2009 Legislative Session: First Session, 39th Parliament
HANSARD

The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.

The printed version remains the official version.

official report of

Debates of the Legislative Assembly

(hansard)

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Afternoon Sitting

Volume 1, Number 3

[ Page 13 ]

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2009

The House met at 2:04 p.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers.

Tributes

VIOLA WYSE

Hon. G. Campbell: Hon. Speaker, on August 18 British Columbia lost a true leader — someone who was building partnerships in her community and was recognized in the first nation community for the leadership that she'd shown to the Snuneymuxw First Nation. She was a great British Columbian.

Viola Wyse was a trail-blazer. She worked with local governments; she worked with the provincial and the federal governments; she worked on behalf of all of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. I know all members here will recognize the incredible legacy that she has left to each of us. It's a legacy of exemplary service and exemplary leadership.

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I hope the House would send their condolences not just to Chief Wyse's family but to the Snuneymuxw First Nation as well. I think that we've lost a truly great British Columbian, and I know that our hearts go out to all of the Snuneymuxw First Nation as they deal and grieve with the passing of a truly great chief — the first female chief of the Snuneymuxw in history.

Introductions by Members

N. Macdonald: It's a great pleasure to introduce two colleagues of mine from Nicholson Elementary School. They've come all the way from Golden. They are Donna Mozell and Kaye Larwill. I ask the House to join me in making them welcome.

C. James: My husband and I have been very fortunate to have family visiting us this past week in Victoria. A cousin is in town, and I thank him for bringing his tourism dollars to Victoria. I'd like the House to please welcome Sandy Hubbard, an extraordinary paramedic in the Kamloops area, and his partner, Diane. They're here visiting with their grandchildren Jay and Samantha. Would the House please make them welcome.

J. Les: We have visitors from Chilliwack today, my nephew William van Hoepen, who is a very keen grade 7 student, very keenly interested in what goes on in this House. He is here today with his dad, John van Hoepen. I would ask members of the House to please make him very welcome.

S. Hammell: I'm pleased to introduce two retired but fantastic teachers. One is my sister Val Hammell, who is retired for the first time this year, and she's younger than me. How does that figure — right? And her friend, and my friend too, Delores Morrison. Would the House please make them welcome.

Hon. K. Krueger: A few years back, I met a wonderful young woman from Vancouver Island at UBC. To my surprise, in a couple months we will have been married 35 years, and we now have an immediate family of 15, when you count the seventh grandchild that was just born. I'd like the House to welcome my beloved wife, Debbie. Thanks very much.

M. Mungall: Earlier today several members of the opposition had a meeting with a group of very bright, young leaders in this province. They were here to talk to us about a very important issue to them, the U-pass and commitments that have been made to get that U-pass to students throughout Metro Vancouver by September 2010.

I would like to welcome Maggie Murray and Tiffany Kalanj from the Students Union of Vancouver Community College, Tim Chu and Adrienne Smith from the UBCAMS, Lori MacDonald from Emily Carr Students Union and Priscilla Bartleman from the Douglas Students' Union. Would the House please make them welcome.

D. Hayer: It gives me great pleasure to introduce four special guests. A good friend of mine, Jas Sandhu, is the vice-president of Colliers International. He's here with his wife, Jessie Sandhu, and their sons Jayden Sandhu, 10 years old, and Justin Sandhu, 15 years old. They are learning about the Legislative Assembly, and they are here to watch the question period and see how we will behave today so that they can talk to their class about how the grown-up MLAs deal in the House today. Would the House please make them very welcome.

M. Sather: Well, in keeping with the tradition of the last parliament, I want to introduce a spectacularly good-looking young man, Charly John Edward Rowe, who was born September 25 — our first grandchild.

Hon. R. Hawes: In the gallery today is a great supporter of mine and of the member for Maple Ridge–Mission, Terri Rainey. Could the House please make Terri welcome.

R. Lee: I have a constituent from the riding of Burnaby North, Tiffany Galanj, visiting the House today. Would the House please give her a very warm welcome.

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Hon. M. McNeil: I'd like to welcome an elementary school friend that's joined us today, Janice Podmore. Would the House please make her welcome.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows for a second time.

M. Sather: With your indulgence, I want to correct the birthdate of Charly. It was June 20.

Tabling Documents

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, I have the honour to present the Auditor General's 2009-2010 report No. 1, Follow-up Report: Updates on the Implementation of Recommendations from Recent Reports; Office of the Auditor General 2008-09 Annual Report and 2009-2010–2011-2012 Service Plan ; Elections B.C. Service Plan 2009-10–2011-12; Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner Annual Report 2008; report of the Conflict-of-Interest Commissioner pursuant to section 21(3) of the Members' Conflict of Interest Act in the matter of a request by Guy Gentner, MLA for Delta North, with respect to alleged contraventions of the Member's Conflict of Interest Act by the Hon. Gordon Campbell, MLA for Vancouver–Point Grey, Premier of British Columbia; Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner 2008-2009 Annual Report; and the Representative for Children and Youth report Housing, Help and Hope: A Better Path for Struggling Families, July 2009.

Introduction and
First Reading of Bills

Bill 3 — Supply Act (No. 2), 2009

Hon. C. Hansen presented a message from His Honour the Administrator: a bill intituled Supply Act (No. 2), 2009.

Hon. C. Hansen: I move that Bill 3 be introduced and read a first time now.

This bill will provide interim supply for the continuation of government programs until government estimates for 2009-10 have been debated and voted upon in this assembly.

In March of this year this assembly passed Supply Act (No. 1), 2009, which provided spending authority for $13.39 billion, which was approximately 5/12 of the main estimates tabled February 17, 2009. I am advised by ministry staff that that allocation will be exhausted by approximately September 8, and therefore it is necessary for additional supply to be granted by the end of next week.

This additional amount is equal to about three months of spending, which should allow enough time to complete the approval of the main estimates that will be tabled next Tuesday.

I move first reading.

Motion approved.

Hon. C. Hansen: I move that Bill 3 be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill 3, Supply Act (No. 2), 2009, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Statements
(Standing Order 25B)

2009 WORLD POLICE AND FIRE GAMES

H. Bloy: Wow, what a great summer we had in British Columbia. The British Columbia 2009 World Police and Fire Games. We hosted the largest ever World Police and Fire Games, with nearly 11,000 athletes from the around the world spending over $50 million here in British Columbia.

All the athletes loved our province, from the registration at our new convention centre and all their comments on the north shore mountains and Vancouver's inner harbour. But these games are truly a tribute to two Burnaby firefighters, Miles Ritchie and Jeff Clark, who brought the games to British Columbia and continued to work on the board since 2003, ensuring their success. Jeff and Miles are truly British Columbian heroes.

These games would not have been possible without the full support of our government, which was there from day one; the federal government, led by Sen. Yonah Martin, Sen. Gerry St. Germain and the Hon. Stockwell Day; as well as the city of Burnaby.

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I want to thank the generosity of all the sponsors: Telus, Granville Island Brewery, Brentwood and Lougheed town centres, Tourism Burnaby, Canada Wide publications, Global TV, Chevron and many more sponsors.

But the games were not just about athletics. The Burnaby firefighters charitable society, running the beer garden in Burnaby, raised over $100,000 for charity, thanks to the work of Rob Lamoureux, president of the Burnaby Fire Fighters Association, and Mike Hurley, president of the British Columbia Fire Fighters Association.

I want to thank the board for all their work and the thousands of volunteers who made these games a reality, and I want to congratulate all the participants for making these games the largest and best ever.
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HASTINGS COMMUNITY LITTLE LEAGUE

S. Simpson: We all have important stories from our constituencies about extraordinary accomplishments by our citizens. This is particularly impressive when it is young people whose achievements we can celebrate. I'm very pleased and proud of one of those stories from Vancouver-Hastings that took on an international flavour.

The Hastings Community Little League story is about a group of young boys and a girl who came together to play baseball and went on to have the experience of a lifetime. Winning the provincial championship over the perennial powerhouse Whalley, Hastings went on to dominate the Little League Canadian Championship, going undefeated and outscoring their competition by 99 runs to 19.

Then it was off to Williamsport and the Little League World Series, a first for a team from East Vancouver. At Williamsport they beat Germany but lost a heartbreaker 2-1 to Mexico in extra innings and to Chinese Taipei, who are expected to vie for the world championship again this year.

The Hastings story is about a group of young people showing the dedication to play this game at the highest level for their age group. It is about commitment of the volunteers who make Hastings Little League work — the coaches, managers, organizers, supporters and, of course, parents. It is a celebration of the diversity of the young people, including only one of two girls to play at the World Series. It is about the building of camaraderie and growing as a person through a special lifetime experience, and it is about doing all of this with class, dignity, and determination to be the best you can be.

So to the players, Jordan Lee, Ryan Wong, Nicholas Carusi, Taz Burman, Ian Creamore, Ryan Matsuda, Matteo Vincelli, Matthew Woo, Anthony Cusati, Katie Reyes, Alex Owen and Christian Cullen; and to their coaches and managers, Jeff Matsuda, Frank Cusati, Dale Weisbrod and Vito Bordignon — I say congratulations on a fantastic accomplishment. I do know that all British Columbians and, I'm sure, every member of this Legislature are very proud of how you represented B.C. in winning the national title and how you performed so admirably on the world stage.

OKANAGAN FOREST FIRE FIGHTERS

N. Letnick: This summer brought some of the worst forest fires the Okanagan has seen in several years. In late July more than 6,000 residents from our community had to be evacuated and wait in fear not knowing if they would lose their homes and everything they had spent their lives working to build.

I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the tremendous courage demonstrated throughout our region and the hard work of our local forest fire fighters and those firefighters from other regions, including California, under the command of Joe Stutler and Bill Molumby; the Ontario team under John MacDonald; and the most recent Australian team who came to support them. The extensive sacrifice they make is immeasurable as they work alongside for many hours in very difficult and dangerous circumstances to ensure the safety of our communities and the people we represent.

We also need to recognize the selfless support, steady guidance and cooperation from our local and regional governments, service providers like emergency services director and my friend Byrl Itani and community volunteers to ensure that people have the resources they need.

All of these efforts have equated to a minimal loss of life and property. Our sincere condolences go out to the family of helicopter pilot Robert Woodhead, who gave his life in the line of duty while fighting the Lillooet fire earlier in August.

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British Columbians need to be mindful of the fact that wildfire risk across the province has reached a critical level due to continued hot and dry weather. As fires continue to erupt throughout the southern Interior, we all need to be very careful when using the back country and support the fire ban in place in our communities.

Amazing Race fundraiser in Quesnel

B. Simpson: Counting headstones in a pioneer cemetery, eating a bowl of tapioca pudding with chopsticks while not touching the bowl with your hands or your lips, beating the experts at lawn bowling, rolling successively larger tires through an obstacle course, finding specific book titles for famous Canadian authors with only obtuse clues as your guide, interpreting cryptic directions and solving a multitude of puzzles were all part of the challenge and fun of Quesnel's first Amazing Race held on Saturday, August 8.

Quesnel's Amazing Race was the brainchild of two main organizers, Cathy Briggs from the Canadian Cancer Society and Judy Monych from the Quesnel and District Palliative Care Association. The Cancer Society and the Palliative Care Association have worked together for the past four years, and Cathy and Judy were challenged by their organizations to come up with a summer fundraising event to replace the annual Frank Cushman Trail Ride, which was held for the last time last year.

As self-declared fans of reality TV show The Amazing Race, Cathy and Judy decided to take on the challenge and the risk of organizing their own version of this event in Quesnel. By all accounts, the event was a huge success: 27 two-person teams participated in this first annual event, and 26 teams completed all the challenges. Unfortunately, one team had to drop out to fight forest fires in the area.
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The teams raised $11,000, and as a result of the generosity of local businesses and sponsors, every penny raised will be split equally between the two sponsoring agencies to help fund services and programs in the Quesnel area.

I ask the members of the House to join me in thanking Cathy Briggs and Judy Monych, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Quesnel and District Palliative Care Association and the many businesses, sponsors, volunteers and participants who made this summer fundraiser such an amazing event.

CAPILANO UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS

J. Thornthwaite: On Monday I was proud to attend an event celebrating a $30.2 million investment from the federal and provincial governments that will fund construction of a new film centre building at Capilano University in my riding of North Vancouver–Seymour.

Capilano University's School of Motion Picture Arts is the largest film school in western Canada. It offers a wide range of full-time certificate and diploma programs that prepare students for a variety of career paths including motion picture production, cinematography, costuming and indigenous digital film-making. Their programs, including the proposed bachelor of motion pictures arts degree, are designed to emulate real-world challenges and opportunities, the goal of which is to create a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial film-makers who will become part of the foundation of a broader, more sustainable base of domestic production.

Capilano University's School of Motion Picture Arts has been preparing students for the film and television industries for more than a decade, and thanks to the strong collaborative relationship they have forged with the surrounding community leaders, industry and employers, they can attract students from around the world and advance B.C.'s competitive advantage.

The results of this work have created tremendous recognition. Capilano University grads have amassed an ever-increasing portfolio of awards and accolades, including best picture, best director, best cinematography and best editing at such prestigious festivals as Young Cuts and the New York Independent Film Festival.

Currently, B.C.'s thriving film industry is the third largest film production centre in North America, and there is no doubt that Capilano University's School of Motion Picture Arts will continue to help grow our Hollywood North well into the future.

BUTE INLET

C. Trevena: Listed in B.C. Magazine's top 50 things to do in B.C. before you die is to go up Bute Inlet in a boat. I was lucky enough to do so earlier this summer, and it truly is an awesome place. The hour's-long journey to the head of Bute at the Homathko River takes you through staggering beauty, mountains that rise straight from the sea, waterfalls pouring down hundreds of metres, silence.

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Porpoises played around the boat for an hour, and bears fed on the shoreline. It's the sort of journey that reminds a person of how insignificant they are in relation to nature.

Bute Inlet is not pristine. It has been logged, although many times the scars in the mountains are from landslides rather than cuts. Taking the old logging roads up the valleys at the head of Bute past rivers, both turbid and pushing tumbling rocks in the spring freshet, you sense its power. Past here the land, trees crushed and gravel faces.... You see its instability, and this is in summer. In winter the outflows from the glaciers of the Homathko Icefield roar through the river valleys and the inlet. It's a raw place most of the time but treacherous in winter.

I went up to Bute with a group called the Friends of Bute Inlet, a group concerned about the possibility of industrializing the inlet through power generation. I was with tourism operators, engineers and environmentalists to see the area, which is about the size of the Lower Mainland.

Bute is already an immensely important economic generator. Millions of dollars have been invested in lodges at its mouth on Stuart Island, on Sonora and other islands and even through heli-fishing on the west coast in Gold River. It's been vested in locally in building, in employment there, in supplies and in transport. Small ecotourism operators vested in the local communities have been working the area for years employing local people. The large and small operators bring the tourists with their dollars, eager to be awed by the majesty.

Bute is a place which cannot be tamed. The Friends of Bute Inlet and others who know the lands and the waters recognize that and want to make sure the rest of the world does so too.

Oral Questions

B.C. LIBERAL PARTY
CAMPAIGN STATEMENTS

C. James: Three months ago the Premier made some key promises to the people of British Columbia: a deficit that wouldn't be over $495 million, balanced budgets by 2011, complete disclosure in the B.C. Rail corruption trial, no cuts to health care or other core services, no harmonized sales tax. Well, this government has turned its back on all of those promises.

My question is to the Premier. Why wasn't the public told the truth about the Premier's real plans, and why should anyone in this province trust what he says?
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Hon. G. Campbell: Hon. Speaker, I can't tell you how pleased I am to be back in this House serving the people of British Columbia, particularly on this side of the House. I'm always pleased to answer….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members.

Continue, Premier.

Hon. G. Campbell: I'm always pleased to answer the questions of the Leader of the Opposition. As we went through the election, there was no question that British Columbians looked at the agendas that were laid out by both parties. They decided to…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. G. Campbell: …elect a government that was going to make British Columbia stronger, to build our economy. They decided to elect a government that had a record of success as opposed to a government that had a record of failure. They decided to elect a government that would put British Columbians first, forest workers first, mining communities first, agriculture first, retailers first, small business first. They decided to elect a government that was going to continue to put British Columbia first.

Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition has a supplemental.

HARMONIZED SALES TAX

C. James: The first thing I'd like to remind the Premier of British Columbia is that serving the people of British Columbia means telling them the truth and being honest with them. The public looked at two agendas, yes. They didn't know there was a secret agenda by this government for May 13 that the public would be faced with.

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Let's take a look at the HST. It's one of the most extreme examples of this government's betrayal. During the election and, in fact, years before the election, the Premier said: "No HST ever." And after the election, a harmonized sales tax that does what? It transfers $2 billion of tax load onto the backs of taxpayers who are already stretched.

Again, my question is to the Premier. Why wasn't the public told the truth about the HST?

Hon. G. Campbell: Of course, both the parties, during the election, laid out election plans, laid out economic plans. You know, the interesting thing is we've heard a lot from the Leader of the Opposition about what our plan says. What about what the opposition's plan said?

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. G. Campbell: The opposition has suggested we were not being straightforward in terms of what the projections were. And yet, hon. Speaker….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Premier, just take your seat for a second.

