British Columbia Hansard — Tuesday, September 20, 2005 (38th Parliament, 1st Session) (H0920pm-11) (H0920pm 11)

H0920pm-11

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

First Session, 38th Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (HANSARD) Tuesday, September 20, 2005 Afternoon Sitting Volume 1, Number 11 THE HONOURABLE BILL BARISOFF, SPEAKER ISSN 0709-1281

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871) LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Her Honour the Honourable Iona V. Campagnolo, CM, OBC FIRST SESSION, 38TH PARLIAMENT SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Bill Barisoff EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Premier and President of the Executive Council ............................................................................................................Hon. Gordon Campbell Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations .......................................................................................................... Hon.

John van Dongen Deputy Premier and Minister of Education and Minister Responsible for Early Learning and Literacy...................... Hon. Shirley Bond Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation .......................................................................................................Hon. Tom Christensen Minister of Advanced Education and Minister Responsible for Research and Technology ........................................... Hon.

Murray Coell Minister of Agriculture and Lands.......................................................................................................................................................Hon. Pat Bell Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism............................................................................... Hon. Wally Oppal, QC Minister of Children and Family Development ..........................................................................................................................Hon.

Stan Hagen Minister of State for Childcare ........................................................................................................................................................Hon. Linda Reid Minister of Community Services and Minister Responsible for Seniors’ and Women’s Issues........................................... Hon. Ida Chong Minister of Economic Development and Minister Responsible for the Asia-Pacific Initiative and the Olympics.................Hon.

Colin Hansen Minister of Employment and Income Assistance ...........................................................................................................Hon. Claude Richmond Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources .......................................................................................................Hon. Richard Neufeld Minister of State for Mining............................................................................................................................................................Hon.

Bill Bennett Minister of Environment and Minister Responsible for Water Stewardship and Sustainable Communities ...............Hon. Barry Penner Minister of Finance.......................................................................................................................................................................Hon. Carole Taylor Minister of Forests and Range and Minister Responsible for Housing ............................................................................. Hon.

Rich Coleman Minister of Health ......................................................................................................................................................................Hon. George Abbott Minister of Labour and Citizens’ Services .......................................................................................................................... Hon. Michael de Jong Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General................................................................................................................................Hon.

John Les Minister of Small Business and Revenue and Minister Responsible for Deregulation ...................................................... Hon. Rick Thorpe Minister of Tourism, Sports and the Arts........................................................................................................................................Hon. Olga Ilich Minister of Transportation...........................................................................................................................................................Hon.

Kevin Falcon LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Leader of the Official Opposition .........................................................................................................................................................Carole James Deputy Speaker ....................................................................................................................................................................................Sindi Hawkins Assistant Deputy Speaker.....................................................................................................................................................................Sue Hammell Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole.................................................................................................................................................

Harry Bloy Clerk of the Legislative Assembly .........................................................................................................................E. George MacMinn, OBC, QC Clerk Assistant.........................................................................................................................................................................................Robert Vaive Clerk Assistant and Law Clerk .......................................................................................................................................................Ian D.

Izard, QC Clerk Assistant and Clerk of Committees ....................................................................................................................................... Craig H. James Clerk Assistant and Committee Clerk ..........................................................................................................................................Kate Ryan-Lloyd Sergeant-at-Arms............................................................................................................................................................................. A.A.

Humphreys Director, Hansard Services ..................................................................................................................................................Anthony Dambrauskas Legislative Librarian ..................................................................................................................................................................................Jane Taylor Acting Legislative Comptroller..................................................................................................................................................Brent Cunningham

Party Standings: Liberal 46; New Democratic 33 ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS Abbott, Hon. George (L) ..........................................................................Shuswap Austin, Robin (NDP)...................................................................................Skeena Bains, Harry (NDP)....................................................................... Surrey-Newton Barisoff, Hon. Bill (L)...............................................Penticton–Okanagan Valley Bell, Hon. Pat (L) ..................................................................Prince George North Bennett, Hon.

Bill (L) .....................................................................East Kootenay Black, Iain (L) ..................................................................Port Moody–Westwood Bloy, Harry (L).....................................................................................Burquitlam Bond, Hon. Shirley (L).......................................... Prince George–Mount Robson Brar, Jagrup (NDP)..........................................................Surrey–Panorama Ridge Campbell, Hon. Gordon (L) ..............................................

Vancouver–Point Grey Cantelon, Ron (L)................................................................... Nanaimo-Parksville Chong, Hon. Ida (L) ......................................................... Oak Bay–Gordon Head Chouhan, Raj (NDP) ................................................................Burnaby-Edmonds Christensen, Hon. Tom (L) ...................................................... Okanagan-Vernon Chudnovsky, Dave (NDP).................................................Vancouver-Kensington Coell, Hon. Murray (L) ..........................................Saanich North and the Islands Coleman, Hon.

Rich (L)................................................Fort Langley–Aldergrove Conroy, Katrine (NDP) ............................................... West Kootenay–Boundary Coons, Gary (NDP) .............................................................................North Coast Cubberley, David (NDP)................................................................. Saanich South de Jong, Hon.

Michael (L) ........................................Abbotsford–Mount Lehman Dix, Adrian (NDP) ..............................................................Vancouver-Kingsway Evans, Corky (NDP)......................................................................Nelson-Creston Falcon, Hon. Kevin (L) ............................................................

Surrey-Cloverdale Farnworth, Mike (NDP) ....................................Port Coquitlam–Burke Mountain Fleming, Rob (NDP) ...................................................................Victoria-Hillside Fraser, Scott (NDP) ...................................................................Alberni-Qualicum Gentner, Guy (NDP)............................................................................ Delta North Hagen, Hon. Stan (L) ......................................................................Comox Valley Hammell, Sue (NDP) ........................................................

Surrey–Green Timbers Hansen, Hon. Colin (L) .......................................................Vancouver-Quilchena Hawes, Randy (L)............................................................... Maple Ridge–Mission Hawkins, Sindi (L) .................................................................... Kelowna-Mission Hayer, Dave S. (L) ..................................................................... Surrey-Tynehead Hogg, Gordon (L)................................................................... Surrey–White Rock Horgan, John (NDP)...........................................................

Malahat–Juan de Fuca Horning, Al (L)................................................................ Kelowna–Lake Country Ilich, Hon. Olga (L)....................................................................Richmond Centre James, Carole (NDP)............................................................Victoria–Beacon Hill Jarvis, Daniel (L)........................................................North Vancouver–Seymour Karagianis, Maurine (NDP) .................................................Esquimalt-Metchosin Krog, Leonard (NDP)..............................................................................

Nanaimo Krueger, Kevin (L)................................................... Kamloops–North Thompson Kwan, Jenny Wai Ching (NDP)................................ Vancouver–Mount Pleasant Lali, Harry (NDP)..............................................................................Yale-Lillooet Lee, Richard T. (L).........................................................................Burnaby North Lekstrom, Blair (L)................................................................... Peace River South Les, Hon. John (L)....................................................................

Chilliwack-Sumas Macdonald, Norm (NDP)......................................... Columbia River–Revelstoke MacKay, Dennis (L)......................................................... Bulkley Valley–Stikine Mayencourt, Lorne (L)............................................................Vancouver-Burrard McIntyre, Joan (L)...................................................... West Vancouver–Garibaldi Neufeld, Hon. Richard (L) ....................................................... Peace River North Nuraney, John (L)..................................................................Burnaby-Willingdon Oppal, Hon.

Wally, QC (L)............................................... Vancouver-Fraserview Penner, Hon. Barry (L)................................................................ Chilliwack-Kent Polak, Mary (L) ......................................................................................... Langley Puchmayr, Chuck (NDP)........................................................... New Westminster Ralston, Bruce (NDP) ...................................................................Surrey-Whalley Reid, Hon. Linda (L) ..................................................................... Richmond East Richmond, Hon.

Claude (L)...................................................................Kamloops Robertson, Gregor (NDP) .....................................................Vancouver-Fairview Roddick, Valerie (L)............................................................................ Delta South Routley, Doug (NDP).......................................................... Cowichan-Ladysmith Rustad, John (L) ..............................................................Prince George–Omineca Sather, Michael (NDP)..............................................

Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Simons, Nicholas (NDP) ........................................ Powell River–Sunshine Coast Simpson, Bob (NDP).......................................................................Cariboo North Simpson, Shane (NDP) ......................................................... Vancouver-Hastings Sultan, Ralph (L) .........................................................West Vancouver–Capilano Taylor, Hon. Carole (L)..........................................................

Vancouver-Langara Thorne, Diane (NDP) ......................................................Coquitlam-Maillardville Thorpe, Hon. Rick (L)............................................................Okanagan-Westside Trevena, Claire (NDP) .......................................................................North Island van Dongen, Hon. John (L)..................................................Abbotsford-Clayburn Whittred, Katherine (L).............................................

North Vancouver–Lonsdale Wyse, Charlie (NDP) ......................................................................Cariboo South Yap, John (L)........................................................................Richmond-Steveston LIST OF MEMBERS BY RIDING Abbotsford-Clayburn ........................................................ Hon. John van Dongen Abbotsford–Mount Lehman................................................Hon. Michael de Jong Alberni-Qualicum ...............................................................................

Scott Fraser Bulkley Valley–Stikine ................................................................ Dennis MacKay Burnaby North................................................................................ Richard T. Lee Burnaby-Edmonds............................................................................. Raj Chouhan Burnaby-Willingdon ........................................................................John Nuraney Burquitlam............................................................................................

Harry Bloy Cariboo North....................................................................................Bob Simpson Cariboo South................................................................................... Charlie Wyse Chilliwack-Kent ....................................................................... Hon. Barry Penner Chilliwack-Sumas ........................................................................... Hon.

John Les Columbia River–Revelstoke ......................................................Norm Macdonald Comox Valley .............................................................................Hon. Stan Hagen Coquitlam-Maillardville................................................................... Diane Thorne Cowichan-Ladysmith .......................................................................Doug Routley Delta North........................................................................................

Guy Gentner Delta South...................................................................................Valerie Roddick East Kootenay ............................................................................Hon. Bill Bennett Esquimalt-Metchosin ............................................................. Maurine Karagianis Fort Langley–Aldergrove....................................................... Hon. Rich Coleman Kamloops ......................................................................... Hon. Claude Richmond Kamloops–North Thompson..........................................................

Kevin Krueger Kelowna–Lake Country .......................................................................Al Horning Kelowna-Mission ............................................................................Sindi Hawkins Langley................................................................................................

Mary Polak Malahat–Juan de Fuca........................................................................John Horgan Maple Ridge–Mission ......................................................................Randy Hawes Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows...........................................................Michael Sather Nanaimo ...........................................................................................Leonard Krog Nanaimo-Parksville..........................................................................

