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British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Third Session, 39th Parliament official rePort of Debates of the Legis Lative a ssemb Ly (hansarD) the honourable bill bari Soff, SPeaker iSSn 0709-1281 Thursday, February 17, 2011 Afternoon Sitting Volume 20, Number 7

Pro Vince of britiS h colu Mbia (entered c onfederation July 20, 1871) lieutenant -Go Vernor h is h onour the h onourable Steven l. Point, obc Third Session, 39th Parliament SPeaker of the leGiS latiVe a SSeMbl Y h onourable bill barisoff eXecutiVe council Premier and President of the executive c ouncil ......................................................................................................h on.

Gordon c ampbell Minister of a griculture ............................................................................................................................................................h on. ben Stewart a ttorney General and Minister of a boriginal r elations and r econciliation ........................................................ h on. barry Penner, Qc Minister of c hildren and f amily Development ....................................................................................................................h on.

Mary Polak Minister of citizens' Services ............................................................................................................................................... h on. Mary Mcn eil Minister of c ommunity, Sport and cultural Development .................................................................................... h on. Stephanie c adieux Minister of environment ...................................................................................................................................................... h on.

Murray c oell Minister of State for c limate a ction ......................................................................................................................................h on.

John Y ap Minister of finance and Minister r esponsible for Small business and Deputy Premier and Minister of h ealth Services .................................................................................................................................... h on. c olin h ansen Minister of f orests, Mines and l ands ........................................................................................................................................... h on.

Pat bell Minister of State for Mining ............................................................................................................................................h on. r andy h awes Minister of l abour ...................................................................................................................................................................... h on. iain black Minister of n atural r esource o perations and Minister of energy ..............................................................................h on.

Steve Thomson Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and Minister r esponsible for h ousing ............................................h on. r ich c oleman Minister of State for building c ode r enewal .......................................................................................................h on. n aomi Y amamoto Minister of Science and u niversities and Minister of r egional e conomic and Skills Development .............................. h on. ida c hong Minister of Social Development ........................................................................................................................................ h on. k evin k rueger Minister of t ourism, t rade and investment and Minister r esponsible for the intergovernmental r elations Secretariat and Minister of education ................................................................................... h on.

Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid Minister of t ransportation and infrastructure ...................................................................................................................h on.

Shirley bond leGiS latiVe a SSeMbl Y l eader of the official o pposition .....................................................................................................................................................Dawn black Deputy Speaker .................................................................................................................................................................................... l inda r eid a ssistant Deputy Speaker .............................................................................................................................................................c laire t revena Deputy c hair, c ommittee of the Whole .......................................................................................................................................... h arry bloy c lerk of the l egislative a ssembly...................................................................................................................e.

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

James (on leave) c lerk a ssistant and a cting c lerk of c ommittees ................................................................................................................. k ate r yan-l loyd Sergeant-at-a rms ................................................................................................................................................................................. Gary l enz

alP habetical liS t of MeMberS a bbott, George (l) ................................................................................. Shuswap a ustin, r obin (nDP) ................................................................................ Skeena bains, h arry (nDP) ....................................................................Surrey-n ewton barisoff, h on. bill (l) ............................................................................Penticton barnett, Donna (l) ................................................................ c ariboo-c hilcotin bell, h on.

Pat (l) ..................................................... Prince George–Mackenzie bennett, bill (ind.) ........................................................................k ootenay e ast black, Dawn (nDP) ................................................................n ew Westminster black, h on. iain (l) ..................................................... Port Moody–c oquitlam bloy, h arry (l) ......................................................................burnaby-l ougheed bond, h on.

Shirley (l) ...........................................Prince George–Valemount brar, Jagrup (nDP) ................................................................ Surrey-fleetwood c adieux, h on. Stephanie (l) ................................................Surrey-Panorama c ampbell, h on. Gordon (l) .........................................Vancouver–Point Grey c antelon, r on (l) ..............................................................

Parksville-Qualicum c handra h erbert, Spencer (nDP) ................................Vancouver–West end c hong, h on. ida (l) ..................................................... o ak bay–Gordon h ead c houhan, r aj (nDP) ........................................................... burnaby-e dmonds c oell, h on.

Murray (l) ....................................Saanich n orth and the islands c oleman, h on. r ich (l) ........................................... f ort l angley–a ldergrove c onroy, katrine (nDP) .............................................................. k ootenay West c oons, Gary (nDP) .........................................................................n orth c oast c orrigan, k athy (nDP) ..................................................... burnaby–Deer l ake Dalton, Marc (l) ..............................................................

Maple r idge–Mission de Jong, Michael, Qc (l) ........................................................ a bbotsford West Dix, a drian (nDP) ............................................................Vancouver-kingsway Donaldson, Doug (nDP) ......................................................................... Stikine e lmore, Mable (nDP) ................................................... Vancouver-kensington f alcon, k evin (l) ....................................................................Surrey-c loverdale f arnworth, Mike (nDP) ............................................................

Port c oquitlam fleming, r ob (nDP) .......................................................... Victoria–Swan l ake f oster, eric (l) .......................................................................Vernon-Monashee f raser, Scott (nDP) ............................................................a lberni–Pacific r im Gentner, Guy (nDP) .........................................................................Delta n orth h ammell, Sue (nDP) .................................................... Surrey–Green t imbers h ansen, h on. c olin (l) ..................................................

Vancouver-Quilchena h awes, h on. r andy (l) ..................................................... a bbotsford-Mission h ayer, Dave S. (l) .................................................................... Surrey-t ynehead h eed, k ash (l) ................................................................ Vancouver-fraserview h ogg, Gordon (l) ............................................................... Surrey–White r ock h organ, John (nDP) .......................................................................

Juan de f uca h orne, Douglas (l) ..............................................c oquitlam–b urke Mountain h oward, r ob (l) .....................................................................r ichmond c entre h untington, Vicki (ind.) ..................................................................Delta South James, c arole (nDP) .........................................................Victoria–b eacon h ill k aragianis, Maurine (nDP) ........................................e squimalt–r oyal r oads k rog, l eonard (nDP) ........................................................................... n anaimo k rueger, h on. k evin (l) ..................................... k amloops–South Thompson kwan, Jenny Wai ching (nDP) ...........................

Vancouver–Mount Pleasant l ake, Dr. t erry (l) ..............................................k amloops–n orth Thompson l ali, h arry (nDP) ..........................................................................f raser-n icola l ee, r ichard t . (l) .......................................................................burnaby n orth l ekstrom, blair (ind.) ............................................................

Peace r iver South l es, John (l) .........................................................................................c hilliwack l etnick, n orm (l) ........................................................k elowna–l ake c ountry MacDiarmid, h on. Dr. Margaret (l) ............................... Vancouver-fairview Macdonald, n orm (nDP) ....................................c olumbia r iver–r evelstoke Mcintyre, Joan (l) ..................................................West Vancouver–Sea to Sky Mcn eil, h on.

Mary (l) .................................................Vancouver–f alse creek Mcr ae, Don (l) ............................................................................. c omox Valley Mungall, Michelle (nDP) ..........................................................n elson-creston Penner, hon. barry, Qc (l) ....................................................c hilliwack-h ope Pimm, Pat (l) ..........................................................................Peace r iver n orth Polak, h on.

Mary (l) ...............................................................................l angley Popham, l ana (nDP) ...................................................................Saanich South r alston, bruce (nDP) ................................................................

Surrey-Whalley r eid, l inda (l) .............................................................................r ichmond e ast r outley, bill (nDP) .................................................................. c owichan Valley r outley, Doug (nDP) ............................................n anaimo–n orth c owichan r ustad, John (l) ........................................................................... n echako l akes Sather, Michael (nDP) ......................................... Maple r idge–Pitt Meadows Simons, n icholas (nDP) ...................................

Powell r iver–Sunshine c oast Simpson, bob (ind.) .....................................................................c ariboo n orth Simpson, Shane (nDP) .....................................................Vancouver-hastings Slater, John (l) ..............................................................boundary-Similkameen Stewart, h on. ben (l) ........................................................... Westside-kelowna Stilwell, Dr. Moira (l) ......................................................... Vancouver-l angara Sultan, r alph (l) .....................................................

West Vancouver–capilano Thomson, hon. Steve (l) ........................................................k elowna-Mission Thorne, Diane (nDP) .................................................c oquitlam-Maillardville Thornthwaite, Jane (l) .......................................... n orth Vancouver–Seymour t revena, c laire (nDP) .................................................................... n orth island van Dongen, John (l) .............................................................a bbotsford South Y amamoto, hon. n aomi (l) ................................. n orth Vancouver–l onsdale Y ap, hon.

John (l) .............................................................r ichmond-Steveston liS t of MeMberS bY riD in G a bbotsford-Mission .............................................................h on. r andy h awes a bbotsford South .....................................................................John van Dongen a bbotsford West ................................................................Michael de Jong, Qc a lberni–Pacific r im ..........................................................................

Scott f raser boundary-Similkameen .....................................................................John Slater burnaby–Deer l ake ................................................................... k athy c orrigan burnaby-e dmonds ......................................................................... r aj c houhan burnaby-l ougheed ............................................................................ h arry bloy burnaby n orth .............................................................................. r ichard t . l ee c ariboo-c hilcotin ........................................................................Donna barnett c ariboo n orth ................................................................................ bob Simpson c hilliwack ...............................................................................................

John l es c hilliwack-h ope .......................................................... h on. barry Penner, Qc c olumbia r iver–r evelstoke .................................................. n orm Macdonald c omox Valley.................................................................................... Don Mcr ae c oquitlam–b urke Mountain .....................................................Douglas h orne c oquitlam-Maillardville...............................................................

Diane Thorne c owichan Valley ................................................................................ bill r outley Delta n orth ......................................................................................Guy Gentner Delta South ...............................................................................Vicki h untington e squimalt–r oyal r oads .....................................................Maurine k aragianis f ort l angley–a ldergrove ...................................................h on. r ich c oleman f raser-n icola........................................................................................ h arry l ali Juan de f uca .....................................................................................John h organ k amloops–n orth Thompson ......................................................Dr. t erry l ake k amloops–South Thompson ............................................ h on. k evin k rueger k elowna–l ake c ountry ...............................................................n orm l etnick k elowna-Mission .............................................................. h on.

Steve Thomson k ootenay e ast ....................................................................................bill bennett k ootenay West ............................................................................ k atrine c onroy l angley.......................................................................................h on. Mary Polak Maple r idge–Mission .....................................................................

Marc Dalton Maple r idge–Pitt Meadows ........................................................Michael Sather n anaimo ......................................................................................... l eonard k rog n anaimo–n orth c owichan ......................................................... Doug r outley n echako l akes ..................................................................................

John r ustad n elson-creston ........................................................................Michelle Mungall n ew Westminster ..............................................................................Dawn black n orth c oast....................................................................................... Gary c oons n orth island .................................................................................. c laire t revena n orth Vancouver–l onsdale ........................................h on. n aomi Y amamoto n orth Vancouver–Seymour .................................................

