Orders of the Day

Hon. M. Farnworth: I call continued insightful and scintillating debate on the budget.

[2:30 p.m.]

Budget Debate

(continued)

J. Johal: Prior to lunch, I was talking a little bit about uncertainty in regards to this budget. I’m going to focus on that topic at the moment, so let’s talk a little bit more about that.

As we speak, workers at the Site C dam are worried when the pink slips might be coming. That’s 2,600 workers whose jobs are at risk and 10,000 potential construction jobs also on the line. The same goes for Kinder Morgan — thousands of jobs on the line there, too, as the government takes legal action to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline project.

But perhaps the most galling is the project closest to my own backyard that now has been cancelled by this government. People have been waiting for years for a solution to the aging George Massey Tunnel, which is a seismic safety risk and the biggest bottleneck in the province. There have already been five years of planning and consultations on the project, not to mention three rounds of public engagement. But the NDP didn’t think that was good enough and ordered some more study and consultation on a future replacement. Or so they said.

An internal party document has now been released showing the NDP always planned to kill the project. The document is clear. It 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 along Hastings Street and 41st and 49th Avenues. That is, we’ll implement the Mayors Council vision. We’ll pay for this instead of replacing the Massey Tunnel.”

I see this as a stunning lack of care and regard for the safety of commuters when they know the seismic danger posed there. In fact, an earthquake of a magnitude of seven or higher would likely make the crossing unusable, cutting off this lifeline during any emergency and for months or years after.

This document shows the NDP have no plans to fix what everybody knows is the worst bottleneck in British Columbia. They think it’s perfectly acceptable to have 80,000 commuters stranded in gridlock traffic twice a day. And what’s more, we now have proof the NDP has been deliberately misleading people in my riding, throughout the province. The cancellation of this project means that the NDP are effectively saying no to 9,000 construction jobs and 4,500 to 5,000 additional permanent jobs to be created by 2045 through increased economic growth. And it adds to the uncertainty about which project the NDP will axe next and how many jobs will be cut next.

Instead of having a plan to grow jobs in this province, we see thousands of them going out the window. Instead of a plan to grow the economy, we see reckless spending and tax hikes to pay for it all. The fact of the matter is: you need a plan. You need to have the economy performing, or you’ll end up plunging into a deficit situation. But we know that this is nothing new for the NDP.

[2:35 p.m.]

In the 1990s under the NDP, B.C. saw eight deficit budgets and six consecutive credit downgrades. We had the highest income taxes in Canada. We became a have-not province. B.C. was last in Canada for job growth — five years straight. B.C. was last in Canada for private sector investment. For every new mine that opened, two closed. Mineral exploration virtually disappeared, resulting in almost 5,000 job losses. B.C. was dead last in job creation.

Interjections.

J. Johal: I know this walk down memory lane is a bit painful for you, sir.

Unemployment peaked at 10 percent in 1992 and remained above 8 percent until the year 2000, and 50,000 British Columbians left B.C. to find work. Those are the facts. The NDP have spent a lot of time telling people that the 1990s were a long time ago and this is the present and things are different now. Are they?

[L. Reid in the chair.]

Will they be weeks and months from now? Time will tell. I know that for myself, as a father of a bright, energetic eight-year-old, it worries me where he’s going to work when he’s older. Will our province provide him opportunities for personal growth and success, or will we have to leave B.C. and go to where the jobs are?

As a parent, you always want to have your kids close to you, close to home. You want to be around to watch them excel in their careers and grow their own families right here in the community. But when there’s no plan to sustain and grow our economy and create jobs instead of lose them, that’s the risk we take.

I also want to touch on interest rates for a moment, because hikes to interest rates can effect B.C.’s capacity to carry increased spending. We’ve already seen Canada’s central bank deliver the first increase in seven years back in July, and the Bank of Canada raised the rates once again earlier this month. What’s more, all signals point to another potential interest rate hike this October. We know that even small increases in interest rates have an impact on the provincial budget, but they also hit consumers in the pocketbook. So there’s another red flag when it comes to the NDP budget.

But I’m not the only one who’s worried about the contents of this budget. The credit rating DBRS also looked over it, and says:

“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 provincial fiscal plan is challenged by an economic correction.”

DBRS goes on.

“The current fiscal plan suggests the province’s DBRS-adjusted debt burden would 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 double-A high rating.”

I’ve got one more concern from DBRS for you as well.

“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.”

Where will the money come from without a concrete plan to grow jobs and the economy? Further, if you actually make an effort to create jobs and attract workers, you need to ensure that they have access to important services. I’m thinking about things like health care.

In Richmond, we have a hospital that has been serving the community for well over 50 years. The staff, medical professionals and volunteers who work there do a tremendous job. But Richmond Hospital is an aging facility with equipment in need of upgrades. Back in February, the member for Juan de Fuca and now current Premier, along with some of his candidates, publicly threw their support behind a new acute care tower for the hospital. They issued a news release where one of their candidates accused the previous government of giving the community a bridge instead of a hospital.

Well, what do the people of Richmond get today, according to the budget? Neither one. No mention of Richmond Hospital and a bridge that the NDP has scrapped. I have no doubt that the people of Richmond will be wondering what happened to that promise as well.

With all that in mind, I will not be supporting this budget. It’s my hope that soon we will see some sort of plan from this government to generate revenue, attract investment, expand our export markets and create jobs and grow this economy for the benefit of everyone who calls this great province home.

[2:40 p.m.]

D. Routley: It gives me great pleasure to stand in the House and support the Budget 2017 Update. I should, as other members have, make note that we are standing and meeting on the territories of the Lekwungen people, including the Songhees and the Esquimalt peoples.

It’s been 12 years responding to budgets and throne speeches and 12 years of fighting against things that were bad for my community, fighting for things that we weren’t able to achieve — like the right to access to information and so many other issues that have been neglected by the former B.C. Liberal government. So it gives me great pleasure to be able to stand and support a throne speech that addresses so many of the problems that we’ve discovered and that we’ve been told of in our travels around this province.

It’s important to note that budgets are an expression of principle. The choices made in a budget express the values and principles of the people who write it. When you look at the budget that’s before us, I think we’ve lived up to our commitment to the principles, the promises that we made to British Columbians, that finally they would have a government that puts them first, rather than a privileged elite and insiders.

We are committed to following through on that promise. It is a promise to make life more affordable for British Columbians, to rebuild the public services we all depend upon, to build a more fair economy that creates good, sustainable jobs throughout our province, not in a selected few corners. It gives me such pride to stand and support a budget that invests in people, that puts people at the forefront, that returns government to the purpose it owes to the people — that being that the people are its first concern.

We have moved forward on increasing assistance rates for the most vulnerable British Columbians, allowing people on assistance to retain $200 more of their earnings, should they be able to earn money that was previously clawed back from them. That is a huge advantage to people who have been struggling in this province for so long, who’ve been ignored for so long.

We have moved to get rid of tuition fees for children who have been in the care of the province. This, to me…. I was at the announcement. I was in tears the whole time. I cry very easily, but this one was really special. I hope you won’t mind, but even the RCMP detail with the Premier were wiping their eyes. It was a fantastic moment, because the people in this province who have most deserved the attention of their government and who have least achieved it have finally been given some sort of attention from the government that sits on this side of the House currently. I’m so proud of that.

We’ve announced things that will make life better for my constituents — reductions in ferry fares. On the minor routes in my constituency — I have seven ferry terminals in my constituency — they will be reduced by 15 percent. On the major routes, they will be frozen. There will be a hydro freeze. We are moving towards our child care program.

This budget update is essentially an update eight months through the year, eight months through the previous government’s budget, so essentially four months was dictated by the current government. Even in the short length of time — with only now having sat for five days, I think, in total, including the throne speech last week — this government, even before it came to deliver a throne speech, had already delivered on so many of its promises, like the removal of tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges. I feel proud of that. I feel proud of a government that I represent, which is making the investments in education — public education being the reason that I entered politics.

I’ve been watching the last 14 years of cuts and diminishment of the most essential public service we have. An entire generation of students went through a system that was diminished and strangled by cuts and downloaded costs, in the most cynical way. The funding formula was cynically devised to punish small schools in rural communities, to reduce supports to children and to raise class sizes. We’ve gone in the opposite direction, and I’m so proud of that.

[2:45 p.m.]

Now, since this is a budget update and not a full B.C. NDP budget, it does allow a bit of room, I think, to refer back in time and look at what’s happened over the last little bit here. I would say that the reason the B.C. Liberals find themselves in opposition now is that they were not listening, and in my experience, they hadn’t been listening for a long time.

I’ll take forestry, for example. Before I ran in the 2005 election, the previous government deregulated and disintegrated the forest industry, disconnected the harvest from the mills, allowed the tree farm licences to be traded like pieces of currency, allowed a massive increase in raw log exports. The largest number of any year under the B.C. NDP in the ’90s was under 900,000 cubic metres. Last year we went well above eight million, according to people who know — eight million cubic metres of logs. That’s enough to load logging trucks from Victoria to Saskatoon, bumper to bumper.

At the same time, mills are closing. The rules that the B.C. Liberals severed or dismantled that protected B.C. workers in terms of safety on the job, in terms of fibre access for our mills…. Those rules have caused a situation where we have lost 60 percent of our value-added jobs. We have lost 50 percent of our value-added plants. Before the economic meltdown in 2008, during the largest postwar housing boom in the United States, this former government had already lost 30,000 forestry jobs. It is a declaration of incompetence and failure.

Even when we look toward the future of the industry, as sustainable as it is, our little trees now that will be big trees later…. Reforestation. When the B.C. Liberals came to power, the year before they came to power, the reforestation budget in this province was $130 million. After they came to power, they cut it to $8 million and only a couple of years ago raised it to $15 million and wanted credit for doubling it.

These are long-term investments that will pay a negative dividend because they weren’t made. We can’t just flip the switch and catch up when it comes to growing trees. When it comes to people, we can’t flip the switch and catch up. Those kids who went through a diminished education system, they will forever be faced with the same challenges that that experience created for them.

We saw the government ignore mental health problems and addiction problems in this province. We saw them ignore poverty, growing poverty and homelessness. We saw them ignore the housing affordability crisis. We saw them ignore the child care needs of the province. These are the elements of the B.C. NDP platform of which I am most proud. These are the elements that we have already begun to fulfil in such a short time, and I am very proud of that.

So there is a history here. It’s on the side of the former government, the B.C. Liberals. It’s a history of contemptuous betrayals of election promises. It’s not lost on British Columbians that this is the former government that had the hypocrisy of promising not to bring an HST to the province, not to sell B.C. Rail, to deliver 5,000 long-term-care beds that they’ve never delivered on. These are promises that go back 12, 14 years.

Interjections.

D. Routley: No, those are assisted-living beds, actually, they’re not long-term beds. What they did was take housing money from the federal government, and rather than put it in housing, they put it into assisted living.

So they ignored the mentally ill. They ignored the poor. They ignored workers. They promised the HEU and teachers they wouldn’t tear up their contracts and did. They fired the health researchers and caused terrible tragedy in their lives, denied and covered up.

They sold properties to their friends and insiders. One worth $5 million on Burke Mountain was sold for $150,000 to a top Liberal donor. This is wrong.

The triple-delete scandal, where they went about a complex and purposeful plot to deny British Columbians access to the information they own and that they need to make their democracy work for them. That is an egregious disconnect with any kind of ethic.

[2:50 p.m.]

We see the ethnic outreach scandal. We see the LNG pipedream. These are the inconsistencies, betrayals and incompetencies that have put the former government into opposition. These are all the areas that the B.C. NDP platform and the B.C. Green platform actually address in a progressive manner. That’s why we find ourselves on this side of the House. It’s a simple thing, really. It’s not a complex thing. When people have a track record of betrayal and of not following through on promises — in fact, going against exactly what they had said before, which is…. It’s a short word but unparliamentary, so I won’t use it. But that’s why we have this mix here.

What issues are most important to British Columbians? I would wager that the lives of their families, the lives of their neighbours, the health of their communities and the health of their environment are in fact the most important issues to people. They reject a province that is headed to higher and higher poverty rates, inequality, greater and greater costs, the lowest wage growth in the country and the lowest employment and opportunity for Millennials. That’s what this province has been delivered by that former government.

In fact, these are the elements of which I am most proud of my party’s platform and our mandate to govern, with the assistance of the Green Party, which has found so many similar approaches to some of these most troubling and vexing problems and issues that British Columbians face.

We’ve seen a litany of resulting and insulting flip-flops by the former government. I think we need to peel back the layers. When I was a kid, my favourite coat was this reversible coat. It was a different colour every day; all I had to do was reverse it. That’s fun for a kid, but when it comes to public-policy-making in politics, it’s pretty clear that people don’t want to see a government that just wears a different coloured coat as it suits them, to remain in power or to take what they need.

Let’s look back. The Liberal record on all those issues that I mentioned — that’s what people remember. Then they saw a former Liberal government campaign for re-election on their record without really offering any new ideas. They stood pat on those issues and were defeated. The Liberal campaign continued working for the elite and ignoring the people. Then when they faced the loss of government, they desperately tried to cling to power by issuing the now infamous B.C. Liberal clone speech. It was an embarrassing rush to reverse their coats once again.

I think it helps us to look at what was said by members about the throne speech, the clone speech, that they introduced, because it really illustrates how easy it is, apparently, for this opposition to switch a coat.

From the member for Peace River South: “But it’s really important with our economy that we have right now…. We have a larger surplus than anticipated, so we have the funds available now to commit to things that the families and people of B.C. have been asking for.” That doesn’t sound like what I’ve been hearing from the members on the other side in response to the budget update.

From the member for Penticton: “It shows that there are opportunities, when you have additional funds, to ensure that these vital programs that families need the most are able to be provided. As we all know, that makes a huge difference to many, many people unfortunately in those situations in the province.” Yeah. This was discussing spending more on social programs. That doesn’t really echo in the comments that I’ve heard on the budget update from the members opposite.

The member for Cariboo-Chilcotin: “British Columbia saw the strongest economic growth among the provinces last year and some of the fastest job growth in more than 20 years. This level of economic activity helped provide the means to make key investments in services that matter most to people and ensures that we have the resources to continue and enhance those investments.” That’s not what I’m hearing. I’m hearing an objection to us making those very investments that have gone wanting for so many years — over a decade and a half.

From the member for Surrey South: “A strong economy allows us to support our most vulnerable citizens and the causes we all care about.”

[2:55 p.m.]

From Richmond North Centre: “Our number one goal is to ensure housing is affordable for British Columbians.” Now, that might make people chuckle, but for those people facing the consequences of a housing crisis, it’s not comedy. It’s tragedy.

From the member from Vancouver-Quilchena: “…it’s high time that we took a look at rebooting our education system to ensure that student needs are always put first….” Again, that doesn’t sound like the record of the B.C. Liberal government or what I’ve been hearing coming across the floor.

“Governments must invest heavily in education if they wish to create a future that is prosperous for everyone.” That was the member for Shuswap. Sounded a little different the other day.

