Orders of the Day

Hon. M. Farnworth: I call continued debate on the throne speech.

[L. Reid in the chair.]

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

T. Wat: Thank you for the opportunity to rise in this House to respond to the Speech from the Throne.

Before I give my remarks, I would like to acknowledge some of the people in my life who offer great support to me in my role as MLA for Richmond North Centre. It’s a role I’m honoured to have been bestowed by my valued constituents.

Thank you to my wonderful parents, who have always been unwavering in their support. They are now in their 90s, and I’m so thankful to have them in my life.

I thank my daughter Tin, as well, and my first grandson, Andre, who truly lights up our lives. It is in these joyful moments with him that I remember why I’m here in this House: to help make life better for families in our communities across this great province.

I offer my thanks, as well, to my hard-working staff in Victoria and in Richmond North Centre — Steven Lee, Tracy Grimsrud, Jennifer Wizinsky, Blake Hodson, Trix Chan, David Sum, Tony Lu and Nathan Kurt.

The government has laid out a vision for the legislative session and for the people of this province, and I’m pleased to provide my thoughts and perspective on some of those plans and ideas they have brought forward. As the MLA for Richmond North Centre, it is my duty to share the priorities of my community and its constituents and see how their dreams and aspirations fit in with this government’s vision moving forward.

There are so many positive things to celebrate in Richmond, but there are also some challenges that residents are keen to see this government address in meaningful ways. Chief among the concerns is the state of health care in Richmond. The skilled medical professionals at Richmond Hospital have been providing top-notch care to local residents and visitors for more than 50 years.

[11:00 a.m.]

Those years have taken a toll on this facility. It is aging, and there are seismic safety concerns as well. We all want patients and their families to feel safe at Richmond Hospital and to know that it is equipped with the most modern equipment and technologies.

This is important for the medical staff as well. They can only do so much with outdated equipment and facilities. But each and every day they do an outstanding job. Still, we need to look at how we can support their fine work and provide even better care to Richmond residents. Certainly, the community has rallied behind this cause in a big way.

I have spoken before about the tremendous work undertaken by the Richmond Hospital Foundation. Founded in 1987, the foundation has raised nearly $75 million in support of Richmond Hospital. Those funds have directly impacted the acute and community care service that Richmond Hospital and Vancouver Coastal Health provide, from the purchase of the most urgently needed medical equipment and the latest technologies to capital infrastructure, patient care initiatives, research and education programs.

The foundation’s hard work and the generosity of its donors have provided medical teams with the vital tools they need to provide and enhance patient care. And the foundation has been at the forefront of the campaign for a new hospital tower. At the Starlight Gala back in October, attendees and, indeed, the entire community were reminded that of the nearly $27 million that’s been pledged towards a new tower, half of that is contingent on a commitment of funding by the province and a 2020 construction start date. That’s why the community has been calling for a strong, clear provincial funding commitment for the new tower.

When I pressed the Health Minister for a timeline during his ministry estimates last October, the minister was unable to offer those specifics. He said: “We’re proceeding, as we should, expeditiously through the process, for the concept plan for a project that has a high priority within Vancouver Coastal Health and a high priority with the government.”

Well, as I mentioned, that was back in October. There was no mention of it in this throne speech. The Richmond News caught that as well, stating: “The government’s throne speech Tuesday made brief mention of new hospitals but was short on specifics.” I know all eyes will be on next week’s budget for those details.

There has been a petition going around in Richmond, started by three city councillors last fall, signed by more than 1,840 people thus far. The business community in Richmond is also strongly behind this project. The Richmond Chamber of Commerce rallied 47 local businesses, employing about 8,000 people, behind this cause.

Indeed, there are many reasons why this hospital is such a high priority for my constituents. It’s been a high priority for me since being elected in 2013. So we will wait for next week’s budget and see whether it’s a high priority for this government as well.

On the education front, I know many parents and students will be watching the budget for any mention of seismic upgrades to schools as well. Under our former government, improvements to four Richmond schools were completed. Those were Garden City Elementary, Steveston secondary, Samuel Brighouse Elementary and William Cook Elementary.

I believe that currently there are two schools proceeding to construction, five in business case development and 18 designated as future priorities. So we will be keeping an eye on the progress of those projects for the safety and well-being of our students in Richmond.

