[ Page 91 ]

CONTENTS

Routine Proceedings

Oral Questions

Southeast coal. Ms. Edwards –– 92

Meat-processing plant. Mr. Rose 93

B.C. Enterprise Corporation. Ms. Marzari –– 93

Tabling Documents –– 94

Ministerial Statement

Nuu'Chah'Nulth agreement. Hon. Mr. Richmond –– 94

Mr. Cashore

Throne speech debate

Ms. Campbell –– 94

Mr. Harcourt –– 98

On the amendment

Mrs. Boone –– 101

Mr. Rabbitt –– 104

Mr. Lovick –– 107

Hon. S. Hagen –– 108

Ms. A. Hagen –– 111

Mr. Long –– 112

Division –– 113

Mr. Long –– 114

Mr. Lovick –– 114

The House met at 2 p.m.

Prayers.

HON. MR. VEITCH: In the members' gallery today — there's a first for everyone, and I guess it happens to most people in the fullness of time that they get to visit the gallery — we have the former Provincial Secretary of our government. For 23 years he was a serving member for Columbia River — a city slicker all the way. He won seven consecutive elections; they almost couldn't get rid of him, Mr. Speaker. One thing that the hon. opposition House Leader will note is that when that member was here you always received very crisp, very cogent answers; now you have to satisfy yourself with very broad generalities. Please welcome Jim Chabot.

MR. ROSE: On behalf of the opposition I would like to welcome Mr. Chabot, the old pro, to the members' gallery. Certainly, he was very cogent and often he was more than cogent; he was ferocious. I'm really pleased to see him up in the gallery. We've been trying to get him there for years. We welcome him.

HON. MR. STRACHAN: Will the members join me and the member for Prince George North (Mrs. Boone) in welcoming to British Columbia and to our fair city the seniors' curling championships for Canada. They're being held in Prince George this week, and it's a great turnout and a great event for our city. Thank you.

MR. PARKER: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to introduce my guests in the gallery today to you and through you to the members of the House — my wife Dawne, our daughter Jennifer, our son Mike and our friend Sean Sherwood. Please bid them welcome.

HON. MR. REID: I'd like the House to make welcome Mary and Peter Neufeld from the vibrant, dynamic community of Cloverdale.

MR. VANT: Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to introduce three prime supporters in the Speaker's gallery, from the great Cariboo constituency: my good wife Jeanie, my daughter Pamela and my son Timothy. Accompanying them is Mr. Ron Redden, who is a placer miner from Quesnel. I know the House will join me in welcoming all of them.

MS. MARZARI: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize someone who is not sitting in the House or in the gallery today, but who is a constituent of mine and the newly elected president of the second-most popular political party in this country. I'd like to recognize Johanna den Hertog, the second consecutive woman in the presidential post.

HON. MR. RICHMOND: I would like to welcome to the House Mr. Mike McCarty, who is general manager of the B.C. Livestock Producers' Cooperative Association and a good friend and a good supporter. He and his son Ryan are in the galleries, from the great constituency of Kamloops, and I'd like the House to welcome them.

MR. R. FRASER: Mr. Speaker, in the gallery today is the managing director of the engineering association of B.C. In introducing him I would like to point out that 1987 is a very important year for engineering. Not only is it the centennial of engineering in Canada, but in fact, in Vancouver this coming May will be the World Federation of Engineering Organizations congress, the first time that this organization has met in Canada, and probably as a result of Expo. Would the House make welcome Harry Gray.

MR. MERCIER: It gives me great pleasure to welcome to the precinct a group from the Burnaby-Edmonds district, the 48th Troop Burnaby Girl Guides. There are 19 in the group, including their leaders, Mrs. Darryl Golding and Mrs. Lorna Goodridge. They are visiting the parliament buildings as part of their study of government in action. Would the House please give them a warm welcome.

HON. MR. SAVAGE: Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to introduce, from the great constituency of Delta, my executive assistant, Barbara Logie. Would the House please welcome her.

MR. MERCIER: Mr. Speaker, I have a second announcement to make. It gives me great pleasure to advise the House that the Cariboo Hill Chargers from Cariboo Hill Secondary School in my Burnaby-Edmonds constituency won the provincial championship, boys' single-A high school basketball tournament, winning all their games in a spirited tournament involving schools from throughout British Columbia. I would ask the House to congratulate the Cariboo Hill Chargers and their head coach, Mark Prinster, for their outstanding effort, which gave our Burnaby school their first ever B.C. senior boys' single-A high school basketball championship.

HON. S. HAGEN: Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great deal of pleasure today to welcome to this House a group of people, and you may recognize some of the names: from New Westminster, my mother, Mrs. Sigrid Hagen and my uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Hagen; from Langley, my sister, Mrs. Diane McConnell; from Courtenay, my wife, Mrs. Judy Hagen, my daughter, Ruth Hagen and her friend, Rick Doberstein; from Prince George, my cousin, Mr. Ralph Hagen; and from Qualicum Beach, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bates.

[2:15]

MS. A. HAGEN: Mr. Speaker, I would like to join my namesake from across the House, the hon. member from Courtenay, in welcoming constituents from New Westminster, and to thank them for very often taking phone calls for me. Sometimes Hagens do get mixed up in the world.

I would also ask you to join me in welcoming Ms. Lorna Kirkham and members of her community social services worker program class at Douglas College. Thirty members of that class are in the precincts today, and some of them are joining us in the gallery. Would you please join me in welcoming members from this fine community college program.

MR. LOVICK: Mr. Speaker, I'm delighted to see we have a cast of thousands here today. I'm even more delighted to note that two of those are from my constituency of Nanaimo. I would ask you to join me in welcoming them. The first is my

[ Page 92 ]

friend, my confidante and my best critic — take note, members opposite — my wife Lorraine. The second is the president of the Nanaimo-Duncan Labour Council, Mr. Bill Duncan.

MR. RABBITT: On behalf of the member for Chilliwack (Mr. Jansen), who is absent doing an excellent job on the liquor review commission, I would like to introduce two residents from Chilliwack: Jack and Kay Dowding. From my riding of Yale-Lillooet we have with us today five former residents who have joined the House: Peter and Gladys Malach, Ken and Joyce McLaren and Ida Makaro. Also visiting from Merritt are Pat and Adelaide Lean. Pat is a retired government agent and a local historian. We also have with us from Merritt, Jerry Sanders and his daughter Kirsten. From Ashcroft we have Fran Helland, Lyle Ferguson, Gordon Berdan and Amy Brydon. I'd like the House to give them a hearty welcome.

MR. CASHORE: Mr. Speaker, I think all the members of the House will agree that it is time women's athletics received the same degree of attention as men's athletics. So I invite the members of the House to join me in congratulating the members of the Coquitlam Centennial Centaurs women's basketball team on winning the provincial tournament this past weekend.

Oral Questions

SOUTHEAST COAL

MS. EDWARDS: Mr. Speaker, my question is addressed to the Premier. Our Premier went to Ottawa last week to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Mazankowski and the Premiers of Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan to discuss coal sales from southeastern British Columbia to Ontario. The Premier said: "No one wants transportation subsidies." He accepted the status quo, which clearly favours eastern Canada in freight costs. Since this means continuing 25 percent unemployment in the coal industry in southeastern British Columbia, I want to ask the Premier if he is prepared to reconsider, to speak out to address the unemployment in the Elk Valley and demand equitable treatment for our coal producers in the freight rates going from west to east comparable to the rates that go from east to west, and therefore addressing the issue of unemployment in the Elk Valley.

HON. MR. VANDER ZALM: Mr. Speaker, I think most members of the House certainly would agree that subsidies and government interventions haven't been the answer to all of the problems that we've suffered in the economy. As a matter of fact, many of the problems we suffer from are directly attributable to subsidies, government interventions. In fact, we should be working towards equity and fairness, which for a good part might address the problem that the member raises with respect to the shipment of coal.

I agree that there is an inequity between the freight rates charged for freight from the east to the west and freight from the west to the east. In order for a fair system to be established, it might be that government should look at the whole of the freight rate system and look towards providing a sort of equity that would assist the coal industry, or other industries established in British Columbia. I'm very pleased to say that the committee established by the Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Don Mazankowski, and also including the Premier of Ontario, the Premier of Alberta and the Premier of Saskatchewan, will be looking at all aspects of making it possible for coal to be marketed in eastern Canada — whether it's freight rates, whether it's through technological change or research — and assisting to ferret out whatever markets might exist that we perhaps could best approach over time. All of that will be considered by the committee. I foresee — while it will take some time, unfortunately — that positive changes will come through this process.

MS. EDWARDS: Supplementary, Mr. Speaker. If in fact nothing is going to be done immediately about freight rates, what is going to be done that will get some coal moving to Ontario in the immediate future?

HON. MR. VANDER ZALM: Mr. Speaker, Ontario Hydro is potentially a very large customer for coal. They do have existing contracts, most of which run until the year 1992. This information is readily available; so for anyone particularly interested in that, I'm sure they could find this out very easily for themselves. Similarly, a lot of the industries that might be perhaps potentially good customers do have existing contracts. We can't tell the industry where to buy the coal, and obviously in all of this we must consider as well that the states that are sending the coal are oftentimes very good customers for products produced in eastern or central Canada, which doesn't help us in western Canada. This is why this committee, headed up by the Deputy Prime Minister, will hopefully help put on the necessary pressures wherever possible in an effective and fair way to see that we develop these markets. But we don't have answers without at least a little more information being gathered, which is the process ongoing now.

MS. EDWARDS: The Premier has also made the suggestion that in order to move coal to Ontario at the point when we could sell coal to Ontario, there be a spur line of an American rail line put into southeastern British Columbia. This, of course, could mean the additional loss of some 300 to 400 jobs in southeastern British Columbia. My question is: is the Premier going to pursue this issue and ask that we have American rail lines put a spur line into southeastern British Columbia so that the jobs of transporting the coal will go to American workers?

HON. MR. VANDER ZALM: Mr. Speaker, the member emphasizes the point she made earlier that in fact there is a considerable difference between freight from east to west, as opposed to freight from west to east. I never did make the statement that I would be asking to see a spur line put to Sparwood. What I did say is that in fact if somehow there were a spur line, the coal could be shipped via the U. S., and it might be that we would in fact be competitive back east since freight rates in the U.S. from west to east are a lot less than what they are in Canada from west to east. In fact there is a major industry, as you are aware, near Cranbrook which ships wood to the eastern U.S. and they do use a loading facility in the U.S. and ship by American rail, which apparently helps to make that particular industry a whole lot more competitive, and they appear to be saving a lot of money using the American rail line. That certainly doesn't speak well for our system or our rail system and freight rates, and this is the very thing we want to see addressed.

[ Page 93 ]

MEAT-PROCESSING PLANT

MR. ROSE: I would like to welcome the Premier home. I have a couple of questions associated with the packing plant for beef and hogs in the north sometimes called Westfleisch North. I would like to ask the minister if he is aware that European communities subsidize their beef at the rate of 70 to 80 cents a pound. There's a huge surplus there, something like 600,000 tonnes. I wonder what size subsidy, since the Premier is opposed to subsidies, he is considering or has decided upon to get beef production to a level in B.C. that will supply an interior plant so that we can competitively put B.C. bratwurst on West German tables.

HON. MR. VANDER ZALM: I'm very pleased to see that the message we've been attempting to give for a long while appears to be getting through. There are now members on the opposite side who are obviously thinking too that subsidies are not the answer and government intervention doesn't work. The point's well made. It hasn't worked in Europe. They have immense surpluses and are having real problems in their agricultural community.

We are having discussions with the people who are proposing to put the meat plant in the northern part of British Columbia. We have not had a request for any particular type of subsidy. We do know that they would like to see us provide support for the farming community in order that they might provide sufficient beef to keep the plant rolling on a regular schedule. So we don't know just exactly what the details are. But I concur with the member: we are not for subsidies, if that's the point being made. While we try and assist some of the industry from time to time, we look for every other way that would eliminate the need for a subsidy.

MR. ROSE: Supplementary. I note that the minister left the door open slightly — just a crack — when he said "perhaps" a subsidy. So he may not be quite as purely ideologically straight on that subsidy as he might appear to be on the surface.

I'd like to ask the Premier, since we all want jobs in British Columbia: just last weekend.... One hundred and eighty workers are being laid off in B.C. simply because there just isn't enough beef production in the province. All across Canada packing plants are shutting down. Or if they're not shutting down, they are working far below capacity. Since his return from Europe, has he had a really good look at the figures? Has he looked at the supply problem, the subsidy problem, the transport problem and all these things necessary to make this plant a success and provide those jobs in the interior? If he hasn't, I wonder if he'd care to tell the House why he proceeds on what appears to be, to many, a kind of a half-baked plan on announcements before he's done his homework.

HON. MR. VANDER ZALM: Mr. Speaker, I can simply answer this way: some people see everything as a problem, and some people see everything as an impossibility or see things as though they couldn't be accomplished or there would be so many things in their way that there's no need of proceeding. We've seen it with Expo, we've seen it with ALRT, and we've seen it with any number of projects that became a reality in British Columbia. I would instead like to view this as an opportunity, and I intend to pursue it on that basis. I can't guarantee that member or any member that we'll always be successful, but I can assure you that a loss or a miss or a failure won't discourage me from trying again another time.

[2:30]

MR. ROSE: Mr. Speaker, a final supplementary. We agree that all the people with the big ideas — the Expo ideas, the southeast coal and the northeast coal ideas and the packing-plant ideas — are all sitting over there. They're the happiness boys. They've got all the ideas; and then when the debts come in, the public of British Columbia picks up the debts.

B.C. ENTERPRISE CORPORATION

MS. MARZARI: Mr. Speaker, I have a question to the Minister of Economic Development about the fudging of the books. The minister has admitted that the Expo books were doctored somewhat, and I notice with some interest that in the formation of the B.C. Enterprise Corporation the name of Peter Brown pops up again as an appointed member of the review panel which restructured the B.C. Place debt. Is this the same Peter Brown, I want to ask, who was chairman of the finance committee of Expo, which was responsible for fudging the books in the first place — a procedure which has resulted in a lawsuit by the chief financial officer of Expo? How can the minister justify appointing the same person who was ordered to fudge the books with the job of restructuring the debt load?

HON. MRS. McCARTHY: Mr. Speaker, first of all may I say that the framework in which the question was asked was not only a disservice to the person to whom the member of the Legislature referred, but it's also a disservice to this House. We all know that we have immunity in this House from remarks that are made, and in terms of anybody "fudging" or attributable for mismanagement of finances, surely the member either speaks from inexperience or lack of knowledge in terms of her question. I am very pleased to answer the question, which seems to infer that there was some "fudging of the books." Let me say this to you: Expo 86 Corporation had on its board of directors a finance committee, which the B.C. Place corporation also has. During the time Expo 86 Corporation was active, to ensure that when their landlord, B.C. Place, was to have buildings placed on that land.... A board resolution was passed by all the members of both boards that if there were going to be permanent buildings or legacy buildings built for Expo 86, the difference between the cost of temporary buildings used for Expo 86 — which brought 22 million Expo visitors to our province — and the cost of the permanent buildings would be borne by the B.C. Place corporation.

In addition, during the downturn in the economy the long-term assets of the B.C. Place corporation built, for example, the Whistler convention centre and complex for $23 million, with a golf course and conference facility; a stadium for $100 million — which we still see as an economic impetus.... There are many hundreds and thousands of land acquisitions which they hold, and they have been responsible for keeping people in jobs during a recession.

When the member asks about the chairman of the finance committee, I want you to know that that chairman served without any pay for all of the time to make sure that that was a very effective corporation. And I have to say this to the

[ Page 94 ]

member for Vancouver East, who keeps interrupting: those kinds of intimations of wrongdoing would not be said outside this House, or he would find himself in court for such intimations.

