2005 Legislative Session: 6th Session, 37th Parliament

HANSARD

The following electronic version is for informational purposes

only.

The printed version remains the official version.

Official Report of

DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

(Hansard)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2005

Afternoon Sitting

Volume 27, Number 4

CONTENTS

Routine Proceedings

Page

Introductions by Members

Statements (Standing Order 25 B )

Lee Mong Kow

S. Orr

Community cooperation

V. Anderson

Cape Scott Provincial Park trail

development

R. Visser

Speaker's Statement

Rules for questions in question period

Oral Questions

Long-term care beds

J. Brar

Hon. S. Bond

J. Kwan

Hon. C. Hansen

J. MacPhail

Social housing fund proposal

E. Brenzinger

Hon. S. Bond

Legal services tax and legal aid

services

P. Nettleton

Hon. G. Plant

Labour dispute at post-secondary

institutions

J. Nuraney

Hon. G. Bruce

Reports from Committees

Select Standing Committee on Finance

and Government Services, second report

Report on

the 2005 Budget Consultation Process

B. Belsey

Select Standing Committee on Finance

and Government Services, third report

Annual Review of the Budgets of the Independent Officers

of the

Legislative Assembly

B. Belsey

Motions on Notice

Sessional order on public written

questions (Motion 70)

Hon. G. Bruce

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

H. Bloy

R. Hawes

K. Johnston

B. Kerr

L. Mayencourt

Hon. S. Brice

V. Roddick

B. Suffredine

[ Page 11785 ]

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2005

The House met at 2:04 p.m.

Introductions by Members

Hon. J. Murray: Today we have some very special visitors

from Poland. They're in British Columbia to participate in my ministry's sixth

annual privacy and security conference. That's being held today and tomorrow in

the Victoria Conference Centre.

On the floor of the Legislature is Ewa Kulesza, inspector general

for personal data protection from Poland, who is a keynote speaker at the

conference. With her is Mr. David Loukidelis, the B.C. information and privacy

commissioner.

In the gallery are Prof. Witold Kulesza, head of prosecutions for

crimes against the Polish nation, notably war crimes during the Second World

War; and Mrs. Dorota Skolimowska, legal department director of the bureau of the

inspector general for personal data protection.

Would the House please make these very illustrious guests very

welcome.

[1405]

E. Brenzinger: Today as the House leader of Democratic

Reform B.C. and that party's first sitting member of the Legislature, I am

pleased to introduce to the House Matt Wadsworth and Chris Simms. Matt Wadsworth

is our candidate in North Vancouver–Lonsdale and is an advocate of extending the

vote to 16-year-olds. Chris Simms is our candidate in Port Moody–Westwood and a

budgeting guru who points out that this year we have a fudge-it surplus.

Would the House please welcome the future of British Columbia, Dr.

B.C. candidates Matt Wadsworth and Chris Simms. They represent the deep vein of

anger that people in B.C. feel towards the current government and the deep

mistrust British Columbians have of the NDP.

S. Orr: I have several announcements and special

introductions today. I want to introduce Ms. Kileasa Wong, visiting us today in

the gallery, who is a very well known person in our community. With her is Mr.

Kit Wong. They are visiting here today.

I also would like to introduce Jacqueline Halliburn, who is a

hard-working volunteer in my office. She's the president of the B.C. Young

Liberals at Camosun College. With her is Lindsey Parker, who is the

vice-president at Camosun College, and Tatianna Danylyshyn, a B.C. Young

Liberal.

I also have a very important announcement. We all know Joel

Palmer, who is our research head. He and I were visiting yesterday in the

hospital while he waited for his wee baby to be born, and Maxwell Jackson Palmer

weighed in at a very large weight of over ten pounds at the hospital yesterday.

So to Joel and his wife Jacqueline, whom I saw as I was sitting there with him….

They are thrilled and happy that this baby has come, and so are we. But I have

to tell you that I have a way more thrilling, thrilling thing to tell you.

I had the great pleasure of spending nearly 36 hours at the

hospital while my darling son and wonderful daughter-in-law gave birth to my

first grandchild, Kate Orr. I just have to say that dear Kate Orr takes after

her Mimi, which is me. She wouldn't be told when to come. She was two and a half

weeks late. She gave her mom 24 hours of supreme hell. Then she turned around

and wanted a C-section, not the regular road. So she is definitely my

granddaughter. I want to say to these two new British Columbians who just

arrived that they will be starting their new lives in the new golden decade.

Would everyone make them very welcome.

L. Mayencourt: It's going to be a little tough to top that

one. Today we have three visitors from the B.C. association of newspaper owners

in British Columbia — independent newspapers. We have three guests: Mr. Frank

Buckholz from the Langley Times , Mr. Bruce Mason from the Gabriola

Sound and a special guest, Mr. Edgar Dunning with the Delta Optimist .

I'm told that Mr. Dunning first made his trek to the Legislature 75 years ago,

and we had lunch in exactly the same dining room where that started. So welcome

back, Mr. Dunning and all of the other guests. Please make them feel welcome.

[1410]

Hon. P. Bell: I am very pleased on behalf of myself and the

Minister of Health, the MLA for Prince George–Mount Robson, to welcome to the

House today a constituent of ours from Prince George. I can tell you that this

fine young lady…. I had a chat with her today, and she told me at one point in

time…. She typically spends some time down in Victoria every winter, and she

thought that this was her Hawaii. She was thinking perhaps she should just move

to Victoria. She went home to Prince George — all her good friends and the great

environment that we live in up there — and she decided that she's staying there

permanently now.

Would the House please make Iris McIntyre very welcome.

Statements

(Standing Order 25

b) LEE MONG KOW

S. Orr: This two-minute statement is very much in honour of

our guests sitting in the balcony. This Sunday on February 13 there will be a

very special dedication ceremony in Chinatown, a wonderful area of Victoria that

I'm very lucky to represent. This event is to unveil a memorial plaque

officially naming the walkway between Fisgard Street and Centennial Square the

Lee Mong Kow Way.

Imagine this, Mr. Speaker. At this ceremony over 70 direct

descendents of Mr. Lee Mong Kow will be present. They are travelling all the way

from Ottawa, Chi-

[ Page 11786 ]

cago, San Diego, Seattle, Vancouver and, of course, right here in Victoria.

Mr. Lee Mong Kow emigrated to Canada from China in 1882 at age 19.

He became a naturalized Canadian in 1886 and married a Canadian-born Chinese

girl from another pioneering family. They raised 13 children — six boys and

seven girls. Five generations and 112 years later, this wonderful family is now

200 — all highly educated and very well respected citizens.

Mr. Lee Mong Kow was a leader in the Chinese community and, in

fact, the entire region. He was a well-known problem-solver for his community.

He was a respected government interpreter and was very involved in the Chinese

Consolidated Benevolent Association. He was a founder of the Chinese public

school and a very successful businessman.

This lone Chinese emigrant came to Canada not as a sojourner but

as a settler, and we are all very proud that he is being honoured not only by

his community but by all of us. Mr. Lee Mong Kow is the history and the future

of what this province, and this entire country, is built on.

COMMUNITY COOPERATION

V. Anderson: Twenty-three years ago I became involved in

the B.C. political process formally to speak out for those for whom life was

difficult for personal, economic and social reasons beyond their control. In

doing so, I chose the middle way politically, because I believe in a balance of

ideas. I believe in individual opportunity and responsibility and in collective

community interaction.

Involved in multiphase action, I was eager to share in the

community building, to support persons from a cross-cultural diversity in

interactive participation. Having worked with voluntary non-profit associations,

my focus was to support these community-based service movements, which provided

the majority of social programs in our communities through volunteer leadership

and cooperative endeavours. What was needed was increased shared partnerships

between the volunteer sector, the private business sector and the public

government sector.

As an MLA of 13 years, the development of these partnerships has

been a continuous goal. Much has been achieved, but still there is much to be

done. In the political process I discerned two different approaches to community

participation. One approach is to create confrontation and conflict, leading to

community polarization. The other approach is to create opportunities for

cooperation and collaboration for personal and community development.

For me, this latter way of cooperation and collaboration for all

segments of society is the only way. This involves mutual respect, which builds

unity into diversity and supports each person's and each organization's

contribution. My commitment is to support the process of cooperation and

collaboration between government and community, both now and after my demise as

an MLA.

[1415]

CAPE SCOTT PROVINCIAL PARK

TRAIL DEVELOPMENT

R. Visser: At the very tip of northern Vancouver Island

there is a hundred-year-old story being reborn along its rugged and spectacular

coastline. Later this summer, if the weather holds and construction stays on

track, an additional 46 kilometres of trail will be opened up through one of

British Columbia's parkland jewels, Cape Scott Provincial Park. In total there

will be 70 kilometres of raised trails and campsites through the dense coastal

rain forest, all interspersed with hundred-year-old, long-abandoned farmland;

sensitive wetland and intertidal zones; spectacular long, sandy beaches with

crashing Pacific surf; beautiful sweeping bays and jagged rocky points. There

are whales and eagles and otters and every kind of seabird imaginable. You will

be travelling through the traditional territory of the Tlatlasikwala and

Quatsino first nations, and you'll be miles away from the nearest towns of

Holberg and Port Hardy.

It's a wonderful project spearheaded by the Northern Vancouver

Island Trail Society and their chair, Bob Zanon, along with mayors and councils

and the first nations of the area. Slowly but surely they have cajoled,

weaseled, strong-armed and thoroughly sold the idea of this project to

government, corporate sponsors and their communities. Their latest pitch was to

the Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection as he travelled the area last

week by air.

They've had this vision for a very long time. They have driven the

project from the bottom up, and they have vested themselves in it passionately.

What benefits this will bring to our region. We know what happened with the West

Coast Trail. We have seen the rise of the Nootka Trail, and now we will have

this spectacular addition to attract those adventurous outdoor enthusiasts who

enjoy our coastline so much.

Even now they come by the thousands to Cape Scott Park. There is

no reason not to expect that number to double very quickly. We know that if you

build it, they will come. I'm very proud of these folks. They're doing great

things for a great community.

Mr. Speaker: That concludes members' statements.

Speaker's Statement

RULES FOR QUESTIONS

IN QUESTION PERIOD

Mr. Speaker: Hon. members, just before we start the clock

on question period today, I would like to make a few remarks.

As you know, we have a very short question period in British

Columbia. Therefore, time limits on both questions and answers must be observed.

We simply must get more than three people involved in question period on a daily

basis. Yesterday was not a good example of how question period should work.

[ Page 11787 ]

We are also aware that there is an election in the near future,

and emotions and adrenaline are running high. Therefore, I have set out some

guidelines for question period.

The opposition will get the first questions, and the questions,

including the

preamble, will be no longer than one minute. While supplementary

questions are discretionary, the first supplementary, when allowed, will be 30

seconds. The second supplementary — again, if allowed — will be 20 seconds long.

I must point out that a supplementary question is not a new question; it's a

supplement to the question already asked.

Answerers will observe the same guidelines. Independent members

and private members will observe the same time limit on questions, and in most

instances there will be no supplementary question.

In addition, I urge all members to listen without interruption to

both questions and answers. Let me emphasize that all members are entitled to

hear the question being asked and the answer given. If interruptions persist,

the Speaker has several options available. Thank you.

