Second Session, 41st Parliament

(2017) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 36

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Introductions by Members

Statements

Great British Columbia ShakeOut

J. Rice

Introductions by Members

Ministerial Statements

Worker deaths in incident at Fernie arena

Hon. J. Horgan

D. Clovechok

Introduction and First Reading of Bills

Bill 11 — Provincial Court Amendment Act, 2017

Hon. D. Eby

Statements (Standing Order 25B)

Rapattack firefighters

M. Elmore

Youth homelessness initiative in Kamloops

T. Stone

Health care aides

A. Kang

Central Okanagan Heritage Society

S. Thomson

Rohingya Muslim refugees

R. Singh

North Shore Multicultural Society

J. Thornthwaite

Oral Questions

B.C. NDP government transition team

T. Redies

Hon. J. Horgan

Confidence and supply agreement secretariat

S. Bond

Hon. C. James

Letter from Agriculture Minister to fish farm operator

P. Milobar

Hon. L. Popham

E. Ross

M. Bernier

M. de Jong

Hon. J. Horgan

Review of ride-sharing and taxi industries

J. Thornthwaite

Hon. C. Trevena

Ministerial Statements

Persons Day

Hon. J. Darcy

S. Bond

Standing Order 18

Application of standing order to Bill 5

M. de Jong

Orders of the Day

Second Reading of Bills

Bill 2 — Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2017

(continued)

A. Kang

R. Sultan

Hon. L. Beare

D. Davies

S. Furstenau

D. Barnett

L. Krog

T. Redies

Hon. C. James

Standing Order 18 (Speaker’s Ruling)

Application of standing order to Bill 5

Second Reading of Bills

Bill 5 — Constitution Amendment Act, 2017

Hon. D. Eby

A. Wilkinson

Hon. L. Beare

M. Morris

A. Weaver

R. Kahlon

Proceedings in the Douglas Fir Room

Committee of Supply

Estimates: Ministry of Health (continued)

J. Isaacs

Hon. A. Dix

M. Bernier

R. Sultan

J. Thornthwaite

T. Wat

J. Yap

S. Cadieux

E. Ross

S. Bond

J. Rustad

D. Barnett

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017

The House met at 1:34 p.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers.

[1:35 p.m.]

Introductions by Members

Hon. S. Robinson: Mr. Speaker, joining us in the gallery today, this afternoon, is the

consul general of Israel, Ms. Galit Baram. The consul general is meeting

with a number of members of the House today to discuss a range of issues and

to strengthen relations between our governments. Would the House please

extend a warm welcome to the consul general. B’ruchim

haba’im.

Hon. J. Sims: It’s a pleasure of mine today to introduce a friend, a teacher, a

peace activist, a social justice activist who is here today. She’s a writer,

she’s an inspiration to many, and she’s visiting here from Surrey today,

Pummy Kaur. Please help me welcome her.

Hon. A. Dix: Today is Care Aide Day in British Columbia. It’s a chance for

everyone, I think, to recognize the extraordinary work in health care that

care aides do, the amazing care that they provide, particularly to seniors

but to many other people in health care, and also to recognize that care

aides suffer from the highest rates of injury in health care — particularly

in residential care, where injury rates are four times higher than the

provincial average.

Today I had the opportunity to meet with care aides from across

British Columbia, along with the Premier, the Minister for Mental Health and

Addictions, and the member for Burnaby–Deer Lake. We had the opportunity to

meet with care aides from the Hospital Employees Union, who came to talk to

us about their concerns, their aspirations and their hopes for public health

care.

I’d like to introduce to the House Yiota Athanasiou, from North

Vancouver; Miquelle Ball, from Nanaimo; Bernadetta Boisrond, from

Parksville; Mehmo Goolab, from North Vancouver; Ally Hammell, from Victoria;

Habiba Hassan, from Victoria; Samantha Lindsay, from Nanaimo; Edna Rivera,

from Vancouver; Jessie Schofield, from Prince George; Barb Shukin, from

Cranbrook; and Lisa Stanton, from Victoria. I ask everyone in the House to

welcome these extraordinary workers in our health care system.

R. Chouhan: In the House today, I am pleased to welcome 26 teachers. I think —

one, two, three — they’re all here. Yes, 26 teachers from across British

Columbia who have been selected to participate in the 20th B.C. Teachers

Institute on Parliamentary Democracy, an intensive 4½ days of professional

development on politics, democracy and governance. They will be with us for

the remainder of this week, expanding their knowledge of our parliamentary

system.

They are also joined by four of their peers, who are returning alumni

acting in the role of facilitators — Mr. Neil Powell, Mrs. Christa Barberis,

Ms. Pummy Kaur and Mr. Jon Waters. I trust you will take the opportunity to

meet with them at tomorrow’s luncheon in the Ned DeBeck Lounge.

Would the House please make them feel very welcome.

Hon. R. Fleming: There’s a great secondary school in a great constituency called

Victoria–Swan Lake, and it’s known as Reynolds Secondary. Today with us are

35 students from the flex studies program, grade 9 and 10 students. Flex

studies is a very innovative learning program. It won an award last year

from the Canadian Education Association. These 35 students who are joining

us in the gallery today are joined by their teachers, Brad Cunningham and

Greg Downing. It’s not their first time to the Legislature, and it won’t be

their last. I would ask the House to make them feel most welcome here

today.

[1:40 p.m.]

Statements

GREAT BRITISH COLUMBIA SHAKEOUT

J. Rice: B.C. sits on one of the world’s most seismically active regions,

with more than 3,000 earthquakes recorded every year. Most are too small

to be felt, but the risk of one being big enough to cause damage is very

real.

Tomorrow we have an opportunity to practise earthquake response

preparedness and to consider our level of preparedness during the Great

British Columbia ShakeOut. At 10:19, citizens across the province will

drop, cover and hold on to practise the immediate safety measures to

take during an earthquake. The Legislative Assembly will be in session

tomorrow. The members of this House and staff members will be joining

hundreds of thousands of British Columbians that will participate in

this drill.

As B.C.’s Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness in

British Columbia, I encourage all British Columbians to sign up for

ShakeOut B.C. and participate in tomorrow’s earthquake drill.

Introductions by Members

M. Elmore: I’d like to welcome some friends and colleagues from my forest fire

fighting days who are here in the House today. They’re here to mark the 40th

anniversary of rapattack. Rapattack is our very own British Columbian

helicopter-rappel wildfire suppression program. These are folks who rappel

out of helicopters to extinguish lightning strikes and small fires in B.C.’s

inaccessible terrain. The base is in Salmon Arm, with a tight-knit community

right across British Columbia.

I have to mention that when I spoke to the member for Shuswap, where

the base is housed, I told him about my involvement in the program. He said

to me: “Wow. You must have been in really good shape.” I noted the past

tense.

Here with us, we have the founder, Jim Dunlop. We have Paul Hooper,

from ’78-82; Monique Nahulak, from ’93 to ’95; Richard Lamy, ’94; and

Brendan Ralfs, from ’94 to 2015. I’d also like to mention Mark Daly, Tom

Hansen and my crewmates Paul Buxton-Carr and Pete Tanner. I’m looking

forward to a great dinner with everybody reuniting in Whistler this

weekend.

Mr. Speaker, please ask everybody to join me in giving them a warm

welcome. Also, congratulations for the 40th anniversary.

M. Dean: Today we’re going to be visited by some grade 10 students from Royal

Bay Secondary School, which is in Colwood and part of school district 62.

They were brought by their teacher Colin Scott-Moncrieff. Would you please

make them very welcome.

Hon. J. Horgan: I just want to add my voice to the member for Victoria–Swan Lake. I am

a Reynolds alumna. I’m a former Roadrunner. I just want those Roadrunners in

attendance today to stay in school, work hard and do your homework. You can

be Premier one day.

A. Weaver: I wish to introduce one of the rap firefighters, Brendan Ralfs, who

had the task of running as the B.C. Green Party candidate against the

Premier of British Columbia, to my left here. Would the House please welcome

Brendan and thank him for serving our democracy here in British

Columbia.

Ministerial Statements

WORKER DEATHS IN

INCIDENT AT FERNIE

ARENA

Hon. J. Horgan: I rise today to acknowledge the tragedy that unfolded yesterday in

the community of Fernie in the East Kootenay. Three people went to work,

and they didn’t come home. The worst nightmare for any family is to have

a loved one go to work in the morning and not be there for dinner. This

is a tragedy not only for those families and for the community of Fernie

but for all of British Columbia.

I know that all members of this House are thinking of and praying

for those families who are affected today. We have in place the RCMP. We

have in place WorkSafe and the Coroners Service to ensure that we get to

the bottom of what happened and why these lives were lost. I want to

assure all members of this House and all British Columbians that we will

do everything we can to ensure that the accident that took place in

Fernie is not repeated in other communities across British

Columbia.

With respect to the member for Kootenay East, who has gone home to

be with his community and to be with his loved ones and his family and

friends…. I offer my sincere condolences to him and to everyone who has

been affected by this.

[1:45 p.m.]

I am sure that all of us will remember that tragedy is only a

heartbeat away for all of us and all of our constituents. So at times

like this, I believe it’s appropriate that we all pause and reflect on

the good fortune we have today to be here and think of those who have

come and gone in workplace accidents that didn’t need to

happen.

D. Clovechok: I rise today on behalf of my constituents and my colleagues — and,

specifically, my colleague and neighbour, the MLA for Kootenay East,

who, as just noted, is back in his riding — to speak of a very profound

community tragedy.

Today the community of Fernie, which is only an hour and a half

from my home, is grieving for three people who lost their lives

yesterday in the tragic Fernie Memorial Arena. We grieve with them Every

city, every town, every village, every farm in the Kootenays, East or

West, is connected with each other. We own a Kootenay culture, and we’re

proud of it.

It’s tragedies like this, when one community experiences this…. I

know that the Kootenays will come together in true Kootenay spirit to

support our neighbours and friends in Fernie at this very difficult

time.

On behalf of the B.C. Liberal caucus, we offer our most heartfelt

condolences to the families and friends who lost their lives

yesterday.

No words can express the profound sadness and pain that come with

such a sudden loss of a loved one. We all wake up, and we go to work in

the morning with the assumption we’ll return home to our families at the

end of the day. It’s instances like this that remind us that life is

precarious yet so precious, and we should never take that blessing of

life for granted.

This is a tragedy that I know we will learn from so that other

families don’t have to answer the knock on the door that comes from an

RCMP member and to hear that their loved ones have died at work that

day. It’s also situations like this that strengthen us in this

House.

I want to personally thank, on behalf of my colleague in Kootenay

East, in appreciation, the Minister of Public Safety and the Minister of

Labour for keeping him so updated and posted yesterday during this

tragic event. We appreciate that.

Again, our thoughts and prayers are with those who continue to

feel the pain of yesterday’s events. We also offer our heartfelt thanks

to the first responders and community leaders who have been working

tirelessly through the night to make sure that the community of Fernie

is safe right now. Know that all of us in this House stand with

you.

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

BILL 11 — PROVINCIAL COURT

AMENDMENT ACT,

Hon. D. Eby presented a message from Her Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Provincial Court Amendment Act,

Hon. D. Eby: I move that the bill be introduced and read a first time

now.

I am pleased to introduce Bill 11, the Provincial Court Amendment

Act, 2017. This bill will extend the term of appointment for judicial

justices of the Provincial Court from the current ten years to 12 years.

The change will apply to all future judicial justice appointments as

well as to those made since the act was amended in 2008 to permit term

appointments.

Judicial justices of the court are responsible for hearing

provincial offence matters that proceed by violation ticket as well as

local government bylaw matters and small claims payments. They also

conduct bail hearing applications and issue search warrants. These

amendments respond to a request by the Chief Judge of the Provincial

Court and will help the court to retain experienced judicial justices

for a longer period of time.

