Orders of the Day

Hon. M. Farnworth: I call further insightful, scintillating debate on the budget.

Budget Debate

(continued)

Hon. H. Bains: The few minutes that I have left in completing my budget update speech I will utilize today. Just once again, it’s an honour to rise to speak in support of the budget.

This is a budget that puts people first and reaffirms our vision for a government that works for people. I’m proud of the steps that we have taken in only eight weeks to make progress for working people with this budget. This budget will make life more affordable, will deliver essential services that people are in need of, and will create a strong economy and jobs that people can depend on and jobs that are family-supporting.

As I said before, I’m proud that this budget update restores essential programs, such as free English language learning and adult basic education tuitions. By restoring these programs, we give people the opportunity to learn, to advance their workplaces and to better support themselves and their families.

All of the provisions of this budget update will work together to strengthen our economy and provide an economic advantage for all British Columbians. Our government is working to help reduce those costs to citizens, with moves such as the elimination of tolls and to narrow the gap between minimum wage and a living wage.

My mandate letter. I’m committed, through the mandate letter, to work within my ministry’s budget to deliver programs that will better serve workers in this province while at the same time ensuring the ability for employers to build a sustainable economy.

Working within the budget, I’m firmly committed to making workplaces in British Columbia the safest in Canada. We need to strengthen our prevention and enforcement and our treatment of workers who have become injured or ill in our workplaces. They deserve nothing less, and our government is working to help.

I would like to conclude, at the end, with the promise that we ran on to make life more affordable for British Columbians, to improve services that they depend on — especially, in my community, the health care services, the education services and the public transportation extension that is long overdue. It should have started four years ago. If it wasn’t for the poor politics by the previous government, we would have something going right now that almost would be at the start of our new public transportation.

I would say that I’m proud of this budget update. It is a budget that puts people front and centre of our policy development. It takes important first steps to help meet some of the most urgent needs and sets a path to a strong economy that works for everyone.

We want our province to support employers and employees alike and to support safe, healthy workplaces, moving towards a $15-an-hour minimum wage and investing in affordable housing. Those are some of the steps that we have already taken.

They are, on one hand, giving a few more dollars to the lowest-paid workers in the province. They will be investing, as I said earlier, in their own communities, in their own local businesses so that businesses will benefit, the economy will grow and workers will have a better living standard. On the other hand, we said that we will be lowering their financial burden by eliminating tolls, eliminating MSP premiums, having affordable child care. Those are the steps that you must take to make life more affordable.

Restoring essential services such as free English language learning and adult basic education is very essential for newcomers and for those who may have missed out while going through high school. Now they need to upgrade their English skills in order to acquire the new skills to be successful in their life, to get a new job. It is a very, very good step for going forward. We will make life more affordable, and we’ll help workers’ wages go further.

[10:10 a.m.]

I wholeheartedly believe that the budget update is a sound fiscal plan that will strengthen our economy and provide an economic advantage for all British Columbians.

The government that was elected, the government that will work for people, the government that will listen, rather than make decisions in a vacuum in some boardroom someplace…. That time is over. Now is the time for people to participate and consult, and our government will be listening. Our government will be developing policies based on the consultation, based on the outreach that they will be doing, because people have the answers. Government doesn’t have the monopoly on good ideas. That’s what we have seen on the other side. Somehow they knew best what’s good for everybody.

That regime has changed, that time had changed. Now it’s a new era, a new government. You know what I say to all of those people who are listening? Help is on the way. This is just the beginning. And we’re so proud to be part of that government.

T. Wat: I rise in the House today to give my response to the government’s budget.

But first of all, I would like to share with you all my joy and pride as a grandmother. Last month my daughter, Tin, gave birth to her first baby, Andre. This family addition is a special milestone for me. From the moment that I lay my eyes on Andre, I succumbed to love beyond reason.

I would also like to take this special moment to thank my parents, who are in their 90s, for always supporting me throughout the years.

Special thanks to my colleagues; my hard-working and very capable and dedicated staff, Steven Lee, David Shum, Nathan Cook, Trix Chan and Tony Liu; and our communication officer, Tracy Grimsrud. The team sacrifices their time and effort because they believe in me.

When I heard the NDP throne speech that preceded the budget, which was weak and lacking in detail, I thought: “What a missed opportunity to lay out a clear vision for the future.” And I looked forward to hearing the budget, in the hopes that we will see some concrete details. But again, I was left feeling disappointed by what I heard.

[L. Reid in the chair.]

This budget is most notable for the things that are missing, including any plan for economic growth. And in fact, some of the promises the NDP had made months earlier were nowhere to be found.

The promise of $10-a-day child care, now referred to as universal child care, has no new money in the budget.

They promised 114,000 units of housing over ten years, but the budget only mentioned 1,700 new units, which was already in February’s budget, as well as 2,000 units of modular housing. So quite a gap there from what was promised.

Another example is the promised $400 renters’ rebate, which was nowhere to be found in this budget. And where is the promised ferry wait freeze and hydro freeze? Again, nowhere to be found.

When you think of what’s missing in this budget and when you consider that the NDP will already be hiking taxes by nearly $1 billion over the next three years to pay for the promises it did mention, you might worry that, in order to keep the rest of their promises, there might be further tax hikes forthcoming.

We will have to wait and see, which is not very reassuring. It’s not very reassuring to British Columbians who work hard to contribute to years of a balanced budget, as well as the healthy surplus inherited by the NDP. And it’s not reassuring to the B.C. business community, which creates jobs and provides our communities with a diverse range of goods and services.

It’s not reassuring to international investors either. Their final decisions on whether or not to invest may hinge on how well we keep our taxes low and stable over the long term. Yet, in this budget, we see them going up, way up.

[10:15 a.m.]

We see that we move all of the revenue neutrality requirements for the carbon tax, and we see business being asked to shoulder a heavier tax increase over three years that the government claims will bring our province in line with nearby provinces. That chips away at the competitive advantage that we worked so hard to build here in British Columbia, raising the possibility that investors will take their money elsewhere.

International investors have come to know British Columbia as a place that’s been on solid economic footing, even in a period of economic uncertainty. Our triple-A credit rating has always been attractive, with B.C. having enjoyed a lower cost of borrowing than most other provinces in Canada.

This is critical. It helps us make decisions on important, large-scale infrastructure projects that benefit our communities — things like roads, schools and hospitals. I worry that these are the types of things being threatened by the NDP’s insistence on aggressive spending with no solid plan to grow the economy.

In addition to relying on those massive tax increases that I referenced earlier, this budget also assumes that our healthy $2.7 billion surplus will be repeated. They are also relying on a substantial increase in forecasted GDP growth, from 2.1 percent to 2.9 percent. I would caution that this is a dangerous presumption to make in a time of economic uncertainty and U.S. protectionism.

It seems to me like the economy and trade are just being glossed over. This is hugely concerning to me, as the Trade critic. It leaves me and many others asking some key questions — for one: how will this government expand and increase our exports to Asia and beyond? British Columbia has worked so hard to develop positive working relationships with many partners, especially in the Asia-Pacific.

I will show you some figures to illustrate that success. For the first seven months of 2017, B.C. origin exports jumped 19.6 percent, compared to the same period in 2016. There was double-digit growth in exports to most of B.C.’s major trading partners, including the United States, up 10.6 percent; mainland China, up 12 percent; Japan, up 35.4 percent; South Korea, up 56.2 percent; the European Union, up 42.1 percent; India, up 78.9 percent; and Taiwan, up 41.7 percent. It’s very impressive.

The increase in B.C.’s export is a direct result of the former B.C. Liberal government’s focused efforts on diversifying and expanding our export markets. The former Minister of International Trade provided expertise, support and guidance to the business community on how to export to the Asian market. The province’s own trade and investment offices in our priority overseas markets have played a crucial role in B.C.’s success. These overseas trade offices were initiated by the former B.C. Liberal government. Again, the question is: how will we maintain these initiatives and partnerships?

Other questions on the trade file remain. Will the government lobby the federal government to sign free trade agreements with other countries? And how is the government working to help resolve the softwood lumber dispute? These are just some of the things that I wonder about as I ponder how our international reputation will fare under this government.

