2004 Legislative Session: 5th Session, 37th Parliament

HANSARD

The following electronic version is for informational purposes

only.

The printed version remains the official version.

Official Report of

DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

(Hansard)

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2004

Afternoon Sitting

Volume 20, Number 13

CONTENTS

Routine Proceedings

Page

Introductions by Members

Tributes

Sohan Surinder Singh Sangha

Hon. G.

Cheema

Statements (Standing Order 25 B )

Development of gravel industry

R. Hawes

Role for Vancouver Island in offshore

oil and gas exploration

G. Trumper

Roots of Empathy program

Mayencourt

Oral Questions

Health care wait-lists

J. MacPhail

Hon. C.

Hansen

J. Kwan

Management of Forests ministry

recreation sites

J. Wilson

Hon. M. de

Jong

Budget Debate (continued)

Hon. L. Reid

Hon. C. Hansen

Hon. K. Falcon

P. Sahota

L. Stephens

Hon. J. Les

J. Wilson

B. Suffredine

B. Penner

[ Page 8719 ]

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2004

The House

met at 2:03 p.m.

Introductions by Members

Hon. S.

Brice: On behalf of my colleague the Minister of Community, Aboriginal and

Women's Services and myself, I would like to acknowledge some guests we have in

the gallery today. We have Norm Bradshaw, Ed and Shirley Excell, and Graeme and

Kathy Roberts from Saanich North and the Islands and Saanich South. Would the

House please help me make them welcome.

Hawes: In the House today there are two tireless workers in the tourism

industry from my constituency: Sharon Vallance, who is a tour guide leader from

the Powerhouse, which is B.C. Hydro's wonderful facility in Mission, and Nancy

Doerksen, who is a visitor service coordinator with the Mission Chamber of

Commerce. They are both here this week for a tourism seminar that's being held

in Victoria. Could the House please make them welcome.

R. Masi:

It's my pleasure today to introduce two longtime friends and former colleagues,

Gerry and Lynn Powlik from Langley. Would the House please make them welcome.

[1405]

Tributes

SOHAN SURINDER SINGH SANGHA

Hon. G.

Cheema: This past weekend myself and hundreds of others attended the funeral

of a historian and prominent member of the Sikh community, Mr. Sohan Surinder

Singh Sangha. Through his participation in many literary and cultural societies

of the lower mainland, as a member of the multicultural advisory committee of

British Columbia and in his role as a secretary of the Khalsa Diwan Society of

Canada, Mr. Sangha has made a significant contribution to the Sikh community and

the community at large. Would the House please join me in offering his family

our most sincere sympathy.

Statements

(Standing Order 25

b) DEVELOPMENT OF GRAVEL INDUSTRY

Hawes: Many areas of this province continue to grow at a record pace. To

ensure this continues, an adequate and economic supply of gravel is essential.

Construction, transportation and drainage all rely on great quantities of

gravel.

With

growth, however, comes increasing friction at the interface between urban and

rural residential development and the quarries needed to supply this gravel.

This friction at times almost takes on warlike proportion as residents face off

against the industry and government.

In the

mid-1990s a method of ending this war was explored. Using an enhanced Geological

Survey of Canada indicating where gravel deposits were, local government, the

gravel industry and the provincial government worked to negotiate areas where

gravelling could take place, where it could not take place and where it might

under strict conditions. Local government called it "the yes, no,

maybe." To the industry it was called "green light, red light, yellow

light." For reasons completely unknown to me, the previous government

stopped the discussion, abandoned the concept and let the gravel wars continue

to happen. Perhaps it just made too much sense for them.

I am proud

to say, though, that this government understands the importance of promoting

harmony between community and the industry. Not only did the minister empower an

MLA mining task force to consider the restoration of mining in British Columbia,

but he asked that they also consider the issue of aggregate supply as well.

I am

very pleased to inform my constituents that the Minister of State for Mining

understands the significance of an orderly, cooperative approach to future

gravel mining and supports the consultative process — such as the yes-no-maybe

concept. This is indeed good news for the Fraser Valley and the industry, who

both support this approach. Any means of ensuring community harmony while

protecting the necessary supply of gravel is a welcome step.

ROLE FOR VANCOUVER ISLAND IN

OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION

Trumper: As the interest rises in the evaluation of the opportunity for

offshore gas and oil exploration, it is vital that all communities on the west

coast of B.C. avail themselves of the opportunities that can come. Last week

Pacific Offshore Energy Association was on the west coast holding meetings in

Ucluelet and Port Alberni and giving information. The meetings were well

attended, and very good questions were asked of them.

Port

Alberni lies at the head of the Alberni Inlet. It's an industrial-based town

that has a deep-sea harbour able to accommodate Panamax ships. Over the past

several years, the authority has supported the community in many ways by

contributing to the infrastructure with new marinas and has been a partner in

the development of the waterfront. There is industrial land available on the

waterfront, and with an airport, that with some new lighting can only add to the

infrastructure that is required.

The

community is ready and open for being able to participate in the servicing

needed for seismic exploration. We have the Tofino basin just off the west

coast. With the Charlotte basin, the opportunity for Vancouver Island and for

the Alberni-Clayoquot regional district is there. We need to be part of the

planning that is

[ Page 8720 ]

taking place so that our community can also benefit from the opportunity that

is there in the oil and gas business.

[1410]

ROOTS OF EMPATHY PROGRAM

Mayencourt: I started the morning at Lord Roberts Annex, an elementary

school in my riding, and I was joined there by 22 grade 1 students, a couple of

babies and the Minister of State for Early Childhood Development. We were all

there to learn a little bit more about and to promote Roots of Empathy. Roots of

Empathy is a program that we have in about 250 B.C. schools, where a parent

brings their baby into a classroom and children have the opportunity to interact

with the infant.

The program

has been identified as an anti-bullying program. Children are taught to

understand how the others feel and are encouraged to take responsibility for

their actions and their feelings. Roots of Empathy's mission is to build caring,

civil and peaceful societies through the development of empathy in children and

adults.

What is

empathy? It's the ability to identify with another person's feelings. This is an

important skill for children to learn, and it is successfully developed by

having children interact with infants and parents of infants. Roots of Empathy

further promotes anti-bullying messages through celebrating diversity. Different

families from different ethnic groups, religions and cultures have participated

in the program. Children are being exposed to how other people live their lives,

and they are exposed to the differences between them as well as the striking

similarity that bonds us all together.

Children

are never too young to learn about the importance of caring for others, and the

Roots of Empathy program creates awareness of risk factors to babies and has a

strong focus on abuse prevention. When kids learn about a baby's feelings and

emotions, they learn about their own feelings and emotions and those of their

friends. They learn how to empathize, and they learn how to be better citizens

in our province. That's why I'm so proud of the work of the 250 schools that

bring us the Roots of Empathy.

Mr.

Speaker: That concludes members' statements.

Oral Questions

HEALTH CARE WAIT-LISTS

MacPhail: No surprises today about question period. The government knows

exactly what the opposition is asking about.

Here's what

the Health minister said last year about this time when I asked him about the

growing health care wait-lists. He said that although there were some short-term

increases to wait-lists, the government is "putting the kind of systems in

place that are going to give British Columbians more timely delivery of services

they need and deserve."

To the

minister. It's a year later. Would he like to tell British Columbians how well

his government is doing to reduce wait-lists in British Columbia?

Hon. C.

Hansen: There's actually good news for British Columbians. Last year the

health care system in B.C. performed an additional 38,000 surgeries and other

major procedures as well. That's not based on some wait-list website that the

member designed when she was in cabinet, but rather, that's based on the actual

number of billings from physicians to the Medical Services Commission in this

province.

Included in

that, we saw a 13 percent increase in the number of hip replacements that were

done in this province. We saw an 11.4 percent increase in the number of knee

replacements that were done in this province. Generally speaking, we are seeing

more surgeries being done so that British Columbians can get the care they need

when they need it.

Mr.

Speaker: Leader of the Opposition has a supplementary question.

MacPhail: Well, even though he had all morning to prepare, knowing this was

coming, he's saying exactly the opposite of what his Premier is saying today.

Today in Vancouver the Premier is meeting with other Premiers to talk about

health care, and he's wringing his hands about growing wait-lists — his

Premier.

First the

Premier said that there was enough money but that it was bad management. Then he

said that there wasn't enough money. Today the Premier doesn't know what to do,

but he knows wait-lists are growing. So, perhaps the Minister of Health needs to

make a phone call.

When I

asked the Minister of Health about the growth in wait-lists last year, they had

increased by 21 percent since the Liberals took power. Today, according to the

government's own website — the latest numbers — that figure has grown to a

26 percent increase. Over 16,000 more British Columbians are waiting for surgery

today than in June 2001. For hip surgery alone, the one the minister just

bragged about, wait-lists have grown by a phenomenal 66 percent.

Can the

minister of state responsible for seniors, who are the majority waiting for hip

surgery…? Can she tell us what she's doing to bring exploding orthopedic

wait-lists down? Otherwise, why does she exist if she can't answer that

question?

[1415]

Interjections.

Mr.

Speaker: Order, please.

Hon. C.

Hansen: Actually, it's interesting, because the members opposite put out a

press release last February 28 claiming that there were 95,265 British

Columbians waiting for surgery in B.C. In fact, if she goes

[ Page 8721 ]

on the website today, she'll find that there are 77,000 today.

One of the

things I explained to the House last year in response to her questions at that

time is that when you start looking at things like a wait-list for hip

replacement or knee replacement, you've got to start pulling those numbers

apart. What we see is that, increasingly, surgeons will put their patients on a

wait-list in anticipation of a future need, because we're talking about

conditions that are degenerating. It may not be required today, but it might be

required 18 months from now, so what we see is that some physicians will

actually put their patients on a wait-list in anticipation of some future

demand. What we need is better methodology around how we actually calculate

wait-lists, and that's one of the things that will be coming out of the western

Canada wait-list project.

Mr.

Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition has a further supplementary.

MacPhail: I'm not exactly sure how much comfort British Columbians will take

with the Minister of Health saying that it's a statistical problem, not a health

care problem. My gosh, every year this government comes up with a new

explanation for how they're not delivering on their promise.

What was

their promise? Let's just see. The government campaigned on a promise of health

care where you need it, when you need it. It's been just over a thousand days

since the Liberals took power…

Interjections.

MacPhail: …a thousand days of decline in our health care system.

Interjections.

Mr.

Speaker: Order, please. Order, please.

Interjections.

Mr.

Speaker: Hon. members, let us hear the question.

MacPhail: There are 2,500 more people waiting for eye and cataract surgery;

7,500 more people waiting for other eye surgeries; 2,000 more people waiting for

general surgery. Can the minister give any comfort other than his statistical

explanation and point out to us where in the New Era document it says

that under a Liberal government, wait-lists will grow by a whopping 26 percent

and counting?

Hon. C.

