2005 Legislative Session: 6th Session, 37th Parliament

HANSARD

The following electronic version is for informational purposes

only.

The printed version remains the official version.

Official Report of

DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

(Hansard)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2005

Afternoon Sitting

Volume 27, Number 2

CONTENTS

Routine Proceedings

Page

Introductions by Members

Statements (Standing Order 25 B )

Trade between B.C. and China

R. Lee

Financial assistance for Olympic

athletes

B. Bennett

Alternative budget of Canadian Centre

for Policy Alternatives

R. Sultan

Oral Questions

Health care services and Fraser health

authority

J. Brar

Hon. S. Bond

Long-term care beds

J. MacPhail

Hon. S. Bond

J. Kwan

Petitions

Hon. L. Reid

Throne Speech Debate

R. Masi

B. Bennett

J. MacPhail

Hon. L. Reid

D. Jarvis

Hon. R. Thorpe

Hon. B. Barisoff

[ Page 11735 ]

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2005

The House met at 2:05 p.m.

Prayers.

Introductions by Members

Hon. P. Wong: I am pleased to announce that today is the

first day of Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rooster. This is a time of

celebration, rest and reflection, a time to reaffirm the vibrancy and vitality

of Chinese Canadians and, indeed, all Asian cultures. I wish everyone and all

our colleagues a peaceful, prosperous and happy new year. I wish all British

Columbians sun tai kin hong , which means good health; sum sheung see

sing , which means best wishes; and gung hay fat choy in the

golden decade ahead.

R. Masi: It is my pleasure today to introduce a number of

people from my riding of Delta North. First of all, it is my pleasure to

introduce Jeannie Kanakos, our nominated candidate in the next election for

Delta North. She is accompanied by her daughter Jessica. Also with them are John

Parker-Jervis, my CA, who is accompanied by Angela Delli Santi; and of course, a

very special person in my life, Susan Masi, my wife of a number of years, who

has stood beside me in this job through all its ups and downs over these years.

Would you please make them all welcome.

Hon. K. Falcon: Today in the galleries I'm pleased to say

that we have 60 students from Southridge Secondary School in South Surrey. They

are joined by their teacher, Mr. Trevor Julian, and also a couple of adults. I

would ask that the House please join me in making them welcome.

Hon. G. Abbott: I have some introductions as well today.

First of all, the parents of my executive assistant, Jason Kuzminski, are

visiting him from Regina, Saskatchewan. Evelyn and Mervin Kuzminski are here,

and I would like the House to make them welcome.

As well, on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture it is my

pleasure to welcome a former member of this assembly, Mr. Harry de Jong, former

member for Abbotsford. He's here with his wife, Ann. Also with them are Albert

and Wilma Sevenhuysen, who are also from Abbotsford. Would the House make them

all welcome, please.

J. Bray: On behalf of the member for Victoria-Hillside, I

would like to introduce three constituents from Hillside. They are Jacqueline

Halliburn, Adam Wincey and Tatiana Danylyshyn. They are here to observe question

period. I ask the House to make all three very welcome.

C. Clark: We are joined today in the gallery by two arts

advocates: Julie Fowler from the Island Mountain Arts collective and Paul

Crawford, the director of the Grand Forks Art Gallery. Both have signed on to

try and make sure that we continue to support the arts, including parents who

enrol their children in arts programs.

[1410]

Mr. Speaker: Hon. members, I would like to take this

opportunity to introduce 27 public servants seated in the east gallery who are

participating in a full-day parliamentary procedure workshop. This workshop,

offered by the Legislative Assembly, provides a firsthand opportunity for public

servants to gain a greater understanding of the relationship between the work of

their ministries and how their work affects the Legislature. Would the House

please make them welcome.

Statements

(Standing Order 25

b) TRADE BETWEEN B.C. AND CHINA

R. Lee: Today, February 9, 2005, is the beginning of the

lunar new year. In the Chinese calendar, today is the first day of the year

4702, the Year of the Rooster. Many people in the Asian countries celebrate the

lunar new year, including China, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. In fact

in our province, the Asia-Pacific gateway, we have the largest celebration

outside Asia. I wish every British Columbian a prosperous and happy new year.

Last month I had the opportunity to join the trade mission to

China with the Minister of Forests, the Minister of State for Immigration and

Multicultural Services and the member for Alberni-Qualicum. Together with more

than 60 delegates from forestry and related sectors from British Columbia we

participated in the opening of the Dream Home Canada presentation centre in

Shanghai. The completion of phase 1 of the Dream Home Canada project is a

milestone in the expansion of the market share for B.C. wood products and

building technology in China.

The delegation visited some wood-frame construction sites using

B.C. wood products in Suzhou, a sister city of Victoria. I also visited Tianjin

with some delegation members. Tianjin is the nearest port to Beijing, only a one

and a half hour drive from the capital city. The vice-mayor of Tianjin gave us a

warm reception. Tianjin's economic zones are eager to establish a closer trade

relationship with our cities. We visited some furniture and wood-flooring

manufacturing facilities, which have generated a lot of discussion among the

delegation members.

In conclusion, with a population of 1.3 billion people and an

economic growth rate of more than 8 percent a year in the last two decades,

China has a shortage of wood. It is expected that it will import at least nine

million cubic metres of wood every year. The potential for British Columbia

export is tremendous.

[ Page 11736 ]

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

FOR OLYMPIC ATHLETES

B. Bennett: There are few things that bring a lump to my

throat as fast as hearing O Canada played on a world stage and seeing a

Canadian being draped with an Olympic gold medal. You don't have to be a sports

fan to feel a sense of national pride when one of our own is recognized as the

world's best.

Olympic athletes inspire everyday Canadians to set goals, work

hard and be true to themselves in the face of adversity. However, we rarely see

beyond the podium to the lifetime of sacrifices that athletes have to make just

to get the opportunity to compete at the international level. Not only must they

train full-time, but many are university and college students who have to study

for a career after athletics and work odd jobs to put food on the table. Most

Canadian Olympic athletes are not multimillion-dollar hockey players. Too many

Canadian athletes have to scrimp and save and work around their training

schedule just to survive.

We need to do a better job of supporting our athletes. The

Canadian Olympic Committee and its partners have developed a limited program to

help boost our medal count for the 2010 games. International Olympic Committee

president Jacques Rogge recently said that more support is needed to help our

athletes succeed in 2010. I believe we need to go further and pull governments,

communities and corporations together and develop a long-term sustainable plan

to properly fund Canadian athletes competing at an international level.

This legislative session I will be introducing a motion calling

for communities and governments at all levels to review assistance provided to

Olympic athletes, in recognition of the financial hardships they face. The

motion I will introduce this session is about more than sports. It's about more

than winning a gold medal or standing on a podium. It's about creating role

models. It's about inspiring all young people to set goals and work hard no

matter what their interests are and no matter what obstacles they may encounter.

It's about improving our society by supporting our future leaders.

ALTERNATIVE BUDGET OF

CANADIAN CENTRE

FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES

R. Sultan: Once again the government should be grateful for

the NDP's generous funding of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Their

B.C. Solutions Budget 2005 tells us what the other party's planners have

in mind.

[1415]

A few highlights. Not one red cent for debt reduction. Do they

really prefer paying the banks and bondholders more than schools and hospitals?

Higher income taxes. They would raise income taxes for mineworkers by 34

percent, BCGEU members by 36 percent and nurses by more than 42 percent. This

helps working people? New payroll taxes. Regressive taxes advocated in a

document denouncing regressive taxes. Did anybody check for consistency?

There are other clangers: "Real funding for K-to-12 students —

i.e., adjusted for inflation and student enrolment — has actually dropped

steeply." That's simply not true, even before the $150 million announcement. Or

how about this: "The current B.C. government is no longer supporting the

development of new social housing for low-income people." That's simply not true

either. B.C. Housing is spending $290 million a year, and it's not being spent

on fast ferries. And how about this: "We should accelerate the development of

mass transit projects in B.C. through $300 million in new capital funding."

That's a start, but $60 billion in projects is already underway.

In fairness, let's give CCPA some checkmarks. They do embrace

balanced budgets — but then, it happens to be the law. Finally, we should salute

them for quoting New Era of four years ago, where that document said, and

they repeat: "High taxes, overregulation and hostile business practices have

driven workers and employers out of our province. We can turn that around in

short order with the right attitude, policies and taxation environment." Right

on, CCPA. Thanks for reminding us of that.

Mr. Speaker: That concludes members' statements.

Oral Questions

HEALTH CARE SERVICES

AND FRASER HEALTH AUTHORITY

J. Brar: I am proud to rise in the House today and ask my

first question. First of all, I want to say thank you to the people of

Surrey–Panorama Ridge for the privilege. After four years of B.C. Liberals'

arrogance and broken promises, British Columbians know the Premier cannot be

trusted. Gambling expansion, wait-lists, B.C. Rail — the list is long.

Let me quote Dr. Jonathan Brock at Surrey Memorial Hospital:

"Hospital wards are at capacity. Some patients leave in pain and with

potentially serious problems without being seen." Can the Minister of Health

tell patients why they're not getting health care when they need it and where

they need it, as was promised during the election of 2001?

Hon. S. Bond: This is a government that places an

incredibly high priority on the health of British Columbians. We are spending a

record almost $11 billion on health care in the province, and that's good for

health care. In fact, in the province over the last three years, we've actually

seen almost 70,000 new procedures done in British Columbia.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Surrey–Panorama Ridge has a

supplementary question.

J. Brar: It's the same story every time — more promises but

no delivery. Let me quote a letter from

[ Page 11737 ]

Luella Vincent, who went to visit a friend recently at Surrey Memorial

Hospital and reported this experience: "When my husband and I went to see her,

the chaos was considerable. I asked why there were no proper supplies and was

told it was not a real ward but an overflow from the emergency room. She is

currently on life support. Her family is stressed beyond belief. No staff, no

rooms, no equipment. This is the Third World."

After four years in power, can the Minister of Health tell Ms.

Vincent why her friend had to suffer through Third World conditions at the

Surrey Memorial Hospital?

[1420]

Hon. S. Bond: First of all, whenever families have

difficult circumstances, we're always very sorry that that happens. I can tell

you this: the people who live and are served by the Fraser health authority are

actually receiving excellent care in the majority of circumstances, and we are

very proud of the investments that we've made. In fact, the Fraser health

authority has received a significant increase in funding over the last number of

years to ensure that patients in the Fraser health authority are receiving the

kind of treatment that they deserve. In fact, this government is responding to

an increase, and we are sending dollars to the Fraser health authority.

If we look to the past, we certainly knew there were going to be

growth pressures in the Fraser health authority, and the member opposite should

recognize….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, hon. members.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

The member for Surrey–Panorama Ridge has another supplementary.

J. Brar: Mr. Speaker, that's not what I hear from the CEO

of the Fraser health authority. Just recently he sent an e-mail to staff members

saying what the situation is. I think the minister responsible should at least

read that e-mail.

One only has to go into an emergency room to know that this

government isn't telling the truth. The head of Fraser health authority says

patients are facing unacceptably long wait-lists. According to the Fraser health

authority, the region faces a $50 million capital funding shortfall this year,

rising to $163 million by next year. Over 800 long-term care beds have been

axed. The expansion of Surrey Memorial Hospital is on hold.