The only burden, if you like, that B.C. Place, the landlord of Expo 86 Corporation, carries is the amount of money that was spent, the difference between temporary buildings and permanent buildings. We today enjoy, and will continue to enjoy, those permanent buildings as legacies of Expo. We have, by the way, in respect to that, the ability to use that legacy for the betterment and well-being of our people today.

MR. SPEAKER: Question period is over. We have been doing so well, but if members would just take out their Standing Orders and read standing order 47A (b), I think it would make question period work a little better for both sides.

MR. D'ARCY: Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. I was wondering if the former member for Columbia River had indeed come down from the gallery and taken his place. [Laughter. ]

Hon. Mr. Couvelier tabled a statement of payments made under the Crown Proceeding Act during the fiscal year 1985-86; a copy of the annual report of the compensation stabilization program for the year ended December 31, 1986; and a statement of unclaimed money deposits for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1986, as required by section 3 of the Unclaimed Money Act.

NUU'CHAH'NULTH AGREEMENT

HON. MR. RICHMOND: Mr. Speaker, it is with a great deal of pleasure that I rise today to make a ministerial statement on an agreement that was struck November 7, 1985, between the Nuu'chah'nulth tribal council representing native bands on western Vancouver Island and my ministry. We signed an agreement for the provision of child welfare services. The Nuu'chah'nulth tribal council and the federal Department of Indian Affairs reached an agreement for funding of the project on February 28, 1987.

This is the first initiative of its kind in British Columbia and reflects this province's cooperative attitude towards native child welfare matters. The Family and Child Service Act of 1980 is intended to support and strengthen families. This agreement strengthens the native initiatives to maintain and restore the integrity of the family. The safety and well-being of children is the foremost principle.

The act gives the superintendent of family and child service the authority to investigate allegations of child abuse and to take protective action if required. The act requires that the band must be notified when a native child has been apprehended and the court has determined that the child is in need of protection. This ensures that the band is involved in the planning for the child. The superintendent of family and child service can delegate his authority under the act, provided he is satisfied that the safety and well-being of children will be ensured.

The Nuu'chah'nulth tribal council has worked closely with our ministry at the local, regional and provincial levels to work out an agreement for the delegation of authority. This is another example of this government's cooperative effort in working with native people. This agreement is a major initiative and a positive step in native people's efforts to regain the authority to manage their own affairs.

My ministry's staff will continue to work closely with the tribal council as they begin to implement their program. We have assigned a liaison worker to work out the details of the working relationship between the Nuu'chah'nulth tribal council and my ministry.

My ministry shares a common interest with all bands and native groups in ensuring the safety and well-being of children. This is reflected in this agreement.

MR. CASHORE: I think that all members of the House can be pleased when progress is made in such a direction. We in the New Democratic Party have been calling for initiatives for many long years that would bring some support to those who are deeply involved in children's issues with regard to native Indian people.

I would hope that in addition to the kind of initiative we're hearing about here today, we would also be hearing about initiatives that would make it possible to put financial and personnel resources in the hands of native Indian communities all over this province so that we can see an end to the numbers of children leaving the area of their heritage; so that it may be assured that they are able to continue to participate, to learn to be proud of their roots and to see themselves as first-class citizens within this country. So while I think this is a beginning, there are many initiatives that are begging for action and which remain to be taken.

Orders of the Day

SPEECH FROM THE THRONE
(continued debate)

HON. MR. STRACHAN: Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources (Hon. Mr. Davis) adjourned debate on Thursday, when we met last. The minister defers to the first member for Vancouver-Point Grey.

MS. CAMPBELL: Mr. Speaker, I rise to address this House, and like many of my colleagues who have preceded me in this session, I am overcome by a sense of awe at the opportunity to speak in this chamber. I am very mindful of the history that has led to our being able to speak this way for the public of British Columbia and am very grateful for the opportunity to take my place here.

As the government House Leader said, I am speaking in the place of the hon. Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, and so I was not anticipating speaking in this particular time slot. I'm reminded of Paganini, who used to give concerts where he would break three strings on his violin in order to show his virtuosity on one string. I hope that my lack of preparedness will inspire me, like Paganini, to heights of address.

I'd like to begin, as those who have gone before me have done — and with great sincerity — by congratulating you on your election to the very important position of Speaker of this House, and by congratulating also the first member for Dewdney (Mr. Pelton) and the first member for Langley (Mrs. Gran) for the confidence this House has reposed in them in making sure that these debates are carried on in a responsible fashion.

[ Page 95 ]

I would also like to pay tribute to my predecessors in the riding of Vancouver-Point Grey, which I am pleased to represent: Patrick McGeer and Garde Gardom. As the members of this House will know, Garde Gardom has been appointed our province's agent-general in London. I can think of no one who will carry out that position with more aplomb, more grace and more bonhomie. I'm sure he will accomplish great things for us there.

To the former Minister of Universities, Science and Technology, Pat McGeer, I also wish to pay tribute. As many members will know, our government played host last week to a meeting of ministers of science from across this country, including the Hon. Frank Oberle, federal Minister of State for Science and Technology. At that dinner we honoured Pat McGeer, because a great deal of what has become our science policy and our thrust towards science and technology in this province is a result of his vision and his very hard efforts, working to create that vision and that promise for British Columbia's future.

[2:45]

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to begin by saying a few words about the riding I represent, Vancouver-Point Grey. I think there are many misapprehensions outside of the city of Vancouver in particular about Point Grey. There are many who appear to feel that Vancouver-Point Grey is an affluent riding, a cake topped with the icing of the University of British Columbia. But it is a much more complex area than perhaps many people realize. Its northern boundary is English Bay and the beaches of Spanish Banks, Jericho Beach, Kitsilano; it goes south to the Fraser River; its eastern boundary is roughly approximate to Arbutus Street. At the south end of Vancouver-Point Grey fishing boats tie up at the docks at the B.C. Packers plant, which will soon be sold, I understand.

There is heavy industry in Vancouver-Point Grey: the Ocean Cement plant, a Canfor mill and large warehousing operations. The Musqueam Indian reserve is in Vancouver-Point Grey. Also there is a variety of residential areas, such as Southlands, where large tracts of land still house Vancouver's equestrian population — I don't know they voted in the last election. In addition, there are many single family areas in Point Grey, from the most affluent to the most modest. Point Grey is also experiencing densification in some of its neighbourhoods, in particular Kitsilano and Kerrisdale.

There is a broad range of incomes and occupations in Point Grey and many different ethnic groups, the largest perhaps of which is our Greek community, which adds so much flavour, both literally and figuratively, to life in Point Grey. There are a number of major retail and commercial areas in Point Grey — Kerrisdale, Dunbar, 10th Avenue, 4th Avenue and Broadway — that attract shoppers from all over the lower mainland. At the westernmost end of Vancouver-Point Grey is the University of British Columbia campus and the University Endowment Lands forest. The latter is a de facto park, Mr. Speaker, and I am working very hard to have that park status confirmed, a project which has occupied residents of Vancouver-Point Grey for a number of years. The University of British Columbia campus is home not only to a first-class university, Mr. Speaker, but to research facilities, such as TRIUMF, B.C. Research, Forintek and others.

I think you can see, Mr. Speaker, that there is an enormous variety of activities in Point Grey, and therefore there are many areas of the throne speech which are of interest to residents of Point Grey. I'd like to talk, first of all, about the issue of education. This is of great interest to people in Point Grey; they are deeply concerned about education. Since I have been elected I have visited 19 schools in the riding, and I've been very impressed by what I have seen. It is extraordinary to see the variety of schools, the variety of philosophies of education, that can work successfully in educating our young people. In Vancouver there are open boundaries between school areas which enable parents to seek those schools which most closely approximate their children's needs.

So I'm very glad to see the recognition given to the importance of education and to the quality of our public education system in the throne speech. Many very fine things are happening in Vancouver schools. The schools themselves are very different from what they were in my day. This isn't just because of social changes or because of different interests in the curriculum. It's because many young people who in my day, the day of the baby boom, were excluded from the mainstream of public school education are now part of that experience; and that is something which I believe our government and our province can be proud of.

I have seen in the schools in my riding the integration of hearing impaired students, visually impaired students, mentally handicapped students and physically handicapped students. In previous times these students had two disabilities: the physical or the mental disabilities that they had to cope with and will have to cope with all their lives, but also the disability of being segregated from the mainstream of society; the difficulty of dealing with a society that didn't know them, didn't understand them and didn't appreciate their potential. Now, Mr. Speaker, we are not only offering these young people the chance to be part of the mainstream of society, to benefit from the challenges which are present in the public school system for all children, but we are also educating a broader public to an understanding that there is great potential among disabled people; that they are part of the mainstream of society. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of that, and I am very proud of the job that the schools in Vancouver-Point Grey are doing to make those young people part of society.

There are some who focus on the problems of education, and I suppose being in opposition provides a luxury that's not available to government in that respect. Governments often must take difficult decisions. Over the years there has sometimes been great hostility and confrontation surrounding education. We've seen such things as the following newspaper report — I quote an article from the Vancouver Province:

"About 1,000 school teachers from Surrey demonstrated in front of the legislative buildings Friday morning, demanding more provincial funds for education in their district.... Education minister Eileen Dailly and Provincial Secretary Ernest Hall met the teachers' executive and later the entire group, but their promises did not convince the teachers that the quality of education in their district would be maintained, let alone improved, during the coming years."

Mr. Speaker, the responsibilities of government are great in the field of education. Governments cannot evade the serious decisions that must be made, and I am proud of our government's recognition of and commitment to education, as stated very clearly in the throne speech.

The same is true in the area of post-secondary education. The throne speech recognizes the excellence of our post-secondary institutions and their vital role in society in a

[ Page 96 ]

number of ways. As MLA for the constituency which includes the University of British Columbia, I am delighted to see the commitment to increased post-secondary funding. I am delighted to see the commitment to increased and imaginative programs for post-secondary student aid.

I wish to compliment the establishment of the Premier's science and research council. The involvement of universities in developing our science and technological strategy is a recognition of their excellence and of the vital role they have to play, and I know, Mr. Speaker, that that recognition is very much appreciated in the university community. Our throne speech has made very clear that science and technology are major growth areas for this province. The commitments we have made to increase research and development in aerospace, microelectronics, ocean industries and others are commitments which build upon outstanding work already being done in this province. It's already taking place, and it's very important that the people of British Columbia know what excellence is within their midst — what there is in this province that holds promise for future economic growth and development.

I'd like to talk for a few minutes about some of the exciting things that are taking place in my riding on the University of British Columbia campus. Many members are aware of the existence of the TRIUMF research facility on the University of British Columbia campus. TRIUMF is an internationally renowned research facility. To describe its activities simply, TRIUMF is a facility in which matter is accelerated to produce subatomic particles, and people come from around the world to set up experiments at spigots where they receive those subatomic particles and study the very deepest nature of matter.

I have to confess that when I tour the TRIUMF facility my understanding of the intricacies of what's going on there ends about where I made my description, but the potential for advancing knowledge that exists within this province, right here in British Columbia — the TRIUMF facility — is remarkable and world-renowned. Not only is there the potential to push ahead the frontiers for physics, but there is very exciting research being done there and treatment being offered in the health area. Experimental treatment of inoperable tumours is taking place at the TRIUMF facility, where small subatomic particles called pions are injected into tumours as a result of very advanced imaging techniques that have been developed at TRIUMF to make their targeting absolutely precise, and they perform like depth charges, not damaging the surrounding tissues but at the targeted depth and location exploding with small bursts of radioactivity to try to attack tumours which hitherto have been inoperable.

Mr. Speaker, this treatment hasn't even undergone clinical tests — the kind of tests that usually are undertaken before treatment is approved — and yet already doctors are considering that treatment the treatment of choice for many inoperable tumours not only of the brain but of the abdomen. This is happening in British Columbia. This is world-class medical research taking place in our province at the University of British Columbia campus.

Mr. Speaker, if the kaon factory is built at UBC, this will enhance the ability of TRIUMF to carry on its research. The building of the kaon factory accelerates the particles even more greatly. I won't pretend to understand the profound physics of what that means, but it will expand what is already happening at TRIUMF and will create ongoing jobs and opportunities for the young people of British Columbia in research and development. The opportunity to develop a health care services industry surrounding the facilities at TRIUMF is also very challenging, and the facilities of TRIUMF work very closely in the health care area with the University of British Columbia medical school, which is already a world leader in neurological imaging and research. Also on the UBC campus, Mr. Speaker, are the laboratories of B.C. Research Council, where day in and day out applied research is carried out for the benefit of the economy of British Columbia; where small businesses and small industries may go to have top-notch scientists resolve their technical and process problems. It is perhaps one of the most unsung components of our economic structure, Mr. Speaker, but it is absolutely vital and it provides a service to British Columbians that is essential.

Also on the UBC campus is Forintek, which performs research in the area of forest technology and development. There is much more, Mr. Speaker, and I haven't even begun yet to talk about the university itself. Through the throne speech, the University of British Columbia will become a major partner in developing the economic strategy of British Columbia's future. That university is one of which I am very proud. I started as a freshman there in 1964. I did my bachelor's degree there and came back and taught in the department of political science in the mid-seventies, and in the 1980s I came back and did a law degree there. So my association with the university has been very close, and I have enormous respect for the people who work there and the students who study there.

The Asian Centre is a model, Mr. Speaker, and will become a vital part of our approaches to and closer economic ties with the Pacific Rim. Our business school has scholars of international stature. That's very important for training the young entrepreneurs, managers and strategic thinkers in business for the coming years. Our faculty of medicine receives $25 million to $30 million a year in research grants and has already become a world leader in a number of fields; as I mentioned before, particularly in the area of neurological research, but in many others as well.

The technical spinoffs from those disciplines are also very important. Not only are our medical and other scientists doing pure research but they are also developing techniques and technologies which can be manufactured and marketed abroad.

On Friday of last week I attended the Vancouver awards, which was a celebration to recognize outstanding Vancouverites in many fields of endeavour. It was a wonderfully glitzy affair, but the recognition and the intent of the celebration were very serious. A number of distinguished Vancouverites were recognized, and many of them play key roles at the University of British Columbia. Among them were Jack Shadbolt, one of British Columbia and Canada's leading artists and teachers, a long-standing figure at the University of British Columbia; Dr. James McEwen, a biotechnologist who has developed robots to be used in surgery, Mr. Speaker; Dr. Wah Leung, the founding dean of the university dental school, and a great community worker; and Dr. Earle Birney, a poet and a great teacher of literature at the University of British Columbia.

Many of the other recipients were graduates of the university or former students of the university, and I think that underlines the very important role that the University of British Columbia has played not only in the community of Vancouver but in British Columbia as a whole. I want to

[ Page 97 ]

emphasize when we are talking about the university, the importance of the arts and the humanities. It is sometimes the case that social critics make us cross, but they are a vital part of our social and cultural development. Businesses are recognizing the importance of training in the arts and humanities. No less a company than AT&T did a study a number of years ago which identified arts graduates as better managers than engineering graduates, because they had the discipline of creative thought, careful expression and they were responsive to human concerns. I believe that it is not just the business value of the arts and humanities that should be recognized but the role they play in contributing to the vitality of democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I am very glad to see the initiatives in the throne speech with respect to native peoples: the commitment to a new and mutually productive relationship with native people. We can see this through a special cabinet committee which has been established to deal with native questions; the commitment to assisting the Sechelt and other bands in self-government; and the commitment to establish a centre to preserve native cultural heritage. In my riding, Mr. Speaker, the Musqueam band have their reserve. I recently met with Wendy Grant, who has been elected as the chief of the Musqueam band, the first woman to hold that position. She is a dynamic and forward-looking woman, and we spoke at great length about her aspirations for her people. She has been working to revive the art of Salish weaving, which is in danger of being lost to her people.