Ron Cantelon Nelson-Creston.................................................................................. Corky Evans New Westminster ........................................................................Chuck Puchmayr North Coast .........................................................................................Gary Coons North Island.................................................................................... Claire Trevena North Vancouver–Lonsdale ....................................................

Katherine Whittred North Vancouver–Seymour .............................................................. Daniel Jarvis Oak Bay–Gordon Head.................................................................Hon. Ida Chong Okanagan-Vernon ..............................................................Hon. Tom Christensen Okanagan-Westside................................................................... Hon. Rick Thorpe Peace River North ...............................................................Hon.

Richard Neufeld Peace River South ..........................................................................Blair Lekstrom Penticton–Okanagan Valley...................................................... Hon. Bill Barisoff Port Coquitlam–Burke Mountain................................................. Mike Farnworth Port Moody–Westwood .........................................................................Iain Black Powell River–Sunshine Coast.....................................................Nicholas Simons Prince George North .........................................................................Hon.

Pat Bell Prince George–Mount Robson................................................. Hon. Shirley Bond Prince George–Omineca .....................................................................John Rustad Richmond Centre .......................................................................... Hon. Olga Ilich Richmond East ............................................................................ Hon. Linda Reid Richmond-Steveston ............................................................................... John Yap Saanich North and the Islands..................................................Hon.

Murray Coell Saanich South..............................................................................David Cubberley Shuswap ................................................................................ Hon. George Abbott Skeena ...............................................................................................Robin Austin Surrey-Cloverdale ....................................................................Hon. Kevin Falcon Surrey–Green Timbers.....................................................................

Sue Hammell Surrey-Newton ....................................................................................Harry Bains Surrey–Panorama Ridge...................................................................... Jagrup Brar Surrey-Tynehead .............................................................................Dave S. Hayer Surrey-Whalley ............................................................................... Bruce Ralston Surrey–White Rock..........................................................................

Gordon Hogg Vancouver-Burrard .................................................................. Lorne Mayencourt Vancouver-Fairview.................................................................. Gregor Robertson Vancouver-Fraserview ...................................................... Hon. Wally Oppal, QC Vancouver-Hastings...................................................................... Shane Simpson Vancouver-Kensington ........................................................... David Chudnovsky Vancouver-Kingsway...........................................................................

Adrian Dix Vancouver-Langara.................................................................Hon. Carole Taylor Vancouver–Mount Pleasant .............................................Jenny Wai Ching Kwan Vancouver–Point Grey..................................................... Hon. Gordon Campbell Vancouver-Quilchena ............................................................. Hon. Colin Hansen Victoria–Beacon Hill ........................................................................Carole James Victoria-Hillside................................................................................

Rob Fleming West Kootenay–Boundary ............................................................ Katrine Conroy West Vancouver–Capilano ............................................................... Ralph Sultan West Vancouver–Garibaldi............................................................. Joan McIntyre Yale-Lillooet ..........................................................................................Harry Lali

CONTENTS Tuesday, September 20, 2005 Afternoon Sitting Routine Proceedings Page Introductions by Members ....................................................................................................... ............................................... 189 Ministerial Statements......................................................................................................... ...................................................... 189 Review of death of Sherry Charlie Hon. S. Hagen A.

Dix Introduction and First Reading of Bills........................................................................................ ........................................... 191 Supply Act (No. 2), 2005 (Bill 5) Hon. C. Taylor Statements (Standing Order 25B) .............................................................................................................................. ............... 192 Simon Wiesenthal C. James Economic and cultural exchanges with Asia R. Lee Aboriginal veterans C. Wyse North Shore Rescue K. Whittred Status of aboriginal women in Canada S.

Fraser Post-secondary education in Okanagan A. Horning Oral Questions................................................................................................................. ........................................................... 194 Review of death of Sherry Charlie A. Dix Hon. S. Hagen C. James R. Fleming J. Kwan M. Farnworth L. Krog Hon. W. Oppal G. Robertson B. Ralston J. Horgan B. Simpson D. Cubberley C.

Trevena Petitions...................................................................................................................... ................................................................. 198 D. MacKay N. Macdonald Budget Debate (continued)............................................................................................................................... .......................... 198 R. Fleming Hon. G. Abbott D. Cubberley Hon. B. Bennett C. Puchmayr M. Polak J. Brar

189 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 The House met at 2:04 p.m. Introductions by Members Hon. R. Thorpe: Today in the House are members of the executive of the New Car Dealers of British Co- lumbia. Would the House please make Manse Brinkley, Maury Keith and Glen Ringdal welcome to this House. [1405] Hon. C. Richmond: I'm pleased to introduce a con- stituent today. Sharon Richards is president of the B.C. Art Teachers Association and also is a teacher at West- syde Secondary School. On behalf of the member for Kamloops–North Thompson and myself, I'd ask the House to please make Sharon welcome. B.

Simpson: I'd like to welcome to the House today Ruby and Jack Williams from my constituency — long- time supporters of the NDP in my area. They have friends with them: Kay and Jack Lackner and Lynn Sam, also long-time members of our party. Please make them welcome. J. Horgan: I, too, would like to welcome some guests from the provincial specialists association of the B.C.

Teachers Federation here with us today: Cheryl Johnson, from school district 69, president of the dance PSA; Jenny Garrels, from school district 46 on the Sunshine Coast, the president of the home economics section; and lastly, David Ennis, from school district 34, B.C. music teachers. Would you please make them welcome. J. Nuraney: We have in the gallery today my nephew Shafique Dahya, who has come to Victoria to study at Royal Roads. May I please ask the House to make him welcome. J. Kwan: I have the pleasure of making six intro- ductions today.

It's a rare occasion for me to have so many visitors in the Legislature. First, let me introduce Tim Agg, the executive di- rector of PLEA Community Services, an agency pro- viding a range of services in the Vancouver, coastal and Fraser regions, whose office is in Vancouver — in fact, in Vancouver–Mount Pleasant. PLEA also has the KidStart program, which happens to be one of four finalists for the 2005 VanCity award for a million dollars. I'll be supporting that, and I hope other members in this House will be also.

With him are two visitors from the United Kingdom: Martin Hurst, chief executive of Catholic Care in the dio- cese of Leeds; and Pat Hurst, who is the manager of the Cedar Crescent Resource Centre for people with mental health challenges in Kirkham, Lancastershire. Also in the gallery is Stuart Alcock, my constitu- ency assistant, who does tremendous work in my of- fice, particularly when I'm away. With him is Amber Hitchin, a graduate student at the University of Victo- ria school of social work, who completed her practicum at my constituency office this summer and who has d o n e t r e m e n d o u s w o r k .

A l o n g w i t h h e r , o f c o u r s e , i s her mother, Marie Fletcher. I would ask the House to please welcome these visitors. C. Wyse: Today it is my pleasure to introduce Rob Taylor from the Cariboo-Chilcotin Teachers Associa- tion. Rob is the professional development chair. I re- quest the House extend a warm welcome to Rob. R. Fleming: It's my pleasure to introduce Mr. Ben Johnson, a young political science student at Camosun College. He's a young man who used to think that Ca- nadian politics was boring until last spring when he was here to watch former MLA Joy MacPhail in the House at question period.

He's a constituent of mine in Victoria-Hillside. He's active in his community. Would the House please make him feel welcome. Hon. M. de Jong: M r . S p e a k e r , w e h a v e a v i s i t i n g parliamentarian with us today. Allan Kerpan is the mem- ber of the Saskatchewan Legislature for Carrot River Val- ley. He is the Saskatchewan Party critic for Crown Corpo- rations and Investment Saskatchewan. He is also a former member of the federal parliament from 1993 to 2000. I hope all members will help me to welcome our visiting parliamentarian from Saskatchewan. Mr.

Speaker: Hon. members, I have a special guest that I'd like to introduce today. It is my pleasure to advise you that we have th e visiting Clerk from an- other jurisdiction on attachment to our House this week. I'm going to probably mispronounce his name here: Mr. Dhammika Dasanayake, Deputy Secretary General, Parliament of Sri Lanka. The visit is one of the continuing series of attachments whereby our Legislative Assembly hosts Clerks from other jurisdictions.

Please join me in welcoming Dham- mika Dasanayake to British Columbia and to our House. [1410] Ministerial Statements REVIEW OF DEATH OF SHERRY CHARLIE Hon. S. Hagen: I rise to make a ministerial state- ment on the terms of reference of the director's case review into the death of Sherry Charlie. As the Minister of Children and Family Development, I am very sorry for the loss of Sherry Char lie and the suffering brought about for her family by this tragedy. All of us involved in Sherry's case regret the renewed anguish this recent exposure has brought.

There have been a number of factual errors and allegations tossed about recently, and I take this oppor- tunity to set the record straight. This past July my assis- tant deputy minister and director of child welfare, Jer- emy Berland, regional Chief Shawn Atleo, co-chairman of the Nuu-chah-nulth tribal council, and I held a news

190 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES T UESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 conference to release a

summary of the director's case review into the death of Sherry Charlie. Following that conference, at my direction, we re- leased a severed copy of the director's case review. The review was severed as required by law under the Free- dom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. I made a promise at that time publicly that should we ever experience a further tragedy such as this, both the

summary and severed director's case review would be released by the ministry at the same time, without the need for anyone to submit a freedom-of-information re- quest. This was unprecedented at the time. I have directed that it become the standard that the government will fol- low in the future.

Following the release of the severed director's case review, the independent child and youth officer for British Columbia said in a release dated August 4, 2005, that she is satisfied that the information cut from the report was taken out for privacy reasons as required by law and that as much detail as can be released publicly, consistent with privacy laws, has been released. Yesterday I made a comment in the House that I know has been widely misco nstrued. We have always accepted ultimate responsibility for the fact that a child died as a result of an inappropriate practice.

One of the most unfortunate circumstances in this matter was the result of human error. That being said, I have never, ever put personal blame or responsibility for this trag- edy on the shoulders of any individual child protection social worker. I spent time this summer visiting front-line workers in offices around the province. I cannot stress enough how much I value what I he ard from them. The chal- lenges of the changing realities of social work today are m o r e t h a n m o s t o f u s i n t h i s H o u s e c o u l d p r o b a b l y cope with on a daily basis.

Yet they are out there every day dealing with these matte rs, and I thank each and every one of them for that. Yesterday it was alleged in this House that ministry staff purposely held back the release of the director's case review for some 15 months. The allegation that the review was purposely held back is categorically un- true. The director for child welfare would not, morally or ethically, hold back the review into the death of any child once that review was completed and finalized to ministry standards.

