Hansard -- Monday, March 3, 2003 a.m. -- Vol. 12, No. 3 (HTML)

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
		Page

Private Members' Statements		5131
	Small business H. Bloy R. Sultan School yard bullying and bystanders W. McMahon Hon. R. Coleman Economic growth in the heartland W. Cobb Hon. G. Collins International trade D. Hayer Hon. R. Thorpe

Motions on Notice		5139
	Parental involvement in education system (Motion 58) J. Bray R. Lee L. Mayencourt S. Brice P. Wong G. Trumper B. Bennett Hon. S. Bond Transportation infrastructure and funding for Trans-Canada Highway (Motion 10) W. McMahon K. Krueger T. Christensen L. Mayencourt Hon. G. Halsey-Brandt

H. Bloy: It's an honour to stand here today. I would like to do a profile of small business in British Columbia. Business is and should be the only driving force of the economy, but unfortunately, we're just now picking up the pieces of ten years of the previous government. I might add that they were quite successful at driving business out of the province.

I want to let you know that our government is going to be even more successful at bringing business back to this province. In our New Era document we said we were open for business. I believe we have made some real progress in this regard.

In my own riding of Burquitlam, which includes parts of the communities of Burnaby and Coquitlam, we are seeing proof of that progress. Just last month we celebrated the announcement that eBay will open a new call centre in Burnaby, a call centre that will add 600 new jobs to the area and will no doubt benefit the economies of both Burnaby and Coquitlam.

This is just one example, but it's an example that speaks volumes. There are many other examples in my riding. The new laundry facility will open in the riding of Burquitlam, which will service the Fraser health authority.

Today I would like to highlight some of the accomplishments of small business in British Columbia, but first I would like to thank B.C. Stats for this information. B.C. Stats has an excellent reputation, and they allow the public to get a real view of business in British Columbia.

Small business. Did you know that in 2001, almost 98 percent of all businesses in British Columbia were small businesses? Microbusinesses, those fewer than five employees, constituted about 83 percent of small businesses.

Employment. It is estimated that 931,000 were employed by small companies in British Columbia in 2001. This represents 58 percent of all private sector jobs in the province.

Women entrepreneurs. With over 36 percent of small business owned and operated by women in British Columbia, B.C. has the highest proportion of women owning small businesses.

Gross domestic product. Among the provinces, B.C. is ranked first in Canada, with the highest proportion of GDP — 28 percent — attributed to small business.

Exports. Small businesses in British Columbia shipped out in excess of $11.3 billion worth of merchandise to international destinations in the year 2000. That represents 34 percent of the total value of goods exported from this province.

The high-tech sector. Small business comprised 93 percent of employers in high technology. The sector experienced the fastest growth rate in Canada.

Regional focus. The mainland and southwest region recorded the highest rate of growth in the number of new small businesses, with an average increase of 2.6 percent a year.

These last two points are particularly important to my communities. Our government has shown a tremendous commitment to the high-tech community, both in education and in business. The commitment to increase the number of high-tech spaces in advanced education is particularly important to my communities, which are home to the B.C. Institute of Technology and Simon Fraser University. We know, for instance, that eBay chose Burnaby as its new home in part because of our skilled and highly trained workforce. These institutions and our government's commitment to them have a lot to do with that growth.

We have also benefited from the Premier's personal commitment to high-tech and business outreach. His trip to California last year was aimed directly at marketing B.C.'s high-tech community to companies there. He also pointed out that now that we are open for business, there are once again opportunities for workers to return to British Columbia. Our government's commitment will see people coming home, and I think our local high-tech communities, particularly in my area, are poised to take advantage of this influx.

Small business is the driving force in British Columbia, and we as government have to continue to make the climate and conditions appropriate for small business to continue to grow and be the leading force in this province. What have we done for small business? Corporate capital tax. We eliminated this tax on September 1, 2002. General corporation income tax rate. We cut a full 3 percentage points off corporate income tax effective January 1, 2002. Small business income tax. We increased the threshold from $200,000 to $300,000 in the year 2002. Provincial sales tax. We eliminated provincial sales tax on production equipment for manufacturing, logging, mining and the energy sector.

Domestic jet fuel tax rate. We reduced the rate of tax on jet fuel to 0.02 cents a litre to improve B.C.'s competitiveness as an international air transportation hub. You can just see that with the fantastic results that have happened at the YVR, Vancouver International Airport.

Bunker fuel tax. We eliminated the 7 percent tax on bunker fuel to make B.C.'s already busy ports even more competitive for both cargo and the cruise ship industry. Mining tax credit — a new 20 percent flow-through share tax credit to encourage further explorations of B.C.'s rich mineral resources.

In British Columbia we have been revitalized in the economy. In addition to tax cuts for businesses, the British Columbia government has been taking decisive

action to revitalize the economy and foster increased business development and success around the province.

I would now like to ask my hon. colleague from West Vancouver–Capilano to make a few unique remarks on small business in British Columbia.

R. Sultan: I would like to begin by quoting some amazing numbers from an Ipsos-Reid poll which was published on February 25 of this year. They surveyed a cross-section of small businesses in British Columbia in all regions and in all categories, and in this random sample discovered — to quote their headline: "Small Business Big on Campbell Government." Eight in ten — 78 percent — small business owners say the B.C. Liberals are moving in the "right direction" in terms of changes made for small business, 44 percent say B.C.'s business climate is already in "better shape" than when the Liberals were first elected, and 66 percent say it will be in "better shape" two years from now.

I think these are stunningly encouraging results. My colleague from Burquitlam has already explained why small business is uniquely powerful here in British Columbia. We have proportionately more small businesses in this province than elsewhere in Canada — more small businesses led by women, interestingly enough, as an aside. I think one could say small business in British Columbia is yet another of our Super, Natural attributes.

Now, why is small business a natural in British Columbia? Well, one theory might be that it's a survival response. How to create a small business in B.C.? Start a large business and operate for ten years under the NDP. But I think that's probably a bit unfair. It's an old joke. I believe the correct explanation lies in global trends, in technology and in the personalities of our citizens.

As for global trends, it's clear that small rather than large companies are the engines of job creation everywhere. That's true in British Columbia; it's true in Ontario; it's true in Massachusetts. This idea was first hatched years ago by one of my colleagues in Boston. I think it's true now, and it was true then.

Second point: technology. British Columbia has an environment uniquely attractive to knowledge industries. They come here, and they love it here. We've become a centre of high-tech excellence, particularly in biotechnology, with companies like QLT which has developed — by virtue of science originating at the University of British Columbia — a treatment for blindness, which affects 2,300 newly aging British Columbians every year. Think of it. We have 2,000 aging British Columbians, for reasons of diabetes and other factors, who are at risk for blindness, and QLT has discovered a significant treatment for that problem.

As for the personality factor, I believe that British Columbians, with their independent, don't-tread-on-me style, are just the types of people naturally suited to running their own show. I would spin this theory further and observe that mountain people — and I think British Columbians are mountain people — are better at starting independent businesses than are the flatlanders, as we sometimes refer to our colleagues out on the Prairies.

That's my topographical theory of small business and its unique strength here in British Columbia. Will small business continue to thrive in British Columbia? I think so. The Minister of State for Deregulation is successfully reducing the most harmful government barrier to small business, and that's red tape. He's eliminated already close to 10 percent of the 400,000 regulations on our books and, I'm confident, will achieve his target of one-third in three years. Small business persons applaud. So should we all.

H. Bloy: I would like to thank the member for West Vancouver–Capilano for his thoughtful remarks, to acknowledge his vast expertise in the business world and to state that it is an honour to be a colleague of the member for West Vancouver–Capilano.

I get so excited talking about small business and what this government is doing for British Columbia that I ran out of time in my opening comments. There are so many businesses that are coming along. In the biotech industry in my riding alone, there's Abgenix, which has just moved from UBC with 11,000 square feet to a building with 48,000 square feet, and their next door neighbour is Chromos. We are growing. I wanted to thank the member for West Vancouver–Capilano, who mentioned the Ipsos-Reid poll. It is validating everything that this Liberal government is doing for the province.

I want to tell you a story that has just begun but that I believe will have an extraordinary finish. In my riding of Burquitlam, North Road runs up the middle, joining the two cities of Coquitlam and Burnaby. North Road from the freeway to Cameron Street has started a business group. I called the first meeting of this group back in last October to see how we could help bring business to this area. That's because the Millennium SkyTrain had just opened, and the number one stops for the SkyTrain in the lower mainland have been Metrotown and Pacific Centre.