I’d also like to address the issue of housing affordability. This was an issue that the government did mention in its throne speech, but sadly, what the NDP presented in their speech falls far short of what was promised to the electorate. What a surprise.

The Vancouver Sun’s Vaughn Palmer notes: “Not so much gone as shrunken was the commitment to build 114,000 new housing units over ten years. The throne speech mentioned 2,000 modular homes for the homeless for three communities and 1,700 other units approved for construction — well short of the pace needed to meet the ten-year target.”

[11:05 a.m.]

The NDP also promised to make life better for renters by committing to a $400 renters rebate, but it’s not in the throne speech. In fact, we haven’t heard much about this for some time now. And what about the NDP’s other big promise of $10-a-day child care? That’s what they committed to families across B.C., but here again, the throne speech comes up short.

They say they are making a start, but they are clearly backing away from what they promised to people. Says the Vancouver Sun’s Rob Shaw: “The $10-a-day term may have been dropped due to a disagreement with the B.C. Greens, who are in a power-sharing deal with the NDP and oppose what they call an unnecessary ‘slogan.’” So what we have here are promises that don’t mean much to the NDP. If the Greens say, “Jump,” the NDP says: “How high?” Just so they can stay in power.

What’s more, they offer no ideas to stimulate the economy. How can you afford to fund the lavish promises made to British Columbia when you offer no ideas, no concrete plans, to grow jobs and the economy to assure investors? What a sad state of affairs when you consider that the NDP was handed an economy that was in great shape, the envy of the country.

Now they are starting needless trade wars with our neighbours in Alberta over a federally approved pipeline project. As a result, Alberta has banned B.C. wine in retaliation. According to the B.C. Wine Institute, “30 percent of all wine sold in Alberta is from B.C., with a total value of $160 million.” The B.C. wine industry contributes $2.8 billion annually to B.C.’s economy. So we have an industry that makes tremendous contributions to our economy being hurt by the action of this government.

That’s not all. The trade war has also put a $2 billion pipeline project in the province in peril. On February 8, the Alberta Department of Energy, formally voiced its opposition to the North Montney mainline extension, a critical outflow pipeline for B.C. natural gas, necessary for eastern markets. It’s interesting, because Alberta has never expressed any opposition to the project until this week, until it became embroiled in this trade dispute with B.C. It’s clear this trade war is having far-reaching impacts.

Still, we don’t see much action from the NDP to de-escalate the unnecessary dispute they started in the first place. In fact, all the Agriculture Minister can come up with are a few newspaper ads and the proclamation of B.C. wine month in April. Winery operators and producers want quick action now, not a month and a half from now.

The NDP are not only damaging B.C.’s wine industry and the talented men and women who work hard to deliver top-quality, award-winning products, but they are damaging our reputation as well. What are investors to think of all of this? Maybe it makes them think twice about coming to B.C. to create jobs and contribute to our economy.

Speaking of jobs, there’s much uncertainty on that front, not just because of the scare the NDP is putting in the investor but locally, here at home, with cancelled projects and needless redundant reviews.

In Richmond, people are talking about the frequent congestion at the aging Massey Tunnel. We know it to be B.C.’s worst bottleneck. It prevents people from getting where they need to go.

Whether it’s a commercial truck driver trying to get to the ferry, trying to do his job transporting goods, or a young family trying to get their baby to a doctor’s appointment or someone trying to get home to relax and spend quality time with their loved ones after a long day of work or a first responder attending to a crash, trying to get patients to a hospital in Richmond or Vancouver, they are among the 80,000 commuters a day who have to deal with gridlock and frayed nerves, not to mention a seismically unsafe structure. We have been waiting a very long time for a solution.

[11:10 a.m.]

Our former government actually tried to find one. There were numerous meetings and consultations with stakeholders and the public. There were 14,000 pages of information produced and study after study performed, including two independent engineering reports.

That information was carefully and thoughtfully considered, and our former government came to the conclusion that a bridge was the best option to relieve this congestion. This option will also minimize the impact on the environment. It would be more cost-effective and allow for pedestrian and bicycle traffic as well. But the NDP decided to cancel the project and order a redundant and unnecessary review.