I've been advised that the report was sent back to the reviewer time and time again because the core questions were not being answered and the report was not being written in a way that was acceptable to the standards of the ministry. As the director for child wel- fare said himself yesterday during a media conference, when being questioned on the time line: "In this case, starting again wouldn't have been acceptable. To try and go back to square one and say: 'Okay, add more things; ask more questions….' We'd already done that. We had already posed more questions to the reviewer.

We'd already said to the reviewer: 'Look, you haven't answered the core questions. You haven't written this in a way that is acceptable.'" As we all learned yester- day afternoon in the House, the member for Powell River–Sunshine Coast has told us that he was the indi- vidual contracted to conduct the director's case review. Yesterday the opposition critic brought to my atten- tion that the original terms of reference of the director's case review had been amended.

At the end of this statement I will be seeking leave to table both the original terms of referenc e and the amended terms of reference made two months earlier. I have also been asked why I did not know that the terms of reference were changed. To be clear, I shouldn't have known. The director of child welfare conducts re- views into these matters completely independently of the minister, as is the intent of the legislation. As the director of child welfare said yesterday, it is simply not appropriate.

I have also confirmed via staff that no previ- ous Minister of Children and Family Development was aware of any changes to the terms of reference. Neverthe- less, now we know the terms of reference were changed. [1415] I have questions as to why, and I know that the director shares my concerns . To answer those ques- tions, I have asked the Attorney General — and he has agreed — to appoint the child and youth officer for British Columbia according to

section 6 of the Office of Child and Youth Act to conduct a review into three areas: (1) the time lines involved in the writing, com- pletion and release of the director's case review; (2) why the terms of reference were changed; and (3) the policy concerning a director's case review, including those where kith-and-kin ha s been applied, and make any recommendations necessary as a result. I have requested of the Attorney General that this r e v i e w b e c o m p l e t e d b y D e c e m b e r 1 o f t h i s y e a r .

I ' v e also asked that the child and youth officer ensure that the official opposition critic for Children and Family Development as well as a member of the aboriginal community are involved in the process of this review. The Attorney General has also agreed to my request that the child and youth officer's report be released publicly, to the degree that we are legally able to do so, as soon as possible following its full completion.

Today I have also asked the direct or of child welfare to en- sure, should there ever be a need to conduct a future director's case review, that the role of this ministry will always be reviewed, whether a delegated authority is involved or not. As a result of the director's case review, there were 12 recommendations made. All 12 of those recommen- dations have been implemented or are in the process of implementation. Our aim and intent has always been to learn, to improve and to do everything in our power to better protect the children of this province.

To be clear, the intent of this review is not to reopen the original director's case review in its entirety but instead to focus on variances in the process, as were brought to light yesterday. I also want to remind everyone that the coroner's office is also conducting their own review in the death of Sherry Charlie. Indeed, I remain confident in our system, in my ministry and, in particular, in all of my front-line child protection social workers. I seek leave to table two documents.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 191 Leave granted. A. Dix: This is of course an extremely serious issue. We received a copy of the minister's ministerial state- ment five minutes before two o'clock. I would say this: I respect the minister, and I respect his commitment to public service, but in this case, there has been a pattern of cover-up that should be disturbing to all members of this House. In 2002, when Sherry Char lie died, the government had just implemented kith-and-kin guidelines. They implemented a new program to protect the most vul- nerable children in our soci ety.

They implemented that program by faxing out draft practice guidelines to so- cial workers. I just want to say the significance of this: there was no training for those social workers. The guidelines said that there would be no home studies in spite of the fact that every child involv ed in the kith-and-kin pro- gram was in need of protection — no home studies. This didn't come from front-line social workers; it came from the highest ranks of the ministry and from the government. The ministry was instructing social work- ers not to monitor homes and not to do home studies.

When we came to July of this past year, 15 months after the government had rece i v e d a c o p y o f t h i s r e - port, and the government finally chose to release the

summary of the report, the government did not men- tion…. In fact, they hid all references to the responsibil- ity of the Ministry of Children and Families. They hid them in July of this year — July 2005. Subsequent to that, they we re forced by pressure to release the full report. At that time they did not release the guidelines — the public document, the public guidelines — that they handed out to social workers. Those were hidden. They weren't just hidden from me; they were hidden from the child and youth officer who was given the task of ensuring that all information was provided to the public.

They were hidden. [1420] Subsequent to that, we received a copy of that document. We had asked the minister's office to pro- vide us one — that public document. They refused to do so. Subsequent to that, we've had the revelation that the cover-up and the effort to deny ministerial respon- sibility started in this case as early as October 2002. These are very serious issues. I appreciate the minister's statement and his desire to get to the bottom of it, but there are more issues here, I think, than are dealt with in this referral. And there is a fundamental question beyond that.

The Minister of Children and Families and his colleague the Attorney General gave direction as to this review. What this House needs, what this province needs, what all of us need to protect children in the future, are independent reviews — an independent child commissioner to decide what's important and what isn't, what's relevant and what isn't, what should be shown to the public, to the members of this House, and what shouldn't.

In this case there has been a pattern to deny the opposition, to deny the public the information it needs to go forward and to deny social workers the information they need to protect children. While I appreciate and, of course, will help with any review that seeks to find the facts, the government is missing the point here. They cut spending for children and families by 23 percent. They were responsible for the chaos in the Ministry of Children and Family Devel- opment. They were responsible for racing to imple- ment this new program with terrible, terrible mistakes made in the way they implemented.

They were re- sponsible for those things. They were responsible for denying the people of this province an independent commissioner by vote in this Legislature. I think the lesson from this is not that we should help the minister or his officials out of their embar- rassment with respect to the terms of reference, but that we make fundamental change, that we bring in an independent children's commissioner — bring one back to British Columbia. Introduction and First Reading of Bills SUPPLY ACT (No. 2), 2005 Hon. C.

Taylor presented a message from His Hon- our the Administrator: a bill intituled Supply Act (No. 2), 2005. Hon. C. Taylor: Mr. Speaker, I move that the bill be introduced and read a first time now. Motion approved. Hon. C. Taylor: This supply bill is introduced to provide supply for the continuation of government programs until the government's estimates for 2005- 2006 have been debated and voted upon in this assem- bly. The bill will provide interim supply for govern- ment operating expenses for approximately two addi- tional months of the 2005-2006 fiscal year.

This will allow time to debate and pass the estimates. This in- terim supply is required beca use we anticipate the au- thority under the existing interim supply will be ex- hausted before the estimates debate has completed. This bill will also provide interim supply for other financing requirements. The first interim supply sought supply for two-thirds of the year's financing transaction requirements for capital asset expenditures and loans and investments. This bill seeks two-thirds of the supply based on the estimates tabled on September 14, 2005, and includes the amount authorized under

section 2 of the Supply Act (No.1), 2005. This bill also repeals

section 3 of the Supply Act (No.1), 2005, which provided for 100 percent of the year's financing transaction requirements for revenues collected for and transferred to other entities and re- places it with 100 percent of the year's financing trans- action requirements based on the estimates tabled on

192 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES T UESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 September 14, 2005. This re quirement includes any sum already paid under

section 3 of the Supply Act (No. 1), 2005. [1425] Mr. Speaker, I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the days for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. Bill 5, Supply Act (No. 2), 2005, introduced, read a first t i m e a n d o r d e r e d t o b e p l a c e d o n o r d e r s o f t h e d a y f o r second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. Statements (Standing Order 25

B) SIMON WIESENTHAL C. James: I rise today to pay respects to the mem- ory of Mr. Simon Wiesenthal, the pre-eminent human rights activist known all over the world for his work in bringing Nazi war criminals to justice. As the members may have heard, Mr. Wiesenthal died today at the age of 96. He was the conscience of the Holocaust, a de- scription so aptly drawn by Rabbi Marvin Hier, the founder of the international human rights centre named in honour of Mr. Simon Wiesenthal's work.

Simon Wiesenthal spent his life pursuing those who tried to escape responsibility for the evil they perpe- trated in Europe from 1933 to the Holocaust's end in 1945. Working alone, he took on an enormous task with a quiet, determined courage, not out of a desire for re- venge but in the patient and persistent pursuit of justice. He rose to this challenge in an effort to spare future gen- erations the incredible horror of genocide. He said once that because he had survived the Holocaust, he felt a special obligation to those who did not survive.

Simon Wiesenthal will be remembered and wants us to remember the victims — in many cases, when the world didn't want to. Working against a rising tide of postwar apathy and agains t overwhelming odds, Mr. Wiesenthal brought over 1,100 Nazi war criminals to justice. Our memory of Simon Wiesenthal and the courage he showed in pursuing what he knew in his heart to be right serves as a very important reminder of our collective obligation to our past and our responsi- bility to justice and the memory of the six million who were murdered. ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL EXCHANGES WITH ASIA R.

Lee: In order to keep British Columbia's econ- omy firing on all cylinders, our government recognizes the need to build strong economic and cultural rela- tionships with the world's emerging markets — espe- cially Asia, the world's fastest-growing economy. I can tell you firsthand that these efforts are paying off. As a direct result of ou r province's expanding ties to China, I had the pleasure of being a guest at the Chi- nese consulate this morning for an announcement about a great opportunity for university students.

Be- ginning in September next year the government of China will provide 15 scholarships for British Colum- bia post-secondary students to study in their country for a year. Not only will th ese students attend a post- secondary institution in China, but they also will ex- perience Chinese culture, learn the language and de- velop a bond with the Chinese people. To build on partnerships such as the one announced today, the B.C. Liberal government has launched the Asia-Pacific gateway strategy to take our products to the world and to open doors for new cultural and educa- tional exchanges and ties.

We have already announced that we will establish a world trade university in Chilli- wack to offer graduate-level programs in trade-related fields and host internatio nal trade conferences and events. We will expand the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert to commercial and cruise ship traffic. Our government will build on the Dream Home Canada project and create even more opportunities for B.C. for- estry products in the growing Chinese sector. This is an exciting time to be in British Columbia.

The strength of our economy will only grow by leaps and bounds, thanks to our progressing partnerships and the Asia-Pacific gateway strategy. ABORIGINAL VETERANS C. Wyse: Today I rise in the House to recognize an achievement of an individu al from Cariboo South: Ashley Camille. Ashley received national recognition in a contest sponsored by Veterans Affairs Canada. [1430] Ashley is one of 13 students selected to travel to Belgium and France. She will join war veterans, abo- riginal leaders and others at significant European bat- tlefields, such as Vimy Ridge and Juno Beach.

This trip is named the Ab original Spiritual Journey. It is meant to recognize sacrifices made by aboriginal soldiers and to call home the spirits of those who died. Let me read for you an excerpt from Ashley's essay: When the call came for men to enlist for the First and Second World Wars, aboriginal men and women joined the list alongside their fellow countrymen. Many of the native young men and women who enlisted did not know the sacrifices they would have to endure. They lost their status and were forced to join the war not as aboriginal Canadians but as Europeans fighting for their homeland.