Will the Minister of Health admit that her health care promises

are meaningless and that her government is to blame for the emergency room

crisis at Fraser health authority?

Hon. S. Bond: Let's talk about planning. When this

government came to power in Victoria, there was not one single FTE dedicated to

planning in the previous government. We have a plan. Let's look at the increase

in dollars that went to the Fraser health authority. Part of the reason that the

Fraser health authority….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

The Minister of Health Services has the floor.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: To the Leader of the Opposition, the Minister

of Health Services has the floor.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Hon. S. Bond: Growth pressures in the Fraser health

authority are not news to anyone. Demographics aren't a surprise. As a matter of

fact, if proper planning had been done in the decade that the members opposite

were in government, we wouldn't be facing the challenges in the Fraser health

authority that we are facing today.

LONG-TERM CARE BEDS

J. MacPhail: It's the same story all over this province.

When this government came into power, the first thing they did was give a big

tax break to their friends and cancel all capital projects. That's what they

did. This Premier can't be trusted. He broke his promise on long-term care beds.

He contributed to a massive backlog in emergency wards.

On January 14 the Minister of Health told the media that 5,000 new

long-term care beds would be ready — wait for it — by 2008. Yesterday the

Premier, when asked the same question, wouldn't give a deadline — wouldn't give

a deadline. Who's telling the truth, Mr. Premier? He would only admit that his

promise wouldn't be met, and he has no one to blame except himself.

[1425]

To the Minister of Health Services: just what is the new promise

on long-term care beds, and why should

[ Page 11738 ]

British Columbians believe it when the government can't even get its story

straight between the two of them?

Hon. S. Bond: We are excited about the plan that we have

for seniors in the province of British Columbia.

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Hon. members, the Minister of Health Services

has the floor.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Well, at least I can see we haven't lost our

sense of humour.

The Minister of Health Services has the floor.

Hon. S. Bond: We do have a plan to create 5,000

intermediate and long-term care beds in the province. And do you know what

happened? Do you know what happened when we got to Victoria? We got to Victoria,

we did an inventory of all of the housing that was available to seniors in the

province, and guess what we found. Some of the buildings were 30 years old, and

in fact, you couldn't fit a wheelchair in some of the bathrooms. That's not good

enough for the seniors of British Columbia.

Let's look at…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Hon. S. Bond: …the member opposite's track record in terms

of building beds in this province: 1,400 in a decade. There are no surprises in

that.

In fact, we have a plan. We're going to add the type of housing

that the seniors of today deserve and want in the province. We're going to do

that. It's going to take us a little bit longer than we anticipated, but we are

going to get it right, because we care that seniors have the type of service

that they deserve.

Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition has a….

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Pardon me. The Leader of the Opposition has a

short supplementary.

J. MacPhail: The Minister of Health is excited about

putting the boots to seniors. We've known all along that the Premier would break

his promise. Today it lies in shreds on the floor of his office. The Health

minister also told the media two weeks ago that in total, the Liberals have

added a mere 100 beds over the last four years — four years and 4,900 beds short

of the Premier's promise. Again to the Minister of Health: stand up, take

responsibility for your actions or lack thereof, stop blaming others when you

know it's not true, and tell us how many new, additional long-term care beds are

here in B.C. after four years of broken Liberal promises.

Hon. S. Bond: Let's talk about taking responsibility.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please, hon. members.

Hon. S. Bond: The member opposite actually was the Health….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Order, please. The Government

House Leader and the Leader of the Opposition, please come to order.

The minister has the floor.

Hon. S. Bond: This is about taking responsibility for

providing housing for seniors that's most appropriate to their care levels.

Seniors in this province used to have two options, and the member opposite would

well know that. In fact, they had a choice of home or residential care. That's

not good enough for the seniors of today. What we're going to do is create a

system that adds options that will address the needs of seniors today. In fact,

the really good news is that the private sector has also stepped up to the plate

because of a booming economy. In fact, a recent study says that the private

sector, over the last three years, has actually added almost 5,000 units for

seniors.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Hon. S. Bond: We are moving aggressively. We will meet our

5,000-bed commitment. We care about seniors. We're going to continue to move our

plan forward.

[1430]

J. Kwan: If this government and this minister actually

cared about the seniors, they would have built the new beds that they promised.

The story changes every time the minister opens her mouth. In the Fraser health

[ Page 11739 ]

authority there is a net loss, a net loss of 800 beds; in the capital

regional district, a net loss of 205 beds.

The Premier is happy to spend tens of millions of dollars on

partisan television ads, but he cannot keep a simple promise for the seniors.

Will the Minister of Health stand up and repeat a promise that she made just a

few weeks ago that 5,000 new, additional long-term care beds will be built by

2008, or will she break that promise too?

Hon. S. Bond: We have made it clear, and the throne speech

confirmed that yesterday. We are committed to reaching the target of 5,000 new,

additional long-term care beds. We've stated clearly….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please, or we'll terminate question

period.

Go ahead.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Both sides of the House, order,

please.

The minister has the floor.

Hon. S. Bond: We are committed to adding 5,000 beds for

long-term care over the next number of years. We made the commitment. We will

continue to work aggressively, and we will have them fully in place by 2008.

J. Kwan: Last year the former Minister of Health was

actually empathetic. He told this House that the net increase in long-term care

beds would be 5,000 by this time next year — next year. The new Minister of

Health says that they only have created 100 beds and pushed the promise to 2008.

Maybe the minister is proud of that record. Now, of course, they're fudging on

that number. The Premier won't give a date and the government can't even get its

story straight on the number of new beds. To the Premier: when will the 5,000

new beds be built — the 5,000 additional, new long-term care beds?

Hon. S. Bond: We are absolutely committed to adding the

5,000 beds in British Columbia. We will have more than half of them in place by

2006 and will meet our commitment by 2008.

[End of question period.]

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Question period is over.

Petitions

Hon. L. Reid: I have the honour of tabling a petition on

behalf of the Richmond Multicultural Concerns Society.

Orders of the Day

Hon. G. Bruce: I call response to the throne speech.

Throne Speech Debate

R. Masi: I move, seconded by the member for East Kootenay,

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.]

[1435]

There is no question that the task of governing in these times is

almost an impossible one. To strike the balance in providing services that

people demand and that they consider an entitlement, with the ability to pay for

these services, is a constant responsibility and challenge of government.

This government has met this challenge well. We have seen in this

province an economic miracle. In a short four years we have seen a complete

turnaround in the spirit, energy and enthusiasm of British Columbia. It has not

been an easy road. The government faced enormous economic challenges when it

took office in 2001. A huge structural deficit was the order of the day. Private

investment was minimal and declining. The mining industry was in a shambles with

no future clear direction. Post-secondary education had no clear direction and

few plans for expansion. Access to university was extremely difficult because of

lack of facilities and space.

The health system was bogged down because of duplication in the

management and policy-making structure. Training programs for doctors and nurses

were in a state of neglect, and future plans for expansion and training of

medical personnel were nonexistent.

In education, school districts were upset with the funding

formula, and many were experiencing deficits but had few options and little

autonomy in the spending of budgets. Teachers were reaching the end of a

zero-zero-and-zero contract, and many school boards were looking at half-filled

schools with no means of dealing with the problem.

I must repeat, Mr. Speaker: we have seen an economic miracle.

British Columbia posted a gain of 197,000 new jobs, saw $27.8 billion in

residential real estate and 30,844 housing starts. As a result of a booming

economy British Columbia experienced a net in-migration of 7,333 people from

other provinces in 2004 — the first time since 1997 that more people moved to

B.C. than left for other destinations. Newcomers are attracted to a thriving

economy, and that is what B.C. has to offer.

[ Page 11740 ]

B.C.'s economy is in recovery, having posted an overall growth

rate of 4.5 percent in 2004. Forecasters predict we will see another 3 percent

to 4 percent in 2005. We are seeing significant job growth, resource development

and high consumer confidence. As a direct consequence, we are experiencing

strong consumer spending.

B.C.'s employment growth is the highest in the country, and the

portion of B.C. workers making $16 or more an hour is higher in B.C. than

anywhere in Canada. One of the major forces in our booming economy is

construction. Construction alone created more than 30,000 jobs in 2004, and the

great boom shows no sign of weakening.

Credit Union Central of B.C. predicts that an incredible $8.2

billion in non-residential construction will take place in 2005. On top of that,

it is expected that new housing starts will rise again to more than 32,000. The

future looks even brighter. For example, if you look at major projects, meaning

projects over $40 million, there is $16 billion on the books between now and

2010. They include such large-scale and multi-year endeavours as the $1.7

billion RAV line, the $495 million Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre

expansion and the $162 million Olympic village.

[1440]

Other large-scale projects include the $1 billion expansion to the

port of Vancouver container terminals and a ten-year, $1.4 billion upgrade of

facilities at Vancouver International Airport. Infrastructure construction is

estimated to climb to just over $6 billion in 2005. The B.C. construction

industry has not looked so positive in over 20 years. This boom will help the

industry bring in the next generation of contractors, employing thousands of

British Columbians in the future. With the outlook so good, it is an excellent

time for young British Columbians to start their careers in this field.

B.C.'s mining sector alone is seeing some of its best growth in

recent years. Prospectors in 2004 spent $130 million in bids to find new mines,

contrasting the low point of 2002, which saw only $25 million spent. New demands

worldwide have helped spur the development of northeast coalmines, the reopening

of copper mines and a resurgence in mineral exploration.

Education, along with its intrinsic value and immense contribution

to the progress of our society, is also a big economic player. Education employs

149,000 people in our province and accounts for 5.2 percent of B.C.'s gross

domestic product. It accounts for 7 percent of the workforce. With all of those

people working and all of those wages, all of that money comes right back into

our B.C. economy. Education becomes even more important with an economy relying

on a flexible and adaptable workforce. With sectors such as biotechnology and

information technology becoming more important, public education becomes key in

a strong economy.

Mr. Speaker, the province is responding to the education need. The

Premier recently announced the single largest increase in education funding for

B.C. schools in a decade, with a $150 million investment. The 2005-06 education

funding will be more than $4 billion, the highest ever. I repeat: the highest

ever. Since 2000, per-student education funding is up by $863 to an estimated

$7,079 per student for the 2005-06 year.

At the same time, we know that public school enrolment has

declined by 29,300 students since 2000-01. Since 2000-01 the province has

provided districts with more than $140 million in special one-time funding,

including $10 million for textbooks; $3 million for Ready, Set, Learn programs;

and $1 million for computers in schools. This is an outstanding record in

educational finance.

In advanced education the government is responding to the

need our growing economy will create in the future. Budget 2004 announced that

25,000 new post-secondary spaces will be added by 2010, on top of the 5,800 new

spaces already added since 2001.

In today's ever-changing economy, knowledge is essential. Keeping

up to date is absolutely key to enhancing careers. Each year nearly 90,000

people take advantage of university continuing education opportunities at B.C.'s

four major universities: the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser, the

University of Victoria and the University of Northern British Columbia. As well,

the university colleges and institutes are all responding to the needs of

advanced education and continuing education in a cost-effective and accountable

manner, allowing more and more British Columbians to advance their careers to

the next level.