Richmond South Centre — and pardon, Madame Speaker, for this quote: “I continue to talk about access because I believe it’s hugely important. Provide free post-secondary tuition for all children in care — that speaks to me.” And it does to me. It is the most important piece, to me, we’ve done so far. The speaker went on to say: “…this is a glorious initiative, one that speaks to me and, frankly, warms my heart.” And I believe her very wholeheartedly.

Vancouver-Quilchena again is a frequent guest at the speaker’s mike in this House and has a certain attitude that would be a little bit challenged by this statement: “As I said, minority governments are routine all through the English-speaking world. They function reasonably well. Some people think they function very well because of this kind of compromise, because of this kind of joint position that absorbs information and ideas from all parties for the betterment of British Columbia.” Well, that did not sound at all like the member when he was talking about the legitimacy of this government, a minority government, or any of the programs that we’ve promoted.

From the member for Langley East: “We had put up a toll thing in the campaign, and we’ve gone further now, saying no tolls. I think the important piece of no tolls is recognizing, first of all, the crosses that families bear.” Now, that really didn’t sound like anything I’ve heard from the members on the other side. All I’ve heard was that we’re going to spend the province into ruin and we’re going to burden future generations with debt because they’re doing exactly what we said they should do, but now we’re wearing the coat the other way.

British Columbians are tired of that. I think that’s why power has shifted in this province. They’re tired of being told things that aren’t true. They’re tired of seeing a government that feigns concern for the issues that matter to them and then turns around and makes decisions that do nothing but hurt them. These are important things, and it’s kind of funny to read these things, but it’s also a tragedy, as I said.

Again, on the tolls, the same member for Vancouver-Quilchena: “It gave us the opportunity to simply say to British Columbia that it’s time to reap the benefits…to deal with bridge tolls….” Surely the New Democrat members opposite can agree on that one, since it was their idea in the election campaign. Now, if anything didn’t sound like the member for Vancouver-Quilchena, that’s it, because now we’re being told that that is going to, again, spend us into ruin.

So what does the B.C. Liberal party believe? What is the B.C. Liberal party? Is it a collection of conservatives? Is it a collection of Liberals? What is it? I don’t think it knows, and I think that’s why it’s on the other side of the House. And if I could give any advice, it would be to spend some time, as we did when we were in opposition, listening to people and the real challenges they face, formulating plans to address those challenges in conjunction with the people affected, in partnership with them, finding out what really matters to people inside their lives and building a program based on solid principles and values that reflects that to the people.

That’s the advice that I give to the B.C. Liberals. And shed the reversible coat. Decide what colour you are and assume it, because right now, the province has no idea.

Now, let’s look at the reversals. What are they saying now? Well, the Finance critic, Prince George–Valemount: “But I think the member owes it to British Columbians to talk about where they’re going to get the almost $1 billion that’s for child care.” Funny, though, they were talking about spending $1 billion on child care over the next four years, even a faster spend than the NDP. But now the coat’s been reversed, and it’s a different colour.

[3:00 p.m.]

I think people are sick of that. It feeds into a cynicism. It feeds into a kind of surrender to cynicism. I think people need to be inspired with some kind of hope that government will take a positive role in their lives, will do what it says it will do, believes what it says it believes, is consistent with its principles, consistent with its values.

That speaks to the party I represent, as we express our values through this budget update. Our values put people first. Our values support the most vulnerable. Our values have us all contributing fairly to an economy and to a society that’s healthy and that meets the aspirations of the people — not the aspirations of a few, who are elite, who can control the seats of power, but for the people of British Columbia.

What they said then…. Ah well, Richmond-Queensborough said: “That’s why our government is committing $1 billion towards child care and early childhood education, the single largest increase in B.C. history.” Are they saying we’re not spending enough? Or are they saying we’re spending too much? I don’t know. I think they’re saying both. I think sometimes they get trapped in between quotes, and they say the same thing and then the opposite in the same sentence almost. It’s pretty amazing.

Richmond-Steveston: “The B.C. government will amend the 2017 budget to make a $1 billion investment in child care and early childhood education over the next four years.” Again, it’s a stunning reversal, really, isn’t it?

It’s less depressing to see this kind of lack of commitment to principle and consistency while we’re sitting over here and they’re sitting over there. It was a little tougher to take when they were delivering that through throne speeches and budgets that ill affected the people in my constituency.

This budget update helps the people in my constituency. It helps Nanaimo Regional hospital gain an electrical energy centre — $11.7 million, $7 million from the provincial government. It helps Nanaimo and B.C. Housing in providing capital funding to a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Nanaimo of $100,000 to complete two four-bedroom houses. Those are going to be larger family units, which are so hard for families who are struggling to find.

In Nanaimo, B.C. Housing is also providing capital funding to new Aboriginal housing developments through the provincial investment in affordable housing program. Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre Society is receiving $4.6 million for a 35-unit project in Nanaimo.

Vancouver Island University — their health and science centre replacement of four buildings is at $39.9 million, $16.5 million of which is from the provincial government. Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo — their marine, automotive and trades complex expansion gets $20 million, $9.5 million from the provincial government. Nanaimo gets compressed natural gas buses, 24 of them, to replace existing diesel buses. This helps us meet some of the climate goals that local governments grapple with.

All my constituents will also benefit from greater investment in education, from smaller class sizes, from greater student supports. All of my constituents will benefit from a greater investment in public health care. All of my constituents will benefit from a community that’s more healthy, from a Mental Health and Addictions Ministry and greater emphasis, a strategic plan to address the scourge of opiate addiction. Every one of my constituents will benefit by a government that puts them first and puts the job generation from natural resources ahead of the easy buck.

We want our resources to be used conservatively. We don’t want our forests taken simply to be exported raw. We want our forests taken in a sustainable way to provide the maximum number of jobs for British Columbians. In Quebec, they get three times as many jobs as we do per cubic metre; Ontario, five times. That is a failure. We need a government that’s going to put us first.

When we said we’d take off the tolls, they said it was shortsighted and reckless. Then things changed. Suddenly, they’re all for it. Debt wasn’t a problem in July, I guess.

[3:05 p.m.]

All the Liberal MLAs sat — well, they are actually sitting over here — and they applauded the throne speech that celebrated a toll-free B.C. plan. They said, also, that it was time for British Columbians to enjoy some of the benefits of a strong economy. They said, in a desperate bid to cling to power, that we should finally benefit — after 16 years of ignoring people. A desperate effort that I’m sure…. This is all very dizzying, right? They’ve done the flip, the flop, and they’ve done the rare triple flip-flop. They’ve done the triple, right? “We’re for it. We’re against it. We’re for it. We’re against it.”

That is extraordinary. It’s dizzying. It’s kind of like the roller-coaster at the PNE. It swirls you around, it jars you, it spins you, and then you end up in the same place. And that’s exactly what we’ve had with the previous government. They always take us back to the same place, which is a failure to be true to their promises and the things that they’ve campaigned upon.

It goes all the way back to B.C. Rail, it comes all the way forward to the clone speech, and it comes all the way past that to the opposition we’re seeing here now that is attempting to reacquaint themselves, to reposition themselves, by opposing what they put forward in their own throne speech. Granted, it was a desperate bid to cling to power, but if you’re a B.C. Liberal supporter, you must feel like you’re riding that roller-coaster. “Are we for it? Are we against it?”

It’s rather pathetic that in a place as lofty as the people’s House, where we are tasked with meeting the test of the highest public purpose, we would see such mischievous, such damaging, such frankly stunning inability to maintain a course of truth. And that is a problem.

It’s been a problem…. I’ve railed against it, and you’ve heard me, over these years, railing against the cynicism and the lack of follow-through on promises from the previous government. I’m still doing that, in a sense, because eight months of this budget was theirs, and their performance since the election begs us to point to them and say: “Which colour coat are you wearing today?”

I honestly think that the members of the B.C. Liberal Party should step back and think about what guides them, what principles they adhere to. It was fine to be a coalition of Conservatives and Liberals and hold power, but now their positions divide them. Their positions divide their own supporters. Their positions are ludicrous. Their positions are laughable. This is serious business. But to flip-flop, flip-flop…. The triple flip is really kind of comical, kind of farcical and less tragic now because it has less consequence in peoples’ lives.

I’m proud to stand in this House and support a budget update that begins to express the principles and values that the party — the B.C. NDP — and I stand for and the promises that we made to people on their doorsteps during the campaign. We’re fulfilling those promises. This budget reflects those principles, and this is the proudest moment of my political career.

S. Furstenau: I rise today to speak in favour of the budget update presented by the government. I will begin by acknowledging that we are on the traditional territories of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations. I’d also like to commend the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation for his statement yesterday on the United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples.

I’d also like to acknowledge yourself, Madame Speaker, for the support and encouragement that you give to women to enter into politics. I have personally benefited from that support, and I’m truly grateful.

[3:10 p.m.]

This is a noteworthy budget, and it comes at a noteworthy time in B.C. politics. Members on both sides of this House are coming to terms with new responsibilities. There has been a significant shift in B.C. politics that presents new opportunities and challenges for all MLAs. At the same time, our esteemed press gallery are figuring out how to understand and report on the new decision-making processes of a minority government — processes that have been unchanged and unchallenged for decades. All of us, as British Columbians, are witnessing how government can and should work when one party cannot simply ram an agenda through but is instead learning to work with other parties to build a broader and more inclusive vision for this province.

Few predicted that British Columbians would elect a slim minority government in May, an election result that meant that we in the Legislature would need to start talking with each other, rather than at each other. As a teacher and historian, my first impulse was to look to the past to find a precedent for this new political reality that we find ourselves in.

Federally, there have been 13 minority governments in Canada’s history. Every province except Alberta has had at least one, and this is B.C.’s third minority government. The last one was in 1952.

As our caucus and staff began to explore how other jurisdictions made these arrangements work, one thing became clear. If we could overcome the antagonism that had come to characterize B.C. politics before this election, we would have a historic opportunity to bring positive change to B.C. I believe that this budget update truly is a step in this direction. We have before us a document whose foundation was first introduced by the B.C. Liberals earlier this year, with the values and priorities of two other parties added to it in the months after the election.

The B.C. Greens ran on a platform that advocated government leadership in the face of a changing planet and a changing economy. We believe that we have an opportunity to capture the imagination of British Columbians with a candid, innovative and forward-thinking vision for the future. Ours isn’t a narrow vision for one part of the province, but instead, a call for a new path forward for all communities in B.C.

In my home, the Cowichan Valley, there is an enormous appetite to see the provincial government step up and invest in what really matters in our lives. Our hospital turned 50 this year, and it is desperately in need of replacing. Cowichan High is on its last legs. It was built in 1949, and it is not holding up as well as the hon. members in this House who were born before that same year.

Our watersheds and riparian areas suffer from the benign neglect and blind faith that was built into the professional reliance model.

We have heartbreaking child poverty rates, and like so many communities in B.C., we are suffering the impacts of the opioid crisis. Yet Cowichan is extraordinary in its resilience, its strong and interconnected communities and the determination of people to work together so that all in the community may thrive.

The Cowichan District Hospital Foundation and the Cowichan Valley regional hospital district have worked to create the conditions for a new hospital. The land is purchased, and the concept plan is underway, having been given the go-ahead by the previous Liberal government.

School district 79 is working with Vancouver Island University, Cowichan Tribes, the municipalities of North Cowichan and Duncan and the Cowichan Valley regional district to create a new model of education, one that connects high school students to post-secondary opportunities in a way that ensures a successful transition for students.

The Cowichan Watershed Board, co-chaired by Chief Seymour of the Cowichan Tribes and chair John Lefebure of the CVRD, is a model of cooperation and collaboration, and creates the foundation for watershed governance.

[3:15 p.m.]

There are many extraordinary initiatives and an abundance of committed citizens who are making Cowichan Valley an incredible place to live. Our hope is that this budget update signals a commitment from the provincial government to come to be a true partner in these initiatives.

Too often we speak in broad categories in B.C. — the south, the north, rural, urban, resource-based, high tech. These labels divide us rather than unite us, and the categories oversimplify the rich and interconnected fabric of our province. This past summer I travelled through northern B.C., meeting with First Nations, municipal representatives and community leaders to learn about the challenges and opportunities facing their communities. What I learned, in no uncertain terms, was that there is far more that unites us across B.C. than divides us.

In every community, I heard from people the same hopes, dreams and aspirations for their communities that we have in Cowichan Valley — their desire to see thriving and safe schools, their hopes to have efficient hospitals that deliver timely care, their aspirations to see support for seniors who want to stay in their homes and close to their families. I heard across all communities a strong desire to see stewardship and protection of natural resources. For many people, the lack of compliance and enforcement in the resource sectors has undermined trust in both industry and government.

I also heard of the benefits in investment in post-secondary education and a strong desire in all communities to see an innovative and diversified approach to economic development. The notion that economic investment in this province only counts when it’s an investment in the resource sector is reflected neither in the current reality nor in the emerging economy.

An analysis of unemployment by occupation in the northwest, based on data from B.C. Statistics and StatsCan, tells a story that we all need to be paying attention to. Education, professional services, health services, small businesses, finance, science, tourism and manufacturing account for the vast majority of jobs, while the resource sector accounts for less than 10 percent of employment.

Investment in communities, in schools, in hospitals, in infrastructure, in government services, in post-secondary education — these investments not only create long-term, stable employment; they create the kinds of communities that attract further investment.

When companies are looking for investment opportunities, schools, hospitals and services matter. We all want to live and work in vibrant, thriving communities. I would also suggest that we ideally want stable, well-paid, meaningful employment in our own communities, rather than in far-flung work camps away from our families and friends.

One municipal councillor in Terrace had a great idea that would bring together innovation, education and economic development: a renewable energy institute of the northwest. Imagine a higher-learning facility located in the heart of the land where we have the greatest potential for geothermal energy, where students not only learn the skills to work in a new energy economy but also become the leaders in developing the technology that will move us beyond fossil fuels — a task that is our moral obligation to future generations.

We are united across this province and, I believe, across both sides of this Legislature by a belief that we need to ensure opportunities, not just for right now but also for future generations. We need to sustainably manage and protect our resources and our ecological systems.

[3:20 p.m.]

In this changing economy, government needs to be taking a greater leadership role in preparing for the changes that are already upon us. We have heard all week from members on both sides of this House of the devastating toll of the wildfires this summer, and we are hearing daily of the toll of hurricanes, of droughts, of floods. As elected representatives, as leaders, we all share a responsibility to future generations. A part of our responsibility today is to acknowledge the impacts of climate change and recognize the debt we owe to our children and their grandchildren.

The increase in the carbon tax announced in this budget update is one small step and a necessary signal that helps us move back towards climate leadership. Whether it’s the changes affecting our workforce and employment or the changes in our climate that will reshape the economic and social fabric of our communities, we must not stick our heads in the sand. We must be bold, to call out challenges and create new opportunities. We must embrace a vision for the future of our province that is hopeful, that brings new opportunities and that rejects the premise that we are divided. This is the B.C. Green vision.

Each party in this House ran on a different vision for our province and put an emphasis on different priorities. In a minority government, these different visions can be brought together to create policies for this province that represent more people and are greater than the sum of their parts. The platform commitments each of us made offer us a starting point from which we can begin to work together to craft a greater vision that can ensure more British Columbians have the opportunity to thrive.