Jane Thornthwaite o ak bay–Gordon h ead ............................................................ h on. ida c hong Parksville-Qualicum ..................................................................... r on c antelon Peace r iver n orth ................................................................................Pat Pimm Peace r iver South .........................................................................blair l ekstrom Penticton................................................................................... h on. bill barisoff Port c oquitlam ..........................................................................Mike f arnworth Port Moody–c oquitlam .............................................................h on. iain black Powell r iver–Sunshine c oast ................................................. n icholas Simons Prince George–Mackenzie .............................................................h on.

Pat bell Prince George–Valemount ...................................................h on. Shirley bond r ichmond c entre ............................................................................ r ob h oward r ichmond e ast ................................................................................... l inda r eid r ichmond-Steveston .................................................................... h on. John Y ap Saanich n orth and the islands ........................................... h on.

Murray c oell Saanich South ................................................................................ l ana Popham Shuswap .........................................................................................George a bbott Skeena .............................................................................................. r obin a ustin Stikine ........................................................................................Doug Donaldson Surrey-c loverdale ...........................................................................k evin f alcon Surrey-fleetwood ...............................................................................Jagrup brar Surrey–Green t imbers ..................................................................Sue h ammell Surrey-n ewton ................................................................................. h arry b ains Surrey-Panorama ........................................................ h on.

Stephanie c adieux Surrey-t ynehead ........................................................................... Dave S. h ayer Surrey-Whalley.............................................................................. bruce r alston Surrey–White r ock ....................................................................... Gordon h ogg Vancouver-fairview .......................................h on. Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid Vancouver–f alse creek ........................................................ h on.

Mary Mcn eil Vancouver-fraserview ........................................................................k ash h eed Vancouver-hastings ....................................................................Shane Simpson Vancouver-kensington .................................................................Mable e lmore Vancouver-kingsway..........................................................................a drian Dix Vancouver-l angara .................................................................Dr.

Moira Stilwell Vancouver–Mount Pleasant ..........................................Jenny Wai ching kwan Vancouver–Point Grey .................................................h on.

Gordon c ampbell Vancouver-Quilchena ..........................................................h on. c olin h ansen Vancouver–West end ...............................................Spencer c handra h erbert Vernon-Monashee ...............................................................................eric f oster Victoria–b eacon h ill .......................................................................c arole James Victoria–Swan l ake.........................................................................r ob fleming West Vancouver–capilano ............................................................. r alph Sultan West Vancouver–Sea to Sky ........................................................

Joan Mcintyre Westside-kelowna ...................................................................h on. ben Stewart Party Standings: l iberal 47; n ew Democratic 34; independent 4

CONTENTS Thursday, february 17, 2011 a fternoon Sitting Page Routine Business introductions by Members ..................................................................................................................................................... 6373 introduction and first r eading of bills ................................................................................................................................ 6374 bill M202 — l egislative assembly Management committee (Public Disclosure of Mla expenses and accountability) amendment act, 2011 M. de Jong Statements (Standing order 25b) ......................................................................................................................................... 6375 Watersheds and groundwater protection D. r outley c haritable fundraising by burnaby firefighters h. b loy c ampbell r iver f ood bank c. t revena t rucking industry safety programs D. h orne k ersley Musical Theatre b.

Simpson u nited n ations and Model united n ations program r . l ee oral Questions ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6377 c ommunication by health authority on medical scan issues D. black h on. c. h ansen investigation of medical scan

interpretations D. black h on. c. h ansen c ommunication by health authority on medical scan issues n. Simon s h on. c. h ansen investigation of medical scan

interpretations n. Simon s h on. c. h ansen S. h ammell J. kwan St. Paul's h ospital infrastructure conditions S. c handra h erbert h on. c. h ansen f unding for criminal justice system l. k rog h on. c. h ansen S. Simpson Mining industry and n atural r esource o perations Ministry funding D. Donaldson h on. r . h awes h on.

G. c ampbell Petitions .................................................................................................................................................................................... 6382 S. c handra h erbert t abling Documents ................................................................................................................................................................. 6382 Property a ssessment a ppeal board, annual report, 2010 l abour r elations board of british c olumbia, annual report

Orders of the Day t ributes to the h on. Gordon c ampbell, Premier, and c arole James, Mla, Victoria–b eacon h ill ............................. 6382 D. black h on. r . c oleman b. r alston h on. c. h ansen S. Simpson h on. S. bond c. Jame s h on.

G. c ampbell budget Debate (continued) ..................................................................................................................................................... 6396 r . h oward r . flemin g r . c antelon S. f raser r oyal a ssent to bills ................................................................................................................................................................ 6408 bill 3 — Supply a ct (n o. 1), 2011

6373 thurSD a Y , februar Y 17, 2011 The h ouse met at 1:33 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Introductions by Members Hon. M. Polak: t oday i had the pleasure of having lunch with representatives from the boys and Girls c lub of Greater Victoria, and they have joined us here in the h ouse today. i'd like to welcome to the h ouse k ris c harmley, Mike Sidhu, bob Moysey, t odd Walsh, c heryl d'e strubé and Patti Sullivan. Would the h ouse please make them welcome. D.

Black: it gives me a great deal of pleasure today to introduce a young woman that i've known for a long time. h er name is r aj Sihota. She went to university with my son David. When she was at university, her pol- itical heart was actually on the other side. My son talked to her and invited her to an nDP meeting and Y outh Parliament, and what do you know, Mr. Speaker?

She became a lifelong n ew Democrat. it's been 20 years, so i think her heart is definitely with us now. it's hard to quantify r aj's enormous contribution to our party, so i won't try, except to say that we all owe her a great debt of gratitude. [1335] t o our party and to our movement she's been a stal - wart for n ew Democrats through thick and thin. She's worked in various leaders' offices, and she is now taking a sojourn to do some other work and some other inter - ests in her life. She is a great friend, a great colleague, and we will all miss her. i'd ask you all to give your atten- tion to r aj. G.

Abbott: i have a couple of introductions to do today.

The first is to introduce a gentleman in the gallery today, Mr. e d Mayne from Parksville. e d has had a distinguished career in business in both british c olumbia and o ntario. h e was until recently the great mayor for the community of Parksville, and even more recently than that, at least until this morning, he has been a b.c . l iberal candidate for the leadership of the b.c. l iberal Party. i'd ask the h ouse to please make him welcome. a lso in the gallery today are ten remarkably talented and very well-educated young people who have come to participate in the annual event that we call the b.c . legislative internship program.

These are ten distin - guished young scholars who have at post-graduation applied for and now have been accepted to the intern - ship program. i'll introduce them.

They are k atie c omley, Matthew Dell, h eather Doi, c hristine f ritze, c aroline l ee, Geordon omand, e lise Palmer, a nnabel r ixen, Gordon r obinson and Graeme Scott. i know that if the a ttorney General and Minister of a boriginal r elations were with us…. a nd i know i shouldn't note his absence, but i believe he's having a baby, if that's possible. [l aughter.] The minister, like i, was a member of the legislative internship program in an earlier era. i am proud to say that i am a charter member of the legislative internship club from 1976, which many of you will remember was the year that Thomas e dison invented the typewriter.

That's the year that i was a charter member of the intern- ship program. a nd i want to…. interjections. G. Abbott: Mr. Speaker, if we could have some order in the h ouse for just a moment. i did want to warn the interns that the internship pro- gram could for them, like me, be like the h otel c alifornia, where you can check out, but you can never leave. D. Thorne: i too would like to welcome one of the new interns in the legislative internment…. [l aughter.] r eferring to the last speaker, the internment program.

Ms. k atie c omley is a constituent of mine in c oquitlam-Maillardville, and she has been selected to participate in this prestigious program. i wanted to welcome her on behalf of all of the people who live in c oquitlam-Maillardville and wish her all the best, along with the other interns. Hon. M. MacDiarmid: We are joined today in the gallery by Madam Pike's grade 5 class from l'e cole k eating in the Saanich school district. i had the oppor - tunity to meet with these students. They're from grade 5. i had a brief meeting with them earlier, and they're looking forward.

They know a little bit about the h ouse, and i've told them that we are all, of course, on our very best behav - iour this afternoon. They've spent some time visiting the museum to learn more about our province's history. n ow they're here to see how the l egislature oper - ates. Would the h ouse please join me in making them warmly welcome. C. James: i have two guests i'd like to introduce in the l egislature.

The first is a member of my extended family. h er brother n orman came to us through the fos- ter care system and lived with us for more than 20 years. a lthough he's not here, he will be here with us forever. [1340] Would the h ouse please welcome bobbi Mitchell, who is here with us today, and a member, a colleague of

british c olumbia Debates6374 t hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 all of ours in the l egislature, the former Mla for n ew Westminster. Would the h ouse please welcome c huck Puchmayr, my close friend. L. Reid: i am pleased to welcome to the chamber to - day Don and Jennifer Phillips. Those of you who were elected in the '90s will recall that Don Phillips was the legislative comptroller. h e had a distinguished career with us and has gone on to have many lovely adventures with his wife as they travel the globe. i'd ask the h ouse to please make them welcome. D.

Routley: i would like the h ouse to help me wel - come t yler George. t yler is a councillor from the h alalt n ation. h e's joining us today. h e's come to discuss water issues that face the h alalt n ation. t yler is a young person who pursued a corporate ca - reer in the u nited States and found himself back in our constituency in his home in h alalt and found himself willing to serve the people there. h e coordinates their health program. h e's an active councillor and a dedi - cated member of our community. i appreciate his service, as do all the band members of h alalt n ation. Please help me thank t yler.

D. Hayer: i have one very special guest here today: my wife, isabelle Martinez h ayer. She is my partner, and she is the one who helps me wherever we need it, one of the best volunteers — my wife for almost 30 years. She's here on a special day because today is the day our best Premier in british c olumbia is going to be here in the h ouse for the last day as Premier. She wanted to be here to make sure she gives her thanks.

When i got involved in politics in '99, the first thing we went to do was go see Premier c ampbell to get his permission to see if we could get involved — actually, our Premier of the prov - ince of british c olumbia. Would the h ouse please make her very welcome and thank our Premier and the l eader of the o pposition, who is also retiring as leader this term, which is a his - torical event today. R. Fleming: With us today in the h ouse are stu - dents from the great school r eynolds Secondary in my constituency… interjection. R.

Fleming: …with former alumni in the h ouse, as one has already indicated. t wenty-three students and their teacher Mr. Scott c ampbell, grade 11 students from social studies, are currently in the midst of a politics and government unit. i had the pleasure of visiting their class last week and en- during a form of question period in that class. They are here to watch Mla s in debate today, and i would ask the h ouse to make all of these students and their teacher Mr. c ampbell welcome here today.

