Fourth Session, 42nd Parliament

(2023) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 278

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Personal Statements

Withdrawal of comments made in the House

E. Ross

Orders of the Day

Presentation of Estimates

Estimates of sums required for the service of the

province

Budget Debate

Hon. K. Conroy

P. Milobar

Introduction and First Reading of

Bills

Bill 10 — Budget Measures Implementation Act,

Hon. K. Conroy

Tabling Documents

Strategic plan, 2023-24–2025-26

Budget and fiscal plan, 2023-24–2025-26

Service plans, 2023-24–2025-26

Presentation of Estimates

Supplementary estimates for the fiscal year ending

March 31, 2023

Government Motions on Notice

Motion 21 — Committee of Supply and Committee of

the Whole to sit in three sections

Hon. R. Kahlon

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2023

The House met at 1:34 p.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Mr. Speaker: Good afternoon, everyone. I would like to begin our proceedings today by

acknowledging that we are privileged to gather on the traditional territory of

the Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking people, the

Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations. We honour and respect their enduring

stewardship of these lands and the wisdom, culture and traditions which are so

generously shared with our community and with our province.

HÍSW̱ḴE SIÁM .

Also, on behalf of all the members, I would like to welcome all the guests

who are joining us today from all parts of British Columbia.

Friends and families joining us in the chamber, thank you for being with

us today.

[1:35 p.m.]

Personal Statements

WITHDRAWAL OF COMMENTS

MADE IN THE

HOUSE

E. Ross: During question period this morning, I made some comments that may

have been misinterpreted.

I rise now to withdraw those comments.

Orders of the Day

Hon. K. Conroy: Hon. Speaker, I move that this House, at its next sitting, do resolve

itself for this session into a committee to consider the supply to be granted to

His Majesty.

Motion approved.

Presentation of Estimates

ESTIMATES OF SUMS REQUIRED

FOR THE SERVICE OF THE

PROVINCE

Hon. K. Conroy presented a message from Her Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor: Estimates of Sums Required for the Service of the

Province for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, and a supplement to the

estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, recommending the same

to the Legislative Assembly.

Hon. K. Conroy moved that the said message and the estimates

accompanying the same be referred to the Committee of Supply.

Motion approved.

Budget Debate

Hon. K. Conroy: I move, seconded by the hon. Premier of British Columbia:

[That the Speaker do now leave the Chair for the House to go into

Committee of Supply.]

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the

Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ peo­ples, the

Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, upon whose territories we are gathered

today.

Today I am honoured to present Budget 2023, a budget that builds today

for a stronger tomorrow, that eases the pressures we feel in our daily lives

and that reflects the priorities of British Columbians. This year’s budget

will improve health care, build more homes, help with rising costs and make

our communities safer. Budget 2023 will continue our work to build a

stronger, cleaner economy for everyone right across our province.

These uncertain times require careful, thoughtful action, action that

addresses the uncertainty ahead while moving us forward on long-standing

priorities like reconciliation, climate change and tackling global

inflation. Action is what British Columbians want from their government, and

it’s what Budget 2023 delivers, with real results focused on the priorities

of British Columbians.

While B.C. is a great place to live, many people are facing real

challenges. Global inflation is raising the cost of just about everything.

It’s getting harder to afford groceries, find essential medication for your

kids or find workers to fill jobs. By the end of the month, many families

are wondering if they’ll ever get ahead. Then there is the added pressure of

economists predicting a global economic slowdown.

We can’t control global forces, but we can make choices that will help

British Columbians weather the storm and come out stronger. Some believe we

should respond to uncertainty by pulling back, by making cuts that reduce

services or by making people pay out of pocket for tolls and private health

care. That’s not what British Columbians want, and that’s not our

government’s approach.

Instead of making cuts to education and expecting teachers to fill the

gaps, we are making record investments in B.C.’s elementary schools and high

schools. This year is no exception.

Instead of privatizing health care, we are strengthening public health

care.

Instead of leaving parents to shoulder the cost of child care, we are

saving them hundreds of dollars or more every single month. All the while,

we are opening new spaces across the province.

[1:40 p.m.]

We know that supporting British Columbians will build a stronger

province for us all. We can see that in the results to date. Over

three-quarters of last year’s job growth in B.C. was driven by women’s

employment. This is a reflection of our government’s work on child

care.

It’s clear that we can’t afford to go back to short-sighted thinking —

the kind of thinking that cuts services today, while leaving the actual

costs for tomorrow. It didn’t work before, and it certainly won’t work now.

When times are tough, that’s exactly when you need someone in your corner,

defending you from global uncertainty and building a stronger province for

everyone.

That’s why our government will always be there for British Columbians.

It’s why we’re putting this year’s new investments and multi-billion dollar

surplus to work for people to deliver another round of the B.C.

affordability credit and help more people make ends meet, to protect people

from evictions and rent hikes while preserving rental buildings and to

support growing cities and towns right across the province with a total of

$1 billion in grants to improve local roads and water facilities and build

more community centres, trails and arenas, because as someone who is proud

to call rural B.C. home, I know it’s not just our large cities facing big

changes.

That’s why these grants are going to all 188 of B.C.’s municipalities

and regional districts. This is part of our ongoing work to support rural

communities, especially those that rely on B.C.’s forest industry and have

been hit hard by the effects of pine beetle and wildfires, because we are at

our strongest when everyone, rural and urban, shares in the benefits of a

strong economy. In an uncertain world, you can be certain that our

government has your back.

Budget 2023 responds to the priorities of British Columbians. We know

you want health care you can count on. You want more affordable homes built

faster. You want help with everyday costs and an economy that is clean and

strong, and you want a safer and healthier community. This budget delivers

for you.

Today we are taking another step forward toward a brighter future for

all. People want to know that strong health care will be there when they

need it. At the same time, coming out of the pandemic, health care workers

have never been under greater stress. These challenges are not unique to

B.C. That’s why our government and other provinces across the country have

been working with Ottawa to help us deliver better health care for

people.

There is more work to do. The federal proposal we received earlier

this month provides stable funding for the next generation. Stability is

good, but the status quo is not good enough. That’s why we’re not waiting.

