Fourth Session, 42nd Parliament

(2023) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 262

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Introductions by Members

Personal Statements

Service as Premier and message of appreciation

J. Horgan

Hon. D. Eby

T. Stone

S. Furstenau

Orders of the Day

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

F. Donnelly

D. Davies

B. D’Eith

T. Shypitka

Hon. A. Mercier

R. Leonard

B. Anderson

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2023

The House met at 1:02 p.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Introductions by Members

N. Letnick: I have the pleasure of introducing Michelle Bell and Liz

Barnett.

Michelle is the director of child, youth and family advocacy for the

Federation of Community Social Services of B.C., and Liz is the interim

executive director. I had a great meeting with them this morning and looking

forward to working with them to improve social services for all children and

families in British Columbia.

Would the House please make them feel welcome.

J. Horgan: It’s an introduction. I want to acknowledge in the gallery today some

dear friends of mine. Lindsay Byers is here. Jarrett Hagglund is here.

Little buddy Evan Brown is here, Amber Nash, my friend Tammy

Carveth.

We have a bet that I’d get through five minutes, but I didn’t even get

an introduction done.

Next week Ellie and I will be married for 468 months. Nine years ago

on our anniversary, I was in this place, and it was the introduction of

early morning question periods. It was controversial at the time. Ellie was

coming because I was the House Leader at that moment, so she came in to

celebrate our anniversary.

I remember the day vividly because it was the Sarajevo Olympics and

Canada was playing Sweden for the bronze medal on our wedding night. So at

four in the morning, I was in the hotel watching hockey, and Ellie was

drinking all of the champagne.

I told the story. And it’s worth going back into Hansard just

to watch Maurine Karagianis lose her mind. She’s laughing so hard because,

as you’ll remember from that bronze medal game, Canada got shut out. But I

did pretty good.

So to Ellie and all my friends — Debbie Wade is here — and others:

thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you for being here. I appreciate it

very much.

I seek leave to make a statement and sit somewhere else. Although I

kind of like it here, I have to say.

Leave granted.

[1:05 p.m.]

Personal Statements

SERVICE AS PREMIER

AND MESSAGE OF

APPRECIATION

J. Horgan: Thank you, colleagues. I thought I would take the seat from the

member for Columbia River–Revelstoke, which was my first seat in this

place. As he well knows, the beauty of that seat is that the gallery

can’t really see you, and you’re really close to the door. If you want

to just bolt, you can do it. I know that the member for Abbotsford West

is delighted with his location now as well.

It is beyond an honour to be back here in the Legislature. You may

recall that last fall I was the Premier of British Columbia. It seems

1,000 years ago to me that that was who I was, and now I’m back to being

the caring spouse of Ellie — who, true to form, broke her leg three days

after the Premier was sworn in. I went from making sure that the navy

was in good shape, the ferries were running on time and the buses were

working to making sure I had food for lunch. What are we having for

dinner? Have you done the laundry? I went from doing all of these lofty

things to being a regular human being.

I thank Ellie for that as well, because it was so humanizing and

such an opportunity to be in my community talking to people again, not

as someone who was in a position of power but just another person

waiting to get through the checkout line at the Superstore, wondering

what’s gone on with the supply chains. Why can’t we get icing sugar?

What’s going on? These were the things that people were talking about,

and it was so great to be able to worry about those important things

rather than all of the challenges that I’ve seen over my time in this

Legislature.

I’ll apologize to you now for taking you on a bit of a journey.

Those who know me are aware that all of my remarks start with a journey.

I want to go back to grade 1 in Mrs. Foster’s class, because my first

speech in this House was from that chair over there, and it had to do

with back-to-work legislation. The member for Prince George was the

Minister of Education. The member for Abbotsford West I think was the

Labour Minister, and I was the designated speaker. I had to speak for

two hours. I was daunted by that two hours.

Of course, now people know me and say that, well, I can’t say

hello in two hours. But at that time, it was daunting. I was speaking to

venerable radio host Rafe Mair that morning, and he said to me…. I don’t

even remember the guy’s name, but when Lincoln delivered his tremendous

“fourscore and whatever many years ago,” there was another guy who spoke

for two hours, and no one remembers his name. Rafe reminded me: “Don’t

think too well of yourself. Just get up and do your job and stop feeling

sorry.” So I did that.

But back to grade 1, my first elected office. On

Val­entine’s Day I was elected the King of Hearts with Lori

Hallier. It was tough. I had to do a lot of campaigning, but I pulled it

off. I was in the cloakroom with two other guys. I don’t remember who

they were, but Lori Hallier was the Queen of Hearts.

The reason this is important, Members, is because if you go into

the hallway and look at the photo of the Legislature that brought Dave

Barrett to the premiership and, at that time, the largest collection of

New Democrats, in that photo are pictures of pages who were school kids

who were brought here to make sure the water was filled. This was prior

to the tasks that are now taken on by legislative staff. The page

program was run out of Reynolds High School, which is my

school.

In grade 8, after the lofty victory in grade 1, I was called to

the office. Now, I was going down the wrong track in grade 8, and

getting called to the office couldn’t have been a good thing. It turned

out that all the people who were called to the office were being called

to be part of the page program. I bolted. I didn’t show up, so I didn’t

get to be a page. But if you go and look at that photo…. Lori Hallier,

the Queen of Hearts in grade 1, is a page. King of Hearts — nowhere to

be seen.

But I could have been in this place far earlier than when I was

elected in 2005. I could have been in this place far sooner than when I

started working here in 1992. Literally, it was February of 1992 that I

started working in this building — room 336, the Health Minister’s

office now. At that time, I was working for Dave Zirnhelt, Cariboo Dave,

one of the greatest, nicest, kindest people you’ll ever meet. You’ve got

to make sure he’s having a sandwich every now and again. You’ve got to

make sure you’re keeping an eye on Dave.

[1:10 p.m.]

One of the greatest people…. He and his family… I know the members

from the Cariboo know this full well. Dave and the Zirnhelt family are

literally an institution in the community. I had the honour of getting

my exposure to politics in British Columbia, even though I was born and

raised here, working with Dave in this very building.

As time went by, I took increasingly larger roles and

responsibilities. At the end, I was the chief of staff to Dan Miller,

who is not the shortest-serving premier. He’s the

second-shortest-serving Premier. He filled the gap be­tween

Premier Clark and Premier Dosanjh.

I was working in energy at that time. Dan called me up and said:

“Horgan, I need you to come back to be my chief of staff.” I had just

been in a meeting with all of the staff of the company I was working

for. We were going over the filing system, the ARCS and ORCS system.

There is nothing, Members, more dull than being in a boardroom with no

lights, looking at transparencies. Some of the elders here will know

what those are. For the millennials, I’m sorry. They can google that,

transparencies about the filing system.

I looked back at the door. I had the phone up, and Dan was on the

line. I said: “I’ll be right there.” I said to the CEO: “I can’t do this

anymore; I’ve got to go do something else.” So I went to work for Dan.

That put, gratefully, a bull’s eye on my head. Therefore, when the

government did change, my services were no longer required. I was fine

with that.

I’m very much a democrat, and I’m very comfortable with asking the

public what their views are and then living with the consequences. The

consequences were the largest Liberal government in B.C. history. I call

it an awkward interregnum.

That was the only four-year period that I was not working in this

place over the past 30 years. So when I come back today and sit here

with all of you, I can’t do it without feeling that this is such a

massive part of my life, Ellie’s life, my boys’ life.

When I was working in the Premier’s office in the ‘90s, one of my

kids came in with me because it was my day to take care of him. He went

through the cushions on the couch, and he found $7. So the younger one

comes home and says: “Can we go tomorrow?” I said: “It doesn’t work that

way. We need to have captains of industry come in and empty their

pockets into the couch before you can mine it for the riches that live

there.” Little stories like that are still part of the lore of our

family, this place, this institution.

Just this past summer my oldest son and his delightful bride,

Daisy, were getting married here in Victoria. They live in London now,

and they came here for a tour of the building. They got pictures taken

out on the steps at the back, as many brides and grooms do. It was

summertime, and the doors were open. I was in here talking to Daisy, a

Brit, about our parliamentary institutions.

As we came out, a woman came up to me and said: “How come you’re

in there?” I said: “Well, I work here.” She looked at me — I had a pair

of shorts on — and she said: “Yeah. You work here. Sure you do.” I said:

“Well, I work here. These are my kids. I’m the Premier. Sorry, but I’m

coming in here.” It’s the only time in my however many years here…. I

know that there’s one scribe here that will remember this.

I’ve tried always to just be part of the building. I’ve tried

always to just be part of this extraordinary institution where people

from different walks of life, different passions, different perspectives

come here, proud as punch, to represent their community. You may be

radically right. You may be radically left. You may be radically middle

of the road. But all of us came here with that one sense of: “Look at

how this has turned out for me and my family. I get to represent my

community.”

I know that every one of you is proud of that, and I want to tell

you that I couldn’t be prouder to look at all of you, the most diverse

parliament in British Columbia history. I couldn’t find a better time to

make a speech than right now. All the women, all the people of colour,

LGBTQ, the diversity of British Columbia represented and reflected in

us. What an awesome thing that is. But it’s also an awesome

responsibility.

On those times when we get heated…. I’ve, on occasion, found

myself…. One such time I’ll share with you was when I was sitting in the

member for Columbia River–​Revelstoke’s seat. Colin Hansen was the

Finance Minister. I wanted to mention….

Interjection.

[1:15 p.m.]

J. Horgan: You know that one. Oh, there you go.

It involves Ellie, interestingly. Ellie was a small business

person. These are not incongruities. Reasonable people understand that.

You can be a social democrat and still be an entrepreneur. You can do

all of these things together. We are not separate component parts. We

are amalgams of all that we do. Ellie was a business person.

Those of you who have been on the Finance Committee, done your

tour of duty there…. You’re trying to engage with witnesses. One of the

witnesses said: “I really don’t like the tax system. It’s complicated.

You’ve got the HST or the GST or all of these Ts.” And I said: “Yeah, my

wife really finds that difficult.” Well, one of the staffers — it turns

out that it’s the member for White Rock — found this quote of me trying

to get information from a witness, using my spouse and her business as

an example.

Well, poor Colin Hansen gets up and says: “Well, your wife thinks

we should change the tax system.” And I lost my mind. I lost my mind

because first of all, she has nothing to do with debates in here. And

second of all, Colin is such a nice guy. He’s such a nice

guy.

I’ve got a list of people, and apologies for those who aren’t on

it. Colin, Joan McIntyre, George Abbott, Olga Ilich, Carole Taylor,

Blair Lekstrom — these are all people who had diametrically opposite

views to me on many occasions. The member for Abbotsford West…. I’m

going to stop there on current denizens, but it’s about just trying to

find the things we agree on, not always focusing on those tiny things we

disagree on.

So poor Colin. I shot out of the seat. I was coming around, and I

started — Colin would have been there in the Finance Minister’s seat —

and I thought, “I’m not going to make it,” because Lekstrom was there

and Rick Thorpe was there, a lot of big people. So I thought better of

my courageous “I’m going to go give Colin Hansen a piece of my mind,”

and I turned around, and that was the end of that. But the Speaker of

the day brought me in and said: “I understand that you almost went on

the government side.” And I said: “Well, I’ve got good friends over

there.”

To his full credit, and I will always remember this, Colin came to

me and apologized. That was the kind of guy he was, and that’s the kind

of relationship…. I know that the member for Abbotsford West and the

member for Port Coquitlam, who have been here before electricity…. They

know that you can have disagreements. They know you can have spirited

debates. They know you can lift people in joy and shatter them in

sorrow, but at the end of the day, you’ve just got to say: “It’s all

right.” You know? It’s an ordinary day, and that is why I’m so proud to

be here.

I’ve mentioned Liberals, so I get to turn that page, but I do it

genuinely. I do it genuinely, and I’m grateful for the relationships

that I’ve built with those who are here and those who have been here in

the past.