Mr. Speaker: The question is the first reading of the bill.

Motion approved.

Hon. D. Eby: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second

reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill 11, Provincial Court Amendment Act, 2017, introduced, read a

first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading

at the next sitting of the House after today.

[1:50 p.m.]

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

RAPATTACK FIREFIGHTERS

M. Elmore: So 2017 has been the worst wildfire season in B.C. history. It has

been the heroic response of the B.C. Wildfire Service with emergency

responders, volunteers, community organizations and all levels of

governments working together to respond to this historic

challenge….

Rapattack has been part of the Wildfire Service’s extraordinary

front-line efforts. Founded in 1977 in Lower Post, B.C., by Jim Dunlop,

rapattack moved to Salmon Arm in 1980, where it remains to this day,

with a crew of approximately 40 dedicated young men and women every fire

season.

I was in the class of 1990, the third woman in the program. I

learned how to rappel down the 60-foot training tower before rappelling

out of helicopters, hovering 200 feet off the ground, to put out remote

wildfires right across the province.

Rapattack has also developed into a world-class wildfire aviation

program. We’ve trained firefighters from Parks Canada, Argentina,

Australia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, Japan, Korea,

Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, South America, Sweden, Thailand

and the U.S.A., and we have an ongoing annual exchange with the wildfire

rappel program from the state of Victoria, Australia.

As well, 2017 marks the 40th anniversary of the rapattack

helicopter rappel wildfire suppression program. Rapattack holds safety

as its highest value. It should be noted that the program has remained

fatality-free for 40 years. The commitment of the program, in terms of

the service to British Columbia and as an integral part of the wildfire

service of British Columbia, really remains to be recognized.

I want to thank them for their excellence and their public service

and ask everybody to please join me to congratulate them for 40 years of

a successful program. I’m hoping for 40 more in B.C., across Canada and

right around the world.

YOUTH HOMELESSNESS

INITIATIVE IN

KAMLOOPS

T. Stone: Today I am proud to acknowledge Katherine McParland and her team

for their dedication to ending youth homelessness in Kamloops, which is

one of five communities across Canada to develop a youth homelessness

action plan called A Way Home.

It all started in 2012, when a former youth in care who

experienced homelessness brought together a team. This collective became

the steering committee behind A Way Home. Today the committee has over

130 members from all sectors who have created a centralized housing and

supports intake system, ensuring there is no wrong door for homeless

youth in our community.

Youth Against Youth Homelessness is a group of ten youth with

lived experience of homelessness. They are the youth voice for A Way

Home Kamloops. Their dream is the safe suites, housing-first model that

provides a bridge from streets to homes.

To address the immediate needs of their peers, this group of youth

fundraised and collected donations within the community. They led the

Kamloops community to create over 80 backpacks full of summer survival

supplies for homeless youth at their launch event. To make a change for

homeless youth, they coached community members, including children, to

write notes of encouragement for youth suffering on the

streets.

This youth group has connected numerous individuals to housing and

supports. Many who have received the help have joined the Youth Against

Youth Homelessness team, determined to end youth homelessness in the

city of Kamloops.

This is just one way, one of the many examples of the inspiring

work being done by Katherine McParland and her team to end youth

homelessness in Kamloops.

HEALTH CARE AIDES

A. Kang: Today is October 18, and it marks health care aides day in B.C. It

is a day when we recognize and thank health care aides, who are

instrumental in making a tremendous difference to our health care system

and improving the lives of people who are often unable to care for

themselves.

There are more than 50,000 health care aides in B.C., who are

committed to helping seniors and people with complex health care needs

to remain independent for as long as possible.

Health care aides provide 24-hour care and supervision, as well as

a protective and supportive environment. They also work in all sorts of

settings, including acute care, residential care, home and community

care, independent and assisted living.

They have many different job titles, including community health

care worker, residential care aide, home support worker, long-term care

aide, home health aide, continuing care assistant and personal care

aide. Regardless of what their titles are, they are at the front line of

improving British Columbians’ quality of life.

With the province’s growth and aging population, our demand for

health care is increasing faster than ever. Not only do we need to

invest in more health care infrastructure, but we also need our health

care aides more than ever.

[1:55 p.m.]

Meanwhile, we must continue to ensure the standard of care British

Columbians receive. Through the B.C. care aide and community health

worker registry, this government will continue to serve and protect

vulnerable patients, residents and clients receiving care from health

care aides in the province. We want to make sure that all of our

seniors, not just the ones with children, can receive the care and

attention that they need and deserve so that they can retire with

dignity.

With that, please join me in recognizing and thanking the health

care aides of B.C. Thank you for showing us that, in this province, we

can all trust each other and take care of each other.

CENTRAL OKANAGAN HERITAGE SOCIETY

S. Thomson: In our communities, many organizations and volunteers work

tirelessly to preserve, protect and document our history.

In our community, one such organization is the Central Okanagan

Heritage Society. The society was established in 1982 and operates with

a volunteer board of directors. Its mission is to build awareness of the

distinct heritage of the Central Okanagan through conservation,

collaboration, advocacy and education, for the benefit of current and

future generations. For a small organization with a deeply committed

group of volunteers, they really do punch above their weight and are

involved in some major heritage landmarks in our community.

They own and operate the Benvoulin Heritage Park, which features

the fully restored Benvoulin church, a Gothic revival church built in

1882. They also maintain Guisachan Heritage Park and Guisachan House,

built in 1891 for Lord and Lady Aberdeen. The society manages the city

of Kelowna’s heritage grants program and sponsors the Annual Heritage

Awards.

It’s an active member of Heritage B.C. and organizes many

community events to celebrate and acknowledge our great history. It’s

interesting to note that the basis for the formation of the society in

1982 was led by a group of citizens, led by Dr. Walter Anderson, who

came together when they learned of the city of Kelowna fire department’s

intention to burn down the Benvoulin church as a training exercise, as

it was in an advanced state of disrepair.

They came together, and now we see their efforts. The church has

been saved. It’s been restored to its original glory, with its soaring

steeple, high ceilings and vaulted arches. The society recently

celebrated the 125th anniversary of the church with a community event

and a celebration of its extensive history.

Mr. Speaker, I know we’re not supposed to use props in this House,

but I have here the baptism certificate for my Great-Aunt Bobo, who was

the first baby baptized in this church, in 1892, and 92 years later, in

1984, she was there to witness and to celebrate the renovation of the

church.

This church has very, very special meaning. On behalf of all of

the citizens of the Okanagan, I want to recognize and thank all the

members of the Central Okanagan Heritage Society and its current board,

under the very capable leadership of Don Knox, for their outstanding

work in preserving our history and making such an important contribution

to our community.

Mr. Speaker: Member, I think you can show us that prop. Thank you.

[Applause.]

ROHINGYA MUSLIM REFUGEES

R. Singh: Last weekend I, along with my colleagues, attended a fundraiser

organized for Rohingya Muslim refugees who are currently languishing in

relief camps on the border of Bangladesh and Myanmar.

These unfortunate people have been forced to leave their homes

because of the atrocities committed against them by the army of Myanmar

and the religious fanatics. I’m proud of the fact that my constituents

started a drive to raise money for Rohingya refugees and have collected

more than $100,000 in donations on behalf of Islamic Relief

Canada.

Another inspiring part of this drive was that many non-Muslims

also came out to show their support for this cause. A case in point is

Khalsa Aid, a U.K.-based charity whose founder, Ravi Singh, was in

Surrey not too long ago. Their volunteers are helping the Rohingya

refugees directly in the camps. The tragedy that has devastated all of

us has also brought us closer to each other.

Through this House, I urge the federal government to please look

into the demands made by my constituents in relation to the situation in

Myanmar and adopt a strategy to help Rohingya Muslims in this hour of

crisis.

[2:00 p.m.]

NORTH SHORE MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY

J. Thornthwaite: It is my pleasure to rise today to recognize the North Shore

Multicultural Society, who on October 25 will be celebrating their 25th

anniversary of offering specialized services to new immigrants on the

North Shore. Since opening their doors in 1992, this not-for-profit

society has been assisting North Shore newcomers, immigrant and refugee

clients of all racial, ethnic, religious, social and economic

backgrounds.

Through partnerships with private donors, the business community

and federal and provincial governments, the North Shore Multicultural

Society provides a host of indispensable settlement services which,

support, health care education, and family and child care

programs.

With over 1,000 individuals visiting its immigrant service centre

each week, the North Shore Multicultural Society has grown in size to

serve over 5,000 immigrants per year. Moreover, the North Shore

Multicultural Society relies on a network of over 150 North Shore

community volunteers who, along with their 80-member staff, dedicate

their time to help deliver the society’s high-quality

programming.

I ask that this House help me extend a warm congratulations and

best wishes to the North Shore Multicultural Society as they celebrate

this significant milestone.

Hon. S. Fraser: I seek leave to make an introduction.

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

Hon. S. Fraser: I just realized that there’s a teacher here from KSS, Kwalikum

Secondary School. I’m not trying to steal the thunder from the member for

Parksville-Qualicum, but back in 2005, I got elected. The name of my

constituency was Alberni-Qualicum. It included Qualicum Beach.

I visited Jon Waters’ classroom a number of times in his school. I

want to congratulate him on being chosen as a facilitator for the Institute

on Parliamentary Democracy, and I’d ask this House to please make him feel

very, very welcome.

Oral Questions

B.C. NDP GOVERNMENT TRANSITION TEAM

T. Redies: Yesterday, when asked about lucrative contracts to NDP friends and

insiders, the Premier said: “Nothing to see here.” Well, it turns out

there is quite a bit to see — nearly $300,000 spent for less than three

weeks of work. NDP friends like Eugene Koystra, Evan Lloyd and Judith

Cavanagh received tens of thousands of dollars for a few days’

work.

Rewarding NDP friends and insiders would seem to be this

government’s standard operating procedure. So to the Premier: why does

he think it was okay to spend over $100,000 a week through direct-award

contracts to NDP friends and insiders?

Hon. J. Horgan: I thank the member for her question. She, of course, wouldn’t have

been here in 2001 when the B.C. Liberals spent $367,000 on their

transition. But I do know that the member will understand net present

value. That would have been almost $500,000 if it was spent today. And

if the transition for the member for Vancouver-Quilchena from the head

of the B.C. Liberal Party to deputy minister was okay then, I’m sure the

member will want to reconsider her question.

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

T. Redies: Actually, I think we need to explore it a little bit further.

Yesterday the Premier’s office touted how qualified these friends of the

Premier’s were. Well, there’s no doubt they were highly connected. In

terms of qualifications, I think I actually found what it takes to

qualify for one of these contracts. You see, it turns out that the NDP

insiders who received these sweetheart contracts have donated nearly

$220,000 to the B.C. NDP.

My question to the Premier is simple. Were these contracts payback

for the thousands of dollars in donations these individuals made to the

NDP?

[2:05 p.m.]

Hon. J. Horgan: Again, I appreciate that the member is new to this place and will

not have the history of 16 years of paybacks for big donations we saw on

the other side. Again, I know that she’s well read and that she’ll take

the time to go back and look at the contributions and contracts that

flowed from 16 years of working for the people at the top, rather than

working for all British Columbians.

I think the point the member wants to get to is: what have we

accomplished in 100 days? I can start by saying we’ve cut MSP premiums

in half while you guys were doubling them. People living in her

community will save $1,500 a year travelling over the Port Mann Bridge

because this side of the House cares about her constituents.

Mr. Speaker: The Member for Surrey–White Rock on a second

supplemental.

T. Redies: It’s clear, given that the Premier is not prepared to answer the

question, that these contracts were just payback for thousands of

dollars in donations these individuals made to the NDP. But there is

another obvious connection through all these lucrative contracts, and

that is close ties with public sector unions.