Our government is taking action now to deliver better health care for more

people. This year’s budget builds on the work we’ve done, with an additional

$6.4 billion dollars to strengthen and improve health care over the next

three years.

We’re continuing to manage COVID-19 and flu levels by supporting the

ongoing public health response. As our population increases and ages, we’re

adding $2.6 billion over the plan to meet the growing demand for health

services, including cancer care. Cancer has touched the lives of almost

everyone in B. C. Its impact on patients, families and our struggling health

care system is one of the greatest challenges we face. A few days ago, we

shared new steps to deliver cancer care people can count on for themselves

and their loved ones.

As part of our fight against cancer, this year’s budget commits $270

million over the next three years. We’re focused on improving access to

screening, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, because nobody should

be stuck waiting for a test result or urgently needed treatment. We’re also

increasing compensation for the doctors pro­viding this life-saving

care. It’s part of our work to recruit and retain more oncologists in

British Columbia.

We know our health care system is only as strong as the people who

keep it running. This year’s budget delivers a new deal for family doctors

and supports B.C.’s health care work force. Nearly $1 billion for our health

work force strategy will recruit, train and retain workers. We’re also

adding 1,700 health care staff and training 3,000 more graduates. New

bursaries and grants will make it more affordable than ever to start a

career in health care. At the same time, we’re adding new resources to get

more internationally trained doctors, nurses, and health care staff working

and off the sidelines.

People understand that mental health is health. That’s why our

government has made the largest investment in mental health and addiction

services in B.C.’s history. It’s why we are opening more urgent and primary

care centres around the province — which is how most people first access the

mental health care they need — and it’s why we are building complex care

housing for people living with addictions, severe mental health issues or

brain injury.

[1:45 p.m.]

This year’s budget will get hundreds more units built and enhance

health care supports at existing buildings. Our goal is to stop the cycle of

evictions, shelters, emergency rooms and jails for those struggling with

mental health and addictions, because we won’t stop working until all

British Columbians get the help they need when they need it.

The budget delivers more than $1 billion in new funding, over three

years, to support services and capital projects for mental health,

addictions and treatment services. Our focus will be on expanding supports

across the spectrum of care for people struggling with addiction. We’ll do

this by expanding the number of treatment and recovery beds, by creating new

recovery communities to support those who have gone through treatment, and

by delivering wraparound services for youth and more Indigenous treatment

centres.

This will all feed into our work to develop and implement a new model

of seamless care, one that supports peo­ple through their entire

recovery journey — from detox to treatment to aftercare. We’ll begin with

new investments in Road to Recovery, in partnership with Providence Health

and Vancouver Coastal Health. Our goal will be to expand the initiatives to

other regions.

People may have heard of the Red Fish Healing Centre in Coquitlam, on

the site of the old Riverview Hospital. It’s a first-of-its-kind facility in

North America. At Red Fish, complex mental illness and addictions are

treated simultaneously. With this year’s budget, we will expand the Red Fish

model of care across the province with regional facilities, so that more

people have access to those services closer to home.

Almost one month ago, B.C. became the first province to decriminalize

people who use drugs, so they feel able to come forward to family, friends

and medical professionals to seek help. We’re saving lives and delivering

more services and supports at an unprecedented rate, because all of us know

someone who has struggled or is struggling with an addiction. It could be a

brother, sister, friend or parent. We also know that a health response is

needed, not just a criminal justice one. This budget will provide

specialized health care for people who need it.

When we think of what it means to build a good life in British

Columbia, an affordable home is at the top of the list. For too long, the

housing market worked well for investors, speculators and banks, but it did

not work for everyday people. After 5½ years of work by our government, we

are starting to see results: 40,000 homes are built or underway, and

construction of new rental housing is at record levels, seven times what it

was a decade ago.

In just the past few months, we’ve removed unfair strata restrictions

that keep rentals empty, and we’re setting new housing targets with local

governments, to keep pace with B.C.’s strong population growth. Still, new

pressures coming out of the pandemic have left too many people struggling to

find a decent home, even if they earn a good income. That needs to change,

and it will.

This year’s budget will invest $4.2 billion to deliver homes of all

kinds for all British Columbians. It is centred around a bold housing action

plan, one that builds on our work and takes new steps to deliver more homes

for middle-class families, for Indigenous peoples, for renters and for those

in greatest need. We’ll clear the way for more housing, with zoning changes

and a faster permitting process, and we’ll make major new investments to

increase housing and services near public transit hubs around the

province.

Our plan will also help to ease pressure on local rental markets by

building thousands more student housing spaces. This is on top of the nearly

8,000 student beds already open or underway, from Okanagan College’s

campuses in Kelowna, Vernon and Salmon Arm, to tripling the number of

student homes at Abbotsford’s University of the Fraser Valley.

[1:50 p.m.]

I can’t forget my own stomping grounds. A few months ago we started

work on new homes for students at Selkirk College’s Castlegar and Nelson

campuses. The best part: these are all built using mass timber technology,

which creates jobs and helps reduce carbon pollution.

It’s clear that homelessness is no longer just a big-city issue. What

we see happening in communities and on streets throughout the province isn’t

good for anyone, least of all for people who are living on the street or in

dangerous encampments. This year’s budget will fund more supportive housing

and strengthen existing programs which help vulnerable people keep their

homes.

We’re adding hundreds more units of complex care housing, and we’re

creating new regional teams to help any community dealing with a major

encampment.

Whether I’m in Victoria or at home in the Kootenays, I often hear the

same thing from my neighbours. People in B.C. are working harder than ever,

but many feel like they’re just getting by, not getting ahead. If you’re

renting your home, as almost one-third of British Columbians are, every

month can feel like a stretch, never mind saving up for a down

payment.

I hear you. Our government is working for you, whether you’re a young

person looking for your first home away from home, a family wanting more

space or a senior enjoying your retirement years. While some things, like

interest rates, are out of our control, we can make other things a little

better.

