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)

Monday, August 31, 2009

Afternoon Sitting

Volume 1, Number 7

[ Page 125 ]

MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2009

The House met at 1:33 p.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Tributes

EMPLOYEES OF CHEK TV

C. James: I rise on behalf of all of us in this Legislature to wish very well an institution that closes up today in Victoria on Vancouver Island, but impacts all of the province, and that's CHEK TV. I think on all our behalf I'd like to say thank you for the service they've given to us on Vancouver Island. Those of us who are Vancouver Islanders see them as our station, and they will be truly missed on all our behalf.

It's not often you have politicians rise up to thank the press, but we all in this Legislature have seen firsthand the hard work of the employees at CHEK. They've worked very hard to try and hang on to that station. I know they're not giving up yet, but I wanted to make sure all of us offered our best wishes and our appreciation to all of the employees at CHEK TV today.

Introductions by Members

R. Chouhan: Today a number of students came here to protest against the lowest minimum wage. It's going to be even lower tomorrow when New Brunswick introduces an increase in the minimum wage. So today with us are Dayna Sykes, Jackie Woodley, Meghan Marchand, Veronica Harrison, Heather Mckenzie, Edward Pullman, Meaghan Kerr, James Coccola, Cam Gerard and Trevor Davies. Please join me to welcome them all.

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J. Kwan: I see an old friend from the Legislature is visiting us, the former Minister of Small Business and Revenue. Who knows? Maybe he's here to oppose the HST and advocate for the restaurant and foodservices association. Would the House please make him welcome — Rick Thorpe.

P. Pimm: I stand today to welcome to the House my wife, Jody, my mother, Josephine, and family friend Pat Framps. Please help me welcome them to the House.

K. Conroy: It also gives me a great deal of pleasure to introduce a young worker in the Legislature today. His name is Abe Fomonoff. He is actually a laid-off steelworker. He is from my constituency, and he worked very hard on my campaign and also worked very hard on the member for Nelson-Creston's campaign, which obviously showed really positive results. He's here to watch what happens today, and he's actually coming back for the budget tomorrow. So would you all please welcome him.

Hon. I. Black: In the precinct today are two family members of mine from Glasgow, Scotland: Ian and Janice Kemp. I come from a remarkably small family, so you don't often have people come to visit you, but never mind from another country. So it's a pleasure to have them here, and I ask the House to join me in making them feel most welcome.

J. Horgan: Members will remember a year ago I stood in this place and spoke about the mother of all field trips with a student from Belmont high school going to the Arctic Circle to learn and observe the impacts of climate change. Well, that student — Lily Jackson — is with us in the gallery today, and I want all members of this place to acknowledge her for (a) making the trip to the Arctic and (b) making it back and being a constituent of mine.

There's a second Belmont graduate that I'd like to acknowledge. He is off….

Interjection.

J. Horgan: Now, easy there.

Lily is off to UVic this year, but the second graduate is off to Freiburg university tomorrow. That's my son Nate Horgan. I'm going to miss him desperately, and I hope that members will take into account when they heckle me that I won't have the benefit of my good son to back me up when I get home.

Hon. N. Yamamoto: I would also like to introduce a student who also participated on the journey to the Arctic to raise awareness for climate change. This is Alejandra Henao. She's a student from a high school in my riding — Carson Graham — and she will be attending UVic in the fall as well.

Just for your information, there's a collection of images from the trip that they made in the lower rotunda, and it will be on display until September 4. So please welcome the students.

H. Bloy: It gives me pleasure to introduce a great party worker and volunteer with the B.C. Liberal Party, Terri Rainey.

Tabling Documents

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, I have the honour to present the 2008/2009 Annual Report of the Merit Commissioner.
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Introduction and
First Reading of Bills

Bill M201 — Independent budget
officer Act, 2009

B. Ralston presented a bill intituled Independent Budget Officer Act, 2009.

B. Ralston: I move introduction of the Independent Budget Officer Act for first reading.

Motion approved.

B. Ralston: This bill amends the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act to create the independent budget officer, an officer of the Legislative Assembly. The independent officer's mandate is to provide objective, timely analysis and updates to the Legislative Assembly about the estimates of government, the state of the province's finances and trends in the B.C. economy, to undertake research regarding the province's finances when requested to do so by certain standing committees and members of the assembly and to provide estimates of the cost of proposals contained in legislation.

The independent budget officer is entitled to a right of access to data necessary for the performance of his or her mandate.

I move that this bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting after today.

Bill M201, Independent Budget Officer Act, 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)

DOUGLAS COLLEGE

D. Horne: I'd like to highlight the David Lam Campus of Douglas College. This very distinguished educational institution in my riding graduated a record number of nursing students this past year: 109 baccalaureate graduates, eight from the psych program, 54 diplomas in nursing. This is due in great part to the new world-class facility which I toured this past May.

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This new facility has the largest and latest computerized patient simulation labs with four humanoids that can talk, breathe, bleed and respond to administered drugs by students; four multi-bed labs that prepare nursing students for work in hospital wards; and two fully furnished apartments to act as home care instruction.

This government understands and appreciates the need to train more highly qualified nurses and meet our growing needs, and this is why we contributed $35.2 million towards this 9,700-square-metre facility.

Many have contributed to the growth and success of Douglas College. I would particularly like to express my sincere thanks to the board for their hard work, vision and dedication — the chair, Andrew Taylor, for his great dedication in the advancement of the college; the vice-chairs, Ann Kitching and Mary Hemmingsen, for their countless hours of service.

Thank you to faculty representative Graeme Bowbrick; staff representative Bruce Clarke; Peter Kendrick; Alysia MacGrotty; Mike Russell; Paul Wates; student representative Matthew Steinbach; and Michael Hwang, who is currently serving his first term on the board.

I would also like to recognize the hard work of Susan Meshwork, the chair of Douglas College educational council. As well, a very special thanks to Susan Wither for her exceptional leadership over the past 12 years, and finally, Scott McAlpine, Douglas College's new president, who is critical to the college's continued growth and success.

BULKLEY VALLEY EXHIBITION

D. Donaldson: It started in 1919, and just last Thursday to Sunday, August 27 to 30, the Bulkley Valley fall fair celebrated its 90th anniversary.

This is an amazing accomplishment. It's testimony to the agricultural traditions in the northwest and of the quality of the event. More than 20,000 guests each year are now hosted by the fair — a phenomenal number for the remote, rural area.

People from all across the north come to the fair, making it a significant local economic generator. The fall fair, now known as the Bulkley Valley Exhibition, is set in a beautiful location on the banks of the Bulkley River. When the sun shines, like it did the past four days, Hudson Bay Mountain rises prominently above the fairgrounds, and there is no better place to celebrate the importance of agriculture and rural life.

I congratulate Bulkley Valley Exhibition Society President Anita Tomayer and the board, as well as Coordinator Cindy Mensies, her staff, volunteers and business sponsors for putting on such an incredible event.

Of particular note were the generous bidders in the 4-H livestock auction, and just before that started, Kispiox Valley rancher Grahame Larson received the environmental stewardship award for changes he made to his operations to improve water quality in salmon-rearing streams. Congratulations to my friend Grahame.

As you know, Grahame, your organically raised beef is all I eat — the best in the country.

The exhibition is all about promoting the relational economy of producers and consumers meeting each
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other at the fall fair and highlighting how agriculture enables us to remain living in remote, rural areas throughout the ups and downs of the natural resource–based economy.

I invite everyone in this chamber to demonstrate their commitment to the family farm by joining me in congratulating the Bulkley Valley Exhibition on their critical contribution to rural community life.

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

S. Cadieux: This past week the America Zone wheelchair basketball world championships were held at the fantastic new Richmond Olympic Oval. I was honoured to be invited to make the gold medal tipoff between Canada and the USA on Saturday.

The event was a huge success thanks to the hosts, the B.C. Wheelchair Basketball Society, which is a non-profit organization that is seen as a leader in the Canadian wheelchair sport world, promoting wheelchair sport and producing some of Canada's and the world's top athletes.

In addition, wheelchair basketball programs are available to participants with and without disabilities of all skill levels, from age eight to seniors, in centres around B.C.

For the 2009 America's cup, Richmond welcomed a hundred of the top male wheelchair basketball athletes, representing eight teams from North and South America. This event is a qualifying tournament for the 2010 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships, and the top teams from this tournament are guaranteed a spot next year.

As the host country, the Canadian athletes tore through the competition of Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Jamaica and Brazil, making their way to the gold medal game against a perennial foe, the United States. This was the first time the U.S. and Canada had faced each other since a thrilling game at the Beijing Paralympics, where Canada defeated the U.S. in double overtime.

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Playing for our team were some of the top Paralympians in the world, including silver medallists from Beijing, B.C.'s own Bo Hedges and Richard Peter. I'm pleased to report here once again that our men delivered a fantastic game, finishing the tournament with the silver medal and a spot at the 2010 world wheelchair championships in Birmingham, England.

ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
IN HARTLEY BAY

G. Coons: Deep within the Great Bear rain forest the isolated village of Hartley Bay, home of the Gitga'at First Nation, has a big green ambition. This small community has embraced the goal to become the greenest first nation village in Canada. To do so, they have undertaken an ambitious plan to fundamentally change the way they impact the environment, starting with how they make and consume power.

They have recently installed network energy smart meters throughout their village. When fully operational, this smart grid will help each community member to monitor their energy in real time by simply logging on to a webpage that is personally designed for them.

The band is also looking into harnessing the water of the nearby Gabion River to produce hydroelectric power. This small-scale 900-kilowatt run-of-the-river hydro site will provide 100 percent of the power needs for part of the year, significantly reducing their need for diesel.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Just to remind…. Members.

G. Coons: Thank you for that.

I do have to add that this is not the sell-off of our rivers. This is not an independent power project.

They also intend to retrofit buildings with geothermal furnaces to wean the village away from their heavy fossil fuel dependence. The Hartley Bay projects provide a number of benefits, including greater energy awareness at the household and community levels, energy savings for the community as a whole, training people and creating skilled workers who can work with other communities, and technological growth and development through the design and installation of green initiatives.

In 2008 the community, spearheaded by project manager David Betten, worked with Indian and Northern Affairs and Pulse Energy to install the network energy-metering devices. This year the Gitga'at was one of several Canadian organizations that were nominated for the ninth annual ITAC IT Hero Awards presented by Intel.

The residents of Hartley Bay are changing the way they live to protect the Earth so they can become the greenest first nation village in Canada.

PEACE RIVER RESCUE

P. Pimm: Miracle on the Peace River. This summer Demetrius Jones, who is three years old, went on a camping trip to Peace Island Park with his grandparents. On July 12, 2009, Demetrius decided to wake up earlier than his grandparents and go on a bit of an exploring mission.

Demetrius has a new battery-powered Chevrolet Silverado, and he drove his truck down the boat launch to the Peace River. He could not get stopped in time, and into the river it went. The truck tipped over, and Demetrius would not let it go. So off on the journey of his lifetime went Demetrius and his truck down the mighty Peace River.
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Now, you have to remember that the Peace River has a current of about eight kilometres an hour. When the child's grandparents woke up two hours later and could not find the child, the search was on.

A good friend of mine, Don Loewen, and his four buddies — Dwayne Polowich, Doug Markwark, Darren Painter and Wayne Hought — jumped in the riverboat and headed downstream. Don figured that the boy had been gone for about a two-hour head start, so they knew they'd have to travel down the river about ten to 15 kilometres.

I spoke to Don afterwards, and he went through the event with me. Now, imagine, if you're in this riverboat, you're probably thinking you may find a toy or a body or something. Well, now imagine you see a toy floating in a back eddy on the Peace River 12 kilometres from the entry point, and you see a very tired three-year-old child still alive and riding his toy. That's exactly what my buddies found.

Fear set in at that exact moment for all of the men as they knew that the boy was alive. They didn't know what he would do when he saw the riverboat rescue vehicle. Don Loewen did not want to get his boat too close to the child, so he jumped into the river when the boat was about 50 feet away, and he swam to the child and the truck.

The water in the Peace River at this time of year is high, cold and dirty. My friends not only found but also saved this child's life — him and his toy truck. This is truly a miracle. I wish Don and his buddies could be here today in the House to be recognized for their bravery and for the heroes that they truly are. We're all very proud of them.

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FRESH GROOVE PRODUCTIONS

M. Elmore: This is a remarkable story about the levels of excellence that can be achieved when a dynamic group of young people combine their passion for dance with the desire to be of service to their community.

Initially formed because of their desire to make it in Canada's dance scene, this group of young people eventually went on to form Fresh Groove Productions, which is now one of the leading dance studios dedicated exclusively to teaching hip hop, street and break dancing.

It has award-winning dance crews in three age divisions who are all the 2009 Canadian national champions. Their youngest crew, Freshh, are ages eight to 13 years old. In 2007 they won the gold medal in the Olympics of hip hop, Hip Hop International. This year they brought home the bronze medal when the international event, which drew more than 1,700 dancers from 28 countries, was held last August 2 in Las Vegas.

Fresh Groove engages youth in a positive way and always tries to perform at many local events and undertake other activities that give back to their communities. This past year Fresh Groove students even went to the Philippines to help build homes for the marginalized as a part of their effort to instil a strong sense of community spirit in their participants.

Today I ask my fellow members in the House to join me as I congratulate Fresh Groove Productions, its instructors, students, parents and their supporters for providing an excellent model and venue for youth to excel as individuals and as dynamic members of their communities.

I also offer my personal thanks for their efforts to give me a few dancing lessons in hip hop. I had a tough time keeping up with them. They're very energetic.

In particular, I'd like to make special mention of its three extremely talented championship dance crews: Freshh, in the junior division, ages eight to 13 years old, the 2009 Canadian champions, 2009 world bronze champions, whose members include my constituents Xandro Acuna, Servin Emnacen, Jaymie Sorongon, Zach Vran, Devon Isaac, Mclelland Stewart….

Mr. Speaker: Thank you, Member.

Oral Questions

FUNDING FOR ARTS AND CULTURE

C. James: Every single day brings new evidence of this Premier's broken promises. On Friday afternoon the government sent letters to arts groups across B.C. informing them that their direct access grants had been cancelled — cancelled abruptly in spite of written and signed contracts, in spite of the minister's consistent reassurance that the money would be coming, cancelled after the groups had already planned programs and, in some cases, after the events had already taken place.

My question is to the Finance Minister. Will he explain his government's betrayal to B.C.'s arts communities, and will he explain why this government told them one thing before the election and did just the opposite after the election?

Hon. K. Krueger: This government places a tremendously high value on the contributions of the arts and cultural community to the social fabric of British Columbia as well as to our economy. It is a remarkable achievement that we have been able to fund, through the B.C. Arts Council, grants to these communities in almost the same amount, at almost the same levels as last year.

Turning to the matter of direct-access gaming, I'd welcome a follow-up question.

Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition has a supplemental.
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C. James: If this is the way the government shows their support for arts and culture, we have a real problem in British Columbia, and the arts community has a big problem in British Columbia.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Continue, Member.

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C. James: I know this minister has his answer ready. I'd like to ask the question first, and perhaps he can listen, unlike what he's been doing with the arts communities across British Columbia.

I'll read out a few groups that the minister might want to go and meet with right now: Museum of Northern B.C., Carousel Theatre, Victoria Symphony, Touchstone Theatre, Intrepid Theatre, Fraser Valley Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Vancouver International Dance Festival. These are just some of the groups that this government misled. They were told in writing that the government money would be coming, and then on Friday, all of a sudden, they were told: "Sorry, no funds for you."

Again, my question is: how does this government explain throwing thousands of people out of work after they were told that the funds were secure and they're waiting for them?

Hon. K. Krueger: I forgot that it's question period, not answer period. I'm sorry for starting early there.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. K. Krueger: As I mentioned, the groups who are funded through the B.C. Arts Council have substantially the same funding as last year. The direct-access gaming funds are very often oversubscribed in demand and in applications. The Ministry of Housing and Social Development published, on August 24, the priority order that it would follow in deciding where the funds would go from direct-access gaming.

These priorities make sense to me, and I think they will to the members opposite. Firstly, programs that support low-income and disabled British Columbians; programs that provide food, shelter and support to at-risk individuals; programs that support community health services; programs that fund nutritional and similar programs in schools for underprivileged children; public safety programs; a limited number of arts and culture activities….

Mr. Speaker: Thank you, Minister.

The Leader of the Opposition has a further supplemental.

B.C. LIBERAL PARTY
CAMPAIGN STATEMENTS

C. James: The facts are clear. These groups and organizations were told by this government that the funding would be coming over the next three years. On Friday they received a letter saying: "No funding. Sorry."

That's the fact, Minister. That's the fact. You have cut funding for arts and culture that have provided funding for groups and organizations that provide support for jobs in British Columbia, and they will be hurting because of this government's decisions.

I'm sad to say that it isn't simply the arts community that is suffering because of this government's direction. Before the election we also heard the Premier say that he would support health services, that he'd strengthen seniors care, that he wouldn't bring in an HST, that he'd improve education. Well, since the election it's very clear that it's a completely different story.

My question goes to the Finance Minister. We have a budget coming in tomorrow. I'd like to ask the Finance Minister: will he stand up today in this House and apologize — apologize to seniors, to students, to small businesses, to the arts community — for this government's betrayal of their trust?

Hon. C. Hansen: Tomorrow's budget is going to be a budget that is going to recognize that British Columbia, like the rest of the world, is going through very challenging economic times, but it is a budget that is actually going to show how we can protect essential health care, education and social services in British Columbia and how we can position British Columbia to make sure that we come out of this economic recession even stronger in the future.

FUNDING FOR ARTS AND CULTURE

S. Herbert: My question is to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, who seems to think it's funny that he's not answering questions. Hopefully, this'll be different.

The B.C. Liberal government promised $95,000 last year, $95,000 this year and $95,000 next year to the Vancouver Children's Festival, in gaming funds, to produce their festival. Now the festival is told that the government is tearing up this contract and that they won't be getting the promised investment. The thing is that they already spent the money, which the Minister of Tourism also assured them would be coming before the election.

How does the minister justify this betrayal and breach of trust?

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Hon. K. Krueger: These are tremendously challenging times around the world for all jurisdictions — their revenues, their finances, their programs — and the
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direct access gaming funds from which these grants flow are far oversubscribed.

To continue the priority list that I offered to the Leader of the Opposition…

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. K. Krueger: …next are community education programs, such as day cares and preschools; public community facilities, like community halls and recreational facilities; youth and disabled sports; non-sport youth groups such as Scouts and cadets.

Surely, all members of this House respect these worthy organizations and believe that there has to be some sharing of the available funding.

Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental.

S. Herbert: The minister has got his message box down, but somehow it doesn't actually relate to the questions that we're asking here — because there is no answer to the question of how much the arts community has been betrayed by this government.

A typical letter — I've got one here, so the minister might actually want to read it — says this: "The branch has selected your organization to pilot the new three-year direct access program grant approval. Accordingly, we have approved '08-09, $95,000; approved '09-10, $95,000; and approved '10-11, $95,000."

Nowhere does it say "maybe." Nowhere does it say: "You can't trust this government's word."

The children's festival, like many other cultural organizations, performed the work the government required of them when they signed on. Now the government won't pay them for the services that the government required them to perform, throwing their futures into doubt and non-profits provincewide into massive debt, forcing them to do massive layoffs.

Why should these charities pay for this government's incompetence, mismanagement and betrayal?

Hon. K. Krueger: To date, $53 million has been allocated to gaming grants for the year 2009-2010. The province considers applications for these grants four times per year.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. K. Krueger: I have explained to members opposite that — like all other jurisdictions around the world since the financial troubles began on September 12, 2008 — our revenues do not stretch to cover all of the applications. So I've read to the members opposite a priority order by which decisions are being made.

D. Donaldson: On the second day of the 90th annual Bulkley Fall Fair this past weekend in Smithers, organizers received a letter stating that this year's gaming grant of $20,000 was cancelled. The notice was received after the fair had started. The fair is an event that is key to the local economy and vital to the livelihood of so many members of the grass-roots community in the region.

To the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts: does the minister believe it is fair and honest for the government to promise funding, then cancel it partway through an important community event?

Hon. K. Krueger: Fall fairs play a tremendous role in the communities and local economies where they occur. I've lived in Smithers. I've attended the Bulkley Valley Fall Fair, and it's certainly something that everyone on this side of the House cares about.

Interjection.

Hon. K. Krueger: But I'd ask the member opposite who is heckling. Does she think that…?

Mr. Speaker: Member, through the Chair, please.

Hon. K. Krueger: Thank you, hon. Speaker.

Does any member opposite think that a program that supports low-income and disabled British Columbians is a lower priority than a fall fair? These are tough decisions that have to be made in government.

Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental.

D. Donaldson: It seems this government believes that making promises to the citizens of this province and then breaking them is a good thing. The coordinator of the Bulkley Valley Exhibition told me she broke down when she opened the letter this government sent in the middle of the fair, cancelling the funding. That is the human impact of this minister's decisions.

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Again to the minister: will the minister do his job, stand in support of grass-roots community groups and commit to reinstating the promised funding that this government cut?

Hon. K. Krueger: There are few easy choices in tough times. To the great volunteers who serve in the Bulkley Valley Fall Fair: would they agree with that member that the fair is a higher priority than providing food, shelter and support to at-risk individuals?

Interjections.
[ Page 131 ]

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Minister, just take your seat for a second.

Continue, Minister.

Hon. K. Krueger: Would any member on the opposite side of the House argue that a program to fund nutritional and similar programs in schools for underprivileged children is a lower priority than fall fairs? Not everyone can be funded, and tough decisions have to be made.

S. Simpson: If this minister or this government — anybody in this government — had lifted one finger to deal with the question of the highest levels of child poverty for the last six years in this country, maybe you'd be more believable when you wring your hands on these issues.

