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British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Fourth Session, 38th Parliament o FFicial rePort o F Debates of the Legis Lative a ssemb Ly (hansarD) the honourable bill bari So FF, SPeaker iSSn 0709-1281 Tuesday, November 25, 2008 Afternoon Sitting Volume 36, Number 2

Pro Vince o F britiS h colu Mbia (entered c onfederation July 20, 1871) lieutenant -Go Vernor h is h onour the h onourable Steven l. Point, obc Fourth Session, 38th Parliament SPeaker o F the leGiS latiVe a SSeMbl Y h onourable bill barisoff eXecutiVe council Premier and President of the executive c ouncil ......................................................................................................h on. Gordon c ampbell Minister of State for intergovernmental r elations ...........................................................................................................h on.

Joan Mcintyre Deputy Premier and Minister of education and Minister r esponsible for early l earning and l iteracy ..................h on. Shirley bond Minister of a boriginal r elations and r econciliation .................................................................................................. h on. Michael de Jong Minister of a dvanced e ducation and l abour Market Development ............................................................................. h on.

Murray c oell Minister of a griculture and l ands ..........................................................................................................................................h on. Stan h agen a ttorney General and Minister r esponsible for Multiculturalism .......................................................................... h on.

Wally o ppal, Qc Minister of c hildren and Family Development ..........................................................................................................h on. t om c hristensen Minister of State for c hildcare ................................................................................................................................................. h on. l inda r eid Minister of c ommunity Development .............................................................................................................................h on. blair l ekstrom Minister of energy, Mines and Petroleum r esources ..................................................................................................h on. r ichard n eufeld Minister of State for Mining ................................................................................................................................................ h on.

Gordon h ogg Minister of environment .......................................................................................................................................................h on. barry Penner Minister of Finance and Minister r esponsible for the o lympics .................................................................................. h on. c olin h ansen Minister of Forests and r ange ....................................................................................................................................................... h on.

Pat bell Minister of h ealth Services ................................................................................................................................................h on. George a bbott Minister of h ealthy l iving and Sport .....................................................................................................................................h on.

Mary Polak Minister of h ousing and Social Development .................................................................................................................h on. r ich c oleman Minister of l abour and citizens' Services ................................................................................................................................ h on. iain black Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General .........................................................................................................h on.

John van Dongen Minister of Small business and r evenue and Minister r esponsible for r egulatory r eform ................................... h on. k evin k rueger Minister of technology, trade and economic Development and Minister responsible for the asia-Pacific initiative ...........h on. ida c hong Minister of t ourism, c ulture and the a rts ...........................................................................................................................h on. bill bennett Minister of t ransportation and infrastructure ...................................................................................................................h on. k evin Falcon leGiS latiVe a SSeMbl Y l eader of the official o pposition ...................................................................................................................................................c arole James Deputy Speaker ..............................................................................................................................................................................Sindi h awkins Deputy Speaker .....................................................................................................................................................................k atherine Whittred a ssistant Deputy Speaker ...............................................................................................................................................................Sue h ammell Deputy c hair, c ommittee of the Whole .......................................................................................................................................... h arry bloy c lerk of the l egislative a ssembly...................................................................................................................e.

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

James c lerk a ssistant and c ommittee c lerk .................................................................................................................................... k ate r yan-l loyd Sergeant-at-a rms ........................................................................................................................................................................................Vacant Director, h ansard Services ............................................................................................................................................................Jo-a nne k ern l egislative l ibrarian ............................................................................................................................................................................

Jane t aylor l egislative c omptroller ....................................................................................................................................................................... Dan a rbic

alP habetical liS t o F MeMberS a bbott, h on. George (l) ........................................................................ Shuswap a ustin, r obin (nDP) ................................................................................ Skeena bains, h arry (nDP) ....................................................................Surrey-n ewton barisoff, h on. bill (l) ............................................Penticton–o kanagan Valley bell, h on.

Pat (l) ...............................................................Prince George n orth bennett, h on. bill (l) ...................................................................e ast k ootenay black, h on. iain (l) ......................................................Port Moody–Westwood bloy, h arry (l) ....................................................................................burquitlam bond, h on. Shirley (l) ....................................Prince George–Mount r obson brar, Jagrup (nDP) .....................................................Surrey–Panorama r idge c ampbell, h on.

Gordon (l) .........................................Vancouver–Point Grey c antelon, r on (l) ................................................................n anaimo-Parksville c hong, h on. ida (l) ..................................................... o ak bay–Gordon h ead c houhan, r aj (nDP) ........................................................... burnaby-e dmonds c hristensen, h on. t om (l) ..................................................o kanagan-Vernon c hudnovsky, Dave (nDP) ........................................... Vancouver-kensington c oell, h on.

Murray (l) ....................................Saanich n orth and the islands c oleman, h on. r ich (l) ............................................Fort l angley–a ldergrove c onroy, katrine (nDP) ...........................................West kootenay–b oundary c oons, Gary (nDP) .........................................................................n orth c oast c ubberley, David (nDP) ..............................................................Saanich South de Jong, h on.

Michael (l) ................................... a bbotsford–Mount l ehman Dix, a drian (nDP) ............................................................Vancouver-kingsway e vans, c orky (nDP) ..................................................................n elson-creston Falcon, h on. k evin (l) ..........................................................Surrey-c loverdale Farnworth, Mike (nDP) ............................. Port c oquitlam–b urke Mountain Fleming, r ob (nDP) ................................................................

Victoria-h illside Fraser, Scott (nDP) ...............................................................a lberni-Qualicum Gentner, Guy (nDP) .........................................................................Delta n orth h agen, h on. Stan (l) .................................................................... c omox Valley h ammell, Sue (nDP) .................................................... Surrey–Green t imbers h ansen, h on. c olin (l) .................................................. Vancouver-Quilchena h awes, r andy (l) ............................................................

Maple r idge–Mission h awkins, Sindi (l) ..................................................................k elowna-Mission h ayer, Dave S. (l) .................................................................... Surrey-t ynehead h erbert, Spencer (nDP) ..................................................... Vancouver-burrard h ogg, h on. Gordon (l) ......................................................

Surrey–White r ock h organ, John (nDP) .......................................................Malahat–Juan de Fuca h orning, a l (l) .............................................................k elowna–l ake c ountry ilich, o lga (l) .......................................................................... r ichmond c entre James, c arole (nDP) .........................................................Victoria–b eacon h ill Jarvis, Daniel (l) .................................................... n orth Vancouver–Seymour k aragianis, Maurine (nDP) ............................................e squimalt-Metchosin k rog, l eonard (nDP) ........................................................................... n anaimo k rueger, h on. k evin (l) .....................................k amloops–n orth Thompson kwan, Jenny Wai ching (nDP) ...........................

Vancouver–Mount Pleasant l ali, h arry (nDP) ........................................................................... Y ale-lillooet l ee, r ichard t . (l) .......................................................................burnaby n orth l ekstrom, h on. blair (l) ....................................................... Peace r iver South l es, John (l) ............................................................................c hilliwack-Sumas Macdonald, n orm (nDP) ....................................c olumbia r iver–r evelstoke McGinn, Jenn (nDP) .........................................................

Vancouver-Fairview Mcintyre, h on. Joan (l) ........................................ West Vancouver–Garibaldi Mack ay, Dennis (l) ....................................................... bulkley Valley–Stikine n eufeld, h on. r ichard (l) ....................................................Peace r iver n orth n uraney, John (l) .............................................................. burnaby-Willingdon o ppal, h on. Wally, Qc (l) ........................................... Vancouver-Fraserview Penner, hon. barry (l) .............................................................c hilliwack-k ent Polak, h on.

Mary (l) ...............................................................................l angley Puchmayr, c huck (nDP) .......................................................n ew Westminster r alston, bruce (nDP) ................................................................

Surrey-Whalley r eid, h on. l inda (l) ...................................................................r ichmond e ast r ichmond, c laude (l) .........................................................................k amloops r oddick, Valerie (l) ..........................................................................Delta South r outley, Doug (nDP) ......................................................c owichan-l adysmith r ustad, John (l) .......................................................... Prince George–omineca Sather, Michael (nDP) .........................................

Maple r idge–Pitt Meadows Simons, n icholas (nDP) ................................... Powell r iver–Sunshine c oast Simpson, bob (nDP) ...................................................................c ariboo n orth Simpson, Shane (nDP) .....................................................Vancouver-hastings Sultan, r alph (l) ..................................................... West Vancouver–capilano t aylor, c arole (l) .................................................................

Vancouver-l angara Thorne, Diane (nDP) .................................................c oquitlam-Maillardville Thorpe, r ick (l) .................................................................. o kanagan-Westside t revena, c laire (nDP) .................................................................... n orth island van Dongen, h on.

John (l) ............................................a bbotsford-c layburn Whittred, k atherine (l) ........................................ n orth Vancouver–l onsdale Wyse, c harlie (nDP) ...................................................................c ariboo South Y ap, John (l) .......................................................................r ichmond-Steveston liS t o F MeMberS bY riD in G a bbotsford-c layburn .................................................... h on. John van Dongen a bbotsford–Mount l ehman ...........................................h on.

Michael de Jong a lberni-Qualicum ............................................................................. Scott Fraser bulkley Valley–Stikine ...............................................................Dennis Mack ay burnaby n orth .............................................................................. r ichard t . l ee burnaby-e dmonds ..........................................................................r aj c houhan burnaby-Willingdon .....................................................................

John n uraney burquitlam .......................................................................................... h arry bloy c ariboo n orth ................................................................................ bob Simpson c ariboo South................................................................................. c harlie Wyse c hilliwack-k ent.....................................................................h on. barry Penner c hilliwack-Sumas ..................................................................................

John l es c olumbia r iver–r evelstoke .................................................. n orm Macdonald c omox Valley............................................................................h on. Stan h agen c oquitlam-Maillardville............................................................... Diane Thorne c owichan-l adysmith ...................................................................

Doug r outley Delta n orth ......................................................................................Guy Gentner Delta South..................................................................................Valerie r oddick e ast k ootenay .......................................................................... h on. bill bennett e squimalt-Metchosin .........................................................Maurine k aragianis Fort l angley–a ldergrove ...................................................h on. r ich c oleman k amloops ................................................................................c laude r ichmond k amloops–n orth Thompson ............................................ h on. k evin k rueger k elowna–l ake c ountry ................................................................... a l h orning k elowna-Mission .........................................................................Sindi h awkins l angley.......................................................................................h on.

Mary Polak Malahat–Juan de Fuca ....................................................................John h organ Maple r idge–Mission ....................................................................r andy h awes Maple r idge–Pitt Meadows ........................................................Michael Sather n anaimo ......................................................................................... l eonard k rog n anaimo-Parksville ...................................................................... r on c antelon n elson-creston ................................................................................ c orky evans n ew Westminster .................................................................... c huck Puchmayr n orth c oast.......................................................................................

Gary c oons n orth island .................................................................................. c laire t revena n orth Vancouver–l onsdale ............................................... k atherine Whittred n orth Vancouver–Seymour ...........................................................