It is absolutely imperative that B.C. has its fiscal house in order. That is what is truly valued by international investors. They are attracted to jurisdictions that are stable and have control over their own finances. Yet, already, concerns are being raised about this budget.

The credit-rating agency DBRS examined it and said:

[10:20 a.m.]

“At this time, British Columbia continues to have one of the strongest credit profiles of Canadian provinces and is not at immediate risk of a negative rating action. However, this fiscal policy direction reduces flexibility within the credit profile and suggests that social and programmatic considerations are likely to trump deficit reduction if the province’s fiscal plan is challenged by economic correction.”

Here’s another quote from DBRS:

“While the NDP’s platform committed to maintaining balanced budgets, the government may be challenged to do so, given the extent of its policy commitments. DBRS believes that the province may require further revenue measures to fund its ambitious social agenda.”

Furthermore, DBRS says:

“The current fiscal plan suggests the province’s DBRS-adjusted debt burden will rise slightly to 17.9 percent of GDP this year, up from 17.6 percent at March 31, 2017, which continues to be consistent with the AA-high rating.”

The warning signs are there, as pointed out by this credit agency. And the NDP continues to sow seeds of economic uncertainty across our great province in other ways, not just for investors, but for the people working on various projects or hoping to one day.

The massive Site C project is under threat, with 2,600 workers worried for their future and the potential of 10,000 construction jobs also on the line. Same with Kinder Morgan. Taking on legal action to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline project will also cost B.C. thousands of jobs.

Closer to my riding is the George Massey Tunnel replacement project on the chopping block. Saying no to this project is basically saying no to 9,000 construction jobs and 4,500 to 5,000 additional permanent jobs created by 2045 through increased economic growth.

To reiterate, cancelling projects like this will lead to tremendous job losses. I also feel that these moves send a message that B.C. is closed for business.

Furthermore, from a local perspective, when it comes to the cancellation of the George Massey Tunnel replacement project, I also worry about the safety of my constituents. Local residents have waited long enough for a solution to this aging structure and its seismic safety issues, and they have spent enough time stuck in traffic in some of the worst bottlenecks we have seen. The project is also key to our economy because we need to ensure the safe travel of goods as well.

Cancelling the project is a direct blow to the 80,000 local and commercial motorists stuck in rush hour traffic each day. What people in Richmond and surrounding areas want is to get home to their families more quickly. They want action on what everyone knows is a pressing issue, especially considering there has been five years of planning and consultations, as well as three rounds of public engagement on the issue. British Columbians have said clearly that they prefer a bridge, but all they are getting is unnecessary delay. Now, we found that the delay is not due to the fact that the NDP thinks more consultation is needed, as they have been telling people. An internal party document makes it clear that the NDP has long planned to kill the Massey Tunnel project.

The document says: “We will build the Vancouver and Surrey rapid transit projects, rapid buses across the North Shore from Port Coquitlam to Maple Ridge and through Vancouver and along Hastings Street and 41st and 49th Avenues. That is, we will implement the Mayors Council vision. We will pay for this instead of replacing the Massey Tunnel.” Unbelievable. This is proof that the NDP has been deliberately misleading British Columbians, including people in my riding.

Moving on to health care, I had high hopes that Richmond Hospital would be mentioned. After all, back in February the people of Richmond had heard a pledge from the former member for Juan de Fuca, the current Premier, as he publicly supported a new patient care tower for Richmond Hospital. Of course, I was disappointed that that there was no mention of it in the budget. No mention of Richmond Hospital, let alone the word “Richmond,” anywhere to be found.

[10:25 a.m.]

It’s another promise that seems to have gone up in thin air, and that’s unacceptable to the people of Richmond and those in the neighbouring areas as well, because Richmond Hospital doesn’t just offer high-quality care to residents of Richmond and Delta, a population that continues to grow rapidly. It also helps travellers who fall ill at Vancouver International Airport and the B.C. Ferry terminal in Tsawwassen.

This facility is aging. Last year it marked 50 years of service to the community. The equipment needs to be upgraded and replaced. While the community was led to believe that the NDP would champion this new acute care tower project, there’s nothing but silence in the budget — just a quick mention of capital spending, with no detail.

It’s particularly disappointing because we are in the midst of the Richmond Hospital Foundation’s annual fundraising campaign — Community Cares Month. Hundreds of staff and volunteers are reaching out to the community throughout the month of September for donations towards the goal of a new acute care tower. I know they were paying attention to the pledge made by the former member for Juan de Fuca and current Premier and some of the candidates back in February. When he made that promise, he used a news release where one of the candidates chastised the former government for prioritizing a bridge over a hospital.

Well, now the people of Richmond are not getting either one, according to the budget. Instead, they are facing more bottlenecks in the Massey Tunnel, more time spent in the cars away from their families and some feelings of uncertainty about whether or not their local hospital will see the improvements once promised by the NDP.

Even the latest edition of Richmond News reported that the updated provincial budget provided few additional details on how the government plans to improve life in Richmond. According to the article:

“Health spending is going to be increased by $603 million over three years, but no new money was earmarked for Richmond Hospital’s decrepit acute care tower replacement. A new tower is in the business development stage, and local NDP candidates, as well as the Premier…vowed before the election to expedite the process and have funding ready immediately. Vancouver Coastal Health said it should finish the business case by year-end, leaving the NDP to approve it. Notably, the budget update adds New Westminster’s Royal Columbian Hospital, phases 2 and 3, to the capital spending plan at a cost of $1.1 billion, after the B.C. Liberals approved the business case in April.”

The Richmond News also said that there are no details in the updated budget on when Richmond schools would be seismically upgraded.

A further blow to local families was the elimination of the children’s fitness tax credit and the children’s arts tax credit. These are initiatives that help parents get their children active in sports and fitness and engage in our vibrant arts community. These things don’t seem to be a priority for this government, to the detriment of those families.

What people tell us continually is that they want this province left in the best shape possible for their children and grandchildren. They don’t want to see them saddled with debt. They don’t want to see them leaving the province because there are no jobs for them here. As a new grandmother myself, this sentiment rings true for me. On this side of the House, we are working hard to hold this government to account, constantly reminding them that they cannot spend without a plan for how they are going to pay for it, and they can’t build a strong economy when no one is working.

I will not be supporting this budget. It does not represent the interests of people in Richmond North Centre. There’s no plan to grow revenues in our economy, despite aggressive spending plans. It does nothing to instil confidence that our province is open for business. To me, it has been a missed opportunity to have this government stand up for British Columbia and to make our province a better place to live, to work and to raise a family.

[10:30 a.m.]

I do hope that we will see some more details forthcoming from this government on just how it intends to keep our economy growing to the benefit of British Columbians.

N. Simons: I’m just so excited, after 12-plus years, not just to be standing where the desks are bigger and the chairs are comfier but about a budget that actually addresses the needs and the concerns of our population in this beautiful province of British Columbia. I remember sitting on that side not that long ago, in those uncomfortable chairs, listening to budget speeches that only filled me with despair about the needs of the children of the province and the needs of the seniors and the needs of the people living in poverty and the needs of all citizens.

When those were neglected for 16 years, and I was here for 12 of them, my job was to remind government of their priorities. While I did remind them of their priorities, and they sort of got it closer to being right in their last throne speech, the people had already made a decision. The people had already made a decision that 16 years of one particular perspective was enough, and it was time to put people at the centre of public policy in this province.

I’m pleased to be able to talk about an entirely supportable budget, a reasonable budget, an optimistic budget and a budget that reflects the confidence that British Columbians have in ourselves as a province in this country and as a place in this world. We have a lot of good work ahead of us, and we have a lot of enthusiasm for that work.

I’d like to begin by thanking the people of Powell River–Sunshine Coast, the only entirely ferry-reliant constituency in this province, for their continued support for my efforts to bring reasonableness to this place, good policies to the public and hope for the community and for all the communities in the province. I thank the people of the Sunshine Coast for supporting me once again. I thank them for continuing to encourage me to bring their voice to this place.

I also think that they’re speaking to me to thank me for the constituency assistants that continue to work in my offices. They’re Kim Tournat and Maggie Hathaway, who I consider among the two best advocates I’ve met, who work with people who have had nowhere to turn for 16 years. Their advocacy and their commitment and their real human caring for the people of our constituency I think reflects the attitude of this new government as well — that when we see a problem, we’ll try to fix it.

