Second Session, 42nd Parliament

(2021) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 61

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

Introduction and First Reading of Bills

Bill 6 — Accessible British Columbia Act

Hon. N. Simons

Statements (Standing Order 25B)

Heart failure awareness

M. Babchuk

ALS awareness

S. Bond

Paul Horn

B. D’Eith

Experience of hearing impairment during COVID-19

K. Kirkpatrick

Rod Murphy and National Day of Mourning for workers

R. Leonard

Edward Westphal

T. Halford

Ministerial Statements

National Day of Mourning for workers

Hon. H. Bains

G. Kyllo

S. Furstenau

Oral Questions

COVID-19 vaccination plan and role of pop-up clinics

S. Bond

Hon. A. Dix

Hon. J. Horgan

COVID-19 vaccination plan and role of pharmacies re second doses

R. Merrifield

Hon. A. Dix

COVID-19 response and paid sick leave

S. Furstenau

Hon. J. Horgan

G. Kyllo

T. Stone

Hon. H. Bains

COVID-19 travel restrictions and enforcement

E. Ross

Hon. M. Farnworth

Orders of the Day

Budget Debate

(continued)

Hon. N. Simons

R. Merrifield

B. Anderson

J. Tegart

M. Elmore

E. Ross

H. Sandhu

J. Rustad

B. D’Eith

C. Oakes

J. Brar

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2021

The House met at 1:34 p.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: D. Coulter.

[1:35 p.m.]

Introductions by Members

Hon. B. Ma: It is my absolute honour to introduce to the House today an incredible

and unstoppable woman who has joined us virtually, Squamish Nation Elder and

leader Doris Paul, also known by her traditional name, Xele’milh.

Elder Doris is a survivor of the Sechelt Indian Residential School

who, in her words, grew up “above her pain and bloomed into an Indigenous

woman who wanted to live, wanted to love and respect her culture and

traditions.” Doris has a passion for community safety that has led to

initiatives such as the Integrated First Nations Unit with the North

Vancouver RCMP, the First Nations court, the North Vancouver integrated

domestic violence unit and the North Shore’s violence against women

committee’s Strength and Remembrance Pole.

For her work to improve community safety, deepen In­digenous

cultural understanding, and for her work in reconciliation, especially for

missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, she was one of nine British

Columbia Reconciliation Award recipients this year.

Would the House please join me in congratulating Doris Paul on her

award and thanking her for all of her work.

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

BILL 6 — ACCESSIBLE

BRITISH COLUMBIA

ACT

Hon. N. Simons presented a message from Her Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Accessible British Columbia

Act.

Hon. N. Simons: I move that the bill be introduced and read for the first time

now.

I’m pleased to introduce Bill 6, the Accessible British Columbia

Act. This bill will provide the foundation on which we can build a more

accessible and inclusive British Columbia that works for all of

us.

Through the introduction of new tools and mechanisms, we will

support the identification, prevention and removal of barriers that

people with disabilities face in their day-to-day lives. This work will

built environment, employment and delivery of services.

This bill complements the Accessible Canada Act and builds upon

models for legislation developed in other jurisdictions. It will help us

create a B.C. where everyone can fully participate in their communities.

British Columbians with disabilities have been central to the

development of this legislation and will continue to be central in its

implementation. Guided by the principle of, “Nothing about us without

us,” our work will continue in line with the United Nations convention

on the rights of persons with disabilities.

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

Motion approved.

Hon. N. Simons: 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 6, Accessible British Columbia Act, 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.

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

HEART FAILURE AWARENESS

M. Babchuk: I’m happy to stand in this chamber today to talk about heart

failure awareness.

[1:40 p.m.]

This often misunderstood condition affects over 600,000 Canadians

and, contrary to most people’s beliefs, cannot be cured. Heart failure

is a condition that develops when the heart muscle becomes damaged or

weakened, and the weakened, damaged heart muscle impacted cannot pump

enough so that it’s strong enough to move the blood through the lungs

and the body, especially during increased activity or when it’s under

stress. The most common causes are coronary artery disease and high

blood pressure.

This year the Canadian Heart Failure association’s theme is

“Living well with heart failure.” Now more than ever, it’s important for

those living with heart failure to take care of their health by

self-monitoring symptoms, reducing dietary salt, increasing daily

activity, keeping blood pressure low, taking medications as prescribed,

stopping smoking and following up regularly with their health care

providers.

In B.C., heart failure clinics have successfully pivoted to

telemedicine to help support heart failure patients, to assist and

manage symptoms and medications, to emphasize self-management and

self-care skill development and to identify changes in their status.

Sustainable lifestyle changes, such as diet and physical activity, are

paramount.

I’d like this House to join me in applauding the Canadian Heart

Failure association and its partners on their initiative to make May 3

through May 9 Heart Failure Awareness Week.

ALS AWARENESS

S. Bond: The diagnosis is devastating. This horrible disease means that

eventually you will lose the ability to walk, to talk, to eat, to

swallow and, ultimately, to breathe.

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is also known as Lou

Gehrig’s disease. Whether you are living with ALS or caring for someone

with ALS, the challenges can be simply overwhelming. There are no proven

effective treatments. The average life expectancy of someone diagnosed

with ALS is two to five years.

During my time as an MLA, I have met with people living with ALS

and their families. I have been a regular participant in the ALS Walk in

Prince George and spent time with representatives of the ALS Society of

B.C. and, more recently, ALS Action Canada.

The stories I have heard have inspired and moved me, and I know

that is the case for anyone in this chamber who has heard those stories.

It is one thing to hear the stories, and it is something else to take

action. There are some important things we can work on together. We can

provide support and hope. Every day matters in the fight against

ALS.

Clinical trials and clinical research are vital to ALS patients.

Many Canadians have access to trials, and we need to ensure that British

Columbians can access them here at home. We can also work to ensure that

there is a full-time ALS physician and appropriate space and facilities

in place. We can support the ALS Society of B.C. as they work to deliver

Project Hope.

Today I want to recognize the hard work that is being done to

deliver life-changing care to so many B.C. families impacted by ALS. We

have a chance to do more and to make a greater difference. I hope that

all of us will commit to doing our part. After all, time is of the

essence.

PAUL HORN

B. D’Eith: Today I wanted to share that the district of Mission has a new

mayor-elect. On Saturday, April 24, Paul Horn won the mayoral

by-election in a landslide victory, with 41 percent of the

vote.

I have had the pleasure of working with Paul during my time as MLA

for Maple Ridge–Mission in many of his roles. Paul has a long history of

dedication to public service and the community. For the past 19 years,

Paul has been an instructor at Riverside College, a unique education and

skills-training facility in Mission. He focused on community social

services careers as a community support worker and educational

assistant. He was also an educational assistant instructor.

Outside of his work at Riverside College, Paul has run his own

business, BootStrap Consulting, for over 25 years. He’s been a project

lead and instructor for Community Cares: Mental Health Training for nine

years in Mission. This is developing and delivering mental health

training for first responders, both online and in classrooms.

[1:45 p.m.]

Paul has also been active in many community project initiatives in

Mission, especially working with the most vulnerable and at risk in the

community. He’s one of the main organizers of the Stone Soup Initiative,

a network of community groups and individuals working to reduce

homelessness and poverty in Mission. It’s no surprise that Paul was the

recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award in 2016 from the district of

Mission.

Paul is no stranger to working in the city hall. From 2005 to

2011, he was a councillor for the district of Mission.

We know that Mission has a unique set of challenges ahead, because

it’s expected to double in size over the next ten years. This includes

work that has to be done on the Mission waterfront, representing nearly

296 acres of land; completing the much-needed sewer crossing of the

Fraser River; planning infrastructure needs for the community with

roads; and, of course, services and everything else that that growth

encompasses.

The member for Abbotsford-Mission left big shoes to fill, but I

know that Paul will rise to the occasion with the job in front of him.

On my behalf and on behalf of the member for Abbotsford-Mission, I’d

like to congratulate mayor-elect Paul Horn and very much look forward to

working with him.

EXPERIENCE OF HEARING IMPAIRMENT

DURING

COVID-19

K. Kirkpatrick: I’m honoured to speak in the House today.

Friday begins Speech and Hearing Month in Canada. This pandemic

has been particularly difficult for those who rely on reading someone’s

face to communicate.

I was raised by a mom with significant hearing loss. There are

things we take for granted every day, like using the telephone, ordering

at a restaurant or asking a sales clerk a question. Hearing impairment

is not visible to others. It’s interpreted by others as not paying

attention or not caring what someone is saying. I’ve been out with my

mom when someone speaks to her. She may not notice, or she’s just too

embarrassed to try and answer because she doesn’t understand what

they’ve said to her.

Can you imagine being in an airport or, for that matter, being on

B.C. Ferries, when even those without hearing impairment have to

struggle to understand what the an­nouncements are? Not

understanding is very stressful. Have you missed something important?

Have they chang­ed your gate? Did they cancel your flight? Is the

fire alarm going off?

With the assistance of great audiologists, and organizations like

to keep our deaf and hard-of-hearing community safe. In my mom’s home,

ringing the doorbell sets off flashing lights, a phone call sits on a

machine that she can read what the caller is saying, and her morning

alarm is under her pillow and shakes her awake.

The pandemic has impacted us all differently. Most deaf and

hard-of-hearing people are exceptionally good at lip reading or speech

reading. They rely heavily on facial expressions to understand context.

Masks, which are a very important health measure, have added a

significant burden and frustration to those relying on those physical

cues. So if you ever wonder why I overenunciate my words sometimes or

speak a little too loudly, now you know.

If I could ask one favour of B.C. Ferries for all of us: please

install reader boards.

ROD MURPHY AND NATIONAL DAY

OF MOURNING FOR

WORKERS

R. Leonard: I look forward to the words of remembrance from the Minister of

Labour and other leaders in this House on this National Day of Mourning.

I was eager to reflect on the origins of this day.

In 2017, an unassuming stranger from Churchill, Manitoba arrived

in Courtenay-Comox to go electioneering with me. I later learned what a

privilege I was given by this activist, Rodney Murphy, who had been a

federal NDP Member of Parliament for 14 years. Thirty years ago this

year, as a private Member of Parliament, he set out to have Canada

become the first country to declare this day in law to memorialize

killed and injured workers. Over 80 countries have since followed the

lead of Canada.

Rod Murphy did not start out as a labour activist, but union

leaders inspired him to take up the cause of worker health and safety.

He recognized that his Workers Mourning Day Act was built on seven years

of marking this special day by the Canadian labour movement, along with

decades-long work to better address safety in all workplaces.

While we hold those who have been injured or killed on the job

close in our hearts and thoughts, this day also shines a light on

prevention of workplace injury, illness and death. I’m inspired by the

workers who face danger in the workplace during the pandemic, and I’m

thankful for employers who are keeping their workers’ safety top of

mind.

[1:50 p.m.]

In health care, all who keep patients safe. ECEs, teachers and

staff who have kept daycares and schools safe and who teach the children

and youth to be safe too.

The list is long in a pandemic. Let it inspire every one of us to

be active in the cause of worker health and safety in all ways and

everywhere.

EDWARD WESTPHAL

T. Halford: Every great community is made up of di­verse and unique

individuals and characters that call it home. In White Rock, one of

those characters was a friend of mine called Edward Westphal. Edward was

a person that faced some very unique challenges in life and

em­braced them wholly.

Ed was born in Vancouver on June 17, 1948, and he was brought up

in Ladner. His brother John gave him his first guitar at the age of 11,

and from then on, music was his salvation. Throughout his life and most

of his adult life, he spent most of his time in front of the iconic

whale wall or the pier. He was a busker, playing his guitar.