Daniel Jarvis o ak bay–Gordon h ead ............................................................ h on. ida c hong o kanagan-Vernon ..........................................................h on. t om c hristensen o kanagan-Westside .........................................................................r ick Thorpe Peace r iver n orth ........................................................... h on. r ichard n eufeld Peace r iver South ...............................................................h on. blair l ekstrom Penticton–o kanagan Valley................................................... h on. bill barisoff Port c oquitlam–b urke Mountain ...........................................Mike Farnworth Port Moody–Westwood .............................................................h on. iain black Powell r iver–Sunshine c oast ................................................. n icholas Simons Prince George n orth .......................................................................h on.

Pat bell Prince George–Mount r obson ............................................h on. Shirley bond Prince George–omineca ................................................................. John r ustad r ichmond c entre ................................................................................. o lga ilich r ichmond e ast ..........................................................................h on. l inda r eid r ichmond-Steveston ..............................................................................John Y ap Saanich n orth and the islands ........................................... h on.

Murray c oell Saanich South ........................................................................... David c ubberley Shuswap ...............................................................................h on.

George a bbott Skeena .............................................................................................. r obin a ustin Surrey-c loverdale .................................................................h on. k evin Falcon Surrey–Green t imbers ..................................................................Sue h ammell Surrey-n ewton ................................................................................. h arry b ains Surrey–Panorama r idge ...................................................................Jagrup brar Surrey-t ynehead ...........................................................................

Dave S. h ayer Surrey-Whalley.............................................................................. bruce r alston Surrey–White r ock ............................................................. h on. Gordon h ogg Vancouver-burrard ....................................................................Spencer h erbert Vancouver-Fairview .......................................................................Jenn McGinn Vancouver-Fraserview ...................................................h on.

Wally o ppal, Qc Vancouver-hastings ....................................................................Shane Simpson Vancouver-kensington ........................................................David c hudnovsky Vancouver-kingsway..........................................................................a drian Dix Vancouver-l angara ........................................................................ c arole t aylor Vancouver–Mount Pleasant ......................................... Jenny Wai ching kwan Vancouver–Point Grey .................................................h on.

Gordon c ampbell Vancouver-Quilchena ..........................................................h on. c olin h ansen Victoria–b eacon h ill .......................................................................c arole James Victoria-h illside ..............................................................................r ob Fleming West kootenay–b oundary ........................................................ k atrine c onroy West Vancouver–capilano ............................................................. r alph Sultan West Vancouver–Garibaldi ................................................h on.

Joan Mcintyre Y ale-lillooet ......................................................................................... h arry l ali Party Standings: l iberal 45; n ew Democratic 34

CONTENTS t uesday, november 25, 2008 a fternoon Sitting Routine Proceedings Page introductions by Members ................................................................................................................................................... 13269 t ributes ................................................................................................................................................................................... 13269 Vancouver island r aiders r . c antelon introductions by Members ................................................................................................................................................... 13270 t ributes ................................................................................................................................................................................... 13270 Denise Durand-h utchinson J. h organ S. h awkins Statements(Standing order 25 b) ......................................................................................................................................... 13271 a ctivism against gender violence c. t revena burnaby board of t rade and a sia-Pacific initiatives r . l ee Mid-island Sustainable Stewardship initiative D. r outley r ichmond Student l eadership c onference J.

Y ap burquitlam l ions c lub D. Thorne international Day for the elimination of Violence a gainst Women k. Whittre d oral Questions ....................................................................................................................................................................... 13273 l ong-term care beds at Zion Park Manor c. Jame s h on. G. a bbott G. Gentner a vailability of long-term care beds G. Gentner h on. G. a bbott c losing of c owichan l odge D. r outley h on. G. a bbott l ong-term care beds at Zion Park Manor a. Di x h on.

G. a bbott Workers c ompensation board coverage for esophageal cancer c. Puchmay r h on. i. b lack Jordan's Principle and first nations housing c. t revena h on. t . c hristensen t abling Documents ............................................................................................................................................................... 13278 Guarantees and indemnities authorized and issued report, fiscal year ended March 31, 2008

Petitions .................................................................................................................................................................................. 13278 c. Jame s D. r outley k. c onroy c. e vans D. c ubberley Motions without n otice ........................................................................................................................................................ 13278 Membership of select standing committees r emoval of l orne Mayencourt from select standing committees h on.

M. de Jong Second r eading of bills ........................................................................................................................................................ 13279 e conomic incentive and Stabilization Statutes amendment a ct, 2008 (bill 45) (continued) S. Fraser h on. W . oppal c. Puchmay r J. brar G. c oons h. b ains h on. r . c oleman M.

Sather D. c hudnovsky t abling Documents ............................................................................................................................................................... 13311 office of the r epresentative for c hildren and Y outh, service plan, 2009-10 to 2011-12

13269 tueSD a Y , noVeMber 25, 2008 The h ouse met at 1:33 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Introductions by Members J. Y ap: i'm very happy to introduce to the h ouse today, visiting for the first time from my riding and in the gal - lery with us, a long-time, life-long r ichmond-Steveston resident and my constituency assistant, Matt Pitcairn. Would the house please make him very welcome. D. Routley: i have quite a list of introductions here. The first group are visiting us from c owichan l odge. They are friends. They are residents. They are people concerned about the potential closure of that facility.

First off, the two lawyers who have represented the families — Gary c aroline and Joanna Gislason; then the residents and their families — t om Gordon, Don Gordon, Joan h ayden-l uck, a udrey l yon, bob batty, Jean batty, Patty Mcnamara, k arlene bara, betty iverson, a nne Wilkinson, t anya berends, Marion Johnson. Will the h ouse please help me make these people welcome as they come to see about the future of c owichan l odge. i also have three other people to introduce. They are from a group called the Mid-i sland Sustainable Stewardship initiative.

This is a group that seeks to find local solutions to environmental issues and represent those issues to local government and other officials. They are Jack a nderson, and l avonne and n ick Dunning. Please help me make them welcome to the h ouse. [1335] Hon. M. Polak: it gives me a great deal of pleasure to introduce my administrative assistant k eira Warren. k eira joined our team in September, and she's doing an absolutely fabulous job. We hope she stays with us for a long time. This is her first time in the gallery. Would the h ouse please make her very welcome. J.

Brar: Visiting us today are concerned seniors and their family members from Surrey. We have with us r on and Sharon Johnson. They have a family member at Zion Park Manor care home. h er name is e va c ole — mother of Sharon and Grace. She will be 105 on December 8. c ertainly, any move for her will be painful. We also have with us Sharon Thomas. The family member they have at the care home is Jackie Thomas, Sharon's husband. We have with us l ynda c ourt. l ynda is an lP n at Zion Park care home. We also have with us r ay Pierce.

The family member they have at the Zion Park Manor care home is Muriel Pierce, a 78-year-old senior. We also have with us Pam bozlovitch, and the family member at Zion Park is Pearl Stolar. So i would ask all the members of this h ouse to please make them feel welcome to this h ouse. D. MacKay: on Sunday when i went to the Smithers a irport to come down to Victoria, i couldn't help but notice this very attractive young lady in the airport terminal building. a s it turned out, we sat beside each other on the way down on the flight.

She actually fell asleep, and her head was resting on my shoulder. it gets better. i've seen quite a bit of her the last couple of days, and i noticed she's sitting in the chamber today. i would like the h ouse to please welcome my daughter l aura Macka Y to the chamber. G. Gentner: it is a great deal of pleasure to welcome to the h ouse l aurie h arris, Dennis h arris and Milton Samis. They are the family of Joy h arris, who is now a resident at Zion Park Manor.

They are residents of c loverdale-Surrey, and they're here to voice their con - cern relative to the loss of beds. l aurie's mother Joy has been transferred from Surrey Memorial h ospital, where the family says she received somewhat terrible care. Joy has had several infections and is very happy at Zion Park and would like to stay there. h opefully, the h ouse can make l aurie, Dennis and Milton welcome. a lso in the gallery is Jacquie Woods. Jacquie is a resident of Surrey, british c olumbia. She has a family member at Zion Park Manor, Margaret a nderson, who is her mother — 92 years of age.

Margaret suffers from heart and health problems. She's been at Zion Park for five weeks, and she is very concerned about losing her place of residence. c an the h ouse please make Jacquie Woods welcome. a lso in the gallery today, we have Diane k ineshanko, George Mca rter, Shirley Patriquin and c oby VanDam. They are the sisters and brothers of bernis Mca rtur — mother to Diane and George — who is 92 years of age. c oby VanDam is bernis's previous caretaker. bernis has lived in Zion Park Manor since 2007. She feels she's being forced to leave her home and that she has no choice.

So the family is here to voice their concern. h opefully, the h ouse will make them welcome. Finally, it's a great deal of pleasure to introduce to the h ouse my ca, c heryl Seale. She's a welcome addition to my staff and has been so since September. So can the h ouse please make her welcome. Tributes Vancou Ver iSlan D rai Der S R. Cantelon: b.c. football fans take heart. There was no Grey c up, but on n ovember 8 the Vancouver island

british c olumbia Debates13270 t uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 r aiders crushed the burlington braves 35-8 for their second championship in two years. a ndrew h arris ran for over 410 yards, and on one draw play, he was later found in downtown t oronto before they finally caught up with him. [1340] So let's congratulate this outstanding group of ath - letes, their owner h adi a bassi and c oach blokker for their outstanding achievements. Introductions by Members H. Bains: i have also a number of introductions to make today. in the h ouse we have Marion Friesen and her friend Michelle Whitehouse.

Marion is a staff member at Zion, and we have Donna and Wendy budzan. They have their father, 77-year-old t ed, at Zion Park. We also have Diane brown and c alvin Mitchell. They have their father, a 91-year-old, at Zion Park. We also have Doreen Mcc ulloch. h er husband, t ed, is also a resident at Zion Park. They're all here to bring a message to all of us in this h ouse to keep Zion Park open, because everyone loves it to be there. Please make them welcome. B.

Ralston: i, too, would like to introduce some mem- bers who are here as part of the Zion Park delegation — l en and r ita Friesen, a lice and Jerry Waddington, l inda buchwald and l orraine Y acey. i'd also like to add that today is l orraine's birthday. Hon. K. Krueger: i'd like to introduce to the h ouse Ms. Shaina Jukes, who is the newest member of the staff in my ministry office. it's always a delight for all of us on both sides of this h ouse to have these wonderful young people come and work with us. Would you please give Shaina Jukes a warm welcome. Hon. G.

Abbott: Three recent visitors to the gallery are from the province of a lberta. They are Janet l ore, Janie Dale and Georgia Dale. a ll were here to visit Grace l ore, who is a former legislative intern. She did great work as a legislative intern and is now, i'm pleased to say, an excellent research officer here at the l egislature. W ould all members of the h ouse please welcome her guests. A. Dix: i wanted to introduce Jim Ferris, Darlene l asko and Marie Piercey. They're here with the group from Zion Park and in the riding of Surrey-c loverdale. i would ask all members of the h ouse to make them welcome. S.