Despite increasing challenges created by punishing duties, a

strong Canadian dollar and a continuous battle with the mountain pine beetle,

the B.C. forest industry is once again reclaiming its place at the top among

North American forest industries. Many B.C.–based companies are now beginning to

emerge on a world scale. This government introduced a broad package of forestry

reforms, including a new timber-pricing system and new licensing policies. These

small changes carried anything but a small impact. The improvement was

phenomenal. Companies are fighting to be efficient and are becoming increasingly

competitive in the world market.

[1445]

The economic impact of the forest industry is substantial. Through

logging, wood-product manufacturing and paper manufacturing, the industry

employs over 91,000 British Columbians. In 2003 it produced $13.7 billion in

sales alone, adding up to a colossal 10 percent of British Columbia's GDP.

We are all aware of the increasing opportunities of the economic

activity a booming Chinese market has to offer. Our forest industry stands to

benefit greatly from that boom. With 10 million to 12 million new housing starts

a year, China's potential need for lumber and wood products is immense,

providing significant marketing initiatives are undertaken. With the proper

regulations now in place, the B.C. forest industry has the capacity to compete

with other industries to bring the benefits of a booming Chinese market home to

British Columbians.

[ Page 11741 ]

British Columbia is also home to an emerging high-tech industry.

The biotech industry in British Columbia is the fastest-growing of its kind in

the country and is considered one of the leaders on the west coast of North

America. Biotech is just one part of the high-tech industry, which in its

entirety contributes about 5 percent of the province's GDP. Regardless, it still

employs more than 2,500 workers with an additional 1,120 people employed in

pharmaceuticals.

The B.C. biotech industry is made up of 260 companies across the

province. Reports have shown that B.C. is one of the most cost-effective

locations on the west coast for the biotech industry, outranking such

traditional low-cost leaders as California.

Asian economic growth is not only affecting the forest industry,

it reaches much further. The Asian economy is creating an incredible surge in

trade, and it shows no signs at all of levelling. British Columbia is already

home to Canada's busiest port, and we can expect trade to grow more dramatically

in the next 15 years. In 2003, B.C.'s three major ports handled 122 million

tonnes of cargo, adding up to $35 billion of Canada's worldwide trade. These

three facilities together supported 18,000 direct jobs for British Columbians.

But this is nothing compared to what we can expect in the future.

By 2020 British Columbia's trade could grow by almost 200 percent.

Rapidly expanding economies in Asia are pumping an increasing flow of containers

into the Canadian market. These containers hold everything from home appliances

to furniture to clothing.

In anticipation of this great surge, officials are planning to

launch a $1.5 billion expansion of B.C. ports. On the northern coast the port of

Prince Rupert is building a $500 million container facility to increase its

capacity by 1.2 million containers a year. In addition, Prince Rupert offers a

direct rail link to Chicago and the U.S. Midwest via its CN Rail link. This

route is a day and a half shorter than the southern route, allowing for the more

cost-effective movement of goods. That's very important in terms of economic

value.

Here in the lower mainland, existing ports will see an increase in

their capacity, including the Vancouver port, the Fraser port and the Deltaport.

The challenge will be the immense task of ensuring our road and rail

infrastructure are designed with the appropriate capacity to accommodate this

surge in container traffic.

[1450]

This government is creating solutions. Next door to my riding of

Delta North the Deltaport container terminal is about to undergo a major

expansion. Plans are in progress for a third berth and eventually an entire

second terminal. By 2012 truck traffic is expected to jump from 1,800 trips a

day to 2,400. By 2020, truck trips a day could double. Impact on our local road

systems will be substantial.

In response the Minister of Transportation is developing final

plans for its proposed South Fraser perimeter road. Under the gateway

transportation program the South Fraser perimeter road will allow trucks to use

a new designated route, allowing for the free flow of people and goods. Traffic

emanating from such points as the Deltaport and the Tsawwassen ferry terminal

will finally have a proper, limited-access route connection to Highway 1,

eliminating the need to clog residential streets in North Delta.

The North Delta portion of the road, which has for years now been

subject to dangerously high truck traffic, will finally be restored to a quiet

residential street, as it was intended. The industrial area of Tilbury will be

properly connected to the arterial routes. Trucks will finally have the proper

transportation routes they need to move goods safely and efficiently. Our

residential streets can once again be freed of the safety hazards of big-rig

congestion. It is a win-win situation for both our residents and our economy.

I remember fondly, as I'm sure you all do, that wonderful morning

in July of 2003 when the packed crowd at GM Place shot to their feet in joyous

jubilation as Vancouver was announced the host city of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Since that day a great sense of optimism is sweeping over the province. Consumer

confidence jumped in B.C. as we all began to ponder the great economic boost

these games will bring to our province. The projected benefit to the B.C.

economy by the 2010 Olympics is estimated as up to $5.8 billion. This boost

won't end in 2010. The legacy will live on for many years to come.

One industry poised to directly benefit from these games is the

tourist industry. B.C.'s tourism industry was hit hard in 2003 with such factors

as SARS, mad cow disease and forest fires, causing revenues to fall. It has

since bounced back. This government's announcement that Tourism B.C.'s annual

budget will be raised from $25 million to $50 million will greatly increase

B.C.'s competitiveness on the international market. Last year tourism in B.C.

employed over 115,000 workers, and it is expected to bring $9.86 billion in

revenue in 2005.

Such exciting events as the Vancouver convention centre expansion

and the 2010 Olympics will all create great opportunities for British Columbia's

tourism between 2005 and 2015. Annual tourism revenues in the greater Vancouver

region are expected to rise from $3.5 billion in 2004 to $7 billion in 2015. The

outlook is very bright on the tourism front.

In this day and age we hear a great deal about social problems in

our communities. We hear about violence, hunger, begging, bullying and similar

unwelcome activities. At times, similar problems are reflected in our schools

because, you know, that's what schools are all about: a reflection of society,

both the good and the bad. I must say that it is mostly the good.

[1455]

However, many of the concerns and problems that the public

associates with schools are essentially community-based. Consequently, in my

opinion the solutions lie within the community and not just within the schools.

In order to deal with such problems, schools use a number of strategies such as

codes of conduct; sometimes inner-city schools designations; teacher workshops,

and there are many of them related

[ Page 11742 ]

to these topics; student initiatives; peer counselling programs; we are now

instituting the Roots of Empathy program; and many other strategies.

In my opinion, one of the most effective concepts for dealing with

societal attitudes and problems that intrude into the schools would be the

community schools concept. In my mind, it's very simplistic to say that the

passage of a law will take care of the complexities that the school system faces

in dealing with children's problems. However, when the community can join

together and combine its resources to deal with such problems, then perhaps

positive results may be accomplished. The ideal educational vehicle for

community action is the community school.

I picked up an excellent definition of community schools in my

reading: "The community school is both a place and a set of partnerships between

the school and other resources. Its integrated focus on academics, services,

supports and opportunities lead to improved student learning, stronger families

and healthier communities. Schools become centres of the community and are open

to everyone all day, every day, evenings and weekends."

Community schools offer a number of advantages. They increase the

use of local public facilities — and I think we're all aware of that — but they

also integrate and coordinate existing public services such as health services,

police, nursing, human resources and that whole realm of services that deal with

people. They maximize communication between school and community. They enrich

and enhance learning through formal and informal activities, which is very

important in the learning situation of students. They reinforce a sense of

community and improve the quality of life in the neighbourhood, which is

becoming more and more important in the days as they go by. They improve

communication between the school and the community, which is sometimes lacking

in some municipalities and cities. They provide an opportunity for local

residents to participate in community activities.

Beyond parental committees in the schools they encourage

committees of people, who perhaps do not have students in the school, to get

involved in the school and the community activities, which I think is very

important because there is much to offer from people in the community to the

schools.

I believe strongly that if those school districts not already

utilizing the community school concept entered into the strategy, they would

find available support systems to assist in dealing with the many societal

problems that face our children today. I know that we do the best we can at the

governmental level. We attempt to pass laws that make our schools and streets

safer, but I think it runs deeper than that. I think we have to look at the

community aspect in involving more and more people in dealing with our societal

problems.

Full marks go to the government for steadily increasing the

education budget and emphasizing the need for additional funding for libraries,

music, art and special education. These, of course, are not extras. These are

fundamental activities and values that we all appreciate and that develop our

cultural activities.

However, there is another problem, the acute problem of childhood

obesity and the proliferation of sedentary activities for young people. I

believe there is a case for the addition of required physical education courses

for at least up to the grade 11 level, and it should be re-examined. Physical

education is far more than running around a gym. Effective PE includes

individualized training programs, healthy eating habits, leadership training,

teamwork and an appreciation to succeed in our complex social structure.

[1500]

However, I do want to give full credit to the Ministry of

Education for supporting the Action Schools B.C. program. This is a great

program, and I understand it's going to be extended to the grade 9 level, which

is a great thing. This program, funded by the Ministry of Health Services and

the Ministry of Small Business and Economic Development, was a pilot program,

and now it's going to be further developed. The aim is to increase physical

activity and develop a foundation for healthy living in the hope for a decrease

in obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis and other acute chronic diseases.

One of the yardsticks used to measure education is the graduation

rate. The Education ministry and the teachers of British Columbia are to be

commended for the steadily increasing graduation in British Columbia. This year

77 percent of our students graduated from our school system, and more aboriginal

students than ever before completed school, 46 percent. We know we have more to

do in this area, and we will do it. As well, a record 5,099 grade 12 students

won provincial scholarships. This was an exceptional year, and the teachers and

the students are to be commended for that outstanding result.

These numbers represent a most positive trend for our students,

who we know will all ultimately be seeking employment. We know that the

unemployment rate with a university degree is 2.9 percent compared to 5.2

percent for a college trade diploma. As well, we also know that the rate climbs

to 10.9 percent for less than high school. However — and I think we should be

reminded of this — the trick in education is to balance the emphasis on

standardized testing with its accompanying pressures and still maintain the

motivation to stay in school. So far in British Columbia we have maintained that

balance.

In the field of advanced education, access still remains a

difficulty. High averages are required to enter university. However, this

situation is steadily improving with additional spaces opening up, and the

target of 25,000 new spaces appears very reachable by 2010.

[J. Weisbeck in the chair.]

The opening of the two major university campuses at UBC Okanagan

and Thompson Rivers University has filled a need for students in the interior of

the province, while Simon Fraser Surrey will help alleviate the

[ Page 11743 ]

population increase of university-age students in the Surrey region. The

expansion and development of post-secondary facilities in British Columbia over

the last few years has been carried out effectively and purposefully.

The ministry has created a strong provincial system of

post-secondary institutions ranging from a large research-based university, like

UBC in Victoria, to the developing mid-sized satellite campuses, such as UBC

Okanagan, backed up by the very popular and highly esteemed university colleges

and institutes and community colleges. Overall, this is a most comprehensive and

effective post-secondary system which provides much-needed educational

opportunities for a broad range of students. The Ministry of Advanced Education

should be very proud of our very effective post-secondary structure in British

Columbia. As well, I'm very pleased to see that tuition increases will be

limited to the inflation rate. That's good news for everybody.

The challenge now is for the Ministry of Advanced Education to

continue to deal with the onset of the skills shortage. We have talked in the

past of the impending shortage of skilled workers, but now it is upon us. It's

not pending anymore; it is here. A booming economy and our aging workforce have

accelerated the need for new methods and new delivery models for training and

apprenticeships. A significant and positive change has been put forward by the

ministry to acknowledge that modular training and competency-based credentials

which reflect actual skills, knowledge and ability of participants are important

steps to providing more flexibility for students while maintaining the quality

training and credentials that they need.