Introduction and First Reading of Bills bill M202 — leGiS latiVe a SSeMbl Y Mana GeMent co MMittee (Public DiScloS ure of Mla e XPen Se S an D accountabilit

Y) aMenDMent act, 2011 M. de Jong presented a bill intituled l egislative a s- sembly Management c ommittee (Public Disclosure of Mla e xpenses and a ccountability) a mendment a ct, 2011. M. de Jong: i move that a bill intituled l egislative a ssembly Management c ommittee (Public Disclosure of Mla e xpenses and a ccountability) a mendment a ct be introduced and read a first time now. Motion approved.

M. de Jong: The bill, for members' information, ad - dresses an issue that the h ouse has been struggling with. i believe as a matter of principle that taxpayers should know how their money is being spent, and i believe that's equally true of the money we receive as Mla s to offset our expenses and to operate our offices. What's more, i believe that the vast majority of Mla s actually agree with that proposition, and yet for some reason, it hasn't happened. i am happily told that some progress was made as recently as yesterday, and i'm pleased about it.

This bill would require annual disclosure on a public website of all the funds that we receive as Mla s pursu- ant to Vote 1, including expense reimbursement and the operation of our constituency offices. i believe that the best way to ensure that this l egislature is never subjected to the spectacle we see unfolding in n ova Scotia is to pro- vide timely disclosure of how M la s spend the money that taxpayers provide to us.

This bill would provide for that disclosure and enhanced accountability. a ccordingly, i move that the bill be placed on the or - ders of the day for second reading at the next sitting after today. bill M202, l egislative a ssembly Management c om- mittee (Public Disclosure of M la e xpenses and a ccountability) a mendment a ct, 2011, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the h ouse after today. [1345]

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 6375 Statements (Standing Order 25B) WaterS heDS anD Groun DWater Protection D. Routley: i rise today to speak about local water - sheds, but watersheds in general. Watersheds are the spring points of life and renewal. in c anada we possess 7 percent of the world's total renewable freshwater supply. in b.c. groundwater provides 23 percent of our popu - lation with their drinking water.

Groundwater provides 9 percent of the total water consumption in our prov - ince, and b.c. groundwater consumption accounts for 25 percent of the total groundwater use in c anada. f resh water is our most vital public resource. it is an essential element to life. it is, in fact, a human right. in my constituency, the c owichan r iver Valley, which has achieved heritage river status; the c hemainus r iver, which the h alalt people have such a dire interest in preserving and protecting; the c hemainus commun - ity, also dependent on the c hemainus r iver; h olland creek; c hase r iver, with its industrialized delta….

The pressures are many: residential development, re - source extraction, the unregulated and sometimes poor practices carried out in our forests, and climate change. The solutions are inclusive community-based man - agement. o ur first n ations need to be partners in the management of our freshwater resources, and we need political leadership that will act to protect this vital pub- lic resource and never allow the private control or trade of this precious element. Water, drinking water, should never be simply a commodity. charitable funD raiS in G bY burnabY firefi GhterS H.

Bloy: i rise in the h ouse to speak of one of the best volunteer groups in burnaby. it's no exaggeration to say that the burnaby fire fighters c haritable Society are pil- lars of our community. They do so much; it's difficult to know where to start. The firefighters are active and in - credibly effective fund raisers, recently giving a combined total of $70,000 to two hospitals that serve burnaby. f or over ten years they have volunteered as preventa- tive cP r instructors for grade 10 students in burnaby.

Since 2005 the burnaby fire fighters Society has run a nutritional snack program, starting with two burnaby elementary schools and a community centre. t oday they deliver healthy snacks to nine centres, and that's soon to be ten. They are supported partially by one sponsor, PriceSmart f oods. The teachers and coordinators are unanimous in their gratitude. The kids enjoy a healthy snack in the mor - ning and have improved grades and overall behaviour. in short, it helps them become better students.

Y esterday i was privileged to host a fundraising break- fast with Scotiabank for the burnaby fire fighters Society. i was proud to present the firefighters r ob l amoureux, Miles r itchie, Jeff c lark and r andy Delmonico with a cheque for $3,000 from the proceeds. but we were not alone.

Scotiabank, represented by Senior Vice-President David Poole and Vice-President barbara r uff, presented the firefighters with an addi - tional $5,000 to go to the burn fund. i hope that my fellow members would join me in recognizing and thanking burnaby fire fighters c haritable Society for the contributions they made to burnaby and all of british c olumbia. caMP bell riVer foo D bank C.

Trevena: i rise here today to tell members about the c ampbell r iver f ood bank. every day volunteers work filling boxes for families and bags for individuals. every day hungry people come in for a free can of soup and some bread, and every week food is distributed to those who cannot afford to feed themselves or their families. More than a thousand people a month are served by this food bank, by its volunteers and by its donors. People shouldn't have to go hungry. in c ampbell r iver kids can get a hot breakfast at school. Some churches also supply breakfast.

There's lunch at the Salvation a rmy, and in the evening that can of soup can be heated up. one dad brought his teenaged sons when he regis - tered for help so they would see both the indignity of his having to ask for free food to feed the family and so that the sons would see the unjudgmental generosity of the volunteers at the food bank. [1350] Many of those who come are regulars, once a month, and if they're desperate and that monthly donation doesn't help, some churches in town provide a subse - quent basket.

Many of those who use the food bank are the working poor. a s one volunteer told me when i vis- ited: "Y ou can't feed a family on part-time Wal-Mart wages." There is a large display donation cheque from that store in the food bank office. l ocal companies and individuals come together to make the food bank work. t radesmen are constructing an awning so people don't have to wait in the rain for the doors to open.

"Got to give people dignity," said one food bank worker. o thers are working to rebuild the in- side of the warehouse so that the operation is smoother. individuals rise to the challenge, filling a commercial trailer full of food for the food bank, filling bags distrib - uted with newspapers for the food bank, dropping off goods and cheques to the food bank. i think any one of us in this h ouse could stand up and praise the work of the food bank in their commun - ity, and maybe we should all reflect on that. f ood banks should not be the norm in our cities.

british c olumbia Debates6376 t hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 truckin G in Du Str Y Safet Y Pro GraMS D. Horne: This past f ebruary 2, i had the opportun - ity, together with the Minister of l abour, to speak at an event in c oquitlam for the t rucking Safety c ouncil of british c olumbia. The event was held to honour c lark f reightways, who was presented with a certificate of rec- ognition, or cor . This was the first of these certificates given in the trucking industry for their dedication at maintaining the highest standard of safety.

The cor program is a partnership between the t rucking Safety c ouncil and WorkSafe b.c. and recog - nizes companies that develop and implement sustainable health and safety systems that exceed industry require - ments. in order to achieve its strategic safety objectives, c lark f reightways developed one of the most compre - hensive occupational health and safety programs in the industry and provides every employee with exhaustive safety orientation and training programs.

Their certificate of recognition was presented to two very deserving gentlemen: Marcus c lark, the president and owner, and Greg r ogge, of c lark f reightways. The pride in their business was very evident as they gave the group a tour of their operation, which has been in busi - ness since 1957. i thanked them for their tireless efforts in implementing the highest standard of safety for their workplace.

This is the type of leadership that continually raises the standard for improving trucking safety in our province. a s almost everything we use in our daily lives is delivered by trucks, it is extremely important to all of us. kerS le Y MuS ical theatre B.

Simpson: t ake the stories of five lively orphans, two quick-witted redheads, an angelic boy who dared to ask for more, a young girl who found that somewhere over the rainbow wasn't anything like home and a fly - ing imp who refused to grow up. a dd to these youthful adventures the compelling stories of a beast who wins the heart of a beauty and of a father who can't resist the winds of change or the sound of a good fiddle.

Just for the pure fun of it, throw in the hilarious tale of a hapless wagon master and a goofy yarn about a hill- billy who saves his town from the a -bomb. t op all of this off with the tale of a travelling salesman who con - vinces entire towns that their children can learn to play music using only the think system. When you roll all of this together, what do you get?

Y ou get a decade of creative success, personal and family development, community building, over 100 sold-out shows and over 30,000 people who were enthralled and professionally entertained by literally hundreds of their family members, neighbours and friends. Y ou get k ersley Musical Theatre, or what we call kMt .

With the brilliant directorship of Janice butler, the energetic production of c athy h einzleman and the musical talent of bev Pontius, along with a whole lot of help from people behind the curtain, behind sewing ma- chines, behind the lights, kMt is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year with the classic Music Man. u nfortunately, Music Man will be kMt's swan song. k ersley Musical Theatre will no longer be producing plays.

Y et when the curtain finally drops on kMt , the legacy of this production company will be enjoyed for decades to come, as the songs and memories will linger on in the hearts and minds of all those who participated and saw the shows. i ask the members of this h ouse to join me in con - gratulating Janice and c athy and the whole kMt gang for their decade of success and community building. uniteD nationS anD Mo Del uniteD nationS P ro GraM R.

Lee: e ver since its establishment in 1945 the u nited n ations has been an important international organiza - tion for maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and pro - moting social progress, freedom and human rights. [1355] We are proud of the key role that c anada played in drafting the un charter and the u niversal Declaration of h uman r ights. t oday c anada has seven diplomatic missions accredited to the un, including offices in n ew Y ork and Geneva.

With the advent of telecommunication and air trans - portation, the spiritual and physical distance between people is diminishing. f uture generations will face many challenges and controversies. it's vitally important that young british c olumbians have a better understanding of global affairs and have the wisdom and skills to pro - vide possible solutions. Mr. Speaker, where can our young people get the training?

Model u nited n ations simulations are oppor- tunities for our young people to experience the role of a diplomat. e very year 200,000 students around the world conduct research and investigate international issues. Through debate and negotiation, the students develop their own solutions to the challenges before them. Many of the universities and colleges in british c olumbia have made the model u nited n ations simulations available. i am pleased to see that more and more high school stu - dents are participating as well. This Saturday the british c olumbia Model u nited n ations a ssociation will host its b.c.

Model un con - ference at the u niversity of british c olumbia. Would the h ouse please join me in congratulating our youth leaders and wishing them a stimulating and successful conference.

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 6377 Oral Questions co MMunication bY health authorit Y on MeD ical Scan iSSueS D.

Black: l ast week a man from Powell r iver opened his mail and found two letters from the Vancouver c oastal h ealth a uthority — both letters dated f ebruary 8, both signed by the same physicians. both letters said his ct scan was read by an unqualified radiologist. both letters assured him they had taken every measure to fol- low up and properly read his scan. one letter read: "There is no discrepancy between the two reports; no follow-up needed on your part." The second letter said: "There is a discrepancy between the two reports which may potentially be significant.

