Orders of the Day

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

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

E. Ross: I’d like to pick up where I left off on Thursday in relation to the government’s true opinion and attitudes towards First Nations.

[N. Letnick in the chair.]

You know, what they say in the House doesn’t match up with what they say outside of the House. Some of the actions of this government in relation to First Nations issues are still, as I said on Thursday, offensive. Arguing in court that the Nuu-chah-nulth people, who are trying to fight for their rights and title…. Trying to argue and trying to put their argument on them that they gave up their rights and title, and that they should prove that they gave up their rights and title, is offensive.

That doesn’t even match up with any type of argument that exists in case law in regards to section 35 of the constitution, much less your own bill that you’re breaching, your own political bill, UNDRIP. And you’re telling a First Nation that they’ve given up their rights and title and they should provide proof. That is offensive.

And still be running around, patting yourselves on the back, talking about how much wisdom you’ve gained from First Nations people and how much you know about them and bragging about your First Nations heritage…. Then finding out that this government is actually arguing against children that came out of government care, that are fighting for a benefit that should be coming to them, that should have come to them in the first place. But this NDP government is arguing against that? It goes beyond offensive. There are more words — “tasteless.”

To still come up with a land acknowledgment and talk about how much you respect First Nations, First Nations issues, and then claim that you can’t talk about an issue because it’s in the courts, when, really, what we’re talking about is a position of the government…. We’re not asking you to divulge your strategy or your argument. We’re asking you: how come you’re not matching your actions with what you say with your rhetoric in the House? That’s what we’re asking.

To argue against Aboriginal children and non-Aboriginal children that came out of care? This government is arguing that “no, you don’t deserve that benefit that should be coming to you, because you came out of government care.” Aboriginal or not, where is the caring?

[2:25 p.m.]

Where is the long-term outlook for these kids, and now these young adults, that definitely will need a leg up when it comes to establish themselves in society?

Another thing: respect. You know, we hear a lot about what this government is doing in terms of negotiating Aboriginal rights and title away from the treaty table, away from the courts. Negotiating one of most complex issues in Canada. This is under the…. I’m thinking it’s under the guise of the UNDRIP bill, which is a vague and general bill. It will be interesting to find out how that plays out. The other half of that will probably be negotiated on the basis of Aboriginal rights and title established in the courts of B.C. and Canada under section 35.

Not once have I heard this NDP government talking about woman’s equality or their attitude towards First Nations issues. Not once have I heard them talk about the three female hereditary chiefs that had their titles stripped because of the very topic that the B.C. government is negotiating with these First Nations leaders in the first place. Chief Theresa Tait-Day, Chief Gloria George and Chief Darlene Glaim supported LNG development, and they had their hereditary titles stripped by males. Now we find the B.C. government negotiating with those same leaders and negotiating — guess what? — LNG development.

If there is such a push for women’s equality and have a different attitude towards women, especially women in leadership, why has not this government made any mention of these three brave women, who are trying to stand up for the future of their people, for the future of their kids on LNG development? Why are these three female leaders not at that table negotiating for what’s best for their kids and their grandkids? They’re the ones that care most their future.

In that same breath, we also find out that the chief of the Tk’emlúps band has actually got defamatory accusations against her — Chief Rosanne Casimir, who only wants to support economic development and wants the outsiders off her territory. She gets linked to sex trafficking, a libelous term. Can the government come out and say something on behalf of that First Nation in the same way that they’re defending logging in the Premier’s own riding? It seems that this government only gets involved in those issues when it’s politically right for them, politically right for the NDP. It doesn’t matter if it’s not right for the Indigenous people. It doesn’t matter if it’s not right for the B.C. people. Only if it’s politically correct at the time.

But it’s all good, because we make land acknowledgements. Since this is a response to the throne speech…. By the way, that was a response to the throne speech because a large part of the throne speech was directed at UNDRIP and Aboriginal people in the insurrection. But apart from that, there is no substance to the actual economy, especially when we talk about economic recovery. I found this one of the most important subjects because I link up the economy to the health of the society. But in this case here, these two areas have been separated.

There has been incredible loss to the B.C. economy and an incredible amount of stress. A lot of people have lost their businesses. A lot of people have lost their jobs. A lot of these people will have long-term losses and stresses. And yes, some of them will have to leave their homes. They’ll have to leave the province. They’ll have to leave the country. Especially the breadwinners. This is tough.

I come from a place where there is no economy. Now, thankfully, I’m living in Skeena, where we do have an economy, thanks to the First Nations and the previous government to 2017 who had the foresight to fight for LNG since 2004, did all the heavy lifting.

[2:30 p.m.]

I thank all those people at those tables — all those Aboriginal leaders. I thank the previous government for reconciling Aboriginal rights and title with the economic wishes of B.C. I thank those people.

There’s more to do in this economic crisis, this COVID crisis, that we’re in the middle of, especially when we talk with the tourism and restaurant sectors, which have been hit especially hard. There is no light at the end of the tunnel for these workers, these people and these businesses, especially when we’re talking about the confusing messaging that keeps coming out of this government. Even customers aren’t sure which restaurants are open and at what times or under what conditions. So it’s not surprising that these businesses are folding up. In turn, they’re asking questions: “What next? Where do I go? What am I going to do?”

It’s quite surprising, when it comes to tourism, that this B.C. government was caught unaware of the Jones Act, had no idea that the United States was planning to bypass B.C. ports, bypassing a multi-billion-dollar industry in B.C. This government got caught surprised by it. Yet, it was in the news. I mean, the economies of Vancouver, Victoria, Prince Rupert…. A large chunk of those economies are based on the cruise ship industry. You know what this B.C. government…? Part of their explanation was that that was about federal jurisdiction, because it’s shipping.

Well, let’s take a step back a couple of years. It didn’t stop this government or the B.C. Premier from teaming up with Governor Inslee from Washington state to stop oil tankers from leaving Vancouver harbour. Isn’t this the same jurisdictional argument? Why is it convenient now to blame this all on the feds, when back then, this B.C. government teamed up with the United States to stop Canadian oil? But they never said a word about Governor Inslee’s oil parking right across from Victoria that was carrying Alaskan oil for the refineries of Washington state so they could sell gasoline and diesel to B.C.

I think the cruise ship industry is actually fundamental to the B.C. tourism industry, especially in the largest places that have built up the infrastructure and built up the businesses around it to take advantage of it. Alaskan leaders, by the way, are just doing what they’re supposed to be doing. They’re looking after their people. They’re looking after their jurisdictions. Every jurisdiction around the world is going to become more and more aggressive in getting their economies back on track for the sake of their societies — everywhere except B.C, which is a shame.

We’ve also been talking in this House, for a number of years — as long as I’ve been here, anyway — about women and equality. It’s quite shameful that this government doesn’t actually speak up, in terms of Aboriginal leadership, for hereditary leaders that lose their titles or speak up for the chief councillor who’s actually under libellous charges right now, accusations. Ever since 2004, I’ve taken a different look at women’s issues, basically because an academic at a conference actually changed my opinion and changed my outlook.

Don’t get me wrong. We’re a melting pot of culture and diversities in Canada, but we’ve always had a track record of always trying to improve what we’ve done, including addressing those issues that affect women — disproportionately, mind you. How women are being treated, still, in most sectors, is often not brought to light. My example of Theresa Tait-Day, Gloria George, Darlene Glaim — that never made the papers. It didn’t get high-profile coverage in our media, and it’s wrong.

Connected to that — and there is a lot of connection here, in terms of how we’re viewing women — ultimately, we also have to think about the safety, because nobody could’ve predicted 20 years ago the drug problem that we have here today in B.C.

[2:35 p.m.]

I agree with everybody in this House. We have to do better to address addictions. We have to do better in addressing the homeless. But to think back to when the NDP were in opposition, they were claiming that they had all the answers and the B.C. Liberals didn’t. Well now, under the NDP government, the problem has become worse, and the violence has become worse, instead of acknowledging that nobody expected the horrific types of drugs that would be hitting our streets.

I mean, I’d never even heard of crystal meth until a few years ago. Crock. I’d never heard of crock. The scariest drugs in my time were cocaine and heroin, and guys my age were too scared to experiment with it. The generation of today has experienced much, much harsher drugs with much, much harsher consequences.

What’s ironic about this is that we all acknowledge it — that the illegal drug trade is here to stay — because now we’re all talking about a safe drug supply that’s been shut down because of border closures. That’s the reason why so many people are overdosing. That’s one of the biggest reasons. So take the politics out of it.

Not only do we address the addictions issue and the homeless issue, but let’s start addressing the safety of the general public. When my wife is afraid to walk in the streets alone in the middle of the day — she’s afraid — then we have a problem. When women are getting attacked and beaten in their own homes and one dies of complications later on, we have a problem. When another woman gets beaten in her home with a hammer while the intruder goes through her belongings, we have a problem.

At the same time we’re addressing addictions and homelessness, we’ve got to think about the public safety. There are many countries around the world that have been trying to tackle this in many different ways. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel here. Past MLA Jane Thornthwaite actually proposed the Portugal model in some form — not total, in some form. She tried to explain to us what it meant to decriminalize drugs, the real meaning behind that. There are other jurisdictions. We can take those kinds of models and see what’s best for B.C. We can make a tailor-made approach here, for B.C.

