Third Session, 41st Parliament

(2018) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Monday, February 26, 2018

Morning Sitting

Issue No. 86

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Motions Without Notice

Powers and role of Finance Committee

Powers and role of Public Accounts Committee

Hon. M. Farnworth

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

Chambers of commerce

C. Oakes

N. Simons

The importance of the creative industries in B.C.

B. D’Eith

J. Thornthwaite

Competitiveness

G. Kyllo

D. Routley

The economic benefits of affordable child care

M. Dean

L. Throness

Private Members’ Motions

Motion 2 — Support for agriculture industry

I. Paton

J. Rice

D. Barnett

R. Kahlon

E. Ross

B. Ma

P. Milobar

J. Brar

D. Davies

R. Singh

D. Ashton

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2018

The House met at 10:04 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers.

[10:05 a.m.]

Hon. M. Farnworth: I have a couple of motions that I know the official opposition and the

Third Party are familiar with. I’ll dispense with reading the whole motions, but

I will give them to the table.

Motions Without Notice

POWERS AND ROLE OF

FINANCE

COMMITTEE

Hon. M. Farnworth: By leave, I move:

[That the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government

Services be empowered:

1. To examine, inquire into and make recommendations with respect to

the budget consultation paper prepared by the Minister of Finance in

accordance with

section 2 of the Budget Transparency and

Accountability Act , S.B.C. 2000, c. 23, and, in particular,

to:

a) Conduct public consultations across British Columbia on proposals

and recommendations regarding the provincial budget and fiscal policy

for the coming fiscal year by any means the committee considers

appropriate;

b) Prepare a report no later than November 15, 2018, on the results

of those consultations; and

2. (

a) To consider and make recommendations on the annual reports,

rolling three-year service plans and budgets of the following statutory

officers:

(

i) Auditor General

(ii) Chief Electoral Officer

(iii) Conflict of Interest Commissioner

(iv) Information and Privacy Commissioner

(

v) Merit Commissioner

(vi) Ombudsperson

(vii) Police Complaint Commissioner

(viii) Representative for Children and Youth;

and

(

b) To examine, inquire into and make recommendations with respect

to other matters brought to the committee’s attention by any of the

Officers listed in 2 (

a) above.

3. To be the committee referred to in sections 19, 20, 21 and 23 of

the Auditor General Act , S.B.C. 2003, c. 2, and that the

performance report in

section 22 of the Auditor General Act ,

S.B.C. 2003, c. 2, be referred to the committee.

In addition to the powers previously conferred upon the Select

Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, the committee

shall be empowered:

(

a) to appoint of their number one or more subcommittees and to

refer to such subcommittees any of the matters referred to the committee

and to delegate to the subcommittee all or any of its powers except the

power to report directly to the House;

(

b) to sit during a period in which the House is adjourned, during

the recess after prorogation until the next following Session and during

any sitting of the House;

(

c) to adjourn from place to place as may be convenient;

and

(

d) to retain personnel as required to assist the

committee;

and shall report to the House as soon as possible, or following any

adjournment, or at the next following Session, as the case may be; to

deposit the original of its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative

Assembly during a period of adjournment and upon resumption of the

sittings of the House, the Chair shall present all reports to the

Legislative Assembly.]

Leave granted.

Motion approved.

POWERS AND ROLE OF

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS

COMMITTEE

Hon. M. Farnworth: By leave, I move:

[1. That all reports of the Auditor General of British Columbia

transmitted to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly be deemed

referred to the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts, with the

exception of the report referred to in

section 22 of the Auditor

General Act , S.B.C. 2003, c. 2, which is referred to the Select

Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services; and,

2. That the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts be the

committee referred to in sections 6, 7, 10, 13 and 14 of the Auditor

General Act , S.B.C. 2003, c. 2.

In addition to the powers previously conferred upon the Select

Standing Committee on Public Accounts, the committee be

empowered:

a) to appoint of their number one or more subcommittees and

to refer to such subcommittees any of the matters referred to the

committee and to delegate to the subcommittee all or any of its powers

except the power to report directly to the House;

b) to sit during a period in which the House is adjourned,

during the recess after prorogation until the next following Session and

during any sitting of the House;

c) to adjourn from place to place as may be convenient;

and

d) to retain personnel as required to assist the

committee;

and shall report to the House as soon as possible, or following any

adjournment, or at the next following Session, as the case may be; to

deposit the original of its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative

Assembly during a period of adjournment and upon resumption of the

sittings of the House, the Chair shall present all reports to the

Legislative Assembly.]

Leave granted.

Motion approved.

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

C. Oakes: It truly is my delight and honour today to talk. I rise today in

the House to recognize the B.C. chambers of commerce and to recognize

the extraordinary commitments that chambers of commerce provide to

communities across the province.

Those who sit in this House are those who understand the

importance of chambers in each of the communities, but it’s the people

and the businesses that really power the economy of our

province.

It is in recognition and admiration of the driving force that I

rise today. I have stood in the House multiple times to defend and talk

about our dynamic small-business and medium-sized-business communities,

but I would like to take a moment to celebrate the people that assemble

them.

If anyone is following at home, I recommend that you follow

#pplwhopowerbc, which has a great conversation going about the

importance of small businesses that is being led by the chamber of

commerce.

[L. Reid in the chair.]

The B.C. Chamber of Commerce consists of more than 125 chambers of

commerce and boards of trade and over 36,000 businesses. The most

spectacular thing about the B.C. Chamber of Commerce sector is that the

businesses they represent are as diverse as the citizens that they

serve. Every size, sector and region of the province is represented

within the chamber, which shines through in how innovative and

experienced they have proven to be.

Throughout history, local chambers have even functioned as

municipal governments — such as the one I’m from in Quesnel that started

in 1910 — and, if they were called by their community, stepped up to

provide whatever the needs of the community would be.

One time when I was with the chamber of commerce, I even organized

a rodeo on behalf of the chamber of commerce — so a very diverse group

indeed. Throughout my tenure as the Minister of Small Business and Red

Tape Reduction, I worked directly and constantly with the small and

local business sector.

British Columbia has the greatest number of small businesses per

capita in Canada. In fact, 95 percent of businesses in our province are

small. We determine small businesses in the province to be 50 and under

employees. That’s an important piece of the referencing that we use when

we do the analysis. I was able to see the many ways in which a city can

cluster itself around business proudly, and the many ways in which a

good business can be part of a community.

[10:10 a.m.]

I profoundly believe that the power of a business extends

infinitely beyond its commerce and can become a part of history or a

promise of the future. Healthy businesses are able to support those

around them, and they rely on the people in this House as well as the

chamber to support them in flourishing.

It is partly because of my time working within the organization

that I can stand here today and so gratefully thank them for the work

that they do, and truly understand the commitment that they have made. I

know firsthand how its people and all of their spectacular needs and

ideas command the direction of our great province. So I’m delighted to

reflect on my time working directly with the chambers of commerce,

having seen firsthand how truly they respond to the communities and

businesses they serve.

There is a great

article currently that is in the B.C.

Business Magazine, in partnership with the B.C. Chamber of

Commerce, which talks about two economies and one province. Often, we

talk about rural and urban divide and what those differences are. It was

a great example of how businesses in rural communities are supporting

businesses in urban. It is one great province, and we need to ensure

that we move forward, that we support that idea that we all stand as one

province.

I know I’ll have an opportunity to respond a little, but I would

like to use a few seconds to talk about some of my mentors. I spent 14

years as a chamber executive within the chamber of commerce, and this

was a week where I saw two very close friends decide to make

changes.

Claudia Blair, 32 years with the Williams Lake chamber of

commerce, and Patty Morgan, ten years with the Quesnel chamber of

commerce, are making changes. I wish them so much luck and success.

They’ve been true friends, true mentors, and I’m incredibly proud to

call them friends.

N. Simons: I really appreciate the comments from the member for Cariboo

North. She speaks very eloquently about her relationship with the

chamber and the importance of the chamber in all our

communities.

I happen to represent a constituency that has five chambers of

commerce — the Gibsons and District Chamber of Commerce, the Sechelt

chamber of commerce, the Pender Harbour and District Chamber of

Commerce, the Texada Island Chamber of Commerce and the Powell River

Chamber of Commerce. I count among many of their members, friends, and I

respect and value the work that they do, not just on behalf of the

businesses that they represent but on behalf of the families that own

these businesses.

We recognize that the chambers are a part of our community just as

much as the members of those chambers are part of our community. When we

think about the importance of the chamber, we think about their advocacy

work for each other, for their place in the community and, as well, for

the province.

The chamber often makes recommendations as a body to provincial

organizations, provincial governments, on recommending policy direction,

emphasizing certain issues and policy directions. I think that it’s

important for us to heed some of those recommendations.

I think, for a long time, the members of the chambers of commerce

in my constituency have been talking about important issues, and they

often centre around taxation. They centre around regulation. But they

also address issues that I think will make many in the chambers pleased

with the decisions that we’ve made around child care, around education,

around transportation.

I think that we often forget…. Or we don’t often forget. We don’t

always think about the fact that these small businesses are made up of

moms and dads and grandparents and kids — people who rely on the

services that governments provide and, in fact, assist governments in

ensuring that policies reflect their needs.

I’m pleased that I have an opportunity to thank and recognize the

chambers and all the people who do so much good work for the businesses

in their communities and, in fact, for the province. I’m always pleased

to have an opportunity to address the chamber of commerce.

[10:15 a.m.]

The chamber of commerce on Texada Island is not a big chamber, but

I think almost every business shows up for their dinner meetings, and

there’s often a lot of good discussion around important

issues.

One issue that is raised at every chamber of commerce meeting that

I’ve attended is ferries. Our transportation infrastructure is

essential, and it’s important that their voice be heard by government

when policies are being made around our transportation infrastructure

systems.

