Second Session, 43rd Parliament

Official Report

of Debates

( Hansard )

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 124

The Honourable Raj Chouhan , Speaker

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

Contents

Routine Business

Introductions by Members

Orders of the Day

Budget Debate (continued)

Stephanie Higginson

Ward Stamer

Hon. Rick Glumac

Bryan Tepper

Hon. Anne Kang

Elenore Sturko

Rohini Arora

Kristina Loewen

Hon. Jennifer Whiteside

Dallas Brodie

Darlene Rotchford

Hon Chan

Dana Lajeunesse

Harman Bhangu

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

The House met at 1:32 p.m.

[The Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Introductions by Members

Ward Stamer : Sorry for the….

Great news. My youngest just gave birth to a baby boy.

The Speaker : Congratulations.

Orders of the Day

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

[Lorne Doerkson in the chair.]

Budget Debate

(continued)

Stephanie Higginson : I’m trying to remember where I left off. We were talking about the importance of

community safety.

The riding of Ladysmith-Oceanside is made up of a number of small towns in rural areas,

where people choose to live the small-town life so that they can leave their doors

unlocked and their car keys on the passenger seat and know their neighbour.

Budget 2026 provides $139 million more over three years to reduce repeat violent offending

and chronic property crime and supports timely access to justice. It includes $16

million for a new chronic property offending intervention initiative that strengthens

monitoring and enforcement for crimes such as vandalism and shoplifting that are hurting

businesses.

We know that these measures that we’re implementing are working. In Ladysmith-Oceanside,

we have seen an 80 percent reduction in break and enters to local businesses over

this time last year.

Small businesses are central to the identity and vitality of Ladysmith-Oceanside.

They provide employment, foster creativity, and they sustain the unique community

character that is Ladysmith-Oceanside. Budget 2026 includes measures that encourage

business stability and growth, helping entrepreneurs adapt and thrive in evolving

economic conditions.

[1:35 p.m.]

This includes a new, temporary 15 percent manufacturing and processing investment

refundable tax credit for businesses investing in buildings, machinery and equipment

used in manufacturing and processing.

We’ve also heard a lot about the $400 million strategic investment fund, which has

never been seen before in B.C.’s history and allows us the opportunity to respond

to the moments we’re in — the unpredictable, rapidly changing moments we’re in. That

strategic investment fund is there for us to be able to make sure that we can respond

to the unique opportunities that are being presented to us during this time. Supporting

small enterprises ensures that communities retain their distinctiveness while generating

economic momentum.

Tourism remains particularly important for Ladysmith-Oceanside. Visitors are drawn

to us by our natural beauty, numerous cultural events and coastal experiences. My

calendar in the summer is so full because of all the incredible events that happen

in this riding, filled with tourists that contribute greatly to our local economy.

This government’s continued investment supporting tourism promotion and infrastructure

ensures that these opportunities will continue.

When small businesses succeed, the effects ripple onward through employment, mentorship

and community engagement. This budget recognizes their importance as the engine of

local prosperity. As a small business owner myself, a family supported by a small

business, we welcome these opportunities.

British Columbia is served by over 15,000 volunteer firefighters and search and rescue

volunteers, including marine search and rescue. The Ladysmith marine search and rescue

station is one of the busiest in the province. We are so thankful to them for their

service.

In order to recognize the critical contribution that these volunteer first responders

provide to the safety of British Columbians, this government has doubled the income

tax credit from $3,000 to $6,000. I’m particularly proud of this. This is an initiative

that started in Ladysmith-Oceanside with a local town councillor. Our local MP took

it to the feds. He is the one who got it changed to $6,000.

I was so happy to pick up the torch and bring it to us, to the provincial government,

to see that tax credit doubled by matching the federal tax credit for volunteer first

responders. This government is saving families up to $900 a year when the provincial

tax credit and the federal tax credit are combined.

Since Ladysmith-Oceanside is served entirely by volunteer and paid on call fire departments,

search and rescue and RCMSAR volunteers, this is recognition of the critical work

those volunteers do for the people of Ladysmith-Oceanside. Also, I’ve heard from our

local governments that the tax credit will help smaller local governments recruit

and retain volunteers at a time when those calls are increasing.

Budget 2026 reflects steady leadership and thoughtful planning during unprecedented

times. It balances prudence with progress, ensuring that services remain strong while

strategic investments continue. For the people of Ladysmith-Oceanside, this budget

signals recognition of growth, potential and the contribution to provincial prosperity.

It addresses priorities that matter locally while advancing broader provincial objectives

during rapidly changing times.

I stand in support of Budget 2026 and the opportunities it represents for communities

throughout British Columbia and for the residents of Ladysmith-Oceanside, who I am

honoured to represent.

Ward Stamer : Thanks to the member previously for her remarks.

First off, I’d like to thank everybody in Kamloops–North Thompson for entrusting me

as their member of the Legislature for the last year and a half. It has been a great

thrill and privilege to be able to do that.

Today I’d like to delve into Budget 2026 with the understanding that, very similar

to what we had last year, there seem to be an awful lot of promises in this budget,

with not a lot of substance, because, again, it’s a three-year budget.

[1:40 p.m.]

A lot of times when we’re starting to determine exactly what is going to be spent

or provided this fiscal year, there’s a lot of grey area, because it’s a three-year

budget. Now, people will say: “Well, that’s how we do things around here.” Well, obviously,

from the looks of the deficit and the way it’s growing, that’s really not what our

side would want to continue. That’s why most of us, if not all of us, have been very

critical on the delivery of this budget.

So today I rise to speak to Budget 2026, a budget that will not define only the fiscal

direction of the province but also the living reality of our seniors, working families,

forestry communities and patients across B.C. Again, budgets are not abstract documents.

They’re incredibly important.

No, as the Finance Minister has stated, this is not a balanced budget. Only the NDP

would believe in alternative truths. A balanced budget is revenues and expenses that

balance equally, not a bunch of talk about: “We’re trying to balance our investments

and keep our economy rolling.” Well, that is not what a balanced budget is, certainly

not for people that try to balance their chequebook on a weekly and monthly basis,

like many of us do.

A budget determines whether a senior can afford to remain in their home, a forestry

worker can keep their job, a family can manage their mortgage renewal, a patient can

find a family doctor and a rural emergency room can stay open. This budget is actually

asking British Columbians to pay more — through higher taxes, frozen indexation and

expanded consumption taxes — while offering no credible path back to balance. Not

in the foreseeable future. Certainly not in the next three years.

No comprehensive forest stabilization plan, which we’ll get into a little bit later,

and no structural reform to fix a health care system under serious strain.

Our B.C. deficit is now pegged at $13 billion. Debt continues to grow at a pace that

was unthinkable a decade ago. Interest payments are now hovering around $5 billion

a year. To put this into perspective strictly from a structural perspective, at the

end of this year, we’ll have a structural deficit of $154 billion. In three short

years, that will climb to $210 billion.

Structural deficits require structural reform, not just new taxes. When a government

normalizes deficits, they normalize tax increases. Again, the truth is that only 8

percent of this budget is actually going to capital investments. The other 92 percent

is basically in expenses.

Just think about that for a minute, when we talked about a balanced budget and the

minister trying to balance investing money into our future in infrastructure projects.

According to the budget, only 8 percent of our total budget is going into capital

expenditures. The other 92 is in expenses and operating costs.

When the government normalizes deficits, it lets everybody down. It lets our seniors

down. It lets our retirees down. As an example, our property taxes across the board

in most locations in B.C. are rising between 5 and 10 percent per year. Home insurance

has doubled in the last five years. Utilities, same, 5 to 10 percent.

Also, just as a reminder, our municipalities, both big and small, are under the strain

from this government, because unlike this provincial government, municipalities, as

I was fortunate enough to be a part of for many years, have to balance our budgets.

That’s what this government should be doing as well, but we’ve lost sight of that.

When we look at increases in costs — groceries, fuel, prescription medications…. Many

of our seniors are living on fixed incomes. They can’t absorb shocks. They can’t absorb

these sudden increases. Yet this budget will increase the lowest income tax bracket;

freeze the tax bracket indexation; and, obviously, expand the PST to way more services.

I’d like to talk about that just a little bit, if I could. This is right out of Securing B.C.’s Future . Last year it was: “Let’s build a stronger B.C.” So now we’ve got a new tag line: “ Securing B.C.’s future .”

[1:45 p.m.]

It says right here: “Removing PST exemptions from some goods and services that were

once deemed essential but are not commonly used anymore, such as clothing repair materials,

services related to clothing and footwear, knitting, basic cable television and land-line

telephone services.” They will now have PST added.

Well, guess who uses just about all those services still. Our seniors. So thank you

very much for doing that. I would suggest that those are essential.

There are also stealth taxes, when we look at some of the other pension adjustments

that are pushing seniors to the brink. They also talk about credits, but again, that

only applies to a very small percentage of our population.

health care. They also need help in more medicines being available in medicare. How

many people here in this room know of people that have ended up, as they age, getting

into a health care situation and now having to pay five, six…? It’s $1,000 a month

on prescriptions that aren’t covered. That has to change.

We have to make sure that it is affordable for our seniors to be able to stay in their

homes as long as they can and not have to be going to the hospitals because there’s

nowhere else to turn.

Let’s talk about working families, if we can, for a bit.

Deputy Speaker : Member for Kamloops–North Thompson, apologies for the interruption, but I believe

the member for Richmond Centre may have a question.

Hon Chan : I would like to seek leave for an introduction.

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

Hon Chan : I would like to take this moment to warmly welcome a group of students from Richmond

Secondary School, from the riding of Richmond Centre, sitting up there in the chamber.

Welcome to the chamber of the Legislative Assembly today. Today we are primarily debating

Budget 2026, which was introduced by the government last week.

As the official opposition, it is our role to carefully examine the budget, to discuss

what we agree with and what we disagree with and to ensure accountability on behalf

of the people of British Columbia.

I understand there are three groups of students visiting today, and I will try my

best to greet all of them today.

Welcome to your Legislative Assembly.

Deputy Speaker : Indeed, welcome. Welcome to everyone in our chamber today.

Debate Continued

Ward Stamer : Great to see our school kids here, seeing democracy in action. Appreciate that very

much.

We were talking about families and some of the significant challenges that we have

with working families. I mean, mortgage renewals now are coming back, coming up for

significant interest renewals. Grocery bills rising. Child care expenses rising. Transportation

costs rising. Insurance premiums rising. As I mentioned earlier, many housing insurance

premiums have doubled in just a few years.

Again, our wage growth hasn’t been outpacing inflation. Is there anybody in this room

or anybody out there in TV land who honestly believes that our inflation rate is 3

percent? I don’t. I don’t think any of my colleagues do. That’s the challenge. There’s

no way, if we don’t get a rein on some of these costs, that we’re going to be able

to afford it not only for ourselves but for our families and for our seniors.

Let’s talk a little bit, when we talk about Budget 2026, about the forest industry,

near and dear to my heart. Forestry remains one of British Columbia’s foundational

industries. It’s a pillar that built this province. Entire communities depend upon

it. Interior towns, northern communities, Vancouver Island regions, the Kootenays,

the Lower Mainland, with manufacturing facilities in Surrey and Maple Ridge, just

to name a few — everywhere in B.C. is touched by forestry.

What was mentioned by my colleague from Skeena just a little while ago…. That was

one word that was not mentioned in Budget 2026: forestry. That’s a shame, an incredible

shame. It’s not an oversight. It’s on purpose. This government has driven forestry

into the ground. Into the ground.

