Hansard -- Volume 2, Number 7 -- Tuesday, July 31, 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		1400

Oral Questions
	Budget and air quality protection measures	1405
	J. Kwan
	Budget and child care funding	1415
	J. MacPhail
	Immigration services funding	1420
	R. Nijjar

Tabling Documents		1420
	Vancouver Board of Trade task force document, Investing in Our Children Is Good Policy

Budget Debate
	J. MacPhail	1425
	Hon. S. Santori	1505
	P. Sahota	1530
	P. Bell	1535
	T. Christensen	1550
	B. Locke	1610
	R. Nijjar	1620
	D. Hayer	1635
	G. Trumper	1655
	A. Hamilton	1710
	W. McMahon	1720
	E. Brenzinger	1730
	Hon. S. Bond	1740

Royal assent to bills		1750
	Supply Act (No. 2), 2001 (Bill 6)

J. MacPhail: It's my pleasure to welcome a former MLA from the seat that I now hold: a former Attorney General, Alex Macdonald, who has joined us in the chamber today. I would ask the House to please make him welcome.

Hon. R. Neufeld: It is my pleasure today to introduce a gentleman who spent quite a bit of time in this House. Mr. Tom Waterland, from 1975 to 1986, held the portfolio of Energy and Mines and a number of others. I would like the House to make him truly welcome.

M. Hunter: Today is my first opportunity to introduce a guest from the fair city of Nanaimo to this sitting of the Legislature: Ms. Delphine Charmley, who is an expert in foster parenting. I'd like the House to make her very welcome.

I. Chong: Last week the member for Vancouver-Hastings made a brief introduction with regard to the provincial Little League championships held in Trail. Today I'd like to make an announcement that the winners of the provincial championship are the Gordon Head Little League, in the riding that I represent. I know we wish them well as they proceed to the Canadian championships. Two years ago they did win the Canadian championship and went all the way to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. I hope the House will please send them on their way with good and hearty congratulations from all of us.

B. Penner: I have the privilege today of making two introductions. First of all, joining me today for lunch was a constituent of mine, Mr. Clint Marvin from Chilliwack. Also, I would like to join the opposition member in welcoming Alex Macdonald, QC, to the Legislature. I think many people know he has made a significant contribution to British Columbia. He served as a member in this House from 1960 to 1986, and he frequently reminds me that I have many more years to go until I reach his total years of service of 26 years. Will the House, again, please make these two people welcome.

Hon. L. Reid: I have two lovely young women visiting in the gallery today. One is my niece Michelle Greig, and she's accompanied by her friend Carrie Stewart. I'd ask the House to please make them welcome.

L. Mayencourt: It is my pleasure to introduce several guests in the gallery today. First, Mr. John Kerr, a resident of Vancouver, a mining engineer who has been responsible for introducing me to that industry very well. I am also introducing Mr. Alan Johnson, the president of the Zero Emission Coal Alliance and a former president of the Canadian Coal Association. In a previous incarnation Mr. Johnson was the Member of Parliament for Calgary North. I also want to welcome Mr. Warner Gruenwald of Vernon, a geologist, and his wife Mrs. Gruenwald. Would the House please make them welcome.

Hon. G. Halsey-Brandt: It's a great pleasure for me to introduce a couple of guests in the gallery this afternoon. The first is Hilda Ward, who has been the executive assistant to the mayor of Richmond for a number of years and remains as such; and secondly, Mr. Willie Laurie, who was with the RCMP in Richmond and is now with E Division in downtown Vancouver. Please welcome them today.

A. Hamilton: It's my pleasure to introduce Jim King, a member of the Esquimalt council. I would ask the House to make him welcome.

J. Kwan: Recently the provincial health officer released a report that said clean air was critical to the health of British Columbians. The BCMA agrees, and last June they called on the government to reduce air pollutants. Yesterday this government made a big deal around tax cuts that cause the most pollution, including SUVs. At the same time, they cut funding for programs to reduce fossil fuel pollution. To the Minster of Water, Land and Air Protection — which actually sounds like "earth, wind and fire" protection….

In the election campaign the Premier promised a scientifically based, principled approach to environmental management. Can the minister tell British Columbians on what scientific- and principle-based approach their government has decided to cut programs to reduce fossil fuel pollutants?

Hon. J. Murray: There is a difference between the approach of the previous government and this government to environmental protection, and I would characterize….

Hon. J. Murray: There were layers of red tape, bureaucracy and paralysis. In my government, we're looking at results-based…and an approach that's based on science.

I want to point out that the previous government did nothing to prevent the Sumas 2 power plant. They ramped up the Burrard Thermal to record levels. Your government gave a $25 million loan to a company to

place a theme park in Burns Bog. Your government believed in environmental management by rhetoric and press releases, and my government believes in real action and real results.

J. Kwan: Actually, minister, your record from yesterday's budget does nothing for the environment. What it does is promote SUVs, pollutants, when everybody else across the province, across the country, except for Mike Harris…. Yes. Today our Premier and the Premier of Ontario had a private meeting. I wonder if they discussed the air quality crisis in Toronto that has resulted from the cuts by that government to the environment, which we're emulating right now in British Columbia.

Yesterday the government also cut greenhouse gas emission programs that are the principal cause of global warming. Just last week 180 countries had signed off on the Kyoto agreement. We're moving in a world trend to ensure that there is reduction in air pollutants. Can the minister please explain to British Columbians why the province is moving in the opposite direction from the rest of the global community by increasing fossil fuel pollution and cutting climate change–pollutant programs?

Hon. G. Collins: I'd encourage the member opposite to continue reading the great news that came out in the economic and fiscal update yesterday. The minister is correct, because this is a government that works and delivers, and doesn't just talk and chat and advertise. The programs the member refers to — talk about more talk, more talk, more talk. If she turns to page 72, she'll find out that, in fact, what we did in this budget was double the tax rebate for low-emission vehicles in British Columbia from $500 to $1,000 and from $5,000 to $10,000 for low-emission buses as well.

If she reads a little further down the page, she'll find out that we actually provide an exemption for PuriNOx to reduce particulate matter from diesel fuel by a huge amount. We're delivering; we're doing real things. She just wants to talk about it.

Mr. Speaker: A further supplemental for the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant.

J. Kwan: What the government is not telling us about, in the budget book, are the programs that they have cut. We're talking about in comparison to tens of thousands of dollars that they have made reductions in, in terms of environmental programs and promoting SUVs, the most significant air pollutants for British Columbia.

Clearly, this minister is not listening to those concerned about air quality and climate change, and science isn't playing a role in the decisions that affect our environment. To the Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection: who is really making the decisions that affect our air quality? Is it the Automobile Dealers Association, whose previous president is now the secretary to Treasury Board? Is it the oil and gas industry? Is it the vehicle manufacturers? Can the minister tell the House what commitments she's made to big polluters, many of whom are top Liberal donors, to further reduce environmental standards and increase fossil fuel pollution?

Hon. G. Collins: Actually, I took the advice from the member for Nelson-Creston — not the current one but the previous one, Corky Evans — who used to wax poetic in this House about all sorts of issues. I'd like to quote for the members opposite what he said about the surtax on vehicles in British Columbia. He spoke of the party becoming urban-based and lower mainland–based, losing touch with its once-close regional ties. He illustrated the point by saying: "The government spends millions on subsidizing SkyTrain in Vancouver while putting a luxury tax on pickup trucks that people in the north and other areas of the province depend on to get to work."

There's more, Mr. Speaker. There's more. It goes on to say that he promised to get rid of the tax if he was elected Premier. That's another broken NDP promise. We're delivering what they promised.

J. MacPhail: Eventually this government is going to have to come clean about its own actions. They no longer will be able to turn back the clock and refer to matters that they take completely out of context.

Let's refer to a matter that only they can be accountable for, no one else. This is entirely the making of the B.C. Liberals in the last day. Today the Minister of State for Women's Equality had the dubious responsibility, probably was forced, given the job, to explain to families with kids why her government decided to put child care completely at risk in the budget, to cut child care. Can the Minister of State for Women's Equality stand up and give us a very specific answer — it's a technical answer; it's not a political answer — and inform the House how much the expansion of child care that they cut would have saved a family earning $60,000 a year with one child, one toddler, and how that compares to the tax cut that the same family gets from this budget?

Hon. L. Stephens: Yesterday we saw the fiscal update, and it was very, very clear that this province has to get its financial house in order. The previous government's child care initiative was simply too expensive, and it was simply unsustainable. This government is committed to child care. Our new-era commitment is very clear: we're going to target child care funding to the families who need it the most.

We are going to be going out and consulting with parents and with child care providers across the province, not just in the lower mainland, to determine

what plan and what program should be put in place that will address the serious issues that parents and child care providers face in this province. We're going to be looking at early intervention, and we're going to be looking at the infant and toddler programs that are the most expensive and the most difficult to access. I will be working closely with my colleague the Minister for Early Childhood Development, and we are going to be formulating a plan that is integrated and suits the needs and certainly addresses the issues that face parents and child care providers in the province.

J. MacPhail: When the minister does that, she'll find all that work has already been done, and every single family in this province who has children in child care says that child care is their number one priority.

The minister didn't answer the question, but the fact remains that families with children in day care lose big-time in this budget. Let me provide the answer for her: the child care programs that this government sacrificed to pay for a corporate tax cut would have saved a family earning $60,000 a year with a child in toddler care $500 a month. That same family's savings from this government's tax cut is about $95 per month. It seems to me that as a result of yesterday's budget, that family has lost about $405 per month because of this Liberal government's budget.

Will the minister rise today and admit that middle-income families with children who require child care are worse off financially as a result of the Liberals' budget?

Hon. L. Stephens: The member opposite just doesn't get it. What we have done is not follow through with the funding for this year's budget in child care. That funding has been reallocated to early childhood development programs.

What I would suggest to the members opposite is that they do their homework and that they come into this House prepared to ask the questions that are relevant to the people of British Columbia.

J. MacPhail: If the minister won't actually answer my question or those of the citizens of British Columbia who have children in child care, maybe she'll answer the question to the people that they feel absolutely compelled to represent, the board of trade. She said earlier today that child care was too expensive for government. But even the Premier's friends, the board of trade, have gone on record in support of universal child care — not targeted child care, not for the poor and the disadvantaged that they feel compelled to patronize, but universal child care…

J. MacPhail: … is what the board of trade says, because they recognize it as a critical investment in our economy. How is it that universal child care that benefits everyone equally…

J. MacPhail: …and is good for the economy — so says the board of trade…? How is it that that's too expensive for this government…

Hon. L. Stephens: This government has been accused of being in bed with big business for some time. I think we have shown quite clearly that when it comes to the services for people in the province — particularly those parents who provide and depend on safe, affordable and flexible child care — this government is prepared to act in the best interests of those parents and the child care providers to find the best solution for the families in British Columbia.

R. Nijjar: My question is for the Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services. The federal government has cut funding to immigration settlement services by $3.8 million for this fiscal year. People in my riding of Vancouver-Kingsway and in the ridings surrounding it were greatly affected by such cuts. My question is to the minister.

Will he confirm today that such cuts will definitely have a negative impact on the immigrants in B.C., and what exactly will those negative effects be?

Hon. G. Abbott: The question is an important one. About three weeks ago I had an opportunity to meet with immigration services providers and ESL providers from throughout the province. This is a very important and very difficult issue for them. Certainly I can confirm that the federal grant for these services has been cut by $3.8 million for the current year. That is a reflection of British Columbia's proportion of Canadian immigrants going down. I think there are a couple of people here, among others, we can thank for that — for reducing the economic climate here in British Columbia.

So it is a difficult problem for them. I am going to work with those immigrant service societies and ESL providers to find a solution. Fortunately, the consolidated revenue fund has assisted by picking up $1.8 million of the shortfall.

J. MacPhail: I'd like to table a document from the Vancouver Board of Trade task force on early childhood development and child care, Investing In Our Children Is Good Public Policy.

Hon. G. Collins: By prior agreement, the member for Vancouver-Hastings gave up her spot this morning after adjourning debate yesterday. I'd like to offer leave of the House to grant her the right to speak at this point in time.

J. MacPhail: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I adjourned my remarks yesterday, and I appreciate the opportunity to continue those remarks.

I hope the members of the Legislature can recall the comments that I started with yesterday, wishing them well in their task as they move forward on their very, very ambitious plan for the economy.

Today is the completion of the first full day of contemplation of the Liberal budget. I think it's important that we examine how it stands up to what was promised to British Columbians over the course of the last several months, perhaps even the last several years, by this now-government.

I think it's safe to say that most British Columbians examined the Liberal New Era document and believed the document when it suggested it would take a balanced approach to everything it has done. The Premier in early days of office also promised a balanced approach. He was challenged greatly on this as he went through appointing his various committees that were really unrepresentative of the public at large. The Premier promised: "Even though I'm seeking advice from a narrow range of people, I promised a balanced approach. I will take it upon myself to have that balanced approach."

I think this budget yesterday, the Liberal budget…. Even though they want to resist this terribly, Mr. Speaker, from now on they must take responsibility for their actions. Let's look at what was actually promised. Will it now be a new era of prosperity for everyone? Will the new era have everybody all on an upward trend toward a better quality of life? Will the trickle-down economics upon which this budget is completely based serve everyone fairly and equally?

Well, I hope so, but there are those that might suggest otherwise. I know it's hard to accept so early on in the days of this Liberal government, but there were substantial notes of concern after yesterday. There were questions raised about the budget and the direction of the government — surprisingly so, because we all acknowledge that this government received an overwhelming mandate.

Why were there questions raised yesterday? Why were there people raising concerns about what this budget may bring about? Why were there even some suggesting that the budget exposes the Liberals' real three Rs, that the budget is risky, radical and reckless? You know, maybe even their own words contributed to the three Rs that are arising out of the budget.

Maybe people out there who are saying the budget is risky, radical and reckless may have come to that conclusion because of the words of their own members. I'll just read one or two quotes about why the public became so intensely concerned about deficit financing, why the public believes that deficits are bad and why yesterday's $1.5 billion deficit raised concerns around the three Rs — risky, radical and reckless.

From March 30, 1998: "I think the members opposite should pay attention to this one. Let's start with the principles which the people of Alberta expect their government to follow. 'Remain fiscally responsible. Don't ever run a deficit again.'" That was from the current Minister of Finance. That was what he promised British Columbians in 1998. Those were his words that I just quoted.

Let's hear what he said about two years later. This is the current Minister of Finance addressing the budget of the day:

"Those are the kinds of choices this government has made over the last number of years, and British Columbians — you have to understand — are very upset when they see a budget that's going to increase the deficit by well over…$1 billion….Total debt is going up by almost $3 billion — $3 billion in new debt this year. People ask themselves: 'Are they spending the money wisely?' If the past is any indication, clearly they haven't been spending the money wisely, and it's unlikely that they will in the future."

J. MacPhail: Just wait, because it may not be exactly the message that you think you're going to receive. I have said clearly, and say again today, that I wish you well, and I do. But the fact of the matter is that the whole public was set on a tone — one on which I actually didn't disagree with the minister opposite now — that you should only spend what you have and that increasing debt needs to be managed.

The current minister said that a billion-dollar deficit is awful, and increasing debt by $3 billion in one year is awful. Well, what's changed? What's changed in the ideology of the Liberal government — that deficits are okay now? What's changed that increasing debt by $3

billion is okay? That's just a question that the Minister of Finance will answer to the public over the course of the coming months — just a checklist for us to keep in mind as the success of this budget, a made-in-Liberal-caucus budget, unfolds over the course of the coming months. It's just a question for the public to have in their mind — that's all.

I think we can probably set up a checklist, as we wish this government well as they move forward. Let's set up a checklist of what we can look for in improvement. What can we look for that we'll see as indicators of success? I'm going to propose a checklist that British Columbians can use, that they can take with them and watch over the course of the coming months, that they monitor the budget by.

The first one I've mentioned is the deficit. The forecast of growth for the year 2002 is 3.8 percent. Pretty much everybody said yesterday that that was very optimistic. I certainly hope it's what's delivered — 3.8 percent. It's much beyond what the fiscal review panel and the Economic Forecast Council offered. It's much beyond what eminent economists like David Bond and Michael Levy have suggested is possible. And it certainly is much beyond what one would expect, given the growing concern around the U.S. economy.

