British Columbia Hansard — 13 April 2021, p.m., Issue 46 (42nd Parliament, 2nd Session)

20210413pm-Hansard-n46

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Second Session, 42nd Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday, April 13, 2021 Afternoon Sitting Issue No. 46 THE HONOURABLE RAJ CHOUHAN, SPEAKER ISSN 1499-2175

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871) LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Her Honour the Honourable Janet Austin, OBC Second Session, 42nd Parliament SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Raj Chouhan EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Premier and President of the Executive Council ............................................................................................................... Hon. John Horgan Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training...........................................................................................................Hon.

Anne Kang Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries......................................................................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing .............................................................................................Hon. David Eby, QC Minister of Children and Family Development ....................................................................................................................Hon.

Mitzi Dean Minister of State for Child Care...................................................................................................................................... Hon. Katrina Chen Minister of Citizens’ Services.....................................................................................................................................................Hon. Lisa Beare Minister of Education .................................................................................................................................................. Hon.

Jennifer Whiteside Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation ........................................................................................Hon. Bruce Ralston, QC Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy............................................................................................. Hon. George Heyman Minister of Finance .......................................................................................................................................................... Hon.

Selina Robinson Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development ................................................ Hon. Katrine Conroy Minister of State for Lands and Natural Resource Operations................................................................................. Hon. Nathan Cullen Minister of Health and Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs.............................................................................Hon.

Adrian Dix Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation .......................................................................................... Hon. Murray Rankin, QC Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation....................................................................................................... Hon. Ravi Kahlon Minister of State for Trade...............................................................................................................................................Hon.

George Chow Minister of Labour ...................................................................................................................................................................Hon. Harry Bains Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.............................................................................................................. Hon. Sheila Malcolmson Minister of Municipal Affairs ............................................................................................................................................. Hon.

Josie Osborne Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General ........................................................................................................... Hon. Mike Farnworth Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction........................................................................................... Hon. Nicholas Simons Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport .................................................................................................................. Hon.

Melanie Mark Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure................................................................................................................... Hon. Rob Fleming Minister of State for Infrastructure ................................................................................................................................... Hon.

Bowinn Ma LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Leader of the Official Opposition...................................................................................................................................................Shirley Bond Leader of the Third Party .......................................................................................................................................................... Sonia Furstenau Deputy Speaker..........................................................................................................................................................

Spencer Chandra Herbert Assistant Deputy Speaker..............................................................................................................................................................Norm Letnick Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole .......................................................................................................................... Ronna-Rae Leonard Clerk of the Legislative Assembly ...........................................................................................................................................

Kate Ryan-Lloyd Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel.............................................................................................................................. Seunghee Suzie Seo Clerk Assistant, Parliamentary Services........................................................................................................................... Artour Sogomonian Clerk of Committees.......................................................................................................................................................................

Jennifer Arril Clerk Assistant, Committees and Interparliamentary Relations ..............................................................................................Susan Sourial Senior Research Analyst ................................................................................................................................................................... Karan Riarh Acting Sergeant-at-Arms..................................................................................................................................................................Greg Nelson

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS Alexis, Pam (BC NDP) ............................................................Abbotsford-Mission Anderson, Brittny (BC NDP) .........................................................Nelson-Creston Ashton, Dan (BC Liberal Party) ............................................................... Penticton Babchuk, Michele (BC NDP)...............................................................North Island Bailey, Brenda (BC NDP).................................................. Vancouver–False Creek Bains, Hon. Harry (BC NDP).........................................................

Surrey-Newton Banman, Bruce (BC Liberal Party) ............................................ Abbotsford South Beare, Hon. Lisa (BC NDP) .......................................

Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Begg, Garry (BC NDP).................................................................Surrey-Guildford Bernier, Mike (BC Liberal Party) ...............................................Peace River South Bond, Shirley (BC Liberal Party).................................Prince George–Valemount Brar, Jagrup (BC NDP) ................................................................Surrey-Fleetwood Cadieux, Stephanie (BC Liberal Party) .............................................

Surrey South Chandra Herbert, Spencer (BC NDP).................................Vancouver–West End Chant, Susie (BC NDP) ..............................................North Vancouver–Seymour Chen, Hon. Katrina (BC NDP) ............................................... Burnaby-Lougheed Chouhan, Hon. Raj (BC NDP).................................................Burnaby-Edmonds Chow, Hon. George (BC NDP) ..........................................Vancouver-Fraserview Clovechok, Doug (BC Liberal Party)........................Columbia River–Revelstoke Conroy, Hon.

Katrine (BC NDP) ....................................................Kootenay West Coulter, Dan (BC NDP) .......................................................................... Chilliwack Cullen, Hon. Nathan (BC NDP) ................................................................... Stikine Davies, Dan (BC Liberal Party)................................................. Peace River North de Jong, Michael, QC (BC Liberal Party)....................................Abbotsford West Dean, Hon. Mitzi (BC NDP) ...............................................

Esquimalt-Metchosin D’Eith, Bob (BC NDP) .........................................................Maple Ridge–Mission Dix, Hon. Adrian (BC NDP) ................................................ Vancouver-Kingsway Doerkson, Lorne (BC Liberal Party) ........................................Cariboo-Chilcotin Donnelly, Fin (BC NDP) .......................................... Coquitlam–Burke Mountain Dykeman, Megan (BC NDP)............................................................... Langley East Eby, Hon. David, QC (BC NDP).......................................

Vancouver–Point Grey Elmore, Mable (BC NDP) ..................................................Vancouver-Kensington Farnworth, Hon. Mike (BC NDP) .................................................Port Coquitlam Fleming, Hon. Rob (BC NDP) ...............................................

Victoria–Swan Lake Furstenau, Sonia (BC Green Party) .............................................Cowichan Valley Glumac, Rick (BC NDP) ..................................................Port Moody–Coquitlam Greene, Kelly (BC NDP) ........................................................Richmond-Steveston Halford, Trevor (BC Liberal Party) .........................................Surrey–White Rock Heyman, Hon. George (BC NDP) .........................................Vancouver-Fairview Horgan, Hon. John (BC NDP) ......................................... Langford–Juan de Fuca Kahlon, Hon.

Ravi (BC NDP) .............................................................. Delta North Kang, Hon. Anne (BC NDP) .................................................. Burnaby–Deer Lake Kirkpatrick, Karin (BC Liberal Party) ........................West Vancouver–Capilano Kyllo, Greg (BC Liberal Party)....................................................................Shuswap Lee, Michael (BC Liberal Party) ..............................................Vancouver-Langara Leonard, Ronna-Rae (BC NDP)...............................................

Courtenay-Comox Letnick, Norm (BC Liberal Party) .................................. Kelowna–Lake Country Lore, Grace (BC NDP)........................................................... Victoria–Beacon Hill Ma, Hon. Bowinn (BC NDP).....................................North Vancouver–Lonsdale Malcolmson, Hon. Sheila (BC NDP)........................................................Nanaimo Mark, Hon. Melanie (BC NDP).................................Vancouver–Mount Pleasant Mercier, Andrew (BC NDP) ........................................................................

Langley Merrifield, Renee (BC Liberal Party)......................................... Kelowna-Mission Milobar, Peter (BC Liberal Party) .......................... Kamloops–North Thompson Morris, Mike (BC Liberal Party) ................................. Prince George–Mackenzie Oakes, Coralee (BC Liberal Party).................................................. Cariboo North Olsen, Adam (BC Green Party)............................ Saanich North and the Islands Osborne, Hon.

Josie (BC NDP)........................................Mid Island–Pacific Rim Paddon, Kelli (BC NDP) ................................................................Chilliwack-Kent Paton, Ian (BC Liberal Party) ............................................................... Delta South Popham, Hon. Lana (BC NDP)........................................................ Saanich South Ralston, Hon. Bruce, QC (BC NDP) .............................................Surrey-Whalley Rankin, Hon.

Murray, QC (BC NDP) .............................Oak Bay–Gordon Head Rice, Jennifer (BC NDP) ...................................................................... North Coast Robinson, Hon. Selina (BC NDP)...................................Coquitlam-Maillardville Ross, Ellis (BC Liberal Party)......................................................................... Skeena Routledge, Janet (BC NDP) .............................................................Burnaby North Routley, Doug (BC NDP)...........................................

Nanaimo–North Cowichan Russell, Roly (BC NDP).................................................... Boundary-Similkameen Rustad, John (BC Liberal Party)......................................................Nechako Lakes Sandhu, Harwinder (BC NDP) .................................................Vernon-Monashee Sharma, Niki (BC NDP)..........................................................Vancouver-Hastings Shypitka, Tom (BC Liberal Party) .................................................... Kootenay East Simons, Hon. Nicholas (BC NDP).........................

Powell River–Sunshine Coast Sims, Jinny (BC NDP) ................................................................. Surrey-Panorama Singh, Aman (BC NDP) .............................................Richmond-Queensborough Singh, Rachna (BC NDP)...................................................Surrey–Green Timbers Starchuk, Mike (BC NDP) ......................................................... Surrey-Cloverdale Stewart, Ben (BC Liberal Party) .......................................................

Kelowna West Stone, Todd (BC Liberal Party) ...............................Kamloops–South Thompson Sturdy, Jordan (BC Liberal Party) ............................. West Vancouver–Sea to Sky Tegart, Jackie (BC Liberal Party)....................................................... Fraser-Nicola Walker, Adam (BC NDP) ....................................................... Parksville-Qualicum Wat, Teresa (BC Liberal Party) ....................................... Richmond North Centre Whiteside, Hon. Jennifer (BC NDP) .........................................

New Westminster Wilkinson, Andrew, QC (BC Liberal Party)......................Vancouver-Quilchena Y ao, Henry (BC NDP) ..................................................... Richmond South Centre LIST OF MEMBERS BY RIDING Abbotsford-Mission................................................................................. Pam Alexis Abbotsford South...............................................................................Bruce Banman Abbotsford West......................................................................

Michael de Jong, QC Boundary-Similkameen........................................................................ Roly Russell Burnaby–Deer Lake....................................................................... Hon. Anne Kang Burnaby-Edmonds......................................................................Hon. Raj Chouhan Burnaby-Lougheed .................................................................... Hon. Katrina Chen Burnaby North .................................................................................

Janet Routledge Cariboo-Chilcotin ..........................................................................Lorne Doerkson Cariboo North.................................................................................... Coralee Oakes Chilliwack ...............................................................................................Dan Coulter Chilliwack-Kent .................................................................................... Kelli Paddon Columbia River–Revelstoke .........................................................

Doug Clovechok Coquitlam–Burke Mountain...............................................................Fin Donnelly Coquitlam-Maillardville ...................................................... Hon. Selina Robinson Courtenay-Comox................................................................... Ronna-Rae Leonard Cowichan Valley ............................................................................. Sonia Furstenau Delta North................................................................................... Hon.