But at the same time, we’ve also got to be doing more to protect those most vulnerable in our society, including those most vulnerable inside those camps in Strathcona Park, on the streets of Terrace, on the streets of Prince George. We’ve got to do more. We have, at least, got to slow it down a bit — get control of it — because ultimately, as has been said many, many times before, we’re all in this together.

Hon. R. Fleming: Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak today and respond to our government’s throne speech. I’m honoured to be here this afternoon as the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure on the traditional territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking people, the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations.

It is indeed a privilege to be here on behalf of my constituents in Victoria–Swan Lake to speak in favour of a throne speech that gives a broad outline for this government’s priorities, our commitments to the people of British Columbia, our commitment to make communities safer as we navigate our way through the end of this pandemic and build a better future and build back better as an economy and as a province.

We know that this has been an absolutely extraordinary, once-in-a-century year for the people of our province, for our country, for every country in the world. It is one that has been tough on families, on individuals, on people’s mental health; and tough on business owners, who have struggled to save payrolls and keep employees employed, to face the uncertainty, to adapt to new health restrictions, to move to new online ways of doing business, to make change quickly and rapidly, and to work hand in hand with government to be able to do that successfully.

[2:40 p.m.]

We have a lot to be proud of in terms of the efforts that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of British Columbians have put in to keep themselves safe, to keep their families safe and to look after one another. Long before Dr. Henry implored us, at the outset of this pandemic, to be kind, to be safe and to respect one another, British Columbians instinctually were doing that.

One can think of the early days when we would bang on pots and pans, feeling a little bit better knowing that our neighbours were doing it in unison to show our appreciation for front-line health care workers at a time when we didn’t even know the properties of the COVID-19 vaccine, how easily it could be contracted, when this pandemic would end, how many people would get sick, what kind of mortality challenge it would present to our province….

That spirit, that ethos of being in it together — even though we have had to deal with one frustration and many setbacks along the way — has endured. It is what will get us through to the other side of this health crisis, and it is what will make this province a stronger place, coming out of the pandemic. There are many ways that we will see enduring innovations in this economy. There are many ways that we will carry on the connections we have made with people, even while it was difficult to do, even while it was six feet away, or even while it was over a digital platform.

Those kinds of things have been life-changing. They have been difficult, but in many instances they’ve also been positive, in terms of bringing us together — to make sure that our kids could go to school safely, to make sure that we had child care services in place, to make sure that the capacity of our hospital system was there to rally around the needs of British Columbians.

We are not there, as we know. I know that the Health Minister and the Premier are, at this very moment, updating the people of our province about what kinds of new restrictions are being contemplated to keep us safe as we face new variants, as we enter into and continue in this third wave of the COVID-19 virus. We have a lot to be thankful for. We have a lot of people to thank in our lives, and I know that is true for all 87 members of this House. In their constituencies, they have many, many people to be proud of.

It’s no different for me when I look at the random acts of kindness that I have seen people do on a day-to-day basis. I’m seeing people absolutely refuse a health care worker to pay for a cup of coffee and a snack or meal at a restaurant, insisting that they’d take care of that for them; bringing food over to neighbours who may have been part of an exposure alert and were required to self-isolate themselves, unable to shop for themselves and get goods and services; people stepping up for each other in each and every way to do things safely, to manage and lean on one another for emotional support at critical times.

Life has gone on; it has been very difficult. People have not been able to go to funerals and pay their respects, in the way that they knew how to do, during this health crisis. People have not been able to get married as they had planned to do. People had to put on hold a lot of goals that they may have had. Post-secondary students have not had the benefit of in-person learning and the rewards that come with that, learning and working with their peers in exciting programs that are part of young people’s plans to build a good life for themselves in British Columbia.

But we are in a good place today. We have much work to do. We will have to continue to lean on one another again, but I am not at all surprised by the commitment that people, right across our province, have shown for their families, for their neighbours and for their communities.

With over a million people in B.C. vaccinated and tens of thousands of people receiving their first dose everyday, we indeed can see brighter days ahead. Last year, early in the pandemic, we had to take stock of the situation that was unfolding very, very quickly. We had to look at what others were doing. We had to look at the unique challenges that our province faced. We had to take extraordinary steps and, in some cases, use emergency powers to put things in place that were designed to curb the spread and transmission of COVID-19.

We had to make sure, for people who were unable to work at the time because of sudden changes in the economy and the lockdown that we were in as a province, that there were relief programs created out of thin air — for renters, for middle-class families, for hard-hit small businesses and for the most vulnerable — so that we could relieve the stress for millions of people and so that we could begin to figure out ways to build back and create as much certainty as we could, heading into very uncertain headwaters.

[2:45 p.m.]

I can say without hesitation that I’m very, very pleased with the response of our government, working alongside communities, individuals, businesses, agencies and Crown corporations, that people worked constructively together and in a collaborative way that made the situation better for the people of British Columbia.

We have delivered more help than any other province, on a per-capita basis, to the people that needed it: those who were vulnerable on an income basis, those who were vulnerable in terms of their businesses being challenged. That’s because this government demonstrated from the outset that being in it together wasn’t merely words. It was a call to action for us to put programs in place, which we did do.

I have to think of some of the things that, a year ago, made life a little bit more certain as we were in the late spring of 2020 and business owners and others were uncertain about how they would survive, how long this virus would last, what kinds of measures they should take where their revenues were challenged, where their ability to meet payroll was very, very difficult.

I have to say that the province of British Columbia worked very well with the federal government to complement a number of initiatives. The federal government rolled out things like CERB for workers in all industries that were affected. They implemented things like the CEWS program to help businesses that had payroll challenges.

We worked right alongside them to fill in some of the big gaps that threatened the viability of businesses and jobs — things like reducing the commercial property tax rates in this province by an average of 25 percent. That’s a $714 million investment that was made to help sustain businesses just last year. We brought in a 15 percent tax credit on new payroll in the third and fourth quarter of the year 2020 — a $200 million investment to create incentives for businesses to restore and create jobs.

The PST rebate, which continues right now, on machinery and equipment — an investment of almost $500 million by the provincial government to nudge businesses in the direction of innovating, modernizing and adapting their businesses and creating economic activity that was vital in the province of B.C.

Tax deferrals, implemented immediately on the carbon tax and all the other Budget 2020 measures, cost the treasury close to $275 million. Of course, a B.C. Hydro forgiveness program, which our government rushed to put in place for all those businesses that were affected by the first wave of health restrictions, again at considerable cost — $10 billion worth of extraordinary interventions made by our government to keep communities, people and businesses whole, to the greatest degree possible that we could.

I’ll get on to some points later in my own ministry where we created — again, out of thin air — specific grant programs for businesses that were extraordinarily affected by the imposition of the health restrictions that were necessary to keep people healthy and safe. I think of the inner-city bus companies that were facing a 95 percent drop in passenger traffic, out of necessity, because we were banning non-essential travel and encouraging people to stay at home and shelter in place.

Regional airports saw a similar decline in traffic and revenue to run municipal airports. We created, again, programs, worth tens of millions of dollars of relief, that were absolutely vital to maintain the integrity of our transportation system and to make sure that we get to the other side of this pandemic and are able to rebuild our economy strongly, to “Build back better,” as the Premier is fond of saying.

I want to go back and talk just briefly about what I think set us up for some additional success, built a stronger social fabric much before the pandemic — which, of course, nobody could predict — and that our government was busy working on in its first mandate. One of them has been an incredible help to a province that hasn’t been affordable for many, many decades, because of our geography and a number of other reasons. We created the largest middle-class tax cut in B.C. history, by eliminating the MSP health care premiums.

[2:50 p.m.]

Imagine the regressive tax that we had in place, where billionaires literally paid the same rate of tax as people who made $40,000 a year, to have health care — the only province in Canada with this regressive tax system in place, by the way — maintained by the previous government and, in fact, raised ten times. Almost every budget year, over 16 years, they gouged middle-class families with MSP tax hikes. We eliminated that regressive tax completely, saving middle-class families billions of dollars and putting it back into their families for activities they want to afford for themselves and for their children.

We reduced hydro rates, which saved hundreds of dollars annually for households in British Columbia. Bear in mind that this is a time when prices for almost anything imaginable in the economy were going up. To eliminate a regressive tax; to reduce utilities rates, using the power of B.C. Hydro that we have….

We eliminated road tolls for those who live south of the Fraser who paid this regressive, geographic-based discriminatory tax, adding thousands of dollars to those who live in that part of the Lower Mainland to be able to afford the cost of living, to free up money in their monthly budgets and be able to support greater affordability. We were doing these kinds of initiatives that were making life better for the middle class in British Columbia.

In terms of opportunities for young people, we did some extraordinary things that were, quite frankly, long overdue in this province that we couldn’t get any traction for under the previous government. Ideas that we put into private members’ bills that we advocated for, that we’d lobbied for, year after year, that were never acted upon…. We eliminated things like interest on student loans. What better investment can a young person make than in their own future by borrowing money to build a better future? We eliminated the interest rates that were punitive for the debt levels of graduates in B.C. colleges and universities.

