5 to $1 to ensure consistency between

refunds under the Motor Vehicle Act and refunds under the Insurance

(Vehicle) Act. With that, I look forward to comments from

colleagues.

I move second reading.

M. Morris: I look forward to a briefing on the bill, prior to the committee

stage on this. But Bill 12 strengthens the monopoly or oligopoly that

ICBC has on the auto insurance industry that we have in British

Columbia. The legislation allows ICBC to assume total control over

developing, delivering and administrating their policies and their

products; determining eligibility on claims and eligibility on medical

services; adjudicating; and mediating disputes and appeals against their

own decisions.

Bill 12 is the heavy hand of government retroactively eliminating

any court processes, arbitration processes, payment options and plans

that were in existence prior to May 1, 2021. The saga of no-fault

insurance — something that the NDP expressly confirmed, prior to the

2017 election, that they were not going to do — continues. Arguments

have been consistently raised by many groups and individuals respecting

the loss of their rights to seek legal assistance and guidance in

assessing and arguing ICBC decisions on their behalf.

Internally, ICBC determines how an injured person is treated and

compensated. Internally, ICBC will determine outcomes of complaints and

concerns from individuals. And internally, ICBC, through their newly

appointed fairness officer, will assess whether an individual is treated

fairly or not.

[2:55 p.m.]

In respect to the fairness officer, I have the utmost respect for

Michael Skinner, whom I’ve worked with in the past when I was an

adjudicator with the Health Professions Review Board. There’s no doubt

in my mind that his recommendations will be fair and transparent. My

concern, however, is still the same as I expressed during debate on this

issue last spring. The fairness officer has no decision-making

authorities and is paid by ICBC. This arrangement does not reflect the

level of independence required for this position.

I received several calls from concerned individuals who have been

injured in accidents and are confused and perplexed trying to navigate

the new system of enhanced care. The regulations describing process and

benefits are lengthy and confusing for a citizen not used to navigating

these documents, more so when an individual is suffering stress and

confusion after being involved in an accident. I’ll be monitoring this

new enhanced-care approach closely as I remain in touch with the persons

involved in the process.

I look forward to the committee stage on Bill 12, when myself and

colleagues will take a deeper dive into the many concerns we have with

this legislation.

Deputy Speaker: Seeing no further speakers, I recognize the Minister of Public

Safety and Solicitor General to close debate.

Hon. M. Farnworth: I appreciate the comments from the member opposite. Obviously, he

wants a briefing. He will be able to get a full briefing.

With that, I will take my seat as you put the vote to second

reading.

Motion approved.

Hon. M. Farnworth: I move that the bill be referred to a Committee of the Whole House

to be considered at the next sitting after today.

Bill 12, Insurance (Vehicle) Amendment Act, 2021, read a second time

and referred to a Committee of the Whole House for consideration at the next

sitting of the House after today.

Hon. M. Farnworth: I call second reading of Bill 15, the Early Learning and Child

Care Act.

BILL 15 — EARLY LEARNING AND

CHILD CARE

ACT

Hon. M. Dean: I move that the bill be now read a second time.

I’m very honoured to be speaking to you today from the traditional

territory of the

Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking people, now

known as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.

This Early Learning and Child Care Act has been a long time

coming. It is an important part of our work to make life better for B.C.

families as we continue to build a strong foundation for an inclusive,

universal child care system that will benefit families for

generations.

The new act combines and streamlines the existing Child Care B.C.

Act and the Child Care Subsidy Act. It will provide the legislative

foundation for our future universal system while also supporting our

commitments under our Canada-wide early learning and child care

The act will enable us to keep child care costs down for parents

by providing authority to create new regulations that set limits on

child care fees to better support B.C. families now and for generations

to come. Once enacted, the act will require the minister responsible to

report out annually on progress. That means families, our partners,

communities and the public will have access to consistent, clear data on

all the work we are doing to build the system of child care in

B.C.

We are committed to making it easier for child care providers to

receive grants to help children with disabilities and other support

needs to fully participate in their programs. We also need to better

support Indigenous rights holders in designing and delivering

distinctions-based child care that best meets the needs of their

families and communities.

This legislation is the first step to making sure that Indigenous

child care is at the forefront of our work. We’ll work closely with

Indigenous rights holders, the First Nations Leadership Council, Métis

Nation B.C., the B.C. Aboriginal Child Care Society and other Indigenous

partners and communities to continue planning for long-term systemic

change — change that will improve access to culturally safe and

enriching child care for Indigenous families throughout the

province.

[3:00 p.m.]