I also would be remiss if I didn’t talk a little bit about my

friends on this side of the House. Some of us have been here for a long,

long time. The member for Nanaimo–​North Cowichan, the member for

Surrey-Whalley, the member for Powell River–Sunshine Coast, Hillside,

Kingsway, on and on. Those who were elected in 2005, and those who were

here when there were tyrannosauruses roaming on the lawns. We’ve been

through the worst of times in opposition and the best of times in

government.

I’m hopeful that all of you who have been on both sides, also

those sitting currently in opposition, will reflect at the end of each

day that no matter what role we have to play in this place, it’s an

important role. It’s a vital role, and the people back home are

depending on it.

One of the things I got to do not just as Premier but as MLA is

travel to every corner of this province. I’ve been to almost every

community imaginable. I’ve been to Takla Landing — fantastic greeting

there by Chief French and the Takla people. Telegraph Creek. Atlin.

Lower Post — one of the most profound moments. Ellie and I both

travelled to Lower Post to participate in the dismantling of the last

vestiges of the residential school there — very powerful. Argenta. No

Premier has ever been to Argenta picking weed because it’s legal — for

medicinal purposes, I believe. Kaslo.

Williams Lake. Again, one of the highlights of my time was

visiting Surplus Herby’s in Williams Lake.

Interjection.

[1:20 p.m.]

J. Horgan: Yeah, there you go.

I was with Carole James. I had just become Leader of the Official

Opposition. Carole was well known across the province. No one knew who I

was. So Carole and I went on the road, and we were in Williams Lake. We

had a couple of meetings. Opposition members will know that it’s tough

to get a crowd when there’s a wave happening, and the wave had happened.

Carole and I were looking for people who wanted to talk to us, and we

had time on our hands.

I’d broken my sunglasses. Carole said her spouse, Al, is a

constant participant in the consuming experience at Surplus Herby’s.

Carole said: “I’m sure you’ll find sunglasses there. Al finds everything

there.” So we go into Surplus Herby’s, and we’re walking down the aisle.

This guy just shows up out of the blue, a little bit frazzled. I took a

step back, but Carole, resolute and confident, just smiled. He started

engaging with Carole, so I thought: “Okay, that’s my opportunity to go

and get my sunglasses.” I walked away, and I’m looking around, and this

guy comes up to me and says: “Excuse me.” I turned to him. He said: “I

hear you’re the Leader of the Opposition.” I said: “Yes, I am.” And he

goes: “What are the chances? I was just talking to the Premier, and now

the Leader of the Opposition here in Surplus Herby’s. What are the

chances?”

So the story there, the lesson there is: you wouldn’t worry what

people thought of you if you knew how seldomly they did. This guy has

seen Carole on TV. Carole, Christy — what’s the difference? You know, it

starts with a “C.” I know both of them will debate that, but for this

guy at Surplus Herby’s, as regular a guy as you’re going to find

anywhere, he just thought he’d hit the lottery on politicians. If we

were to ask him today what happened, he probably wouldn’t

remember.

I want you all to think about that, because this past few months

icing sugar has been the top of my agenda because of the supply chain

challenges, apparently. I’m going to have to talk to the Agriculture

Minister about this, but I promised my constituents I’d get to the

bottom of why we can’t find icing sugar.

I think of Surplus Herby’s. I think of Argenta. I think of all the

places I’ve been, all the people I’ve seen. It sounds like a grad speech

in that sense. You know, all the things you’ll do, the people you’ll

see.

Going back to being the King of Hearts and not being a page and

then being a staffer and then being elected and then being Premier and

then just being the guy that sits back on the elevated dais over there.

What an extraordinary opportunity. I am so fortunate to have had this

opportunity, a regular guy. You probably know a bit about my background.

My dad died when I was a baby, raised by my mom. She’s no longer with

us.

There are so many people who are no longer with us: Kim Manton, my

brother Pat, Jim Fulton, Ian Waddell, Margaret Mitchell, Jack Layton,

Frank and Kay Mitchell, Richard Hughes, Diane Kennedy, Anne Paxton.

These were people that were very deeply involved in this place, and

they’re no longer here. I’m very sad about that, but that is also

something that you need to all reflect on as you carry forward in your

deliberations in this place and your work back home.

In 2005 when I was elected here on the South Island, there was a

clutch of us. David Cubberley had been a Saanich councillor. Maurine

Karagianis had been an Esquimalt councillor. The member for Swan Lake,

then Hillside, had been a Victoria councillor. Carole James had been the

chair of the school board for almost as long as Mike has been here. Then

there was me, John.

Sorry, Speaker. Sorry, Table.

Joe Easingwood, who’s also passed, was the venerable talk show

host here at CFAX and had all of us on. The rookies, he called us. We

would do this. Of course, for those who were seasoned politicians, they

were: “Yeah, okay. This is fine.” But Easingwood kept calling me back by

myself, because he knew I was easy to wind up, and if you’re doing talk

show work, if you’ve got someone who won’t shut up, that’s a good

thing.

Joe would call me, and he’d bring me in. Then he’d push me with

something, and then I’d go on and on, and the phone boards would light

up. You could just see his eyes go: “Oh good. I like this guy.” I wasn’t

a former politician. I was this guy who seemed to connect with the

audience at CFAX at that time. I want to thank Joe and, of course, all

of the media for all of the kindness they’ve shown me over the

years.

It was never my intention to do this. In fact, when I was growing

up, I had the good fortune of being befriended by Bruce Hutchison. I

know those up there will know Bruce Hutchison. He was the editor

emeritus of the Vancouver Sun when he passed away, but he was

part of the press gallery here, I think, for 60 some years. He was my

mentor. Again, what a lucky guy this Horgan is.

[1:25 p.m.]

He was my mentor, and I uncovered a letter that he had written to

the Carleton School of Journalism, beseeching them to allow me into the

one-year program there. Of course, I later learned that there is a

portrait the size of that wall of Bruce Hutchison at the Carlton School

of Journalism, but they still turned me down. Boy, did I dodge a bullet

there, you know? I mean, imagine if I had had to become a journalist —

horrifying. But I was this close.

Cutting wood at the Hutchison retreat at Shawnigan Lake — this was

very important to Bruce, more important than kings and queens and Prime

Ministers, and he had dined with all of them. The woodpile, making sure

that it was appropriately stocked and you were ready for the winter, was

something that was very important to Bruce, and he hired me to cut wood

one summer when I was going to university. I’d maybe swung the axe five

or six times, and he came out from the cabin and said: “Horgan, you’re

working too hard. Come in, and we’ll have a beer.”

So I would then go into the cabin, and we would spend the rest of

the day talking about John Oliver, Duff Pattullo. All of the people that

had become part and parcel of my studies as a historian were part and

parcel of Bruce’s life, and I got a firsthand view of that right from

the beer bottle in front of the old wood stove. Then, of course, I had

to go back out and cut some more wood because we were all

out.

Again, I oftentimes pinch myself. How did I get so lucky?

Sixty-three years on the planet. I met Ellie the first day at

university, and we’ve been smitten with each other ever since. I had the

good fortune of being elected here. I’ve been able to move from that

seat in the corner to this seat right here and then over there and then

back here, just like that. I’m a lucky, lucky guy.

I want to touch on a few other things. I apologize for this,

because I was planning to just respond to the Speech from the Throne. I

literally didn’t expect to do this, but here I am.

I wanted to touch briefly on the pandemic and on the natural

disasters we’ve all experienced, because I believe that it’s not just

all of the collaboration that happened here, and it was extraordinary.

There was collaboration across the country.

I know the Premier has just been with other Premiers and the Prime

Minister trying to crack this nut of funding so that we can ensure that

we’re reimagining health care, publicly funded, public health care for

the generations to come. It’s critically important.

But we all came to this place from all sides of this House, from

all parts of the country, different perspectives through the pandemic,

because none of us had any idea what we were supposed to do next, unless

we collaborate.

I spent countless hours with business, with labour, with members

of this place. I know the Health Minister; Dr. Henry; Steve Brown, one

of the most incredible public servants that I’ve ever come across; Dr.

Penny Ballem…. They pulled together an extraordinary response. All of

us, although we disagreed on nuance, disagreed on substance, understood

that the only way that we as a community and we as a country could get

through an international catastrophe was if we work together.

It was unprecedented in our history and unprecedented in my life.

But it reaffirmed for me the importance of us always reaching across,

always making sure that we do not close the door on collaboration. Even

if we are heated about the particular point of view, we’ve got to make

sure that we find that humanity.

Which brings me to the last thing I want to talk about, which is

that I’m healthy. I don’t have cancer. [Applause.] Sorry. I should have

said that at the outset. Apologies for that. But I want to talk about

the extraordinary people at the Cancer Agency. I want to talk about Dr.

Pathak, who slit my throat — with a smile. He’s a very nice man. Dr.

Katter, who oriented the radiation. Dr. McAuley who dealt with my first

cancer but was more interested, it seemed to me, in my second cancer.

Sanjay, Preet, Deb, Sarah, Jordan, all of the people at the Cancer

Agency who bolted my head down to the table every day for a month and a

half and zapped me.

The beard went away. It’s starting to come back, and this is not

Grecian, I want the record to show. The radiation shed some pounds and

changed the colour of my beard. So I’m happy about that. I feel younger

already.

[1:30 p.m.]

But it was people like Tony from Salmon Arm. I’ve never met Tony.

We’ve been corresponding back and forth. I’ve mentioned him in this

place before. He was a month and a half ahead of me in treatment. He and

I kept an email relationship going, and we have since. I look forward to

seeing him this summer up at Salmon Arm. Maybe he can get me a

boat.

Countless British Columbians…. Ellie and I were inun­dated.

There were literally binders of good wishes this high from people. It’s

the humanity that cancer brings to us. The member from Maillardville

knows this. The member from North Shore knows this. And others who have

experienced cancer, either themselves or within their families, know

that there’s nothing more traumatizing than hearing those

words.

But once you normalize that and start acting like a human being,

it’s extraordinary the collaboration, and that’s what I took away from

those sessions. I would go, and it’s a workplace. You don’t always agree

with the people in your workplace. Is that fair? I’m not looking at

anyone in particular, but sometimes you don’t get along with everybody.

It happens.

But in the health care setting, health care workers, through the

pandemic, through shortages, through all of the challenges go to work

every day and give the best care possible. It is absolutely

extraordinary, and I cannot thank those workers and British Columbians

for how they responded to my personal tragedy.

I look at how we all responded to floods, to fires, to pandemic,

to heat domes, to the opioid crisis. These are unimaginable horrors for

individuals and families, yet we’ve all hung together. We disagreed on

how fast or how slow or how much or when, but we have never lost sight

of working together to find solutions to these vexing

problems.

Climate change is not an ideological question. It is a question

for every single human being on the planet. And if you haven’t been

paying attention, there are eight billion of them now — eight billion

souls spinning around not knowing where to go next, not knowing how fast

to go. We will have those debates. We will be certain in our cause, but

there is always uncertainty in everything that we do.

Every day we get up and we make choices. Sometimes we make good

choices. Sometimes we make bad choices. My mom, Alice, taught me at a

very early age that the best you can do is all you can do. “Do your

level best, son, and everyone will be fine.”

I have tried, over 18 years in this place as an MLA, 30 years

working here, 63 years drawing breath, to try and make it better every

day for the people around me. I want to thank you all for allowing me to

say today how important that has been for me, for my family and for my

community. I loved every minute of it. I can’t say any more than that

inside the House, but thanks for everything, all of you.

I know there are people I didn’t mention. I’ve got all these

notes. I worked so hard on them — meticulously. I’m fastidious for

staying to paper. The Health Minister knows this. We’ve been friends

since 1986, and there’s not a word that’s passed my lips that I haven’t

written down and passed on to someone else.