[3:00]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has indicated that he doesn't approve of the approach we are taking with respect to dealing with economic and social issues with native bands on a band-by-band basis. He said that we should unilaterally resolve land claims, even though he knows — or ought to know — that the issue of land claims is one that must be resolved by the federal government, and one on which British Columbia has always taken the position requiring the commitment by the federal government to economic responsibility before we can participate, a position which was taken by the previous NDP government as well. It must be great to be in opposition. You can indulge yourself in flights of fancy and death-defying leaps in logic, but the responsibility of the governments of British Columbia has led them to the same conclusion since we entered Confederation. So I won't take the advice of the Leader of the Opposition. I won't turn my back on native peoples. I won't refuse to work on a project-by-project basis in the area of economic and social cooperation. And I was very pleased to see the statement made today by the Minister of Social Services and Housing (Hon. Mr. Richmond) that the agreement with the Nuu'chah'nulth band has been concluded in the area of social services.

In December I attended a meeting of the Native Indian Homemakers of British Columbia and heard some very impassioned presentations about the concern of native people over the apprehension of their children. Among the suggestions made was one that there was a great deal of misunderstanding on the part of non-native social workers who dealt with native bands as to their own cultural norms and values. It struck me that there was a great deal that could be accomplished simply by bringing together those of our public servants who deliver social policy and those who are the clients, particularly in the native community.

So I have pursued this. I have met with the two regional directors of social services in my riding, particularly in the area that deals with the Musqueam band, and have obtained a willing agreement to talk to members of the Musqueam band for greater understanding of their particular concerns and greater cooperation in the future in delivering provincial government policy to that group of people. I am also hoping to meet on Wednesday of this week with Chief Grant and a representative of the Minister of Tourism (Hon. Mr. Reid), because there are projects of mutual interest to that band and to our ministry which will be of great assistance to the Musqueam band in their economic development.

That, I think, is the approach that we should be taking in dealing with our native people. I believe we should be working to provide the native people with as much opportunity as it is within our jurisdiction to provide, recognizing that whatever the outcome of Indian land claims may be, they will have to face the same problems in economic and social development as face any other British Columbians.

I mentioned having met with public service employees working for the Ministry of Social Services and Housing, and I am very pleased that the throne speech has recognized the fine quality of work performed by members of the public service in this province. In my meetings with people from that particular ministry, I have been very impressed with their dedication. Many of them work in very difficult and soul-destroying areas. I met the team that was working with difficult children, with child abuse and with street children. They are a dedicated and hard-working group, and I am extremely gratified that that has been recognized in our government's throne speech. We are well served by our public servants.

There is a great deal in the throne speech relating to business, both large and small. The initiatives in forestry, in international marketing of our products and many others will be of interest to the large businesses in my riding. But Point Grey also has great small business. It is one of the most significant aspects of the economic structure of the riding. The throne speech encouragement of small business will be very well received. Marketing and management support are very important to people who are trying to create businesses of one, two or three people.

The opportunity for employee participation and investment will, I think, also be well received, and I am looking forward to bringing that message to my constituents.

I am also particularly gratified to see the commitment that government pension fund programs will be revised to channel capital into B.C. companies. I believe that this is a long-awaited approach to the problem of capital shortage for B.C. small business.

I'd like to say something very briefly about my own background, following in the footsteps of my seatmate, the second member for Cariboo (Mr. Vant). I was born at an early age in the town of Port Alberni, raised in Burnaby for the first six years of my life and then in Vancouver. I was brought up in Vancouver-Point Grey and went to school there, with the exception of one year in Victoria. I was educated at the University of British Columbia and the London School of Economics. My first job was as a political science lecturer at the University of British Columbia. I then went on to take a degree in law and practised law in Vancouver. But, Mr. Speaker, I have also had the opportunity to work at a fish packing plant in Prince Rupert — I'm still unable to consume halibut. I've had the opportunity to work on an assembly line in a Kraft plant and to perform many other jobs which have taken me around this province.

[ Page 98 ]

In addition, last summer I had the great opportunity to be a candidate for the leadership of my party. That was also an education, giving me the opportunity to travel all over this province and once again renew my sense of the greatness of British Columbia. I often say to my constituents and fellow city members in Vancouver-Point Grey that the skyscrapers that are built in downtown Vancouver are built largely on wealth earned in the non-urban areas of this province, earned in the resource industries. I'm very quick to point out, when I hear city-dwellers complain about the amount of money spent on roads to what they describe as from nowhere to nowhere, that those roads are the vital arteries which enable people around this province to do business, which enable them to receive goods and services which are very easy to take for granted in an urban area.

But I've also heard reference in this House to city slickers, and I want to remind my rural colleagues that a great province requires a great city; it requires great cities. In that sense I feel I am very fortunate to represent Vancouver-Point Grey, because certainly the activity that takes place on the University of British Columbia campus belongs not to the residents of Vancouver-Point Grey; it belongs to all the people of British Columbia. It is a provincial resource, and it is in many ways a national resource.

Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I want to say how important it is for all of us sitting here in this House to take a provincial perspective. Those of us who have not had the opportunity to travel this province and understand firsthand the greatness and the beauty that exists not only in the resources, not only in the business, but in the people around this province should take that opportunity at the first chance, because we are a great province. The variety of our cities, the variety of our environments, is what makes us great, and I do not want ever in this House to be influenced by an argument for something that would only benefit Vancouver-Point Grey. I believe we must all look on a provincial perspective, because if we do so we will all benefit.

Mr. Speaker, the throne speech has started us on a very productive path. I think all of us here are eager to get into harness to work to make those commitments a reality for the people of British Columbia. Thank you.

MR. BLENCOE: I ask leave to make an introduction, if I may.

Leave granted.

MR. BLENCOE: Would the House welcome 17 young boys from the Second Fort Boy Scouts troop of Victoria who are visiting the precincts this afternoon learning all about parliamentary democracy in this great city of Victoria. Would the House please welcome them.

MR. HARCOURT: Mr. Speaker, may I also congratulate you on your unanimous election as the Speaker of this Legislative Assembly. I think it's catching on. We have just completed a federal New Democratic Party convention at which the leader was unanimously re-elected, and the president of the federal New Democratic Party, Johanna den Hertog, who co-chairs my leadership campaign, was also unanimously elected to the position. I hope that trend continues right through to the provincial New Democratic convention April 10 to 12.

This is my first time in the thirty-fourth parliament, as a rookie with lots of company. But as I look around I see a number of members who come with the finest of training, the finest of experience, as members of municipal councils, school boards and hospital boards; who have had great experience in being accountable and in being accessible to their particular voters.

I'd like also to take this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to thank the voters of Vancouver Centre for the privilege of representing them, and in particular I'd like to show my appreciation for the senior member for Vancouver Centre. Not only is he one of the most experienced and longest-serving members of this Legislature, but I also want to let the members of this Legislature know that the second member for Vancouver Centre (Mr. Barnes) has just recently announced that he is going to be getting married this July. As well, Mr. Speaker, I'm sure you're familiar with my predecessor from Vancouver Centre, a man with a rapier wit — quick humour. I'm sure that he will be missed, particularly by some of his favourite targets who are seated across here in the Legislature.

As is the tradition in this Legislature in our maiden speech, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to tell you a bit about Vancouver Centre, which is the heart of the city of Vancouver. It is a riding that is diverse in its functions, its communities and its people. It has five distinct neighbourhoods, most of which members of this Legislative Assembly have an opportunity to visit, and also the central business district. Those five communities are Strathcona, the Downtown East Side, the West End, Mount Pleasant and Grandview-Woodlands. They are each quite distinct and have their own characteristics and problems. But there are issues that are common to all. They are all inner-city neighbourhoods where unemployment, traffic, the ever-present problem of street- soliciting and crime are major concerns. Also, it is a riding with a very large immigrant population, with a tremendous interest in education, race relations and English-language training programs in our school system and for adults.

Strathcona is a community where I started as a storefront lawyer and community worker with my colleague the second member for Vancouver-Point Grey (Ms. Marzari) to work with the members of the Chinese community, to stop the freeways and the urban renewal schemes that were going to destroy Chinatown and Strathcona and create a city that we would not be proud of. We were able to stop the whole madness of freeways and urban renewal schemes and start an emphasis on public transit, neighbourhood preservation and heritage preservation. We were able to stop Gastown and Chinatown from being destroyed.

It is a community with many people on low incomes. It's the first home to many immigrants who come to our country. The oldest community, of course, is the Chinese-Canadian community. The newcomers are the Vietnamese-Canadian community. We're very proud of them and their accomplishments as good citizens of our province and country. Their needs are very basic and straightforward, including affordable housing, particularly for seniors and families. Education is a major concern, particularly English as a second language, where the vast majority of the students do have English as their second language at home and a strong family commitment to quality education.

[3:15]

There is a major concern among the citizens of Strathcona, though, about the savage effects the cutbacks in social

[ Page 99 ]

services and health care have brought to this community. There are also concerns with traffic and the need to complete the Great Northern cut. I'll be following through with the Minister of Highways and Transportation on the need for linking Highway I from Boundary Road through the Great Northern cut and onto the Georgia Viaduct to take traffic out of the east side of Vancouver.

Unemployment is a major concern, and I'll be bringing forward some measures with the Minister of Economic Development to see if we can get our young people employed, particularly the new immigrant families.

Prostitution, as I said, is an area on which I have had to deal with the Attorney-General. It's a matter of some urgency, because street soliciting is creating a most unlivable community in Strathcona. I'll be following through with not just the Attorney-General but the Minister of Social Services and Housing to develop programs for young people to get out of this very unfortunate activity. Crime again relates back to youth unemployment, and we require some programs for young people to deal with this inner city unemployment.

The downtown east side is another great community in Vancouver Centre. The Gastown area is where Vancouver started in 1886. In that first election, I'm sure members of the Legislature would be interested in knowing, there were some 170-odd eligible voters and Mayor MacLean was elected in that fairly fought election by the margin of 245 votes to 228 votes. We have improved our electoral machinery since that period, and there are many more voters in the city.

The downtown east side — Gastown — is the home of many elderly people who are on low or fixed incomes. As a matter of fact, many of them are 20 percent or more below the poverty line. They are predominantly male; these are the people who made our forests, our fishing industry, our mining industry, our agricultural activities go in this province. In some cases they suffer from disabilities; there are a lot of war vets. Eighty percent of the population are these mostly elderly males — very high unemployment. Although there's a high transiency rate, it's got the second most stable population after Dunbar.

The downtown east side area also has a significant number of native people, who come from all over British Columbia, as well as a number of elderly Chinese Canadians. Their needs are straightforward: housing. I will be trying to have this government finally bring in proper rooming-house standards, and to include the people in these rooming-houses under a decent landlord and tenant act and a rentalsman so that finally we have some protection for tenants in British Columbia. They have suffered from social services being cut, from the lack of an increase to people on social assistance for the last four years. It is a desperate time for a lot of the people who live in the downtown east side.

As well, Mr. Speaker, we face a unique problem: the deinstitutionalizing of mental health facilities. Some very sad, unfortunate and tragic people are wandering the streets of the Downtown East Side, people who have serious problems with schizophrenia and other debilitating disease, without the proper resources for these poor souls to receive a dignified form of treatment. It is a scandalous situation in the health care of this province. I will be dealing with the Minister of Health (Hon. Mr. Dueck) on this matter in the very near future, along with the second and senior member for Vancouver Centre (Mr. Barnes). There are two immediate problems; also the lack of treatment programs for alcoholism.

There's a surplus of liquor outlets. We need tougher regulation of the number and types of these outlets. I'm going to approach the Attorney-General once again for some legislation to control people walking around the streets with huge knives which they say are for self-defence and are really for carving up other people, usually after some drinking, usually involving a strong-arming of some sort. It's causing a huge amount of insecurity to the law-abiding citizens in this area of Vancouver.

The West End has 38,000 people in a one-square-mile area; 10 percent of Vancouver's population, Mr. Speaker. It has a very transient population — a 90 percent turnover of tenants every year. So you can imagine what it's like to keep tabs on supporters lists in an area like that in preparation for an election, which should happen in approximately 1,000 days.

There are a number of single people and seniors. Seniors are nearly 20 percent of the West End population. Although they have the amenity of Stanley Park, English Bay and a number of other very fine parks and public amenities, they also suffer from incomes that are well below the city's average. Their concerns again are for affordable housing, for bringing back the rentalsman, for some form of rent regulations to stop the usurious rent increases that some of the landlords in this area have tried to inflict on our most vulnerable citizens.

Again we come back to the inadequacy of pension income, and that has been mentioned in the throne speech. There is a long way to go for people to have a living standard that meets the dignity we expect for our citizens in Canada.

There is also a tremendous need for services for seniors who are alone, homemaker services which have been restricted. And health care. Mr. Speaker, we have St. Paul's Hospital, which is one of the finest referral hospitals anywhere, except it has this huge hole sitting there on the west side of the hospital, and it is akin to the much-promised west Trail approach, which for three elections has been promised to the people of Trail. Well, we have been waiting for this new addition to St. Paul's Hospital through three different elections. It has been promised each time and that hole sits there, becoming a gigantic water hole that is becoming quite dangerous too. This is something that I'm sure the Minister of Health is embarrassed about and will rectify in the near future by finally agreeing to the regional district's approval to build the next stage of the St. Paul's Hospital.

Again, the citizens of the West End are also concerned about the return of prostitutes and street life that revolves around that. I know the Attorney-General (Hon. Mr. Smith) was helpful in bringing in the legal action that he did to help the people in the West End, but it is a major concern, Mr. Attorney-General, of the people of the West End that they may drift back into the West End once again. I will be talking to you about measures that we can bring forward to help the people in the West End and throughout the riding.

Two other communities are Grandview and Woodlands, which is an attractive family neighbourhood, the Commercial Drive area. The incomes there are slightly below average; 70 percent of the people are renters; 21 percent are Chinese-Canadian; the Italian population is about 10 percent and of course shows its unique culture and the flavour of the Italian community along Commercial Drive. Twenty percent of the families are single parent, so there's a tremendous need for child care, for proper housing and other services like that.

[ Page 100 ]

Concerns: I keep coming back to them — youth unemployment; the fear of street soliciting; traffic — again, the Great Northern Cut. To the Minister of Social Services and Housing (Hon. Mr. Richmond), who is not here at the present time: your office has been closed down by an arson fire, and it needs to be replaced as early as possible for our citizens to have some decent services and access to the Human Resources department.

Mount Pleasant, the last community that I'm going to talk about, is where our constituency office is located, and, of course, the Vancouver City Hall. It is a mixed family and singles neighbourhood where 80 percent rent, again, requiring the return of the rentalsman and of the rent regulations to prevent usurious rent increases in tight markets. One concern of the residents of Mount Pleasant is, again, the street soliciting. It has completely disrupted and demoralized the neighbourhood and is a huge concern of many residents, who in their frustration sometimes have to resort — very dangerous for them — to threatening behaviour to try to deal with the fact that they haven't slept for four or five months.

The Great Northern Cut, which the city of Vancouver has put $2 million towards in its last capital plan to design and put together, is something I'll be taking up with the Minister of Transportation and Highways (Hon. Mr. Michael), as I'm sure the hon. members for Vancouver East will be trying to finally get the Cassiar connector completed so that we can deal with this traffic infestation of the neighbourhoods on the east side of Vancouver.

