British Columbia Hansard — Wednesday, February 11, 2004

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British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

5th Session, 37th Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (HANSARD) Wednesday, February 11, 2004 Afternoon Sitting Volume 20, Number 2 THE HONOURABLE CLAUDE RICHMOND, SPEAKER ISSN 0709-1281

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871) LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Honourable Iona Campagnolo 5TH SESSION, 37TH PARLIAMENT SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Claude Richmond EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Premier and President of the Executive Council ............................................................................................................Hon. Gordon Campbell Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations ...............................................................................................................Hon.

Sindi Hawkins Deputy Premier and Minister of Children and Family Development ................................................................................ Hon. Christy Clark Minister of State for Early Childhood Development...................................................................................................................Hon. Linda Reid Minister of Advanced Education................................................................................................................................................ Hon.

Shirley Bond Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries..................................................................................................................... Hon. John van Dongen Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Treaty Negotiations..................................................................................... Hon. Geoff Plant Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services ................................................................................................ Hon.

Murray Coell Minister of State for Immigration and Multicultural Services...................................................................................... Hon. Gulzar S. Cheema Minister of State for Women's and Seniors' Services................................................................................................................... Hon. Ida Chong Minister of Education ............................................................................................................................................................Hon.

Tom Christensen Minister of Energy and Mines...............................................................................................................................................Hon. Richard Neufeld Minister of State for Mining...................................................................................................................................................................Hon. Pat Bell Minister of Finance.........................................................................................................................................................................Hon.

Gary Collins Minister of Forests................................................................................................................................................................... Hon. Michael de Jong Minister of State for Forestry Operations.................................................................................................................................. Hon. Roger Harris Minister of Health Services.........................................................................................................................................................Hon.

Colin Hansen Minister of State for Mental Health and Addiction Services ....................................................................................................Hon. Susan Brice Minister of Human Resources........................................................................................................................................................Hon. Stan Hagen Minister of Management Services ............................................................................................................................................. Hon.

Joyce Murray Minister of Provincial Revenue.................................................................................................................................................... Hon. Rick Thorpe Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General...................................................................................................................... Hon. Rich Coleman Minister of Skills Development and Labour......................................................................................................................Hon. Graham P.

Bruce Minister of Small Business and Economic Development ...............................................................................................................Hon. John Les Minister of Sustainable Resource Management ....................................................................................................................Hon. George Abbott Minister of State for Resort Development............................................................................................................................... Hon.

Sandy Santori Minister of Transportation...........................................................................................................................................................Hon. Kevin Falcon Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection ............................................................................................................................... Hon.

Bill Barisoff LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Deputy Speaker ....................................................................................................................................................................................John Weisbeck Leader of the Opposition .......................................................................................................................................................................Joy MacPhail Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole..............................................................................................................................................

Harold Long Clerk of the Legislative Assembly ........................................................................................................................................... E. George MacMinn Clerk Assistant.........................................................................................................................................................................................Robert Vaive Clerk Assistant and Law Clerk ...............................................................................................................................................................Ian D.

Izard Clerk Assistant and Clerk of Committees ....................................................................................................................................... Craig H. James Clerk Assistant and Committee Clerk ..........................................................................................................................................Kate Ryan-Lloyd Sergeant-at-Arms............................................................................................................................................................................. A.A.

Humphreys Director, Hansard Services ..................................................................................................................................................Anthony Dambrauskas Legislative Librarian ..................................................................................................................................................................................Jane Taylor Legislative Comptroller...............................................................................................................................................................................Peter Bray Published by British Columbia Hans ard Services, and printed under the authority of the Speaker by the Queen's Printer, Victoria.

Rates: single issue, $2.85; per calendar year, mailed daily, $298. GST extra. Agent: Crown Publications Inc., 521 Fort St., Victoria, B.C. V8W 1E7. Telephone: (250) 386-4636. Fax: 386-0221. www.leg.bc.ca Hansard Services publishes transcripts both in print and on the Internet. Chamber debates are broadcast on television and webcast on the Internet.

Party Standings: Liberal 75; New Democratic 2; Independent Liberal 2. ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS Abbott, Hon. George (L) ..........................................................................Shuswap Anderson, Val J. (L)............................................................... Vancouver-Langara Barisoff, Hon. Bill (L)...............................................Penticton–Okanagan Valley Bell, Hon.

Pat (L) ..................................................................Prince George North Belsey, Bill (L)....................................................................................North Coast Bennett, Bill (L) ..............................................................................East Kootenay Bhullar, Tony (Ind. L) ................................................................... Surrey-Newton Bloy, Harry (L).....................................................................................Burquitlam Bond, Hon. Shirley (L)..........................................

Prince George–Mount Robson Bray, Jeff (L) ........................................................................Victoria–Beacon Hill Brenzinger, Elayne (L)..................................................................Surrey-Whalley Brice, Hon. Susan (L)...................................................................... Saanich South Bruce, Hon. Graham P. (L) ................................................. Cowichan-Ladysmith Campbell, Hon. Gordon (L) .............................................. Vancouver–Point Grey Cheema, Hon.

Gulzar S. (L)............................................Surrey–Panorama Ridge Chong, Hon. Ida (L) ......................................................... Oak Bay–Gordon Head Christensen, Hon. Tom (L) ...................................................... Okanagan-Vernon Chutter, Dave (L) ..............................................................................Yale-Lillooet Clark, Hon. Christy (L) ....................................................Port Moody–Westwood Cobb, Walt (L) ................................................................................Cariboo South Coell, Hon.

Murray (L) ..........................................Saanich North and the Islands Coleman, Hon. Rich (L)................................................Fort Langley–Aldergrove Collins, Hon. Gary (L) ..........................................................Vancouver-Fairview de Jong, Hon. Michael (L) ........................................Abbotsford–Mount Lehman Falcon, Hon. Kevin (L) ............................................................ Surrey-Cloverdale Hagen, Hon.

Stan (L) ......................................................................Comox Valley Halsey-Brandt, Greg (L) ............................................................Richmond Centre Hamilton, Arnie (L)..............................................................Esquimalt-Metchosin Hansen, Hon. Colin (L) .......................................................Vancouver-Quilchena Harris, Hon. Roger (L) ................................................................................Skeena Hawes, Randy (L)............................................................... Maple Ridge–Mission Hawkins, Hon.

Sindi (L) ........................................................... Kelowna-Mission Hayer, Dave S. (L) ..................................................................... Surrey-Tynehead Hogg, Gordon (L)................................................................... Surrey–White Rock Hunter, Mike (L) ..................................................................................... Nanaimo Jarvis, Daniel (L)........................................................North Vancouver–Seymour Johnston, Ken (L)..............................................................

Vancouver-Fraserview Kerr, Brian J. (L) ................................................................ Malahat–Juan de Fuca Krueger, Kevin (L)................................................... Kamloops–North Thompson Kwan, Jenny Wai Ching (NDP)................................ Vancouver–Mount Pleasant Lee, Richard T. (L).........................................................................Burnaby North Lekstrom, Blair (L)................................................................... Peace River South Les, Hon. John (L)....................................................................

Chilliwack-Sumas Locke, Brenda (L) ............................................................. Surrey–Green Timbers Long, Harold (L) .................................................... Powell River–Sunshine Coast MacKay, Dennis (L)......................................................... Bulkley Valley–Stikine McMahon, Wendy (L).............................................. Columbia River–Revelstoke MacPhail, Joy (NDP) ............................................................

Vancouver-Hastings Manhas, Karn (L) ..............................................Port Coquitlam–Burke Mountain Masi, Reni (L) ..................................................................................... Delta North Mayencourt, Lorne (L)............................................................Vancouver-Burrard Murray, Hon. Joyce (L)............................................................. New Westminster Nebbeling, Ted (L)..................................................... West Vancouver–Garibaldi Nettleton, Paul (Ind.

L) ...................................................Prince George–Omineca Neufeld, Hon. Richard (L) ....................................................... Peace River North Nijjar, Rob (L).....................................................................Vancouver-Kingsway Nuraney, John (L)..................................................................Burnaby-Willingdon Orr, Sheila (L) .............................................................................Victoria-Hillside Penner, Barry (L)......................................................................... Chilliwack-Kent Plant, Hon.

Geoff (L) ........................................................... Richmond-Steveston Reid, Judith (L)....................................................................... Nanaimo-Parksville Reid, Hon. Linda (L) ..................................................................... Richmond East Richmond, Hon. Claude (L)...................................................................Kamloops Roddick, Valerie (L)............................................................................

Delta South Sahota, Patty (L).......................................................................Burnaby-Edmonds Santori, Hon. Sandy (L) .............................................. West Kootenay–Boundary Stephens, Lynn (L).................................................................................... Langley Stewart, Ken (L)........................................................

Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Stewart, Richard (L)........................................................Coquitlam-Maillardville Suffredine, Blair F. (L)..................................................................Nelson-Creston Sultan, Ralph (L) .........................................................West Vancouver–Capilano Thorpe, Hon. Rick (L)............................................................Okanagan-Westside Trumper, Gillian (L)..................................................................Alberni-Qualicum van Dongen, Hon.

John (L)..................................................Abbotsford-Clayburn Visser, Rod (L)...................................................................................North Island Weisbeck, John (L).......................................................... Kelowna–Lake Country Whittred, Katherine (L).............................................

North Vancouver–Lonsdale Wilson, John (L)..............................................................................Cariboo North Wong, Patrick (L)..............................................................Vancouver-Kensington LIST OF MEMBERS BY RIDING Abbotsford-Clayburn ........................................................ Hon. John van Dongen Abbotsford–Mount Lehman................................................Hon. Michael de Jong Alberni-Qualicum ........................................................................

Gillian Trumper Bulkley Valley–Stikine ................................................................ Dennis MacKay Burnaby North................................................................................ Richard T. Lee Burnaby-Edmonds.............................................................................. Patty Sahota Burnaby-Willingdon ........................................................................John Nuraney Burquitlam............................................................................................

Harry Bloy Cariboo North..................................................................................... John Wilson Cariboo South........................................................................................Walt Cobb Chilliwack-Kent ................................................................................ Barry Penner Chilliwack-Sumas ........................................................................... Hon.

John Les Columbia River–Revelstoke .....................................................Wendy McMahon Comox Valley .............................................................................Hon. Stan Hagen Coquitlam-Maillardville............................................................... Richard Stewart Cowichan-Ladysmith .........................................................Hon. Graham P.

Bruce Delta North.............................................................................................Reni Masi Delta South...................................................................................Valerie Roddick East Kootenay .....................................................................................Bill Bennett Esquimalt-Metchosin .................................................................... Arnie Hamilton Fort Langley–Aldergrove....................................................... Hon.