Please contact your doctor." Will the Minister of h ealth please first apologize to this patient and then explain to him what on earth is going on? Hon. C. Hansen: i am not aware of the letters. i'm not aware of the details around the case that the member has raised, but obviously in the way that she has presented, this gentleman deserves an apology not just from me, but i think from the health authority and from the phys- icians involved. This is clearly a situation that is not acceptable to anyone. it's not acceptable to me.

The whole incidence around…. it's not just this one gentleman, who ob - viously must be very distressed by this, but it's all of the patients who i think have been put under stress because of the misdiagnosis and misinterpretation of the scans as have occurred. Given the circumstances, as the member has described it, i do give him my full apology. We will certainly be fol- lowing up to make sure that all patients that have been involved in this get access to the medical care that they need and they deserve. Mr. Speaker: l eader of the o pposition has a supple - mental. D. Black: Well, Mr.

Speaker, such incompetence, such terrible incompetence. it's the government that's at fault. c an you imagine for a minute what this patient actually is going through? h ow is he supposed to have any con - fidence in his care when he gets two letters on the same day, one telling him there is a problem, the other saying everything is fine? t o the Minister of h ealth again: was he aware of this problem, and does he know, can he tell us how many other patients got two letters with conflicting and dif - ferent stories? [1400] Hon. C.

Hansen: i was not aware of this case, and i'm not aware of any others, but clearly it's not acceptable. i think that the health authority and the officials connected to the hospital in Powell r iver are doing everything they can to try to deal with the situation. We, first of all, want to make sure, as a first priority, that these patients are getting access to the care that they need. We're working with their family doctors.

We're working with them and their families. but we want to make sure that that's dealt with first of all, and then as a second part of this, we want to make sure how the se - quence of events happened the way they did and how we can make sure it doesn't happen again. a gain, i will certainly extend my apologies to this par- ticular gentleman. Mr. Speaker: The l eader of the o pposition has a fur- ther supplemental. in Ve Sti Gation of MeD ical Scan interP retationS D.

Black: While i appreciate that the minister will apologize to the patient, i want to remind the minister that the letters — both letters — are dated f ebruary 8. both letters were received the same day. That's only a few days ago. The letter says, "The radiologist who read your scan was not authorized to do so," that he "had not com - pleted additional education required to be reviewing ct scans." c an the Minister of h ealth tell this h ouse how many others are practising across b.c. without the right authority? Hon. C.

Hansen: That is exactly the context of Dr. c ochrane's review. in appointing Dr. c ochrane to look into this matter, i made it very clear on the very first day that his very first priority had to be to make sure that there weren't other radiologists in british c olumbia who were practising without the proper training, ex - perience and credentialing.

So Dr. c ochrane will be undertaking that. but i can tell you that all of the cases that have come to our attention have been made public, and if there are any other cases that come to our attention, we will cer - tainly be making sure that that information is public. Dr. c ochrane's investigation is two phases. The first phase is this review of existing radiologists and their credentials. h e will be providing that report within 30 days of the time that i asked him to undertake that, and we will be making his report public that he provides.

We will also be making his more fulsome report public when he completes the broader look at the circumstances that led up to this, to ensure that we can make sure it never happens again.

british c olumbia Debates6378 t hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 co MMunication bY health authorit Y on MeD ical Scan iSSueS N. Simons: My constituent had his scan in a ugust. The health authority knew about the problem and stopped this doctor from practising that particular as - pect of his profession in o ctober. it wasn't until last week that my constituent was even sent a letter — or two letters, in this case. h ow can the minister explain that delay, which seems like gross neglect? Hon. C.

Hansen: i'm not going to make apology…. i'm not going to in any way condone this, because clearly it's not acceptable. it's not acceptable to me. it's not acceptable to the medical community, and they want to make sure that these issues are addressed ex - peditiously. i can tell the member that as soon as i became aware of the circumstance in Powell r iver, i acted. i made sure that we put in place the terms of reference for a thorough review, to make sure that we could once again get to a point where we can give british c olumbians the confi- dence that they can depend on the

interpretation and the diagnosis that is being undertaken by health profes - sionals in british c olumbia. We want to get there as quickly as we can, and we are working on that as fast as we possibly can to ensure that british c olumbians can have that confidence. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. in Ve Sti Gation of MeD ical Scan interP retationS N. Simons: i'm sure my constituent appreciates the of- fer of apology.

What i think is concerning to the people of the province is: what systemic problem can create this kind of situation where an identified problem back as far as 2008 isn't addressed until o ctober but the pub - lic is kept in the dark until f ebruary? That seems to me the problem and the concern that people in my constitu- ency are concerned about. [1405] h ow can the minister assure the people of this prov - ince that similar problems are not occurring throughout the province? Hon. C.

Hansen: first of all, if either the l eader of the o pposition or the member was able to provide me with the copies of those letters, i will ensure that they are followed up on very quickly. i think the member's point that he makes is exactly the terms of reference and is exactly why we've appointed Dr. c ochrane to do that review. if there are systemic problems, then we want to make sure that they're identified and they're fixed, and that's exactly what Dr. c ochrane is undertaking. S.

Hammell: i think we can all agree that this situ - ation is very serious. t oday the minister said that the situation is unacceptable. on t uesday the minister said the government wants to act to ensure that radiologists have "the appropriate credentialing." but they failed to act, even though for over a year the british c olumbia r adiological Society has been asking them to imple - ment tougher standards for their profession. t o the Minister of h ealth: b.c. patients really have had enough, so will he act on toughening those stan - dards today? Hon. C.

Hansen: The Ministry of h ealth Services of - ficials meet on a regular basis with representatives of the b.c. Medical a ssociation and with representatives of the various organizations that represent the special - ists within the medical community. There have been meetings with radiologists.

They have not been on a subject that would be directly relevant to this particu - lar issue. but we want to work with that organization, work with the bcMa and, as i've said earlier, work with the college to make sure that the credentialing that is done, that the evaluation of competency is one that has rigour and one that british c olumbians can depend on. a gain, that is work we are doing expeditiously to make sure that british c olumbians can have confidence in this system. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. S. Hammell: So we'll wait.

While b.c. l iberals just sit and watch, a lberta is one of the provinces to bring in better standards. While b.c. only requires radiologists to fill in an on-line survey of their credentials, a lberta requires a full review, including feedback from col - leagues, patients and other health professionals. a gain to the minister: why don't b.c. patients deserve at least the same standards as those found in a lberta? Hon. C.

Hansen: a s i have said, i fully expect that there will be changes that will come as a result of the re- view that Dr. c ochrane is doing. but we want to make sure that we get the best expert advice, and we want to make sure that there is a system put in place that british c olumbians can have confidence in and that makes sure that anyone that is practising medicine in british c olumbia has the full training, experience and creden - tialing to do so. J. Kwan: i just want to understand something from this Minister of h ealth — interim Minister of h ealth.

The health authority, which this government appointed, knew about this since o ctober, yet the minister him -

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 6379 self only just found out. i'd like the minister to explain to this h ouse and to british c olumbians how it is that this time lag is allowed. What is he going to do to seek those answers from the health authorities themselves in not bringing the issue to the minister's attention immediately? Hon. C. Hansen: a s soon as it was brought to my attention, i can assure the h ouse i took action.

We made sure that it was addressed expeditiously and on a prior - ity basis by everybody concerned. [1410] a s i've said in the h ouse previously and as i've said publicly, the issue around why it took so long for the ministry to be notified by the health authority is ex - plicitly in the terms of reference that have been given to Dr. c ochrane. it is Dr. c ochrane that i am looking to, to find those answers. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. J. Kwan: The health authority is chosen by this govern- ment.

They put these health authorities together. it's been since o ctober that the health authorities knew about the problems, yet the minister is asleep at the switch. h e knows nothing about it. Maybe the former Minister of h ealth knows nothing about it, who is now wanting the Premier's seat. i don't know who doesn't know, but the fact is, it's the patients who are not getting the information that they deserve and the health care that they deserve.

Surely the Minister of h ealth has got to say that this is not acceptable, that he wants these answers from the health authorities and that he demands to know im - mediately, the minute the health authority finds out about this incompetence. Hon. C. Hansen: a gain, that is exactly what Dr. c ochrane will be looking at. i can assure the member that when the most recent case came to light, the health authority was notified im - mediately. We were notified immediately, and we took action immediately. St . Paul 'S ho SPital infra Structure con Dition S S.

Chandra Herbert: t oday we learned this govern - ment received an independent report back in 2004 that stated that five out of six buildings at St. Paul's h ospital in Vancouver were at extreme or very high risk of failure. We also know that Providence h ealth c are provided a report to this government this year that states: "Should a major disaster, electrical or other infrastructure fail - ure take St.

Paul's out of service, core health services in Vancouver would be in chaos, as there is no surge cap - acity in other facilities." t o the h ealth Minister: why has this government kept 100,000 Vancouverites in the downtown core and hun - dreds of thousands of other british c olumbians that rely on St. Paul's h ospital at risk? Hon. C. Hansen: The report the member refers to that came to the health authority and the ministry this year was actually a draft version of a report that came to the ministry on f ebruary 2.

What the ministry is look - ing at…. it's exactly the kind of advice that the province needs, that the health authority needs, in order to deter- mine what needs to be done to make sure that our health facilities are adequate and appropriate for the care they are expected to deliver. The ministry and the health authority are evaluating the findings in this draft report. We'll be working with the health authority to determine what action needs to be taken and when it needs to be done. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. S.

Chandra Herbert: This government's Ministry of h ealth, back in 2004, commissioned an independ - ent report that stated that the hospital's infrastructure was deplorable. e lectrical feeds are so old that they can't even be tested for fear of failure. t wo emergency generators are past their life expectancy, with one that recently failed. The plumbing fails frequently, forcing the shutdown of whole departments. The elevators fail, sometimes trapping patients and doctors, and they fail, on average, 40 times a month. When will this government stop passing the buck, take action and renew St. Paul's h ospital? Hon.

C. Hansen: Part of the legacy of this govern - ment has been that we have put more money into health care facilities in british c olumbia than any other gov - ernment. That includes investments that have gone into St. Paul's h ospital, the most recent of which was a $14.7 million investment in the emergency ward at St. Paul's h ospital to improve and modernize it. [1415] i'm proud of the fact that we have put these invest - ments in around the province. We will look at this technical report, as we do all of the information that comes forward, to determine exactly what needs to be done to make sure that St.

Paul's continues to provide the excellent health care that it has to british c olumbians for the last hundred years. fun Din G for cri Minal Ju Stice SYSte M L. Krog: When asked yesterday about drug-trafficking and drunk-driving cases being dropped due to inad - equate court resources, the Minister of finance gave a completely inadequate answer. n ow a man accused of

british c olumbia Debates6380 t hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 killing a puppy belonging to Max r ose, a then-12-year- old cancer survivor, is getting off scot-free. The presiding judge says that the court delay was caused by a shortage of judges in c ampbell r iver.