Under the strong and wonderful and inspiring leadership of my

colleague the Minister of State for Child Care, who will be speaking to

this bill at length, and with the passion that she has shown for

Childcare B.C., we’ve made important progress for the past four years in

improving access to affordable, quality and inclusive child care.

Families across the province are already feeling the benefits. Many

families are saving up to $1,600 a month per child on child care through

our Childcare B.C. affordability measures.

The Minister of State has been leading the charge and working just

so wonderfully with partners to create new child care spaces, reduce

fees for parents and support early childhood educators, who, as we all

know, are the workforce behind the workforce. She’s been creating a new

social program, and that is a huge undertaking.

We owe it to families across B.C. to deliver this long overdue

service. We’re going to do the work to get it right. The ELCC Act will

help us get there and support more families every step of the

way.

K. Kirkpatrick: Thank you to the minister.

Today I rise to debate Bill 15, the Early Learning and Child Care

Act. I’m excited because this is the first opportunity I’ve had to

respond to

an act related to my critic’s role.

We have two critical issues facing child care in British Columbia

today. The first is a critical shortage of spaces. The second is a

critical lack of qualified early childhood educators to work in these

daycares. So any solution to the child care crisis in British Columbia

has to address both of these issues simultaneously. One cannot be solved

without the other.

We support, absolutely, affordable and accessible child care.

Child care has to be a priority for this government. This government ran

on a promise of $10-a-day child care and universal child care in the

past two elections, so I am pleased to see that this will be moving

forward.

Today, out of 125,000 existing spaces, just over 3,000 are

$10-a-day spaces in these pilot sites, and none of those are new spaces.

These pilot sites have not opened up access to any more families. In

fact, just over 6,000 new spaces have actually opened by government’s

own numbers. There remains a critical shortage of child care for young

people with special needs.

The lack of affordable child care spaces is a significant barrier

for mothers who want to return to work or pursue an education. This

contributes to gender inequality and weakens the B.C. economy. The lack

of affordable child care keeps women in poverty.

Access to high-quality and affordable child care can also impact

the well-being of children, their experiences of poverty, their risk of

being separated from parents and the likelihood of being cared for in an

informal stopgap arrangement. Children themselves have the right to

quality child care independent from those of the women caring for

them.

If the goal of this government is to increase spaces, it can’t be

done without a dramatic increase in attracting and retaining people into

the child care profession. I know there is another bill, which will be

tabled, which will address some of this, but this is in parallel with

the bill that’s being introduced now.

I’ve been hearing from both child care operators and parents that

reduced hours and closures for daycares due to a lack of staffing are

happening all over British Columbia, particularly in smaller

communities. I’ve also heard, and I’ve shared with the minister, the

challenges that child care providers are having with the heavy

administrative and reporting burden of all of the different programs

that they are working with under this ministry. These pressures, or

these administrative burdens, are actually adding to the operational

costs of running these organizations.

I’m going to give you an example of a recent announcement, and

I’ve just heard from child care providers and from ECE workers on that.

The $2-an-hour wage enhancement that was going to be added to ECE

workers’ pay, which was supposed to be effective in September of 2021,

is now being deferred until March of 2022.

[3:05 p.m.]

Now, obviously, that has an impact on ECE workers. It’s going to

be paid retroactively. They will be getting that money, but they’re not

going to be getting that money until the end of the budget year. I’m not

quite sure why that’s happening. Here’s an example of an unintended

consequence which adds administrative burden to the child care child

care operators themselves.

What this is going to mean is that each employee…. Every employer

is going to have to track down any em­ployee that worked for them

between September and the end of December of last year, whether they

worked for two hours or four hours. Once they find them, then they will

pay them the $2 an hour enhancement for the number of hours they worked,

but this is now in another payroll year.

What this is going to require…. Now there’s going to be a payroll

implication to this. There’s going to be additional payroll that has to

be run. There’s going to be additional calculations for tax. There’s

going to be an additional form that has to be filed with the Canada

Revenue Agency that is going to adjust a previous year’s income. If

you’ve got five or ten or 15 employees, this can be quite

substantial.

A lot of daycare providers are moms running small daycares. They

don’t have the capacity or the accounting department in order to be able

to do things like this. I asked the ministry about this and was told:

“Well, that’s pretty much their responsibility as employers to deal with

these kinds of things.”

I do think we really need to be alive to the fact that the kinds

of changes that happen within legislation and within policy in this

government can have significant impacts, just in order to be able to

comply and file the paperwork and do all of those things that are

required.

I would really like to see us bring together the rich fabric of

the whole child care community: the not-for-profits, public spaces,

Montessori, enhanced learning, private providers. Again, many of those

are small businesses owned by women. Child care should be integrated

into our communities. It should be on school grounds, long-term-care

homes, community centres, new housing developments, shopping centres,

private homes. Child care should be central to all

communities.

