British Columbia Hansard — 14 May 2018, p.m., Issue 136 (41st Parliament, 3rd Session)

20180514pm-Hansard-n136

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Third Session, 41st Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday, May 14, 2018 Afternoon Sitting Issue No. 136 THE HONOURABLE DARRYL PLECAS, SPEAKER ISSN 1499-2175

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871) LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Her Honour the Honourable Janet Austin, OBC Third Session, 41st Parliament SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Darryl Plecas EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Premier and President of the Executive Council............................................................................................................... Hon. John Horgan Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance............................................................................................................................Hon.

Carole James Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training..................................................................................................... Hon. Melanie Mark Minister of Agriculture.........................................................................................................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Attorney General.................................................................................................................................................................Hon.

David Eby, QC Minister of Children and Family Development............................................................................................................ Hon. Katrine Conroy Minister of State for Child Care......................................................................................................................................Hon. Katrina Chen Minister of Citizens’ Services.................................................................................................................................................... Hon.

Jinny Sims Minister of Education............................................................................................................................................................ Hon. Rob Fleming Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources...............................................................................................Hon. Michelle Mungall Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.............................................................................................Hon.

George Heyman Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development..............................................Hon. Doug Donaldson Minister of Health.....................................................................................................................................................................Hon. Adrian Dix Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation ......................................................................................................... Hon.

Scott Fraser Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology............................................................................................................................ Hon. Bruce Ralston Minister of State for Trade...............................................................................................................................................Hon. George Chow Minister of Labour...................................................................................................................................................................Hon.

Harry Bains Minister of Mental Health and Addictions............................................................................................................................ Hon. Judy Darcy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.................................................................................................................. Hon. Selina Robinson Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General........................................................................................................... Hon.

Mike Farnworth Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction..............................................................................................Hon. Shane Simpson Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.....................................................................................................................................Hon. Lisa Beare Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure................................................................................................................ Hon.

Claire Trevena LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Leader of the Official Opposition................................................................................................................................Andrew Wilkinson, QC Leader of the Third Party ....................................................................................................................................................Dr. Andrew Weaver Deputy Speaker................................................................................................................................................................................

Raj Chouhan Assistant Deputy Speaker................................................................................................................................................................... Linda Reid Deputy Chair, Commi ttee of the Whole................................................................................................................

Spencer Chandra Herbert Clerk of the Legislative Assembly ....................................................................................................................................................Craig James Deputy Clerk and Clerk of Commi ttees.................................................................................................................................

Kate Ryan-Lloyd Clerk Assistant — Commi ttees and Interparliamentary Relations ..........................................................................................Susan Sourial Sessional Law Clerk...............................................................................................................................................Loredana Catalli-Sonier, QC Sergeant-at-Arms ................................................................................................................................................................................. Gary Lenz

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS Ashton, Dan (BC Liberal)........................................................................ Penticton Bains, Hon. Harry (NDP)...............................................................Surrey-Newton Barnett, Donna (BC Liberal)................................................... Cariboo-Chilcotin Beare, Hon. Lisa (NDP).............................................Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Begg, Garry (NDP) ..................................................................... Surrey-Guildford Bernier, Mike (BC Liberal).......................................................

Peace River South Bond, Shirley (BC Liberal)......................................... Prince George–Valemount Brar, Jagrup (NDP)..................................................................... Surrey-Fleetwood Cadieux, Stephanie (BC Liberal)....................................................... Surrey South Chandra Herbert, Spencer (NDP) ..................................... Vancouver–West End Chen, Hon. Katrina (NDP).....................................................Burnaby-Lougheed Chouhan, Raj (NDP) ............................................................... Burnaby-Edmonds Chow, Hon.

George (NDP)............................................... Vancouver-Fraserview Clovechok, Doug (BC Liberal)................................ Columbia River–Revelstoke Coleman, Rich (BC Liberal)...............................................................Langley East Conroy, Hon. Katrine (NDP)......................................................... Kootenay West Darcy, Hon.

Judy (NDP) ............................................................New Westminster Davies, Dan (BC Liberal)..........................................................Peace River North de Jong, Michael, QC (BC Liberal)............................................ Abbotsford West Dean, Mitzi (NDP)...............................................................Esquimalt-Metchosin D’Eith, Bob (NDP) ...............................................................Maple Ridge–Mission Dix, Hon. Adrian (NDP)......................................................Vancouver-Kingsway Donaldson, Hon.

Doug (NDP).....................................................................Stikine Eby, Hon. David, QC (NDP).............................................Vancouver–Point Grey Elmore, Mable (NDP)....................................................... Vancouver-Kensington Farnworth, Hon. Mike (NDP) ...................................................... Port Coquitlam Fleming, Hon. Rob (NDP) .....................................................Victoria–Swan Lake Foster, Eric (BC Liberal)........................................................... Vernon-Monashee Fraser, Hon.

Scott (NDP) ................................................ Mid Island–Pacific Rim Furstenau, Sonia (BC Green Party) ........................................... Cowichan Valley Gibson, Simon (BC Liberal)................................................. Abbotsford-Mission Glumac, Rick (NDP)........................................................Port Moody–Coquitlam Heyman, Hon. George (NDP).............................................. Vancouver-Fairview Horgan, Hon. John (NDP) ...............................................

Langford–Juan de Fuca Hunt, Marvin (BC Liberal).......................................................Surrey-Cloverdale Isaacs, Joan (BC Liberal).........................................Coquitlam–Burke Mountain James, Hon. Carole (NDP)...................................................Victoria–Beacon Hill Johal, Jas (BC Liberal)...............................................

Richmond-Queensborough Kahlon, Ravi (NDP)..............................................................................Delta North Kang, Anne (NDP)..................................................................Burnaby–Deer Lake Krog, Leonard Eugene (NDP) ..................................................................Nanaimo Kyllo, Greg (BC Liberal)............................................................................ Shuswap Larson, Linda (BC Liberal).............................................Boundary-Similkameen Lee, Michael (BC Liberal)......................................................

Vancouver-Langara Leonard, Ronna-Rae (NDP) ....................................................Courtenay-Comox Letnick, Norm (B C Liberal)............................................Kelowna–Lake Country Ma, Bowinn (NDP)................................................... North Vancouver–Lonsdale Mark, Hon. Melanie (NDP) ..................................... Vancouver–Mount Pleasant Martin, John (BC Liberal)...................................................................... Chilliwack Milobar, Peter (BC Liberal)....................................

Kam loops–North Thompson Morris, Mike (BC Liberal)..........................................Prince George–Mackenzie Mungall, Hon. Michelle (NDP).................................................... Nelson-Creston Oakes, Coralee (BC Liberal)...........................................................Cariboo North Olsen, Adam (B C Green Party)........................... Saanich North and the Islands Paton, Ian (BC Liberal)......................................................................... Delta South Plecas, Hon.

Darryl (Ind.) ..........................................................Abbotsford South Polak, Mary (BC Liberal)............................................................................ Langley Popham, Hon. Lana (NDP)..............................................................Saanich South Ralston, Hon. Bruce (NDP) .......................................................... Surrey-Whalley Redies, Tracy (BC Liberal)..................................................... Surrey–White Rock Reid, Linda (BC Liberal)................................................

Richmond South Centre Rice, Jennifer (NDP) ............................................................................ North Coast Robinson, Hon. Selina (NDP) ....................................... Coquitlam-Maillardville Ross, Ellis (BC Liberal)..................................................................................Skeena Routledge, Janet (NDP) .................................................................. Burnaby North Routley, Doug (NDP) ................................................Nanaimo–North Cowichan Rustad, John (BC Liberal)..............................................................

Nechako Lakes Shypitka, Tom (B C Liberal).............................................................Kootenay East Simons, Nicholas (NDP) ........................................Powell River–Sunshine Coast Simpson, Hon. Shane (NDP)................................................ Vancouver-Hastings Sims, Hon.

Jinny (NDP) .............................................................Surrey-Panorama Singh, Rachna (NDP) ........................................................Surrey–Green Timbers Stewart, Ben (BC Liberal)................................................................Kelowna West Stilwell, Michelle (BC Liberal)..............................................Parksville-Qualicum Stone, Todd (BC Liberal)........................................

Kam loops–South Thompson Sturdy, Jordan (BC Liberal).......................................West Vancouver–Sea to Sky Sullivan, Sam (B C Liberal)...............................................Vancouver–False Creek Sultan, Ralph (BC Liberal)......................................... West Vancouver–Capilano Tegart, Jackie (BC Liberal)................................................................ Fraser-Nicola Thomson, Steve (BC Liberal).....................................................Kelowna-Mission Thornthwaite, Jane (BC Liberal).............................

North Vancouver–Seymour Throness, Laurie (BC Liberal)..................................................... Chilliwack-Kent Trevena, Hon. Claire (NDP) .............................................................. North Island Wat, Teresa (BC Liberal)................................................Richmond North Centre Weaver, Dr. Andrew (BC Green Party) ......................... Oak Bay–Gordon Head Wilkinson, Andrew, QC (BC Liberal).............................. Vancouver-Quilchena Yap, John (BC Liberal)..........................................................

Richmond-Steveston LIST OF MEMBERS BY RIDING Abbotsford-Mission ..........................................................................Simon Gibson Abbotsford South ..................................................................... Hon. Darryl Plecas Abbotsford West.................................................................... Michael de Jong, QC Boundary-Similkameen.....................................................................

Linda Larson Burnaby–Deer Lake ...............................................................................Anne Kang Burnaby-Edmonds ..............................................................................Raj Chouhan Burnaby-Lougheed................................................................... Hon. Katrina Chen Burnaby North................................................................................

Janet Routledge Cariboo-Chilcotin............................................................................Donna Barnett Cariboo North .................................................................................. Coralee Oakes Chilliwack.............................................................................................. John Martin Chilliwack-Kent..............................................................................Laurie Throness Columbia River–Revelstoke........................................................

Doug Clovechok Coquitlam–Burke Mountain................................................................. Joan Isaacs Coquitlam-Maillardville..................................................... Hon. Selina Robinson Courtenay-Comox ................................................................. Ronna-Rae Leonard Cowichan Valley............................................................................

Sonia Furstenau Delta North ...........................................................................................Ravi Kahlon Delta South.................................................................................................Ian Paton Esquimalt-Metchosin.............................................................................Mitzi Dean Fraser-Nicola........................................................................................

Jackie Tegart Kam loops–North Thompson............................................................Peter Milobar Kam loops–South Thompson ................................................................Todd Stone Kelowna–Lake Country....................................................................Norm L etnick Kelowna-Mission.............................................................................

Steve Thomson Kelowna West.........................................................................................Ben Stewart Kootenay East.....................................................................................Tom Shypitka Kootenay West...................................................................... Hon. Katrine Conroy Langford–Juan de Fuca............................................................. Hon. John Horgan Langley....................................................................................................

Mary Polak Langley East.......................................................................................Rich Coleman Maple Ridge–Mission ............................................................................ Bob D’Eith Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows ..........................................................Hon. Lisa Beare Mid Island–Pacific Rim .............................................................. Hon. Scott Fraser Nanaimo...............................................................................

Leonard Eugene Krog Nanaimo–North Cowichan.............................................................. Doug Routley Nechako Lakes...................................................................................... John Rustad Nelson-Creston.................................................................. Hon. Michelle Mungall New Westminster......................................................................... Hon. Judy Darcy North Coast..........................................................................................

Jennifer Rice North Island............................................................................ Hon. Claire Trevena North Vancouver–Lonsdale................................................................. Bowinn Ma North Vancouver–Seymour......................................................Jane Thornthwaite Oak Bay–Gordon Head..........................................................Dr. Andrew Weaver Parksville-Qualicum .....................................................................Michelle Stilwell Peace River North..................................................................................

