2015 Legislative Session: Fourth Session, 40th 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)

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Morning Sitting

Volume 27, Number 6

ISSN 0709-1281 (Print)
ISSN 1499-2175 (Online)

THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015

The House met at 10:02 a.m.

[Madame Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers.

Introductions by Members

Hon. N. Letnick: Today is B.C. Beef Day in British Columbia — in particular, in this House. The lineups will be long, but the beef will be worth it.

I’d just like to introduce some of the people that are involved with the beef industry who are in the House today. We’ll be meeting with many members around us this morning and this afternoon. From the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association we have Lary Fossum, who is the president; Brian McKersie, vice-president; David Haywood-Farmer, past president; Larry Garrett; Ed Salle; John Anderson; Martin Rossmann; Kevin Boon; Andrea White; and Rick Mumford. From the B.C. Breeder and Feeder Association we have Lindy Gilson, Mike Gilson, Ken Fawcett and Connie Patterson, and from the B.C. Association of Abattoirs we have Gillian Watt, Mike Noullet and Nancy Marshall.

Will the House please make them feel welcome.

Hon. T. Lake: As we come to the end of the session, there are young people in our organizations that are moving on. I want to recognize a couple of those people who have worked in my office for a while. Kyle Marsh has been in the buildings for four years. Kyle will be going on to greener pastures in the private sector, and I want to wish him well. The inimitable Sabrina Loiacono has been working in the buildings for eight years. She started as receptionist to caucus and has served as chief of staff to the Minister of Health for the last two years.

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I want to wish them both very well. I wonder what I’m going to do without them, but I know they’re going to go on to great things.

V. Huntington: Today I have three separate classes touring the precinct from Cliff Drive Elementary. I thought I better introduce them now in case we aren’t here when they come by. I would like the House to welcome Mr. Penny and his classes from Cliff Drive Elementary School.

L. Popham: We have 40 grade 5 students joining us from St. Joseph’s School today. They are with their teacher, Christine James. Ms. James is married to our own Craig James.

Hon. S. Cadieux: I, too, have a bunch of guests visiting the Legislature today from Hillcrest Elementary School: four classes of grade 5 students — 62 students, 15 parents and three teachers. Quite an undertaking. Ms. Zvi, Mr. Weltzin and Mrs. Foster are accompanying the students here today. I hope that the House would make them welcome.

Moira Stilwell: Today in the precinct there are 35 grade 6 students with six parents and their teacher, Mr. Patrick O’Hara, visiting from Sir William Osler School. Would the House please make them welcome.

S. Sullivan: We are all so fortunate to have young and talented people come to work with us to keep the engines of government running. I’d like to recognize a very talented young man that is joining us today in the Speaker’s gallery. My research officer, David Wasyluk, has been with government caucus since November 2013. During this time I’ve been struck by his talent and professionalism. He will be now moving on to other things, and we wish him good luck, please. Please would everyone join me in wishing him a good future.

N. Simons: In the precincts today is a group of grades 6 and 7 students from West Sechelt Elementary and their teacher, Mrs. Pam Kaatz. There’s a grade 4 student with them. I think she just snuck on the ferry or something. In particular, one student, Maya, is turning 13 today. I’d like to ask the House to make them all very welcome.

J. Tegart: It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge five bright and hard-working young people who spent the legislative session with our caucus in our communications and research departments, toiling away in the basement of this building.

On behalf of all my colleagues from the government caucus, I’d like to thank our legislative interns for the year: Emily Barner, Katie Bowers, Corinne Brosz, Alissa Wrean and Mark Levesque. You’ve been absolutely fantastic. It’s been a pleasure to have them with us. They all have great futures ahead of them, and I wish them all best as they pursue their career journeys.

J. Horgan: I have a number of introductions today.

Firstly, I’d like to introduce my constituency assistant, Hans Frederiksen, who is here in the precinct today with three constituents of mine: Jessica Alford and her two daughters, Morgana and Maria. They are all here today to watch question period, and I want the House to wish them a warm welcome.

Secondly, I want to follow the member for Fraser-Nicola and thank our interns for the great work that they did this session. We on this side of the House have a bit of a running game. MLAs are tagged as they come in to visit with interns and mentor them and help them better
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understand the political process and how government operates. Yet again — I think it’s the tenth consecutive year — I was able to win that contest.

It could well be because I spent less time in the chamber than I did in the past, but I’ve had a good opportunity to meet Jessica Giang, Sarah Marriott, Kristine Parker, Kevin Sage and Matthew Chan. All five have been outstanding contributors to our work this session. I know they’re going to be fine individuals in whatever community they land in. Let’s hope it’s in Juan de Fuca in the future. Would the House please make them very, very welcome.

[1010]

B. Routley: Today we have with us a group from the Shawnigan Lake area. We have the director for Shawnigan Lake, Sonia Furstenau. Her husband, Blaise Salmon, is here, along with…. I see Georgia Collins and another group of residents that are there. I am sorry. I don’t know all their names, but they’re here to express their concerns about what’s going on in Shawnigan Lake. I would ask this House to please join me in welcoming them to this House.

D. McRae: It’s the season for people to leave the building, and Darrell Mackay has been working in the Legislature for over four years. The man has impeccable taste. He’s going to retire to the Comox Valley this summer.

He served in the navy, prior to working here, for 30-plus years and retired as a chief petty officer second class. His last posting was as chief boatswain’s mate on the HMCS Protecteur. He worked for the last four summers on HMCS Quadra as chief petty officer in charge of over 140 sea cadets.

As I can imagine he would, he plans to spend as much time on the water fishing as his wife, Marlene, will let him — I’m sure he’ll share some of his catch with, perhaps, his MLA — and spending time with his new grandson, Chase. Darrell has done a great job working not only for the Armed Forces but also for the Legislature. Would the House wish him very well in his retirement.

K. Conroy: For those of us that have been here for a while, we probably would remember the name Steve, the bartender from the Grand. Well, what do you do when you leave Victoria? You move to Castlegar and open up a bar in Castlegar. He’s organized a tour, a trip to Victoria for a number of his friends from Castlegar, who are all here. I’m warning the people of Victoria today that they’re here for the weekend to golf.

They were going to try to make it here on time, and I don't know if they have, but I'm still going to introduce them all. It's Craig and Steve Cartwright, Ron Anderson, Shawn Biln, Danny Walker, Bob Larch, Brent Allan, Ernie Yolland, Doug Wright, Scott Jones, Pat Metge, Rob Babarazi, Myron Nichol, Cam Barlow, Paul Semenoff, Glen Akselson, Gord Walker, Lyle Salekin, Jim Swanson, Ian Stewart, Al Ingham, Bill Cheveldave, and Bob and Ryan Archambault. Ryan is more affectionately known in our house as Arch.

I just again want to warn the community of Victoria that they’ll be on all the golf courses throughout the weekend, but please join me in welcoming them all.

S. Chandra Herbert: I rise, of course, to say thank you to my constituency assistants, Murray, Chantille and Parm.

Also, I especially thank Parm, as she’s moving off from our office to the sunny climes of Edmonton — maybe not so sunny in December or January, but certainly an exciting, vibrant place. She will be working with the new Premier of Alberta, Rachel Notley. I just want to thank her very much for her service to our community in Vancouver–West End. I know that the member for Surrey–Green Timbers will, of course, join me, as she used to work in that office. I just want to congratulate Parm Kahlon on her new adventure. I look forward to hearing how it goes — exciting times in Alberta, and exciting times ahead in this province as well.

R. Lee: Today is B.C. Jade Day. In the House we have over 70 visitors. I won’t name everybody, but I would like to just name a few. We have Charles Hu, Jian Chun Chen, Erla Boyer, Sam Peng, John Zhong, Phebe Chan, Don Gordon, Craig Robson, Xiwang Wang and Zhengtian Wang.

Also, there are quite a few organizations I’d like to mention — the Canada National Jade Research Institute, Canada Gems Society, Canada Jade Association, Canadian Jade Resources and Culture Promotion Centre, Canada Jade Mine Resource Inc., Canadian Jade Carving Training and Education Centre Inc., Green Mountain Gemstones Inc., Jade Forever, Baina Mining Corp., NHT Enterprises Corp., Cassiar Jade Contracting Inc., Gallery Indigena Inc., Classic Jade Carving Ltd., Canada National Jade Trade Centre and Ultimate 24K Gold Co.

There are many people from the community here today. Would the House please make them very welcome.

[1015]

J. Darcy: I want to join the member for Vancouver–West End in also wishing Parm Kahlon all the best.

She works three days a week in Vancouver–West End and two days a week in New Westminster. She’s been a tremendous source of support to me in the constituency. I know she’s going to do amazing things with the new Premier of Alberta. I hope the entire House will join us in wishing her all the very best.

D. Ashton: It’s not an introduction; it’s an actual thank-you. It’s a thank-you to you and your staff, the
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Clerk’s staff, the Sergeant-at-Arms’ staff, all the wonderful staff in here who keep us on the straight and narrow in this wonderful house of democracy. It’s also to everybody else who works for government outside of this chamber who keep this institution in such tip-top shape and at the view and the purview of all the public that get an opportunity to see it. I would just like to extend a thanks and hope everybody would join in for that.