Rich Coleman Kamloops ......................................................................... Hon. Claude Richmond Kamloops–North Thompson.......................................................... Kevin Krueger Kelowna–Lake Country .................................................................John Weisbeck Kelowna-Mission ...................................................................Hon. Sindi Hawkins Langley........................................................................................... Lynn Stephens Malahat–Juan de Fuca.......................................................................

Brian J. Kerr Maple Ridge–Mission ......................................................................Randy Hawes Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows............................................................... Ken Stewart Nanaimo .............................................................................................Mike Hunter Nanaimo-Parksville..............................................................................Judith Reid Nelson-Creston......................................................................... Blair F.

Suffredine New Westminster .................................................................... Hon. Joyce Murray North Coast .......................................................................................... Bill Belsey North Island.......................................................................................... Rod Visser North Vancouver–Lonsdale .................................................... Katherine Whittred North Vancouver–Seymour ..............................................................

Daniel Jarvis Oak Bay–Gordon Head.................................................................Hon. Ida Chong Okanagan-Vernon ..............................................................Hon. Tom Christensen Okanagan-Westside................................................................... Hon. Rick Thorpe Peace River North ...............................................................Hon. Richard Neufeld Peace River South ..........................................................................Blair Lekstrom Penticton–Okanagan Valley...................................................... Hon.

Bill Barisoff Port Coquitlam–Burke Mountain......................................................Karn Manhas Port Moody–Westwood ...........................................................Hon. Christy Clark Powell River–Sunshine Coast............................................................Harold Long Prince George North .........................................................................Hon. Pat Bell Prince George–Mount Robson................................................. Hon. Shirley Bond Prince George–Omineca .................................................................

Paul Nettleton Richmond Centre ...................................................................Greg Halsey-Brandt Richmond East ............................................................................ Hon. Linda Reid Richmond-Steveston ...................................................................Hon. Geoff Plant Saanich North and the Islands..................................................Hon. Murray Coell Saanich South............................................................................. Hon. Susan Brice Shuswap ................................................................................

Hon. George Abbott Skeena .......................................................................................Hon. Roger Harris Surrey-Cloverdale ....................................................................Hon. Kevin Falcon Surrey–Green Timbers.....................................................................Brenda Locke Surrey-Newton ..................................................................................Tony Bhullar Surrey–Panorama Ridge................................................... Hon. Gulzar S.

Cheema Surrey-Tynehead .............................................................................Dave S. Hayer Surrey-Whalley ........................................................................ Elayne Brenzinger Surrey–White Rock.......................................................................... Gordon Hogg Vancouver-Burrard .................................................................. Lorne Mayencourt Vancouver-Fairview..................................................................Hon. Gary Collins Vancouver-Fraserview .....................................................................

Ken Johnston Vancouver-Hastings......................................................................... Joy MacPhail Vancouver-Kensington .................................................................... Patrick Wong Vancouver-Kingsway............................................................................ Rob Nijjar Vancouver-Langara...................................................................... Val J. Anderson Vancouver–Mount Pleasant .............................................Jenny Wai Ching Kwan Vancouver–Point Grey..................................................... Hon.

Gordon Campbell Vancouver-Quilchena ............................................................. Hon. Colin Hansen Victoria–Beacon Hill ...............................................................................Jeff Bray Victoria-Hillside.....................................................................................Sheila Orr West Kootenay–Boundary ......................................................Hon. Sandy Santori West Vancouver–Capilano ............................................................... Ralph Sultan West Vancouver–Garibaldi............................................................

Ted Nebbeling Yale-Lillooet .....................................................................................Dave Chutter

CONTENTS Wednesday, February 11, 2004 Afternoon Sitting Routine Proceedings Page Introductions by Members ....................................................................................................... .............................................. 8453 Tributes ....................................................................................................................... .............................................................. 8453 Sindi Hawkins J.

MacPhail Introductions by Members ....................................................................................................... .............................................. 8453 Tributes ....................................................................................................................... .............................................................. 8453 Lori Wikdahl R.

Hawes Introductions by Members ....................................................................................................... .............................................. 8453 Statements (Standing Order 25B) .............................................................................................................................. ............. 8454 Portable rent subsidies J. Bray B.C. Chamber of Commerce D. Hayer B.C. Hydro electricity plan B.

Penner Oral Questions................................................................................................................. ......................................................... 8455 Taxation of tobacco products J. Kwan Hon. G. Collins J. MacPhail Trades training in B.C. and Red Seal program M. Hunter Hon. S. Bond Government aid for B.C. cattle industry P. Nettleton Hon. J. van Dongen Taxation authority J. Kwan Hon. G. Plant National public health agency K. Manhas Hon. C.

Hansen Point of Privilege............................................................................................................. ......................................................... 8458 J. MacPhail Hon. G. Collins Throne Speech Debate........................................................................................................... .................................................. 8459 J.

Bray Tributes ....................................................................................................................... .............................................................. 8462 Winnifred Ariel Weir W. McMahon

Throne Speech Debate (continued) ............................................................................................................................... .......... 8462 W. McMahon R. Hawes Hon. G. Abbott P. Nettleton Hon. B. Barisoff Hon. P. Bell V. Anderson B. Belsey H. Bloy

8453 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 The House met at 2:03 p.m. Prayers. Introductions by Members Hon. G. Campbell: Today we're joined in the House by 35 Special Olympians and their coaches. They're part of a 129-member team from British Co- lumbia whose coaches and mission will be leaving on Sunday for the Special Olympics Canada National Winter Games in Prince Edwar d Island. It will start on February 16. The athletes at these national games will compete for spots on Team Canada in the eighth Spe- cial Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, in 2005.

The athletes' oath is: "Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." B.C. Special Olympics programs involve 3,400 athletes of all ages and another 2,100 volunteers in communities across this province. [1405] I want to welcome these gu ests and tell them that they are all true achievers. They are all representing British Columbia. We know that they will do extremely well. We're proud of their accomplishments, and we look forward to their continued accomplishments as they go to P.E.I. for the national games. They continue to make contributions and show leadership in their communities.

I'd like the House to make them all wel- come and wish them the best. Tributes SINDI HAWKINS J. MacPhail: I w a n t t o r i s e t o d a y o n b e h a l f o f m y colleague and me to acknowledge another person mak- ing an Olympic, heroic effort. I know that the govern- ment caucus has brought greetings and prayers to the member for Kelowna-Mission, and I just want to say to the member for Kelowna-Mission that those prayers are literally from 100 percent of us. If indeed you are watching, first of all, get a li fe. But I think, actually, the member will be watching. She has maintained her sense of humour.

She has maintained a sense of com- passion that is quite overwhelming in this situation of adversity that she finds herself in, and she has main- tained a sense of inclusiveness, also, in her time of ad- versity. I want to make sure she understands, along with everybody in the Legislature, that the opposition is bringing our prayers on her behalf as well. Introductions by Members J. Bray: I have two introductions. The first, joining us today in the chambers, is somebody who is no s t r a n g e r t o t h i s H o u s e , T e r r y C o l b u r n , w h o s e n a t i v e name is Iskaital.

Terry has become a very active mental health advocate in Victoria. I'd ask that the House again please make him very welcome. My second introduction is not of constituents but of two people without whom I certainly would not be here. It's my pleasure again to introduce to this House my parents, Evelyn and Marshall Bray, QC. I'd ask that the House please make them very welcome. B. Kerr: In conjunction with my colleague from Esquimalt-Metchosin — who I think should be at home in bed, by the way — i t ' s m y h o n o u r t o i n t r o d u c e a number of people visiting the Legislature.

In this group we have 22 people who are from the Juan de Fuca sen- iors centre. They have joined us today to see firsthand how the legislative process works in B.C. and to take in the beauty and grandeur of the parliament buildings. I'd ask the House to please make them feel very wel- come. B. Lekstrom: Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to inform you and all members of a recent addition to our extended family here at the Leg- islative Assembly. Mary Newell of the office of the Clerk of Committees gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Beckham Joshua Aspinall, on Thursday, February 5.

Please join me in sending Mary and her husband, Tony, our best wishes on this very happy occasion. B. Penner: I am pleased today to introduce one of the people who helps to k eep things running smoothly for myself and my caucus colleagues. Martina Kapac is experiencing her first live ques tion period ever today. I hope she finds it as enjoyable as we always certainly do. Martina is one of our le gislative assistants working with us since August of 2003. Would the House please make her welcome. Tributes LORI WIKDAHL R.

Hawes: I'd like to ask the House to acknowledge one of my constituents, Lori Wikdahl, who probably many of you know has just finished a walk across Can- ada for multiple sclerosis. Lori suffers from the disease, and every day that she walked across Canada, I know she suffered with incredible pain and showed incredi- ble fortitude in completing this over a one-year trek across the country. I would like to ask all the members of this House to join me in congratulating Lori and assuring her that she has raised the profile of those that suffer from multiple sclerosis. [1410] Introductions by Members B.

Suffredine: It's not very often that a member of my constituency ends up viewing us in the Legislature. This week I have a young man from grade 12 in New Denver who actually asked, as part of his job participa- tion program, to follow a Member of the Legislative

8454 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES W EDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 Assembly around for this week. He's in the gallery today watching his first ques tion period. He's also on the Youth Advisory Committee to the Columbia Basin Trust. Would the House please make him welcome — Alex Besinque. Mr. Speaker: Hon. members, it is indeed a pleasure for me to read a message from the Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations. "Since my sudden diagnosis of leukemia, I have been overwhelmed by the kindness, the support and the prayers I have received from friends, constituents and people from across the province and beyond.

In fact, I have been quite pleasantly surprised by the kindness shown by the media, something I've not experienced too frequently in my eight years at the Legislature. "The fact that there are so many of you wishing me well, thinking of me and praying for me has truly lifted me. It has made my journey so much easier. I can't tell you how much it means to me that I am not in this fight alone. I want to thank the Premier, who has been a rock for me and my family.

Your small acts of kindness, like h o o k i n g u p m y h o s p i t a l p h o n e , t o l a r g e r a c t s l i k e covering my responsibilities while I'm temporarily away mean the world to me and my family. I'll never forget what you have done for me. "Finally, I'd like to say how incredibly wonderful my family has been. My sisters from Toronto, Regina, Calgary and Vancouver, and my brother from Kelowna have made sure I'm never alone. It's hard to imagine how we've spent so much time apart in the past, because we just love being together.

My parents give me strength and hope that carry me through every single day. I am thankful for my wonderful family. "Mr. Speaker, they say laughter is the best medicine, and believe me, I'm getting heaping spoonfuls of it. On the first day my sisters flew in, they presented me with the top ten reasons why they love me. I want to share the top three with you. The No. 3 reason refers to the golf tournament my interior colleagues and I do every summer for cancer care. So here goes.

