Orders of the Day

Hon. T. Stone: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I call continued debate on the throne speech.

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

On the amendment (continued).

Hon. D. Barnett: I will continue on my journey from yesterday. The cattle industry is an important one for the Cariboo-Chilcotin. It’s a proud part of our heritage, and we are a key supplier of first-class beef to markets across Canada and around the world. That is why I was very happy to be able to support the development of the applied sustainable ranching program at Thompson Rivers University in Williams Lake, the only program of this kind in British Columbia.

[R. Chouhan in the chair.]

This program is unique. It provides students with hands-on experience in sustainable cattle ranching, which will help the next generation to keep the industry growing strong and environmentally friendly. In partnership with the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, the province has invested $14 million since 2010 to construct nearly 900 kilometres of fencing to help farmers and ranchers keep their livestock.

I’m also glad that we acknowledged the importance of agriculture in the throne speech. Of course, food security also matters in British Columbia. It is an issue that is important in every community across the province. As we continue to grow, we need to protect and preserve agricultural land. That’s why we will double the Grow Local program and make it permanent, putting B.C. products in stores and on tables, bringing an additional 91,000 hectares of good agricultural land into production by 2020, building on our food security and growing the industry.

[10:05 a.m.]

We’ll activate an all-party select standing committee to study how B.C.’s agricultural land can be used and stewarded, and we will ensure that all high-quality farmland lost as a result of the Site C project is replaced with comparable land in other parts of the province.

Mining is one of the key industries in our province and in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. It supports many families and creates good jobs. That is why we are committed to bringing eight new mines on line by 2020, creating new prosperity all across the province. We are also going to invest $18 million to improve B.C.’s world-leading mine permitting, oversight, compliance and enforcement, so that we can ensure our mining industry does not have any tragic incidents that may harm our environment.

Our forest industry has been the backbone of the Cariboo-Chilcotin for years. It is diverse in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, and it is the home of the famous Timber Kings.

The LNG industry is another emerging source of clean energy for our province. We have a generational opportunity to lift families out of poverty and strengthen their ability to shape their communities and our province’s future, as well as help communities that have been hurt by the collapse of global oil prices. We can do this by helping the world transition away from dirtier forms of fuel, like the coal plants that continue to be built in China and India. LNG has always included First Nations through a bottom-up, from the ground floor, process of consultation.

British Columbians have the rare and unique opportunity to electrify the economy by using B.C.’s vast clean energy sources. We need to build on the work of generations before us who had the vision to create hydroelectric dams, enabling the clean, renewable power we use today.

The Site C energy project is another generational opportunity to further electrify the economy and power the future. On time and on budget, we know the Site C project is a generational opportunity that will create 10,000 jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make sure our economy and our homes are powered by clean, renewable and affordable energy.

We will stand up for B.C. workers and protect their jobs from being sacrificed to suit the political agenda of the opposition members.

On average, this side of the House works with all sectors, ensuring that the environment is taken into consideration, ensuring our First Nations are included in our consultation.

We have laid out a clear vision for stability. I will be voting against the amendment, as I support the throne speech.

Hon. S. Cadieux: I am pleased to take my place to speak against the amendment.

Everyone who runs for public office knows the important support of family, and I’m ever-grateful to my husband, Daniel, for supporting me and my extended family during the long absences.

As many of us also note when we rise in this House, we can’t do our jobs here if we don’t have people in our offices back home assisting us. I would certainly like to thank Annie Christiaens and Sharon Crowson for their ongoing support and excellent work.

I’d also like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who offered help and encouragement and supported me during the last campaign. My campaign team was second to none, and I owe them much gratitude.

I am humbled once again by the opportunity given to me by my constituents of South Surrey to serve as their representative, and I’ll endeavour to see that they are well represented in this House.

It’s an honour to have been selected for a third time, in a third constituency, and I’m humbled to have served since 2009. I’ve loved the opportunity to shape government policy, to help people access information and government services and to bring the views of my constituents forward in this House and in discussions of caucus and cabinet.

[10:10 a.m.]

I’ve been given an opportunity to get to know the community I call home on the deepest level, and in doing so, meet hundreds of people who are making enormous contributions to our province and our world.

I expected that the spotlight of service would come with opposition — for people to dislike and disagree with the positions that I would take or decisions that I would be asked to make. But I did come to politics to bring a thoughtful, pragmatic and cooperative approach. It’s how I have worked for years with people with differing views. I have always believed that debate and discussion bring better results.

Admittedly, I have never liked the highly partisan attacks waged by anyone. It’s not that the attacks on different policy or positions aren’t fair. They are, absolutely. But the ones lodged at individuals personally are not. I’m often surprised that so many are comfortable stating what they believe my values to be — that, in fact, because I am a fiscal conservative, I can’t possibly care about social programs or people. To those people, I say: “Are you serious?”

I’m a Canadian. I hold Canadian values. In the lead-up to a celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, we are bombarded by expressions of Canadian values: equality, inclusion, compassion, multiculturalism, global citizenship, safety, and so much more. But as a fiscal conservative, I do also believe in not spending more than we have and that we have responsibilities as citizens, not just rights, and part of that responsibility is to participate and to contribute to our communities and to reach out a hand to others when they need it. So when the opposition continues to profess that we on this side of the House can’t possibly care about people or make investments in people, I am offended, because they are wrong.

That’s why I’m opposed to this amendment. It’s why I’m proud to support a speech from the throne that shocked so many on all sides of the political spectrum. It’s a speech that reflects that my leader, our Premier, our first re-elected female Premier, acknowledges what the voters have said. They said: “Hey, it’s great that through fiscal discipline and a focus on the economy, we’ve had success.” But they also said we didn’t get it all right and that we needed to listen, embrace some new ideas and invest some more in areas of concern. That is exactly what was presented in the throne speech.

I am proud to be one of nine representatives from Surrey. Congratulations to all of them on their election, especially the five newly elected members. As you will have heard before, Surrey is one of the fastest-growing jurisdictions in North America. So many people from far and wide are calling Surrey their home. It’s these new residents that are excited about the vibrant, diverse community we share in Surrey. They are seeing the opportunities that are available in Surrey and in British Columbia and are choosing to make this their home.

There are a few people and a few organizations I’d like to recognize, which are a part of my constituency, that illustrate this vibrancy. Also, I will come back and circle back to explain why I’m not in support of the amendment.

Just last week the NHL had its draft, and Michael Rasmussen, who has been my neighbour for many, many years, was drafted ninth to the Detroit Red Wings. I want to congratulate Michael. Michael has devoted his entire young life to hockey. I can remember many a night wondering what that thumping sound was, only to finally discover it was Michael hitting pucks into the wall of his garage, a wall that his father had to replace many a time. He was dedicated, he was committed, and he has reached his dream. Congratulations, Michael.

Brenden, another young man, had benefited from Easter Seals camp. He believes that every child with a disability should have that opportunity. On June 17, Brenden’s Ride had over 100 motorcycle riders ride from Cloverdale to the Easter Seals camp in Squamish to raise over $34,000 to send kids with a disability to camp this summer. Brenden, it’s not the first of those rides, but we hope you keep them up.

[10:15 a.m.]

In March, I unfortunately had to miss a presentation of a Medal of Good Citizenship to two of my constituents: Wayne McGill and Chad Farquharson. These two are the parents of Grayson. They adopted Grayson. He has significant health challenges with a rare disease. They have become passionate advocates, not just for their son but for all who share that disease and for all families who spend, as they do, many, many days a year, many months a year, at Children’s Hospital. They are active volunteers. They are selfless. Although they had already so much on their plates, Wayne has now become the president of the Sunnyside Elementary School PAC.

This year the Surrey Women in Business Awards were held, and two women from my constituency were awarded recognition. Sonia Virk, co-founder of Virk Viyas and Associate Lawyers in Surrey, won. Sonia has two law degrees — one from India, one from Canada. She was the first woman to hold the seat of president for the Indo-Canadian Business Association. She’s also a director of G&F Financial and a member of the board of the College of Dietitians. She gives back to the community she lives in and has chosen to make home in so many ways.

Louise Tremblay was awarded the Not-for-Profit Leader Award this year for her work with Semiahmoo Foundation and Semiahmoo House. She’s an advocate for people with disabilities and other vulnerable adults. She’s a tremendous human being, and we’re so lucky to have her, along with the foundation she works for and the organizations she works for in our community.