You may remember that just as recently as last Friday, the first-quarter growth for the U.S. economy on an annualized basis was 0.7 percent. Fifty percent of our trade is with the U.S., so that's a concern that we need to watch. Certainly, if we watch the Asian economies, the downturn in Southeast Asia, Japan and China…. The economic forecasts are on the downturn. Again, we do about 30 percent of our trade with the Asian economy. We'll just have to keep that in mind. The optimistic forecast…. We'll see whether that actually proves…. Of course, the deficit itself will disappear as the economy grows. So says the Minister of Finance. We'll just have to keep a very close watch on the optimism.

I know that the Minister of Finance is very familiar with optimistic forecasts, because he challenged past forecasts with a vitriol that was exceptional. He never turned out to be right — his challenges never turned out to be right — but he certainly was extremely concerned about overly optimistic forecasts and what that meant in terms of fudging numbers and all of that. He always turned out to be wrong. So I'm hoping, Mr. Speaker, in this particular case, that he doesn't once again turn out to be wrong, as he has in the past.

There is another way to monitor deficits, and that's by leaving the current Budget Transparency and Accountability Act on the books. It's a much stronger piece of legislation than what was introduced yesterday. It actually requires governments, each and every year, to reduce the deficit — no choice. It actually says that next year the deficit has to go down — the year after that, the year after that. Instead, that legislation is being repealed and replaced by a piece of legislation that was introduced yesterday by the Campbell government. It is called — let's just get it correct — the Balanced Budget and Ministerial Accountability Act.

Now, even though the government currently has a balanced budget before it, it's not promising to balance its own books until the year 2004-05. That means, I guess…. What? Is it February of 2004 or February of 2005? Anyway, it's a long way down the road, Mr. Speaker. They're going to repeal the legislation that actually requires them to reduce the deficit each year. In fact, British Columbians could be faced with deficits of a magnitude of $1.5 billion, $2 billion, $3 billion each and every year until the year 2004, because they've replaced solid, substantive legislation with the watered-down, weak version that allows them to run deficits for another three or four years.

Certainly, we can't use that legislation, the new Liberal legislation, to monitor deficit reduction, which is unfortunate. I think British Columbians, when they understand the legislation, will feel worse off as a result of that.

The next area on our checklist that we can monitor is investment. I really do hope that the capital strike that did occur in this province ends. It was even acknowledged by the Vancouver Sun that the doom and gloom of the Liberal then-opposition every single day contributed to a capital strike and to a smaller growth of investment than perhaps if they hadn't had such doom and gloom. But let's use investment in the province as a checklist for how well the budget will serve us.

I know that investors in Chicago, Montreal, New York and Toronto worry greatly about several things in this province. They didn't worry about the debt. They worried about the uncertainty in the province, first and foremost, around land use. When one actually travels the thousands of miles away from British Columbia to New York, the investment houses don't take into account the terribly partisan sniping of an opposition that did everything they possibly could to destroy the economic outlook in a province, when the Liberals were in opposition. They don't worry about that. What they do worry about is the certainty that's brought forward by a government.

What they asked each and every day was: "When will you settle land claims? How is the treaty process going?" We would give an update on that, and they would say: "Okay, that's good. There is a process in place, land use plans are in place, and land claims are high on the agenda — a priority for settlement." As we monitor investment, Mr. Speaker, we will watch the uncertainty that is brought forward. The risk and ambiguity that this government is advertising as the state that the province will be in is risk and ambiguity brought upon by themselves. On the one hand, they offer no hope through partnership with first nations, and on the other hand, they challenge first nations at each and every turn about their right to have land use certainty in this province.

I predict that this unbelievable, intransigent insistence by this government to proceed with the referendum on minority aboriginal rights will do more

to drive away investment than anything could have in the previous ten years, but I'm willing to put it on the checklist. Let's just add it to the checklist of how we can judge the Liberals' budget: investment in this province.

Another item on the checklist should be disposable income. That's one that the Liberals themselves have touted. We'll look at disposable income as it unfolds. We'll look at a family who just today is down $405 per month if they have one child, and if they have two children they're down almost $1,000 per month because of the cuts this government has made to universal child care. Even when you take the tax cuts given to families who earn $60,000 a year….

You say: "Here's your tax cut, Mr. and Mrs. Sidhu. But you know what? Your toddler…. I'm sorry. We're going to take back that $500 a month that the previous government gave you for your child care costs, so you know what? You're actually going to have to reach into your pocket, Mrs. Sidhu, and put $425 more of your own money out on expenditures." That's as a result of this Liberal budget. Let's see how it unfolds, and we'll keep disposable income on the checklist.

The other part of disposable income that we can look at is energy costs that families pay in their homes. Let's see what's going to happen to those energy costs. I know that this government has promised major reform to B.C. Hydro, and we await it. Certainly there was nothing in the budget yesterday. I expect that as open and accountable as this government promises to be, we'll see something about what their plans are, because they have the whole world aflutter about how they're going to change B.C. Hydro. So let's see what that does to the energy costs of the average family.

And let's see what happens to car insurance. Families in this province have had their car insurance rates frozen and in some cases reduced over the last six years — each and every one of the last six years. But we know that this government is going to open up ICBC to greater competition. The business community is all agog about what that will mean for them. It may be great for private insurance companies offshore, but let's see what it means for working families in terms of their disposable income as we monitor the budget.

Housing costs. We have certainly had a crisis in housing in the lower mainland and in Victoria because of the leaky-condo crisis. I know that many, many families in the greater Vancouver area and the greater Victoria area have suffered greatly because of the leaky-condo crisis. I know it's the one area that Premier Campbell couldn't criticize us for during the election and said that the New Democrats had done a good job of — the leaky-condo crisis. Of course, that's because he didn't want to offer any greater solutions of his own, so we can fully expect that there'll be absolutely nothing more done for families facing the crisis of the leaky condos.

More importantly, we'll have to monitor it to see whether the gains made by families facing the crisis of leaky condos are taken away — whether the homeowner protection office is destroyed by this government — or radically reduced. Maybe that's why people think the budget was so radical. So we'll have to monitor that too, Mr. Speaker.

Another item I would add to the checklist to see the progress of this government is quality of life. Earlier the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant asked a question of this government, which they refused to answer, about the provincial health goals and how this government, with its actions in the budget yesterday, was in any way going to be able to deliver on provincial health goals when they were cutting environmental protection programs and when they were really increasing the use, or misuse, of SUVs.

I know that the Minister of Finance stood up and said: "My gosh, we doubled the tax credit for fuel-efficient vehicles to $1,000 from $500. Isn't that wonderful news?" In fact, there will be maybe a couple of hundred thousand dollars returned to owners of fuel-efficient vehicles. What will be returned to car dealers in the way of reduced taxes on SUVs and gas-guzzling vehicles is tens of millions of dollars.

It's not a mixed message; it's not a mixed message at all. They have clearly sided with Mr. Paul Taylor, now chair of Treasury Board, former head of the Automobile Dealers' Association, who lobbied vigorously to have less tax paid on gas guzzlers. Now he's in charge. He got his way: tens of millions of dollars in tax reductions for large gas-guzzling vehicles. And the Minister of Finance stands up and says: "Oh, but look at the good work we did on the maybe $100,000 we'll return to people who drive fuel-efficient vehicles."

Let's monitor that. Maybe he's right. Maybe the great work of giving back tens of millions of dollars — thank you, Paul Taylor — to automobile dealers will be as balanced as the tens of thousands of dollars they return to families who buy a fuel-efficient vehicle. So we'll put that on our checklist.

Buy B.C. program: one of the most successful programs in all of North America not only for encouraging the purchase of local produce but for encouraging healthy eating. Mr. Speaker, I don't know whether you remember those ads; they were only on just a few months ago. Those ads of Buy B.C. not only encouraged me, my son, my neighbours, to buy locally grown produce, but they also said the reason for doing that is because it makes you healthier. They were great. And it actually worked.

Anyway, Buy B.C. is gone now — gone. No encouragement for buying local produce and no encouragement of a healthy lifestyle by eating local produce. And of course Share B.C., the program that sustained food banks throughout the year…. That's a program where people could actually donate when they bought groceries at Thrifty's or Safeway or Overwaitea. The government would match that contribution, and food banks would get that money and sustain themselves. That program's gone as of January 2002.

It's one that the media haven't managed to add to their checklist of cuts that this government has made. But in January 2002, five months from now, that program's gone, and poor people and food banks will

be much worse off. Let's add that to the checklist. Let's just see how food banks survive this budget.

Other health goals for quality of life. Positive and supportive living and working conditions in all of our communities: that's goal No. 1. Let's see what the government will do for working conditions for working people. I know that they're reviewing the employment standards branch, the human rights branch, the Labour Relations Board, the tenants' rights branch. I know all of those are under review. We'll certainly have to watch that carefully in terms of quality of life.

Opportunities for all individuals to develop and maintain the capacities and skills needed to thrive and meet life's challenges and to make choices that enhance health. Well, isn't that interesting? One of the cuts that was hidden yesterday — but that we know about even though this government refused to announce it — was to programs that moved people from welfare to work, which were very useful for young people. So there's goal No. 2 that we'll have to watch very carefully, because the cuts to this government seem to undermine that goal.

Goal No. 3: a diverse and sustainable physical environment with clean, healthy and safe air, water and land. Well, isn't that interesting? Yes. Yesterday we saw cuts to the climate change programs. I felt sorry for the Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection. Her responsibility is to defend the environment, to protect the environment. All the real programs have moved over to the Minister of Sustainable Resource Management.

Really, the Minister for Sustainable Resources is responsible for making sure that mining and forest companies have access to the land. Her responsibility is to defend the environment, and what does she do? She stands up, and she looks backward in complete error because there's no better record for environmental protection than B.C. until yesterday. What does she do? She stands up, and she looks backward because she can't give a justification of why she cut the green economy programs that would move our economy forward in a sustainable way, and she can't give justification of why climate change programs were cut either.

J. MacPhail: Oh, I'm sorry. That's an exaggeration. The Kyoto protocol only came in, in the mid-nineties, so my apologies. There's the Kyoto protocol that was at great risk for not coming to fruition. People across the world went to Bonn, Germany, and spent two weeks hammering out the way that they're going to implement the Kyoto protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The entire world signed on. In fact, Canada was a leader, much to the credit of the federal government and the environmental groups that went there.

They stayed at the table and worked out an agreement that would have the entire world sign on to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, except for one country. That's George W. Bush's country. The same guy who thinks that tax cuts in Texas's trickle-down theory would help working people, and it turns out he was dead wrong…. Now this government is joining with George W. Bush once again and saying: "Climate change isn't important. We're not going to do a gosh-darn thing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, that program's out the window." That's how they're going to sustain a physical environment with clean, healthy and safe…. We'll just add that to the checklist as we watch this.

An effective and efficient health service system that provides equitable access to appropriate services. Well, I guess if people want that, they're going to have to rely on the very optimistic forecast of the Minister of Finance, who has been wrong throughout his career on that matter, to gain increases in health care spending.

Nurses are certainly going to have to look elsewhere than to this government for meeting their needs. Nurses that I talk with each and every day are leaving this province directly as a result of this government's actions. They can't look to anyone else except this government to send nurses fleeing the province. Nurses in Trail in the dozens are resigning. They're either leaving the workforce…. Actually, dozens is an underestimation. Nurses in the Trail Hospital are leaving in the dozens. They're either leaving the workforce or fleeing the province. So anyway, we'll monitor that goal No. 4 in the health goals for British Columbia.

Here's another one. Improved health for aboriginal people is provincial health goal No. 5. There was dead silence yesterday in this budget for aboriginal people. There was lots of news for big corporations, lots of news for car dealers, lots of news for mining companies. There was no news for small business, that's true, but for everybody else on the corporate side there was big news. There was not one iota of hope for aboriginal people, certainly not in the area of health or education. This government can't utter the words "better health and education for aboriginal peoples."

It is absolutely true that much more needs to be done. I stand here today and admit that much more needs to be done for first nations and aboriginal people in health and education and the economy. There was much progress made. The great strides that the province had made on behalf of aboriginal people were recognized by all first nations throughout the election. But we New Democrats recognized that more needed to be done, as did first nations. All of that ground to a halt with the election of this government and with the tabling of this budget yesterday. There was not one word of how trickle-down economics will improve the health of aboriginal people.

Goal No. 6: reduction of preventable illness, injuries, disabilities and premature deaths. Yes, preventive health care is the best. The goal goes on to explain how good health that has everybody eating and sleeping and clothed and housed properly is the way to reduce our health costs. So what did this government do? They managed to cut the programs of people who need the income the most: welfare, social housing, moms that require child care. So not only do they not live up to goal No. 6, but they directly attack the underlying premise of goal No. 6.

Quality of life. We'll look at the provincial health goals and monitor those to see how this budget stands up.

I think the other item that we should have on the checklist is environmental sustainability. We had a response today from the Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection that basically said: "We're not going to do anything for environmental sustainability." Basically she said: "Oh my gosh, the NDP government was so awful in the past, and you should hang your head in shame. Anything that we do would be better."

We'll see. Let's add that to the checklist. Let's see how cutting climate change programs…. Let's see how restoring the grizzly bear hunt helps environmental sustainability. Let's see how firing the endangered species conservation specialists in the province helps environmental sustainability. Let's see how offshore oil and gas drilling helps environmental sustainability. Let's see how deregulating the Forest Practices Code, which requires a balanced approach to land use, helps environmental sustainability. These are just issues that we'll add to the checklist to monitor this.

Let's add protection of individual rights to the checklist as a way that we can monitor the budget. British Columbia, for the last decade, has been at the cutting edge of the protection of individual rights. Certainly there was absolutely no news in the budget yesterday about how the protection of rights through sustained programs would help, although we did have a hint at the future of protection of individual rights. The Attorney General — not during the budget, but last week — stood up and said that every single independent administrative tribunal in this province is up for review. The tribunals that protect human rights, the panels that protect landlord and tenant rights, are up for review. The panels that protect employment standards rights, both for employers and for employees, are up for review, and on and on and on he listed tribunals that will be up for review.

Now, I hope — and we add this to our checklist — that review isn't a euphemism for "cut." I hope the euphemism of "review of panels that protect individual rights" is not going to be sacrificed to pay for the big corporation tax cuts of a quarter of a billion dollars that we saw yesterday. We'll add that to the checklist to monitor the success of this government's budget.

Perhaps this will be the last item on the checklist. I could go on, but the public…. I think a nine- or ten-point plan would be a good checklist for monitoring.

The last one is: how does the economy in the budget affect young people? Let's look at the future of our province through how well this budget delivers for young people. Well, we saw yesterday that the first thing that happened was that there were cuts to programs for moving young people from welfare to work. Let's see how many jobs are created for young people in the province as this government takes a very risky approach in its trickle-down theory of economics. Let's see how access to post-secondary education improves for young people throughout this province. I dearly hope that the new Liberal era, the new Campbell era, model for young people is not "young people should be seen and not heard." I hope that's not what this government does, but to date, this government has chosen to say to young people: "You should be seen and not heard. We don't want to hear your voices or advice on anything." So we'll monitor the budget over the course of the coming months about how it affects young people.

I note that the government of the day, the Campbell-led government, has put in place a progress board, I believe it's called. I'm going to make sure that the progress board has this checklist to monitor. The progress board, of course, has no young people on it, nobody who earns minimal income, definitely no one who earns a lower income. It has nobody who has a reputation for caring passionately about the environment. It certainly doesn't have anybody who cares passionately about working families and their right to protection in the workplace.

I'm going to add my checklist to the progress board's checklist, although we don't know what their checklist is, because my checklist will be very much needed in order to have, in any way, a balanced approach to the economy in this province.

Mr. Speaker, I see that the Premier has written another letter to his cabinet. I think that's probably the third letter: one to tell you what to do, one to rescind telling you what he wanted you to do and now to give you another set of instructions. Yikes. Open and accountable cabinet, I guess, means the Premier directing the cabinet to do their business, each and every day, with a new letter. I see that the Premier has given a direction for the core review. We'll see. He's set out some tenets of review, and we will see what that means. As the great test of the budget comes about, what will happen to social programs in this province? What will happen to the Ministry of Children and Family Development, which didn't receive one iota of good news yesterday? What happens to health and education? What happens to programs for seniors? What happens to multicultural programs? What happens to the province's responsibility for assisting the multicultural community? What happens to environmental protection programs? What happens to sexual assault centres? What happens to our correctional facilities? What happens to programs for young offenders? We'll see about all of that. What happens to our post-secondary institutions as they are subject to the core review?