Hansen: We've undertaken a very fundamental change in the way health care is

delivered in British Columbia to build around centres of excellence. We now see

that more patients are getting care in the regions in which they live. We see

that the median wait times across health authorities are coming down. We are

actually seeing that British Columbians are getting better care in a very short

period of time.

As the

member knows, I've got a bunch of wonderful quotes that were attributed to her

when she was…. Here's one from when she was Minister of Finance on March 30,

1999. It talks about a budget increasing health care investment by $615 million.

The overriding goal of that new money is simple: more beds, more nurses and

shorter waits. Guess what happened. The wait times went up during that same

period of time.

We are

building a more comprehensive network of care in this province that actually

gives better care and that every year is producing more surgeries and better

care for British Columbians.

J. Kwan:

You know, every year we ask the minister about growing wait-lists, and every

year he makes excuses. He says: "Don't worry. We're making changes. Soon

the wait-lists will come down." And then this year we asked a question that

he's expecting, and what is the answer? He says: "Well, if the numbers

don't come down, we'll re-spin it. That's what we'll do. We'll blame it on the

stats."

[1420]

Mr.

Speaker, excuses just don't cut it anymore. Not only are wait-lists increasing,

but so is the amount of time British Columbians are on those wait-lists — 33

percent longer for orthopedic surgery, 38 percent longer for cardiac and 23

percent longer for gynecological. Will the minister just admit that the numbers

are telling him that wait-lists are going up, and thanks to this government's

mismanagement of health care, there are thousands more British Columbians

languishing on the wait-lists for longer than ever before?

Hon. C.

Hansen: The member for Vancouver-Hastings will know well the work that's

being done by the Western Canada Waiting List Project, which is actually trying

to bring some standardized ways of measuring this.

I do wish

that the members would go back and pull their own press release from last

February 28, speaking of statistics, at which time they claimed there were

95,000 British Columbians waiting for surgery in this province. You talk about

the use of statistics. They should try to get their statistics a bit more

accurate when they roll that out in this House.

Mr.

Speaker: The member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant has a supplementary

question.

J. Kwan:

You know what? News flash for the Minister of Health: wait-lists and wait

times are going up. It doesn't matter how you want to re-spin those numbers. The

reality is that British Columbians are waiting longer and longer to get surgery.

This kind

of arrogance and denial is why British Columbians have had it with this

government. While they waste millions of dollars on advertising, telling British

Columbians what a good job they're doing in health care, health care is in

crisis. While wait-lists are

[ Page 8722 ]

exploding, the government's handpicked health care directors take more than a

million dollars in fees and per diems.

Again, to

the minister: how high do wait-lists have to go? How many more British

Columbians will have to be denied surgery before this government admits that

it's destroying our health care system?

Interjections.

Mr.

Speaker: Order, please. Order, please.

Hon. C.

Hansen: As I mentioned earlier, the health care system in this province

produced an additional 38,000 surgeries and other major procedures that year.

That means that there were 38,000 more British Columbians getting access to the

care they needed last year compared to the year before.

I think we

are making progress. One of the things, as that member knows from when she was

Minister of Health, that she should not be relying on is that particular

methodology that goes into calculating the wait-lists on the wait-list website.

We have

some challenges in the health care system. No one will deny that. It's one of

the things that all of the Premiers in Canada are talking about — how to deal

with the wait-list challenges. But we are making progress in this province. We

get great feedback from other jurisdictions, who tell us that they're looking at

what we're doing in British Columbia as a model that should be duplicated

elsewhere.

Interjections.

Mr.

Speaker: Order.

MANAGEMENT OF FORESTS

MINISTRY RECREATION SITES

Wilson: Today I have a question for the Minister of Forests. Last year our

government announced that forest rec sites were to be managed through new

partnerships to ensure these sites and trails continue to be accessible and well

maintained. In the recent throne speech our government has said that we will

reinstate funding to maintain forest recreational roads and recreational sites

in the heartlands.

Can the

minister tell me when this will be done, who will be responsible, and what this

will mean for the maintenance of these forest recreation sites and the people

who use them?

Interjection.

Hon. M.

de Jong: The opposition leader will want to hear this. She'll want to use

one of these rec sites for her next vacation.

Interjections.

Mr.

Speaker: Order, please.

[1425]

Hon. M.

de Jong: Well, the fact is that actually British Columbians do want to have

access to their wilderness areas. For many of them, that means having access to

the forestry rec sites. The good news is that the government in the budget —

the Finance minister's presentation — confirmed that there will be in excess

of a million new dollars devoted to maintaining those rec sites in the year

ahead. That means there will be better servicing, so even the opposition leader

can leave her toilet paper at home. There will be more of them serviced, and

there will be more partnership agreements in place so British Columbians can get

out to our wilderness areas and use that most valuable resource that we have.

It's going to happen starting right now.

[End of question period.]

Orders of the Day

Hon. G.

Collins: I call continuing debate on the budget.

Budget Debate

(continued)

Hon. L.

Reid: I am pleased to rise today and provide my remarks on this year's

budget in British Columbia. Balancing the budget is purposeful, and the purpose

today is to have sufficient dollars to realize this government's sense of

priority. I can tell you that early childhood development in British Columbia is

a priority.

This budget

marks a great opportunity for the approximately 250,000 children under the age

of six in British Columbia and for those who will follow. These little souls can

now look forward to a future based on a solid foundation. Stability is one of

the cornerstones of a positive childhood. This balanced budget is the beginning

of stability for all children in British Columbia. It's the beginning of new

chances for families and new hope for communities. It's the first step on a new

road for growth for this province and its youngest citizens.

I'm here

today not only as the minister responsible for early childhood but as an

interested and expectant B.C. parent. Research tells us that the key to raising

healthy children is recognizing their parents as their number one caregivers and

teachers. Therefore, it follows that it is also important that we give them the

necessary tools and information so they can do their jobs better.

When our

Premier created this role, he demonstrated enormous leadership. He and I both

believe that the commitment to effectively resource young children and their

families will result in stronger communities and a stronger British Columbia.

Over the last three years this government has consulted with families,

individuals and communities on services to our young children. We have looked at

research on early childhood development conducted in British Columbia, Canada

and throughout the world. We have

[ Page 8723 ]

sought the advice and input of academics, researchers and stakeholders.

Through

this process we have identified priorities for new investments and worked with

our partners to implement them. It is part of what we are calling service

transformation, and it is building on the strengths of each community to care

for their children and to care for their families. We know that if we put

supports in place in the community, early in children's lives, families and

communities will benefit through lifelong health and development.

This is a

task that government cannot do alone. It requires the skills, knowledge and

dedication of all British Columbians to effectively resource young children. As

well as a close working relationship with other jurisdictions and provinces, I

know that we have the people, the knowledge and the support to accomplish this

important task.

I mentioned

earlier the 250,000 little souls under the age of six. In June of 2001 our

Premier asked me to create a cross-government integrated strategy for early

childhood development in British Columbia to ensure that we have coordination on

this important issue and to go forward from the base of the best possible

science. We are accomplishing this in several ways.

[1430]

Ministers

and deputies in the seven child-serving ministries meet on a regular basis to

discuss progress and strategic opportunity and to further the work of early

childhood development. We have established several interministry committees on

important ECD issues such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, autism services,

child care and early childhood development. As well, I meet regularly with my

federal, territorial and provincial partners to ensure there is coordination on

a national level.

I am

pleased to share with this chamber that on April 1 of this year, British

Columbia will assume the leadership of the Canada Northwest FASD Partnership.

This is a fine collaboration of the four western provinces — Manitoba,

Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia — and the three territories — the

Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

The launch

of the partnership is incredibly important in that it allows each province and

each territory, each partner, to refine their research focus and refine their

practice, because the purpose of any of these collaborations is to develop

better public policy. We want to be making better decisions as we go forward, so

we're looking to expand our reach and looking to expand our focus around

research. I'm hoping we'll share the lessons that we learn much more efficiently

and much more effectively with the other partners at the table.

Certainly,

you've heard me speak often in this chamber on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder,

and any of you who have heard me speak will know that we talk often of the

pre-conception piece of how we ensure that people have healthy pregnancies in

British Columbia. Fetal alcohol exposure prior to birth has a devastating impact

on the lives of children and their families in British Columbia. Since 1993,

B.C. has been a leader in the prevention of and education on fetal alcohol

spectrum disorder in Canada. But when up to 320 children are born every year

that have some form of the disorder, we know we still have work to do. We are

taking steps to get this work done.

On this

September 27 of this past year in Burns Lake, British Columbia, our Premier

released B.C.'s FASD strategic plan, the first in Canada to address this

lifelong disorder. It is comprehensive and wide-ranging and is the underpinning

to how we will address this issue over the next few years. The report is a

collaborative effort across nine provincial and three federal ministries. It

sets a framework for community ownership and for the development of responses.

My sincere

appreciation goes to the staff at the Children's and Women's Health Centre of

B.C. for their input and for their expertise and to our colleagues in the

federal government for their contributions to making this plan a reality. Since

we have the provincial lens on this issue, governments must help to provide the

road map to address fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, but the challenge must

ultimately be met at the community level in homes, hospitals, schools and

community centres. Therefore, this plan is not a static document but will

develop as we receive feedback and new research developments.

Over the

next year our goal is to establish ten community-based implementation plans to

support the larger strategic plan with our goal being to eventually be able to

combat this terrible disorder in every British Columbia community. It is about

providing hope for the future. It is about ensuring that we look out for the

little souls so that they, too, can benefit from a balanced budget in British

Columbia.

These

working partnerships are a reflection of the diversity and the depth of

children's issues and our commitment to the young of this province. I was

pleased to hear of the continuing appointment of the Hon. Ethel Blondin-Andrew.

As you may be aware, the minister's responsibilities will include the national

child benefit and both the early childhood development and the early learning

and care child agreements with provincial and territorial governments. These

agreements and the appointment of Minister Blondin-Andrew illustrate the

national awareness of the importance of children's early years. I look forward

to working with the minister to continue to raise public awareness and improve

services to children and their families.

Our work on

behalf of B.C.'s young children could not have been accomplished as quickly or

as well without the support and assistance of a number of key people here today.

Jennifer Sweeney, a recent appointment on behalf of early childhood development,

is our provincial adviser for pediatric therapies — whether we're talking

about occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech language pathology or

audiology. She began her work with us last fall. We welcome her assistance,

because we must have a systematic approach to how we attract and retain

therapists in all regions of our

[ Page 8724 ]

province. We need to identify the gaps earlier, and frankly, we need to put

in place a systematic approach to ensuring that children under the age of six

have access to the services that will matter in their lives as they approach

their readiness for schooling.

[1435]

I'd also

like to highlight the work of a few people in British Columbia who continue to

guide our work as we go forward. You heard my colleague the member for

Vancouver-Burrard talk about the Roots of Empathy. The founder of the Roots of

Empathy, Mary Gordon, continues to excel at work that's all about parenting and

family literacy. She, in fact, has just concluded training in four of the five

regions of our province. We have been in Vancouver coastal, Vancouver Island,

the interior and the Frasers. We have two days of training set aside in May of

this year where we'll go to northern British Columbia, and we're going to

Moricetown.