I said Burquitlam has the greatest shopping area in the Lougheed area — North Road — so why can't we be the number one destination trip of SkyTrain? We called this meeting together, and we had a number of people come out. After the first meeting they decided they wanted to form a BIA, a business improvement area, for this, so they called together elected officials from the cities of Burnaby…. We had planning staff from the cities of Burnaby and Coquitlam and businesses. We also had a representative from the city of Vancouver who's responsible for BIAs in Vancouver, where there are 14 of them. There is one in Burnaby.

This group has now formed its own steering committee, and they're reaching out to all the businesses in this corridor, but they're working together to promote their own businesses. They want the participation of small and large businesses in the province, because a BIA doesn't ask for money. They're a self-financing

group. They are not coming to government for money. They want to do it themselves. They want to work with government cooperatively to make it a success.

The uniqueness about this BIA is that it will be the first time ever that two cities have cooperatively joined together to form a BIA. Business is the backbone of the community. A better business environment in the North Road will be another striving business area that will be a destination for people of the whole lower mainland to come.

W. McMahon: Recently, in my capacity as a member of the safe schools task force, I had an opportunity to meet with parents, students, teachers and citizens throughout the province to discuss harassment, intimidation and bullying within the K-to-12 public school system. What I heard has left a lasting impression.

What is bullying? Bullying is a pattern of repeated aggressive behaviour with negative intent directed from one child to another where there is a power imbalance. Bullying is not just kids being kids. Bullying is intended and repeated. It can be physical or verbal, or it can involve physical alienation. Adults are generally unaware of the extent of bullying among children. They become aware when the situation is out of hand.

Victims are children who are usually more sensitive than their peers, children who are more cautious and anxious in everyday life. They are often socially isolated, and this is what makes them vulnerable to bullying. Children who are bullied often have a negative view of school, are often less successful, and eventually their achievement suffers. Some children are simply lacking the social skills to recognize situations that provoke confrontation, and they often become the bullied.

I have learned about the bully and the victim, and I have learned about the bystander. Although there is a lot of work done with the bully and the victim, there is one group that is rarely discussed, and it causes me great concern. It's the bystander or, if not alone, it's the supporting cast.

Mr. Speaker, did you know that the vast majority of children view bullying as bystanders? Most acts of bullying occur in front of children who do not come to the aid of the victim. A small number of these bystanders feel relief because they are not the targets themselves. There is certainly a great amount of statistical information about the bystander. It tells us that peers are involved, in some capacity, in 85 percent of bullying episodes. Peers reinforce the bullying in 81 percent of these episodes and are more respectful and friendly towards the bullies rather than the victims. Peers are active participants in 48 percent of the episodes, and they intervene in only 13 percent of situations they're present at.

These are sad statistics. These people — they are not always students — are part of something that is fundamentally wrong. I have been told that there are no innocent bystanders. As the safe schools task force heard from parents and students within the school system, there were also other groups that we heard from. We heard from a mother whose young adult daughter was murdered on her way home from a party. The mother told me that people heard her daughter screaming and did nothing. These people who heard the screams were bystanders.

Sometimes bystanders become part of the attack on a victim, but more than likely they simply ignore the situation. Perhaps they are afraid of getting hurt themselves or of becoming a new target for the bully. Perhaps they are afraid of doing something that will only make the situation worse, or perhaps they simply do not know what to do.

Just as bullying is a learned behaviour, so must children be taught ways to stop bullying. We've heard about the bullied child who strikes back. We've heard about what a bully can do to get even. But what have we heard about the moral responsibility of the bystander? I understand that bystanders will likely side with the bully and sooner or later assume the role of bullies themselves.

Right here in British Columbia a young girl hanged herself in November of 2000 at the age of 14 because of bullying. The Provincial Court judge in the case focused on the bystanders. The judge's comments focused on the fact that she was particularly dismayed that none of the bystanders had the moral strength or the courage to stand in front of the victim and tell the bullies to stop, go away, leave her alone. She was not alone, this young girl.

There's a huge human price attached to bullying, and I believe the bystanders can help us deal with this. Why are we ignoring this group? I believe it is because they are rarely acknowledged for their participation or recognized for the role they play in supporting the bully.

During the safe schools task force tour, we met with three students who told us about the fights that take place off school property. The fights are videotaped so that they can be played at parties. In this case, the bystanders become something else. They indirectly become part of the attack on the victim. There is a certain element here that deals with public safety, there is a certain element that deals with criminal justice, and there is a certain element that reaches to our very soul and questions both justice and fairness within our society.

At this time I've asked the Solicitor General and Minister of Public Safety to respond.

Hon. R. Coleman: I think we've all been bystanders. Some of us are bystanders in our daily life. How often have we, as adults, stood by when a friend or a colleague was unfairly abused or criticized? Think about that. Now think about the fact that bullying is cowardly behaviour in our youth. Think about the people who just don't know, when they bully people, what that impacts on. If it's a child, it may impact on the relationship with their mother and father or with

their brothers and sisters or with their other friends and peers within a community because of how they will go back into a shell and be afraid to actually be positive in other things in their lives.

Think about how an older student bullying a younger student may find later in life that the younger student is actually their boss who has gone and excelled in life and gotten over the hurdles of bullying and actually today is not the bullied person but the person that is actually supporting the community. Think about the fact that maybe some of those adults who have gone through that need to go into our schools as parents and business people and talk about their experiences with bullying.

I am familiar with bullying. I was a skinny little kid, and I got bullied in school. I got bullied in school as a young man, both in elementary and in junior secondary school. Bullying was not something that was pleasant. It leaves a lasting impact on you. It affects your ability to be….

Whether you were shy in a group of people, and you have to overcome that later in life; whether you want to speak out in class, but you're afraid of the criticism that may come to you down the road, the fact of the matter is that bullying has an effect on everybody. It's physical abuse; it's mental abuse. It can be the abuse of somebody because they're smaller, or because somebody wants to show their physical strength over someone. It can be mental abuse, where somebody makes fun of somebody's looks or bullies people because they happen to be academically successful. Or they're bullied because they're not good in sports. It's visual; it's physical. It's about academics. It's everything about the basic human decency behaviour that is missing in portions of our society, which we have to bring back to our young people.

As life evolves, people mature and they succeed. As they go forward, we have to communicate how those life skills and things that happened to them when they were in school had an effect on their lives. It is something we have to take into our schools and to our students at the very basic level so that they can understand what is right and what is wrong. I think the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke makes a very good point about the bystander. In crime we call that in some aspects "aiding and abetting." In Canada we call it being a party to the offence — a party to the offence where you could damage someone's life. What they have to do is start to understand what is right and wrong; get up in the morning and decide: we're not going to be bystanders anymore, whether it be adults, adolescents or children. We have to stand up for basic human decency and right and wrong in all of our society.

W. McMahon: I'd like to thank my colleague from Fort Langley–Aldergrove for his comments. He's lived through it, and he can tell his story. Many people did tell us their stories. He also recognizes what the needs are, and the question now is: how can we help?

We need to educate, and we need to communicate, as my colleague said. We need to let bystanders know the important role they can play in stopping the bullying from happening. We need to show them they can possess moral strength when they support the victim. But before there are victims and bullies and bystanders, at a very early age we need to help children develop an inner discipline even in the face of difficulty and peer pressure, so they will retain confidence in themselves and a belief in their ability to make a difference. I believe there is harm in silence, and with apathy there is indifference.

Children need role models. They need role models with principles and values, who will stand up for what they believe in. It is important for our children to see us stand up for what we believe in, to be answerable for it and to be willing to act on it, to do the right thing. We play a role as legislators, as do our neighbours and our friends.

We heard a lot about EBS, or effective behaviour strategy, in our travels. We saw how EBS worked in many schools. Under this model we were able to speak to children who believed in themselves, believed in their schools and believed in those around them. We spoke to children who had been bullies. We spoke to students who had been victims. We learned from students about their role as bystanders and how they became witnesses. We were told that schools can't do it alone. We were told that it takes a village to raise a child.

In closing, it is about our kids, and kids are worth it. What will you do to help?

W. Cobb: It's a pleasure to have this opportunity today. As I stated in my response to the throne speech, we undertook a very ambitious agenda when we were elected some 20 months ago, and we made some very tough decisions. These decisions were needed to get our province back on track, and that is happening. In the throne speech, the Premier's address and an announcement by the Minister of Transportation, we've set out some initiatives that we will be working hard on this year. The heartlands economic strategy, the

resorts task force, highway infrastructure plans, the mayors' council on economic opportunities — all are designed to get B.C. working again.