[1505]

In the field of health care all the provinces right across Canada

are facing extremely difficult times. Our Canadian medicare system is a fine

concept, one of the best in the world, but it is being stretched to its

financial limit. I'm very happy to see that our federal and provincial

governments, with strong leadership from the Premier of British Columbia, have

agreed to review and realign health spending in Canada. The essential problem in

health services is not the level of expertise or the level of care; it is the

ability to access that care. We must be able to shorten the lineups, and this

may mean, ultimately, that the public may have to have the option of personally

paying for some health services.

This government, however, is doing its part to improve access to

patient care. The health care budget has continued and will continue to see a 36

percent rise over the seven years between 2000 and 2007. That amounts to $3

billion more in resources available to the system over seven years — so don't

say that we've been cutting health. Budget 2004 alone increased the Health

ministry budget by $1 billion, and every penny of that $1 billion will go

directly to patient care.

Just recently this government announced several investments in

health care. We have invested $27.6 million to support medical education. These

funds will be used to expand and upgrade academic space in teaching hospitals

around British Columbia to support the increasing number of undergraduate and

postgraduate medical students. The University of Northern British Columbia, in

cooperation with UBC medical school, is now enrolling 24 first-year medical

students, which adds to the doubling of the number of medical students being

trained throughout the province. Understandably, this initiative will take some

time to develop but over a seven-year period will increase the number of

trainees in place in British Columbia to nearly 900.

Also, we have invested $35 million in emerging medical technology

to improve access to better diagnostic care. We are making the necessary

improvements, but we also know we have much to do. For example, back home in my

riding of Delta North, most people use Surrey Memorial Hospital when they are in

need of hospital care, due to its proximity to the riding. We understand that

because of growth, Surrey Memorial is now undergoing severe pressures,

especially in the emergency ward. It stands to reason that a city with a

population of 400,000 and growing needs expanded access to medical facilities.

We also know that this problem will be looked at, met and taken care of as the

years go by. We know that the foundation at Surrey Memorial is already preparing

plans for expansion of the emergency sector.

Mr. Speaker, I must take this opportunity to compliment all the

members of the Citizens' Assembly. This independent, non-partisan assembly of

160 randomly selected members of the general public has worked diligently and

given its time and energy faithfully and objectively. Their task was complex and

difficult. How do you balance citizen participation with effective government?

What system can guarantee both representative and effective government? The

assembly, after long deliberation, has put forward a proposal to be voted upon

by the general public. What a superb exercise in democracy. Whether the final

outcome is change or no change, there should be an acknow-ledgment of and an

appreciation for the confidence and the courage of the Premier for following

through with the promise of electoral reform and entrusting the people of this

province with this decision.

[1510]

The Speech from the Throne is a blueprint for our future. It sets

out in bold detail the agenda that this government will be pursuing throughout

the course of this legislation and the years beyond. This throne speech is more

than mere words. It is a statement, a commitment to the people of British

Columbia that we will continue to keep our promise and strive to build a great

province for all its citizens as we stand on the threshold of a golden decade.

B. Bennett: Mr. Speaker, it's my honour today to second the

Speech from the Throne, which sets out our government's vision for the future of

this glorious province. I plan to speak directly to my constituents today, for

it is the good people of the East Kootenay who sent me here and to whom I am

accountable. It's been an incomparable experience to have this opportu-

[ Page 11744 ]

nity these past three and a half years to have a role in rebuilding British

Columbia, bringing the province back to respectability, and to have the good

fortune to come from an area of the province that is so easy to help because the

people there are so decent, hard-working and enthusiastic.

Almost four years ago I stood at this desk and delivered my rookie

speech. I went back yesterday and reread that speech, thinking that it might be

interesting to see what I said then after listening to our government's first

throne speech. I was prodigiously inexperienced then — an amateur politician. I

was also very nervous speaking in the chamber, but I had great expectations for

the positive changes that our government would make, and I was committed to the

belief that I, as an MLA from a far-flung rural riding, could make a difference

in the lives of my constituents.

I learned over these last few years that together as a team, as a

diverse group of individuals, government can make a difference in people's

lives. As a group of elected people, we — this caucus and this government — have

made B.C. a better place to live, to work and to raise a family. I know that to

be true, and I will campaign in the spring election on the basis of that truth.

I've also learned that one elected person can, in fact, make a

difference as well. I recall my first meeting with the Premier after the 2001

election. I really didn't know what to expect. The first lesson I learned about

Premier Campbell is that government must have goals and that MLAs must have

goals. I was asked for my three main goals for the term. Fortunately for me, I

did have specific goals, and I laid them out for the Premier. My primary goals

at the time were (1) to develop a successful regional hospital in Cranbrook that

could serve all the people in the East Kootenay, (2) to raise the profile of the

coal industry and its workers and make it possible to use coal for the

production of electricity in British Columbia and (3) the expansion of the

Cranbrook Airport.

Over the past three and a half years many other important

priorities have been brought to me by my constituents and by British Columbians

from all over the province. Frankly, it's been the most interesting and

satisfying experience of my life — to have the opportunity to make a difference

in people's lives, to share their dreams for themselves and their families and,

yes, to suck it up sometimes and try to come to grips personally with the

unintended impacts of big government's sometimes clumsy attempts to do the right

thing.

Over the term of our government I've not lost sight of the three

goals I presented to the Premier in 2001, and I am very grateful to the Premier

for allowing me the opportunity to realize some of the goals and the aspirations

that I have for the East Kootenay. All three of my primary goals for the region

have either been achieved in their entirety or are very close to completion.

The East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook has 13 new

specialists today that the people of the East Kootenay did not have access to

three years ago. These physicians moved to the East Kootenay because this

government committed to building a true regional hospital that would serve the

whole region, not just Cranbrook. Our government found the resources to recruit

and retain specialists for rural hospitals. Our government found resources

during some very lean years to tackle the aging and deteriorating infrastructure

at the regional hospital, and it shows: $8 million has already gone into the

basic hospital infrastructure that was shamelessly allowed to deteriorate under

the previous government. Another $23 million has been earmarked for a major

expansion and renovation to the regional hospital. Construction starts this

spring.

Physicians and nurses at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital today

will tell you that they are incredibly busy. Working at a regional hospital is a

stressful business. But these same physicians and nurses will also tell you that

they are so pleased because today they feel like the government and the health

authority actually support the regional hospital. As busy and frantic as it is

at the regional hospital, health care professionals are grateful that this

government and the health authority are committed over the long term to

sustaining a centre of excellence at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital that

four years ago the people in our region could only dream about.

[1515]

Coal. My second goal was raising the profile of the coal industry

and its workers and making it possible to use coal for the production of

electricity in B.C. I came down to Victoria in the spring of 2001 full of

enthusiasm for all that the East Kootenay shares with the rest of the province.

I assumed that there would be a high level of awareness of the huge

metallurgical coal industry in the Elk Valley. Here was an industry at the time

employing 2,500 people, all of whom earn an average of about $85,000 a year. The

coal industry at that time was a $1.5 billion industry, at a time when the

mining industry in the province was down to less than $4 billion in total.

Surely, I thought, the bureaucracy and elected people in Victoria would

appreciate that or at least know about it.

I quickly discovered that even some of my colleagues were not

aware of the coal industry and its workers. Coal, in fact, I learned, was a

dirty word. Victoria, especially in the 1990s, took the money and tax revenues

from the industry but hid the industry like a crazy uncle who was forced to live

upstairs, out of the public eye. But very quickly, cabinet ministers came to my

riding. Several toured the coalmines and enthusiastically reported back to

caucus after their trips. The Premier, of course, had toured the Elk Valley

mines many times in opposition, and he supported me in my efforts to raise the

profile of the industry.

At Christmas in 2001, I wrapped up little pieces of coal and gave

each member of the B.C. Liberal caucus a piece of coal for Christmas. At

Christmas in 2002, everyone got coal candy.

I was provided with the opportunity, through the caucus committees

that the Premier set up, to work with the Ministries of Energy and Mines and

Water, Land and Air Protection. The industry had been asking

[ Page 11745 ]

previous governments for 12 years to standardize the regulations for

coal-fired emissions with other western Canadian standards and to allow the use

of coal in B.C. for the production of electricity. Over the span of two years

our government developed and announced B.C.'s first real energy plan. Coal was

featured as part of the energy plan for the province. The uncle was allowed out

of the closet, and it turned out he was not crazy after all.

The profile and the importance of the coal industry to B.C. were

increased to a level never seen before under the previous government, which was

openly hostile to an industry that supports hundreds of unionized workers and

their families. Our government established air-emission regulations that meet

the high standard in western Canada while still permitting any enterprising

company to develop a coal-fired power plant. It's now up to the industry to

decide whether a coal-fired power plant is part of their business plan.

I can say with certainty the coal industry is confident in the

future of the province, providing the B.C. Liberal government stays in power.

The future of coalmining jobs and mining jobs in general has never been as

bright as it is with this government in Victoria.

The Cranbrook Airport expansion. My third primary goal was to see

the Cranbrook Airport expanded to accommodate large jet charters laden with

tourists eager to spend money in the Kootenays. The Premier got out in front of

this one very quickly, declaring his support at the 2002 UBCM convention. The

rest of us involved in the project were not quite so quick off the mark. We

struggled over the past three years to find a proposal for expansion that the

city of Cranbrook would support and that the St. Mary's Indian band could

support.

Recently, my office and the city of Cranbrook agreed that the

wisest and most productive thing for the region to do would be to proceed with a

major expansion of the runway to 8,000 feet, without the land needed from the

St. Mary's band to put on that last 1,000 feet, and a major expansion of the

terminal building. This 8,000-foot runway and a terminal building three times

the size of our existing terminal will allow Boeing 757 and Airbus 320 charters

to come in directly from anywhere in North America.

The city of Cranbrook is now ready to go. The other towns in the

region are contributing half a million dollars, and the province is working with

the federal government to pull the funding details together. Already the resorts

are gearing up for a huge increase in traffic. Real estate development is

increasing in anticipation. I'm hoping for a big announcement from the province

and the federal government in the near future. I can't check this particular

goal off quite yet, but I have my pencil ready in my hand, and I'm confident the

expansion of the Cranbrook Airport, the world's gateway to the B.C. Rockies,

will happen soon.

Much water has passed under the proverbial bridge in the past few

years in British Columbia and in my riding. Many of us here in the south are

actually ten years older, not four years older. We're greyer, heavier, shorter

but, hopefully, a little wiser. We have been the beneficiaries of strong and

intelligent leadership from the Premier. We've had some dandy dust-ups in

caucus, but other than two members who, frankly, did not contribute to the

aggregate value of our caucus team, we are united and ready to take on our

opponents.

[1520]

I've learned as an MLA that government steers more like an ocean

tanker than a speedboat. Government by nature does not turn on a dime. The ship

of state can be turned gradually, slowly, with great effort and patience and

after long, arduous effort, but it can be turned. I believe we have turned this

huge ocean liner and have the ship pointed in the right direction.

We've changed how government works in British Columbia. I believe

that history will record that one of the B.C. Liberal government's most

important reforms was the thorough review — cleansing — and the new

accountability that we, with considerable difficulty and resistance, have

initiated.