That work

is for front-line practitioners who wish to include parents into the process,

understanding from the aspect of research how important that is and

understanding how critical it is to tie in the aspects of family literacy. That

work is underway. So, in addition to her superb, world-class work on the Roots

of Empathy, she also does amazing work for us in British Columbia on early

literacy and parenting.

We are well

supported in British Columbia by Jean Rasmussen of Literacy B.C. and by Linda

Mitchell as they go forward. The reality is that there's sufficient work for all

of us to continue to be more involved in this area.

Another

superb supporter and partner at the table with government today is Dr. Clyde

Hertzman and Jacklyn Smit Alex from the University of British Columbia. It is

their work on the human early learning partnership that will truly allow British

Columbia to be the first province in Canada to have a snapshot of the learning

of every single five-year-old. That work will be done in the next number of

months, and for us to have that snapshot will allow us to drive better public

policy.

We have the

University of British Columbia's Dr. Pat Mirenda, who's doing the evaluation for

us on our levels of autism programming in British Columbia — again, to follow

up on the Premier's commitment that we go forward from the base of the best

possible science. If you do not craft the evaluation questions, you cannot make

that commitment at the end of the day that, in fact, they have been driven by

the best possible science.

Dr. Carol

Matusicky, B.C. Council for the Family. You always need incredibly thoughtful,

incredibly skilful people who tie together the pieces of the puzzle to ensure

that we have the strongest possible early childhood development fabric in

British Columbia, and I thank Carol for her leadership in this regard.

Dr.

Kimberly Schonert-Reichl is doing research for us on the Roots of Empathy in

British Columbia and is, in fact, leading the Canadian evaluation of Roots of

Empathy — again, to honour the Premier's commitment that we go forward from

the basis of the best possible science.

colleague from Vancouver-Burrard talked about our visit this morning to a

classroom hosting the Roots of Empathy. When you have the opportunity to view

very young children understanding more and more about vulnerability and how they

can understand fragility in a very young learner and hopefully carry those

lessons forward so they are not bystanders on a playground bullying incident, on

a harassment question in a classroom where someone's rights and issues have been

compromised…. We want children to be very proactive on those fronts, and we

believe we can do that work if we continue to expand the emotional literacy of

very, very young children.

Each of

these individuals that I've mentioned is contributing their talents to help us

reach our goal, which is to build capacity with families and their communities

towards real and positive change in the quality of their lives. We believe this

approach will help parents and communities to maximize the potential for their

children's growth and development. We understand the important dynamics between

communities and families and the challenges parents face, especially as we count

on them to raise healthy children.

We want to

encourage and support parents in preparing their children to learn. We want to

provide them with good information and services based on evidence and best

practice, because we know that in order to realize healthy outcomes for all

British Columbia children, they must have an equal place on the starting line.

We know

that diversity and difference on all levels needs to be recognized and needs to

be valued, and that a one-size-fits-all approach is not effective for the health

and well-being of children and their families. One size rarely fits anyone.

There are a number of initiatives underway that are assisting us help address

B.C.'s diversity.

B.C. is a

cultural mecca with people moving here from all over the world to enjoy its rich

resources and natural beauty. It is also the traditional home to first nations

bands, each with their own cultures, traditions and ways of life. In September

of 2002 our ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with aboriginal

communities to work together to improve the safety and well-being of aboriginal

children and families. There is a recognition that we must return historic

responsibilities for child protection and family support to aboriginal

communities. Currently, 40 percent of the children in the care of the ministry

are aboriginal, although they represent only 8 percent of the actual child

population. We want to make sure that aboriginal children remain in their

communities so they are connected with family and with their culture, because we

know when children are placed within those contexts, within the extended family,

within their community, they will have far better outcomes. It needs to be about

healthy child British Columbia.

[1440]

In the

past, non-aboriginal service providers delivered the majority of services to

B.C.'s aboriginal com-

[ Page 8725 ]

munities. Family supports are much more effective and much more relevant when

delivered within the context of culture. We believe the capacity of families to

parent their own children must be strengthened. Communities must be able to

deliver comprehensive, integrated and culturally relevant programs to children

and their families, and this growth must take place across British Columbia.

Through our

aboriginal early childhood development initiatives, we are focusing resources

and energy on B.C.'s aboriginal communities. Over the next three years 38 of

these communities will benefit from annual funding of $8 million for aboriginal

early childhood development services. These services will be most closely

attuned to what each community really needs. It is an exciting opportunity to

create a more effective service delivery system focused on the healthy

development of aboriginal children and their families.

Another

program which has now been expanded to provide additional services to aboriginal

communities is the infant development program. In the last two years we

increased funding to this valuable program by $3 million to ensure the

continuation and growth of this important connection to our families.

Dana

Brynelsen, our provincial coordinator, has been an integral part of this program

since its inception in 1972. This is a world-class program ensuring that parents

have the comfort, resiliency and supports to seek the services their youngsters

need.

Research

tells us that supporting children with special needs early helps to mitigate

developmental challenge. The infant development program is a touchstone for

families with children up to age three who are at risk or have a developmental

delay. Public health nurses refer approximately 35 percent of children to the

program due to developmental delay; 34 percent are referred for being at risk,

and 24 percent of those referred have a diagnosed disability. In 2000 the infant

development program served more than 5,300 families in 52 programs with

assessment, consultation, counselling and referrals to relevant community

professionals and resources.

Let me

share with you one family's story, which illustrates the impact this important

program can have on the families involved. Emily was diagnosed with Down

syndrome at birth. Her parents had just immigrated and were socially isolated.

They thought that Emily was fragile and that they shouldn't take her out of her

crib unless she cried. Using the Building Blocks program, a local agency sent

out a home visitor to support the family. The visitor immediately recognized

that Emily was at risk for developmental delay and called the infant development

program. An infant development program consultant began regular home visits when

Emily was two months old.

Through the

consultant, Emily's parents were shown how to stimulate and play with her and

were introduced to some other new parents of children with special needs. Emily

immediately began to make developmental gains. Her responsiveness surprised and

delighted her parents. At age one Emily is now communicating, smiling and

reaching for objects. Her parents are loving and protective and are beginning to

feel optimistic about the future.

It is

heartening to hear that this program is improving the lives of families. It is a

tribute to the calibre of our infant development consultants across British

Columbia. To each and every one of them, please accept my heartfelt thanks. It

is critical that parents get the support they need, particularly in the early

years of their child's life. Last year we increased funding to this valuable

program to ensure the continuation and growth of this important connection.

To ensure

the growth and development of targeted infant development services that address

the cultural needs of aboriginal communities, I am pleased to tell you that

Diana Elliot, our aboriginal infant development adviser, is having a wondrous

impact on aboriginal communities as she guides them in the creation of

programming for babies and young children.

Supported

child development is the opportunity for us to build a continuum in British

Columbia. We have infant development in British Columbia from birth to three

years of age. It was my challenge to see if we could build a seamless,

streamlined system that would allow those parents of vulnerable youngsters to

move themselves through the process to the end of that child's first year in

school, to get them to the age of six, to get them into the grade 1 program in

British Columbia. We have taken a supported child care program and expanded it

— enhanced it, if you will — to see if we can actually support children

across a variety of settings in their communities.

I wanted

very much for us to build a continuum that makes sense for families. It was the

Premier's expectation that we increase parental choice, and offering supported

child development in a variety of community settings is evidence of that

commitment. Our provincial coordinator for supported child development is

Lorraine Aitken. I, too, thank her for the work she's done on behalf of British

Columbia's youngest learners.

We are

blessed in British Columbia with having access to researchers who on a daily

basis are helping to expand our knowledge about children's growth and

development. For the last two years, our ministry has been involved in a

research project which I believe is unique to British Columbia. Our work with

Dr. Clyde Hertzman in the human early learning partnership is helping us gain a

better understanding of how we can best support B.C.'s young children.

[1445]

Dr.

Hertzman has provided the ministry with the ability to use the early development

indicator, or EDI, which was originally developed in Ontario. Some of you are

probably familiar with EDI and its purpose, which is to provide a sense of the

readiness of five-year-olds in our province.

By this

summer we will be the first province in Canada to have a provincewide snapshot

of the learning of all five-year-olds — an enormous achievement. I'm

incredibly proud of the dedication of Dr. Clyde Hertzman. He has logged a

million miles taking that

[ Page 8726 ]

data back to communities and providing ownership of that data to communities,

so they in fact are empowered to make decisions which they believe to be in the

best interests of their communities. It's a powerful piece of work, a piece of

work that will guide us as we move forward in terms of drafting and creating and

devising the best public policy, but will also allow those communities to have a

real sense that their babies are their most important priority — vitally

important. In addition, this work will produce a series of neighbourhood-level

maps detailing how children's school readiness is affected by socioeconomic

characteristics, neighbourhood resources and other community assets.

We are

pleased to be in partnership with school districts and teachers across British

Columbia. We're well on our way. So far 49 districts have completed the early

development indicator. As I noted, this data is already helping us identify

where to make our next best strategic investment. If we were to have the

opportunity to drive ever-increasing public policy that mattered in the lives of

children and families, we will have been successful on this front.

The

collection and delivery of the EDI is facilitated by our Children First learning

initiatives. Though they started as a pilot a few years ago, these projects have

become an integral part of our planning for young children. We began with three

sites in British Columbia. We now have 17. The information gathered is helping

families have access to a wider range of choices for their children in an

environment where communities can be innovative and share responsibilities.

Currently, these projects are operating and hoping to expand across British

Columbia. For the communities and families involved, it is a chance to make

their children come first. These initiatives, along with the human early

learning partnership, or HELP, are the key overarching pieces of this research

project.

The

information gathered from the community maps is then given to the human early

learning partnership to overlay with EDI maps to pinpoint areas that may need

additional early childhood development supports. Taken together, these maps will

also help us gain an understanding of how children are developing on a

provincial level.

This last

point is crucial. We know that to best support children, we need to look not

only at the local level but at the province overall. In British Columbia,

community populations are constantly changing as people move for work, housing

or schooling. An early childhood network across British Columbia will ensure

that families know how and where to access services no matter where they live.

Other areas

of responsibility include autism in British Columbia. This government is

concerned with the healthy growth and development of all children, including

those with special needs. This includes autism.

Research

into autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is complex and growing rapidly. Every

year there are new levels of knowledge and new approaches to test. It is the

challenge for governments, families and communities to keep up and ensure the

ability exists for training both families and caregivers. Our government is

meeting this challenge. Families now have the option to choose from three

specific programs for children and youth with autism. Two are direct funding

programs — one for children under age 6, the other for school-age children.

Direct funding allows parents to choose the services, based on expert advice,

that will best meet the needs of their children and their family.

Children in

B.C. communities also have access to contracted services for specialized,

interdisciplinary, intensive treatment and intervention, also based on a growing

body of expertise. Since the 2000-01 fiscal year we have increased funding for

children and youth with autism by $21.8 million. This does not include other

ministry support services, such as respite and supported child care, or the

$30.1 million in additional funding to school districts this year to support

children and youth with autism.