My question, again, is to the Minister of f inance, and he's got a second chance today to give us an answer. h ow can this government justify a $700,000 cut to the judiciary budget from last year's spending, $6 million from prosecution services and $8 million from court services while alleged criminals are getting off because of lengthy court delays blamed on this government's in- adequate funding? Hon. C.

Hansen: a s i indicated yesterday, there is a process underway looking at the judicial system in british c olumbia and how we can ensure that taxpay - ers get the best value for dollar and make sure that the court system can work as efficiently as possible. but as i indicated yesterday, the ministry continues to deploy our existing prosecutors. The ten new prosecutors hired in 2009 continue, and they will be there to protect the public from gang violence.

The budget that is in place for this coming fiscal year that was reflected in this budget is a continuation of the fiscal plan that we had tabled, actually, 12 months ago. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. L. Krog: i want to remind this minister that he's been in office for ten years. This government has had ten years, and now they're engaging in a process to deal with the crisis in the justice system. That doesn't cut it for the opposition.

Max's father said yesterday: "i don't know what you're supposed to tell your children — that, oh yeah, a guy can shoot your puppy in the head, can get away with it, and he just has to wait long enough, and then it all goes away." The fact is that there are not enough judges. c ourt re- sources in b.c. are strapped. They are being underfunded, and cases are being dropped.

This is not acceptable to the people of british c olumbia. a gain to the minister: when will this minister declare that b.c. is not a safe haven for violent criminals, pro - vide the judges and sheriffs and court support necessary and ensure that no more trials are dropped? Hon. C. Hansen: a s i indicated, the budget for the Ministry of a ttorney General, as set out in the fiscal plan 12 months ago, continues.

The ministry can count on stable funding, and the ministry is working with the ju - diciary and the judicial system to find ways to ensure that it runs as efficiently as possible for the people of british c olumbia. S. Simpson: t o continue with the failed process as this minister has, to allow these prosecution and court services to continue to erode, for us to not have ad - equate services to be able to process the cases that are in front of us is just the continuation of that failure. it's not acceptable. [1420] it appears the finance Minister isn't prepared to deal with these issues.

My question would be to the Premier. Will the Premier, in his final few days here, direct the finance Minister, direct the a ttorney General to in fact rethink these resources, apply the resources, get the judges into those courts, get the prosecution services in and deal with these cases? Hon. C. Hansen: i will reiterate that the fiscal plan that was set out last year and the budget for the Ministry of a ttorney General is the same today as it was then, so there is stability in terms of their plan and their budget. but let's actually look at what's happening in terms of crime in british c olumbia.

We see that for the fifth year in a row overall crime in british c olumbia is down. We know that property crimes in british c olumbia are now at their lowest lev - els that we've seen in 30 years in this province. We also know that violent crimes have hit a 20-year low in this province. i know that the a ttorney General is working with the judiciary, looking at new ways that the judicial system can function so that the interests of british c olumbia are met, so that the judicial system can work and we can continue to see a drop in those crime rates in british c olumbia in the years to come. Mr.

Speaker: The member has a supplemental. S. Simpson: Maybe the minister would like to know that continuing a fiscal plan that allows crimin - als, whether they be drug dealers or people who shoot a kid's dog, to walk away and never appear in court is a failed fiscal plan, and it's time to change it. The minister can read from his notes all he wants. The reality is that british c olumbians want our courts to work. They want criminals to be dealt with. They don't want them walking free, and they don't want them getting their $6 million bills paid either, but that's another matter.

Will this government finally do something right? Y ou can do it now. Put the money in place to be able to deal with the criminals who are walking out of these courts, never appearing in these courts, because you failed to fund the system. Hon. C. Hansen: a ctually, the masters of failed fiscal plans are the nDP . Y ou know, actually, that's a govern- ment…. interjections.

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 6381 Mr. Speaker: c ontinue, Minister. Hon. C. Hansen: The bottom line is that the Ministry of a ttorney General has a significantly higher budget today than it did ten years ago. We have more prosecu - tors in british c olumbia, we have more police in british c olumbia, and we have more convictions in british c olumbia. crime is down in british c olumbia, and we continue to continue to drive that progress. Minin G in Du Str Y an D natural re Source o Peration S Mini Str Y fun Din G D. Donaldson: Well, let us talk about the bottom line.

The Mining a ssociation of b.c. recently said that the province is not well positioned to take advantage of record-high copper prices. We've lost out on potentially millions in revenues.

The Mining a ssociation president, Pierre Gratton, told this government a year ago that they were at risk of cutting off their nose to spite their face "by making these kinds of cuts to the very ministries that are there to help the economy grow." h e said: "f rankly, the cuts have gone too far." With the new budget we see millions of dollars' worth of cuts to the new Ministry of n atural r esource o perations. t o the minister: please explain how these cuts will support responsible mining and generate gov - ernment revenues. [1425] Hon. R.

Hawes: i'm sure the member is aware of the number of new mines that are now approved and ready to go in this province. i would invite the member to call the mayor of Princeton and ask him what's happening in Princeton with the revival of that community, which had suffered so badly with the pine beetle epidemic, but now c opper Mountain is opening and providing huge employment, big benefits.

That town is completely rebuilding because of mining, as will a number of areas in that member's rid- ing as r ed c hris and other mines in your area, Member, begin to open. a s you know, we are in a renaissance in mining, and we are seeing unprecedented growth in mining in british c olumbia today. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. D. Donaldson: Well, it's typical of this minister and this government. it's all about what might happen in the future. The people in this province want to know what's happening in the here and now — the here and now, hon.

Speaker. i can tell you what's happening in the here and now is that this government is making cuts to ministries that are going to affect our revenue-generating potential in this province. it's not just the mining sector that's pointing out the failed strategies of this government when it comes to generating revenues. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. D. Donaldson: The former Minister of e nergy, Mines and Petroleum r esources said: "The fundamental prob- lem facing the natural resource ministries is they are underfunded.

We work the heck out of the employ - ees, we don't have enough funds within the ministries to get permits out the door, to develop the policy, to deal with the stakeholders, to do the work that actually leads to the majority of the revenue that comes in to government." So a straightforward question to the Minister of n atural r esource o perations. Does the Minister of n atural r esource o perations agree with his former cab- inet colleague? interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Hon. G.

Campbell: it's really good to hear that the opposition are suddenly concerned about the mining industry. i should tell the member opposite that it's often good to talk to the mining industry about the en - vironment that's been created for them before he starts asking questions. l et me tell the member opposite this, hon. Speaker. Since 2001 mining exploration in british c olumbia is up over a thousand percent. There are over two dozen mines in process. i can tell the hon. member opposite, who evidently now cares about mining, that all he has to do is listen carefully.

We need to streamline our regulatory pro - cesses. We need to make sure we move forward. We need to ensure we encourage investment. it will cre - ate thousands of jobs in british c olumbia. That's what this side of the h ouse will do, and we hope he'll join us. [1430] interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Members. [end of question period.] S. Chandra Herbert: i rise to present a petition. Mr. Speaker: Proceed.

british c olumbia Debates6382 t hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 Petitions S. Chandra Herbert: h on. Speaker, i bring a petition from constituents of Vancouver–West end to call for a renewal of St. Paul's h ospital. Some 311 residents are adding their names to the over 10,000 names already submitted by the Save St. Paul's c oalition. Tabling Documents Hon. S. Cadieux: i have the honour to present the annual report of the Property a ssessment a ppeal board for 2010. Hon. I. Black: i have the honour to present the an - nual report of the l abour r elations board of british c olumbia. Orders of the Day Hon. R.

Coleman: by agreement with the opposition, i ask for leave now to move into a session where we will spend some time to say some remarks and tributes to our two parting leaders. l eave granted. Tributes to the Hon. Gordon Campbell, Premier, and Carole James, MLA, Victoria–Beacon Hill D. Black: Well, it's with very mixed emotions that i stand to pay tribute to my friend c arole James, a remark- able woman and a remarkable british c olumbian. Mr. Speaker: Just to remind members, you don't use the names. D. Black: Sorry. i haven't done that before.

The mem- ber for Victoria–beacon h ill. i also want to offer congratulations to the Premier, who has a very remarkable record in british c olumbia, being one of the longest-serving Premiers in b.c .'s history. h e's someone who has worked hard for the people of british c olumbia, and he'll leave his mark on the province for decades to come. t o n ancy and to your whole family, Mr. Premier, i want to say thank you, because it's those who are nearest and dearest to us who often give up a lot and deserve so much of the credit.

The member for Victoria–beacon h ill was the reason that i left o ttawa to become involved in provincial pol - itics. it was a difficult decision for me, but i, like many others, was extremely impressed by her. i wanted to work with her as the l eader of the o pposition and, i hoped, as the first elected woman Premier of british c olumbia. f or me and for so many others, that was a very exciting prospect. i knew the member before i made the leap, but i knew her mostly by reputation. in fact, when she ran to be the leader of the n ew Democratic Party, i supported someone else — so, in fact, did many of the people that she brought in to work with her on her team here in the l egislature. it's a measure of her generosity and her inclusive ap - proach to politics that petty political calculations didn't really figure into her thinking.

She wanted everyone on her team, and i could tell that she would bring enor - mous integrity and a new perspective to leading our province. o ver the last year and a half or almost two years now that i've been working in the l egislature, i got to know her much better and to know much better the extra - ordinary woman that she is. i've had the opportunity to work with many politicians and many leaders in my time in the n ew Democratic Party both federally and provincially, and the member for Victoria–b eacon h ill was and is unique.

She is probably the most centred and calm politician that i've ever met, and that inner calm has served her well in the ups and downs of political life. She was a rock when we needed her to be. She became leader at a very difficult time for us. We were down in the polls, down to two seats in the l egislature, so it wasn't an easy choice for her to make. it certainly was not a glamorous job. [1435] Some called her a caretaker. Well, they clearly had not taken the measure of the member for Victoria–b eacon h ill.

She was the steady hand we needed, working relent- lessly, often in obscurity, to bring the n ew Democratic Party back to life. She did more than that. She brought the party to the brink of forming government. in opposition she quickly found her voice as a power- ful advocate for a fairer and more compassionate province. She didn't fit the mould of the caricature that is sometimes painted of b.c. politicians. She is certainly not the most controversial character to grace these halls. She doesn't exploit divisions. She doesn't shout or yell. She doesn't appeal to fear. it's just not her style.

She has a basic common sense that made a lot of traditional political theatre seem rather beside the point to her. Perhaps that's because she was raised by a very strong woman who just didn't have time for such things. She certainly inherited her stiff upper lip in the face of adversity — no whining, no complaining; just get on with it. The week she was diagnosed with cancer, she barely said a word. She went camping for a week, and she came back. She did radiation, and she went straight back to work. Some saw c arole's commonsense personality as a weakness, but i believe that it was one of her greatest

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 6383 strengths. it gave her a capacity to reach beyond trad - itional political divides and to find common ground. u nder her leadership the nDP became a more open and welcoming party to new ideas and to new people. That will be one of her lasting accomplishments. but her common sense and reasonableness should never be mistaken for a lack of passion for the job or for the purpose of politics. h er quiet determination can be quite fierce.