With that, I will just tantalize you with the water story. It’s

really funny, but I’m not going to tell it. They were taking… Now

they’re shaking their heads. “Do not do the water story.” Okay. Thanks,

everybody. If you want the water story, it’ll probably be on YouTube

sometime in the future.

[Applause.]

Hon. D. Eby: I seek leave to respond to the member from Langford’s

statement.

Leave granted.

[1:35 p.m.]

Hon. D. Eby: How do we, in this House and British Columbians, measure the

impact that John has had on this province? You know, if people have been

fortunate enough to meet him, they know how effortlessly loveable John

is. That is how he earned the name Premier Dad. You can see the massive

impact he has had on the lives of British Columbians through his

signature policies in his time in this place.

Child care — a brand-new social program, the first in a generation

for British Columbians, changing the lives of families and kids across

the province, letting parents save a bit of money too and also know that

their kids are in a safe place when they’re at work. Getting the big

money out of politics. Changing how politics is done in this province.

Making sure that the voices of people speak louder than the voices of

money.

Of course, as he mentioned, navigating the pandemic, putting the

medical officials front and centre and being willing to step back and

accept guidance from public health officials while supporting people and

businesses through an unprecedented time in our province.

Now, John’s hero is, as he mentioned, Dave Barrett, whose slogan

was: “Here for a good time, not a long time.” John’s motto was a little

bit different: “Here for a globally unprecedented, all-hands-on-deck,

historic leadership moment to head off a stable majority government

time.” It’s not as catchy, but it sure meant a lot to me.

When we look at the leadership that John showed, for example, on

climate sustainability in British Columbia through the CleanBC plan, a

North America–leading climate plan, which is also, critically, an

economic plan for our province…. The biggest middle-class tax cut in the

province’s history, getting rid of MSP. Changing the lives of families

who drive over the bridge every day by getting tolls off the bridges,

reducing costs for families. And the profound change of the passing of

the UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples into domestic law

here in B. C. I think every member in this place will remember that day

for the rest of their lives. It has changed our province forever for the

better.

In 2017, of course, John entered into that historic agreement with

Andrew Weaver and the B.C. Green Party that brought stability to B.C.

politics and won a massive majority in 2020. He proved his theory, which

he mentioned again, that B.C. is full of New Democrats; they just don’t

know it yet. Having had a chance to show what New Democrats can do in

government, they provided their overwhelming support.

After seeing the way that John steered the NDP and the changes he

has made, I know that there are so many people in the province, myself

included, that hope that you’re leaving to take a job with the Canucks.

[Laughter.]

J. Horgan: Call me.

Hon. D. Eby: Now, I don’t want to make the member feel uncomfortable, but I

know that John has also inspired so many people in our province. He’s

shown that a guy who struggled in his younger years — lost his dad,

raised by a single mom — can hold the highest office in our province and

can be respected by friend and foe. I was just with all the Premiers

across Canada. I don’t want to put anything on anyone, but I could see

the disappointment in their eyes when I walked in the room instead of

John.

I don’t mind admitting that John has also been a model in my

personal life. It might sound funny, but also in relationship stuff,

when Cailey and I are having a tough time — in any couple, you have

these moments — we ask ourselves: “What would John and Andrew Weaver

have done?”

In all seriousness, John, you’ve been our coach. You’ve been our

captain — supportive, encouraging, direct and only sometimes

unpredictable. But above everything else, I want to say thank you so

much. Thank you to Ellie. Thank you to your family for giving John to

the people of British Columbia. I know the sacrifice that families make.

I’m so grateful that you shared this man with us.

I am so humbled by the shoes that I have to fill. I know that

every member of our caucus has just endless love and respect for you and

the work that you’ve done in this place over your career. I’ll do my

best to follow your lead. I know I’m standing on your shoulders, and you

make it look easy. I’ll do my best to put people first the way that you

always did.

Thank you, John.

[Applause.]

T. Stone: I, too, seek leave to respond to the remarks from the member for

Langford–Juan de Fuca.

Leave granted.

T. Stone: It gives me a great deal of pleasure to rise today on behalf of

the Leader of the Official Opposition and, indeed, the entire B.C.

Liberal opposition as we all in this House come together to join in

recognizing the 36th Premier of British Columbia.

[1:40 p.m.]

He’s a man who has had a long, long presence in this building —

first as a staffer, as he pointed out, to the NDP government of the

1990s. He may have been up on the third floor; I was toiling away in the

basement in the 1990s but eventually made my way back up in this

building. He served as the MLA for Malahat–Juan de Fuca, elected in

2005, and really, truly has become a fixture in this place.

Certainly, as we just heard, it wasn’t always easy — it never is

for any of us in this place — but I think that the unique perspective

that the former Premier, the member, John, mentioned in his remarks,

about having served on both sides of this place, is what really, truly

resonates: that it is so important that both sides do the job that they

were sent here to do and that it’s not easy.

I am certain that we all know which side he has enjoyed the most

over those years, but what I think is also fair to say is that it was

unquestionable, his commitment to the fact that both sides needed to be

functioning well for this place to really work. I remember him often

saying that government has a job to do, and the opposition has a job to

do.

Certainly, here in the chamber, he gave it as good as he took it,

and we might all quibble on which days were better than others, but I

know that all of us, in the opposition in recent years, have enjoyed our

engagements with him in this chamber — or perhaps, better described as

jousting, at times.

What I always appreciated, I know, in my own personal case: even

if, maybe, he would acknowledge that he didn’t get the best of you that

day, when question period was over and the bell rang, he would always

look across with that characteristic grin and kind of give you a nod or

a wink. I think we always took that to be: “Hey, that was a good one

today. Good job.” I think that underpins the character of the

man.

Today as the long-serving MLA for Langford–Juan de Fuca, he can

certainly look back on a storied career — one that has been very much

devoted, clearly, to his party, but even more so to the people of this

province, to this great province we call British Columbia.

I’ve only known him for about ten years, in the time that we’ve

served since I was first elected in 2013. Again, we’ve very rarely,

maybe, agreed on the specific policies — and as he pointed out, in

retrospect, you look back on it and, well, it was more about the timing,

the amount or whatnot — but the underlying values and principles you’d

generally agree with. I’ve certainly never doubted that he cared about

his constituents, his community and this province.

I do also remember when he was Leader of the Opposition, and I was

the Minister of Transportation. There were very few people in the then

NDP opposition that beat a more well-worn path to my office on behalf of

his constituents to advocate for infrastructure projects. There was a

heck of a lot of pavement out in Langford in those days, whether it was

the McKenzie interchange or the Leigh Road off-ramp or the Westshore

Parkway. He would often just show up at my office and knock on the door.

In he would come, and he would make the case on behalf of his

constituents.

That is the sign of a good constituency MLA, which, whether you’re

a Premier or a minister or a House Leader or any other role in this

place, is the most fundamental role, the most important one, the one

that we are sent here to do: to serve our constituents as the MLA.

Caring for one’s province, community and constituents is the most

important part of public service, and it’s why we all do what we

do.

I want to also say this. It never went unnoticed, the care that

John would show all people in this building. When he talks about being a

part of this place, he lived it day to day. It didn’t matter if you were

a member of the NDP caucus or the NDP staff or the official opposition

staff or the caucus on this side. He always showed the care for people,

especially if he knew that you were going through something challenging

personally, if you’re going through something challenging back home —

always quick to check in on you.

[1:45 p.m.]

Members of this House will know that I talked about a situation

with one of my daughters and a very serious surgery that she had at

Children’s Hospital. God bless the care that she received there. I was

so grateful, as my wife Chantelle was, for the care that the then

Premier showed our family in checking in with me and making sure that

everything was okay. Again, a sign of the kind of man that he really

is.

So as he moves from this building and packs up and the Reynolds

scarf and lacrosse stick are long gone from this place, or will be soon,

on behalf of the Liberal opposition, I really want to say this. You

really are looking good, and we’re so very grateful for that. Please

know that everyone here today, indeed all British Columbians, continue

to have you in their thoughts. We wish nothing but great health for you

and your family. Much happiness with Ellie and your boys in the months

and the years ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I hope you’ll permit me again in breaking the rules a

few more times.

John from Langford, all British Columbians thank you for your love

of our province, your commitment to serving its people best. Thank you

for always doing your level best.

[Applause.]

S. Furstenau: I also seek leave to respond to the statement.

Leave granted.

S. Furstenau: I appreciate that.

It’s a privilege to be able to respond to the statement and to be

able, on behalf of the Third Party, the Green caucus, to speak today as

we say thank you to a very long serving member of this House and to John

from Langford.

The story about the page is interesting. You might have all

noticed that B.C. is a very small place, but Vancouver Island is, like,

minuscule. I’m actually kind of glad that I grew up before I moved here

because it is such a small place. But that call to the principal’s

office to be a page was also heard by somebody else that I happen to be

married to. And it was two years before that that he did actually go to

the principal’s office, my husband Blaise Salmon, and he was a page in

this building.

He has some interesting ways of describing that experience. The

word that he uses most often is “boring” for a 13-year-old to sit in

here and listen to all the speeches all day long. Although the boredom

was apparently broken up by the opportunity to get a note and pass it

along, which meant a detour into the hallway to have a look and see what

was in there.

But I’m going to propose that there could have been a different

timeline with a different outcome. Had John gone to the office that day

and been a page and found out how boring it is to sometimes sit in here,

Ellie may well have been the Premier of this province.

John and my husband, Blaise go way back to high school days. I

don’t know if everybody knows this, but that’s Reynolds High School they

went to. But he and I go back eight years, and the first time that we

met was in his office when he was Leader of the Official Opposition in

2015. We were here on behalf of Shawnigan community, and he took an

afternoon out from an Easter long weekend, a Monday, and came and met

with Blaise and me and Georgia Collins from our community to talk about

ways to work together to protect our watershed.

That really sums up what service is: it is finding ways to come

together and work on behalf of the people of this province. That is what

he has embodied, and that is what, I think, we can be so grateful

for.

[1:50 p.m.]

I’m not going to go back to grade 1, but I will go back to May 9,

2017, which was the next time that we really were brought together in a

somewhat unexpected way. We were rather all surprised, I think, that

night, of the outcome of the election. I’ve heard the Clerk of the House

describe it as the only election night in history when all three party

leaders got up and gave a victory speech.

I think one of the comments that I want to start with is actually

from the former Premier — the former, former Premier, Christy Clark —

and what she said that night. She said: “British Columbians did tell us

tonight that they want us to do some things differently. They want us to

work together. They want us to work across party lines. They want us to

find a way to get along so that we can all work for the province that we

all love so very, very much.”

That is what happened for the next 3½ years, in a combination of

things that hadn’t happened in this province for 50 years. We did find a

way to work together. The work that we did was important, and I’m

incredibly proud of what we accomplished — in particular, the

Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. That was historic

and precedent-setting. It was something that all of us should be

recognizing as changing the landscape. When we all signed our names to

that agreement, we showed that something is possible in politics, and we

can show that over and over again.

I think that we can also show our commitment to democracy. In the

last few years, what we’ve all learned is the importance of unlikely

allies and common priorities. Sometimes they’re found in committee

chambers, sometimes in after-work dinner invitations. They’re found in

the hallways. They’re found in the conversations we weren’t expecting to

have. We can always seek those out.

John, you definitely found a way to seek those out.

I want to acknowledge, as did the House Leader of the official

opposition, something that we all know. We don’t talk about it much, but

this job is hard. The leadership roles in these jobs are even harder.

The pressure. The time away from family, from children, from friends.

Trying to be in ten places at once. Trying to be everything to everyone

at once. It’s challenging. It’s a sacrifice. And we should all be

grateful for the work that has gone in from John to do that and to serve

this province.

Thank you to you. Thank you to Ellie and your family, your

friends, your community who supported you. Thank you for your

service.

Thank you for caring about the people of this province and for

doing your level best to work for them on their behalf.

[Applause.]