I got to know Ed, as my mother had a restaurant in Ocean Park and

in South Surrey there, and Ed would play most afternoons in front of my

mom’s shop. Quite often my mom would take Ed a sandwich and say, “Ed,

this is on the house,” and he would eat his sandwich. He finally came

into my mom’s shop and said: “I don’t want to take this for free

anymore. I want to make sure that I’m providing you something in

return.” So my mother said: “Okay. How about you start giving my son

some guitar lessons?”

That was a bond that was…. It wasn’t me that got the guitar

lessons. Those that know me know that I am musically inept. But my

brother and his relationship started then, in terms of learning how to

use a guitar.

We lost Ed a month ago. We lost Ed due to cancer. White Rock lost

an iconic character, and there will be a deep void in front of that

whale wall in the months ahead. I would like to point out that Ed

donated all of his musical instruments and his guitars to Options

Community Services Society so that many people in those places can use

those going forward. So Ed’s legacy will live on.

Ministerial Statements

NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING FOR WORKERS

Hon. H. Bains: Today is the National Day of Mourning here in B.C. and across

Canada. Today I rise to ask all members to join me to remember the lives

lost or forever changed by workplace injury and illness and to help

promote the importance of workplace health and safety.

In B.C., 151 workers lost their lives because of a work-related

injury or illness in the past year. We stand together and offer our

deepest condolences to the families, friends and co-workers who lost

someone close to them. When people die in the workplace, it is

profoundly heartbreaking and is unacceptable. We all have come together

to address the workplace health and safety challenges posed by COVID-19,

but there are hazards in the workplaces beyond the virus. We must strive

to make workplaces as safe as possible today and every day.

We all have a role to play in making workplaces safer. I’m asking

all workers and employers in B.C. to come together and create a strong

culture of safety. Workers have the right to a safe and healthy

workplace and have the right to return home safely to their families at

the end of their shift.

G. Kyllo: I rise in the House today to acknowledge the National Day of

Mourning across Canada. Today families, workers, employers and

communities across British Columbia are coming together to remember

those who have lost their lives or who have been injured in the

workplace and to further our commitment to creating safe and healthy

workplaces.

[1:55 p.m.]

Every worker in B.C. has a right to go home safely at the end of

each and every day. Yet in 2020, 151 B.C. workers tragically lost their

lives to workplace injury or illness. In 2019, 140 workers. Before the

pandemic, B.C. was already challenged by the number of workplace

fatalities.

Now with an emerging third wave and rising cases, the global

pandemic continues to have a tremendous impact on our workers and our

workplaces. COVID has shed a light on many of the dangers B.C. workers

face in the workplace every day and has brought many additional

challenges to them as well. COVID has reignited our debate about basic

workers’ rights, such as British Columbians’ ability to confidently take

a sick day without the risk of not being able to pay rent, grocery bills

or other expenses.

This pandemic has also shown us that some of the most vulnerable

members of our communities are the essential workers serving our front

lines, keeping our communities safe and preventing our health care

systems from being overwhelmed. Two weeks ago today COVID took the life

of a nurse for the first time here in British Columbia. Diana Law, a

patient care coordinator at Peace Arch Hospital, was described as being

a very giving person, committed to the care of her patients and the

well-being of her colleagues. Our hearts go out to Diana’s loving family

and friends, who are undoubtedly feeling a monumental amount of grief

and loss at this moment.

The Day of Mourning is about more than mourning our losses in the

workplace. It is also about taking a moment to reflect and remember all

of those who have put their lives at risk every day to make our

communities safer. We’ve come to recognize that our front-line essential

workers are not just our health care workers. They’re also our teachers,

our police officers, our firemen, our grocery store clerks, restaurant

workers, delivery drivers and everyone else who faces risks in their

workplaces each and every day.

On this National Day of Mourning, we must redouble our efforts to

protect workers and to ensure every British Columbian feels safe and

healthy at work. It is critical that we reinforce our commitment to

prevent further tragedies in the workplace.

Because of the pandemic, public ceremonies commemorating the Day

of Mourning are occurring virtually this year. I’d like to thank the

many staff and volunteers who helped put together this year’s virtual

gathering, which took place at 10:30 a.m. and can be viewed at the Day

of Mourning website: www.dayofmourning.bc.ca.

A moment of silence was also taking place this morning at 10:30

a.m. to remember those workers who have died of a workplace injury or

illness. I encourage all members of this House and fellow British

Columbians to take a moment to honour these lives and to think about

what we can do to improve everyone’s safety and well-being at

work.

S. Furstenau: Today on this National Day of Mourning, we recognize workers who

have been killed, injured or suffered illness as a result of

work-related incidents. Today across B.C. and across Canada, we remember

the lives lost to incidents at work. In British Columbia in 2021, we

honour the 151 people who died on the job in the past year and all those

who have had their lives changed by injury and illness at

work.

COVID-19 has shown us how essential it is to be safe at work and

how far we have to go to ensure that workers are able to be safe from

illness. Essential workers in sectors across our economy have been

showing up day in and day out, despite significant risk to themselves

and their families, and too many have paid the cost of illness and death

in this last year. We must recognize their courage and

sacrifice.

We cannot talk about these workers as heroes without making the

necessary changes to protect and support their health and safety, as has

been made clearer than ever in the midst of this terrible third wave. We

need to ensure that workers do not have to choose between staying home

when sick or providing for their families.

Today I join other members in this House, the labour leaders,

workers, families and loved ones to honour those who have died or had

their lives altered by an injury at work. Any life lost at work is one

too many, and we must constantly renew our commitments to making

workplaces safer and ensure that everyone can come home safely to their

families at the end of the day.

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, I invite the House to observe a moment of silence in

memory of workers killed, disabled or injured in the workplace and those

inflicted with industrial disease.

[The House observed a moment of silence.]

[2:00 p.m.]

Oral Questions

COVID-19 VACCINATION PLAN

AND ROLE OF POP-UP

CLINICS

S. Bond: We’ve been told repeatedly that people in hot spots will be

prioritized to get vaccinated. We’ve been told to register and to follow

the guidelines for registration and booking. What do we see? Surprise

pop-up clinics that in no way guarantee the people who need it are

actually the ones getting vaccinated.

It is total chaos. There are hours-long lineups. People waited in

line for four, five, six hours. People camping out overnight because

told that people are even driving in from other areas to these clinics,

while front-line workers can’t get vaccinated because they’re busy at

work, and local residents get left out.

Will the Premier get up today and admit that surprise pop-up

clinics have caused added concern and anxiety and that he will ensure

that those who live in hot spots and those front-line workers receive

the vaccination that they’ve been promised?

Hon. A. Dix: Thank you to the member for her question.

The member will know that our primary COVID-19 immunization

campaign is age-based, focused on clinically vulnerable people, as well,

and focused on Indigenous people 18 and above.

This evening people 58 and above, born in 1963 and before, will be

eligible to book their appointments. As we get more vaccines in the next

week, that number will increase. I encourage everybody to

register.

To address hot spots, particularly in the Fraser Health Authority,

the Fraser Health Authority has formed a number of pop-up clinics. I’m

happy to inform the member that the four that were added yesterday

immunized 4,100 people and that overall, in Fraser Health, almost half

of the immunizations yesterday took place in the ten community health

areas. There are more than 40 in Fraser Health that are currently

assessed as hot spots.

This is one other measure to deal with transmission, just as the

immunizations of many school staff, of many front-line workers are

taking place — and others have done so — now and in the past few months.

I think that our vaccination effort has been, overall, extremely

successful. Yesterday we were able to reach hot spot areas, which we

hope will help serve to reduce transmission in this COVID-19

pandemic.

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

supplemental.

S. Bond: Well, thank you very much. While I appreciate the minister’s

answer, and I do have a great deal of respect for the fact that he knows

and manages his file well….

Let me make it perfectly clear to, apparently, some member who

thinks that this isn’t the case. We want to make sure that British

Columbians have the opportunity to be vaccinated when they are

promised.

Mr. Speaker: Through the Chair, Member.

S. Bond: We also want to ensure…. We’re very glad that people are actually

eager to get their vaccinations. That actually matters to us, on this

side of the House. We’re very happy about that.

What we’re not happy about is that the Premier doesn’t take the

opportunity to get up and stand up and tell British Columbians why, yet

again, there is another mess. We started with pharmacists who didn’t

know that they were on the list to give out vaccinations. We moved to

travel restrictions, which…. People still don’t know exactly how those

work. Now we have pop-up clinics.

Again, we care that people get vaccinated. But I’m sure that the

members opposite don’t believe that you should be sleeping overnight in

a tent to wait for the vaccination that you have been

promised.

There is one person who needs to be able to stand up and tell

British Columbians how he is going to clear up the confusion and anxiety

that’s been caused in British Columbia. I’m sure that even the Premier

plan. In fact, it is hurting and hindering workers and people who have

language barriers.

[2:05 p.m.]

Members might want to dismiss my comments. But how about the

comments of a physician from Burnaby? Here’s what he had to say. Dr.

Narang, a family doctor from Burnaby, says: “These are the same people

that aren’t going to be able to get to the pop-up clinic. It’s going to

be the people who are…sitting on Twitter or who do not have the language

appointments.”

Will the Premier commit today to ensuring that those British

Columbians who need the vaccination…? We agree with that. They need it

now in order to continue to bend the curve in the third wave. They were

promised by this government that those who were prioritized, including

front-line workers and hot spots, would get their

vaccination.

Would the Premier ensure today that they, indeed, get

them?

Hon. J. Horgan: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her questions. She will

know that as of today, 1.7 million British Columbians have received

their first vaccination. She will know that just shy of 40 percent,

39.66 percent, of the eligible people for vaccinations have taken their

first dose. This is positive news.

The member referred to the possibility of vaccine hesitancy. It

clearly is not the case here in British Columbia. Again, all good news

for all of us.

It’s my job and my role as the head of the cabinet and the head of

the executive council to make sure that all of the people that have been

given tasks have the space and latitude to take on those tasks — never

more important, in my opinion, than during a global pandemic.

I want to endorse the position of the Leader of the Opposition in

affirming the extraordinary work done by the Minister of Health over the

past 14 months. He, alongside public health officials and with the

support, most days, of every member of this Legislature. I say that

quite sincerely. Virtually 99 percent of the time, for those watching at

home, all of us in this place agree on the fundamental principles that

are before us today.

I cannot, in good conscience, interfere in the processes that

health officials are putting in place to make sure we address those hot

spots. I’ll leave it to them to decide what the best method is to

deliver a scarce resource to a demanding population.

I believe that we have a good track record to this point in time.

We’re going to continue to work to make sure that those vulnerable

populations — those that have pre-existing health conditions, who are

being prioritized, those front-line workers that desperately need to

have those vaccinations — are getting those vaccinations.

We have a shortage of supply and a narrow window to get that into

the arms of British Columbians. I’ll leave it to public health officials

to make those important decisions.

COVID-19 VACCINATION PLAN AND

ROLE OF PHARMACIES RE

SECOND DOSES

R. Merrifield: Unfortunately, it’s not just the Premier’s surprise pop-up clinics

causing confusion and chaos.

People who got vaccinated at their local pharmacy are now being

told after the fact that they also need to register on the government

website, but the pharmacies and their clients were not informed at the

time. While many are still struggling to get their first dose, we can’t

have any confusion on the second.

Can the Premier please clarify. If you have an existing

second-dose appointment booked with a pharmacy, is it still

valid?