Hammell: i stand to also make some introductions of people who are over here from Zion Manor. i'd like to introduce l eona Gamache. She's here on behalf of her mother, Mary. i'd like to introduce r ick and Judy r huelen, and they are here on behalf of Madge Matheson, Judy's mother. i'd like to introduce l eona borsa and Janis r ath.

They're here because Dennis Maughan, l eona's spouse, is at Zion Manor. a lso, bob and Joan h all are there for Darene oglieve and Dee baker, who is a staff member, to introduce k ay n oonan, who is a coSco member, and ernie bayer, who is a coSco member. a ll of these people are here on behalf of the effort to keep Zion Park Manor open. Tributes Deni Se Duran D-hutchin Son J. Horgan: i rise today to inform the h ouse of the courage and service… interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. J. Horgan: …of a former colleague, Denise Durand- h utchinson.

Denise, 52 years old, has worked in the public service of british c olumbia for 16 years. She began as a clerk, and her abilities clearly shone through, and she rose to management. She considers her time in the public service among her greatest sources of pride.

Denise was one of those public servants that assist gov - ernments in transition, and she's very proud to say that she's worked for three Premiers and three deputies to the Premiers covering both sides of this h ouse. [1345] it's a tribute to her abilities that she could demon - strate non-partisanship and professionalism right up to the end, as today she is fighting inflammatory breast cancer very bravely, as all women do. She's joined at hos- pice today with her husband t im, her daughters k risten and n icole and her son brandon. h er co-workers have provided her with a laptop today, hon.

Speaker and Members, so that she could watch us pay tribute to her and many like her who give their youth and vitality to the service of british c olumbia. Members, would you please join me in thanking Denise and her family for her contribution to the prov - ince of british c olumbia. S. Hawkins: i, too, would like to join the member for Malahat–Juan de Fuca in expressing our support for Denise and her family. Denise Durand-h utchinson has served this province and the government as a dedicated public servant.

She's been fighting a courageous battle, and i know every member of this h ouse and everyone in the precincts will be sending her our best wishes, our prayers, and our love to her and her family at this very challenging time.

british c olumbia Debatest uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 13271 Statements (Standing Order 25b) acti ViSM a Gain St Gen Der Violence C. Trevena: t oday marks the first of 16 days of activism against gender violence. it's an international campaign which bridges today, the international day against violence against women, through to December 10, international h uman r ights Day. These 16 days encompass other inter- nationally recognized days which impact women and violence against women, including international Women h uman r ights Defenders Day, World ai DS day, and the anniversary of the Montreal massacre.

This year, the theme for the 16 days of activism is "h uman rights for women, human rights for all" — an acknowledgment that this is also the 60th anniversary of the u niversal Declaration of h uman r ights. i think it allows us to take a wider perspective of the violence inflicted on women by having no security in their human rights — women who are more likely to be living in poverty and women who are struggling. l ast week b.c. and c anada were criticized yet again by the u nited n ations for not living up to their com - mitments under the convention on the elimination of discrimination against women. b.c. was singled out in this report, again, for the impact of cuts in financial support to civil legal aid for low-income women, and c anada was criticized for cancelling the court challenges program, which allowed women access to procedures which review alleged violations of the right to equality.

The committee also raised the cuts to social assistance, which have had a disproportionate impact on single mothers, aboriginal women, immigrant women and the elderly who rely on such assistance.

The convention on the elimination of discrimination against women is binding on all governments who've signed it, including their provinces, and as such, we are all obliged to imple- ment it. a commitment to women, a commitment to reduce poverty, a commitment to child care and a commitment to provide access to legal aid would be a good start and would be an honourable approach to the 16 days of activism against gender violence. burnabY boarD o F traD e anD a Sia -PaciFic initiatiVeS R.

Lee: i had the opportunity last Wednesday to be a keynote speaker at the burnaby board of t rade a sia- Pacific networking event, where i highlighted the many opportunities to expand our connection to a sia. t oday three of the world's four largest economies — c hina, Japan and india — are in a sia. Despite the cur- rent global economic uncertainty, countries like c hina and india are still experiencing phenomenal growth. This represents a huge opportunity for us to seize on british c olumbia's advantages.

The burnaby board of t rade is one organization in my community which has taken notice of this oppor - tunity unique to b.c. its Pacific gateway committee has the overarching mission to promote trade, invest - ment, education and cultural exchanges.

The chair is Michael h wang of h wang and c o. o ther members include Thomas t am, t eong Sin kwek, Darlene Gering, Dr. c linton l ee, Jonathan l uk, Don enns, Garth e vans, a nne c hen, r ichard Singal, Y ama Y amazaki, May Ma, c armelita t apia, l am n go, Gina h ansen, Michael l eong and Violet c han. [1350] The Pacific gateway committee, realizing that doing business in a foreign country can be a puzzling and stressing experience, has met that challenge by initiating the cultural navigators project and appointing gateway ambassadors.

This unique program uses the knowledge of these ambassadors to be a resource of local customs, cultural protocols and business etiquette. The ambassadors are burnaby board of t rade mem- bers who have first-hand knowledge of the business environment in the a sia-Pacific region and can help prepare for overseas business trips. i'm glad that organ - izations like the burnaby board of t rade are working to support ties with the a sia-Pacific region. i'm sure the h ouse will agree with me that encour - aging investment from and to the a sia-Pacific represents a huge opportunity for our province.

MiD-iSlan D Su Stainable Ste War DShi P initiati Ve D. Routley: i'm rising today to speak about a group called MiSS i, the Mid-i sland Sustainable Stewardship initiative. This group grew organically, one might say, out of local concerns for local issues, but they're taking local action and seeking global outcomes.

The Vancouver island reality is one of heavy residen - tial development that has strained our resources — our water, our farmland, our energy and our forest lands. o ur food security is in great peril. only 30 years ago, over 80 percent of the perishable produce consumed on Vancouver island was grown on Vancouver island. n ow it's said that that's down below 5 percent. There are land use issues, and those are the key issues. h ow has MiSSi answered the call? They've promoted and implemented sustainable community objectives. They are working for a biosphere reserve status for the area.

They assemble local ideas and perspectives concerning land use, growth and development, eco - logical systems, habitat requirements and community requirements. They formulate consensus and prefer - ences for land use. They educate local communities on sustainable uses of land, water, air, and food security,

british c olumbia Debates13272 t uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 pollution and climate change. They represent local per - spectives to relevant authorities. i'd like us all to celebrate MiSSi, this local, independent, grassroots group that seeks to protect the environment, the lifestyle, and the community well-being of Vancouver island. MiSSi is a beacon to other organizations in other communities. They are acting locally for global benefit. l et's celebrate the Mid-i sland Sustainable Stewardship initiative. rich Mon D Stu Dent leaD erS hiP conFerence J.

Y ap: it's said that the youth of today are the lead - ers of tomorrow. i'm sure all colleagues in this chamber would agree that this is more than a well-worn cliché but, in fact, the truth. With this in mind, i was delighted to see leadership among our youth in r ichmond in full display at the recent r ichmond Student l eadership conference held at Palmer Secondary School in r ichmond on the week - end of n ovember 8.

This unique conference, the 11th annual, had over 800 participants, with delegates ran - ging from grades 6 to 12, and the theme was "The h ero Within." What makes this conference remarkable is that it has always been and continues to be completely organized by students for students, with leadership development the goal. The students received encouragement and guidance from Ms. Wendy l im and Mr. Glenn k ishi, directors of learning services at r ichmond's board of education. The 110 students on the planning commit - tee did an incredible job.

This was obvious from the abundance of smiles and the hundreds of positive testi - monials received at the end of the conference. The member for r ichmond e ast and i were given the opportunity to present two workshops on the power of youth, and our primary message was to encourage young people to inform themselves in public policy and to be heard on election day by casting a ballot.

We also discussed various ways in which young people can be further encouraged to participate in our democratic system. o ther conference workshop topics included sustainability, building community, and volunteerism, to name a few. i ask all members to join me in thanking Wendy l im and Glenn k ishi, as well as the student organizers who made this event so possible. in particular, i commend the following student leaders for their leadership: a riel Fan, Gary l eung, n atalie Suen, and Joanne Y en. i also would encourage other boards of education around the province to consider such a conference to further help our youth to prepare to become the leaders of tomorrow. [1355] bur Quitla M lion S club D.

Thorne: it gives me great pleasure to rise today to pay tribute to the burquitlam l ions c lub, which has served the residents of c oquitlam with distinction for many years. The club is well known more recently for its role in building and operating two seniors facilities — the l.J. c hristmas Manor and the burquitlam lions c are c entre. in 1969 the burquitlam l ions c lub took on their first very worthy project when they started the Jimmy c hristmas h amper fund to provide food and gifts for needy families at c hristmas.

The fund was named after c oquitlam's mayor at that time: J.l. c hristmas, known as Jimmy c hristmas.

For 39 years club volunteers have registered hamper recipients, solicited and collected food items and gifts, and arranged to purchase turkeys and fresh produce. e ach hamper is made up individually with toys and gifts chosen to fit the receiving family. a few days before c hristmas a crew of volunteers deliver the hampers to hundreds of c oquitlam homes. l arry Fleming has been the guiding force of the hamper fund since its inception. h owever, l arry told me recently that this will be the last year for the Jimmy c hristmas h amper fund. in the future, c hristmas hampers in c oquitlam will be organized by the Share Family and c ommunity Services Society, which already provides this service to neighbouring municipalities. on behalf of the citizens of c oquitlam and this h ouse, i want to thank l arry Fleming and the burquitlam l ions c lub for their outstanding service to our community. i know that thousands of families who have received food and gifts at c hristmas over the past 39 years will always remember their dedication and generous spirit. international Da Y For the eliMination o F Violence a Gain St Wo Men K.

Whittred: i also rise today to speak about inter- national Day for the e limination of Violence a gainst Women. Women around the world and in b.c. are subject to many forms of abuse: sexual assault, domestic violence and oppression. The scale and true nature of the issue is often hidden. in 1999, the u nited n ations General a ssembly desig- nated n ovember 25 as the international Day for the e limination of Violence a gainst Women.

This year in british c olumbia local organizations are partnering with the crime prevention division of the criminal justice branch to host events to mark this important day by launching 16 days of activism to end violence against women. These 16 days include the n ational Day of r emembrance and conclude with international human r ights Day. in my community of n orth Vancouver we have many outstanding organizations that i want to acknowledge:

british c olumbia Debatest uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 13273 the b.c. c entre for e lder a dvocacy and Support, who worked tirelessly to eliminate violence against seniors; the n orth Shore Women's c entre; the n orth Shore crisis Services Society; the n orth Shore a dults at r isk Support n etwork; the Family Services of the n orth Shore; and the e lizabeth Fry Society. a ll of them seek to raise awareness of this issue of violence against women and provide services to those in need. i particularly want to commend young women from my local high schools who each year organize a march.

