2017 Legislative Session: Sixth 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)

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Morning Sitting

Volume 42, Number 5

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

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

The House met at 10:03 a.m.

[Madame Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers.

Introductions by Members

J. Thornthwaite: On behalf of the Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, I’m very fortunate to have with us today in the House members from the creative community who are here today to celebrate the official proclamation for Creative Industries Week.

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With us are Wendy Noss from the MPA; Jenny Rodgers, MPC; Pete Mitchell from Vancouver Film Studios; George Paterson from Cool Air Rentals; Kendrie Upton from DGC-BC; Danielle Campeau from DGC-BC; Andrea Moore from DGC-BC; Dian Cross Massey, The Crossing Studios; Phil Klapwyk, IATSE 891; Ellie Harvie, UBCP-ACTRA; Liz Shorten from the CMPA; Louise Mangan; Russ Neeley; Mark Jiles; Steven Thibault; and Trevor Hodgson.

Can we please welcome these creative people on Creative Industries Week.

S. Fraser: I’d like to have the House help join me in welcoming a very astute young man, a constituent — well, actually no longer a constituent — from Alberni–Pacific Rim. He lives in Victoria and works in Victoria now. Francis Recalma is here today.

I know Francis from working with his father. His father is Chief Michael Recalma, Qualicum First Nation.

Will the House please make Francis feel very, very welcome today.

Hon. T. Lake: Resident doctors are medical school graduates undergoing postgraduate specialty training to become independent medical practitioners. Resident Doctors of B.C. represents over 1,300 resident doctors in British Columbia.

Since 2001, we’re seeing a lot more of these resident doctors because we have seen a 125 percent increase in medical school spaces, from 128 to 288, and an increased number of international medical graduate residency spaces — by over 800 percent, up from just six in 2003 to 58 today.

We have two very special guests in the House today on behalf of Resident Doctors of B.C.: Dr. Emily Stewart, emergency medicine resident, year one, who is chair of the advocacy committee of Resident Doctors of B.C.; and Dr. David Kim, emergency medicine resident, year one, president of Resident Doctors of B.C.

They are the doctors of our future, and I know they’re committed to providing quality health care to patients throughout British Columbia. Would the House please make them very welcome.

G. Heyman: It’s with great pleasure that I join the member opposite in welcoming representatives of B.C.’s creative arts. A number of members from both sides of the House yesterday evening had a chance to mingle with representatives of B.C. Creates, representing film and television, digital media, magazine publishing and music — the tremendous economic and cultural opportunities that are brought to B.C. by these industries. We had many good conversations.

I hope I don’t miss anyone. Joining us are Ellie Harvie and Russ Neeley from the Union of B.C. Performers-ACTRA; Phil Klapwyk from IATSE 891; Pete Mitchell from Vancouver Film Studios; Dian Cross Massey from The Crossing Studios; George Paterson of Cool Air Rentals; Kendrie Upton from the Directors Guild; along with Danielle Campeau and Andrea Moore from the Directors Guild.

Also, a special pleasure for me, in the gallery are my constituents Liz Shorten, the vice-president of the Canadian Media Production Association, and Louise Mangan and Brian Hamilton of Omnifilm.

Would the House please join me in making them very, very welcome.

G. Kyllo: I am proud to rise today to make a truly historic announcement for my family. You see, after being blessed with four daughters and five granddaughters — after 28 years of girls — Georgina and I were blessed, on September 6, with the arrival of, finally, a little boy.

Proud parents Sarah and Gerry Martselos and sisters Mayah and Siddhalee could not be happier with the arrival of Nolan Gregory Kyllo Martselos. Nolan’s grandparents Nick and Evelyn Martselos of Vernon are equally proud.

Will the House congratulate Sarah and Gerry on the arrival of my favourite grandson, Nolan Gregory.

C. James: I have a number of guests in the gallery today.

You’ve heard other MLAs say it, and I will echo it. First, the people who really make all of us in this Legislature look good, and that’s my constituency assistants: Alice Ross, who I’ll have something more to say about; Joanna Groves; and although she couldn’t be here today, Robyn Spilker. They really do take care of everything when I continue to be busy, and I’m very grateful for them.

I also have two constituents of mine, Patti Stockton and John Reid, who are also here visiting.

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I have, as well, my amazing legislative assistant who has put up with me for years, Heidi Reid, who’s in the gallery.

Last but not least, we have the former MLA for Prince George North, former Finance Minister, Education Min-
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ister, Environment Minister and Health Minister. Paul Ramsey is here with his very patient, very understanding and very supportive wife, Hazel Ramsey. Would everyone please make them very welcome.

J. Darcy: I’d like to join with the Minister of Health in welcoming the Resident Doctors of B.C. I’m certainly looking forward to my meeting with them this afternoon. Any of us who have come in contact with the health care system has encountered a resident doctor, whether we knew it or not. We knew them as doctors.

They play an irreplaceable role in our health care system today, and I’m always struck by the wonderful ideas that they have about how we can improve our public health care system. Will the House please join me and the minister in welcoming once again the Resident Doctors of B.C.

Hon. B. Bennett: It’s my pleasure today to welcome some representatives from the mining industry. They’re here today for Mining Day at the Legislature to celebrate the fact that B.C. has seven new permitted mines that we didn’t have in 2011 and nine major expansions to big mines in the province since 2011.

Let me introduce Karina Briño, the president and CEO of the Mining Association of British Columbia; Robert Gallagher, chair of the Mining Association of British Columbia; Diane Nicolson, chair, Association for Mineral Exploration; Darold Thorp, my neighbour in Cranbrook, chair of the Mining Suppliers Association of B.C.; and Tom Syer from Teck Resources. Please help me make these folks welcome.

S. Simpson: I’m really pleased to have a couple of my closest friends in the Legislature today, Kathy and John Lynn. Kathy has had a distinguished career as a parenting expert in British Columbia and in recent years has been the driving force of Corinne’s Quest, which is a national movement to make changes in the Criminal Code around how children are disciplined and that. She’s doing great work there.

John is the founder and longtime owner of Lynn Communications Group and, in recent years, the publisher of ShopUnion, which is a site that allows people who want to buy goods produced by unionized businesses and directs them in that way. Will the House please make my friends welcome.

G. Holman: I’m very pleased to introduce two constituents of mine, Alistair Black and Murray Nurse, both directors of the Channel Ridge property repairs association. They’re here to meet with the Minister of Environment, who has kindly agreed to meet with us after question period to explain to them how a private sewage treatment system on Saltspring has been allowed to be out of compliance for over a decade. We thank the minister and look forward to that conversation. Would the House please make them feel welcome.

D. Donaldson: I have a couple of introductions. First, I would like to acknowledge, as the official opposition spokesperson on mining, that it’s Mining Day at the Legislature today. The Mining Association of B.C. is hosting. I see Karina Briño, the president and CEO, in the gallery. The Mining Suppliers Association of B.C. and the Association for Mineral Exploration of B.C. are partners in the day to day.

Many of the people in the sector are meeting with MLAs in this chamber throughout the day. I met with Bryan Kneller from Ledcor, Brian Richards from Avino Silver and Gold, Norman Johnson from HD Mining and Federico Velasquez from Anglo American this morning. We had lots of discussions, including the topics of public trust and investor confidence.

Mining contributes $7.7 billion to the B.C. economy and over 8,700 jobs. We know many of those jobs are in rural areas and in all four corners of the province. One of those corners is a small place called Vancouver as well. The jobs are important, and we on the official opposition recognize and acknowledge that. So would the members please welcome the representatives from the mining industry here today.

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The second introduction. I see in the gallery, joining us here today, is my nephew Mike Donaldson, who is an engineer and vice-president of operations at General Fusion. He’s joined today by my grand-niece Anna Donaldson and her friend Edie Keeling. They’re both ten years old. They’re in grade 5 at Lord Kitchener Elementary in Vancouver. They’re going to be touring the Legislature after we finish here today. Unfortunately, Anna’s mother, Kim, couldn’t be here today because someone in the family had to go to work. Would the members please join me in welcoming them to the Legislature today.

Introduction and
First Reading of Bills

BILL 5 — FORESTS, LANDS AND
NATURAL RESOURCE OPERATIONS
STATUTES AMENDMENT ACT, 2017

Hon. S. Thomson presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Statutes Amendment Act, 2017.

Hon. S. Thomson: I move that the Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Statutes Amendment Act, 2017, be introduced and read for a first time now.

Motion approved.
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Hon. S. Thomson: Today I am introducing amendments to the Wildlife Act and the Wildfire Act. Proposed amendments to the Wildlife Act continue implementation of the hunting transformation project. This will allow hunters to apply for hunting permits or obtain resident hunter numbers on line and submit reports electronically.

Proposed amendments to the Wildfire Act will give wildfire investigators more time to complete their work and determine whether government should pursue cost recoveries associated with fire suppression, fire damage or contravention of wildfire-related legislation.

