Fifth Session, 41st Parliament

(2020) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Morning Sitting

Issue No. 305

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

Introduction and First Reading of Bills

Bill 2 — Motor Vehicle Amendment Act, 2020

Hon. C. Trevena

Statements (Standing Order 25B)

Photography of Paul Nicklen

M. Stilwell

Tony Singh and Fruiticana

J. Sims

Avalon Recovery Society services for women

J. Thornthwaite

Vision loss awareness and White Cane Week

S. Malcolmson

Health care services in rural B.C. and conditions at

Chetwynd hospital

M. Bernier

Valentine’s Day and the importance of love

S. Chandra Herbert

Oral Questions

Response to protests supporting Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs

A. Wilkinson

Hon. J. Horgan

S. Bond

Coastal GasLink pipeline project and government relationship with Wet’suwet’en Nation

S. Furstenau

Hon. G. Heyman

Hon. S. Fraser

Response to protests supporting Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs

J. Johal

Hon. J. Horgan

Strata insurance cost increases

T. Stone

Hon. C. James

J. Thornthwaite

Reports from Committees

Finance and Government Services Committee, annual review,

budgets of statutory offices, December 2019

B. D’Eith

D. Ashton

Selection Committee, report, February 13, 2020

Hon. M. Farnworth

Orders of the Day

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

J. Rustad

Hon. H. Bains

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

The House met at 10:05 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: S. Malcolmson.

Introductions by Members

Hon. A. Dix: It’s a great honour today to introduce representatives of the Resident

Doctors of B.C. Members on all sides of the House participated in a meeting

this morning with the resident doctors. Their role continues to grow in

public health care. They do an extraordinary job every day, and we are so

appreciative of their contribution. All of these people that I’m introducing

have “Dr.” in front of their name. I’m not going to keep repeating “doctor”

though. There are quite a few here.

Dr. Alanna Fleet is the president of the Resident Doctors of B.C. this

year. It’s great to have her here. And Sean Addison; Casey Chan; Hua Deng;

Maryam Eslami; Geoffrey Frost; Kira Gossack-Keenan; Harry Gray — it’s Mr.

Harry Gray, the executive director; Dr. Mary Jeffers; Patricia Jiang; Naima

Kotadia; Barbara Lelj Garolla Di Bard; Joseph Leung; Daphne Lu; Brandi

MacLean; William Mak; Patrick McDonald; Nicholas Monfries; and Gurmeet Sohi.

I wish that the House will give them welcome. Hopefully, many MLAs will have

an opportunity to meet with them today.

I want to introduce the folks from Genome B.C., who do so much to make

B.C. a worldwide leader in research and innovation. I know they met with

members of the opposition this morning. They’re meeting with members on the

government side and the Green caucus, I think, this afternoon. I wanted to

introduce Pascal Spothelfer, Sally Greenwood and Quinn Newcomb from Genome

B.C. and wish them welcome and congratulate them for all their success and

work.

N. Letnick: I would like to join with the Minister of Health in welcoming all the

resident doctors of B.C. who are represented here, as well as the members

from Genome B.C. I have, actually, a longer list on the Genome side. So I’ll

just acquiesce to the minister for reading the list of the residents and say

thank you to all the residents. It was a great opportunity to meet with you

this morning.

We had great conversations. We understand that you should be consulted

before we build new hospitals. We got the message. We understand that you

need to be paid more. We got that message too. We also understand that…. You

know, there’s a lot of support for students and a lot of support for doctors

after they finish their residency, but resident doctors need to have safe

environments in which to work — and a whole bunch of other priorities that

you have. Congratulations on your three-year contract.

Of course, the Minister of Health hopes that he’s there for the next

contract negotiations, and I hope that my side of the House is there for the

next contract negotiations. Having said that, welcome and thank

you.

Regarding Genome B.C., I’d also like to introduce — again, we have a

lot of doctors, but I’ll use the term — president and CEO Dr. Pascal

Spothelfer, Dr. Tony Brooks, Ms. Sally Greenwood, Mr. Quinn Newcomb, Dr.

Ellie Griffith, Dr. Lisey Mascarenhas, Ms. Jenny Boon. We also have

researchers that presented this morning to us: Dr. Patricia Birch, Dr.

Lenore Newman, Ms. Jenny Morgan. We had a great conversation on First

Nations and how we can improve our communications with them to get them more

involved in the work of Genome. Dr. Paul Keown, Dr. Linda Hogg, Mr. John

Munro, Ms. Gabriella Groeneweg and, last but not least, Dr. Roger

Beckie.

[10:10 a.m.]

One more thing, if I may. The work of Genome B.C., the work of pure

research, is so important in our province. We saw this morning how that pure

research got applied and what we’re dealing with in the coronavirus outbreak

— we have four right now — and the work that they are doing to map the

genome of those people so that we can trace where they come from and,

hopefully, try to be on top of this outbreak before it gets to spread

throughout other places in British Columbia and Canada and the

world.

We are doing a good job, I believe, supporting pure research. I’d like

to continue to encourage the government to do that. Please make both these

groups very welcome.

Hon. H. Bains: In the House today are members of my team, very, very important

members: Julianne McCaffrey, Melody Wey, Colin Hynes, Rishma Thomas and

Nicole Beneteau. These are incredible people that help me do my job, provide

me with issue notes and always keep me updated on the emerging issues. I

want to thank them for their dedication, their hard work and their

commitment. Then I will ask the House to please give them a warm, warm

welcome. I say thank you very much.

Hon. C. Trevena: It’s with some regret, actually, that I stand up today to let the

House know that my executive assistant, who was formerly my constituency

assistant, Lynne Stone, who has been working with me for 15 years now, has

taken the big jump and retires tomorrow.

She has been an amazing colleague to work with. Her strength of

purpose, her commitment to the people of the constituency and now, as my

executive assistant, to the people of the province has been unflinching.

Through good times and bad, she’s worked immensely hard to deliver a service

for constituents and now for constituents around the province as my

executive assistant.

She thought long and hard about it but finally said that she’s got to

do it sometime, and now is the time to do it. Lynne also watches question

period nearly every time. I’m assuming she’s watching question period this

time.

I would like to thank her for her absolute dedication, both

professionally and personally. She acted as my campaign manager twice, took

on challenges she thought she couldn’t deal with and came through soaring.

I’m sure she’s going to take on the challenge of retirement very

well.

I’d like the House to thank her for her dedication.

It’s been a bad week for staff for me. Somebody who has worked with me

for 2½ years, since we formed government, Aileen Machell, has left the

government side. She has gone to a great challenge in the public service. I

wanted also to recognize the work that she has done working with issues for

myself and other colleagues, and then as my senior ministerial assistant for

the last number of months. She’s been an amazing, hard-working, bright,

smart, quick-thinking person who has just been such an integral part of our

team.

We will miss her. I think the government side will miss her for her

really excellent ability for quick thinking. I know she is taking on an

immense new challenge, and she will shine at that. I would like the House

all to acknowledge the work that Aileen has put in for the last 2½

years.

Hon. K. Chen: I’m really happy to welcome my husband, Sky, and my six-year-old son,

Yoann, who are joining us for question period today, especially Yoann. Not

that my husband is not that important, but Yoann is here for the first time

for question period. I’m sure he’ll try his best to behave, just like we all

do here in this chamber. Thanks to my husband, Sky.

They travelled with me quite a bit during the first two years after I

started this job. But because Yoann started kindergarten, they haven’t been

able to come here as often. They’re here this week for a few days because

Yoann just celebrated his six-year-old birthday last night. I really want to

thank my colleague from Burnaby North and her family for joining us for

dinner last night.

[10:15 a.m.]

I also want to recognize the Minister of State for Trade, who gave

Yoann a red envelope — it’s a tradition in Chinese culture — with a $10 bill

and a note that says “$10-a-day child care.” I thank the members for

supporting my child care needs and my efforts.

I would like the House to make them feel very welcome.

R. Kahlon: I just looked up, and I noticed a good friend of mine, Ryan Painter,

who’s a Saanich school trustee. He is here visiting today. So please, the

House, make him feel welcome.

Hon. K. Conroy: I think it’s “take your kids to work day,” although my son is almost

20 years older than the Minister of State for Child Care’s son. It’s really

great to have my son here. He has finally moved back to B.C., been here for

almost a year now. It’s great that he’s here. I’m hoping that soon he’ll

produce No. 10 grandchild for me. That would be great. A little selfish on

my part, but I’m hoping that he’s working on that. He hasn’t had any yet. It

wouldn’t be his No.10.

I wanted to let the minister of state know that Ben was six when he

started roaming these hallways when his dad was the MLA, and now he’s back

here at 35. It’s great to have him here. Please join me in welcoming

him.

Hon. M. Mark: I’m very pleased to introduce guests from my ministry, the Ministry of

Advanced Education, Skills and Training. I’d like to warmly welcome new

staff. It’s part of the initiation to come and experience question period

when you join the team. I’m kidding. They voluntarily asked to sign

up.

They’re working with the workforce innovation and skills training

division. They do amazingly detailed work with the labour market outlook and

recently launched the Good Jobs Guide. British Columbians throughout the

province are benefiting from their dedication and expertise.

Would the House please join me in welcoming Luke Butler, Laura Mason,

Samantha Gysbers, Ling Li, Aaron Hennecker, Seth Champion, Rae Linklater and

Bianca Gautreau.

