British Columbia Hansard — 20 April 2026, p.m., Issue 157 (43rd Parliament, 2nd Session)

20260420pm-Hansard-n157

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Second Session, 43rd Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday, April 20, 2026 Afternoon Sitting Issue No. 157 THE HONOURABLE RAJ CHOUHAN, SPEAKER ISSN 1499-2175

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Terry .................................................Vancouver-Yaletown CONSERV ATIVE PARTY OF BC Banman, Bruce .......................................................... Abbotsford South Bhangu, Harman .................................................. Langley-Abbotsford Bird, Rosalyn ............................................. Prince George–Valemount Block, Lynne ..............................................West Vancouver–Capilano Chapman, Brent .................................................................Surrey South Clare, Sheldon ....................................

Prince George–North Cariboo Davis, Pete ..................................................................Kootenay Rockies Day, Brennan ........................................................... Courtenay-Comox Dew, Gavin ..................................................................Kelowna-Mission Dhaliwal, Mandeep .......................................................... Surrey North Doerkson, Lorne .....................................................

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

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

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

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

West Vancouver–Sea to Sky INDEPENDENT Armstrong, Tara .....................Kelowna–Lake Country–Coldstream Boultbee, Amelia .............................................Penticton-Summerland Brodie, Dallas .................................................... Vancouver-Quilchena Chan, Hon ..................................................................Richmond Centre Kealy, Jordan ............................................................. Peace River North Sturko, Elenore .........................................................

Surrey-Cloverdale PARTY STANDINGS Total seats – 93 BC NDP – 47 | Conservative Party of BC – 38 | BC Green Party – 2 | Independent – 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CONTENTS Monday, April 20, 2026 Afternoon Sitting Page Routine Business Introductions by Members ............................................................................................................................................. 6575 Members’ Statements ...................................................................................................................................................... 6577 Creative Industries Week Janet Routledge Support Services for Seniors in Peachland and West Kelowna Macklin McCall National Volunteer Week Sunita Dhir Community Service and Volunteerism in Abbotsford-Mission Area Reann Gasper Vancouver Goldeneyes Hockey Team Susie Chant B.C.

Trappers Association Sheldon Clare Question of Privilege (Speaker’s Ruling) ...................................................................................................................... 6579 Oral Questions ................................................................................................................................................................. 6579 Government Handling of DRIPA Concerns and Legal Issues Trevor Halford Hon. David Eby Hon. Niki Sharma Agreement with xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm Nation and Government Handling of Land Title Issues Scott McInnis Hon.

Spencer Chandra Herbert Government Handling of DRIPA Concerns and Legal Issues Scott McInnis Hon. David Eby Temporary Foreign Worker Program Jeremy Valeriote Hon. Jennifer Whiteside Hon. Jessie Sunner Action on Proposed Changes to DRIPA Steve Kooner Hon. Niki Sharma Conditions at Hospitals Gavin Dew Hon. Josie Osborne Access to Acute Psychiatric Care at Hospitals Claire Rattée Hon. Josie Osborne Primary Health Care Providers and Attachment Numbers Brennan Day Hon.

Josie Osborne Tabling Documents ......................................................................................................................................................... 6585 Crown Proceeding Act, report, fiscal year ended March 31, 2025

Orders of the Day Second Reading of Bills .................................................................................................................................................. 6585 Bill 16 — Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2026 (continued) Linda Hepner Garry Begg Gavin Dew Darlene Rotchford Jeremy Valeriote Hon.

Diana Gibson Kiel Giddens Donegal Wilson Jody Toor Heather Maahs Bill 9 — Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2026 (continued) Bryan Tepper Bill M233 — Public Sector Construction Projects Procurement Act (continued) Proceedings in the Douglas Fir Room Committee of the Whole ................................................................................................................................................ 6618 Bill 14 — Forests Statutes Amendment Act, 2026 Hon.

Ravi Parmar Ward Stamer Rob Botterell Proceedings in the Birch Room Committee of Supply ...................................................................................................................................................... 6639 Estimates: Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Hon. Kelly Greene Sheldon Clare Ian Paton

6575 MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2026 The House met at 1:34 p.m. [The Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Introductions by Members Kiel Giddens: Joining us in the gallery today is a dele - gation from the great city of Prince George, the north - ern capital. We’ve got a number of councillors with us — Coun. Susan Scott, Couns. Garth Frizzell and Kyle Samp - son — as well as the city manager, Walter Babicz, and the intergovernmental relations adviser, Annie Doran. They’re going to be meeting with members on both sides of the House. I’d ask that the House give them a warm welcome today. [1:35 p.m.] Hon.

Josie Osborne: It’s my pleasure to welcome today, in the gallery, representatives from the Kidney Founda - tion of Canada, who many of us had the pleasure of join - ing earlier for breakfast. Today we have Dr. John Gill, a transplant nephrolo - gist at St. Paul’s Hospital. We have Deborah Tucker, Kate Chong, Stephanie Allan, Yash Kamboj, Melissa Lackie, Dominique Ahadi — all staff of the Kidney Foundation. Not here with us today in the gallery, but who must be mentioned, are Rob and Alexis MacKay-Dunn.

I want to say thank you so much to Alexis for sharing a very heart - felt story of how she has come to have four kidneys and a thriving life once again. I really want to thank the Kidney Foundation for the work that you do advancing kidney health, promoting kidney health for British Columbians, working with re - searchers, working collaboratively with partners across the health system to improve the lives of British Colum - bians every single day. Thank you so much. Will the House please join me in welcoming them.

Misty Van Popta: I would like to recognize two im - portant groups in the chamber today, both equally im - portant to building this province. No strangers here in this chamber are Chris Atchison and about 20 delegates from the B.C. Construction Association, all up there. A couple of Langley members, Will and Ashley, if they don’t want to rise. April is Construction and Skilled Trades Month.

To see these members in our gallery is a sign of the good and continuous work that they do to advocate on how we can work together to support a strong, stable construction sector that can continue delivering for our communities across this province. Will the House please make them feel welcome. I have a second introduction. I would also like to make mention of another important organization in this cham - ber, and that is CLAC. Last Monday words were spoken in this chamber that I couldn’t say on a jobsite.

Although I won’t apologize on behalf of members on that side, I would like to apologize that they witnessed such disre - spect in this place of privilege. I hope that your time here today, as representatives of the thousands of British Columbians who choose to be represented by you, is a positive experience. Will the House make them feel welcome. Hon. C hristine B oyle: I’m delighted to have a number of family members in the chambers today. My husband, Seth, is here. Seth does a wonderful job keeping our house running, alongside doing his own good and important work.

He’s here with my son, Aaron, who is smart and kind and funny. I’m so proud to be his mom. Also joining us — it’s a professional day in Vancou - ver today — is my older sister, Allie, who is a health care worker and one of my favourite people in the world, and her daughter Rosie, who is turning eight years old today. Will the House join me in making sure that they feel extra welcome. Reann Gasper: I am so privileged to introduce a dis - tinguished guest who is seated with us on the floor today, Randy Hawes. Randy is no stranger to this House.

He has served with great distinction, including being the mayor and MLA for Abbotsford-Mission. His dedication to pub - lic service and to the people of the Fraser Valley has left a lasting impact on communities, and I am proud to have him as a friend. His many stories and conversations just leave me in awe sometimes. Would the House please make him feel very special to - day and welcome him here. I do have a second introduction. I have two guests in the gallery, and it is not often that I do get to have people from my riding. It is a very special day because Doug and Donna are visiting.

They are in my riding association. It’s Doug’s birthday today. Would the House just make them feel really special. Steve Morissette: I’m pleased to introduce my friend and retired MLA in Kootenay-Monashee, Katrine Conroy. [1:40 p.m.] Katrine and her family gave their life to British Colum - bia — starting with her late husband, Ed, for ten years. Ka - trine followed with 20 more and three ministries. When elected, I wondered if I should hyphenate my name with “Conroy” in order to represent. Katrine, thank you for your support and your service. Please join me in welcoming Kat to the House.

Rob Botterell: In the chamber today is my predeces -

6576 B ritish Columbia Debates M onday, April 20, 2026 sor as MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, Adam Ol - sen. As members will know, former MLA Olsen played a pivotal role in getting the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act enshrined into legislation with unanimous support. His seven years of work as an MLA and his time since as lead negotiator for the W̱ JOȽEȽP Nation have been centred on ensuring the government lives up to the prom - ises of partnership, of co-governance and of free, prior and informed consent.

We are lucky to have Adam as a mentor and confidant in the Green caucus and thank him for his ongoing wisdom. Will the House please make him very welcome. Hon. Ravi Parmar: I’m still at that age where I enjoy birthdays. It won’t last forever. There’s a very particular person in the House here who’s celebrating a birthday. He’s a young man in my eyes. Just the way that he responds in the House in question period, running around…. We often refer to him as our Energizer Bunny, on this side of the House.

Will you please join me in wishing the member for Vancouver-Renfrew, the Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions, a very happy birthday. Some Hon. Members: “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear member for Vancouver-Renfrew. Happy birthday to you.” Peter Milobar: As we all know, we all lead very busy lives in this career that we’ve chosen — or that the public has chosen for us, I guess.