That’s why we launched a new $500 million rental protection fund to

safeguard people against evictions and rent hikes while protecting rental

buildings for many years to come. It’s why we are making new investments in

B.C. Housing to upgrade older rental buildings while adding thousands of new

rental homes, and it’s why we are introducing a new renter’s tax

credit.

The new income-tested credit will put as much as $400 back into the

pockets of low- and moderate-income renters. We expect this benefit will

benefit more than 80 percent of renters right across B.C. The renter’s tax

credit is just one way we are helping people with the costs of daily

life.

We’re freezing basic car insurance rates for another two years, and we

provided a $100 credit to reduce everyone’s power bill. More than 85 percent

of people received the B.C. affordability credit in January, with some

families getting up to $410, and just days ago, we announced another B.C.

affordability credit coming in April. Adults will receive up to $164 more

and children up to $41 more.

But we know there is much more work to do. Alongside putting money

back in people’s pockets, a total of $4.5 billion in this year’s budget will

help with the rising costs of essentials.

When it comes to essentials, having full control over your

reproductive rights is at the top of the list. All too often, these

fundamental rights are under attack, but not here in B.C. Starting April 1,

prescription birth control is going to be free in British

Columbia.

We know cost varies, but it really adds up. For someone who pays $25 a

month for birth control pills, that’s $300 a year in savings and as much as

$10,000 in savings over their lifetime. As a mom of two daughters and five

granddaughters, I know the effect this is going to have on peo­ple’s

lives in our province. This is a win for health, it’s a win for gender

equity in our province, and it’s about time. The days of passing down these

costs to women, trans and non-binary people are coming to an end.

For the families who feel like they are just getting by and never

getting ahead, we’re here for you. This year’s budget delivers an important

and permanent lift to the B.C. family benefit — a 10 percent increase. Now

parents will receive up to $1,750 for the first child, $1,100 for the second

and $900 for the third. For a family with two kids, the extra $250 per year

can help buy healthy food, pay bills and enrol kids in extracurricular

activities.

On top of the 10 percent increase, single parents will get as much as

an extra $500 a year, because while global inflation is stretching most

household budgets, it can be really tough for those already struggling to

make ends meet. To tackle food insecurity, we’re providing stable funding to

expand local school food programs so any child who needs a meal gets

one.

[1:55 p.m.]

For post-secondary students, we are doubling the student loan maximums

and increasing the amount students can make before they need to start

repaying their loans.

To help British Columbians relying on income and disability assistance

to make ends meet, we are providing more support. Income and disability

rates will be in­creased, including a 33 percent lift to the shelter

rate. This marks the fourth increase to rates since 2017. We expect it will

benefit about 160,000 people, including 33,000 children, and help reduce

homelessness. There’s always more to do. That’s why we’re beginning

engagement to update our poverty reduction strategy for March

All too often, the work of caregivers is not given the respect or

compensation that it deserves. This goes back to my previous life at

Children and Families. To foster parents and those who look after some of

B.C.’s most vulnerable people: thank you. You are changing lives, and we are

here to support you. Starting this year, foster families will see their

rates increase by 47 percent. This will help cover the rising cost of

essentials like food, gas and clothing. Youth and kids in care deserve every

opportunity to thrive.

Just as people need to know that a good life is in reach in B.C., they

need to feel safe in their home and community. Budget 2023 backs our safer

communities action plan with a commitment of $462 million over three years.

On the enforcement side, we’re adding 250 more RCMP members to help keep

people safe, especially in rural B.C. We’re implementing new response teams

to track, arrest and prosecute repeat violent offenders. These teams are

made up of police, dedicated prosecutors and probation officers.

To improve access to justice, we’re continuing to update the Police

Act and adding more resources to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal. Over the

next two years, another ten Indigenous justice centres will open their

doors. This is in addition to those already serving people in Prince George,

Prince Rupert, Merritt and online through an innovative virtual

centre.

Addressing the overrepresentation of Indigenous peo­ple in the

justice system is a top priority both for our government and for the B.C.

First Nations Justice Council. Together we can break the cycle of jail and

release. It begins with addressing the poverty, trauma and health issues

that brought the person to the justice system in the first place.

When a person’s violent or disruptive behaviour results from mental

health and substance use, they need support to get better. In addition to

significant new investments across the spectrum of care, this year’s budget

will expand the number of mental health crisis response teams. These include

integrated mobile teams like the successful Car 87 program in Vancouver,

which pairs up a police officer with a health worker.

Budget 2023 includes new funding to expand operating hours for the

existing Peer Assisted Care Teams on the North Shore and in Victoria and New

Westminster, and it’ll expand teams to new communities, beginning with three

new communities this year. The budget also provides funding to engage on

Indigenous-led civilian crisis response services so people in crisis are met

early on by health care workers and people who understand what they’re going

through. This will also free up police to focus on stopping crimes, which

makes us all safer.

As we prepare for another year of strong population growth, it’s clear

that B.C.’s strong and clean economy is attracting talent from around the

world. That’s a good thing. We’re forecasting one million job openings in

the next decade. People see opportunity here. I couldn’t agree more. We

weathered the pandemic with one of the strongest recoveries in Canada.

Vancouver’s tech sector is growing at the highest rate in North

America.

Last year, we had record-breaking mineral exploration. Funding for a

new critical minerals strategy in this year’s budget will continue to

support the sector. B.C. is ready to deliver the essential materials needed

to help transition away from fossil fuels and grow a clean economy,

materials like copper, for conducting wind power; nickel, for batteries and

electric cars; and so much more.

[2:00 p.m.]

We’ll continue to deliver while meeting B.C.’s exceptionally high

standards. With global uncertainty on the horizon and one million jobs to

fill in the next decade, the safest bet we can make is on the people of

B.C., and that is what we’re going to do.

This year’s budget supports our government’s Future Ready plan coming

this spring. It’s a plan to grow the most inclusive and talent-driven

workforce in Canada. It responds to one of the biggest challenges we’re

hearing from businesses: better access to more highly skilled workers. To

start, we’re attracting new talent by speeding up the recognition of foreign

credentials, so internationally trained professionals can get to work rather

than sitting on the sidelines.

I think of Monique, who started her nursing career in the Philippines.