We can talk a little bit about some of the initiatives that this government has brought

forth to try to resurrect the forest industry, but I would suggest that it’s just

mere pennies on the dollar.

[1:50 p.m.]

Forest jobs are often family-supporting jobs. They sustain local businesses, schools,

volunteer organizations. In many cases, in smaller communities, they are a major tax

base, taxpayer in those communities.

As an example, the Crofton pulp mill that just went down after being in business for

almost 70 years. Imagine all the ups and downs that pulp mill has gone through in

70 years. Finally, under this government’s watch, it had to close its doors. That’s

a $5 million municipal tax hit to North Cowichan this year, next year and every other

year that that pulp mill remains shuttered. What do you think the implications are

going to be for the taxpayers in that region? I would suggest it’s going to be significant.

When we talk about our forest industry, I’m not the only one that has been trying

to push back hard. Everyone in the industry has been saying, loud and clear, that

we need certainty in this industry. This government is basically relinquishing their

responsibilities. We’ve got a multitude of issues in our forest industry right now

and the cost structure that is associated with it.

We hear from the other side that the trade dispute and the ongoing issues in the world

have a bearing on that. Of course they do, but we’ve always had tariffs with the Americans,

and we probably always will. I understand the Premier wants to take the Americans

to court again, as I heard the other day. Well, we’ve never been successful in the

past. What makes him think that we’re going to be successful in the future?

We have to make sure that we are cost-competitive in this industry in this province

and be responsible for what we can do, not what other people can do. Unfortunately,

that’s what’s not happening.

You know, we have jurisdictions where we had offices around the world for international

trade. Finally, the lightbulb has gone off, and in the last six months to a year,

the Forests Minister and this government have decided to open a couple of our foreign

offices that used to be open. That’s great. I congratulate them for doing it, but

it’s certainly taken them a long time to realize that we shouldn’t be just putting

all our eggs in one basket.

When we talk about our costing structure, even permitting, which used to be $3 or

$4 a cubic metre, has now tripled in just a few years. Just that alone can make us

uncompetitive. That comes because of all the extra consultation processes that are

involved, all the back-and-forth and the realization that most permitting isn’t even

approved by the district managers anymore. It’s being approved by First Nations in

consultation with the licensees, not the other way around. Those are bringing significant

challenges to our industry right now.

Many international processors and producers have diversified their markets, and we’re

just starting to see that, particularly in our value-added sector. When regulatory

complexity increases, capital investment slows. I would suggest that most of the capital

investment has stopped. That’s why we’re having difficulties in this province right

now, across the board, on all our natural resources. It’s because of the uncertainty

in this province.

When companies cannot predict the fibre access or tenure stability, they will hesitate

to modernize. Now, I heard a member talking earlier about the $400 million investment

fund that is going to be used — we call it a slush fund — basically to try to maximize

dollars with the federal dollars. But that’s not necessarily so, and it isn’t specifically

identified for the forest industry or any other industry. It just allows, as they

said, the ability for the government to have flexibility in the budget.

Well, then, why did they have to put an extra $1 billion into a contingency fund?

That $1 billion is a significant amount of money, which does not require any oversight

in this House. On this side of the House, we don’t believe in that. We believe in

accountability and transparency, not just adding more money to a slush fund.

When we become uncompetitive in our forest industry, these are some of the results

that we’ve had. You might have heard these numbers before, but I’ll tell them again.

We’ve lost over 15,000 full-time jobs in our forest industry in the last four years.

Our harvesting levels have been reduced by 50 percent in that same time. This is an

industry that should be sustainable, with a renewable resource, and we’re only doing

half of what we did four years ago.

Now, many will say: “Well, that was partly responsible — a pine uplift and bugs.”

That was part of it, but that just goes to show you how badly this government has

managed our forests, now that we’re only doing half of what we did four years ago.

[1:55 p.m.]

That was the same government four years ago that promised 30,000 new jobs. So I’m

not going to try to pretend with the numbers and say we’ve lost 45,000. We’ve lost

15,000 full-time jobs.

You multiply that by a minimum of three to five across the board because of the structure

of those jobs, and we’ve lost anywhere between 45,000 and 60,000 jobs. Those are real

numbers, not just made-up numbers.

When we talk about forestry, when we talk about some of the responsibilities in that,

I think we can all agree that one of the programs that has been very successful, and

we will give the government some credit on that, is FireSmart. FireSmart was developed

with our municipalities to try to look at reducing fire risk and fuel reduction in

our interface, particularly in our areas surrounding our towns and cities.

It’s been a fairly successful operation, I would suggest — I believe, $178 million

since 2018. But again we have structural challenges. Just two weeks ago UBCM announced

that the intake was going to be abruptly cancelled for this year because the fund

has basically run out of money.

In this budget, they’ve allotted $25 million to try to get it up to where they think

it should be for this year. But unfortunately, there are no other moneys identified

for FireSmart in the subsequent years in this three-year budget.

My question to the Finance Minister is: why not? They’re talking about restructuring.

They’re talking about doing different things. We have municipalities throughout B.C.

wondering how they’re going to be able to continue with these home-saving municipal

saving programs to reduce fire risk in their communities without adequate funding

from this government.

I would suggest that that is money well spent, and the Finance Minister should have

found a way to make sure that those programs continue.

The other thing I’d like to leave with forestry, too, just to explain a couple of

things…. When we talk about value-added, we all agree that we should be getting more

value out of every cubic metre in this province, out of a tree. Unfortunately, that’s

not happening. We need to be able to restructure our forest system so that we can

incentivize companies to be able to get the most out of the fibre.

No, we don’t need the government to start hiring loggers to try to bring wood to a

sort yard and then try to figure out how to sell that wood to somebody. That’s never

going to work.

We have the potential to lead in engineered wood products. We have success stories

all over the province in being state of the art in engineering structural beams and

structural building, mass timber, advanced manufacturing. We’ve also got opportunities

in bioenergy, yet this government doesn’t believe in bioenergy.

This government had to be forced to continue to have the operation in Williams Lake

still running to be able to supply electricity to the grid because it’s “dirty fuel,

dirty energy.” This side of the government doesn’t agree with that. And when we’re

government, we’re going to change that.

Value-added also requires confidence. If companies fear unstable fibre supply or unpredictable

policy shifts, where we’ve seen shifting all over the place, then we’re not going

to have the investment necessary for us to move this province forward.

One of the other things that I’d like to talk about is some of the money that we have

seen going to forestry in this budget. Even though it wasn’t mentioned in the budget,

yes, they did identify $15 million. They tried to wrap it around a $50 million joint

fund with the feds, which they love to do, trying to get somebody else’s money in

and claiming credit for it, under the auspices of: “We’re working together.”

[2:00 p.m.]

Those three segments of the $15 million…. I just wanted to share with everybody, to

give you an idea, when I talk about pennies on the dollar, that $5 million is to go

to our First Nations Forestry Council, and $5 million is going to go to our compensation

fund. That is going to be compensating contractors so that where a tenure goes broke,

$5 million is going to be set aside to pay the bills. Well, I’m going to suggest that

$5 million is not going to be able to cover the costs of any of those costs.

The third one was the Wildfire Reduction Equipment Support Trust. Again, that is totally

underfunded as well.

Of all the moneys that are going to be going into the forest industry, those are the

only three targets that have been identified in that $50 million. That’s it.

I also wanted to talk a little bit about some of the capital plan projects that have

been delayed. This is a government that doesn’t like saying “delayed.” In their futures

budget, they talk about delivering beds more efficiently, long-term beds. But they’re

going to adjust the timing of the delivery of those because they’ve now determined,

and it’s because of their policies, that they can no longer afford $1.8 million per

bed.

These are the facilities that may be affected on the timing of delivery, with no end

dates: Abbotsford, Campbell River, Chilliwack, Kelowna, Delta, Fort St. John, Squamish.

They also say “re-paced.” Again, they don’t like using the word “delayed.” Now they’ve

got a new word. It’s called “re-paced” or “TBC.” They haven’t even told us what that

is. It could be continued, cancelled — whatever.

One of them that is significant, particularly in the Lower Mainland, is the phase

2 project at the Burnaby Hospital. Now, we’ve heard all kinds of excuses and explanations

of why, but unfortunately, that is a major build that is not happening in a timely

fashion.

Yes, I will thank the government for finally — after almost, I think, 30 years since

it started between subsequent governments — getting a cancer clinic in Kamloops. I

want to thank the government for at least starting our cancer clinic in Kamloops.

Again, as the member for Kamloops Centre and myself have said, they should be to the

same standard as what’s being built in Nanaimo and in Surrey, and it’s not happening.

We want to make sure that we’re on the same level playing field as all our municipalities

of similar size. We should be making sure that that cancer clinic is built properly.

Interjection.

Ward Stamer : Thanks for the enthusiasm.

Some of the things…. Where the interconnection and disconnection come from in this

budget is that these issues aren’t isolated. Again, when forest jobs disappear and

our resource jobs disappear, our families are impacted the most. Our health care benefits

are affected. Communities shrink.

I mean, I just went through 100 Mile a couple of weeks ago. I know how devastating

it is for that community to lose the last mill that they’ve had in that region for

so many years and how hard it is for everybody living there.

Yes, we will do everything we can. The member will do everything that he can to be

able to help turn things around. But that is a significant economic driver in that

region. Again, when that mill went down, a pellet plant in Williams Lake went down.

We’re all interconnected in this province with forestry.

Then when we talk about health care, yes, the government is trying to make improvements

in health care. We have seen more doctors added to the health care opportunities.

Yes, slowly people are getting access to doctors, but, I think, we’re still at almost

less than one million people that don’t have a family doctor.

Even if you have a family doctor and you have a child that has a fever tonight, there’s

a pretty good chance that you’re not going to be able to go see your doctor. You’re

going to have to go to an emergency room and could wait for six or eight or ten hours

just to get a prescription for something to bring that fever down. Those are the kinds

of challenges that we have in this province.

We need more walk-in clinics, and we’re not seeing those results, specifically on

the investments that this government is saying that they’re making. We’ve got seniors

that are on longer wait-lists for everything from knee replacements to hip replacements.

[2:05 p.m.]

Again, when we talk about debt, if we start looking at what’s going to happen in the

next two or three years and we start approaching in the neighbourhood of 8 to 9 to

10 percent of our overall budget being used for interest payments, that is going to

diminish the ability of us to be able to continue with the service levels that we

are enjoying today. That’s the realization of what happens when you start growing

the debt exponentially, and that’s exactly where we are right now.

The other side will talk about growing the economy. That was one of our election campaigns,

and we had ways and had policy to show exactly how that would occur. Now they’re just

trying to pick up the ball and say: “Yeah, we’re going to try to do that too.”

Well, if any indication of how they’re going to be able to do it was last Friday at

the board of trade, there was a resounding no from the business community. “We don’t

believe you. We don’t trust you. We’re not going to do that. We’re not going to follow

your policies.”

Opposing this budget is not opposing the comparisons between what we would do and

what they would do. Now, we hear lots of chirping from the other side about, “Oh,

you guys would do this, and you guys would do that,” without really looking strongly

at our policy.

During the last election, one of the falsehoods that was put forth was that we were

going to cut $3 billion in health care. That was a complete fallacy. It was…. There’s

another word for an exaggeration, but I’m not allowed to use it here. And that’s exactly

what it was. When we asked the media, “Why don’t you ask the Premier where he’s getting

this $3 billion from? Quantify it. Explain where they’re going to cut,” he didn’t

have an answer. So the media just walked away.