As well as these new announcements, we have in the past year begun many more changes that will ensure the revitalization of our province. We now have a forest and range act that allows for innovation in the forest and still maintains high environmental standards. We finally have an energy policy, one that protects our core assets of B.C. Hydro and provides an actual plan on how to meet future energy needs. We've made changes to the mineral act, which I will talk a little bit more about in a few minutes. There have been 27 tax-relief measures since we took office, with a net benefit of about $90 million to individual British Columbians and more than $350 million to businesses. We are moving to establish a working forest so that working families, communities and companies can have some certainty in their future.

I want to elaborate somewhat on how these changes and proposals will help the people of the Cariboo-Chilcotin. The heartlands economic strategy, the mayors' council and the transportation strategy will all go hand in hand. For far too long we in the northern interior have felt left out of many of the plans set for the province and were concerned that attention to the resources and the revenue generators of the province was lacking. This new strategy lets the northern MLAs know that we are being heard and paid attention to. Full credit must go to our Premier, who has probably spent more time in the heartlands than he has in the lower mainland. He has heard our pleas. This is the beginning of the rejuvenation of the heartlands.

We in the Cariboo don't ask for a lot. We are hard-working people, not looking for handouts. We just want to be treated as equal partners, get on with our lives and have government get out of our way so that can happen. It is the job of government to provide services that cannot be done by individuals, and we all must collectively help pay for those services. Government should not be interfering in the daily operations of our families or our business lives, and with our aggressive deregulation plan, that can happen.

The mineral act changes. Almost half of our miners lost their jobs during the NDP time in power. In 1990 the B.C. mining industry directly employed over 14,500 miners. By 1999 the number of miners employed had dropped to around 7,900. A 1998 Fraser Institute survey of mining companies operating in the Americas concluded that out of 31 mining jurisdictions in the Americas, B.C. ranked the third least likely region in which to make an investment due to our negative taxes, regulatory and land use policies. Note the other two least attractive jurisdictions for mining exploration were Wisconsin, which has banned mining all together, and P.E.I., which has no mining.

Mineral exploration has also dropped 80 percent in the last decade. Since we have made the changes to the mineral act, we have renewed interest in mining in B.C. and have had the announcement of the first mine opening in over ten years. Exploration was up to $40 million this year. It's up from $30 million in the year 2000. It's still a far cry from the $259 million in 1990, prior to the NDP. As I mentioned before, these changes have also given a renewed interest in development in my riding with the methane gas exploration possibilities.

I have been given a task to work with the mayors of the heartlands to identify and develop constructive ways we can once again begin to grow. I've had the first meeting to develop the guidelines and initiate the discussions. This is an exciting project, and there is real enthusiasm for it amongst the mayors. The decision has been made to divide the province into five regions. Five mayors have been named co-chairs, including 100 Mile House Mayor Donna Barnett. They have the task of contacting the interested mayors in that region, pulling them together and coordinating their common interests and objectives. There will be a meeting in March with the mayors and MLAs of that region. Once those meetings have been completed, we will meet as a complete group and work together to turn those priorities into realities.

The announcements made by the Minister of Transportation will be one of the main components of developing that overall strategy. Without transportation, we will not be able to get our resources to market. Our government has made a commitment to invest back into the infrastructure that is the lifeline of the resource communities. The budget makes it clear that $225 million will be spent on northern and heartland roads and more for resource roads. The decision won't be made in Victoria, as the minister is appointing regional transportation committees to provide input into where the greatest needs are. These decisions will play a big part in redevelopment of the infrastructure that is needed to fulfil the economic opportunities that those groups will identify.

If it weren't for the hard work and tough decisions made by this House and the diligence with which the Minister of Finance has kept us on track, none of these announcements could have been made possible. It's all about having choices and flexibility to deliver quality service to the people of B.C. without mortgaging our children's future. We can now make some of those choices. This is indeed a new era.

Hon. G. Collins: I am very pleased to engage in the debate this morning and comment on the comments from the member opposite.

People might think it's a little unusual to have the member for Vancouver-Fairview commenting on the heartlands strategy and the plans for government, but I think it signifies the seriousness with which we, the Premier and I take this issue.

I know that the Premier, prior to the election, for years and years travelled British Columbia from one end to the other. I remember one headline — I think it was in the Kamloops paper — that said Campbell was just one of the locals. He's been through the community so often and travelled this province from one end to the other. I think that's certainly given him a very clear

understanding of what the contributions are that the heartlands of British Columbia have made to the province overall and to Canada as a country. It really is the lifeblood. It's where a lot of the resource dollars and the money that comes into government and our economy, from one end of the province to the other, come from.

I often say to constituents in my community that Vancouver is the largest forest-dependent community in British Columbia. Some people don't quite understand that. I talk about the dollars that forestry brings in, the dollars that mining brings in. Most of the head offices of those companies are in Vancouver. If you go out to the Fraser River through the lower mainland, there is an awful lot of forestry industry that's located along the Fraser, not least of which, even in my constituency, is right down on the waterfront. There's a very small element of the forest sector and other resources, as well, that are there. I think it's important that people from one end of this province to the other understand the strength and the importance of the economy in the heartlands and how that feeds everything.

There's been a great deal of comment over the last number of weeks about the heartlands and where and what they are. I think what is important to understand is that it really is the heart of the province that beats the blood through the rest of the province and keeps it going. I think it's important that we get that.

I think it's important to note some of the actions that government has taken. The member opposite raised a number of them. I want to speak a little bit about some of those actions this government has taken and comment a little bit, as well, on the results of some of them.

When we took office, the Premier made it very clear, even in the years leading up to the election campaign, that government had to pay particular attention to rural British Columbia — that we ensured that we put in place the policies, the regulation, the regulatory structure and, more importantly, I think, the tax structure that would allow the heartlands of British Columbia to thrive and those resource sectors to really grow, as well as to spread some of the economic performance of the province and some of the economic opportunities that we have in new developing technologies and new industries around British Columbia.

His direction to me, as his Minister of Finance, was that we focus on some of those items early on in our mandate. In our very first minibudget — our economic update on July 30 of 2001 — we made changes to the corporate capital tax to eliminate it. That was a huge relief to resource-based economies and capital investment. We eliminated the PST on production machinery and equipment. We eliminated the truck tax — that hated surtax that was on any sort of vehicle that had any sort of capacity to navigate the roads and carry people to work in rural British Columbia. We also brought a 20 percent flow-through share tax credit for the mining sector on exploration to try and get that sector going again as well.

All of those investments in tax, making our tax regime more competitive, have had an impact, and we're starting to see that in the province as well. We saw 78,000 new jobs created in British Columbia last year. Some of those — but not all of them, obviously — were in the resource sector, based on some new investments. The member referred to the first mine opening in an awful long time in the province. That was certainly a benefit as well.

There is also the deregulatory initiative that is underway and continues to make real progress in removing the burden that people burden under and the forestry restructuring, which the Minister of Forests is bringing into force this session. We started on it last year with the new Forest Practices Code changes. The forest sector restructuring is going to happen. That's something that, long term, is going to make our industry that much more competitive worldwide.

Most importantly, I think recently the transportation infrastructure plan is something that every community in the province should be very excited about. For the first time in a long time the rural infrastructure is not going to be neglected. We're actually going to get in there and repair and maintain as well as improve the rural roads. Those are the roads that get our goods and services to market, and that get our people into the forests and the land base in order to extract that and help to contribute to our economy.

I want to congratulate the member opposite for his work in making all of that happen on the heartlands strategy and meeting with the local mayors. That's just invaluable to us. I wish him the best of luck in that strategy as he continues to help bring those issues to the fore, bring them to the floor of the Legislature and make sure government continues on a track that we can all be proud of.

W. Cobb: Thanks to the Minister of Finance and member for Vancouver-Fairview for responding to my comments with the assurance that we are committed to stay on track, but also with the commitment to the heartlands and the understanding of the contribution that part of the province pays to our economy and of the need for us, particularly in the forest industry, to stay competitive. I think it's indicative of what the Minister of Energy and Mines from Peace River North often says: "More good news." I think the Finance minister has indicated the good news that we have brought forward and the good things that we're doing in this province.

We've come a long way, but we still have far to go if we are to bring the province and my constituents the hope and the prosperity they so much deserve. With some of the changes we have made to the education system, both in grade school and in advanced education, our young people will be ready for the challenge and the growth of this great region of the province.

