Second Session, 41st Parliament

(2017) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Morning Sitting

Issue No. 20

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Introductions by Members

Statements (Standing Order 25B)

David Rooney

D. Clovechok

Witness Blanket art installation

M. Dean

Flooding and wildfires in Boundary-Similkameen area

L. Larson

Port of Prince Rupert

J. Rice

Terry Fox fundraising runs

S. Bond

Morden Colliery Historic Provincial Park

D. Routley

Oral Questions

Election campaign financing legislation

M. de Jong

Hon. J. Horgan

Confidence and supply agreement secretariat

A. Wilkinson

Hon. J. Horgan

Engineering graduates and education programs

A. Weaver

Hon. M. Mark

Government plan for child care

M. Stilwell

Hon. K. Chen

Child care funding

L. Throness

Hon. C. James

Petitions

Hon. K. Chen

Orders of the Day

Budget Debate

(continued)

Hon. K. Conroy

J. Martin

Hon. L. Beare

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

The House met at 10:03 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers.

Introductions by Members

Hon. L. Popham: I am so pleased to introduce the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association that is

here joining us today. We had meetings with them regarding general issues

that B.C. cattlemen have, but we also talked about the recovery from the

forest fires that we are going to be doing together.

[10:05 a.m.]

Joining us today are Brian McKersie, the president; Larry Garrett, the

vice-president; and Grant Huffman, chair of…. I’m not sure. The writing on

my sheet ran out. Mike McConnell, chair, land stewardship committee; Kevin

Boon, general manager; Rick Mumford, coordinator of the land stewardship

committee.

What has happened this summer is unprecedented, but what does have a

precedent is the hopeful spirit of our farmers and ranchers as we move

together as a province into the recovery stage. So we thank you from the

bottom of our hearts.

N. Letnick: I’d like to join the Minister of Agriculture in welcoming the B.C.

Cattlemen’s Association and all their members. We’ve had a great

relationship with the B.C. Cattlemen over the 16 years we were in government

— in particular, over the last four — for one particular reason or another

and look forward to working with the government to ensure that we continue

to listen to their priorities and deliver on those priorities.

M. Dean: I’d like to honour that today we are meeting on the traditional

territory of the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations. Today we’re very

honoured to have in the House the Chief of Esquimalt First Nation, Chief

Andy Thomas, who joins us in the gallery today, along with Councillor Barb

Lecoy, Councillor Millie Modeste and also Steven Kelliher. I would invite

all members to show honour and respect. Many thanks.

J. Martin: Joining us from Chilliwack today, in the precinct, we have Brian den

Hertog; his wife, Anne-Marie; and their ten children. Please welcome Sophie,

Levi, Hannah, Joel, Charity, Philip, Jenita, Lydia, Lukas and Timothy. Thank

you so much. Please make them feel welcome.

D. Barnett: I, too, would like to welcome one of the B.C. Cattlemen here today,

particularly Grant Huffman, who is from my riding — a longtime rancher and a

longtime member of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association. The last I looked, he

was on the B.C. Cattlemen’s Aboriginal advisory committee. Please help me

welcome Grant here today.

D. Clovechok: I just want to take a quick second to recognize Brian McKersie in the

gallery. He’s actually my neighbour, and I chase his cattle off our area all

the time. Good to have you here, Brian.

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

DAVID ROONEY

D. Clovechok: I rise today to recognize the passing of a respected Revelstoke

community member. He was a father and a grandfather. He was the owner,

publisher, editor and journalist of the Revelstoke Current .

David Rooney left us on Friday, July 21, a week after what would finally

be my last interview with him.

David worked in the field of journalism since 1979. He worked for

the Canadian Press, the Ottawa Citizen in Ottawa, the

Calgary Herald , the Calgary Sun and the Banff

Crag and Canyon . He also taught journalism and web design at

the centre for communication studies at Mount Royal College, now Mount

Royal University.

David moved to Revelstoke in 2001 and quickly became a pillar of

his community, where he volunteered on countless initiatives and

organizations. David was a gifted artist and worked in acrylics, and his

work was amazing. He loved all things political and would not suffer a

fool. His understanding of political process was second to none, and he

became a valued mentor. We spent many hours talking about political

policy on all levels of government. I so enjoyed our regular interviews

that he called All Things Political , and he had such a robust

laugh.

Above all, he was the consummate professional that I came to

trust. When David said it was off the record, it was off the record. His

word was his honour. He was prophetic at times, and I remember him

telling me, not long before his passing: “My life is a journey in

progress. I’m fortunate — or, if you believe in Chinese curses —

unfortunate to live in such interesting times.”

So fly with the winds, my friend, and thank you for being such an

interesting character, a Revelstokian and British Columbian that will

not be forgotten. David loved Revelstoke, and Revelstoke loved him. We

all miss you.

[10:10 a.m.]

WITNESS BLANKET ART INSTALLATION

M. Dean: “If the Witness Blanket fosters awareness in one person who is

just learning about this difficult part of Canadian history, or touches

a residential school survivor or one of their family members, it has

made a difference.” Those are the words of Carey Newman, the artist who

created the Witness Blanket.

The Witness Blanket is an incredible large-scale art installation

that recounts true stories of loss, strength, trauma, resilience and

experience of the residential school system. It includes reclaimed items

from residential schools, churches, government buildings, and

traditional and cultural structures from across Canada, as well as

pieces created especially for the blanket. It is comprised of 13 panels

displaying over 800 artifacts and is 12 metres wide by 2 metres high —

truly impressive in so many ways.

The inspiration comes from a woven blanket. The blanket is a

universal symbol of protection and comfort for young and for old. The

art installation is a national monument. It stands to recognize the

atrocities of the residential school system, and it signals the start of

the path to reconciliation.

We were fortunate, in the constituency of Esquimalt-Metchosin, to

have recently had the Witness Blanket exhibited at Royal Roads

University, itself a national historic site. The opening event included

a blessing, traditional dancing and an excerpt from a film about the

making of the blanket, all of which added to the impact of the art and

learning about the hundreds of components of this blanket.

In the words of the amazing artist, Carey Newman, he “created this

monument to reflect the strength of my people, and it is my hope that

everyone who stands in witness of this piece will be affected in some

way.”

FLOODING AND WILDFIRES IN

BOUNDARY-SIMILKAMEEN

AREA

L. Larson: Like most British Columbians, the residents of the

Boundary-Similkameen are hoping that the dry summer will end soon and

are looking forward to some wet, cool weather. The heat has been

relentless. The only relief from the heat happens when the sun is

blocked by smoke. Many areas have been without a significant rainfall

for more than three months.

But we didn’t start with fire. We started with floods — a snowpack

that started at normal levels and then doubled and tripled in the early

spring and then spring rains that were not gentle but

torrential.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the regional district

of Okanagan-Similkameen for their efficiency of response — first to the

flooding and then to fires. The regional district staff, led by Mark

Woods, and the regional directors responsible for the areas most

affected are still mopping up from the floods. Also, thanks to the

dedicated people working at FLNRO and Environment.

The work to mitigate future flooding is only in the early stages

of discussion. At a recent meeting of the RDOS, all the agencies who

were involved reported out on the challenges faced during the flood.

Engineers are rethinking the averages they base decisions on. The

anomalies are actually the new norms, and designs can no longer be based

on a 100-year average but must be calculated on the last five or ten

years of data.

Then we come to fire. The areas in the South Okanagan that burned

in 2015 were exposed ground, with nothing to stop the massive amount of

rain from running off the mountains into orchards and over

highways.

As we look at all the new areas in the province burned this year,

we must look ahead to the potential of increased flooding in the coming

years. Debris of slopes will be of concern, and a concentrated effort on

replanting must part of the forestry plans going forward.

Again, thanks to all the agencies and their staff, as well as the

volunteers who worked extremely long days with no relief to protect the

farms, businesses and residents of the Boundary-Similkameen.

PORT OF PRINCE RUPERT

J. Rice: When I attended the groundbreaking of the Fairview container port

expansion in 2015, there was a sense of excitement in Prince Rupert. The

plan was to double the size of the port, which would allow two container

vessels to berth at the same time. The expansion would facilitate three

new Malacca-max gantry cranes.

[10:15 a.m.]

And 28 months of hard work and $200 million later, I attended the

grand opening celebration on August 29 with my colleagues the Minister

of Transportation and Infrastructure and the Minister of Jobs, Trade and

Technology.

It was a bright and sunny day for the grand opening, which I think

is a good omen, considering Prince Rupert gets over 230 days of rain per

year. And it was through our port that the sun continues to rise, with a

new era of diversified opportunities.