They start at the top of l onsdale with candles, march all the way down to the waterfront, and the event cul - minates with dramatic presentations at Waterfront Park. a long with the work done by these courageous citizens and these very, very courageous and foreseeking young people, we can all be part of the solution. Oral Questions lon G-terM care beDS at Z ion P ark M anor C. James: t oday we're joined in the gallery by Darlene l asko. Darlene's 93-year-old mother n ell is a resident of Surrey's Zion Park Manor seniors care home.

When n ell suffered a stroke in 2007, the family was told that she didn't have long to live, but today n ell is alive and well. The doctors said a big reason she did survive is the good-quality care she gets at Zion Park. So when the government decided to close 71 beds at the facility, n ell and her family were devastated. t oday they join the relatives of 70 other seniors whose families are also being forced to face moves. [1400] My question is to the Minister of h ealth.

Will he please explain to n ell, her family and the other senior citizens who are here today, who had to come all the way to Victoria to get the minister to listen, why they're being forced out of Zion Park Manor? Hon. G. Abbott: invariably, these are difficult issues. i know from personal experience that transitions can be a very difficult issue for both residents and families.

That's why, for each and every one of the residents of Zion Park Manor, there will be individualized care plans that will ensure that transition is undertaken in the most sensi - tive and sympathetic way possible. but one of the things that the l eader of the o pposition said that is incorrect is that it was the decision of the government of british c olumbia. That is not true; that is false. Zion Park Manor is not owned by the govern - ment of british c olumbia. it is not owned by the Fraser h ealth a uthority. it is owned by the l utheran Senior citizens h ousing Society.

They are the ones that have made the difficult decision that one wing of their facility should be closed. They have made that decision based on their assessment of the facility, the issues that require remediation, and they have made that decision. Mr. Speaker: The l eader of the o pposition has a supplemental. C. James: it's no surprise to me that i see the Minister of h ealth standing up and pointing fingers somewhere else, trying to blame the society… interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. C.

James: …for closing down beds when it's this government that won't give the society the support they need to continue providing good quality care for seniors in this province. it makes no sense to anyone that this government would look at closing down beds at a time when we have more seniors and fewer beds for those seniors. This min- ister needs to actually admit that the seniors care and the crisis we have are a direct result of this government refusing to build the 5,000 long-term care beds that they promised to seniors in british c olumbia. The people in this gallery are people.

They're the human faces behind the numbers that the minister likes to throw around. These are real people and real families, and they had to come all the way to Victoria to try and get someone on this other side to actually pay attention to them. So again to the Minister of h ealth: will he commit today, in the presence of all of these individuals, to keep those beds open at Zion Manor? Hon. G.

Abbott: i think what is sad and unfortunate are the lengths to which the l eader of the o pposition will go to distort and manipulate in this situation. i think this is very, very sad. a t no point — and i want to emphasize this — has the government of british c olumbia, the Ministry of h ealth Services or Fraser h ealth blamed the operators. The l utheran Senior citizens h ousing Society have been excellent operators. They — not Fha, not the govern - ment — have made the decision to close those units. They have looked at the remediation required for those units.

They've looked at the fact that 586 brand-new units will be opening up within 20 minutes of Zion Park Manor in the months ahead. They do not buy the nDP's recipe for decay. a nd a final point: 5,424 residential care and assisted- living units opened since 2001 in this province. Mr. Speaker: The leader of the opposition has a fur-l eader of the o pposition has a fur- ther supplemental. [1405]

british c olumbia Debates13274 t uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 C. James: The society wants to keep the beds open. The families want to keep the beds open. The seniors living in those beds want to keep the facility open. What doesn't the minister get about keeping Zion Manor open?

The fact is that the minister knows that assisted-living beds are not the same as residential care beds, and they have still not the built the 5,000 long-term care beds they promised to seniors in this province. a t a time when this government should be providing support to seniors, all we get from this minister is more bluster, trying to confuse people and refusing to stand up for seniors. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. C. James: Zion Manor isn't the only facility that is facing this.

We have facilities up and down Vancouver island, all across british c olumbia, that are facing the same kinds of pressure. in fact, in the Fraser health region alone, 3,800 seniors face a similar fate because of this government. So again to the Minister of h ealth: will he stand up and tell these families that they can keep the beds at Zion Park Manor? Hon. G.

Abbott: a gain i have to advise the l eader of the o pposition that she is absolutely wrong. it is not a deci- sion of the Fraser h ealth a uthority; it is not a decision of the government of british c olumbia. it is a decision by the operators, who have been excellent operators. it is their decision that they wish… interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Hon. G. Abbott: …over the next nine months to transition to the closure of one wing of their facility. but perhaps it's not surprising that the opposition have some difficulty understanding the challenges of transition.

During the 1990s there weren't many oppor - tunities for transition. o ver the entire ten years they were only able to add 1,400 units to british c olumbia. Fraser h ealth alone has added more than 1,400 units, and across british c olumbia today i am proud to say that we have added 5,424 residential care and assisted-living units. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. G. Gentner: it's obvious that the person who is responsible for this is the person who should be looking in the mirror himself, and that's the minister.

The minister talks about transition. o bviously, with the response from this government, the only real tran - sition that matters will be on May 12, 2009. That's the transition we're going to be looking for. The minister did not answer the questions by the l eader of the o pposition, but i will try to get at the question again. The situation at Zion Park Manor is just a fraction of the crises facing the Fraser health region and all the province. The families in the gallery gathered here today are here to demand answers, and the minister has to stop running away. We've heard conflicting arguments.

We heard an argument that they're going to shut down the facility in January. Then we heard it was going to be July. Then we have the member for Surrey-c loverdale suggest that the residents can stay there as long as they want until they choose to leave. but these residents and their families gathered here to tell the minister that they want to stay. My question to the Minister of h ealth: why won't he honour these seniors and just let them stay in their homes? Hon. G.

Abbott: i think the member's preface to his question gives you a pretty good idea of where his mind is at and where the nDP's mind is at on this question. This is all about politics. This is all about politics for the opposition. This is not about people. This is about pol - itics. This is about a recipe from the nDP for decay. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Hon. G. Abbott: This is not about sensitivity in trans- formation. This is about politics from the start to the end. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Member, just take your seat. Members. c ontinue, Minister. [1410] Hon. G.

Abbott: From the start to the present day, the operators of Zion Park Manor, Fraser h ealth a uthority and the Ministry of h ealth Services have always been entirely clear about that. The transition is going to occur between the date that it was announced, about a month ago, through to July. o ver that period we will be seeing 6,000 units, brand-new units up to standard, opening up within minutes of that facility. only the nDP would argue that people should stay in areas that don't meet standards when we have better facilities for them. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental.

british c olumbia Debatest uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 13275 a Vailabilit Y o F lon G-terM care beDS G. Gentner: Well, now we've clarified when the evic - tion notices are coming — January to July. The Fraser h ealth a uthority estimates that on any given day, there are 50 to 75 seniors in Surrey Memorial h ospital acute care beds awaiting relocation to other care facilities. This is endemic everywhere in this prov - ince — code purples in hospitals because of backlogs of seniors on waiting lists to find long-term care homes you are closing, Mr. Minister.

The l iberals' seniors policy is more than just being silly. it's affecting people. indeed, it's just plain sinister. Why does this government persist in the falsehood of 5,000 beds? W e know it's not true. Why does the Minister of h ealth con- tinue to close beds when seniors are on long waiting lists to get in? c an the minister answer that? a nd please speak to the members in the gallery when you do so. Hon. G.

Abbott: i'm very pleased to discuss alterna - tive level of care rates with the members. it's important, first of all, to note that when we took office, the wait- time for residential care was about one year. t oday it is about three months across the province. in Fraser h ealth a uthority it is 22 days, a far cry from the one year when we took office. We have made, each and every year, progress with respect to alc rates. Since 2001 we have seen alc patient-days decline by 30 per - cent in this province — a 30 percent decline since 2001 in alc rates. That contrasts, Mr. Speaker…. interjections. Mr.

Speaker: c ontinue, Minister. Hon. G. Abbott: That contrasts to an increase of up to 128 percent between 1996 and 2001 — a sad, sad legacy of that nDP government. cloS in G o F co Wichan lo DGe D. Routley: Mr. Speaker, it's really sad for the people who have gathered here. They hear their h ealth Minister talk about sensitivity.

People are lost in these transitions. it's estimated that at least 10 percent will be lost as they're transferred from home to home. h e doesn't care. h e pushes forward his plan no matter what. c owichan l odge, a seniors facility dear to the hearts of my constituents — they built it — is threatened with closure. The Minister of h ousing and the Minister of h ealth promised, when they brought a private facility to our community, that it wouldn't mean the closure of public beds. Well, we know how true that is now, don't we? in fact, they rushed to close c owichan l odge.

They reduced the notice period from 12 months to two months. The fam - ilies pushed back against this bully tactic, and they won. They won a reprieve, and yet the minister pushes on. Will the minister respect those families? Will he stop trying to force them to move from c owichan l odge, and will he ensure that it remains open as our commun- ity wants it to? [1415] Hon. G.

Abbott: it both surprises me and appals me how quickly this nDP opposition turns to attacking the dedicated public servants who work each and every day to try to ensure that, in fact, there is sensitivity in the transi- tion. t o attack the people who have worked so hard at the Fraser h ealth a uthority, at the V ancouver island h ealth a uthority and throughout the province to see people make an appropriate transition from facilities that don't meet standards, which in fact the n DP came up with in the late 1990s — that they came up with in the 1990s….

They're attacking the health authorities and the oper - ators in this province for trying to undertake sensitive transitions to superior facilities. i don't know what it is about c owichan l odge that attracts the member. is it insufficient interior space in common areas such as activity rooms? is it spaces such as bathrooms that do not meet current requirements to accommodate mobility aids such as wheelchairs? is it insufficient room sizes to accommodate equipment required in complex care? is it narrow doorways which present access and evacuation risks? is it the deficien - cies in primary building systems?

What is it that is so attractive to the member? Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. D. Routley: That's an even more pathetic response than we've heard so far. This minister accuses us of blaming the health authority? in fact, the health authority announced the closure of c owichan l odge 48 hours after the closure of postings for those very same caregivers that he refers to. So they couldn't travel with their clients, and that makes that transition that much worse. n o amount of finger-pointing will do. This government always answers: "n ext window. Someone else's fault; it's not us." Well, it is them.

They made this decision. They're driving these decisions through their health authorities. in the end, there's one person responsible for the care of seniors in this province. h e's sitting right over there. h e's the h ealth Minister. h e will do nothing but try to evade that responsibility. Since the families won that reprieve, bully tactics have been used to move their families out, their loved ones out. They're told, "o h, if you don't move to the private facility" — where, by the way, the care is not as good and where, by the way, they don't have their a lzheimer's walk through the oak glen….

british c olumbia Debates13276 t uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. D. Routley: They're told that they will risk having their family members move far away from the community. Mr. Speaker: c an the member pose the question, please. D. Routley: in the end, they're asking through me: why doesn't he start listening to them? Mr. Speaker: Pose the question, please. D. Routley: Why doesn't he listen to the families, and why won't he commit today to keeping c owichan l odge open? Hon. G. Abbott: i am very proud of what we have achieved as a government since 2001. i am very proud of that.