Limiting child care operators limits parents’ choices and options.

I’m concerned — although it’s hard to know what constraints will be put

on, in particular, the privately owned daycares — because a lot of what

this act is envisioning is actually going to be carried out in

regulation. It’s a very light framework for me to actually be able to

make determinations on what the true impact is going to be.

Provincial legislation can certainly help with this crisis, but

government also needs to work with the municipalities to streamline

licensing requirements across British Columbia. Now daycare providers

will look at what is happening provincially in terms of what their

requirements are, the Ministry of Health requirements and all of that.

Then, on top of that, municipalities have the ability to add additional

requirements. An example would be the city of Vancouver. It has some of

the most stringent requirements for child care facilities anywhere in

Canada. This is in a city and in a community with the highest cost of

land, construction, leased space.

The impact of all of these additional requirements is to push up

the cost of providing child care. Of course, in return, that means that

to cover those additional expenses, the cost of child care continues to

increase. In fact — and I find this very interesting — the physical

space requirement per daycare space in British Columbia is higher than

in all other provinces.

I’ll give you an example of that. I’m using really easy numbers so

that I don’t get myself confused. If you’ve got a 2,000-square-foot

daycare facility here in British Columbia, you can get licensed for

approximately 50 child care spaces. If you have that same

2,000-square-foot space in Ontario, you can get licensed for 60 child

care spaces. If you have that 2,000-square-foot space in Alberta, you

can get licensed for 74 spaces.

[3:10 p.m.]

If you could imagine…. If we could do some work with the Ministry

of Health, which is actually the one that regulates this, and we could

come together collectively, we would be able to add, back of the

envelope, 29,000 spaces in a very short period of time simply by

changing — nothing is simple; I understand that — the licensing

requirements right now. There are more straightforward ways to be able

to get to the means that we’re trying to get to.

Now, as I said, simultaneously we can open 100,000 spaces, but if

we don’t have any ECE workers to work in them, then we still have the

problem.

When the minister introduced this bill in June, she said that it

is “…an important step towards our goal of making inclusive, universal

child care a reality in British Columbia.” The minister repeated that

today. So notwithstanding this assertion, nowhere in this proposed act

is universality or inclusiveness even referenced.

Again I go back to the challenge with the fact that most of this,

the meat of this — I’m a vegetarian, but I can still use that term — is

really going to be in the regulation. It’s difficult when those things

are happening outside of this House so that we’re not able to debate

them and look at how that’s going to impact daycare, child care

providers and families.

Two key elements of this act. One is moving the majority of the

policy work to the Provincial Child Care Council. Really, the breadth of

what their decision-making…. I shouldn’t say decision-making. They make

recommendations to the minister. But they’re making recommendations to

the minister on critical, critical issues that are very broad and

require deep subject matter expertise in a number of different areas.

I’ll give some examples of that in a moment.

The second piece, again, as the minister referenced — producing an

annual report on the actions the province has taken to support their

commitments to the provision of child care. Now, I read the service

plans every year, and I look at the information that is publicly posted

in terms of how many additional spaces are coming online. So I have to

question if we really require legislation to give us largely what is

already required to be published by government. Just a commitment to

transparency would perhaps take the place of a majority of the actual

act that’s being presented to us.

I do want to, if we can…. Bear with me for a moment. I’m still new

at this. I’m just going to take a look at some comments that I’ve got,

specific to the Child Care Council. Yes, I also appreciate I do get to

go to committee stage, so I am really still speaking at this point. The

Provincial Child Care Council can be made up of up to 21 people. I

really am concerned that….

affordability, inclusiveness — that’s fine — and child care grants and

child care benefits. So those decisions will be made outside of here.

What really concerns me is that this group will also have the ability to

make recommendations on social, cultural, educational, emotional,

cognitive and physical development of children.

I have been involved in organizations that work with children and

families. I’ve been involved in the running of a non-profit daycare.

What you’re describing here in this act really requires that you’re

going to have behavioural psychologists as part of this. You’ll have to

have non-profit operators, for-profit operators, geographies from across

British Columbia, different sizes, different makeups of institutions and

child care providers. I just want to be mindful that there’s a lot of

responsibility in making decisions and recommendations around the

cognitive and behavioural development of our children.

Then there is the ability for this provincial council to also make

recommendations and decisions on any other matter related to child care.

I think that that’s pretty big in terms of what we’re

expecting.

The second piece was the annual reporting. I’ve already addressed

that. As I don’t see…. I look forward to the opportunity in committee to

learn more about why it is important to actually have something that I

believe there are much easier ways to come about getting and to actually

have that in legislation.