Employed in the Premier’s summer works program were Neil Monckton

of the Hospital Employees Union, who also managed the campaign of Vision

Vancouver’s Raymond Louie; Keith Reynolds of CUPE; Chris Kinkaid, who

has been with the BCGEU and HEU; John Malcolmson, a former CUPE

researcher; and Kim Manton, a CUPE campaigner. Collectively, these

public sector unions have donated over $5.3 million to the

NDP.

Again, to the Premier: will he admit the obvious, that this

exercise was simply about rewarding friends with close ties to the

NDP?

Hon. J. Horgan: Well, transition is normally a simple exercise in a parliamentary

democracy. But when the government on the other side didn’t provide any

meaningful information for the new government, that meant more work.

Right down to the paper in the Xerox machine, the Liberals scorched the

offices and headed for the door.

I’m proud that in 2017, we spent way less than they did

transitioning from one government to another. More importantly, I’m

proud to lead a government that’s working for all British Columbians,

not just the people at the top.

CONFIDENCE AND SUPPLY AGREEMENT

SECRETARIAT

S. Bond: The Premier can continue to dismiss questions about how he spends

taxpayer dollars, but British Columbians deserve answers from their

government about the pattern that’s developing. Contracts for friends

and making taxpayers pay almost $1 million over four years for partisan

activity is apparently the new way of doing business around

here.

My question to the Premier relates to the $1 million secretariat

designed to manage the political relationship between the NDP and the

Greens. Let’s remind the Premier about the agreement that he and the

Greens signed. In fact, on page 1, it says this: “This agreement sets

out a new relationship between the two parties founded on the principle

of good faith and no surprises.” Well, you can imagine the reaction of

British Columbians when they heard the leader of the Green Party the

other day say: “I was surprised, and I continue to be

surprised.”

My question to the Premier is: what exactly is the purpose of the

$1 million secretariat that British Columbians were surprised to find

themselves paying for, especially when the junior partner apparently

doesn’t think it works either?

[2:10 p.m.]

Hon. C. James: I find it very interesting that the opposition will want to have a

debate about which side of the House uses tax dollars responsibly. Let’s

take a look. The previous government spent 15 million in tax dollars on

ads trying to get themselves re-elected. The last Premier spent half a

million dollars on private jets between Victoria and Kelowna — $15

million. All this was while they were hiking MSP, hiking ICBC, hiking

hydro rates and increasing tuition fees.

I am proud to be part of a government working with our Green

colleagues to make sure we have a government that puts people first once

again.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Prince George–Valemount on a

supplemental.

S. Bond: One thing that British Columbians have learned about this

government is that they love to consult. The list is lengthy — Site C,

Massey Tunnel, foreign buyer tax, ride-sharing. I could go on. In fact,

it seems that the $1 million secretariat is nothing more than an

institutionalized consultation process. Just how well is that working?

Well, there’s certainly no shortage of quotes….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, if we may hear the question.

S. Bond: There’s certainly no shortage of quotes from the leader of the

Green Party about the effectiveness of the secretariat. When he was busy

talking about ride-sharing the other day, he said: “Well, very

disappointing is what it is. It’s not going to stop me from bringing my

private member’s bill to keep this thing going.”

Let’s get this straight. Surprises, disappointment, private

members’ bills which will likely never see the light of day — all this

and the taxpayers are still on the hook for a $1 million secretariat to

manage the political relationship between the NDP and its junior

partner.

To the Premier, isn’t it time he came clean with British

Columbians and admitted that the entire secretariat is just a charade,

and a $1 million one at that?

Hon. C. James: I can let the member know, and all members on that side of the

House, that the public are thrilled. After being shut out for 16 years,

they finally have a government that is including them in

decision-making. We are proud of that, and we’re going to continue

that.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members.

LETTER FROM AGRICULTURE MINISTER

TO FISH FARM

OPERATOR

P. Milobar: Since the member opposite seems to feel the expenditure of tax

dollars is a laughing question, I’ll switch things up a little

bit.

We started this session raising concerns about the government’s

troubling focus on killing projects and driving investment out of

British Columbia. Now we see a truly remarkable and chilling letter from

the Minister of Agriculture to a business. The letter does not suggest

that the company is engaged in unlawful activity in any way. However,

the purpose, instead, is far more chilling. You don’t have to break the

law. You simply need to act in a manner the minister doesn’t like, and

you will face an all-out attack on your business by the

government.

Can the Minister of Agriculture explain the legal ramifications if

government unilaterally revokes Crown leases or permits to operate for

lawful businesses in British Columbia?

Hon. L. Popham: Thank you to the member for the question. This is a very important

topic.

[2:15 p.m.]

First off, I would like to be clear that this side of the House —

and, I assume, the other side of the House — believes that protecting

our wild salmon is of utmost importance. Currently we’re engaging in

government-to-government talks between the First Nations. We are

including the federal government, and we are including industry. Part of

that letter was our communications back and forth. There is constant

communication.

Our relationship with the First Nations is very, very important,

and it’s critical to this situation as well. The talks that we’re having

with the federal government and First Nations are moving us forward to a

place we can all agree on.

There is one thing that is clear from our government, First

Nations, the federal government and the salmon farmers of this province.

Status quo isn’t good enough anymore, and we have to do things

differently.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Kamloops–North Thompson on a

supplemental.

P. Milobar: This is not how a government should speak, with threats and

innuendo, to a lawful business. We know this government doesn’t like

British Columbians to work on big projects. They’re against Kinder

Morgan. They’re against building the Massey Tunnel replacement. They’re

slowly killing Site C. Now the Minister of Agriculture has written a

threatening letter to a smaller business.

Small businesses like ranchers, guide outfitters, back-country

tourism operators, to name a few, need to know that their permits to

operate won’t be revoked simply on a personal whim or a vendetta from a

minister. The minister’s letter essentially says that you don’t invest

in B.C. if you are not on side with the minister’s personal

views.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

P. Milobar: I’ll repeat that. The minister’s letter essentially says: don’t

invest in B.C. if you aren’t on side with the minister’s personal views.

I’ve listed many potential small businesses that will be impacted by

this style of governance by intimidation.

Simple question. Will the minister answer who’s next?

Hon. L. Popham: For 30 years, salmon farming has been controversial in British

Columbia. We know, the federal government knows, the First Nations know

and the salmon farmers know that status quo is not good enough. We are

willing to work with all stakeholders until we resolve this

issue.

E. Ross: British Columbians and communities like the ones I represent rely

on resource development for jobs. They rely on jobs that are being

threatened by this Minister of Agriculture.

The letter from the Minister of Agriculture is very clear. It says

to this business that this minister will cancel their tenure. This

minister is going to cancel the basis on which this company goes about

creating jobs and economic development and not because they broke the

law. They did not break any laws. They simply did something lawful that

this minister disagreed with.

My question is to the Minister of Agriculture. Has she considered

the impact on resource jobs across our province from unilaterally

shutting down job creators?

Hon. L. Popham: As I said in my first answer, the health of wild salmon is of

utmost importance to our government, and we are working with

stakeholders to make sure that we can have a healthy salmon

stock.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Skeena on a supplemental.

E. Ross: But that’s not what the letter said. In her letter, the minister

is sending a very clear message to every person, to every small business

and to every investor, particularly to anyone creating jobs and economic

development from resource development in B.C.

[2:20 p.m.]

Her message is that it doesn’t matter what the law says or if a

company is following the laws of B.C. or Canada. We are going to take

away your ability to do business in B.C. You just have to do something

that the NDP doesn’t like. If you don’t like what the NDP says, then too

bad. They’re going to cancel your tenures.

To the Minister of Agriculture, resource development employs

thousands of British Columbians, many of them Aboriginal. What does she

have to say to these workers, which her actions threaten?

Hon. L. Popham: Let me be clear that our wild salmon are part of a healthy coastal

economy as well. I would hope that this member, from his community,

understands that.

We will be working with stakeholders until we resolve this issue.

We are having government to government talks with First Nations and the

federal government, and we are including stakeholders, the fish farming

industry, at that table.

M. Bernier: It’s unfortunate, when we’re talking about this, that what we’re

hearing is that the government on that side of the House actually

doesn’t respect the fact — when companies and people are following the

laws of British Columbia, as they are right now.

When you look at the letter that was sent out, it is nothing more

than just intimidation of a company. This is something that needs to be

addressed. It is not fair when you have companies who are coming to

British Columbia and investing, having family-supporting jobs and making

sure that they’re able to move forward under the rules, the regulations,

that government puts in place. They expect to be able to have those

investments and those jobs continue on under those rules. This is not

about fish farms. This is about the policy at hand.

Will the minister actually say — since she’s said that this is

standard and this is going out — what other companies, what other

groups, she has sent this same letter to?

Hon. L. Popham: I would just like to reiterate that the economy of wild salmon is

critically important to British Columbia. We are working with First

Nations on this issue right now. We are also making sure that the

federal government upholds their responsibilities in this issue. We

believe that open conversations with the industry are also critically

important. That is why we’ve engaged everybody, and we invite them to

the table as we move forward.

I am waiting for an agriculture committee report on salmon

farming, coming to me by the end of this year. This will allow us to

move forward on that issue as well. All stakeholders are engaged in that

process.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Peace River South on a supplemental.

M. Bernier: This government talks about lots of consultation, but they never

actually consult with the actual companies that are bringing

family-supporting jobs to the province of British Columbia.

When you look at….

Interjections.

M. Bernier: The Environment Minister and Premier stand up and stop Pacific

NorthWest LNG. Did they consult the company? No. In fact, it’s probably

no coincidence that they left our province shortly after this government

was in.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

M. Bernier: They moved their investment away. Why? Because there’s a trend

that’s with the NDP right now. Don’t bring your money to British

Columbia because it’s not safe here. Don’t support families here. It’s

not safe. Your investments are not safe.

When I actually read and look at the letter, it doesn’t matter

whatever…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, we shall hear the question.

M. Bernier: …lawful activities you’re engaged in. The minister is actually

able to make her own decisions. It says right in the letter that your

investment cannot be guaranteed.

Now, that is not fair to companies. This is not, again, about fish

farms. This is about what we are doing in government to support jobs and

opportunities in British Columbia and being fair to

everybody.

So, again, I’ll repeat. To the minister: since she says this seems

to be a normal letter, who else did she send it to?

Hon. L. Popham: Well, one thing that’s clear to me from this line of questioning

is that the opposition does not believe that wild salmon is important in

this province.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. L. Popham: I would like the member to consider the family-supporting jobs

that come with healthy wild salmon stocks.

[2:25 p.m.]

M. de Jong: The minister doesn’t want to refer to the letter. She’s either

embarrassed by what’s included in it, or it is indefensible — I think

probably a little bit of both. The letter is clear. The letter says to

the recipient: “Whatever lawful operational decisions you make, be

careful, because the government reserves the right not to renew your

tenure.”

What does the minister think the recipient of that letter

interpreted that to mean? It was intimidation. It wasn’t even innuendo.

It was very clear that the minister was threatening the lawful operator

of a business. Will she stand in this House today and explain what on

earth justifies her, even as a minister of the Crown — or particularly

as a minister of the Crown — to ignore the laws of the land and the rule

of law and threaten a business in British Columbia?

Hon. J. Horgan: I appreciate that the member likes to get hyperbolic right off the

bat, but I think he’s missing the point of the impact that we’re having

on wild salmon as a result of activity up and down the coast, up and

down our streams and our rivers. This is a fundamentally important issue

to millions of British Columbians.

We’re doing everything we can to correct issues that have been

left fallow by this government for the past 16 years. We’re bringing

together all of the stakeholders on the coast. We’re bringing together

First Nations, the federal government, salmon farmers, workers and

communities to find a resolution that works for everybody. That’s why we

have an agreement with the Green caucus. That’s why we brought together

the majority of views in this Legislature, so that the majority of the

views of British Columbians can be heard in this House.