Some of us quite recently have been a little busier than others, for strange reasons, but it has come down to my wife, Lianne, deciding that spend - ing some quality time with her husband will be coming to question period. Will the House please make Lianne welcome. Hon. David Eby: In the House today, the mayor of Tumbler Ridge, Mayor Darryl, is here. I don’t know if I can spot him. He’s somewhere on the precinct, I can ad - vise the House. Interjections. Hon. D avid E by: Oh. Great. He’s with the Peace River regional district folks here to talk about local issues.

Obviously, the House is well aware of the mayor’s leadership in the period following the horrific events in Tumbler Ridge. He is a champion of the community and the region. He is the person that people look to in their moment of crisis. He was solid as a rock. He continues to be so, to advocate for the community and to encourage people to come up and visit Tumbler Ridge. They have an incredible tourist opportunity for British Columbians and all Canadians. He’s an advocate in the best of times for Tumbler Ridge, and he was their rock in the most challenging of times.

I want to thank him so much for his work, on behalf of the government caucus, and express huge appreciation for his efforts in his whole time in office, particularly through the challenges faced by the community of Tumbler Ridge and our province. Anna Kindy: I’d like to welcome the folks from the Kidney Foundation who came to talk to us today about a program called B.C. Donate Now — I think it’s a very important program that will save not only lives but also health care dollars — and also Dr. John Gill from St. Paul’s Hospital. Thank you very much for your presentation.

I think it was very well received by us, and the message is taken very seriously. [1:45 p.m.] Debra Toporowski / Qwulti’stunaat: I have two indi - viduals to introduce. Michelle Staples is the mayor of the city of Duncan and a long-time Cowichan Valley resident. First elected to Duncan council in 2011 and then chosen as the city’s first female mayor in 2018, she is known to bring people together and is focused on community, inclusion and col - laboration across the valley. The second individual is Audrey George, former Dep - uty Chief of Quw’utsun.

She has been a visible voice for reconciliation and community healing. She has also helped lead every child matters march in Duncan, which has become an important annual event recognizing resi - dential school survivors and children who never made it home. Together these two leaders represent the strong re - lationship between the city of Duncan and Cowichan Tribes, especially around reconciliation, public dialogue and working together on community issues. Please join me in welcoming them here today. Bruce Banman: I’d like to join my colleague from Kamloops Centre.

My wife, also, Sharon, is here in the gallery with us. I’m not so sure that I would call QP quality time either. She’s given me instructions to be on my best behaviour, so nothing like setting me up for failure. Would the House please welcome her.

Monday, April 20, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 6577 Members’ Statements CREATIVE INDUSTRIES WEEK Janet Routledge: This is B.C. Creative Industries Week, and we are celebrating a sector that reflects who we are and showcases British Columbia to the world. From music and publishing to video games, film and television, B.C.’s creative industries enrich our lives every day. They are the stories we tell, the music we share and the experiences that connect us. Together they provide work for more than 170,000 people, and they contributed $7.4 billion to our economy in 2024.

They fuel local businesses, draw visitors to our communities and create opportunities for our people. This past year B.C. talent earned national and inter - national recognition. Cameron Whitcomb won a Juno. B.C.’s animation and visual effects artists contributed to the Oscar-winning films KPop Demon Hunters and Sinners. This year B.C. talent will be featured at the FIFA fan fest, another moment for made-in-B.C. performances to connect with a global audience.

Our skilled crews, creators, strong infrastructure, in - novation and tax incentives continue to attract film and television productions, like The Last of Us . Interactive digital media experienced strong growth this past year. Several titles by B.C. authors and publishers were fea - tured on CBC’s “Best Canadian Books of 2025.” None of this happens without strong partnerships. I want to thank Creative B.C. and their many partners — Screen B.C., Music B.C., Books B.C., Mags BC, DigiBC and many others — for championing this sector. Please join me in celebrating Creative Industries Week.

They have made British Columbia shine. SUPPORT SERVICES FOR SENIORS IN PEACHLAND AND WEST KELOWNA Macklin McCall: I rise today to recognize two organ - izations doing important work supporting seniors of West Kelowna–Peachland: the Westside Health Network and the Peachland Wellness Centre. In communities like West Kelowna and Peachland, one of the things we hear consistently from residents is how difficult it can be to access services, not just health care but the broader supports that people rely on every day. It’s not always one issue.

It’s navigating a system that can feel disconnected, where people are trying to figure out where to go, who to call and how to get the help they need. That’s where these organizations step in, not as replacements for the system but as something just as important — connect - ors, supports and community anchors. The Westside Health Network plays a key role in bring - ing people and organizations together. It’s about coordina- tion, making sure services are aligned, that information is shared and that gaps are identified before people fall through them.

That kind of work often happens behind the scenes, but it has a real impact. When organizations are connected, outcomes improve, people get help sooner, and they don’t get lost trying to navigate the system on their own. [1:50 p.m.] At the same time, the Peachland Wellness Centre is de - livering something just as important — local, accessible support right in the community. It’s a place where people can go, a place where they can connect, a place where sup - port isn’t abstract. It’s right there, right in front of them.

For many residents, especially seniors and those living alone or dealing with complex needs, that kind of local access makes all the difference. It’s not just about services. It’s about connection, prevention and making sure people don’t reach a crisis point before they get help. That’s something we should all recognize, because strong communities aren’t built only through large sys - tems. They’re built through local leadership, volunteerism and organizations that understand the people they serve. That’s exactly what we’re seeing here in West Kelowna and Peachland.

Today I want to recognize and thank everyone involved with both the Westside Health Network and the Peach - land Wellness Centre — the staff, the volunteers and the partners who are doing this work every day. You are strengthening our communities of West Ke - lowna and Peachland in a very real way, and I thank you for that. NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK Sunita Dhir: I rise today to recognize National Vol - unteer Week and to honour the remarkable individuals who give their time, energy and compassion to strengthen communities across British Columbia. Volunteers are the quiet backbone of our society.

They show up in moments big and small, bringing care, connection and hope to those who need it most. In my constituency office, I see this spirit every day. Dedicated volunteers support community outreach; help organize local events; and contribute to youth initiatives, cultural celebrations and food drives — ensuring that no one feels left behind. I have also witnessed volunteers step forward in times of need — supporting newcomers as they build new lives, helping families navigate challenges and offering trans - lation so that language is never a barrier to accessing support.

This month at the Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade, I saw hundreds of volunteers — including those from Khalsa Diwan Society, Ross Street Temple and many others — come together in a powerful expression of service. They prepared and shared meals with thousands of attendees,

6578 B ritish Columbia Debates M onday, April 20, 2026 embodying the spirit of generosity and community. I was especially proud of the volunteers at my Vancouver- Langara constituency booth, whose warmth, patience and dedication made a lasting impression on everyone who visited. To every volunteer in Vancouver-Langara and across British Columbia: thank you. Your generosity uplifts us all and reminds us of the strength we find in serving one an - other. This National Volunteer Week, let’s celebrate your invaluable contributions.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AND VOLUNTEERISM IN ABBOTSFORD-MISSION AREA Reann Gasper: I want to reflect on something you feel right away in my riding, a community that steps up and looks after one another. This weekend we saw that on full display through the 2026 Community Service Awards. I am proud of the spirit of this community. I am proud of the resilience in it. I am proud of the people who keep choosing to show up for each other. The spirit of a com - munity is the heart of the volunteer, and in Abbotsford- Mission, that heart is strong. You see it in Rotary members running fundraisers that keep local programs going.

You see it at the food bank — people sorting, packing, making sure families don’t go without. You see it in the volunteers who set up commun - ity events before anyone arrives and are still there clean - ing up when everyone is gone. You see it on the fields and in our rinks — coaches opening gyms early, lining fields, driving kids to tournaments, making sure every kid has a place to belong. You see it in the search and rescue teams, in the volun - teer firefighters, in the people who step in when things go wrong and don’t wait to be asked.

You see it in business owners who sponsor teams, donate quietly and carry their community with them in how they operate every day. You see it in the neighbours checking in, dropping off meals, giving someone a ride — because small things matter. That’s my riding, and that is the community I am hon - oured to represent here in this House. It is not built on one moment.

It is built on consistency, on people who don’t need recognition to keep going but deserve it all the same. [1:55 p.m.] To those who might be watching, those who are a part of that effort, whether you call yourself a volunteer or not, you should know this. It’s seen, it matters, and it reflects something strong about where we live. Resilience does not just show up in hard moments. It shows up in the every - day choice to care, to give, to take responsibility for your community. To every volunteer, to every organization, every busi - ness owner, every neighbour in Mission who keeps show - ing up: thank you.

I am proud to represent you. V ANCOUVER GOLDENEYES HOCKEY TEAM Susie Chant: Thank you for the opportunity to speak, as a new hockey fan, about the Vancouver Goldeneyes. First, I would like to acknowledge that I’m speaking on the lands of the lək̓ ʷəŋən People, specifically the Songhees and the xʷsepsəm. I’m very grateful to work here. I also live and work in North Vancouver–Seymour, home to the Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh and səlilwətaɬ Nations. The arrival of the Vancouver Goldeneyes marked an exciting and important moment for the city of Vancou - ver, the province and for the future of women’s sport in Canada.

As Vancouver’s first team in the new Professional Women’s Hockey League, the Goldeneyes represent more than just a new franchise. They represent progress. For generations, women’s hockey has produced world-class athletes but too often without the professional oppor - tunities, visibility and support they deserve. This is now changing. The name “Goldeneyes,” inspired by the common goldeneye duck native to our coast, reflects the strength, speed and resilience that defines both the team and our region. It’s a uniquely Vancouver identity, one that con - nects sport with the natural beauty and character of our home.