Yesterday the member for Vancouver–West End and I met with over a hundred members of the arts community in Vancouver. Not one of those members believes this minister. All of them represent groups that had three-year funding commitments before the election. All those groups have had those commitments broken and ripped up by this government after the election.

My question to the minister is this: why would any organization in this province have any confidence in the believability of this government or this minister on any of their commitments?

Hon. K. Krueger: There are far fewer children living in homes that are supported by income assistance now than there were in the '90s. But those very children that the member opposite professes to be asking questions about are in those groups that I have listed as our priorities.

Interjections.

Hon. K. Krueger: The member says he can't hear, and it's because of his colleagues.

Those very children live in the homes that these programs that we've placed as priorities treat as priority — programs that support low-income and disabled British Columbians; programs that provide food, shelter, and support to at-risk individuals; programs that support community health services; programs that fund nutritional and similar programs in schools for underprivileged children.

We do, in these tough times, have to focus our resources, government's resources, on the people who need the services the most.

S. Fraser: You deceived the public. You deceived the artists. You deceived the public.

Mr. Speaker: Member.

Take your seat for a second.

Member for Alberni–Pacific Rim, will you withdraw those comments?

S. Fraser: I withdraw.

Mr. Speaker: Continue, Member.

INTERNET GAMING

S. Simpson: The minister talks about people on welfare and out of work. Well, there are 6,800 organizations in this province that last year received some of this money, including a number of arts groups, and what the conduct of this government has done is ensured that a number of people who work for those groups are going to be out of work.

Before the election the government said that the social contract around gaming was in place. There would be gaming. Money would go to the groups to do good work. They said, "Don't worry about it," before the election. "Everything's fine." After the election they ripped that promise up, just like they ripped up that contract. All the time they did this, they're increasing Internet gaming levels from $120 a week to $9,999 a week as a cash grab that's going to hurt problem gamblers.

Will this minister tell us: why on earth would the government choose to do this at this time, and does he feel any responsibility for the increasing cynicism British Columbians feel about the conduct of governments like yours?

[1410]

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. M. de Jong: As I understood the question, it is properly put to the Minister of Housing, and I'll take it on notice for him.

SCHOOL DISTRICT FUNDING

K. Corrigan: My question is for the Minister of Education. Since 1988 school boards across this province have been receiving an annual facilities grant in the spring to do repairs, refinish gym floors, install playgrounds, upgrade mechanical services and achieve energy savings required by government.

Burnaby's allocation this year should have been at least $4.3 million. The planning, the budgeting and the contracts for these projects start as early as January. The contracts are signed by June, and the money is spent by the end of summer.

Last week a letter was sent by the ministry to school boards across the province telling them, after the fact, that the money that was already spent would not be available, that the facility grants would be cut and cancelled this year.

Does the minister really think that it's okay to renege on its obligations to school boards and to leave parents and students out in the cold?
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Hon. M. MacDiarmid: With respect to the annual facilities grant, first I'd like to say that safety is our number one priority, and if any of the school districts contact us to let us know that there are issues around that, we'll certainly work with them.

These are difficult economic times, and the Ministry of Education has had to make decisions just like all others. What we have done is decided to make our top priority funding that flows to students in the classroom, and that is what we have done.

It's important to note that back in June of this year, the ministry spoke with school districts and let them know that there was concern around these grants and that what they should be doing is using their reserves. There was $98 million in reserves at the end of last fiscal year. They were advised to use those resources and to go slowly. If there were projects that could be delayed, that should be what would happen. Again, our top priority being that funding go to students in the classroom.

Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental.

K. Corrigan: The minister well knows that by the end of June, any solidly planning district would have already let the contracts out, and they already would have spent the money.

The minister is certainly misleading the public when she claims that school districts have surpluses or reserves for facility grant funding. There are no surpluses. These so-called surpluses are simply an advance payment given to districts so they can sign the contracts for the summer months when the work needs to be done. The money has already been spent.

My question is: why did this government wait until after the election and one week before the school year begins to tell boards the grants were cancelled, and why did the minister knowingly mislead the public when she claims that there are reserves and surpluses?

Mr. Speaker: Member, the last part of your statement. Do you withdraw that?

K. Corrigan: I withdraw the word "knowingly."

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Member, do you unconditionally withdraw the end of your statement?

K. Corrigan: I do.

Mr. Speaker: Stand, please.

K. Corrigan: I withdraw.

Hon. M. MacDiarmid: The ministry has had to make a number of difficult decisions, as have all other ministries. We live in a time when our budget realistically is not what it was before, but what we have been able to do is maintain funding in the classroom. We've talked with our partners in school districts. We've talked with teachers and parents….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Minister, just take your seat for a second.

Continue.

[1415]

Hon. M. MacDiarmid: What we're hearing from our partners is that they value what we value, and that is our classroom teaching. These are difficult times. It is not business as usual.

But certainly, it has been possible for many of the school districts to go ahead with some of their projects while others have been put on hold. One of the things that I would like to say is that we continue to be committed to seismic upgrades. We continue to be pushing ahead with capital projects, and just this morning on the radio from the school….

Mr. Speaker: Thank you, Minister.

D. Thorne: The Kamloops school district was told in the spring to go ahead with their yearly building repairs. This was before the election. After the election the money for repairs and upgrades never showed up. In July, with the work underway, they checked again with the ministry. But instead of being honest about their intentions, this government continued to let the school district believe that they would be getting their funding.

I would like to ask the minister to please explain how destabilizing school districts in this manner protects education.

Hon. M. MacDiarmid: I've certainly had some feedback about these annual facilities grants, and what I've heard from some individuals is that we've made exactly the right decision. We've made exactly the right decision.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Minister, just take your seat.

Members.

Continue, Minister.

Hon. M. MacDiarmid: When we're faced with difficult decisions about where we should put our priorities and how we should deal with our financial realities,
[ Page 133 ]
the support I'm getting is to say that the top priority should remain that we are able to put that funding in the classroom with students — that students' learning and achievement is the top priority. That remains our priority.

Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental.

D. Thorne: Right now it looks to me like the top priority of this government is promising funding that never comes. The Kamloops school district was led to believe that $3 million would be coming to pay for the repairs they did over the summer. This government knows full well that most school districts — particularly those not in the greater Vancouver regional district — where the weather is worse in the winter…. They spend most of their money in the summer. Yet they led them on until the election and right up to before the school year begins.

This is a retroactive cut. The bills must be paid. Again, I ask the minister: how does blowing a hole in the Kamloops school district's budget, one week before classes start, live up to this government's promise to protect education above everything?

Hon. M. MacDiarmid: I stand here, and I am proud of this government's achievements in the area of education funding.

I would like to remind the member opposite that since 2001, a total of $3.8 billion has been spent or committed to capital and seismic projects for schools. Schools and the education of our children and our young people remain a priority for this government. It is a place we will continue to invest, and I am proud of our accomplishments.

[1420]

J. Kwan: Well, this is fast becoming the summer of deception, from the B.C. Rail corruption trial to the community grants to the HST. And now school boards are caught in this government's web of deceit.

Vancouver school board will lose $10.6 million in facilities upgrades. Jules Quesnel is currently undergoing seismic upgrades. The Vancouver school board had planned to change the old and unsafe electrical system with the facilities grant. Plans are done, drawings are completed, but now the government is reneging on its commitment. Local schools and local school boards have no way of making the payments for this work.

Does the minister think that it is okay to leave school boards and parents and children out in the cold, or will the Minister of Education keep the promises before the election and reinstate the facilities grant?

Hon. M. MacDiarmid: I can assure the member opposite that we will not be leaving any students out in the cold. As I said previously, students' safety and their health will be a top priority for government, and if there are any projects going ahead where the safety of students is in jeopardy, we absolutely will work with those school districts without question.

With respect to the seismic upgrading, I'd like again to point out the fact that this government has made huge commitments in this area, and we continue to go on with those projects.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Continue, Minister.

Hon. M. MacDiarmid: The issue that the Vancouver school board has raised about their seismic project and the fact that they'd like to do some other work at the same time is something we will discuss with that school board. But generally speaking, our commitment remains, as it has before, to maximize on classroom funding, and we'll continue to do that.

GOVERNMENT FUNDING PRIORITIES

M. Farnworth: The Minister of Tourism said during question period that there are few easy choices in tough times. Well, one of the choices that this government has been making has been to cut grants to seniors programs that keep vulnerable seniors in their homes.

Given that priority, can the Solicitor General tell us why it should be a high priority to provide more than 100 flat screen TVs to inmates in the North Fraser Pretrial Centre?

Hon. K. Heed: Mr. Speaker, I would like to take that question on notice.

[End of question period.]

Orders of the Day

Hon. M. de Jong: I call second reading debate on Bill 3, Supply Act (No. 2), 2009.

Second Reading of Bills

Bill 3 — Supply Act (No. 2), 2009

Hon. C. Hansen: I move that Bill 3 be read a second time now.

This bill is required to provide for the continued delivery of government services to the public.

Mr. Speaker: Minister, if you just want to wait one second.
[ Page 134 ]

Members, I know you have other duties. Could we get a little bit of silence in the chamber?

Continue, Minister.

Hon. C. Hansen: Tomorrow I will be tabling the updated budget for the fiscal year 2009-2010, and an appropriate amount of time must be set aside in the Legislature for the estimates to be presented, debated and passed.

During this period, government ministries will carry on providing the vital services that British Columbians rely on. However, existing interim supply will be fully spent before the upcoming estimates can be presented, debated and passed. Therefore, government is requesting a three-month extension to interim supply from this House.

[1425]

This supply bill is consistent with the traditional practice for interim supply bills. It requests approval for 3/12 of the total amount of the votes of the main estimates for 2009-2010 as laid before this House on February 17, 2009. The sum requested is in addition to the amount authorized under section 1 of Supply Act (No. 1), 2009, which was 5/12 of the voted expenses in the estimates.

Introducing a second interim supply bill is not new to this Legislature. Second interim supply bills were introduced in both 2005 and 2001, when elections delayed estimates debate.

B. Ralston: I rise to address the issues raised by Supply Act (No. 2) very briefly.

It is significant that we are debating a supply bill here at the end of August. Ordinarily and certainly, the House rules, both in the House of Commons and here in the Legislative Assembly, make provision for the passing of a supply bill while debate on the budget takes place. What is different about the procedure since 2001 has been that, given the fixed election date, interim supply has been extended. In this case, when this bill passes, it will have been extended eight months from the end of the fiscal year, leaving only one-third of the spending proposed to be scrutinized prior to the passing of the budget itself.

The historical tradition of the House of Commons, when one examines the rules, is that interim supply is to be used sparingly and basically as an interim measure, a bridge measure, while debate on the budget and the main estimates takes place. There is an opportunity here at some point for this assembly to consider addressing this issue, since I think it's clear that the government proposes to continue with fixed election dates.

Although the rules clearly say that by the opposition and the government passing this bill, no member is precluded or taken to have supported any individual budget measure or any individual estimate or any individual spending measure…. The opposition still has the full right to question, to challenge, to probe the individual estimates of ministers, which we will begin in due course and in several weeks. But it may well be confusing to the public and really not the best of public policy to be approving by interim supply two-thirds of the budget prior to the completion of the debate on the main estimates.

It's an opportunity for parliamentary reform, perhaps, at a future opportunity. I know that Mr. Enns has been asked by the minister to review the budget process, and Mr. Enns, notably, prepared a report that was put before the assembly in 1998. He's been asked by the minister to complete a review of the budgeting process, and he's due to report, I believe, at the end of September.

I may contact Mr. Enns directly myself, but I'd ask the minister to join with me in asking Mr. Enns, in his review of the budget process, to consider making this the subject of proposed reform. Certainly, that would be, I think, good practice, good public policy and something that Mr. Enns might well be prepared and be able to provide the assembly with some answers to.

This interim supply bill, when it's passed, will provide for payment for the ongoing operations of government over the next three months. I don't want anyone to suggest that we on this side are opposed to that, and indeed, we do support it. I support the bill as proposed, with the qualifications and suggestions that I've set out.

Mr. Speaker: Seeing no further speakers, Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier closes debate.

Hon. C. Hansen: I won't make lengthy concluding comments. I appreciate the member's comments, and we are certainly, as well, looking forward to the report of the committee that is being chaired by Mr. Enns.

With that, I move second reading.

Motion approved.

Hon. C. Hansen: With leave, I move that Bill 3 be referred to a Committee of the Whole House for consideration forthwith.

[1430]

Leave granted.

Bill 3, Supply Act (No. 2), 2009, read a second time and ordered to proceed to a Committee of the Whole House for consideration forthwith.

Committee of the Whole House

BIll 3 — Supply Act (No. 2), 2009

The House in Committee of the Whole on Bill 3; L. Reid in the chair.
[ Page 135 ]

The committee met at 2:31 p.m.

On section 1.

J. Horgan: It's a pleasure to rise and participate in the debate of Bill 3, Supply Act (No. 2), 2009. Of course, the minister will know that we did pass a sizeable amount of supply just prior to the House recessing and, in fact, the prorogation of the last parliament. Here we are again at the mid-point — in fact, past the mid-point — of the year, approving some $8 billion and change.

I'm wondering. The minister, in his response to some pointed questions about where in the world the notion of a harmonized sales tax came from, made reference to the all-party Finance Committee suggesting that perhaps a study might be a good idea, to get some pros and cons.

That same all-party committee unanimously supported the notion of funding a commuter rail service from the Western Communities here in Victoria into the downtown core. I'm wondering if the minister could enlighten me on whether or not, within this $8 billion, any of that fund will be allocated towards transportation alternatives in my community to reduce greenhouse gases and achieve some of the objectives that allegedly the government was interested in prior to the election.

Hon. C. Hansen: With tomorrow's budget we'll be tabling main estimates for the fiscal year. We will be going through an estimates debate, ministry by ministry, and that would be the appropriate time to ask a detailed question of that nature.

I think, as the member knows, that question is not within of the scope of the debate that would be expected during a committee on interim supply.

J. Horgan: Well, we did have a fairly detailed discussion of the supply bill the last time the minister was in this place, and members on this side of the House did ask the odd question about where in the world we were going to be spending all that money.

The minister had answers to some of those questions, and I'm curious as to why it is now that — a pig in a poke, $8 billion — the minister can't give me an indication of at least some of the programs that might be funded by this. Perhaps he could start a shopping list for me.

Hon. C. Hansen: I think if the member goes back and reviews Hansard from the first supply bill that was passed — in April of this year, I guess it was — he will find that there was similar, very limited scope in the debate that would be expected in the House during that as well.

J. Horgan: I hear the minister twice now, but when I go back to my constituency this evening, were someone to ask me — a constituent, a taxpayer, someone who's financing a portion of this operation — what we are going to spend that $8 billion on without any detailed debate, what would the minister have me say?

Hon. C. Hansen: This member has been around this Legislature now for many years, and I think he knows the answer to that question as well as I do. This is interim supply, and interim supply is not a time when we go through detailed debates of line-by-line spending.

What I'm saying is that there's no reason why interim supply at this time, at the end of August 2009, should be treated any differently than an interim supply bill at any other time.

The Chair: I will caution the members that the scope of debate on interim supply is somewhat limited.

J. Horgan: Thank you, Chair, and I take that to heart.

I'll pose, then, a question to the minister. It was raised at second reading debate not that long ago in this place by my colleague from Surrey-Whalley.

[1435]

He raised the concern that constituents of his and mine have that here we are, the day before September, approving — without any understanding of exactly where the money is going to be going — $8 billion in expenditures of tax money.

I appreciate the minister knows that I have been here for a while, not necessarily in this place but around this place, and I do recognize and realize that there is limited scope in this regard.

Perhaps the minister could advise us whether he thinks that it is in the public interest and in the interest of good public management to have, in August, a second go-round, that now…. I think we're probably up to about — if you count, I think it was $22 billion the first time around — $30 billion in expenditures, and the public has no idea where that money is going. Is that good public policy?

Hon. C. Hansen: You know, we recognize that interim supply is a very important tool to make sure that government has the legislative approval before spending is undertaken.

A supply bill is something that has been used many times. In fact, I think there was one year — I believe it was in 1991-1992 — that that government of the day didn't pass interim supply, I think, until there were basically only a couple weeks left in the fiscal year. But because of the fact the election has occurred and it did not give time for the full estimates debate…. Although we certainly offered to the opposition at the time that if they wanted to push through the full estimates discussions and votes, we would have been able to deal with that prior to the election. The member will recall that that offer was made.

I think that if the member is asking me, "Is it appropriate for us to continue to pay our bills as of next week? Is it appropriate for government to continue to pay for
[ Page 136 ]
the wages and salaries of our dedicated public servants as of next week?" the answer is yes, and that's exactly what this bill is about today.

J. Horgan: I certainly would want to ensure that the government meets its obligations. I certainly wouldn't want to stand in the way of that, although I do know that there are school boards across British Columbia that will not be able to meet their obligations with respect to facilities upgrades. I do know of cultural organizations and arts groups and others across British Columbia who will not be able to meet their obligations as a result of actions of this government.

I don't think it's unreasonable in that context to ask the minister if he could give me one example of where these funds are going to be expended. I understand they won't be expended on an increase in salaries for paramedics and ambulance workers in British Columbia. Fair enough. But $8 billion…. When I go home and someone in my constituency says, "What are you spending it on?" I'd rather not guess. Maybe the minister could give me one thing. It's pretty easy. Pick one.

Hon. C. Hansen: I won't give the member one thing. I'll give him a whole book of things. If he wants to refer to the main estimates table of February 17, 2009, he will see ministry by ministry what the main estimates were at that time deemed to be covering.

Tomorrow, as I indicated, we'll be tabling new main estimates. They will largely reflect what was tabled on February 17. This bill today allocates 3/12 of the amount that was in the main estimates from last February.

Sections 1 and 2 approved.

Preamble approved.

Title approved.

Hon. C. Hansen: I move that the committee rise and report the bill complete without amendment.

Motion approved.

The committee rose at 2:39 p.m.

The House resumed; Mr. Speaker in the chair.

[1440]

Report and
Third Reading of Bills

Bill 3 — Supply Act (No. 2), 2009

Bill 3, Supply Act (No. 2), 2009, reported complete without amendment, read a third time and passed.

Hon. B. Penner: I call continued debate on the throne speech.

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

N. Simons: I'm once again honoured and privileged to have the responsibility of representing the beautiful constituency of Powell River–Sunshine Coast from Gambier and Keats islands, Langdale up to Lund and beyond to Bute Inlet, Toba Inlet — beautiful natural assets that we all can be proud of in this province, wonderful opportunities for many, many people in this riding.

[L. Reid in the chair.]

I'd like to acknowledge the Sliammon First Nation and the Sechelt First Nation, Chief Clint Williams and Chief Garry Feschuk respectively; directors of the regional districts that do an admirable job of managing the scant resources that they're allocated to conduct the people's business — Colin Palmer, chair, Powell River regional district, and Donna Shugar, chair of the Sunshine Coast regional district.

I'm proud to have one city, one town and one district in my riding as well. It's the only constituency in this province that's entirely ferry-dependent, so we've been impacted by a number of things this government has done in the past.

As is the tradition in the throne speech, we acknowledge people who have passed away, and I'd like to add my condolences to those expressed by His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor on the passing of Chief Viola Wyse of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. She was a strong leader and advocate for child welfare, first nations child welfare in particular, and her community mourns her loss.

Also, I'd like to acknowledge that a couple of tragedies have hit the first nations communities in my constituency in the last couple of months — two unnatural deaths. A young woman in Sliammon passed away some weeks ago, and then just this past weekend a young man lost his life.

It serves to remind me and serves to remind my colleagues of the importance of the work we have to do here to ensure that we can bridge the gaps that exist between communities and attempt to be like the tide and raise all the boats in the harbour. Unfortunately, we've been leaving our first nations brothers and sisters behind repeatedly, despite words to the contrary. Actual successes are too few, and we need to get past the promises and get into actual provision of services.

If that's not successful, I'd like to remind the provincial government of their important role in convincing the federal government of their responsibilities as well. I believe that the federal government has been left off without accountability to our province. Somehow
[ Page 137 ]
our first nations people are being left behind. It's our responsibility to speak on their behalf, despite the fact that many of their regulations and much of their lives depend on the Indian Act and federal legislation. I don't think that gives us the excuse to leave it to the federal government.

The housing conditions, educational outcomes and generally the well-being of our first nations brothers and sisters, our aboriginal brothers and sisters in this province, need the attention of this government with more than just words.

[1445]

I'd like to also acknowledge the passing of a wonderful man on the Sunshine Coast, Don Savien, who spent his life working hard for his community in so many ways. He was a custodian in school district 46. He died suddenly a few weeks ago, and in honouring him I believe we honour those who commit themselves not just in their work but in their other time — for their commitments to their communities and for the value they bring and the richness they add to all our communities.

The throne speech was, in a word, a little depressing. It was not unexpected, but it did capture so much of the frustration of British Columbians when they see a throne speech read in this chamber so soon after the government prided itself on being the best of everything, being the best place to live — just one slogan after another. Six months later the cupboard is bare, and we're looking at service cuts, program cuts, cuts to fundamental elements of our society due to what I consider to be bad management practices.

Many people are saying: "Well, where's the money?" It's not just in the reduction or the lower-than-expected revenue. We had an opportunity. We had an opportunity to invest in the people of British Columbia, to invest in the services that strengthen our communities. We had that opportunity. We had surpluses. We had a crowing government taking full credit for every aspect of our economy that was good, and now they take no responsibility for the mess that we find ourselves in.

I find it very weak to suggest that perhaps this government isn't at all responsible for the mess we're in. But I'll tell you we've had hundreds of schools closed in this province. We've seen reductions in services, in health care in many parts of this province, and denial isn't going to make it right.