We have… interjections. Mr. Speaker: c ontinue, Minister. Hon. G. Abbott: …added an incremental — that is, in addition to — 5,424 units of residential care and assisted living in this province. n ot only have we seen an improvement quantitatively, but we've also seen a qualitative improvement. Why the nDP wants to lock in to the standards of the 1990s, which was inaccessible washrooms to wheelchairs, why they would be content with inadequate dining and social facilities… interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Hon. G.

Abbott: …why they would be content with facilities that lack the safety and security standards, i don't know. They'll have to explain that. but i'm very proud of what we've done as a b.c. l iberal government. i'll be glad to stand on that in the future. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. [1420] lon G-terM care beDS at Z ion P ark M anor A.

Dix: i think we can summarize the minister's pos - ition like this. h e says that the bcMa is wrong when they say there's been a net closure of long-term care beds — a report in May of this year. h e says the b.c. c are Providers are wrong when they say per-diem rates are a shambles in the Fraser h ealth a uthority. h e says the a uditor General is wrong when there's a lack of account- ability in his ministry. h e says the mayor of Surrey is wrong. h e says that seniors who live at Zion Park are wrong. h e says the seniors who live at c owichan l odge are wrong. h e says the people of Surrey are wrong.

The people of c owichan are wrong. The families are wrong. The staff is wrong. The only people who are right are him and the Minister of t ransportation. This display of arrogance would just be l iberal business as usual if the stakes weren't so high for those seniors. Why doesn't he listen to somebody outside of the cabinet room and keep the beds at Zion Park open? Hon. G. Abbott: i can tell you definitively who's wrong. it's that member and that pathetic opposition over there. That's who's wrong. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Minister, take your seat. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members.

Members. c ontinue, Minister. Hon. G. Abbott: When we came into office in 2001, one of the realities that confronted the Ministry of h ealth of the day was that some 6,000 units required remediation in this province. They required remediation because there were narrow doorways, narrow hallways, multi-bed wards that did not meet even the contempor- ary standards of that day. Since 2001 we have remediated those 6,000 units, and we have added an additional 5,424 units. Those over 11,000 units are not beds. These are not multi-bed wards that the nDP would add an additional bed to and call it a capacity increase.

These are homes for british c olumbians. These are homes, and we should be very proud of those 11,000 units. A. Dix: Well, the minister earlier said how much he respected the people involved who run Zion Park lodge. a t the same time he refers to the efforts to keep those 71 beds open as "a recipe of decay." This level of disrespect is inconsistent with the reality at Zion Park lodge. The families who are here today can testify to the quality of care there. The seniors who i've met can testify to the quality of care there.

So i ask the minister: why doesn't he join me or join the Minister of t ransportation or join whoever he likes and go and visit

british c olumbia Debatest uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 13277 Zion Park lodge, listen to the seniors involved and see if he feels the same way then about this incorrect and outrageous decision to close those 71 beds? Hon. G. Abbott: it's actually Zion Park Manor rather than Zion Park lodge, but regardless…. interjections. Hon. G. Abbott: i know it's a petty detail reflecting the obvious interest of the member in this. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Hon. G. Abbott: Petty detail — right? Just a small fact. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Minister, just take your seat. c ontinue, Minister. Hon. G.

Abbott: i'd like to just read for the member's knowledge briefly from the facilities report on Zion Park Manor. "The park terrace unit, including the elevator, is not secure. The standard is for each area to be secured and provide limited access to other areas of the building, given that the majority of residents have some form of dementia. Park terrace has sliding glass doors from each bedroom that open to a small balcony with inadequate railings and no security." interjections. Hon. G. Abbott: Do the members not want to hear this? Mr. Speaker: c ontinue, Minister. Hon. G.

Abbott: i guess you wouldn't want to be clouded by knowledge. That might change your view with respect to it. "Wheelchair…." [1425] interjections. Mr. Speaker: c ontinue, Minister. Hon. G. Abbott: "Wheelchair accessibility" — i'm continuing to quote here — "includes a five-foot turn - ing radius to ensure that a resident in a wheelchair, with the assistance of one or two staff members, can access a toilet. The ensuite washrooms in these units do not meet this requirement.

The bedroom and bathroom door widths are also below the expected standard of four feet and three feet." WorkerS co MPenSation boarD co Vera Ge For eSo Pha Geal cancer C. Puchmayr: l ast Sunday i joined firefighters, police officers, paramedics, families and friends of Patrick Glendinning, a Surrey firefighter who died of esopha - geal cancer. u nfortunately for Patrick and his family, they also had to fight the Workers c ompensation board in order for him to get what was due to him. t wo weeks prior to his death his claim was finally accepted.

Firefighters like Patrick put their lives on the line for british c olumbians every day, and they should be cov - ered for the industrial diseases that they get while in the line of duty. Will the l abour Minister ensure that esophageal cancer is added to the

schedule so that firefighters and their families can concentrate on looking after the care of their loved ones, rather than fighting the Workers c ompensation board during these times of need? Hon. I. Black: i believe it is fair to say that all mem - bers in this h ouse on both sides extend their deepest sympathies to c apt. Patrick Glendinning's family at a very difficult time and so shortly following his funeral at the weekend. This government has an excellent relationship with the b.c. Professional Fire Fighters a ssociation.

When they approached us, as they did, and asked us to put the first seven forms of cancer into law back in 2005, we did so. When they approached us again and asked that we add testicular cancer as well as lung cancer for non-smokers, we again agreed with them and have announced one and have the second piece in legislation at the moment. There is no doubt that the professionals in the b.c. Fire Fighters put themselves in the line of harm every day for the safety of the people in this province.

We respect them, and we respect the conversations that are forthcoming with respect to any other forms of cancer they wish to have covered. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. C. Puchmayr: Well, ontario covers firefighters that are afflicted with esophageal cancer, and Manitoba is proceeding forward with it as well. So will the minister do the right thing and implement esophageal cancer on the schedule, and will he do so retroactively? Hon. I. Black: There is a varying degree of coverage in the cancers across c anada, and we're very pleased that we rank among the highest in terms of the number

british c olumbia Debates13278 t uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 of cancers that we cover on a presumptive basis for the firefighter community in british c olumbia. We came to the conclusions that we did with respect to, first of all, the first seven that this government put in place for the first time in history back in 2005, and sub - sequently our agreement to add two additional cancers — testicular as well as lung cancer for non-smokers…. We did so after sound analysis that is required to make such assessments. We have been approached informally by the b.c.

Fire Fighters to talk about esophageal cancer. i look forward to those conversations. My door is open, and they know it. JorD an'S P rinciP le anD Fir St nation S hou Sin G C. Trevena: Mr. Speaker, 12, 15 or 20 people living in a two- or three-bedroom house, black mould causing kids to get sick and houses condemned. This isn't a Third World country but a first nations reserve — t sulquate, just outside of Port h ardy. The housing situation there is in crisis. People who have been living in town can't afford the rents and move back to the reserve.

Sixty children from the reserve are the responsibility of Ministry of c hildren and Families. Drugs and alcohol aren't the cause of the problems, but housing and poverty certainly are. The government has committed to Jordan's principle. There shouldn't be any finger-pointing in this, and there shouldn't be any shrugging off of responsibility when it comes to children's health. [1430] So i would ask the Minister of c hildren and Families whether he is prepared to use Jordan's principle to act on behalf of those first nations children who deserve safe and healthy housing. Hon. T.

Christensen: This government is very proud that it is the first provincial government across all of c anada to commit to Jordan's principle — to ensuring that aborig- inal children, whether they're on reserve or off reserve, are entitled to the same services that all children in our prov- ince should be entitled to if they have special needs, if they are struggling with different issues.

So we continue to work with the federal government and with first nations across british c olumbia to ensure that we can all be confident that we're meeting the needs of first nations children. [end of question period.] Tabling Documents Hon. C. Hansen: i rise to table a report in accordance with the Financial a dministration a ct,

section 72(8), with respect to guarantees and indemnities authorized and issued for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2008. C. James: i rise to present a petition. Mr. Speaker: Proceed. Petitions C. James: i have a petition with 3,253 signatures gath- ered in four days asking that Zion Park receive funding from government so they can remain open. D. Routley: i seek leave to present a petition. i present a petition of 11,000 signatures gathered in the c owichan V alley in an effort to keep c owichan l odge open. These signatures were gathered in a three-week period. K.

Conroy: i, too, have a petition of over 500 signa-i, too, have a petition of over 500 signa - tures from… interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. K. Conroy: …citizens throughout my constituency asking the government not to sell our water to private power interests. C. Evans: h on. Speaker, i finally found the message box. i ask permission to table a petition. Mr. Speaker: Proceed, Member. C. Evans: i rise to table 1,400 postcards from con - stituents in my constituency asking the government not to privatize their water and asking for a moratorium on independent power projects. D.

Cubberley: i have a petition here with 600 names collected at the Moss Street Market recently calling on the government to rescind the split-form classification process and to rescind the increased tax assessments for the year 2007 in my constituency. D. Routley: i present hundreds of letters collected from my constituents and addressed to the Minister of h ealth and the Premier regarding c owichan l odge. Motions Without Notice MeMberS hiP o F Select Stan Din G co MMittee S Hon.

M. de Jong: b y leave, i move two motions which i have provided to the o pposition h ouse l eader. one formalizes an agreement that we came to in a ugust around staffing by members of the standing committees related to changes in personnel.

british c olumbia Debatest uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 13279 [That the written agreement of a ugust 17, 2008 between the Government h ouse l eader and the o pposition h ouse l eader be ratified, setting forth that the following Members comprise the membership of the Select Standing c ommittees of the l egisla- tive a ssembly for the 4th session of the 38th Parliament, effective a ugust 17, 2008: Select Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs l orne Mayencourt (c onvener), David c hudnovsky, Gary c oons, Scott Fraser, a l h orning, h arry l ali, Dennis Mack ay, V al r oddick, k atherine Whittred, John les Select Standing Committee on Children and Y outh r on c antelon (c hair), n icholas Simons (Deputy c hair), Jagrup brar, Maurine k aragianis, l eonard k rog, Dennis Mac k ay, V al r oddick, John rustad, c laude r ichmond, John les Select Standing Committee on Crown Corporations John r ustad (c hair), John h organ (Deputy c hair), r on c antelon, c orky evans, h arry l ali, Dennis Mack ay, Shane Simpson, John Y ap, Val roddick, r ick Thorpe Select Standing Committee on Education John n uraney (c onvener), David c ubberley, r ob Fleming, Daniel Jarvis, r ichard t . l ee, n orm Macdonald, l orne Mayencourt, Doug r outley, John r ustad, c arole t aylor Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services r andy h awes (c onvener), bruce r alston (Deputy c hair), r obin a ustin, h arry bloy, Dave S. h ayer, John h organ, r ichard t . l ee, Diane Thorne, John rustad, John Y ap Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts r ob Fleming (c hair), r ick Thorpe, h arry bains, r andy h awes, bruce r alston, John r ustad, bob Simpson, r alph Sultan, c laire t revena, John Y ap, claude r ichmond, olga ilich] That's the first motion.