Hon. A. Wilkinson: We all know that there are many people out there who work in the political realm to keep the machinery of the electoral process going. I would just like to recognize Mr. Niall Paltiel, who is a new employee at the B.C. Liberal Party, and a number of individuals who are working this summer as interns for the B.C. Liberal Party: Jennifer Harvie, Will Zylmans, Kalyx Aquino, Harbir Dhillon, Lionel Tam, Margareta Dovgal, Gul Gulsen, David Decolongon, and there are about 300 more that we will not advertise to the other side. But they are in the House today, and please welcome them.

Tributes

JENNY WAI CHING KWAN

J. Horgan: It is a great privilege and honour to rise today and salute one of our own, one of our colleagues, the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, Jenny Wai Ching Kwan, if you don’t mind me using her full name here at this particular juncture.

Members will know that Jenny will be leaving at the end of this session to pursue a higher office — I guess they call it — moving to Ottawa to represent the constituency of Vancouver East in the coming federal election. On behalf of our entire caucus, I want to wish Jenny all the best of luck in her future endeavours and thank her from the bottom of our hearts for the contribution she’s made to this august body over the past 19 years.

Jenny began her career as one of the youngest people ever elected in the city of Vancouver, a lone councillor for the COPE party at that time. That would serve her well in the years ahead, being a single representative on council against a larger number. She turned to this House in 1996, replacing Mike Harcourt as the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, and went on to have, as you know, a very long career.

Being the first Chinese-Canadian member of a cabinet in British Columbia was, again, groundbreaking for Jenny. But I think most of us on this side of the House and, I’m fairly certain, members that were here in 2001 on that side of the House will remember her as one of the two wonder women that held the government at bay — perhaps, some have argued, better than the ones that are here now, with respect to my colleagues.

The two women…. The Joy and Jenny show was something to behold. The member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant and her colleague Joy MacPhail held the government accountable relentlessly, standing up and debating bills, sometimes for hours and hours at a time. It was truly extraordinary and, if I could follow along from the member for Penticton, a symbol of how important this institution is and how important a role the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant played in the development of our democracy in that critical time.

It is unusual to have such a small opposition, but it’s even more unusual to have two women who were so powerful and did such an extraordinary job, I would argue — and I know that the House Leader will agree with me when he takes to his feet — in holding the government to task.

Jenny has been a groundbreaker. She has been an inspiration for many. She was, working with the member for Burnaby North and the member for Richmond Centre, of course, pivotal in bringing forward finally in this place a bipartisan, non-partisan apology to Chinese Canadians for the horrific racist policies of governments in the past. Her contribution to that, I know, will be acknowledged as well.

I just can’t say enough about the role that Jenny has played here, and I absolutely wish her well. Ottawa will not know what hit them when she arrives after the next election. [Applause.]

[1020]

Hon. M. de Jong: For the member from Mount Pleasant, the time has come to say farewell.

Mount Pleasant. I must confess that in the two decades that we have served here together, there have been times when I have equated the hon. member with geological formations other than Mount Pleasant — Mount St. Helens, the Grouse Grind. Nonetheless, the extent to which I have harboured such feelings, they are most assuredly a reflection of the member’s strengths and effectiveness as an advocate for her constituents and probably my own thin-skinned sensitivities.

I wouldn’t want to leave the impression that there have not been moments of collegiality, even — dare I say it — tenderness. I remember one such occasion very, very well, when I rushed into the House, having been told that the member from Mount Pleasant was graciously and even reverently quoting my words from an earlier debate. It seemed too good to be true. And as is often the case in these situations, it was too good to be true.

Alas, the member had taken a passage from former MLA Harry De Jong and inadvertently assigned both it and her favourable commentary to me. However, the mistake was an honest one, and I continue to cling to that magical bipartisan moment that shall forever link us.

The opposition leader has spoken about that remarkable period between 2001 and 2005. In a parliament-
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ary career that has thus far spanned almost two decades, there are undoubtedly many memorable moments. But I should like to say a few words about that unique period when the member, I think, rendered special service to this chamber.

From ’01 to ’05 the role of opposition was filled by just two people: the member from Mount Pleasant and Joy MacPhail. Like soldiers caught in a foxhole behind enemy lines, they fought tenaciously, stubbornly and defiantly. They were clinging to their small patch of parliamentary turf until a larger band of fellow partisans could acquire the licence to join them and join the fight.

I must say that those of us who were here…. Certainly in my case, I marvelled, quietly, at the measure of determination that revealed itself in the fiery rhetoric, the blazing eyes of this woman whose passion for the democratic process would not be constrained by either her political adversaries or the weighty responsibilities that descended upon her as a new mother.

If, in those days of parliamentary encounters, I made the mistake of assuming that the member from Mount Pleasant would be intimidated by the disproportionate alignment of the House, I was quickly disabused of any such notion. A case in point: an encounter in the hallways. “De Jong,” she said to me, “this bill you’ve just tabled is the statutory equivalent of the solid waste discharge from the male species of cattle” — now, I’m paraphrasing — “and I suggest you take it and self-administer a colonoscopy.” Again, I’m paraphrasing.

But I must confess that even at that time I paused and reflected that anyone who had mastered the dark side of the English language to the extent that the member from Mount Pleasant had with such proficiency represented a political adversary worthy of attention and respect.

[1025]

Who knows what adventures lie ahead? The member may have an opportunity to have her thoughts, views and rants recorded in another place in both official languages. But that is in the future and for other people to decide.

Wherever the future takes her, I hope that you, Jenny, will reflect positively on the time you have spent in this place and know that during the nearly two decades that you have spent here, you have achieved that most elusive quality that I think we all seek. You have made a difference, and for that, all of us owe you a debt. Thank you, and good luck. [Applause.]

Introductions by Members

Hon. A. Virk: I have one final introduction. Joining us in the precinct, I’ve just found out, is one of my constituents, Nola Young, a proud Canadian of Chinese origin who spends much of her time teaching Chinese language, teaching skills and preserving culture. Would the House please make Nola Young welcome.

Personal Statement

SERVICE TO LEGISLATURE
AND MESSAGE OF APPRECIATION

J. Kwan: I am somewhat speechless in this place. I know it’s a rare moment in time, so we should relish it, right? It’s never going to happen again. I have to say that I can’t tell you what an honour and privilege it’s been to serve in this chamber, to be the MLA for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, for these last 19 years.

When I was first elected, Madame Speaker, you will recall that for all of us womenfolk who walked the halls of this beautiful building, the people’s House…. As a rookie MLA, I was intimidated. Let’s be clear and be on the record about that. I was walking down the halls, and I needed to use the bathroom. So what do I do? I walked into what I thought — and I swore I saw on the sign of the door — was the women’s. I walked into the bathroom, and then what did I see? An entire row of urinals.

I went, “Oh my gosh,” and I ran out of there as fast as I could, hoping that nobody would have seen me walk in there, thinking that I made a mistake and walked into the men’s room. So I scurried away, and I found some other bathroom. Later on I came back, and I looked at that door again, and it said: “Women.” I went: “What? I didn’t make a mistake.”

It turns out that in 1996 the women’s bathrooms in this place still had urinals all over them. It was only some years later that they were covered up. They’re still there, but they’re hidden, at least. So for the incoming MLA for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, I hope that she — if it’s a she — won’t make the same mistake. If she does, do not worry. It’s all going to be okay.

I have to say that there have been many, many memories, but first I must acknowledge this. As an immigrant, my parents made enormous sacrifices for us to have an opportunity to do better than them. And with my siblings, we were the first generation of Kwans to have access to post-secondary education.

When we immigrated here in 1976, my mom went into the workforce for the first time as a farmworker. She made $10 a day to support a family of eight. My dad went to Vancouver Community College to pick up English as a second language so that he could get into the workforce. He was trained as a tailor by trade, and he owned a small business in Hong Kong before we immigrated here. So many years of struggle. The kids have grown up.

To have this enormous privilege to be a voice in this place for the people that I represent — I can’t tell you what that means and what an honour it’s been.

[1030]

It was mentioned about the important work that was done in this Legislature, where all of us, every one of us, joined hands to declare and make an apology around historical discriminatory practices and laws for the Chinese-
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Canadian community. I have to say this earnestly. Had it not been for them — the people who came before me, who fought the fight — I wouldn’t be here today. And I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

I have to say, for the people of Vancouver–Mount Pleasant it is an incredible honour…. I look at that community, and they are the most resilient people that I know. We struggle with many, many things each and every day. But if you take the time to just look beyond the surface, you will see the strength and the beauty of the people that live in Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, especially those from the Downtown Eastside. It is an incredible honour to represent them. They have taught me so much. And their support and their guidance over all these years…. For them — this is what it’s about for me in this place. The community activists who work every single day, who push the envelope, who drive change — we do this not just for the people of Mount Pleasant. We do this for the province of British Columbia, so that we can all have better opportunities to succeed.

I know that I stand on the shoulders of giants in this place — the people who came before me, Mike Harcourt, the former Premier, and so many more before that. To them I’m eternally grateful for the important work that they’ve done to show me the guidance of what needs to be done and to carry on this incredible work. I have no doubt that the next MLA of Vancouver–Mount Pleasant will continue in the same spirit with that.