She now has a good job caring for patients in B.C., but the path wasn’t

straightforward. Monique is excited about our government’s changes to make

it easier and faster for qualified, internationally educated nurses to work

in our province. In Monique’s words, it will create more opportunities for

skilled professionals like her and: “To establish lives here too. This will

benefit everyone in B.C., because more nurses means better health care.” And

I couldn’t agree more. We are grateful to Monique and so many others who are

using their skills and talents to make B.C. a better place.

We’re also training the next generation of workers, with thousands

more seats in high-demand fields — from health care to tech and veterinary

medicine to early childhood education. We’re focused on getting more people

with multiple barriers and underrepresented groups into the workforce. I

believe that if someone wants to retrain or upgrade their skills, costs

shouldn’t be a barrier. Our Future Ready plan will make sure of

that.

We’re launching a new future skills grant to get people trained and

working in high-demand fields. From programming and software development to

trades, manufacturing and aquaculture, the new grant will help people access

the skills they need to succeed today and in the years to come. At the same

time, we recognize businesses have faced their share of difficulties,

whether it’s uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, global inflation or the

growing labour shortage. These are major and ongoing challenges, and

responding to these needs is a key part of our Future Ready plan.

We’ll provide new funding to help small and medium-sized businesses

implement solutions to today’s labour market challenges and prepare for a

changing economy, because businesses aren’t just going to weather today’s

storm, they’re going to come out of it stronger, backed by the diversity,

skills and unique strengths from people right across the

province.

When we think of tomorrow’s economy, sustainability and innovation are

top of mind. In a world shaped by climate change, not only is this a

necessity, it’s a competitive advantage. B.C. is more than ready to deliver.

This year’s budget includes more than $1 billion dollars over the next three

years to fight climate change by building more climate resilient communities

— communities that will stand strong in any emergency, whether it be

wildfires, heatwaves or atmospheric rivers. New investments this year will

increase species emergency management capacity and help buy more

firefighting equipment.

We must prepare for a changing climate, but we must also do our part

to fight climate change, because the cost of doing nothing or not enough is

too high for people and our environment. We will, guided by our government’s

CleanBC Roadmap to 2030. It’s a continent-leading plan to reduce emissions

while creating family-supporting jobs and strong communities.

Budget 2023 builds on our CleanBC commitments with new targeted

investments in active transportation networks across the province.

Additionally, the popular CleanBC go electric program will continue, as will

pilot projects for heavy-duty electric vehicles, so transportation-based

industries can shift away from fossil fuels.

B.C. has always been a leader in climate change and will continue to

be in the years ahead, because fighting climate change will take all of us

working together. Our CleanBC plan is a key part of Canada’s plan, which is

part of a global solution to reduce emissions.

But ordinary British Columbians, who are already struggling with

rising costs, can’t bear the cost burden alone. That’s why we eliminated the

largest subsidy to big oil and gas companies and put the money back to work

for people. That’s why, as the price on pollution rises, so too will the

climate action tax credit. Budget 2023 will deliver more money to more

households through an enhanced climate action tax credit. Where a family of

four would have received a total of $500 last year, that same family will

receive almost $900 starting in July.

[2:05 p.m.]

In 2030, we expect a significant majority of people who receive the

credit will actually receive more than what they pay in carbon tax

costs.

People here understand that our natural landscape is a source of

incredible beauty. It’s also a wealth of economic opportunity when done

sustainably and responsibly. It’s where we see the results of a new approach

to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, whether it’s new agreements with

the Blueberry River First Nations and other Treaty 8 Nations that find a new

balance of environmental restoration and resource development or it’s the

first consent-based decision-making agreement under the Declaration Act with

the Tahltan.

We know what doesn’t work — endless court battles, short-term

transactional relationships, litigation instead of negotiation and

collaboration. The future lies in a rights-based partnership approach to

decisions respecting land, water and resource stewardship. That is where we

are focusing our work.

To advance our work on old growth and forest stewardship, we are

tripling the number of forest landscape planning tables, including eight new

planning tables. This will provide a greater opportunity for First Nations,

local communities, workers and industry to come together and plan for the

future of land management.

We’re also ramping up our investments to support innovation in the

forest industry. Just a few weeks ago we doubled the B.C. manufacturing jobs

fund to $180 million and opened it up to projects from around the province.

This will help mills move away from old-growth logs and towards higher

value-added wood projects like mass timber.

When natural resource projects meet our high stan­dards, we want

shovels in the ground quickly. Delays are just unnecessary barriers to

growth. This year’s budget will help speed up the permitting process for

natural resources. Delays cost money, and they slow down our transition to a

clean energy future.

Through this year’s budget, about 160 new staff will help move key

resource and infrastructure projects forward, from connectivity to

electrification and hydrogen power. They will also help reform the system so

that it works better and faster, while maintaining B.C.’s. high

standards.

We know anything built today must meet the demands of a changing

climate and a growing population. It’s a high bar, and B.C. is ready to meet

it with the largest infrastructure investment in our province’s

history.

If you’re looking for good family-supporting work, British Columbia is

the place to be. We’re creating jobs by building hospitals, from Lions Gate

to Stuart Lake; by building schools in fast-growing areas; by building a

fast, reliable transit network, including the Broadway subway and the

Surrey-Langley SkyTrain; and by building homes for generations of British

Columbians.

No matter where you live, be it rural or urban, there will be

opportunities for you and your family. Brick by brick and board by board, we

are building a brighter future for everyone who calls our province home. If

there’s one thing we have learned through these challenging years, it’s

this. Going it alone doesn’t work.

We are all in this together. A neighbour’s success is your success. A

strong rural B.C. is our entire province’s success. A growing, secure and

clean economy is a success for everyone today and in the years

ahead.

These are your priorities, and they’re ours too. We are all better off

when a good life is in reach for those who call B.C. home. That is a better,

brighter future we all believe in, and that is the future Budget 2023

delivers.

P. Milobar: It’s nice, after three weeks of sitting in this chamber, to finally

have something of substance to debate in this House.

[2:10 p.m.]

It is a privilege to stand here once again and deliver the initial

response, on behalf of the official opposition, to Budget 2023.