The growth of the Port of Prince Rupert has enabled a network of

jobs across B.C. From working at the port or with one of the

transportation companies, over 3,300 jobs have been created in trains,

trucks, vessels, logistics, warehousing, terminals and inspections. Each

of those industries spins off around 2,200 indirect jobs via small

businesses along transport routes.

Don Krusel began working at the Port of Prince Rupert in 1987 as

the chief financial officer. Promoted to president and chief executive

officer in 1992, Krusel experienced the peak of lumber shipments through

the terminal to actually shutting them down.

The idea of selling a world-class container port in the remote

north coast city was laughable at the time, he said. People would ask

him where Prince Rupert was on a map. Ten years later, having guided the

organization through the expansion, it’s safe to say that Don Krusel can

be credited for putting Prince Rupert on the map of international trade.

Within two weeks of cutting the ribbon at Fairview, Mr. Krusel announced

his retirement.

I want to thank him for his vision, his commitment and tireless

work in setting the stage for a new era of economic diversification in

Prince Rupert. The 750 longshoremen and over 90 staff members of DP

World thank you for your work. Thank you for your vision.

TERRY FOX FUNDRAISING RUNS

S. Bond: For 37 years, residents of Prince George have joined with

Canadians and people right around the world to keep Terry’s dream alive.

In fact, last Sunday, I know that many members in this House

participated in the annual Terry Fox Run in their

communities.

Prince George has a special connection with Terry Fox. Less than

two years after having his right leg amputated, Terry came to race in

the Prince George Labour Day Classic, as a test run. He came with his

brother Darrel, his friend Doug and another good friend named Rick

Hansen.

Terry successfully completed the race and, just nine months later,

began his Marathon of Hope by dipping his leg in the Atlantic Ocean. On

Sunday in Prince George, our family was very proud to join hundreds of

people who walked, ran, rode their bikes and even brought their pets so

that they could do their part. It was great to see our Prince George

Spruce Kings hockey team there as well as athletes from our UNBC

Timberwolves. While there is still time to contribute and to increase

the total, as of yesterday, the Prince George Terry Fox Run had raised

over $10,000.

I want to say a special thank you to Scott McWalter and his entire

family and the incredible group of volunteers who make sure that this

event continues every year in our community.

Terry Fox is an inspiration to all of us. He said this: “Even if I

don’t finish, we need others to continue. It’s got to keep going.” He

also said: “I want to set an example that will never be

forgotten.”

Well, Terry, 37 years later, people in Prince George and around

the world are keeping your dream alive. And we can assure you of this:

you will never be forgotten.

MORDEN COLLIERY

HISTORIC PROVINCIAL

PARK

D. Routley: That was a very nice tribute.

I rise to speak about a park in my constituency named Morden

Colliery Historic Park. It is historical. It refers back to the coal

mining days on Vancouver Island. It has a very important role in that it

was constructed during the coal strike of 1913-14.

This is a time when the union movement was formed in British

Columbia. The Dunsmuir land grant, which had so interfered and insulted

First Nations and their rights to their property and land, was at full

play. This mine also was an example of the highest form of reinforced

concrete technology at the time.

Unfortunately, it’s sunk into some disrepair and is in danger of

falling. So it’s not just the history. It’s the current situation,

because the people who are the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of

the miners who worked and died in those coal mines are now restoring

that mine.

They’re gathering together the strength of the community. They’ve

been given a $20,000 grant from Heritage Canada and a $5,000 grant, so

far, from local government. They’re going for more.

[10:20 a.m.]

I hope to help them, because when you go there, it’s silent. You

can hear the farms in the distance and the breeze in the trees. It’s

much like it was, I’m sure, when they put down their tools the last

time. In those breezes are the spirits of the great-grandparents of the

people I represent.

It’s very important to us, our shared history, that we value such

memories, for the good and the bad of them, and recognize how they

inform the struggles we have today in reconciliation and the strength

that has given us as communities.

Oral Questions

ELECTION CAMPAIGN FINANCING

LEGISLATION

M. de Jong: My question today begins with a quote. For the quote, I had to

search way back — well, way back earlier this year. The quote begins

with a question from a reporter, Mr. Woodford, posing a question to the

now Premier. He wasn’t the Premier then, and I’m learning that that

distinction is becoming important, actually. “When you table your

legislation, just to be clear, there is going to be nothing in there

about, sort of, taxpayers having to fund political parties?”

The reply from the now Premier: “Yeah, that is correct. That’s

what we said in the past, that’s what we’ll say in February, and that’s

what we’re going to do after the May election, when we form government.”

Clear words from the now Premier.

I can think of all sorts of reasons why forcing B.C. taxpayers to

fund political parties is a bad idea. I’ll begin with this one: because

the Premier gave his word that they wouldn’t have to.

My question to the Premier is: why is he breaking his repeated

promise and forcing British Columbians to fund, through their taxes,

political parties that they have no interest or no desire to

support?

Hon. J. Horgan: I thank the member for his question. He will know that we have

legislation before this House that will…. After 16 years and after six

private members’ bills by those who are now on this side of the House,

we will be banning union and corporate donations in British

Columbia.

We will be putting a cap on individual contributions to political

parties in British Columbia. We’re going to end cash-for-access deals

like the former government used to use. And we’re going to make

sure….

Interjections.

Hon. J. Horgan: We’re going to put people back in the centre of our politics.

That’s what the people of British Columbia want, and that’s what we’re

doing.

M. de Jong: Well, if that’s the plan, the Premier better send a memo in really

big print to his Minister of Citizens’ Services so she and all of her

friends of ill repute understand exactly what the new rules of the game

are.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, please.

[10:25 a.m.]

M. de Jong: Another quote, this time to one Mr. Ferraby. Again, the now

Premier: “At no time have I said that I prefer to make public dollars

responsible for political parties — at no time. Let me be perfectly

clear — no time.”

Look, a simple question. I think that British Columbians actually

do want to know this. Was it the Premier’s idea to break his word?

Clearly, he has done that. Was it the Premier’s idea to break his word,

or was this forced upon him by the head of his wholly owned subsidiary

down at the other end of the hall here? British Columbians want to know.

Did he break the word on his own, or was it forced upon him by members

of the Green Party?

Hon. J. Horgan: What British Columbians now know is that big money will no longer

influence the decisions of their government. What British Columbians now

know is that the people on that side of the House, who depended on a

handful of contributions…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Order, please.

Premier, continue.

Hon. J. Horgan: …that made up millions and millions of dollars of their political

coffers, is no longer going to happen. That’s what British Columbians

asked for, and that’s what they’re going to get.

Mr. Speaker: The House Leader for the official opposition on a

supplemental.

M. de Jong: What British Columbians now know is that for the majority who

would have no interest — no interest whatsoever — in providing any of

their hard-earned money to the NDP, the Premier has removed that option

and is going to use the tax system to dip into their pockets and force

them to support political parties that they don’t want to

support.

I have heard members of the opposition describe this as a

transitional measure. If anyone thinks that after five years, the NDP

and Green Party are going to turn off the tap on public funding of

political parties, I’ve got a bridge in Richmond that I’d like to sell

them.

Mr. Speaker: Member, your question, please.

M. de Jong: Actually, thanks to the NDP, I don’t have a bridge in Richmond to

sell them, but that’s another matter.

The question, again, to the Premier. It’s time he came clean. I

understand he didn’t want to talk to anyone yesterday at the press

conference, didn’t want to take any questions. This is the people’s

House. This is where people deserve answers.

Was it his idea to break his word to British Columbians and force

them to fund political parties, or was the decision forced upon him by

members of the subsidiary?

Hon. J. Horgan: I’m pleased to see that the Opposition House Leader is adapting to

his role as class clown, but what the public wants to know…. What the

public will hear in this House is a reasoned debate about a piece of

legislation that that side of the House refused to talk about for 16

years.

The member suggested that…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, please.

Premier, continue.

Hon. J. Horgan: …five years from now, there will continue to be a majority on this

side of the House. I welcome that day coming, but this legislation is

not what the Liberals want it to be. There is a transition fund that

goes down year after year, and, after four years, no longer

exists.

[10:30 a.m.]

CONFIDENCE AND SUPPLY AGREEMENT

SECRETARIAT

A. Wilkinson: Only two months into this government’s tenure, and they’re already

spending taxpayers’ money managing their political affairs internally.

The confidence and supply agreement exists to enforce a political

agreement between the NDP and their little friends down at the end, the

Green Party. And here’s what Bill Tieleman….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members.

A. Wilkinson: Here’s what NDP insider Bill Tieleman had to say this

morning…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, we will hear the question.

A. Wilkinson: …about this agreement: “Last week B.C. Green Party MLAs staged a

dramatic political hostage-taking of the B.C. NDP government and refused

to release it unless the Greens’ demands were met.”