Many of my constituents have expressed frustration at this. They are tired of sitting in traffic, wasting time that could be better spent elsewhere. Unfortunately for them, there was no mention of this significant issue in this government’s Speech from the Throne, and 9,000 construction jobs continue to hang in the balance. It’s sad to see this level of uncertainty for workers and commuters as they await the result of the NDP’s redundant review.

Many of my constituents are also concerned with an exercise that we’ll go through later this year. That’s the referendum on proportional representation. I’m concerned about it as well. I want my constituents and all British Columbians to be fully aware of what they will be voting on and what it means for them. I fear that the process is being skewed to favour the outcome desired by the NDP and their Green partners.

They are lowering the threshold for the result to be binding on government to a bare majority of 50 percent plus one, as low as you can go, with no regional threshold to go along with it. Folks living in rural areas fear they won’t get as much of a say as their urban counterparts.

There are concerns about the referendum question itself. It will be crafted by provincial cabinet behind closed doors by politicians who have a vested interest in the outcome.

What’s more, the Premier had promised British Columbians that it will be a yes-or-no question. Then we learned voters will have to choose between multiple proportional representation options against first-pass-the-post. Of course, a first-pass-the-post victory is not favourable under a ranked ballot vote. Voters who mark that system as their first choice will have to choose between multiple PR systems for their second and third choices. If first-pass-the-post doesn’t win on the first ballot, a victory is unlikely.

Those are just a few of the ways the NDP has treated the process, which raise important questions about fairness. Contrast that with 2005 and 2009 referendums held in this province. Both times the process was free of political interference and manipulation. What we see here is an effort by the NDP and the Greens to make it easier to get a system of proportional representation in place here in B.C., because they know it would likely serve them very well.

That just doesn’t sit right with me. It’s not the manner in which something as important as choosing a new electoral system should be handled. It’s an exercise that could fundamentally change the fabric of our democracy and affect every single British Columbian. I believe this issue that I have outlined today in my remarks speaks to an overall theme of trust. You can’t go around making big promises to people, raising their hopes and expectations, without a real plan to make those dreams a reality.

The NDP don’t have a plan. They don’t have a strategy for creating jobs and investment in this province. They have no clue how to grow the economy. They don’t know how to get us out of this unnecessary trade spat that they have started with Alberta. They are backing away from the $10-a-day child care they promised B.C. families. They stopped talking about the renters rebate that appealed to many voters. And they are not on pace to build all the housing units they have promised over the next decade.

We as politicians often hear lots of disillusionment on the part of the electorate. They don’t take broken promises lightly. But sadly, that’s all they are getting from this Speech from the Throne.

[11:15 a.m.]

We can only hope that their upcoming budget does more to address the pressing needs of British Columbians and brings some credibility to the platform that the NDP presented to voters many months ago.

Hon. C. Trevena: It is truly an honour to be standing here to speak about the throne speech today. It was a throne speech that I think really embraced a lot of ideas, inspiration and positive options for people in British Columbia — things that people really need, things that will seriously make life more affordable for people, help deliver those services that people need, as well as enforce and create in areas a strong stable economy that works for everyone.

Before I get into my remarks about the throne speech, I would like to have the indulgence to recognize the people who are important to me. As always, I would like to acknowledge my spouse of many years, my life partner, Michael McIvor, without whom I know I wouldn’t be here. He’s not in the House today. He is coming down later today, but he’s not in the House today. His support, love and encouragement have really made sure that I can do my job.

I’d also like to thank and acknowledge the wonderful team with whom I work, the team in my constituency and the team down here in Victoria. It is one team. My constituency assistants: Mary Carstairs, Sandra Doran and Fred Robertson. Fred, who works out in Port Hardy, often feels on his own up there, but he is an integral part of the team.

My former constituency assistant, now my executive assistant, is Lynn Stone, with whom I have worked for now almost 13 years. She has put up with me for almost 13 years. For that, I am extraordinarily grateful too.

Derrick Harder, Alisma Perry and my administrative support, Jacqueline Chapotelle and Lindsey Jackson. As I say, we do work as a team, and I think that I wouldn’t be able to do my job without all their support and hard work.

As I mentioned, I find it always an honour to stand in this House to talk about issues that come from government that reflect on my constituency. So I’d like to talk a little bit in my remarks today about the throne speech and how it is going to impact the North Island. I’ve been elected by the North Island four times now and feel very honoured and continually humbled by that, the fact that people have that many times put their faith in me as their representative.