I would like to thank the minister and her staff for their work to

bring this budget forward for us, both as a collective of electeds and also

for the broader public to be able to dive into and see just what this

government is thinking over not just this year but the next two fiscal years

moving forward.

It always does reveal the priorities of the government, but

unfortunately, what we see in Budget 2023 is, frankly, a lot of the same as

we saw in the previous six budgets introduced by this government through

to…. [Applause.]

I think the applause led by the Premier says it all, Mr. Speaker,

because this is another budget full of glossy marketing and large promises

but very short on actual deliverables or tangibles and results that people

can actually count on to improve their daily lives.

This is not a new government. When they keep talking about former

governments, they need to look in the mirror, because the failures that we

are dealing with as a province right now have been building up over the last

5½ years.

As I said, this is the seventh budget introduced by this government

now in this House. And despite all seven budgets referencing record

investments, what we see now is a record housing crisis, record rent levels,

the worst health care and worst health care outcomes we’ve ever seen in this

province, the worst mental health and addictions outcomes we’ve ever seen in

this province and the worst cost of living pressures we have ever seen in

this province. In fact, the crises are becoming such a regular and common

occurrence in B.C., the word has actually started to lose some of its

meaning.

British Columbians shouldn’t have to be living in anxiety day to day,

wondering how they’re going to make ends meet moving forward. But that’s

exactly what they’re doing. They’re worrying whether an ambulance they call

will be able to get to their loved one in the case of an emergency, and

then, if the ambulance does come, whether or not there’ll be a hospital or

an emergency room open for that hospital to take them to in a timely

fashion. I can remember when this Health Minister, for four years as the

Health critic, would complain about 11-minute ambulance wait times. And now,

under this government and these budgets, two-plus hours, sometimes a day

wait seem to be acceptable.

Things have gotten worse, and nothing in this budget indicates they’re

going to be moving forward in a better way. Results ultimately matter. The

amount of the dollars spent in a budget do not automatically translate to a

better outcome and a better result for the population.

I think we have to keep in mind when you hear about record levels of

spending and you factor in the increase of the overall wage package for the

existing complement of public service employees and subtract that out, a

very large portion of the increase in spending is going to provide the exact

same level of staffing and programs that we currently have in the here and

the now.

I’ll touch on some of these as we move through. When we look at

housing, the government’s response to housing was a 30-point plan that

introduced 13 new taxes on the housing sector of various forms. What we have

received for that 30-point plan in this budget is in alignment with the

throne speech, no longer a recognition of the ten-year housing plan and no

longer the recognition that 114,000 units is a target to be delivered by

this government.

They’ve walked away from any measurement whatsoever on the housing

front of what this government would consider a success. In fact, now you

need to earn $268,000 a year to be able to afford a mortgage on an average

home in Vancouver.

This government has effectively ended the dream of home ownership for

an entire generation. So we hear about the much-talked-about,

twice-election-promised $400 renters rebate. But the devil, as is always

with this government, is in the detail.

[2:15 p.m.]

It’s fine that it’s income-tested. However, you have to earn under

$60,000 to qualify for the full amount. No definition of what household

income is for that $60,000. But I’m hard-pressed to understand how people

renting right now are doing it alone if they’re making $60,000 or less. If

they have roommates and their income adds together, does that mean they no

longer qualify?

We’re not 100 percent sure yet at this point, because the detail was a

little light. What we do know is that things like pad rentals for people

that live in modular homes won’t qualify. You could be living in what is

generally seen as lower-income housing on an affordable pad rental in an

older modular home earning under $60,000 a year, and you won’t qualify for

this government’s $400 renters rebate.

Why does this matter? Because I talked about the $268,000 needed to be

able to afford a mortgage in Vancouver. To be able to afford the average

rent under this government in Vancouver now, you need to have a household

income of $150,000. That’s to be a renter. The much-talked-about renters

rebate will not help very many people. It’s a little disingenuous by the

government to once again oversell a project that has been six years in the

making through two election promises and is going to once again severely

underdeliver for people.

It’s also a refundable tax credit. I think that’s very important.

Because, again, a $60,000 income threshold is important to remember. Because

it’s on your provincial income taxes that it would be refunded, not on your

federal income taxes. One would hope — I guess the province is hoping — that

you’ve triggered enough tax, if you’re $60,000 or less in provincial taxes,

that you’d actually get the full amount back.

We have a lot of question marks about this so-called $400 renters

rebate that appears to be an effort by the government to get a broken

promise off of their plate without actually truly delivering it. Again, this

is a Premier that not too long ago said that you cannot tax your way to

housing affordability. Well, we still have the 13 housing taxes there. Now,

it is a flipping miracle that there’s not a flipping tax added to this, so

we don’t have 14 right now. But I’m sure that that’s coming in the next

budget.

General affordability. Let’s look at that. Now, housing is one

element. But, again, the NDP has wildly missed the mark in this budget on

general affordability. The price of groceries has gone up 10 percent in the

last year alone. The so-called affordability measures in this budget are too

little, too late, and we fully expect that they will be buried in red tape,

as with most programs that this government has rolled out.

Mental health and addictions. We heard a lot today about mental health

and addictions. It’s very disappointing to see in this budget how the plan

will actually be rolled out. We had high hopes when we heard the Premier

talking in his agreement on Better is Possible program, like we rolled out.

We thought this would have a lot of similarities.

Unfortunately, when you get into the detail again, it doesn’t. Not

only is it unclear just how many beds are going to be built in various

regions of this province, but there are no actual capital dollars set aside

for any projects over $50 million to be built anywhere in this province in

this budget for mental health and addictions treatment centres. Now, given

that the Red Fish is about a $131 million build, one would assume that even

a smaller regional centre would be over $50 million, especially at the rate

this government goes over budget on their capital projects.

There are no capital dollars identified in this budget for mental

health and addictions centres as referenced in their new plan. Worse yet,

it’s not a free access plan. It does not allow for people to access

treatment centres that are currently for-profit with empty beds sitting

there for the treatment they need in the here and now,

immediately.