Oral Questions

LONG-TERM CARE BEDS

J. Brar: As a new member, I will try my best to be in the

limits, and I hope the experienced members will do the same.

The truth about the broken long-term care bed promise is very

simple. It's very simple. Will the Minister of Health stand up and admit that

she had no plan in place to keep her promise of an additional 5,000 — which is

one, two, three, four, five — new long-term care beds by 2006?

Hon. S. Bond: As we made clear in the throne speech, we are

committed to delivering 5,000 beds — new intermediate and long-term care beds.

We said that it's going to take us longer than we anticipated. We have a plan in

place that will be done by the year 2008.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Surrey–Panorama Ridge has a

supplementary question.

[1420]

J. Brar: It's all very, very interesting, but it is not

accurate. The people of British Columbia want an accurate and real answer. Let

me quote from a capital regional district health report released late last year.

"The shortfall is a result of closing too many residential care beds too quickly

and not having the alternatives in place. This was predicted in 2002 and is in

large part a function of the provincial government's fiscal restraint."

Will the Minister of Health finally admit to the people of British

Columbia that the government started closing thousands of long-term care beds

with no real workable plan in place to keep its promises?

Hon. S. Bond: We made it clear yesterday that we have more

work to do, and we are continuing to do that. Health authorities across the

province actually have plans in place to deliver the number of beds by 2008. In

fact, we will meet that commitment by 2008. We are working to rebuild a system

that was almost 30 years old in many cases, where buildings had to be replaced

and indeed renovated.

Mr. Speaker: Member for Surrey–Panorama Ridge has a further

supplementary.

J. Brar: Look, it's very simple — very simple and easy to

understand. I think a five-year-old can understand that very easily. The Premier

of this province made a promise for 5,000 additional beds. That's 5,000

additional beds, not replacement beds — additional beds….

Mr. Speaker: Hon. member, time for the question, please.

J. Brar: But he has no plan in place to keep his promise to

seniors.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please. It's time for the question.

J. Brar: Can the Minister of Health explain why the former

Minister of Health told this House last March: "We are well on the way to

achieving that goal of 5,000 beds"?

Hon. S. Bond: We need to clarify this information for the

member opposite. We have said that we have already added over 4,000 new and

renovated units to the stock. Let me tell you….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Hon. S. Bond: Let me give you an example of one of the

facilities that the seniors of British Columbia had to face when we got to

Victoria. There was a facility in Vernon with, in fact, 80 residents in the

facility, and they were all in either two- or four-bed units. It was

institutional. It did not have….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Let us hear the answer.

Hon. S. Bond: It did not have ceiling lifts. The washrooms,

in fact, which residents were forced to share, could not fit wheelchairs in

them. It meant that the staff had difficulty actually using those washroom

facilities. We had a job to do. The system was decrepit and needed repair.

[ Page 11788 ]

J. Kwan: The New Era document promise was "an

additional 5,000 new intermediate and long-term care beds by 2006." Some members

in this House may be growing weary of that reminder, so let me add something

new.

The Liberal candidate briefing book from 2001 said that

construction and operation for each long-term care bed would cost $136,500 — the

2001 briefing book. I'll do the arithmetic for those who are in the House that

might be challenged with this math. To build 5,000 additional beds using

Liberal-estimated costs means an investment of $682 million.

To the Minister of Finance: how much new money has this government

put into long-term care beds?

[1425]

Hon. C. Hansen: We have a lot to be proud of in this House

for the work that's been done by this government to put an additional $3 billion

into the health care budget since the year 2000.

That budget has been allocated to the Ministry of Health Services

which, in turn, allocates it to the various health authorities around the

province who choose their priority. In addition to that — and something that I

think these members ignore — is that there are thousands of beds for seniors

that have been built in this province, funded through the Ministry of Community,

Aboriginal and Women's Services. So across government we have seen thousands of

new beds added to the stock in British Columbia by government and also by the

private sector.

Mr. Speaker: Member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant has a

supplementary question.

J. Kwan: The Minister of Finance better learn how to do

math. As recent as yesterday the Premier's spin doctor said that to date, it has

spent $100 million to keep its promise. According to B.C. Liberal math, that

means they are short $582 million of their campaign spending commitment.

Can the former Minister of Health, the now Minister of Finance,

tell us if he'll use his new-found fiscal powers to back up his words? Will he

commit to spending that money and on what time line? Can we expect to see that

in the budget coming up next Tuesday?

Hon. C. Hansen: This is the kind of thinking that we had in

the 1990s in British Columbia. That is the kind of thinking that actually says…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Hon. C. Hansen: …that if we're going to provide services to

British Columbians in every corner of this province, we should do it by taking

taxpayers' money, channelling it through the consolidated revenue fund and

paying out all of that money. We are working with not-for-profit organizations

throughout the province…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Hon. C. Hansen: …as is promised in the election platform,

and we are working with the private sector. We are working with the private

sector, which is putting up dollars for capital construction around British

Columbia.

We as a government are working in that partnership with the health

authorities, with seniors organizations…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Order, please.

Hon. C. Hansen: …with not-for-profit organizations and with

the private sector to make sure that the needs of our seniors are met.

J. MacPhail: It bodes very ill for British Columbians next

week when this Minister of Finance can't even tell the truth on the math — can't

even tell the truth.

Here is another quote from the former Minister of Health, our

current Minister of Finance. I quote from March of last year: "The total tally

in the province will show a net increase by the end of 2006 of 5,000. At the end

of the day, we will hit that target."

Again, to the new Minister of Health: if it was impossible for her

government to keep its promise, to do the math that they put in their own

briefing book, can she tell us why the current Finance minister claimed as

recently as last March that the government would meet its target? Putting aside

the deep concern of how we can trust or can't trust the rhetoric from this

Minister of Finance next week, can she stand up and tell us now: who was telling

the truth — the former Minister of Health or her?

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Order, please.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please. The Minister of Health Services

has the floor.

Hon. S. Bond: We just have to look to the past to figure

out who actually had a plan in this province. We have a plan to add 5,000

long-term care beds. We will meet that commitment by 2008. In fact, let's look

at the record of the members opposite in terms of adding long-term care beds.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Interjections.

[ Page 11789 ]

Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Order, please.

Minister, we will continue when we have quiet in the House — not

before.

[1430]

Hon. S. Bond: We will honour the commitment to add 5,000

long-term…. Let's look at the record of the members opposite in terms of their

plan for dealing with seniors in this province.

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Would the Leader of the Opposition please come

to order. The minister has the floor.

Hon. S. Bond: It's interesting that the members opposite

might be making those comments. They managed to add 1,400 long-term care beds in

a decade. In fact, by the year 2006 we will have done twice as many, twice as

fast as you did.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

SOCIAL HOUSING FUND PROPOSAL

E. Brenzinger: Yesterday and today we hear the NDP and the

government playing number games….

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Order, please, hon. member.

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Order. We cannot hear the question.

E. Brenzinger: Yesterday and today we hear the NDP and the

government playing number games over seniors care. We hear the debate, but

nothing gets done. The government, by its own admission, has not achieved its

targets. Now it says it plans 5,000 new beds in a combination of assisted

living, residential care and independent living.

My question is to the Minister of Health. Will this government

consider the proposal of Democratic Reform B.C. that a portion of the property

transfer tax, up to 50 percent, be applied to a dedicated fund for social

housing given to the regional districts?

Hon. S. Bond: I've never heard of that particular proposal,

but I'm sure if the member were willing to send it, we would certainly read it.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please, on both sides of the House.

LEGAL SERVICES TAX AND

LEGAL AID SERVICES

P. Nettleton: The B.C. Supreme Court has found the

provincial 7 percent tax on legal services unconstitutional as it applies to

low-income clients. My question is to the Attorney General. Will the Attorney

General commit today to fully restore legal aid services or press for rescinding

of the legal services tax?

Hon. G. Plant: I'm very proud of the creative and

innovative work that we've done as a government in partnership with the Legal

Services Society to get people to think about what access to justice means — not

just hiring a lawyer to go fight a fight in court but thinking about helping

people solve their problems, giving them the information they need to solve

their own problems.

Sometimes that's enough. Sometimes it's giving them help and

access to alternate dispute resolution and, in the most important critically

urgent cases, giving them access to legal representation — all constructive

steps forward, a way of helping to make a difference in people's lives, the

lives of those people who can least afford it. I will continue to work hard to

ensure that access to justice — not just legal representation in the same

traditional way but access to justice — is a reality for people around British

Columbia.

LABOUR DISPUTE AT

POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS

J. Nuraney: My question is to the Minister of Skills

Development and Labour. BCGEU employees have been conducting rotating strikes at

post-secondary institutions across the province and will be disrupting classes

at BCIT tomorrow. Students and parents in my riding are very concerned about the

impact that this job action is having on the education of our young people. My

question to the minister is: what is being done to ensure that post-secondary

education in British Columbia is not adversely affected by the BCGEU rotating

strikes?

Hon. G. Bruce: As is the case with any labour disputes

occurring in the province, we monitor them and keep an eye on them. In this

instance, both the Minister of Advanced Education and myself are trying to be

cognizant of whether or not students are losing classes. We certainly would be

concerned…

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

[1435]

Hon. G. Bruce: …if it got to a situation where their year

was in jeopardy. At this point, the situation is

[ Page 11790 ]

such that the union and the parties have come to a dispute, and the situation

would be that if the two parties would like help, our offices would be available

to assist.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order, please, hon. members. Question period

is over.

[End of question period.]

Reports from Committees

B. Belsey: I have the honour to present the second report

of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services for the

fifth session of the thirty-seventh parliament, entitled Report on the 2005

Budget Consultation Process .

I move that the report be taken as read and received.

Motion approved.

B. Belsey: I ask leave of the House to permit the moving of

the motion to adopt the report.

Leave granted.

B. Belsey: I move the report be adopted.

In moving the adoption of the report, I wish to make the following

comments. The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services

listened to almost 1,800 British Columbians during the annual consultation

process regarding the upcoming provincial budget. This level of participation

set an all-time record for public input to any legislative committee in the

province. The report contains 19 recommendations addressing the fiscal and

budgetary priorities of British Columbia.

Overall, the committee found that British Columbians were pleased

with what the government has done to balance the 2004 budget and in generating a

larger-than-expected surplus for the 2004-05 fiscal year. We support the

continuation of government's sound fiscal management to promote further economic

growth and opportunities across the province. The committee also recommended

targeting a portion of the available funds for people in need.

The committee's report also contains two key messages to

government: (1) that the province implement an effective debt management plan,

and (2) that the new program spending and further tax cuts be contingent upon

the availability of financial resources generated by a forecast surplus.

I appreciate the opportunity to move the adoption of the committee

report, and I would like to thank all British Columbians who took the time to

provide us with their thoughts. I would also like to extend my sincere

appreciation to all the members of the committee and staff for their input and

dedication throughout the important process.

Motion approved.

B. Belsey: I have the honour of presenting the third report

of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services for the

fifth session of the thirty-seventh parliament, entitled Annual Review of the

Budgets of the Independent Officers of the Legislative Assembly .

I move that the report be taken as read and received.

Motion approved.

B. Belsey: I ask leave of the House to permit the moving of

the motion and adoption of the report.

Leave granted.