Ravi Kahlon Delta South ..................................................................................................Ian Paton Esquimalt-Metchosin .................................................................... Hon. Mitzi Dean Fraser-Nicola .........................................................................................

Jackie Tegart Kamloops–North Thompson .............................................................Peter Milobar Kamloops–South Thompson..................................................................Todd Stone Kelowna–Lake Country .....................................................................Norm Letnick Kelowna-Mission ...........................................................................

Renee Merrifield Kelowna West ..........................................................................................Ben Stewart Kootenay East.......................................................................................Tom Shypitka Kootenay West........................................................................ Hon. Katrine Conroy Langford–Juan de Fuca .............................................................. Hon.

John Horgan Langley .............................................................................................Andrew Mercier Langley East....................................................................................Megan Dykeman Maple Ridge–Mission.............................................................................. Bob D’Eith Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows............................................................Hon. Lisa Beare Mid Island–Pacific Rim............................................................ Hon.

Josie Osborne Nanaimo.............................................................................Hon. Sheila Malcolmson Nanaimo–North Cowichan............................................................... Doug Routley Nechako Lakes........................................................................................ John Rustad Nelson-Creston ............................................................................. Brittny Anderson New Westminster.............................................................. Hon.

Jennifer Whiteside North Coast ........................................................................................... Jennifer Rice North Island................................................................................... Michele Babchuk North Vancouver–Lonsdale......................................................... Hon. Bowinn Ma North Vancouver–Seymour...................................................................Susie Chant Oak Bay–Gordon Head..................................................Hon.

Murray Rankin, QC Parksville-Qualicum........................................................................... Adam Walker Peace River North ................................................................................... Dan Davies Peace River South ................................................................................ Mike Bernier Penticton ................................................................................................. Dan Ashton Port Coquitlam...................................................................... Hon.

Mike Farnworth Port Moody–Coquitlam.......................................................................Rick Glumac Powell River–Sunshine Coast..............................................Hon. Nicholas Simons Prince George–Mackenzie....................................................................Mike Morris Prince George–Valemount ..................................................................

Shirley Bond Richmond North Centre..........................................................................Teresa Wat Richmond-Queensborough..................................................................Aman Singh Richmond South Centre .......................................................................... Henry Y ao Richmond-Steveston ............................................................................

Kelly Greene Saanich North and the Islands .............................................................Adam Olsen Saanich South .............................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Shuswap...................................................................................................... Greg Kyllo Skeena........................................................................................................... Ellis Ross Stikine........................................................................................ Hon.

Nathan Cullen Surrey-Cloverdale .............................................................................. Mike Starchuk Surrey-Fleetwood.....................................................................................Jagrup Brar Surrey–Green Timbers........................................................................Rachna Singh Surrey-Guildford......................................................................................Garry Begg Surrey-Newton ..............................................................................Hon.

Harry Bains Surrey-Panorama ...................................................................................... Jinny Sims Surrey South ................................................................................ Stephanie Cadieux Surrey-Whalley ................................................................. Hon. Bruce Ralston, QC Surrey–White Rock .......................................................................... Trevor Halford Vancouver-Fairview.............................................................. Hon.

George Heyman Vancouver–False Creek...................................................................... Brenda Bailey Vancouver-Fraserview...............................................................Hon. George Chow Vancouver-Hastings ..............................................................................Niki Sharma Vancouver-Kensington....................................................................... Mable Elmore Vancouver-Kingsway..................................................................... Hon.

Adrian Dix Vancouver-Langara................................................................................ Michael Lee Vancouver–Mount Pleasant..................................................... Hon. Melanie Mark Vancouver–Point Grey ............................................................Hon. David Eby, QC Vancouver-Quilchena........................................................Andrew Wilkinson, QC Vancouver–West End .....................................................Spencer Chandra Herbert Vernon-Monashee .....................................................................

Harwinder Sandhu Victoria–Beacon Hill............................................................................... Grace Lore Victoria–Swan Lake.................................................................... Hon. Rob Fleming West Vancouver–Capilano...........................................................Karin Kirkpatrick West Vancouver–Sea to Sky................................................................Jordan Sturdy Party Standings: BC NDP 57; BC Liberal Party 28; BC Green Party 2

CONTENTS Tuesday, April 13, 2021 Afternoon Sitting Page Routine Business Tributes ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1071 Jean Lambert Hon. S.

Robinson Speaker’s Statement ................................................................................................................................................................. 1071 Ramadan Motions Without Notice......................................................................................................................................................... 1071 Appointment of Special Committee to Appoint an Ombudsperson Appointment of Special Committee to Review Provisions of the Election Act Appointment of Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act Appointment of Special Committee to Review the Personal Information Protection Act Hon.

M. Farnworth Orders of the Day Throne Speech Debate(continued) ...................................................................................................................................... 1073 M. Dykeman G. Kyllo B. Bailey K. Kirkpatrick Hon. G. Heyman M. Morris Hon. N. Cullen L. Doerkson Hon. R. Kahlon B. Banman S. Chant

TUESDAY , APRIL 13, 2021 The House met at 1:32 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Tributes JEAN LAMBERT Hon. S. Robinson:It is with tremendous sadness that we learned that Monsieur Jean Lambert passed away this past Saturday. C’ est avec grande tristesse que nous avons appris que Monsieur Jean Lambert est décédé le Samedi passe. [French text provided by Hon. S. Robinson.] He was a tremendous force in the Maillardville com- munity.

He engaged with so many community organiza- tions: the Scouts francophones de Maillardville, le Club des pensionnés, les Chevaliers de Colomb and, of course, his involvement with the festival du bois and Société fran- cophone de Maillardville. Monsieur Lambert never missed a moment to push me to use my French language skills. He called me out whenever he could, whenever we were together, whether on the dance floor,‘dessus le grand chapiteau’ at festival du bois, or we were celebrating Christmas together at the Club Bel Âge. He cherished his family and his community, and he got out what he put in.

He was cherished by his family and his community. He’ll be missed by his wife, Suzanne, his children and his grandchildren. May his memory be for a blessing. Speaker’s Statement RAMADAN Mr. Speaker:Hon. Members, on behalf of this House, I would like to wishRamadan Mubarek to everyone ob- serving this holy month of Ramadan. May you and your family find happiness and joy in Ramadan. Wishing you a very happy and safe Ramadan.Ramadan Mubarek. Hon. M. Farnworth:I seek leave to move four motions to appoint four special committees. Full text of these motions has been provided to the two other House Lead- ers.

Leave granted. Motions Without Notice APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO APPOINT AN OMBUDSPERSON Hon. M. Farnworth:I move the first motion regarding the Special Committee to Appoint an Ombudsperson. [That a Special Committee to Appoint an Ombudsperson be ap- pointed to select and unanimously recommend to the Legislative Assembly the appointment of an individual as Ombudsperson, pursuant to

section 2 of theOmbudsperson Act (R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 340).

That the Special Committee have all the powers of a Select Stand- ing Committee and in addition be empowered to: a. appoint of its number, one or more subcommittees and to refer to such subcommittees any of the matters referred to the Special Committee and to delegate to the subcommittees all or any of its powers except the power to report directly to the House; b. sit during a period in which the House is adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the next following Session and during any sitting of the House; c. adjourn from place to place as may be convenient; and, d. retain personnel as required to assist the Special Committee.

That any information or evidence previously under consideration by the Special Committee appointed by order of the House on March 2, 2021 be referred to the Special Committee. That the Special Committee report to the House as soon as pos- sible, and that during a period of adjournment, the Special Com- mittee deposit its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative As- sembly, and upon resumption of the sittings of the House, or in the next following Session, as the case may be, the Chair present all re- ports to the House.

That the Special Committee be composed of the following Mem- bers:Janet Routledge (Convener),Jagrup Brar, Fin Donnelly, Bruce Banman, andTeresa Wat.] Motion approved. [1:35 p.m.] APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO REVIEW PROVISIONS OF THE ELECTION ACT Hon. M. Farnworth:I move the second motion regard- ing the Special Committee to Review Provisions of the Election Act. [That, pursuant to

section 215.03 of theElection Act(R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 106) a Special Committee to Review Provisions of theElection Act be appointed to conduct a review of the annual allowance paid to political parties under

section 215.02 of the Act, including, but not limited to, a review of the following: 1. Whether an annual allowance paid to political parties should be continued to be paid after 2022. 2. If an annual allowance to political parties is to be continued,

a) the amount of the annual allowance; and,

b) the number of years the annual allowance is to be paid. That any information or evidence previously under consideration by the Special Committee appointed by order of the House on March 2, 2021 be referred to the Special Committee. That the Special Committee have all the powers of a Select Stand- ing Committee and in addition be empowered to: a. appoint of its number, one or more subcommittees and to 1071

refer to such subcommittees any of the matters referred to the Special Committee and to delegate to the subcommittees all or any of its powers except the power to report directly to the House; b. sit during a period in which the House is adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the next following Session and during any sitting of the House; c. conduct consultations by any means the Special Committee considers appropriate; d. adjourn from place to place as may be convenient; and, e. retain personnel as required to assist the Special Committee.

That the Special Committee report to the House by September 1, 2021; and that during a period of adjournment, the Special Com- mittee deposit its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative As- sembly, and upon resumption of the sittings of the House, or in the next following Session, as the case may be, the Chair present all re- ports to the House. That the Special Committee be composed of the following Mem- bers: Jagrup Brar (Convener),Brittny Anderson, Ronna-Rae Le- onard, Andrew Mercier, Greg Kyllo, Peter Milobar, and Adam Olsen.] Motion approved.

APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON REFORMING THE POLICE ACT Hon. M. Farnworth:I move the third motion, regard- ing the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act. [That a Special Committee on Reforming thePolice Act be appoin- ted to examine, inquire into, and make recommendations to the Legislative Assembly on the following: 1.

Reforms related to independent oversight, transparency, governance, structure, service delivery, standards, funding, training and education, and any other considerations which may apply respecting the modernization and sustainability of policing under thePolice Act (R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 367) and all related agreements. 2. The role of police with respect to complex social issues in- cluding mental health and wellness, addictions, and harm re- duction; and in consideration of any appropriate changes to rel- evant sections of theMental Health Act(R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 288). 3.

The scope of systemic racism within British Columbia’s po- lice agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in- dependent municipal police and designated policing units, and its impact on public safety and public trust in policing. 4. Whether there are measures necessary to ensure a modern- izedPolice Actis consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007), as required by sec- tion 3 of theDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (S.B.C. 2019, c. 44).

That the Special Committee undertake the above examinations as it deems appropriate with regard to relevant reports, studies, and examinations. That any information or evidence previously under consideration by the Special Committees appointed by order of the House on July 8, 2020 and December 9, 2020 be referred to the Special Commit- tee.