People will need to wait years for this government to get around to

finally building the programs in this budget that they’ve announced before

they can actually access the treatment they desperately need. It’s a

life-and-death situation with empty beds sitting and no funding in this

budget to allow for free, open access for people and their families in

critical need.

[2:20 p.m.]

When we look at health care, again, the outcomes have never been

worse. In fact, this morning, on the front page of the Vancouver

Sun , it declared that B.C. has the worst cancer wait times in the

country — the worst. We’ve been waiting years. We’ve had promises made,

election after election, by this government, around cancer in particular.

Passing reference to the new centres in Nanaimo and Kamloops — they garnered

one part of one sentence in this budget, no capital dollars identified,

despite three years down the road.

This is a government that took three years to finally present, in this

budget, a ten-year cancer plan that was announced as part of an election

three years ago, on something as critical as cancer, and no definable

capital projects to go with it.

There is nothing in this budget that translates to better care for

people based on the spending priorities this government has laid out. In

fact, over the last six years under this government’s watch, we’ve actually

seen a dramatic decline in cancer care and outcomes. We’ve seen wait-lists

for a family doctor grow to one million British Columbians. We’ve seen over

one million people now on the wait-list for diagnostic testing. We see an

unprecedented number of levels of walk-in clinics closed, and we have the

highest wait times for the remaining walk-in clinics to be opened. Yet what

do we see? Nothing of substance in this that would indicate that over the

next 12 months, there’s going to be meaningful change to anything along

those lines.

Now, I recognize that staffing is an issue, but it’s an issue for all

jurisdictions. When we’re being benchmarked against other jurisdictions,

that’s the important

part in this. That’s why it’s disappointing when you

look at both health care promises and the actual results in this budget. You

look at the mental health and addictions promises in this budget and the

lack of accountability by this government on what they would consider a

success as laid out in their budget. It’s disappointing.

Complex care beds were announced in this budget. The minister forgot

to mention that, also in this budget, it says they will not be staffed. It

will be a slow ramp-up of intake once they’re finally built. That’s simply

not good enough. We need to have better planning and better access for

people.

It’s also true that with the mental health and addictions, with the

ramp-up of these regional treatment centres, the matrix of wait time to

access to treatment, which at least one budget document fleetingly

referenced was at 29.3 days, has now been completely removed from this

budget document, moving forward.

Again, we don’t know what this government would consider a success

with this budget for treatment services and access to treatment services, on

how long someone is expected to wait, when they’re in crisis, to find

treatment options for their addiction. Like with most things, this

government does not want to be held accountable to those options.

Mr. Speaker, I apologize. I realized with the clock…. I am our

designated speaker. I should have referenced that at the very beginning, but

I won’t be two hours today. Don’t worry, everyone. I’ll just be a few more

minutes today, and then I’ll finish up tomorrow.

Let’s look at capital projects quickly in this budget, or let’s look

at what’s missing for capital projects in this budget.

Now, as we have seen, for almost any reasonably sized build now, a

capital project is typically over $50 million in this province. When you go

to the capital list of over-$50-million projects, it was shocking to find

that despite all these record-level discussions, there are only four new

capital projects in this year’s budget that are over $50 million — four.

There are 21 on that list from last year’s list, which have now been either

delayed or are over budget or both, but only four are added to this year’s

list.

[2:25 p.m.]

What isn’t on that list? Well, there’s the Pitt Meadows Secondary

School, the Mission high school and the Olym­pic Village elementary

school. There are no schools for Surrey — Surrey, which was supposed to have

portables eradicated by this government by 2020. None of that exists. Why is

that important? Because there’s a finite number of British Columbians’ tax

dollars that this government has to work with. It’s not an unlimited piggy

bank. So when you see something like the Cowichan Valley hospital

replacement go from $600 million to $1.45 billion, $850 million over budget,

that’s an important piece to look at.

You could and should be building that hospital with the same workforce

on it, getting it constructed for the people of the Cowichan. You should be

building, at the same time, with that extra $850 million, the Pitt Meadows

Secondary School and having people employed on that construction site, the

Mission high school, the Kamloops cancer centre, the Nanaimo cancer centre

and schools in various districts. But when you don’t effectively and

efficiently manage your scarce capital resources, this is the outcome. This

is the result we’re seeing from this government — four capital projects and

21 that are over budget and delayed.

If you look at public safety, again, we are just not seeing the

results. In fact, in this budget, prolific offenders — sorry, they’ve been

rebranded; they’re now repeat violent offenders — are referenced several

times. You know what word doesn’t appear once in this budget? Victims,

because there’s no support for victims in this budget.

In Vancouver, serious assaults with a weapon are causing serious

bodily harm. They increased by 28.5 percent relative to pre-COVID numbers,

28.5 percent more victims. No recognition of that. Hate crimes based on

religion and sexual orientation, 64 percent increase in those victims too.

It goes on and on.

When we hear things like 250 more police officers coming to British

Columbia, we agree with that. We’re not quite sure where the Solicitor

General is going to find those 250 officers. By his own admission, and I

would agree with him, over the last week and a half or so in this chamber,

it’s pretty hard to find RCMP officers to bulk up complements for just

retirees, let alone increase the complements.

It does make one wonder if that’s not the dragging of the feet, with

the difference between the SPS and the RCMP in Surrey. It seems like there’d

be a couple of hundred officers there to be able to be re-transferred around

on the backs of the Surrey taxpayer, but we won’t know if that factors into

this budget or not.

Near the end of this speech by the minister, the minister references

permitting and resource development.

Now, it’s interesting that the resource revenues in this year’s budget

are projected to be about the same as they were projected to be in last

year’s budget, which means that on things like forestry, this government has

projected for over a year that we were going to see a $1 billion drop in

forest revenues and major impacts to the forest industry, and they have done

precious little over that 12 months. Yet in this budget, we’re expected to

believe that the hiring of 160 more people in the public service is going to

expediate permitting and get things rolling.

[2:30 p.m.]

Yet when you look at the description of those hires, although it’s

under the natural resource

section in the budget — and the Premier talked

about this in Prince George at the Natural Resources Forum, when he was

talking about these people as well, so it makes sense it’s in the budget —

they were actually tied to working on housing permitting and, one would

assume, mainly in the metro areas of the province, not natural resource

development.