How we compose ourselves as elected representatives matters. Only in the Legislature, it seems to me, is compromise considered a bad thing. Three years ago I brought my high school students to the Legislature for a question period session. At the end of a typically raucous session, one student, who was from Denmark, expressed his incredulity. “Elected leaders are allowed to behave like that?” he said.

His reaction has stayed with me. Is this really how we want to demonstrate leadership? Can we do better? Do our words in this chamber always need to be about scoring points and wounding our opponents? Or can we find new paths and new approaches, particularly given the extraordinary challenges we face, not just in our province but globally?

Liberal MP Arnold Chan, who passed away today, in his final address to Parliament, said: “I know that we are all honourable members, but to treat this institution honourably, I would ask us to elevate our debate, to elevate our practice.” I want to express my deepest condolences to the Chan family for their loss and my gratitude to Arnold Chan for his words.

This is what we have done in our agreement with the NDP, which was predicated on five words: good faith and no surprises. Within these five words is a path forward for all of us in this new environment. As we have learned over the past few months, consultation and collaboration are not always easy. But we have also learned that if we agree on shared values — that government should serve the people, that building trust in government matters and that we have a responsibility not just to the people of B.C. today but to future generations — then we can find ways to work through disagreement and even discord.

[3:25 p.m.]

At the root of every strong relationship are two simple concepts: trust and communication. We will build more trust with better communication. We need to build trust between each other so that the people of B.C. can feel more trust in their government and more trust that all MLAs are working together to achieve the best we can for this province. This minority government offers us the opportunity to genuinely reach across party lines and craft policy that incorporates the best of all of our ideas. If we spend less time attacking each other and more time listening and communicating with each other, we might just be able to start trusting one another.

This is an exciting story to tell, because it does not fit into the old framework of conflict and adversarial relationships. We invite everyone, the press and the public, to challenge us, to ask the hard questions and also to recognize that we are in a different landscape, in new territory, and that the old narrative of hyper-partisan B.C. politics no longer needs to always be the defining framework in this House.

I have many times in my life believed in outcomes that others have told me were impossible. Yet I’ve held fast to my beliefs, which have been rooted in my values and my true conviction that we will always do better when we find ways to work together. This is my hope and my belief for this House, as we move forward in this new and noteworthy time in B.C. politics.

Hon. D. Donaldson: I first want to acknowledge we’re on the Songhees and Esquimalt traditional territories of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples.

I’m so happy to be able to speak to this budget — so happy because this budget puts people first. I’ve been in the Legislature for quite a few years now, and it’s the first time that I can say that it truly puts people first. In the past, there have been budget philosophies displayed by the B.C. Liberals. Fair enough. They have a different way of approaching the budget. Their budgets cater to an elite few. This was their philosophy and that that will better for everyone. That philosophy, that approach, hasn’t worked well in rural areas like the area I represent in Stikine.

Across the north and across rural areas, with that budget philosophy that we’ve seen displayed in the last 16 years, It has resulted in higher unemployment than we’ve seen in the rest of the province and fewer services over the last 16 years.

This budget recognizes people at the heart of the economy. It’s really hard to overstate, in rural areas, how strong communities make for strong economies. The basis of strong communities are affordable communities and services in those communities that make life better for people. If you don’t have those kinds of infrastructure put in place, then it’s very hard to have a strong economy, and we know that the remainder of the province really depends on a strong rural economy. That is why this budget that was presented by our Finance Minister just a couple days ago was such a refreshing approach, and I’m really looking forward to the impact it’s going to have on creating stronger communities and, therefore, a stronger rural economy.

I want to give a couple examples that are specific to Stikine, which were included in this budget update, that are really going to help in that aspect. Then I’ll get on to some of the specifics in the budget that relate to the ministry that I’m now the minister for.

The whole approach to facing mental health and addictions that’s included in this budget…. I want people to know that the impacts of the opioid crisis, the fentanyl crisis — although many of the deaths from that crisis are in more major urban centres — are felt throughout B.C.

[3:30 p.m.]

I know personally of a young woman from our area, who I taught at one point in the community college system, who was a victim of the fentanyl crisis in Kamloops, for instance. That impact goes back into the rural communities, and it really does have a ripple effect. So one of the things that I was really pleased to see in the budget was a new Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions.

I feel that I had a little bit of a role to play in that — and members on the opposite side as well — through the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth. Through that committee, we undertook an examination of the youth mental health system in B.C. The member for North Vancouver–Seymour was on that committee. The member for Cariboo-Chilcotin was on that committee, and the member for Peace River South, the member for Chilliwack. The Speaker that we have now, the member for Abbotsford South, was on that committee. Dr. Moira Stilwell, whom I can name now, now that she’s not an MLA, was a very, very strong advocate on that committee; the member for North Coast, one of the now-government MLAs; the Finance Minister, from Victoria–Beacon Hill; as well as Maurine Karagianis were on that committee.

The very first recommendation that came out of that investigation that we did was that people needed a single entry point into the health and addictions services and system within the province. I must say that we advocated for a ministry, and Dr. Stilwell was one of the strongest proponents of that from the B.C. Liberal side at that point. But everybody on the committee voted for that recommendation of the single entry point.

What we heard from numerous families who were involved with young people, and from organizations that have faced mental health and addictions issues, was that — with a myriad of services and, sometimes, no services, the gaps — it was important to have a single entry point, someone who was responsible, somebody within government that people in the public could point to and say: “That ministry is responsible.” This is something that’s going to help lives across the province, and in rural areas as well.

I note in the budget that there’s a $322 million lift, over the next three years, to address not just the fentanyl crisis but also to assist in creating the new ministry. It means actual new services on the ground, in many areas, around the fentanyl crisis. As I say, the impacts, the social costs, are incredible. When a person succumbs to an addiction, those ripple effects within a community, within extended family members — just in the emotional toll and the toll it takes to recover from that — have economic impacts as well. This is where a budget that is about people is linked to creating a strong economy. I’m so pleased to see that new Mental Health and Addictions Ministry.

Another area in the budget that’s going to have a large impact in Stikine and on rural areas, again, with that linkage between the social-policy side and the economic-policy side, is in education. We have had a cohort of children going through the K-to-12 public education system that didn’t have the resources that they should have had, going through, and the Supreme Court of Canada found that the B.C. Liberal government engaged in an illegal action when it tore up contracts. The restoring of $681 million, over the next three years, is a phenomenal boost to the K-to-12 public education system.

The reason I say it’s even more important for rural areas is that the public education system is the great equalizer. There’s sometimes a lack of opportunities in rural areas when it comes to the kind of recreational infrastructure we have, or some of the organizations that are based in more urban centres, but the school has a really important role, socially, in a small rural community.

[3:35 p.m.]

It is the centre of where people interact, mostly in a positive way. Those relationships that get built throughout the times that parents interact while their children are in the school system lead to relationships that can withstand when more challenging issues face rural communities, more challenging issues around industrial development, for instance, or other issues. The school system has been so important in that in rural areas. Anybody who’s lived in a small rural community, like I do, knows that the high school or the public school is where everything gets discussed, not just education.

The funding there will be a great equalizer. It’ll put people from rural communities…. In many of the rural communities I represent, the socioeconomic indicators are not as good as the rest of the province. So having a public education system that’s wholesome, that’s fulsome, is going to ensure that a future generation of leaders and of people who can contribute to society is in place.

Finally, before I get to the specifics of my ministry, I want to touch a little bit on adults returning to improve their educational attainment. In this budget, we’ve seen $19 million for the restoration of free adult basic education and English language learning. Especially on the adult basic education, the restoration of that being free…. Returning to get a GED or a high school equivalent is a first step for many people in the rural areas before moving on to more advanced training, whether it’s in the trades or health sciences or other areas. In order to bridge that gap, the ABE, adult basic education, being free is going to be a huge and significant step.

At one point, I taught in a college prep, I guess you’d say. It was people who hadn’t been able to get the GED or the courses they needed in high school because it was at a different point in their lives, especially in the sciences. These people wanted to move on into licensed practical nursing or those kinds of health-related careers. At that point, ABE was free, and having that opportunity was incredible. Really, it was a lot of…. We’re talking about grades 11 and 12 biology, which are prerequisites for moving on.

A lot of the students I taught were single mothers or women whose husbands weren’t able to work anymore in the forest industry, and they were going back to advance themselves. If it hadn’t been free, it would have made it a huge challenge and a huge barrier. Then, under the B.C. Liberals, there was a charge for ABE, and that was an impediment.

Now we’ve restored that funding, and it’s going to make a huge difference for people. It also makes a huge difference for the colleges. Now they have more people getting the credentials they need to get into the college programs that the colleges offer. We’ve already seen that have an impact up north in Northwest Community College, for example.

Again, investing in people creates more opportunities for local people to gain employment locally. It relieves companies who are looking for people to work for them. It relieves their burden. These are local people who want to stay in rural communities, and now they’re getting the chance to get the training to do so. It’s making a huge difference already.

[3:40 p.m.]

The increase of $100 per month for income and disability assistance and a $200 increase to earning exemptions will make a big difference in rural communities as well. It’ll mean that people who have faced challenges and are facing challenges will be able to find ways to continue employment that supplements their income assistance more, with the $200. Also, it means more money in their pockets to spend locally in retail and other sectors locally.

We know small business is the backbone and the foundation of rural communities. So anytime there’s more money in people’s pockets, more disposable income — and in the case of the $200 increase to earning exemptions, it’s money people have been able to acquire through work activities — it’s better for retail businesses and local businesses as well.

The specifics to my ministry I want to talk about a bit. I’ve covered a few things in rural areas where the social infrastructure is essential to the economic infrastructure. Focusing just on one or the other just doesn’t cut it.

The focus in this budget is on people, and people are the basis of an economy. There is no economy without the people. I think that has to be re-emphasized, because the word, the lens, of economy, economy, economy…. Some people forget that there’s a human element to it. That is what is important, especially in the northern rural areas.

Specific to my ministry…. I want to emphasize that much of my ministry is about jobs in the rural areas — Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and now Rural Development. It’s a huge ministry that touches on all aspects of what happens on the land base in the province.

Forestry. You know, you hear a lot of things about forestry, but it remains at the foundation of rural communities and rural economies. It’s had its ups and downs, and under the previous government, it didn’t get the focus that it needed. As a result, the media didn’t focus as much on forestry. But if you go to any chamber of commerce meeting in rural communities, and you talk to the people, especially the people who are in the banks in rural communities, they’ll tell you forestry is still the basis of many communities in rural areas.

We know that 30,000 jobs were lost, direct jobs in the forest industry, under the last 16 years with the B.C. Liberals, but there are still 60,000 direct jobs from forestry-related activities in the province. And $7.4 billion in 2016 was generated in the provincial GDP from forestry activities. So it’s still a major, major growing concern. The provincial government revenue from ’16-17 was $900 million from forestry activities. That’s not as high as it’s been in the past, but it’s still an important aspect.

I’m saying all this because the first bullet point on my mandate letter deals with softwood lumber. This softwood lumber disagreement now with the United States is having a major impact and will have a major impact unless it gets the focus it needs.

The U.S. market remains the most important market for B.C. lumber exports. Almost 66 percent of B.C. lumber exports go to the United States. We’re also a major player when it comes Canada. Over 50 percent of U.S. softwood imports are coming from B.C. Not only is the U.S. market the biggest market for B.C., but the B.C. export is the largest source for U.S. softwood imports.

The last softwood lumber agreement ran out in 2016, over a year ago. Of course, there was a year before that where there was the ability to start negotiating. So over two years, we haven’t had enough attention paid to this file by the B.C. Liberal government, especially in the form of the Premier taking the lead on the file. That didn’t happen. Canada is the lead negotiator. There’s no uncertainty about that. But with B.C. being the source of 50 percent of the U.S. softwood imports, we have a major role to play in determining Canada’s approach, influencing Canada’s approach and making connections within the United States.

[3:45 p.m.]

So I was very happy to see and witness the commitment the now Premier said — that within 30 days of becoming government, he would make a trip to Ottawa and Washington on the softwood lumber file — and he did. That was the specific trip to Ottawa to meet with the Prime Minister to lay out B.C.’s interests.

The previous Premier didn’t go to Washington. Premier Clark, Christy Clark, didn’t make that trip, but within 30 days, our now Premier did. It was quite extraordinary. He was able to get a meeting with Wilbur Ross, the Commerce Secretary. Wilbur Ross has got a history with the President of the United States, a business history.

So it was very productive that our Premier was able to meet with the Commerce Secretary and lay out B.C.’s interests firsthand. Wilbur Ross has been tagged by the President of the United States as the Commerce Secretary to lead on this file. Now, Robert Lighthizer, the trade secretary, is starting to exert a little bit of influence, you might say, with the NAFTA negotiations, but at this point, Wilbur Ross is still the main contact.

The message that the Premier brought to Ottawa and Washington is that it’s not “any deal is better than no deal.” That seemed to be the previous approach. We are ensuring that B.C.’s interests be first and foremost at the table and that we will not accept just any deal as far as our input to the federal government goes.

That was made clear. I had a call with Minister Carr, Natural Resource Canada Minister — who will be responsible for the allocation if it does comes to a quota system — just to make sure that he knew that B.C. must be at the forefront before any deal is signed and that when any allocation does occur within Canada afterwards, if, in fact, a quota is part of what is agreed on, our interests are protected there.

The budget document took a few pages to go over the softwood lumber negotiations because they are so important. We know that there have been countervailing duties and anti-dumping duties already enacted by the government of the United States to a 27 percent average rate. That has an impact. It’s a hardship on large and small companies, especially small companies, when cash flow comes into it. Paying these duties makes it very difficult.

I don’t know if it was because of the intervention of the Premier or just that we’re certainly more vocal on this issue now, but at least the International Trade Commission has delayed their decision till November 13 on the issue of duties. That’s a good thing. Any time we can get a little bit longer to put our arguments in front of the people in Ottawa and then Washington is a good thing.

I hope that as housing demand increases in the United States, that will put the pressure on, because a shortage of timber for those houses is going to increase housing costs. There will be an impact on the consumer, so we hope for consumer pressure on the lobby groups who are against us in the United States. There are also going to be job impacts on Americans if they can’t get the lumber they need to build those houses. We’re hoping that those two things will have an impact on the lobbyists down there.

We’re doing our part, keeping the federal government up to speed on our interests, working with industry and with labour organizations and ensuring that U.S. decision-makers know what our interests are. That’s an important part of the rural economy, ensuring that jobs are there in forestry. The uncertainty has an impact.

The other thing in the budget that I was happy to see, because I’ve heard from industries who consume a lot of electricity, is the PST that previously was charged on those electrical rates…. Eliminating it on electricity purchases is part of the budget the Finance Minister presented. That’s going to make a big difference.

[3:50 p.m.]

I met with the B.C. Pulp and Paper Coalition recently. They outlined how…. That’s a major industrial user of electricity, and the fact that B.C. was previously the only jurisdiction to levy a sales tax on electricity purchased by energy-intensive manufacturers like those in forestry and mining was, obviously, a competitive disadvantage.