When she zeroes in on an issue, she is re - lentless, driven by a passion for people and a profound sense of right and wrong. That sense of right and wrong propelled her into pub- lic life. it gave her the courage to do things she thought were beyond her, from organizing her first protest as a child to demand that girls be allowed to wear pants in school, to putting her name forward as a school trustee, to turning her life upside down to run to become leader of the n ew Democratic Party.

She doesn't know this, but we share a political story. i, too, began my political activism as a teenager organizing the girls in my school, Point Grey School in Vancouver, to wear pants at school as well. So girls can now wear pants. We women politicians wear our pantsuits wher - ever and whenever we please. if there's one value that grounds her approach to pol - itics, it is her innate belief that every person has value, that every person has a contribution to make to the common good, no matter what their circumstance in life.

That value is in her Dna, instilled by her loving, if rather chaotic, upbringing in a home that was teeming with life — grandparents, parents, children and foster children. it's been her touchstone in the ups and downs of political life. it has kept her grounded. Mr. Speaker, it has kept us grounded.

Whenever she returned from a trip or a tour, she al - ways had a story to tell, and it was always about someone who had touched her with their story of perseverance. [1440] She was always attuned to the shy person at the back of the room, more comfortable meeting with people who were struggling in life than she was in a room with the most powerful. Some saw that as a weakness too, but again, i believe it was one of her greatest strengths. f or her, the purpose of politics is to give people the tools they need to make the most of their lives, to treat everyone with the dignity that is inherent within them.

That more than anything defined her leadership of our party and her contribution to public life. She could be tough. She is tough. in fact, i've learned she's as tough as nails, but the fundamental respect she showed to everyone gave her the capacity to reach be - yond herself, to expand the vision for our party and to imagine a new way that politics could work. Y es, there were disappointments.

There are always dis- appointments in politics. it is a tough and unforgiving business, but so much was achieved. british c olumbians from all walks of life, from every part of the province, benefited from her strong and principled voice. a nd through her voice, the nDP again found its voice, a voice as a servant to the people. c arole, it's impossible to find words to match the thanks that we owe you for what you've done for all of us and for british c olumbians. Y ou've been an inspiration to me and to so many others who have hope for a better, more hu - mane province, a better and more humane world.

Y our warmth, your generosity, your basic goodness reflected well on all of us. british c olumbia is a better province because of you, and to you and to a l and to your wonderful family who gave you up to us for seven years, i will simply say thank you. Thank you from all of us. [a pplause.] Hon. R. Coleman: Mr. Speaker, thank you for giving us the time this afternoon to say a few words about folks that mean a lot to us. c arole, i'd like, on behalf of the government side, to congratulate you on your commitment to the province and your public service.

My entry into politics started in 1986 when i ran for council, and i lost. i made myself a commitment in 1986 that i would never run for public office again. interjections. Hon. R.

Coleman: Sometimes things just don't work out the same as you think they will. t en years later i went to a speech by the then l eader of the o pposition — actually, about nine years later, the Premier of the province — at the chamber of commerce in l angley. a fterward i went to a reception and had an opportunity to meet and talk to him. it was at that time i actually joined the b.c. l iberal Party because i thought i had just met the person that could lead us back to a co- alition of people on the free enterprise side, to lead us to government in the future. n ow, i only joined the party to be a volunteer because i had run campaigns for years, but i still had no inten - tion of entering politics — until about six months later. i was standing in a food lineup for a fundraiser for the then Mla l ynn Stephens at the t win r inks in l angley, and the Premier happened to be standing beside me in the lineup. h e said: "i think you should consider run - ning for us." h e gave me a very short explanation as to why, and i bought it. [1445] f rom there became a journey that i cannot describe to anyone in any way. i entered politics as part of his team in 1996. i served as his caucus chair and his Whip for the next five years.

We went through some tough times in opposition, some very interesting times and, as we refer to the 1997 session, the session from hell, where we as an opposition did not look like we could

british c olumbia Debates6384 t hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 possibly be a government in waiting or that we could possibly be a group of people that could coalesce to get the job done. but coalesce we did, because the Premier put us together in a room, and we worked it through. We de - cided that we were going to handle ourselves differently, make a commitment to each other. a s we did that over the next four years, i believe that was the foundation that got us to government in 2001.

Y ou know, there are stories that go: "i f you spend some time with somebody for 15 years…." a nd i'm not going to get into the government agenda, because you've heard me speak in this h ouse and laud how great we are many, many times, so you all know that we are. [l aughter.] h owever, there are times that you remember when you sort of reflect on a relationship. i reflect on two stories i want to tell you. i reflect on sitting in a room with a group of support - ers in 1997, a year and a half after the campaign of '96, who were basically saying: "Well, you guys should move on to a different leader.

Y ou should do things differently." My comment to this group of people was: "Then either step up to the plate, believe in this guy…. a nd if you got him to the chair, you'd have one of the greatest Premiers in history." i believed that then, and i believe that now. but as you go through that and you build something together…. Something else happened for me. i also got a friend for life, and i'll speak about that more in a couple of minutes. i'll never forget the night on December 10 many, many years ago when i lost my mother-in-law.

The first person through my door was the Premier. h e made sure my wife was okay, and he actually stepped up and helped us through that period of time. i watched him as his compassion for f red Gingell as he suffered through cancer was there, with the Premier checking in on f red, giving him the support and being there for him during the time that he suffered prior to passing away. i know he was there for Stan h agen's family. a nd i know that over the many years of the suffering of Sindi h awkins, one of the constants was the Premier's visits and calls and concern for Sindi.

Y ou can't measure that any other way. We came into government in 2001, and you know, it was kind of cool. Y ou sit there in opposition. a nd those of you on my side of the h ouse that haven't been in opposition, i've got to tell you that the worst day in gov- ernment is still better than the best day in opposition if you're government.

The vision, our 90-day agenda, our tax cuts, the con - stant striving for excellence, for the betterment of b.c . that our Premier led us through was something to be - hold, something that you could get up every single morning and be excited about, something you could walk into every single cabinet meeting and think: "boy, we're really trying to change the future of british c olumbia here. i'm emboldened, i'm excited, and i think it's important." We've had a week where we actually talked about the 2010 o lympics, but there's one pretty minor story around that, which people don't know.

People will re - member the referendum in Vancouver and the work we did with the Premier's leadership to get the referen - dum done in Vancouver so we could actually host the o lympics. but what you don't know, many of you, is that when the team was over in e urope for the bid, they all had about three-minute pieces that they had to give as part of their bid. [1450] a s Wayne Gretzky, i believe, said it — it was either Wayne Gretzky or John f urlong — there was one guy who spoke for a living as a politician, who practised and practised and practised to get his piece absolutely per - fect.

The rest of the team that were there on the bid said that when the captain of the team is prepared to work that hard and practise that hard, we have to raise our game too. h e led us to the o lympic bid, and we should never, ever forget that. n ow, my friend has one very irritating trait. interjections. Hon. G. Campbell: Just one, h arry. Just one. Hon. R. Coleman: one. h e happens to be one of these guys that's a natural athlete. What he does is he'll sit and not golf for nine or ten months out of the year and pick up a set of sticks and beat me every single time.

Well, not every single time. f or the members opposite, every year the Speaker, myself, the former member for o kanagan-Penticton and the Premier have a little two-day golf tournament. We play a thing called "high-low." h igh means there are 36 points to get. Y ou get one point for the high and one point for the low score, matching up between the two teams, and you calculate this. So once we won. e very other time we've been beaten. but not just beaten, beaten badly. When they triple your number…. Mr. Speaker: Just a reminder: who's partners? Hon. R. Coleman: o h yeah.

The Speaker and the Premier happen to be partners in this little event. Y ou can imagine, since the member for o kanagan-Penticton is not even here to defend me…. Mind you, he never would. h e blames me every time we lose anyway. i've got to tell you a little story because i'm never go - ing to live this down, so i might as well tell everybody. We were playing last year at r edwoods Golf c ourse

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 6385 in l angley. if you've ever played golf with me…. i can hit a pretty long golf ball. i just have no foggiest idea where that ball might be going. So i lose a lot of golf balls — right? When you're frustrated like me when you golf, you take the next ball out of your bag, and you put it on the tee, and you don't care what it is. Well, i made a little mistake. i'm embarrassed about it, but they'll never let me live it down.

We were playing on one hole, which is a dogleg to the right, par 5 on the back nine of r edwoods. i teed off, and frankly, i duck-hooked it into about six feet of grass. My partner pulled up. h e says: "i sn't this your golf ball? This is where it went in." i said: "Must be." So i hit it. Shortly thereafter the Premier said, "i think you were playing this type of ball," so i had hit the wrong ball. it was a t itleist 2.

They'll never let me forget it. e very time they want to get to me, they just say, "titleist 2," and they won't let me live it down. i do think, though, that when you've had the oppor - tunity like i have — the gift that i've been given as an Mla to serve in this l egislature, but the gift to serve with someone like the Premier — you get certain bene - fits in life. Y ou get to look back and say, "Why didn't i think of that?" when he comes up with the next long- term thinking for the future of british c olumbia. it was never short-term politics with my leader. it's always been long-term thinking.

Whether it was the a sia-Pacific…. h e told us back in about 2002 that it would take us about ten years to pene- trate the market in c hina if we get focused on it and we stay with it. t oday c hina is our second-largest lumber exporting partner in british c olumbia. a s we go into the next softwood lumber negotiation, i suspect that we'll be in such a strong position because we had the vision in 2002.

Successive ministers have built on that vision, but the vision came from the Premier. our ports, our infrastructure, our clean energy, the new doctors and nurses being trained in british c ol- umbia that are serving us, the public, were all long-term thinking things that came from the leadership of the Pre- mier, including new universities and things like that. When i was thinking about what i'd say today, i didn't want to get into the government stuff so much as the per- sonal side.

So i thought to myself: "What will i tell my children and my grandchildren about this term of office, about the Premier of the province of british c olumbia?" i like to read books. i've read a lot of books about a lot of great people.

Y ou sit there and think: "i wonder what it would have been like to be part of history, to be serving with someone that great." [1455] i get to tell my grandchildren: " i don't need to read about it anymore; i saw it every single day." i saw greatness, i saw commitment, and i saw love for my province. n o matter what you think, when people put their pub- lic service in front of this country and in this province, we should be so eternally grateful to them. but when they take it to the next step and they actually change the direction and the history of a province, we should admire them. i got to serve with greatness.