I do want to just mention for a moment the Joy and Jenny years, as some of us refer to. I’ve got to tell you a secret, Madame Speaker, and share this in this chamber. Some of the members may recall there was a time that during the Health estimates we had two giant binders. I’m talking about giant binders, sort of like that with the Minister of Health — exactly — with his briefing notes.

Now somehow, one way or another, a brown envelope arrived at our door. It contained the table of contents of the briefing book. And that’s it. So we came in here in the Health estimates debate, and we began to read off the table of contents, piece by piece, with our giant binders of blank paper underneath.

I have to tell you, it was quite fun to see the reaction on the other side and the jaws that dropped. They were like: “My god, they have the briefing books.” And we carried this on for, oh, a couple of hours. It really was quite fun. But that’s all that it was, just to be clear. I thought I should share this secret in this House, never to be told again anywhere else.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the staff, the lean and mean machine that we were and the original staff back in those days for Joy and myself: Paula Gunn, our researcher — our one and only researcher at that time; Jim Rutkowski and Clay Suddaby, who were our executive director, I guess, and also our communications director; and of course, Shirley-Anne, who was our LA at the time in this chamber, who helped us manoeuvre this place.

I know that people think that we’re super brave, Joy and myself. I have to say there were many moments when we were walking up the stairs from the basement of this place, and we were literally shaking. Joy would hold my hand. We would hold each other’s hands. We’d come in here, and when we’d sit down to ask our questions, and I would feel her hands on my knees. “That was just to calm her,” she says. And I take her at her word.

Then we rose in this House, and we asked our questions. There was only the one time that I want to say where we were silenced, in the sense that the Speaker only allowed one of us to ask one set of questions. Why would you say that that happened? Well, it happened because my sister in crime at that time, Joy MacPhail, was heckling too loudly.

[1035]

It was just so offensive that the Speaker of the day thought it would be appropriate to reprimand us. Of course, I, being always the person to have to face the brunt of Joy’s actions, was not allowed to ask my set of questions.

Those were, indeed, quite fond moments. I have to say they were our worst of times in many ways, but in some strange ways, they were the best of times as well. I learned so much not just from my side of the aisle with our two seats but from the other side as well. The House Leader mentioned that there were moments of tenderness. There were lots of moments, I think, of sympathy, but grudging respect as well. We saw it in the eyes of the very many members, and I thank them for that.

I do also want to take a moment and thank some of the ministers in all these years that I have served in this House. We argued like there was no tomorrow. I know one particular minister that I want to just say probably is the happiest person to see me go because he will no longer receive the stacks and stacks of letters and cases that I send his way. That would be the Minister for Housing, the Deputy Premier.

I know I always knock on his door, almost inevitably, because housing is a key issue in my riding. I bring cases to him, and he’s just like: “Oh gosh. What now?” You can just sort of see the anticipation of what’s to come.

To his credit, I must say this. He actually took these cases seriously, and in many instances he made the effort to try to resolve them. For that I thank him. It wasn’t for me, all of that work. It was for the people that we serve. I know that he extended his efforts to try to make that happen. He also, I should say, helped save the Rio Theatre. For that I thank him on behalf of the owners and the community there.

The House Leader will also fondly remember this history as well. There was a time when I came into this House, and I was all ready to speak on my private member’s bill. It was about the supervised injection facility. I had a gallery full of people, and we were all raring to go. Little did I know that I actually hadn’t given notice. After all of these years, mistakes still happen. I’d forgotten to give notice.
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When we were ready to introduce the bill, I went like: “Oh jeez.” I flagged the Government House Leader down. We had a quick conversation about that. You know what? Showing class and respect for this chamber and the work that we do, he actually initiated, I would say, the opportunity for me to speak to this bill. Leave was given in this House for me to do exactly that. I do appreciate that as well.

There were many, many moments in this Legislature where there were ups and downs. But I have to say that I want to thank all of the leaders in their years of service and as they continue to do their work, the important work and contributions in this chamber.

There was I don’t think a happier moment…. Well, one of the happiest moments in this chamber for me was in 2005, when I looked down our caucus room — and I was caucus chair at that time — to see the long lineup of New Democrats that had been elected to this chamber. Help was there. It wasn’t just on its way, but help was there, and credit to everyone in this chamber made that happen. All of the leaders today that have served at one point or another made a difference and will continue to make a difference. I thank them for that.

I do want to close with this. I want to thank my constituency assistants, who served me really, really well and served the people of Vancouver–Mount Pleasant really well: Lisa Macleod, who is still there at my office, and Frank Zhao, who’s just joined the office in the short term.

[1040]

I want to acknowledge Jason Blackman as well, who’s taken a leave now but also worked in the constituency office. Last but not least, I want to thank Stuart Alcock, who is actually retired, but he keeps on coming back because I continue to need his help to go through all the work that we need to do in Vancouver–Mount Pleasant.

I want to thank everyone for your incredible friendships. This is the thing that I take away from this place, aside from the work that we do — the incredible friendships that you have all extended to me. In particular, I want to say thank you to the amigos 3.5. You’ve made a difference in my life in more ways than you can imagine.

To the independent members, who actually reached out in perhaps some of the most difficult moments in my career and extended your support — that, I appreciate as well.

Lastly, the final thing that I’m going to say is this. My children. The most significant moments in my life happened in this chamber — not literally but almost — when I gave birth to my daughter, Cee-Yan, in 2003, and to my son, in 2008, Renan. Literally, Cee-Yan grew up in the drawers of the Legislature here, with my mom. Every other weekend we’d pile into my then little black Honda and travel the province to reach out to everybody, to try to rebuild the NDP. I always knew in my heart that the job to do was to come back and tell this story another day, live to tell the story another day. For that, I’m happy and grateful that I had the opportunity to contribute to that.

I want to make you all a promise. Unlike some of the retired MLAs from this Legislature, you won’t see me back in this place — not unless, in 2017, the Leader of the Opposition becomes the Premier of this province and this side of the House is sitting over there on that side of the House. On that occasion I will be back, and you will see the wrath of Kwan walking down the halls of this chamber.

With that, I want to close with this statement. The late Lieutenant-Governor Dr. David Lam taught me this so many years ago. He said: “It is not the title that brings you honour. It is what you do to bring honour to the title.” I shall always remember that, no matter where I go.

Thank you all so much for the tremendous experience, the honour to serve in this place and to work with you as colleagues and to be friends with you, even though we argue like crazy. [Applause.]

Introduction and
First Reading of Bills

BILL 29 — PROPERTY TAXATION
(EXEMPTIONS) STATUTES
AMENDMENT ACT, 2015

Hon. M. de Jong presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Property Taxation (Exemptions) Statutes Amendment Act, 2015.

Hon. M. de Jong: I move the bill be introduced and read a first time now.

Motion approved.

Hon. M. de Jong: I’m pleased to introduce the Property Taxation (Exemptions) Statutes Amendment Act, 2015, which amends the Community Charter and the Taxation (Rural Area) Act. The primary purpose of the bill is to ensure and confirm that the existing property tax exemptions provided to independent schools in the Community Charter and the Taxation (Rural Area) Act include property that is reasonably necessary for school purposes.

These amendments will ensure that independent school properties, such as playgrounds, playing fields and athletic facilities, will not be subject to property tax in the future. The bill will remain on the order paper for consideration at some point in the future.

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

Bill 29, Property Taxation (Exemptions) Statutes Amendment Act, 2015, 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.

[1045]

BILL M225 — LAND TITLE STATUTES
(RACIST COVENANTS REMOVAL)
AMENDMENT ACT, 2015

J. Kwan presented a bill intituled Land Title Statutes (Racist Covenants Removal) Amendment Act, 2015.

J. Kwan: I move that the Racist Covenants Removal Act standing in my name be read for a first time now.

Motion approved.

J. Kwan: It gives me great pleasure today to introduce the Racist Covenants Removal Act. A year ago this Legislature stood as one and apologized for more than 100 laws, regulations and policies imposed in the past by B.C. provincial governments that discriminated against people of Chinese descent.

As the apology motion stated: “These laws and policies denied British Columbia’s Chinese communities’ basic human rights, including but not limited to, the right to vote, hold public office, or own property; imposed labour, educational and employment restrictions; subjected them to health and housing segregation, and prevented them from fully participating in society.”

As part of the apology process, the government committed to review over 160 pieces of legislation to ensure that the historical wrongs engendered by discriminatory legislation are corrected and never repeated. That offending legislation has been repealed to prepare a report regarding the legislation review by spring of 2015.

We have not yet seen that report, but one manifestation of racism in B.C. legal documents that so far has been excluded from this review is the racist covenants that were placed on thousands of properties in B.C. to restrict people of Asian descent, as well as other non-European groups, from home ownership and also rental properties.

While the clauses have been declared void, the documents with these blatantly racist and discriminatory clauses still remain on the books at the provincial land registry. Homeowners, realtors and activists have been calling for the removal of these racist documents from the provincial registry, and this bill responds to that call by making it obligatory for the land title registrar to cancel and remove from property records any covenant with racist contents as defined under the Land Title Act.