The response has been incredible. Fans are filling arenas. Families are showing up. Young girls across Brit - ish Columbia are seeing, for many, a clear pathway from grassroots hockey to the professional stage for the first time. Just a few months ago my husband and I had great fun at the Pacific Coliseum, where the Goldeneyes beat the Toronto Sceptres 5-0, with Sarah Nurse scoring twice and Kristen Campbell earning the shutout. But this momentum doesn’t sustain itself. Continued investment, media coverage and community support are essential to ensuring women’s hockey not only grows but thrives.

When we support teams like the Goldeneyes, we’re doing more than cheering from the stands. We’re building a more inclusive, equitable future for sport, one where every athlete can succeed at the highest level. B.C. TRAPPERS ASSOCIATION Sheldon Clare: On Friday, April 17, I spoke at the 81st B.C. Trappers Association annual general meeting in Quesnel. I had previously spoken at the 1995 AGM in Prince George to warn them about the new Firearms Act, so this was a terrific opportunity to reconnect with these friends who are venerable stewards of the land.

The British Columbia Trappers Association was formed in 1945 as an association of registered trappers, and it is the oldest trappers association in Canada. Their vision is that trapping is British Columbia’s renewable heritage, and their mission is that the B.C. Trappers As -

Monday, April 20, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 6579 sociation is a dedicated, compassionate community of trappers. As stewards in British Columbia, they manage fur-bearers responsibly and sustainably through respect of our joint natural resources. Core values include dedica - tion, compassion, respect, integrity and responsibility. In 1926, British Columbia was divided into registered traplines with the intent of protecting species from over - harvesting. Traplines are sold to a trapper so that he or she is the only person with the right to trap fur-bearing ani - mals inside that area.

Trappers are well connected with the environment. Trapping built our country. Trappers are well aware of their responsibilities as conservationists and stewards of the land. When wanting to know how many fishers, martens and wolverines there are in British Columbia, researchers would be well advised to include the steady wisdom, skills and expertise of B.C. trappers. As people in tune with the environment, trappers are well positioned to advise gov - ernment and academics regarding fur-bearing animal populations and distribution. Today the B.C.

Trappers Association educates new trappers, encourages ethical trapping processes and keeps its members well informed about matters affecting them. Their quarterly magazine includes articles on improved humane traps and sets and information on different spe - cies as well as the best way to maintain a healthy breeding population. Congratulations to the BCTA on 81 years. [2:00 p.m.] Question of Privilege (Speaker’s Ruling) The Speaker: Hon. Members, the Chair is prepared to rule on the question of privilege raised by the mem - ber for Skeena earlier this month, which was taken under advisement.

On Wednesday, April 1, the member for Skeena re - served her right to raise a question of privilege following oral question period. The member outlined her question of privilege on Thursday, April 2, arguing that the Minister of Health may have misled the House and that there were contra - dictions between information provided by the minister in the House and correspondence from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, which the member for Skeena tabled with her submission.

On Monday, April 13, the Minister of Health offered her submissions to the Chair in response to the question of privilege, which countered the submission made by the member for Skeena, and tabled supporting documents. The core of the matter centres around data that, while subject to debate in the House, is not required to be placed before the House. The Chair thanks the member for Skeena and the Minister of Health for their thorough sub - missions, which assisted the Chair’s review of the matter.

First, the Chair will remind the House of the ruling of the Chair on April 7, 2022: “Guidelines for raising a question of privilege are outlined in Parliamentary Practice in British Colum - bia, fifth edition, at pages 399 to 400. One of the es - sential elements required is a brief written statement of the matter which the member reads to the House.

The brief statement is intended to inform the House of the facts on which the question of privilege is based, and the statement should primarily focus on any ap - plicable parliamentary authorities which may be of assistance to the Chair, not arguments with respect to differences of opinion or fact amongst members.” On the matter at hand, the member for Skeena sub - mits that, at minimum, the Minister of Health made con - tradictory statements in the House that may amount to misleading the House.

When assessing such a question of privilege, the precedents are clear that the Chair must examine any evidence that proves that the statement was misleading, that establishes that the member — in this case, the minister — making the statement knew at the time that the statement was incorrect and that establishes that the member intended to mislead the House in mak - ing the statement. Based on the submission made to the Chair, that threshold of irrefutable evidence has not been met. The member for Skeena and the Minister of Health offered different

interpretations of information that ultimately amounts to disagreement of our debate and therefore not a matter for the Chair to adjudicate. Having carefully reviewed the respective submissions, the Chair cannot conclude that there was an intentional or deliberate attempt on the part of the Minister of Health to mislead the House or offer erroneous information. It is therefore the ruling of the Chair that a prima facie breach of privilege has not occurred.

The Chair urges members to consult the Chair or the Clerks-at-the-Table to ensure that members properly dis - tinguish points of order and questions of privilege and to ensure that the proper procedures are followed when rais - ing a question of privilege. Oral Questions GOVERNMENT HANDLING OF DRIPA CONCERNS AND LEGAL ISSUES Trevor Halford: It’s been 136 days since this govern - ment, since this Premier, said that DRIPA must be amended. The Premier said back in December: “We will fix this.” The Premier said he would go to the wall. The Premier even said he will go as far as backstopping mortgages.

Three weeks ago, what did the Premier say? The Pre -

6580 B ritish Columbia Debates M onday, April 20, 2026 mier said: “We have to do it, and we will do it.” Another quote three weeks ago: “Yes, we are going to get these amendments through. We have to.” Here is another one, and this one, I think, is actually the most important thing that the Premier said over the last three weeks in his mul - tiple statements: “Significant legal liabilities for the prov - ince.” Then he said: “More than 20 cases before the courts that could all have significant ramifications.” [2:05 p.m.] So here we are, and again the Premier has changed his position.

Again he has added more chaos to an already chaotic situation. He was the architect of this chaos. Let’s be clear on that. But now he has put the province in a pos - ition of co-governance. I want to know directly from the Premier. At what point in this process, in the chaos that he caused, did he decide that it was okay to abdicate the responsibility of the province and start in co-governance? Hon. David Eby: The Court of Appeal for British Col - umbia rendered a decision in the Gitxaała case, inter - preting the Declaration Act. The member is right.

I am concerned about what I believe to be, the government be - lieves to be, a significant legal liability for the province that we have to address. The path to address that is one that necessarily involves Indigenous People in this prov - ince because it involves the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. I can share with the House, I can share with the mem - ber that we have reached an agreement with the First Nations Leadership Council. We’ve been engaging with Chiefs across the province.

We are going to engage in a process together that will conclude before the fall legis - lative sitting to attempt to address together the concerns that government has. The best path forward, in my opinion, for this province — for the success of our province; for the success of our resource sector; our economy; for projects like the Red Chris mine, the Eskay Creek mine, North Coast transmis - sion line, LNG projects — requires cooperation between government and First Nations.

If there is any opportunity for us to reach a cooperative solution to the challenges we face as a result of that court decision; and, separately, the Quw’utsun court decision to provide clarity to British Columbians around private property, we will always take the collaborative route. It took longer to get here than I had hoped for. I ac - cept responsibility for that. It is possible to move off confi - dently in the wrong direction.

But I am sure that the right path for our province is this path forward with First Na - tions to draft, to respond to, to find the path to address these liabilities that government sees; to do it in partner - ship; and to bring it back to this House. The Speaker: Member, supplemental. Trevor Halford: Once again, it’s all in the words the Premier uses. I don’t see an agreement. I see, maybe, an agreed-upon statement that doesn’t foster an agreement, that doesn’t give certainty to British Columbians on the chaos that this Premier has inflicted. Not at all. It’s the Premier’s words himself.

His words: “significant legal lia - bilities.” Those are the words of the Premier. That is why he said numerous times about the urgency that, no matter what opposition there was, this legislation had to get done to legally protect British Columbians, and he has failed on that on all fronts because of his incompe - tence and his inability to actually lead this province. His failure has done a disservice to British Columbians, to First Nations. It’s been an absolute embarrassment. My question is not to the Premier. It’s to the Attorney General.

Does she agree with the Premier that there are significant legal liabilities facing British Columbians right now, and if so, why are we not taking those steps to protect British Columbians? Hon. David Eby: There are two sets of liabilities facing the province. The one is the set of liabilities that comes from the Gitxaała decision around the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

I have shared with the member that we are sitting down with First Nations lead - ers across the province to co-develop a response to that to bring back to this House for the fall session. [2:10 p.m.] In my opinion, the time is worth it to bring that for - ward, because there is a second set of liabilities that the province faces, and it’s the one the member always ignores.

It’s the one he always glosses over and all of his colleagues do, when they pretend that we don’t have to work with First Nations in this province; when they suggest that we stop conversations with First Nations; when they suggest that they will repeal the Declaration on the Rights of In - digenous Peoples Act without regard for the consequences to the jobs, to the major projects in this province. We have to address that liability too. The only path for - ward to address that is in partnership with First Nations.

Addressing the first set in partnership allows us to address the second set, grow the economy, create jobs, deliver for British Columbians. They cannot provide an explanation of how they would do that, while at the same time fighting First Nations tooth and nail. You hear them advocating for a fight again today. We are taking a step back to try to find a path forward in partnership with First Nations, and that is vitally im - portant for the economic future of British Columbia. The Speaker: Member, second supplemental. Trevor Halford: I guess government is hard. For us on

Monday, April 20, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 6581 this side of the House, we have been very clear on where our stance is. The problem that we are in now is because… Interjection. The Speaker: Shhh. Trevor Halford: …the Premier of the province has not been clear on any statements he’s been giving since December on where this province is on DRIPA. It has changed six times in a matter of weeks. My question again is to the Attorney General. Does she agree with the Premier when he says that there are signifi - cant legal liabilities?

And does she agree with the fact that if we do nothing right now, there is no chance that there will be a court decision that comes before we actually see some form of leadership from that side of the House and actually put forward legislation and stand by it and ac - tually say what they mean? Hon. Niki Sharma: I think the Premier and this side of the House have been clear about what we’re advocating for and what we… Interjections. The Speaker: Shhh. Members, shhh. Hon. Niki Sharma: …need to see with respect to pro - tecting the province from liability.

What’s different on this side of the House is the approach that we take to doing the work — very different than the other side. We are sitting down to form durable agreements that will last to protect British Columbia’s interests and to bring our partnership with First Nations stronger. That is the path forward, and we will make sure we deliver on that. AGREEMENT WITH xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm NATION AND GOVERNMENT HANDLING OF LAND TITLE ISSUES Scott McInnis: Clear as mud over here. This government likes to go down memory lane, so I’m going to take them on a trip on one.

From March 4, 2026, the Premier said: “I was not briefed on this. I was not aware of the content of the agreements.” From the same day, the Premier said: “It’s possible that somebody in the public service received a heads-up or knew about it.” British Columbians have a right to know what their government is doing on decisions that affect their rights, their property and their way of life. But this Premier has decided they don’t. When caught in the trap of his own making, he claimed he attended the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm signing agreement as just the regular old local MLA.

But we now know, through freedom of information — thank goodness for that — that an invitation went directly to the Premier’s office. Not a junior staffer, not his con - stituency office — to the Premier’s office. We also know that this government sent a letter of support for this agree - ment a full year ago. A very simple question: why is this Premier so deter - mined on keeping British Columbians in the dark on deci - sions that affect them directly? Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert: Unlike the other side, I think it’s important that we actually engage with Chiefs, with councils. We understand the

section 35 rights of In - digenous People in this province — that we respect them. I know the member opposite has suggested we should just flip a switch and extinguish the rights of Indigenous People and makes the argument we should do it in court all the time. Interjection. [2:15 p.m.] The Speaker: Shhh, Member. Hon. S pencer C handra H erbert: “Why won’t you extinguish?” he says. “Why won’t you extinguish?” he says, as if Indigenous Peoples’ rights were like a cigarette. They’re not. We have to sit down in consultation and cooperation. That’s the court-ordered rights. That’s the re- sponsible thing.

That’s the economically responsible thing. That’s the morally responsible thing. We will do it in such a way that we ensure that Brit - ish Columbians know what we’re doing, that we work with them to ensure that they’re part of that. Indeed, we saw that example last week as well. Interjections. The Speaker: Members. Hon. S pencer C handra H erbert: The nation, cities, businesses, non-profits, community leaders all came for - ward in support of treaty. We’re going to continue to do that work.

It’s hard work, and it’s made harder when people say things that aren’t true, like “They’re coming for your land,” like the opposite side seems to suggest treaties are out. They’re not com - ing after your homes, hon. Members. They’re working and seeking honourable discussions and agreements with us on a government-to-government basis. The Speaker: Member has supplemental. GOVERNMENT HANDLING OF DRIPA CONCERNS AND LEGAL ISSUES Scott McInnis: Let’s be clear. British Columbians have no idea what this government is doing when it comes to

6582 B ritish Columbia Debates M onday, April 20, 2026 reconciliation in British Columbia. It has become very evi - dent, even to the Premier himself, that DRIPA has become a legal mess. This is devastating for investors, for business certainty throughout B.C. at a time when we cannot af - ford that sentiment. This legal chaos was predictable, but the NDP government chose to plow ahead anyway. The Premier knows that the Gitxaała decision from December creates major litigation risks for this province. My question to the Premier. What changed in the last 24 hours that made him abandon any changes altogether? Hon.

David Eby: I know the member heard my answer to the first two questions. We have not abandoned the concern that we have about legal liability facing the prov - ince. What we’ve done is taken a step back to enable our - selves to sit down with First Nations leaders to co-develop a response to that to ensure that government’s concerns that we have are addressed and also, hopefully, to be able to address the concerns coming out of the Quw’utsun case British Columbians have about private property in a cooperative, collaborative way so we’re moving forward together as a province.

The reason we are doing this goes exactly to the mem - ber’s point. If we hope to continue to…. The Minister of Mines has announced four new mines or major expan - sions last four months — over $3 billion of investment, thousands of jobs. If we want to continue doing that work, we have to do it in partnership with First Nations. We cannot do it fighting in a courtroom. We cannot do it in conflict. That is why we’re taking the time to reach this collaborative solution to the problem that government is concerned about. TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKER PROGRAM Jeremy Valeriote: Here I go, changing the subject again.

In many communities in West Vancouver–Sea to Sky, we have a large number of temporary foreign workers. This will be the last time I use the word “foreign” in this because it sounds pejorative to me. These workers help to keep local businesses running and play an active role in local communities in hospitality, agriculture, construc - tion and food service. We know the importance of this program as well as how much and how badly it needs to be reformed.

Closed work permits that tie workers to one employer are, frankly, inhumane; open to abuse; and create real stress for people and families who are looking for a path to permanent resi - dency and citizenship. I know this program is largely fed - eral jurisdiction, but the province also has a duty to look after all workers in the province, even those who are here temporarily. To the Premier: what tangible steps is the province taking to make sure that B.C. is a safe place for people on TFW visas, especially those on closed work permits who remain most vulnerable to exploitation? Hon.

Jennifer Whiteside: Thank you very much to the member for the question. I think we all understand that when people come from other places to do important work in our province, we want them to be treated appro - priately, we want them to have access to the same rights that other workers in the province have and we want to ensure that there is enforcement of those rights.

That’s why our government brought in the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act, which requires that em - ployers are certified before they apply for an LMIA with the federal government. [2:20 p.m.] We have provisions in the Employment Standards Act to ensure that temporary foreign workers who are here are protected. We work very closely with groups like the Migrant Workers Centre and with other migrant worker organiza - tions to ensure that we have appropriate outreach to a very important part of our labour force.

I will just say that it certainly is the view of this gov - ernment when it comes to the rights of individuals that if folks are good enough to work here, they’re good enough to stay here. We strongly advocate with the federal govern- ment for pathways to citizenship for people who are here under temporary work permits. The Speaker: Member, supplemental.

Jeremy Valeriote: Just over an hour ago, the govern - ment announced that instead of adopting the proposed in - crease in the cap on temporary workers from 10 to 15 per - cent in rural and remote communities, a figure that many rural leaders have been calling for to fill critical labour gaps, the provincial government will simply allow rural employers to maintain current levels of temporary work - ers for only an additional year.

This “short-term solution” provided by the government will only create long-term instability and uncertainty for workers serving rural and remote communities, many of whom have established roots in our communities. Others, like the skilled chef I met, would be sent back to their country and persecuted if not able to stay. To the Premier or to the government. Temporary work- ers are not numbers on a spreadsheet. They are integral members of our rural communities.

What message does this short-term extension send to workers and businesses in my riding who are making essential contributions to our economy and our communities? Hon. Jessie Sunner: Thank you to the member oppos - ite for his advocacy as well as to many members in this House on both sides that have advocated for their com -

Monday, April 20, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 6583 munities when it comes to making sure that we’re recog - nizing the worker shortage that we’re seeing across the province. This specific program is one that was implemented by the federal government, so the one-year extension is from the federal government. There were two options in there: to allow individuals to maintain the 10 percent cap and then to increase it. We went with the first option because we recognize the impact that businesses are feeling.

We know that there’s a lot of work that they are doing, as well, on the advocacy front, and we appreciate their advocacy. It’s very important, recognizing this is only a one-year extension, that this only prolongs the issues that we’re see- ing, that the member has outlined here. The TFW pro - gram has serious problems. We know that there’s exploita- tion in the system when we look at closed work permits. Individuals aren’t able to move around. We know when we look at LMIA programs that individuals are being sold LMIAs for upwards of $100,000 just to be here and then having ongoing concerns.

These are individuals that are coming here to support our economy. We need to ensure we’re doing everything to support them. We do need to reform the program. We can’t just have one-off extensions. We need to reform the program, and that is why our government is advocating to the federal government regularly to say that we need to have greater control over the economic immigration that we have in our province.

We need to expand our PNP programs so that these individuals that are coming here, that we so desperately need, have those pathways to citizenship, have the rights that they were promised, are getting the treatment that they believed they were going to get when they came here and are not being exploited. ACTION ON PROPOSED CHANGES TO DRIPA Steve Kooner: We have heard about legal liabilities. We have heard about ongoing cases. British Columbians are facing these issues right now because of this govern - ment. This government introduced DRIPA. It was this Premier who introduced

section 8.1 of the

Interpretation Act. It was this government that created this legal liability around DRIPA. This Premier is out of ideas and does not have a further plan. Can this Premier guarantee legislation in the fall ses - sion about these DRIPA amendments, yes or no? Hon. Niki Sharma: I think we’ve already canvassed this a few times with some of the questions that we’ve faced about our plan — our plan about having these discussions concluded by next fall and our serious commitment…. Interjection. Hon. Niki Sharma: The upcoming fall. Thank you. Our serious commitment to work through these chal - lenging times….

Our way is going to bring a durable solution to this problem. We’re not going to end up in court like they would on the other side, with intractable claims of not… Interjections. The Speaker: Shhh, Members. Members, shhh. Hon. N iki S harma: …sitting down to solve problems together. We’re not going to end up tearing up agreements and not being at the negotiation table with First Nations, ending major projects… [2:25 p.m.] Interjections. The Speaker: Shhh. Hon. Niki Sharma: …stopping billions of dollars from coming into this province. They don’t have solutions over there.

All they have is creating more and more problems, not to mention the mistruths… Interjections. The Speaker: Members. Hon. Niki Sharma: …that they spread about what’s ac - tually happening on the ground here. We’re going to get to that durable solution, and we’ll keep working. CONDITIONS AT HOSPITALS Gavin Dew: Hallway health care has become shock - ingly routine under this NDP government. Front-line staff are doing all they can in inadequate facilities, and they are absolutely devastated by what’s happening in our hospital hallways.

After I raised the issue last week, I was made aware by a whistleblower of a young woman who tragically died this month in the hallway of Kelowna General Hospital and another hallway patient who went into cardiac arrest and ended up in the ICU. My question to the Minister of Health is simple. Exactly how many people have died in hospital hallways across this province on her watch? Hon. Josie Osborne: Thank you to the member for the question and raising the critical importance of continuing to invest in health care in this province.

Whether it is investing in new infrastructure; new hospitals; renovated and new surgical suites; new cancer

6584 B ritish Columbia Debates M onday, April 20, 2026 centres across this province; as well as investing in the staff, the physicians and the medical folks that we need to run them…. Nothing is more important to a person and to their family than being able to access health care in a timely way when they need it. That’s why our government continues to invest. That’s why our government continues to raise the budget of the health system to make sure that we continue to strengthen this system.

We are proud of our public universal health care sys - tem and, unlike members on the other side, have no in - tention to introduce two-tier-style, American-style health care into this province. Interjections. The S peaker: Shhh, Members. Members, wait for your question. Hon. Josie Osborne: Every British Columbian de - serves access to health care, and that’s why… Interjection. The Speaker: Member, shhh. Hon.

Josie Osborne: …we will continue to tackle the challenges that we face in health care, worker recruitment and retention by building a new medical school at SFU, re- cruiting U.S.-trained professionals — something we know members on the opposite side have been opposed to. These are the steps that it takes. We’ll continue bring - ing those doctors here. We’ll continue investing in these hospitals to deliver the health care that British Colum - bians deserve. ACCESS TO ACUTE PSYCHIATRIC CARE AT HOSPITALS Claire Rattée: In order for universal health care to work, people actually have to be able to access health care.

Increasing the health care budget does very little for British Columbians if there are no meaningful results at - tached to it and things just continue to get worse. Recently I raised the tragic death of a young man who slipped through the cracks after being left waiting without proper supervision or support in Vernon Jubilee Hospi - tal’s psychiatric unit. He voluntarily admitted himself and was left for days in a hallway bed, despite being certified under the Mental Health Act. Since then, I have had num - erous families reach out to me about loved ones that they have lost in that same psychiatric unit.

Now I have learned that same unit is on diversion for the foreseeable future, meaning that patients in crisis are being sent to the emergency department and left in hall - ways while staff have been instructed to briefly assess and move on. To the minister: there are really only two options here. Does she admit that the current system cannot safely hold people in acute psychiatric crisis, or does she believe that the current system, where patients are left in hallways, is acceptable? Hon. Josie Osborne: There are thousands of mental health and psychiatric beds in facilities across this prov - ince.

It’s an important part of the health care system, and when a person is in crisis, it is a service that they need. That is why we continue to invest, with $131 million in this year’s budget, into this system. That’s why we con - tinue to expand the number of beds that are available across B.C. It’s also why we continue to expand across the entire continuum of mental health and substance use care so that people receive the prevention and early interven - tion that is needed before problems become worse.

That’s why those beds are available, so that when a person is in crisis, they are able to access the care they need. [2:30 p.m.] The member understands that I cannot speak about in - dividual cases, but that doesn’t remove the responsibility and the urgency to which this government is continuing to act to build out this system of care for people at a time when they need it most. PRIMARY HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND ATTACHMENT NUMBERS Brennan Day: Let’s talk about results. This govern - ment loves misleading press releases and keeps announ - cing gross new primary care attachment numbers.

But for British Columbians, the only thing that matters is whether they have ongoing access to a primary care provider or not. We know from the government’s own reports that they’re juicing the numbers to paper over their failure. To the minister: what does the government count as a successful attachment on the health connect registry? Hon. J osie O sborne: All right. Let’s talk about num - bers. Let’s talk about success. So 600,000 British Colum - bians attached to a primary care provider since 2023.

Over 1,000 new family doctors practising here in British Col - umbia — the highest number of physicians per capita in the entire country. Tripling the number of nurse practi - tioners working in primary care and serving British Col - umbians across the province. Primary care is the backbone of our health care system. That’s why we have a primary care strategy. That’s why we continue to invest in team-based primary care. That’s why we’ve opened 48 urgent and primary care centres across British Columbia.

I’m proud of this government’s record, and we will con- tinue to invest in primary care so that all British Colum - bians who want a primary care provider have one.

Monday, April 20, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 6585 The Speaker: Member, supplemental. Brennan Day: Let’s get into the numbers. This govern- ment claims they’ve attached 600,000 people since 2023, but 25 percent of British Columbians, 1.3 million people, don’t have a primary care provider. That number has barely moved since the report last year. According to this government’s own numbers, that leaves 1.3 million British Columbians without a doctor. This government, by their own reporting, has made almost no progress. To the minister, if she could please clear something up for us. Interjection.

The Speaker: Shhh, Member. Member. Interjections. The Speaker: Shhh. Order, Members. Brennan Day: Are you counting attempted attach - ments as successful attachments on the health care regis - try to try and juice the numbers, yes or no? Hon. Josie Osborne: We have exceeded the rate of population growth when it comes to attracting new phys - icians in this province and attaching people to a primary care provider. Interjections. The Speaker: Shhh. Hon. Josie Osborne: That’s not just for doctors. That goes for nurses as well. That is the work of a government hard investing in the things that matter.

That is new medical schools to train family doctors. That is attracting physicians from other jurisdictions. That is streamlining and speeding up the credentialing for those people. That is building out team- based primary care so that those physicians who are work - ing have the most time possible to spend with their pa - tients, because they’re working in a team of nurse prac - titioners, of dietitians, of physiotherapists, of clinical counsellors, of social workers — all the people it takes to provide that wraparound care for people.

There was an independent report that was recently re - leased by OurCare, and it showed that B.C. had the high - est jump in the number of people reporting that they’re attached to a primary care provider. In fact, 82.6 percent of survey respondents said they have a family doctor or a nurse practitioner, and that is up from 71 percent just a few years before. This government believes in public universal health care. We are going to continue this work, and we’re not going to stop. [End of question period.] Tabling Documents Hon.

Niki Sharma: I have the honour to present the Crown Proceeding Act report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. Orders of the Day Hon. Mike Farnworth: In this chamber, I call second reading on Bill 16, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act. In

Section A, the Douglas Fir Room, I call committee stage on Bill 14, Forests Statutes Amendment Act. In

Section C, the Birch Room, I call the estimates for the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. [2:35 p.m.] [Lorne Doerkson in the chair.] Second Reading of Bills BILL 16 — MISCELLANEOUS STATUTES AMENDMENT ACT, 2026 (continued) Deputy Speaker: Members, we will call the chamber back to order, where we are contemplating Bill 16, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2026. Linda Hepner: Thank you for allowing me to continue my comments on this Bill 16.

I had closed the session last Thursday talking about the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act and the clauses that were shifting that into discussions that would allow disputes to go to the dispute resolution committee. What I wanted to make clear on that is that also within Bill 11, recently adopted by this House, the supportive housing complaints and issues were chosen to go through a dispute resolution process.

I think it’s going to be very, very important that we have a more fulsome discussion on the capacity of that dispute resolution team, because I’m hearing from many in my own riding that there are exag - gerated timelines for hearing. Adding more to it, as we just recently have done, may trigger some lags in decisions. But I’m going to move on now. While Housing is my file, I can’t ignore the rest of this omnibus bill.

Part 2 guts the NDP’s own Zero-Emission Vehicles Act, the very mandates they rammed through six years ago, doubled down on two years ago and called historic. Clauses 7 to 10 quietly slash the 2035 target from 100 per -

6586 B ritish Columbia Debates M onday, April 20, 2026 cent to 75 percent; eliminate the 2026 and 2030 targets from legislation altogether; and shove them into regula - tion, where cabinet can rewrite them behind closed doors. This is the second major retreat in this file in under a year. First, they killed the provincial EV rebate. Now they are dismantling their own law and hiding it in a miscel - laneous bill. In 2025, our Conservative caucus introduced legislation to repeal these unrealistic mandates. The NDP voted it down and mocked us.

Today they are doing exactly what we proposed, only they lack the courage to admit it. British Columbians deserve better than a government that sets flashy targets for press releases, attacks anyone who questions those targets and then quietly walks them back when reality bites. Families in Surrey–Serpentine River told this govern - ment for years that EVs are still too expensive, charging infrastructure is inadequate and our electricity grid can - not handle this fantasy. The NDP cancelled the rebate, watched sales collapse and now acts shocked.

You cannot kick away the ladder and blame people for not climbing. [2:40 p.m.] Even as they retreat, they have left the punitive credit- trading system in place, so manufacturers will still raise the price of gas vehicles or cut supply to B.C. dealerships. That means working families still pay for a policy the gov - ernment no longer believes in. This is not leadership. It is ideological whiplash that drives up the cost of living. The numbers expose the fantasy. In 2019, the NDP said EV demand was higher than expected.

In 2023, EVs hit 25 percent of new vehicle sales, so the government got cocky and accelerated the targets. Then reality hit. Deputy Speaker: Member, I just need to introduce an - other member here just for a quick moment. I’m sorry to interrupt. Minister of Local Governments and Rural Commun - ities. Hon. Brittny Anderson: I seek leave to make an introduction. Leave granted. Introductions by Members Hon. Brittny Anderson: I just want to recognize in the gallery that the Vancouver school board international education group is here with us today. Hello, everyone. It’s wonderful that you are here.

Right now you can hear that we’re discussing the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act. Right now we have a member from the opposition speaking, and soon we’ll have a mem- ber from our side, and that’s the work of the House today. Thank you so much for being here. I hope you have a wonderful time in Victoria, and thank you for learning more about our democracy here today. Will the House make them feel very welcome. Deputy Speaker: Thank you very much. Welcome to everyone in the gallery. Debate Continued Linda Hepner: By 2024, adoption had levelled off on our EV sales. By 2025, sales dropped sharply.

Now the minister says adoption has been slower than expected. Slower than whose expectations? Not ours, not the dealers, not the families who have been telling this government for years that these vehicles are still too expensive and the infrastructure doesn’t exist. The New Car Dealers Association has been clear. Manufacturers that cannot meet the 26 percent target face three choices: raise the price of gas vehicles, buy credits from competitors or cut supply to dealerships. That means fewer choices and higher prices at the worst possible time.

The NDP have now built a system that punishes work - ing people for buying vehicles that they actually can’t af - ford. Even as they back away from the targets now, they are still leaving that punishment structure in place. Even if every British Columbian wanted an EV tomorrow, the province does not have the power supply or charging infrastructure to support that shift.

The Premier says B.C. needs to stand on its own feet and reduce dependence on the United States, but this policy pushes in the other direction — more dependence on imported power, more dependence on foreign supply chains, more dependence on decisions made outside of British Columbia. For a government that talks a big game about self-re - liance, this policy tells a very different story.

These man - dates may have looked good in a press release in Metro Vancouver, but they were never realistic in the North, the Interior or rural British Columbia — where distances are longer, winters are tougher and charging infrastructure is limited. If an EV works for your family, buy one. My own family has three. My son has one. My stepson has one. And actually, my grandson has one — recently, his very first vehicle — although he really wants a muscle car, but that’s beside the point. Families and businesses deserve a choice. The NDP took that choice away.

This bill gives some of it back but only because reality has finally overruled ideology. Moving on, talking about now

part 1 that expands cab - inet confidentiality and removes the time bar on judicial review. [2:45 p.m.] After years of this government’s secrecy, they now want to make it even harder for British Columbians to hold

Monday, April 20, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 6587 them accountable. We will be asking pointed questions about what prompted these changes. We must look at this with a jaundiced eye and examine it more closely if this bill gets to committee stage. I’ll skip over the University Endowment Lands amend - ments. They are simply funnelling more funds into con - solidated revenue funds. I don’t think I need to talk a lot about that. Moving on to clause 28, which authorizes the propor - tionate use of force for mental health interventions in our prisons.

The government’s broader failure on mental health and addictions has flooded our streets with chaos, and communities are bearing the costs of that failure every single day. This, I believe, is a first step to advancing involuntary care, where much more is needed. Clauses 4 to 6, on the Fuel Price Transparency Act, simply authorize new fees and interest charges by regula - tion — again, another way the government reaches into the pockets of businesses without it coming to the House for proper debate. It’s becoming more and more clear that regulation is a preferred way of governing in this House.

I’m going to sum up. I think this bill perfectly captures the ominous signs of the government in terms of announ - cing bold targets on spending and quietly watering them down in an omnibus bill, which this one is doing. Brit - ish Columbia’s housing crisis was created, in large part, by NDP policy that discouraged supply, overregulated de - velopment and failed to build themselves within budget. As a former mayor who actually had to balance a budget and did get housing built, I do know what works. Lower unnecessary costs on developers. Respect municipal au - tonomy. Protect property rights.

While this bill takes one step towards lowering DCCs, it undermines it with muni - cipal uncertainty and no funding plan for those projects that have been determined worthy of the lower DCCs. It is a half-measure, and we will be requiring answers, from the minister responsible, on exactly what projects would be exempted and under what provisions. How much DCC revenue would municipalities lose province - wide? What is the detailed plan to replace that funding to those local governments?

Some of the parts of the bill reflect what we have, in fact, been saying for years and been asking for, but we will oppose the parts of the bill that are cloaked in secrecy and any potential off-loading of costs in what appears to be a circuitous way to shave a budget mess. I thank you for the opportunity to speak. Garry Begg: I, too, will address all sections of this Mis - cellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, as did the member before me. I know it gets quite repetitive, but it’s import - ant that we address the issues inherent in the act.

As she did, I’m going to talk about the changes in the endowment lands, the development cost charges, Residential Tenancy Act, Correction Act, Judicial Review Procedure Act, Fuel Price Transparency Act and the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act. [2:50 p.m.] This is legislation that is being passed now. For example, in endowment lands, if passed, the legislation enables the enforcement of UEL bylaws through ticketing, in accord - ance with the municipal ticketing framework established in the Community Charter. In other words, it will allow the UEL to set out ticketing offences and penalties of up to $3,000 in a bylaw.

It also establishes that fines collected via ticketing may offset some of the operational costs of enforcement through that ticketing. And it allows University Endow - ment Lands bylaw enforcement officers to prosecute tick - ets in provincial court. It speeds up the process for that purpose. We’re making this change now because people expect and deserve good governance, no matter where they live in this province. It creates a mechanism of bylaw enforce - ment which was identified as a high priority for the com - munity during public consultations of the UEL services structure and governance study.

The amendments to the act will enable the enforcement of UEL bylaws by ticketing, similar to what already goes on in other municipalities and local governments. We have consulted with First Nations. The xʷməθ- kʷəy̓ əm Nation was notified. We’ve consulted with the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm Nation staff to discuss the proposed amendments. Consultation also included the B.C. pros - ecution service and the judiciary of British Columbia. Next on the list is development cost charges.

Here, we are proposing legislative changes that give the province the authority to establish new categories of project types that qualify for reduced development cost charges and de - velopment levels. These new categories and project types will be created through future provincial regulations. They’ll give local government and TransLink flexibility to choose to reduce or waive DCCs and DCLs for addi - tional types of housing and infrastructure to allow under current provincial legislation.

This is important now, at this time, to meet Canada’s proposed build communities strong fund, which is requiring provinces to reduce de - velopment charges on multi-unit housing and cost-match federal contributions, among other conditions, to access federal infrastructure dollars. Making these changes at this time will put B.C. in a very strong position to engage Canada in its proposed pro- grams and quickly implement any conditions required to enter a future agreement, once Ottawa finalizes the pro - ject details.

This allows local governments access to fund - ing that supports core public infrastructure that enables housing. With these changes, the province will be able to ex - pand the eligible categories of developments, so local gov - ernments and TransLink can lower upfront costs where

6588 B ritish Columbia Debates M onday, April 20, 2026 it makes most sense for the communities. Lower upfront costs, of course, can make stalled or marginal projects viable and speed up construction timelines, helping get homes built for people in the time of financial insecurity. Homebuilders, local government and TransLink will want and will get harmonized, predictable rules that streamline the process and help reduce the barriers for getting homes built.

The outcome, we hope, is that the legislation will pos - ition B.C. to remove barriers so more homes can be built in challenging times while helping communities fund the infrastructure people rely on. Our new actions will help unlock more housing, while supporting the housing-en - abling infrastructure that communities need through Canada’s new build communities strong fund.

B.C. will also bring new categories into force by regula - tion once federal program details are finalized, ensuring the province can align the changes with federal support and avoid leaving local governments at risk. [2:55 p.m.] Local governments and TransLink will continue to de - cide whether to waive or reduce DCCs and DCLs. The bill only creates authority to name additional eligible categor - ies. If lost development cost charges revenue is not offset by federal-provincial grants, local governments or Trans - Link must then top the DCC-DCL reserve rules that are unchanged from our previous amendments.

With regard to tenancy statute amendments, the first amendment aligns the evidence rules for administrative penalty proceedings with the existing dispute resolution process. It provides clarity that those proceedings use evi - dence designed for administrative decision-making rather than the court rules of evidence. It makes the whole pro - cess more fair and efficient. The second amendment corrects an error in both the acts, the RTA and the MHPTA, by clearly confirming the director’s authority to review decisions and orders from facilitated settlements.

If approved, this amendment will apply retroactively to reflect how the RTB has been con - ducting these reviews since 2024, ensuring that people can have confidence in RTB decisions made during that time. The rules of evidence are formal rules designed from case law governing the admissibility, weight and presen - tation of evidence. Under the common law, these rules are generally not strictly applied to administrative pro - ceedings. They will be here.

The act expressly disapplies the rules of evidence to residential tenancy branch dis - pute resolution proceedings but is silent with respect to compliance investigations. It clarifies explicitly in the act to ensure that the same rules of evidence apply in both processes. The acts were amended in 2023 to allow the RTB to conduct facilitated settlements. This involves updating amendments originally passed in a 2015 bill that have never been brought into force.

One provision was in - tended to give the RTB director authority to review fa - cilitated settlement decisions or orders, but because of an oversight, that provision could not come into force. The amendment clarifies the RTB director’s authority and confirms the validity of reviews already carried out. Moving on to the Correction Act, the proposed amend - ments there formally authorize correctional officers to assist health care providers when delivering involuntary psychiatric treatment under the Mental Health Act.

At present, health providers must rely on non-correctional security officers because correctional staff lack the statu - tory authority to do so. The amendments close the legal gap and bring practice in line with operational needs. Additionally, in the AG Ministry, their investigations and standards office, the ISO, proposes legislative changes that better reflect their authority to conduct inspections and investigations and review disciplinary hearing ap - peals.

They also include the requirement to report inspec - tion findings to the AG Ministry and the public as well as to refine the inmate complaint process to make it more ac - cessible and to give the director broader discretion when complaints are investigated. That’s an important change because it ensures timely and appropriate responses during mental health crises in correctional centres by allowing trained correctional officers to support health care providers directly. It also improves the effective use of public resources by reducing dependence on non-correctional security officers.

The ISO, the investigations and standards office, amend - ments better reflect the authority and the process taken when the ISO investigates and responds to complaints by individuals in custody, thereby increasing access and accountability. [3:00 p.m.] These amendments support a more consistent and co - ordinated approach to involuntary psychiatric care and custody and prepare the system for the potential expan - sion of involuntary treatment spaces in other correctional centres.

They reflect consistency in approach for individ - uals interacting with the investigations and standards of - fice and introduce a requirement for inspection reports to be made public. Correctional officers are highly trained to manage high-risk and complex situations, and they’re very well equipped to support individuals in crisis. The amend - ments ensure officers can assist health care providers as required, improve continuity and consistency of care and support coordinated responses during psychiatric emer - gencies.

The amendments provide clear statutory author - ity only for the specific purpose of assisting health care providers during involuntary psychiatric treatment under the B.C. Mental Health Act. Going on to the Judicial Review Procedure Act, the amendments there modernize the procedure to keep judi - cial reviews fair, timely and affordable. The changes clarify

Monday, April 20, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 6589 how sensitive cabinet information is protected during court challenges while ensuring judicial reviews remain streamlined and focused on accountability rather than becoming expensive trial-like proceedings. The amend - ments also introduce a clear 60-day deadline to apply for judicial reviews in most cases, reducing delay, uncertainty and legal costs for individuals, tribunals and government. It’s important that we make this change now because of a recent B.C.

Court of Appeal decision regarding the mink breeders, confirming that courts can require the government to produce a list of cabinet documents dur - ing the judicial review even though cabinet discussions are confidential. Being forced to disclose lists of cabinet documents creates legal risk, undermines public interest and immunity and adds another cost as well as delay to court proceedings. Other governments in this country — Canada and Al - berta — already have stronger legal tools to protect cabinet confidentiality. B.C., by comparison, is exposed.

The out - comes, we hope, of these amendments will lead to faster, more predictable judicial reviews; stronger protection of cabinet and Treasury Board confidentiality; and reduced costs and delays in the entire process. In the fuel transparency act, the act, as set out in 2019, promotes transparency, competitiveness and public confi - dence in the transportation fuel market. The new amend - ments will enable an industry-funded model where the administrator, the British Columbia Utilities Commission, can recover the costs of administering the legislation from fuel producers and wholesale fuel importers.

It creates the authority for government to make regula - tion that authorizes the administrator to set fees payable by fuel producers and wholesale fuel importers during a fiscal year. It specifies that unpaid levies would be re - coverable as a debt owing to the government and would accrue interest on the amount outstanding. The legislation further creates authority for govern - ment to make regulations that require the commission to hold a hearing before setting fees. That enables affected parties to have the opportunity to express their views on a fair fee allocation framework.

Regulations will also set interest rates payable for unpaid fees. Why are we doing this now? Since the transparency act came into force in 2019, costs have been paid by govern - ment. The shift to an industry-funded approach will al - leviate that cost, ensuring that resources continue to be made available for other government priorities. [3:05 p.m.] This is similar to the long-standing practice of public utilities like B.C. Hydro and Fortis funding the BCUC for their oversight through an energy levy that is set each year.

The BCUC, as you know, is an independent regula - tory body responsible for regulating B.C.’s energy utilities, basic auto insurance rates and interprovincial pipeline rates. The commission has also been appointed by govern - ment as the administrator of the fuel transparency act. Why the change? Currently the Fuel Price Transpar - ency Act doesn’t allow government to recover admin costs from fuel suppliers. As a result, all administration costs are currently being funded by government. Amending the act allows costs to be recovered directly from industry. The B.C.

Utilities Commission, in its role, will design, set and collect the fee. The BCUC was appointed as ad - ministrator of the Fuel Price Transparency Act in 2019. The allocation methodology for collection will be deter - mined by the BCUC in a public process. With regard to zero-emission vehicles, the proposed amendments reduce the 2035 target from 100 percent ZEV sales to 75 percent ZEV sales. It removes the prohibition on the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles from January 1, 2035.

It shifts the 2026 and 2030 ZEV sales target to the ZEV regulation alone to allow greater flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions. There are new regulations that implement the details of these legislative changes, which will be updated in due course. The updated regulations will retain the 26 per - cent ZEV sales target for 2026. They will also include the 2030 target, which will be determined following emission standards proposals by the federal government for 2030, which are expected to come later this year. It’s important that we make the changes now.

We’re making amendments to revise our sales target in response to evolving market conditions. We are aligning the ZEV mandates with the federal government’s goals, which pro - vides certainty for automakers; reduces their regulatory burden; and supports them in addressing challenges, such as slowing consumer adoption driven by high purchase costs, supply chain disruptions and the U.S. tariffs. How do they affect profitability and affordability?

The proposed changes address affordability of vehicles by en - suring that the targets are achievable, avoiding the poten - tial of automakers artificially reducing the supply of in - ternal combustion engines in the province, which could increase the price of new and used vehicles. Although ZEVs currently have higher upfront purchase costs, their maintenance and operation are significantly lower, often making total cost of ownership for ZEVs less than conventional internal combustion engines. Gas is the major contributor to household fuels.

Trans - forming to electrified transportation significantly reduces household fuel expenditures. A typical EV driver in B.C. saves $2,600 to $3,400 per year compared to a driver of an equivalent gas vehicle, or up to $34,000 over a decade. This is sensible information. It is important that we ad - dress these issues as they emerge. Gavin Dew: I rise to speak to Bill 16, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act. [3:10 p.m.]

6590 B ritish Columbia Debates M onday, April 20, 2026 There certainly is a lot in this act, some of which is cer - tainly miscellaneous, some of which follows the time-hon - oured government technique of shoving things they don’t want to talk about into an omnibus bill so they can pre - tend that it’s not material. We then have to unpack it and point out what’s actually substantial in this bill and what’s actually embarrassing for government as they climb down on a number of areas, including on EVs. I’ll just talk a little bit about the bill.

I’ll talk a little bit about what’s in the bill and some of the kinds of consider - ations that we’ll be looking to get a better understanding of as we work our way through analyzing the bill further during committee stage. The Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act adjusts many pieces of legislation, some of which, again, are items that the B.C. Conservative caucus has been calling for, for some time. God forbid the government actually call them full bills. Then they would have to acknowledge their climb-down and surrender on those areas.

Instead, they are, of course, buried in this miscellaneous statutes act in order to avoid the government having to talk about the ways in which they are climbing down, surrendering and otherwise backtracking on their agenda — which is a con - sistent theme this week. We’ve, obviously, seen over the last number of weeks the Premier hold six different positions on DRIPA; sur - render virtually the entirety of his own personal legacy; and generally render himself functionally toothless, as a Premier with little to no legacy to speak of in history.

It’s interesting to see the ways in which these items are being clawed back. Deputy Speaker: Member, apology. I’ll interrupt. I have to recognize one of our other members, our Minister of State for Local Governments. Hon. Brittny Anderson: I seek leave to make an introduction. Leave granted. Introductions by Members Hon. B rittny A nderson: Today in the gallery we have students from the Vancouver school board international education. I just want to thank them so much for coming here to Victoria and for coming to the Legislature. Right now you are watching democracy in action.

We are debating a Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act. Right now you have a member of the opposition speaking. Next, we’ll have a member from our team, our govern - ment team, speaking. I hope that you are learning some - thing today. I welcome you here. I hope that everyone in the House will help welcome these students. Thank you very much. Deputy Speaker: Welcome to everyone in our chamber. Debate Continued Gavin Dew: I’ll pick up where I left off, which was the Minister of Jobs with the worst performance on private sector jobs in the country heckling me about his legacy.

It’s interesting to hear the gentleman speak in that way. Interjections. Deputy Speaker: Members, Kelowna-Mission has the f loor. Gavin Dew: Thank you very much. As I was talking about, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act adjusts many pieces of legislation, in - cluding walking back significant commitments previously made by this government. It reminds me of when they surrendered on the carbon tax. It reminds me of when they surrendered on manda - tory care but slow-walked actually implementing it.

It re - minds me in particular of what’s happening as we speak, which is that the Premier is engaging in a slow-motion surrender on DRIPA and has fundamentally, frankly, undermined investment certainty in our province while setting reconciliation back by a decade. It’s just interesting to watch that overall theme of gov - ernment walking back previous commitments and flip- flopping wildly all over the place, which we see in this legislation.

I know it makes some of the members opposite unhappy to hear that talked about, but the good news for the Minister of Jobs is that he can get his leadership cam - paign cranked up real good, real soon. Deputy Speaker: Member, if I could get you to focus, please, on Bill 16, I would appreciate that very much. Gavin Dew: Well, thank you very much. I will certainly do that, Mr. Speaker. It’s very good to see some of the changes that are in the miscellaneous statutes act. Obviously, in 2025 our caucus called for changes to the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act, and this government opposed those changes.

Yet now we see that’s something that they’re actually moving toward. We’ve also been calling for more mental health sup - ports, especially in our prisons, and it’s interesting to see the government now authorizing the use of proportion - ate force to help those in prison receive mental health and medical support. That’s an area that I’m very passionate about seeing progress on. I have recently introduced a private member’s bill to address the matter of brain injuries. That, obviously, fits into the overlapping conversation around how we make sure that individuals who have received brain injuries —

Monday, April 20, 2026 B ritish Columbia Debates 6591 whether those be through all matter of different ways they could have received those injuries including, tragically, through non-fatal overdoses….

That is a very serious issue that we’re dealing with in significant volume. [3:15 p.m.] It has been exacerbated by the reckless decriminaliza - tion experiment that this government rolled out, and now it’s very important that we get the right kinds of measures in place to make sure we’re able to address the challenges of individuals with brain injuries, individuals who are wrestling with addiction, individuals who need mental health supports. I certainly am pleased to see some pro - gress being made toward enabling that in our prisons.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that we need to make sure that individuals who are in our prisons are able to get access to mental health. Also, the oppor - tunity that we have, that has as yet been slow-rolled and not moved forward by this government, to repurpose the dramatically underutilized Oliver penitentiary — which sits at about 25 percent utilization, partially because we’ve seen a 42 percent decrease in the charge rate in the Ke - lowna area, which means that individuals who should be incarcerated are not incarcerated.

If they are incarcerated, we should be making sure that we are doing what we can, including through these kinds of measures, to enable access to mental health and medical support. In some instances, it may be that what’s necessary is mandatory care for individuals who are be - ing involuntarily put into care but not charged criminally. That is an opportunity for us to repurpose a facility that the taxpayer has paid for that is sitting at least half, if not 75 percent, empty.

It’s a real opportunity — and I think, again, it overlaps with some of these changes happening around mental health supports — for us to make sure that we are tak - ing care of individuals who are wrestling with addiction, who are stuck in that cycle where we’re seeing the overlap of homelessness, mental health, addiction, brain injuries and, in some instances, criminality on a recurring basis. It’s very important that we get the right balance, very im - portant we move forward with those kinds of changes. We do have concerns about some of the changes be - ing brought in

part 1 of the bill, including amendments to the Judicial Review Procedure Act that expands the au - thority to keep documents confidential. That does follow in a theme that we’ve seen from this, the most secretive government in Canada — a government that is tearing up the legacy of Mike Harcourt’s NDP government of the 1990s, who were leaders in freedom of information and who in, I believe, 1992 or 1993, brought forward legisla - tion that really actively set the template around freedom of information.

Over the life of this, the most secretive government in the history of Canada, we’ve seen an absolute demoli - tion of freedom of information. We’ve seen the addition of charges that targeted one specific journalist who the gov - ernment found irritating. We have seen now, most recently, with the amendments they’re bringing forward to FOI, the ability to scope or to have more ways to push back on FOI and to refuse dis - closure. And we certainly have concerns around amend - ments to the Judicial Review Procedure Act that would ex - pand the authority to keep documents confidential.

Particularly when we look at the cumulative effect of all of these different changes, it’s hard not to conclude that this is a government that is dedicated not to transparency but to secrecy, and it’s hard not to guess why they would want that, given that they’re failing on virtually every front. Just minutes ago, I asked for answers around people who are dying in hallways in our hospitals. I got no an - swers. I’ve been asking for more than a year for answers around underutilized space at Kelowna General Hospi - tal, including through the estimates process, including through question period.

This government simply refuses to provide basic factual information, which is really, really unfortunate. It’s to the point where MLAs can get more information from individual whistleblowers who email us frequently, providing us with information that government refuses to disclose. We actually know the information in many cases, but the government, who are terrified of transparency, continue to hide it, and they continue to enact, through this bill, changes that will make it easier to hide informa - tion.

So that’s a really, really unfortunate dynamic that we’re seeing enacted further in this bill, and I doubt it’s something that anybody in this government is particu - larly proud of. In regard to amendments to the Housing and Muni - cipal Affairs elements of the bill, our Conservative cau - cus supports the reduction of development cost charges, which have, obviously, significantly increased the cost of new housing. Everyone has heard various different ver - sions of statistics to the effect that government and tax costs comprise on the order of 25 or 30 percent of the cost of housing.

Those are, obviously, very, very signifi - cant costs that are very challenging in terms of the upward pressure they place on housing prices. We need to have an appropriate, structured approach to making sure that we’re able to try to reduce some of those government-imposed costs on housing. The reduc - tion of development cost charges is certainly one way to begin accomplishing that. [3:20 p.m.] Obviously, there needs to be a full and balanced ap - proach, and ideally, that needs to be done in consultation with municipalities, which is something we haven’t seen a lot of from this government.

Recently we saw a private member’s bill brought for - ward by this government around the Professional Reli -

6592 B ritish Columbia Debates M onday, April 20, 2026 ance Act go down in flames after having 88 percent of the feedback that was submitted on it be totally negative — every single municipality totally negative. That bill ul - timately died. The reason I think there was so much negativity was the accumulation of ill will by municipalities who are tired of the heavy-handed imposition of policy by this government from on high without an appropriate level of consultation. We certainly have seen that in regard to short-term rental. We’ve seen that on all kinds of different fronts where, again….

This is a government that doesn’t have its own house in order but likes to reach into the pockets and reach into the freedoms and reach into the property rights and reach into the homes of individual British Columbians and reach into the mandate of municipal governments, com - pletely ignoring subsidiarity, completely ignoring the idea that municipalities might actually have some idea of what they’re doing and imposing their vision from on high.

So it’s very important, as we try to move forward the kinds of policies that will help to enable more affordable housing, including policies around development cost charges, that there is a greater spirit of consultation and engagement with municipalities in order to ensure that there is not only policy that makes sense but also buy-in from those municipalities. When I say “buy-in,” I don’t mean buy-in at the tip of the bayonet.

I don’t mean the kind of buy-in that you get when municipalities know that if they don’t play ball and they don’t say the right things, they’re not going to get funding that they need for growth from this government, which unfortunately has been a consistent pattern. Muni - cipalities know that if they stand up and if they push back, they will not receive funding. They will not receive posi - tive decisions from this government. That, in my opinion, is not a way to collaborate with levels of government, whether they be federal govern - ment, municipal government, regional government. You name it.

Not a great way to do business, but unfortunately that is the reality of what we’ve been seeing, and it’s why the level of frustration has risen to a boiling point with this government, not only from the public but also from municipalities. Let’s talk a little bit more about some of the other chan- ges that are forthcoming through this bill. I previously mentioned the amendments to the Judicial Review Pro - cedure Act, which contains two clauses that would allow government to make more documents subject to cabinet confidentiality and enable a period of time to be an argu - ment for preventing judicial review.

Again, secrecy, more secrecy and more secrecy. As we work our way through, we see in clauses 7, 8 and 9 amendments to the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act, which is probably one of the more significant climb-downs from this government. Much like the carbon tax, much like mandatory care, much like DRIPA, these were articles of faith for this government to which they were entirely com - mitted until they weren’t. Really, there’s not much left that this government stands for other than the desperate at - tempts of the Premier to cling to power before triggering a leadership race or an election.

This is the NDP’s second major retreat on EV policy in less than a year. First, they killed the provincial EV re - bate, and now they’re gutting their own EV mandates and hiding it in this miscellaneous statutes bill. That’s not the sort of thing you do if you’re a government that’s proud of what you’re doing. It’s the sort of thing that you do when you’re trying to do things quietly, which is exactly why we’re making noise about it. We want folks to know exactly what this government is doing. They don’t.

That’s why they continue to push against transparency, push for secrecy and live up to their reputation as Canada’s most secretive government. I think it bears note that six years ago this government made B.C. the first place to legislate EV sales targets. Two years ago they doubled down with targets of 26 percent by 2026, 90 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2035. They said it was extremely urgent. They said it was historic. They acted like anyone who questioned it was out of touch, including those that own and drive electric vehicles.

I personally have an electric vehicle, but I have one because I made a market decision to do so. It happened to work well for the purposes that myself and my family wanted to have it for, and therefore, I made a decision of my own volition to do so. Certainly, there are folks for whom that is the right decision to make.

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20260420pm-Hansard-n157
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	20260420pm Hansard n157
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	cfa307df965b1486e59c52d690457ac4c84001e9

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