That the Special Committee have all the powers of a Select Stand- ing Committee and in addition is empowered to: a. appoint of its number, one or more subcommittees and to refer to such subcommittees any of the matters referred to the Special Committee and to delegate to the subcommittees all or any of its powers except the power to report directly to the House; b. sit during a period in which the House is adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the next following Session and during any sitting of the House; c. conduct consultations by any means the Special Committee considers appropriate; d. adjourn from place to place as may be convenient; and, e. retain personnel as required to assist the Special Committee.

That the Special Committee shall report to the House by April 28, 2022, and that during a period of adjournment, the Special Committee deposit its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative As- sembly, and upon resumption of the sittings of the House, or in the next following Session, as the case may be, the Chair present all re- ports to the House. The Special Committee be composed of the following Members: Doug Routley (Convener),Garry Begg, Rachna Singh, Grace Lore, Rick Glumac, Harwinder Sandhu, Dan Davies, Trevor Halford, Karin Kirkpatrick, andAdam Olsen.] Motion approved.

APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE PERSONAL INFORMATION PROTECTION ACT Hon. M. Farnworth:I move the fourth motion, regard- ing the Special Committee to Review the Personal Inform- ation Protection Act. [That a Special Committee be appointed to review thePersonal In- formation Protection Act(S.B.C. 2003, c. 73) pursuant to

section 59 of that Act.

That the Special Committee shall have the powers of a Select Standing Committee and in addition be empowered to: a. appoint of its number one or more subcommittees and to refer to such subcommittees any of the matters referred to the Special Committee and to delegate to the subcommittees all or any of its powers except the power to report directly to the House; b. sit during a period in which the House is adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the next following Session and during any sitting of the House; c. conduct consultations by any means the Special Committee considers appropriate; d. adjourn from place to place as may be convenient; and, e. retain personnel as required to assist the Special Committee.

That any information or evidence previously under consideration by the Special Committees appointed by order of the House on February 18, 2020 and December 9, 2020 be referred to the Special Committee. That the Special Committee report to the House by December 8, 2021, and that during a period of adjournment, the Special Com- mittee deposit its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative As- sembly, and upon resumption of the sittings of the House, or in the next following Session, as the case may be, the Chair present all re- ports to the House.

That the said Special Committee be composed of the following Members: Mable Elmore (Convener),Garry Begg, Rick Glumac, Kelly Greene, Dan Ashton, Andrew Wilkinson, andAdam Olsen.] Motion approved. 1072 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Orders of the Day Hon. M. Farnworth:I call continued debate, the throne speech. Throne Speech Debate (continued) M. Dykeman: Picking up where we left off prior to lunch, it was an honour to share with the House some of the heroes from my riding of Langley East. These stories are even more important as we cross the one-year mark since the start of the pandemic and we’re moving towards the light at the end of the tunnel as we work to put the pan- demic behind us. [S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.] People are tired, and they’re feeling disillusioned, and they’re feeling the effects of being disconnected.

Seniors, youth, families. We miss our friends. We miss our nor- malcy of our routine. These stories remind us that we will soon return to this, as we cross towards the end. They also remind us, as we’ve seen through the pandemic, that there is a need for support and investment to ensure that those who have been most affected, often our most vulnerable in our community and in our society, are not left behind.

This is why I was so thrilled to hear during the throne speech that our government is committing to ensuring that we’re continuing to invest in our province and sup- porting the people of British Columbia in a meaningful way. When you invest in people, families, businesses and communities, that’s what creates a robust community and a robust economy that are strong and able to push forward through challenging times. Our vaccine rollout has been accelerated, with over one million people in British Columbia having already re- ceived their first vaccine. Thousands more are receiving their vaccine each day.

Our government’s top priority has been and remains protecting people’s health and liveli- hoods. There is a significant amount of work to do. One thing, though, that made me see how close we were actually getting was the day that they opened the second vaccine clinic in Langley, in my riding. My constituency office is up at the Langley Events Centre. I had to stop by on a weekend to pick up some materials to head here. I was so surprised to see so many cars in the parking lot, because the rec centres quite frankly had been so empty through this pandemic.

It took me a moment to remember that we were going to be adding in a second vaccine clinic. I was so excited to drive in and see so many smiling faces parked there in the parking lot. I spent a little bit of time — socially distanced, of course, with a mask — outside saying hi to people as they came in and went out. What really moved me was how emotional it was for so many people. They all had stories of how happy they were, how thrilled they were to have received their vaccination and how this was going to change their lives.

Many people talked about how excited they were going to be to hug their parents or their grandchildren or meet their grandchildren they hadn’t met before. It’s really hard not to be moved by that, to see so many people’s lives changed. Each day I have the pleasure not only to be the MLA of Langley East and get to go work in my office with these amazing people that I get to work with every day but also to see people come in and out each day, receiving their vaccinations and often stopping by and waving and thank- ing our government for working so hard to push out this accelerated vaccine rollout.

Those are the stories that really keep us going, these stories of hope. We have to keep telling them. It is easy, especially on social media, to have such a focus, because we create our reality, if you think about it. We live in a bit of an echo chamber with social media. The more negative that’s there, the more you see. There really are amazing stories going on every day. Those stories are the stories that we need. We need to make sure that they get put out. We need to change the narrative.

We need to ensure that people hear the positive. [1:40 p.m.] It’s easy to only see the negative and to just become such a negative place. The stories of hope are ones that allow us to hang on as we move forward. It’s vital that we all work together to come back even stronger. British Columbia, at the start of this pandemic, was an economic leader and has remained strong through the pandemic despite such a challenging situation. A lot of our economic story right now, despite having challenges — there’s much work to do — is positive.

We have moved forward under the leadership of this government, ensuring that the supports that are in place help support people as we come out of a challenging time. British Columbia is working hard, and that hard work is demonstrated each day in how well our economy is doing. But we do need to support it, because it’s not a guaranteed thing. We must continue to work, although we can see how well positioned we are for a strong economic recovery. Our government is committed to improving health care, supporting businesses as they grow and hire new employ- ees and making record investments in infrastructure.

Our government has remained focused, through the pandemic, on the things that make a difference, investing in people, businesses, communities and health care, providing sup- port for renters and middle-class families and hard-hit small businesses, the backbones of our community. For so long, we as community members have turned to our small businesses to support and sponsor things like sports programs and clubs. I know, as a 4-H leader, we’re often going to our small businesses to support awards for our 4-H members through scholarships.

It’s time for us, as a community, to ensure that we are Tuesday, April 13, 2021 British Columbia Debates 1073

supporting those small businesses, with, for instance, our Buy Local program. That’s a great opportunity to go out and ensure that you’re supporting businesses in your com- munity and giving back to them. If we support our small businesses, as we’re moving through this pandemic, our small businesses will remember that and continue to sup- port us, as they did before. Speaking of that, I wanted to take an opportunity to speak a little bit about the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce under the leadership of the executive direct- or, Colleen Clark, and an incredible board of directors.

Our chamber of commerce really has been so supportive of our businesses and such a leader in our community through this pandemic, providing opportunities for our small businesses to receive the information they need to persist and move forward through the pandemic but also come out stronger. Organizations like the chamber of commerce really are such a vital part of our communities. They do so much, and although they haven’t been able to enjoy gathering together as we usually do, they’ve hosted a series of really fantastic virtual dinners.

Recently I, myself, had the oppor- tunity to have a morning coffee with business leaders in our community, through the chamber, and to answer questions that are at the forefront of small businesses. I’ d like to thank the Greater Langley Chamber of Com- merce for all of the support that they’ve provided. As an MLA, the ability to call on the chamber to get information out in a timely way to small businesses is something that has been so important, and I’ d like to thank them for con- tinuing to provide that and for taking such a leadership role through the pandemic.

Our government has remained focused through this pandemic, as I said, on things that make a difference. I’m really proud to be part of a government that has delivered more direct help to people through the pandemic than any other province in Canada. I grew up in Ontario. I quite often speak to people in Ontario. What I hear on a regular basis is how impressed people in other provinces are with how British Columbia has fared through such difficult times and the support that our government has provided.

We really are seen as a lead- er throughout Canada and a government that has taken a very balanced approach to navigating the challenges that a pandemic has created. I’m really thrilled to see that the throne speech has iden- tified a continued commitment of targeted investments to ensure that British Columbia’s recovery does not leave people behind. Although we have — and we’ve heard this a few times today — all been affected by the pandemic, that has not been equally felt. Some groups have been much harder hit, unfortunately, by the effects of the pandemic.

We need to be mindful, as we create these supports mov- ing through the pandemic, and to ensure that those that are most vulnerable and those that are most likely to be left behind are supported. Our local communities really have been on the front lines of COVID-19. The pandemic has been such a chal- lenge for local governments. [1:45 p.m.] Our government, through the pandemic, has worked really hard to ensure that local governments could con- tinue providing services.

We saw this in Langley East with a recent announcement of support for the Langley Centen- nial Museum, which received a resiliency grant of $58,000, something that really makes a difference for those that work and live in our community. We also have seen…. I’m thrilled to see that we will be continuing a focus on infrastructure for local commun- ities, which creates economic opportunities and great-pay- ing jobs. We also had the opportunity to see this in Langley East, with a $700,000 funding announcement for a new Indigenous tourism and conference centre called the Salishan Place by the River.

These investments keep com- munities like Langley East moving forward. They’re all the more important during this pandemic. We’re also, in Langley East, looking forward to other significant investments with SkyTrain and the widening of Highway 1 through Langley and beyond. Langley East is a really interesting place. It is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in British Columbia. We will be benefiting from these new infrastructure investments, for sure.

Speaking of infrastructure investments, I had the op- portunity, along with my colleague and friend the MLA for Langley, Andrew Mercier, to announce the substan- tial completion of Langley Memorial Hospital’s new emergency room. These are investments that make a sig- nificant difference in the lives of people who are living in Langley East. It was a much-needed, long-awaited expansion. Our community and the surrounding com- munities will benefit from this. I’ d like to quickly, though, acknowledge the important role that the Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation plays in these infrastructure projects.

Under the leadership of Heather Scott and the rest of their fantastic board, they really played a major role in seeing this come to fruition. The hospital foundation board does so much in our community. I know they have not been able to enjoy the usual galas and usual events that they have for fundraising. But our community stepped up once again. Langley is a very generous community, a community that comes together and rallies when things are difficult. The foundation has worked hard to look for unique ways to raise much-needed funds.