That’s unfortunate, because we were going to expand health care. We were going to

change the way health care is delivered in this province, and we’d be utilizing equipment

that isn’t even being used 100 percent of the time right now. Because of the system

that’s in place, we can’t use it. Those are some of the structural changes that this

side would do when we are government.

When we have a fiscal budget that’s done responsibly, it has measurable outcomes.

This budget does not. We should have health care outcomes. We should have rural economic

stabilization. We should have stabilization across the board. How much money was,

in this budget, identified to all those municipalities that are trying to balance

their budget and all the pressures that they’re receiving right now in water and sewer

and schools and roads and hospitals? We’re only seeing a fraction of that, and we

haven’t seen any new money in this year’s budget — none whatsoever.

Budget 2026 expands spending without adequately restoring affordability. It increases

debt without a clear path to balance. The minister is famous in saying: “Well, we’re

going to balance the budget someday.” Well, when is that someday? I don’t know if

I’ll live long enough, if this government stays in power, for that ever to happen.

It fails to deliver transformative health care reform despite record spending — another

$1 billion a year this year in health care alone. It neglects a comprehensive forest

recovery strategy. For seniors that are struggling between groceries and heat, many

of them are now looking at food banks. I’m almost ashamed to say that. After working

so hard, they’ve had the result of that.

It’s disappointing for our forest workers, with the mill closures and the curtailments

— knowing there are some structural changes that the Forests Minister and this government

could do, but they’re unwilling to do it — and for so many families that are stretched

thin, families that are trying to work within their means, working extra shifts, trying

to balance child care, trying to balance everything under the sun and still having

a tough time at the end of the month. In the old saying, there’s lots of month at

the end of the money.

British Columbians deserve better, and until we, I, can see a plan that restores affordability,

revitalizes our natural resources, including forestry, improves health care access

and exercises some kind of fiscal responsibility, I will continue to stand in opposition

to this budget.

[2:10 p.m.]

Hon. Rick Glumac : I’m honoured today to stand in this House and speak about the budget. The budget

is about choices. We’re making choices that are responsible, modest revenue measures,

disciplined spending and aggressive economic growth.

The context of the situation that we’re in right now is that we are not the only province

in Canada that is facing a budget deficit. Nearly every other province in Canada is

running or projecting a budget deficit this year, Ontario being the largest with a

deficit of $14.6 billion. Prince Edward Island has the largest in terms of percentage

of GDP with 3.2 percent. B.C. is less than those, and we are making choices to bring

ourselves to a balanced budget in a time frame that is responsible.

The question becomes: how do you do that? I’ve heard a lot of criticisms coming from

the other side. But one thing I haven’t heard from the other side yet, and I’ve been

listening to speeches, is solutions. What would they do?

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker : Members, the minister of state has the floor, and I’d appreciate hearing his debate.

Hon. Rick Glumac : The reason why I think we’re not hearing solutions is because I don’t think they

want the public to know what they would do if they were government in this fiscal

situation. Quite frankly, I think it would be devastating to our province, so they

don’t really want to talk about it.

One thing that we can all agree on is that we do want to lower the deficit and get

to a balanced budget. How do we do that, and how quickly do we do that? We basically

have two ways of doing it. We can either increase revenue, or we can reduce spending.

When we’re talking about increasing revenue, you could take a very aggressive approach

on that. There are jurisdictions in North America, like in New York, where the mayor

there ran on a campaign of increasing revenue on the most wealthy people in New York

and was elected on that campaign.

That is not what we’re doing in this budget. We’re taking a very modest approach.

I’ll just outline what some of those measures are. I’ll highlight the two biggest

revenue increases in our budget and talk about that a little bit.

The first is a small 0.54 percent increase in our income tax, which is offset by a

tax credit so that increase falls mostly on the most wealthy British Columbians. This

tax measure generates the province approximately $353 million after the tax credits

are taken into account.

The second measure is expanding the PST to certain professional services. Why are

we taking this measure? It’s because it aligns with nearly every other province in

Canada in terms of what is taxed by their provincial sales tax as well. This generates

approximately $261 million this fiscal year. In total, in this budget, in this first

year, the taxation measures add up to a very modest $757 million.

Now, I’ve received feedback on this. I have friends across the political spectrum.

I had one friend text me, and he said: “We need to attract wealth, not tax it out

of the province.” I asked him: “Do you know how much tax we’re talking about here,

per individual, on this income tax increase?” He didn’t. He’d heard talking points,

but he didn’t know.

So I told him this is an average of approximately $76 per year, and $76 is not driving

investment out of this province. But strong schools, modern infrastructure, a growing

tech sector — those will bring investment into this province, and that’s why we’re

prioritizing those things in this budget.

[2:15 p.m.]

The second item is reducing spending. Conservative governments, right-wing governments,

are famous for going to the absolute extreme end on this in terms of spending cuts.

You only need to look at the last time we had a right-wing government in British Columbia.

When they needed to balance the budget, what did they do? We can look, and we can

see what they did.

They cut $360 million from health care budgets in 2009 when they needed to balance

the budget — cancelling MRIs, cancelling surgeries — causing a deep trough in which

we are still digging ourselves out in terms of health care funding.

They cut wages, and they fired 10,000 health care workers. They refused to expand

aging hospitals and, instead, sold off land for hospitals.

They froze capital school budgets for eight years and closed 267 schools. So 267 schools

were closed — 267 — and not only that. They sold off….

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker : Members, the minister of state still has the floor, and I appreciate hearing his

debate.

Hon. Rick Glumac : They sold off school lands. I mean, we have students up here today who should be

aware of what these previous governments did. They sold off school lands, and the

value of those lands appreciated so much that we could never buy them back.

In case any of the members opposite use the excuse, “Well, that was the B.C. Liberals;

that’s not us,” that they’re different somehow…. Well, the current MLA for Fraser-Nicola

said, just a few days ago, that if education and health care are the two biggest line

items in the budget, they’re the ones that are going to have to take the brunt of

this somehow.

I wonder how. We should all be very concerned about how the B.C. Liberals would balance

a budget.

Interjection.

Hon. Rick Glumac : Well, sorry. The B.C. Conservatives. I get them mixed up so much. It’s hard to distinguish.

The quote that I just quoted…. As far as I can tell, that’s the only time any member

of the opposition let it slip how they would deal with the budget. They’re being very

quiet about it otherwise. They’re not saying very much. They’re very quiet. Very quiet.

I hear complaints. I don’t hear any solutions.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker : Members.

Members, the minister of state has the floor.

Hon. Rick Glumac : Well, once again, what we’re talking about is a very modest approach. Across government….

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker : Members.

Members, I would appreciate hearing the minister of state’s comments. Please.

Interjections.

[The Deputy Speaker rose.]

Deputy Speaker : Members, I would prefer not to ask again. I would like to hear the comments by the

minister of state. Please, can we hear them.

[The Deputy Speaker resumed his seat.]

Hon. Rick Glumac : Across government, we are streamlining operations so that we can utilize tax dollars

to actually protect core public services like health and education, exactly the things

that they would cut.

I want to share some examples of how we are streamlining government operations, just

a few examples, because I think it’s pretty exciting.

[2:20 p.m.]

We are launching Connected Services B.C. This is a new, centralized, user-focused

organization in government. The goal is that, by 2030, there will be one place where

people can go to interact with the government online for anything that you need help

with. This will reduce delays and duplication.

When you interact with this, you only need to enter your information once, and data

will be shared securely across government. You’ll be able to find and get access to

government services in a more straightforward and easy way than ever before, and you’ll

benefit from the latest innovations designed around the needs of British Columbians.

Through the B.C. Public Service HR integration, we’re moving HR functions that used

to be within different ministries to an integrated HR function in the B.C. Public

Service Agency. This reduces duplication, drives efficiency and delivers a consistent,

high-quality workforce across ministries.

We’re also doing a health authority review to improve efficiency and increase resources

dedicated to patient care. Non-clinical services will be centralized to streamline

administrative costs, which include legal, supply chain, finance, human resources,

information management and information technology, data and analytics, health system

planning and digital communication services across the health care system.

This, of course, opens up the opportunity to bring more innovation into the health

care system in a way that we’ve never been able to do before, where a good technology

that’s used in one hospital in a pilot project could maybe propagate throughout the

health care system more easily. Maybe we can even get rid of fax machines one day.

Through the post-secondary system review, we’re also going to examine all aspects

of institutional operations and administration, as well as the structure and governance

of the whole sector.

In many of these examples, by streamlining administration through the use of technology,

it also gives us the opportunity to bring in, as I mentioned, the latest innovation.

Some of this innovation is created by some amazing companies right here in British

Columbia.

The Ministry of Citizens’ Services is looking at ways of streamlining procurement

to more easily bring that innovation into government. This is a very important point.

Making government services better can also help support our own companies here in

British Columbia, which helps support our provincial economy.

Through our Look West strategy, we have a clear set of goals, one of which is to attract

$200 billion in private sector investment in the next ten years. What that means is

good-paying jobs and stronger, more resilient growth for decades to come. We’re building

on B.C.’s strengths: our clean energy advantage, our global transportation corridors,

our highly educated workforce and our strength in technology and innovation.

We’ve identified key sectors for growth within this economic plan: marine industries,

life sciences, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, aerospace, construction

innovation, trade and logistics infrastructure, agriculture, food processing and tourism.

We’ve set a ten-year goal to double the tech sector employment in British Columbia

to 400,000 jobs and increase the GDP of that sector by 75 percent.

We’re aligning our work with federal investments to maximize those opportunities for

businesses in B.C. Over $11 million in federal funding has already supported B.C.-based

quantum initiatives within the last couple of years, including 1QBit, SFU’s Quantum

Fabrication Centre and UBC’s Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute. The Digital

Research Alliance of Canada has invested nearly $41 million in the Fir supercomputer

at SFU, now the fastest supercomputer in the country. Coquitlam-based Photonic has

been selected for phase 1 of the Canadian quantum champions program, with the potential

to receive up to $23 million in funding.

These investments are important. They help retain talent, they strengthen our national

security, and they ensure that emerging technologies reflect Canadian values.

[2:25 p.m.]

Through our budget, we’re taking actions to leverage these federal investments. We’re

allocating $400 million to establish a new B.C. strategic investment fund, allowing

the province to partner directly in projects of provincial interest when participation

makes economic sense. We’re continuing to deploy the $500 million in our InBC investment

fund, supporting early-stage and growth-stage companies and anchoring them here in

British Columbia.

We’ve strengthened, already, our small business venture capital tax credit by increasing

that annual credit, the maximum amount, from $120,000 up to $300,000 and raising the

program’s annual cap from $38½ million to $53½ million. We’re removing the sunset

clause from the provincial SR&ED tax credit to provide long-term certainty. And we’re

increasing the refundable expenditure limit from $3 million to $6 million while raising

taxable capital thresholds to encourage greater research-and-development investment.

These are structural changes designed to make British Columbia more competitive, not

just today but well into the future. But competitiveness is not just about investments;

it’s about protecting ideas as well. That’s why, back in 2023, we launched British

Columbia’s intellectual property strategy. It helps B.C. innovators protect their

ideas, grow their businesses and remain competitive globally.

In this budget, we’re also beginning consultation on a patent box regime in B.C.,

which could potentially provide a tax incentive on income derived from qualifying

intellectual property, lowering taxes on profits from R and D developed and patented

here in British Columbia. When B.C. businesses develop world-class technology, the

value of that technology is most important when it stays here in British Columbia.