Soldiers died on the soil of a foreign land. Their sto- ries will not be told and have become secrets locked in time. Native soldiers fought with the spirit of their ances- tors, achieving honours worthy of a great war chief. Abo- riginal soldiers celebrated with as much enthusiasm as the rest of the troops when the war ended. They looked forward to returning home and celebrating with their families and fellow soldiers; although, when they ar- rived, they did not get a hero 's welcome. Having lost their status, they could not return to their lives on the re- serve or benefit from the status system.

While their own veterans were discarded from any post-war privileges, many native communities lost their land to returning non-native war veterans.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 193 Her mother Marie, her family and friends from Canoe Creek nation, her classmates and teachers at Columneeza Secondary School are indeed proud of Ashley's achievement. I re quest that the House recog- nize this achievement. NORTH SHORE RESCUE K. Whittred: This last Saturday I was very pleased to participate with other members of the North Shore community in celebrating the 40th anniversary of the North Shore Rescue team. Many of you, I think, know about this highly skilled mountain search and rescue team.

They are frequently in the news, as they success- fully locate hikers and skiers in the mountainous ter- rain of the north shore, Whistler and in fact throughout our province. Forty years ago, in 1965, when this team started their work, their equipment was pretty basic. They had sash-cord safety lines, tin helmets, antique vehi- cles and a lot of hand-me-downs from the province and, I think, from various fire departments. Today, I'm happy to say, the team works with much more advanced tools.

They have automated external defi- brillators; radio repeaters, the most up-to-date of modern communications and, of course, a helicopter flight rescue team. The amazing part about this rescue team is that it is all volunteer. This team is made up of people from North Vancouver and, I think, a few other communi- ties. It has been and continues to be a leader in its field. Did you know, Mr. Speaker, that the North Shore Rescue was one of the first B.C. search and rescue teams to train in human tracking, to use search dogs, to establish a dive team and to develop special protocols to treat hypothermia?

It is this history of innovation and clever teamwork that has given North Shore Res- cue the well-respected reputation it enjoys. For four decades they have rescued people in the north shore and provided lead ership and assistance to other parts of British Columbia and throughout the U.S. Pacific Northwest. STATUS OF ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN CANADA S. Fraser: I apologize for not attending the House yesterday. I was given leave to attend the conference on the pine beetle in Prince George. [1435] There was an

article in the paper that I found very disturbing. On Saturday people marched along South- ridge towards Highway 16. They marched to bring attention to the missing women that have disappeared along that highway and in that area. A disproportion- ate number of those women were aboriginal. I will refer to the Amnesty International report of last year entitled Stolen Sisters: A Human Rights Re- sponse to Discrimination and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada.

In the report it says: "T he social and economic mar- ginalization of indigenous women, along with a history of government policies that have torn apart families in indigenous communities, ha ve pushed the dispropor- tionate number of those indigenous women into dan- gerous situations." Further: "These are not new concerns.

Indigenous women's organizations, government com- missions, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and the United Nations human rights bodies have all called on Canadian officials to address the marginaliza- tion of indigenous women in Canadian society…." And further: "…and to ensure that the rights and the safety of indigenous people are respected and upheld by police and the courts. Sadly, fundamental measures that could help to reduce the risk of violence to indigenous women remain unimplemented." I bring this to the attention of the House, and I sup- port those marchers on Highway 16.

They should not need to march to raise attention. I suggest that if the same number of people and girls had gone missing in, say, Shaughnessy, no one would have needed to march to get attention. POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION IN OKANAGAN A. Horning: I think it is only fitting that today, on International Student Day, I take the opportunity to speak about a landmark event in the Okanagan, the opening of UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College. Earlier this month I had the privilege of attending the official opening of these two new post-secondary institutions in Kelowna.

The opening marked an incredible shift in how students from my constituency and throughout the Okanagan ac- cess post-secondary education. Before, students were forc ed to leave our region to pursue a full degree. Now, those students can remain close to home and still access the education they want. As study after study shows, students are more likely to stay and work near where they go to school. Along with direct benefits to students, these two institutions combined will bring an estimated $700 million each year to the economic activi ty of the Okanagan and cre- ate 2,000 new jobs.

From day one our government has been a trail- blazer in post-secondary education. It is one of our five great goals to make B.C. the best-educated jurisdiction on the continent. A major part of reaching that goal is ensuring our post-secondary system grows with the needs of our province. We have already made more investments and innovations over the past four years than were made during the previous ten.

From the opening of UBC Okanagan and the Okanagan college to the establishment of Th ompson Rivers University and the medical school at UNBC in Prince George, we're working to make B.C. a leader in post-secondary education and university research. By 2010 we will have created 5,000 new post- secondary education seats in the Okanagan, part of the overall provincial target of 25,000 new seats. We've capped tuition fees at the rate of inflation and are pro-

194 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES T UESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 viding $450 million over three years for student finan- cial assistance so every resident can make the advan- tage of B.C.'s world-class education system. Students come first for our government, and we're backing that commitment with dollars and deeds. Hon. S. Hagen: Mr. Speaker, it's been pointed out to me that I made an error in what I read, and I would just like to re-read the sentence that the error was in.

At the end of the statement: "I will be seeking leave to table both the original terms of reference and the amended terms of reference made two months later." I had said "earlier," but it's two months later. [1440] Oral Questions REVIEW OF DEATH OF SHERRY CHARLIE A. Dix: We've learned today that the Ministry of Chil- dren and Family Development removed from the terms of reference for the director's review a fundamental question, which was: was the response of the Ministry of Children and Family Development to the child protection concerns consistent with established standards?

That question has never been answered and will not be answered in the review announced today. Will the Attorney General ex- pand the terms of reference of the review he has ordered to include an answer to that question? Hon. S. Hagen: What we are doing by asking the child and family officer to look into this whole matter is finding out the answer to those three questions, which I have read into the record but am happy to read into the record again. One has to do with the time lines, because an accusation has been made that the govern- ment held up this report. The accusation is wrong.

The Attorney General is asking the child and youth officer to look into the time lines involved in the writing, completion and release of the director's case review and, secondly, why the terms of reference were changed, which is a question I and, I think, everyone in this House wants to know the answer to — and thirdly, to review the policy concerning a director's case review, including those where kith-and-kin has been applied, and make any recommendations necessary as a result. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. A.

Dix: My supplemental is again to the Attorney General, who is the person who directs the child and youth officer in British Columbia to make reviews. The Minister of Children and Family Development and the Attorney General seem interested in their problem, which is the cover-up, but not the problem in the inves- tigation of this case. The purpose of removing that term of reference was to, in fact, limit the review and not ask serious questions about budget cuts in the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

I ask the Attorney General: since this was stricken from the review and we have not had these answers, will the Attorney General expand the public inquiry that he has announced into this case to include funda- mental questions of the failu res of the Ministry of Chil- dren and Family Development? Hon. S. Hagen: I will read into the record again what the Attorney General is asking the child and youth officer for British Columbia to do, and that is number two — and I know the member has it, so he should read it again so he understands it: why the terms of reference were changed.

That's what we're asking the child and youth officer to look into. Mr. Speaker: The member has a further supplemental. A. Dix: With great respect to the minister, the ques- tion he should be asking, and all of us should be ask- ing, is why the Ministry of Children and Family Devel- opment let down Sherry Charlie. That's the issue we need to know about. That's the issue that the striking of this term of reference from the review has hidden from the people of British Columbia. That's the issue we need an answer to.

I ask the Attorney General: will he expand this re- view, the provisions in his review, to include a review, as well, of the guidelines faxed to aboriginal agencies that instruct social workers not to monitor homes and that instruct social workers not to do reviews of family homes before entering into kith-and-kin agreements. Hon. S. Hagen: I think I would ask the member opposite to, perhaps, show a little patience and to wait until the child and youth officer's report is made pub- lic, which is a commitment that's been made by my colleague the Attorney General of British Columbia.

It doesn't have to be made public under the act, but he has made the commitment that it will be made public. I think that we should all wait to read that report. C. James: There's no question that people have been patient. They've been waiting a very long time to have this issue responded to. Yesterday in question period the minister said: "…it was a mi stake that was made that was not related to budget cuts." Based on what informa- tion did the minister make this statement? Hon. S. Hagen: I want to say categorically that I have full confidence in the social workers in my minis- try. They do exceptional work.

They do an exceptional job. They do a tough job — the toughest job there is in government. I have total confidence in them. [1445] The unfortunate occurrence that happened in this particular case is that there was a piece of information that was not sent. I have sa id that publicly; we have said it publicly many, many times. It was a case of not sending a piece of paper. It was a case of a 49-cent stamp or sending it by e-mail. Having said that, I have never directed blame on this case to an individual social worker. I have the ut- most respect for our front-line workers, because they

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 195 do work that I could never do. They deal with situa- tions every day that I could never deal with. Thank- fully, they have the training , they're professionals, and they know how to do it right. Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition has a supplemental. C. James: I'm still not getting an answer, nor was our previous questioner getting an answer from the minister. I'm going to try again, and I would like the Attorney General, as well, to listen to this question, since it relates to the scope of the review that's coming up.

When we listened to the minister's statement today, we still heard no acknowledgement of the responsibility of the minister who is responsible for the ministry in this case. I'd like to ask again to the minister: will he ask for this review to include a discussion on the impact of the budget reductions by his government on this case? Hon. S. Hagen: As I said to the House yesterday, the kith-and-kin agreement that the mother and the delegated agency agreed to put the child into actually cost the taxpayer more money. Because this was on reserve, the federal govern ment would not pay for it. So it was not a case….

It was not a decision made to save money. It was a decision made because at the time it was thought to be the best placement for the child. R. Fleming: Yesterday the minister's assistant deputy minister said that he was irritated when he found out that the terms of reference were changed. The minister's statement has said today that he will look into why the terms of reference were changed. The fact is that they were changed a year ago, and people in his ministry knew that a year ago. If they were so irritated, why did the min- ister and the ministry cover up that information until only yesterday afternoon? Hon.

S. Hagen: Well, I can only say this: apparently, members of your caucus knew a year ago, but I didn't. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. R. Fleming: Yes, I do. This is about ministerial ac- countability, not blaming others. Yesterday the minis- ter rose in this House and said: "I can say categori- cally…that this ministry is more open and transparent than any other ministry of its kind in Canada and probably the United States and Europe as well." If the ministry is so transparent, why did it delay the report until after an election, hide information, dodge answers and change the terms of reference? Hon.