We still see a government that's trying to make the public service as weak as possible, eliminate the need for public input, reduce the opportunity for the public to have a say in the public policy that affects them. That's why I consider the throne speech somewhat depressing.

The questions that we need to ask are not necessarily: "How bad is it going to get?" but "What could this government have done had they thought ahead to the winter and not simply played around when they should have been collecting nuts?"

It concerns me because the impact of that mismanagement is felt most strongly by those least able to deal with it. If you're an MLA that reads letters sent to you through e-mail or through the regular mail, then you have heard from seniors living alone in their homes or seniors living in care facilities. Then you've heard from parents of disabled children worried about the most simple of services. Then you've heard from parents of students who are struggling to find their way into post-secondary education.

You may not have heard from the families that are being left at the wayside, the families that are not as capable as others to deal with the stresses put on them by this sinking economy.

[1450]

Just looking around my communities, you can't argue against the longer lineups at the food banks. They are there. You can't argue about the overcapacity of our transition houses. Violence is increasing. You can't argue with the facts as they are evidenced in our communities.

When we see cuts…. Sure, we get the old line that you have difficult decisions to make. Yes, there are difficult decisions to make, and I'm pleased that the minister opposite agrees. It is difficult.

Let me ask that minister, if he wants to talk: how do you explain it to a group of seniors sitting in a room in the basement of a church, talking about how hard it is to look after their spouse who has dementia, who for the first time in their 80-year life is taking antidepressants because they can't handle the stress? How would you tell that senior citizen…

Deputy Speaker: Member, through the Chair.

N. Simons: …that the three hours that they had of respite, when someone would come into the house and allow that person to get a lift to the supermarket…? What do you tell that person when those three hours are cut? Let me ask you that.

Let me ask as well: how do you explain to the 20 senior citizens who twice a month get to have a meal with a friend, because we have volunteer drivers bringing them out to a restaurant? Oh, the seniors will pay for their lunch. They'll pay for the gas. And twice a month, they'll reduce their social isolation — at a cost of $7,500 to the community. That's worth a cut. Three visits to the emergency ward, Madam Speaker, would make up that foolish cut.

Yes, there are tough choices. I don't have a problem with that statement. I have a problem with the choices that are made by this government. It is shortsighted at best, and mean-spirited at worst, to make cuts to social programs that support our seniors, that give them the most basic feeling of importance, that give them a sense of belonging and a sense of being part of a community.

It doesn't help that the regional government has had to cut the handyDART service. You're promoting isola-
[ Page 138 ]
tion among seniors, promoting isolation among young people with developmental disabilities. These are not the areas where British Columbians that I know want to see cuts.

We have a number of areas that have seen dramatic reductions in funding. If the minister believes that it's always a choice about where he would cut versus where I would cut, then his government is reflecting that attitude by making cuts unilaterally without discussion, by making cuts unilaterally without even talking to the people involved in the programs.

They select those individuals to come to them, managers who may not have been on the front line for some time, who say: "Oh, the lunch bunch program in Gibsons…. That sounds just like a social program. Time to cut it."

I challenge that minister to come to the Sunshine Coast and speak to the residents face to face. I don't make this up because I intend to make anyone feel bad, but I do believe that the government responsible for making these cuts must be aware of the impact of those cuts. They can't be recharacterized as funding increases, like they try to do in other areas. These are cuts.

The seniors in my community, like the seniors around this province, deserve some respect. They're not getting that respect from this government.

[1455]

What do you say to a young woman whose mother has terminal lung cancer and is dying at home? We say that we'd like people to have that choice, to be able to end their life in a way that promotes their dignity and independence. It so happens that when people choose to have their life end at home, they are less of a burden on our medical system.

So why would it be that a government, after maybe even thinking about it, cuts a program that allows families to reach a doctor any time of day or night — to reach a doctor who might be able to provide you a bit of advice on why your mom is breathing differently or if there's anything you can do to reduce her pain?

If you read your e-mails, you'll know that there are families out there in this province — this province that they are sworn and that we are sworn to work for…. They're talking about these cuts. These are cuts that cause wounds. They're not superfluous. They're not extra. They didn't just come out of the blue and decide that there should be a coordinator to help seniors get together for lunch. There was a reason for it.

So when you look at the throne speech and see nothing for seniors, you can't help but feel a little bit disheartened that this process — where we're supposed to debate legislation, debate policy and debate practice — results in unilateral decisions of a centralized government. I find that problematic.

I wonder how this government and I wonder how members of that cabinet can justify cutting services to people with mental illness. I wonder how they — you know, difficult decisions — pick on the seniors, pick on people with mental illness, pick on people with developmental disabilities. For each person you're picking on, you're picking on their families. You're increasing the burden that the families bear, unnecessarily. To me, that's a sign of bad government — bad management, bad government.

I know not all the members opposite are responsible for the decisions made in the past. They saw those decisions being made, and they jumped on the same bus anyway. I wonder how they did that in good faith. It's a government — we've seen numerous examples, a significant amount of evidence — that is basing the decisions they make on an ideological framework that says government is bad, that private sector is good and that anything you can do to reduce the former will be better for the latter.

We know. We know. You just check the website. You know who donates to the government party. You can see that there's a lot of money coming from certain sectors, and then you see policies. You can do your own assessment and see where the policies benefit certain groups and don't benefit others. It's not rocket science. It certainly adds to the cynicism people have about politics and politicians.

I resent it when I hear the government making decisions and casting all politicians in the same light. We get e-mails saying, "Dear MLA, you're responsible for the HST," and I just try to make it clear that we weren't the ones that said one thing before an election and then did an entirely different thing. That was this government that did that.

[1500]

They can talk about the '90s. Most of the people here had nothing to do with the policies of that time. You can count on the fact that we don't make promises we're not going to be able to keep. Don't let the actions of this government taint your views on all politicians, because that would just make it all the more depressing.

Another program that was cut, which I found really troubling, was the Premier's Excellence Awards. You know, it was a program that encouraged young students in our province to succeed in their educational pursuits, staying in British Columbia and contributing to the fabric of our community. That was cut without fanfare, without notice. The two students from my constituency who were chosen found out when the website disappeared. Is that good management? It's bad management — no two ways about it. It had been in existence since 1986, the Premier's Excellence scholarship awards — 1986. It has disbursed funds to over 300 British Columbians since then.

In 2005 this government introduced a new category for disabled students — to be commended — but a few short years later, after 20 years of a successful program,
[ Page 139 ]
at the slightest hint that they'd be making cuts everywhere, they cut this one quickly.

The former Minister of Advanced Education said that these students who benefited from the program will strengthen British Columbia's economy. The minister responsible at the time talked in glowing terms about the students, saying that it was important to reward these young people, encourage them to reach their educational goals so they can be future leaders of the province.

You know, when words are spoken like that and then within a couple of short years the entire program disappears, to me, that's sort of a quintessential example of this government's style over substance.

The Premier himself said that his Excellence Awards "recognize young British Columbians" and that the program encourages their "best and brightest students" in B.C. to help "achieve our goal of making the province the best-educated jurisdiction in North America." No, that was the Premier who said that. It's just cheap. It's just cheap words — cheap words to protect health; cheap words to protect education.

We see in the evidence just by what this government has done that they don't do what they say they'll do. In fact, they'll do some things that they say they won't. Either way, there's deceit. I would like to suggest that there are very few in British Columbia who buy the government's argument that everything happened so fast that we weren't aware what was going on. The ten-point action plan to fix the economy way back in September…. It didn't work very well.

One of the elements was restoring the 6:20 ferry sailing from the Sunshine Coast, and we were pleased about it. We were very pleased about it. It was the first recognition that this government had that B.C. Ferries might be part of our highway system, and maybe they needed to be involved. B.C. Ferries is our only way off the Sunshine Coast or off the upper Sunshine Coast. It's the only way in between the Sunshine Coast too.

When you privatize our only method of transportation, certain things will happen. If you have a government that is uninterested in protecting the public interest, they will stand idly by and watch it happen — which is what they did.

[1505]

The people of Gibsons are now facing a $500,000 bill to build a dock next to the existing dock of B.C. Ferries so that people wanting to go to their cabins or their houses on Gambier and Keats Island will use their own dock because B.C. Ferries, after 50 years incident-free, said that they don't want people using their dock anymore. That wouldn't happen if the public interest was protected.

So the people of Sunshine Coast will have to bear an extra burden due to public policy. We don't see government stepping in to say: "Continue to use that dock as you have for 50 years without incident." Instead they say: "You better build another dock."

We have learned that our antiviolence programs on the Sunshine Coast, Powell River, are being trimmed, and to me, it's just yet another example of what you shouldn't be doing when the economy is tanking, and that is, removing the supports that kept vulnerable families from disintegrating.

As a former child protection social worker, I can tell you — my colleagues can tell you — that over 95 percent of the calls we get have something to do with poverty. When we see poverty increasing, we know that there are going to be numerous calls to the ministry that will add a burden to them. So if we remove our antiviolence programs, we're creating a deficit. We're creating a deficit for future generations.

Now, this government will talk endlessly about their deficits or not having…. This government passed a law saying: "No deficits allowed in our budget." Then when there was going to be a deficit, they changed the law to say: "We're allowed a deficit for two years." And when they realized it was going to be four years, they changed the law again — changed it to four years.

It's like playing a game with your little sister if you feel like cheating. "Oh no, that's the rule now." You know: "Oh no, that's the rule now." Yeah. "No, I can hit it twice" or "Four strikes" or "Five strikes." It just cheapens the entire process.

It's fine to have legislation that's supposed to make a statement, but I don't think the people of British Columbia are being fooled, really. It's a government that tends to focus a lot on public relations while, at the same time, neglecting the public interest.

You know, cutting the arts is another one of those areas that just makes me shake my head. My eyes are tired of rolling. In the past few weeks we've heard such announcements, to make you think that once again arts and culture are some sort of a frill in our community. We have to make sure we don't undercut the artists that make our communities worth living in. They're the ones who perform on stage or work in our restaurants, depending on their level of success. I just think it's very shortsighted to make a difficult life more difficult for British Columbians.

There's so much. It's almost like a smorgasbord of issues that this government is neglecting. It's very difficult to be able to summarize it in a few short words. But I would urge this government and cabinet to take their responsibility seriously and not be afraid of consultation, not be afraid of engaging in discussions with people providing services, to find out if cutting programs like the Nobody's Perfect program for isolated parents is really a good choice.

I know that when I implemented the Nobody's Perfect program, we reduced the number of apprehensions significantly. If you can avoid a conflict in the child welfare
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system by a less expensive, friendlier program, you're doing well.

[1510]

I'm sure there are colleagues of mine on the other side of the House who understand the importance of preventative programs not just in health but in social services as well. If we decide that it's too difficult to plan too far ahead or you don't get the accolades from planning far enough ahead, then we just won't do it. I think British Columbians are ready for something entirely different.

With that, Madam Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.

Hon. J. Yap: Madam Speaker, hon. Members and fellow British Columbians, it's a great honour and a privilege to be recognized and to speak in this House in response to the Speech from the Throne.

I'd like to begin first to express my thanks, especially to a few people who are instrumental to my being an elected representative. I want to start off with thanking the people of the great constituency of Richmond-Steveston for their confidence, their trust and the support that they have given to me in re-electing me as their MLA.

I want to thank my campaign team members led by Nicole Hamilton, Matt Pitcairn and Mark Douglas, three up-and-coming British Columbians who were an awesome triumvirate of grass-roots election campaign leadership.

Also, my thanks to Michael Chu and John Taggart for their loyal friendship and enthusiastic support as members of my constituency riding executive. Of course, I thank my family: my wife, Suzanne, for her patience and loving support and my daughter Lisa, and son Michael, for their love and support. To them I say thank you for allowing me to spend precious time away from family to serve the people of Richmond-Steveston and British Columbia.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my constituency assistants Paige Robertson, PoWah Ng and Christiana Wu for their support and service. They are my presence in Richmond-Steveston whenever I'm in Victoria, and they do a great job serving our constituents.

Richmond-Steveston, as you know, Madam Speaker, is a special place. From its humble beginnings as a fishing village over 100 years ago to the vibrant, cosmopolitan community and tourist destination that it is today, Steveston has a special place in the past history and is well positioned for the future of our province.

The commercial fishing fleet, still based in Steveston, is still one of the largest on the west coast. While the wild fishery has not seen its best days in many years, we have not forgotten as a community where we have come from. We celebrate our heritage and our history as the hub of commerce centred on fishing and fish canning.

Just yesterday, in fact, my community came together to celebrate the official opening of the Steveston legacy project. Thanks to $200,000 in funding from the province's BC150 program, we unveiled a life-sized bronze sculpture depicting three fishing-industry workers circa 1930 in front of the Gulf of Georgia cannery, a national historic site.

I'm proud that this government did so much this past year to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Crown Colony of British Columbia in 1858 through the BC150 program. As part of the year-long celebration of this great milestone in our province's history, we funded programs like the B.C. Spirit Squares, local museums and the arts, school programs and new exhibitions creating legacies for generations to enjoy.

I'm particularly proud of the significant difference this program, the BC150 program, has made in the communities it touched and of the boost it has given local artists — local artists like Norm Williams, a graduate of Steveston high school. He is a sculptor who conceived, designed and created the Steveston legacy project, and his sculpture that we unveiled just yesterday will be a focal point for our community and a must-see destination for generations to come for visitors to Steveston.

[1515]

While celebrating the past in Steveston, we also take an active role in building the future of British Columbia and Canada. In this regard, I'm looking forward to the official opening of Steveston London Secondary School on October 16. It is perhaps unusual to officially open a school after it has been operating for two years, but that is what we are going to do.

Steveston London Secondary is worth celebrating. This is my community's newest secondary school, bringing together two successful schools, Steveston Secondary School and London Secondary School, to create a new school which will serve as a great model for all future schools.

The new Steveston London Secondary School is an environmentally green facility. It is expected to be one of the first LEED gold-rated public school buildings in Canada. As such, it uses such innovations as building materials with recycled content, a high degree of wood in its construction and a geothermal energy system. Moreover, the Richmond board of education sustainability team will be based out of Steveston London in a purpose-built facility on the school grounds.

By modelling a lower carbon footprint, Steveston London will help lead the way in sustainability and in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It will be uniquely positioned to teach students about sustainability, preparing them for the greener, new, lower carbon future.

The outstanding environmental success story of Steveston London Secondary is something very important to me. I am making this statement in my new role as Minister of State for Climate Action. The creation of this
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new ministerial post for climate action shows that this government continues to put a high priority on reducing our province's carbon footprint.

As Minister of State, I will be working closely with the Premier, the Environment Minister and across government. I am charged with making sure that British Columbia deals with climate change head-on and that our province takes advantage of the opportunities that the new green economy will give us. And as the throne speech indicated, climate change is not just a challenge; it is an opportunity.

Before I talk about the future of climate change in this province, I'd like to briefly look at what we've achieved so far. We have come a long way in a short time. Following on the heels of the 2007 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the huge success of Vice-President Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth, climate change became fully formed in the public consciousness. That's why in 2007 in the throne speech this government outlined a bold vision for responding to climate change. It's a vision that sustains our climate change work today.

Many will probably already know that our government is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from 2007 levels by 33 percent by the year 2020 and by 80 percent by the year 2050. We are serious about reaching these goals, serious enough that we've entrenched them into law with the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act. To meet these long-term goals, we've set two interim targets to use as measuring sticks. The first is to reduce GHGs by 6 percent by 2012 and 18 percent by 2016, both below 2007 levels.

To reach these goals, we have been at the very forefront in North America on acting on climate change. We have been pioneers in Canada in introducing a revenue-neutral carbon levy. This levy puts a price on carbon emissions from the consumption of fossil fuels and sends a clear price signal throughout the economy.

Everyone in B.C. knows about the opening two weeks ago of the Canada line. I know that my colleague from Richmond Centre is very proud of this accomplishment and has already spoken about it more than once in this House. The Canada line links downtown Vancouver to Richmond and the YVR Vancouver International Airport. Not only did we open the Canada line ahead of schedule and on budget, but we employed thousands of British Columbians with this investment.

[1520]

We're also taking tens of thousands of tons of GHG emissions out of the atmosphere with the Canada line. All of the visitors to B.C. now, in 2010 and beyond will see a province that is serious about giving people low carbon alternatives. This government's $14 billion transit plan will give British Columbians many alternatives to get out of their cars. There are plans for three more rapid transit lines, rapid bus services in all of B.C.'s major centres as well as investments in cycling and clean energy buses provincewide.

I'm proud to restate for all the hon. members that our public service will be the first in North America to be carbon-neutral. That means that by 2010 every person who attends school, visits a government office or goes to the hospital will know that they are in a carbon-neutral facility.

We're also working with local governments so that they, too, will become carbon-neutral. We are on track to hit our goal of carbon neutrality for local governments by 2012. I can tell you we are on track because we have 175 out of 183 local governments that have signed on to the climate action charter and are on their way to becoming low carbon communities.

To develop the carbon offset market here in B.C., the province has created the Pacific Carbon Trust. This Crown corporation will deliver quality cost-effective offsets to anyone or any organization who wants to be environmentally responsible and to become carbon-neutral. Buying offsets in B.C. will create a new offset market and will also steer money to B.C. companies who are finding low carbon opportunities.

As you can see, we have momentum behind our climate change agenda, and the throne speech shows that we are going to continue acting on the momentum behind this agenda. Being a clean energy powerhouse and being a climate action leader are synonymous. By building up our capacity in run-of-river hydro, wind, tidal, solar, geothermal, bioenergy and biomass, we are not only creating jobs in British Columbia, but we are also displacing fossil fuel use and lowering our GHG emissions.

B.C. has enormous natural resources under its stewardship. These resources represent an immense potential for developing a renewable energy market. We want that market to be homegrown, and we want it to be an example to the world of how we can power our lives, our businesses and our communities with clean green power. Investing today in these types of projects means that B.C. is ahead of the curve in transitioning to lower carbon energy sources.

That transition is underway. We have set aside $25 million annually with the innovative clean energy fund to spur the development of the green technology market. These funds will help clean energy entrepreneurs show that renewable sources can be commercially viable. With the right mix of innovation, entrepreneurship and government support, low carbon renewable energy sources can be the future success stories for any community in B.C.

We all know the importance of the forest sector to our province. It's a sector that is in hard times, but it is looking for ways to adapt to the turbulence of global markets. The province has immense tracts of forests under its stewardship. They represent an enormous opportun-
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ity in a low carbon energy world. We want to use these value-added wood products as bioenergy inputs so that we can turn waste from one industry into fuel for another.

Tightening these energy supply lines means keeping the forest sector vital and making full use of the energy potential in our natural resources. This is why we've also established the $25 million bioenergy network. The network will work with forestry, agriculture and the tech sector to make sure we are getting the most out of our timber while using low carbon content fuels.

[C. Trevena in the chair.]

It is this type of cross-cutting work that we have been very successful at here in this province. Building the capacity to deal with climate change is something that B.C. has been very successful at, and it's something that we intend to continue doing.

[1525]

We will do that through our roles in national and international bodies working on developing a cap-and-trade system. Currently, B.C. is co-chair of the western climate initiative, and we are chair of the International Carbon Action Partnership. Both of these bodies present us the opportunity to have B.C. shape the discussions of what the emerging economy will look like under a cap-and-trade system. As we can see with the interest shown by the Obama administration in the U.S., cap-and-trade has a lot of currency south of the border.

The throne speech lays out a bold vision for confronting climate change and capitalizing on the challenges it brings. We are faced also with another significant challenge, the challenge of getting British Columbia through the most serious recession we have seen in 27 years and making sure that B.C. comes through stronger than ever.

There is no doubt that these are tough economic times, and British Columbians are concerned about their jobs, their prospects and how we can get through these times. During the election campaign I clearly heard from my constituents that the economy is their number one concern.

I heard this when I went from door to door in Richmond-Steveston. Each time I would assure constituents that the B.C. Liberal government would continue to make the economy the priority, and our team would keep B.C.'s economy strong. That is what the harmonized sales tax is about — keeping B.C.'s economy strong.

My government's decision to harmonize the provincial sales tax with the federal goods and services tax to create the HST is about improving productivity, about attracting investment, about economic growth and about creating jobs that will strengthen communities, especially those that are more deeply affected by this recession. The move to HST is the single most important economic policy change that government can effect at this time.

I had the privilege to serve as a member of the Finance and Government Services legislative committee during the last parliament. At prebudget consultations our committee heard from business leaders and expert advocates about the economic benefits of a harmonized sales tax. We heard about how the PST has become a drag on productivity — complicated and expensive to administer. We heard about how most modern industrialized economies have moved to a value-added sales tax, which is what the HST will be.

The Finance Minister has spoken clearly as to the reasons for why now is the right time for harmonizing the PST with the GST. Three key reasons resonate for me.

Firstly, Canada's largest province, Ontario, is going to HST in 2010. For British Columbia to not follow suit would mean a competitive disadvantage. In fact, Ontario will have an HST of 13 percent while B.C.'s will be 12 percent, the lowest in the country.

Secondly, the federal government provided more flexible terms for B.C. in dealing with rebates to effectively exempt goods from the HST.

Thirdly, Canada offered transition funding of $1.6 billion to recognize the value of B.C.'s increased productivity with the move to HST. These funds will help us preserve the important programs which British Columbians rely on, programs like health care, education and key social programs.

Here is what business leaders have to say about the move to HST. John Winter, B.C. Chamber of Commerce: "This measure saves business money and reduces government expenditures while providing protection for those on low incomes. In addition to these savings, the consumer will also be a winner, as business will pass the savings they make, such as $150 million annually in compliance costs alone, onto the consumer in the form of lower prices."

From the Retail Council of Canada, Diane Brisebois says: "Harmonization will result in a simpler and more efficient tax system for B.C. businesses. This will help smaller retailers in particular, who find administering two separate tax systems difficult and costly."

