Hansard -- Volume 2, Number 3 -- Thursday, July 26, 2001

The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.
The printed version remains the official version.

Official Report of

DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY



CONTENTS

	Routine Proceedings
		Time

Introductions by Members		1005

Tabling Documents		1005
	British Columbia Securities Commission, annual report, 2000-01

Petitions		1005
	Transit dispute in lower mainland

Standing Order 35 Motion		1005
	Speaker's ruling on motion regarding transit dispute in lower mainland

Throne Speech Debate
	G. Cheema	1010
	D. Chutter	1025
	Hon. K. Falcon	1040
	Hon. S. Hagen	1050
	B. Suffredine	1110
	H. Bloy	1120
	Hon. L. Reid	1125

Mr. Speaker: Hon. members, it's my pleasure this morning to introduce Mr. Rob Walsh, who is the Law Clerk and parliamentary counsel in Ottawa. His wife Carole Mishon and his daughter Siobahn Walsh are with him. Would you please make them most welcome.

Hon. R. Thorpe: It's my pleasure today to table the annual report of the British Columbia Securities Commission for the last fiscal year of the previous administration, ending the period March 31, 2001, thus fulfilling my obligation as the minister responsible. The British Columbia Securities Commission gave a group of junior achievement students a real life working opportunity by inviting them to design this annual report.

The three of these achievers are in the Legislature with us today. Would the House please join me in welcoming Diane Ty, Crystal Sham and Julia Tsao of Hugh Boyd Secondary School in Richmond, along with their career business education coordinator, Carol Livingston. I ask everyone in the House to welcome them and thank them for their efforts.

L. Mayencourt: It is my pleasure to present a petition on behalf of the residents of my constituency. The petition is signed by 11,343 members of my community, and it reads as follows:

"The transit strike is having a devastating impact on the retail service sectors of the downtown business community and its employees. The Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association wants a quick resolution to the transit strike and is asking for binding arbitration, whereby the decisions of an independent mediator are final and must be accepted by both parties in this dispute."

Mr. Speaker: Hon. members, on July 25 the Leader of the Opposition sought to move adjournment of the House under standing order 35 to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance namely, the transit strike in the lower mainland. Under standing order 35, a member may raise the issue, but before debate the matter must qualify under the rules of the House in the opinion of the Speaker. I have considered the arguments offered by the member, the Government House Leader and the member for Vancouver Mount Pleasant and reviewed the written statement of the matter which was tendered by the Leader of the Opposition. I have also noted that in keeping with the practice of this House, the Leader of the Opposition gave prior notice that the issue would be raised.

If standing order 35 is invoked, the ordinary daily business of the House is set aside, and for that reason the matter must not involve an issue that could be raised during the ordinary daily business of the House. On July 24 His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor read the throne speech, and the only item of business on the order paper at this time is the consideration of the Address in Reply, during which the scope of debate is sufficiently broad to allow consideration of the issue at hand.

I appreciate that the transit strike is an urgent matter to those affected. The test of urgency is described in the third edition of Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia as follows: "Urgency has been consistently interpreted as urgency of debate and not urgency of the subject matter. Thus, when the House is engaged in the throne debate or the budget debate, leave has often been refused on the grounds that an immediate parliamentary opportunity exists to debate the matter in question. See B.C. Journals, March 23, 1994, page 23 and April 21, 1994, page 57."

Accordingly, I am of the opinion that the matter does not qualify under standing order 35.

Hon. G. Cheema: It's an honour and a great privilege to be here in this House and have the opportunity to respond to the Speech from the Throne. I would like to wish the Speaker all the best in his new role in this assembly. Given your past experience and positive attitude, you are well suited for this important position.

I would also like to extend my best wishes to the Deputy Speaker, the Chair and the vice-Chair of the committee for their added responsibilities. I also want to wish all the best to my colleagues. I want to learn from you and share my experience with you so that we can collectively serve the people of this great province.

I wish to express my sincere thanks to the constituents of Surrey Panorama Ridge for electing me to the B.C. Legislature. It's my goal to be a responsible and accountable member of this government. Surrey Panorama Ridge is a rich and diverse community where people from all walks of life and all cultural backgrounds are living in harmony and mutual

respect. Surrey Panorama Ridge is a model for a new, emerging global village where people from different backgrounds are living together, learning from each other and building on each other's strengths. We are building a model community based on the foundation set by the past leaders and visionary pioneers of Surrey.

I wish to thank all community, business, cultural and social organizations for their continued effort on behalf of Surrey Panorama Ridge. I would also like to thank all the community newspapers such as the Leader, Surrey Now and various ethnic newspapers for their efforts to build this community. I also wish to thank all the candidates from all other parties for their participation in the democratic process for Surrey Panorama Ridge.

I wish to thank my family and my campaign team for their strong support. I also wish to thank the central campaign team for their support. Above all, I would like to thank my staff, our caucus support staff and the Premier's office for their support to make my job more enjoyable and less stressful. They work very hard so that we can serve our constituents to the best of our ability.

Outside this building some people might have some misconception about the non-partisan public servants. But I must tell you: I have the utmost respect for their dedication and hard work to serve the people of this province. The staff of the adult mental health division within the Ministry of Health Services are working very hard to serve the mental health community. I would like to express my sincere appreciation for their work.

Mr. Speaker, this is the second House in this country where I have served. I was elected twice before as a member of the Manitoba Legislature, and I had the privilege of serving for five years as the opposition Health critic. For me, it's an honour to become a citizen of this great country and go on to become an elected official. In 1988 I was the first first-generation immigrant from a Sikh community to be elected in any House in this country.

I had the honour to serve under the dynamic leadership of Sharon Carstairs. Those were the days of two major constitutional debates: Meech Lake and the Charlottetown accord. I learned a great deal about the value of Canadian citizenship at that time.

I learned that when you become a citizen, you need to balance your rights with your responsibilities, and I wish to use that experience in this House. I worked very hard day and night, and I plan to work just as hard, if not harder, this time around. I will work hard to live up to the expectations of the constituents of Surrey Panorama Ridge. This is a new constituency, and I am truly honoured to be the first member to represent it.

Since 1993 I have had the pleasure of working as a practising family physician in the very rich, diverse and vibrant community that my family and I are proud to call home. The voters sent a clear message in the last election: they wanted to see a return of prosperity to our province. This is my personal goal and my commitment to my constituents.

Surrey Panorama Ridge must have a strong voice and be an important part of a new era of economic prosperity based on advances in technology, education and research. Much of my attention as a member of this assembly will focus on setting the standard for better health care and promoting our province as a centre of excellence, and I will work cooperatively with all the other three Ministers of Health.

I strongly believe that the public health care system needs to be protected. At the same time, however, new and innovative approaches must be developed to meet the present and future challenge of the health care system as our population grows and ages. Our children are our future. They must have the skills and education and insight to face the challenges of an ever-changing global economy. Our education must serve the needs of our children and other British Columbians who need knowledge to improve their lives and their communities.

It has been only a short time that we have been representing the people of British Columbia. In that time, significant steps have been taken toward our vision of prosperity. I am fully confident that my colleagues and I will lead the way in addressing the issues that British Columbia deems to be important.

In the end, I know that I am fully confident that we will leave this province better off than it was when we got here, which is definitely not what the previous government can ever boast about. As well as working hard to serve my constituents as their MLA, Premier Campbell has given me the additional responsibility to serve as the Minister of State for Mental Health. I'm very proud to have been given this additional responsibility.

It's both an honour and a great responsibility. Premier Campbell quite clearly understood the issue of mental health when he created this position. He knew that the demands of the health care system were overwhelming and that these demands were diverting attention away from mental health. Premier Campbell knew that health care pressures would reduce the priority that was given to the mental health care system.

It's a portfolio we felt was needed in our health care system in order to give greater attention to mental health services, mental health care and mental health planning. This new position is the first time in this country that a minister has been made responsible for mental health. It will enable our administration to give a deserved focus on mental health issues.