Together, these amendments continue streamlining the ministry’s permit and licence application and reporting processes and support the B.C. Wildfire Service in its investigation of wildfires and cost recovery activities related to wildfire activity.

I move that the Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Statutes Amendment Act, 2017, be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting after today.

Bill 5, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Statutes Amendment Act, 2017, 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.

BILL M226 — SPECIES AT RISK
PROTECTION ACT, 2017

G. Heyman presented a bill intituled Species at Risk Protection Act, 2017.

G. Heyman: I move that a bill intituled Species at Risk Protection Act, 2017 be introduced and read for a first time now.

Motion approved.

G. Heyman: This bill, previously introduced in 2010 and 2011, will enable British Columbia to join the eight other Canadian provinces with stand-alone legislation protecting endangered species and their habitat. Government figures show 1,649 species are at risk of extirpation or under threat if measures are not taken.

B.C. is host to 76 percent of Canada’s bird species, 70 percent of freshwater fish species and 60 percent of conifer species. We are Canada’s most biodiverse province but are noted for lacking legislation to ensure this unique biodiversity is not significantly diminished.

The provincial government knows that southern resident orcas and mountain caribou are among the species at risk. To quote a Law Foundation report: “Without immediate action, British Columbia’s biodiversity is vulnerable to rapid deterioration, especially in light of climate change.”

This bill will enable independent scientists to identify species and ecosystems under threat and to create recovery plans. B.C. will benefit from the best scientific, community and indigenous knowledge, enabling us to achieve long-term species protection as well as our economic and social considerations. The act will also engage local groups in stewardship.

This legislation will strengthen provincial conservation agreements to help adapt to climate change impacts on species and ecosystems. Iconic B.C. ecosystems — coastal Douglas fir, ponderosa pine and grasslands — are part of the vulnerable land base. This bill offers our province the legislative tools to protect species at risk and the rich biodiversity of our province for generations to come.

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 M226, Species at Risk Protection Act, 2017, 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.

BILL M 227 — COURT ORDER
ENFORCEMENT AMENDMENT ACT, 2017

A. Weaver presented a bill intituled Court Order Enforcement Amendment Act, 2017.

A. Weaver: I move that a bill intituled the Court Order Enforcement Amendment Act, of which notice has been given, be introduced and read a first time now.

Motion approved.

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A. Weaver: Registered retirement savings plans are protected in this province from creditors in the case of personal bankruptcy. Protecting these funds provides a small safeguard that individuals undergoing bankruptcy will not be completely destitute in their old age. It is a good law that most provinces in Canada have adopted.

However, there is no protection for funds that are part of a registered education savings plan or a registered disability savings plan. These are important funds that need equal protection, recognizing that a child should not have their education investment seized due to a misfortune that befalls their parents.

The Alberta government has passed legislation to protect RESPs. It is with this in mind that I bring this bill forward today. This bill amends the Court Order Enforcement Act to ensure that RESPs and RDSPs are protected by law from creditors.

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 M227, Court Order Enforcement Amendment Act, 2017, 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)

ALICE ROSS

C. James: For much of the last 20 years, Alice Ross has been the helping voice on the phone and across the counter at constituency offices in Prince George and here in Victoria. Alice started as a constituency assistant in 1996, working for Lois Boone, MLA for Prince George–Mount Robson. There’s only one Alice Ross, Lois notes, both tough as nails and soft as a kitten.

Alice worked for Paul Ramsey, for Prince George North. She was, as Paul put it: “My eyes and ears in Prince George while I was away at the Legislature. What Alice didn’t know about happenings in Prince George was frankly not worth knowing.”

When the member for Victoria–Swan Lake and I were elected in 2005, Alice came to work in both of our offices. We benefitted greatly from her exceptional casework skills.

Alice raised two boys as a single parent and is now a proud grandma. She has lent her passion and her drive to volunteer with many organizations, including the Prince George Theatre Workshop, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the CNIB and Theatre North West.

As Lois Boone said, and I agree: “Alice is one of the hardest-working, dedicated and faithful people I’ve ever met. She worked tirelessly on behalf of our constituents and made sure that we as MLAs did the same. When it snowed in Victoria and most everyone else didn’t get to work, Alice put crampons on her boots and she pushed her walker through piles of snow. She knew there would be citizens waiting who needed help that day.”

Alice is retiring on April 1, and I know that I’m not the only one who will miss her touch at my constituency office. But I also know that she is going to stay active with social and political activism in our community, because that’s who Alice Ross is. I hope that all members in this House will join me in thanking Alice Ross for her years of extraordinary service and wishing her well in the next chapter in her life to come.

RECREATION, AGRICULTURE AND
ARTS IN SHUSWAP AREA

G. Kyllo: Today I rise with pride to talk about the magnificence of the Shuswap. The Shuswap is part of British Columbia where locals and visitors alike share a blissful landscape, a place of culture and community where natural beauty exists in its purest form.

The Shuswap provides boundless opportunity for outdoor adventure and exploration, provincial parks, amazing hiking and biking trails, world-class golf courses, sandy beaches and campsites. Of course, 1,000 kilometres of shoreline define Shuswap Lake as one of the best boating locations in western Canada.

On Shuswap Lake, swimmers, boaters, kayakers, canoers, windsurfers, houseboaters and water lovers alike can enjoy the pristine British Columbian water. Hikers can take in the magical Albas and Margaret Falls or ascend the summit of Angle Mountain or Morton Peak.

In the Shuswap, we’re proud to support a strong agricultural community, including excellent farmers markets that offer an abundance of locally grown fruits, vegetables, meat and some of the best dairy products found across B.C.

Shuswap farmers, in the typical spirit of Shuswap hospitality, allow visitors to experience agriculture firsthand by conducting tours and workshops, teaching them a thing or two about how to grow truly exceptional produce.

The Shuswap also has a vibrant arts and culture community, where local artists and performers showcase their talent in theatres, private studios, art galleries and museums. For example, the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival attracts over 25,000 people every year. This helps explain why communities in the Shuswap, like Salmon Arm, are among the fastest-growing in B.C.

I’m proud to live in the Shuswap, and on behalf of my friends and neighbours back home, I can’t wait to see all of you out on the lake this summer.

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IMAGINE GALA FUNDRAISER FOR
SHARE FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

S. Robinson: On Saturday, March 4, SHARE Family and Community Services will host its 11th annual Imagine gala. It’s a fun-filled night bringing together supporters to raise money for this multiservice agency serving Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra.

I’m always very nostalgic about this gala because the first annual gala event was planned when I was SHARE’s director of development. That first gala was called Just Desserts, and it was held in June 2006. We were planning for months and hoping to make between $10,000 and $15,000, and the executive director at the time was so super anxious that we just weren’t going to make any money.

Now, five weeks before the event, I was unexpectedly diagnosed with intestinal cancer, and everything was at risk for this fundraiser. There was still so much to do, and I had to heal from surgery and get this inaugural event off the ground. I couldn’t lift anything or run around with the same energy post-surgery. But I have to tell you that the community came around and supported this event in
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so many ways. I had a crew of sherpas who did the lifting, and many gathered around me and the organization to purchase tickets and buy stuff that they didn’t really need.

That was 11 years ago. The very first gala showed me that collectively, we are SHARE, for SHARE Family and Community Services. In 2006, we raised $16,000, and I am pleased to see how this gala has evolved. The organizing committee has grown and matured to a sophisticated level and now raises over $100,000 for amazing programs that help people throughout the Tri-Cities.

I’m so proud and pleased that, as a community, we continue to come together to pick each other up when we need it most. Just as a community gathered around me back in 2006 to help me be successful, we continue to gather around our neighbours and our friends to help them achieve their goals.

Thank you to the Tri-Cities and the entire community for always being SHARE.

McABEE FOSSIL BEDS HERITAGE SITE

J. Tegart: Protecting the cultural heritage of British Columbia is something that we all take very seriously. By preserving our province’s historical sites, we preserve the history of British Columbia’s people and our culture. It is through the safeguarding of our past that we sustain the knowledge for our future.

Fraser-Nicola is home to the McAbee fossil beds near Cache Creek, which is one of many heritage sites throughout B.C. that our government preserves and protects. It contains fossils from the days before humans roamed this earth. Preserved in between the layers of rock that make up the rugged landscape are the fossils of birds, fish, plants and insects. The McAbee beds are known worldwide for their incredible abundance, diversity and quality of fossils. If you drove past the site on Highway 1, you would have no idea where it was located.

Recently a group of dedicated people came together to discuss the future of McAbee fossil beds. Working with local leaders, First Nations, Community Futures, the province and Thompson Rivers University, they applied for funds to develop a plan that will map out the future. The vision includes research, public participation, community involvement and a world-class site that will welcome visitors from around the world.