[3:15 p.m.]

I thank you very much for your time and for the opportunity to

speak to this bill. I do look forward to the committee stage to learn

more about some of the things that are perhaps not as evident to me

here. I really look forward to hearing from this government on an

overarching strategy as to how we are going to move child care provision

forward in the province of B.C.

Hon. K. Chen: It is so great to be back in this Legislature, and I’m so honoured

and grateful to have this opportunity to rise today to speak to this

very important piece of legislation.

I also want to, first, recognize that I’m speaking here from the

traditional territory of the

Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking

people.

As many of the members in this chamber know, our government, since

2017, has put child care and early learning as a priority for our

government because we know it is so critical to invest in early learning

and care. It’s good for our young children, good for our families, good

for our economy and for B.C. communities.

As a working mom and an immigrant, without family in Canada other

than my seven-year-old son, I know firsthand, every single day,

personally what it is like to struggle to find child care — almost every

day, even this morning as I dropped off my son to before- and

after-school care and rushed my way here to Victoria. The child care

struggles that many parents are facing are something that our government

has to work on, and we have been since 2017, to address the child care

chaos that has existed in our province for many, many years.

Parents have been trying our best to continue to work, to pursue

our career and educational goals, to provide the best we can for our

children with the help of early childhood educators and also child care

professionals in this province so that we can contribute to the economy,

so we can raise our young children to live, work and learn in this

beautiful province we call home.

I’m super grateful that, as the Minister of State for Child Care

since 2017, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from so many parents,

advocates, early learning and care professionals, families and partners

who believe in investing in child care so we can work together to bring

in universal, inclusive early learning and care systems for all B.C.

families.

It is important to remember that when we started this work in

2017, the child care system at the time, according to many child care

advocates, was chaotic. There was no major investment into the sector.

Parents were struggling to afford child care, which can be more than

expensive than their housing costs — their mortgage and rent payments.

And even if they can afford child care, they may not be able to find a

space at all. Parents were struggling to make ends meet and to be able

to contribute to our economy at the same time. And then early childhood

educators have been struggling for years with low wages and lack of

support.

But thanks to everyone who has been working together so hard

during the past four years, we are fixing this chaos. We are making

progress. We are making major investments, with over 2.3 billion

provincial dollars since the 2018 budget to be able to build a new

social program together.

That is why today we are bringing forward this legislation and

also starting a new legislative journey to ensure that the work we’ve

done during the past four years — to bring down the cost of child care,

to accelerate the creation of spaces, to support early childhood

educators and to bring more inclusive early learning and care

opportunities — can be enshrined in law.

To make the foundation so strong that it would be so hard for any

government to take this work away. To ensure that parents will continue

to see a fee reduction in their child care fees. To ensure that parents

will be able to access more early learning and care services. To ensure

that early childhood educators are better compensated and that all this

work will not be taken away easily.

It has happened before, as we look back in B.C.’s history. It is

so important to remember that history. That’s why it is so important to

support this legislation today, to make that foundation so

strong.

Looking back in history, as some of you may know, the current act

actually reintroduces some aspects of the B.C. Benefits Act which was

first introduced back in 1996. In 1996, the B.C. NDP government at the

time introduced the B.C. Benefit (Child Care) Act, now entitled B.C.

Benefits (Child Care Subsidy) Act.

[3:20 p.m.]

It was a legislation that was introduced to begin building a child

care system that includes provisions on affordability, quality,

work in 1997. Think about that. That was 1997.

Then in March 2001, the B.C. NDP government at the time brought in

more legislative changes that provided for $14-a-day child care and also

$7-a-day before- and after-school care. That was 2001. However,

following an election that happened, the former B.C. Liberal government

at the time repealed sections of that legislation that made those

affordability programs possible. They actually took away benefits and

support for families who really needed and counted on those measures,

and millions of dollars were gone after the new government came into

power.

Then, as we all know the history, after 2001, when it comes to

child care, we faced a 16-year-long gap without significant investment

or strategies to address the child care chaos that many advocates

described. Early childhood educators were also facing struggles because

of that 16-year-long gap that resulted in many children missing out on

opportunities to access quality early learning programs that would

support healthy development and a strong foundation for those children,

especially for children who required extra support.

The 16-year-long gap resulted in countless parents giving up their

careers or educational dreams or not even able to make ends meet, such

as a parent I met, a single mother who mentioned to me how she had to

give up her pretty decent, stable, paying jobs because she could not

afford or find child care for a few years. Even though she was able to

return to the workforce after a few years of having to rely on social

assistance, she describes to me those years as the hardest time of her

life for herself and also for her young children. The lack of quality,

affordable, early learning and care services is really hurtful for our

families, just like the story that I mentioned.