It is stated that only about 20 percent of our high school students graduate and go to university. I believe we have set in place the avenues for our young men and women who do not wish to go to university to take

Our government has recognized there are many ways to contribute, and with some of our advances, they may be able to get their training without leaving the Cariboo. We have a plan. We're following that plan, and it is working.

I must say I'm pleased and proud to be part of a government that lives up to its promises and follows through with its commitments. We are, in fact, making British Columbia a better place to live, work and play. For us in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, this is all we really ask for.

D. Hayer: For a long time I have been wanting to get up in this House to speak about how much the resolution of the softwood lumber agreement with the United States means to me, to my constituents and to this province. Call me an optimist, but for many months now I have been an expecting an agreement, a lifting of the terrible tariff that the protectionist Americans have levied against our lumber exports. I know our Minister of Forests has been working diligently and tirelessly to resolve this issue, to get us a fair agreement that will ensure stability in our forestry industry.

The latest news is not heartening, and it concerns me greatly. That concern is why I stand today to talk about international trade — why, as a government, we must continue to explore other markets for our products. Our reliance on the $5 billion softwood lumber trade with the United States and its current position of jeopardy tells me we must look elsewhere and demonstrate to others the value of our products.

I know the Premier has been to Asia on marketing forays, and I know the Minister of Competition, Science and Enterprise has been to India, Taiwan and Japan. I know the Minister of Forests has been to China at least once and is planning a return trip. That is good, because Asia is beginning to once again become an economic tiger, and we all know it has a population that is expanding by leaps and bounds. As Asia's economy grows and strengthens and as people's income increases, there is a great demand for housing, and that is where British Columbia's wood products can fit in. I know this government understands what I'm talking about.

I understand the growing interest in Asia for our products, because I have been there. Not long ago, before I was elected as the MLA for Surrey-Tynehead, I was president and director of the Surrey Chamber of Commerce and joined many trade missions to Asia. We visited many countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and India. We met with many business people. We saw how people lived. We saw what they needed. We saw how quickly their population is growing. Most importantly, we heard how interested they were in our products.

I know that in some ways, we may have to show them how to incorporate wood products into their lifestyles and demonstrate the benefits of building with wood rather than concrete — benefits such as the safety of wood buildings. In some areas, for instance, homes made with wood are less susceptible to earthquake damage than those made with bricks and mortar. I saw this firsthand during my visit to Kobe, Japan, after a devastating earthquake.

While I was on a trade mission in India, I found it particularly advantageous to be able to converse in the native tongue. Talking with people without an interpreter gave me an invaluable opportunity to learn things they may not otherwise have said. I have travelled on other occasions to many parts of India, including my native Punjab state, and each time I made a special effort to learn about the business there and what the people's needs and wants are.

I strongly believe we have a largely untapped market for our products in Asia. We must overcome our dependence on the American market, certainly as long as they are dedicated to protectionism. We must expand and explore alternative markets, and we must make every effort to ensure that there is a smooth, seamless flow of goods across oceans in addition to our trade with the United States.

I know it is possible to market our wood products in the Far East, because there are two very significant milling operations within my constituency of Surrey-Tynehead providing thousands of jobs: S and R Sawmills, with six mills operating, and Teal Cedar Products, with one large lumber mill running and a second under construction. Both of these operations have significant markets in Asia. They are looking to expand these international trade relations further. I am certain there are many other wood product companies in this province who could profit from an expanded market to Asia. All it will take is a continuation and expansion of the current efforts of the government to appeal to these markets.

While it is easy to have the simplicity of the land routes to the huge markets of the United States, we have learned during the past few months just how uncooperative the Americans can be when they want to curtail the competition. As well, we know that reliance on the American market is having costly consequences not only on the forest-dependent communities of our province but throughout British Columbia, because so much of our economy is based on the success of our forest products. I would like today to encourage the Premier and those ministers responsible for trade issues — such as the Minister of Forests and the Minister of Competition, Science and Enterprise — to continue their tenacity in seeking out markets for our products.

Now the Minister of Competition, Science and Enterprise will respond to my statement.

Hon. R. Thorpe: I'd like to thank the member for Surrey-Tynehead for his comments. Obviously, his knowledge and his experience in travel to world mar-

I'd also like to thank the member for Cariboo South for his comments. What we're seeing here is all members in this House, under the leadership of the Premier, working together to make sure that the heartlands of British Columbia, the forest-dependent communities of British Columbia, including that great community in the heartlands, Prince George, and the communities along the Fraser River that play such an important part in the development of our forest industry….

Yes, yes, we've depended on the United States. Unfortunately, the softwood lumber agreement hasn't been resolved, but I am encouraged by the efforts of the Premier of British Columbia and the Minister of Forests, and I believe we will see a resolution of that in the near term. I'm hopeful of that. I know that the Premier and the minister are working very hard, as are other members of this House.

At the same time, the difficulties with softwood lumber have shown us that we must diversify. We must expand to other markets. In that regard, I'm very pleased that the Premier himself has gone to China, has gone to New York and has gone to California twice. He's gone to Texas. He's gone to Ottawa to talk about the importance of diversifying the economy of British Columbia and attracting investment so that we can, in fact, become a renewed trade and investment leader in the world. We have tremendous opportunities because as we know, British Columbia offers us a great place to live, to work, to invest and, most importantly, to do business and create jobs throughout British Columbia.

In the past year I've travelled to India; I've travelled to Taiwan and to California twice — once on high-tech, once on film — and most recently I was in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum where I had the opportunity to talk to people from around the world, including Japan and India, with respect to forest products and the opportunity for our forest products. Of course, our Minister of Forests has travelled extensively, talking about increasing our exports.

In the coming months and year, under the leadership of the Premier, we will have a renewed effort to try to secure markets around the world. In fact, the Premier, myself and other ministers will be travelling to China in April to talk about the possibilities of our forest products, both lumber and value-added products. We are now also planning a trip in the fall to India, for which the Premier and myself and the Minister of State for Mental Health, the member for Surrey–Panorama Ridge, are working on developing a plan. We will look forward to working with the member to see how we can expand those opportunities in India. I believe that India offers us a very, very good opportunity. In the month of April — late April, early May — I expect to return to Taiwan.

Our industry — working in partnership with the federal government, working in partnership with COFI, working in partnership with the provincial government — is very, very close to achieving a building code that features wood-based construction. That will be important. That will be important for the heartlands of British Columbia. That will be important for all British Columbia. That has been done under the leadership of the Premier of British Columbia.

We are going to move forward. We're going to have a very focused approach on overseas markets. We are going to be focusing in on India, China, Japan, the United States and — in particular in the United States — on Washington, Oregon and California. We're going to be very focused in the products and the areas that we're going to be putting our resources. It will be lumber, value-added wood products, high-tech, biotech, tourism, environmental technologies and education. We believe there's a great opportunity to bring students from around the world to British Columbia to learn about British Columbia and to be a part of our communities in the lower mainland and throughout the heartlands of British Columbia.

In wrapping up, I want to thank the member for his comments. I want to tell all members of this House that under the leadership of the Premier of British Columbia, our government is committed to expanding markets around the world and to attracting investment to British Columbia so that we can create jobs in the heartlands. That is because of the personal commitment of the Premier of British Columbia. I'm pleased, as all members of this House are, to work with the Premier to increase investment in British Columbia, to create jobs throughout the entire province and to grow our economy so that we can have a sound health care system and a sound education system and look after those truly in need.

D. Hayer: I thank the member for Okanagan-Westside, the Minister of Competition, Science and Enterprise, for his encouraging words. I am very pleased with the measures this government has initiated and is pursuing to develop new, secure markets which will alleviate our dependence on the American markets. I wish the government well in the continuation of these efforts.

I want to offer any assistance I can, for I have considerable business experience and extensive knowledge of the Asian market. I understand the value of trade, and I understand the value of being able to converse with South Asian people in their own language. I know that people there appreciate the quality of our products, and I know that we can be competitive. We can secure markets that won't be subject to protectionism and can take advantage of rapidly expanding markets. That would be good because when our products are in demand, British Columbia's profit margins will grow. We know that when our economy is doing well and people are working, tax revenues are there to support our health care and our education system and the vital social programs that so many of our most vulnerable people depend on.

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure you and this House that if there is anything I can do to assist the govern-

ment in this necessary exploration of new markets, I am more than ready, willing and able.

J. Bray: It is my honour to rise in this House and move Motion 58 standing in my name on the order paper.

[Be it resolved that this House supports greater parental involvement in the education system.]

Mr. Speaker, I want to take you back for just a moment to the days when I was in school and some of the happiest moments that I had there. They were not math and science and English necessarily; they were sports day, hot dog day, school plays, band concerts, various other activities.