Well, clearly they got their way, yet we find ourselves with our

government maintaining the secretariat at taxpayers’ expense to manage

this political agreement. Somehow, in the federal government, when we

have Conservative governments or Liberal governments ten times the size

of our government, they manage minorities without a paid

secretariat.

The question to the Premier is: why are we spending taxpayers’

dollars to maintain a purely political secretariat to manage the

internal battles between the Greens and the NDP?

Hon. J. Horgan: I thank my colleague for his question. I don’t know if he was

around after May 9. We had an election. The public said that they’d had

enough of those guys. In our British parliamentary system — some of the

rookie MLAs might not understand that — the majority of members in this

House forms the government. That’s what happened.

We’re bringing forward policies that will help the public and make

life better for British Columbians. We’ve ended the Wild West of

fundraising. I know that’s going to be a big problem for you guys, a big

problem for your leadership campaign. I know it will be a big problem

for your leadership campaign, but I’m certain that other members in your

caucus will be happy to have an opportunity to compete with the

big-money member from Vancouver-Quilchena.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Vancouver-Quilchena on a supplemental.

A. Wilkinson: Well, there’s a real pattern developing here. Clearly the NDP are

breaking a promise a day, and their Premier is incapable of answering a

question.

Maintaining the Green-NDP agreement is not a function of the B.C.

public service. The public service code of conduct says that employees

must not engage in political activities during working hours. Yet we

have the secretariat established between these two parties at public

expense to manage a purely political agreement.

The executive director of that secretariat has personal ties to

the NDP’s deputy director. This government won’t even tell us the cost

of this secretariat. It amounts to a blank cheque to the Premier and the

member from Oak Bay to manage their internal squabbles, as we’ve seen

this past week. And as we’ve seen, the NDP caved to the interests of the

Green Party. A political office to enforce a political agreement between

political parties should not come at a cost to taxpayers.

Will the Premier please answer the question? Give it your best

try. Really give it your all. You’re good at this sport. Why does this

government insist on spending taxpayers’ dollars and refuse to tell this

House how much you’re spending on your internal squabbles on that side

of the House?

Hon. J. Horgan: Again, I welcome the question from the member on the other side —

who, I recall, not that many months ago would not tell the public how

much public funding was going into their election campaign ads that were

being paid for by taxpayers. Of all the people on that side to stand and

say, “Tell us how much it costs,” I think that’s the wrong one to be

getting up and asking that question.

[10:35 a.m.]

ENGINEERING GRADUATES AND

EDUCATION

PROGRAMS

A. Weaver: At every level — undergraduate, master’s and PhD — B.C. lags

behind other provinces in the number of engineers it graduates per

capita. Of the nine provinces that offer engineering undergraduate

degrees, B.C. ranks a dismal eighth. It ranks seventh in master’s and

sixth in PhDs.

Quebec and Ontario graduated 40 percent more undergraduate

engineers per capita in 2015 than B.C. They graduated 280 and 300

percent, respectively, more master’s degrees than B.C., while Nova

Scotia graduated 500 percent more master’s degrees than B.C. Quebec has

more than twice the number of PhD graduates. In fact, B.C. is one of the

lowest-ranked jurisdictions in the world in terms of engineering PhDs

per capita.

To compound this discrepancy further, B.C. has the strongest

projected growth for engineers in Canada. There are post-secondary

institutions eager to fill the need. UNBC has been trying to get an

undergraduate engineering program for years.

Mr. Speaker: Member, your question.

A. Weaver: The engineering department at UBC wants to build a tech campus in

Squamish.

To the Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, how is

her ministry going to facilitate the development of these programs and

increase the number of engineering grads in British Columbia?

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Interjection.

Hon. M. Mark: Sorry, what was that?

Interjection.

Hon. M. Mark: Yeah, exactly. It’s not you asking the question. I’m the one

answering the question, through the Speaker.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. M. Mark: No, it’s okay. I’m used to this. I’m used to this circus on the

other side. It has only been a week, but it’s been fun.

I’d like to thank the member for Oak Bay–Gordon Head for the

question.

Interjection.

Hon. M. Mark: Well, of course I do. I like to stand in this House as an advocate

for post-secondary education. For the last 16 years…. In the first 21

days on the job, I had a chance to travel the province and hear from

students and get to see STEM in action — science, technology,

engineering and math.

We’re going to do something about this on this side of the House

to send a message to students that we’re on their side, that we’re going

to invest in their education. We’re going to invest in the tech

sector.

We know that the tech sector is a $26 billion industry. Our

friends on the other side of the House remind us that we’re not

interested in jobs, but we need to make sure that we’re training people

up. We’re going to make sure that those 100,000 people that are

contributing to the economy are trained up in engineering. So we’re

going to increase co-op placements. We’re going to increase

apprenticeship placements. We’re going to make sure that the trade seats

are relevant all across the province, not just select regions in the

province.

I look forward to working with the member for Oak Bay–Gordon Head

on increasing the seats in engineering in B.C.

A. Weaver: If ever there was any doubt why this boisterous bunch needed to be

put in a time-out, today is the justification for that.

Interjections.

A. Weaver: In mathematics, hon. Speaker, “QED” is often used to demonstrate

exactly what I was just saying.

UNBC has proven that if we train people in the north, they stay in

the north. In fact, more than half of their 13,000 alumni live in the

north, contributing to the society, culture and employment base.

Engineering should be offered at UNBC. It would add to those

figures.

I recognize that 16 years of rule by the Luddites opposite, who do

not understand the importance of the new economy, abandoned rural B.C.

and left them on the hook. They abandoned development in rural

B.C….

Interjections.

[10:40 a.m.]

Mr. Speaker: Member, please be seated for a moment.

Members, we are reminded that when someone is speaking, we will

listen with good manners.

A. Weaver: My question to the Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and

Training is: what is your ministry doing to ensure vibrant educational

opportunities are available across all disciplines in our northern

communities, in order to allow these communities to take advantage of

the emerging opportunities in the 21st-century economy that have been

left out because of 16 years of incompetent rule by the B.C.

Liberals?

Hon. M. Mark: I’m so pleased to hear a question about post-secondary advocacy in

this House, because it’s about time that we have a government that’s

going to advocate for the students all across British Columbia and make

sure that we have those seats available. It is unacceptable that that

government brought us to eighth place, in this province….

Interjections.

Hon. M. Mark: Pardon me? It’s exciting in here. I love the excitement. It’s

about time that people are standing up for post-secondary education

instead of standing in the way.

We’re going to get to increasing those seats across B.C., up in

UNBC. We’re going to make sure that we’re investing in jobs in the 21st

century. We’re going to make sure that we’re not standing in the way by

increasing debt and tripling tuition, like what was done under the last

government in 16 years.

We are going to stand beside the students in British Columbia. We

made those measures, in the first 60 days of forming government, by

reducing student debt, by making sure that we increase seats for

students in the trade sector and the engineering sector. We’re standing

beside students in this province, and we’re sending a message that we

are going to invest in them, not stand in their way.

GOVERNMENT PLAN FOR CHILD CARE

M. Stilwell: British Columbians have heard a lot of mixed messages from this

government, and their junior partners down the way, over the last number

of weeks, so I think it’s important for us to clear the air and really

look at the major planks of the NDP’s platform.

Child care. It seems like not a day goes by where there isn’t

conflicting information about whether or not the NDP actually intend on

keeping their promise for $10-a-day daycare. Yet one person we haven’t

heard from is the minister responsible.

So I want to ask: can the Minister of State for Child Care confirm

in this House that the child care strategy they promised British

Columbians is unworkable and will not be implemented as presented in

their platform?

Hon. K. Chen: Thanks to the opposition member for raising the very important

question about child care. I’m very honoured to stand here to answer my

first question during question period as the Minister of State for Child

Care. The fact that I’m standing here as the Minister of State for Child

Care shows our government’s commitment to this very important issue in

this province. We know how hard it is for parents to find affordable and

quality and accessible child care in our province.

It is actually interesting to hear that question from the

opposition member. As soon as we became government, during the past few

weeks, I’ve been meeting with a lot of parents, community members, child

care advocates and also stakeholders and providers about this very

important issue. What I’ve heard from them is that many of them have

shared the same concerns. They’ve shared the same concern about the past

16 years. The B.C. Liberal government has done nothing to address the

child care crisis in our province.

[10:45 a.m.]

People are actually very excited to see that we finally have a

government that is willing to listen, consult and work hand in hand with

people to address the child care crisis in B.C. We are already working

on an implementation plan that will make life better and more affordable

for B.C. families.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Parksville-Qualicum on a supplemental.

M. Stilwell: Perhaps the minister is confused on the word “commitment.” The

$10-a-day plan is not even in her mandate letter. However, the Premier

and the Finance Minister have both said again and again that they will

implement the $10-a-day plan. I believe the exact words of the Premier

were: “I’m proceeding with the $10-a-day plan.” The junior partner from

Oak Bay says it’s irrelevant. The Premier says it’s imperative. The

timeline, however, is questionable at best.