I believe that the member for Cariboo North is speaking genuinely

about an important organization in our province, one that provides us a

lot of good and important service. I’d like to echo her comments about

their importance, and I hope we continue to have a very good working

relationship with our chambers of commerce. Thank you very

much.

C. Oakes: Thank you to the member opposite for your words of

support.

I think we often forget about the directors and the volunteers

that step up for the many organizations and committees that chambers of

commerce have to formulate, whether it’s policy or whether it’s work

that’s being done on behalf of their community. They contribute, as the

member opposite said, these mom-and-pop businesses who’ve been in our

communities, many for multiple generations. They step up. They volunteer

to make sure that whatever needs to happen in the community, they’re

responsible and able to take that.

In my time working with the chambers of commerce movement for 14

years…. Some items that the member opposite did recognize: the great

need for infrastructure…. We talked a little bit earlier about two

economies and one province, how critically important it is to consider

infrastructure as part of that whole conversation.

It’s great to have resources. It’s great to have ability up in

northern parts of the province to be able to supply — the value supply

chain down in urban communities — but it’s important that road

infrastructure is in place. Things like the Cariboo connector —

critically important. Side-road programs. All critically important to

making sure infrastructure happens.

Connectivity. Connectivity is something that we worked on

federally as well as with the province for multiple years. It’s one

thing to change our dynamic of going with technology, so critically

important for growing businesses across the province. Yet when you look

at a lot of the rural communities, we still do not have that level of

connectivity.

I think it’s a real opportunity. Chambers of commerce have worked

on that for a number of years. I really hope they’ll continue and be

successful with that, because that really does drive competitiveness in

our communities.

We’ll talk a little later about the creative economy, but I think

back to chambers of commerce and all of their engagement that they’ve

had in communities, how critically important that they’ve risen and

championed different projects in their community that are so

important.

Finally — I know my time is running out — how can we forget about

the importance of advocating to make sure that small businesses can

remain competitive? Chambers of commerce are always on the forefront of

that, looking at taxation, looking at how we can make sure things are

truly competitive across the province.

Now it’s not just across Canada that we have to look at. When we

look at the United States and the competitiveness that they’re putting

forward, it’s truly important for us to capture that lens on how we need

to make sure we’re supporting our small businesses here in British

Columbia so that they can remain that 95 percent of our businesses —

strong, vibrant and committing to supporting our communities.

Again, I want to acknowledge the chambers of commerce and the

work that they do on the ground every day, and the chamber executives,

managers. I mentioned Claudia and Patty. Thank you to all executives for

the work you do, and their boards.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES IN

B.C.

B. D’Eith: Today I’m going to be talking about the importance of the creative

industries in British Columbia. I’ve actually worked in the creative

industries for 28 years, and I never get tired of hearing about the

successes of the dynamic and growing industries that make up the

creative industries. I speak with pride — I really do — about how

important the creative industries are in our province and how they

contribute product all over the world.

It’s kind of fun for everyone to be able to see our local sites

and sets when they see international blockbuster shows. I just wanted to

think about some of the shows and the creative industry that’s happened

here.

[10:20 a.m.]

We think of shows like The 100 , Arrow , Bates

Motel , Battle Star Galactica . We all remember the

X Files , how important that was. Once Upon a Time

— a lot of our kids watch that — Smallville and, recently,

The Good Doctor . They’re all great television shows, and there

are so many more. Films like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ,

The Hurt Locker and, of course, Deadpool are big

films that were filmed here and other locations.

In animation, we have Atomic Cartoons: Beat Bugs , Max

and Ruby . Bardel animation has offices in Vancouver and

Kelowna, which is great. They worked on Teenage Mutant Ninja

Turtles , Puss in Boots , Angry Birds Blues.

Digital companies. Hothead Games’ On the Rain-Slick Precipice of

Darkness , Boom Soccer and the Big Win NHL . Of

course, Relic Entertainment has Homeworld , Warhammer ,

Company of Heroes . And the wonderful Electronic Arts and

the campus they have in Burnaby, with FIFA soccer,

NHL , UFC , Plants vs. Zombies and Need for

Speed .

Now, I came through the music industry. That’s where I was. I’m

extremely proud of our B.C. music industry. We have some of the top

companies in the world, like Bruce Allen Talent and S.L. Feldman and

Associates, Nettwerk Music, 604 Records, to name a few; and huge

international artists like Bryan Adams and Michael Bublé, who’s actually

going to be hosting the Juno Awards in Vancouver, which is a wonderful

thing that’s going to be happening soon, bringing a huge economic

benefit to the region. Diana Krall, Sarah McLachlan, Nickelback, to name

just a few. Some up-and-coming artists like Dan Mangan, for example, or

Mother or Dear Rouge, who I really hope will be international success

stories.

We also have amazing jewels like the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

or the festivals, like the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

These are all world-class productions.

We have a thriving book and magazine publishing industry, with

Douglas and McIntyre, Greystone Books, Hancock House, Harbour

Publishing, Orca Book publishing. We have magazines like Vancouver

Magazine , K and Pacific Rim . These are all

just to name a few examples.

When we see all these examples, we’re actually looking at four

broad areas of output: the motion picture industry, the music and sound

recording industry, international and digital media, and book and

magazine publishing. These sectors actually support more than

90,000-plus workers, plus thousands of more part-time and contractors,

in all four sectors. A lot of these jobs are green jobs, and the

majority are high-paying.

Now, if we look at all of this together, we’re looking at about

$5.23 billion in economic contribution per year from the creative

industries. That’s $2.3 billion from the interactive and digital media.

That’s actually key to the B.C. tech cluster. We’ve actually experienced

some of the highest revenue growth in Canada in this sector. And $2.6

billion in the motion picture industry, $400 million in the sound

recording industry and $28 million in the book and magazine publishing

sector.

Breaking this down into some of the sectors, the motion picture

industry in British Columbia is actually the third-largest motion

picture hub in North America. We have one provincial and eight regional

film offices covering British Columbia, and we have 35 municipal film

offices across the Lower Mainland. Actually, 62 percent of Canada’s

foreign location service is done in British Columbia. It supports 100

plus domestic film and television productions.

We actually have, for the visual effects, the world’s largest

visual effects cluster, with 80-plus visual effects and animation

studios across British Columbia. They’ve actually seen a 10 percent lift

in salaries for new grads in 2017. That’s 60,870 jobs. We expect another

10,500 jobs before 2025, and 7,000 of these will be because of

expansion. We’re really, really excited about that. That’s $2.6

billion.

Music and sound recording — it’s the third-largest centre in

Canada. We have about 1,200 artists and 6,400 musicians, singers and

conductors; 285 music companies; over 200 music festivals; 165 music

studios. That’s about 6,400 jobs, generating $400 million.

As far as the interactive and digital media side, we have an

amazing story. We have 1,150 creative tech companies that generate $2.3

billion in annual sales. We have 5,900 FTEs. It’s amazing. That’s 16,500

jobs generating $2.3 billion.

[10:25 a.m.]

With book and magazine publishing, there are 200 businesses, and

we actually do 23 percent of the magazines in Canada. That’s 6,700 jobs.

The book publishing sector supports jobs for publishers and writers,

printers, illustrators, designers, editors and retailers. So we’re very

excited about the $28 million contribution that they make.

To conclude, the creative industries are an important part of

B.C.’s diverse economy. These industries create green, high-paying jobs

and also ensure that B.C. is participating in the exploding global

creative economy. That’s 90,000 workers plus, generating over $5 billion

per annum in economic contribution. That seems pretty important to

me.

J. Thornthwaite: I rise today to respond to the members opposite. Thank you very

much for your support for the creative industries.

The creative industries are a key part of our economy,

particularly in my own riding and the entire North Shore. The film

industry employs 8,000 direct jobs on the North Shore alone, and those

are direct jobs. That doesn’t include the construction, the hotels, the

restaurants, the parking — all of these indirect jobs. So a lot of

people on the North Shore rely on the film industry, in particular, for

their employment.

British Columbia is one of the ten most filmed locations in the

world, and the University of British Columbia, in particular, is the

ninth most filmed location in the world. British Columbia is now the

leading province for employment in Canadian film and television

production. Our province generated $504 million in television production

last year, which is a 41 percent increase since 2007.

B.C.’s film industry production has seen a 40 percent increase in

job growth, year after year, to over 60,000 jobs. Canadian television

production from producers based in British Columbia increased by 26

percent, to $504 million. British Columbia now produces 36 percent of

the total film and television in all of Canada, surpassing Ontario for

the very first time this year.

Also, this year the volume of theatrical feature films made by

producers based in British Columbia increased by 92.7 percent, to $79

million. Probably the highlight of these was Star Trek Beyond .

According to the motion picture production association of Canada, more

than 3,900 British Columbians helped bring Star Trek Beyond

from the green screen to the big screen. That’s almost 4,000 jobs on one

production alone. Over the course of 78 days of filming in British

Columbia, the production contributed $69 million to the province’s

economy, including over $40 million to hire a local cast, crew and

extras.

I recently attended the Digital Media Academy’s sixth annual expo

on Saturday, February 17, at Argyle Secondary, in my riding. It was

their largest expo to date, with new exhibitors this year, including

Industrial Light and Magic, Sony Imageworks, EA Sports, Work B.C., Find

Your Fit and Virtro Entertainment — virtual, augmented and mixed

reality.

The digital media youth expo is hosted by the North Vancouver

school district’s Digital Media Academy under the direction of Murray

Bulger, a very talented teacher at Argyle Secondary. The youth expo is a

place to learn about the many educational and employment opportunities

available in the digital media industry. It’s where students, parents,

families, teachers and the community can meet with representatives from

many Lower Mainland post-secondary schools, local and global

organizations, artists, studios involved in all aspects of digital

media.

Attending were representatives in virtual reality, visual effects,

animation, film, sound, photography, web design, game design, along with

a host of other realms — all in North Vancouver.