I recently met with Rafe Mair, a prominent, well-respected British Columbian who is well known for his support of mental health issues and who suffers from both diabetes and depression. He asked me why it was okay for him to talk about the medication he was taking for his diabetes yet not okay for him to talk about the medication for his depression.

This was a very important point. Why is it that we still cannot talk openly about mental illness? Why is it

that there is a taboo to admitting having a mental illness? I also met recently with Dr. Derryck Smith, who is an authority on child and youth mental illness. He asked me why it was that we could openly talk about liver or heart disease, but we could not freely talk about a disease of the brain the most important organ of the body. We need to address the fear of mental illness, because fear breeds prejudice and prejudice hinders people with mental illness from being full participants in their communities.

Contrary to the practice used just a few short years ago, we cannot, as fellow human beings, lock the door on mental illness and throw away the key. That is not a solution. It was an attempt to ignore a problem that existed, and it denied that there was anything to be done for it. Today people with a mental illness live in the community and have satisfying relationships. Many can work and have families. New strides are being made almost daily in assisting people to live and have quality lives.

We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. Sometimes the stigma associated with a mental illness can cause greater damage than actually having a mental illness. Addressing the stigma associated with mental illness is a very important priority for me and for this government. It's time to bring the subject of mental illness into everyday conversation rather than leaving those discussions solely to the professionals and the families and individuals living with mental illness.

We must look for a new method of treatment for mental illness and the way we treat people living with it. People with a mental illness want to recover and live well in the community just like everyone else. However, too often they live under the shadow of disapproval that society casts upon them and their illness. Too often they have difficulty earning a living or finding appropriate housing and even having access to health care services. We must do what we can so that individuals receive the support they need to restore their dignity and lead personally satisfying lives. People with a mental illness and their families have many answers, when asked.

Just recently I participated in the World Assembly for Mental Health. At those meetings many health ministers from other countries approached me to commend our government for creating a position that was responsible for mental health. Many of those ministers and experts said they would be watching us closely to see how the role develops. I welcome their scrutiny, and I welcome their feedback and their input as well. I hope they will be able to learn from us, as I hope to learn from them.

So far I have met with many groups involved in the mental health care system. I'll be meeting with many, many more in the near future. I'll be meeting with consumer groups, family groups, service providers, advocacy organizations, medical associations and many more groups and individuals that are involved in the mental health care system. From the meetings I have had, it seemed that the concern across the system was consistent.

One of the concerns I have repeatedly heard has been the lack of transition services when a patient is released from the acute care system and is going back into the community. Another concern seems to be the poor coordination of mental health services. I'll be working with various ministers to make sure there is a coordination of services to the mental health consumers, their families and health care providers.

Our government is committed to implementing the mental health plan. Our commitment is in writing on page 23 of our New Era document. My ministry will be working with various community groups and associations to develop a mental health report card so that we can assess where we are today and to measure how effectively we are serving the public in the future. We strongly believe that the policy-makers, health care providers and institutions must be accountable to the needs of mental health consumers. The mental health report card will ensure that happens.

My ministry strongly believes that B.C. can and should be the leader in this country in establishing a compassionate, caring, effective and timely mental health care system so that the forgotten mental health consumers within the system will receive the care and respect they deserve.

We know that a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment is not the best treatment for each patient. A mix of health care and support options is more responsive to their real needs. Here in British Columbia that is truly the case. This is a province as diverse in its cultures as in its geography. Mix in the differences between urban, suburban, rural and remote communities, and it is clear why one-size-fits-all cannot work in this province.

Our throne speech outlines our commitment to the people of British Columbia, and I am fully confident that we will fulfil all our promises. By doing so, we will earn the much-needed respect for politicians and political office in this province.

In conclusion, for me public life is a special privilege. I am bound to honour that privilege by being respectful, thoughtful and compassionate, thus upholding the principle of democracy in this chamber.

D. Chutter: It is an honour for me to speak today in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in my response to the throne speech as the representative for the people living in the riding of Yale-Lillooet. I thank the more than 60 percent of the voters in the recent election in Yale-Lillooet for their support in allowing me this privilege.

I also congratulate you, Mr. Speaker, for achieving your position in this government, and I extend the same congratulations to the Premier and to all my colleagues. I share the pride of the people of Yale-Lillooet for aggressively closing the book or, better said, slamming the door on a decade of incompetence and mismanagement in our provincial government, and opening the text to a new era of responsible, open and honest government that offers opportunity and prosperity for our children and for us.

I want to take this opportunity to tell the members of the House about my riding of Yale-Lillooet its characteristics, some of the issues and challenges facing the people of Yale-Lillooet. Yale-Lillooet is a vast riding one of the largest in the province encompassing over 30,000 square kilometres of land located in the south-central interior. It stretches from the coast transition zone in the west to the dry interior of the east. It includes over two dozen communities, including Hope, Princeton, Keremeos, Merritt, Logan Lake, Spences Bridge, Boston Bar, Lytton, Lillooet and Gold Bridge Bralorne. There are others. It requires approximately seven hours of driving time between the communities that are furthest apart.

The people of Yale-Lillooet choose to live in small and medium-sized interior communities because of employment and lifestyle opportunities. Forestry, ranching, mining, intensive agriculture, tourism and the service sector predominate, with the open range, fishing lakes, mountains and forested lands at their doorstep.

The health of these rural communities, and the wealth and lifestyle of the people of Yale-Lillooet, depends on their hard work and the use and management of our great natural resources: the land and water. Therefore, there is a great dependence on the policies and legislation of this provincial government with respect to land and resource use.

But the people of Yale-Lillooet do not ask for guarantees or handouts. They do want to work hard and benefit from their hard work. The people of Yale-Lillooet want a government that guides and then gets out of the way. They want a government with an attitude of "How can we help you today?"

Yale-Lillooet consists of the following unique characteristics: seven municipalities, each coming with a mayor; four regional districts; three regional health boards; seven local health care areas; five hospitals and numerous health centres; five school districts involving 18 public schools; three post-secondary institutions the University College of the Cariboo, Okanagan University College and Nicola Valley Institute of Technology.

There are 20 aboriginal bands in Yale-Lillooet in four tribal associations. Two bands of the 20 are in the B.C. Treaty Commission, and aboriginal constituents make up 17 percent of the population of Yale-Lillooet the third highest in British Columbia.

All roads lead to Yale-Lillooet when travelling between the lower mainland and the rest of the province. There are five highway districts in the Ministry of Transportation located in Yale-Lillooet, involving all three phases of the Coquihalla Highway system as well as the Trans-Canada Highway and numerous other roads. Yale-Lillooet is reported to have more kilometres of pavement than any other riding, requiring significant ambulance, rescue and health care services in many of the communities of Yale-Lillooet to serve the travelling public. As well, all three rail lines pass through Yale-Lillooet, along with hydro lines and the fibre optics cable.

I would like to briefly describe to the House the major issues facing the people of Yale-Lillooet. Health care is of grave concern in rural Yale-Lillooet, with insufficient on-the-floor input as result of the transfer of decision-making to regional boards. With the limited service now offered at rural hospitals, they are often referred to as band-aid stations.

Forestry, our number one industry in Yale-Lillooet and presumably an industry with an international competitive advantage suffers from high costs, access to fibre and softwood lumber restrictions.

Another area of concern to the people of Yale-Lillooet is the uncertainty of land and resource use. In the absence of planning processes, I eagerly await the completion and implementation of the Lillooet land and resource management plan and to begin the Merritt LRMP process. The need for highway repair and infrastructure is significant in Yale-Lillooet, particularly to give safe year-round highway access for private and commercial vehicles to the communities of Lillooet by the big slide section on Highway 12. In addition, the issues of excessive red tape in business and the need for provincial government fiscal responsibility echo throughout the riding.