Fraser-Nicola and our surroundings are proving to be a world-class destination for educational opportunities, tourism and unlocking the mysteries of British Columbia’s history. I will keep you posted as we move forward with the McAbee fossil beds project.

WESTERN INSTITUTE FOR THE
DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING

D. Eby: The Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in my constituency has a long history. It was established in 1956 by parents of deaf children who wanted better services for their kids. This group has grown to be a leading centre of excellence in deaf and hard-of-hearing technology, services and research.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in B.C. are still forced to deal with exclusion in the workforce, in education and in public life because of communication barriers. That’s why the centre, their advocates and their services are so vital. The programs offered by the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing provide support and services to enhance the strengths and abilities of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.

For example, this non-profit centre provides translators to medical facilities, to courts, to community events and wherever translation is required. Audiologists there offer free hearing tests, and they’ll tune and repair hearing aids to make sure that community members make the most of whatever level of hearing they have. The work of the many talented board and staff at the centre also creates opportunities for people who are deaf or hard of hearing to work. Sometimes, though, the services are far more basic. It just gives people a chance to communicate with family and friends.

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I toured the centre a few weeks ago. I was very impressed with the public education this organization does to ensure that people without hearing disabilities understand how easy it is to accommodate people who live with hearing disabilities. For example, the executive director pointed out to me that all of us in this chamber could contact the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for translators, for our town halls and community events. Even if the translator isn’t used consistently, taking this small step means that our meetings are welcoming and inviting to people with hearing disabilities.

Thank you, Susan Masters and your entire staff. Thank you, board president Barbara Brown and your board for your excellent work serving the needs of the deaf and hard-of-hearing members of our communities.

MIDWAY MILL SITE REDEVELOPMENT

L. Larson: Vaagen Fibre Canada in Midway is a local success story, an example of what a partnership between a community and company can achieve. Eight years ago when the Pope and Talbot operation closed, the land was put up for sale and the town of Midway lost its major employer. But rural people are resilient and innovative.

In 2010, 50 local people, the town of Midway, SIDIT, the Heritage Credit Union and others invested in a venture capital fund and bought the mill site. They formed a partnership with Vaagen Brothers U.S. and began a new phase of life for the property.

Vaagen Fibre Canada employs 90 people from Rock Creek, Midway and Greenwood at the site and another 20 in the forest. All contractors are local. They manage
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and work closely with the Osoyoos Indian Band’s forest licences and have assisted in establishing a First Nations woodland licence. Band members are an important component of the workforce, involved with working at the mill, developing permits, building roads and harvesting timber. There are 12 Osoyoos Indian Band members currently employed by Vaagen.

Vaagen also manages the West Boundary Community Forest, employing 20 people from Midway and Greenwood in all phases of development, harvesting and silviculture.

They have developed, in partnership with the province, two ecosystem restoration projects that focus on wildfire mitigation and habitat improvement, resulting in a healthier and more resilient forest. This partnership is an example of a community stepping up and being part of the solution to an employment issue that affected hundreds of local people and would have been the end of a rural community. The people of Midway and the surrounding communities are proud of the success of their partnership with Vaagen and the jobs it has sustained.

Oral Questions

EMERGENCY SERVICES AT
ABBOTSFORD HOSPITAL

J. Wickens: From across British Columbia, we’re hearing stories of patients waiting too long for quality public health care.

This weekend a doctor in Abbotsford came forward to say that the emergency room there is being used to warehouse patients that have been admitted. The doctor says this means that when you come in with an acute life-threatening problem, there will be competition for care.

How has this Health Minister let this situation in Abbotsford deteriorate so badly that patients with life-threatening problems now have to compete for their treatment?

Hon. T. Lake: Firstly, I want to recognize the men and women who work at the front lines of health care all across the province. They do an amazing job, and they are professionals. They are dedicated, no matter how busy they are, to ensuring that people get high-quality care, that their decision-making is based on evidence and based on the best quality of care possible.

Abbotsford Regional Hospital, in fact, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, has a better-than-average score in seeing people in under 2½ hours — lower than the B.C. average, lower than the Canadian average. The people do amazing work at Abbotsford Regional Hospital and in hospital after hospital after hospital in this province.

So for the member to disparage the work of that hospital, I don’t think is accurate. In fact, they provide high-quality care.

[1035]

Madame Speaker: Coquitlam–Burke Mountain on a supplemental.

J. Wickens: But it’s the doctors and front-line staff that are speaking out about the neglect of this minister and this government. Patients have been raising concerns about misdiagnosis at Abbotsford Hospital because the staff are stretched far too thin.

A three-year-old little girl, Nimrat Gill, died on her second visit to the hospital, and her parents believe it was pneumonia that was not properly detected because staff are far too overworked. Now we have doctors saying that the hospital is dangerously overcrowded.

How does the minister justify the decisions that his government has made that have left patients in Abbotsford in dangerously overcrowded hospitals?

Hon. T. Lake: First of all, our hearts are with the Gill family. This was an unexpected tragedy — for a three-year-old to pass. Fraser Health is looking into all of the details in section 51 under the Evidence Act. The coroner is doing a separate independent investigation. In fact, the physician that the member is quoting was very, very clear about not connecting any deaths to congestion issues, which happen at this time of year.

I spent most of Sunday at Royal Inland Hospital after my wife slipped and fractured her wrist, and I saw how hard people work, with professionalism, despite how busy it can be. When there’s influenza season, when there are a lot of slips and falls, those people at our hospitals are diligent. They are very conscientious, and despite being very busy, they are professionals and adhere to a very high standard of practice.

J. Rice: No one on this side of the House is negating the professionalism of the front-line health workers in this province. We are challenging the professionalism of that minister to address these problems.

Mary Louise Murphy went to Abbotsford Regional Hospital on January 30, complaining of pain. She was given an injection and sent away. Within a day, she had died. With doctors sounding the alarm about the hospital being dangerously overcrowded, patients are left without confidence that their hospital can handle these emergencies.

Why isn’t the Health Minister fixing the congestion problems at Abbotsford Hospital so patients have a health system that they can put their trust in?

Hon. T. Lake: Well, again, I want to make it clear that the physician the member is quoting has been very clear
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not to link any deaths to the fact that they are very busy at Abbotsford Regional Hospital and at other hospitals around the province at this time of year. That’s no different today than it was ten years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago. Winter is a busy season. That’s the reality, and that’s why the physicians, the nurses, the other health care professionals in our hospitals do an amazing job.

In the case of Fraser, they are taking a number of measures to try to ensure that we don’t rely so much on the acute care system, opening up 400 new residential care spaces, using new tools to divert people from the emergency room when it’s not appropriate for them to be there. Fraser Health and all of our health authorities are very focused on strategies to decongest emergency departments at a very busy time of the year and provide high-quality health care to British Columbians.

Madame Speaker: The member for North Coast on a supplemental.

J. Rice: We raised this issue last year. Things have not gotten better; they’ve gotten worse. The health authority’s own numbers document the severe, unrelenting congestion at this major regional centre and confirm the alarms being raised by front-line physicians about the hospital’s ability to fulfil its mandate: to deliver safe care, to save lives.

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In September of 2014, 66 percent of patients waited more than ten hours in Abbotsford’s ER for admission to hospital. Fast-forward two years, and that percentage is 70 percent.

To the Health Minister: why has this government let congestion get worse at one of B.C.’s critical regional hospitals?

Hon. T. Lake: Well, again, the Canadian Institute for Health Information…. Their data will show that 90 percent of patients at Abbotsford Regional Hospital are seen by a physician in less than 2½ hours — lower than the B.C. average and lower than the Canadian average, which is over three hours.

There is a seasonal fluctuation. The member notes that. Fraser Health does a number of different things to try to make sure that the congestion at the emergency room is alleviated. In fact, a short stay diagnostic and treatment bed process in the ED at Abbotsford Regional was piloted there on the suggestion of the emergency physicians, and that has…

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

Hon. T. Lake: …sped up the process at Abbotsford Regional.

There’s also a task group, including physicians, working on other strategies — monitoring daily discharges, targets they strive to meet to ensure patients have access to diagnostic tests when discharged. They’re working hard, as all health authorities are, to ensure that patients are cared for at this very busy time of year.

BLOOD SUPPLY AND
PAID-DONOR PLASMA CLINICS

J. Darcy: Scott Adams of Victoria was walking his dog on Gorge Road last summer when he was hit by a car. Thanks to the great work of his medical team, he’s making a full recovery, and he’s here in the House today, but he needed 40 blood transfusions in his healing process. Without a stable blood supply, who knows if he would have survived. Yet the Liberal government has been, at best, blasé about protecting that stable blood supply.

Dr. Graham Sher, the CEO of Canadian Blood Services, says a pay-for-plasma clinic that was set up in Saskatoon has led to a drop in donors to the voluntary blood clinic in that city. “We in Canada are at risk,” he said, and he added that private clinics will sell to the highest bidder.