My boss, my friend, my Premier, Gord — those will all be the things i will always call him from here on forward. Y ou know, a man once said that the rent you pay for the space you occupy on the face of this earth is service to your fellow men. Premier, you have paid your rent in spades, and i am proud to have served with you for the last 15 years. [a pplause.] B. Ralston: it's my opportunity to pay tribute to the former l eader of the official o pposition, the member for Victoria–b eacon h ill, and to say a few words about the outgoing Premier.

When the member for Victoria–b eacon h ill took over as our leader, the leader of our party, on n ovember 23, 2003, we were still very close to our…. i think it would be fair to call it a major setback in 2001, coming back with two seats, Joy MacPhail and the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, 21.56 percent of the popu - lar vote, a historic low in the modern era. but we came roaring back. in 2005, under her leader- ship, we elected 33 Mla s, and our percentage of the popular vote was 41.52 percent.

That's the official tally, and that's almost exactly double what we had in the 2001 election. a nd of course, we came very close — certainly we on this side regret it; perhaps not so much on that side — in 2009 when we elected 35 Mla s and had 42.15 percent of the popular vote. c lose, but in this world not quite close enough. but i don't really want to talk about the official re - cord. i do want to talk about the person that i know and recognize her accomplishments in politics here in british c olumbia.

She attempted in the often strident and polarized political culture of british c olumbia to bring about a different and more constructive tone. h er goal was to bring about a new style of politics in british c olumbia, and history will judge the success of that, al - though in my view she was successful. Some of her more recent political leadership led us to what we've called in our party "o ur province, our future," where she reached out to those considered non- traditional audiences by some in our party and some more generally in british c olumbia.

She exhibited a tremendous capacity for the kind of hard work and travel that go with the office of l eader of the official o pposition. She told me that her hus - band, a l Gerow, complained that one month she was home only six nights of that 30-day period. of course, all of that travel was within british c olumbia. i think that's important to add for our friends in the press gal - lery this afternoon.

british c olumbia Debates6386 t hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 She takes a justifiable pride in her leadership in the parliamentary struggle to bring about the creation of the new independent officer, the child and youth advo - cate. That's a particular pride given her long personal history of fostering children in her own home over many years. but perhaps most strikingly for me, the quality that i associate with c arole is the strikingly warm and emotional response that she receives from the british c olumbians that she meets wherever she goes through - out the province.

People in british c olumbia like her, and they continue to like her. h er warm and optimistic personality has touched countless british c olumbians throughout the province. [1500] She will pour her energy into new projects and new ideas for her constituents and for british c olumbians. She served us very well as leader of our party and as l eader of the o pposition. n ow i want to say a few comments about the Premier.

The Premier, as the Government h ouse l eader has noted, has always had a strong competitive streak, stretching right back, i remember, to his days as a track star at the u niversity h ill Secondary School. That competitive streak probably served him well in politics. a s i recall, he beat us….

Was it more than once? h e brought to the job a work ethic that tired those around him and a strong will, sometimes perhaps to his detriment. h e exhibited a continuing curiosity about pub- lic policy, reflected in his wide and regular reading and his commitment to literacy as an important social goal. i want to join with all members and all british c olumbians in recognizing the service of my leader, the l eader of the official o pposition, the member for Victoria– b eacon h ill, and the outgoing Premier. [a pplause.] Hon. C.

Hansen: i'd like to start by paying tribute to the member for Victoria–beacon h ill for all of the years that she's served as the l eader of the o pposition. She did a great service to the province in terms of her ap - proach to public life, and i think that she is an example for anyone who's thinking about going into politics.

Sometimes it's tough. it's not easy, but everybody has a contribution to make, and i think that the member for Victoria–b eacon h ill made a huge contribution. i also want to be careful not to put this in past tense, because i think that in the case of both of the individuals we're celebrating today, they still have great contribu - tions to make to british c olumbia in the years to come. but for anybody that watches the proceedings in this h ouse, they perhaps see sometimes the tension between the opposition and government, and i think it probably comes as a surprise to many people when they realize that outside of this chamber there is a great deal of re - spect among the legislators. i had many opportunities to talk privately with the former l eader of the o pposition, and i can tell you un - equivocally that from my own personal experience she is someone that feels passionately about her constitu - ents. o bviously, she had huge responsibilities as l eader of the o pposition but never was too busy to champion the cause of an individual constituent and bring it for - ward to us in government. it was always a pleasure to try to work with the mem - ber to find solutions to the problems of real people because i saw the commitment and the passion that she had for individuals that she was there to serve.

The Premier is someone that i first got to know when he was a member of the Vancouver city council. a t the time i was the chair of the board of trustees of the Vancouver Museum, which is actually still today the lar- gest municipal museum in all of c anada. i'm sure he doesn't remember those meetings, but he was certainly one who was very supportive of what we were trying to accomplish at the time. n ow, there was a day that he decided that he was no longer going to be the city councillor. h e was actually going to run for the nPa nomination to become the mayor of Vancouver. i'm sure that he probably didn't realize that he wasn't quite the household name that he probably thought he was at that time. i've never shared this story with him.

The day after the nPa nominated him to be their mayoralty candidate, i was at a function at the mu - seum, and a very prominent ceo of one of our largest forest companies headquartered in Vancouver came up to me. h e patted me on the shoulders, and he said: "c ongratulations on your nomination. i hope the cam - paign goes well." n ow, i know he had much less white hair at the time. in fact, he had brown hair, and i had brown hair at the time, but i think that was probably the only thing that we had in common in terms of our appearance. [1505] n eedless to say, he served with distinction as mayor of Vancouver, and i think there is a whole list of accom - plishments that could fill up this entire afternoon in terms of what he was able to accomplish as mayor. in 1993 there was a leadership convention, the last time there was a leadership campaign for the b.c. l iberal Party. i had been a member of the party for many years, and i got a phone call from someone who i had worked with for three years in this l egislature.

That was Gordon Gibson. h e told me he was going to run for the leader - ship and would i support him. i said yes. l ike the member for n ew Westminster, who did not support the people we are celebrating at the time of the leadership, i too was supporting somebody else at that time. i can tell you that during that campaign i saw the leadership skills that this individual was able to bring to public life and to the b.c. l iberal Party.

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 6387 i'm sure if any one of us had been asked at that time in 1993…. c ertainly, if i was asked, "Do you belong to any organized political party?" i would have said: "n o. i'm a b.c. l iberal." There was an incredible amount of work that had to be done to the party in order to build it to an organization that was actually ready to launch a full- scale election campaign in british c olumbia and, more importantly, be in a position to govern the province.

So when he phoned me up one day, after i hadn't worked for him on the leadership campaign, i was the president of the Vancouver-Quilchena r iding a ssociation at the time. i congratulated him on his win, and he said: "Would you be willing to be the campaign manager in a by-election campaign in Vancouver- Quilchena?" i told him that i'd be honoured. That by-election, incidentally, was exactly 17 years ago today. That was when he first became a member of this chamber, and i think my colleague the h ouse l eader has talked about some of the challenges in that first period of time after i was elected in 1996.

Those first five years in opposition were challenging, and i totally concur with my colleague's description that the worst day in govern- ment is still better than the best day in opposition. There are some quotes that i know that our Premier likes to use from time to time, and there's one that i think is quite relevant to this discussion we're having to- day. it's a quote from bill Gates from his book The Road Ahead. it says this: "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur over the next ten years.

Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction." i think that when you look at the accomplishments of the last ten years, it has been anything but inaction during that period of time.

Some of you may remember the 90-day agenda. it was the platform we campaigned on in 2001, and when we formed office, that 90-day agenda was rolled out. it included the 25 percent tax cut on the very first day of that government and a whole series of actions that had been mapped out, that were legislated in that summer, within days of being sworn into office. a few years later i was talking to one of our pub - lic servants who had served this province very well through various administrations, and the comment that he made to me about that 90 days was: "Y ou know, in the public service they couldn't wait to get through that 90 days, because it was 90 days of just constant pressure to get things done.

They knew that once they got through the 90 days, things might get back to nor - mal, when things would actually unfold at a bit more of an orderly pace." i can tell you those public servants, if that was their attitude, did not know the new Premier of british c olumbia. This public servant admitted to me…. h e said: "once we got through 90 days, we realized it had only begun." i think the analogy was one of being in first gear.

The throttle was down to the floorboards, and we were going as hard as we could. a fter 90 days it was shifting into second gear, and we were pushing even harder. i think that was the kind of drive that this man brought to the Premier's office in british c olumbia. h e had a real passion that he brought to this province, and that is one to make sure that families could be supported in this province, supported by making sure…. a s he often said: "l eave more money in people's pockets so they can make their decisions." [1510] So it's been ten years of making sure that tax changes in british c olumbia were there to the benefit of the econ- omy. it was one of making sure that we saw an economy that was diversifying and that was building in new areas that had never been seen before.

My colleague earlier referenced the o lympics. When you think back that british c olumbia only won the right to host the o lympic Games by three votes…. That would not have happened had it not been for the work that was done by our Premier to make sure that we reached out and made sure that british c olumbia put their best foot forward in that campaign. i can remember the elation that i felt sitting in b.c.

Place Stadium at six o'clock in the morning b.c. time as we watched on the big screens that Vancouver had been awarded the 2010 o lympic Winter Games. one of the other areas which i think is so much a part of the legacy of this Premier is that he didn't always follow the easy road. There were challenges that were tough, and he was prepared to show leadership and take on those challenges.

There are two that come to mind that i think would have been particularly easy for this Premier to say: "l et's take an easier road." o ne was in terms of the new relationship with first n ations in british c olumbia. i believe that he alone is instrumental in the fact that we have made such considerable progress in developing that new relationship. it's a long ways to go, needless to say, but that work has been done, and it would have been so easy to not take that road and the tough deci - sions, refocusing people's energy and people's attitudes towards first n ations in british c olumbia the way that he has.

The other area which i think is fundamental — again, tough decisions that required solid leadership — is around climate action and addressing the climate change challenges that we have in the world. it wasn't something just about british c olumbia. it was something about reaching out to other jurisdictions, reaching out beyond our borders to make sure that british c olumbia could be a leader in trying to solve the fundamental problem that the world was facing, in spite of the fact that there were a lot of people right in our own back yard that made that decision and that leadership uncomfortable.

british c olumbia Debates6388 t hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 but there's one area that i think stands out above all of the others, and that is one where i don't think we could have accomplished all of the things that we accom - plished in some of these other areas had it not been for the approach that our Premier brought to this issue, and that's federal-provincial relations. it was one of saying to whichever party was in power in o ttawa, whoever was in the Prime Minister's office, that british c olumbia wanted to be a partner in building a stronger c anada. o ur Premier is one who led that very much during that period of time. if you look at issues around interprovincial agree - ments, labour mobility, if you look at all of the issues that british c olumbia has been seen as being a leader on the national stage, it is because he took an approach that was one of not being parochial in british c olumbia but one of saying that british c olumbia is a partner with the rest of c anada in building a stronger nation, not just a stronger province. i believe that he will truly be seen as a nation-builder for the work that he has done. one final thing i want to share with you is just a story which i think epitomizes and underscores the type of leader that he has been for us over this last ten years. it's a time in my life that i will remember very vividly, and that was the spring of 2003.