[1440]

B. Belsey: I move that the report be adopted.

In moving the adoption of the report, I wish to make the following

comments. This has become an annual review by the Select Standing Committee on

Finance and Government Services of the three-year rolling service plans and the

budgets of each of the statutory officers. The committee arrived at its

recommendations on December 7, 2004, and this is the first opportunity the

committee has had to table the report in the House.

I would again like to thank the statutory officers for their

participation in the process and the members and the staff that worked so hard

to put the report together.

Motion approved.

Orders of the Day

Hon. G. Bruce: I call Motion 70 sitting on the order paper

in my name.

Motions on Notice

SESSIONAL ORDER ON

PUBLIC WRITTEN QUESTIONS

Hon. G. Bruce: I move Motion 70.

[Resolved that the Legislative Assembly adopt the following

sessional order:

Practice recommendation No. 11

(Standing Order 47, 47A)

Public Written Questions.

1. Written questions may be submitted by an elected member of a

provincial or local public body designated under this order and in accordance

with the guidelines established by Mr. Speaker. Questions submitted in writing

to the Office of the Speaker by 4:00 p.m. Wednesday are eligible to be drawn

on Thursday. Five questions drawn by the Speaker which conform to the

guidelines shall be placed on the Orders of the Day on Monday of

[ Page 11791 ]

each week. A question shall be printed on 2

consecutive weeks unless answered.

2. A Private Member may ask a qualified

question of a Minister during Question Period. The Member from whose

constituency the question comes will have first refusal to put such question

to the appropriate Minister. The Minister may answer the question orally or in

writing by filing with the Clerk of the House. Written answers shall be

published in the Votes and Proceedings.

3. Questions should relate to current provincial

issues and public affairs, be timely, brief and stated without

argument or opinion. The submission must not include unparliamentary language

and shall be directed to the Minister who has responsibility for the area of

interest.]

Motion approved.

Hon. G. Bruce: Mr. Speaker, I call continuation of the

reply to the throne speech.

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

H. Bloy: It's my honour and privilege to rise today in the

House to respond to Tuesday's Speech from the Throne.

I'd first like to say that I thought that was the most

embarrassing display I've seen from the opposition in question period in my

three and a half years — not to sit and listen, to always leave the House and

not to participate in debate and listen to what we have to say about the throne

speech. Anyway, I want to move on.

My constituents are very excited about the direction this

government continues upon. This government continues to improve health care,

education and the economy. We're working towards a golden decade for all British

Columbians.

I know I speak for my constituents when I say that they look

forward to what lies ahead. Again, I want to say that they're looking forward to

that golden decade ahead of us. I know from my constituents their excitement

about the future for British Columbia. We've gone from last place in all

economic factors to number one or two in all of Canada. This only happened

because of the leadership of our Premier of this great province.

Something I want to talk about is literacy. Literacy is very

important to me personally and to my government. Many of you know that for the

last two years I've given a book to every kindergarten child in my riding. I do

this to encourage the child and the parent to read together.

Reading and literacy open up so many opportunities for our

children and the world. I visit over 13 schools with nearly 700 students. I go

into every class, and I talk to the students. I tell them about my children at

home, and I tell them how I read to my children when they were young. Then when

they got to be about their age in kindergarten, they started to read to me. What

a thrill it was for them to read to me.

With these children, I talked about literacy. They didn't all know

what literacy meant. A lot of them thought it was litter, but it's a pretty big

word for a kindergarten child. It's having the ability to read and to understand

what you're reading. I must say how pleased I was that every teacher in those

schools I went to was so supportive of this program. They encouraged their

children to go home and read the book with their parent and to come back and

tell them about it.

[1445]

The children are the best. They ask a number of neat questions. I

usually got asked: "Can I keep the book — and forever?" "Can I write my name in

the book?" It was a real thrill to me.

But talking about education, our provincial government has

committed $150 million of new funding for school districts. This funding will

help ensure that school districts continue to provide quality library services

and textbooks for all our students. The reason we can put more money into

education is because of the hard work and the decisions we have made over the

past three and a half years to make British Columbia financially stable.

From day one we said that once we got our house in fiscal order,

it was then we could begin investing in a financially sustainable way. That's

what we're doing today. Public education is funded to the tune of $4.025

billion. Public education is at the highest level ever in funding. Per-student

is $7,079 — the highest ever. This is all in a time when student enrolment is

declining considerably.

But this is not the only funding we've done. In my riding of

Burquitlam in the city of Burnaby, the Minister of Education announced $10

million more for school textbooks. I believe education is so important that I

just want to quote from the throne speech.

"The best in education. Your government is committed to

making B.C. the best educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent.

Its entire education strategy has been aimed at putting students first,

starting by restoring education as an essential service. Many changes have

been made to give school boards greater autonomy, flexibility and certainty to

help them direct resources where they are needed most for students.

"There is great accountability for school

board spending and for their school outcomes in student

achievement. Parents and students now have greater choice in schooling and new

opportunities for involvement in school planning and in volunteerism. All

school districts have received substantial funding increases in spite of

declining student enrolments. In the coming year, block grants to school

boards will increase by $150 million."

As I stated earlier, that represents a total increase in

school operating funding of $305 million since 2001, as we continue a decline in

enrolment of 29,000 students.

"In addition, the school boards have received $68 million

for wage costs and $138 million in one-time grants since 2002. Your government

believes that every child deserves to have adequate school-based library

services and textbooks. Every school will be required to provide library

services for its students.

"Your government will require that every

school in B.C. meet appropriate standards for learning

resources.

"All districts will be required to report

annually on how they are providing their students and their

schools

[ Page 11792 ]

with adequate library services and learning

resources. The increased funding includes an estimated $28 million extra to

improve education for students with special needs. It also helps school

districts make any necessary adjustments to class size and composition."

Continuing with education, we have Simon Fraser University

in the riding of Burquitlam. As you can imagine, I'm often approached by many

university students on our policies for advanced education. The students and

parents in my riding are very excited about the $132 million funding increase to

universities and colleges that will occur over the next three years. This will

allow the post-secondary education system to provide more and better

opportunities to our students to access the quality education they will need to

succeed in the future.

There will also be legislation this session to limit tuition

increases to the cost of inflation. Students in my riding understood the need to

increase tuition funding. It was taking them five, mainly six, and sometimes

longer to complete a four-year degree. That was just unacceptable, to go to

school and have to wait seven years to get out because of the underfunding — the

inadequate underfunding — by the past government.

Students were tired of the politically motivated tuition freeze

that did nothing but erode the quality of education they could be provided. The

universities were unable to offer spaces in their courses to accommodate

students who needed certain courses to complete their degrees.

[1450]

The inadequate funding hurt our students. The lack of funding by

the NDP hurt the province in the nineties. We needed skilled workers. Skilled,

trained workers were needed to guarantee the success of our province. They

weren't being graduated under the NDP. We have put more money than ever into

advanced education and are graduating a skilled workforce to continue the growth

of British Columbia — and for all of Canada.

I have to repeat it again: the NDP eroded the education system of

British Columbia. They took us from number one to number ten, and number ten

isn't good in this case. Number ten equals last place in all of Canada. This was

at a time when the whole North American economy was growing with rapid

increases, but with the pathetic leadership, and I can't…. There were four or

five of them in the nineties. We've had a couple now in the 2000s. It's still a

pathetic leadership. They don't know who the boss is. The union boss, the one in

the House, the one out on the street who's afraid to run…. No one knows who the

boss of the NDP is. They're all making different, contrasting statements, so we

don't know what they stand for other than going backwards.

It came as no surprise that most students were happy with the

educational opportunities that would come about with the lifting of a tuition

freeze. I must say that from comments I've had from students — from Simon Fraser

University in my riding, from the University of Victoria where my daughter goes

and from the University of Northern British Columbia where I have met a number

of students — they're pleased with the resources they have, and that they

complete their degrees in a timely fashion.

The students at SFU were also very happy that the government grant

to SFU was increased by 21 percent between 2001 and this year. The new steps to

improve financial assistance to students will also be welcomed by my

constituents. These steps will help more of my constituents to access the

education that they need.

Of course, our government remains committed to the 25,000 new

post-secondary spaces by 2010. This was an unbelievable accomplishment by the

Ministry of Advanced Education to make this step. What it guaranteed was that

every student who had a 75 percent or higher level on graduating from high

school could get into university. In the nineties, as the limited enrolment

space went down, the criteria to get into university continued to go up. I can

say that Simon Fraser University has initiated a program that anyone with 80

percent or more is guaranteed a spot in their university for early enrolment.

Talking about Simon Fraser University, it's such a generator of

growth in the city of Burnaby. There are going to be 10,000 new units up on top

of the hill that were developed by Michael Geller and the housing authority.

They have a new commercial building for the first time, so students can have

coffee, laundry services, a grocery store, a deli. There is a new science

building being built at SFU right now — $21 million. There is a brand-new

residence that was built up at Simon Fraser University. The growth up there is

amazing.

All these new spots are necessary for British Columbia,

particularly in health care. We have new funding for universities that my

constituents will be excited about. This new funding — the goal and design — is

to make B.C. the best educated, most literate jurisdiction in all of North

America.

I am very interested in health care. Personally, I've raised funds

in the past year for the B.C. Cancer Foundation simply by cutting my hair. Most

of my colleagues like it. Some of my colleagues are just amazed at how fast

it'll grow back. I was able to raise $6,000. I was supported by some great

people in my community: Lougheed town centre, Magicuts, Burnaby News Leader ,

Doug Stead from Tri-M, Andy Nord and hundreds of supporters including many of my

colleagues in the House. They contributed many dollars to fight cancer. Many of

us have personally contributed to help raise money for cancer research.

Our government announced in the throne speech $100 million in 2007

for the Michael Smith Foundation to maintain the foundation as a leader in

health research. Both mapping and cancer research will greatly benefit from

these contributions.

[1455]

Research holds the key to the elimination of cancer so that we

don't lose any more loved ones or family members to this terrible disease. I

believe that every member of society has been affected by cancer in some

[ Page 11793 ]

way. You know, we've been touched by it in our House. We have the member for

Kelowna-Mission, the member for Comox Valley and the wife of the member for

Richmond-Steveston.

My story is about our child at home, Candice. Candice came to live

with us when she was 16. We met Candice and her mom…. Well, we met her mom and

dad in a prenatal class with our daughter Katie. We became friends over the

years. Candice lost her father to cancer at age 12, and she lost her mother to

cancer at age 17. You know, there's a pleasure that we get because we have a

third child at home, but I don't believe this should ever happen to any person

in the world — to be affected by cancer. I will do everything to work with this

government to eliminate the disease and the spread of cancer.

Also, in education, our new medical student spots at the

University of Northern British Columbia and at the University of Victoria. These

new seats and medical programs will go a long way in ensuring that B.C. meets

its requirements for new doctors in the future.

B.C. is a leader in health care. The Speech from the Throne

announced a $1.5 billion increase to health care over the next three years.

These increases will preserve health care and ensure that health care is there

when we need it and where we need it.

In actual performances, we have a long way to go. In per-capita

dollar spending in Canada, we are in the top two or three, but in performance we

are 16, 18, 21 in getting results done. It goes to prove that it's not only

money; it's the management of the health care system that has to take over. We

need better management.

We reduced our health boards from 56 to six. We have professionals

running them. We want the professionals to run the health care system, not the

union leadership. The union leadership should not be there in the health care.

