British Columbia Hansard — 17 February 2026, p.m., Issue 117 (43rd Parliament, 2nd Session)

20260217pm-Hansard-n117

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Second Session, 43rd Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday, February 17, 2026 Afternoon Sitting Issue No. 117 THE HONOURABLE RAJ CHOUHAN, SPEAKER ISSN 1499-2175

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871) LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Her Honour the Honourable Wendy Cocchia, CM, OBC Second Session, 43rd Parliament SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Raj Chouhan EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Premier and President of the Executive Council ................................................................................................... Hon. David Eby, KC Minister of State for Local Governments and Rural Communities .......................................................... Hon.

Brittny Anderson Minister of Agriculture and Food ..............................................................................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Attorney General and Deputy Premier ............................................................................................................... Hon. Niki Sharma, KC Minister of Children and Family Development ......................................................................................................Hon.

Jodie Wickens Minister of Citizens’ Services ......................................................................................................................................Hon. Diana Gibson Minister of Education and Child Care ............................................................................................................................Hon. Lisa Beare Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness ................................................................................ Hon.

Kelly Greene Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions .................................................................................................................... Hon. Adrian Dix Minister of Environment and Parks .................................................................................................... Hon. Laanas / Tamara Davidson Minister of Finance ......................................................................................................................................................Hon.

Brenda Bailey Minister of Forests .......................................................................................................................................................... Hon. Ravi Parmar Minister of Health ........................................................................................................................................................Hon. Josie Osborne Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs ...........................................................................................................Hon.

Christine Boyle Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation ........................................................................Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert Minister of Infrastructure .............................................................................................................................................. Hon. Bowinn Ma Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth ...................................................................................................................... Hon.

Ravi Kahlon Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and New Technologies .................................................................. Hon. Rick Glumac Minister of Labour .............................................................................................................................................. Hon. Jennifer Whiteside Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals .....................................................................................................................Hon.

Jagrup Brar Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills ........................................................................................Hon. Jessie Sunner Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General ........................................................................................................ Hon. Nina Krieger Minister of State for Community Safety and Integrated Services ........................................................................ Hon.

Terry Yung Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction ...............................................................................Hon. Sheila Malcolmson Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport ............................................................................................................. Hon. Anne Kang Minister of Transportation and Transit ................................................................................................................ Hon.

Mike Farnworth Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship ............................................................................................... Hon. Randene Neill Minister Without Portfolio ..............................................................................................................................................Hon.

Grace Lore LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Leader of the Official Opposition ......................................................................................................................................Trevor Halford Leader of the Third Party .................................................................................................................................................Jeremy Valeriote Deputy Speaker ......................................................................................................................................................................

Mable Elmore Assistant Deputy Speaker .................................................................................................................................................Lorne Doerkson Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole ......................................................................................................................George Anderson Clerk of the Legislative Assembly....................................................................................................................................Kate Ryan-Lloyd Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel ......................................................................................................................Seunghee Suzie Seo Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Assembly...............................................................................................................

Artour Sogomonian Clerk of Committees .............................................................................................................................................................. Jennifer Arril Committee Clerk ......................................................................................................................................................................

Karan Riarh Committee Clerk .........................................................................................................................................................................Darryl Hol Senior Legal Counsel .................................................................................................................................................................Hayley Hill Sergeant-at-Arms ..................................................................................................................................................................

Ray Robitaille Director of Hansard Services .......................................................................................................................................D’ Arcy McPherson Legislative Librarian ...............................................................................................................................................................Peter Gourlay

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS BY PARTY BC NDP Anderson, Hon. Brittny ........................................... Kootenay Central Anderson, George ................................................ Nanaimo-Lantzville Arora, Rohini ....................................................................Burnaby East Bailey, Hon. Brenda ................................Vancouver–South Granville Beare, Hon.

Lisa .......................................Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Begg, Garry .................................................................Surrey-Guildford Blatherwick, Jennifer ....................................Coquitlam-Maillardville Boyle, Hon. Christine .............................Vancouver–Little Mountain Brar, Hon. Jagrup ......................................................Surrey-Fleetwood Chandra Herbert, Hon. Spencer ..................... Vancouver–West End Chant, Susie .............................................

North Vancouver–Seymour Choi, Paul ..................................................Burnaby South–Metrotown Chouhan, Hon. Raj ................................. Burnaby–New Westminster Chow, George ....................................................Vancouver-Fraserview Davidson, Hon. Tamara / Laanas ...........North Coast–Haida Gwaii Dhir, Sunita .............................................................Vancouver-Langara Dix, Hon. Adrian .................................................. Vancouver-Renfrew Eby, Hon. David, KC .......................................

Vancouver–Point Grey Elmore, Mable ................................................. Vancouver-Kensington Farnworth, Hon. Mike .................................................Port Coquitlam Gibson, Hon. Diana ........................................Oak Bay–Gordon Head Glumac, Hon. Rick ...................................... Port Moody–Burquitlam Greene, Hon. Kelly ..............................................Richmond-Steveston Higginson, Stephanie ........................................Ladysmith-Oceanside Kahlon, Hon. Ravi .............................................................. Delta North Kang, Hon.

Anne ......................................................... Burnaby Centre Krieger, Hon. Nina ...............................................Victoria–Swan Lake Lajeunesse, Dana ..............................................Juan de Fuca–Malahat Lore, Hon. Grace .................................................Victoria–Beacon Hill Ma, Hon. Bowinn ................................... North Vancouver–Lonsdale Malcolmson, Hon. Sheila .........................Nanaimo–Gabriola Island Morissette, Steve ...................................................Kootenay Monashee Neill, Hon. Randene ............................

Powell River–Sunshine Coast Osborne, Hon. Josie ....................................... Mid Island–Pacific Rim Parmar, Hon. Ravi ...............................................Langford-Highlands Phillip, Joan / Amshen .....................................Vancouver-Strathcona Popham, Hon. Lana ........................................................ Saanich South Rotchford, Darlene ...............................................Esquimalt-Colwood Routledge, Janet .............................................................Burnaby North Sandhu, Harwinder ......................................................

Vernon-Lumby Shah, Amna ............................................................. Surrey City Centre Sharma, Hon. Niki, KC ....................................... Vancouver-Hastings Sunner, Hon. Jessie ....................................................... Surrey-Newton Toporowski, Debra / Qwulti’stunaat .......................Cowichan Valley Whiteside, Hon. Jennifer ...................New Westminster–Coquitlam Wickens, Hon. Jodie ............................. Coquitlam–Burke Mountain Yung, Hon.

Terry .................................................Vancouver-Yaletown CONSERV ATIVE PARTY OF BC Banman, Bruce .......................................................... Abbotsford South Bhangu, Harman .................................................. Langley-Abbotsford Bird, Rosalyn .............................................

Prince George–Valemount Block, Lynne ..............................................West Vancouver–Capilano Chan, Hon ..................................................................Richmond Centre Chapman, Brent .................................................................Surrey South Clare, Sheldon .................................... Prince George–North Cariboo Davis, Pete ..................................................................Kootenay Rockies Day, Brennan ...........................................................

Courtenay-Comox Dew, Gavin ..................................................................Kelowna-Mission Dhaliwal, Mandeep .......................................................... Surrey North Doerkson, Lorne .....................................................

Cariboo-Chilcotin Gasper, Reann .......................................................Abbotsford-Mission Giddens, Kiel ..............................................Prince George–Mackenzie Halford, Trevor ......................................................Surrey–White Rock Hartwell, Sharon ..............................................Bulkley Valley–Stikine Hepner, Linda ................................................Surrey–Serpentine River Kindy, Anna ........................................................................North Island Kooner, Steve ............................................Richmond-Queensborough Loewen, Kristina ..........................................................

Kelowna Centre Luck, Tony ..........................................................................Fraser-Nicola Maahs, Heather ......................................................... Chilliwack North McCall, Macklin .........................................West Kelowna–Peachland McInnis, Scott ......................................... Columbia River–Revelstoke Milobar, Peter ............................................................

Kamloops Centre Mok, Lawrence ...........................................................Maple Ridge East Neufeld, Korky ............................................................Abbotsford West Neufeld, Larry ...........................................................Peace River South Paton, Ian ..............................................................................Delta South Rattée, Claire .................................................................................Skeena Rustad, John ...................................................................Nechako Lakes Stamer, Ward .........................................Kamloops–North Thompson Tepper, Br yan ............................................................