A. Weaver: Today in the Legislature, a visitor will arrive very shortly. It’s a

very well-known visitor if you’ve been following academic circles in British

Columbia. His name is Rory Hills. Rory is the 2020 Rhodes Scholar from

British Columbia, a former student of the University of Victoria, a

biochemistry degree, did remarkable work with a pilot project to test for

fentanyl content in street drugs. He’s off to Oxford to do PhD

studies.

If you see him in the hall, give him congratulations. He’s a wonderful

person and a fantastic constituent. Would the House please make him feel

very welcome when he arrives shortly.

G. Kyllo: Today is a very important day for my wife, Georgina. It’s her 50th

birthday. She also shares a birthday with the member for Kamloops–North

Thompson, who also turns 50 today. Would the House please make my wife,

Georgina, and Mr. Milobar feel very happy — a happy birthday.

Hon. R. Fleming: I just wanted to join my colleague from Delta North to also welcome to

the precinct — to the gallery, indeed — Ryan Painter, who’s a school

district 61 greater Victoria trustee and a very effective, outspoken

advocate for adolescent mental health supports and services. It’s great to

see him here today. Would the House please make him very welcome.

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

BILL 2 — MOTOR VEHICLE

AMENDMENT ACT,

Hon. C. Trevena presented a message from Her Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Motor Vehicle Amendment Act,

Hon. C. Trevena: I move that the bill be introduced and read a first time

now.

[10:20 a.m.]

I’m pleased to introduce Bill 2, the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act.

This bill proposes amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act to support road

safety and better-trained drivers. It enables government to require

standardized training as a prelicensing requirement for various classes

of driver licences.

The bill also includes minor and housekeeping amendments to update

authorities and clarify rules to create alignment with RoadSafetyBC and

ICBC operations and ICBC licensing processes.

Mr. Speaker: The question is first reading of the bill.

Motion approved.

Hon. C. Trevena: 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.

Bill 2, Motor Vehicle Amendment Act, 2020, introduced, read a first

time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the

next sitting of the House after today.

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

PHOTOGRAPHY OF PAUL NICKLEN

M. Stilwell: A photograph is powerful. It not only preserves a moment, but it

creates a connection, elicits emotion, educates, informs and gives us

new perspective. It can inspire change and motivate people into

action.

Paul Nicklen, an award-winning nature photographer from Nanoose

Bay, is a master at telling stories with photographs. It’s through his

lens that people get the chance to see beautiful, inhospitable

environments and the wildlife, like polar bears and penguins, that

depend on these places.

He is using his passion to show people a side of the world they

wouldn’t otherwise see while also bringing awareness to the importance

of ecosystems and the impact of global issues like climate change. It’s

this combination of photography and environmental awareness that has

earned him one of the country’s highest honours, the Order of

Canada.

Paul grew up on Baffin Island in Nunavut, where there was no

television, radio or phone, and the community was no larger than 200

people. Paul and his brother Aaron read Ranger Rick magazines

and played outside with the Inuit children, learning their culture and

respect for the animals and the environment of the north. Paul got his

bachelor of science in marine biology from the University of Victoria

and worked for the government of Yellowknife before pursuing his

interest in photography.

He is a contributor to National Geographic Magazine and

has been recognized with more than 30 awards, including a lifetime

achievement award from UVic. He was also recently inducted into the

International Photography Hall of Fame. Adding to his accomplishments,

Paul is an author, a TED Talks speaker and the co-founder of SeaLegacy,

an organization bringing attention to issues impacting

oceans.

Please join me in giving Paul Nicklen a round of applause for his

work and his recent appointment to the Order of Canada. I can’t wait to

see what’s next for this extraordinary person and

difference-maker.

TONY SINGH AND FRUITICANA

J. Sims: Every one of us knows that small and medium-sized businesses are

the backbone of our economy. Many of these are the result of the

entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants who chose to make Canada their

home. Today let me share with you one of these stories.

At the age of ten, Tony Singh and his family moved from Fiji and

came to make Canada their home. In 1992, a trip from Montreal to Surrey

to visit family would alter his path and change his life forever. At

that time, he was training to be a commercial pilot, but his visit to

Surrey changed his life direction. He became an entrepreneur

extraordinaire and a respected philanthropist.

In ’94, Tony moved his family, his children and his two employees

to Surrey and opened his first Fruiticana, an iconic South Asian grocery

store — one that I visited many times when I lived in Nanaimo. It was

the go-to place to pick up the exotic spices and vegetables and fruits

you could not find in your mainstream grocery stores. Folks from all

ethnic backgrounds today go to Fruiticana for their tastes and produce

that connect them with the Indian subcontinent, from fresh jamuns to

spices. Twenty-five years later there are 18 locations throughout B.C.

and Alberta that employ hundreds of local residents.

[10:25 a.m.]

Throughout the years, Tony has been recognized locally and

internationally as a successful business person and has received many

awards recognizing his contributions, both to business and his

community. Tony takes very seriously his responsibility to give back to

the city, to the province and to the country that has given him so

much.

He has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to charitable

efforts. He helps food banks, schools and other programs that support

children and youth. He is an ardent supporter of the Surrey Memorial and

B.C. Children’s hospitals and runs fundraisers throughout his stores

every year. There are many stories of such entrepreneurs in all our

communities.

Before I end, I want to share a special story with you. When Tony

came to Canada with his family at the age of ten, a stranger, a

neighbour, invited them to their house on the very next day. This showed

him what it meant to be Canadian, he says. Because of that gesture, Tony

has ensured that over 500 Syrian refugees received free grocery baskets

to welcome them and help them adjust to their new life in

Canada.

Tony and his team play an integral role in building inclusive

communities. Thanks to a chance visit to Surrey many years ago, Tony

Singh’s path changed forever. Our community has benefited greatly thanks

to his vision, his commitment and his generous nature. What was the

flight industry’s loss is our gain.

Please join me in congratulating my friend Tony Singh and the

Fruiticana team on their 25th anniversary. I can tell you that I cannot

wait for the jamun season or those special mangoes that he imports from

India.

AVALON RECOVERY SOCIETY

SERVICES FOR

WOMEN

J. Thornthwaite: I’m proud to rise today to draw awareness to an important

organization on the North Shore and across the Lower Mainland called the

Avalon Recovery Society. The society provides free, life-changing

services to women and is dedicated to supporting women recovering from

addictions and their families.

Addiction does not play favourites, no matter your socioeconomic

background or family dynamic. You can come from an intact family, a

supportive family or even a disadvantaged one and still fall prey to

addiction. No one is exempt.

Women face unique barriers to recover from addiction, including

facing increased shame and social stigma. Studies have demonstrated that

gender-specific treatment and recovery support can be key for women

overcoming addiction.

Addiction takes a terrible toll on people’s lives. It affects not

only their health, their relationships, their jobs; sometimes,

tragically, it can lead to death. Organizations that offer wraparound

support to clients and their families are critical to success. The

Avalon Recovery Society offers 12-step support groups, free

childminding, drop-in hours, a clothing closet, a resource library,

empowering workshops and endless tea, coffee and support.

Both the member for West Vancouver–Capilano and myself have toured

the facility and found it very welcoming. It made us feel like we were

walking into a comfy house. One woman told her story: “Avalon has

connected me to amazing women who share my struggle and have taught me

how to live a better life. By coming to Avalon, I gained strength, hope

and connection.”

I am grateful to the Avalon Recovery Society for helping women to

end the cycle of addiction.

VISION LOSS AWARENESS

AND WHITE CANE

WEEK

S. Malcolmson: One-quarter of a million B.C. people live with vision loss. In

White Cane Week, the Canadian Council of the Blind raises awareness of

the talent and innovation of people who are blind and partially sighted.

Since 1946, White Cane Week has used as its emblem the tool that blind

and visually impaired people use to feel for obstacles.

Check out how this tool is changing. Nanaimo’s Richard Harlow says

it’s like the shift from manual wheelchairs to motorized. “My WeWALK

smart white cane has AI and navigation tools built into it.” The handle

has sensors that let you know if you’re coming up to objects up to three

metres away through vibrations in the handle. This includes things at

shoulder and head height. It has a gyroscope and integration with Google

so the user can have their hands free, as Google AI will let you know

through a speaker where they are and where they need to go.

How does this help? Richard told me: “White canes only protect you

from objects at ground level. This means things sticking out at head or

shoulder level are missed, so we walk into them. I got a neck injury

from walking into branches on the sidewalk. I couldn’t tell they were

there till I hit them. We can also only react to objects that we tap

with our cane. I suffered injuries again because my cane went through

the holes of a chain-link fence, causing me to slip and fall down two

flights of stairs on cement in the snow.” You can see Harlow demo this

on my Facebook page.

[10:30 a.m.]

inclusion for all people of all abilities, and I’m encouraged by the

strong support our government has heard for legislating to remove and

prevent barriers that impede the full participation of people with

disabilities.

Thank you, Richard, and thank you to the Canadian Council of the

Blind for teaching us about the effects of vision loss, how we can work

together to create supportive, inclusive communities and the inspiring

people pushing the envelope on new tools.

HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN RURAL B.C.