Another quote from Richard Rees of the Chartered Accountants of B.C., who says:

Harmonization will reduce compliance costs for businesses, save consumers money, maintain the province's competitive position within Canada, reduce barriers to doing business interprovincially, improve productivity and reduce administrative costs for government. We have been calling for harmonization for several years. Given the current economic climate and Ontario's recent move to harmonization, there is no better time than now to take this important step.

[1530]

The move to HST will benefit not just business but all British Columbians through a stronger economy, invest-
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ment and job growth. I can assure you that I know the move to an HST is far from the most popular decision this government has ever made, but for the reasons I've outlined, I'm convinced that it is the right decision.

As we heard in the throne speech, the people of B.C. spoke clearly on May 12 and made it known that they want a government that will live within its means, provide stability for the economy, and improve and protect vital services. To do this, we have to make difficult decisions, and this requires the responsibility and maturity to do what is right and not always what is popular. I am very proud to be part of a team and to have a Premier who understands this.

I am proud also to be from a city that, as mentioned by the hon. member for Richmond Centre, has its best days ahead. It can be said that Richmond is probably the most Asia-Pacific-connected city in the province of B.C. About half of my constituents have roots in the Asia-Pacific, many do business there, and most have some familial or cultural ties.

The throne speech refers to the establishment of an Asia-Pacific gateway authority which will help further develop trade with the Asia-Pacific region by encouraging better access to the northern corridor of our province. I look forward to the support of the federal government in this endeavour. It will mean more investment, more economic growth and jobs for B.C.

In 165 days the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games will begin in British Columbia. The 2010 games will be our time, B.C.'s time, to shine. Not only will British Columbian and Canadian athletes have their chance to compete for gold in front of the home crowd, we have the unparalleled opportunity to share with the world our great communities, our accomplishments and what we have to offer.

During the games 8,000 athletes, coaches, officials and other team members will come to British Columbia, 10,000 journalists will come to British Columbia, and 250,000 visitors from around the world will come to British Columbia and spend time right here. The games will bring to B.C. a worldwide audience of three billion television viewers.

Between now and the 2010 games, $1 million a day is flowing into British Columbia. What a timely economic stimulus the games are for our province.

Excitement is building in my city, Richmond, as we count down to the 2010 games. Richmond is a venue city with the magnificent Olympic oval hosting long-track speed skating. The oval has been in operation for eight months and has already hosted a number of elite-level speed skating events and many other sporting and community events, thanks to the efforts of the city of Richmond and the many community groups — for example, Richmond Spirit of B.C. Committee.

As Minister of State for Climate Action, I am very proud that the 2010 games will be one of the greenest and sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Games ever held.

The throne speech makes it clear where we have to go when it comes to our climate action agenda. We know that the costs of inaction far outweigh the costs of action, when it comes to climate change. We also know that the challenges of climate change aren't going away, but the throne speech points out the many opportunities to innovate, to adapt and, ultimately, to effect positive change.

We will capitalize on these opportunities by continuing to be leaders in North America on climate action. In doing so, I echo the throne speech in stating that B.C.'s competitive advantage will continue by innovating, adapting and developing new markets. We will be stimulating industry and employment with these new investments, and we will be putting B.C. in the vanguard of the low carbon economy of the future.

[1535]

K. Corrigan: It's an honour to be here today as the first representative of the new provincial constituency of Burnaby–Deer Lake, formerly Burnaby-Willingdon, and it's a great honour to be here as a New Democrat.

My riding extends from Boundary Road on the west to Highway 1 in the east, from Imperial in the south to Canada Way and Deer Lake Parkway in the north. It's a very diverse constituency in many ways. We are about 52,500 people, 42,000 of which are Canadian citizens.

When I was campaigning, I ran into many people who were not eligible to vote yet because they are not Canadian citizens. So we are a community of newcomers and ethnic diversity.

Almost two-thirds of my constituents are visible minorities and around 40 percent are Chinese. We also have South Asian, Korean, Filipino, English, Italian, German, Serbian, Scottish, Japanese, Iranian, Russian and Portuguese backgrounds, and I'm sure I've missed some others.

Only one in three of my constituents' mother tongue is English. It makes for an amazing community with residents whose family history includes tales of logging businesses into the 1800s, living next to neighbours who have only recently made the life-changing decision to uproot themselves and start a new life in Canada and Burnaby.

It is where my friend Angel and her son Paul Chang can take me to exercise class in Central Park in the morning; where I can go to the Portuguese senior centre for a delicious lunch on Friday and any number of Chinese, Korean, South Asian, Greek or Italian restaurants for dinner; where I can attend a potlatch; or where I can glimpse life as it was for early Europeans settlers with a visit to Burnaby Village Museum.

We are a community of mosques and churches and temples. Door-knocking is a surprising adventure each and every day.
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Burnaby–Deer Lake is also very economically diverse. A significant proportion of residents live at or below the poverty line, but the riding also includes the beautiful neighbourhood of Buckingham, with some of the most expensive homes in Metro Vancouver.

There are many other well-established single family neighbourhoods, like Cascade Heights and Garden Village in the Kingsway-Imperial neighbourhood area. The riding also includes Metrotown, which itself is very diverse, with a good supply of rental apartments and affordable housing that our city wants to protect.

Many of my constituents also own condos, including a relatively new trend where an increasing number of families with young children have chosen apartment living. In B.C. generally, seven out of ten homes are owned and three out of ten are rented. In Burnaby–Deer Lake almost half of housing consists of rental properties. About two-thirds of my constituents live in apartment buildings.

Many longtime residents, often seniors, are afraid they're going to lose their homes as perfectly good apartment buildings are either torn down or converted to condos, and many of my constituents are finding it increasingly difficult to access affordable apartments. Despite vigorous efforts by the city of Burnaby, the stock of social housing just can't keep up.

The city of Burnaby has asked that it be given zoning power to protect against conversions to condos, but it has been turned down by the Liberal government.

While the city of Burnaby includes many areas which are densely populated, we are also very proud that 25 percent of the city is parkland. In Burnaby–Deer Lake we are fortunate to have Central Park, which is close to my home; the stunning Deer Lake Park, where I often walk my dog Rusty; as well as dozens of other smaller community parks.

I would like to take a moment to thank a few people for their support. I'd like to thank the great team in Burnaby–Deer Lake that helped me get elected, including my good friend and colleague-cum-campaign-manager, Roseanne Moran.

I'd also like to thank the amazing and wonderful Carol Ribiere, in addition to all the countless many others who spent countless hours working on my campaign and who generously donated to it.

I'd like to thank my constituency president, Dave Myles, for all his support and hard work; Lorraine Shore, my riding treasurer, who also took on the task of being my financial agent; and thanks to everyone who worked hard to help get me elected and who work hard for the constituency. Thank you not just for your contribution but for the laughs we have had in the constituency and campaign.

[1540]

I also want to thank my colleague Raj Chouhan, who continues to work closely with me and has….

Deputy Speaker: Member. Can I just remind you, Member, that you don't use names.

K. Corrigan: The member for Burnaby-Edmonds has been kind enough to share not only to share his constituency office, but also his CA, the incomparable Cate Jones.

I want to thank my dear husband, Derek Corrigan, mayor of Burnaby and my best friend, for his support. He is a man with a stunning mind, personal strength, integrity, great creativity and vision. We are fortunate in Burnaby that he has chosen to devote much of his life to the development and betterment of our community. I'm sorry. I wish he was here today, but he's arranging a family funeral.

Derek and I met many years ago at UBC law school and have been married for 33 years. We moved to Burnaby in 1977 and raised our four wonderful children — Sean, Darcy, Patrick and Kelsey — in Burnaby, where they all went to Nelson Elementary School, then Burnaby South Secondary School. I love and am very proud of all four of them.

I also want to recognize Derek's mother, Vivian Gibbons, who has also not only been a tremendous support for me in raising children but a dear friend. Derek says she always takes my side, and that's generally true. And my own mom, Marguerite Henry, who has recently come to live in Burnaby. Mom, I love you.

After practising law for a short time, I went on maternity leave. With having four children, I kind of forgot to go back to work for many years. I was lucky to be married to a man who made a good income, so we could afford to have me stay at home. Most in my riding and throughout B.C. are not that fortunate and struggle each and every day just trying to make ends meet in raising a family. It's to that average family that makes up most of this province that I dedicate myself over the next four years.

I spent about 18 years at home raising my family. It was during those years that I learned the value of community, that it is the health, the life, the strength, the warmth, the support, the familiarity, the textures of our local community that nurture us as individuals, as families, as neighbourhoods.

I think that is the crux of the difference between those of us on this side of the House and those on the other side. We get it that healthy individuals and healthy communities are the strength of this province and that every decision should be looked at not only as a fiscal choice but through the lens of the impact it is going to have on the health of the communities that make up this great province.

Just as important as ruptured economies are ruptured communities, and there are wounded communities across British Columbia. When I volunteered for years in the local parent participation preschool and then ele-
[ Page 145 ]
mentary and high school; when I coached ringette for the Burnaby New West Ringette Association, ran hockey tournaments or was a parent volunteer for the Burnaby Minor Hockey Association; when Derek coached lacrosse and soccer; when we spent those countless hours driving our children and others to water polo practices, swim meets, piano lessons; when our house was grand central station for the kids in the neighbourhood, we weren't just investing in our children's futures. We were investing in the health of our community.

This is the lifeblood of communities — the support and the caring that we provide to each other. Members on the other side of this House sometimes profess those values. They may live them in their personal lives, but they do not act on them in the way they have governed over the past eight years.

I don't think I ever would have become involved in politics if my husband, Derek, had not led the way. Like most people, it probably never would have occurred to me to go into politics, but it ended up being a natural progression from volunteering in my community, particularly in the schools, to running for the school board. I was very honoured and certainly enjoyed my nine years on the board, including the last two as chair of the Burnaby school board.

I have to give great kudos to the Burnaby school district. For almost 25 years the majority of seats on the Burnaby school board, now called the board of education, have been held by the NDP-affiliated Burnaby Citizens Association — 25 years of good, stable, sensible, effective, fiscally responsible and efficient NDP leadership.

Last year we had our biannual provincial review. The team was, frankly, awed by the Burnaby school district and said that we were a leading-edge district both provincially and internationally. I give great credit not only to the strong political leadership but, most importantly, to the amazing staff, who appreciated and thrived in an atmosphere of support and stability.

[1545]

While there was often no discussion on future directions with the provincial government, and we never knew what change was going to be imposed on us next, it was the local innovation, the excellence of our district staff, administrators, teachers, support staff, parents and students themselves that made and makes our provincial education system so strong. It was school districts working with each other that improved public education and strengthened public education.

There are obviously some very strong people at the provincial level, staff at the provincial level, but all too often programs or policies would be imposed without any collaboration or consultation. More often than not this leads not only to resentment and resistance but to bad policies. I often said we would do just fine if the provincial government would just get out of the way and let us get on with doing our jobs.

It is absolutely critical that we continue to support public education. We cannot tolerate erosion of our public school system, and we must not bleed resources from the public system to the private system, because if we lose the middle class of this province to private schools, if people believe that private schools are going to better serve their children, they will leave, and that is not fair.

There cannot be two tiers of education in this province or any province in this country. The playing field has to be even, and our public education system does do an amazing job. In fact, UBC science, the science department, tracks the performance of public school graduates as compared to private school graduates in university, and consistently and continually, public school graduates achieve higher marks at the university. So we must fiercely defend and protect this great public education system.

I want to speak a bit about last week's elimination of the annual facilities grant as absolutely typical of how this government operates. We apparently have a new minister that is fitting in quite comfortably with the Liberal way of doing things. The member directed that a letter go out advising boards that the annual facilities grant is eliminated.

Boards have been receiving the annual facilities grant since 1988. It's used for things like re-roofing schools, installing playgrounds for kids, refinishing gym floors and making schools more energy-efficient. Typically, we receive the grants in the spring, or early summer at the latest.

For the Burnaby school district the amount of funding would have been $4.3 million this year. The money was targeted for projects like reconfiguring the parking lot at Cascade school, where the parents had been concerned about significant traffic problems, and for a field installation at Marlborough school, where the parents raised well more than $50,000 as a contribution towards that project.

Obviously, it makes sense to do the bulk of this work in the summertime, and in order to properly plan and get the best prices on contracts, districts tender the contracts as early as possible — January or February. The commitment for the money comes in the spring and has generally been paid as an advance so that the work can go ahead at the appropriate time.

Districts count on and plan for that money. Many districts have it all spent or committed by March or April. It is included in our budgeting process in the spring. It is ludicrous to be told at the end of August that the money is simply not coming. It is bad management, and it's bad planning.

I want to point out how misleading the minister was. The letter to school boards said that $98.6 million of this funding was not spent by the end of the fiscal year, suggesting that there is a surplus. This is playing very
[ Page 146 ]
loosely with the facts. The money is advanced at the end of the fiscal year for work to be done in the summer. It isn't a surplus. It's simply sitting in the bank for a couple of months or a couple of weeks till the bills have to be paid. How cynical to suggest that an advance payment for work to be done in the next few months is surplus.

Here's an even more disturbing aspect to this. I said earlier that we typically received the money in spring. Recently we've been told somehow by the straight-faced Finance Minister that they didn't know the state of our finances in the spring during an election. If that is the case, if there was apparently no problem, then why was this facilities grant not released in the spring, as it always was? The answer, of course, is that they didn't release the money because they knew the state of the province's book.

They knew they were not ever going to fund the annual facilities grant, and they knew it would send districts into planning disarray after the election. What a shoddy way to treat your educational partners and the citizens of this province.

[1550]

As an aside to this, many of the people in Burnaby–Deer Lake who supported me partly supported me because of another example of the Liberal government acting arrogantly, deceitfully and high-handedly.

Last August the Solicitor General announced that a remand prison was going to be built on the Willingdon lands in Burnaby and that there would be consultation about it. Sometime later, as opposition boiled up in the community, with people like the PAC — the parent advisory committee — at Cascade Elementary School, led by people like Ivy Yu….

The government produced a glossy brochure that said there would be no other site considered and no consultation because a comprehensive review had determined there was no other viable location for the prison. We now know that this oft-repeated statement was simply fiction and that no such study had been done.

There is no time to go into the number of misrepresentations and half-truths I heard over the next several months, particularly during the election period. Here was a tremendously visible example of the way this government does its business — steamrolling over communities, not consulting with communities and being factually misleading.

If the Liberal way of doing business had been exposed to the people of this province prior to the election on issues like the HST or the actual size of the deficit or the plans to slash services the way it was with the prison in Burnaby–Deer Lake, we would have had a different government right now.

Shortly after I was elected to school board, I was also very fortunate to come back into the workforce as a researcher for the Canadian Union of Public Employees. I want to thank the president, Barry O'Neill; my good friend Colleen Jordan; Mark Hancock; Sharon Prescott and my colleagues in the research department at CUPE; and all my other friends and colleagues at CUPE and at the Hospital Employees Union.

CUPE is a great union, and I am proud of the work that we have done. And thank you to all of you in the union movement who devote your lives to protecting and improving the lives of working men and women in B.C. and across Canada.

Noam Chomsky said that labour unions are the leading force for democratization and progress, and frankly, I think that's why the Liberal government hates unions. It's not about costs. De-unionizing the province or squishing unions like a bug, to quote one of the Liberal transition team, is about getting rid of a strong voice for democracy and fairness and social justice.

It's a threat to the Liberal plan to make the rich richer and to abandon the average person. It's about getting rid of those that oppose the wholesale privatization and selling off the public assets that our parents and grandparents worked so hard to build. That's what getting rid of unions and other progressive voices in this province is really about. It's about getting rid of people who point out that there is a connection between, year after year, having the highest child poverty rate in Canada and not increasing the minimum wage for eight years.

But I believe we can do things to support the average person and support a robust economy at the same time. The Burnaby Board of Trade is a stellar example of an organization that represents its members' business interests but at the same time recognizes that in order to be attractive to business, you must have a healthy community as well.

A while ago UBC President Stephen Toope put together a meeting at city hall in Burnaby with representation from the university, from the city of Burnaby, from the board of education and from the board of trade. He commented about how we all knew each other so well and how we obviously worked so well together — and we do.

The Burnaby school board works closely and cooperatively with the city on projects, on shaping our community. It makes us a more effective community. We all work closely with the board of trade to talk about how we can best serve each other. This is not rocket science. It's how government should be run.

In fact, the city of Burnaby, a city with a local government dominated for more than 20 years by an NDP-affiliated civic party, the BCA, in July was named the best-run city in Canada. "Lean, debt-free and offering great public services, Burnaby is a model for the country." That is the headline in last month's Maclean's magazine story naming the city of Burnaby the best-run city in Canada, after undertaking an extensive survey of 31 cities across the country. According to the survey, Burnaby scored at or near the top in areas like environmental health, recreation and culture, and economic development.

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Maclean's also noted that its overall cost of government, $148 per person, is substantially below the $235 national average. As an aside, Burnaby has determined that it is more effective to provide services in-house rather than privatizing them, and they apparently seem to know.

The Maclean's article notes that spending on economic development initiatives is also modest, "yet it has reaped an A-list of knowledge-based industry giants, including Telus and video game–maker Electronic Arts" and that:

"Members of the region's development community heaped praise on Burnaby's planning department this year, rating it as the best in the Lower Mainland, 'based on competence and ethical professionalism.'

"While many Canadian citizens are hamstrung by borrowing costs, Burnaby is not only debt-free, it sits on $633 million in financial reserves and a municipal land bank worth hundreds of millions more."

Again quoting the article, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan said: "We always save for what we're going to buy." He said: "If we buy a fire truck, we immediately start saving for the next one."

In Burnaby local government is about balance, stability, continuity, collaborative spirit and consultation, qualities that I do not see in this government. Burnaby isn't slashing services even during the tough economic times. It is continuing to provide great government — good NDP government.

The Liberal provincial government has had eight years to diversify the economy, eight years to address the needs of all of its citizens, eight years to create an atmosphere of respect for local government, an atmosphere of cooperation for all its citizens. Instead, it has created chaos because of its inability to innovate and diversify and because of its confrontational and condescending attitudes towards local governments.

We shouldn't be facing cuts of excellence scholarships for our best and brightest young students. We shouldn't be pulling the rug out from under organizations like Burnaby Family Life and the South Burnaby Neighbourhood House and the countless other organizations that provide social and other services to people in Burnaby.

It's outrageous that programs like the seniors wellness program — which, for a few dollars a month, keeps seniors healthy in my community — are in jeopardy. It's all about planning. It's all about priorities. It's about strong management, and it's about what you care about. I care about my community and communities across this province, and I and my NDP colleagues will continue to fight for those communities.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

I would like to remind all members that they are to be in their seats when they're speaking. If they're going to be heckling, they should also be in their seats.

Hon. K. Krueger: Thank you, my friends, and thank you, Madam Speaker. Congratulations on your recent appointment. It looks good on you.

I think I'll just mention that the members on the other side…. A whole bunch of them were sitting in the wrong chairs just then. We let a lot of things go during maiden speeches, but some of the things that were just said we can't let go, and I'll be addressing those.

I do want to follow the course of the throne speech itself as I respond to it. I am always touched by the reference to great British Columbians who have ended their lives, sometimes through accident, sometimes through natural means — people who have died after the last throne speech and before the one that we're addressing.

There was one from Kamloops that is mentioned in the third paragraph of the throne speech, an absolutely wonderful man, David Ross. He was a pillar of our arts community.

I have beside me here — he's doing me a favour, sitting down with me — the former mayor of Kamloops and now the member for Kamloops–North Thompson, a name which is very dear to my heart, and so is he. He's a wonderful person to have run with and to be elected with.

The member for Kamloops–North Thompson and I knew David Ross well and loved him, love his theatre company, love our community where we have the Kamloops Symphony orchestra, Western Canada Theatre, Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops Interior Summer School of Music, Tournament Capital of Canada — all the facilities to back it up.

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Right across the spectrum, we have a community that anybody would be happy to live and work and play in, raise their families in, and that's what doctors tell us when they come to Kamloops and the Thompson valleys, from across the country and around the world — that we've got all the attributes of a big city but none of the problems. A very low crime rate, an RCMP detachment that works like a well-oiled machine, and everybody focuses on the few bad guys in town and keeps such a clamp on them that they, hopefully, turn to more honest ways of making a living, Wonderful health services. A wonderful volunteer force. We stage huge events in Kamloops like the 1993 Canada Games and the Brier, and always we have more volunteers than we need to bring them on. We're so proud of our community.

I was glad, too, that the throne speech referred to the heroic efforts of our firefighters in the forests this past season — well, this ongoing season. The Minister of Forests sits to my left in this House, and I know he has publicly commended them, publicly honoured pilot Robert Woodhead who lost his life flying a firefighting helicopter. The throne speech names him as well. They take that risk every day. Like the heroes of 9/11, they go out and do whatever it takes to get the job done, and sometimes they lay down their lives.
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I'm so pleased with the emphasis in the throne speech on our children and grandchildren who are inheriting this wonderful province and these wonderful communities. I feel every bit the pride in Kamloops that the member who spoke before me feels in Burnaby. We're proud of our cities, proud of our communities, and we're getting everything ready for our children and our grandchildren.

I think about grandchildren a lot now that I have seven of them. The oldest turned seven years old today — so seven, seven and under. Sydney is her name. Then there are Marcus and Noah and Austin and Linden, Ava and Samuel. I love them all dearly, and I feel like they can be anything they want to be. They are so amazingly different in spite of coming from the same gene pool. My wife and I met when we were teenagers. We will be 35 years married in February. You just look at all these little people and think God is so good, and we live in such a wonderful place. We're so thrilled with them.