I know, Madame Speaker, you have a longer history with your constituents. I know you have those sorts of links, that that is the first area you go to. The first area you think of when anything comes up is how you are — what your constituents need, what your constituents are asking for and how you can work to improve lives for your constituents.

I’m very pleased that there are a number of areas in this throne speech that will really benefit the North Island, things that the North Island communities have been longing for, for many, many years.

There’s obviously a big focus on housing. This is a serious approach by our government. We see that there is a massive housing crisis in this province, and we do need to address it. We need to work together to tackle this. It’s with that, that I look at the investments we’re going to be making in housing.

I know we have the budget in a few days’ time. We’ll hear more details about that. The commitment to housing that our government is making is not just going to impact people in the large urban centres but is going to really be important for people who live across our province in the rural communities.

I’m very proud to represent a rural community. I look and hear from people in my own constituency who are looking for affordable housing. Those young families are looking to try and find somewhere where they can have a home, whether it is on the islands or in smaller communities — that ability to move out of the cities. They still are facing struggles finding homes. What our government is doing will help them.

[11:20 a.m.]

At the other end of the spectrum, the seniors are also looking, whether it is for the supportive housing, assisted living or more independent living. I’ve had approaches, whether it’s Port Hardy or Quadra Island, where community groups have come and said: “How can we make this work? How can we make sure that our seniors can stay in our community? How can our elders stay in our community? How can we make these investments happen?”

I’m very pleased that a commitment we are making in housing will embrace all ends of the spectrum: those who we know are homeless; who are couch-surfing; who are caught in the middle; those who are earning too little to be able to get into the housing market and looking for a good rental, safe rentals; and those who are the seniors who are looking for something more permanent.

Likewise, the emphasis that we are putting on child care is going to have a huge impact for my constituents. There is no question about that. The fact that we are making substantial progress towards having a child care system that will be embracing, will be affordable, will be accessible.

I think that everybody has talked to those families who have been struggling with (1) trying to find child care and (2), when they do find child care, making their lives work. I was talking to a father the other day who is a bus driver who was saying that he enjoyed being a bus driver because of the shifts. His wife worked days. He was able to work nights. That meant that he could look after children during the daytime while his wife was at work. They passed for about 45 minutes to an hour at suppertime, and then he went off to work. It’s not great for family life, but it’s the only way they could make things work for child care for them.

I think there is that aspect, too, of how it’s going to make life better for people. It’s not just for the young people who are going to grow up through a child care system that will be supported; it will be better for all families. It will be able to deal with a real affordability issue for all families. I’m extraordinarily pleased that that is in our platform, and it will have a lasting impact for the north Island.

Also in the throne speech, there is the commitment to look at funding for education, particularly for funding for schools in rural and remote areas. This has been something that I have been arguing for, for many years, in opposition — that rural education has been disproportionately affected by the funding formula. To be able to address that to ensure that those students in Port Hardy, those students in Zeballos, those students in more remote communities actually get the opportunities that students in larger centres get.

I know that there are lots of different ways we can be using new technology to do that. But I think that this is something that looking at the funding formula, and addressing the gaps will really be vital for my constituents. I have three school districts, as the Speaker well knows. She came to visit them a few years ago. There are three school districts in the north Island, and changing the funding formula will have a real impact for them.

Likewise, the commitment to the Internet. This is something that I have been fighting for, I think, for all the time that I’ve been in opposition. To see the commitment from the Minister of Citizens’ Services portfolio, to have this in the throne speech….We will be investing in broadband that will be able to reach coastal communities, remote communities and ensure that everybody has access to the high-speed Internet that is so central to life, whether it’s government services that are found through the Internet or whether it’s the quality of living — you know, people watching Netflix — or whether it is people wanting to do business.

I’ve looked at it many times from the business point of view. I know people who have moved from where they wanted to have their home because they haven’t had access to high-speed Internet.

It’s not just the web designers who thought they could work on Cortes Island and had to move because they weren’t able to access high-speed Internet. It’s those people who want to run a small business or work remotely. While we have issues for some of housing affordability, we do have the advantage of — compared to Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna — very affordable housing.

For people who want to live and work in smaller communities and are able to make those connections and be able to work remotely, it will now be a possibility. This is going to have a huge impact for my constituency. There’s no question North Island will benefit from these changes.