Orders of the Day

Hon. L. Beare: I call the continued Address in Reply to the Speech from the

Throne.

Mr. Speaker: The House will be in recess for ten minutes.

The House recessed from 1:55 p.m. to 2:04 p.m.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

Deputy Speaker: All right, Members. I’d like to draw the House back into session.

We’re here, of course, now, moving on to throne speech debate.

I see our colleague from Coquitlam–Burke Mountain preparing. All

right. There he is.

Member for Coquitlam–Burke Mountain.

[2:05 p.m.]

F. Donnelly: The throne speech outlines our government’s plan to tackle big

challenges now and build a stronger, more secure future for everyone. I will

pick up later in my speech on this theme of security, especially when it

comes to B.C.’s watersheds.

We know it’s a time of uncertainty and challenges, but our government

wants to let British Columbians know we have their backs. This is a critical

point, that as a government we have your back, versus a government that only

looks at supporting those with wealth and the resources to help themselves.

So instead of pulling back, cutting services or making people pay out of

pocket for private health care or piling on user fees, we’re putting the

surplus right back in people’s pockets to help them, to help people with

their everyday costs.

We’re taking action today to build a stronger tomorrow by helping

people with costs by introducing new measures to help everyone and targeting

support for those hardest hit, including those with lower incomes and

families with children; tackling the housing crisis by getting tough on

speculators while launching a refreshed middle-class housing strategy and

increasing homes and services near transit hubs across the province;

strengthening public health care after the pandemic by investing in new

hospitals, a new medical school at SFU and getting internationally trained

doctors and health workers into our clinics to provide care for British

Columbians.

We want to make our community safer with actions to get violent

offenders off the streets and new laws to crack down on gangs, money

laundering and non-consensual distribution of intimate images, which is

something that I worked on as an MP while I was in Ottawa.

We want to fight climate change and build a clean economy for everyone

by launching a plan that will give British Columbians the skills to fill the

jobs of today and tomorrow, expanding our low-cost clean energy solutions

and working in partnership with Indigenous peoples.

We want to partner with Indigenous peoples, who are foundational to

our work, as we continue the ongoing implementation of the Declaration on

the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, as we work to implement the DRIPA

action plan, as we continue to move to co-governance, as we continue to

right the wrongs that were made in this province’s history.

Our government’s desire to help those who need it and build a better

tomorrow has significantly benefited residents of my constituency of

Coquitlam–Burke Mountain. Since 2017, over 35,000 affordable new homes have

been completed or are underway for the people of British Columbia, and 644

of these homes are in the Tri-Cities.

More than $7 billion has been invested in B.C. over the past ten years

to build homes people need. Over $22 million of those funds has been

invested in Coquitlam–Burke Mountain, and we have ensured that hundreds of

residents currently living in older affordable housing will have new housing

available for the future.

An example of this investment in affordable housing is in the

construction of a new rental housing project that will replace the aging Hoy

Creek Housing Co-op. This project will provide more affordable homes for

people with low-and middle-incomes. The rental housing project will feature

a mix of studio, one, two and three-bedroom units.

The Community Land Trust Foundation of B.C. will operate the new homes

in partnership with the Hoy Creek Housing Co-op. The foundation is receiving

$14 million from our government’s Building B.C. community housing fund, and

B.C. Housing will provide an annual subsidy to the foundation to support

ongoing operations, including maintenance and repairs.

Affordable housing projects like this are welcome news in Coquitlam

and throughout the province. The construction of these homes helps ensure a

supply of quality affordable homes for individuals and families in Coquitlam

so people can afford to live in our community.

Recently the Premier and the Minister of Housing announced additional

provincial funding to protect thousands of affordable housing units across

the province. The $500 million rental protection fund is dedicated to

purchasing affordable housing, residential rental buildings and co-ops

listed for sale to ensure that these units are available for decades to

come.

[2:10 p.m.]

I’m working with the Co-operative Housing Federation of B.C. on behalf

of two co-ops in my constituency whose land leases have expired, and they

are now in danger of having the land they sit on sold to developers. I’m

confident that by working together with the landowners and with the

financial support of the rental protection fund that we can negotiate an

agreement that will ensure that hundreds of residents can continue to live

in their affordable homes.

Coquitlam–Burke Mountain is a fast-growing area, and the provision of

schools is also an important issue to many families living there. This past

August, the former Premier — and it was certainly fantastic to hear from the

Premier earlier today — brought excellent news for these families and our

school district, and $135 million is being invested to build the 1,000-seat

Burke Mountain middle and secondary school. I worked closely with hundreds

of parents lobbying for this school and am pleased that our government’s

promise to build it now is officially underway.

In addition, our area has received $20.5 million to build the 430-seat

Smiling Creek elementary school and $6.2 million to expand Panorama Heights

Elementary. Since 2017, 2,050 school spaces have been approved in the

Tri-Cities, and $298 million has been invested in major and minor capital

projects in our school district.

It is well documented that the challenges surrounding the COVID-19

pandemic caused a decline in the mental health of a significant number of

British Columbians. Demand for mental health and addiction services has

increased each year. In response to this need, the 105-bed Red Fish Healing

Centre for Mental Health and Addiction was built in Coquitlam, and $130

million was invested in this facility, which treats people who live with the

most severe and complex substance use and mental health issues.

The lands where the Red Fish Healing Centre are located were formerly

the home of Riverview Hospital, which closed ten years ago. In recent years,

the local Kwikwetlem First Nation filed a land claim which includes the

Riverview property, now known as

səmiq̓wəʔelə.

B.C. Housing has commenced a public planning process in partnership

with the Kwikwetlem First Nation to determine future uses of the property.

I’ve been following the process closely, in the hope that the needs of many

stakeholders, including the local government, the First Nation, mental

health advocates and environmental groups in the surrounding community can

be accommodated in the best ways possible.

On the matter of more and better health care, I’ve joined with my

tri-city MLA colleagues, who are working with the Eagle Ridge Hospital

Foundation, to secure more resources for our regional hospital, especially

for a new MRI. The Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation has a strong focus on

getting an MRI at the Eagle Ridge Hospital to improve its diagnostic imaging

capacity, improve patient care, shorten hospital stays and give residents of

the Tri-Cities the same access to an MRI already enjoyed by residents in

almost every other community serviced by the Fraser Health

Authority.

I consider myself fortunate that my constituency is home to such a

diverse array of citizens who have travelled from countries all over the

world. Each year, many of my constituents celebrate the lunar new year. On

this day, families get together to enjoy delicious food and exchange warm

wishes. Young people salute their elders and light fireworks to drive away

negative energy.

On January 15, the member for Port Moody–Coquitlam and I hosted a

multicultural lunar new year celebration at Inlet Theatre in Port Moody. A

large audience gathered to welcome in the Year of the Rabbit and enjoyed

multicultural performances by talented local artists, and a diverse number

of community organizations offered numerous cultural activities, which

included paper-cutting, lantern-making and Chinese calligraphy.

[2:15 p.m.]

I’d like to thank our co-hosts Linda Lee and Ernest Wu of the Tri-City

Chinese Community Society and all their volunteers, as well as Jean Liang

and members of the Golden Maple Culture and Arts Association, Teacher Wang

of the BaoBao Arts Centre and Wayne Gao of Ping-Point Media and his amazing

team, who ensured all went smoothly backstage.

Thank you to the Kwikwetlem First Nation Chief, Ed Hall, who started

our celebration off in a good way. This was truly a team effort that

resulted in a dynamic array of performances enjoyed by all. There were many

wonderful performances, beginning with an energetic lion dance and included

a children’s ballet class, an Iranian choir, a solo dance, a Korean K-pop

dance group, a cello ensemble and a traditional Chinese orchestra. Special

thanks goes to the BaoBao Arts Centre, whose students participated in many

of those performances. Your enthusiastic support was greatly

appreciated.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the hard-working staff in my

Coquitlam–Burke Mountain constituency office who work tirelessly to put on

the multicultural lunar new year celebration, along with our community

partners, and who work tirelessly every day to serve the good people of

Coquitlam–Burke Mountain. Linda Asgeirsson, Justin Smith and Perisa Chan,

who currently work in my office, and Kaitlyn Gorman and Brett Collins, who

formerly worked in my office but have moved over to Finance and to the

party, respectively. I can’t thank them enough for all of the help and the

hard work and how they prepare me and each of us in our respective roles as

MLAs. My hat’s off to how hard they work for us, day in and day

out.

It was marvellous to meet so many people at this year’s multicultural

lunar new year celebration, from newcomers to those who have lived in the

Tri-Cities for decades. I believe by joining together at community

celebrations like the lunar new year event, we are building a foundation of

understanding and harmony which will make our communities and our province

stronger and healthier in the future.

I spoke earlier about how our government aims to pro­vide a

stronger, more secure future for British Columbians. I’d like to now

highlight some of the work that we’ve been doing with the new Ministry of

Land, Water and Resource Stewardship toward establishing a restoration

economy, working to heal and protect the land and to heal and protect B.C.’s

watersheds.

Healthy watersheds provide fresh water that’s safe to drink, good for

growing food and needed to sustain communities and culture. They absorb

flood and storm water and protect against wildfires and drought. They

provide habitat for wild salmon and other animals. They keep forests and

wild habitats healthy and store carbon. They make the air we breathe cleaner

and support community and mental health. They help protect and uphold

Indigenous rights, and they support many economic sectors that rely heavily

on water.

As climate change accelerates, resulting in record droughts, wildfires

and flood disasters, the actions taken to heal and protect B.C.’s watersheds

are essential. Watershed work happening across the province is making lands

and waters healthy again, creating good jobs and training opportunities,

building resilience to climate change and strengthening communities. The

hands-on work of First Nations, local governments and community groups is an

example of what can happen when we work together and make strong investments

in watershed security.

I’d like to use some of my time today to highlight the projects that

have happened since our government invested in the healthy watersheds

initiative. The Golden District Rod and Gun Club restored disturbed areas

within the Blueberry rivershed to promote wildlife habitat recovery. The

club worked with First Nations and conservation organizations to plan the

project and undertake restoration work.

The Elk River Alliance’s community-based water-monitoring program is

gathering data to monitor Elk River tributaries that are critical habitat

for wildlife. By collecting data and identifying trends in ecosystem health,

the Elk River Alliance will be able to create an early warning system to

identify the effects of climate change and land use decisions. The Scw’exmx

Tribal Council is conducting water monitoring to track agricultural effluent

along the Nicola and Coldwater Rivers. Communities and decision-makers will

use this data to understand how water quality may be impacted by

agricultural activity during the spring freshet.

[2:20 p.m.]

The Tŝilhqot’in national government increased First Nations water

management and analysis capacity by implementing a new data management

portal to centralize, analyze and share up-to-date water quality and

quantity data; repaired hydrometric stations and installed new ones;

expanded monitoring data collection. This project equips First Nation

decision-makers with the information needed to prioritize projects related

to ecological and forestry recovery, climate change resilience and flood and

drought mitigation.

Here’s a project I visited last summer. The city of Trail has restored

over 900 hectares of wetlands, floodplain and tributaries in the Cambridge

Creek Reservoir and Violin Lake by decommissioning four dams and rebuilding

the surrounding wetlands and streams. By undertaking this large-scale work,

the city improved the health of the watershed and has made the site safer

for the public.

I’d just like to give a quick shout-out to my friend Evan Brown, the

minister’s executive assistant, who accompanied me on this and many other

trips that I managed to make and visit this summer, and for organizing all

of those visits. To all of the staff at Water, Land and Resource Stewardship

who helped make these trips happen, thank you for all the work that

you.

The district of Kent replaced a culvert on the Lower Agassi Slough to

open the water for fish passage. A new fish-friendly floodgate is making

valuable habitat accessible to overwintering juvenile salmon and other fish

species.

Interjection.