The No. 3 reason they love me is: 'Only you would help raise $200,000 for cancer care and then spend it on yourself.' The No. 2 reason they love me: 'You're so selfish. We only asked to borrow your cashmere sweater, and you want our bone marrow.' And the No. 1 reason they love me: 'You'll do anything to stay the slimmest sister in the family.' "As you can see, they're pretty warped, but they keep me in stitches and I love it. Well, I must start my closing comments. I can almost hear the cries of 'Order, order,' and 'Time, Mr. Speaker, time,' coming from both sides of the House.

"I want you all to know I am doing very well. I am strong in spirit and feeling great. I am getting exceptional care at Vancouver General, as I did at Kelowna General. People are writing and calling and asking me if there's anything they can do. There is. Please consider being a blood or platelet donor. These days, I know I am relying on the kindness and unselfishness of those people who take the time to donate blood. I am so thankful for this life-saving treatment.

If anything good can come out of publicizing my leukemia, I would hope it would be that there would be a profound increase in the number of available blood donors. As hard as it is for me to accept, B.C. is a net importer of bl ood from other provinces — provinces that have half or a quarter of our population. I'm told that the leukemia unit I am in uses 80 percent of all the platelets in our province and frequently has to call Winnipeg for more. It is my hope that people will take the time to be a blood and platelet donor. "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope to join you all as quickly as I can.

I will tune in regularly because, as I said, laughter is the best medicine. I know you will all keep me entertained. See you soon, my friends. Please keep me in your prayers. "Sincerely, Sindi Hawkins, your colleague from Kelowna- Mission" [Applause.] Thank you on behalf of Sindi. I know she and her family are watching today. That's very heartwarming. [1415] Statements (Standing Order 25B) PORTABLE RENT SUBSIDIES J. Bray: Today I wish to raise an idea that some members in my community are exploring — that of portable rent supplements.

In most cases, subsidized housing consists of rental units that are built, and the rents are assessed at market rates. Then a subsidy is assessed to ensure that only a limited percentage of one's income goes to cover that rent. In this model, the subsidy rests with the housing unit, and the occupant receives the benefit. However, should the occupant move, they lose the benefit of the subsidy. This creates several issues. First, because one must build the unit before the subsidy is available, demand for low-income housing will always outpace supply.

Second, it creates the need for people needing low- income housing to move to where it is available, in some cases moving from one community to another and kids from one school to an other. Third, it creates a disincentive to move once in a subsidized unit. This can deter moving to another community for employ- ment for fear of losing the subsidy should the em- ployment cease, thus having to go back on a wait-list. I would like to see us explore a new option, which is having rent subsidies be portable — in other words, attached to eligible families as opposed to the rental units.

There are some exam ples now, including Inde- pendent Living B.C. rent supplements. However, they are still attached to units in private assisted-living fa- cilities. The concept I raise is where low-income fami- lies who would qualify for a subsidy if they were in a subsidized unit can qualify for the subsidy but apply it to any apartment in the community. I would like to explore whether the capital cur- rently raised by non-profits, CMHC and others that goes into building new subsidized housing could be shifted to the subsidies themselves.

I believe it could provide for many more low-income families to qualify and receive subsidies, thus relieving some of the issues I identified earlier. As cities like Victoria, Vancouver and Kelowna deal with higher and higher housing costs, we need to look outside the box for solutions.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 8455 B.C. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE D. Hayer: Today I want to honour the British Co- lumbia Chamber of Commerce and its 147 member chambers as they celebr ate their annual Chamber Week. The British Columbia chamber, the voice of business in B.C., began almo st 140 years ago right at the formation of this provin ce in 1867. It is a guiding organization for businesses large and small throughout British Columbia.

Chamber members include people from every walk of life and virtually every ethnic group and represent businesses from tiny one-person operations to huge corporations employing thousands of people. More than 25,000 individual bu sinesses are members of B.C.'s chamber and are truly representative of the way our communities develop. As the success of business is the lifeblood of society, a strong economic climate funds those services that we expect in this province, such as health care, education, transportation and social pr ograms.

It is the members of these chambers of commerce who employ the people who pay taxes that provide benefits for all of us. Surrey is well represented by the Cloverdale, South Surrey and White Rock, and Surrey chambers of com- merce. For many years I was on the Surrey Chamber of Commerce board of directors. During 1997-98, I was its president. As our province's chambers celebrate this year's theme, "British Columbia celebrates the best," I would ask this House to join me in thanking all those who volunteer to serve on these boards.

These volunteers are dedicated to ensuring our economy thrives, our businesses are successful and our economy provides the lifestyles we so appreciate in this province. B.C. HYDRO ELECTRICITY PLAN B. Penner: Most of us take electricity for granted except on those rare occasions when it isn't available. That's when we realize how utterly and completely our society depends upon this remarkable form of energy. There are some folks, however, who don't take electric- ity for granted and whose job it is to plan ahead. B.C. Hydro is currently developing its 2004 integrated elec- tricity plan.

A better workin g title might be "compre- hensive electricity plan," because the task is to forecast demand for electricity over the next 20 years and rec- ommend how to meet future needs in a cost-effective and sustainable way. B.C. Hydro's last plan, completed in 2000, was an update to the 1995 integrated electricity plan. [1420] As you know, under B.C.'s new energy policy, B.C. Hydro remains publicly owned and continues to have a legal obligation to serve its customers. B.C. Hydro does not have the luxury of being unprepared. The newly reinvigorated B.C.

Utilities Commission and other agencies will use the integrated electricity plan to assess new power project proposals. The new energy policy requires all of this planning to be done in the context of keeping electricity rates low, providing reli- able and environmentally re sponsible sources of elec- tricity, and encouraging the private sector to bring forward creative, innovative proposals. Specifically, B.C. Hydro has been given a target of acquiring 50 percent of all new electricity from clean sources. Already since th e 2001 election, B.C.

Hydro signed contracts to acquire electricity from more than 30 new made-in-B.C. projects. Thirty-two are small hydroelectric run-of-the-river projects. Two involve capturing landfill gas, which would otherwise escape into the atmosphere, and one is B.C.'s first-ever com- mercial wind power project. This is a good start, bu t there's more to be done. The last major project, the Revelstoke Dam, was com- pleted in 1984, and in recent years B.C. Hydro has been a net importer of electricity.

Regional information meetings in recent weeks have been held in 12 com- munities across B.C. seek ing feedback on the draft plan, which is posted on B.C. Hydro's website. In fact, I encourage all members of this House to look at the draft plan, especially the se ction that examines poten- tial new sources of electricity. Doing nothing is not a responsible option, as the California crisis of a few years ago aptly demonstrated. We are blessed in British Columbia to have many good options to choose from, and I look forward to many more positive projects in the near future. Mr.

Speaker: That concludes member statements. Oral Questions TAXATION OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS J. Kwan: Since this House last met, a lot has hap- pened. The RCMP raided offices, raided the Legisla- ture, and no one — at least no one in this caucus — seems to know why. A minister has resigned. A deputy has been fired, and a high-level Liberal official with connections to the Premier is under investigation re- lated to untendered government contracts. Other con- tributors to the B.C. Liberals have been found to have benefited from government write-offs on fines and fees.

However, I want to focus today on a matter that I know the Finance minister tried to bury before Christ- mas, a matter that he was no doubt pleased was over- shadowed by the news of the police sifting through his staff offices. Can the Minister of Finance please tell us how much his government has collected on the ciga- rette tax he announced in December? Hon. G. Collins: If the member means to date, I don't know that amount. I kn ow that on an annualized basis, it's anticipated it will bring in about an addi- tional $40 million. Mr. Speaker: Member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant has a supplementary question?

8456 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES W EDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 J. Kwan: The tax grab, as the Minister of Finance has said, I don't believe is enough to get rid of the '03- 04 deficit, but it certainly was worth the risk of offend- ing the Legislature if it meant that he could table his budget next week without any new taxes being the focus. Can the minister tell this House what statutory authority he relied upon to support his decision to in- crease the tax without first bringing it to the Legisla- ture for debate and approval? Hon. G.

Collins: As I said on the date that this an- nouncement was made, it was the government's inten- tion to introduce legislation to raise the tax on tobacco, and it was anticipated that the legislation would take effect December 19, 2003. That is what we've said. That is the basis upon which we used that. We did speak to legislative counsel before making the announcement and were assured that it was in order. However, if in some way I've offended the member opposite or any member of the House, it was certainly not my intention to do that. Mr. Speaker: Member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant has a further supplementary?

J. Kwan: It's no surprise, rea lly, that this minister would bring in a tax without first debating the matter in this House, and I think it just shows the level of con- tempt that he has for British Columbians. Just in case the Government Leader and Finance minister has not yet grasped the significance of his actions, let me quote from a

section of the Constitution Act,

section 92: "In each Province, the Legislature may exclusively make Laws in relation to…Direct Taxation within the Prov- ince in order to the raising of a Revenue for Provincial Purposes." It's a simple question. What statutory authority did the Minister of Finance rely on to override the Consti- tution Act and tax British Columbians without debate and without the approval of the Legislature? [1425] Hon. G. Collins: The fact of the matter is that the tax is not a new tax. It is a tax that's been existing pre- v i o u s l y . I t c o n t i n u e s t o e x i s t .

W h a t w e s t a t e d i n D e - cember was that it was the government's intention to introduce legislation in this session this spring that would amend the rate for the tobacco tax, and that it would be retroactive to December 19. Governments frequently raise taxes retroactively. J. MacPhail: We have a Minister of Finance that's sort of like the Prime Minister. He doesn't know how much he's collected so far. Well, let me do the math: $40 million annually for two months means this gov- ernment has collected illegally $6 million from the pub- lic. He cites as his source legislative counsel.

This min- ister could have introduced legislation on December 16. We were sitting in this chamber, and yet he snuck through an illegal tax grab on December 19 with no legal authority. Let me remind the minister again that the Constitu- tion Act says that the Legislature may exclusively make laws in relation to direct taxation. The Constitution Act doesn't say: "An arrogant and desperate government bent on hiding its taxation agenda on budget day can make laws in relation to taxes." It says the Legislature exclusively. Does the minister have a learned authority that trumps the Constitution Act?

If not, will he apolo- gize to this House today and return the collected taxes that he's already got in his pocket — and that he's done so without authority? Hon. G. Collins: The people of British Columbia let that member do the math for ten years, and look where it got us. The fact of the matter is that the House will have the final say on the tax. That is the way it goes. That's what I said the day the announcement was made. This Legislature is the final body, according to the Constitu- tion Act, that makes those determinations.