We are

moving forward to put the interests of vulnerable children first. We will

continue to consult with experts and researchers in this field to make sure that

services best reflect current knowledge. My heartfelt thanks to the Minister of

Health and to his deputy for their very fine collaboration, which has resulted

in incredibly diminished wait times for the diagnosis of autism. It has truly

been a cross-government integrated strategy.

[1450]

In closing,

I want to thank you all for the opportunity to highlight the work being done in

British Columbia. We know that as we build on community supports, as we increase

each family's capacity, as we increase public awareness, the opportunities for

children and families will improve. Our society will benefit as a whole, and our

youngest citizens — our children — will have what they need to continue to

grow, develop and contribute to our great province. Thank you all.

Hon. C.

Hansen: This budget is really a turning point for this government, and it's

a turning point for the people of British Columbia. If you look back on the

challenges that we inherited as a government and that we were faced with

subsequent to becoming government…. They were absolutely enormous. You know,

the previous government had left us a legacy of economic decline, where the

province had gone from being the number one province in terms of economic growth

to the last place.

We saw that

the cost of providing government services was climbing exponentially every

single year without any benefit for individual British Columbians in terms of

better services or more services. They were simply designed in a way that cost

the taxpayers more for the same or less than they had been receiving earlier. So

when we went to the electorate in the last election, one of the things that we

did not promise them was the status quo. I think every British Columbian —

whether they live in Atlin, Cranbrook, downtown Vancouver or any other part of

this great province — could tell you that the status quo was simply not

acceptable

[ Page 8727 ]

and that there was a need for some pretty fundamental changes.

To bring in

that kind of fundamental change really requires strong and consistent

leadership. I think we've seen that from the Premier of this province over the

last 2¾ years since the election campaign. The changes have been phenomenal

both in terms of economic growth and trying to get that economic engine back on

track again but also in terms of how government operates and how we get the cost

of government under control so that British Columbia taxpayers will know they're

getting the best value for every single dollar that is spent in the health care

system.

Often I

think that we as Canadians don't recognize how significant or how beneficial

change has been until somebody from the outside comes and tells it to us. I had

an experience last year where I was down in Seattle to give a speech to the

Washington State business association. After the speech was over, in the coffee

break in this conference, I was chatting with a gentleman who does a fair amount

of business on both sides of the border. He follows political developments in

British Columbia fairly closely. He came up to me, and he was telling me of some

of the things he knew about that we were doing as a government and that he was

pretty impressed with. His comment: "When it comes to reforming

government," he said, "you guys have put the American Revolution to

shame."

I don't

think the change in government has been quite that fundamental, but clearly we

have a lot to be proud of as to what has been achieved by our Premier and by

this government through a lot of very hard and diligent work over this period of

time.

You know,

I've often talked in this chamber about the growing challenges that we have in

funding a health care system that's going to work for us into the future. We see

health care costs growing at a rate of 7 percent to 8 percent every single year.

Clearly, we're not going to see our economy grow at that rate. So to what extent

is it sustainable? There are a couple of things we have to do to make sure that

we do have a health care system that's going to meet our needs into the future.

One of those is to encourage strong economic growth, and the other is to bring

our cost structures down in the health care system.

Economic

growth is probably key to making sure that we have the social services and the

education system that we want both today and into the future, in a way that is

truly sustainable. I think the signals that the Premier has given us — both in

terms of the recent changes in the ministries and cabinet, and also in the

budget — are really an important signal that economic growth is of key

importance. If we don't have a strong economy, then we're not going to have a

strong health care system or a strong education system or a strong social safety

net in this province today.

But we do

have a lot to be proud of. I'll speak for just a moment about some of the things

in health care that I think we have every reason to be proud of. We are getting

more and better care throughout British Columbia. We've gone through the biggest

reorganization of health care that any province has undertaken in Canada.

[1455]

We reformed

government a little over two and a half years ago. There were 52 health

authorities in the province that were really in a very confrontational

arrangement with the provincial government, everybody trying to jockey for more

money or more resources for their particular region. There was really no

coordinated or systematic approach to making sure that British Columbians in

every part of the province got their fair share of the limited resources that we

have available. Changing the health care system and consolidating a lot of those

health authorities into the five regionally based health authorities that we

have today has really made a tremendous difference in making sure that there is

now cooperation between the health authorities and the Ministry of Health

Services to meet the needs of patients.

I don't

think anybody in British Columbia wants to see confrontation in their health

care system. They want to see all of the parties working together to meet some

of these real and huge challenges that are there. I know there's been lots in

the media about the challenges and confrontation between some of the health

union leadership and the ministry or the government, and perhaps between the

doctors' organization — with the BCMA — and the provincial government. In

reality, when I go around this province and talk to individual groups of nurses

and doctors and other health care professionals and health care workers, they

want to be part of a system that really provides for better health care. There's

lots of opportunity for us to work together to find those solutions. What I have

found is that some of the best ideas come from front-line health care workers in

this province. We certainly have tried to tap into that resource at every

opportunity to get that input.

As a result

of some of the reorganizations, we are now getting more services for those who

are in most need. When you start seeing changes taking place in things like home

support…. Yes, there are some individuals who may be facing less support than

they had last year, but overall there is actually more support being provided.

What we're focusing in on are those who need the support the most. You are

seeing the frail elderly who need more hours, in fact, getting more hours under

some of the reorganizations. We're seeing that the financial need that's

provided, whether it's a subsidy for residential care or financial support under

the Fair Pharmacare system, is going to those who need it the most as a priority

in how we design the changes to our health care system.

There was

lots of controversy one year ago today around the changes to the Fair Pharmacare

system. There were lots of community groups that were, I think, doing a great

disservice to seniors in this province by the fearmongering that was going on a

year ago. There were people saying that seniors were no longer going to be able

to get access to the pharmaceutical needs that they had. In reality, when the

Fair

[ Page 8728 ]

Pharmacare system was rolled out, what seniors and every British Columbian

saw was a system that was much fairer than what had been in place previously.

I was just

talking to a pharmacist on the weekend, and I said: "Well, how is it going

now that we're not quite through a one-year cycle of the new Fair Pharmacare

program?" What's the feedback that he's getting from his customers that

come into his pharmacy? He said it's been very positive. A year ago, where he

was facing a young family that would come in that really couldn't afford the

very high deductibles that were in place even for low-income families a year

ago…. Now they get more financial assistance out of the Fair Pharmacare

program. They can get more access in an affordable way for the medications that

they need for themselves or their children.

It's

something that I'm quite proud of. That Fair Pharmacare system saw that 82

percent of British Columbians wound up with either the same amount of financial

assistance that they had in the past or greater financial assistance than was

there previously. If you look just at the seniors segment of our population, you

will see that the majority of seniors in fact are getting more financial

assistance under the Fair Pharmacare system now or are staying the same. By and

large, the majority are either better off or the same than they were under the

old system. Even now that we're many months into that program, I still get

feedback and letters from individuals who recognize that they're getting better

care than they were under the old system.

[1500]

What's true

is that some with higher incomes are in fact paying a little bit more, whether

it's for residential care in a long-term care facility or for the Fair

Pharmacare system. By and large, I think even those with higher incomes accept

the fairness of that system that's there. We made some changes to the rates for

residential care in our long-term care facilities. In doing so, we actually

froze the rates at rates that were in place six years ago for 72 percent of

seniors who are living in long-term care facilities in the province — again,

making sure that those who need the assistance the most are in fact getting that

assistance.

I was

speaking earlier today in question period about the increased number of

surgeries we were able to do in British Columbia last year — an increase of

38,000 surgeries and other major procedures over what had been done a year

previously. When you start looking at the regional breakout of some of those

numbers in terms of where surgeries get done, it's an even better story. What we

found in the past in places like the East Kootenays…. Patients used to have to

travel outside of that region to get access to care and are now able to get care

right there in their own region instead of having to fly to Vancouver or travel

long distances by car, perhaps to Calgary or to Kelowna, to get the care they

need.

[H. Long in

the chair.]

It's a

direct result of the consolidation of services we put in place that allowed us

to build that centre of excellence around the hospitals like Cranbrook and Trail

in order to make sure we could attract more specialists into that region. For

example, in some of these communities some of those specialists had never been

represented in recent years. It wasn't really a case of not finding the

operating room time. We just didn't have the specialists available in some of

those regions to provide the surgeries or the care that was needed. Now, as a

result of that consolidation, we've been able to bring those specialists into

those regions, because we've been building those centres of excellence around

the province.

I think we

will continue to see a strengthening of the kind of care people can get right in

their own regions rather than having to travel. I think that underscores what we

mean by the health care you need, when you need it, where you live instead of

having to fly to major centres to get access to that care.

There have

truly been some phenomena taking place in terms of new technologies. We've got

new telehealth opportunities that have been put into smaller communities so

that, again, patients don't have to travel outside of their regions. Again, they

get the health care they need, when they need it, where they live as a result of

some of those new telehealth technologies we are putting in place.

We're

putting in place more options for seniors. One of the messages we heard from

seniors as we went around the province leading up to the election is the

frustration seniors had when they were faced with no other option than to go

into a long-term care facility or a nursing home. I think we all have

experiences in our own families where a senior was not looking forward to that

loss of independence when the family would say it was time to go into a nursing

home.

Now we're

creating new options around assisted living and supportive housing so that

seniors can actually get access to the care they need when they need it but

still be able to maximize their independence in these new kinds of environments.

Again, there were lots of naysayers, lots of people fearmongering about what

this new assisted living might be all about. But as we see some of these new

facilities open and seniors actually get to see what they look like, they are so

impressed with the quality, with the environment and with the hominess of these

new facilities that really do give them a sense of comfort in their older years

— knowing they've got their independence but still have that care right down

the hall at the end of a call button that they can access when they need it.

In these

facilities, they've got meals they can access. You get two meals a day down the

hall. They can socialize with other residents of the same facility. Or if they

want to make sure they can have their independence, they've got a little fridge

or an ability to prepare meals in their own unit if they're feeling up to it on

those particular days. There really are some wonderful changes that are taking

place.

You know,

the other thing we heard a lot about when we formed government was the shortage

of nurses and doctors in the province. We still do have

[ Page 8729 ]

some challenges in those areas, but you don't hear the talk about the nursing

crisis you did three years ago. We have been able to significantly increase the

number of nurses who are working in this province, and more importantly — or

as importantly — we significantly increased the number of nurses who are being

educated in British Columbia today. Where in the past we had this reliance on

bringing in nurses who were trained in other jurisdictions from other countries

of the world or other provinces across Canada, increasingly we're being able to

provide those education opportunities to our own young British Columbians.

Whether it is in medicine, medical school, nursing school, physiotherapy or

pharmacy, we need to make sure our young British Columbians have opportunities

in those great careers. They are great careers in the health care system in this

province today.