AND CONDITIONS AT

CHETWYND HOSPITAL

M. Bernier: Our doctors and nurses, especially in rural British Columbia, need

to go above and beyond the call of duty when fulfilling those duties to

help us receive the services we need. I know that the Leader of the

Official Opposition understands all too well, as a former doctor

practising in rural B.C., the situations and the challenges that we

face. Whether it is a catastrophic event, a sick child, an unknown

illness that needs to be diagnosed or possibly an injury that

unfortunately happened at a workplace, we all rely on those services and

expect and hope that they’re there when we need them.

Unfortunately, in my riding right now, in Chetwynd, Chetwynd

hospital is continually having to be put on what’s called diversion

mode. For those that don’t understand, it’s a situation that maybe a lot

can’t appreciate. It’s when somebody needs the services I just mentioned

and tries to go to the hospital and can’t get in because of staff

shortages, and they are told to drive an hour or an hour and a half away

to the next nearest doctor or hospital in sometimes life-saving

emergency situations. At this time of year, it can be a time when it’s

unsafe to travel on the roads.

We need to understand the hardship and the stress that this puts

on people in our region. I want to thank the doctors and the nurses in

the Chetwynd hospital who are working extraordinarily long hours right

now to try to offer the services that the people in Chetwynd

need.

The people in Chetwynd asked me to stand in the House and remind

everybody how great the north is, how great rural B.C. is, what the

opportunities are for families. For the Minister of Children and Family

Development, the north is great for raising and starting grandchildren.

That can be an opportunity there. And for the people who are guests in

the House today — obviously, the opportunities for jobs as doctors and

nurses.

I think it’s important that we all remember the stresses and thank

the people in Chetwynd who right now are experiencing great hardship and

stress not being able to get the basic medical services that they

require. It is our hope that those vacancies and jobs will be filled

very, very soon.

VALENTINE’S DAY

AND THE IMPORTANCE OF

LOVE

S. Chandra Herbert: I was out visiting constituents at a coffee shop on Denman Street

the other day, and I said to them: “I’m coming back to the Legislature.

What do you want me to talk about? What do you want me to raise on your

behalf?” They said: “Well, we know you’ll talk about renters’ rights. We

know you’ll talk about homelessness, mental health, climate change,

child care, education.”

They went through the long list, and they said: “No, no, no. We

know you’ll talk about that stuff. Let’s….” They kind of laughed

together, and I wondered what they would challenge me to talk about.

They said: “We want you to talk about love.” I said: “Love?” Some of

them laughed, and I said: “I don’t know.” They said: “Because you always

focus on challenges, we sometimes forget to celebrate the great things.”

So I will.

On Valentine’s Day tomorrow, I will celebrate my husband, Romi. He

proposed to me on Valentine’s Day over 12 years ago. I’ll celebrate my

son, Dev. It’s his birthday tomorrow. He turns three years old. I’ll

celebrate my mother today. It’s her birthday.

Happy birthday, Mom.

I’ll celebrate my father, an incredible person I look up to all

the time. I’ll celebrate my father- and mother-in-law, my extended

family. I’ll celebrate my community that I love so much, the West End.

I’ll celebrate the love that I have of waking up every morning, knowing

I can stand up for them to try to build a better community and a better

province.

I turned it on them, and I said: “Well, let’s go around the coffee

shop. Let’s ask them what they love about our community.” They loved the

trees. They loved the beach, Stanley Park. They loved the ecology

society, the seniors network. They loved St. Paul’s advocacy for helping

people. They loved Gordon Neighbourhood House for bringing families and

seniors and people together.

They loved the residents association. There was a guy from Coal

Harbour who said: “I found my community through my residents

association.” They loved their neighbours. They said: “Well, we could

tell you the things we don’t love, but we want you to talk about the

things you do love. You can fix those things that we don’t love

later.”

[10:35 a.m.]

Anyways, Happy Valentine’s Day to all the members here. Happy

Valentine’s Day to my constituency in Vancouver–West End, Coal Harbour.

I love you. Thanks for giving the love back.

Oral Questions

RESPONSE TO PROTESTS SUPPORTING

WET’SUWET’EN HEREDITARY

CHIEFS

A. Wilkinson: Yesterday we saw the Granville Street bridge blocked for a few

hours. Thousands of people were marooned downtown, including my own

family members, stuck in buildings that they couldn’t exit even through

the fire exits.

Today we hear that the Attorney General’s office has been occupied

on Broadway in Vancouver. We also understand that there’s a complete

blockage at UBC, where the occupying group has issued a statement that

says: “Universities have long served as engines of genocide…producing

Eurocentric knowledge and a colonial elite intent on eliminating

Indigenous people altogether.” These are the people we’re dealing with

who are obstructing our society.

The question obviously arises. The Premier has announced that he

is sending the Minister of Indigenous Relations up to Smithers or

Houston to deal with this. He’s still sitting here in the room, so we

wonder what’s actually happening today. It appears to be nothing

whatsoever is being done.

In the meantime, our infrastructure is being slowly gridlocked and

shut down. We’ve also heard that the Premier of Manitoba has taken the

initiative to apply for an injunction to clear the rail tracks to let

commerce continue in Manitoba.

In the face of all this and the stated need to maintain the rule

of law, we have an entirely passive approach from the Premier in the

face of implacable protesters who are intent on shutting down

constituency services, shutting down the university, shutting down our

transportation arteries.

Will the Premier rise in this House and tell us what he’s going to

do that is anything more than passive?

Hon. J. Horgan: I appreciate the Leader of the Opposition wants to highlight the

conflict in constituencies. He wants to highlight the conflict across

the country. I think that’s what separates me from him. As much as I

want to try to address these issues in a thoughtful and compassionate

way — not to just be hyperbolic, not to just say that it’s all someone’s

fault…. These issues have been emerging over 150 years, and I’m

confident the member understands that they won’t be resolved with more

force.

I believe the vast majority of British Columbians and Canadians

agree with me and with him that this is inappropriate behaviour, but we

can’t just say that that inappropriate behaviour should be dealt with by

force. It needs to be dealt with by cooperation, by consultation, by

discussion so that we can all move forward together. I thought we’d

agreed on that with respect to Indigenous rights just last

fall.

Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Official Opposition on a

supplemental.

A. Wilkinson: Well, with that evasive and conciliatory answer, the Premier

neglects the fact that it was him who said a scant two weeks ago that we

must maintain the rule of law in this society. That’s what the courts

are for, Premier. That’s why Premier Pallister in Manitoba has gone

through the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench to get the appropriate

injunction.

It is incumbent on this government to use the courts where

appropriate — like infrastructure being blocked, like universities being

shut down, like constituency offices being blockaded and occupied. That

is the role of the courts. It’s not a matter of some police state where

the dictator calls in the police to crack heads. This is a matter of

using the vehicles of the courts to maintain the rule of law.

Why won’t this Premier obtain injunctions to clear these protests

like the Premier of Manitoba?

Hon. J. Horgan: As a learned lawyer, he would know that you don’t need injunctions

when unlawful activity is taking place.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. J. Horgan: Law enforcement has appropriate skills and abilities to address

these issues. I am dumbfounded that the back bench of the B.C. Liberal

Party assumes that law enforcement is not doing their job. Of course

they are. What they need is the support of this place, not

criticism.

[10:40 a.m.]

S. Bond: What British Columbians need is a Premier who is going to stand up

on behalf of all British Columbians, take some action and actually do

something.

As the Premier sits here in the Legislature today, British

Columbians are watching as ports, bridges and other critical

infrastructure are blocked. As we speak, a rail blockade in northern

B.C. is stopping companies from shipping their goods, whether it’s

lumber, whether it’s grain and other commodities. To quote the president

of CN Rail: “The Port of Prince Rupert is effectively already shut

down.” What do we hear from this Premier? Nothing. There are 6,000 jobs

at risk.

When will this Premier get up, do his job and seek an injunction

to remove the rail blockade?

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. J. Horgan: I thank the member for her passion. This is an issue that’s being

addressed by CN. It’s also being addressed by the Prime Minister and

myself. Both of us have written to the hereditary leadership in the

Gitxsan territory and agreed that we would be happy to meet with them,

send government representatives, at the earliest opportunity. That’s

action. It’s CN’s responsibility to clear unlawful behaviour on their

right-of-way, and they’re undertaking that.

Again, another former Attorney General — two in a row, back to

back, Liberal Attorneys General — getting up and saying, “Do something,”

when they know darn well that we are doing everything that we can to

support law enforcement and the right way forward.

When the people of British Columbia look at the behaviour on that

side of the House, they shake their heads and say: “Thank goodness the

erratic people on that side are not trying to move forward in a

situation that was not created yesterday, was not created two years ago,

was created 150 years ago.”

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. J. Horgan: I thought we had agreed unanimously that we were going to work on

these issues together. Apparently, that doesn’t matter to the people on

that side of the House.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Prince George–​Valemount on a

supplemental.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Leader of the Official Opposition, you’re out of order.

S. Bond: The Premier can stand in this House and try passing the buck all

he wants, but let’s be clear. The responsibility for upholding the rule

of law rests on his shoulders as the Premier of British Columbia, and to

suggest he has done everything he can is simply false. Apparently, the

Premier of Manitoba has figured out that there’s a tool he can use. Why

isn’t our Premier standing up and following that example?

Job creators have grave concerns. The Premier knows that. Recently

they said they cannot continue to afford this government’s lack of

involvement. In fact, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce appealed on

Thursday to all levels of government, including this one, that law

enforcement needs to restore rail service by removing the

blockades.