The downtown of Vancouver, which houses B.C. Place, is a downtown that belongs to all of the province, and that is something we're very proud of. Vancouver has facilities which are available to all the people of British Columbia, whether it be the Canada Harbour Place, B.C. Place, the art gallery, the Orpheum, Stanley Park. All of these are facilities which are accessible to the people not just of Vancouver and Vancouver Centre but of British Columbia.

We regard our downtown as the engine for economic development, with Canada's major port, which creates over $2 billion worth of economic activity for our country and our province. And, of course, the major new push is on to the Asia Pacific area. Many of the traders and many of the businesses that are involved are found in the offices in downtown Vancouver. We have made it very clear, as the members for Vancouver Centre, that there's a need for Vancouver to cooperate with the other cities and regions, not just in the lower mainland but throughout British Columbia, to create employment. What we're after, Mr. Speaker, very simply, in Vancouver Centre and throughout B.C. is to cooperatively help create once again a stable and prosperous British Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, I have been making a leisurely tour of British Columbia, visiting 35 cities in 50 days. During that visit throughout British Columbia, which I'll be continuing, I have found that there are many more similarities than dissimilarities between Vancouver and the other regions of British Columbia: the same problems of unemployment, the same challenge of job creation. Vancouver now has the highest jobless rate of any major centre in Canada, including St. John's, Newfoundland — an unemployment rate of 14.3 percent. Our people are suffering, as British Colombians throughout this province are suffering.

I have had reinforced over and over again, as I have visited Trail, Williams Lake, Nanaimo and many other areas, the need for cooperation of public and private capital, talent and resources; for not creating conflict and disparaging situations between government and the private sector, but creating cooperation, bringing all those talents together to create a larger pie by enlarging our development infrastructure, by bringing forward a regionally based economic development strategy. Because I have discovered, as we all know, that British Columbians are ready to light our own candle, instead of cursing the darkness, to get on with what we need to do to recover from the depression which we are suffering through.

What we lack, and it's sad that I have to say this, is a cooperative vision, a will to govern, an ability to tackle the major problems that are holding up a prosperous and a stable B.C., and to recognize the tremendous unemployment problem that we have — to get actively involved in a cooperative way with job creation, to restore the integrity of our educational system, to finally make sure that women have an equal role and place in our society, to make sure that our native people don't continue to have to be frustrated by this government's inability to show some political will and leadership in the resolution, politically, of the native land claims issue, and to make sure that we don't talk about labour problems — that we talk about labour-management cooperation. This emphasis on labour being a problem has got to stop.

[3:30]

I don't have much confidence that this government will tackle those problems, that they will do anything but collect taxes to pay off an ever-increasing debt. I think it's worth reminding the people of British Columbia that this government is not squarely facing and owning up to the last ten years. In 1976 the unemployment rate in this province was 6.5 percent. It is now 13 percent plus. There were 70,000 people in 1976 on unemployment insurance; there are now over 200,000. On welfare there were 90,000 people in 1976; there are now over 230,000 people — almost half a million British Columbians and their families.

The debt was $4 billion. Most of that was from the dams and from the B.C. Rail extensions that happened in the 1960s. It was not New Democrats who created that debt. It is now approaching $19 billion. That ten-year track record should be a sobering reminder of what's happened and how far this province has to go.

There is also the inability to recognize that B.C. is not for sale. Well, let's just go and see what has been sold: MacMillan Bloedel, B.C. Forest Products. BCRIC sold off a bunch of prosperous Crown corporations that New Democrats were able to make work. They got sold off; the stock has now sunk so far that it wouldn't even fit into the bottom of the hole by St. Paul's Hospital.

We've lost Block Bros.; we've lost Daon; we have lost Sandwell; we have lost Swan Wooster; we have lost Pacific Western Airlines; we have lost CPR. There's nothing left to sell in the private sector with their headquarters here. You see, that's why now everything in the public sector is for sale, because there is nothing left in the private sector. We're now going to tax-gimmick our hospitals, our schools, our universities and our profitable Crown corporations.

What we need in this province is what the people of British Columbia were able to put together 45 years ago, when they were able to sit down, whatever the party differences, and go throughout British Columbia and prepare a post-depression rehabilitation task force. The Postwar Rehabilitation Council is an example of the kind of cooperation that the New Democrat caucus has been trying to bring before

[ Page 101 ]

this House, and I think it's important for us to try to cooperate, to do a similar sort of a rehabilitation council for our sick and desperate economy. This was a cooperative committee chaired by the Hon. H.G.T. Perry. It had on it the hon. member for the Okanagan and previous Premier of British Columbia, Mr. W.A.C. Bennett. He worked cooperatively with Miss Nancy Hodges and people like Tilly Rolston, Dorothy Steeves and Harold Winch.

When we ask for our amendment to allow a committee or a task force like that to be set up, we feel that we would be able to create employment for all the people of British Columbia in the kind of cooperation that was talked about in a few words in the Speech from the Throne, and which the government refused. We need the political will to tackle our unemployment tragedy so that we can cooperatively create jobs throughout British Columbia with the resources of the private and public sector in the forest industry, agriculture, mining, tourism and many other areas of opportunity.

I think it's a tragedy when the young people of our province cannot find work, cannot afford to go to school. People of my generation — as I did — could longshore and pull broke in the pulp mill in Port Alice. We could work as dining-car waiters in the CPR. If they couldn't go to school, they had a chance of working on the tugs, working at Eburne sawmill, working throughout the province. None of those options are available for our young people.

This is the tragedy of present-day British Columbia. We want to create those opportunities so our young people have the same opportunities that we had for a decent way of life in British Columbia. We are committed as a caucus — and that is why we are putting forward a motion — in the spirit of cooperation, to try to bring a political will together in this Legislature. With the rejected jobs task force and committee, we are still going to be too scattered. We are prepared to use the existing committee as a New Democrat caucus, and we therefore put forward a motion that the motion "We Her Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, in session assembled, beg leave to thank Your Honour for the gracious speech which Your Honour has addressed to us at the opening of the present session" be amended by adding the following:

"That this House regrets that the speech of His Honour was silent on job creation, job training opportunities and the reduction of poverty with special emphasis on youth, women and visible minorities and therefore this House urges that these serious matters assume top priority consideration by the Select Standing Committees on Economic Development, Transportation and Municipal Affairs; and Health, Education and Social Services."

Then, Mr. Speaker, we can cooperatively start to have British Columbia be once again a prosperous and stable place in which to live and work.

HON. L. HANSON: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to introduce a guest.

Leave granted.

HON. L. HANSON: I would like to introduce a friend of mine, Mr. Speaker, who for I guess the last 30 or 40 years has been well known to me. He's an ex-resident of Vernon, now a resident of Victoria. He and I performed for a number of years on the Vernon Volunteer Fire Department. I'd like the House to make welcome Mr. Melbourne Vye.

On the amendment.

MRS. BOONE: Mr. Speaker, I also ask leave to introduce several guests in the gallery.

Leave granted.

MRS. BOONE: I would like to introduce, Mr. Speaker, my mother Anne Chudley from Delta; my two daughters, Tanis and Sonia, also from Delta; a very old and dear friend of mine, Mary Gregory and her two sisters, Lorna Shaw and Kathleen Stenson, and Kathleen's husband Bill Stenson. I'd also like to introduce a longtime family member from Delta, Mae McQuatt, and the treasurer of the Prince George New Democrat association, Bob Martin, and his daughter Mrs. Vaneck.

Mr. Speaker, I second the motion of the first member for Vancouver Centre. I am proud to be here to represent my riding of Prince George North, which covers the area north from Prince George to Fort Ware, Mackenzie and Ingenika. It includes many small communities such as Bear Lake, Chief Lake, McLeod Lake, Summit Lake, Nukko Lake and Salmon Valley. As you can see, we are an area very much aware of and dependent upon our lakes and rivers.

Mr. Speaker, I am especially proud to be here as the first New Democrat to represent Prince George North since Alf Nunweiler was the minister of northern affairs from 1972 to 1975, and I believe that I am the first woman from the provincial party ever elected from the north. I'm really proud to be here, but let me tell you, I'm not the last.

Prince George is the geographic centre of B.C. We are crossed by CN Rail and B.C. Rail. We are the mid-point of two major highways and the meeting-point of the Nechako and Fraser Rivers. There is no doubt that we are the geographic centre, yet there seems to be some reluctance on the part of the provincial government to acknowledge Prince George as a regional centre. Over the past three years the citizens of Prince George have watched local government offices close and regional offices being moved to Kamloops, Vancouver and Victoria. We have seen Crown corporations and private enterprise follow the government's lead and move their regional offices as well.

Once again, the provincial government is planning to centralize its operations and close a Prince George office. I am talking of something that the member for Prince George South (Hon. Mr. Strachan) is aware of, and that is the impending move of the ambulance dispatch from Prince George to Kamloops. I thought no one could argue the technical aspects of this move. However, recent information indicates there could be some technical problems due to the topography of the area. But what we are really disputing is a further closure of a Prince George facility — the loss of jobs, the loss of families and the loss of prestige as a regional centre. The suggested move has already had a detrimental effect on our area. Negotiations were taking place with a company interested in locating an air ambulance service in Prince George. They were prepared to have a specialized plane in Prince George on the tarmac. I don't need to tell you the positive effects that this would have had on the delivery of emergency health services to our area. That whole plan was put on hold

[ Page 102 ]

the minute the move of the ambulance dispatch was mentioned.

Mr. Speaker, it may seem inconsequential to you for me to be talking at such length about the loss of six jobs  However, residents of Prince George and the surrounding areas believe that this is the final straw, that a stand must be taken now, and that we are not going to stand by and see a further erosion of our services and the slow destruction of Prince George as a regional centre. I am pleased to see that the throne speech specifically mentions decentralization. I can only assume that earlier plans for centralization will be dropped in keeping with your promise of an open and honest government, and that plans to move the dispatch will also be dropped.

Mr. Speaker, the central interior of B.C. is an area that provides a wealth of recreational opportunities. We have heard other members from northern ridings on both sides of the House mentioning such things as riding, fishing, hiking, skiing and camping. All of these activities are enjoyed by many due to the numerous lakes, rivers and wilderness areas in our area. Contrary to popular belief, not all British Columbians are pining for the day that they can move to the lower mainland. There are people such as myself who actually enjoy living in the north because we like it there. We like the change of climate. We enjoy the carefree lifestyle, and we enjoy the open space. Therefore we are most concerned about what happens to our environment, as it affects our lives in every respect.

[3:45]

I am very concerned when I see mining being expanded into provincial parks, regardless of where those parks may be. I am extremely concerned when I hear in the throne speech the words,"get the government off the back of the private sector." Will this mean that environmental regulations will be overlooked so companies can increase profits? Will this mean that there will be no push by the government to improve environmental standards? More importantly, does this mean that the smell of money that permeates my home — maybe not the home of the member for Prince George South; I don't know — will this mean that we will never have this alleviated? I trust that the Minister of Environment will act on behalf of his constituency of Prince George South to ensure that Prince George residents have the right to breathe.

Mr. Speaker, the constituency of Prince George North is economically dependent upon the forest sector. It is therefore very disturbing to the people who believe in their industry to see it constantly viewed by this government as a sunset industry. We are now found with a 15 percent tariff on our lumber exports to the U.S.A. Four hundred million dollars in revenue will be brought into the government coffers by this tariff. There was a suggestion from the previous Forests minister that this money be put into general revenue and none into reforestation. The Premier contradicted this and indicated that some will go into general revenue and some into reforestation. As 80 percent of this money comes from the central interior, it should not surprise you that there is considerable concern in the central interior regarding what is to happen to this money. Should this money go into general revenue, it is just about guaranteed that it will be channelled into supporting lower mainland priorities rather than improving the desperate situation in reforestation. We want assurances that the money is coming back to our area by way of an extensive silviculture program that acknowledges not only the need to plant trees, but also the need to nurture them in their early years.

I'm glad, Mr. Speaker, that your government has identified the need to replace every tree lost; however, your government must go beyond that and set out to eliminate the backlog of not sufficiently restocked land and set up a permanent silviculture fund so that the future of this province is assured. It is no surprise to you, Mr. Speaker, that jobs and employment are priorities of this caucus. An intensive reforestation program would begin — and I'm saying just begin — to address the outrageous unemployment level of 16.2 percent in the Prince George region. It is unacceptable in a province as rich as British Columbia, an area that has such potential, that the unemployment level has been allowed to remain consistently above the provincial average for years. It is equally unacceptable that the provincial average for unemployment is above that of most other provinces. Whoever thought that B.C. would be a have-not province and compared with the Maritime provinces?

The unemployed want answers, Mr. Speaker. They want work, and it is not good enough to say that the private sector is going to supply that. The restraint program from which this province has never recovered was based on the belief that if relief was given to the private sector, jobs would be created. This never happened. What actually happened was economic disaster. Budgets were not restrained. Priorities were shifted, and by holding back on much-needed services and projects, development and incomes were reduced, business was lost and the private sector suffered.

I find it difficult to understand the philosophy behind the phrase "get the government off the back of the private sector," when the private sector is so ready to be carried by the government. The waferboard plant so proudly promoted by the member from South Peace is a prime example of private enterprise that could not exist without government support. Need I remind this government of the Whistler Mountain bail-out and the millions of taxpayer dollars that went into northeast coal? The private sector I have spoken with wants action on the part of the government to get the economy going again so that they can flourish.

The construction industry, one of the industries hardest hit by the recession, wants the government to prime the pump by getting on with the many government projects that have been discussed and, in many cases, announced. The construction association in my area has put together a list of projects they would like to see happen immediately. These are not just wishes that come out of the blue, but wishes that address problems in the area, ones that have been announced in many cases and discussed for many years; projects that would meet community needs, provide employment and create cash flow. The first project is highway construction. Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the former Minister of Highways did not travel much past Quesnel, as all the highways radiating in the northeast and northwest of Prince George are in a disastrous state. The construction association also wants the government to get on with and build that youth detention centre. This was announced last year, but there has been no action on it to date. We have no facilities for young offenders and are badly in need of a facility in the area so that our youth are not removed from their community, their friends and their families.

The construction association also wants the government to get on with and build the rehab pool. This was announced earlier, but so far no action has happened on it. They want the

[ Page 103 ]

new ambulance station to be built, the B.C. Rail office to be built and a cancer clinic to be built in Prince George.

[Mr. Pelton in the chair.]

Mr. Speaker, immediate action on behalf of the government would give a much needed boost to our economy, which has been struggling for years. That is what the private sector wants. The government needs to prime that pump so jobs are created, business flourishes and recovery begins. Until the working man and woman have money in their pockets, the private sector, so often mentioned in the throne speech, cannot possibly thrive.

Mr. Speaker, my constituency, similar to other northern or interior constituencies, has some desperate problems in health care and social services. It is unfortunate that when the Minister of Social Services and Housing (Hon. Mr. Richmond) and seven other ministers came to Prince George with the social policy committee, they chose to devote only six hours to listening to the needs of the entire north. However, the concerns of communities were so great that representatives travelled from as far as Kitimat to voice their concern about the quality of care available in their community.

What the ministers heard over and over were pleas from the citizens in remote areas for a fair share. I find it ironic, Mr. Speaker, that the Premier of British Columbia is demanding a fair share of funding from the federal government, when the very reason that I am here representing Prince George North is that the people of the north believe that we have not had a fair share from the provincial government.

The ministers who were in Prince George were approached by parents of handicapped children who are desperate over the lack of physios and other specialists, and desperate over their inability to provide their children with the best medical care possible. They also heard from natives about their concerns about child apprehension, about the inadequacies of native education and about the need for this province to get on and negotiate Indian land claims.