F. Donnelly: There we go. I’ve got a fan.

The Gitxsan Watershed Authorities restored McCully Creek by

channelizing abraded lower reach of the creek into one channel with

sufficient water depth and flow for salmon passage and habitat use,

restoring access, connectivity and quality of critical salmon habitat while

engaging and training Gitxsan community members.

The Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance and Carrier-Sekani

First Nation worked with governments and communities to build a weir on the

Endako River. After constructing the weir, their team monitored water flows

and mitigated dewatering during low flows to protect the spawning habitat of

important chinook and kokanee salmon populations.

The Rivershed Society of B.C. is implementing a foodlands corridor on

the Salmon River in Langley, in the shared territory of the Kwantlen,

Katzie, Semiahmoo and Matsqui Nations. They’re working in a collaboration

with Səýeḿ Kwantlen, the business

subsidiary of the Kwantlen First Nation, Langley Environmental Partner

Society, Kerr Wood Leidal, the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance, farmers and

multiple landowners along the river.

At various stages throughout the project planning, Rivershed has

consulted and worked with Kwantlen and Katzie knowledge holders to integrate

culturally significant plants in their habitat restoration plans, which also

focus on the animals and other targeted species that have been harvested and

hunted for spiritual, nutritional and medicinal purposes. To uphold the

traditional place, plant and animal names, knowledge holders are providing

translation in local dialects of

hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓.

The B.C. Wildlife Federation deployed the Wetlands Workforce across

the province, in collaboration with conservation organizations and First

Nations, to improve riparian area habitat, monitor the effectiveness of

wetland restoration sites, advance collaborative restoration projects with

First Nations and communities, provide employment opportunities targeting

women, young adults and First Nations and support provincewide monitoring

initiatives that improved wetland management.

[2:25 p.m.]

Cowichan Tribes performed extensive work to rehabilitate the Cowichan

and Koksilah Rivers by focusing on sediment management and habitat

rehabilitation. Work involved removing almost 90,000 square metres of

sediment across six sites, repairing the hatchery and old south side dikes,

excavating and reactivating side channels and monitoring of sites for flood

and drought management.

The Comox Valley Project Watershed Society, in partnership with

K’ómoks First Nation and the city of Courtney, dismantled and restored

Kus-kus-sum, a former sawmill site on the Courtenay River, to its native

estuary, salt marsh and riverside forest. Restoration of this site benefits

at least nine fish species, 145 bird species and 281 plant

species.

The World Wildlife Fund Canada supported Katzie First Nation in

restoration work on four critical salmon habitats in the Upper Pitt

watershed. This work installed intakes, created new channels for smolt

habitat, reconnected historical hydrological systems and constructed bio

berms to protect spawning habitat.

I could go on and on with examples of amazing work that’s happening

across our province. I just want to say that mentioning these projects, you

can tell…. I think many members in this place can see themselves in these

projects, because they represent all corners of this province. Whether in

the southwest or the southeast, on the Island, midcoast, the northwest or

the northeast, there are groups all over our province that are doing

tremendous work. Whether it’s First Nations, communities, local

organizations, they are all working hard to heal and protect the watersheds

that we all live in and depend on.

I’d like to highlight now and take a minute to talk about a variety of

benefits of watershed restoration for our communities and the

province.

Watershed restoration projects are rebuilding the natural

infrastructure of our watersheds at a fraction of the cost of recovery

efforts after extreme climate events, drawing on Indigenous knowledge

alongside Western science. They are advancing commitments to UNDRIP through

Indigenous leadership, knowledge and meaningful partnerships between

Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. They are providing employment and

training, and contributing to the growth of B.C.’s watershed workforce,

including youth, women and Indigenous people.

They are helping protect drinking water sources through the

restoration and management of water-filtering wetlands. They support food

security and sustainable food production, and have cross-sector industry

benefits for forestry, fisheries and tourism. They help ensure rivers

continue to flow, wetlands are restored and wild salmon, steelhead, sturgeon

and other species can not only survive but thrive.

As the first-ever Parliamentary Secretary for Watershed Restoration in

British Columbia, I’m inspired daily by the dedication and commitment of

people doing this critical work in their local watersheds to safeguard their

communities. I’m excited to continue working alongside local governments,

Indigenous nations and community groups to advance watershed security and

secure the investments needed to keep the momentum going.

I firmly believe this kind of work is leading to the change of a

needed restoration economy, a new way of living and working in British

Columbia, one that leads to a stronger, more secure future. Given the

current climate, we certainly need that.

D. Davies: Following on the inspiring speech from my colleague before me, I will

try…. Well, I know it’s going to be very difficult to be as inspiring,

because this throne speech actually was not very inspiring.

[2:30 p.m.]

I do want to start, on behalf of my constituents of Peace River

North…. I’m truly honoured to be giving some feedback on this year’s throne

speech. I’ll be giving feedback based on a lot of what was said but, more

so, how it connects to my region, to my colleague’s region — or, actually,

how little this connects to our region.

I’m certainly proud, like all of us are in this place to represent our

ridings. My riding, I’ve mentioned, is quite large, from Taylor to Hudson’s

Hope, Fort St. John to Fort Nelson, the many little hamlets that are spread

throughout and my Indigenous communities that are really spread across

almost 170,000 square kilometres that make up a large chunk of northeastern

British Columbia.

With that, obviously, I do require some incredible staff. I do want to

thank my constituency staff, Kim Eglinkski, Tamara Wilkinson and Natasha

Scott, and my legislative staff here, Wendy, David and Ryan, who always, all

of them, work together as a great team to make sure that they’re supporting

me in the work that I need to do to make sure that I am representing my

constituents.

Finally, I certainly want to recognize and thank my family, of course,

where I draw most of my inspiration for being here. Because I am doing this

because I want an incredible province for my children to grow up in. I do

this for my son, Noel, and my daughter, Hana, who have sacrificed so much to

have me here and away from them, to which I think everybody in this chamber

can attest and experiences in some way or another.

As I mentioned a moment ago, I can really only use one word, and

that’s “dismay,” when I listened to the throne speech a couple of days ago.

In fact, I’ll mention Vaughn Palmer’s headline: “Long on promises, short on

details.” That really sums it up. In fact, I will use a couple of other

quotes — Rob Shaw, also: the Premier “hit snooze” on his “uneventful throne

speech.” That is really, I believe, what British Columbians saw, the vast

majority of what British Columbians saw, that was displayed in this throne

speech.

Displayed in this throne speech: how out of touch this government is

with the pain and the challenges, I think, that the vast majority of British

Columbians are feeling and seeing right now. The throne speech from this

government did not provide hope. It provided very little vision at a time

when people are looking for hope, when people are looking for that vision,

especially now, on the coat-tails of the incredible challenges that everyone

has faced these past couple of years.

What British Columbians have been given is nothing, really, more than

a laundry list of what happened yesterday, spewing out of promises that were

made in 2017 and made in the 2020 elections — some of them just reused over

and over again. Well, maybe not all. I didn’t hear anything on the

elimination of portables. I know that was one there. I guess they’ve given

up on that one. Renters rebate. I don’t recall seeing anything on the

renters rebate. I guess they’ve given up on that one.

But these are campaign promises that have been made by this government

for almost the last six years that, I think, British Columbians have given

up on. They don’t see any action from this government. They don’t see any

action in this throne speech that was presented. We have seen very little

action over the last number of years. I think this is what is driving a lot

of the worry. When I talk to people in my constituency office or when I

travel to different parts of the province, people are really concerned that

this government is not looking out for them or, as the title of the throne

speech is, “We have your back.” British Columbians do not feel that the

government has their back.

[2:35 p.m.]

I’ve said this in the past. This is a rudderless government lost in

the ocean right now, a government that seems to have no real idea of the

direction that we’re going in — and, sadly, dragging British Columbians

along with you. Again, I love using quotes. Rob Shaw, as well, mentioned:

“At 26 pages and 5,000 words, it said very little of substance on what his

new government intends to do over the next few months.”

British Columbians are listening. British Columbians are worried. All

of us in this House, down on the floor, many people watching recognize that

the throne speech is a cornerstone of this place, of all governments across

this country. It’s a chance to put down, in black and white, the direction

that you plan to be going, to lay that vision out and to provide hope for

British Columbians. It maps out what the government intends to do. But there

was nothing really of that in this throne speech.

What was really concerning was…. There’s no real vision for

stimulating the economy, which is something really important in my area, the

northeast part of British Columbia, which is really a powerhouse, a

breadbasket of the province, incredible natural resources that include

forestry. There’s mining, natural gas, oil, vast amounts of agriculture.

British Columbians are very lucky to have an abundance of resources across

the province.

There’s no vision. The throne speech was quite clear. It did not even

mention anything about how we are going to grow British Columbia’s economy,

which is truly based on our natural resource sector.

A sentence on forestry. Actually, I think there might have been two

short sentences on forestry.

Interjection.

D. Davies: Yeah. Maybe not.

A sentence on mining. Yeah. Mining is good.

It breezed over a couple of little comments on agriculture.

No mention of British Columbia’s oil and gas sector, especially

natural gas. That is concerning.

We all understand how important the resource sector is to the province

of British Columbia. We all want to have incredible schools. We all want to

have a great health care system. We all want our roads maintained. We all

need these things. This is what British Columbians expect. But if we don’t

have an economy to support that, which this throne speech certainly doesn’t

promote, we are going to be in a great pile of trouble.

As I mentioned, very little comments, very little discussion about the

North. I think it was mentioned three or four times in the throne speech.

There was talk about the Mainland but, again, very little comfort for my

constituents in Peace River North.

LNG, as we talked about…. We have, right now, one of the biggest

projects being built in Canada, one of the largest projects in Canada being

built up in Kitimat, with LNG Canada. An incredible project that will divert

an incredible amount of CO 2 from the atmosphere by supplying a

much cleaner fuel to countries such as India and China and other growing

countries around the world — Europe — that are struggling to get their

energy.

These are great opportunities for British Columbia that we’re not even

seeing this government talk about. Opportunities to use a resource that has

been, for the last decades…. Certainly, in the last decade, it has, through

innovation, how the extraction of our resources is done, become incredibly

environmentally friendly when you compare it to other countries that are

still going to be there providing, regardless, energy around the world. This

is something, again, that really worries me.

[2:40 p.m.]

Right now we’re looking at Cedar LNG, which is kind of in this awkward

holding stage, and Tilbury. These are projects that we need to be seen to

move forward. These are projects that the province needs to see move

forward, again, if we’re going to continue to maintain the fantastic

education program that we have, to improve our much-needed health care

system that we have.

Of course, in my riding of Peace River North, the natural gas sector

is the largest sector. It is the largest sector that employs people. It

keeps our communities going. There are good-paying family jobs. These

industries that are part of our communities — some are small, some are big —

are really a big piece of the cloth of our communities. They’re the ones

that are funding all the little extra things that our communities rely

on.

It doesn’t matter if it’s sports teams; funding many of the social

service programs in and around the Peace country, up into Fort Nelson; or

providing food through food banks. This is all provided by a lot of these

companies, which are right now, and have been for the last number of years,

feeling threatened by this government, which does not talk with or display

any love at all for these important sectors — not just the oil and gas but

others that are seeing the challenges they’re being faced with right

now.

Actually, it seems like this government is an anti-resource government

— period. We’ve seen the crumbling of the forest sector. Again, the forest

sector plays a significant role in my riding, definitely. I know the member

for Peace River South recently had a mill closure in Chetwynd. I have a pulp

mill in Taylor that has been indefinitely curtailed. These are challenges

that are challenging not just my region but communities across British

Columbia.

The impact is felt not only in rural British Columbia, but it is felt

in the larger centres throughout the Lower Mainland, on the Island. Forestry

plays a significant role, yet we’re seeing these jobs being lost and

families being displaced, with very little sign of a lifeline being thrown

to them: “Yeah, we’ll train you up for the tech sector.” Well, if you look

at a sector right now that is actually losing people, it is the tech sector

across the world. As you can see, there’s not a lot of hope in the 2023

throne speech.