Dan Davies Peace River South............................................................................... Mike Bernier Penticton................................................................................................ Dan Ashton Port Coquitlam .................................................................... Hon. Mike Farnworth Port Moody–Coquitlam .....................................................................Rick Glumac Powell River–Sunshine Coast.....................................................

Nicholas Simons Prince George–Mackenzie..................................................................Mike Morris Prince George–Valemount.................................................................Shirley Bond Richmond North Centre ........................................................................Teresa Wat Richmond-Queensborough.......................................................................Jas Johal Richmond South Centre........................................................................

Linda Reid Richmond-Steveston.................................................................................. John Yap Saanich North and the Islands............................................................Adam Olsen Saanich South............................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Shuswap .................................................................................................... Greg Kyllo Skeena.........................................................................................................

Ellis Ross Stikine ..................................................................................Hon. Doug Donaldson Surrey-Cloverdale...............................................................................

Marvin Hunt Surrey-Fleetwood...................................................................................Jagrup Brar Surrey–Green Timbers ......................................................................Rachna Singh Surrey-Guildford....................................................................................Garry Begg Surrey-Newton.............................................................................Hon. Harry Bains Surrey-Panorama........................................................................... Hon.

Jinny Sims Surrey South...............................................................................Stephanie Cadieux Surrey-Whalley........................................................................ Hon. Bruce Ralston Surrey–White Rock............................................................................. Tracy Redies Vancouver-Fairview ............................................................ Hon. George Heyman Vancouver–False Creek.......................................................................

Sam Sullivan Vancouver-Fraserview .............................................................Hon. George Chow Vancouver-Hastings.............................................................. Hon. Shane Simpson Vancouver-Kensington ..................................................................... Mable Elmore Vancouver-Kingsway ................................................................... Hon. Adrian Dix Vancouver-Langara.............................................................................. Michael Lee Vancouver–Mount Pleasant................................................... Hon.

Melanie Mark Vancouver–Point Grey...........................................................Hon. David Eby, QC Vancouver-Quilchena......................................................Andrew Wilkinson, QC Vancouver–West End....................................................Spencer Chandra Herbert Vernon-Monashee...................................................................................Eric Foster Victoria–Beacon Hill................................................................ Hon. Carole James Victoria–Swan Lake .................................................................. Hon.

Rob Fleming West Vancouver–Capilano................................................................. Ralph Sultan West Vancouver–Sea to Sky ..............................................................Jordan Sturdy Party Standings: BC Liberal 42; NDP 41; BC Green Party 3; Independent 1

CONTENTS Monday, May 14, 2018 Afternoon Sitting Page Routine Business Introductions by Members..................................................................................................................................................... 4655 Introduction and First Reading of Bills................................................................................................................................ 4656 Bill M216 — Business Corporations Amendment Act, 2018 A. Weaver Bill M217 — Strata Pre-Sale Contract Flipping Tax Act, 2018 A.

Wilkinson Statements (Standing Order 25B)......................................................................................................................................... 4656 Farmers markets B. D’Eith Whistler Medical Marijuana Corp. J. Sturdy Sex industry conference in Victoria M. Dean Jo-Ann Wood R. Sultan Active transportation B. Ma Volunteer firefighter training in Oliver L.

Larson Ministerial Statements............................................................................................................................................................ 4658 Response to flooding in Boundary-Similkameen area Hon. J. Horgan A. Wilkinson A. Weaver Oral Questions......................................................................................................................................................................... 4660 Government record-keeping policies and use of email by Premier’s office staff J. Johal Hon. J. Sims Hon. J. Horgan T.

Redies Establishment of trade and investment office in Taiwan A. Weaver Hon. B. Ralston Use of private email account by Citizens’ Services Minister M. Stilwell Hon. J. Sims Use of private email by Citizens’ Services Minister and contracts for information technology services P. Milobar Hon. J. Sims L. Throness S. Bond M. de Jong Petitions.................................................................................................................................................................................... 4665 Hon. J.

Horgan Orders of the Day Government Motions on Notice........................................................................................................................................... 4665 Motion 21 — Commi ttee of Supply to sit in three sections Hon. M. Farnworth

Second Reading of Bills .......................................................................................................................................................... 4665 Bill 26 — Child, Family and Comm unity Service Amendment Act, 2018 Hon. K. Conroy L. Throness S. Furstenau J. Thornthwaite Hon. K. Conroy Bill 30 — Cannabis Control and Licensing Act Hon. M. Farnworth M.

Morris Report and Third Reading of Bills......................................................................................................................................... 4683 Bill 25 — Real Estate Development Marketing Amendment Act, 2018 Second Reading of Bills .......................................................................................................................................................... 4683 Bill 30 — Cannabis Control and Licensing Act(continued) M. Morris A. Olsen D. Barnett J. Thornthwaite T.

Wat Report and Third Reading of Bills......................................................................................................................................... 4688 Bill 23 — Local Government Statutes (Residential Rental Tenure Zoning) Amendment Act, 2018 Second Reading of Bills .......................................................................................................................................................... 4688 Bill 30 — Cannabis Control and Licensing Act(continued) G. Kyllo Hon. M. Farnworth Bill 31 — Cannabis Distribution Act Hon. M. Farnworth M. Morris A. Olsen P.

Milobar Hon. D. Eby Report and Third Reading of Bills......................................................................................................................................... 4697 Bill 18 — Local Government Statutes (Housing Needs Reports) Amendment Act, 2018 Proceedings in the Douglas Fir Room Commi ttee of Supply .............................................................................................................................................................. 4698 Estimates: Ministry of Health (continued) Hon. A. Dix N. Letnick M. Stilwell J. Isaacs M. de Jong J. Thornthwaite J.

Rustad M. Bernier S. Bond E. Foster S. Furstenau Proceedings in the Birch Room Commi ttee of the Whole House............................................................................................................................................ 4723 Bill 25 — Real Estate Development Marketing Amendment Act, 2018 T. Redies Hon. C. James S. Bond Bill 23 — Local Government Statutes (Residential Rental Tenure Zoning) Amendment Act, 2018 S. Sullivan Hon. S. Robinson Bill 18 — Local Government Statutes (Housing Needs Reports) Amendment Act, 2018 S. Sullivan Hon. S. Robinson

MONDAY, MAY 14, 2018 The House met at 1:35 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Introductions by Members Hon. A. Dix: Today we hadthe opportunity, government members — I believe opposition members will have this tomorrow — to take

part in a luncheon hosted by the B.C. CancerFoundation. I wanted to introducesome of the peoplewho participated in thattoday: Sarah Roth, the pres- identand CEO of the B.C. CancerFoundation, who’s a con- stituent of my colleague the member for Vancouver–Point Grey, and Andrew Sweeney, the board chairof the B.C. Can- cerFoundation, who’s a constituent of my colleague from Vancouver–West End. I wanted to introducea constituentof my colleaguefrom Vancouver-Hastings, Michael Izen, who spoke about his journey withcancerin, I think, aremarkableand courageous way.

I hope members of the opposition will getan oppor- tunity to hearthis tomorrow. Michaelis alongtime friend of myselfand my wife, Renée Sarojini Saklikar. We were very moved to hear from him today. I wantto wish allthree, and allthe peoplefrom B.C. Can- cerand the B.C. CancerFoundation, which raises so much money atthe foundation butdoes such extraordinary work in B.C…. I wantto make them welcome here in the Legis- lature today. J. Yap: I have two introductions to make. First of all, returning to observe proceedingsand joining us on the floor is our good friend and the former MLA for Delta North, Scott Hamilton.

Wouldthe House please give Scott a great welcome. My second introduction is of a constituentand someone who’s an important part of my operation in Richmond- Steveston — amemberof my constituency officestaff, acon- stituency assistant.Wouldthe House please welcome in the gallery today Trevor Merrell. C. Oakes:Well, firstI wouldlike to acknowledge and say happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, both in the gallery and watching at home. I hope you all had a lovely, well- deserved Sunday. I’m very pleased to have in the House today my family, the Hartley clan.

I have my mom and dad, Jim and Nancy Oakes, from Moose Heights — that’s for my grandma — which is nearQuesnel. Joining my parentsare my mom’s sis- ters. We have Darlene Rhode from Duncan, Linda Hartley from Duncan, as well, and BridgetCroy, who’s from Fair- view, Alberta. Lotsof politicaldialoguerightnow. We’re having a won- derfultime. Wouldthe House please help make the Hartley clan welcome. J.

Rice: I never fully understood why or how authors couldgive thanks to theirpartners, theirchildren, theirfam- ilies,etc., in the openingsof theirbooks untilI metmy wife, Andrea.I couldn’tdothe fulfillingwork thatI dowithoutthe love and supportof her. She’s in the House today. Wouldthe House please make her feel welcome. M. Bernier: It’s a privilege today to introducea constitu- entof mine, who’s trekked allthe way down from northeast British Columbia — RegWhiten. He’s a consulting resource stewardship agrologistplannerand educator from Moberly Lake. A lot of people in this House know where that is.

Overthe years, Reghas served in various voluntary advis- ory roleswith the province. So 35 years in the Peace. He’s also worked with Treaty 8 as aland adviser, executive direct- orof the formerPeaceRiverWatershed Counciland is also a watershed steward forthe city of Dawson Creek, during my time there as mayor. It’s a privilege. Please make Reg welcome down here to Victoria. Hon. R. Fleming: There are a coupleof peopleI’d like to introduce in the gallery today. One is just following up on the Ministerof Health’s introduction — MichaelIzen, who’s in the gallery with us today.

I’m wearing the button from his campaign, a very cour- ageous campaign, working with the B.C. CancerFounda- tion, and on his own initiative, to educate men alloverBrit- ish Columbiaand Canadaaboutthe dangers of prostate can- cerand also some of the things that men can do to raise awareness and take care of themselves and work with the medicalprofession. Michaelhas been tireless in thatregard. He has been a tireless fundraiserforthe foundation, to help make medical research breakthroughs possible. I’d ask the House to make him welcome again.

It’s great to see him. [1:40 p.m.] The person nextto him who is smiling, always smiling, is Jordan Watters, who is a schooldistricttrustee from dis- trict 61. She’s a passionate advocate for publiceducation. She founded a Facebook organization called Support for B.C. Students,which has 19,000 subscribers; works tirelessly in ourdistricthere in greaterVictoria; and has been an out- standing advocate for kids and high-quality publiceduca- tion. I’d ask the House to make Jordan mostwelcome as well. Hon. C.

James: I noticed up in the gallery a formerVic- toriaresident,alongtime friend and very strongadvocate for peoplewithdisabilitiesand peoplewithmentalhealthissues. Would the House please welcome Richard Fahl. L. Krog: I’m delighted today to ask the House to make welcome two groups of grade5 studentsfrom my constitu- ency. The firstis from ForestPark Elementary, accompanied 4655

by their teacher Joseph Smith — 25 grade5 students and several adults.The second group is from Frank J. Ney Ele- mentary, Mr. Lorne Ratzlaff — again, accompanied by four adults.I’d ask the House, for the record, to make them wel- come. Nanaimo is always curious aboutgood publicpolicy, and they love coming to this place. Introduction and First Reading of Bills BILL M216 — BUSINESS CORPORATIONS AMENDMENT ACT, 2018 A. Weaver presented a bill intituled Business Corporations Amendment Act, 2018. A.

Weaver: I move thata billintituled the Business Cor- porations AmendmentAct,2018, of which noticehas been given, be introduced and read a first time now. This bill am ends the Business Corporations Act by adding anew part2.3 to the actthatwouldgive companies the ability to incorporate as benefit companies. Doing so wouldprovide these companies with the legalfram ework to operate in an environmentally sustainableand socially responsibleway and to pursue publicbenefitsin addition to pursuing profits.