If we think we're going to start off like this….

Continue, Premier.

Hon. G. Campbell: What this government did was we listened to the forecasts of 12 independent economists. We took the forecasts; we actually reduced their forecasts by 0.9 percent in terms of the economic growth.

What did the opposition do? They were far more optimistic. The opposition suggested there was going to be $600 million more in revenue than the government did. The opposition suggested not just that they would deal with $1.9 billion in discretionary spending reductions. The opposition suggested they were going to reduce spending a further $1.2 billion.

There were two plans that were in front of British Columbians. One was to strengthen the economy, to increase investment and to build a future. The other was the opposition's. That's why I'm so proud to be here, on behalf of all British Columbians, strengthening the economy of British Columbia.

Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition has a further supplemental.

C. James: I'd like to remind the Premier that the two political parties here in this Legislature during the election both said no to the harmonized sales tax. It's that side of the Legislature that lied to the….

Sorry. I withdraw, Mr. Speaker. I withdraw.

Mr. Speaker: Continue.

C. James: It's that side of the Legislature that misled the public and now is implementing the HST.

I'd like to take a look for a moment, since this government is ignoring the concerns of British Columbians, at what this tax will do. It's going to hurt hundreds of thousands of British Columbians — seniors, small business owners, families. It's going to take millions of dollars out of their pocket. It's going to take away our province's ability to control our own tax decisions. It's a bad tax. It
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was planned in secret without any consultation, without an honest debate with the public.

Again, my question is to the Premier — straightforward question. Why won't you tell British Columbians the truth? Why won't you stand up in this House today, apologize for misleading the public and withdraw the HST?

Hon. G. Campbell: A lot of changes this summer. No question about that. I still remember when the opposition….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Premier. Premier.

Hon. G. Campbell: I still remember when the opposition used to say….

Mr. Speaker: Premier.

Hon. G. Campbell: Sorry, hon. Speaker.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Continue, Premier.

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Hon. G. Campbell: I still remember when the opposition used to say this government should take steps to help forest workers. That's exactly what we're doing. The opposition decided we shouldn't do that.

I still remember when the opposition used to say they cared about the mining industry. So do we. That's why we've taken steps to help mining workers in British Columbia.

I still remember when the opposition used to claim to care about the agriculture sector. That's why this government is taking steps to help the agriculture industry.

The opposition's position has changed. They say no to forest workers, no to miners, no to people in agriculture, no to small business, no to investment, no to jobs, no to building a stronger economy. We say yes, and British Columbians are going to help us build that strong economy.

B. Ralston: Earlier this month the Minister of Finance said: "On March 26 when the Ontario budget came down, to be honest, I didn't pay a lot of attention to it." He claims he waited two months, until after the May 12 election, to look at the implications of Ontario's decision to implement the HST.

Yet as minister he has a very capable deputy minister, 50 staff at the Treasury Board, 119 staff at the strategic and corporate policy level — all available to brief him. He claims he knew nothing about the implications of a major tax shift in Canada's largest province. Does the minister understand why his statements are impossible to accept?

Hon. C. Hansen: I am surprised that the opposition Finance critic hasn't talked to some of his colleagues who actually served as assistants to governments in the 1990s. If he had done that, he would know that ministers do not seek advice from deputy ministers and ministry staff during an election period.

The first opportunity that I had to sit down and talk to ministry staff about the implications of Ontario's decision was after the election, and they pointed out to me quite clearly that if we did not move quickly to adopt HST, we'd be at a huge competitive disadvantage to Ontario.

It was obvious at that time that the federal government was showing new flexibility. What also became apparent at that time was the federal government was offering $1.6 billion that would help fund health care and education in British Columbia.

Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental.

B. Ralston: Well, the minister is engaging in a very selective rewriting of history, of course. The Prime Minister and the Premier of Ontario first began to discuss the HST at the end of January. The agreement between Ontario and the federal government was signed on March 13, 2009. The Ontario budget implementing HST was tabled on March 26, 2009, so that's hardly during the election period. The minister is quite wrong to suggest that to the House.

Just to continue, though, with what the minister also said in that same interview. I'd like to quote him, just so that I'm accurate here and he has a chance to respond. "Normally, when a province brings down a budget, when I get a moment in the following couple of days, I go on line and see what they did and if there are ideas that we can steal, and things like that."

So for two months he claims he didn't have time to review the Ontario budget — and this is well before the election period, at least in part — and none of his officials briefed him. Does the minister understand why people are scoffing at this explanation?

Hon. C. Hansen: I'm not sure what that member was doing during that period of time, but I was out talking to British Columbia voters. I was actually travelling around the province to a certain extent, talking to laid-off forest workers in forest-dependent communities, who are celebrating the fact that their industry leaders are saying today that the HST is the single biggest thing that they can do to encourage forest jobs around British Columbia.

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I was on doorsteps in my riding, where people were saying, "Good on this government for building a strong economy," and to make sure that we keep that going and we take whatever decisive action is necessary to make sure that British Columbia continues to be strong, that we create jobs going forward and do everything we can to create a strong economic environment in this province.

M. Farnworth: What's clear is that with all that staff and 200 members in the public affairs bureau at his disposal, this minister wasn't able to do his job and monitor what's going on across the country when it comes to financial affairs.

He would have us believe that he was too busy to know what was going on in Ontario around the HST — talks which had been going on since January. Yet four days later the minister was asked about the HST and what was taking place and Minister Flaherty's comments, and he said he had no comment. The minister declined to comment.

Was the reason the minister declined to comment because this government had already made its mind up to implement an HST and not tell the voters before the election?

Hon. C. Hansen: This government has looked at the pros and cons of the HST each and every year since we were first elected, as I would suspect the NDP government did in the 1990s, because the federal government, going back to the mid-1990s, both through federal Liberal and federal Conservative administrations, has been actively encouraging provinces to sign on to HST. So every year we've looked at the pros; we've looked at the cons and, in advance of each budget, came to the conclusion that HST was not a net benefit to British Columbia at that time.

When I had the benefit of the analysis that was done by the Ministry of Finance staff — and I had the benefit of that analysis in mid-May, after the election — it became very evident quickly that that had changed significantly — that because of Ontario's decision, we were going to lose out on the opportunity to create jobs in British Columbia.

What became obvious at that time was the federal government was prepared to show more flexibility around how HST could be implemented, and the federal government had also indicated at that time that they were putting $1.6 billion on the table to help support health care and education and other vital programs.

Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental.

M. Farnworth: The minister didn't answer the question as to why he refused to comment before, when he was asked the question. You know, I know how this government works, and I suddenly realized I understand why he wasn't able to answer. Because he doesn't have the ability to answer. Those decisions in this government are made by the Premier. So really, the question should go to the Premier.

Mr. Premier, is the reason the Minister of Finance wasn't upfront with the public when asked about the question of the HST because you had already made your mind up to implement the HST…

Mr. Speaker: Member, Member.

M. Farnworth: …this government had made its mind up to implement the HST, and they didn't want the public to know before the election so the public could make an informed, honest choice?

Mr. Speaker: I want to remind the member to direct the questions through the Chair, please.

Hon. C. Hansen: As I told the member in my previous answer, we had the benefit of the analysis of Ministry of Finance staff after the election. We recognized that if we were going to get on the same timeline as Ontario, we had to reconsider our previous decision very quickly, and by the end of May, when I would have made that comment, we were actively relooking at the pros and cons of HST.

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R. Fleming: British Columbians don't believe this Finance Minister's absurd story that the HST wasn't on his political radar. Even members of his own caucus, his own colleagues, don't believe him. Christy Clark said there was no way that government went from telling voters….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

R. Fleming: His former colleague said there's no way that….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members.

Take your seat for a second.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Continue, Member.

R. Fleming: The former Deputy Premier of this government said that there was no way that the government
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went from saying to voters in May that they won't bring in an HST to signing a memorandum with Ottawa in mere weeks. John Nuraney, the former Liberal MLA, told the media that there were talks about the HST in caucus before the election. The minister's pathetic story is contradicted by his own colleagues.

So the question is: who should British Columbians believe? If the Finance Minister's own friends and colleagues don't believe him, why should anyone in British Columbia believe his story?

Hon. C. Hansen: If the member had been paying attention, I mentioned earlier in this question period that the question of whether HST was a good or a bad thing in British Columbia has been an active discussion going back for eight years, and every year we have looked at the pros and cons in advance of every budget.

I can tell you that I feel that I was elected to make decisions and that this government was elected to make decisions that would actually make sure that we could strengthen the economy and create jobs in British Columbia. When we see an opportunity that allows us to reinforce jobs in forest-dependent communities, to make sure, as some of the leaders in the mining industry have said, that the HST is the single biggest thing we can do to make sure that there are jobs in the mining industry in British Columbia…. When I hear the leadership in the B.C. Agriculture Council say that this is the best thing for our agriculture community, because it takes costs out of the food chain literally….

This is a government that is prepared to take information, to look at the facts that are before us and to make decisive decisions that are in the best interests of job creation in British Columbia.

Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental.

R. Fleming: The minister's story doesn't hold up. His own colleagues contradict him. They say that this was under active discussion in the Liberal caucus before the election. The minister tries to say the Ministry of Finance is to blame. They didn't bring it to his attention well before the election, March 26 to the day the writ dropped. He had no thoughts on the matter. He told the press he had no comment when asked his thoughts on the HST.

He's also asking us to believe that he didn't even read the paper for months and months. It's hard to believe, as he goes back on forth on the helijet, that he missed a couple of headlines: March 27, "Ontario Moves to Adopt HST," Globe and Mail; March 26, National Post, "McGuinty Budget Aims to Soften Blended GST and PST."

The Minister of Finance, incredibly, says it wasn't even on his radar. Can he explain to this House how he missed a major announcement in Canada's largest economy, that he didn't even notice one — not one — of any major articles on the HST, adopted in Ontario before the election, and then insists to British Columbians that it wasn't on his mind? This is deceit. The Finance Minister has to come clean.

Mr. Speaker: Member, you withdraw that last part of that statement.

R. Fleming: I withdraw, Mr. Speaker.

Hon. C. Hansen: As I said earlier, this is a matter that had been actively discussed, both the pros and the cons, but I also had the advice of the legislative Finance Committee. After they finished their prebudget consultations last fall, they actually made a unanimous recommendation to this House. It included a unanimous recommendation from, actually, all of the opposition members that were serving on the Finance Committee at that time. That recommendation was that government should actually look at the pros and cons and should consider that HST, and we did that.

[1450]

We looked at the pros and cons, and then again, after the election, we looked at the pros and cons in light of new information. It became patently obvious that this was the right decision to create jobs in British Columbia and make sure that we can get all of the benefits out of an economic upturn that, hopefully, is just around the corner.

IMPACT OF HARMONIZED SALES TAX
ON SENIORS CARE

A. Dix: The Premier and the Minister of Finance looked at the pros and cons, and they said no when it counted, when the people of British Columbia needed to know before the election, and they said yes weeks after the election. Everyone in B.C. knows what that adds up to.

Today, because there are not many people left to be deceived in the province, the B.C. Care Providers Association released its report on the effect of the HST on seniors in care. They said, "In addition to transferring millions from seniors care back to the Ministry of Finance, the HST will likely result in layoffs and health service cuts" — this to a system that has the lowest care standards in the country and is currently the subject of an investigation by the Ombudsman.

Why should seniors have to pay the price for the government's misleading conduct on the HST?

Hon. C. Hansen: I've had numerous meetings with various industry organizations. I have not yet had the opportunity to meet with the B.C. Care Providers Association, but I've made it quite clear I'm prepared to sit down with those groups and talk about how the HST is both going to benefit them and impact them. We are prepared to work with those organizations to make sure that if there are negative implications, we will work to try and find ways to mitigate those.
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But let's be clear on what British Columbians said. When they were offered a platform from that party that added a billion dollars in new taxes, when they actually were offered an economic platform from that party that would add $3.6 billion in new spending, when they were offered a platform from that party that was based on false assumptions and based on overly optimistic projections, the people of British Columbia said no when it counted.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Member has a supplemental.

HARMONIZED SALES TAX

A. Dix: It's always good to see the Minister of Finance and the Premier exploring that fine line between chutzpah and chutzpidity.

The fact of the matter is the Premier in the election campaign looked straight in the camera and said: "I'm going to reduce wait times for surgery." Since the election they've been cutting surgeries and increasing wait times. That's what people have to offer.

The Premier looked straight in the camera and said he'd improve seniors care, and they've been cutting seniors programs across the province since the election. The Premier looked into the camera and said he'd improve mental health services, and today his health authorities are cutting mental health services and addiction services to people that need them.

The Premier, after 11 years of opposition, 11 years of saying no to the GST, 11 years of opposing the HST, said before the election no to the HST.

How long will people in B.C. have to pay the price for this kind of politics? Will the Premier today do what's right and withdraw this proposal for an HST in British Columbia?

Hon. C. Hansen: What this member is saying and what this official opposition is saying is no to $1.6 billion of additional money, which helps fund education and health care in British Columbia.

That member is saying no to jobs in forest-dependent communities around British Columbia. As forest leaders have said, this is the biggest thing in terms of improving competitiveness for the forest sector of British Columbia. This is a member and a party that is saying no to jobs in the mining sector around British Columbia.

This is a government that has actually said yes to an additional $800 million a year going into the health care budget over the coming few years.

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S. Herbert: The Minister of Tourism said: "The HST is going to be good for all, but there are exceptions."

Can the minister table the studies and analysis which show who are the winners and who are the losers under this tax hike?

Hon. C. Hansen: I can tell the member that there is not a single business in British Columbia that will not see their costs come down as a result of the implementation.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members.

Continue, Minister.

Hon. C. Hansen: The British Columbia economy is very dependent on its export markets. The province's leading employers have told us that this is the best thing that we could do to stimulate that economy and stimulate those export markets.

I'm not going to deny that there aren't some sectors that are impacted by this, and I've met with them. We've talked to them. We've looked at ways of mitigating this. But when we wind up with a strong economy, when we wind up with more jobs being created in communities all around British Columbia as a result of this move, all sectors of the economy will benefit from that stronger economy and lower unemployment.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members.

[End of question period.]

Tabling Documents

Hon. B. Bennett: I have two reports to present. One is the 2007-2008 annual report for the Islands Trust, and the other is the Property Assessment Appeal Board report for the year 2008.

Orders of the Day

Throne Speech Debate

Hon. M. de Jong: I call debate in response to the Speech from the Throne.

S. Cadieux: I move, seconded by the member for Kelowna–Lake Country, that:

[We, Her Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in session here assembled, beg leave to thank Your Honour for the gracious speech which Your Honour has addressed to us at the opening of the session.]

I'm honoured to be the first speaker in response to this important throne speech. I am humbled to be here as a representative for the constituents of Surrey-Panorama.

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[ Page 22 ]

I'm really happy to be able to be there to listen and respond to my constituents, to work for them, and I'm fortunate to have two great ladies working in my constituency office, Sharon and Manjit, who are there representing me when I am here.

Surrey-Panorama is very diverse. We've got long-established communities like Crescent Beach and Panorama Ridge and expanding areas like Sullivan Heights. We're very fortunate to have a dynamic mayor in Surrey. Mayor Watts and council set out a forward-thinking plan for the city, and Surrey is living up to our new tag line: "The future lives here." That is because Surrey is projected to be the largest city in British Columbia by 2020; because, as well, Surrey has the largest school-aged population; and because Surrey is embracing a vision for livable communities.

Surrey is demonstrating its role as a leader in the future of this province. I'm excited to be the newest representative of this growing, vibrant region, joining my colleagues from Surrey-Cloverdale, Surrey–White Rock and Surrey-Tynehead.

Driving around my riding, you'll certainly see plenty of construction projects underway on residential, retail and commercial projects. We are very optimistic about our future in the beautiful province of British Columbia. It's an exciting time for a growing, vibrant city like Surrey, and with growth comes the need for more services and infrastructure like schools, health care and policing. Our government recognizes that and has made significant investments.

Like the rest of Surrey, Surrey-Panorama is a cultural mosaic. With more than 50 first languages spoken, we have riches in the diversity, unique experiences, perspectives and traditions of our neighbours. It's with that energy and enthusiasm that we will join with other parts of Surrey to celebrate together in the Spirit Square at Holland Park to join in the excitement of the 2010 Paralympic and Olympic Winter Games, and to cheer on our local Olympians and Paralympians like Gary Cormack.

I'm reminded every day that I'm in Surrey-Panorama of how fortunate we are to live in B.C. In my riding, we enjoy the calming sounds of the ocean lapping at Crescent Beach and the beauty of the Serpentine Wildlife Area, which protects important habitat for wildlife. The fields of corn and blueberries and the lively voices of children on playing fields are all reminders of the beauty, the safety and the wealth of this province and its people.

[L. Reid in the chair.]

My constituents care about their futures, and they're concerned about the economy and how it's impacting them. They are concerned about health care, and they are concerned about education.

B.C.'s health care system is world class. That's not to say there aren't challenges. Health care is vitally important, and that's why this government has invested in it. Since 2001 health care spending has increased 70 percent, and 90 percent of all new spending is going towards health care.

I know the health care system well. As a user of the health care system for chronic disease management myself, I know personally how lucky I feel to benefit from our health care system — our doctors, our caring nurses, our technicians and all of the other practitioners that help keep our system working and keep us healthy.