Another thing that is really prominent in my community is the farming

aspect. Over 90 percent of all the grain produced in British Columbia comes

from the Peace region. I know my colleague from Delta South has been up

there a few times and toured. You know, it looks a lot like Alberta up

there. The amount of farmland there is vast — hundreds of thousands of acres

of canola, wheat, barley. Even our farmers are feeling threatened because

this is a government that doesn’t seem to support many of the aspects that

are unique to the farming community in the North.

Allowing people to have a second residence is one thing that I’ve

heard over and over again. I know we’ve addressed that a number of times

with the former Agriculture Minister. I know we’ve talked about it. Having

title on a second piece of land, on a farm, is a challenge.

[2:45 p.m.]

These industries — again, as we have talked about — do support our

health care system and all the other pieces we all rely on, but the health

care system is shambling. I can tell you firsthand that it is — probably;

well, not probably — the number one complaint I receive in my office in Fort

St. John, as well as in my office in Fort Nelson.

The number one phone call I receive from constituents is on health

care or the lack of: can’t get a specialist, wait times. We have people

driving to Grande Prairie, Alberta, when they’re injured because they can

get into emergency quicker than they can in Fort St. John or even in Dawson

Creek. They’re driving to Grande Prairie, Alberta, to another province,

because it’s quicker. You add a two-hour drive, your wait, procedure,

whatever happens and home in quicker time than they can get served in their

own community. That’s a shame.

We’ve seen diversions, emergency room closures. What we get year after

year, throne speech after throne speech: “We’re improving it. It’s getting

better. It’s going to get better.” Well, it isn’t; it hasn’t. You can ask

British Columbians across the province, anyone, anywhere on the street, “Has

health care got better for you?” and I know that the answer will be a

resounding: “No, it has not.” Not a lot of positive outlook for health

care.

I’m going to interject a little piece here. I forgot. I was going to

talk about this earlier. Just a couple of days ago, the B.C. Labour Market

Outlook came out, which looks at, as it says, the market. What is British

Columbia going to look like going forward for the next decade or so? It was

interesting. I pulled out the northeast, and I just want to read it

here.

These are what are expected to be the big things that are going to be

happening in the northeast, where labour is going to be needed. “Industries

that are expected to grow fastest are nursing and residential care

facilities.” Okay. Probably won’t argue with that. “Universities.” Hmm.

That’s interesting. We have a satellite campus of UNBC that has a classroom

in it, so I’m not sure how that is one of the fastest-growing industries in

northeastern B.C. “Fishing, hunting and trapping.” Well, we’ve seen the

challenges around fishing, hunting and trapping the last couple of years, so

I’m not sure how that industry is going to grow. “Online shopping is

expected to grow in northeastern British Columbia. Private trades and

education, telecommunications, postal services, couriers and

messengers.”

These are what the B.C. government says are going to be the growing

industries in northeastern B.C. It’s quite shocking, actually.

No mention of forestry. Well, I guess we know it’s not going to grow.

There’s no mention. There’s not even an inkling of a hint for it to grow. No

growth. I guess the mining industry is not going to be growing up in

northeast B.C. The oil and gas sector is certainly not going to be growing.

I guess farming is not going to be growing.

Again, another great example to show how out of touch this government

is by releasing something like this. Stunning.

In the throne speech, there was a mention…. Again, this is the out of

touch piece, talking about how many peo­ple are moving to British

Columbia because they see the opportunity here. This was in the throne

speech. I can’t remember what page. I’m not going to read it. But people are

moving to British Columbia to seek out better.

Interestingly enough, CTV did a story just a week or two back on the

record-high number of people leaving British Columbia, going to Alberta. A

20-year high, according to Stats Canada, of people are departing British

Columbia, heading for Alberta. As you can imagine, the number one stated

reason is affordability. British Columbia is the least affordable place to

be living in Canada, one of the least affordable places on the

continent.

[2:50 p.m.]

Kathy Blanchard, who moved to Spruce Grove from Victoria: “I really

wanted to retire here in Victoria, but I just couldn’t do it.” Debra Kahl:

“It sucked. I left all my friends and all my family behind, except for my

one son that came with me.” She moved to Edmonton. People are moving out of

British Columbia, seeking better.

In this throne speech, the government stated: “We’ve got your back.”

Well, a number of these people that have left certainly didn’t feel that

this government had their back. The one message that Ms. Kahl said…. “Those

who have felt pushed out of B.C. really hope that policy-makers are

listening.” Policy-makers, we know, are the ones who wrote this throne

speech that did not provide any hope for British Columbians.

This government has no idea how to make life more affordable for

British Columbians. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I think we’re up to 29

new taxes and fees that this government has put on us — I’m a taxpayer; all

of us — in their almost six years of being in government. It’s an additional

over $12 billion dollars of tax revenue that needs to be collected every

year. That is a lot of money.

And you know what? It wouldn’t be bad if we could actually, all of us,

say: “Man, we are getting the bang for our buck. Health care is great. I can

see specialists. I can do this, and I can do that, and the roads are good

and schools and….” All those things. But it’s got worse.

Twenty-nine new taxes. Around $12.5 billion of new taxes received

every single year by this government, and things are worse. That’s not a

very good record. In fact, since 2016, this government has almost doubled

British Columbia’s debt. What took from 1871 to 2016, to accumulate almost a

$40 billion dollars debt — this government is now approaching doubling that

in under six years. Good job.

Again, I have to go back to…. I guess these guys had no other way to

do it, because they’re not supporting the resource sector in this province.

So the only way they can get revenue is by dipping into British Columbians’

pockets.

We hear, and I’ve heard this from….We have a lot of multinational

companies up in the northeast and have had a number of meetings over the

past — since I’ve been elected, actually. These companies are leaving

because they don’t feel there’s hope here. They’re moving to Alberta,

They’re moving into the States — jurisdictions where it’s easier to do

work.

[2:55 p.m.]

This province, this jurisdiction has become, probably, the least

competitive jurisdiction on the continent, and companies are fleeing,

heading to other jurisdictions where they can work. With them are going

good-paying jobs, families — some of that record-high number of people that

are moving into Alberta.

As I move to conclude my remarks, it’s very clear that this is the

same old NDP that’s addicted to taxation.

Interjection.

D. Davies: Let’s talk about that surplus. That surplus has come from a resource

sector that this government doesn’t really want to support. The surplus from

over-taxing British Columbians.

Interjection.

D. Davies: You had your turn.

I heard the member’s throne speech yesterday. It

was a big nothing sandwich, other than pointing at…. I don’t know. I can’t

even guess what it was. It was quite the speech, anyway. It was a speech

that…. How much hope did it provide? Did it provide hope and a dream

forward? No, it did none of that. But he had his chance.

I am going to conclude my remarks there. I do want to thank all of the

folks in my riding that have sent me here to represent them. It is my

absolute honour to do that. With that, I’ll take my seat.

B. D’Eith: It’s wonderful to be back in the House and to be able to speak to the

throne speech, which was just presented this week. But before I start, I did

want to take a few moments to thank some important people who work with me,

my constituency assistants.

As we all know, without them, nothing happens back home. They’re so

important. I’m so proud to have this incredible team of Tara Cooke, Sunny

Schiller, Alysa Huppler-Poliak and Sophia Kreuzkamp. They do incredible

work, and I’m so proud of them and everything they do.

My legislative assistant, Pavan Sodhan, is an amazing guy. I just

started with him, but he’s already running around doing all the things that

legislative assistants do.

I wanted to take a moment to thank Patrick Vachon, who was my LA last

year, and Andrew Christie for jumping in at the end there. I really

appreciate all the work that you do.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

I wanted to also shout out to my RCO, Devon Leathwood, who is not only

an amazing singer but an amazing person when it comes to dealing with the

complex areas of communications. So thank you so much.

I’d like to start my speech by acknowledging the traditional territory

upon which we’re speaking today, which is the

Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking people, the

Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations. I’d also like to recognize the First

Nations at home, the Katzie, Kwantlen and Stó:lō, who I’m very proud to work

with on a daily basis.

I’d really like to take the opportunity to thank all of my colleagues

for the hard work they do in this province so that we can, indeed, thrive as

a province.

I’d also like to…. We heard the former Premier speak today. It was a

bit sad to see the Premier leave. But I’ve got to say that we heard about

the legacy that he left behind and the love from all three sides of this

House for the man, whether you agreed with him or not. I just wanted to say

thank you to the former Premier for supporting me, supporting my riding and

the people in my riding and always being there for me whenever I needed to

vent my challenges. He was always very, very, very helpful.

I also want to take an opportunity to thank the new Premier who, in

his first 100 days, has already shown that he’s ready to get to work and do

the important things that need to move us forward. Of course, those things

are reflected in this throne speech.

We know that we’re facing challenges as a province. Obviously, we

can’t do anything without acknowledging the profound impact that the

pandemic had on all of us.

[3:00 p.m.]

We all know, having been locked down, all of the things that have come

from that, from having to deal with the pandemic itself; to the mental

health challenges that have come from that; to the supply chain issues that

we’ve had to deal with, not just here, but globally; to the ongoing economic

challenges that the pandemic has given us.

Not only that, but at the same time having to deal with an opioid

crisis — two public health challenges.

Part of that challenge has also led to things like…. Peo­ple

have had to deal with inflation and the cost of living. Of course, British

Columbia is not a cheap place to live. It’s a very desirable, wonderful

province, and when you have a desirable province, often that pushes prices

of everything up. So I want to acknowledge the fact that a lot of folks are

dealing with inflation right now, and our government is very much committed

to helping people through that.

Another thing, a challenge that we have to recognize — and this was

reflected in the throne speech — is the fact that we’re growing as a

province, We have unprecedented low unemployment rates. We have people

moving in. We had over 100,000 people move in. We’re expecting a similar

amount to move in this year. So the question is: where do they live? Where

is the housing? Can they afford to be here? All of these questions have to

be addressed, and those are part of the challenges that we have to deal

with.

Of course, we have a health care system that’s been under challenge

because of the two public health emergencies. Our Minister of Health, along

with Dr. Bonnie Henry and other important officials in our province, has

worked so hard over the last few years to keep us safe and to make sure that

our systems are improved. It’s a testament to the hard work to see the

number of surgeries, for example, increase during a pandemic or the number

of imaging to actually increase in such a challenging time. I have to give

some props to them, but we all know how challenging things are right

now.

And, of course, mental health and addictions. We’ve been hearing about

that all over the province, and it’s so important.

The housing crisis is something that we inherited, and it continues.

It was obviously prompted by…. When the opposition was in power, nothing was

done to fight the rampant speculation and, of course, building the wrong

kinds of housing. We were building housing that was profitable for

developers but not necessarily for filling the needs of our community. Those

are the challenges that we have been trying to grapple with for the last

five years.

Another challenge that we’re facing is labour shortages and the

demands for skilled labour. We’re going to need one million new people

working. It’s wonderful to have a new minister of state and minister working

in this area to help us build these important things. And, of course, the

Minister of Advanced Education, who I know has a lot of chops in having been

the former Finance Minister and is going to really help tackle

this.

Part of that is that we recently heard how important child care is to

allowing us to fulfill this need — for our labour shortages. In fact,

because of the work this government has done in child care, which I’ll talk

about later, it has allowed people to get back to work, in particular women

— allowed women to come back to the workforce or enter the workforce. So

very important.

Another challenge that we have to deal with this is climate change.

Not only do we have to reduce our carbon footprint and do everything we can

to move to new, cleaner energy, but we also have to look at the new

realities of child care.

I look at my friend and colleague the member for Abbotsford-Mission

and what she and the former mayor of Abbotsford had to deal with, with the

floods. It was absolutely…. And, of course, the former Minister of

Agriculture, who also had to witness some of the most challenging and

difficult things that would happen in our province. The devastation was

something that seemed unreal. It seemed like this would happen somewhere

else, but it happened here in our own backyard.