None of us, as the throne speech says, has ever seen a worldwide recession like the one we're in right now — none of us in this chamber. There are people with us — actually, one of them could have been in this chamber — who still do remember the Great Depression.

We had our former Harvard professor, a PhD economist, speak in this chamber recently. He's a man to be listened to. He actually does remember the Great Depression. But the rest of us haven't seen anything like this before, and it's really grim for a lot of people. We were the last jurisdiction that I know of drawn into the terrible whirlpool of this worldwide recession, and I believe that we'll be the first out of it. The reason is the sound fiscal platform that was built by this government, in spite of what the members on the opposite side often say.

We have determined that one of the ways to get out of the morass that British Columbia was in through the dark decade of the '90s was to cut income taxes and cut them dramatically. We believed that the effect of that would be having left more money in the pockets and bank accounts of the people and businesses who earned it. People would spend those dollars in ways that make a lot more sense than how governments often spend taxpayers' dollars, and it would lead to job creation and confidence and a new era of hope and prosperity and opportunity. We put that in our election brochures, and British Columbians took it to the bank, and it was the truth.

On the first day the cabinet sat in 2001, the cabinet decided to go for the goal that was going to be a couple years down the road and actually cut income taxes to the lowest in Canada for the bottom two income tax brackets then and there — the very first day. We followed that tax-cutting behaviour, that drive, and we've cut taxes over 104 different times. We also kept our promise to cut red tape and unnecessary regulation.

We had aimed for a third of the regulation in three years. We beat that goal, and when I was the Minister for Regulatory Reform, we had reached, I believe, 42.83 percent of the regulations that had been dispensed with, while maintaining an excellent environmental record and always driving to achieve our five great goals. One of them, of course, is the best water purity and management, bar none.

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So all of those things we did to try and get the economy of British Columbia out of the swamp. We'd seen it sadly through the '90s go very early, once the NDP were elected, from the best-performing economy in the country to the worst. It languished there, and it got worse and worse. The second half of the '90s was much more terrible than the first half, because a lot of people just gave up and left British Columbia — moved away. Our biggest export was our youth. Many of them moved to other jurisdictions, especially Alberta, and they stayed there. They're raising their families there, and it's a shame.

We look at this situation that has shaped up around the world and the way it's finally drawn us in, and I like the throne speech's commitment that we will dedicate our efforts to improving B.C. families' prospects and economic circumstances. We will, we are, and we have.

A paragraph in the throne speech says that government revenues have been decimated, and they have. Everybody knows that. Revenues of governments all around the world have been decimated. But what would the members opposite do if it were their families?

Right now some of them are probably enjoying the largest incomes they've ever had in their lives. What would they do if they were unemployed instead? What if their family was running a deficit? What if they couldn't make their payments? What if they couldn't do all the things they'd like to do?

What if their daughter was getting married next summer and they promised her a wedding, and now they had to tell her that it's going to be a pretty low-budget wedding? What if they'd promised their children gifts for graduation coming up, and now they find that they can barely make their house payments? What would they do?

Would they say to one another: "Well, we're just going to spend even more money. We're going to run up the credit cards until they're maxed out. We're going to roll them into the mortgage until we lose the house"? What would they do?

We are in a situation where our revenues have been decimated, and we're facing huge challenges.

None of the members from across the way who live in downtown Vancouver have probably been threatened by a forest fire this year, but people all over the province have — up to 800 forest fires burning at one time in various parts of the province, highly dangerous. My colleague on my left, the Minister of Forests, and his
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firefighting heroes — his little air force — have put out fire after fire, have kept hundreds and hundreds of them smaller than a hectare. But it costs a lot of money, and we've seen mention of that.

We've always had our critics. When we cut the income taxes to the lowest in Canada on the first day in office, there was an economist named David Bond who said that income tax cuts don't work, and he made fun of our Finance Minister of the day. He was a wonderful man — Gary Collins.

He said: "Well, Gary Collins says they work, although I say they won't, but he's a certified flight instructor, and I'm only a PhD economist." He turned out to be wrong, and you didn't see him quoted in the news anymore. But you saw Gary Collins quoted a lot, because he was right. He stuck to the plan. The plan was good. He'd helped us make it, and we were successful. British Columbia's economy came back from the worst in Canada to the best.

I always wondered where old David Bond ended up, and suddenly he's in the Kelowna newspapers acting as a constant critic of the government and writing letters and referring to his PhD in those. He even criticized the Premier for having what he called an Ivy League education.

The Premier earned his way through college and university working in cafeterias. He grew up in a home with three siblings and a mom who made her living as a school secretary. He was never born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He's earned everything that has ever come his way. He gave up earnings far larger than he will ever have as Premier of British Columbia in order to go into public service, and he's been doing that for over 20 years. He is going to be elected fourth time as a Premier, the first time since W.A.C. Bennett.

David Bond can write his letters, and the critics across the way can say what they like. He is a wonderful man. He has had tremendous vision for this province. He has delivered on programs that the other side never even thought of, wouldn't have dreamed of. When I hear the members opposite cast aspersions on his character or anyone else's, it is just absolutely galling.

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This is my 14th year elected. I was asked many times over the first 13 years: "Why don't you harmonize GST with PST?" I would say — and it's what we believed — that we can't really do that when we're the tax-cutting government. We've cut taxes over a hundred times. But we knew, of course, that it would add HST in some areas where PST did not apply up until now. So we were reluctant to do it.

I spent some time serving as the Small Business Minister. I travelled all around the province chairing small business round tables. The consistent input from those small business round tables was: "The last big thing your level of government can really do to help small business in B.C. is harmonize the GST and the PST. We've got two separate sets of books. They're driving us crazy. They're taking up way too much time. It's inefficient. There are too many exemptions."

Interjections.

Hon. K. Krueger: The member is making fun of small business, but that's their input, Member.

There are 380,000 small businesses in British Columbia. They have 1.050 million employees, so that's a lot of employees and a lot of businesses. But it's less than three employees per business, on average.

They're very busy. They're trying to do their jobs. They're trying to perform the services they sell. They're trying to service their customers, and they don't like keeping a set of books for PST and a set of books for GST. They pleaded with us to do that.

I would say to them: "Well, we can't do that because we don't want to see a harmonized sales tax apply what we have called PST in areas, industries and businesses where it hasn't up until now."

But the situation changed, and everybody in this House knows that. It changed worldwide with regard to the economy, and it changed across Canada as more and more provinces decided to go into harmonized sales tax. And it changed for us. I'll happily go on the record right now, and I have many times, that the first time I ever heard a colleague of mine say it might be a good idea to have harmonized sales taxes was after the election — the first time.

We had a meeting, and people were saying that Ottawa has put $1.6 billion on the table and offered to employ all of our employees who are presently engaged in the collection of the provincial sales tax. And they are allowing latitude for the first time. We wouldn't have to go to 13 percent like jurisdictions across the country are deciding to. We could go with 12.

A lot of our reasons for not doing it were being swept away, and a big reason for doing it was Ontario. I've heard members say: "So what about Ontario?" Ontario matters. Any member opposite who doesn't think so or any member of the public should talk to our movie industry about the tax credits that Ontario suddenly announced, where they will actually be pouring taxpayers' money into the industry with, I believe, no return for many of those dollars. If we matched what Ontario just did, we would have to come up with $180 million a year out of other things, all of which are important.

We hear the members across the way every day raise objections to us having to discontinue programs that we started and that they voted against, like the LiveSmart program. It had a budget. It was wildly successful. It went over the budget. We had to discontinue it because it is not as vital as health care and education.
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I see my critic across the way chirping away, and we'll be getting to him shortly. So $180 million a year it would cost British Columbia every year.

I only learned about a new form of MRI in recent months called a mammotome. I don't know if everybody else in the chamber knows about them. I don't see any recognition across the way.

A mammotome a form of MRI for breasts, where a woman can be examined with the mammotome and not have any wires inserted in her, not have any chunks of tissue removed, not have all that trauma, not have scarring. The machine can diagnose the tumour, and it costs a million bucks. We want to see them in hospitals around British Columbia wherever they have the ability — it takes a lot of electricity to run one — and the technicians.

A million dollars — that's a lot of money. It's 180 times that a year to match Ontario in film tax credits. So it's easy for people to say: "Oh, you just got to do it if you want to keep the industry here." Well, those are tough decisions that we have to make.

My critic — who has gotten a little more silent now, thankfully — is always quick to throw things out in the media, including the nastiest personal attacks. We've heard them across the House, even though…. Those members are smart. They must know better than that. They must know it's a violation of the rules.

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The leader did it — and the MLA who sits two over from her and another one today. They must know they can't say things like that in the House, but they go ahead. Even though their leader came back from the election and accepted finally that she had lost, had to accept reality — said that she was going to make sure they didn't make the same mistake again…. She said: "We failed to deliver that positive message. We've got to deliver that positive message."

I thought, "What positive message? I don't remember them ever speaking a positive message," and they sure haven't since. I wondered what sort of research they were doing, what sort of new tack they would take.

They seem to have been talking at one another in the sandbox, and it's all calling people names and carrying on like children. It's pathetic, the things that are said in the news and in this House and that they've had to withdraw.

So how about some policy, Members opposite? How about coming up with some suggestions? We are all in this together. There are 85 of us. We're elected to represent British Columbians. We're elected to provide good government. For eight years we've done that by ourselves. We'd really welcome some positive input from the members opposite. But we just don't get it.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Minister, could you wait one moment.

Members, you are all going to have the opportunity to speak to the throne speech. Please give the minister the dignity and the space to make his comments.

Hon. K. Krueger: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The throne speech talks about the $1.6 billion incentive provided by the federal government, and that is a lot of money. We're increasing health care expenditures 20 percent over three years. For the members who are new, opposite, you may not realize we're the first government in British Columbia to introduce three-year rolling budgets so people can have a look ahead into the future, seeing the numbers we're working with.

We don't pick our numbers out of the air like Glen Clark did and later said he needed wriggle room. We use economists, independent economists, and an average of their expert predictions. We're cautious about it.

It's kind of hilarious when you think about the criticisms we got, up until last fall, when the folks across the way and some people in the media were always saying: "You deliberately lowballed the surpluses that you're going to have. You predict less and you overachieve, and that must mean you're bad financial managers." Now we're about last in the world to get dragged into this economic crisis that has swept the world, and it's: "Oh, you must have known that you would have a larger deficit than you were budgeting."

You can't have it both ways, Members opposite. The truth is that we have demonstrated tremendous expertise in fiscal management. We paid off the accumulated deficits of the NDP government of the '90s, and that was not easy — billions and billions of dollars. We started inheriting a $3.9 billion-a-year structural deficit. That's how fast British Columbia was going in the hole. We dealt with all of that. And this rising challenge of the cost of health care and the needs of an aging population — we've risen to that.

All over this province we've built new hospitals, new radiology wards, new facilities, thousands and thousands of senior care beds, a brand-new regional psychiatric unit in Kamloops. We learned recently that interns from Alberta and elsewhere are choosing Kamloops because their expertise in a number of areas — and certainly psychiatry — draws them to Kamloops because of the excellence of the facilities. We've got a new emergency ward, a new radiology ward, and we're getting a new mammotome.

We take these things seriously. We'll do the tough stuff, and we'll incur the wrath of people who really treasure some of the things that we have to cut. Every one of those things is there because some folks wanted them. We've actually done a number of very thorough programs like a core review at the outset. We've been a lean government. We don't waste money, but we have
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to cut things in order to pay for other things that are essential.

So it's pretty attractive to us that the federal government wanted our 400 people, almost 400, from the payroll to administer the HST. It was pretty attractive — really attractive — to be offered $1.6 billion, and it was unthinkable to allow ourselves to be put in a position where we weren't competing with Ontario.

The evidence is that retail prices do drop with a harmonized tax. I've actually seen people suggest that we're going to put ourselves in a non-competitive situation with Europe. In Europe there's a 20 percent value-added tax — most parts of the continent. It's just buried in the prices. But the evidence is that employment will grow, and there's no better defence against poverty than a job, folks.

[1620]

Investment will grow. Confidence of British Columbians will grow. It's been pretty high up until the world encountered these difficulties, and it has reason to be high.

Our team has worked tirelessly. We've been doing things like building model subdivisions out of wood in China to demonstrate that wood isn't just a finishing product. Wood is a wonderful product for your entire building. We've pioneered….

Interjection.

Hon. K. Krueger: Wood is good. That's right.

We're bringing on six-storey wooden buildings. We like buildings to be made entirely out of wood. The Chinese consider British Columbia their friend, and that's what they've told me. The Chinese consul general asked me to come meet him in Vancouver, when I was Minister of State for Mining, and said: "We like your government. We like your trade missions. We like the way you work with us. We like the respect we feel from you. We like the fact that your Premier was the first leader of stature who said, very publicly, 'I'm going to the Beijing Olympics. I'm going to the opening.'" They like what they see.

We're building new markets over there, and that is because of the Premier's hard work, the Forests Minister's hard work, and others who have gone before us. We have been slaving away to reverse the tough position British Columbia was in up until 2001. We've been tremendously successful, and now, rather than that sort of chirping from across the aisle, we'd like some ideas.

We'd like some opposition members to actually pitch in and work with us. You know, sometimes they do. On committees…. We have the Finance and Government Services Committee, for example, that goes out ahead of budget and listens to people of British Columbia. Members opposite on that committee came back from their tours and unanimously told us that government should consider a harmonized sales tax.

Why the flip-flops? Because it's political opportunism. That opposition never met a bandwagon they didn't want to hop on — whether it was carbon tax or it was independent power production. Then, when those turned out to be losing positions, what did we hear right after the election? We're actually okay with IPPs. A member stood up over there today — more power to him — and praised an IPP.

When we applauded him, I guess he felt a little embarrassed, and he blurted out, "Well, it's not harming the river," or something to that effect.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members, Members.

Hon. K. Krueger: We've been saying that all along. The Leader of the Opposition was saying all through the election….

Deputy Speaker: Minister, could you take….

Members, I'd like to remind you: you have to be in your seats if you're going to be making comments. Please give the minister the space to make his comments. Everybody has the opportunity to speak to this issue.

Hon. K. Krueger: The Leader of the Opposition was ranting and raving — some of the most bizarre comments — about independent power production during the election. It was: "You're selling our rivers. You're giving away our rivers. You're stealing our rivers."

The member for North Coast today stood up and praised an IPP. We're praising him, because that took courage, Member.

The throne speech says the answer to today's fiscal challenges is not to slough them off to future taxpayers, and we mean that completely. We loathe deficits. We don't want to leave debt for future generations. We're very unhappy about having to budget for deficits.

Interjection.

Hon. K. Krueger: The member says we'll find out tomorrow. The member should know that we've already found out. The Finance Minister has been very open about the revenue problems that we have. But right across government, we're doing — and we will be doing — what the throne speech says we'll do: resisting overspending.

Every move we make, the members across the way howl about — for example, Tourism B.C. Tourism B.C. had 147 employees and worked for 12 years to market British Columbia to the tourism markets around the world. As we've prepared for the Olympics, we've had an initiative right across government through all the ministries that touch on the Olympics — and, of course, it's
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a lot of them — getting ready for the Olympics and getting ready for what happens after the Olympics.

We'll never have another chance like this one — six billion eyes watching British Columbia in the opening ceremony, three billion people from around the world, thousands of foreign journalists showcasing British Columbia to the whole world.

Interjection.

Hon. K. Krueger: Now, the member across the way is way overzealous in his role as critic of the Olympics and is going to be embarrassed.

[1625]

I never hear any of them criticizing the convention centre anymore. They walk into that beautiful building, built under the B.C. Liberal government out of wood and other B.C. materials…. Kamloops windows all the way around that building, jobs for British Columbians. It's a wonderful building. People walk in, and they see windows, wood, water, and they say: "Wow." That's the convention centre, folks, and you were critical of it all the way along, just like you're critical of the Olympics now.

But during the Olympics, you'll be looking for tickets. You'll be looking for ceremonies. The members across the way will want to be fully engaged.

That's the way it always is. It's like dragging along balls and chains behind us as we make our way through the business of turning the economy around and building British Columbia with nothing but…. You don't have to be miserable and negative all the time to be opposition, but that's all we ever hear from the other side.

I can't think of a good policy…. I just thought of one. A member across the way thought of one, and we've done that. We have put a bittering agent in antifreeze, hoping that pets won't lick it and die anymore. I first heard that raised in the House by a member across the way. That was a flash of light. I heard one good policy, in going on 14 years here, from across the way.

Right across government we're maximizing British Columbia's opportunities by consolidating our human resources, our financial resources, and making sure that we're working toward the same goals across government. That's what we did with Tourism B.C.

I feel sad too, and I understand the members when they mourn us having to end programs of ours that have been wildly successful and that they voted against. I feel bad too. But you know, we've got to choose what's important, and we talked about that in question period today.

We talked about the fact that there isn't enough direct-access gaming money, community gaming grants, to go around. We can't possibly pay all of the requests that we have, and we've had to make some really tough choices. Folks, we settle on programs that support low-income and disabled British Columbians; then programs that provide food, shelter and support to at-risk individuals; programs that support community health services; programs that fund nutritional and similar programs in schools for underprivileged children; and public safety programs, and so on.

We can't fund everything. We wish we could, but the money isn't there. You have to pay for health care. You have to pay for education. We've never cut funding to either of those programs, even though it's been very tough not to, even though people who sit over there go out in public and falsely say that we have cut health care and education.

It's all audited. The Auditor General has verified our books. Over all these years — we're in our ninth year as government — we have never cut funding for those two important ministries.

When I hear the members across the way shouting about deficit, as if they would never have one…. Well, we had the best economy in North America's history in the '90s, and we went from best to worst and stayed there. You had to go to Chiapas, Mexico, to find the closest jurisdiction in the same sort of shape we were. Things are a whole lot better. Work with us, and you can help us make them better still.

G. Gentner: I rise, and listening to what is being said in the House from members opposite, it's as though they're on Liberal crack. I don't know what else…. It's a different world over there. It's sort of a different dimension completely, but reality is on this side of the House. I can assure you that, hon. Speaker.

I rise to speak….

[H. Bloy in the chair.]

Point of Order

Deputy Speaker: Member, point of order.

Hon. B. Penner: I ask that the member withdraw that comment.

G. Gentner: I withdraw that.

Debate Continued

G. Gentner: I say that they're delusional over on that side of the House in the way they pronounce these types of ridiculous positions by their party.

[1630]

I rise to speak on this late-summer version of a throne speech beginning with a quote from that speech. It says the government "will dedicate its efforts to improving B.C. families' prospects and economic circumstances. It
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will not happen overnight, and it will not be easy, but government will work tirelessly so that B.C. comes out of this economic maelstrom stronger."

I remember, not so long ago, when this government almost cancelled the session because they said it was busywork. The speech says that recovery will not happen overnight, and yet it has known of the recession since last October. It says it will work tirelessly, but here we are — the last week of August, 3½ months after the election. So give me a break. Give me a break. We could have started the people's business last June.

It has been working tirelessly? It's been working towards historical revision. It is spending its time with spin and deception — government that has lost its trust, that has misled people. If you're going to be guided by what's true and what's right and what's honourable, you tell the truth, and this government hasn't done that.

I address this throne speech as a returning MLA for a second term, and I have to say that this throne speech is the worst throne speech I have witnessed, now entering my fifth year in the Legislature.

Before addressing it fully, I would like to congratulate all members of the House, the oldies and the newbies. I would like to thank supporters over the past year. They invested their confidence in me, and especially, I'd like to thank my wife, Shirley.

I want to recognize all MLAs' family members who, as well as members themselves, have had to alter their own personal lives with undaunted support for all of us here in the House.

Deputy Speaker: Member, can you take your seat, please.

Statements

Correction to comments
made in the House

Hon. K. Krueger: I'm sorry to interrupt the member. It was just brought to my attention that I'd made an erroneous statement in my remarks, and I wish to correct the record.

I had said that the bittering agent in antifreeze was the idea of a member opposite, and I've now been reminded that it was the idea of the member who is now the Minister of Environment, and actually, the position of the members opposite was that we should legislate against antifreeze.

I wish to unconditionally correct the record on that. I said it was the one idea that they've had that was a good idea, and I was mistaken.

Deputy Speaker: Member, please continue.

Debate Continued

G. Gentner: I do remember when that motion came before the House, and it was the member on this side from Port Alberni that raised the question.

I take the opportunity to acknowledge the candidates in my constituency during the last provincial election who, unfortunately for them, came up short but were willing to put their names forward. In particular, I'd like to acknowledge Jeannie Kanakos, who served Delta council as well.

Also, congratulations to Delta's newest member for Delta South. I look forward to working along with her, our new constituent of Delta. The throne speech refers to "new investments in transmission," and I can't wait to hear what the member for Delta South can share with this House — that Liberal record of a bulldozing approach to consultation.

I'd like to thank all my election workers and supporters and voters who came to the polls and exercised their franchise. There are so many I'm indebted to and too many to name here today, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the tireless work of Bob Turner over these many years and his dedication to the NDP. Without that kind of support I would not be here today.

I want to welcome the new members, but I have to acknowledge that I will miss many of the members no longer here from the previous Legislature: Val Roddick; and on this side in particular, my very dear friend Charlie Wyse, without question in my estimation the hardest-working NDP MLA; David Chudnovsky; Chuck Puchmayr; and of course, my very special friend, and I'd have to say mentor, Corky Evans.

To say that there are alarming issues in this throne speech for my community of North Delta is an understatement. Not enough time here to address the impact, but I'll strive to do my best.

[1635]

This throne speech sets out the groundwork for what's known as a new comprehensive Asia gateway authority to "redouble its efforts to open up the critical northern corridor with its massive potential of trade and transportation."