Benefitcorporations differfrom comm unity contribution companies — known as C3 companies — which are hybrid businesses subjectto an assetlock. Benefitcompanieswould be required to meetstandards of transparency and account- ability by reporting their work against an independent, third-party standard. By incorporatingas benefitcompanies, businesses wouldachieve clarity and certainty for theirdir- ectors and investors about their goals and mandate, thus enabling them to attract capital investment while staying true to their mission as they grow.

Companies that pursue a triple bottom line are on the cutting edge of rethinking the roleof business in the 21st century and helping us tackleourmostpressing socialand environmental issues. Government needs to support and encourage business to take on this role, and this billis one way to do just this. Mr. Speaker: The question is first reading of the bill. Motion approved. A. Weaver: I move thatthe billbe placed on the orders of the day for second reading atthe nextsitting of the House after today.

Bill M216, Business Corporations Amendment Act, 2018, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. BILL M217 — STRATA PRE-SALE CONTRACT FLIPPING TAX ACT, 2018 A. Wilkinson presented a bill intituled Strata Pre-Sale Contract Flipping Tax Act, 2018. A. Wilkinson: I move thata billintituled Strata Pre-Sale Contract Flipping Tax Act, 2018, of which notice has been given in my name on the orderpaper, be introduced and now read for the first time.

The purpose of this billis to address home flipping — that is, the flipping of presale contracts — and to target actu- al speculators, those who are artificially inflating prices in the housing market by flipping presale paper contracts. If passed, the billwillapply to both domesticand foreign buy- ers, placing a provincialcapitalgains tax on the proceeds of presale contract flipping. The actis meantto be clear, tailored, measured and precise so thatitwillaccomplish the goalof improving affordability. Only those who purchase a presalehome or condo and sell itbefore completion willbe taxed by this bill.

Of course, the goal is to address the housing crisis that we now face. This bill takes real action to address affordability and is designed to entirely replace the speculation tax, which is currently before the House, which has absolutely nothing to address or control speculation. Mr. Speaker: The question is first reading of the bill. Motion approved. A. Wilkinson: I move thatthe billbe placed on the orders of the day forsecond reading atthe nextsitting of the House after today, when the government sees it fit to proceed.

Bill M217, Strata Pre-Sale Contract Flipping Tax Act, 2018, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. [1:45 p.m.] Statements (Standing Order 25B) FARMERS MARKETS B. D’Eith:Springis in the air. The sun is out.And, yes,I’ve even seen some of the members of the opposition smiling. It’s been amazing. There’s one rightthere. You see, it’s conta- gious. It’s awesome. Spring is also the time that farmers marketsopen up all over British Columbia.

I was very, very pleased recently to participate in the opening of the Mission City Farmers Mar- ketand, along with the Ministerof Tourism, Artsand Cul- ture, the opening of the Haney Farmers Market. I wanted to thank Shelby and Allenin Mission and Eileen, Pauland Alexin MapleRidge forbeing such amazing hosts. 4656 British Columbia Debates Monday, May 14, 2018

The Mission City Farmers Markethas actually been around for 22 years, and the Haney Farmers Marketis entering its 14th season. They counton volunteers’ work year-round to make sure that these amazing comm unity programs stay open during the harvest season. These markets are actually a pivotal part of our com- munity.

They allow us to eat local food; to strengthen the local economy and put money back into our comm unity; to meet the farmers who grow our food; to discover new productsthatwe mighthave nevertried before; to keep agri- culturaljobs active in ourcomm unity; and, of course, to sup- portthe family farms and food security in British Columbia. Both of ourmarketsin my riding participate in the farm- ers marketnutritional food coupon program.

The coupon program is supported by the province of British Columbia and the Provincial Health Services Authority, along with comm unity sponsors for local farmers markets.The com- munity partners organizations provide coupons to lower- income familiesand seniors. These coupons can be spentto purchase fresh vegetables,fruit,nuts,eggs, dairy, cutherbs, meat and cheese. I’m so proud thatourgovernmentrecently increased the B.C. farmers market nutrition coupon program so that lower-income residentsacross this provincecan find healthy, locally grown food and have those types of opportunities.

Let’s alltip ourhatsto the organizers and volunteers forall of our farmers marketsaround B.C. who support our agri- culturalsectorand help to ensure thatwe willgrow B.C., feed B.C. and buy B.C. WHISTLER MEDICAL MARIJUANA CORP. J. Sturdy: Since itsearliest days, West Vancouver–Sea to Sky has always attracted trailblazers, adventurers, entrepren- eurs with big visions. From forestry and transportsto tour- ism and technology, businesses with leading-edge approaches and a commi tment to bring their ideas to fruition have demonstrated a reputation for best in class.

Take this enterprising environment and introduce pro- gressive legislative amendments, and you have a formula for a first-of-its-kind business model. The WhistlerMedical MarijuanaCorp. was amongstthe firstto qualify as aHealth Canada licensed producer, and the company remains the first and only in the country to offer a certified organic productas certified by the FraserValley OrganicProducers Association. As an organic farmer, I know firsthand the commi tment that goes into producing certified organic production.

At WhistlerMedicalMarijuana, the process replicates outdoor growing techniques, with everything that goes into the plants’ production coming from natural sources. From plantingto packaging, each rotation takesapproximately five months to move through the production process. While WhistlerMedical Marijuana’s Whistlerfacility is size constrained and limited in itsproduction potential, an expansion into Pemberton is allowing for an exponential increase in production and acorrespondingincrease in well- paid, full-time, year-round jobs.

WhistlerMedical Mari- juana is investing tens of millions of dollars in a new, pur- pose-built,65,000-square-foot,high-techfacility in the Pem- berton IndustrialPark, which is scheduled to open this sum- mer. Itincludesa fullresearch laboratory dedicated to qual- ity control, genetics and product development. There are plans forasecond phase of the Pemberton expansion, which wouldincrease this production facility by a further 80,000 square feet. By leveraging itsPemberton expansion, WhistlerMedical Marijuana will targetbeyond Canada to emerging interna- tional medical cannabis markets.

This is a made-in- B.C. enterprise, one that is homegrown yet ready for export. SEX INDUSTRY CONFERENCE IN VICTORIA M. Dean: It’s my pleasure to rise today to highlight an excitingconferencetakingplacetoday and tomorrow here in Victoria to raise awareness and improve practicefor people working in the sex industry.

It’s organized by PEERS, which is an innovative multiservice, grassroots agency that was established by, with and for sex workers. [1:50 p.m.] In partnership, PEERS providesan array of outreach and drop-in harm reduction and support services, alongside education and employmenttraining for currentand former sex workers, including this conference. Co-hosted by Living in Comm unity, day 1 is aimed at comm unity knowledge-sharing, improving collaboration and networking to support the health and safety of people in sex work or trade.

It’llbe attended by a diverse group of peoplerepresenting the sex trade, socialand health services, police, governmentand organizations from around B.C. and Alberta that provide services to people in the sex industry. I’m honoured to be able to join the conference on the second day, which is for a small group of representatives from sex industry organizations, policeliaisons, health and socialservicestargeting sexualized violence. The focus will be on knowledge-sharing and development with regard to baddate and aggressorreportingin the sex industry.

I expect we’llalllearn alot,and I really look forward to hearingabout how these great services will continue to improve. I want to take this moment to thank the organizers and the volunteers who have worked so hard to make this con- ference come together. JO-ANN WOOD R. Sultan: If you wantto getanything done in WestVan- couver, where to cut down a tree requires

an act of parlia- ment, call on Jo-Ann Wood. Jo-Ann started her career as a UBC School of Nursing faculty member. Moving to West Vancouver, she became a prime moverin aseriesof organizations, including the West VancouverComm unity Foundation, modelled afterthe Van- Monday, May 14, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4657

couverFoundation, funding along listof comm unity organ- izations and importantenvironmentalcauses;the Lions Gate HospitalFoundation, which has raised almost$100 million to help finance a new and much-needed acute care tower; the WestVancouvermunicipallibrary, boasting the highest per-capita readership in Canada and sponsoring everything from the annualNovember11 ceremonies,to Adopt-A-Fish, where youngsters putyoungcoho salmon back into McDon- aldCreek; our hospice and palliative care project on Lions Gate Hospitalcampus, so helpfulatend of life; the WestVan- couver Placefor Sport, a rebuildof the outdoor track and field at West Vancouver High.

Jo-Ann doesn’t seek recognition, but in recognition of hervolunteeraccomplishments,she received the 2017 West Vancouver Comm unity Award. It was well deserved. Thank you, Jo-Ann. ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION B. Ma: Comm uting by walking, cycling, rollerblading, skateboarding, propelling forward in a manual wheelchair, even skating orskiing if you live outeast— active transport- ation takes on many forms. Mostof us are capableof using active transportation to get from A to B, to varying extents.

In doing so, we engage in an activity thatoffers many per- sonalbenefits.Increased physicalactivity, of course, reduces the risks of heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure and more, which is beneficialforrelievingpressure on ourhealth care system. Itsaves us money. We allknow how expensive carinsuranceand gas can be these days. We also getto avoid congestion that we would otherwise be subjected to if we were riding in our cars. Our comm unities also benefit. There are safety benefits.

Walkingand cyclingmore means thatthere is increased con- tact between neighbours, which means comm unities know and look outforeach other. Fewercars contribute to calmer and safer neighbourhood streets. When we have more peoplechoosingto engage in active transportation insteadof getting into theirvehicles,we also cutdown on greenhouse gas emissions, air pollutants. We reduce the need for vehicle-centric development, which is very land-intensive. Sidewalks and bike lanes take up far less space per travelling capita than building new vehicle lanes, parking spacesand interchanges.

All of this saves us land we couldbe using formore green space, hous- ing orothermore productive comm unity amenities.And, of course, it eases congestion for those who need to use their cars for a variety of very valid reasons. [1:55 p.m.] With all of these benefits, it’s no wonder that so many municipalities and transportation agencies,like TransLink, are investing in increased active transportation infrastruc- ture like bike lanes and sidewalks.

Despite the localcontro- versy a new bike lane can sometimes cause when being pro- posed, the reality is thatsafe cycling and walking infrastruc- ture is enormously important to building strong, effective comm unities. VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER TRAINING IN OLIVER L. Larson: Every two years the Oliver fire department hoststhe B.C. firefighters spring training atthe OliverCom- munity Centre. This year over 300 firefighters, men and women, took partin the training. They came from 70 volun- teerdepartmentsin B.C., three from Alberta and one from Washington state.

There were more than two dozen training stations setup around the park, and every firefighter took

part in at least ten of the skills provided. Each of the members of the Oliv- erfire departmentwere responsibleforsetting up and assist- ingwith the trainingatmostof the stations. The visitingfire- fighters are putinto smallteams with otherfirefighters from around the provinceso thatthe maximum amountof know- ledge can be acquired by each departmentand returned to their comm unities. There are severalcorporate sponsors, the largestof which was FortisBC, which provided timely training in dealing with an LNG spillor fire.

This year the RCMP bomb squad from Kelowna participated, demonstrating the latestequip- mentfor the safe disposalof explosive devices,an unfortu- nate necessity of ourmodern world. The swift-waterrescue trainingwas also timely dueto the floods and extremely high and fast-moving waters in our streams and rivers. This two-day training requires a tremendous amount of volunteers, many of whom are the Oliverfirefighters them- selves and theirfamiliesand friends.

A huge thank-you to Chief Bob Graham and the Oliver fire department for the tremendous job they do helping to train volunteerfirefight- ers from alloverB.C. and forthe work they do every day as firstresponders, keeping the peopleof my comm unity safe. A specialthank-you to allthe volunteerfire departmentsin the Boundary-Similkameen who are supporting theircom- munities during our current flood events. Hon. J. Horgan: I rise to make a ministerial statement. Mr. Speaker: Proceed. Ministerial Statements RESPONSE TO FLOODING IN BOUNDARY-SIMILKAMEEN AREA Hon. J.