Other specific issues of great interest and importance to the various communities of Yale-Lillooet include the Bridge River Lillooet trust initiative, a consequence of hydroelectric generator impacts and the opportunities to sustain communities; St. Bartholomew Health and Healing Centre hospital replacement in Lytton, uniting native and non-native health care under one roof; the North Cascade grizzly bear recovery program and concerns with impacts on rural families and businesses; the Manning Park mountain pine beetle infestation, the making of a huge beetle population and fire hazard, both of which do not recognize park boundaries and threaten adjacent lands; as well, issues of ALR inconsistencies and general widespread unemployment and welfare concerns.

The overwhelming issue, the number one concern to the people of Yale-Lillooet, is aboriginal treaty settlement. It's the uncertainty of land tenure which limits investment and business opportunities, holds back economic renewal in areas of forestry, mining and recreation and limits prosperity for native and non-native people in the rural communities of Yale-Lillooet. For example, the Cayoosh ski resort proposal between Lillooet and Pemberton, a $500 million project having obtained government approval, is ready to go and yet is at a standstill.

The people of Yale-Lillooet anxiously await the negotiation of workable, affordable treaty settlements in order to gain economic opportunities. The referendum on the principles of treaty negotiation will give momentum to this process. Mutual respect can only be achieved when there is understanding and acceptance by all those affected, and that is the valuable opportunity that a provincewide discussion will provide.

Yale-Lillooet is a complex riding to serve in terms of size, diversity of issues and the vast number of institutions, governments and groups. The people of Yale-Lillooet are deserving of equal representational assistance to attend to their provincial needs. The ridings of British Columbia are varied, and it appears that a one-size-fits-all model whether it be health care, education or provincial representation does not meet the needs of rural British Columbians.

Addressing the many issues and challenges facing the people of Yale-Lillooet and the province is dependent upon the assistance and cooperation of the federal government. For this reason, our relationship with the federal government may be considered our number one issue and challenge. I was very pleased to see our Premier immediately begin to address this issue with a visit to Ottawa following the election. It is of utmost importance that our government aggressively establish a positive working relationship with our federal government in order to immediately address the critical issues facing all British Columbians. We require the federal government to be at the table with enthusiasm to negotiate and settle aboriginal treaties.

Federal health care transfer payments are inadequate to fulfil the principles of the Canadian health care act for British Columbians. Our province is spending scarce dollars on the Trans-Canada Highway infrastructure by necessity, when our federal government should be returning our fair share of tax dollars for this purpose. British Columbia requires a cooperative yet aggressive approach by the federal government in representing the province in the U.S. Canada softwood lumber issue.

Mr. Speaker, we, as Members of the Legislative Assembly with the many challenges that face us, have much to accomplish over the months and years ahead. To fulfil this obligation to the people of British Columbia, it is my hope that a new era in government includes diplomacy and a spirit of cooperation in this Legislature in order to regain public trust, respect and confidence in our provincial government.

The people of Yale-Lillooet are concerned with the security of jobs, their quality of life and a future for their children in their communities, often feeling threatened by outside influences. I am proud to say that the Speech from the Throne succeeds in addressing the aspirations of the people of Yale-Lillooet.

We must remind ourselves, as we sit in this House and pass judgment, that often the good ideas and solutions to rural issues are found within the people of the communities and that sustaining communities involves local decision-making, bringing health care, education, resource and land use decisions home to our communities.

The challenges ahead are many, but given the quality of the people in this province, the abundant resources and the overwhelming beauty of this province, we can succeed. The throne speech clearly outlines our opportunity to succeed, our plan for positive change. It illustrates the tremendous potential for British Columbia to achieve prosperity.

In closing, the plans ahead for a new era for British Columbia, as laid out in the Speech from the Throne, are much more then a welcome breath of fresh air. They are a strategy for a whole new landscape of opportunity for now and for future generations.

I have six wonderful children that I am very proud of and love beyond question. It is for them that I am here. Our new-era commitment sets the course to enable our children to have the opportunity to reach their full potential and live in British Columbia. I am thankful that I can play a role in carrying out our new-era obligations. And I am thankful to all the members of this House for their conviction and commitment to provide open, honest and responsible government for the benefit of the people of Yale-Lillooet and all British Columbians.

Hon. K. Falcon: It is with great pleasure that I stand before you at the opening of the thirty-seventh parliament as a new MLA representing Surrey-Cloverdale. I would like to offer my personal congratulations to you, Mr. Speaker, as an individual whose long service and great contributions to the public life in this province make you an ideal person to hold that chair. I would also like to congratulate all elected members and express my sincere gratitude to the voters of Surrey-Cloverdale for the opportunity to serve as their representative. I extend my gratitude to those representatives who served the great constituency of Surrey-Cloverdale before me and honour and respect the work and the efforts that they made on behalf of our community.

My election was an exciting one, Mr. Speaker, and I cannot let this opportunity go by without thanking all of the great volunteers that worked tirelessly with so much energy and enthusiasm to make my campaign and subsequent election such a great success. I'm very proud of the fact that many of the workers on my campaign were young people who were working in politics for the first time. You know, I formed my own interest in politics a long time ago when, as a young teenager, a good friend and neighbour invited me to a political event. That individual took the time to introduce me to politics and encourage my involvement. I've never forgotten that, and I've tried hard to follow my neighbour's example by encouraging young people to become involved in the political process.

Before I formally begin, let me give you a sense of how I came to be where I am today. I come from a family of six boys, raised by a mother and father who instilled the values of hard work and the importance of community involvement. If anyone wonders where my somewhat competitive nature comes from, I would simply invite you to imagine growing up in a family as the fifth of six boys with parents who entered us into every sport imaginable and encouraged us to strive to

be the best we could. My father and mother were and are tremendous role models for me, and it is through their efforts and support that I have allowed myself, really, to be able to stand before you. I want to thank them for that.

I would like to take a few minutes to acknowledge my constituency of Surrey-Cloverdale and share with you the pride and loyalty I feel towards the citizens of this friendly, hard-working community. Surrey-Cloverdale is an active and diverse community with a proud history and tradition. Cloverdale really is the heart of Surrey and is the centre of the Fraser Valley. It is where Surrey's first city hall was located and where many of the original pioneers originated. It is a large, diverse community. There is an enormous, thriving agricultural sector in addition to a growing business community. In Cloverdale there is a large suburban community, with housing ranging from large equestrian estates to small apartment buildings and family subdivisions. But the most important thing to understand about Cloverdale is that it is a community in the truest sense of the word. Frankly, I am inspired and honoured to live in a community that understands that it is people, not government, that bind a community together.

Our annual Cloverdale rodeo has been taking place since 1945 and today is the second-largest rodeo in Canada. Whether it's our annual rodeo parade or our annual soapbox derbies or the numerous community-sponsored events that we're constantly having in our community, this truly is a community of outstanding people. Hon. Speaker and my esteemed colleagues, I say this so that you can understand why it is so important for me to fulfil the commitments of this government to the hard-working residents of this community.

I would suggest that the citizens of British Columbia want and deserve a government they can trust and respect, and they are looking to our government to restore that trust and respect to public service once again. There is no single more important issue than responding to this challenge. I believe that restoring trust and faith in government is really quite simple. It means we have not just a duty but an obligation to carry out the commitments we made to British Columbians.

That is why this throne speech that His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor read the other day should fill British Columbians with hope. We intend to keep our commitments to the people of British Columbia, and I intend to keep my commitments to the good people of Surrey-Cloverdale. This does not mean that there will be unanimous support for every decision we make and every commitment we keep. There hardly ever is. But I want the residents of Surrey-Cloverdale to know this: when May 17, 2005, rolls around, I will be able to stand before them and say: "We kept our promises. We did what we thought were the right things to do for the province, and in doing so, we hopefully restored the trust of British Columbians." We should ask no more, and they should expect no less.

I expect to be held personally accountable for honouring both my own and our government's election commitments, and so do my colleagues with me here today. I am proud to serve alongside such a fine group of British Columbians who are united in this common purpose.