[11:25 a.m.]

I also want to talk about the driving force, I think, of the north Island and of much of B.C., and that is forestry. Again, the throne speech made a very strong commitment to forestry. We on the north Island have been trying to redefine, since we lost both our mills a number of years ago…. We lost the Catalyst pulp mill. We lost the TimberWest sawmill. The Port Alice Specialty Cellulose mill has been down for a number of years now. This has had a dramatic impact on the communities.

We’ve still had the harvesting, the resources, but recently Western Forest Products announced that they were centralizing. They were moving out from a number of areas. They were closing a number of sorts, which are going to have a serious impact for the north Island. They also had made the announcement that they are going to end the logging train that they ran from Woss to Beaver Cove. This comes after a very tragic accident in April, where people got killed when the train was in Woss. It had a huge impact on the community.

The whole of the north Island is really shaken by the fact that the company has decided not to restart that and to move its operation to roads. I’m going to come to that in a second. But Western really has the control of much of the Crown land — in fact, nearly all the Crown land north of Campbell River. It is the tenure holder, the licence holder for large, vast areas. I think there are three or four TFLs that it has in my constituency. There has been a huge concern that it’s been harvesting and shipping out the logs, harvesting and shipping out the logs, harvesting and shipping out the logs — not bringing any of the benefit back.

The fact that our government is saying now that there has to be a social licence, that forest companies who are working in our communities have to be responsible to those communities, is a major step for those communities. People are applauding, because it is going to make a huge change, that the forest companies are not just working for their shareholders. They’re working for the communities where they are logging. They’re working for the communities whose land they’re working in. These are Crown lands; these are public lands. They have a licence to operate, so that social licence and the commitment by our government to that social licence is extraordinarily important for my constituency.

As I mentioned on Western — I’m not going to beat up on Western too much — we have the move to the highway transportation of the logs. As the Minister of Transportation, it has added an extra number of calls to my office. People have been very, very concerned about what that impact will be on the quality of the highway, on safety on the highway, on just how they’re going to be moving the logs. I have been working with ministry staff to look at how we can ensure safety, how we can ensure that the highway is kept up to the standard that it should be.

As an opposition member and as a constituency MLA, I have railed against the poor quality of Highway 19 on many times. I continue to raise Highway 19 with my staff and say: “How can we fix it? How can we make sure…?” Now there are approximately another 60 or so trucks a day — that’s on top of the trucks that were already operating and that weren’t using the railway — on that stretch of highway between Woss and Port McNeill, and Woss down to Sayward. It’s significant. We’re trying to find solutions to that, making sure that the highway is protected.

It’s an honour to be the representative for North Island, and it continues to be an honour. It’s also an extraordinary honour to be the province’s Minister of Transportation. I take the responsibility very seriously. I know that we have 46,000 kilometres of highway. We’re responsible for 2,900 bridges, 200-plus weather stations, 24 coastal ferry routes and another 14 inland ones, 51 border crossings, 131 airports and 82 B.C. Transit systems, which serve 130 communities. It is a huge responsibility, as I say.

[11:30 a.m.]

The ministry staff are extraordinary. I’ve travelled around and talked to people in ministry offices, whether it is in Smithers, in Courtenay, in Kamloops, in Cranbrook. I’ve been travelling around the province talking, and I don’t think it’s because they’re talking to the minister, even a new minister. They all say that it’s a great ministry to work for, and they are dedicated.

They are dedicated to making our roads work for everyone in the province. They are dedicated to ensure that there is safety there. They are dedicated to ensure that we really do get the best service. I have to thank the ministry staff right through, from top to bottom, for their hard work and their continued hard work.

The Speech from the Throne does make quite a good and detailed mention of transportation. I’d like to pick up on a few of the items, if I might.

I’m going to start in my own backyard, going up Highway 19 — Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Campbell River — and going on down. We have ferries. We are linked by ferries. We continue to be linked by ferries.

It has been one of my driving forces, I think. I think everybody knows I actually live in a ferry-reliant community. I live on Quadra Island. I live and breathe ferries. One does if you live in a ferry-reliant community. That’s why I’m extraordinarily pleased that we are acting on B.C. Ferries. I call it a soup-to-nuts review. Somebody said it should be the chowder-to-nuts review, but we have started a complete review of B.C. Ferries.