I know they’re looking forward to the end of the pandemic so that we can come together once again at some of the fantastic events that they host. They are much missed in our community. In continuation, talking about community, com- munity is not just the big things — the hospital an- nouncements, the SkyTrain, the freeway. Those are integral parts of our community. Our government is committed to, and has shown signi- 1074 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, April 13, 2021

ficant support in our community for, things like the Fort Langley Jazz and Arts Festival. That is a community event that really brings young and old alike together, an event that has had to change and pivot during the pandemic and that is working hard to provide music in a meaningful way during such challenging times. It recently received a resiliency grant for $2,000 from our government and another $5,000 to support the 2021 festival.

I know that our community is looking forward to hosting them once again, along with the Fort Gallery, which is looking forward to offering their events, too, and which also received some grants for resiliency funding. These types of investments really touch the core of a community. These are the people, the volunteers, that come together to create meaningful experiences for people. Y ou remember, especially as a youth, when you were going on field trips or attending an event around a special holiday. Y ou remember these. Those supports mean a lot to those organizations.

I know that our com- munity is grateful for the government’s recognition of that. Further, talking about community, one community that I know has been disproportionately affected through this pandemic has been our faith community. Our faith com- munity in Langley East is very strong, very generous and very charitable. Early on, when I was elected, I made a commitment to meet with as many faith leaders as I could throughout our community, because I knew that the COVID pandemic had really affected the ability for people to gather and to come together, which means so much.

I spoke to them about the challenges and the support that they’ve offered us in ensuring that people stay safe. [1:50 p.m.] I want to thank the faith community for stepping up and coming forward with solutions while still offering mean- ingful ways for people in our community to connect. It’s so important, especially when we think about how much hope means right now. The ability for people of faith to come together is so vital. I do want to thank the leaders, who have been so patient and so kind and have been so innovative in providing those supports for people, because our community needs them.

B.C. businesses really have been hit hard by this pan- demic. One of the things that our government has been so supportive of is helping our businesses adapt so that they can grow and hire, so that we can come out stronger and more resilient on the other side. Small businesses have had to make so many tough decisions through these times, closing or reducing services in order to protect workers and customers. These are not easy decisions, especially our small businesses who, as I mentioned earlier, are those that often support us through events in our community.

So one of the things that I was thrilled about was to see the continuation of support to ensure that our businesses are strong through this. Our government had to make some important choices early on to support people, like cutting property taxes and prohibiting commercial evictions and forgiving hydro bills, introducing tax incentives for businesses to hire workers and make new investments. In the year ahead, I am really excited to see how these supports announced in the throne speech will benefit businesses, which have been hardest hit by this pandemic.

Investing in affordable housing and child care is another important part of our economy, often one that we don’t have a lot of time to talk about when we think about eco- nomic constructs. Ensuring that families have affordable child care…. We had a recent announcement in Langley, which was so very exciting of 140 new child care spaces, which was part of the province’s ongoing commitment to increasing child care through the pandemic and beyond. Also, early childhood educators in Langley received almost $2 million in wage enhancements.

These are real, important investments that are measurable and make the lives of families more affordable and easier to navigate al- ready challenging situations — the thoughts of having to find child care while you are an essential worker in the middle of an already stressful pandemic. That’s why these investments matter. I know, as a parent myself, the ability to find child care is so important. The throne speech identified a series of targeted invest- ments.

As I listened, I was excited to see how these will contribute to a stronger British Columbia and a stronger Langley East, as we emerge from these most challenging times, building resiliency as we move out of this — like im- proved health care, fixing the cracks that existed in long- term care; COVID-19 really exposed these — and redu- cing surgery wait times, building more hospitals and ur- gent primary care and ensuring that life is more affordable, with ICBC rates being cut by 20 percent. As a parent of a new driver, I can’t express how excited I am about that.

Looking at expanding access to $10-a-day child care and supporting businesses with grants and allowing them to pivot and build online stores and look at how they can diversify their business. The B.C. strategic investment fund is going to help promising B.C. firms scale up and keep jobs right here in British Columbia. Building more inclusive communities. Something that really…. Unfortunately, the pandemic shone a light on how important these investments were.

That’s why when our community received nearly $5,000 of funding for the Langley Community Services Society, which will work on improving connections and pathways of communications for those that are marginalized or face cultural barriers…. Or the funding that came out to the Lower Fraser Valley Aboriginal Society for the FAIR project, an organization that does so much to build inclusivity in our community. These announcements, throughout British Columbia, will make our world a more tolerant and safe place for people.

We saw how affected groups are through this pan- demic, and it’s something that we really need to focus on as Tuesday, April 13, 2021 British Columbia Debates 1075

we move forward. I’m thrilled that the throne speech has shone a light on this. So as we enter this new season, I would also like to high- light our government’s commitment to agriculture and agritech, with the new agritech concierge program and several investments and supports for agriculture such as clean tech funding and innovation support and programs like Buy B.C. and Feed B.C. This is wonderful news for my riding, which has a vib- rant, growing urban core but also has a strong agricultural foundation with approximately 80 percent of Langley township’s land being part of the ALR.

The investments provide opportunities for what are primarily family busi- nesses, and most farms are. They are small businesses. They’re family businesses. [1:55 p.m.] These investments are wise, as they are moving towards making B.C. more food-secure, and these are welcome in my riding. They also are vital to farms, who, 365 days a year, provide food for us. Support for them is essential for continued growth in our agricultural sector and is a wise investment in our economy.

In conclusion, as I see my time is nearing the end, we have been facing and are continuing to face some of the most challenging times of any recent generation. As peo- ple, families and organizations rally on this final stretch, I would like to thank our first responders, our front-line workers who have been there every day and who have kept our community moving forward, and all of those who have ensured that our community has remained kind and open to serve people when needed. I’ d also like to thank our students, especially our grade 12s, for all you have sacrificed.

While doing so, you’ve remained caring and understanding and committed to helping us move forward as we near the end of these most challenging times. Once again, I’m thrilled to speak today in support of this throne speech and to talk about how it has affected my riding — the government’s work — and how excited our riding is to see these investments as we work to put this pandemic behind us. With that, Mr. Speaker, as I’m nearly at the end of my time, I will take my seat now and thank you for the opportunity to speak today in this House. G.

Kyllo:I rise in the House today to respond to the Speech from the Throne for the second session of the 42nd parliament. I would like to acknowledge that I’m speaking on the traditional territories of theLək̓ ʷəŋin̓ əŋ-speaking people, the Esquimalt and the Songhees First Nations.

I would like to begin by also acknowledging the in- credible acts of support, resilience and sacrifice by Brit- ish Columbians throughout this past year and to extend my sincere gratitude to all front-line and essential work- ers for everything they continue to do and to all of the staff who are doing their part to continue with our vital vaccine rollout. Every British Columbian has made sacrifices in one way or another to protect our communities, and some have sacrificed more than others.

We’ll always remember the lives lost over the past year and the pain of those that have been separated from their loved ones that will persist for years to come. British Columbians continue to do their part at a tre- mendous economic and emotional cost to themselves, and they’re looking to government to ensure their sac- rifices are not in vain. Government has a responsibility to be a leader and to guide our province through this pandemic and into our economic recovery. British Col- umbians were eager to see this clarity and leadership in this year’s Speech from the Throne.

Instead, they were offered a throne speech devoid of any clear plan to help people recover, a speech that was instead filled with aspirational slogans and empty promises. Now, let’s remember this is now a second-term gov- ernment. This is a government that sent British Colum- bians to the polls in the middle of the second wave of the pandemic because the Premier chose to put his own political self-interest ahead of the health and well-being of British Columbians. Although this government was given a second term by British Columbians, we are now seeing the unfortunate consequences of that choice.

This government’s unneces- sary election stalled our province’s pandemic response and recovery. Vital supports and crucial actions were delayed, and after going through all of that, this is the plan that government now has come up with. There’s no mention of support for people and businesses as the third wave of the pandemic continues to crest. There is no mention of eliminating Surrey portables, no mention of the $400 renters rebate or the promise of 114,000 new homes, commitments that were first made to British Columbians four years ago yet remain unfulfilled.

There was no mention of the strata insurance crisis, which continues to devastate people across our province. There was no real plan for the environment or for addressing the 25 percent of emission reductions that are not included in the CleanBC plan. [2:00 p.m.] There was no plan for women, no plan for youth. By now, it is well known that women and youth continue to be disproportionately affected by the pandemic, but the only reference to women in yesterday’s speech was a single line acknowledging this troubling reality. Like- wise, there was only one throwaway line mentioning youth, but zero substance.

As for the promises that were made, most were not new promises but, rather, unfulfilled promises that have been recycled after four years and two terms of this administration. This government’s throne speech ran on a message that 1076 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, April 13, 2021

the finish line is in sight, that it has taken steps to put the pandemic behind us. But this is not the case for millions of British Columbians who continue to struggle every day, for the thousands of small businesses struggling to survive who will likely feel the economic impact of this pandemic for years to come. We are deep, now, into the third wave of the pandemic. COVID cases continue to surge, a record number of Brit- ish Columbians are in ICU, thousands of businesses are risking permanent closure and 53 percent of British Col- umbians are $200 or less away from not being able to make their monthly bills.

British Columbians are turning to this government for the support they need to endure the chal- lenges they face, and this government’s continued mes- saging of “trust us” just doesn’t cut it anymore. The government has proven repeatedly that they cannot deliver on the promises they outline in their throne speeches and, as a government, delivers another set of hol- low promises amidst the greatest crisis of recent times. There’s no indication that this is going to change. There are many examples of yet unmet promises of this government.

It is part of the role of the official opposition to highlight the failings of current government, to hold government to account, to identify unintended conse- quences of poorly thought policies and to provide the counternarrative of government that is communicated through GCPE using the tens of millions of dollars of pub- lic funds to promote the initiatives of government. There has been a lot of conversation around the term of affordability and how that affects British Columbians. What we do know is that the average family is struggling more now, under this current administration, than it has ever been.

Increased new taxation — 23 new or increased taxation policies have come through in the last number of years under this current government. I’ll list them for you. It is an extensive list: employer health tax, Victoria gas tax, Vancouver gas tax, Airbnb tax, luxury vehicle tax, tobacco tax, property transfer tax surcharge, foreign buyers’ tax, additional school taxes, speculation tax, photo radar, car- bon tax, parking sales tax, development cost charges for TransLink, property taxes, cannabis tax, income tax, cor- porate tax increases, ICBC unlisted driver premium, B.C.

Hydro crisis fund, pre-trip ridesharing fees, personal tax increases and the tax on soft drinks and Netflix. All of these increased taxes do not help the average British Columbian family with meeting the affordability challenges. These increased taxes have accumulated to the point that it’s increased the average taxation of the average home in British Columbia by $3,000. That’s a significant amount of money that is taken away from a family’s own ability to meet their own financial needs.