I finish my remarks today where I started yesterday. I wish Premier Campbell well. I know that the public received a great deal more information yesterday about the radical agenda, the risky agenda, the reckless agenda of this government than they ever received in the previous ten weeks or ten months.

New information was revealed yesterday about the three Rs: the risky, radical, reckless agenda of this government, as some would say. I hope that the worries of British Columbians around the unbalanced approach taken in this budget do not come to fruition. I hope that this government is forthright and speedy. If new information comes out about errors they may have made in judging the strength of the economy, I hope they'll be forthright and reveal that information immediately and make changes in their radical and risky budget to accommodate the softening of the economy if it does occur.

I hope that after they do their core review, if they admit that they don't want to mislead the public and that they don't want to cut programs, they will review their budget and make changes. I hope, most importantly, that Premier Campbell reveals all of his initiatives, that he tells the truth to the public about everything he's doing, about the cuts in taxes that he's making for the corporations, about the cuts he's making in programs for low-income, vulnerable people in this province. That would be a balanced approach, and I will watch it with interest and with my checklist over the coming months.

Hon. S. Santori: Mr. Speaker, it is truly an honour and a privilege to stand before this House today representing the constituents of West Kootenay–Boundary. Before I begin my remarks in response to the throne speech, I want to extend my congratulations to you for having been selected the Deputy Speaker and to the member for Kamloops for having been chosen Speaker of this assembly.

I want to say that I'm also honoured to have been selected to serve on our new government's cabinet as the first minister responsible for the new Ministry of Management Services. Within my ministry we are taking steps to build and support a new way of doing business in government, a new way that focuses on better serving the taxpayer and public through an approach that looks first at public convenience and not administrative convenience.

It's this approach that is guiding our initiatives: to restore open tendering and fair practices for procurement on government contracts; to involve the public directly in helping identify and eliminate wasteful practices through our waste-buster web site; to establish new standards of merit to guide our hiring practices; to develop a new approach to shared services within government with the objective of building the best public service in Canada, a public service that will ensure the best and most efficient delivery of government services to the public of British Columbia. We are also committed to developing a human resource plan that will help renew our public service.

Over the past several days I have heard or read almost all the speeches made in this chamber. Each and every member has made reference to the beauty of their particular constituency and their area of the province. They've talked about what each area has to offer, its unique characteristics and its tremendous opportunities.

When you take the sum of what has been said before me, what I am about to say and, I'm sure, the comments of those to follow, it will add up to one clear conclusion: no matter where one chooses to live in this great province, one will be surrounded only by natural beauty and afforded tremendous potential and opportunity.

When I think about our province — its vastness, its diversity, geography, climate and lifestyles — I think about being in a restaurant with an enormous menu with something to suit everyone, a menu from the exotic to just plain old good cooking. British Columbians take pride in maintaining this diversity and protecting the right to make individual choices.

This diverse menu serves all of us by recognizing that we don't all have the same taste. Sure, we all need to be fed, but the choices we make in terms of lifestyle, access to the outdoors and size and shape of community are all different for different reasons. I'm happy to live in a smaller community. My family has enjoyed the benefits of a small community, but I know the choice to live in smaller communities depends on the opportunities that exist now and in the future.

I also know that even though potential opportunities are abundant, rural communities need the support of this government to make the most of them. In fact, I chose to run locally to be a strong voice for West Kootenay–Boundary, where rural communities previously felt they were viewed as a liability to government. Not so now. This is indeed a new era and a new government that has a strong mandate for positive change, and its top priority is renewing our economy, something rural communities will play a key role in.

Just as those of us from rural communities have known for a long time, our new government recognizes rural British Columbia as a tremendous asset to this province. Smaller communities can and will develop opportunities and attract investment in rural British Columbia that will provide sustainable economies, stronger local decision-making and more lifestyle and career options for residents, which in turn will help restore and strengthen the whole province's economy.

Rural British Columbia can already see that it is benefiting from the actions we are taking. But let me make it clear this government knows that to realize its potential and fully share in the benefits, rural British Columbia has unique needs that must be addressed by government through specific steps focusing on those needs.

I've been in office for a little less than two months, and I am extremely excited about the new direction of our government. I'm excited because we're acting on

our promises and commitments, and I can see that British Columbians are gaining confidence that we mean exactly what we say. Prior to the recent election we said that rural British Columbia would have more of a say in this government, and less than 45 days into our mandate we've lived up to that commitment with the creation of a Kootenay caucus committee.

It's a caucus committee with a Kootenay focus to help identify and address our region's unique needs and provide our community an opportunity for valid input in determining how their health, their education or other government services will be developed and delivered. Perhaps just as important to having an equal share of government services is having an equal voice in the decisions of government and taking an active part in creating a strong and prosperous British Columbia. Through our Kootenay caucus, communities throughout the region will be able to bring forward their visions for restoring the great province they helped to build.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I'd like you to join me briefly on a quick tour of West Kootenay–Boundary. I think you'll find that it illustrates what I've been saying about natural beauty, diversity and opportunity. I hope you conclude that these communities have a key role to play in restoring the prosperity of our province.

We begin in the eastern part of the region, in which lies the beautiful Beaver Valley and the villages of Fruitvale and Montrose. This truly idyllic area provides a peaceful and remote country setting and lifestyle amidst some of the province's most beautiful scenery.

Moving west, we arrive in the city of Trail, situated on the banks of the mighty Columbia River. It serves as the business and financial centre of the greater Trail area and also for the regional health care centre in the West Kootenay, with the largest diagnostic and acute care hospital in the West Kootenay region.

Trail is renowned for its competitive spirit and rich sports tradition. It's home of the world-famous Trail Smokeaters hockey club, the 1939 and 1961 world champions. Trail's tradition of hospitality has seen it serve as host to a variety of major provincial events — just recently, the B.C. provincial Little League championships. It has hosted the B.C. Winter Games. It has hosted the B.C. Summer Games in partnership with the city of Castlegar. We've hosted the B.C. Festival of the Arts and the B.C. Seniors Games. All of these major events have been held in this community.

In 1995 the Babe Ruth World Series was held in Trail — the first time the event was ever held outside the United States. This proved to be a wise decision, because in just three days the event broke all previous U.S. attendance records.

On June 14 of this year, Trail celebrated its 100th birthday, one which we were all very proud to be part of. It brought several thousand Trailites back together to reminisce about the good old days, but also to look forward to a bright future.

I could go on and on, but I won't, except to point out one item of note about Trail's competitive spirit. In September — and I invite you all — Trail will put its reputation on the line and its best foot forward as it strives to enter the Guinness Book of World Records. Those who have been in Trail can appreciate this. This is to surpass the existing world record for the largest single serving of pasta. Our goal is to exceed the current record, the current entry into the Guinness Book of World Records, of 800 pounds. So bon appétit, and please visit us. There'll be plenty for everybody, believe me.

Up the road, we move into the village of Warfield, known as the jewel of the Kootenays. From there, we move on to the city of Rossland, a very cosy alpine community in the heart of the Monashee mountain range. The community is famed for the Red Mountain ski hill and is home of Nancy Greene Raine and Kerrin Lee-Gartner.

We move to Castlegar, which is often referred to as the crossroads of the West Kootenays, with its roots rich in Russian heritage and tradition. It serves as the home of Selkirk College, the regional centre of educational excellence. It is also the home of the regional airport.

We move to Christina Lake, which offers full, four-season recreational opportunity and boasts of attracting more than 10,000 visitors each year.

Grand Forks, located just north of the U.S. border, is a thriving forestry centre with a strong diversified agriculture industry and is a source of mineral resources.

Off to Greenwood, the smallest city in British Columbia, a historic and heritage site which recalls the area's richest mining tradition.

Midway is a former mining boomtown and former eastern gateway to the famed Kettle Valley Railway.

B.C.'s biggest gold rush started in the community of Rock Creek, which today has become a thriving livestock centre.

Off to the small community of 350, Beaverdell, which is set in the mountains near a cluster of 16 gorgeous lakes that attract several thousands of visitors each and every year.

Then we move on into the Christian Valley to Westbridge, which too is serving as a centre for supplying the growing outdoor recreation and ecotourism industry. Then to Big White, which is British Columbia's highest resort and is quickly becoming one of the leading world-class ski resorts in Canada, attracting seasonal and year-round residents.

Last, but definitely not least, is the small community of Bridesville, a ranching centre perched atop the scenic Bridesville plateau, whose beauty continues to attract visitors and new residents.

As I said earlier, I offered this quick tour as a way of demonstrating that, even within the West Kootenay–Boundary, as in the rest of this province, we have an incredible range of diversity and endless choices of lifestyle. It is an area rich in tradition and history, with communities that have a proven record of hard work and boundless spirit, a solid foundation that lends itself to the future growth and prosperity of the West Kootenay–Boundary.

Now I'd like to focus on how our government's agenda will help not only our West Kootenay–Boundary region but all our rural communities to achieve greater economic prosperity. In my areas of responsibility alone we are actively moving ahead on a number of key initiatives that are part of our 90-day commitments. We are proceeding to ensure open tendering on government contracts and procurement. This is a complex initiative that will see a fundamental change in how businesses in all parts of our province access and deal with business opportunities with government.

It will include continuing the windup of Highway Constructors Ltd. to eliminate barriers to open tendering of highway construction. It will repeal the Skills Development and Fair Wage Act, which prescribes the wages that must be paid on construction projects over $250,000. We will pursue the termination of the community social services successorship accord. We will terminate as quickly as possible the New Forest Opportunities Ltd. program, which applies HCL-type provisions on silviculture and land-based forestry contracts in coastal British Columbia.

We will immediately terminate the policy accord on government training expenditures. We want to immediately consolidate posting of government bids on a single bid site for easier and equal access for every British Columbian. We want to extend the procurement provisions of the agreement on internal trade to Crown corporations, and we want to consult with municipalities, academic institutions, schools, social service agencies and the health sector to reduce interprovincial trade barriers, as they are not currently subject to these provisions.

This is a challenging set of tasks. It will take some time, but we will deliver more open tendering and procurement in short order. Our waste-buster web site will be up and running on August 15, so taxpayers can help identify, report and stamp out government waste. And trust me, Mr. Speaker, the last government left us with a lot of waste to take care of.

We are also working on our promise to ensure that it is a professional, non-partisan public service that serves British Columbia. I will be introducing merit employment legislation during this session to support this objective.

We are getting the message out that B.C. is open once again to the mining sector. This, I know, will come as good news to the Boundary area of my region as well as to many other parts of the province. Mining has traditionally been an important part of our economy, and it can be again. Our government recognizes that there are serious environmental concerns that need to be addressed, but we also believe there is a way to allow economic development that is safe and compatible with our economic and environmental objectives.

Communities can use their unique perspective to develop solutions that do work. I want to use my city of Trail as a prime example — a city that was faced with having to make a choice between jobs, generating industry, and the environment. It rose to that occasion, seeing it as an opportunity to change what wasn't working to something that works extremely well today. The community knew only too well that industry, community and environmental needs were like a tripod, ever-linked and interdependent pieces of the same thing. As a community, we set up a community task force that found a balance between these needs, allowing each leg of their tripod to stand and the community to continue to thrive.

The efforts and achievements of this community-led problem-solving initiative are now known throughout the world as an effective model for community-driven sustainability. Inquiries have come from all across the world and as far away as Port Pirie, Australia. They are now using our model, the model that was developed in the city of Trail, to work towards successful, science-based sustainability — a commitment that this government has made in all areas.

Our government is taking a similar approach working together with science, industry and communities, so even a small community such as the city of Trail can lead change and have a significant impact on how we create successful models for future sustainability. They can play pivotal roles in developing the diversification needed to create sustainable economies. We're working to help communities take advantage of opportunities like these by creating an environment that is more conducive to economic development and investment.

Our government wants all British Columbians to have an equal chance to participate fully in the new knowledge economy, get our economy back on track and get our province's fiscal house back in order. The key to this is bridging the digital divide, the modern-day barrier to equal access for those living in rural areas. Our government is acting on its promise to establish a Premier's council on technology made up of technology leaders, educators and researchers who will help guide our work to bridge the digital divide.

Although they have yet to be put to use, there is no end to the opportunities of efficiencies and connectivity in e-government. Tapping into them is a key goal of my ministry, and that is to provide a single, on-line portal so that businesses and contractors have easier access to government tenders, allowing fair competition and, at the end of the day, significant savings for the taxpayers.

Many small and remote communities have telecommunications infrastructure that is vastly inferior to that in larger urban markets. We're working to extend high-speed, broad-band Internet access to every community in British Columbia. In the past, rural B.C. has felt separated from its government. We'll create drive-through electronic connections to e-government services and procurement that will shrink the distances between people and government and make all geographic barriers less important.

In the past, setting up a small business in rural British Columbia was difficult. It was hampered by too much red tape and slow process. I just want to give one

example, because I promised this individual that I would bring it up in this House. This was a gentleman who wanted to start a backpack, cross-country ski operation in Midway. His quest for this new venture and investment started five years ago. Five years and $105,000 later, because of the bureaucracy and the red tape, that gentleman is still not in business today.

We're actively deregulating many aspects of business: eliminating unnecessary red tape, removing interprovincial trade barriers and providing tax breaks that are vital to ensuring future investment in the Kootenays and other areas of British Columbia. In order for rural British Columbia to be successful economically, we need the basic ingredients.

I am glad and very supportive of this government and our initiatives in providing greater local autonomy on a number of levels. That is, providing school board autonomy to enhance flexibility and choice in public education so we can make those decisions that are required locally, and in the best interest; providing multi-year funding to enhance long-term education planning; strengthening our network of colleges and on-line learning opportunities; strengthening community decision-making through the community charter legislation; and improving health standards across British Columbia to ensure all citizens in all parts of B.C. have equitable, reliable and high-quality health services.

All of these are critical, important components to rural British Columbia to ensure that we are on a level playing field in order to achieve what we want to in terms of economic development. I am proud that this government will deliver on those promises.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to stand in the Legislature today to speak in support of the agenda of our government as outlined in the Speech from the Throne and the extremely positive message that we received yesterday from our Minister of Finance, the rebuilding and rekindling of this great province. I'm equally proud of my roots in the West Kootenay–Boundary region and in the community of Trail. I know that what's good for our rural areas and communities will benefit British Columbia as a whole. It's time to get on with rebuilding this province, to rekindle and recapture its tremendous potential and promise.

P. Sahota: Mr. Deputy Speaker, it's an honour and a privilege to rise for the first time on behalf of the people of Burnaby-Edmonds and have the opportunity to respond to the economic and fiscal update. First, I want to begin by congratulating you and the Speaker for your election. We're very fortunate to have the two dedicated members who I know will set a very positive tone for this chamber.

At this time, I would also like to acknowledge the work and efforts of those who preceded me: Fred Randall, Dave Mercier and Rosemary Brown. I'm honoured and humbled to be one of 79 democratically elected representatives in the province of British Columbia. I would like to thank the voters of Burnaby-Edmonds and the voters of this province for electing a B.C. Liberal government.

The people have entrusted us. The people have given us a strong mandate. There is no question that on May 16, British Columbia made history. It was a landmark election which ended ten years of incompetence, distrust and decline. The citizens spoke loud and clear. They want a government that is accountable. They want a government that listens to them. They want a government that cares. They want a government that understands that to have the best health care and education system means we must have a thriving economy.

My constituents were pleased to see many of our election commitments reflected not only in the Speech from the Throne but also in the Fiscal and Economic Update presented by the Minister of Finance yesterday. I am proud to be part of a government that has already delivered on some of its promises. People were looking for a signal, and I believe they got it. They got it when they saw us deliver, on day one, a dramatic cut in personal income taxes. For British Columbians who are struggling every day to make ends meet, the dramatic cut in personal income taxes was a huge boost.

Again, yesterday a clear signal was given as the Minister of Finance outlined more tax cuts, so British Columbia can be well on its way to become competitive again. We campaigned on that, and now we have delivered on that. Mr. Speaker, we must revitalize the economy. We must encourage investment. We must increase the confidence in our economy. And I believe the economic and fiscal update that was presented yesterday will do just that.