I want to also mention integrated marketplace. I’ve had a lot of opportunities to

talk to companies that have worked with integrated marketplace, and it has been a

really huge success here in British Columbia. Through integrated marketplace, companies

get to test out their technology and bring it to commercialization in places like

the airport, the Vancouver-Fraser Port Authority, the Prince Rupert Port Authority,

health care and forestry.

One example I can give you. I went on a tour recently to the airport, YVR, and I had

a chance to visit with a company called A&K Robotics. They have created autonomous

robots that can help people with mobility challenges navigate their way through the

airport. They worked closely with integrated marketplace to test and commercialize

their technology in the real-world environment of the airport, and it was a huge success.

They’ve since received interest from airports all around the world.

There are many examples like this where we’re helping companies grow and find new

customers, not only here in B.C. but all around the world. Companies like MarineLabs

are deploying AI-driven marine weather systems at our ports. Companies like Open Ocean

Robotics are testing zero-emission autonomous vehicles on the ocean. Digital pathology

tools are being expanded to improve diagnostic access for patients across the province

as well.

The integrated marketplace includes as much as $41½ million from the province and

$11.7 million from the federal government, helping de-risk technology adoption while

accelerating commercialization. This is what modern economic development looks like.

Modern economic development also means helping our companies compete globally. Through

our trade diversification strategy and programs like trade accelerator and export

navigator, we’re helping local companies and start-ups prepare to access new markets

globally.

[2:30 p.m.]

We’re making sure that when B.C. companies scale, they scale outward but not away

from British Columbia. Initiatives like Web Summit Vancouver shine a global spotlight

on our technology ecosystem here in B.C., connecting B.C. entrepreneurs and investors

and partners from around the world. Our next Web Summit will take place May 11 to

14 of this year, and it’s another opportunity to show the world what British Columbia

has to offer.

As our tech sector grows, we’re making sure our B.C. talent grows with it. That’s

why this budget invests $283 million over three years to expand access to family-supporting

jobs — $241 million to double skilled-trades funding; $12 million to expand apprenticeship

opportunities; and $30 million to train highly qualified professionals in engineering,

geology, computer science, biology and aerospace. We’re also providing $50 million

to Mitacs to support 10,000 internships in priority sectors, including clean technology

and life sciences.

All of these investments…. I’m happy to go through them. There’s a lot there. They

all point in one direction, to a stronger economy for British Columbia — an economy

that attracts capital; that grows companies here at home; that turns research into

real jobs; and that ensures British Columbians benefit from the industries of the

future, from AI to quantum computing, to clean energy, to advanced manufacturing,

to life sciences.

We are positioning British Columbia to lead, to give businesses the confidence to

invest, to give workers the skills to succeed and to give our province the resilience

to compete in a changing world. This is what these investments do. Look West sets

that direction. The budget delivers the next steps.

But going back to what I was saying earlier, when the opposition talks about taking

the brunt of cuts out of health care and education…. That’s not the right way to go.

It means fewer nurses. It means fewer teachers. It means longer wait times. It means

closed classrooms and cancelled procedures.

We have seen that before with another right-wing government that many people running

for leadership were part of, for the B.C. Conservatives. When they faced a deficit,

what did they do? They cut $360 million from health care. They laid off 10,000 health

care workers. They closed 267 schools. They sold off public land that we’ll never

get back. That’s the record.

Now they want British Columbians to believe that somehow things will be different

because they changed their name. But you’ll notice they aren’t talking about how they’ve

changed. They’re not saying what they would do differently than the B.C. Liberals.

Deputy Speaker : Member, I’m not certain what the name of another party has to do with the budget

here today. If we could get back to the budget, it would be helpful.

Hon. Rick Glumac : How we make choices in this budget, Mr. Speaker, is very important. It is important,

when we hear a lot of things being said about the choices that we are making, to also

talk about how those choices could be different if another government was in this

place.

We’re protecting core services in this budget. We’re focused on opportunity. We’re

modernizing government. We’re building an economy that attracts investment. We’re

creating jobs of the future. We’re doing it without sacrificing the important services

like health care and education that British Columbians rely on.

That’s responsible leadership. That’s how you manage a deficit without shrinking your

future, and that’s exactly what we will deliver for British Columbia.

[2:35 p.m.]

Bryan Tepper : I would start by saying that I do have some suggestions on what we could do further

on in this, to answer the previous one, but he’ll have to wait. In the meantime, maybe

a quick example would be: “Just throw out the budget and start again.”

Anyway, this NDP government tabled a budget that isn’t just a fiscal failure; it’s

a declaration of war on the people of Surrey-Panorama. While my constituents hide

from extortion threats, while our police force is stretched to a breaking point, while

seniors watch their life savings get eaten away by government greed, this government

handed us a document of broken promises, reckless debt and deliberate neglect.

Let’s cut through the spin. Every line in this budget is a reminder that this government

has no guardrails, no plan and no respect for the people who elected them. A former

NDP Finance Minister, someone who knows this government’s inner workings, put it best:

“There were no guardrails. This is a pickle of their own making.” In Surrey, we’re

the ones stuck in that pickle.

The government talks about GDP growth, but they don’t seem to understand or want to

put in GDP per capita. GDP goes up if we let in somebody with $100 in their pocket,

but it also drags down the GDP per capita and burdens all of our overstretched services.

Let’s start with the numbers this government buried in the back of their budget. A

$13.3 billion deficit this year, more than twice the deficit during the height of

COVID. Provincial debt set to climb from $154 billion to $235 billion in just three

years, nearly doubling as a share of our economy since this NDP leadership took over.

Fifteen thousand public sector jobs cut over three years, with zero details on who

will lose their jobs or how critical services will survive. This isn’t austerity;

it’s incompetence. The former NDP Finance Minister said that, under her, she fought

for balanced budgets, for guardrails, for caution. We all know what happened to her.

This government threw those guardrails out the window. They spent like there was no

tomorrow. Now tomorrow is here, and we’re all paying for it. You know, there’s a phrase:

“spending like a drunken sailor.” When the head sailor starts saying, “Maybe we should

look at what we’re spending,” we’re all in trouble, especially if they keep running

up that debt.

Let’s talk taxes. This government claims B.C. is the lowest-taxed province for low-

and middle-income families. However, they’re raising the universal income tax for

the first time since 2008. They are freezing tax brackets, which means every time

your salary goes up, you pay more in taxes.

Starting October 1, they’re adding PST to basic land-line service, cable TV and even

yarn for seniors who knit to stay connected. All of this means we are definitely not

the lowest-taxed province.

Let’s not forget the job numbers they’re touting — 36,000 jobs created in 2025. But

how many of those are private sector? How many are just temporary public sector positions

to pad their stats? They won’t say because they know the truth. Their spending spree

hasn’t built a sustainable economy. It has built a house of cards, and it’s about

to collapse.

I looked at a report from Stats Canada. Whether it’s the truth about what they’re

hiding…. Last year British Columbia’s private sector appears to have bled 8,000 jobs.

The lifeblood of our economy is shrinking. Every single one of those new jobs, and

thousands more, were on the government payroll.

I actually went further into that. It looks like, since this leadership of government

took over, the unemployment rate went from 4.2 percent to 6.6 percent. Youth unemployment,

far worse. Men 15 to 24, unemployment increased from 8.9 to 12.7.

[2:40 p.m.]

If you think that’s bad, women 15 to 24, unemployment increased from 6.3 to 14.9 percent.

It says self-employed individuals saw a decrease of 6.6 percent of their jobs. That’s

31,000 jobs.

The lifeblood of our economy is shrinking. Every single one of those new jobs and

thousands more were on the government’s payroll. They’re borrowing billions to hire

bureaucrats, public sector workers, while the real job creators — the small businesses,

the tech firms, the builders — are laying people off. This isn’t a jobs plan. It’s

a bailout of their own failing reputation using the public credit card. They haven’t

built an economy; they’ve built a government payroll. When the borrowing stops, the

NDP layoffs will begin.

If there’s one group that the budget targets with special cruelty, it’s our seniors,

as I said earlier, with increases to cable, land-line telephones and even yarn. For

decades, seniors could defer their property taxes to stay in their homes — their largest

investment, their legacy for their kids and grandkids — but this government just changed

the rules.

Starting in 2026, interest on deferred property taxes will jump from prime minus 2

to prime plus 2 and now compounded monthly. That’s a 4 percent hike in interest rates.

Just a few years ago it was 1.7 percent. That today would be 5.7 percent, but with

the current prime rate, it’s now 6.45 percent that they pay, again, compounded monthly.

A retired investment adviser said: “This isn’t a deferral. It’s a loan shark’s deal.”

I kind of wish I came up with that one myself, but….

Seniors will lose their equity faster than they can blink, and what do they get in

return? The government paused work on at least seven new long-term-care homes. The

B.C. seniors advocate says we’re already 2,000 beds short. By 2036, that gap will

be 16,000. This government is making it more difficult for seniors to stay in their

homes while also driving them to no other option.

The former NDP Finance Minister also said the perception was that the NDP couldn’t

manage a popsicle stand. This government has brought that perception back with a vengeance.

For our seniors, it’s worse than that. It’s a direct attack on their dignity, their

savings and their right to age with respect.

Let’s talk about health care. So 1.4 million British Columbians don’t have a family

doctor, and this government claims 4,200 people a week are getting new doctors. Sounds

great, but they don’t mention how many are losing their doctors to retirement and

burnout. It’s a shell game, and patients are the losers. Doing some quick math, if

it’s correct, that’s 6½ years to get those people a doctor, although I highly suspect

the retiring doctors and those leaving for more favourable work will take away from

that 4,200.

What I find most intriguing about this government is that they can cut, cut and keep

cutting. Then they stand up in this very room and say that they are working, continuing

to work on health care. “Not like those guys on the other side,” as we just heard,

“who are going to cut funding.” They did this in the last election, knocking on doors

telling people that we’re going to cut funding despite the budget platform showing

a huge increase in spending.

As for addiction care, even worse. Last year this government managed to open just

28 functioning addiction treatment beds. They claim 123 more are coming, but they’ve

no plan, no timeline, no accountability. Our communities are drowning in addiction.

This is part of the reason people don’t feel safe. They go out of their homes, and

they find people on the streets, living homeless, becoming drug addicts.

[2:45 p.m.]

It’s time that we need to start fixing things, and this government is handing out

band-aids. We just saw that there’s extra funding for nasal naloxone, which is great,

but we have no more funding for treatment and addiction. I think it’s far cheaper

to keep people out of addiction, away from homelessness, than putting the band-aid

on.

And autism funding? They’re cutting that. While kids with autism need more support,

this government is taking it away. This is cruelty.

Let’s not forget the $10-a-day daycare promise that they made ten years ago. It’s

still not here. Instead, they’re now touting an affordable child care benefit that

doesn’t come close to covering the cost of care for families.

What about housing? This government says they’re reversing damage to the overheated

market. But they’re using a bulldozer, not a repair kit. They’re driving up costs

for renters and homeowners alike while failing to build enough affordable homes to

make a difference.

I can’t stand to hear people say that the NDP care about people. This is a budget

completely devoid of empathy. They take away from people that produce and people who

genuinely need support and then enable those who make harmful choices in the belief

that those people have no choice.

Let’s get to the crisis that keeps my constituents up at night: public safety in Surrey.

I remember back when the police transition was being proposed. It was supposed to

be two years. I remember looking at the situation without the benefit of inside documents

and overall figures, but I said: “What they’re proposing looks like a 14-year transition

plan.” Although I don’t think it was a plan. Well, it looks like I was closer than

this government and the Solicitor General at the time.