If it’s a typo within the budget, I would hope the government would

correct that. But again, we can only work off the documents the government

has provided for us.

Now, we always get asked: “What do you like?” Well, of course, we

support the prescription contraception for women in British Columbia. We do

question why, fundamentally, something that that seems on the surface to be

relatively easy to make the transition for took as many years of arm

twisting as it did, given that there was full support around this chamber

over the last few years. We will keep an eye out.

Interjections.

P. Milobar: No problem, Mr. Speaker. I know we’ve spent three days debating

decorum in this House and how to make things better, but I guess we’ll add

heckling the budget speeches to the list here on the first day.

We just hope that it comes as a truly easy-to-access program for young

women in this province so that it is truly accessible, truly easy to get

access to, and can move forward in the way that it’s intended, or at least

how people would expect it to be intended.

Again, Mr. Speaker, this budget is frankly underwhelming. When you

compare the dollars actually going out the door to the deliverables and the

results the public could actually see, it’s a missed opportunity. It’s

disappointing. This side knows that better is possible. Budget 2023,

frankly, isn’t it.

I thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will reserve my time for tomorrow and move

adjournment of the debate.

P. Milobar moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

BILL 10 — BUDGET MEASURES

IMPLEMENTATION ACT,

Hon. K. Conroy presented a message from Her Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Budget Measures Implementation Act,

Hon. K. Conroy: I move first reading of Bill 10, Budget Measures Implementation

Act, 2023.

The bill consists of two parts.

Part 1 amends two statutes in

order to implement non-tax measures in Budget 2023. Amendments are

proposed to the Balanced Budget and Ministerial Accountability Act to

include the 2025-26 fiscal year in the period of fiscal years for which

budget deficits are allowed to be forecast in the main estimates. This

is consistent with similar amendments made over the last three

years.

Amendments are also proposed to the Members’ Remuneration and

Pensions Act to suspend salary adjustments for Members of the

Legislative Assembly for fiscal years 2020-21 and 2023-24, in accordance

with decisions of the Legislative Assembly Management

Committee.

Part 2 amends a number of statutes in order to implement the tax

measures in Budget 2023. Bill 10 amends the Income Tax Act to introduce

a new renters tax credit for 2023 and subsequent tax years. The act is

also amended to allow the income thresholds for the climate action tax

credit to be prescribed by regulation.

The Income Tax Act is amended to permanently increase the B.C.

family benefit starting in July 2023. The Income Tax Act is amended to

extend two tax credits: the farmers food donation tax credit for three

years and interactive digital media tax credit for five

years.

The bill includes a number of technical amendments to the Income

Tax Act. It implements previously announced changes to the

pre-certification rules under the production services tax credit, adopts

or clarifies the application of federal measures and modernizes the

language for assessing information from other public bodies.

The Carbon Tax Act is amended to increase B.C.’s carbon tax rates

by $15 per tonne annually from 2023 to 2030, clarify tax payable if fuel

is not used for eligible purposes to receive a partial exemption and

ensure that operations regulated by the new made-in-B.C. output-based

pricing system that capture, store or sequester emissions can be exempt

from tax.

[2:35 p.m.]

This bill contains amendments to the Greenhouse Gas Industrial

Reporting and Control Act. These amendments set out the framework for a

made-in-B.C. output price system that improves upon our current system.

The amendments enable the made-in-B.C. OBPS, which will be brought into

force for 2024.

This bill amends the Provincial Sales Tax Act to make a minor

technical amendment that makes permanent a temporary correction that

ensures heated tobacco products will continue to be subject to tobacco

tax as well as the base 7 percent provincial sales tax.

The Provincial Sales Tax Act is also amended to clarify that the

federal goods and services tax does not form part of the taxable

purchase price of goods brought or sent into B.C. for use. It also

clarifies that the federal luxury tax does not form part of the taxable

purchase price or lease price of vehicles, boats and

aircraft.

This bill amends several rules related to the collection

obligation of online marketplace facilitators and the taxation of online

marketplace services in the Provincial Sales Tax Act, to make the rules

more clear, simple and consistent. The bill also authorizes retroactive

regulations to exempt automated external defibrillators from

PST.

It also authorizes retroactive regulations under the Motor Fuel

Tax Act and the Financial Administration Act to ensure the correct

calculation of interest on overdue payments under the international fuel

tax agreement.

The Nisg̱a’a Final Agreement

Act is amended to enable the Nisg̱a’a

Nation to establish property tax exemptions for

Nisg̱a’a citizens for property on

Nisg̱a’a lands. This change will

create flexibility for the Nisg̱a’a

Nation to broadly determine when and if it is appropriate for property

taxation to apply to Nisg̱a’a

citizens on Nisg̱a’a

lands.

The Treaty First Nation Taxation Act is amended to en­able

treaty First Nations to establish property tax exemptions for treaty

First Nation members or constituents for property on their treaty

lands.

This bill also amends the Property Transfer Tax Act to exempt

certain new purpose-built rental buildings from the further 2 percent

property transfer tax applied to residential property values exceeding

$3 million. Qualifying buildings must meet eligibility requirements,

including containing at least four apartments, and offer every unit for

rent, on a monthly basis or longer, for not less than ten

years.

The bill also amends the Speculation and Vacancy Tax Act to

clarify the definition of “corporate interest holder” in cases involving

a receivership.

It amends both the Insurance Premium Tax Act and the Logging Tax

Act to improve tax administration through the harmonization of offence

and penalty measures, and by adding a mechanism for audit cost recovery

fees in the case of out-of-province taxes. It also amends the Insurance

Premium Tax Act to make electronic filing and payments

mandatory.

Finally, hon. Speaker, the bill amends a number of tax and revenue

statutes to harmonize confidentiality and to further protect information

collected under those acts.

Mr. Speaker: Members, it’s first reading of Bill 10.

Motion approved.

Hon. K. Conroy: Hon. Speaker, I move that Bill 10 be placed on orders of the day

for second reading at the next sitting of the House after

today.