A simple question to the minister: can she confirm that this

government actually doesn’t have a plan for child care and that families

around British Columbia have been left with uncertainty and another NDP

broken promise?

Hon. K. Chen: Thanks again to the opposition member for raising this very

important question. It is very interesting that after 16 years, your

side of the members are now interested in investing in child care in

B.C.

Just during the past weekend and during the past several weeks, I

have been hearing a lot of stories and a lot of concerns from local

families about not being able to find quality and accessible child care.

I met a mom in Burnaby who shared with me her concerns about having to

struggle between her work and her child care needs. Her employer is

waiting for her to return to work, but she couldn’t. She could not

continue with her career goals because she’s unable to find quality and

accessible child care. If that side, the members, had done something

when they were in power during the past 16 years, this family would not

face this child care crisis right now.

Mr. Speaker: Thank you, Minister.

Hon. K. Chen: The previous B.C. Liberal government had all of the resources and

the money that was supposed to go into child care. They have done

nothing to address that crisis.

Mr. Speaker: Minister, please take your seat.

CHILD CARE FUNDING

L. Throness: In the budget update a couple of weeks ago, the Minister of

Finance boasted about her government’s emphasis on child care. In her

budget speech, she talked about $20 million in new child care

investments. This canard was parroted by the Minister of Environment and

even the Premier, but I went back and found the line in the budget. It

wasn’t from the NDP budget update at all. It was taken from the B.C.

Liberal budget in February. In fact, there’s not one new dollar for

child care from the NDP.

It looks to me like the NDP is already trying to cover up its

broken record on election promises with misleading language. So my

question is for the Minister of State for Child Care. Can the minister

of state explain why the government is making a false claim about new

funding for child care?

Hon. C. James: I am always happy to stand up and talk about a budget that invests

in people in British Columbia. Our budget ensures that we begin to make

life more affordable for families. It ensures that we begin to build

back the services that were gutted over the last 16 years. It invests in

a sustainable economy for the people of this province.

[10:50 a.m.]

That’s what they asked for, that’s what we’re going to deliver,

and I look forward to more to come.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Chilliwack-Kent on a supplemental.

L. Throness: Obviously, the B.C. Liberal approach on child care was the right

one because the NDP copied it dollar for dollar. But there is a

difference. In the B.C. Liberal budget from February, $20 million would

buy 2,000 more child care spaces. In the NDP budget update, that same

$20 million now magically supports 4,100 child care spaces. The Minister

of Finance is some kind of magician. She just says the word, and 2,000

free child care spaces suddenly appear.

Will the minister or the minister of state explain how she will

fund 2,000 extra child care spaces with no new money?

Hon. C. James: I think the other side received a very clear message from the

public in May. They received a message that a government that guts

services and programs for 16 years and decides at election time that

they’ve seen the light, weren’t believed. The public knows. They wanted

a government that was going to invest in people. That’s what they

received on this side of the House, and that’s what we’re going to

deliver.

[End of question period.]

Hon. K. Chen: I rise today to introduce a petition.

Mr. Speaker: Proceed, Minister.

Petitions

Hon. K. Chen: I rise today to present a petition that was given to me on Saturday by

parents and grandparents who have been experiencing the child care crisis in

our province for far too long. The petition reads: “We, the undersigned,

call on the British Columbia government to implement a $10-a-day child care

plan. The plan is a made-in-B.C. solution to the current child care crisis.

It will create quality, affordable spaces in every community and pay

educators a living wage.”

Orders of the Day

Hon. M. Farnworth: I call continued debate on the budget.

[R. Chouhan in the chair.]

Deputy Speaker: Members who are not on duty, please, maybe move out of the House so we can

continue with the House business. Thank you so much.

Budget Debate

(continued)

Hon. K. Conroy: I am very honoured to be the new Minister of Children and Families,

with so many opportunities, including child care. I’m going to start today

where I left off yesterday with reiterating our support for the $10-a-day

plan that is our commitment.

Every family deserves a stable foundation on which to build their

lives. Access to safe, affordable, quality child care can help offer that

stability. Investing in child care is the right thing to do for our kids,

for working families and for the economy. Even the B.C. Chamber of Commerce

and the Vancouver and Surrey boards of trade agree, as well as numerous

municipalities across B.C.

[10:55 a.m.]

The B.C. Greens also want to make child care more affordable. In this

minority government, British Columbians expect us to work across party lines

to find a solution. We will work with Green MLAs to develop a plan to make

child care more affordable, and our new government is working with parents,

providers and early childhood educators on how we can implement this

plan.

My colleague the Minister of State for Child Care has been extremely

busy talking with parents, meeting with early childhood educators and

advocates and hearing from Indigenous child care providers, all with the

goal of finding the best way to implement the plan.

It’s not about if we can do it; it’s about how we can do it right.

That means taking a careful look at questions of capacity, ensuring we not

only have enough spaces but also enough early childhood educators who are

properly trained, qualified and compensated to care for those who mean the

most to B.C.’s children and families.

We’re also looking at where to prioritize investment. For example,

we’ll be starting with where there is the greatest need: infant and toddler

care. And we’re making sure we’re fast-tracking new licensed care spaces in

the communities where they’re needed most.

Our long-term plan for child care represents one of the most

substantial policy shifts in B.C.’s history. It won’t happen overnight. B.C.

is far behind the rest of Canada on child care. We’ve had 16 years where

other provinces were using federal dollars earmarked for child care to build

stable child care systems and investing their own funds to make life better

for young families. B.C. is very late to the game, but we now have a new

government that is committed to child care and making it happen. For

families who are struggling now with child care, choosing not to work or not

to have a second child because of the child care crisis in B.C., we know

this change can’t come fast enough.

For the family of baby Mac, who did everything they possibly could do

to find safe child care for their son and now live with the grief of his

death at an unlicensed child care provider, the change will never be in

time. But what is remarkable is that baby Mac’s family have turned their

grief into advocacy, working for quality, affordable child care for all

children in this province.

They attended a forum just this weekend with my colleague the Minister

of State for Child Care, and they, along with other parents and grandparents

in that room, carried a powerful message that we heard loud and clear. B.C.

families need safe child care for their children, and they want action.

We’re working hard right now to ensure that. By February’s budget, our first

full budget as the new government, we’re able to outline the details of our

action plan.

Also, with this ministry, I’ve been handed an incredible

responsibility. It is a vast portfolio, and we offer such a huge variety of

services to children and families. Probably the most significant, and it’s

one that’s most often in the public eye, is our function as parent to the

7,500 children and youth in government care. All kids deserve safety, and we

know that kids do best in the security of a loving family home. This

ministry’s primary mandate is to support families to be able to offer that

love and security. We want to lift up struggling families, not break them

apart.

While we always will have a role to step up and care for children who

need our temporary or, sadly, our long-term protection, we know we can do

more to keep children safely with their extended families, close to their

friends and communities and connected with their culture.

In moving our child protection system forward, we’re taking into

account the advice of experts and feedback from those who’ve been in the

system themselves. The ministry’s strategic plan is shaped in no small part

by recommendations from the Representative for Children and Youth, and I

feel we are already establishing a closer working relationship with that

office.

We are also deeply indebted to recommendations from Grand Chief Ed

John. His report on Indigenous child welfare outlines how to shift our

practice to one that embodies the principle of “nothing for us without us,”

respecting the needs of Indigenous communities and acknowledging how our

approach up to now has failed. Grand Chief Ed John’s report lays out the

steps we can take to better support Indigenous families and communities, and

this road map is a key priority for my ministry.

Another priority is to better support the social workers who are on

the front lines, working directly with the vulnerable kids and families who

need our help most. Investing in child protection means investing in

them.

[11:00 a.m.]

In many ways, I’m sure there is no more challenging profession than

social work. They come to families when things are at their worst, they

witness hardships and conflict more than most of us, thankfully, will ever

know in our own lives, and they give of themselves to resolve these

conflicts, to make sure kids are safe and to keep families whole,

functioning and on the road to success.

Where many of us would only see the difficulties, they see opportunity

— an opportunity each and every day to make life better for someone else. We

owe them a debt of gratitude, and we must find ways to continue attracting

dedicated, qualified people to the field of social work.

I look forward to working with these tremendous women and men, getting

to meet them in person. I have been given a clear mandate from the Premier

to provide better support to our social workers, and I’ve already spoken

with my deputy minister about the steps we can take. We want them to have

caseloads that they can manage and the opportunity to really dedicate

themselves to each and every family and child they work with. I know we will

get there, working together.