The new critical care tower at Surrey Memorial will contain a new emergency department that will be five times larger than the one that exists. We need that in Surrey. It will include a separate children's ER, an enhanced minor treatment unit, new birthing beds and private rooms so that mothers and their families can be together and enjoy that experience.

Our government spent $12.5 million on renovations to the B.C. cancer centre in Surrey, improving services for cancer patients in my community, and I am very proud of that. We've seen investments across the health care spectrum, from hospital expansions to program funding to medical schools where we're training more doctors and nurses, encouraging them to practise here in B.C.

[1505]

We're spending more than a billion dollars a year on Pharmacare, and with the health innovation fund we're encouraging health authorities to implement ideas that improve patient care and find efficiencies. We're doing great work in prevention and health promotion, like the work with ActNow B.C., which will help to reduce future burdens on our system. These initiatives are vitally important. I am in favour of patient education and choice, and I am in favour of innovation, and that's what we're doing in health care.

I also believe strongly that our system is one of the best in the world, and we're lucky to benefit from it. The reality is that pressures on our system continue to grow. An aging population, medical advances, new drug therapies — all of this puts taxes on the system.

We need to get creative. We need to find new solutions. We need to find new ways to maximize the benefits we can provide so that everyone has the health care they need when they need it. This throne speech is the right step towards a stronger, healthier system.

That's true, too, of our children. We all care about our children, the future of our province. We believe that the best ways to help them are to reduce income taxes, leaving more money in parents' pockets, and to improve programs like the rent supplement program to help keep lower-income families in their communities.

We're spending more money per pupil on education than at any other time in our history. This government is progressive and forward-thinking in its approach by investing in the future of this province. Kindergarten-to-grade-12 education funding is at the highest level
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ever, and since 2001, education funding has increased by over 34 percent.

In some areas of the province we're seeing declining enrolments — some districts, of course, more drastic than others — but in Surrey, enrolments are rising, and to meet that need, we have built 13 new schools. In my riding alone, Panorama Ridge Secondary and Sullivan Heights Secondary are both new schools, as is Cambridge Elementary, and there's another elementary school slated to open in 2010.

But you know what? It's not just about bricks and mortar, because today Surrey as a whole has hundreds more teachers than we did in 2001. All the investments have been made in education because we have a growing school-aged population in Surrey.

Since 2001 we also recognize that post-secondary students need our support. There have been millions of new dollars in post-secondary infrastructure benefiting my constituents. A great example close by to my riding is the new Kwantlen Polytechnic University campus in Cloverdale, the trades and technology campus, providing students with the skills they need for jobs here in B.C. and in job markets across Canada and around the world.

We have so much to look forward to in Surrey-Panorama, so much opportunity that this government has already invested in and that I want to continue to assist in as Surrey-Panorama's representative here in Victoria. Thanks to this government, the people in my constituency have more options than ever before — new schools, new post-secondary, new local hospitals.

Over the past eight years this government has strengthened our position by reducing our debt by $8 billion, creating 400,000 jobs and lowering taxes for individuals and businesses. We understand that it's important to B.C.'s economy and to the stability in our province to expand our markets for our products, for our innovation and for our resources.

Certainly, in my riding of Surrey-Panorama that's especially important, because so many of our residents have business and family connections around the world. We are building a strong future, one based in innovation, creativity and the understanding that today's decisions impact tomorrow's children.

Thanks to this government, our fiscal house was brought into order before the biggest global recession we've seen. B.C. was last to feel the effects and is still positioned, thanks to strong economic leadership, to be the first to recover.

But make no mistake. It is important to understand that to have a strong economy, we need to have strong businesses, and to have strong businesses, we need to understand business and help create a climate where they can succeed. We need to understand that 90 percent of business in B.C. is small business, and they have unique challenges.

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We need to keep people working, because when people are working, quite frankly, they're paying taxes, and when businesses are making money, they're paying taxes, and it's that tax money that government uses to do all the things that we all demand, like health care and education.

With the challenges of today, we need strong economic leadership. It will take thoughtful examination, dialogue and a willingness to find solutions, to continue to provide stability, confidence and to move B.C. forward. We need leaders who have a proven track record to set goals and achieve them, people ready to turn adversity into opportunity.

When I graduated college in the mid-'90s, many, many of my friends left for opportunities in Alberta. After years of idling in neutral, B.C. switched into gear again under this government, and I for one like moving forward.

In our ever-changing world and in growing communities like my hometown of Surrey, demands on government are increasing and are ever more complex. There are challenges, and this throne speech is the right plan at the right time. It is important to look forward, to vision and to imagine, but it's also important to look back and to remember where we've come from, be proud of our accomplishments and grow and learn from our history.

One cannot know what life will bring — what challenges, what experience, what joys and what trials. Similarly, governments cannot predict the future, which is why it is important to consider the ramifications of our actions, the consequences of our choices, to prepare as best we can for what might come, to prepare as best we can to weather the storms that arise in our time and, most importantly, to leave a legacy, a solid foundation for our children and future generations to build upon.

Confidence and stability are key to our economic recovery. It will take the right leadership, and that means vision, experience and the careful management of taxpayer dollars. It will take an understanding of the current global economy, a commitment to lowering costs on that economy, like the removal of red tape and redundant processes, like the throne commitments to reduce discretionary spending and target resources where they're needed most right now.

It will take the protection of core public services like health care and education. It will take building on our strategic advantages — our proximity to Asia and our abundance of resources and innovation — not to mention the determination and resilience of British Columbians.

To me, leadership is vision. It's a plan — resolve, hope and compassion. The throne speech is a perfect example. This government has made tough decisions because they were the right thing to do for B.C. We believe in the future of British Columbia, and we're taking the necessary steps to move B.C. forward. We have a lot to do. We're going to be very busy. We're going to focus on creating jobs and keep B.C. working.
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I believe Surrey is well-positioned to benefit and participate in the creation of these opportunities. My constituency is home to many, many small business owners, and through our commitment to their success, B.C. enjoys the lowest small business taxes in Canada. When business, both small and big, can do business, that means more jobs, and that means more opportunity for everyone. What's good for business is good for jobs, is good for all of us — simple message — which is why now is the time for the HST. It's the single most important thing we can do to stimulate this economy and support our business sector.

This is not the first recession we've faced as a province, nor is it the last. It has taken great discipline to reduce our debt, and it will take great discipline now to maintain a course that will support the most vulnerable, support essential services and stimulate confidence in our future. We need to stay the course, providing business with the tools they need to remain competitive in an ever increasingly complex global marketplace. We need to keep our spending in check. We all have to do our part.

[1515]

There are hundreds of community organizations providing services to Surrey and to Surrey residents, and they're doing their part. I'm very proud of these groups. They see needs in our community, and they try to address them for the betterment of their community. They are resilient, innovative and compassionate. They rely upon thousands of dedicated volunteers — local members who believe in contributing to the fabric of their neighbourhoods.

For example, I recently visited the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society, a piece of local B.C. history in my riding which, in a way, celebrates our mass transportation heritage — the B.C. Electric Railway, an early version of green transportation. The volunteers that are now restoring this piece of B.C. history are passionate about B.C. and about their contribution.

There are other unsung heroes: volunteers like Narinder Sabharwal, a mother, a soccer coach and a mentor, who takes time out of her busy life to coach sports, promote healthy living and teamwork and engage young people to think beyond themselves. Narin and her U16 Devils soccer team have raised $39,000 of the $60,000 they have committed to raise to purchase a Giraffe OmniBed. That is a very complex, special incubator for high-risk newborn babies. Surrey Memorial Hospital is expanding, and the neonatal intensive care unit is going to need more Omnibeds to care for our newborns.

I'm proud to be here to represent the people of Surrey-Panorama — those who inspire me, like Narin. Families like Narin's will benefit from the plan laid out in our throne speech, reiterating our commitment to early childhood education, neighbourhood learning centres and full-time, five-year-old kindergarten by September of 2010.

As we invest in our children's future, we need also to consider the world we leave them. Green energy is a cornerstone of a vital climate action plan. As we engage as a province, country and world community to find alternative, clean power options for transportation and other power needs, I am very proud that our province is seen as a leader. It's not always easy to be bold, to be first, to make a commitment, but we have done it, and we're sticking with it for the good of our environment today and in the future.

Doug Mowat sat here during the 1980s. I now follow him here, as I did at the B.C. Paraplegic Association — two places where he built a legacy of support for people with disabilities in this province. That helped pave the way for B.C. to be where it is today: a leader in the inclusion of people with disabilities.

At the B.C. Paraplegic Association I worked as a part of a diverse team — board, volunteers, staff, members, partners — to achieve common goals and overcome what were often very big issues and challenges. I see similarly that this government is a team — a diverse group of people with common goals and a willingness to work towards solutions for the challenges facing our province.

I am a survivor. I have overcome adversity and emerged stronger on the other side. Like my personal challenge, the economy of B.C. will also survive from this current struggle to rise stronger and securer for our future. In my life, I know this to be true. Challenges beg solutions that can offer innovation, courage and a vision of what can and will be.

In these challenging times, the global economic uncertainty and in an ever-changing world, the demands on governments are continuing to grow and are increasingly complex. The throne speech presents a vision for weathering a storm and creating the stability on which to build a prosperous future.

It has indeed been an honour to speak today in support of a throne speech that charts a course for my constituents and my province that I am confident will prove thoughtful and successful.

[1520]

N. Letnick: It is my privilege today to second the motion made by the member for Surrey-Panorama, Stephanie Cadieux. What a wonderful job she did.

I am honoured to rise in the House today to respond to the 2009 throne speech in this year of our province's 151st anniversary. I wish to dedicate this speech — my first in this chamber and, clearly, amongst friends — to the memory of my good friend, Kelowna city councillor Brian Given, who passed away last week at the age of 57. Brian was a true leader, who did what he thought was right for the community he loved, just as we do for the province that we love. He left us far too soon, and he will be deeply missed by those in the Okanagan that he served.
[ Page 25 ]

It is an honour to take my place in the Legislature representing the constituents of Kelowna–Lake Country. I have lived in British Columbia for ten years, after spending 20 years in Banff and growing up in Montreal, and I am proud to call this beautiful province my home.

I stand before you, Madam Speaker, a descendant of the Gauthier family on my mother's side, whose ancestors came to Canada from France some 200 years ago, and of three generations on my father's side who trace their roots to Belarus, a country between Ukraine and Russia. I am the fourth of five children born to a working-class family in Montreal and proof that in Canada and in British Columbia, with the right attitude, hard work and a few lucky breaks, anyone can realize their dreams.

My recently deceased father, Morris, a navy veteran of the Second World War, served as a stoker in the North Atlantic and, following his discharge in '45, became an electrician. My mother, Marie-Claire, recently celebrated her 82nd birthday, shows no signs of slowing down and lives in White Rock. In her honour, Madam Speaker, je voudrais dire que ça me fait plaisir d'être ici avec vous et tous mes amis de la Colombie-Britannique.

Together they raised five children on a modest income which offered few of the comforts my children enjoy today, but growing up we never went hungry, always had a warm bed to sleep in, knew parental love and learned the value of hard work, persistence, discipline, faith and the value of education. My fondest memories growing up were playing kick-the-can late into the night with kids in my neighbourhood. Yes, it was a tough neighbourhood.

I remember one time when I was around seven years old and the bullies in my supermarket stopped me from carrying groceries home for people for tips. That was my first business. I wasn't part of their gang. so they restricted my access to their property. It was my first lesson in market economics. The following day I returned with my older and somewhat bigger brother, and equilibrium in the marketplace was restored.

Since that day 44 years ago, I have learned many lessons, but none more important than those. If you are right, stand your ground. Success is achieved through knowing where you want to go, having a plan to get there, working hard to implement that plan despite the obstacles which may arise along the way and, when necessary, fighting for what you believe in. And, oh yes, having a bigger brother helps as well.

Well, our world has evolved greatly in my time. The overriding theme of this throne speech is that what we've entered into is yet another period of change and hope for tomorrow.

I remember the recession of the '80s and interest rates at 20 percent. That's when I started my businesses, but things got better. I remember the devastation of public health care funding after the recession in the '90s, but once again, things got better.

We all know that economies go through periods of growth, stability, recession and recovery, and our province, including Kelowna–Lake Country, is not immune. We have persevered in the past, and with a little belt-tightening and the eventual economic recovery, we will see the fruits — no pun intended — of our sacrifices in a few years.

[1525]

We owe it to our children and our grandchildren. To do otherwise — to forgo the disciplines in taxation and spending, to overlook the reality that we have prospered in large part because of exports in a globally competitive economy, to look strictly in the rearview mirror instead of the road ahead — would be a recipe for eventual disaster.

I believe Adm. Jim Stockdale said it best after serving eight years of repeated torture in Hanoi as a prisoner of war, while many of his comrades died just months into captivity. Here's how Stockdale put it. He said: "You never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end, which you can never afford to lose, with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they may be."

Many prisoners died quickly because they kept believing that every day they would be rescued, but eventually they lost hope and passed away. While he, instead, understood that to live and to leave alive, which he had every faith he would do, he had to accept the plight of his work, diligently, every day, to find a way out.

Admiral Stockdale's lesson is clear. Whether it be health care, education or any of the many economic, environmental or social programs our government delivers to the people of British Columbia, this House needs to address the economic challenges we currently face head-on and provide the strong leadership that will help our citizens and businesses modernize, improve productivity and reap the eventual rewards that come through hard work and self-sacrifice.

Blind opposition without proposing viable alternatives is simply a futile attempt to gain short-term public favour at the expense of long-term prosperity and sound economic policy. The question raised and answered in the throne speech and, indeed, posed by governments throughout the modern world is: which set of public policies are best enacted to encourage economic stability and sustainable growth?

I believe without any reservation that the progressive, politically courageous, fiscally prudent and environmentally astute free enterprise measures outlined by this government are not only in the best interests of every member on both sides of this House, not only in the best interest of British Columbians today, but more especially also in the interest of our children, who are counting on us to live within our means so that they can do the same in their day.

Madam Speaker, I wish to draw our attention to the words of Paul Hawken, a renowned entrepreneur, visionary
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environmental activist and author of many books. He delivered the commencement address to the graduates of the University of Portland earlier this year when he said: "Inspiration is not garnered from the litanies of what may befall us; it resides in humanity's willingness to restore, redress, reform, rebuild, recover, reimagine and reconsider."

Over the past year, spent as a first-year candidate and more recently as a member of the Legislature, I have personally been inspired by the unwavering leadership of our Premier and his commitment to build a better province for all by bringing forward legislation that addresses the injustices and inequalities which have plagued first nations people, that seeks to reverse the damage to air and water quality caused by unchecked expansion and that creates greater efficiencies in how taxes that we pay are collected and remitted.

Oftentimes the right approach is not the popular one, but political expediency should not dictate the mandate of this or any government as we wrestle with the economic crisis that won't end soon. It's a time for sound planning, and the message delivered yesterday constitutes a responsible, reasoned approach to helping British Columbians in every corner of this province find their way out of this quagmire.

[1530]

At this time, Madam Speaker, I wish also to pay particular tribute to some people back home — well, not quite back home, because my wife is up there listening to my speech; at the time I wrote this, she was back home — first and foremost to my wife, Helene, and three children, Melanie, JP and Naomi, who have supported me at every turn in my political career; the former MLA of our riding, Al Horning, and his wife, Donna, who helped me immensely in preparing for this day. So, too, have MLAs Rick Thorpe, Barrie Clark and Carol Gran.

Also, former mayor Walter Gray and, of course, besides the late Brian Given — we actually sat next to each other on council — Michelle Rule, Barrie Clark and Carol Gran, who were also councillors on the Kelowna council, just to name a few. And a special thank-you to my constituency assistant Shelly Gilmour and to my riding association president, Barb Logie, for their assistance and leadership.

I also wish to thank Mayor Baker of Lake Country and Noreen Guenther, a councillor in Lake Country, and assure them that I will never forget that my constituency embraces two great thriving communities, Kelowna and Lake Country.

Indeed, Lake Country has a strong entrepreneurial spirit in agriculture, cultural activities and so many other areas. In a few weeks a combination of tireless volunteers and talented local artists will produce another ArtWalk, one of the most widely supported annual events in the interior of our province.

In the past few years we have heard a lot about value-added agriculture, and I know that my colleague from Kelowna the hon. Steve Thomson, Minister of Agriculture, strongly endorses that at every turn.

In our riding we have an orchardist who walks the talk. Al Gatzke grows wonderful fruit, like many others in Lake Country, but this year he came up with a new way to build business by offering sunset music concerts right next to the row of fruit trees. I invite everyone here to come and join me in enjoying Al Gatzke's new business. Now, that's innovation for you.

In addition to Gatzke orchards, many more farms are growing cherries, apricots, apples, peaches — even gingko fruit.

The Central Okanagan is also renowned as wine country. There are 17 wineries within 30 miles of downtown Kelowna, and of course, my favourite is Gray Monk, which resides in Lake Country. But Quails' Gate, the winery near and dear to the hon. Minister of Citizens' Services, Ben Stewart from Kelowna, a colleague in this chamber, is a very close to second in my heart as well. He's not here, I think, so I'll have to remind him about that after.