Will the Minister of Health commit today to protect our blood supply and take action to ban pay-for-plasma clinics from setting up shop in British Columbia?

Hon. T. Lake: I neglected to include in my last answer that when the NDP were in power, they promised a hospital in Abbotsford but never built one. There wouldn’t be a hospital in Abbotsford today if not for this government.

Now, the member opposite….

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

Vancouver–Point Grey, Surrey–Green Timbers.

Please continue.

Hon. T. Lake: The member for New Westminster raises an important point that patients in British Columbia and throughout Canada depend on plasma products to save their lives. The reality is that over 80 percent of our plasma products are derived from paid donors. Without paid donors, the citizen that the member opposite refers to may not have had those life-saving plasma products.

We don’t take an ideological view about saving people’s lives on this side of the House. We want to make sure those products are available to do exactly what her constituent, her citizen, had, and that is life-saving plasma proteins.

Madame Speaker: The member for New Westminster on a supplemental.
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J. Darcy: Surely the Minister of Health is not calling the CEO of Canadian Blood Services ideological, because he is the one who has said, very clearly, that these pay-for-plasma clinics are threatening the voluntary blood supply. The minister should be listening to experts like that.

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He should also be listening to the recommendations of the Krever inquiry. Justice Horace Krever recommended that blood and blood products be collected only from voluntary donors. He said that paid clinics are a threat to the safety of our blood supply.

Now, Andrew Cumming is a survivor of that tainted blood scandal. He was infected with HIV and hepatitis C. He’s the co-founder of Bloodwatch Canada, and he has worked tirelessly to implement the recommendations of the Krever commission so that no one has to go through what he went through. Andrew is here today. He asked for a meeting with the Minister of Health, and he was refused. He was refused a meeting with the Minister of Health to discuss these issues.

Will the Minister of Health tell Andrew and Scott why this government refuses to make the safety and security of our blood supplies a high priority, or will he do the right thing, as the governments of Ontario and Quebec have done, and take action now to stop the pay-for-plasma clinic that has plans to set up in this province in the next few months? Will he take action to stop them from setting up in British Columbia?

Hon. T. Lake: Well, the member opposite doesn’t know what she’s talking about. I do not know of any plans to set up a clinic here in the next couple months.

Aside from that, the Canadian Hemophilia Society, Health Canada and the Canadian Blood Services have all said that safety is not a concern when it comes to paid plasma donations. The member opposite should quit fearmongering, because it is not true. It’s not the 1980s anymore. Technology has changed. Health Canada regulates paid plasma donations — all plasma products — very, very strictly.

What the member is advocating would result in a dearth of plasma proteins to save people’s lives. I’m looking forward….

Interjection.

Hon. T. Lake: Listen, Member. You might want to hear this.

I’m looking forward to the Canadian Blood Services strategic plan, their business plan, to increase voluntary donations. If there is a credible plan to meet the needs of Canadians through only voluntary donations, I will support it 100 percent.

BLUEBERRY RIVER FIRST NATIONS
NEGOTIATIONS WITH GOVERNMENT
AND ROLE OF MLA

S. Fraser: My question is for the Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.

Interjections.

S. Fraser: Wait for it.

Madame Speaker: Members.

S. Fraser: Why did the minister allow the member for Peace River North to derail land negotiations with Chief Yahey and the Blueberry River First Nations?

Hon. J. Rustad: I want to thank the member opposite. It’s been close to two years since I’ve had a question. It’s nice to see that they actually have some interest in First Nations issues on that side of the House.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

Please continue.

Hon. J. Rustad: We’ve been working closely with the Treaty 8 Nations around treaty land entitlement issues. I think that’s what the member opposite is referring to. We also are engaging with the federal government on that. We’re trying to work through these issues. It’s an issue that arose from a mistake that was made more than 100 years ago.

We are engaged with Treaty 8 Nations and trying to be respectful in the way that we work with that but also being respectful of all of the people in the northeast as we work through these issues.

Madame Speaker: Alberni–Pacific Rim on a supplemental.

S. Fraser: Actually, the minister is displaying the height of disrespect with the Blueberry River First Nations. Blueberry River First Nations have been negotiating with these guys, the Liberals, for more than a decade — 12 years. In 2014, they signed an agreement with the Liberals setting out land that would be used to settle their treaty land entitlement claim — a signed agreement with these guys.

[1050]

This is Treaty 8 land that Blueberry River has been denied and owed….

Interjections.
[ Page 13905 ]

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

S. Fraser: This Treaty 8 land, the Blueberry River, has been denied and owed for 117 years. Then the member for Peace River North gets involved, a member who has voiced his contempt for First Nations, and the Minister of Reconciliation torched the agreement.

Why? Can he explain why?

Hon. J. Rustad: We are still at the table negotiating on the treaty land entitlement issues. We do need to work with the federal government, our partner in this, to work through some issues with them. We’re more than happy to engage with the Treaty 8 Nations on this as we work through.

Let me tell you, Madame Speaker — since this is an opportunity to stand up — that as we work with the Treaty 8 Nations, it’s not just on treaty land entitlement. There are many other things we’re doing up there.

We have signed pipeline benefit agreements. We have signed mining agreements. We have signed natural gas extraction agreements. We have signed cumulative effects and environmental stewardship agreements with them. We have signed a host of things with the Treaty 8 Nations. We are working through our relationships with those nations. We respect the treaty that we have with them. We’re also wanting to make sure that they can fully engage and take advantage of opportunities in the area, just like we’re doing with nations around the province.

For the last four years, we have signed more than 400 agreements with nations, and we’re proud of the work that we are doing.

M. Mark: I’d like to remind the member opposite that some of us do care deeply about the issues of First Nations people.

Interjections.

M. Mark: Have fun. I’m the only one who’s got indigenous grandparents in this province.

My question is….

Interjections.

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

M. Mark: In 2012, the member for Peace River North said: “Here is an opportunity to actually muster up some support for our team, but instead, we will ignore it and go out and find some way to give the Indians more money, which doesn’t get me one vote. I am very tired of this kind of nonsense.”

Does the Minister of Aboriginal Relations think that elevating those kinds of views will get us any closer to reconciliation in this province?

Hon. J. Rustad: As we work with First Nations across the province towards reconciliation, we’re proud of the work that we have been doing. Since the member opposite has asked about that, let me just talk a little bit about what we have done.

Over the last four years, we have seen the implementation of the Tla’amin final agreement. We now have eight agreements-in-principle that we have reached with nations. We have other offers that are on the table. We have 22 incremental treaty agreements — more of those on the table. We have 43 agreements with 34 nations on clean energy projects. We’ve got equity agreements — 12 agreements with a dozen nations.

There are so many things that we are doing with First Nations across this province towards reconciliation. No other government in this country has advanced reconciliation like we have in the province of British Columbia.

Madame Speaker: Vancouver–Mount Pleasant on a supplemental.

M. Mark: Well, it’s 2017, and part of reconciliation is about talking truth.

The Canadian government made an offer last April. The province had an opportunity to do right to a 117-year wrong. Instead, the Minister of Aboriginal Relations set up a secret committee headed by the member for Peace River North, and he torched the agreement he had signed with the Blueberry River First Nations. He also ensured that the MLA, who has nothing but contempt for First Nations, is able to derail the process. An agreement a decade in the making.

Is that how this government does business with First Nations?

[1055]

Hon. J. Rustad: We have been working closely with the Treaty 8 Nations for more than a decade on the treaty land entitlement issue.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

Hon. J. Rustad: We were waiting for the federal government to come to the table, and the federal government has finally come to the table last spring. However, there is an issue in terms of some of the terms that they’ve put on that. We’re working through that with the federal government, as we want to see the advancement of this issue resolved as soon as possible.
[ Page 13906 ]

In terms of agreements and working through issues, I’m very proud of the way we actually have been working with Treaty 8 Nations. We’ve been working through some…

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

Hon. J. Rustad: …challenging issues around Site C. We’ve been working at signing agreements, reaching those kinds of partnerships with First Nations in recognition of the unmitigable impacts that Site C will have.

We’ve been working through on the LNG and the expansion of natural gas extraction, reaching new agreements in recognition of their rights. We’ve been working with them on wildlife recovery. We are working with First Nations up in the northeast on a whole host of issues, and we’re proud of that work that we’re doing.

D. Donaldson: It’s quite straightforward. The minister has refused to meet with Chief Marvin Yahey Sr. and the Blueberry River First Nations, yet on December 9, 2016, he met with the member for Peace River North.

Can the minister explain why he thinks the opinions of someone who talks about, and I quote, “giving Indians more money” are more important than the grievances of First Nations who have been cheated out of their treaty rights?