We won’t try to hide it. We won’t try to pretend that there are other problems that are always going to be bigger. We will work on each individual concern as they come to us. My role as the MLA, in opposition and on this side of the House, is to ensure that I can have some influence over government, that I can have some influence on the policy direction of government and that I can reflect the voice of my constituents in this place. That’s my responsibility.

The Esquimalt and Songhees Nations are the traditional occupiers and residents of this area. This is the land that they have inhabited for millennia. I respect and honour that, and through protocol, I thank them for this opportunity. In thinking of the Esquimalt and Songhees, I think of, also, the Coast Salish people: the Shishalh, the Tla’amin, the Skwxwú7mesh, the Klahoose. Those are the nations that make up the Sunshine Coast.

I acknowledge Chief Warren Paull from the Shishalh Nation. I acknowledge Hegus, Clint Williams, of the Tla’amin Nation, recently a treaty nation. I honour and respect the work they do and look forward to an ongoing good relationship with them — and Chief Ian Campbell of the Skwxwú7mesh.

[10:35 a.m.]

I also want to thank the other elected officials from the Sunshine Coast, the regional directors. I think of Gary Nohr, who’s recovering from a health ailment. He’s doing well. I think of all of the representatives on the regional board and in the municipal governments, the mayors and the councillors, the Islands Trust representatives, the school board representatives. All of them are doing their part to ensure that their community is well represented. So I thank all of them for their continued commitment to the people they represent.

As I said, this budget, to me, is the first time I’ve actually said: “Wow. This reflects the concerns of my constituents. This reflects the interests of the people who I represent.” It speaks to affordability. It speaks to the restoration of services that have been cut for 16 years. It speaks to the optimism for industries and small businesses in our constituency.

It speaks to the need to ensure that our education system, both for the little children and for the older people, is there. It’s accessible, it’s affordable, and it’s there to improve not only their quality of life but the quality of life of their entire communities. When we see an education system that has been starved of the resources necessary to provide a good start for young children…. A whole generation has been not lost but has had more challenging times through their education system. Now we have an opportunity to restore some balance and the kinds of services and expectations we have of our public education system.

It’s a good-news budget. I understand because I sat in those seats over there. I’d find out what was missing and what I would have liked to see earlier or faster. That’s expected. They can talk about what they see as tax increases, and I can talk about the tax decreases that I think are going to be important to my constituents. There’s nothing, probably, more important to the industrial users of electricity on the Sunshine Coast than the elimination of the PST on electricity. I know that Catalyst is going to benefit from that. The forest industry. The mining sector.

We have Lehigh. We have Heidelberg, obviously, in Sechelt. We have Lafarge. We have industrial users who are going to be benefiting from this tax reduction, which will also have a benefit to the employees that work for these corporations and their families and the schools where they send their children. This is going to provide a little bit more viability to the industries that they engage in.

When we talk about a tax cut to industry, we know that it will not just affect the bottom line of those industries. It will affect the bottom line of the people who are working in those industries — the miners, the loggers, the people who work in the pulp mills. For that, I think, members on that side of the House should also be pleased. It was partly one of the things that they supported in the past. I’m not sure why they wouldn’t support it now.

The reduction in the small business tax, something else that members who are now sitting in opposition were previously in favour of. We’ve implemented a half a percentage cut to the small business tax. I don’t hear…. I guess I don’t expect to hear, but one would expect an acknowledgment that, in fact, there are some very positive steps in this budget and, after 16 years, maybe some rebalancing of the playing field so that there are not just their winners but that the winners come from all parts of our province. There are not just winners in the big corporate offices, but there are winners in our communities, wherever those communities are in this beautiful province.

We see for the first time a budget that acknowledges that there are people living in poverty in this province, that acknowledges that you can’t just hope that saying the word “job” is going to solve the problem. We actually have a comprehensive plan in the works to at least address the inequality and the poverty that exist in this province, one of the most unequal provinces. It’s a beautiful province.

I will mention that we’ve increased the corporate tax by 1 percent. Then, when we think about the impacts of that and when we hear the negativity from the opposition saying that the only reason it appears in their minds that anyone would invest in this province is just the corporate tax rate….

[10:40 a.m.]

I would suggest to those cynical members — it’s not all of them, but those few cynical members — who would suggest that the only reason people would invest in this beautiful province is because of the corporate tax rate…. I would suggest that there are other things to consider. Perhaps education levels. Perhaps a willingness to work in all parts of this province. There are a number of factors. Maybe it’s because we do have a relatively good education system and workers would like to come to this province. There are so many things that are hindering corporate success in this province that this government has failed to address.

If I moved to this province to work for a large company, I’d want to make sure that I lived in an affordable place, a place where my children would be safe on the streets, where they’d go to school in not overcrowded classrooms and where they’d have access to supports and services. If they happen to have a sister or a brother with a developmental disability, that those services would be there for them. That they’d be able to walk down the street without fear for their life.

Or if they happen to have a cousin, a relative or a friend who’s been addicted or has become addicted, that there’s a compassionate response, that there are places for those people to recover from their addictions. I’d like that to be another example of reasons why people would move to British Columbia.

We’ve had 16 years where the cost of living has skyrocketed. You can talk about taxes. I’ll talk about fees. The MSP didn’t just…. We’ve cut it in half. That’s a significant savings to families in this province. It wasn’t as if that MSP has always been there at that rate. This government kept putting it up. I’m glad that they had that little conversion on the road to Victoria when they decided that maybe that wasn’t such a good idea, that they’d get rid of it too. It’s almost like…. About a month and a half ago, we all agreed these are really good ideas. Now that we’re talking about them, it seems there’s just nothing but negativity.

I think we have a really wonderful opportunity here to show that there’s more that makes us the same than that divides us. Why don’t we at least compare what we promised in your last throne speech and our last throne speech? I know we’re talking about the budget now, but fundamentally….

A ministry for mental health and addictions. Imagine that. That’s visionary. It was recommended by an all-party committee — a select standing committee, the Child and Youth committee. I commend the member who was chairing that committee in the last session. She shepherded a study into the state of mental health services in this province and recommended the establishment of a stand-alone ministry. Our government listened.

Our government listens to the results of consultation. We consider the results. We haven’t predetermined our response to everything. We’re interested in looking for the best solutions to problems. We’re not just jumping to the one that we held onto the first time we thought of it. If there are ways of improving projects, we want to look for them. If there are improvements to a way we invest in infrastructure, we want to make sure we do the right thing. If we hear from dozens of mayors who say they don’t want a particular piece of infrastructure, that they’d rather look at other options, we’ll listen to those mayors. It’s important to do that.

Our democratic system is sometimes a little laborious and a little bit cumbersome, but the result is better. A little bit more hard work at the front end, and you get a better result later. I understand the negativity, but I don’t think it’s warranted. I think that members from all sides of this House should find something that’s extremely supportable in the budget that was presented in this House.

Homelessness. I live on the Sunshine Coast. We are about to construct a 40-bed shelter on the Sunshine Coast where eight years ago you would have had trouble identifying who was homeless. There were people perhaps living in tents, a few maybe living in a car somewhere. But we didn’t have homeless people looking for a place to be safe on the Sunshine Coast. It’s the impact of years and years of neglect that have resulted in the need to address the social deficit that exists in this province. This budget is a first step towards addressing the social deficit that has been left by this government.

[10:45 a.m.]

I think it’s important to talk about the fact that our education system was beaten up by the previous government, that housing affordability skyrocketed under their watch. Ferry fares more than doubled. MSP fees went through the roof. ICBC rates, through the roof. Hydro rates, through the roof. And then this opposition has the nerve to talk about uncertainty.

You’re sowing the seeds of uncertainty. We are confident that our infrastructure investments are going to benefit everyone in this province. There are going to be a lot of jobs created with our infrastructure investments, whether they be roads, schools, hospitals or upgrades. We have a lot of fixing to do. You can’t just come in here after 16 years and think: “Well, no one looked after this place while we were gone. Now we’re back. We’ve got some things to do. We need a new paint job. We need some new carpets.” You know, we can’t just live in the penthouse; we’ve got the whole place to look after. I think that when we start looking at the responsibility of government, it’s not just to look after the people in the penthouse. It’s to look after everybody.