I speak specifically of a variety of things: first of all, the

core review of government services and programs, which was an agonizing but

essential self-examination by and of government; the fixed legislative calendar;

the fixed election dates every four years; the citizens' assembly, a

revolutionary step for any government; the meaningful caucus committees, which

actually had an impact on government policy; the accountability of ministers for

their departmental budgets and the overall provincial budget; the accountability

and performance reporting that all ministries and Crown agencies now must live

up to and which the auditor general has applauded; the adoption of generally

accepted accounting principles, the first province in Canada to do so; and no

more fudge-it budgets.

The access to government that our constituents have had. I must

say that I'm actually worn out taking cabinet ministers around my riding these

past three and a half years. I don't think there's a precedent in B.C. for the

way our ministers have travelled the width and the breadth of this province

listening to people, trying to help solve their problems and achieve their

aspirations. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the ministers.

There are many of you who have toured my riding, some of you several times.

Of course, this government did inherit an unholy mess in June of

2001. All partisanship aside, almost all political commentators in B.C. and

Canada would have agreed in 2001 that B.C. was an economic and political basket

case, the dunderhead of the Dominion. Unfortunately, we were the province that

other Canadians remembered for huge aluminum boats that barely floated, the

place where Premiers lasted a couple of years if they were lucky, where the

average term of a cabinet minister was 11 months, where ministers announced

things they didn't even intend to do and where laundry workers made as much as

teachers or engineers in return for their votes at election time. That was the

B.C. that existed less than four short years ago.

Much has changed. Although we have by no means achieved what is

possible for B.C., we are well on our

[ Page 11746 ]

way to a decade of prosperity, good health, excellent education, a clean

natural environment and a social safety net that will be the envy of this

country. We can do it. We are doing it thanks to the hard work of the people of

this great province.

I said at the beginning of my speech that I'd gone back and looked

at my rookie speech after the government's throne speech in 2001. What I said

then was that I was proud to be a member of a government that actually does

after the election what it promised to do during the election. I said that our

government needed to make B.C. competitive again by reducing stifling,

competition-killing regulation and by making our taxation regime competitive

with the rest of Canada and also with the rest of the Pacific Northwest.

I talked about how people in my riding of East Kootenay at that

time in 2001 were worried about their future. We depend on the mining and forest

industries for high-paying jobs that support families, and we need reliable

access to the land and an investment climate that encourages new jobs. This

government has met all those challenges. Taxes in B.C. are competitive, and

regulation has been reduced to the point where more people are actually moving

back to B.C. than leaving, where investment is flowing to B.C. to create new

jobs rather than racing out the door as it did in the 1990s.

Our political opponents are hoping that British Columbia voters

will attribute the strong B.C. economy to rising commodity prices and a strong

world economy. They conveniently leave out the fact that during the 1990s,

B.C.'s economy went south from best to last while the rest of Canada prospered

during an unparalleled period of prosperity. Strong commodity prices were no

match for the NDP governments of the 1990s.

No provincial government can control the broader economic

circumstances it finds itself in at any particular time in history, but a

provincial government can and must do everything it can to build a welcoming

investment and job creation climate. Competitiveness and productivity are two

themes that no government can afford to overlook.

[1525]

I believe that government has an obligation to the children not to

satiate the unbridled supplications of every special interest group in the

province — for example, by burdening our young people with a debt that currently

costs British Columbians $7 million a day. Trite as it may be to say, government

must not spend beyond its capacity to pay.

In 2001 we had two choices: increase revenue; decrease expenses.

We did both, although decreasing expenses got the most attention. Because of the

spirit of optimism in B.C. today and because of the changes to our tax regime

and regulations and because the world now sees B.C. as a secure, friendly place

to invest, we will soon be paying down some of the debt that threatens the

future of the unsuspecting children of this province. Now, for the first time in

a decade, we can afford the public services that are provided to British

Columbians, and we can afford to increase service in key areas. The throne

speech sets out these key areas of focus with five goals that will lead us and

drive us into the golden decade that is now attainable in B.C.

The most literate, best-educated jurisdiction in North America.

The Premier's focus on accountability in our schools and on literacy has led to

improvements in student performance. My region of the East Kootenay leads the

province in graduation rates. I bet you didn't know that. More money has been

given to schools for computers, more money to community libraries. The digital

divide is being bridged in the Kootenays as we speak.

Parents are now part of their children's education, not forced to

stand outside the system, powerless to help. Operating funding has increased by

$300 million. That's $863 more per student since 2001. We've also spent $140

million on new and renovated schools. In my riding, the town of Sparwood is

getting a new high school, long overdue.

In advanced education, 6,000 new student opportunities have been

created already, and 25,000 new student spaces are being created by 2010. At

College of the Rockies, 450 new seats are being created. Many of these seats

will be for trades training to respond to the growing need in the East Kootenay

for skilled workers. We need more capacity at the College of the Rockies for

trades training. I say to the minister: minister, we need an expansion of our

college. We are bursting at the seams.

Finally, our government is putting a limit on tuition increases

now that tuition is competitive with other provinces. The limit will be the

cost-of-living index. This, along with special student funding programs, will

help our college and university students achieve their dreams.

The second goal, leading the way in North America in healthy

living and physical fitness, is the key to the survival of our health care

system as we know it. Canadians expect a seamless, reliable health care system.

We have been told so long by federal politicians — particularly the federal NDP,

who have never had to pay for anything — that such a system is our birthright

that we have lost sight of the impending crunch coming at us from our rapidly

aging society.

Populations that are older need more from the system and do not

pay the same taxes they did during their working years. This is the double

whammy that threatens our health care system. The health care system now devours

44 percent of the provincial budget, not including debt service. When W.A.C.

Bennett was Premier, health care used about 10 percent of the provincial budget.

It is true, of course, that we do have marvellous technology

today; we have life-saving drugs that are invented regularly. But the capacity

of taxpayers to pay for these health care innovations is not keeping pace with

the spiralling cost of innovation.

While we train twice as many doctors in B.C. as the NDP did in the

1990s, while we have the best Pharmacare program in Canada, while we train 2,000

more nurses now than in 2001 and while we have reorganized health care to get

the most for patients out of

[ Page 11747 ]

every health care dollar, we will now focus more resources on prevention. I

can't tell you how many times over the past four years I've been counselled by

my constituents that government should do more about prevention. Often this

advice comes from seniors, who have learned that lesson over their lifetime.

It's important for my constituents and other British Columbians to know that we

listened.

With the commitment in the throne speech, B.C. will have the

healthiest people in Canada. The new Act Now program will reduce tobacco use,

will reduce obesity and will encourage British Columbians to know more about the

importance of understanding the personal impact of what they eat — simple stuff

but long overdue.

The third goal, providing the best support in Canada for persons

with disabilities, special needs, children at risk and seniors, is the key to

maintaining the civil, caring society that we have in British Columbia today. It

is essential for my constituents to grasp the link between a stronger economy

and our capacity as a society to do more for those who need our help.

[1530]

Our political opponents are running around like drunken sailors

saying spend, spend, spend. They do not know where the money comes from, because

they do not understand the economy, nor do they understand business. They

criticize us, saying the focus on the economy and balancing the budget is an end

in itself. We B.C. Liberals know that building a stronger economy and balancing

the provincial budget is only a means to an end. The end goal is to have the

resources from a strong economy to be able to help people.

Our government has already made the largest single increase in

assistance to persons with disabilities. Assisted-living units are developing

all over B.C. We've tripled funding for autism and early childhood development

since 2001. Social housing has increased by 38 percent since 2001. Over three

years $37 million in new funding to ensure that women and children escaping

violent and abusive relationships will have 24-7 access to safe housing…. For

community living services, $91 million in the next three years will go directly

to the people in our communities who strive so valiantly and are of such good

nature, often holding down part-time jobs or volunteering — and they need our

help. This good news is made possible by a balanced budget and a vibrant,

expanding economy.

The fourth goal is to lead the world in conservation, with the

best air and water quality and the best fisheries management, bar none. B.C. has

an opportunity — with our vast, diverse land mass, our clean water and air — to

be a positive role model for the rest of the world, but the examples we set must

be based on scientific fact and not on emotion or politics. We must continue to

develop our economy by ensuring access to the natural resources that employ our

people.

Our government has stated clearly that we will manage on the basis

of good science. That principle must not be sacrificed on the altar of political

correctness or junk science, because what in reality is sacrificed is not only

the truth but the families in rural B.C. They, according to the Urban Futures

Institute, still power the British Columbia economy from their homes in the

Kootenays, the Cariboo, the north, the Island and all over this beautiful

province.

On the other hand, tourism is growing in B.C. — and why wouldn't

it? We have the most majestic, magnificent, natural resplendence to offer the

world. We have high mountain alpine meadows; thousands of lakes you can drink

from; forests full of wildlife, peace and solitude; fishing; hunting; skiing;

snowmobiling; hiking; camping; and wildlife viewing. B.C. has it all.

We must protect the goose that lays the golden egg. It is the

balance between the need to have resource extraction and its high-paying jobs

and the development of new wilderness tourism products to satisfy a travelling

world that will be one of B.C.'s most confounding challenges in the next decade.

We should lead the world in wise environmental management — management that

relies on good science — but we must invest in the research to know what good

decisions and policies are.

New parks are fine to satisfy those who equate parks with

environmental commitment, but government will need to strive for good,

science-based decisions on resource extraction. To make good decisions, we must

truly understand the impacts of human activity and development and not be herded

by special interest groups into public policies that are based on fear and

ignorance.

The new B.C. conservation corps, funded by $9 million of new

money, is a practical way to encourage youth in the province to learn more about

our natural world. This will be an opportunity for knowledge about the outdoors

to be taught and experienced without political bias. It is time in B.C. that

government made an effort to educate all British Columbians on the facts around

the sustainable, integrated use of the natural world.

I also applaud the government for the 50 new conservation officers

and park wardens. We do need more COs in the East Kootenay, and I look forward

very much to hearing from the minister how many will be added to our skeleton

crew now working so diligently in the mountains and valleys of our region.

Finally, the $6 million being added to the habitat conservation

trust fund is welcome news. The idea for the habitat conservation trust fund was

actually hatched in Cranbrook many years ago, and the organization has become a

world leader in innovative, effective conservation initiatives.

The fifth goal is to create more jobs per capita than anywhere

else in Canada. Jobs for families is the most important issue in my riding and,

I expect, around the whole province. Right now, today, I don't hear as much

about jobs as I did in 2001, because the unemployment rate in the Kootenays is

at its lowest level since the early 1970s. B.C. has created the most new jobs in

Canada two years in a row.

Real estate values in the Kootenays are going up in every corner

of the region, sometimes in towns and

[ Page 11748 ]

villages where values have been depressed since the 1980s. In Cranbrook there

are twice as many realtors as there are houses for sale. Available tradespeople

are almost impossible to find. The mines can't find people to drive trucks.

Retail is strong. Construction is strong. Jobs are being created every day in

the Kootenays.

[1535]

The risk to this wonderful improvement is the wet blanket an NDP

government would throw on our burgeoning economy. Let there be no

misunderstanding about the impact of another NDP government in B.C.: the economy

in this province would freeze up like an early crocus in a Cranbrook garden.

Consumers don't spend unless there is consumer confidence. Investors don't

invest unless there is investor confidence. Businesses don't create new jobs

unless there is business to be had. We absolutely must prevent the NDP from

gaining power again in this province.