Individuals from the social services field came and told the ministers of the lack of facilities and resources that are available. They require group homes so apprehended children are not placed in motels or removed from their communities. They need facilities to deal with those disturbed youth being uprooted and sent to The Maples in Vancouver. They need more mental health personnel, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers. They need early intervention to prevent family disasters and the waste of human lives.

Mr. Speaker, we have burnout in the Ministry of Social Services in the north of such magnitude that in one office the senior social worker was at one time a person with one year's seniority. With inexperienced social workers, increased caseloads due to family crises, is it any wonder that the social workers and their ministry are constantly under fire for policy interpretation? The fault lies not with the workers but with an inadequate system that expects its personnel to deal with tremendous problems, but does not give those personnel the necessary support to do their job.

Mr. Speaker, the minister has also heard a plea for recognition of northern climate, by way of special clothing and heating grants for welfare recipients. They were also informed by the seniors and the handicapped of the inadequacies of the public transit system and the need for expanded service. Those without their own vehicles in the Prince George and the northern areas are virtually held prisoners in their homes on evenings and weekends, as there is no public transportation during those times. This is a disgrace.

I urge the ministers who are with the social policy committee to address the problems that they heard when they came to Prince George as soon as possible. And in the spirit of cooperation promoted by the Premier, I offer my assistance to identify areas and help develop plans to solve these problems. I am committed to the people. I am committed to ensuring that people in the north obtain their fair share of services. I am willing and able to work with you to correct these inadequacies. However, I give you fair warning that if I see no action by this government, then rest assured that the members from the ridings of Atlin, Prince Rupert and Prince George on this side of the House will not be quiet. I trust that the members on the other side of the House who are from northern ridings also will not be quiet.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk for a short time on a subject that I feel very strongly about, and one that I promote every chance I get. That subject is a northern university. You've heard from a number of members on both sides of the House about the need for quality and accessible education, education for the youth in all regions of this province. I, too, believe in equal opportunities for all and believe the province ought to be doing much more to promote participation in post-secondary education by those in remote areas. The cost of post-secondary education to all in the province right now is outrageous. The cost to students outside the lower mainland is horrendous. Not only do students have to bear the cost of accommodation, but they must also pay transportation cost and the emotional cost of being uprooted from families and friends.

Aside from the educational advantages to students, a northern university would give a tremendous boost to the economy. The concept of a northern university is one that has been endorsed by many in the Prince George area as a key to the economic development of our region. Aside from the employment opportunities provided through a university, the spinoffs in the private sector would be considerable. I see a university as a part of a regional plan that will work toward educating and training our own people for those specialist areas where we have such difficulty in attracting and keeping people. I believe that someone who lives in the north, is educated in the north and is employed in the north is far more likely to stay in the north. And believe me, that's what we really need right now.

A university would assist in the attraction of new business. It is a well-known fact that when industry is looking for a location to develop in, they take into consideration what that community has to offer their employees and where their company can look for future employees and employee development. A university would provide those needs in addition to providing cultural enrichment for the citizens in the area.

[4:00]

The idea of a northern university may sound a little radical to those who believe that only Vancouver and Victoria should have a monopoly on education. However, you must realize that there is an educational need to be met, that there is a social need to be met and that there is an economic need to be met. To continue to deny these needs and deny the development of Prince George as a regional centre is to deny the

[ Page 104 ]

people in the north the right to equal educational opportunities. Although the minister has already indicated a university is out of the question, I will not give up on this issue, nor will the people in the north.

Mr. Speaker, thousands of people in the province of British Columbia are engaged in long and drawn-out disputes, disputes that in many cases have ruined lives and made individuals fight for years for justice. The disputes I'm referring to are those between the workers and the Workers' Compensation Board. Despite what the chairman of the WCB says, problems at the WCB are horrendous. They may have a fantastic new building and they may have a fantastic new rehab program, but the fact is that they do not have the desire to serve the needs of the workers. The fact that there are so many appeals and that so many of those appeals are found in favour of the workers indicates that far too many are turned down at the first level. Claimants should not be made to go through a bureaucratic nightmare to get what they deserve.

On behalf of the workers throughout the province, I urge the Premier to do a thorough shakeup of the entire commission so that workers will be treated with efficiency, dignity and fairness.

I was pleased to hear the Minister of Health indicate that there would be no cuts in health and that there might be some increases. I would like to point out to the minister, if he were here, that there are increases in the federal transfer payment for health and education. I would like the assurances of the minister that all of this money is going to be put into health care and into education.

I believe we're on the brink of a crisis situation in health. Through the restraint program we have seen the wages of the professionals being arbitrarily kept at a level below those in other provinces and the U.S.A. The professionals in the health field are telling me that there is difficulty in attracting medical personnel to our province, and that many are leaving for areas with more staff and better wages. Just last week the paper ran a story indicating that nurses are leaving B.C. Unless the problem of salaries and conditions is addressed, we will lose many more professionals in the very near future. The brain drain really is taking place in British Columbia.

My time is running out, Mr. Speaker, and as my colleague from Burnaby expressed the needs of the public education system so well, I will not dwell on it extensively. However, the issue of native education is one that this government and society as a whole must deal with. It's fair to say that our education system has failed the native youth dismally. The native dropout rate is high, and attendance and performance at school is poor. I admit that I do not know the answer to these problems, but I do know that the time has come for a thorough review of native education, and we must be open to all ideas. The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council is developing a plan for self-education. Perhaps that is the answer. Perhaps there are better or different ideas. I don't know. I urge this government to work with the native population, status and non-status, to develop an educational system that will meet the needs of the native people — that will meet the needs of the first citizens of British Columbia.

I'd like to end my speech with some facts that indicate some of the areas that private citizens, companies and groups are having difficulty in dealing with government. Since my office opened three months ago we have had a total of 1, 217 transactions. Some were inquiries, some were complaints, and some were just people needing assistance. Of these transactions, the majority were related to health, social services and WCB. I am pleased that these people feel confident that my office will help them, but I am distressed that this number of people find it necessary to come to their MLA to receive just treatment.

Mr. Speaker, the people of this province are looking to the government for direction and leadership. They need to know that the fresh start you talk about will include the youth, the elderly, the women and the minorities. They need to know that you are serious about tackling the problems of unemployment and poverty. They need to know that you care. By adopting the amendment to the throne speech, you will send them that message and you will tell them that you are willing to put politics aside and work with the New Democrats to improve the lives of all British Columbians. I urge you to vote in favour of this amendment.

MR. RABBITT: Mr. Speaker and hon. members, it is with great pride that I rise today to speak in this first session of the thirty-fourth parliament as the duly elected representative of Yale-Lillooet and a member of Her Majesty's government. I speak against the amendment and in favour of the throne speech.

I bring greetings to this House from all the constituents of Yale-Lillooet.

I wish to congratulate you, Mr. Speaker, on your appointment to this distinguished and traditional position. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I also wish to congratulate you. My research has shown that this, too, is a very important role in this parliament.

Mr. Premier, a special recognition to you. I commend you on bringing a fresh approach to B.C. politics and congratulate you on leading our Social Credit Party to its fantastic victory on October 22 of last year. To my colleagues on both sides of the House, whether your victory was large or small, I congratulate you and look forward to working with you in this session and many more to come.

A special welcome to all the new members that are joining me in this thirty-fourth parliament. There are a multitude of people that are responsible in my successful election October 22. Approximately a thousand people worked throughout my constituency to assist me in winning the seat. Today I wish to thank them all and to recognize a few of the organizers. Leading the team was my constituency president, Clara Norgaard. Due to the vast size of the riding and the large number of communities, I had approximately a dozen mini-campaigns working simultaneously throughout the constituency. From Merritt, I'd like to thank Jerry Sanders and Eleanor Norgaard; from Princeton, Brian Murphy and Dennis Cook; from Ashcroft, Jean Quesnel and Tony Van Leest; from Lillooet, Ken and Ellen Stowe and Johnder Basran; from Lytton, Chris O'Connor; from Boston Bar, Lloyd Foreman; from Cache Creek, Chris Berkey; from Hope, Dave Neilson and Mike Pelletier; from Logan Lake, Joyce Wiggins; from Gold Bridge, Harold Hartley; from Spences Bridge, Pat Alexander; and from Yale, Mary and Alex MacQueen. Also with me on the campaign trail were Ken and Joyce McLaren and Ida Makaro, who travelled daily with me throughout the constituency and assisted constantly. I wish to thank my wife Eileen and my family for allowing me to take the time necessary to be effective in this campaign, and in various municipal campaigns and nearly a decade of active participation in the union movement. I also wish to thank my mother and father, Patrick and Madeline

[ Page 105 ]

Rabbitt, for always encouraging me and always supporting my political aspirations and endeavours.

Yale-Lillooet is one of British Columbia's 12 original constituencies. It held three of the original 27 seats of the House. Since 1871 our representatives have sat as backbenchers, cabinet ministers, Leader of the Opposition and Premier of the province. Other than Okanagan South, Yale-Lillooet is the only riding which has had two Premiers among its elected representatives. In 1898 the Hon. C.A. Semlin, owner of a ranch near Ashcroft, formed the government. Years later, in 1924, the Hon. John Duncan MacLean formed the first government elected under a party system. He represented the Liberals.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to break from my text and read a colourful historical article about events that took place in this very House over 100 years ago:

"At the turn of the century, Charlie Semlin, this district's favourite politician and Premier of the province of B.C., was fired by the representative of the Queen. Semlin's firing sent shock waves reverberating throughout the province, touched off a constitutional crisis and led to the most bizarre spectacle the B.C. Legislature has ever seen. When Lieutenant Governor Thomas McInnes came to the Legislature to prorogue it after firing Semlin, the members of the assembly began hissing him, and when he began reading the royal decree they began shouting: 'We are the people.' Then every member except one turned his back to the Lieutenant-Governor and rushed out of the parliament buildings to carry the cry out into the streets. Shaking and trembling, McInnes retreated to the safety of Carey Castle. But outside, the elected members kept up their cry. They said McInnes had overstepped the bounds of constitutional authority by sacking Semlin, and began demanding McInnes himself be removed. Canada's Prime Minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, said he agreed with their views, and two months later McInnes himself was fired."

During the past sixty years Yale-Lillooet has had four members whom I've had the personal privilege of meeting. Dr. J.J. Gillis represented the constituency as a Liberal from 1928 to 1952. Dr. Gillis resided and practised medicine in the city of Merritt. Irvine F. Corbett was elected in 1952 and represented the constituency as a Social Credit member until 1963. Mr. Corbett, a resident of Hope, died during the last election and was recognized by the Hon. Elwood Veitch in this House for his accomplishments. William L. Hartley was elected in 1963 and served as an NDP member on both opposition and government sides of the House. He served as a cabinet minister for three years. Thomas M. Waterland was elected in 1975 as a Social Credit member and was immediately appointed to the cabinet. Mr. Waterland retired from politics August 5, 1986, and is now working in the private sector. Tom Waterland served his constituency and this province well. These four men represented three different political parties, but they were in unison in one area. They all wanted what was best for Yale-Lillooet and the province of British Columbia. I will continue that tradition.

Here are a few interesting firsts in the province for Yale Lillooet: first gold commissioner in Lytton; government agent, Lillooet; the first church in the province in Yale; first public school in Cache Creek; the first grist mill in Ashcroft; the first railroad, Seton Lake. Yale-Lillooet is a very diverse and challenging constituency. It consists of just under 12,000 square miles. One can drive from Vancouver to Calgary in less time than it takes to traverse my constituency. It consists of 42 communities, eight of which are municipalities. We have seven hospital boards, six school boards, four highway districts, four regional districts, three college boards, three forest districts and a multitude of overlapping service boundaries. In addition, we have 28 native bands representing 276 reserves and thousands of native Indians.

[4:15]

To the south of Yale-Lillooet lies the state of Washington; to the west the constituencies of Chilliwack, West Vancouver-Howe Sound, MacKenzie; to the north, Cariboo, Kamloops and Shuswap-Revelstoke; to the east Okanagan North, Okanagan South and Boundary-Similkameen. As you can see, this is the heart of Socred country. This is also a riding of contrasts, from the majestic mountains in the heart of rainbow country at Hope to the sun, sand and sage, and lands of Ashcroft; from the rugged and awesome Fraser Canyon to the rolling grasslands of Douglas Lake. It is no wonder that people from both near and far visit and enjoy Yale-Lillooet's natural beauty.

The history of Yale-Lillooet, known until 1966 as the electoral district of Yale, is as colourful as any in the province. It dates back to the early 1800s when Simon Fraser first explored our beautiful province. There is evidence that our native Indians have resided along the Fraser, Thompson and Nicola Rivers for thousands of years. Fur trade brought the Hudson's Bay Co. to western Canada, and they established many trading posts along the way. One of the first was a stockade at Fort Yale in 1848. Besides trading in furs, the Hudson's Bay Co. also traded supplies for gold.

In 1858 the company shipped out 800 ounces of the precious metal that had been collected in the Yale and Tulameen area. When the news of this shipment was out, it created an immigration to our colony that has never been equalled. In the summer of 1858 it is estimated that 25,000 people left San Francisco to pursue their fortunes in the colony of British Columbia, specifically the gold-fields of Yale.

Between 1858 and 1860, four separate gold rushes took place. The first I have already mentioned. The second was a find on Cayuse Creek just south of Lillooet. A major find was also located on Granite Creek in the Tulameen Valley. Granite City grew into an instant community of approximately 5,000, only to die when the gold ran out. With the sudden immigration came a need for law and order. Upon being sworn in as our colony's first judge by the then governor James Douglas, Judge Matthew Begbie was to write the Gold Fields Act, which he personally distributed in Yale.

In 1861 ranchers moved into the Nicola and Thompson valleys with their horses, cattle and sheep to service and feed the miners. Vegetable and fruit farms made Lytton the breadbasket of the interior. The governor recognized that the trails established by the Hudson's Bay Co. were not adequate, and with the assistance of the Royal Engineers, trails and roads were constructed. Fort Hope and Fort Yale flourished for years, as did the steamboats that navigated the mighty Fraser.

Changes happened quickly, though. With the construction of the CPR, the steamboats and the Cariboo Wagon Road through the Fraser Canyon were relegated to a minor transportation role. The coal deposits in Merritt and Blakeburn spurred the Kettle Valley Railway and the CP to

[ Page 106 ]

construct the Merritt-Spences Bridge connection. The survival of many of our communities in Yale-Lillooet has depended on transportation routes and their natural resources. When travelling by land, either east-west or north-south, you will pass through my great constituency.

We have three major rail lines and three major highways that service our province that exist and contribute to the local economy, the most recent being the new Coquihalla Highway, which is still under construction. The Coquihalla Highway will be the safest highway in British Columbia when completed.

As I mentioned earlier, our natural resources — namely mining, forestry and ranching — have been the mainstay of our economy. Yale-Lillooet hosts many sawmills and several major mines, one being Highland Valley Copper, which is the largest open-pit copper mine in Canada and one of the largest in the world. We also host the oldest cattle industry in the province, and Douglas Lake Cattle Co. is one of the largest ranches in the world. Our tourist industry has been small to date, but with the assistance of the Minister of Tourism, Recreation and Culture (Hon. Mr. Reid) and his ministry, we are going to develop the Gold Rush Trail into the largest tourist drawing card in western Canada.

I am presently assisting the city of Merritt in establishing a native heritage project that has involved all three levels of government, in conjunction with the native community, and that will result in a first-class tourist attraction. We have several other projects throughout the constituency on the drawing boards that we'll be assisting and asking our province to become a partner in. I welcome the initiatives on tourism outlined in the throne speech, and as MLA I will work hard to make Yale-Lillooet a major tourist destination point. I will be asking individual ministers of this government to consider and sometimes reconsider my goals and objectives for Yale-Lillooet. I will be working with local municipal councils, regional district representatives and constituents, public, private or corporate in nature.