Hon. J. Rustad: I have met with the Chief of Blueberry River Nation I think three or four times. We have talked about this as well as a host of other issues that we’re working through. Unfortunately, we also have a court case, at the moment, with that nation, so that does create some challenges in terms of how we can communicate and work through issues.

To that end, as we work with the nations up in the north…. I mentioned some of the great work that we’re doing with them. Let me talk a little bit about environmental stewardship and how we’re working through these issues.

As the nations have tried to work through and express their interests, we want to make sure that, as we go through, we listen to what they say and we incorporate what they say. The Ministry of Environment has done great work in terms of the changes and process — how we’re dealing with cumulative impacts. But it’s all part of the broader picture of what we’re doing with nations across the province.

We have reached more than 14 reconciliation agreements, 247 forestry and range revenue-sharing agreements, as well as a host of others that I hope I get an opportunity to talk some more about.

Madame Speaker: The member for Stikine on a supplemental.

D. Donaldson: What the minister seems to forget is that the Blueberry River First Nations agreed to their land selections in 2014. That was after years of painstaking negotiations.

Then, just this year, the member for Peace River North comes along and derails the whole process, demanding that the Blueberry River First Nations, even if they get their land, give up all rights to control it; demanding that the Blueberry River First Nations be restricted to lands far from existing services and communities; demanding that the province unilaterally strike key pieces of land from the deal.

How could the minister give into these one-sided and, frankly, colonialist demands without even speaking to the Blueberry River First Nations?

Hon. J. Rustad: I think it’s important to note that every MLA in this Legislature has the right to be able to work, whether it’s bringing committees or doing the types of things that they want to do. It’s also important to note that my deputy has reached out to the Blueberry River First Nations in terms of the work that we’re doing with them.

I think what I’m more interested in, as well, is…. The members stand up and talk about reconciliation and trying to improve the lives of First Nations. You can’t have improvement for First Nations if you don’t have jobs and if you don’t have an economy. On this side of the House, we are fighting to try to see that happen. We are being respectful of First Nations and working with them.

They have opposed every single opportunity that we have presented to try to work with First Nations and improve their lives in the province of British Columbia.

[1100]

WATER QUALITY IN SPALLUMCHEEN AREA

G. Heyman: As a result of high pollution levels in their wells, the Splatsin First Nation asked the Ministry of Environment for direct contact if further pollution occurred. So on February 16, when Grace-Mar Farms spilled more than 120,000 gallons of liquid manure over the Splatsin’s drinking water supply, one would expect the ministry to contact Splatsin Chief Kukpi7 Christian, government to government, just like the Information Commissioner ordered. Yet almost two weeks after the manure spill, there is still no direct contact and no sharing of information.

How does the Environment Minister defend her failure to share crucial public health information with the Splatsin Nation, or does she just consider their rights and their health to be expendable?

Hon. M. Polak: I have worked with Chief Christian over many, many years. In fact, we worked very, very closely together when I was Minister of Children and
[ Page 13907 ]
Family Development. Thankfully, he has a lot more respect for me than you seem to show here today.

I and staff have apologized for the poor communication that took place with respect to the breach of the lagoon, but it is absolutely incorrect that no one has reached out directly or been in direct contact with Splatsin. In fact, in planning for an upcoming community meeting on the third, we have been in touch with them. We have been advised that Chief Christian won’t be attending that. They have two members of their team who will be. How on earth could we organize all that with them without being in direct contact? I’m not sure how the member would possibly explain that.

G. Heyman: I would explain that simply by having been on a conference call with the Chief, with councillors and with staff of the Splatsin last week and confirming, as of yesterday, that there still had been no direct contact with the nation.

The Splatsin First Nation and Hullcar residents have waited more than three years for this government to stop the serious water pollution that threatens their health, yet all the minister has promised is more studies and committees and more meetings while pollution levels climb steadily higher.

Most other jurisdictions around the world require an emergency management plan for all agricultural sewage lagoons, but not here in B.C. — not here in B.C., where, when Grace-Mar Farms had a sewage spill, there was no emergency backup plan.

Will the Environment Minister explain to British Columbians why she has not taken this one simple, obvious step to protect our drinking water?

Hon. M. Polak: Let’s not just talk about one step. Let’s talk about multiple steps that our ministry and the great people that work in our ministry have been taking over quite some time now: nine pollution abatement or pollution prevention orders; work toward an area-based management plan; work with the various agricultural producers to ensure that they have the appropriate environmental impact assessments done for their farms — all of those being reviewed at public meetings. Reports, multiple reports, are being brought to the public meeting on March 3.

In fact, if you want to talk about reaching out to the Splatsin First Nation, I know personally that the member for Shuswap has directly called Chief Christian. I don’t know if he has had a return call from that, but he has personally reached out. Our staff have personally reached out to the Splatsin and have had a response, which is how we have been able to plan their attendance at the meeting on Friday.

[End of question period.]

Tabling Documents

Madame Speaker: Hon. Members, I have the honour to present a report of the Auditor General: The 2015-2016 Public Accounts and the Auditor General’s Findings.

Orders of the Day

Hon. T. Stone: I call continued debate on the budget.

[1105]

Budget Debate

(continued)

Hon. S. Cadieux: I’m pleased to continue where I left off yesterday. That is to say that when I started as Minister of Children and Family Development more than four years ago, there were more than 8,200 children in the care of the ministry. Now, as we’ve increased the number of front-line social workers, that number of children in our care has decreased to approximately 7,100 today.

This is in part due to our dedicated work with families to offer targeted supports to improve family functioning and reduce the need to bring children into care. It’s a priority we’ve committed to in this budget, and it’s important work that we’ve committed to as we begin to address the recommendations of Grand Chief Ed John’s report on indigenous child welfare in British Columbia.

Four years ago connecting kids with permanent homes was not enough of a focus in this ministry. Our adoption totals weren’t what they needed to be. We had placed 212 children in adoptive homes in 2012-13, but we knew that had to improve.

We’ve made facilitating adoption and achieving permanency for young people in our care a priority. We launched a popular and successful awareness campaign on social media, 1000FamiliesBC. We’ve targeted investments to increase the number of home studies so that more families can be approved to adopt. We’ve placed specific and special emphasis on permanency planning for indigenous children, recruiting more indigenous adoptive families and helping build stronger cultural connections for indigenous children.

As a result of those efforts, 2015-16 was the most successful year in the history of adoptions for the province of British Columbia, with 368 adoptions. By the end of this fiscal year, we will have found permanency placements for a further 600 children and youth. This includes not only adoption but other permanency arrangements like guardianship and transfer of custody of a child into a permanent home.

Next year is even more promising. Where we had, previously, a paper-driven, office-based process that some parents found confusing and time-consuming, to say the least, we’ve brought in a personalized, user-friendly adoption portal, the first of its kind in Canada. Adopt
[ Page 13908 ]
B.C. Kids captures all of the foster children available for adoption as well as prospective families waiting to adopt and automatically matches waiting youth and approved families based on data, reducing the need for adoption workers to comb through paper files in search of the best match. Ultimately, this will mean making more matches for waiting kids faster.

Ideally, no child or youth would age out of our care. Now, more than ever, our focus is to return them to the care of their birth family or extended family or find them a new loving home through adoption or guardianship. But for those young people who do reach the age of 19 without that benefit of family-based support, we’ve made significant improvements.

When I started, there was no inventory of services available for this population. Ministry supports only extended to the age of 24, and they didn’t adequately consider options beyond post-secondary education. Now, we’ve launched AgedOut.com as a warehouse of information and resources for those young people. We’ve funded mentoring programs and have upped our investment in education funds and bursaries.

We’ve expanded our agreements with the young adults program, doubling the amount of time that youth can receive supports from 24 to 48 months, increasing the eligible age of enrolment by two years, from a young adult’s 24th birthday to their 26th birthday, and adding life skills programming to the list of eligible programs for supports.

No other province in Canada matches our level of support provided to young people. We know it’s not perfect, but we’re doing everything we can to improve it. I want to see us get to a point where not only are there fewer youth aging out of care, but where everyone who does is in a position to benefit from the supports that we can provide. Because we know that at 19, you may be an adult on paper, but you still need guidance and a helping hand.

The ministry is able to make all of these improvements because we’re investing. Before all these improvements, the ministry’s budget had held the line for several years at about $1.3 billion. To move us forward, we needed smart, targeted investments in priority services. Now, our budget sits at nearly $1.6 billion, as we’ve seen lifts in three consecutive years.

In 2015, we received a boost of $39 million, mostly to support our early-years strategy. In 2016, our ministry saw a further influx of $72 million, which allowed us to address some of our existing caseload and cost pressures and begin addressing items in Bob Plecas’s review of the child welfare system. This year’s budget presents another big step forward. This year we’re receiving nearly $145 million in new funding.