Let the professionals run it. Let them work with their employees. We have to

allow the health authorities to be strong leaders in our community.

To help seniors in Burnaby, my colleagues and I, including the

Minister of State for Resort Development, held a seniors forum. We had more than

100 seniors there, who raised many concerns and questions. I can tell you what a

positive crowd we had. They liked what we were doing. They didn't like

everything, but they liked the direction that we were going. They liked that

many of them in that room were now getting their MSP payments for free. They

liked that we've done 18 percent more operations last year than the year before.

They like that we're setting a taxation system in place that for their

grandchildren…. Hopefully, their grandchildren will pay taxes for services they

use, not for past generations. They want to see their grandchildren succeed in

the future.

My constituents are pleased with the government's recent decision

to return 100 percent of the traffic fine revenue we collect to municipalities.

This will mean $2 million to the city of Burnaby and nearly $1 million for the

city of Coquitlam.

I've written a letter on this, and the title is "Bloy Excited

about Cops." I'm excited to hear that the city of Burnaby is hiring new RCMP

officers. With many of our veteran officers set to retire, the arrival of young,

eager new members will be an extremely important milestone for our community.

The new recruits have been made possible as a result of our government

fulfilling its promise to hand over provincial traffic revenue to the

municipalities. This commitment means Burnaby will receive an estimated $2

million in traffic fine revenues each year for crime prevention and community

safety projects. The handover of these revenues has been met with great praise

across the province, as many communities are using these new funds to hire new

officers to fight crime and assist those in need.

[1500]

[H. Long in the chair.]

I am looking forward to the day when the Burnaby RCMP's new flying

squad is fully operational. I strongly believe that our communities will greatly

benefit from a squad that addresses neighbourhood concerns as they develop and

before they get out of hand.

The important part about the Speech from the Throne last Tuesday

was the economy. Economic policy is the biggest difference between the Liberals

and the NDP. The Liberals know how to grow the B.C. economy so that people have

jobs and we can afford health care and education.

I'm reminded of a sign I saw on a truck outside the Legislature on

Tuesday. While we were getting ready to hear the throne speech, there was a

convoy of working trucks that travelled past the Legislature, and they wanted to

send a message. They were in support of our government and its policies that put

people to work. The sign that struck my interest the most was on one large

truck, and it said: "NDP at work — B.C. doesn't." This really tells the story of

the incompetence of the last government and how it drove jobs out of British

Columbia into other parts of Canada and the United States. It was that

disastrous leadership.

Who is it — the union management or one or two leaders? Who is it

that's running the province? Who wants to run the province? I believe it should

be our government that runs the province, because we have the economic platform

and we've proved that we can do it.

Again, I want to leave this with you: when the NDP is at work,

B.C. doesn't. That's the sign that highlights the ten years of NDP destruction

of this province.

Recently, I travelled to Korea as part of a trade mission. I was

with a delegation of the biotech industry. I was with the Canada Korea Business

Association and KOTRA, the Korean trade association. I was accompanied by Mr.

Charles Kim, Amir Virani, Lindsey Hall, Robert Fairweather, Robert O'Keefe and

many more individuals from British Columbia that are going out around the world,

working every day to make British Columbia a better place to live.

[ Page 11794 ]

One of the stories I heard when I was in Korea was that the

economy was down and that they were having tough times. But their tough times —

they were only growing at 5 or 6 percent. I never saw more construction cranes

in my whole life as I saw in Korea, as they were building to a better future.

Our goals for our government are to continue the growth of British

Columbia. This has to be our goal and even higher for the next golden decade in

British Columbia.

British Columbia has done an amazing job in the last three and a

half years — 191,000 new jobs. Just about half of those jobs are union. They're

good-paying jobs, and they affect every part of British Columbia, especially in

my riding. These jobs we create are the best safety net that we can provide to

any individual who lives in British Columbia. To take over 40,000 people off

social assistance and to see them get jobs — this is the social safety net. This

is what's best for British Columbia — a working British Columbian who feels good

about himself and proud about being part of society and is contributing to the

betterment of our community.

China recently gave Canada approved destination status. This will

allow Canada and British Columbia to attract many more Chinese tourists than we

have in the past. The number is expected to be 100,000, a million a year. The

numbers are going to be staggering. My constituents and the people of my riding

and all of British Columbia have so many potential tourist opportunities to

develop with China over the next number of years as this has opened up —

especially with the exchange in cultures with Beijing, which is holding the

Summer Olympics in 2008, and in Canada, when we host the 2010 Winter Olympics.

[1505]

There is one more little note that I wanted to read from the

throne speech.

"Great goals for a golden decade. As your government

reaches higher, it will set new goals to guide its progress. Its overriding

objective is to help British Columbia realize its full potential as the best

place on Earth to raise a family, to live and play, to work, invest and get

ahead.

"To that end, your government has

identified five great goals for a decade ahead: to make British

Columbia the best educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent; to

lead the way in North America in healthy living and physical fitness; to build

the best systems of support in Canada for persons with disabilities, special

needs, children at risk and seniors; to lead the world in sustainable

environment management with the best air and water quality and the best

fisheries management program, bar none; to create more jobs per capita than

anywhere else in Canada.

"These are far-reaching aspirations that

will challenge us all. They explicitly recognize and embrace

British Columbia's role as a Canadian leader. It is only by setting our sights

high and pushing ourselves to new heights that we can test the limits of our

potential."

Thanks to the B.C. Liberal government, led by our Premier,

who I believe will be the best Premier ever recorded in the history of British

Columbia…. I'm also reminded that he'll be the only Premier re-elected in over

20-odd years coming up this May 17. Being led by the Premier and our government,

B.C. is poised again to continue its road to success. Burquitlam looks forward

to the golden decade ahead.

R. Hawes: It's a privilege to stand again in the House and

speak to the Speech from the Throne. This would be my fourth opportunity to do

this. Before I start, I want to just hark back to the first Speech from the

Throne that I had an opportunity to respond to. That was in 2002. It was after

we had held office for a few months and had had an opportunity to take stock of

the financial condition of our province and to get a handle on a lot of what had

been happening under the previous government.

What we found was that we had inherited an extremely large

deficit, a deficit that had basically been hidden by some one-time,

non-recurring revenue happenings such as money from California from energy

sales, a pension transfer, a number of other things and a Finance minister with

the NDP who, in his final budget speech before an election, acknowledged that

repeating a balanced budget was not possible for them without significant

tradeoffs. In other words, there was going to be significant pain, although they

didn't wish to say that. In fact, I'm sure they would have just run a deficit.

We laid out a plan in that first throne speech that addressed a

road towards a balanced budget and a rebuilt economy. In retrospect, probably we

were wrong in concentrating strictly on talking about the economy — rebuilding

our economy and moving towards balanced budgets — because all of us in this

House recognized that the whole operation and the whole goal and objective

wasn't simply a balanced budget.

It all comes back to building communities, building families. All

of what we've done in this House has been aimed at that. We all recognized that

the first step towards being able to do that was to rebuild an economy that had

been destroyed by the kinds of decisions that didn't respect investment dollars;

didn't respect free enterprise; in fact looked at the taxpayer as the major

source of revenue out of personal income taxes; and taxed successful companies,

often rewarding those that weren't successful and, frankly, driving successful

companies out of this province and into Alberta.

[1510]

We began the task of rebuilding this economy in 2002. We've talked

for a long time about the economy, and we haven't spent enough time talking

about the real reason behind it. Because of that we hear the opposition rhetoric

that we're mean-spirited, that we're hardhearted. Every one of us comes from

communities. All of us are elected to these positions because we've been

community activists.

We've worked hard in our communities as volunteers and serving the

people in our communities. We are here because we care not about balancing a

budget, not about how many new hospital beds we can put

[ Page 11795 ]

together or long-term care beds; we care about building communities and

strengthening families. That's why we're here. That's why we're doing the job

we're doing. That's why we take the abuse that some of us take on a daily basis

— which frankly, in my opinion, isn't fair. That's why our families often are

subjected to, I think, really unfair situations where they've got to read untrue

statements over and over in our newspapers. Our province has become a place

where many people don't wish to serve, because they don't wish to put up with

the kinds of things that are now foisted upon them because they simply want to

serve.

I was asked by our local newspaper: "What's your opinion of the

throne speech, and what's in it for individual members of our community?" I had

some difficulty saying specifically that this is what's in it — a specific

measure. What's in it for our community, I said to the newspaper, is that we're

strengthening families.

This whole budget is about a vision. It's a vision about

strengthening families, and every part of it speaks to that. It refers to the

five goals for a golden decade. Those five goals, just in summation, are

education and literacy; health care, and when I say health, I'm talking about

being healthy versus needing health care; supports for those with disabilities,

children and seniors; the environment; and jobs, creating jobs. All of those

build strong families.

In education and literacy we've put $150 million more into

education to strengthen our education system for our youth. We are building

post-secondary institutions and training opportunities for our kids, and we're

doing this at a time when we've got a massive decline in student enrolment in

schools. We have increased funding to record levels on a per-student basis, yet

our opposition likes to say constantly that we have cut education. The numbers

say completely the opposite, and what's more important is that the results say

something different.

We're moving in health care. For the first time, we are talking

about preventative care, and we're going to walk the talk. I've been involved as

an activist within the health system in my community for many, many years. For

many years we've talked about preventative care. We've talked about how we have

to find ways to stay healthy and stay out of the kinds of behaviours that lead

us to disease.

Every time I can think of in the history of this province that

money is set aside for preventative care, the first place money gets cut is

preventative care. There is no immediate payoff, so the money goes into what I

call the black, bottomless pit of acute care. In Andrew Larder's words, our

medical officer for the Fraser Valley, we keep pulling people out of the river

rather than trying to stop them from falling in, in the first place. We have set

a goal of being the healthiest population in this country by 2010. I know we can

achieve that, and I know that we're serious now about preventative care and

funding what needs to be funded to get there.

When you take a look at the demographics of this province, that is

our only salvation. We're in the Titanic , and the iceberg is in sight.

I'm going to come back to that analogy in a few minutes when I talk about some

of the things that have been said in this House in the last few days.

[1515]

We're talking about building supports and a social safety net for

those who are disabled or increasing child care or providing more services for

seniors. We are doing that. We now have the funding to do it. We have increased

disability assistance for those who are disabled by a record amount in the last

six months. We are increasing child care support. In fact, in today's paper

there's an

article about that and a new cooperative agreement being struck with

the federal government. Incidentally, this government, rather than continuing

down the confrontational mode of the last government, has acted on a cooperative

basis with the federal government, and that cooperation has borne very, very

strong result. We have seen considerable funding that was absent for decades

from the federal government now flow into this province.

We are talking about having the best environment in the country,

with clean air and clean water. We've passed a safe water act. We believe that

everyone must have access to safe water. We can't have a Walkerton here. We have

committed $80 million to a new infrastructure program for communities to rebuild

water systems that perhaps aren't safe, which need to be strengthened and

upgraded so that people can have safe water.

For us in the Fraser Valley, for my constituents, we have pledged

to continue the fight against SE2. The last government never gave one penny,

never lifted a finger to help the communities in the Fraser Valley fight that

United States initiative that was going to pump toxins into the air in the

Fraser Valley. This government has committed, has come through with funding, has

provided lawyers at all of the hearings and will continue to do so until we win

that fight, and we will win that fight.