When Surrey voted for a new mayor and council, largely based on keeping the RCMP,

what did this government do? They changed the laws and then forced the change on the

people of Surrey and the municipal government. There was no plan, no forethought,

just an ideological urgency from this government.

Now the people of Surrey suffer under an extortion crisis that this government is

doing nothing about. Last week the Surrey police service chief released a statement

that should shock every British Columbian. This government is forcing the SPS to take

over policing in Cloverdale on April 1, four months earlier than planned, even though

the force says they don’t have the officers to do it. The SPS says they need 70 officers

to police Cloverdale. But right now 40 of their officers are redeployed to fight the

extortion crisis that this government has ignored for years.

Deputy Speaker : Member, I hate to interrupt, but I think we have someone about to seek leave.

Hon Chan : I would like to seek leave for an introduction.

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

Hon Chan : I would like to warmly welcome the third group and the last group of students from

Richmond Secondary School, from my riding of Richmond Centre, to the Legislative Assembly

today. It is great to see the young people here learning about how our democracy works.

Today we are debating Budget 2026, which the government introduced last week. Our

job as the opposition is to review it very carefully, to talk about what we agree

with and what we disagree with and to represent the voices of people across British

Columbia and the voices of you.

Last but not least, go Colts.

May the House make them feel very welcome.

Deputy Speaker : Welcome to everyone in our chamber today.

Recognizing the member for Surrey-Panorama. Apologies for the interruption.

Debate Continued

Bryan Tepper : No problem, Mr. Chair.

All right. I was speaking about the SPS needing 70 police officers to police Cloverdale

and 40 of the police officers that the SPS does have fighting the extortion crisis

in Surrey. This government is forcing them to pull those officers off of extortion

investigations and put them on patrol, leaving our small businesses vulnerable to

gang threats and our streets less safe.

[2:50 p.m.]

To add insult to injury, this government won’t let Surrey or Vancouver start their

own police academies to fix the officer shortage. They’re forcing a rushed transition

then refusing to give the force the tools they need to succeed.

As for the extortion crisis, this government created an advisory group to address

it. It looks like almost every member has strong ties to the NDP. These are the same

people who slept through the crisis for years. It’s a joke. My constituents aren’t

laughing.

A provincewide survey released last week found that 90 percent of British Columbians

believe crimes are going unreported, and 71 percent say they lack confidence in the

justice system. Prolific criminals are arrested and released immediately, only to

commit more crimes.

Now this government is cutting the corrections budget, meaning even fewer people will

be put in jail to protect our communities. This government is cutting public safety

funding by $4 million this year. Who will be the next short-staffed? Which community

will be left unprotected?

The numbers for police responsible to be paid for by this government have not changed

in years, and it does not change again this year. There was a promised increase for

the RCMP to police our small communities. They have not been seen.

About people being arrested and released, I know it used to happen in the past, as

well, when I was policing. However, it is now the norm, and people want to see accountability

in our courts.

Let’s talk transportation. Those of us living south of the Fraser seem to be a forgotten

second class, but this government does seem to love separating people into different

classes.

The replacement for the George Massey Tunnel has been one of the biggest failures

of this NDP government. There was a great replacement. It was a bridge, not only approved

but underway, yet this government cancelled it, wasting hundreds of millions of dollars

just to stick it to their political opponents. I’d love to hear the transport minister

explain any other reason behind this decision, because he hasn’t given one that passes

muster so far.

Then they spent $87.5 million on the Steveston interchange, double the initial cost

estimate. Guess what. If this government showed a little common sense and went back

to the bridge plan, that interchange would have to be removed. More government waste,

but I suppose that would be a drop in the bucket, since the cost of the bridge is

still predicted to be almost half the cost of this mythical new tunnel. Either way,

I say: please, get on with something, anything.

People sitting, idling, south of the Fraser, spewing exhaust in the morning, heading

in for their jobs. In the evening, stuck in traffic again, trying to head home. But

perhaps that’s what this budget is trying to accomplish. If people don’t have jobs

to go to downtown, we don’t have to worry about it. We could have had a big, beautiful

bridge with ten lanes, space for transit, space to grow.

This budget is a betrayal of every promise this NDP government ever made. It’s a betrayal

of seniors, of health care patients, of small business owners and of the people of

Surrey.

The former NDP Finance Minister said that this government’s leadership has hurt the

NDP brand. But the hurt this budget does to the NDP brand is nothing compared to the

hurt it does to the people of B.C. — to seniors who will lose their homes, to families

who can’t get a doctor, to small business owners who are scared to open their doors,

to people scared to leave their basements for being shot.

[2:55 p.m.]

This government must reverse course. It must cancel the property tax deferral interest

rate hike for seniors; pause the Cloverdale police transition until the SPS can safely

take over; fund, not just allow, a Surrey police academy to fix the officer shortage;

reverse the corrections budget cuts; and keep violent criminals behind bars.

Either deliver on the $10-a-day daycare promise they made ten years ago, or be honest

and tell the families out there that it just isn’t going to happen.

The people of Surrey-Panorama deserve better. They deserve a government that puts

people’s needs first, not their own political ambitions. This government has failed.

It’s time for them to take responsibility or get out of the way.

Can’t run a popsicle stand, indeed.

Hon. Anne Kang : It is an honour to respond to the 2026 budget here today as the Minister of Tourism,

Arts, Culture and Sport and the MLA for Burnaby Centre.

I would like to begin by acknowledging that the B.C. Legislature is on the territory

of the lək̓ʷəŋən-speaking Peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations.

Before I begin, I want to acknowledge the recent tragedy in Tumbler Ridge. My heart

goes out to everyone in the community, especially the families who have lost a loved

one.

This is a deeply shocking and painful time for so many, both at a local level and

across the country, and we are committed to ensuring there is timely, coordinated

support available to the people in Tumbler Ridge, including counselling services,

health resources and community assistance. Supports will remain in place as long as

they are needed. As we stand with Tumbler Ridge, our commitment to all British Columbians

remains steadfast.

I would like to take this opportunity today to talk about Budget 2026 and what that

means for the province and what my ministry has to offer. Budget 2026 comes at a time

when many families, communities and sectors throughout British Columbia are feeling

the impact of global uncertainty and rising costs.

Over the past eight years, we’ve built strong foundations in our tourism, arts, culture

and sports sectors, and those foundations matter now more than ever, because we have

to be realistic and disciplined about the choices ahead, because every dollar must

count. That’s why we’re taking responsible steps to strengthen revenues, grow the

economy and secure long-term benefits for major projects. With the Look West strategy,

we’re moving fast, cutting timelines, unlocking major projects and creating good jobs

across the tourism, arts, culture, sport and creative industries.

Tourism, arts, culture and sports are pillars of our economy and essential to the

cultural social fabric of this province. The people who work in these sectors are

the heart and soul of communities throughout British Columbia. These sectors generate

jobs, support local businesses, strengthen local economies, build resilient communities

and attract visitors and talent from around the world. These industries fuel creativity,

inspire innovation and spark solutions that benefit every region. They help young

people find their path, help communities express who they are and help us stay connected

to one another during difficult times.

When COVID hit, British Columbians turned to these sectors, to local trails and parks,

community sport, books, music and film for connection and hope. In today’s hard times,

people are turning to them again.

These sectors also support reconciliation by uplifting Indigenous artists, athletes

and cultural leaders and by creating programs where communities can heal, learn and

build together. In a year where government must be careful with spending, our message

is clear. These sectors remain vital, and we will continue to prioritize them.

[3:00 p.m.]

Tourism continues to be a strong contributor to B.C.’s economy. This sector is one

of the largest small business generators and employers in the province, with almost

17,000 businesses directly providing services to visitors in B.C. It also supports

more than 113,000 direct jobs. When we include indirect jobs, that number increases

to almost 163,000 full-time jobs in 2024.

Last year we saw resiliency, incredible entrepreneur spirit and communities working

hard to welcome visitors from around the world.

Tourism generated nearly $9.4 billion to our provincial GDP and $23 billion in revenue

in 2024. In 2024, B.C.’s tourism industry produced nearly $2.1 billion in federal

taxes, nearly $1.8 billion in provincial taxes and more than $300 million in local

government taxes. We continue to see growth in international visitors to B.C., with

5.4 million overnight visitor arrivals in 2024, up 7 percent from the previous year.

This is good news.

Last year’s hotels recorded an average provincial occupancy rate of 70 percent. YVR

landed its biggest year ever with a record 26.9 million travellers passing through

the airport in 2025, which was supported by over 230 full-time jobs.

We recognize that a skilled, stable labour force is essential for strengthening communities

and driving long-term economic prosperity through tourism.

That is why, through Look West, we will be delivering a tourism growth strategy to

position B.C.’s tourism sector for long-term growth and success by creating the conditions

needed to attract investments in tourism infrastructure and experiences, by exploring

opportunities to grow and diversify the industry, by extending seasons and expanding

tourism offerings and by leveraging the global exposure from FIFA World Cup ’26 to

generate jobs and deliver benefits to communities throughout British Columbia.

B.C.’s outdoor recreation is a cornerstone of this growth, attracting visitors from

around the world to experience B.C.’s mountains, forests, rivers and coastline. These

experiences not only drive visitation but also sustain local economies and small businesses

in rural and Indigenous communities.

We’re committed to supporting our mountain resorts, adventure tourism operators and

commercial recreation providers who deliver safe, world-class experiences that connect

visitors with B.C.’s natural landscapes.

Together these efforts strengthen our economy, and tourism is ready to lead the way.

That’s why it’s critical that we continue to work with our partners like Destination

B.C. to support a strong, sustainable visitor economy. In Budget 2026, we will be

taking steps to ensure tourism operators — large and small, rural and urban — have

the support that they need.

This investment is supporting our government’s broader strategy to modernize permitting

and regulatory frameworks, ensuring continued, focused efforts to advance investment

and the growth of our world-class mountain resort sector. Ski resorts drive investments

in rural communities throughout B.C., including $2.02 billion invested in ski areas

on Crown land.

To support our future workforce and economic development needs in key sectors such

as tourism, we are investing in post-secondary institutions to help build capacity.

These investments will build capacity to support future workforce and economic development

needs in key sectors, including tourism.

This includes a $58 million investment at Kelowna’s Okanagan College campus for a

four-storey, hybrid mass timber centre for food, wine and tourism, expected to be

completed by 2027.

This year we will also continue to support B.C. as a world-class destination, working

with our Crown corporation Destination B.C. and other tourism partners to promote

local travel, strengthen international markets, support major events and help tourism

businesses remain competitive.

[3:05 p.m.]

People are fascinated by culture, our history, our heritages. Our museums do an excellent

job sharing B.C.’s story to the world. The province is committed to the conservation

and protection of its historical and heritage resources.

I am so proud of the incredible work our government is doing with our partners to

preserve our history through the conservation of provincial heritage sites.

Since 2020, the province has provided a record investment of more than $55 million

to preserve and protect B.C.’s heritage assets. Heritage sites are powerful tourism

drivers, attracting visitors who seek authentic cultural experiences and encouraging

travelers to explore beyond major urban city centres for deeper, more meaningful connections

to B.C.’s history.

Speaking of making history, as we look to host the FIFA World Cup, the world’s largest

single sport event, we must capitalize on this unprecedented opportunity for British

Columbia. Through the Look West strategy, we are positioning B.C. as a reliable and

competitive destination for Canadians and global investors, leveraging the FIFA World

Cup to showcase our expertise, strategic location and key sectors of strength to a

worldwide audience.