Surrey-Panorama Toor, Jody ............................................................Langley-Willowbrook Van Popta, Misty..............................................Langley–Walnut Grove Warbus, Á’a:líya ..............................................Chilliwack–Cultus Lake Wat, Teresa .........................................................Richmond-Bridgeport Williams, David ...............................................Salmon Arm–Shuswap Wilson, Donegal ............................................Boundary-Similkameen BC GREEN PARTY Botterell, Rob .......................................Saanich North and the Islands Valeriote, Jeremy .....................................

West Vancouver–Sea to Sky INDEPENDENT Armstrong, Tara .....................Kelowna–Lake Country–Coldstream Boultbee, Amelia .............................................Penticton-Summerland Brodie, Dallas .................................................... Vancouver-Quilchena Kealy, Jordan ............................................................. Peace River North Sturko, Elenore ......................................................... Surrey-Cloverdale PARTY STANDINGS Total seats – 93 BC NDP – 47 | Conservative Party of BC – 39 | BC Green Party – 2 | Independent – 5

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF RIDINGS A Abbotsford-Mission ........................................................Reann Gasper Abbotsford South ........................................................... Bruce Banman Abbotsford West .............................................................Korky Neufeld B Boundary-Similkameen .............................................Donegal Wilson Bulkley Valley–Stikine ............................................... Sharon Hartwell Burnaby Centre ...........................................................Hon.

Anne Kang Burnaby East ......................................................................Rohini Arora Burnaby–New Westminster .................................. Hon. Raj Chouhan Burnaby North ..............................................................Janet Routledge Burnaby South–Metrotown .................................................. Paul Choi C Cariboo-Chilcotin .......................................................Lorne Doerkson Chilliwack–Cultus Lake .............................................. Á’a:líya Warbus Chilliwack North ..........................................................

Heather Maahs Columbia River–Revelstoke ...........................................Scott McInnis Coquitlam–Burke Mountain .............................. Hon. Jodie Wickens Coquitlam-Maillardville .................................... Jennifer Blatherwick Courtenay-Comox ............................................................ Brennan Day Cowichan Valley ....................... Debra Toporowski / Qwulti’stunaat D Delta North ................................................................Hon.

Ravi Kahlon Delta South ...............................................................................Ian Paton E Esquimalt-Colwood ................................................Darlene Rotchford F Fraser-Nicola .......................................................................... Tony Luck J Juan de Fuca–Malahat ...............................................Dana Lajeunesse K Kamloops Centre ............................................................. Peter Milobar Kamloops–North Thompson .........................................

Ward Stamer Kelowna Centre ........................................................... Kristina Loewen Kelowna–Lake Country–Coldstream ......................Tara Armstrong Kelowna-Mission ..................................................................Gavin Dew Kootenay Central ............................................ Hon. Brittny Anderson Kootenay Monashee ....................................................Steve Morissette Kootenay Rockies................................................................... Pete Davis L Ladysmith-Oceanside ........................................

Stephanie Higginson Langford-Highlands ................................................ Hon. Ravi Parmar Langley-Abbotsford ....................................................Harman Bhangu Langley–Walnut Grove ..............................................Misty Van Popta Langley-Willowbrook ............................................................ Jody Toor M Maple Ridge East ............................................................Lawrence Mok Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows ........................................Hon. Lisa Beare Mid Island–Pacific Rim ........................................ Hon.

Josie Osborne N Nanaimo–Gabriola Island ..........................Hon. Sheila Malcolmson Nanaimo-Lantzville ................................................. George Anderson Nechako Lakes ....................................................................John Rustad New Westminster–Coquitlam .................... Hon. Jennifer Whiteside North Coast–Haida Gwaii ............Hon. Laanas / Tamara Davidson North Island ........................................................................Anna Kindy North Vancouver–Lonsdale .....................................Hon.

Bowinn Ma North Vancouver–Seymour ...............................................Susie Chant O Oak Bay–Gordon Head ......................................... Hon. Diana Gibson P Peace River North ..............................................................Jordan Kealy Peace River South ............................................................Larry Neufeld Penticton-Summerland .............................................. Amelia Boultbee Port Coquitlam ................................................. Hon. Mike Farnworth Port Moody–Burquitlam ........................................Hon.

Rick Glumac Powell River–Sunshine Coast ............................. Hon. Randene Neill Prince George–Mackenzie ...............................................Kiel Giddens Prince George–North Cariboo ......................................Sheldon Clare Prince George–Valemount ...............................................Rosalyn Bird R Richmond-Bridgeport .......................................................... Teresa Wat Richmond Centre .................................................................. Hon Chan Richmond-Queensborough ............................................

Steve Kooner Richmond-Steveston ...............................................Hon. Kelly Greene S Saanich North and the Islands ....................................... Rob Botterell Saanich South ......................................................... Hon.

Lana Popham Salmon Arm–Shuswap ................................................David Williams Skeena ..................................................................................Claire Rattée Surrey City Centre ...............................................................Amna Shah Surrey-Cloverdale .......................................................... Elenore Sturko Surrey-Fleetwood ....................................................... Hon. Jagrup Brar Surrey-Guildford .................................................................

Garry Begg Surrey-Newton ........................................................ Hon. Jessie Sunner Surrey North ............................................................Mandeep Dhaliwal Surrey-Panorama ..............................................................Br yan Tepper Surrey–Serpentine River ................................................

Linda Hepner Surrey South ..................................................................Brent Chapman Surrey–White Rock .......................................................Trevor Halford V Vancouver-Fraserview .....................................................George Chow Vancouver-Hastings ........................................ Hon. Niki Sharma, KC Vancouver-Kensington ...................................................Mable Elmore Vancouver-Langara .............................................................Sunita Dhir Vancouver–Little Mountain ............................. Hon.

Christine Boyle Vancouver–Point Grey .........................................Hon. David Eby, KC Vancouver-Quilchena ......................................................Dallas Brodie Vancouver-Renfrew ................................................... Hon. Adrian Dix Vancouver–South Granville ................................ Hon. Brenda Bailey Vancouver-Strathcona ..................................... Amshen / Joan Phillip Vancouver–West End .......................Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert Vancouver-Yaletown ..................................................Hon.

Terry Yung Vernon-Lumby ....................................................... Harwinder Sandhu Victoria–Beacon Hill ................................................. Hon. Grace Lore Victoria–Swan Lake ................................................Hon. Nina Krieger W West Kelowna–Peachland ..........................................Macklin McCall West Vancouver–Capilano ................................................Lynne Block West Vancouver–Sea to Sky ...................................... Jeremy Valeriote

CONTENTS Tuesday, February 17, 2026 Afternoon Sitting Page Routine Business Orders of the Day Throne Speech Debate .................................................................................................................................................... 4797 Larry Neufeld Jeremy Valeriote Trevor Halford Hon.

David Eby Presentation of Estimates ............................................................................................................................................... 4799 Estimates of Sums Required for the Service of the Province Budget Debate .................................................................................................................................................................. 4799 Hon.

Brenda Bailey Peter Milobar Introduction and First Reading of Bills ........................................................................................................................ 4808 Bill 2 — Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2026 Hon. Brenda Bailey Bill 3 — Budget Measures Implementation Act (No. 2), 2026 Hon. Brenda Bailey Bill 4 — Supply Act (No. 1), 2026 Hon.

Brenda Bailey Tabling Documents ......................................................................................................................................................... 4809 Strategic plan, 2026-27–2028-29 Budget and fiscal plan, 2026-27–2028-29 Service plans, 2026-27–2028-29

4797 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2026 The House met at 1:32 p.m. [The Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Prayers and reflections: Larry Neufeld. The Speaker: Good afternoon, everyone. I would like to begin our proceedings today by acknow - ledging that we are privileged to gather on the traditional territory of the lək̓ ʷəŋən-speaking People, the Songhees and the Esquimalt Nations. We honour and respect their enduring stewardship of these lands and the wisdom, culture and traditions which are so generously shared with our community and with our province. həysxʷq̓ ə siém.

Also, on behalf of all the members of this Legislative Assembly, I would like to welcome all the guests — friends, family members, everyone — to this session today. Thank you for being with us. [1:35 p.m.] Orders of the Day Hon. Mike Farnworth: I call Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne.

Throne Speech Debate Larry Neufeld: I move, seconded by the member for West Vancouver–Sea to Sky: [That we, His Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in session assem - bled, beg leave to thank Y our Honour for the gracious Speech which Y our Honour has addressed to us at the opening of the present Session.] I would like to continue with my remarks, if I may, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: Please. Larry Neufeld: To the people of Tumbler Ridge: exactly one week ago our community changed forever.