With leave, i do so move. Motion approved. re Mo Val o F lorne Ma Yencourt Fro M Select Stan Din G co MMittee S Hon. M. de Jong: The second motion relates to changes that arise as a result of the departure of Mr.

Mayencourt. [That k atherine Whittred, Mla be named as convener of the Select Standing committee on a boriginal a ffairs, and that l orne Mayencourt be substituted by c laude r ichmond as a Member of the Select Standing committee on a boriginal a ffairs and by r ick Thorpe as a Member of the Select Standing committee on e ducation.] a gain, i have provided a copy to the o pposition h ouse l eader and believe an agreement is here. [1435] Motion approved. Orders of the Day Hon. M. de Jong: Mr. Speaker, i call continued second reading on bill 45.

Second Reading of Bills econo Mic incenti Ve an D Stabili Zation Statute S a Men DMent act , 2008 (continued) S. Fraser: it gives me pleasure today to rise to speak to bill 45, the e conomic incentive and Stabilization Statutes a mendment a ct, 2008. a lways a pleasure to speak in this h ouse. it is, unfortunately, the only reason, according to the government, that we are back in this important place, this people's h ouse, for five days only.

This meagre sit - ting is directed specifically to deal with this bill and one other bill, bill 46, which we'll be commencing, i would assume, tomorrow. i must say that the bill is a re-announcement of some income tax measures and such which have been acceler- ated. i suppose much of it isn't really controversial. but it is significant in what is missing in the bill. it is — i've heard the term used numerous times — underwhelm - ing, considering the nature of problems in this great province of ours. [S. h ammell in the chair.] o bviously, the economic meltdown, as it's called, happening now — we saw it in its starkest form a couple of months ago — led the Premier to come forward with a ten-point plan.

Then we did not come back to this h ouse. The Premier had already cancelled the fall session, and the Premier then subsequently scheduled five days only, the very last five days of this fall session, to address his ten-point plan. it's surprising how little urgency the Premier seemed to put on the economic issues of the day.

Why he did not call us back immediately, why he cancelled the entire fall session, is still something of a mystery to me. it's reminiscent…. i remember seeing a film clip of President George W . bush when he received the announcement of the World t rade c entre attack — the first plane. h e was in a schoolroom reading to students. h e was given the notification of the attack, and he didn't do anything. h e sat there and just let it happen. in this case, we have a Premier that made an announce- ment and then waited a month to bring us back, on the very last five days of this fall session. h ow the Premier could not have noticed that there were already dire problems in this province…. i want to note that the c anadian institute for h ealth information, just today in c anadian Press, came out with their findings that link poverty to sickness.

We've got the Stats c anada results from last week that put us, five or six years in a row under this government, as the province with the worst child poverty rate in the country, bar none. We now know definitively from the institute's work —

british c olumbia Debates13280 t uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 and there was already, certainly, work done on this before — that poverty and poor health are directly related. [1440] We already have a crisis in the province, where one in four children is in poverty. So one in four families is in poverty under this government — i dare say engin - eered, in some ways, by this government — because the specific measures needed to address child poverty and turn that around have been…. We've seen the polar opposite from this government or no action at all.

So how the Premier could suggest that there was no reason to come back except for his ten-point plan is unbelievable. The ten-point plan, as i mentioned before, is signifi - cant in what is missing in it. There is nothing there to address that horrendous situation in this province of the worst child poverty in c anada and the effects on those children and their families, directly linked to poor health and hospitalization. Wouldn't that be considered a crisis? i know for one in four families it is.

Why did we have to wait for an eco- nomic meltdown south of the border for this Premier to bring this h ouse back for his ten-point plan that omits addressing the dire conditions of so many children in this province? [S. h awkins in the chair.] it was ironic, Madam Speaker — we have many Speakers so far since i've been up; welcome, Madam Speaker, the next Madam Speaker — that the Premier chose the 20th of n ovember to come back as the first day, five days from the end of the session. a s i stated last week in this h ouse on n ovember 20, the opening day of this meagre fall session…. i noted that it was n ational c hild Day in c anada, and i also noted that this province, british c olumbia, this government, has failed children and failed to live up to the basic premises signed on by c anada in 1993 in accordance with the un declaration on the rights of the child.

So how this government and this Premier could sug - gest there was nothing to do until bill 45 came about is unbelievable. a s we see the surplus dissolve in these economic times and we see a continual juggling of those num - bers — with some confusion, i might add, from the minister responsible — i can't help but think of how the mismanagement of this economy…. if that had not hap- pened under this government, we would be in such a better place today. h alf a billion dollar overrun on a building, Madam Speaker.

The a uditor General put it best: not because of building cost increases — those are built in, of course, in any proper management, business plan — but because of, largely, two reasons. The board of directors responsible were appointed by a Premier for reasons less than their knowledge or their skills in dealing with a project of that size, as the Vancouver c onvention c entre. That flagrant appointment system of a board of dir - ectors incapable of doing the job properly has cost this province and these taxpayers in british c olumbia, in these trying times, half a billion dollars so far. An Hon.

Member: Say that in the corridor. Deputy Speaker: order, please. S. Fraser: So we see where we've lost about, give or take, a billion dollars so far due to this economic global condition. That half a billion dollars in mis - management would have gone a long way towards addressing that. of course, the a uditor General has pointed out num- erous other things. The cost of the o lympics, which we see a Premier and a government still in denial about, is so many hundreds, billions of dollars, in reality, over budget. interjection. S. Fraser: h undreds of millions of dollars. c heck Hansard. or billions. interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members. Members. order, please. The c hair would like to hear the speaker. S. Fraser: i think it was over $2 billion that the a uditor General had. h owever, i note that the ministers across discount the a uditor General's and the ombudsman's reports when they come out. interjection. S. Fraser: Well, you're very rude, Minister. Deputy Speaker: Members. Member, take your seat, please. o kay. c ontinue, Member. [1445] S.

Fraser: My constituency in a lberni-Qualicum…. i note that in 2004 this government gave away the largest land giveaway in the history of the province: tFl 44 — 77,000 hectares removed from that tree farm licence, from public controls. The minister responsible, who's now the current Govern- ment h ouse l eader, at the time actually disregarded his own staff's advice who — i'm paraphrasing here; we've got the internal report — warned the minister: "Y ou can't give

british c olumbia Debatest uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 13281 the land back to the company" — it was Weyerhaeuser — "unless they were to compensate the crown back." They were given huge considerations when they put that land into the tree farm licence.

So the minister ignored his own staff 's advice to the detriment of central island, the people of the a lberni Valley, and gave that land to then Weyerhaeuser for free. h e waived all rights of paying back what amounts to hundreds of millions, if not a billion dollars, that would have come back to help the community of Port a lberni and central island — the workers and the industry there. a s we see our surplus diminish to nothing in these tougher economic times, globally, you look back and see what that giveaway would have done, how that could have helped the people of Vancouver island, the indus- try on Vancouver island, the people in Port a lberni. it certainly would have helped to protect the environment and allow for other economic activities, if that land hadn't been given away.

We're coming back with a bill that does not address the issues in my constituency. Madam Speaker, i note — this is the second quarterly fiscal update — the surplus has gone in 2008-2009…. it's $450 million, plus the $50 million forecast allowance.

So this is $820 million lower than the government's esti - mates in September. if you combine the mismanagement of the convention centre and the waiving of economic considerations, the compensation back to the taxpayer from these massive land giveaways, you can get a perspective of just how much this government and their mismanagement of the economy has harmed british c olumbians. n ow those hundreds of millions of dollars from that mismanage - ment would have gone a long way towards addressing some of the needs that we have today. i notice that no one on the government side is taking credit for the global meltdown in the economy, the col - lapse due to deregulation of, say, commodity prices and oil prices. h owever, this same government, the same ministers, like to take credit for high commodity prices during their term, as though they were actually able to somehow affect the world economic conditions and take credit for it.

Then, of course, they duck the issues and just say: "Well, it's a global condition now. There's nothing we can do." interjections. Deputy Speaker: order, Members, please. order. S. Fraser: So we have bill 45 before us, again signifi -So we have bill 45 before us, again signifi - cant in the extreme for what is missing in it. Hon. G. Abbott: t ell us some of the things that you'd like see in it. S. Fraser: Well, yes, indeed, the Minister of h ealth is asking for my advice here. i appreciate that, and i'm sure he'll listen. i have alluded to some of the issues. interjections. Deputy Speaker: Members.

Member, please take your seat. Member, take your seat for a second. Members, it's very difficult for the c hair to hear the speaker. Thank you. c ontinue, Member. [1450] S. Fraser: a s the economic problems globally loomed, we saw…. Well, we didn't really see anything from the government.

We saw the implementation of a gas tax hurting a great many british c olumbians and applied without any consultation, certainly to those most affected, certainly those at the lower ends of the economic ladder and industries like the forest industry, which i would note are already facing challenges due to, i guess, basically a spectator-type of analogy from this government, who watched silently as the core industry of this province started to fall apart a number of years ago under this government's policies, like large land giveaways, raw log exports, a total waste in the private managed forest land acts — that sort of thing. a mending those bad pieces of legislation and those decisions would have gone a long way towards address - ing some of the economic situations we have in the province today. a s we had, give or take, a decade where we had commodity prices through the roof, and we actually had the a merican housing market booming too, we saw the disintegration of our core industry in this province and so many thousands of workers left as collateral damage under this government's manage - ment — or mismanagement, i believe it would be most appropriately. interjections.

Deputy Speaker: order, please. order. c ontinue. S. Fraser: i do note, Madam Speaker, that it does get a little more confusing with the reconfiguration of these chambers. When we start getting under the government ministers' skins, it's much more vivid and somehow, in some ways, gratifying having this, although the sword- length issue is still germane. While we had the planning for a down…. e conomic cycles come and go. This is, no doubt, an extreme…. i mean, it's being discussed as certainly a recession, reces- sionary problems across the globe and in c anada, but we do see economic cycles.

british c olumbia Debates13282 t uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 When you have a boom cycle that is beyond, really, the province's control, then that's the time for prudent fiscal management. a nd the reason, besides the commonsens- ical reason for fiscal management when the times are good, is that that is the time to build. That is the time to prepare, because there will be that rainy day. We all have that in our own personal lives, in our own professional lives, and certainly the metaphor with the provinces is appropriate. We have to prepare for that rainy day.

The waste of this last decade when we see these great mismanagement fiascos like the V ancouver convention centre or land giveaways to companies that, you know, donated to the governing party, all at taxpayers' expense…. Those funds, that money, those resources could have done so much to prepare us for this time we are facing now — so much more than what we see in bill 45. i know it's entitled economic incentive, but there are small measures here. i have to note: i have a letter from the u nion of b.c. Municipalities addressed to me n ovember 17, so just a week ago. There's a great concern from….

For those in the audience and the gallery that don't like acronyms so much…. The u nion of b.c. Municipalities has a convention each year. They represent all municipal governments throughout the province. We've just had municipal elections, so we have some new people there, but they speak as one here in their concerns for the com- plete lack of consultation around one of the measures being proposed, which is the freeze on assessments.