As you can see, the film industry is key to our provincial

economy. It is a vital part of many different industries, and it employs

tens of thousands of British Columbians and contributes billions to our

economy. I hope that this government continues to support and nurture

the industry as much as ours did, for it is truly one of the most

advanced and cutting-edge film industries of any in the

world.

B. D’Eith: I want to thank the member for North Vancouver–Seymour. We dealt,

on many occasions, in the creative sector, and I appreciate all the work

that she’s done in this area. I agree that it’s important that we

continue to support and nurture the creative industries.

[10:30 a.m.]

I’d just like to shout out to some of the amazing organizations

that actually help support the creative industries, like MPPIA and CMPA

in the film industry, Music B.C., DigiBC, the Association of Book

Publishers of British Columbia and the Magazine Association of British

Columbia. All of these now are actually supported under one roof, which

is Creative B.C. That is a pan-sectoral support service now, which is

wonderful.

Under Creative B.C., there are the regional film commissioners,

the industry sponsorships and initiatives, project development, the

interactive fund, Passport to Markets, and trade and investment. They

also have the B.C. music fund, which launched in 2016. It provides $15

million over two years to the music industry, supporting eight

programs.

Of course, there are the tax credits that are very helpful in

sustaining many of the creative industries. These tax credits actually

support the very strong labour base that we have in the creative

industries, particularly in film, television and digital. We have the

production services tax credit and the Film Incentive B.C. tax credit.

These are very important.

I’m very pleased, actually, to build on the work that’s been done.

Script writers are now actually going to be included, as of Budget 2018.

It’s really great in terms of building the local talent, in terms of our

own local, homegrown creators, which is really important.

There’s also the interactive digital media tax credit, and that’s

also been extended for five years in this latest budget. Also, we saw

the book publishers tax credit. That was also extended for three years

under this budget.

The other really important part for support is training. Without

training, it’s very difficult to support the creative industries.

There’s the North Island College pilot project that was done to make

sure we can train outside of the Lower Mainland. There’s Capilano

University, Emily Carr, the Vancouver Film School and the Centre for

Digital Media.

Supporting the $5.23 billion creative industries through training,

tax credits and programs is critical for the coming years. I’m pleased

to see the $15 million increase to the Arts Council and $3 million in

Budget 2018 for Creative B.C.

The creative industries contribute to the B.C. economy. It’s

undeniable what these industries contribute, and we need to ensure that

these industries help us to remain diverse in our economy and to

contribute to the global creative economy.

COMPETITIVENESS

G. Kyllo: It is truly my pleasure to rise and speak today about something

that British Columbians should be very concerned about: our domestic and

international competitiveness.

It’s no secret that tax structures greatly influence the

competitiveness of a jurisdiction and are an important determinate of

economic growth. Competitive tax rates can serve to foster economic

growth in a varying number of ways, including helping to attract

international business investment and incentivizing existing businesses

to invest in product development and new equipment to improve

productivity. Additionally, competitive tax rates make B.C. businesses

more competitive in an increasingly global economy, better enabling them

to compete successfully in international markets.

Like many of the members here today, I represent a vibrant

community, whose success was built largely by daring entrepreneurs who

found the lakes of the Shuswap to be an idyllic backdrop for their

business ventures.

It has been said time and time again, by members from both sides

of the House, that businesses are the backbone of our economy, but right

now local businesses are caught between the proverbial rock and a hard

place. Government measures to erode the competitiveness of B.C.

businesses put at risk the economic growth of our province. Increased

taxes lead to reduced business earnings and potentially significant

losses, leaving employers with extremely difficult choices to be made:

either reduce staffing levels through layoffs or raise

prices.

Reducing staffing levels would prove to be devastating to smaller

communities, particularly where employment opportunities are not as

plentiful as larger centres. The latter would increase the cost to

consumers. And for businesses that are competing internationally,

increased prices would only further reduce their competitiveness

resulting in lost sales.

The cocktail of increased corporate and personal tax rates, rising

carbon taxes and the escalation of minimum wage rates mixed with the

job-killing payroll tax will be hard for businesses of all sizes to

swallow.

[10:35 a.m.]

The government’s own MSP Task Force cautioned against the payroll

tax. “A payroll tax would reduce the competitiveness of B.C. businesses

at a time when they’re facing several competitive challenges, including

expected increases to the minimum wage, CPP increases and recent tax

reforms in the U.S. which improve the competitive position of many U.S.

businesses.”

I’m an entrepreneur at heart, privileged to be able to serve in

this House and represent the hard-working men and women of Shuswap. I

know full well the challenges, risks and stresses of running small

businesses. The current assault on B.C. businesses is of great

concern.

This side of the aisle boasts significant firsthand business

experience. We’re business owners, farmers, entrepreneurs and business

managers. We can sympathize with business owners who are desperately

trying to figure out how to move forward.

I understand what it’s like to invest your life savings and to

mortgage your home on an idea and a dream to create a business and to

create family-supporting jobs in British Columbia. This, I believe,

provides me with a very different perspective from members on the other

side of the House.

Taxes are, in part, designed to provide relief to those who need

it most. But what if those very people lose their jobs because

businesses cannot absorb these new tax costs or economic shifts are too

large or too sudden?

The unintended negative consequences of reducing the

competitiveness of B.C. businesses may well prove to be more harmful

than helpful. These consequences extend far past asking the top tax

bracket to pay more. Businesses need to be confident in our province’s

business and investment climate. They need to know the rules won’t

change with every election. We should be building relationships with

businesses across our province and the country, not scaring them

away.

Now, prior to the release of this year’s budget, B.C. was ranked

as having the sixth-highest marginal effective tax rate for business

when compared to 34 OECD jurisdictions and our ten Canadian provinces.

We only expect our competitiveness to continue to suffer as these

increased taxes of Budget 2018 come into play.

In a recent op-ed by the Business Council of B.C., Jock Finlayson

and Ken Peacock expressed concerns.

“The new employer health tax, the EHT, comes as an unwelcome

surprise to the business community. Set at 1.95 percent of payroll for

all but the very smallest firms, the tax will generate almost $2 billion

a year by 2019-2020. The EHT spells higher labour costs for B.C.

employers, even those who currently pay MSP premiums on behalf of their

workers. Moreover, in 2019 many employers will find themselves paying

both the new payroll tax and MSP premiums as the government effectively

double-dips for almost a year.”

They go on further to caution:

“The most glaring missing piece in Budget 2018 is the failure to

acknowledge or tackle B.C.’s lagging investment performance. British

Columbia is losing ground to the United States on competitiveness,

capital formation and business attraction, owing in part to higher

taxes, increased regulation, and rising carbon and energy prices on our

side of the border at a time when the U.S. is moving in the opposite

direction. Nothing in Budget 2018 suggests the government is keen to

confront that problem.”

Economists know full well that if we intend to spur investment, we

should lower taxes on the earnings of capital and if we intend to

increase employment, we should lower taxes on workers and the businesses

that hire them. We need to give our businesses a competitive edge, not

take measures to hamper growth.

Increased taxation makes us uncompetitive. It is crucial that in

representing our constituents, we listen to the concerns of business

owners, rather than dismissing their opposing opinions as a lack of

understanding of the intricacies of taxes. As business owners, our

constituents know more about the impacts of increased taxation and

business growth than this House has been giving them credit

for.

Business owners in my riding have been reaching out to me

expressing their concerns about dealing with, in part, the payroll tax.

It is important that they know their concerns are both valid and heard.

Competitive tax policy has enabled B.C. to rise to the fastest-growing

economy in Canada.

Deputy Speaker: Member. Member, these statements are less political.

G. Kyllo: However, with so much hanging in the balance, we cannot afford to

risk this position. Therefore, we must be diligent and thoughtful when

undertaking any tax or policy change that hampers the ability of B.C.

businesses to remain competitive.

[10:40 a.m.]

D. Routley: I did think we were in members’ debate and not budget debate. That

being said, I will continue with my planned presentation, which is, to

begin with, a definition of the notion of competitiveness.

Competitiveness, I think, refers simply to the desire to be more

successful than others. But applied to an economy, business or society,

it’s the cumulative effect, the outcome, of the kinds of investments we

make, as played out in our economic well-being.

When we look at competitiveness simply as a reduction of costs —

even one cost in particular, that of business taxation — we miss the

point entirely. Competitiveness in our economy, a modern economy, is

built on a great many factors. That is why what we’re seeing now are

investments in child care and in housing. Once an economy reaches a

point where housing costs are out of reach for the workers that are

required in our workforce, that is a drag on competitiveness. We have to

look at competitiveness and examine all of the factors that affect

it.

When we look at the labour force, we know that in Quebec, when

they started their child care program, soon afterwards, they had the

highest participation of women in the skilled trades.

In our society, one of the main challenges to competitiveness is

the replacement of labour. There’s a labour shortage and a skills

shortage. If we simply focus on reducing costs to businesses through

taxation, we will miss the point that one of their greatest challenges

is a supply of well-trained, prepared, healthy workers.

Our economy depends on us investing in people to get the most out

of them in order to be competitive: education; infrastructure like the

Pattullo Bridge, in the budget; spending on public buildings. All of

these create thousands of jobs but also create an infrastructure that

supports a competitive economy.

When we look at the elimination of costs like the MSP premium,

when we look at the reduction of fares in B.C. Ferries…. Those are

direct investments in competitiveness. If you look at what’s happening

in the coastal communities and the Island communities, we have a tourism

industry that is deeply impacted by costs such as ferry fares. So when

we examine and try to increase our competitiveness, if we focus solely

on one simple equation, we will miss the boat and our efforts will be

wasted.

In order to truly support a modern economy and competitiveness, we

have to do things like cut small business income tax, which has been

done, but also move towards investing in supporting industry — like the

Buy B.C. program, as an example. When we, as a government, look at the

role that government plays in the economy as a purchaser of goods and

services…. On Vancouver Island, the Vancouver Island Health Authority,

Island Health, is the number one purchaser of goods and

services.