To do nothing was not an option for us. My constituents were not only looking for tax relief; the range of issues that are important to my constituents reflect the broad range of issues that also concern all British Columbians. Education and health care remain important issues. As promised in the campaign, we will be maintaining the budget for both.

As with most urban centres, crime is also a huge problem in Burnaby-Edmonds. But as our demands increase, our resources have decreased. So as these pressures build, the question is: how do we continue to pay for resources when our economy, for the last ten years, has been shrinking? Do we continue to spend without planning for the future? Do we continue to waste, as the previous government did, on such megaprojects as the fast ferries?

In a climate where for the last ten years our forest industry and our mining industry have been driven out of this province, where income taxes and other taxes have risen while the take-home pay has decreased, this was no longer acceptable. But it's not only our resource sectors that have suffered and hurt. It is sectors like the high-tech industry which have been adversely affected due to our increasing tax burden. Burnaby is home to many leading high-tech firms, such as Ballard Power, Electronic Arts, Creo Products and many more leading international firms. Burnaby has become a magnet for high-tech firms.

But we're more than that. The city of Burnaby is a diverse community with a diverse landscape. My riding sits in the southeast corner of the city. I am very fortunate to have three other colleagues representing Burnaby in its entirety here in the Legislature. We are the third-largest city in B.C. We have over 100 parks, two lakes, fish-bearing streams, agricultural land, forestry firms and thousands of small businesses. Burnaby is also home to BCIT and SFU.

Our population is diverse. We have a growing ethnic population: Chinese, Koreans, Spanish, Russians and Punjabis. The people are hard-working, and like other British Columbians, they want government to do what it promises.

Like any major city, Burnaby also has its problems: crime, poverty, drugs. I will be working with various groups in the community to alleviate some of these problems. I have approached and will continue to approach my cabinet colleagues on these and other specific issues in Burnaby-Edmonds. I'm also pleased that our new structure of government caucus committees has given all of us another venue where we can be part of decision-making and, in turn, strengthening accountability.

At this point I would also like to provide some personal background and insight about myself. My great-uncle came to British Columbia in the early 1900s, although our country wasn't always such a welcoming place back then. There was a time when we weren't allowed to own property or to vote. We were considered second-class citizens.

Despite that, we still came here. We came here because this country, this place, offered us all an opportunity to advance. We as a Canadian society have made great progress. We have come a long way. Just look at the Legislature today: eight legislators that have origins in India, three of Chinese background. So when the member for Vancouver-Hastings talks about multiculturalism and about who will represent the ethnic communities, I encourage her to look around, and she will see that we're all there.

My parents came to B.C. in 1960 and settled in the small interior town of Merritt. They decided to go back to India in the late sixties, and I was born in India. The first ten years of my life were spent in India. In 1979 we came back to Merritt, where we settled once again. I graduated from the University of Victoria, so it is a pleasure to be back in the capital. I have had the opportunity to live in many parts of this province. Now my home in Burnaby-Edmonds is located on the same land as Sample's Boarding House, where the first council meetings for the city of Burnaby were held. I'm proud of that.

My professional background includes working in politics for a number of years and in the forest industry. It seems that most of my family — my dad, my uncle and my cousins — have prospered because of this industry. My father worked in the mill. With his paycheque he was able to put all four of his girls through college and university. We never lived beyond our means. That was one of the great things that my parents taught us about priorities.

As mentioned, I come from a family of four girls. In Indian culture, females aren't revered as much as males. The day I was elected, my mother said to me: "This country, this place, has given us so much. It has given my daughters an equal opportunity to advance." For my parents and many others who have come to this country, it is for this reason: opportunity and hope that the future will be brighter.

At this point I would also like to thank the many people who have been instrumental in my political success. I would like to thank my entire campaign team and the many volunteers who put countless hours into the campaign. Campaigns aren't glamorous; they're hard work. Words aren't enough to express the gratitude I feel for the people who took time out of their lives so they could elect me. You are all truly a special group of people, so I would like to thank my entire campaign team.

To the Premier and assembly of elected representatives from across the province: all of us have made huge personal sacrifices in our personal lives to serve the public for the next four years. Let us not forget why we did it, and let us not forget that British Columbians are counting on us to deliver.

The people of this province want desperately to believe that parliamentary democracy can work, but their confidence has been shaken. It is truly our duty to bring this confidence back. It is truly a privilege to be here today among so many talented and intelligent individuals who have all sacrificed a huge amount to be here. Being an elected official is an incredible privilege and a huge responsibility. I know we will not let British Columbians down.

P. Bell: Mr. Speaker, first let me start by congratulating you on the elevation to your new office. Also, please pass on my congratulations to the member for Kamloops on the elevation to his office.

I'd also like to thank a few key individuals who've helped me and supported me over the past year and a half. Ron East encouraged me to enter the political arena some time ago. Mr. East is a gentleman who works quietly behind the scenes. He truly is the type of citizen that makes B.C. a great place to live. Mr. East needs to be recognized not only for his support of me in my campaign but also for his role in the development of the University of Northern B.C. about 12 years ago.

I'd also like to thank Jim Blake and Mary Chen. Both of these individuals worked tirelessly in my campaign, and I'm proud to call them my friends. I'd also like to thank my friend and colleague from Prince George–Mount Robson. We've become very good friends over the past six months and certainly have had a wonderful time throughout our campaigns.

No introduction into politics can be successful without the support of one's family. Certainly my wife, Brenda, and my three children have stood behind me from the beginning. In addition, I'd like to thank my

father-in-law and mother-in-law, Clarence and Charlotte Lapp, for their never-ending support.

Yesterday the Minister of Finance began unfolding a new era for British Columbia. I commend the minister on his aggressive position that he's taken to revitalizing our economy. It's through these bold steps that B.C. will move from being the worst to being first and regain the economic position it so richly deserves.

Like many British Columbians, 18 months ago I was frustrated. We live in a province of endless opportunity, but it seemed like roadblocks were at every corner. We'd suffered through ten years of incompetence and ineffective management. It was time for a change. Although I did not have a political background, it became apparent to me that we needed more people with a business sense representing us. One can choose to be part of the solution. I sensed that we had a real opportunity under the leadership of Premier Campbell to enter a new era — a new era of accountability, a new era of hope and a new era of prosperity.

I'm excited about the opportunities that we're facing. We have an abundance of natural resources like no other province in Canada. Whether it's our timber resource in the Cariboo, the oil and gas in the Peace or the untapped mineral resources of the Rocky Mountain Trench, opportunity is everywhere. We're done with the decade of decline and headed into the century of opportunity.

People have questioned our ability to execute our campaign promises. We set an aggressive target for the first 90 days with a commitment on 21 specific actions, of which we've already accomplished eight, with more to come in the next few weeks. On our first day in office we exceeded all expectations by introducing a 25 percent tax cut. Now, that's dramatic. We will complete our promises, and we will complete them in the allotted time. People need to have confidence in their political leadership. This will take time, given the circumstances of the past ten years, but we must maintain our resolve, and we will earn back the confidence of the past.

I'd like to talk a bit about my constituency of Prince George North. Prince George North is called home by 39,000 people. The riding stretches from the pristine wilderness of the Muskwa-Kechika in the north to the city of Prince George in the south. While many of the members of this House can cycle across their ridings in about 15 minutes, it takes me three hours to fly from one end to the other in an airplane. Communities with names like Kwadacha, Tsay Keh, Bear Lake and Summit Lake are all located in my riding, but about 70 percent of the population lives in the city of Prince George.

My riding is also the site of the first settlement north of San Francisco in the North American continent, at the end of McLeod Lake. This is where Alexander Mackenzie spent his first winter and the Hudson's Bay Company established a long-term post. Located in Prince George are five pulp mills and six sawmills. We're extremely dependent on forestry for our livelihood. The past five years have seen many mill closures and downtime in the riding, leading to a decreasing population base. It's with a real sense of optimism that we enter into a new era of hope and prosperity. Prince George North will be a full participant in this new era.

I grew up in Vancouver and attended UBC, but I've made my home in Prince George for the past 13 years. I believe this gives me a unique perspective on how the north perceives the rest of the province and how in fact the north is perceived. The north has a huge base of natural resources. Collectively, the north has 45 percent of the province's timber, 69 percent of the agricultural land base, 35 percent of the hydroelectrical generating capacity and virtually all of the oil and gas.

We are frontier. For residents of the north, the environment is not a cause. It's not a slogan; it's where we live. Just a few years ago the town of Mackenzie, which is in my riding, had 43 grizzly bears wander through the community in a single year. Now, that's living on the frontier. Forestry truly is our livelihood in the north.

This government has taken up the cause and prioritized this important industry. I quote from the Speech from the Throne: "No sector is more important to our economy than our forest industry, a sector that has been hard-hit over the last several years. It has gone from one of the lowest-cost producers of fibre in North America to one of the highest-cost producers. My government plans to turn that around."

Four key issues for the forest industry must and will be addressed by our government. First, we must resolve the softwood trade issue with our neighbours to the south. This issue has haunted us for many years, and we must come to resolution. I can't tell you how excited I and my constituents were at the appointment of the member for Abbotsford–Mount Lehman to the Ministry of Forests. My belated congratulations to the minister. We couldn't have a better individual for this job of resolving this critical international trade issue.

We must also create a stumpage system that allows our industry to compete on an international basis. Waterbedding of stumpage must go. Industry in some parts of the province has been burdened with artificially high stumpage rates to support areas of the province that have become uncompetitive. The Forest Practices Code must be revised to reflect a results-based attitude. We have many professional individuals in our industry who are capable of achieving the results we desire. One-size-fits-all solutions don't work and must not be allowed to hamper the competitiveness of our industry.

Finally, we must eliminate or fix Forest Renewal B.C., a step that we have started on. For too many years this entity has operated without a plan or a strategy. Let industry do what it does best and be efficient with our silviculture dollars. Right now we're facing a crisis in the northern forests. A nasty little beetle is chewing its way through our overmature pine stands at a horrific rate. This year the mountain pine beetle will kill 40 million cubic metres of pine, and that number increases exponentially every year.

It's important for all members of this House to understand the true size of this problem, so I'll try and put it in some unique terms. For those of you from the lower mainland, if you can imagine the worst nightmare of a traffic jam, logging trucks lined up all the way from Hope to Horseshoe Bay, 161 trucks wide — that's how much timber we're talking about. For our friends from Vancouver Island, so they can relate as well, it would take 83,000 fast ferries to carry all of the logs that are going to be infected this year.

For our financing friends, at the cost of our previous round of fast ferries, that would translate into an expenditure of $12.5 trillion. The Premier understands the importance of this issue, and I, along with three of my northern colleagues, am meeting throughout the north with local individuals who have the expertise to solve this problem.

I would like to remind all the members of this House about the value of wood. Too often we turn to concrete and steel to build our major projects and turn a blind eye to the product that drives our economy. There are success stories, and one such story is located in my riding. Heather Park Middle School was built as a pilot project a few years ago, utilizing as much wood as practical. The results are impressive. We saved $200,000 on this project by utilizing wood frame construction. A considerable amount of wood was used as replacements for traditional materials. In fact, if we followed this formula in all government-funded projects where applicable, we would be able to add two additional sawmills in B.C. due to the increased demand for lumber and decrease the construction costs of our average projects.

I would encourage all members of this House to consider and encourage using wood in projects in their constituencies. Whether it be a new school or your local constituency office, wood makes good sense and helps build our economy. Wood is good.

The value-added or secondary manufacturing sector is also worth mentioning. Currently, just 16 percent of our annual harvest makes it beyond two-by-fours in this province and represents less than 1 percent of the total value-added sector in the United States. We're continuing to beat ourselves up trying to sell dimension lumber to the U.S. and pay little attention to where the real opportunities lie.

Value-added offers huge potential, whether it's in engineered building systems, prefab walls, edge-glue panels, cabinets, panelling or thousands of other products made out of wood. The beauty of value-added is that the trees are still milled by the primary facilities, but then we add jobs and value in the secondary industry. We have several great examples of this in the north, including Brink Forest Products.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to have been entrusted by the people of Prince George to represent them. I'm committed to fulfilling the mandate we were elected with. Four years from now I want this government to be known as the government that did what it said it would do.

T. Christensen: Firstly, let me add my voice to that of my colleagues over the past few days in congratulating you, Mr. Speaker, on your election as Speaker. I also offer my congratulations to the member for Kelowna–Lake Country, the southern neighbour to my own constituency, on his appointment as Deputy Speaker. Certainly, the people of British Columbia have provided you both with a unique division of seats in this House. It will certainly present its own challenges, and I'm sure both of you will handle those very, very capably.

I'm very privileged and honoured to be in this assembly today representing the citizens of Okanagan-Vernon. My constituents have enjoyed strong representation from their previous MLAs, whom I would briefly like to acknowledge. Many in this assembly had the great privilege to serve with Dr. April Sanders in the previous parliament. She, I understand, very much earned the respect of what was then the official opposition caucus as their caucus chair. I also understand that she was informally the Legislature physician. I join with many residents of Okanagan-Vernon in sincerely hoping that Dr. Sanders at some point in the future chooses to lend her talents to some form of public office, because certainly she displayed in the previous parliament, and she continues to display, that she has a great deal to offer to the people of the province of British Columbia.

Prior to Dr. Sanders, my constituency was served by Mr. Lyall Hanson, who was a previous cabinet colleague of yours and who served the people of British Columbia in a number of cabinet positions. Mr. Hanson continues to serve the citizens of North Okanagan in a volunteer capacity with very many local organizations and continues to be a very strong asset to his community.

I don't intend to give a full history of all the MLAs who have previously served my riding, but I do also want to acknowledge Mr. Lyle MacWilliam, who preceded Mr. Hanson. Mr. MacWilliam was my grade 11 biology teacher — he probably doesn't want to age himself like that — when he first sought office and was elected as an MLA. He also then went on to serve the people of North Okanagan as a federal MP.

All three of these individuals have offered their support and encouragement to me in seeking to represent the people of Okanagan-Vernon, and I am grateful to them for that and for their suggestions along the way. While all three represented very different political parties and different political views, they each spoke strongly for the interests of their constituents, and I will earnestly try to follow their example in providing strong representation for the people of Okanagan-Vernon as this assembly faces the many challenges ahead.

My ability to provide strong representation for Okanagan-Vernon is being facilitated very much by the progressive steps that this government is taking to include government backbench MLAs in the legislative process. The openness and candour of the Premier and ministers while in caucus is very welcome. The open-door approach of the ministers and Premier is a first, and the introduction of government caucus committees to provide input and recommendations to cabinet is the type of inclusive approach that will set a new standard for parliamentary democracy in Canada as well as abroad.

The 77 MLAs of the government caucus will certainly have plenty to do in setting this province back on track after the past ten years. Fortunately, this government is wasting no time in starting on the path to recovery. Yesterday's economic and fiscal update capped the actions of the government over the past eight weeks in sending the message that this government of British Columbia is determined to promote economic recovery and growth in this province to ensure that we can sustain strong social programs for the people of B.C.

We all recognize that the government's ability to provide effective health, education and other services requires money. But beyond dollars alone, our goal must be the development of effective and sustainable social programs that reflect the needs and promote the independence of those in our society who are most vulnerable. The core review process announced by the Premier is the foundation upon which effective social programs will be developed in this province.

Before I comment further on the economic and fiscal update, Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity of my first address to this assembly to talk a bit about my riding of Okanagan-Vernon. Many of my colleagues have suggested over the past week that their constituencies are the most beautiful in the province, if not the world, and I sincerely have no doubt that each of them is correct in that each of the diverse areas of this great province has its own charm and each constituency is a tribute to the people residing there. However, as I drove south from Vernon on my way down here this week, along Kalamalka Lake early in the morning, and looked to the east and saw the sun rising over the snow-capped Monashee Mountains in the distance, illuminating the Coldstream Valley and the green orchards and the fields there, I thought to myself that the other members of the assembly really need to come and visit my constituency to truly appreciate the awesome beauty that this province can offer.

My constituency includes the municipalities of Vernon, Coldstream and Lumby and Cherryville in the east. It is also home to the Okanagan Indian band. As many members will know, Okanagan-Vernon is a four-seasons playground. It has world-class golf facilities at a number of facilities including Predator Ridge, which hosted the year 2000 Skins tournament. Water sports abound on Okanagan and Kalamalka lakes in the summer. Ecotourism is becoming an increasing element of local business as entrepreneurs recognize the potential of those pursuits in and around the Vernon area and stretching east through Lumby to Cherryville and the towering Monashee Mountains. In winter we enjoy unequalled downhill and cross-country skiing at Silver Star Mountain, and the Monashees present incredible back-country opportunities, some of which are now taking off. Silver Star and the neighbouring Sovereign Lakes cross-country ski area provide the finest Nordic skiing in all of North America and are host to many countries' national Nordic ski and biathlon teams for early season training.