It’s in fact to look after the people that are around your house as well. I’m glad we’re committing to spending money on some creation of modular homes for people who are homeless. I think everyone in this House…. When you walk around downtown Victoria or downtown Vancouver or if you walk even through the streets of our rural communities, you’ll see people who are down and out, who think they’ve been forgotten.

They haven’t been forgotten. Help is on the way. You know, these are our brothers and sisters. These are our aunts and uncles, our cousins. We have to think about it that way. They’re not there just because they made a bad choice. They’re there for a number of reasons, and we’ve got to address those fundamental root causes if we want to really have an impact. We can’t blame them. We can’t just keep them down.

We’re increasing social assistance rates for the first time in ten years — the first time in ten years. And we’re suggesting that perhaps if they have an opportunity to earn money, there’s another $200 exemption, in addition. For people on disability, another $100 a month. It’s not enough. That’s really not enough. One of my colleagues spent time trying to live on social assistance money for a month, and he lost a lot of weight.

When you think about people who are struggling to overcome…. Whether it’s an addiction or to address a mental health issue that they’re struggling with, the last thing they need is a government that is turning their face away from them. They need a government that’s going to look deep into the issue and say: “We have some possible solutions. We’re going to try. You will know that we’re going to try. You know that we’re going to try and make sure you’ve got preventative services. You know that we’re going to try to make sure you have treatment when you want it.”

They’ll know, when we re-regulate recovery homes so that when people are coming out of jail or when they’re coming out of treatment or coming off the street, that there will be a place where they’re safe, where they can make the adjustments. For too long, as I said…. You can talk about our economic circumstances in this province. You cannot divorce that from the reality we see on the street.

I go through the Downtown Eastside on occasion, and I look at that and say: “This should not be this way.” I don’t want to say it’s shameful, because that’s too…. But it is upsetting. It is upsetting, and it’s unnecessary. We can do better than that. If this province is as rich as the previous government suggests it was, there’s no excuse for that. These are people from all across our province. So I’m glad that we’re beginning to address the issue of street homelessness with the addition of 2,000 modular units. It’s not only the units but the support for people in those units.

[10:50 a.m.]

Clearly, anyone who has worked in the sector knows that as people are adjusting to a new reality in their life, they need some support and they need some encouragement. They need a shoulder to cry on or someone to help them contact a family member. We’re not just saying to go live in this place and that’s it. We’ll say: “We’ll go help you with any adjustments.”

Affordable housing. I mean, 1,700 new affordable units in this province is a start. It’s a start. There’s a real homelessness crisis, and there’s a home affordability crisis as well.

We have two states of emergency in this province right now. One is the fentanyl crisis, which is killing people every single day, I think at the rate of three a day. And we have the wildfire crisis. We know how to put out fires. You put more fire retardant and water on it. You get people to do it, 1,600 firefighters. We’ve spent over half a billion dollars extra this year on fighting fires. No one is blaming any side of the House for the wildfire situation. But we have the opportunity, and we’re going to take that opportunity to invest in making sure we’re stronger and more resilient in the future.

We’re going to have to become stronger and more resilient in the future. Our weather events are going to become more extreme. That includes drought, and we have a lot of combustible material in our back country. I think that our investment in ensuring that our wildfire services are properly supported is an investment in the future. I don’t think that people on the opposition side of the House would complain about that.

The fentanyl crisis is tragic. It’s tragic. And anyone who has had the opportunity to talk to families affected by the fentanyl crisis will know that there are no easy answers. There are no easy answers at all. But if we create…. If we help and promote and nurture strong young people, they’ll be more resilient against the scourge of drug overuse and inappropriate use. That’s what we need to do.

We need to make sure that the kids that come out of our school system have been in a place where they’ve been able to learn about themselves, learn about ways of living in our society that are positive and healthy. If we can do that, we’ll go a long way to create the resilience needed in our population.

But we’re dealing with an issue right now…. I’d suggest that it’s probably time to be considering even bolder measures to address the fentanyl crisis. I know those discussions aren’t going to be ignored because they’re complicated or difficult. They’ll be embraced, because they need to be embraced. We don’t have a lot of options left. Heroin replacement needs to be considered, expanded. We need to make sure that the drugs that people are going to use, because they’re addicted, are not poisonous.

I was talking to a young man yesterday who is currently in a state of deep addiction, in and out of hospital with a number of infections — lung infections, blood infections — and having trouble staying in hospital because he has a serious and strong addiction. We need to be able to address that. We need to be able to consider: what is the cost of this young man going in and out of hospital on a very regular basis? In and out of jail on a regular basis, where it costs $300 a day to keep someone in jail.

When you think about the priorities that our government should have, it should be on keeping people out of jail and out of hospital. It’s cheaper to keep people out of jail and out of hospitals. We just need to make sure that the right investments are being made. And I’m so proud of this government to not only recognize this approach but to embrace this approach.

I think that something else that the opposition is going to support is our need to thank and encourage volunteers in our communities. Our volunteer search and rescue and our volunteer firefighters are important in rural communities across this province.

[10:55 a.m.]

Any time anyone visits the Sunshine Coast, you’ll see those fire halls up the highway, and you know that one or two nights every week, people are there training, dedicating a lot of time, a lot of hours and a lot of physical exertion to make sure that they’re perfectly and well prepared for any emergency that comes along. We have a lot of back country, deep woods, ravines, ocean inlets. The comfort in having these volunteers around when needed is one that allows us to explore and to take full advantage of our beautiful natural environment.

So a tax credit for those volunteers, I think, is welcomed not just by this side of the House but by that side of the House as well. I’m pleased to see that we’re acknowledging those volunteers and that we have other ways of acknowledging volunteers. Volunteerism is such a core and key element to our communities.

Other things. I was listening to some of the speeches yesterday. They were fun to listen to, and some actually got me to respond, using my outside voice.

Some Hon. Members: Name names.

N. Simons: Well, we’re not allowed to name names in this House, but we can…. We won’t name names. Chilliwack, Abbotsford, anywhere…. We won’t name areas either. I would say there was a sense that some were less sure that we were confidently on our path to a better province for British Columbia. I’m quite convinced that we are.

When we see that not only have we also addressed the carbon tax issue…. When I talk to people about the carbon tax, they say that revenue neutrality is…. How do we invest in making sure that we’re prepared for the increase in the federal carbon tax? How do we invest in green infrastructure, if there’s no revenue source to do that? I’m glad to say that our carbon tax is going to address that. I think it’s about time that we recognized that our responsibility includes paying for what we need to invest in. I don’t resent that whatsoever.

The tolls. I mean, on the Sunshine Coast, we don’t have that many bridges, but we do have an understanding of what it means to pay to go places.

Interjection.

N. Simons: It’s bridge financing.

People on that side of the House might have said: “Well, where are the reductions for ferries that we promised?” Actually, they said: “Where are the freezes for ferries?” That was their promise — to freeze ferries. We actually promised to reduce them, and we plan to do that. Not everything can fit into the first budget. I’ve learned that. Not everything can fit into the first budget. You have to be more patient than waiting for eight weeks for us to fulfil all our promises.

I know that it’s not your job to give us the benefit of the doubt. I understand that the opposition is there not just to hold us to account but to remind us that they’re holding us to account on a daily basis. We made a lot of commitments, a lot of important commitments, to the people of this province, and we’ve made a lot of important commitments that we’re going to fulfil. We can’t do it all at once. There was a little bit of delay in getting into this chamber, on this side of the House. There were some nails clinging to ledges, hoping that this wouldn’t be the result of our democratic process. But look at that: here we are.

We have an important role to fulfil, and we expect that the opposition will come to us with good ideas — as I went to the previous government with good ideas. I want to say that one of the ideas I went to the previous government with was to ensure that we were better than we had been, when it came to services for children who are deaf or hearing-impaired. I’m glad to say that with our healthy kids program, we’re going to be investing in ensuring that kids have the right eye care, dental care and hearing care. I think that’s an important step for young kids. It’s symbolic, in a way, of our government’s attention to the voices of the little children, who are not lobbyists and are not here. We’re making sure that we address those concerns, because we’ve identified them.

[11:00 a.m.]