We're going to build an economy and jobs. We will create more jobs

than anywhere in the country, and our record for the last several years has been

exactly that. We are the job leader in this country, and it is reflected in what

small business is saying, because we lead the country in confidence among our

business people. That is highly significant, because they are the people who

make investments, and they don't invest when they don't have confidence.

We are hearing repeatedly that if the previous government…. If we

step backwards, they will remove their investment. Mr. Speaker, mark my words.

Make no mistake. With a return to the previous government small business is

going to lose that level of confidence, which means that we're going to see

investment diminish greatly.

I want to talk to my own constituents about what I hear in my own

home all the time, and that is: what's going on in our hospital? I hear about it

throughout the Fraser Valley. Why are our emergency rooms plugged with people?

Why are acute care beds so hard to get

[ Page 11796 ]

into? Why are people sleeping in the hallways in hospitals? What's going on?

I know, in talking to our health authorities and looking long and

hard at this problem, that a huge part of it does go back to long-term care

beds. We have people who rightly should be in long-term care, seniors who have

nowhere to go but into our hospitals. The system has plugged backwards until we

have acute care beds that should be receiving people…. People who should be in

long-term care are occupying those beds. What are we doing about it? How did we

get there, and what is the solution?

I want to read into the record some comments from that well-known

left-wing think tank, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. I don't

support what they say, but I do want to tell you what they did say on November

1, 2000. They were speaking here about the previous government. Over the past

two days in question period and in a response to the throne, the Leader of the

Opposition has filled this room with the stench of hypocrisy, permeating every

corner of this room with every word she speaks. When I look at what really did

happen in her decade, when she was the Health minister of this province….

[1520]

Here's what the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says about

what was happening in 2000 under the NDP:

"There is one very common health story we rarely hear

about. A 100-year-old woman, almost totally blind, has all her home support

services cut. A 90-year-old woman loses her home support services, has a

stroke, ends up in hospital and spends the rest of her days in residential

care. A woman in her fifties, disabled with MS, has her home support hours

reduced to the point that she has to move from her home into an institution.

Tens of thousands of British Columbians are denied access to the

community-based services they need to stay healthy and live independently in

their communities. This is the story of our struggling community and

continuing care sector."

That's under the NDP. That's what they're talking about. Now, is this

what we were hearing from her today? Between 1994 and 1999 the number of public

long-term care beds fell by 18 percent, from 129 beds to 106 beds per 1,000

people over 75 years of age.

I think the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has got a

whole bunch of things mixed up here. What they're really talking about is

ratios. The ratio of beds to people over 75 fell dramatically under the NDP

because they failed to recognize the emerging problem of our aging population

moving through. The number of people over 75 grew dramatically, but the number

of beds did not. It's not that the number of beds, in actual numbers, fell; it's

that the ratio of beds to people over 75 fell because of the huge, huge number

of people passing that barrier of 75 years of age.

It's getting worse. We should have started recognizing the problem

20 years ago. It was imminent ten years ago. We knew ten years ago what kind of

a problem we were going to have, and my generation, approaching senior status,

really has a huge problem. We truly are on the Titanic . The iceberg is

definitely in sight. This government, contrary to that government, is the first

government that not only recognizes what an iceberg looks like but is pulling on

the wheel as hard as we can to turn this boat away from it. We are trying to fix

the problem. When we took over government, among the things that we assessed was

the state of the long-term care beds in this province.

I want to talk about Pleasant View Home in my city, in Mission.

It's a great place. They really provide excellent care. It's under absolutely

stupendous management — great management — with Judith Ray, the manager. Judith

Ray approached me a couple of years ago talking about one of the things that was

crippling her and her budget-making process, and that was the WCB rates they had

to pay, because the injury rate in that industry was higher than in almost any

other industry. Care workers were being injured and off work on a regular basis

because we didn't have proper lifting equipment in these care homes. People were

throwing their backs out. They were becoming injured from muscle tears, from

having improper equipment.

Our inventory analysis of the NDP's legacy showed that you

couldn't outfit many of these outmoded homes with lifting equipment. We could

have left people in those homes that didn't meet code and certainly were causing

injury rates to skyrocket, but that wouldn't have been the right thing either.

We made a promise to build 5,000 new care beds by 2006. First, it's not 2006

yet. We did deliver 4,800 of those, but we had to close nearly the same number.

We had to close nearly the same number because of what the NDP left for us. Yet

for the last two days, that leader of the NDP has got up here and tried to

denigrate the progress we are making and tried to suggest that somehow we are

the ones who have caused a problem, when really it was the legacy of

mismanagement and decrepit decay that was left to us by her government. The

hypocrisy hangs heavy, and I think she should be ashamed to bring that kind of

an issue into this House. I think she should stand up and apologize to all of

the seniors in this province.

[1525]

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the left-wing think

tank funded by the NDP, also went on to say in 2000 about the NDP's management:

"Today more care falls to friends and relatives, and

there's an increase in out-of-pocket expenses for individuals in the form of

higher deductibles for Pharmacare coverage and higher user fees for long-term

and home care services. The area where B.C. has really fallen short is in its

investment in health care infrastructure. The government has spent almost

nothing on new buildings and equipment. Serious shortages in long-term care

beds have had ripple effects throughout the health care system. The recent

crisis in hospital emergency rooms is but one effect of these shortages. About

7,000 seniors are currently waiting for one of B.C.'s 24,707 publicly funded

long-term care beds."

I didn't hear the Leader of the Opposition talking about that. I

didn't hear her saying: "I'm sorry, British Columbia, for the mess that we

left."

[ Page 11797 ]

But I'm proud that this government has recognized that. We know

that there's an aging population. We definitely know that 20 years ago the

planning for this should have started. The building of long-term care beds and

methods of looking after our seniors should have commenced years ago. It didn't.

We can't wind down the clock. We can't take it backwards, but what we can do is

recognize the problem and begin a process to fix it.

Now, we've had, by election time this year, four years to fix a

problem that should have started 20 years ago. I think the Premier was really

candid about it: it wasn't enough time. We were ambitious when we set a target

of 5,000 beds by 2006. We're sorry; it just isn't enough time. It's going to

take us two more years to get there.

What has the NDP promised in their so far lacking platform?

An Hon. Member: Nothing.

R. Hawes: No, no. The leader…. Well, I'm not sure. I think

the last speaker talked about who the leader is. Carole James has said they're

going to build 1,200 new long-term care beds over the next five years. That

isn't a patch on what we need. That's not going to do the job.

We've said we're going to deliver the 5,000 beds by 2008. We have

delivered 5,000 beds. Unfortunately, they had to replace what they left. Really,

our promise should have been that we're going to deliver 10,000 new beds,

because that's really what we're going to do — 5,000 to replace the junk they

left us and 5,000 new beds. That's what's coming. That's what's needed — and

maybe more, but that's an awful good start. It's a much, much better start than

they ever not only contemplated…. Their record decries everything that they say.

We have not only looked at how we deliver care to seniors, we've

also stopped to consider what seniors think. I don't know a senior anywhere that

sits in their home and says: "Gee, you know, I can hardly wait to get out of my

house here and get into one of those long-term care homes so that I can sit with

a shawl around my shoulders in one of those lovely units the NDP…." It's just

not there. People don't want to live that way.

We've introduced choices. People who can't live in their homes

without significant supports can move into supportive housing, get some support,

live independently and keep their dignity. As they age through that and they

need more supports, they move to assisted living. Assisted living is a wonderful

innovation that still allows independent living. It allows dignity. It allows

folks that live in assisted living to live their own lives. They're not in the

old folks' home. They're also subsidized in their expenses by the government.

Personally, I would look at assisted living as housing with a

medical component. There is nursing staff on site, and there is assistance with

bathing or medication or whatever is needed. When they move through there into

complex care, which is where our real problem is today, in the long-term complex

care area…. We've got to get those people out of the acute care hospital beds.

When we do, we will have beds open for those that are going into surgery and

require a hospital bed. We will have beds where people can move from the

emergency ward up into the hospital, and we have enough acute care beds.

These folks in the opposition like to say we don't have enough

acute care beds. The fact is that the most expensive space in the hospital is

the acute care bed. Putting a patient in an acute care bed that should be in a

lower-cost, long-term care facility makes no sense at all. We understand that,

and we're moving to fix it as fast as we can and get people into the appropriate

place where they can live with dignity, where they can have their families

around them. The last government didn't allow that.

[1530]

What I also hear from the member there, from the Leader of the

Opposition…. She likes to talk about how we're separating seniors and all kinds

of other things. I know that the health authorities are handcuffed in what they

can say and how they can respond to these kinds of news stories. I know of one

instance, for sure — and I'm sure there are others — where a senior couple was

separated because the wife actually is into an advanced state of dementia. She

doesn't recognize her husband anymore, and she doesn't want that stranger in her

room. He, of course, being a husband for many years, wants to be with her. The

health authority is cast into a dilemma: "What do we do?" In the end, they

decided that they had to separate a couple. That's one story of what happened in

one event.

The health authority can't come out and announce that. They can't

come out and talk about that. There are two sides to every story. The Leader of

the Opposition knows that, or ought to know that, because she used to be a

Health minister in this province. She goes out and perpetuates the untruths and

continues to point fingers at us on this side of the House, saying we don't keep

our promises. She doesn't know truth from fiction, has shown through her record

in this House forever that she doesn't know the difference.

I find, again, the stench of hypocrisy unbearable when I hear that

kind of…. I understand that speaking in a parliamentary tone is necessary in

this House, but one is just astounded by the depth of hypocrisy, by the sheer

brass of that person who would make those kinds of statements after leaving the

record that was left by that government.

I also want to speak for a moment about public safety. We've

passed the Safe Streets Act. I want to talk about that briefly for a second. I

know that there are people out there, particularly in that member's party, who

say that the Safe Streets Act makes no sense — that we're picking on those who

are in poverty. I've said it in this House before, and I really want to repeat:

the kinds of statements that I hear her make, her party make, really are an

insult to those who live in poverty. People who live in poverty and are forced

on our

[ Page 11798 ]

streets to ask for assistance, generally speaking, find those who are

aggressive as abhorrent as everyone else does. They themselves don't like that

behaviour.

In saying that we are picking on those in poverty, it's really

insulting those law-abiding folks who, through misfortune that in many cases

isn't really their fault, are in the same boat as those who would act in an

aggressive and unacceptable manner. The Safe Streets Act says you can panhandle.

You can do a lot of things, but you can't act in unacceptable ways. There isn't

an excuse for that. Poverty is never going to be an excuse for that behaviour.

Our Attorney General said it very clearly. I know that the act is not the

end-all and the be-all, but it is another tool in the kit that can be used by

the police. I think most of the police forces around the province recognize

that. They will use that act judiciously. They welcome the act as another tool,

but it's one of many tools this government has given the police.

We have given the police a communication system — PRIME — that is

real-time communication between police forces for the first time in this

province. It's a massive step forward in policing in this province. We've

committed huge dollars, recently $122 million more, to provide numbers of

policemen in specialized areas that are going to fight crime in this province.