[1505]

We have

today almost 2,000 additional nurses that are in education in nursing schools in

this province. We have underway right now an expansion of the medical school to

almost double the number of students who will be going into B.C. medical schools

by the year 2006. It's a great model in terms of the opportunities for training

in Prince George and at the University of Victoria — still integrated into the

UBC medical system model to build on the strengths there but providing

opportunities in other parts of the province.

addition, we see the same is true in some of the nursing opportunities and

nursing education being provided in communities all throughout British Columbia.

There is better access not just for those living in the lower mainland or in

southern Vancouver Island but indeed for nursing students throughout this

province to get access to education in the communities where they live. We also

know that if more education of health professionals takes place in smaller

communities, there is a greater likelihood those students will stay and work in

those communities after they graduate. Clearly, that will go a long way to meet

some of the future challenges we have for nursing and other health professionals

in some of these smaller communities.

One of the

other areas I am really very proud of in terms of the health care system over

these last 2¾ years has been the financial controls we've been able to put in

place. I remember that day, shortly after we were sworn in as government, when I

was meeting with the Deputy Minister of Health, and she informed me that here we

were only…. The fiscal year started on April 1 and we were sworn in on June 5,

so it was just a couple of months into the start of that fiscal year. She told

me they were already projecting a $580 million cost overrun by the end of that

fiscal year, a little over two months into the start of the year.

Now we've

been able to put into place the kind of financial controls that allow us to

manage those scarce health care dollars. With our health authorities we actually

get timely financial statements. We're able to see where some costs are starting

to go out of line, so we can bring them back into focus and make sure that

patients' needs are being met in this province instead of dollars perhaps being

unnecessarily spent in areas where they shouldn't be.

Today we've

got that kind of financial rigour. I'm really quite pleased that for the first

time in over 20 years, the budget for the Ministry of Health Services actually

came in on budget. It was a pretty small surplus, but I think that's

appropriate. As we got to the end of the fiscal year, it allowed us to deal with

some of the one-time funding challenges we had because of the financial

stewardship that was in place. We went out and said: "Yes, we want to make

sure patients get the care they need, but we don't want to spend any more scarce

taxpayers' dollars than is absolutely necessary. We want to free up those

dollars for other priority areas." It is that kind of financial discipline

that has allowed us to meet some of the new and emerging challenges that we

have.

The

Minister of State for Early Childhood Development was talking earlier about

meeting some of the challenges we have in autism. She mentioned the fact that we

have been able to get the wait-lists down for diagnosis. One of the

responsibilities of the Ministry of Health Services is to make sure we deliver

timely diagnoses for children who potentially may be suffering from autism. By

getting through that diagnosis faster, they can actually get into the treatments

they need earlier, and they can have some of those challenges met. It has been a

real success story in the work that the Ministry of Health Services and the work

the Minister of State for Early Childhood Development have been able to do

through the children and families ministry to meet some of those real needs. We

would not have been able to do that if we had not had some financial discipline

that allowed us to free up some dollars in order to make sure those wait times

for diagnosis were in fact reduced.

Another

good example is the increased funding we were able to put in place for cochlear

implants. This is absolutely revolutionary technology. I was at Children's

Hospital recently when we were able to announce an additional $1.3 million that

we could put into cochlear implants. These are devices that allow a child or an

adult who was either born deaf or lost their hearing to once again have that

gift of hearing. When I was at Children's Hospital for that announcement, I met

a young boy about six years old who had been born deaf. With the cochlear

implant he was able to hear for the first time. His parents were so thrilled

with the progress he had made. He is going to be able to go to school and have a

normal life that he would not have been able to have if it was not for this new

technology.

[1510]

As a result

of that increased funding, we were actually able to bring the wait-list down to

three months for cochlear implants for children. That's phenomenal compared to

the 18-month wait-list that children had faced in the past. It truly is a gift

for these children.

We have

been able, as a result of that financial rigour and the financial discipline, to

do some pretty phenomenal things that have made a huge difference in

[ Page 8730 ]

the lives of individual British Columbians, which we would not have been able

to do otherwise. I think one of the things that has been pointed out on several

occasions in this House over the course of this budget debate is how we've been

able to increase health funding in this province.

We know

there are huge challenges. By 2006, which is the furthest year out that is

addressed in this particular budget, we will have increased health spending by

10 percent over even the 2003 base budget that was brought into this House just

one year ago. So now we have in this province today among the highest per-capita

spending for health care of any province in Canada. We are spending taxpayers'

money on health care in a way that is certainly among the highest of any

province in Canada.

That's not

to diminish the fact that we still have some huge challenges that are there. I

mentioned earlier that we've got cost pressures going up at a rate of 7 percent

to 8 percent a year, but what does that mean? What it means is that if we

continue to do things in health care the way we've done them in the past, we

will see our costs go up by 7 percent to 8 percent a year.

I was

pleased to hear the Minister of Finance talk about our projected growth for the

economy in British Columbia this year. I think he was being very careful not to

forecast a number too high, but you know some of the forecasters are saying that

the projected economic growth in this province is going to be up over 3 percent

in this coming year. That's great news for everybody in British Columbia. Even

with economic growth of over 3 percent, we're still not going to be able to

sustain that 7 percent to 8 percent increase in health care and allow us to do

everything the way we had done it in the past. We have to find more

cost-effective ways of delivering health care, and that's clearly one of our

challenges.

If you

start looking at the year-over-year actual spending in health care as opposed to

the base budget from a year ago, it does show that we spent a fair amount of

money last year. We were able to take some of those increased federal dollars

that were not built into the budget a year ago and, as a result of the

supplemental estimate, bring those in and be able to spend them in this current

fiscal year in ways that we're able to meet some patient needs. They actually

also allowed us to make some fundamental changes that would bring down the cost

pressures in health care in the years to come.

A lot of

the money that was spent in this last year was restructuring money. People often

say that to make changes costs money, so we were able to invest in some of those

changes. We were able to take advantage of some of the contracting-out

opportunities in health authorities throughout the province. In contracting out

it also means the staff that's been there doing the functions of security

service or landscaping services in the past — or whether it is housekeeping or

laundry services…. We need to be able to make sure the employees that were

there providing those services up until now were dealt with fairly — that

there be the severance provisions in place that were provided for under our

agreements. We had the payouts of sick leave, vacation accrual and severance

payments. Those all cost money, and a lot of those we saw in the last year's

budget.

It also

allowed us to put in place some of the new contracts and new staff that are able

to provide those services going forward, but we're also seeing that we can

provide them in ways which meet the needs of patients in our hospitals and other

health care facilities in a way that is more cost-effective. It's by going

through these kinds of changes that we are actually going to have a sustainable

health care system in the future.

[1515]

We've also

been able to bring down administration costs. We went to every health authority

and said that, at a minimum, they had to bring down the cost of administration

and support services by 7 percent. We have seen that happen across every one of

the health authorities in the province. In fact, some of them have greatly

exceeded that 7 percent target, and every single dollar that has been saved is a

dollar that has been reinvested in health care, into direct patient care, so

patients can get the care they need, which would not have been there had we not

been able to find those savings in the administrative and support costs.

There has

also been some talk about the extra money that the province will get from the

federal government. As we know, a year ago the federal government promised some

additional health care funding to the provinces. We've argued that it should

bring federal funding back to at least the 25 percent level that Romanow had

suggested in his report. What was in place a little over a year ago, prior to

the federal health accord, was funding from the federal government that made up

for about 14 percent of our health care funding in hospitals and physician

services. The money that was agreed to last February brought that up to about 16

percent of overall health funding being provided by the federal government. We

argue that that's still not enough, given the priority that Canadians place on

health care in Canada today.

The federal

government also agreed that if there was to be a surplus federally in this

year's fiscal year, they would provide for an additional $2 billion to be

allocated to all of the provinces and territories. Well, $2 billion sounds like

a lot of money, but B.C.'s share of that on a per-capita basis would be $260

million. Again, $260 million sounds like a lot of money, but it was to be

allocated as part of that three-year health accord money. If you were to take

that $260 million and spread it across the three years of the health accord, it

would actually amount to about 72 hours of health care in each of those three

years. Every bit helps, but clearly it's not going to be the panacea to some of

our challenges in health care funding in the province.

We now know

that $260 million to British Columbia is certain. What we don't know at this

point is how the federal auditor general and the provincial auditor

[ Page 8731 ]

general will allow that money to flow. So as a result, that $260 million is

not included in the budget that the Finance minister brought down last week.

There will be a supplemental estimate that will be brought into this House by

the Finance minister as soon as we know how those dollars can be allocated.

I think, as

the Finance minister indicated in his remarks, it is our hope that that can be

allocated at a rate of $130 million for this coming fiscal year and $130 million

for that following year, so we can make sure it is applied in a way that can

have the maximum benefit for patients.

Even that

raises a concern for us, because what we need from the federal government is not

only that increased funding, but we also need to have certainty over the long

term. It's one thing to have another $130 million and another $130 million the

year after, but we still need to fund the health care system the year after

that. To have moneys that sort of come in on a one-time basis and then suddenly

fall off does not allow us to build a stable health care system in this

province. So we will be seeking that kind of certainty from the federal

government as we go forward.

We have

lots to be proud of in British Columbia in the health care system, in terms of

the improvements that we've seen. We also have lots to be proud of on the

economic front, whether it's the work that our Premier did to secure the Olympic

Games for British Columbia or the economic growth that we're starting to see in

this province, which has taken us from the tenth place in economic growth that

we inherited from the previous government to — not to number one, which is our

goal — the number two spot, second only to Alberta. I think, as the Premier

would tell you, that's still not good enough, and we're not going to stop until

we're again the number one province when it comes to economic growth.

We've seen

job creation in this province — number one by far. We've seen small business

growth in this province. Housing starts, where young British Columbians for the

first time are going to have the opportunity to own their own homes because of

the great economic future that we have in this province as a result of some of

the changes that we've made….

The other

thing that I think is phenomenal is the net interprovincial migration we've

seen. For six years we saw a net outflow of British Columbians to other

provinces. Typically, what we saw were those in the ages of 25 to 40 who were

leaving — in the prime income-earning years of their lives. I have this vision

of that young British Columbian who is packing his car outside his parents'

house. I think every parent, when kids get into their twenties, is glad to see

them move out of the house — but to Alberta? I don't think so. We've got to

make sure there are opportunities right here in British Columbia so that those

young British Columbians can stay here, raise their families and contribute to

this great province.

[1520]

What we

have seen in the third quarter of last year for the first time was a reversal of

that out-migration. For the first time we're starting to see those rented

trucks, the moving vans coming back to British Columbia. That's good news for

everybody. It is that kind of economic growth that is going to stimulate the

economy and provide the kind of revenues we need to sustain a healthy health

care system in the future and a proud education system.

I'm proud

of the work this government has done. I'm proud of the work our Premier has

done, and I'm proud of the work our Finance minister has done in bringing down

this budget which allows us to look forward.

Hon. K.