It is going to be a $164 million hit. I recognize and understand that, but the pulp and paper sector alone, for instance, in B.C. employs 8,500 people directly. So there are a lot of jobs that can be not only protected by ensuring a competitive atmosphere, but also, we hope to see investment because of that increase in competitiveness and eliminating the PST in a two-year process.

This announcement that we had in the budget, on that tax measure we supported, was supported by many of the communities who know how important the pulp and paper industry is, including Vernon, Quesnel, Port Alberni and Port Alice. They’ve all written in support of this — North Cowichan, and up in the northeast, Mackenzie and Taylor. Those are jobs in those communities that this measure in the budget will be helping to protect.

On the budget issue, as far as taxes…. The small business tax — reducing that from 2.5 percent to 2 percent…. Again, in forestry, many of the towns have small businesses that are dependent on forestry. Those are the indirect jobs. We talked about 60,000 direct jobs, but I know that in the town I live in, there are at least two or three retail businesses directly dependent on forestry, let alone the consulting businesses and other businesses. That’s just in Hazelton–New Hazelton.

In Smithers and towns in the northeast, throughout the Interior and the southeast, the reduction from 2.5 percent to 2 percent is a recognition that small businesses are the backbone of rural communities and that keeping them whole is important as well.

Of course, it’s an unprecedented — that’s the word that’s being used a lot — season so far for wildfires, and we know it’s not over. More than 4,000 firefighters have been fighting the fires in B.C., not just from the B.C. Wildfire Service but from other provinces and countries and private contractors. There have been 1,255 fires started since April 1. We’ve still got 156 fires burning, nine new ones. As recently as last night, a new one in the Elk Valley, in Elkford, that we’re keeping an eye on for sure.

People might think this is over now, but there are still over 3,000 people on evacuation orders — out of their homes — and almost 10,000 on alert. So the situation is not over, although in this budget, we see an increase of over half a billion dollars in the wildfire-fighting budget. That’s how much it’s costing to ensure that public safety is covered, first and foremost, and that after that, structural damage is limited as much as it can be.

I just want to thank not only the people who’ve been fighting the fires on the front lines, the people who support them in the different operation centres that I visited and the volunteers in communities, but members of this Legislature, too, who’ve been impacted by the wildfire situation. I think of the member for Fraser-Nicola, who made a two-minute statement today, and it was obvious how much she has been impacted by the difficulties her communities have gone through. I just want to say thank you to the MLAs in the Legislature for working hard on behalf of their communities who’ve been impacted.

The fires aren’t over, and the size is mind-boggling. Four times the size of Metro Vancouver has been consumed. Two times the size of the province of P.E.I. has been consumed. That’s huge, and it’s going to have some pretty significant, lasting impacts. We know that approximately 53 million cubic metres of merchantable timber, annual allowable cut timber, have been consumed by the fires.

[3:55 p.m.]

Now, we don’t know how much of that is recoverable. We’ve already been issuing cutting permits for companies in the Interior to go in and start cutting some of the fire-damaged timber. You want to get to it before it gets too dry and cracked to be merchantable. But we want to look at other ways of using that fire-damaged timber as well.

I’ve visited Prince George two times, Kamloops four times, Cache Creek, Ashcroft and Williams Lake, and the resilience of the people has been phenomenal. I want to just give a shout-out to the people in the communities who have weathered this storm and are still weathering it.

There is so little time to talk about all the good things in the budget, especially when it comes to my ministry: the $15 million we’re putting towards capital cost to upgrade firefighting infrastructure that the province has, $140 million that’s going to be focused on risk reduction and reforestation over the next three years. The rural development aspect is extremely important, going from recovery into the rural development stage, and that’s what we’re going to be focused on.

I just want to finish off with one area of the budget. I just can’t get over how much joy it brings me. It’s that the United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous people gets a bold headline and a paragraph in the budget. That’s something we’ve never seen before, and it’s going deliver a firm message to First Nations that we want to have a government-to-government relationship with, and that what is good for First Nations is good for everybody in B.C. and we’re going to take the road together.

T. Shypitka: I would like to also recognize that we’re on the traditional territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations. I come to you from the far, far, far side of the House with my friend, here, from West Vancouver–Capilano. We joke sometimes that if we were any farther out, we would be selling trinkets in the gift shop. But that’s fine. I’m very honoured to be here, and I’m a happy, proud person right now.

Before I get into talking about the budget, I would like to take the opportunity of thanking some of the people in my riding and some of the people that have helped myself and my constituents along the way: first and foremost, my great assistant–campaign manager, Heather Smith, for keeping me on track and on time, a hard thing to do; Lois Dettling, for all her help and all the work she’s done in our new office — it’s opening September 22 — and all the work she does.

I’d be absolutely remiss if I didn’t show some appreciation to our former MLA of our riding, Mr. Bill Bennett, for all his work that he’s done and the mentorship he’s shown me along the way. Kootenay Bill is alive and well in Kootenay East, and I thought I’d let everyone know that.

Also, to my support staff here at the Legislature, Dylan and Tristan, doing an amazing job for me — I thank them very much. My many volunteers and my great riding association and, as well, all the members of the regional district I was a director of and also the mayors and councillors of Kootenay East — they’re all great people.

My wife, Carrie; and my children, Dustin, Allie — who just, unfortunately, broke her arm yesterday in a climbing accident; get well, and I’ll be home tomorrow — and my youngest son, Adam; along with my mom and dad, Keith and Lynne; and my brother Brent and his wife, Michelle: thank you for your undying support. It’s very much appreciated.

Last but not least, my riding is home to some exceptional firefighters, first responders, evacuation centre staff and an army of volunteers. I would like to thank all of those who have taken time to assist in the firefighting efforts in my riding. As the minister pointed out, there are some substantial fires going on in my area.

Some of those fires are the ones at Lamb Creek; and all my friends up at Moyie and Monroe Lake; Canal Flats; the Linklater fire; White River complex; White Creek; Quinn Creek; Soowa Mountain; the Flathead, St. Mary’s; and the Vernon Creek fires; also the new ones up north of Elkford; and the dangers that have threatened my friends at Madera Ranch and Sandy Shores.

[4:00 p.m.]

Unfortunately, just yesterday, a great local business in our community, in the great town of Galloway, the Galloway sawmill, saw a fire. This is a family business that’s been running for…. Well, the business has been in place for close to a century and the family business has been for many, many decades. They’re great and probably one of the nicest families in our region. A fire had started in their mill yard, and it was a helicopter that drove by on the way to the Elkford fire that spotted it, and with quick reaction they were able to dump the load onto the Galloway mill and extinguish it. It was of great relief to the nearby town of Jaffray, which surely would have been threatened by that fire.

I’m extremely grateful for the selflessness and bravery that the members of the Elko and Baynes Lake fire departments, along with the Cranbrook, Fernie, Sparwood, Elkford and Hosmer fire services, have provided thus far in this crazy, unprecedented fire season.

With this, that would be a good segue into the proposed budget that we see before us. These brave men and women that I have mentioned are absolutely deserving of our support. Now, while the budget put forth by the NDP does include some money for front-line forces — I appreciate that, and I thank them for that — it’s absolutely necessary that…. There’s little in this budget that aids economic recovery.

[R. Chouhan in the chair.]

When natural disasters strike, people in communities like mine need to know that government has their back. The NDP has had an opportunity to include funding to help rural B.C. back on its feet — a real opportunity. But whether through lack of foresight or the need to fulfil their costly campaign promises, they failed to do so. Rural B.C. needs to know that the government has their back. I’ve talked to guide-outfitters. They could lose everything this fire season. This is their sweet spot of the year, where people come in and book their time. These guide-outfitters are now having to refund the money, and it puts them in really great financial jeopardy.

One of the guides — it’s a fishing guide in our area, the Elk River Guiding Co. — has three rivers that he uses for his guiding outfit, and two of them are shut down right now. He really wants to incorporate the rod days that he has left on the other two fishing rivers and move them to the Elk River, which is open through the highway right-of-way. Now, the quotas that go into the Elk River are unlimited, so that means anybody can grab a fishing licence and go to the Elk River. Unfortunately for this poor entrepreneur, he can’t get his rod days transferred to the Elk River. That’s a real issue, and I hope government can come to his assistance. With no recovery plan in place, his seasonal window of operation is closing very soon. His business may suffer and many more businesses like this in the East Kootenays.

Currently my only option as an MLA is to tell guide-outfitting, rafting companies, loggers, wood mills, ranchers…. We can’t forget about the ranchers. They’ve been devastated equally as hard. They’ve lost grasslands. They’ve lost fencing. They’ve lost livestock. As a matter of fact, I heard just recently that some of the livestock is somewhat tainted because of the cattle trying to eat the grass. They’re inadvertently eating charred wood, and they’re becoming actually tainted from it. That actually affects the commodity prices on that cattle.

So there are a lot of tough-luck stories, and that’s essentially what I have to tell these people: “Tough luck.” You know, the government is not interested in their financial hardships, it seems. And it’s of no fault of their own.

Another undue hardship that my constituents are now having to bear comes from the elimination of tolls on the Lower Mainland — a grand move that will put our credit rating at risk. But more about that later. Sitting here today, I heard from the member for Oak Bay–Gordon Head talking about shared values. I’m all for shared values, but I guess this is what it means by shared values. My constituents don’t get government relief from a true wildfire crisis, but my constituents share in the relief of commuters 1,000 kilometres away.

Shared values. This isn’t making life more affordable in communities like Grasmere or Baynes Lake. Rural British Columbians are tough and don’t complain much. They are very proud and keep their heads down. But rural B.C. has the highest unemployment in the province, and this government is telling it to buck up for places that most of them have never been. These aren’t shared values.

[4:05 p.m.]

Let’s talk a bit about industry and the economy. I found it interesting that in a statement that celebrated the tech sector in B.C. — which is the fastest-growing sector we have in the province with around, I think, about 150,000 employed in almost 10,000 companies — the member for Vancouver-Fairview, I believe, suggested that we should be supporting the economy of the future and not be doomed by the economy of the past — referring to the resource sector.

Well, I would like to remind the member that this so-called doomed economy, in my riding alone, produces in excess of $1 billion into the local and provincial economy. That’s just one business in my riding that produces over $1 billion directly to the provincial economy. Over 60 percent of that $1 billion — so over $600 million — goes directly to the Lower Mainland into many goods and services…

Interjection.

T. Shypitka: Teck coal, yes.

…such as legal work, trucking and other forms of transportation. But ironically enough, guess what else. You got it — tech. The technology sector.

The technology sector is supporting resource industries such as mining. They’re providing software for forestry, for oil and gas. This is the shared values. This is the economy we want to share with.

What this new government fails to realize is that we should not be working on ways of dividing urban and rural values, but to truly have shared values for this. We need everyone to recognize one another’s strengths and weakness and work together, not pull apart. While my riding hands over $600 million per year to the Lower Mainland from this doomed economy, this new government rewards us by taxing us and the rest of B.C. hundreds of millions of dollars for the elimination of tolls on bridges that my constituents will see little to no benefit from. Talk about a sickening double whammy for the Kootenay East.

Speaking of sickening double whammies for my constituents in this budget, what about carbon tax and the proposed elimination of PST on hydro for commercial industrial operations? The carbon tax will no longer be revenue-neutral, meaning close to $700 million over the next three years is going towards general revenues and pet projects that the NDP couldn’t possibly afford without unfairly taxing our resource sector, reducing their competitive advantage and jeopardizing thousands of jobs.

The second part of the whammy is the sidestepping of the elimination of half the PST on electricity for commercial industrial businesses by October 1. Instead, now the implementation is known until a time that is to be reviewed or until some other determined time. We’re not quite sure when that’s going to be. So that’s another broken promise on the backs of hard-working businesses that employ hundreds of thousands and pay some of the highest wages in the province.

Speaking of broken promises, how about the granddaddy of them all? During my campaign, I actually got into a very heated discussion with a constituent I considered a friend, an acquaintance. Cranbrook’s not a very big town. It wasn’t even much of a conversation, to tell you the truth. It was one-sided. He came up to me, and he pointed his finger at me, and he said: “Your government. You and your government.” And he was red in the face. I wasn’t sure how illustrative this was going to get. But he said: “Your government is taking away from me and my family $10-a-day daycare.” But based on the evidence in their budget, the NDP have done that themselves. This government has misled their voter base. They’ve misled British Columbian families, and they’ve misled people like my friend John in Cranbrook.

The decision to stop work at Site C affected me on a personal level. My son actually works at Site C. He’s a journeyman electrician there. As of this summer, he is seeing some of his friends, who were supposed to start work at Site C, now being turned away because no new projects are beginning. These young, hopeful men and women, who are excited to start their careers, are being stifled by decisions made by this government. As a result of the agreement signed by the NDP and the Green Party, 2,600 jobs will be lost at Site C and the potential of 10,000 more that could be created during construction wiped out.

The trickle-down effect of this and that…. There are young British Columbians who are trying to take their first steps toward buying a home or getting a mortgage, and the banks are refusing to help them because they deem their job situation as unstable. They can’t get mortgages.

[4:10 p.m.]

As a father, I want the best for my son. I want him to succeed, just like anybody in this room here. I’m a father of only one son at Site C. How many more fathers and mothers across B.C. will have to be disappointed by this government’s snuffing out of their children’s future?

You don’t have to stop at Site C. Kinder Morgan, George Massey Tunnel replacement — this is tens of thousands of more young men and women and families that will suffer under this government’s guidance, and I use that term loosely. How can I wrap all of these loose illustrations up into what this budget really means to British Columbians?

In my life before becoming an MLA, I was a financial advisor. My job was actually quite simple. It was to teach people to create spending habits based on their income; for example, don’t spend more than you make, and don’t rack up a credit card if you can’t pay it off. I taught people how to save for retirement, how to save for a rainy day, how to minimize and factor in risk and to live within their means — essentially, to create sound financial practices. So if saving for retirement and savings for life’s mishaps are good practices for individuals and families, why should government budgets be any different?

In the budget that this government released, I see lots of spending. That’s okay if you can substantiate revenues to pay for it. We all want to tackle education, health care, homelessness, affordability. We are not savages on this side of House, although some members may argue that. But you have to put the horse in front of the cart.

The budget that the NDP has put forward is missing half the balance sheet, in my honest opinion. They show a lot of items on the expense side, but nothing on the side of revenue to satisfy that debt. From a financial advisor’s perspective, this is bad practice. Unfortunately for all British Columbians, the financial decisions that the NDP are making don’t affect just one person but the entire province. Just in a few short months, we’ve received two separate warnings from credit agencies stating that unless we find new sources of revenue or control spending, we will lose our credit rating.

Now, to put it in layman terms — I spoke to this in my campaign, and it’s not a very glamorous subject — our triple-A credit rating is no different from getting a credit card from a bank for personal use. If you’re not fiscally sound, the bank will charge you more interest for your car or your home, meaning you will pay even more every month to service that debt. We all want the lowest credit score, and we always shop for a lower rate. Why won’t our government do the same for us? On the other hand, if you have a good game plan, are fiscally sound, and you’ve got good revenues coming that match or exceed your expenses, then you will get a favourable credit rating. It’s pretty simple stuff.