We’re a government that has been supportive of young people pursuing higher education to get better jobs, to have more income stability, to be able to build a life for themselves and their families right here in British Columbia.

One of the things I’m so proud of that we restored, which had been unilaterally cancelled in 2001-2002…. We restored a post-secondary grants program. Not only did we eliminate interest rates on student loans; we created incentives through grants for those who otherwise couldn’t afford to go to college or university, and that was a feature of a budget just three short years ago.

We expanded, in the thousands, post-secondary education training seats in science, in technology and engineering, in digital arts, in mathematics-based degree programs that were long overdue because, for a long time, it took extraordinary GPA levels and luck, quite frankly, to get into university programs that were part of the new economy — the technology economy that we live in, that we knew was facing significant shortages in terms of training new young people and supporting innovators and companies in our economy.

We made record increases to income and disability assistance rates. We introduced the first-ever — if you can imagine this, the first-ever — increase to the seniors supplement.

It’s very complimentary today, I must say, now that we have some of the high-level details of the federal budget, that the Trudeau government has recognized the progressive and successful implementation of our $10-a-day child care strategy. We have created tens of thousands of seats that have saved families tens of thousands of dollars annually, to be able to put their kids in high-quality child care spaces.

Our government has also created a spaces fund that has created those spaces in communities right around B.C. Now we have a federal partner. I’ll await the details, but the federal government has endorsed the leadership shown by British Columbia by echoing the $10-a-day child care program that we started here just a few short years ago in British Columbia.

I was pleasantly surprised to also see the remarkable turnaround of a Crown corporation, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. I note that the opposite side talks a lot about jobs and supporting jobs, but they campaigned on privatizing the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia in the last election. They’d given up on this company that serves the interests of British Columbians. They’d given up on rate affordability. They’d given up on figuring out a way to manage this corporation, and they had advocated privatization.

[2:55 p.m.]

They literally wanted to take thousands of good jobs out of every community of British Columbia and move them to Toronto, move them to New York, move them to Los Angeles and wherever the big eight insurance companies are headquartered — not here in British Columbia. That was their magic bullet. “We can’t figure out ICBC. We’re just going to sell it off.”

Well, we’ve taken a different approach. We have produced probably one of the most remarkable business turnarounds that we’ve seen in the province of British Columbia. A company that was drowning in red ink, that was used as an ATM machine by the previous government to produce fake balanced budgets on occasion — we have turned it into something that is returning 20 percent of annual premiums right now. I was very pleased to get a rebate cheque myself, and I know that tens of thousands of my constituents who insure their vehicles have been really pleased to save hundreds of dollars on ICBC.

We’ve protected the integrity of that Crown corporation, and we’ve saved the jobs that it sustains in communities right around B.C. We didn’t give up on it. We demanded better performance, and we got better performance from ICBC. There is more to come on that front, but what a remarkable turnaround.

Let me go back to child care, because I think the federal budget, again, is going to pay a remarkable dividend for British Columbia’s investments that we started doing over the last three years. We need to create more $10-a-day child care spaces in B.C. That is our task. But I am so pleased to see, in my community, the capital regional district, thousands of new child care spaces.

I was a parent with young babies a decade ago, and more, and child care was hard to find. It was very difficult to afford. Wait-lists were long. Often parents who were on maternity and paternity leave had to seek additional accommodation from their employer because they had no child care.

To see thousands of spaces opening up in my community, high-quality spaces at places like Tillicum Elementary or Doncaster Elementary…. Saanich community place is opening 75 new spaces in June. They’ve continued building these child care centres during the pandemic, with safe construction practices by the contractors they’re working with. Victoria High School is going to have a brand-new neighbourhood learning centre with a child care facility in it. On and on the list goes.

This is something that the previous government absolutely neglected and refused to do that’s happening, that’s helping my constituents, that’s making life better and more affordable for families here in the capital regional district, and I’m proud of it.

I’m also proud of the wage increases that we’ve made for minimum-wage workers in B.C. This is a well-studied section of the workforce. We know that the minimum wage in British Columbia was artificially — brutally, I would suggest — held down and tiered into two tiers for workers in the economy who had to pay rent and put food on the table. We’re moving that minimum wage up to $15 an hour.

It’s great to see other administrations starting to see what British Columbia has done. It’s great to see that the doom and gloom from the other side about how bad it would be to help minimum-wage workers earn more has in no way panned out. In fact, we’ve had the strongest employment growth record in the country at the same time that we accelerated increases to the minimum wage.

I would like to give some shout-outs to specific groups of workers and companies in sectors in B.C. during this pandemic as well. As the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, I want to acknowledge so many workers, whether it’s those on B.C. Ferries who have kept essential travel between the Lower Mainland and island communities on the coast safe. We owe them a debt of thanks, and we continue to owe a debt of thanks.

To truck drivers who have kept goods and services moving — we faced shortages of basic essentials a year ago. People drove through adverse weather conditions to make sure that in places as far away as Smithers, in rural economies, into the Interior and on to our border in the Rockies. The store shelves were stocked, and those deliveries continued to be made.

Taxi drivers have been declared essential, and we’ve helped them with our small and medium-sized business program to be able to be strong so that on the other side of this pandemic, we will continue to have ground transportation services. They bravely took our constituents, people in my community and other members’ communities, and made sure they got to their doctors’ appointments on time, made sure they got to all kinds of essential business activities that they needed to do, in very uncertain conditions. So I want to give them a shout-out.

[3:00 p.m.]

I want to give port workers, longshoremen and others a shout-out as well — $600 million a day into our economy through our port facilities. The Port Metro Vancouver and our Prince Rupert and Nanaimo ports collectively have seen, during this pandemic, 109 percent of the activity that we saw in the year before the pandemic. Not only did we recover and support the exports and the imports that we need into our economy and keep this open economy going in terms of our trade activities; we increased it.

We increased our grain exports to other parts of the world that came to rely on Canadian grain and foodstuffs. We increased the export of resources and finished goods that are made here in Canada and British Columbia to support jobs. Those workers in our ports help make that happen.

I also want to give a shout-out, as a parent of two kids in the public school system, to educators, support staff, principals and vice-principals — everybody involved in our school system. It fills me with great sadness to look at American news these days and see the extreme challenge that a number of states have had, where they literally have not had kids in a classroom for coming close to 15 months now — the toll that has taken on the mental health and well-being of kids in the U.S.

We’ve had our own mental health challenges here in our own school system, in our communities, to be sure, but we’ve also found a way to safely restart our schools and to keep them going and to support staff in schools with the resources they need to have strong health and safety protocols in place, to be able to keep districts in every part of the province open for kids, to help parents and families and communities be able to try and adapt to the new reality.

It has taken a tremendous effort, but I think the single best mental health intervention we’ve made as a government was to make sure that we not only reopened schools safely this past September but that we actually restored school services at the tail end of the previous school year and finished last June with school going into the summertime.

Let me speak a little bit about housing. Our government is determined to fix some of the housing problems that have challenged this province for a couple of decades now. We’re working to make housing more affordable for people. We have implemented things that the other side absolutely opposed but that have produced significant, positive results. The speculation tax, for example, has made available 18,000 empty homes that had the lights off, that weren’t housing anyone, available to be part of the housing supply in our communities. We’re working right now with non-profits, municipal governments, First Nations, businesses to build well over 100,000 homes over the next decade.

I see the results of this here in my own community. In the capital region, we have over 3,000 homes either completed, nearing completion or awaiting approvals right now, 800 being constructed during the pandemic and almost finished up at the University of Victoria, the first time that government has made a serious investment in campus housing in well over a decade and a half. So to see that kind of progress, to see that kind of affordable housing tailored towards the needs of my community and communities right around the province, is welcome relief and I think is a testament to the skill and talent of ministers who have been responsible for that file.

I’m very pleased to see the throne speech highlight the importance of advanced technology in our economic recovery. We have endeavoured to make an enduring feature of this pandemic connectivity in communities, and we will soon get close to having 100 percent of homes in British Columbia connected to broadband Internet service. We have seen tens of thousands of homes become hooked up to the Internet where they had no service previously during this pandemic.

We’re working right now in my ministry to improve cell coverage on highway networks right around British Columbia. Those are the kinds of things that we need to sustain well after the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, and I’m pleased to see that we used this health crisis as an opportunity to advance those kinds of investments.

I’m also really pleased to see the scale of investment that is happening in transportation infrastructure. We have never had six concurrent major projects going on in the history of British Columbia. But just since the turning over of the new year, pilings are being driven into the Fraser River to show progress on the Pattullo Bridge.

[3:05 p.m.]

The Broadway subway is mobilizing for tunnel-boring to complete a $2.8 billion expansion of SkyTrain from Clark to Arbutus. That is the single busiest bus rapid transit corridor in North America, and it will soon have rapid transit investment there, in partnership with the federal government.

The Kicking Horse Canyon project, phase 4 — $600 million that we announced. Construction started last week on that major project to continue the four-laning of highway to Alberta. On and on it goes. I’m very pleased to see what our government has done and will continue to do on those kinds of investments.