Horgan: All members of the chamber will be wellaware of peoplerightacross British Columbiagrappling with the threat of rising floodwaters. Heavy rain, warmth, unseasonably warm weatherand a snowpack thathas been unprecedented mean serious flooding challenges right across British Columbia. Nowhere is that m ore acute than in the constituency of Boundary-Similkam een, where the m ember, I know, is 4658 British Columbia Debates Monday, May 14, 2018

working very, very hard to ensure thateverything thatcan be done is done to protect the hom es and the livelihoods of the peoplein her comm unity, in Grand Forks and the entire region. Thousands of families have been affected. Thousands more are waiting for the worst. And there is also a threat, Members, of increasing floodwaters as a resultof whatwill be a continued period of extremely hot weather to couple with the snowpack that I spoke of. I have been in touch with the chairof the regionaldistrict. I’ve been in touch mayor of Grand Forks.

The Minister of PublicSafety was in the region overthe weekend, and as I said, the member from Boundary is doing everything that she can. I believe we’re doing allwe can as agovernmentand as aLegislature to speak up and to ensure thatthose thatare in distress right now know that we have their backs.

That’s why today we announce a recovery assistance plan for the people of Grand Forks that will allow those who do not have insurance coverage on their hom es, whetherthey be residents,smallbusinesses, farm ers, local governments or First Nations comm unities, to be ableto access assistancefrom the provinceof British Columbia in the days and weeks ahead. I spoke with the Prime Minister on Sunday, and he assured me thatthe federalgovernmentstands ready to work with comm unities, to work with the province and to work with all British Columbians to ensure we getthrough this unprecedented flooding season.

The Minister of Public Safety willbe in touch with his opposite numberin Ottawa to make sure thatthere’s a seam less transition shouldthere be a need to bring in more federal resources. I wanted to take this opportunity, Hon. Speaker and all members of the House, to share with you a story I hadwith the mayor of Grand Forks. As we allknow, when you’re in a difficult, difficult situation, where peopleare seeing their livelihoods virtually disappear before theireyes, and they’re hopeless to manage the force of nature, it’s that time when resilience shows through and ourbetterangels appear.

The mayorand the comm unity — I know the memberwillagree with this — have rallied togetherin an unprecedented way. Just as we saw in the fire season last summ er, we’re seeing again at the early part of what will be, perhaps, the worst flooding we’ve seen since 1948. I wantto advise allmembers thatthose on this sideof the House and every membercan restassured thatthe govern- mentof British Columbia willhave yourbacks. The people of British Columbia know thatwe’re working hard, allof us, in this placeto make sure thatthey are safe.

Although nature is treating us poorly today, we wantto make sure thatgov- ernmentis there forus in the days after, and I wantto assure our members that that’s the case. [2:00 p.m.] A. Wilkinson: I thank the Premier for his words about this important topic, which in British Columbia we hope does not lead to an unprecedented season of flooding, but the possibility does exist. I was privileged and gladon Friday to visitthe Okanagan- Similkameen area.

I visited the comm unities of Willow- brook, where 200 people are subject to flooding in their homes and are being, essentially, driven off the land; and Okanagan Falls, where there have been entire streetdiver- sions; and in Oliver, where the threat is imminent and real. I saw formyselfthe Sportsmen’s BowlRoad, which used to be a road butis now a river— the riverhaving jumped its banks and m oved onto the road. This is som ething that com es as a bit of an eye-opener, because it’s literally ten m etres away from Highway 97 before it flows under Highway 97, which, as an arterial road, remains open.

I also saw where Shuttleworth Creek jumped its banks and threatened to wipe outan entire subdivision butwas, fortunately, diverted into an agricultural area. The crews involved m anaged to divertitback into the creek bed, but the threat remains very real. Peoplein the region are pulling together, taking the initi- ative, doing thingslike taking outculvertsthatare too small and letting the rivers run through the roadand using altern- ative routes to getto theirhomes.

It’s a very real thing for peoplein the comm unities, and itkeeps them awake every night, because they don’t know what’s going to happen to their homes. The regionaldistrictof Okanagan-Similkameen has done a very good job operating the emergency centre that they provide for allof the necessary servicesand the evacuation machinery that goes into these kinds of crises. Of course, they’re doing a very effective job of managing that,working with the Ministry of Solicitor General. There was a minor mixup over the weekend in terms of the SolicitorGeneral’s visitto the region.

He and I have con- ferred, and it’s been agreed that the MLA for the region involved, no matterwhere itis in British Columbia, willbe in close contact with emergency management B.C. and the ministerso thatthere are no surprises and aconcerted effort by allin this House to make sure thatthe peopleof British Columbiaare served. Theirprimary interestis to take care of theirown needs and forus to be there as legislators to make sure those needs are being addressed.

I wantto thank allthe volunteers, thank the firstrespon- ders, congratulate the comm unity for rising to the occasion and comm end the Solicitor Generalfor taking on this task and promising to keep us allin touch as we move toward a happier ending than we foresee at the moment. A. Weaver: Like every member in this House, I’ve been following the flood crisis closely and with a heavy heart. I comm end the Premier for offering disasterrecovery assist- ance today. Every supportpossiblemustbe extended to the comm unities threatened by rising rivers. It’s heartbreaking to see homes submerged and businesses lost.

I hope the worstis behind us. Sadly and unfortunately, the forecastfor the coming days is not looking so positive. I’d like to also extend my gratitudeto the firstresponders Monday, May 14, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4659

and emergency support providers who are helping people evacuate safely and making sure thatnobody is leftbehind. The National on CBC last night had footage of firefighters swimmingthroughpolluted waters to reachhousesin Grand Forks. Our province couldnot weather these emergencies withouttheirbravery and determination, and I offermy sin- cere thanks. Itseems crueland unusualto be facing more devastation afterlastyear’s floods and fires. The 2017 fire season, as we know alltoo well, was the longestin the province’s history.

We hadastate of emergency in placefortenweeks, and more than 65,000 residents were evacuated. The flood response costmore than $73 million, and directfire suppression cost more than $568 million. Incredibly, thanks to the hard work by so many volun- teers, there were no fatalities despite the 1,342 fires. The strength, courage and resiliency of British Columbians are unmatched and unrivalled.

Those qualities, paired with a world-class team of firefighters and firstresponders, are why we made it through last year’s floods and fires without a singlelife lostin British Columbia, especially those in rural areas who have been fighting the front lines of climate change for so long. It’s cruelto be facingmore floodingafterlastyear’s natural disaster, but sadly, it’s no longer unusual. And there is so much more to come as aconsequenceof globalwarming. It’s going to getmuch, much worse if we, as elected officials, fail to transition to a low-carbon economy.

I had an elderly gentleman in my officelastweek from a riding hithard by the 2017 fire season. He talked aboutstay- ing up all night to watch the fire move across nearby hills, going outto hose down his house with his son, checking on his neighbours to make sure they were okay too. [2:05 p.m.] He talked abouthavingpost-traumaticstress disorder, but also he talked about having what he called pre-traumatic stress disorder as the fire season for 2018 approaches. He doesn’t look forward to summ eranymore. He said he’s too worried aboutfires.

The irony and the illustrative cognitive dissonance is that that afternoon his MLA stood in this House to speak in supportof KinderMorgan and the LNG development. We as elected officials cannotletBritish Columbians fight climate change alone. We need to be there when disaster strikes — like this week in the southern Interior — butwe also need to be here with the will to recognize the link between the laws we pass or protectand the climate change impactsfeltby ourconstituents.The worldhas no time for politicians who show up to help sandbag one day butwork to prevent meaningful climate action the next. As the B.C.

Auditor General wrote…. Mr. Speaker: Thank you, Member. Oral Questions GOVERNMENT RECORD-KEEPING POLICIES AND USE OF EMAIL BY PREMIER’S OFFICE STAFF J. Johal: Last week we learned that the Minister of Cit- izens’ Services,from the time she was appointed untilatleast February, has been brazenly breaking the rules,rulesthat she is responsiblefor. The ministeralso shamelessly declared thatthe complete absenceof sentemails by seniorPremier’s officestaff was because: “Any transitory emails we expectto be deleted.” Can the Ministerof Citizens’ Servicestellus herdefinition of “transitory?” Hon. J.

Sims: Ourgovernmentis commi tted to ensuring the rulesare followed carefully and records of decisions are retained appropriately. Our government and its staff have been directed to manage records appropriately, including following good record management practices consistent with the recomm endation of the Information and Privacy Commi ssioner. Mr. Speaker: The member for Richmond-Queensbor- ough on a supplemental. J. Johal: The minister’s explanation on Thursday didn’t holdwater. Itcertainly doesn’ttoday.

NDP politicaloperat- ives are deleting every emailthey send based on theirown definition of “transitory.” I have here a document, right here, prepared by profes- sional civil servants, with nearly a dozen examplesof the kind of non-transitory records that must be kept. They include things like documentsabout policy matter or how a case was managed; information about a decision; work schedulesand assignments;instructions and advice;meeting minutes and agendas; or any useful information that helps explain the history of a relationship, decision ora project.It goes on and on.

To the minister, will she instruct NDP political staff to keep all sent emails, to prevent the ongoing destruction of these records? Hon. J. Sims: Letme say again: ourgovernmentis com- mitted to ensuring the rules are followed carefully and records of decision are retained appropriately. Ourgovern- ment and its staff have been directed to manage records, including following good record managementpracticescon- sistent with the recomm endation of the Information and Privacy Commi ssioner. We on this side of the House fully recognize the need to keep good records of government decisions, and we are doing so. Mr.

Speaker: The member for Richmond-Queensbor- 4660 British Columbia Debates Monday, May 14, 2018

ough on a second supplemental. J. Johal:Here are the facts.We know allsentemails were deleted by the Premier’s director of operations, director of liaison and coordination, director in the deputy minister’s office and his assistant deputy minister — every single one. These seniorofficials are paid a com bined halfa million dollars by taxpayers, but apparently, they didn’t produce a single email with instructions or advice or any emails thatcontained inform ation abouta decision. NDP politic- aloperatives are deciding thatevery singleemailthey pro- duce is transitory. That’s what they’re saying.

The public doesn’t buy this. Willthe memberreinstate the policy requiring ministers and staff to retain all sent emails? Hon. J. Horgan: I can appreciate this question didn’tcome from the member for Kam loops–South Thompson. [2:10 p.m.] I think the member, if he went back…. I appreciate he wasn’t here at the time. But the triple-delete scandal led to the then Premierhastily putting togetherapolicy thatdidn’t necessarily make sense aboutdocumentingdecisions of gov- ernment,butitwas a way to getoutof a badpoliticalfix. It was notnecessarily the bestway to manage records in gov- ernment.

For those issues that the member raised with respect to my office staff, that was largely in the early days of their employment within the government of British Columbia. Steps have been taken sincethen to ensure thatallmembers have appropriate document disposal practices in place. Those records doexiston servers, if the memberwantsto go looking for them, and I’m sure he’ll do that. T. Redies:Fourseniorofficials in the Premier’s officehad no records when a requestwas madeforallsentemails and text messages over a four-month period.

Did the Premier’s director of operations, who’s paid $125,000 a year, really not produceany useful information for four months? Hon. J. Horgan: Well, the previous governmentkeptallof theirinformation on Post-itNotes, so itwouldn’tbe a sur- prise thatit’s new members of this placethatare taking this line of questioning when itcomes to appropriate document disposal. The triple-delete scandalopened up an opportunity forall members of this placeand allpublicservantsto have abetter understanding of whatappropriate documentdisposalreally meant.