Our government, like all governments, has stumbled from time to

time. As a collection of diverse human beings, we have not always understood

what would work and what people wanted, but as a government that was elected

less than four short years ago, we have in the main accomplished what we said we

would. The economy in B.C. is booming. Government spending is under control. The

budget is balanced. The people of B.C. now have a surplus going forward to worry

about rather than a deficit and a growing debt. Health care has been reorganized

and is on the mend. Students are doing better, new schools are being built, and

our universities and colleges are growing with new programs and research that

will ensure that British Columbia has the highest standard of living in Canada

well into the future.

Again, it's been an honour for me to second the Speech from the

Throne. I look forward to these next few months and to four more years of

serving my constituents.

J. MacPhail: I rise to respond to the Speech from the

Throne. It's the fifth and last throne speech in this government's mandate. This

speech, like those that preceded it, highlights the credibility gap this

government has with British Columbians — a gap that emerged very soon, almost as

soon as the Premier was sworn into office, and has grown wider and wider with

each broken promise, with each mean-spirited policy, with each display of

arrogance. It has now developed into an unbridgeable divide for many British

Columbians who actually put their faith into the B.C. Liberal election platform,

only to have that trust broken, and broken big, over the last four years.

They're now suffering the indignity of this government's attempt to buy their

way back into British Columbia's hearts.

You can't fool all the people all the time. After four years of

B.C. Liberal rule, the people of this province won't be fooled again by a

government that promised positive change, only to unleash an extreme agenda that

has torn at the fabric of our society and made life harder for average British

Columbians who pay their fair share of taxes and want government to be there for

them in return — a government that is out of step with the hopes and aspirations

of mainstream B.C., a government that promised shorter health wait-lists but has

delivered privatization schemes and the longest wait-lists in history. We saw

that today.

What was this government's answer to their being confronted with

their broken promise on delivering an additional 5,000 long-term care beds? They

said: "Oh, the private sector has delivered private care beds." Talk about

admitting to privatization of the health care system. Their election promise in

the New Era document didn't say: "We'll deliver long-term care beds which

you're going to have to pay thousands of dollars a month to stay in." But today

that's their answer. Their answer is: "Yeah, we didn't deliver any of the

additional long-term care beds that we promised, but the private sector did."

That's their answer to the health care system: privatize, privatize, privatize.

This was a government that promised better care and more resources

for children but has delivered massive cuts, chaos, mismanagement and scandal at

the Ministry of Children and Family Development; a government that promised to

keep assets like B.C. Rail in public hands but insulted British Columbians,

calling the outright sale a 990-year lease. They think British Columbians will

be fooled by that? No. Perhaps Liberal government caucus members are fooled by

that, but not smart-thinking British Columbians.

[1540]

This is a government that said with passionate conviction that

gambling expansion would lead to deaths — deaths, Mr. Speaker — and that there

would be blood on the hands of the legislators that pursued it. That's what this

government said when they were in opposition, but they then proceeded to unleash

the biggest expansion of gambling in B.C. history.

This is a Liberal government that promised affordable and

accessible post-secondary education but has put college and university out of

reach for thousands of students — tens of thousands of students. This Liberal

government promised to govern for the many but has focused its agenda on

benefits for the few.

With this throne speech the Premier wants to say that he's

changed, that he cares. "Put on a plaid shirt, and I'm a new man." But the

Premier hasn't changed. With three months until election day, he is just

changing his story. That's all. You can bet that the day after this election,

the plan is the same as it was the day after the last election. It will be an

aggressive attack on the foundation of government and the services it provides

to average families.

Today the Premier says he cares about public health care. He wants

us to eat more fruits and vegetables. Yet all we can be sure of is that he will

go further than ever on privatization of health services. We saw that today in

their answer to long-term care beds. "Go to the private sector, you parents. Go

to the private sector, you senior citizens," when you're most in need of a

public health care system.

Today the Premier cares about education, he says. He's going to

cap tuition at the rate of inflation, after

[ Page 11749 ]

allowing it to more than double. By the way, this was a government that voted

in favour of a tuition freeze when they were in opposition and promised in the

last election that they would freeze tuition. Oops.

Then they proceeded, during their four years of government, to

double tuition. But yesterday in the throne speech all of a sudden the Premier

cares about post-secondary education. He said to the students: "I'm going to

promise you that your tuition is only going to go up by the rate of inflation."

Wow. How silly is that? Does he think the students that are struggling each and

every day to get a post-secondary education will forget those massive tuition

hikes he imposed on them? No. Tomorrow we can expect not fair-minded tuitions

but more closed schools and higher tuition, with very few of those promised new

post-secondary spaces funded. That's what we can expect.

Today he says he cares about seniors. He'll get those 5,000 beds

that were promised by next year. He'll get them built someday — one day. The

Minister of Health Services changes her story every day — every hour, actually.

The Premier admitted yesterday that he didn't know when the beds would be built.

The Government House Leader really bungled it earlier this afternoon when he

thought that there were thousands more beds created than the Minister of Health

Services and was proven wrong.

The former Minister of Health Services, now the Minister of

Finance, promised the Legislature that the 5,000 additional long-term care beds

would be built in 2006. That's on the record in Hansard . Prior to the

Government House Leader going to speak on this issue, I accused the government

of being the Three Stooges on this issue. But we now have a new record: we have

four stooges on the issue, with the addition of the Government House Leader's

comments on this. What we do know is that tomorrow that promise will also be

broken. Those beds will never be built by this government. We know that.

[1545]

Today the Premier says that the most vulnerable are included in

his plan, but tomorrow we will learn that that plan, all along, was one of

calculated neglect and outright punishment. How can we be so certain? It's

because the pattern has been established and the record of this government is

clear. We have come full circle back to 2001 and the New Era document,

which, by the way, is no longer available. It's no longer on the website of the

Liberal government. I have a copy. In fact, I'm the only one in the Legislature

that ever refers to it anymore.

It's like that word, the "heartlands." Did you notice how the word

"heartlands" didn't appear once in the throne speech? The previous throne speech

had the word "heartlands" in it not dozens but probably dozens of dozens of

times. In fact, you couldn't get a speech out of the Liberal government caucus

members without referring to the heartlands until about a year ago. It was just

like the Liberal fantasyland has poofed the New Era document away. The

word heartlands is gone. I listened very carefully to the Address in Reply —

first two speeches: the nominating speech and the second speech to the Speech

from the Throne — and I didn't hear the word heartlands. Did anybody? Raise your

hand if you heard the word heartlands. I didn't hear it. They're terrified of

using the word now, because they've abandoned the interior and the north of this

province — completely abandoned it.

So that's their record. We've come right back to the New Era

document, and there's no reason to believe the government has changed. If

anything, since 2001 the most extreme members of this government have been

emboldened and empowered — the most extreme members — and the moderate elements

have been sidelined. Behind the scenes, you can bet another mandate will be

interpreted in this way by this government. The extreme elements of this

government will interpret the mandate, not for the promises laid out in this

throne speech or any that have preceded it, but they will say it's a mandate for

more of the same. It's a mandate for more conflict, for more cuts, for more

privatization schemes, for more of the tax burden shifted onto the backs of

middle- and low-income earners — a mandate that the people of this province do

not want and that this government will not have.

Despite the similarities between yesterday's throne speech and the

broken new-era promise, there are some key differences. In 2001 the Premier

promised to reduce wait-lists, expand emergency rooms, build thousands of new

long-term care beds and ensure that every British Columbian would receive health

care where they need it and when they need it. While the 2001 Premier promised

all that, the February 2005 Premier appears to have given up, thrown in the

towel and abandoned any commitment to health care. Under his leadership

wait-lists have risen by 40 percent. Emergency rooms are bursting at the seams.

Rural patients are forced to travel long distances for those scarce beds. Today

patient care is worse than in 2001, and British Columbians are angry and

frustrated.

[1550]

I had assumed, with three months until election day, that the

Premier would want to address that anger, reach out to all those who were

betrayed by his election rhetoric and promise to do better, to make changes, to

adjust the course. Not a word. Instead, the Premier unveiled a program to

improve our eating habits. A worthy goal, no doubt — one embraced by the New

Democrat caucus — but hardly a substitute for a substantive plan to cope with

the challenges and promises faced by our public health care system — many of

those problems self-inflicted by this government.

I think his throwing in the towel suggests a rising level of

exhaustion in the government ranks. After only four years in power, the Premier

and his ministers have already run out of ideas, run out of steam. On the most

important issue in B.C., all they have to offer is focus group–tested platitudes

— a tacit admission that they've failed, that health care is worse and, as far

as they're concerned, that nothing can be done.

[ Page 11750 ]

No ideas. Just, please, we beg you, eat more vegetables. Just,

please, believe us when we say that we've changed, that things will be

different, that the next four years won't be like the last four years — a

time-tested political strategy that may have worked in the past but won't work

today.

They still don't want to admit to their record. They're still

going back over four years to blame others. They won't embrace their own record,

because it's a failed record. They're embarrassed by it, and they surely don't

want to run on it. British Columbians are suspicious of this Premier and are

savvy enough to spot the cynicism in the Premier's words. They're tired of

last-minute, pre-election political conversions. They're tired of politics as

usual. They're tired of us and them — polarized politics that has defined this

province for generations and is not in step with modern B.C.

We saw that in the member for East Kootenay's speech just moments

ago — how he once again polarized politics in this province, how he set them

against us. That's what he did. This government makes a few winners and so many

more losers with every decision. It's holding us back from achieving our full

potential.

Let's look at the Premier's broken promises. I'm just going to

look at the top ten. There are at least a dozen more, but let's look at the

broken throne speech promises.

Broken promise No. 1. I'm reading from the New Era

document. Why don't the members follow along? Follow along from their New Era

document, please. "Deliver high-quality public health care services that meet

all patients' needs where they live and when they need it." 2001.

Here's the reality. They closed facilities and reduced services in

Nelson, New Westminster, Summerland, Delta, Kimberley, Lillooet and many more

communities. They allowed wait-lists to increase by a staggering 31 percent

despite the Premier's promise to reduce the number of people waiting for

surgery. The wait-lists for orthopedic surgery alone, including joint

replacement surgery, has increased by 83 percent since the Liberals came to

power. They've increased fees for medical services premiums, and the Pharmacare

is now hugely expensive for British Columbians while they've reduced the amount

of services and procedures covered.

Broken promise No. 2: "Create 5,000 new long-term care beds by

2006." That promise was made in 2001.

Here's the reality. Not only have they failed to keep the promise

of creating 5,000 additional long-term care beds, but they've actually closed

over 2,700 beds in communities all over the province. They separated senior

couples as the government forced the closure of hundreds of beds throughout the

province. They forced seniors to move hundreds of kilometres away from their

families and homes as the government cut services and closed beds. Oh, where's

the government caucus clapping now? A deafening silence.

[1555]

They raised fees for long-term and extended care beds as well as

the fees for MSP, and they make it harder for seniors to get by. They've created

massive backlogs in hospitals and emergency rooms by reducing the number of beds

in our communities.