Mr. Speaker: The House Leader for the opposition on a supplemental.

M. de Jong: The problem is that’s not what the letter says. That’s not what

the letter says. Has the Premier been in office so long…? Has he been

there so long that he cannot put himself in the position of a small

business operator who gets a letter from a minister of the Crown that

says: “No matter what you are doing, be it entirely consistent with the

laws of the land…. No matter what you’re doing, we’re watching you. If

we don’t like what you’re doing, we’re not going to renew your licence.

We’re not going to renew your tenure”?

Is the Premier, that quickly, that far removed from the challenges

of small business people all over British Columbia that he doesn’t

recognize how inappropriate it is and was for a minister of the Crown to

send a letter to a British Columbian operating a business that says: “It

doesn’t matter what the law is. If we don’t like what you’re doing,

we’re going to take away your right to do business”?

Hon. J. Horgan: I’m thankful for the history lesson from the member on the other

side.

[2:30 p.m.]

Has he been in opposition so long that he’s forgotten ripping up

contracts of teachers back in 2002? Has he been in opposition so long

that he forgets ripping up contracts for health care workers in this

province? Has he been in opposition so long that he forgets that if

you’re going to get resolution to complex problems, you have to work

with everybody?

That’s what we intend to do. We want to make sure we’re protecting

wild salmon. We want to make sure that everyone involved in the coastal

economy can be heard and that we move in a way that meets the interests

of all British Columbians.

REVIEW OF RIDE-SHARING

AND TAXI

INDUSTRIES

J. Thornthwaite: We now know that the Minister of Transportation has broken her

party’s promise to bring ride-sharing to British Columbia this year. It

will take more time. We just don’t know how much, and it just needs

another study.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, if we could hear the question.

J. Thornthwaite: The minister is going to pay a taxi expert to look at the problem.

For $165,000, he’ll redo a report he did a couple of years ago. When

asked about it on the CBC, Mr. Hara had this to say: “Presumably there

will be, especially if something is to go forward, more formal public

hearings and processes.”

Oh my gosh. Could the Minister of Transportation please inform the

House how many more reports, how many more consultations, how many more

delays before she fulfils the promise in her mandate letter to British

Columbians?

Hon. C. Trevena: I thought the opposition had almost forgotten about this very

important topic for British Columbians this afternoon.

I know that the member does represent a North Vancouver riding and

that it is a very important part of Metro Vancouver, but I think she

should remember that the report that was written then, which I have now

read — I have read it — was about Vancouver.

As I said yesterday…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. C. Trevena: …and as I said the day before, and I think it was the day before

that, I am the Minister of Transportation for the whole of British

Columbia. We need to find a solution for the whole of British Columbia,

for the taxi industry, how we can bring in ride-share properly, and we

will do so. Unlike the opposition, when they had five years in

government to do something about it, we’ve been in government for

approximately 100 days. We will be making sure that the people of

British Columbia have the ability to access ride-hailing when they need

it, as soon as we can.

[End of question period.]

Ministerial Statements

PERSONS DAY

Hon. J. Darcy: I rise today to recognize Persons Day, which commemorates the

decision of the Privy Council on October 18, 1929, that women are

persons and therefore eligible to hold office in Canada. On Persons Day,

we recognize the efforts of five incredible women — Emily Murphy, Louise

McKinney, Irene Parlby, Nellie McClung and Henrietta Muir Edwards — who

fought for the right to be recognized as persons and for the right for

women to serve the public in elected office. Persons Day is an important

opportunity to reflect on both the progress that women have made and

also to recommit ourselves to the work ahead to secure equality for

all.

I am very proud that our Premier appointed a cabinet with an equal

number of women and men, and I’m proud to be part of a government that

supports and empowers women to succeed. From affordable child care to a

poverty reduction plan to support for victims of domestic violence and

investments in services like health care and education and partnership

with Indigenous peoples, our government will lift all people up, all

families up and leave no person behind.

Every woman, man, child, Indigenous, youth, immigrant and person

with a disability matters. In British Columbia, everyone is a person.

Today let’s rededicate ourselves to the work ahead to remove barriers,

to open doors and to create opportunities for every person in the

province of British Columbia.

[2:35 p.m.]

S. Bond: I want to thank the minister for her words today. It’s very hard

to imagine, when I look around this chamber, that at a point in our not

too distant past, women needed to fight for the right to be considered

persons. On October 18, 1929, we were given the right to be included in

the legal definition of “persons.” I have to admit that it’s hard to

even say those words.

We’re here today because five amazing women took up the fight.

They pursued a very difficult legal path that resulted in a historic

decision that changed our history forever. I am very proud to serve

alongside this group of talented women, each chosen by her constituents

to be their representative. It is a significant responsibility and

always a humbling honour. Much progress has been made since that day

decades ago, when we were finally entitled to be included in the legal

definition of persons. But there is so much more to do.

Today I know that every member of this House, both women and men,

will agree that we need to build on the courage and drive that Emily

Murphy, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby, Nellie McClung and Henrietta Muir

Edwards demonstrated. We need to be partners in inspiring women in our

communities to reach their full potential. And we need to work

tirelessly together to ensure that their path moving forward is much

easier than those who have gone before us.

Standing Order 18

APPLICATION OF

STANDING ORDER TO BILL

M. de Jong: I rise pursuant to Standing Order 18, and I do so for this

purpose. I am given to understand that later this afternoon we will be

discussing, in this chamber, debating in second reading of Bill 5,

amendments to the Constitution Act.

The issue that attracts, I think, my attention and the attention

of other members of the House and for which I believe the appropriate

procedure is to seek a ruling from the Chair and guidance from the

Chair…. Perhaps, in this case, I will use the word “guidance,” because

in the past, I note from the authorities relevant to Standing Order 18,

at times, a decision has been sought after the debate has commenced and

after votes have been recorded. In fairness to all members, I believe it

would be advantageous for the Chair to render a decision on this matter

in advance of the debate and votes being taken.

The issue, of course, is Standing Order 18: “No Member is entitled

to vote upon any question in which he or she has a direct pecuniary

interest, and the vote of any Member so interested shall be

disallowed.”

There are two components to this. I will restrict my commentary to

Standing Order 18, because members will know that

section 10 and

section

1 of the Members’ Conflict of Interest Act also speak to the issue of

pecuniary interest. The test there, I would suggest, is slightly

different, and to be fair, there is a specified exemption for matters

pertaining to remuneration of members in the House.

I will restrict my commentary to Standing Order 18. Mr. Speaker,

you will know there are authorities going back to 1812 that speak to

this matter. I am going to suggest to you, but seek your guidance, that

the standing order is clear on this matter and that amendments to

legislation that would have the effect of bestowing a pecuniary benefit,

a benefit on individual members of the House, engages this

section.

I will also say this. The authority from this chamber, first of

all, I think supports the proposition that you would offer guidance on

the matter in advance, and a ruling in advance. It is not a matter for

the House to vote on per se; it is a matter in this assembly for the

Speaker to rule on.

I would conclude my remarks, though, by saying this. Were this

simply a matter of adjusting the remuneration of members’ pay, actually

I think a conclusive argument could be made that all members are

entitled to vote. But that’s not what the act does, and that’s not what

the proposed amendments to the act do.

[2:40 p.m.]

It proposes to amend

definitions of what constitutes a party in

the House, and we’ll get to that discussion on the merits. But it is not

specifically an amendment that directly impacts remuneration. It does so

indirectly. And in those circumstances, I think members on both sides of

the House would benefit from guidance from the Chair as to whether or

not all members…. Or if there are any members who are precluded from

participating in the debate or voting — that we have that determined in

advance.

Mr. Speaker: Thank you, Member. I will take this on advisement and have a

comment before the beginning of debate.

Orders of the Day

Hon. M. Farnworth: In this chamber, I call continued second reading on Bill 2. In the little

House, Committee A, I call continued estimates, Ministry of Health.

[R. Chouhan in the chair.]

Second Reading of Bills

BILL 2 — BUDGET MEASURES

IMPLEMENTATION ACT, 2017

(continued)

A. Kang: As MLA for Burnaby–Deer Lake, I am honoured to rise today to speak

in support of Bill 2, the Budget Measures Implementation Act. The 2017

Budget Update presents a strong, responsible fiscal plan that puts

people first, while helping to ensure the long-run fiscal sustainability

of our province.

B.C.’s economy is strong, and employment, retail sales and exports

have all exceeded expectations. The outlook for this year’s real GDP

growth is 2.9 percent. With our balanced budget, we are sharing the

prosperity of our province with everyone who lives here and fixing the

problems resulting from 16 years of bad choices and neglect.

We recognize that there is much more work to be done, but we will

never forget that this province’s most-valued assets are its people.

We’re putting people first by improving the services they need and

making their lives more affordable.

As the Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors, I would like to

emphasize the $189 million over three years that the bill provides to

improve access to home and community care. I know the urgent need of

looking after our seniors. I have been speaking with numerous seniors

advocates across B.C., visiting seniors care homes and speaking to

families and care providers about their concerns. Seniors who need

stable care and a helping hand are struggling to find timely medical

care and an affordable home so that they can live their final years in

dignity.

I have been following closely the office of the seniors advocate

survey that was just released a little while ago. This is a good report,

and I want to commend the seniors advocate for taking the time, care and

thought to put together the survey report. The Premier has given

direction in his mandate letter to the Minister of Health to address

issues that affect many of B.C.’s seniors, and many of these issues were

identified in this report.

The government is committed to bringing care hours up to

appropriate levels and meeting the standard of 3.36 direct care hours

per residential day.

[2:45 p.m.]

In the conversations that I have been having, I hear that seniors

want to live in their homes for as long as possible. One hot topic is

home care. What I hear from families, seniors and advocates is that it

is important for seniors who want to remain at home to stay at home and

to continue to be connected to a familiar environment with their

families and home community. Seniors will benefit if they can spend more

time with home care workers. When seniors are supported appropriately at

home, they can avoid unnecessary visits to the hospital and be happier

and healthier at home.

Education. In the second month of school, students are now settled

down in the classrooms, familiar with their homeroom teachers and have

become acquainted with new friends. My kids are excited about meeting

their new music teacher, taking out library books to read, playing on

the playground, and they are even excited about bringing home

homework.

The government is putting our money where our mouth is by

providing $681 million over three years to help our kids get the

education they deserve. The additional dollars will help reduce class

sizes, hire more teachers and provide resources and supports for our

children’s success.

To immediately address the space requirements for kids going back

to school, we are also providing capital funding of $50 million. This

means that Ecole Alpha Secondary School in Burnaby will receive $27.2

million and will finally receive seismic upgrades and partial

replacement to increase student capacity from 1,025 students to 1,100

student spaces.

This means that the Montecito Elementary School in Burnaby will

receive $3.4 million from this provincial government and will finally

receive a seismic upgrade and four additional classrooms that will

provide 100 student spaces. This means that University Highlands

Elementary School in Burnaby will receive $2.75 million from this

provincial government and will finally add eight additional classrooms

to provide up to 195 student spaces.

When Bill 2 passes, I can rest assured that students in British

Columbia will be having a great school year, where students are not

learning in crowded classrooms, where B.C. schools will see hundreds of

millions of dollars in funding for public education, children in care

and mental health. Bill 2 provides the quality education that our

children need and deserve.

This government’s promises to B.C. students, parents and teachers

aren’t just words. They are followed up by actions, real actions. We’re

giving students the support they need to succeed and restoring proper

funding for B.C. classrooms. Bill 2 is a statement that we are leaving

no child behind. After 16 years of cuts and conflict, B.C. students,

parents, teachers and school administrators are heartened to finally see

a bill that shows that the government wants to work with them and not

against them.