That has been ongoing since we were sworn in, in July, and thatwillcontinue to be the case. We wantto ensure thatthe documentsthatrecord the decisions of government are available to the public in a transparent and open way. The transitory documentsthatthe membermay be look- ingforare also on the server. They’re nottriple-deleted. They can be found, if required. Determinations have been made aboutwhetherthey were transitory or relevantto decisions thatare madeby government,and that’s the responsibility of the Information and Privacy Commi ssioner. Mr. Speaker: The member for Surrey–White Rock on a supplemental. T.

Redies:Well, it’s interesting thatthese emails are avail- able, because when we FOI’d them, they were not readily available. The Ministerof Citizens’ Servicesrescinded the directive that ministers and staff retain all sent emails. Now NDP politicaloperatives decidewhatis and whatis nottransitory, and forstaff in the Premier’s office, this means deletingevery single email. Did the Premier’s director of liaison and coordination, who is paid$100,000 ayear, really notemailasinglemeeting agenda or meeting minutes for four months? Hon. J.

Horgan: Again, I appreciate that the new mem- bers of this placewillnotrememberthe triple-delete scandal as vividly as some of the members on the frontbench of the opposition, but it was a result of that triple-delete scandal that the Premier of the day cooked up her own solution to the problem, which was to stop using Post-it Notes and allegedly keep allof the emails thatwere being created. The appropriate thing to do was to take direction from the free- dom-of-information and privacy commi ssioner, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. ESTABLISHMENT OF TRADE AND INVESTMENT OFFICE IN TAIWAN A.

Weaver: I mustadmitthatI feellike I’m living in the twilight zone, listening to the line of questioning coming from the members opposite, in lightof the lastthree orfour years of hearing them defend the same. British Columbia is the investment gateway to Canada for nations of the PacificRim, and British Columbia has established representative officesto help promote tradeand investment in a number of these PacificRim nations. Just lastfall, forexample, the B.C. governmentestablished a new tradeand investment officein Seattlewhich will focus on trade and investment in the technology sector.

However, one jurisdiction thatdoesn’thave any represen- tative officeis Taiwan. Taiwan is B.C.’s sixth-largesttrading partner, with bilateral tradevolume totalling an estimated $1.87 billion. Alberta established a tradeofficein Taiwan in 1988 thathas helped to steadily grow the tradebetweenthese two jurisdictions. My question to Ministerof Jobs, Tradeand Technology is this. Does the minister recognize the opportunity we have to cement a stronger trading relationship with Taiwan by establishing a tradeand investm entrepresenta- tive office in Taiwan? [2:15 p.m.] Monday, May 14, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4661

Hon. B. Ralston: I thank the Leaderof the Third Party for his question on this important topic. Taiwan is indeed an importanttrading partnerfor Brit- ish Columbia. Businesses here in British Columbia expor- ted over $700 million worth of product and services to Taiwan lastyear, and thatvalue has been growing steadily since 2012.

Fully 43 percent of Canadian exports to Taiwan originate in British Columbia, and as the Leaderof the Third Party pointed out, Taiwan is British Columbia’s No. 6 destination for exports.Many peoplehere in British Columbia looking to expand look to Asia and to Taiwan am ong those regions in Asia. This weekend I was pleased to attend the Taiwan Chamber of Comm erce in British Columbia annualgala on Saturday night.A numberof members were there, and I was ableto express these feelings of affinity and gratitude personally.

Certainly, as the Leaderof the Third Party has noted, the federal government has a tradeofficein Taipei and helps Canadian businesses expand into Taiwan’s m arket. Our government continues to seek opportunities to diversify tradeinto Asia and to seek reciprocal investm ent oppor- tunities here in British Columbia. Indeed, the future prosperity of British Columbia depends on our ability to do that effectively. Mr. Speaker: The Leaderof the Third Party on a supple- mental. A. Weaver: Thank you to the ministerforthatconstruct- ive and thoughtful response.

British Columbia presently has offices in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singa- pore and mainland China.Theirestablishmentrepresentsan important step in diversifying tradepartners and position- ingBritish Columbiato take advantage of new and emerging markets,which is all the more important, frankly, as B.C. continues to develop its tech sector.

Developing strong relationships with trading partners in Asia, who will drive much of the demand for innovation both withinand beyond the clean tech sectorin the coming years, willbe essentialif we are to firm ly establish ourselves as a leaderin shipping notjustB.C.’s raw resourcesbutalso B.C. technology and ideas to other jurisdictions. My question, onceagain to the Ministerof Jobs, Tradeand Technology, is this. When can British Columbia expectthis government to establish a trade office in Taiwan? Hon. B. Ralston: I share the Leaderof the Third Party’s enthusiasm about the trading opportunities in Asia.

We’re certainly looking atwhere British Columbia businesses can expand and how we might be able to assist that. Taiwan is an important partner for many British Columbia businesses. As I mentioned, on Saturday, I was able to discuss these opportunities with many Canadians who have origins in Taiwan. Indeed, there are members in the Legislature who have strong affinities with Taiwan. Those opportunities are there, and we’re commi tted to diversifying the economy and ourmarkets,both in terms of attracting investmentand in terms of exporting more of our goods and services to Asia.

We’re building the strength in oureconomy to help businessesexpand and create good jobs for British Columbians here in British Columbia, not only in one region butthroughoutthe province, in a way thatthe previous government didn’t. USE OF PRIVATE EMAIL ACCOUNT BY CITIZENS’ SERVICES MINISTER M. Stilwell: Last week the minister said: “When I read articlesthat were interesting to me, I forwarded it to my staff. I’ve looked atthe emails.

Itwasn’tgovernmentbusiness except for one email, which was about the timing of an announcement.” However, in the package of documents, there were significantredactions, including entire pages that are censored. Can the minister explain why, if these are innocuous emails, they would be censored? Hon. J. Sims: As I said lastweek, whileI was on my per- sonaldeviceusing socialmedia,I forwarded articlesI found interesting to staff. Those records were then moved into the governmentsystem, as perpolicy.

I shouldnothave used my personal email to contact staff, and I’ll be more diligent in the future. [2:20 p.m.] As the memberopposite has arecord of these emails, they will know that they are part of the government record. Mr. Speaker: The memberfor Parksville-Qualicum on a supplemental. M. Stilwell:Well, this is whatthe ministry toldus. “Some information has been withheld” pursuant to

section 13, which is policy advice or recomm endations;

section 15, which is disclosure harmf ulto law enforcement;and

section 17, which is disclosure harmf ulto the financialoreconomic interestsof a publicbody. Clearly, the professionalcivilser- vants identified these emails as government business. Willthe ministeradmitthatshe’s madeanothererrorand that she misled the media last week? Hon. J. Sims: Let m e tell you that those records were m oved into the governmentsystem, as perthe policy. Oth- erwise, colleaguesacross the way wouldnothave received them as an FOI. I shouldnothave used my personalemail to contact staff, and I’ll be m ore diligent in the future.

It is importantthatthe rulesbe followed and thatbestprac- ticesare followed. Ourgovernmentis commi tted to ensur- ing that happens. As I said previously, the colleaguesacross the way would nothave those emails, wouldnothave received thatinform- ation when they putan FOI in if they were notpartof the 4662 British Columbia Debates Monday, May 14, 2018

governmentrecord. They are partof the governmentrecord, and they were there. They were not deleted. USE OF PRIVATE EMAIL BY CITIZENS’ SERVICES MINISTER AND CONTRACTS FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES P. Milobar: Let’s take a closerlook atthe emails sentand received by the minister on her personal email on Febru- ary 16 and 17. They relate to a multi-million-dollar health IT contractas wellas a second multi-million-dollargovern- ment-wide computer services procurement.

The initialemailincludesan articlewiththe headline: “Big IT Deal Goes Ahead Despite NDP Campaign Pledge.” The rest,however, is censored because professionalcivilservants have identified it as containing “policy advice or recom- mendations.” My question is simple. Whatpolicy advicedidthe minis- terreceive on herpersonalemailrelated to these multi-mil- lion-dollar IT contracts? Hon. J. Sims: As I said previously, whileon my personal device, usingsocialmedia,I came across articleswhich I for- warded to my staff. I shouldnothave done that,and I’llbe more diligentin the future.

Butthe factis thatthose emails were available. They were not deleted. Policy is being fol- lowed, because they were transferred onto the government system, as per policy. Mr. Speaker: Kam loops–North Thompson on a supple- mental. P. Milobar: Well, the emails have a subjectline, and then they’re completely redacted for the mostpart.The minister used her private email to receive and forward correspond- ence from someone outsideof government related to the multi-million-dollar contractsover which the minister has direct influence.

Whatever they had to say to the minister has been identified by professionalcivilservantsto be either policy advice or recomm endations. The minister owes British Columbians an explanation. What was the secret policy advice? Hon. J. Sims: As I said previously, emails sent from my personal account were transferred to the government account, as per policy. I’m finding it surprising that the opposition is asking aboutthese things afterhaving gone through the practiceof tripledelete. When it came to the Highway of Tears, their staff triple-deleted the records and then misled.

The Infor- mation and Privacy Commi ssioner’s reportfound thatthese practicesthreaten the integrity of access to information in British Columbia. They refused to change their“whateverit takes to win” culture until they were caught. These emails thatwere sentfrom my accountwere trans- ferred to the government account. [2:25 p.m.] L. Throness: Well, we’ve already determined that an emailof February 16 to the constituency officeof the Min- ister of Citizens’ Services contained government policy advice or recomm endations.

Her constituency staff then emailed the censored policy advice not to the minister’s government email but to her private email account, as if that was perfectly routine. In turn, the minister used her private email to forward the advice to the ministerial office, as if that too was routine. My question is: why wouldthe ministerinstructherstaff to routinely send confidentialgovernmentpolicy adviceand recomm endations to her private email? Hon. J.

Sims: We are commi tted, on this side of the House, to ensuring thatthe rulesare followed carefully and that records of decisions are retained appropriately, as per the recomm endations by B.C.’s Information and Privacy Commi ssioner. B.C. governmentemployees,includingpolit- ical staff, are required to follow the appropriate use policy. This means employees must use their government email accounts when conducting government business. In some cases,dueto extenuatingcircumstances,staff may have used personalemails.

Staff have been directed to take the appropriate steps to transferthese records to the govern- mentemailsystem in accordance with policies.We are fol- lowing this policy to ensure thatgovernmentinformation is accessed and stored appropriately, and that is why my col- leagues across the way were able to access those emails. Mr. Speaker: The memberforChilliwack-Kenton a sup- plemental. L. Throness: A little bit of transparency and disclosure wouldhelp here. We don’tknow whatwas deleted, butwe do know the topic.Itwas alarge, multi-yearcontractto provide computer services to all health authorities.

When the minister routinely uses her private email and avoids the governmentemail, itbegsthe question why. The minister invites suspicion on the process by which multi- million-dollar contractsare awarded. The public— and I’m sure the bidders on those contracts— wouldlike to know. Who sentthe email, and whatwas the policy advicethe min- ister refuses to reveal? Hon. J. Sims: As I said previously, staff have been directed to take the appropriate steps to transferany records into the government email system in accordance with the policy if they should, underextenuating circumstances,have used a different account.

I wantto assure everyone thatwhere personalemailwas used, those records have been transferred, and that’s why people across the way have copies of those emails. They were nottriple-deleted ordeleted, as the previous govern- m ent did. Monday, May 14, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4663

S. Bond: Let’s help the ministerrecallthatjustlastweek she said thatthere was only one emailthatwas atissue and thatherpracticewas to dealwith socialmediaarticles.Well, let’s be clear. An emailis senton February 16 thatthe min- isterreceived on herpersonalemail. We don’tknow who it came from because the name is redacted for privacy reas- ons. We also don’tknow the contentsbecause that,too, has been redacted. Why?