My constituency is home to a number of festivals and carnivals throughout the year that attract visitors from around the world. We recently concluded the annual Funtastic event, which started out years ago as a major softball tournament but has grown into one of the largest summer festivals in North America — the track team participants from around the continent each Canada Day long weekend. We also had Lumby Days in June, which showcases logger sports and the community spirit of the people of Lumby and provides a good kickoff for the summer. In August people can enjoy the Cherryville Festival of the Arts. In February Vernon hosts its winter carnival, a week-long series of events which has become the largest winter carnival in western Canada. The success and popularity of these events are testimony to the community spirit and hospitality of the people of the communities in Okanagan-Vernon.

I invite and urge those members of this assembly who have not visited the North Okanagan recently to come and see the changes. While there were few changes in the latter part of the nineties, the dawn of the new millennium has brought more activity, evidencing a sense of optimism and renewal in Okanagan-Vernon. Both Lumby and Vernon are completing downtown revitalization programs to showcase the heart of each of those communities.

After considerable and drawn-out debate, Vernon has gone ahead with the construction of a new multi-purpose facility, including an ice surface to be completed this fall. That facility will be home to the Vernon Vipers Junior A Hockey Club, which has claimed the Canadian championship a number of times in the last decade. It will also put Vernon in a better position to more easily host major trade shows and conventions. At the same time, construction of a new 750-seat state-of-the-art performing arts facility will be completed this fall. Both of these major construction projects were approved by separate referendums during the last municipal elections, and they are a testimony to the optimism that the people in and around Vernon have for the future of our community.

Each of these facilities also showcases the world-class talents of people making the North Okanagan their home, as each was designed by a consortium of local architects. The performing arts centre boasts a state-of-the-art sound system provided by a Vernon company, a company that has designed and provided

sound systems for many of the top-end performing arts venues throughout North America. Until the construction of the performing arts facility in Vernon, I understand, they hadn't provided anything to a community in Canada yet.

Both of these facilities will help to ensure that the North Okanagan retains its position as one of the most desirable places in the world to live, offering modern amenities to its citizens.

Notwithstanding the many attributes of the municipalities in my constituency, it is somewhat telling that the major construction developments are both publicly funded endeavours. The North Okanagan, like most of this province, has suffered from a lack of private investment over the last decade. The people of Okanagan-Vernon are craving a change in direction for the province of British Columbia. The economic and fiscal update delivered by the Minister of Finance yesterday, as well as last week's Speech from the Throne, makes it clear that such change in direction is finally here.

My constituents look forward to a renewed forest economy. The village of Lumby has faced the closing of two mills in the past five years. It's really only through the ingenuity and the resilience of the people of Lumby that that community has survived. They have now identified a number of initiatives to help their community move forward and prosper. They are seeking to diversify their economy and take advantage of the ecotourism potential of the surrounding area, as well as to build upon their local experience in forest-related industry.

Like almost every community in this great province, my constituency's economic well-being depends on a viable and thriving forest industry. Our government has pledged to pursue the fundamental changes required to create a globally competitive forest industry renowned for its excellence in forest stewardship. That is good news to the thousands of people in my constituency who are dependent on the viability of the forest economy in B.C.

The removal of the provincial sales tax on production machinery and equipment, along with the reduction and eventual elimination of the corporate capital tax, sends a strong message to the forest industry that we want their investment in B.C. We want their investment in Okanagan-Vernon.

The city of Vernon has been working hard to attract business to our municipal airport. The reduction in the aviation fuel tax will make my community more competitive with other jurisdictions and assist in the expansion of business at the Vernon airport.

A government that recognizes the hard work of small business and the importance of the entrepreneur to the future prosperity of this province is good news to the people of Okanagan-Vernon. Because my constituency offers such an ideal quality of life, many move there and start their own business. They need and look forward to a government that recognizes the importance of an economic climate that encourages innovation and facilitates success.

There will be those who suggest we can't afford the tax cuts announced by the Minister of Finance yesterday. Given the current state of British Columbia's economy, we can't afford to simply maintain the status quo and ignore the fact that B.C. has not been competitive. It has not encouraged economic growth, and it has not invited investment to our province.

A poor economy has a very high price for the people of British Columbia. A poor economy has very human consequences. There's a price that we have witnessed over the past ten years as people have left British Columbia because the opportunities have always been elsewhere.

When I first started practising law in 1995, I spent quite a bit of time in court chambers, which is where applications are made based on written material. As such, many applications get heard in a day. When I first started in 1995, you'd be up there, and you'd maybe hear one foreclosure action. Many days you wouldn't hear any. Over the past six years I've seen that the number of foreclosure actions in the court in Vernon has increased significantly, such that the last time I was in chambers, there had to have been at least ten foreclosure actions on the court docket.

Those are ten families that are losing their home because they can't afford to pay their mortgage — ten families displaced because the economy of this province hasn't been sufficiently strong to support the jobs these families need to pay their bills. That has to change.

I was honoured to serve as president of the Downtown Vernon Association from 1997 to 1999 and was a board member of that organization for a number of years. In that time our board considered numerous initiatives to encourage business in downtown Vernon and to assist small businesses to prosper. It was always nice to see a new business move to town and open its doors, but it was equally distressing to see some new businesses and even some well-established ones pack it in, with vacancy signs going up because they couldn't make a go of it in British Columbia.

The small business people I know work long hours to make their businesses a success, but they faced an unfriendly atmosphere of red tape and economic inactivity in this province, an atmosphere that has made it increasingly difficult to succeed. This government's commitment to fostering a positive business environment by reducing red tape and lowering taxes is good news for the small businesses of downtown Vernon and the remainder of my constituency.

No issue is as important to the people of British Columbia as getting our health care system fixed, so we can all be confident that our families will receive the health care we need when we need it. We all recognize that the running of our health care system is very, very expensive. The Minister of Finance said yesterday that the Health budget this year would be $9.5 billion, I believe it was, an increase of more than $1.1 billion from the previous year.

Apparently, British Columbia spends near the highest if not the highest per capita on health care of all other jurisdictions in Canada, yet the newspapers tell us that confidence in the health care system is declining. I've spoken with doctors, nurses and health region administrators, and all agree that the current health system's appetite for more funding is insatiable. With the status quo we can spend and spend and spend, as appeared to be the previous government's recipe, but we still won't get the results we want.

The current labour disputes in health care are indicative of what has been wrong with the health care debate to date. All we hear about is the demands for more money, yet that's not where the discussion has been focused when I've spoken with individual health care workers. They focus on what they believe is necessary to improve patient care. They are often upset that their suggestions for improved patient care aren't being heard. They're upset that they can't access the training they need, the upgrades they need to provide better patient care.

I don't think anybody would argue that our health care workers — be they nurses, therapists, technicians, doctors or otherwise — deserve fair and competitive remuneration. But remuneration alone will not deliver the job satisfaction, nor will it resolve the many issues facing our health care system. That's why this government's approach is so refreshing.

This government has said: "Let's think about the delivery of health care in British Columbia and how it can be done better. Let's involve our health care professionals and the public in finding solutions." Finally, British Columbians have a government that will bring some longer-term thinking and planning to government.

The division of responsibilities between the Minister of Health Services and the Minister of Health Planning will ensure that while we deal with the current delivery of services, we're also paying attention to the long term to ensure that we have a sustainable, quality health care system. That long-term planning is critical to ensure that we are building hospitals as necessary, equipping hospitals as necessary and training the health care professionals we need.

I've sat on the board of the Vernon Jubilee Hospital foundation for the past four years, until very recently, working with others in my community to raise funds to buy equipment for our local hospital because government hadn't planned sufficiently to purchase needed equipment improvements. The foundation should be raising funds for the frills, not for the necessities, but that can change with improved longer-term planning.

This government is planning for the longer term in many other ways as well. I'm very encouraged by the naming of a Minister of State for Early Childhood Development. The minister spoke passionately in this House last week about the need for focus on early childhood development. She emphasized the importance of children getting a good start in life, the need to identify and deal with special needs at an early age to ensure that we're providing children with an ability to reach their full potential from an early date.

I'm the proud father of two young children. In fact, I'm the first member of this thirty-seventh parliament to welcome a new child, as my daughter was born the week after the election. [Applause.] I can't take that much credit for that.

Like any parent, my hopes and aspirations for my children are limitless. I want them to grow up in a supportive environment that identifies and responds to their needs to allow them to pursue whatever dreams they have. I want them to grow up in a province that offers them great opportunity. I don't want my children to be forced to leave this province just to get a job when they grow up. I'm no different from any other parent in wanting British Columbia to offer the absolute best future for my kids.

Thankfully, I've got many years before my children will be making choices about their life path. Many British Columbia children need those opportunities now, and it is therefore encouraging that this government is acting decisively to take the steps necessary to rejuvenate our economy and usher in a new era of opportunity for British Columbians.

Mr. Speaker, I was born and raised in Vernon. My family has been a part of the fabric of life in that community and in the North Okanagan since the beginning of the last century. My great-grandfather worked on the construction of the Grey Canal, which was instrumental in the development of the fruit industry in the North Okanagan. My other great-grandfather was a cowboy and later a foreman on Lord Aberdeen's Coldstream Ranch, which is still in operation today, although not owned by Lord Aberdeen's family anymore.

My grandfather started the Maple Leaf Grocery in Vernon and together with my grandmother spent his working life expanding his grocery business in Vernon. He was also a very active community member, devoting his time to the Boy Scouts, to the volunteer fire department and to many other community activities. My maternal grandfather was a key player in the Okanagan fruit industry in Kelowna and its development. My father has practised law in Vernon for the past 35 years, and he too has devoted considerable time to making his community a better place by volunteering on too many boards to name — certainly in very many fundraising campaigns and in political activities over the years. He was actually a candidate for the B.C. Liberal Party in the 1972 election. Obviously, his timing was off a bit.

My mother has been a nurse, a schoolteacher, an orchardist and a college instructor. Somewhere in there she actually managed to raise my brothers and me. She is now retired and being a full-time grandmother and a part-time volunteer within the community.

The reason I tell you all this, Mr. Speaker, is that my family, by their example, has taught me the importance of being involved in the life of your community. I am proud of the commitment that members of my family have made in the development of the North Okanagan

and to making my constituency a better place over the past century. It is that heritage that brings me to this place, and it's that commitment to the North Okanagan that will drive me to provide strong representation for the citizens of Okanagan-Vernon.

I'm not motivated by a particular pet project. Thankfully, it's not some personal circumstance that has driven me to seek public office. Rather, Mr. Speaker, I am motivated by a desire to serve my community, to help as best I can to make this province a better place. I, like my government colleagues, have recognized that the path this province was following was not sustainable and was leading us to ruin. Thankfully, we're now on a different path that recognizes the need for a vibrant economy marked by a competitive tax structure and disciplined, responsible and progressive government spending.

British Columbia is embarking upon a new era of prosperity and hope. I am thankful to the people of Okanagan-Vernon for entrusting me to represent them in that journey. I very much look forward to the debate ahead, as we all strive to make this province a better place. Finally, let me express my thanks to the many volunteers who dedicated their time to my election campaign and who all shared a vision of a better British Columbia.

I also want to acknowledge and thank in particular my wife, Jennifer, for her support and encouragement and for her courage in embarking on this path with me. As all members of this House know, our spouses pay a heavy price for our political involvement, as I'm recognizing more and more all the time — and as I'm sure she's recognizing more and more all the time, particularly with a new baby — and I'm certainly ever grateful to mine.

B. Locke: It is with pleasure that I rise in this most impressive and imposing precinct today. Congratulations to you, Mr. Speaker, and to the Deputy Speaker on your appointments. Your duties in this House are an important part of our British Columbia heritage and critical to the democracy that we cherish as a province and a country. I know that you will guide all of us here in our duties, ensuring that decorum and respect for all members is maintained.

Congratulations, too, to all of the new and renewed members and the cabinet. Congratulations particularly to the Premier. We know that his leadership will make this parliament productive and positive for all the people of British Columbia.

The throne speech and the economic and fiscal update outline a very ambitious agenda for this government, an agenda that was supported by the citizens in the constituency that I represent, Surrey–Green Timbers, along with an overwhelming mandate by the citizens of this province. That mandate carries with it a great deal of responsibility. Actions always speak louder than words, and I am confident that the government's actions to date are indicative that this government is dedicated to fulfilling its 90-day commitment to the citizens and returning B.C. to fiscal prosperity so that we can provide health care, education and social services in a responsible and caring manner.

As a new member, I am both proud and humbled by the grandeur of this place. This building is both historical and visionary, as we can honour our past — at least some of it — and create a future that will usher in a new era of hope and prosperity for everyone in this province. Although discussions may be varied, contrary and even heated, all members bring the commitment to do the very best for their constituents.

It is my privilege to tell you a little bit about the area of Surrey I represent. Green Timbers is in the heart of the city of Surrey. Like my predecessor, Sue Hammell, I am proud to represent the men, women, children, families and seniors that make our community great. We are a middle-class community that is very rich in cultural diversity. Like all middle-income families, we understand the need for fiscal responsibility. The money put back into my constituents' pockets by the recent tax cuts will be used to buy goods and services that will enhance their quality of life.

Of special pride to the citizens of my riding is the Green Timbers Urban Forest. The forest is a natural, second-growth reserve of some 600 acres right in the middle of the city of Surrey. One of the few urban forests in our province, Green Timbers was the first place of reforestation in British Columbia. This park is truly a tribute to the thousands of volunteers who, over many years, have committed to making this oasis in our city centre.

This government honours the dedication of volunteers in our communities. Our urban forest is a great example of the selfless work of volunteers like Wady Lehman and Dale Denny. Without their commitment and the work of so many others, our forest would simply not exist.

We are also pleased to share Surrey Memorial Hospital with the greater South Fraser region. Again, because of the incredible work and contribution of so many Surrey citizens, from children in a small day care to the commitment of Sherrold Haddad, Surrey's Citizen of the Year, the dream of a new children's wing in our hospital was realized.

But our community is not without its challenges. The many seniors in Green Timbers are in need of health care that meets their somewhat different needs. I am so pleased that this government has recognized their contribution to our society and made a special commitment to the seniors in our province. Long-term care as well as other seniors issues will now be given specific attention by the Minister of State for Intermediate, Long Term and Home Care.

In my constituency work I have met and talked with many people who have been ignored. These are people with mental illness and/or mental disabilities. I am sure that each and every British Columbian has had a personal experience, or a friend or family member that has suffered the stigma, frustration, heartbreak

and loneliness of mental illness. I am so pleased by this government's commitment to people and families that have sometimes been forgotten. The creation of a special Minister of State for Mental Health will ensure their voices are heard.

Education for the children of Surrey, the largest school district in the province, is very much an issue with the thousands of families in Green Timbers. Parental involvement and choice in our schools and enshrining children and parents as the key stakeholders in the education system are important steps in delivering a first-class public education system. Further, giving more responsibility, coupled with accountability, to school boards will put more confidence and flexibility in a quality public education system.

Unfortunately, we have one very specific and growing problem in our community, a problem that must be aggressively dealt with. That is the growth of the sex trade on King George Highway and on 104th Avenue in Surrey. I have had preliminary meetings and discussions with Surrey council and the RCMP. I look forward to working closely with the Solicitor General and the Attorney General to develop a solution to keep our children and everyone in our neighbourhoods safe. It is simply not acceptable that the children in some of the schools near these two corridors are subjected to needles, condoms, inappropriate acts and very unsafe conditions on a daily basis.

I do want to commend Surrey citizen Linda Taylor for her leadership on this very serious problem, and I commit to working with her to deal with this completely unacceptable situation in our community.

On a positive note, I have recently had the honour to participate with over 800 legislators from throughout the Pacific Northwest at the PNWER conference in Whistler. I am so pleased that I was able to move a motion that was subsequently passed by PNWER, which gained support from all the members of PNWER and CSG-West — including California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Washington State, Alberta, the Yukon and Alaska — supporting our 2010 Olympic bid for Whistler and Vancouver.