The Surrey Children’s Foundation has helped vulnerable children to heal for many, many years. They have now, just recently, moved into the new innovation boulevard in Surrey. That organization, in partnership with my ministry, has programs that focus on early childhood development, neurodevelopment, trauma and attachment. It’s tremendous work, and we’re so fortunate to have them in our community.

Charles Wang and Spencer Zezulka each claimed one of four Youth Can Innovate Awards this year. They’re both grade 11 students. They won $8,000 prizes to recognize their ingenuity, originality, development and potential of social and economic benefits. They won science fair bronze medals for Big Bertha. It’s a prototype for solar-powered production of biofuel, which they believe could be integral to the future of travel to Mars. I don’t fully understand the science that these young people are doing, but I know they are bright, and their future is bright here in British Columbia.

On June 4, I attended the 307 Mariner RSCC annual ceremonial review and had the privilege to fulfil the role of their reviewing officer. It was clear that the young cadets embody many of the key principles of citizenship, leadership and community. During the review, the marching band also performed. They had placed sixth in C division at the Lower Mainland Marching Band Competition this year, and they had only been together for just three months. What a tremendous honour.

That review was held at the local Semiahmoo Fish and Game Club. They are celebrating their 60th anniversary this year. They came together 60 years ago, concerned about Little Campbell River and the fish stocks. Now, at 730 members on their anniversary, they dedicated the club’s hall as the Archie McNair education centre to recognize one of their long-standing members.

Now, I mention all of these people and these organizations because they illustrate the type of people and the type of community that we have in Surrey. I’m speaking against the amendment because I believe the throne speech presents a vision for our future that ensures the economy and job creation remain strong and that there’s support through social programs and environmental protections. All of those groups and individuals that I mentioned help make the community great. We all share an investment in our future.

The young people, with so much promise, will undoubtedly expect us to invest wisely, to make smart decisions to help them succeed so that when it’s their time to lead, we’ve left them with a province they’re proud of. Strong, proven leadership is necessary now more than ever if we’re to achieve stability and shepherd all of these investments into being in a responsible and balanced way. Strong leadership is needed because governing is not easy. The work of governing, the work of building an economy…. Certainly, we saw yesterday that we are the envy of not only Canada but most of the developed world with our growth rate.

[10:20 a.m.]

The work of improving the supports in our social safety net in health care, education and other social ministries is not a simple task. It’s hard. It’s complicated, and it involves trade-offs.

It’s about negotiations. It’s about planning, consulting, executing, rejigging, altering, meeting, debating and amending. It’s about balancing and rebalancing, and acting and reacting — a fact that the opposition and independent members of this House don’t seem to understand as they mock what has been presented in the throne speech, because it’s exactly that.

It is exactly that appreciation that sometimes you need to rejig, and you need to rethink, and you need to react. British Columbians spoke clearly, and we listened. The changes, reforms and investments in the throne speech reflect this.

A strong leader needs to exhibit courage, tenacity and patience — having the courage to stand, the tenacity not to succumb and the patience to keep fighting because you know what you’re doing is the right thing.

The throne speech isn’t about delaying time in government. It’s about doing the right thing. It’s about having the courage to make the changes people asked us to. The citizens of British Columbia spoke, and we listened. We heard loud and clear that people wanted us to reform the political donation system, so we tried to move forward with that reform. We tried to introduce comprehensive reforms that would get big money and external influence out of B.C. politics.

We listened to the families and employers that told us that government needed to provide better supports for early childhood education and child care. That access to child care is an important part of finding that balance for families.

That’s why we’re investing $1 billion over the next four years in child care, guided by three core principles: the highest quality care by expanding our bursary program, which has already trained 1,000 early childhood educators, to train 4,000 more; by reducing wait-lists and creating more spaces — 60,000 on top of the 4,100 we’ve created in the last couple of years through our capital program and the 111,000 that are already in place; and making child care more affordable by ensuring that families with incomes up to $100,000 have access to a subsidy.

The government believes that every child should have the opportunity to reach their full potential no matter what their life circumstances are and where they come from. As a society and as a government, we must do everything we can to help children along as they grow and develop. That starts with helping their parents.

The very successful single-parent employment initiative that I championed is being expanded to include low-income families in transition — LIFT — to help families who are underemployed make that next step to better support their families. LIFT is going to build on the success of that single-parent employment project where over 5,000 single parents have already signed up to move forward with their careers and over 1,000 are already working. That’s innovation, that’s success, and that’s a government that invests in people.

As the Minister of Children and Family Development, I support the throne speech also, because it contains significant supports for a group that I have advocated for passionately in my 4½ years as the minister.

Now, no other province in Canada today matches the level of support that we provide to young people leaving care today, but we know it’s not perfect. Those youth who are transitioning out of care deserve better. They deserve more support, and that’s why we’ll introduce a basic income support for youth aged 18 to 24 and free tuition for kids in care, because we want them to have a successful future.

By together working in this House, we can support an agenda that will make a huge impact on the lives of the most vulnerable, especially at-risk youth and families.

As the MLA for Surrey South, I support the throne speech because there are initiatives in it that will be beneficial for my community, that support Surrey’s growth and help our community with the pressures we’re facing as a rapidly expanding community.

Our government understands that a growing population means that we have to enable the movement of goods and people efficiently, and that’s why we’ll be working with the mayors of Metro Vancouver to ensure that they have the tools they’ve asked for. We will match the federal funding immediately to move ahead with expansions in Surrey and conduct feasibility studies on new projects, including expansions into South Surrey where it’s also needed.

We will ensure that people south of the Fraser are treated equally and move as quickly as possible to eliminate tolls on the Port Mann Bridge and work with TransLink to accelerate the timetable for the replacement of the Pattullo Bridge. And we need a tunnel replacement, so we’ll work with municipalities to make sure that that happens.

In the area of mental health and addictions, we’ll have a minister of state whose sole focus will be mental health, addiction and recovery and help us to respond to the immense challenges in this area.

[10:25 a.m.]

We’ll fast-track a centre for mental health and addictions in Surrey so families can have access to care when and where they need it most.

We know one of the largest investments people will make in their lifetime is their home, but one of the biggest struggles is coming up with that first down payment. That is why we introduced the HOME partnership program to provide first-time homebuyers with a long-term down payment–assistance loan that’s interest- and payment-free for the first five years.

We’ll build 5,000 units of new housing that can become 5,000 new homes for British Columbians over ten years, through a new rent-to-own program — a program available to middle-class families who will be able to grow equity in their homes through monthly rent payments until they’re in a position to actually own the home themselves.

We’re committed to work with local governments to increase housing stock, particularly family and starter housing for middle-class British Columbians in areas that connect to transit corridors. This only makes sense. And for those who are more vulnerable, we’ve invested $758 million this year in affordable housing.

We believe that by working together, we can ensure that more and more British Columbians have a secure place to call home. That’s why we’re proposing an all-party housing affordability summit for this fall. The summit would address the different sides of the housing issue across British Columbia and bring together all ideas for debate and discussion.

Now, B.C. has always been a leader in barrier-free living and a model for many other jurisdictions to follow. Creating an environment where having a disability does not limit the quality of life one can achieve is a priority for our government. Accessibility 2024 was that commitment between our government, business and community to create a more accessible and inclusive British Columbia.

But in my riding today, there are more than 27 new home developments underway. In precious few, if any, have they considered the needs of 15 percent of the population — those with physical disabilities. Is it intentional? I expect not. It’s overlooked. Is it overlooked or not understood? Most likely. And why? Because many people who will need homes that can accommodate a wheelchair or other device don’t need them yet. That’s our aging society.

There are also families who don’t know that their child may be born with a disability, like the family in Cloverdale that recently was lucky enough to have B.C. Ferries supply a wheelchair lift for their son — good job, B.C. Ferries — so that they could get him up and down the stairs in their home.

The throne speech is going to take action to move forward in this area by increasing accessibility requirements on new construction and in the design of public spaces to improve upon the access that already exists, and to increase the minimum number of suites in a multi-unit residential building designed with basic accessibility features, ensuring these suites are distributed throughout the building and represent the types and sizes of suites otherwise available to all buyers. And government is planning to double the home-renovation tax credit.

All of these measures will help ensure that people can stay in their homes or buy a home in the area where they’d like to live. This is planning for the future and meeting the needs of today.

When we speak of the future, government is committed to ensuring that the next generations of British Columbians benefit from a healthy, livable planet. For that reason, B.C. is a leader globally in the fight against climate change. We have always been at the forefront, and we’re committing to continue to strengthen our efforts while maintaining the principles we’ve always had.