Falcon: When we were elected all the way back in May 2001, British

Columbians were ready for renewal. Their previous government had absolutely no

sense whatsoever of fiscal responsibility. It was a government driven by a

tax-and-spend philosophy with no regard, certainly very little regard, for what

impact that would have on working and average British Columbians. They found

that their economy in British Columbia was dead last. They found that British

Columbia in 2001, when we were elected, had been declared a have-not province a

year and a half earlier, back in 1999-2000. For the first time in the history of

this great province we were now in a position to have to accept transfer

payments.

Their

children were leaving for greener pastures, as my colleague just pointed out.

Their pride in British Columbia had really taken a hammering. It had been

significantly diminished. They were demanding solutions. The public sent us an

enormous mandate because they were demanding solutions. They wanted a government

that would turn things around, which would have the fortitude to chart a course

and get this economy turned around, because at the end of the day British

Columbians wanted to be proud of our government. They wanted to be proud of the

province they lived in, and they wanted to see trust and integrity restored in

government.

Three years

later I stand in this House, proud to be part of a government that has worked so

hard and so diligently to try and ensure that in these few years we deliver what

British Columbians were demanding. They were demanding solutions, they were

demanding a realistic plan that could set us on that right course, and they were

demanding that we help restore that sense of pride in British Columbia.

Under our

Premier's leadership we have helped to restore accountability in government,

which in itself restores and breeds trust. The free votes we instituted in this

House, which allow members to vote against the government where their conscience

or constituents dictate, are an enormous step forward and something that I'm

very proud of.

With the

fixed election dates, we have now said to British Columbians, by legislation,

that you will know when the next election will be in British Columbia, and you

election is going to be.

We set up a

citizens' assembly so that regular folks, randomly selected from across the

province, will actu-

[ Page 8732 ]

ally sit together without any political interference whatsoever and decide

what kind of future and what kind of Legislature we will have to govern the

province.

It's a

government where cabinet ministers take a 20 percent pay cut at the beginning of

every year that we have to earn back in two phases. Half of that pay cut — 10

percent — we get back if we meet our own ministerial budget targets, and the

other 10 percent we get back if we as a government meet our overall budgetary

targets. That is what you call accountability.

Then all of

my colleagues — in fact, all of the MLAs in this House except for the two

opposition members — took a voluntary 5 percent pay cut. We did that because

we recognized that we were going to be asking for some tough choices and some

tough decisions for British Columbians, and we wanted to demonstrate upfront

that we were prepared to take

part in that.

That,

ladies and gentlemen, is what leadership is about. That is the kind of

leadership this Premier has driven our government towards, and it is the kind of

leadership our Finance minister is now providing in terms of our budget.

[1525]

I'm proud

of this budget. I'm proud of this budget not just because it is a balanced

budget; I'm proud of this budget because I can stand before British Columbians

and say, with real integrity, that this is the first honestly balanced budget

that British Columbia has probably seen in 50 years.

Why do I

say that? One of the things that we did, one of the commitments that we made as

a government in opposition and that we instituted was that we would bring in

truth-in-budgeting legislation — legislation that would force the government

to keep the books the same way we force the public to keep theirs. That's called

generally accepted accounting principles. That may not mean a lot to British

Columbians, but I'll tell you, it means a lot in terms of the transparency and

integrity of the bookkeeping, and that, I think, is important.

All British

Columbians deserve credit in this achievement, because all British Columbians

have worked hard to achieve this outcome. We did make some tough choices, but I

can tell you I believe most British Columbians expect that out of a government.

That's what leadership is all about.

I will be

candid and tell you that I had some people who would come and visit me and say

they were concerned about the changes. They were concerned about what these

changes meant, and I actually am sympathetic to that concern. But one of the

things I reminded those folks who came and spoke to me about that was that if we

didn't make changes, if we kept doing things the same way they were done in the

past, we would get the same result. We have to be very clear what that result

was. It was have-not province status and being number ten in the country, and

that is unacceptable. That's why we started to make those changes.

It ties

into something else that I think is important when we talk about a balanced

budget. It ties into the whole concept of government and government's role and

government's responsibility. Every day we hear the members opposite talk about

how government needs to spend more here and government needs to spend more

there. It builds on a myth that there is government money out there. You know,

one of the things the Premier is so fond of saying is that there is no such

thing as government money, and it is true.

There is no

government money. There is only the taxpayers' money. There is no federal money

or provincial money or local government money. There is just the taxpayers'

money. Every time we talk about spending more government dollars, we're really

talking about reaching into the wallets of taxpayers and taking money out of

their pockets, or we're talking about borrowing more money and having our

children or their grandchildren pay for it in interest costs. That is something

that we think about and the Premier thinks about and our Finance minister thinks

about and my colleagues think about. I think British Columbians recognize and

are starting to realize the value in having a government that thinks about their

tax dollars that way.

With that

in mind, we laid out three-year plans. We told the public exactly what we were

planning on doing and laid it out responsibly over three years. We said exactly

what we were going to do with government and taxpayer dollars over the next

three years in every single ministry of government. We also told the public that

we would balance the budget by the third year, that we would need to responsibly

get to that goal and that we would do it by our third year. Through the

discipline of our Finance minister, we have achieved that goal.

A key

element of the plan we laid out was actually implemented on our second day in

office when we cut personal income taxes by 25 percent. We did that because we

wanted to stop the flow of British Columbians leaving the province. We wanted to

restore some hope that if you work hard in British Columbia, you can actually

get ahead, and you won't be penalized for moving ahead. That's why today I'm

particularly proud of that fact, because I have a lot of low-income folks and

working-class folks in my riding of Surrey-Cloverdale. I'm proud of the fact

that if you earn up to $64,000 of income in this province, you pay the lowest

tax rate in the country — right here in British Columbia.

Now, we

should be clear. There is another plan. There is actually another plan out there

that Carole James and the NDP and the members opposite are not too eager to talk

about, and I'm a little baffled in kind of understanding why they don't want to

do that. That was a plan put together by a group called the Canadian Centre for

Policy Alternatives. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, for those

folks in the viewing world out there, is what I call the economic think tank.

This is a left-leaning think tank that gets its moneys largely from public

sector unions but also, sadly, from the province of British Columbia under the

previous government.

[ Page 8733 ]

[1530]

In their

dying, gasping last weeks in power, the NDP government threw a cheque —

without any process whatsoever — of a couple of hundred thousand dollars to

that organization, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Now, why would

they do that? Well, they did it because it's their economic think tank. This is

where they get their ideas, a lot of the brilliant ideas we saw that brought

British Columbia to its knees over the last decade.

So let's

look at the alternative budget, the NDP alternative budget that came out of

there — the Carole James budget that came out of the Canadian Centre for

Policy Alternatives. I'll just give you a few of the highlights. To most British

Columbians these will appear to be lowlights, but to the members opposite these

are the highlights of their alternative budget. The highlights include taking

the folks that are in the lowest-income brackets — that's the folks I was

talking about, who earn up to $64,000 — where we put into place the lowest tax

regime in the country…. Well, under the NDP Carole James alternative budget

they would see a tax increase of almost 40 percent. Imagine that — 40 percent

on the working-class folks. Those that dare to earn over $65,000 would see a 51

percent increase in their tax load. Those that earn over $81,000 — I want you

to think about doctors and nurses today — would now see a 65 percent increase

in their tax load. What possible impact would…? Imagine the impact that would

have on the economy of British Columbia. Overnight we would see British Columbia

once again become the highest-taxed jurisdiction in North America, as it was

under the previous government.

But they've

got more, folks. They've got more lowlights to the alternative budget. Gas taxes

would go up 5 cents a litre. Here's what I love about this as Minister of

Transportation. They want every penny of that gas tax increase to go right into

the lower mainland: nothing for the heartlands of British Columbia; nothing for

the folks who are creating the wealth that really fuels the economy of this

province, not a penny — all of it shovelled into the lower mainland.

And they

want to run deficits until 2010 — every single year back into deficit budgets.

They say that maybe in 2010 we might get to another balanced budget in British

Columbia. You know, they just don't get it. They just don't get it. This is the

same group that took our debt from $17 billion to $35 billion in ten years, and

they just want to go down that same path again. And we're not going to do it. We

reject that. It is wrong; it's the wrong approach. We ain't doing it. We're

going down a different path.

I'll tell

you, the people of Surrey-Cloverdale, the constituency that I proudly represent,

certainly didn't vote for that. They will not vote for that, and most British

Columbians won't. They voted to keep more money in their pockets, and I'm

pleased to say today we've done that. B.C. Stats shows that after-tax family

income in British Columbia jumped 4.7 percent in 2001 — the largest rise in

after-tax income for B.C. families in the last two decades. That is pretty

significant. That makes a difference in people's lives. More importantly

perhaps, or equally important in the overall tax burden, when you take all the

income taxes and consumption taxes and municipal taxes and all the taxes that

folks pay, British Columbia is the second lowest overall in the country, behind

Alberta. I want to say this to the people out there: we're not satisfied with

being number two. We want to be number one, and we're going to be number one in

British Columbia.

So, our

plan is working and the tax cuts are working. You know, I remember when we cut

the taxes…. Even still, you hear the members opposite going on about this once

in a while — that the tax cuts don't work; they haven't worked; they've

created this big hole. You will never balance the budget. Well, that talk

stopped once we balanced the budget, but they're still saying the tax cut didn't

work. Well, just a minute. What did we say we would judge ourselves on? We said

we would judge ourselves on job creation, because job creation is the one

indicator that will tell you whether what you are doing is working or not

working. Where are we in job creation in British Columbia? Well, in spite of the

fact that 2003 had to be one of the toughest years this province has ever faced

— we had SARS; we had BSE; we had floods; we had forest fires like we've never

seen before; we had droughts…. I mean, truly it was a challenge if this

province ever faced a challenge. Yet in spite of that, British Columbia led the

country in job growth in 2003. More importantly, British Columbia, since we were

elected in 2001, has seen almost 160,000 new jobs created. That is the number

one job creation record in the country. And they want to tell you that tax cuts

don't work.

[1535]

But that's

not all. We've got the number one housing starts in the country. We've got small

business confidence up to one of the highest levels it's been, which is

critically important because 98 percent of businesses in the province are small

business. We're seeing new businesses being created at the highest rate we've

seen in nearly a decade right here in British Columbia.

Importantly

— to speak to what my colleague had said earlier in his speech when he talked

about that sad situation we had under the NDP decade, where so many families

were forced to see their kids loading up their cars or vans and moving off to

other provinces for opportunities — today, for the first time in six years,

net migration is favouring British Columbia. Our kids are coming home, families

are being reunited, and people are moving to British Columbia because this is

where the jobs, the opportunities and the hope are once again, folks.

Some will

ask us: "Why this focus, this incredible focus, on a balanced budget? Why

is the government always talking about this, and what does it mean to me? What

does it mean to average British Columbians?" I will tell you what it means

in one word. It means choices. It means that we have choices that allow us to do

things now, which you don't have when you are staring at huge deficits year

after year after year. Now that we have choices, we can spend some

[ Page 8734 ]

more money on priority services like health care and education, and we are.