An MNP survey has recently stated that 53 percent, over half, of all British Columbians are less than $200 away from insolvency. This is extremely, much more worse than in the United States, where four out of ten individuals are indicating they’re $1,000 away. So just think about that: over half of British Columbians are less than $200 away from insolvency. This government, this administra- tion, spoke about improving affordability for British Col- umbians. Nothing could be further from the truth. Now, in addition to that, there’s the $300 that has been clawed back in income and disability assistance.

This was after months of advocacy that the government is now only giving back $165. This is despite the recommendations of the government’s own basic income panel. [2:05 p.m.] There’s been no reference to the $10-a-day child care and the failure to deliver the promised 24,000 new child care spaces. Instead, we understand that only 2,500, less than 1/10, of affordable spaces have actually been opened and are funded and running to date. There has been an extreme failure to address the opioid crisis, which continues to get worse under this current government.

This government has been responsible for this file for four of the last five years since the health emer- gency was actually identified. One thousand eight hundred British Columbians — mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters. One thousand eight hundred — a doub- ling of opioid deaths within the last year. We will hear members opposite and government mem- bers blame it all on COVID. Well, COVID seems to be the panacea, the one crisis that we are suffering and challenged with. They look to it for the reason and excuse for all of the failings of our current government. That clearly is not good enough.

More needs to be done. In February of 2021, B.C. saw an average of 5½ deaths per day. Again, a doub- ling of deaths since last year. For many British Columbians, the past year has been the most challenging and difficult, especially for youth in our province. An ongoing study for the B.C. Children’s Hospital has found that two-thirds of children and youth in B.C. could be suffering from some form of mental health challenge due to the pandemic. That’s a troubling 30 to 35 percent increase from pre-pandemic levels.

In May of 2020, B.C. ’s Representative for Children and Y outh confirmed that there were more than 2,500 youth in B.C. on wait-lists — 2,500 children on wait-lists for ser- vices. Children and youth trying to get their first visit to obtain clinical or psychiatric mental health services face an average wait time of almost 55 days — nearly two months. That is absolutely unacceptable.

Could you imagine show- ing up at a hospital with your child with a broken leg and being turned away and told: “Come back in 55 days. ” Government is not putting the priority around mental health challenges and supports for our youth as they are for other forms of health care in our province. Things need to change. Fifty percent of all British Columbians will face some form of mental health challenge by the time they reach the age of 40.

It is certainly time for this govern- ment to show more leadership on this file and do more to decrease the wait times that many children are waiting for Tuesday, April 13, 2021 British Columbia Debates 1077

that very important first visit with psychiatric services in our province. One of the other challenges many families are facing on the affordability front is the availability of housing. Now, this government made bold promises to British Columbi- ans back in 2017. They committed to building 114,000 new units of affordable housing in the province over a ten-year period. That’s 11,400 units per year. What is the record of this current government? According to the latest B.C. Housing quarterly progress report, only 3,246 homes have been built by this government in the last four years — 3,246 of a promised 114,000.

We have also seen significant delays with the Pattullo Bridge replacement now being pushed out a further year. No reference to the second Surrey hospital and, of course, the failure to eliminate the Surrey portable challenges. [2:10 p.m.] Burdened farmers with red tape and agricultural land restrictions have found it increasingly difficult to build homes on their property, either for extended family mem- bers or for those that are helping them in their businesses.

I’ve had a number of young farming families come to visit my office over the last four years, absolutely outraged at the challenges that they are seeing under this government’s administration with respect to secondary homes on farm- ing properties. The list of challenges is ongoing. With respect to COV- ID recovery and the vaccine rollout, we are now over 13 months since COVID actually arrived at our doorsteps. Thirteen months.

I appreciate that, in the early days, there was much to be done, but I would have thought that a competent government would have immediately been turning their minds, 13 months ago, to the work that needs to be done. We knew that vaccine rollouts would happen in British Columbia at some point in time. It’s not some- thing that was a surprise, when the vaccines started arriv- ing from Ottawa. Thirteen months ago, government knew there would be a challenge with trying to vaccinate British Columbians, over five million of us.

Y et it seems, and it certainly is apparent in the lack of performance on the initial rollout, that things were left to the last minute. The bungling of the initial rollout has been well reported in the media. It’s become a great concern to many families that were waiting for that all-important, life-saving vaccination. Government has been highly criticized for the lack of transparency and accountability in COVID data and reporting, which has left significant gaps in B.C. ’s COV- ID data.

The lack of fiscal transparency throughout the pandemic; the lack of fiscal updates; the challenge with the release of the budget, which is now a full two months delayed; and, of course, the challenge we had with Bill 10 last December, where basically government was looking for a blank cheque for $12 billion, referring and relating back to a budget that the Premier’s own words indicated was no longer valid or current under the COVID situ- ation…. The legislation that was lost last fall due to the snap elec- tion — again, the unnecessary and risky snap election that took away from nine weeks of legislative time….

If govern- ment was truly looking out for the best interests of British Columbians, the last thing you’ d be doing is calling a risky election in the middle of a pandemic. I believe that British Columbians should demand more from their elected lead- ers. The snap election call is the worst of politics. Now, as we look to the failed business supports, there’s been lots of commentary from government about British Columbia having some of the highest supports for busi- nesses and individuals. It’s interesting.

When we’re talking about business supports, British Columbia is not leading Canada in the amount of supports provided for our fam- ilies, supporting job creators here in our province. When you look at spending supports — these are Stats Canada numbers, recently put out — by governments across Canada: British Columbia, $196 per capita; Alberta, $485; Saskatchewan, $454; Ontario, $507. The supports that B.C. is providing in direct spending to businesses are over 60 percent lower than that provided in the province of Ontario. The COVID restart program….

It was the Premier, our current Premier, who appointed himself as chair of the Economic Recovery Task Force. For over eight months, they sat dithering, trying to figure out how they are going to actually provide funding supports to businesses. Lo and behold, four days before he called an unnecessary and risky snap election, they announce the COVID restart program. The Premier told British Columbians that there would be no delays. Well, we know that that is absolutely false.

Of the $345 million that was allocated to the small and medi- um-sized business recovery grant that was approved over a year ago, only $100 million — only $100 million, less than a third — has been distributed so far. Businesses need supports. Businesses are struggling. They’re failing.

They’re looking for that lifeline. [2:15 p.m.] The funding that was approved by all members of this Legislature, in unprecedented fashion, last March for a $5 billion COVID recovery program — those funds were approved with the intention that government would actu- ally do their part to provide those funds and put them out directly into the hands of individuals and businesses that were struggling. Here we are, 13 months after the $5 billion COVID re- covery fund was approved by all members of this Legis- lature. We see only $100 million of a $345 million program actually out the door.

Those supports do not help anybody when they are sitting in the government’s bank accounts. Those funds need to flow into the economy. The sooner that those funds can be expedited and put into the hands of those necessary businesses that are struggling to keep 1078 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, April 13, 2021

the lights on and keep their employees engaged and work- ing…. It just can’t happen fast enough. As we’ve heard this week, there is no new money for the struggling restaurant industry under these new restric- tions, other than reworking the botched business program. The $50 million circuit breaker business relief grant is using old money, money that was already targeted toward businesses. There are no new additional funds. Govern- ment’s own failing of getting those necessary supports into the hands of businesses….

That’s where they’ve actually looked to, to try and fix their problem, their challenge with getting those dollars into the hands of businesses. They’re now pulling $50 million away from a program that was previously announced. There are so many challenges that we have in our prov- ince right now. But one of the most important ones from a business perspective is: what does government do to provide the necessary supports so that businesses can remain competitive in our province?

Rather than provide supports or initiatives to actually enhance the opportunities for business owners in British Columbia, we have seen just a further increase in taxation. The most egregious was government’s failure to meet their own election commitment, which was to eliminate Med- ical Services Plan premiums, and we know that they did not eliminate them. They simply replaced them with a new employer health tax that put an additional $1.9 billion of new taxation right in the hands of businesses. This is a tax that does not exist in the neighbouring jurisdiction of Alberta.

Corporate taxes have increased under this administra- tion. The corporate tax in B.C. is now 50 percent higher than our neighbouring jurisdiction of Alberta. Fifty per- cent. Alberta is eight. In British Columbia, it is now 12. In order for businesses to be able to recover from this economic challenge, largely brought on by COVID, we need to be providing those necessary supports. We need to be supporting business, making sure that they’re going to remain competitive.

But that is exactly the opposite direc- tion that this current administration is going — saddling businesses with increasing amounts of additional new tax- ation and increasing amounts of red tape, taking away from the opportunity for British Columbians to thrive. We just saw a report out in the newspaper today by Vaughan Palmer. The title is: “By now, the NDP hoped the pandemic would be over.

It’s not, but they’re turning that page anyway. ” In the article, Vaughan Palmer notes and highlights the fact that government is looking — and has advanced this in the throne speech — to introducing legislation “to sup- port the operations of InBC Investment Corp. ” This is a new strategic fund helping promising B.C. companies “scale up, keeping jobs and investment at home in B.C. ” It’s a great program, but it’s a little bit late. The funding for this program was actually approved in this Legislature over 13 months ago — 13 months ago.

I will go on: “InBC was announced last September as one of the planks of the NDP re-election platform. ” Well, that’s interesting. I thought we approved the $5 bil- lion COVID recovery program to help British Columbia get through the pandemic. But the NDP conveniently decided to pull $500 million away.

Instead of provid- ing those funds to help businesses, to help individuals recover and get through COVID in this province, they squirrelled it away, to only then announce it as part of their snap election platform. [2:20 p.m.] It goes on. “The promise included a half a billion dollars in financing drawn from economic recovery funding voted unanimously by the Legislature in March of 2020. ” Is this a government that is actually looking out for the best interests of British Columbians, or is this a government that is always looking for that political opportunity?

Funding that was made available to help individuals and struggling businesses — the current government is playing politics with it and holding that money back, making an announcement as part of its election platform plank. Here we are 13 months later, and there are still no signs of the program, no details, new opportunities for making applic- ations. There the money sits. Now, there are many programs and services that, I think, are in need of highlighting. One specifically is the community benefits program.

I’ve been recently appointed as the critic for Labour, and the community benefits pro- gram largely cuts out 85 percent of the construction work- force in this province. It comes at a significant cost. I was very proud in 2015 to announce 2.5 kilometres of four-laning on a project called Illecillewaet, 46 kilometres east of Revelstoke — 2.5 kilometres of four-laning, an ini- tial budget $35 million, a federal contribution $15.5 mil- lion and $19.5 million from the province. Well, I certainly appreciate that 2015 was many years ago.

However, this was the first CBA program that was announced by this government on that particular project. The project was scaled down from 2.5 kilometres to just 2.1 kilometres, and it was put out with their new budget, get this, of $62.9 million. It went from $35 million to $62.9 million. There was such a lack of interest in bidding on that project that the final bid number came in at $85.2 million, a $50 million lift. A $35 million project now costing $85.2 million. That is a 257 percent increase, yet the scope of the pro- ject was reduced from 2.5 to 2.1 kilometres. Fifty million dollars. Why?