The orchards, vineyards and golf courses which populate the Okanagan have come to grips with the troubling reality outlined recently by Statistics Canada. The Okanagan Valley is the driest watershed in Canada, with the fastest-growing population. Therefore, the drought-proofing of the Okanagan has to be an important priority for elected leaders at every level.

Helping the province work with local governments through the Okanagan Basin Water Board as well as with federal agencies to bring responsible, sound conservation practices to communities throughout the region is a particular priority that inspires me in the months and years ahead.

It's been more than four years since city council officially celebrated its centennial. Kelowna has grown from a community of 600 at the start to a major urban centre with now over 110,000 people. Those of us who have moved to Kelowna from Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and elsewhere enjoy a wonderful climate, beautiful scenery, countless recreational opportunities and a quality of life that is unsurpassed. Those original 600 souls knew a good thing, and the rest of the world, like me, caught on a little later.

With the incredible growth has come a degree of complexity that is common to other metropolitan areas of our province. People want better education for their children, which we now have with the expanded Okanagan College and UBC Okanagan, thanks to this government.

Public transit becomes a priority as roads clog and the air quality begins to diminish. Fortunately, this government has instituted an action plan to make a regional transit service a reality up and down the Okanagan corridor.

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Under the governance of this government, Kelowna and the surrounding area has benefited enormously from significant improvements to infrastructure and services with the addition of a brand new bridge, the W.R. Bennett Bridge.

Improvements to Highway 97, Highway 33, expansion to the Kelowna General Hospital, UBC Okanagan, a new teaching wing of the Kelowna General Hospital — or floors — expansion of Okanagan College, two new schools. The list goes on and on and on — over a billion dollars' worth of investment in our community over the last few years alone.

I would not be more inspired, as a member of a government team that acknowledges the particular challenges posed by rapid growth and proposes solutions that will bring more economic balance to this region so that young people educated in my area can find skilled jobs and raise their families in Kelowna and Lake Country.

In conclusion, I am new to this House, but I hope that over the next four years I will get to know you and everyone in this chamber who have dedicated yourselves to truth, integrity, fortitude and public service.

The people of Kelowna–Lake Country have sent me here to represent them and to advocate for their needs and the needs of all British Columbians, to help direct laws and policies that will help expand our economy and improve the lives of every person. I stand at the ready, anxious to work with everyone who believes that there are no shortcuts to success, no substitutes for truth and hard work, and no person from the Lieutenant-Governor to the rookie MLA for Kelowna–Lake Country more important than the citizen.

I am proud to represent the good people of Kelowna–Lake Country. I am very proud to live in British Columbia, and I am very proud to live in this great country where even a poor kid from a working-class, multicultural family can achieve his dream of one day standing amongst the good and great company of great men of all political parties, united in service above self and dedicated to the common good. Merci. Thank you very much.

Deputy Speaker: Members, please be reminded that members in this chamber are only referred to by the name of their constituency.

C. James: I rise to speak in reply to yesterday's Speech from the Throne. This is the fifth B.C. Liberal throne speech since I was elected in 2005. I have to say there's been so much hot air in these throne speeches that I think the Premier should probably slap a carbon tax on his own rhetoric in the throne speeches.

I'm also not sure that the Premier remembers any more why it's called the throne speech. So rather than remind him how the parliamentary system works, I'll just say this. Just because it's called the throne speech doesn't mean that the Premier can act like a king and do whatever he wants.

I'd intended to speak in a detailed response but, as has sadly become the tradition in this House, we have another Liberal throne speech that spends more time justifying broken promises and trying to change the subject than actually delivering a vision for the future.

In this throne speech there were 15 paragraphs defending the HST, trying to explain why this government had absolutely no idea why things were much worse than they told the public, desperately trying to construct an alibi for their deception.

The poor Premier, as it said in the speech, was brutally deceived by the economy? I'm sorry, but the speech got it backwards. It was the Premier and the Liberals who deceived British Columbians about the real state of the economy in British Columbia.

Our province has just gone through an election campaign in which the economy was the number one issue. During that campaign, the Premier made two fundamental commitments to British Columbians: one, that the deficit would be no more than $495 million, and two, that he'd protect health care and education.

Any challenges….

Interjections.

C. James: Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

During the campaign anyone who challenged those statements by the Premier was accused of fearmongering. That's not the only irony in this Premier's election platform. It also includes this statement: "Small business is the economy's backbone. You don't build confidence by ignoring their advice. You build it by listening to them, learning from them and working with them."

[1540]

Interjections.

C. James: Quite frankly, if the member on the other side would spend some time actually listening, he could actually do something with small business instead of providing that kind of rhetoric.

It's pretty clear that if the Liberals were listening to small business, they certainly didn't hear them. Small business people that I've talked to and that everyone has talked to across this province didn't ask for the HST, and believe me, we've heard from thousands of those small businesses since the HST announcement. If this government learned from small business, it's pretty difficult to find out what the lesson was that they learned.

In their platform they said that they were working with small business. Well, I think that from a B.C. Liberal perspective, it's more like working over small business. That's what they're doing with the HST.

What this government has done by not giving voters the truth in implementing the HST is exactly the opposite of everything they claimed to stand for during the
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election. Right now, in a difficult economic time, one of the worst recessions we've seen in decades, this government thinks it's a smart idea to bring in a new tax, with no consultation, no warning — one more broken promise from the B.C. Liberals.

I don't suppose we should be surprised. Did the Liberals keep their promise not to sell B.C. Rail? Did they keep their promise to build 5,000 long-term care beds for seniors? Did they keep that promise of health care where you need it, when you need it?

Is there a single member of this House who actually believed the Premier when he said that the deficit would be no more than $495 million? Certainly no one on this side of the House believed that.

British Columbians will find out next week what the deficit's going to be and how much this government's mismanagement and incompetence is going to cost them and their families. But they've been shown over and over again that they just can't be trusted to keep the truth.

We already know that this government is going to amend its own signature legislation — change the law, in other words — to enshrine its mismanagement to become legal. We know that the Liberals are going to run deficits right through the next election. So it's pretty clear, if you're a B.C. Liberal, that it's okay to break the law as long as you rewrite the law just before you actually break it. Is that a lesson that we want our kids to learn from this Legislature?

This government has been putting out so many items from this budget that I don't think the Finance Minister is going to have anything left to read when the budget is actually delivered next Tuesday. But I am convinced that we're not going to know the real state of the economy until the Auditor General reports out, because I have no faith in any numbers that this government puts forward. No one on this side of the House has faith in those numbers.

Is it any wonder that so many eligible voters didn't vote on May 12? Under the Liberals we've seen a growing accountability gap between government institutions and the people they are supposed to serve. When the bond of trust between citizens and the state is broken, democracy is diminished.

It's clear that it wasn't simply a distaste for the Liberal government that kept so many eligible voters away on election day. I also take responsibility for not capturing the hearts and minds of the voters. I accept that criticism, and I've committed myself and our caucus to doing a better job of putting our positive vision out for the future in British Columbia.

We had a profound reminder of the importance of democracy over the past two weeks when we saw brave Afghans literally risk their lives to cast their ballots. In B.C. we aren't subjected to anything like the people in Afghanistan are, yet barely half of us bothered to vote.

Oscar Wilde wrote that the cynic knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. If you substitute "B.C. Liberal" for "cynic," you could pretty well sum up this government's approach.

[1545]

The Premier and the Liberals certainly know what it costs in terms of rhetoric, spin and deception to win a vote, yet they simply don't care about the corrosive effect that their approach has on voter participation and democratic institutions.

How many times have members of all sides in this Legislature heard the phrase: "Politicians are all liars; politicians are all crooks"? Well, this government empowers sentiments like that. As elected officials, we must grapple with the clear fact that in election after election more and more eligible voters stay home on election day, and I submit that one of the main reasons for this decline in participation is the increase in voter cynicism.

In recent memory I'm saddened to say that I can't think of a better reason for the voters to be cynical than the Premier finally admitting that the deficit will be higher than he had promised in the campaign. The worst part of that is that I don't think he thinks about it as breaking a promise. I think he actually believes that it's okay to not be truthful with British Columbians as long as you get elected. That's both sad and frightening.

It's clear now, through the election, that the Liberals knew they weren't giving voters straight information. It wasn't simply the NDP saying that the Premier's maximum deficit of $495 million wasn't credible. Business leaders said it. Economists said it. But the Premier and every one of the candidates clung to that mantra throughout the election.

It's unfortunate that this Premier and the entire government have become better known for their message discipline than for their fiscal incompetence. It's especially unfortunate in tough economic times to have a Premier who is more concerned about optics than good government.

You know, it's funny how the Premier's own words can come back to haunt him. For example, what was the Premier's answer to the restaurant industry during the election about the harmonized sales tax, which he now says is the single most important thing we can do for our economy? Not on our radar screen. That's what the Premier said during the election. He actually even listed a number of reasons why the Liberals wouldn't implement such a tax.

Less than three months later, after winning an election that was all about the economy, "not on our radar" has magically transformed into the single most important thing we can do for our economy. I have to say that the Liberal caucus must have whiplash from the speed of this U-turn. I can't imagine that their phones are ringing off the hook with public support for the HST. I can only imagine that the Premier's new-found enthusiasm
[ Page 29 ]
for new taxes must have left the government caucus members feeling just as betrayed as the rest of us in this Legislature.

I'm sure that there are members of the government who don't support the HST, members who honestly thought that the Premier was being upfront during the election. They told their friends, their neighbours, their community what they thought was the truth, and the Premier has put them in an impossible position.

The fact is that the Premier does not have a mandate from the people of British Columbia to bring in this tax. If anything, after repeatedly telling people during the campaign that the HST was not on his radar, he has a mandate not to bring in the HST. In the coming days the official opposition will be encouraging government MLAs to let the Premier and let the cabinet in on what their constituents are telling them, to share the incredible amount of betrayal, anger and disappointment that British Columbians are expressing.

Government MLAs can choose to vote as their constituents are telling them. They can choose to vote to stop the HST, or they can choose to vote as the Premier's office dictates and be complicit. This is one vote in the Legislature that people are going to remember.

I've been traveling around the province, and I want to share just one quick story from my last trip through Kamloops. I arrived on a Sunday evening and went out for dinner in downtown Kamloops to a restaurant I hadn't been to before. I didn't know the people in the restaurant. I finished off our dinner, and I had one of the employees in the restaurant come up and ask me if he could buy me my dinner because he was so appreciative that someone, anyone, was standing up to say no to the HST and the impact it would have on him and his job.

[1550]

I paid for my dinner and told him that I'd keep working on the HST as well. But it just showed to me the kind of worry that's out there. This was an employee who moved to British Columbia from Nova Scotia five years ago and said he's not sure he can stay because he doesn't know if he can manage with the kind of downturn that's going to happen and the fewer customers coming into his restaurant. That's just one example.

I've heard from countless people who told me that they voted Liberal on May 12, that feel now they've been betrayed. They actually believed the Premier, and they feel betrayed. They're angry, they're frustrated, and they feel there's nothing they can do. But there is something we can do.

It's certainly no secret that our economy is in trouble. B.C.'s economic activity is inextricably linked to the overall Canadian economy and to our neighbours to the south. The old saying that "if the United States gets a cold, we sneeze" has never been more true than it is today.

While there are some signs of the beginning of the end of the recession, at least according to the chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, a recovery from the economic devastation of the last two years is not going to come quickly. Until it does, until things turn around, I believe our government has a moral and economic obligation to those hardest hit to stimulate the economy using all the resources currently at its disposal.

I believe the government must act now, both for the long term and the immediate term, by investing in people. British Columbia has always been dependent on natural resources for its economic successes, and the sustainable extraction and refining of our natural resources will always play a key role in our economic future.

I believe that increasingly we must look to our human resources for future success. That's why I've called on the Premier not to cut access to post-secondary education, particularly not in an economic downturn. It's a deeply cynical move by this government so soon after the election where they promised they would protect education.

We see this Premier cutting back on scholarships for some of our hardest-working students in British Columbia. How is that going to help our economy grow? We've been ringing the alarm bells with what's been happening in forestry for years with no meaningful response from this government. Dozens of communities bleeding away thousands of jobs, and this government refuses to act.

The best weapon to fight voter cynicism is political integrity, and when I say "integrity," I mean leaders who mean what they say, who keep their promises, who won't say one thing to get elected and then do something completely different once they're in office. Sometimes integrity means having the capacity to admit you were wrong. People respect someone who admits a mistake and demonstrates that they've learned from it.

I'd like to share a definition of integrity. People ask for integrity. They expect when the leader of a government says something, they mean it and they'll deliver on it instead of reneging on things. It's what we expect from our children, and it's certainly what we should expect from the Premier of British Columbia.

Who might have said that right here in this House? I'll give you a clue. It's the same public figure who stood beside me in the leaders' debate and said the deficit would be $495 million and not a penny more.

Wouldn't it be nice if after the election, instead of contradicting itself and introducing a new tax, the government actually implemented policies to help B.C. families, not hurt them? During the past five years or so, while our province's economy was firing on all cylinders, B.C. plunged to the bottom of all provinces.

We have the worst child poverty rate in Canada — for years. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the government changed course and actually started to care about children living in poverty? This government presided over that during good economic times and did nothing to address it. Now, when we're in the midst of one of the
[ Page 30 ]
worst economic downturns in history, this government has done nothing and set aside nothing for this rainy day.

[1555]

Wouldn't it be nice if the government actually managed our tax dollars responsibly instead of draining the treasury to provide big tax cuts for their friends? Wouldn't it be nice if the government actually took steps to fight climate change in a meaningful way rather than using our tax dollars to encourage a massive increase in greenhouse gas emissions? Wouldn't it be nice if the government told the truth about the finances of this province all the time instead of waiting until the election and trying to surprise the people of British Columbia?

Irony is a growth industry under this government. This government claims to be fighting climate change, and what have we seen? The cancelling of a successful program that got dirty, carbon-spewing clunkers off the road.

During the election the Premier claimed there were no plans to cut back on health care. Then afterwards: "Yes. Oh yes, we're going to cancel surgeries. We're going to close ORs. We're going to deliberately increase wait times for patients."

Many years ago another arrogant and unpopular leader, equally out of touch with the reality facing people, said: "Let them eat cake." I have to say that this throne speech might have well said: "Let them eat cake."

We are all enormously fortunate to live and work in British Columbia. I spent time this summer travelling this amazing province, including a spectacular trip to Haida Gwaii. Everywhere I went in B.C. I was reminded of the diversity, the strength and the strong values of British Columbians. We are truly fortunate.

It's in our nature as British Columbians to look out for our neighbours, to look out for each other. We saw that this summer in the example of forest fire after forest fire, where communities came together to help each other. That was the strength of British Columbia that we see each and every day.

It's in our nature as British Columbians to believe that we can never be truly successful as long as there are some among us who don't get a chance, that individual success is tempered by the terrible experience of those who slip through the fabric of our social safety net.

British Columbians understand our provincial economy is in trouble. They're willing to make sacrifices, to make common cause to get us through this recession and come out the other side stronger and more vital than ever. But it's going to take leadership to get there, and this Premier has broken trust with the public in such a profound way that it is impossible to imagine British Columbians uniting around a common set of objectives under this government.

I hope that this Premier will have a change of heart. He was once, according to him, just a few months ago on the right side of this issue. But we all know that he's not going to reverse himself without a strong fight. On this side of the House we are going to give him that fight, because it is long past time in this province that the public is shown respect by their government. They deserve that in British Columbia.

This is a Premier, as we know, that likes to divide British Columbians. Many pundits refer to his ability to unite the right within his party, and they may be correct. But his record as Premier has been one of dividing our province, pitting one group against another. Childish partisan attacks from the Premier won't end this recession. They won't put people back to work.

It's going to take tough work. It's going to take roll-up-your-sleeves work. It means being willing to work with folks you might not see eye to eye with on every issue. It takes an understanding, a true understanding, that there's more that unites us than divides us.

Over this session, on the balance of this government's mandate, whether it makes it through the full four years or not, the official opposition will put forward new ideas and solutions for the problems and challenges our province faces. We've proposed a new energy plan for B.C. that focuses on the real issue: how much power does B.C. need? And if we need more, what's the best way to develop it with the least environmental impact and with regional approval?

[1600]

We're going to continue to push this government to drop its policy of pushing B.C. Hydro towards bankruptcy by insisting it pay more for power it can't use than it can sell it for, all to benefit Liberal friends. We're going to remind this Premier that he used to actually support a utilities commission that was free from political interference.

We'll continue to push this government to implement good ideas, no matter where they come from — like the independent child and youth officer that for years was fought for in this province by amazing social workers, people who work in the field and who care about children.

We're going to try and convince the Liberals that investment in education is essential if we're going to have the skilled workforce we need to compete with the rest of the world in the coming new economy. It really is unbelievable to me that the Premier thinks cutting education is a smart thing to do in these tough economic times.

There's so much work to do to position B.C. for the coming economic recovery. Government has a responsibility — we all share a collective responsibility — to protect the most vulnerable among us in good times and bad.