Some of us have been involved in local governments. l ocal governments should be very concerned about this government's lack of consultation here when they made this announcement. it won't go as any surprise to anyone in municipal governments. The ubc M's resolutions are roundly dismissed by this government anyways. They're usually ignored. no, that's not…. They're always ignored. [1455] in this case, the municipalities — the city governments, town governments, regional district directors — are responsible.

They're the front lines when it comes to taxation for property taxes and, you know, the bearers of bad news. Municipal politicians often face pretty extreme criticism if there's a point where there's a necessity to raise taxes, for instance, or if there's an expectation made by an announcement from the Premier or a minister who wants to get a good news story out early without any work being done on it yet, that somehow this announce- ment will guarantee stable property tax rates. That's like a promise that b.c.

Ferries, if it's priva - tized, when it's privatized, will provide stable ferry rates. r emember that promise from the Premier early on when he privatized b.c. Ferries? So this is another promise made that is going to have to be weathered by the municipal governments and mayors and councillors and directors. interjections. S. Fraser: e ven the members across the way — and the ministers who continue to heckle me — know that this government has downloaded so many costs and responsibilities on to local governments who have very scant ways and very few ways of actually finding any income.

Property taxation is the main tool for local governments to actually get funds to run their com - munities, their infrastructure, to provide for the needs of the public in their communities. When a statement is made to the public that: "Y our rates are going to be frozen at 2007…." Well, that changed a bit, as i think the napkin got flipped over, and the plan was continued. it was made in a way that was going to create problems for these local governments. if a local government has to…. i'll take Port a lberni, for example. it's a small city — industrial history, a proud history.

They were forced in the last couple of years to cut industrial tax rates for fear of losing more of the forestry jobs, the mill jobs and/or losing that job secur - ity.

So they did a significant cut in industrial taxes, and they've had to be very, very careful on how they manage the municipal finances to try to accommodate that. n ow we're seeing a situation where, with the local government's costs continuing to go up, they've already had to reduce their tax base to some extent, industrially. n ow there's an expectation left because of this govern - ment's statements about what they're going to do with the tax assessments — that they're going to be frozen.

There's an expectation that there will be no increase in taxation for homeowners. but that may not be the case. it may not be the case. The municipal governments may have to raise mill rates to accommodate and accomplish what they need to provide for in their communities. So a misleading announcement of great concern. c ertainly i'm hearing that from, well, the members of the ubcM. n ow, i know that that doesn't necessarily mean anything to the government members. but in reality, it should, because the ubcM represents local government, and local government are the people on the ground.

Some of the members opposite, on both sides, have been members of local governments. They know that their job in some ways is a tough one. They're in the community all the time. Y ou know, a quart of milk at the grocery store can take an hour, an hour and a half, because people say, "h ey, you just raised my rates, and i was told by the Premier or by the minister that rates were frozen." So that does not help. That's quite misleading for the public.

They can be led to believe that they are going to have stable rates, just like they were led to believe that they would have stable ferry rates or that contracts would be honoured or any number of false statements that have been made. [1500] We need to look at where we are now. a s we prepare for this new situation in the global economy, i do not

british c olumbia Debatest uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 13283 believe anyone in this h ouse believes that there's going to be a quick solution here. Deregulation has done so much damage globally now to the economy, and we know, i think, the folly of that. but what we should have done is…. During the times when they were good, we should not have shut down the psych ward at the West c oast General h ospital. When times were good, we should have funded hospice. We should have provided core funding for hospice. The gov- ernment's own reports say they should be supporting hospice and quality end-of-life care.

That was a time when there was a surplus. That's the time to build. These are important facilities. These are important services to our communities. When times were good globally and there was money in the surplus, that was the time to address those issues, and this gov - ernment did not. This government has a very, very bad track record on education, on the costs to post-secondary students, the gutting of grants — while times are good. So what can the public expect now when times are bad? We have a ten-point plan…. interjections. Deputy Speaker: Members. Members, please.

The c hair would have hoped that the reconfiguration would have made for a nicer, cozier relationship. a nyway, please let the c hair hear the speaker. S. Fraser: We have a situation where when commod-We have a situation where when commod- ity prices were high and the surplus was strong, we've seen mismanagement, government waste and, of course, the failure to build on education, the failure to build for seniors health and palliative care, the failure to build for West c oast General and t ofino h ospital. l ast year they shut down obstetrics at the t ofino h ospital. it's a two-hour drive to the next hospital.

That was happening when things were good. So now when things are tougher, when the surplus is just disappearing before our very eyes, we don't really have a plan to address that. What are we going to lose now? W e can't get further on the list of child poverty. When times were good, this government created a situation where one in four children is growing up in poverty in this prov- ince. So now we're supposed to tighten our belts. Y ou're telling the child in poverty to tighten his or her belt? This government is not tightening their belt.

This gov- ernment is inundating the public with propaganda at their own expense, and that's appalling. This is supposed to be a time where we look for fiscal restraint. This is a metaphor for government waste, and it's a bitter pill. Y ou know how many people have come into my constituency office, ripping out a full-page ad that says nothing except lauding this great government, telling the one in four children in poverty in this province — orchestrated and engineered by bad government policy, this government's policy — and their families that are in poverty under this government that everything is great?

Well, i don't know how…. i know that tens or how - ever much…. We haven't gotten a figure out of the Minister of Finance. h e won't disclose how much the government is spending on this advertising, this crass political opportunism at taxpayers' expense, but i would submit that that money would be better placed trying to address child poverty in this province. That should have been in this ten-point plan. [1505] We'll roll back these obscene bureaucratic pay raises.

We will cancel these plans to basically try to brainwash the public as they come into the next election, at tax - payers' expense, and devote that money, those funds, towards addressing things like child poverty — or to the West c oast General, reinstating the psych ward, or at the t ofino General, reinstating the obstetrics department. interjections. S. Fraser: o bviously these are issues that the Minister of h ealth is very sensitive to. interjections. Deputy Speaker: both sides of the h ouse, please come to order. c ontinue, Member. S.

Fraser: The Minister of h ealth has obviously got a heckle going now, because i've touched on some topics that are very sensitive to him. i wonder if the Minister of h ealth was disappointed in the ten-point plan now that he's seen the c anadian institute for h ealth information, which directly links childhood health problems and adult health problems with poverty — poverty that this government has brought about under their reign. u nder a time when they've taken credit for world commodity prices, they have failed the children of this province. it doesn't even make good business sense. interjection. S.

Fraser: if the minister across that's heckling me…. if he doesn't care about the dire situation of child poverty…. Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member. S. Fraser: Thank you, Madam Speaker. a lways a pleasure to rise in this h ouse. Hon. W . Oppal: i rise to speak in support of this bill. Specifically, i'm going to deal with the amendments to the c ourt o rder e nforcement a ct that exempt registered

british c olumbia Debates13284 t uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 retirement savings plans from seizure by creditors. it amends the Pension benefits Standards a ct to ensure that additional voluntary contributions to pensions are similarly protected and amends the l aw and e quity a ct to give effect to the beneficiary designation made when registering a tax-free savings account. These changes protect registered savings, retirement savings, and further the government's economic plan.

The legislation also anticipates the use of new tax-free savings accounts created by the federal government and ensures that beneficiaries designated in those accounts receive the funds as expected. Madam Speaker, we are living in difficult economic times, and there is a concern — a real concern — that personal bankruptcies may appear to be on the rise. Many, many british c olumbians do not have either cor- porate pension plans or government pension plans. This is good legislation. it benefits many, many of our citizens. i want to make reference to an op-ed

article that appeared in today's Vancouver Sun under the authorship of Miriam Maisonville, who is the president of the b.c. branch of the c anadian bar a ssociation. l ast weekend i attended a meeting of the c anadian bar a ssociation, and the membership there unanimously commended the government for this specific legislation that protects retirement savings from seizure. [1510] Ms. Maisonville makes the following comments: "The vast majority of british c olumbian workers, entrepre - neurs, small business owners and professionals do not have access to corporate or government pension plans.

They must save for their retirement themselves. Government policies, both federal and provincial, encourage these individuals to plan and save for their retirement through vehicles such as registered retirement savings plans. What many people do not realize is that up until now, pension plans were exempt from seizure from creditors, but individual savings through rr SPs, DPSPs, ri Fs were not protected under b.c. law.

"This anomaly was recently righted last Thursday when the Minister of Finance…introduced legislation to protect those invaluable savings instruments from seizure by creditors through provisions in the e conomic incentive and Stabilization Statutes a mendment act." The significance of the government's action is immeas- urable. a ccording to the government's 2008 Small Business Profile , small businesses in british c olumbia represent 98 percent of all businesses, employ over 46 percent of the population and represent 33 percent of the province's G D P.

Many professionals are undertaking increasing respon- sibilities and new liabilities. Greater protection of their savings would not reduce liability but would offer some security that their retirement savings would not be at risk. introduced by the government as part of a package to offset some of the difficult economic times we are experi- encing, this measure injects fairness into the system and could not come at a more appropriate time. n ow, this is good legislation.

This is good law. it benefits many, many british c olumbians. it is some - what regrettable that some members of the opposition during the course of this debate have ventured far from debating what the import of this legislation is, and i haven't heard any arguments against this legislation. r ather, some of the arguments that i've heard do not really pass the test of relevance. So in any event, i close again…. interjections. Deputy Speaker: order, Members. order. Hon. W .

Oppal: i recognize that relevance is a nasty word in some areas of the opposition. h owever, in this particular area i would suggest, with the greatest of respect, that we confine the debate to the pros and cons of this legislation. interjections. Hon. W . Oppal: Well, i heard the last speaker. Deputy Speaker: Members, through the c hair if any- body wants to address the other side. but members…. interjections. Deputy Speaker: Members. order. The c hair is having trouble hearing the speaker. Hon. W . Oppal: Madam Speaker, i did hear the last speaker.

With the greatest of respect, it appears that rel- evance is a nasty word as far as that member is concerned. in any event, i conclude by urging the h ouse to vote in favour of this very, very beneficial legislation, which is clearly in the public interest. C. Puchmayr: i see that this is a lively debate this afternoon, and i'm certainly looking forward to con - tinuing on with my comments. c ertainly, this economy is starting to turn. The other side tries to say: "Don't worry.

We're going to weather it. e verything's going to be fine." but today in the Vancouver Sun alone, 15 of the articles — almost half of the articles in the newspaper — were dealing with the economy. a nd it's not just the economy of british c olumbia or the economy of c anada; it's the global economy. Y ou know, we've got the other side here who is taking praise for the global economy. They were taking praise for the price of copper and the price of oil and the price of resources. a ll of a sudden the economy has turned around.

The economy is going down, and "o h, it's everybody else's fault but ours. it has nothing to do with us." So how do they deal with the economy? They decide that they're going to bring in a really short legislative

british c olumbia Debatest uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 13285 session — i mean, really short. This economy was going beyond purgatory in a handbasket way before they called this session back. a nd so what did they do? They called back a session that starts on a Thursday — getting everybody into Victoria for a Thursday, for one day, and then starting again Monday afternoon. Why didn't we start…? interjections. [1515] Deputy Speaker: Member. Members, thank you. Debate will resume. C. Puchmayr: i'm sorry; i didn't hear them.