S. Hagen: That question is exactly why the Attorney General has asked the child and youth officer to examine why these things happened. That's what we just announced today. J. Kwan: Yesterday during question period the minister blamed a former mi nister at 2:40. At 2:45 he blamed a single social worker. Two minutes after that, he blamed a director. At four o'clock the minister blamed an unnamed civil servant for the cover-up. Today in his statement…. The statement gives us no comfort that in fact the minister's going to take respon- sibility for the actions and the bungling of this file.

Will the minister finally stop po inting fingers and take re- sponsibility today in this House? Hon. S. Hagen: Let me make it perfectly clear. I have never blamed an individual social worker. I have never blamed my director of child welfare. I have al- ways said that I and my ministry take full responsibil- ity for what happened. But my job is also to make sure that we correct our best practices so that these things don't continue to happen. [1450] The previous member was correct.

We are the most transparent ministry of our kind in Canada, and I chal- lenge anybody in this Hous e to find another agency like this in the United States or Europe. That's why we're not afraid to ask the questions to get to the bot- tom of this, because I also want to know why the terms of reference were changed. Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental. J.

Kwan: The minister said yesterday: "This oc- curred because of a tragic error made by one of our employees." He further says: "I have said on record that a mistake was made by one of our social workers, and we recognize that, but we want to make sure that we learn from this so that these sorts of things can't hap- pen again." That's blaming others. It was his ministry that sent out flawed guidelines. It was his ministry that told social workers they did not have to do home moni- tors.

Why did the minister blame a social worker, blame staff, blame everyone else yesterday, when the responsibility is clearly at the feet of this ministry and this government? Hon. S. Hagen: I have said many, many times on the public record that I am very proud of the work that our front-line social workers do. They do work that I couldn't do. They deal with the most difficult issues that any ministry in government deals with — far more difficult than numbers or budget issues. They deal with people issues — the most difficult challenges that there are in government. They're family issues.

They work to keep families together. When the NDP were in government, they couldn't wait to run into a home and snatch the kids away. What we try to do is keep the kids in their families, with extended families or in the communities. That takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of family counselling, and that's what our workers do to make life better for kids in this province. M. Farnworth: The minister has stated that he takes full responsibility, so why is not ministerial responsi-

196 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES T UESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 bility included in this review? Why is it not part of the review being done by the Attorney General? Hon. S. Hagen: Let me reiterate into the record what we're asking the review to do, which came as a result of a question that was asked yesterday. The Attorney Gen- eral is asking the child and youth officer for British Co- lumbia, under

section 6 of the Office for Children and Youth Act, to conduct a review into three areas: firstly, the timeliness involved in th e writing, completion and release of the director's case review; secondly, why the terms of reference were changed; and lastly, to review the policy concerning a director's case review, including those where kith and kin has been applied, and make any recommendations necessary as a result. I might add, if I find my note here, it is sort of interest- ing….

This is a question that the opposition should have a s k e d , b u t I ' l l a s k i t : w h a t k i n d o f l e g a l p o w e r d o e s t h e child and youth officer have? The answer to that is the child and youth officer has the authority to access any provincial government information she requires to do her job. She also has the authority to comment publicly with- out interference on matters affecting children and youth. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. [1455] M. Farnworth: That's correct, but the minister has chosen to emphasize certain points they want to have looked at and to ignore others.

If it wasn't for the ques- t i o n s t h a t w e r e a s k e d i n t h i s H o u s e y e s t e r d a y , t h i s commission and the work of the Attorney General wouldn't have been announced today. So again: why are not ministerial accountability and the actions of the min- ister part of the review? Why are not the issues that have been raised around budget part of the review? Will the minister ask the Attorney General to broaden the scope of the review so that those items are included? Hon. S. Hagen: As I said, this is not about redoing the director's case review.

The child and youth officer, on August 4, said that she is satisfied that the informa- tion severed or cut from the report was taken out for privacy reasons, as required by law. She is satisfied that as much detail as can be released publicly, consistent with the privacy laws, has been released. Together with that, we released a document at that time showing the 12 recommendations that came out of the report which we have completed or which will be completed this fall.

I'll make this request to all members of the House: if there are members of the House who have information on this case that the child and youth officer should know, please come forward with that information. L. Krog: My question is to the hon. Attorney Gen- eral. As the Attorney General is supposed to be inde- pendent of government, does he agree with the scope of this report? Hon. W. Oppal: The scope of the report obviously is going to be an independent report. It's a report that I'm asking the child and youth officer to do under sec- tion 6 of the act.

I can assure the hon. member that she will have complete independence, without any inter- ference from my ministry or any other member of gov- ernment. Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental. L. Krog: Again, to the Attorney General. The issue is the scope of the report. The report should include the actions of this government. It should include whether or not the information was, in fact, appropriate, whether or not the budget cuts had effect. Does the Attorney General agree in this respect that the scope of the report is, in fact, appropriate? Hon. W. Oppal: Mr. Speaker, I…. Mr. Speaker: Attorney General. Hon.

W. Oppal: I'm sorry. I just have this enthusi- asm, and it's tough to curb it from time to time. I'm completely satisfied that the terms of reference here are exhaustive, they're thorough, and they will pro- vide the appropriate answers and recommendations. G. Robertson: Yesterday the minister told the media he wasn't sure about the terms of reference. He said: "I'm not saying that over a year of briefings it wasn't men- tioned to me." It's been 24 hours now. Can the minister tell us if he was briefed on the terms of reference? Hon. S. Hagen: I have already said that. I was not briefed. Mr.

Speaker: Member has a supplemental. G. Robertson: The minister should have been on top of this file a long time ago. He should have found out for himself what role budget cuts played in this case, instead of waiting un til now and being pressured by the opposition. He should have done his homework. Can the minister explain in clear terms how it's possi- ble that he knew so little about the most important file to cross his desk as a minister? Hon. S. Hagen: I'm not sure what the member's question is.

If the member's question is related to the change of terms of reference, the answer is that I am not supposed to know. I'm not told that. That is made by director-level decision in the ministry. [1500] B. Ralston: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Children and Family Development. Mr. Speaker: I've still got to recognize you first. Sorry. Member for Surrey-Whalley. B. Ralston: Thanks, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Children and Family Development. The

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 197 minister has just told this House that he was aware of the guidelines in 2004. According to a document that has been provided to me, the government knew this in November, 2002. Can the minister please confirm that? Hon. S. Hagen: Could you ask the member to rephrase his question, because I have no idea what he's asking. Mr. Speaker: Member for Surrey-Whalley, would you like to repeat your question? B. Ralston: I'll rephrase the qu estion. I understand and am advised that Mr.

Be rland in the ministry was aware of this matter and the change in the guidelines in November of 2002, although th e minister has just said to this House that he was not aware and the ministry was not aware until 2004. There is a clear contradiction between what the minister has said here in this House and what Mr. Berland has said in correspondence to others in the public. Hon. S. Hagen: I think there's confusion in the mem- ber's mind about the ministry and the minister's office. What we've said consistently is that the change in the terms of reference was made between September and November of '02.

I did not find out about the change until yesterday. J. Horgan: My question is to the Minister of Chil- dren and Family Development. He said in his ministe- rial statement earlier today that he was responsible for releasing a

summary document that deleted key ele- ments of the whole report. Can he confirm today that that was made by his office — his ministerial office? Hon. S. Hagen: No. What I said today in my state- ment was with regard to th e director's case review. Here's what I said. I made a promise at that time that should we ever experience a further tragedy such as this, both the

summary and severed director's case review will be released by the ministry at the same time, without the need for anyone to submit a freedom- of-information request. I might add that none of these reports were ever released under the previous NDP government. We are the most open and transparent ministry of its kind in Canada, and probably the world. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. J. Horgan: Of course, the minister would be aware in the previous administration there was an independent children's commissioner who handled all these reports publicly with complete access to all the information.

M y s u p p l e m e n t a l q u e s t i o n i s t o t h e m i n i s t e r , a n d i t has to do with the proliferation of order-in-council ap- pointments in the public affairs bureau. Will the minister confirm that the Premier's office and his staff were aware of changes to the document before it was released? B. Simpson: Today the minister has repeatedly stated that he has the full confidence of the social workers and the front-line wo rkers out in the field. However, today the issue is not the confidence that we have in those workers.

The issue today is whether or not the people of British Columbia can have confidence in the minister and the minist er's office to conduct the oversight necessary on the files that he has on his desk. Will the minister please speak to the province of British Columbia and its people as to how they can regain confidence in your office and what you will do to regain that confidence. Hon. S. Hagen: That is precisely why today I have asked the Attorney General, and he has agreed, to ap- point the child and youth officer for British Columbia, according to

section 6 of the Office for Children and Youth Act, to conduct a review into three areas: first, the time lines involved in the writing, completion and release of the director's case review; second, why the terms of reference were chan ged; and last, review the policy concerning a director's case review, including those where kith and kin has been applied, and make any recommendations necessary as a result. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. [1505] B.

Simpson: I'm sure that the minister is getting tired of reading the terms of reference for us, as we are getting tired of hearing what's missing in those terms of reference and what we are calling for today. So I ask the minister: would you please clarify for this House whether or not the Premier is satisfied with the scope of this and has signed off on those terms of reference. Hon. S. Hagen: To answer that question, I have asked the Attorney General, and he has agreed to ap- point the child and youth officer for British Columbia according to

section 6 of the Office for Children and Youth Act to conduct a review into three areas: first, the time lines involved in the writing, completion and release of the director's case review; second, why the terms of reference were chan ged; and last, review the policy concerning a director's case review, including those where kith and kin has been applied, and make any recommendations necessary as result. D.

Cubberley: A question to the Minister of Chil- dren and Family Development: can the minister tell this House whether the Premier's office signed off on the terms of reference he has presented for the inquiry today and who in the Premier' s office signed off on the terms of reference. Hon. S. Hagen: Let me reiterate what we've an- nounced today — the Attorney General of British Co- lumbia and myself. The Attorney General has agreed to appoint the child and youth officer for British Colum- bia according to

section 6 of the Office for Children and Youth Act to conduct a review into three areas: first, the timeliness involved in th e writing, completion and release of the director's case review; second, why the

198 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES T UESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 terms of reference were chan ged; and last, review the policy concerning a director's case review, including those where kith and kin has been applied, and make any recommendations necessary as a result. Might I remind the member opposite of the powers of the child and youth officer? The child and youth officer has the authority to access any provincial government information she requires to do her job. She also has the authority to comment publicly without interference on the matters affecting children and youth. Mr.

Speaker: The member has a supplemental. D. Cubberley: We're beginning to understand the terms of reference, Mr. Minister. What we're really inter- ested in is what's not in the terms of reference. I think what the House and all British Columbians would appre- ciate is your speaking directly to the issue of the fact that the government cutbacks to the Ministry of Children and Family Development are not under consideration in the inquiry you're proposing. Will you now tell the House why that lies outside the scope of this inquiry? Hon. S.