The reason why those were such happy events for me was the involvement of my parents in those activities as volunteers, people who helped organize some of those school events, and in fact, just when they were in the audience enduring yet another rendition of Sweet Caroline by the Shaughnessy Elementary School band. It made it very important for me to have my parents involved in that way.

When you're in school, especially elementary school, school is your universe. It's your independent place in the world. Having your parents involved in school makes you feel special and important, makes you feel loved. That is why I so strongly support this motion of increasing parental involvement in our school system.

We know from research that when a parent is involved in their child's school, their educational attainment is improved. We know, in fact, that when a lot of parents are involved in a school, the educational attainment of the whole school is improved. In fact, not only is the educational attainment improved, but the entire social environment of that school is improved. It's a safer place; it's a more creative place; it's a more active place. It's a much stronger anchor within a community when a lot of parents are involved in their school's education.

That is why I support many of the changes that we have brought in, in this House in the last 24 months to improve parental access and parental involvement in the school system. For instance, in the first 90 days there was an amendment to the School Act to guarantee a parent's right to volunteer at their child's school so long as it didn't displace another worker. That sent a strong message to parents that we want them back in the schools. We want them in the schoolyards. We want them involved in those activities. We also ensured that parent advisory councils that fundraised to purchase various supplies for the schools were exempt from the PST, ensuring that the funds they raised didn't go to government but stayed in that school where they were involved.

I want to spend a moment on a very important change, which was instituting school planning councils to help each school plan best for its students. School planning councils provide another mechanism for parents to have real input and influence in their child's school. From the allocation of school resources to the educational programs and services that are offered in local schools, the councils will focus education decisions at the school level, giving schools a direct link with their community.

A school planning council will be formed at every public school in British Columbia, composed of the principal, a teacher and three parents. It will develop an annual school plan for their school that focuses on improving student achievement as well as other relevant matters contained in the school board's accountability contract. The school plan will form the basis of the board's accountability contract. This is very important, because what it recognizes is that there are a variety of very important components in a child's school — teachers, administrators, the school district board and staff and the parents — and that all should be focused on the most important element of all, and that is the student, the child in the school.

The preparation of the school plan gives parents, as the majority group on the school planning council, the ability to become directly involved in the goal of helping improve student achievement on a continuous basis. With this legislation, a board must consult with school planning councils on the allocation of staff and resources in the school, matters contained in the board's accountability contract relating to the school and educational services and educational programs in the school.

This ensures that parental involvement has an impact on what happens at the school for the year out, so that they're part of developing the best program possible but also as part of the accountability to ensure that the school is meeting those goals, that the school district is meeting those goals and that everybody is working together to ensure that the child has the best educational opportunities and the best educational experience possible.

The government has also instituted the ability, if parents request it, not only to have parent advisory councils at the school but in fact to form parent advisory councils districtwide to ensure that there is not only a school focus but — if desired by the parents — that a whole district can have the ability to look at things from a slightly higher level as well, and the parents are involved at the PAC level districtwide.

The government has also…. This is important, because it's one thing to set up the legislative framework for parental involvement without ensuring there are the supports there. The government has doubled the funding for the B.C. Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils. This is the association that provides support to these volunteer groups all across our province. By giving them the financial resources to be able to support local PACs and district PACs, it ensures that the work actually happens, that parents are given the guidance and the structure they need to make the best use of their time as they volunteer to help their children's schools.

In addition, the government has provided a one-time $150,000 grant this year to the B.C. PAC association, and the Premier recently announced an additional $150,000 one-time grant for next year to provide additional support to the B.C. association that supports PACs from one corner to the other in this province.

School should be a place of education. School should be a place of joy. School should be a place where children experience a multitude of activities and growth. I know and I believe all members of this House know that when parents are involved, it maximizes those opportunities for our children, our best natural resource. They help encourage and support children and encourage and support teachers and staff as well. This involvement is good for students. It's good for the parents. It's good for the school. It's good for the community.

R. Lee: I'm very pleased today to have the opportunity to support the motion moved by the hon. member for Victoria–Beacon Hill. It's widely known that more parental involvement in our schools will help bring better achievement for our children.

I have three children aged five, ten and 15. Since my oldest son started school, I've been involved in his school's parent advisory council. For eight years I was also a member of the district parents advisory council in Burnaby. This participation has been extremely fulfilling for my family and myself. It has brought me closer to my children's education. I must say, I've missed many of these meetings since being elected as MLA. When the House is in session, it's very difficult to attend meetings on Mondays and Tuesdays in my constituency. However, whenever my schedule permits, I still go to my children's school to participate in such activities as the parent-teacher conferences, the band parents meetings, the concerts, the Christmas pancake breakfast, the awards celebration and, of course, the graduation ceremonies. My wife is also an occasional volunteer driver for the students going to field trips when group transportation is not available in the schools.

When students know their parents are participating in school activities, they know their parents do care about them. Their parents are talking to the teachers, principals or counsellors and are getting more insight into their children's progress at school. Regular contact with school staff, teachers and administrators gives parents a clear picture of the learning environment that's available to their children at their school.

Many parents volunteer to raise funds to buy computer software and hardware, musical instruments, gym equipment and playground installations. Extra library books and field trips are also items on the wish lists of many parent advisory councils. Contributions from parental volunteers are recognized as crucial to the enrichment of the school learning environment. In some schools, parents are volunteering in reading programs. Students in small groups can benefit tremendously with these kinds of individualized learning opportunities.

Sometimes new immigrant parents hesitate to get involved in school activities because of language barriers. As a parent whose second language is English, I can attest to the importance of getting involved, even when there are language barriers. These children in particular can benefit from their parents' involvement in their school's activities. Many schools and non-profit organizations have developed multilingual support for these families, and their involvement in their children's education has since increased.

On February 28, just last week, together with my colleagues I met with parents from the community schools in Burnaby. Community schools are not only providing opportunities for parents to volunteer in activities such as hot lunch programs for students and supports for vulnerable youth but are also helping families integrate into the community. I would like to see this government continue to provide supports to community schools.

Last year this government passed bills in the House, as mentioned by the hon. member, to guarantee the rights of parental involvement in schools. The Ministry of Education also ensured that parents are well represented in school planning councils. I believe parental involvement in schools benefits not only their own children but also the whole school and education system as well.

I'm very pleased that the hon. member for Victoria–Beacon Hill raised this issue in the House and recognized the importance of parental involvement in the education system.

L. Mayencourt: It's great to be here today and to speak in favour of this motion put forward by the member for Victoria–Beacon Hill. I want to thank him for doing that, because I think there is a great argument for having greater parental involvement in our school system. It really is because I think that when parents are involved in their school system, kids succeed. I think the other great benefit that comes from parental involvement is that schools and kids are safer as a result of that.

I've had some great opportunities to travel in the province with the safe schools task force and with the Select Standing Committee on Finance. Over and over

again, I'm struck by the important role that parents play in creating a better school environment for their kids.

We know many, many examples of parents and grandparents that have become involved, but I'll share a couple with you. Recently I and a few members of this Legislature were able to visit Hastings Elementary School. This is an inner-city school that was experiencing all sorts of problems. They had a very active drug trade around the school building. They had a very active prostitution ring that operated in the neighbourhood. The parents in that school decided that that wasn't good enough for them, and they decided that they would do something about it. Together they created a buffer zone around that school, which created a much safer environment for the kids. They weren't being exposed to these very unsavoury types that were trying to take control of that neighbourhood.

Also at Hastings Elementary I was struck by the way they had to be very, very creative in involving parents in that school building, and I'm very grateful to the staff there for the way that they showed us how they got people involved. In that school they have a large first nations population. They also have a large ESL population. In addition to the other members of that community, they found that parents weren't really feeling included in the building. What they did was find a very innovative way of doing that. They combined food with the school system. They had a corn roast, and they invited parents to just come to the school. They didn't have to do anything. It wasn't going to be an inquisition. It wasn't going to be a parent-teacher conference. It was just going to be sitting around, having a cob of corn, sharing a few moments of laughter and a little concert by the kids. What it did was break down the barriers that those parents felt existed between them and the teachers and the administration at the school. It's really important that they did that, because that allows those parents to become involved in a very real sense with the community there.