Section 13, itsays — because of advice or policy recomm endations. Butwe do know thatitrelates to an issue around the multi-million-dollar IT contractand that the content is policy advice or recomm endations. To the minister, who did the emailcome from, and what advice was she given? Hon. J. Sims: That particular email that came into my private emailsystem was forwarded to a governmentemail and was sent to my staff and is part of the government record. Any redaction thattakesplacethere happens accord- ing to the policies we have.

I keep saying: you wouldnothave copiesof those records if this governmentwas into triple-deleting oreven deleting. You have the records because they were not deleted. [2:30 p.m.] Mr. Speaker: The memberforPrinceGeorge–Valemount on a supplemental. S. Bond:Well, we shouldbe clear, and so shouldthe min- ister. She referenced her use of private email related to the use of social media. This is a serious matter. This is policy advice, and thatdesignation is determined by the profession- al public service — not me, not members of the opposition. The email content is redacted because of policy advice.

That advice came to the minister on her personal email account.That’s notexactly the accountthatthe ministergave last week. Let’s ask the minister one more time. If this minister is interested in clearing the air, will she answer the question: who was the emailfrom, and whatwas the policy advicethat was redacted? Hon. J. Sims: Letme say again that the reason my col- leaguesacross the way have copiesof those emails is because they were partof governmentrecords. Policy was followed in transferring those into government records, and that’s why they have them.

M. de Jong: The ministerseems to wantto make lightof the factthatfully sevenmonths into herterm as minister, she was in violation of the very rulesshe is charged with enfor- cing. She says it’s no big deal, justsocialmedia and a bunch of articlesthatI found of interest.Exceptthe emailof Febru- ary 16, pertaining to a multi-million-dollarIT procurement initiative and drawn from the minister’s own personalemail account, has been severed.

Ithas been severed pursuantto the Freedom of Informa- tion and Privacy Protection Act,section 13, which says:“The headof a publicbody may refuse to disclose to an applicant information that wouldreveal advice or recomm endations developed by orforapublicbody oraminister.” Hardly con- sistentwith the accountthe ministerhas been trying to give these last few days. The question is nota complicated one, and itgoes to the heart of preserving the integrity of the system the minis- teris responsiblefor enforcing.

Whatwas the advice?What was the recomm endation thatshe received and didnotwant on herpublicor hergovernmentalemailpertaining to this multi-million-dollar contract? Hon. J. Sims: Once again, my colleaguesacross the way would not have copies of those emails if they had been deleted or triple-deleted. Emails were put into government records. They are there, and then the policiesfor redaction are followed. Those policiesare the same as they were when that side was sitting in government.

We are commi tted to ensuring the rulesare followed care- fully and records of decision are retained appropriately, as perthe recomm endation of B.C.’s Information and Privacy Commi ssioner. I have said it,and I willsay again. I nevermind apologiz- ing. I shouldnothave used my personalemail. I’llbe more diligent in the future. I also want to say that those emails were transferred to a governmentserver, as perpolicy, and that’s why you have them. Mr. Speaker: The memberforAbbotsford Weston a sup- plemental.

M. de Jong: The reason the opposition has them is, of course, because there was emailtrafficbetween the minister and an agency and a person covered by FOI. Whatwe don’t know is whatadditionaltraffic,whatadditionalcomm unic- ations pertaining to this multi-million-dollarcontractmight have taken place between the minister and other third parties via her private account.

Letme ask the ministerthis, who mustsurely — and if she isn’t,presumably some of hercolleaguesare — be extremely concerned by the impactthis couldhave on the integrity of the procurement process itself. [2:35 p.m.] Where there have been comm unications between the ministerand otherthird parties pertaining to thatprocure- mentstrategy, has the minister— having stood in the House now and conceded thatshe has behaved improperly — con- tacted the person in charge of ensuring the fairness of the procurement? Has she…? Interjections. Mr.

Speaker: Members, we shallhear the fullness of the question. 4664 British Columbia Debates Monday, May 14, 2018

M. de Jong: Has she alerted the procurement fairness officerto the extentof the comm unications and the nature of the comm unications that took place between her and som e other third party pertaining to this multi-million- dollar contract? Hon. J. Sims: I’m actually quite delighted to getup and answer this question again. You know, we have a…. Interjections. Hon. J. Sims: Thank you very much. When you ask a question, it’s always a good idea to listen, right? Let me say this to you. That policy was followed. The emails you have are partof the governmentrecord. Redaction occurred according to policy.

We are commi tted to making sure gov- ernment decisions are recorded and we have good record- keeping practices. [End of question period.] Petitions Hon. J. Horgan: I have a petition signed by 153 of my constituentsseeking changes to animalshelterrulesin Brit- ish Columbia. These citizens believe that there should be more opportunities for animalwelfare in British Columbia and not just those that are available today. A. Olsen: I seek leave to make an introduction. Leave granted. Introductions by Members A.

Olsen: I wouldlike to introducea constituentof beau- tiful Saanich North and the Islands, Courtland Sandover- Sly, and two of his colleagues,Jamie Shaw and Travis Lane, president and directors of the B.C. Independent Cannabis Association. There’s a little piece of legislation coming in latertoday, and it’s caughttheirattention. I’d like to have the House please make them feel very welcome. Orders of the Day Hon. M. Farnworth:I callMotion 21 on the orderpaper in my name. Government Motions on Notice MOTION 21 — COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY TO SIT IN THREE SECTIONS Hon. M.

Farnworth:Motion 21 reads: [Further to the motion adopted on March 1, 2018, that this House hereby authorizes the Commi ttee of Supply for this session to sitin an additionalthird

section designated

Section C which willsitin the Birch Commi ttee Room as may be appointed from time to time. All rulesand provisions of the motion related to Commi ttee of Supply,

Section A shall apply to

Section C. The Members of Commi ttee of Supply,

Section C shallbe identicalto the composition of Commi ttee of Supply,

Section A.] Motion approved. Hon. M. Farnworth:In this chamber, I callsecond read- ing on Bill 26, Child, Family and Comm unity Service Amendment Act. In Commi ttee A, I call continued debate on the estimates of the Ministry of Health. In

Section C, the Birch Room, I callCommi ttee of the Wholeon Bill25, Real Estate Development Marketing Amendment Act, 2018. M. Polak: Just as a point of clarification, I note that my opposite memberreferred to Commi ttee C as Commi ttee of Supply. I seek to understand if that’s the correct wording. Hon. M. Farnworth:Section C is to dothe Commi ttee of the Whole. [2:40 p.m.] [L. Reid in the chair.] Second Reading of Bills BILL 26 — CHILD, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICE AMENDMENT ACT, 2018 Hon. K. Conroy: I move thatBill26 be now readasecond time.

For too long, Indigenous children and youth have been overrepresented in our child welfare system. Indigenous children, like allchildren, deserve to grow up in safe, loving homes, connected to theircomm unity and culture. One of the sadrealitiesof ourcolonialhistory is thatmore than half of the children in governmentcare are Indigenous. It’s aleg- acy of colonialism thatcontinuestoday, and we are commi t- ted to changing that.

Reducing the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in the child welfare system by working with Indigenous comm unities is a priority for this government as we move towards meaningfuland lasting reconciliation. My mandate letterfrom the Premiermadeitvery clear thatthis is a top priority for me as a minister. Bill 26 gives us a practical, meaningful way to do just that. This government believes that Indigenous children con- nected to theircomm unity and culture are Indigenous chil- dren growing up in a safe, healthy and loving environment.

The proposed changes to the Child, Family and Comm unity Service Act will give Indigenous comm unities greater involvement in child welfare decisions to help keep their children out of care, safe in their home comm unities and Monday, May 14, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4665

connected to their cultures. Foryears now, Indigenous comm unities and leaders have demanded urgentchanges to keep Indigenous children out of care. Shortly aftermy taking on the roleas the Minister of Children and Family Development, the leaders of the September2017 FirstNations Leadership gathering toldme I needed to make changes now in how our social workers do theirwork. This message was driven home to me atthe emergency meeting of Indigenous child welfare, called by the federal government in January.

The m essage was further strengthened in specific recomm endations in Grand Chief Ed John’s report.Grand Chief Ed John’s reportwas developed afterextensive con- sultation with First Nations and Indigenous peoplesand called for changes to the legislation thatcommi tsgovern- m entto work m ore collaboratively with Indigenous com- munities rightatthe beginning of a childprotection con- cern. While we have been able to reduce the number of Indigenous children in care by almost 100 over the past year, by focusing on prevention and supporting familiesin comm unities, we need to do more.

For that, we need to change the legislation. We listened to whatcomm unities have been telling us, and we reviewed Grand Chief Ed John’s report to inform us of what aspects of the legislation we needed to change, urgently, in orderto reducethe numberof Indigenous children coming into care. We also looked to what the United Nations declaration on the rightsof Indigenous peoplesand the Truth And Recon- ciliation calls to action tellus aboutthe bestinterestsof Indi- genous children and their entitlement to connection with family and comm unity.

Let me quote from the United Nations declaration on the rightsof Indigenous peoples:“Recognizing in particular the rightof Indigenous familiesand comm unities to retain shared responsibility forthe upbringing, training, education and well-beingof theirchildren, consistentwith the rightsof the child.” Through this billand these amendmentsto ouract,gov- ernmentis responding to the imm ediate need to share infor- mation, engage Indigenous comm unitiesearly whenafamily and childare vulnerableand seek solutions outsideof child protection.

These amendmentsinclude the means for min- istry socialworkers to make agreementswith the Indigenous child’s parentsand comm unity to allow for greaterinvolve- ment in planning for the child;additional ways that social workers, parentsand the Indigenous comm unities can col- laborate proactively to keep a childsafe and prevent them from coming into care. [2:45 p.m.] There’s the requirementthatsocialworkers give contin- ued notice of Child, Family and Comm unity Service Act proceedings to an Indigenous comm unity when it con- cerns custody of an Indigenous child;the added rightof an Indigenous childin care to learn aboutthe practiceof the child’s Indigenous traditions, custom s and language and the importance of the childbelonging to theirIndigenous comm unity; the strengthening of the “bestinterestsof the child” test.

When the courtsand socialworkers are determining the best interestsof an Indigenous child, they will be required to considerthe importance of the childbeing ableto learn about and practise their traditions, customs and language and to belong to their Indigenous comm unity. Finally, the amendments strengthen the guiding prin- ciplesand service delivery principlesby stating that Indi- genous familiesand comm unitiesshare responsibility forthe upbringing and well-being of Indigenous children.

Indigen- ous children are entitled to learn about and practise their Indigenous traditions, customs and languages and to belong to their Indigenous comm unity. The impactof residentialschools on Indigenous children, familiesand comm unitiesshouldbe considered in the plan- ning and delivery of services to Indigenous children and families.This change to the act’s servicedelivery principles is inspired by the calls to action of the Truth and Reconcili- ation Commi ssion.

This governmenthas adopted the UN declaration on the rightsof Indigenous peoplesand the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commi ssion. There is much more work to be done, in collaboration with Indigenous com- munities, to fulfil this commi tment. That process is led by my colleague the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. The changes to the act are a significant step forward for children and familiesin the province, butwe recognize that these are justfirststeps.

We need to work with ourpartners — delegated Aboriginalagencies,the FirstNations Leader- ship Counciland individualFirstNations — to bring these amendmentsto life. Thatwork willinclude policy develop- mentand practicechanges, and we look forward to hearing from the experience and expertise of FirstNations and del- egated Aboriginal agencies to learn from them on how to make these changes work forFirstNations families.Itis just one of the many ways we are listening to and working with Indigenous comm unities to reform the child welfare system. As I have said, itis justa beginning, notan end.