If we are careful and strategic about the way we use our own

involvement in the economy both as a patron, as government, but also as

the body responsible for providing the infrastructure — the bedrock

foundation for a successful economy — it means workers can afford to

live, can afford a place to live and can afford to have their children

taken care of so that they can contribute to the economy.

If we ignore those problems, if we allow housing costs to soar

beyond the reach of the people who need to live in our communities to

make our communities successful, we will lose. There’s a phrase in the

Gulf Islands that the most endangered species in the Gulf Islands is the

working family. That’s the reality.

So, yes, we must remain tax-competitive. But we must remain

cost-competitive, revenue-competitive. We must be competitive in the

services that we provide to people, we must be competitive in the

quality of workers that are produced, and we must be competitive in a

broad range in order to be truly successful and answer the simple

definition of competitiveness — the desire to be more successful than

others.

G. Kyllo: In hearing and listening to the comments of the member opposite in

referring to Quebec, a have-not province, now I kind of understand the

direction that this government may be wanting to take us in.

[10:45 a.m.]

When it comes to understanding competitiveness and making B.C.

businesses actually successful and having the opportunity to compete in

international markets, there’s another euphemism, a phrase, that I’ve

heard. Trying to explain that to the members opposite is like trying to

explain thunder to goats.

I am just so glad that the member opposite wants to talk about the

human element of business. We should be celebrating the creative and the

innovative, enterprising British Columbians who are brave enough to

invest in the business world.

I’d like to just take a minute to introduce to the House three

businesses that are in my riding that are all expressing extreme

concerns with respect to the new tax hikes that are before

them.

Waterway Houseboat Vacations in Sicamous is celebrating their 50th

anniversary and anticipating a tax hike of $23,000.

North Enderby Timber is a key player in our softwood lumber

industry. They’re committed to sustainable forest management and

high-quality products. They’re facing increases north of

$100,000.

And Valid Manufacturing in Salmon Arm employs over 100 staff who

create cost-effective solutions for industrial, commercial and

recreational vehicles. They will see premiums rise by close to

$150,000.

With the median household income in B.C. hovering around $70,000,

that relates to two new positions that could have been….

Deputy Speaker: Member.

G. Kyllo: Yes, Madame Speaker.

Deputy Speaker: This portion of the morning is related to non-partisan

comment.

G. Kyllo: Thank you, Madame Speaker.

Now, local businesses big and small do not operate in a void.

Waterway Houseboats, for example, allows couples to host weddings on the

water. These weddings include festivities such as dancing and dining.

These and other businesses, like musicians and caterers and florists,

are involved in their events. Should Waterway be forced to raise their

prices, perhaps fewer couples will choose to hold their events in the

Shuswap, a decision that would harm other businesses in our community.

At Waterway Houseboats, over 50 percent of their clientele comes from

Alberta — another cautionary tale for the members opposite.

The last thing that we want to do is to chase businesses away.

After all, these are not faceless corporations; they are family

businesses built up carefully with great love and care over generations.

They draw in tourists, support community construction, and develop and

manufacture innovative technology. They are so much more than a tax

bracket. And yes, not every business in the province will face new

taxation. But those that do will shoulder an immensely disproportionate

burden.

THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF

AFFORDABLE CHILD

CARE

M. Dean: No matter what side of the aisle we are on in this chamber, we can

all agree there is a lack of available, affordable child care spaces in

B.C. Finding good-quality, accessible child care is a major issue for

most British Columbian families. Most families can’t afford to live on

one income, and many parents, especially women, want to remain in the

workforce and advance their careers. Indeed, they need to in order to

plan for their senior years and grandparenthood.

Yet in B.C., child care fees are the second-highest family expense

after housing and are increasing at rates that outpace inflation. For

infants and toddlers, these fees are now the second-highest in the

country. For families who can afford the fees, spaces are hard to come

by, especially for children under age three, with the regulated-space

availability for less than 20 percent of all children.

Parents wait months on wait-lists, and too many have to make the

difficult choice of not working or sending their child to an unlicensed

care provider. Other families add a commute for child care on top of

their stressful commute for work.

Jen, who lives in my constituency, was telling me the other day,

with increasing stress, that she has to drive ten kilometres away from

home for child care before she joins the Colwood crawl. It’s no wonder,

then, that too many families make the decision for one parent to stay

home — this is disproportionately women — keeping potentially 17,000

parents out of the workforce and forcing many families onto social

assistance.

Without quality, affordable and accessible child care, too many

parents in B.C. do not have the freedom to choose whether to stay at

home or go back to work. For families who cannot find or afford child

care, it’s most often the women who are essentially forced to stay home

or to work reduced hours, putting their careers on hold and ultimately

affecting their status and income in their retirement.

[10:50 a.m.]

Liz is a young woman living in Esquimalt. She’s just landed her

perfect job, and she’s pregnant. She’s really anxious now about child

care. She has put her name on numerous lists and lives with anxiety

every day, not knowing whether she’s going to get a spot or whether

she’ll have to give up her job. She’s one of thousands being kept out of

the workforce, forcing many families onto social assistance.

It isn’t just families suffering. Whether it’s absenteeism,

greater turnover, reduced productivity or increased use of extended

health benefits, ultimately employers are paying the price too. As Anita

Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade, said: “The work-life

conflict experienced by parents raising young children today is costly

for employers. The result is higher absenteeism rates for this group of

employees, greater turnover and increased use of extended health

benefits — all of which employers pay for.”

We can see the results of ignoring this economic reality:

increased inequality, increased child poverty, increased reliance on

social assistance, increased attention from other services and

authorities.

Clearly, child care is an economic imperative. The costs to our

economy and society from a lack of affordable universal child care are

clear, and so are the benefits. Child care has become as critical to the

health and growth of our economy as K-to-12 and post-secondary education

and skills training. Some studies estimate that universal child care

will create 69,100 net new full-time-equivalent jobs in B.C., comprising

a number of factors.

With access to affordable, quality child care, up to 17,000 B.C.

parents, mostly mothers, will be able to enter or return to B.C.’s

labour force. With available child care, parents will be able to move

from part-time or casual to full-time jobs. From reduced staff turnover,

absences and increased productivity alone, conservative estimates

suggest that universal child care would lead to a growth of

approximately 14,000 full-time-equivalent jobs.

The employment multiplier for this sector — the number of jobs

created per $1 million of increased output in a given sector — is, at

36.9, by far the highest across all industries, suggesting that early

childhood education doesn’t only provide significant benefits to

children, families and the economy but that it provides a better return

on investment than many other sectors.

The importance of quality early learning is made very clear by a

recent Conference Board of Canada report that shows there is close to $6

in economic benefits for every $1 spent on expanding early childhood

education enrolment of children under five years of age. According to

Statistics Canada, the GDP multiplier for child care outside the home is

among the highest of all industries.

The economic benefits from lower child care fees, and increased

income as parents return to work, helps more than just families.

Estimates are that there would be net gain of almost $260 million in

family disposable income, which leads to more spending, with the end

result being an over-$172-million increase in GDP and 1,700 more jobs.

It’s estimated that the benefits to businesses from reduced staff

turnover, absences and increased productivity will result in a GDP

increase of around $1.2 billion.

Universal child care is one of the best investments government can

make.

L. Throness: Well, it’s a pleasure to speak to the economic benefits of child

care. I know that the current academic rage, the scholarly fashion, is

to assert that there are great economic benefits associated with child

care. But I’m an opposition member, so I want to question that. The main

Canadian study of Quebec’s daycare claims that increased labour market

participation of women pays for its $7-a-day plan. But here’s what the

Fraser Institute says: “These claims should be treated skeptically. The

resulting tax revenues from increased maternal labour force

participation likely do not offset the full cost of Quebec’s

program.”

To replace family care with government care is probably not

cheaper, and it’s easy to see why. The parent who re-enters the

workforce makes a salary. We must deduct from that the training costs

and salary of the early childhood educator; the cost to the economy of

that child care worker unable to do other things that might earn more.

Deduct also the cost of government subsidies, of regulation, of running

a daycare; and the many miscellaneous costs to parents, like picking up

and dropping off children.

[10:55 a.m.]

There could be some economic gain if those entering the workforce

were high-income earners, but by definition, those who benefit from this

subsidy are low-income earners taxed at the low end of the progressive

scale. Their taxes might not even cover their own subsidy, let alone the

entire child care program.

Why else would the government want universal public daycare? I can

see a couple of reasons. We know that 700,000 baby boomers will retire

in the next five years or so, and our province is already experiencing a

shortage of workers. To alleviate that shortage, the government needs to

push more people into the workforce. I think that’s a big driver for

more child care.

The government also wants more women in the workplace for the

purpose of gender equity. Of course, we all want fairness in the

workplace. But for some reason, the government doesn’t see a parent

taking care of his or her own child at home as productive labour, even

though a different person caring for that same child in a daycare is

applauded for doing productive work. This is an obvious

contradiction.

I find it strange that the government, usually so touched with

tender pity for hurting people…

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members.

L. Throness: …ignores the cries of an infant leaving its parent, who has to go

to work, and the sadness of a parent who would rather stay home with

their new baby for a while. But parents are not offered that

option.

Suddenly, for the government, it’s all about the money. This, to

me, is the second reason for universal public child care. Parents have

to go to work to generate the taxes to help pay for big government

programs like child care.

In contrast, I think the benefits of child care are not primarily

economic. They are social. It’s about self-fulfilment. It’s about having

kids and a career at the same time. It’s more about lifestyle than about

growing the economy.

The government could grant real equity to lower-income parents by

giving them a real, equal choice: helping parents to enter the workplace

and sending their child to good public care, or helping them to work and

arrange private care with a family member or someone else they trust, or

assisting them to keep their child at home, particularly for the first

three years when parental attachment is most important.