What I said was that it was the government's intention to introduce legislation this session. We'll be doing that. I said that it would be retroactive to December 19. It's not uncom- mon for government to levy taxes retroactively. They do it all the time. Her government did it numerous times. That is what's going to happen. We're not going to hide it either. It will be fully presented in the budget next week, and I'm sure the member will be anxious to see the balanced budget. Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition has a supplementary question? J.

MacPhail: The reason why the Finance minister cites no authority is because he has no authority, and despite his protestations he is the first Finance minister to do this. No previous government has done what he has done. In Ottawa the Finance minister's…. Interjections. Mr. Speaker: Order, please. J. MacPhail: No previous government has done it. In Ottawa the Finance minister's Liberal cousins have been caught handing tax dollars to their friends. At least they collected those taxes legally before they handed them over to their friends. The Finance minis- ter won't even provide that courtesy.

With no author- ity, with no debate and with no precedent, the Finance minister picked the pockets of British Columbians, and now he refuses to even offer an explanation that's credible. Again to the Minister of Finance: will he re- turn every dime — $6 million and more — that he col- lected illegally from British Columbians? Hon. G. Collins: As I've said, the final arbiter in this matter is always the Hous e. It is always the Legis- lature. I said that on the day; I say it again today. Cer- tainly, if the members of this House wish to defeat that legislation, then of course the government would re-

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 8457 turn the money. The reality is that it will be up to the House, and I expect that member to vote according to her conscience. If she wants to lower tobacco taxes, I'll be anxious to see how she votes. Interjection. Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Order. [1430] TRADES TRAINING IN B.C. AND RED SEAL PROGRAM M. Hunter: My question is to the Minister of Ad- vanced Education.

Over the past days I have had communication from employ ers and contractors in Nanaimo who are concerned about what they're hear- ing about exam marks and the Red Seal certification program and the program itself being at risk in British Columbia as a result of that. They've also asked me about the continuation of ap prenticeship programs in British Columbia, because somebody seems to be tell- ing them that we're doing away with apprenticeship. Can the minister please explain what we're doing to make sure we have a trades training program that's sustainable? Hon. S.

Bond: The integrity of the Red Seal process in this province is important to this government. That's why, when there was an in dication several weeks ago that there may be issues wi th the exam process related to Red Seal, we moved immediately to do something about that. The review has taken place over the last number of weeks. I expect to have more specific infor- mation presented to me through my deputy on Friday. But it is clear that some exams were adjusted. The good news, if there is any, is that the number of exams that were adjusted is a small number.

Most of- ten the significance, in term s of the exam adjustment, was 1 percent. But during the course of that review, I asked the reviewer to look back, using the databases t h a t w e r e a v a i l a b l e t o u s . W e w e n t b a c k a s f a r a s w e were able to — as far as 1995 — and, in fact, we found that exams have been adjusted in the province of Brit- ish Columbia since 1995. Again, that information will be provided in more detail by Friday, and I hope to make that information much more public by Monday. Interjection. Mr. Speaker: Order, please. GOVERNMENT AID FOR B.C. CATTLE INDUSTRY P.

Nettleton: You never know who you'll run into the hallways here in the Legislature. I was fortunate enough to bump into a senior staffer from the Ministry of Agriculture earlier today, and I queried him as to the $16.8 million that had been announced yesterday in the Speech from the Throne with respect to moneys desig- nated for ranchers hard hit by BSE. It's an issue with which I think we're all somewhat familiar. He indicated, in fact, that the $16.8 million is not new money.

This is in contra st to a plain reading of the Speech from the Throne — I'll make reference to that, if I may — which clearly conveys a different meaning entirely. The Speech from the Throne, in fact, indicates that more will be done to help B.C.'s ranchers recover from the BSE crisis. It goes on to state that in addition to the $10.5 million in assistance already committed to the BSE program, a further $16.8 million will be con- tributed to help farmers with respect to this crisis.

Now I'm wondering why it is the Premier chose to commu- nicate this funding in this way, with the resulting con- fusion with respect to this funding. Hon. J. van Dongen: Our ministry and our gov- ernment are working with the federal government and other provinces to provide substantial support to our producers.

We had estimates last fall of the additional cost to the government of all of the BSE programs that we are doing, and we are confirming in the throne speech that we have added an additional $16.8 million to the budget of our minist ry for the purposes of sup- porting our hard-hit cattle industry in British Colum- bia. TAXATION AUTHORITY J. Kwan: The Minister of Finance cites legislative counsel as a source who reports to the Attorney Gen- eral.

Does the Attorney General agree with the Minister of Finance's legal opinion that he, the Minister of Fi- nance, has statutory authority that trumps the Consti- tution Act? Hon. G.

Plant: Actually, I was sitting listening to those questions, remembering when the members op- posite sat in a cabinet room one day and imposed the death tax on British Columbians — had to be taken to the Supreme Court of Canada to establish that probate fees were really taxes — and then were dragged kick- ing and screaming back into the Legislature finally to have the very debate which the Minister of Finance has said we will have in this chamber when the time is right, where it belongs, on the issue that has been ad- dressed here. [1435] Interjections. Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Order, please.

NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCY K. Manhas: My question is to the Minister of Health Services. Interjections.

8458 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES W EDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 Mr. Speaker: Order, please, hon. member. We'll wait until we can hear the question. Please proceed. K. Manhas: My question is to the Minister of Health Services. The federal government has commit- ted to establish a national public health agency simi- lar to the U.S. national centres for disease control. British Columbia would be an ideal location for that. We are an international gateway and a leader in pa- thology research. We are already home to the highly successful and worl d-renowned B.C. Centre for Dis- ease Control.

Can the minister tell me what steps are being taken to ensure that British Columbia has a lead role in estab- lishing our Canadian national centre for disease con- trol? Hon. C. Hansen: Actually, at the Health ministers' conference that was held in September in Halifax, there was unanimous agreement an d support by all health ministers and federal, prov incial and territorial gov- ernments to support the initiative towards a national public health agency. Subsequently, there was a report that was done by Dr.

David Naylor, who is the dean of medicine at the University of Toronto, on the whole SARS crisis in Canada. He proposed this na tional agency and set out the components that would be desirable. Of the 20 components that he felt were desirable, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control — the only centre of its kind in Canada — had 12 of those 20 components. We had the best record in Canada when it came to managing the SARS crisis. We read the science in this province that produced the first gene-sequencing of the coronavirus.

The vaccine initiative that was triggered by our Premier following on that is now leading the world in developing a vaccine for SARS. We have a lot to offer in terms of the nati onal public health agency, and I fully expect that B.C. will play the pivotal role in that new national enterprise. [End of question period.] Point of Privilege J. MacPhail: Mr. Speaker, you will recall that yes- terday I rose and reserved the right to raise three mat- ters of privilege. I would like to address the first one now. Mr. Speaker: Please proceed. J.

MacPhail: I would like to present to you what I believe to be a prima facie case for the argument that the Minister of Finance has acted in contempt of this Legislature and its primacy by violating the fundamen- tal principle that a tax cannot be increased or imple- mented before it has been presented to the House. I would like to first re fer you to a press release dated December 19, 2003, that was issued by the Minis- ter of Finance. It is titled Province Increases Tobacco Tax . Within this news release th e Minister of Finance an- nounced that the tax would increase by 1.9 cents per cigarette.

The increase went into effect at midnight that evening, and to date this government has collected about $6 million in that tax — that new tax. I want to make it clear that I am not raising issue with the merit of the tax or the increase, so the heckling of other members can stop on that issue. Instead, I would argue that the minister… Interjections. Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Order. J. MacPhail: …violated the primacy of this House by unilaterally enacting such a change without legisla- tive authority. The tax increase was simply announced.

There was no legislation, no cabinet order, no motion to the Public Accounts Committee. The minister acted without any authority. For your consideration, I would refer you to the Tobacco Tax Act itself,

an act that establishes that this is a tax.

Section 2 of the statute clearly sets out the tax rate for cigarettes and tobacco. The rate of tax is not set by regu lation. It exists as law in the Tobacco Tax Act. To date, the Minister of Finance has not brought this change before the House. Indeed, yesterday he didn't do it. Today he didn't do it, and he's collecting millions of dollars. He has changed a statute without support from the Legislature. [1440] Secondly, I would like to highlight

section 92 of the Constitution Act of Canada.

Section 92 defines the ex- clusive powers of provincial legislatures. It states: "In each Province the Legislature may exclusively make Laws in relation to Matters coming within the Classes of Subjects next hereinafter enumerated; that is to say, Direct Taxation within the Province in order to the rais- ing of a Revenue for Provincial Purposes." I would argue that the Minister of Finance has violated this

section by not bringing the tax increase before the Leg- islature for debate or approval. Finally, I would like to draw your attention to three sections of Erskine May's Parliamentary Practice . On page 734 it states: "A charge, whether upon public funds or upon the people, has to be authorized by legislation, and it must originate in the House of C o m m o n s .

" F u r t h e r m o r e , o n p a g e 7 7 7 i t s t a t e s t h a t charges upon the people include: "…the imposition of a new tax, the continuation of an expiring tax, an in- crease in the rate of an existing tax or an extension of the incidence of a tax so as to include persons not already payers." The Minister of Finance's feeble de- fence that this was not a new tax is swept away by Erskine May.

Lastly, I would like to cite page 778 of Erskine May, which states, "The increase in the rate of a permanent tax must be initiated by a ways-and-means resolution for that purpose" — not brought in six, eight, ten weeks

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 8459 after the tax has been collected, but initiated by a ways- and-means resolution for that purpose. Mr. Speaker, the tax increase was announced on December 19. The Legislature sat on December 16.

It is beyond belief that between December 16 in the after- noon and the morning of December 19, the government dreamed up this tax and said: "Oh, let's grab another $6 million from the public of British Columbia before the next budget is tabled." I know that's the defence of the Prime Minister, the federal Liberal Prime Minister, and I hope it's not what this provincial government is using as a defence as well. The Minister of Finance had every opportunity to bring this change before the Legislature. In subsequent media reports he made it clear that this action was not the actions of previous B.C. Legislatures.

I have that news

article with the direct quote of the Minister of Finance saying this is not what's done in B.C. He made such comments in the Vancouver Sun o n D e c e m b e r 2 0 of last year. He also argued that Quebec did the same thing a few weeks earlier. The article, and the arti cle merely reflecting the Minister of Finance's comments, failed to mention that the Quebec National Assembly was sitting at the time they raised the tax, and they actually introduced legis- lation. It slipped the mind of the Minister of Finance to make that comparison. Mr.

Speaker, I believe the material I have cited clearly illustrates there is a prima facie case of con- tempt of parliament. It is clear that the Minister of Fi- nance acted unilaterally in increasing a tax that is de- fined by statute — doesn't delegate it to a regulation by OIC. The actual tax rate is defined by statute. In cir- cumventing the Legislature, the minister has violated the supremacy of the Legisl ature and our rights as MLAs to vote and represent our constituents before the tax is announced and collected. I have before me a motion to present to the Legisla- ture should you find a prima facie case.