Hon. A. Dix: I’m encouraging everyone in B.C. to register for a COVID-19

vaccination on our Get Vaccinated website. This is an important

principle that will assist them throughout the vaccination process — as

the member suggests, involves two doses.

With respect to people who have received Astra­Zeneca at

pharmacies, that would have happened at some time in the next four

weeks, and there is some time before their second appointment will have

to be booked. In that time, people will get lots of information and lots

of advanced notice.

It is useful for everybody to register. It takes two

min­utes. Almost two million British Columbians have

re­gistered. The system has been extremely successful, in

particular, at targeting those clinically vulnerable, 180,000 of whom

have been vaccinated.

Our pharmacy campaign so far — I know it was characterized

otherwise just a few minutes ago — 185,000 doses sent to pharmacies,

163,000 vaccines delivered with more appointments booked and the rest to

be used up in the coming days. All of those individuals will be eligible

for second doses, and I encourage everybody in the coming days to

register.

[2:10 p.m.]

Yes. Some will have booked their own appointments with London

Drugs or whoever it is that’s booking ap­pointments. It’s

important and valuable to register. I can say that well in advance of

needing a second dose, which for people who were vaccinated in April

will be August, people will have all the information they need to

proceed.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Kelowna-Mission on a supplemental.

R. Merrifield: Honestly, I listen to that response from the minister, and I’m

still confused. People don’t know if it’s the government that’s making

appointments or if it’s the pharmacy that’s making appointments. The

B.C. pharmacists association is saying something completely different

than what we just heard: “Those who have received their first doses at a

pharmacy will be contacted by their pharmacist for a second

dose.”

These are basic questions that shouldn’t even have to be asked.

Will the Premier please provide some basic clarity about re-registering

for vaccine appointments so that people can be certain that they get

their second doses on time?

Hon. A. Dix: I encourage everyone to register with our Get Vaccinated website.

It’s a valuable thing to do. It’s easy to do. Almost two million people

have done it. It takes approximately two minutes. I think it’s

worthwhile for everyone because it will also provide, as we go forward,

in the future, access to your vaccination information. That’s something

that’s useful to do regardless of when you got your vaccine.

There are many people, as the member will know, who received their

immunizations — lots of those in long-term care and assisted living but

in other places, especially health care workers — who were vaccinated in

advance of the website coming into being. We are continuing to encourage

people to get registered. It’s pretty straightforward. The people who

were immunized in the pharmacy campaign will get their second dose in

August or in Sept­ember, and there will be lots of information

provided to do that.

I appreciate that the hon. member expresses the view that she’s

confused, but I don’t think there’s any reason to add to that confusion.

It’s pretty straightforward. Go and get registered, and let’s

go.

COVID-19 RESPONSE AND

PAID SICK

LEAVE

S. Furstenau: Yesterday the Premier finally announced an intention to fix the

gaps in the federal sick pay program that leaves people forced to choose

between staying home when they feel unwell or providing for their

families and leaves all workers much more vulnerable to COVID. In the

midst of this third wave, fixing the gaps in the federal paid sick leave

program is long overdue.

I’m happy to hear of this intention, but I’m concerned about the

timeline and the fact that there are still no details on an immediate

program. Like many of the big issues facing British Columbia, this

government seems to be waiting on federal leadership instead of being

proactive. Creating a program to fix the gaps on paid sick leave should

never have been put on the shelf, hoping that another level of

government would take the lead.

My question is to the Premier. Why did his government wait until

after the federal budget, leaving us so far into this pandemic and into

this third wave, before deciding to act on sick pay?

Hon. J. Horgan: I thank the Leader of the Third Party for her question. She will

know that this government has been leading the discussion across the

country with respect to paid sick leave. For over a year now, I’ve been

raising this issue at national tables that I have the privilege of

sitting at, representing all of us and bringing these issues forward. I

was given a commitment.

Although I have to confess: it was lonely at that time. I don’t

recall ever hearing from the official opposition a word about paid sick

leave until yesterday. But I will say….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, let’s listen to the answer.

Hon. J. Horgan: I want to commend the member for Shuswap for acknowledging today,

on this most important of days, that we have all come to a new

realization and understanding of the importance of these issues because

of the challenges that we’ve all faced. So I lift my hands to the member

for Shuswap for acknowledging that today.

With respect to the federal government, we had commitments from

the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister that there would be an

effective national program. When they launched their program and it

became abundantly clear that there were gaps and deficiencies in the

program, we continued to lobby and advocate and were given assurances

that there would be a fix. We waited till the federal budget was

presented and found that there was no fix available. We are now seven

business days since that time.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

[2:15 p.m.]

Hon. J. Horgan: I’ll remind, again, the members from the official opposition that

we wanted to bring in three hours of paid time to get a vaccination, and

they spent four days debating it — four days to give people three hours

off to get a vaccination. So I’m encouraged that when we bring

legislation in this time, it will pass in one day.

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

S. Furstenau: Thank you to the Premier for his res­ponse.

I think that right now, in this third wave, what workers are

concerned more with is not who’s leading the discussion but who’s

leading the implementation of a policy that will ensure that they can

stay home when they are sick without risking being able to not pay rent

or buy groceries.

The Premier said about designing a sick pay program: “It’s not

about speed. It’s about making sure we get it right.” I respectfully

disagree. Right now time is of the essence. Workers should not have to

choose between staying home when sick or providing for their families.

On this Day of Mourning for workers who have been killed, injured or

exposed to illness at work, we need to know that this government will

work to protect workers right now.

We need an immediate emergency program, or we are missing the most

critical period of time during this pandemic, when people urgently need

the supports in place so that they do not go to work when they feel

unwell.

My question again is to the Premier. Can we get clarity on exactly

what the government is working on and when exactly this program will be

rolled out to support workers?

Hon. J. Horgan: Again, I appreciate the question from the Leader of the Third

Party. As of two o’clock today, we have, I think, unanimous consent in

this place to bring forward a paid sick leave program. That will be

happening in the days ahead. I look forward to the very brief debate and

the implementation of a program that will protect workers….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: All right, Members. The member for Shu­swap has the

floor.

G. Kyllo: Workers deserve to be safe and protected, especially during a

pandemic. Last year the Premier was adamant that he was ready to

implement a provincially funded sick pay program. Last May he said:

“We’re prepared to go it alone. We do have alternative plans in place.”

But he hasn’t done it. Once again, we have a Premier who shows up, makes

big promises, messes up and fails to deliver.

To the Premier, what is the Premier’s plan for a provincially

funded sick pay program that he claimed to have ready to go a year

ago?

Hon. J. Horgan: Again, two consecutive days of interest in workers from the

official opposition is a day to celebrate. I’ll remind the member who

was just on his feet that he spent four days in this House, 6½ hours,

debating the merits of three hours off…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. J. Horgan: …to get a vaccination. So I am heartened by the volume coming from

the other side that their new-found enthusiasm for workers isn’t just

confined to ripping up their contracts, but instead, they want to help

them.

Thank you, Member, for your support.

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

G. Kyllo: Well, I was just trying to do our part. The only bill that was

actually on the floor for debate in this Legislature was Bill

Yesterday the Premier claimed: “It’s not a simple process. There

is no structure in place.” But a year ago he said he had a plan that was

ready to go. So if there’s still no structure, it’s because he’s botched

it. Hard-working men and women took the Premier at his word when he said

that he had a plan in place a year ago. They don’t want excuses

now.

I can think of one group who are really counting on the Premier

not to blow it — the 20- to 39-year-olds, who don’t want to have to

choose between paying their rent or getting people sick.

To the Premier, will the Premier tell us why he told everyone that

he had his own provincially funded plan when it is now apparent that

nothing could be further from the truth?

[2:20 p.m.]

Hon. J. Horgan: Again, I thank the member for his new-found enthusiasm in this

area.

He may well remember that last spring, when we were advocating on

behalf of British Columbians to the federal government for a national

sick pay program, we weren’t joined by the B.C. Liberals at that time,

but we were joined by the B.C. Chamber of Commerce. We were joined by

the boards of trade from Vancouver and from Surrey, as well as the B.C.

Business Council, as well as the B.C. Federation of Labour.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, we’ll listen to the answer.

Hon. J. Horgan: Even the independent contractors had to suck it up and support the

government. Imagine that. But despite that, the farm team for that

organization couldn’t find the temerity to stand up and support this

mission. I’m grateful they’re doing it today. I look forward to

unanimous consent at the appropriate time in the days ahead.

T. Stone: What we’re talking about here today are thousands of hard-working

British Columbians — front-line workers, essential workers, in many

cases, young workers, people of colour, lots of women — that have been

bearing more than their fair share of this pandemic, who were promised

by this Premier one year ago that a sick pay program would be put in

place, and the Premier didn’t do it.

The official opposition actually wrote to the Premier…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

T. Stone: …in May of 2020, encouraging and urging the government to get on

with a sick pay program. Perhaps he needs to be better

briefed.

The Premier is blowing it. He’s blowing it for 20-to-39-year-olds.

He knows that that’s the case. Yesterday the Premier said: “Paid sick

leave is critical to get through the pandemic.” But Laird Cronk and the

B.C. Federation of Labour say the Premier is failing, and he’s had this

to say: “The budget fails to ensure paid sick days and to remove the

untenable decision for workers between staying home sick and paying the

bills during a pandemic.”

The Premier said he had a plan ready to implement a year ago. What

is the Premier’s plan for a provincially funded sick pay

program?

Hon. H. Bains: I’m really happy to answer this question and thank the opposition

for this question.

I know that the B.C. Liberals are waking up today to this new

issue. I’m surprised, actually, that they have taken an interest in

workers’ rights now. I don’t need to remind this member that he was part

of a government who, for too long, for 16 years, disrespected the

workers and showed nothing but contempt for the working

people.

This was the government that cut benefits to injured workers. This

was the government that shut down half of the employment standards

offices and fired half of those workers. If that wasn’t enough —

roadblocks to justice for those most vulnerable workers in B.C. — they

threw in a self-help kit. They were told that the workers felt that

their rights were violated. They were told: “Fill out these papers. Go

talk to your own employer. You’re on your own.”

I’m not even talking about how they ripped up the collective

agreement that was legally negotiated. Only the Supreme Court of Canada

told them their actions were….

Interjections.

Hon. H. Bains: When they were [audio interrupted], we were working for the last

year to provide support for workers, making sure that workers don’t lose

their jobs when they are sick with the COVID sickness. We will continue

to work. We will have a plan in place. I’m looking forward to getting

their support on that.

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

supplemental.

T. Stone: Well, what a pathetic, nonsensical answer that was. This is the

same Labour Minister who, just the other day, said: “As the Premier has

said, if the feds fail to work with us, I think we, as British Columbia,

will find our own ways.”

The Premier made it very clear. The Labour Minister has said that

they would put a program in place. More importantly, the Premier, the

head of the executive council, has said that he had a plan ready to go

one year ago, and we’re still waiting. So are the thousands of British

Columbians whose health is at risk. They’re still waiting.

[2:25 p.m.]

People took the Premier at his word when he said he had a plan a

year ago, and they certainly don’t want his excuses today. But this is

the whining that we heard from the Premier yesterday: “It’s sad, I

think, sad to say that at month 14, we haven’t resolved this issue. It

was a critical issue 12 months ago, and we’re still talking about it.

That disappoints me.”

Do you know what’s sad and disappointing? It’s a Premier who broke

his promise on sick pay and can’t deliver.

The question is this. The Premier is sitting on $3.1 billion of

contingencies in the budget — $3.1 billion. Where is his plan for a

provincially funded sick pay program — a program that he claims to have

ready to implement — that workers across this province desperately need

today?