I will be asking the Minister of Education (Hon. Mr. Brummet) to closely examine ways of making the funding requirements fully meet the needs of our small rural community. I will be asking the Minister of Advanced Education and Job Training (Hon. S. Hagen) to continue improving the funding formula to meet the financial requirements of students living in rural ridings. I will be asking the Minister of Health (Hon. Mr. Dueck) to take steps to provide long-term care facilities in Hope, Merritt and Princeton. I will be requesting the Minister of Transportation and Highways (Hon. Mr. Michael) to consider the following projects: Ashcroft, the upgrading or replacing of the Thompson River bridge; Hope, the addition of lighting to the Coquihalla bridge; Lillooet, immediate construction of a railroad overpass or bypass to the main municipal entrance — also, continued upgrading of the Duffy Lake road; Merritt, early completion of Coquihalla phase 3; Princeton, accelerated upgrading of the Hope-Princeton highway; Tulameen, repaving of the Tulameen-Princeton road; Logan Lake, construction of a 5,000-foot airport; Bralorne, paving of the Bralorne-Gold Bridge road.

I will be asking the Minister of Intergovernmental Relations (Hon. Mr. Rogers) to work closely with the 28 native bands in my constituency. I will be asking the Provincial Secretary and Minister of Government Services (Hon. Mr. Veitch) to continue to give the people in the communities of Yale-Lillooet the fantastic support and individual attention that we have received thus far from him. This minister has recognized the diverse needs of my riding, and I commend him for this.

Mr. Speaker, Yale-Lillooet is truly my home and has been the home of my forefathers. My grandfather supplied cordwood at Fort Hope to fuel the paddle-wheelers. My grandfather worked on the construction of the CPR throughout British Columbia. My father and son worked on construction of the Coquihalla Highway. My grandfather was also an entrepreneur involved in the first hotel in Vancouver, the pack train from Hope to the interior, the purchase and operation of a Hudson's Bay trading post at Slate Creek in the Tulameen and ranching at Tulameen. My maternal grandfather was one of the early loggers of the province, working all the way from the Queen Charlottes down to the southern interior. At one time he logged Granville Street in the city of Vancouver.

You can see, Mr. Speaker, why I enjoy expounding on the history of this province. I was born in Princeton, raised in Tulameen, Manning Park and Hope, and now I reside in Merritt.

I have worked in several industries: in the mining industry, both underground and open-pit; in the forest industry as a logger and a trucker; in the construction industry as a builder and subdivider; in the real estate industry as a salesman and a land developer. During my years of employment in the mining industry I became involved in the labour movement, holding offices from shop steward to president of Local 6523 of the United Steelworkers of America. I have also held municipal offices, first elected in the town of Merritt in 1968 as an alderman for three consecutive terms, and secondly as mayor in 1980 for two terms. During these terms, I served on the Thompson regional district and on the executive committee. I have also had the privilege of serving for the past decade on the board of directors of the Nicola Valley and District Credit Union. I mention these personal accomplishments to my colleagues so that they can better understand me and why certain things may seem important to me.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to acknowledge and thank the former Social Credit government for all the assistance and cooperation extended to me and my community while I served as mayor. This government has served my constituency well. I am looking forward to the future with much anticipation.

I am pleased by the direction this government is taking, as stated in the throne speech. Silviculture programs are vital if our forest industry is going to remain our number one industry. I agree with the view that our forest industry offers a wealth of potential for fresh economic growth. I am also pleased that our government is taking steps to deal with recommendations of the mining task force. This will be of immense benefit to my riding.

I welcome the government's initiatives to bring stability in the labour market. I know Yale-Lillooet will welcome more decision-making and restoration of functions of government to the community level, and further agree that increased attention to local autonomy is long overdue. Agriculture is an important industry for this province and in my riding, and I am enthusiastic about the government's plans to encourage growth in our agricultural and our food and beverage industries. There is much work to be done in these three areas of forestry, mining and agriculture.

With strong leadership and hard work by this government, me and all members of this House, we will be able to make this province the economic power that British Columbians deserve. We have a Premier who has a unique and

[ Page 107 ]

positive style. He is able to make decisions and deliver on those decisions. He has picked a capable team to form the cabinet that will carry out the theme set in the throne speech.

This government recognizes the problems of today and faces the challenges of tomorrow by making a concerted effort to achieve a solution. If we work as a team, use our natural and human resources, there is no challenge we cannot overcome.

MR. LOVICK: Mr. Speaker, I think it appropriate for me to begin my remarks by reminding the members of this House precisely why it is I stand before you. I am standing here to speak on the amendment, and the amendment, I would remind hon. members, has a very important preamble. It draws our attention to the fact that this government has been silent in the throne speech, via the throne speech, on matters of three things: first, job creation activities; second, the reduction of poverty; third, the provision of training opportunities.

It strikes me also, Mr. Speaker, that the other side of the House has been quiet as clams, as mute as mollusks, on that issue also. I wonder why that should be. I have a little expertise in the realm of debate. Indeed, the government House Leader and I first encountered one another in the debating realm; we were both coaches of teams. My understanding of debate is that the two sides engage; that when we on this side of the House make a claim that the throne speech is deficient and negligent in addressing those three fundamentally important concerns, somebody on the other side ought to respond. Is it the case, then, that "qui ne dit mot, consent," as the French proverb says? Is it the case that silence is consent? Do you agree that your throne speech is silent? Because if you don't agree, the obvious question is: where are you? Why aren't you standing up asking to be recognized by the Speaker so that you can address this issue?

[4:30]

The point, I think, is that all of us can recognize, if we look closely, that whatever its good intentions, the government has in fact been silent on those three fundamental areas.

I rise to support this amendment with mixed feelings. On the one hand I am delighted to be standing here simply because the amendment as presented is rational, intelligent and reasonable. It doesn't ask anything that is going beyond the pale of moderation; instead it merely asks the government to assume the duties it was elected to assume. But I'm disappointed, Mr. Speaker, that I have to stand and support this amendment, for two reasons: one, because the other side has given me no ammunition to deal with, nothing to respond to; and second, because really this kind of debate ought not to have to take place. It ought not to have to take place just because if a government has one job — if there is such a thing as something called job one — then by heaven it ought to provide employment for the people of this province with decent jobs at decent wages. Sadly, however, the throne speech does not address that problem.

I do not wish to be unkind to the hon. member for Yale Lillooet (Mr. Rabbitt), but I was interested when he began his remarks by saying that he was standing to support the amendment, and then made one simple statement — "I speak against the amendment and for the throne speech" — and then we never heard another word about the amendment. That disappoints me. I noticed also in the hon. member's remarks that he said, "I will be asking the minister to do this good job, and I will be asking the minister to do that good job," and there were many of them, and they were all good things to raise. The point, though, is that each of those things he said amounted to what? It amounted to a job creation initiative. I wonder then if the hon. member for Yale-Lillooet was in fact supporting our amendment. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Our amendment has as its purpose only one thing. The only thing we are asking is that this government should begin the absolutely crucial, fundamental process of getting people employed. That's the purpose of the amendment. We feel the need to instruct the particular standing committees to carry that task forward primarily because the problems besetting our economy appear to have been, at least in the past ten years, incapable of solution, Mr. Speaker. The predicament our economy has demonstrated now for a considerable time is its apparent incapacity to employ sufficient numbers of our people. High unemployment has been with us for so long that most of us have now concluded — most economists certainly have concluded — that it is systemic. There is something fundamentally wrong with our system insofar as it has not been able to generate acceptable levels of employment in this province, nor has it done so for at least ten years.

MR. WILLIAMS: Your ten years.

MR. LOVICK: My colleague the hon. member for Vancouver East is typically astute in what he says insofar as it has indeed been somebody else's ten years.

We must, I'm suggesting, use the power and resources of government, and this again is what the amendment asks us to do. It says implicitly, insofar as it deals with particular standing committees, that we must use the resources of government in the areas of health, education, social services, municipal structures and transportation. Those are, if you like, the built-in windows into the economy that we have before us and can use. Unfortunately, as I say, the government seems to be ideologically averse to exploring those avenues. The tragedy that confronts us is that the throne speech does not attend to the problem I have described, namely the problem of our economy being systemically incapable of generating sufficient jobs for our people. The throne speech does not do that. You know, Mr. Speaker, in a rational political universe, a throne speech, any throne speech, ought to make it clear that the principal concern of the government of the day, any government of any political persuasion of any day, ought to be the welfare of the greatest number of its people.

This throne speech, sadly, regrettably, and as I shall have occasion to demonstrate at greater length when I address the throne speech formally — which I am not doing now, I hasten to point out....

Interjections.

MR. LOVICK: I think what the hon. Minister of Municipal Affairs (Hon. Mrs. Johnston) has noticed is simply that I, uniquely perhaps, am addressing the measure before us, the motion.

The tragedy, Mr. Speaker, is that the throne speech does not attend to those problems. The standing committees that we have already in place are the logical, natural place for us to do that job. Thus we have to bring forward this amendment because our earlier amendment to establish a bipartisan committee was rather peremptorily rejected. We have to bring

[ Page 108 ]

forth this amendment. We would indeed be negligent if we did not bring forward this amendment.

I want to appeal to members on the other side of the House to support our amendment, and I want to do so not trying to play games or trying to do any sort of political posturing, but rather because I want to suggest to them that the amendment we propose is entirely in keeping with what those select standing committees are supposed to be accomplishing. It is a reasonable amendment. Mr. Speaker, if the members on the other side of this House support this amendment, albeit after the fact, albeit belatedly, albeit because we on this side of the House told them it would be a good idea to support the amendment, then they will at least recognize they know there is a problem with the economy. Unfortunately, to judge from the throne speech, they don't know there is a problem with the economy. Certainly the people of this province will be looking to both sides of the House to address that problem. Indeed, I would suggest they will not, nor should they, accept any less.

HON. S. HAGEN: Mr. Speaker, I have the great honour to rise in this House today as the newly elected member for the constituency of Comox on beautiful Vancouver Island. Last July I wanted only to become a delegate to a leadership convention at Whistler, and I am honoured and proud to have joined that leader, our Premier, as a new MLA and a member of British Columbia's thirty-fourth parliament.

I, too, have to speak against the amendment on the throne speech. I would first of all like to congratulate all other members of the government and the official opposition, particularly those who, like me, sit in the House for the first time. We must all remember at this time and give tribute to all those people who worked so hard to get us where we are today.

I would like to mention some special people integral to my campaign: Mr. Jim Lornie, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Hunter, Mrs. Mary McCaffrey, Margaret Grant, Art and Linda Meyers, Pauline Nodwell, Val and Olive Alcock, Bob and Betty Benton, Kim Leakey and hundreds more too numerous to mention.

During my campaign I promised representation to everyone within my constituency, and I repeat that pledge now by commending my predecessor, New Democrat Karen Sanford, who served the constituency of Comox faithfully and with dedication.

At this point, Mr. Speaker, I wish to extend my congratulations to you for being elected as the Deputy Speaker, and to the West Vancouver-Howe Sound member, Mr. Reynolds, elected as Speaker of the House. We are very lucky to have two such knowledgeable individuals serving the House in this capacity.

I would also like at this time to extend my special thanks to my wife, Judy, and my five children, without whose constant support and encouragement I would not be present in the House today.

On October 22 of last year the people of the constituency of Comox, after 14 years of representation by a member of the NDP, chose to join the provincewide mandate given to Premier Vander Zalm, the Social Credit government and a fresh start for all British Columbians. I am very proud of the people of Comox, and proud to have my home and raise my family in the city of Courtenay. There can be no argument that the inside passage overlooking the magnificent Strait of Georgia is one of the world's most beautiful and scenic locations. From Nanoose Bay to Oyster River we are able to enjoy nature at its best: rugged coastline, towering mountains, gigantic forests, sandy beaches and charming harbours.

History books tell us that the Salish nation was the first to inhabit this section of Vancouver Island, followed by the Kwakiutl, who were there to welcome the first Europeans in the mid-1700s; Spanish explorers, who complemented Indian names like Nanoose, Qualicum and Comox with Sonora, Quadra and Valdes. Later, ships of the Royal Navy found the area seeking relief from rough weather and found sturdy timber for the masts of their tall ships. Stories still abound that these waters were known much earlier by sailors from the other side of the Pacific Rim, claiming evidence exists of their visits from China and Japan. It is no wonder that our present-day Oriental travellers enjoy themselves here so much. They are following the paths of their ancestors.

By the early 1900s, British seamen with the Royal Navy, which had been prowling these waters for a number of years, passed the word back home that a promised land awaited those with courage and fortitude. At this time about a hundred families were scattered over the millions of acres which comprise the Comox constituency. There has been no looking back. Where else could one go sailing, salmon-fishing, hiking, golfing, sunbathing, swimming and skiing all on one afternoon and at almost any time of the year?

[4:45]

[Mrs. Gran in the chair.]

With Qualicum Beach Family Day celebrations in the spring, Courtenay's Snow-to-Surf, Cumberland's Victoria Day parade, Parksville's croquet championship of the world and Pageant Days, Denman Island's oyster-shucking contest, Comox's Filberg Festival and Courtenay's famous Winter Carnival, we offer attractions for tourists and local residents alike at any time of the year.

The Comox constituency is comprised of a varied economic base. Once almost solely agricultural and resource based, we now look to small business, tourism, the Armed Forces, the retirement community and North Island College to complement the agriculture, forestry, mining and fishing of the past.

The Comox constituency is known throughout British Columbia and Canada as a haven for retired people. I'm very pleased that this government is committed to ensuring the future health and independence of British Columbia's senior citizens.

The throne speech announced the Pacific Rim Institute of Tourism and cooperative tourism promotion programs with the private sector and other governments in the Pacific Northwest and in California. These are both examples of the fact that this government, building on the success of Expo 86, realizes the importance of tourism as a growth industry in the province and is working hard to make British Columbia sparkle as a tourism destination for people all over the world. They came to Expo and they are going to keep coming back.

The tourism initiatives to which I refer build on the fantastic success of Expo and underline an important fact about our new economy as well. With the exception of selected sectors such as energy, job creation is going to increasingly be a reflection of the encouragement we can bring to the small and medium-sized business communities of our province, as well as the value-added industries which we can build onto our traditional resource industries.

[ Page 109 ]

The climate of change is all around us. I think it is very important that our government encourage the organized labour community to play a very positive role in that climate of change. I would hope that they will work cooperatively with us to strengthen the level of confidence, communications and productivity in our provincial economy.

In speaking of tourism and our first inhabitants and visitors to British Columbia, Madam Speaker, I would like to relate for a moment to my own Norwegian heritage. My mother and father, both born of very large, poor families in Norway, came to British Columbia — to New Westminster and Matsqui, respectively — in the 1920s. My father came out here to join his three brothers, who were hand-logging in Seymour Inlet. Later my father, who apprenticed in Norway as a butcher, opened a corner store in New Westminster where I worked from the age of 6 to 16. My mother raised the chickens and the vegetables sold in the store. As a result of assisting his friends in the Norwegian community to travel to Norway on holidays, my father began his own travel business, aptly named Hagen's Travel Service, which grew to be one of the largest travel agencies in western Canada.

I tell you this, Madam Speaker, to emphasize that the values of free enterprise, entrepreneurism and support for bootstrap economics so clearly endorsed in the Speech from the Throne are deeply engraved in my own roots. Therefore I applaud the initiatives announced to establish a task force to work on the privatization of Crown corporations, of private sector expansion to be financed by private venture capital funds and of increased opportunities for employee participation and investment to augment the small business sector's previous good record in job creation.