The Eng - lish language does not contain words with enough impact or strength to begin describing the wake of last week and the impact that it has had on our community. This is an event that defies description. I cannot imagine that any language, past or present, would contain words sufficient to even begin approach - ing description of the loss and pain that you are feeling — what the parents are feeling, what the children and teach - ers are feeling, what siblings, grandparents, friends and neighbours are feeling. I am at a loss to provide words as guidance to what the future may look like.

As your MLA, I am accustomed to standing in this House and speaking with certainty. To - day I stand here humbled by grief. The fabric of your community has been torn. And make no mistake. Difficult times are ahead. The path for - ward will be steep. There will be pain. There will be days when the weight feels unbearable, and it will never be the same. Your community will never be the same. Time will pass, but you will remember. The classrooms will feel dif - ferent, and the streets will feel different. But I have witnessed a tenacious spirit within you. For the past week, I have been in Tumbler Ridge.

I’ve stood with families whose worlds have been shattered. I’ve sat in silence where there were no words to offer. I’ve attended gatherings where grief filled every corner of the room. I have seen neighbours hold each other up. I have watched first responders and teachers show courage while carrying their own sorrow. Loved ones, friends, neigh - bours, even strangers have shared hugs, tears and hand - shakes — sometimes with no words spoken at all. In these darkest moments, I saw strength, I saw love, and I saw a community refusing to let tragedy define who it is.

We will repair the fabric of this community, but survival scars will remain, ones that you do not have to hide. And that is not weakness; that is proof that you have endured. Just know this. This community will move forward not because the pain disappears but because the people of Tumbler Ridge are resilient and because you care for one another. Be assured that we, in this place of honour, will be with you at every step of the way. I will remain with you in the weeks, months and years ahead.

I will continue to push my colleagues in this House to support you and to ensure that the mental health and all other supports that your community requires will be there not just today but long into the future. To the parents: my heart breaks with you. To the children: you are not alone. To the first responders and teachers who saved lives, and to the health care workers: thank you for your cour - age in the most unimaginable of circumstances. [1:40 p.m.] To the people of Tumbler Ridge: please find peace where you can. Lean on one another, and hold one another close.

And to the beautiful children who have left us in light: we will remember you in this House. Your names will be spoken here today. They will be honoured here. They will never be forgotten. We will walk this path together. Tumbler Ridge is strong. Tumbler Ridge is not alone.

4798 B ritish Columbia Debates T uesday, February 17, 2026 Jeremy Valeriote: I rise to second the motion from the member for Peace River South. And if I may, I would like to briefly share my thoughts. On Friday, I visited Tumbler Ridge along with prov - incial and federal colleagues. We went to share the com- munity’s grief and offer support and solidarity from every corner of Canada. Spending the day in the community was both sombre and emotional. I met residents in mourning but with their heads held high.

It’s an uncomfortable role, being unable to offer tangible relief but making the only contribution I could offer, absorbing as much grief and sadness as I could and taking it as far away from Tumbler Ridge as possible. Tumbler Ridge is a community that exemplifies the fabric of our nation — dignity, solidarity, care for one an - other, selflessness. While tragedy struck this small town, love prevails, and I see a community united and commit - ted to one another.

It has been said, but it’s important to restate gratitude and appreciation for the courage and dedication of first responders, teachers and school staff, RCMP, Northern Health and local community services. From the elected representatives present, I was heart - ened to see true cross-partisan unity in the face of tragedy. For this, I want to convey my deepest gratitude and re - spect to the Prime Minister; the Premier; the Leader of the Opposition; the member for Peace River South, who has carried this heavy burden; and the mayor. They took on the heart-wrenching work of sitting with those who lost loved ones.

It’s essential that all of us help carry the weight of this pain and the memory of lives lost too soon. The Treaty 8 Nations’ guiding wisdom and heartbeat of drums was grounding and essential to begin the pro - cess of healing. Grieving is a group process, and ceremony helps us overcome pain and heartbreak. I arrived in Tumbler Ridge wanting to help. I left with the resolve to do better for my constituents, for my daugh - ters and my family, for my community and for B.C., be - cause we sometimes forget that life can change in an instant. No family should have to live through a tragic event like this.

Within this chamber and beyond, we can resist the temptation to divide and lay blame. We can carry for - ward the unity shown in Tumbler Ridge; do our jobs well and with full hearts; learn from this tragedy and honour the victims, their families and the people of our great province. To the people of Tumbler Ridge: we grieve with you, and we stand with you. Trevor Halford: I rise to support the motion that is be - fore us today. I’ll speak to it now. My heart goes out to the children, to the educators, to every family, friend and neighbour affected by the tragic events in Tumbler Ridge.

As a father, it breaks my heart to think of the children whose lives were cut short and the terror that they felt at that time. To all the families and loved ones of those who were lost: I want you to know that I and this entire House are griev - ing with you. All of British Columbia is grieving with you. Canada and the rest of the world are grieving with you. At this time, our focus should be on remembering the young lives that were taken. These were children, like our own, with hobbies, friendships, hopes, dreams and plans for the future. They were deeply, deeply loved. They de - serve to be remembered.

At Tumbler Ridge Secondary, 12-year-old Zoey Benoit lost her life. Zoey loved art, playing with her siblings and was known to have a wonderful, exceptional singing voice. [1:45 p.m.] Abel Mwansa Jr. was 12 years old. He came to Canada from Zambia with his family in 2023. Abel played soc - cer, and he was a great soccer player with an even better attitude. He excelled at science, and he wanted to be an engineer. His mom told me that many times he would ask his parents: “Are we staying? We’re going to make Tumbler Ridge our home?” He would ask his parents that.

And that afternoon the last message that he gave his dad was: “Could you please pick me up from church after school?” Ticaria Lampert — as her parents told us, Tiki Torch — was 12 years old. She leaves behind seven brothers and sisters, and they will miss her immensely. She was the middle child, and she was the glue that held that family together. Her family remembers her for her jokes and love of making others laugh, also her love of the KPop Demon Hunters. Kylie Smith, also 12.

She loved to draw and paint and had dreamed of attending art school in Toronto, a city that she had just visited and attended a Blue Jays game with her family. She wanted to become an artist. She was also a figure skater who began performing when she was three years old. And I’ll note — many in this House are aware — Kylie and Tiki were the best of friends. Ezekiel Schofield was 13 years old and was an avid hockey player who played as a forward for the Tumbler Ridge Raptors. And he will be remembered.

My visit to Tumbler Ridge this week was something I don’t think anybody in this House could ever compre - hend, and I am so grateful that we were able to lean on our colleagues at such a difficult time. There is sorrow in that town today and tomorrow and for a long time ahead, but there is also strength — friends, neighbours and loved ones supporting one another, colleagues from across the aisle supporting one another. I also want to recognize the first responders, educa - tors and students. Some of those students, by the way — I just mentioned their names — acted so courageously, and their stories will be told.

They need to be told. It was them

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 4799 that stepped forward in the midst of chaos. And the first responders, the educators and students — they saved lives. Make no mistake. They saved lives. The road ahead will be long. As Tumbler Ridge begins that journey, this province will stand with them. We will remember those precious little lives that we have lost, and we will support a community forever changed. Hon.

David Eby: I would like to thank my colleagues, the member for Peace River South, the House Leader for the Green Party and the Leader of the Opposition, for their words today and for joining me, and the member for Peace River South for inviting me into his constituency in Tumbler Ridge, and for us standing together with the families. I know it meant so much to the community that we put aside our differences and stood together, and I am grateful for the opportunity to do the same today. Today it is important that we remember the people who were lost and whose lives were forever changed by this horrific tragedy.

Shannda Aviugana-Durand was an educational assist - ant. I think most members of this House will know the important work that educational assistants do. She was no exception. In fact, she was exceptional. [1:50 p.m.] She worked at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and dedicated her days to helping young people learn, grow and feel supported. Her self-sacrifice and her actions on the day of this horrific event likely saved the lives of three children in the library. We’re holding Maya Gebala, just 12 years old, and her family in our hearts. She’s in a hospital room, in critical care. We pray for her healing.

We pray for her family and friends and for her quick recovery. I’m thinking of Paige Hoekstra, 19 years old, recover - ing after being seriously injured in the events of that day. I met so many people in Tumbler Ridge who knew and loved Paige. Her resilience and the care surrounding her speak to the deep love of family, friends and community.