In this

budget we're proposing to do exactly that. Education funding for K-to-12 is

going to increase by $313 million over the next three years. That's $313 million

in spite of the fact that overall in this province we have a decline in the

student population in kindergarten to grade 12. We're increasing the spending,

especially on a per-pupil funding basis. I can tell you that from the community

of Surrey, which is the largest school district in the province — a lot of

people don't realize that; it's even larger than Vancouver — that is hugely

important. It's an investment in our children. It's an investment in the future

because when we have a better, stronger education system, it means we've got

more students that are heading on to post-secondary education alternatives, that

are going to look to upgrading their skills to meet the high demand we have for

skilled workers. It means, ultimately, a stronger economy.

It is not

just the investment of money. It is the refocusing in education that is also

making a huge difference. It's the focusing on student achievement, to

measures…. The Premier is always fond of saying that you cannot manage what

you cannot measure. You have got to measure in order to see whether we are truly

improving or not improving. That is hugely important. That's something we're

doing in the education field.

We're

ensuring that parents are involved. In fact, we legislated parental involvement

in our schools, because we know how important it is to have parents involved in

their children's education and what that means in terms of bringing out stronger

students. We also ensured that we would have greater choice for families, more

choices in education so that there is a greater variety of options out there for

parents. That really steers excellence. That creates excellence in the education

system, and we're already seeing that.

We also

focus on those sorts of hidden things that are important should any situation

ever develop, like seismic upgrading. We have increased the budget for seismic

upgrading from $8 million to $23 million to ensure that our kids are safe in our

schools, especially the older schools that have real structural challenges we

need to meet. That is part of the choices that a balanced budget allows us to

do.

A balanced

budget also allows us to invest more in advanced education, and we're doing

that. We're doing that by increasing funding by over $100 million over the next

three years. We're going to increase student spaces by 25,000 by the year 2010

— 25,000 new spaces to ensure that our young people have the opportunity to

get into their post-secondary school of choice and to get in with a B average.

That, frankly, is probably what most of us had to get in when we went to

university. Just over the next three years we're going to create over 11,000 new

spaces in the post-secondary system. That is what choices are all about.

[1540]

You know, a

balanced budget also means creating more choices by allowing us to invest more

in patient care. I emphasize patient care because patient care is a critical

part of the health care investment strategy. Now, most of you folks will know

we're investing a billion additional dollars over the next three years, and

we're targeting that directly to patient care — every single penny into

improved patient care.

Why are we

doing that? The 20 percent budget increase we've had when we were elected up

until now, which represents almost $2 billion, almost all went into increasing

salaries for our highly skilled nurses, highly skilled workers in the system

and, of course, our doctors, who received a 20 percent increase in 2002. That's

important, and I don't begrudge that. That's an important investment, because

these folks are absolutely critical to the system. My mother is a retired nurse,

and I can tell you I know how hard the nurses work, and I know how valuable and

integral they are to the system. They deserved the 23.5 percent increase we gave

them when we were elected in 2001.

This $1

billion over the next three years is to make sure we improve patient care. We're

going to focus that to ensure it goes into the 30 percent of the health care

system that isn't consumed by salaries and labour costs. We want to make sure we

can see some direct benefits there. That's part of what choices give you in a

balanced-budget situation.

I want to

talk about one other group of choices we have when we have a balanced budget,

and that means transportation. I want to touch on that in my role as Minister of

Transportation. For too long in the heartland communities of this province,

frankly, transportation was ignored. It was utterly ignored. I asked folks,

particularly in the lower mainland, to think about what it must have been like

to live in the heartlands of British Columbia, where you know you are generating

most of the wealth in the province, yet you have to sit and watch billions of

dollars being invested into SkyTrains you will never ride. You watch half a

billion dollars being flushed down fast ferries that will never sail and will

provide no benefit to you whatsoever. You sit and watch your roads deteriorate

year in and year out, and you see the impact that has on your ability to create

economies that will sustain your families and your kids.

It's

totally unacceptable, and we made a commitment as a province to change that, to

make sure we addressed that impact. That's why, over three years, we're

investing $1.3 billion in transportation. Fully $836 million of that is going

into heartland communities to ensure that we reinvest in the communities that

are creating resource wealth and creating a lot of the wealth that British

Columbians throughout this province can enjoy.

This is

important. That reinvestment supports our forestry community to ensure that it

can once again become an industry that is going to lead this province, as it

always has in the decades past. It is important for our booming oil and gas

sector in northeastern British Columbia to ensure that we're investing in

resource roads, which will ensure that important sector continues to thrive and

grow. Of course, it is critical to our

[ Page 8735 ]

tourism industry to make sure we have access for tourists to get to our

resorts throughout this great province. We have over 500 of them. It is also

important to make sure that when we welcome the world in 2010, we are welcoming

them on roads and infrastructure that are safe, reliable and get them to where

they need to go efficiently and effectively. That's part of what choices means

in a balanced-budget environment.

Finally, I

want to talk about one other thing I think is important in terms of the balanced

budget, and that is the Olympics. We all know what an enormous opportunity the

Olympics provides. It is hugely important to recognize that we have, through our

own fiscal discipline, been able to invest early into some of the costs we're

going to see in the Olympics so that we get some of the dollars out the door now

while we've generated the savings through fiscal disciplines in our current

budget year.

We all know

about the hundreds of thousands of jobs. We know about the billions of dollars

of investment. We know there is going to be literally hundreds of thousands of

people visiting British Columbia and billions watching on TV. The real value of

the Olympics is not in any of that. The real value of the Olympics is the impact

it has on our young people. It's the little kids we see today — the young

figure skaters, the young hockey players, the young kids involved in winter

sports. They're the ones who are going to realize this incredible opportunity of

all the lessons we derive from the Olympics — the lessons of dedication and

discipline and what hard work, dedication and discipline can mean when we all

strive to a common purpose and a common goal.

That's

really what the Olympics is all about. That's why I'm so excited about the fact

that we are investing early to ensure that through opportunities like

LegaciesNow, we will be able to get that message out into the communities and

get our young people excited about what the Olympics can mean for them

personally.

[1545]

We take our

obligation to British Columbians seriously. A balanced budget allows us to

provide the important services to British Columbians but allows us to provide

those services on the framework of fiscal responsibility, on the framework of a

balanced budget and in the disciplines we put into place within that balanced

budget. I know how important this is to the residents of Surrey-Cloverdale, the

riding I'm proud to represent, but I also know, as I go around the province as

Minister of Transportation, how important it is to British Columbians generally.

British Columbians have always long held pride in this province as a province

that isn't afraid to pay its way, as a province that understands the value of

the taxpayer dollar and the importance of having a government that respects the

importance of the taxpayer dollar.

I believe

that British Columbians are starting to realize…. Their pride is starting to

grow once again as they see the effects of what good financial leadership can

provide, the kind of financial leadership we're seeing from the Minister of

Finance. Knowing that once again British Columbia is starting to lead —

leading in job growth, leading in retail sales, leading in growth of retail

sales opportunities, housing, etc., — is important to British Columbians

because it is instilling pride again.

Mr.

Speaker, in conclusion to my speech on the budget, I just want to say this. Once

again in British Columbia we are seeing opportunities, and we are going to see

benefits in ways that British Columbians are only just beginning to understand.

The Olympics and the investments that we're making in transportation, the

investments we're going to see right across this province in all the venue

construction and all the private sector investment that's going to dovetail with

a growing economy and with the lead-up to the Olympics, are going to have

enormous impacts.

Already

British Columbians are talking about the kinds of problems we face, but they're

the kinds of positive problems we like to face — a shortage of workers, a

shortage of skilled workers. Those are the kinds of problems that I like us to

deal with in British Columbia, because they're the kinds of problems for which

we can create positive solutions. Those positive solutions mean more

opportunities for our young people here in British Columbia. I'm proud of the

direction we're going in British Columbia, I'm proud of the future that we have

in British Columbia, and I'm proud to be part of a government that is working to

build a bright future for British Columbians all across the province.

Sahota: Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a pleasure to be able to respond to the

budget speech delivered by the Minister of Finance last week on behalf of my

constituency of Burnaby-Edmonds. As the minister mentioned, it is about bringing

out the best in British Columbia. That's what the budget speech is about. It is

about our economy. It is about our forest industry, mining industry, technology

industry and about bringing out the best in our people through sports, music and

culture.

As a

province we've had many moments that have signified our best and have shown to

the world why British Columbia is so special. Much has happened in our province

over the last two years. As a province we have pretty much experienced a huge

range of intense emotions. As the member for Surrey-Cloverdale mentioned in his

remarks, we have been under tremendous pressures from the softwood lumber

dispute to BSE to SARS to the forest fires. But we have also experienced

incredible joy and pride when Vancouver was awarded the 2010 Olympics.

I remember

and I know that a lot of my colleagues talked about the possibility of winning

the bid at one point, and now that we have it, we know the opportunities for our

province are huge. Of course, before the Olympics come to British Columbia,

there will be other major events for us to celebrate. We have won the 2006 World

Junior Hockey Championship bid. We will also be hosting the 2009 World Police

and Fire Games, which were awarded to Burnaby and British Columbia last year.

[ Page 8736 ]

These three

huge events will bring unprecedented economic opportunities for our province.

This is part of building the foundation that the Minister of Finance spoke

about. This is a foundation that is important to the future of British

Columbians.

In each of

these events, I want to point out that the Premier was instrumental. He was

there to endorse the bid and to support it wholeheartedly. He travelled to

Prague for the 2010 Olympics bid. He was in Calgary last month to make sure we

landed the World Junior Hockey Championship. I, along with the Premier, had the

pleasure of presenting the case for Burnaby to the selection committee for the

2009 World Police and Fire Games. I know from talking to the selection committee

members, who came from all over the world, that they not only were appreciative

of the Premier's attendance but knew the provincial government was committed

when the Premier announced that the province would be a funding partner for the

2009 World Police and Fire Games.

[1550]

I believe

that we are progressing and taking the right steps in the right direction.

Another step in the right direction has been our pursuit of diversifying our

markets. I have previously spoken about diversifying our markets, especially

when it comes to our forest industry. The Premier travelled to China. Then I had

the opportunity to travel with the Premier on a trade mission to India late last

year. Both of these countries are very important for British Columbia's future,

as they are the world's fastest-growing commercial economies. I believe it is

important for us as government to show that these two emerging markets are

places where we as British Columbians want to do business.

I believe

that these trips, these trade missions, are very important for this province,

because it gives us an opportunity to build relationships with these two

countries which are emerging economically on the world scene. Not only did it

give us a chance to speak to the Indian business people and hear them express

some interesting things, but it also made us really think about where we are in

terms of the global scene. You know, the Indians aren't worried about us;

they're worried about the Chinese and how cheap the Chinese can produce the

products. That is our competition. It is truly global.