You know, people from other countries who visit British Columbia are struck by the great similarity that exists between the coastline of our province and Norway's. Although there may be more Fords than fjords in B.C., both countries have a coastline that is not just another pretty face, but one of the best locations in the world for the application of technology and resource management to the production of fish and shellfish to feed a hungry world. I am pleased with the throne speech announcement of the formation of the Aquaculture Advisory Council to ensure the responsible growth of this increasingly valuable industry.

Having worked in the summers as a young man for Nelson Bros. Fisheries in the fishing camps up the central coast at Rivers and Smith Inlets and more recently being involved as the west coast regional chairman of the federal government's MILAP salmonid enhancement program, I have learned to respect the delicate balance between the quality of water and the preservation of fish as one of our most valuable natural resources.

I believe that we have a great agricultural and aquacultural potential, and I see the Pacific Rim with its rapidly rising standard of living as a tremendous market for B.C. food products in the future.

I am very proud of recent initiatives in my own ministry which, together with CIDA, is assisting Pacific Rim development in the areas of vocational and technical training in Malaysia and Indonesia. The fact is that through a combination of free enterprise, land reform and self-help kinds of assistance from developing countries, a substantial number of Pacific Rim countries have made great strides from a background of poverty. That trend should not frighten us; rather it should encourage us to build on our own strengths as we seek to define a stronger role for British Columbia in the emerging new world economy, an economy based far more than in the past on information, knowledge and skills development.

It is for this reason that I was deeply honoured and really excited when the Premier asked me to serve as his Minister of Advanced Education and Job Training. The throne speech clearly recognizes how vital a role this whole area plays in our economic strategy and how decisive it will be to our future prosperity and to the quality of services which we will be able to afford for our people. As a government, we have made it clear that we are committed to the young people taking those hesitant steps between high school and the marketplace or towards further education in a university, college or training institute.

We are committed to those older citizens unable to retire and yet facing layoffs who require retraining or upgrading. We are committed to providing encouragement and assistance to women as they face new frontiers never before open to them. We are committed to those on social assistance and the disabled so that they may be rewarded with the confidence and dignity that only employment can bring.

I was delighted by the initiatives in the field of education and specifically advanced education included in the throne speech. Madam Speaker, this will allow for a hand-in-hand relationship with economic development of our province. The international marketing of the excellent education and technical services and personnel available in British Columbia will strengthen our growing relationship specifically with Pacific Rim countries. The announcement of increased funding for colleges and universities to ensure their full partnership in this process demonstrates the government's solid commitment to this enhancement.

The major focus of our universities, colleges and training institutions is excellence: excellence in teaching, research and in students. These institutions have a long and proud history, Madam Speaker, and have made major contributions to our economic well-being and cultural heritage. They will continue to do so — and, may I add, in an increasingly outgoing and entrepreneurial manner, as we forge strong links between our knowledge centres and our centres of business skills and expertise.

One of the growing trends which we have seen in recent years is the active development of commercial spinoffs from the training, research and development being conducted at our post-secondary institutions. Some examples are Moli Energy, Vortek Industries and MacDonald Dettwiler. This pattern is well-known in Boston, California and in newly emerging centres of excellence in the southern United States. Knowledge-based industries can and indeed must play an ever-increasing role in our province if we are to build effectively upon our natural areas of comparative advantage in the world marketplace.

I am excited by the throne speech initiatives to bring the universities, private sector and government together as partners in science and technology, and the targeting of aerospace, nuclear research, ocean industries and biotechnology as growth areas. I am indeed fortunate to have had the opportunity to see some of the work presently going on in the province in these fields, and encourage all members of the House to visit their nearest post-secondary institution to do likewise. It is a wonderful battery recharger.

The Ministries of Economic Development and Advanced Education and Job Training can work closely together to launch these exciting new initiatives which will capture our

[ Page 110 ]

imagination, just as Expo did. I want to go on record as a member from a rural constituency in saying that all British Columbians owe a debt of gratitude to our Minister of Economic Development (Hon. Mrs. McCarthy). We owe that debt of gratitude for her vision and perseverance in bringing to life this great enterprise which proved to the world and to all British Columbians that our province is truly second to none.

Let me say, Madam Speaker, that I found the positive comments of the Leader of the Opposition concerning the throne speech to be most refreshing, and I look forward to many instances of similarly constructive input from Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

The decisions which we will have to make over the next few months and years are far too important to our children for us to play politics with their future. The heritage we want to pass on to them has many facets. It is a heritage of freedom and a heritage of compassion. It was this heritage that brought my father to Canada. The values he brought from his native land were the pattern of my own youth. It was from his background of church and volunteer activities that I learned how to respond to the needs of other people. In 1923 my father joined the Salvation Army, and within four years he had become the commanding officer of the No. 1 Corps in Oslo, Norway. In Canada he expressed his Christian concepts in projects such as the building of Normanna Rest Home for seniors in Burnaby. My parents spent countless hours raising relief money to send food packages to war-torn Norway. For this work my father received special commendation from the King of Norway.

These examples set by my parents have been a strong influence upon my own expression of compassion for others. I believe that we must strengthen the moral traditions that have patterned Canadian life. My Christian commitment helps me to have the compassion to understand the problems of others. In I Corinthians 13 we read the Apostle Paul, where he says he wants Christians to temper all actions with love. I have always tried to follow that example in life, and I will continue to do so in this House.

This concern and commitment to all aspects of life, the unborn, the disabled and the aged enables my ready support of the Premier's throne speech initiatives to address the increasing number of abortions. We also have to address the employability of our disabled and an improved quality of life for our seniors.

It must too, Madam Speaker, be a heritage of respect for our God-given environment in British Columbia. The renewal of our forest resource is of vital concern to all British Columbians and is well understood in all resource regions of our province, of which my constituency is but one. The government has a clear job to do; the Premier has made that clear. But we all have a job to do in renewing this precious natural resource.

I do not believe for one minute that environment and employment need be enemies. I do believe that ingenuity and a recognition of the long-term values — even in economic terms — of the environment can lend us to formulate balanced policies which are sustainable in ecological terms and which are healthy for our economy. I do not believe that we need to heed the voices of extremism on either side of these questions, Madam Speaker.

I was delighted by the reference in the throne speech to South Moresby park. The Queen Charlotte Islands have captured the imagination not only of British Columbians, but of a great number of people around the world, because of the unique environmental values which were identified by the Wilderness Advisory Committee; also because we have for untold years been the home of the Haida people, universally recognized as one of the great cultures of the world.

A good deal of progress has been made in the development of locally based programs to strengthen native culture and language education in our province. This is a personal interest of mine. I was very pleased by the reference in the throne speech to the efforts by our government to develop a new relationship with the native Indian people through the establishment of a native Indian heritage centre. This will allow for the preservation of the Indian language and culture; also through the recent establishment of a cabinet committee responsible for native Indian affairs. I believe a great deal more can be accomplished, and I'm sure the opposition would hasten to agree that native peoples in British Columbia need to be given the opportunity to more effectively deal with their own culture. They must also be able to deal with social and economic development in ways which will be cooperative and beneficial to all British Columbians.

[5:00]

The Indian reserve system and the federal Indian Act are living proof of the failure of a centralized, paternalistic, intrusive government; at last a consensus appears to be emerging to this effect. British Columbia's native peoples can now foresee the very real possibility of charting a course which is neither assimilation and loss of identity on the one hand, nor a continuation of second-class status on the other. There must never be second-class British Columbians or second-class Canadians. In a free country, different people will inevitably reach differing economic levels, but opportunity must be equal for all. The freedom of the individual to pursue his or her own values ought to be restrained only by the equal rights of all other individuals.

As we provide expanded opportunities in post-secondary education and job training, our philosophy will be based on a desire to remove all barriers, whether geographic, of income or circumstance, to the fulfilment of the potential of every British Columbian. A high priority for our government is the improvement of opportunities for students in remote regions to access post-secondary education through improved methods of distance learning. Distance education through agencies such as Knowledge Network or the Open Learning Institute is a cost-effective response to improving access. Last year over 250 communities were reached through the Knowledge Network alone, and an audience of over 400,000 British Columbians watched. At the same time, we must reward the efforts and successes of students in our post-secondary institutions.

I am proud to be part of a government which believes that there is a difference between meeting social needs and rewarding or encouraging failure in an ever-increasing dependence on government. The challenge that faces us all in British Columbia today is to design programs which meet needs, while at the same time fostering greater personal responsibility and the pursuit of excellence. My own personal experience as the general manager of a small paving company has convinced me that success fundamentally depends not on circumstance so frequently as upon attitude. Some people in life do have a head start; the great majority do not. Our society has provided a previously unimagined standard of living and quality of social services. Throne speech announcements of job training programs for social assistance

[ Page 111 ]

recipients, of support programs for single mothers, increased welfare rates based on need, increased adoption opportunities and more and better day-care facilities are obvious examples that this government is committed to improving the quality of life in British Columbia.

The retraining of those on social assistance is becoming ever more vital as we seek to adjust to very rapidly changing economic conditions. The very nature of work is being revolutionized by computers and other new technologies, just the way the factory system of the Industrial Revolution transformed life and work in western society beyond recognition through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is interesting to note that historically many new ways of thinking have emerged out of great economic and social upheavals. As a matter of fact, both the Social Credit and the New Democratic parties came into being in response to social and economic dislocations, so there are similarities in that respect. While we are all experts on one another's shortcomings, I fear we are too rarely cognizant of one another's virtues, and also of where we can cooperate. We have to recognize those common interests which we share and those common challenges which we face.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to say how proud I am to be a member of the Vancouver Island caucus. Although the Island shares much with the mainland, it has a sense of its own unique identity and, if I may say, regional pride.

As the throne speech emphasizes decentralization and tours of committees of cabinet and the Legislature, I look forward to the various regions of the province working together at all levels of government, regardless of political persuasion. The words of Adlai Stevenson, that great statesman, best sum up the thoughts I wish to leave the House with today, Madam Speaker: "I don't like any interference with free markets, free men and free enterprise. I want my freedom to succeed or fail. But I also know that there can be no real freedom without economic justice, social justice, equality of opportunity and a fair chance for every individual to make the most of themselves."

I appeal to all members to lead by example, to demonstrate integrity and to recognize that what we share in British Columbia is far more important than those ambitions and perspectives which would divide us.

MS. A. HAGEN: Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the amendment presented by my caucus. We are, in presenting this amendment for the attention of the House this afternoon, seeking to send a message to the province and to make a commitment ourselves to work on the number one issue that faces us as we begin this thirty-fourth parliament and our deliberations and legislative and budget work of the weeks ahead. There is no question that in the various regions of the province of which members have spoken so eloquently in their initial speeches, there is one critical issue that people are talking about and are concerned about, and that is the issue of economic development. In those communities there is no question that they see economic development as one that requires of government policies that they be deep and profound and that they will in fact tap the initiative and imagination of every member of the House.

In this amendment we are seeking to give two committees the mandate that was not made available through the addition of a committee that would have spoken in and of itself of economic development and job creation. Those committees will have many tasks, but in this amendment we are giving to them a very specific task: to deal with the issues of youth, of women and of visible minorities, particularly as they look at finding ways and means to get this province working and to deal with the inequity of opportunity that exists in our province.

If we look at the issue of youth, there is no question that the number one problem for young people in this province is unemployment, and that unemployment has to do with lack of opportunity, both to find work and to engage in productive training for that work. We have to look at that problem, as we seek to find solutions, not as just a major, big problem but area by area and age group by age group. We are in fact, I fear, looking at the potential for a lost generation if we do not begin to address this issue as our number one issue. When one looks at one in four of the people between 15 and 24 who are not employed, when one looks, as various members have noted, at unemployment rates as high as 50 percent and higher, one knows that for these people there is a critical time in their lives when, if work and training for work are not made available, they will suffer — and we will suffer — for the rest of their lives as productive people within our community.

There have been a whole variety of programs, developed largely from federal initiatives, about job creation. What we have lacked in our province is any sense of policy for such job creation. We have a minimum of programs and we have no base on which I have been able, in reviewing any of the government's past records, to find policies which guide those programs. If we look at youth we find very limited job creation activity around surnmer jobs. There are only two that are listed in the material that is available from the Ministry of Labour, which formerly had responsibility for that area, plus a job creation program for Expo 86, which is obviously a one-year endeavour. We know that most of those programs have not provided young people, even those taking training, with sufficient dollars to enable them to continue their education.

We know, too, that a great deal of work has been done both within our own country and in our neighbouring country to establish good data bases from which we could be working to find resolutions for problems through policy, and out of policy through programs that would emerge.

We need to set priorities that are not just provincial priorities but priorities that exist for each region of the province. We need to know where youth are underrepresented in the workforce, and we need to set in motion ways and means of involving them in the kind of work that is going to provide opportunity in their regions.

We need to deal with the issues of unskilled people, unable to fill a vacuum as older workers retire and they are the successors for jobs in their areas. We need to target the delivery of programs toward those youth, region by region, whether we are talking about northern Vancouver Island, the Kootenays, the Okanagan or the lower mainland.

As we are looking at such programs for youth, we need to do it in the sense that this is a commitment to human worth and to human potential; one that we need today to deliver a message about to the people of the province, both to the parents of young people and to the youth themselves. If we do not, there is no question that there will be an accounting not only in economic terms but in social terms as well, in terms of young people who see for themselves no message that says that they have a place in this economy, who see for themselves no clear direction that will help them to form their

[ Page 112 ]

future visions, and who very often, then, become victims of social problems, health problems that are for society costs without measure. The committees need to work on these issues sector by sector, with a mandate from both sides of the House to work together to find resolution and solutions.

[5:15]

I want to turn just briefly to looking at this issue as it pertains to women. In the Times-Colonist of Friday, March 13, there are some startling figures. Federal figures show that the wage gap between men and women is increasing. This article notes that that discrepancy is greatest in this province. In the last 18 years, women have actually lost ground and in fact have the greatest discrepancy in their earnings as compared to their male counterparts. We now have 61.6 percent of the wage rate of men going to women in this province. The article goes on to speak about the needs for equal pay, affirmative action, and support programs such as quality and well-funded child care.

I've been following the issue of women with a great deal of interest because in my community we have a large number of people who are seeking to enter the workforce and who have not found the opportunity. Although the government in its throne speech has indicated some moves to assist women, particularly single-parent women, in welfare rates, there are many issues that we must address around bridging programs that will provide women with the necessary upgrading to enter courses, recognition that very often training is going to take longer than the two years' maximum time that people are enabled to attend courses while still receiving social assistance, and a much more realistic perspective on issues such as loans, travel and child care.

These people, women and youth, are the key to economic development. They are our consumers. They are the people who will in fact make the small business, the enterprise of entrepreneurs, successful in their communities. If we do not address the needs and the aspirations of these people, with a message to them, as we begin our work in this House, that those needs will be priority needs, they will again have discouragement, lack of focus, lack of confidence that the governors of this province can and will work collectively to achieve the most important goal that we have through this session this year.

Our motion also speaks to visible minorities. It is not a group which I know so much in personal terms, but I know because I now have a niece who was visiting in the House a few moments ago with her little daughter, who I think she has removed from the House, Madam Speaker, in fear that that little daughter might not be in keeping with the solemnity of these chambers. But my little niece and my grown-up niece are living in a native community in the riding of Skeena, and she has talked to me about the kinds of challenges that she faces in that community, a community that has probably more economic potential and success than many of our native communities, but where there are very special needs in education and job development.