Industry leaders are concerned. The Premier knows that. British

Columbians expect action. The Premier knows that.

Will the Premier stand up today and follow the example of the

Premier of Manitoba and seek an injunction to end the rail

blockade?

Hon. J. Horgan: Again, perhaps the news service isn’t making its way to the

basement of the B.C. Liberal caucus. CN has sought an injunction that

will be enforced by law. It will be enforced by law enforcement as they

are able to do so. Those operational decisions — as, again, she should

well know as a former Solicitor General and Attorney General — will be

done on their terms, not on terms in this Legislature.

I will add that to cast aspersions at the Minister of

Reconciliation for sitting here in this House and doing his job is

absolutely outrageous. You know full well he was in Wet’suwet’en

territory. He has criss-crossed this province building relations with

Indigenous people so we can move together in prosperity for all British

Columbians, not just the rich friends that back your party.

Interjections.

[10:45 a.m.]

Mr. Speaker: Members.

COASTAL GASLINK PIPELINE PROJECT

AND GOVERNMENT

RELATIONSHIP

WITH WET’SUWET’EN NATION

S. Furstenau: Over the last several weeks, this government has spoken at great

length about the work that it has done with the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary

Chiefs. Our concern is that this engagement has been secondary to

ensuring that LNG Canada and its associated projects can

proceed.

Late last month it was reported that a key environmental

assessment report that is necessary for construction to proceed in the

Morice River Technical Boundary Area, the same area that includes the

Unist’ot’en Healing Centre, still needed to be submitted and approved.

The ministry was quoted in the media as stating: “This process is part

of our work to ensure that industry — in this case, Coastal GasLink — is

meeting the requirements of their environmental approval. Environmental

assessment office requirements will need to be met for CGL to proceed

with construction.”

My question is for the Minister of Environment. What steps did

this government take to work with the federal government and with CGL to

hold off seeking an extension of their injunction in order to allow more

engagement with Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs, particularly since the

missing report meant that no construction could take

part in the Morice

River area anyway?

Hon. G. Heyman: Thank you to the member for the question. As the member knows, the

environmental assess­ment certificate for Coastal GasLink contains

33 legally binding conditions. It was issued in 2014. The first

condition — the member is correct — addresses the Morice River Technical

Boundary Area, which includes the wilderness lodge and the healing

centre.

In November 2019, CGL submitted the required report to the

environmental assessment office, and the environmental assessment office

is currently reviewing the report submitted by the company. As part of

that review, it is consulting and seeking feedback extensively from all

parties, including both the hereditary and the elected leadership of the

Wet’suwet’en. Since the environmental assessment certificate was

granted, the EAO has met directly with the Office of the Wet’suwet’en a

number of times to hear the specific concerns that they

raised.

To the details of the member’s question, under the terms of the

environmental assessment certificate and British Columbia law, the

company, CGL, cannot undertake construction activity in the Morice River

Technical Boundary Area until the report has been accepted and that

condition is deemed to have been met. They can, however, undertake

they can, as has been affirmed by the courts, have access to those areas

through that area. That is where the matter currently stands.

Mr. Speaker: The House Leader, Third Party, on a supplemental.

S. Furstenau: As my colleague from Saanich North and the Islands made clear

yesterday, the issue that the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs have raised

is not new. The immediate issues concerning the Coastal GasLink pipeline

have been known for years. The broader territorial rights and title

issue has been known for decades.

Even with the injunction, we have had a long lead-up to what is

before us. An interim injunction was first granted on December 14, 2018,

and it was on December 31, 2019, that the B.C. Supreme Court granted an

extension of the injunction to completion. Yet it was only at the

beginning of this month that the Minister of Indigenous Relations and

Reconciliation sat down at the respect table to seek peaceful

resolution.

My question for the Minister of Indigenous Relations and

Reconciliation. Given that almost everyone involved in the respect table

discussions has described it as a posi­tive step and constructive

in the reconciliation process, why did it take the threat of a pending

injunction enforcement for a respect table discussion to be struck,

especially given how long government has been aware of the outstanding

issues related to this pipeline?

[10:50 a.m.]

Hon. S. Fraser: I thank the House Leader for the Third Party for her question. As

the member notes, the situation is very complex, and it’s very

long-standing. As a matter of fact, it long predates our government.

We’ve been engaging in meaningful government-to-government negotiations

with the Office of the Wet’suwet’en since last spring.

I was grateful to have been invited to a smoke feast in the

territory by the Chiefs as a first formal step in that

process.

As the member also knows, there had been access agreements in

place between the company, the RCMP and the Hereditary Chiefs since last

January. But with the B.C. Supreme Court ruling on the injunction, the

agreement ended.

Since then, our government made a committed effort to work with

the OW, the Office of the Wet’suwet’en, the Hereditary Chiefs, to find a

peaceful resolution, including the talks at the respect table. Wiggus is

the term that was explained by the Hereditary Chiefs when we were there.

It was clear from the discussions that all of us came together in good

faith. That good faith continues, and we remain committed to continuing

to build that relationship together.

RESPONSE TO PROTESTS SUPPORTING

WET’SUWET’EN HEREDITARY

CHIEFS

J. Johal: What we have witnessed over the last few days is not some

spontaneous uprising but a well-funded and coordinated national strategy

to shut down vital infrastructure and inconvenience the

public.

Presently protesters are blockading a road at UBC, and initial

reports also show that protesters have entered the Attorney General’s

constituency office. My understanding is that his constituency assistant

needed a police escort to remove sensitive documents from his office.

The Attorney General has lost control of his community office to radical

activists.

These same activists also disrupted goods and services and people

at the Swartz Bay terminal on January 20; Deltaport and Port of

Vancouver, February 8 and 9; Vancouver city hall, February 9; Johnson

Street Bridge and Bay Street Bridge, February 10; Helijet Victoria

terminal, February 11; Vancouver at Cambie intersection, February 11;

and Granville Street bridge, yesterday. Tomorrow we have a planned

shutdown of government offices. It doesn’t end there.

I have a letter here from Ken Veldman. He’s the vice-president at

the Prince Rupert port. That port has been severely impacted by these

very actions as well. I want to read a quote from his letter. He

says:

“Operations are being wound down at the Port of Prince Rupert, with

terminals receiving no rail and working with current cargo on hand and

capacities available. Terminal operations are being severely curtailed.

Labour is not being called in, and the situation is expected to

deteriorate even more in the next couple of days and will likely cascade

into B.C. and Canadian exporters, curtailing operations in multiple

industries, including mills and mines. Moreover, full recovery of the

terminals, gateway and railway network from this disruption will take

months even after service is resumed.”

Mr. Speaker, to this Premier I would say that his job is not a

passive role. It’s not passive at all. Preserving the rule of law is his

responsibility.

Will the Premier stand up for the hard-working men and women of

B.C. and bring back the rule of law?

Hon. J. Horgan: I guess the word of the day for the Liberals on their

word-of-the-day calendar was “passive,” because I’ve heard it a few

times.

I just want to say to all members of this House, and all British

Columbians, that I don’t believe there’s a person in this room who

doesn’t believe that unlawful behaviour requires consequences. I think

everyone also understands that law enforcement in the face of illegal

behaviour has every tool at their disposal to take action.

With respect to the Port of Prince Rupert, a federal port, I have

been in contact with the Deputy Prime Minister last evening. I’ll be

speaking with the Prime Minister at the end of question period today.

Together, we have reached out to the Gitxsan leadership and urged them

to leave the tracks. The CN Rail Co. has sought an injunction, as they

rightly should.

Again, I believe every step is being taken to preserve lawful

behaviour in British Columbia. It does not in any way assist the people

of British Columbia to have an opposition that prefers to give an

inventory of illegal behaviour and say: “What’s the deal with that?” If

they just woke up yesterday….

[10:55 a.m.]

Sometimes when I think of things like ICBC, when I think of how

they drove that corporation into the ground…. And then they go: “Hey, it

wasn’t us. We just showed up two years ago. We just arrived two years

ago. These issues have been percolating for generations.”

I think it’s appropriate for reasonable leaders…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. J. Horgan: …to band together to say with one voice: “Illegal behaviour is

unacceptable.” Let law enforcement do its job. Let the courts do what

they’re supposed to do, and we’ll move on from there. But it does not

help when a pathetic opposition tries to find a way to sow discontent

rather than to find the harmony that, again, I thought we had not that

many months ago.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members, if we could get back to question

period.

J. Johal: I’m going to read a quote from a politician not making excuses.

Here’s Brian Pallister, and this is what he had to say: “As much as we

will always respect the right of protestors to have a voice, they don’t

have a veto and…they don’t have the right to put their rights ahead of

everyone else and to disregard the laws of our province.”

Blocking critical infrastructure cannot be tolerated. Can the

Premier please get off his duff and do something?

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. J. Horgan: Again, I want to thank the member, the future Leader of the

Official Opposition, for his question. I’m confident that that latest

intervention will get him up to the top of the news on Global ,

where he never seemed to be when he worked there. But that’s okay. I

appreciate….

Interjections.

Hon. J. Horgan: I had a lot to say.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. J. Horgan: I am doing my job, Member.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Order, please.

[Mr. Speaker rose.]

Mr. Speaker: Member, order.

[Mr. Speaker resumed his seat.]

Mr. Speaker: Premier.