With the eyes of the world upon us, the tournament will shine a powerful global spotlight

on British Columbia as a premiere destination for tourism, trade and long-term investment.

Beyond the seven matches being played in Vancouver, the tournament will leave lasting

legacies that extend well beyond the pitch throughout British Columbia with an exciting

announcement coming this March.

This is about supporting local businesses, good jobs for British Columbians, attracting

new investment and strengthening B.C.’s place on the global stage for decades to come.

The seven matches are expected to attract more than 350,000 soccer fans to B.C. Place

during the tournament and generate over $1 billion in visitor spending for B.C.’s

economy from 2026 through 2031.

In the five years following, we are expecting to see more than one million additional

out-of-province visitors and potentially up to $224 million in direct, indirect and

other related provincial tax revenues. We are supporting communities across the province

to bring the excitement of FIFA to community celebrations throughout the province

in addition to the FIFA fan festival.

Research shows that visitors often return three or four times over their lifetimes.

By showcasing our province during the moment, we ensure that people come back again

and again for business, for travel, for trade and for investment. It’s clear that

we’re making strategic investments, harnessing the social and economic benefits of

these matches and making sure people all over the region of B.C. share in the benefits

of hosting this sport.

Sport is one of the most powerful tools we have to bring people together. Whether

it’s high-performance competition or weekend recreation, sport builds healthier communities

and supports young people in every corner of B.C.

Our government remains committed to making sport in British Columbia safe, inclusive

and accessible for all. That is why the provincial government invests approximately

$50 million annually in sport to help bring healthy living and community economic

benefits to the entire province. This investment directly supports over 70 sport organizations

and over 718,000 members of amateur sport organizations to get active and engaged

in their communities.

When playing sports, everyone deserves to feel safe. That’s why we are committed to

strengthening safe sport measures, including the development of the PlaySafe B.C.

program and establishing Sport Safeguarding B.C. Sport is helping young athletes throughout

British Columbia turn potential into achievement, from competing at the B.C. Games

to representing Canada on the Olympic stage.

By supporting sport, we’re not just funding competition. We’re strengthening communities,

creating jobs and driving local spending that stays right here at home, while bringing

people together through the shared pride and spirit that only sport can inspire.

[3:10 p.m.]

The same passion that fuels our sports sector fuels our artists, bringing our communities

together. Arts and culture reflect who we are. They help us understand our history,

celebrate our communities and share our stories with the world. From museums and galleries,

theatre companies and festivals, to grassroots organizations that keep culture alive

in every region of B.C., this sector enriches our lives and keeps our province vibrant.

Over the years, we’ve built a strong foundation of programs that British Columbians

can count on, and we will continue to support the people who make arts and culture

possible, because their work strengthens communities and enriches lives across the

province.

At the centre of this support is the B.C. Arts Council. Through the B.C. Arts Council,

we support programs that help artists and organizations thrive, from operating funding

that keeps theatres, galleries and cultural centres open to arts training and community

festivals that give kids their first chance to dance, sing, paint or perform on a

stage. We will continue these supports.

Programs like the destination events program also help festivals and cultural experiences

grow, reach new audiences and strengthen B.C.’s cultural landscape.

I want to highlight the important role of community gaming grants. These grants reach

deep into communities throughout B.C.

Each year the province invests as much as $140 million through community gaming grants,

supporting approximately 5,000 non-profit organizations and strengthening communities

throughout British Columbia.

Supporting arts and culture groups — such as youth programs, food banks, parent advisory

councils, local sport clubs, capital projects and front-line human service organizations

— the grants help keep the doors open at the places that families rely on every day.

They make sure that people stay connected, supported and able to participate in community

life.

Just as our arts and culture sector reflects who we are, our creative industries demonstrate

what British Columbians can achieve. B.C.’s creative industries — film, television,

music, publishing, animation and digital media — are recognized globally as leaders

in innovation and production excellence.

Together these industries form a powerful cultural and economic engine, one that inspires,

employs and elevates talent across the province. They employ tens of thousands of

highly skilled people and attract major productions, like Shōgun and The Last of Us, that fuel local economies.

We’ve seen incredible recognition this year, with B.C. talent front and centre. From

Nanaimo’s Cameron Whitcomb, a five-time Juno nominee, including Album of the Year,

to the Golden Globe–winning animated film KPop Demon Hunters — powered in part by B.C.’s animation teams, who also contributed to Oscar-nominated

titles like Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash — our creative industry showcased B.C.’s talent, diversity and technical experience

on the world stage.

Last year we boosted support for the motion picture industry, including increased

tax credits for our domestic sector and for productions coming from other jurisdictions,

and we introduced a new bonus incentive for major productions. We also increased interactive

digital media tax credits to support a strong digital media industry and ensure that

B.C. remains competitive.

These investments are working. B.C. continues to attract major productions such as

from Sony, HBO and Disney. Through Budget 2026 and in response to industry feedback,

we introduced important improvements to the film and television tax credit programs.

These include simplifying filing and certification requirements and removing the pre-certification

requirement.

We also strengthened our broader creative sector by making the book publishing tax

credit permanent, providing stable, long-term support for B.C.’s publishers and authors.

Together, these changes make it easier for productions and creative companies, both

locally and internationally, to access the supports they rely on, while keeping B.C.

competitive and production-ready.

[3:15 p.m.]

This support is critical in creating high-paying jobs in the sector and expanding

opportunities for thousands of people living in British Columbia.

To build on this momentum, we are working with cross-ministry and industry partners

to develop a provincial film and television strategy. This strategy will help the

sector stay strong and competitive as global markets continue to shift. It will build

on the strength of our people and our studios so B.C. stays a place where productions

want to film and where our own creators can succeed.

I want to take this opportunity to talk about Burnaby-related projects and to emphasize

that budgets don’t just announce projects; they deliver them. The most meaningful

measure of a government’s commitment is whether the things we promised in past years

are built, opened, staffed and used by the public, especially when times get tough.

Global uncertainty is not just a headline. It is a reality that shows up in grocery

bills, in rental cheques and in anxiety about the future. That’s exactly why our approach

matters. In this moment, the province has chosen to make careful, disciplined choices

to protect what matters most, like education and health care, and to keep building

a stronger future. We are protecting core services and continuing to build across

the province, including in my riding of Burnaby Centre.

We are safeguarding health care and education, supporting people who need care and

assistance, and moving forward with a substantial and sustainable capital plan that

creates jobs and meets the real needs of British Columbians. It means being honest

about fiscal pressures that we are facing while refusing to compromise on essential

community needs.

In Burnaby, one of the clearest examples of that commitment is BCIT. BCIT has a special

place in my community as one of the cornerstone institutes that help shape our community

and the future of our workplace and workforce in British Columbia. Everyone has a

place in BCIT, from a newly graduated high-schooler to a mid-career professional looking

to change careers or advance in their own career.

As a proud MLA for BCIT, I can confidently say that when we talk about the future-proofing

of our economy and creating more opportunities for skills training, BCIT is an example

of what it looks like on the ground.

That is why I’m proud to highlight the south campus infrastructure renewal project

at BCIT. The province has committed $48 million for this work, replacing aging electrical,

stormwater and other critical infrastructure. Construction is expected to be completed

in 2029. This is foundational work. Renewing the backbone of a campus is exactly what

responsible governments do when they say they will safeguard what we have built.

Another exciting project happening at BCIT is the announcement of the trades and technology

complex, a collection of new and renovated buildings that will add 1,200 student trade

and technology seats in modernized learning spaces. The province is providing $151.6

million, and it will be completed in 2027. It is expected to generate 738 direct jobs

and 406 indirect jobs, those numbers representing paycheques, apprenticeships, contracts

for local suppliers and years of economic activity.

The bigger point is this. Every seat in a trade program is a concrete response to

labour shortages that are holding back housing construction, infrastructure projects

and business expansion. It is a plan to secure good-paying jobs and economic prosperity

for people and families.

If we want to talk honestly about affordability, we also need to talk honestly about

student housing. British Columbian families know how tight the rental market has been

for years — low vacancy rates, rising rent and a high demand in rental housing. When

students can’t find housing they can afford, it pushes demand into the surrounding

neighbourhoods. That is why the Tall Timber student housing project at BCIT is so

important. It creates 470 new affordable student housing spaces with a provincial

investment of $129 million, helping reduce pressure in local private rental housing.

[3:20 p.m.]

Alongside the student housing investment, I want to highlight an accomplishment that

will matter to thousands of Burnaby families: 4277 Norland Avenue. This project delivers

155 affordable homes for seniors and seniors with disabilities. The province provided

$16.9 million through B.C. Housing’s community housing fund, and the project was completed

in 2025. This means that a senior who wants to stay in Burnaby can do so, and a couple

living on a fixed income can remain close to their friends, their cultural community

and their family.

These investments matter to the families and communities directly affected, but they

also matter to every British Columbian, because we are starting to see the impact

of the housing supply across the region. The CMHC reports that the greater Vancouver

rental vacancy rate more than doubled in 2025, rising from 1.6 percent to 3.7 percent.

Projects like Tall Timber and 4277 Norland Avenue are part of the reason we can point

to progress, because when we invest in affordable and student housing, we ease pressure,

slow rents and help people tackle everyday costs.

If there is one project in Burnaby that captures the heart of what people want from

the government, especially in uncertain times, it is the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment

and the construction of the B.C. Cancer Centre. When people talk in Burnaby about

health care, they talk about the emergency department. They talk about the surgery

wait times. They talk about the crowded hallways and about whether their loved ones

can get care close to their home.

This redevelopment is transformative. It will add two new patient care towers with

new units and operating rooms, resulting in 399 beds, a bigger emergency department

and a new cancer treatment centre. This province is investing $633.3 million in phase

1 and $1.7 billion in phase 2, which includes the B.C. Cancer Centre. The second patient

care tower is expected to have 160 new beds and a state-of-the-art cancer treatment

centre and a new six-storey pavilion, which will house the new surgery centre.

Together both phases are expected to create 17,548 direct jobs and 6.5 thousand indirect

jobs.

Even when budgets are under pressure, we will protect the most critical services people

rely on every day by strengthening health care and ensuring the system remains responsive

to the needs of people.

I want to underline something from the province’s strategic direction. We are facing

global uncertainty and high cost that puts pressure on public finances. But disciplined

choices are being made so that we can prevent cuts to critical services and focus

resources on what people depend on. This government is choosing to step forward with

investments that expand access to modern equality and care.

I am incredibly proud of the work that people across our sectors and our province

do every day. Their creativity, their resilience and their passion are the reasons

British Columbia is known across the world for its culture, its people and its experiences.

Even in uncertain times, our province remains strong, diverse and full of opportunity.

Our government is taking a careful and responsible approach to this year’s budget,

but we are not stepping back from the work that makes people’s lives better. We will

continue to stand with our partners, our communities and our sectors, and we will

continue listening, learning and collaborating.

Together we will build a strong, sustainable future for tourism, arts, culture and

sport in British Columbia. When we invest in this sector, we are not only making strategic

investments to our economy; we are also investing in the well-being and pride of this

province. No matter what challenges come our way, British Columbians will meet them

together.

I support this Budget 2026, and so does my ministry.

[Mable Elmore in the chair.]

Elenore Sturko : Thank you for this opportunity to speak to Budget 2026.

[3:25 p.m.]

My constituents in Surrey-Cloverdale are diverse families. We have seniors, small

businesses. We have business owners and leaders from large companies, all of whom

deserve a government that manages our province’s finances responsibly and invests

in their future. Today I rise to respond to this 2026 provincial budget, and it’s

a budget that unfortunately falls short of that mark.