It shouldn’t be all about the money. It should be about parental

choice and what’s best, in the parents’ eyes, in their own circumstance

for their own kids.

If the government really wants to grow the economy, then instead

of shoehorning people in the workforce, it will provide incentives to

employers to replace labour with capital. That is, to replace human

workers with software and machines that automate boring, repetitive

tasks. That don’t get tired or ill or make mistakes. That don’t ask for

wages and that happily work 24 hours a day. But unions wouldn’t like

that, would they?

This, perhaps more than anything else, would give us more real

economic growth. History shows that human knowledge applied to

technology and machines, more than human labour, has provided the

incredible standard of living, unmatched in all of human history, that

we enjoy today.

To conclude, I think there’s room for healthy skepticism about the

vaunted economic benefits of child care. Child care provides more of a

social than an economic benefit. I would encourage the government to

provide real options to parents so that they can do what they want with

their lives and still be sure that their children are well raised in

whatever setting they choose. This would be a real social benefit of

great value, which, in their haste to justify and push through the

creation of universal public child care, the government has apparently

forgotten.

M. Dean: Thank you to the member for Chilliwack-Kent for his

perspective.

Universal child care offers choice to British Columbians and

equality of access, which also means access to the advantages that

universal child care brings. Not only are there clear immediate benefits

to universal child care, the benefits of universal child care will also

increase over time. Children who experience high-quality, affordable

child care grow up healthier, better educated, less likely to be

involved in the criminal justice system or go on social assistance — all

of which lead to higher earnings, higher tax revenues for governments

and reduced government spending.

The literature overwhelmingly finds that high-quality education in

the early years leads to improved cognitive and language development and

better numeracy skills, all of which are essential for success in

today’s society.

Long-term, high-quality universal child care can help to address

the core economic and social challenges facing our province. It can help

reduce poverty, address skills shortages and improve productivity and

innovation. Studies show that for every dollar invested, the benefit

ratio for disadvantaged children is in the double digits.

[11:00 a.m.]

While the long-term benefits are greatest for children from

disadvantaged backgrounds, earlier learning like that received in

high-quality child care centres has been proven to improve the abilities

of all children.

Early childhood educators can also help to identify learning or

developmental delays at an early age and provide parents and children

with appropriate support. Early detection means that the child can

receive specialized help sooner, preventing issues from intensifying,

which is more challenging and costly. Overall, there is compelling

evidence that children who receive early childhood education have better

economic, social and health outcomes.

Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, unanimous consent of the House is required to

proceed with Motion 2 without disturbing the priorities of the motion

preceding it on the order paper.

Leave granted.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 2 — SUPPORT FOR

AGRICULTURE

INDUSTRY

I. Paton: On behalf of my constituency in Delta South and on behalf of the

great people involved in agriculture activities across this province, I

am proud to stand in this House to present the following

motion:

[Be it resolved that this House supports providing assistance to

B.C.’s agriculture industry.]

I speak this morning on behalf of my constituents, my riding of

Delta South. Having grown up in Delta South, I grew up on the farm. I

was born in 1956 on our family farm, and I’m proud to say that I’m still

living on my family farm in my grandfather’s house, the same house that

I’ve been in for many, many years. My upbringing was on our dairy farm

in Delta. My family is…. I’m a third-generation farmer on the same farm

in Delta.

[R. Chouhan in the chair.]

I certainly know what it’s like to be involved in the agriculture

industry, having been a dairy farmer for many years. I know what it’s

like to get up every morning at 4:30, work through the day, milk again

at five o’clock at night. So I’ve been very aware of the challenges of

farming, the challenges of agriculture, the challenges of signing your

own paycheques — what I’ve done every year since I came out of UBC in

1979. I’ve been in charge of my own two businesses — my farm auction

business and my dairy farm in Delta.

My father, Ian Paton Sr., was the chairman of the Agricultural

Land Commission, so our family is rather close to the job of protecting

and saving farmland in the province of B.C. I’m very proud of what he

did over the years as a commissioner and then, eventually, in the late

’80s, being the chairman of the Agricultural Land Commission.

Nothing brings people closer together than a good meal. Take a

moment and try to think of a celebration or gathering in your life that

didn’t involve food. It’s probably impossible. Equally impossible is

getting the food on your plate without a farmer, a rancher, a fisherman

or a wine producer. I could go on and on. The B.C. agricultural industry

is made up of hard-working men and women whose goods end up on the table

across British Columbia and around the world.

B.C.’s agrifood and seafood sectors are booming today, thanks in

part to the management of the previous B.C. Liberal government. The best

support that government can provide to businesses, including those in

the agriculture sector, is to create an economic climate that encourages

success.

There are actually 31,000 hectares more land in the ALR today than

there were in 1974. The budget for the land commission has been

increased, back in 2012, by 50 percent, and it now sits at roughly $4.5

million. We are certainly supporting our Agricultural Land Commission

and the land reserve.

There are a number of challenges looming on the horizon. I’ve been

getting an earful from farmers about this government’s plans to hike the

carbon tax and the minimum wage. It’s going to hit them financially, and

that could mean some tough decisions ahead. Reducing staff or raising

prices for consumers could be on the table. The minimum wage, in

particular, came as a surprise to many.

Danielle Synotte, communications director for the B.C. Ag Council,

said: “The government received a report from the minimum-wage review

commission and just adopted every recommendation, without any

consultation for how it would be implemented.” Imagine that — not

talking to the people who will be directly affected before making a

decision on minimum-wage hikes.

That’s also the concern I have about the Agriculture Ministry’s

advisory committee studying the agricultural land reserve and

Agricultural Land Commission. It underrepresents farmers and excludes

key agricultural sectors and regions.

[11:05 a.m.]

Presentations are being done by invitation only, so only

handpicked associations will have the chance to meet face to face with

the committee. This means anyone not invited will be limited to

providing on-line feedback only. How can the committee do a thorough,

balanced review, given these limitations? I’m very skeptical.

What’s more, the minister appears to have already made up her mind

on the changes she wants to make regarding the elimination of zone 2

from the ALR. She has publicly stated that she sees a change coming, and

in the same breath, she promises to consult in a meaningful

way.

I stand here this morning very proud of our agriculture industry

in B.C. I think everyone’s doing rather well. We’ve had some good crops

this past summer in the vegetable business, the cranberry business,

blueberries. Dairy farming is doing very well. We can also support, in a

big way, predator control in our northern communities with wolves, bears

and cougars.

J. Rice: I’m proud to rise today and talk about the importance of the

agriculture sector to British Columbians. I want to thank the member

opposite for his remarks. He is, no doubt, a strong advocate for the

agriculture industry. I see that displayed in his time here in the

House.

Saying that, I think our current minister, our new Minister of

Agriculture, is also a phenomenal advocate. I couldn’t feel any better,

knowing that she is in the role that she is, because no one has

advocated for agriculture like she has in the last four years. I feel

quite good, knowing she is in the place that she is in.

I attended a fisheries conference on Friday with the Minister of

Agriculture, and I heard from fishermen who said things to me like, “We

haven’t seen a Minister of Agriculture from the province here in years,

in decades, and we have multiple MLAs that are participating in the

commercial fishing sector,” which is an important part of the

agriculture sector.

I’d like to spend some time talking about this during my allocated

time, because I think it’s often overlooked. We gravitate towards

land-based agriculture when we think about this portfolio, and as a

coastal resident and a coastal MLA, I think it’s important that we talk

about the importance of the fisheries to our province.

I will just touch on some of the broad commitments that we made in

this budget just recently around agriculture generally. The budget is

over $93 million. That’s an increase of $8 million to help B.C.

agriculture and seafood businesses grow. The support for agriculture is

going to increase in the next three years to over $97 million by 2021,

which is an increased investment of $29 million over the next three

years.

This budget investment is helping B.C. farming families, seafood

and food processors across our province and will support growing the

market for B.C. products around the world and here at home. The funding

will help them succeed, generating good, well-paying jobs, economic

activity and revenue in communities along our coast and in our

province.

This year’s budget will support each of the items in the Minister

of Agriculture’s mandate letter, including the enhanced Buy B.C.

program; Grow B.C., with incentives for new farmers; Feed B.C., serving

more B.C. foods in government institutions; steps in developing a food

innovation centre; and a revitalized ALR. I think those are phenomenal

commitments and demonstrate this government’s commitment to supporting

agriculture communities and the agriculture sector.

I also want to just touch on a little bit about the wildfire

season. The wildfires and flooding this year devastated many areas of

our province, displacing tens of thousands of people. We saw the

producers, the land, their cattle on the front line of an unprecedented

disaster. We announced, in partnership with the federal government, a

$20 million agriculture recovery program, to help address the needs of

farmers and ranchers impacted by this summer’s devastating

wildfires.

We also have appointed George Abbott and Chief Maureen Chapman to

lead an external review, an after-action review of the wildfire season,

and I suspect that there will be new recommendations on how we can

better support our agriculture communities when it comes to

wildfires.

[11:10 a.m.]

Touching back on the fisheries part of the Ministry of

Agriculture, I just wanted to talk about something that’s really

important to coastal B.C. I represent this huge area of the north coast

— Prince Rupert all the way down to the central coast, through the Bella

Coola Valley, which has great agriculture, down to Bella Bella, on to

Oweekeno, or Wuikinuxv, and including Haida Gwaii.

Commercial fishing or fishing and shellfish aquaculture and

aquaculture are a huge part of the economy for my constituents. But

we’re lagging behind, compared to our Alaskan neighbours to the north

and to the maritime provinces to the east, when it comes to actually

generating or capturing the actual landed value or the financial

benefits of having a robust fishing industry.

I’ve been looking at reports recently. One in particular has

really struck a chord with me. I wish we could have props here, because

I would hold up this graph. But I can’t. It basically says: “We’re

catching less fish in the maritime provinces, but we’re getting more

value. We’re catching less fish in Alaska, but we’re getting more value.