I really do have to give props not only to my colleagues but to the

colleagues on the other side of the House, who all really worked together to

make sure that farming communities were safe.

[3:05 p.m.]

I just wanted to acknowledge that, but also acknowledge that we do

have to do this very difficult work in regard to adaptation in climate.

That’s work that needs to be done, and that’s why I’m very proud of our

CleanBC plan, which is one of the most robust plans in the world, and

certainly in North America.

The other really important bit — and we were talking about this this

week — is our work on truth and reconciliation. Again, we can talk around

the entire House — that historic day when we all voted DRIPA, accepting the

declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples into law in this province.

It’s one thing bringing that into law. It’s another thing doing the hard

work. That is the work, again, that the throne speech addresses, not just in

regards to the minister who deals specifically with this, but every single

mandate letter deals with moving the dial in terms of truth and

reconciliation.

It’s wonderful to see, for example, the support for the bill that’s

moving through the House today in regards to the day for a solemn reflection

for truth and reconciliation.

I’m also going to talk in regards to challenges to the ministry that I

have the privilege to work in and have done since 2019, since the pandemic

started. I was asked by the previous Premier, because of my background in

the creative industries and arts and culture, to find out what we could do

to help arts and culture and the creative industries in a very, very

difficult time.

I was privileged in 2020 to be appointed the first Parliamentary

Secretary for Arts and Film for this province. Very pleased to be working

with the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport to continue to look at

these very challenging times for some of the hardest hit sectors in our

province.

Those are some of the key challenges that we’re facing as a group and,

certainly, challenges that have been addressed in the throne

speech.

Let me first look at inflation and affordability. One of the reasons I

ran was the lack of affordability. Yes, our people in our province are

dealing with inflation, high inflation, and that is being dealt with, with

things like higher interest rates, which also causes a lot of problems for

folks. But even in 2017, we were faced with people, especially working

people and seniors on fixed incomes and young people coming into the

workforce, that really were having a hard time just making ends

meet.

I’ll talk a little bit about housing later, which is a very big part

of anybody’s monthly expenses. There were a lot of things that were really

having an impact on people in terms of their everyday lives.

I know in my area in Maple Ridge and Mission, the tolls on the bridges

had a huge impact. For example, we had a business that did a lot of work in

Langley and Surrey, and they were back and forth every day with multiple

employees. They were spending thousands every month on tolls. It was

actually enough so that this person, once the tolls were lifted, they could

hire another person to help their business, so it made a profound impact on

them. Those are the businesses. The individuals often saved up to $1,500 a

year, and that’s money in their pockets, and it made a big, big

difference.

Another one that was the biggest tax cut that we’ve seen, certainly in

my lifetime, the MSP premium cut. It made such a profound impact — $1,800 to

families. In my community, just with those two things alone, they’ve had

incredible savings. If you have children, the child care programs have had

such an incredible impact, saving families up to nearly $20,000 a year. It’s

absolutely life-changing.

Of course, other important cost savings measures, like the B.C. child

opportunity benefit — that’s saving families a significant amount of money.

The Premier, when he was the Attorney General and, of course, the Solicitor

General, who also worked on this file, did a lot of work to get our public

car insurance company, ICBC, into shape.

[3:10 p.m.]

It’s pretty indisputable, as the Premier said when he was AG, that

this was a dumpster fire when we took it over in 2017. Now it is under

control, and not only that. We were able to save folks an average of $500,

but that’s the average. I’ve had people come to me who have saved thousands

every year, especially younger folks, with ICBC rates. Because of the change

to the no-fault system or the benefit system, we were actually able to give

rebates, and the rebates have actually had a big impact. There have been

three rebates.

To put things in perspective, the last rebate that we got, the Leader

of the Opposition referred to as stupid little cheques or however he put it.

I might be paraphrasing. But that’s $400 million to the coffers that went

back into the pockets of British Columbians. That’s not little money; that’s

big money. That makes a big difference to everybody. Also, same thing:

better management of Hydro has meant that we were able to give a rebate on

hydro. There’s more to come, and that’s what the Premier has promised. So on

the affordability side, there is a lot of work to do, obviously, but we’re

doing that hard work.

Now let’s talk about health care. We’ve heard a lot about health care

this week and in other weeks. It is probably at the top of the mind of most

British Columbians, but we have to look at, again, what we inherited. We

inherited a health care system where, in 2009, there was $300 million

dollars in cuts to health care. We keep hearing about the Surrey Hospital,

but who sold the land of the Surrey Hospital? These are things that we’ve

been playing catch-up on for years, trying to get to where we have been. But

health care has been a priority for our government since the day we got

in.

One of the biggest challenges is connection to a family doctor. So

then the question is: how can we keep doctors practising family medicine

when they can make more money as a specialist? When they’re coming out of

school and saying, “It doesn’t make sense for me to stay as a family doctor.

I can go and do any other specialty and make more money,” how do we attract

doctors to stay in family practice?

One of the key things was looking at their pay model, and this isn’t

an easy thing. The fee-per-visit model has been in place for so, so many

years, and having to work through that took some time. But I’ve got to give

props to the Minister of Health and to the college and to the all the

divisions of family practice, including mine, who worked very hard to lobby

to get this pay structure changed so that it makes sense to be a family

doctor in this province. That’s not only going to encourage new doctors to

stay in family practice, but it’s also going to help attract foreign doctors

and others.

I think this is really important, and I’ve heard feedback from some of

the people in our local community who really felt that they were listened

to. One constituent said that the government has to be commended on their

latest pay structure for B.C. doctors. That’s going to make a big

difference.

Another issue is nursing. A lot of nurses, especially foreign nurses

that are coming in, have a lot of barriers to getting into nursing. So the

recent announcements that will allow nurses to have a faster track will make

a big difference. We had a Filipino nurse who came into our office and wants

to be a nurse. She’s trying to apply, and she was really excited about the

changes and could see herself really being able to get in, in a much quicker

way.

As far as other things that have been happening in our community,

obviously, mental health is a big issue. It’s a big issue to me and my

family. I’ve said this before in the House. Members of my family have

struggled with profound mental illness. It was, again, one of the reasons I

ran. It’s no secret to me that there were cuts to mental health.

[3:15 p.m.]

Right away, when the B.C. Liberal government got in, in 2001, they cut

$35 million to supports for mental health. The Leader of the Opposition

actually deregulated recovery homes, so there were no standards, and that

made a big difference. I already mentioned the $300 million cut in 2009. It

was said to be staggering by the industry, those cuts. Of course, very

importantly, closing Riverview…. I understood at the time that closing

Riverview made some sense in terms of putting supports into the communities,

but you can’t close Riverview and then not put the money into the

communities. So that’s what happened. The B.C. Liberals downloaded that to

the cities, and all that did was make matters worse.

Our government has been focusing intensely on mental health and

addictions. In fact, we created, in 2017, the Ministry of Mental Health and

Addictions and spent over $2 billion on this and on trying to create that

continuum of care so that we can deal with harm reduction, so we can deal

with treatment, so we can deal with prevention and enforcement and all of

these things, these pillars. We’re working on all those together.

I’ve talked to doctors like, for example, at our Foundry. It’s such

important work to have kids be able to come in and get the help they need

when they need it. Another big piece is the ICY teams. This is something

that was piloted in Maple Ridge and just recently was announced to be

launching in Mission. It’s exciting work. We had some people working in the

industry come out. We heard from Jennifer Derinzy, who’s a youth peer

coordinator from Fraser Health, and Jessica Harrington. Jennifer, Jenny,

said, “I deeply believe in ICY because of the way the model values and is

centered around youth voices,” which is really important.

We talk about treatment. I was able to go to the Maple Ridge Treatment

Centre, and recently, two more beds were added for youth treatment, which is

really important. We also have our RCMP in Maple Ridge that has an embedded

program for mental health, which is really helpful. We had one constituent

who came in — her son was really struggling with substance use — and she

actually said that that connection, the way the RCMP was able to deal with

it, actually led to her son getting the treatment that he needed. So that

work — we’re expanding that. That’s very important.

We’re also…. You know, prevention is so important too, and giving

opportunity to youth is so important. So we’re having youth in care being

able to get the opportunities they need. When we did the tuition waiver for

youth in care, it actually had a profound impact. When you have youth in

care going and getting that post-secondary, going and getting that training,

getting into work and being able to move forward in their lives…. Thousands

of students have been able to do that, and it’s making a profound

impact.

Of course, housing is another big piece. The Leader of the Opposition

opposes the speculation and vacancy tax, which put 20,000 homes into the

market, but that’s what we needed. I appreciate the fact that perhaps his

friends would prefer to continue to build luxury condos and make money on

that. But the reality is we need more rental stock.

As part of this ignoring of the actual needs in the crisis…. An

example of that is student housing. Student housing — there were 130 units,

130, in the whole 16 years the B.C. Liberals were in. We’ve already got

6,800 student beds that are being built or are underway. And, of course,

B.C. Housing is well underway of hitting our ten-year target of 114,000

units. Of course, part of the 100-day plan was getting strata corporations

to allow rentals, which is good, but also increasing money to be able to

deal with…. If problems come up, to be able to increase the amount of money

that’s going to the residential tenancy board so that we can deal with

issues that may come up. This is going to, again, have a profound

impact.

As far as my community…. We talk about outcomes, outcomes, outcomes. I

keep hearing that. But we’ve had some…. Notwithstanding the fact that my

previous council didn’t help me in Maple Ridge, we were able to do quite a

bit over the last few years, and I’m really excited about the new council

and what we’ll be able to achieve.

[3:20 p.m.]

One of the projects that just got launched is called Cornerstone. It’s

run by the community services in Maple Ridge, and it’s quite amazing. They

actually filled up right away, within five months of opening — fully

occupied. They have seniors in there, 15 vulnerable seniors. They have five

families. They have students, and they have 20 youth beds. The really cool

thing about the youth beds is they filled up right away, but they also have

services there as well, so they have wellness checks and life skills, and

they connect with Foundry.

I was told a story of a young tenant who was couch-surfing and managed

to get one of these subsidized units. A 20-year-old and very excited to be

in there. He would have been on the street, and now he’s got stable housing

close to his home so he can finish his high school. He moved in with a

couple of garbage bags over his shoulder, and he realized that it was

outfitted with towels and cooking equipment and a bed, and he was

overwhelmed by the generosity of the community that wrapped their arms

around him. That’s exactly what we need to do moving forward. I want to

thank Vicki Kipps and everyone at community services for all the work

they’re doing.

We’ve built other projects: Garibaldi Ridge, which is 51 units of

supportive housing; Royal Crescent, supportive housing that is actually

moving to Fraser Street so that we can build seniors housing there. We’ve

got Turnock Manor, which is affordable middle-income housing of 66 units.

Really important stuff. Then, with HousingHub, we were able to work with

Era, which is a condo development. There are going to be 49 units of

affordable rental housing in there.

Now, in addition to that, we have projects that are under­way.

As I mentioned, seniors housing will replace the Royal Crescent property.

Then we’re also trying to work really hard with the Salvation Army, for

example, who have had a building that was never built for what they wanted

to use it for.

We did a recent announcement around complex care. That was one of the

criticisms we had about wraparound services, and complex care is going to

make a huge difference. We have eight complex care spaces that are being

looked at now. We’re still looking, as we have been, at youth supportive

housing, more of it. That’s very important.

As far as reconciliation, with Katzie First Nation, that’s a really

good example of 40 units that will start being built in the summer of 2023.

It’s a really good example of reconciliation in action and just doing the

work. Even though it may be a federal jurisdiction, we’ve just got to get

the work done.

Cythera Transition House is building 21 low-income pieces.

Of course, I talked a bit about the Foundry. The Foun­dry

actually bought their building with help from B.C. Housing, and they’re

actually looking at building youth housing there as well.