For the kids who are coming into government care, our every focus is

on connecting or reconnecting them with a safe, nurturing environment. Where

that hasn’t happened by the age of 19, we can’t afford to turn our backs and

leave those young adults to fend for themselves. Regardless of their family

situation, very few young people today are ready at that age to proceed

without some kind of support in their lives.

I have four amazing kids myself. They’re all adults now. I can tell

you that at some point, every one of them has reached back to us for help.

I’ve been proud that we’ve been there to be able to provide it. I can’t

imagine anyone in this room that is a parent saying to their kids at 19,

“See ya later; have a good life,” and never provide support

again.

As a ministry, we need to ensure that kind of support is available for

all of the young people in our care as well. That’s why one of our big

announcements as a government was our expansion of the tuition waiver

program. As of September 1, all 25 of B.C.’s public post-secondary

institutions now grant tuition waivers to young people who spent two or more

years in our care. This reduces a massive barrier for young people who may

not have had the family stability and consistent support they need. Putting

college and university in reach for the first time opens a world of

opportunity for those people.

I can tell you there wasn’t a dry eye in the room when we announced it

a few weeks ago at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo. I think everyone

recognized the significance of a government stepping up and showing that

we’ll be there for kids, even after they leave our care.

There’s still more to do on this, though. Every young adult takes a

different path and faces different struggles. That’s why our services need

to be tailored to a young person’s individual need, so we can help all the

youth aging out of care who need it and not just a few.

Expanding the tuition waiver program for former youth in care was a

small but heartfelt step in the right direction. It was explicitly called

for in my mandate letter from the Premier, and we accomplished it within six

weeks since taking office. Six weeks, and I’m very excited to soon share

details with you about the further steps we’re taking to equip those young

adults for success.

The overarching guiding principle of our work in this ministry is and

always will be the best interests of the child. But a child doesn’t exist in

isolation. They are born to and belong to families and to

communities.

When an Indigenous child is removed from his or her home, that child

can be uprooted from not only their family but their community and their

culture. This was made very evident to me when I attended the Ignite Your

Spirit healing circle in Cowichan Lake very soon after becoming

minister.

The event was sponsored by the Representative for Children and Youth

office, with help, as well, from within our own ministry. Fifty Indigenous

youth from Vancouver Island, along with the equivalent number of adults —

including councillors, social workers, RCY staff and the representative,

Bernard Richard himself — spent three days at the lake, talking about how

they, the youth, would like to see change, and what has worked for them and

what hasn’t.

At the healing circle I attended, the groups made presentations on

what they had shared during their time together, and then individual youth

shared their own personal stories. These stories were heart-wrenching,

emotional and the raw truth of what these young people had experienced. Yet

they had the courage to stand in front of so many, including strangers, and

tell their stories. They had the courage to ask for help to ensure things

need to change and to make things better for their younger

siblings.

After that, we all headed for the lake, because it was an incredibly

hot day. We stood off to the side with the representative, watching these

young people swimming, laughing and having fun in the lake, just getting to

be kids, after sharing their difficult stories. It gave me a better

understanding of what we need to do.

I left shaken but with resolve that we have to make things better. We

do have to change the way we provide supports. We do need to ensure the

supports are there to keep families together, and when that’s not possible,

the supports for the children to get the love and nurturing they need in a

culturally respectful way.

[11:05 a.m.]

As I have said before, this role as Minister of Child and Family

Development is one that is as daunting as it is ripe with opportunity. I

think Indigenous child welfare epitomizes these two sides of the

child-protection and family-preservation coin.

We all know that Indigenous children represent well over half of the

kids in our caseload, while only representing 10 percent of the province’s

children and youth. We all know that has to change and the ministry has to

change. For too long, there have been system-wide assumptions and practices

that have failed our First Nations children and their families.

My mandate letter demands a fundamental shift, as guided by Grand

Chief Ed John’s report. It makes reducing the number of Aboriginal kids in

care a priority. It calls for delegated Aboriginal agencies to be supported

to provide services at the same level offered to non-Aboriginal children.

And it calls on us not only to make services we provide to Indigenous

children and their families culturally sensitive but to take real action to

change the system fundamentally.

I had the great honour of meeting with Indigenous leaders recently at

the First Nations leadership gathering. We had over 40 meetings with

representatives from communities across the province. I heard loud and clear

that our current efforts of simply connecting Indigenous children with their

communities is not enough. We want to support Indigenous communities with

the solutions they have determined for their children.

We have also struck a custom adoption working group to explore how we

can create legislation that allows the community, a band or a coalition of

trusted elders to adopt an Indigenous child as a unit.

Our government is committed to implementing the calls to action of the

Truth and Reconciliation Commission and also the principles of the United

Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples. Our Indigenous

children and youth have waited too long.

There’s a lot of work to do, and I’m excited about getting started as

a new government.

J. Martin: It’s always a pleasure to be able to rise in this House. Today I am

happy to speak on behalf of the great people in Chilliwack — my

constituents, family, friends, loved ones — and speak on the update to

Budget 2017.

I would like to preface my remarks just noting, as I always like to do

at the beginning of a session, that I consider it so important that none of

us ever take this place for granted. There are little more than 900 of us

that have ever had the honour and the privilege of serving in this

House.

The day it becomes a rut or routine is not a good thing to happen. So

every day I thank my blessings that I have this opportunity. I know my

colleagues are all grateful for the experience and privilege as well. This

is a privilege, indeed, and it’s a responsibility that I do not for a moment

take lightly.

We recently had an update to the previous government’s balanced Budget

2017. I would like to thank the new government for maintaining, for the time

being, a balanced budget. It’s something that is important for British

Columbians today, tomorrow and in the future for the long term. It’s

something that, more and more, we’re seeing governments at every level

across this country…. They just do not understand. They do not get

it.

While the new government has maintained the previously balanced

budget, we do have a bit of a qualifier there. The only way that they were

able to do so…. Again, I’m happy that they did so, but the only way they

were able to accomplish this was with a fresh round of tax hikes.

Now, tax hikes are never a good idea. But to bring in almost $1

billion of fresh taxes when you have just inherited the strongest, most

robust economy in the country…. No incoming government has ever been in the

situation where they have such a powerful performing economy literally

handed to them. That didn’t happen by accident. That was an awful lot of

work.

[11:10 a.m.]

To see the new government — the first thing they do — bring in hikes

to business and personal taxes is somewhat disturbing. Raising the corporate

tax from 11 percent to 12 percent. Raising personal income tax for

individuals earning over $150,000 a year, from 14.7 to 16.8 percent.

Scrapping the revenue neutrality requirement of B.C.’s carbon tax, so it’s

just simply another money grab by the new government.

All in all, what we’ve seen is basically $1 billion coming out of the

pockets of British Columbians — and at the same time, cutting children’s

arts and fitness tax credits.

Well, you know, the government likes to use the hashtag #betterbc, but

I think what is more appropriate is #debtorbc, because that’s where we’re

going. We are going to be a debtor province. We are going to go back to what

the situation used to be. The forecast is crystal clear. This is so

obvious.

We’re going to go into deficit financing. We’re going to lose our

triple-A credit rating. We’ll be experiencing credit downgrades very, very

shortly. And I think that it is very, very possible, within the realm of

possibilities, within this current term, this current mandate, that once

again British Columbia faces becoming a have-not province and once more

receiving equalization payments, basically being on welfare — the entire

province on welfare.

That’s very real. That is something that should be concerning every

British Columbian, because right out of the gate, we have seen the new

government hike taxes, blow a surplus that no other government has ever had

handed to them coming in.

What else is going on? Well, we’re seeing some things that are a

little bit familiar, such as reducing MSP premiums by 50 percent, cutting

the small business tax rate from 2.5 percent to 2 percent, phasing out PST

on electricity purchases and issuing a $3,000 non-refundable tax credit for

search and rescue volunteers and volunteer firefighters.

The reason this might sound somewhat familiar is that these were all

measures previously planned and introduced by the former government. I mean,

it seems like the only bright spots in this budget update are the ones that

they didn’t delete. Everything that is new and added to the budget has a

detrimental effect on people’s pocketbooks — tax hikes. So basically, giving

with one hand; taking away with the other.

I don’t think this comes as a surprise to any of us that have observed

British Columbia politics over the years. It wasn’t that long ago that my

colleague the member for Victoria–Swan Lake criticized the previous

government for introducing what he called a fresh round of tax cuts which he

and his party would have no choice but to fight. If you think about that

statement, if you think about the motivation of that statement…. Tax cuts —

we have to fight those. Tax hikes are okay, but tax cuts — we need to fight

those. That’s a problem.