I also table the documents which I referenced: the news release from the Minister of Finance dated December 19, the To- bacco Tax Act that shows the

section in which the tax rate is clearly specified, the Constitution Act and the Vancouver Sun

article to which I referred in which the Minister of Finance is quoted. Hon. G. Collins: I understand the member has three motions of privilege that she wishes to make today. I'd like to make it clear that I'll reserve the right of the government to respond to them at a later date. Mr. Speaker: So noted. The Chair will take into consideration all the comments made and bring back a ruling in due course. [1445] Orders of the Day Hon. G. Collins: I call Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne. Throne Speech Debate J.

Bray: I move, seconded by the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke, that: [We, Her Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in session assembled, beg leave to thank Your Honour for the gracious speech which Your Honour has addressed to us at the opening of the present session.] It is an honour to again ri se on behalf of the residents of my community, Victoria–Beacon Hill, and respond to the throne speech. The Lieutenant-Governor has laid out a comprehensive vision for British Columbia.

It is a vision that deals not only with the present but also with the fu- ture for our children and grandchildren. Bringing out our best. Th at was the theme we heard from the throne speech. It is an attitude that will drive this province and its people to new levels of excellence. William James once said: "The greatest discovery of our generation is that human bein gs can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mi nd. As you think, so shall you be." I am proud of the revitalized attitude this Premier and this government have brought to the peo- ple of British Columbia.

This throne speech lays out an exciting world of opportunity for all regions and all peoples to share in the wealth and potential of this great land. As govern- ment, we are offering new structures and programs that will create hope and prosperity for our children and the next generation. New programs that will pro- mote athleticism, art, music and culture to flourish in our young people in the spirit of 2010 are examples of what a progressive government with sound fiscal dis- cipline can deliver to the public.

Goals of adding 25,000 new post-secondary spaces by 2010 are the benefits of sound government incorpo- rating progressive social policy. The best preventative health care measure is a top-notch education system for all. However, such positive initiatives do not happen on their own. They require long-term planning and execution of those plans. Balancing the budget is not the end goal but rather the foundation from which progressive measures can be implemented. It is the predictable, stable surpluses that allow government to meet the priority of British Columbians in a sustainable fashion.

This throne speech was the fourth since the general election of 2001. To understa nd the significance of this throne speech, I think it instructive to review what we have heard in previous throne speeches and what this government has achieved. H.G. Wells once said: "In politics, strangely enough, the best way to play your cards is to lay them face up- ward on the table." In the time leading up to the gen- eral election of 2001, we did just that. We published our New Era document. It laid out over 220 specific propos- als for creating a prosperous and exciting future for British Columbians.

The political pundits thought us too specific — too many commitments. How could we accomplish this? Well, the answer is simple. We followed our plan.

8460 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES W EDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 In 2001 we heard the following commitments and saw the following actions. To transform the public pol- icy process in British Columbia, we created govern- ment caucus committees to ensure every MLA was directly involved in decision-making. We brought in free votes so MLAs could effectively represent their constituents. You know, in ten years of NDP govern- ment, I never remember one MLA once exercising a free vote.

We re-engaged the select standing committees of this Legislature to ensure more access for the public to directly engage their elected officials. To ensure public confidence in their government, we introduced real balanced-budget legislation and real truth-in- budgeting legislation so the public could feel confident that we are keeping the government's financial records the same way as they would.

In fact, this year ours will be the first government in Canada to fully adopt gen- erally accepted accounting principles in its financial records system. [1450] We also provided a dram atic personal income tax cut and that year provided over 17 additional tax cuts, including eliminating the much-hated corporate capital tax and the tax on new machinery and equipment. We worked to eliminate backlogs and delays in Crown land applications, and we started to encourage mineral exploration. Previously, the NDP raised taxes continu- ously, and who did this hurt the most, Mr. Speaker? Working families.

Those earning $60,000 or less paid the highest taxes in Canada. Under our tax relief, they now pay the lowest. Mining and the high-wage jobs that come with it were chased out of the prov ince by the NDP. Again, who was hurt the most? Working families in our smaller resource-dependent communities. In the throne speech of 2002 we heard about the need to reduce the regulatory burden faced by many in this province, so government continued with its goal of reducing unnecessary red tape by one-third before May of 2005. We streamlined and modernized the La- bour Code to fit the current work world.

We continued to focus on health care, including revising the Medical Services Plan to bring lower pre- miums to over 230,000 low-income British Columbians. We fully funded the mental health plan. We combined both mental health services and addiction services into one envelope, and then placed that appropriately where it belonged — in health care. We established the goal and method for doubling the number of medical students graduating in this province. In 2003 we heard about several additional initia- tives.

One of the most pr ogressive was the Citizens' Assembly, which is currently looking at how British Columbians may want to choose their elected repre- sentatives in the future. This initiative is being watched around the world and is the most compre- hensive form of consultative democracy we have ever seen. We also heard a great deal about reconciliation with first nations and have seen several agreements-in- principle signed with first nations, as well as numerous economic initiatives to allow first nations communities to share in the wealth of this province.

We also saw a major integrated transportation strategy to deal with the need to improve our infra- structure without unduly burdening future genera- tions, who would otherwise have to pay for it. We embarked on the most significant forestry re- forms in 40 years to revitaliz e and stabilize the number one sector of our economy. Of course, we also won the right to host the 2010 Olympics, which is already reaping huge benefits for communities right across th is province. These were bold initiatives, ones the NDP never took on.

Certainly Carole James, the absentee leader of the NDP, has never evoked even a glimmer of what vision she has for our province. In fact, all Carole James says again and again is that she plans to have a plan. I say to her: "We have a plan, and it's working." What does a review of our actions as government mean? Well, Theodore Hesburgh said: "The very es- sence of leadership is that you have to have a vision." In 2001 the Premier and this government had a vision for hope and prosperity for th is province.

At this time every year the throne speech lays out the specifics of how we will achieve this ne w era, and we have deliv- ered. With 131,000 new jobs, British Columbia has led the nation in job creation since December 2001. More than 53,000 of those jobs came last year, 30,000 of them — an amazing number — in the month of October alone. Tax cuts, deregulation and putting balance in the Labour Code have all helped bring investors back to B.C. For the first time in six years, more people are moving to B.C. from other provinces than are leav- ing.

B.C. is in the top three provinces for investment intention, a key sign that the rest of the world is again excited about the potential of this province. B.C. is cre- ating new businesses faster than it has in a decade. Business incorporations were up 9.3 percent in the first nine months of 2003, following a 7.7 percent increase the previous year. It is the best performance since 1994. New housing starts are up in B.C. They're up 25 percent this year, more than triple the national average. B.C. is experiencing double the national average in capital investment.

More than 20,000 people on income assistance have joined the workforce since 2001, and an additional 65,000 people are independent from income assistance. This year we increased our housing budget to $153 million, the largest in B.C. history. Since June 2001, we've committed funding to build 3,380 additional subsidized units. Independent Living B.C. will help provide more than 3,500 units over the next four years for seniors and people with disabilities who require assistance with daily living. [1455] Our budget and fiscal plan is on track, with spend- ing under control and revenues rising.

We will balance the budget for 2004-05. What does this mean for B.C.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 8461 families? As of this year, we will no longer be spending the tax dollars of our children and grandchildren, be- cause we will be balancing the budget. We are seeing the rewards of laying out a comprehensive plan and following through on the new-era commitments, even though they required tough decisions. Now, hearing opponents of this government, in- cluding Carole James of the NDP, all we get is the tired rhetoric of failure.

Carole James advocates for the policies that would have restrained 80,000 people on welfare, preventing them from becoming full par- ticipants in our communities. Carole James advocates for policies that would have denied 6,000 British Co- lumbia citizens increased disability benefits. Carole James has told working families of this province: "I don't want you to prosper from a revitalized forest industry.

I don't want you to prosper from the poten- tial for offshore oil and gas, regardless of what the science may say." Carole James does not even have the propriety to advise British Columbians how much of their efforts she wants to tax. Carole James, I sus- pect, cannot endorse this thro ne speech, because it is all about success. The NDP know they cannot attract voters who are healthy, working and confid ent, and whose children have a future in their own community. This vision scares the NDP, because they depend on failure and fear to attract support.

In the end the NDP are more comfortable with old problems rather than new solu- tions. This throne speech offers evidence of existing suc- cess and a path for all citizens to achieve their best. I see many positive elements of this throne speech for my constituents of Victoria–Beacon Hill. Bringing out the best in our economy is what Victorians have been doing for a while. We have a robust economy, with unemployment around 5 perc ent, in part because the government is reducing the regulatory impediment to investment.

Just last night on TV, though, I saw Carole James claiming that Victoria had "really high unem- ployment." Does she even understand numbers? If she is this out of touch with the community she wants to represent as an opposition MLA, just how out of touch is she with the rest of the province? Now, our tourism sector will continue to benefit from bold initiatives, including the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre, to bring more people to our region here in the southwest. Bringing out the best in student achievement.

One of the issues my constituents frequently raise with me is their desire for a strong public education system. The throne speech addresses this issue head-on. The budget for education will grow by $313 million over the next three years. New graduation requirements starting in September will raise our standards and provide more flexibility and choice for students. Early learning and child care agreements with the federal government will inject more than $70 million into programs for B.C.'s youngsters over the next three years, giving our most precious resource — our children — the best start they can have.

I am proud that this government will launch a ma- jor new initiative to address literacy, beginning with the creation of the Premier's advisory board on literacy. We will also provide new funding for literacy initia- tives and double the annual contribution to the adult literacy cost-shared program. I encourage, and I'm sure all other members encourage, the federal government to do the same. Bringing out the best in higher education.

As a member of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, post-secondary education was a major theme of our most recent report as a result of the prebudget consultations. In fact, one of the main recommendations that we made to this House read: "…that the government prov ide additional funds in future years for post-secondary education as they be- come available." The people of B.C. spoke to our com- mittee, and this government has responded. This province will provid e and add an additional 25,000 new student spaces to B.C.'s colleg es, universi- ties and institutes by 2010.

A comprehensive new strat- egy to increase access to advanced education will be outlined. In addition, Advanced Education's budget will be increased by $105 million by the year 2006-07.

This positive result in response to British Columbians' priorities was a direct result of our re-engaging the select standing committees of this House, truly ac- commodating the reports and providing the fiscal framework and the surpluses to act on our citizens' priorities. [1500] Another recommendation in our Finance Commit- tee report was "that the government complete its plan to bridge the digital divide and stay focused on techno- logical innovation," so I am pleased that the throne speech identifies that the government will act to bridge the digital divide by providing broadband access to 171 communities over the next two years through the pro- vincial learning network.