Oh, here's broken promise No. 3: "Ensure British Columbians are

being served by a non-partisan public service appointed strictly on merit." That

was 2001. I wonder if Prem Vinning is listening. I wonder if Prem Vinning feels

well served by that promise. That's Prem Vinning, the fundraiser for the Liberal

government who was put into the office of the Premier and was forced to resign

before he even got his first pen — a political insider that was going to deliver

"an Asia Pacific trade strategy." Oh, we see that reflected in the throne

speech.

I wonder what insider is going to deliver on that strategy today.

On Gordon Campbell's first day…. That was just the most recent political insider

appointment by the Premier. But on the Premier's first day in office, he

appointed the president of the B.C. Liberal Party to the non-partisan position

of Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. The president of the Liberal

Party went from that position to a deputy minister position in this government.

Oh. No experience whatsoever in the public service — none. He was given a salary

of almost $200,000 of taxpayer money.

Then the Premier fired 270 government communications staff, who

were public professional servants, and then hired replacements appointed by

cabinet, making government communications staff political appointees.

Broken promise No. 4: "Moderate the impact of cuts on people by

phasing out less vital programs." That was 2002.

Here's the reality. Here are examples of programs and services

that the Liberal government deemed "less vital" and that have been eliminated or

had their funding significantly reduced. Now, this is the first three and a half

years. They're promising to do different now, but here's what they did in their

first three years: they cut funding or reduced funding for legal aid, for

women's centres, child care programs and subsidies, and affordable housing. They

cut crime prevention and victim assistance, they cut transition to work

assistance for people on social assistance, they cut dozens of programs for

high-risk youth, they cut youth employment programs, they cut the B.C. seniors

supplement, and they delisted MSP services such as podiatry, massage,

physiotherapy and chiropractic therapy and optometry.

Broken promise No. 5.

[H. Long in the chair.]

Interjection.

J. MacPhail: Listen, only No. 5, and I'm trying to speed

along. Broken promise No. 5: "Improve services for women and children." That was

from 2002. Some of the deepest cuts made by this Liberal government have been to

services and programs that most affect women and children. They eliminated the

freestanding Ministry of Women's Equality. They slashed the legal aid

[ Page 11751 ]

budget by 40 percent. They shut down legal aid offices across the province.

They cut welfare rates for single moms. They forced them to go back to work when

their children would turn three. They cut child care programs for the very

people that would be forced back. They ended the zero-tolerance policy for

spousal violence. They eliminated victims' assistance programs and cut all

funding to women's centres. This government targeted the Ministry of Children

and Family Development for some of the biggest budget cuts across government, a

23 percent cut to the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

[1600]

As a result of those cuts, agencies serving children across the

province had their budgets slashed, dozens of programs for high-risk children

were eliminated, and front-line social workers serving our most vulnerable

children were cut. Yet Doug Walls did okay — Doug Walls, the Liberal insider who

finally got fired. Doug Walls, the Liberal insider who was given a budget of

$500 million — he did fine by this government because he was a Liberal. He was a

good-serving Liberal, a personal friend of the Premier, a family member, very

close to the current Minister of Health Services. He did just fine, but it was

the children who suffered.

Oh, broken promise No. 6. I object to this being broken No. 6. I'm

sorry, colleagues. I object. This should have been broken promise No. 2 at

least. Here's one: "Stop the expansion of gambling" — 2002. Gambling revenues

have doubled under this government, and if the revenue targets are met by the

year 2006-07, the B.C. Liberal government will be making $1 billion from

gambling revenues — a 78 percent increase.

That definition…. That's not the definition of "expansion." Let me

see. How can I figure out another word? Increasing, almost doubling, a pot-load

of more bucks into our revenues — that's not called expansion with this

government. The limit on slot machines, one of the most addictive forms of

gambling, has been eliminated. In fact, they're not slot machines; they're video

lottery terminals. That's what this government has put into bingo halls now.

Talk about increasing the number of casinos. Every bingo hall is virtually a

casino now.

Under this government, the Liberals, the cap on the maximum number

of slot machines in B.C. was first increased to 5,400. It had previously been

about 2,000 — increased to 5,400. Then it was eliminated altogether. But did the

government make an announcement about the elimination of that? No. They just

snuck it through. Casinos have been expanded and deregulated. The Liberal

government has allowed casinos to begin serving alcohol on the casino floor, and

they've put automatic transaction machines for money right on the premises — two

key triggers to problem gambling that the B.C. Liberals spoke against in

opposition.

The Liberal government under this Premier has also started pushing

municipal bingo halls to take on slot machines under a quiet plan to turn local

bingo halls into "community gaming centres." That's Liberal-speak for "casino."

New and addictive forms of gambling have been introduced consistently. In

October of 2004 this government ended any pretence of being shamed, and they

started on-line Internet gambling — to boost revenues.

Broken promise No. 7: "Establish an offshore oil and gas industry

by the year 2010." That promise was made in 2003. Here's the reality. It will be

very interesting to see what this government is going to campaign on, on the

offshore oil and gas industry. I can hardly wait. I can actually hardly wait to

hear what they're going to campaign on.

[1605]

Here's the reality. The Liberal government generated false hope

for coastal communities when they started touting the prospects of the offshore

oil and gas industry. Now it's an empty promise. They've had to hire new help,

because they don't know what they're doing. They're so desperate that they had

to hire new help. They're so worried about their broken promise. They had to

bring on somebody who may actually be able to help them — a New Democrat. A good

New Democrat is finally being brought on to bail this government out. I think

it's hilarious. They're so pathetic in their own ineptness around establishing a

policy for offshore oil and gas exploration that they've had to give up on

Liberals.

That's this government. It was an empty promise brought on by

political expediency and vote-grabbing. They're caught in the middle of the

Liberal hype and the reality that the coastal communities that have been

devastated by this government's false hope…. They now have to be actually honest

that this commitment will not be part of the government's re-election platform.

I can guarantee that this government won't be campaigning on an offshore oil and

gas plan to deliver by the year 2010. Let's be clear. In 2010 they were going to

have the industry up and running. As recently as 2003 they promised that — as

recently as 2003.

Now we see, oops, another broken promise — broken promise No. 8.

Interjections.

J. MacPhail: I hope, certainly, that I'm not impeding the

health of any of the members opposite. They seem to be getting a little bit

uptight about being confronted with their broken promises. But I'll try….

Interjection.

J. MacPhail: Is that an order?

Interjections.

J. MacPhail: I certainly hope, Mr. Speaker….

Deputy Speaker: I would like to remind the members that

when they're not in their own seats, they should not be commenting. Thank you.

[ Page 11752 ]

J. MacPhail: I think attendance is an issue that isn't

addressed in the House either.

Deputy Speaker: Pardon me, member. The attendance is quorum

or better.

J. MacPhail: No, no. I understand that, Mr. Speaker. Other

members were referring to the lack of attendance by other members in this House,

which of course is out of order and unparliamentary.

I can understand why they want to divert attention. I can

understand why this Liberal back bench wants to divert attention from their

broken promises. But it won't divert my attention.

Here's broken promise No. 8: "Open up a new provincial authority

called community living B.C. to oversee programs for people with developmental

disabilities." That's a promise made in 2003, a mere 15 months ago.

Here's the reality. The Liberal government, under this Premier's

failed plan for devolution and Doug Walls's Liberal insider scandal…. It's

resulted in repeated delays and millions of dollars wasted, with the result that

community living B.C. is still not up and running. In fact, it's been shelved

until further notice. Somehow this government wants people to believe they care

about the most vulnerable. They think, in the year 2005, that they can state in

the throne speech that they care, when they've done nothing but harm and take

dollars away from those very families that they're now promising the world to. I

don't think any of those families will be fooled by this government's broken

promise.

Broken promise No. 9: "An open and accountable government." That

promise was made in the year 2001.

Here's what the Liberal government under the Premier actually did.

They made staffing cuts and changes to the freedom-of-information and privacy

act, they reduced the budgets for over three years to the FOI commissioner, and

they've reduced public access to government information. They increased secrecy

as a result of the government's privatization agenda. The new B.C. Ferry Corp

and privatized portions of B.C. Hydro were explicitly excluded from the Freedom

of Information Act.

[1610]

The new lobbyist registry operates on the honour system. Well, I

guess the Liberals' own friends don't want to actually be confronted with an

enforcement program. That lobbyist registry, operating on the honour system, has

such enormous loopholes that B.C. Liberal insider Patrick Kinsella can represent

companies without actually having to register. It's not a problem for the

government or the registry.

This Premier's Liberal government has spent millions of dollars on

pro-government ads that, after having pledged not to do so — not to spend public

money on partisan government advertising — did just that. The very week they

actually stopped using taxpayer dollars to tell us the propaganda around the

government, they hired a person in the Premier's office to make fake phone calls

to talk shows to say what a good job the Premier is doing. So they didn't pay

for ads, but they hired someone to do that on the Premier's payroll. Thank

goodness, people cottoned on to it soon enough so not many tax dollars were

wasted on that.

Of course, we also know that caucus suspensions remain a secret,

except when the chief Whip slips up — not very open and accountable. The Premier

also has secret scrums that anybody outside of his own hired guns isn't allowed

to attend. Actually, the Liberal-paid staffers attend our caucus scrums all the

time. We welcome them. We look on it as a training session for the Liberals. We

welcome them. But we're not allowed to attend the Premier's scrums.

Broken promise No. 10: "My government is committed to giving local

governments more autonomy" — 2002.

Here's the reality. Every single one of the Liberal caucus members

stood up and said aye to Bill 75, the Significant Projects Streamlining Act.

That's the bill that gave government absolute power to override all local bylaws

and decision-making processes. They passed Bill 48, the Agriculture, Food and

Fisheries Statutes Amendment Act, 2003. That bill gave government the ability to

overrule local government decisions on aquaculture and force fish farms onto

communities that don't want them.

Of course, they have failed, to date, to implement the Premier's

pet Community Charter. The government passed enabling legislation, but they have

completely failed to resolve outstanding issues about revenue tools.

In an economy where the skills of our citizens and the strength of

our communities are the most important capital assets that we as a province

possess, an agenda that squanders those assets in the service of a narrow

ideology comes at the expense of our future.

New Democrats understand that reality. We understand that new

reality and we're responding. Our leader, Carole James, is asking us to consider

that rather than being mutually exclusive, fiscal responsibility, compassion and

a dynamic entrepreneurial economy can — indeed must — go hand in hand; that

British Columbians shouldn't have to face a choice between a business-friendly

party that ignores social concerns and a party that is concerned with social

justice and equality but doesn't understand business; and that the traditional

choice offered to voters is a false one and that it leads to the kind of

polarization and danger that this government has fuelled.

She has taken the lead, charting a new agenda for the NDP and a

new agenda for British Columbia — reaching out to the business community, to

working people, to communities and families. She's putting forward a balanced

and responsible approach guided by key principles of effective government for

this new century: fiscal responsibility, openness and accountability,

opportunity and a commitment to end the confrontational approach of this

government.

[1615]

After four years of extreme government and broken promises,

British Columbians now want balance, a

[ Page 11753 ]

return to the basic values that we all share — values that are more important

today than ever before, values for which the NDP has always fought. British

Columbians want those values joined together with a commitment to a growing and

dynamic economy and an open and accountable government. That's why Carole James

and the NDP will balance the budget every year and why Carole James and the NDP

will establish a permanent economic advisory council made up of business, labour

and community leaders to develop long-term economic solutions that work for

everyone.