Hon. J. Horgan: Again, I’ve answered the question. We’re working with law

enforcement. We’re working with the federal government on these issues.

More importantly, we’re working with people across British Columbia to

try and find a way forward. No one accepts unlawful behaviour. I was

pretty clear on that yesterday. I’ll be clear on that every single day

that I’m in this position. It’s not acceptable to intrude on the liberty

and rights of other people when you’re expressing your discontent with a

policy question.

That is a pretty fundamental part about being Canadian citizens. I

know the members on that side agree with me. They should put the

politics aside.

Why don’t we band together for a better outcome for all British

Columbians?

STRATA INSURANCE COST INCREASES

T. Stone: Under the Housing Minister’s watch, British Columbia’s strata

market is in crisis. There have been massive spikes in insurance

premiums and deductibles. This is hurting British Columbians in Metro

Vancouver and elsewhere. Premiums are going up between 50 and 400

percent. Deductibles are going up.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Thank you.

T. Stone: Deductibles are going up from $25,000 to $750,000.

A simple question to the Minister of Housing would be this. What

is she planning to do to help those thousands of British Columbians who

are hurting from skyrocketing strata costs?

[11:00 a.m.]

Hon. C. James: Thank you to the member for the question. Certainly, we’re very

concerned about the impact of the insurance increases for strata owners

but also for tenants. Many tenants rent through stratas, and we’re

worried that those costs will be passed on to them.

We’re taking a look at the challenges that are being faced right

now. We are working with the B.C. Financial Services Authority, which

regulates insurance companies. As the member knows well, this is private

industry. They are facing, as they’ve raised, challenges around climate,

challenges around increasing real estate prices.

We are working with the strata associations. We are working with

individuals. We’re working with the insurance corporation as well as

insurance companies to be able to take a look at options that are

available to be able to ease the pressure. This is not unique to British

Columbia. I think that’s important to note. This is a common problem

that is happening across the country right now. But it’s important that

we look at how we can address the affordability issues for the

individuals concerned.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Kamloops–South Thompson on a

supplemental.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, the member for Kamloops–​South Thompson has the

floor.

T. Stone: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister of Housing is the individual in this chamber who is

responsible for the Strata Act. That’s the person I have asked the

question to.

She is the minister who…. Under her watch, over the last 2½ years,

rents have shot up. You’re darned right renters are concerned. In fact,

in Metro Vancouver — the average rent — renters are paying $2,064 more

per year under the NDP than they did before the NDP came to town. Now

we’re talking about layering on a whole other level of unaffordability

for renters and for anyone in the strata market.

Anyone who lives in a condo, anyone who lives in a townhome,

anyone who lives in an apartment, a duplex, is at risk. We’re talking

about half of the citizens of Metro Vancouver that this potentially

impacts. People are worried about this, and they deserve and expect

action from this Housing Minister.

Again to the Minister of Housing, what is her specific plan to

address these massive and unaffordable strata costs?

Hon. C. James: It’s a bit rich that it’s this member who is standing up asking an

insurance question.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. C. James: Mr. Speaker, $2 billion. I would think everyone on that side

should hang their heads in shame at $2 billion that could’ve been spent

on services and supports if it wasn’t for ICBC — a mess left to us by

that member and by the previous side.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. C. James: We are talking to the insurance companies. We are talking to the

Financial Services Authority, which is part of my mandate as Finance

Minister. We are taking a look at insurance companies. We are talking

with the strata owners as well, to look at what solutions are possible,

given the fact that…. Again, remember, this is an individual, private

industry decision that they make around prices.

It’s common across the country. We also are having conversations

with our colleagues across the country, because this is not unique to

British Columbia. So we are talking to them as well. We will continue,

as a government, standing up for affordability for families, unlike the

other side over there.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members, we don’t want to change Thursdays to “testy

Thursday.”

[11:05 a.m.]

J. Thornthwaite: I think it’s a bit rich that the Minister of Finance is deflecting

the importance of this issue to virtually half of the people that live

in Metro Vancouver. Some people in my constituency are facing insurance

rates that have gone double in one year. You talk all you want about

affordability. Having insurance rates doubling in one year is actually

the opposite of affordability. For a senior on a fixed income who

suddenly must pay hundreds of dollars more every month, this is a crisis

that demands immediate action.

Bruce Campbell is a strata president who has this to say: “I’d

describe it as a crisis. There’s no other way around it.” For this

government to say that it’s going to monitor and hold consultations

during a crisis simply is not good enough.

Does the Housing Minister think this is a serious enough issue to

intervene on behalf of strata owners?

Hon. C. James: I’ve answered the question, but I’m happy to answer it

again.

We are concerned for strata owners. We are concerned for decisions

that are being made right now by insurance companies when it comes to

strata costs. This is not a unique issue to British Columbia. This is an

issue across the country. That’s why we’ve had a call with our federal

colleagues, and provincial colleagues as well, to talk about the

pressures that are being faced. This relates to everything from rising

real estate prices to climate action. Those are issues that, certainly,

the insurance companies have been raising themselves.

We will continue those discussions to look for solutions to be

able to address this issue on behalf of those who are strata

owners.

[End of question period.]

Reports from Committees

FINANCE AND GOVERNMENT

SERVICES

COMMITTEE

B. D’Eith: I have the honour to present the third report of the Select

Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services for the fourth

session of the 41st parliament entitled Annual Review of the Budgets

of Statutory Offices.

I move that the report be taken as read and received.

Motion approved.

B. D’Eith: I ask leave of the House to move a motion to adopt the

report.

Leave granted.

B. D’Eith: I move that the report be adopted, and in so doing, I would like

to make some brief comments.

The unanimous report summarizes the committee’s recommendations

for the budgets for the province’s nine statutory officers. Committee

members met with all statutory offices in the fall and took a thoughtful

and comprehensive approach in reviewing budget submissions.

The committee continued to emphasize fiscal responsibility and

prudence while also acknowledging efforts by the offices to find savings

and efficiencies. We extend our appreciation to all statutory officers

and their staff for their work and service to the province and for their

engagement in this important process.

On behalf of the committee, I would like to take this opportunity

to thank former Auditor General Carol Bellringer and former Merit

Commissioner Fiona Spencer for their service to the province and wish

them well in their future endeavours. I’d also like to thank Lynn Smith

for taking on the role of acting Conflict of Interest Commissioner

following the passing of the late Paul Fraser.

The committee congratulates Victoria Gray, QC, on her appointment

as Conflict of Interest Commissioner; Maureen Baird, QC, on her

appointment as Merit Commissioner; and Russ Jones on his appointment as

acting Auditor General. The committee looks forward to meeting with them

this spring.

I would also like to extend my appreciation to all of the

committee members. I normally don’t mention them all, but I’d like to

mention them. The member for Columbia River–Revelstoke, the member for

Langley East, the member for Esquimalt-Metchosin, the member for

Courtenay-Comox and, previously in the year, the member for

Kamloops–North Thompson. In particular, I’d like to acknowledge the

member for Surrey–White Rock. We are missing her. We wish her a speedy

recovery.

Of course, I’d like to thank the member for Powell River–Sunshine

Coast for gracing us with his presence.

I would really like to thank the member for Penticton for being

the Deputy Chair and for all the work he did. He made this work really

possible, especially getting to unanimity with both sides of this House.

We really appreciate it.

[11:10 a.m.]

It’s always interesting. When these notes are written, the Clerk’s

office never thanks themselves. I think everyone in this House would

like to show our appreciation for Kate Ryan-Lloyd and Karan Riarh for

the amazing effort that you do every day — we even saw that this week,

the incredible work that you do in the Clerk’s office — and, of course,

Hansard, for always being there for us all the time. We really

appreciate that. It’s really important to recognize that. So thank you

very much.

If I could turn it over to the Deputy Chair.

D. Ashton: I would also like to say many thanks to the members of the Finance

Committee for their work in streamlining and standardizing the budget

requests of the statutory officers. I would also like to extend those

thanks to the statutory officers for stepping forward and making a

difference in how the requests come to the committee.

Also, I would like to say thank you very, very much to the staff

of the committees office for their ongoing support and dedication to all

the committees in this Legislature, especially their support to the

citizens of British Columbia when they come forward.

I would be remiss, also, in not thanking all of the committee

members and the Chair, and last but not least, the folks that are above

us in Hansard that travel with us on the committee around the province

of British Columbia and make it so accessible to all British Columbians

to hear what their government is working towards and what the

Legislature is working towards to the benefit of each and every one of

those citizens and the people that they represent coming to the Finance

Committee.

Mr. Speaker: The question is the adoption of the report.

Motion approved.

SELECTION COMMITTEE

Hon. M. Farnworth: I have the honour to present the first report of the Special

Committee of Selection for the fifth session of the 41st

parliament.

Mr. Speaker: The question is that the report be read and received.

Motion approved.

Hon. M. Farnworth: I ask leave of the House to move a motion to adopt the

report.

Leave granted.

Hon. M. Farnworth: I move that the report be adopted.

Mr. Speaker: The question is that the report be adopted.

Motion approved.

Orders of the Day

Hon. M. Farnworth: I call continued Address in Reply to the Speech from the

Throne.

[R. Chouhan in the chair.]

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

Deputy Speaker: Members, we are resuming the debate on the Address in Reply to the

Speech from the Throne. The Member for Nechako Lakes will

continue.