I think the one I like the most is going to come in this session

of the House. The Solicitor General has talked about it many times. It's a

reverse-onus bill. It's a bill that says that if you are convicted of crime in

this province, we can take your assets and force you to prove where you got the

money to acquire them. Up until now, what happens is that we can chase people,

and if we can prove that they bought their assets through the proceeds of crime,

then we can take those assets. But proving where they got the money is so

difficult; it's very rarely successful. This legislation will allow us to attack

the assets of the criminal element and force them to prove where they got the

money. That's a massive advance forward. I know it is welcome by the people in

this province.

[1535]

To my constituents, I would like to say that this throne speech is

a vision, and it is about building family. It's from a government that has kept

97 percent of the 201 promises we made in 2001. We have fulfilled them, and

that's a record unsurpassed by any government anywhere in this country at any

time. No government has kept promises as judiciously and as vigorously as this

government. The fact that there are those out there in the other party who would

say that's not so, I think, speaks volumes about their integrity and their

ability to tell the truth.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity of responding. I know

my other colleagues are going to be speaking, and I look forward to hearing what

they have to say. This throne speech is indeed good news.

K. Johnston: I'm delighted to have this opportunity to rise

and respond to the throne speech. First, though, I'd like to also give my

personal acknowledgment to the member for Vancouver-Langara. Our ridings abut

each other, and I have the opportunity to cross over on some issues with him and

talk to various groups with him.

I can tell you that one could only aspire to have the reputation

he has gained over the years and the respect of the community that he's gained.

All of us should, indeed, aspire to that. It has certainly been an honour to

learn from him and an honour to have him serve as the Vancouver caucus chair and

bring us together with many of the social agency groups that are so important to

delivery of services in Vancouver.

It's been close to four years now that I've had the opportunity

and, certainly, the privilege — been lent the privilege — by the people of

Vancouver-Fraserview to represent them in this House. It's four years in which

we've seen unbelievable, tremendous joy and tremendous tragedy in the world

around us. Through those four years, many, many people have had a profound

effect on me — and a lot of help.

I haven't had the opportunity since I've come here to actually

acknowledge and recognize the people in my constituency office who have done

such a wonderful job for me. I'd just like to take a moment to do that.

Barinder Sall is my constituency assistant, and he has actually

never been introduced in the House during anything in here. He has worked with

me as my right arm and community outreach person, and he has done an absolutely

wonderful job of communicating with the groups that matter in the riding. I want

to thank him for that, for being such a wizard at that.

Regina Tsui is a wonderful person and a friendly voice who assists

me in my constituency. Her talents in so many of the Asian languages have

certainly been a warm and welcome thing to many of my Asian Canadian

constituents in Vancouver-Fraserview.

Together as a group we've certainly tried our best to bring the

face of government closer to the people of the riding. We brought many of the

issues and concerns of the people of the riding to Victoria. On some, you win,

and on some, you lose. That's the nature of the job.

Tremendously, over the last four years there have been so many

opportunities to be in contact with so many people in Vancouver-Fraserview.

Frankly, for me, the best part of being an MLA is that constituency work — those

battles you win and those opportunities to see some positive social change put

forward. You really, truly savour those instances where government has made a

positive difference in people's lives.

We're going through some change in the riding. I represent

Vancouver-Fraserview, as I said. We're going to have, somewhere in the next ten

years, another 10,000 people come in as residents in the riding due to a fairly

major development called East Fraserlands. Civic issues, so many times, tend to

intertwine with provincial issues in the riding, so it has been interesting

being part of that, as well, hosting community input and helping the community

move along in that regard.

Of course, the provincial government will at some point have a say

in a development of that size, putting

[ Page 11799 ]

in schools and other facilities, so we also want to participate in that and

make sure we have a positive influence and make a positive difference in that

area.

[1540]

I just want to go through and talk a little bit and acknowledge a

few of the organizations that over the last few years have really contributed to

the quality of life in the riding, in South Vancouver as a whole. I think that

with most volunteers and most people who are involved in organizations of good

community social change, they don't often get the acknowledgment that we should

give them.

I just want to go through a few of the people and organizations

that do the good people work — organizations, frankly, that government has

assisted and contributed to over the last years; organizations that I've had the

real privilege of meeting directly and being part of their growth patterns and

their moving ahead; organizations such as South Vancouver Neighbourhood House

and the Champlain Heights Community Centre, which is an association led by a

person named Pat Fenner and another named Rick Evans. I want to acknowledge the

contribution and the fight they put on for the community. Southeast Vancouver is

an area, civically, that — I won't use the word "neglected" — certainly has its

challenges in getting the kinds of services it has deserved historically over

the years.

We've also done some work with Khalsa Diwan Society and, of

course, Developmental Disabilities Association, which is a tremendous

organization; Grace International Baptist Church; Pré-maternelle Pomme d'Api,

which is a French preschool; Killarney Community Centre, a very, very proactive,

active organization that is championed by a gentleman by the name of Keith

Jacobson, and I want to take my hat off to Keith for all the work and assistance

that he has put forward; and of course, the South Vancouver community policing

centre, which is a tremendous volunteer organization trying to battle the crime,

the breaking and entering, and all the issues that a large urban centre such as

Vancouver always faces.

It has also been a pleasure to see seniors care being addressed in

the riding. I've had the opportunity to attend a couple of openings, at a

project called Shannon Oaks and the Salvation Army Southview Lodge. I find it

interesting…. I guess over the last two days we've had question period directed

completely at 5,000 long-term, intermediate care beds. I think if the members of

the opposition haven't had the opportunity, they should maybe tour a few of the

facilities, such as the one in our riding called Icelandic Home. Frankly,

they're 40, 45, 50 years old. You can't get a wheelchair in the bathroom; you

can't turn around. They're about 200 square feet, and they're old and beat-up.

I think it's a good thing that those things are being torn down

and redeveloped, so seniors and people in need of that level of care actually

have a decent quality of life and are not forced to live in something that is

old and, as I said, in need of repair. To me, it's not a numbers game. I just

speak personally here. Adding the wrong kind of units is just tantamount to

being silly.

If government hasn't met those objectives as of yet, maybe there's

a reason for it. The reason is we want to do it right. There's nothing wrong

with stepping back and saying: "Okay, that didn't get accomplished. We will move

ahead. We will get it done in the near future." I really, personally, don't have

a problem, because having seen some of the facilities, I would hope we could do

better for the folks that require that long-term care.

Also, there's another great organization, Royal Arch Masonic Home,

that does some tremendous work in long-term care and assisted living as well. I

just wanted to acknowledge them.

It is clear, and all of us believe, that with the growing seniors

population, government initiatives are imperative to improve the quality of life

for seniors. I think we're heading in that direction. I've seen tremendous

positive movement.

The last close-to-four years have been tough years in making

decisions to get our financial house in order. I think all of us in the House,

both sides of the House, understand why we are here, what the purpose of being

here is. That is to deliver the best public services we can to the people of

British Columbia — health services, education and social services — to make this

a better society. I don't think one person came to Victoria representing

constituents thinking that monetary issues would be the be-all and end-all of

our purpose. I don't think one person thinks that. I don't think anybody,

frankly, enjoys being the banker.

An Hon. Member: Bankers do.

[1545]

K. Johnston: Except for bankers, yeah.

Building a future for British Columbia and putting our fiscal

house in order, unfortunately or fortunately, were intertwined objectives. All

those are intertwined objectives. Providing great health care, a challenging

education system and looking after seniors and the disadvantaged is dependent on

having your fiscal house in order.

The sacrifices and hard work put forward by the people of British

Columbia over the past four years have paid off. There are many articles

supporting positions of government and against positions of government in the

media. I'd just like to cite from one that I think — well, in my opinion — sums

up what's gone on in the last years in British Columbia here. It's from the

National Post of October 18, 2004. It says this.

"British Columbia seems to have turned the fiscal and

economic corner…. The government has eliminated the sizeable annual deficit it

inherited from the previous regime. The necessary public service cuts have

been made and adhered to…. Private sector job growth is the highest in the

country after a decade of stagnant employment markets. Nearly 160,000 new jobs

have been added since the government was elected in 2001….

"Canada's westernmost province seems

finally to have recovered from the mismanagement that plagued it

during the nineties, the lost decade…. The previous government did so much

damage to B.C.'s economy that

[ Page 11800 ]

there was nowhere to go but up for any

government that took its foot off the province's throat…. While no government

ever deserves all the credit for good economic news, the present government

should take pride in having brought the province so far in such a relatively

short time."

Mr. Speaker, I agree with that quotation wholeheartedly,

but I believe that it is the collective of the people of British Columbia that

has brought the province so far in such a relatively short time. We cannot

return to the days of the lost decade. It's not fair to our children, and it's

not fair to all of our futures.

In 2001 we had a doctrine that we ran on as B.C. Liberals called

the New Era document. To date, over 97 percent of those election promises

from that document have been kept. I think that's a pretty darn good record. I

know that people expect perfection from politicians and from governments, and

they certainly have a field day on open-line shows when perfection is not

achieved. Yet 97 percent of deliverables, in my mind, is living up to your

commitments.

I think it is important to go back and look at some of the

promises we delivered on as government. On the economic front, balanced budgets

were made mandatory. The funny fiscal games stopped. Fudge-it budget games are

stopped. We increased the threshold for small business income tax to $300,000

from $200,000 to acknowledge and recognize the hard work of the people that are

in small business, which is about 90 percent of our activity. We eliminated over

140,000 regulations over the last years. We restored the workers' right to

secret ballot certification.

On the energy front, we protected public ownership of B.C. Hydro

on all of its dams, reservoirs and lines — probably the most lobbied or asked

question I have received in the last years. We gave independent power producers

access to B.C.'s grid to sell their power, encouraging $800 million in proposed

clean power projects. And we improved the oil and gas royalty rate, which has

boosted exploration to record heights.

On the environmental front, we preserved Burns Bog, which I think

was really important. I'm in Vancouver and it's in Delta, but it's a sink for

the whole GVRD and lower mainland. The interesting thing was that my

predecessor, Ian Waddell of the NDP, wanted to turn the place into an amusement

park. We did the right thing.

We set a target to produce 50 percent of all new electricity

through clean and renewable energy sources. We introduced an action plan to

enhance drinking water safety.

In health care, we increased the budget by $3 billion over this

term. We doubled medical training spaces and added over 2,100 nursing training

spaces. We eliminated MSP premiums for 230,000 low-income seniors and families,

and we lowered or maintained prescription costs for 280,000 low-income seniors

and families.

[1550]

Much has been done in education. We increased funding for K-to-12

by $313 million despite having 26,000 fewer students now than in 2001. We

committed to investing $722 million over the next few years in new, expanded

schools, and we designated education as an essential service to protect the

child's right to education. We also promoted parental involvement in schools.

The preceding actions are a small sample of the significant

new-era promises kept — 97 percent of commitments delivered upon. I believe this

government has followed the course set out before the public of British

Columbia. It's always important to visit the past, because you learn from your

experiences, good and bad, but the real focus is on the future.

The throne speech 2005 is an exciting, invigorating road map that

has come before the House. This throne speech is all about doing the right thing

for British Columbia families, especially our children. The speech sets a vision

for the future, and isn't that what real leadership is all about? Leadership, in

my mind, is not about holding endless discussions and formulating plans, never

coming to conclusions and, quite frankly, hiding from responsibilities. That is

a political copout.