That was when we had the SarS outbreak in the world, and we had the first pa - tients…. Some of the first cases of SarS were identified in british c olumbia. When you think back on the angst we had about h1n1, i'll tell you, as a h ealth Minister at the time, just living that day-to-day anxiety, not knowing what tomorrow is going to bring…. it's easy now to look back on that his - tory and sort of say: "Well, we know the outcome.

Y es, it was bad, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been." Y ou know, when you're living that day to day, know - ing that the next day could get worse and worse…. h ow much worse would it get? h ow many people would die before we were able to find a solution to this prob - lem that was confronting the planet, not just in british c olumbia? f or every day that got worse, we had all kinds of work being done. We had great support from Ministry of h ealth officials, from the c entre for Disease c ontrol, from experts that they were reaching out to around the world.

The one day that i will remember in that was e aster Monday. in hindsight, i can now tell you that that was the day when our anxiety peaked. That is the day that the world anxiety peaked. it wasn't because of anything that sort of happened that day. it was just that the next day felt a little bit easier and a little bit easier. [1515] on e aster Monday, which was a holiday for many people — the Premier is not one to take holidays or days off, as we know — he phoned up, and he said that he wanted a thorough briefing on the SarS epidemic and what we as a province may be facing.

So we met down at the c anada Place offices. Dr. Perry k endall came over from Victoria. Dr. David Patrick from the c entre for Disease c ontrol was there. i was there. The Deputy Minister of h ealth was there. We walked through what we knew, and it was fright - ening.

Then we walked through what may happen, what could this lead to and what are the decisions that govern- ment may have to make as this got worse. i can tell you that i was watching the Premier, and his understanding of the problem and his understanding of what we as a province may have to do at a time of crisis…. i think all of us in the room felt some reassurance that as scary as that was, we had a Premier who was prepared to lead at a time of incredible difficulty. a s we walked through this briefing and the accept - ance of what may have to happen in the province….

There was sort of that point we were ready to move on to other things in the day and the planning and the rest of things that we had to get underway, and a comment was made about something that we had to celebrate, and that was the fact that it was the british c olumbia Michael Smith genome sequencing agency that was the first in the world to sequence the SarS virus. u nlike what was happening in other parts of the world, where scientists and researchers were trying to put the Dna of that together so that they could post it and pat - ent it, in british columbia they took the attitude that they were going to identify the gene sequencing.

Y ou know what they did, at about two o'clock in the morning when they finally finished it after 24-7 research going on for a week? They posted it on the internet as public information so that nobody could take proprietary rights to that. So in this meeting there was a bit of self-congratula - tions that this happened in british c olumbia and that it was british c olumbia's scientists. Then they talked about what had to happen next on that front, and that was about developing a vaccine and that the world had to get together to make sure that a vaccine was developed as fast as possible.

Well, question from the Premier: "h ow long does it take to develop a vaccine?" a nswer: about two years. There's not time for two years. The Premier said: "What do we have to do as a province? What can we do as a provincial government to make sure that we drive that global movement to a new vaccine?" They talked about it, and it was actually things that we could do.

The Premier said: "What would it take finan - cially?" They said: "a bout this amount of money to get it started." i remember the Premier turning to me as the Minister of h ealth. h e said: "Y ou find $2.5 million, and tomorrow we are announcing the SarS vaccine initia - tive. We're going to lead the world." That, if you look back on history, is actually part of a revolution in how vaccines are developed. That story, i think, epitomizes the kind of leader and the leadership that the Premier has offered british c olumbia.

british c olumbia Debatest hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 6389 i think, Premier, that you have a lot to be proud of. it's been an honour to serve with you in cabinet. it's been an honour to learn from you. i think you are an example to everybody who aspires to be a leader anywhere, anytime in the future. Thank you very much. [applause.] S. Simpson: h on.

Speaker, we're facing what we would all know and has been said many times: a pretty remarkable time in the politics of british c olumbia right now, a time where both the major parties are changing leaders, where there's a whole different kind of energy in this province at the moment.

What we know, of course, is that the two are the most prominent political figures who have sort of generated both of these changes and who have played such an im - portant role over the last number of years, the Premier and the past l eader of the official o pposition. i've had the experience; i go back…. i first met the Premier, i think, when he was the mayor, and i was a community activist in Vancouver. i remember issues in my community and, on a number of occasions, having the opportunity to speak to the Premier in his days when he was mayor.

We didn't always agree, as we periodically have had a disagreement since i've had the opportunity to come to this place. [1520] but the thing that was always clear is that the Premier always had a commitment to public service. That com - mitment has been unwavering for more than 25 years. The Premier has always very much believed in the work that he did and has done and has continued to believe that.

We need to all respect that commitment to ser - vice. a s the Government h ouse l eader said, it is a very challenging thing to make that commitment to service. c ertainly, to dedicate a quarter of a century of your life to public service is a very big commitment.

We know, of course, that the Premier has been called a number of things. h e's been called a workaholic often, and certainly by many of his colleagues. i don't know what else his colleagues have called him, but he's been called a workaholic, and my suspicion is that that doesn't change for the Premier the day that he leaves office. i ex- pect that we will hear of many endeavours in the future for the Premier as he looks at the next stages of his life and what he chooses to do.

What i really want to do, whatever those endeavours are, is to wish him the best for all those endeavours and the best for good health and to ensure that many of those endeavours include n ancy and the grandkids and a lot of time. h opefully, he will have a long time doing that and whatever else he chooses to do. i'm sure he'll be busy. We should all be very thankful for that. My friend the member for Victoria–beacon h ill. She was first elected to be our leader in 2003. She took a pol- itical party that was on its knees coming out of the 2001 election.

She took a political party that many were talking about…. i was quite active in the party at the time of that election, and i know how devastating it was for all of us in the party — that result and where we were sitting. We were all questioning our future. We had looked at what had happened to Social credit. We had looked at what had happened to the Progressive c onservatives.

There were a lot of questions about whether the n ew Democratic Party would continue to exist in british c olumbia, whether we would survive in ways that other political parties didn't. a s my colleague the opposition h ouse l eader said, we had two members in the h ouse — the member from Mount Pleasant and Joy MacPhail, my predecessor from Vancouver-hastings — who were doing what they could do here. but the survival of the party was a much bigger challenge.

The member from beacon h ill stepped up to that challenge, became our leader in 2003 and took a polit - ical party that was on its knees, a political party that had a very questionable future at best, and re-established it as a political force in this province — re-established this political party, the n ew Democratic Party, back to 33 seats in 2005 and then built on that in 2009.

She took a political organization that had been torn apart and put that organization back together. in doing all of that, she demonstrated leadership traits that are somewhat unique. a s my leader has said, i've had the opportunity to know many of our leaders at the federal and the provincial level and to see their traits and their skills, and the member from beacon h ill brought a whole array of skills around her ability to listen, her ability to exude that kind of thoughtful commonsense approach that wasn't always there.

She expressed a commitment to the most vulner - able people in our society. it's a commitment that i have known from her from the day that we first met back in the early 2000s.

Maybe it was the '90s that we first met. a ll the time that i've watched her, in her days as a school trustee and that…. it's a commitment to our most vul - nerable citizens. it's a commitment that never wavered. c ertainly, when i got to work with her day in and day out from 2005, it has never wavered. [1525] it's a commitment that's reflected not just in her pol - itical work but in 20 years as a foster parent — work that she continues to do today, a part of her life that she's never let go — in her work in education as a school trustee and with the provincial organization and her work around child care and with first n ations, which, for her, led to the added benefit of meeting the love of her life, a l, and going on and getting married.

The achievements after 2005 are many. She has cham- pioned in this place many issues, and in this province. The reinstatement of the r epresentative for c hildren and Y outh. That was a priority for the member for Victoria– beacon h ill, for our past leader, and she was successful

british c olumbia Debates6390 t hursday, f ebruary 17, 2011 in advocating that position. She has advocated for cam - paign finance reform, to take big money out of politics and give politics back to the people of the province.

She has talked, demanded and called for an increase in minimum wage — again, talking to those people who are most vulnerable in our province and giving them an opportunity to have a better life — and she has argued since before she came to this place, and has invested her time in child care. o ver the last few years, there really have been two issues that i've seen the member put at the forefront for herself and at the forefront for our party and for our cau- cus. one has been to advance the causes of equality for our most vulnerable citizens and to look at the places and the different ways that we could accomplish im - proved equality. a gain, the h ouse l eader talked about the o ur Province, o ur f uture initiative.

The second was about making the case that at the decision-making table there has to be a seat for every - body. Whether it's business, whether it's labour, whether it's community interests, everybody has to have a seat at that table and has to be listened to if we're going to ad - vance this province in a way that we want to advance it. a ll of that time that that work was being done, the member demonstrated a real inner strength, i believe. a s was reflected before, from 2001 to 2005 it was not the best job in the world — being the leader of the b .c. nDP .

She travelled, meeting in e lks halls, with ten people here and five people over there. She continued that work after being elected, once we had a caucus here, and has never wavered in travelling this province, from com - munity to community, and from meeting with people — from business leaders to community leaders to people she meets on the street or in the coffee shop.

She is al - ways taking their stories and reflecting those stories in the initiatives and the policies and the approaches that we've taken as the official opposition. r emarkably, even at the time when she discovered that she had cancer, she never wavered. She went on to continue that work. She took the cancer on. She beat the cancer, and she went back to work. a nd she continued to work. The member has had a remarkable and distinguished track record to this point.

Thankfully, we have a lot of time left. i'll apologize for the legislative indiscretion now, but c arole, i am very proud to have had you as a friend and very honoured to have had you as a leader.

My hope cer- tainly is that your future includes many more years as the representative for Victoria–beacon h ill. but i know that regardless of what you choose to do, it will continue to be about public service, it will continue to be about leader - ship, and it will continue to be about building equality. i want to thank you for all that you've accomplished, for all that you have helped us to accomplish and for all that i am sure is yet to come. [a pplause.] Hon. S.

Bond: i, too, am very pleased to have been asked to speak today as we pay tribute to the Premier and the previous l eader of the o pposition. [1530] i want to begin by adding my sincere words of thanks and appreciation to the member for Victoria–b eacon h ill for working hard on behalf of british c olumbians and, in particular, for her constituents.

Though we may disagree from time to time from a policy perspective and have faced one another across the aisle on numer - ous occasions in question period, i know we have shared many common goals, not the least of which is our joint passion for a top-notch education system for every child in this province. i know that personally because of our prior connection as locally elected school trustees. i want to share o

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	H0217pm 07
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	H0217pm 07
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	8110ec711b70206bb587f1d24283356a8c495bae

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