Education is one of the government’s highest priorities and will

continue to be. We’re investing in our children, our future and a more

balanced economy. A strong, balanced economy will help improve public

services like health care and education that we all rely on.

We must look far and plan for the future. The investments we make

today may not pay off in a year or two or even before our next election,

but they will pay off. When these investments mature, it will not matter

which party sits on this side of the aisle, because as long as British

Columbians can reap the benefits, we know that we are making the right

decisions here today. These right decisions transcend

politics.

Together, we will help British Columbians, young or old, realize

their full potential, by supporting Bill 2. I look forward to continue

working with all the stakeholders to keep the smartest and brightest

minds in British Columbia.

Investment in education does not stop at K to 12. This government

is providing $7.5 million to expand BCIT’s specialty nursing program and

$78.3 million for BCIT’s health services centre for advanced simulation.

This government is planning for the future. Our province’s aging

population continues to rise, and we need more and more health care

professionals to take care of everyone.

[2:50 p.m.]

Simon Fraser University, the crown jewel of Burnaby and British

Columbia, will receive $19.6 million from this provincial government for

its B.C. Knowledge Development Fund project. These projects will

continue to drive our province’s economy.

Earlier this year we battled wildfires, and we continue to face

battles with cancer. We shouldn’t forget another enemy that’s destroying

us from within, and that’s the opioid crisis. This year we have lost

more people to opioids than wildfires — 978 in 2016 and 876 more in the

first seven months of this year. That’s more than 1,000 heartbroken

families and more than 100,000 broken hearts. I sometimes wonder: what

if these drugs get into the wrong hands, into our children’s hands? The

thought of it truly scares me. We must act now before it’s too

late.

Bill 2 provides $265 million that will go towards addressing the

fentanyl emergency. Bill 2 will help remove opioids from our streets and

keep the deadly drug away from our children. I am comforted by the fact

that this government is determined to provide an immediate and direct

response to the crisis. I am comforted by the fact that our government

will help stop these tragedies from happening to our loved

ones.

At the root of our opioid crisis is the mental health of British

Columbians, which is why Bill 2 is providing a $603 million increase

over three years to the base budget for the Ministry of Health. These

additional dollars will help us to work on priorities in our health care

system. As British Columbia’s population continues to age and our senior

population continues to grow, our health services must catch up to the

demand. Bill 2 ensures that we don’t fall behind.

Bill 2 also provides $25 million to establish the new Ministry of

Mental Health and Addictions that will provide a strategic leadership

and take on the issues directly. By designating a ministry specifically

for mental health and addictions, the government is committed to

tackling the issue. Burnaby will benefit from a new mental health and

substance use development and consolidated community health service

area. We are also cutting MSP premiums in half, which will save families

up to $900 every year. This is where ensuring the well-being of our

people and making our province more affordable intersect.

Affordability is an important concern for almost all British

Columbians, especially for my friends and neighbours in Burnaby–Deer

Lake. People are working harder and harder, but they are realizing that

they have not become better. British Columbians deserve a government

that is working for the people. I have served as a Burnaby city

councillor for the past nine years. Over the past nine years, people

have been telling me that life has not gotten better. Families have to

work double-income jobs because they just can’t keep up with the cost of

living.

As a mother, I share the same concern and desire to give our

children a better life than the ones that we have right now. We want to

raise our children in communities we grew up in, yet housing prices are

so unaffordable that some families are being pushed out of their own

communities. Some even have to resort to living on the streets. This is

a situation that, as astonishing as it is, is unacceptable. That is why

we are providing $208 million over four years to support the

construction of more than 1,700 new units of affordable rental housing

in communities across the province.

We are also providing $291 million over two years to construct

2,000 modular supportive housing units for people who are homeless. Even

with additional funding, there is still more work to be done. The

government realizes that and is working on a comprehensive plan to make

housing more affordable for people by closing speculation loopholes and

reducing tax fraud and money laundering in B.C. real estate.

Our Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, as well

as our Parliamentary Secretary for Poverty Reduction are working hard to

find solutions to reduce poverty in B.C., including developing a

comprehensive poverty reduction strategy.

[2:55 p.m.]

Through Bill 2, this government is also providing $23.2 million to

We shouldn’t have to own a car or spend thousands of dollars on gas just

to live in this province. Some of us don’t have the means to buy a car.

Some of us don’t have the means to fill our tanks. Some of us don’t have

the means to maintain our cars. We’re working towards a more accessible

and affordable B.C. by providing everyone with reliable public

transportation.

In our province, the majority of parents now work, regardless of

the age of their children. Most families have both parents working out

of necessity, because the economic climate requires that there must be

two breadwinners in order to pay the bills.

Due to the unaffordability of the economic climate in our

province, as a result of neglect and inaction for the past 16 years to

take care of families and children, many families cannot afford to take

leave from work to stay home to look after their children. Furthermore,

housing prices, especially in urbanized regions, have risen to a point

where it is unbelievably out of reach for young couples to secure a

place and raise a family.

Given that the cost of child care can consume nearly one parent’s

salary, parents or caregivers choose to take leave from the workforce so

that the family doesn’t incur the daycare expense. It may seem like an

economically rational decision. I know I had to make that decision after

having my second child. I couldn’t afford to put two children into child

care. I decided to be home for them both.

My story isn’t a unique one, nor is it a rarely occurring

circumstance. Hundreds of situations like mine arise every single day.

In fact, I’m sure that many of us sitting here in the Legislature have

received similar calls for help.

Our government is moving forward with $20 million in new child

care investments that will increase our spending on early childhood

development and child care to $330 million this year and support more

than 4,000 new child care spaces.

Child care services enable parents to get the education or

training they need to access good jobs. In addition to the positive

long-term impact that high-quality child care has on children and the

economy, these programs provide important benefits to working parents,

especially working mothers. Child care makes it possible for low-income

or sole-support parents to take advantage of opportunities for

advancement.

Just as we are putting people in homes, we are also getting people

working. Small businesses are the backbone of our sustainable economy.

Burnaby has four town centres, one being Metrotown Centre, which is

located in my riding of Burnaby–Deer Lake.

With a vibrant urban economy and a central location, Burnaby is

the place to conduct business in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland.

Surrounded by some of the most beautiful parks and natural settings in

Canada, Burnaby is a great place to learn, live, work, invest and

play.

Here, many immigrants and entrepreneurs choose Burnaby as home for

their businesses. Burnaby’s strong and diversified industry clusters

include information technology, wireless, biotechnology, life science,

film, new media, education, environmental technology and services,

professional services and light industry.

We must keep Burnaby a magnet that attracts talents from

worldwide. This is why we are going to build schools, hospitals, transit

and transportation infrastructure, which will create jobs in every

corner of our province. This is a $14.6 billion investment that will pay

off tremendously.

While the pleasant environment is beneficial to sparking

innovation and growth, we must do more to stimulate our creative minds.

This is why we’re creating an innovation commission, which will be both

an advocate and ambassador for B.C.’s tech sector, as well as creating

an emerging economy task force, which will develop made-in-B.C.

solutions and look at how government can encourage innovative and

sustainable industry to drive economic growth in B.C. in the 21st

century.

British Columbia is home to a growing technology sector, and the

commission, along with the task force, will encourage new investments.

We will harness the technology and make sure everyone receives the

benefit and wealth created by the 21st century economy.

[3:00 p.m.]

Taking care and supporting small businesses are important to job

creation in our B.C. economy. Small businesses are a critical component

of and major contributor to the strength of local economies. Small

businesses present new employment opportunities and serve as the

building blocks of our province. We are supporting small businesses by

reducing their tax rates from 2.5 percent to 2 percent.

Some will argue that economic development and environmental

protection are conflicting principles, but this government is going to

prove them wrong. We will soon end the requirement for the carbon tax to

be revenue-neutral and support families and fund green initiatives with

additional revenue. We are committed to combatting climate change, not

only because it is the right thing to do, but it is also the economic

thing to do. We are also moving forward to phase out the provincial

sales tax on electricity, which will help B.C. businesses compete while

encouraging a transition to low-carbon energy sources.

Supporting families, investing in education and health care,

making life more affordable, improving the services people rely on,

making new investments that grow jobs and help develop a strong,

sustainable and innovative economy — that’s our vision. We have seen

that laid out clearly in Bill 2.

I call on everyone in this House and everyone watching this. If

you believe in a government working for the people of British Columbia,

support Bill 2. If you believe in making life better and more affordable

for the people of British Columbia, support Bill 2. If you believe in

investing in our future and the people of British Columbia, support Bill

Thank you, hon. Speaker, for this opportunity to give my

response.

R. Sultan: I am pleased to offer some remarks on Bill 2, the Budget

Implementation Act.

I would like to begin by congratulating the new government for not

chucking out key elements of the previous government’s Budget 2017,

which this government inherited last June, including such measures as

cutting the MSP premiums by 50 percent, cutting the small business tax

rate from 2½ to 2 percent, phasing out the PST on electricity purchases

by business and the $3,000 non-refundable tax credit for SAR’s

volunteers and firefighters.

These taxpayer-friendly measures, proudly emphasized by the new

government and by the member for Burnaby–Deer Lake just now in her

remarks, have been more than offset by a basket of add-ons — regressive

new taxes, which will raise the cost of living for all of us and hit,

particularly hard, low-income people struggling to pay for gasoline so

they can drive to work and buy natural gas so they can heat their

homes.

New measures in Bill 2 will also make B.C. less attractive to

international business. Bill 2 introduces a higher carbon tax, which

means gasoline taxes growing by eight to 11 cents per litre and much

higher home heating bills due to the higher taxes on natural

gas.

Bill 2 also cancels the tax offsets for steadily escalating carbon

tax increases. That means British Columbia should return the United

Nations award it received last summer, when our member for West

Vancouver–Capilano flew all the way to Marrakesh, Africa, to the global

warming conference to receive global accolades for B.C.’s policy

innovation of the tax-neutral carbon tax. I expect to receive the phone

call any day asking for that loving cup or plaque, or whatever it was,

to be returned to them because we no longer are entitled to

it.

Bill 2 also increases the corporate income tax from 11 to 12

percent, and meanest of all — mean — Bill 2 takes away from children the

existing modest tax credits encouraging children’s physical fitness and

children’s participation in the arts — gone — thereby saving the

taxpayers a huge sum of $11 million.

[3:05 p.m.]

So what does it all add up to? Les Leyne of the Times

Colonist summarized it quite well. He said the government “is

counting on continued growth and a net $881 million a year in new taxes

to fund the promises it’s acting on this year. The trouble is, there are

lots of promises they haven’t gotten to yet…. The NDP needs smooth

economic sailing to bring in the revenue for those ventures, and the

higher interest rates make you wonder about the forecast.”

His wonderment is justified. I wonder too. Smooth sailing ahead?

Well, we already see storm clouds on the horizon. Again, the member for

Burnaby–Deer Lake talked about the employment growth vista that she sees

ahead, but what do we see from the statistics? Storm clouds gathering on

jobs and employment.

B.C. has been leading Canada in creating new jobs, and last month,

in September, according to B.C. Stats, we did add 7,600 jobs in only 30

days. Hurray. But wait. That was only in the public sector. Last month

in the private sector, we lost 9,700 jobs. Oops. And as for small

business, the number of self-employed last month also shrank, by 4,500

in only 30 days — oops again. It will be hard to keep our credit rating

if our government continues to expand while our tax base

dwindles.

Two other government initiatives enshrined in Bill 2 are further

cause for pessimism. There’s the bridge buyback program. And Bill 2 is

pulling the rug out from under international business. Let’s start with

bridges and highways. I’m not referring to the Massey Tunnel parking lot

enterprise. I’m referring to the Port Mann and Golden Ears Bridge

buyback programs.