As an MLA who continually meets with constitu- ents in town hall meetings, I know the value of this type of open dialogue. This is why I'm so eager to hear the outcomes from the series of round tables, hosted by the Premier, engaging B.C. families in discussions about their hopes and aspirations for the future, shar- ing their views and their challenges and opportunities for both themselves and their communities.

I believe we as a government will hear many creative ideas and solutions, and with a firm fiscal platform now estab- lished through a balanced budget, we can act on those solutions, bringing out the be st in the spirit of British Columbia. The 161-member Citizens' Assembly is deliberating o n h o w b e s t t o e l e c t m e m b e r s t o t h i s c h a m b e r . I t i s a groundbreaking initiative of which British Columbians are rightly proud, giving us an unprecedented oppor- tunity to bring out the best in our parliamentary sys- tem. Now, I want to spend a moment on the Citizens' Assembly.

I believe it would be an enlightening exam- ple of the difference between our government and the

8462 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES W EDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 NDP. For ten long, arduous, inept years the NDP could have engaged British Columbians in the concepts of electoral reform, but they did not. Once defeated, they miraculously became enamoured of proportional rep- resentation — long after the Green Party did, by the way — perhaps as the only method they felt they might get some seats in this Legislature. On the other hand, as opposition we committed to a new and unique form of electoral re form, and once elected, we carried it through.

The Citizens' Assembly does not just give consulta- tive powers to 161 randomly selected citizens. It gives them full power to suggest an alternative method of electing MLAs. If they appr ove this change, it goes directly to all British Columbians in the form of a refer- endum ballot on May 17, 2005. This is the first time in the history of the Commonwealth that a government has empowered the people to make historical change to the very foundation of our po litical structure. In short, the NDP feared democracy, and this government truly delivered democracy.

The Spirit of 2010 and th e theme of bringing out our best are not just catchphrases. They represent the attitude that we as British Columbians can possess and that will propel us to be the best we can be. I am proud of our Premier and of our government for making the tough decisions now for the long-term benefit of our communities, our children and our future. Our first three years in office have laid the foundation. Now, with a positive and revitalized attitude, we must work together to build the best B.C. possible. The throne speech lays out the next ph ase in this plan, and to- gether we will succeed.

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars. W. McMahon: It is indeed my privilege today to second the motion made by the member for Victoria– B e a c o n H i l l . I t i s a n h o n o u r t o r i s e o n b e h a l f o f t h e residents of Columbia River–Revelstoke and respond to the throne speech. Tributes WINNIFRED ARIEL WEIR W. McMahon: The Lieutenant-Governor has laid out a comprehensive vision for British Columbia, but before I comment on this year's throne speech, I would like to pay tribute to a very special Invermere woman who passed away on February 3 at the age of 95.

Win- nifred Ariel Weir was a prominent resident, commu- nity activist and contributor to the very fabric of our community. Born and raised in Cranbrook, she moved to Invermere in 1929 to teach school. [H. Long in the chair.] She married in 1932. At that time she was no longer able to teach, because a ma rried woman couldn't teach, so she raised her children and devoted herself to her community.

She was a founding member of the Co- lumbia Valley Writers Guild, the Rocky Mountain Toastmasters Club, the Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Invermere Bu sinessmen's Association, the Invermere Public Library, the historical society…. The list goes on and on. [1505] She loved to write and in 1980 published Tales of Windermere, a historical novel depicting the life and times of early settlers in the upper Columbia Valley. She was the first editor of the Valley Echo in Invermere many years ago.

She wrote and directed plays for the community, and most recently she wrote a weekly col- umn for the paper, "Echoes by the Way." She received the Queen's Silver and Golden Jubilee medals. She was a recipient of the Order of British Columbia in 1999 and the B.C. and Yukon Community Newspaper Associa- tion's life achievement award that same year. The rec- ognitions truly go on and on. Winn's life has been a tapestry woven with vision and determination. We are fortunate to be left with the results of her hard work.

She has left a special footprint on Invermere and the Columbia Valley, and for that we are extremely grateful. She will be missed. Debate Continued W. McMahon: I want to begin today by comment- ing on the driving force behind our economy — our natural resources. Resource-based industries are the economic backbone of this province, and although they waned at times due to poor public policy and the eco- nomic climate, they are still an integral part of the eco- nomic force. This is particularly true for the Kootenay, where communities and families depend on the forest and mining industries for their livelihood.

One need only look to history to see the widespread contribution of the East Kootenay resources to the local and provin- cial economy. The Sullivan mine in Kimberley pumped nearly $20 million into the provincial economy. The Elk Valley has historically been a hotbed for coal mining activity and continues to be an enormous mining hub, contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the region and the entire province. But that's not all. Today we know the Kootenay region has tremendous coalbed methane potential. This resource will offer new oppor- tunities for growth and jobs in that region.

Last fall I stood up and spoke in support of a mo- tion calling on the House to recognize the immense contribution of resource development to the health and education infrastructure of all communities. Without our resource-based communities and industries, we would not have our prized services such as health care, education, social services and services for families. These services exist becaus e we have strong and sus- tainable industries in this province that make it possi- ble.

We are going to continue to implement our forestry revitalization plan and explore new secondary indus- tries, such as manufacturing and value-added pro- ducts. Although traditional resource industries have

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 8463 been the backbone of the Kootenay region, we also recognize that it is necessary to diversify. That is why the Premier travelled to Ch ina and India to seek new trade partners and explore new opportunities. We need to think outside the box, an d that's what this govern- ment is doing. One industry that has often been overlooked and now has great potential to be an economic powerhouse is tourism.

Tourism is a vital industry to British Co- lumbia, one that contribute s nearly $10 billion to the provincial economy and offers a host of employment opportunities to British Columbians throughout our province. In the past we have not always recognized the full tourism potential of our heartlands and back- country regions. However, this is changing rapidly. Most tourists don't simply come to B.C. to enjoy the city life of Vancouver and Victoria. They come to ex- perience the natural beauty and outdoors that our province has to offer.

Tourists and travellers alike come to B.C. to experience our back-country adventures, our mountains and ski hills, our word-class resorts and our m u l t i t u d e o f g o l f c o u r s e s , a n d w e h a v e m o s t o f t h e s e sought-after destinations right here in my own back yard in the Kootenay. Even Microsoft has recognized the incredibly high quality of golf resorts in our region. The Microsoft Xbox Links 2004 golf series now includes Greywolf at Panorama, one of only ten golf courses in the world that can be played on Xbox, the most realistic computer game system on the market.

Other courses include a course in Hawaii and the course at St. Andrews. We have tremendous potential to develop tourism in B.C., particularly in the Kootenay region, to make it one of the leading industries of this province, particu- larly with the Olympics coming to Vancouver and Whistler in 2010. This truly is our opportunity to shine, and I think it is an opportunity for the Kootenay to show its colours. Last year Fernie was home to the world freestyle event, which hosted world-class ath- letes.

An opportunity as a training destination for ath- letes is Panorama Mountain resort where the Canadian alpine ski team has been training. Earlier this summer they were up at Farnham Glacier, just outside of Pano- rama, where they trained for the very first time during the summer here — right here in British Columbia. [1510] Through the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, Kootenay Knitting became a world-known company overnight with its contract to supply CBC with vests and sweaters. Now our small and medium businesses have an opportunity to market their own products through the Olymp ic Games right here.

Ear- lier today the Premier introduced our Paralympians as they were on their way back east. Usually I have the privilege of extending greetings to them in Kimberley, where they do a lot of training at the ski hill there. During the 2010 Olympic Games, all eyes are going to be on us. This is a marketing opportunity in and of itself. In order to see our resources such as tourism, forestry and mining thrive, we have put in motion an e c o n o m i c p l a n t h a t i s b e g i n n i n g t o s e e r e a l r e s u l t s . We're seeing results througho ut the province and right at home.

Communities in my constituency of Columbia River–Revelstoke are making great strides and begin- ning to experience economic revitalization. Invermere on the Lake and the entire upper Columbia Valley have continued to prosper economically. Local resorts are continuing to attract investment through recreational proper ty buyers. Invermere has seen $19.5 million in new home construction over the past two years, and property values have increased 11 percent on average in the la st year alone.

In 2003, In- vermere on the Lake's boundary was further expanded by over 400 acres to allow a new resort-residential neighbourhood with over 10,000 new homesites. The town of Golden is continuing to develop its capacity as a provincial gateway community and world-class tourism and quality-of-life destination. Last December the provincial government, Golden and area economic developmen t society, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and Tourism B.C. signed a memoran- dum of understanding to develop a visitor information centre in Golden. Local financing partnerships and land acquisition are nearing completion.

The MOU brings the community one step closer to becoming a tourism hub in the East Kootenay and will provide between six and ten direct jobs within the cen- tre, plus construction jo bs. The Kicking Horse Moun- tain Resort has topped $100 million in investment in less than four years. A call for proposals to potential developers by Land and Water B.C. is anticipated shortly and will result in the planned development of approximately 102 additional homes in the community. The 2003 year ended on a high note for Revelstoke and its economy.

Positive indicators included an in- crease in hotel room revenues by 14 percent between 2000 and the end of 2003, an increase in housing sales by almost 100 percent from 2001 to 2003 — this trend is continuing into 2004 — increased local hiring by CP Rail due to an improved business climate and in- creased investment encourag ed by the completion of the Mount MacKenzie resort master plan.

In the coming years Revelstoke looks forward to several major economic development initiatives, in- cluding the development of a major four-season resort at the local ski hill, Mount MacKenzie, which will have a major impact on the local and regional economy — Revelstoke looks forward to the provincial government fast-tracking this project — the reopening of the Cold- stream mine operated by Orphan Boy Resources, and the marketing of lakeshore properties on both Lake Revelstoke and the Arrow Lakes, which will have a positive impact on the local economy.

These are strong indicators that the economy is turning around and that we're on track for a prosperous 2004. When talking about the economy, we often talk in figures and dollars and lose sight of how these figures and dollars translate into the real world. A strong economy isn't simply about investment figures, busi- ness and trade, balanced budgets, responsible spend- ing. It's about what that ec onomy supports. We rely on a strong economy and adaptable fiscal policies to sup-

8464 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES W EDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 port and invest in services for people — services such as health care, education and social programs for those who are less fortunate. Striving for a balanced budget and encouraging investment is not about slashing social services and letting people fall between the cracks. It's about bring- ing in revenue to pay for thes e very services that help prevent people from falling through the cracks. We're investing in our services, and that's what we're doing with health care througho ut the province.