Hon. J. Horgan: If only the official opposition had a modicum of credibility when

it came to standing up for working people of British Columbia. If only

that was the case.

I mentioned the organizations that have traditionally been

supportive of the B.C. Liberals: the B.C. Business Council, the boards

of trade, the chambers of commerce. To a person, they stood together

with us and said we need a national plan in Canada. We need a national

plan in Canada.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Just a second. Wait a minute, Premier.

Members, you asked the question. Now let’s listen to the answer,

please.

Hon. J. Horgan: Thank you, hon. Speaker.

Again, I’m grateful that I’ve heard today from at least one member

of the official opposition, the member for Shuswap, that he recognizes

and acknowledges the importance of moving expeditiously on this. So when

we bring it to the Legislature, when we return from the constituency

week, I’m grateful that he will second the motion, and all of the

members on that side will vote up unanimously to support paid sick leave

for British Columbia.

COVID-19 TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

AND

ENFORCEMENT

E. Ross: We are a third of the way through the Premier’s travel

restrictions, and we still don’t have answers on how it will be

enforced. These include basic answers about what happens at the actual

police checkpoints. People want to know if a police officer enforcing a

checkpoint will turn someone around or if they’ll just give them a fine

and let them continue.

Which is it? Will the Premier tell us if police can detain and

turn people around at checkpoints or not?

Hon. M. Farnworth: As I indicated last Friday, later this week the enforcement

provisions will be made public in terms of the details of how the COVID

checks will take place when they’re implemented by the police in the

province of British Columbia.

I can tell you that we’ve been engaged in discussions with police

in terms of how things will work, in terms of the legal services branch,

in terms of how the order will be constructed under the Emergency

Program Act. I can tell you we’ve had discussions, not only with members

of the BIPOC community but with local government. I can tell you that

the opposition is going to be briefed tomorrow.

What I can tell you is this — that most British Columbians

understand what’s in place, which is to stay local, stay within your

health authority. That’s what they’re already doing.

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

E. Ross: To be honest, that doesn’t answer the question. People need to

know right now what the police powers are at the checkpoints, and they

should have known the day that the Premier made this announcement about

checkpoints in the first place. Police and the citizens of B.C. need an

answer. They deserve an answer, with all the confusion adding to the

stress and anxiety of this COVID crisis.

We don’t know if the police will be detaining drivers or not and

whether or not they can force drivers to turn around. Will the Premier

be turning around drivers at the checkpoints, yes or no?

Hon. M. Farnworth: I can tell the hon. member that the Premier most definitely will

not be turning around people at checkpoints.

Though what I can also tell the hon. member is that the police who

will be working at the checkpoint or checkpoints are professionals who

are well trained, know their job and know how to treat people

respectfully and courteously. So it’s not a question. They’ve been doing

it for a very long time.

What we have been working with is the police in terms of the order

as it will be in place, how it will be implemented and where it will be

implemented.

[2:30 p.m.]

We’ve also made it clear over the last week that, for example, it

is not going to be random around health authorities but will be at the

borders between those health authorities — in particular, the one

between the Lower Mainland and the Interior. That’s because that’s where

the issue of stopping the spread of the virus is most

effective.

We are already seeing that the restrictions that have been put in

place when it comes to ferries, for example, are working extremely well.

I can tell the member, for example, that already, on this past weekend,

the Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay route: vehicle traffic down 24 percent;

passenger traffic down 34 percent. I can tell you that in terms of the

Horseshoe Bay–Departure Bay route: vehicle traffic down by 37 percent;

passenger traffic down by 42 percent. That’s already on reduced

capacity.

You know what? The public understands the restrictions. The public

understands the need to stay local. It’s a shame they don’t.

[End of question period.]

Orders of the Day

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

Budget Debate

(continued)

Hon. N. Simons: I can wait a couple of seconds while people exit the chamber in

advance of my conclusion. It’s quite all right. I don’t always like to stand

up while people are walking out of the room, but it happens

sometimes.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

I think it’s my first…. Well, I hate to disappoint my dear colleagues

from the other side of the House, but I have very few minutes left — 16

minutes. However, I think it’s clear to all members in this House that I’m

very supportive of this budget. I’m very pleased that we have a government

in place that’s taking care of the people of this province through a

difficult time — that is creating resilience in our communities and

encouraging all members of the public to adhere to the public health orders.

We continue to do that. We continue to make all efforts to get through this

difficult time together.

With that, I would like to conclude my remarks. Thank you for this

opportunity.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you for your long remarks, Member, very much.

The member for Kelowna-Mission.

R. Merrifield: All right. I was getting ready for a 16 minute…. Yeah, thank

you.

It is truly a privilege to rise today and represent the fine residents

of my Kelowna-Mission riding. This is my first provincial budget, and I was

really excited to get my first one as an elected official. I’d actually been

anticipating that day since October of 2020, because to me, budgets are way

more than just numbers on a page. In fact, a budget is your road map. It’s

your way forward, forward to a really exciting future.

As I watched the Finance Minister deliver her budget speech, I

reflected on the amount of work it takes to prepare the budget document. I

want to acknowledge the behind-the-scenes staff that worked tirelessly to

assemble our provincial budget and thank them for their efforts on behalf of

B.C.

I also want to acknowledge that these are extraordinary times. I know

that phrase has been overused, but we all need to recognize that we are in

the most significant mo­ment in British Columbian history, a moment

that will be in our textbooks for social studies and will be analyzed and

studied by our students of all grades. It’s humbling to know that our

actions today and tomorrow will influence the course of British Columbians’

history.

[2:35 p.m.]

We have never needed a road map more desperately. This pandemic has

shown clearly the gaps in our systems, created by a lack of attention, a

lack of preparation and so many other factors. But they became even more

evident with the pandemic’s light shining through every crack in our

society.

History books will, unfortunately, speak of the great inequities of

this pandemic: how racial minorities largely had to take on greater risk, as

they make up a larger portion of our front-line workers, and how they lost

income and risked their health; how youth were some of the hardest hit in

the pandemic and how, in numbers of ill as well as their jobs and futures,

they were threatened; how women left the workforce in record numbers; how

small and medium-sized businesses closed, and are still closing; how our

mental health took many of us to our knees; and how, during this time, the

greatest divide between the haves and the have-nots has emerged.

As I read this budget, I realized that the other subtitle in our

grandchildren’s textbooks will read: “NDP government chooses to go into the

largest deficit in history, while not addressing pandemic gaps.” I did pay

attention to what my riding would care about. They need economic help for

small businesses, which is at the highest percentage of the entire province.

They need housing affordability in a desperate way. They need better health

care, specifically cancer care, and access to GPs. We need opportunities for

our youth. We need sick leave for workers. We need new schools, for the ones

that are falling apart, and child care.

Wait. There’s more, starting with the fact that my community, as many

across this province, has been devastated by the COVID pandemic. They, just

like many in B.C., will need to rebuild — rebuild our economy, rebuild our

jobs, rebuild our health care system and, ultimately, rebuild our confidence

and our hope. Not only do we have to take care of people during this

pandemic, but we also, as a government, need to provide the tracks for

British Columbia and British Columbians to move forward.

Let me be clear. There is no plan forward in this budget for any of

that. Now, don’t get me wrong. There are some half-measures.

Here’s an example of one. First, let’s take our health care system. To

say that we have stretched the capacity of our front-line health care

professionals absolutely to the limits would not fully express the level of

their contribution to our province in the face of COVID-19. Their stress

levels are extraordinary, and only getting worse. I have cried with nurses.

I’ve heard their stories of holding dying COVID patients’ hands, knowing

that they will be the only human touch, as they pass from this life into the

next.

Doctors and specialists — how about them? Well, they’re at their

breaking point. Radiologists and oncologists are sitting at the brink,

staring down the barrel of a cancer tsunami. How about the

anaesthesiologists, who are there when we increase the number of surgeries

that we want to do, as well as when we need to be intubated for a ventilator

to recover from COVID-19? We have asked all of these individuals, and so

many more, to put themselves in harm’s way, to work evenings and weekends,

on little or no rest. We’ve asked them to isolate from their families and to

make enormous sacrifices.

One would think, considering these facts, that a large investment in

our health care system, both in people and facilities, would be warranted,

given our last year, especially since, during the last election, this NDP

government promised to hire 7,000 new front-line health care workers and

open a second medical school so that we could educate the next generation of

our doctors, nurses and other front-line professionals. Well, right now,

based on this budget, it appears they are not going to make good on any of

those promises.

[2:40 p.m.]

This government should also be thinking about how it’s going to

recruit and retain health care staff that have become severely fatigued as a

result of this pandemic. What’s in the budget for them?

I also hear from constituents that they can’t find a family doctor. In

fact, there are many in this province that can’t find family doctors, yet we

just closed the urgent care centre in Kamloops. But we’re going to open up a

cancer clinic in Kamloops, right? Nope. It’s not there.

We know that in a preventative health care system, access and regular

visits to a family doctor provide better outcomes for overall health. So

what does it say when I tell you that over 750,000 people, or 15 percent of

our total population, in B.C. are without a family doctor? Well, it tells me

we don’t have a preventative care system. It seems like this should be an

important priority for the government, no? Not in this budget.

COVID-19 has also exposed another gap in our health care system. It

has been a struggle to get accurate data. And I can only imagine the

frustration felt by staff in our public health office as they attempt to

assemble the data so Dr. Henry can make important decisions and brief the

public. It’s a fact that British Columbians want to do the right thing. They

want to listen to the advice of the PHO. Unfortunately, the lack of reliable

data and transparency has left many with a concerning level of mistrust and

frustration.

We heard that this was a resource issue. Well, what a perfect moment,

like a budget, to rectify that wrong and to bring those resources to this

desperately needed data. Fund the data collection, the timely reporting, and

up­grade the outdated systems that we currently use to track data,

like Excel spreadsheets and by hand. This budget would be an opportunity to

invest in these processes and start to rebuild that trust.

It would also help us deal with one of the hardest hit in this

pandemic: racial minorities. Kulpreet Singh, founder of the South Asian

Mental Health Alliance, says: “If we take a look at the demographics of the

communities, we can see what we have already suspected, which is that people

who are working in essential work — front-line jobs, predominantly from

racialized and marginalized communities — are being adversely affected in

greater numbers by the pandemic.” Singh goes on to say: “The surge of cases

and disproportionate impact the virus has had on the South Asian communities

could have been mitigated had there been race-based data

collection.”

There is lip service from this government about eradicating racism,

but this budget actually shows us that the government doesn’t seem to

understand how to fix this gap that’s been shown in glaring form in a

pandemic. It doesn’t understand how to correct the wrongs — not in this

budget. In fact, the very health authority that controls data has had their

budget cut by $1.1 billion.

Another missed opportunity? Let’s talk about Surrey hospital.

According to the budget document, there seems to be some internal debate as

to whether it’s a new hospital or a net-new hospital or a renovated

hospital, completed in 2027, 2028. There’s no spending in the three-year

fiscal plan to support construction. So even when completed, it’s only 168

beds — 168 beds in Surrey, our fastest-growing municipality.

Then there’s Richmond Hospital, another promise this government

campaigned on. Where is that in the budget? And then cancer care, another

election promise by the NDP government — a ten-year cancer plan. Well, I

guess the cancer plan starts next year, because there’s not any significant

investment from this government. In fact, there hasn’t been any significant

investment in cancer care in the last four years of this government. This

despite the signals that B.C. is slipping in our outcomes, our recovery

rates and our wait times.

[2:45 p.m.]