It was set up by the previous government 16 years ago, taken out from the hands of government, away from the Crown corporation, and became this quasi-autonomous, independent business operation. The review is looking at everything from how the administration works, how the reservation system works, how the commissioner works. It is a very thorough review.

I’ve had some criticism by people asking why we aren’t looking at governance models. My answer to that is: what do you really want? Do you want the ferries to be a Crown corporation, like they used to be? Do you want them to be part of the Ministry of Highways? It’s been many years since only a few of them were, and that was way back when. I think it’s before most people’s memory. Or do you want a system that is affordable and reliable and works for you and your community and your economy?

Most people would go for the latter. That’s why we’re not looking at governance. We are looking at making sure that the system works for people in the public interest.

I’m not going to steal thunder from the Finance Minister here, but something we announced a long time ago — and we are going to being carrying out with it — is reducing the fares on all the routes by 15 percent except the three from the Island to the Mainland, where the fares will be frozen. I know seniors are very eager that we are bringing back the free transportation for seniors Monday to Thursday. That all starts on April 1. It is no April Fools’ joke. People will see a reduction in their ferry tickets.

Our government is committed to affordability, and one of the first acts as Minister of Transportation with the Premier was announcing the removal of the tolls for the Port Mann and Golden Ears Bridge. This has had a significant impact. I know that people see the increase in traffic, and we’re still assessing how the traffic is redistributing, but it has saved commuters about $1,500 a year and people who work in the commercial sector, truck drivers, approximately $4,500 a year.

That’s money that can go back into…. Whether it’s their business or their own quality of life, it’s going to help the rent or it’s going to help maybe get money towards a vacation. It is absolutely vital to people that they can get that extra bit of money in their pocket.

While I’m talking about bridges, there is mention…. I think it’s very clear in the throne speech. The statement about the Pattullo Bridge says: “The Pattullo Bridge is a critical piece of transportation infrastructure for Lower Mainland drivers.” I think anybody who knows the Lower Mainland would absolutely agree on that. We are working with TransLink. There are real problems of safety on that bridge, and this is a priority for our government, to make sure that the safety is dealt with. We are moving on with that.

These are items that are in my mandate letter — the letter that the Premier gives all members of the executive council at the beginning of their time before they’re sworn in.

[11:35 a.m.]

We have the ferries, we have the Pattullo Bridge, and we have the toll removal. Also in my mandate letter and something that I’m absolutely committed to — and I’m sure that the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke will support me in this — is the four-laning of Highway 1, the eastern section. The previous government had started work — Kamloops to the Alberta border. We are accelerating that.

There’s been some talk about: “Oh, you’re going to be pulling back. You’re not going to be doing that.” I’ve heard calls from Salmon Arm and calls from around Kamloops — people concerned that we’re not going to do it. It’s the reverse. We are accelerating that. We know that there are serious safety issues.

While we’re continuing proceeding with the work that is happening between Kamloops going east, we’re also now looking east from Golden going west — how we can make sure that the work done there happens more quickly. As I say, I know that this is a very serious safety issue. Everybody who lives in those areas…. Whether you’re in Golden or in Revelstoke, you’re driving that highway, you know people who have, sadly, died in accidents or have been involved in accidents.

D. Clovechok: Every week.

Hon. C. Trevena: The member for Columbia River–Revelstoke says that it’s weekly. It’s true, and this shouldn’t be happening, not on our national highway. That’s why it is such a commitment for us to work as fast as we can to improve the safety in that section of road, the eastern section between Golden and Revelstoke and beyond. We’ve got $273 million, investing in this over three years. We are working on, as I say, Revelstoke, Golden, Chase and Salmon Arm, so both sides.

We are consulting more. We have to consult, obviously very thoughtfully and thoroughly, with First Nations. We need to talk with communities. But this is, as I say, a serious commitment. We will be moving on this as swiftly as we can. It is a commitment that we can’t see people involved in accidents. It is the Trans-Canada Highway. It is our link for personal use, for business use, for economic use to the rest of the country. We need to make it safe.

The other area we’re looking at very seriously — and it is a priority for me — is the greening of transportation. We’re working on highways. We’re building highways. We’re always going to need highways. But how can we also build options for people?