I do want to also thank the ministry, organizations like the B.C. Road Builders Association and all of the companies and contractors affiliated with that. Typically, our ministry completes about 300 to 400 projects a year in the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. I think, since we assumed government, about 1,200 projects have been completed by our government, representing billions of dollars in investment. Right now we are tracking 95 percent of those 1,200 projects being on time and on budget in the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

Our record in terms of emergency pandemic funds…. I know members will have appreciated this in whatever part of the province they live in — around active transportation and putting in trails and local improvements and upgrading forest service roads that connect remote communities to their regional hubs. We’ve rushed out projects. We’ve put tens of millions of dollars into shovel-ready projects that had to not only be begun but completed by March 31 — by last month.

I am pleased to say that of the 180 projects that we funded on an emergency pandemic stimulus basis, all 180 of those projects were on time and on budget. That is a testament to the skill of local government engineers, of local communities and of contractors and businesses who filled the supply chain gaps and made sure that those projects were delivered. And by the way, they created hundreds of jobs at a time when they were most needed. Again, there are so many people to thank for that.

We do have to keep our eye on the economy. We need to get through this health crisis. That was the central theme of this throne speech, which I appreciate. I think British Columbians, no matter what their political stripe, will 100 percent agree with that. We have got to see out this pandemic in the safest way possible — protect lives. The Minister of Health and Dr. Henry have made a number of key decisions that have supported that.

But on the economy, there is reason to be hopeful. We will see a budget tomorrow that will give additional reason. I look at the labour force survey results that came out last month. It was encouraging to see 35,000 jobs created in that month alone in B.C. It marked the 11th consecutive month of job growth. We have now surpassed 100 percent of the pre-pandemic employment levels in the province of British Columbia, and we have the highest level of job recovery in Canada.

That’s not to be complacent. That’s not to suggest that we shouldn’t continue to work on businesses that are feeling the pinch right now. It’s to suggest that there is hope, that we can do this together, that businesses have been innovative, that they work well with government and that jobs are being created. I think that we can work with the sectors that are still struggling, support the ones that are seeing signs of growth and acknowledge that we’re not out of the woods yet. That’s what the budget will do tomorrow. That’s what we need to do: continue to make record investments in infrastructure, help businesses grow, and keep our communities safe.

T. Wat: It is an honour for me to rise in this House in response to the throne speech.

I would like to acknowledge that I am speaking to you today from the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

As is a tradition with the throne speech, I would like to take a moment to remember the passing of some of the community leaders and my friends and loved ones in the year of COVID-19. Nathan Fong, famous chef and media personality. Cheryl Pederson, my good friend Chad Pederson’s mother. K.K. Wan, dentist and radio talk show host. Cheng Tseng, film producer, actor and director. Jack Chow, Chinatown pioneer. Col. Howe Lee, founder of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum. Susanna Liu, my good friend. Mo Kong Lam, air travel and tourism industry icon. And finally, my beloved father, who passed away on the day of my birthday.

[3:10 p.m.]

Please join me in honouring their contribution to the province. The community and their families are mourning their loss.

I would like to take a brief moment to thank my staff and volunteers who have supported me, and continue to support me, as I continue to serve in my role as an MLA, both in Richmond and in Victoria: Hannah Levett, David Decolongon and Sam Arno Burgess and all the staff here in Victoria; as well as Trix Chan, David Shum and William Tu, my constituent assistants in Richmond North Centre.

Of course, I would like to thank the people of Richmond North Centre who have supported me since 2013 and have once again put their faith in me to serve as their voice in Victoria.

Finally, to my 96-year-old mother, who lost her life partner of more than six decades during COVID-19 early last year; my daughter, Tin, my son-in-law, Terry and my two grandsons, Andre and Ashton; as well as my in-law John Chung, for their support and encouragement for me to continue to serve my constituents and British Columbians.

My riding of Richmond North Centre is a place of rich cultural and culinary destinations. It is where tourists first land by air in British Columbia, as it is home to the world-class Vancouver International Airport. Richmond is often the first part of Vancouver and British Columbia that many people get to experience, and it serves us well, as no other community better embodies the spirit of diversity, openness and inclusion that we pride ourselves on, as a province.

Hovering around 80 percent prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Richmond’s hotel occupancy rate was among the highest in Canada. Diverse year-round, multicultural attractions like the Richmond Night Market and the Salmon Festival embody Richmond’s keen ability to not only embrace its multicultural heritage and identity but celebrate it. Richmond’s tourism and hospitality sectors are major economic drivers, having contributed more than $1.5 billion in economic output and employing tens of thousands of full-time employees and equivalents in the city.

This pandemic and the events of this past year have impacted all of our communities in many different ways. Here in Richmond, many of the things that make up our community’s unique identity are the reason our community has struggled so much over this past year. Because we are home to a wide variety of the small and independently owned businesses, our community was hit incredibly hard by the economic challenges of COVID-19.

Because Richmond, like many communities in B.C., deeply values family, friends and community, our residents have felt an incredible mental and emotional strain after being separated from our loved ones and our way of life.

And because Richmond is one of the most multicultural communities in Canada, with a strong Asian-Canadian community, we became fearful of the horrific rise in racism and hate crimes perpetuated against many of our minority groups.

Because we pride ourselves as one of British Columbia’s great tourism destinations, our community felt the same impacts that were felt across B.C.’s struggling tourism industry.

Tourism is one of our major economic drivers not just as a city but as a province, a $20 billion — $20 billion — industry that employs hundreds of thousands of workers in communities from all corners of B.C.

Back in July, a tourism operator asked for $680 million from this government in order to make a full recovery. Remember, this is an industry that has lost an estimated $16.8 billion in revenue due to COVID. What this government offered them was a fraction of this, $100 million, and not even all of it has made it out of the door into the hands of tourism businesses. Many of our tourism businesses and cultural exhibits, like the Richmond Night Market and PNE, don’t even qualify for the business grants. Yet this government has ignored their calls to revise the criteria.

[3:15 p.m.]

On February 10, the Premier said that help was on the way for large attractions. That was over two months ago, and we have seen nothing from this government. On April 15, the Vancouver Aquarium was purchased by an American company because they could not find funding.

According to the latest COVID-19 tourism impact report, only 8 percent of tourism businesses in the Vancouver, Coast and Mountains region and 12 percent of tourism businesses in the rest of the province have been able to access the small and medium-sized business grant. Coincidentally, only 8 percent of tourism businesses in the VCM region and 15 percent of businesses in the rest of the province reported business as usual. This is in stark contrast to only 51 percent of all fully opened businesses in this province reporting business as usual. This clearly shows that this government has left tourism behind.

On top of this, government has made no effort to delay or offer any respite from the fixed costs and expenses that these businesses are still subject to. This is despite their own Tourism Task Force report’s sixth recommendation to defer or relieve the fixed costs of businesses.

The travel agency industry has seen little to no revenue since travel was restricted a year ago due to the pandemic, yet Consumer Protection B.C. chose to still charge them nearly $800 in licensing fees in March 2020 and again this month.

Ontario and Quebec’s consumer protection agencies have waived their fees until 2022, yet this government has chosen to do nothing. A total of 68 travel agencies, mostly based in Richmond, have petitioned this government to waive their licence renewal fees since they’re experiencing financial hardships due to COVID-19. The travel agencies have had almost zero income throughout the past year, but they still need to pay for their licence renewal fees and rental costs. They are desperately in need of any government assistance to survive.

Hotel operators in the city of Vancouver have half of their property taxes due at the beginning of the year. In some cases, the tax bill far outstripped their revenues for the last few months. Not only does this put B.C. tourism operators at a significant disadvantage to many of their counterparts in neighbouring provinces; this government’s inaction on the issue directly contradicts recommendations outlined by the Tourism Task Force report — the task force this government commissioned.

With the restrictions on indoor dining extended, what is government going to do to support the restaurants and hospitality industry, beyond the small and medium-sized business grants? How is government making B.C. a welcome place to do business, when small businesses and tourism operators are being taxed for the air above their heads via the speculation and vacancy tax? What steps is government taking to protect B.C. tourism operators and ensure B.C. is ready to accept tourism and recover once borders are reopened?

Government has a record of ignoring the concern of B.C.’s tourism industry. The Alaska Tourism Recovery Act would allow cruise ships to bypass B.C. ports like Vancouver and Victoria, a direct attack on our suffering tourism industry. Alaskan senator Lisa Murkowski says: “Missing another cruise season will only compound the economic fallout that’s been devastating for so many families.”

[3:20 p.m.]

Alaska is taking direct action to protect and preserve its tourism industry, at our province’s expense. Yet the Premier — who was warned about the issue in a February 12, 2021, letter from Alaskan senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan — has not spoken up on the issue. If the Premier continues to remain silent on the issue, we risk permanently losing hundreds of millions of dollars in cruise ship tourism revenue, plus the hundreds of B.C. businesses who rely on cruise ship traffic.

Cruise ship tourism is responsible for $2.7 billion in revenue as well as 20,000 jobs directly and indirectly in this province. Every cruise ship that visits Vancouver brings $3 million in direct activity to the local economy. They had 288 ships visit in 2019.