I speak to my constituents every day, and I know that they want a quality education system for their children and that they don't want to be excluded from the education of their children. That is why my constituents are so pleased with the direction the Minister of Education has recently outlined that will ensure that education is an essential service in this province and that we protect parents' rights to be involved as volunteers in our children's schools.

My constituents also want to see a high-quality public health care system restored in British Columbia. People are genuinely fearful about the state of health care in this province today. I spoke to a constituent just the other day who was waiting for a test to determine whether a tumour they had may be cancerous, and they found themselves sidelined by a labour dispute that has paralyzed our health care system. That, frankly, is just not good enough, ladies and gentlemen.

The constituents of Surrey-Cloverdale want our government to put the interests of patients at the forefront of our health care system once again, and we intend to do just that. Most of all, the residents of Surrey-Cloverdale understand that without a thriving private sector economy, we will never be able to fund a top-notch health care and education system in this province. The people of my great community have asked our government to lead in Canada, once again.

The business communities, both large and small, have suffered greatly, particularly over the last decade, and are looking to our government to chart a new course of hope and opportunity. That is why, under the leadership of the Premier and the Minister of Finance, we introduced a dramatic personal income tax cut on our first day in government. That is why we will be cutting unnecessary red tape and regulation by one-third within three years, because we hear every day from small business people who are being strangled by a decade of regulatory excess.

That is why we will be introducing changes to the Labour Code to ensure that British Columbians have the tools they need to succeed in a highly competitive global economy. These Labour Code changes will restore workers' democratic rights to a secret ballot on certification. They will outlaw sectoral bargaining so that workers have the right to negotiate their own contracts, and they will restore open tendering in this province to ensure that taxpayers are getting the best value for their hard-earned tax dollars.

Let me just say how tired I am of hearing about how we need to catch up to Ontario and Alberta. I want to see British Columbia pole-vault past Ontario and Alberta and become the greatest wealth-producing province in this country once again. I want British Columbia to be a magnet for investment, innovation and job creation so that we can lead in this country once again. We believe in competition. We believe in

competition because we believe in British Columbians. I have absolutely no hesitation in saying that when we put into place an economic foundation that rewards initiative and welcomes investment, I know that British Columbians will respond and rise to that challenge and that we will lead this country in economic growth.

You know, we cannot afford to waste time, Mr. Speaker, and we must act swiftly. That is why our government has boldly put forward a 90-day agenda that will help us chart a new course of opportunity and hope. As the representative for Surrey-Cloverdale, I know how the people of my community feel about our government delivering on one of those major commitments, which was the dramatic personal income tax cut. My constituents are elated by the across-the-board personal income tax cuts that average 25 percent. I am especially proud of the fact that we are a government that showed leadership by reducing the bottom two income tax brackets to the lowest in the country. That is very significant to the single parents who work in the restaurant and hair salon just down from my office. That is also very meaningful to the young father I know who's raising four children on a single income while his wife has chosen to stay home and help raise their family.

These are the voices we need to listen to. They are what I like to call the quieter voices, the folks who struggle to raise their families, often stay late at the office and yet still find time to volunteer and work in their communities. They are not the shouters or the protestors or the sign-wavers or those who would shout down and sometimes tear down the democratic process. They belong to no special interest, and that likely explains why they felt ignored over the last decade. But their cause is our cause, and we will ensure that they also have a voice in the future of this great province.

I want to conclude by saying once again that I am honoured that the voters of Surrey-Cloverdale have seen fit to allow me to serve them in this House. I hope that I will honour their trust in me over the coming weeks and months ahead.

Hon. S. Hagen: I want to tell you that it's a pleasure to be back in the Legislature after nearly ten years away. As Yogi Berra once said, it's like d j vu all over again. Only this time I can assure you it's much, much better.

I would like to start by congratulating you, Mr. Speaker, and thanking you for bringing your dedication and your experience to the job that you have. I want to say that it's an honour for me to serve with you and with all of the members who sit in this Legislature. I want to wish you all the very best.

The period we are entering into in this province is one filled with tremendous challenge and opportunities. As one of the groups that I have recently met with calls themselves, we are at a turning point in the province's history. It will be full of new challenges for us in this province. We face the same challenges in this ministry. As the New Era document says which is the guiding framework for this government, and the Premier has stated on many occasions . Most of all, I want to share my vision for sustainable management of resources in British Columbia a vision that I have championed for decades, going back to my earlier government service in the late eighties and early nineties.

Before getting into this, I want to thank all of the people of the Comox Valley riding for giving me their confidence and letting me represent them in this parliament. To the people of the village of Cumberland, the town of Comox, the city of Courtenay, Denman Island and Hornby Island and areas A, B and C of the Comox-Strathcona regional district, I will do my very best to serve you well. It is a responsibility that I cherish and that I trust I will honour.

I've had the privilege of serving the people of my community for the last 30 years in various capacities, whether as a member of the Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Comox-Strathcona regional district economic development commission, the Comox Valley school board or the chair of the Comox Valley Community Foundation. I have had the honour to serve as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Comox from 1986 to 1991 and now as the MLA for Comox Valley. I have always given 110 percent for my community and this province, and I will continue to do so to the best of my abilities.

I would like to invite my colleagues in this chamber to visit our beautiful region which, with all respect, offers natural beauty and recreational opportunities unmatched in any region of the province. The people of the valley would be happy to welcome you to our home. Come and ski Mount Washington, golf at Crown Isle or Comox or Sunnydale or Glacier Greens, relax at the Kingfisher Spa and Resort, come scuba diving, fishing or hiking and enjoy the splendours of this supernatural area.

As members will know, I have spent the last ten years in the private sector. I was enjoying myself immensely and had the pleasure of spending more time with my wife Judy and our five children. So why would I throw myself back into the den of lions? Well, it takes a lot to get me riled up, but two issues in particular were of such concern that I felt compelled to re-enter public life to address them.

One hit close to home, and that was the disgraceful treatment by the previous government of the Glacier View Lodge, which is located in my riding. This is a seniors home. I could go on at length to talk about this sorry episode, but I will say just how proud I am that the throne speech renews our government's commitment to ensure that this situation will never be repeated in any health or seniors facility owned by a charitable organization in the province of British Columbia. Our government supports volunteers.

The other overriding issue was the state of the provincial economy. I felt we had lost a sense of pride as British Columbians and the ideals of our province and our land of limitless opportunity, endless

potential and sustained prosperity. I could feel it in the Comox Valley. People were worried about the future. Kids were leaving home to get jobs outside the province. I knew I had to come back to do the best I could to help turn things around.

That's how I am here in this place today, Mr. Speaker, to respond to the Speech from the Throne for the second session of the thirty-seventh parliament. It's a very important document, this speech. It sets out a vision for the next four years and identifies the key priorities that our government will pursue as we begin our mandate. Clearly a growing, thriving private sector economy is the foundation stone on which all other priorities are built.

Creating and maintaining economic prosperity is the key to improving our quality of life as British Columbians, to funding our social programs and, I would argue, to protecting our environment as well. The throne speech lays out a comprehensive strategy to build a stronger economy, including significant tax cuts, creating a better business climate and reducing the regulatory burden significantly.

As a recent arrival from the private sector, I can tell you that these steps are just what the doctor ordered to kick-start our economic recovery in British Columbia. We already see investor confidence growing and a stronger housing sector, which are leading indicators of economic performance. As well as restoring investor confidence, we need to re-earn the people's trust.

That is why the focus on openness, transparency and accountability in the speech is so critical to me: open cabinet meetings, specific performance commitments for ministers, questions from British Columbians being brought forward in question period, tough truth-in-budgeting and balanced-budget legislation. And the list is even longer than that.

We need to open up government, and that is not only because we have 77 government MLAs in the Legislature. We need to do it because public confidence in government institutions is a precondition for everything else we want to do. People must feel involved and included in government decisions that affect their lives, and those decisions must be fair, timely and transparent.