Jennifer Saltman of the Vancouver Sun wrote in August

about the government eliminating Metro Vancouver bridge tolls. She

observed: “All B.C. taxpayers will share the burden of paying off

billions in debt for the Port Mann Bridge and subsidizing the Golden

Ears Bridge once tolls are removed from the two structures on September

1.”

The Premier is reported as saying: “We can manage that within our

fiscal framework, and that will not have an impact, we believe, in our

discussions with bond traders. It will not have an impact on our

borrowing costs.” Well, we shall see.

First of all, it won’t be the bond traders we have to worry about.

They know only two decisions — buy or sell — and I think I can guess the

direction they’re leaning. This is because the fixed-income analysts the

traders rely upon are reading Jennifer Saltman, who reports: “The

province expects to spend $132 million on costs associated with shutting

down Trio, severance and penalties for cancelling contracts on the toll

bridges, and thereafter foregoing $135 million annually in lost toll

revenue from the Port Mann.”

Here’s a typical NDP investment proposition: invest $132 million

so we can lose another $135 million annually. It’s a heck of a deal.

Total debt for the money-losing Port Mann Bridge is over $4 billion,

which will be added to the provincial debt of $40 billion.

Taxpayer-supported debt increases 10 percent at the stroke of a

pen.

But to be fair, there’s a silver lining. Those of us living in

West Vancouver–Capilano would like to thank government and the taxpayers

of Malahat, North Island, Nelson, Oak Bay and others for providing us

with generous relief from Metro Vancouver’s heavy tax burden, and we are

not alone. By the way, did I mention this government was

disproportionately elected from Metro Vancouver?

Next we have the Golden Ears Bridge, owned by an investment

consortium and leased to TransLink, another important institution and

big tax burden of Metro Vancouver. My constituents really, really

appreciate Metro Vancouver getting more financial assistance from

outside its service area.

[3:10 p.m.]

Relevant Golden Ears numbers are capital costs in the range of

$800 million, annual loss around $45 million. Heavy lifting on the

funding of TransLink — TransLink, of course, being Golden Ears — is done

by the municipalities of Metro Vancouver.

Those of us in West Van–Capilano wince when we open our real

estate tax bills, considering the relatively light transit service our

Blue Bus service provides. Since my constituents are disproportionately

large funders of TransLink, they are disproportionately thankful to the

government for transferring some of the tax burden off our backs and on

to the backs of the generous taxpayers of Malahat, North Island, Nelson

and Oak Bay. Thank you, distant benefactors.

I would like to close my remarks on Bill 2 by commenting on the

astonishing move of the government, out of the blue, in cancelling the

international business activity program, otherwise known as IBA. While

the government has neither consulted nor explained, one might speculate

on their reasons for abruptly cancelling this program. Maybe its

involvement with big banks, and it does. Its being set up under Gordon

Campbell, and it was. Its involvement with big business, and that’s

true. And it really doesn’t understand the program. I’d say that’s a

real possibility.

I see in this government’s attack on IBA a distant echo of another

attack on financial institutions in another province, in another

century, by another group of ideologues, where I was involved wearing

another hat. I refer to the separatist Parti Québécois. The heavy-handed

tax and regulatory policies adopted when they came to power in the 1976

Quebec provincial election resulted in the accelerated migration of

Montreal’s cluster of corporate head offices to Toronto.

The new government in Quebec did not like corporations, did not

large Montreal-based financial institutions got the message and quietly

left town in the middle of the night. Others, such as Sun Life,

scheduled their moving vans to arrive in the middle of the day to

publicize the consequence of the government’s ill-considered policies. I

had a ring seat to this migration as a senior executive of the largest

Canadian bank, right across the street.

Initially, the Parti Québécois’s attitude was good riddance. But

it wasn’t long before the unemployment insurance lines started to grow

and the new government realized they were chasing away high-paying jobs

and the golden goose, the tax base of the Montreal financial community.

As usual, Montreal ran to Ottawa for help.

Ottawa responded by granting international tax advantages to

financial companies operating in Montreal but not to those in Toronto.

To placate the rest of Canada, counterpart privileges were granted to

Vancouver. Vancouver was so far away, it didn’t really matter. Thus was

born, based initially on federal taxes and regulation, the pioneering

international financial centre concept.

Over the years, it inspired and grew into a strictly provincial

tax and regulatory regime, now known in British Columbia as IBA, the

international business activity program. IBA today has become a

28-year-old program of the B.C. Ministry of Finance — a program of the

B.C. Ministry of Finance, I emphasize — offering tax advantages to

international companies engaged in business abroad from a base in

Vancouver.

[3:15 p.m.]

It happens to be one of the major items in the toolbox of

Advantage B.C., a member-funded, non-government organization promoting

the merits of B.C. as a desirable location for international business.

But it should be emphasized that IBA is government.

By registering in the IBA program, a company can receive up to a

100 percent refund on provincial corporate taxes paid on qualifying

international business activities. This can result in an effective

corporate income tax rate on international activities of 2 to 3

percentage points less than, for example, Hong Kong or Singapore.

Unfortunately, under Bill 2, this international business incentive

program is obliterated.

Companies involved in British Columbia’s IBA have tended to be

organizations — some large, some quite small — engaged in international

trade, banking, financial services such as treasury and foreign

exchange, factoring, wealth and asset management, life sciences,

international patents and film distribution — clean, high-paying jobs,

where the client is international in origin.

Core members, and mark this list well, include the Bank of China

in Canada, Canaccord Genuity, Canfor, J.P. Morgan Asset Management,

Chrysalix Energy, CIBC, QLT, Raymond James, West Fraser, the former

Phillips Hager and North; Stemcell Technologies, Tolco Financial,

Ritchie Bros., Scotia Capital, Vancity Savings Credit Union, Coast

Capital, Vancouver Bullion and Currency Exchange and over 100

others.

I am dumbstruck that this government would pull the rug out from

under such a lengthy, diverse, reputable and important list of

investors, exporters, employers and high-tech ventures without warning,

without consultation, without explanation. We shoot ourselves in the

foot when we cancel this program.

Sure, under IBA, some income taxes are reduced. That’s the nature

of tax incentives ranging from film to junior mining. But if the

government hopes to gain more revenue by raising these taxes, I can’t

think of a less likely or more doomed strategy.

These international components of such organizations are, well,

international. Most of them could operate comfortably in some other

global environment. They are mobile. Many of them would not exactly find

it challenging to pull their core people out of Vancouver and relocate

them to San Francisco or Hong Kong or Singapore, and fire the support

staff. Many of the highly trained professionals involved are not

necessarily rooted here. Their passports are up to date, and employers

will simply give notice and move these activities to some other country.

All of the spinoff activities and benefits which British Columbia has

enjoyed will go down the drain. Welcome to a globalized

world.

Does British Columbia under an NDP government want to participate

in this global economy or build a wall around this place — you might

call it the “Adopt a Donald Trump” strategy — and tell those

international participants to go back home? Such dreadful parochialism

has not been the basis of B.C.’s prosperity in the past. We are world

traders.

One of IBA’s hallmark achievements was the important role it

played in a little noticed landmark agreement between China and Canada

establishing Vancouver as a renminbi hub, the renminbi being the Chinese

currency. Establishing a renminbi trading settlement in Vancouver was an

important step in breaking free from the U.S. dollar as the numéraire of

all international trade settlements. The Americans, of course, do not

like it one bit.

The renminbi hub was located here because China has seen British

Columbia as welcoming, friendly and financially sophisticated. In

contrast, persons close to the government appear to have planted fake

news about IBA in American media as part of the recent election

campaign, and I say shame.

[3:20 p.m.]

I draw parallels to the Parti Québécois in the late ’70s. I

watched with horror as they invited financial institutions to please

move to Toronto because they were not welcome in Montreal. This change

of government climate is a serious threat to the continued growth of

Vancouver as a centre of international finance. We are now ranked No.

17. We used to be ranked only 33.

The financial sector, by the way, represents over 150,000 jobs in

B.C. It’s been growing recently at about a 12 percent annual rate. Ten

years ago IBA activity in Vancouver was estimated as contributing more

than $100 million of earnings, revenues in the range approaching $1

billion, about 3,000 direct jobs and another 5,000 to 8,000 indirect

jobs. Those numbers would be much larger today.

If international financial institutions move away, we will not, I

believe, find much sympathy at the federal government level to come to

our rescue, since we’ll be seen as dismantling the very type of rescue

vehicle which the federal government helped create in the first place,

many decades ago, to try and help the folks in Montreal.

Let me close by mentioning a name I’m sure you’re familiar with:

Amazon — a small company. It has a market capitalization of one-half

trillion dollars, and it seems to be challenging even our new wonderful

downtown feature next to the courthouse, Nordstrom — Nordstrom being

challenged by Amazon, believe it or not. Amazon is planning to invest

$50 billion in a second head office somewhere. The race is on. Gregor is

in there pitching bike paths, I’m sure.

Unfortunately, passing Bill 2, as it reads now, will jeopardize

what is probably the most significant feature we can put on the table to

attract Amazon to British Columbia. With that proposition in play,

cancelling IBA doesn’t help one bit. Sure, we can point out to Amazon

our skiing is great, the mountains are pretty, but business is business.

IBA is probably British Columbia’s most effective government program to

attract Amazon’s second head office.

Or is Bill 2 just the price we have to pay for facilitating in

British Columbia a political culture which a folk singer of yesteryear,

who probably many of you have never even heard of, Burl Ives, sang about

during the Great Depression? I would like to nominate him as our

official balladeer, singing…. I was tempted to sing, but I was

dissuaded. The words read: “There’s a land that’s fair and bright, where

the handouts grow on bushes…and the sun shines every day on the birds

and the bees and the cigarette trees and the lemonade springs…and the

big rock candy mountain.”

Hon. L. Beare: I’m proud to be standing here today in support of Bill 2, a bill

that is going to make life more affordable for British Columbians by

improving the services we count on, by creating stable, good-paying jobs

in B.C. tech and the creative economy, a bill that invests in people.

After 16 long years of the members on the opposite side, British

Columbia is finally going to have a government that is working for

them.

One of the things I’m most excited about in this budget update is

making life more affordable for the people in B.C., and especially for

the people in my constituency of Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows. We’re going

to be investing $208 million over the next four years to support the

construction of affordable rental housing units.

This is huge in my community. This is huge in the Lower Mainland.

This is huge for the entire province. The people of my constituency of

Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows feel that this investment in affordable rental

housing is long overdue and necessary for our community to

flourish.

[3:25 p.m.]

Our government will be providing $291 million over two years to

construct housing for those experiencing homelessness. This is coupled

with a ministry and a parliamentary secretary tasked with reducing

poverty in B.C. This is something that’s very historic for us. This is

the first time that we have someone dedicated every single day to

creating a poverty reduction plan in B.C. We’re the only province across

Canada not to have one.

Our government will be taking action on the housing crisis caused

by the previous government. And our government, for the first time, will

finally have that poverty reduction strategy to help with that. I’m

proud to be part of that historic plan.

One of the things I’m most excited for is our plan to provide

affordable, accessible child care to families across British Columbia.

I’m the mother of a two-year-old, and I can speak personally to how

difficult it was to find child care when I had my baby. I had a job

where I didn’t work normal hours. I worked nights. I worked weekends. I

was gone for days at a time. There’s absolutely no possibility of

finding a stable child care situation for a job like that. I’m not the

only one. There are many, many, many families like mine.

I took my daughter, Brinley, door-knocking with me this winter, in

around March, when we were in the middle of that deep freeze and there

was snow everywhere. The two of us decided to go out, go for a walk, go

talk to our neighbours and talk about how important child care is to

both us and all the residents of our community.