In the end, you cannot build your way out of congestion. There will always be more cars to fill the roads, and we know that. So how can we both cut congestion, get people out of their cars, and look at alternatives for people? I know that in many areas, there are no alternatives. You need your vehicle. There are no bus services. But how can we do that?

We are looking at investments in transit, not just in the large urban areas. We’re announcing bus lanes through here, in the south Island. We’re talking. Obviously, we’re working with TransLink on the Broadway line and the Surrey rapid transit. But how can we do this everywhere?

I’m very pleased, and I think that it was something the previous government brought in after much, much lobbying by many, many people…. The member for North Coast and the former member for Esquimalt-Metchosin and myself and many people on this side of the House, as opposition members, were lobbying very hard for the transportation on Highway 16.

It started last year, and it’s been a huge success. It is growing. I think it is really important to see that and to acknowledge that. Five thousand people have been using this service that links communities. More than 9,000 are using the smaller community buses. This has really made a huge difference, particularly for women and girls, vulnerable people along that very long stretch of highway that we were trying to address. We really needed to ensure their safety.

It is accessible. Fares are under $5. It is something that is for safety. We’ve got bus shelters. We’ve got webcams. We’ve got different travel shelters. It’s been something that we are really very proud of.

[11:40 a.m.]

We’re also very aware that Greyhound has made its application to pull out from a number of its routes, particularly those that service the north. I’ve met with members of the opposition who represent those northern communities. I’ve met with mayors who also represent those northern communities. We are extraordinarily aware of the need — that people do need that safe, reliable and affordable transportation.

While we’ve had a coach service there, if that…. I mean, it’s a decision by the Passenger Transportation Board. If they decide that Greyhound can leave the area, it will leave people stranded. This is something that I’m very conscious of and want to ensure that we can have that safe transportation.

We have seen, with Highway 16, that work can happen, that we can look at long distance travel. Hopefully, we won’t see Greyhound leave but if it does, we are committed to make sure that transportation does happen for people in those areas.

As I say, we are looking at investing in transit. I think it’s a great way of getting people out of their cars in urban areas. We went out to Kelowna in the late summer, where they had a new transit exchange at the University British Columbia Okanagan campus. They are seeing people coming down from Vernon and then going down further south into Kelowna and beyond.

It’s how we can link that, how we can make sure that we can get those connections between communities as well as get an effective transit system within our communities. This is one of the areas where I think it is really a great opportunity for all of us to look at new ways of doing things.

I’m also very excited at the new electric buses that have been used in trials at the moment, as well as the continued growth of the compressed natural gas buses — again, how we can meet transit needs.

Just one last comment. The TransLink transit…. We work with TransLink very closely. I talk about Metro Vancouver. We talk about Surrey light rail and the Broadway and Arbutus. It’s a pleasure to work with my colleague the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, under whose remit TransLink comes, because we are the ones negotiating, at the moment, with the federal government to try and get some funds for these transit projects, because they are vital.

While I extol all the virtues of my constituency, the areas of Surrey and, obviously, the Lower Mainland are where there is the densest population and where we really need to be working very closely with the mayors to ensure that we are delivering on what they see, what their vision is. They have a ten-year plan — so looking how we can work closely with them, whether it is the Pattullo Bridge, which was made mention of earlier, or whether it is the Broadway or Surrey rapid transit.

These are people who were elected locally, and we have a number of mayors in the Metro area. They have a transportation plan. They have a vision for ten years, which we respect. We want to work closely with them to deliver on that vision, whether it is trying to access money or whether it is working in partnership, how we can do that — to deliver what they are asking for and what their constituents are asking for.

At the same time, it’s looking at the whole area and those corridors that are our responsibility as a province, and still those ones which are a crossover. Which bridge is which? Who owns what bridge? We’re still working on those.

As I say, it is a real honour to be here as the Minister of Transportation, to be representing, working on behalf of all the province on transportation and the need for the transportation networks.

I see that my time is almost up. I could continue for many more hours, talking both about my own constituency as well as my portfolio as minister. But with that, I’ll have to save some to talk about when it’s the budget and then continue talking over the coming months and hopefully years about the fabulous work that the ministry is doing on behalf of the whole of British Columbia.

With that, I’ll take my seat.

[11:45 a.m.]