In B.C., we’re catching less and making less.”

D. Barnett: I would like to offer my appreciation to the member for Delta

South for giving us the opportunity to talk about supporting agriculture

in British Columbia. We are fortunate to live in a province that offers

so many opportunities to grow food in virtually every part of the

province.

My riding of Cariboo-Chilcotin is no exception. We produce a

variety of crops, but we are predominantly known for our cattle

industry. While beef cattle are raised throughout our province, many of

the 4,000-plus cattle ranches that operate in B.C. are located in the

Cariboo region. B.C. ranches occupy over five million acres of private

land. They also have tenure on 21.5 million acres of Crown rangeland. In

fact, two-thirds of the agricultural land reserve is owned by

ranchers.

Overall, the beef industry is important to the province’s economy

and supports many family and community businesses. The total economic

contribution of the industry is estimated at $600 million annually, and

an estimated 8,700 persons are employed in the B.C. beef

sector.

In the Cariboo, there are cattle ranch operations, large and

small. We are talking about family operations that are passed down from

one generation to another. People who work in the industry love the

industry. We have highly active and vibrant 4-H clubs in the Cariboo

district.

We are also innovators in the cattle industry. Under the previous

B.C. Liberal government, at TRU university in Williams Lake, we launched

the program where students gain the expertise to build and sustain

ranching enterprises within B.C.’s ranching industry and apply that

knowledge to agriculture businesses in any region. By the end of the

program, students gain an understanding of ecosystem management in the

last intact temperate grassland in the world. This program is highly

supported by our local ranching industry and by Her Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor.

As you probably are well aware, Mr. Speaker, 2017 was not a

particularly good year for the cattle industry in the Cariboo. This

summer’s wildfires, the worst in the history of the province, had a

devastating effect.

People lost their homes and buildings, ranchers lost miles and

miles of fences, and pastures used to sustain cattle through the summer

and fall were all burned up, with the tragic loss of prime grazing land.

Although we can expect the land to start to rebound next season, many

ranchers have been struggling and will continue to. Many lost their hay

crops and had to rely on the kindness of their neighbours to make it

through this season.

If there is one sector in B.C.’s agricultural industry that

requires the most support, I would say ranchers are the most in need of

assistance right now. That is why I’m disappointed that in the budget

last week, it did not specify any program or funding that would help the

ranching industry through this difficult period. As a matter of fact,

there was little about rural B.C. development.

[11:15 a.m.]

For an industry that has contributed so much to the development of

this province, I would hope that this government recognize the need and

act accordingly. For young people interested in pursuing a career in the

cattle industry, the government needs to signal some kind of support to

ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for our ranchers.

R. Kahlon: I want to thank my colleague from down south for bringing forward

this motion: “…that this House supports providing assistance to B.C.’s

agriculture industry.”

I think that the one comment I’d just like to make regarding my

colleague’s comments earlier is that the industry also involves workers.

Workers are part of the industry. So I think that when we talk about

raising wages for the workers, that’s good for the industry as well.

When the workers are making money, it is good for the industry as

well.

We’ve seen an increase in workers coming from Mexico and Jamaica,

so part of supporting the industry also needs to be supporting those

workers that come. I’ve seen some initiatives, for example in Kelowna,

where now they’re talking about building housing in a community-based

project. I think we need to do more of those things.

The agriculture industry isn’t just about the people who own the

land. It’s also about people who work the land. I just want to highlight

that.

I think the budget has some key things that support the

agriculture industry. The ministry’s budget for ’18-19 is over $93

million. That’s $8 million more than last year to help B.C. agriculture

and seafood businesses grow. In fact, next three years, it’s over $97

million. By 2021, the increased investment would be about $29 million

over the next three years. That is quite a significant

investment.

Back to the motion: “…providing assistance to B.C.’s agriculture

industry.” Yes. You bet our side of the House supports that, and our

budget reflects that. The dollars are there.

This year the Ministry of Agriculture budgeted the highest since

it became separate from the FLNRO budget in 2011. The budget investment

in farming-families, seafood, food producers and processors across the

province will support the market of B.C. products around the world. I

know the previous government did some good work on trying to get

agriculture products overseas. We’re going to continue that and, in

fact, try to expand that.

There are a few things in particular in the Minister of

Agriculture’s mandate letter. We’ve got Buy B.C., Grow B.C. and Feed

B.C. I know the Minister of Agriculture is very proud of talking about

those initiatives.

A couple of things on that that I wanted to highlight. One is our

hospitals and health authorities buying more local food. I know that

Interior Health, I believe, buys about 25 percent from local producers,

which is a start, but I think we need to expand that. How do we make

that happen?

Perhaps we need to look at the menus that our hospitals are using.

If we can change the menus in each of the local health authorities to

adapt to what’s in season and what’s growing, I think that we can create

a better incentive for local producers to provide the goods that we

need. I think that instead of asking the producers to just produce what

we need, we can adjust our menus. Because getting people healthy is

about good, quality food. We know we produce good local food, so I see a

natural partnership in that.

Part of Grow B.C. is incentives for new farmers. There are a lot

of young people that want to enter farming. They want to get into

farming. My family are all farmers for generations and generations. I’m

probably the first generation that’s gone away from farming, but that

happens. But there are lot of new families, young families that want to

get into farming, so we need more programs to provide supports for young

farmers to get access to land. That

part is in there, so I’m pretty

happy about that.

I know that there’s a piece about the Food Innovation Centre in

the mandate letter of the Agriculture Minister. I think that’s

critical.

[11:20 a.m.]

In my travels, when I’ve talked to people who are involved in the

sector, they would like to see a centre where they can experiment with

tastes and flavours. I think that step will be critical for us to

produce. The time is coming close.

I know that we’ve started a process to revitalize the ALR. I’ll

have to talk about it another time.

E. Ross: Many thanks to the member for Delta South for putting forth this

motion on agriculture and the importance of supporting the entire

industry.

We owe a lot to our farmers. They provide our province with

high-quality and nutritious food. The agriculture sector also makes a

significant contribution to our provincial economy through exports. I’m

glad to hear both sides of the House talking about one of the most

important exports, and that’s seafood exports coming from the west coast

of British Columbia.

The most successful export product of all in that regard is farmed

salmon. Total seafood exports from B.C. amounted to $1.3 billion in

2016, and farmed salmon accounted for $524 million of that. As a matter

of fact, three-quarters of farmed fish produced in Canada comes from

B.C. In terms of B.C.’s aquaculture industry, farmed salmon accounts for

90 percent of production compared to just 9 percent of shellfish and

other farm species.

Fish farms contribute $1.1 billion to the provincial economy on an

annual basis, and thousands of stable jobs are created in remote

communities that have traditionally higher unemployment. These jobs are

distributed up and down B.C.’s coast. Aside from providing consistent

employment opportunities, fish farms pay about 30 percent higher than

B.C.’s median employment income.

There are about 6,700 people currently working directly in the

salmon-farming industry. In the last three years alone, salmon farms

created over 1,600 jobs. B.C. salmon farms also generate economic

activity in other parts of the economy, because the industry depends on

suppliers and lots of other service providers, including processing

companies, salmon feed companies and many other specialized industry

service companies.

Because the industry is located along B.C.’s coastlines, salmon

farmers rely on the support and partnership of the First Nations in

whose traditional territory they operate. Currently B.C. salmon farmers

are partnering with coastal First Nations on 20 economic and social

partnerships. This has opened up many desperately needed employment

opportunities for First Nations up and down the coast.

This motion calls for support for all agricultural sectors,

including aquaculture. In a period of uncertainty with respect to NAFTA

and our largest trading partner south of the border, products from B.C.

farms are finding their way into markets in Asia and beyond.

That’s why it’s crucial that the fish farm industry receive

support from all British Columbians, including the provincial

government. The fish farm industry has received mixed signals. On one

hand, it seems to point to B.C.’s aquaculture industry as a threat. In

the same breath, as a dispute with Alberta and the federal government

continues, there are claims that there are spokespeople working in the

interest of saving jobs on the coast in regard to fish farms.

I once served as a chief councillor of Haisla, and like many other

First Nations, we were equally concerned with the health of wild salmon

stocks. Even though there are no fish farms in the Douglas Channel in

Haisla territory, we see inconsistent runs different years. The Skeena

River sockeye has been declining too, again, with no fish farms in

sight.

We have to ask ourselves a simple question: what is really

affecting wild salmon? There are certain factors raised by scientists in

the Cohen Commission and other credible reports that point to the real

culprits. These include ocean warming, habitat damage and overfishing,

including bycatch.

Everyone in this House wants to ensure that our wild salmon not

only survive but thrive for the enjoyment of generations to come. But

for this to happen, we need to focus on the real threats identified by

science. In the meantime, let’s provide our support for an industry that

contributes to the overall health of our provincial economy and takes

the pressure off our wild stocks.

[11:25 a.m.]

B. Ma: I’m pleased to be able to rise in support of today’s motion

regarding supporting B.C.’s agriculture industry. I’d like to thank the

member for Delta South for bringing up this fantastic motion and giving

me the opportunity to discuss and, indeed, celebrate this important

industry.

I’d like to take a little bit of a different tone than what maybe

some members previous have been discussing. I think that usually when

people think about agriculture, the image of massive farms, huge

vineyards and orchards or giant feedlots often comes to mind. That’s

probably because — at least for me as city folk and maybe some of my

other city folk MLAs here — the vast majority of the produce, dairy and

meat that we purchase does in fact come from these larger farms.

Sometimes we forget that B.C.’s agricultural industry is actually so

much more diverse than that.