Hagen: Under the kith-and-kin arrange- ment — which in this case, the mother and the dele- gated agency agreed the ch ild would be placed under — there was actually an extr a cost to the Crown. This was not anything to do about saving money. It cost us more money because the fede ral government wouldn't pay for that part of the cost. C. Trevena: I'd like to ask the Deputy Premier who approved the terms of reference. Did you? Hon. S. Hagen: What I've announced today to- gether with the Attorney General, who is in agree- ment…. He has agreed to appoint the child and youth officer for British Columbia according to

section 6 of the Office for Children and Youth Act to conduct a review into three areas: first, the time lines involved in the writing, completion and release of the director's case review; second, why th e terms of reference were changed; and last, review the policy concerning a di- rector's case review, including those where kith and kin has been applied, and make any recommendations necessary as a result. [1510] Let me also read into the record the legal power of the child and youth officer.

The child and youth officer has the authority to access any provincial government information she requires to do her job. She also has the authority to comment publicly without interference on matters affecting children and youth. [End of question period.] Petitions D. MacKay: I wish to file a petition on behalf of 1,090 residents of the Bulkley Valley and Lakes District who are opposed to the non-motorized use of a pro- posed Maurice LRMP process that took place in that part of the province. N.

Macdonald: O n b e h a l f o f t h e r e s i d e n t s o f Columere Park, a community in Columbia River– Revelstoke, I present a 204-name petition opposing proposed changes to Columbia Lake Park. Orders of the Day Hon. M. de Jong: I call continued debate on the budget. Budget Debate (continued) R. Fleming: It's a great honour as a new MLA to this House to be able to rise today to both respond to the government's budget and remark on some of the issues and the hopes and aspi rations that the people of Victoria have expressed to me.

Firstly, I want to thank the people of Victoria- Hillside for electing me as their representative to this assembly and placing their trust in me to represent their issues and interests. It was a great honour to rep- resent many of my constituents and to work with neighbourhoods across my ri ding over the past six years as a member of Victoria city council. I look for- ward to continuing with public service in this new role. There are a number of people I'd like to thank for their help and friendship.

I'll begin with my former colleagues from city council, Councillors Denise Sa- voie, Pam Madoff and Dean Fortin, also Mayor Alan Lowe and the rest of council, and the great staff at the city of Victoria. I'd also like to thank Councillors Carol Pickup and Judy Brownoff from the district of Saanich, whom I've worked with clos ely over the past several years on regional planning, transportation and housing issues in Greater Victoria. I'd like to thank my campaign manager Chloe Bur- gess and my constituency assistant Marni Offman for constantly working so hard on my behalf.

I'd also like to thank my family and my wife Maura for their years of support and hopefully endu ring patience that isn't wearing thin of my choice of career for the time being. I'd also like to thank the former MLA for Victoria- Hillside, Sheila Orr, for the dedication and sincerity that she brought to the job of serving the people of Victoria-Hillside, which she cared very much about and continues to care very much about. I'm very much looking forward to convening the Public Accounts Committee shortly.

It's an important part of the Legislature, and I think in recent years it's emerged as a key check and balance, in our parliamen- tary democracy, of executive power. I look forward to working with the members opposite and all the mem- bers of the committee to run an exemplary public ac- counts committee that serves this House well. [1515] Much has been said by the government about a rising sense of confidence occurring in our economy.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 199 Indeed, there are many undeniable benefits that come and flow from the Bank of Canada's record-low interest rates and its effect on the housing and construction market in this province and across our country. The rebound in several of our resource sectors has flowed money to many parts of the province and to the treas- ury here. Today's record leve l of federal transfers to B.C., a complete reversal of the era of federal cuts and downloading of health and social transfers in the mid to late 1990s….

Federal reinvestment in health care, education, child care and other areas have helped this government post a surplus of $1.26 billion this fiscal year, almost matching the $1.3 billion surplus and 4 percent growth rate that the government inherited in 2001. But we must never make the mistake of believing that the economic confidence of certain market analysts means that we should not take seriously the worries that occupy the minds of ordinary British Columbians who struggle to make a decent living each day.

Far too many people in our provin ce and in my constituency are consumed with daily an xieties about feeding their children nutritious food, pa ying for basic medicines, accessing post-secondary education and wondering about the well-being of their elderly parents as they age. Many people work long hours for low pay, and instead of feeling like they'r e getting ahead, they feel vulnerable in our economy. Too many people have fallen outside of society and are living in situations that risk their health.

Last January Victoria had its first official homeless count and estimated that there are as many as 700 peo- ple in this region without a place to call home, many sleeping in the rough each night. In the Burnside- Gorge neighbourhood in my riding social workers have told me about the homeless one- and two-parent families that they encounter, some living in their cars, who each morning have to send their kids to school without food. This neighbou rhood coordinates a hous- ing placement program for temporary and long-term housing, but they are unable to help too many people that need their help.

I think that everyone in this House can acknowledge a number of serious social problems we face here in British Columbia, and the point really is that we're not helpless to effect change. When we decide to show the proper deter- mination and resolve, we can begin to improve, to fix our housing problems, fix flaws in our health care system, provide people with skills and training opportunities and address the long-term care bed shortages and other ser- vice gaps that will allow our seniors to live in dignity.

On this last point, in my constituency there is a high percentage of seniors, many on fixed, low in- comes. For them, private care homes aren't an option. Many are blocking acute care hospital beds because of the shortage of public long-term care facilities. The government must work on its fulfilment of the 5,000- bed promise from 2001. Part of the challenge to the government, who now say that this commitment will be met by 2008, is finding and assembling land at a reasonable cost.

I'm pleased to say that there are two such sites in my constituency already zoned for resi- dential care and assisted living that could issue build- ing permits immediately. We are ready to be part of the solution if the Ministry of Health and B.C. Housing will enable our health authority to proceed. I'm a great fan of so-called mixed development in our urban and suburban areas. We've learned some painful lessons about the negative impact of redevelop- ing tracts of land into homogeneous places where the housing forms and the income and demographic group are pretty much the same.

We've learned the mistake of building low-density, car-oriented neighbourhoods that don't have commercial spaces for living and working and don't have public amenit ies like transit and parks. We've learned that these poorly planned communities gobble up far too much land and, let's face it, tend to be boring and depressing places to be. [1520] Victoria boasts some redeveloped areas that are highly liveable places. One of them, at the heart of my constituency, is the Selkirk waterfront. This large site was a former plywood plant that sat dormant for many years. The land was heavily contaminated.

Pollution impacted the marine health of the shoreline and the waterway. Fortunately, a local family, the Jalls, devel- oped a visionary and compre hensive proposal to clean up and revitalize this site. Today at the Selkirk waterfront what you see is a clean waterway that houses a beautiful rowing club and public wharves. There you'll find hundreds of good paying jobs in the office buildings on the site. Hundreds of residents live in apartments and town- houses that range from the expensive to the very good quality, affordable public housing for families and the so-called hard-to-house.

There's a Montessori school and pubs, cafés, restaurants and greenspace commons. This project involved a monumental cleanup utiliz- ing made-in-Canada, made-in-B.C., environmental technologies. All three levels of government were in- volved in this project. The public amenity package in- cluded the conversion of an abandoned rail bridge to become a significant walking and cycling trail connec- tor — the Galloping Goose Trail. For me, the Selkirk project is a great example of new thinking about planning. It's an example of how to bring economic revitalization and vibrancy to a de- pressed area.

It's also a poli tically inspiring, real-life story about the difference that private sector visionar- ies like the Jalls can make and how politicians can help make things happen when they believe in something and when they champion it. Andrew Petter was the MLA for Saanich South during the Selkirk revitalization. It was a project that he took an active interest in and got the support of his government for. Mr. Petter is now the dean of the fac- ulty of law at the University of Victoria. He was a great champion for this region during his time in public of- fice.

Among other things, he supported and helped the community create one of the most comprehensive net- works of urban cycling and walking pathways in all of Canada. He helped the region secure its water supply

200 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES T UESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 and purchase significant land holdings to create a large protected area for our region's blue and greenspaces in the surrounding hills and shorelines. He also helped to preserve one of the province's most significant heritage buildings just a block from here — St. Ann's Academy. He did it by involving the B.C. Buildings Corporation in the creation of a business p l a n t h a t w o r k e d f o r t h a t b u i l d i n g . S a d l y , t h i s C r o w n entity is soon to have its assets stripped and wound down for privatization.

One would think that a business- minded government would today see the value of owning a property portfolio in this hot market, but such is not the case. There are other brownfield redevelopments un- derway in our region. One significant cleanup is being led by Transport Canada and B.C. Hydro at the former gas plant in Rock Bay. Still another is a $300 million dockside redevelopment project financed by VanCity Enterprises in Victoria West, part of my neighbour's constituency of Victoria–Beacon Hill.

T h e r e i s n o q u e s t i o n t h a t V i c t o r i a i s a p r e m i e r e destination for tourism from around the world. This industry has matured into a major employer, and it continues to grow each year. It now surpasses the $1 billion mark in economic gross activity each year for this area. But in order to remain a great destination, people have to be able to travel here easily, affordably and comfortably. [S. Hawkins in the chair.] One of our gateways for nearly a million visitors, mainly from the United States, is just a block from this House — the Belleville ferry terminal.

Various private ferry operators have used this facility for decades. Un- fortunately, its age shows. The site — I think all would agree — is an eyesore, whether it's viewed from the land or from a vessel in the harbour. Its redevelopment by the Crown Provincial Capital Commission seemed certain only a few short years ago. After years of dis- cussion with Transport Canada, we finally got harbour properties divested from Ottawa to local and provin- cial authorities. The province became the consolidated owner of the Belleville terminal site, and the province successfully rezoned this property in 2000-2001.

The province, again with Mr. Petter in the lead, was looking at providing grants and low-interest borrow- ing guarantees for the Provincial Capital Commission to redevelop the site. It was to be an updated and re- freshed ferry terminal that promised to double the number of passengers visiting our city each year. Well, this government, the current administration, has had over four years to oversee this project. I'm disap- pointed to say that next to nothing has happened. I know that the business community, Tourism Victoria, the chamber of commerce and many others share my sense of frustration, as does the U.S.

Customs authority and the ferry operators and passengers. [1525] There are other transportati on issues that have been ignored by this budget: pub lic transit in Greater Victo- ria. Public transit in Greater Victoria and 50 other communities where B.C. Transit operates have suffered four years of cutbacks from frozen funding. Service levels in my community today are at pre-1996 levels. Over 100,000 hours of operatin g annual transit service have been cut here in Victoria. Instead of providing more transportation options, we have fewer.