They did. They fought it outright, and what we’re seeing now is

instead of those tax cuts, we have a fresh round of tax hikes, totalling

nearly $1 billion over three years. And let’s keep in mind: this new

government is just getting started. They’re just finishing the update to

Budget 2017. The real one is coming in February. How many tax hikes are

going to come in with that? How much fresh new spending with no plan to

generate revenue to afford it is going to be coming?

I fail to see how, basically, charging British Columbians more to

drive their cars or heat their homes and taking more money out of their

pocket is creating a better B.C. Once again, I think that is the road to a

debtor B.C.

This budget is also problematic in that it’s not a…. It does not

represent what the NDP campaigned on. There’s no $10-a-day child care. That

was one of the hallmarks. That was one of the underpinnings of the NDP’s

campaign — their election. It’s not in there.

The $400 annual renters rebate. Where is it? It’s nowhere to be seen.

It’s not in the budget update; it’s not in a mandate letter. A freeze on

hydro rates — where’s that? The elimination of interest rates on student

loans — I can’t find that.

None of these promises — costly promises, expensive promises and,

certainly, enticing and appetizing promises for the electorate — see any new

money in this budget. In some cases, we’ve learned, this may be a

consequence of the collaboration with the three members of the Green Party,

who may not want to see these particular initiatives, despite what the NDP

promised British Columbians during the election.

[11:15 a.m.]

That is something that I guess taxpayers are on the hook for, through

the secretariat, to work out. As my colleague from Vancouver-Quilchena noted

very recently, it wasn’t that long ago that Stephen Harper ran two minority

governments. Paul Martin had a minority government before him. They didn’t

have a secretariat. It was the House Leader’s job to get support for their

legislation.

I don’t see why this NDP government…. They have a more than competent,

capable House Leader. Instead of taking questions for all of his colleagues,

why doesn’t the House Leader take responsibility for getting enough support

in this House to pass their election promises? That would be the

promise.

Interjections.

J. Martin: The member for Oak Bay–Gordon Head…. We can have a chat over an ale at

Spinnakers. That would be something I would look forward to.

At the end of the day, despite promises and promises, this budget

update doesn’t speak to them. To be fair, the new government isn’t going to

be in a position to put absolutely everything that they campaigned on into

the election budget, but it’s disturbing that these didn’t show up in

mandate letters either. It’s problematic that some of the most enticing

pieces of legislation that were promised to voters are unlikely to ever see

the light of day. The one thing we do have is increased taxes. That was not

problematic whatsoever.

Again, this government inherited an economy that is the envy of every

single government in the country. They inherited a fiscal house that was

beyond being in order. It’s so traditional, it’s so predictable that when a

new government comes in, they say: “Well, we’ve looked at the books, and I

can tell you that things are a lot worse than the previous government let

on. We’re in a lot of trouble, guys.”

To their credit, the new government looked at those books, and they

said: “You know what? Things are even better than the former Finance

Minister gave in his update.” When does that ever happen? When are the books

better than promised? This government, they inherited a housewarming gift of

$2.7 billion in surplus — $2.7 billion — and there’s probably not enough

left of that to even take a trip to Disneyland.

If this new government is already relying on nearly a billion dollars

in new taxes just to fund the promises that have come up in the budget

update, how many rounds of tax hikes are on their way when we get to

February? Despite the significant amount of money that they inherited,

they’ve gone through it all already.

Like many, I’m very, very concerned about where we’re going to end up

with this. Where is the NDP going to get the revenue to pay for their

promises — the ones they’ve made, and the ones that, being true to their

word…? I trust them. They’re going to bring in these other promises. How are

they going to pay for those? There’s absolutely nothing whatsoever that has

been said in this House about job creation, growing the economy and

expanding trade. Do they really believe that somehow the most robust economy

in the country is just going to simply continue by default? Because it

isn’t.

We’re already seeing a decline in consumer confidence from first to

worst. We’ve already been warned that credit downgrades are on the way. So

it is not very forward-thinking for the new government to just assume that

that revenue stream is going to continue and surpluses after surpluses will

just happen by themselves. They don’t.

The track record doesn’t look good. In the first few weeks of power,

the NDP effectively cancelled the George Massey Tunnel replacement project.

This would have brought 9,000 construction jobs, 4,500 to 5,000 additional

permanent jobs and, by 2045, thanks to increased economic growth, we would

have seen even further increases in employment.

This, apparently, doesn’t matter to them, as all along they were

looking to cancel this major infrastructure project. It would have made life

easier for tens of thousands of British Columbians who spend so much of

their time commuting and idling. That project, which meant so much to the

province, was just simply cancelled, and there are no plans for any type of

replacement whatsoever, despite some of the rhetoric.

[11:20 a.m.]

This was a little bit backwards, to me. Killing the Massey bridge will

come in at an outright cost of $100 million. This doesn’t even take into

account the missed economic job opportunities and quality-of-life

enhancements that the project would have brought. It would have proceeded on

time. It would have proceeded on or under budget. And it’s gone.

Similarly, the NDP have threatened the Site C clean energy project.

This also threatens the livelihoods of more than 2,600 workers, 80 percent

of whom are from British Columbia. It threatens the job creation, the skills

training, the tax revenue and local economic benefits associated with that

project, which was going to mean so much to communities that, during the

election campaign, were written off by the NDP as places that don’t

matter.

They also oppose the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion,

gaining intervener status through a sloppy filing of the Federal Court of

Appeal, where the Minister of Justice was publicly chewed out for a very

amateur application that followed none of the strict criteria. This cost

British Columbians an additional $7,500 for late filing. It disregarded the

thousands and thousands of direct and indirect jobs that the province would

support.

Mere days into the transition of the government, we saw Petronas

cancel the Pacific NorthWest LNG project. That didn’t take long. Nine days

into a new government and the single biggest private-sector investment in

Canadian history packs their bags and leaves town. This project would have

led to an estimated 5,000 new construction jobs, 330 long-term jobs, 300

local spinoff jobs, and there’s thousands and thousands of additional

long-term jobs associated with operation and supply of the project. It would

have brought in $36 billion in new capital spending. That’s gone. This would

have represented the single largest private investment, not just in British

Columbia but in Canada’s history.

Now the new government has made it very clear — very clear — that,

under the NDP, B.C. is closed for business. I think it’s very telling that

back in 2012, the now Premier referred to investors, people who wanted to

spend millions and billions, in some cases, of their own money creating

jobs, building projects…. He called them suckers. That is not something that

is going to encourage investment in British Columbia. It’s certainly not

going to help us grow the economy.

It’s not just projects where the NDP have shown this lack of foresight

over the years. Despite growing protectionism south of the border and an

uncertain global economy, and despite our proximity and many social,

cultural and economic ties to Asia, the budget contains absolutely no

mention and no plan for expanding trade with that region. None.

I mean, one of the reasons British Columbia did so well during the

recession in 2008, and we endured that better than any other part of the

country, is because we had the foresight to diversify our economy and

diversify our trading partners. We had less and less reliance on the United

States. We forged relationships with the Asian countries, and that’s how we

survived 2008-2009 with only a fraction of the casualty that could have

happened if we had the same attitude as other provinces and relied strictly

on the trading partner — on the United States. As soon as that housing

market tanked, that was a killer for so many provinces.

We survived that for one and only reason — because of the strong

relationships that we have in Asia. This new government has demonstrated

they have absolutely no interest in continuing those relationships. That is

going to be absolutely astronomical to our fortunes.

None of the circumstances that we’ve seen so far from this new

government hint at anything even remotely resembling economic growth or

provide any indication of how the NDP government plans to not only sustain

their spending but budget for their future promises as well. There is

absolutely no planning. There is no blueprint for this.

What’s going to happen very shortly — very shortly — is we return to

deficit financing. We have multiple credit downgrades. Investors seek

greener pastures in other parts of the country and elsewhere, and British

Columbia returns to the sad, sad state that it endured during those dark and

dismal days of the 1990s. We’ve seen this movie before, and reruns are never

better the second time. This is going to be messy.

[11:25 a.m.]

If the government can’t fulfil their promises to voters with a nearly

$3 billion surplus, how are they going to fulfil those promises that are

going to be made in future budgets? Once that $3 billion is gone — and it

almost is now — there is no B.C. Liberal government in position to leave

them billions and billions of dollars in surplus. They have absolutely no

plan how to replace that lost money. Where is it going to come from? A

debtor B.C. — #debtorbc. That’s where it’s going.

More importantly, how will they pay for anything down the road if they

can’t even afford, in these current conditions, to fulfil their promises

without raising almost a billion dollars in taxes? How will they do that

down the road?

I understand the NDP…. It’s a sore spot to bring up the last time that

they were in government, but let’s remember what they did the last time they

were in government. They left us a have-not province. It may be funny. It

may be amusing. It wasn’t just a case of one in ten British Columbians being

on welfare. British Columbia was on welfare.