It’s not just the families and young children. The 16-year-long

gap resulted in early childhood educators struggling with low wages and

leaving the field. It resulted in employers being left scrambling to

recruit their employees back from maternity leave, with many skilled,

valuable workers pulling out of the job market because of the child care

shortage.

The lack of investment in child care hurt our families, our young

children and our economy. It was not right. That is why in 2017, 20

years after the B.C. Benefits Act was first introduced and was left,

unfortunately, unfinished, we restarted this journey again in 2017 to

invest in early learning and care, with a comprehensive strategy to

build a new social program for B.C. families. When the opposition critic

talks about comprehensive strategies, please look into our child care

plan.

We have over three dozen initiatives building on affordability,

including the Third Party. We have worked together for the first three

years of this work to be able to build this foundation together. Our

government believes that all children deserve access to inclusive,

quality early learning supports that will help them along the path to

success. Our government believes that investing in child care is good

for, again, our young children, especially those who require extra

support in their early years, and for families, early childhood

educators and our economy.

It is actually also critical to our work on reconciliation as we

build more Indigenous-led child care with our Indigenous partners

throughout this province. Investing in child care is actually also

critical to gender equity. As we know, historically it’s mostly mothers

and women who have been carrying the responsibility of child care. If

you look into the early learning and child care sector, 97 percent of

early learning and childhood educators are women. That is a number that

really has to get us thinking about how investing in child care is

critical to gender equity.

Our work since Budget 2018 has already brought a lot of relief to

B.C. families, including tens of thousands of families that now are

benefiting from a fee reduction program, along with many of them that

are already seeing $10-a-day child care, outside the prototype site. I

know members and the media love to put a focus on the prototype site,

but it is really important to remember that through our three

affordability measures — the fee reduction, the affordable child care

benefit and also the prototype site — tens of thousands of families are

seeing a fee reduction, and thousands of families are already benefiting

from $10-a-day or no-cost-at-all child care.

[3:25 p.m.]

I know the opposition critic loves to talk about spaces. Let me

remind of the history again. Since 2017, as soon as we started the new

spaces program, we have already funded and supported the creation of

26,000 spaces. About 70 percent of the spaces are going into operation

this year, which is historic. This is the fastest space creation that

ever happened in B.C.’s history.

To put that in perspective, in the 16-year-long gap during those

years, they funded about half of the spaces that our government has

funded in three short years. We’ve really expedited that program to find

opportunities to work with local governments, providers, Indigenous

communities, school districts, non-profits and also different types of

providers, including small family providers, to find opportunities to

build more high-quality, licensed spaces.

We have start-up funding. We have funding to help to maintain

spaces. We have a lot of different programs to help to address the

diverse needs of B.C. families. We also have funding to partner with

Indigenous communities through Aboriginal Head Start programs, through

Indigenous-led early learning and care opportunities.

We know we have to do more. We also know that we cannot create an

inclusive, universal, child care system without early childhood

educators. That is why our government has started over a dozen

strategies, looking at how we support the wages of early childhood

educators through recruitment and retention struggles, and also support

their training and education.

Those strategies have really supported a lot of early childhood

educators to stay in the field, including the very popular wage

enhancement program, which will be topping up early childhood educator

wages with a $4-an-hour wage enhancement, which is historic. It has

never happened before. Actually, if you look in history, it was taken

away before, but now we’re bringing it back, doing more and doing an

across-the-board, across-sector wage enhancement for early childhood

educators.

We have also been focusing on inclusion. We have been investing in

supported child development programs that will support children who

require extra support and ensure that the diverse needs of families and

young children are being addressed. I could go on and on about the

investments that we’ve made, but of course I know we have more work to

do. That is why the Early Learning and Child Care Act, this legislation,

will provide the legislative foundation for our future inclusive

universal system.

First of all, we will support the use of grants for Indigenous-led

child care, following our commitment. Again, B.C. is the first province

to bring in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. We

need to ensure that we can work with Indigenous communities to provide

culturally inclusive early learning and care opportunities.

Child care has to be inclusive for all children with diverse needs

who require different supports, and also children from diverse

backgrounds and socioeconomic status. If we truly believe in creating an

equitable society and future for our chil­dren and future

generations, child care is the start. This is the legislation that will

provide that foundation. Inclusion has to be a key part of it. I know

the critic has mentioned how she does not see inclusion in this

legislation. I hope she did read the legislation. There are,

specifically, requirements and mentions of how inclusive child care is

critical. It is a central part of this legislation.