I'm glad it's finally listening — the government — to what we've been saying for many years, but tell that to my community in North Delta, where a $1.13 billion road is being constructed, wiping out farmland, impacting Burns Bog, destroying sensitive habitats along the Fraser River, nuking neighbourhoods while all along the government expounds the virtues of the northern corridor option. It's turned its back on other alternatives.

Now, this weekend I was on the Fraser River escarpment talking to residents, witnessing the survey markings for the total expunging or expropriation of an incredible piece of natural history and heritage. Oh, what a freeway this government has for Delta.
[ Page 154 ]

This government talks about the seismic shifts in the global economy, how everything is changing, how necessary it is to suspend a retractable roof at B.C. Place, saving $365 million; the need to close hospital beds; deny seniors their dignity; closing libraries and selling off surplus school properties.

In fact, the Premier said today we all must do our part, and yet it recklessly pursues a road to nowhere in my community, a road that is counter to any attempt to address climate change, a road that has no accountability, a road that takes to a different set of priorities — that based on asphalt and speculation.

There's nothing in this throne speech that takes a practical solution, a position that takes a fresh breath of air to reassess the situation with a comprehensive transportation plan south of the Fraser River. The world, indeed, is changing, but this government is stuck in a 1960 time warp.

Now, I want to talk briefly about the impacts of this throne speech, in particular about advanced education, because there is very little mentioned in the throne speech, and it says very little about advanced education.

There are no commitments to increase or even maintain funding during a time when many people will likely be returning to school wanting to find some stable employment. In the February throne speech, this government promised to increase per-capita student funding, but it has actually dropped from $9,400 in 2007-08 to $8,800 last year. In their platform this government promised to add more than $800 million in additional annual funding for education by 2011-12, but there's no mention of that in this throne speech.

In 2008 the post-secondary institutions expected an increase but instead received a 2.6 percent cut. I want to talk about the cuts to education, advanced education, because in North Delta it's the main topic today as families and children are getting ready to go back to school. And who gets the cut? The class of '09. For 25 years the government of B.C. honoured its Premier's Excellence Awards to 16 of B.C.'s top high school graduates, worth $240,000. What's that worth? Half of what one fat-cat CEO makes for a liquidated Crown corporation like B.C. Rail.

B.C. now has one of the highest tuition rates in the country, $7,000 to $8,000 a year, and then the costs of residence and meals, the high cost of living in Canada — high as anywhere else in this country — and what do they do? They cut our very brightest students, our very own future. In North Delta we see the waste, the wastefulness of this government. Over-budget South Fraser perimeter road freeways mowing along to help international shipping companies, and yet our very brightest students are denied funding, funding that has been entrenched in B.C. scholarship programs for years.

Sands Secondary graduate Linda Liu stated in a local newspaper: "I'm extremely upset by the broken promises to applicants, students and taxpayers by cutting funds to student aid and not giving this year's scholarship winners their due." No wonder young people are becoming cynical about the need to vote and what politicians really stand up for. You can't trust them, they think. You can't even trust the Premier's own award for students.

[1640]

I have another North Delta student who applied. He is so afraid of our so-called open society that he's fearful of retribution if I even mention his name here today because he may, after all, feel that he could be blackballed from future scholarship opportunities.

We know that whistle-blowers fear for their jobs in this province. But high school graduates with their whole optimistic life ahead of them worried to stand up on the side of justice because of a heavy-handed, brutal government?

The Premier's Excellence Award program should never have been thought about being cut, but within the Liberal cranium — a very small and empty place, I might add…. If you must cut, you don't cut in midstream. What kind of a government, knowing in full view the severity of its financial situation, cuts a program after an election, after the top students had already applied for it? Hanging on to the hope all summer that they will be able to afford post-secondary education, waiting for the June notification, and then they finally receive a letter during the August long weekend.

The letter reads the following: "Due to the current economic downturn, government has had to make some difficult decisions with respect to the program it offers. I regret to advise you that the Premier's Excellence Award program is no longer available. As a result, your application will not be processed. I wish you continued success in your future studies." That's the kind of letter my students have received this summer.

The Premier's Excellence Award is now the Premier's cheap trick award. What cheap, deceitful mindset of a government would do such a thing, to string students, our very best students, along all summer and, at the last possible moment, shut down a program? It's a baneful government, a cruel government, a government that's lost the trust of its citizens, a government that's in control by the B.C. Liberals.

It is a government that doesn't care about our seniors, the sick, our students, our children, a government that doesn't really care about you or me or our families. Such infamy and such contempt.

Now, this young guy who waited all summer had a straight-A GPA: chemistry 11 — 99 percent, A; strategies for learning 12, A; calculus 12 — 96 percent, A; chemistry 12 — 97 percent, A; applied digital communications — 93 percent, A; physics 12 — 95 percent, A; principles of mathematics 12, A. Such a sad situation.

We're seeing health care and nurses' education bursaries cut despite the need to recruit more nurses. Loan
[ Page 155 ]
breaks for students studying to be residential care aides and home support workers have been chopped. A 15 percent cut to student assistance programs, to now a total of $100 million, while Alberta, with an extremely huge deficit of its own and with a much smaller population, devotes $170 million to student aid.

Many students enrolled in universities across this province — some students who receive minimum wage; some students even without a job — are still waiting for their Liberal "Dear John or Mary" rejection letter. During economic times you don't give our youth, our future, a prefrontal lobotomy. You don't do that.

Now is the time to invest in brains, not the opposite. If we believe in economic stimulus as a means to creep out of this recession, you invest in brains. But that is something, I'm afraid to say, that this dim-witted Liberal government really has very little of. It doesn't have a brain, and it's very clear that it also doesn't have a heart.

It only understands this: if you have the money, you can go to school. If you are a child of a parent who may be a CEO of a large corporation — a large corporation, by the way, that's probably going to be subsidized through the shifting of taxes to consumers, called the HST…. The CEO and the upper management, the upper crust of large corporations who are rewarded with higher bonuses — it's their children who will be able to afford post-secondary education. It's their children with a future in this province. The rest of us and our children, well, they can go flip hamburgers for the rest of their lives.

[1645]

That's what this government's ideal of equal opportunity is in this province. After all, their view is that someone's got to flip the burgers. It certainly won't be the privileged. What a sham.

I talked to the mother of this young lad, a straight-A student. You know, this is a family that's no different than anyone else. It's a normal, average, everyday, working family that happens to have a very, very bright kid. They pinched. They scraped. They are frugal — not extravagant at all.

Where is this cold-hearted Liberal government taking us? B.C.'s education strategy should be the heart of our economic recovery strategy. We should be committed to a plan that will expand the skill base of the B.C. economy, opening new opportunities for youth and increasing our long-term competitive advantage.

Investing in the skilled trades is crucial to addressing one of the barriers to growth in B.C. and increasing opportunities for B.C.'s youth. You know, there are no targets in the throne speech for expanding skills, skill sets, apprenticeship training. They're not even addressing the need for new placements. This government is rudderless.

I want to talk about the HST briefly. I'm sure we'll be talking about it for many weeks to come. The Liberal HST is really the harmful shifting of taxes. The thinking is really one of placing the burden on poor people and what is left of the middle class. The HST is regressive. In other words, the less you earn, the more you're going to pay. It is why, on this side, we oppose it.

We oppose it because we believe in a fair society where there is balance, where society grasps the notion that equality and equity are somehow related, that we have a moral obligation to ensure that the basic essentials are part of our shared safety net, that everyone has the right to social justice. Everyone has the right to health care, food and shelter, regardless of income, hardship or disabilities.

Call it social gospel if you want. You can call it democratic socialism if you want. But over the many years of the B.C. Liberal mismanagement, we have seen the deterioration of social justice and universal rights to education. We've seen the rise of child poverty, hallway medicine and now record levels of unemployment.

We've seen the other side of regressive taxation this government has been pushing over the years. It was called user fees. There's becoming an ever-growing abyss between the rich and poor in this province. The HST is a fundamental difference between this side of the House and that side.

On that side, they believe in corporatism or raw, unfettered capitalism. It is elitist, and it is crass, and it is dishonest. On this side, we believe that if there's a member of the family that needs a little help, we will be there. On that side, it's all about one thing: greed. Another major difference is that on this side, we tell the truth. We will tell the truth.

Now, there are so many aspects of this throne speech that I'd like to deliver. We can talk about: "Government will introduce a new residents' bill of rights to set out clear commitments to care and to the rights of residents living in residential care facilities." But you know, it's interesting. Finally, we might see something coming from this government where seniors will be guaranteed at least one bath a week in the long-term care homes. That will be interesting to see.

We see that a "new wood-first policy will be legislated this session to require all public buildings to use wood first as their default building material, inside and out." However, the wood may be logged in British Columbia, but — you know what? — it's probably going to go down to the States to be milled, and it's probably going to be an American firm that's going to come up here and build the place — the infrastructure.

We saw that with the Gateway — the Gateway signs during the election. They exposed what was going on. They were putting up all this propaganda — these huge signs everywhere — but the wood was logged, milled, produced and erected by a firm outside the province. That's what this policy is all about.

They're looking at a "species-at-risk task force." Well, we know what that's all about. The Liberal government
[ Page 156 ]
wants to be red-listed because they will be on the threatened species list. After this session, they will all need to be protected. They all will need some protection.

[1650]

Now, I want to talk about this new green energy advisory task force that will be appointed. This will be a select Premier's task force. It will complement the work of the BCUC. It will complement it because there won't be a BCUC when this government is finished. It's sad, sad. It will be stripped of its power. Here we had a government that believed in independent Crown corporations, and what does it see? It sees interference, although we haven't seen before.

You know, this throne speech is a tragic, dreadful narrative of a very bullheaded government, and it has a plan. It has a plan of debt, deception, exploitation and the most unabashed grab in B.C. history for the hearts, minds, souls and resources of the people of British Columbia. It's a government that will cut social services while managing — we'll find out tomorrow — $3 billion, give or take a billion here or there, of debt and increased taxes.

This throne speech is the shameful story of a Liberal government that refused to disclose the severity of our economy and the mess we're in, refused to come up and be honest about its terrifying mandate. They try to gloss it and hide it.

This throne speech is about protecting the alliance between big corporations, international banks and the Liberal government. Abuse, neglect, maltreatment of this mandate — these are the operative words behind this true decade of deceit. British Columbians have, within a few months after an election, lost their faith in this government. However defined by this government of abandonment, the ship of state is no longer seaworthy. It's listing. In 12 years, when it's finished, we will have more deficits than we will surplus. This government has exercised a brutal, selfish and ultimately self-destructive resource giveaway.

Do we believe the myth in the celebration of 150 years of this province that we have finally perfected the ideal economic system under the Liberals? No, no chance. The Liberal throne speech is the best there is? I hope not.

We are facing the fact that we cannot buy into a false concept and accept everything this government says as gospel. The government for years has been carping about how it has perceived economic growth and how it benefits British Columbians and that the greater the growth, the more widespread the benefits. The braggarts across the way have been professing how well everything was, and here we are today with a throne speech gearing us up for gloom and doom.

This throne speech is about those that excel during hardship times, the insiders — that somehow they should be exalted, while everyone else is available for exploitation.

This throne speech is a veneer that hides what is underneath: record deficits; record unemployment and poverty; child poverty; record levels of tuition fees; continued closures of public schools; record levels of taxes; increasing deterioration of our safety and our safety net; increasing crime and gang warfare; erosion of our health care system; complete neglect of our seniors, those that have helped build this province; and a court case that's exposing the stench of corruption in government.

In their heart of hearts, British Columbians are feeling the pain, and it's not too late to rise. The throne speech is quite clear. There's no conspiracy here. The throne speech lays it out. Yes, you have to sometimes read between the lines, but it's all there. It may seem like it's fluff, just like previous throne speeches, but the people voted for this government on May 12, 2009, and we must live with it.

I have to tell you that I can even apologize for the fact that we didn't come through and win that election and that we have to be here now and convince a very defiant, smug, despicable Liberal government to change its ways and consult with people before unleashing needless hardship on our people. The throne speech gives me the opportunity to confess that we did not deliver our message to instil the confidence within British Columbia that we on this side could govern. Forty percent of those voted for our party, but the majority did not.

[1655]

During the next four years every day in these chambers I will regret and ponder what went wrong on May 12 — with every word in the throne speech and the reminder with every tax being paid for the next four years through the HST, the B.C. Rail corruption scandal, the cutbacks to health services, the Lottery Corporation pickpocketing those who are down on their luck, the privatization of B.C. Hydro, inflated energy prices.

Every day of the remaining 1,300 or so left in this government, I will do everything in my power to defeat this despicable, disdainful Liberal government. By golly, we will do it with a viable, practical option that will put people first in a free and open society, a government that will respect the dignity of all British Columbians regardless of income, gender and age.

Step by step we will rebuild a party, indeed a movement with a conscience and the confidence of all the people of British Columbia. The cynicism, the years of shady governance…. People will suddenly realize and know that it's time to rise again and make sure that this party will do what it started out to do and make sure there's fair, equitable equality in this province of ours.

We saw in this last election a political culture of skepticism whereby almost 50 percent of eligible voters didn't cast their rightful franchise — a wariness that the system is broken beyond repair. This framework of political irrelevance can only be eradicated when a viable alternative is embraced by the public.
[ Page 157 ]

Clearly, with this throne speech we know where this government is headed. In four years there will not be the cynicism or despair. In less than four years there will be a change. There will be hope and a new government that will not be afraid, because British Columbians cannot afford another throne speech like this one or subsequent throne speeches like it.

We do live in terrible economic times. The government must be prevented from using its mandate to blame and punish our citizens for tough times as a result of its misguided ideological, unfettered capitalism, the very reason we're in this mess. And what do we see in the throne speech? More deregulation. Well, it's deregulation that caused the credit crunch. We must stop the procrastination. On this side we must finish what we started years ago before it's too late, before there is no B.C. left.

But the blame can't be wholly placed on the throne speech. On this side we, in the next four years, will come clean and discuss openly what the future should be. We will be ready to govern. We will be ready with a choice that will be palatable not to huge corporations and special interests but for all British Columbians. That is what we will be standing up for.

We will be accountable and once again make this province proud, proud in the federation. We will stand with our brothers and sisters, our families and all workers, and we will show the type of prosperity and compassion that will build a province that will be the envy of any other province in the federation of Canada.

M. Dalton: I'm honoured today to stand before this assembly and to give a response to the throne speech as the new MLA for Maple Ridge–Mission.

The first thing that I'd like to do is to acknowledge and thank my wife, Marlene, for standing with me and supporting me on this political journey. Over the 24 years that we have been married we have always been a team, and I greatly value the strength and encouragement that she has given to me and the sacrifices that she has had to experience.

I also want to thank my three children, Justin, Simone and Hannah, for their support and their active efforts to help get me elected. And I'd like to thank my father for his help over the years, and also Cleo.

Thank you to the citizens of Maple Ridge and Mission for electing me as their Member of the Legislative Assembly. I look forward to the next four years as their MLA to develop an ever-increasing rapport with the constituents, with community leaders, with the business community and with the many, many organizations which play an important part in making Maple Ridge and Mission the great places they are to live.

[1700]

I believe that personal connections matter and that these relationships will help me to become a more effective representative. I want my constituents to know that they are important to me and that their concerns matter. As my office has been receiving e-mails and calls, I'm making an effort to personally contact people by phone, e-mails and one-on-one meetings.

I count it a great privilege to represent and serve the constituents of Maple Ridge and Mission and to sit in this Legislature and work alongside all members of this assembly to do what we can to make British Columbia an even better place for our families, for our seniors, for our young people, for the disadvantaged, for immigrants, for our first nations people, for the business owners and their employees, for the sick and the healthy, for students preparing themselves for the future — for everyone who lives in this most beautiful part of the earth.

I am privileged, as all members are, to work to our fullest capacity in order to provide excellent governance in these challenging days of worldwide economic hardships.

For the past 14 years I've been a public school teacher in school district 42, Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows. For the first seven years I taught as a high school French and social studies teacher, and for the last seven years I have taught at the elementary level, wearing different hats during the school week, including French immersion, library, support and PE.

Almost every teacher that I know is there working with our young people for one principal reason: they care about kids. They hope that through the pouring out of their lives as teachers and mentors, they might help impart to youth valuable educational and living skills, skills that should help our children have the opportunity to have more enjoyable and prosperous lives as individuals.

They also hope to inspire young people to be better citizens, for the good of all. Serving people, caring and wanting to make a positive contribution — those were strong motivational reasons why I entered the teaching profession. It is this same spirit that has pushed me into politics. I truly desire to serve my constituents, my province and my country, to build British Columbia and make it an even better place — better in terms of transportation and infrastructure; better in terms of health care; better in terms of security and safety; better in terms of education, in job opportunities and business prospects; better in terms of the environment.

I must admit to being saddened by polls which regularly show that politicians are held in very low regard. Perhaps it is the partisan nature, the sniping and the fault-finding that lends itself to this. I'm not sure.

Most politicians in this province and land work hard to serve their constituents and bring improvements. It's called being a public servant. That's what I have been as a teacher, and that is what I am as a member of the Legislative Assembly. I'm here to publicly serve the residents of Maple Ridge and Mission and the people of British Columbia.
[ Page 158 ]

There are different political perspectives, as is evidenced in this Legislature, just as there are in every walk of life. Parliamentary debate, an examination of important issues facing this province, is essential, as is media scrutiny.

Sometimes all the public sees is controversy, attacks, counterattacks and not the cordiality behind the scenes and the committee work. I have heard it said that democracy can be messy, but it's the best system that we have in this world for governance.

We have come a long way, and British Columbia and Canada are envied in the world for their prosperity, relative safety, environmental beauty, health and living standards. But we can always do better, and we need to do better, because there are still many cracks.

[1705]

The throne speech outlines the priorities of the government and provides beacon lights for us to travel. I have not been a member of the political party which I now represent for many years. I was an active member in other provincial parties. Several years ago I switched. I would say that I was slowly won over by what I perceived to be good governance. I saw that this government was prepared to make tough choices in order to get the provincial financial house in order. This led to what I believe will be seen as a golden era in our province's history. A little later I will comment on some of the progress that has been made in my riding.

After a very difficult time in the 1990s, for the most part there has been a dramatic change in fortune, which I ascribe to sound economic management and good policies. Does that mean we have entered utopia? No. There are many needs, and there are many needy people. Nevertheless, British Columbia and British Columbians have enjoyed greater prosperity and services.

If there was one theme that this government ran in the last election, it was this: the economy and sound management of the economy. Usually a struggling economy is a recipe for a change of government in an election. This didn't happen. Why? I think that this government and this Premier after two terms have earned a reputation for making good economic decisions for the people of British Columbia. It's a primary reason why I joined the party.

I can understand why there is angst and confusion surrounding the new tax change. It has been portrayed as a tax grab, and very few people are keen about paying any more money out-of-pocket when they have challenges meeting the financial obligations that they already have. I feel the same. However, the more that I examine the issue, talk with people and consider its economic implications for British Columbians, the more I am absolutely convinced that it is the right choice to make.

Politicians and political parties are often accused of making decisions out of political expediency rather than the common good. The decision to implement this new taxation regime has been the total opposite. It truly is for the common good rather than political expediency. I can appreciate that the opposition and many people do not feel this way. Nevertheless, the decision to introduce this measure is for the long-term good of British Columbia. It's about jobs. It's about developing a strong, competitive economy which attracts businesses, small and large.

Almost every nation of the world has a similar system. We are a trading nation. Our wealth, our social programs are based to a large extent on trade. By holding onto an archaic tax structure, we remain less competitive, and we leave in place strong impediments for businesses to flourish. If we don't have a good economy, then we will not have the financial wherewithal to be able to pay for our medical system, our educational system, infrastructure and other services and benefits.

With Ontario implementing the HST next July, our businesses and industries would have been at a disadvantage. Independent economists declare that this is a good move for British Columbia and Canada. This is the motivating factor why the federal government will be giving British Columbia $1.6 billion. The federal government recognizes that this tax regime is good and helpful for all of Canada to become a more prosperous nation.

I have talked to numerous constituents on the topic. For the most part, after talking with them, they feel more satisfied with the rationale for implementing the HST. There is a relief after explaining that the tax will not be applied to basic groceries, prescription drugs, gasoline, books, children's-size clothing as well as other items.

[1710]

I have told people that where there already is a PST, there is room for prices to go down because business costs will be lower. This is what happens in a competitive market and what proved to be the case in other jurisdictions where the HST was implemented. There will also be an annual $240 credit paid to low-income earners, which will be added to the GST rebate cheques they already receive from the federal government.

This is about economic and fiscal prudence on the part of the government. We are saving tens of millions of dollars by no longer having to collect the PST. Businesses will save $150 million a year by not having to file the paperwork. The proof will be in the pudding, and I believe that the increased future prosperity British Columbians will enjoy, to a large measure, will be attributed to this modernized taxation regime. We will benefit as a province, and Maple Ridge and Mission will benefit as cities.

Both Maple Ridge and Mission are steadily growing Lower Mainland communities north of the Fraser River and just south of the pristine Coast Mountains. Mount Blanshard, with its Golden Ears, is one of the signature mountains. My constituency contains fertile agricultural
[ Page 159 ]
regions as well as lush forests. It's a camping and outdoors paradise with a number of beautiful lakes including Alouette Lake and Stave Lake.

I represent the east side of Maple Ridge and the west side of Mission — there is a large rural area between the two urban centres, populated with hundreds of properties, generally between one and 20 acres — and the historic hamlets now incorporated into the two cities: Whonnock, Ruskin, Websters Corners, Silverdale, Stave Falls and others. It's a gorgeous area, and far enough away from Vancouver to let you see the stunning night skies.

Mission and Maple Ridge are unique cities, and there is somewhat of a disconnect between the two communities. This is one reason why I have two constituency offices, one which will be opening soon and the other in Mission. Maple Ridge's population is 70,000, and Mission's is 35,000.