We relied on handouts from the Maritimes and other provinces that had

the good fortune not to be governed by the NDP. I fear that we’re going to

return to those days very, very soon, where we rely on equalization payments

from other provinces to keep the lights on.

You know, the now Premier once claimed that jobs and the economy were,

in fact, a priority of the NDP. But there’s absolutely nothing in the budget

update to suggest that jobs and the economy are even worth the most meagre

token consideration. The budget update shows the same old tax-and-spend

approach that characterizes the NDP whenever they stumble into power,

usually for one dark, dismal term, and that’s the end of it. That’s

certainly what British Columbians are looking forward to this time

round.

There’s no plan for economic growth. They have dozens and dozens of

costly expenditures up their sleeve, lots of pet projects, lots of debts to

their supporters. And I have the good fortune of looking forward to being

the opposition Labour critic.

Interjection.

Deputy Speaker: Member. Member.

From your own seat, please, if you want to make comments.

J. Martin: The NDP have promised improvements to the employment standards and

laws, but there’s no money in the budget for these items. Where’s this

improvement going come from? Where is the enhancement of those standards

going to come from when there’s absolutely no budgetary allowance to do

so?

One of the things that we saw very quickly coming out of the gate of

the new government was they were going to strike a fair wage commission to

look at hiking the minimum wage. It was interesting. They don’t need a fair

tax hike commission — they’re pretty capable of doing that all on their own

— but a fair wage commission. This was supposed to be farmed out to the

bureaucracy.

They’re going to find a way to move our province to a $15 minimum wage

by 2021. What do you need a fair wage commission for if you’ve already said

we’re going to get to $15 an hour by 2021? What’s a fair wage commission

supposed to do, other than rubber-stamp it and, basically, sign off on

it?

Well, very, very quickly, the member for Oak Bay–Gordon Head scolded

the Labour critic, took him out to the woodshed. Very, very humbly and

solemnly, the Labour critic apologized for speaking out of turn. The member

for Oak Bay–Gordon Head apparently was correct. We don’t have a timeline of

2020-21.

I’m wondering, in that role of the Labour critic, is the minister the

person I should be addressing questions to, or should I have a hallway

conversation with the member for Oak Bay–Gordon Head? Because he seems to be

the one calling the shots on that particular ministry.

If the NDP already knows the outcome of the commission, it’s a little

bit of a facade to go through the motions. They promised a $15-an-hour

minimum wage. No one really has a clue, at this point, if that’s going to be

sooner or later. But it’s something that needs to be considered very, very

carefully. Small business owners have the right to know what they’re facing,

what’s coming down the pike.

We just saw a small increase to the minimum wage. That was something

the previous government had put into the budget, and it was something that

the new government supported. But making the jump to $15 an hour — this is

something a little bit different.

[11:30 a.m.]

I mean, small business has to be able to plan. In some cases, that is

going to deter expansion. It’s going to deter new hirees. It will mean that

the owners of small business are going to look at picking up even more

shifts. Many of them are already working 80-hour weeks. Maybe they need to

turn to automation, robotics. Maybe they need to look at layoffs. Maybe they

need to shut down altogether.

Playing games by moving the goalposts of when the $15 an hour may or

may not actually be imposed…. This is anxiety that no small business owner

needs in this day and age. It’s a very reckless, careless, thoughtless

gesture to put them through that mental torment for no good reason, other

than there’s, obviously, some confusion between the Labour Minister and the

Member for Oak Bay–Gordon Head.

British Columbians work hard for their money, and as legislators, it’s

our job to keep them working. We don’t need to see any imposition of new

laws, new policies that are going to shrink the workforce. To make an

abrupt, sudden increase in the minimum wage…. There has not been the

consulting that there was with the previous government. I mean, we spoke

with the retail council, the hospitality and restaurant association. We

consulted small business, and that’s not happening right now. There is no

consultation. There’s none of that decency of taking the time to consult

with small business on what this might mean for them. This is something that

is incredibly troubling.

While the rollout remains to be seen — we don’t have the details on

when it will happen — understand that this, potentially, is a hardship for

many small businesses. Just because the minimum wage goes up, it doesn’t

mean that, all of a sudden, small businesses have a larger revenue stream to

pay those. In some cases, it’s going to mean lost jobs. It’s going to mean

automation.

What about the ripple effect? The minimum wage becomes $15. Well, what

about people that are currently making $15 and $16? They will need to be

duly compensated with wage hikes as well. I had a letter from a restaurant

owner in the Nanaimo area who has calculated well into a couple hundred

thousand dollars what the ripple effect, the tax hikes, would actually mean.

He’s already putting in 60, 70, 80 hours a week, and he assumes that he’s

going to have to pick up more shifts, if this actually takes

place.

If we’re going in that direction, and it’s inevitable, okay. But let’s

have some consultation. Let’s have some planning. Let’s give small business

owners the decency of a timeline that they can operate and function and

restructure and move forward with, rather than tormenting them with no

reason whatsoever.

What’s happening in other jurisdictions? Well, we see in San

Francisco, which has moved to $15 an hour, just a massive, massive shutdown

in hospitality — restaurant after restaurant closing. Just this spring,

Ontario introduced legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2019.

We’re seeing the potential effects of this move. We’ve been cautioned that

tens of thousands of jobs could be at risk if the proposal is

implemented.

Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office, an independent financial

watchdog, has advised that they should expect a net loss of 50,000 jobs

should the $15 minimum wage be implemented according to that timeline. Of

course, this is going hurt teens and young people, who are trying to break

into the workforce. It’s going hit them the most. How this is an effective

strategy to reduce poverty is beyond me. It’s very possible that job losses

will go beyond that.

Last month we had an independent economic impact analysis that was

conducted by the Keep Ontario Working Coalition. That showed a much higher

number, warning that as many as 185,000 jobs could be at immediate risk from

this move.

Companies…. I mean, automation. They’re looking at robotics as a

potential way to offset costs of wage increases in a number of Canadian

provinces, particularly in the minimum-wage hospitality industry. You don’t

have to have a young person taking your order and taking your money. That

can all be done from a touch screen. That has to be very appealing to many

small businesses and those in that particular sector, as opposed to going

into a situation where they’re losing money.

[11:35 a.m.]

This is not helping workers. It’s not creating jobs. It’s actually

harming workers, and it’s eliminating jobs. How are workers supposed to

benefit from a higher wage if they aren’t working? How is a higher wage

beneficial to employees when they’ve just been given a pink slip? Just south

of the border, in Seattle — a wonderful city, go Seahawks — we saw the

implementation of a $15 minimum wage actually resulting in fewer earnings

for the workers that it was specifically designed to benefit.

Well, hard-working British Columbians deserve to share in this

province’s economy. Up to now, that has been a sparkling, robust economy

that is unequalled in the country. I just would ask the new government to be

very, very careful of the timeline, to consult with those that are going to

be impacted by such a move and as we move forward, if we’re going in that

direction, to take every precaution to minimize the negative impact on

employees, particularly young people, and to do everything so that it

doesn’t result in job losses.

When the NDP was in government before, we saw a lot of job losses. In

the last several years, we’ve had the best job-creation record in the

country, and why do we want to reverse that? Why would we want to turn that

around? That is not a good way to go.

I see that green light coming up. I’ve got my warning here.

Interjections.

J. Martin: More? Well, you know, noting the hour, I guess I can go a little bit

more here.

Interjections.

J. Martin: Okay. That’s just sarcasm, right?

Every opportunity I’ve had with the members of the new government,

particularly the ones that have been promoted, I’ve gone to congratulate

them.

Like everyone else, I want British Columbia to succeed. Naturally, I

want the new government to do everything to move British Columbia forward,

not backward. I thank you for the time.

Hon. L. Beare: I rise to participate in this year’s budget speech. I want to first

acknowledge that we are on the Songhees and Esquimalt territories of the

Lekwungen-speaking peoples.

It is a tremendous honour, privilege and responsibility to be standing

before you here today. Our government is working hard each day to achieve

great things for the province of British Columbia and for the people living

in my constituency of Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows.

I’d first like to pay tribute to the Lieutenant-Governor, the Hon.

Judith Guichon; to our Premier, the Hon. John Horgan; and to all members of

this House.

Deputy Speaker: Member, no names, please.

Hon. L. Beare: No names. I apologize.

I am honoured to be speaking in front of you all, representing my

riding. This is the place I grew up, the place I call home and the place

where my husband and I are raising our family.

I’d like to take a few moments to thank my family and everyone who

worked so incredibly hard to get me here today.

To my husband, Hendrik, you are my rock. Thank you for encouraging me

to make a difference in our community and for supporting me on this journey.

I wouldn’t be here without your unwavering support.