The East Kootenay has seen a tremendous amount of reorgani- zation of health care over the last two and a half years. At times it was a process riddled with growing pains. [1515] However, I'm proud to stand here today and tell you that for the first time ever, we truly have a regional hospital. East Kootenay Regional Hospital is now equipped with nearly two dozen specialists. The inte- rior health authority is currently awaiting the arrival of f o u r m o r e s p e c i a l i s t s , a n d t h a t ' s g o o d n e w s f o r o u r area.

This means that people can get the care they need when they need it, right at home. In the past, Kootenay residents have travelled to as far away as Vancouver or Calgary, which is much closer for us in the eastern side of the province. But we now have specialists here, lo- cally, to provide the services. The hospital has state-of-the-art equipment ranging from a variety of diagnostic equipment to a telehealth video conferencing system.

Telehealth video conferenc- ing, the latest in health technology, allowed almost two dozen patients in the East and West Kootenays to avoid a costly trip to Kelowna to see a specialist last month. This is ideal for people who are unable to travel, lack transportation or are unable to afford travel to another health centre. On another note, the community of Kimberley is in the process of setting up a primary care centre which will operate as a holistic health centre in this commu- nity.

The interior health au thority is also working on the renovation of old facilities and development of new facilities for seniors throughout the region. The throne speech highlighted some key initiatives that were undertaken in education, and I'm excited about our investment in education. I assisted the Rocky Mountain superintendent of schools for many years, and therefore education is a subject close to my heart and one that I feel is integr al to a strong and dynamic society.

As government, we recognize the importance of investing in the education of our children, which is why we're committing $313 million over the next three years to education. That's why we're adding 25,000 new student spaces to B.C.'s colleges, universities and institutes by 2010. My constituency is home to the Col- lege of the Rockies and Okanagan University College campuses — interdisciplinary colleges that offer a wide range and variety of programs and allow students to study closer to home. This is so important in rural Brit- ish Columbia.

Last fall the Minister of Advanced Education com- mitted $60,950 to the East Kootenay trades pilot project in order to bridge the gap on skilled trades shortages. Our government will continue to implement the new industry training model and work toward offering flexibility and choice in all educational paths, whether they are academic in nature or trades-related. Not only are we working to provide flexibility and choice in traditional educational institutions, we're also working to bridge the digital divide. This is an- other untapped educational resource and linked to the global community.

However, many communities across B.C. still don't have the broadband access to the Internet. For example, the community of Parson, located in my constituency and close to Golden, is one of the 171 communities without broadband access. That's 251 people who could benefit from technology. Kootenay caucus recognizes that this is a regional issue and has met with a number of groups interested in seeing broadband expanded to all parts of the Kootenay. Lastly, we are also invest ing in transportation infra- structure throughout the province.

Those of us who reside in the Kootenay understand the need for safe highways and accessible routes across the province but also to our back-country de stinations. For this reason, I'm pleased that we're maintaining funding for the maintenance of recreational sites access roads. We're also working hard to see the Trans-Canada Highway upgraded around Kicking Horse Canyon. Upgrades to this highway have been a long time com- ing. We're investing $60.5 million in the replacement of the Yoho Bridge, which began in July of 2002. The next phase of this project will be the $130 million replace- ment of the Park Bridge.

These projects, along with many other upgrades taking place on the Trans- Canada Highway, will not only ensure safety but en- courage efficiency. It's vital that we invest in resource-based communi- ties and services like health care, education, technology and transportation, but it's equally important that we invest in our citizens. The people of this province are our greatest asset. This year's throne speech identifies the strengths that we share as citizens and areas that we need to work on as a community.

We've been de- veloping a variety of partnerships with first nations, addressing treaty-related issues, economic develop- ment and social issues such as child protection strate- gies and education. [1520] In my constituency, the Shuswap first nation re- cently received $600,000 th rough the provincial eco- nomic measures fund to support building a water res- ervoir and delivery system for on- and off-reserve real estate developments.

The firs t nation will be working with the private sector by providing water services to off-reserve real estate development that will provide approximately $150,000 in annual revenue to the Shuswap band. In a joint venture with the government of Canada, the provincial government is funding two economic development projects which will benefit the Ktunaxa- Kinbasket tribal council and the Kootenay region. These projects involve greater participation by the

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 8465 tribal council in forestry and tourism-related busi- nesses, strategic land use planning and coalbed meth- ane exploration. Local first nations will benefit from the economic stimulus of these projects, allowing them to better care for their communiti es and families. This is what I call investing in people. On another front, we're in vesting in the futures of both young and old.

Thanks to the recommendations of the safe schools task force on which I sat, new pro- vincial standards for codes of conduct will be put in place to increase student safety and reduce bullying in our schools. It's an important issue to students, parents and teachers throughout this province. Every student should have the right to a public education without fear of bullying, harassment or intimidation. Young people and adults alike should also have the opportunity to read and write. Statistics on literacy in British Columbia are staggering and appalling.

For this reason I'm pleased that the Premier has announced a Premier's advisory panel on literacy. This panel will serve to evaluate the key issues surrounding literacy and, hopefully, provide suggestions for improvement. The more literate our citizens, the more opportunities are available to them and their families. Last fall the provincial government awarded $35,000 to the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy in the East Kootenay to continue support of literacy pro- grams in the region. They do a fantastic job on a small amount of money, so I'm extremely proud of the work they do.

It is through initiatives such as this one that we can empower individuals and give them the tools to fulfil their potential. After all, isn't that what we're all trying to achieve? We're all trying to fulfil our potential, whether it is as parents, educators, phys icians, nurses, tradespeople, lawyers. We're trying to do the best we can with what we have. We're trying to support our families and offer our children brighter futures and more opportunities than we had. Isn't that what we're trying to achieve with the bold vision set out in the throne speech and the legislation we debate here in the Legislature?

As elected officials, we're here to make a difference not only to the eco- nomic and social fabric of British Columbia but also to our communities and our constituents. We are committed to re vitalizing the provincial economy and making British Columbia a better place to live for all. The throne speech outlined the impor- tance of social responsibility . I think this is crucial to building a strong and democratic society. As govern- ment, we are working hard to ensure that services for families, women and society's most needy are available when needed.

I support our efforts to address outstanding social issues such as drug addiction, mental health and crime, but we can't do this alone. I look forward to working with community groups and other organizations in an effort to address social issues in our communities. I look forward to building on the partnerships that we have already established. Most of all, I look forward to creating a brighter future for our children. In closing, I would like to leave you with this quote by Henry Ford: "Coming together is a beginning. Stay- ing together is progress.

Working together is success." We must continue working together to find creative solutions to the issues that bind us as British Columbi- ans. R. Hawes: I'd like to start by sending my best wishes to our colleague the member for Kelowna- Mission. If she's watching , I wish she had something better to do, because, frankly, there's probably some- thing better on another channel. However, get well and get back to us. This is a response to the Speech from the Throne, and first I want to ask the rh etorical question: what is the Speech from the Throne? What is that all about?

The Speech from the Throne is the way the gov- ernment tells the world — it tells the investment com- munity, it tells the taxpayers and service users, it tells the country — that this is our plan. This is how we in- tend to advance programs. This is our overall plan for new services, for the delivery of services, for advancing our province on behalf of the people who live here. It c o v e r s t h e e c o n o m y . I t c o v e r s h o w w e d e a l w i t h f i r s t n a t i o n s . I n t h i s t h r o n e s p e e c h i t c o v e r s B . C . R a i l , f o r - estry and mining, oil and gas.

It covers the arts, the Olympics. It's a broad-ranging document that covers pretty much everything the government plans to do. [1525] The old saying is: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." When we took office some years ago, we knew and everybody in the province knew it was broken. Our system was broken. We could see that from all of the statistical evidence, where we had slid to being in last place in almost every economic indicator in this coun- try. We were in last place, our debt was skyrocketing, and we had deficits in spite of what the previous gov- ernment claimed to be a balanced budget.

Anyone with any sense looking at it knew that the balanced budget the previous government had was based on unsustain- able factors like high energy prices — inordinately high energy prices; who can forget what we were paying for natural gas at that time? — unusual transfers of money, high interest rates. There were a lot of unsustainable factors, and in fact we were in what we called a struc- tural deficit that was fairly substantial and required immediate attention. We began a plan of change, of restructuring, in this province when we were elected several years ago.

That restructuring plan is well underway, and it is working. The throne speech now continues to lay out the plan and how we are on track and going to progress both through this legislative session and into the future. There are, according to our opposition, a number of impediments, a number of reasons why we can't get on with our plan, why we can't deliver what's promised in the throne speech. The first th ing they like now, at this point, to talk about is sca ndal. Scandals impede the government's means of moving ahead. In fact, every- thing we do now is to try to divert attention away from the scandals.

8466 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES W EDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 I want to start by asking: what is a scandal? I'm thinking about what is now purported by the opposi- tion and some in the media to be scandals. These are things that happened with employees of the govern- ment and that will happen in companies, in free enter- prise. It will happen at the local level; it happens in school boards. People do things sometimes that are against the rules. A scandal becomes a scandal in gov- ernment when an elected offi cial learns of something and tries to cover it up or is directly involved in that.

In what are now being called scandals by the oppo- sition here, there isn't any of that present. There isn't anything like what happened, say, with Bingogate with the previous NDP government. There wasn't anything here like Casinogate, where in the last government they tried — within government, elected officials — to withhold things and had to have information pulled out like hens' teeth. In the case here that the opposition l i k e s t o r e f e r t o n o w a s s c a n d a l s , w e h a v e s o m e e m - ployees that may or may not have done something wrong. No one really knows.

They impugn the reputa- tion of these employees and everyone else, when eve- rything around it has said — including the police — that there is no government or elected official involve- ment. We don't have scandals in this government. We have got things that we have dealt with in a most ap- propriate way, and I'm thinking particularly of the Children and Family Development ministry.

The member for Surrey–White Rock, the Minister of Chil- dren and Family Development, determined something was wrong in his ministry, got the information, imme- diately brought it forward, brought in an audit team, did exactly the appropriate things. This is not a scan- dal. In fact, this is dealin g with a problem within gov- ernment with the highest degree of integrity. I really am offended, deeply offended, when I hear the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Vancouver-Hastings, refer to what's going on in this government as scandals.

I am even more deeply of- fended when I think of the integrity of the individual members of this government, the business people and the people who have spent careers serving in police and serving at the local level in governments, working in churches and working wi th the poor, people who are parents and grandparents. These are people of high integrity whose reputations, I think, are being im- pugned by the opposition every time they make these comments. [1530] [J.