Which brings me to my current cabinet portfolio. I was honoured when Premier Campbell entrusted me with the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management. It's a subject that is near and dear to my heart and which is critical to our government and, indeed, to all British Columbians.

I remember when the term "sustainable development" first came into vogue after the Brundtland report came out in 1987. At the time, I was the Minister of Advanced Education and Job Training and Minister Responsible for Science and Technology. I was serving a different Premier in a different party as different as the Legislature that we have today. But the fundamental challenge and opportunity of sustainable development remains the same.

I can say that all definitions of sustainability ultimately come down to the three pillars: social, economic and environmental. Too often in British Columbia we hear one-sided arguments on these issues. Some say we should maintain our environment in an absolutely pristine state, even if it means major job losses. Others argue for economic development at any cost, no matter what the environmental consequences.

We often hear that sustainability represents balance between those two extremes. In fact, the concept is far more profound than that. Sustainable development is like a living, breathing organism that affects each of us in government and in the broader society.

One of my previous experiences was to chair the Sustainable Development Committee of cabinet. We worked to diversify the British Columbia economy, to promote regional development and to support small businesses, including the environmental technology sector, which was just getting off the ground at that time. We were even starting to look at the conflict in Clayoquot Sound and work on a new process for land use planning in the province.

There has been a sea change in public opinion in the business community and the development of new technologies since those bygone years. Sustainable development has gone from being an obscure term to an emerging trend to a mainstream concept that is embraced by virtually all sectors of society. Many members will be aware that I now drive a hybrid car myself. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks after all. Judging from the jealous looks from some of my colleagues, I suspect that many of them hope to follow my example as soon as possible.

So we have seen many positive changes in the broader society, but unfortunately, government has not kept pace with the changes that are going on around us. I won't comment on the record of the previous government here. I think British Columbians passed judgment on that record on May 16. But I can tell you what my frustrations were in the private sector, which were confirmed after we took office last month, about the way government is organized today on resource management issues and how we intend to change that.

Politicians and business people often have mistaken views of each other. I know, because I've sat on both sides of that particular fence. Politicians hate to say no, especially to businesses that have projects that can create jobs in British Columbia. So when a development proposal comes along and there are environmental concerns about it, governments don't want to say no. They say: "We'll consider it, we'll review it, and we'll consult about it. We'll commission a study on it, and then we'll conduct a review of the first study if it doesn't give the answer that we want." More often than not, after six months, a year or two years, the basic concerns around the proposal are still the same as they were in the first place.

So the politician finally, reluctantly, says no, thinking that the business proponent will at least be happy that their proposal was given full and due

consideration. Meanwhile, the business person is furious. The original proposal may be dead; partners may have withdrawn from it. Financial support has often dried up, and the proponent has spent money, time, blood, sweat and tears on a proposal that probably never had a chance in the first place.

The lesson for politicians is: a business person would rather get a no in 30 days than a maybe in 12 months. Also, when the answer is yes, the business person would like some security that the answer will not be changed six months later.

That is one of the key goals of this government and the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management. We want timely, science-based decisions on land use plans, land tenures and water allocation decisions that are balanced and that will provide security of tenure. We will achieve this goal through the ministry by consolidating major resource planning decisions under the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management and by streamlining processes.

I'm also responsible for related agencies, such as B.C. Assessment, the Land Reserve Commission, the environmental assessment office and the B.C. Assets and Land Corporation.

I want to emphasize that one of my fundamental priorities with this ministry is to get British Columbia's economy moving again. We cannot continue to have promised tourism, mining, farming and energy projects being abandoned because of delays and backlogs. Premier Campbell has sent a message, loud and clear, that British Columbia is back open for business and that entrepreneurs will get fast, reliable and fair decisions on Crown land and resource applications.

There are tremendous opportunities for economic development with this new approach, but this development must respect the values of sustainability that are as much a part of British Columbia as our mountains and oceans. That's why one of my first priorities in the new ministry is to develop sustainability principles and benchmarks to guide these crucial decisions about the use of Crown land and resources.

My staff are working on draft principles as we speak, and we will be moving forward with these as quickly as possible. These principles are part of our ministry's contribution to the goals set out by Premier Campbell in the New Era document: adopt a scientifically based, principled approach to environmental management that ensures sustainability, accountability and responsibility. We campaigned on this commitment, and we intend to live up to it.

This same commitment will guide us as we consult the public and work with other agencies of government to create a working forest base. I know this issue will be controversial. My hope is that we can have a debate over the next 18 months based on science and rational argument rather than screaming headlines or emotional rhetoric.

Part of this process is transforming what I like to call the ecosystem of government so that it reflects a truer vision of sustainability. The fundamental reality of nature is holistic, cyclical, interconnected. One organism's waste is another's food. The bee pollinates the flowers in the garden. The salmon come back to spawn and die and then provide sustenance for the eagles and bears.

The traditional ecosystem of government is much different. It is a linear, closed, reactive system with isolated ministries working in silos. The Ministry of Mines supports mining development, the Ministry of Forests promotes the forest industry, and the Ministry of Environment protects clean air and water. But nobody is looking at the whole picture. We need to break down those walls and open up the doors. We need to create a new government culture, where we see land and resource management as a whole rather than looking at individual component parts.

We need strong corporate leadership to make this fundamental change, and that's where the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management fits in. You can call us the silo busters. When we see these issues from a holistic viewpoint, then we can begin to make sound, science-based decisions. I cannot overemphasize how important that is. I've been around long enough to know how contentious land management and resource allocation issues can be, from oil and gas exploration to fish farming to bear hunting.

We will always have intensive, contentious, emotional debates on these questions. But to have a constructive debate we need to start with a common set of facts, and we need to have clear, accessible and comprehensive data sources available to government, the private sector and the general public. Remember, it's our land; 93 percent of the land base of this province is Crown land. We owe it to taxpayers to provide this information in a clear, straightforward format in one central location so that it's easy for everyone to find. It sounds like a no-brainer, but in fact it's very complex.

Until now we had land registries, resource inventories, maps, land titles and legal titles scattered all over government; multiple, uncoordinated information and data management systems; conflicting ministry mandates; no leadership across government. As a management system, it wasn't effective. As a public service, it wasn't effective. To our Premier, this was quite simply unacceptable, and it led in large part to the creation of this ministry.

The Premier has initiated this change, and we will do everything we can to make it successful, starting right now. We are consolidating the vast arrays of registries that record legal rights to land, water and resources under the ministry umbrella and are integrating resource inventory information as well. That will give government the information it needs and allow us to provide better service to the public. For example, we will ensure that property buyers can get notices of potential archaeological sites on their property through the land titles office. Part of providing better public service is ensuring that

agencies are focused on serving the needs of communities rather than the needs of bureaucracies.

Again, I'm not blaming civil servants. I value the work that they do each and every day, and I have been impressed with the staff in my ministry. But we all know that large organizations can sometimes become disconnected from the needs and aspirations of local residents. I want to make sure that our agencies are seen as a constructive partner for regional economic development that supports our environmental values.

In conclusion, clearly we have a big job ahead. I don't want to pretend that these issues are easy or that there are easy answers. What we have is the commitment of the Premier and a mandate from the people of British Columbia communities, individuals and environmentalists who are eager to build a sustainable economic future.

Mr. Speaker, they say that it's better the second time around. I bring the experience and wisdom of age and the enthusiasm of youth to this project, and I look forward to working with all of you, all members of this House, over the next four years. Together, under our Premier's leadership, we can and will create a new era of hope and prosperity for the province.

B. Suffredine: On behalf of all of the people of Nelson-Creston, Mr. Speaker, I congratulate you on your election as Speaker. You bring a wealth of experience and wisdom to this position that I know will serve us well.

It's an honour to rise for the first time on behalf of the people of Nelson-Creston. My riding is a small patch of land consuming only 2,287,800 hectares. That's about 5.5 million acres if you don't count the slopes. There are some urban ridings that are as small as 800 hectares, and there are some rural ridings that are as large as 20 million hectares. The diversity of the people and regions we must serve and bring together is enormous.