In the throne speech, the Liberal government committed to an ambitious emissions-free target for all new non-commercial vehicles registered in Metro Vancouver by 2035. Many people have already embraced these vehicles — like Frankie, from my riding, who, during the campaign, when I spoke with her, was concerned about the lack of charging stations and the fact that, often, the ones that were there were out of service. I’m sure drivers of electric vehicles will be pleased that the throne speech committed to an additional $50 million over the next five years to fund the expansion of residential and workplace charging infrastructure.

My values: fiscal responsibility, not spending more than I have, compassion, treating others the way I would wish to be treated. Those are not mutually exclusive.

I wholeheartedly support the Speech from the Throne and therefore will vote against the amendment. The Minister of Finance’s fiscal update yesterday proved that B.C.’s strong economy will have the ability to fund our goals and still allocate funds to debt repayment.

[10:30 a.m.]

I’ve been clear in my previous speeches that the strong economy is vital to the work that’s needed to support B.C. families. I truly believe it. I’ve experienced it in my career in the not-for-profit sector and in my volunteer work with many different charities and organizations.

A strong economy allows us to support our most vulnerable citizens and the causes we care about, to keep British Columbians safe, educated and healthy, and to provide the countless other services that assist and support families when they need it most. That is the reality. That’s why I’m in full support of this government’s direction, and I’m opposed to the amendment that would prevent it from happening.

A. Olsen: HÍSW̱ḴE, Mr. Speaker, SI¸ÁM. I rise today to speak for the first time in this place, to speak in support for the amendment, put forward by the Leader of the Official Opposition, that Her Honour’s present government does not have the confidence of this House.

I felt it was important to speak to this amendment to explain why I cannot support this throne speech and why this B.C. Liberal government does not have my confidence. Before I do so, I would like to offer some sincere thanks to my family, my friends and supporters. To everyone who worked so hard for the months and months leading up to the election: thank you. HÍSW̱ḴE.

I’m honoured to acknowledge my wife, Emily, who is here with us this morning, and my incredible kids, Silas and Ella, for supporting my work over the past eight years that I’ve been in governance. I love you, and I’m honoured to walk this journey with you. HÍSW̱ḴE. I would like to recognize my parents, Carl and Sylvia; my elders; my S¸ELELW̱ÁÁN, my ancestors; my grandparents, Laura and Ernie Olsen, and Phyllis and Don Snobelen.

Their guidance, their love, their commitment to their values and their principles, their actions — not just their words — laid a solid foundation on rock, not sand, for me to build on. HÍSW̱ḴE. It is because of you all, because of them, that I have the privilege to sit in this House and represent my home community of W̱SÁNEĆ, of Saanich North and the Islands. HÍSW̱ḴE.

I would like to acknowledge all the chiefs, mayors and councillors, Islands trustees, regional directors and school board trustees in Saanich North and the Islands, for doing their best to govern our communities. I raise my hands to them. Thank you. HÍSW̱ḴE, SI¸ÁM.

I would also like to acknowledge my cousin Len Morris Jr., who represented Canada yesterday in the world outrigger championships in Tahiti. Len is the Canadian champion and finished 14th in the distance race yesterday. Len is a Saanich paddler. We are mariner people — the Saltwater People, they call us — and Len has carried the tradition of his family, the Morris family, proudly, all the way to Tahiti and represented all of us very proudly. HÍSW̱ḴE to him.

Later today you’ll meet my daughter Ella, who’s going to be here visiting the Legislature with her grandma Sylvia. She and her brother Silas, their classmates and their friends are my inspiration.

When I ran to represent Saanich North and the Islands, I ran on a commitment to make decisions based on principles and evidence, not political calculation and opportunism; to put people’s interests first, ahead of the special interests and corporate donors.

In considering my vote, I have these commitments, which I made with my constituents in mind. First and foremost, my responsibility, our responsibility, is to our constituents. My responsibility is to the people of Saanich North and the Islands, who gave me a mandate to sit in this House and advocate for their needs, the needs of their loved ones and the needs of our community.

[10:35 a.m.]

Eight years ago I ran for local government because I believe in community service. I was the first person to step off W̱JOȽEȽP, the Tsartlip reserve, to run in Central Saanich, because I believe we have a responsibility to bring people together, to bring communities together.

We’re stronger together. This House is stronger together, and I believe in our democracy. I believe we have a responsibility to make this House work, not to tear it down until we have the right amount of power we believe we deserve or we feel we are owed.

Ultimately, in considering the throne speech and the amendment tabled by the Leader of the Opposition, the official opposition, I have to ask myself: can I trust this government to act on principle and put the interests of people first and foremost in their decision-making? The Premier keeps talking about working across party lines, but everything that the B.C. Liberal government has done in the past few weeks — and, particularly, in the past few days — has undercut this sentiment.

This entire week has been designed to try to confuse not only the MLAs of this House but the public at large. Let me offer just a few examples.

The Premier delayed bringing the Legislature back for weeks longer than was necessary and has needlessly delayed testing the confidence of this House.

The bills they introduced on official party status and banning big money were intended to try to buy our support. They’ve now said over and over again that our votes against those bills show an unwillingness to work together. But we know that these are nothing but cynical games.

We have been clear from day one that we are willing and eager to work with all sides of the House, both the Liberals and the NDP, to bring forward good public policy. However, we’ve also been clear that the first step for this government is to humbly test the confidence of this House.

Just yesterday the Premier said that she will essentially be advising the Lieutenant-Governor to call an election, despite the fact that most British Columbians do not want this.

Ultimately, my concern is that I do not see that this government is truly acting in good faith working across party lines for the benefit of all British Columbians. I cannot, in good faith, feel that I’m serving the needs of my constituents if I vote to prop up this government that has, for 16 years, put their own self-interest and the interests of their corporate donors ahead of the people’s interests.

One reason that’s close to my heart for why I cannot have the confidence in this government at this time is because of their approach to indigenous people [SENĆOŦEN was spoken] over their past terms as government. They’ve taken a disrespectful and litigious approach to their dealings with indigenous people.

My father is an example of that. My father spent more than a decade defending his rights against a government that wanted to take them away, his treaty rights that have been acknowledged by courts over and over and over again. It was this government that forced him to defend his humanity. Unbelievable.

For months we toiled to have this government protect a Coast Salish grave islet on Saltspring Island. For months, the minister told us he had no mandate to stop the construction of a mansion overtop of gravesites, a sacred place. Finally, only after that place had been buried under concrete, did the minister finally gain access to the resources needed to buy the islet, and for an astronomical amount. The taxpayers of this province paid an astronomical amount for that islet, unnecessarily.

This government has consistently not addressed the principle of free, prior and informed consent. The ministers of this government are still using the outdated language of “consultation and accommodation.” These days when indigenous leaders hear the words “consultation and accommodation,” they wonder if we’re asking what hotel they want to stay in, or if the housing in their communities is sufficient.

This government has not declared any intention to fully adopt the UNDRIP, the UN declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples. They raise concerns about consent, claiming a fictitious veto power granted indigenous people, despite that fact that consent is the very notion that courts have been toiling over for generations and, finally, coming to some resolution in Tsilhqot’in.

[10:40 a.m.]

We have a responsibility to all British Columbians to renew our relationship with indigenous people and begin an honest dialogue about what consent means to them. We must come to terms in a meaningful way with the reality that has always existed here in British Columbia. Ignoring this is wrong, and it will cost all British Columbians and our economy now and in the future. It’s just bad policy. It is for this and many reasons on this file that I cannot support this government, and they do not have my confidence.

As a former municipal councillor, this government’s relationship with local government has been frustrating. Local governments are the closest to the people. They need a provincial government that supports them. Their initiatives are frustrated as soon as they get to this provincial government, often losing momentum or fizzling out entirely. They don’t have access to the resources that they need and have been downloaded extra responsibilities without any way to pay.

The Metro Vancouver mayors have been ignored, and the governance on the Gulf Islands has been ignored. Saltspring Island, a beautiful gem of a community, has been split in half and gutted over an incorporation program that has been less than ideal, to put it mildly, and all this because they and the other islands have had sufficient infrastructure challenges under the watch of this provincial government. Their roads have deteriorated, ferry access has become unaffordable, their economies significantly damaged. It’s clearly time to hit reset on this government.