M. Morris: Before I get into the meat of the throne speech and the points that I want to make, I just want to thank a couple of people that are very near and dear to me and have helped me out tremendously over the over past number of years since I’ve been elected.

First and foremost, to my constituency assistants in Prince George. Charlotte and Nicola: I couldn’t do the job without you. I refer back to a Supreme Court of Canada decision a number of years ago that defined the role of an elected official as somebody who was not only a representative of the constituency but also acted in the role of an Ombudsperson. It’s very true. That’s exactly what Charlotte and Nicola do on my behalf and, of course, what I do when I’m out there.

I’d also like to thank all the constituents in Prince George–Mackenzie for having the trust and faith in me, in electing me and putting me down in this great place here in Victoria to represent the interests of you folks up there, rural British Columbia and all of British Columbia, for that matter.

Most of all, though, I’d like to offer special thanks to my wife of 40 years, Chris, and my two sons, Matt and Dan, for all the support that they’ve given me over the years, particularly in the last year or so as I’ve gone through some personal struggles. They’ve stood by me and helped me out tremendously. My heart goes out to Chris, who’s down here in Victoria with me right now, and my two boys and their wives and my five grandchildren in Prince George. Without them, I don’t think I would be here.

I grew up in poverty. I experienced domestic violence as a young fellow and a lot of tragic experiences that no young child should ever have to endure. I went to over a dozen schools from grade 1 to grade 12 throughout the province and lived in 18 different homes during that period of time. My father was moving around quite a bit to escape his past. My mother eventually succumbed to the domestic violence and abuse, and she left my dad when I was a very young teenager. We struggled on our own until after I left high school.

During that period of time, we were introduced to the social services — the social net, I guess, that helps people out in times of struggles. This was back in the early ’60s. That social network kept our family together as much as it could. I still had brothers and sisters that were farmed out to other family members, but it was that social assistance that put us into a home and provided some food and clothing for us.

That’s what I want to start with in my response to the throne. I understand, from the bottom of my heart and my life experiences, the need for that social net in British Columbia and across Canada to help people out that are in dire need of support, to help them out in their struggles. But that doesn’t come cheap.

Back in 1963, 1965, the social net that we had at that particular time was pretty sparse. The assistance that we have today in British Columbia, particularly, is a lot more complex, a lot more in inclusive than it was years and years ago. That costs money. It doesn’t come at a cheap price to try and make sure that we help everybody out that we can.

As I listened to the throne speech and went through it in a little bit more detail over the last few days, I noticed that there were a number of things absent in that speech. Now, I’ve got no problem at all with providing that social safety net to people in British Columbia. I think we need a robust social safety net for everybody in British Columbia, but it comes at a cost, like I said. In order to sustain that, we need to have a robust economy.

Looking through the throne speech, I didn’t see anything about developing a robust economy. I didn’t see any meat and potatoes behind that. It was mentioned. I’ll talk about that a little bit later as I go through my speech here.

[11:50 a.m.]

There was also no mention of campaign promises that the NDP ran on, like the $10-a-day daycare. That really caught the attention not only of people that need that social net out there to fall back on but of the everyday working man and woman in this province that was looking forward to that $10-a-day daycare so that the wives or the husbands or the partners could get out and work and provide a living, or increase the standard of living for the household, and make sure that their kids were in a safe environment. That evaporated, along with the $400 rental rebate that a lot of people were looking for.

There was no mention of the 114,000 housing units that this government had promised that they would deliver. Yeah, they had a couple of tidbits in there about 2,000 modular homes that they’re going to put in some places and, I think, another 1,500 or so social structures that they’re going to build in the province here — far short of the 114,000 social housing units that they were talking about.

Again, people’s expectations were raised during the campaign, during the election cycle, thinking that the NDP government would be providing all these extra things for them. I think they’re utterly disappointed with what they see.

The speech was full of rhetoric, pages and pages of it. I think when you take the rhetoric out of it and you render it down to some of the factual statements that were in there, it could have been a two-page document, at the end of the day. Instead, it just went on and on and on with their rhetoric.

I note the hour, Madame Speaker. So give me the nod when you say it’s time for me to wind her up.

They did speak about….

Interjection.

M. Morris: Before I get into this, it’s probably a good time to break. I reserve my right to speak again and make a motion to adjourn debate.

M. Morris moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. M. Farnworth moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 11:52 a.m.