J. Rustad: Yesterday I had an opportunity to start my comments and my remarks

with regards to the throne speech. In particular, I was talking about…. It

was somewhat disappointing, from the perspective of Nechako Lakes, what was

in the throne speech.

[11:15 a.m.]

I had a chance yesterday to talk a little bit about agriculture and

the ranching sector and what’s going on. I want to finish with one little

component of that, which leads into some discussion on forestry. I have here

a letter that I received that was sent to the Minister of Forests not long

ago, only a couple of weeks ago, from the Nechako Valley Regional

Cattlemen’s Association. It talks about a crisis that the cattle industry in

my area is facing because they can’t access shavings.

The challenge is that, with the production drop-off primarily…. Some

of that was due to mountain pine beetle and supply, but a lot of that was

due to the cost structure that was in place. There’s a tremendous demand for

that material now, for those shavings and the dust that comes from sawmill

operations to go into pellet operations, and for hog fuel, for power plants

and other sites.

The cattlemen, quite frankly, have a challenge being able to afford,

now being able to compete and to be able to buy these shavings. These

shavings are critical for the cattle industry, in particular for the

cow-calf industry. For the industry, they use the shavings for bedding. They

then take the shavings. The shavings soak up material from the animals. They

then put it in the field. It helps to enhance the field as a fertilizer as

well as adding organics into the field to be able to have more productive

fields. They can’t get access to this material now.

It’s a shame, with the crisis that has happened now in our forest

industry, that issues like this are happening because there haven’t been

steps taken by this government to be able to support our forest industry,

right across the forest industry. I’ll talk a little bit about the Interior,

and then I’ll go to the coast.

There is this challenge that we have become the highest-cost

producers. Now, industry is…. For the most part, the mills are back to work.

They’re not at full shifts, not all of them. Some of them are. Lumber prices

are up around $450, so you would think things are better. But the reality is

simple. We’re still a high-cost producer. When you’re the highest-cost

producer, companies don’t look to reinvest, which means we are laying the

foundations for further problems and further challenges in our forest sector

unless those cost structures come into place or come under

control.

When I listened to the throne speech and listened to the fact that….

It was about 35 minutes before forestry was even mentioned or resource

sector was even mentioned in the throne speech. And then, when it was

mentioned, there was nothing. There was no recognition of the crisis. There

was no recognition of the challenges. There was no recognition of components

that need to be fixed. It was just full steam ahead with continually adding

costs and adding in administrative layers of structure that delay our forest

sector and cause problems for our forest sector.

For example, there are folks on Haida Gwaii today that could be

working, but they can’t get a permit because the ministry is not pushing

through the permits. There are many other issues across the sector, and

those delays are costly. They are creating a real problem. On the coast,

with the cost structure that has been put in place on the coast, it makes it

extremely difficult for these companies to be able to operate.

In addition, with the new regs that are going to be coming in, in

July, which are going to change some of the components for finished

products, particularly for red cedar and cypress…. That will have a huge

impact. There has been no analysis done by these guys, by the current

government. There certainly was not even a recognition of that in the throne

speech. So for the people on Vancouver Island, the people on the coast and

the people in the Interior, it’s hard for them to see this throne speech as

anything but empty words, not actions, not direction and not guidance as to

the future that this government’s going to take to try to support and get

the feet back under the industry.

Now, the Minister of Labour finally took some action after almost

eight months in a strike — an action, quite frankly, that should have been

taken four months earlier and could very easily have been taken four months

earlier. There was no reason for the delay, absolutely none. All they did….

The mediators themselves were begging government to ask them to make

recommendations so that it could change the tone at the table and get a deal

done.

[11:20 a.m.]

Government refused, and suffering happened in communities right across

the Island with families and individuals. Christmas was wiped out. Savings

were wiped out. Companies were on the verge of bankruptcy. It’s a sad

situation to think that government could just be so passive — there’s that

nice word that was used so often in question period today — and so

completely uncaring about the strife of folks on the Island that went

through this.

Our forest sector is the foundation of so much economic activity in

this province, with about 120,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs around

the province and 140-plus communities that depend on our forest sector.

Unfortunately, very little recognition, very little steps taken by this

government to be able to help with the true challenge. That is the cost

structure and the delays, the amount of administrative burden and components

that have been added onto by this government.

Forestry — I’ll get a chance to go into many of those details when we

get into estimates, but I want to come back to Nechako Lakes. Nechako Lakes

is a region, an area, a riding that I have the honour to represent. About 35

to 40 percent of the economic activity is forestry. Then there’s

agriculture, which is predominantly cow-calf operations. Then there’s mining

activity and a little bit of tourism and other components — technology and

other components that make up the rest of the activity in the

riding.

Forestry is that foundation, even for the agricultural sector. Many

people in the agricultural sector work in forestry, and it helps them to be

able to get through periods of time and create some revenue stream. Family

members work in the forest sector. Without that healthy sector, it puts the

livelihoods of most of the people, large components of Nechako Lakes, at

risk.

There has been virtually no capital investment other than what is

necessary to keep mills going in our forest sector, particularly throughout

the north. There needs to be reinvestment. The mills need to retool for the

changes that have happened. But there’s no confidence. No board is going to

look at investing in British Columbia with the uncertainty that has been

created, whether that’s uncertainty on the land base in terms of

reconciliation with First Nations, whether it’s uncertainty in terms of

government policies and approaches, whether it’s uncertainty in terms of

costs and cost structure.

Why would a company invest here? There are many other places in the

world where they can invest. You don’t invest where you have the highest

cost. You invest in that lower third. That creates a real challenge, like I

say, for today but a growing challenge as we go forward, because the longer

this carries on, the more expensive it gets for companies to start looking

at redoing that retooling and the more focus those companies now have on

other jurisdictions.

You look at the fibre and what we have in our area. I’ll just give you

an example of the Prince George supplier which supplies a significant

component of the operations in my riding. How long has it been now — four

years, three years? And the ministry still has not done the allocation.

We’re still harvesting at a level that was set by the previous timber supply

review. We’re going to be into another timber supply review in that area

before the allocation is even done. That’s unacceptable. That is not good

management. That is not good forestry practices by this

government.

Also, when I look at forestry, I think about families and, in

particular, small operators that are trying to make a go of it. They finally

get a little bit of work and move, and you know what? They’re in a position

where they can take on a new driver. I’m like: “That’s great.” They’re going

to start this new driver off just doing a little bit of gravel truck

driving. You know, get him some experience. Then along comes this

government’s approach on ICBC. That approach on ICBC for that new driver….

That is what this government apparently wants to do — get these new drivers,

get these new people into the industry.

Because of the approach of ICBC, that new driver for that truck is now

going to cost an extra $5,000 to $10,000 a year for each of the trucks he

has. He’s got four trucks. Suddenly now he’s got to come up with another

$20,000 to $50,000 in insurance premiums just so he can have that new driver

on, because that new driver may work on any of his trucks. With a small

company like that, you can’t absorb that kind of cost. And you certainly

can’t pass it down in a sector that is struggling and that is in crisis. How

is that making life more affordable for the people in Nechako

Lakes?

[11:25 a.m.]

This government should be ashamed of those kinds of steps. They should

be ashamed of what they’re doing. They should be ashamed of it. Those kinds

of steps that have been taken, quite frankly, are the pieces that are

undermining the economy, the very foundational economy, that has helped to

support the quality of life and the quality of living that this province

has, without any recognition of the damage that’s being done.

Interjection.

J. Rustad: The members opposite heckle about bringing this through. This is a

valid issue that needs to be raised. It’s not one to be laughed off, Member.

This is a serious issue that’s hurting the economy in my riding, and this

throne speech has done nothing to alleviate that kind of damage that is

being done or even recognizing that that damage is being done in my

riding.

I’ll have much more to say about forestry when we get into the

estimates side. But I want to touch on another component that’s critical for

my riding, which is mining. Mining is about 25 percent, thereabouts, of the

economic activity in my riding. Lots of people work in other areas but live

in my riding and work in the mining sector. It’s an important piece of our

economy.

There’s lots of talk from the other side about wanting electric cars

and the new economy and all these kinds of approaches. You know what? That’s

great. But a new electric vehicle takes ten times as much copper as an old

standard vehicle. What have we seen in this province? Not a single new mine

under construction. Not one under this government.

There’s no confidence to have that money come into this province to

invest and build and create those new mines. That means that as our mining

sector plays on and there are mines that are in place, when those mines

start playing out, where is the replacement? Where is the material that

we’re going to need for this new economy, for these things?

We should be figuring out how we drive investment and how we create

this opportunity to be able to meet this new demand that is going to be

coming, not adding on costs and adding on delays and taking over eight

months to get a notice of work. As a company, how do you survive through

that if it takes you eight months to be able to get a permit to be able to

go and actually work? That’s craziness.

It was a short…. We had a 120-day period in the Peace. We put $30

million in to move the permitting and that sort of process in place. What

have they done? They’ve said they’ve put money into it too. I thought:

“Great. They’ve put some money in. It’s going to improve the situation.”

Only to find out that about 10 percent to 15 percent of that money is

actually going for that. The rest is going into guess what. More

administrative and costs for the process.

Interjection.

J. Rustad: No. Take a look. Don’t read your rhetoric. Take a look at what’s

actually happening over there. He says it’s all going to permitting. It’s

not. It is not.