Thanks to this government, our tourism industry has been one of the hardest-hit and least-supported sectors throughout this pandemic. Victoria lost an estimated $130 million in tourism revenue in the 2020 season, while the entire B.C. tourism industry lost $16.4 billion, of an annual $20 billion, in GDP.

When we asked the minister in the House what government is doing to protect our tourism sector, she insisted that this was a federal issue and that they are instead focused on the vaccine rollout. Good news, but it didn’t really answer our questions. While it is also welcome news that government will be hiring 1,400 furloughed workers from the tourism and hospitality sector, this is less than 1 percent of the sector. We want to know what steps government are taking to ensure that our tourism sector makes a full recovery and isn’t subject to permanent job losses.

Our tourism and hospitality industries are facing more challenges than ever before and are looking for a strong voice in Victoria to bring forward their concerns at a time when they feel ignored and alienated by their government. I will continue to do everything I can to connect with this industry’s leaders and stakeholders and ensure that they continue to have a strong voice in this House.

Government has a responsibility to prevent the spread of racism, just like they are responsible for preventing the spread of the pandemic. Like much of their response, their actions feel like too little, too late for British Columbians. While government insists they are bringing forward the first anti-racism legislation, they are quickly forgetting the legacy of the previous B.C. Liberal government and the steps they took to change B.C. legislation to reflect anti-racism values.

As minister, I worked to help implement recommendations that were made in response to the province’s apology to Chinese Canadians in 2014, including identifying historical sites, introducing curriculum about the legacy of Chinese Canadians and reviewing over 2,000 pieces of legislation to permanently remove discriminatory provisions.

We have seen escalating incidents of racism and hate crimes perpetuated against British Columbia’s minority community since the beginning of the pandemic. Government has inherently failed to enact policy or legislation immediately to effectively address these issues. However, there’s more work to be done when we see the recent increase in anti-Asian racism in our society. The Vancouver police reported an over 700 percent increase in anti-Asian hate crimes.

[3:25 p.m.]

I stood on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery on March 28 at the Stop Asian Hate rally. We need to educate British Columbians, not just about the experiences of Asian Canadians who are experiencing racism during this pandemic but about the discrimination historically and currently experienced by Indigenous, Black, South Asian, Jewish, Muslim, and other cultural and religious groups in our society.

I have asked for government’s support to proclaim May 29 as anti-racism education day. We have even been circulating a petition for this proclamation. It has garnered and surpassed, I was just told, the milestone figure of 5,000 signatures in just slightly over a week, including from 170 advocacy groups, including Punjabi, Jewish, Filipino, Vietnamese, Taiwanese and a wide array of religious and cultural organizations. Over 50,000 people have viewed this petition and this anti-racism education day initiative. British Columbians are speaking up, and our government should listen.

Our mission to eliminate racism and intolerance goes beyond partisan lines. It is a mission that every member of this House must commit to. I’m begging you. I hope government will use their time to not only connect with opposition members but all British Columbians to support and promote anti-racism initiatives.

I remember when MLAs from all sides of this House stood in honour of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and recalled much of British Columbia’s dark history, including the Chinese head tax and the Komagata Maru. To fight against racism, we must not only address the grim realities of our history but also acknowledge and celebrate the contribution of cultural minorities to British Columbian history and identity.

A key example is the Chinese Canadian heritage museum, a project that members of our Chinese community have been advocating for, for years. While I’m pleased to see government taking steps to see this project through, a temporary exhibit is a temporary solution. I hope that government will map out a clear plan for the future steps of this project following the provincial budget.

[R. Leonard in the chair.]

This throne speech should have inspired British Columbians to get through this final push and allow them to prosper in a post-pandemic economy. Unfortunately, it has failed to do so and instead has relied on more empty promises. The Premier cannot keep asking us to trust him when we see cases rising and the economy in decline. Now is the time for a real plan. Why are there no supports for business as the third wave continues to hurt them economically? Where are the supports for individuals who need them?

If the Premier said we needed a snap election to pick a clear direction forward, then why is this throne speech so muddled and opaque? Worse yet is that so many of the NDP promises we are seeing in this throne speech are just rehashed, unfulfilled promises from four years ago.

[3:30 p.m.]

The throne speech acknowledges the hardship facing families and the financial stress that households are facing. This government is acknowledging the hardship, yet has burdened British Columbians with 23 new and increased taxes. It is so illogical, but they aren’t just taking more money from the pockets of British Columbians.

They aren’t just taking more money from the pockets of British Columbians; they are also wasting it. More infrastructure projects will be subject to community benefits agreements, which may add up to $4.8 billion in overhead costs to construction projects across the province. The federal government has already made it clear that they will not contribute additional funding simply because this Premier has chosen to burden this additional cost onto B.C. taxpayers.

Several projects have also been delayed by this administration. The Pattullo Bridge is reduced in scope yet is still going over price. This government is literally paying more for less. Calling the Massey Tunnel replacement a priority without a plan is an insult to Lower Mainland commuters, who are still unfairly facing the worst bottleneck in the province thanks to this government’s inaction.

Additionally, we know from the experience of cultural minorities in British Columbia that racism is alive and well in B.C., and this government is not doing enough to address it. Government has a responsibility to prevent the spread of racism, but their actions feel like too little, too late for people of colour in British Columbia. The Speech from the Throne does not properly address the need for the elimination of racism in B.C. and the need for increased education.

While government promises to do more, they are leaving vital anti-racism initiatives like the proclamation of an anti-racism education day on the table. It is time for this government to stop playing politics and to support the petition — 5,000 now, over 5,000. The momentum is gathering for an anti-racism education day. It is only through education that intolerance can be eliminated, and I call on every member of this House to commit to this important task.

This Speech from the Throne is an utter failure for the tourism industry, families facing increased hardships, British Columbians of colour and the overall well-being and future of our province. This government promised to do more and called a risky and dangerous snap election during a global pandemic to achieve their power-hungry goals. But instead of delivering on their campaign ideas, this government is recycling old partisan lines and repeating the same old promises. I must say, and I hate to say it, but I have to say it. I can’t lie. I hope all members of this House will say something from their heart.

I am extremely, extremely disappointed by this uninspiring Speech from the Throne. I’m confident, because I’ve been talking to so many of my constituents. They call our office and call me and WeChat me, WhatsApp me to tell me that they feel the same. It’s simply an uninspiring Speech from the Throne.

If this is the best the NDP can do, I’m afraid to say British Columbia is facing a very challenging next four years.

F. Donnelly: I rise to participate in the debate on the Speech from the Throne. I’d like to acknowledge I’m on the traditional unceded territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking people and the Songhees First Nation.

[3:35 p.m.]

Our government’s top priority is protecting people’s health and livelihoods while we also ramp up the distribution of vaccines to protect British Columbians. This pandemic has been tough on everyone, and we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I received my AstraZeneca first shot last week, joining the Premier and more than a million British Columbians who have also received their first vaccine and thousands more who are getting theirs daily. We need to continue to look out for each other and protect our loved ones. We will get through this.

I look forward to our budget tomorrow, which will focus on improving health care, helping our businesses grow and hire, and investing in public infrastructure. When COVID-19 hit the province last year, our government moved quickly to provide relief for renters, middle-class families, hard-hit small businesses and the most vulnerable. In fact, the supports shown for British Columbians during this pandemic is one of the reasons I decided to run for MLA for Coquitlam–Burke Mountain. I saw our government delivering direct help for people throughout the pandemic, more than any other province in the country, and I wanted to help.

Our government understands that this pandemic affects everyone differently. As others have said, we are in the same storm, but not the same boat. I am confident, with targeted economic investments, we will all be paddling in the same direction to ensure the recovery leaves no one behind.

Small businesses in my riding are struggling and many have had to close or reduce services to protect their workers and customers. To help them, our government cut property taxes, prohibited commercial evictions and forgave hydro bills. We introduced tax incentives to hire workers and make new investments. We will continue to support businesses that have been hardest hit by the pandemic while building a more sustainable economic future. We will support a resilient economic recovery by putting people to work and helping businesses get goods to market.

Over the next year, we will continue to provide even more support to ensure British Columbians come back from this pandemic stronger and more resilient. We will improve health care by reducing surgery wait times and building more hospitals and urgent primary care centres all over British Columbia. We will make life more affordable by cutting ICBC rates by 20 percent, expanding access to $10-a-day child care spaces and helping get thousands of British Columbians affordable rental homes.

We will support businesses with grants to help them build online stores and by supporting the B.C. strategic investment fund. We will build more inclusive communities by developing B.C.’s first anti-racism law. We will help make new investments to boost connectivity in more rural communities. We will protect the environment by reforming forestry legislation, continuing to take action on recommendations to protect old-growth forests and improving waste management for plastics.

As Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture, I’m working to tackle the tough challenges that face B.C.’s wild salmon and their habitat — the ocean where they live and the watersheds where they’re born. It’s clear British Columbians not only revere iconic wild salmon; they also have a real affinity for our marine environment. We appreciate it for its beauty, its role in the planet’s health and for the food that it has provided for thousands of years, not to mention the jobs and economic opportunities.