For over a decade economic growth has been slow. We've watched our mines close and our forest companies struggle. More recently, jobs in my community like . Our land title office left my hometown of Nelson after 100 years as a judicial centre. In Creston, vacant storefronts dominate the main street. The stories are the same in Kaslo, New Denver, Nakusp, Salmo and Fauquier. People are struggling.

Communities in the Kootenays have tried to revitalize, but they can't do that without a vibrant provincial economy. Many reluctantly moved in search of opportunity, and many more contemplated moving. That's the way it was. The future was bleak for many British Columbians.

I stand here today excited. I'm excited because this government represents a new era of hope and opportunity. It won't be easy, but I know we can and will bring a new attitude that helps our economy to thrive.

A new wave of confidence has begun. There are challenges to new prosperity, but the critical first step has been taken. On our first day in office, this government kept its word and delivered. We delivered dramatic tax cuts. For a decade we were overcharged. It was time for a refund.

Keeping our word restores the faith of the people in the integrity of government. That faith is essential to the confidence they must have to invest in British Columbia again. They will need faith to take risks, to invest in businesses like value-added wood products, wireless Internet services, battery plates from high-quality graphite, sapphire mining, prefinished siding plants, prefabricated buildings or preserved wood post mills. I'm pleased to say that all of the opportunities I have just named are happening in the Kootenays, in Nelson-Creston. I am particularly pleased because, like the member for East Kootenay who spoke second, I have a 17-year-old son who I hope will now be able to live and work in British Columbia and not have to search elsewhere for opportunity. Because of the initiatives before this House, there is truly a new era of hope and opportunity for young people.

In the Kootenays we value the environment. Policies in forestry, environmental and wildlife management driven by science, not emotion will bring stability to industry while preserving our lifestyle. We know that to maintain our lifestyle, we depend on the forest industry. We must ensure that the rules are fair to forest companies. Tax cuts will not just give each of us more to take home; they will make us competitive and stimulate our economy. But it's not just about economics. The new era for education will set goals to achieve as well as foster creativity and individuality. Anyone who's been to Nelson knows how we value individuality.

The changes to health care will bring a focus on health planning rather than emotion. This will serve to protect the system of public health care that we hold dear rather than moving to a private or two-tiered health care system. The challenges are immense, but with patience and understanding we will meet them.

We all know that financial resources are scarce. The report of the fiscal review panel makes it clear that we must change or face a financial crisis. We must streamline government to determine what services government must deliver and which services can be delivered more efficiently another way. Our future is bright, if we have courage and act now.

In Nelson we have a project proposed called the Nelson health campus. It is an innovative concept in health care that combines our hospital, extended care and home care systems in a way that will save regional health care dollars. Unfortunately, the former government misled our community. They pretended to have committed all of the funds necessary to build it, when in fact they had only allocated enough to do the plans. I am committed to seeing it built. It is the most important project to the people of Nelson and area in decades. It is long overdue. Health is our most important asset. It may be necessary to explore all of the available options to fund or finance it. It may require a new approach and a new way of thinking. Whatever it takes, I will do.

In Erickson and Kaslo there are concerns about chlorination of their drinking water. We all want pure water, of course, but some say that chlorination is a health hazard, and other methods of assuring pure water are better. I am committed to helping those people in my riding choose a safe system that is acceptable to them. In Nakusp and Creston the communities want land for commercial opportunities. Our new era will bring greater willingness and flexibility to provide access to Crown-owned land to achieve this. I look forward to helping make that a reality for them.

Nelson has the oldest company providing Internet service in British Columbia. They are on the leading edge of technology. They are currently bringing high-speed wireless access to Nelson. This is remarkable, because it is a small market that has previously been unattractive to the larger service providers. I want to see every small community in the Kootenays and in British Columbia with high-speed access, so high-tech businesses that depend on it can locate in rural British Columbia and in the Kootenays, in particular.

Mr. Speaker, in the Kootenays we used to say, "There's no hope east of Hope," but we're in a new era. Delivering on our commitments is bringing new faith in this government and a willingness to risk new investment for the future. The courage and vision contained in the throne speech is what the people of British Columbia demanded, and you delivered. On behalf of the citizens of Nelson-Creston, thank you and congratulations.

H. Bloy: I am privileged and honoured to rise today in the Legislature of British Columbia for the first time. As I look around this chamber, I feel today the way I've always felt when I've entered this building: awestruck at the power of democracy and humbled by what a Legislature represents. Encompassed in this hall in a mythical sense is the history of our province, our country and English common law.

Democracy and freedom are great and noble concepts that should never be taken for granted, but rather protected, cherished and enriched. I hope never to lose my sense of pride and exhilaration upon entering into this chamber, as the exercise of democracy deserves no less.

I would like to congratulate you, hon. Speaker and the Deputy Speaker on your election. I am sure you will faithfully exercise your responsibilities in keeping with the highest traditions of this House. I would also like to extend my congratulations to all the members of the House on their election. It is my sincere hope that this thirty-seventh parliament of British Columbia will be marked by civility and that debate will be used to advance, improve and refine the concepts that will benefit all British Columbians. I am sure, with the assistance of our esteemed Speaker and Deputy Speaker, we will achieve these objectives.

It would be remiss of me to continue any further without acknowledging those who have preceded me. Although I am the first member for the riding of Burquitlam, I would like to honour the contributions of those before me most recently the hon. member for Port Moody Westwood and John Cashore. Obviously I have big shoes to fill.

Given that this is a new riding, I would like to take a few moments to describe the area where I have lived, worked and raised my family for the last 20 years. Simply put, Burquitlam, as the name indicates, is part Burnaby and part Coquitlam. The riding consists of northeastern Burnaby and the west side of Coquitlam. The riding is unique in that it encompasses a large portion of two thriving lower mainland municipalities. It is bounded on the north by Burrard Inlet and on the south by the Trans-Canada Highway and includes the North Road Clarke Road shopping district and the new SkyTrain station at Lougheed Mall.

It includes, on the Burnaby side, Burnaby Mountain Golf Course, Simon Fraser University and Burnaby Lake with its walking trails and yes, in the city you can actually see beavers building dams there. We have horse trails around Burnaby Lake. In the central part of Burnaby we have playing fields. We also have Burnaby Mountain Park at the foot of Simon Fraser University.

On the Coquitlam side we have part of Maillardville. We have the Vancouver Golf Club, and we have Como Lake, which is stocked with fish and has walking trails. It is an area that I'm proud to call home and am proud to represent.

We all had the privilege a few days ago to hear the Speech from the Throne. The speech is a blueprint for the recovery of this great province. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done. We know that all the province's problems cannot be resolved overnight. However, I know that there is a tremendous, pent-up reservoir of energy and willpower in this assembly, and my colleagues and I will work late into the night and well through the summer to ensure that our long trip down the road to recovery will be as swift as possible.

This government, and my participation in it, will be caring, competent and true to its word. I believe, as does every one of my colleagues, that government can and should be open and accountable. We recognize that government does not spend its own money; it spends taxpayers' money. And that money must be wisely and prudently spent, ensuring that we get the best bang for our dollar. We must create an environment where the economy can thrive and where citizens can receive the education and health care they deserve. I firmly believe in these principles, and this government firmly believes in these principles.

There is a lot of work to be done, and I do not intend to speak much longer. However, I am going to take this opportunity to make an announcement with respect to my riding. I am a great believer in volunteerism. I have volunteered my whole life. It has been my privilege to volunteer for many groups and organizations within my community, and it has always been my experience that the satisfaction and pleasure

one receives from volunteering far outweighs the input and time that one has donated. However, that is not to say that there are not frustrations in volunteering. One such frustration is that all too often governments seem to put barriers in the path of volunteer groups, rather than encouraging them. I want to change that.