There's much work to do, as well, in our province to ensure that citizens who live in rural and regional B.C. are no longer left behind by economic success. The disappearance of tens of thousands of jobs in the forest industry during this government's last term alone should have been a wake-up call to this Premier, a wake-up call that his policies have failed.
[ Page 31 ]

The official opposition will continue to push for the implementation of a strategy to get our forest industry back on a sustainable course. We'll continue to fight for actions that will help rural and economic communities. Finally, the official opposition will continue to hold the Premier accountable for his broken promises to seniors who built this province. We will continue to fight for an independent seniors advocate and to get the government to stop cutting long-term care beds for seniors and actually fulfil that commitment to the people who built British Columbia.

I consider it an honour to be in public service. Every day when I take my seat in this House, I'm reminded of those who've served here before us and those who will take our place when we move on, and I'm reminded of the rich tradition of debate that has led to so many achievements in this place.

I honestly believe that every member of this House stood for election with the absolute best of intentions. I believe that everyone here originally was motivated by a desire to leave the world a better place than we found it. But this government has lost its way, and I say this with anger and sadness and disappointment.

I disagree with the Premier on many things, and this House is supposed to be a place where we can try and resolve those differences or at least work to serve the people who have placed their trust in us. Our system of democracy gives citizens the ability — the right — to see and hear those differences debated. If one side is dishonest about many of their intentions, it's no longer a debate.

This Premier said that he didn't get elected to be popular but to make tough decisions. With respect, it isn't about being popular or not. It's not about the decisions being tough or easy. It's about telling the truth. It's about being honest. That's the fundamental attribute of a government — public trust. And if that public trust has been broken, it's impossible to repair it. Sadly, I have to say that for this government, after just three months, that time is already here.

Deputy Speaker: I will take this opportunity to caution all members on the use of language which is unparliamentary.

[1605]

Hon. M. Stilwell: First, it's an honour and a privilege to stand here in this chamber representing the voters and families of Vancouver-Langara. Without their support and confidence, I wouldn't be here this afternoon.

I also want to acknowledge the tremendous support I've received from my own family. The decision to leave my doctor's office and take off my lab coat and stethoscope to become a full-time politician was certainly a family decision, because as much as any of us in this House believe that we have sacrificed to be here, we all know that it is our families who sacrifice even more.

I want to begin by congratulating all members of this Legislature on their election to this chamber. I also have to tell you that it's more than a little intimidating to stand here in front of so many of you who are veterans. You see, many of the hon. members in this Legislature, on both sides, are known for their wit, pointed barbs and targeted sense of humour, and I suspect I will earn my share of incoming fire in due course.

As an aside, when I listened to yesterday's throne speech with so much tough news to swallow, I was reminded of my first days as a young doctor and one of my first patients. The patient came into my office, and I told him: "I have some bad news and some very bad news." "Well," the patient said, "Give me the bad news first." "Okay," I said. "The lab called with your test results. They said you have 24 hours to live." "That's terrible," my patient said. "What could possibly be worse?" "Well," I said, "I've been trying to reach you since yesterday."

I'm also reminded of the many great British Columbia voices that have been heard in this House over the years. The echo of their wit, wisdom and statesmanship are still here, and it's quite humbling — something unusual for my profession to admit — to be here.

[C. Trevena in the chair.]

As a member of the freshman class of new MLAs, I know I have a lot to learn about the traditions and protocols of this Legislature. But that said, I also know why I was sent here by my constituents and fellow British Columbians — to do a job.

So while I'm the first to admit that I have plenty to learn, I believe that all of us in this House have something to offer. As the former Premier Bill Bennett reminded us: "We don't run to win. We run to serve." And while there will always be plenty of differences of opinion on a wide range of issues and subjects, the fact is all of us, Liberal, NDP and independent alike, have the same employer, and that is the people of British Columbia. That is why I am so pleased to speak in support of the throne speech.

Yesterday when His Honour delivered the Speech from the Throne, I felt as though I was back in my doctor's office speaking to a patient with some pretty unpleasant symptoms but whose overall health and prognosis were actually very good, even though they might be feeling a bit run-down with temporary side effects.

You see, if I've learned anything at medical school, it's the importance of knowing that people are much more than their bones or blood. More times than I can count, I've watched as a person's spirit and inner drive have played as big a role in turning around their health as anything I could prescribe.

Provinces, particularly this province, are no different. B.C. is more than its majestic mountains or fabulous ocean views. We're more than our great rivers, rolling hills or urban centres full of steel and glass. There's a
[ Page 32 ]
can-do spirit here that's evident every day, and it was here again yesterday in the throne speech. Yes, these are tough times — for families, for businesses, for this province and this country — but is there anyone on either side of this House who isn't optimistic about what British Columbians can accomplish when we set our minds to something?

In talking to my patients, I always believed that it was important to lay out the facts and give people as much information as possible in order to make the right decisions going forward. You see, having all the facts, the good and the bad, is the only way to start the right course of treatment, whether you're a patient or a province. Yesterday's throne speech did just that.

His Honour didn't pull any punches about how tough times are for all of us. We're in the worst recession in 27 years. Government revenues have been decimated. But I can tell you that like any other member in this House, whether you are newly elected or a veteran of other elections, I did not come here to be afraid of the future. Tough as we believe it is here, it is even tougher in every other part of the world. If there's ever been a time for all of us, regardless of whether we see ourselves as left, right or centre, to work together for British Columbia, surely this is it.

I know that's easy for me to say. I've only been a partisan politician for a few hours. But can anyone in this House think of a more appropriate time to put aside the sharpened political barbs and put B.C. first? All of us will be judged by how we manage in these tough times and how we work to rebuild and recover and make B.C. even stronger in the years ahead.

[1610]

In fact, as His Honour pointed out, most economists are predicting that British Columbia will rank first or second in growth next year in Canada, and that's no accident. As I said, I didn't come to this House to cower in fear about the challenges and choices facing our current economy. You see, as a physician, I never once gave up on a patient, and I don't plan to start now.

The job in front of us was spelled out very clearly in the throne speech. Our job now is to determine if this House and every member in it is up to the challenge. Can we put our collective shoulder to the wheel, or will we sit back and complain from the sidelines? Are we going to make the right but difficult choices, or are we going to look for the easy political choices that solve little and risk much? Are we going to do what's good for British Columbia, or are we going to go for the quick headline?

As the Premier stated, we are not here to win a popularity contest. We are here to do the right thing for all British Columbians. It would be an understatement to say that British Columbians are counting on this. Maybe I'm still a bit green and perhaps a little naive, but isn't that why we were sent here in the first place? Maybe I haven't been a politician long enough, and perhaps I am still thinking like a voter. But with so much work in front of us, it only makes sense that as much as possible, the members of this House should be rowing in the same direction — towards the future — on behalf of all British Columbians.

Whether it's the long-term benefits that come with the HST and its ability to increase investment, reduce costs and stimulate job creation, or generating jobs through green energy and new technologies, we really need to keep our eyes on the future, because that is where we are headed. How that future shapes up for our children and grandchildren is up to us.

Speaking of the HST, I am reminded of something John Allan of the Council of Forest Industries said this week when he was asked about the HST and its impact on consumers. He reminded us all that before we can be consumers, we need to be employees, we need to be working, and the HST will go a long way to making B.C. more competitive, allowing us to keep jobs and grow additional jobs in the years ahead.

I was very pleased to see so much of the throne speech focused on the future. As Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, I know how important it is to be prepared for the years ahead and start shaping that future today. The Premier has spoken about that many times, and his leadership in this area certainly inspires me in the work that's ahead.

Perhaps more than any other ministry, mine is all about the future. Whether it's educating new generations of post-secondary education students in ways that help them to keep building a better B.C. or stimulating the kind of university-based research that creates new technologies and jobs or ensuring we have the trades training that means so much to the prosperous communities across B.C., my ministry and this government are committed to making sure that B.C. and its workforce are able to compete here at home and around the world.

I'm also very pleased to see that our government will bring in full-time kindergarten next September. As every parent knows, the early start to a good education is critical, and to each of those youngsters who will be heading to kindergarten next September, I want to assure them and their families that we will have a post-secondary system waiting for them that will allow them to develop careers and vocations that will inspire them and continue to build this remarkable province.

Since 2001 this government has invested almost $18 billion in post-secondary education. That is a provincial record. We've created more than 36,000 new full-time post-secondary spaces at our 11 universities, 11 colleges, three provincial institutes and industry training authorities since 2001. This government recognizes that an educated British Columbia will be a working and competitive British Columbia. We know that B.C.'s prosperity is going to be determined by a global economy, a world where we have to be good with our hands and our heads.
[ Page 33 ]

While today's economic challenges are many, there's no place I or my family would rather be than right here in British Columbia. That said, the throne speech also emphasizes the need to make important choices in the next few months and years. We have to set our priorities — among them, health, education and caring for our most vulnerable. Clearly, we cannot do everything, and perhaps it's also time to look at how we do things and how we might do things differently. If there was ever a time to squeeze ten cents out of a nickel, this is it.

It is also important to recognize the importance of strategic investments, particularly in education and training, because we cannot afford as a province to let people fall behind. Rather, we want to make sure that we are readying ourselves for the upturn that is surely coming.

[1615]

It is one reason why we invested over $264 million in 40 projects at post-secondary institutions across the province, along with $233 million from our federal partners. These projects are part of an overall $14 billion capital infrastructure program supported by the province that will create up to 88,000 jobs and help build and renew vital infrastructure in every region in B.C.

As we heard in the throne speech, British Columbians can be confident that this government is not about to give up on the future. Long before I was a politician, I was a wife and a mother, and like every mother in British Columbia, I put a lot of emphasis on making sure my children are educated for the future. I know, as every mother in B.C. knows, that getting a good education means more options. It means more choices, and it means brighter futures for British Columbians and B.C. itself.

When I was asked by the Premier to join cabinet as Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, I was excited about what we might accomplish together in the months and years ahead. As we heard in the throne speech, education remains a priority because the future is our priority.

The chance to stand and be heard in this House is a privilege. It is also an honour to be seated among so many of my fellow British Columbians, who — in spite of whatever party affiliation we might have — are British Columbians first and foremost.

If I might be permitted one last example from my medical career, every doctor, nurse, researcher, specialist and technologist in the health care system knows that collaboration is the key to delivering healthy outcomes. The same is true for government and the decisions ahead of us. To my colleagues on both sides of this House, I look forward to bringing that sense of collaboration to my role as an MLA and as a minister.

Like all of you who are part of this new session of the Legislature, I am looking forward to rolling up my sleeves, getting down to work and showing British Columbians that we can put them first as this House works toward a brighter and more prosperous future.

L. Krog: I think the first order of business here today is, obviously, to congratulate quite sincerely all the returning members on both sides of this chamber and to welcome, of course, the new members.

I must say that I do regret the loss of some of my colleagues, in particular Jenn McGinn, who I think was a fine young member in this House who had great promise and who I expect to see back here before I retire.

I want also to recognize my good friend Charlie Wyse, whose name I can speak in this House as well now and who, I think, provided a real voice for rural British Columbians. As this province continues down a road of great division between urban and rural, Charlie Wyse spoke up on behalf of his constituents and the people of British Columbia.

I also regret the retirements of my friends Corky Evans and David Cubberley — two dedicated British Columbians who served a long time in this chamber, in Corky's case, and a long time in public office, in David's case.

The one great common denominator we have here is that none of us got here on our own, and for those of you who think you got here on your own, I must say your political careers may be very short indeed.

I want to thank the voters in Nanaimo who have been sending lefties to this Legislature for a very long time — 1903, actually.

Interjection.

L. Krog: The member from Kamloops-whatever-it-is-now, whose voice is always heard in this House when anyone has anything intelligent to say…. He wants to respond, of course, providing an opposite viewpoint, if I may say so. He says…. Well, my friend on my right says he called my constituents crazy. But I don't believe it for a minute, because the good voters of Nanaimo had a real contest in a fair fight, and I want to take the opportunity to congratulate my friend Jeet Manhas, who carried the Liberal banner against me.

I want to congratulate all of the candidates and all of the people who take time to stand for public office. I want to recognize, in the more recent elections in my community, the election of John Ruttan as mayor and the choice of the woman he beat, my friend Diane Brennan, as the chair of the United Way campaign.

[1620]

But we're here not to talk about my constituency that much, are we? We're here to talk about the throne speech. You know, I'm old enough to get a kick out of watching John Wayne movies, and what I thought I heard was a John Wayne speech. You never complain, you never explain, and you certainly never apologize.
[ Page 34 ]

You know that things are tough in British Columbia when the government's throne speech has as its highlight a tax increase and four years of deficit budgets. Now, that's a promise that you can take to the bank.

It amazes me that we are here in this place, in this time, after listening to this government brag for eight years about its fiscal responsibility, about its ability to manage the economy, and that we're now facing a promised four years of deficits and probably what will turn out to be the biggest deficit in the province of British Columbia's history, which is seconded only by the first deficit budget this government brought in when it was first elected.

It astonishes me that we have to be here listening to this government talk in these positive terms about what a good job it has done, and even today I'm sure I heard some mention of the dismal decade from the other side. Well, my friend the member for Port Coquitlam is going to regret ever giving me this line, but if you want to talk about the dismal decade, we can talk about the decade of deceit.

Was it so long ago that we had a 39-page throne speech delivered here on February 16, 2009? Seven short months, and what a difference it makes. Even then they said, in their dulcet tones: "We live in a radically changed world, a world rocked to its core by a global crisis of confidence."

Well, if we are to believer the Minister of Finance and the Premier, they had no idea things were going to get this tough. They had no idea. It just came as a huge shock to them. The Premier repeated over and over again during the election campaign: "It's $495 million and not a penny more." Well, that throne speech said, again: "We must restore stability and reverse the psychology of loss that drives current trends."

Dare I mention the loss of confidence that the people of British Columbia have in the veracity of the Liberal members opposite? Dare I mention the loss of confidence they have in this government? Dare I mention the drop in polling numbers since the election? Why, in three short months this government has managed to drive off the polling cliff faster than any government I've seen in the history of the province of British Columbia.

The reason is because they didn't tell us the truth during the election. It's clear to British Columbians that this government failed in the most basic promise of a politician: to tell the truth, to enjoy public trust and to deliver on what you promise.

You know, you've got to laugh when you look back at that throne speech. One of the lines was: "We are the lucky ones." Boy, are we lucky. We are so lucky in British Columbia. We are so lucky. They said: "Today we must brace for a period of recession."

My question is: if even in the throne speech then we were bracing for recession, what happened? What happened? Where did all this confidence go, this confidence about the budget deficit? I'll tell you. It quite simply disappeared. It disappeared for crassly political reasons. The fact is that the members opposite in this House didn't have the courage to tell us what they knew. John Nuraney has the courage to tell us what he knew. He doesn't sit here anymore. John Nuraney has the courage to tell us that in fact the HST was discussed.

The minister today, the Minister of Finance, in something as close as I've heard to an admission of responsibility, stood in this House and said: "Yes, we discussed it every year." Well, if we discussed it every year and we listened to the economists and we watched global economic trends and we have — as was pointed out during question period — all those people working in the Ministry of Finance, are we to believe on this side of the House and are British Columbians to believe that this government didn't know, well prior to May 12, exactly what the state of this economy was?

[1625]

Are we to believe that? I suggest no. The fact is that this is an illegitimate government. What this throne speech really commences, depending on how you look at it, I think, are two things. It's either the commencement of some long death watch — and that's the optimistic view…. The members sitting opposite are just wondering if, come 2013, they'll actually survive. Those of us on this side — well, frankly, we prefer to think of it as the longest funeral in British Columbia's history. We'll just be waiting to bury this government in 2013, and by then the stench from the rotting corpse of this government is the stench that you won't get out of the noses of British Columbia voters for at least 12 more years after that.

You know, they have broken the fundamentals of what it is to enjoy the privilege and honour to sit in this Legislature. They have broken the public trust in a way that is absolutely unprecedented in the history of this province.

We have listened to this government talk and talk about its fiscal ability, about how it can manage the economy. Even when you go through this throne speech, what you see are little reminders of just how desperately wrong they were on most of the major policy decisions they have undertaken in the last eight years.

Even with all the information available to them, they still, instead of admitting their responsibility, in the third page of this throne speech say: "The pace, depth and scope of the economic crisis surpassed expectations." It didn't surpass the expectations of leading economists. It didn't surpass the expectation of Helmut Pastrick, B.C. Central Credit Union.

"We've been hit by seismic economic shifts that were unpredictable and brutally deceiving in their speed and force." I'm reading the throne speech here. I'm reading from the throne speech of British Columbia. Does anyone in British Columbia honestly believe that this government didn't know how rapidly things were deteriorating? Did they not look to a federal government that
[ Page 35 ]
was announcing the biggest deficit in the history of Canada? Are we to believe that somehow government revenues have been decimated in British Columbia and that that wasn't foreseen?

Then you've got to love this bit of hypocrisy. They say, and the speech says: "Most economists are now predicting that British Columbia's economic growth rate will be either first or second in Canada next year." I guess those would be the same economists — that government said — that British Columbia was somehow going to escape the effects of a world recession. Would those be the same economists? Are we to repose our trust in those folks?

There's a line in the Bible — that "Pharaoh's heart was hardened" against the Israelites. Well, I've got to tell you, I don't know about the hearts of the government opposite, but I sure as heck know their ears are pretty hardened. They haven't listened to the advice of anybody of any ability, let alone the common working stiff on the streets of British Columbia, for months and months — if we are to believe what they say, that this crisis just came over them like some unforeseen tsunami, that it was just so unforeseen.