I would ask that the opposition members remember that our job is to listen to you as you bring your concerns of your constituents here. That’s your responsibility. My responsibility is to hear them, and the government’s responsibility is to consider them in the development of good public policy.

Good public policy is the foundation of this budget. It’s hopeful, it’s confident, it’s optimistic, and it reflects the positive vision of British Columbians.

E. Ross: This is my first opportunity to speak to the budget update. I want to thank my constituents of Skeena for giving me the opportunity to represent them here in the House.

I want to start by saying I understand why they elected me to do this. They wanted to see if I could duplicate what I did for my community. It’s no secret that within five years, we became an economic powerhouse. What people don’t understand is why we did it. We became the economic powerhouse to uplift the people.

[R. Chouhan in the chair.]

We wanted to put the people in a position where they could help themselves. We didn’t do it for the corporate penthouses. We didn’t do it for the limos or the taxi or whatever else is being said. In fact, I’m very proud to say that my community is still providing services that came from all that economic activity. Now I’m sad to say that it might be all gone, because the economic activity is starting to go away in my riding.

I met a lot of people during the election at the door-knocking, and I heard a lot of different views about which direction we should head. Despite all the different opinions, everyone agreed on the final destination. The common denominator always came down to economic development and specifically the jobs that come from economic development. Kitimat being an industrial town, Terrace as a service hub and Nisga’a trying to implement their historic treaty — all wanted jobs for their members. There was a common desire to see all of the abundant resources that we have in the north used to directly benefit the people in the region.

When the election results started coming in on May 9, we could already see that there was a distinct divide between rural and urban British Columbia. All the seats of the Green Party were elected on southern Vancouver Island. Most of the seats the NDP won, with a few scattered exceptions, come from either the Lower Mainland or on the Island. While the Liberals were the only party that were elected on the Island, in the Lower Mainland and, of course, all throughout the Interior and the north, the election results revealed a divide between urban and rural British Columbia.

I see it every time when I fly between my riding of Skeena and head down here to the Legislature in Victoria. This rural-urban divide translates into the great debate between the environment versus the economy. We see it here in the Legislature. We have an NDP minority government supported by the Green Party that insists on opposing any major infrastructure development in our province.

These projects are well known — Site C, for example. There are currently 2,600 workers on the construction site who are worried that the NDP and Green Party coalition are planning to hand them pink slips, regardless of the review with the B.C. Utilities Commission.

The cancellation of the Massey Tunnel replacement project. We are talking about cancellation, not consultation, because the NDP have already removed capital funding for the bridge project from their fiscal plan. That’s another 9,000 jobs that won’t come to fruition. It also hurts our provincial economy by stalling traffic to and from the port of Vancouver.

This government wants to stay in power so they bend over backwards to please their Green Party partners, who basically oppose any development anywhere. LNG? The Green Party says no way. Site C? Nope. The Green Party opposes the project so the NDP will follow suit and cancel the project, despite the review process. This is a coalition government that is furthering the divide between rural and urban British Columbia. They see the environment and economic development as separate initiatives. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

I want to provide this House with a northern perspective. In 2003, I opposed any development of any kind, including forestry and LNG, but a few of my fellow wise councillors encouraged me to first look at my people’s social and economic situation before deciding my mandates, which I did. I explored it.

[11:05 a.m.]

In turn, I was discouraged by the high unemployment, the drug and alcohol abuse, the poverty and no future. I was more discouraged by politicians over the decades who promised a better future but never delivered anything over those decades. It was then I decided to take on a new approach and path to self-reliance, independence and self-determination.

The success of our council is still being felt today, although not as strong as a few years ago. Our engagement, which facilitated — not blocked, not stalled, but facilitated — the optimism of LNG exports and port development, positively impacted the region and the province of B.C. and, dare I say, Canada. Businesses flourished, hired more people, and workers came in from all over the province and Canada. There were lineups in restaurants, mortgages acquired, and dreams came true for the people in Skeena. Overall, life was good.

Yes, we had problems. We had hurdles. But throughout all these hurdles, the towns, the First Nations communities, government and the ministry cooperated on solutions for the benefit of British Columbians. But overall, for companies to invest billions of dollars in B.C., they need to know they will be welcomed and supported by government.

The PNW cancellation was a huge blow to northeast and northwest B.C. Now Aurora LNG in Prince Rupert has ended their feasibility study and will cease all investigation activity. My sincere condolences to those projects and the people affected. But Kitimat projects are trying to hang on. The billions of dollars of investment that are proposed for my riding are still there. In fact, in thinking about this overall approach, none of this makes sense to me when we’re talking about LNG. While the rest of the world is looking to LNG to reduce emissions, forces in B.C. want to keep B.C. LNG out of the solution for global warming. Everybody else sees it as a solution, as a clean-burning fuel source — China, the United States. Everybody sees it. Even Germany is going to start looking to LNG to reduce emissions.

B.C. wants to stay out of that game. They do not want LNG to help with the global warming issues all over this world. So we can pat ourselves on the back to say, “We’re doing our part,” but in effect, we’re not doing our part because we’re not helping China.

United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples. We’re talking about economic development for the province of B.C. and Canada. We’re also talking about economic development for First Nations so they can help themselves.

I find it very condescending, as a First Nations person, when I hear a politician talk about how they’re going to come and help us. The rules and the climate are there for First Nations to help themselves, to be included in the economy. UNDRIP can undo all of this progress that we’ve done in the last 12 years in terms of First Nations engagement. It can undo all of it if we don’t consider it carefully. I am saying this from a First Nations perspective. If consent is not a veto, as I have heard in this House, then I have no objections. I have no objections to UNDRIP if there is no veto, but if consent is veiled as a veto, yes, I do have objections. That’s because a veto will not only affect B.C. and its economy and Canada’s economy; it will also affect those First Nations who have signed on to linear projects to help alleviate all the issues mentioned in UNDRIP itself.

I’ve heard that this government supports LNG, but it wasn’t even mentioned in the Finance Minister’s budget update speech. That concerns me. I haven’t seen anything in this budget that reflects the incredible opportunity that LNG export offers to the growth of B.C. and to reduce China’s emissions, or to lift First Nations out of dependence and the Indian Act. I can’t tell you how disappointing that is to the people of the Skeena riding.

[11:10 a.m.]

In terms of the hospitals in B.C., it’s well known that Terrace residents have been waiting a long time for a new hospital. In fact, everybody in the region that uses the Terrace hospital and uses Terrace overall as a hub has been waiting for a new hospital. One of the reasons that we can’t attract new doctors and nurses to the north is because they come to see the poor facilities that we currently have, and they see no future for themselves or their families.

We have a strong population up there that needs medical services like everybody else — just like everybody else in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island. Both parties, leading up to this election, agreed that the Terrace hospital would be replaced. In fact, it was in the February budget. It’s not in this current budget.

In terms of the people suffering up there, I have one constituent who suffers from asthma and does not have a family doctor. In order to access his medication, he has to call the clinic first thing, at 8 a.m., to make an appointment. Twice he has been told there are no appointments left on a given day and tried calling the next day. This week he had to go to the pharmacy to beg for medication. They gave it to him but would not give the patient another refill without a prescription.

This would have been different if we had a brand-new hospital that could attract doctors and nurses. People in the north know that without economic development, facilities like a new hospital just won’t happen for people in the north. It’s a shame, because there are many people and organizations who spent years advocating for a replacement of their hospital.

If this government and the Green Party do not support LNG, then hopefully, you’ll agree that the region needs to be prepared with an up-to-date hospital and infrastructure. I just don’t see the Terrace hospital being replaced. If not in this budget, hopefully the next budget will cover it.

What I do see in the budget is the NDP announcing that they are going to take tolls off bridges in the Lower Mainland. That means the government’s going to lose at least $250 million on an annual basis. That’s money that won’t be going to pay off the capital costs of constructing the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges. Instead, they’re going to lump billions of dollars onto taxpayer-supported debt. While that might be good politics to win seats south of the Fraser River, it sends a message to people in the rest of the province that winning votes is more important than building a hospital in the north.