Because this current government chose to only allow workers on these projects if they were members of one of their 19 hand-picked unions. It’s egregious. Fifty million dollars could employ 1,000 people at $100,000 a year for a six-month contract or 500 jobs could be created, for a full year, at $100,000 a year. But the decisions and choices of this government have squir- relled the money away, certainly not to the benefit of the average British Columbia family. Tuesday, April 13, 2021 British Columbia Debates 1079

An increasing number of British Columbians are simply fed up with more than just the empty promises, the bung- ling and the incompetence this government has shown over the past four years. They are fed up with the deception and the lack of transparency and accountability. Rather than take ownership for their inherent failures to British Columbians, this government has blamed everything and everyone but themselves throughout their administration.

Even now the fact that we’re debating this throne speech in April, and the fact we are still waiting on a budget that has been delayed for two months, is a testament to the disor- ganization and the incompetence that this government has shown throughout its pandemic response in its two terms now in government.

What’s worse, the government has used their time in office to slowly strip away many of the checks and bal- ances that keep a government and their finances open and transparent to the public — as we saw in Bill 10, when government wrote themselves a blank cheque for $12 billion, without a budget, without quarterly updates or any updated fiscal picture of the government’s finan- cial position. Undoubtedly, government ministers and MLAs will stand in this House and attest that these delays and sleight- of-hand fiscal actions were all because of the pandemic.

I doubt any of them will acknowledge that the budget, and many of the supports British Columbians are depending on to survive the pandemic, were delayed because of their self-serving and risky election call. The pandemic has brought some unprecedented chal- lenges, but claiming this government has delayed the fiscal budget for two months because of the pandemic alone is simply untrue.

Just like a second-term government blam- ing the previous government for their inherent failures, these excuses only go so far. [2:25 p.m.] There comes a point when British Columbians expect their government to take ownership for their own mis- takes and failings. That time is now. British Columbians have made their position clear, and they are looking for actions, not excuses. British Columbi- ans need a government that will offer them the necessary supports to keep their businesses open, their families safe and their communities thriving.

British Columbians need a government that will ensure a safe and efficient rollout of the vaccine, free of the disorganization and the bungling that we have seen in this government’s initial rollout. Most of all, British Columbians need a government that can actually meet its promises to British Columbians, a government that delivers a clear, concise and attainable plan for our families, businesses and communities that will lead British Columbia out of the pandemic and into a strong economic recovery so that we can build a province that generations to come can be proud to call home.

I really hope government will move away from the secrecy, away from choosing to keep British Columbians in the dark, and move forward with the openness, trans- parency and accountability the hard-working men and women of British Columbia and their families most defin- itely are deserving. B. Bailey:This is my first time responding to a throne speech. I do so recognizing that none of us get here on our own. Being the elected representative of the people of Van- couver–False Creek is an enormous privilege and an hon- our. I thank first and foremost the voters of my riding for allowing me this right and this duty.

I must also thank a number of others, including my partner, Bijan; my family — my mom, Sam, and Zach and Esme, my kids; and my many friends and cousins who pitched in from all over the province to work on my campaign. I too must thank both my nomination teams and my campaign team. Taking an inexperienced candid- ate over the finish line is no small task, particularly when running against a prior mayor, leadership candidate and undefeated politician of 27 years: Sam Sullivan. I just want to take a moment to thank Mr.

Sullivan for his long and dedicated service to the people of this won- derful community that we share. While we may differ in our approach to solving the issues our constituents face, Sam’s devotion to his beloved Vancouver is indisputable. What a riding it is. Vancouver–False Creek is a collec- tion of urban communities, all banded together around the creek itself, which is actually, of course, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean of the Salish Sea.

The seawall that encircles the inlet, False Creek, is a ribbon of activity I walk every morning, sharing it with runners, fellow dog walkers, skateboarders, electric scooters, elderly folks with walkers, rollerbladers, wheelchair athletes, cyclists and pretty much literally everything in between. I often count how many languages I hear on my one-hour walk, and this morning it was seven. The riding includes East Kitsilano, from Arbutus Street to the Kits Point area.

This includes Bard on the Beach, the MacMillan Space Centre, the Maritime Museum, the Vancouver Museum, Vanier Park, the Kits Point outdoor swimming pool, Kitsilano Showboat — where you can see folks dancing — and, of course, Kits Beach. A new development is coming to the area. The Squam- ish Nation were removed from their historic lands in the early 1900s, and now, about a century later, are planning a cutting-edge development on their traditional territory, on the south side of Burrard Bridge.

The name Sen̓ áḵw represents the start of something beautiful, respect for nature, for Indigenous peoples, for healing and for a new path forward. This 10.5 acre, four- million-square-foot property will be home to more than 6,000 rental units. It will also be the largest net-zero car- bon residential project in Canada and the largest First Nations economic development project in Canadian his- tory. It will feature Coast Salish architecture and design, 1080 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, April 13, 2021

and create numerous jobs and entrepreneurial opportun- ities for the Squamish Nation membership in design, in construction and in operations. [2:30 p.m.] The riding also includes Granville Island. Granville Is- land is one of the few remaining industrial sites in the rid- ing, but it’s also, of course, one of the top tourism destin- ations in the province. Home to more than just wonderful local food, it’s also the home to B.C. ’s first microbrewery and many excellent restaurants. [N. Letnick in the chair.] It’s home to much of our art sector, including the new site of the Arts Umbrella, the B.C.

Arts Council, Arts Club Theatre, Boca del Lupo, Carousel Theatre for youth, Ruby Slippers productions, the Fringe Festival, Vancouver TheatreSports and more. There are also many, many crafts- people who work on the island, and it’s home to both the Craft Council of B.C. and the Federation of Canadian Artists. When the pandemic caused the closure of theatres, this government stepped up to provide support, through the B.C. Arts Council, as part of StrongerBC. The community of south False Creek is an amazing community that’s somewhat less well known than its glit- tery sibling on the north side of the creek.

South False Creek is one of Vancouver’s pioneering waterfront com- munities. It’s a highly livable, walkable, inner-city neigh- bourhood with a unique mix of land uses, housing types and tenures, transportation options, urban character and amenities. The city of Vancouver, through its property endowment fund, owns 80 percent of the land in Vancouver’s False Creek South. The rest is owned by other levels of govern- ment, the Squamish First Nation, or private owners. When the neighbourhood was first built in the 1970s and ’80s, much of the city-owned land was leased to tenants via a 50- or 60-year ground lease.

Most of these leases expire between 2036 and 2046. Considered a model of livabil- ity, this community received worldwide recognition in the 1970s for its progressive design, focused really on mixed- income housing and livability. Home to multiple co-ops, including a floating co-op, it also includes a seniors home and affordable housing. The community was developed as a solution to the flight of middle-class families out of the city and into the sub- urbs. It proved that densified urban living can be afford- able and viable.

The community is now at risk, due to long-term leases with the city of Vancouver coming up to expiry, and the debate on the future of the community is ongoing. In my view, we need more mixed-income com- munities like Vancouver–False Creek, not less. Olympic Village is a beautiful neighbour to south False Creek. It too contains a successful, oversubscribed co-op amidst highrises.

Featuring the beautiful Creekside Com- munity Centre, the BMO stage, many restaurants and a brewery, the once industrial area is a thriving community, although one that is missing an important ingredient to livability — an elementary school. I remain committed to ensure that this community’s needs are met, and that that school will come to fruition on my watch. This govern- ment is pushing money out the door to support education and health care priorities of British Columbians.

In addition to the many theatre attractions in Kits Point and Granville Island, the riding is also home to Science World, a world-class science education centre that serves not only those people who attend here in person but, through their educational road shows — which I’ve had the pleasure to be a part of — throughout the province. Numerous sports facilities and teams make their homes in the riding. Rogers Arena and B.C. Place dominate the landscape, and we all look forward to the rejoicing in per- son as our beloved Canucks and B.C. Lions invite us back to witness their triumphs in person.

Crosstown, part of Chinatown and the Downtown East- side are parts of the riding and are home to some of the most historic communities in Vancouver. The people who came here to B.C. to build infrastructure and businesses made these communities home. The Chinese, Japanese and Black communities have long-held ties and have per- severed despite all odds. The societies that fought to pre- serve these legacies continue their important work, and do so with our support. Gastown has seen its share of ups and downs over the years. As an aside, my great-great-grandfather and great- great-uncle founded Charles H.

Cates and Sons Limited there in 1887, having lost their first business the year prior to the Great Fire. [2:35 p.m.] A raucous, rough frontier town, Gastown was home to many saloons, skid row and businesses which stocked the ships coming into harbour. It was home, also, to the post office riot and the hippie riot of 1971. Gastown has long been home to a counterculture. Many years later, it’s now home to a fashion district, multiple eateries and a mixed- income community. The pandemic has hit this area, and much of downtown, hard. The development of the viaduct and the new St.

Paul’s hospital and health campus, while just outside the riding, will serve the residents of Vancouver–False Creek and the province well. Innovations in health care, research and teaching will address the future health needs of patients, families and the community. I’m very proud that this gov- ernment has driven forward the building and development of this health campus. We’ve also invested in urgent care clinics, one of which is in the riding and which has been a crucial actor in timely COVID-19 testing. In March of this year, I moved from Kits Point to Y aletown.

I can’t tell you how lucky I feel to be able to live and rent in this beautiful area. I get up each morning and walk my giant, goofy dog along the seawall down to one of Tuesday, April 13, 2021 British Columbia Debates 1081

the off-leash parks, noting the seals and waterfowl activity along the way. Y aletown is a complex community with some of the most expensive real estate in Vancouver — and thus, the world — as well as being home to some of the most vul- nerable Vancouverites. Within the same block, you can look up at a $20 million condo while also witnessing the suffering that the opioid crisis is inflicting upon many of my neighbours. The whole spectrum of life is present in Y aletown, striving to live side by side.

These challenges are related to many compounding fact- ors, including the homelessness crisis, the opioid crisis and the mental health challenges that people face. The opioid crisis has torn apart this community. The pandemic has brought a disruption in the supply chain of illicit drugs, and the supply chain is dramatically more toxic than it was a year ago. The crisis is devastating. Hundreds and hundreds have been lost. It’s a national emergency, and B.C. remains the only jurisdiction to create a stand-alone Mental Health and Addictions Ministry. We’re delivering.