I’m starting to sense a theme that this government doesn’t grasp the

problems that are facing British Columbians, because then…. Let’s talk about

mental health. B.C. has a mental health crisis. The next epidemic wave will

be this one — parents on the phone with me, desperate to find help for their

young adult, seniors dying of loneliness and most of us stuck in an anxious

social state. This epidemic also manifests in the number of British

Columbians we lose every month to opioid addictions.

Last year 2,000 families lost a loved one — sons, daughters, brothers,

sisters, friends, co-workers. These victims are dying, often alone. Since

2017, 21,000 people have been diagnosed with an opioid use disorder. Of that

number, only 5,000 received treatment. According to the Ministry of Mental

Health and Addiction numbers, they are projecting, targeting, a 2- to

5-percent increase in recovery. Am I reading that correctly? Are we going to

see, then, a 2- to 5-percent decrease in opioid deaths?

This despite a $500 million investment. Where is the money going?

Well, it’s certainly not the minister’s office. Her budget is smaller than

the Premier’s. It’s not in complex care housing, because we’re only getting

195 new treatment beds — 2,000 opioid-related deaths and only 195 new

treatment beds. This problem is far worse than we previously

thought.

Our children, our youth are suffering with mental health issues. In

fact, studies show that two-thirds of all of our youth are experiencing

mental health issues right now. They are drowning, and we aren’t saving

them. In fact, we’re blaming them for the pandemic. The irony is that we

could save them.

Quoting Jennifer Charlesworth, B.C.’s Representative for Children and

Youth: “Many of the mental health challenges children experience are

preventable. All are treatable. We weren’t meeting the needs prior to the

pandemic, so we have to ramp up our capacity during and post pandemic.” Yet

the budget only included $97 million for mental health supports for children

and youth, $53 million to expand the early psychosis intervention program,

$14 million for the First Nations Health Authority and $8 million to expand

eating disorder care and suicide prevention.

Charlesworth, the children’s representative, said the budget made some

good investments in areas such as Aboriginal child development programs, but

she also argued that the expansion of the integrated youth teams in schools

is only going to reach 24 of B.C.’s 60 education districts. And despite

bolstering the popular Foundry centres, which I personally love, that’s only

going to be available to a handful of communities.

The new money, she argues, does little to reduce the wait-list for

CYMH services. Charlesworth added that we need to have “a fundamentally

expansive and more robust child and youth mental system” available to

everybody. Something is terribly wrong with the priorities of this NDP

government. That’s shown not just in their health priorities but also in

their economic ones.

We all know what a hit our small businesses and tourism sector have

taken all over British Columbia. In my riding, it’s been felt. It’s

ricocheting echoes of destruction amongst businesses, and it will clearly

have consequences for years. Many of the attractions that count on tourism

are struggling after a year of being either closed altogether or operating

sporadically at very re­duced capacity. These aren’t large-scale

operations. They can’t absorb the losses that they’re experiencing without

support from this government.

[2:50 p.m.]

Given that fact, I should have been able to find a very significant

investment to help rebuild that sector. Instead, what I found was half of

what they have asked for. Disappointing, to say the least.

What about our support for our small and medium-sized businesses?

Surely, given the fact that 98 percent of our business sector is small and

medium-sized, there would be a plan to help them get back on their feet. No.

There is no new and no significant funding for jobs or for economic

recovery, no new money for our struggling restaurant industry that is

continually punched back down by COVID restrictions.

Oh sure, there are reworked and re-added grant programs, but that was

so botched by this NDP government the first time around that there is little

to no faith in it. But $3.1 billion, though, in unallocated recovery

funding, with zero plan to deploy when people need help right now…. This NDP

government doesn’t understand small businesses and where their needs are at.

No clue.

How about a good old-fashioned jobs plan? Nearly 40,000 full-time jobs

lost during the pandemic have not been recovered. The private sector alone

is behind 42,000 jobs compared to pre-pandemic levels. The only jobs plan

seems to be the expansion of government by 60,000 positions. Judging by the

response we heard when this figure was brought up in question period, it

leads me to believe that this is, in fact, the plan: bloat government,

expand government, while failing to provide the necessary supports to the

private sector.

The private sector jobs are the ones that actually contribute to our

GDP. They don’t cost taxpayers money. But it’s actually worse than this,

because there are no supports for these businesses to help people get by

immediately, right now, today.

Despite the Premier promising a “made-in-B.C. solution,” there is no

paid sick leave in this budget. So essential workers that can’t afford to

stay home…. These essential workers, that are typically youth, women and

racial minorities…. Well, they can’t afford to stay at home if they don’t

feel well, so they go to work. Over and over we’ve heard the Premier tell

British Columbians: “Stay home.” But his government has provided no direct

assistance to those workers that have no choice. Lack of understanding by

this government.

We all pay taxes, right? It stands to reason that we should understand

taxpayers. But looking at this budget, by the end of this NDP’s second term,

they’re going to add an equivalent of $10,000 in additional debt for every

single British Columbian. The revenue to pay that debt comes from only one

place: the taxpayer.

British Columbians are even going to now pay a soda tax. That sounds

good, doesn’t it? Discourage the over-indulgence in sugary drinks like pop.

Promoting healthier habits, right? Not so fast. This tax applies not to just

sugary drinks but to all carbonated beverages, including sugar-free

alternatives or the most popular beverages, soda water. So this isn’t

actually a tax to promote a healthier lifestyle. It’s just a run-of-the-mill

tax grab.

So 53 percent of British Columbians are now $200 or less away from

insolvency. What does this government do? They add a soda tax. Oh, wait.

That’s in addition to the 23 new and increased taxes since they formed

government. Something is terribly wrong with the priorities of this NDP

government.

Remember the promise for the renters? Election promise, twice over — a

$400 annual renters rebate. Nope. Not in this budget. That’s vanished. The

NDP promised more rental affordability, and in my riding, that matters.

Kelowna’s rents have increased over 5 percent in March versus February. Oh,

wait. One month — 5 percent. This despite a rental freeze brought on by

COVID. Kelowna is now the sixth most expensive place to rent in Canada.

Instead of taking action and working to increase supply across the entire

housing sector, this NDP government has abandoned their commitments to

renters.

[2:55 p.m.]

Under the governance of this NDP Premier, housing prices are higher

than ever, and new construction of homes is down significantly. Low housing

supply equals high prices — economics 101. BCREA says the average home price

in B.C. is up 20.4 percent, year over year, for March 2021. In the Central

Okanagan, the average price of a single-family home is now $829,400; last

year, one year ago, $667,700.

British Columbians are discovering that their dream of owning their

own home is out of reach. There is no plan from this government to increase

the supply of housing, decrease red tape in local housing development or

take any tangible action to improve affordability. In fact, the NDP

government is predicting continued high pricing in housing, as their

property transfer tax revenue line item is predicted to remain the highest

in history, not just for last year or this year but for the next three years

in a row.

The NDP housing plan has failed. Instead of taking accountability and

using this budget to take action, they’re using it as a cash cow, priorities

amiss.

I watched with eager anticipation for an announcement on child care. I

raised my three kids and built my business at the same time, and it was

excruciating. I still remember taking that leap and paying for child care. I

didn’t know if I’d have enough money to pay for it. In fact, for the first

two years, I didn’t. I paid more in child care than I took home at the end

of the day. But I believed in what I was doing, the business I was building,

and I kept going.

That is not the case for everyone. I’ve heard from constituents who

are moving out of the Okanagan because life is not affordable and there are

no child care spaces. I have spoken to others in my riding who are desperate

to find quality child care to get back into the labour force. These are

highly trained, qualified professionals who are opting out in order to take

care of their kids. We know that in order to be serious about rebuilding the

economy post-COVID, we have to get parents into the workforce. But without

an affordable child care plan, this is not possible.

Despite the NDP’s continued promises, there’s no universal $10-a-day

daycare in this budget and no delivery of the 24,000 new child care spaces

that they had already promised. There are only 75 $10-a-day prototype sites

that will be added, for a total of 3,750 spaces.

We need a clear plan for our province now. When the newly announced

federal plan takes shape, we can move in lockstep to create as many spots as

we can. And 3,750 child care spaces are barely a drop in the bucket and do

nothing to address this immediate problem. We need to get serious, or we

won’t benefit from the economic boost of having parents able to be involved

in the workforce. Priorities, priorities, priorities.

How about our education system? Teachers, educational aides and admin

staff have been strained this last year. We have asked them to do so much to

keep our kids safe, to provide an education under considerable stress and to

adapt to our changing reality. What thanks do we provide them? This budget

cuts $53 million from school districts’ budgets. In Surrey, parents and

teachers were promised real classrooms instead of portables. At the start of

the pre-pandemic school year, there were 361 portables in Surrey. Nothing in

this budget to address this — just a cut to the school district.

In closing, I have to say that my first provincial budget experience

was a disappointment. I expected more. I ex­pected a silver lining. I

expected to find hope, to find salve for the weary souls amongst us and hope

for the future that we have together. I wanted to see a budget that includes

measures that every single British Columbian can point to and see how it’s

going to help them recover from a year of COVID darkness.

[3:00 p.m.]

We need to fix the cracks that the pandemic shone through and showed

us were there and make right the in­equities that this government’s

policies have only helped to reinforce. We need to make sure that we’ve

learned from the lessons of the pandemic and that this sacrifice does not go

to waste. We need to instil confidence in British Columbia, confidence in

our ability to fashion our own destiny, to set and achieve goals, to aspire

for a better life.

I am by nature an optimist. I really do want to give this government

the benefit of the doubt, but sadly, there is not much to celebrate in this

budget. This is the NDP’s second term. They seem to just be bumbling through

it. No big, bold ideas. Just fancy words and little, if any,

follow-through.

I won’t give up. I will keep raising the voices and augmenting the

concerns of the residents of Kelowna-Mission and the residents of British

Columbia. I’m going to do so here, in this place, and fight to make sure

that this government has more to offer us. Right now they are failing to

meet the needs of this province.

Thank you, hon. Speaker, for allowing me this time.

B. Anderson: I appreciate the opportunity to speak very much in favour of this

budget.

I want to acknowledge that I am on the traditional, un­ceded

territory of the Ktunaxa, Sinixt and Syilx peoples.

Before I dive into the investments that we’re making in the people of

British Columbia in this budget, I would like to celebrate a life today.

That is the life of Lorne Nicolson. Lorne is a former B.C. NDP MLA for

Nelson-Creston. He passed away earlier this year.

First of all, I would like to extend my condolences to his family,

especially Frances, his wife of 62 years, sons Sean and Cameron as well as

his sister Karen, several family members and many, many friends.

Although I did not know Lorne personally, I wanted to highlight the

work that he did in the Legislature for all British Columbians.

As the Nelson Daily News reported, August 30, 1972, was a

momentous day for British Columbia and for the provincial riding of

Nelson-Creston. This was the day the province elected its first New

Democratic Party government and the Nelson-Creston riding elected its first

NDP MLA, Lorne Nicolson. Lorne served the riding’s constituents for 14 years

and was the minister responsible for housing from 1983 until he retired in

I’m going to share a story that I think depicts the type of leader

Lorne was. There was a time that Lorne, who happened to be home in his

constituency, snuck into the back of Taghum Hall. Taghum Hall is a little

hall about ten kilometres outside of Nelson, just for that local context.

The locals there were having a meeting. It was in protest of the Department

of Highways’ plan to upgrade the wooden Taghum Bridge. The residents had

long complained about the condition and safety of the bridge but did so in

the hope that it would be replaced by a new, much more expensive concrete

bridge at a different location with better alignment.

Now, the meeting, as some meetings do, started to get fairly heated.