More important than the election platform that we ran on are the values that those platforms are based on. We’ve been clear that we have a hopeful vision for the future of British Columbia, which has the health and well-being of British Columbians at its centre. I am who I say I am. I asked voters in Saanich North and the Islands to entrust their vote to my care for this term, and I promised them that I would be responsible with the mandate that they have entrusted with me.

I am deeply committed to honouring our responsibility to those who come after us. Thinking through the effects of our actions on the next seven generations and putting the principle of intergenerational equity first and foremost are the values that I was raised with, and they are reflected in the B.C. Greens’ approach to governance.

Considering my values and principles, I do not feel that I have — in fact, I know that I don’t have — any confidence in this government that they are going to work in the best interests of all British Columbians.

I hope that the B.C. Liberals will put much of the gamesmanship of the past week behind them as we move forward, because I believe that we have an incredibly exciting opportunity in front of us. During the election, people told me and my campaign team day in and day out on the doorstep that they wanted change, not just a change in government but a change in how politics works in B.C.

The riding that I represent isn’t some left-wing riding. It’s a riding that’s been held by B.C. Liberals and federal Conservatives for decades. But I heard day in and day out that they wanted change. They wanted change from the current leadership and direction that we had. They wanted change in the way decisions are made in this place. And now we have an opportunity to deliver on that change.

But not only do we have an opportunity, I believe and I stand here today certain that we have a responsibility. Our job…. All 87 of us in this chamber have a job to make this work in the best interests of all British Columbians. Ultimately, we have everything we need in this House to make it work.

For the first time in years, we have agreement from all parties on dozens of major policies that will improve the lives of all British Columbians from north to south, east to west. These policies will enhance the lives of our senior citizens and create a bright future for our children. As my colleague from Cowichan Valley said yesterday, it is time for a compassionate government, humbled by the duty that we have to govern this province for all British Columbians.

[10:45 a.m.]

SI¸ÁM, I will be supporting the Leader of the Official Opposition’s amendment to the throne speech. I look forward to returning to this chamber with a renewed optimism, a renewed sense of hope, a renewed sense of confidence in our government and the future of our great province.

Thank you. HÍSW̱ḴE, SI¸ÁM.

J. Tegart: Thank you very much, to the member opposite, and congratulations on your first address in the House.

I will be speaking against the amendment put forward. Before I begin my remarks, I want to talk a little bit about how I feel it important that we as MLAs stand up in this House and speak to whatever the business of the day brings.

I believe we were all elected because we care. We care for our constituents, our communities and our province. And yes, we also care for our political parties, but I would suggest that that is not the priority that should be in this House. It should be the people who voted for us and put their trust in us who are the priority.

We are elected to bring a voice from our ridings to the House. It helps inform debate, it lets our constituents know why we are voting a certain way, and it can often provide input for change. It makes us accountable.

To choose to not participate in a debate as important as the one on the floor of this House today, to me, is disrespectful in so many ways — to this process and to the people who elected each and every one of us. In the words of a former member of the opposition, I would suggest there’s a little jiggery-pokery happening around here.

It is an honour to respond to the government’s throne speech today on behalf of the constituents of the beautiful riding of the Fraser-Nicola.

Interjections.

J. Tegart: Would you like to stand up and speak?

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: The member has the floor.

Continue, please.

J. Tegart: I would like to first take time to acknowledge some of my hard-working constituents and staff. My constituents are well served by my office staff in Fraser-Nicola, including Lori Pilon, Nicole Tattam and Andrea Graham.

I would also like to acknowledge my family, my four children and nine grandchildren, who support me in everything I do.

I am also supported by a strong team in Fraser-Nicola, who worked so hard to ensure that we have strong representation in this House. It is because of their support that I have the honour of being here today.

It’s an honour to rise in this House today to speak in support of the Speech from the Throne and to indicate that I will not be supporting the amendment. It is a speech — the Speech from the Throne — that is reflective of what we heard during the election and is one that all in this House can support.

It is clear that our constituents have sent us back here to pursue an agenda with a better balance between economic, social and environmental priorities. I believe this throne speech demonstrates that our government has listened to that result with an agenda to gain this House’s confidence and the confidence of the people of British Columbia.

The election result uncovered a growing gap in understanding between rural and urban British Columbia. As elected representatives, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to bridge that gap. Urban and rural communities cannot succeed without one another. This connection between urban and rural is why B.C.’s economy has been so successful, and this election shows why we must increase our efforts to bridge that divide.

[10:50 a.m.]

The majority of economic indicators in B.C. continue to paint a vibrant economy that carries a lot of momentum. The labour market is on fire. Employment growth at 3.6 percent is spectacular — far stronger than in any other province. That is the economy that our government has built. We have built an economy that is leading the nation and setting records. British Columbians are enjoying prosperity and growth unparalleled in this nation.

In Fraser-Nicola, I have two major centres — Merritt and Hope. I serve six villages, over 25 First Nations bands, three regional districts, three school districts and lots of unincorporated communities. Fraser-Nicola is the gateway to the Interior for folks who live in the Fraser Valley.

Highway 3 takes you through beautiful Manning Park, a jewel in our parks system, with camping, hiking, climbing and skiing all within a few hours’ drive from the Metro area. Highway 1, through the Fraser Canyon, is second to none for incredible scenery, stops of interest and history. The Yale museum is a must-see, and the native village at Boston Bar shares culture and First Nations stories with tourists. Highway 5 will take you to the city of Merritt to enjoy ranching, golfing and general de-stressing as you experience a more laid-back approach to life. Highway 99 will take you through Whistler over to Lillooet — great hiking, biking, farming, logging and endless vistas.

All of this is within a few hours of downtown Vancouver. If you want to explore the interior of B.C., I invite you to travel above Hope and get to know the great people of Fraser-Nicola.

Rural communities such as mine are the backbone of British Columbia’s economy, and I’m proud to be part of a government that is taking action to strengthen these small communities. This year our government released the province’s rural economic development strategy. This strategy details the immediate investments and a long-term action plan to build, strengthen and diversify our rural communities. New investments announced in the strategy are expected to support up to 26,600 direct and indirect jobs, with an overall impact of $2.8 billion to provincial GDP. The strategy is a key commitment of the five-year jobs plan update.

Last year our government introduced the rural dividend, designed to help rural communities diversify their economies. Funding is available in four categories — community capacity-building, workforce development, community and economic development, and business sector development. The rural dividend program had a highly successful first year. In total, the program distributed over $24 million in funding in that first year.

Under the rural dividend, our government is providing $60,000 this year to new grants to the communities in Fraser-Nicola region. Community Futures Sun Country in Ashcroft was awarded $10,000 to create a business plan for the short- and long-term management of the McAbee fossil beds heritage site east of Cache Creek. I would suggest to all in this House that this is a project well worth supporting.

The Lillooet Agriculture and Food Society was awarded $10,000 to create an agricultural sector market access and growth strategy to take advantage of the significant agricultural land holdings in Lillooet. The Lillooet and District Chamber of Commerce was awarded $10,000 to develop a business plan to examine the creation of a regional destination tourism organization and a tour bus coordination pilot project. The Lillooet Regional Invasive Species Society was awarded $10,000 to provide workshops and training sessions on natural resource topics, including invasive species, bear safety and archaeology.

[10:55 a.m.]

The Squamish-Lillooet regional district was also awarded $10,000 to form a community economic development committee partnership with the St’át’imc communities. The St’át’imc Eco-Resources Ltd. is getting $10,000 to determine the feasibility of a new power transmission and distribution line company.

Under the leadership of this government, my community and the outstanding organizations and businesses in it will continue to see the benefits of the rural dividend fund. That’s because, with the strong economy and the strongest balance sheet in the country, our government will double the rural dividend, returning more revenue to rural communities responsible for creating so much of our province’s wealth.

Rural education and skills training. Our government invests over $2.2 billion each year in skills training and education for rural communities across B.C. We are investing $15 million over three years in trades training for high schools through the youth trades capital program to create more opportunities for students to discover, train and work in the trades earlier in their school years. In 2017-18, up to $10 million is being invested to the aboriginal skills-training development fund. More than 2,200 members of 45 First Nations have received skills training through 40 training programs.

The throne speech commits to review the funding formula for schools. This is long overdue. We also commit to a royal commission on education. As a former school trustee and a strong advocate for public education, I look forward to discussing with people across this province the opportunities for what schools of the future might look like.