[1110]

This includes $49 million in ongoing funding to reduce wait-lists and strengthen child protection; $40 million for family supports, culturally appropriate services and more staff resources within indigenous communities — all of which is in line with Grand Chief Ed John’s recommendations; $20 million in additional one-time funding to increase child care resources by providing up to another 2,000 new child care spaces, on top of the 13,000 we’ve targeted by 2020 as part of the early-years strategy; and an additional $15 million per year in ongoing funding to address mental health for youth, to fund new community staff and connect children and families to enhanced counselling and treatment services.

Now, let’s give some context. This ministry serves more than 100,000 of B.C.’s children and families, most of which are some of the province’s most vulnerable. And when there are tragedies involving those who receive services from this ministry, we need to learn from those incidents, and we need to do all we can to prevent the same from happening to anyone else.

Ours, undoubtedly, is a ministry under intense scrutiny. In the past few years, we’ve been the subject of many external reports, including those from the Representative for Children and Youth; retired former deputy minister, Bob Plecas; and Grand Chief Ed John, a former minister of this ministry.

Those reports and many of the recommendations that have accompanied them have certainly helped shape and inform the changes that we’re making. This year’s budget increase is more than a simple reflection of those recommendations. It’s a recognition that a province that has the good fortune to have the economy and resources that we have, a province that has done the hard work of living within our means and managing spending like we have also has a duty to protect those less fortunate.

Over the last four years, I’ve worked as minister, with staff in this ministry, to lay the groundwork to maximize the impact of this significant lift. Money on its own cannot resolve the complex human and relational issues that we deal with every day in this ministry. But by steadily making service and operational improvements and by learning from stakeholders, from advocates and from critics alike, we are in a position to target this new, long-term funding where it can change lives for the better and improve the system for the long term.

This is not the first big increase for this ministry. In fact, over the past two years, no other ministry has seen the same level of investment to improve services and build capacity as MCFD. Budget 2017 is a culmination of that work and that commitment. All told, over the next three years, MCFD will see an influx of $332 million. This investment stands as evidence that the voice of those who are most vulnerable has been heard by government.

I know a lot of media and members opposite are saying that the recent lifts to the budget is only because of damning RCY reports or media headlines on a child in care who has died far too young. And I’m not surprised by that kind of analysis or reaction because that’s all the members across the aisle and media commentators choose to see. They latch on to tragedy, rather than spend an equal
[ Page 13909 ]
amount of time looking at the triumphs. And there are plenty of those stories.

I accept that that is the dynamic in this House. And although I accept that, what I don’t accept is the sometimes sweeping, ill-informed judgment that is heaped on our social workers, on our foster parents, our caregivers and our ministry staff.

To those people, I offer the following reminder from Theodore Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly…who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

I work each and every day with ministry staff who are in the arena, and we do have triumphs of achievement. Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen. Let me assure this House of one thing I know to be true. It takes courage to work at MCFD. And before anyone gets too excited about those comments, I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about the 4,500 people who make it their life’s work to make efforts to change the lives of vulnerable people in this province.

[1115]

Because the thing is, if you show up in the arena — as Theodore Roosevelt talks about — if you commit to trying to do something different, like we do at MCFD and have been doing over the past four years…. In the words of another great author, Brené Brown, who researches vulnerability, you’re going to get your butt kicked. I apologize for the language, but the ministry knows what it’s like to be kicked.

It’s been hard, but I’ll tell you this. I’ve been rewarded in this job as minister like no other. I’ve been called Mom by a youth who aged out of care and thanked me for doing what I do. I’ve been inspired by a teen whose arms are littered with scars from a razor blade but who is now in school, thanks to support from this ministry. I have mourned each and every time a child who is in this ministry’s care is hurt or dies. This job never gets easier. I know you know that, Madame Speaker.

I have learned so much from those I work with every day, from the social workers to the children who are now out of care but who are still helping to make life easier for those still in care — people like Raven, who was a foster kid and is now a policy analyst at MCFD, people like Bryant, a former foster kid, a gang member and graduate of B.C.’s corrections system, who through mentoring and support from MCFD is now a youth adviser working in Vancouver.

I learned from these wonderful people and many others. I am proud to be in the arena beside them, and I thank you, hon. Speaker, for the time to talk today about the impact of balanced budget 2017 on the vulnerable people of this province.

M. Karagianis: I’m very proud to stand in this House and give what will be my final speech here in the B.C. Legislature, speaking to the recently tabled budget. I would ask the Speaker if she will indulge me a moment in my remarks to make some thank-yous to the people in my life, before I discuss the budget in more depth.

[R. Lee in the chair.]

It’s a great privilege to have served in this Legislature for a dozen years and, prior to that, for nine years in my community of Esquimalt — and, in fact, in the late 1990s to have worked here in government as an assistant to several cabinet ministers. Of course, those years have had a huge impact on family members, and I would like to first express my thanks to those people who have supported me personally and professionally in my life.

I would like to offer my thanks to my family, who have, over the last 21 years, often taken a sideline seat to the demands of public life. So to my son, Nigel, and his wife, Robyn Gamracy, and to my two beautiful granddaughters, Maxine and Alexandra, I express my deep thanks for your support over all these years. My granddaughters, many of my grandchildren, have been born in the time that I’ve been in this Legislature.

To my daughter Devyn and her husband, Kurt Flesher, and their two children, Indiana and Book, I express my great thanks. They don’t live close to me, and I have not had the opportunity as often as I’d like to go to Prince George to visit them because of the demands of my job, but occasionally it has taken me up there, and that’s been a great and wonderful reward.

To my daughter Aubrey Karagianis-Henneberry and her son, Caladin, who are currently living with me, I express my great thanks. Caladin is my youngest grandchild, at the age of four. It’s a great thrill to be so closely involved in his upbringing, and I’m looking forward to dedicating a lot more time to my young grandchildren.

[1120]

To my stepdaughter, Rebecca, her husband, Rob Fahey, and their three children, who are almost grown now — Hunter, Payton and River — I offer my sincere thanks, as well, for their ongoing support. They’ve forgiven me for the times I have not been able to be involved in those children’s lives as closely as I’d like to.

I’d like to offer a special thank-you to my husband, Todd Gray-Owen. Many of us will know in this House that our spouses and partners are pretty critical to our lives and often take the very furthest back seat in our lives in public life. Todd has done everything from walk the dogs to clean the house — and he does it very well — to doing the laundry, to putting up lawn signs and building wooden signs during campaigns and generally being the fetch-and-carry man for me, for my campaigns and for all of my family members.
[ Page 13910 ]

He has often gone to the rescue to fix plugged sinks — and all of the other things that happen with my family, where I’ve not been able to take that role. So a very special thanks to Todd Gray-Owen for his support.

I’d like to offer a very special thanks as well to my incredible staff, all of whom are really close friends of mine, personal friends, long-standing friends. My friends Lawrence Herzog and Jaime Apolonio, who are currently in New Zealand. Lawrence has been with me since my days in municipal government, and I’m not sure how I would have ever been able to do this job without Lawrence by my side and the support of Jaime as well.

To the totally amazing Jayne Ducker, who is my constituency assistant and one of my very best friends, to her husband, Jared, who is my legislative assistant, and to their boy Logan, whom I take a little bit of responsibility for.

In fact, Jayne, who came to work on the campaign with me as an observer fresh out of university and has been with me since the beginning of my MLA adventures, met Jared on one of our campaigns and became involved. They then had their baby. So I feel directly responsible for the success of their family and its intrinsic attachment to me in my political life.

To my constituency assistant Andrew Barrett, who holds a very special place in my heart. Members of the Legislature will recognize his last name. I’ll talk a little bit more about his family in a moment.

A special thank-you to all those people who worked tirelessly on many campaigns. In 21 years, you have a lot of campaign volunteers. You knock on a lot of doors. You put up a lot of signs. You have people running offices. You have people on the phone. That has varied over time. I had a group of high school students I worked with at one point who have grown up, have gone on to be married and had children who have worked on my campaigns.

To all of those, and there are literally hundreds of those. For me to starting naming anyone and leaving them out, I think, would be an injustice. Let me just say to all those people: thank you so very much for your support. Some of those people have been with me for 20 years on the campaign trail.

I’d like to offer special thanks to those who helped pave the way for me and who have been ongoing mentors and who have been friends and supporters. Special thanks to Moe Sihota, who approached me to get involved in politics and has supported me since my first run at municipal politics.

To Ray Rice, who I ran with in the municipal government. He became the mayor. I became a municipal councillor. We have stayed close friends. I’m pretty sure Ray is probably watching right now, because he’s pretty attached to watching what goes on in this place and has been an unwavering support — he and his wife, Sherry. To the late Ian Reid, who ran with me in the first municipal campaign. My love to his family and to the memory and to the great work that Ian did in supporting me and teaching me how to get involved in politics.