The 2021 salmon season is forecast to have below-average returns coastwide and to generate significant challenges for fishers, conservation and management. This is not a new situation. There have been ongoing challenges for this industry for several years now. The time for change, though, is now. We must focus our efforts on restoring wild salmon habitat and revitalizing salmon populations.

That is why the Premier has asked me to take the lead and work with the federal and Indigenous governments on developing new strategies to protect and revitalize B.C.’s wild salmon populations. We’re going to do that by doubling the size of the salmon restoration and innovation fund. I will mention in today’s federal budget, it was just announced that they are committing to double their $100 million to the BCSRIF, which is welcome news.

[3:40 p.m.]

We will revitalize B.C.’s wild salmon populations. We’re going to do that by doubling the BCSRIF fund and implementing the recommendations of the Wild Salmon Advisory Council. We’re also going to ensure more B.C.-caught fish is processed locally.

To date, the BCSRIF innovation fund has supported 42 projects, with more than $71 million of funding. Last summer B.C. posted an update in the development of our wild salmon strategy. The update included measures to strengthen the legal protection of fish habitat and obligate project proponents to minimize or avoid destruction, harm or alteration of fish habitat.

In 2019, the B.C. government provided the Pacific Salmon Foundation with $5 million to help grassroots organizations and their communities with salmon restoration, conservation and enhancement projects to protect this important species for the next generation of British Columbians. These projects showcase the collaboration happening right now in B.C. communities, as we work together to save wild salmon.

British Columbians want us to work with our federal, First Nation, local and community partners to ensure this iconic species not only survives, but thrives into the future. We’re going to continue to build a wild salmon strategy that we can all be proud of. Like the mighty wild salmon fighting to swim upstream each fall during spawning season, I look forward to continuing to protect this iconic species.

Last month the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy announced a new economic recovery investment that will help restore watersheds and wetlands throughout British Columbia. Healthy watersheds mean healthy communities and a robust environment. Through this $27 million investment, about 750 people will be hired to restore watersheds and protect the environment and help communities mitigate the effects of climate change.

Healthy watersheds, wetlands and estuaries are critically important for climate adaptation, as they can reduce the impacts and costs from increased floods and droughts and wildfires. These initiatives will help communities adapt to climate change by restoring threatened watersheds, wetlands and estuaries so they are healthier and more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

I’m also working closely with the Minister of State for Lands and Natural Resource Operations on a provincial coastal marine strategy. Our goal is to better protect coastal habitat while supporting coastal economies. Whether it’s recovering B.C.’s wild salmon, supporting the expansion of shellfish aquaculture, exploring new technologies for finfish aquaculture or new opportunities for mariculture, like seaweed and kelp, we are looking at a range of ways to protect and support B.C.’s coastal communities and local economies.

I look forward to working with the minister, coastal First Nations, the federal and local governments on a plan that supports coastal communities into the future. I believe it’s important to consult, learn, listen and take action.

In the first few months of my mandate, I’ve met with more than 20 different organizations, from the fisheries sector, environmental non-profit organizations, the aquaculture sector and First Nations. I want to acknowledge their work.

Wild Salmon Forever, Watershed Security Coalition, Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C.; the Sport Fishing Institute of B.C.; First Nations Leadership Council of B.C.; the First Nations Fisheries Council of B.C.; Chief Ernest Alfred; Western Angler, Brian Tutty; B.C. Seafood Alliance; Dr. Dick Beamish and Dr. Brian Riddell, the Pacific Salmon Foundation; Rick Hansen; Polis; Stand.earth; B.C. Salmon Marketing Council.

Humane Society International, Canada; Taste of B.C. Aquafarms; the Fisheries Council of Canada; the David Suzuki Foundation; the Shellfish Growers Association of B.C.; Erik Neatherlin, the Washington state governor’s salmon office.

[3:45 p.m.]

UBC researchers Dr. Evgeny Pakhomov, Institute for Oceans and Fisheries; Dr. Rashid Sumaila, Fisheries Economic Research Unit; Dr. Andrea Reid, Centre for Indigenous Fisheries; Dr. Scott Hinch, Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory; Dr. Brian Hunt, the Pelagic Ecosystems Lab.

I’ve met with the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association, including Mowi, Cermaq and Grieg Seafood, and I’ve met with the Metro Vancouver regional district.

While our work may get partisan from time to time, I want to also acknowledge that it’s important to work cooperatively on issues that impact all British Columbians. With that in mind, I reached out to the official opposition fisheries and aquaculture critic, the member for West Vancouver–Sea to Sky, to welcome his input on fisheries and aquaculture issues. I also know that there are many of his colleagues, like the member for Prince George–Mackenzie and the member for Fraser-Nicola, who have much to contribute in this area as well.

I reached out to the member for Saanich North and the Islands to let him know that I welcome his input and his ideas on fisheries and aquaculture. I know he is passionate about wild salmon, and I appreciate his past work on the Wild Salmon Advisory Committee.

As I said in the beginning, this pandemic has taken a toll on all of us. But it has also made us resilient and brought us together to work with each other so we can adapt and overcome.

I’d like to turn my focus on how government will be continuing to help my riding of Coquitlam–Burke Mountain. My number one priority is ensuring that Burke Mountain secondary and middle school receives funding. Coquitlam and the Burke Mountain neighbourhood have been growing rapidly, and our government understands that more classroom space is needed. That’s why we acted fast to announce nearly $100 million in Coquitlam to add 930 new student spaces to the district, including $52.3 million to build a new 430-seat Sheffield elementary school on Burke Mountain. That school is expected to be opened this year, allowing more families in the neighbourhood to send their children to school closer to home.

We understand there is more work to do, and we are committed to bringing another new school to Burke Mountain for middle and secondary school students in the neighbourhood. I’ve been advocating for another new school in Burke Mountain as my top priority. I have been working closely with the Coquitlam school district and the Coquitlam city mayor and council as well as Burke Mountain parents.

As a working parent, having a middle and secondary school in the community is very important to my constituent Tina. In 2016, on the promise of those schools being built, her young family moved to Burke Mountain, and she’s not alone. Shreya tells me: “Many of us made the decision to purchase a home and raise our families on Burke Mountain after being informed about plans to open middle and secondary schools.” Parents Erica and Anthony wrote to me, saying: “We decided to move to beautiful Burke Mountain because of the promise of community services, parks, and, most importantly, schools.”

The community is growing, with more and more young families moving in every day. “We need a middle school,” they say. Tanya and Arvid moved to Burke Mountain in 2010, with the intention of sending their daughter to middle school on Burke. They simply say: “Please help.” I recently met with Isabel, Terry, Damien, Nicole, Jimmy and a number of other Burke Mountain parents who told me similar personal stories. Every day, hundreds of pre-teens and teenagers living on Burke Mountain have to travel by city bus to get to their middle and secondary school outside the community. It’s hard on them, and it’s hard on their parents.

[3:50 p.m.]

A high school for the area has been talked about since I was on Coquitlam council back in the mid-2000s. Last year I was proud to stand with the Premier to announce that a blended secondary and middle school would be funded. School district 43 has submitted their concept plan and put together a sophisticated planning team with the city of Coquitlam. They, along with the Burke Mountain families, are ready to get this 12-acre project moving.

In fact, Burke Mountain parents are so eager that they met with me last week to talk about that. I look forward to working with Burke Mountain parents, school district 43 and the city of Coquitlam on this exciting project.

I’m working hard to ensure Pinecone Burke Provincial Park gets the support needed to ensure park users have a quality experience, from enjoying Crystal Falls to hiking some of the most remote trails, and that people get home safely. Speaking of safety, I’m working with Coquitlam Search and Rescue to help find a suitable location to store their equipment. They do valuable work in our community, and I thank them for their services.

Many people in Coquitlam–Burke Mountain live in apartments and townhouses, and the cost of strata insurance has increased dramatically over the past two years. I’m working closely with a number of strata councils and managers in my riding, listening carefully to their needs and suggestions. We’ve met a number of times, virtually, and they have already put forward good suggestions that our government is currently reviewing.

Our government is working hard to improve housing affordability, to increase child care spaces, to improve transit and public infrastructure, to lower ICBC rates, to provide better supports for seniors and people with disabilities, and more support for stewarding the environment, and to support local businesses, non-profit organizations, cities and regional governments. I know there is more work to be done. As the member for Coquitlam–Burke Mountain, I look forward to working with those in my community to ensure that they get the support they need to live a better life.

I’d like to acknowledge the work of a few of my colleagues, starting with the tireless Health Minister, who has continued to respond to this provincial emergency every day since the pandemic started last year. I also want to thank my minister — the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries — for providing me with all of the support I need to deliver on my mandate priorities. I want to thank her for that.

I’m looking forward to working with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy on developing a watershed security strategy and an associated fund to tackle the tough challenges facing B.C.’s watersheds from droughts to floods in the face of a changing climate. I’m also looking forward to working with the Minister of State for Lands and Natural Resource Operations on returning, and allowing our public officials to properly address, forestry and rural development policy by separating it from Lands and Natural Resource Operations. This important work needs our full attention.