At one point, an attendee demanded: “Where is our MLA? Why isn’t he here to

represent us?” At that point, Lorne, who had gone unnoticed, quietly stood

up and said: “Here I am. I came to listen so I could represent your concerns

to the Ministry of Highways in Victoria.”

Now, this completely defused the situation, and Lorne was true to his

word. He not only carried the residents’ concerns to the minister but

managed to persuade the department to change its mind and to commit to the

new bridge, which was completed a few years later.

[3:05 p.m.]

Now, I thought this was a really beautiful short story that depicted

what type of a leader Lorne was. I just want to celebrate the life that he

had and thank him for all of the service that he provided for the

constituency but also for all British Columbians.

Thank you, Lorne, for your service.

Now back to the budget. When I look at this budget, this is the budget

that I expected. You might ask why. When I look at this budget, this is

directly what we promised British Columbians during the election. This

budget reflects what British Columbians voted for. What British Columbians

voted for was…. They wanted investments in people. They wanted this

government to carry them through the pandemic and into recovery.

When we look at this budget and all of the great things that it’s

providing across the province, in every corner of this province…. I really

think that all British Columbians are able to look at this budget and say:

“This is the budget I voted for. This is going to take me through. We are

going to get through this pandemic.”

Now, there are major, major investments in health care in this budget.

I mean, how could there not be? If anything, during a global pandemic…. I

think all Canadians kind of sat back and realized how very fortunate we are

that we have universal health care in Canada and in our province, of course,

of British Columbia. I am so grateful to see these increased investments in

our health care system.

Not too long ago my dog, who I love very much and who spends most of

her time with me, had to get surgery. After her surgery, she was healing up

time I pay my vet bill, I am just so grateful that we have universal health

care for humans in Canada.” To which my very dear friend responded: “Every

time I pay my vet bill, I wish health care was as inexpensive and as

accessible as it is for my pet as it would be for me.” She is American. She

spent years without health insurance.

When I look at this budget and I look at the investments that we are

making in health care, including mental health care, I think how grateful I

am for these investments. You know, we’re investing in cancer care. Today I

am wearing…. This is Cancer Awareness Month. I don’t think there’s a person

in British Columbia whose life has not been touched one way or another by

cancer.

Today actually happens to be my grandfather’s…. Well, it would have

been his 83rd birthday. When I was a teenager, he had a long battle with

cancer, and he passed away.

Grandpa Dave, I am thinking of you today.

I am so glad we are investing in a new cancer centre in the Interior.

This will mean that people from rural B.C. are going to have better access

to cancer care. That is going to be so impactful, not only for the patients

but also for the families and for the loved ones of these people. Having

care close to home is incredibly important for our medical

system.

In our rural area, that is one of the things that I hear the most. We

want to see investments in these rural areas so that people are able to

access health care at home. This is what we’re seeing in this budget by

expanding the budget for health care. So I am so grateful to see these

investments.

A part of these investments is the vaccine rollout. I don’t know about

you, but for every single person in my life, when they let me know they have

either gotten their vaccine or have registered for their vaccine or have

booked that vaccine appointment, I feel a tremendous sense of relief and

hope. Just yesterday my dad was able to get his vaccine, and my mom goes in

for her shot probably in a few minutes here.

The more people that we’re seeing getting vaccinated…. We’re going to

see those numbers increase and increase, and then we’re also going to see,

if we follow the health restrictions, that our cases are going to decrease

and decrease. That means that if we all follow the public health orders that

are in place, hopefully — and I know every single person in British Columbia

wants this — we are able to open up again more. We’re able to visit with our

loved ones. We’re able to go out and go to the theatre.

[3:10 p.m.]

Now, I can’t wait to see a live performance again. These are moments

that are going to feel so special. I can’t imagine. I’m going to get to

dance around.

We have lots of music festivals in the Kootenays, and being outside in

the elements and dancing with hundreds or thousands of people is such an

amazing feeling. Right now, that feeling feels so far away, but if we follow

these health care restrictions, or the public health orders, we are going to

get to that point where, when our friend comes to town, we’re going to be

able to give them that big hug.

I was hoping to see my grandma here in a few weeks — it’s her 90th

birthday — but unfortunately, we’re going to have to hold off on that, too,

just a little bit longer. Celebrating your grandma’s 90th birthday seems

pretty essential to a family, but it’s not, because it’s not safe right now

to do so. We’re going to wait off, and we’re going to celebrate her and the

amazing life that she’s had, and the work that she still continues to do,

when it’s safe to do so.

When I look at this budget, I see that we are working for people. I

just want to thank the Finance Minister for all of the incredible work that

it took to pull everything together, to pull our platform together and all

of the promises we made, and then create a budget that is going to ensure

that British Columbia is resilient, moving forward. With this budget, I

absolutely see that happening.

We look at what has happened with our businesses, and some of our

businesses have had an extremely hard time. But we have been investing in

small businesses. We have more business support for small and medium

businesses than any other jurisdiction in Canada. We know that small

businesses are the backbone of our local economy, of our provincial economy,

but also our local economies. We know that when we spend money at local

businesses, that money gets recirculated into our communities. It’s

absolutely critical that we support them now so that they’re able to thrive

later.

I have been making phone calls and talking to business owners and

asking them how they’re doing. One business said if it hadn’t been for the

supports that I specifically told them about and really encouraged them to

apply, they’re not sure if they would be able to still be open

today.

Because our government is investing in small businesses…. They’re

small businesses that we know would be doing well, but we’re in a pandemic.

Now is the time that we need to support them so that they’re able to thrive

in the future, so that they’re there when we all get back to normal. That is

something that I am really looking forward to.

One of the most exciting announcements that I think we have recently

made is from our Minister of Jobs and trade. Now, in B.C., this investment

fund…. This is an absolute game-changer. I’m already receiving text messages

from really creative businesses that are going to make change and do great

things for British Columbia, wanting to know more about this strategic

investment. This investment, the fact that it is triple bottom line…. It’s

planet, people and profits, because, of course, we need to be considering

these three things at all times for a business.

If you can’t make a profit in business, you’re not a business. You

can’t move forward. Profit, of course, is in there. It’s always important.

Businesses must make profits. But if we only focus on profits, and we forget

about the people and forget about the environment, that’s a huge problem.

That’s actually a problem that I think we have seen with globalization: that

we are so far removed in many ways from the people and from the environment

with some of these decisions that we make, there’s this long chain of

impacts that happen.

What this investment does is…. This investment is going to take money

and invest it in businesses that are creating environmental change or

solving those huge environmental problems that we must face, that we have to

face. Or they’re going to be investing in things that are going to be making

social change — medication, health care.

I can’t wait to see what some of these investments are going to be.

I’m absolutely…. Some of the work that I have seen that British Columbians

have done…. They’re so creative, and I think what this money is really going

to do is attract a lot of those businesses that might be trying to figure

out where they want to work.

[3:15 p.m.]

When they see the quality of life that we have in British Columbia,

along with being very business-friendly — and we have this new strategic

investment — I think we are going to be the place that people want to start

and people want to stay. We know that once people are in B.C., they don’t

want to leave. That’s why people keep coming to our province. Most people

have dreamed their entire lives to come live in British Columbia, and we are

so grateful that this is our home and that we get to call it our

home.

I’ve felt so grateful during the pandemic. I’ve lived all over the

world, and there is nowhere in the entire world that I’d want to be right

now except for in British Columbia. I think that’s because we know that we

are taking care of each other. Our communities are stepping up, and we’re

taking care of each other. When I look at this budget, this budget is

focused on recovery so that we’re able to move forward. The future is going

to look bright.

When I talk about economic recovery, I always think that the first

piece…. This is something that I heard previously when I was on city

council. When the pandemic first hit, what was one of the biggest challenges

for families? It was child care. I was hearing from parents, but I was also

hearing from grandparents that were all of a sudden moving around the

province to try to find child care or try to support their children and

their grandchildren.

We know that child care is absolutely critical, not only for the

social well-being, the development of children, to get them ready for

school, but it’s also really important for the economy. If parents aren’t

able to work…. Of course, some parents are able to stay home and want to

stay home, and that is a wonderful choice if that is the choice that you

want to make. But other parents either have to go to work or want to go to

work or both. We need to ensure that there is safe, appropriate and

affordable child care for everyone in the province.

What I see with this budget is that we are moving forward again on

child care, with our $10-a-day child care program. I know that we’re moving

in the right direction, also, when people are seeing what this government is

do­ing, and then they’re wanting to stand up and say yeah.

With economic recovery, now the federal government also wants to be

supporting child care, and we welcome these investments because we know from

the plan that we have developed that this is so important. Having that

partnership is only going to mean that, more quickly, we are going to be

able to deliver on the $10-a-day child care program and expand it to more

families.

We’re very fortunate here in the Kootenays. Selkirk College was able

to create a partnership, and we are getting, I think, 24 new child care

spaces up at the Silver King campus, which is in Rosemont in Nelson. That

was a great partnership between some local non-profits here and the

provincial government to increase the number of child care spaces here.

Because it’s partnered with the college, there are also going to be training

opportunities for early childhood educators.

By having that close proximity, it’s a really well-designed space.

It’s great that it’s integrated with the actual education and the program,

and it’s going to be supporting not only community members but students,

teachers, faculty and staff. This is going to be a great thing for the

Selkirk College community but also the community of greater Nelson, sort of,

in general.

When we’re seeing these investments in child care, we know that those

dollars are then going to be recirculated again and again throughout this

community as parents are able to go to work and children are able to get

that really high-quality child care experience. I know that we have some

absolutely excellent…. I just want to say that I’m really excited about

that.

Another thing, in terms of health care, that I want to talk about,

which I’m really excited is moving forward, is Mount St. Francis. Mount St.

Francis — if you’re not a local, that probably doesn’t really mean very much

or anything to you. But if you’re from this area, it means a lot. There’s a

fairly large piece of land in Nelson that used to house a facility. It was a

health care facility called Mount St. Francis. It closed about a decade ago.

When it closed…. There has been no heat on for a decade in that

building.

[3:20 p.m.]

There have been groups that are trying to figure out what we’re able

to do with this land. There’s a covenant on the land so it can only become

another health care space. We know that we’re at a deficit of long-term-care

beds in our region. We are going to be getting 75 long-term-care beds in a

brand-new facility.

The vision for this facility is absolutely incredible. It’s not just a

long-term-care facility. There has been a local group here working. This is

something I have never heard of before. They’re working directly with

Interior Health and providing…. There’s that back-and-forth between this

local group that has been a strong advocate for long-term care and also a

health campus. They want to see child care up there. They want to see other

services up there — affordable housing, potentially, up there as well. Maybe

addictions services.

It’s an entire community of people. It’s not just somewhere where

people in long-term care sort of go and are tucked away. This is going to be

an absolutely beautiful space. That property, when you’re there, you can see

the beautiful Kootenay Lake. You can see the mountains. This is going to be

a place where, I think, people are going to look forward to moving into,

rather than it being something that people want to resist because they want

to stay in their homes.

Particularly, what we saw coming out of other pro­vinces…. It

was very scary to be in a long-term-care facility. In some cases, it was

scary here in British Columbia.

I think, also now, that the lessons that we learned from COVID…. It

will mean that the design of this specific space will be designed in a way

that — and, hopefully, none of us ever have to experience anything like this

pandemic ever again — we’re more prepared because of the design and the

layout. We’re prepared for this, if it were ever to happen again, which will

also help protect seniors, of course, for things like influenza season. I’m

just really glad to see that this is moving forward — Mount St.

Francis.