So what's the solution? Here's the solution: we're going to "protect core public services." Do you know what that means, protecting core public services? That means cuts. In modern political speak, that means cuts. That means you are going to slash, once again, the public service.

You might remember, when this government was elected, what they did to the public service of British Columbia. They slashed it. That was their policy. We had to reduce the size of government. It was important. It would help the economy. What's happened in the last years? This government has had to give out bonuses to attract people back into the very public service that they decimated. Now, if that isn't an admission of failure — putting your money where your mouth is, so to speak — I don't know what is.

[1630]

They talk about creating "a new economic framework." I suspect that the new economic framework is going to look pretty much like the old one, and in this province it's been bread for the rich and crumbs for the poor.

Eight years this government's been in office — eight years — and it introduced a training wage and has absolutely refused in eight years to raise the minimum wage.

They have helped usher in a gilded age that we haven't seen since the 1890s, which led to the election of the first President Roosevelt to break up the big trusts, and that has seen the creation of greater and greater disparities between the rich and the poor than we've ever seen since the Great Depression in this country. That's what their fiscal policy has delivered.

Another aspect of their sound fiscal management. You remember how we privatized B.C. Ferries? We were going to turn it into a successful corporation. It would manage on its own. Well, a few years down the road, the subsidy's higher. Of course, there was the Minister of Transportation's great experiment with TransLink. What a smashing success that's been.

Now, in the throne speech, here's the closest thing we've come to an admission of guilt: "A review is now underway with respect to B.C. Ferries and TransLink. Public funding devoted to public transit and ferry services should not be used to subsidize unreasonably high compensation levels or administrative costs."

So which is it? Was it a bad thing when it was under direct government control, or was it a bad thing when you turned it over, supposedly, to some independent, entirely out-of-touch board? Which is it? Are we going to go back to government control of TransLink and B.C. Ferries, or are we going to try some new experiment that's going to cost the taxpayers even more money?

R. Chouhan: I think an apology would do it, to start with.

L. Krog: My friend on my right suggests an apology. I'll come to that.

If the marketplace is supposed to govern everything — B.C. Ferries, B.C. Hydro, TransLink — then guess what. I say to the members opposite that we on this side actually understand economics. If you want to have marketplace rules, you're going to pay marketplace salaries.

If you take the control off the corporation, guess what. David Hahn gets to make a million bucks a year for running B.C. Ferries. That's what happens.

When you pay those directors at TransLink those big fat salaries or the directors at B.C. Ferries those big fat salaries, don't come back in this House in a throne speech and tell us you're surprised. Don't you dare come back and tell us you're surprised that they've undertaken that kind of rewarding of themselves. That's exactly the way the system works.

But if you want public enterprise, if you want public responsibility and control, then I suggest to you…. I would be delighted to hear this government stand up and say they're prepared to put B.C. Ferries back under public control. They're prepared to return TransLink to the control of elected officials who are responsible to the people of British Columbia, who actually face them in the polls once in a while.

The speech goes on: "Where service delivery mechanisms can be improved at a lower administrative cost, they should be. Where Crown agencies or functions delivered by them can be more cost-effectively administered directly by line ministries, they will be."

So what does that mean? You know what I think it means? I say, particularly to the members on our side of the House, that I think it means they recognize they kind of mucked it up. When you attack the public service and you drive out the corporate history of that public service,
[ Page 36 ]
when you force into retirement or drive out the bright young people who are coming in, what you're really doing is destroying the effectiveness of it. Suddenly we've discovered that "Crown entities will systematically be reviewed to maximize public effectiveness."

What does that mean? It means this government, in its own tiny way, is admitting that it's been wrong, that it's right-wing, ideologically driven approach to governance has been an unmitigated failure for the people of British Columbia. It has destroyed the lives of thousands of public servants who took pride for years in working in the public service.

[1635]

When I look at those people who were let go by the Ministry of Transportation and Highways in my community, when I know how they felt, after years of dedicated service, to be tossed out and then to know that now there are ministries that can't even evaluate appropriately contracts they're letting out because they don't have the expertise, and they've got to hire back those very people who evaluate them…. What that tells me is that something is wrong in the state of governance in British Columbia.

Some of us here are old enough to remember the '60s. It reminds me of that poster, you know: "The end of all our journeying shall be to return to the place from whence we began and to know it for the first time." So I'm just wondering if maybe in this throne speech the government is admitting that it's figured out that that ideologically driven approach to things they rode into office with in 2001 may be — well, what is it in the words of Wordsworth? — a creed outworn.

Maybe it has served its usefulness. Maybe British Columbians are tired of this wonderful political experiment that has devastated their public services, that has put them in a position now where, as my leader so ably pointed out in her speech earlier this afternoon, only half the people of British Columbia bothered to vote.

I say with all sincerity that nothing troubles me more in the last election campaign than that result — even the fact that this government misled the people. But when I live in a democracy where only half the people who have every opportunity to do so, half of the eligible voters, come out to vote, that tells me that something is very wrong in the province of British Columbia, and it is our job to fix it. It is our job to fix it, and it is only going to get fixed if this government is prepared to acknowledge that what it did in that election campaign was just wrong. It was just wrong.

We hear promises from this government, and I'm inclined to think that the throne speech, for this government in particular over the last couple of years, has become nothing more than a list of promises to be broken — nothing more.

I come back to my point about voter participation. There will come a time when we will have to consider in this House mandatory voting as a last-ditch attempt to restore faith in public service. I would not like to think that I have to live in a province where that becomes the last resort of government, but we are fast moving into that position.

When I think of those long lineups you watched on TV of the South African population voting in their election, old men and women leaning on crutches in dusty villages for hours in the hot sun for the right to vote, and I look around this province and see that 50 percent of the people couldn't be bothered to drive their cars to an air-conditioned church hall and spend a couple of minutes slapping an "X" on a ballot and stuffing it, that saddens me.

How does this government get out of this mess? How do politicians get out of this mess? Hon. Speaker, pardon me for smiling, but you know, in 2006 we had this cute little debate in this House. Remember that Lorne Mayencourt introduced the Apology Act, for those of you who were here? The government finally turned around, as it often does if it likes an idea, even if it's a backbencher on their own side. They passed it. We passed the Apology Act.

So I just say to the members opposite: you know, there's nothing wrong with saying you're sorry. My leader today took responsibility for the campaign. She stood in this House and basically said: "You know what? Should have done a better job." That's a pretty courageous thing to do.

It's only a couple of months into a four-year term. We've got a fixed election date in B.C. Recall can't start for 18 months. Is it so hard for this government to stand up and apologize today to the people of British Columbia?

Everything has gone wrong in the last eight years in this sense. We have sold the people. Not we. This government has sold the people on the concept that you can keep lowering taxes and keep delivering services, and there's never going to be a problem.

The fact is that when we had oil and gas revenues pouring into the coffers of the province of British Columbia, when we should have been setting that money aside for a rainy day, when we should have been building and creating the kind of infrastructure necessary to meet the demands of the new economy, that money just poured in and it got spent.

[1640]

Here we are today, facing a huge deficit and a government that didn't even have the wherewithal to apologize for introducing legislation to enable the cabinet ministers opposite to continue to collect their full salaries by changing the legislation respecting balanced budgets.

We need some integrity. The system deserves some integrity. The people of British Columbia deserve some integrity. Instead, we are in British Columbia today like the characters in some Victorian novel, promised by this government that we will live in reduced circumstances
[ Page 37 ]
for the next four years. I've become so cynical about this that I'm inclined to think that it'll be like the previous promises. Somehow in that fourth year — gosh knows how we're going to do it — they'll balance the budget and say that they're on track, they're ahead of schedule, and they deserve to be re-elected.

Even in admitting their fault, I don't think they've been honest in this throne speech. Even in admitting their fault, they haven't been honest. I'll guarantee, come election year, that budget will be balanced. I'll guarantee it. I want every member to make a note, put it in their calendars. Check back. You'll find I'm right. That's what this government has always been about. It's had great difficulty in not misleading people, always pretending they were doing a great job.

It's like the structural deficit they talk about. Remember hearing about the structural deficit? Heck, 90 percent of British Columbians didn't understand what a structural deficit was, anyway. But the members in this House understood what it meant, and we knew it wasn't true, but this government repeated it over and over again. It'd make Joseph Goebbels proud. They repeated it over and over again until people actually believed that if this government didn't do what it did, we'd have a structural deficit. We'd be in permanent poverty in British Columbia. We would never, ever have a balanced budget again because of the NDP.

Well, hon. Speaker, if you want to look at the numbers, you don't even have to include this fiscal year. The fact is that this government has run up enormous deficits. The rate of growth, which is one of the measures of the economy…. The fact is that the average under the NDP was better than it's been under this government. Those are the facts. That is the truth. So when this government continues to pretend that it's done a good job and tells British Columbians that and gets elected and then turns around not to have told the truth about the HST, why should anyone be surprised at the incredible level of public anger?

I've got to tell you, hon. Speaker, that in my constituency I haven't seen so many e-mails or letters attacking a government so quickly in my career in politics, and it all has to do with a major broken promise. We are not going to solve the problems of the world today in this House by responses to the Speech from the Throne, because wherever we turn, the promise has been broken.

You know, this government talks about a healthier British Columbia. This government wants to get us out of our cars, and what's the ultimate? The HST is going to apply to the purchase of the ordinary old common bicycle, for heaven's sake. The depth of hypocrisy — telling British Columbians the tax is good for them, telling us that they're going to restore the environment, that they're going to do the right thing for all of us, and then to even put a tax on bicycles.

I suppose we'll have the little children of British Columbia being excited. They can tell their moms and dads: "For Christmas I'm going to get a bicycle, but it's going to cost you 12 percent more." I can hear the screams of joy in every household across British Columbia. "I'm glad mom and dad are going to be paying 12 percent more for my little bicycle."

[1645]

This is a dismal government, and what we didn't hear in that throne speech tells us on this side of the House as much about what they're really about as what was said in that throne speech. Did you hear one peep about the serious problem of homelessness, which has grown exponentially under this government? Did you hear anything about real help for the forest industry? Oh, please don't tell me that making the Woodworker Lien Act better is going to solve the problem.

Did you hear any promise in my community of help for Harmac? Did you hear any help in that speech for my community in helping Forest and Marine Financial group, who are the basic lenders for many of the smaller entrepreneurial operators on the coast of British Columbia that this government claims to support? And did you hear anything about gang violence, policing, increases to prosecutorial services? Did you hear anything about a strategy to combat crystal meth? No.

Finally, did you hear anything about child poverty? Not a word. The poorest children in the province of British Columbia, the poorest citizens. As one of my voters said to me: "Why is it that in British Columbia we have the highest rate of millionaires per capita and the poorest children?" That's it in a nutshell. We've got the richest adults and the poorest children. That's the legacy of eight years of this government, and they should be ashamed.

Finally, I want to say to them again that I would like to hear one member in this House on that side stand up and say to the people of British Columbia: "I'm sorry. We haven't done a good job. We haven't been honest with you. We don't really deserve to be elected, and we're sorry. We're just plain sorry."

Deputy Speaker: I'd like to remind members to turn off the audio on their electronic devices when they're using them in the House.

J. Thornthwaite: It is with great privilege that I rise today on behalf of the residents of my community of North Vancouver–Seymour and respond to the throne speech as my inaugural speech in this chamber.

I was thrilled to have two of my very close friends and campaign workers attend the throne speech yesterday — Mr. Todd Dea and Miss Hilda Colwell. I would like to express my appreciation to my community of North Vancouver–Seymour, which decided in May of this year to elect me as their MLA. I am very fortunate to belong to such a beautiful community and a community-oriented constituency, and I'm grateful for all the opportunities of the North Shore that they have presented to me over the years.
[ Page 38 ]

The North Shore is a community of professionals, seniors, people in the service and business industry, moms and dads and soccer parents, all of whom I am part of. I am ingrained in this community, and I am very proud to be able to serve the children, the students, the parents, the seniors, the volunteers and the staff and workers for the school board, the municipalities and the plethora of businesses that serve our community every day, that make North Vancouver–Seymour the enriched place it truly is.

First of all, I'd like to extend a very sincere thank-you to my predecessor, Mr. Daniel Jarvis. He represented the North Vancouver–Seymour constituency for four consecutive terms. Mr. Jarvis has lived and worked on the North Shore for over 40 years and represented our community in the Legislative Assembly for 18 years. His years of public service and legacy leave me big shoes to fill, and I am thankful for his longtime community service and dedication to North Vancouver.

Thank you, Dan.

[1650]

I have lived on the North Shore almost all of my life, growing up in West Vancouver and attending West Bay Elementary and Hillside secondary schools. Indeed, many of my colleagues from West Van I now join in North Vancouver, as parents of children in many of the schools I have visited during my tenure as school trustee in North Vancouver school district. My children attend Capilano University, Windsor Secondary and Blueridge Elementary schools. I am an example of a mother and community member with ties to all levels of our wonderful public education system, which is revered all over the world.

On that note, I was very happy to be surprised and meet one of our North Vancouver school district custodians yesterday. He came up and reintroduced himself. I was very proud that he arrived and was able to see the throne speech yesterday. I encourage any of my past and future colleagues to contact me in my office and to come and attend a legislative session and learn what it is all about here in Victoria.

I believe it is important for people to become involved and truly research and understand all of the issues. Through that understanding, you can provide advice on how I may serve you better as your MLA in North Vancouver–Seymour. Feedback can help shape the direction of government so that we all become part of the solution to make our community even better than it is. On that note, I am proud to be part of a government which takes the long-term benefits of fiscal responsibility to heart but at the same time ensures that our core values, health care and education, are maintained.

I was also happy to be reunited yesterday with a past fellow school trustee, who shares my passion for our students who we serve on school board but also the direction our provincial government is going regarding early learning and the neighbourhoods of learning concepts.

I believe that all levels of government should continue to work together in common goals, and I've appreciated, in my most recent role as chairperson of the North Vancouver school district…. I had a wonderful relationship with my local MLAs as the chair of the school board, and I am looking forward to carrying on that relationship in my capacity as MLA for North Vancouver–Seymour.

I'm also looking forward to working with my municipal and federal counterparts in order to effectively serve the residents and the taxpayers of North Vancouver–Seymour. I invite all of my fellow elected officials to come and visit me, to air their concerns and provide me with their visions for a better and more fiscally productive and certainly resident-friendly North Vancouver.

Of course, after my tenure on the North Vancouver board of education, I have continued my commitment to education. With two of my own children still in the B.C. public education system, in grade 12 and in grade 6, I look forward to working with the Minister of Education to address some of the same issues I addressed as school trustee.

Both my daughters, Mallory and Zoe, are living, breathing examples of the benefits of sports and fitness, as avid soccer players within the North Vancouver community. Mallory has also benefited from the magnificent expertise of her PE teachers at Windsor and has been part of the provincial championship wins by the gymnastics team, thanks to the tireless work of the volunteers and teachers at Windsor Secondary School.

My eldest, Jeremy, recently graduated and in the fall begins the business program at Capilano University. I am very proud to have my son attending Capilano University, which is situated in the heart of my riding and was granted university status last year by the B.C. government. I was pleased when Capilano received the status, as it is revered as an innovative and forward-looking institution which offers degree programs with career preparation in a community environment.

This spirit is evident in the recent announcement of Capilano University's move to build a new film centre. The new School of Motion Picture Arts will be the largest film school in western Canada. This announcement was made possible by the knowledge infrastructure program, a joint provincial and federal initiative that is providing $2 billion over three years for post-secondary capital building projects.

[1655]

On August 25, I joined Capilano president, Dr. Greg Lee, and the hon. members from West Vancouver–Capilano, West Vancouver–Sea to Sky and North Vancouver–Lonsdale for the groundbreaking ceremony at Capilano University on the future site of the film centre. This is an exciting $30.2 million grant that will fund the construction of the new film centre building
[ Page 39 ]
and create over 192 high-paying, skilled jobs for the community.

I have been involved in my community for many years, starting as a volunteer for the Block Watch community, the parent advisory councils for my children's schools, the North Shore girls soccer association and the Mount Seymour Soccer Association. I come from a community of volunteers and committed individuals in my community who give to their children and to their community members to assist us in making North Vancouver–Seymour one of the best places to live.

Most recently, as you probably know, I served as the chair of the North Vancouver school board and therefore have a strong understanding of the education system in B.C. I support ensuring that our youngest learners are ready for their first day of school and look forward to the implementation of all-day kindergarten for five-year-olds.

Bringing together early learning with quality child care is a goal many in the K-to-12 system have been interested in for quite some time. The more dialogue we can have with our partners in education, preschools and child care will only benefit the long-term value to our youngest citizens and the wonderful little people who enrich our lives.

The throne speech yesterday confirmed this government's commitment to early learning and the holistic benefits of an entire neighbourhood-of-learning facility included in our public schools. Yesterday's throne speech provided a strong message of the commitment of this government to take necessary, although often difficult, steps to strengthen our economy and create jobs.

As many of my colleagues, I have received questions about the harmonized sales tax. I understand and appreciate many of the concerns that my constituencies have regarding the HST, and I am grateful for the willingness of our Minister of Finance to hear and listen to many industry sectors, allowing me to provide clarifying information to those who request it.