As I said, I’d mentioned Andrew Barrett. To Dave and Shirley Barrett and the entire Barrett family that have been my great privilege to have worked with. Dave Barrett, in my early days in municipal government and then as an MLA, would sit down with me and share ideas and his energy and his memories. To him, to Andrew and his family, his father, his entire family, I express my great thanks.

To Frank and Kay Mitchell, Frank being, of course, the sort of godfather of the Esquimalt constituency and all its various iterations over the years as it has grown. It originally stretched from Esquimalt to Port Renfrew, I think, when Frank was the MLA.

[1125]

To Frank’s daughter, Maureen, and her husband, Cris Starkey, who are friends of mine — deep, close friends — and their family, their children. They have been tremendous supporters and great friends since I first became involved in politics. To Maureen and Cris, a special thank-you.

I guess, next, I’d like to thank the voters of the various communities. I have four municipalities. At various times, it has been Vic West, Esquimalt, View Royal, Colwood, Metchosin, and some combination of those, a little slice of Langford. Over the years, for those people who supported me in Esquimalt for all of the years I was a municipal councillor and returned me to office three times, and to everyone in my community that has supported me for the dozen years I’ve served as an MLA.

I would also like to offer very sincere thanks, especially, to all of my colleagues that I work with — but a very special thank-you to my friend, my mentor, the member for Victoria–Beacon Hill. We have been very close all these years. I’m not sure how we will go on, on May 10. I’m not sure how. Our usual rhythms of hanging out together…. We have a very similar style of working in our communities.

Interjection.

M. Karagianis: I’ll have to come back.

The member for Juan de Fuca, who is currently the Leader of the Opposition. Coincidently, both of those members, Juan de Fuca and Beacon Hill, have been at the borders of my constituency through its various iterations. The member for Juan de Fuca has also been a great personal friend, a mentor before he became the leader of this. I thank them very much for their generosity over all the years — their trust, their support.

A great thank-you to the B.C. NDP women’s caucus and all the members in that. We have met from day one as a group and have hung together — my sisters. I think that we have done good work here together in bringing more women’s issues forward and bringing the voice into
[ Page 13911 ]
this Legislature. I want to thank them also for the laughter, the camaraderie.

Thank you to all of the fabulous staff that I have worked with — caucus staff, research staff, communications staff, all of the people that work in this Legislature, some of whom I know personally, because they live in my constituency, and I get to see them when I’m buying groceries and things. Thanks to all of them.

This wonderful building, this amazing place to work, this amazing privilege to be here and be only a handful of women that have served in this Legislature, but to be among a small number of people who’ve served as MLAs — what an enormous privilege this has been.

The years that I have served in the public here, my years when I was in government and learning how government really works behind the scenes, which is very far removed from what happens in this legislative chamber, have been just tremendous. To walk into this building every day and say: “I work here.” To point this out to my grandchildren, and say: “I work in that beautiful building.” It has truly been an honour.

I have had some terrific critic portfolios in opposition — Small Business, Transportation. I think of my clashes in this House with Kevin Falcon. We clashed for several years, endlessly. My time as the Children and Families critic — those years were challenging and hard, as the previous speaker has outlined from her perspective.

Standing up for women has been enormously satisfying. Being elected numerous times by my colleagues as my caucus Whip has been an adventure, but it’s also been very gratifying to work with my colleagues in that way.

I hope that my time here in this Legislature has been effective, constructive, engaged, thoughtful, mindful, inclusive. I know that I have often been perceived as being tough, and I’m not ashamed of that. I hope that I’m seen to be a mentor for women and a role model for my children, my grandchildren, those young people in the community whom I’ve had the great privilege to have met with and talked with.

I leave this place knowing that we have not achieved the kind of diversity that I would wish for the B.C. Legislature. We have a long way to go.

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Until this place truly represents the faces, the genders, the diversity, the ethnicity of this community, until people everywhere in British Columbia can see themselves in this House, hear their voices echoed in this House, we will not have reached the democratic pinnacle that we need to.

That is a regret that I have, that I could not be more constructive and productive in that, although we have come a long way, I think, in the time I’ve been here.

I have a great disappointment, in the time that I served here, that too rarely do we discuss good public policy within this chamber. We rarely debate good public policy. We generally only get a government political agenda or view of what we do here. The input that comes into the chamber here — through all of our MLAs that work in communities, through our Finance Committee, through opposition bills, through calls for action from stakeholders around the province and often from very highly esteemed organizations — is ignored, for the most part, or given mere lip service.

It saddens me, when I think about the current budget, that once again we have failed to address what’s happening in real communities across this province. We are all aware, whether we want to admit it or not, of the terrible neglect that many communities have faced, of the challenges that seniors face in their homes.

In my constituency, I have a particular community that’s right across the street that is made up of manufactured homes and has a primarily senior population, mostly women, all of them living in poverty, all of them struggling to get by day to day. They were struggling when I came into office 12 years ago, and they’re struggling more today.

Public education. We discuss that all the time. As my friend from Juan de Fuca likes to say, it is the great baseline for all improvements we could have in society — for poverty, for economic security, for a healthy society. Education, public education, is the baseline.

Yet you only have to go into a school, any of the schools my grandchildren go to, to know how schools struggle without enough resources. We are not investing wisely in the very best resource we should be. We spend so much time talking about liquefied natural gas and mining. All of those things are important, but if we don’t fundamentally invest in education, then we are serving our communities very poorly.

There’s a long list of things that I could talk about on this budget and what it has not addressed. It seems to me that this budget is a very cynical budget. We’ve seen a decade and a half of a government in power and what they have produced: everything struggling and underfunded, even our resource industries — education, health care, social services, women’s services, our forests, our water.

Again, in the most cynical of moves, we see a rush months — days — before an election campaign, to try and throw money and fund and fix all of those things. But the cumulative effect of what is happening in our province and in our schools, in our seniors’ lives, in the lives of working people…. When did two incomes into a family become working poor? Well, in the last decade and a half, that is what has happened. You can have two people working in a household, bringing in an income, and still be struggling to make it from payday to payday.

We have classrooms without resources. We have seniors waiting for so long for basic medical care that their entire health deteriorates. Now we have seniors that could have had hip or knee replacement or other things done early on and gone on to have lived very healthy,
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vigorous lives, but they wait so long that the rest of their health is compromised. And in British Columbia, we think that that’s acceptable.

[1135]

We have hundreds of thousands of people with no doctor. I am a person with no doctor. I have not had a doctor for many years. My daughter doesn’t have a doctor. Several of my grandchildren don’t have doctors. That is wrong. That is wrong in an affluent society, in an educated society, in a privileged society that we have in British Columbia. That is just wrong. All of the things I’m listing are wrong in the 21st century in a rich community.

I heard the Minister for Housing comparing us to Nicaragua. Is that where we’re at in British Columbia? We’re better than Nicaragua, and therefore, we have achieved what we want?

It seems to me that when a government that we’ve had in power for a decade and a half becomes so concerned with power, with hanging onto power — with the partisan politics that have overshadowed good public policy, of making British Columbia a sustainable, a happy, a thriving place for every single person in the province, rather than just the rich, the well connected — then we have lost our way. This government has lost their way. I hope and expect that voters will not be as trusting, as naive, that they will not be fooled again into accepting at face value slogans and empty promises of a prosperous future.

What we are seeing happening south of the border…. If it doesn’t shock and frighten everybody in this Legislature, then there is something really wrong with our thinking. We are seeing democracy being shredded every single day and human rights shredded every single day.

If we allow ourselves to erode our democratic rights, our human rights; if we take even one tiny, tiny piece of the ethic that we saw south of the border, where you can go out and blatantly deceive the public and say anything that comes into your mind, whether it’s real or true, has depth, has money, has any purpose; then we as a society will begin to go down that sinkhole as well. That concerns me greatly.

If we diminish the importance of democracy, of honesty, of truth, of fairness, then we will all lose our freedoms. It doesn’t matter how long we sit in here. We will allow our freedoms to disappear if we accept that we can fool and deceive and run government for the purposes of the wealthy or the corporate mind.

The treatment of immigrants, of women’s rights, of gay rights in the United States saddens me so deeply, because I fear that all of those things…. That happened with the stroke of a pen because too many people were fooled or not watching. Sadly, I think in the U.S., the erosion of their public education system has led to a poorly educated public.

I think we here in British Columbia need to be very vigilant. I think we need to fight every day against corruption and deception and not allow ourselves to be hoodwinked or to be led into a dark place.

It is a critical time in British Columbia. We have an election coming in just a few days and a government who’s been in power for 16 years. We know that more and more, the wealthy and well-connected have their voices heard. The wealthy and well-connected have their government in place and have had them for 16 years. For 16 years, they’ve had that.

This is a time in history where the people of B.C. could put in place a government that works for people again; a government that is concerned about ensuring that everyone has prosperity; that education is the baseline, public education is the baseline for every child in British Columbia; where a government would be devoted to the people again, rather than to corporate interests or he who has the most money; a government that would build a better British Columbia, where everybody could prosper, everybody would have a chance; a government that would make life more affordable for individuals rather than less.