We’ve created more evidence-based treatment beds, more than 100 new additional beds for adults, and we’ve doubled youth treat- ment beds. We’ve enabled registered nurses to prescribe addictions treatment medications and advanced pharma- ceutical alternatives to separate people from toxic drugs. We’ve invested in ACT teams, including in Vancou- ver–False Creek, and have created access to low- or no- cost counselling. We’ve added 19 Foundry youth centres and much more, but we know that even this is not enough and that there’s more to do. I’m a huge fan of the speculation tax.

It has brought literally thousands of homes online in British Columbia, many of which are in Vancouver–False Creek. Afford- able housing remains a huge issue in the riding, but we’re making headway, and our government’s commitment to creating housing solutions that work for people remains steadfast. I want to talk about business. Much of the business community driving our province forward is located in this riding. There is a huge range of sectors in the riding. Of course, I want to highlight the tech sector, having worked in software for two decades.

There are thousands of tech workers in this riding: engineers, computer scientists, folks doing data analytics, back-end developers, digital artists, project managers, producers, accountants, business people, and so on. Especially during Creative Industries Week, I’ d be remiss if I didn’t talk about some of the incredible creative industry work being done behind these closed doors as you walk through our business district. Most of us have been to Pacific Centre, usually a shop- ping hub.

But did you know that above Nordstrom’s is Sony Imageworks, creating incredible animated movies, including the 2019 Oscar winner? It also won the Golden Globe and BAFTA for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, featuring a Black, Spanish-speaking teen protagonist. The renowned video game franchiseGears of War, by Microsoft, is being built here in Y aletown.

Next door to that is Animal Logic, building the wildly successful LEGO movies. [2:40 p.m.] Throughout the riding, there are hundreds of video game studios, animation houses and visual effects studios, including, notably, LucasArts Industrial Light and Magic, the creator of theStar Wars franchise, right in our own Gastown location. Really, all of B.C. ’s major industries are represented in the riding: mining, forestry, tourism, hospitality, arts and culture, sports, technology and more. It’s all here.

This is why I so strongly support this throne speech and the work of this government, because this government does support people in my riding, and it supports businesses. As a small business person myself, this deeply matters to me. The member for Shuswap, who spoke just before me, may want to read an interesting

article written by senior economist Marc Lee, in Policy Note. In comparing B.C. to other provinces, including Alberta and Ontario, he states: “ Across the board, B.C. is leading the nation with its eco- nomic response to COVID-19. There are still gaps in cov- erage, which we hope will be addressed in the weeks ahead, but B.C. ’s additions to income and housing supports are cushioning the blow of the COVID-19 recession, and numerous smaller measures have been advanced to help specific groups.

Other provinces should consider develop- ing a more robust package along the lines of B.C. ” B.C. has provided more business support than any other jurisdiction. This is important to my riding. We created the small and medium business grant, and when the business community told us that it needed a few tweaks, the minis- ter pivoted the program, extended it and was responsive to the needs of our business community. We heard loud and clear from the tourism sector that they had been particularly impacted, and they, as a result, are entitled to a top-up unique only to that sector.

We listened to the business sector and lowered the require- ment for the amount of time businesses had to be in oper- ation from three years to 18 months. We changed the pro- gram to include providing $2,000 to a qualified profession- al service provider to help create the recovery plan. When the pandemic caused the closing of restaurants, the min- ister and his team created a new program to assist 14,000 businesses in one week. In one week.

While there is no doubt the pandemic is causing harm, this harm is being mitigated by a government committed to putting people first, to supporting businesses and com- munities and ensuring that we will build back stronger by creating the conditions for a strong economic recovery. This matters to the businesses in my riding. Early on, we cut property taxes, prohibited commercial evictions and forgave hydro bills. We introduced tax incentives for busi- nesses to hire workers and make new investments. We’ve made record investments in infrastructure that 1082 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, April 13, 2021

will help support a resilient economy by putting people to work and helping businesses get goods to market. We’ve provided support for small and medium-sized businesses, taking into account the needs of specific sectors like the tourism sector and the restaurant industry. We’ve continued the creation of more affordable hous- ing solutions, and we know that this is a factor for people looking to hire workers. We’re investing in child care, providing solutions to parents who want to stay in the workforce.

We’ve supported businesses with grants to help them build online stores, and we’ve announced the $500 million InBC strategic investment fund to help promising B.C. businesses scale and hire in B.C. This is something I’m so excited about. Our government’s top priority remains protecting peo- ple’s health and livelihoods as we accelerate B.C. ’s vaccine rollout. Over a million people have been vaccinated, and thousands more are getting it every day. Our commitment to the people of this province is the reason that I was elected to represent this spectacular rid- ing.

This throne speech sets the agenda going forward, and I’m very proud to support it. K. Kirkpatrick:It’s my honour to rise in the House today and respond to the Speech from the Throne, meant to lay out the goals and priorities of this government as we move through the spring legislative session and into the future.

I’ d like to thank the Lieutenant-Governor for her role in our parliament and wish Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth condolences on the loss of her husband, Prince Philip. [2:45 p.m.] I am honoured to represent the beautiful riding of West Vancouver, which is located on the traditional territories of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. This riding stretches across the district of West Vancou- ver, the district of North Vancouver and a small slice of the city of North Vancouver.

Unlike many of the members in this House, I can drive across my entire riding in 15 minutes, which I know makes many of you jealous. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my con- stituency assistant Tracy Dobell, whose experience and enthusiasm have made my transition into being a new MLA all that much easier, and our new constituency assistant Paula Slavicky, who is also becoming invaluable. Both Paula and Tracy have deep roots in the community that we’re in.

They’ve been extraordinary in helping me understand the issues of our constituents and in helping guide those constituents and find solutions to the chal- lenges that they’re facing in these uncertain times. It goes without saying, but I will say it, that my legislat- ive assistant, Elishia Butler, has been invaluable in helping me navigate life here in the Legislature. Without her and Marissa Olson, I’ d be lost wandering the halls. I’ d like to extend my thanks and appreciation to Ralph Sultan, who stood here in this room and represented the people of West Vancouver–Capilano for many years.

He did so in a respectful, intelligent manner, respected on both sides of this House, and I am sure he continues to tune in to this channel. I have had the great fortune of meeting a number of groups in my community since becoming the MLA: Streamkeepers, For Our Kids, the West Vancouver police department board, superintendent of the RCMP detach- ment for the district of North Vancouver, Kiwanis hous- ing, Firefighters Local 1525 and many more.

Finally, my thanks and appreciation to my family, including my 94-year-old mother, who has now dis- covered what is actually on Legislature TV and tunes in regularly if there is even the slightest chance of catching a glimpse of her daughter on television, which is then fol- lowed with an email critique of my outfit. Turning to the Speech from the Throne. These are extraordinary times in British Columbia, and we are in crises. We have multiple and overlapping crises: health, mental health and addictions, and an economic crisis that has not been seen for generations.

These have all been exacerbated by an unnecessary snap election. But now it is time for a bold and innovative approach to move us forward. What I heard in this throne speech were more of the same platitudes and promises that we’ve been hearing for the last four years. Where is the vision? Where is the excitement about what the potential of this province and British Columbians can do? Where are the clear commit- ments and action plan that’s going to come in this next budget? I’ve heard that we are in the same storm, but we are in different boats. Regardless of the boat we are in, we need a lighthouse.

British Columbia has an opportunity to leverage the amazing talent and resources that it has, but we need lead- ership from this government that can paint a picture of what the future looks like and to guide us there. We need an articulated strategy. I didn’t hear that in the Speech from the Throne. British Columbians need to feel safe, and they can only do that if they know there’s a plan. Now, I may be the only person that stands up and responds to this speech without focusing on COVID, because it’s bigger than that. We’re at a point where we need to look down the road.

We need to look at what’s going to happen next year and the year after that, and it all starts with moving past the excuses of COVID, the chal- lenges of COVID and how we are going to build for our future. [2:50 p.m.] The throne speech promised nothing new. It was sup- port for mental health, child care, affordable housing, but these are not new, and clearly, these are issues. These are unfulfilled promises that we’ve heard from this govern- ment for the last four years. There was no mention of sup- ports for people and businesses impacted right now by this Tuesday, April 13, 2021 British Columbia Debates 1083

relentless third wave, which will wreak havoc for months to come. This is a budget, government says, that will make British Columbia stronger for everyone. If this is the case, why won’t it meet the cries of those 17,000 social services work- ers who are non-unionized who are asking for fair wages? Why do new child care policies financially cripple pro- viders that are trying to add daycare spaces in British Col- umbia — these daycare spaces which are exactly what we need to help women and families participate in our eco- nomy again? The throne speech mentions daycare.

Government says that it will help even more families get access to affordable, high-quality daycare, and it will increase the number of available $10-a-day daycare spaces. But this is the same thing that this government has been saying for the past three years, and this government is far from transparent in this initiative, requiring those daycare providers parti- cipating in $10-a-day daycare to sign non-disclosure state- ments so that they can’t talk about the program. Now, this government also promised to have 24,000 daycare spaces by this point in their mandate.

By last sum- mer, there were only 3,490 new spaces created by this gov- ernment. I think we have to think about the words that we use when we are talking about those spaces. I am using the word “new” spaces. I am not using the word “licensed” spaces. The number of 20,000, which is claimed by this government, is largely not new spaces. They’re a reclas- sification of existing spaces from being a registered day- care to being a licensed daycare. Therefore, they have cre- ated licensed daycare spaces.

But moving daycares from registered to licensed, while being a really good thing in improving quality and supporting daycares, is not the same thing as actually creating those spaces, because they already existed. In comparison, the B.C. Liberals created, between 2005 and 2017, 39,959 new spaces. That’s an average of just over 3,300 spaces per year. At the end of this past March, gov- ernment signed an additional one-year extension agree- ment with the providers — these 52 pilot sites piloting the $10-a-day daycare.

Now, I have to ask: why are we still piloting something after three years with the same num- ber of pilot sites that we started with? Why is there another one-year extension without our seeing a plan for whether this is working and is going to move forward? [2:55 p.m.] Now, $10-a-day daycare was a fundamental and central promise from the NDP and one that families believed in. I am hoping that the reference to $10-a-day daycare spaces means real dollars will be dedicated in the budget to make this a reality and not merely a stopgap waiting for the fed- eral government to step in.

Child care in the province of British Columbia is this government’s responsibility. I’m also hoping that government is looking very closely at the utilization of the $10-a-day daycare and these pilot sites to ensure that those who need it most have access and to ensure that spaces are not going unused. For example, a family who may only need two days a week, part-time day- care — may they take up a full-time space because it’s less expensive for them to pay $10 a day for full-time care than to take a traditional part-time space at a different daycare? Now, is government tracking utilization? This is a concern.

Of concern is also that a report was to be issued, I believe last April, that was to look at the actual success of these daycares to see if it makes sense to extend this into a permanent program. We’re still waiting for that docu- ment and waiting to see if this is being successful. How can this government say in this budget that it’s going to com- mit to growing $10-a-day daycare if it doesn’t have the data to analyze how it’s currently being utilized and if it’s doing what it’s intended to be doing?