I am pleased to announce that my community office, which will be located on North Road in the symbolic centre of my riding, will house a community resource centre. This room will be available free of charge to any community group or charitable organization, day and evening. It is my hope that this resource centre will not only foster and promote volunteerism in Burquitlam but also change the way the public views the community office of an MLA. I want my office to become part of the social fabric of Burquitlam. I want it to be viewed as a welcoming place, not just a place where complaints are lodged. I am excited to be able to offer this service to the riding of Burquitlam.

I must say that my first few weeks on the job have been nothing but gratifying. I have had the opportunity of assisting some of my constituents who have brought their concerns to me, and I find this most rewarding. I have had the honour to be appointed by the Premier to the Economy Committee, and I look forward to bringing my years of business experience to that task. Thankfully, we have members who are ready, willing and able to work.

Finally, I wish to thank my supporters, my volunteers and my family my wife, Anita; our children, Jeremy and Katie; and my dad for their years of support and encouragement, without which I would not have been given this wonderful opportunity to represent the people of British Columbia in the riding of Burquitlam.

I look forward to the next four years, entering this chamber and watching unfold before my very eyes the recovery of hope and prosperity for all British Columbians.

Hon. L. Reid: Mr. Speaker, may I begin by paying tribute to you and your selection to the venerable post of Deputy Speaker for this session of this Legislature. I welcome you, and I look forward to the guidance you will provide to members of this place.

I'd like to begin my remarks by paying tribute to an outstanding educator in British Columbia who regrettably passed on in a very short space of time the last number of days. Her name is Nan Millham, and she in fact fought a very courageous battle with cancer. She is one of those educators who believes fiercely in the love of children that we should honour the love of children as we go forward and she brought that to bear every day. I would certainly dedicate my remarks to her this morning.

In terms of the riding I represent, I represent the riding of Richmond East, and it has been my absolute privilege to do so over the past ten years. It's an outstanding riding. We have enormous potential. We are home to a superb biotechnology industry, to a very fine high-technology industry. If the last decade was about information technology, this decade is absolutely about biotechnology in the province of British Columbia, and Richmond East is home to some of the finest biotechnology companies you would hope to visit. Any of you certainly are welcome to visit those companies resident in the riding of Richmond East.

The individuals who have utilized the services of my constituency office over the last ten years are the essence of this job. It is important to support the constituents, the individuals who reside in every single corner of this province. That is the essence of democracy. Our role in this place, I believe, is to make government user-friendly. It must exude a sense of people and what it is to be humane and decent and kind and compassionate. This is the essence of this new Liberal administration: we will deliver for the people of this province. I have every confidence, and I know that I can rely on my colleagues in this chamber to continue that mission that my colleague from North Vancouver Seymour and I began ten long years ago.

It's absolutely wonderful to have so many members residing in the same caucus today. The hon. member who moved the throne speech yesterday repeatedly said the number 77. I am awed by the number 77. To be in a caucus of 77 individuals is the most amazing undertaking.

We will do well. We will go forward and, I believe, leave an enormous legacy in the province. It is about those who come after us. Whether you're parents today or grandparents today, this is about what this province will look like five, ten, 15 years from now. It is vitally important that we do every possible action and activity that leaves a positive impression, that we go forward to do the right thing by the people of this province. They are the taxpayers.

When we talk about health care, we talk about putting the patient first; when we talk about education, we talk about putting the student first. When we talk about governance, I think we need to talk about putting the taxpayer first. This is about understanding an enormous undertaking on behalf of the taxpayer to provide the coffers of this province with a great deal of money, well upwards of $22 billion annually. How we expend those dollars on their behalf is a sacred trust, in my view.

We need to go forward and ensure that we understand the nature of that trust and ensure that every single person who crosses the threshold of our constituency offices is treated with enormous respect. That is our mission, that is our ambition, and I think we will achieve enormous success if we always engage in the business of governance from the perspective of who, indeed, pays for that service. It is the taxpayer in the province of British Columbia, and I know you will join me, colleagues, in the sense that we need to go forward as a very humane government. I truly believe that.

My current role as the Minister of State for Early Childhood Development is an area that speaks very clearly to me as an educator. I began my career as a teacher in this province more than 20 years ago, I can

tell you now, and there have been opportunities for us to do better by the younger citizens of this province to prepare them better for their days of entry into school. The notion that somehow learning begins at age five is a myth. We have every opportunity, frankly, from pre-conception, from when women in this province are anticipating becoming pregnant, to ensure that those babies that will be born have the greatest opportunity. We have the opportunity to do that, and I think we also have the obligation to that. We need to go forward and ensure that every single child in this province has a decent start in life. We wouldn't expect less for our own children, for our grandchildren, for the children of our neighbours.

We need to move to the philosophy, to the understanding, that this is indeed about accepting the notion that it does take a village to raise a child. We are in a collective village, whether it's your riding, whether it's your region, whether it's the GVRD, whether it's the province. Each and every one of us has a responsibility to move forward putting children at the top of our agenda. That is certainly Premier Campbell's ambition: that this is about the kids.

We are here because of the children of this province. What we leave for the children of this province is up to us. How we proceed is up to us. I can tell you, it's an opportunity and an honour to be the first-ever Minister of State for Early Childhood Development. It says to me that this issue is profoundly important to this administration. I can tell you, I believe in it very, very sincerely.

The accord that went forward September 11, 2000, was an opportunity for the first ministers of this country unfortunately, with the exception of Quebec . All the other first ministers in this country went forward and said: "Early childhood development in the country is something all of us need to address."

I want to share with you the basic tenets of the accord, because I think it's vitally important and will frame for you the work that I hope to do in the next four years, in terms of reaching across government to ensure that every ministry has a sense of how important it is to ensure the nurturing of the zero-to-five, zero-to-six population. I'm going to quote for you from the communiqu from the first minister's meeting of September 11, 2000, in Ottawa:

"First ministers affirm their commitment to the well-being of children by setting out their vision of early childhood development as an investment in the future of Canada. Canada's future social vitality and economic prosperity depend on the opportunities that are provided to children today.

"First ministers recognize that parents and families play the primary role in supporting and nurturing children. Communities, business, non-profit organizations, professional networks, associations, volunteers and governments also make key contributions to the well-being of children. Governments have shown leadership by taking steps to address key children's issues in their jurisdictions, individually and in partnership."

"Four key areas for action. To meet the objectives set out above, first ministers agree on four key areas for action. Governments' efforts within this framework will focus on any or all of these areas. They will build on the priority that governments have placed on early childhood development and the investments that government has already made."

"1. Promote healthy pregnancy, birth and infancy. Prenatal birth and infancy experiences have a profound effect on the health and well-being of infants and children and contribute to continuing good health. This priority addresses needs related to the prenatal, birth and infancy periods and includes supports for pregnant women, new parents, infants and care providers. Possible examples are prenatal programs and information, and infant screening programs.

"2. Improve parenting and family supports. Parents and families have the primary responsibility for the care of their children. This priority addresses the needs related to positive parenting and includes supports for parents and caregivers. Possible examples are family resource centres, parent information and home visiting."

Our government understands this tenet very clearly, which is why we will move very quickly to ensure that parents are welcome in the schools of this province vitally important. We need to ensure that same sentiment extends to programs in place for children who are zero to six years of age.

"3. Strengthen early childhood development, learning and care. Quality early childhood development, learning and care have been shown to promote physical, language and motor skills, and social, emotional and cognitive development. This priority includes supports that promote healthy development, provide opportunities for interaction and play, help prepare children for school and respond to the diverse and changing needs of families. Possible examples include preschools, child care and targeted development programs for young children."

The last one is "Strengthen community supports." That was my reference to all of us participating in it. It takes a village to educate a child, or it takes a village to raise a child. The document suggests that communities make key contributions to the well-being of children through formal and informal networks.

"This priority includes supports to strengthen community capacity, to meet the needs of children and families from a healthy community perspective. Possible examples include supports for community-based planning and service integration."