The West Coast Express passes through both of them, as do the Lougheed and Dewdney Trunk highways, but there is no transit between them. This is something that I would like to see change, especially with the Mission approval of a significant development in the Silverdale area. In the next 20 years Mission's population could double, in large part due to this approval.

Mission is home of the Mission Raceway. It has a motocross course, a road course, a drag strip that is often referred to as the best in the west by racers across North America. In line with the city's racing tradition, it is also the site of the Mission Soapbox Derby. It began in 1946 as part of the strawberry festival and grew up until about 20,000 people would come and see the event. After a 25-year hiatus the derby was restarted in 1999 and has continued since.

Dave Adams has been a key organizer in the event and a former Mission councillor. He died this year from a heart attack, just prior to this year's event. I would like to take this moment to recognize his contribution to youth and the community and express my appreciation and condolences to his family.

Perhaps Mission's most famous landmark is the beautiful Westminster Abbey, inhabited by Benedictine monks. It is a 200-acre site that has a farm, seminary and abbey. The monks have formed a self-sufficient pastoral community which welcomes thousands of visitors each year. Its tower contains ten bells which can be heard for kilometres when rung on Sundays. It's a great place for retreats and contemplation.

On Stave Lake we find the Zajac Ranch for children, which hosts hundreds of children each year who have serious and chronic illnesses and disabilities. It provides a camping experience for children who might not otherwise be able to do so because of their medical and physical needs. It has a 24-hour medical centre with full-time professional staff.

[1715]

Later on this month a new recreational facility with a spectacular pool — partially financed by the provincial government — will be opening. Mel and Wendy Zajac are philanthropists and the founders of this incredible ranch. They have poured their life and soul, and their resources, into getting this running for needy children.

The mayor of Mission is James Atebe. James is a Kenyan who moved to Canada because he wanted to be a cowboy — seriously. He did work as a cowboy on an Alberta ranch. He later attended the University of Calgary and was Prime Minister Harper's roommate. I saw the Prime Minister at a recent event. He said to a number of us there that he didn't know what people at that time would have thought as more unlikely: him becoming Prime Minister or James becoming the mayor of Mission.

Compare Mission Mayor Atebe to Mayor Ernie Daykin of Maple Ridge. Ernie was elected last year after serving two terms as councillor. He's been a long-time businessman in the community and an operator of a seniors housing apartment. His roots in Maple Ridge go back to the 1870s, when his great-great-grandparents moved there.

I look forward to working with Mayor Daykin and the Maple Ridge council for the benefit of the community. I have invited Ernie to come to the Legislature this week to watch the proceedings and to have the opportunity to meet with me and different government ministers in order to address different municipal issues.

I believe that the key to effective representation for our constituencies is developing a close rapport with those in different levels of government. I am committed to doing this with the municipal mayors and councils in my riding as well as our federal Member of Parliament, Randy Kamp. I appreciate the work that Randy Kamp is doing and the federal government's financial cooperation with us on a variety of joint projects in Maple Ridge and Mission. Much more is accomplished if we row together in the same direction.

I live in the Kanaka ridge area in Maple Ridge. Some 150 years ago, when British Columbia was becoming a colony, Hawaiians moved to this area and worked across the river in Fort Langley. Kanaka is a Hawaiian word that means "people." These early Hawaiian settlers got it right. Maple Ridge is a wonderful place to move to and for people to live.

People come from all over to visit the Golden Ears Provincial Park, located just north of the city. It's one of British Columbia's largest provincial parks and is acclaimed for its recreational activities, including backpacking, camping, boating, fishing and windsurfing.

One very popular activity for Maple Ridge residents is walking along the extensive dike system built along the banks of the Fraser and Alouette rivers. It provides a great opportunity to get some fresh air, see the spectacular scenery and enjoy watching some of the thousands of birds that nest and flock there. It's a paradise on earth.
[ Page 160 ]

The downtown Memorial Peace Park is oftentimes a throb of activity, with music festivals, fairs, parades and ceremonies. The ACT is located here and is a centre for artistic and cultural needs of the residents of Maple Ridge. Many people volunteer here, and it's a great success story for the community.

A little earlier this summer I was pleased to attend the opening of the Maple Ridge Spirit Square. It is just adjacent to the Memorial Peace Park, and it contributes to the beautification of a downtown core. Half a million dollars was contributed by the provincial government for this project. It's just one of the many projects that are in process or have now been completed in my region.

One project that most people may be aware of and that was just completed in June is the Golden Ears Bridge. It's more than just a superbly built and designed bridge. It's a whole system of roadwork and overpasses that can easily knock off an hour or more of commuting time each day for residents.

People that I have talked to who use the bridge are thrilled with this addition to our infrastructure. They save fuel costs and are able to spend more time at home with their families. It has added to their quality of life. It also opens up Maple Ridge as a better place to invest and build businesses.

Maple Ridge and Mission councils and mayors recognize the importance of attracting businesses and industry to the region. As it stands now, in Mission alone nearly 70 percent of workers commute outside of the area for employment. This means that there is an overreliance on residential property taxes. This needs to change.

[1720]

The provincial government recognizes the importance of infrastructure projects for the prosperity and well-being of our communities— hence, the Golden Ears Bridge.

In the coming weeks, another span will be opening, the Pitt River Bridge. This seven-lane structure will replace the obsolete four-lane swing bridge that is now there. Residents in my riding eagerly anticipate the opening of this new bridge.

In Mission more twinning of the Lougheed Highway has recently begun. This is a road with a great deal of traffic. My hope and goal is to eventually see the entire route twinned, with the cooperation of our federal government partners.

As for the West Coast Express, more cars have been added, and there will be station expansion. As the economy strengthens, I will advocate for an increase in the number of trains. These trains enjoy high ridership and are very popular among those who use them.

Because this government has been fiscally responsible and has encouraged business growth, it has been able to do more than just fund expensive infrastructure projects. It has been able to invest in every domain. For example, it has recently announced funding for affordable housing — a 40-unit apartment for low-income singles and homeless. This will provide medium-term transition housing that will be supervised. An objective is to come alongside some of our needier citizens and to help see different ones begin to stand on their own feet, so to speak, helping them with their life skills.

My wife and I are volunteers with a Salvation Army mobile food kitchen that assists the homeless in downtown Maple Ridge. Actually, for years after graduating from high school, we were involved with outreach work in different inner cities and in Mexico. We have encouraged our children to participate in similar activities, which they have.

Every person has intrinsic value, and I am appreciative that this government has gone to great efforts to assist the disadvantaged. Even in these tough economic times, I am committed to do what I can to assist the needier among us.

Maple Ridge and Mission have seen significant investment in terms of health care. This year Ridge Meadows Hospital has opened a new ER and patient care centre, which cost the provincial government about $18 million. This summer an in-patient psychiatric bed project was opened. This province provided $1.5 million, and Ron Antalek, a philanthropist and realtor, donated $1 million to help fund this project and other hospital work. I want to publicly thank Ron for his generosity and consideration of those who suffer from mental illness.

In Mission over $9 million is being spent this year to cover 151 beds and 40 assisted care beds.

There's been a lot of concern about the status of the Mission Memorial Hospital. I've had numerous talks with the Health Minister, the Fraser Health Authority, Mission mayor James Atebe and council, as well as with many Mission residents. There is no doubt that the health authority is facing financial challenges, but it has been made clear to us and the hospital that the ER will remain open and that the hospital faces "a bright future," in the words of Nigel Murray of Fraser Health.

Both I and the hon. minister representing Abbotsford-Mission have been working closely on this issue. Mission is a growing community, and the hospital is essential to the well-being of the residents in this city.

There's another group of residents in my riding whom I'd like to make mention of. These are the first nations. The Katzie, Kwantlen and Stó:lô are the original inhabitants of the region. I look forward to working alongside with the chiefs, the elders and the bands.

I am also of aboriginal origin. I am a Métis, and I'm very proud of my ancestry. The Métis are descendants of the first fur traders in western Canada, who married native women and had children. Over 200,000 British Columbians are native, of which more than 40,000 are Métis. In school district 42 there are about 1,000 students who are native, and there are hundreds more attending school in Mission.

[1725]
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[L. Reid in the chair.]

The first nations people have a rich culture and much to feel good about. We also faced many challenges. I appreciate that we have a government that wants to stand alongside of us and to help us become stronger, better educated and more prosperous. This benefits us as first nations people, and it benefits all the people of British Columbia.

I also applaud the decision of Canada's first nation chiefs to elect Chief Shawn Atleo of the Ahousaht Band in this province. Chief Atleo has a master's degree in education and has been the chancellor of Vancouver Island University. He advocates the importance of education for native young people. A solid education opens up so many doors of opportunity.

In just a few months British Columbia will have the honour to host the world at the 2010 Winter Games. This is an exciting time to be a British Columbian. A few days ago provincial grants were made to Maple Ridge and Mission to help support celebrations taking place as the Olympic relay torch passes through the two cities. I look forward to participating in the torch festivities.

Superb structures and infrastructure projects will remain as the legacy of the Olympic Games long after they are finished. These include the Canada line linking downtown Vancouver to the airport; the new Sea to Sky Highway, which replaces an old road that witnessed so many fatal accidents; a landmark convention centre that already has billions of dollars of conferences booked there; and the Richmond Olympic Oval. This is great for our province, just as Expo 86 was a launch pad for growth.

The government strongly supports these games, in spite of some negative criticism. The support for the Olympic Games reflects a government that is forward-thinking, positive and constructive.

"Higher, stronger, faster" is the Olympic motto, a logo that encourages humanity to go to its full potential and to do even better. In some ways, this also portrays the government of British Columbia and its Premier. The desire is to strengthen and improve every area of governance, to the great advantage, prosperity and welfare of all British Columbians.

I'm honoured to support our government, our Premier and this throne speech, and I am greatly appreciative of the opportunity to serve and represent the people of Maple Ridge and Mission.

H. Bains: It is quite an honour and privilege for me to stand here today once again, in my second term of office, to speak to this House. I would like, first of all, to thank all of those people in Surrey-Newton who put their trust and confidence in me and elected me for the second time. I had an unbelievable team of volunteers, who worked tirelessly on my campaign, and I thank them all.

I want to begin by thanking my wife, Rajvinder, who was with me door-knocking; who was with me in the campaign office making phone calls; who was actually, in between those times, going home and helping others to bring food for the volunteers. I want to thank her dearly, because without her help and support, there's no way in the world that I would be here today.

I want to thank my children. My son, Kulpreet, also took time during that time. He was out there pounding the pavement, phoning and leafleting, and he did everything that was asked of him, as did his wife, Parveen, and her extended family — all of her sisters. There were something like 50 of my relatives, day in and day out, in that campaign office — because I get along with everybody.

Interjection.

H. Bains: The minister over there is suggesting he doesn't get all that support from his relatives, but you know what? You've got to get along. You've got to learn to get along with your family, and I do. It's not just me. It's those people around me. They actually know how to get along, so I want to thank them all.

[1730]

I want to thank my daughter-in-law Parveen very, very dearly, because she was also putting her heart and soul into the campaign; her family; her parents; all of her extended family. I just can't say thank you enough. It was all the Baswan family that was there, and I want to thank them.

You know what? Even my granddaughter, two years old — she was two years in June — was paying regular visits to my campaign office. Actually, it was her who kept me grounded during the campaign. She would come in and cheer me up every now and then, and lifted everyone's spirits. Everyone wanted to work extra hard. So I want to thank Rhianna as well. I think she's watching today to see if Big Papa is just around, and wants to play with me. I'll be home soon, Rhianna.

I want to also thank my daughter, although she wasn't here at that time. She's studying overseas. She was on the phone regularly, trying to figure out what was going on, and felt bad that she wasn't there to help me. But I want to thank her as well.

I also want to thank the Surrey-Newton executive. You can't ask for a better executive than what I have had for the last four years. They were there even before me with Penny Priddy, who was a fine minister and MLA of this House for a number of years. Then she went on to win Surrey council, and she also became an MP for a while. All of this executive comes from that time, and I want to thank Penny, as well, for her support and guidance that she gave me.

I just want to thank my staff who also were regular: Emily Zimmerman, Simil Chabra, Janice MacDonald
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and many other volunteers who normally drop by the office. Some of them work regularly, and I just want to say thank you to them as well.

Not to forget the donations that I received from a number of my friends, many of the trade union offices, many of the small businesses in my constituency and in Surrey. My heartfelt thanks to all of those who helped put me here.

Yet Madam Speaker, I stand here today in utter disbelief — utter disbelief. My office is inundated with correspondence — e-mails, telephone messages, letters — from my constituents, service providers and concerned citizens about how dismayed and angry they are for being misled during the last election. They believe that they were misled and that the government didn't tell the truth.

They believed the government at that time, and many of them ended up voting for them. They are saying that had they known the truth about the HST, had they known the truth about the true numbers of the budget, there's no way that they would have supported that government. Now they feel betrayed. Rightfully so, I say.

They believe that the government was re-elected on falsehood and deceit and feel misled and betrayed. I support them and their sentiments.

They feel betrayed because the Premier told them before the election that there was only a $495 million maximum deficit. Did you hear that? Maximum $495 million. Right up to the election he repeated that.

When the NDP and many others told the Premier that that was unrealistic, that there was no way that you could come to those numbers, they were told that they were fearmongering and that they didn't know what they were talking about.

Expert opinions from such economists as Helmut Pastrick said that it would be more like $1.5 billion or $2 billion. The B.C. Liberals said that he was wrong. Madam Speaker, guess what. They went to a great length trying to justify their numbers. They went on to say right…. This is April 2009, during the provincial election campaign.

[1735]

The Premier said: "I can tell you this: the deficit for 2009 and 2010 will be $495 million maximum." You must have read that in the newspapers. It was in The Vancouver Sun. You read that. The member for Surrey–White Rock shakes his hands; he agrees. Yes, he read that.

May 27. Helmut Pastrick, chief economist for Central Credit Union, suggested that the B.C. deficit would be in the neighbourhood of $1.5 billion. Jock Finlayson, executive VP, policy, for the B.C. Business Council, said that it would go as high as $2 billion.

June 11. The Minister of Finance said: "If I were in a position to table a budget today, it would be a deficit of $495 million or less. I am still confident that come September 1, we will be able to deliver on that." That was June 11, 2009.

July 10, 2009. The same minister said: "I am not optimistic at all that the $495 million number is anywhere near possible." That's after the election now.

The member for Maple Ridge–Mission said that there are many people out there who hold politicians in very low regard. You wonder, Madam Speaker. All I suggest to that member is to look at the history of this government. Those are the reasons why people don't trust politicians. They say one thing, as we saw in the last election. Many promises were made before the election, and quite the opposite was delivered after the election. That's the reason.

The politicians, when they say one thing before the election to get elected and then they do quite different after the election…. Those politicians had no intention of complying with what they were saying before the election. The only thing they wanted to do is get their support, get the votes and get in power. They'll say anything; they'll do anything to get elected. That's the reason why the public holds politicians in such low regard. This Liberal government has a lot to do with that — a lot to do with that.

The Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts said that they had to make some tough choices. They had to make some decisions. He turned around and asked the NDP: "What would you do?" Well, the first thing we will do is we'll tell the truth. We will not lie to our public to get elected. We would make sure that health care and education became the right of every citizen of this country and this province, not just the privileged few. That's what we would do.

Be honest with the public. Be honest with those people who are voting to get you elected. That didn't happen in the last election. No wonder people hold you in such low esteem.

The Premier went on to make a very firm commitment. He sat down. He actually answered questions from the restaurant industry before the election and told them that there is no HST that he's going to bring in. No HST. But that was before the election. After the election he's telling everybody how good HST is for all of you and that he's going to have to bring it in. Those are the reasons why people don't trust politicians and Liberals. This Liberal government had a lot to do with that.

I just want to talk about how the promises were broken. The Liberals also made promises that there will be no cuts to health care and other services that citizens need. But after the election, what did we see? Well, a $160 million deficit for Fraser Health alone, which means cuts in all the vital areas that the people in Surrey, in New Westminster, in Burnaby, in Langley are waiting for.

[1740]

They were promised…. Actually, in 2005 the ex-Minister of Health, who came to Surrey with such fan-
[ Page 163 ]
fare — a ribbon cutting, along with the Premier — said that we will expand Surrey Memorial Hospital, that the emergency ward will be completed in 2010, and that the ambulatory unit will be completed in 2009.

Guess what. It has been delayed and delayed and delayed. Now we hear that the ambulatory unit will not be completed until 2011, and that the emergency room, where people have to wait six, seven, eight, nine hours in pain on a regular basis, will not be completed until 2014. This shows the priorities of this government.

In the meantime, they found all kinds of money to pay for the convention centre overrun to the tune of half a billion dollars. There's no problem there. They found to the tune of almost $7 billion to pay for the Olympics, which I, by the way, support wholeheartedly. But they never came clean about the true cost of the Olympics. Where's the standing ovation for that? They said $600 million, not a penny more — $600 million, not a penny more. Guess what. The last count was over $3 billion. B.C. taxpayers have to foot the bill.

All you have to do is come clean. People support the Olympics. Just be honest with them. Again and again, what you get from this government is not the truth. Anything but the truth — that's what you hear from these folks. No wonder people in my constituency and many other constituencies are describing the last ten years as a decade of deception — a decade of betrayal. That is the theme of this government, and it continues on today.

People elect these politicians to be in government to represent all citizens, from the janitor of a company to the CEO of a company, poor and weak, young and old. But no, this government only takes care of the top 10 percent, multinationals and their friends and insiders. That's what this government is all about.

The working people, the old, our seniors who built this province, our students who can't afford tuition fees anymore…. Six years in a row, the highest child poverty in this province of all of Canada. That's a shameful record, and that's shameful for anybody to sit on that side of the table and to start to applaud the Premier and all the ministers when they start up and say how great they are. Six years of the highest poverty in the country in this province, in a province that is one of the richest in the world. You explain that to us.

No wonder the government statistics said that since 2003, the earning levels of those who are making in the upper 10 percent have gone up by 16 to 20 percent. But at the same time, the earning levels of those at the lower end have gone down by 3½ to 4 percent. These are government statistics, not mine. That's a shameful record for anybody to be linked to that government. The minister then asks us: what would we do? We have to make some tough decisions. What would we do?

[1745]

All your constituents, all B.C. citizens are asking you to be upfront with them and be truthful. That's what you do — which you haven't done. Then you wonder why people don't trust politicians.

That's not a very good example we are setting for our children and their children. We're supposed to be role models for coming generations who will be taking over from us to run this province. That's not how you run the province — say anything, do anything to win the election.

Health care alone in Fraser Health: $160 million. This is after the promise was made that there will be no cuts to health care and education and other services that our citizens need. This is the promise that was made by this Premier and that Liberal government. Guess now after the election….

The reduction of elective surgery by approximately 10 percent by closing 5½ operating rooms. The reduction of out-patient clinics from five days a week to four — a 20 percent decrease. Closure of temporary residential care beds in favour of beds in new buildings. The reduction of day care programs for seniors by 25 percent. Cuts to contractor services that provide outreach to isolated seniors. A reduction of mental health contracts.

The list goes on and on. There's a second page to it. This is just a flavour of what's coming. This is only Fraser Health. This goes right across the province.

Then you go on to the education side. This is one of the areas that there should never be a cut, because what we are talking about is the future of our province. If you don't build strong foundations by providing the quality education to our children, we're doing it at our own peril. Our province, our future won't be as bright as we think it should be.

Surrey school board alone — this is after the promise was made of no cuts to any of the services — $9.5 million shortfall.

This government does not even abide by its own laws. You remember the class size legislation that was brought in? Guess what happened to that. They went out there, and they broke that legislation left, right and centre. It has to be the arbitrator to come in and say to the government: "You're wrong."

Now they're talking about remedy, and where's that money going to come from? It's going to come from more service cuts to the students in our schools. It's not going to come from reducing the ministers' and the Premier's wages. It's going to come from the students.

Last year I spoke to the Minister of Education in this House about the community link program that is supposed to pay for those students in the inner-city areas who cannot afford lunch programs or cannot afford to send their children for field trips.

Surrey gets the lowest on a per-capita basis. This is the fastest-growing community, probably the most diverse community, not only in Canada, probably in the world. Surrey gets something like $45 per student, whereas Langley gets $160. Victoria gets something close to $160
[ Page 164 ]
to $170. Now, somebody explain to me why there is that discrepancy. Does the student in Surrey not need those services?

The minister agreed that that is inequity, that that needs to be fixed, and promised that she will try to do that before the next budget — the budget that we are going to talk about tomorrow and that was presented in February.

[1750]

No one raised a finger to fix that, and those students are still left behind. That's the legacy, and that's the work of that government. They are too busy helping their friends and insiders in high places so that they can come back next election and pay for their elections.

My office received a letter from Sonya Boyce, executive director of Surrey Women's Centre, as did all other MLAs and MPs in Surrey. She is most concerned about proposed cuts to the family services, such as the family law and dispute resolution, and extended services — immigration, staffing of the Law Line. She said that these cuts will disproportionately impact women and children in our province. She's very worried.

The Arts Council of Surrey also writes with major concerns regarding their funding. In her letter of August 10, Pres. Carol Girardi writes that for every dollar received in funding from government, Canadian performing arts organizations generate $2.70 to the local economy. That makes a lot of economic sense, but not to those folks over there. They had to cut that funding as well. We received the same kind of concerns from Eric Igglesden, president of Surrey Festival of Dance.

White Rock–Surrey Come Share Society's executive director, Sue Thompson, was sent a letter on August 5 from Fraser Health Authority giving notice that funding for the come share program will end September 30, after 17 years in existence. She told us at a rally that it costs 69 cents per senior in that area to run that program. It seems to me that that's too much for those folks over there for seniors, for those who built this province — so that they can line the pockets of their friends at the expense of the working people, the poor and our seniors.