It also ensures that the cost of cancelling a covenant with racist content is the responsibility of the Land Title and Survey Authority and not borne by the property owner or any individual that notifies the authority of a race-based covenant.

As part of the apology, we as members of this House acknowledge that we all aspire to be part of a fair and just society “where people of all nations and cultures are welcome, accepted and respected,” and this bill moves us further along that path.

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

Bill M225, Land Title Statutes (Racist Covenants Removal) Amendment Act, 2015, 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)

PROPOSED NATIONAL PARK IN
SOUTH OKANAGAN AREA

K. Conroy: Recently I talked about the benefits of national parks in both Canada and the U.S. Today I want to share the facts of the economic impact national parks can bring to an area, specifically the South Okanagan–Similkameen proposed national park.

An economic study found that this park would produce 770 new jobs, $57 million in increased spending in the region and $4.4 million in new provincial tax revenue. One would think that most people and politicians would love to have a national park in their area generating millions of dollars in revenue and employment. In fact, most people do.

In a recent poll done on support for this proposed national park, just about 70 percent of the people in the region support the park. Various activity groups were also asked about their position on the park. All groups supported the park by large margins, with the highest support from ranching and farming families and hunters.

As well, there’s support from various municipalities, First Nations, tourism organizations, the B.C. Wine Institute, 20 different environmental groups and chambers of commerce. In fact, there were formal resolutions from the Kelowna and the South Okanagan chambers, alone representing over 1,600 area businesses.

To quote Sue McKortoff, mayor of Osoyoos and director of the Okanagan Basin Water Board: “This area has desert, endangered grasslands, badgers and bobolinks and one-third of B.C.’s endangered species. This national park would protect more species at risk, more endangered habitat types and encompass a greater diversity of ecosystems than any national park in Canada. Only a national park has the money, mandate and expertise to protect and restore our endangered species and help protect our watershed.”

From Ken Oldfield of Tinhorn Creek Vineyards: “On behalf of the wine industry, I am really heartened to know there is strong majority of supporters for the national park across the region. The national park is very important for our businesses and the economy of the region. It will bring international travellers to our wineries and build our wine region’s brand internationally.”

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The last word to Doreen Olson, the coordinator of National Park Network: “It is extremely gratifying to see that there’s a strong majority of support for the park and that it is continuing to grow.”

Let’s hope that one day soon we will see a new national park in B.C., one that is actually wanted by the majority of the people in South Okanagan–Similkameen.

B.C. BEEF DAY

D. Barnett: It’s the sixth annual B.C. Beef Day. I, for one, couldn’t be prouder of the amazing contribution that B.C. ranchers continue to contribute to our culture, our economy and, of course, our dinner tables. It’s a chance to celebrate our province’s proud heritage, recognize our government’s partnership with the ranching community and to take a big bite of some of the tastiest local food around.

Ranching is more than an occupation for many British Columbians. It’s a way of life, and it’s one that has been passed down through generations. Ranching also provided a foundation for many rural communities. In my riding of Cariboo-Chilcotin I’m proud to say that there are ranches established in the early days of the gold rush that are still in operation today.

There are over 4,000 cattle ranchers in B.C. In total, the industry contributes over half a billion dollars annually to the province’s GDP. Currently the B.C. cattle industry raises and markets over 246,000 head of cattle and calves, with farm-cash receipts of almost $208 million.

From small hobby farms to large cattle ranches, it’s estimated that the B.C. beef sector employs over 8,700 people across the province. Every one of them will tell you that when you eat B.C. beef, you’re not just eating local; you’re also getting a superior product.

Thanks to our government’s partnership with the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, today there will be a lunchtime barbecue held on the legislative grounds. Feel free to come on over and enjoy some of the best beef that B.C. has to offer. I encourage all those around the province to enjoy some of our high-quality, B.C.-grown beef every day.

ABORIGINAL EDUCATION ENHANCEMENT
AGREEMENT FOR NORTH ISLAND

C. Trevena: It was an honour to witness the signing of the second aboriginal education enhancement agreement for school district 84 last week. In the gym of the recently built Zeballos Elementary Secondary School representatives from the Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’-Che:k:tles7et’h’, Mowachaht/Muchalaht, Ehattesaht/Chinehkint, Nuchatlaht and Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council signed a five-year agreement, along with the elected representatives from school district 84.

It’s a special school district, very small and serving remote communities on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Getting it right for all of the kids is very important. The First Nations education liaison committee spent many months trying to do just that.

The pride at the signing was tangible as people spoke of listening to one another, supporting the future — the kids — and of not letting them down or letting them be failed by a system which doesn’t work for them. Poetry was literally made and music played.

The agreement is not about how many high-achieving students pass through the doors of the five schools in the district. It’s about respecting where the students are coming from and ensuring that they feel safe, respected and valued. The foundation for it is walking together for aboriginal student success and lifelong learning.

This means schools where students know where they come from, who they are and of their potential. It means safe and healthy learning environments where culture and language are embedded. It means giving children the confidence and pride in themselves and where they come from, which every person should have as a right, and it means guiding students to academic success while they grow.

The Nuu-chah-nulth people talk of how everything is one and all is connected with the word hishuk-ish ts’awalk, and perhaps there is no greater example of that than education. The way young minds develop will impact our societies for many years to come. We have to get it right, and the peoples of the west coast hope that this will help to do just that for their next generation and generations to come.

B.C. JADE DAY

R. Lee: Last year, May 28 was proclaimed as B.C. Jade Day for the first time in the province of British Columbia. Today we celebrate this provincial gemstone again.

British Columbia is rich in mineral deposits, and the mineral extraction industry in our province supports many families and communities. Although it’s mined in smaller amounts than silver and copper, jade is an important resource in British Columbia.

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Jade is valued by carvers and jewellers across Canada and in Asia, as B.C. jade is very similar to jade found in China. Jade has been used by people in these lands for thousands of years. Jade artifacts dating back over 3,000 years have been found in the southern part of this province.

In our more recent history, jade was found by prospectors during the Fraser River gold rush. Deposits have been identified on the banks of the Coquihalla, the Yalakom River and near the communities of Dease Lake, Cassiar and Omineca. Although different jade has been produced in many places in the world, the majority of the deposits are found right here in our province.
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Increasing national and international demand for jade is growing the jade extraction industry. It is estimated that annual production in B.C. jade reached 1,000 tonnes in 2014. By promoting more public awareness of our provincial gemstone’s culture, history, exploration, extraction, craftsmanship, education and research and development, we can create more jobs and generate more benefits to our economy.

I invite the members of this House to join us after question period in the Ned DeBeck Lounge for presentations by representatives of the Canadian National Jade Research Institute, the Canadian Jade Society and the jade industries.

Thank you, and happy B.C. Jade Day.

HONOUR HOUSE SOCIETY

J. Darcy: There’s a wonderful place in New Westminster called Honour House that is a sanctuary for heroes. It’s a home away from home for first responders and military personnel and their families who are receiving medical treatment in the Lower Mainland. It’s a place where brave men and women, who take huge risks every day to protect us, are cared for with love and affection at their time of need.

We had the chance to meet some of these heroes at a gala fundraiser for Honour House last Friday night and to hear their moving stories. We also met a young hero by the name of Ryan Perks from New Westminster. When Ryan turned eight last month he asked his friends to make a donation in lieu of birthday gifts. It amounted to $181, and he donated it — you guessed it — to Honour House.

After meeting with the fire chief, Tim Armstrong, Ryan was invited to the Honour House gala, and boy, was he a star of that show. His biggest rival for stardom that night was none other than Michael Bublé, who made a surprise appearance, filling in for someone else. The crowd went wild, including the members from this House who were present.

But eight-year-old Ryan was, indeed, the true hero of the night. He spoke before that enormous crowd with incredible poise and generosity, and he’s now challenging his schoolmates, people from our community and anyone listening today to match his $181 donation to Honour House.

Ryan’s very proud parents, Naomi and Beryl Perks, who I know are watching today, tell me that Ryan has requested donations from friends in lieu of birthday gifts since his fifth birthday, starting with giving to the New Westminster Firefighters Charitable Society. His six-year-old sister Olivia has been doing the same thing since she was three years old, mainly to the Terry Fox Foundation.

We can all follow Ryan’s story at #ryanschallenge as it develops, because it is going viral — living proof that good news about everyday heroes sometimes does make the news.

COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
IN FRASER CANYON AREA

J. Tegart: The Coquihalla Highway has, for almost 30 years, been an efficient transportation link between the Lower Mainland and the southern Interior and Okanagan regions of B.C. The Coquihalla became the preferred route for travellers and truckers who formerly drove the Trans-Canada Highway north of Hope.

As a result, communities in the Fraser Canyon, those of us who live above Hope, lost a great deal of visitor traffic, and once-thriving businesses from Yale to Cache Creek were devastated.

However, a united effort began in the late 1980s in response to the serious economic downturn in communities brought on by the opening of the Coquihalla. The mayors of Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Lytton and Clinton got together and decided to do something about it.