Leadership is consulting and then making decisions and setting a

course. The Premier of this province has demonstrated that he has the courage of

his convictions to lead the province to the future, unlike Carole James, who

wants to hide and study and develop her plan in secret scrums with Jim Sinclair.

I don't know where she stands on anything, except I do know that she supports

taxing people after they are dead.

I will offer Ms. James some advice in an old expression. She can

take it or leave it. I'm sure she'll leave it. Many years ago, a great-uncle of

mine gave me an expression which has stuck with me through the years. He said:

"You have to lead, follow, or get out of the way." Ms. James, I suggest you take

that into consideration. Do something.

The Speech from the Throne is guided by five great goals. To make

British Columbia the most educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent

— I cannot think of a more important goal. I have had the opportunity to

participate in the Vancouver Sun 's raise-a-reader campaign every year,

where you get to go out on the street early in the morning and sell newspapers.

It's a lot of fun, for one thing, but it also drives home the importance of

literacy, the importance of people, kids and adults who have literacy problems,

being able to read that paper you're selling.

I'm delighted there's a new $5 million literacy innovation program

mentioned in the budget to promote literacy in our schools. That is great news.

The world is one large integrated economy, and investment and capital will

always be attracted to a well-educated workforce.

In 1963 — I was doing a little research — this House debated a

throne speech that referred to a report by a then Dr. Macdonald. This is 1963.

Dr. Macdonald said this: "Though we are blessed with a host of physical

attributes for a healthy economy, the key to competition and growth is the

condition of the human resource. Do we have the wisdom, imagination, determi-

[ Page 11801 ]

nation and courage to plot an educational course which will ensure our

position in the front ranks?"

Well, here we are four decades later, and this government is

showing the determination to improve our human resource by investing $150

million in new funding to ensure school districts provide library services,

textbooks, art, music programs and services to students with special needs. In

the riding of Vancouver-Fraserview, we have Killarney Secondary School, one of

the largest schools, if not the largest, in British Columbia. Of over 2,000

enrolled kids, 1,000 are already enrolled in music programs. I understand and

they understand the importance of the arts, culture and music to their overall

well-being.

[1555]

The government is ensuring that our children have the opportunity

to get a full education. I am personally excited about the possibilities of

exploring new ways to use underutilized schools to the benefit of our community.

Actually, I've never understood why we have so many of these assets sitting

across the province. In some cases they're hardly used at all. I look forward to

seeing where that leads for utilization. Limiting tuition fees at our

post-secondary institutions to the rate of inflation will allow access and let

students plan and budget their course stream and future while not penalizing

post-secondary institutions.

The second goal outlined in the throne speech is to lead the way

in North America in healthy living and physical fitness. I believe this is an

unbelievable, fantastic initiative that will benefit all British Columbians —

again, especially kids. In the ancient days of my youth, we didn't seem to have

the same problems with obesity and inactivity. That's because, quite frankly, we

didn't have the access to the junk food, and we were probably kicked out of the

house all day long and told to come back at night. We were really kind of forced

to have physical activity. I think, over the years, kids now have so many

temptations, with so many inside activities, the Internet, and access to junk

food, the Slurpees and the hamburger joints.

Recently, being part of the Public Accounts Committee, we went

through a report that the auditor general released called Preventing and

Managing Diabetes in British Columbia . The statistics in that report are

extremely frightening. Diabetes is a growing problem. Aside from the human toll

— the human pain, the human suffering — it's costing the health care system $750

million a year. The focus needs to be on primary prevention. Primary prevention,

according to the report that was put forward, talks about, of course, physical

activity, reducing calorie intake and eating more fruits and vegetables. There's

even a simple grid chart that they showed us in the presentation in Public

Accounts that compares an age, height and weight chart and gives you a risk

assessment of your chance of getting diabetes. It's a simple thing that many

people in British Columbia might be able to use. I'm hopeful to see that come

out too.

The throne speech outlines a plan to implement primary prevention

through launching Act Now, a health and fitness program for all British

Columbians; focusing new resources towards disease prevention; extending the

Action Schools program to every school in British Columbia in grades K-to-9; and

eliminating junk food in all the schools within the next four years. A lot of

jokes and fun were made about eating vegetables and broccoli in the throne

speech by the media and the press. Even the leader of the New Democratic Party

got into the jollies of it and made a crack about how we're going to put

vegetables in the fridges. We had a few jokes around here about it too, but the

fact of the matter is this is extremely serious. This is not about parsnips and

broccoli.

Interjection.

K. Johnston: I don't like parsnips. I'm laughing now, but

it's not a funny issue. It's an extremely serious issue. At the end of the day,

after all the jokes have faded away, we still have the really serious problem of

juvenile diabetes, which is rising like crazy. I think it's something we do need

to get serious about, and we do need to get serious about preventative health.

Goal 3 in the throne speech is to build the best system of support

in Canada for persons with disabilities, special needs, children at risk and

seniors. Certainly, one of the issues and concerns that has been communicated to

me over and over again is the issue of respite support for families caring for

children and adults with developmental disabilities. You know, people are

wonderful at providing loving support to their families, and on occasion they

themselves need support. I've heard that message over and over, as I've said. I

am extremely happy that the government will be offering these families that

support in the future.

Child care, of course, is another important issue that needs to be

addressed. The government will work with the federal government to make $650

million available for child care over the next five years — a great initiative.

Community safety is on everyone's mind. Certainly, in the urban

riding I represent, breaking and entering has been identified in a report from

the Vancouver Board of Trade. This government has been proactive in addressing

many community safety issues. I have been delighted with the work done by the

Solicitor General in integrating police initiatives. The AMBER alert system, of

course, for me, was a very positive thing. I was very delighted to see that

implemented and very proud of the committee of police officers across British

Columbia that put this together. SkyTrain policing, street racing laws and the

PRIME system — all actions taken by the Solicitor General which I think show the

government's commitment to trying to improve community safety. Turning back

traffic fine revenue will add $7.8 million to Vancouver for policing and crime

prevention. Hopefully, community policing will be one of the goals there.

[1600]

The fourth goal outlined in the throne speech is to lead the world

in sustainable environmental manage-

[ Page 11802 ]

ment. The importance of environmental stewardship is growing in awareness on

a daily basis. It is now on the radar screens of almost all major corporations

in the world, and all governments. On a personal basis, over the past few years

I've gone from a person who could not bother recycling to a person who, through

courses and information sessions and business exposure, now realizes that we are

all impacting the future of the planet. Corporate social responsibility and

environmental management practices are now incorporated in everyday business

practices.

The government is on the right track in raising the bar in

environmental management. Increased conservation officers, water improvements,

the Pacific Salmon Forum, the drinking water action plan and an alternative

energy action plan are all initiatives to raise the bar.

A spinoff of sustainability is ecotourism. There is a shift in

vacation patterns. People want to experience the environment in an active way

more and more. Less and less do they want to sit on the lido deck and enjoy the

buffet of a large cruise ship. They want to do something that's active. They

want to experience our outdoors.

Mr. Speaker, 2010 will open our province to billions of visitors.

British Columbia is already feeling the energy and the attention of the world.

The last pillar in the throne speech is to create more jobs per

capita than anywhere else in Canada. British Columbia has the ability to do

that. A greater partnership with Asia, opening up our transportation links to

the Pacific, certainly through the expansion of Prince Rupert….

Interjection.

K. Johnston: I have to say that every time. The member for

North Coast forces me to say that every time.

An Hon. Member: Send him a container of vegetables.

K. Johnston: Yeah, parsnips.

Anyway, we'll establish international B.C. trade and cultural

centres, and we'll set our economic future.

How exciting to have a World Trade University in Chilliwack. I

often regret that it has taken us so long to understand the importance of

language in developing trade relationships. Instead of learning our second

official language in high school, where would we be today if British Columbian

students had had the ability to learn Mandarin or Punjabi? By committing to

increased support for ESL and increased learning opportunities in Punjabi,

Mandarin and other Asian languages, we will ensure a greater economic and

cultural partnership with the greatest and largest growing economies in the

world.

In conclusion, in my opinion the future in British Columbia is

bright. Optimism, opportunity and possibility are the key words. The choice is

simple: do we return to the dark days of the lost decade, or do we look forward

to the hope and prosperity of a new golden decade? Mr. Speaker, I will vote for

the future, and I will vote for moving ahead with proven leadership.

B. Kerr: Now for something completely different. We have

all said that we don't want to go back. Everybody in this House…. Well, not

everybody in this House, but the majority of us in this House don't want us to

go back.

For this one time, Mr. Speaker, I will ask us to move back, but

not back a few years to the decade of decline. I want us to go back a long way.

I want us to go back to the times of knights and masons and the medieval time. I

have a little allegorical story which I would like to tell right now, and I'll

build that up as to why I'm telling it.

Again, this is during the times of the knights and medieval times

and masons. This knight was going down the road on his horse. Up ahead he looked

and saw some masons there working in the quarry. The masons were there breaking

bricks. They had their picks, hammering and doing what they do. They were

mason's apprentices, so they were working pretty darn hard.

The knight wanted to know why they were doing this, what was going

on. Why were they out there doing this work? He went up to the first mason and

said: "Sir mason, what are you doing?" The mason wasn't working too hard. He was

hitting the bricks, but he wasn't really working that hard. He looked up and

said: "What do you think I'm doing? I'm breaking bricks."

[1605]

That answer wasn't really satisfactory to the knight, so he went

down further and saw another fellow. He was working a little bit harder. He was

hammering the bricks a little bit harder, and he was working up a bit of a

sweat. He said: "Young mason, what are you doing?" The mason looked up and

stopped his work and wiped his brow a little bit and said: "Well, can't you see?

I'm breaking bricks so I can feed my family." That was a good answer.

The knight goes down a little bit farther and sees this other

fellow, this other mason, this other apprentice working like crazy, hammering,

moving bricks, cutting things out, getting them on the cart, doing everything he

could possibly do. He said: "Young mason, what are you doing?" This mason was

essentially doing the same work. He was breaking bricks, but he stopped and took

time out from his work. He wiped his brow and looked into the distance and said:

"Can't you see? I'm building a cathedral."

This mason, the apprentice, had a vision for the future. He dared

to dream about what he wanted for the future for himself and for his children.

He was doing the same job, breaking bricks, but he knew there was a higher

purpose for his work.

Mr. Speaker, I told the story because this is what I liked about

the Speech from the Throne. It goes beyond

[ Page 11803 ]

what we're going to do and discusses the vision of why we're going to do it.

It is a speech about vision, and make no mistake: it's vision that gives us

purpose to all our work. We could do all the right things. We can balance the

budget. We can reduce taxes. We can increase funding to health care, education

and seniors. But if we don't tie those tasks to a greater vision for the people,

we will be just like the masons who are breaking bricks. He is doing the right

thing, the outcome will be what is needed, but it won't provide the passion we

need to move this province into a golden decade.

That's a golden decade for our children and our grandchildren, a

golden decade where they can fulfil their dreams and build their cathedrals — a

golden decade of prosperity, hope, vision and a future where we will truly be

the best place in the world to live and bring up our families.