I’ d hope, also, that based on this data, which I’m only guessing about, we’ d be considering looking at a system that is an income-tested model so that we can make sure that we are delivering scarce resources…. As I will demon- strate in a moment, there is not much hope of adding additional capacity and adding additional spaces because of some recent policy changes. So how do we do some- thing that is going to make sure that we’re using our scarce resources and targeting support for low- and middle- income families with dependent children?

Government says that affordable daycare will make life easier and will support a strong economic recovery by helping more parents re-enter the workforce and that it’s going to take steps to recognize and retain early childhood educators, who we all know have been absolutely essential during this pandemic. But under a recent fee cap imposed on child care providers, many of those intending to create new spaces or thinking about potential new spaces, even those who have spaces in development, who have signed leases, who have already begun construction on new facil- ities….

I know of thousands of these spaces that have now been put on pause. Now, capping fees sounds like a great idea for parents, and it is. We need to have affordable and accessible day- care. I don’t have an issue with capping fees. I have an issue with how it’s done. It has to be reasonable and take into account the needs of both the parents and the day- care providers. But this government is going about it in the wrong way. Punishing those who want to add new daycare spaces seems counterintuitive if we want to increase the number of spaces available.

This government has somehow deter- mined what they’re calling market rates for daycare in cer- tain geographic areas, but they’re not forthcoming on what the formula is for them to determine what a market rate is. [3:00 p.m.] Regardless, using this largely inaccurate rate, they’re telling daycare providers that they can only charge 70 per- cent of that rate for any new spaces that they are bringing online. This is regardless of whether your daycare is oper- 1084 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, April 13, 2021

ating out of a basement or is in a brand-new facility, paying commercial market rents and offering enriched program- ming. Same market rate, according to this government. None of that’s considered. It makes no sense whatsoever. It’s like walking on to a car lot, looking at two cars and expecting the fully loaded Kia with the sunroof and the leather and the custom colour…. Why isn’t that the same price as the baseline Kia with no remote-controlled lock? It’s not reality.

On January 14 of this year, the Child Care Professionals of B.C. wrote to the Minister of State for Child Care and said: “The data you collect and the way it is collected does not compare apples to apples.

As such, your geographic fee averages or market rates are, at best, misleading and, at worst, nonsensical. ” This is the Child Care Professionals of British Columbia: “We ask you to (1) consult with the child care sector to en- sure the data on fee collection is accurate and (2) create a formula and not use an average — something that calcu- lates current and future fee caps. ” They say that they “have already provided the minister of state with suggestions of reasonable formulas and would be happy to discuss fur- ther. ” There has been no engagement from that letter.

If this budget and this throne speech are committed to child care and committed to helping women get back into the work- force, why hasn’t this government demonstrated a willing- ness to work with daycare providers to come up with solu- tions that work for both parents and those daycare pro- viders? Does this government not understand how day- cares operate? Now, British Columbia tops Canada as the most expens- ive place to live and to rent commercial property. There are many very expensive communities and commercial spaces in British Columbia.

It puts a strain on parents, because we have a high cost of living, but it also puts that same pres- sure and strain on daycare providers. The average daycare provider in British Columbia has a margin of about 2 percent. Rent and labour are the two biggest expenses. Rather than pushing the cost of daycare down to the providers, why not look at other policy adjust- ments and be creative? For example, in Ontario, you need 30 square feet per child for capacity in a daycare, and here you need 40.

Now, that, obviously, is a cost driver, if you’re looking at the cost of child care in Ontario versus the cost of child care here. When child care operators are squeezed to cut costs, it reduces their ability to provide tools and supplies to chil- dren and to purchase needed equipment. Most concern- ing, it squeezes the wages of ECE workers. I heard in the Speech from the Throne that there was a commitment to support and retain ECE workers, as they have been invalu- able during the pandemic.

The allowable rates now, for most daycare providers, if you’re opening new spaces, are going to be less than the actual cost to provide those spaces. So for every additional new daycare space in British Columbia, a daycare operator will now lose money. There is no reality where this, actually, is going to create more affordable daycare. What I have witnessed from this government is the poor implementation of flawed pro- grams which are meant to do one thing and which do something completely different. Children in care. I didn’t see anything about children in care.

Even prior to the pandemic, this government knew that children in care were struggling. [3:05 p.m.] Without stable family care, some of these young people move 20 times before they age out of care. Can you ima- gine the mental and physical toll that would take on a young person, who is just forming, who is just learning about who they are and their sense of self?

Now, I would hope that the budget we hear will support the implementation of the recommendations by the Rep- resentative for Children and Y outh, including supporting a young person in care past age 19 and the automatic enrol- ment of all young people, across all types of care, in youth agreements, in agreements with young adults, which will carry them through until age 27. Government takes on the role of parenting when they bring a young person into care, and parenting does not end on that young person’s 19th birthday.

We need invest- ment in improving transition planning for youth in care, which should start at least at 14 and carry through and extend until 19. We need to develop mental health, addic- tions and substance use services and programs specifically for youth in care transitioning to adulthood. We know that young people with involvement with MCFD have a much more difficult time managing this complex and expensive world. There are increased suicide rates, incidences of incarceration, homelessness, addic- tion, victimization and more.

We need money and pro- grams to break the cycle of destruction in young people’s lives. We need to invest in children in care. Investing in children in care is letting them know they matter. The more support that we can provide to youth in care, the more support we provide upfront and early, the healthier and more independent they will be as adults. So we are hopeful that in this budget, we will see support for the implementation of the recommendations of the Repre- sentative for Children and Y outh. I saw housing in this speech.

The government says that it will pursue its goal of a province where everybody has access to safe and affordable housing. This is a noble com- mitment and one we all fully support. Housing is a human right. We need innovative and new ideas about how we think about housing. This budget will include investments through 2021 to help thousands of missing middle rental homes to be built throughout the province, but we heard no mention of the previously committed to $400 renters rebate or the prom- ise my colleague referenced of the 114,000 new, affordable Tuesday, April 13, 2021 British Columbia Debates 1085

homes. While vacancy rates have increased, only due to the pandemic, rents have also continued to increase. I’ d like to remind the House that in 2017, the NDP promised to build 114,000 new rental and co-op homes in ten years. Government said it would “saturate the housing market with new affordable supply. ” Well, I don’t think any of us can see that saturation. As of last summer, the pro- vincial government’s own numbers show us that just 2,963 of those 114,000 affordable units have been completed.

Government will need to go from creating just under 1,000 units per year to creating just under 16,000 units per year for it to meet that highly touted election promise. How do we encourage the private sector to build rental accommodation in British Columbia? I will tell you how not to do that, and that would be to introduce a long-term rental freeze unless this government also has the ability to freeze costs.

This appears to be the same tactic that is being taken with daycare providers: freezing what they can charge but with no ability to freeze what it costs to provide those services. [3:10 p.m.] Will the 2021 budget address the gaps in the previous commitment, or is it now making a new commitment to build housing? Will there be money, as recommended by the Representative for Children and Y outh, to add addi- tional, dedicated housing for youth and young adults leaving care?

The representative writes that “there is per- haps no greater challenge facing young people trans- itioning out of care than finding appropriate, affordable and safe housing. ” The speech talks about business. Government says it is proud of its 300 biopharmaceutical, medical device and bioproduct companies, and it should be. But what has this government done to make it attractive for those businesses to want to remain in British Columbia and for money to come into British Columbia for investment? This is not today, because of COVID and the pandemic.

This is: how are we building British Columbia for the future and how are we attracting business and investment? World-class health care, education, and social supports cannot be advanced without the additional resources derived from private sector growth. I worry that this gov- ernment does not understand that. According to the B.C. Business Council, there are only 700 private companies with 300 or more employees in British Columbia.

Small and medium-sized companies make up the greater share of the economy — that means contribution of employment and contribution to GDP — more so than in any other jurisdiction in Canada. These are the kinds of businesses that have fewer resources to be able to survive and recover from an extraordinary economic event that we have seen. We need to support both those small and medium-sized businesses with innovative and, can I say, easy-to-access resources. But we also have to create an environment that is going to attract larger employers and more investments into our province.

To meet both of these, we need pro- gressive tax structures that incentivize growth and attract investment. This government has layered tax after tax since 2017. It has made British Columbia less affordable and more expensive to do business. There have been 23 new and increased taxes. Vancouver is now the second most unaffordable housing market in the world, making it even less attractive for companies to come here, because their employees cannot find housing. The Speech from the Throne was nothing if not light.

At the most critical juncture facing the province in gen- erations, we were given platitudes and promises, many recycled from previously unmet commitments. This is after a two-month delay from the traditional timing of the presentation of a budget. We need a vision. We need a plan. In crisis, you need leadership that can point the way and help people see what’s on the other side, not simply what we hope will be happening next month.

What can be on the other side, if properly planned, is an economically healthy and socially progressive province that can provide safety supports for British Columbians, including safe and affordable food and housing, easily and quickly access- ible mental health and addictions support and a vibrant and innovative business community with the resources to provide a growing number of well-paying jobs and a healthy and sustainable environment. Hon. G.

Heyman: It’s my honour to take my place in this debate on government’s Speech from the Throne today, virtually joining you from the traditional territory of the Musqueam, the Squamish and the Tsleil-Waututh peoples. It has been an extraordinary 14 months, 14 months dur- ing which our government has focused on the needs of people, on the needs of our communities, on the needs of business large and small.

On the needs of health care and trying to work with all members from all parties in the House on putting British Columbians first. [3:15 p.m.] This is an important Speech from the Throne, just as the budget that is coming up will be critically important. Both of them send messages to groups in our society, to individuals who are struggling, worried about the future, worried about the pandemic that is still with us, hoping against hope that we can all receive our vaccinations, and we can put this pandemic behind us and rebuild and come back stronger, because we all love this province. We love our communities.

We have tremendous respect for each other and what we can accomplish together. Before I talk a little bit about some of the specifics we have in the throne speech and that I’m excited about, I want to take a few minutes to recognize and thank some of the people I work with, as well as some of the groups and individuals in my riding of Vancouver-Fair- view that play such an important role every day in build- ing a strong community. 1086 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, April 13, 2021

First, I want to thank the face of the Legislature in my constituency, the constituency assistants who respond every day to concerns and issues and problems raised by residents of Vancouver-Fairview. Nadja Komnenic, Nic- olas Bragg, Lisa Dekleer and my newest constituency assistant, Mariah Gillis, every day think about ho

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20210413pm-Hansard-n46
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	20210413pm Hansard n46
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	ab6f83dd4763db92c80abe8851d98ff87dbb515a

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