I know I’ve heard the Minister of Finance say that she wants to make life affordable for British Columbians, but the money has to come from somewhere, and we know that has to be the taxpayer in this budget. There are only a few ways to finance a government — either cut spending in one program to pay for another or raise taxes. That is exactly what the NDP and the Green Party coalition intend to do — raise taxes, $1 billion worth of new tax increases over the next three years.

How are they going to do it? One of the ways is the carbon tax. Up until now, the Liberal government followed the law that made the carbon tax neutral. It said any increase in the carbon tax would have to be offset by a decrease in either personal taxes or some other form of taxation. That’s what made the carbon tax revenue-neutral.

Now the NDP and Greens announced in their budget that they are going abandon the revenue-neutral requirement, and they plan to increase it every year, for at least the next four years, starting in 2018. That’s a 40 percent increase in the carbon tax over four years. It sounds like a green thing to do, but it doesn’t look anything more than a dressed-up tax grab.

This is going to hit people at the gas pump, and it’s going to make it harder for people to heat their homes in the winter. For those of us in the north, where the winters are colder and we have to drive a much longer distance to get anywhere, it’s going to hit us harder than people in the south. Forestry contractors and businesses that use fossil fuels up north and residents in my riding will be hit hard with this carbon tax.

In fact, my constituents already pay the highest gas rates in B.C. So I’ve got to go back and tell my constituents: “Your gas bill is going to go up, not once but twice.” Of course their bill will increase for their own use, but when the company that supplies the gas gets extra costs added to their bottom line, the company will do what most businesses do when their costs go up. They will pass this added cost on to the consumer. This does not speak to affordability. The same applies to the increase in business taxes from 11 percent to 12 percent.

[11:15 a.m.]

Who ends up paying in the end? The consumer. We in the north already pay more for the cost of living than people do in the Lower Mainland or on the Island.

It’s not just potential industry that will bypass B.C. if taxes become too high to invest. Current industry has had to compete in an unfair market because countries like China can produce much more cheap product with little regard for emissions, little regard for global warming or standards that B.C. companies have to abide by. Our industries in this situation are at an extreme disadvantage.

This all comes back to what I was saying about the deepening divide between rural and urban British Columbia, and this government is pushing us further apart with this budget update. In order to support and preserve the environment, we must have the economic means to do it. When you say no to economic development, you are saying no to all the revenue the government needs to build things like a new hospital in Terrace.

I also mentioned earlier that we have to travel greater distances in the north just to get around. So you can imagine that people in my riding of Skeena and, in fact, all over northern B.C. are devastated with the news that Greyhound wants to pull out of its northern routes. If Greyhound does get approval to end its bus runs in northern British Columbia, there will be a major gap for those who want to travel Highway 16 on the corridor west of Prince George. Greyhound says that the new B.C. Transit bus service along Highway 16 that the former Liberal government brought in poses too much competition.

Just when we had the combination of services finally covering local needs, we now have a potential pullout by Greyhound, and it is a safety issue. We are hearing from the relatives of people who lost family members along Highway 16, and they are extremely upset about this. So we are waiting to hear how the provincial government is going to respond, and we’d like to hear soon. I’ve seen previous applications for other regions for the same kind of reasons, but other regions don’t have the same safety concerns that we have. Our highway has been named the Highway of Tears. So I am calling on the government and the Minister of Transportation to act fast before we lose this invaluable service.

In conclusion, I want the government to rethink its opposition to economic development in the north and other parts of the province. The way you grow a province is by growing the economy, not by taxing it more. We can’t save and protect the environment if we can’t support our own people. It’s one thing to say that you want a budget that works for the people, but that doesn’t happen when nobody is working and everybody is on welfare, regardless of increases to welfare rates.

Before you introduce a full budget next February, first think about how you can build a bridge between rural British Columbia and urban British Columbia. If you don’t want to build a bridge in the Lower Mainland, then think about building this bridge between rural and urban British Columbia. At the end of the day, we have to find ways to close, not widen, the gap between caring about the environment and caring for our people at the same time.

Hon. K. Chen: It is my pleasure to address the House today in support of Budget Update 2017. As the MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed, I would like to, first, give my deepest gratitude to all the constituents who have given me the support and trust to allow me the opportunity to be here and to represent our community in the Legislature. I’m also honoured to rise in this House as B.C.’s Minister of State for Child Care to speak to a budget that begins to support people who built this province, every one of us.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to speak about a budget that reflects choices that invest in people because, as my grandmother taught me as a child, everything we do in our daily lives matters. Every choice we make matters. Every challenge we are faced with and how we respond matters. And every success we achieve in life and the hard work that gets us there matters.

[11:20 a.m.]

My grandmother stressed that what matters the most is that we are grateful for what life gives us and thankful for what we have, so let me begin my remarks with what in my life I’m most grateful and thankful for.

To my parents, my husband and our three-year-old son: I wouldn’t be here without your love and support. I strive to make you proud each and every day, and I vow that my work in this House and on behalf of my constituents in Burnaby-Lougheed will always be rooted in the trust and the faith that you have put in me.

I would also like to give special thanks to Dr. Jane Shin, who did an amazing job represented the riding of Burnaby-Lougheed before me.

I wouldn’t be here without the support of my constituents, my very, very amazing campaign team, all the dedicated volunteers, friends and supporters and my constituency office colleagues, whose excellent work and dedication allow me to come to Victoria knowing that what matters most at home in Burnaby-Lougheed is getting done. The fact that I stand before you here today as a minister of state is a testament to your hard work, your values and your hopes for a better British Columbia. I am your voice in this chamber and in Victoria.

I know how important education is to the people in my riding. Parents, children, educators have been waiting for 16 years for a government that is finally willing to invest in public education. I know that our students and teachers deserve better and more.

Burnaby-Lougheed also has one of the largest stocks of co-op housing in the province, yet demand far outstrips supply. I will work hard to see more of this kind of affordable housing for all communities that need creative solutions to the fact that too many British Columbians find it tough to keep a roof over their heads.

I will continue to defend our community’s best interests and speak up on environmental protection issues like the Kinder Morgan tank farm that, in the event of a fire or spill, would threaten residential neighbourhoods near SFU, Forest Grove and Westridge. Many families worried about being completely cut off, parents from young children, in the event of an accident. Your voice will be heard in Victoria, as you elected me to do.

Our community is very diverse. But I’ve heard from the doorsteps of multi-million-dollar homes to the doorsteps of low-income households in my riding the same desire for an advocate in Victoria for the Burnaby-Lougheed community who will fight for programs that help our community to work together as a whole so that all of us — from North Road to Kensington, Cariboo, Burnaby Lake to Burnaby Mountain — are able to thrive.

As someone who came to B.C., alone, as a young student and as a newcomer at that time, I personally know the power of community support and coming together for the collective good. I would like to say a few words in my mother tongue, in Mandarin and Taiwanese, here.

[Mandarin and Taiwanese were spoken.]

What I said was I came to B.C. as a student from Taiwan at the age of 17, alone, with a few words of English and even fewer sources of support. Like many newcomers in our community, I once felt alone, but I was grateful for the opportunity to make a new life in a new country.

[11:25 a.m.]

I had to start over, and in doing so, I realized that I was actually never alone in this journey. Other than all the people who have given me unconditional support during my life in B.C., I also found a new family. I joined the New Democratic Party, a family that believes in supporting everyone in our community; a family that welcomed me, despite my limited English; a family that encouraged me, as a new immigrant, to speak my mind, even if I struggled to find the right English words to express myself; and, most importantly, a family that shared the same values as those of my family, who believe in fairness and equality and who, like my grandmother, believe in being thankful for what you have and sharing the good fortune with those who struggle.

There are people who are struggling in B.C. When I came here as a 17-year-old student, I fell in love with this place and thrived. But a few years later, as a community worker, I realized this wasn’t the case for many people in our community. I found myself on countless doorsteps hearing from people who struggled to make ends meet and put food on the table.

I remember one day in particular. It was pouring rain. It was very cold. The mood of people on the doorsteps that day was as bleak as the weather. I took shelter in the stairwell of a low-income apartment whose residents I went there to speak with, and there, in the stairway, I saw a man sleeping under a thin blanket. I cried that day, and I remembered what my grandmother had instilled in me as a child — that everything you do in life matters, and be grateful for what you have. I had a bed to sleep in that night. That was when I vowed to do more.