With our triple-A credit rating that we have now in place — it’s the highest in the continent — we are in a favourable position to meet our debt, and our rates reflect that. British Columbians have worked very hard to get us to this position. The former government, I know I can speak…. On this side of the House, we thank the people of British Columbia for working hard to get us to that point.

If we lose our credit rating, which we most likely will — our current spending and cutbacks to revenue — all of British Columbia will be paying a lot more to service our debt. That’s just inevitable, in my opinion. To put it in perspective, if we had the same credit rating similar to Ontario, with the same mass, we would be paying approximately $2 billion to service our debt. That’s money that could be put towards daycare spaces and new hospitals.

It doesn’t sound very glamorous, like I said, but I’m going to make a prediction that we’re going to be losing our credit rating within the next six months. In terms of our finances and what we are able to do in terms of the infrastructure and service that we are able to provide to people, losing our credit rating is a big, big deal. This budget threatens that. I will predict, like I said, that within the next six months, we’ll be in jeopardy of losing that, if we’ve not already lost it. All of our hard work that the people of this province have put forward in the last several years could be gone in the blink of an eye.

This budget also fails to identify any means of further diversifying our economy; nor does it contain any methods for opening and maintaining our gateways to alternate global economies like Asia and India.

[4:15 p.m.]

I have a small family-run business — the one that almost burnt up there the other day — that depends on getting their product to market. They need to expand and diversify away from an uncertain U.S. market so that they can thrive and bring a little more certainty to a very uncertain market.

The NDP’s lack of a trade expansion strategy and failing to put any new money towards one means that B.C. businesses are once again met with a tough-luck message from this government.

This government has inherited a province that has an outstanding financial position. I don’t think anyone can argue that. They’ll try, but I don’t think anybody can argue that. From our triple-A credit rating to a $2.7 billion surplus, any province in Canada would love to have this.

In turn, we are seeing a government which is not optimizing those advantages and seems keen on dismissing the needs of rural B.C. As a financial planner, I am disappointed in this budget. As a father that worries about a pile of government debt for my children and grandchildren, I’m disappointed with this budget. And as an MLA who represents a riding full of hard-working resource workers, union and non-union alike, as well as tourist operators, seniors, students and families, I strongly object to this budget.

J. Rice: I’m proud to rise today and provide my response to this government’s budget. It’s an exciting moment for me today to be speaking to the budget — just to be speaking, generally, on this side of the House.

I would like to also acknowledge the voters within my riding, within North Coast. Thank you for entrusting me to be your representative again. Thank you to the folks of Prince Rupert, Haida Gwaii, to all the communities in between and to the central coast.

I’d also like to take a moment to acknowledge the two new constituency assistants in my office — Josh McLeod, from Haida Gwaii, and Joseph Jack, who is a really funny guy that lightens the mood in the office and makes life a little bit better each day for me.

I would just like to start with again saying that this is a budget update and that the full budget will be coming forth in February. While I’m honoured and excited to be part of a government that’s been in the position of governing for two months, it is really hard to put everything together and forth and deliverable within that period. So again, this is a budget update. Nonetheless, it is remarkable what we are accomplishing and what we have accomplished in a short period of time. I’d like to thank all my colleagues and their various ministries for their input and their contributions to making life better for people.

No other deed demonstrates a government’s focus more than their budget. This budget update is a budget for the people, our vision for a better B.C. and for a government that puts people at the forefront. You heard in our throne speech our plan for a government that makes life more affordable and one that delivers the services people count on, like health care and education. You heard in our throne speech of a government that builds a sustainable economy, supporting our traditional industries while investing and innovating for 21st-century economies.

For the past 16 years, and for far too long, people have struggled under a B.C. Liberal government. British Columbians have paid more each and every year under their leadership to receive less and less. While the B.C. Liberals gave tax breaks to their friends and donors, British Columbians have struggled to pay their rent, their mortgages and their hydro bills. Our balanced budget demonstrates our commitments and investments that address things such as poverty, education, health care and environmental sustainability.

This balanced budget strengthens our economy by investing in people. We’ve provided supports for people affected by the wildfires. Immediately following the swearing in of this new government, Premier John Horgan made addressing the wildfires and supporting people and businesses affected by them the most urgent priority.

[4:20 p.m.]

Within 24 hours, we went to the front lines to determine the scope of the problem and to see what was needed. We provided ongoing financial support for people forced to evacuate their communities until they were allowed to return home — or until they are allowed to return home, as there are numerous people still out on evacuation orders or standing by on alert. We provided financial supports to small businesses, to ranchers and the tourism industry. We went to communities and met with evacuees, front-line firefighters, Red Cross volunteers, emergency management staff, local governments and health care authorities, who all stepped up to demonstrate tremendous leadership in the face of this crisis.

I speak for all British Columbians, who can’t thank these people enough, for putting themselves, for putting yourselves, on the lines and helping to make life better for people. Thank you for opening reception centres, opening group lodging, hospitals and your homes to care for others.

This wildfire season and the historic flooding earlier this summer have been incomparable in so many ways. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the recent 8.2-magnitude earthquake in Mexico and the future impacts of climate change are current examples of why we need to be prepared. These events are a wake-up call to all levels of government and to every person in this province. In my role as the Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness, supporting communities to prepare for future events will be taken with the uppermost and utmost diligence.

One of our first steps as the new government was to eliminate tuition fees on adult education and English-language-learning programs. All British Columbians deserve a chance to get ahead. Removing financial roadblocks, such as eliminating tuition fees on adult basic education and English-language-learning-programs, are important steps towards investing in an economy that works for people and that works for everyone. Anyone who wants a high school diploma should have an opportunity to get one, and anyone who wants to learn the English language should also.

On the north coast, we have welcomed Syrian refugees in Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii, and English language learning is imperative to their settlement in our community. I’m glad that barriers have been removed so they can take advantage of these programs.

We are establishing a stand-alone ministry for mental health and addictions, particularly during this overdose crisis. The first priority of this new ministry is to save lives immediately in the face of this overdose crisis. This involves meeting with people on the front lines.

Going forward, we will implement a policy of ask once, get help fast. This is so important to me, personally, from the experiences that I’ve had living in Prince Rupert, with so many people with mental health and addictions problems that have repeatedly and repeatedly sought help and been denied or put on wait-lists. There are countless stories of people waiting years to receive help with their depression, their anxiety or other mental health condition. I know people in my own community who desperately needed addiction support, and they died waiting for it. The nearest treatment facility is a 12-hour bus ride away. We’ve put people on that bus to get treatment only to learn that before the end of that long, lonely and frightening journey, they got off it to use again.

We’re taking steps towards affordable and quality child care. Under the B.C. Liberal government’s watch, child care became less and less accessible and more and more expensive, forcing some parents to make tough decisions about their careers. As promised, Premier John Horgan and the New Democrat government want to make child care affordable. A first step towards that was to establish a Minister of State for Child Care. There’s much more to come.

Effective January 1, MSP premiums are going to be cut in half saving $450 per person per year. This is your government’s commitment to eliminating these premiums within four years.

Immediately, we are increasing income and disability assistance rates by $100 per month. This is the first meaningful increase in ten years. People will see this increase right away, next week, on their government cheque.

[4:25 p.m.]

We’re addressing housing affordability and homelessness. Our New Democrat government has taken concrete steps to tackle the double-edged sword of housing affordability and homelessness. The housing stock available is expensive, and there are not enough houses to meet the needs of lower-income British Columbians. Previous housing commitments approved for Prince Rupert, Port Edward and Lax Kw’alaams will go forward.

It’s no secret that our province was consistently amongst the leaders when it came to the number of children living in poverty, under this previous government. The 2016 B.C. Child Poverty Report Card stated that during the entire run of the B.C. Liberal government, our province’s childhood poverty rate was consistently higher than the Canadian average. In fact, the Child Poverty Report Card states that one in five children in British Columbia lives in poverty.

Housing affordability plays a huge part in why child poverty is so rampant. Rents and other costs have gone up at a higher rate than incomes. The Child Poverty Report Card states incomes in B.C. between 2007 and 2014 have gone up roughly 10 percent while rents and child care have gone up 26 and 35 percent, respectively, during the same time frame.

In North Coast, in my riding, we have even more staggering numbers. Housing prices in Prince Rupert have gone up more than 50 percent since 2012, shortly before the grandiose LNG promises were made and 100,000 jobs were promised that never came to fruition. The child poverty rate is 29.7 percent in Prince Rupert, which has the highest overall poverty rate of any municipality in British Columbia. What plan did the B.C. Liberals have to reduce it? Tax breaks for the wealthiest British Columbians. We are, indeed, raising taxes for the wealthiest 2 percent of income earners and corporations while reducing the small business tax rate from 2½ to 2 percent.

Education is a tried-and-true method for individuals to increase their employment opportunities, and the previous government made it that much more difficult with their heartless cuts.

B.C. remains the only province without a poverty reduction strategy, and I’m excited and proud to be a part of the committee that’s going to implement one.

I’m proud to be a part of a government that will invest $208 million for the construction of over 1,700 new units of affordable rental housing. Families shouldn’t have to choose between buying food to feed their children and having to pay their rent. That’s why I’m proud to be a part of this New Democrat government, which will provide $291 million to support the construction of 2,000 modular housing units for the homeless and provide the services they need to better their lives. We’re providing the wraparound services, as well as building these units. In coordination with the new Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, we can tackle some of the problems which can, unfortunately, lead to a life of homelessness.

This budget update is the first opportunity for this government to build a better B.C.

Now, with the decisions made by Petronas and, just today, Aurora LNG to not go ahead with proposed developments in and around Prince Rupert, the reactions to these decisions are as diverse as my constituents. People want thriving communities with meaningful, well-paying and family-supporting jobs.

From fisheries to forestry, the people on the north and central coast and Haida Gwaii have seen boom-and-bust economies make millions and billions of dollars while the people who lived adjacent and amongst these resources received pennies. Many are left with environmental messes and economic ruin. The ancient village site and abandoned cannery of Namu on the central coast, the Banks Island Gold tailings pond mess and the former pulp mill site of Watson Island in Prince Rupert are examples.

However, with the recent opening of DP World’s Fairview Container Terminal expansion — this is the phase 2 of the port expansion; it’s a $200 million project — there’s a strong sense of hope and optimism about a diversified economy, one that isn’t tied to the boom-and-bust cycles that we’ve experienced for too long.

[4:30 p.m.]

The growth of the Port of Prince Rupert has enabled a network of jobs across B.C. From working at the port or with one of the transport companies, over 3,300 jobs have been created in trains, trucks, vessels, logistics, warehousing terminals and inspections. Each of those industries spins off around 2,200 indirect jobs via small businesses along the transportation routes.

In Prince Rupert, Ray-Mont Logistics just opened a new ten-acre facility, where Canadian crops are going to be exported overseas. Pinnacle Pellet, which turns wood waste into a product in demand, saw an increase in output by 22 percent last year. Cruise ships have returned to Prince Rupert, injecting money into the local economy.

The bear-viewing economy is a crucial industry to Coastal First Nations. By banning the grizzly bear trophy hunt and all grizzly bear hunting in the Great Bear Rainforest, we’re supporting small, rural and remote First Nations economies. Chief Doug Neasloss, of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation, is proud to say that this tourism and these bear-viewing opportunities have created employment for women, for men and for youth in his communities.

AltaGas is building a propane terminal in Prince Rupert, employing over 200 construction workers. The city of Prince Rupert is working on getting Watson Island, where the former pulp mill stood, back on the tax roll, and this government will support them.

On Haida Gwaii, the First Nations community of Skidegate just installed British Columbia’s largest solar panel project, on the renowned Haida Heritage Centre. Haida Gwaii is working towards energy self-sufficiency, investing in green energy technologies, saving money and reducing the environmental footprint at the same time.

You’ll find that the outlook on the north coast is one of optimism. That optimism is shared by this government, and this budget is the first step of many down the path of building a better B.C. for everyone, not just those at the top.

G. Kyllo: I’m proud to rise in the House today to respond to the mid-term budget update. I’m very proud to represent the hard-working men and women of Shuswap, my constituency.

At this time, I’d also like to give a special recognition to those that worked so hard on my election campaign: Brian Cowan, my campaign manager and riding association president — Brian, thank you very much for all the work you have done to help me to be here today to represent constituents in Shuswap — along with the amazing campaign team and all those volunteers that worked so hard on my election campaign. Also, my constituency assistants, Holly Cowan and Cheryl Leite, have done an amazing job of helping to support me to allow me to better serve the constituents of Shuswap. I certainly want to recognize the amazing work that they have done in supporting me in my role.

It goes without saying — and most importantly — I’d like to give a special thank-you to my growing family — firstly to my wife, Georgina. We have our 29th wedding anniversary coming up next month. Georgina, thank you for all of your support. I know it’s not easy when I’m away — or maybe it is. When I first took this new role, Georgina used to come with me quite regularly, but with a growing family and all the new grandchildren, I think it’s a lot easier to stay home and spend time with those grandkids rather than spending time with me down here in Victoria.

There are my four beautiful daughters, Sarah, Brittany, Angela and Samantha; also my five granddaughters, Maya, Kylie, Siddhalee, Nova and Hannah; and my grandson, my namesake Nolan Gregory. We do have one more grandchild due yet in November of this year. I should mention also the boys, Alan, Aaron, Gerry and Mike. Thank you, guys, for loving my daughters.

I think, at this time, it’s also important to take a few minutes to recognize those that have been working so hard in helping to battle the forest fires that have been raging through our province over the last number of months. The first responders, the communities and businesses have been working hard around the clock during this wildfire season. The summer has brought a new reality to B.C. This summer has been very difficult in many parts of the province, with raging fires and destruction serving as a warning to us all. Many people have lost their homes. There have been business losses and lost livestock, and many have lost everything that they’ve worked for.

[4:35 p.m.]

In the midst of all of this, though, we have true dedication, the bravery and the compassion that has been shown by communities and many, many volunteers who have donated their time, money, homes and goods to the evacuees. With that in mind, I’d like to take a moment to just again thank the thousands of men and women who are still actively working on wildfires throughout our province.

Now, in response to the budget update tabled on Monday, I’m happy to offer the following comments and observations. First, let me start by acknowledging that Monday’s budget update includes a number of key funding initiatives that were tabled by the B.C. Liberal government back in February. These commitments include the $3,000 non-refundable tax credit for firefighters and first responders; the MSP reduction of 50 percent, effective January 1, 2018; an additional 4,000 child care spaces; a 50 percent PST reduction on hydro rates for businesses; and the lowering of the small business tax credit from 2.5 percent to 2 percent. These measures help to make life just a little more affordable for British Columbians and provide supports for businesses all across B.C.

I’m also pleased to see, on a local level, that the four-laning of the Trans-Canada Highway 1 — the Salmon Arm west project — remains in this year’s budget update. It was a very proud day to stand with my friend and colleague, the member for Kamloops–South Thompson, to announce the $162 million highway expansion project, including replacement of the Salmon River Bridge. The continued four-laning of the Trans-Canada highway from Kamloops to the Alberta border remains a high priority for me as MLA for Shuswap. I will continue to advocate for these much-needed safety improvement projects that will also better serve residents, tourists and allow for commerce to continue to move through this very important transportation corridor.