I would also like to speak to the importance of grandparental involvement in school systems. When I travelled with the safe schools task force…. A few moments ago the Solicitor General and the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke spoke passionately about the need to create safer schools to address the issue of bullying. We had a really excellent presentation in Kelowna. In that presentation, a woman — I believe she was 75; she could have been a little younger than that — came to the safe schools task force and talked about a really wonderful anti-bullying program that she had found in Calgary. Now, this woman was a member of the Elks Club, and she convinced all the members of the Elks Club in Kelowna to chip in and buy enough of these anti-bullying kits for all of the schools in the Kelowna district. I just thought that was great. She was not only going to buy these programs for the schools there, but she wanted to be physically involved in delivering that program, in going into the schools and talking to teachers and students about the issues of bullying and what a lasting impact and devastating effect that can have on a child's involvement. It can follow them throughout their entire life.

At the conclusion of her presentation the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke, who was with me on that tour, said to her: "So, what's your motivation? Is this because you've got a grandchild in a school that's being bullied? Is this because your daughter was harassed in school? What makes you want to do this?" I was so touched by her response. She said: "No, it wasn't a grandchild. It wasn't my child. It was me." This woman was bullied in school 65 years ago, and she was still carrying the scars. She was still trying to right the wrongs. She was still trying to make schools safer for kids in British Columbia. That is parental involvement. That is grandparental involvement, and it benefits the kids in Kelowna. It benefits the kids around this province.

A few days ago I had the opportunity to speak on the issue of year-round schools. This is something that's really very important in some school districts where parents feel that the summer vacation may be too long. Kids are learning the benefits of their school year in that break, and they want to find a better way of doing it. It's shown in many, many studies across North America that by going to a year-round calendar — where kids take a month off, say, in March and a month off in August and a month off in October and another period — they have better opportunities for learning. They have better opportunities for remediation, an opportunity to catch up on the math class. Kids that are in low-income families and socially or economically challenged families do not have the benefits of many advantaged kids. Year-round schools, being driven by parental involvement, mean that those kids have better opportunities to participate in the school system, to succeed and to just be able to flower.

I've read a little bit of the stories of some of the schools that have done some great things. We've talked about the firefighters that have come into the schools. You know, you take your dad in on a school day, and he'll tell them what it's like to be a fireman, or your mom who is a banker gets to come in and talk about how to manage your finances and all those things. Those are great opportunities for kids to experience firsthand from a real wide array of people in our school system.

I am very, very supportive of the member's motion. I want to say that this is very important not only in Kelowna and Richmond but everywhere in this province. It's very important that we support parents being involved in their schools, breaking down the barriers. When we let parents into the schools, kids succeed. When we let parents into the schools, schools are safer. I think that's a very important goal for this Legislature to undertake, so I support the motion.

S. Brice: I will say that I did fully intend to just simply rise and join with my colleagues this morning in endorsing the position taken by the member for Victoria–Beacon Hill — that, of course, being greater parental involvement in our schools. I expected to stand and do that from a position of having been a par-

ent with children in school, having been a school teacher, having been a member of a parent-owned preschool co-op and having been a chair of a school board.

I thought we were sort of 100 percent all on the same page with this. I fully expected that every single member of this chamber would stand and endorse this motion. So it did come as a bit of a surprise to me when it was brought to the attention of my office that two trustees on the greater Victoria school board have come out and said they don't see value in this greater parental involvement in schools.

S. Brice: Yes, exactly. It's quite remarkable. In fact, they have said that they feel these school planning councils will not add anything to the system. Who are these two school trustees? Well, one of them is trustee Barisoff — pardon me, trustee Beresford, who ran for the….

Trustee Beresford ran for the NDP in the last general election and is now chairing the greater Victoria school board. The other one is trustee Orcherton — hmm, a name familiar to this chamber. It certainly goes without saying where the links are.

Not only do these two NDP trustees not support additional parental involvement in schools and the school planning councils, their added little zinger — the reason they're against it — is because CUPE is not involved in these programs. Do we see a familiar thread weaving its way through here? My question is: do these two trustees represent the official NDP position, or are they rogues? I'd like to hear from the official opposition on this.

Fortunately, we have legislated greater parental involvement, so this sort of sense of anti–parental involvement will not be the prevailing theme in greater Victoria school districts. However, we're still left with the following question: is this anti–school planning council…? Does it officially reflect the NDP position? I'd like to know that, and I'm going to sit down now so that members of the opposition can leap to their feet and tell us whether or not this is the official NDP position to be anti–school involvement and anti–school councils. Or will they take those two trustees to task and tell them that indeed they are way off base?

P. Wong: I'm pleased to respond to support this motion as an MLA and also as a hard-working parent of four children.

Yes, all we parents are working very hard to raise families here in British Columbia. However, every school day thousands of parents demonstrate their caring and commitment to public education by taking an active interest in the education of their children. Activities like driving on field trips, listening to children read, assisting with class projects or special events, ensuring students' safety by phoning to confirm students' absences, assisting in the library, serving hot lunches to students and assisting in coaching sports teams have a positive impact on the education of our children. By encouraging and supporting our children, we show them that we parents place a high priority on their learning process, social behaviour, social participation and academic progress at school.

Another valuable way for parents to become more actively involved in our children's education is by getting involved with their parent advisory council, which can provide advice and assistance to school principals, trustees and teachers regarding educational issues.

However, parents are not the only volunteers. There are many other volunteers who are also of immense value in every school community. Volunteers offer support in a variety of areas to ensure that students receive the best possible education. These volunteers are people from all walks of life, whose talents and experience add an extra dimension to our schools. They may be senior citizens, homemakers or business people in our community who have an interest in our youth and in helping to shape our future. Countless local, provincial, national and global organizations were built on the strength of volunteer efforts.

The impact that volunteers can have on the betterment of our schools is endless. There are so many ways that we can make a difference in a school system at all levels. For instance, information gathered from parents and members of the community can assist the school board level in making decisions that ensure students are provided with the best possible educational opportunities.

To conclude, by showing our children that we care about their education, we show that we care about them as individuals as well. We show them that they are important to us and that education is an important lifelong process. Together, we can provide our children with a world-class education, which will allow them to become a vital component in making our communities and our province a better place to live, to work and to enjoy.

G. Trumper: I rise in support of this motion. I started off my political life as the chair of the PTA many years ago when I had four children in the school system and was very, very involved in that particular school. That school had a very varied group of students — a large aboriginal population and a large number of children who came from homes where English was not the first language. Those parents had difficulty in entering the school doors to participate or even to talk to teachers about their particular child.

Over the years since I was a school trustee and have seen the changes that have happened in the school sys-

tem, it has become more apparent that it was more difficult for parents to participate in their children's education. With the changes that have taken place over the last couple of years, I am pleased to see that parents once more are going to be welcome in the school system.

In part of my constituency, you know, there are children that…. They say that if you have 10 percent of the children in your school on income assistance, it affects the whole school. Well, we have, I can tell you, far more than 10 percent on income assistance in many of our elementary schools. Those children have very little help or support from their parents, for whatever reasons.

We have a community school, particularly in Port Alberni, that opens its doors to the parents. It makes the place more welcoming, particularly for those parents who maybe don't have the level of education that the teachers have. They probably don't even have grade 12 education. In fact, they probably stopped school at a very early age. They find it intimidating to go into a school and be able to sit down and talk to a teacher about their child's development. That really is detrimental to that child, because it sets that child apart from the parent as well. To see the change that is taking place and to welcome the parents into the school, to be able to participate in the events that are taking place, to be able to participate in the hot lunch program and in the programs that take place after school…. It builds the confidence of those particular parents. They are able to learn more about what their child is doing in school, and they are able in their way to help.

One parent told me they had never been into the local library, because they felt it was not a place they could cope with. They have been going into the school, and they have had the opportunity shown to them how they can participate with their child and education. They very proudly told me about three weeks ago that it was the first time they had gone to the public school library to take out a book to read with that child — with difficulty, the parent added, because they are not a good reader. But with the two of them, they are able to participate in the school system.

It is most important that we are able to have parents participating in the education of their children and to have grandparents involved as well. They have great gifts to give. And so it is a privilege for me to be able to support the motion from the member for Victoria–Beacon Hill to support parents in the school.

B. Bennett: I rise to speak in support of the motion by my colleague from Victoria–Beacon Hill. I think it's a question that a few people are asking. I can't imagine why they would be asking this question, but it seems that some are asking: why is it important for there to be more parental involvement in the educational system? Last week in my riding, in my hometown of Cranbrook, a parent of some students sent a letter in to the local newspaper. She had attended a meeting with the board of education there, the trustees, and then sent this letter in. I don't know this lady. I spoke to her this morning and asked her if it would be okay if I quoted from her letter. It's a short letter. I'm going to read from this letter, and I think that here in this letter there is a very good example of why we need to have more parent involvement in education.