The minister herself has admitted that when she was…. The former

minister. Now she’s on to a different portfolio. But the mining sector needs

to have the certainty. It needs to have the cost structure also brought

down. It cannot survive, and you won’t see the investment until you have

that certainty and the cost structure put in place. That uncompetitiveness

that is happening across this government in all of its approaches, of big

government, big taxes, big regulations, is creating problems. It’s not going

to help in terms of the people of my riding of Nechako Lakes to be able to

see jobs and see a future.

There’s a fully permitted mine that’s ready to go. It’s a Blackwater

project south of Vanderhoof, and it’s a challenge. Why? Because there isn’t

the confidence to see the investment in that new gold mine. There’s another

mine just north of the Fort St. James area, the Kemess Underground, or

Kemess North, as it used to be called. Once again, fully permitted for an

underground cave mine operation.

The company doesn’t have confidence to put the money into the ground,

because it’s not sure where that will be down the road, because it takes

years to be able to develop and build that mine, so it’s not being built.

It’s a challenge. It has First Nations supporters. Everybody on side. It’s

crazy.

It comes back to one issue, which is how you actually get things done.

I want to just touch one more time on the forestry side in terms of that —

how you get things done. The other day I was looking at a news

article about

the mill closure in Clearwater, which was a devastating situation for the

community. I understand in terms of the supply situation and issues that

it’s facing, but that deal, which was announced, that the deal was going to

go ahead last spring — June, I think it was, or May — when it was

announced…. It’s still pending. Why is it still pending? Because government

can’t get the job done.

[11:30 a.m.]

The First Nations are in agreement. The two companies are in

agreement. The community is in agreement. Why is this deal not getting done?

Because government is in the way. So there are loggers that are sitting

there waiting to try to work and have been out of work now because that wood

is not moving. It’s not being harvested. Why? Ask the Minister of Forests.

Ask this government why. Because they will not get the deal done. It’s

simple. Everybody’s in agreement, except for government.

Government is going to need to explain that, and I look forward to

asking that question when we get into the estimates process. It is that

situation where, once again: how does anybody get anything done in this

province when there isn’t the confidence; there are the delays; there’s the

administrative; there’s the overhead that has been put in place without

recognition, quite frankly, by this government that they’re part of the

problem, not part of the solution?

When I look through the issue…. And like I say, I wanted to talk just

a little bit more about forestry. This Interior revitalization that’s going

on — everybody knows that there needs to be some work done there. I was at

two meetings where the minister himself was there in those public meetings

and who publicly stated that there will be a “what we heard” document

delivered before Christmas. Well, here we are in mid-February, and it still

isn’t out there. And now, apparently, there are more conversations and

components going on.

What’s happening over there? How do you develop any confidence? How do

you move forward, and how do you try to attract investment in a sector when

you can’t even deliver on your promises? It’s a simple document. It’s just

simply what you heard. It’s not even your decision components yet, and that

hasn’t even been put out, even though the minister promised it publicly.

It’s shameful. It really is, when you look at how that goes

forward.

In my riding of Nechako Lakes, I’m honoured to have 13 First Nations

that have reserves that are within my riding, and they’re a critical

component of what happens within my riding. Whether that’s the

Carrier-Sekani Tribal Council and the group that’s part of that or whether

those are the bands that are part of the Wet’suwet’en people, unanimously,

across those communities, they want to see economic opportunity. They’re

tired of not having the potential for their people to go to work, to create

jobs, to lift people out of poverty.

You know what? We entered into some very innovative agreements with

them and started some processes with them while we were in government. To

their credit, government has moved forward, particularly with the Cheslatta

Carrier Nation. That agreement, which we almost had finalized…. The

government took another two years. They got that over the line, and that’s

good. That’s a great thing. That will help that nation to be able to advance

forward.

They just announced the pathways agreement of $200 million going to

the Carrier-Sekani for a five-year process going forward. But I think back

to what we were negotiating at the time, and the key issue was land. We were

talking about the revenue-sharing and the components and these sorts of

things going forward.

There was a very important piece of that negotiation that was going to

be a foundation, and that was trying to deal with title. I didn’t see that

in the agreement that was struck by this government, and I wonder why. I

wonder why they refused to sit down and address title as part of that work

with the Carrier-Sekani, because that’s a big piece of being able to help

nations and work with nations to be able to have them develop prosperity and

opportunity for their people and to create the kind of certainty on the land

base. It’s curious. I look forward to the estimates process with the

Minister of Indigenous Relations to find out why land wasn’t included as

part of that process.

There’s another piece as well that has gone forward and is advancing,

which is a process we started with the Lake Babine Nation. That was, once

again, a pathways-type agreement to try to resolve long-term reconciliation.

The land, of course, was the key component of that. Those discussions

apparently have progressed in my riding, and that’s good to see, except for

one component. Why has this government refused to engage with the

public?

[11:35 a.m.]

There are people that are asking questions of me, you know, weekly, if

not daily, about things that they’re hearing, rumours of negotiations.

What’s this going to mean? How is this going to impact their lands? So far,

I’ve gotten no answers from this government. That’s not right. You would

think this government would have learned its lesson from the caribou issue

if not from other issues.

You have to engage people and let them know what’s happening. You have

to be able to bring everybody along. Reconciliation isn’t just government to

government. It’s about bringing people together and solving long-standing

issues and having people move together forward to a successful future, not

creating frictions and keeping people in the dark.

When I look at the plan here, going forward, and the throne plan when

it talked about developing the action plan for UNDRIP, it kind of scares me

a little bit, because there obviously is not that engagement with the

broader public about what it is.

Now, an action plan is great. You know, they’re going to move forward

and develop that. I think that’s good. But where does everybody else fit

into? Whether it’s industry, whether it’s individuals, landowners, etc.,

what does their world look like? How is that going to change? There was no

talk about how you think about that broader reconciliation. To me, once

again, it misses the mark.

Government bragged about getting rid of MSP premiums. You know, it’s

interesting that they’ve taken the approach on this. They didn’t get rid of

it. That’s misleading. All they did was hide it in a new tax called the

employer health tax. They called it something different. It’s a shuffle.

It’s a card game that they’ve played and shuffled around. Look over here

while they take money out of your pocket over here. It’s unfortunate that

that was the approach the government has taken when it could have been such

good news instead.

When I look at my riding, when I look at the challenges that are

facing my riding, the economic challenges facing my riding, some of the

social issues…. We’ve seen more crime on the streets in my riding and in

neighbouring ridings than we’ve ever seen, and no response. We need ten more

RCMP in Vanderhoof. I want to thank the minister for funding for three more

positions, but that still falls well short of the mark.

For our regional health district, we’ve got the highest health taxes

of anywhere around the province by a long shot, and we’re adding more costs

onto that without recognition by this government. That’s disappointing. It’s

nice to see the investment in the facilities, but there has to be that

recognition.

I will continue to fight for my riding, to fight for restored funding

for highways that have been cut by two-thirds to three-quarters on an annual

basis. I’ll fight to make sure that my riding gets what it deserves and has

its rightful place in this province.

Hon. H. Bains: I want to thank you for the opportunity to once again rise and speak

in this chamber as the representative of Surrey-Newton and as the Minister

of Labour now.

I want to thank my family: my wife, Rajvinder; my children — Kul and

his wife, Parveen; my granddaughter Rhianna; Brayden. The newest one I

haven’t announced here yet. We were blessed, Raj and I, with a granddaughter

from our daughter Jasmeen in Regina. Anna Kaur Hudema was born on December

28. We were able to spend a few days with my daughter, Jasmeen, and her

husband, Darren, and his family were very, very happy to see us

there.

That experience, when you hold that new baby in your hands, puts the

whole thing in perspective — what this life is all about, what we are all

about. You look at them and…. The job that we are blessed with in this

House, the legacy you are leaving behind for our children, their children —

Anna and those who will come after her — is the responsibility that we carry

that their lives, their Canada, their British Columbia will be much better —

more just, more equal, more inclusive than we have today, what we inherited

from our parents or people that came before us.

[11:40 a.m.]

That’s what I think is the challenge that we go through every day

here. I think that when you look at the throne speech here on Tuesday, a

number of initiatives that it identified that the government has taken over

the last 2½ years — what we have accomplished and where we are going — are

listed very clearly. It makes me very proud to be part of a government that

has set its goals to three things that we talked about during the election:

to make life more affordable for British Columbians; to improve services

that people can depend on; and to have a strong, sustainable economy that

benefits all British Columbians — not the top 2 percent, as was the case in

the previous 16 years.

I also want to talk about how it is a privilege to speak in favour of

the throne speech and this government’s continued commitment and unwavering

focus on making life better for British Columbians. I think the prominent

message that we heard in the throne speech is that day by day, around this

province, British Columbians are, in fact, getting help to move ahead. There

are more with money left in their pockets at the end of the month, more

confidence and hope in their family’s future and more assurances that

tangible help, support and safety nets are available when needed and for the

province’s most vulnerable.

I want to come back to those three things that we made commitments

about. Making life more affordable for British Columbians. How and what have

we done to achieve that goal? When you take a look in my area, one of the

first things we did was remove tolls on those two bridges. That put $1,600

to $1,800 per person who drives, every year, in their pocket.

In fact, I was at one social gathering, and one of the entrepreneurs —

young, maybe in his 30s or 40s — came and gave me a big hug. He said: “Mr.