However, I also feel it’s important to note what is missing from the new government’s budget. These are extremely concerning to me. Missing from the mid-term budget update are a long list of NDP promises that were set out in their election platform. The $10-a-day daycare platform commitment of $175 million: NDP budget, zero. The rent subsidy of $400 a month: NDP budget, zero. The $1,000 completion grant for college and university students: again, the NDP budget, zero. The $5 million provincial parks restoration program to support additional park expansion: again, the NDP budget, zero.

The NDP made these commitments to British Columbians in trying to swoon voters, stating that their platform commitments were fully costed and they were able to deliver their promises within the existing fiscal framework. But what do we see in Budget Update 2017? A long list of broken promises. Commitments made to British Columbians prior to the election that now are mysteriously absent from the NDP budget update.

Not only are these platform commitments nowhere to be found, but the NDP have not provided any explanation to British Columbians on how they intend to pay for these broken promises. So much for increased transparency. Either the coalition government will continue to break their promises to B.C. voters, or they will choose to cannibalize existing programs and services.

One likely source of revenue that the NDP will be looking to cannibalize is the carbon tax. On Monday in this House, the Finance Minister repealed the revenue neutrality requirement for the carbon tax. The removal of the revenue neutrality component of the carbon tax should be extremely concerning to all British Columbians.

The carbon tax in B.C. has been internationally lauded. Just last year, it received the United Nations Momentum for Change award. I quote here from the United Nations: “B.C.’s carbon tax drives transformational change by encouraging clean technology, sustainable economic activity and green jobs, while providing a signal to the economy to reduce emissions.” A key component in that award was the revenue neutral component of the tax. It is a fundamental piece of our carbon tax’s success. I again quote from the United Nations: “Organizations such as the World Bank and the UN have identified B.C.’s revenue-neutral carbon tax as a model to follow.”

What do we see? No discussion, no debate in the House, no public consultation and certainly no mention or hint of this very serious action in their election platform commitments. Again, so much for increased transparency.

Now, as critic for Jobs, Trade and Technology, a role that I share with my colleague from Richmond-Queensborough, I feel the need to also look closely at the impact of the NDP budget update on the economy and job creation.

[4:40 p.m.]

I am extremely proud of the role that I have served in the past four years as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, my esteemed colleague and friend, the member for Prince George–Valemount. In my role, I was very proud to help to deliver on the B.C. jobs plan for British Columbians. I’m sure that all British Columbians are keenly aware of its resounding success. By working collaboratively with the economic ministries and setting out bold initiatives and strategic targets and sticking to our plan, the B.C. jobs plan was a huge success, with B.C.’s economy leading the nation.

Some of the highlights that we achieved through the jobs plan. We attained No. 1 in economic growth, outpacing the national average by 300 percent, and No. 1 in job creation, creating over 250,000 new jobs and seeing a record number of British Columbians working in our province. We also achieved the lowest unemployment rate in Canada, both for adults and for youth. All of these were achieved while delivering five consecutive balanced budgets and maintaining B.C.’s triple-A credit rating.

I looked with earnest to the mandate letter of the new Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology, and I saw little mention of a jobs plan for British Columbia. This is a great concern to me and should also be a great concern to British Columbians. What is missing from the budget is a plan to sustain and grow the economy and create the jobs that British Columbians need and deserve.

Even with a $2.7 billion surplus, a triple-A credit rating and the strongest provincial economy in the country, this Finance Minister no longer has any more room for spending following her September budget update. The government has an ambitious spending plan, but half the balance sheet is missing. Without a plan to grow the economy, the only way to meet the NDP’s insatiable need for money will be to continue to raise taxes, to cannibalize existing programs or to run deficit budgets.

The government is already lowering economic performance expectations to match their agenda — employment growth under the NDP to just 1 percent from the 3 percent that the Auditor General confirmed under the Liberal budget of 2017. GDP is expected to fall from 3.7 percent growth under the government, which is confirmed by the Auditor General, to just 2 percent in each of the next four years. Major credit-rating agencies, such as Moody’s and DBRS, have already issued warnings that B.C.’s triple-A credit rating is at risk unless the government does find additional sources of revenue. They’re certainly trying.

Now we get to corporate taxes. When the now Premier said in 2014 that his top priorities were jobs and the economy, I think most people thought he meant improving them. With this budget, we know he meant doing everything he could to weaken economic growth and put hard-working British Columbians out of work. There goes any competitive advantage B.C. may have had that helped to create the growing economy that afforded B.C. the record surpluses that we have enjoyed.

The NDP inherited the No. 1 economy in Canada, with GDP growth last year of 3.7 percent, tops in the country. We see record employment, among the lowest unemployment rates in Canada and, again, with over 250,000 jobs created since the jobs plan was created. Under the B.C. jobs plan, we went from ninth place in job creation to first, from fourth in the country in economic growth to number one and grew exports by 10 percent and had an 18 percent increase in new capital investments. We laid out a road map to prosperity.

It is clear from this budget that the NDP, along with their junior partner, prefer a different path, a path of uncertainty and economic risk. In just a few weeks in office, the NDP have scared off billions in capital investment, including what should have been the largest single private investment in Canadian history — Pacific NorthWest LNG. They can claim it was not their fault, but Petronas reads the news. They saw the letter from this Premier to the federal government asking them to stop the project.

When the Premier was Leader of the Opposition, he and the now Environment Minister wrote a letter to the federal government saying no to Pacific NorthWest LNG. When he and the government MLA for Oak Bay–Gordon Head signed their deal, Petronas cancelled the project altogether. What an indictment of this government.

[4:45 p.m.]

The members opposite blame market conditions for the cancellation of the project. The truth is that we should have been seeing the project well underway, and it should have helped to jump-start a magnificent new LNG industry in our province. The opportunity was there for creating a new economy and thousands of jobs from exporting western Canada’s world-class Montney shale gas, which would be put to good use to reduce carbon pollution in Asia.

That opportunity has unravelled due, in large part, to fears that this anti-development government would ensure it would never happen. Now, the government made massive demands. We saw it in the budget, which includes higher carbon taxes. They want to bleed companies dry with carbon and corporate tax increases, stifling economic growth.

The new government demands “protection of our air, our land and our water, including living up to our climate change commitments,” as the Minister of Energy and Mines mandate letter reads, and I agree. Everybody wants that. That project had demonstrated a willingness to cooperate, which led to both the provincial and federal governments granting environmental permits and assessments for the project.

The government’s refusal to stand up for resource communities, their sheer lack of understanding, led to the cancellation of the $36 billion private sector investment. Thousands of jobs were lost, and a future of clean LNG fuel was lost to us. That is the first reaction of this government, and I fear that the loss of jobs and prosperity is only just the beginning. The government’s outright hostility toward the project made that happen. Their reckless attitude towards resource development meant that 1,139 B.C. businesses missed out on contracts and employment — 1,139. Now, that can create new life in communities, new infrastructure, new businesses, but the new government’s tunnel vision means that they will never come to pass.

The member for Skeena has frequently talked about how, as a former First Nations chief councillor at the Haisla First Nation, he saw personally the benefits that came from the LNG agreements that the Haisla Nation signed with B.C. as well as other proponents.

I quote him here, when he said: “These opportunities offer dignity and pride and also solutions to problems that couldn’t be fixed without economic development. Believe me. I tried.” He goes on further to say that those agreements provide “benefits and prosperity and hope and opportunity, dignity and pride.” We can only hope that the government’s shortsightedness won’t keep other communities from achieving those same benefits from resource industry development.

Governments across Canada lost $2.5 billion in annual tax revenue when the Pacific NorthWest LNG project was cancelled. That is revenue that could have built infrastructure such as roads, transit, hospitals and schools across our province. That is revenue that could have had doctors and teachers and that would have made a difference in many communities.

Now, the government has also shown a determination to cancel other projects — Site C. These aren’t just jobs in the Peace region. There’s a company called Rapid-Span in my riding with a contract for Site C building components for the bridge. There are nearly a dozen people from my riding that were working on that project. In total, at the Site C project, there are 2,600 workers wondering if the government intends to hand them all pink slips and wipe out the potential for 10,000 jobs that would be created during the construction of the project. Site C is another contributor to our economy that the NDP seems determined to strangle. Over the life of the construction, it will contribute $3.2 billion to the provincial GDP. Cancelling Site C would also forgo $40 million in tax revenues to local governments.

The junior members of the NDP-Green government called the jobs created by Site C “artificial.” Artificial, Mr. Speaker? These jobs have put food on tables and pay mortgages. They are not artificial. What is artificial is the idea that this government has any plan to create jobs in our province. The fact remains that, despite what the members opposite — including ministers and junior members of the government — say, the power produced by Site C is needed.

As our province moves to become more electrified, whether it has more electric cars or an increase in home heating use, the need for a reliable electricity source will be critical. Site C will provide 1,100 megawatts of dependable capacity and generate about 5,100 gigawatt hours of energy each year, enough to power the equivalent of 450,000 homes. By providing an abundance of clean, renewable energy, Site C would help British Columbia and other regions to transition away from fossil fuels as we work to combat climate change.

[4:50 p.m.]

Now, that’s what surprised me. It would appear that the Green Party is more interested in playing games than actually creating renewable energy. Site C is not only a generational opportunity for British Columbia. We are committed to seeing it play an important role in helping Canada meet our climate obligations.

Much of the power produced in Alberta is produced through coal-fired power plants that emit massive amounts of GHG emissions. With the power produced by Site C, we have the opportunity to significantly reduce Canada’s overall greenhouse emissions, helping in the fight against climate change. That’s why this government’s sham review of this project is so disheartening. The political games that this government is playing with Site C are putting the livelihoods of thousands of families at risk.

The review has so far even shown that it’s a sham. In the more than 800-page submission to the BCUC, Hydro showed that they have done their due diligence on the project and can amply demonstrate that it is both the best and cheapest option for clean, renewable power for the future.

I was shocked that the government said in their budget that they want people to use more electricity, now that they’ve implemented the B.C. Liberal cut to PST on hydro. That’s surprising, because their primary argument against Site C is that we don’t need the power it’ll provide. If power consumption is to increase following the reduction of PST, it stands to reason that capacity will increase as well — something that is extremely important and the whole point of this very visionary project.

Now, that’s a piece of the budget that I actually can support. There are few I actually do. I support the lowering of the small business tax, which was part of our budget in February. I support the cut to PST on hydro rates for businesses — something that was also in our February budget — as well as the 50 percent reduction in MSP premiums.

But of course, the no-development party’s blundering didn’t stop with the Site C review. After that, the new government cancelled the Massey bridge project. Now, we know that they had planned to cancel it all along. They had an agenda. They had pretended to voters in Surrey and Delta that they were going to review the project.

Highway 99 is a key corridor for provincial and national economic development, along a route that moves $25 billion worth of goods each year. By irresponsibly cancelling the George Massey Tunnel replacement project, the government is not only putting our economy at risk; they’ve said no to 9,000 direct jobs. This was a project that was going to give some relief to 80,000 commuters stuck in British Columbia’s worst traffic bottleneck, the largest parking lot in this province. We now know that the bridge could have been built for $900 million less than initially estimated. That’s almost as much as the NDP are grasping at in tax increases over the next three years.

They’ve cancelled 9,000 jobs, they threw out a chance to save almost $1 billion, and they deliberately hid the fact that they had planned to do this all along. That’s a statement of this new government. They’re hiding their agenda, they’re taking photos with convicted criminals, and they’re losing the competitiveness that B.C. has built up over the last 16 years.

It’s hard not to get emotional when we see the reckless behaviour of this new government in their first two months in office. It really does feel a bit like the 1990s again, the decade when B.C. went from first to last in terms of GDP growth in Canada. In fact, GDP growth was negative — a far cry from leading the nation like it does today.

In 1996, B.C.’s GDP per capita was below the Canadian average and 33 percent lower than Alberta’s. Investment dropped by 10 percent between ’94 and ’96, and B.C. ranked last in investment growth. B.C. had the highest unemployment rate west of Quebec and, in the latter half of the decade, experienced some of the greatest job losses of any province.

In ’98, the Business Council of B.C. said: “We are deeply concerned about the state of British Columbia’s economy, public finances and long-term competitiveness.” The TD Bank said that B.C. is on the verge of recession. And a headline from the Vancouver Sun on March 14, 1998 read: “Jobless rate hits four-year high. Bucking the national trend, B.C. unemployment rate rises to 9.7 percent.” We seem to be heading back in that direction again — higher tax burdens, a broken fiscal framework and an economy that goes nowhere.

The NDP budget update is of great concern. I’ve always believed that a healthy community is a working community. When I see the reckless approach of the NDP, of increasing spending and taxes with little understanding of how to grow the economy or to attract investment, I wonder where the next generation of British Columbians will find employment.

[4:55 p.m.]

B. D’Eith: I’d first like to take the opportunity to thank all the people who helped me to have the honour of representing Maple Ridge and Mission in this House. To my team — Sophia Kreuzkamp, my campaign manager; Ken Howie, our treasurer and financial agent; Darcy Thiessen; Tanya Fredette; Jordana Feist; Lisa Langan; Sabrina Daniells; and Ryan Chaput: thank you for running a stellar and ultimately successful campaign.

To the member for Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows and her team — including manager Korleen Carreras, who was also my federal campaign manager; Bridgette Dalima; and Amber Bramer — at our shared campaign office: thank you so much.

To my amazing executive — Neil Gaudreault, Kiersten Duncan, Marie Baldassi, Stephen Burtenshaw, Ken Howie, Dave Smith, John McKenzie, Susan Orr, Paula Blamey, Chaitanya, Janet Amsden, Michelle Dickinson, Mel Van Dregt, Bob Goos, Michael Nenn, Janise Nikolic, Carolyn Rice, Craig Speirs, Scott Susin and Bobby Brar: thank you so much for all of your hard work. And thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who I can’t possibly name here.

Some of these, though, I really need to mention out loud — Nancy Mcurrach; Steve Bajwa; Bill MacPherson; Bill Young; Colby Sparks; Matt Chilliak; Priscilla Omulo; Shauna Shepstone; Chantelle Morvay-Adams and her son, Wyatt, our trusted train conductor; Randy, Carmen and Daniella Cairns; Nicole Seguin; Sharon Manson Singer; Sean Orcutt; Debbie Noseworthy; Darlene Morray; Bonny Klovance; Susan Elliot; John Mackenzie; Chris McKee and all the firefighters in my riding; Richard Tones; and Linda King: amazing. They did an amazing amount of work. Thank you so much.

I’d like to single out Alex Kirwin-Wallace. Now, Alex was in grade 10 during the campaign, and he came out two to three times per week, knocking on doors, answering phones and pretty well doing everything we asked. He’s now our youth representative and the face of a new generation of volunteers. I can’t tell you how exciting it is to see young people engaging in the political process. I always smile when I hear young volunteers and voters yell, “Go, Bobby Dee,” whenever they see me.