We mourn Emmett Jacobs, just 11 years old, a child whose life was taken in the home where this tragedy first unfolded — his loss is a heartbreak in the community that words cannot capture — and Emmett’s mom, Jennifer Strang, 39 years old, who also died in her home, leaving behind profound grief for all who loved her. These are the students, the family members, the com - munity members that are the strength of Tumbler Ridge and whose absences will be felt across Tumbler Ridge and our entire province.

To their loved ones, to their families, to their friends, to everybody in Tumbler Ridge, we offer our heartfelt con - dolences and our commitment to continue to work for them in the days, weeks and months to come. With that, I reserve my right to continue and now move adjournment of the debate. Hon. David Eby moved adjournment of debate. Motion approved. Hon. Brenda Bailey: Hon. Speaker, I move: [That this House, at its next sitting, resolve itself for this Ses- sion into a Committee to consider the Supply to be granted to His Majesty.] Motion approved.

Presentation of Estimates ESTIMATES OF SUMS REQUIRED FOR THE SERVICE OF THE PROVINCE Hon. Brenda Bailey presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor: Estimates of Sums Required for the Service of the Province for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027, and a supplement to the estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027, recommending the same to the Legislative Assembly. Hon. Brenda Bailey moved that the said message and the estimates accompanying the same be referred to the Committee of Supply. Motion approved. Budget Debate Hon. Brenda Bailey: Hon. Speaker, I move, seconded by the hon.

Premier of British Columbia: [“That the Speaker do now leave the Chair” for the House to go into Committee of Supply.] I would like to begin by acknowledging the lək̓ ʷəŋən- speaking Peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Na - tions, upon whose territories we are gathered. I present this budget with a heavy heart. People throughout the province and across the country are griev - ing the terrible tragedy in Tumbler Ridge. We’ve just heard very powerful words spoken in this House, and I thank my colleagues. We think about those whose lives have been changed forever, and we mourn the precious lives lost.

We mourn the future they were supposed to have, the dreams they never got to achieve. British Columbians are standing with everyone impacted by this horrific tragedy, and we will do everything in our power to support people through this dark time. It feels very out of sync to continue with the business of government, but we do, and today I present Budget ’26- 27. We do so holding the people of Tumbler Ridge in our hearts and in our thoughts. [1:55 p.m.] This past year has been incredibly challenging. One year ago we witnessed the launch of an unprovoked and

4800 B ritish Columbia Debates T uesday, February 17, 2026 unjustified trade war at the hands of our closest ally. The trade war and rupture of the world order continue to have ripple effects that are being felt around the world. This budget is different from our past budgets, because this moment is different. We are in a period of serious fis - cal pressure. Global uncertainty is slowing growth. Com - modity markets are volatile. The housing market has cooled. At the same time, costs are rising for everything from health care to building infrastructure, and British Columbians are feeling it too.

Families are stretched by the cost of living. We must be disciplined, focused and honest about the choices ahead. We must assume this pressure on our rev - enue is the new normal and operate accordingly. In this budget, we have done that. Our priorities are clear. Protect and improve core pub - lic services that people rely on, like health care and edu - cation. Keep B.C. one of the lowest-taxed provinces for middle- and working-class families. Reduce the deficit re - sponsibly over time, while protecting what’s working. To achieve this, we are taking three key steps.

First, we will make the public sector leaner so that more dollars reach the front lines. Second, we will pace infrastructure projects carefully, delivering them efficiently without driving up costs. Third, we will make changes to generate new revenue while taking action to grow the economy and secure the long-term impact of major projects. This is about making careful choices now to avoid more difficult choices later. Over the last eight years, we’ve built the foundations a strong province depends on.

Hos - pitals, schools, roads, transit, housing and clean electricity are being delivered to support communities and good jobs throughout British Columbia. This was done at a time when the B.C. economy was be- ing hit simultaneously by numerous disruptions: a global pandemic, soaring inflation, devastating wildfires and flooding, and now an unprovoked trade war. We entered this period from a position of strength, with one of the lowest debt-to-GDP ratios in the country, and this gave us room to absorb shocks and to invest.

We were able to deliver income support, ICBC rebates and af - fordability measures when it was needed most. Our gov - ernment delivered the B.C. family benefit to help with the costs of raising children. We cut child care fees by more than half. Car insurance rates were dramatically reduced. These measures helped ease the hit on households. Today housing costs are coming down from peak levels. Rent prices are falling faster here than anywhere else in the country. Children are learning in new schools. We’ve created 23,500 new seats, with another 23,500 on the way.

People are receiving treatment in 14 new and improved hospitals, with 20 more coming. They’re also accessing health care in 41 new urgent and primary care centres, with five more to come. Rapid transit projects like the Surrey-Langley Sky - Train extension and the Broadway subway project will get people to the places they need to go, faster. A lot of progress has been made to improve life and to bring down costs, but we know that many families are struggling. People keep working harder, but they don’t feel like they’re getting further ahead.

The cost of everyday life keeps going up, especially at the grocery store. This year we will bring forward legislation to ban the property controls that restrict businesses from selling fresh food near grocery stores, spurring more competition and getting food prices down. We’re also introducing legislation to make it easier for businesses to move goods and provide services across provincial borders. Barriers between provinces that complicate trade make it harder to process food locally, which limits competition and again drives up prices.

By strengthening supply chains, making the food we eat here at home and allowing more competition across provincial lines, we can address some of the structural reasons for high food costs. [2:00 p.m.] This budget is also about facing our fiscal reality with clarity. As times change, so must our approach. B.C.’s economy has many strengths, but it also has many big challenges. We must make strategic choices about where we spend our resources. We are scrutinizing government spending and ensuring that as many dollars as possible reach the front lines in classrooms and in emergency rooms.

When it comes to our fiscal position, Budget 2026 re - duces the deficit over time, carefully and thoughtfully. So how do we achieve this? We do it through making disci - plined decisions. As many families make careful decisions to keep their household finances in order, so too must we. We have begun a multi-step process to adjust government spend - ing to respond to the fiscal reality we face. This includes reducing operational and administrative costs and saving on contracting, hiring and travel. We are continuing a hiring freeze in the public ser - vice.

We’ve launched reviews across the public sector at health authorities, through post-secondary institutions and through CleanBC. Budget 2026 continues this work. This means reducing staff levels across the public sector by 15,000 full-time positions over the next few years. We are making care - ful decisions about where these reductions will take place. We will protect our vital front-line services in areas like health care and education, while reducing bureaucracy and administration. We are also adjusting the pace of our capital plan, to protect our ability to deliver projects over the long term.

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 4801 This is not about stopping. We will continue to out - pace other provinces in per-capita investments in schools, child care centres and transit. We will keep opening new hospitals and will break ground on a permanent home for SFU’s medical school in Surrey this year. This is about ad - justing the pace of some of the things we want to do so that we can do what we need to do to secure B.C.’s future. Under our government, B.C. is among the lowest-taxed provinces in Canada for working and middle-class fam - ilies, and this budget doesn’t change that.

We made the right choices to cancel the carbon tax and to bring down housing costs, keeping more money in people’s pockets. But the reality facing every province is the same. Growth has not kept pace with the cost of delivering pub - lic services. If we want to protect health care, schools, child care and the services that people rely on, we need to rebuild a stable and sustainable revenue base. That’s what Budget 2026 does. It makes careful tax changes so we can protect services and avoid deep cuts while keeping B.C. competitive.

People earning under $149,000 will continue to pay the lowest personal income taxes in the country. Budget 2026 includes a change to the first income tax bracket of about half a percentage point. We’ll offset the extra costs for lower-income earners by increasing the B.C. tax reduc - tion credit. We’re also updating some housing-related taxes. Those with homes above $3 million in value will be asked to con - tribute a little more. The property tax deferment program is being changed to help those who need it most, and the vast majority of homeowners see no change. These are careful, considered choices.

At a time of global uncertainty, Budget 2026 is about protecting what matters most and building on B.C.’s strengths. Because we refuse to balance the books on the backs of families, the path forward is clear: grow the economy, and grow it with urgency and purpose. When more people are working, when wages are rising and when investment is landing in our communities, families are better off and government has the resources to protect the services that people count on. British Columbia starts from a position of strength.

We have abundant natural resources, clean and reliable elec - tricity and ports that connect us directly to the fastest- growing markets in the world. Most importantly, we have people who are hard- working, entrepreneurial and ready to deliver on the world stage. That strength is already translating into real results. New mines and LNG projects are reaching final invest - ment decisions. Major projects are advancing. Capital is choosing B.C. [2:05 p.m.] We’re determined to make that growth work for people.