She was 18 months old at the time, and her very favourite thing to

do on that walk was to go up to every single door and ring the doorbell.

Each time someone would open the door and say, “Oh hi, what are you here

for today?” she would actually try and walk in the house, because she

felt like she was being invited in. It was very endearing, and not one

family turned her away. They were all very excited to see

her.

It was at those moments that I realized how important child care

is. I took her with me because I didn’t have someone to watch her while

I wanted to go out and engage with my neighbours, while I wanted to

engage the community, while I wanted to talk to people about how

important it is to make life more affordable. So I brought her with

me.

Now, thankfully, my neighbours thought this was extraordinarily

cute, and it all worked out. But not all families have that opportunity,

and not all children are able to come along with their parents in the

manner that Brinley did. That’s something that I, along with many, many,

many other parents across this province, am extremely excited for in

this budget update.

Our government is going to be focused on creating a fairer

society. This bill asks the people at the top to pay a little more.

Under the past B.C. Liberal government, British Columbians saw a tax cut

given to the top 2 percent of income earners in this province. We’re

reversing this decision and asking those who earn over $150,000 a year

to pay an additional 2.1 percent, because it’s only fair.

We’re going to be improving the services that people count on.

This bill ensures that the important services people rely on in this

province are improved and invested in. We are moving forward with

increases to childhood development centres and raising our spending to

$330 million. We’ll support the creation of 4,000 new child care spaces.

And that’s only the first portion of what is to come.

As the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture who is also

responsible for sport and multiculturalism, I’m excited that we are

providing $50 million in capital funding to ensure kids have the space

they need to learn and play. We want our youth to have greater space in

the classroom, on the court and on the field.

I’d like to assure the people of the province that we’ll be

working hard for them. One of the things that I was most excited about

in this budget update was the increase to persons on social assistance

by $100 and how important that has been for those people in my

community. I was at a farmers market recently, and I had a woman come up

to me, give me a hug, with tears in her eyes, and express how valuable

that $100 was to her and what a difference it was making in her

life.

It’s things like that that I am most proud of and most excited to

participate in, in our government.

[3:30 p.m.]

Another thing that I am most excited about is the return of adult

districts. This was one of those cuts that happened under the previous

government that hurt the most. I was a school trustee, and I immediately

saw the decline in adult basic education as soon as the cut happened. We

went from 1,000 spots a year being booked to just over 200. It was

visceral and palpable, what happened to our adult basic education as

soon as those cuts happened. I was very proud the moment our government

to our members of British Columbia.

[L. Reid in the chair.]

For the first time in British Columbians’ history, we have gender

parity in our cabinet, and I’m proud to be one of the ten women who work

in this truly equal cabinet. We have a range of new ministers and

experienced ministers. We have parliamentary secretaries under 40, and

six ministers. We have the first First Nations woman to serve in

cabinet. It’s through these types of changes, along with our budget,

that we continue to move forward and represent the people of British

Columbia.

I am very excited to be the new Minister of Tourism, Arts and

Culture. We have 24,500 professional artists here in B.C. — more per

capita than any other province. We’re a strong creative economy in film,

television, interactive media, music, and magazine and book publishing.

These are all vital events in our sector.

We are one of the leading motion picture production centres in

magazine publishing sector in Canada, producing over 1,200 titles a

year.

British Columbia has been identified as one of the most physically

active provinces in Canada. This contributes to the health of our

people, connects our communities on the world stage and brings athletes

to our province. That is why I am so excited we’re investing in the

infrastructure to bring sport, to bring film, to bring these types of

wonderful economies to British Columbia.

One of the biggest concerns for the people in my community is

affordability, and it’s housing. I had a father of three come and greet

me at the door when I was door-knocking. He spoke to me for a few

minutes about how difficult it was to find housing, about how he was

struggling to pay his mortgage, and then he shared a story with

me.

He has three daughters — they all came to speak with me as well;

they all wanted to meet me — and he told me how his toll bill for the

previous month was $1,200 — $1,200. He didn’t know how he was going to

pay his mortgage and support his girls and pay his toll bill.

The people of Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows, the people of the Lower

Mainland, are so appreciative of our budget update and removing the

tolls from the Port Mann and the Golden Ears Bridge. This is about

making life fairer for our constituents. It’s about making life fairer

for the people in my community and making life more

affordable.

To have a government that focuses on housing, that is focusing on

building student housing, seniors housing, affordable housing for people

in need — this is a government that is putting people first, that’s

putting a priority on making life more affordable for British

Columbians.

As the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, one of the things

I’m very excited about is working with the creative sector. And in that,

we’ve continued the book publishing tax credit, which is a small

contribution when you look at it budget-wise, but huge to this

community, huge to the book publishers, and it’s something I’m very

proud of.

[3:35 p.m.]

Book publishing is part of B.C.’s vibrant creative industries, and

publishing sector, as I said. We produce over 1,200 a year and generate

approximately $150 million in sales. Our government is going to extend

the book publishing tax credit. It’s time to focus on the creative

sector, and I’m looking forward to doing that as the

minister.

One of the things that my community was most excited about in this

budget update, as well, was ensuring that we are going to be cutting the

MSP premiums in half, saving families up to $900 per year. This is a

huge difference to families in our community.

There are a couple of things in this budget update that I know the

other side of the House has spent a little bit of time talking about.

They’ve talked about taxes and how we’re going to be increasing the

corporate tax here in British Columbia. We’re increasing it a modest 1

percent. We’re increasing it to match the other western provinces, to

keep us competitive with Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

What they don’t talk about is that we’ve also cut the small

business tax rate by 20 percent, from 2.5 percent to 2 percent. This is

making life more affordable for the businesses in our community, the

small businesses which are vital to our economic growth.

As we invest in the people in British Columbia, we’re investing in

our economy. By investing in rental housing, supportive housing, small

businesses, we’re making sure that we put people first, and we’re making

sure that their lives are more affordable.

I’d like to take a few moments to talk about education. As a

former school board trustee, I am so unbelievably thrilled that we are

providing $681 million over the next three years to help our kids get

the education they deserve. We’re going to make sure, as we’ve seen

already this year, that they have smaller class sizes. We will ensure

that our students have more resources and the supports they need to

succeed, including hiring approximately 3,500 teachers.

We’re providing capital funding of $50 million to ensure that the

space requirements for kids that have gone back to school in September

were addressed. It’s because I was a school board trustee. That was one

of the many reasons I decided to run.

I had a young student come and present during a budget impact

statement to our school board. He was just a young kid, suffering from

anxiety and other issues. He sat there and told us his story. He told me

how he was suffering from a breakdown in class. He just couldn’t handle

it. He needed help. He asked to see a counsellor. Do you know what he

was told, hon. Speaker? “It’s Tuesday. We don’t have a counsellor till

Thursday. Can you just hold it in?” This is a child. This is what’s

happened over the past 16 years to our education system, and this is

something that needed to change, which is why I’m so proud to be part of

a government that is investing in education.

I’m also excited that we’re getting to work on our priorities in

our health care system. We’re putting a $603 million increase over the

next three years to the base budget of the Ministry of Health. We’re

putting $265 million to address the fentanyl crisis. The remainder is

going to address the other pressures on the health care system. This is

critical for the people of our province. This is critical for the health

of British Columbians.

We’re providing $25 million to establish the new Ministry of

Mental Health and Addictions, and we’ll provide strategic leadership in

developing a seamless, coordinated mental health and addictions system.

This is revolutionary, this is important, and this is exciting for

British Columbia.

We’re also providing consistent funding to the therapeutic drugs

initiative. We’re putting $2 million per year to ensure the

effectiveness of new drugs to better serve the people of our communities

and to reduce the cost to our health care system.

[3:40 p.m.]

We’re going to be looking after our seniors. We’re going to be

improving access to home care and community care with $189 million over

three years through our B.C.-federal agreement. We know how important

this is to seniors. We know how important it is that…. Their overall

health and well-being is vital for our community.

I’m also excited about our commitments for infrastructure for

seniors to ensure that they have spaces to meet, so that we don’t have

seniors suffering from isolation, which we know can be a large

contributor to health and mental health issues.

I’m excited to be part of a government that’s going to be building

a stable economy. I’m excited to be building schools, hospitals,

transit, transportation infrastructure, communities. I’m excited to

create jobs in every corner of our province, with $14.6 billion in

capital spending over three years.

We’re creating the innovation commission, which will be both an

advocate and ambassador for B.C.’s tech sector. An emerging economy task

force will be charged with developing made-in-B.C. solutions and will

look at how the government can encourage innovation and sustainable

industries to drive our economic growth in B.C. into the 21st

century.

We are making it a priority to fight climate change. By increasing

the carbon tax by $5 per tonne, starting on April 1, 2018, and ending

the requirement for the carbon tax to be revenue-neutral, we will use

this carbon tax to support families and fund green initiatives to

address our climate action commitments.

I’m so excited to be part of a government that is working for the

people of British Columbia. I’m excited to be making life more

affordable for our families, to be improving the services they count on

and for creating good jobs in our economy.

This budget takes those critical first steps to build a better

B.C., and I look forward to what we’re going to be able to do over the

next four years. By taking time to invest in the people of B.C., by

choosing to invest in the people of B.C., it means we’re investing in a

strong, sustainable British Columbia. We’re putting people first. We’re

improving their lives. And for that, I support Bill 2, the Budget

Measures Act.

D. Davies: Honoured to be here taking

part in this significant debate on Bill

2, the Budget Implementation Act, which is one of the first acts of the

current parliament and really sets out the fiscal direction and plan and

tone of the present government.

It follows rigorous debate, which many — well, probably all — of

us took

part in on the budget. But now that we’ve had additional time to

examine the September budget update, I’d like to list a number of

observations, first of all, that have been raised by many stakeholders

in this province.

From the outset, the official opposition welcomes the retention of

many features from the February 2017 budget that was passed by the

previous government. The reduction of MSP premiums by 50 percent. The

cut to the small business tax rate from 2.5 to 2 percent.

I want to reach out to the Minister of Tourism and Culture, who

said we don’t want to talk about that. But we are talking about that as

a good thing, and I will be talking about that a little bit

later.

The phasing out of PST on electricity paid by industry. The

introduction of a $3,000 non-refundable tax credit for volunteer

firefighters and search and rescue volunteers, which, of course, is very

important, certainly, after this summer.

These are all items that British Columbians are already counting

on, because they do represent a broad base of tax cuts that contribute

to a competitive and healthy economy. All British Columbians will

benefit from the 50 percent reduction in MSP premiums, because

essentially, it represents a $1 billion tax cut that everyone is going

to benefit from. Even those MSP premiums are going to benefit our

businesses, if they’re paid for on behalf of their employers.

Most importantly, when the 50 percent reduction of MSP premiums

was previously announced, it was done so with the understanding that it

was a direct tax cut and would not be covered by an increase anywhere

else, hidden or otherwise.

[3:45 p.m.]

I think this is a significant point, because during the last

election, the Green Party advocated for an Ontario style of taxation

known as the Ontario health premium, which is calculated on the annual

basis of your income. In other words, a sweeping change on MSP premiums,

under the carpet, in the form of an annual permanent tax increase to

British Columbians. Not what we had intended on doing.

In fact, as of April this year, while still in opposition, the

current Finance Minister held an election press conference and also

called for a so-called progressive tax system that would replace our

current MSP. According to the Minister of Finance: “We’re not creating

something brand-new,” she said. “This is something that every other

province in the country has done — switched over to a progressive tax

system.”

As a matter of fact, the NDP election platform states that “a

non-partisan MSP elimination panel will advise on how to protect health

care funding, while phasing out this unfair flat tax.” It’s a big

difference from giving British Columbians a $1 billion tax cut, like the

previous B.C. Liberal government did, to setting up just some sort of a

tax commission to replace MSP premiums with just another tax increase

elsewhere.