This budget projects a staggering $13.3 billion deficit, the largest in British Columbia’s

history, with the provincial debt skyrocketing to $234.5 billion by 2028-2029. It’s

a plan riddled with tax hikes, hidden cuts and delays that will burden families and

seniors while failing to ignite the economic growth that our province needs.

This government claims to be making disciplined choices to protect core services,

yet what we’re seeing is a ballooning deficit, $3.1 billion higher than last year’s

projections. Despite raising taxes and slashing 15,000 public sector jobs over three

years, the debt-to-GDP ratio climbs to 37.4 percent, increasing borrowing costs and

risking further credit downgrades.

It’s not only Independents and opposition MLAs who are pointing out the shortcomings

of the 2026 budget. Business organizations and leaders across the province have come

out very strongly to voice their disapproval.

The B.C. Chamber of Commerce calls this budget “a sobering economic outlook” with

“little in the way of needed economic incentives.” They highlight the alarming deficit

increase and the debt climbing from $154 billion to $235 billion. Jen Riley, the chamber’s

president and CEO, noted that the budget offers no meaningful plan to kick-start our

economy or generate prosperity for citizens and businesses.

Similarly, the Vancouver Board of Trade gave this budget a failing D grade, the lowest

in over 20 years, citing slow growth, higher taxes, runaway spending. Bridgitte Anderson,

the CEO, warned that it confirms “slow growth, higher taxes and continued runaway

spending.”

Business groups, like the B.C. Business Council, echo these concerns, saying that

the budget fails to stabilize our fiscal trajectory by restraining spending or improving

conditions for private sector investment. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business,

or the CFIB, criticizes the expansion of the provincial sales tax to additional professional

services, calling it “a move in the wrong direction.” It adds that cost pressures

to small businesses are already struggling.

The Independent Contractors and Business Association describes this budget as a “mess”

and “awful for construction.” They point to delays in major projects like hospitals.

I believe that the hospital that the Minister for Tourism and Sport was just talking

about in her own riding is, in fact, one of the projects that’s delayed. While it’s

a source of pride for her, I think, it’s, frankly, embarrassing for this government

that they would have to “re-pace projects” that they then go on to brag about in their

own speeches.

I’d also add that the NDP’s decision to add community benefits agreements in their

decisions added an estimated 4 to 7 percent onto the cost of every government infrastructure

project.

Over the last couple of years, B.C. has had a record number of people migrate out

of the province, citing the high cost of living. A significant number of those who

are choosing to leave our province are young people. They don’t see a future for themselves

here, and this budget’s projected modest economic growth of just 1.3 percent in 2026

means fewer opportunities for young people starting out and more uncertainty for those

trying to make ends meet.

I’d like to talk for a moment about public safety. I was very disappointed to see

a lack of greater investment in public safety. Cloverdale residents have been targeted

by violence with multiple extortions, multiple extortion-related shootings. I was

very disappointed, frankly, that I didn’t see a greater investment both to fund the

police for special teams that deal with enforcement against gang activity and also

without an even greater investment to combat illegal firearms.

[3:30 p.m.]

Extortions have had a tremendous impact on people who live in Cloverdale. We’ve had

some victims of extortion that have been hit multiple times in their same residence.

Just, actually, a couple blocks from where I live, we had a home that was targeted

for a shooting, and a gardener got a bullet lodged in their face.

There is no doubt this government is actually taking the extortion crisis seriously,

but the way in which they are funding public safety is not going to be adequate to

address the depth of the problems that we currently have.

One of the ways that they’re failing is by not increasing the number of provincially

funded RCMP officers. A couple of years ago the government did make an investment

in increasing the number of police officers on the provincial business line, but this

simply filled vacancies that they had let go vacant for years. The fact is that the

provincial business line of the RCMP in B.C. has been stuck at 2,602 members since

These are the members who respond in communities like Tumbler Ridge, for example,

small communities, and also are part of provincial teams that have been tasked with

joining the provincial extortion task force. When we keep the number of police officers

at the provincial business line stagnant, it actually also puts a disproportionate

cost onto municipalities, who then themselves have to pay for a larger number of RCMP

if that is who is supporting their community in rural areas.

I also want to address something that the member for Panorama had brought up, and

that is the Surrey policing transition. I can tell you that the residents of Surrey-Cloverdale

are ready for the SPS to come and transition us over to their services. We welcome

the transition to continue on time on April 1.

I think that the concerns that are raised over whether or not the review that the

director of police services has done would be giving confidence to citizens that there

are, in fact, enough human resources to take over the transition…. I would ask the

government to be more clear on how they can provide assurances that the transition

is adequately staffed with personnel on the front line.

I would also point out that the municipal police force says it needs over 70 members

to move the transition forward into our community when the RCMP is doing it with just

over 30 at this time.

We do welcome the transition to continue. We’re supportive of the minister wanting

to advance the transition on April 1. I’ve heard concerns from members of the public,

businesses, the chamber of commerce and the business improvement association that

we’ve actually seen a reduction in police services since the scaling back of the RCMP

as part of the transition. They were asked to decommission special teams, so we’ve

actually, in Cloverdale, seen a reduction in services.

We welcome SPS to continue to transition into our area. We’re proud to have our new

police force coming to our area April 1. I just want to reiterate that, for my constituents,

this is an important thing to go forward. But yes, we definitely need more resources

on the provincial business line of the RCMP and for public safety overall, and this

budget isn’t delivering it.

If our municipal police need more officers for extortion, then I would like to hold

the government accountable for its promise at the end of November to provide a surge

capacity of RCMP officers into Surrey to help fight extortion. Let’s move our brand-new

and hard-working members of the SPS to our front line, and let’s bring in those supplements

that this government promised to my community.

I can’t talk about crime and funding without actually talking about health funding

as well, specifically to talk about funding for mental health and addiction, which

was pretty much nothing in this budget.

[3:35 p.m.]

A re-announcement of 100 beds that the Premier had disclosed under pressure at the

end of the UBCM meetings in September, after mayors held a rally on the steps of this

Legislature to talk about the absolutely crisis amounts of street disorder that people

are experiencing in communities all across British Columbia.

Recent surveys have been done by a number of different groups — Save Our Streets coalition,

business improvement areas of British Columbia — and, time and again, the results

come back to say over half of British Columbians currently feel unsafe in their neighbourhoods.

These types of feelings, wellness and safety, are not always reflected in crime stats.

The reason for that is that people don’t always report to the police. They don’t always

call in, particularly if it’s a persistent problem like street disorder and they’ve

called time and again and, in their perception, nothing happens. Or they’re a business

that has experienced a high level of shoplifting, and the person who steals from them

on an almost daily basis never gets charge approval and comes back again and again.

I think it’s important, when…. I’m talking about the underfunding of public safety

ministries by this government in the 2026 budget, but it is also directly linked to

their underfunding of mental health care, in particular, in British Columbia, in the

2026 budget.

One of the examples that I’ll give you is a recent news story about an individual.

It’s really sad. They were in Nanaimo. They broke into a tugboat. Many people saw

this on television.

It was reported that this is a person who suffered from drug addiction. They had been

struggling. They had tried to go into voluntary addictions treatment. They struggled.

They relapsed, and they ended up in the situation where they spent over 30 hours on

a tugboat, absolutely smashed it.

They’re seen in a video, smoking, at one point, illicit drugs from what looks like

the same kind of bubbler pipe that they’re giving out in NDP government harm reduction

sites. What happens is they end up in a standoff with police, arrested, released.

Then the first thing the person does…. They come back to the tugboat. They get picked

up again by the police.

This time the police actually go and find them. They’re in a business where they’re

committing a theft. The person gets held in custody. The following day, Nanaimo RCMP

come out in public, and they give a warning to residents in Nanaimo, and they say:

“You know what? We’re giving you tips on how to prevent break and enter. We’re giving

you tips on how to secure your home against someone breaking in and what to do if

you come home and you find somebody in your tugboat or your home.”

That’s backwards. I respect the RCMP for giving those warnings, and it’s sad that

we have to be in this place. But why should it be, under this government, and I pose

this question to all British Columbians, that a person who is sick and who is addicted

with an obvious mental illness because of drug use is free on the street and without

adequate care, while citizens who are just minding their own business, trying to live

a happy life here in B.C., have to batten down the hatches and barricade themselves

in their homes? It’s backwards.

It’s an extreme disappointment to me to see how these two issues, which are connected….

Our problem that we have in this province with public safety issues, the ones that

cause people the most distress, I would say, apart from….

Obviously, extortions are causing a lot of distress, but people can see, on the street,

the street disorder. Business owners are experiencing the shopliftings. Many of these

issues that we have are directly linked to health issues, mental health, addictions,

and we are failing.

I actually really like the ReVOII program. I think that B.C. prosecution service and

the bail supervisors and the police, the RCMP and municipal police, are doing a great

job at administrating this program, and it does have some good outcomes. But the reality

is that there is a huge number of people that do not meet the criteria of that program

and that the services that we’re providing are ineffective.

[3:40 p.m.]

One of the ways in which…. I would have loved to see in this budget — which is a connection,

actually, between justice and public safety and health care — funding to create live-in

treatment units within B.C. Corrections, meaning that anyone who would be sentenced

to two years less a day would be eligible to live in a unit within B.C. Corrections

and receive treatment, receive health care, receive intensive mental health care services

so we can finally help some of these individuals break the cycle that they are caught

in, in our province right now.

Maybe we’ll get there. I think other provinces are doing this. I was heartened to

see that, especially in Surrey Pretrial, there are ten beds that were funded, created

last year, to help if there’s someone who’s in psychosis that gets brought in by the

police.

They’re able to go then…. Instead of waiting for a space at the forensic psychiatric

hospital, they can go into one of these beds. They can receive treatment immediately

to help alleviate the symptoms of the mental illness that they’re diagnosed with and

help that person. But that’s only ten beds out of this humongous province.

We have a lot of pretrial centres in B.C. We have a lot of correctional facilities

where these services could help so many people break this terrible cycle. I can tell

you that we would be going a long way in this province to addressing that 50 percent

of people that keep coming back on the surveys who don’t feel safe. It is a completely

solvable problem. But we can’t solve it unless we’re putting the programs in place

that will address the root of these issues.

I spoke briefly, too, about the firearms, wishing to see…. I know that the government….

I was actually pleased, I’ll say, to see that, I think, a $600,000 investment in the

gun lab in Surrey was given to help further investigations into firearms, particularly

in light of the extortion crisis that we’re going through. But I still believe that

this is too little funding. We need to have a greater amount of funding.

We need to see that we’re going to actually increase our firearms program to look

for three types of things that we need to actually be addressing in this province.

We need to be addressing illegal firearms that are coming from the United States.

CSIS reports and other government reports show that over 95 percent of guns used in

crimes are illegal firearms coming from south of the border.

We’re also seeing a rise in 3D-printed guns. Some federal legislation actually came

into effect in 2024 that helped us deal, at least legally, if people are caught with

either the plans or downloading or in possession of 3D-printed guns. But this is an

emerging issue that actually will require us to have more resources. I’d like to see

dedicated resources going, even, to reviewing provincially and seeing some more analysis

on how often we’re seeing these occurrences and what we can do to get ahead of this

problem.

The third way in which illegal firearms are making their way into the hands of criminals

in this province is through straw buyers. That’s where someone with a possession and

acquisition licence in our province buys firearms legally, but then illegally sells

them, gives them or distributes them otherwise to people who are not able to have

guns, who either are prohibited from having firearms or just simply don’t have a possession

and acquisition licence.