I would like to also thank Mayor Nicole Read and Mayor Randy Hawes and their councils for welcoming me and showing me a willingness to work together. The same goes for MP Dan Ruimy, who, while defeating me in the federal election, has shown a great deal of class in looking for solutions that can work for our shared community. I look forward to rolling up our sleeves and working on the many challenges facing us in the upcoming years.

I’m also proud of my relationship with the local aboriginal communities and look forward to continuing to work with Chiefs Susan Miller, of the Katzie First Nation; Marilyn Gabriel, of the Kwantlen First Nation; and the various chiefs of the Stó:lō First Nations on reconciliation and the other issues facing their communities.

It was wonderful spending time together at the recent B.C. cabinet and First Nations leaders gathering in Vancouver, where there was a clear optimism for the future of Aboriginal peoples in British Columbia.

I want to also acknowledge the support of my amazing wife, Kim, and my five children, who make me proud every day. They all agreed to let me take on this very demanding job, which takes all of us away from home. I love you all very much.

Wilf McIntyre — my mentor, confidant, motivator and a man who would not let up until I ran for the federal election — I miss you. I missed you during the provincial election, but I thought of you every day. I could hear you, every morning, encouraging me with that growly voice of yours to get up and get to work. I’m sure you’re smiling down on us right now. This one’s for you, buddy.

I’m sure that every person in this House recognizes that we are here only because of the hard work, dedication, passion and commitment of people willing to volunteer hundreds of hours of their time. Thank you.

[5:00 p.m.]

Now, in reflecting on the budget update, I was reminded why I originally was motivated to run for office. In my case, I was working as executive director in a non-profit art sector, and in 2008, all of our funding was cut by the B.C. Liberals. When I responded to this in an interview in the press, I was summoned to an audience with the then minister. He basically told me that if I said anything bad about his government, my organization would never see another dime. My board was terrified, and I was effectively muzzled for years. Well, I’m not one to be bullied. This moment lit a spark in me to try and effect change in our government by stepping up to the plate.

Once I became involved in the long process of trying to get elected in my community, I realized that my experience with the B.C. Liberal government of austerity was common. Cuts to mental health. Cuts to education. Cuts to services for people with disabilities. The list goes on. It has been 16 years of bad choices and neglect. Now it’s time to fix these problems by putting people first. That is why I’m so excited here to support the budget update presented by our Minister of Finance. This update clearly shows that our government is listening to the people of British Columbia — and the people of my constituency, as well — and investing in them, while at the same time being fiscally responsible.

The B.C. Liberals do not have a monopoly on fiscal prudence. In fact, the great Tommy Douglas balanced seven consecutive balanced budgets while introducing universal health care to Canada. It is — and it always will be — about choices. We choose to listen to the needs of the people of British Columbia and invest in people.

[L. Reid in the chair.]

Maple Ridge and Mission are growing communities where we have both urban and rural issues. We have local farmers, a large percentage of commuters and an exploding housing market. We have, like many other communities, a homeless crisis and a growing housing shortage.

Right now my constituency staff, Sophia Kreuzkamp and Alison Copeland, are working with one constituent who’s on disability and who recently lost her housing. She’s now forced to live in a tent and in her car, afraid for her life. This budget is a step in the right direction so that the many people in our community like her, who have been struggling due to the 16 years of neglect by the B.C. Liberals, will be addressed.

The budget announces $291 million over two years to construct 2,000 modular supportive housing units for people who are homeless. This announcement will directly impact on my community, ensuring that we have new opportunities to deal with the homeless issue in both Maple Ridge and Mission. This budget update will allow my colleagues and me to work with local governments, First Nations, non-profit associations, developers and the federal government to start to tackle the problems left by our former Liberal MLAs.

When I was door-knocking, one of the constituents told me about the lack of rental housing. She’s living in a very small basement suite, and she is paying $1,500 a month. She’s living on disability. That means she’s being forced to choose between shelter and food, and that’s unacceptable.

This budget announces $208 million over four years to support the construction of more than 1,700 new units of affordable rental housing in communities across the province. The affordable housing crisis is huge all over B.C., and people in Maple Ridge and Mission are feeling the squeeze. Building affordable rental housing in our area will start to take the pressure off the rental market and off renters.

I’m also pleased that the government is continuing to move forward with initiatives in my community. In Maple Ridge, B.C. Housing is providing capital funding for the Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Community Services — a shout-out to Viki Kipps and her amazing team at community services — to develop over 60 new units of affordable housing for low-income seniors and families. The project is located on 228 Street in Maple Ridge, and I’m really excited about that.

In Mission, B.C. Housing is providing capital funding of $200,000 to Habitat for Humanity’s B.C. affiliate to complete four townhouses that will house four families. This is the first phase of a 19-unit townhouse complex. In addition, B.C. Housing is providing $15 million in capital funding for 40 units of transitional housing and shelter space for men and women in Mission. This is, again, very exciting.

In addition to the capital expenditures, the Minister of Finance is also announcing that the residential tenancy board will get $7 million in funding to deal with the backlog of issues. This is welcome news to the many people in my community frustrated with the process.

[5:05 p.m.]

Well, while people in my community have been living paycheque to paycheque, they have been hit by the unfair MSP premium and bridge tolls. The Golden Ears Bridge is a beautiful structure. The problem has been that for years, many people didn’t use the bridge because of the tolls. The joke was that you could play a game of street hockey on the bridge and you wouldn’t have to yell “car” very often because there’s not that many cars. Well, removing the tolls has not only increased the use of the bridge; it’s made life significantly more affordable for many people, including those north of the Fraser.

I have a constituent who owns a business right by the Golden Ears Bridge. A lot of his work is in Langley and Surrey, so all of his workers are constantly using the bridge. The savings to his business alone will be huge. He’s spending thousands of dollars a month before September 1. Reducing the small business tax from 2.5 to 2 percent will also have a huge impact on his bottom line. So we are showing our commitment to help small business.

My daughter Amy and many of her friends are students from my community. They’re studying all over south and north of the Fraser — the University of the Fraser Valley, Douglas, VCC, UBC, Cap, all over the place — and none of them could afford the tolls. Well, now they have an alternate route and often a faster route to their institutions, and they’re really excited about that.

There are also many people north of the Fraser who work south of the Fraser. These commuters are people that are travelling to Vancouver every day. They’re spending over $1,500 per person per year, and that’s just unfair — until now. We have taken the tolls off these bridges. That’s already having a huge impact on people’s lives, easing traffic congestion and making life more affordable by getting real dollars back into people’s pockets.

As far as education, I have five children, Sheldon, Braden, Amy, Cameron and Aryn — I love you — who, with their many friends, have never experienced the benefits of a fully funded school system. I’m very….

Interjections.

B. D’Eith: I appreciate that the member is showing me the respect of someone who has actually had experience in the House. Thank you.

I’m very pleased that this budget invests in public education and in students so that we can give students the best chances of success in the future.

We’re continuing to move forward with initiatives such as the South Albion elementary school, which is going to accommodate 585 student spaces and NLC spaces in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. That’s $24.4 million. So $681 million over three years to help our kids get the education they deserve, with smaller class sizes, more resources and supports they need to succeed, including hiring approximately 3,500 new teachers; $50 million to ensure that space requirements for kids get back to schools are also addressed.

Now, while the Albion School project in my riding is an exciting project, it’s ten years late. My children and their families and their friends were forced to learn in portables. In fact, the last portable at their Albion elementary school was put across the track, so they couldn’t even have a sports day. I’m really excited that we have a new elementary school coming, but it should have happened years and years ago.

In addition, we’re increasing funding for education — not because the Supreme Court has forced us to, Mr. Member, but because we believe in a strong public education system. While the B.C. Liberals robbed my children and their friends of properly funded schools, I’m proud of the fact that the next generation of children will benefit from smaller classrooms and more support, especially for special needs kids in our system.

Interjections.

B. D’Eith: I’m glad to hear that your private schools are working well for you.

While we need to take care of our children….

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members, all comments will be directed through the Chair.

B. D’Eith: Thank you, Madame Speaker.

That’s okay. I like the heckling. It’s good. Bring it on.

While we need to take care of our children, we also need to take care of our seniors. Hearing stories of seniors just getting 15-minute visits a week has been heartbreaking. When I was campaigning, I met many seniors who are simply not getting the care they deserve.

[5:10 p.m.]

We’re looking after seniors by improving access to home and community care with $189 million over three years through a B.C.-federal agreement. It’s so important in Maple Ridge and Mission. We have an amazing seniors community, and I’m so pleased that our government is taking steps to make sure that the people who built our province are provided the service and the highest level of dignity and respect that they deserve.

We’re investing in other services that people count on as well. Raising the monthly payment to people with disabilities by $100 a month is a great step in the right direction to helping these citizens. In fact, when I was recently at the Mission Fest, which is an annual event that we have in Mission in the downtown core, I was greeted by a running hug by a disabled woman who was working in the booth next to ours when I arrived. She was so excited about the increase that she told me that it made a huge impact on her life.

I know many members will say: “What the…?” And $100 a month may not seem like a lot of money to people, but to her, it meant the difference that she could make healthier choices about the food that she was eating. And I can’t wait to tell her that she’s getting her bus pass back in January too. She’ll probably knock me right over.

Making life more affordable, improving services and providing well-paying, sustainable jobs is the backbone of our vision for B.C. Having the opportunity to implement the changes that B.C. has been crying out for, for many years, is an amazing thing. This budget represents the start of a new government and a new approach to governing that puts people first. I know that my constituents in Maple Ridge and Mission have already felt the positive effects of our new policies, and they’re feeling hopeful that more positive change is on the way.

I look forward to listening to the people of B.C. while we shape our first budget for the spring of 2018. In the meantime, this budget update shows the province that we are serious about the changes that we have promised, and we are acting on those changes now. To close, in the immortal words of Tommy Douglas: “Courage, my friends; ’tis not too late to build a better world.”

D. Barnett: I am honoured today to stand in this House representing the great people of the Cariboo-Chilcotin. I would also like to express my thanks to my constituency assistants, Bev Marks and Jenny Huffman, who since July 4, along with the rest of my constituency, have been living with the worst wildfire season in the history of our province.

Jenny and her husband and young family had to flee their ranch at the 150 after lightning struck the area and fire raced through, hoping their cattle and other animals would survive. Two days later, through the back country of Horsefly, Jenny and her husband went back to see what was standing. Fortunately, their home and some of their buildings were still there. However, there is a great deal of damage to fences and land set aside for grazing and growing hay. This is just one story out of hundreds of ranchers who saved their homes and outbuildings with only support from each other.

Bev and her husband were on evacuation alert. When 100 Mile House became evacuated, my office had to close, but it wasn’t long before we were back open and my office became a retreat for volunteers, ESS workers and citizens who needed a hand, a shoulder or just some information.

At one point, 70 percent of my riding, from parts of the Chilcotin, Williams Lake and throughout the area, parts of Lac la Hache, 108 Mile and 103 Mile, were all evacuated. Highway 97 closed from Cache Creek to Williams Lake and then almost to Prince George. Highway 20 closed from Williams Lake to Anahim Lake. There are still some areas that are still closed, some still evacuated and some still on alert.

[5:15 p.m.]

On behalf of my constituents, I want to thank the volunteers, businesses, health care workers and staff in Prince George and Kamloops for their hospitality. Also to the SPCA and others who took care of the animals, to rural community volunteers who opened halls and kitchens to feed volunteers, firefighters and evacuees with supplies sent from Fort McMurray, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and other parts of British Columbia — thank you.

To the B.C. Forest Service wildfire firefighters, structural firefighters and many volunteer firefighters from across British Columbia — thank you.

To search and rescue volunteers, RCMP, Ministry of Transportation, Canadian Armed Forces, emergency and social service workers and all of the volunteers at emergency operation centres, staff, local governments, Red Cross workers and all other citizens — thank you.

It may interest you to know that our new B.C. forest wildfire centre, opening in the spring of this year at Williams Lake Airport, was nearly lost to the flames. Fortunately, it was a lightning strike that caused the fire that burned around the perimeter, and it did not cause a catastrophe.

All of this being said, my region has been devastated by fire. We can only be thankful for the good that came out of this experience and that no one was seriously harmed or died. Communities came together; neighbours helped neighbours. People fought through fires together, saving their homes and others’.

Ranchers are some of the unsung heroes, staying when it was dangerous to remain. They kept animals fed and ensured that homes and barns did not succumb to fire, by keeping them sprayed with water. They stayed behind because they didn’t want their animals to starve or burn.

Today the fires are still burning. Some are still evacuated. We must still remain vigilant for a year or so, because hot spots will continue to burn.

Damage to the environment, working forests, ranchland, wildlife, small business,and industries and families is a long-term concern. The first question is: what do my constituents need most? Some funds from the federal and the provincial ag program, consisting of $20 million, has started to flow. This and $6.2 million for highway and range fencing, thanks to the province and federal government and thanks to the hard work of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association and CEO Kevin Boon.

But what happens now to the forest industry? What happens to small business? What happens to seniors and families who lost everything, with no insurance? Former Premier Christy Clark acted immediately by announcing $100 million in aid that was turned over to the Red Cross. This provided quick action to provide assistance immediately to people at risk. This consisted of $600 for evacuees every 14 days and $300 upon their return. And $1,500 was made available to small business and volunteer organizations.

Now who helps? Local citizens are helping each other where they can, but even these efforts will not be enough. Where is the current government on this? Where is the four-pillar plan? What does it mean? Citizens don’t need more studies or public consultation. They need financial assistance now. So where is help from the government? I have requested government help, but none seems to be forthcoming. Before the member for Langford–Juan de Fuca became Premier, I had a great telephone discussion with him. We both agreed that in times like these, there is no room for politics. He assured me that we would work together for the betterment of the people.

[5:20 p.m.]

Well, Premier, a call in the morning from a communications person to tell me about the fires and an offer to ask questions did not and does not cut it. You and your ministers have cut us out of community rebuilding. This is on your watch, not mine. Shame on you. Read your platform that talks about cooperation and working for people. It’s a bunch of hogwash.

Our people desperately need financial assistance, not empty talk or promises. Where is the mention of rural development in this budget? I see none. Where is the $100 million over four years from the rural development fund? What will happen to our rural strategy and the 13-member advisory committee of citizens, including First Nations, that worked for all parts of rural British Columbia? Take a look at the project in jobs created under this program. Our First Nations have crafted new opportunities for people to work, where no such opportunity existed before.

In retrospect, I am pleased the government chose to keep a number of programs that were introduced by the B.C. Liberals, including the $3,000 non-refundable tax credit for volunteer firefighters, and search and rescue volunteers too, but shame on you for claiming to be the author of a well-deserved recognition for our volunteers.

I am also pleased that you’re using our announcements to eliminate the PST on hydro for industry. This may help for a while, but your increase in the corporate income tax is going to make us less competitive with other western provinces. Any tax increases on business are ultimately passed along to — guess who — the consumer. So much for making life more affordable. The same applies to your carbon tax grab. It’s a sneaky way to increase taxes on the average citizen by making them pay more at the gas pump and more to heat your house.