The second item is the reduction of the small business tax from

2.5 to 2 percent. This is another feature in the February budget that

has been retained in this current budget update. We welcome that on this

side of the House, because British Columbia has one of the most vibrant

small business sectors in the country. In fact, it accounts for 57

percent of all private sector investment in the province. Over one

million people in B.C. work for a small business, and many more of those

are tech start-ups that can easily locate anywhere in the

province.

The official opposition also welcomes the fact that the September

update will be phasing out the PST on electricity paid for by industry.

Again, this represents another way that we as a province can make

ourselves more competitive with jurisdictions and attract more money

into our province.

Without question, following B.C.’s worst wildfire season, all

British Columbians certainly support the introduction of a $3,000

non-refundable tax credit for volunteer firefighters and search and

rescue volunteers. As I mentioned, again, these are all tax increases

that this side of the House supports. They make sense. That’s why we had

introduced them initially in the February budget. All of these measures

are valuable tax cuts to all British Columbians, valuable to the point

that British Columbians are depending on them.

We need to maintain our global competitiveness in the marketplace.

We need to be competitive with other provinces. We need to be

competitive with our neighbours to the south of the border, where the

United States, obviously, still remains our largest trading partner. We

need, though, to continue doing as much work as we can to find new

customers for B.C. exports — to Asia and beyond. We still need to be

competitive.

That being said, there are quite a number of items, though, that

are contained in the Budget Implementation Act that we need to question.

They include removing the revenue-neutrality requirement of the carbon

tax, raising the price of fuel for everyone in British Columbia for the

next four years, commencing in 2018 — causing uncertainty and beating

down our competitive edge. Raising corporate tax from 11 to 12 percent,

causing uncertainty and beating down our competitive edge. Raising the

personal income tax rate for individuals earning over $150,000 or more,

from 14.7 to 16.8. Again, more uncertainty.

Eliminating the child fitness tax credit, the child fitness

equipment tax credit and the child arts tax credit. All of these items

represent a significant amount of tax increases that British Columbians

are going to be on the hook for — tax increases that will hurt all

British Columbians, causing uncertainty and hurting our

competitiveness.

[3:50 p.m.]

Before I comment on each one, it should be noted that, as we all

know, this government inherited a $2.7 billion surplus, yet it is still

finding it necessary to raise taxes and ask for more money. Why, we have

to ask? If the budget is already balanced and generating a $2.7 billion

surplus, why are more revenues required? Why does the government see the

need to increase taxes to the tune of a billion dollars?

This money is coming from the removal of the revenue-neutrality

requirement of the carbon tax. This amounts to a tax increase on fuel

each year for the next four years that will hit consumers at the gas

pumps and those trying to heat their homes in winter.

As a person who lives in the far north, where we experience

temperatures of minus 30 to minus 40 from December through March, I pay,

on average, $400 a month for my home in natural gas. That is going to

significantly impact me and many residents of British Columbia that live

in the north.

The government is also increasing the cost of doing business in

British Columbia by raising our corporate income tax rate from 11 to 12

percent. The minister claims that this will put our province on par with

other western provinces. But it still removes our competitive edge that

we need to have in British Columbia.

These increases come at a time when the United States is doing the

opposite — cutting corporate tax increases. So when companies like

Amazon, which we’ve heard are looking for locations to move their second

head office to, and the amazing and incredible amount of jobs that they

will bring, B.C. has lost its competitive edge. The hon. member for West

Vancouver–Capilano was very succinct in the way that he described the

whole Amazon issue that is unravelling, I think, before our

eyes.

We no longer have a corporate tax rate that really competes with

anyone. It’s cost us jobs. It will continue to cost us jobs. The

government is also raising tax on high-income earners. Well, it’s one

thing to ask those who earn more money. It sends a signal that, again,

the first act of this new government is raising income taxes right from

the start. That means the people next in line for a tax increase are the

middle-income earners. And they’re already going to be hit, again, by

higher prices at the gas pump, heating their home — all of these costs

that are going to be passed on to the consumer from higher trucking

costs and so on. It’s going to hurt every British Columbian. They’re

targeting the average family.

One of the first acts of this government is to eliminate the child

fitness tax credit, the equipment tax credit and the child arts tax

credit. These are just tax breaks that the average family in British

Columbia uses and relies on to take their kids to hockey and other

sporting events or pursue interests in the arts. There is no explanation

for it.

The answer lies, though, in the fact that, by most accounts, the

September budget update and all the measures contained in this bill

leave the government with no more fiscal room. All the money has been

spent. What’s more concerning is all the underfunded program spending

that was suspiciously left out in the September budget

update.

The Minister of Finance was left on her own to defend why

big-ticket items like the $10-a-day daycare and the $400 renters rebate

were left out of the spending plan. It doesn’t include the rollback on

ferry rates, a freeze on hydro rates, the elimination of interest

payments for student loans and the $1,000 completion grant for college

and university graduates — quite the Christmas list.

Where on earth are they going to find the billions of dollars more

needed to fund these? The Minister of Finance explained that the reason

why the $10-a-day daycare and the $400 renters rebate were left out of

the budget was because the Green Party did not approve of these items.

Well, that leaves British Columbians wondering.

[3:55 p.m.]

Many British Columbians took the NDP at their word and voted for

them because they believed in the campaign promises made. Yet the Green

Party seems to have, somehow, some magical veto power over the NDP. In

fact, the leader of the Green Party has been quoted — it’s in the

newspapers — that campaign promises are “irrelevant.” So who are we to

believe?

Prior to the last election, neither the Green Party nor the NDP

called for taxpayer subsidies. In fact, the current Premier even

ridiculed the idea prior to the election, yet — surprise — here we are

now. All of us are going to be paying for political parties out of our

pockets, which is not fair and not right. You’re now expected to have

your tax dollars, your hard-earned money, supporting political parties

that you might not have ever voted for in the first place.

The political bickering between the Green Party and the NDP is

contributing to the already incredible uncertainty that is being felt

around the world and in our province. This minority government is acting

like it is a majority government. But there is one campaign promise that

I doubt will survive the next budget. That is the NDP promise to

actually balance the budget.

The Balanced Budget Act is a law that is in place that is meant to

protect the citizens of British Columbia. Cabinet ministers are subject

to losing up to 20 percent of their salaries if their department fails

to live up to its means. I’m curious to see if the cabinet is willing to

subject themselves to this same standard, because with unfunded

liability for big-ticket items like $10-a-day daycare, $400 renters

rebate, and so on, members of the NDP cabinet might find themselves out

of pocket at the end of the month. So too will taxpayers, who will be

spending more out of their pockets to pay for these expenses.

Indeed, there are many assumptions contained in the Budget

Measures Implementation Act that place all of these big-ticket campaign

promises at risk. Raising interest rates is one of them. In fact, the

central bank implemented its first increase in seven years this past

July and just shortly after, a couple of months later in September,

another one. More rate increases, we’re hearing on the news — actually,

I think just today — could be coming in the future. This could have a

severe cooling-down effect on our economy, which is already

nervous.

It brings us to our second assumption. The NDP is banking on an

economic forecast that assumes the provincial economy will grow by 2.9

percent in 2018. This is far and above the conservative estimate of 2.1

percent that we had calculated in February 2017.

I think this places British Columbia in a bit of a precarious

position. We have an NDP government with billions of dollars in unfunded

liability for big-ticket items, big-ticket campaign promises — for

instance, the $10-a-day daycare. Despite the $2.7 billion surplus, the

government already sees the need to hike business, personal and consumer

taxes. Plus it’s banking on the whole overly optimistic growth rate of

2.9 percent. This is what is contained in the legislation that is before

us today, and it is building and fueling the atmosphere, again, of

uncertainty.

Site C, for instance. By throwing the future of this vital

infrastructure project into doubt, the government is not only

threatening to issue pink slips to the in excess of 2,200 people that

work on the site; it is also shrinking our province’s capacity for us to

expand our economy. Don’t we owe our future generations, our children, a

reliable power source that does not contribute to greenhouse gas

emissions?

[4:00 p.m.]

The fact is, as we have heard, Mark Jaccard at the school of

resource and environmental management at SFU…. He published an opinion

piece just a few weeks back in the Vancouver Sun . His team of

researchers believe that all of Site C’s electricity will be used

shortly after the completion of the project to meet the province’s and

the country’s commitments to reduce greenhouse carbon emissions, through

the increased use of electric vehicles and the general electrification

of our province that we are witnessing.

I know this because a former director of B.C. Hydro…. I saw the

business case and that this was a major part of the rationale for the

Site C project moving forward. Cancelling the Site C project makes

absolutely no sense to me.

Interjection.

D. Davies: There are lots of us left.

This week we saw yet another example of disconnect between the NDP

minority government and the Green Party. As mentioned, the Premier

flip-flopped on his promise of not using taxpayer subsidies for

political parties. The Green Party leader quickly retreated and said,

“It wasn’t me,” pointing his finger at the Premier. This leaves, again,

British Columbians confused.

During the election, we had an NDP campaign platform as well as a

separate Green Party campaign platform. Then last May both parties

signed a manifesto which both the NDP and Green Party hailed as a leap

forward for British Columbia. But I think now that has changed. The

Green Party leader says that all of the NDP promises — about the

daycare, the renters rebate — are irrelevant. So it’s hard to say what

the people of British Columbia should be expecting.

On the face of it, the government is inheriting a number of

significant factors in its favour. We’ve heard them in this House over

and over again: the best performing economy in the country, as confirmed

by the Auditor General’s last report on August 22; five consecutive

balanced budgets in a row, something incredibly proud for our province;

a $2.7 billion budget surplus and a debt-to-GDP ratio of 15.8 percent;

one of the few provinces with a triple-A credit rating — I think

Saskatchewan is the only other province in Canada that has triple-A

credit rating; and a province that has created 250,000 jobs since

Given the strength of this inherited financial position that

British Columbia is in, one has to ask why a new government would

immediately need to be raising taxes when we already have a surplus. Yet

this is what we’re debating today. This is the plan, moving forward. It

will increase spending this year alone by a whopping $3.1 billion, or

almost 7 percent, over 2016. On top of that, it will introduce new tax

increases of almost $2 billion over the next three years.

While we would all like to provide more help to support those in

need, we must also ensure that there is balance, and we must also ensure

that the economic growth for our province is sustainable. That is the

important other half of the budget that is void. It’s economic growth

that creates jobs. It’s economic growth that drives tax revenues, which

in turn, we know, fund the social programs. If we’re going to continue

to create uncertainty, continue to turn away private investment, we are

all going to pay.

With all this in mind, when I see that the numbers just don’t add

up, the math does not work and the people of this province are going to

be facing tax increases over the coming years, I truly cannot, in good

conscience, support this bill. My colleagues in the B.C. Liberal Party

will not be supporting this bill.

[4:05 p.m.]

S. Furstenau: Thank you, hon. Speaker, for the opportunity to speak to the

second reading of Bill 2, the Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2017.

I’d also like to thank my fellow members in the chamber for their

remarks on this important legislation.

The Budget Measures Implementation Act includes some wonderful

initiatives, and I’m hopeful it’s a sign of better things to come in

B.C., a sign that the government is focusing on its proper role. That is

what I would like to speak about today.

Like many of you, I was in Vancouver at the end of September for

the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference. I met with mayors and

councils from across B.C. It was a great week, and I was thrilled to be

able to meet with so many inspiring local leaders who are working

tirelessly to serve their communities. The week also felt very heavy.

There are a lot of people in B.C. having a really hard time. Every

municipality I met with told me a variation of the same story. Over the

last decade and a half, they have been sold out, and now their

constituents are struggling.

For some municipalities, the problem is overpriced