To my beautiful daughter, Brinley, thank you for being such an amazing

little person, for sharing me with others and for allowing me to spend so

much time away. Your beautiful smile and truly happy disposition fills my

heart each time we sneak in a FaceTime call between meetings. Thank you, and

I love you.

To the Beare family, who have stepped up and supported me my entire

life, you have all stepped up and wrapped Hendrik, Brinley and me in a wave

of support and encouragement, and we couldn’t be doing this without you.

Thank you. I love you.

To my campaign partner from Maple Ridge–Mission, Bob D’Eith, thank you

so much for being on this journey with me. I’m so glad we’re here together,

and we can continue to achieve great things for our communities. I promise

that’s the last name I put in there.

I’d also like to thank a number of people who worked extremely hard to

get me here today, in front of all of you. Korleen Carreras, you are a rock

star. I would simply not be here today without you, and I cannot thank you

enough. And thank you to your family for sharing you with me during the

campaign.

[11:40 a.m.]

To Sophia Kreuzkamp, Ryan Chaput, Tania Jarzebiak, Sandra Paulsen,

Chris McKee, Verity Howarth, Fiona Bradley, Lenfesty Tanya Patterson, Brian

Mudge, Oosha Ramsoondar, Mario Santos, Bridgette Dalima, Amber Bramer, Nancy

McCurrach, Steve Bajwa, Lisa Langan, Nicole Seguin and the hundreds of other

volunteers who worked our campaign, thank you. This budget update reflects

your hard work, your dedication and the values you have for our

constituency.

To my constituency staff Kate Makarow and Thyra Gillese, thank you for

serving the members of Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows each and every day. To the

staff working with me in my ministry — Stepan, Kelly, James, Marina, Noreen

and Korleen — it’s just the beginning, but I look forward to all that we can

accomplish together.

Before I get further into my response, I’d like to speak to all those

affected by the B.C. wildfires. On behalf of the government of British

Columbia, I salute the remarkable work that our firefighters and emergency

responders are doing. This year’s fire season has been unprecedented. Local,

provincial and federal authorities have all been working hand in hand with

emergency crews to help all the people impacted. Over the past few weeks,

our priority has been ensuring that our visitors and our residents of B.C.

are safe and that people know how to access the latest

information.

In our ministry, we’ve been working very closely with our team at

Destination B.C. to ensure that people and residents can travel safely

across B.C. As everyone knows, it really has been an incredibly difficult

summer for all those impacted.

During my visit to the Cariboo-Chilcotin region in August, I saw

firsthand the devastating effects that these wildfires are having on

families and the damage it’s causing to the land, livestock, businesses and

homes. It was important for me to connect with the impacted tourism

operators and business owners to better understand how their lives and

livelihoods have been affected.

I met with the owners of the Chilcotin Lodge, who were under

evacuation alert for weeks and who were finally evacuated but stayed behind

to fight the wildfires, alongside others. They bravely fought and, when the

order was finally lifted, everyone returned, only to realize how devastating

the fires had been to their business.

I want to assure them that our government is implementing a strong

recovery program so that we can move forward together. The people of the

Chilcotin region, and particularly the new owners of the Chilcotin Lodge,

told me they considered themselves lucky. They will persevere, and they will

overcome. We heard the same message from every single person we met, “We

will persevere, and we will overcome,” and our government will be there with

you every step of the way.

When I think about my trip to the Cariboo-Chilcotin, I think about the

hard work and resilience of the people up there, of the tourism operators

and of the business owners. I will learn from their stories and incorporate

their insights into my Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. I want to

reiterate the Premier’s message that our government is here to support all

British Columbians affected by these catastrophic wildfires. That means

support for the tourism industry in the affected areas.

In the first of many steps towards recovery, I am happy to report that

up to $600,000 has been set aside for the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, the

Kootenay and the Thompson Okanagan tourism associations. This will help

mitigate some of the related losses caused by the wildfires and will help

support them in their tourism needs. This is just the first of many

steps.

Lifting our communities and helping people live their best lives is at

the heart of our government’s platform. Our budget update very much supports

that vision. As I set to work in this House, I will have our government’s

three commitments to British Columbia on my mind: our commitment to make

life more affordable, our commitment to deliver services that people can

count on and our commitment to build a strong, sustainable and innovative

economy that works for everyone.

Affordability is a big concern for the people of my constituency. No

matter how hard they work, too many people haven’t been making enough, and

they’ve been falling behind. A few months ago I spoke with the father of

three little girls who all came to the door to meet me and ask me questions.

He uses the Golden Ears Bridge daily to get to work and also had a sick

family member across on the other side of the river. His toll bill for one

month was $1,200.

[11:45 a.m.]

This father of three had to make a decision between paying his

mortgage or paying his toll bill. That is simply unfair. By removing the

tolls, we’ve made life fairer and more affordable for the people in my

community.

Just last weekend, while I was in my community, a woman stopped by at

an event to let me know how much she appreciated the $100 increase to the

disability rate and what a difference it has made in her life. After ten

years of frozen rates by the B.C. Liberals, it means she can put food in her

fridge. She can get the medication she needs. It’s a start. We are giving a

pay raise to those who need it most.

This budget invests in supportive housing and affordable rental

housing. These commitments will have a huge impact for the people in my

community and for every other community around B.C.

As the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the minister

responsible for sport and multiculturalism, I will be working for people in

every corner of this province and delivering on several key priorities. My

mandate outlines a strong vision for my ministry, a vision that will develop

tourism, arts and culture all across the province, a vision that will

attract skilled and innovative workers to our communities. It’s a vision

that celebrates arts, culture, sport and the rich diversity of our

province’s communities.

I will champion tourism throughout British Columbia, in every part of

the region of our beautiful, diverse province, from the vibrant cities and

the sparkling oceansides to the southern coast, to the powerful vistas of

the north and to the interior and its terrific variety of food, culture and

landscape. I am excited to be moving forward with my portfolio.

I have already had detailed discussions about how to grow B.C. tourism

with the heads of the B.C. tourism association and Destination B.C. I have

met with numerous First Nations leaders from across the province, for many

of whom Aboriginal tourism is a priority. I will shortly be meeting with the

representatives of the Aboriginal Tourism Association, as my government is

committed to growing and promoting a sustainable, culturally rich Aboriginal

tourism industry.

During my tenure as minister, I intend to have an open and welcoming

relationship with tourism representatives and to ensure our government is an

active partner as together we grow this vital sector. As I champion tourism

as a job creator, I’ll work to expand the marketing efforts

internationally.

We see an opportunity in British Columbia to make British Columbia the

destination choice for all tourists. Last year B.C. welcomed 5.5 million

international visitors to our province. That’s why I’ll be working closely

with the Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology to ensure that British

Columbia’s tourism sector is represented on trade missions.

I will ensure that communities affected by this summer’s fires get

support to restore the tourism industries they so desperately count on. In

addition to the $600,000 we’ve already announced, we’re working to expedite

applications from the affected communities for the municipal and regional

district tax program. This will bring additional dollars to our local

tourism marketing programs and projects.

Arts and culture is a thriving sector in British Columbia, and our

government is committed to supporting its success through investment in

artists, arts organizations and infrastructure. Just this past Friday, I met

with key representatives from all of the creative industries to find out

more about how our government can better support them. I’m excited to be

working together with them in partnership and collaboration to bring the

world to our door.

Book publishing is part of B.C.’s vibrant creative industries, and our

sector in Canada. We produce over 1,200 titles a year and generate

approximately $150 million in sales. Our government is extending the book

publishing tax credit.

It is a fruitful time for the creative sector, and I will work with

the Minister of Finance to expand B.C.’s film and labour tax credit to

include B.C. writers.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Finally, sport matters to British Columbians and our government. We

are keenly looking forward to be supporting community engagement in

recreation and athletics.

[11:50 a.m.]

I have the absolute honour of working with a fantastic parliamentary

secretary, the member for Delta North. Amateur sport has been important in

both of our lives. I was actively involved in my high school, and I know

exactly how important it is to youth, not only their physical well-being but

their mental well-being as well. I’m excited to have the opportunity to

encourage an active lifestyle for all of my fellow citizens, and I look

forward to working with the member for Delta North to achieve those

goals.

Our province is truly a great place to live and explore. I will work

with great passion, knowing that we are going to bring forward exciting

opportunities for our communities to grow and flourish. Our government will

be ensuring that all people in B.C. have bright, creative and healthy

futures.

I want the people in all communities of this province to know that I

support this budget update, and I will be working every single day with them

on my mind.

Hon. L. Beare moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. A. Dix moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 this afternoon.

The House adjourned at 11:51 a.m.

The Official Report of Debates ( Hansard ) and webcasts of

proceedings

are available on the Internet. Chamber debates are broadcast on

television.

Copyright © 2017: British Columbia

Hansard Services, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada