2002 Legislative Session: 3rd Session, 37th Parliament

HANSARD

The following electronic version is for informational purposes

only.

The printed version remains the official version.

Official Report of

DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

(Hansard)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2002

Afternoon Sitting

Volume 3, Number 1

CONTENTS

Routine

Proceedings

Page

Speech from the Throne

Introduction and First Reading of Bills

An Act to Ensure the Supremacy of Parliament (Bill 1)

Hon. G. Plant

Point of Privilege

J. MacPhail

[ Page 1043 ]

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2002

The House

met at 2:03 p.m.

This being

the first day of the third session of the thirty-seventh Legislative Assembly of

the province of British Columbia for the dispatch of business, pursuant to a

proclamation of the Hon. Iona Campagnolo, Lieutenant-Governor of the province,

hon. members took their seats.

Mr.

Speaker: Hon. members, it is my pleasure to call upon the Rev. Paul Taylor

of St. Aidan's United Church to say prayers.

Taylor: Let us pray.

Holy living

God, we give you thanks for the gift of our lives, for the remarkable abundance

of our province and for the vocation of service to which you have called the

members of this assembly.

As this

session is opened, we hold in mind the mentors and teachers who have touched our

lives, the provincial leaders who have governed before us to set the foundations

of our democracy, our fellow Canadians elsewhere and, most importantly, the men

and women of British Columbia who have entrusted power to this House to govern

and legislate for the good of the province.

[1405]

We pray

this day for wisdom to know the good, for courage in leadership, for grace to

accept our shortcomings and mistakes and for integrity in our speech and

actions. In all that we do, may your will be done.

Amen.

Her Honour

the Lieutenant-Governor, having entered the House and being seated on the

throne, was pleased to deliver the following gracious speech.

Speech from the Throne

Hon. I.

Campagnolo (Lieutenant-Governor): Mr. Speaker, hon. members, it is a

privilege to address you on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen of Canada to open

the third session of the thirty-seventh parliament of British Columbia. In the

name of all British Columbians, I have conveyed our thanks and good wishes to

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on the recent observation of the fiftieth

anniversary of her accession to the throne and expressed our anticipation of her

golden jubilee visit to British Columbia next October. I have also, sadly,

conveyed the sympathy of our citizens to Her Majesty on the recent loss of her

beloved and only sister, Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret. A book of

condolence has been opened at Government House, which I am sure will provide

some sympathy and comfort to Her Majesty at this difficult time.

When I

spoke to you in my personal address on installation last September, I was able

to pay tribute to my immediate predecessor, Garde B. Gardom. As this is my first

Speech from the Throne, let me begin by saying what an honour it is to serve in

this office that has been so admirably served by those who have preceded me in

this place. I am proud to acknowledge the presence in the chamber today of the

Hon. Robert Rogers and Ms. Jane Rogers and the Hon. Garde B. Gardom and Ms.

Helen Gardom, who throughout their lives of public service have acted in an

exemplary manner, benefiting this province and putting pride into our beautiful

home as they have served as exemplars and inspirations to all of us. On behalf

of all British Columbians and members of this place, we thank them, and we wish

them well in their honoured and well-deserved retirement.

We also pay

tribute to the many others who have left their indelible mark on our province

and have, sadly, passed away. This year, as every other, it is impossible to

adequately recognize all those we have lost. Some of those whose passing we

mourn are former B.C. Supreme Court Justice Tom Fisher, former MLA and B.C.

Supreme Court Justice Jay Gould, and former Surrey mayor and Greater Vancouver

regional district chair Don Ross.

[1410]

We shall

all miss Ted Peck, whose colourful fish tales and popular television program Tides

and Trails provided such pleasure, with its memorable signature closing:

"Tight lines and straight shooting." British Columbians lost a

precious soul and talent in the late Donald Jarvis, whose teachings and

paintings will forever live in west coast culture. Norma Macmillan, too, will

long be remembered by all of us as the gentle voice of Casper the Friendly Ghost

and television's beloved Gumby. Few people have worked harder for British

Columbia, and northern British Columbia in particular, than Cyril Shelford, a

noted author, public servant and member of this assembly for 22 years.

As we begin

this lunar new year…. [The Lieutenant-Governor spoke a language other than

The world

has changed dramatically since my government's last throne speech less than

seven months ago. The sobering events of September 11 have impacted our lives in

many ways, from our sympathy and support to our neighbours in their loss, to our

concern for the resulting effects on our mobility, security and global access to

commerce. The global economy is still reeling from the impact, and our

provincial economy has been especially hard hit.

Next week

my government will bring in its budget for the new year. The budget will give

all British Columbians a clear sense of the fiscal challenges at hand and the

tough decisions that must be made.

Change is

never easy, yet more than ever fundamental change is required to the size and

scope of government and to the role it serves in people's lives and in our

economy. Last spring British Columbians gave my government an overwhelming

mandate for change, and it is acting on that mandate to build a solid foundation

for economic and social renewal. Though that need for change will never stop, my

government's vision remains the same: to usher in a new era of hope, prosperity

and public service in British Columbia. My government's priorities will not

waver, and its mission will not be altered.

[ Page 1044 ]

government was not elected to follow the status quo or to run from the

challenges that change presents. It was elected to lead our province forward and

to break new ground in search of brighter horizons. My government's course is

clear, and its direction is firmly set. It will revitalize British Columbia's

economy, restore sound fiscal management and put patients and students first.

The changes

my government has planned and initiated will do just that. Over time, they will lead

our province to new fields of hope and opportunity.

Revitalizing

the economy. My government's central mission is to revitalize the economy as

quickly as possible. Economic growth is the bedrock for prosperity upon which

all public services depend. It is the vital base for stability and opportunity

in every community and the critical determinant of what government can and

cannot afford to do. When our economy suffers, people pay the price. Jobs are

lost, dreams are shattered, and vital public services are limited for want of

revenue.

No economy

is immune from the volatility of global markets, and British Columbia has been

particularly exposed from its heavy dependence on natural resources. My

government has a solid plan to turn our provincial economy around. The steps it

has taken and will be taking, this legislative session and beyond, will make our

economy more competitive, diversified and attractive to investors. In time they

will provide a sustainable framework to maximize growth and job creation and

once again establish British Columbia as an economic leader in North America.

Last summer

my government acted upon all of the 22 commitments it vowed to undertake in its

first 90 days. Together those measures went a long way towards restoring a

competitive footing for investment and providing a major stimulus to our

provincial economy.

government cut personal income taxes, reduced corporate income taxes and

eliminated other business taxes that were discouraging to job creation. My

government also acted to reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses,

restore workers' rights and create a level playing field for all B.C. businesses

through the elimination of business subsidies. Specific subsidies that have been

identified for elimination were outlined at last month's open cabinet meeting in

Fort St. John and will be repealed by legislation as necessary during this

session.

Within the

next few weeks the independent B.C. Progress Board my government appointed will

issue its first report. It has established a series of benchmarks and

performance measures to hold my government accountable on a quarterly basis for

progress in our economy.

While our

provincial economy may not be as strong and healthy as we would all like, there

are signs that it is on the mend. For example, last year British Columbia posted

Canada's largest increase in housing sales. It had the highest percentage

increase in residential construction in the nation. Retail sales have been

increasing at a faster rate than the national average, and automobile sales

continue to be strong.

[1415]

With major

sectors of our economy in distress, B.C. still has a long way to go to once

again lead the nation in overall economic growth. A winning framework is rapidly

being put in place for economic renewal.

This year

my government is consulting with British Columbians on the steps needed to

improve the Employment Standards Act, the Workers Compensation Act and the

Labour Code. Following these reviews, changes to all three of those acts will be

initiated in the next year to provide greater flexibility, fairness and

efficiency for employers and employees alike. Changes to the Company Act will be

made to cut red tape, improve efficiency and encourage growth in the economy.

These measures will substantially advance my government's goal of reducing the

regulatory burden on B.C. businesses by one-third within the next 2½ years.

Later this

spring the Premier will lead a series of round tables on small business that

will invite small business owners, operators and entrepreneurs to offer their

input and advice in that most vital of all sectors. Small businesses are, by

far, the biggest job creators in our economy, and my government wants to hear

from them directly on the barriers to expansion and the opportunities for

growth.

Nowhere

have small businesses shown greater success or explosive potential for growth

than in the technology sector. The Premier's Technology Council, appointed in my

government's first 90 days, is running and is showing positive leadership. The

Council's first quarterly report in November concentrated on a strategy to

bridge the digital divide. It is ongoing work that will continue to help tackle

that challenge and achieve my government's goal of making British Columbia one

of the world's top ten technology centres by 2006.

Another

exciting new area of opportunity for private sector investment and involvement

is in the wide range of possible public-private partnerships. Working with

non-profit organizations in the private sector, my government will explore new

cost-effective mechanisms for the provision of services in public-private

partnerships. Considerable effort will be focused on pioneering so-called P3s,

which have proven very effective in attracting private capital to support public

policy objectives in British Columbia and in other jurisdictions. Such

opportunities will be actively pursued this year in helping to spur more private

sector investment in transportation and highways, information technology,

housing, land and resource development, health support services and facilities

and education infrastructure.

As promised

in the throne speech last summer, my government is aggressively supporting the

bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Winning the Olympic

Games would be a great incentive to amateur sport and to communities in every

part of our province. Combined with an expanded convention centre in Vancouver,

the games would generate up to $10 billion in economic activity for our

province,

[ Page 1045 ]

228,000 jobs and $2.5 billion in total revenues for all levels of government.

Tourism

resulting from the games would benefit every community in our province. Just

competing for the bid itself offers a great opportunity to sell the world on

British Columbia and to prove that we are indeed driven by dreams and nature.

Efforts will be intensified and focused to win that bid and to market British

Columbia to the world, working in partnership with other levels of government

and the private sector. Special efforts will be made to explore public-private

partnerships in infrastructure integral to the bid, including the expansion of

the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre and needed improvements to the

Sea to Sky Highway.

Another

sector that has demonstrated spectacular potential for growth is the energy

sector. Nowhere is that more evident than in oil and gas development that has

generated so much wealth, energy and job creation in British Columbia's Peace

River region. My government's Energy Policy Task Force has been developing

recommendations for a comprehensive provincial energy strategy. Upon completion

of the current public consultation process, a final report will be ready next

month. This should ensure that my government properly plans for our citizens'

energy needs and also takes full advantage of the enormous opportunities for

investment and job creation in energy development.

Measures

will be introduced this session to boost investment and job creation in both the

energy and the mining sectors. Steps will be taken to enhance the effectiveness

of the Oil and Gas Commission and improve investment climate for mineral

exploration.

[1420]

The

Environmental Assessment Act will be updated to streamline the major project

assessment process. The Waste Management Act will be amended to eliminate

overlaps in regulation of mines and to clarify remediation and authorization

requirements for various activities conducted on land that may have been

contaminated.

Other

changes will be made to increase competitiveness, to cut red tape and to provide

greater access to Crown lands and to resources. Changes will be made to

establish equality for operating mines in the coal and mineral sectors and to

provide more certainty over access rights to Crown land with respect to coal

tenures. Recently announced changes will encourage investment in coalbed methane

extraction. More will also be done in the coming months to develop this resource

and generate jobs in regions across our province from the Kootenays to Vancouver

Island to the northeast.

Last

October my government appointed an independent scientific panel to assist in

determining whether offshore oil and gas exploration could be conducted in a

manner that is scientifically sound and environmentally responsible. My

government will move with caution to ensure that any activity taken in this

regard will always be guided by sound science and an unswerving commitment to

responsible environmental protection. Yet it also wants northerners to know that

they, too, can look forward to the future with hope and optimism from the

opportunities that might flow from the development of our offshore oil and gas

deposits.

Obviously,

there is no greater economic challenge or critical need than to get our

province's number one industry back on track. The softwood lumber dispute has

dragged on despite my government's best efforts to work with the federal

government and with other provinces to negotiate a resolution with the United

States. Every time progress appears to have been made, it has been

frustrated by U.S. lumber lobbies who are not working toward President Bush's

stated commitment to free trade.

Our forest

industry's patience and willingness to work toward a cooperative solution is

near the breaking point. One way or another, a resolution must be reached on

this vexing problem that has hurt so many workers and employers in British

Columbia's forest industry.

In any

case, my government will not wait to initiate the process of desperately needed

structural reform in B.C.'s forest industry. It will move this year to deal with

stumpage reform that shifts our province toward market-based stumpage. It will

move this year to tackle the incredibly complex challenge of forest policy

reform. Obviously, change on this scale cannot be undertaken without some

sacrifice. By the same token, my government understands that the only way our

forest industry will become more globally competitive and once again expand is

to embrace freer trade and market-based reforms.

One

critical reform needed is to streamline the Forest Practices Code to make it

more results-oriented, cost-effective and workable on the ground while

maintaining the same standard of environmental protection. That challenge, too,

will be met this year. A White Paper on possible reforms to the code will be

issued this spring with the objective of tabling legislation in the fall.

Finally, my government will redouble its efforts to market British Columbia

forest products around the world with funding equal to 1 percent of direct

forest revenues.

government is also acting to facilitate investment and job creation in the

salmon aquaculture industry. Recent changes will ensure that this sector is

enhanced with the toughest environmental protection framework in the world. B.C.

farmers, too, will benefit from the new structure to make the Agricultural Land

Commission more regionally responsive to the needs of farmers and their

communities. The strategic shifts my government is making in the agriculture

sector will ensure greater competitiveness, self-regulation and independence in

farming, which will gradually phase out government subsidies.

All of

these initiatives to stimulate our economy will help, as will my government's

efforts to promote

[ Page 1046 ]

greater dialogue amongst the various levels of government and with first

nations.

On February

26 my government will act on its commitment to sponsor British Columbia's

first-ever provincial congress. The congress will bring together all of British

Columbia's MLAs, MPs and Senators, along with the mayors of our province's 15

largest cities, the presidents of five regional municipal associations, the

president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities and first nations leaders.

government will act this spring to engage all British Columbians in discussion

of the principles to guide the provincial government's negotiating mandate in

treaty talks. A referendum will be conducted later this spring by a mail-in

ballot that will put forward questions that have been approved by this assembly.

Those questions will build on the work done by the Select Standing Committee on

Aboriginal Affairs. Last November that committee released its draft questions

for the referendum after several weeks of public hearings, submissions and

deliberations.

[1425]

The

referendum will be overseen by Elections B.C., and the results will be binding

on government policy. An independent referendum office will be established to

provide all British Columbians access to information about the referendum

process, the treaty process and issues of aboriginal rights and title. It will

also ensure that information is provided on the various perspectives of the

referendum questions that may be held by different governments and first nations

and by citizens at large. My government's aim is to help all voters become

informed about the referendum questions and the issues they address in as fair

and neutral a manner as possible.

All British

Columbians should know that my government's commitment to negotiated treaty

settlements and the treaty process is not in question, nor is it open to debate.

The referendum cannot and will not be a tool for interfering in or undermining

constitutionally protected aboriginal rights and title. The referendum is

intended to help fast-track treaty negotiations by giving all British Columbians

a direct say on the principles that they think the treaty should reflect and

that will guide my government at the negotiating table.

government's clear intent is to foster greater understanding of the treaty

process and to build public support for the critical need for treaties. My

government will continue to work with first nations to expedite interim measures

agreements, build capacity and produce tangible achievements that make a real

difference for aboriginal British Columbians' economic opportunities, health and

quality of life.

government is also committed to giving local governments more autonomy and

better planning and revenue tools to reduce property tax pressures and to

enhance community stability. The Community Charter Council was appointed by

legislation last summer. The council will table its report, including draft

legislation and a White Paper that will be publicly released, during this

session. Following further consultation, community charter legislation will be

introduced in this chamber within the next year. All of these initiatives will

help pave the way for greater prosperity.

However,

another critical element to achieve that end is a plan to get British Columbia's

fiscal house in order.

Restoring

sound fiscal management. Government must plan to live within its means and then

do what is necessary to keep within that budget. People wanted and demanded more

services each year, and it is difficult to resist that political pressure. It is easier to say yes than it is to say no. That is the story of

escalating debt and deficit pressures that was once replayed for decades in

every jurisdiction in Canada until taxpayers started making different demands.

They started to say: "No more deficits. No more wasteful spending. No

more putting future taxpayers in debt because governments lack the discipline to

live within their means."

B.C.

taxpayers sent a new message in the general election of last year. They

elected a new government to make the decisions necessary to live within

taxpayers' ability to pay. By voting for my government's pledge to dramatically

cut income taxes within its first 90 days, British Columbians also made it clear

what they meant by their ability to pay. They wanted the lowest base personal

income tax rates in Canada on the first $60,000 worth of income and more

competitive income tax rates across the board. That is what has been provided.

British

Columbians voted to protect funding for health and education this year at the

levels established in the former government's last budget. My government did

that. In fact, it increased health funding by $200 million beyond the amount it

promised to maintain.

British

Columbians also voted for my government's commitment to balance the budget by

its third full budget, in 2004-05. Next week my government will spell out how it

plans to meet that commitment.

In short,

my government received a mandate to cut income taxes, restore sound fiscal

management and focus resources first on patients, students and people in need.

The measures my government announced and will implement in the coming years are

aimed at honouring that mandate.

It is

simply not possible to pay for everything that government used to do and also

balance the budget. It is simply irresponsible to put off the tough changes that

must be made to bring spending into line with revenues. My government will not

break its trust with the people. Spending will be reduced in areas other than

health and education. Revenues will increase as our economy recovers, and the

budget will be balanced. It won't be easy, and it won't be without some

hardship, but my government will do what needs to be done to get its financial

affairs in order.

government has done its best to focus its scarce resources where they are most

needed: on patients, students and those in need. My government has also done its

best to ascertain which services are truly core services and which ones are not.

All of those decisions have been shared in open cabinet meetings.

[ Page 1047 ]

[1430]

government has been frank about the impact of its difficult choices on its

employees, on programs and on community services. Over the next three years all

ministries, not including Health and Education, will experience an average

reduction of 25 percent in their budgets.

Avoidable

costs will be avoided. Unnecessary expenditures will be eliminated.

Cost-effective innovations in service delivery will be employed, and assets that

make sense to sell will be sold.

Unfortunately,

even that will not be enough to cope with the enormity of a $4.4 billion deficit

problem that is facing future generations. The provincial debt has more than

doubled in the last decade, and this coming year it will grow by at least

another 10 percent.

Regrettably,

my government must eliminate or scale back a number of services that many

British Columbians would like to see maintained or increased. It will seek to

moderate the impact on people by phasing out several less vital programs and

services over the next three years.

Every

effort has been made to mitigate the impact, especially on women, seniors and

children and those most vulnerable in our society. For example, my government

has had to scale back spending in other areas to protect funding for vital

services like transition houses for women and children leaving abusive

relationships.

government also remains committed to long-term improvements in services for

women, children and families, including a sustainable child care strategy that

is partnership-driven, community-focused and targeted to those most in need.

In making

the hard decisions that must be made to reduce spending, my government will

continue to put the interests of patients, students and those most in need

first.

Putting

patients, students and people first. There is no greater or more pressing

challenge than the need to save and renew public health care. As Canada's 13

Premiers have agreed, the current system is not sustainable. Indeed, that point

was made by the members of this assembly on the Select Standing Committee on

Health in their recent report.

Health care

expenditures have tripled in British Columbia since 1985, yet the system has

lost ground every year. In that same period the proportion that health care

spending consumes of the annual budget has grown from 31 percent to nearly 40

percent, and that is reducing the amount available to be spent on other public

services.

British

Columbia now spends more each year on health care than it raises in all the

revenues combined from personal income tax, Medical Services Plan premiums,

federal transfer payments and tobacco tax. And still that is not enough.

When

Canada's national health care program was launched almost four decades ago, it

basically covered only hospital and doctors' fees. Pharmacare, home and

continuing care and other services now included in the Medical Services Plan

were not publicly funded at that time. Then the federal government contributed

50 percent of the costs of the health care system. Today the federal government

funds only a fraction of that amount, and the provincial government covers the

difference.

Our

population has grown older, and life expectancy has increased. The costs of

drugs, equipment, technology, doctors' fees and health care workers' wages and

benefits have all grown exponentially. British Columbia's nurses recently

received a 21 percent wage hike over three years, making them the highest-paid

nurses in Canada. Community health workers and health support workers in B.C.

are also the highest paid in their fields in Canada.

When you

have the highest-paid workers and runaway costs combined, something has to give.

That something, increasingly, is patient care.

Funding

cannot keep up to the cost pressures needed to maintain service levels, let

alone improve patient care. This problem will obviously not go away any time

soon. It will take major structural reforms that will not be very palatable to

many and will challenge us all to accept some short-term sacrifices for

long-term improvements in patient care.

In the past

eight months my government has done much to refocus health care funding on

patients' needs. It restructured regional health governance and delivery to

provide greater flexibility and strategic planning of health resources. It gave

health authorities new tools to find savings and efficiencies.

government's comprehensive nursing strategy is already showing results, as the

number of nursing vacancies is being reduced. More nurses are being trained, and

much higher wages — along with Canada's lowest taxes — are serving as a

powerful incentive to attract and retain skilled nurses.

government has committed significant funds to substantially increase the number

of medical school graduates, working in partnership with the University of

British Columbia, the University of Victoria and the University of Northern

British Columbia.

Difficult

decisions have been made to reduce costs and coverage of supplementary benefits

under the Medical Services Plan. Even with an increase of $1.1 billion in the

health budget this year, the pressures on health care are mounting. Potential

costs in higher physician fees are sure to grow, without any adequate means to

pay for them.

[1435]

This has

left my government with two more unpleasant choices. It could either accept

increased service reductions to partially offset wage costs and higher physician

fees, or it could raise Medical Services Plan premiums to increase the health

care budget. Last week, in open cabinet, my government decided to do the latter,

while also protecting lower-income earners. Approximately 230,000 lower-income

British Columbians will actually see their premiums decreased. But

[ Page 1048 ]

for most citizens, monthly MSP premiums are being raised significantly.

This

unwelcome measure will substantially increase the health budget. It will provide

extra funding to help safeguard patients from the pressures of higher health

cost delivery, but it will not be enough. Further changes will be required to

make the public health care system sustainable.

Many of

these were outlined very effectively in the select standing committee's report, Patients

First: Renewal and Reform of British Columbia's Health Care System .

It was the product of extensive consultation with British Columbians in

communities across our province. Its findings are echoed in other major recent

studies on health care in Canada, including the recent preliminary report by the

Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada. In virtually every case, the

need for fundamental structural changes is inescapable to save and renew our

health care system.

government will continue to embrace that needed change in the months and years

to come, to build a sustainable health care system that is consistent with the

five principles of the Canada Health Act. In this session, measures will be

introduced to reduce costs from duplication, administrative overlaps and overly

prescriptive regulatory regimes. The Community Care Facility Act will be

substantially improved to establish a more responsive results-based framework

for community care that provides a greater flexibility for individual care and

consistent care standards. My government will act this year to advance its

target of creating 5,000 new intermediate and long-term care spaces by 2006.

British

Columbians' health will be better safeguarded under new legislation to

strengthen drinking water and groundwater protection. As well, my government

will be allocating more resources to the monitoring of drinking water quality.

It has already taken concrete steps to improve the quality of drinking water. In

conjunction with our federal and local government partners, it has approved the

first 15 of many community water and sewer projects planned under the $800

million Canada–British Columbia infrastructure program.

government has recently introduced other changes aimed at putting students'

interests first. It has acted on its election commitment to provide greater

flexibility and local autonomy to elected school boards. School boards are now

able to better utilize and manage their district schools, classrooms and

resources for students, and they have an important new management tool to help

them cope with cost pressures. New legislated class-size limits will also ensure

that students' needs are better protected and even enhanced without the rigidity

that prevented commonsense solutions at the school and district levels.

Changes to

the School Act this session will be aimed at improving student achievement

through better system accountability and increased flexibility and choice for

parents and for students. New school funding formula will be introduced to give

school districts a better chance to plan through three-year funding allocations

that are fairer and better aligned with student populations and classroom costs.

As well, my government will establish new mechanisms to give parents real and

meaningful input into education delivery and quality in our schools and greater

control and choice for their children.

government also looks forward to the report of the Select Standing Committee on

Education. That committee consulted widely with British Columbians last fall,

and its findings will provide an important source of input.

Later this

spring my government will organize a dialogue on education at the Morris J. Wosk

Centre for Dialogue. It will bring together leaders in education from across

British Columbia, including teachers, trustees, business leaders, deans of

education, superintendents and parents, to discuss improvements and reforms to

the education system.

In this

session my government will introduce legislation to create more choice for

post-secondary students to ensure the system serves students and school

districts better, with greater flexibility to allow them to take advantage of

increased choices. This legislation will build on the important new tools that

were recently given to colleges, institutes and universities to fully and

properly utilize their facilities and resources to put students' interests

first.

[1440]

government understands that every student learns differently and has different

needs and circumstances. Through the enhancement of degree-granting

opportunities for both private and public institutions, students will have a

wider variety of choice and flexibility in pursuing their post-secondary

education.

government will allow post-secondary institutions to make their own decisions

about their tuition fee levels. This will restore greater autonomy to the

institutions themselves, because they should be directly accountable to the

students and communities they serve.

government will also increase student spaces and restore certainty for learners

who have been attending the Technical University of British Columbia. Simon

Fraser University will assume responsibility for Tech B.C. students and assets,

allowing students to graduate with a degree from SFU while maintaining a

presence in the growing community of Surrey.

With a

looming skills shortage facing the province, my government recognizes the

importance of skills and trades training to our future prosperity and growth. To

pave the way for the introduction of a modern, flexible training system that is

more efficient and responsive to industry needs, my government will disband the

current Industry Training and Apprenticeship Commission. An industry advisory

committee will be appointed to guide the transition to the new model, while the

funding to institutions for the delivery of skills and trades training will

remain intact.

government will also introduce legislation this session to focus employment and

assistance dollars first on those who are most in need. The legislation will

replace four existing acts. It will also facilitate a strategic

[ Page 1049 ]

shift from a culture of welfare entitlement to a culture of employment and

self-sufficiency. The changes will provide for those people who require

continuous assistance and will encourage all individuals to reach their

potential. In particular, the changes will insist on greater individual

responsibility for those able to actively seek employment.

government will put children and families first. Legislation will be introduced

this session to streamline the process for obtaining and enforcing family

maintenance orders in cases where one spouse lives in British Columbia and the

other lives in a reciprocating jurisdiction. Child protection legislation will

be amended to reflect the strategic shifts in child welfare that were outlined

in open cabinet last November. The legislation will offer more options to provide

safe care for children within the environment of the extended family. Other

strategic shifts will allow for the greater protection of children through the

promotion of families and communities and an increased focus on family

development approaches to parents and to families.

government vowed to stop the expansion of gambling that has increased gambling

addiction in our province and has put new strains on families. That commitment

has been kept, in keeping with existing contractual obligations. This session

more will be done. A comprehensive legislation framework will be introduced for

regulating and managing gaming more effectively and independently under the

gaming policy and enforcement branch and the B.C. Lottery Corporation.

government's administrative justice project will also result in several major

structural changes this year. Those changes will be aimed at making our

province's administrative justice agencies more accessible, fair, efficient and

affordable.