So many volunteers and businesses have already committed to this dream. The additional commitment and enthusiasm by this government and all the states and provinces will make the dream a reality. The 2010 Olympic bid will put B.C.'s tourism industry on the world stage. The signal sent to B.C.'s tourism industry, indeed all B.C.'s businesses, by the Premier and the Minister of Finance was clear: "B.C. is open for business once again."

On a slightly smaller scale but very important to the city of Surrey is the 2001 B.C. Seniors Games. We are very proud to be hosting 2001 in the city of Surrey. Thousands of athletes and volunteers will be participating in the games this August 22 through 25. Sport and competition are certainly alive, with the organizers, volunteers and hundreds of seniors participating in these games.

In closing, I would like to thank the people of the Surrey–Green Timbers constituency for the honour of representing them in this House and in our constituency. I would also like to thank all of those people that supported me in this endeavour. And very special thanks to my family: my husband, John; my children, Ashley and Katie; and my mom.

R. Nijjar: Mr. Speaker, may I first show my respect for the position you hold and the seat in which you sit.

This is a beautiful, majestic building — a Legislature that is probably the most beautiful of all the Commonwealth. Its grandeur shows the respect and dignity for our constitution and our parliamentary democracy. It saddens me that so much hypocrisy has taken place within these walls over the past several years. I do not use that word lightly; I know it is a strong word. But I feel very passionate about that. This throne speech and our new era that the Premier has outlined so clearly for so many months are about changing that way and that culture which have evolved within these walls. This beautiful building and this beautiful province deserve more, and that is exactly what our caucus shall deliver.

I would like to congratulate those members who sit here with me for the first time. The responsibility is great; the privilege is great — the seat we shall always remember to respect. I shall also pay tribute to the incumbent MLAs on the government side, who have set the way before us, who have fought the battles when so few stood beside them and who have made it possible for us to be here today to usher in for British Columbians this throne speech and the new era. I would also like to thank the Premier. Ultimately, it is the Premier who has created the blueprint and the focus with which we work today.

I would like to thank those back home in Vancouver and the lower mainland who made it possible for me to stand here before you: my campaign manager, Keith Frew; the undying, loyal support of Dinesh Khanna, his family and his son Amit Khanna; Surinder Singh, who has advised me and stood by my side; to my family, of course, and especially my sister, who fought so hard throughout my nomination and my election and for whom the nomination victory was just as much hers as mine; to my brother-in-law Joe, who has done everything for me; to Ruby, and of course, to she who sits in the gallery today, Kavita.

Most of all, I would like to thank the voters of Vancouver-Kingsway. They have made this possible for me. They have given me the opportunity to represent them. It makes me most proud, because Vancouver-Kingsway was NDP longer than any other riding in British Columbia, other than New Westminster. It is now….

R. Nijjar: It is amazing. Many years ago they said it was impossible, and I am proud to stand here today to say that we have made it possible.

Vancouver-Kingsway is a working-class riding. The people of Vancouver-Kingsway have made it very clear. They do not want political rhetoric; they do not want social engineering. They want what counts for them: good health care, a good education, good job, good opportunities to invest, and lower taxes. That is what the throne speech is about, that is what the New Era document is about, and that is why I stand here before you.

Vancouver-Kingsway is, according to Stats Canada, the most multicultural riding in all of this country — 37 percent of my riding is British Columbians of Chinese descent. Nine percent are British Columbians of Punjabi descent, 9 percent of Fijian descent, and a myriad of cultural backgrounds at 5 percent: Croatian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Italian. I'm very proud of that. I'm proud of the work that is done by the Collingwood Crime Prevention Office, which, according to the Minister of Justice in our federal government, is the most successful and most responsive crime prevention office in all of the country. Collingwood Neighbourhood House is probably the finest neighbourhood house in all of Vancouver. The great work done by the Renfrew Library and Community Centre…. There are many organizations that represent and work for the regular working-class families in the riding in which we live.

I have knocked on thousands of doors in the past year and a half, securing my opportunity to stand here. When I knocked on those doors, yes, they told me what my colleagues had heard in their own ridings. They want better education, better health care and lower taxes. But in my particular riding they also told me that they want me to work on particular issues, and I am committed to those issues. I would like to state those today.

In the Kingsway business district, the Kingsway road itself is a road that is no longer vibrant. There are too many empty buildings. I shall work with the city and with the business associations to ensure that we revitalize the business district, the heart of Vancouver-Kingsway.

We have four SkyTrain stations in our riding and two more coming in with the new line, for a total of six SkyTrain stations — more than any other riding in B.C. If there is a negative culture around SkyTrain stations, if we have a problem with petty crime, if we have a problem with break and enter, with drug dealing, then my riding is going to feel that negative effect times 6. It is my duty and my responsibility to help resolve those issues.

We have two members from the opposite side sitting in this House who are closest to the downtown east side. I'm just south of the ridings they represent, but my riding of Vancouver-Kingsway and the residents that reside there feel the great negative effects of the culture of the downtown east side. It is my responsibility as a member of the governing caucus to raise those issues and help resolve them with the city and the federal government. Along with my colleagues, the member for Vancouver-Burrard who sits beside me and the other members from throughout Vancouver, we shall work together.

I know the member from Vancouver East said that she's never seen a member from the governing side in her riding. I've been to her riding. I am one of those people. I am one of those people from the east side of Vancouver who has said that I am sick and tired of having my taxpayer dollars abused, having my health care system abused or not there for my family when they need it. I am not going to stand there and say: "Who are these elected officials that represent us? Why do they so easily abuse our trust over these many years? Why can't we run, and why can't we sit here and do that job better?"

I am not one to complain. If I am unhappy with something, I shall do something. That is the east-side pride that so many of the members of the former government spoke about. This is the pride that they pretended to represent.

I, like my colleagues, could have done anything with my life. We have great opportunities here. There are many ways in which we could have served. We could have done social work. We could have been nurses, doctors. We could have been family practitioners. We could have been lawyers. We could have volunteered our time. We could have donated if we did not have time to volunteer. We have chosen to run for elected office, to be Members of the Legislative Assembly. I have, because I believe that in no place in this province is there a greater need for people with good consciences and with respect for taxpayers to come forward and do something. That is why I stand here before you.

We have heard our Premier say many times that we live in the greatest place in the greatest country in the world. Often we do not take to heart what that means. I'd like to take a moment to explain that. Some 12 billion people have walked the surface of this Earth. Half of the people that have ever lived live today. Around the world we agree that Canada is the number one country in the world in which to live. We in Canada know that British Columbia is the greatest of all provinces.

The people in my riding live in the largest city in the province, with the greatest access to resources and amenities that make life easy. There is no doubt that we are probably the luckiest 0.3 percent of the population that has ever walked the surface of this Earth. So it is unfortunate, then, that in a province so rich with resources, where people cross the ocean in decrepit boats and risk their lives, we have a health care system where people actually pass away waiting for medical treatment. I am not exaggerating when I say that. Yes, there are British Columbians that have passed away waiting for medical attention in our health care system. That is not good enough. I shall not stand idly by, nor shall my caucus members, and let that happen.

My father had a heart attack ten years ago and required quadruple bypass surgery. The physician told him to go home and lie down in bed and not move unless he had to go to the washroom, because he didn't

know when that surgery might happen. It might happen in a day, it might happen in a week or it might happen in a month.

My father waited three months for that surgery. While he was waiting, the gentleman that used to go in for appointments before him passed away waiting. The only reason it wasn't my father who passed away and it was that elderly gentleman was fate. It was not our health care system in this rich and resource-full country that saved my father's life. It was fate. I have a responsibility to my father, to my children, to the families of the members that sit here and to everyone in the gallery, whether I know them or not, to do everything I can to make this a better place.

The throne speech and the new era that we have proposed and are acting on are all about respecting and bringing dignity to the lives of British Columbians and taking away from this chamber, from this assembly, the hypocrisy that has reigned for so many years.

During my campaign I was told many times not to say this certain thing. I have said it repeatedly, and I'll say it again: campaigns and political life are not about winning elections. Winning an election is the by-product of good work. Our focus should be to do good work in the community, to serve, whether you're an elected official or not, and through your good work you are elected. It is the by-product of what you do.

I respect what the Premier is doing, because what the Premier is doing is ensuring that we put the lives of British Columbians first and put the interests of our political lives aside. That is the way government should run, and that is the way this government is going to run. That is what the throne speech was all about; that is what the new-era document is all about. That is why I stand here with you. That is why my colleagues are here, and that is why we shall continue, over the next four years, to deliver the best government the province of British Columbia has ever seen.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to speak today. I would like to thank my colleagues for the support they have given me, and I would like to thank those that shall make it possible to usher in this new era. This is a throne speech, and a mini-budget that will be followed soon by a full budget, that will continue our path to an era of hope and prosperity.

D. Hayer: Mr. Speaker and members of this Legislature, I am honoured to be a member of this assembly and to have the opportunity to work with my many fellow MLAs. They are all hard-working British Columbians, and I congratulate them on having been elected to this very responsible position.

I feel very proud to have been elected to represent the people of the new riding of Surrey-Tynehead. I would like to thank those MLAs who came before me and who worked very hard for the people of the Surrey-Tynehead riding. I also appreciate the more than 20,000 voters and the other seven candidates who participated in the May 16 election in Surrey-Tynehead. My special thanks go to all campaign workers and over 350 volunteers; friends and family members; my four children, Alexander, Sonia, Anthony and Katrina; and my wife, Isabelle, for their hard work over the long hours.

I send my sincere congratulations to the House Speaker, yourself, and the Deputy Speaker, who have given much dedication to reach your highly respected positions. Thank you for your hard work and commitment to the people of British Columbia.

As a Surrey resident for almost 30 years and a Surrey-Tynehead resident for over ten years, I am both proud and humbled to represent the people of Surrey-Tynehead riding. My professional background is in accounting, with my degree from Simon Fraser University, majoring in business organization.

Throughout the years I have worked as a labourer in a steel factory and in the newspaper and forest industries, and I have owned my own business. I understand the hardship of running a business, holding a job and raising a family.

Some of my community involvements over the past number of years include being a past governor of Kwantlen University College, president of the Rotary Club of Surrey, district director of the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, president of the Surrey Chamber of Commerce and the Surrey Crime Prevention Society, and director of the Surrey and White Rock Home Support Association.

I come to this government believing that we should be proud of and appreciate the democracy we all enjoy. My father, Tara Singh Hayer, fought and died for democracy. So in honour of his defence of free speech, I dedicate my words here today not only to his memory but also to my mother and to my Surrey-Tynehead community.

I would like to take a few moments now to tell you about the Surrey-Tynehead riding. My riding is a historical district tucked away in the northeast end of Surrey. It has a population of approximately 50,000 people. The riding stretches from the Fraser River on the north side to 152nd Street on the west and 64th Avenue along to 168th Street, and then up 168th Street to 80th Avenue and all the way to the Langley border at 196th Street.

Residential homes in my riding range from a value of $50,000 to well over $1 million. We have people from all walks of life and all levels of income. Our agricultural diversity is the envy of many.

B.C.'s second-largest city, Surrey is known as the city of parks, because it boasts some of the finest parks and forest preserves in the province. Agriculture, industry and business combine to make Surrey-Tynehead one of the most economically diverse ridings in the lower mainland.

Surrey-Tynehead also hosts the PGA's world-renowned Air Canada Open at the Northview Golf and Country Club. Our riding is also known for Eaglequest Golf Centre at Coyote Creek, which offers a very challenging course and driving range.

This new riding has five distinct community districts: Fraser Heights, Port Kells, Guildford, Tynehead and Fleetwood.

Fraser Heights is about 1,200 acres in size and is located north of Highway 1. About 30 years ago the residents formed the Fraser Heights Ratepayers Association to fight industrialization of the area. Now they are proud to live in a quiet, natural, low-density environment with numerous natural trails, parks and recreational facilities. The Fraser Heights Community Association and the Fraser Heights Stewardship Society, which I'm a member of, have also been very active in dealing with environmentally sensitive habitat protection and community issues.

Port Kells. Henry Kells originally settled Port Kells in 1889. Located in the northeast corner of Surrey-Tynehead, it is now one of the province's largest industrial areas. The Port Kells Community Association, headed by Wally Sandvoss, has worked very hard to see that industrial growth in the area is balanced against the community's needs.

Guildford is one of Surrey's most active business centres. Guildford is where you can find Flag Chevrolet Oldsmobile, Ltd., home of the largest Canadian flag, which is run by Mr. Sherrold Haddad, Surrey's 2001 businessman of the year, who always participates in many community organizations and raises funds for Surrey Memorial Hospital and Here for Kids campaign. This area also hosts two of the finest hotels in the lower mainland, the Sheraton Guildford Hotel and the Ramada Inn.

In the early 1880s Tynehead was first known as the Bothwell Settlement. However, it was eventually registered as Tynehead because, situated as it was at the headwaters of the Serpentine River, it reminded the settlers of their ancestral home in Scotland. When these pioneers arrived, they found a natural wilderness with streams and heavily wooded areas of cedar, fir, maple, western hemlock and dogwood. Organizations such as Tynehead Pioneers Association, Tynehead Community Association, the Tynehead historical society and the Tynehead Women's Auxiliary, which was established in 1909, have contributed to the area's profound sense of history.

Tynehead Community Association, headed by longtime president Dick Bishop, meets at the Tynehead Hall. This historical hall is the oldest community-owned and -operated hall in Surrey and received a heritage designation in 1993.

The area of Fleetwood was named after Tom Fleetwood, a World War I veteran killed in action in France. The Fleetwood area was considered remote until the Yale Wagon Road, later known as Fraser Highway, opened up and brought people from New Westminster and Vancouver to the south side of the Fraser River.

In the early 1970s Fleetwood saw rapid population growth and urban development. Retail and commercial sites became more prevalent, with the area around the Fraser Highway and 152nd Street forming the community's main commercial centre. Fleetwood Community Association, formed in 1923, worked in partnership with the city of Surrey in the 1990s to develop the Fleetwood Park sports complex facilities, playground and Surrey Sports and Leisure Complex, as well as Fleetwood-Guildford community policing station. This association is currently working with the city to develop guidelines for the Fleetwood town centre.

This being a central location in the Surrey-Tynehead riding, Fleetwood will be home to our new constituency community office — a community office because my goal is to open the office to my constituents. We plan to work closely with local schools to provide students with work experience opportunities in our new office. Our office will also house a large boardroom which will be made available to community groups.

As I describe this beautiful riding, I feel a strong sense of pride for Surrey-Tynehead. Having worked for many years as a volunteer in a variety of organizations, I appreciate that Surrey-Tynehead reflects British Columbia's economic and cultural diversity. With more than 30 public and independent schools and a host of culturally diverse churches within its boundaries, Surrey-Tynehead has a cultural, social and economic diversity that is the envy of many other communities.

We live in a peaceful setting that is being hard-pressed by economic demands. Like every other community, Surrey-Tynehead has both questions and concerns that I will work hard to have our government address. Uppermost in the minds of many constituents in Surrey-Tynehead who have spoken with me is a desire for honesty, integrity and accountability in government leaders. More than 20,000 voters made it clear that they wanted promises they could trust and commitments they could rely on. This government is ensuring that the promises that were made leading up to the last election are being met. This is an expected standard.

The economic and fiscal update by the Minister of Finance did an excellent job in this — in explaining how, with sound fiscal management, clear priorities and bold, innovative changes, we can deliver prosperity to all residents of British Columbia.

I will take this commitment and work hard. Each of us must do our part in working toward ensuring that our province is once again the best in Canada in all respects. The bold economic steps this government has taken by introducing regulatory and income tax changes and other policies are both a proof of integrity and a move that is welcomed by the taxpayers of Surrey-Tynehead. This will help revive our economy for the long term. This will help us in our educational, health care and social needs.

Starting in 2002, B.C. will have the lowest tax rates of any province in Canada for the bottom two income tax brackets. When I heard that the Premier had recognized Surrey-Tynehead by naming me to the Government Operations Committee, it was welcome news. This committee is composed of the Premier,

several key cabinet ministers and ten MLAs who oversee B.C.'s government operations. I have attended all government caucus committee meetings possible so that I might be better informed as to the decisions made and the effect that those decisions will have on Surrey-Tynehead riding. It is very important to me to represent the Surrey-Tynehead constituents on all issues.