I know the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation is excited to be working with First Nations in B.C., supporting and accelerating the transition to co-governance as quickly and responsibly as possible. I know the Minister of Mental Health is working hard to address the provincial and, indeed, national emergency of the opioid crisis, the real problems of addictions that impact too many of our families in B.C.

[3:55 p.m.]

I look forward to working with her and the Minister of Housing, the Attorney General, on the new master plan that’s being developed on the səmiq̓ʷəʔelə, the Riverview lands, which are now renamed by the Kwikwetlem First Nation and which means “the place of the great blue heron”. I was honoured to take part in that renaming announcement, along with the Minister of Finance, the MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville.

Speaking of the member for Coquitlam-Maillardville, I want to acknowledge the work of the Minister of Finance. I remember when I first saw her make a presentation to Coquitlam city council. I was on council at the time; she was a citizen. Her passionate, knowledgable presentation really impressed me, and I know it impressed my colleagues. When our paths finally crossed again, sometime later, I suggested she run for council, which she did. She was successful.

Then she ran for MLA, and late last year was appointed Minister of Finance and is doing the tough work of balancing and supporting all the priorities in the province. We’ll see the fruits of her labour and of her ministry’s work tomorrow. But I want to acknowledge how proud I am to see just how far she has come since that late-night presentation so many years ago at Coquitlam city hall.

Madam Speaker, I’d like to thank you for the opportunity to provide my input to the Speech from the Throne. Thank you very much.

Deputy Speaker: The Minister of State for Infrastructure.

Hon. B. Ma: Thank you so much, Madam Speaker, and it’s a pleasure to see you in that chair.

It’s an honour for me to rise to speak in response to the throne speech. I want to begin by acknowledging that I’m coming to you live from the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh in my constituency of North Vancouver–Lonsdale. I also want to start by thanking the people who supported me in arriving to the place that I am today, with this great privilege of serving the people of British Columbia.

I have been well supported over the past four years by wonderful constituency assistants at my community office, but I want to particularly thank Mack and Michelle. Through all of the last year, Mack and Michelle have been working from home but working hard and tirelessly nonetheless, serving the people of North Vancouver–Lonsdale. They made sure that we were able to help disseminate information, answer questions, connect with community members and ensure that people could access the help that was available to them through some of the most anxiety-ridden and stressful times in the lives of people in our community.

I also want to thank the incredible people, my volunteers and my donors, who came out to support my re-election campaign in COVID-safe ways. It was a very difficult and different campaign. Without the hustle and bustle and social energy that normally accompanies an election campaign, I was concerned about our ability to get the word out. I was concerned about our ability to attract volunteers to our campaign, but we still found a way to do so and still found a way to communicate why re-electing a New Democrat government was so important for British Columbians at this critical time.

I have my volunteers and my donors to thank for that, as well as my amazing campaign team led by the very brilliant, very dynamic and capable Stephanie Ryan, who returned to manage my campaign once more in 2020.

I wouldn’t be here without the steadfast support of all of the members of my local riding association executive as well, which is now led by Rhonda Spence, and I’m very grateful and fortunate to have her in that role. In keeping with the trend of having smart, hard-working women by my side, I’m also pleased to have Risha Sharma, Gurveen Dhaliwal and Nicole Hansen, who support me in my ministerial role out there in Victoria.

[4:00 p.m.]

Finally, I want to thank my amazing family — my mother, my father, my sister and, in particular, my brilliant partner who has been with me [audio interrupted] and stuck with me despite my endless late nights working, days away from home, absent-mindedness for important dates like birthdays and anniversaries and general over-obsession with my work. Through all of it, he’s cared for me, kept me fed, kept me loved and safe in ways that I will never be able to repay. I’m really grateful to him.

The throne speech spoke of a strong and resilient British Columbia. I think we all owe that to our people, British Columbians, of whom I know every single member in the House is deeply proud. I can say that I’m particularly proud of the resiliency shown by my community of North Vancouver over the past year, and I’m not solely talking about COVID-19.

Earlier this year a man stormed through the Lynn Valley community on a rampage, stabbing seven people. It is an act of violence that has left our community reeling, but it is the heroism and the community spirit that I want to speak about today. While the violence was occurring, people scrambled to help one another, pulling each other into safety and performing first aid until emergency responders arrived.

Sheloah Klausen was one of the community heroes. She’s a longtime biology teacher at Argyle Secondary School. Sheloah ran towards the scene and went to the aid of a woman who was being attacked by the man and beat him off with her umbrella. The attacker then stabbed Sheloah in the back of the head. Fortunately, she and five other victims survived. However, sadly, the seventh victim passed away from their injuries.

What followed this nightmarish scene, however, was an outpouring of support and community spirit that has become familiar for our beautiful North Vancouver community. An enormous public memorial of flowers and well wishes filled the street. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised to support the victims and their families. All of this is a testament to the strength and power of our community and, certainly, of love.

North Vancouver has had a very difficult year. The first death to COVID-19 in all of Canada happened at a long-term-care facility in North Vancouver on March 8, 2020. What followed were gruelling months for the residents, their families and the staff at the Lynn Valley Care Centre.

I personally remember the weekend following the announcement of the coronavirus outbreak there very clearly. Panicked community members and family members had called me about a horrible situation at the care centre, where almost no staff had shown up to care for the elderly, leaving families to fill in the gaps at the dangerously understaffed facility. I was on the phone, of course, right away to the Minister of Health, who had already heard about what was happening and was, thankfully, working very rapidly to correct the situation.

It was still early on in British Columbia’s experience with the coronavirus, and the fear was palpable. It was this fear that a man who was later arrested and charged took advantage of when he made a hoax phone call to the Lynn Valley Care Centre that directly resulted in the staff shortage that weekend. It was a very serious and very dangerous hoax that I could not believe somebody would do. I couldn’t believe that anyone would do such a thing. I can’t imagine what his motivation was. It was a grim and deeply concerning start to what would follow, to become a year-long pandemic for British Columbians, with the days still counting forward.

The virus did its damage and spread through care homes throughout the region and beyond, and people were asked to stay in their homes as much as possible to stay safe. I remember how critical Dr. Bonnie Henry’s words became: “Be kind; be calm; be safe” — a critically important motto for British Columbians. For the most part, British Columbians did follow that motto, giving up social visits, closing down businesses, giving up wages, staying home, all in the name of keeping their community safe, not just for themselves but also for those that they didn’t know.

[4:05 p.m.]

But not everyone could stay home. All across British Columbia, critical workers continued their daily journeys to their jobs in grocery stores and bike shops, into hospitals and care homes, to their jobs driving ferries, buses, taxis, sea buses and trucks. They cared for our children, our elderly, our vulnerable. They kept our homes powered. They kept us fed. They kept us safe.

We all learned who the truly essential workers of our societies were. They weren’t the wealthy stock traders, the high-priced corporate lawyers or Lamborghini-driving executives in expensive suits. They were regular people doing regular, underappreciated front-line jobs, many of whom are paid some of the lowest wages in our province. This is why it was so important for our government to continue to raise the minimum wage, and now it is set to be $15.20 per hour effective June 1.

All of this, all of our success here in British Columbia, could not have been possible without the work of British Columbians — those who stayed home and certainly all of the essential workers, who I say thank you to, from the bottom of my heart.

As you can tell, of course, it has been a difficult time. There is not a single person who doesn’t have a story of how the pandemic has impacted them in some way. It’s had a significant impact on our mental, emotional and physical health, and it’s here that I really want to acknowledge the strength and unity of British Columbians as a whole. But what I admire most is our resiliency during these challenging times and how we as British Columbians have come together to support our communities, our neighbours, our families and even strangers.

We aren’t quite all the way through the storm yet. We still have a ways to go. But with vaccine distribution now underway, there is better weather ahead. That’s why our government’s top priority is protecting people’s health and livelihoods as we accelerate British Columbia’s vaccine rollout. With over one million people in B.C. already having received their first vaccine dose and thousands more getting it every single day, I feel a cautious hope and an optimism that we’ll soon be able to come together physically once more.

With our government’s new mandate now well underway, I find myself with added duties on top of my responsibilities to my community as their MLA. It is an honour to serve on the Premier’s executive council as his Minister of State for Infrastructure and an absolute pleasure to work with the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure in delivering the transportation projects and services that people need and rely on. Over the past several months, the minister and I have worked closely to develop a plan for the future while also delivering what people need today. I’m proud to see this reflected in our government’s throne speech.

COVID-19 has changed a lot about the way that we live our lives and certainly about the way that we travel. Transit ridership is down, around the world, and while we are seeing promising returns of ridership in Metro Vancouver, many other places are unsure of whether their ridership numbers will ever recover. We have to recognize that people are now working from home, and video conferencing meetings have become a mainstay in our households seemingly overnight. Telecommuting, I suspect, is likely here to stay, but there’s still a question as to what extent it will permanently replace physical commutes. It’s still hard to say right now.

There are some things that we know will likely not change. We know that people will continue to want safe, integrated, efficient and affordable ways to get around, to where they need to go. That means that as a government, we must continue to strive for forward-thinking transportation systems and networks that meet the needs of those people.