That means new training opportunities, more pathways into good-paying jobs and a clear plan to ensure that British Columbians are first in line for the opportunities ahead. Over the next 24 months, B.C. is projected to be the second-fastest-growing province in terms of GDP in Can - ada. Our job is to turn that momentum into lasting pros - perity and to build a stronger, more self-reliant economy that works for everyone.

This is how we build that strong, secure future, a future with homes you can afford; jobs with good pay; health care when and where you need it; and an economy that works for everyone, not just the few. To deliver on that future, we need to start with a strong foundation for growth. We need to move more projects ahead faster, invest in skills training and improve B.C.’s position as a desirable place to invest. In moments like this, British Columbians know we can’t just sit back and hope. We must build, because build- ing is how we protect our future. To build, we need power — clean, affordable, reliable power.

We’re ready to step up. B.C. Hydro’s 2025 call for power drew nearly double the targeted energy, with 14 proposals totalling over 9,100 gi - gawatt hours a year, enough to power about 900,000 homes. The North Coast transmission line is a nation-building project that will deliver clean energy to power port ex - pansions, LNG facilities and mines. It will be built in true partnership with First Nations. It’s grounded in recent agreements that reflect shared decision-making, shared benefits and, in some cases, co-ownership.

Once operational, it’s expected to contribute nearly $10 billion per year to GDP and generate $950 million a year in revenue. It will create almost 10,000 direct jobs per year on average and reduce emissions by about two million to three million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. This line creates the certainty companies need to make final investment decisions, and it ensures opportunity trans - lates into jobs and lasting benefits for local communities. As our trade mission to Asia last year made clear, grow - ing economies also need access to energy.

They are look - ing for B.C.’s LNG to meet energy demand and support the transition to a cleaner economy. Our LNG has one of the lowest-carbon footprints in the world thanks to elec - trification. Six major LNG projects are complete, under - way or reaching final investment decisions this year. We’re doing all of this in partnership with First Nations, moving projects forward with confidence and with clarity. With certainty on power, mines can move from con - cept to construction. Last year we saw a record-breaking $750 million invested in mineral exploration in B.C.

For too long, mining projects were tied up in delays and in - efficient processes. We have made significant progress on speeding up approvals. In 2025, almost 35 percent more exploration permits were issued than in 2024. We also re - duced timelines for major mine applications by 35 percent. Let me give you an example of what that looks like on the ground. The Mount Milligan copper-gold mine ex -

4802 B ritish Columbia Debates T uesday, February 17, 2026 pansion near Fort St. James had its permitting times cut in half. This expansion supports the existing 574 jobs and as much as $400 million in projected capital spend - ing. Centerra Gold’s CEO told us that this was a strong example of what can be accomplished when governments, First Nations and industry work together in support of re - sponsible resource development. I know how important it is for businesses and govern - ment to work together. We heard that permitting times were creating problems for the industry. We listened, and we fixed it.

In January, our government announced new fixed permitting timelines and an additional $3 million to expedite approvals in the mining industry. Budget 2026 also includes more than $40 million over three years to address urgent capacity needs, reduce dupli - cation and slash the permitting backlog. On top of that, we’re introducing new tax credits to align regulations with the federal government and continue to support our min - ing industry. [2:10 p.m.] With all of these exciting projects moving forward, it’s no question that we are on the cusp of a huge demand for skilled people.

This is where we are making some of our biggest investments, because investing in young people is investing in our future. Budget 2026 includes $241 million in new funding over three years to train people for in-demand skills and higher wages. This will address wait-lists, increase per-seat fund - ing and expand skilled trades certification. That means more spots will be available within the next two years for people to train for these high-paying, in-demand jobs. I think about people like Gord, who had been working in an Amazon warehouse, earning $20 an hour moving boxes.

He did some entry-level training in welding and got some jobs out of that and then did the next level and the next and eventually got his Red Seal. Now Gord earns more than $150,000 a year, and his life has been trans - formed by the opportunity that trades training gave him. For young people trying to make ends meet, a new high-paying job provides security, financial freedom and an opportunity to build a life in their community. For communities, it means the wealth generated circulates and multiplies locally, supporting local businesses, all of this from a high-paying, reliable job.

As the economic engine of a more independent econ - omy, British Columbia needs to have an attractive busi - ness environment for investors and entrepreneurs. I believe that investing and growing in B.C. is one of the smartest and safest decisions investors can make. Look at Photonic, a quantum technology company based in Coquitlam. Founder Dr. Stephanie Simmons said she started her company in B.C. because it’s the best place to recruit top-tier quantum talent and leverage lo - cal academic research. With its new approach to quantum computing, Photonic has raised $375 million since 2016.

In fact, it just had one of the largest quantum technology finances ever announced in Canada, raising $180 million in its latest investment round. The federal government has been clear that provinces must participate financially to access federal stimulus funding. That’s why Budget 2026 commits to allocating $400 million to a special account so that we can quickly capitalize on federal funding opportunities. This could leverage billions in federal stimulus funding and private sector investment. This funding is critical to building a stronger, more secure future for the people of B.C.

Another critical part of building a stronger, more se - cure future is getting the most value out of our natural re - sources. Our manufacturers have the skills and expertise to do just that by processing and refining our made-in- B.C. materials into something even more valuable. There are nearly 20,000 manufacturing businesses in B.C., em - ploying more than 170,000 people, and the sector is ex - pected to grow by another 50,000 jobs in the next decade. That’s more people like Ted. He’s the founder of Spear- head Timberworks in Nelson, who I met when I visited his business.

He has an incredible operation specializing in designing and fabricating architectural timber and steel. Spearhead received $7.5 million from our manufacturing jobs fund, which will help them add state-of-the-art pro - duct lines and increase capacity to fabricate the complex, high-value timber projects using B.C. wood. A new manu - facturing and processing investment tax credit will help manufacturers like Ted invest in productivity and innova - tion so they can continue to do what they do best. Some of our largest manufacturers are in the maritime industry.

B.C.’s maritime sector is the biggest in Canada, employing more than 34,000 people, and there are more opportunities on the horizon as the federal government increases defence spending. Through the Look West strat- egy, we are aiming to secure 35 percent of federal defence vessel contracts in ten years. To do that, shipbuilders need more support. Budget 2026 extends the shipbuilding and ship repair tax credit. This credit supports employers hiring shipbuilding and ship repair apprentices, securing a sustainable future for the industry.

We’re also supporting innovators, scientists and entre - preneurs by updating the scientific research and develop - ment tax credit to align with federal changes. It’s by sup - porting our innovators, our manufacturers and our busi - nesses that we continue to move B.C. forward. [2:15 p.m.] A strong economy is about more than statistics and fore- casts. It’s about taking care of people. It’s about creating the wealth we need to improve and protect vital services. When it comes to vital services, health care is at the top of the list. It’s also facing big challenges. Demographics are shifting.

Health care workers are retiring. The cost of providing care is increasing.

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 4803 Our government has been working hard to make sure that British Columbians can access the care they need when they need it. A lot of progress has been made. For one, we’re building the workforce of tomorrow. This summer we’ll welcome the very first class of medical students to the new SFU medical school in Surrey. In the year ahead, we expect to break ground on the school’s permanent home. We’re starting to see results that matter.

Every day hun- dreds of people in B.C. are getting a phone call or email letting them know that they have a new family doctor or nurse practitioner. This is in addition to the hundreds of maintenance and renovation projects to modernize and upgrade hos - pitals throughout our province. These projects represent the largest investment in health care infrastructure in B.C. history. But we know there is still much more to do. We must remain focused on protecting what we’ve built and deliv - ering better, faster health care for people.

This spring, as part of a national pharmacare agree - ment, B.C. will provide enhanced public coverage for both menopausal hormone therapy and a wide range of dia - betes medication and devices. We are also continuing to fund in vitro fertilization treatments so people can start a family. We also know that the system cannot simply keep do - ing the same things and be sustainable over the long term. Let us be clear. Privatization or a U.S.-style two-tier system is not an option for British Columbia. We must al - ways be in a place where we can take care of each other, no matter how much money someone has.

That’s why your government is making responsible choices to reform care, not to cut or privatize it. A comprehensive review of health authorities is identi - fying administrative duplication and redirecting savings to the front lines. Since the review began, 1,100 adminis - trative positions have been eliminated, closed or left va - cant, and the savings are being invested in front-line pa - tient care. Responsible choices also mean earlier intervention so people can get help before they end up in hospital.