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A local committee was formed, consisting of the four mayors and the four chambers of commerce presidents who focused on tourism as a catalyst for economic development in the region. In the spring of 1991 the communities organized a community tourism action plan with the help of the Ministry of Tourism. In November 1991 the Gold Country Communities Society was born, with eight member communities. Today Gold Country is comprised of 12 members whose annual fees provide almost all of the society’s budget.

Gold Country carries out many projects related to its tourism mandate, such as the award-winning Gold Country geotourism program — a modern treasure hunt that leads hundreds of new and repeat visitors to 144 sites of interest throughout the region.

Gold country is truly a four-season destination for anyone with interest in outdoor recreation, arts, First Nations culture, gold panning, local flavours, artisan shops. The list is endless.

Oral Questions

FREEDOM-OF-INFORMATION PROCESS
AND ACCESS TO RECORDS

J. Horgan: Over the course of this spring session we’ve been asking the government about how they’re managing public records. We’ve been asking repeatedly why it is that when we put in freedom-of-information requests, we continue to get “no record” replies.

In fact, we asked the Minister of Citizens’ Services 18 times why it was that political staff continued to ignore documents or perhaps destroy documents so that they could continue to produce these no record responses. The minister said in this House in reply to that: “When FOI requests come in, professional public servants apply the act judiciously, and whatever can be released is released.”

My question to the Premier is: does she support
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the position put forward by the Minister of Citizens’ Services?

Hon. C. Clark: Complying with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act is done by professional public servants. They do it within the rules, and we certainly have confidence in the work that they do.

Madame Speaker: The Leader of the Official Opposition on a supplemental.

J. Horgan: In November of 2014 we submitted freedom-of-information requests for any records that the government had on their consultations with respect to the Highway of Tears. In February we received a response: “No records available.” We asked three weeks later why this existed, and we continued to get no record responses.

Yesterday Timothy Duncan, the former executive assistant to the Minister of Transportation, wrote to the freedom-of-information and privacy commissioner about how FOI had been handled when he was working in the minister’s office. The letter says: “When the minister’s office received this request, I searched my e-mail…and received over a dozen hits. I told George Gretes, the ministerial assistant in our office…. He came over to my desk…and promptly directed me to delete them. When I hesitated, he took away my keyboard, deleted the e-mails and returned the keyboard, stating: ‘It’s done. Now you don’t have to worry about it anymore.’”

My question to the Premier is: is that how professional public servants are managing freedom-of-information requests in ministers’ offices?

Hon. C. Clark: All staff are expected to live by the rules and make sure that they are abiding by all of the expectations that are very clearly set out.

We’ve also embarked on a process to make sure that everybody knows clearly what the rules are and understands how they can comply with them. Anyone who hasn’t complied with them has broken the rules and should not have done so. Any records that are available…. Even if they are transitory records that could have been, under the law, very legally deleted, when the freedom-of-information request comes in, all those documents are available to be provided under freedom of information — whether or not they were transitory documents before the FOI request came in.

If that rule hasn’t been observed by staff who are currently here or who are no longer in the employ of government, they have not abided by the regulations and the rules. It’s something that, certainly, we do not tolerate.

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Madame Speaker: The Leader of the Official Opposition on a further supplemental.

J. Horgan: I’m gratified that the Premier is sticking fast to the talking points with the Minister of Citizens’ Services. But in a letter to the Privacy Commissioner a former staff member hired by her office, by her chief of staff — the political staff in this place report to the Premier’s chief of staff — wrote further about an interaction with the Liberal caucus research director, Jen Wizinsky. In the letter he says the following: “She too brushed off my concerns, explaining, ‘It’s like the West Wing. You do what it takes to win.’” You do what it takes to win.

Even when it comes to a file that is so, so drenched in tragedy as the deaths of women along the Highway of Tears, a simple request for what the contents of a consultation were, the government continues to do whatever it takes to win. They did away with records about the firing of health care workers. There were no records about the behaviour of Ken Boessenkool. Repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly we get “no records” responses.

Now we learn in a letter to the Privacy Commissioner that a former political staffer working in the Minister of Transportation’s office was told to delete documents, and when he wouldn’t do it, his superior did it for him. Is that appropriate behaviour in British Columbia? Is that the most open and transparent government in Canada, as the Premier advertises? I think not.

Hon. C. Clark: I’m confident that I’ve answered the member’s question already, but I’ll add this. If someone has made allegations about someone else, whether or not they are substantiated, and I don’t know that these are…. If allegations have been made and suggestions have been made about individual behaviour, I’d welcome the individual who is making those suggestions to forward them directly to the government, or the Leader of the Opposition to do the same, so that we can ensure that the allegations and the suggestions that he’s apparently made can be followed up.

We do have clear rules about what should be kept and what is not kept. That’s clearly delineated in the act. As I said, many documents in government under the act are considered transitory. But when a freedom-of-information request comes in with regard to those records, they become a permanent part of the freedom-of-information request. Those are the rules. Staff need to be all abiding by those rules.

If an individual who has left government is making allegations that some of those rules were not respected, I’d hope that the Leader of the Opposition would forward that to government so that we could follow up appropriately.

M. Karagianis: Mr. Duncan was appointed by the Premier as an executive assistant. He was then hired by the government caucus as a staffer. It follows that during his employment he would have gained quite a bit of insight into how the government operates.
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According to his complaint, he worked closely with the ministerial assistant to the Minister of Transportation and the director of government caucus research. According to his complaint, when he tried to disclose records on an issue as tragic the Highway of Tears, he was told to destroy them.

Now, the Premier is saying that this kind of destruction is inappropriate, so my question to the Premier is: can she tell this House if she will offer the Privacy Commissioner her fullest cooperation in a thorough, wide-ranging and intensive investigation into this issue, or is she happy to let her staff do whatever it takes to win?

Hon. C. Clark: We will, as we always do.

M. Karagianis: If only that were true.

When Mr. Duncan e-mailed the opposition a copy of his complaint to the Privacy Commissioner, he explained why he was so troubled by destroying records about government actions on the Highway of Tears. He said: “I know what it is like to be the family member of someone who is murdered. There are well over 18-plus victims. Their families deserve better.”

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Mr. Duncan has shed some significant light on government’s attitude toward public records. Again, my question to the Premier: can she tell the House how many other records have been destroyed, and who, in fact, is instructing political staff to do whatever it takes to win?

Hon. C. Clark: As I said in the previous answer to the member, we will certainly work with the Privacy Commissioner, as we always do, to make sure that we support any inquiry she has in that. We really value the work that she does, and we know that staff must abide by the rules for keeping records.

You know, when it comes to winning, I just want to say this. If the members want to rehash, as they have throughout estimates, all of the issues that were at stake in the last election, what they will discover is that the reason that the B.C. Liberal Party and this government was elected is because we stood for something that mattered to people.

We stood for jobs. We stood for economic growth. We stood for attracting investment. We stood for growing the number of high-wage, family-supporting jobs all across the province. Those are the things we stood for: a bigger private sector; a smaller government; support for responsible resource development in every corner of the province; making sure that British Columbians have the training that they need to be able to take on those jobs.

If the member is mystified about what it takes to win, I can offer her this advice. What it takes to win is to have ideas that you believe in, principles that you stand by, values that you communicate and values that you share with the people of British Columbia.

D. Routley: Well, despite the rhetoric we just heard, Mr. Duncan’s complaint to the Privacy Commissioner makes it clear that this case was far from unique. According to Mr. Duncan: “I want to stress that this is not an isolated incident. It is my belief that the abuse of the freedom-of-information process is widespread and most likely systemic within government.”

Last month the opposition revealed that the Minister of Citizens’ Services’ chief of staff acted exactly as Mr. Duncan describes. He destroyed more than 40 pages of government records. Can the Minister of Citizens’ Services tell this House who instructed Mr. Facey that preserving key records was less important than doing what it takes to win?

Hon. A. Virk: The member opposite is operating, first of all, on a flawed assumption as well. The flawed assumption is that every e-mail is a government record. The Document Disposal Act and the schedules within it are very clear on that. Just a few days ago — the member opposite was certainly here — the Information Management Act passed as well, and new schedules will be prepared.

In the interim the schedules in the Document Disposal Act stay and are in force, and it’s quite clear that every e-mail is not a government record. If e-mails are kept, my expectations are very clear of all staff. The documents that are kept, that need be to be kept…. If an FOI request comes in, I expect those to be appropriately managed within the FOI process.

Madame Speaker: Member for Nanaimo–North Cowichan on a supplemental.

D. Routley: Pardon me, but the Premier just said that even transitory e-mails are government records. The minister responsible just told us that they’re not.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members. Members. The Chair will hear the question.

D. Routley: Certainly, documents and e-mails related to the missing and murdered women on the Highway of Tears can hardly be considered transitory. It’s an insult to the families and every British Columbian that the minister takes that position.

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In his e-mail Mr. Duncan says: “I have left the cesspool that is the B.C. government, and I have no intention of ever going back.” Despite being appointed to his job by the Premier, I think it’s safe to say that he found the reality of how this government works untenable. But his allegations about the practices of political staff confirm the concerns that we’ve raised with this minister on 18 occasions this session.
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Can the minister tell the House if he stands by his statement that all decisions about FOI requests are made only by impartial public servants?