This legislation will also require the province to report out on

the progress we’ve made on child care through an annual report. It

actually holds the government accountable. It holds my work, as a

minister of state, accountable. It also ensures that we can keep track

of the progress and investment we’ve made. We can review it and ensure

that there is always a focus on child care. Child care should stay as a

top priority for any provincial government that comes into this

Legislature and governs.

This legislation also establishes a new regulation-making power

that can set limits to improve affordability measures through

regulations so that we can continue to have the ability to provide more

high-quality care services that are affordable for parents, across B.C.

communities, who are struggling with the cost of living, the cost of

housing and other pressures. Child care should not be a burden or a

barrier to B.C. families. At the same time, this legislation also

supports our work to meet targets outlined in the Canada-wide early

learning and child care agreement with the federal

government.

[3:30 p.m.]

[N. Letnick in the chair.]

As many members may know, we’ve had a really busy summer. The

child care team has not stopped. We had a busy summer working on

significant negotiations with the federal government. B.C. has become

the first province in Canada to sign an agreement with the federal

government to start the national child care plan for B.C. families. In

this agreement, the federal government will invest $3.2 billion over

five years towards our shared goals of providing quality, affordable,

flexible and inclusive child care.

Both the federal agreement and this Early Learning and Child Care

Act commit to the same visions and also commit to increasing

transparency and accountability for governments by requiring annual

reports on the progress we’ve made. For example, among the tens of

thousands of families who are already seeing a reduction in their child

care fees for the first time in B.C.’s history…. Many of them are

receiving the $10-a-day or no-cost child care in the child care

prototype sites. There are about 25 families at this moment who are part

of this program, and we will expand the program with this federal

agreement to 12,500 spaces.

Then, by the end of December 2022, through our agreement with the

federal government, we will also reduce fees for parents of young

children under the age of six, up to by an average of 50 percent. This

is a significant commitment joined by the federal government with the

provincial government’s efforts to make child care more affordable so

that families can access child care regardless of their needs and

situation. That is why we also need to support programs, to support

children who require extra support.

Through our budget this year and through the work that we’ve done

during the past few years, already thousands more children are

benefiting from supported child development and the Aboriginal supported

child development program, and that’s on top of the work that we’ve been

doing since 2018.

Those supported child development programs offer a range of

consulting and support services to children, families, child care

centres, with the goal of enabling children with support needs to

participate fully in inclusive child care settings. That’s a critical

part of this legislation — to ensure we can continue this journey to

make sure we have affordable, high-quality inclusive early learning

opportunities.

This legislation will also build on this work by supporting the

use of child care grants to improve, inclusive of child care, which

means it will be easier for child care providers to receive grants to

help children with support needs. So we are supporting children,

supporting families. And, of course, we have to support early childhood

educators and providers to address that need.

We know that the needs of families in B.C. are diverse and will

continue to evolve. While we have achieved a lot during the past few

years, we still have much more work to do. That is why this legislation,

the Early Learning and Child Care Act, once passed, will continue to be

updated as we grow our system. But this foundation and this legislation

will help to reduce barriers so all B.C. families can access affordable,

quality, inclusive child care, which is in the best interests of our

young children, families and all British Columbians, especially as we go

through this really challenging time together with our economic

recovery.

This investment and this work is long overdue. Again, this is a

journey that first started in the late ’90s, got interrupted for years

and then restarted again in 2017. We really owe it to the families to

deliver this critical social program.

To close, I want to thank all the parents, grandparents, families,

community members, early learning care professionals, advocates and

people who have been pushing hard for inclusive, universal child care. I

also really want to take this opportunity to thank all of our child care

team members from the ministry, from my office, whether they’re present

or past — including the MLA now for Vancouver-Hastings, who was one of

the first people to start this journey, to start this conversation, to

work on this legislation with me — and to everyone who has been working

with us so closely to bring so many positive changes since

That is why I hope that all members in this House will support

this historical bill that will help us carry out the important work for

families today and for generations to come and that will keep us on

track of the investment that we’ve made in child care since 2018 to

create this new social program for B.C. families and to really build a

more equitable future for all.

[3:35 p.m.]

With that, hon. Speaker, I want to thank you and all the members

of the House for your time. I hope all members in this House will

support this legislation.

S. Furstenau: I’ve listened with great interest to the comments of the Minister

of State for Child Care and the critic for the official opposition, and

I think what’s heartening is that there seems to be agreement that child

care is an essential component of a healthy society, that we should be

striving for an equitable and inclusive system of child care in this

province and that we should also be ensuring that it is available and

affordable and does not have barriers.