That's the basic tenet of the accord. It is something that will guide my work as we move forward in the next four years. When they talk about building community capacity, it's not to suggest that there's a one-size-fits-all proposition for any of this discussion. It's to suggest that individuals and communities know best what will work for their community. How Burnaby-Willingdon builds capacity may be dramatically different than North Vancouver Seymour, which may be dramatically different from the rural corners of this province.

The work that will be done will be evaluated and will, I believe, add to the existing body of research that we have on early childhood development. It's all vitally important work, and it's work that I think we can be extremely proud of in British Columbia. One of the lead researchers in this area is Dr. Clyde Hertzman from the University of British Columbia. His work on children entering the school system in terms of examining their developmental health, their readiness to learn, hasn't been done in this province. We have moved on a number of initiatives in the past without the science. For us to have good, solid science from which to proceed is absolutely the goal.

That's the goal for government not just for the Ministry of State for Early Childhood Development but for government. Whether it's land, water, air protection or whether it's sustainable resource management, we will proceed from the basis of science. There is good science available. There are a number of very fine studies in the areas of early childhood development, and I will share them very quickly with my colleagues as we go forward.

We're also very privileged in the province of British Columbia to have Dr. Fraser Mustard, a physician for more than 26 years who had an intense research interest in children, work with us. He has taken that forward across this country and has guided many Premiers in terms of how to develop programs for early childhood. Most recently in the province of Manitoba and very recently, within the last number of weeks, they have launched their proposal in terms of how they will go forward. In Ontario he co-authored the study in 1999 that, frankly, framed the discussion for Premier Harris.

There are opportunities for us to learn from other provinces in terms of what has been done before enormous opportunities. New Brunswick and the maritime provinces have some wonderful programming in place for early childhood development. We have all the building blocks in the province. We have the foundation documents. We have the science. We have the researchers. We have the educators. What we need is a commitment, the human resolve to do the right thing for this province's youngest citizens.

I believe we have that. I think we have a tremendous mandate to go forward. I think that when there are 77 members of the Legislature in the province and a Premier who has stated that this is an incredible priority, we will make tremendous gains over the next number of years. There's a lovely saying in the area of early childhood development that says: "Take a mom or dad by the heart. Take a child by the hand." Can we do that? Can we ensure that parents feel well-supported, that children have the opportunity to do well in their lives? This isn't just about doing well in grade 1 or doing well in grade 12. This is about whether we have done the right thing to ensure that children will have job opportunities, that they will be educated citizens, that they will be able to go forward and make some contribution as citizens of this province.

This is a long-term plan; this is ten, 15, 20 years. When the children who were born in the year 2000 cross a threshold in the year 2005 and enter their first kindergarten classroom, we want . I have colleagues opposite who have brand-new babies as well. We want the children of this province to have opportunity not just your child, hon. member, or mine to move forward so that they indeed can have some choices. Liberalism is about choice. This is about choice for children.

We don't want children's opportunities to be constrained by their very early development, and yet that is exactly what the research tells us. If you do not provide opportunities for very young children, how they interact cognitively, socially in terms of communications skills . If you hamper that learning in the very early ages, they indeed will not have the same opportunities as you and me. That has to be an issue that we take forward and hopefully do some very good things with.

One of the best pieces of research I can invite my colleagues to take a look at is called From Neurons to Neighbourhoods. It's all about the development of neurons within the brain that indeed allow for decent, healthy development in children. It suggests the notion of my comments to you this morning that it does take a village to raise a child. They're talking about how you take that very early development of a child and ensure that the community, the neighbourhood, builds sufficient capacity to support that. It's vitally important.

Each of us in our ridings has a glorious opportunity to ensure that when early childhood development people pick up the phone and give you a call, you go visit their facility, and you go visit the kinds of programs they have in place. It's been an area that has, frankly, been neglected in the last number of years in this province, if not the last ten years. There has been new interest, new focus in the last year or two in terms of research on how important this is. So this is our opportunity. This is our time as a Legislature, as a province, as an administration, as a government. This is our time to go forward.

We're well supported in terms of research. We're well supported, I believe, in terms of human resolve on this question. We absolutely believe that this can be done. So I invite you all to certainly take a look at the research, and you're welcome to visit me at any time and see if we can go forward.

One of the other areas that I know parents have enormous concern about is bullying in the schools. One of the most lovely programs I've come across is the work of Mary Gordon. Mary Gordon has child development parenting centres, and she has a program called Roots of Empathy. Some of you may recall that it appeared on the front pages of the Vancouver Sun very close to election time. So it was a number of weeks ago. What it does is introduce very young babies into

The notion is that if you can instruct children in a sense of vulnerability if you can show them a very young baby, a month of age, two months of age, all the way to a year old you are in fact building their capacity to have some generosity of spirit, some kindness, and when it comes to seeing, perhaps, a younger student being bullied on a playground, they will actually intervene; they will actually take some responsibility and not allow that transgression, that behaviour, to continue.

It's a lovely program. Mary is from Toronto. She has done some work with the Vancouver school system over the last year or year and a half, probably. There is a pilot project underway at Strathcona Elementary School in Vancouver. It is something that I'm hoping we can put in place to deliver to various communities in this province, because it's about conscience. It's about kids having an understanding of how their actions impact on the actions of others, on the lives of others. It certainly ties into the work that the Minister of State for Mental Health will do.

There are many, many children today in schools who are absolutely terrified of being there, whose mental health and clinical health is at risk for fear of being bullied. We have some glorious opportunities to do some things for those kids so that all schools in our province can be safe and secure places to learn. We want children to be good learners; we absolutely want them to be engaged in the exercise of learning. We don't want them distracted by all these other issues that take away from their very positive learning time.

So again, I'm happy to share with any of my colleagues the work of Mary Gordon, the Roots of Empathy program. Those of you who represent Vancouver ridings will have the opportunity, I hope, to visit some of the schools where that program will be in place. It's worth pursuing as parents. It's worth knowing about. So if there are ways for us to take that message forward, I certainly think we should do that.

In terms of the framework for early childhood development and why it's vitally important, I want to put on the record just a couple of comments on the components of early childhood development in parenting centres, which is the work of Fraser Mustard, but it certainly touches on the work of Mary Gordon as well parent support, play-based problem-solving, learning, guiding by early educators and parents and things that we can all do in our communities.

We can encourage the creation of toy- and resource-lending libraries. We have libraries for books; we don't have a great deal of toy-lending libraries in the province. Imagine being a parent who isn't in a financial position to purchase a toy for their child. The ability to go to a facility somewhere in the riding and have that material available to them that they can borrow and return when their child outgrows it is a wonderful thing, a very inexpensive endeavour, something all of us could encourage the creation of in our ridings. It would make a dramatic difference in the neural development of kids. This is about increasing their cognitive levels. They need that kind of appropriate material and equipment to get to the very best place they can be.

Prenatal and postnatal supports. We have, I think, an opportunity to do some very good things around fetal alcohol syndrome. We must intervene pre-conception. We must ensure that women who are considering pregnancy have the very best information available. If we can reduce even by one the number of babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome, we will have improved the quality of life 100 percent. This is a completely preventable tragedy something that's completely preventable. The cost to our economy, the cost to our tax base, the cost to that little person's life: enormous.

There is now tremendous support in the western provinces. There's a northern and prairie initiative that hopefully will be well supported so that we can learn from what other provinces have done in terms of going forward on these questions. This is early childhood development at its nucleus. This is ensuring that babies are born healthy in the province of British Columbia. It is about investing in the future health and well-being of this province.

This is an economic question. The work of the Vancouver Board of Trade . Investing in childhood and early childhood is good public policy. They believe that, and they've got the business community on side in the city of Vancouver to take forward that message, not just receive the report. They authored the report, and they took it forward and shared it with corporations and communities across this province. We have tremendous support in the corporate world to take this issue forward, and I can assure you that we will do our absolute best to continue to build the profile of early childhood development in British Columbia.