I’d like to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about the

smallholding farm that my partner’s mother, Christine Proulx, and her

partner, Rob Hyslop, keep on 40 acres of land up in Barriere — beautiful

North Thompson. The member from North Thompson is right here in the

House today. For those of you who don’t know Barriere, B.C., it’s a

sweet, rural town with about the same total population as my high school

had. It exists about an hour north of Kamloops along the No. 5 road on

the traditional territories of the Secwepemc First Nations.

They call their farm Chinook Farm, and on it they keep laying

hens, heritage breed pigs, sheep and cattle. They’re extremely proud of

the fact that their produce is ethically raised. The animals are tame

and happy with lots of room to roam, grazing on 60 acres of land that

Christine and Rob lease nearby. The animals live as they are naturally

inclined. I’ve seen those animals. They are indeed very, very

happy.

Also on their North Thompson farm are three dogs, four horses and

two cats who live and play with the sheep. Their farm cats are about the

same age as my two city cats, but they’re twice the size and about ten

times as tough. Their cats actually sleep, by the way, with the sheep

during the winter, outside, and they actually ride the sheep out to

pasture. It is the most adorable thing. I know — skeptical looks coming

from the other side. There are actually photos of their cats perched on

top of these sheep riding out to pasture. They really need to put a

video of this on the Internet.

It’s a registered farm since 2016. Farms their size are often

called hobby farms. While they do love the farming life, it’s definitely

not a hobby to them. They produce food for sale and work at it like any

other business. They sell eggs, meat and honey through farm-gate sales.

While they aren’t quite large enough to survive on their farm income

alone, they also could not do without it, and of course, they absolutely

love it. They love the physical demands of a smallholding farm and love

being able to provide their community a healthy, ethical option for

food.

I have to say, by the way, that working on a farm is clearly very

good exercise. Christine is a very tough, strong, hard-working woman.

When I first moved into my condo, Christine actually came down from

Barriere to help my partner and me move in. We had a lot of used, solid

furniture to move. At that time, I was 30 years old and she was 61 years

old, and at one point she actually said to me: “Oh, Bowinn, leave those

for me. Those are too heavy. I’ll take care of it. I don’t want you to

injure yourself.” So really quite, quite fit. But I digress.

I guess my point here is that for those of us who are unfamiliar

with the agriculture industry in B.C. — myself included; I don’t have a

lot of experience in it — we sometimes forget that B.C. is absolutely

peppered with these small and medium-sized farms that form part of the

fabric of our agricultural industry. Grow B.C., Buy B.C., Feed B.C. —

those programs aren’t just about the big guys. It’s also about

encouraging people to buy local, feed local, grow local. This helps all

of our local farmers and ranchers, from our most profitable businesses

all the way down to those just getting going.

I’m very happy that our government is supporting the agricultural

industry. I look forward to opportunities to continue to grow B.C., buy

B.C. and feed B.C., and I look forward also to hearing the remaining

statements from members.

P. Milobar: It’s purely coincidental that I’m standing up after the previous

speaker to speak about Kamloops–North Thompson and the great

agricultural production that we do have there. I think she’s removed

half of my speech, though, so I’ll have to recalibrate a

little.

[11:30 a.m.]

In Kamloops–North Thompson, we are very proud of our agricultural

heritage. Kamloops has long been an agricultural hub for the various

ranchers and other crops that do get grown in and around Kamloops. As

far away as Williams Lake and down to the Merritt area even, people use

Kamloops as a bit of a service hub, especially back before highways had

been expanded.

In Kamloops’s case, some of our history, unfortunately, doesn’t

still exist within agriculture. Two notable examples would be the hop

farms that used to exist. Both Rainier as well as Molson Canadian had

large hop farms in Kamloops. As well, we were world-renowned for our

beefsteak tomatoes and our canning facilities that we had in Kamloops

for canning tomatoes. We’re going back into the ’50s and the ’60s when

I’m talking about this.

Unfortunately, those production sites we no longer see happening.

This predates ALR. It wasn’t because of land speculation in Kamloops in

the 1950s or 1960s that we saw these industries no longer be able to

survive. It was because the economics of those canning facilities or

those hop farms compared to production in other areas started to become,

to a point where…. Even back then, they became not financially viable to

continue to operate.

In the case of the hop farm, we were able to receive a large

donation from Molson. In fact, that is where our B.C. Wildlife Park in

Kamloops has been located ever since — as a donated piece of land from

the former hop farm area.

I bring that up, though, because we do see…. Although we hear

great conversations around wanting to continue to support B.C.

agriculture and taking that seriously, we also see a lot of increased

costs coming towards agriculture over the next little while — increases

in carbon taxes, increases in wages. All of this means that agriculture

gets more expensive to produce within the province.

Why that is a concern is…. Although I love going to a farmers

market, and we have great organic growers in Kamloops…. A former

colleague of mine on Kamloops city council has an organic farm. It’s

wonderful to get that produce, but a lot of those times, those types of

produce are a little more expensive than what you might see in some of

the bigger chain store produce departments.

That’s a concern to me. I can totally understand that — and I have

no problem at all — when people are trying to provide for their family

in an affordable way, they have to access food sources as affordably as

possible. Adding cost pressures that will create some upward pressure on

purchasing local foods does not actually expand that. I have a concern

around that.

There may be some programming in place to try to get some of the

food bought and brought into hospitals. Those measures, I think,

everyone can support and appreciate. However, if it’s not bought at a

market value that the farmer needs to operate, either one of two things

is going to have to happen. Either the health authorities need to be

willing to pay a premium and see an increase in their budgets to be able

to do that, or there’s going to have to be a government subsidy given

back to the farmers to make sure that they’re made whole with their

pricing, because they cannot just unilaterally cut their price

down.

I have one daughter who went to university down in California —

swimming — and I was fortunate enough to go down there all four years

that she was there and drive the I-5 regularly. The I-5, literally — I

mean, Highway 5 — goes through Kamloops and goes all the way up into

Jasper and Edmonton and back down to Winnipeg. Technically, there’s

always that move to call it the I-5 all the way through and around, but

the I-5 goes all the way from Mexico right up in through British

Columbia and all the way along.

The I-5, in British Columbia’s case, is a very significant

corridor for agricultural competition in our province — unlike any other

province out there. We have to make sure that our farmers are staying

competitive, because the very real reality is that the consumers will

speak with their wallets when it comes to agriculture and agricultural

products.

I want to make sure that we, as an overall governmental thought

process, are looking at the big picture and not just coming out with a

quick couponing program and think that is going to solve all the

agricultural woes in the province.

We need to have an understanding that if we keep increasing cost

pressures around labour, fuel and other combustibles that farming and

agriculture need, they will not be able to compete on that I-5 corridor.

We will see a further flooding of, actually, produce coming from down

south of us — totally counterproductive to what, I think, is trying to

be the intent of increasing agriculture.

[11:35 a.m.]

J. Brar: I’m really pleased to respond to the motion introduced by the

member for Delta South, and I thank the member for the introduction of

the motion.

I may talk about the poor record of the previous government on the

agriculture industry later on, if time permits. I know the time is very

limited. But I just want to say to people that I’m also a son of a

farmer, and I have lots of friends in the farming industry in Oliver,

Osoyoos, Penticton, Abbotsford, Surrey, and so on.

First, I would like to highlight the historic level of support our

government has extended, in just seven short months, to the agriculture

industry. Our government is fully committed to supporting and

strengthening our agriculture industry. Our government is working each

and every day to build a strong, sustainable economy that supports jobs

in the agricultural industry, particularly in the rural area.

This government wants a better B.C. for each and every person

working in the agriculture industry in our province. Agriculture is the

key contributor to economic development, diversification and

provincewide job creation. Our agriculture is a $14 billion industry,

and that provides approximately 63,000 jobs in the province. Primary

agriculture is represented by over 17,500 farms, using 2.5 million

hectares of provincial land. Less than 3 percent of that land is under

the ALR.

The food processing sector is the second-largest manufacturing

industry in B.C. Our key commitment, during the last election campaign,

for the agriculture industry includes: we will bring back the Buy B.C.

program to make it better to support our agricultural sector; we will

revitalize the land reserve and the Agricultural Land Commission for the

21st century; and we will help young farmers across the land and work

with primary producers on initiatives like ensuring bee populations stay

healthy and supporting fruit and nut growers.

Our government is building more opportunities for the province’s

agricultural industry with a three-pronged approach: through Grow B.C.,

Feed B.C. and Buy B.C. Buy B.C. will offer a recognizable brand on local

products and help B.C. food to expand their sales in the province. Feed

B.C. will help increase the use of B.C. food in hospitals and other

government facilities. Grow B.C. will focus on policies and programs

that support farmers and help B.C. producers expand local food

production as well as supporting young British Columbians who want to

farm.

Together, the programs will encourage new growers, increased

production and higher consumption of B.C. food products today and for

future generations. This program is an important part of our commitment

to create good jobs across the province. We want to get British

Columbians excited about the products that are being grown and produced

in our province and celebrate the success of B.C.’s agricultural

industry.

It’s about time to get the buy-B.C. conversation going and give

consumers a simple way to support local products grown, harvested and

made by their fellow British Columbians here right in our

province.

When our B.C. food producers succeed, we all succeed. A healthy

and thriving agricultural industry is critical in creating jobs and

growing our economy, specifically in rural British Columbia.

I would like to conclude…. I know the member said at the

beginning, made one comment, that we did not do full consultation when

we talked about the minimum wage. I just want to point out that we had a

Fair Wages Commission, which went through the province, to every

community of the province, to consult the people of British Columbia.

People were also asked to make presentations on line. So it’s false to

say that we did not consult the people about minimum wage.

[11:40 a.m.]

D. Davies: I’d like to, first of all, start by thanking my colleague from

Delta South for bringing forward this motion on supporting our

agricultural industry in this province. I’m going to be focusing a lot

of my comments today on the agricultural industry in my region of Peace

River.