I note that the Premier stole that idea from the leader of the NDP

yesterday in the throne speech. I note that he was actually reduced, word for

word, to taking that idea from a promise that Carole James made weeks ago.

That's why Carole James and the NDP will move to make post-secondary education,

skills training and apprenticeship opportunities accessible and affordable,

ensuring that B.C. has the best skilled workers in the world. Any commitment

from the Premier on that matter was noticeably absent yesterday — noticeably

absent.

That's why

Carole James and the NDP will put a stop to failed B.C. Liberal privatization

schemes which are costing the taxpayer more and providing less service. That's

why Carole James and the NDP will take big money out of politics and ban union

and corporate donations. Why don't we pass that law this session, Mr. Speaker?

Why don't we pass it? Under the NDP, if you can't vote, you can't donate. Let's

pass that legislation this session.

That's why Carole James and the NDP will involve communities in

health care decisions. It's why Carole James and the NDP will stop this

government's practice of punishing the poor and the vulnerable. These are

commitments that Carole James has made since she became leader — not at the last

minute, not as a death row repentance like the Premier did yesterday.

The Premier has failed. He has failed for patients, students,

working people and the poor. He ran on a promise to improve the lives of average

families. That promise, we know today, was completely hollow. Today all he and

his government are left with are buzzwords and platitudes to fill the void. In

three months' time British Columbians will pass judgment on the Premier's

record. He will be forced to run on his record. They will have before them a

moderate, compassionate and sensible alternative.

Mr. Speaker, let me end on a more personal note. I was thrilled

today to be joined by the member for Surrey–Panorama Ridge. It was wonderful

when he joined my colleague and me in the Legislature. Although the coming days

and weeks promise to be, shall we say, lively, I do want to begin this session

by publicly thanking my colleague from Vancouver–Mount Pleasant for the

incredible support that she has shown me.

I think we made quite a team, and I will miss you. I will miss you

very much.

I will miss all of you as well. I will miss all of you. Things got

heated, sometimes personal, but away from this chamber, I must say that we were

always fair, respectful and even friendly. I think that is the way politics and

our public life should be.

[1620]

Hon. L. Reid: I am pleased to rise in debate today and put

my thoughts on the record in terms of where I believe this province is headed

over the next number of months, number of years.

I am thoroughly dismayed at the presentation that we've just heard

in terms of its inaccuracies and the commitment that member showed in terms of

portraying what is, in fact, not an accurate assessment of where this province

is today in British Columbia. I stand before you today, hon. Speaker, as the

member representing the riding of Richmond East, with a firm commitment to how

important it is that the policies that put families first in British Columbia

continue, because that is the essence of any economy. Many of you will have

heard the Premier say many, many times that this is about building a strong

economy in the province.

The purpose behind that commitment is building stronger families.

If we want a strong economy in British Columbia, it will only be because we have

stronger families in this province. Of that there is absolutely no question. The

throne speech of yesterday — this document of yesterday — heralds that, honours

that, recognizes that, identifies where those processes can in fact be improved,

and that will take us forward. That is the commitment that I believe is evident.

The inability of the member opposite to be accurate in her

assessment is alarming. There have been ten years where she had every

opportunity as the Minister of Health and as the Minister of Finance in this

province to put in place what she speaks of. Either she was not able to take

those issues forward to her cabinet, or she was not able to convince them of her

wisdom on those questions.

Frankly, not very much happened that was important to families in

British Columbia on the NDP watch. Not very much happened. Beyond the rhetoric,

beyond the swaying of the arms, there needs to be precise ability to go forward

and to matter in the lives of families in British Columbia.

I want to begin my remarks today by acknowledging the women that I

have had the absolute privilege to serve with in this Legislature and who have

continued to provide support as we go forward on these questions. I also want to

acknowledge all of my colleagues in this Legislature who fundamentally believe

in the Premier's commitment to families in British Columbia, because it is

vitally important.

The people I deal with on a regular basis who advanced this agenda

with me are Loreen O'Byrne, the director of early childhood development in

British Columbia, a carrier of intense passion and dream about how this could

work; and the provincial adviser for infant development programs in British

Columbia, Dana Brynelsen. It's a vitally important contribution that she has

made and will continue to make. Those programs are three decades old in British

Columbia,

[ Page 11754 ]

supporting vulnerable learners and supporting vulnerable families. Carol

Matusicky, the executive director of the B.C. Council for Families, has huge

influence, huge insight and huge ability to bring to bear what matters in the

lives of British Columbians. Marianne Drew-Pennington, the executive director of

the family resource program in British Columbia….

It's a huge opportunity to support families as we go forward, to

understand how important it is to put in place programs where families can be

coached and mentored and where durable parenting can be demonstrated, because

this is about caring for children. At the end of the day, if we want stronger

communities in British Columbia, it will only be because we have stronger

families.

Jean Rasmussen is an absolute leader in British Columbia in the

area of family literacy. A passion…. The Premier wants this jurisdiction to be

the most literate in North America by 2010. That goal will be achieved because

we have individuals such as Linda Mitchell, such as Jean Rasmussen — such

individuals who are passionate about the family literacy movement in British

Columbia.

Mary Gordon is someone I have immense regard for in terms of being

the founder of the Roots of Empathy program. That's a program many of you will

know about when it comes to vulnerability in very young learners and

understanding that we can indeed reduce the incidences of bullying in British

Columbia and across this land if, indeed, we focus our resources on

demonstrating fragility and vulnerability to very, very young children so that

they understand that and do not spectate around instances of bullying. In fact,

they are able to intervene and withstand that level of pressure from their

peers. It's vitally important that we give them the skills to do that.

This is about building a resilient economy in British Columbia and

about building resilient learners in British Columbia. It's all part of the same

package. Certainly, Mary has some discussion around working with still younger

learners — four-year-olds and three-year-olds. That discussion is underway in

British Columbia.

Amy Collum. If I might pay tribute to Amy Collum, president of the

Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia, is a tremendous resource. She is

someone who will build professional development for early childhood educators in

British Columbia that is accessible, that is meaningful to them, that will take

them forward. It will build professionalism as we go forward — vitally

important. I provide my highest accolades.

[1625]

I wanted to make a special mention of Terri Cunningham, my

ministerial assistant, who has given me great wisdom and great guidance as we've

gone forward.

Riddled in this throne speech has been the notion of partnerships

and the notion of prevention — how indeed we can prevent and look out for the

generations that will come after us. We will only do that if we more effectively

partner with British Columbians. None of this work will be done by government

alone. That is the essence of my comment today. None of this work can be done by

government alone, frankly by any agency alone. We will only succeed on any of

these fronts if we're prepared to partner.

The Premier has a strong commitment that if you wish to have a

stronger province, you must effectively resource young children and their

families. Again, government doesn't do that alone. Government does that in

partnership with a variety of agencies — many I've just mentioned — a variety of

communities, municipal councils, mayors, individuals who strongly believe that

families deserve supports. Whether it's in the community of Prince Rupert,

whether it's in the community of Richmond East, we indeed need to ensure that we

create opportunities for families to flourish. That's what this is about.

What I wish for my family isn't anything more than what I wish for

every single family in British Columbia. That their children have opportunity,

that they have security, that they have stability, that there are networks of

support in place are vitally important.

Many of my colleagues have heard me say over the years that it is

about the babies, and it absolutely is. It is about the little souls who were

born in the years 2000 and 2001 and the kinds of opportunities they're going to

have when they cross the threshold into their first kindergarten classroom in

the year 2005-06.

Many of you will know that we have engaged Dr. Clyde Hertzman from

the University of British Columbia on the human early learning partnership, on

the EDI work — the early development indicator work — because it's vitally

important to understand what learning takes place, where there may be gaps and

how we can better strategically make investments to assist young learners as

they go forward. That work is underway in British Columbia. Frankly, we will be

the first jurisdiction anywhere that has a snapshot of the learning of every

single five-year-old — an enormous accomplishment. So again, I would pay tribute

to Dr. Clyde Hertzman.

It was the Premier's passion that we go forward in early childhood

development from the base of the best possible science, and I can tell you that

I have the absolute privilege to have in British Columbia in November a number

of presenters on what we were calling the Healthy Child B.C. Forum. It wasn't

just about what we're doing in British Columbia or, frankly, what we're doing in

Canada. It was all about what the rest of the world was doing that made sense in

terms of defining better public policy.

We had Dr. Al Aynsley-Green from the United Kingdom. He's the

national director for children. He has tremendous impact on how the United

Kingdom goes forward, the kinds of programs they engage in across their

communities and the kinds of work and presentation that the government engages

in, in the United Kingdom.

We have Sven Bremberg from Sweden, a medical doctor, a PhD and an

associate professor in the department of pediatrics — huge insights offered to

us. He was confident in the direction that British Columbia

[ Page 11755 ]

is headed, and certainly, they believe that we are doing some very, very good

things.

Dr. Moira Inkelas in the U.S.A. is a PhD and assistant professor

in the department of health services at UCLA school of public health. There are

huge opportunities for us to learn from countries, if you will, that have a much

broader scope, a much larger population base and, in many instances, huge

challenges that we aren't often confronted with.

How we brought that work to bear. Dr. Clyde Hertzman came and

presented. Dr. Frank Oberklaid from Australia, one of Australia's leading

pediatricians and a director of the University in Melbourne's centre for

community and child health — a great opportunity for us to learn from Australia.

Riripeti Haretuku from New Zealand is national co-coordinator of

the Maori SIDS prevention program. It's a good opportunity for us to have some

understanding of how other countries interplay, interface, with aboriginal

communities and how indeed we can do a better job and learn from our aboriginal

communities here in British Columbia, because it is about respectful engagement.

It is about honouring the work that needs to take place in British Columbia, and

it is about bringing all of these individuals together who had tremendous

insight and tremendous import in what they had to say.

[1630]

Vaughn Palmer came as well. He moderated the parent forum for us

in the evening. In terms of how we bring together and take really important

messages and make them readily accessible to parents and to community…. He did

provide some assistance in that regard.

Let me say thanks to those individuals who gave their time to come

to British Columbia from all over the globe to understand better what we're

doing and to find good delight, if you will, in the work they saw underway in

British Columbia so that they, indeed, can take back some of the things they

learned from us. We learned many, many fine things from them as well.

I also had a wondrous opportunity just before Christmas to see

some programs that we have underway in northern British Columbia — Dease Lake,

Atlin, Telegraph Creek and Iskut. We have some superb staff within the Ministry

of Children and Family Development. Allen Cummings, Prince George; Shirley

Reimer from the Prince George office; and Susan Ashworth from Dease Lake are

individuals who make it their priority to understand their community and put in

place priorities that matter in the lives of their community members. It's

vitally important that we continue to have that level of expertise as we go

forward.

Certainly, we talked yesterday about where the province might go

by 2010. I want very much to honour the commitment that the Premier has made in

terms of British Columbia being the most literate jurisdiction by 2010. I began

my career as a teacher. The ability to read, the ability be a literate citizen,

is not just a lovely platitude. It's absolutely essential for people to be

productive members of society. It's absolutely essential, and we have to do all

the things we can do to make sure that happens.

I have a great passion, as you know, about how we build supports

for very young learners. One of the issues we came across in the early days was

the discontinuity, the disconnectedness, that was in place around programming we

had. Our challenge was to build programs across the spectrum, to take a

continuum of learning and build those programs. From birth to three years of

age,