It means bolstering community-based services so fewer people depend on emergency care, because British Col - umbians deserve a health care system that they can rely on today and into the future. Every baby born in B.C. is something to cherish. Be - coming a parent is one of the biggest adventures and most rewarding chapters that many of us will ever take. We know that finding affordable child care can be a worry for new parents, and we’ve been working hard to make it easier for families to access affordable, high-quality child care close to home.

Since 2018, families have accessed nearly 58,000 new licensed care spaces throughout B.C. B.C.’s child care af - fordability programs are saving families an average of $7,200 per year on child care costs and helping people ac - cess child care when they need it most. People like Rachel. Rachel is a single mom who was laid off right after she returned from maternity leave. Finances were extremely tight, and she was considering pulling her child out of child care to make ends meet. But a phone call to the affordable child care benefit line changed every - thing.

Rachel learned she was eligible for six months of child care subsidy while she searched for work, and she got a new job. Her child is still in child care, and she no longer needs the subsidy. That’s what these programs are about, providing people like Rachel with the support when they need it and where they need it. Budget 2026 invests $330 million over three years to protect the progress that we’ve made and to stabil- ize the child care services that people rely on. As we build a bright future for our children, we need to make sure that children have everything they need in the present.

A good education is a fundamental part of that. Budget 2026 commits to protecting the progress that we’ve made and doing more. New funding of $634 million is being provided for the K-to-12 system, including $167 million for the classroom enhancement fund over three years. This means more teachers, including special education teachers and coun - sellors for students with support needs. [2:20 p.m.] We want all young people to have access to the sup - ports they need to live a full and happy life. Today many are facing increasing pressures and need access to mental health supports.

Our government is focusing on early interventions so young people can get the help they need as early as pos - sible. We’re expanding our network of in-person and vir - tual health wellness supports for young people and their families. We’re establishing integrated child and youth teams in communities throughout the province so young people and their families can connect to the care they need when and where they need it. We are hiring addi - tional specialists to support young people at more than 50 locations across all health authorities.

Budget 2026 protects the things that matter most, and for our government, housing has always been a top prior - ity. We’ve been very clear about that. We’ve spent years reversing the damage of an overheated housing market. More affordable rentals have been built than ever be - fore. We took on foreign speculation in the housing market. Vacant units have become homes. New support - ive housing and shelter spaces have brought people in out of the cold. Combined, these measures are creating about 95,000 new homes.

Budget 2026 continues this progress, committing more than $2 billion each year to keep deliv - ering more homes for people. British Columbia consistently ranks as one of the most desirable places to live. A lot of factors go into that

4804 B ritish Columbia Debates T uesday, February 17, 2026 — health care, education, job opportunities — but people need to feel safe in their communities. When it comes to community safety, we’re facing big challenges. To reduce street crime, we’ve strengthened enforcement and bail rules, helping people move indoors and improving access to mental health care. Crime rates are coming down, but we know there is still much, much more to do here.

It’s often a small number of people committing most of the petty crime, and that’s why Budget 2026 includes a $139 million investment over three years to help with community-specific safety concerns in neighbourhoods throughout B.C. Budget 2026 also expands treatment and recovery ser - vices. B.C. is opening 100 more involuntary care beds in Surrey and Prince George to support people with complex needs, with 28 already operating in Maple Ridge and Sur - rey. This is part of a larger effort to tackle the toxic drug crisis by expanding treatment and recovery options, help - ing people rebuild their lives.

The extortion crisis has families south of the Fraser liv - ing with fear and intimidation, and we are taking immedi - ate action to protect people. We’ve brought together a B.C. extortion task force, the largest of its kind in B.C.’s history. We met with the federal government, which committed more specialized officers and dedicated RCMP helicopter support for police on the ground. We’ve invested $500,000 to strengthen victim supports, and the federal govern - ment is matching that.

We are also calling on the federal government to close loopholes in our immigration laws and strengthen crim - inal law so that no suspects can file for fake refugee status and so that those who are arrested will stay in jail. We’re establishing a community advisory group to listen to community concerns and connect with law en - forcement and government so people in our communities are heard, supported and safe. There are more police on the street in Surrey right now than ever before, and that means more patrols, stops and targeted enforcement so that people will be safer in their own communities.

In a world of uncertainty, Budget 2026 makes careful choices to protect what matters most and build a strong future. As our Olympic athletes compete halfway around the world and as we get set to welcome the World Cup to B.C., I have a deep sense of pride — pride in British Col - umbians, pride in what we’ve achieved so far. B.C. is a proud member of Team Canada. Being part of the team means moving forward on major nation-build - ing, job-creating projects. It means leading the way on opening up interprovincial trade.

It means working with the federal government and other provinces to create a stronger, more independent Canadian economy. And it means choosing unity over division. British Col - umbians know that division weakens us all. We know that our strength comes from standing together, united, as proud Canadians. This is a turning point. Every generation of British Col - umbians has faced challenges. Every generation has been asked to step up, to seize opportunities and to make life better for the next. [2:25 p.m.] This generation faces uncertainty unlike in any recent memory.

The road ahead will not always be easy, but when I look around at other places, there is nowhere else I’d rather be, because we’ve got it all. With a steady hand, careful decisions and smart invest - ments, we won’t just navigate uncertainty. We’ll shape a stronger, brighter future for all British Columbians. Peter Milobar: I rise to give the first response. I will be our designated speaker. But don’t worry. To those at home or, I guess, for those in the gallery, I won’t take two hours today. I’ll finish it up tomorrow. First off, I would like to echo what many in here have said today.

Certainly, my thoughts and prayers and heart go out to everyone involved in Tumbler Ridge and the families that have been devastated by the most tragic cir - cumstances. As the minister said, it is a strange day in - deed to still have to continue on with the business of gov - ernment. However, that is the task at hand for us today as well. Results matter with government. Track record matters with government, especially when you’re judging a gov - ernment on their words around a budget.

When this gov - ernment and this minister say what they are planning on doing, I think it’s important that we look back, even just one year, to what the budget last year said this year was going to be. This is a three-year fiscal plan, and this government is very good at telling us about their spending priorities over the next three years. Then you dig into it, and usu - ally there’s very little money in this year’s budget and very little conversation about those programs in years 2 and 3, because they start to fade away into the sunset. It always sounds like there’s going to be a lot of action.

I remember a Premier that promised K-to-3 classrooms all having teaching assistants, in an election, that we still haven’t seen materialize. It always sounds good, but the result is never quite matching the marketing. When you look at last year’s budget and what the gov - ernment projected this year to be and then you look at this year’s budget of where they’re projecting things to be, rev- enues are down $200 million in this year’s budget com - pared to what they were thinking last year. Not horrible. Relatively stable there.

But the deficit has ballooned an - other $3 billion over what they were projecting just last year for this fiscal year. It is now a record $13.3 billion. I didn’t hear the minister talking about that. Another record deficit on the heels of a budget speech

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 4805 talking about fiscal restraint and responsibility, on a budget that is built very clearly on the backs of seniors, working families in British Columbia and small busi - nesses. That’s the hard decisions that have been made by this government — cost after cost piled on to seniors, working families and small businesses. I’ll dig into that in my comments here. A few other interesting notes from the second quarter update till now. One would assume they would want to keep some of these areas’ spending in line.

Agriculture, down $16 million from the second quarter update to this year’s budget. I guess food security and the fruit stand isn’t quite as important as the minister might have led us to believe. Emergency management. Now, that’s a bit of a different animal in terms of spending when emergencies happen, so I’ll just go by what they projected over the last year — down $5 million. It’s pretty dry out there when you drive around this province. It’s going to be a bad year. Emer - gency management is down $5 million. Environment. No wonder the Greens got rid of their agreement.

The environment budget is down $10 million. The forestry budget. No wonder the minister didn’t mention forestry, I don’t believe, once in her speech. If she did, it was a passing reference at the beginning. That min - istry’s budget is down $400 million from the second quar - ter update. That’s the staff that are supposed to help revive the forest sector. Mining, an industry we’re supposed to be ramping up for, is down $13 million. [2:30 p.m.] Public safety, down $4 million. We’re hearing about what is going to be added to public safety.

We haven’t heard what’s getting removed from public safety to pay for those changes, because the budget is only a $4 million dif - ference and actually down $4 million. Why spending decisions are so important and why debt and deficit is so important…. Those items I listed total about $450 million. That is half of the increase in the management of public funds and debt increase line item in this budget. That is what happens when the government spending is out of control. Their ability to function is se - verely restricted.