E-mails from constituents such as Patricia Brennan and Julianna Lowry, a member of CUPE 402, who fear that funding for public libraries will be cut.

I mean, they're not sparing anyone. They talk about making tough choices. I thought they had a magic wand to turn the economies around, like they did in the previous five or six years. Where is that magic wand now?

They took all the credit when oil and gas prices were at record levels, and it was somehow the work of the Premier and that government. Where are they now? Where are those bright ideas now? The Minister of Energy might have a couple of ideas left in him but the rest of them are blank — blank over there. I haven't heard one new idea from those folks in the last four years. Have you? None. Not one.

A lot of lofty promises, big ribbon-cutting performances out there, but hardly any delivery when it counts, where it counts, which is to help the working people, the ordinary families and our communities.

I want to talk to our new Solicitor General. Individual officers — when you talked to them in our community, you could see the level of frustration in them. These are the officers. They're trying to do their job with their hands tied behind their backs, they feel. There are just not enough resources for them to do their job. It's a fine group of women and men dedicated to outstanding work, to serving their community. In some cases, they are jeopardizing their own health and safety to fulfil their commitment to society.

Rather than rewarding them for their dedication to law and order and peace in our communities by giving them resources, guess what this government does. Cuts funding to the Ministry of Attorney General, cuts funding to the Public Safety and Solicitor General's ministry. I have written to the previous Solicitor General. We have a substance called doda. They are sold everywhere in the Lower Mainland. This comes from poppy flowers, where the opium is derived.

[1755]

In Ontario the Peel police actually went out there and raided a number of these stores and laid charges. Police in Edmonton went ahead and laid some charges, collected some samples.

I'm asking this government and this Solicitor General that if they are bad for your health in India, in Pakistan, and if they're illegal in Toronto, illegal in Edmonton, why haven't we done anything here in the Lower Mainland? Rather than just sending me a letter that "yes, you know, they are illegal," what have you done? People go out there, and they buy them. They use it, and then they drive their vehicles. They go on construction sites. A very, very addictive substance.

But our police force is telling me that they don't have the resources, actually. They don't have time to get out of the crime that they see in the neighbourhood, the gang violence that goes on. They need more resources, but there is nothing that they can do, because they don't have the resources to deal with that problem. That's the record of this government.

I was appointed the critic for Transportation after the last election by our leader, Carole James. I just want to talk to you about the concerns that are brought to me on SkyTrain and the security of passengers. There are a number of incidences at SkyTrain stations. The SkyTrain attendants aren't there to support. The police aren't there. People are getting mugged, robbed and assaulted at these stations.

Mr. Ravinder Sidhu sat in an area that is considered to be a designated waiting area. It's marked by yellow lines. It gives the impression to everybody that you're safe if you sit within these lines. You are being monitored. You
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are being watched. If something happens, help will be dispatched. That's the impression everyone has.

But guess what. He was assaulted there. He was robbed right there. No one came to his support. He had to pick himself up, use the emergency phone, and that's when the police came. That's not acceptable.

Let's talk about HST for a minute — your favourite subject. "It wasn't on our radar," as the minister would say, but then goes on to say: "We did analyze" — he was quoted in the Globe and Mail the other day — "but we didn't know the benefits until after the election." Well, make up your mind.

When you're not telling the truth, you build up…

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

H. Bains: …a lot….

Is that my time? Can I have some more?

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

Deputy Speaker: And if I might remind members that members are only referred to by constituency name. Thank you.

D. Hayer: Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to stand in this House and rise in this House to support our great throne speech.

And congratulations, Madam Speaker, on your getting re-elected and appointed as Deputy Speaker.

Also at this time I want to say congratulations to all the members in the House who got elected in the last election. As well, I want to say thank you very much to all the members who served in this House in the past. I also want to say thank you to all the members who allowed their names to stand in our last election, who participated in our democratic system.

A thank-you to all the volunteers that everybody had and to everybody who helped them either financially or otherwise to run for election. That's what keeps a democracy strong — by having a good election where people have a choice, and they listen to both sides of the issue, and then make their decision.

Also at this time I want to say thank you very much to all my constituents from Surrey-Tynehead and to all our supporters who gave me the opportunity to represent them again for a third time in this House as their MLA.

[1800]

You know, I appreciate and I really have the privilege of serving all my constituents' concerns and issues here as MLA. It takes a lot of hard work from all the volunteers. It takes a lot of hard work from all of the people who work on the campaign. With their help, we can come here and listen to the concerns and make sure the concerns are dealt with.

Also, I want to thank my wife, Isabelle; my children, Alexander, Sonia, Anthony, and Katrina; and also all their friends and my friends and our relatives and the volunteers. Many of them we have known for a long period of time, and for some of them the first time we met was in this election time.

Every time there's an election we receive new volunteers, and we have received help from hundreds and hundreds of volunteers. It is because of their help that we've been able to serve here and I've been able to serve here for the third term, and to make sure that their concerns are listened to and that the issues are brought to Victoria here.

I also want to state at this time that my constituency boundaries were changed. We have also included the Guildford area, which is west of 152nd Street, in my constituency, so I did receive around 10,000 to 12,000 new constituents.

At the same time, I'm sad to say that a part of my constituency, most of Fleetwood, is not in my riding, and I will not be able to represent them as the MLA. But I can tell you this much. If they ever have any need, my office will still be there, because part of Fleetwood is still part of my constituency.

My constituency of Surrey-Tynehead includes Fraser Heights. It includes the Guildford area; the Birdland area, which is a new area, a part of the riding; the Port Kells area, which I have represented since 2001; the Tynehead area; and the northeast part of Fleetwood, which I have been representing since 2001.

I want to make sure that my constituents' concerns are listened to. Their concerns are very important to me, and I am sure they're very important to them. I intend to make sure that I have full access to them, as they have had to me since 2001.

I will keep on holding my monthly coffee meetings with the community, which allowed me in the last eight years to listen to their concerns and make sure I bring those concerns to government. Those coffee meetings are held on the first Saturday of every month. We used to be at ABC Restaurant. Now we're in Guildford, at the Pantry Restaurant. We will continue doing that.

Over the last eight years I have had the pleasure of meeting the hundreds and hundreds of constituents who wanted to freely express their thoughts, their opinions, their concerns and any issues they had so that I could bring them to Victoria. I make sure their concerns are dealt with by the government.

Sometimes those concerns are dealt with at the municipal level, sometimes at the federal level. I've worked closely with our mayor, Dianne Watts, and all our councillors to make sure they understand the concerns of my constituents. I can tell you that mostly they've been dealt with.

Sometimes those concerns have been dealt with at the federal level. I have worked very closely with our MP, Dona Cadman, or Nina Grewal, the Member of Parliament. They have also helped my constituents to
[ Page 166 ]
make sure the federal issues are dealt with. Other times they deal with the board of education, and we work very closely with our board of education also.

Everybody knows that we have gone through very difficult economic times, and we had to take some very difficult decisions. We had to make some difficult decisions to make sure that British Columbia stays the best place to work in, the best place to invest money in, to make sure our economy stays strong.

Sometimes the decisions we make as MLAs are difficult. Sometimes you can take the easy route and not make the difficult decisions, but on the other hand, there are some times you take a difficult approach, which in the long term will be great for British Columbia, great for our economy and great for our jobs, so all the British Columbians don't have to go back to other provinces or other parts of the world to look for jobs.

They can stay here, unlike in 1990s, when the economy was bad. They didn't make the difficult decisions, and they ended up having to move out of British Columbia to look for jobs for their families.

[1805]

Most economists predict that British Columbia will have a very strong economy next year and after that because of the policies of our government.

Also, to that end, I want to sort of speak about what is in the throne speech and also state that one of the things in the throne speech which the opposition talks about all the time is the HST.

At this time I want to say that in the throne speech, when we talk about the HST…. The HST is not something new. It is something the federal government under the federal Liberals and the federal Conservatives has been talking to all the provinces about since the mid-1990s — I think it was '96 or so — asking to see if they can join the HST.

I can tell you that I have served on the Select Standing Committee on Finance for quite a while now. Every year we hear input from many individuals, many organizations, saying government should take a look at harmonizing GST and PST together. Just like in past years, last November we compiled our report, which was done by the Select Standing Committee on Finance, which had four members from the NDP side and six from the Liberal side.

Those members from the NDP side included the member for Surrey-Whalley, my home town of Surrey, who was the vice-Chair of the Select Standing Committee on Finance; and other MLAs, including the member for Skeena and the members for Malahat–Juan de Fuca and Coquitlam-Maillardville.

I can tell you that this time I decided to go through the Finance Committee report again, just to make sure I get the facts right.

When I was reading on the Select Standing Committee on Finance, it has a section on page 12 that is on the harmonized sales tax. When I looked at it, it talked about, as in previous years the Finance Committee has also heard many organizations talk about harmonizing. But at the bottom of the part, what's interesting is the committee's decision. The committee's decision stated that the Finance Committee thinks a cost-benefit analysis needs to be conducted to determine whether a harmonized sales tax may be worth considering.

I was talking to our Finance Minister, and he said that after the report was done, he looked at it last November. Then, he said, because only Quebec and three small provinces had the HST, it was not worthwhile doing. Later on, when Ontario decided they wanted to have an HST at the end of March…. I can tell you this much — that most of us were thinking about the election. Nowadays you have a writ period of 28 days, because the election date is fixed.

Also, you have a pre-writ period of 60 days, and most of us are thinking about the election, knocking on the doors, meetings with our constituents, focusing on that. At the end of the day, democracy works, as I've said before, because everybody participates, and the people make a decision. You never know until the election who is going to be in government. Is it going to be from the NDP side, us, or maybe somebody else?

Therefore, you make the decisions that need to be dealt with on a day-to-day basis before the writ period. After the writ period, whoever is government relooks at all the things they need to do, and they make sure long-term decisions are made to make sure of the best interests of the province of British Columbia.

What I heard from the Finance Minister was that when his ministry looked at it and discussed it with him later on in May and in June, they realized that the decision of the Finance Committee should be looked at again and analyzed — cost-benefit analysis. They realized that if we don't look at harmonizing the HST — because Ontario had already passed legislation that it would be participating — it will cost us thousands and thousands of jobs, because many of the investments in British Columbia will move from here, and they will go to Ontario.

If the investments go there, next go the jobs. That's what happened in the 1990s. When investment left British Columbia, the jobs ended up going. It's not the NDP or something. If any government is trying to scare away investment, the same thing will happen. Jobs will go.

The people will say, "We elected you, the B.C. Liberals, for the third time," which is historical in the last 25 years, seeing the Premier elected a third time. "You had all the facts on hand when the Finance Ministry gave you all the facts, and you did not make the difficult decision."

If we don't make the difficult decision and the economy goes back, 3½ or four years from now they will say: "You did not do the right thing."
[ Page 167 ]

That is why I want to just make sure that we talk about what happened in the HST and clarify it. Since the decision was made, I have dealt with many hundreds of constituents of mine at many meetings where they've been able to read it.

[1810]

On the other hand, I understand the job of the opposition is to oppose. I just wish sometimes they also provided some good input, some suggestions of what can be better things to do, rather than just opposing and complaining — provide some solutions that can help and benefit.

I can tell you, Madam Speaker, that we have all had to tighten our belts over a short period of time. That goes for the government, and that also goes for other British Columbians. On the other hand, we do have a very bright future over the long term if we work hard, just like we did in the last six years or so. We were able to make sure our economy was strong, and then we had unprecedented growth and prosperity and security. It is the action of this government that occurred, and it will be through the action of this government that it will occur again.

We will recover from this downturn. This will be a short-term, difficult, painful part, but it will be good for our prosperity in the long term. Our province has a great future, a very positive future. I think all British Columbians will enjoy the long-term prosperity of finding jobs here. They will be able to see that their children and their grandchildren and their mom and dad can stay in British Columbia and look for jobs here instead of having to go outside.

I can tell you that when I look at our neighbours to the south, especially if you take a look at the last year, they have had a very, very difficult time. Even around the world economies have crashed, but I can tell you this much. When I talked to some of the British Columbians I've been visiting in Prince George, they said they have bought 12 homes in the United States near Las Vegas. I said: "Look, this doesn't make sense. Why would you buy 12 homes in Las Vegas in the United States when the economy is crashing?" They said: "We had to buy them because we thought the long-term potential is still good, because the economy in the U.S. will recover."

Those houses — they got them at a 70 percent discount. They only paid 30 percent of the price, and I can tell you that British Columbians say they're very lucky that our prices in housing did not go like those in the U.S. did. They say they're very lucky to see…. Even though December, November, January, February and March were really bad for housing construction and housing sales, June and July had a record number of sales.

They said that's because they realized that "your government was re-elected, and they have a good plan." That plan is going to make sure that British Columbia stays strong in the long term and make sure that we have funds available to provide health care and education and social programs, and make sure we have funds available to look after our seniors.

I can tell you that when we talked to the federal government about looking at the HST again, I think in June or July, they were able to provide $1.6 billion, which is good for British Columbians because instead of saying no to that money, which was based on the British Columbia taxpayers, we said: "Please give us our share so that we can use it for health care and education."

I know that some of the members from the opposition would have liked us to say no to that money, but on the other hand, when I explained to my constituents…. You know, without that, the financial crises we have are because of the deficits in the budget, because the economy around the world is crashing. We would probably have less money available for health care and education and social programs, and we don't want to do that.

We're trying to take every opportunity possible to make sure that we have a strong economy and that we take advantage of every decision we can that will help positively and make sure our health care system and our education system are protected.

We also want to say that when we look at Surrey and talk about the throne speech and talk about the economy…. My colleague from Surrey-Newton was talking earlier, and he was talking about the hospital in Surrey. We are very lucky that our government has put billions of dollars of investment in Surrey, which is allowing us to provide a new hospital in Surrey.

The hospital on the Fraser Highway and 140th Street is going to be a day surgery hospital that's going to relieve a lot of congestion at Surrey Memorial Hospital. When I talked to the nurses and doctors and other health care workers who will be working there, they're very, very excited. Some of them have retired. They say they wish they were younger and were still working so they could work in a nice environment at the new day surgery hospital that we're putting in Surrey on the Fraser Highway and 140th Street. It's under construction.

[1815]

I can tell you that lots of times the opposition tried to scare the constituents, saying that it will never happen. They said: "It's just one little hole there." Actually, you know, it has three storeys there, and it looks good. As a matter of fact, you can go on the Internet website and see how the construction is going. Many constituents of mine tell me that they watch that.

Then the next one they talk about is Surrey Memorial Hospital. You know, Surrey Memorial Hospital…. For a long time no government did anything to it or made any major improvements. When our government came in, with the leadership of our Premier, our Ministers of Health worked very hard to make sure we had the proper solution for Surrey Memorial Hospital.

Surrey Memorial Hospital is going to be a state-of-the-art hospital, and it's going to have a huge expan-
[ Page 168 ]
sion. This is going to be a five-times-larger emergency than before, and there will be an ER for children. There are new birthing rooms in there. There's a helicopter pad on top in case of emergencies, so if people need to land a helicopter to make sure the patients are looked after, they can look after them right in Surrey instead of having to go somewhere else.

I know the members of the opposition won't be really happy, because we do have four of them living in Surrey, that we have a greater health care system and greater improvements to the Surrey Memorial Hospital.

That hospital is also going to have one floor in there where the health care providers, doctors and nurses and other hospital providers can learn. It will be a teaching hospital. The hospital will work closely with our post-secondary education institutions to make sure that we have the top doctors there, top nurses there, top other health care providers. That is really great news for Surrey, I can tell you this much.

When you take a look at the great benefits of a strong economy and working in partnership with the federal government, we were able to announce $10 million for a Surrey campus of Simon Fraser University. They were really excited about it. I can tell you that many of my constituents, their children, instead of having to go to Simon Fraser University in Burnaby or Vancouver, now they actually go to Surrey instead of going to UBC. They actually go to the Surrey campus.

Other ones go to Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Newton. We have a trade and technology centre from Kwantlen in Cloverdale. Students are telling me that if they want to get the best jobs and they need the education, they want to make sure that they can get it close to home. That saves them money. That's good for them.

Also, we have provided a lot of extra spaces in there so that they can finish their degrees much quicker, instead of having to go an extra year or two as they were doing in the 1990s when there were not enough spaces available for students. We had more students than the spaces available. I want to say, you know, it is really good from that perspective.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Also, I want to say at this time congratulations to Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you were re-elected again unanimously with the support of all the MLAs in the House because they respect your decisions and how you handle this House. I also want to say congratulations on behalf of my constituents on getting re-elected as MLA and re-elected as Speaker, which is great news.

I was saying to Madam Speaker, who was there before, that because of our strong economy we've been able to do a lot of great things for British Columbia. We want to make sure that we continue having a strong economy. We want to make sure that we have funds available to look after our most vulnerable people, our seniors, and we want to make sure that the economy stays strong.

One other thing that most people will agree with is that when we're going through the last little while, even three months ago, nobody knew how the natural gas prices were going to be. The natural gas price used to sell at $13 per unit, and today it's around $3 per unit. Every time the natural gas prices drop by $1, basically our revenues in the provincial government go down by $300 million. Looking at going from $13 per unit to $3 per unit, that's a lot of money we have lost because of this.

Also, when you take a look at the Canadian dollar, how it has gone up and down…. That has really affected us in a lot of ways, and it shouldn't have.

I can tell you that in my constituency, because of the strong economy and the decisions of this government, they have put a few billion dollars in transportation improvement. One is the ten-laning of the Port Mann Bridge. The Port Mann Bridge should have been done a long time ago, but it wasn't done. My constituents are happy to actually see that construction happening on there. They're going to be widening Highway 1 from Langley to Vancouver, eight-laning it. They're also making all the interchange improvements.

[1820]

In the meantime, Pacific Highway, 176th Street is already four-laned from Highway 1 to the U.S. border, which is good news for my constituents. Fraser Highway is four-laned. We gave some of the money for that too. Highway 10, which was promised to four-lane for many, many decades, didn't happen, but actually four lanes…. It's not in my constituency, but I can tell you that all residents in Surrey, including my constituents, take advantage of it.

When we take a look at the economy, they want to make sure that the transportation system is fixed. If it is not fixed, it costs billions of dollars in wasted time stuck in the traffic. It's bad for the air quality if the transportation is gridlocked. It's bad for my constituents, because they spend sometimes an extra hour or two just stuck in traffic, which might take them five minutes when they're driving their kids to school, or they're going shopping, or they're taking them to their sports teams, or they're just going to visit their parents, or the parents are coming to visit my constituents.

So we have put in the 156th Street underpass, which connects Fraser Heights to the Guildford area. That connection is really good, because right now it takes my constituents from Fraser Heights about five minutes to go to Guildford Mall. Before it was taking them 45 minutes to an hour, an hour and a half, each way to travel on the route. So they are really happy about that.

I have many community associations in my constituency. We have Guildford Community Partners and Fleetwood Community Association. We have Fraser Heights Community Association and Port Kells Community Association. Also, we have Tynehead
[ Page 169 ]
Community Association. These community associations provide the input. I make sure that different ministers have a chance to hear what their concerns are.

Many of them are really happy to see how our government has dealt with all the issues, and they're especially happy about the SkyTrain expansion that will be coming to Surrey. That's another great news. Not only will we have buses going for the first time on the Port Mann bridge when the ten-lane is built, and the bicycle lanes; we will actually have a SkyTrain expanded to Guildford mall and then going to Fraser Highway and 168th Street.

That's going to make sure that people have choices if they want to use the SkyTrain, or they want to use buses, or they want to ride bicycles, or if they don't have a choice. Maybe they have to use a car. They are not putting pollution in the air and not putting more bad pollution in our environment, and those are all the good things that a good economy can do.

Also, I want to say at this time that I was at the opening day of the Canada Line, which goes from Vancouver downtown to Richmond and to Vancouver International Airport. When I talked to them, I said: "How long has this plan for this line been talked about?" They said, as a matter of fact, that they have talked about this for close to 30 years. They were really happy to see that we have a government that actually did this, that's going to allow workers to go back and forth to the airport or to Vancouver or to Surrey using the SkyTrain right from Surrey and, later on, from the Guildford area of my constituency or the Port Kells area or the Fleetwood area all the way to the airport.

There was a lineup of people who wanted to travel the SkyTrain on the first day of opening. They were very excited and happy about it, which is good for the environment. I was told it's like having a ten-lane highway, if we had to put all those people in cars, so that new line, Canada Line, is great. It is because of the help of the federal government having good relations with our provincial government that we were able to do it.

Now, I think, noting the time, that I still have some time left on my speech, so I will keep my order for the next sitting and make sure that I have a chance to speak with all the great news that we have, so that my colleagues from the opposition will have a chance….

Mr. Speaker: Member, you've got four minutes left if you want to carry it through.

[1825]

D. Hayer: Okay, no problem.

At this time I want to say that we have the Minister of Advanced Education that was here, too, who visited Simon Fraser University and also Kwantlen University. She met with some of the students there. They were really happy to see that we are providing all the millions in extra funding to Kwantlen University and, also, the millions of dollars we have provided to Simon Fraser University.

When you take a look at the school system in Surrey, they're really excited about having this full-day kindergarten for the five-year-olds, which people said they'd been asking for, for a long time. It's going to allow the students to be successful and to make sure that regardless of what your income level is, you can succeed.

They also say we are very lucky in British Columbia to live here, the best place on earth, because regardless of what your background is or what your religion is, regardless of wherever you were born — either you're here because of choice or you were born here — if you work hard, you can succeed in anything you can dream of. I mean, it's a great place to be.

So I want to say, on behalf of my constituents, that I support this throne speech. I think it's a great speech. It's going to be a short little difficult time, but in the long term it's going to be great for all British Columbia.

D. Hayer moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. G. Abbott moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 6:27 p.m.

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