So here I am today, grateful and thankful to speak in favour of the Budget 2017 update, because this is a budget built on choices that make life more affordable for B.C. families and improve services for everyone so that each one of us has the opportunity to grow, be healthy, raise our families, find well-paying jobs and create a strong foundation for ourselves.

We’ve heard for far too long that the cost of living had gotten too high for British Columbians and that they couldn’t get the services they needed when they needed them. After 16 years under the previous B.C. Liberal government, I’m proud to be in a new B.C. NDP government that is finally putting people in the centre of politics.

The first steps to achieving a better B.C. are found in this budget update. Our number one priority going forward is to make life better for B.C. families. We’re demonstrating that priority by making life more affordable; by cutting MSP premiums in half, which will save families up to $900 every year; lowering taxes for small businesses so they can grow and thrive; and investing in thousands of new units of affordable and supportive housing for low-income British Columbians and those who are homeless. Plus we’ve established a ministry and parliamentary secretary responsible for creating a plan to reduce poverty in B.C., and we’ve immediately increased income and disability assistance rates by $100 a month, the most meaningful increase in ten years, with more improvements to come.

We know that there is more to do. These first steps are important to help lift vulnerable families out of poverty and make B.C. a better place to live for every British Columbian. At the same time, we’re working on building a more sustainable economy. We’re investing in schools, hospitals, transit and transportation infrastructure to improve our communities and create good jobs.

[11:30 a.m.]

Economically, we respect that the best solutions are made-in-B.C. solutions. To that end, we’re creating an innovation commission to support B.C.’s tech sector and an emerging economy task force to capitalize on B.C. ideas, grow our economy and drive us forward.

We know that economic growth does not have to come at the expense of the environment. That is why we’re phasing out the provincial sales tax on electricity — to ease the burden on businesses and encourage them to use low-carbon energy sources. It is also why we’re building on carbon tax, while using that revenue to fund sustainable industry to better support families.

Most importantly, investments in people are investments in a sustainable economy. That’s why we restored adult basic education and English language learning so people can continue to improve and be ready for opportunities.

Ultimately, with this budget update, we’re investing in services people count on. In the school system, we’re investing in smaller class sizes, more resources and thousands more teachers to help kids succeed. We’re boosting spending to specifically address the fentanyl crisis, and we established a new Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions to steer us towards a more coordinated system of service delivery. As well, the healthy kids program will now help low-income families with improved dental rates and expanded service to cover hearing aids.

Last but certainly not least, we are investing in child care — the budget item most meaningful to me, both as a mother and as B.C.’s Minister of State for Child Care. I know it’s oh so very important to many, many B.C. families. Every family deserves a stable foundation on which to build their lives. Access to safe, affordable, quality child care can help offer that stability. I know that many B.C. parents are facing huge challenges when trying to find child care for their children.

I know from personal experience how difficult it can be. When my son was born, we had a hard time looking for suitable child care that worked for us. After many, many discussions with my husband, we decided that I would focus on my career while he put his career on hold to look after our young child. We were very lucky to have that option. Because I know many, many families in B.C. are not able to do so, and if we had had access to quality affordable space for our son, we would have made a different choice.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

That’s why I believe that child care should be a basic service, because families need child care so they can participate fully in our economy. I know, over the last few days, there have been many, many discussions and uncertainty about whether we are still going ahead with our $10-a-day commitment. I can tell you today that this government is committed to a $10-a-day child care plan — one that is accessible, affordable and works for every B.C. family because this is the right thing to do.

It is also an exciting and interesting time in B.C.’s political history. British Columbians have elected a minority government and expect us to work across party lines to find solutions together. I’m excited to have meaningful conversations with members from all parties in this House to make sure we put forward the best solutions possible. We have already started working on our implementation plan. We are in the early stages of this long-term commitment. We are working closely with the Green Party, with stakeholders and parents. I’m making every effort to meet with as many people as I can, from child care providers, early childhood educators to concerned parents.

[11:35 a.m.]

We’re having many discussions, not to see if we can introduce the plan but to determine how we should do it. We will identify priority areas, like infant and toddler care, and accelerate the creation of licensed child care spaces where they’re needed the most. We’ll also look at opportunities to support early childhood educators through improved access to training, education and fair wages. These important discussions will continue over the coming weeks and will help to inform our plan for universal child care in B.C.

In February, our Budget 2018 will lay out more details of our child care plan in the first full budget that this government will deliver. In the meantime, we continue to make safe, affordable child care available for B.C. families even as we work on our long-term plan for a universal child care system.

As the Minister of State for Child Care, I also work closely with the Ministry of Children and Family Development and my colleague, Minister Katrine Conroy. I know that protecting the 7,500 children and youth in care of the government is an incredible honour and responsibility, and we need to do more.

A big part of the ministry’s mandate is to enhance and improve child protection services to ensure that all children grow up in a safe and nurturing environment. MCFD’s service plan outlines the steps the government will take to improve child protection legislation, policy, standards and practice. The plan considers recommendations made in the important report by Grand Chief Ed John, and it is informed by recommendations from the Representatives for Children and Youth, whose office we look forward to having a more constructive relationship with than in the past.

The emphasis now is on consultations with Indigenous and First Nations leaders to better understand what their communities need in terms of support. I cannot stress enough that social workers have some of the most difficult jobs in the province, and recruiting quality staff is an ongoing challenge for our ministry. We need more social workers to connect vulnerable families with the services they need in every corner of B.C., and we’re hiring. More front-line and support staff are being hired throughout the province, with incentives to attract social workers to rural and underserved communities. This budget reflects that, with funding specifically allocated to cover staffing costs.

The ministry’s mandate is very clear. It must improve Indigenous services, implement the recommendations from Grand Chief Ed John’s report and provide better supports to keep Aboriginal children at home and out of care. In fact, the biggest driver in the ministry’s budget is its response to Grand Chief Ed John’s report and improving Indigenous child welfare across B.C.

Funding will help to ensure delegated Aboriginal agencies are funded at levels equitable to the ministry, and it will go towards increased family supports and reunification work — that is, culturally appropriate services, additional staff with Indigenous communities and services for Indigenous children in care, including those with special needs. True and lasting reconciliation is a priority for this government, and every day we’re working with Indigenous partners and communities to understand what they need the most and how we can work together to improve outcomes with their children and families.

The work I’m doing in child care and early childhood development is also an important component of our commitment. This government has already moved quickly, in a few weeks’ time, to improve supports for vulnerable young people in government care, and you can expect to see increased funding to reflect that in February’s Budget 2018.

[11:40 a.m.]

In the meantime, we’re looking at other ways to help these young people out. Recently, we extended the tuition waiver program so that more young adults coming out of government care can have the support to follow their educational dreams. This was called for in Minister Conroy’s mandate letter from the Premier, and we accomplished it with just six weeks since taking office.

We’re not stopping here. Our ministry is working hard to expand the agreements with young adult programs so that these young people get the same level of support that many of their peers receive after they turn 19. Stay tuned for more on that from my colleague, Minister Katrine Conroy.

With the opioid crisis continuing to prey upon our vulnerable citizens, this government will not stand by and watch families torn apart. Our young people deserve a better system, and we’re working towards one that ensures that children and youth have timely access to the full spectrum of mental health and addictions care in every region of the province with an “ask once; get help fast” approach. The establishment of the new Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions shows our government’s commitment, and MCFD will continue to support young people’s mental health needs until a broader strategy is in place through the new ministry.

Through Budget 2017, the ministry is also investing in key areas to reduce child and youth mental health wait-lists, fund new community staff and connect children and families to enhanced services. With this budget, we also recognize the additional strains on families of special needs children, and we’ve laid the groundwork for increased support. Additional funding for autism, medical benefits and special needs children in care is at the forefront of that. A cross-ministry working group is examining the current autism services, including diagnosis, assessments, intervention, educational support and transition to adulthood for those young people who need and deserve an extra hand.

I know we have a lot of work to do before we can release a full NDP budget in February 2018, which will help to pave the way for a future B.C. that is truly a better B.C. I know that waiting to see what the future unfolds can be difficult. We’ve come to expect instant answers and immediate solutions. So here I would like to share a quick story before I end my speech.