The throne speech of July 24 laid out ten priorities which are very important to our government: education, health care, community safety, children and family services, the technology sector, the forestry industry, our position on Canadian federation, openness and accountability in government, responsible management of public resources, and finance. All of these areas need serious consideration. However, a thriving private sector economy must be held as the key point. Without a healthy private sector economy, all the rest of our priorities are left without the fuel to run on. All the hopes and dreams of those who are working so hard to teach our children to care for our ailing family members or protect us from crime…. All those dreams will only be achievable if we can generate enough income to cover our costs. The economic and financial statement delivered by the Minister of Finance is the answer to a lot of those needs.

Those dreams will only be achievable if we can generate enough income to cover all our costs. But in doing so, we must not abandon our responsibility to protect our environment. We must work in partnership to create a healthy, economically sound and sustainable environment for future generations to enjoy.

Another key priority is crime prevention. As past president of the Surrey Crime Prevention Society, I have seen that local efforts can influence crime prevention. Much work needs to be done to address this issue. Tynehead constituents have indicated they favour strengthening the rights of victims to ensure that victims' rights are protected and respected when criminals commit crime. Punishment should fit the crime, and no matter what the person's background, their treatment under the law should be equal. This is what the Tynehead residents require.

Another issue important to my riding is the Fraser Highway expansion. This expansion needs serious consideration. Mayor McCallum and Surrey councillors have indicated to me that this problem is of high priority, and the Fraser Highway is currently a bottleneck. The 160th Street overpass to Fraser Heights is also a major problem. During the rush hours, for those going north, it's a bottleneck again. This 160th Street passes over Highway 1, so our Ministry of Transportation has to be involved in this. The Langley-Fraser Bypass needs to be looked at more seriously. We must include the community in discussions in order to reach an acceptable…. Finally, the Port Mann Bridge, which just saw an expansion of millions and millions of dollars, is already facing overloads after only a few weeks of increase in the capacity. Government needs to address both long-term and short-term issues in finding solutions to these problems, and they need to set priorities. The Ministry of Transportation has to be involved in this.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, my commitment to Surrey-Tynehead residents is that I will work hard on their behalf to bring about positive changes in our area. I strongly believe in a commonsense team approach to getting things done. I believe in an inclusive style of problem-solving, where the concerns of every person affected by a decision are taken into consideration to create a win-win solution.

G. Trumper: Mr. Speaker, I would like, first of all, to congratulate you and the member for Kamloops on your positions as Deputy Speaker and Speaker of the House. With your experience, I know that the House will be governed with fairness and firmness.

I am pleased to be able to respond to the economic and fiscal update tabled yesterday. I want to tell you how it affects my riding. I rise as the first member for the new constituency of Alberni-Qualicum, and it is an honour and a privilege to represent this riding as we enter the new era for British Columbia. I should tell you that it has been nearly 30 years since Howie McDiarmid sat in the Legislature as the MLA for the Social Credit Party. Since then and until May 16, we had NDP representation.

It is very important to describe my riding for the urban areas of British Columbia, because we are the backbone of the economy in British Columbia. It is a very diverse riding, stretching from east Vancouver Island to as far west as you can go in Canada, to the west coast of Vancouver Island. It stretches along from Deep Bay to Qualicum. Deep Bay has a large shellfish industry. Qualicum has exploded over the last few years with many people retiring to Qualicum. It now needs new schools for those who have children and desperately needs a new community health care facility to accommodate the population.

You know that when the businesses in Qualicum, which is a wealthy area in this province, tell you they don't know whether they're going to open their doors in the morning, the economy is in trouble. Today I received calls from some of the business people in Qualicum telling me how pleased they were with the direction that was taken yesterday in the economic and fiscal update.

Following Highway 4 west, we pass through the famous Cathedral Grove to the Alberni Valley. I might add that Highway 4 is the one road in and the one road out to the west coast, unless you go over logging roads. The economy of the valley has relied on the fishing and the forest industries for over 150 years. I would just like to tell you that the name Alberni comes from Lieutenant Alberni, who was on one of the Spanish ships when they were hoping to control the west coast of North America.

We have paper mills, we have mills dealing with cedar and whitewood, and over the last while we have seen the industry go through great problems. The people of the valley are very resilient and have coped with the ups and downs of the forest industry and the fishing industry. It is a community that pulls together in challenging times.

Many of the problems in the forest industry have been caused, in part, by the decisions made by the previous government. It is time that those who work in the forest industry can hold their heads up high and support their families and their communities. This government is committed to revitalizing the forest industry.

Yesterday new life was breathed into small business and our resource industries with the tax cuts that were tabled. Only by getting the economy going and bringing investment to British Columbia will we be able to support the health needs of our citizens and provide first-class education and services for those less fortunate than ourselves.

In the community we also have North Island College, a college that came into existence in 1975. There are many good programs in the college. We all know the problems that have gone on with the health care system, the lack of nurses and the promises made by the previous government that there would be more nurses trained. And they closed down the nurses program at North Island College in Port Alberni. It didn't matter how much lobbying went on. The program was not replaced.

We have a new hospital opening this year and a new multiplex arena. Our concern with our new hospital is whether or not we will have the professional staff to staff it. The foundation has raised $600,000 in a community that is struggling to provide many of the necessities that the previous government would not allow in the budget.

These two projects, the new multiplex arena and the new hospital, would not have happened without the tenacity and perseverance of dedicated volunteers in the community. The heritage McLean Mill site and the steam train are…. McLean Mill is a national heritage site, and we have a new maritime museum on the waterfront. They are all due to the hard work and the vision of volunteers who saw a future, and they are helping diversify the economy in the valley.

Today all levels of local government have joined in pursuing the feasibility of an aluminum smelter in the valley, and I can tell you that it was done with very little help from the previous government. It has been done by the community, and a large amount of money has been invested. The next step for them is to meet with the Premier and present him with nearly 4,000 letters of support for this project.

For those who would like to come to the best-kept secret on Vancouver Island, the Alberni Valley, we do have great fishing as long as the federal fisheries don't spring unannounced closures, as they did last week, causing great concern to those who are now making their living in sport fishery. We also have agriculture in the Alberni Valley and new initiatives such as deer farming, and now we are developing a great eco-venture tourism base.

As we leave the Alberni Valley, Highway 4 continues through the mountains to the west coast, which takes about an hour and a half. It is a winding highway that looks as if it will slip off the mountain at times, and at times it does. Ucluelet on the west coast is a town suffering from the downturn of forestry and fishing, but it also is a community that is pulling together. The Pacific Rim National Park and the Broken Group Islands are in the riding and bring 800,000 people a year to the west coast over that winding road.

Tofino is the gateway to Clayoquot Sound, a beautiful area that has been the centre of conflict with preservationists and where decisions were made and where a past Premier promised that no jobs would be lost. Ucluelet shut down, and then Port Alberni shut down, and there was a domino effect. When that industry shuts down, it has an effect on all of British Columbia. The area of Clayoquot Sound now, though, can boast that it has been designated an international biosphere project.

Bamfield, a small fishing village on the other side of the Alberni Valley, is accessed by 60 miles of rough logging road. They desperately need improvements to the road, and I can certainly attest to that, as many in the area know. Bamfield is reliant on tourism and also on the Bamfield Marine Station, which is financed by four universities and has a great deal of research going on. Today in Bamfield there are very few fishing vessels. They used to have a large fishing community there.

In my riding we also have a large aboriginal community, some living in very isolated areas on the west coast which are accessible only by air and water. Some of the bands are in the treaty process and some are not.

One of the health statistics in this region is that poverty is the biggest health hazard. High unemployment due to the downturn in the forestry industry and the fishing industry has caused much of this. When resource industries are not working, all communities suffer.

I want to be able to stand here in four years' time and say that the people in my riding are employed and that first nations have treaties and are working with the rest of British Columbians so that our health care services are providing the care and services we need and our children are receiving the best education possible. The direction that this government is taking in encouraging investment and removing taxes from small business and industry will enable us to move forward.

Mr. Speaker, I am a Canadian by choice. I was married in Peace River, and gradually my husband and I and our family moved westward until we could go no further. We came to a country and a province of hope and promise, and we became very involved in our community. Sadly, the last decade has been hard on our region, and that is why I made the decision to

stand for election as MLA: to help and be part of bringing this province back to hope and prosperity for all of us and so that my family and all of your families can have the opportunity to return to British Columbia.

With the talent and dedication of the people today in this Legislature, we will make British Columbia number one again. I believe in accountability, affordability and accessibility in government, and one of my personal goals while I am here is to make government more accountable and to restore citizens' faith in government. I am very proud to be appointed to the committees that will work towards that goal.

Having been involved in local politics over the last 20 years, I want to thank all those in the region who have helped and supported me. When we stand for election and are elected, it is not the individual who is elected. The reason we are elected is because the people who elected us believe in the program that we are going to deliver. Particularly at this time, it is the program we are going to deliver that will move this province forward and will make us prosperous once again. We are part of the tool of making that possible.

In ending, I do want to thank my family, who are my biggest fans, although most of them don't live in B.C. any longer. But I do want to thank them for their support over the years. When you have been in local government, as I have, in times of difficulty in a community, it can be very hard on families. I know that people who have not been involved in being in an elected position before will find that. Although we can certainly cope with that, it is very hard on our families at times. I know that my family at times took great abuse, which I think is completely unacceptable to anyone receiving that sort of treatment at their home, but all the way along they have been incredibly supportive. I want to ask for their continued support and patience as I now serve Alberni-Qualicum as their MLA.

I know that in four years time we are going to look back to today and be able to say: "We did the job that we were elected for."

A. Hamilton: Hon. Speaker, I also join my colleagues to congratulate you on your appointment as Speaker of the House. I recall with great interest your career as a member of the Legislature and your commitment as a cabinet minister. I am honoured to serve in the Legislature with you and grateful for the expertise you offer to first-time members like myself. I would also like to congratulate all of my colleagues who have joined me in the House.

As outlined in the throne speech and again reinforced in the economic and fiscal update, on May 16 we heard a clear message from the public. They wanted open, accountable and proactive government. We will be all of that, and we will meet our 90-day commitments. Our government will not only improve the image of politics in this province, but we will improve the reality of politics. We have started this already with open cabinet meetings.

Economically, British Columbia stands dead last among the ten Canadian provinces. Since 1992 the real gross domestic product has risen by less than 6 percent. The average gain for Canada is 22 percent. This province has seen sluggish economic growth for eight full years. By the year 2000, B.C. had fallen more than $3,000 below Canada's average real GDP per person. Of note is that B.C. now trails Alberta by more than $9,000 per person, when in 1992 it trailed Alberta by $3,300. Our government will reverse that trend.

My constituents tell me every day that they're very pleased with the 25 percent tax cut. Business associates have called, expressing support for this action. Sales are increasing. People have more disposable income in their pockets.

As we move forward in economic recovery, it is understandable that some British Columbians are hesitant about our vigorous reforms. But the faster we implement change, the sooner we reap the benefits. I have great confidence in the Premier and my colleagues. We can meet our financial mandates, and we will restore British Columbia as the number one province in Canada.

Cutting red tape, the phasing-out of corporate capital tax, the exemption of PST for manufacturers' purchase of production machinery and equipment…. Such initiatives, as outlined in the throne speech and addressed in the economic and fiscal update, will boost B.C.'s economy and will return prosperity to our province.

As a result, I believe that each of the four unique municipalities I serve will benefit in its own way from more disposable income in the pockets of the public. The first is Esquimalt. I am very proud to have served as a police officer and a firefighter in Esquimalt for 31 years. I believe that the municipality will benefit greatly from the joint role of these departments, and I wholeheartedly support the continuation of a dual force. I was also a union representative negotiator for the Esquimalt Police Union for over 20 years.

In Esquimalt seniors, young families and the military live side by side. This longstanding military presence once included the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and the Queen's Own Rifles. Today we are home to the Pacific naval fleet, which proudly serves us.

Esquimalt was the recipient of the national Communities in Bloom award in 1999, which has brought attention to our parks and flowers, such as the Gorge waterway and Saxe Point Park.

My constituency has always had an active role in British Columbia politics. You may be interested to know that Charles Pooley was Esquimalt's member of the Legislature for 24 years, six of those as Speaker. His son Robert Pooley was also a member for 24 years and the Attorney General from 1929-33. I am privileged to have the opportunity to carry on this fine tradition.

Esquimalt is one of the oldest areas in British Columbia and has many historic and natural attractions. With careful planning and marketing, the opportunities in the tourism sector are astounding.

View Royal is very proud and rightfully protective of its rural and urban areas. The town is very conscious of balancing its natural beauty with developing its economy. View Royal is also the location of the Victoria General Hospital, thus giving us a major focus on health care provision.

In Colwood, at Royal Roads we have a world-class university. This facility specializes in meeting the needs of mid-career learners. Its location provides B.C. with a truly unique academic institution. Professionals can enhance their careers while still working at their jobs. Recognizing the opportunities in a new economy, Royal Roads University has made high-tech training a major focus.

The Juan de Fuca rec centre, in my opinion one of the finest recreational facilities in all of Canada, is also in Colwood. This multi-purpose centre includes a pool, fitness centre, hockey, curling rinks, library, golf course, velodrome, tennis courts, lawn bowling greens, lacrosse box and ball and soccer fields. It's also home to the Juan de Fuca 55 Plus Activity Centre.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I represent Metchosin. This area is a nature-lover's paradise. It is no wonder they are so protective of its rural ambience. Metchosin is home to the Race Rocks Marine Park and Pearson College of the Pacific, a United World College with over 200 students from 80 countries.

As you can see, my constituency is diverse and has multiple interests. That is why my government's mandate to focus on forward-thinking economic strategies touches many areas — health care, education, tourism, high-tech and the environment — which are all very important to my constituents.

I would like to comment for a moment on the environment. My government is committed to preserving the environment in British Columbia. We believe that economic development must be balanced with ecological sustainability. My constituency is best served by blending good economics that promote prosperous lifestyles and the protection of the environment.

We also care very much about the first nations and are committed to working effectively with them. There are three prominent first nations councils within my constituency: the Esquimalt, Songhees and Beecher Bay first nations. Our government wants all British Columbians to live and work together in peace and tranquillity. While all people are different, we are all the same at heart.

I am very proud that our government has also made health care and education its top priorities, for after all, our children are our future. Without good health care and education, what are we leaving for their futures? We plan to create better systems, leave a legacy of prosperity and realize the promises for B.C.

In closing, I would like to thank my family, my friends, volunteers and supporters who encouraged me to run for office and were committed to electing me. A very special thank-you to my wife, Carol, for her support, encouragement and active involvement in my campaign. I also thank my children Kerry, Kelsey, Keith and Ken for their understanding and support and the loss of their father for a short time.

To quote W.P. Kinsella of Field of Dreams fame: "If you build it, they will come." We will build British Columbia, and in return, investment, tourism and prosperity will come. In representing the people of Esquimalt, View Royal, Colwood and Metchosin comes a responsibility that I take very seriously, and I thank my constituents for entrusting me with this privilege. It is my commitment to represent them with honesty and integrity. I am both proud and honoured to be part of this great rebuilding team: the government and the people of 2001.

W. McMahon: Let me join my colleagues in congratulating you on your position, Mr. Speaker. Your experience and knowledge of this House will serve us well. I would also like to extend my best wishes to the Deputy Speaker and the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole on their selections. It is an honour and a privilege to stand before this House today representing Columbia River–Revelstoke and to give my first speech in these chambers.

I was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, and moved to Victoria in 1972, quickly realizing that I wanted to make this province my permanent home. In 1987, with my husband Brian and son Roger, I moved to Fairmont Hot Springs. I quickly learned to value and respect what the East Kootenays had to offer. It was here in the Columbia Valley over the past ten years that I watched a productive and economically viable province falter through scandals, mismanagement and waste. An atmosphere of uncertainty and instability was created.

I watched a government that, as we heard yesterday, did not care about the financial burden it was placing on its citizens and the businesses of this province. I watched public trust die. This is why I became involved. I want to thank the voters and in particular the many volunteers who worked tirelessly on my behalf during my election campaign for putting their trust in me but more importantly for working the long, hard hours which ensured a new era for British Columbia, a new era of hope and prosperity, an era of leadership.