In Mission, my other riding, there was Cedar Valley Suites, that

Lookout did in 2019 — 68 units in partnership with B.C. Housing. And the

wonderful Boswyk seniors centre, which, with MASH, the local community has

70 units for seniors, which is just so well received and so

important.

We have underway a number of projects, like the King­haven

supportive housing and the Red Lion Inn. There’s also the Hurd Street

modular that is going to be built. We also have SARA women’s transition

housing in the future.

Of course, child care is a big part of what we believe in. It’s core

to everything that we’ve done. What it does is it provides that ability for

folks to get out and get into the community and get the support they need

and not get in that trap where you’re having to choose between looking after

your child and working and then finding that the amount of money you make in

work is just paying for the child care. Then you’re like: “Well, why am I

working?” That trap, right?

Some of these programs, like the $10-a-day-or-less program, are really

important. We work with Lorraine at Heritage Park Childcare Centre. She

remembers when it was opening and that parents were literally in tears. They

were in tears because it has had such a profound impact on their lives. So

this work will continue. I’m very proud of it, and I’m very proud of the

work that they do.

I wanted to touch, in my last two minutes, on arts and culture. I did

want to get into Indigenous issues around DRIPA and other housing and the

amazing work in Mission with the Crown land transfer, which is just

unprecedented. But with arts and culture, I’ve been the parliamentary

secretary for the last few years, and we have an incredibly strong and

thriving arts community but also one of the most challenged over the

pandemic.

[3:25 p.m.]

I do want to say that I wanted to thank the B.C. Arts Council — Stan

Chung and Dana Claxton, who are the chair and co-chair — for their work, in

not only allowing B.C. Arts Council to pivot during a very difficult time,

to help all the organizations, but also to use this as an opportunity to

make profound changes at B.C. Arts Council so that we can actually be

better.

One of the things the pandemic did is that it shone a spotlight on

many of the deficiencies that we have right across the government, and we’re

dealing with that. We’ve actually been able to increase, uplift, since 2017,

B.C. Arts Council’s funding by $15 million, and we’ve put about $35 million,

in addition to the core funding, into a pandemic recovery.

We also have incredible programs like Amplify, which is $22.5 million,

through Creative B.C. I want to thank Prem Gill, who’s on the creative

industries side and who actually did similar kind of work, pivoting all of

their programs to help keep venues and festivals and all these things

alive.

We should be really proud. Our film industry thrived during the

pandemic. Because we were one of the safest jurisdictions in North America,

we had the biggest years we’ve ever had — not just during the pandemic, but

ever. It was because of the work that we did between the industry and public

health.

We have a thriving music industry; however, we’ve all heard about

festivals having struggles. We’re really working hard to work with those

festivals to make sure that they can survive this very difficult time. Let’s

remember, folks: the pandemic isn’t actually over yet, even though it feels

like it. Some of the these organizations — like tourism and arts, culture,

sports festivals — are struggling too.

Part of this throne speech, I think, is an acknowledgment that we have

a lot of work to do. We’re doing that hard work. I want to thank all of the

ministers for all of the work they’re doing in a very difficult

time.

T. Shypitka: I’m honoured to take my place in the debate as the MLA for the

greatest riding in the province, and the very southeast corner, which is

part of the Rocky Mountain Trench — the Elk Valley, South Country and those

in Moyie, the essential welcoming mat for those that travel west here in

Canada — Kootenay East. It’s a great place to live.

I want to start off by giving a big salute to my team that is

undoubtedly the best in the province as well. I’m just trying to get a lot

of controversy going here early in this debate, but I really mean

it.

In my constituency office, Jonah Gowans, who some of the members here

remember as a staffer, is my constituency assistant. He is a transplant from

Powell River, and he has fit in pretty good. He’s a rural guy coming to a

rural place, and he understands all the issues that rural folks face every

day. He’s thrown himself into a lot of organizations like JCI and Rotary

Club, and he has been a big help.

Kris Dickeson is my other assistant. She used to work with Jim

Pattison Group. She’s a real fireball. She likes to do the investigative

side of things, and she really digs in for the constituents. Her claim to

fame, actually, is that she interviewed Charles Manson. I know; it’s quite

something. It was a pretty intense conversation, she tells me, and I

wouldn’t doubt her for a bit. She’s great, and I love her at our office, for

sure.

Wendy King, here, my legislative assistant, somehow keeps me on track.

That’s a tough thing to do at the best of times. Ryan Braude tells me all

the right things to say. He’s the communications guy I have. Dion Weisner,

in research, does some incredibly difficult portfolios that I do with

Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. Big creds to Dion.

Also, regrettably, I’d like to make a few recognitions, as I

traditionally do for the throne speech, remembering those in Kootenay East

we have lost in the past year. These are all fine people that made life a

better place in the Kootenays.

I’ll start off with Anne Edwards. She was a former MLA. She was an NDP

MLA. She was a great lady, a real fine lady. I knew her sons; I went to

school with a couple of them, and we were great friends. It was really sad

to see Anne go.

Frank Sandor. He was a volunteer community leader. He owned an

equipment rental business, and he was always giving to the community. Every

year at Christmastime, he would do great things, right throughout the

year.

[3:30 p.m.]

Ron Demaniuk, artist, with Rockin’ in the Rockies car club. Joyce

Aasland was a great volunteer. Dr. Allan Daniels, a physician and pastor.

Peter Warland, a retired teacher. Sonia Mama, a realtor and volunteer. Sally

Passey, a volunteer and community supporter. Brian Ironmonger was with the

South Country Cowboys Association.

Another gentleman here, Bob Jamieson, was an incredible wildlife and

habitat advocate. I learned a lot from Bob when I first became elected. He

told me everything about the back country. He was one of my main sources,

one of my main go-to guys, who really balanced the conversation on wildlife

and habitat.

Sadly enough, Colin “Clem” Morrison. He was a farmer, a rancher, a

poet, an athlete in his younger days. He was a past president of the Waldo

Stockbreeders Association, which actually is the oldest stock breeders

association in British Columbia.

I see my colleague here nods in approval.

He was a past member of the Kootenay Livestock Association as well. He

was just an all-around good guy, and we were sad to see Colin go.

Sadly, in my First Nation — my riding is in the Ktunaxa traditional

territory, the Ktunaxa Nation — we lost some members in the Ktunaxa Nation:

Robert Louie, Sr., Kelly Lezard, Melissa Morigeau, Brandon Alpine, Frankie

Alexander, Nicolas Francis Pearson and Clarine Capilo, all sadly missed. We

all give their families the greatest sympathy, on behalf of the riding of

Kootenay East.

Naturally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that last September

British Columbians were deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen

Elizabeth II. She wasn’t from Kootenay East, obviously, but she did visit

there when I was a young kid. So I had a chance to see the Queen.

Unfortunately, there are many others I have failed to name. On behalf

of the constituents of Kootenay East, I offer sympathies and condolences to

all that have lost their loved ones.

Turning to the throne speech, I can tell you…. I’ve noticed a bit of a

glaring pattern between the three sides of the House. It is a stark contrast

— a contrast, I believe, between ideology and reality, between what is said

and what is heard. If you tell fables enough times, sometimes they become

non-fiction.

Where reality comes in is in the first few pages of the throne speech,

actually. The throne speech identifies the grim realities of what the people

of B.C. and this side of the House have been saying for several years. It’s

right in the throne speech itself. I’ll just read you a couple of quotes,

from the first couple of pages.

“People are facing real challenges. Food prices are going up. It’s

hard to find a doctor. We continue to see mental health and addiction

challenges…. Housing costs continue to rise…. People in B.C. are working

harder than ever. But many feel like they’re just getting by, not getting

ahead. Communities in B.C…. are seeing our streets change for the worse.

Finding a decent…home is challenging. We’ve seen a rise in violent and

repeat offending.” Those aren’t my words. This is from the throne

speech.

I’ll have to commend the writers of the throne speech for, like I

said, realizing and accepting what we on this side of the House have been

saying for years now and what the people of British Columbia have been

screaming about. It’s good that these facts are starting to resonate with

the NDP government. However, it’s troubling that, for all the causes of this

disaster, what is said…. The NDP have all kinds of reasons, and they’re

littered throughout the throne speech, for why this is happening. They cite

things like global inflation, toxic drugs, interest rates, climate change,

global conflicts, threats to democracy, global forces.

[3:35 p.m.]

Now, these are, obviously, all valid rationales for changing

economies, but let’s remind everyone in this room that British Columbia is

not exclusive only to the ups and downs of global and domestic pressures. It

happens all over. It’s relative to all jurisdictions across Canada and

throughout the world.

Of course, as we heard from the previous speaker, what NDP blame game

could ever be complete without that nefarious crew: the former government?

What members on the other side sometimes seem to forget is that the former

government is actually themselves. We are sitting, now, past the halfway

mark of a second term; we’re in year six. From the last speaker we heard

once again that we’re going back in time constantly.

The honeymoon is over, essentially, is what I’m trying to say, but the

good old faithful that comes back time and time again — we heard it right at

the end of the speech here; it never seems to get old — in the throne speech

is: “COVID-19 set us back.” But I would like to know exactly who “us” is.

When the throne speech says “us,” does it refer to the general public? Small

business? Industry? I want you to think about that amidst a government that

brags of a $6 billion surplus, as we just heard.

It appears to me that COVID-19 did nothing to set this government back

at all. As a matter of fact — and I’ll explain — they benefited. If you can

recall the 2019-2020 budget, Finance Minister Carole James said that the

government’s final budget numbers show a deficit of $321 million from a

projected surplus of $227 million. They went from a surplus pre-COVID — from

$227 million — to a deficit of $321 million.

Then, in the 21-22 fiscal the former Finance Minister announced that

the province recorded a $1.3 billion surplus. This is now in COVID. This

surplus was entirely due to a big boost in revenues. Provincial revenues

were up significantly, due to the higher natural resource revenues that we

saw in all the industries — mining, oil and gas — higher Crown corporation

earnings and overall tax revenues. I’ll get to the tax revenues in a

second.

In total, revenues in 2021-22 climbed $13.5 billion higher than

anticipated in Budget 2021, representing a 22.9 percent increase. Simply

put, the B.C. government’s bottom line benefited from rising inflation, high

oil and gas prices, and increased consumer demand and activity. This had

nothing to do with financial management and tightening the purse strings —

when the rest of the province was expected to do so.

People stayed at home, essentially. That’s what happened during COVID.

I mean, that’s what was the responsible thing to do. In the recent taxes

that were increased — as I believe the member for North Peace recited, the

29 new taxes — part of that was a 7 percent tax on streaming services like

Netflix. What a perfect time for that to happen. That brought in, I believe,

about $12 million just off the backs of people watching a movie when they

tried to get away from the realities of COVID. It’s almost like they knew

what they were doing.

Mineral exploration companies stayed at home. They couldn’t go abroad.

They kept their shovels here. They looked for treasure due to very high

commodity prices. They were some of the highest commodity prices we’ve seen

in quite some time. They stayed here at home.

Despite the massive delays in permitting, mineral exploration in

British Columbia hit new heights in 2021, almost a record, $660 million

spent on the backs of modern-day treasure hunters. I call them that — great

folks, great people. Salt of the earth, I would call them. They want

government out of the way, and they just want to do their thing. They

brought in the $660 million they spent. The estimated production value for

mining output in B.C. in 2021 was about $7 billion, a $5 billion increase

over 2020. It seems that COVID didn’t really negatively affect the

government’s coffers. That’s for sure.

[3:40 p.m.]

Something that seems never to be mentioned in any NDP throne speech is

oil and gas. We heard it again, or we didn’t hear it again, this time

around, even though it’s one of the largest financial revenue sources the

government has, which makes up billions of dollars to their coffers. LNG

Canada, to date, has spent close to $4 billion — I think about $3.95 billion

— on contracts and procurement from B.C. businesses, includi