Hon. A. Virk: The member started his dialogue, first of all, once again with an incorrect assumption — the incorrect assumption being that every e-mail forms part of a government record.

It’s not myself, and it’s not the Premier or the ministers or any member that decides what a transitory record is. The previous Document Disposal Act and the schedules contained within it are very clear. Once an FOI request comes in, my expectations are clear. Once a request comes in, those records are frozen, and they’re expected to be released in accordance with the act.

INCOME ASSISTANCE POLICY ON
MATERNITY LEAVE BENEFITS

M. Mungall: When someone has a paying job, they pay into employment insurance for times of illness, job loss or when they need to have a child.

Jessica Alford worked in retail, earning $800 a month, as her husband and her are allowed to do when they’re on disability. A year ago Jessica had to leave work for an early maternity leave due to complications with her pregnancy. She then applied for her EI. Then she saw this government claw back her maternity leave each month, dollar for dollar.

That $500 would help pay the bills and put food on the table, but instead it’s helping to pay for the tax break, by this Liberal government, to the richest 2 percent in British Columbia. Jessica, who’s here today, wants to know why her family isn’t first for this Premier.

Hon. Michelle Stilwell: I’d like to say that on this side of the House we truly believe in the people of British Columbia being able to find their independence, find their passion in what they want to do with their future and empowering them. We do that by wrapping supports around them with our comprehensive social safety net.

We provide multiple programs and services. Just recently we have increased the earning exemptions for people with disabilities to annualized earning exemptions. We have helped single parents with the single-parent family initiative. There are multiple ways that we are providing for the families in British Columbia to make life better for them in the future.

Madame Speaker: The member for Nelson-Creston on a supplemental.

M. Mungall: Wow. Once again we see members opposite just completely miss the point and totally try to sidestep the issue at hand here.

Jessica — like Katie, who we talked about last week — has a job. That’s the point. She also has a right to collect employment insurance for maternity leave when she needs to take time off work to have a child. But this government, instead of recognizing her right, penalizes her for taking that time off work to have a baby. It’s absolutely ridiculous.

Jessica and her husband, Tony, were already struggling to put food on their table for their two children but were excited to be welcoming baby Morgana into the world all the same. Jessica thought that she could rely on her maternity leave benefits to help pay the bills and the new expenses that come with a new baby.

Instead, every month this government takes her maternity leave away. The stress and the bills are mounting, and it’s harder to feed her kids. Just like every other parent I talk to about this issue, Jessica and her husband, Tony, are struggling so much they don’t even think about what it takes to feed themselves.

Clawing back maternity leave is wrong. When is the Premier going to stop doing it?

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Hon. Michelle Stilwell: Thank you to the member opposite for the question. What I can tell her is that, on this side of the House, we are working towards making life better for families. We are doing that by providing multiple different supports from various ministries, not just mine.

For instance, we provide subsidized housing supports. We’ve invested $4 billion since 2001 to provide affordable housing for low-income families. Not only that, we provide MSP subsidies for nearly one million British Columbians who receive the subsidies, including more than 800,000 residents who cannot pay the MSP premiums at all.

We provide child care subsidies and free dental and optical for children and families. There are so many programs we provide to ensure that we are supporting the families that need it most when it is required.

There are also so many tax program systems in place for people who are raising families. There are the single parents who have access to about $390 per month in benefits that are provided through the income tax system, and there is the B.C. early childhood tax benefit program — multiple ways that we are ensuring that we are making life better for British Columbians.

PERMIT FOR SOIL DUMPING IN
SHAWNIGAN LAKE WATERSHED

B. Routley: This Minister of Environment is on record saying that the Shawnigan Lake’s contaminated soil dump will not be allowed to operate until all of the requirements of their permit have been met, yet here is the situation right now.

The water treatment system does not meet the permit requirements. There is no truck wheel wash. No community oversight committee has been put in place as re-
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quired by the Environmental Appeal Board. There is no amended mines permit to allow contaminated fill within the mine footprint. The list goes on and on.

Despite all that, two weeks ago the company involved publicly announced that it is open for business and accepting contaminated soil. Why won’t this Minister of Environment enforce her own permit and stop the contaminated soil dumping into Shawnigan Lake watershed?

Why are you allowing this company to operate above the law?

Madame Speaker: All comments through the Chair.

Hon. M. Polak: There are a number of permits that cover two sites, lot 21 and lot 23. There is a permit that does currently allow for them to receive contaminated soils that are of a certain quality. There are a range of activities that the company is allowed to engage in.

We take our obligations to protect human health and the environment very, very seriously. The civil servants in the environmental protection department, who have dedicated their professional lives to the protection of human health and the environment, make these decisions based on their professional qualifications, their review from experts both inside and outside of government, and they do that without political interference.

If the members think that that should operate in some other different system, then they should get up and say so.

Madame Speaker: The member for Cowichan Valley on a supplemental.

B. Routley: The Minister of Energy and Mines has made a commitment in this House that he will work with the member. He will work with the ministry, work with the Cowichan Valley regional district and make sure that the district’s parkland will be fully remediated.

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There are no update plans to address the CVRD’s letter that has outlined the many significant encroachments and trespasses onto its park property, which is right beside South Island’s contaminated soil dump. Why has this minister continued to allow this company to operate in violation of their permit?

Hon. M. Polak: As I’ve outlined before, the member wrongly associates all of the activities on the now three sites…. He’s mentioned a third site, lot 22. He continues to attach the activities to one set of permitting requirements. There are a number of permits. The Minister of Energy and Mines acts to enforce his permits.

Our Ministry of Environment staff developed a sampling plan together with consultation with the CVRD. They have been out conducting additional monitoring and testing. If there is any evidence of contamination, if there is any evidence of non-compliance, our staff act. They will enforce the rules that are required in the permits.

GOVERNMENT ACTION ON LAND TITLES
WITH DISCRIMINATORY COVENANTS

J. Kwan: On May 15, 2014, there was a rare moment of non-partisan cooperation, where every member in this chamber joined hands to make a formal apology to members of the Chinese-Canadian community for B.C.’s past discriminatory laws and practices. We all vowed not to let history repeat itself.

We now know that tens of thousands of properties still have discriminatory clauses forbidding ownership, renting or leasing of such properties by Asians and other ethnic minorities. I have a copy of a deed that shows one such racist covenant was put in place in 1965, just a mere 50 years ago. As a gesture to honour those who had to endure this ugly chapter of our history, will the minister commit to compiling a list of the properties with these covenants so that they can be formally removed?

Hon. S. Thomson: Thank you to the member opposite for the question. It’s an honour to stand and be the recipient of perhaps the final question — maybe there will be a supplemental — from the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant.

These covenants are an issue that extends beyond one particular community. They are covenants that I’m sure members on the opposite side of the House and members on this side of the House find offensive and repugnant. It’s part of history that I know we all find offensive.

It’s important to note, as was pointed out, that these covenants, by legislation, were voided and have no legal effect. When conveyancing takes place, they are removed. There are 2.3 million active land titles in British Columbia. The process to address those covenants has significant logistical challenges in addressing them.

On this side of the House, we understand the issue. We agree that these are repugnant and offensive, as we’ve said, as I know we all agree on. We will look to find the means to address the concerns, but we must recognize that this extends beyond any particular community. It’s a part of history that we recognize as offensive, so we need to treat this in a very sensitive manner.

Madame Speaker: Vancouver–Mount Pleasant on a supplemental.

J. Kwan: I thank the minister for his answer. Let me just put on the record the language of one such clause. It reads: “No person of the Asian or Asiatic race or of African or Asiatic descent, except servants of the occupier of the premises in residence, shall reside or be allowed to remain on the premises.”

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According to the land titles office, there is currently no established way to delete these offensive clauses. The Land Title Act was amended, true, as the minister says, in 1985 to nullify these racist covenants. But it is difficult to get the language scrubbed from the property title. It can be expensive as well, sometimes requiring recourse to the courts.

I know that it takes a lot of effort to get this done, a lot of effort from staff to compile the list and to ensure that such language is erased from the titles and deeds. But if we can put people on the moon, surely you will agree that we can actually get this list compiled and bring in legislation to actually erase this history and remove these clauses from properties, deeds and titles.

I’ve consulted with the members from Oak Bay–Gordon Head and Delta South. They have both agreed to support such an action.

Will the Premier join with us on this side of the House and support legislation to remove these discriminatory covenants as a part of the legacy plan to honour the people to whom we apologize?

Hon. S. Thomson: As I’ve said — and I know members on both sides of the House agree that these covenants are offensive, a part of our history that we all find offensive — it is important to recognize and note that legislation was taken to void the covenants. They have no legal effect. They are removed when conveyancing takes place.

We understand the concerns that have been raised. We will look to find ways that we can address it within the logistical challenges that will be there in terms of looking through this with, as I’ve said, 2.3 million active titles. But again, this is something that we’re certainly aware of and will continue to address.

[End of question period.]

Tributes

RICH COLEMAN

Hon. C. Clark: Nineteen years ago, on this very day, a political earthquake shook Fort Langley–Aldergrove. And that earthquake — I know other geological formations have been described in this House already today — sits immediately to my right.