Good leadership provides answers as well as directions, strength as well as dedication and experience as well as an understanding of the problems that are presented. Leadership is about making conscious choices to bring about positive change. Yesterday the Finance minister underscored the fiscal challenges that lie ahead in this province and outlined measures to restore our economic vitality through a tax relief package and better fiscal management.

Two very important issues to my constituents in Columbia River–Revelstoke are health care and education. To sustain health care and education over the long term, the Finance minister has announced a comprehensive three-year plan to be included in next year's budget. In other words, our government will provide health regions, hospitals, school boards and post-secondary institutions with three-year funding

commitments in order to foster certainty in planning and the delivery of their services.

During the past ten years the mining sector has been driven from my constituency and out of the province. Yesterday the Finance minister introduced initiatives which will encourage mining exploration in British Columbia, sending a strong, clear message that this province is once again open for business.

The business community in Columbia River–Revelstoke breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Finance minister amended the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act to ensure that government moves to implement generally accepted accounting principles. In other words, the government will be doing its books the same way that businesses have had to do theirs. Now we all speak the same language.

I am honoured to be the first woman to represent Columbia River–Revelstoke. I am in the company of some long-serving members who represented different areas of the current constituency for many years. I will recognize two who served for more than 20 years: Leo Nimsick, representing the Kimberley area from 1949 to 1975, and Jim Chabot, who served Columbia River from 1962 to 1986. Jim Chabot served his constituency well, as did his wife Grace, who faced the challenges of political life as a wife with wisdom, grace and dignity. It is as a friend and mentor that I recognize Grace today.

Let me tell you a little bit about Columbia River–Revelstoke. It's the eighth-largest riding geographically in the province, and what a tapestry we weave. To the east we enjoy the Rocky Mountain range, while the Purcell, Monashee and Selkirk mountain ranges dominate our skyline to the west. Wildlife abounds in Yoho, Kootenay, Glacier and Mount Revelstoke national parks as well as the areas in between. Elk, moose, deer, black bears, cougars and grizzly bears are all within our boundaries. At Canal Flats we have the source of the mighty Columbia River.

Skiing, heli-skiing, snowmobiling, golfing and hunting bring tourists from around the world, which in turn stimulates our economy both locally and provincially.

We are an area rich in history. For two years the explorer David Thompson used a site near Invermere as his base. Robert Randolph Bruce, engineer and mine owner, served as Lieutenant-Governor from 1926 to 1931. Communities developed because of the gold rush and the building of the railroad.

Our major industries are forestry, tourism, agriculture, mining and small business.

We are unique in our proximity to the Alberta border. Businesses are challenged by the will of the people, who shop in Alberta and the Okanagan areas. Many people go to Alberta for medical attention. Many of our children go to Alberta to further their education or find employment.

The back country and the environment are very important to the residents of Columbia River–Revelstoke, as is the ability to find employment and raise their families in this area of the province.

There are many mishaps and deaths on our stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway, running from the Alberta border west through Columbia River–Revelstoke. In this area most of the Trans-Canada Highway is two lanes. It winds its way through many mountain ranges and snowsheds. Highway concerns will need to be addressed.

Another concern is the closure of the Sullivan mine in Kimberley. This mine has supported the city of Kimberley for more than 85 years and will close this December. Kimberley is in transition, and it is important that we recognize the challenges it faces.

My constituency is unique. We have both Pacific and mountain time zones. It takes five hours — or more, actually — to drive from one end of the riding to the other, and just getting to Victoria can sometimes be a challenge.

Recently former MLA Duane Crandall devoted a column in his newspaper, the Golden News, to me. In it he wrote about rural and urban MLAs and the different challenges we face. The column ended by saying: "The most that any of your constituents can hope for you is that you will be a builder, because if you are, you will have the most fun, the greatest sense of achievement, and the riding will reach its greatest potential."

In closing, I am certainly looking forward to working with the Premier and my colleagues on the challenges ahead. As we put the past decade behind us, we as government will serve all British Columbians with honour and integrity. We will remain accountable, and we will keep our commitments and earn the respect of British Columbians over the next four years.

I end as I began, with my best wishes — only this time for the future of this province. We will put our financial house in order together, through hard work, concerted effort and strong fiscal management.

E. Brenzinger: Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations on your election as Speaker of the House. I would also like to extend my heartiest congratulations to all members of the House on their election.

It is my pleasure to rise today and address the economic statement tabled yesterday by our Finance minister. I am proud to be a member of this Legislative Assembly and want to express my thanks to the Sergeant-at-Arms, his staff and the legislative personnel who assist us so ably in our day-to-day duties. Before I present my comments, I would like to extend my congratulations to the Little League senior champions from Whalley and extend them the best of luck at the Canadian nationals in Quebec.

I am proud to represent the riding of Surrey-Whalley. From its earliest beginnings in 1861, when Mr. Brown built the first hotel at what has become known as Brown's Landing, to 1925, when Harry Whalley opened his gas station at what was known as Whalley's Corner, the community of Whalley has had a rich and diverse history made up of immigrants from Europe and Great Britain. Today Whalley has grown

into a diverse multicultural mosaic consisting of various communities, such as Muslim, Indo-Canadian, Filipino and Asian, to name a few.

Whalley is a dynamic jewel within Surrey but, through neglect by the previous government, was left behind and ignored while others prospered. The citizens of Whalley were placated by vague and insincere platitudes that their time would come: "Just be patient and just wait your turn."

I am proud to stand before this esteemed House and tell the people of Surrey-Whalley that our time has come. I will commit to working for all members of my riding regardless of political stripe. We have an unprecedented opportunity, with seven MLAs representing Surrey, to work with federal Members of Parliament, Surrey municipal council, Surrey school board, the Whalley community and business organizations to make sure Surrey is one of the best cities in Canada and for Whalley to be a dynamic and thriving partner in that process.

Like many of my fellow members have so eloquently and passionately said before me, I am humbled by the responsibility entrusted to me by the constituents of Surrey-Whalley. I will endeavour to work hard on their behalf and be their voice here in Victoria. That is the kind of challenge I love.

I would like to take a moment to thank the many people who helped me to become a representative for Surrey-Whalley. First, to all the constituents of Surrey-Whalley who came out and exercised the most precious right of democracy, the right to vote. It doesn't matter which candidate they voted for but that they voted. I would also like to thank the candidates that put their names and platforms on the ballot, and my campaign volunteers, who came from diverse social, ethnic and economic backgrounds to form a team demanding change. They deserve my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for a job well done.

Most importantly, I want to thank my family who, when I asked for their thoughts on my running for office, said emphatically, "Do it," especially my husband, Leo, who has supported and encouraged me throughout this journey of public service. I must also mention Marilynn Johnson and Christine Ball, my constituency assistants, who have been incredibly dedicated and loyal to me, and I thank them.

Like many of my colleagues, I too came to this country as an immigrant. My father Albert, my mother Jean, my brother Tom and I immigrated to Canada from Dunoon, Scotland. My father was with the merchant navy and had opportunities to visit many countries. He chose Canada, because it provided our family — in particular, my brother and I — the best opportunity for our futures.

I grew up in Montreal and received my education in the east. I worked as a systems analyst before marrying my husband, Leo, who was born and raised in B.C. In 1981 we moved to British Columbia and began our family. We have three children: Christopher, Kirsten and Alexander. When I was at home raising our children, I operated two small businesses and was actively involved in my children's school parent advisory committees. From personal experience, I was put into contact with a non-profit early intervention program and became involved with this organization for the next ten years. The last six years were spent as the executive director of the program.

Although the previous government had consistently, over the last decade, reduced the funding for this and other similar programs, I know the level of commitment that this government and in particular the Premier have towards early intervention programs. It has been cemented by the historical creation of a Ministry of State for Early Childhood Development. I applaud the Premier for his vision on the importance of early childhood development.

For the last year and a half I have spoken with residents and business owners in my riding. From Brownsville to Bridgeview, Port Mann to Riverside, Whalley's Corner over to the Old Yale Road, my constituents have told me what matters to them. They want government out of their lives and to prosper, whether they are individuals or business owners. They want a safer community for their families to take pride in. They want the necessary social safety nets in place when a hand up, not a handout, is needed. They want honesty and integrity back in government and in our province. They want health care when and where they need it. They want a top-notch education system for all students to thrive in.

The creation of the Ministry of State for Deregulation, open cabinet meetings, the waste-buster web site, and the establishment of specific performance commitments by cabinet ministers are some of the initiatives to address government accountability. The fair and flexible stumpage system which our government will develop, along with an improvement in the Forest Practices Code, will help stimulate a once-vigorous lumber sector in the South Westminster–Bridgeview area of my riding.

The tax reduction and deregulation initiatives now underway will help the small businesses in Whalley to prosper once again. We will also encourage our leading-edge technology firms to take a second look at business-friendly communities such as Surrey-Whalley.

The families in our community need to feel safe in their homes and neighbourhood. I will work in conjunction with the Surrey city council and business and community organizations to ensure that long-neglected issues such as poverty, unemployment, prostitution, drug and alcohol issues, mental illness and crime are addressed. I want to ensure that the members of my riding who require additional support are able to access the agencies and programs so vital to their lives. But more than just enabling the access to these agencies and programs, I want to ensure that each person who reaches out for this help is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their personal circumstances.

It is vital that the economy prosper so that the social programs in this province have the fiscal resources to provide and deliver services for those who

need them. Our government will usher in a new era in public service by initiating merit employment legislation, ensuring that British Columbians are served by a public service appointed by merit, not politics. Government caucus committees have been created and will hold cabinet accountable. They will give all government MLAs a voice in government decision-making.

More of our health dollar will go to patient care. The portion of our community who have been marginalized and stigmatized by the disease of mental illness will benefit from the multi-year mental health initiative overseen by Canada's first Minister of State for Mental Health. For our parents and seniors across the province, our government will deliver on its commitment to open, build and operate more intermediate and long term care beds.

Legislation will be introduced to restore education to an essential service. Parents will be encouraged to become more involved in their children's education, and there will be increased flexibility and choice in public schools. School boards will have more control over how education services are delivered. These are some of the measures that will direct education funding where it is needed most.

Our road ahead will not be smooth. There are inherited debts and legacies that have been tackled, but we must not stray from our vision of a vital province that will become the example and envy of other governments. Indeed, a new era of hope and prosperity has begun. Now it is time for my constituents and all British Columbians to take pride in the best province in the best country in the world.

Hon. S. Bond: As the new member for Prince George–Mount Robson, I am honoured and quite humbled to rise in the House today to deliver my response to the economic and fiscal update.

First of all, Mr. Speaker, I would like to add my sincere congratulations to those who have spoken before me on your election as Speaker of the Legislature. I would also like to congratulate the member for Kelowna–Lake Country on his election as Deputy Speaker. We are fortunate to have two such hard-working and capable people serving in these positions of trust in the Legislature. It will not be an easy task to keep us all in line over the next four years, and I certainly wish you the best of luck in your new responsibilities.

On May 16, 2001, the people of British Columbia spoke. As a result, I stand in the House with an amazing team of people representing virtually every riding in this province. It is an understatement to say that it is exciting to work with an incredibly talented group of people. I want to congratulate each of my colleagues and tell them how much I have been impressed by their dedication and commitment to the plan that we have laid out. Working together will make us stronger and will ensure that we will deliver on the promises we have made to the people of British Columbia.

I would like to express my special congratulations to the members for Prince George–Omineca and Prince George North on their overwhelming victories. I know that we will continue to work together, as we did throughout the election campaign, to bring the concerns of the north to Victoria.

I would be remiss if I did not express my deep gratitude to the people who live in my riding, Prince George–Mount Robson. You have placed your trust and confidence in me, and I will not forget that. I will work hard to prove that you did make the right choice on May 16.

I must also thank those people who have worked so tirelessly on my behalf. From my first municipal campaign more than seven years ago to my election as the MLA for Prince George–Mount Robson, you have been there for me, providing much-needed support, encouragement and just plain hard work. A simple thank-you seems somehow inadequate, but I offer it with sincerity.

Virtually every member of this House has paid tribute to a group of people who have made and continue to make daily sacrifices to allow us to do the job that we have been elected to do: our families. To my remarkable family, thank you for helping me make my dream come true.

The riding that I represent, Prince George–Mount Robson, is extremely diverse. Known as B.C.'s northern capital, Prince George is located almost in the middle of the province. It is a geographical fact that all roads lead to Prince George. The city is the regional centre of business, government, transportation, education, health care, sports, arts and culture in the northern half of the province.

It is a contrast in time, with a traditional first nations powwow taking place while a high-tech trade show goes on at the civic centre. Native burial grounds and the Fraser–Fort George Regional Museum share the landscape with towering pulp mills and sawmills. These industries still form the backbone of the northern economy, but ecotourism operators, technological innovators, progressive entrepreneurs and, believe it or not, a booming film industry are beginning to take their places beside such companies as Canfor, the largest Canadian-owned forest products company.

The forests represent more than just the backbone of our economy. Ten minutes in any direction from downtown brings you in contact with the great outdoors. There are more than a thousand lakes, countless rivers, three ski hills and hundreds of miles of hiking, biking and cross-country trails. Leaving Prince George on the Yellowhead Highway, my riding includes the villages of Valemont, McBride, and the communities of Dome Creek, Dunster, Crescent Spur and Tête Jaune Cache, together known as the Robson Valley.

No less than three mountain ranges are part of this riding: the Cariboo Mountains, the Monashee range and the majestic Rockies. This is an area of

unparalleled natural beauty. It isn't unusual to see bear, deer, moose, elk and a variety of other wildlife.

Mount Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. Mount Terry Fox, also found in my riding, will serve forever as an enduring and fitting memorial to a young Canadian's determination, selflessness and courage. It couldn't have been designated in a more appropriate place, because these characteristics also reflect the people who have chosen to live their lives and raise their families in Prince George–Mount Robson.

Having lived in Prince George my whole life, I possess a very personal understanding of these issues and the concerns of my riding. I also understand what makes these northern communities such a wonderful place to live and raise a family, and that appreciation is key to representing the interests of my constituents in Victoria.

Preserving the sense of community and the unique character that make Prince George, Dunster, McBride and Valemont such great places to live is of paramount importance to me. However, I also know that for our communities to grow and prosper in the future, to make them a place where our children will stay to raise their own families, we must restore a sense of confidence in the economy. We must create rewarding, well-paying jobs for our young people, and we must be certain that critical services like health care are going to be there when we need them.

That is why I'm so excited to be part of the new Liberal government. We have a unique opportunity and a clear, unequivocal mandate from British Columbians to do what it takes to restore confidence in our province's economy, health care and education. And we have a plan. We have a plan that was clearly laid out for British Columbians during the election campaign, in the throne speech and, yet again, in yesterday's economic and fiscal update. They support our government's strategy to get a decade of overspending under control, eliminate unnecessary red tape and cut taxes.

In addition to the significant personal income tax reductions we have already made, yesterday's announcement provides business tax reductions that will help repair the damage that has been done to investment, and to small business in particular, during the last decade. These benefits will be felt in my riding of Prince George–Mount Robson, both by individuals and by local businesses. As a result, I am completely confident that we will see increased local investment and a revitalization of key industries like logging, mining and transportation, each of which is critical for the economic health of my riding.

We have faced enormous struggles in the past decade. Yesterday's announcement provides some long-overdue relief. In addition, effective July 31, production and equipment purchased by eligible manufacturers and by businesses in the logging, mining and energy sectors will be exempt from provincial sales tax. The exemption replaces a 3 percent tax credit introduced last year and will save businesses $87 million this fiscal year. This, too, will have an immediate positive impact across the communities of Prince George–Mount Robson.

Even without yesterday's economic and fiscal update, we are already seeing increased confidence in our economy. The Conference Board of Canada says there is a 20 percent increase in consumer confidence in our province compared to a 3 percent increase nationally. I see and hear this confidence when I travel in my riding. People are excited and encouraged by the new direction we are taking in moving toward a renewed economy.

However, this government also has a mandate to restore hope and trust and confidence. This, to me, is the most important task we will undertake during our term in office. And — thank you — this just in….

Mr. Speaker, I will have more to say about the fiscal update on another occasion. Therefore, I move adjournment of debate.

Mr. Speaker: Hon. members, I am informed that His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor is in the precincts, and he asks that the members please remain seated.

His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor entered the chamber and took his place in the chair.

In her Majesty's name, His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor doth thank Her Majesty's loyal subjects, accept their benevolence and assent to this act.