That's a letter from a parent of children who would like to be more involved in the education system. I think that is a prime example of why we need more parents involved in education.

Hon. S. Bond: I am pleased to be able to be the final speaker. I want to commend my colleague from Victoria–Beacon Hill for bringing this motion to the floor.

I think there is nothing more important than education. We can summarize our views as a government by using the words of our Premier in a comment he made some time ago. He said: "This government will support parent advisory councils; this government will support parents in schools. This government looks at parents as essential partners in developing a public education system that is second to none."

It has been pointed out numerous times that report after report tells us that when parents are involved in their children's education, they simply do much better. From our perspective, anything that we can do to encourage and enhance the roles of parents in schools in British Columbia is important. It is necessary.

We've begun that work. As you know, we have enshrined in legislation the right of parents to volunteer in schools. We have created a mechanism for meaningful involvement in schools through school planning councils. That work will be exciting, and it will be beneficial.

In terms of a response to the comments of my colleague from Saanich South, I think we would generally all agree that, simply put, parents not only should be involved in the education of their children; they must be involved in the education of their children.

W. McMahon: It's an honour to rise to move private member Motion 10 standing on the order paper.

On any given day or night, thousands of vehicles enter or leave British Columbia on the historic Trans-Canada Highway, Highway 1. Transported on that highway are the goods and services that drive our economy. Some products are headed to small heartlands communities; others are headed to Vancouver and beyond to international markets. Among the trucks, there are the tourists coming to British Columbia to view some of the most beautiful scenery in the world along one of the most famed routes in Canada. There are also those who live in one of the many communities along the Trans-Canada Highway, who use it every day for work or to get their children to school.

For almost 40 years this highway has provided the main route to take people back and forth from our province to the rest of Canada. It has welcomed visitors to the very best province in the best country in the world. It has moved our goods and services from one side of the country to the other. The Trans-Canada Highway that links Alberta to British Columbia's heartlands is the main artery of the province, and as such it deserves our utmost attention and focus.

Just to give those who are not familiar with the highway some perspective, I would like to describe it just a bit. The summer months are extremely busy with heavy vehicle loads — buses, transport trucks, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, cars and trucks. Long lines of traffic wind their way through the mountains around sharp curves and up steep inclines. The winter months are treacherous, with snow and ice and avalanches. Visibility is often extremely limited, and with narrow slippery passages, the room for driver error is zero. As the weather warms, rocks and mudslides replace the avalanches along the highway, wildlife abound, and accidents happen.

Over the years there have been many tragedies on this stretch of highway. I have known some of those lost personally, I have grieved with their families, and I have listened to their concerns about the highway. For whatever reason, over the last decade the Trans-Canada Highway has not received the attention it needs to ensure that many identified safety concerns have been addressed. The highway is often closed due to accidents, and as I stated before, many people have lost their lives. While road conditions are not always the cause of these accidents, clearly, the loss of any life on our highways is unacceptable.

I am proud to say that this government recognizes the importance of that highway. The Premier has made it clear that improving Kicking Horse Canyon is our top transportation priority, as it should be. We are going to make the necessary safety improvements to that stretch of highway, and we are going to work with our federal counterparts to make that happen. We have already made some improvements, such as ensuring there is adequate lighting in many of the tunnels. However, there is much more that needs to be done, and I am fully committed to making sure that every

section of that highway gets the attention needed to make it safe for all travellers. We must continue to work with the federal government and the communities along the Trans-Canada Highway to identify areas that need improving and then to get those improvements done.

K. Krueger: I certainly rise to support the motion and the member who made it. A paramount concern for British Columbians on the Trans-Canada Highway is the safety of the people who use it. We welcome visitors to British Columbia from all over the world, and they come in on that highway: Asian tourists, European tourists, Canadians, Americans — people whose lives are in danger using the highway in its present state.

It was a marvel of engineering when it was built, and it followed the marvel of engineering that the railway had already been. It was a wonderful thing in its time, and it hasn't been adequately updated ever since. In the summertime there are platoons of traffic that build up behind slow-moving vehicles, recreational vehicles, commercial traffic, buses, semis. People become impatient; people try to pass. There are insufficient opportunities to pass, and the chances of being hurt on that highway are far, far too high. It's an unacceptable risk for a highway that is the gateway to British Columbia.

Like the member who spoke previously, I'm proud of a Premier who recognizes the high priority that this highway has to be and, indeed, highways throughout the heartlands of British Columbia, and has had the courage to bite the bullet, set up a funding arrangement through fuel taxes, go after mending the fences with the federal government that Premier Glen Clark burnt in the past, build those bridges again, get a relationship where we can move forward in the interest of the safety of British Columbians and of everyone who uses the Trans-Canada Highway.

The safety concern is paramount. The fact that this highway is a symbol is also a factor. It's a matter of national pride. It's a national symbol, the Trans-Canada Highway, and it's unacceptable that traffic has been turning south in Alberta and in the prairie provinces in order to finish the transcontinental trip on American highways because of the lack of attention to this highway by governments of the past couple of decades.

There's a direct effect on our economy if that happens. If people aren't travelling through B.C., they aren't spending their money in B.C. They aren't pausing to realize what a wonderful place it is, so that they can come back and visit it again. Our port in Vancouver is not as busy as it would be because of this highway and the fact that because of its poor condition, traffic is diverted to the U.S.A.

In Kamloops, of course…. I live in a city that has been built as a transportation and communication hub at the confluence of two major rivers and the intersection of the valleys that they form. It's a place where transportation is tremendously important, and anything that impedes the use of the Trans-Canada Highway is a negative thing to the economy of Kamloops and of my entire constituency. In the wintertime, when there are mudslides and avalanches that close the Trans-Canada Highway, the traffic is often diverted to Highway 5 down the North Thompson Valley, which also hasn't been built to modern standards and needs upgrading.

I'm proud of the efforts our government is making and the things that I know are going to happen in the near future for both highways, but we need to do a whole lot more. We need rapid action by the federal government and the support of the federal government, in catching up on these critical infrastructure needs. There's a good four-lane highway from Kamloops almost to Pritchard in my constituency, but more work needs to be done from there on the way to Chase, on the way to Salmon Arm, progressing to Revelstoke, certainly through Rogers Pass, and on to Golden and the Kicking Horse Canyon, which the previous member alluded to. It all needs to be done, and it's an absolute travesty that the NDP government of the 1990s spent its money on things like $300 million to Skeena Cellulose in Prince Rupert, half a billion dollars to three so-called fast cat ferries that don't work and $1 billion or more to Forest Renewal B.C. that was literally shovelled out the door. I remember looking at a list of what FRBC was spending money on, and they had spent money on two grants to universities in Saskatchewan to study bat stratification in caves. They were always dishing out money for special interests and to their friends and their causes, and they didn't pay attention to something that matters to the very lives of British Columbians and our guests on that highway.

I'm very proud of a Premier and a government that are determined to make this the high priority that it needs to be. We must upgrade this highway. We must protect the people who use it. I reach out to the federal government, the senior government. I appreciate very much the indications we've already had of their assistance. I ask them to move fast. The studies have been done for years. That's one thing people have done. They've studied the problem to death, but they haven't dealt with it. They need to deal with it. I trust that will happen soon.

We are certainly ready to not only stand in the gap but also fix the gap. There's a place called Three Valley Gap on the highway, as you probably know, Mr. Speaker, and it's often the reason the Trans-Canada Highway is closed through British Columbia. We've got to deal with these things. It's a big issue, but the engineers of the past were competent enough to put the highway through for us in the first place. I know that in 2003 we certainly have the expertise to bring on the improvements, and bring them on quickly, to protect people's lives. That includes British Columbians and our visitors.

T. Christensen: It's indeed a privilege to rise in the House and speak in favour of the motion put forward by the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke.

First, I should start with a bit of a disclaimer, and that is that no part of the Trans-Canada Highway is in the constituency of Okanagan-Vernon. Nevertheless, improvements to the Trans-Canada Highway in bringing it up to the standards of safety, and to where it has the capacity to handle the traffic that is already there, are of utmost importance to my constituents and, in fact, to all people of British Columbia.

As both members that spoke previous to me indicated, this government has made improvements to the Kicking Horse Canyon the number one highway infrastructure priority of this government. That's of critical importance both in what it signifies in terms of the government's commitment to the interior of this province but, as well, as recognition of what a sorry state parts of the Trans-Canada Highway have in fact become in this province.