These are three fairly significant issues that I think that most British Columbians

would agree are a good investment in this at a time when, in my opinion, we have a

gun and firearm crisis in British Columbia.

I’ve spent a lot of time speaking about mental health and crime because it’s a huge

problem. So I’m going to skip ahead on some of my budget speech.

I guess, I’ll move to something that I also found really disturbing in the budget.

That’s the re-pacing — the cancellation, really — of some long-term-care projects.

Apart from very strongly advocating for better mental health policies, better drug

policies, law enforcement supports, health care is, for all of us…. I think we can

all agree that we want to be able to provide British Columbians the best health care

possible, and we want it to be free and accessible for everybody.

[3:45 p.m.]

At the end of last year, the media had acquired from the Ministry of Health the statistics

on overcrowding in hospitals. They published at the end of last year, in the Tyee, a list of 20 hospitals in the province that consistently ran over 110 percent capacity.

The data also talked about how, for all of those hospitals, there is an average of

between 10 and 15 percent of those beds in those hospitals that have people who are

awaiting an alternate level of care, whether it’s some form of therapy that they need

or they need to go for rehabilitation services.

The most significant portion of those people are actually seniors waiting for long-term

care. The list of 20…. It was a long list. Some of the most significant were, for

example: Abbotsford Regional Hospital, 128 percent beyond capacity; Chilliwack General

Hospital, 117 percent over capacity — these are consistently running, the average

for them — Delta Hospital, 128 percent on average over capacity; Surrey Memorial,

on average 115 percent over capacity.

Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Delta are all locations where their long-term-care facility

is re-paced. It’s delayed or cancelled. It’s indefinite.

This just doesn’t make sense, because when we have hospitals that are over capacity

this way, it doesn’t just impact the seniors who are waiting for care and their families.

It impacts the other patients in the hospital who are experiencing hallway medicine,

overcrowding, people who are actually in the emergency department but they can’t go

into another department of the hospital because there’s no bed. So they actually are

forced to stay in the hospital in the emergency department.

I can’t say that it’s related, but we recently heard of a young person in Vernon,

at Vernon Jubilee, who had taken themself voluntarily and were certified under the

Mental Health Act. According to their family, because of no capacity in the psychiatric

unit, they were kept in the emergency room for six days before they walked out and

were hit by a vehicle, and they died, tragically.

All of these issues, keeping people in the emergency department who need to go to

other spaces in the hospital…. All of this adds up, not just for the patients. It’s

the health care professionals too.

We’re on a huge campaign, rightly so, in British Columbia for recruiting and bringing

doctors, nurses, going to the United States to invite people to come and become British

Columbians and work here in our province. But to retain people, we have to make sure

that we’re addressing these capacity issues. I mean, the math does not add up on delaying

care.

I see that I’ve dwindled my time down to five minutes. I’m going to go to another

topic in this budget that I found just absolutely confounding.

My partner, Melissa, and I have a daughter who is very high functioning, but she has

autism. These changes will take place starting in 2027, but I’m just really, really

surprised and, frankly, disappointed. I’m upset. I feel sad with the changes that

are made to disability funding.

The

part I’m happy about is that more children with different diagnoses are included

under the umbrella of receiving services. That’s completely something that should

have probably happened a long time ago, to give more kids in B.C. a chance to be supported

and cared for by the government.

[3:50 p.m.]

What this change does is actually strips care away from kids who are considered “high

functioning.” I can tell you as someone who has a child with autism who is considered

high functioning that it was already difficult to find services. It’s very difficult

to get approval for things even when you have funding. To know that potentially 10,000

families now can be without that extra funding that might have been the little boost

that their child needed is devastating.

I’m in a position with my spouse where we may be able to help our daughter more than

other people, but that’s not everybody. Even when there are sliding scales, it is

never painting a true picture of someone’s financial situation.

These cuts, even on a sliding scale, are going to disadvantage some kids. That is

unfortunate. I’ve received dozens upon dozens of emails and letters to my office.

I’m sure that other MLAs in this place also have. I hope that the government will

re-evaluate this program and this spending formula to make sure that every kid in

B.C. is getting the funding that they need.

On Sunday, I went to the Chinatown parade in Vancouver to celebrate lunar new year.

Saw many of my colleagues, leaders in the Chinese community, Vancouver city council,

the mayor, lots of people down there.

We went to a reception. In between the parade and the reception, one of my staff and

I decided to go for a coffee. We just went around the corner from the gardens, walked

in, and the first thing we see is a fully uniformed security guard. That security

guard is employed….

To be clear, we did walk through a gauntlet of people openly consuming drugs. I’m

probably guessing that this individual is employed to keep people from coming inside

and causing a disturbance or stealing stuff. That’s the reality that business owners

are dealing with.

But how many cups of coffee do you think you have to sell to pay for a security guard

at a coffee shop? That is a lot of coffee. And now with changes to the PST, the government

is adding PST to the cost of having a security guard. I just find this absolutely

mind-blowing, mind-boggling that the government would….

It’s created a situation, through, as I said earlier, underfunding in mental health

services, underfunding in addiction services, underfunding in a collaboration between

our correctional institutions and our law enforcement and health care, dealing with

people with severe mental health and addiction….

They’ve created this perfect storm where the business community is facing rampant

shoplifting, people coming into their businesses causing a disturbance. We know London

Drugs is closing because their staff had feces being thrown at them, people threatening

them on a daily basis. They have to hire security. The government has created this

environment and now stands to profit off of the absolute need that people have to

hire security guards. Outrageous.

There’s just so much in this budget that I’ve left unsaid here. But I hope that my

constituents can tell from my passion about what’s really missing here, in terms of

spending and funding for core services that they say that they’re protecting.

It’s a disappointment. I don’t support this budget. I’m extremely disappointed in

the way that it lets some of the most vulnerable in our province down — seniors, kids

with disabilities, people with severe mental illness, business owners, family members.

Name any person that lives in this province, and I can guarantee there’s a way that

Budget 2026 is letting them down.

But I thank you for this opportunity to speak to the budget. I wish you well.

Deputy Speaker : Recognizing the member for Burnaby East.

Rohini Arora : Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise….

Deputy Speaker : Just a minute.

Member for Kelowna-Mission.

Point of Order

Gavin Dew : Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Point of order. We do have a basis of alternating recognition, which would normally

suggest that after the government speaks, the opposition speaks. The member for Kelowna

Centre was the first standing before the Speaker chose to recognize the member from

Surrey.

[3:55 p.m.]

I would ask that we return to the appropriate speaking rotation by having the member

for Kelowna Centre speak next. Thank you.

Deputy Speaker : Thank you, Member. It’s the decision of the Chair to recognize speakers, and I do

my best to alternate between government and opposition. Of course, we need to hear

from our Third Party and independents, and it’s my decision to recognize our next

speaker for Burnaby East.

Gavin Dew : I recognize that there is a level of discretion conferred upon the Speaker, but I

would like a procedural ruling on this.

Deputy Speaker : Member, I’ve made my ruling.

Debate Continued

Rohini Arora : I rise today as the MLA for Burnaby East and the deputy chair of the government caucus

to speak in support of Budget 2026.

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the territory where we are all speaking from. Since

time immemorial, the lək̓ʷəŋən Peoples, now known as the xʷsepsəm and Songhees Nations, have stewarded the area we call the Gorge waterway, building

relationships with the land and water that continue to this day.

The Gorge waterway has long been a place of cultural significance, livelihood and

sustenance. Shellfish, herring and salmon were harvested from the waterway, and birds

and wildlife such as deer, elk and bear were hunted. Cultural shell deposits, middens

comprising shells, bones and tools, have been dated back more than 4,000 years along

the Gorge. Culturally significant plants, such as coastal sage and the greater camas,

were harvested and cultivated along the waterway for food and medicine.

The waterway also serves as an integral connection between the nations. The Gorge

is a place of both ecological and cultural richness. The proper name for the Gorge

is Camossung, a lək̓ʷəŋən term for “where waters meet and are transformed.”

I’d also like to acknowledge and express my heartfelt gratitude to the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, səlilwətaɬ and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm Nations for their stewardship of the most beautiful area in B.C., where Burnaby East

is situated and I have the honour to serve my community.

Before I begin my remarks about the budget, I want to acknowledge the heavy cloud

that hangs over our province. My heart and the hearts of all of the constituents of

Burnaby East are with the people of Tumbler Ridge, especially those families who have

lost a loved one.

My thoughts are with the entire community who have experienced such a heart-wrenching

tragedy. In moments like these, we are reminded that beyond our political differences,

we are a community bound by our human experience, and it is shaped by our compassion

for one another. Our government is continuing to provide supports to Tumbler Ridge,

including counselling services, health resources and community assistance.

To the people of Tumbler Ridge: British Columbia stands with you, and we will do everything

in our power to support you through this dark time.

Maya, I wish you imminent healing. Your tenacity is an example to us all.

I’d like to express my support for Budget 2026. It hasn’t been an easy one, and it

doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to understand why. The world is sharing

a moment of profound global uncertainty.

In B.C., we are navigating a period of serious fiscal challenges driven by volatile

commodity markets. In B.C., we are broadly devastated, as well as the east, but I

feel like B.C. in particular is devastated by the arbitrary decisions that we keep

hearing about from the south and the announcements that are keeping everyone on their

toes. And that’s putting it lightly.

[4:00 p.m.]

Because this moment is different, this budget is different. When the world faces high

levels of unpredictability and gets more expensive, a government has two choices.

It can retreat into austerity, cut the services people rely on and leave families

to fend for themselves, or it can stand in the gap.

Budget 2026 is our government standing in that gap. We are choosing to protect health

care. We are choosing to protect education. We are choosing to keep B.C. one of the

lowest-taxed provinces for working families. It is a plan built on disciplined, focused

choices to protect the services that British Columbians — and, specifically, the amazing

people of Burnaby East, whom I represent — rely on the most.

I want to speak directly to my community. For the people of Burnaby East, Budget 2026

is not a collection of numbers. It’s a collection of milestones.

Let’s talk about the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment. Members opposite looked at the

TBC status for phase 2 and told this House it meant “to be cancelled.”

Let me be crystal clear for the residents of Burnaby. Phase 1 is happening right now.

It is hundreds of millions in investment that is currently under construction. You

can see progress. You can see cranes. We’re nearing completion of a major part of

phase 1 of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment project, a new six-storey acute care

tower with 83 new beds, as well as a new mental health and substance use unit, a maternity

unit, neonatal intensive care and a medical unit, which opens on March 10.

Renovations on the remaining parts of phase 1 — the expansion and renovations of the

Support Facilities Building, which includes the new Jim Pattison Surgery Centre, with

additional operating and procedure rooms and an expanded Burnaby Community Emergency

Department — will continue into 2027.

This is not a marketing exercise. It is an active construction site, and any insinuation

that the whole or any part of it is being cancelled is simply wrong.

The timing of phase 2 of the Burnaby Hospital has been adjusted as part of the ongoing

effort to strategically sequence the project to the province’s capital plan.

The first phase of the project is experiencing delays due to changes in the scope

and the complexity of renovating and operating acute care facilities, which impacts

the construction timelines for phase 2. Further work is needed on phase 2 to ensure

alignment between the scope, its designed development and cost assumptions, in support

of delivering the project within approved budgets.

Infrastructure B.C. recently released 25 recommendations from an independent expert

review panel. Don’t worry. I’m going to give you details.

These experts are referred to as an independent peer-review panel. The members of

the panel were Damian Joy, of Ernst and Youn