Another thing that I want to talk about that, for our region, people

are very passionate about…. It’s climate change. Our communities…. We’re in

a rural area, and one of the things that we love about it is that we have

direct access to nature. What that also means is our risk for wildfires is

huge. When you go out into the back country, you can see that, and it can be

dry.

I was on a hike. I think it was two weeks ago. This is a hike along

Kootenay Lake. It’s a pretty easy hike. It’s well-shaded. It’s April. It was

powder dry. Normally, I wouldn’t expect those kind of conditions until about

July or August.

We know that we need to clean up the forests around our communities to

keep our communities safe. Now we’re seeing that type of investment. The

Creston Valley Forest Corp., they’re doing operational treatment, and

there’s going to be one prescribed fire.

This isn’t a small area. This is 57.6 hectares. But what this is going

to do is help to protect the community of Creston and the adjacent

communities. You look at Creston and Erickson and the rural area, you

wouldn’t be able to actually tell where they…. Where one ends, the other

begins. It’s really important that we’re protecting these areas in our

community.

Also, the Harrop-Procter Community Co-operative — they are also going

to be doing work to protect Harrop-Procter. This is a beautiful little

community just across the ferry, across sort of from the Balfour area on

Kootenay Lake. They have Harrop-Procter forest products. There are the

beautiful community forests there. They’re also going to be doing more work

to ensure that that community is protected against wildfires.

We’re seeing the same thing in Kaslo. It’s great to see that across

our region, we are getting more investments for wildfire interface

protection, which we know is absolutely, critically important.

There’s a great project that’s actually going on. It’s up in the park

that is sort of north of Nelson. There’s private land, so it’s the private

land owners with B.C. Parks and local logging companies. They’ve all been

able to work together to figure out how they’re able to strategically do

wildfire…. Logging, but logging to ensure that wildfire isn’t able to sort

of sweep through that area. There’s a lot of dead beetle kill.

[3:25 p.m.]

Generally, in parks, there is no logging, but because of the risks and

all of these factors, we’ve actually been able to come to a great solution

where B.C. Parks is working with the local forestry industry and with

landowners to make this all work together.

When I was speaking with them, when I sat down and had a meeting with

them…. This isn’t happening across the province, so we’re really lucky that

it’s happening here, but I think it’s something that could be modelled in

different areas across the province.

We also have Kalesnikoff. They have their mass timber facility, and

that facility sits just right on the boundary between Nelson-Creston and

Kootenay West, and it’s pro­viding this mass timber facility. They’re

doing forestry from seedling or from sapling all the way to these mass

timber frame buildings. We’re going to start seeing these go up around the

province. The embedded carbon footprint is so much lower than in concrete

and steel buildings. So I’m really excited.

We are going to be seeing, hopefully, some going up in our riding

shortly but also across the province, really showcasing what the…. I really

see this as the future of the forestry industry that we’re taking. It’s the

right log to the right mill — that there’s the value-added product, that

we’re managing our forests appropriately. This is going to be the best way

to build our economy, keep our communities safe from things like

wildfire.

One of the things that Kalesnikoff is doing is they are doing some

work, again, to protect the city of Nelson from wildfire danger. But they’re

actually going to be turning it into an agroforestry project. Now, if you

don’t know what agroforestry is, basically think of a food

forest.

This is going to be between Nelson and Cottonwood Lake, adjacent to

the Rail Trail, which is an extremely popular trail that extends…. You can

actually take it all the way from Troup, which is a beach on Kootenay Lake,

and go all the way up to Salmo, if you wanted. I have only made it up to

Ymir for a beer on that trail before, but it’s possible from Nelson. It’s a

great little ride, and if you ever get the opportunity to stop at the Ymir

Hotel there, it is a very good time and one of the most eclectic places

you’re going to see.

Kalesnikoff is going to be building that absolutely beautiful food

forest there. I think that this is going to be a showcase for things that

we’re able to replicate across the province. I’m tremendously proud of the

work that is done in my riding, because I think there’s a lot of innovation

that’s happening.

Some of these organizations, like Kalesnikoff, I think it’s a third or

fourth generation family business. It might even be fifth. They’re really

invested in this community. So we’re seeing great things happen because of

it.

When I look, again, at this budget, I’m excited. We’re seeing transit

free for all people under 12 years old. Now, this is a great thing for

families. It’s going to be saving families money, but what I also like to

see is it’s habit-forming. If kids are used to getting around via public

transit and are using public transit, they’re not waiting on their 16th

birthday, like: “I want to get my driver’s licence. I want to get a

vehicle.” They’re going to be happy they have the freedom to get around on

transit.

You’re getting people moving away from this mentality that the only

way we move around is sort of one person, or maybe if you’re lucky, you’re

car-pooling or you’re with your spouse or your kids in your vehicle. But we

see so many people just driving with one person in that vehicle.

By shifting people over to things like active transportation or

transit, we’re going to be seeing our transportation GHG emissions start to

decrease, which is critically important. When we look at that pie of the GHG

emissions in British Columbia, transportation is one of those key areas

where we need to start lowering our GHG emissions, just like setting

targets, specific industry targets. That’s going to also help reduce our GHG

emissions, which is absolutely critical as we move forward and we realize

the plan of CleanBC.

We’re leaders in this now, and we’re going to continue to have to push

that. We know we’re going to have to reduce our GHG emissions, and there’s

going to be innovation. I’m excited because I do believe that this InBC

investment fund is going to help fuel some of that innovation so that we’re

going to be finding creative solutions to help us and help the planet figure

out how we’re going to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

[3:30 p.m.]

The last thing I would just like to say is that when I look at this

budget, I see that this budget is focused also on young people. When we’re

looking at the StrongerBC future leaders program, that’s going to be 5,000

young people that are positively impacted, that are going to be paid for

jobs or for internships. They’re getting their first foot in the door, and

that is absolutely critical.

I know, as a young person, trying to find that first sort of “real

job” is not easy, but it’s so important. Once you’re able to do that, then

you can start to build your actual career. But without that sort of clear

pathway forward, it can be a challenge. I’m so thrilled to see our future

leaders program. I’m really excited to see how this really changes the lives

of so many young people.

[N. Letnick in the chair.]

I want to thank, again, the Minister of Finance for all of the

incredible work that she did to pull this budget together and the Premier on

his leadership to get us through this pandemic. This is the budget that

British Columbia voted for. We are delivering on our promises. This, to me,

is exactly what government should be doing. We are listening to what the

people want, and we’re providing that for them.

We’re going to hit the ground running, once we’re able to get our

vaccine numbers up and our rates lower. I can’t wait until we’re able to

embrace our loved ones again. I know every single one of us in British

Columbia is really excited for that.

I just want to say thank you so much, Speaker, for the opportunity to

enthusiastically speak in support of this budget. I am really proud of the

work that we are going to be doing together.

J. Tegart: Thank you to the member for Nelson-Creston. Your enthusiasm is

incredible, and it’s good to see new faces in the House.

It’s a pleasure to stand in the House to respond to Budget 2021. This

is probably one of the most important budgets in our lifetime; 2020 was a

historic year in the lifetime of British Columbia. In March 2020, this House

recessed for two weeks. During those two weeks, British Columbia declared a

state of emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic. The world was in turmoil. We

were asked to hunker down, work from home. Schools closed. Long-term care

facilities and hospitals were in lockdown. Keep your contacts to your

immediate family in your home.

We were stunned. How could this happen? But we were okay. Everyone

would obey the public health orders. We were on top of this. But it went on

and on.

It attacked our seniors, who were in long-term care and

assisted-living facilities. People were dying. They were getting COVID. They

were sick, and family wasn’t allowed to visit. They were dying alone,

without family with them, surrounded by people in full coverage of PPE, from

head to toe. The only contact was their eyes, full of care, support and,

ultimately, sorrow.

Families said goodbye over a telephone, on FaceTime or on Zoom. Hearts

were broken. People were guilt-ridden. How could this be happening? Moms,

dads, grannies, grandpas, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, sons, daughters,

grandchildren — COVID did not stop. It took whoever was in its path. No

family celebration of life. Limited numbers allowed. They died alone;

families grieved alone.

Still, this disease carried on. If you came in contact with someone

with the disease, chances are you were the next carrier. Families are sad.

Communities are sad. First responders are sad. The world is sad. Still,

COVID goes on.

[3:35 p.m.]

As it passes from person to person, it grows stronger. It deviates. It

spreads some more, much more rapidly this time round. We have to stop this.

It has taken far too many. We pray each day that our scientists will find a

cure, and COVID marches on.

Our young people have been so affected this past year. I think about

high school children and the effects on their lives: no grade 12 graduation,

no family gathering to celebrate this milestone in their lives, no party

with friends. It’s like grad didn’t even happen. How can this be? No

goodbyes to classmates, to teachers who made such a difference in your life,

who inspired you to reach for the stars, who knew you at your best and at

your worst but still believed in you.

The younger ones miss their classroom friends. They miss their sports.

They missed play dates — six-year-olds expressing their fear of taking COVID

home and making Nana sick.

We wonder what the long-term effects will be. Many have lost loved

ones, grandmas and grandpas, with no way to say goodbye. They are all sad.

When will it be over? We think about our most vulnerable, who often are

challenged to get out and be social, who are often isolated, whose supports

are now limited due to COVID protocols: “Does this disease not understand

how much we need to be together and with each other or how much I miss my

social worker and my counsellor? I don’t understand. I just want things to

be the way they were. Does anyone notice? Does anyone care?”

I think about each and every British Columbian who says: “I’m okay —

just hanging in there. I can’t wait until this is over.” But they’re out of

sorts. They haven’t seen family for months, even though they live in the

same community — the new grandchild that was born in July that you held

once. People are sad. This is so hard.

I think about everyone who showed up to work to provide the front-line

services that we need to survive — the medical staff who held the hands of

our dying loved ones; the ambulance attendant who ensured our loved ones got

to where they needed to be; the staff in our long-term-care and

assisted-living facilities who showed up, day after day, to provide services

to our seniors in a caring and loving way.

To our first responders, who never, ever imagined being in a situation

like we found ourselves in, in 2020…. To each and every one of you: thank

you. To our teachers, our special teaching assistants, support staff and

administrators who have worked so hard to keep our children safe, ensuring

that our kids have routine in their day, trying so hard to meet each

student’s needs in these trying times…. From the school bus driver to the

janitorial staff, keeping children safe was so important to you. Thank you.

You have all given so much.

[3:40 p.m.]

Transit drivers, store clerks, bank staff, grocery workers. You have

all gone above and beyond to ensure that we are safe and our communities are

safe and that we are all provided for. Firemen, police, paramedics, our

front-line heroes. So many who have reached out and comforted a neighbour, a

person in their community, even strangers, which is why Budget 2021 is so

important in British Columbia’s history.

We have had an unprecedented year, a year of COVID-19 and all that

entails. But let us go back to March 2020. We began the COVID journey with

all parties in the House giving unanimous agreement to an unprecedented

spending bill that allowed the government to address the COVID challenge,

recognition that we would have to put partisan politics aside and work

together as we fought this pandemic. I was proud to be a member of this

House that agreed to that.

It would be naive to think that this would be easy. But we all have a

common interest: the health of each and every British Columbian. We were a

coalition, committed to serving the health and welfare of British Columbians

during an unprecedented pandemic. Working together, we could show that we

could put the health of people before our politics. It showed we had built

goodwill and trust over the previous three years.

Then, in the fall of 2020, Premier John Horgan took that goodwill and

threw it back in our faces.

Deputy Speaker: Member, I’ll just remind you not to use names.