When I was young, when I was in Taiwan, I remember a fortune teller telling me that I would grow up to be a politician overseas. I was like, what? At that stage of my life, I was considering a career in social and non-profit work. I had not considered leaving Taiwan, and I only spoke very limited English. Yet two decades later I stand here in the Legislature of British Columbia as the proud Member of the Legislative Assembly for Burnaby-Lougheed and the Minister of State for Child Care.

Nothing is impossible. Everyone in our community, regardless of our background or socioeconomic status, deserves the opportunity to strive and to reach their full potential.

I know the Budget 2017 Update will provide support to many British Columbians who have been waiting for the services they deserve for many, many years. I know the Budget 2017 Update will bring opportunities to create good jobs and a strong economy for communities across B.C. I know the Budget 2017 Update is the right bridge to our first full budget in February 2018, and this province is on the right track to being a better B.C.

Mr. Speaker: Members, if I may remind you, while speaking in the House, we should refrain from referring to individuals by name.

J. Johal: This is my first opportunity to speak on the budget on behalf of my constituents in Richmond-Queensborough. I want to thank them for the privilege to represent them in this great House. I also want to thank a tremendous group of volunteers who helped me during the campaign. I also want to thank my constituency assistants, Samantha Schaap and Regina Tsui, who do such a great job in keeping me in touch with constituents in Richmond-Queensborough.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank my parents in Williams Lake. Like all immigrants, they worked very hard when they came to this country to provide the opportunities for myself and so many others in this great House as well.

[11:45 a.m.]

Normally, I would say it’s a pleasure to get up in this House and give my response to the government’s budget. But today, I have to admit that I, like many British Columbians, feel the wave of uncertainty and fear for the future as I look through its contents. It’s shocking to feel that way when you consider the enviable position that B.C. has been in for the last while.

The NDP government is inheriting the No. 1 economy in Canada, with GDP growth last year at 3.7 percent. That’s tops in the country. We see record employment, among the lowest unemployment rate in Canada, and more than 250,000 jobs added since the B.C. jobs plan was put in place.

Under the B.C. jobs plan, we went from ninth place in job creation to second. We went from fourth in the country on economic growth to first. We grew exports by 10 percent and had an 18 percent increase in capital investment. B.C. enjoyed five consecutive balanced budgets, as well as a triple-A credit rating, the only province other than Saskatchewan given that rank. The NDP also inherited a $2.7 billion surplus.

Now, these positive accomplishments were achieved thanks to a solid plan to keep taxes low, attract investment, grow the economy and create jobs. But here we are today, having looked at the NDP budget, and we see a major contrast. We see a reckless approach to our economy. Instead of a plan to grow that economy and protect and grow jobs, we see a plan to drive up taxes and drive business and investment away.

The NDP are going to raise corporate taxes from 11 percent to 12 percent, hurting the ability of our businesses to reinvest in British Columbia. The move is supposed to bring us in line with other Canadian provinces — the very provinces we’re competing with for capital and investment. That’s one way the NDP is chipping away at B.C.’s competitive tax advantage. Not to mention, we know higher taxes are always passed along to consumers. When businesses are looking to grow and invest, which in turn creates jobs for the people of B.C. and puts food on their tables, they look at where they can make a profit. Raising taxes will drive those paycheques away.

Recently I heard that Amazon is looking for a second headquarters, but the chances of them coming to B.C. don’t look as good as they might have previously. Actions like the one the NDP has taken on corporate tax threaten significant business moves like that one, and our economy and our workforce suffer as a result.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the first project the NDP has scared away. Let’s not forget what would have been the largest single private investment in Canadian history, Pacific NorthWest LNG. The NDP can claim it was not their fault, but Petronas reads the news, and they see the letter from this Premier to the federal government, asking them to stop the project. So in just a few weeks in office, the NDP scared off billions in capital investment, which will likely go elsewhere.

We have economists saying the U.S. is going to become the leading exporter of LNG. Maybe that’s thanks to the change in government and the uncertainty it’s creating. It’s tremendously disappointing to the communities and to the people who have had high hopes for this generational opportunity — people who say it does exist, who already work in the natural gas and LNG industry, who want our government to get to yes on even more projects.

For many communities it means jobs, opportunities, food on the table, hope for the future. This government should be working with these communities to get LNG across the finish line. Instead, it chooses to turn its back on these folks and continues to send signals to investors that B.C. is closed for business.

It makes me question where the support is for our resource sector and for the hard-working men and women who rely on these quality, good-paying jobs. What’s the plan when those jobs dry up? Increase taxes? That certainly seems to be a prevailing theme of this budget — like the removal of revenue neutrality for the carbon tax, a move that will absolutely harm B.C. business and consumers.

[11:50 a.m.]

This system saw carbon tax revenue returned to business and individuals to reduce their tax burden. This meant that carbon was being taxed, not economic growth. Our revenue-neutral carbon tax required any increase to be offset by a reduction in personal and business taxes. It was not a tax grab. Of course, the NDP hated it. They never met a tax grab they didn’t like. But this is a tax hike that will be passed on to consumers and business, yet another cost to doing business in B.C. This increase will take an estimated $500 million out of the pockets of taxpayers over the next three years, which hardly makes life more affordable.

Now, I want to put that carbon tax into a bit of context as well. Canada is responsible for 1.7 percent of global GHGs. British Columbia is responsible for 0.02 percent of global GHGs. We are a jurisdiction that is roughly one-fourth the size of the city of New Delhi, one-fifth the size of the city of Beijing.

Now, there’s no doubt that climate change is real and that we need to deal with it, but I would argue that carbon tax has to be seen in the context of remaining competitive with neighbouring jurisdictions, especially since most don’t have a carbon tax. British Columbia must remain competitive as we do our part to fight climate change. A $5-a-tonne increase is not helping B.C. remain competitive. When you look at the carbon tax, you have to look at global warming. Obviously, Canada deals with it, but Asia deals with it as well.

None of us can foresee exactly how the energy transition will play out, but there are broad trends that will play a significant role in fighting climate change. First, there is the role of global population. There are currently over seven billion people on the planet, and estimates show that we will hit 11 billion by the end of the century. Every one of these individuals wants to improve their lives and living standards. It also means that the energy transition will have to occur just as the consumption of energy nearly doubles in size. The reality is that the world is going to have to meet much more energy demand while significantly reducing greenhouse emissions. Asia represents 60 percent of humanity. It’ll grow by another 900 million people by 2050.

I often get asked: “What was the best story you’ve ever covered as a journalist? What’s the most important story you ever covered as a journalist?” My response isn’t the election of Trump. It isn’t the referendum regarding Brexit, or any of those issues. The story of our time is the hopes, the dreams and, ultimately, the consumption patterns of modern Asia.

When you look at UN projections, there’s another statistic that sticks out: 3.2 billion of the 3.8 billion extra people we can expect on this planet by the end of the century will be in Africa, the vast majority in sub-Saharan Africa. That has big implications for emissions. None of that lets Canada, British Columbia, the developed world — me, you or any of us — off the hook. What happens here is important, but what happens in Africa, India and China is at least as important. There’s a lot of work to do. We need to understand that the fight against climate change has to be seen within a global context. B.C. taxpayers and businesses, being in one of the few jurisdictions of the world that pay a carbon tax, cannot shoulder the financial responsibility alone.

Now, the government promised to raise taxes, and they certainly did that. Let’s look at promises that didn’t make their way into their budget: $10-a-day daycare is gone. It’s renamed universal child care, with no new money announced in the budget. Now, I understand that the member just across stated that it is coming, but the devil is in the details. I’m waiting to see it.

The $400 renters rebate is nowhere to be found. The elimination of interest payments on student loans — nope. Ferry fare rollbacks, a freeze on hydro rates, increased funding for parks and conservation officers — no, no and no. The 114,000 units of housing over ten years — not even close. Instead, we see a mention of the 1,700 new units already announced in February’s budget, as well as 2,000 units of modular housing.

Even after the NDP ignored some of the promises they made to British Columbians, they are still increasing taxes by nearly $1 billion over the next three years. If they intend to keep the rest of their promises, what sort of further tax hikes might we expect down the road? One has to wonder.

Noting the time, I move to adjourn the debate and reserve the right to speak again.

J. Johal moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. C. James moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 11:54 a.m.