Did it occur to you that we have colder winters north of the Lower Mainland? Did you consider the fact that we have to drive longer distances between destinations in the Cariboo? We are the people who are going to end up paying the most starting in 2018, and it will continue on each year, for the next four years, as the carbon tax goes up and up.

We had a law in this province that protected British Columbians from arbitrary increases in the carbon tax. It was a legal requirement to keep the carbon tax revenue neutral. Any increase in the carbon tax had to be offset by a decrease in personal or other forms of taxation. It didn’t take long for the NDP and Green coalition to announce that they are going to end the revenue neutral requirement so that they could boost the tax as high as they want. In fact, the Minister of Environment decided it was a good idea to go on record and tell the public that 80 percent of low- and moderate-income families will somehow be better-off with carbon tax rebates. I’d like him to come to my riding and explain how charging low- and moderate-income British Columbians more carbon tax will somehow make them better-off.

A little closer to home, I would like to put the Minister of Finance on notice and ask what happened to the $300,000 trail fund allocated for ORV trails from the registration and licensing fees that are paid by these motorized vehicles. I can’t see it in the budget.

What about the northern and rural homeowner benefit worth $84 million? Now that the carbon tax is no longer revenue neutral, I guess rural B.C. can say goodbye to this small homeowner benefit.

[5:25 p.m.]

I do see in the budget that the NDP is once again placating the Green Party, agreeing to another yet waste-of-time study, courtesy of the taxpayer, called the emerging economy task force. B.C. already has one of the fastest-growing tech sectors in North America. And guess what. The private sector did that on their own. But apparently, we need an innovation commissioner too.

When you are opposed to the mining industry, Site C, pipelines and helping the private sector become more competitive, I assure you that you will need more than a task force.

I also understand that the government’s plan to eliminate tax credits for children’s sports and culture activities will somehow make life in British Columbia more affordable.

What will happen to rebates from the carbon tax paid by school districts and local governments as you rack up more and more program spending? What will happen to the home-renovation tax credit for seniors and persons with disabilities?

Under the previous Liberal government, we made significant investments in road infrastructure to promote local economies. This includes, in my riding, Highway 97, Carson to Toop, awarded June 2; Highway 20, repaving; Highway 24, repaving; Bridge Lake north; and other important projects. I am so glad that all these contracts were signed prior to the turnover of government in July. I noticed the new Minister of Transportation has decided to reannounce these projects, even though they were made public long before the NDP and Green Party assumed power on July 19.

But what concerns me the most is the fact that I can find no reference in the budget to the Cariboo Memorial Hospital replacement project for Williams Lake that the previous Liberal government has committed to. The business plan was to be completed this year, so the project could have shovels in the ground as early as late summer of 2018. I have written to the minister and asked what is going on, but I have heard nothing back.

This is a budget update that is heavy on spending and mentions nothing about how to pay for it all other than through tax increases. This poses considerable risk. For example, interest rates are going up. In fact, the Minister of Finance already indicated that banks are warning about the dangers of interest rate hikes and how this will affect British Columbia’s capacity to carry increased spending.

In July, Canada’s central bank delivered the first increase in seven years. Earlier this month, the Bank of Canada raised the rates once again. And while it was only a quarter of a percentage point, from 0.75 percent to 1 percent, the bank is already sending signals that we can expect another interest rate hike in October. These interest rate hikes not only affect governments; they affect consumers too. Everything from variable rate mortgages to credit cards will get more expensive. So, too, will the capacity of consumers and taxpayers to absorb the government’s proposed tax hikes, amounting to nearly $1 billion in tax hikes.

No, what part of this budget makes life more affordable? These are troubling questions, not only for taxpayers but for the government itself. Can we really afford everything that the NDP and Green parties have on their wish list? The credit-rating agency Moody’s already issued a warning to the NDP-Green government when it announced that it was removing tolls from the Port Mann and Golden Ears Bridge. This is a valid concern. The government is choosing to forgo over $230 million in revenue each year that was used to pay off the construction cost of the bridges under TI Corp. Now all those costs are being lumped into taxpayer-supported debt.

[5:30 p.m.]

Hence, the warning from Moody’s. We have to wait and see how credit-rating agencies are going to react to a giant spike in the provincial debt, coupled with an aggressive spending plan announced yesterday. That’s why higher interest rates, announced by the central bank, will have the serious potential to harm the government’s capacity to borrow. In other words, we could lose our triple-A credit rating and end up paying a lot more interest on the debt, which would otherwise be spent on programs.

What about the forest industry, the softwood lumber negotiations? Prior to the last election, the member for Langford–Juan de Fuca dismissed the Liberal government’s efforts to protect British Columbia. You know what he said? “Good luck with that.” That’s what he said. Then as Premier, he headed down to Washington, D.C., to meet with big union bosses, the same ones who financed the NDP’s election campaign. What was the result of that taxpayer-funded junket? Nothing. Not a thing.

Before I conclude, I do welcome the fact that the Minister of Finance chose to retain some very important features of the Liberal budget announced last February: the reduction of MSP premiums by 50 percent, the reduction of the small business tax rate from 2.5 to 2 percent, phasing out the PST paid on electricity for industry and the $3,000 non-refundable tax credit for volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteers, which I mentioned before.

But there are a lot of big-ticket items missing in action that the NDP and the Greens promised. Let me list them: $10-a-day universal daycare, a $400-a-year renters rebate, the elimination of interest payments on student loans, a $1,000 completion grant for college and university graduates, $5 million to restore provincial parks and hire more conservation officers, $10 million in more arts and culture funding, a rollback on ferry fees, a freeze on hydro rates.

I just hope that before the Minister of Finance comes back to us next February, she has a plan to grow the economy to pay for all of this stuff. Otherwise, this province will be in serious trouble.

Hon. M. Mark: It’s been quite the journey, I must say — last year’s by-election, being here on this side of this House. I wish my grandparents were here to witness this important time in our history. I’d like to acknowledge that we’re gathering on the territories of the Lekwungen First Nations people, including the Songhees and Esquimalt people, and to say hello to everyone at home that’s watching. I know it’s exciting drama TV here in B.C. politics. I just wanted to give thanks, as the first piece.

We are here to speak about the budget update. I’m proud to support the budget update, a budget that puts people first. But this is about a debate, so before I go in and give praise to our government about putting people first, I’d like to acknowledge some of the remarks that have been made.

There’s a lot of fear in some of the messaging that’s coming from across the House — like we’re running a blank cheque and we’re driving down the economy, all within eight weeks. It’s like we’re miracle workers. I wish I could walk on water, but clearly, I can’t.

We have a duty as elected officials, as representatives of the Crown, to spend the public’s money wisely. Government is about making choices, and the government, on the other side of the House, who just retired their hats not too long ago, had a choice. They had the opportunity to make choices about putting people first. So when I hear the remarks about the endless spending, let’s not forget the “Debt-free B.C.”. I’m looking in the books, and that definitely isn’t the case on this side of the House.

[5:35 p.m.]

The endless prosperity — we were all supposed to be rolling in the dough from LNG. Those ideas, those aspirations, didn’t materialize in this province. So I think it’s a bit rich to stand in this House and point the finger at a new government that came into play eight weeks ago, after that government was in this House for 16 years, and lay blame and point fingers on who we’re not representing. There are a lot of messes to clean up in this House, and we’re trying to put people first.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Before I continue on with my remarks, I’d like to remind everyone in this House that it’s not our money; it’s the people’s money. The budget is about putting forward a message to our citizens about where we are going to invest our priorities.

I’m glad that there was a message in this budget that signalled to students in B.C. that we care about their education, because they truly are our greatest investment. And our students that are attending our post-secondary institutions — sending a message to them that they, too, are our greatest investments, because guess what. We need those people to fulfil all those jobs that, apparently, the people on the other side of this House don’t think we’re interested in.

We know that people in B.C. — 80 percent of citizens in our province — need a post-secondary education to fulfil the jobs in our economy. We know that by 2025 we need to fulfil close to one million jobs in this province. So I think it’s a bit rich for the members opposite to stand in this House to send a message to British Columbians that we don’t care about jobs.

I’m going to move away from the fact that there were a few interesting remarks that have been made in this House over this debate. Again, I am proud that this budget, moving forward, that was presented as an update sends a message to people in my constituency of Vancouver–Mount Pleasant that help is on the way with respect to the fentanyl crisis.

I respect the remarks for those members that have wildfires occurring in their backyard. There have been very emotional remarks made in these chambers, and I have deep empathy for everyone that is facing this crisis. People do shine in the face of crisis when we come together.

In my riding, people called my office asking for help to get the bodies out of the morgue, under this past administration. So I think it’s a bit rich to point the finger about the choices that we are making on this side of the House. I’m glad that there’s a Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. That’s going to send a signal that we are about to invest in harm reduction and prevention and help people to save lives.

Thinking of my constituents in Mount Pleasant, sending a message that help is on the way when it comes to child care. I stand in these chambers, and we’re ridiculed that we don’t have universal child care in place on week 8. Again, I think it’s a bit rich, considering the ideas and solutions of members opposite to the child care crisis were to create a website that basically led people to a dead end.

I think we need to take pause here and acknowledge that there are some real issues happening in this province. There are crises. People are dying. People are fleeing their communities because of natural disaster, and we need to come together to send a message to British Columbians that help is on the way.

With respect to this budget and a message to my constituents in Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, there was also a commitment around MSP. MSP is an issue that affects all of our constituents. The fact that we’re moving forward to reducing those fees by 50 percent I think is a great move for constituents in Mount Pleasant and British Columbians across B.C.

I’m very proud of the fact that we are a government that is invested in making life more affordable, that we are going to improve those services that people rely on, that we are going to invest in a sustainable economy moving forward. I think the last point is really one that I’d like to underscore, because there’s this message, this narrative that is being shaped from across the House that we don’t care about jobs.

Well, quite frankly, I just went across the province. I did what my ministry is telling me was a historical tour — 25 institutions in 21 days, visiting all of the colleges, the universities, institutes, sending a message that: “We’re not going to stand in your way, students of British Columbia. We are on your side. We are going to invest in you, because we need you for our economy.” I had to take a lot of heat about the interest rates that have tripled under the former government, the cost of living, the affordability issues — all the pressures that the students face.

[5:40 p.m.]

I always think it’s a bit rich when the members of the opposite side of this House laugh at the fact that…. These are facts. Over 16 years — this is a fact — tuition rates went up by three…. They tripled over the last 16 years.

This was a government on the other side of the House that stood in the way of adult basic education and the English-language-learning program. What a cynical move to make. Do you know how many thank-yous I got across the province? People were saying: “Thank you for standing on the side of people. Thank you for sending a message that you are invested in the people of British Columbia.” These are students that want to go back and finish their grade 12. These are people that want to upgrade their skills so they can get into the workforce.

Again, I’d like to send a message to our friends on the other side of this House. Get your facts straight when you’re talking about whether our government is interested in investing in people power in B.C.

Before I go on any further…. I’m so excited to be here. I don’t know if you’re picking that energy up, hon. Speaker. I’m so thrilled to be in this House. It is a privilege for all of us to be Members of the Legislative Assembly. It is a privilege to be a voice on behalf of all our constituents. It is a privilege to stand in these chambers as an Indigenous woman.

I want to thank all of my family and team and everyone who helped me get here — my constituents, who had faith in me as their representative to be their voice, for the people that stood behind our NDP government and our Green colleagues to put people first. That’s what this budget is about. It’s about putting people first, so I want to give thanks there.

I have nine commitment items in my mandate letter. I’m sure everyone in these chambers is fully aware of what I’m committed to do as the Minister for Advanced Education, Skills and Training, part of which I spoke about — adult basic education, restoring that unfair policy that was implemented by the Liberal government, and making tuition free for kids in care.

It was amazing. It was an historic day in British Columbia two weeks ago, right before Labour Day, saying that we are going to stand with the most vulnerable children in this province. We are going to be with you as you move into your adulthood, and we are going to see all of the opportunity that you can offer our province. We are going to see you as our future leaders and as an investment. That was a great day at Vancouver Island University, to lend support to former youth in care.

We’re going to be working towards our completion grant for post-secondary students. Working towards….Yeah, we’re not there yet, eight weeks in, but it doesn’t mean that we’re not committed and driven to make sure that we fulfil our promises. I stand proudly in these chambers to say that we’re not going to be about broken promises.

We’re not going to promise the province a debt-free B.C. and LNG for everyone and $1 million, $1 billion, $1 trillion. I couldn’t keep track with all of the announcements that came out of the other side of the chamber. We’re going to move forward to make sure that we’ve got apprenticeship ratios on our public infrastructure projects here in B.C. We’re going to work towards making greater opportunities for co-op and work experience placements. We are committed — all ministers on this side of this House. Our government is committed to moving forward on the United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples, which just celebrated their tenth anniversary yesterday, and moving forward with the Truth and Reconciliation calls to action.

In that document, for the people that haven’t read it, for the members who haven’t familiarized themselves with those documents, there’s a real desire to ensure that we’re investing in our young people. Indigenous youth are the fastest-growing population in Canada. We need to make sure that we’re above the curve and that we’re investing in our youth.

Part of my mandate also outlines that we’re going to be investing, through a scholarship for graduate students, and that we’re going to be continuing on this journey to invest in the tech sector. Again, there’s lots of talk in these chambers about our side of the House not being interested in tech. Well, quite frankly, the tech sector succeeded in B.C. not because of government but despite government. I’m really proud that we’re going to build on that momentum. I’ve got amazing tech sectors in Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, so I’m very proud to be the minister that’s going to help to launch them into the 21st century, because that’s where our jobs need to be.

[5:45 p.m.]

Forestry was mentioned in these chambers. We’re definitely interested in revitalizing the forestry sector and making sure that people are skilled to be out in the workforce in that area. I don’t want to stand here and boast. There is a lot of material that we can be proud of. But most importantly, what I want to underscore is that we’re proud that this budget is about putting people first.

This budget has kids….

Interjections.

Hon. M. Mark: You know, I think it’s rich when people are laughing, because I was about to say this budget has people like my daughters in mind, who attend public education institutions. One day, they’re going to take on post-secondary. I hope that it’s affordable and that it’s within reach, because over the last 16 years, the government, which is now on that side of the House, failed to invest in our future leaders.

In fact, when I went across the province and met with all of the colleges, universities and institutes, students aren’t just taking on more debt, but they are faced with affordability issues related to housing, lack of student housing, mental health issues. There are a number of issues confronting the students of today.

But let’s not forget the decisions and the choices that were made by the previous government after 16 years in government, and I would say probably 16 budgets — 16 budgets where they had a chance to make a choice. And their choices didn’t put people like students first, didn’t put working parents first, and I’m so glad that our government decided to make those investments in this budget update of 2017.

Thank you, hon. Speaker, for the opportunity to speak in these chambers. Noting the hour, I get to be the person who rings the bell, and it’s time to go.

Interjections.

Hon. M. Mark: Noting the hour, hon. Speaker, I reserve my place in debate and move adjournment of the debate.

Hon. M. Mark moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. S. Simpson moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 5:47 p.m.