This is what I really like about the throne speech. It is the fact

that it lays out where we want the province to be in ten years — the province

where we want to live, along with our children and grandchildren. Does anybody

disagree with this vision or these goals? I don't know. I know we all agree with

it. Before debating specifically the things that we're going to do, I would like

to see the debate get on a bit higher level and talk about this vision of a

golden decade. I would like to see a debate from the opposition on the vision of

where they'd like to see the province be.

Over the last four years this government has spent close to $100

billion on government programs. What I've heard from the opposition is picking

out minute areas and hammering on those minute areas, but they haven't talked

about the vision. They haven't come forth and said: "This is where we want the

province to be." Sure, in $100 billion you're going to find some problems, but

it is the vision that is important. It's the fact that we have this vision and

we are trying to take this province into the future with that vision.

I would like to see the opposition get up and debate that. Do they

agree or disagree with the vision? Do they not agree that we should be the best

educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent? Do they not agree that

B.C. should lead the way in North America in healthy living and physical

fitness? Do they not agree that B.C. should build the best system of support in

Canada for persons with disabilities, special needs, children at risk and

seniors? Do they not agree that B.C. should lead the world in sustainable

management with the best air and water quality and the best fisheries

management, bar none? Do they not agree that B.C. should create more jobs per

capita than anywhere else in Canada?

If they disagree with these goals, I would certainly like to know

it. Maybe their vision for a golden decade is different than our vision. We've

articulated our vision for the future. I would like to see the opposition raise

the debate and talk about their vision, and this is something they haven't done.

Not only have they not done that, they haven't even talked about the details of

anything they want. They haven't even gone into the small areas. I would like to

see them talk about their vision — or as in the past, does the NDP stand for

need-dependent people, where everyone either is a government employee or relies

on government largesse? Or do they believe, like us, that we should be

forward-looking to a time where we push open the gateway of opportunity that

awaits our next generation? I would like to know where they stand.

Each generation has a responsibility to pass on a better future to

the next generation. Do we pass on a legacy of hope and prosperity, or do we

pass on a legacy of more debt, higher taxes, fewer opportunities and more

dependence on government? I know what my choice is. What is their choice?

[1610]

Mr. Speaker, the throne speech said it much better than I could,

so I would just like to quote it: "Let us seize this moment to dare, to dream

and to venture forth for our children, our grandchildren and our province." This

is the choice that I have, and that's the vision that I want to take forward

into the next decade — what we call the golden decade.

I haven't spoken about any of the specifics. I haven't gone into

any of the details in the budget, because I'd like to get up to this higher

level and find out whether we're on the right track, whether people believe that

our goals are the same. Without goal-setting, you can't accomplish anything

properly.

But now I would like your indulgence in this. This will probably

be my penultimate speech in the Legislature. Next week I will have my last one —

people are prepared to clap — because I've said that I'm not going to seek a

second term. So I would just like to go over my time that I've had in the past

four years and what we've accomplished as a government, what we've accomplished

in my community as community leaders and to talk about my experience here. If

you will indulge me over the next few minutes, I'd like to do that.

I started my political journey in 1999. At that time two of my

grandchildren were just born, and the province was in a political mess. There

was no fiscal management, and the economy was running dead last. I was very

concerned about the future of the province and the increasing debt load that

would be passed on to my children and grandchildren. I threw my hat into the

ring, not to create a new political career for myself but so that I could help

in restoring sound fiscal management and help in revitalizing the economy. I

believe we are now on track — we are a long way on track — to doing this on both

these counts.

During my political journey I realized, however, that an MLA's job

is not just working on the province's goals, but working to help people and

communities within his or her own riding. I'd like to take some time to list a

few of the accomplishments of my communities.

I set out with five main goals for my riding. The first was for

safety improvements on the Malahat highway. During my term, several million

dollars have been spent on safety improvements, and more will be spent in the

coming months. Serious accidents are

[ Page 11804 ]

down, and I believe lives have been saved because of these improvements.

But you know, there's still more work that has to be done on that

highway. I would suggest that it is time now to start looking to the future and

to do some studies to determine when we reach capacity and when we should

actually spend the money to build a new highway to Victoria. I think that's

going to be coming up in the next few years, and we should start as soon as

possible.

I would like to thank the Minister of Transportation and my

colleagues, who understood my pleas and listened to me and actually got to bat

and worked on the Malahat so that we could put the improvements through. The

fire chief from Langford has come up to me on a number of occasions and has

thanked me and said: "Brian, those improvements, no matter what you hear from

people that do get stuck in traffic, have really made a difference and have

really saved lives." I would like to thank the two Ministers of Transportation

who have worked in that area.

Secondly, I wanted to ensure that Sooke was able to get sewers.

Sooke is a community of 12,000 people. It didn't have any sewers. People were

using their septic tanks, and the septic tanks were, quite frankly, starting to

wear out. I wanted to ensure that Sooke…. Without sewers, Sooke would not grow

and would stay a transient community with low housing and fewer amenities.

Ed MacGregor, whom I'd met in a previous capacity, worked

tirelessly — as did his successor on this particular project, Janet Evans — and

kept me focused on this priority. The infrastructure grant that I was able to

assist in obtaining was one of the larger ones issued, and I'm grateful to my

colleagues in cabinet who also listened to my exhortations. Sooke now will be

building its sewers, and there is nothing but prosperity in the future for Sooke

because of that. Already building permits are way up, and commercial enterprise

is going into Sooke so that people can have jobs in their own community.

[G. Trumper in the chair.]

Since receiving the sewer grant, I was also able to help obtain

grants to improve a parallel road and grants to improve the main road through

Sooke.

Thirdly, I wanted to ensure that Cowichan Bay would be able to

build a new breakwater. Without a new breakwater to ensure the safety of marine

and foreshore property, no new investment would occur. The first of the new

breakwaters is now in place, and already investment in Cowichan Bay is at

unprecedented levels.

[1615]

Although it was not on my original priority list, I was happy to

be part of the opening of new sewers for Cowichan Bay, as I was able to assist

and help them obtain infrastructure funding to upgrade their sewers. Black water

will no longer be going directly into the bay. That's part of the clean-up of

Cowichan Bay and part of the marine resort strategy that will be developing and

that's going from Nanaimo all the way down to Cowichan Bay over the next few

years. That's great news for everybody on the east coast of Vancouver Island.

Fourthly, I wanted to increase the funding for the Sooke

Transition House. The lack of funding was brought to my attention by one of my

constituents, and I worked very hard in my capacity to see the doubling of

funding to this worthwhile cause. Again, I would like to thank my colleague the

Minister for Women's and Seniors' Services for listening to my pleas. Now, under

the new throne speech, we can see that funding for the transition house is going

to be increased even further and that there will be money set aside for 24-7

counselling. This is great news for women's services.

Finally, my fifth goal — one that up until two weeks ago…. I have

been working for four years, from the very beginning that I recognized this —

that we needed to do this. That it was going to open up our whole area for

tourism. It's what I call the circle route. The circle route would take people,

let's say, from Victoria up the west coast of Vancouver Island, which we could

call the wilderness tour. We could take them up the rugged west coast of

Vancouver Island, through Sooke, up to Port Renfrew. They could see the Sooke

Potholes. They could see Botanical Beach in Port Renfrew, but they wouldn't have

to turn around and come back. I wanted that route to continue right through to

Cowichan Lake. By carrying on through to Cowichan Lake, they could then go down

through the Cowichan Valley into the warm country and through all the wineries

and visit the wineries.

I call that route the wilderness wine tour. We've been working on

this for four years. I was hoping it would happen before my term was finished.

Last week the announcement was made that all the pieces of the puzzle were put

together and that the wilderness wine tour or the Pacific marine circle route is

now a reality. This summer people are going to be able to make the tour — a

complete circle route from Victoria, back to Victoria — without having to

backtrack.

So essentially, the five goals that I set out at the beginning of

my term, which I thought would really benefit my community on a large scale,

have all been accomplished. In addition to these priorities, there were ongoing

issues that were brought to my attention and were handled by me personally or my

capable staff, Linda Morton and Barb Mathews. Anybody who has dealt with my

staff knows the dedicated professional attitude they have taken to their jobs. I

would like to thank them for the hard work and commitment they've shown to me,

the community and our constituents over the last four years.

In essence, I feel that I have accomplished what I set out to do

and am now looking forward to spending more time with my wife, children and

grandchildren. I have learned a tremendous amount in the past four years, and

the hard work — the same hard work and dedication that all MLAs do — has been

well worth it.

[ Page 11805 ]

Now, although our government has received much criticism, I think

it is important to realize that in any large organization there will always be

mistakes made or things that could have been done differently. Just look at your

own business or household. But when you listen to the complaints — as I always

do; I listen to all the complaints — you realize that in the scheme of $100

billion, most of the complaints are insignificant and, I will say, not a symptom

of a government without direction. Indeed, we have direction. And as the throne

speech has mentioned, we do have a vision for the future, and we're going to

live up to that vision.

I would like to take a few moments to outline some of the real

successes of our government, because these are the areas that'll make B.C. a

better place to live, work and invest. More than any other government in North

America or even the world, this government is giving democracy back to the

people. The Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform has made recommendations on

how the next group of representatives should be elected. What other government

has had the courage or conviction to do that? None that I can think of. Our

government has had the courage, because that's part of our vision for democracy.

This fulfils a promise we made before the election of 2001 — another promise

kept.

The core review that was undertaken at the beginning of the term

set the direction to look at all government organizations, ministries, Crown

corporations, agencies and commissions and to determine whether they were still

serving good public purpose, whether the service was being delivered in an

efficient manner and whether the service could be delivered better by the

private sector. This was an important function and one that all governments

should undertake. That's not unlike taking an inventory of physical and resource

assets.

[1620]

Now, I was fortunate. I was asked to sit on the core review

committee. I thank the Premier for giving me that opportunity.

Some of the other core areas which set this government apart were

a change to fixed election dates — the government has done that before, but

we've changed it to fixed election dates — a set legislative calendar, giving

private members or backbench MLAs such as myself a free vote in the House — we

can vote any way we want; that means all your MLAs are accountable for the way

they vote — setting up caucus committees so backbench MLAs, private members, can

have a direct say in the process of determining legislation. These are

tremendous objectives that our government put forth, and they were promises that

were made to us MLAs before we ran.

One of the more important changes, as far as I'm concerned, and

one that is absolutely necessary if we are to restore sound fiscal management,

was the requirement for every ministry to prepare three-year service plans. My

colleague from Victoria–Beacon Hill has mentioned this on a number of occasions,

and I think it is important to mention this again, because this shows that

planning has taken place and that people have to be accountable into the future.

It also shows more accountability, and it gives other people the opportunity to

see what we are doing.

In addition to the three-year service plans, performance

measurement criteria audited by the auditor general were established. Now it is

possible to determine whether or not a ministry is living up to its expectations

and obtaining the outcomes it promised. What a unique method of doing business.

Setting out a business plan, setting out your…. We changed the word. We don't

call it a business plan, because we're not a business. We're a government, so we

call it a service plan. A government's job is to provide service to its

communities. We set up a three-year plan, and we set up measurements that are

audited so we can measure whether we're obtaining our objectives. Boy, what a

unique concept. But it had never been done before, certainly never been done by

the former government, who in nine years didn't really have any plan, and

everything was done ad hoc for at-the-moment expediency. What a field day the

opposition could have with that public information. I'm sure this is one of the

reasons that no other government has had the courage to do this before.

You know, we'v