You would think that in all that time — in 19 years, after six Premiers, three Prime Ministers — all of the members on the other side of the House might have learned not to poke this big bear who sits beside me. Occasionally they do, and we all look forward to the results. I remember the other day when he got the only question, I think, that he had in question period all session. His first comment was: “Hold on. I have to get the moths out of my book in order to open it and answer the question.”

He is so rarely approached by the opposition because he is a force of nature and a force that is not easily put aside. But at the risk of undermining his fearsome reputation, I will say after having worked with him from 1996 to 2005, and now more recently from 2011 until today, he is the gentlest of bears on the inside. He’s a man of tremendous wisdom, great compassion and great kindness.

He has taken on a lot of roles. Lots of us have called him the minister of everything. At the moment, he is in charge of the most important economic portfolio British Columbia has established in many decades, I would argue, and that’s to bring a new industry to British Columbia in liquefied natural gas. It’s a generational opportunity that could really, if we are successful, change the future of British Columbia and of the country. He has spent every day for the last many years making sure that we can bring that to reality for the people of the province.

You would think that that would be the thing of which, after 19 years, he is most proud. But the thing, I believe, he is most proud of is the work that he’s done in housing the homeless, in looking after the vulnerable — spending $4 billion working to make sure that people have roofs over their head; recognizing that if you’re addicted, mentally ill, perhaps living in the Downtown Eastside, you can’t get better unless you have a roof.

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This member, the member for Fort Langley–Aldergrove, has put his nose to the grindstone and never failed to make that one of his priorities. I think all British Columbians, when we look back — when he finally retires, which I hope is no time soon — on what he’s accomplished, will be able to say: “There’s a man who understood how it all worked.”

You grow the economy so that you can make sure that you are looking after people. One cannot happen without the other. Social justice, equality, fairness and a compassionate society are only possible when we do two things: when we make sure we’re creating the wealth that the private sector can create and then make sure that we are always, always finding ways to use that wealth to share it equally amongst citizens.

I know that today there are many other milestones to celebrate, including the departure of the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, but I would also like to mark this day, the day that the member for Fort Langley–Aldergrove joined this House, dedicated his life to public service and to the people of Fort Langley–Aldergrove and, of course, to all the people of British Columbia.

I hope the House will join me in thanking the member for Fort Langley–Aldergrove. [Applause.]

M. Farnworth: It’s my pleasure to rise in response to the Premier’s comments and also to acknowledge the 19 years that the member for Fort Langley–Aldergrove has served in this House.

Some comments by my colleague earlier referred to what I think was referred to almost as a golden time, back in 2001, in his tribute to my colleague from Vancouver–
[ Page 8863 ]
Mount Pleasant. I’d like to put my remarks in that context of a golden time when the member was elected back in 1996, and he sat on this side of the House, and I sat on that side of the House and got to do many of the functions that he did.

In fact, one of the things that I think we have in common is we both shared in the Housing portfolio. Over the years we’ve got to know each other very well, both in the role as minister and as opposition critic. Each of us has had that.

The thing that has struck me about the member, I think above all else, is that he has always been a member who has understood how this place operates and has always understood that we have our partisan differences but our role here is to serve the people.

If I can pay him, I think, the ultimate compliment, which is the same as what my colleague from Mount Pleasant said earlier: as a minister, his door has always been open. I think of all the government ministers that I have worked with over the years, he has been one of the most accessible and always been one to try, if you’ve got a problem, to fix it. For that, I can tell you, I’ve appreciated it and, in particular, the constituents that I have brought problems from have appreciated it too.

Congratulations on 19 years. I look forward to it coming full circle in 2017, with you sitting here and me sitting there.

Reports from Committees

B. Ralston: I have the honour to present the first report of the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts for the fourth session of the 40th parliament. The report summarizes the committee’s activities in the second and third sessions of this parliament.

I move that the report be taken as read and received.

Motion approved.

B. Ralston: I ask leave of the House to move a motion to adopt the report.

Leave granted.

B. Ralston: I move the report be adopted and, in so doing, I wish to make some very brief comments.

The report summarizes the committee’s activities in 2014-15. The committee reviewed 21 reports of the Auditor General; approved the Auditor General’s annual workplan; and discussed ways, most importantly, to strengthen follow-up on audit report recommendations.

I want to thank all committee members for their contributions to the committee’s work. I also acknowledge the effective support of the offices of the Auditor General and the comptroller general.

M. Morris: I’d like to offer a few comments on behalf of the co-Chair, who is not here right now — again, recognizing the hard work of the committee members over the past while as well as the Office of the Auditor General; also, the witnesses, the government witnesses, who appeared before the committee and stood the test of time in making their presentations for us.

[1140]

Motion approved.

Petitions

S. Robinson: I have a petition to present to the House. It’s a petition to protect animals in distress. I have 151 signatures.

“We, the undersigned, respectfully request that the hon. House urge the government of British Columbia to enact the animals in distress act. This act would amend the Motor Vehicle Act, the Community Charter and the Vancouver Charter to ensure safer transportation of animals in vehicles. The act would require that animals be provided with proper ventilation and protection from extreme weather when being transported or when left unattended in vehicles. This bill would also give municipalities the ability to seize distressed animals when they are left unattended in vehicles.”

Personal Statement

CLARIFICATION OF COMMENTS
MADE IN THE HOUSE

Hon. N. Letnick: Yesterday during question period in an effort to condense my answer to a member’s question, I accidentally grouped PRV with ISA and IHN. I just want to make sure I put on the record the correct answer. What I would like to clarify to the House regarding PRV, or piscine reovirus, is that many reoviruses are viruses without a disease. To date, PRV is common in B.C. farmed fish and some wild fish, but it’s not associated with any disease.

Indeed, published scientific evidence indicates that PRV predates the introduction of salmon farming to our province. Some scientists think PRV is the cause of heart and skeletal muscle inflammation, HSMI, a disease that affects farmed Atlantic salmon in Europe. Recent research shows that the type of PRV in Europe is different from the type of PRV in B.C. Lastly, HSMI does not occur in British Columbia.

Thank you for allowing me to clear up the record.

Petitions

R. Fleming: I present a petition from groups of parents from around the province describing themselves as parents, citizens and taxpayers upset and concerned by the government’s budget announced on February 17 and its effects on the public education system in British Columbia. They call on the government to explain its actions in giving high-income earners a $200 million tax
[ Page 8864 ]
cut and a $54 million cut to the public education system. I table it today in the House.

R. Lee: A petition initiated by Helen Hee Soon Chang and signed by 42 individuals asking the House to amend the Name Act to provide more protection to people requesting a change of names.

Tabling Documents

Hon. M. de Jong: I have the honour to present a report, the ’13-14 annual report for the gaming policy and enforcement branch of the Ministry of Finance.

Orders of the Day

Hon. M. de Jong: A final reminder to members about your desks. Some of us must clean them out completely.

Then I call Committee of Supply in this chamber, for the time remaining this morning — the estimates of the Office of the Premier.

[1145]

Committee of Supply

ESTIMATES: OFFICE OF THE PREMIER

(continued)

The House in Committee of Supply (Section B); D. Horne in the chair.

The committee met at 11:46 a.m.

On Vote 10: Office of the Premier, $9,028,000 (continued).

Hon. C. Clark: I move this motion today in light of this very promising news. In British Columbia we have a little bit more to boast about today — the people of the province do — and that is that this will be the only province that’s expected to have growth above 3 percent this year.

The forecasts for growth in British Columbia, according to the Conference Board of Canada, are that we will grow by 3.1 percent this year. They say we should see fairly strong growth for exports and strong manufacturing activity. That is very, very good news, not just for the budget. Obviously, we’ve pegged, as members will know, our own internal growth estimate at about 2.3 percent. This will far exceed that if we meet it — the expectations that have been set by independent groups.

It’s great news for the people of British Columbia who are looking for work, for the people all around the province who are looking for family-sustaining, good, solid, long-term jobs that they can count on to raise their families.

That has always been what’s powered up British Columbia. You can’t do that without economic growth. You can’t share the wealth that the province produces in order to make sure that we create a kind of just society, which we hope to create, if we aren’t creating wealth. Wealth comes from economic growth. Economic growth, when it’s faster, is greater.

We hope that, as a result, we will be able to do more to support the people of British Columbia. So I wanted to make sure that we started this debate today on that very positive note. We set a goal to be the province that was in the top 1 or 2 for economic growth in the country. If we meet the expectations that the Conference Board of Canada has set for us, then we will certainly meet and exceed them. That’s something to be very proud of.

With that, I move Vote 10.

J. Horgan: I don’t want to be the dark cloud on the sunny day for the Premier, but as she is talking about news of the day, May 28 news from Teck Cominco…. The Premier will be familiar with Teck Cominco because of the number of zeroes behind the contributions they make to the B.C. Liberal Party every year. “A prolonged metallurgical coal glut” prompts Teck Cominco to shut down five coal mines in the Elk Valley.

It may well be that the bond raters and the Conference Board of Canada see a rosy future on the horizon for British Columbia, but, certainly, if you live in the Elk Valley, this is not good news. Five operations with 4,400 employees are looking at shutdowns over the summer. That, of course, coincides with Tumbler Ridge, where I’ve visited.