Instead of funding public transit as part of a comprehensive Kyoto implementation plan, we're ignoring rising greenhouse gas emissions. Once upon a time, shortly after the 2001 election, in fact, the Minis- try of Transportation said it would examine sustainable transit funding and govern ance models. This never happened. There are certainly many other strategic investments the government should make that will improve the health of the po pulation and save taxpay- ers money downstream. It was a mistake — and I would like to hear the government admit it — when they cancelled the Homes B.C. program.

This program created thousands of new units of affordable family rental housing. The program was innovative, it was flexible, and it was necessary. Housing programs are needed even more today than they were ten years ago. Vacancy rates are lower, housing and land costs have risen dramatically, and the private sector can no longer build rental hous- ing in any viable way. B.C. Housing should have the resources and the ability to respond to the creative housing ideas that are coming from the non-profit sec- tor. We'd be a much better province for it.

I know that local governments, neighbourhoods and law enforcement would like to see B.C. Housing help convert problem properties — so-called crack houses — into well-managed, affordable housing. There's one such property in my riding that had over 300 visits from the police last year. Crystal meth and other drugs are sold and consumed openly at this address. Yet without the ability to sentence addicted dealers to treatment — be- cause the facilities don't exist and aren't funded — with- out services that make it possible to intervene, this dan- gerous, toxic situation goes on.

To build affordable rental housing again in this province will require a committed partnership from the province. In search of this partnership, the city of Vic- toria and the capital regional district have created two affordable housing trust funds to leverage dollars for affordable housing projects. I know that the mayor's door is open in this city , and the mayors' doors in many of our communities across B.C. They want to engage the province on housing.

To build any kind of housing and meet the demand of a booming construction sector is a challenge we must take up, and it is a challeng e that provides government with the opportunity to invest in the skills development of young workers. The inde pendent economic advisory council cited a skills shortage as one of the major risks facing B.C.'s economy today, yet this budget, sadly, does little to move us in the right direction. I note that the budget for the Industry Training Authority is in fact $10 million less today than it was in 2001. In my constituency, wait-lists are growing for

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 201 young people to get into trades programs at Camosun College. I've heard firsthand from contractors and de- velopers in Victoria about the lack of skills training. Young people and small businesses are struggling to afford the fees introduced by this government for ap- prenticeship.

Similarly, students and their families that want to attend one of the two instit utions, the University of Victoria and Camosun College, to pursue a degree or vocational program are struggling with this govern- ment's huge increase to tuition fees and the corre- sponding cuts to student grants and other supports that make it possible to attend. This government is lit- erally crushing the dreams of education for students from low-income backgrounds. [1530] Madam Speaker, I want to thank this House for the chance to share some of my constituents' concerns and priorities.

I look forward to working with the govern- ment MLAs and various ministries to make good things happen in my constituency and in this province. Despite all the challenges we face, I'm optimistic we can find solutions that will improve the lives of the people who we all serve. Hon. G. Abbott: Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the opportunity to make some comments in respect of the recently tendered provin cial budget. It is a great honour to be able to speak once again in the House and to be part of this incoming parliament.

First, I do want to congratulate you on your ascension to the chair — richly deserved — and I'm sure you'll do an excep- tional job. I'd also appreciate it if you would pass along to Mr. Speaker my congratulations. [Applause.] I'm not sure why he's clapping, but thank you. Mr. Speaker as well as Madam Speaker and I have had the opportunity to serve together since 1996.

I cer- tainly do welcome his movement into the chair as well and, of course, the new Assistant Deputy Speaker, who is from the opposition side and who I hope will be part of a new and more constructive relationship in this House between the government and the opposition. H a v i n g s e r v e d i n o p p o s i t i o n , I d o r e m e m b e r w e l l how easily additional spending rolls off the tongue in comparison to the position one finds oneself in when constrained by actual budg et disciplines.

But I know we'll work hard to do a good job for the people of Brit- ish Columbia, and I do look forward to working with all members of the House and, indeed, want to con- gratulate all members of the House on their election. I particularly want to thank the electors of the Shuswap, who have now been putting up with me for some time and who have been generous in their sup- port over the years — in 1996, 2001 and again in 2005. It is a tremendous privilege and honour to represent them and to serve them in th is Legislature.

I have very much enjoyed doing that, being an MLA, and in more recent years have had the opportunity to serve on the executive council as well. I also want to thank the electors of the Shuswap for allowing me the opportunity to serve in local govern- ment for 17 years before coming to this Legislature. I had the good fortune to serve with, among others, the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke — I see across the House — who was a good friend of mine in local government. We're probably not going to be such good friends now, but actually…. Hon. S. Bond: Oh, come on. Hon. G.

Abbott: Yes, the Deputy Premier is abso- lutely right that we don't let small issues of partisan- ship get in the way of friendships in this Legislature, so I'm sure that will continue here as well. I did have the good fortune to serve for 17 years on the board of the Columbia-Shuswap regional district, where the hon. member also served, and as a councillor in the new district of Sicamous after it was incorporated in 1989. I think one of the great benefits of having served in local government is that one does get used to working with people, regardless of what their partisan complex- ion may be.

It is an opportunity to try to resolve prob- lems — to meet difficult issues without recourse, neces- sarily, to particularly ideolo gical solutions. One of the things that I have learned from my now over 25 years in elected office is that the public really welcomes com- monsense solutions rather than embracing ideological solutions. Hopefully, that is a spirit that will pervade this House as well as the broader province.

One of the things, of course, that one learns after some experience in local government is the importance of sound fiscal management in whatever jurisdiction we are fortunate enough to be a part of. One of the things local governments have been obliged to do for decades in British Columbia is to balance their budgets every year.

You are not permitted, under the terms of the Mu- nicipal Act — now the Local Government Act — or the Community Charter to incur deficits, and that does, I think, impose a fiscal discipline on elected officials that is not always evident in this particular jurisdiction. [1535] I am pleased, though, that in fact our government has restored that fiscal discipline to the management of finances in this province. Obviously, the budget re- cently tendered by the new Finance Minister is yet an- other example of that.

We have moved away from what were in the 1990s a continuous stream of substan- tial deficit budgets to a fi scal position now where I think we can be sure that we will see balanced and surplus budgets for a long wa y into the future. I think the fiscal discipline is critical to producing the out- comes that we need in this province. Having been a part of the government from 2001 to 2005, when we did have to make some difficult deci- sions — and it seemed every day there were more than a few difficult decisions that had to be made….

The purpose of making those difficult decisions was not to just feel the tide of difficulty rolling over us. It was to ensure we had an economy that was buoyant and growing, and finances that could sustain the social

202 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES T UESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 safety net we have in the province and the innovative programs that would make th is province a better place to live and to work and be a part of. I'm very proud of what we were able to achieve over the past four years, and I think I'm going to be even more proud of what we're going to be achieving in the next four years ahead. [Applause.] Yeah, go ahead — clap. I think the next four years are going to be a tremendous ly exciting time for this government, for this province.

I think we're going to see achievements that one would simply not have an- ticipated just a few years ago. It's going to be a tremen- dously exciting time as we see the product of that fiscal discipline and that exceptional management of the economy and our finances yield social investments for the province. The previous speaker refe renced B.C. Housing, and I just want to…. I'm not going to do a critique of his or anybody else's speech in the Legislature, but I do want to note, as minister responsible for B.C. Housing for over three years earlier in our tenure in office, that B.C.

Housing was one of the two provincial programs in Canada that continued and expanded under our lead- ership. Only ourselves and Quebec had social housing programs during that period in time. The budget for that — I remember it very well — was $153 million annually for housing programs at B.C. Housing. I was very proud of what we were able to do with that. We have an exceptional team at B.C. Housing. They put together public-private partner- ships.

They put together pa rtnerships with non-profits across this province that yield literally thousands of new housing units that are of tremendous benefit to those who are most vulnerab le in our province. I'm tremendously proud of what B.C. Housing has done, and I will say that in any venue. I am particularly proud of the Independent Living B.C. program that we launched in 2002. That has made a huge difference to the frail elderly in the province.

It provides them with supportive housing opportunities and assisted-living opportunities that ensure they can live as independently as they can for as long as they can with the health supports they need. I think it's a great model, and it's something that I'm proud of and I know our government is tremendously proud of. I'm also very proud to hear from the Finance Minis- ter in her recent budget update that we are going to see a major extension to the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters program in B.C.

Again, this is a great step forward, and this is very much a dividend of the hard work that has gone on over the past four years. The SAFER program is a subsidy to elderly renters who, in the absence of that subsidy, might not be ab le to live independently. It's a very important progra m. We are going to see, through this budget, an expansion in the level of sup- port in the SAFER program for the first time since 1991. That's a big step ahead to expand the SAFER program. [1540] I'm also very proud because I, absolutely shame- lessly, advocated for this as a Housing Minister.

I'm very proud that we are going to be able to extend the SAFER program to elderly renters who have their own trailers or mobile homes in mobile home parks. They pay a monthly pad rental, and this is going to be ex- tended to them. Again, elderly renters will be able to live independently, with su pport from the health au- thorities where they need it, as long as they can and as independently as they can. Certainly, today's senior is healthier than ever before, lives longer than ever before and is more independent than ever before.

I think these are the kind of supports that make life even better for seniors in British Columbia. The other thing we need to make note of as some- thing that really backstops the social changes that we've made, the social investments that we've made and the social dividends th at are being produced in British Columbia is that we have seen confidence re- stored in the British Columbia economy.

In terms of economic growth and all of the different measures as- sociated with economic gr owth, we have moved from being the number ten jurisdic tion to being the number one jurisdiction in Canada — something that we should be tremendously proud of. In the most recent year we are seeing ourselves move ahead of Alberta as being the number one econ- omy in Canada, and I think we all are very proud of that.

It also underlines th e point that by being good economic managers, by s eeing our economy and our job growth so strong, we can again produce social dividends that would have been unimaginable under a different regime where taxes and regulations were more onerous and there were fewer incentives to build a strong economy. I ' m p r o u d t o h a v e b e e n a n d t o b e a m e m b e r o f a government that has had tremendous success in the area of building the economy. We are seeing jobs pro- duced in British Columbia like never before.

In many areas of the economy one of th e biggest challenges is in fact to find the human resources to meet the job poten- tial that exists there. We have led Canada in recent years in job creation. I thin k that's a tremendous feat for our great province. Many times we are leading North America in terms of job creation. We can be very, very proud of that. The lowest unemployment rates in British Columbia for 20 years…. One suspects that we are going to see more good news of that char- acter in the months and years ahead as well.