Bill 10, Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2023, introduced, read a

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

at the next sitting of the House after today.

Tabling Documents

Hon. K. Conroy: I have the pleasure to rise to table government’s overall strategic

plan and the Budget and Fiscal Plan 2023-24–2025-26 , which together

fulfil the requirements of sections 7, 8, 10 and 12 of the Budget

Transparency and Accountability Act.

I also table, on behalf of the ministers responsible, the service

plans as required under

section 13 of the Budget Transparency and

Accountability Act.

The service plan documents are presented in two binders. The first

binder contains service plans for the Office of the Premier and 23

ministries.

The second binder contains service plans for 30 service delivery

agencies and Crown corporations. The second binder includes a listing of

organizations that are exempt from the reporting requirements of

section 13

of the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act.

Mr. Speaker: The Minister of Finance will continue.

Presentation of Estimates

SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES FOR THE

FISCAL YEAR ENDING

MARCH 31, 2023

Hon. K. Conroy presented a message from Her Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor: supplementary estimates for the fiscal year ending

March 31, 2023.

Hon. K. Conroy moved that the said message and the estimates

accompanying the same be referred to the Committee of Supply.

Motion approved.

Government Motions on Notice

MOTION 21 — COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY

AND COMMITTEE OF THE

WHOLE

TO SIT IN THREE SECTIONS

Hon. R. Kahlon: Hon. Speaker, I move Motion 21 of the sessional order authorizing

certain proceedings of the House to be undertaken in three sections,

designated

Section A,

Section B,

Section C, standing in my name on the

order paper.

[That, for the remainder of the current Session:

GENERAL

1. Certain proceedings of the House may be undertaken in three

sections, designated

Section A,

Section B, and

Section C, to be subject

to the rules that follow.

Section A and

Section C sit in such committee room as may

be designated from time to time, and

Section B sit in the Legislative

Chamber.

Section A and

Section C be authorized to examine all

Estimates, and for all purposes be deemed to be the Committee of Supply,

and that the Standing Orders relating to the consideration of Estimates

in the Committee of Supply and to Committees of the Whole House be

applicable to such proceedings, save and except that, during proceedings

in Committee of Supply, a Minister may defer to a Deputy Minister to

permit such Deputy to reply to a question put to the Minister.

Section A be authorized to consider bills at committee

stage after second reading thereof, and for all purposes be deemed to be

a Committee of the Whole House, and that the Standing Orders relating to

the consideration of bills in a Committee of the Whole House be

applicable to such proceedings.

Section A and

Section B be authorized to examine all

Estimates and any public bill appearing on the Orders of the Day at

committee stage, which may be considered in the order determined by the

Government House Leader in accordance with Standing Order

27 (2).

Section C be authorized to examine all Estimates, which may

be considered in the order determined by the Government House Leader in

accordance with Standing Order 27 (2).

7. Estimates or bills previously referred to a designated

Section may at any time be subsequently referred to another designated

Section, as determined by the Government House Leader in accordance with

Standing Order 27 (2).

COMPOSITION

8. The Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Whole or their

designate preside in

Section A and

Section C.

Section A consist of 11 Members, not including the Chair,

being seven Members of the Government Caucus, three Members of the

Official Opposition Caucus, and one Member of the Third Party

Caucus.

Section C consist of 11 Members, not including the Chair,

being seven Members of the Government Caucus, three Members of the

Official Opposition Caucus, and one Member of the Third Party

Caucus.

11. The Members of

Section A be: the Minister whose Estimates

are under examination or who is in charge of the bill under

consideration and Hon. Lisa Beare , Garry Begg , Bob

D’Eith , Hon. Ravi Kahlon , Hon. Selina

Robinson , Hon. Niki Sharma , Dan Ashton ,

Trevor Halford , Renee Merrifield and Sonia

Furstenau .

12. The Members of

Section C be: the Minister whose Estimates

are under examination and Michele Babchuk , Hon. Adrian

Dix , Hon. Mike Farnworth , Hon. Rob Fleming ,

Hon. Bruce Ralston , Hon. Rachna Singh , Coralee

Oakes , Tom Shypitka , Elenore Sturko and

Adam Olsen .

13. Substitutions for Members of

Section A and

Section C be

permitted with the consent of the Member’s Caucus Whip, where

applicable, or otherwise with the consent of the Member.

Section B be composed of all Members of the

House.

DIVISIONS

15. When a division is requested in

Section A, the division

bells shall be rung four times and the division shall proceed in

accordance with Standing Order 16, as amended by Sessional Order adopted

on February 6, 2023.

16. When a division is requested in

Section B, the division

bells shall be rung three times, at which time proceedings in

Section A

and

Section C shall be suspended, and the division shall proceed in

accordance with Standing Order 16, as amended by Sessional Order adopted

on February 6, 2023.

17. When a division is requested in

Section C, the division

bells shall be rung five times and the division shall proceed in

accordance with Standing Order 16, as amended by Sessional Order adopted

on February 6, 2023.

18. If a division is underway in

Section A or

Section C at the

time that a division is requested in

Section B, the division in

Section

B be suspended until the completion of the division in

Section A or

Section C.

REPORTING AND COMPLETION

19. At 15 minutes prior to the ordinary time fixed for

adjournment of the House, the Chair of

Section A and

Section C shall

report to the House.

20. If a report from

Section A or

Section C includes the last

Vote in a particular Ministry Estimate, after such report has been made

to the House, Members of the Government Caucus shall have a maximum of

seven minutes cumulatively, Members of the Official Opposition Caucus

shall have a maximum of four minutes cumulatively, Members of the Third

Party Caucus shall have a maximum of two minutes cumulatively, and

Independent Members shall have a maximum of one minute cumulatively to

summarize the Committee debate on that Ministry’s Estimates. Such

summaries shall be in the following order:

a. Independent Members;

b. Third Party Caucus;

c. Official Opposition Caucus; and,

d. Government Caucus.]

Motion approved.

Hon. R. Kahlon moved adjournment of the House.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 tomorrow

afternoon.

The House adjourned at 2:40 p.m.

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