New

legislation will be introduced that consolidates key functions of the Children's

Commission and the office of child, youth and family advocate into a new agency:

the children's officer.

modernized Residential Tenancy Act will also be introduced, drafted in language

that everyone can understand. It will protect the rights of renters and of

landlords, addressing issues such as illegal activities in rental

accommodations, the rules for inspection, and dispute resolution mechanisms.

All of the

changes outlined here will help lead our province forward to a more promising

future, to a new era of hope and prosperity that is bright with possibility and

brimming with potential. These changes will put our economy back on track, get

our fiscal house in order and begin to correct the structural problems that must

be solved. Step by step, they will move us beyond our fears and expectations to

the limits of our imagination.

Though the

storms of change may rage and rain hard with their resistance, they will not

cloud our common purpose. British Columbians know where my government is

heading, and they know it can't get there without the courage of its

convictions. Real progress is always difficult, but always worth the

effort.

Let there

be no doubt: British Columbia is on the move. It is charting new ground and

reaching out to claim a better future.

To all

citizens, my government holds out this promise: British Columbia's best days lie

ahead. In time, we will amaze ourselves at the distance we have travelled

together.

[1445]

Her Honour

the Lieutenant-Governor retired from the chamber.

[Mr.

Speaker in the chair.]

Mr.

Speaker: Hon. members, in order to prevent mistakes, I have obtained a copy

of Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor's speech.

Introduction and First Reading of Bills

AN ACT TO ENSURE THE SUPREMACY OF PARLIAMENT

Hon. G.

Plant: I move that a bill intituled

An Act to Ensure the Supremacy of

Parliament be introduced and read a first time now.

Motion

approved.

Hon. G.

Plant: The introduction of this bill prior to consideration of the throne

speech expresses the established right of parliament, through its elected

members, to deliberate independently of the Sovereign. As such it is an

important part of our parliamentary democratic process. This right was first

asserted by the Parliament at Westminster in 1603, during the reign of Queen

Elizabeth I.

I move that

the bill be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting

of the House after today.

Bill 1

introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for

second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Hon. G.

Collins: I move, seconded by the member for Vancouver-Hastings electoral

district, that Mr. John Weisbeck, the member for Kelowna–Lake Country

electoral district, be appointed Deputy Speaker for this session of the

Legislative Assembly.

Motion

approved.

Hon. G.

Collins: I move, seconded by the member for Vancouver-Hastings electoral

district, that Mr. Harold Long, the member for Powell River–Sunshine Coast

electoral district, be appointed Deputy Chair of the

[ Page 1050 ]

Committee of the Whole for this session of the Legislative Assembly.

Motion

approved.

Hon. G.

Plant: I move that the Votes and Proceedings of this House be

printed, being first perused by Mr. Speaker, and that he do appoint the printing

thereof, and that no person but such as he shall appoint do presume to print the

same.

Motion

approved.

Hon. G.

Campbell: I move that the select standing committees of this House, for the

present session, be appointed for the following purposes:

Aboriginal Affairs;

Education;

3. Finance

and Government Services;

4. Health;

5. Public

Accounts;

Parliamentary Reform, Ethical Conduct, Standing Orders and Private Bills;

7. Crown

Corporations;

which said committees shall severally be empowered to examine and inquire

into all such matters and things as shall be referred to them by this House and

to report from time to time their observations and opinions thereon, with power to send

for persons, papers and records; and that a special committee be appointed to

prepare and report, with all convenient speed, lists of members to compose the

above select standing committees of this House under standing order 68(1), the

committee to be composed of the Hon. G. Collins, Convener, and Messrs. Wong,

Krueger, Wilson, Nuraney and Manhas, Ms. McMahon, Ms. Chong and Ms. MacPhail.

Motion

approved.

Point of Privilege

MacPhail: I'd like to advise the House and you, Mr. Speaker, that I reserve

the right to raise a matter of privilege relating to recent reports in the

media.

Mr.

Speaker: Thank you, hon. member. Your comments have been noted.

Hon. G.

Collins moved adjournment of the House.

Motion

approved.

The House

adjourned at 2:50 p.m.

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2002: British Columbia Hansard Services, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

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