Now, I’ll dive into the forestry piece in a little bit, but let’s look at the full-on attack on seniors, on working fam - ilies and on small businesses that this budget is. Now, remember we talked about the teaching assistants that were promised. There was also a promised $500-per- person rebate, $1,000 household rebate. Instead of that, PST, provincial sales tax, will now be charged on basic cable packages for homes, on landlines for phones. I know it’s a bit stereotypical, but I would suggest most landlines are probably in seniors housing, people living at home.

Seniors watching their pension income are on basic cable, and those young families that are trying to make ends meet are on basic cable. But no, no. This government wanted to dip into their pockets a little bit more and make sure they charge PST on services that had never been charged PST before. But they don’t stop there. No.

In tough economic times, when people are trying to make sure that they just have their shoes last a little bit longer or get their clothes re - paired, this government is making sure they charge PST now on shoe repair; on tailoring services; on clothing pat - terns, in case you want to be able to go and make your own clothing instead of having to go to a store; on yarn, in case you’re someone who likes to knit something for your grandchild. You can now pay PST on that as well, because this gov - ernment needs the extra $100 million that that will bring in between all of those areas. Property tax deferment.

The minister talked about it as if it’s a great thing. Well, it’s interesting, because that’s go- ing to bring in an extra $35 million from seniors. It used to be prime minus 2 percent. When this gov - ernment took office, it was actually 0.7 percent interest charged on the property tax deferment. This budget now changes that to prime plus 2 percent. That’s a 4 percent swing in the interest charge on the property tax deferment program for seniors, and 6.9 percent will now be the in - terest charged, based on the current prime rates. It was 2.9 percent before this budget was introduced. Low-income tax change.

The minister says: “Don’t worry about it. It really won’t impact people.” Really? That’s an interesting way to look at things. It goes from 5.06 per - cent to 5.6 percent on everybody’s, roughly, first $50,000. What the minister doesn’t want to mention though is that brings in $500 million, that tax change. It’s $500 million. She also doesn’t want to mention that the tax rates, the steps, the brackets, are frozen this year, which means when this government wants to take a victory lap in June about minimum wage going up….

To all you minimum-wage earners out there: not only did your income tax rate go up, but you are actually go - ing to pay it on everything extra you are earning as well, because they’ve actually frozen the tax brackets. That’s slated to bring in an extra $600 million this year. When the government members want to shake their heads that that’s not real, they might want to look in their own budget document to see the $1.1 billion of in - come tax changes.

Those two situations alone are going to fall on seniors, on pensions, on hard-working families — on everyone in B.C. — under the guise of: “It’s a minor change; don’t worry about it.” [2:35 p.m.] What else is being removed that’s going to impact sen - iors and hard-working families, especially in resource communities? Well, the northern and rural homeowner grant that saw an extra $200 for the homeowner grant for everywhere outside of the 604 area code. Last I checked,

4806 B ritish Columbia Debates T uesday, February 17, 2026 that’s a lot of resource towns. That $200 per homeowner is gone. So let’s see. If you’re a senior living outside of 604 and you’re still trying to desperately live in your own home be- cause there are no long-term-care beds available for you, you just lost another $200 on your homeowner grant. You want to defer your property taxes, but it’s gone from a 2.9 percent interest rate to a 6.9 percent interest rate. And your pension’s just being taxed more. This is the NDP working for you if you’re a senior. PST.

The minister wants to talk about what they’re do - ing with business. Let’s look at the PST that’s being added to businesses. Yes, at a time when businesses are desperate for help because of crime and safety and shoplifting im - pacts and need to hire security guards to be in their stores, this government has decided it’s time to charge PST for security services. But wait. I always feel like — I think he’s actually run - ning down in the States — that Vince guy. I feel like the ShamWow! But wait. There’s more. They’re going to charge it on accounting services. They’re going to charge PST on bookkeeping services.

At a time that businesses are pleading for help around crime and safety and cost pressures, this government has decided to essentially shoplift an extra $550 million out of small businesses in the form of PST changes. But noth - ing to see here, according to the Finance Minister. They’re hard at work for you. Housing costs. The minister wants to talk about how they’re working hard to bring down housing costs. Well, let’s look at that with the PST attitude. Architectural ser - vices and engineering services for housing now will be subject to PST.

Does this government honestly think that the homebuilders that are now having to pay PST on an architectural cost are going to eat that cost, or do they think that extra 7 percent is going to get passed on to the new homeowner or renter? Once again a full-on attack on seniors, on hard-working families and on small businesses. I mentioned forestry with a $400 million cut to their ministry budget. Again, this is a minister that has over - seen a lot of pink slips going out in the forest sector.

Ap - parently, according to the books, he’ll be overseeing a lot of pink slips going inside of government, for a change, within forestry. But they won’t actually tell us where the cuts are going to come. Spending within the ministry is down $400 million. In 2022, this government collected $1.8 billion off of forestry in forest revenues. They’ve done so little to react to the downturns and the pleas from industry. This year rev - enues are down to $500 million. They’re not taking action. They can say they want to grow the economy all they want.

They’ve watched this slowly decline from $1.8 billion to $800 million to $600 million now to $500 million, year over year over year. That’s just from 2022. No response to industry, no creativity, no way to try to not only bring up government revenues but save all those forestry jobs — nothing. They have one thing in here. They’re going to let you defer your stumpage for 11 months this year. You’ll still owe it, and you still need to pay it, but at least they’ll let you have a little bit of cash flow for a few months.

In 2022 — again, same year as the $1.8 billion — this government said they were going to add 30,000 jobs in the forest sector. We have lost 15,000 since 2022. That’s a net non-deliverable promise of 45,000 jobs in the forest sector by this government. That’s how badly they’re failing the forest sector. [2:40 p.m.] It’s not just the dollars to government, a $1.3 billion loss. It’s the 45,000 jobs they haven’t even come close to delivering on, that they continue to promise and stand here and expect us to believe they have a plan forward.

I’m going to read a quote from the seniors advocate: “The impact of not increasing the supply of long-term-care beds to keep up with population growth over the next ten years will have a profound impact on emergency rooms, hospitals, family physician offices, seniors and families.” That’s in response to the long-term-care beds we’re short of — 16,000 by 2036. In this budget, the government is doing everything they can do to put financial pressure on a senior trying to live in their own home still, while still having a 16,000 de - ficiency of beds for long-term care by 2036.

So you would think this budget would actually accelerate long-term- care beds, but there is no plan to meet demand. In fact, on page 64 of the budget, there are six long- term-care homes listed that are now TBC. I can assume that means “to be cancelled.” They were previously an - nounced. They previously actually had completion dates in the budget. Everything else in the budget is the same except for the completion date. In Abbotsford, instead of a 2027 completion date, this government now has TBC. In Campbell River, instead of a 2027 completion date, it’s now TBC.

In Delta, 2027 long- term-care bed completion date, TBC; Chilliwack, 2029, TBC; Cottonwoods, 2029, TBC. And Squamish, 2030, is now TBC. They can’t even promise something in 2030 still. Now, normally, if a capital project is going to be delayed, they just put a new year in. This government is very good at doing that because everything’s delayed. They’re very good. They’re used to doing it. In fact, any changes in that capital plan are supposed to be highlighted. It’s supposed to be bolded. This government didn’t want us to notice the TBCs because they didn’t bold that.

If it had changed from a ’27 to a ’28, it would have been in bold, but apparently, going to the never, ever plan, it doesn’t need any scrutiny. In fact — and this one might interest you, Mr. Speaker — the Burnaby Hospital phase 2 that’s supposed to be 2030 as of last year’s budget is now TBC. It’s being re-evaluated.

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 4807 The interesting thing is that the dollar figure of the pro - jects that are being re-evaluated, that have been previously announced by their own language in this year’s budget, matches up close to the dollar figures when they’re talking about capital being delayed, capital not being pushed out. In fact, when we want to talk about capital and infra - structure, it’s very interesting. The overruns of the cur - rent capital plan from when they were first announced are now…. Last year it was at $15 billion.

It is now at $17.3 bil - lion for that list of projects — $17.3 billion over budget on $80 billion worth of projects. So 25 percent over budget. The interesting thing is they are now 158 years behind schedule. No wonder we’re now seeing TBC. They quite literally, in the middle of a seniors housing crisis for long-term-care beds, have ceased to even try to pretend there’s a deliverable date on six projects and a hos- pital, Burnaby Hospital phase 2, on the indefinite plan. Why does this matter?

The most secretive government in Canada, which routinely gets called that, has an in - teresting change to how they are going to bring forward legislation this spring. They’re going to change the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act, because those words certainly don’t match with an NDP government. [2:45 p.m.] Right now you have to declare any project over $50 mil - lion. But not this government. They find it too onerous to actually be forthright and to not only tell people if a school is being built in their community but what date they could reasonably expect that their kids could enrol in that school.