I think sometimes when we debate these kinds of things and these

kinds of systems, we forget about the actual individuals. So it’s

storytime. Here we go.

I’ve had child care in my life for pretty much my whole life. I

have this very early memory at about 3½ or four years old of being at a

child care centre. It was in a basement. It was quite dark. There wasn’t

a lot of art on the walls or anything like that. The memory that stands

out the very most for me is that every day we were made to lie down,

whether we were tired or not. There were these mats on the floor, and we

all had to lie down.

I remember just lying there awake most days and feeling quite

bored, frankly, and kind of wishing for the day to be over. My parents

started to notice that at the end of the day, I would come home and I

wasn’t very cheerful or chipper and didn’t really have much to

say.

Right around that time in Edmonton, where I grew up, the city of

Edmonton was partnering with a non-profit to open up an early childhood

education centre, an experiment. My parents had the fortuitous — lucky

for me — vision to make sure that I actually got a spot in that early

childhood education centre.

On the first day, I remember my dad taking me. I didn’t want to

go, because I knew what daycare meant, and I didn’t like it very much.

But we got there into this beautiful building — bright and big windows

and lots of space. There was a cook named Winnie, and Winnie made hot

lunch for the kids every single day. Winnie coaxed me into the kitchen

and told me that today she was baking a cake, because it was one of the

kids’ birthdays, and that I could spend the day with Winnie in that

kitchen baking a cake with her. Winnie convinced me to stay that

day.

For the next year, I had the most extraordinary experience in this

early childhood education centre. I learned to read. I learned to write.

I learned to experience what it felt like to be in a child care centre

that really saw me and my fellow peers as whole human beings.

I remember when I went off to grade 1 — because we didn’t have

kindergarten — and grade 2 and grade 3, I would stop by my old child

care centre and say hi to the teachers, because I’d grown so attached to

them in that one year. I wanted to show them how well I was doing in

elementary because I knew that they cared.

The quality of child care shapes our lives. I became a learner in

that one year. I also experienced what it felt like to be valued as a

person in my society in that one year, and that set me on a

course.

While we talk about systems and child care and all of these

things, I think it’s really important for us to centre these children in

our efforts and our work and to try to imagine what it is we’re trying

to achieve — that every child has this experience of being valued, of

being cared for, of having the richest learning experience, of having a

learning experience that reflects their culture and their identity and

their community, and to know that they are deeply cared for and loved

when they go to child care every day.

[3:40 p.m.]

To have legislation right now that is creating these annual

reports on progress is a positive step. But I think we have to

constantly be reassessing where we are trying to get to, what we are

learning along the way and what we are incorporating into that vision,

because, of course, we can’t know everything, at this point.

One of the things I’d like to commend the Minister of State for

Child Care on is that this summer, when I had a child care provider

reach out to me from my constituency office and indicate that she had

some concerns about the progress of a child care centre that’s going up

in Cowichan, the minister of state extended an invitation to hear from

that early childhood educator and listened.

I think that’s also going to be essential, that the people who are

part of creating these systems — the child care providers, the early

childhood educators, the parents — are going to be the most valuable

source of input as this system gets built. And it is essential to keep

that door open and to keep the ability for them to provide input and

information as this goes along so that it can be a continual effort to

do better. That’s what we should be striving for.

The reports on progress can identify how we’re going along that

path, but the work will always have to be on ensuring there is clarity

and ongoing clarification of what it looks like when we’ve achieved the

goals. I expect that will be a work-in-progress forever. There will

always be room for improvement. There will always be ways to make this

better.

Our children today face realities that are very different from

what we grew up with. The compounding issues of climate change,

inequality, biodiversity loss, a lack of affordable housing and a strain

on our social cohesion all put the pressure on us to ensure that

children can be educated in an innovative, responsive, engaging and

thoughtful manner that prepares them for the, really, almost unthinkable

challenges that they’re going to face as they get older.

In that regard, the early learning years are just as important as

the K-to-12 grades. As it was with my experience, those years are the

years that turn us into learners, that tell us about what place we

occupy in our society. And just small things, like having child care

centres where the toilets and the sinks are child-size, tell children:

“We see you. This is designed for you. This is a world we’ve built

because you are at the centre, not us. We’re at the centre of all this

other world, but in here, children are the centre.”

We need to move away from the sense of scarcity that has imbued

our public education system for far too long and make sure that we don’t

transport that scarcity into our early childhood and child care systems.

Public education has been consistently underfunded. There aren’t enough

teachers. There is not enough space. There aren’t enough resources.