Bains, thank you very much.” Then I asked him to explore what is happening,

and this person said that he owns a small business with a fleet of ten

delivery trucks. He said it cost him $40,000 to $50,000 per year in tolls.

“Thank you for saving me that $40,000 to $50,000 per year. That is money,”

he said, “I can spend to expand my business and also pay to help my

workers.”

Then what we did was eliminate MSP premiums — another $1,800 per

family that families are saving today. We have brought in universal child

care, a $1 billion investment in universal child care — the largest in the

history of this province — so that young people who want to go and work are

confident that their children are left in a child care place where they will

get qualified and professional help and support.

We’re investing $6 billion in housing and affordability — again, the

largest in the history of this province — to tackle the issue of housing and

affordability. We have raised the minimum wage. On June 1, it’ll be going to

$14.60, and in June of next year, it’ll be going to $15.20 — one of the

highest in this country.

In contrast, let me just remind of where we were and where we are

today, just on that one area. For ten years, the previous government froze

the wages of the lowest-paid workers in this province — ten years. At the

same time, the top 1 percent of wage earners received tax breaks.

Something’s wrong with that picture. We fixed it, and we are going to

continue to fix it.

We have the Fair Wages Commission that came back with reasonable and

predictable raises in the minimum wage. That’s what businesses want. That’s

what businesses like — that they have, at least, certainty of what their

costs are going to be moving forward in the next four years.

We are going to fix ICBC, the mess that was left behind by the

previous government. It was left on the brink of insolvency. That’s how

mismanaged these major government institutions were left behind.

[11:45 a.m.]

B.C. Hydro is another area that needs a big fix. We’re going to fix

it, because the people of British Columbia are counting on us. They know

that we put people first, and we are going to fix those institutions that

they rely on.

When we fix ICBC, instead of going into insolvency and the rates going

through the roof, the people of this province, by next year, should be

realizing about 20 percent savings in their insurance rates, or $400 per

year. That is what we have done in order to make life better for British

Columbians.

Then we said we would improve services that people can depend on. So

let’s take a look at what we have done. We have funded over 80 school

projects in the province, and thanks to the Minister of Education, because

he takes his job so seriously. We want to make sure that our future, our

children get the best education, which they need and deserve — unlike the

previous government, who fought with the teachers for 14 years, all the way

to the Supreme Court of Canada. You know what happened? A whole generation

of students….

Interjections.

Hon. H. Bains: Mr. Speaker, they don’t like to talk about their bad record, but we

are going to remind people because that is the reality. That is the reality.

For fourteen years, they fought with teachers.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Order. Order, please. Members.

Hon. H. Bains: It must hurt, Mr. Speaker. But that is reality. It’s not going to go

away — 14 years, all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: The Minister of Labour has the floor. Let’s have some order,

please.

The minister will continue.

Hon. H. Bains: A whole generation of students came in at kindergarten and left at

grade 12 without the proper support that they needed and deserved. That’s

exactly what happened under their watch. I know they don’t like to talk

about it.

So what have we done in those 2½ years?

Interjection.

Hon. H. Bains: The member is chirping away over there. I know he doesn’t want to hear

it. We have….

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members, one speech at a time.

Hon. H. Bains: In the last 2½ years, we have hired 4,200 teachers across this

province, 2,000 support staff and 200 teacher-psychologists and counsellors.

That’s our record compared to what they did. Look at the health care side.

We're building brand-new hospitals….

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members, wait for your turn. I’m sure you all would like to speak on

the throne speech. You will have the opportunity. Any member who wants to

make a comment must make it from their own seat, please. Thank

you.

Minister, continue.

Hon. H. Bains: Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. I love that comment that they all

will have an opportunity to talk about their record of 16 years of neglect

that we are trying to fix here, and we are going to fix it.

Let’s move on to health care. There are hospitals being built all

across this province. One brand-new hospital will be built in Surrey. That

has been neglected. Demand was there. For the last 14 years, we needed

additional services in Surrey. We have made a decision that a brand-new

hospital will be built in Surrey.

There are 13 urgent care centres all across the province, because it

takes time to build hospitals. But in the meantime, urgent care centres are

set up for extended hours and the weekends so that people can go and have

treatment for non-emergency issues and go home, rather than waiting, as

happened under their watch, seven, eight, nine hours in the emergency wards.

We’re fixing it. We said we would fix it; we’re fixing it. Let’s take a

look. Urgent care centres.

Interjection.

Deputy Speaker: Member.

Hon. H. Bains: One of the first ones was in Surrey. In fact, it was the first one in

Surrey. The second one is another one that I’m hoping for, and I’m urging

the Minister of Health to come to Surrey again. I think this time I’m hoping

that another area of Surrey, Surrey-Newton…. I hope that there will be

another urgent care centre coming to Surrey-Newton. It’s going to happen,

I’m told.

[11:50 a.m.]

Let’s take a look. Surrey is the fastest-growing community in this

province. I think….

Interjection.

Hon. H. Bains: The member from Nechako is chirping away. Had he listened the last 16

years, there wouldn’t be the mess that we are left behind to fix. But they

never listened. They’re still not listening.

You know, Member….

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members.

Minister.

Hon. H. Bains: If you keep on doing it, you’re going to stay on that side for a long,

long time. Keep it up.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members. Members, please, come to order.

The member for Nechako Lakes had his chance to make a speech, and he

did it. Now it’s the Minister of Labour.

Carry on.

Hon. H. Bains: Thank you, hon. Chair.

Let’s move on to public transportation. I want to thank the Minister

of Transportation. You know what the record of the previous government was?

Rather than an extension into Surrey for public transportation — to extend

SkyTrain or light rail — what was their answer? “Oh, we will have a

referendum.”

As a result of that, six or seven years have gone by. We have seen no

improvement there. Finally, this government, this minister, is going to fix

it, and we are going to have more public transportation, more buses, more

SkyTrain cars to serve the public of Surrey and the south of

Fraser.

Let me show how the leadership, compared to the previous government,

is working under our Premier. The division of contributions was one-third,

one-third, one-third for all the TransLink projects. What our government

did, what our Premier said was, “We will move our portion to 40 percent,”

rather than saying: “Let’s go to referendum and abdicate your

responsibility.” We are contributing 40 percent as the provincial

contribution to those projects. Guess what. The extension to Surrey is now

going to happen as a result of that. I want to say: that is leadership. What

happened before was an abdication of their responsibility.

Let’s take a look at seniors. We have so many people that are getting

to the age that they need additional help. Under PharmaCare, our Minister of

Health and this government raised where the deductibles start to apply, to a

$45,000 income. So for up to $45,000, you don’t pay any deductibles. It

moved from $30,000. That’s called putting people first.

Fourteen new hospitals are being built in this province. Last year

44,000 more MRIs than 2017 and ’18. That’s leadership. That’s putting people

first.

The government is also acting to fight crime all across this province.

This legislation will come. New legislation is anticipated, giving police

more tools to block illegal guns and ban them from schools. That’s

leadership. That’s putting people first.

Then we talked about having a sustainable economy that every British

Columbian would benefit from. How do we do that? The largest in history…. On

infrastructure, over $20 billion is set aside to build schools, hospitals,

roads and bridges. You know what? All of that is going to…. Most of those

projects will be under a CBA.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

I know that the other side over there always talks about how a CBA is

going to increase costs, but all they have to do is to look back to what

they did under their watch. That was not under a CBA.

Every major project — whether the South Fraser Perimeter Road, the

Vancouver Convention Centre, the Port Mann Bridge or the B.C. Place roof —

each and every one of them was 43 percent over what they budgeted. That’s

what happened under their watch. The Vancouver Convention Centre was over by

70 percent.

They can talk all they want. All they care about are their friends in

high places, while we care about real people, people that go to work every

morning, obey the law and pay their taxes. Those are the people that we are

standing beside, and those are the people we put front and centre when we

develop our policies. That’s why our economy is booming — the lowest

unemployment in the country, the best job growth in the country, a triple-A

credit rating.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

[11:55 a.m.]

Hon. H. Bains: The truth never was part of their vocabulary or their practice. And

you know what?

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. H. Bains: They just don’t like to hear the truth.

I think what the CBA does…. When we are investing taxpayers’ dollars,

as the Premier has said time and again, the taxpayers should be

benefiting.

A good fair-sized construction company during my opposition times,

when the Port Mann was being built…. This company told me that from Whistler

all the way to Hope, there’s about a $5 billion project, for one company,

and this particular local company was saying that what they were left with

was crumbs. Whatever this international company wants…. They brought their

own people in, and the local workers, the local companies were shoved aside.

They did not benefit from it, according to this company.

My way of saying this, our approach…. Through a CBA, you have local

workers getting the opportunity, women getting the opportunity, and business

people getting the opportunity for those jobs that they have been largely

shut out of. These are good-paying jobs, and the local companies will be

given opportunities. That’s the kind of stuff that we are doing.

As a result of all of this, a family of four that is earning $80,000

today is paying 43 percent less in B.C. taxes — 43 percent less. A family of

four earning $100,000 is paying 27 percent less in B.C. taxes. That is the

right approach.

Noting the hour, I reserve my place to come back, and I adjourn the

debate.

Hon. H. Bains moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. R. Fleming moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 this afternoon.

The House adjourned at 11:57 a.m.

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