Our government is also investing $40 million to expand the connecting British Columbia program to improve Internet access to remote communities provincewide. As an MLA for a rural riding, I’m always amazed at how many people have difficulty understanding that I am often in areas that have no cell service. Many people in rural B.C. are amazed that we actually have no signals. Perhaps that’s something that we should be proud of, because it’s kind of nice when the phone isn’t always ringing. But we are investing money to provide Internet access, and 200 communities have benefited from improved connectivity for economic growth, health and education.

I want to share a story of a small non-profit in the Fraser Canyon, a group of young people who looked at connectivity in the Fraser Canyon and the fact that no large company would commit to providing that service. They formed a non-profit. They have the skills to do the work, and they are providing connectivity throughout the Fraser Canyon with a small group of ten young people out of Lytton. It is a great employment opportunity, but the innovation and the excitement of those young people to provide this service is just inspiring.

When we talk about connectivity in rural British Columbia, we naturally go to roads. I have to say that I’ve learned more about roads and road conditions than I ever in my life wanted to know. Roads are that connectivity between communities of ten people and communities of hundreds of thousands of people. I have a number of roads in my riding that are a real challenge.

I want to tell you the story of the ten-mile slide. Ten-mile slide is located on Highway 99. It has been moving for about 40 years. It is monitored on a daily basis. In the fall of 2016, it shifted significantly. The road was closed for approximately eight days, cutting off a major route to the community of Lillooet.

[11:00 a.m.]

[G. Kyllo in the chair.]

We were fortunate enough to have the Minister of Transportation come and visit the site. He hiked the mountain. He talked to the First Nations chief of the Xaxli’p, Chief Darrell Bob, talked to local community leaders.

I was so pleased to see that this government committed a $2 million short-term fix on the road to get it open in two lanes but also committed to a $60 million long-term fix. The people of my riding are so, so appreciative of this government and how we have committed to a small, rural British Columbia community to deal with their issue and to commit $60 million to a long-term fix.

Over $270 million is being invested over the next three years in the B.C. side-roads program to support rural road infrastructure. This is critical as my small, rural communities work towards economic development for sustainability. Although, in numbers, not many people live in the communities, jobs, quality of life, internet accessibility, good schools and health care are all basics that are valued no matter where you live or what the numbers are.

Fraser-Nicola also has a lot of forestry, in my riding. Our government believes strongly that supporting rural communities also means making sure that industries they depend on continue to thrive. Forestry is an important part of the Fraser-Nicola riding. It employs 60,000 people in over 140 communities around the province.

As mentioned in the throne speech, B.C.’s forest industry built our province, and now our forest products are building houses and towers around the world. Our government will increase its efforts to promote the use of B.C. wood abroad. We will also fight to defend B.C. workers in the forest industry from U.S. protectionism. In the interim, B.C. will pre-purchase wood for construction of public housing at home.

Just a few days ago, the United States announced anti-dumping duties to be applied to the majority of Canadian softwood lumber shipments entering the United States. Our government is working hard on behalf of forest-dependent families and communities to ensure that this industry can thrive. This has been a challenging file, and despite numerous discussions during 2016 between Canada and the U.S., attempts to reach a softwood lumber agreement were unsuccessful.

Our view is this issue can be resolved only with a fair, negotiated trade agreement with the United States, not more litigation. We know B.C.’s forest policies are trade-compliant, and with a forecast for a continued increase in U.S. housing starts, the U.S. needs our lumber. Penalties only hurt housing affordability for middle-class Americans by raising building costs. It is in the best interests of both sides to quickly come to terms on a deal and get back to focusing on growing our respective economies rather than wasting time and energy in costly litigation.

That said, we are prepared to fight, alongside Canada, on behalf of British Columbians and the 140 communities that rely on the forest sector. We will continue to work closely with the federal government to support forest workers, communities and companies that may be adversely impacted by these softwood lumber tariffs. Rural communities know that they can rely on our B.C. Liberal government to defend their natural resource sector, upon which they rely for their livelihood.

When I look at communities in my riding that rely on the forest industry, Merritt comes to mind. The mountain pine beetle has devastated forests throughout Fraser-Nicola. A number of years ago, in order to get the wood out of the forest before the pine beetle devastated it, the annual allowable cuts were increased to get the wood out.

[11:05 a.m.]

Everyone knew that the cuts would have to go down eventually as the pine beetle devastation was dealt with. That means less wood for our mills. That means fewer jobs in our communities. In Merritt last fall, Tolko announced that it would shut its mill — 230 people out of work, 230 families worried about how they would pay for their homes, support their families and answer all those questions that come with a significant announcement like this.

Tolko made their announcement in regards to the mill closure on a Thursday evening, and by Friday morning, our government had a transition team in the community to support those workers affected by the announcement. We worked with the mayor and council, chamber of commerce, Community Futures, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology and a number of other groups that could provide support and services during the transition.

Our first focus was the workers. Members of the team sat down with the union and each worker to identify what was needed. This work was seen as a top priority: how can we support these families? We also worked with community leaders, because not only are employees affected, but the community as a whole is impacted. We provided planning support and discussed a number of initiatives to help the community transition.

I can say that whenever I visit the city of Merritt and address council, the mayor is so thankful for the work that has been done by this government to support his community and those that were affected by the mill closure. I think it’s important that we acknowledge that that support is so important, and it is ongoing, because forestry in British Columbia is challenged at this time.

Another major industry in Fraser-Nicola is mining. In addition to protecting the forest sector, this government is more committed than ever in growing an environmentally responsible mining industry. This industry creates family-supporting jobs that are critical to B.C.’s economic success. That’s why I’m happy to see that our government will work to open eight new mines by 2022 and will support B.C.’s world-leading responsible mining standards with $18 million to improve mine permitting, oversight, compliance and enforcement.

Fraser-Nicola is fortunate enough to host Highland Valley Copper. My dad went to work there in 1962. It has provided long-term, family-supporting jobs to people in my region. It has provided apprenticeships to young people. It has been an incredible corporate citizen and provided support to so many of our small communities. It allows the workers to actually live at home, be part of a family and also provide volunteers and leadership at their community, which is quite different from people who have to travel out of community and do a fly-in, fly-out lifestyle.

Mining is critically important to British Columbia, and I am proud to be part of a government that continues to commit to supporting that industry.

Another major industry in my riding is agriculture. Food security is an important issue in B.C., one that bridges the urban-rural divide. As our economy grows, we need to ensure that we continue protecting and preserving agricultural land. That is why our government will double the Grow Local program and make it permanent. We’ll bring an additional 91,000 hectares of agricultural land into production by 2020. We’ll activate an all-party select standing committee to study how B.C.’s agricultural land can be used and stewarded, and we’ll ensure that all high-quality farmland lost as a result of the Site C project is replaced with comparable land in other parts of the province.

[11:10 a.m.]

Agriculture is alive and well in Fraser-Nicola. One of our best success stories is the winery in Lillooet — Fort Berens Winery. Who would have ever thought grapes could grow outside of the Okanagan? But we’re finding that grapes love the dry heat in Fraser-Nicola, and Fort Berens Winery is well worth a visit, if you drive through the Lillooet area.

We’re also seeing an influx of young people interested in providing food and locally grown produce to farmers markets and, in particular, in Lillooet. We’re seeing young people who step out into the field and take a picture of the zucchini or cucumber or whatever is ready on the vine. They post it on their farmers market website. You can order it, and they’ll deliver it to the farmers market for you to pick up. There is nothing fresher than that. They are committed to the land, they are committed to good food, and they’re committed to community.

We’re also seeing an interest in growing hops in Lillooet. I would suspect that the natural progression may be a brewery at some time, and we certainly would welcome that progression.

If you happen to come through Ashcroft and Cache Creek area, you will see fields and fields of food being grown. We can grow anything, because we have an incredible dry heat, and we have an abundance of water. You have not tasted a tomato until you have tasted a tomato from Ashcroft. It is absolutely incredible. I would invite you, as you drive up above Hope, to stop in, in Ashcroft and Cache Creek, at Horsting’s Farm and Desert Hills Farm to taste some of the best locally grown food you’ll ever taste.

When we look at some of the major projects in British Columbia, Site C is a generational opportunity for our province. It provides clean, renewable, hydroelectric power for tomorrow’s generations while providing jobs for today. It’s clear that our government stands up for B.C. workers in all parts of this province. We support economic development and projects that create jobs for British Columbians. I’m proud that our government continues to support Site C, a project that is a crucial part of our government’s plan to address growing energy needs.