I don’t know if the Premier’s had the opportunity to visit Tumbler Ridge since the closure of the mines there. I know that she has been in Mount Polley, because I was there when the Premier arrived. We’re looking at potential layoffs there as well after the catastrophic failure of the tailings pond in Likely.

So it’s not all rosy. Imperial Metals, the owners of Red Chris, not yet opened. They have some cash flow challenges, they have some issues around electricity supply and they have some concern with their neighbours. These are all issues that a responsible government that was focusing on governing rather than campaigning would be focused upon, but not so much with this government.

In fact, when the Premier ran in the last election, she talked about the most open and transparent government in Canada.
[ Page 8865 ]
We learned just today in question period that a former staffer, a former B.C. Liberal employee hired by the Premier’s office, an order-in-council appointment from the cabinet, was shocked to have e-mails deleted from his computer not because he thought it was a good idea but because a superior did.

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A ministerial assistant picked up his keyboard, according to the allegations made by the former executive assistant, and deleted public records. That’s the most open and transparent government in Canada.

When we asked for redress and apologies for the firing of seven health care workers, we got a review that did not allow the interviewer to compel testimony. These are not the actions of the most open and transparent government in Canada.

In fact, these are the actions of a government that would prefer to keep a lid on information. Or as the executive assistant in the Minister of Transportation’s office reported to the Privacy Commissioner, the philosophy of just doing what it takes to win seems to be the order of the day.

Yesterday the Premier talked about leaving more money in people’s pockets. That was a value of hers that we’ve already canvassed, I think, fairly comprehensively. The notion of a debt-free British Columbia — hard to imagine when you’ve seen a $135 billion increase in debt and contractual obligations under the B.C. Liberal watch. But somehow, in the fantasy world of the B.C. Liberals, you can make the assertion that we will be debt-free. You just don’t have to realize it.

It’s these assertions of reality that, I think, have most British Columbians perplexed. You say we’re going to be debt-free, yet the prospect of that is not even remotely on the horizon. You say we’re going to be the most open and transparent government in Canada, yet you have political staff deleting public records.

We have an oral culture. The numerous reports and reviews and investigations into political activity within the B.C. Liberal cabinet have all led to the conclusion, through the office of the freedom-of-information and privacy commissioner, of an oral culture whereby records are not kept of decisions, whereby if a request is made for what the decision thought process was, no records exist. That, again, is perplexing for the most open and transparent government in Canada.

The issue that I want to canvass in the minutes that we have remaining is the Premier’s assertion that she wants to leave more money in people’s pockets. Since the budget was tabled in February of this year, I’ve been travelling around the province with my colleague for Victoria–Beacon Hill, and we’ve been talking to people about that.

How do they feel? How do British Columbians feel about the government’s assertion that they’re leaving more money in people’s pockets? They say: “Well, my hydro rates are going up. That’s taking money out of my pockets.”

Real wages, according to the very Conference Board that the Premier just referred to…. The Conference Board suggests that real wages in British Columbia have been stagnant since 2006. Not only have people not been given a raise in nine years. Their wages…. The value of that is going down.

That’s the Liberal record: ferry fare increases, reductions in service, medical services premiums going up every single year. Every January, just after Christmas, people can count on an increase in the costs of their Medical Services Plan. Yet again, the government suggests that they’re leaving more money in people’s pockets.

We see tuition fee increases. We see now what used to be a free service for British Columbians who wanted to upgrade their education…. Adult basic education fees are now reintroduced by a government that up until 2007 seemed to think it was a good idea when the NDP brought in free access to that — upgrades for your Dogwood certificate, either to get one or to make sure that you have the appropriate prerequisites to get into higher education. Costs going up.

Camping fees. I like to camp. I like to go to provincial campsites. We are absolutely blessed in this province. We have a rich abundance of opportunities for the citizens of this province and for others to come here and enjoy the wonders of B.C. Yet it’s going to cost a little bit more, again, to do that this summer.

I don’t know where the Premier comes up with this notion, as she said repeatedly yesterday during these debates, that she’s leaving more money in people’s pockets. It’s clearly not the case, unless you are in the top 2 percent of wage earners. The only solemn promise that the B.C. Liberals kept from 2013 was to give a tax break to people making over $150,000 a year.

A $236 million hit to the treasury, no increases in welfare rates, no increases in disability programs, no increases for real wages, a 20-cent increase in the minimum wage — two dimes to rub together for those working for the least amount that they can be paid. Twenty cents. But for millionaires…. Millionaires will get a $17,000 rebate from the provincial treasury. That’s putting money into people’s pockets. Sadly, 98 percent of the people don’t have access to that.

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It’s my view, and it’s the view of the official opposition — and I caution the Premier, although I know she will take off on a flight now that will be so hyperbolic I will not be able to measure it — that people, real people out there where they live, are struggling. It’s getting harder and harder to get ahead. This generation will be the first that’s worse off than the one before it since the First World War. That is not a legacy to be proud of. It’s not a legacy that I believe should be crowed about. But with that, I’ll allow the Premier to close these estimates to crow as she will.

Hon. C. Clark: Well, the member starts out and says that he doesn’t want to be the voice of negativity and doom. I guess my political advice to him would be: “Hey, you’ve got to be who you are.”

Let me say this about mining. He did start with the issues around mining, which are issues for the entire province. We are a province that still very much depends on our resource sector. It’s a sector that our government has supported very strongly in expanding.

What Teck has announced today is that they will, rather than laying anybody off…. He said that the people were being fired, I think. That’s not accurate. The people
[ Page 8866 ]
were going to be required to take their vacation over the summer because of where commodity prices are. Just for coal as an example: it was priced at $277 a tonne in 2011, and the decrease has been almost 60 percent.

Teck is a responsible employer. We all know that the folks in the Elk Valley in particular depend on that company for their livelihoods. We strongly support the mining industry because of the wages it pays and the work that it does across the province. Teck has been a very good corporate citizen in making sure that they are putting thousands of people to work across the province.

This work that Teck is doing we hope will be short-term. We hope that those people will be back at their regular jobs on their regular times as soon as possible. Part of that will depend, though, on where commodity prices go, and that’s something that’s beyond our control. We certainly wish all the employees at that company well.

In terms of Teck’s support for the re-election of the government, there was a very easily explicable reason for that. Since we’ve become government, there’ve been 30,000 direct jobs in mining exploration. That’s more than double, after the member’s party had really killed the mining industry and cut the number of jobs in half.

The average salary today is $114,000. That’s up from $81,000 the last time this member had his hands on the tools of government. Five new mines have opened, creating 1,300 new jobs around the province. Five new mines under construction and permitted, seven expansions approved — all promises that we made and promises that we’ve kept.

Over 30 mines and expansions are currently in the environmental assessment permitting process. They will not all go ahead, but we hope that some of them will because those provide great, family-supporting, community-sustaining jobs.

If the member wonders why it is that mining companies, mining employees, unionized workers in the Elk Valley are unlikely to support his party, it’s because his party has proven itself an enemy of the mining industry over the years. We’ve worked very, very hard to try and support that industry, recognizing how important it is for the people of British Columbia.

To keep things affordable for the people of the province, we’ve taken some other important initiatives. The single-parent employment initiative is an initiative that is going to support people in getting off social assistance in a brand-new way — something that no government in the country has tried to do before.

Rather than taking money away from people when they get off social assistance, to support them going into the workforce, getting training and then supporting them through supports for child care and those other needs so that they can get off social assistance — which is what most of the 16,000 parents who support their children on social assistance would dearly love to do — we’ve indexed and increased the minimum wage to CPI. We’ve exempted child support from income assistance calculations. We’ve doubled the monthly income exemption for families with children receiving income assistance from $200 to $400. Starting in April, families with children under age six will have access to another $55 a month through the B.C. early childhood tax benefit.

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As part of our early-years strategy, we created last year over 1,000 new child care spaces, and we are continuing to do that work — not to mention the fact that if you live in British Columbia, you have the lowest taxes in Canada, up to $121,000.

If you are living in this province, as opposed to in other provinces in this country, you are going to keep more money in your pocket, have government take less away and be able to make more choices about how you spend that money. That’s the single most important thing that government can do to support individuals. In doing so, the other thing that we accomplish is making sure that while we grow the economy, we don’t grow government. British Columbians don’t want a bigger government. We saw what that looks like, and it’s not good for the province.

Those are the promises that we made to the people of British Columbia in 2013, and those are the promises that we’re keeping — the lowest taxes in Canada, the fastest-growing economy in Canada, job creation, an LNG industry that we will work hard every day to make sure we bring to life, a growing economy, a smaller government. Those are the commitments that we made, the promises that we made, and those are the promises that we kept.

Vote 10: Office of the Premier, $9,028,000 — approved.

Hon. C. Clark: I move that the committee rise, report resolution and ask leave to sit again. And I’d like to wish all members a very happy Beef Day.

Motion approved.

The committee rose at 12:01 p.m.

The House resumed; Madame Speaker in the chair.

Committee of Supply (Section B), having reported resolution, was granted leave to sit again.

Hon. T. Lake moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Madame Speaker: This House, at its rising, stands adjourned until 1:30 this afternoon.

The House adjourned at 12:02 p.m.

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