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When I see the people come through the doors in my constituency office and the change that I have seen over a dozen years, you can tell exactly what the impact has been. Initially, the people who would come into my office for help were really marginalized people. Now, a dozen years later, the people who come through my office door, and those of my colleagues, are working British Columbians who are shocked to find out that they are struggling or that they cannot get the services for their children that they want or that they cannot make ends meet despite having what they felt were sustainable jobs and lifestyles, sustainable pensions.

Every time the hydro rates get jacked up, there’s a flood of people through the door, worrying about how they are going to buy medication and keep the lights on and pay the rent. It’s alarming — the number of people that come in with those concerns.

Lots of people, who apologize when they come through the door, are saying: “I never expected that I would have to come and seek help. I was always the person who went out and helped in my community. I volunteered or I donated, and now I am no longer able to do that. Now I am seeking help.” People feel humiliated by that and fearful about what it means for the future — for them and their children. So it’s time that we change that.

We need a government, again, that will fix the services that people care about, that they have lost. Anyone trying to seek services knows how incredibly frustrating it is. Anyone trying to find child care knows how incredibly frustrating it is. The number of people who don’t go back to work because they can’t find that. The number of people who can’t get therapies for their children for years.

You don’t have to spend much time…. I’ve sat on several committees. The Children and Youth Committee.
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Over the years that I’ve sat on it, we have talked repeatedly about early intervention — early intervention for childhood conditions like autism, early intervention for mental health services. Yet do we have early intervention? No, we don’t.

We have people struggling all the time. We used to have services. Families will tell you that we used to have services, but we’ve lost those over the past 16 years. That was wilful and a very specific and determined decision that the B.C. Liberal government made when they came into power. We deserve better than that. The voters of British Columbia need to make that decision with that in mind in a few weeks.

We need a government that will build an economy with good jobs and better wages. The fact that we have a working poor, that we have working poverty, that we have people living on minimum wage who simply cannot pay the rent and eat…. The number of people…. Go stand at the Mustard Seed any day of the week and talk to the people who come in there. They’ve got full-time jobs. They often have shelter over their head, but they cannot afford to buy groceries and keep paying the rent.

That is staggering in the 21st century, in a rich and prosperous society, in a privileged society that we enjoy here in Canada and in British Columbia. There is something terribly wrong with this picture. I know the government frequently argues against this.

We need good jobs in every community. We need better wages that people can actually live on. We need a government that shows more determination in caring for the planet that we live on.

The recent weather patterns here in Victoria — as annoying as it has been to have snow at the end of February — are about climate change. I thought that the debate on climate change had been solved a long, long time ago, but we see it’s now been negated in the U.S. We get the simplest of lip service here in British Columbia.

There will be some things that you simply cannot repair. I spoke the other day about bees, and I’m going to be, pretty much, a passionate advocate for bees and bee habitat in the coming days. You’re all going to be sick and tired of hearing it, but I’m going to continue to do it because I think it’s important.

[1145]

As the bees go, so do we. They are a tiny, little creature that is the true canary in the coal mine of our planet. They are being decimated because of herbicides, pesticides. Why can’t we make reasonable decisions about that and ban them? All the things we know…. Climate change and loss of habitat — those things are critical to the bees. The bees are critical to the food we eat. Yet we take no steps to change that. It’s sad. It is a sad thing to think that as an evolved society, a long way out of the cave, we are so indifferent to protecting the environment around us.

Before I finish my comments, I’d like to say that the things that brought me to this House are the same today as they were 12 years ago. I think I and my colleagues have done some good work. We’ve chipped away at some things. But the reality is that the problems are getting bigger and more overwhelming every day for families, for children, for my grandchildren, for the grandchildren of everybody in here. We take so few steps to change our way of thinking that it makes me, when I’m not feeling fighting mad about it, despair a little for us in British Columbia. But the things that brought me in here are still the same all these years later — the things that got me involved in politics initially, 21 years ago. I feel just as strongly, maybe more strongly now, about those things, more committed.

I would like to wish everyone in this House all the best in the coming election. To those other retirees here in the House, I wish you a happy and healthy retirement. I hope your lives are as filled with purpose as I hope mine will be, as I take on bees and other things in the coming days. Coming here is a great honour. It’s something that I feel very thankful for every day.

I appreciate the time that you’ve given me to say what I wanted without holding me too close to budget remarks, hon. Speaker. Thank you very much.

J. Tegart: Thank you to the member opposite for her comments. I wish her well in her retirement. I know the bees will be better for it.

It’s a great honour and with great pride that I rise today in our Legislative Assembly to support yet another balanced budget. I’d like to start by thanking my constituents for their tremendous support over the last four years. I like to think that my way of returning the favour is helping our government to deliver another balanced budget for them.

Our Liberal government has taken a responsible approach to managing our fiscal situation. What we saw last week was our government delivering a budget that gives back to British Columbians. That is the result of years of proper fiscal management. It is also the result of an extremely productive economy and of hard-working British Columbians, like my constituents of Fraser-Nicola.

I’d like to thank all the women and men across this province who go out to work every day and contribute to their communities and their families. It’s because of your efforts, day in and day out, that B.C. has the strongest economy in the country. It is each of you who make this province a better place, and it is because of your hard work and our strong economy that we have a budget surplus.

The key difference between our government and the opposition is that we believe a surplus should be returned to the great people who helped create it. Today we have arrived at a place where people from all over the country — in fact, all over the world — are moving here because of the strength of our economy.

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That’s not from luck. That’s because we had a plan for British Columbia’s economy, and we’ve stuck to that plan.

We are proud of the results. If I may, I’d like to summarize some of the highlights of our balanced budget 2017. That’s because I know that the great people of this province want to hear about all the ways that we are going to be reducing taxes and allowing them to keep more of their hard-earned money where it belongs — in their pockets.

Budget 2017 is cutting costs for middle-class families across this province while investing in priority programs and services and promoting a competitive, job-creating economy. This includes funding new investments for classrooms, mental health services and other supports for families, children and those most in need. We’re also investing a record $13.7 billion over three years in new and upgraded taxpayer-supported infrastructure to support services and jobs.

We’re also proud to be leaving nearly $1 billion more in the pockets of B.C. families by cutting Medical Service Plan premiums in half and starting to eliminate them. Beginning January 1, 2018, MSP premiums will be reduced by 50 percent for households with an annual net income of up to $120,000. Following this change, more than two million British Columbians will pay no premiums and a further two million will see a 50 percent reduction in their premiums, cutting premiums near to levels set in 1993.

Our balanced budget is the keystone of our economic plan, providing new investments in programs and services while ensuring taxpayers get to keep more of their hard-earned money. It demonstrates our commitment to living within our means and to securing an affordable future for future generations of British Columbians. Our discipline in spending and our careful allocation of priorities have put B.C. in an enviable position. We’ve built a sizeable surplus and are in the position to return that surplus to British Columbians. That is something that we value.

We’re not the only ones who think it’s important. The B.C. Chamber of Commerce had this to say: “This targeted tax relief will put hard-earned dollars back into the pockets of business owners, both big and small, so that we can make bolder investments and hire more British Columbians.”

In a time when other provinces are facing incredible budgetary pressures due to an overwhelming debt, crushing program deficits and decreased revenue, B.C. is a shining light and the economic leader of Canada. Our 2017 budget contains $50.2 billion in total spending and a surplus of $295 million. We will continue to have surpluses for the next three years.

We have committed almost $3 billion over three years in additional spending on programs and services. We will also spend $3.1 billion over three years in competitiveness and affordability, ensuring that British Columbians benefit from our strong economy and can afford to live here. We are supporting more than 30,000 jobs, with a record level of infrastructure investments, with more than $6.5 billion worth of work going on in communities across British Columbia.

Balancing the budget is of the highest importance, because it lowers costs for debt payment and on interest payments, freeing up funds for spending where it’s needed most. By the end of 2019, the direct operating debt, forecast at $1.1 billion, will be 90 percent lower than in 2013. This will reduce operating debt to its lowest point since 1982-83. In fact, we are on course to fully eliminate operating debt by 2020 — the first time in 45 years.

[Madame Speaker in the chair.]

The province’s taxpayer-supported debt-to-GDP ratio is forecast to decline to 16 percent in 2019-20, down from 17.9 percent in 2013.

We are the only province with a triple-A credit rating, meaning that we have lower borrowing costs. Without our triple-A credit rating — if, instead, we had the credit rating of the other provinces — we would be paying an additional $2.23 billion in annual debt-servicing costs.

Noting the hour, I reserve my place to continue speaking to the budget and I move adjournment of debate.

J. Tegart moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

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 11:55 a.m.

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