Ours is a province that has been tremendously blessed in a range of areas by the resources, the people and the infrastructure that we have. If we keep build- ing on that in the sustaine d, disciplined manner that we have over the past four years, we are going to con- tinue to see tremendous economic news in British Co- lumbia for literally years to come. It's going to be tre- mendously exciting to be a part of that. Madam Speaker, today I want to focus, perhaps not surprisingly, on the area of health.

I know that you're a former Minister of Health Pl anning, so I hope you find my comments tremendously stimulating as well, being a former minister responsible. I know that if I were to ask my constituents in Sh uswap what their number

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 203 one issue was, they would say health, without a doubt. I suspect that if I canvassed the constituents in 78 other ridings about what their nu mber one issue was, they would say health as well. Health currently constitutes between 43 cents and 44 cents of every budgetary dol- lar in the province. [1545] It is a huge responsibility, and it's a tremendous honour for me to have the opportunity to lead the Min- istry of Health, at least for some period to come.

I did want to talk about some of the issues around h e a l t h a n d s o m e o f t h e c h a l l e n g e s w e f a c e i n t h e months and years to come. I think that it is going to be tremendously exciting and gr atifying to lead this min- istry. Every day I am astonished by the commitment, the talents and the energy that exist within the Ministry of Health, across the health au thorities of this province and within the hospitals and the facilities sector. Health is a huge thing.

I have not to date, as Minister of Health, met anyone in the health care system who is not excited and committed to producing better health outcomes for the citizens of British Columbia. I think it's going to be an exciting time. Again, I don't think I'm be ing biased here. We have a great health care system in British Columbia. Is it perfect? No. There's always room for improvement in a number of areas, and the key to success is to drive for- ward and to see continuo us improvement across the system.

Notwithstanding the occasional things that go wrong in a system where th ere are literally hundreds of thousands of interactions on a daily basis, we have a great health care system. The fact that we have a great health care system is a tribute to the doctors, to the nurses, to the orderlies, to the front-line workers, to th e administrators and to the thousands and thousands of people who make this system work very, very well on a daily basis.

We want to build an even stronger health care system in British Columbia, and I think that by driving and demanding continuous improvement ac ross the system, we're go- ing to do that. Again, I've heard a lot of comments in this House, and I understand why members of the opposition need to try to discredit or diminish public confidence in our management of the health care system. That's part of being in opposition.

I accept that they are going to do that, but I do hope that while they may wish to under- mine confidence in me, they never in their comments undermine the public health care system in British Co- lumbia as a whole, because it's a great system. Again, we are working every day to make it an even better system. I think in many respects the facts speak for themselves in regard to making it a better system. Let me begin with this. The budget for health in fiscal 2000-2001 was $8.5 billion. I think it's somewhere in the 30s as a percentage of the provincial budget.

We have seen that figure grow over four years to where we have, in the 2005-2006 budget, a budgetary allocation of $11.6 billion plus the $150 million incremental in- crease, which the Finance Minister announced in her recent budget. We have seen the budget for health care grow by $3.25 billion over the past four years. People may want to natter on about cuts for all of the reasons that people natter on about cuts, but the fact of the matter is that there has been a huge increa se in the budget for the Ministry of Health.

We may want to quarrel about whether the allocation is perfect or whether it's appro- priate — and I think that's a great thing to debate — but there has been no question that both the size of the budget for health and its pe rcentage of the overall pro- vincial budget have grown dramatically. That's the first point I wished to be clear on. [1550] The other thing that we are doing as a government, which I think is very importan t, in addition to growing the size of the budget….

The other key element that we are in the process of expanding is the skilled human resources that are necessary to make this a great and greater health care system in British Columbia. We have, I'm proud to say, expanded — in fact, doubled — the number of seats for doct ors being trained in this province. That's going to be key to ensuring that we have that very important skill as we move forward. Also, because they are also a key part of the health sys- tem, we have greatly expand ed the number of nursing seats in the province. I know, Madam Speaker, you can take some credit for this.

In the early years I know you were a great ad- vocate for expanding the number of nursing seats in training institutions across the province. That's yield- ing dividends today. We saw — and I know this is surprising — that through the 1990s there were only 85 nursing seats added across the province and another 400 added just prior to the 2001 election.

If you compare that ten-year period to what we did over the past four years, which was to add some 62 percent more new seats — and I don't want to be too precise about this, but it's 2,511 new nursing seats across British Columbia — that is a tremendous advance in terms of meeting the need for nurses and nursing skills across the province. In addi- tion to that, through the provincial nominee program and other initiatives, we have added 600 additional nurses as well. That's key, I think, as we move forward.

One of the things that is possible through the addi- tion of the $3.25 billion in new resourcing and the addi- tion of the human resources — the additional doctors and nurses — is that we are far better equipped to deal with the challenge of wait times than we ever were before in the history of British Columbia. Let me begin by prefacing my remarks with this. We have a demo- graphic challenge in British Columbia, and I'm a part of that challenge. I am part of that great burst of popula- tion following the Second World War that we affec- tionately call the baby- boomers. I'm part of that.

Many of the members of this chamber are part of that. You, Madam Speaker, are far too young to be a part of that particular phenomen on, but there are a number of us in here who I think can be rightly described as baby-boomers.

204 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES T UESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 In addition to having that demographic wave of people in their 50s and 60s who are making increasing demands on the health care system, we are also, I'm happy to say, seeing our seniors live longer in British Columbia than ever before in history. British Colum- bia's seniors live longer than anywhere else in Canada. That's a great fact and one we should be really proud of.

They are living longer, they are living healthier, they are living more active lives, they are living more independently, and they are also demanding more surgical services than ever before in British Columbia's history. We've got a demographic wave that's coming at us. That's part of our challenge here, and we are, I think, moving very appropriately to meet that challenge. I'm not saying we resolved it. I think we've got some ways to go. That goes back to continuous improvement in this area as well as other areas of government. I want to put a few facts on the table.

This is a com- parison between today and 2000-2001. These are surger- ies that are being performe d in the province. We are doing 65 percent more knee surgeries, particularly knee replacements, than four or five years ago — so a 65 per- cent increase in that, a 35 percent increase in hip re- placements, a 20 percent increase in cataract surgeries, a 7 percent increase in coronary bypasses and a 52 percent increase in angioplasty surgeries across this province. [1555] We are resourcing a lot more surgeries than has ever been the case in this province before.

About half of the surgeries that we do in the province are done im- mediately. If you break a leg or an arm in an automo- bile accident, chances are you will get that done imme- diately. Of the balance — that is, the elective surgeries that are not done on an emergent basis — 50 percent of the balance of those surger ies are done within one month, 75 percent are done within three months, 90 percent within seven months and 97 percent within 12 months. So that's all good too.

Now, one of the challenges of my job, one of the challenges of the health care system we have in British Columbia, is that it tends to get characterized by the exceptions rather than the rule. We have 3 percent who are not getting their surgeries on a timely basis, and they are rightly and deeply concerned about that. I think that's, again, where we need to be blunt and hon- est about the challenge and find ways to address the needs of all British Columbians. Hopefully, one day I can report that 100 percent of British Columbians are receiving their surgeries in a timely way.

I'm going to be honest about that, and we're going to work tirelessly towards better health outcomes in that area. We are making progress on wait times. Again, the facts speak for themselves. I think members probably know that we recently re-released a website on wait times that contains much more accurate and up-to-date information about wait times across the province. But generally, the outcomes are improving. In cataracts we have seen the wait times reduced cross-province from an aver age 12 weeks down to less than eight weeks.

Cancer radiation — a critical piece in the exceptional cancer care that we have in the prov- ince — is reduced from two weeks to one week. In fact, I want to say this about cancer care before we move on. I am tremendously proud, ho n. Speaker, as I'm sure you are, of the work that has been done by the Provin- cial Health Services Authority, the PHSA, and particu- larly proud of the work that has been done by the B.C. Cancer Agency. We often take for granted the just remarkable, ex- ceptional people that we have working in different places in our health care system.

British Columbia has become a centre of excellence second to none in North America and perhaps the wo rld in terms of cancer treatment and cancer rese arch. It is astonishing — the work that is done every day in that area. In fact, your recovery is testament to that, Madam Speaker, as well. Just incredible work is being done by the B.C. Cancer Agency, and it's something we can all be very proud of. The area where we still have a challenge…. I talked earlier about the increase in the number of hip surger- ies, the number of knee surg eries.

Even though those surgeries are up 65 percent and 35 percent respectively, it's still a challenge because we have more and more people. The demand curve, because of the demograph- ics in our province, continues to go up, and we need to find ways to meet that demographic challenge. We have relative stability around the wait-list or wait times on hips and knees, but I want to do better. I do look forward to the constructive suggestion and advice from members all across the House in respect of how we might do that.

I know sometimes we need to look at innovations and embrace innovative thinking, and I think this is no exception in this case. As we move forward, we are going to see, I think, improving outcomes for British Columbians. I want to see that happen. I see the gr een light is on, and I don't want to get caught here. Interjection. Hon. G. Abbott: Go two hours — oh, yes. Well, thank you very much for that vote of confidence and diverting me a bit. [1600] I do want to say in conclusion that I've had the op- portunity to live now in this province for all of my life, 52 years. It's a great province.

We are spectacularly blessed with resources. My favourite place on a week- end is either up on Silver Star or Larch Hills cross- country skiing or downhill skiing. You can look out. You see the forests; you see the farms and orchards. You can see the rivers and lakes, the mountains, the tremendous wealth, the tremendous opportunity that exists in this province. We're all tremendously hon- oured, tremendously lucky to be able to live here. I know that today British Columbia is once again the envy of this nation, and I know we're going to continue to be the envy of the world. D.

Cubberley: I rise today to address the House for a first time. The chance to take

part in these delibera-

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 205 tions comes with a sense of awe and a determination to give my best. It will take time to acclimatize to the privilege of having a voice in the course of events in the life of our great province. I recognize that with this privilege comes a large responsibility, one I believe I personally felt settle on my shoulders at the moment of the swearing-in. It's one that I welcome because it's central to our system of re presentative democracy, and because it is an honour to enjoy the public's confidence to represent the constituency of Saanich South.

Since the swearing-in, just what it means to be an elected representative has become clearer day by day. Stepping into this grand ch amber in the company of so many fine colleagues on both sides of the House opens a new

chapter in an exciting and promising adventure. I welcome the chance to speak, in my own right to be sure, but more importantly for all those who have sent me here to advocate on their behalf for the values of community, caring and cooper ation that we on this side hold dear. Let me begin by congratulating all members of the House on their victory in the recent election and by acknowledging that no one who comes to this grand House gets there on individu al effort alone. For me, victory flowed from having a great campaign team with a relevant platform offering practical solutions to the prob

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	H0920pm-11
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	H0920pm 11
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	b8931f263f0c94da610b4a90722153f35ac80335

Source file is stored in the law ingest library (pdf).