So they call everybody down here for a one-day session. t hey could have called them down earlier. they could have respected the parliamentary calen - dar. t hey could have respected the calendar. r emember last May? They continued to bring in closure on legisla - tion that was on the table. They continued to bring in closure, closure, closure. u nprecedented closure…. interjections. Deputy Speaker: Member, please take your seat. Members, the c hair is having a great deal of difficulty hearing the speaker. c ontinue, Member. C.

Puchmayr: i guess, you know, if we're living in a democracy, and this side here is breaching the very rights of the elected officials, of people that are sent here to represent us in Victoria…. When this side is actually breaching, crossing the line and violating democracy by bringing in closure and shutting down the session in May…. Deputy Speaker: Member, i would ask that you stay focused on the topic of the debate. C. Puchmayr: Some of the concerns that they bring in closure. They don't even allow for committee stage on some of the legislation that they shut off debate on.

When people in the province are asking us to analyze legislation that's on the table, to go into committee stage, to drill into the legislation, to find out what the govern - ment meant when they wrote the legislation, we don't even have the right to do that. They bring in closure, and the session is over. interjections. Deputy Speaker: order, Members. Member, i would ask you to please bring your debate to what's relevant in this bill. C. Puchmayr: a bsolutely, Madam Speaker.

Second reading. i will bring it into relevance with the process of second reading. r ather than have a full session starting at the begin - ning of o ctober, they decide not to do anything. While the economy is going down, while the surplus is dis - appearing, while people are starting to lose jobs, while people are losing their investments and while seniors are losing their savings, they bring in this short session in a very peculiar manner, and then they bring in some legislation that really doesn't address a lot of the issues. it certainly doesn't stimulate the economy.

They bring in some legislation to bring forward some of the tax implications that were going to be a longer term. They bring them in now. They move the tax implications for- ward. Then there's an interesting one with the property tax assessments, which i will get into later, which is a very peculiar piece of legislation. a ll this time, as the economy is going down, the Finance Minister is talking about how he's going to be able to stimulate the economy and how they're going to cut corporate travel, how they're going to cut consult - ant fees.

Y et every day that you turn on a television or open a newspaper, there are thousands upon thousands of dollars, hard-earned taxpayers' dollars, that are being wasted on nothing short of propaganda by this govern - ment. n othing short of propaganda. This is how this government operates. They are using these ads to promote nothing more than themselves at a time when we have the highest child poverty rate in c anada, again. Five years in a row we have the high - est child poverty rate in c anada. back in the '90s we were the second-best place in c anada to raise children.

We were the second place in c anada to raise children. c hildren didn't live in poverty at this level as they do today. So what have they done during a good economic time, during a time… interjections. Deputy Speaker: order, please. C. Puchmayr: …when resources were at record highs, when copper was trading at extreme highs, when oil hit absolute record highs? What did they do about child poverty? n othing. They worsened it. [1520] They brought in legislation that made it more difficult for single mothers, they made it more difficult for fam - ilies, and they increased the level of child poverty.

They cut out school lunch programs. They created more prob- lems in the schools, especially for those that are affected by socioeconomic conditions. They also brought in the worst child labour laws in n orth a merica — worse than in Pakistan — where a child as young as 12 can actually work in an industry

british c olumbia Debates13286 t uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 35 hours a week with virtually nobody monitoring the working standards of that child. one parent…. interjections. Deputy Speaker: order, please. order. C. Puchmayr: The t ransportation Minister talks about paper routes. We're not talking about a lemonade stand or a paper route here. We're talking about a child working in an industry where they put their lives at risk because of chemicals, because of exposures, because of machinery.

They put their lives at risk, and there is no monitoring by the government whatsoever — absolutely no monitoring by the government. interjections. Deputy Speaker: order, Members. C. Puchmayr: That's what this side brought to british c olumbia. That's how they address child poverty. interjection. Deputy Speaker: Member, please take your seat. order. We'll continue when there's order. C. Puchmayr: t welve years old. a t one time, if a child at age 12 had to work, there was a provision where the child…. The employment standards branch would be involved. There would be a permit that would be issued.

The employment standards branch would go to the worksite. They would look at the hazards involved in the worksites. They would look at the child's cur - riculum to see if the education needs were being met, and then they would give the permit for that child to work. The government made sure that that child worked safely in that environment. That's gone. That's gone. n ow all it takes is one parent to sign a note saying: "it's okay for my child to work there." a nd then there's a…. interjection. C.

Puchmayr: Madam Speaker, this is obviously hit - ting a nerve with the other side because they realize what they have done here. They realize what they have done to the children of british c olumbia. That's how they address child poverty. What happens now is that one parent signs a note saying the child can work in the industry…. Deputy Speaker: Member, please make your com - ments relevant to the issue in the bill. C. Puchmayr: a bsolutely. one parent signs a note that says a child can work in the industry — one parent.

Then there's a brochure that the Ministry of l abour puts out, which tells the parent to go and walk around the workplace and what questions to ask. Well, how can a parent be conversant on ergonomics, on health and safety, when those are courses that are taught in univer- sities, where people take degrees in understanding how health and safety is applied? There are people conversant in health and safety that work for WorkSafe b.c., that work for the c ompensation board. Those are the people that should be deciding whether or not this is a safe place for a 12-year-old child to work. it's gone. That is gone.

That's how they address child poverty. The Minister of Finance defends the promotion that this government is doing to themselves — you know, the self-promotion. We saw the medal the other day. We saw the big imitation gold medal that was given to some work- ers with nothing more than the Premier's name on it. a quarter pound of steel cast to promote the Premier? The Premier's own personal vanity plate — is that what british c olumbians want during a tough economic time? n o, they don't. They want to ensure that their tax dollars are spent prudently and efficiently and not on propaganda promot- ing the Premier.

That's not what british columbians want. interjections. Deputy Speaker: order, please. [1525] C. Puchmayr: They always think because we're actually being forthright about the economy today and about what's happening in the economy, about the con - cerns that seniors are bringing to us, that we're being negative — just like they did with the doctors in n ew Westminster at r oyal c olumbian h ospital when the doctors and the health care professionals spoke out. When they spoke out about the concerns in the deliv- ery of health care in my community, this government called them alarmists. Shoot the messenger.

Just shoot the messenger. Don't look at what you've done to create the problem. Shoot the messenger. That's their style. That's the style on the other side. interjections. Deputy Speaker: order. C. Puchmayr: Y ou know, i think governments should be judged on how they perform during good economic times and during poor economic times — not just one or the other. This government has not delivered during good economic times. They have not delivered. They've let the free economy do it.

british c olumbia Debatest uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 13287 We heard the former Small business Minister, the new backbencher on this side now, speak about the great work that deregulation has done, about all the regulations that they cut. We go into the forests. We saw the 43 deaths that year in the forests. We went to the inquiry. We asked for a forestry coroner. We had an inquiry. What does the coroner say? The coroner says that you need to look at what you've done with deregulation. The coroner says that you have to look at bringing regulations back.

The safety regulations were gutted by this side, and the effects…. interjections. Deputy Speaker: order, Members. Member, please sit. Members. The c hair is having great difficulty hearing the speaker. i would ask each member to…. i know it's passionate debate. everyone will get their turn. interjection. Deputy Speaker: order. C. Puchmayr: a gain, deregulation. r eckless deregu- lation for the sake of deregulating — absolute reckless deregulation. The member from Golden, myself….

We were in the Sullivan mines inquest, where the two para - medics sadly perished — and the two t eck c ominco mine workers. a gain, you saw the system of deregulation and the misunderstanding and the ambiguity that that creates in the sector, where people don't know where they stand anymore. Where you have two different health and safety codes that say different things, and you have a group of mine workers, and you have a group of paramedics that are under different pieces of legislation….

We could be here today combining that legislation and creating the best health and safety standards, for all workers in british c olumbia, that are understandable and that are not ambiguous. but you know what? There's nothing to do. We don't need a session. We don't need to deal with any- thing like that. interjections. Deputy Speaker: Members. Member. Just a moment, Member. one speaker at a time. Thank you. C. Puchmayr: i know it hurts the other side when they see how their directives that come down from the Premier's office are affecting the very people of british c olumbia.

The people that built this province, that are building this province, are so affected by what this side has done to british c olumbia — during good economic times, i may add. During good economic times they have done this to the province of british c olumbia. h ow sad. What's going to happen now? What is going to happen now, as the economy turns? a re we going to expect worse? a re we going to expect worse from this side? it's so unfortunate. i can understand the other side squirm - ing in anger here, because they're reading the polls. interjections. Deputy Speaker: order, please. [1530] C.

Puchmayr: They ask what we're going to do about it. Well, we're going to do something about it. We're going to do something about it on May 12, and we're going to change this province. We're going to bring health and safety back to this province. We're going to build a standard that's acceptable to everyone. [S. h ammell in the chair.] Y ou know what's really interesting? a gain, the former Small business Minister, Madam Speaker, when the De Patie law came in…. interjections. Deputy Speaker: Members. Members. Member, sit down. interjection. Deputy Speaker: Member. Member. Member, sit down. Point of Order N.

Macdonald: We've sat here, and i'm embarrassed to have people watching this. For you to stand and say another member is disgusting, to hear members talk about lying…. These are people that have been in this h ouse for a long time and know better. My point of order is that i give the opportunity for that minister to stand up and apologize. interjections. Deputy Speaker: e xcuse me. Minister. Hon. R. Neufeld: Madam c hair, the remarks that the member made about those people that lost their lives working in the province of british c olumbia are disgust- ing. They're disgusting to anybody that's listening to this

british c olumbia Debates13288 t uesday, n ovember 25, 2008 stuff that this person is talking about. That's what it's all about. So i leave those remarks there. interjection. Deputy Speaker: Member. excuse me. Members. Sit down, please. Minister, you do not have the right to call another member disgusting, so would you please apologize. Hon. R. Neufeld: Through the c hair, i will apologize for calling him disgusting, but i will say the words that he is saying are disgusting. Deputy Speaker: Minister, you will apologize unequivo- cally. interjection. Deputy Speaker: n o, he did not, Member.

Minister, you will apologize unequivocally. Hon. R. Neufeld: i have apologized for calling the member disgusting. There is nothing in the rules that says that when a member talks about something like that, that it is not disgusting, the remarks that he's making. i apologize for calling him disgusting. i'm saying that it's disgusting to have to listen to someone actually try to make political points off deaths of people that worked in this province of british c olumbia. That's what's disgusting. Deputy Speaker: Minister, i've asked for an unequivo- cal apology. Y ou've not given it, so i will ask you to leave.

Minister, there's no debate on the issue. interjection. Deputy Speaker: Member. Member. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] [1535] Mr. Speaker: Members,

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	H1125pm 02
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	H1125pm 02
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	6452139641fcbb781d8523ccf14c7b2efa773a16

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