I know — we allknow — thatthe approaches thathave been taken up to now have utterly failed Indigenous children and their families.I’ve demonstrated my commi tm ent to the transferof jurisdiction. We are continuing thatwork with individualFirstNations in discussion to expand this work to other Indigenous comm unities, and we have commi t- ted to thattransform ationalchange with the FirstNations Leadership Council.

We know that delegated Aboriginal agencies also have decadesof experienceto offeras we move towards Indigen- ous comm unities exercising authority and jurisdiction over theirchildren and families.This work willtake time, butmy job right now is to reduce the number of Indigenous chil- dren and youth in care. This bill is intended to do just that. The ministry has listened to years of concerns and demands by Indigenous comm unities for change, and this 4666 British Columbia Debates Monday, May 14, 2018

government is acting on those concerns. We have listened to the federalcry aboutan urgentcrisis in Indigenous child welfare across the country. It’s time to start this change in British Columbia for those children now in care and those whose families are in crisis. In comm unities across this provincerightnow, there are children and familieswho will benefitfrom the changes in this bill. We know this because Indigenous comm unities have told us so. We agree thatthere is a crisis in Indigenous childwelfare.

Itis ourresponsibility to step up and hear whatIndigenous comm unities are telling us, what Grand Chief Ed John’s reportsaysand whatchildren and familiesneed and to make those changes now, whilewe work on the systemic changes required to fully transform the system thathas failed Indi- genous children and families. I’m looking forward to further discussion on this bill at commi ttee stage. L.

Throness:Well, it’s apleasure to also rise to speak to Bill 26, the Child, Family and Comm unity ServiceAmendment Act.Before I getinto the substance of the billand consider some certain particulars of it,I wantto talk aboutthe very big picture. The broaderpurpose of the bill is very simple: everybody needs family.

Every child, Indigenous or other- wise, needs and deserves love, belonging and permanency, whetherin theirbirth family orin anotherkind of perman- ent family situation. [2:50 p.m.] This was impressed upon me last week while sitting in the Standing Commi ttee on Children and Youth as we con- sidered the report, Broken Promises, which was written a year ago, by the Representative for Children and Youth, about the tragic case of AlexGervais, who commi tted sui- cide in 2015 while in government care. Centralto thatboy’s life was the absenceof family.

There were opportunities for connecting him with his extended family that the system neglected to follow up on, which wouldprobably have madethe difference in his life. For a while, he was staying with his stepmother. The policehad to literally drag him away from his stepmom, buthe wasn’t allowed to stay. Every child, including all 7,000 children in government care, needs what Alex Gervais didn’t get. That’s love and belonging in a permanent family of their own. Unfortu- nately, bureaucracies are ill equipped to provide that. Governments are a physical mechanism designed to achieve a spiritual purpose.

So there’s something of a mis- match, a disconnect there. Governmentsdeal with institu- tions. They’re paper mechanisms. They have contractsand highly educated peoplewith good salaries and good inten- tions who work within guidelines and policiesand profes- sionalrelationships and reporting hierarchiesand caseloads. They have tightly defined spheres withinwhich they are able to work. They must make judgment calls. There are limits to theirauthority before they need permission from up the ladder, and those permissions take time.

There are different branches of governmentthatabideby differentlaws and reg- ulations and policies. Now, if you don’t have all these things, you can’t run a government.Don’tgetme wrong, butthey can’tsupply the intimate, personal, permanentassociations thatachildreally needs to be healthy in life. That brings me to this bill which expands the scope of officials of the Ministry of Children and Family Develop- mentto make agreementswith allsortsof agencies,notonly parentsand relatives butdelegated Aboriginalagencies,First Nations, treaty nations and otheryet-to-be named groups or agencies.

To the degree that they are institutions — and I think thatmostof them willbe institutions — they share that same difficulty. WhetherIndigenous ornot,they are govern- ment bodies rather than families. Whatreally disturbed me aboutAlexGervais’s story was that one of the institutions that failed him was a delegated Aboriginal agency. In fact, MCFD made an agreement in Alex’s case with a delegated Aboriginal agency, which, in turn, madea furtheragreementwith a private care provider to care for Alex.

All three levels of oversight failed him equally in ways thatare described in greatand saddetailby the representative’s report. WhatI’m saying is this. This billis nota panacea. Justthe factthatthe billempowers abroadened scope of agreements willnot,in itself, make everything allright.I’m notexpect- ing thathanding things overto Indigenous agencies,rather than MCFD, will suddenly fix all the problems for the 63 percent of children in government care who are Indigenous.

To give an analogy, the billdescribes a new and broader path to the goalof love and belonging and permanency, but itdoesn’tnecessarily carry thatchildalongthatpath.Wheth- erthatchildarrives atthe goalof family or notdepends on the quality and capacity and characterand passion and focus of ministry staff and those with whom they make agree- ments.God knows there have been enough failures in the past.There is no guarantee of success in the future. However, we do think thatthis billopens up new possibilities. Itis a step in the rightdirection, and for thatreason, we willsup- port the bill.

Now, the ministercorrected me the otherday in estimates, and rightly so, whenI saidthatadoption and fostercare lieat the heartof whatshe does. She disagreed with me. She said thatbuilding and strengthening familiesso thatchildren can stay in the family home is hermostimportantjob, and I have to agree with that. Our guiding light has to be that goal — the goal of a permanent family home for every child, a family that will providethe love and belonging thatthey need to survive and thrive.

On this point,I wantto quote from the Representat- ive forChildren and Youth, who appeared before the stand- ing commi ttee on April 11. Here’s what he said: “One institution that we haven’t done a good job of supporting and building is the family. Familiesstruggle, for allkinds of historic reasons. We’ve tried to find institutionalsolutions to thatby building and contracting with churches and building hospitals and hospital Monday, May 14, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4667

wings and taking children from theirfamilies.Thathasn’tworked. I think we can all agree on that. We haven’t succeeded. Building the institution of the family and supportingthe family as an institution — I’m all for that.” I’m all for that too. I am all for that. [2:55 p.m.] WhileI think it’s a good thing that we’re expanding the scope of agreementswith differentnations and agenciesand entitiesand partiesnamed in the bill, allof oureffortswillbe wasted — they willfail— if we don’t,in the end, strengthen families and provide children with permanent families where they are loved and where they belong.

It’s as simpleas that.That,I think, is the government’s spiritualmandate, and I think it’s a very difficult one. That being said, let’s move on to considerthe contextof the bill before us. In the wake of some stories like Alex’s story, Grand ChiefEd John was given six months in 2015 by the formergovernmentto come up with solutions to the vast overrepresentation of Indigenous childrenin the care of gov- ernment.Grand ChiefJohn delivered his reportin Novem- ber 2016, and it was greeted positively by the B.C. Liberal government. In fact,a year ago, here’s whatthe 2017 B.C.

Liberalplat- form said about improvements for Indigenous peoples: “Recognized as a key priority, the governmentasked Grand ChiefEd Johnto doacomprehensive review of this area,and his reporthas provided guidance on the path forward.

The government has already started implementing 40 of his 85 recomm endations.” The bill before us today, Bill 26, builds on the strong foundation laid by our own government in fulfilment of Chief Ed John’s recomm endations — most noticeably, recomm endation 41, which says this: “The provinceconsiderthe following amendmentsto the CFCSA in orderto provide improved permanency planning for Indigenous children and youth — strengthening of

section 7 of the CFCSA to include mandatory permanency planning for all children in care, including provisions to ensure that for Indigenous children, permanency plans are jointly developed by each child’s family and comm unity, including elders, cultural leaders, elected leaders and matriarchs, and including a provision requiring independentreview of permanency plans on an annual basis.” This is the contextof the bill. It’s aresponse to the Ed John report. I wouldpoint out that the bill attemptsto provide a response to about nine of the recomm endations in Chief John’s report.

The billprovidesbroadauthority forthe directorto make agreements with a wide spectrum of interested parties in supportof achildin care: parents,relatives,delegated Abori- ginal agencies, prescribed First Nations and treaty First Nations. This is achange in mindsetby the government.The governmentis reaching outto otherpartners in an attempt to stem the tide of Indigenous children in care. Here I have to pause to comm enton whatthe Represen- tative forChildren and Youth said in commi ttee a coupleof weeks ago when he appeared there.

He said thathe was not in any way consulted by the governmentaboutthis legisla- tion. I’m astonished by that.He literally wrote the book on AlexGervais. The former representative wrote many other reportslike them. The NDP, atthattime, used those reports to railagainstthe government.I find itunimaginablethatthe NDP wouldnow keep the representative completely in the dark about the legislation. I’m nottalking aboutrevealing any legislative secrets.I’m justsaying thatthey shouldhave atleastasked him whathe wouldlike to see. But that was not done.

It speaks to the arrogance of this young government,as if they have allthe answers. They don’tneed advicefrom anyone. Well, I think they’ll find out, over time, that they’re wrong. Allow me to continue. Indigenous children are 17 times more likely to be taken into care than a non-Indigenous child. The government is going to extraordinary lengths in this legislation to reach out to the Aboriginal comm unity because specialmeasures need to be taken where there are special needs. This special situation of need warrants a change in the government’s mindset.

Letme give you a few more statistics.Children are taken into government care when they’re unsafe in the family home. Aboriginal children are heavily overrepresented in governmentcare. As of March 31, 2017, where we find the latest statistics, there were 6,950 children in government care, and 63 percentof them are Indigenous children, even though just 5 percent of B.C. residents are Indigenous. To narrow this down even further, there are 79,000 Indi- genous children under18 in B.C. Six percentof allIndigen- ous childrenin B.C. are, therefore, in the care of government.

It was because of this situation that we, when we were in government,mandated, funded and supported the Ed John report. This bill, as I said, responds to nine more recom- mendations of his report. Of the Aboriginal children in care, 75 percent of them are in fosterhomes, and 25 percent are in contracted care. I wouldremind the House thatcontracted care is five times more expensive than fostercare, and itdoes notprovidethe love and warmth of a family home. The reporton AlexGer- vais tells us thatcontracted care can, attimes, even harm a child.

That’s why finding safe and loving care forIndigenous children in theirown comm unities willbe betterfor them, as well as saving the taxpayer money.

I willalso pointoutthatthis billwillbe less usefulwithout strong delegated Aboriginal agencies around the province. [3:00 p.m.] The Representative forChildren and Youth has stated that alack of assistanceto delegated Aboriginalagenciesactually contributes to the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in care, because of several reasons that he pointed out, among them high caseloads, short-term contracts, not accounting for the unique needs of ruraland remote com- munities, long investigation times and a paternalistic atti- tude on the part of MCFD staff.

The government needs to resolve these issues in order to make Bill 26 effective. Whilethis billfocuseson childrenand theirplans forcare, we have to rememberthatitcomes aboutbecause of prob- 4668 British Columbia Debates Monday, May 14, 2018

lems with parents.The children are notthe problems; they’re the victims. They are unsafe in Indigenous homes ata high- errate than non-Indigenous homes.Those children really do need protection. While we, the B.C. Liberals, were in government, we established the overalldirection of strengthening familiesso that every childcan be safe in the family home. The min- isterhas to work hard to strengthen Indigenous familiesin theircomm unities. The representative has indicated that if the comm unities were betterresourced, they mightbe able to make a difference in this overrepresentation simply by strengthening families.

The otherthing the representative said thatwas of interest to me is thatthe billprovidesthatthe director— and by that we mean a responsibleofficial in the MCFD — may make agreementsratherthan shallmake agreements.He feltthat the bill does not go far enough. I might question that idea and point out that while, in most cases, agreements will obviously be made, which is why we’re passingthis legislation, an agreementwithanother party shouldnot yetbe required. This is because the gov- ernmentis responsibleforthose children.The governmentis the guardian whilethey are in care.