When I talked to people at the door, as I ran in this past election, they talked to me about Site C. They talked about the future needs of electricity. People in my riding have lived at the end of the electrical grid. They have experienced brownouts.

I think sometimes it’s hard for people to understand that if we don’t have the electricity capacity in our communities, it affects our economic development. I was quite surprised to talk to the city of Merritt and talk to them about some of the challenges that they have in regards to economic development and to find out a number of years ago that until they got the improvement in their electrical grid, they were unable to support new economic development. That is unheard of, to me, in our province.

I see that the two-minute warning light is on, so I want to touch on Kinder Morgan. We also have the Kinder Morgan pipeline that will be going through my riding. I’m pleased to be part of a government that supports Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline. The NDP candidate that ran against me in the election in 2013 declared that the flip-flop on Kinder Morgan was the reason he lost the election.

Well, guess what. In the 2017 election, he, himself, flip-flopped to no longer support the project, which I can tell you is again the reason why I won my election. People in my riding understand the importance of job creation. Our government has worked hard to ensure we get the economic benefits from this project while protecting our precious environment.

[11:15 a.m.]

I also want to acknowledge the work that we are doing with First Nations. I have over 25 bands in my riding. I have been so pleased to be a part of signing ceremonies for economic development projects and sharing of the economy with First Nations in my riding. Our First Nations people are interested in growing. They’re interested in jobs, and they’re interested in a government that respects their culture and the work that they do.

In closing, it is always an honour to be in this House. I vote against the amendment, but I support the throne speech.

M. Lee: I wish to speak against the amendment in question.

It’s an honour and privilege to be in this House today as the MLA for Vancouver-Langara. I’m grateful to my constituents for the opportunity to represent them in this Legislature. I look forward to being a strong voice for them in this House.

I would like to recognize several individuals who are a significant part of why I’m here today. First to my mother, Pauline, who is watching it on television at home, and my late father, Luke, who is watching from above. Their example and work ethic are truly part of my DNA. For that, I am truly thankful and want them to know how much I appreciate everything they’ve done for me, taught me and given me.

To my wife, Christina, who is in this House today — I think up there: I love you dearly, and I cannot do this without you. I value our partnership every day of our lives. We’re in this together, for sure.

My three children — Justine, Graham and Andrea — who were here for the swearing-in ceremony but, like many young British Columbians, are working in their jobs today to save for housing and their future.

Those of you with children know that a decision to enter into politics or public service is really a family decision, and their patience, dedication and unflagging support are truly appreciated.

I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of my volunteers, donors and supporters during this past campaign. It is truly because of your dedicated efforts, contributions and shared vision for a better British Columbia that I have the privilege of rising in this House today. We certainly worked together in a broad-based effort, covering the diversity of Vancouver-Langara, with countless hours of door-knocking, phoning and engaging with residents.

I also know that I’m standing on the shoulders of MLAs from Vancouver-Langara who came before me — women and men, like Dr. Moira Stilwell, Carole Taylor and Val Anderson. Each of them contributed greatly to our community and riding, and they set the bar high when it came to community service. I thank them for forging a path before me.

I would also like to speak about my riding of Vancouver-Langara, which is a vibrant and diverse part of Vancouver and, by any measure, a look into Vancouver’s future. It includes Queen Elizabeth Park, across from where I grew up. This park is 130 acres and is graced by some of the most beautiful and well-maintained gardens in the world.

We’re also home to Langara College, with more than 21,000 students. Langara is one of B.C.’s leading post-secondary institutions, particularly in helping students successfully make the transition to universities such as UBC, SFU and Queen’s.

Langara is also known as the house of teachings, which is the name given to it by the Musqueam First Nation on whose unceded traditional territory it is located.

Langara has four university degree-granting programs and one of the largest and most effective continuing education programs in the city, helping people retrain for the new economy that’s already here.

Vancouver-Langara is home to multiple centres of community that reflect the diversity of the riding, places like the Jewish Community Centre, the Taiwanese Cultural Centre, the Scottish Cultural Centre, as well as the Punjabi Market, where there are ongoing efforts to revitalize this historic commercial district.

The Vancouver-Langara community recognizes the value of public transit. It is blessed by the Canada Line, running through the heart of the riding, a real stimulus for the creation of new homes and density that are being built along the Cambie corridor.

[11:20 a.m.]

Over the course of the campaign, I heard loud and clear from the people in my riding, particularly on their doorsteps, what they expect from me and from those in Victoria. They want more cooperation and less bickering. They want less politics and more performance. And they reminded me that B.C. should come first, not political parties. Time and again, they let me know that at the end of the day, when everything is said and done, we are all in this together. And by we…. That is this entire province, all 87 ridings represented in this House.

Now, I know I’m new to this House — and not been here for 16 years — but I know enough to recognize that when my voters take time to talk to me on one of their doorsteps, I’d better listen and take their comments to heart. And that’s what I see in this unique and compelling throne speech and why I’m not in favour of the amendment.

As I mentioned in my Canada 150 motion in the House this past Monday, my parents came from Hong Kong in the ’50s and ’60s. I grew up on the northern border of Vancouver-Langara until my early 20s and attended preschool at the Jewish Community Centre and Vancouver College for grades 1 to 12 — all in this riding. Among other things, Vancouver College taught me a lot about public service.

In my university days, volunteering with youth at risk in Chinatown and being on a national youth advisory committee led me to focus my studies on political science at UBC, including public policy and environmental regulations. I was involved in student politics at UBC, served on the board of SUCCESS, an immigrant service organization, and worked for Kim Campbell for three and a half years, starting when she was Minister of Justice.

I share these early experiences with you — before I went to law school — because they helped to shape my belief in our political system. And frankly, I still believe in our system. It’s the reason I stepped forward this past election so that I could help to improve the trust and confidence in who we elect, at any level of government, regardless of their political party. But more importantly, it was to come to this House, to do what every one of us wants to do, no matter our political stripe, and that is to keep our province moving forward as we work to build a better B.C.

It’s the reason why those hundreds of hours of doorstep conversations during the election mean so much to me today. I want to protect what’s worth protecting and change those things where gaps may exist. The decrease in confidence and trust in our political process needs to be addressed. That includes the concerns of those who might feel they are being left behind or feel that their interests may not make it to our provincial political agenda, of those who are disillusioned by the political process and do not come out to vote and leave those decisions to others.

That’s what makes this throne speech so unique and different. None of our political parties received a majority in this House. Instead, our fellow citizens have given us the task of seeing if we are smart enough, mature enough and innovative enough to do the right thing.

Our fellow British Columbians spoke loud and clear during the election, and they told us what they wanted. They wanted a strong economy, one that can afford the social programs we need. They want less division and more cooperation, the kind that pulls people and communities together. They made it clear that they value our economic success, which we have built together. And they want the success and prosperity to be shared with — and that we look after — every British Columbian, including our children, our parents and those British Columbians who need our help most.

As the Premier has said, it was a message we heard loud and clear and one we have delivered on in the throne speech. It is a throne speech that will test all of us to see if we are up to the challenge voters have placed in front of us. Do we do the right thing or the political thing? Do we recognize the priorities of our fellow citizens or the priorities of our three parties?

For instance, trust and confidence in political fundraising are important issues raised by our voters. We listened, and we acted. The reforms to political fundraising in the throne speech included banning corporate, union and third-party donations and imposing maximum donation limits for individuals — which would be truly important to regain some of that public confidence. It’s unfortunate that members on the other side of this House did not see fit to even consider or vote in favour of these reforms this past week.

For many, it’s important that we conduct a third referendum on electoral reform to give British Columbians an opportunity to consider once again what is the best electoral system for this province and its people. Again, we listened, and we’ve acted.

[11:25 a.m.]

Hopefully, by dealing with these political reform processes, we can refocus on providing better government to British Columbians. Throughout the history of B.C. politics, the polarizing positions that political parties often take are challenging for our constituents to understand, and unfortunately, it tends to shake their confidence in our political process.

The throne speech provides an opportunity to articulate a plan and build consensus within this House for our province. Overall, this throne speech rebalances the priorities of our provincial government and reframes how we protect our environment, continue to build and diversify our economy and provide further social programs to address current gaps. So much of what makes this province work is maintaining the right balance alongside a longer-term vision of where we want to go.

We don’t want a government that borrows money to pay for services we can’t afford and puts our children and grandchildren further into debt. By the same token, we don’t want our children and grandchildren to suffer the consequences of not protecting our environment in the best possible ways, but again, this needs to be done in balance and in a thoughtful manner with a long-term plan. As reflected in the throne speech, it’s about continuing to make decisions today that we can afford, with a view to future generations.