As British

Columbians we have to make sure our prospective markets know about the

competitive products that B.C. and Canada offer in a variety of industries. This

is especially true when it comes to our forest industry. We are investing $19

million a year in the forest sector alone to expand new markets in Asia and

around the world. In China the Premier promoted the forest industry by launching

the $12 million Dream Home project announced this past spring, a model developed

that will be marketed in China using B.C. capital, wood and expertise.

You know,

housing starts in China are ten million per year, and that means a great

opportunity for B.C.'s forest products companies to supply a significant portion

of the housing market needs in China. Not only that, the Chinese market is

poised to expand, because currently only 1 percent of the housing starts are

wood-frame construction. This means there is plenty of room for us as British

Columbians to expand in that market.

It is

critical that we continue our efforts to diversify and expand our softwood

lumber industry. All of us know that the U.S. market is our biggest market when

it comes to the forest industry, but we also know that the U.S. has thrown some

pretty big roadblocks in our way. In spite of that, our forest industry

continues to move in the right direction. The people in this industry continue

to look for ways to meet challenges head-on; and of course, we are also doing

more things right here.

Last month

I had the pleasure of welcoming businesses from all over British Columbia to

Burnaby at the Showcase for Canadian Exporters, and I want to thank

organizations like SUCCESS which have been sponsoring partners and are involved

in organizing these showcase events in British Columbia. This trade show was

about showcasing our best people, products and services that we can offer to the

world. Organizations like SUCCESS are also aggressively working to help open up

markets for our suppliers and exporters, because they know there is a need for

it. So all of us must continue to do our part and look for ways to reduce our

reliance on the U.S. market by actively forging relationships with India, China

and Japan. I believe we are on the right track.

government we have also said our economy is key, and we believe we're doing

everything possible to stimulate the economy so that important services like

health care and education are protected. We are opening up the forest industry

by implementing the forestry revitalization plan . By actively pursuing

other markets, as I've mentioned, we're restoring the economic potential for our

mining industry. We're building partnerships with first nations. The three

biggest sporting events, as I mentioned — the 2006 World Junior Hockey

Championships, the 2009 World Police and Fire Games and the 2010 Olympics —

will bring huge economic opportunities to our province. All of these are

foundations that have been laid because our government has made the right

choices.

I believe

the government has made progress — progress worth defending, progress that the

budget speech indicates our province is on the right path. Of course, in my own

constituency, Burnaby-Edmonds, progress is being made on many fronts. This month

we had the official groundbreaking of a new southeast secondary school, which

marks a very important turning point in my community. We're just a year and a

half away from the grand opening of what will be one of the neighbourhood's most

important new developments. It's right on the corner of 10th Avenue and

Griffiths Avenue. My colleague from Burquitlam was actually there with me as we

celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony this last month.

By next

year this project will be ready to go for the new students. It is close to a $35

million investment in

[ Page 8737 ]

our community. I know Burnaby-Edmonds constituents are excited about this new

school, because overcrowding has been a longstanding problem in Burnaby South.

So this new addition to our community is arriving at just the right time. The

new school is going to give Edmonds students a place to learn that is closer to

home, and it will alleviate classroom pressures in other neighbourhoods.

[1555]

The

Minister of Education has announced another new school whose home will be in

Burnaby-Edmonds — the Royal Oak Elementary school. I'm very proud that these

two schools will be going ahead in Burnaby as planned for the next two years. We

have also said we would focus dollars where they're most needed. Part of that

commitment is ensuring the 450-student-capacity Royal Oak Elementary is built to

serve the families in the central-east part of my community.

Not only is

the government bringing out the best in our students in Burnaby, but it's trying

to do that provincewide. Nearly $311 million will be spent on 45 schools as part

of the 2003-06 capital funding program, and 36 schools will be replaced,

renovated or expanded. Other capital projects include consolidating existing

schools, site acquisitions and school bus purchases. An additional $300 million

will be spent provincewide over three years for school maintenance. These funds

will be used to maintain, upgrade or replace aging building components to ensure

existing schools reach their intended life expectancy. Burnaby school district's

share will be almost $4 million, and the budget speech announced additional

funding for the next three years — $313 million more for K-to-12 provincewide.

We are also

doing more in the area of advanced education. Last year when I travelled around

the province with the Select Standing Committee on Finance, one of the biggest

pieces of input we got from the people was in the area of advanced education. We

were told to create more opportunities for our young people. We were told about

the skills shortage, developing skills and more training opportunities. Well, we

are responding to that; 25,000 more post-secondary spaces will be added between

now and 2010 to address this problem. I know that young people in our province

are more excited because we have also said that a target of a 75 percent grade

point average to allow entrance into post-secondary institutions will be the

standard.

We said we

will do more once the economy starts to turn the corner, and we are doing more

in the area of health care — more for patients because the economy has turned

the corner. Balanced Budget 2004 will increase the Health ministry budget by an

additional $1 billion compared to the base amount in last year's budget. As the

Minister of Finance said, every penny is targeted to patient care. In addition,

the province will provide $694 million in capital funding for new construction,

equipment and upgrading of existing health facilities over the next three years.

I know the

signs are showing. The signs of confidence in the economy are there in my

community. There is a lot of construction activity going on in my community.

Middlegate will become Highgate, and construction has already begun. I'm advised

that the two towers which haven't even begun construction are already sold out.

The local realtors tell me that they have never been busier. In my area the

demand far exceeds the supply. The economy is on the move.

We're also

making progress in the film industry front. The owners of MJA Studios have

invested millions of dollars in a studio project in the Big Bend area. The MJA

studio is a state-of-the-art facility, a Hollywood — or Bollywood —

director's dream. Burnaby has tremendous film facilities, and we have a

tremendous skilled workforce in the film industry, and that is why people and

businesses are looking to Burnaby for their future.

I know most

people don't think of forestry when envisioning Burnaby, but Burnaby is home to

Taiga Forest Products, a distributor of building products. Taiga's press release

said: "Thanks to very favourable building product market conditions,

Taiga's third-quarter profits jumped to $1.8 million from $364,000 — a sales

rise by 20 percent"

Burnaby is

bringing out the best in British Columbia. I know our challenges are also there,

be it in health care, education or in the area of safety and crime. It is

important to recognize them and continue to ask for solutions and input. As an

MLA, I hold regular public meetings the first Saturday of every month to hear

firsthand the concerns of my constituents. Over the past two and a half years I

have met with many stakeholders — from health care, to small business owners,

to women leaders, to educators. I have seen firsthand the situations that police

have to deal with. It's a challenging environment, but the people of Burnaby are

working together to find solutions.

Our

government is creating opportunities and the right economic climate and is

asking people to take more responsibility and be more accountable. People do not

want us to change the course. They tell me it has been tough, but it had to be

done. I know the choices haven't been easy, but they're the right ones. We will

now be able to choose how best to utilize surplus funds by directing the surplus

into programs and services like health care and education. British Columbians

now have a choice, and they will see the benefits of balancing the budget.

[1600]

I also know

we're getting positive results in our economy. B.C. is leading in job creation.

We've created more jobs in British Columbia than the rest of Canada. More people

are moving back to British Columbia for the first time in six years.

I am proud

of the record of our government. I know the job is not finished. There's a

tremendous amount more to do, but we have laid the foundation to build our

future prosperity on.

Stephens: It gives me a great deal of pleasure to rise in my place today and

speak in support of Budget 2004.

[ Page 8738 ]

Last

Tuesday afternoon the Finance minister delivered the provincial budget on time

and on target. Last Tuesday British Columbia became the first province to

introduce a balanced budget that completes and complies with the legislated

generally accepted accounting principles. By law, introduced by this government

in 2001, all subsequent budgets will be balanced on that basis.

As the

Minister of Finance said on Tuesday, this is the day British Columbia turns the

corner to economic prosperity, and the best is yet to come. After spending the

past two and a half years in cabinet and on Treasury Board, I know how difficult

it has been to arrive at this budget. After ten years of economic decay,

ministers, the Minister of Finance, all the government members, Treasury Board

staff and ministry staff have worked long and hard to get our government's

fiscal house in order, and on Tuesday we did just that.

In fact,

not only is the budget balanced, but we have a projected surplus of $100 million

for 2004-05, $275 million for '05-06 and $300 million in '06-07. In addition,

cushions of more than $400 million in each of the next three years will protect

our balanced budgets against unforeseen circumstances such as we faced in 2003

with horrendous forest fires, catastrophic pine beetle infestations, drought,

floods, SARS and BSE. Other members in this chamber have spoken about these

challenges that we've faced as well.

At the same

time, we are ensuring that our priorities are not only protected but enhanced.

Education from K-to-12 gets a $313 million boost, plus tens of millions for

seismic upgrading of the schools our children attend to make sure that we keep

them safe. Another $105 million will go into advanced education over the next

three years to improve access to higher education for all our students.

additional $1 billion will be invested in health care over the next three years

— every penny of it going to patient care — and $694 million will go into

new construction, equipment and upgrading of existing facilities. In my

community a huge local concern is transportation infrastructure and much-needed

improvements to get our products moving and our commuters to and from their jobs

in a timely fashion. Over the next three years $1.3 billion will be spent on

infrastructure.

About $460

million of that is directly provided to improve the lower mainland

transportation, and my constituents certainly know how important improving our

transportation infrastructure is for our region. Moving people and goods and

services is critical for our long-term economic prosperity. The Sea to Sky

Highway upgrades, rapid transit improvements, Fraser River crossing, twinning

the Port Mann Bridge, the south perimeter road are all vital initiatives for the

Fraser Valley and for my Langley constituents.

The

provincial budget is balanced, as planned and as promised. A balanced budget is

more than just a piece of paper; it's a significant accomplishment that opens up

more choice and more opportunity for all British Columbians.

In 2002 our

government laid out a plan to revitalize B.C.'s economy, restore sound fiscal

management and direct resources to health care and education — all while

balancing the budget in '04 and '05. Our plan is working. Together we have built

a new foundation for a brighter future.

[1605]

We're

number one in job growth. Over the past two years British Columbia created

159,000 jobs, enjoying the fastest growth rate in the country. More than two

million people are working, and British Columbians' take-home pay is growing.

For the first time we have over two million people working in the province.

We're

number one in new housing growth. B.C. saw a 21 percent jump in housing starts

in 2003, the largest increase in Canada, and it's one of only two provinces

where starts are forecast to keep growing in 2004. We're number one in small

business confidence, and new businesses are being created at the highest rate in

nearly a decade — 9 percent in 2003. We're the number one destination for new

investor immigrants. As well, for the first time in six years, more people are

moving to B.C. from other parts of Canada to build their futures than are moving

away.

Balanced

Budget 2004 will add on these successes to deliver a sustainable future that

brings out the best in our province. Our costs are under control. The economy is

strengthening. Government is making more than $1.3 billion in new investments in

improved health services, a better education system, greater access to advanced

education, enhanced services for children, for youth and families, and a

continuing commitment to open up the heartlands of our province to renewed

economic growth. With these investments we will build our future, and at the

same time our government will