J. Tegart: Sorry. The Premier took that goodwill and threw it back in our faces.

The decision to call a snap election ensured that goodwill and trust

evaporated in a few short minutes. So much for putting the health and

welfare of British Columbians first. So much for collaborating with the

three parties in the House. So much for trust.

In the meantime, COVID continued on — more cases, more deaths, more

sadness. Politics became more important than people. Government came to a

halt. Months passed before government was back in place. The cases rose, and

more people died. More British Columbians were sad.

Now we find ourselves examining Budget 2021. I think British

Columbians were looking for a budget of hope. Vaccinations are underway.

Although seemingly haphazard some days, they are getting into people’s

arms.

People are looking for a plan. A plan that addresses the challenges of

the past year. A plan that assists young people and gives them hope. A plan

that recognizes the challenges facing small and medium-sized businesses. A

plan that supports tourism and its associated businesses, which have been

hit so hard in the past year. They are on their knees, asking for a lifeline

from this government. A plan for economic recovery.

Our people are stressed and worried about the future. They are looking

for supports for mental health, stability for the education of their

children, jobs and opportunities for our young people, support for our

seniors, support for our resource sector, support for our tech sector,

support for our job creators, our entrepreneurs. They are looking for a jobs

plan.

[3:45 p.m.]

Again, as we sit in this House and discuss, we have more positive

COVID cases and, unfortunately, more deaths.

What do we see in Budget 2021? What I see is status quo. No vision. No

innovation. Little support for job creators. Cuts in natural resource

ministries. Cuts in public education. Cuts in health care. Like, really?

Nothing big and bold at a time when we so need hope.

Remember, COVID numbers continue to rise. Too many loved ones are

dying. We are now into the third wave. Our youth see little hope in the

future. They are often our front-line workers, in our restaurants, in our

grocery stores, in our seniors facilities, with a Premier who has publicly

blamed them for the spread of the virus. Shame on him. Oh, yes, and they are

the last to be vaccinated. How about that as a thank-you for the work you

do?

I would remind every representative in the House: you were elected to

be big and bold. We are at an unprecedented time in history. We have come

through and are continuing to experience a pandemic that is worldwide. If

not now, when? When will be the time to think big?

COVID has disrupted our daily lives. It has disrupted how we live, how

we interact, how we do commerce, how we educate our youth, how we

work.

I challenge every elected person in this House to step outside your

comfort zone, to use this time to think differently, to envision a future we

have perhaps never thought of before, to encourage innovation, to embrace

change, to be the change you want to see, to know there is an end to this

year of COVID, to embrace what we have learned through these tough times and

to think not only about the next generation but about the next seven

generations. Put partisan politics aside, and let’s think big.

I have to say I’m a little disappointed in a rather lack­lustre

Budget 2021 at a time when I believe we need bold and innovative ideas and

actions. We have come through a very difficult year. Friends that I consider

strong, focused and driven are telling me they are feeling out of

sorts.

I would suggest that we have no idea what the mental health impact of

a year plus of COVID will be on our family and friends, never mind the

impact on our first responders, people who have lost loved ones, people who

have lost their businesses and people who have lost their jobs. They are

looking to government to provide support and hope for the future in Budget

2021, and I’m sad to say that I don’t see that inspiration in this

budget.

[3:50 p.m.]

Day after day the COVID numbers continue to be high. People are still

dying, and 1,517 have died as of April 26. My hope is that vaccination can

bring a halt to the rising COVID numbers and deaths and that we’ll see a

better future for us and our children and our grandchildren and our

great-grandchildren.

This budget shows a significant deficit, one that wasn’t unexpected.

But of all the times in the history of British Columbia, this is the time to

think big. This is the time that British Columbians need us. Each of us in

this House has a choice. I challenge you to think outside the box, to think

big and to think bold. There are a number of areas in this budget that have

contingencies that aren’t identified. I truly believe that that gives us

room for innovation, room to budget for things that we haven’t thought of

before.

I remind everyone here that British Columbians are counting on us, and

it is up to us to be accountable to them.

Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, just a reminder. We’re not supposed to be using our

telephones, even from home. That includes earbuds. If you’re having a

conversation two-way, that’s considered a telephone. You can listen, but you

can’t speak. Sorry about that. If you want to speak, stand up, and we’ll

recognize you in a speech.

M. Elmore: I’m honoured to be joining you virtually from the traditional

territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

It’s a great honour to rise as the MLA for Vancouver-Kensington and

speak in favour of Budget 2021. I’d like to begin my comments and just

appreciate the remarks from my colleague previously, the MLA for

Fraser-Nicola. You could really hear just the impact of COVID-19 in her

community. I think it really laid it out for all of us to relate in terms of

the unprecedented challenges that all of us have faced in British Columbia.

Certainly, we’re all in this together.

My remarks, with respect to the budget, are certainly following on

many colleagues, remarking on, really, the incredible challenge that we are

in. It’s a global COVID-19 pandemic, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, once

in a generation, once in a century, that has resulted, around the world, in

untold human suffering and death, challenges to the unravelling of social

relationships, and individual and societal loss of lives and livelihoods and

prosperity.

It’s really strained health care systems and revealed, and also

contributed to, widening inequalities. We’re seeing this around the world.

What I think when I reflect on our B.C. Budget 2021 is that there are also

some lessons that have emerged, I think globally and also reflected here in

B.C., and captured within our budget. This is the acknowledgment of the

importance of a public health care system and can’t be

underestimated.

We heard the remarks from my colleague from Nelson-Creston, talking

about her friends in the United States who don’t have access to public

health care.

[3:55 p.m.]

The value of public health care, in the context of this pandemic, has

become crystal-clear. I think it’s also been really crystallized for folks

in British Columbia, across Canada, around the world, the value of our

public services and the important role that they play to support all of us

collectively, now facing this collective challenge of this pandemic — also,

the importance of centering support and the role of government.

I think this is a critical issue in terms of what the role of

government is in providing public services, in investing in services that

support citizens. I think this is a real contrast in terms of really laying

bare, from the previous government, policies of austerity, policies of

underfunding public services and policies really shifting public services to

privatized interests.

That has emerged globally and, I will say, also across Canada and

British Columbia. I think it has shifted attitudes of British Columbia. We

have really gone through incredible times and faced incredible stress —

individually, families, businesses who have contracted COVID-19, had family

members who have been sick and hospitalized — and also just really

disrupting all of our lives.

I want to echo, I think, the sentiments of all members in the House

about appreciating the dedication and professionalism and commitment of our

front-line health care workers, who have really been there to support us,

recognizing essential workers who have really stepped up and played the

role. Just, as well, that these challenges of our generation….

Also recognize the sorrow as well, not being able to connect and not

being able to support loved ones who were in hospital and, unfortunately,

who pass away, not being able to grieve. That has impacted many of my

friends and folks in Vancouver-Kensington and really had repercussions

around the world with family members in other countries. So the challenges

have been immense.

Our government, I’m proud to say, in Budget 2021, in unprecedented

times, also has an unprecedented investment in terms of supporting British

Columbians through this pandemic. We are now in the third wave. The virus

has mutated, and variants are becoming more infectious. But we also have a

mass vaccination program underway, which is also providing some hope in

terms of getting through this. I am very confident that British Columbia,

Canada and the world will emerge from this challenge of COVID-19 — with

uneven development, but certainly, there’s hope on the horizon.

COVID-19 has also really exacerbated inequalities and income

disparity. It’s contributed to that. Dr. Bonnie Henry has characterized that

we’re in the same storm, but people are in different boats. It’s impacted

people differently, particularly those working in low-wage essential jobs

and also racialized communities. So our budget recognizes that and takes

significant steps to support British Columbians.

Budget 2021 focuses on our province’s response and recovery from the

pandemic. Priority one is protecting the health and safety of British

Columbians. That goes hand in hand with supporting people and businesses to

continue to manage through the effects of the pandemic and also doing the

work moving forward in terms of recovery.

We know that there is a broader economic picture in terms of expecting

recovery in the year ahead. We know that British Columbia is poised to have

a stronger recovery than the national average, and it really speaks to the

resilience of our province. To go hand in hand with that, B.C. has provided

more supports per capita for people and businesses than any other province,

and that’s reflected in our budget.

[4:00 p.m.]

I’d like to speak to a couple of the key components that are addressed

in the budget. The primary issue, I think — the foundation that’s important,

that will lay the ground work for our success to make it through the

pandemic — is our health care system, which is so important and crucial. We

know it’s shown not only in British Columbia, around the world, the value of

a strong public health care system.

We know more and more people are becoming vaccinated. Budget 2021

continues to invest in funding for health, as well as mental health, to

continue to support folks suffering from COVID-19 and also to expand

services that British Columbians rely on.

We know, as well, there is unprecedented investment in the

largest-ever vaccination program in B.C.’s history to ensure that every

British Columbian can receive their vaccine. I have registered with the

online program — it is quite easy — and am waiting for my schedule. I

appreciate the efficiency of the vaccination program as well. The funding

and expansion for our health care services are critical and key.

Hand in hand, in terms of the challenges, is the need to support

folks. It has put unprecedented pressure on folks’ mental health. We know

that young people, because of the limited social interaction…. The B.C.

government has prioritized keeping schools open. That has shown to be such a

critical factor for development for young people. That helps, but we know

that there is incredible stress and incredible mental health challenges for

young people right across the board. That’s why Budget 2021 makes the

historic investment in mental health services and also to address substance

use issues.

These are challenges that are unprecedented and so im­portant

and critical. I want to talk about a few of the mental health supports and

talk about some other components, as well, in our health care system, so

critical.

Budget 2021 will invest in new mental health supports for young adults

and youth through schools, expanding the very successful Foundry centres

which have been shown to be a great model initiated from the previous

government. Our government is expanding that to ensure we have integrated

child and youth supports. That has been expanded to more school

districts.

We are also providing the First Nations Health Authority more funding

to further deliver mental health and addictions services to Indigenous

peoples and increasing access to the full spectrum of substance use

treatment and recovery services, including funding for opioid

treatment.

We know that we are facing the dual crises of the COVID-19 pandemic

crisis and also the opioid overdose crisis, concurrently needing to address

those two crises that are taking just an incredible toll on British

Columbians now. A key support to help people get on the path to recovery is

with new substance use treatment and recovery beds, so key to break that

cycle of addiction. Expanding support for health care. The largest, record

investment in mental health and substance use services.

Also, ensuring that seniors are supported. We know that seniors were

really at the forefront, in terms of being victimized by COVID-19 through

illness and through death. Our government took immediate steps to address

staffing levels in the long-term-care sector. Previous to the COVID-19

pandemic, we increased the residential care hours per resident per day to

bring that up to 3.36 hours a day.

[4:05 p.m.]

Once COVID came in place, we also instituted the single-site order,

where staff could work for full-time hours and receive the benefits at one

facility. Then we also levelled up wages across the sector.

Part of the contrast, in terms of ensuring that seniors were

adequately supported and that they had quality care in the long-term-care

sector, was bringing these measures in that had been dismantled by the

previous government. Looking at COVID-19 really made it clear, in terms of

the importance of a strong and regulated long-term-care and assisted-living

sector — the importance of that. We’ve seen other jurisdictions, other

provinces, who are still grappling with these issues. Certainly, it’s a key

commitment.

As well, with seniors care, we know that seniors, from a policy

perspective, prefer to stay in their homes and live in community. Our

government recognizes that and has additional funding to support seniors to

age in place and to be supported in the community. We are also continuing to

support the hiring of staff in the long-term-care sector.

Those are key commitments and really fundamental in terms of ensuring

that seniors are support