I would like to address a few areas of the throne speech which demonstrate this — for example, setting ambitious emissions-free targets for all new non-commercial vehicles registered in Metro Vancouver by 2035, which advances the previous goal of 2050 by 15 years. These are important targets in order to continue the necessary low-carbon transition, particularly when 61 percent of B.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions come from Metro Vancouver, a third of which comes from transportation. Coupled with this is the forward-looking plan for a $50 million expansion of vehicle-charging infrastructure.

Looking forward, B.C. requires plentiful, reliable and affordable clean electricity. More sources of renewable energy like wind, solar and geothermal will help, but they will not be enough. Site C will give us the opportunity for an abundance of clean energy, enabling us to meet our obligation to transition our economy from carbon to fight climate change.

Despite opposition at the time, we were the first jurisdiction in North America to put a price on carbon. Our carbon tax framework has been recognized by global institutions as one of the best in the world. The federal government has been clear in its desire to see all provinces implement a $50-per-tonne carbon tax by 2022, outlined in the pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change. It’s the reason why we will meet this goal by raising the carbon tax by $5 per tonne per year starting in 2019, up to a total of $50 per tonne by 2022, but maintain revenue neutrality by reducing the provincial sales tax by a corresponding amount for all future carbon tax increases.

I know that change is not easy, and I believe we need to find better ways to work with how change occurs and some of its consequences. This includes protecting workers and businesses in energy-intensive, trade-exposed industries by ensuring that new costs from the carbon tax are offset by other taxes. We want to give companies with strong ties to British Columbia good reasons to innovate and reduce their emissions.

Forestry and mining are pillars of our economy, but the reason B.C. has been able to withstand the volatility of a fragile global economy is because we have a diversified economy in this province with other sectors, including natural gas, agriculture, biotech and health sciences, advanced manufacturing, clean tech, film and tourism. Our province has created more jobs than anywhere in Canada since the start of the B.C. jobs plan, as you well know.

British Columbians have worked hard to build a solid financial footing. It wasn’t easy — spending your tax dollars is the easiest thing any politician can do — but our prudence has paid off, and today this province is in terrific shape. We did it together, and its benefits should be shared. That’s what we heard from voters, and that’s what we know. So we’ve listened, and we’ve acted.

Today we are in an even better financial position to continue to make the kinds of smart investments we all want in health care, education, housing, transit and social programs, as set out in the throne speech. We should always demand that good government and leaders demonstrate continued fiscal discipline. Without a solid financial footing and a strong economy, our options and choices become limited. None of us want to spend money paying the interest on borrowed money, when these dollars should be spent on British Columbians instead.

[11:30 a.m.]

Yesterday’s fiscal update reflects this very important principle: to properly fund public services. The Finance Minister confirmed that in addition to presenting the fifth balanced budget in a row, the fiscal update reveals that B.C. has a surplus of $2.8 billion. This is the result of careful fiscal management and a provincial economy that’s performing well above expectations. B.C.’s GDP growth of 3.7 percent was the highest rate among the provinces for the second year in a row, and B.C. had some of the greatest and fastest job growth in more than 20 years.

From listening to British Columbians like those in Vancouver-Langara and by meeting them on their doorsteps, it was clear what people want. Their focus is their families, good jobs, their neighbours, child care, their aging parents, education for their children, affordable places to live, a more effective health care system and the quality of life in their communities. Again, we listened, and we’ve acted.

For instance, when it comes to housing affordability, British Columbians want even more government action at every level, including the municipality where so many of these affordability decisions rest. This is not a challenge that any single level of government can solve on its own.

That’s why we’ve put forward a housing summit in the fall to bring together every level of government, together with developers, city planners, transit authorities, bank and credit union leaders, social innovators and experts from the private and not-for-profit sectors. We need this housing summit to examine and develop innovative solutions to all of the issues that have made affordability such a priority for families, not only in Metro Vancouver but also in other parts of our province.

As set out in the throne speech, it is important that our provincial government works with and supports municipalities to remove obstacles and eliminate backlogs to speed up the construction of new housing supply, especially for families. We have a supply problem in B.C. It’s an issue that needs every level of government to pitch in, and it definitely needs innovation and a fresh look at all of the available options.

As a further step alongside the other provincial initiatives that this government has already implemented to address housing affordability, we plan to build 50,000 units of new housing across B.C. over ten years under a new rent-to-own home program. Intended for middle-class families, it will help renters grow equity through their monthly rental payments until they are in a position to own their own home.

Working with local governments in the private sector to increase the supply of family and starter housing for middle-income earners, especially along new transit lines and corridors, will also be a critical focus for our provincial government. For some British Columbians, increasing density and access to market rentals isn’t enough to make housing affordable. For example, some seniors on a fixed income need more support, ranging from independent social housing below market rates to assisted living in supportive seniors units to rent supplements to help them pay their market rent.

Seniors are just one example of the diverse range of people who benefit from the work of B.C. Housing. Over the past year, we’ve also seen a historic level of investment in creating new, affordable rental housing across B.C. Our government committed $920 million to build housing for seniors, low-income families and individuals, aboriginal people and many others. Over $500 million was invested in just one year — the biggest housing investment by a province in a single year in our country’s history.

The fact that B.C. Housing was able to deploy that funding and begin work on important projects across this province right away speaks to the amazing work that the organization does. In the short time that I’ve been the Parliamentary Secretary for Housing Affordability, I’ve had the opportunity to visit supportive and social housing projects in Vancouver and Victoria. This has been a good opportunity for me to broaden my understanding and perspective around social housing and housing affordability around major centres.

From these visits, I’ve gained a strong appreciation for the professionalism and work of the B.C. Housing team. They are at the heart of these housing projects, and during my site visits, I have seen staff who have come back to work on the project site even on their days off and staff who speak with pride about their organization, the meaningful work they do and the satisfaction of getting things done. I learned about the holistic approach taken by B.C. Housing when it comes to meeting and addressing the complex needs of so many of its clients.

[11:35 a.m.]

B.C. Housing places an emphasis on putting a roof over peoples’ heads, providing them with regular meals and setting them on a better path with counselling, job placement and other assistance.

I’ve also heard stories about people who have been in the Victoria courthouse camp and were then successfully moved to housing facilities, like Mount Edwards Court, where they received services that helped them stabilize and move on to living in rental accommodations. These are the types of success stories that folks who work at B.C. Housing create on a regular basis. It’s why our government has made B.C. Housing such a priority over the years.

I also gained a better appreciation of the leadership and innovation that B.C. Housing continues to demonstrate. Take, for example, the partnership approach that B.C. Housing brings to working with municipalities, developers and not-for-profit organizations. By working with these partners, B.C. Housing is able to leverage our public investment to construct more units and provide more affordable housing for people than would otherwise be possible.

These partnerships and innovative financing models lead to construction of projects like Woodward’s Community Housing development, which provides more than 200 affordable rental properties for singles, families and people with disabilities in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

This is the kind of success that requires leadership — the kind we see in the team at B.C. Housing but also in the leadership and commitment of our Deputy Premier and former Minister Responsible for Housing. It’s truly remarkable what’s been accomplished under his tenure.

Leadership and innovation in housing, including with B.C. Housing, means continuing to look for achieving more in the face of an affordability challenge in Metro Vancouver. Housing is also tied to transit, as both are essential to building stronger communities, economies and families. That’s why the commitment in this throne speech to immediately conduct feasibility studies to connect communities by rapid transit, light rail and other means of expanded transit, particularly along key transit corridors in the region, is so important to affordability. We need to think more broadly, with a longer-term view, of what we would like to see for this region out to Mission, into Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack and, of course, out to UBC and the North Shore and Squamish.

It will give people looking for homes more options in more places and still allow them to connect across the region to their jobs in a timely and efficient manner. More and better transit will support much-needed housing for employees in this region so that we can continue to diversify our economy and give people the chance to live closer to where they work, giving them more time with their families, friends and communities.

Just as importantly, this effort will be an important step to better connect the lives and economies of our urban and rural regions, particularly across Metro Vancouver, where more than half of our population lives and works. The importance of housing and transit only serves to underline the fundamental importance of our education system, which is tied to communities, families and, ultimately, the future of our economy.