Weisbeck in the chair.] I find it deeply offensive, and I think most of the people in the province and particularly in my riding understand where this is coming from. It's frankly dis- gusting. Within our throne speech the first and foremost thing of importance, as far as I'm concerned, is that we're balancing the budget. We said right from the start, when we got elected, that our plan was to balance the budget. We said this wa s a huge priority. In fact, we've made it law that it must be balanced. I'm getting questions quite often at town hall meet- ings and such that….

People are saying: "Why do you have to balance the budget? Why do you have to do it so fast? What's the importance of a balanced budget anyway?" In fact, a couple of school teachers two weeks ago somehow said that wanting to balance the budget is just a banker's outlook and that there is something wrong with that. Well, living within your means is a tenet that almost everybody in this province understands. I can tell you that the seniors get it and have always gotten it. Living w i t h i n y o u r b u d g e t i s critical to ongoing survival both in your household and, frankly, in government.

I can tell you there is a mortgage plan — and I like to think of that as an analogy — available for seniors, the reverse equity mortgage, where at retirement age or whenever, if you have a home that has lots of equity and your income is down because you retired, you can top up your income by pulling money out of your house every month to live on. It's not very popular. Almost every senior I know that I have ever talked to — and I was in banking for a number of years, and that was one of the services that were offered…. I never had anybody take it up. The seniors would say: "This is horrible.

Why would I use the equity in my house and spend my kids' inheritance so that I can live? I can't do that." They couldn't bring themselves to do that. That's what we've been doing as a province for quite a number of years. We've been spending our kids' inheritance. We've been living on our credit cards to buy our groceries. That's what we've been doing. We've got $40 billion in debt, and I'd like to challenge people to think of when that previous government came into power. We had a debt of something like $17 billion, and they exited with over $37 billion in debt.

I'd like to challenge people to ask: "What did we get for that money? Where did $20 billion go over a dec- ade? That's $2 billion a year on average. Did we get a lot of new highways?" I'm looking at some of the mem- bers here from the north part of the province, and I don't see them nodding their heads and saying they saw some improvement in the roads. I'm not seeing anybody standing up, waving their arms and saying: "Well, we got a lot of really good capital investment for the $20 billion." That's mostly money that was spent on our groceries.

It's critical t h a t w e s t o p l e v e r a g i n g o u r future in this province and leaving a huge debt for our children. The second part of that is that interest costs eat away such a huge amount of the flexibility that gov- ernment has to provide services. I think anybody can figure that out. Once you get so far into debt that you're spending all of your money servicing the debt, you can't pay your mortgage payment. You can't buy your groceries. You can't buy shoes for your kids.

You know, in this province, when you get so high in debt that all of your money is going to service that debt, you can't buy hospital services, and you can't provide ser- vices for the poor and affordable housing and all the

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 8467 programs we all want. You can't fix highways when you don't have any money. The last one for balancing the budget, in my view, is the bond-rating agencies. We are at the mercy of the people we owe money to. If we're not doing the right thing and if we're not acting appropriately, our credit rating will be downgraded, much like what happens in people's individual lives.

If they step out of line with their bank, either they get their loan called or often they'll see an interest rate adjustment — up, because the banks set your interest rate based on your risk. Gosh, we owe a lot of money, and if we don't get our budget under control, we are going to see an inter- est rate increase because we will see a credit-rating decrease. It's very simple. Today, because of what this government is doing, the bond-rating agencies are holding our credit rating as stable. They are intensely interested in what we're doing.

They're watching very closely, but they're very satisfied that we are moving on track to a balanced budget — and we are, and we've done it with diligence in spite of a huge amount of op- position from some quarters. [1535] How do you balance the budget? That's pretty well reflected too, I think, in the throne speech. You can get bigger revenues, build your economy, and you can reduce your costs. I want to talk a little bit about those aspects of the throne speech. Let's start with the economy. Very clearly, this throne speech and some recent moves, in fact, within cabinet in this government….

A very clear agenda is available for anyone to see, and that is we're heavily, heavily committed to improving our resource sector. We're going to bring British Columbia back to the lead- ership role it traditionally had before that last bunch, for ten years, destroyed mi ning and forestry. They have no interest in oil and gas, and clearly they also had no interest in power and in the electrification of this province, because there was no investment made there either and no commitment to investment.

The throne speech talks, to start with, a lot about mining — what we're planning to do with the mining sector, the work we're doing with the mining sector and the commitments we're making to the mining sector. One of the things the mining sector, like the forestry sector, is looking fo r is certainty on the land base.

It wasn't that many years ago that the Windy Craggy mine people found a very large deposit in the northern part of this province, invested millions — perhaps hundreds of millions — of dollars, were ready to put a big mine in production that actually would have paid this province a huge amount of royalties and would have provided big employment at high, high incomes. The previous government decided that it would become a park, so they just basically cut those people off. They just info rmed them they were out — no mine and no compensation.

To the mining industry, it sent a signal that we were worse than a Third World country where a coup from government at any time could just wipe you out. Well, that's what happened here in this province. The signal went out around the world: this is not a place to invest in mining. Well, I'm really proud to say that our Minister of Energy and Mines has worked very hard to bring back the mining sector, to show them.

Through the work of the Premier, the cabinet and this government, we have demonstrated to the mining sector that we are very serious about providing them with certainty on the land, with stability, with a deregulation process in this province that will allow them to get back to work and yet sustain the environment. I know of no mining company or forestry company that wants to go out and destroy the environment, as some would have you believe or have all of us believe, so I'm quite proud of what we're doing around mining.

Where my constituents need to look at is not to those who would say that we're destroying the envi- ronment or that mining is te rrible. They need to listen to what the mining industry is saying. The mining in- dustry is saying it's very happy with the policies of this government. Finally they find a way to come back, and hundreds of millions of dollars are now starting to come back into this province in research and develop- ment, and jobs are returning in that sector.

Forestry has been devastated for quite a number of years, but the same sorts of things were happening for forestry under the previous government as was hap- pening with mining. We were taking tenured forests, where forestry companies had gone out and invested money, and just pulling away their tenure and turning it into parks with no compensation. Sometimes that was done, again going back to…. Earlier I was talking about scandals — the Carrier Lumber scandal, which I th ink was a scandal, where the government made some decisions that were clearly not legal decisions.

They took away a right from a fam- ily in Prince George to some tenure, and after many years and a new government we have settled that. The previous government acted, I think, in a way that s h o w e d t h e f o r e s t r y i n d u s t r y t h a t w e i n t h i s p r o v i n c e couldn't be trusted. [1540] The forestry revitalization that's underway in this province is going to put the forest back to work. The declaration of a working forest in this province gives some certainty on the land base to those who want to invest in forestry. It's a tremendous step forward.

On the coast, where my constituents are most affected, we're moving to market-based stumpage system that's going to improve their lot in life. The companies that provide jobs — and for me the most important thing is the jobs and the people that live and pay for their gro- ceries and support their families on those jobs — need to have certainty. I can tell you I'm really pleased that there was a working group that looked at the salvage industry in t h i s p r o v i n c e a n d c a m e u p w i t h a n u m b e r o f r e g u l a - tions.

I'm really pleased to see in this throne speech that there is a commitment not just to a salvage regime but to increasing the amount of salvage wood that can be held under a permit on a direct sale to those who

8468 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES W EDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 work in the salvage industry . There are quite a few of those in my riding, and I'm ho ping they have received that news already. I know they're going to be ex- tremely pleased. The oil and gas sector. Th e Minister of Energy and Mines has been successful in attracting the biggest sale we ever had at one time of rights to oil in this province. The oil industry is very exci ted about their future here under this government. To me and to many in this province, the possibility of offshore oil and gas explo- ration is just….

I mean, that's where a big, big part of our economic future will lie. The NDP government has absolutely committed that it will never allow that to happen. There is no point in even discussing it. I not only find that, for many in this province, to be completely unacceptable, but I'm not hearing from the leader of the opposition, Carole James, where the money is going to come from, then, to pay for the programs she is promising. I'm still interested in hearing, but I doubt if there will ever be an answer. If we want to build an economy here, we have to be able to power the province.

We have to be able to sup- ply electricity at an affordable rate. We have been blessed in this province to have B.C. Hydro, a legacy l e f t b y W . A . C . B e n n e t t — a tremendous, tremendous power supply that for over 30 years has not really seen any significant investment. In fact, it has been used by previous governments as a real cash cow, stripped of everything they could take out of it so that B.C. Hydro was unable to reinvest in it self. Its transmission facili- ties are aging and badly in need of investment, but that investment capital simply isn't there.

We have now at times become a net importer of power in this province, especially when we have low water years. There hasn't been any move to increase our capacity to produce power here, because B.C. Hy- dro, frankly, hadn't the money. It was being used again as a cash cow by particularly the previous government, so there was no money left for Hydro to reinvest in itself.

We have not just developed an energy policy for this province that will allow some reinvestment by Hydro in itself, but we have invited the independent power producers of the world to come to British Co- lumbia and supply us with green power to augment the power that we already pr oduce for ourselves. They will help invest in our tran smission facilities, which have been segregated and ar e now all fully protected. Although the opposition and many out there who have special interests like to point to what's going on in Hy- dro and say somehow we're selling it off, it is exactly the contrary.

In terms of hydro rates, we have re-regulated Hy- dro so that the likes of a Glen Clark could never again hold hydro rates and things like that to his personal pleasure to be set in his office. Completely wrong — politicians should not be setting the rates for things like hydro. We have re-regulated under the B.C. Utilities Commission, a completely independent body, the way it should always have been left. [1545] I can tell you this.

As a government, we know you can't freeze things like hydro rates or insurance rates or university tuitions and not put more money in to sub- sidize the inflation rate that these companies run under and not suffer serious consequences. It doesn't make sense. The previous government politically froze rates, trying to buy votes, and they ran us into huge difficul- ties. So we won't be doing that.

Our energy policy and ou r method of building the economy through rebuilding our resource sector are going to work, particularly when you combine it with the reduction in regulation that we have implemented — over 90,000 regulations. We removed many of them — huge, huge impediments to investment in this prov- ince. Another huge impediment — the previous gov- ernment didn't get it — was the corporate capital tax and income tax. I often hear those who have special interests say: "You gave a tax cut to the rich. That's why we can't have services." If we're not competitive with our neighbours….

We have lots of evidence. We saw for ten years how those who have money to invest in this province flee when they can go to a friendlier tax clime. When you have a government that continually points fingers, as though those who produce wealth are the enemy, then those who produce wealth will leave. Why would they stay? That's what was happening. The corporate capital tax, a deadly killer…. It didn't matter whether you made money or not. If you had assets that were over a threshold, you were going to pay tax on it. Absolutely ridiculous — remove

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	h0211pm-02
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	h0211pm 02
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	927ab9100461c54455784956dc7a35256ad575d4

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