The decision may not be the easiest thing to do, but it is the right thing to do. It may not be politically popular, but it is fiscally responsible. If one looks at the long-term benefits for the provincial economy and global competitiveness and therefore the level of jobs it will maintain and increase, then it is worth reflecting that the decision is a difficult one in the short term but a necessary one in the long term.

It is no secret that the government of British Columbia, like all other jurisdictions in the world, is suffering a staggering loss of revenue from many sources that we have traditionally depended on. However, I am reassured by our government's fiscal track record which, through strong leadership, has taken one of the worst economies in the country to one of the best and that we will be able to weather this economic storm together and emerge stronger for it.

Prior to becoming an elected representative on the school board in 2005 and then re-elected in 2008, I was fortunate to work in a variety of roles, enabling me to have a diverse background that I hope will help serve my community well. I started out my professional career as a dietician-nutritionist in the health care field. My specialty was the nutritional, environmental and ethical implications of our food choices.

I am very pleased to support our government's commitment, via the ActNow and Healthy Living portfolios, to encouraging people to become more fit and to support preventative health, as our government's commitment in schools and beyond.

I also support our government's role in supporting our local farmers and agriculture business, because our best and most sustainable asset is our land. I am very supportive of our local farmers, ranchers and people who support urban gardening and farming to ensure our food security and the stewardship of our land.

[1700]

I was happy to hear yesterday in the throne speech, on multiple occasions, the commitment to protecting and maintaining our vital health services. British Columbia has become known as one of the best jurisdictions in Canada for public health care. The B.C. government is investing in spending money wisely, giving British Columbians more for their health care dollars. As noted in the throne speech, due to the economic downturn, we will see continued improvements in discretionary spending.

I have been in recent discussions with the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and know they are doing their part to review spending and find new savings. This is in order to keep the valuable resources going directly to our patients.

North Vancouver–Seymour is a lovely urban community nestled between the mountains, lakes, forests and the ocean. We are a diverse community where my neighbours come from all walks of life, from retired folks to young children.

I have been fortunate to meet many of the senior members of our communities on several occasions recently, during my meet-and-greets, coffee with Jane and community events that I've attended over the summer. I am looking forward to benefiting from their expertise and their experience in the world and in the community and gaining their insight and understanding for the future.

This government has a strong record and continued commitment to the environment. I am particularly pleased with the government's commitment in the throne speech to a species-at-risk task force. I am also very pleased with the further commitment to green energy, which has been reiterated as a cornerstone of British Columbia's climate action plan.

Climate action is a top priority for the community of North Vancouver–Seymour. We are fortunate to have
[ Page 40 ]
many parks and green spaces, and I know that many of my constituents, like myself, will be reassured to hear the government's commitment to electricity self-sufficiency and clean, renewable power generation.

The throne speech also noted that British Columbia will continue to negotiate agreements on land and resources based on the recognition of pre-existing aboriginal rights that coexist with those of the Crown. This is an important commitment to my riding of North Vancouver–Seymour, which is based on the traditional lands of both the Squamish Nation and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation.

I was fortunate to recently attend the signing of the Tsleil-Waututh and the Port of Vancouver's collaboration agreement in Cates Park on July 30. This agreement formalized the cooperative relationship that exists between the nation and the port.

The protocol outlines a series of objectives, including a commitment to identify and undertake joint projects that will provide economic and social benefits, steward the natural environment of Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm to promote environmental sustainability and biodiversity, and enhance the awareness of Tsleil-Waututh history and culture. I was enthused by the cooperative and collaborative spirit of this agreement and look forward to working with both first nations groups on the North Shore in the future.

In that spirit, I also welcome partnerships from all parties on the North Shore, and I look forward to working together to keep North Vancouver the beautiful, prosperous and connected community that I am proud to be a part of. North Vancouver is a diverse community, with a wide variety of industry executives that call North Vancouver–Seymour their home. I intend to reach out to all community members for their ideas and opinions on how we can serve or help serve their sectors and their family members in their community.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the exceptional opportunities that lie ahead in the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, which are expected to generate over $4 billion in economic activity. Based on the state of our worldwide economy now, the 2010 Winter Games couldn't be better timed as an effective stimulus to B.C.'s economy. I know I will be celebrating when the torch passes through my riding in Lynn Valley and on the Tsleil-Waututh grounds on February 10, 2010, and look forward to welcoming the world to the best place on earth.

Deputy Speaker: Member for Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows.

M. Sather: First of all, I'd like to start by congratulating you for your position as Deputy Speaker. I'm sure you will discharge your duties in the best of form and with all the capability that I know you have.

[1705] 

I also want to congratulate members on both sides of the House who are returning to these august chambers. Like my colleague before me, from Nanaimo, I do also want to express my sense of loss over some members in particular from this House — my good friend Charlie Wyse as well as Jenn McGinn and, of course, Corky Evans, who brought a very unique and very original perspective to the proceedings of this House.

[L. Reid in the chair.]

From the other side I will miss Rick Thorpe and Richard Neufeld. They were good, strong opponents, and that's good to have. It's good to have.

I've been employed by this Legislature for most of the last 17 years, some of it, as now, as a member of this House and previously as an assistant to a previous member of this House, and I don't think I have ever, ever seen such an appalling display as I saw during question period today, seeing the members on that side of the House stand up and congratulate an absolutely appalling performance by this Premier and this minister of — what? — finance, the Minister of Finance and the Premier. There they were giggling, laughing.

That's not what the people of British Columbia are looking for with regard to the subject that was being discussed, the HST. The people of this province are ticked about the HST. They're very angry about the HST.

I've never seen an issue in my years of politics where people are so upset, and those members know it. They get it too. They probably get it even more than we do on this side of the House, and yet there was no scintilla of remorse from that side of the House — no apology, no indication that they misled the people of British Columbia about that tax. None whatsoever.

An Hon. Member: No, we didn't.

M. Sather: The member says they didn't mislead the people of British Columbia. Well, then he should go out in his community tomorrow and tell each one of those people in his community that they didn't mislead them about the HST and see what kind of response he gets from his constituents. He will be roundly criticized, and deservedly so, because it's very clear that this government intended to bring in the HST.

They knew it during the election, and they did not share that information with the people of British Columbia because they knew that a lot of them — most of them, I dare say — would not be returned to this House had they done so. Definitely not the member for Maple Ridge–Mission, who won by 66 votes. No way.

Then the following, the cuts…. They said that they were going to protect health and education, and what are they doing? They're cutting it. Mission Hospital is going to be downgraded to an urgent care centre, you know.
[ Page 41 ]

Interjection.

M. Sather: The members opposite, the member for Abbotsford-Mission…. The people of Mission need their MLAs to defend their hospital, but what does that member say? He says: "Well, if I had a serious injury, I'd go to the Abbotsford Hospital. If I had a cut finger, I'd go to Mission Hospital." That's the kind of arrogance that that member displays, and that's the kind of arrogance that this government has displayed today.

Not once have they stood up and said…. You know what? Maybe they want to say they believe in the HST. Okay. But they should have at least said that they were not forthcoming with the people of British Columbia about that tax. They should have said: "We could have done a lot better job."

In fact, just saying it straight out would have been a lot better job. "Guess what, people of British Columbia. Guess what, unsuspecting voters. We're planning to bring in a new tax, a new tax of 12 percent. And what do you think about it? Do you want to elect us on that basis or not?" Of course, they didn't do that, and it's a shameful thing.

[1710]

We saw, too, the issue of the deficit. I mean, $495 million maximum, the Premier of this province said during the election campaign. No bones about it. Wasn't going to exceed that by a penny. That, again, they knew was not the case. They knew it was not the case. They knew it was going to be a lot more than that. But instead, notwithstanding that, the Premier of this province came out and, on that point, again misled the people of this province.

In this throne speech it says: "We've been hit by shifts that were brutally deceiving." I can't think of two words that describe the actions of this government during the election and subsequent to the election than "brutally deceiving." A good choice of words by the government, for sure, because the people of British Columbia feel that they've been brutalized by this government just three or four months down the road from the election. They know that they've been deceived by this government, and they're angry about it.

They have a right to be angry about it, and they will continue to be angry about it. It's not going to go away. If this government doesn't come to its senses and retract this tax, year after year, as they pay for the HST — which should be called the disharmonized sales tax. That's what it's sown in this province: disharmony, a tremendous amount of disharmony.

In the throne speech the government said: "In May we heard from British Columbians that they wanted a stable government." What did they get? Total, total instability. This government has been marked by anything but stability since election day, and it's going on and on. We're going to, I'm afraid, see more of it as we move through this session.

That's not what they ran on. They ran on telling British Columbians that they had it all together. They knew where the economy was at. They knew exactly what the deficit was going to be. They were the good money managers. Now that has become a cruel joke for the people of British Columbia, with a deficit now that is probably going to be about six times what they said it was going to be — six times. That's good money management? Wow. Shocking, absolutely shocking, what this government has done in such a short period of time.

I think the best line yet that I've heard was from the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, one of the more erudite members on the opposite side, who made the oxymoronic statement that the HST is going to be good for everyone; of course, there will be exceptions. Well, hey, what can you say? That member is known for those kinds of statements.

This government has been flip-flopping, flip-flopping all over the place since this election. It reminds me of the Monty Python skit about the dead fish upon the landing. Well, it isn't a dead fish yet, but it's in dire straits of becoming dead. I can't see this government resurrecting their political fortunes with the kind of performance that they have put before the people of this province in these few months since they've been elected. But hey, they didn't know. They didn't know anything about the HST, hadn't talked about it. It wasn't on the radar. You name it.

This is the same story basically, in another form, that this government has been spewing out there for a year now. They didn't have a clue that there was going to be a recession last year. They were talking about a deficit-free zone in British Columbia, bragging about it. Then later on, near the budget date: "Oh, we're going to have a balanced budget." Of course, they didn't, and it goes on and on. It goes on and on.

[1715]

In the throne speech, again, this government says that Ontario's decision to move to the harmonized sales tax made it imperative that our government act quickly. Well, that decision was made in March. If they wanted to move with such haste, then why didn't they have the wherewithal to say something about it before the middle of May? But no, they didn't seem to be moving with any particular haste up to that point. But everything that happened, happened quickly thereafter — everything that happened as far as the people of British Columbia were allowed to find out about.

The federal Finance Minister said on March 30 that other provinces had approached him about joining with the HST. Now, the other provinces that do not have it — Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island — said they didn't. So I guess that leaves only one possibility — doesn't it? That somebody…. I guess it wasn't the Finance Minister. He says he's innocent of ever having thought about the HST. I guess it wasn't him, but all the
[ Page 42 ]
same, he refused to make a comment about that when questioned.

What did the Liberals say about the HST during the election? They said that including more items under the HST would be a major concern. A major concern is what they said, but — what? — they didn't care. It was a major concern, but so what. The arrogance of this government continues to show its face over and over again.

I talked to a lady out on the lawn here the other day, and I said: "Are you here to protest the HST?" She said: "No. I'm here to protest the dishonesty of this government." That's what people are so angry about. Yeah, they don't like the HST one little bit, but what they really hate is being told one thing and then getting something else. That's what really has made them angry.

In May of this year the government told the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association that they have no plans to engage the federal government in discussions about the HST. In fact, the Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development told those same people a week before the announcement of the HST that all impacts of harmonization would have to be considered before implementation would be considered. A week later they did it. Wow. Quick turnaround, Madam Speaker, very quick turnaround.

So does that mean that he didn't know what the Premier was contemplating? I don't know. I guess the Premier runs the show over there, and the cabinet ministers and the backbenchers just have to fall in line, and it appears they may not even have known what was going on. However, as has been pointed out in this House, one former member of this House, John Nuraney, said: "Oh yes." There were considerable discussions about the HST prior to the election with his government.

It's just unbelievable what we're seeing. No cost-benefit analysis done, no study on the effects this tax will have on people — that's apparent. Folks are going to be paying 7 percent more for a lot of items: salads, sandwiches, heated food, muffins, coffee, school supplies, electricity, natural gas, coal and fuel oil to heat your home, haircuts, gym fees — so much for healthy living B.C. — taxis, architects and accountants' fees, repairs to home appliances, laundry, dry cleaning, new homes.

In fact, it's been reported — accurately, I'm sure — that this tax will add $7,500 to a new home in Maple Ridge currently priced at $565,000 — $7,500. You can understand why people are upset. And there are taxes on the real estate and inspection fees on top of that. It's a disaster, and the people of British Columbia know it is.

[1720]

Condominium fees, legal and accounting transactions, vitamins — there's another hit on healthy living B.C. — safety equipment for work, magazines, newspapers, building insulation, hot water tank insulators, Energy Star–qualified windows and refrigerators, energy-efficient furnaces. So much for LiveSmart B.C., a program that actually was doing something to help British Columbians be more green but was unceremoniously yanked by this government without so much as a warning to anyone — people that had already started into the process.

Home renovators, not surprisingly, are crying foul. They're saying: "This is a big hit on our business, a totally unanticipated hit."

Anti-idling devices for vehicles. There goes the Premier's so-called green agenda. Bicycles, yet. You know, go green; get out of your car.

One of my constituents sent me an e-mail. She talked about her parents, who are middle-income folks by all accounts, and who figured out how much the HST is going to cost them. This is what they said: "Groceries, $336 a year more" — these were all per-annum additional costs — "telephone, $40.32; haircuts, $140; cable TV, $50.40; gas for the car, $210; gym memberships, $58.80" — and yes, that helps to keep people healthy and out of the health care system — "hydro, $71.40 more; heating fuels, $64; the Internet, $70; income tax preparation, $21; clothing, $140 more; restaurants, $168 more; movie tickets, $40.32 more; newspapers, $16.80 more; travel vacations, $126; the veterinarian, $210; vitamins and medicines, 170 bucks."

This all adds up to $2,000 for these folks — regular folks. Seniors, trying to enjoy some of the fruits of their lifelong labours, I'm sure, getting hit like this every year, year after year after year by this government…. This government should not think that those people will forget about it. They will not forget about it.

It's pretty clear what this tax is. It's a $1.6 billion gift to big business. That's what it is. So who's to be surprised with this government? We know who their masters are. We know who they serve. But still the bald-facedness of it just takes away the breath of British Columbians.

This is the usual manoeuvre of the corporatists on the other side — to take from the middle class and give to big corporations. That's what they're doing. A lovely tax shift, and the people of British Columbia get it. They know they're being hosed. They know it, and they don't like it, and they're not going to take it anymore.

It's time for this government to recognize that, to get down off their high horse about this tax and recognize that they're hurting British Columbians. At what time are they hurting British Columbians? The worst time — in a recession. What a horrible time to knock them down further. But that's what this government is doing, and it's showing once again what we've always said — that they don't care.

Certainly, looking at the Premier, looking at the Finance Minister giggling about it today, I can only say that it's clear they do not care. These guys are the reverse Robin Hoods. They take from those that have less and give to those that have more.

Again, it's not that this is the first time that they've done this. There are shades of 2001-2002 here, when this
[ Page 43 ]
government came in and brought tax relief to those that don't need it. They brought in tax breaks for people that are earning over a quarter of a million dollars — who are, by the way, 0.4 percent of British Columbians. They reap more money out of this tax than the over 50 percent of British Columbians who make $30,000 a year or less. Again, it's tax breaks for those that have it, or tax shifts in this case.

[1725]

It's a clear Milton Friedman-ish manoeuvre. You look for a time of upset. You look for a time when things are in flux, and certainly a recession is one of those times, and you make those choices. They did the same thing in 2001, when the opposition was small in this House — a very able opposition but small in number — and they're doing it again. It's very, very hard for British Columbians to swallow it, and they should not, and they are not.

To top it off, this government just gave another tax holiday to big oil and gas. These folks have another holiday until the end of June, where they're going to be paying 2 percent royalties — 2 percent — when they pay 25 to 40 percent in Alberta.

These are the kinds of giveaways that drive British Columbians crazy, and this government has got to come to its senses. But I guess they feel vindicated. You know: "We won the election. We pulled the wool over their eyes again — ha, ha, ha." But they're going to be sorry unless they relook at this tax, for one thing, and at least come clean with British Columbians about what they knew and when they knew it.

No consultation on the tax. Even the Canadian Federation of Independent Business wasn't consulted. That's a shocker — friends of the government. There was lots of consultation in the Maritimes when this tax was brought in.

It goes on and on and on. The cuts have been devastating as well. In my community, we're seeing…. I mentioned the hospital in Mission, but in our community the seniors outreach program where volunteers go into the homes of seniors to take them to their doctors' appointments, to get them some groceries, to be some comfort for them, to be someone that they can talk to — they might be the only person they see all day — cancelled by this government. The volunteers that come into those homes and help the seniors in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows with some repairs, the handyman service — gone. Gone as a result of the actions of this government.

The Fraser Health Authority, which is the arm of the government…. The spokesperson said that these programs were non-essential and didn't do anything to keep Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows seniors in their homes. I'd like to know if the Health Minister, who has not been very available for some time now, agrees with that statement. I'd certainly like to hear from him.