Others of my caucus will be able on many occasions to provide, should this amendment pass, the kind of input that with members on the opposite side of the House can provide the focus that we need. There is, in the spirit of this amendment, a spirit of cooperation with the other side of the House. The amendment is what we often call in parliamentary debate a friendly amendment; it is an amendment which asks you to join with us in sending a message about an agenda, which I think we all agree is a key agenda. I would urge the members of this House to look upon it in that spirit, to consider the importance of this issue in our province, to consider those groups that are especially named as needing our attention and our hard work, and to cast your vote in favour of the amendment when it is brought to this House in a short time.

MR. LONG: Mr. Speaker, colleagues, it is with great pride that I stand here today as part of the thirty-fourth parliament of British Columbia and a member of the government of our new Premier.

I congratulate you, Mr. Speaker, on your election as Speaker of the House, and I know you will be a just and fair Speaker. I would also like to congratulate the Deputy Speaker on his election to the House, the hon. first member for Dewdney (Mr. Pelton).

I congratulate the Premier on his election and look forward to working with him and the members of this House to provide the fresh start that our government and Premier have promised. I would like to congratulate all the members on both sides of the House for their elections, and I look forward to working with them for British Columbia.

I would like to mention a special thanks to the past MLA for Mackenzie for his service to our riding, and I wish him well in his new endeavours.

Most of all, I would like to thank my wife, Bev, and my children, Brenda, Kathleen, Phillip and Craig, for their encouragement and help during my election. As well, I would like to thank very dearly my mother and father.

I would like to thank the members of my constituency for their support, their help and trust to have me elected as their member to represent them in this House and bring their concerns to this House so they will have a say through me in making decisions for the future of British Columbia. I thank the people of British Columbia for their support in electing this government, to listen and represent them over the next five years.

Mr. Speaker, the riding of Mackenzie is truly a unique one. It lies on the west coast of the mainland of British Columbia and stretches from Port Mellon in the south to Ocean Falls in the north. The riding is approximately the same length as Vancouver Island and has 21,000 square miles or 54,300 square kilometres. The width of the riding is reasonably broad. It starts from the islands, like Texada Island and Campbell Island to the west, and runs to the centre of the Coast Mountains to the east.

The Mackenzie riding has approximately 50 percent of the coastline of British Columbia, and every community is divided by water. I would like to tell the people of British Columbia and the House that when you have five major areas that are separated by water.... Only one has road access, that being Bella Coola, and to get there requires a drive through the lower mainland, Williams Lake and the Chilcotin. Now you know how important B.C. Ferries are to this riding.

The population of the Mackenzie riding is concentrated in the first two miles inland from the ocean. That leaves 95 percent of the riding of Mackenzie currently inaccessible to development. The major population is centred on the Sunshine Coast in Gibsons, Sechelt, Pender Harbour and Powell River, which are in the southern part of Mackenzie. Proceeding north from Powell River in the south, there are many small native communities and logging camps on the coast, all the way to Bella Coola, Bella Bella, Ocean Falls and Shearwater in the north.

[ Page 113 ]

The name Mackenzie is historic. On July 22, 1793, Alexander Mackenzie, in search of the elusive northwest passage, became the first white man — other than someone who crossed it in Mexico — to cross the North American continent. He arrived at the Dean Channel, west of Bella Coola, and at a later date Bella Coola became, because of his discovery, a Hudson's Bay post. The trail Mackenzie used was a trail that the native Indians had used for centuries before Mackenzie arrived, and continued to use 100-plus years after he had been there.

Because the Mackenzie riding has five areas, each one should be addressed separately. I will start in the north at Bella Bella, a native settlement that relies on commercial fishing and logging, as well as sport fishing and small loggers, known as hand loggers, who log the shoreline by boat. The community of Bella Bella and the settlement of Shearwater are dependent on water transportation for their every need, be it by B.C. Ferries from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert, or by the coast ferry freight service or the Shearwater barge. These services must be made sure that this area can survive remote locations.... One of the safety factors in Bella Bella is the airport, which must act as the emergency airport for the community. This airport is not paved or lit at this time. Because of the remote area and the fact that it is the only way for emergencies to get out, I feel that for the safety of the people of Bella Bella, paving and light on this remote airport should have a very high priority. I will speak to the minister.

To the east of Bella Bella is Ocean Falls, which at one time was a thriving pulp mill town and is now abandoned. The people of Ocean Falls are working hard to bring tourism and sport fishermen to the area to supplement their commercial fishing and logging industry. To the east of Ocean Falls is Bella Coola, which has a road connection to the interior of the province through the Chilcotin and on to Williams Lake. This community depends on logging, commercial fishing and a new industry starting in aquaculture.

This remote community could use some kind of marine transport to Ocean Falls and Bella Bella to connect the Vancouver Island-Prince Rupert ferry to their tourist traffic and open up the natural remote beauty that the rest of British Columbia could discover.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

The next major community is approximately 250 miles to the south: Powell River, my home town. Powell River is the largest community in the Mackenzie riding, with an area population of approximately 21,000 people, which includes Texada Island. The Powell River area is dependent on MacMillan Bloedel pulp and paper mill, which is having its seventy-fifth anniversary of paper-making this year and is still the major industry for approximately 1,800 workers.

Logging plays a major role in Powell River; so does commercial fishing. One of the new and exciting industries is aquaculture in every form, from finfish to oysters and other shellfish. Texada Island is dependent on logging and mining and a major industry in lime rock for cement industry and export markets to the United States. I must add again that ferries are part of the highway system to Texada Island and I think must be addressed.

[5:30]

To the south of Powell River and one ferry ride away, you come to Earls Cove and Pender Harbour, where the primary industry is sport fishing, retirement, commercial fishing and aquaculture, moving forward to indicate a major industry change to fish-farming with the economic benefits to all residents of employment and a greater tax base. Forty miles to the south of Pender Harbour, on Sechelt Peninsula, you have the towns of Sechelt and Gibsons. Sechelt and Gibsons have a major portion of the population of the constituency. It is a very important area for Mackenzie. Gibsons depends on the Port Mellon pulp mill as its major employer, and on forestry and tourism as major employers as well. Gibsons has worked very hard at developing a television industry and worked with the TV show "The Beachcombers." It has brought recognition to Gibsons and developed the tourist industry.

Sechelt is a community largely dependent upon retirement, tourism and aquaculture as well. Aquaculture is growing at an incredible rate. With proper concerns for the environment and checks in place to monitor change, with tourism, retirement and logging, it makes for a strong economic area.

MR. SPEAKER: I have to interrupt the member for Mackenzie. Pursuant to standing orders, I must put the amendment. The member can speak on the main motion when this amendment is finished with.

The question is that the motion be amended by adding the following:

"But this House regrets that the speech of His Honour was silent on job creation, job training opportunities and the reduction of poverty, with special emphasis on youth, women and visible minorities, and therefore this House urges that these serious matters assume top-priority consideration by the Select Standing Committees on Economic Development, Transportation and Municipal Affairs; and Health, Education and Social Services."

Motion negatived on the following division:

YEAS — 18

NAYS — 39

On the main motion.

[ Page 114 ]

MR. LONG: Mr. Speaker, the Mackenzie riding is basically a remote riding with many needs that should be addressed, one of which is hospitals. At this time the government has okayed the funding for a 50-bed extended-care hospital at Sechelt, and when this project is underway it will create needed jobs in that area. As well, it will eliminate the problem that exists today where extended-care patients are taken to Powell River for treatment — a great difficulty to the people, and at an extra cost. I'm very pleased that the government has seen this problem and addressed it. I know that when this facility is completed the problem with the new extended-care hospital in Powell River will be a top priority of this government, with the rest of the new acute-care hospital to follow as funding is available.

Education is another major priority of Sechelt, with Chatelech school needing funding for additional classrooms, which should be addressed as soon as possible.

One of the major concerns of the Sechelt Peninsula through to Powell River is Highway 101. This highway has not been updated for over 25 years and is less than a country lane by today's standards. The people have endured the deplorable road for 25 years, and now with a fresh start for all British Columbians I know the concern for the new construction will be forthcoming when funding allows.

Another project that is of grave importance is the Gibsons bypass, which at this time is creating a dangerous situation. It should be addressed as soon as funding is available as well.

Mr. Speaker, I was born and raised in Powell River. My family came to the Mackenzie riding in the early 1900s and made a place for themselves working in the forest industry, and in 1947 became involved in one of the first transportation companies in the Powell River area, dating back to 1921. I am proud to say that I have worked with my family and the people of Mackenzie over the years to see that this riding develops as a major productive area of this province. I have worked side-by-side with the people of Mackenzie for 30 years, and I know these people. Mr. Speaker, what these people want is a chance — a chance to work and raise their families, to live a full, rich life, to achieve their full potential. We must give them that opportunity to work and attain these goals, and with the throne speech I am sure that the government will lead the way in all the areas of concern for my constituency.

I feel positive that the throne speech touches the very heart of the problem that we must address in this session of the House. The future of British Columbia is with this government and all the people to work together and make a strong, united effort to achieve the positive, progressive throne speech that was delivered in this House on the opening of the session.

I commend the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries (Hon. Mr. Savage) for his prompt action in laying down rules and regulations with regard to the aquaculture industry, so that the environment could be protected, and at the same time let the vital industry proceed as one of the major industries for the Mackenzie riding, for employment and a major source of revenue for our government.

Within the Powell River area of Mackenzie, the same problem exists with Highway 101. The highway from Saltery Bay to Lund needs major repair because of over 40 years of neglect. Ferries are the lifeline of every person on the Sechelt Peninsula and Powell River, and are a constant concern to all my constituents in the area.

Proper education is of primary concern, and I know the minister is well aware of it for the whole province. One area of concern is with the native people of my riding, and I give credit to the Premier when he came to my riding in Kingcome Inlet, listened to the concerns of the native people and is taking those concerns forward to work with Ottawa to settle outstanding issues between our native people, the federal government and the British Columbia government. An example of this is the British Columbia government's willingness to put legislation forward that will work with the federal legislators for self-government of the Sechelt band, which is in the riding of Mackenzie. This is the first native self-government in all of Canada.

[5:45]

The people of British Columbia want a strong team in government, and under the direction of our Premier they'll get it: a strong, hard-working team to bring forward the things that will make the throne speech an attainable goal for the future of all people of the province.

I again would like to thank the people of my riding for giving me an opportunity to make a contribution to Mackenzie and the province of British Columbia. I thank the hon. members for their kind attention, and I know that we will all work together to make this sitting a productive sitting for British Columbia.

MR. LOVICK: Mr. Speaker, in my former career I was an instructor at Malaspina College in Nanaimo, and I taught their courses in — among other things — government. Accordingly, therefore, I ought to know something about at least the theory of government, and now of course I'm interested in learning something of the practice. Needless to add, I am looking forward and hoping, I should say, that the gap between the theory and practice will not be too great.

It is traditional to begin one's response to the Speech from the Throne with congratulations, and certainly I would embrace and endorse that tradition. I offer you, therefore, Mr. Speaker, my sincere congratulations on your election. Your position, as we all know, is a difficult and demanding one requiring the finesse of a head waiter and the tact of a marriage counsellor, qualities I am sure you possess in abundance.

I also want to offer, in keeping with that rich tradition I alluded to, my congratulations and best wishes for success to all of my colleagues in this chamber. Whatever our differences, and certainly they are many and should not be minimized, I am sure we are nevertheless united in our commitment to serve our constituents. Coming as late as I do in this debate has both its advantages and its disadvantages. Certainly I have a very clear sense of what the government intends by this throne speech after listening to various spokespersons for the government.

Unfortunately, from my point of view at least, my colleagues on this side of the House have covered the ground rather well. We know clearly that there is not a coherent plan for economic recovery elucidated in that document. Although there are various allusions to such a plan, we know that there is no mention of youth unemployment or concrete measures to solve that problem. There is no industrial strategy outlined in that document; there is nothing, in short or moreover, that suggests the government's awareness that transportation is the sine qua non for economic development in this province.

[ Page 115 ]

Interjections.

MR. LOVICK: I am sorry; I had assumed that the level of literacy was somewhat higher. Sine qua non means literally without which not that which we need, and certainly there is much that is needed on the other side.

There is, as I suggest, no discussion whatsoever of a transportation policy in this document, and that of course is crucial for development, especially in my region of the province, Vancouver Island. The speeches from the other side of the House nevertheless seem to be united in asserting that somehow, some way, we have arrived at that destination station called prosperity; we're already there. That's reminiscent of President Herbert Hoover telling people that the Depression was over in 1932, which he did.

The speakers from the other side of the House all seem to make essentially the same few points. In fact, as I listened to them I was reminded of those few lines of Gilbert and Sullivan. We all recall how the ruler of the Queen's navy, describing his rise to prominence in Her Majesty's Service, used to sing: "I always voted at my party's call, and never thought of thinking for myself at all."

Of course, Mr. Speaker, I could be wrong in that assessment. Certainly it is possible that those many iterations and incantations about getting government off the backs of the people, about freeing enterprise and getting government out of the way of business so that business can get down to the business of doing business, are sincere, rather than just so much cant. Maybe they're sincere. I fear, however, that what we were listening to resembles more of a ritual response, a kind of catechism, as it were, than it does a serious and considered analysis and evaluation of the problems besetting this province's economy. Certainly the throne speech does not present us with a coherent and credible set of solutions to our economic problems.

Before I begin to examine somewhat more closely the throne speech and to focus on what it does and what it fails to do, I also want to offer my sincere thanks and gratitude to the people of the constituency of Nanaimo who have placed their trust and confidence in me, and to pay special tribute, if I might, to my running-mate, the hon. first member for Nanaimo (Mr. Stupich).

Our community has fallen on difficult times, as I shall be demonstrating in my moments here. I want the members of this House to know, Mr. Speaker, that during the election campaign we often heard that Nanaimo, because it had continued to return a member of the opposition for some years, was not receiving the attention it might otherwise have got.

Interjection.

MR. LOVICK: I'm glad you were offended by that, because if anybody says that they ought to be offended. That's a corruption of the process. I think, though, that it is a measure of the stature of Mr. Stupich and the respect in which he is held by so many in our constituency that those arguments did not work, and now there are two New Democrats from Nanaimo. I am grateful to the people of Nanaimo, Mr. Speaker, and to my colleague the first member for Nanaimo. Certainly the two of us will do all in our power to fight for the constituents in our riding.

The economic history and development of the constituency of Nanaimo is in some respects a microcosm of the province's. We were founded on coal and we floundered on coal. We recovered on wood, and it is wood which is still going to be the salvation of our economy. In this sense we are rather like the entire province; that is, we in British Columbia — all of us — still have a dependence on a resource-based export economy. All of us who take the time and trouble to think of that know that there is a problem there, because we are vulnerable to external forces. We are indeed vulnerable, Mr. Speaker. It is therefore imperative that we in Nanaimo, as well as throughout the province, take steps to diversify our economic base. Certainly in the communities in my riding we have made some efforts in that direction, and certainly in communities throughout this province we must do so.

Mr. Lovick moved adjournment of the debate.

HON. MR. STRACHAN: Mr. Speaker, I have the latest update from agreement control. We seem to be stumbling over ourselves with agreements, and I must say it's nice — it's like going down in maple syrup for the third time. In any event, I advised the House on Thursday when we adjourned that on Friday next we would have members' statements and then, of course, the response to the budget from the first member for Nanaimo (Mr. Stupich). However, in recognition of the fact that our British Columbia hero, Mr. Hansen, is expected to arrive in our province on Friday, March 20, by agreement we will be calling Motions 10 and 42 in support of Mr. Hansen; and those will be debated in the House, and then we will continue with the reply. Members' Statements will not be done next Friday.

Hon. Mr. Strachan moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

The House adjourned at 5:56 p.m.