From my own experience, I am not at all a frequent user of the Trans-Canada Highway. In fact, coming from the Okanagan Valley, I rarely try to leave the Okanagan Valley. Usually the only time I venture away from home, living in the beautiful place that I do, is to come down to this part of the province — which, again, is beautiful but certainly not nearly as beneficial to me as the Okanagan Valley. Nevertheless, I have found occasion over the last couple of years to in fact use the Trans-Canada on a couple of occasions. One was in the summer and one was in the winter, and I must say that in both cases I had a couple of the most nervous drives that I've ever had.

A couple of years ago in the winter, my wife and I were able to get away for a weekend — which is always good when you have young children, like we do — and took a nice drive along Highway 6 east of Vernon over to Nakusp and visited the hot springs and then went on the Galena Bay ferry up to Revelstoke. Then, of course, a snowstorm set in, because it was February, and we had to drive down the Trans-Canada Highway from Revelstoke back to Sicamous before coming back down Highway 97.

I must say: absolute whiteout conditions, big transport trucks flying by the whole time. It was an absolutely terrifying experience as we trundled along in our vehicle on a highway that for the most part is two lanes and simply doesn't have opportunities to get off to the side to allow traffic to go by or to pass traffic that has pulled over and stopped on the side of the highway due to the snow or for other reasons. Certainly, from that winter trip, there was no question whatsoever in my mind that significant improvements need to be made to that part of the Trans-Canada Highway between Sicamous and Revelstoke.

The other occasion was this last summer, when my wife and I and our children decided to go to Drumheller because we needed to see dinosaurs, for my young son. On the way back we had the pleasure of travelling the Trans-Canada Highway. Again, there was significant traffic because of the summer months, lots of tourists on the road along with the big transport trucks that come zooming along.

Coming through the Kicking Horse Canyon — again, it's very critical that it's become a priority — was the only time in all my years of driving in this province that I've actually had a rock roll down in front of my vehicle. Thankfully, it wasn't too big a rock. Not having the greatest reaction time, I hit it, and away it went. Thankfully, it wasn't a big rock. Nevertheless, along the Kicking Horse Canyon all you see is mesh fencing coming down the rock face to try and stop the bigger boulders from coming down. Unfortunately, a few smaller ones sneak through, and we just happened to clip one.

Safety is the key need in terms of improvements to the Trans-Canada Highway. Nevertheless, there's also a very significant economic impact on British Columbia. That really hit home to me. Certainly, we see the movement of goods along that highway as critical, but it also hit home to me in terms of the impact on my own constituency, in speaking with some constituents who had moved to the Okanagan a few years ago and established their business there. The reason was — they were from the lower mainland — that when the Coquihalla Highway came in so that you had a good route of access to the Okanagan, they felt that they could now relocate to the Okanagan and still not be too far away from friends and family in the lower mainland.

Improvements to the Trans-Canada Highway will bring that same benefit in terms of opening up our gateway to the rest of Canada. What I would expect to see is certainly that those freezing in Calgary and Edmonton and other points east — until you get anywhere east — are going to look at the Okanagan and say: "There's somewhere that we're now a little bit closer to in terms of our time to get back and forth." They're going to look and say: "If we've got an improved Trans-Canada Highway, perhaps we can now relocate to the Okanagan." That certainly is of great benefit to my constituents.

As the member for Kamloops–North Thompson indicated, when the Trans-Canada Highway was built, it was a true engineering feat. We can do much better in this day and age. We need to move forward with improvements to the Trans-Canada Highway.

I certainly support the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke's motion that we need to call on the federal government to invest further in upgrading what is British Columbia's link to the rest of Canada. It is the Trans-Canada Highway. Certainly, the province of British Columbia has indicated that improvements are a priority and that we're prepared to move forward. It's now time for the federal government to, as well, come to the table, recognize the importance of improvements to this highway — to this country as a whole and to British Columbia's full participation in

I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to speak to this motion, which I feel fairly passionate about. That is because I had the opportunity of going around the province on the Finance Committee earlier this year and talking to British Columbians about some of the things they feel are important. Time and again, in every community we visited, people identified the transportation infrastructure as a high priority for our government. They said over and over again that they had experienced a decade of decline where the roads became unsafe, where the system of managing the highways and providing infrastructure for transport was declining, and that it was time for us to put a little bit of money into that fund.

I want to just give you an example of that. We were visiting the city of Fort St. John. I'm going to give you a quote from them. They urge the government to focus whatever surplus resources are available on transportation infrastructure, whether that's a vital link provided by regional airports, B.C. Rail, urban highways or rural road systems. In fact, everywhere we went, investment in roads was identified as a high priority for our government. Many speakers said to us that if we didn't address this, we would be putting our fiscal recovery at risk because the lack of highway capacity would be detrimental to an expanding economy. Everywhere we talked with people, people said the construction of roadways was important.

The other thing that came through over and over again — and I'm so delighted that it is incorporated into this motion — was that people said to us: "It's time to ask the feds for a little bit of money." You know, we send an awful lot of money back east every year in our gas taxes, and the only province that actually puts all of the money from their gas taxes back into the road infrastructure is British Columbia. We send millions and millions of dollars back east to Ottawa. We need a little bit of that money here in British Columbia to address the transportation infrastructure.

Transportation infrastructure, as the member has mentioned, on the Trans-Canada Highway is an important place to put those dollars. That is the number one transportation program our government has identified. Why? It's not simply because we want four lanes but rather because we want to save lives. Too many people are dying on that roadway, and we must do something about it. We have federal counterparts who represent that area. I wish they would get to work on helping us get this particular project moved forward, but I also want them to participate in putting some money into the overall transportation plan.

A few days ago we had the budget introduced, and the Transportation minister stood here and talked about addressing the transportation infrastructure deficit by putting $620 million into roads, highways, expansion of the Cranbrook Airport — all sorts of wonderful projects that will not only help make it easier for us to get goods to market, as the member for Okanagan-Vernon was saying, but also affect the ability of this province to expand our economy and, most importantly, to save lives. We need to do that.

We need to have good relations with Ottawa, but they need to put some bucks on the table. They need to come forward with some dollars to help us with the Kicking Horse Pass, to help us expand the Cranbrook Airport, to help the people in Fort St. John that need roads, to help this province recover economically and expand and make it a good place to do business.

I second that motion. I'm grateful that the member brought it forward. I just want to echo the comments of all of the members of this Legislature that it's time for us to get to work on building some decent roads in British Columbia, expanding our transportation infrastructure and getting a little bit more extra money from the feds that we send to them anyway. Get it back here in British Columbia, and put it to work in our province.

Hon. G. Halsey-Brandt: I rise today in support of the motion brought forth by the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke. Investment in the Trans-Canada Highway, particularly the Kicking Horse Canyon section of this highway, is this government's number one infrastructure priority. For far too long, visitors from across Canada have been forced to enter our great province through one of the most dangerous sections of highway in the country. This, as the member is all too well aware, has had a terrible impact, both human and economic, on her constituency and on British Columbia as a whole.

In fact, the accident rate on the Kicking Horse Canyon section is more than double the provincial average. In the ten-year period between 1992 and 2001, some 16 people were killed and 354 were injured on this section of road. Upgrading this highway is not just about making a better road, though. It's about opening up Canada's gateway to British Columbia as part of a new Canada–British Columbia partnership. Over the last 20 months our government has worked hard to build a new relationship with the federal government. British Columbians want their provincial and federal governments to work together, because while we're all British Columbians, we are also all Canadians.

This new Canada–British Columbia partnership has resulted in our government working with the federal government on the 2010 Olympic bid. As a matter of fact, just today the Prime Minister and the Premier are meeting together in Whistler to discuss the IOC visit, to discuss the Olympic bid and, of course, many other issues. Other examples of our cooperation are the new Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre, the new Gulf Islands national park, the softwood lumber dispute, the pine beetle infestation and cross-border initiatives.

These major projects will be of benefit to all British Columbians. However, as I said earlier, the top priority under this partnership remains the Kicking Horse Canyon section of the Trans-Canada Highway. Under

the leadership of our Premier, I believe we will build on the success to date that we have had in working with the federal government, and there will be no greater testament to this success than when we reach agreement with the federal government on upgrading the Kicking Horse Canyon section of the Trans-Canada Highway.

In fact, several weeks ago I travelled to Ottawa and met with several federal ministers on this very issue. At these meetings, I clearly outlined the need to upgrade this road and was pleased to see that these ministers did recognize this as an infrastructure priority. Finally, I'd like to thank the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke for the countless hours she has spent working on this file to bring all Canadians a new and safe gateway to British Columbia.

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