If there is no entity that the governmentfeels quite satisfied has the capacity and abil- ity and energy to carry outthe terms of the agreement,no agreement should be made. This is an abundance of caution on the part of govern- ment,and given whathas happened in the past,this caution is justified. Now, at some point in the future, as capacities develop, this may change. This billtakes a step toward that, and itacknowledges thatcapacity is developing, butitmay take more time.

As I have already pointed out,the Representative forChil- dren and Youth has acknowledged that designated Abori- ginal agencies lack capacity, and they are among the best prepared. So the governmenthas work to do to strengthen agencies before it can give more care away. Another issue addressed in the bill is that of sharing private information. For the purposes of comm unity involvement in Indigenous care, the bill provides for the sharing of personalinformation with parties, such as Indi- genous groups.

We support this, as an aspect of the best interestof the child, as long as the conditions of the inform- ation agreements are robust. Now I wantto move on to talk aboutnew guiding prin- ciplesin the bill, of which there are three. The first is this: thatIndigenous familiesand Indigenous comm unitiesshare responsibility forthe upbringing and the well-being of Indi- genous children. Now, that’s fine with me. I think we can supportthat.Butwe have to rememberthatwe are amending

an act that appliesto all British Columbians, not just First Nations. I wonderif there are any otherethniccomm unities that have atradition of collective responsibility forthe well-being of theirchildren thatmightalso be overrepresented among children in government care. For example, I’ve heard that there are ethnicdaycares in B.C., and that seems to me to be the kind of comm unity care concept.Itseems only fairto me thatevery ethnicity thatwouldwantto be treated in this way shouldhave thatprivilege.

So I’llbe askingin commi ttee whetherany otherethnicity with a tradition of comm unity care is overrepresented and perhaps shouldbe named in the bill as well. The second guiding principle is as follows: the director will have to considerthe impact of residential schools as they plan and deliver services to Indigenous children and families.Now, I have no problem with this one either, but I wouldlike to know more specificsfrom the government. How mightthatconsideration impactachildwelfare case in concrete terms?

I wouldpoint out that this principledoesn’t impact any children directly, because the last residential school was closed, in Saskatchewan, in 1996, and in B.C., in 1984, in Mission. So no child under 18 today has ever attended a residentialschool. This guiding principlewillapply only to parents and grandparents and indirectly to children and grandkids. I’m wondering whatkind of consideration wouldbe given to parents. What kind of different allowance or decisions would be made that would take residential schools into account?I’llbe seekingmore information atcommi ttee stage about this.

The third principleis this: the directormustnow consider the importance of the childbeing ableto learn about and practise the child’s Indigenous traditions, customs and lan- guage and the importance of the child belonging to the child’s Indigenous comm unity. [3:05 p.m.] I won’thave any questions aboutthis one, northe related rightcontained in the bill. Thatis the rightto receive guid- ance, encouragementand supportto learn aboutand prac- tise theirIndigenous traditions, customs and languages and belong to their Indigenous comm unities.

In a broadsense, these principlesand rightsare allabout connecting Indigenous children to theirculture and herit- age, to kinship and widersocial circleswithin their com- munities as a protective measure. So we think this is a healthy development,as long as itworks, and we’llbe watch- ing closely to see that it does. On alesserpoint,the billmakesanumberof changeswith respect to nomenclature of First Nations people.

Specific- ally, the bill seems to me to remove the word “Aboriginal” throughout,even though the word is replete through other B.C. laws as wellas federallaws and even in the Charterof Rightsand Freedoms. So I’llwantto ask in commi ttee why we’re removing the word “Aboriginal” from the actaltogeth- er, as if it’s an incorrectterm, although itis used even in our constitution. I’llwantto ask aboutthe legalramifications of changing that word. Now I wantto move on to five main things in the other content of the bill.

The existing act allows for voluntary agreementswiththe director, Ministry of Childrenand Fam- Monday, May 14, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4669

ily Development.This billprovidesforabroaderspan of vol- untary agreementsso thatothers can participate in planning forchildren— aparent,achild’s kin and others — and youth agreements,with the appropriate legalentities representing Indigenous comm unities. Agreementswillhave to describe the party’s role. They can withdraw from itwithouttermination of the agreement.My comm entto thatwouldbe thatthe billanticipates thatsome parties may withdraw from the agreement. It suggeststhat the government anticipates that not all parties to a volun- tary agreement will be reliable.

This means that if a party withdraws, the governmentwillneed to remain the constant responsibleparty in the care of the child. The government mustnotwash itshands of Indigenous children justbecause ithas an agreement.Itneeds to remain there in supportof the child. The second thing is that directors must — and I would pointoutthatthey must;this is notan option — complete a childprotection reportupon taking achildinto care.

By this bill, if the reportconcerns an Indigenous child, the director willbe required to determine whetherto referthe reportto a FirstNation, the Nisg̱ a’a Nation ora treaty FirstNation in situations where the childresideson the nation’s land. Itwill only be sentif the nation has entered into an agreementto take on this responsibility and has been prescribed in a reg- ulation approved by cabinet. I wouldpointouthere thatsuch areferralwillabsolve the directorof furtheraction, which I think means thatthe child willno longerbe in governmentcare, and I’llwantto clari- fy that in commi ttee.

If that is the case, then the order-in- councildesignation process and the agreementitselfand the party with whom we willmake agreementswillhave to be as robust as the government. I wantto emphasize this point.Unless the governmentis convinced thata party to an agreementis as responsibleas the governmentand can do atleastas good a job as MCFD, then itshouldn’tbe designated by cabinetas an alternate to government care. I will be asking what steps, in terms of an accreditation process, the government will be taking to assure this as it makes regulations attached to the act. The fourth thing.

Underthis bill, the directorwillbe able to withdraw from a hearing related to the removalof a child if a parent makes an agreement with the Indigenous legal entity representing the child that the director considers is adequate to protect the child. This will be true even if the agreement is with a government agency outside B.C. This power to withdraw is important. It will provide an incentive to make agreements,and that’s agood thing. Butit willalso require thatboth the entity and the agreementare strong. The governmentneeds to establish criteriain regula- tions ahead of time for such entities and agreements.

Next, parents and Indigenous comm unities are being added to receive noticeconcerning the hearing of allexten- sions of temporary custody orders. When noticeof the hear- ing is received, the person served will be entitled to be a party atthe hearing and to noticeof ahearing if they appear atthe comm encementof ahearing. I think this is an import- antlegalrightfor parentsin Indigenous comm unities. Par- entsand otherinterested parties need to be heard when the governmentwantsto continueto keep achildoutof the fam- ily home. This is a big deal.

I wantto say that,quite often, I, as a critic, receive letters from around B.C. They are long letters, and they are anguished. Parentsmay be temporarily unfit, for whatever reason, to take care of theirkids, and theirchildren do need protection, butthatdoesn’tmean thatthe parentdoesn’tlove their children and that their children don’t still love their parents. They need to be included in the process. [3:10 p.m.] Finally, the director will be ableto make agreementsfor planning for children and service agreements with First Nations or a legal entity representing another Indigenous comm unity.

Itcouldincludeassessmentsand investigations of childrenand families,makingplans of care, independence and placement decisions. This bill also empowers the director to enter into agree- ments with delegated Aboriginal agencies concerning the care of children. This really is abroadpower, really replacing the functions of governmentwith functions of FirstNations or legal entities.

I want to underscore that the process of accreditation and oversight must be strong, and, as before, while capacities in First Nations comm unities grow, this shouldremain an option, with the understanding thatitwill be the normal role of practice anyway. To sum up, I have two main concerns aboutthe bill, and I wantto repeatthem. The firstis aboutgovernmentrespons- ibility. We wantto be assured thatthe governmentis notsur- rendering itsresponsibility fora childto anotherparty, par- ticularly in a voluntary agreement,whilethe childis in the government’s care.

We say this because the bill anticipates allowing a party to withdraw from an agreement without the agreement itself being affected. Not all parties may be equally reliable. Itis the government’s responsibility to be the constantparty in the agreementto ensure the child’s contin- ued safety and well-being. The case of AlexGervais, a Métis youth who commi tted suicidein 2015 whilein the care of MCFD, which delegated responsibility to a delegated Aboriginal agency, which in turn hired a private care provider, proves thatthis billis not a panacea. It is possible for all three levels of care to fail.

The quality of provider, whetherIndigenous ornon-Indi- genous, is of first importance. But insofar as this bill empowers government officials to find permanent place- ments for children where they can experience love and belonging within their Indigenous context, that is a good thing. We think that the measures here offer a better path toward thatgoalfor Indigenous children, although there is much work to be done. My finalconcern is very broad.

This billfocuses on plans and supportsfor children in care, butthe realproblem lies in the family home, which is why the ministry has been 4670 British Columbia Debates Monday, May 14, 2018

attempting, for good reason, to strengthen families. The principleof strengthening familiesas a preventative measure was established by the B.C. Liberalgovernmentas the resultof skyrocketingnumbers of childrenin care during the 1990s. The removalof achildfrom ahome is notthe fault of a child. The childis the victim of an unsafe family situ- ation. Whilethe legislation before us understandably focuses on the custody of the childbecause the governmentbecomes the child’s guardian whilethe childis in care, the need for change lies in the parents.

The billdoes offeran incentive of assistance and support to a parentwho signs an agreementwith a director, butthe clause could perhaps be stronger. Perhaps give the direct- or and parties that he or she engages to placeconditions upon the parents that would have to be met in order to regain custody…. I’llbe asking aboutthis in commi ttee, but I understand thatbecause of situations thatare experienced in imm ediate families,the bill empowers ministry staff to entrustchildren to awidercircleof Indigenous agenciesand family connections, notjustin a child’s birth family.

We all sincerely hope thatthis willreducetheiroverrepresentation of children in care. On that we can all agree. With that,I willlook forward to commi ttee stage, where we willbe ableto examine each

section of the billin great- er detail. S. Furstenau: Yesterday we celebrated Mother’s Day. It’s one of my favourite daysof the year. There’s alwaysbreakfast. There are cards and homemade gifts.There are hugs and kisses. I always feelthe deep happiness and sense of allbeing rightwith the world, the slowing down of time as I savour the moments of warmth and connection with my family. Mother’s Day isn’t just all about mothers. It’s about the bond, the love thatconnectsus as mothers to ourchildren, who are for us precious and valuablebeyond measure.

It’s a day for society to recognize the intrinsic and valuablerole that mothers play in raising future generations. There’s no love like the love I have for my children. Itis boundless. It is ferocious. It is unrelenting. I can imagine nothing worse than being separated from them. Overthe course of this lastyear since the election, since opening ourconstituency office, I have become increasingly aware thatwe are failing, in this provinceand in this country, to honour mothers, to honour the elemental relationship between mothers and their children. [3:15 p.m.] Let us begin in the hospitals.

Imagine, within hours of giving birth, one of the most transformative experiences a woman can go through…. Imagine, withinhours of holding yourinfantson ordaughterforthe firsttime, having asocial worker come into your hospital room to inform you that your infant is going to be removed from you. It’s 2018 in Canada, and government employees are removing infants from their mothers in hospitals. Often these are first-time mothers who have yetto reveal to society and to themselves how capablethey are atbeing a motherof a child.

A Huu-ay-ahtmotherwhose infantwas removed from herwith no clear, specificcause foughtback in the B.C. Supreme Courtand, with the help of herlawyer and her comm unity, was reunited with her infant. In Cowichan, agroup of women, including amidwife and aparentadvocate, rallied around and supported amom who had been informed that her infant was to be removed at the hospital. These moms were with theirinfantsthis Moth- er’s Day, but they willalso have something that no mother shouldhave to live with — the fearof losingtheirchildren to a government agency. As one motherwhose childrenhave neverbeenapprehen- ded ex

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20180514pm-Hansard-n136
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	20180514pm Hansard n136
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	f82e97f6de5dd935a195b776c071f8eb4ae985d2

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