For 15 years, I have served on the boards of children and youth organizations — namely, Science World British Columbia and Arts Umbrella, which have looked to augment our education system in science- and arts-based learning. These organizations and others reflect the changing nature of education, the importance of technology to our students in the ever-evolving world in which we will live.

We have watched the world become a smaller and more interconnected place, and it’s happening faster than ever before. We’ve seen the influence of technology on the lives of our children, both inside and outside the classroom. They will grow up and live in a very different world than the one we inherited from our parents, so it’s incumbent on us to prepare them to take their place and make their mark in that new world and not be overwhelmed by it.

All of this serves to reinforce the importance of education, in all its shapes and forms. But it also means it is time to take a fulsome review of our education system under a new royal commission, particularly as our society continues to grow and change. The experience and innovation of educators, parents, students, as well as community and business leaders are critical to this review to make our successful education system even better and more relevant for the years ahead.

B.C.’s post-secondary and creative sectors are also responding to the major shifts in digital technologies. In response, the government will double funding for the B.C. Arts Council to build capacity to lead in the new economy and uphold our province’s commitment to the value of creativity and innovation.

[11:40 a.m.]

For lifelong learning, the throne speech sets out a commitment to have fully funded adult basic education and ESL programs.

Another key concern that I heard repeatedly on the doorstep is the need for more child care in support of working families. Taking care of children and young families is a pressing priority for our government, and with a proposed amendment in the throne speech to the 2017 budget, it calls for a billion-dollar investment in child care and early childhood education over the next four years.

This would be the single-largest boost to child care in B.C.’s history, with the objectives of delivering the highest quality care, reducing wait-lists by creating more spaces, and making child care more affordable. These are just a few examples of the strong, forward-looking elements of the throne speech that should be worthy of support by this House.

On both sides of this House, we have said that we’ve heard British Columbians when they said they want less division and more cooperation. Now we have a throne speech before us which builds on a strong economy and provides the broad range of programs and benefits British Columbians are looking for — particularly after working hard together to afford them.

In this throne speech, we have told British Columbians in no uncertain terms that we are listening and we are acting. Their priorities will shape government’s priorities.

Voters did not give us a majority. It’s why we have built a throne speech that represents the priorities of our people. British Columbians have told us that they want a better balance between economic, social and environmental policies. Well, we listened and we’ve acted. We’ve produced a throne speech that does so in many ways, but in ways that we can absolutely afford.

This government has taken the election results and the message that came with them to heart. I hope that every member of this Legislative Assembly will do the same. With the confidence of this House, this government has every intention of meeting the expectations of our citizens by delivering for British Columbians.

I do hope members on both sides of this House will also let British Columbians know that we heard you. We get you, and we’re committed to continue to put you first.

We’re at a time in this province where I’m concerned that many opportunities continue to pass us by. We can’t afford to have a situation where investors in this province lose their confidence in this province. We need to continue to work together to build a strong economy as we go forward. That’s what this government has been best able to do, and it’s worthy of support in the ways that have been set out in the throne speech.

I just hope that all of us, truly, are listening to British Columbians. For this reason, I am not in favour of the amendment, and I’m fully in support of the throne speech.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this time.

Hon. M. Polak: I rise today to speak in opposition to the amendment. In so doing, I am reminded that the work we do here is one that we do because we are passionate about issues, passionate about things we believe in for our province, passionate about the opportunity to do something for our communities, for our families and for the people that we love. As such, I know that all of us come here inspired by individuals — both in our lives and also individuals we’ve watched in community service.

I want to spend a little time talking about a few people who have inspired me. First is my dad. My dad is 88 years old. Some of you have met him, on occasion, when he has been to this House. He’s a Korean War veteran. He’s eccentric. He’s watching right now, so I have to be well-spoken and careful. He’s one of only….

Comparing notes with the Minister of Transportation, we’ve calculated that between my family and his, there is probably about a half a dozen people watching right now. I jest. Although, I’m certain the ratings for Hansard are going to rise significantly around about 5 p.m. or so today. But my dad is watching.

[11:45 a.m.]

I often describe my dad as the professor from Back to the Future, for those who are familiar with that film, and I say that with absolute admiration and love. My dad has been inventing things and sometimes blowing up things for my entire life. He continues to do so. He has often said he has never seen anything that he didn’t think could be better, modified. It meant for a very incredible childhood, a childhood where I was taught that I could learn anything.

My dad gave up a lot to raise my brother and myself. My mother was a paraplegic. She passed away about 20 years ago. They did not expect to have children. As my dad tells it, after they got married, ten months later I was born, 15 months later my brother was born and then they figured out what was doing it.

What it meant though, for them, was that they suddenly had to embrace a life that, while I’m confident they enjoyed it, was not the path they thought they were going down.

My dad just has always been the dad who’s there with you, the dad who’s looking after you. You know, these days being a Mr. Mom is not that uncommon. In those days, it was pretty uncommon. I just owe so much to him and his inspiration that whatever twists and turns life takes you down, it’s all in how you respond to it. My dad has always been the one who responds to it with such grace. I thank him for that inspiration.

I also want to talk about my daughter. My daughter was 17 when I was first elected to this place. I can hardly believe it. She’s 29 now. What is going on? That was tough. It was at a point when she and I were starting a very different kind of life for the two of us. At 17, you know, life is not all that settled. To have your mom suddenly gone and away, locked in these buildings for weeks at a time…. She had to do a lot of her own growing up.

We had a lot of sensitive conversations over what used to be MSN at the time. Remember MSN messaging? I’d be sitting in the House, and she’d be sending me messages commenting on people who were speaking or asking me very important life questions that I was trying to answer. She had to deal with that.

Yet here she is now, a young lady I so admire. She is a staunch vegan and animal rights activist. She is the client services coordinator at the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. She has such a firm ethical grounding. And she has only ever signed one petition against me when I was Environment Minister, so I’m doing okay.

Interjection.

Hon. M. Polak: I’ll tell you later. But she called me to tell me about it.

She inspires me each and every day, because whatever topics we end up discussing, she has a firm opinion. She’ll listen to other people, but she has a firm opinion, and it’s based on those ethics that she holds so dear.

I want to talk about someone else who has inspired me, and now whose role I have taken on over these last couple of weeks. That is Terry Lake. I think it’s fair to say that, on both sides of this House, Terry Lake was a much-admired Health Minister. [Applause.]

Yes. And because we don’t get time to go on at length in the course of question period, which is usually when I’m standing in this House, I want to share with this House something that happened after we rose.

Some people might be aware of this, but I bet most aren’t. Terry was given a very important award. The Canadian Public Health Association gave him their National Public Health Hero Award.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Here’s what they said:

“The hon. Dr. Terry Lake, former Minister of Health for British Columbia, has accomplished many things, but nothing with more impact on the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our province than the unwavering support he provided for the declaration of a public health emergency and the subsequent actions to stem the tide of tragic deaths from illegal drug overdoses in B.C. His understanding and compassion has helped move the public discourse on this issue from one of stigma and blame towards empathy and support. He has tirelessly spent his political capital to move his provincial, municipal and even federal counterparts to action.

[11:50 a.m.]

“These actions have undoubtedly saved many lives and made access to overdose prevention, care and treatment available to many more. His knowledge of and support for a public health approach to addressing this crisis has enabled a broad, multifaceted response and unique partnership with Public Safety that addresses the myriad issues surrounding mental health and substance use.

“Our actions in response to this crisis are building a system of prevention and care for the future in B.C. and Canada. Arguably, his most groundbreaking policy initiative was his ministerial order of December 8, 2016, requiring the establishment of overdose prevention sites where individuals could use drugs in the presence of responders trained on overdose recognition and naloxone administration. Scores of deaths have been averted in these sites. For this exceptional support for public health, he is most deserving.”

It’s hard to imagine, when we’re in this House debating, that the things that we discuss could be of such import. I am so proud of someone like Terry, who should inspire us all to remember that for all of the seemingly unimportant things we discuss here, this is our opportunity to have a dramatic impact for history, for saving lives. How many of us wouldn’t take the chance, if given it, to save many, many lives?

The things we do here are important, they are historic, and we have the opportunity to be a part of that.

Mr. Speaker, I don’t know if you want me to break now or continue on. I’ll take a nod.

Mr. Speaker: Noting the hour.

Hon. M. Polak: I’ll take that signal. Noting the hour, Mr. Speaker, I will reserve my right to continue in debate, and I move adjournment of debate.

Hon. M. Polak moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. T. Stone moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 this afternoon.

The House adjourned at 11:52 a.m.