There aren’t enough education assistants. This is a message to our

children: “You just don’t get enough. You don’t deserve it.” We have to

make sure, in creating these early years programs, that the message of

scarcity isn’t there. It needs to be a message of abundance.

I think the other thing we want to be sure of is…. As the minister

of state pointed out, there has been a big emphasis on spaces. Of

course, yes, parents need child care spaces, but spaces are not all

created equal. To ensure that we do move towards a more equitable

society, we have to ensure that resources are provided so that there is

that equitable experience for children — no matter where they live in

the province, no matter what their background — and, in particular,

Indigenous-led child care programs that ensure that culture and language

are at the centre of those programs.

[3:45 p.m.]

We currently really do have a mosaic, but I think it’s important

for this government and the minister of state to determine how much of

that mosaic is for-profit and how much of it is not. With the shift over

to the Ministry of Education, ultimately, our goal has always been, as a

caucus, that we see early childhood education for three- and

four-year-olds incorporated into our public education system and thereby

accessible to every child — every three- and four-year-old — and

recognized as having the same value as the rest of the years in

education and that the teachers are valued the same.

I think that it’s a hopeful step to see where we’re at. I know

that this legislation and this kind of progress report have been called

for by the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. I think it’s

important that this government continues to work with them but, of

course, also with parents, teachers, educators, families. I think that

reducing the cost for child care obviously has been a high priority.

It’s going to continue to be an important outcome. Not being able to

afford child care is an impediment to far too many families, and there

is much more work to be done.

It’s a positive step, this legislation, but I encourage this

government and the Minister of State for Child Care to not lose sight of

the extraordinarily important work that will need to continue to go into

this file and to remain focused on those small but very important people

at the centre of it: the children that we all care about so

much.

R. Merrifield: Today I rise for parents, for women and, mostly, for children, our

next generation. I was really appreciative that the Leader of the Third

Party talked so passionately about our next generation.

I am very passionate about child care. Having three kids of my own

and two stepkids, I am very familiar with all of the different child

care opportunities that are out there. Over the course of my career and

my lifetime, I’ve seen parents leave the workforce in droves, not

because they weren’t passionate about their careers and not because they

didn’t need the money to make ends meet. In fact, just this summer I had

a family move out of my constituency simply because they could not find

child care.

incredibly expensive. So this critical shortage of spaces leads to the

costs of the spaces. Currently, we’re about 50,000 spaces short, and

this government has only delivered 6,300 over the course of the last

four years.

Since the 2017 provincial election, the NDP promised to deliver

24,000 new child care spaces and universal $10-a-day child care.

However, there is a huge discrepancy between their rhetoric and their

action. The pilot sites that were just mentioned are actually only

3,000, and 3,000 of just over 100,000 — that’s less than 3 percent of

all spaces. I guess it’s like a lottery, and if you’re super lucky,

you’ll get one of those $10-a-day spaces.

But I know that in my riding, costs have skyrocketed. We do not

see the same savings that are being spoken of. If we’re serious about

gender equality and if we’re serious about our next generation, then we

need to be serious about creating child care spaces. Yes, COVID has only

exacerbated this issue and led to an even greater divide between the

haves and the have-nots and has unduly affected women in the

workforce.

[3:50 p.m.]

The number of constituents that I have currently that are

struggling for spaces is inordinate. I have constituents that put

themselves on 12 different wait-lists, at over $500 per wait-list, four

years ago when their first child was born. They still sit on those 12

wait-lists today, as they are desperately trying to get one of those

parents back to the workforce for their second child, not their first.

This legislation is not going to reduce those wait-lists. This

legislation does not create spaces.

Yes, right now I agree that there is a huge shortage of ECE

workers in B.C. We support policies that can increase the number of

these educators from training, certifying and hiring. True story. My mom

has a master’s degree in special education and 40 years of teaching. She

could not teach at an early childhood education centre because she is

not licensed to do so.

We need to get serious about creating more spaces. What Bill 15

does is really just add a further burden to child care providers, which

is already an industry that is so stretched. It’s an industry that

typically is run by women. B.C. needs new built spaces, not just

converted licensed spaces, which do not help to reduce the wait times

that I just spoke of.

This government’s claim of having nearly 26,000 funded new

licensed child care spaces actually is just a reclassification of

existing spaces from being a registered daycare to a licensed daycare.

This is not the same as creating new spaces. In comparison, the B.C.

Liberal government created 39,959 spaces in 16 years. Just to do the

math; that’s 3,300 per year. In the last two years of our government, we

actually delivered over 11,000 new spaces. In the last election, we

committed to deliver an actual $10-a-day plan, funded with a $1.1

billion investment in year 1.

I think we need to be really serious about what we’re doing here.

I think we need to in