Before I start, it is worth noting that in British Columbia, we

owe a great deal, of course — and I think all of us in this House can

agree on that — to our agricultural industry. It contributes to food

security across our province simply because we all benefit from highly

productive farms that feed our province. Beyond that, the B.C.

agriculture industry is continuing to see record-breaking numbers across

the entire sector.

For the fourth straight year in a row, B.C.’s agrifood and seafood

sectors are some of the most diverse in Canada, producing over 200

agricultural commodities and 100 seafood species. All combined,

agriculture accounts for $13 billion in sales every year in British

Columbia, $3.5 billion of which are exports. We’re also talking about

almost 63,000 jobs that employ British Columbians here in this province

in the agricultural industry, and many of these good people are located

in my own region of Peace River North.

While many think of the energy sector when they think about Peace

River North, it is a fact that our Peace River region has over 30

percent of the farmland in British Columbia. We have close to 2.5

million acres in production.

The Peace region is, indeed, the largest agricultural region in

British Columbia. Our region is home to 1,800 farms that produce over

$100 million annually. While residents in the south might assume that

most production is done in the Fraser Valley or the Interior or

Vancouver Island, in fact, 90 percent of the grain grown in B.C. is

grown in my region and 95 percent of all canola is also grown in the

Peace.

However, this does come with some great challenges. Currently we

cannot move our grain to market. There are over 20,000 tonnes of grain

right now stuck in grain elevators in my region alone, and I know that

the issue isn’t much better in Peace River South.

This issue is due to not being able to get rail cars from CN. In

fact, the North Pine Farmers Institute was promised 16 rail cars a week,

and they have only had just one, one rail car, since January 1.

Unfortunately, it does sound like the rail cars are being prioritized to

move oil. Maybe we should look at a different way to move oil — let’s

say, pipelines or something.

Anyway, this government must work with CN, must work with our

federal government partners and must work with the B.C. Grain Producers

to get this grain moving to market. As I said, 1,400 tonnes a week is

not moving to market, and the elevator operators are paid to move

product through these grain elevators. That means no money is being paid

to the elevator operators, threatening jobs. As well, the farmers are

not getting paid with much-needed cash flow as they move into this very

busy season — as well as providing food for their own

families.

You might be surprised to learn, though, that the Peace region is

also a prime area for producing exceptional quality grass seeds. As one

of Canada’s most northern farming regions, we benefit from long daylight

hours during the summer. This allows for the production of crops that

require a high number of degree days. We produce traditional prairie

crops, such as wheat, oat, barley and canola.

The Peace region is also a big livestock producer. We’re home to

traditional livestock, such as cattle, sheep, goats and horses, but

we’re also home to some of the largest bison herds in British Columbia.

As well, we produce llama, alpaca and wild boar.

Perhaps one of the sweetest things — pun intended — is our honey

production. Our long summer days and plentiful forage in the region are

ideal for beekeepers. We in the Peace produce as much as three times

more honey than anywhere else in the province per hive. In fact, the

Peace region accounts for 30 percent of all the honey crop, and of

course, perhaps sweeter than anything — again, pun intended — Peace

honey is well renowned for its exceptional flavour.

I know that the hon. member from Prince George–Peace River is also

well known for his honey production. I hope that he does feel the sting

of completion this year — full of puns today, folks — when the Peace

region honey is complete in their product.

In conclusion, the next time that we think and talk about

agriculture in British Columbia, make sure that we don’t overlook the

incredible opportunities, the incredible agricultural community in Peace

River.

[11:45 a.m.]

R. Singh: I’m really honoured to speak on this motion, as we are extremely

lucky to have such a productive agricultural sector in this province

with a diverse area of produce grown and sold and exported across B.C.

I’m really glad that our government understands that.

Budget 2018 invests heavily in farms and farming families by

providing the agriculture industry with over $93 million earmarked for

agricultural and seafood business growth in the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

This is the highest it has been since 2011, representing an additional

$29 million in funding over the next two years.

The government is also taking a three-pronged approach to support

and revitalize our agricultural sector through Grow B.C., Feed B.C. and

Buy B.C. As has been mentioned by previous members, Grow B.C. will be

providing start-up loans and other supports for young farmers interested

in entering the field, helping to support fruit and nut growers and

expand local food producers and processors. This is an essential part of

promoting food security in our province.

Feed B.C. will focus on increasing the amount of B.C.-grown and

-processed foods in government-run institutions, such as hospitals and

schools, which will help to stimulate the agricultural economy and put

more money into the hands of local farms and farming

families.

Buy B.C. will re-establish a strong and easily recognizable Buy

B.C. brand, which will help consumers throughout the province to make

informed decisions about the food they buy and where it comes from. We

will also support an industry-led marketing campaign to emphasize the

importance of buying local B.C.-produced end products.

Our government has also committed to revitalizing the agricultural

land reserve and Agricultural Land Commission, to bring them into the

21st century. This is in opposition to the way the previous government

removed protection from 90 percent of the ALR in 2014 without properly

consulting farmers, a move that was fairly opposed by the B.C.

Agriculture Council.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

It is also important to mention the impact of the wildfires that

swept through the province in 2017, displacing thousands of people and

levelling hundreds of acres of productive land. In September, our

million AgriRecovery program to help affected B.C. farmers get back on

their feet. In December, our government additionally announced the

AgriStability enhancement program, to help producers who were hit

especially hard during the wildfires.

In closing, I just want to say that this government realizes the

importance of the B.C. agricultural industry. We are investing in B.C.

farmers and farming families in order to build a stable and more

sustainable British Columbia.

D. Ashton: It gives me great pleasure to support this motion regarding B.C.

agriculture. It even gives me greater pleasure to stand here today in

this wonderful House representing my riding from Penticton to Peachland,

a riding rich in farms, vineyards and wineries, a shining example of

B.C.’s agricultural industry.

Unfortunately, as of late, the agriculture business in my riding,

and the wine industry specifically, has been struggling. Why is that?

Because of the government’s decision to treat a $2.8 billion industry as

a political pawn in a spat with the Alberta government. Instead of

standing up for the hard-working growers, bottlers and distributors of

wine in this province, they government chose to let them suffer for a

blatant miscalculation on the part of their party and the Minister of

Environment.

Thankfully, the hon. Premier blinked. He knew the rest of the

country was watching, and he backed down. The Premier of Alberta then

lifted the boycott on B.C. wines. I would like to commend the Premier on

backing down and finally, after three weeks, owning up to the

administration’s mistakes in referring this matter to the courts. He

knows he has no leg to stand on, but leaving it to the courts was enough

to lift the bottle-fermented blockade.

[11:50 a.m.]

Tongue-in-cheek, perhaps they’ll name a bottle of wine after our

Premier, Premier’s Pinot Noir, because we all know how red his cheeks

can get in QP. Although with that famous, self-admitted Irish temper, a

Temprano, an Italian wine, might be more apt. Also, it’s a full-bodied

wine, for sure — heavy on the tannins, tart. However, you will get a

bouquet of humble pie on the nose. Decant it long enough, and you may

get a subtle hint of regret.

What really matters most is that this boycott has been lifted.

Finally, some stability in the industry. Finally, the crates stuck in

the wine war limbo are on their way to Alberta again. Finally, B.C.

wineries have the unanimous support of this House.

But it’s not all roses, or should I say rosé. The wine industry

has taken a serious hit this month. Visitors to the B.C. wineries were

cancelled. Vineyard tours were scrapped. Tens of millions of dollars of

wine sat on pallets in storerooms waiting to be shipped. Weeks of

Albertans purchasing our wines never happened. Weeks of revenue

vanished. Who would have ever known that it would take place in a

province as wonderful as B.C.?

Wineries have been hurt since day one. How did the government let

this drag on for so long? The B.C. wine industry contributes $2.8

billion to the economy, supports over 300 wineries and employs over

12,000 people across this province. If the government can’t be counted

on to defend a nearly $3 billion industry, what can it be counted on to

defend? If the government can’t be counted on to defend 12,000 workers,

what can they be counted on to defend? I wish I had an

answer.

When my colleague, the member for Kelowna–Lake Country, stood up

in this House to defend the B.C. wineries, do you know what the Minister

of Jobs had to say?

I say this, sir, with the utmost of respect. It is not out of

disrespect for you or your ministry but out of frustration for the

appearance of lack of support.

He accused the member from Kelowna of siding with Alberta. That’s

right. Standing up for wineries, like Stella, in my colleague’s riding,

a major supplier to a downtown Edmonton hotel that had hundreds of

bottles stuck in the wine war limbo…. That is apparently siding up with

Alberta. Or how about the godfather of the B.C. wine industry, whose new

winery has a major contract with the Calgary Flames? How did the

government help him?

When I stood up in this House to defend wineries like Dirty

Laundry Vineyard in Summerland, which has 45 percent of its visitors

come from Alberta, was I standing up and defending Albertans? Absolutely

not. I was here defending the people of the area that I represent and

the 12,000-plus employees that work in the wine industry.

I’m standing up for small business. To get hit by a new

government’s double taxation…. I will be accused of standing with who?

If I rise in the House in support of the small mom-and-pop stores, with

15 employees, that run in my riding and have to choose laying off

workers or raising prices, who am I accused of standing with?

Today I stand in this House, and I make it abundantly clear. I

support this agriculture industry. I was so glad to see it supported

here unanimously. I just want to say that I’m an incredible supporter of

B.C. vineyards. I support B.C. growers, B.C. harvesters, the viticulture

and technicians, the B.C. bottlers, the barrel makers, the cellar hands,

the tour guides, the sommeliers, the truckers that move the wine and,

especially, all of the wine owners that own the wineries.

This is an incredible opportunity for all of us to rise to the

importance of agriculture in B.C., and the first hint of it that I saw

was a unanimous decision in this House, of support.

With that, noting the hour, I will quit my whining, and I will ask

to adjourn the motions for debate.

D. Ashton moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. S. Robinson moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 this afternoon.

The House adjourned at 11:53 a.m.

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