Cythera counselling — program cut. Dealing with victims of domestic violence. The government says: "Oh, don't worry, don't worry. We're taking it in-house." Well, that's nonsense. I worked as a mental health therapist, and there is no way that the people in mental health have the resources to take on extra programs.

Furthermore, domestic violence programs are not part of mental health — never have been. There may be one program in Langley, but by and large not, and they shouldn't be. Mental illness and domestic violence should not be confused.

That's what's happening in my community. The library's being cut by nearly a quarter of its budget. What kind of programs are they going to see being at risk? Well, Internet and job search assistance — in a recession, a really good service. Books for Babies — at risk. We were going to be the most literate jurisdiction in North America. What a joke that's been. The open access, the interlibrary loans, which keep us from buying multiple copies of the same book, saving money — at risk.

Gaming funds. There's another game that this government is playing. There are non-profit societies all over my community — and I think all over this province — wanting to know whether they're going to have the financial resources to continue their operations. Now the government says: "Well, it's no longer frozen, and they'll find out."

They'll find out. Well, the Friends In Need Food Bank better find out soon because they've got 5,000 clients in need. The food bank use has shot up in the last year, big time. We've got the highest rate in Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows of people on EI in the region. We've got a lot of need in our community.

[1730]

In the middle of summer, when normally the Caring Place from the Salvation Army doesn't have huge turnouts for dinners — they have 170 people. Never had that many before. There's a lot of need in my community, and these are the organizations that help those people. Those are the organizations — the Ridge Meadows Hospice Society, for goodness' sake…. People who are dying and their families, who are in bereavement, are waiting to find out whether or not they're going to survive. It's the same with the Ridge Meadows Child Development Centre — waiting on tenterhooks.

It's cruel, Madam Speaker. This government needs to come clean, and quickly, about what the future is for these people, these organizations. The Ridge Meadows Youth and Justice Advocacy Association, which does a fantastic job in diverting youth from crime, is just barely hanging on. If they don't get some help, they're going to be gone by the end of October, and that would be a real shame to see.

In the throne speech there were some interesting revelations. "A review is now underway with respect to B.C. Ferries and TransLink." That's interesting. Now the government wants to meddle with TransLink after doing away with the elected board and putting in their hand
[ Page 44 ]
picked people. Now they want to get into messing with TransLink, after they've saddled TransLink with huge spending commitments and saying: "Now you figure it out, you tell us how you're going to pay it, and have a good time doing it."

"Health authorities, boards of education and Crown corporations will be subject to similar reviews." You know, what does that mean? What kind of meddling are we going to see by this government in these bodies? The one that really sticks out for me: "The B.C. Utilities Commission will receive specific direction." "Specific direction" — I think that's a very nice phrase to say: "We're going to put it to you. You're never again going to make a decision that we don't agree with."

So much for the hands-off nature that this Premier and this government always brag about: "Oh, we don't get involved with those kinds of corporations, with those kinds of bodies. We let them do their work." Well, not if their work…. Oh, they like the BCUC on Alcan, but when it came to their very, very good friends in the run-of-the-river industry, it's: "Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa. You can't be doing that. These people are big donors. These are good friends of ours." So BCUC is getting their marching orders too.

It just goes on and on and on. "Working with B.C. municipalities we will examine all government-imposed costs…from property assessment to subdivision regulations and other development tools." So now the municipalities who depend on that money — what is this government planning to do to them?

You know, they've downloaded to them all over the place. They're struggling. They're going to have to pony up big-time for TransLink. What is the government going to do to make these cost efficiencies, or whatever they have in mind? I think it's leading simply to more anxiety by the people of British Columbia.

There is nothing in that throne speech to give the people of British Columbia, the municipalities, the non-profits, the seniors or anybody else any comfort. It's a sad day that we had to witness a throne speech such as we heard yesterday.

Hon. R. Hawes: Madam Speaker, I get that it's the opposition's job to oppose, but you know, this is just a little over the top. All this stuff today, all the assumptions they're making…. They aren't listening to facts. They don't want to look…. But that's their job. They need to oppose. So I understand where they're coming from, and I'm really happy to hear that they're heckling. That means they're listening. This is good stuff. Listen, and you may learn something.

So what I want to do is touch on a few of the things that they've talked about and some of the good news that is actually in the throne speech and some of the good things that are happening in British Columbia.

[1735] 

Before I do, I'd like to first talk about…. For the last eight years it's been my honour to represent Maple Ridge–Mission. As everyone knows, there was a boundary change here prior to the last election, so my riding actually changed to Abbotsford-Mission from Maple Ridge–Mission.

I do want to say that for the eight years that I did represent folks in Maple Ridge, it was a real honour. It was a real pleasure to work with the council there, with the school board there. They're excellent people. They make great decisions on behalf of the people there. It's a wonderful city, and I won't forget the time that I've had. I live in Mission, so it was a real learning curve for me to get used to that community.

Now I represent Abbotsford-Mission. For many, many years Abbotsford and Mission have had very close ties, with the water system, bus transportation, recycling, a sewer treatment plant. In the time that I served in local government, I served with many of the people who now serve at the local level in Abbotsford, so it sort of feels like going home.

I did want to say that for the next four years I'll be proud to represent, and I want to be thanking, the folks in Abbotsford and in Mission for bringing me back here. It is a real honour.

I also want to touch on…. Like everyone in this House, the first people that we should be thankful to are our families, because they actually put up with a lot to allow us to be here. We're away from home a lot, and they're left at home. Frankly, sometimes the stuff that's in the newspapers or the phone calls or whatever…. While we learn how to develop a thicker skin — that's part of the job — really, for them, it's very difficult to read some of the stuff sometimes — for both sides of the House.

I do want to specially recognize, then, my wife, Alma; my kids, who are all now grown; and I have nine grandchildren. I miss them tremendously when I'm here.

I also want to thank my wife. A year ago, for some foolish reason, we agreed to go on The 100 Mile Challenge, which was a TV series. My wife hated every moment of it, and I want to especially thank her for at least seeing it through to the end.

I do want to say that for me, and I think for many others, that show did highlight the need for us to, as much as possible, shop local. We have great, great agricultural growers in this province, and they do need to be supported.

I also want to touch just for a second on the needs in my riding that I hope to be working on over the next four years. I'll start with Abbotsford. The Abbotsford airport serves all of the Fraser Valley. It is the airport for Mission, and it's the airport for Chilliwack. It's the main airport. They need an expansion, so I and my colleagues in Abbotsford and, I think, the rest of the valley will all be working hard to get the funding in place to see that airport expansion take place.
[ Page 45 ]

There's also a downtown revitalization program in Abbotsford that folks are pushing for, and it would be my intention, and I know my colleagues from Abbotsford would also be working, to get that money at some time in the future, as our economy allows.

Mission needs four-laning on the Lougheed Highway. Some of it is being done right now, but I hope that over the next four years we can see more done. As things recover, I am absolutely confident that that will happen.

There's also some four-laning of Cedar Valley road in Mission that needs to happen. Mission is trying to move towards water metering and has asked, through the Building Canada grants, for some money to help put in some water meters. That's a very laudable ambition and one that I would support as funding is available.

After the election my responsibilities changed. I now have a responsibility for mining in this province, and I just want to touch on that for a second.

First and foremost, I'll talk about aggregate, gravel pits. They're the bane of so many cities. There are big fights that go on. I call them gravel wars. The fights that go on between local government and the gravel pits are kind of renowned. I think a lot of communities face that.

In the 1990s, I served at the regional district level, and my colleagues and I approached the provincial government of that day and said: "Can we work on a project that would see an end to this fighting?" We called it red light, green light, yellow light, and it would have allowed aggregate producers to know where they could go to do their mining and where they couldn't go. It would have been a collaborative attempt between local government and the provincial government.

[1740]

The government of the day said no, they weren't interested. The gravel wars continued, and the lawsuits continued, much to the detriment, I think, of all of the citizens of the Fraser Valley and probably of the province. There is only one taxpayer, so when the taxpayer is spending his money in court when there could be a solution, I think it's wrong.

We, in 2003, commenced what was called the Fraser Valley aggregate pilot project. It's one that brought local government together with the industry and the ministry to try to build a collaborative approach to how we're going to do gravel in the future. It's been very successful. There is now a series of recommendations that have come in, and we're working to bring that to a conclusion and, hopefully, roll the model out across British Columbia that will build more of a collaborative, cooperative approach between municipalities and the gravel industry.

We have a number of metal mines and coal mines in British Columbia that were suffering when the collapse happened in the worldwide economy late last year, but there has been a rebound in prices, and thankfully, that's going to help us rebuild our economy.

As we see mining production increase, jobs return. I would like to remind members that the highest paid occupation in British Columbia, on average, is in the mining industry, where the annual salary is, on average, $112,000 a year including benefits, which is substantially higher than many other occupations.

As we went through the last few weeks…. I'm going to touch on the timing for the HST and budget numbers and the rest of it, but I do want to say that the mining industry has come out very, very strong saying that the HST actually helps them preserve jobs and create jobs. They have welcomed the HST.

Now, as I listened to the members opposite earlier today, through all of their speeches, talking about things like how the HST hurts ordinary British Columbians, they are the same NDP that they've always been: anti-business with zero understanding of what creates an economy. Actually, the fact is that the ordinary people they refer to actually work for paycheques, often for those who are going to be benefited by the HST.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: The members will come to order.

Hon. R. Hawes: The only problem, if they heckle too much, is that they don't get to listen and learn, but hopefully, they'll listen to a little of it.

Deputy Speaker: Member, take your seat, please.

Hon. R. Hawes: The bottom line here, Madam Speaker, is that if I were working for a company that I knew in an industry that was troubled by a tough economy, I'd be worried about my job, and anything that could be done to help my employer secure my employment to make me feel that I have a future would be welcomed. I think that there's a huge disconnect here that those folks are helping to fuel. There are, actually, throughout British Columbia, many, many jobs that are going to be saved because we are moving to this model.

The unfortunate part is that if we did not move to the HST, the opposite would happen. We would lose competitiveness. That's not me speaking. Last Monday, 20 of the industry leaders in British Columbia, including the chamber of commerce, the Council for B.C. Business, the mining community, the forestry industry, all came together to say we endorse the HST. It's going to help us both recover.

The forestry industry, who will receive about $140 million from this, said: "This is the single biggest thing that you could do to help our economy recover." Now, this is an opposition that has said…. Even today the Leader of the Opposition had the temerity to say we have done nothing for forestry. Well, let me tell you….

Interjections.
[ Page 46 ]

Hon. R. Hawes: Clap on. Clap on, Members, but you've got to understand one thing. When the forestry industry says loud and clear that this is the best thing that could possibly be done today to help secure jobs, that means we are protecting British Columbians, ordinary British Columbians who would otherwise very likely lose their jobs but now, because of the HST, will remain working.

To be quite frank about it, the plans that you have laid out, which were, I think, to go and consult with some unknown person…. Oh, the forestry industry. Well, if you were to consult with the forestry industry, they would tell you the HST is the best possible thing you could do. So much for your consultation, Members.

[1745]

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Order, Members.

Hon. R. Hawes: Now, there were members opposite on the Finance Committee, and I actually had the honour to serve as Chair last year. We travelled the province last year asking British Columbians what they wanted to see in the budget that came in February.

As we travelled, though, the worldwide recession, the financial crash, was just in its infancy. So while we heard in community after community after community that people wanted things, more spending, we also heard…. Actually, in the report that came into this Legislature — unanimously supported, by the way, by the members opposite — the recommendation said that what we should be doing is only funding those things we could afford.

We recognized that the economy was starting to change.

N. Macdonald: When?

Hon. R. Hawes: When we came to February with a budget. I think at that time that the Finance Minister, if you went back and checked, reported that there were things like unbelievable changes in revenue — one day alone, a billion-dollar loss. When the budget was laid out…. I had the honour also to serve on Treasury Board, and I can tell you that having looked very closely at the numbers…. Actually, the numbers were very doable; $495 million was completely doable.

When we broke for the election, those numbers were still valid numbers. The bottom line is that when we came back after the election….

Interjections.

Hon. R. Hawes: Of course, of course, the economy continues to erode.

Now, my question to you is…. Through the election, the folks opposite took the budget numbers that the Finance Minister had put forward, built a budget around those numbers, and put it out as though it were their budget. They, too, relied on those numbers, and then they pretend: "Well, who didn't know?" They didn't know. We didn't know. Most investors in this province didn't know. I can tell you that the world didn't know, and that's why we've got such a problem.

But you know, if we had known, if only the United States government had known, if only the investment community had known, actually, nobody would have lost any money, or very little money, in this recession. The fact is that nobody knew.

As we move through this now, what we need to do as we move through this…

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members. Order, please.

Hon. R. Hawes: …is to get a handle….

Deputy Speaker: Member, please take your seat.

I would invite your cooperation. It is difficult to hear the member who has the floor.

Hon. R. Hawes: Around this building there are crows, around the whole building. You get used to the cawing of the crows, and it sort of sounds like that here.

The HST. When the HST was looked at…. The Finance Committee, as we travelled, heard in community after community, by the way, that we should harmonize GST and PST. We heard that in almost every community that we went to. And as we heard it, the recommendation was made, again, that the Finance Minister should consider the pros and cons of going to the HST.

Now, he said earlier today that consideration for the HST has actually happened year after year for the last eight years, and it has. It has been considered to be not something we wanted to do. Following the election, however, when Ontario decided to go and the government of Canada allowed a little more flexibility and $1.6 billion, it became very clear that that was what was needed to happen.

The unfortunate part is that the government of Canada said that if we want to move at the same time as Ontario, the window to make a decision was extremely short. It was by July 15. As it was, we took until July 22 to actually announce and make that decision. So the problem that we had was with Ontario moving…. If we delayed, we would have been delayed for a further probably year to two years. That would make us lose competitiveness.

[1750]

Now, the members opposite like to talk about who they would listen to. I don't know who their experts are, but I can tell you that when the business leaders not just in British Columbia but from coast to coast say that the best thing that can happen is the HST because it creates
[ Page 47 ]
competitiveness…. If you think about why the government of Canada has urged provinces to go into the HST…. What's in it for them?

Well, I'll tell you what's in it for them. It is national competitiveness. We're a trading nation in a global world, but you folks over here don't seem to get that. Madam Speaker, they have no concept of what builds an economy, what sustains an economy or what provides jobs.

The fact is that if we listened…. I can see now that the way these folks work is they put their finger in the air and say: "Which way is the wind blowing? That will decide our policy."

To do what is right takes some courage. When they talked earlier about cynicism, actually what does make people cynical sometimes is when they see politicians out there trying to buy their vote. I think it's actually pretty refreshing when a government, rather than looking at what's really popular, does what's right. That's what's happening here. We are doing what's right. Actually, I'm proud to talk to my constituents, and do on a regular basis, about why we need to go in this direction.

I want to talk for a minute about health care in my community. The member for Vancouver-Kingsway has been in my community a number of times talking about the Mission hospital. The member for Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows a few moments ago spoke about the Mission Hospital. I don't know if he's ever been to Mission. I lived there. I've lived there for a lot of years. I served on the hospital board.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Hon. R. Hawes: I served on the community health council when the member opposite's government in the '90s was reverting to the regional system. I got fired by the NDP in the 1990s….

Interjections.

Hon. R. Hawes: Wait for it; wait for it.

I got fired, along with the other community volunteers across British Columbia that had served for two years on community health councils. You unceremoniously dumped every single one of those volunteers. Through your policies you got rid of the volunteers that used to work in the hospitals, like the candystripers. That's shame on you guys.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. R. Hawes: However, when the Fraser Health Authority….

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Member. Member.

Minister, just take your seat for a second.

Just so that we can hear. We don't mind a little bit of bantering back and forth, but we couldn't hear.

Continue, Minister, and noting the hour.

Hon. R. Hawes: I'll finish with this, and then I'll perhaps reserve my other comments for tomorrow morning. I'm sure they'll want to sleep on some of the comments. Perhaps overnight they will have an epiphany, and they'll come in supporting where we're moving here and actually working for British Columbians.

However, I do want to say very quickly that when the Fraser Health Authority actually got an increase, and only they would talk about a cut being an increase in a budget…. When the Fraser Health Authority got their budget increase and actually was looking for money way in excess of that and were told, "No, you've got to bring it down to the increased amount of funding," the management at Fraser Health said to all their departments: "You go out" — much as, in my previous life as a mayor, what we would do with the staff — "and find all of the areas that could possibly be looked at. Let's bring them all together, and then we'll decide which way we're going to go."

Unfortunately, through a leak, the member for Vancouver-Kingsway gets a hold of something that says that maybe we should close the emergency ward. It didn't say "downgrade"; just "close the emergency ward." They were never going to close the emergency ward. However, fearmongering with seniors, as that member did when he came to my community and heard over and over that Fraser Health is not planning to do this…. Yet he persisted.

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Lastly, in terms of downgrading Mission hospital…. If you lived there, you would know that Mission hospital has never, ever had anything but sending patients who are serious to other hospitals. That is the appropriate medical thing for them to do. Every doctor in the hospital in Mission will say that.

Noting the hour and noting that I still have a little time to conclude, I pray to conclude tomorrow, and with that I would move adjournment of debate.

Hon. R. Hawes moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. M. de Jong moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 10 a.m. tomorrow morning.

The House adjourned at 5:56 p.m.

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