So instead of just even going to the TBC and leaving the project in the budget book — which, at least, would be a little bit of transparency — they want to change the legislation to account for inflation since the year 2000 and change the threshold for declaring a project from $50 mil - lion in capital spending to $100 million. Now, they haven’t actually come up with the dollar fig - ure, because it’s kind of like when they wanted to change the FOI laws and they kept saying: “Well, we’ve got to con- sult. We don’t really know what the number is for a filing fee.

We’ll have to do more consultation.” Then they signed off on the $10 fee about 15 minutes after it was passed in the legislation. This is open-ended. They don’t want to tell us what it is. It says for future…. A pretty quick search in your phone tells you, with inflation from the year 2000, what $50 mil - lion would be worth nowadays. It’s in that $100 million ballpark, but they can’t even be forthright enough with that. Why it matters is that the public has a right to know what projects are being planned in their communities. This is a government that, in this budget, has another $5 billion in contingencies.

They’re using all the same lan - guage. Because they didn’t get all the contracts negotiated last year that they needed the $4 billion in contingencies for, they need another $5 billion this year to keep working on the public service contracts that they say they’re going to actually cut 15,000 people out of. Something’s not add - ing up. If they didn’t need the full $4 billion — because they needed it all, according to the minister last year, the lion’s share of it, to deal with the contract negotiations — why do they keep saying that there’ll be no money left of the $4 billion?

This is why it’s important to run that scrutiny piece on the $50 million. The contingency funds, under this government, under this Premier, have turned into a slush fund. There is no scrutiny. They can go out after budget estimates are over, and they can approve, through Treasury Board, another project, another sweetheart deal, something else that gets paid for out of contingencies. The opposition, the public, has no opportunity to question that in advance, to ask what the government plans are, because when you ask questions about contingencies, you get non-answers.

That’s the lack of transparency this government has in this budget. That is the full force this government is bring - ing down on seniors, on working families, on small busi - nesses. At a time when all three of those groups are beg - ging for help, this government is doing the exact opposite.

I’ll have a lot more to say about this tomorrow, and my colleagues certainly will as well, because, I’ll tell you, if you live outside of 604, this is not a budget that seems to be caring about forest communities; that seems to be car - ing about people’s affordability if they have a homeowner grant; or people, seniors, trying to stay in their home by using property tax deferral. I know the Premier wants to start underwriting mort - gages. It makes you think he’s trying to start up a credit card company, with the interest rates they’re starting to go to, with the property tax deferral.

The fact is they’re even dipping into the basics that people have enjoyed in their homes to try to make ends meet — PST on a basic cable package. This government is so penned in that they have to tax people for basic cable, for land lines, for shoe repair, for buying yarn to knit sweaters. Yet they’re still running record deficits — which, again, I didn’t hear the minister talk about. We’re supposed to believe she’s on a path of fiscal re - sponsibility in making all these hard choices and hard decisions.

The $10 billion deficit that was supposed to be in this year’s budget, as she told us last year at this time, is now $13.3 billion, but we’re supposed to magically be - lieve that next year’s deficit will get back to that $10 billion, even though every single budget has had a record defi - cit under this Premier and this Finance Minister. Every budget update winds up with it. [2:50 p.m.] I know they can say: “Well, the last one wasn’t.” Well, they don’t have tobacco settlements to save them this year. We’re going to keep shining a light for those seniors at

4808 B ritish Columbia Debates T uesday, February 17, 2026 home that are desperate for their pension to go a little bit farther, who have just found out that they’re going to be hammered to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. The property tax deferment — $35 million extra it’s go - ing to bring in. The minister sloughed it off in her com - ments, says it’s a good thing, yet they’re budgeting to col - lect $35 million more off the backs of seniors that are on pensions, desperate to stay in their own homes right now with the program.

Apparently, that’s a nothing thing to the minister for them to worry about. The $500 million worth of income tax increases for the low-income tax bracket — it’s nothing to worry about. The $600 million on the income tax brackets being fro - zen is nothing to worry about. And $550 million on PST being added to the services that businesses rely on every day more and more — security, bookkeeping, accounting — and to homebuilders on architectural costs and engin - eering, but nothing to worry about. This is a government that very clearly has lost the plot. They very clearly say one thing and do the exact oppos - ite.

It is not fair to seniors and working families and small businesses. It’s not just for seniors, for working families and small businesses. In fact, it’s downright cruel to sen - iors, working families and small businesses the way this government is trying to spin this budget when we all know what the actual numbers that are going to be hitting those households are. Noting the time, I will reserve my place and adjourn the debate. Motion approved. Introduction and First Reading of Bills BILL 2 — BUDGET MEASURES IMPLEMENTATION ACT, 2026 Hon.

Brenda Bailey presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor: a bill intituled Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2026. Hon. Brenda Bailey: I move that the bill be introduced and read a first time now. I’m pleased to introduce the Budget Measures Imple - mentation Act, 2026. This bill consists of two parts.

Part 1 includes amendments to the Balanced Budget and Ministerial Accountability Act, the Budget Transpar - ency and Accountability Act, the Economic Stabilization (Tariff Response) Act, the Financial Administration Act, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the Insurance Corporation Act, the Public Interest Disclo - sure Act and the Public Service Act.

Part 2 amends the homeowner’s grant, the Income Tax Act, the Land Tax Deferment Act, the Property Transfer Tax Act, the Provincial Sales Tax Act, the School Act and the Speculation and Vacancy Tax Act in order to imple - ment the tax measures announced in Budget 2026. Finally, the bill makes various technical changes to British Columbia’s tax statutes, including harmonization with federal income tax provisions. Motion approved. Hon. Brenda Bailey: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. Motion approved.

BILL 3 — BUDGET MEASURES IMPLEMENTATION ACT (No. 2), 2026 Hon. Brenda Bailey presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor: a bill intituled Budget Measures Implementation Act (No. 2), 2026. Hon. Brenda Bailey: I move that the bill be introduced and read a first time now. I’m pleased to introduce the Budget Measures Imple - mentation Act (No. 2), 2026. The bill introduces the new British Columbia strategic investment special account.

As today’s budget has demonstrated, it is more import - ant than ever to unlock new economic opportunities for British Columbians. [2:55 p.m.] This special account sets up B.C. to advance these op - portunities, alongside partners like the federal government. It ensures that when a strategic opportunity has been vetted for co-investment, we have a toolbox with a selec - tion of optimized tools on the shelf and ready to use in our negotiations, and it will ensure that British Columbians benefit from the jobs, new investment, economic growth and new government revenues that these projects will generate.

Motion approved. Hon. Brenda Bailey: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. Motion approved. BILL 4 — SUPPLY ACT (No. 1), 2026 Hon. Brenda Bailey presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor: a bill intituled Supply Act (No. 1), 2026. Hon. Brenda Bailey: I move that Bill 4, Supply Act (No. 1), 2026, be introduced and read a first time now. Bill 4 provides interim supply for ministry operations

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 4809 and other appropriations for approximately the first three months of the ’26-27 fiscal year. Bill 4 also provides interim supply for a portion of the government’s anticipated financial requirements for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, including an amount equalling one- third of fiscal year ’26-27 estimated capital expenditures, loans, investments and other financing requirements and the full amount of the year’s estimated disbursements for revenues collected on behalf of and transferred to specific programs and entities. Motion approved. Hon.

Brenda Bailey: I move that Bill 4 be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. Motion approved. Tabling Documents Hon. Brenda Bailey: I have the pleasure to rise to table government’s overall strategic plan and the budget and fiscal plan 2026-27 to ’28-29, which together fulfil the re - quirements of sections 7, 8, 10 and 12 of the Budget Trans- parency and Accountability Act. I also table, on behalf of the ministers responsible, the service plans as required under

section 13 of the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act. The service plan documents are presented in two bind - ers. The first binder contains the service plans for the Of - fice of the Premier and 23 ministries. The second binder contains service plans for 30 delivery agencies and Crown corporations. The second binder also includes a listing of organizations that are exempt from the reporting require - ments of

section 13 of the Budget Transparency and Ac - countability Act. Hon. Mike Farnworth moved adjournment of the House. Motion approved. The Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 tomorrow afternoon. The House adjourned at 2:58 p.m.

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Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20260217pm-Hansard-n117
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	20260217pm Hansard n117
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	b14f2a3b846f6cbac1c352808ba2db6bba96c7a1

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