When the pandemic is over, there is very little doubt that climate change will still be an issue that we must pull together to resolve for the sake of our children’s futures. That means we must continue to reach for low-carbon footprints in whatever transportation systems we enable.

[4:10 p.m.]

Transportation systems will still need to be designed with awareness of the inequality that exists in our communities and an intention to enable greater socioeconomic justice. All of this means that the commitments our government made prior to COVID-19 to invest in public transit, to invest in affordable housing, to work with local governments in order to create livable communities and increase active transportation and enable micromobility — all of this — will continue to be incredibly important as we move forward through and out of this pandemic.

Our government’s continued commitment to prioritize public transit funding will still be critical. We’re making a historic capital investment. That means more buses and more rapid transit but more bus rapid transit as well, more SeaBus service and new rail rapid transit lines — all of this representing the largest investment in transit in B.C.’s history.

As mentioned earlier, transit ridership numbers are still a long way from pre-COVID levels, but we’ve been working closely with TransLink and B.C. Transit to ensure that they can continue to provide better essential services, because we know how important a strong transit service will be to our success on multiple levels as we begin to restore the economy through B.C.’s restart plan.

Our government intends to continue to support transit in B.C. and further invest in it by expanding its infrastructure. Work broke ground, for instance, this spring on the Broadway subway line, a project that will expand mass transit capabilities along what has been, prior to COVID-19 at least, the busiest bus route in Canada and the U.S. Demolition is currently underway along the station locations to make room for new stations, and we really look forward to bringing the new service online in 2025.

Our government has also heard from local governments in the community around the need for transit options between Surrey and Langley. More growth in Surrey and Langley regions means more commuters and travellers who need efficient and reliable transportation options to get around the region. So we’re going to be working hard to deliver the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain to meet the needs of that growing region.

But public transit isn’t the only mode of transportation we need to pursue in our path towards a clean air transportation system. We need to give people more environmentally, socially responsible choices in how they can move around and live their lives. That’s why I was really proud to support former Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Claire Trevena in her release of Move, Commute, Connect, which is B.C.’s active transportation strategy.

Move, Commute, Connect will continue to be our government’s strategy to double the trips taken by active transportation by 2030, and it’s part of CleanBC that will continue to be our climate action strategy. This commits us to reducing overall GHG emissions in our province by 40 percent by 2030, 60 percent by 2040 and 80 percent by 2050.

Now, like I mentioned earlier, a lot has changed about the way that British Columbians travel, but we’ve also seen how communities can fill the void that was left by rapid declines in public transit usage during the first couple of months of COVID-19 with more active transportation. We’ve seen communities open up car-free roads to encourage walking and cycling. I feel like I’ve never seen more casual bike riding in the communities around me than there has been during COVID-19.

In some cities, road space has been repurposed for people, rather than as parking, as communities work to expand patios and other services out into the roads that were previously reserved only for what are, effectively, large steel cages on four wheels.

I’m reminded of a 2019 study, actually. It was titled The Social Cost of Automobility, Cycling and Walking in the European Union. It calculated that every kilometre driven by a car incurred an external cost of about 17 Canadian cents, whereas cycling and walking brought in benefits of about 28 and 58 Canadian cents per kilometre. So while there are still very important reasons to invest in roads and highway infrastructure in many parts of British Columbia, there are also opportunities, particularly in more densely populated areas, to choose how we encourage travel behaviour to rebound after the pandemic.

[4:15 p.m.]

The world is different now, and we don’t know for sure what lies ahead, but the need for continued focus on cleaner, healthier transportation choices that enable livable, sustainable communities absolutely remains.

We know that the need for reliable road infrastructure and highway networks throughout British Columbia will continue to be critical as British Columbia rebuilds its economy and retools for the future. Highway networks connect people to services, goods to market and communities to communities, while bridges and tunnels help British Columbians navigate the challenging natural landscapes of our province. So it’s important that we maintain and replace critical infrastructure throughout our province, not only to maintain and improve connectivity but also as part of our work to create good, family-supporting jobs and invest in our communities.

Projects like the Pattullo Bridge replacement project create jobs for B.C. workers and support economic growth by providing new reliable infrastructure — in this case, a new and reliable bridge that replaces an aging piece of infrastructure. For years, we’ve heard from community members and stakeholders about the safety concerns and traffic issues that they experienced on the bridge. The narrow lanes made it difficult for people to move around safely, and at night, lane closures meant longer delays.

Our government has been listening to these concerns and has been engaging consistently with key stakeholders, including local governments and First Nations. I’m pleased to say that in-river work began on the project earlier this year and that we’re proud of the project and the work that we’ve done with our partners in the community. The new bridge will also create safe and accessible infrastructure for people who travel by bike or on foot, or who use other mobility devices, through the development of a multi-use path and connections.

Replacement of the George Massey Crossing is another important priority for our government. Collaboration and community are critically important, and that’s why our government has taken the approach that we have on the George Massey Crossing project.

The George Massey is a vital crossing for people in Delta and Ladner travelling into Richmond, Vancouver and the rest of the region. It’s also a critical part of Highway 99, which is an important trade corridor that becomes the I-5 as it crosses into our southern border. It’s the only road in the U.S.A.’s interstate highway system to run all the way from Canada down to Mexico, and Highway 99 and the George Massey Crossing is an important part of that. Our government received the business case for options to replace this crossing late last year, and I look forward to providing an update on the way forward on this project soon.

Over toward the east, we know that the Fraser Valley is also growing at a very rapid pace, and our government has heard from people that they’re frustrated and tired of spending time away from their families as they travel along Highway 1. Highway 1, as many of you know, is not only a major connection between communities in the region but a key corridor in the transport of goods and services within our province. Approximately $27 billion of goods travels along the Trans-Canada Highway to the Alberta border alone, every year.

The Premier has made it clear that the concerns of the people who live in the Fraser Valley are his concerns and that our government will make the Fraser Valley a priority for us in a way that previous B.C. Liberal governments did not. That’s why capacity improvements along Highway 1 are proceeding with haste to create a reliable, efficient corridor to support the movement of people, goods and services. Additional HOV lanes have already been extended along Highway 1 from 202 Street to 216 Street, and construction is set to begin this summer for the ten-kilometre stretch between 216 and 264. Plans are simultaneously proceeding for work out to Whatcom Road.

In addition to our work on transportation, the throne speech highlighted concrete actions that will be taken over the next year and over the next several years to ensure that B.C. comes out of the pandemic stronger and more resilient. We’re going to be doing this by doing what we’ve always done, which is by focusing on people.

We’ll be improving health care so B.C. is better prepared for future challenges. We want to address cracks in the long-term care that COVID-19 has exposed. Certainly, I’ve spoken about some of those. Thank goodness, we’ve already addressed many of them, but there’s more to do. We’re also continuing to work on reducing surgery wait-times, building more hospitals and urgent primary care centres in every part of British Columbia.

[4:20 p.m.]

We’re also continuing to work on our promise to work toward affordability. We’ve eliminated MSP premiums so far, which has saved families up to $1,800 per year, and introduced the B.C. child opportunity benefit, which provides families with children under 18 years old up to $1,600 per child, per year.

We’ll continue our work in making life more affordable through changes to ICBC that will cut car insurance rates by 20 percent. But we’re also expanding access to $10-a-day child care spaces. Child care investments are incredibly important to my community, where we have many young families trying to not only make ends meet, but trying to get ahead. It’s also particularly important in the community of North Vancouver–Lonsdale, where many of the families that I serve are led by single parents. Nearly one in five families with children in the city of North Vancouver are led by single parents, so access to child care is extremely important.

Access to affordable housing is also exceptionally important, not only for those families and individuals who are of lower income and experiencing poverty, but also for many individuals and families who are middle income, who require rental homes or housing options within that missing middle that we talk about. So our government is going to be continuing our work building out social housing, supportive housing, but also below-market, affordable housing for families with middle-level incomes.

I was really pleased to see the Attorney General, Minister of Housing, announce recently the added investment of $2 billion into our HousingHub program, which is specifically designed to support the development of middle-income housing, on top of, of course, the supportive housing and the social housing that our government is already funding and supporting all throughout the province, including right here in North Vancouver.

We’re supporting businesses with grants to help them build or expand online stores. We’ve introduced legislation to support the operations of InBC strategic investment fund. Pardon me, I should say that again. It’s called InBC — i-n-b-c, all one word. It’s a strategic investment fund that will help promising B.C. firms scale up and keep more jobs here in British Columbia.

We’re also going to be building more inclusive communities by developing B.C.’s first anti-racism law. I’m so grateful for the appointment of the Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism. The work that she has been doing so far, her understanding of the issue, her passion for fighting racism, brings me great hope that we’re going to be able to take some very serious steps towards a much more inclusive future here in British Columbia.

We’re also going to be introducing landmark legislation to remove barriers to accessibility and barriers to inclusion that are experienced by British Columbians with disabilities.

We’ll continue to do our work to better protect the environment, of course, with sectoral targets for GHG reductions. For transportation, our sectoral targets for 2030 are to reduce our GHG emissions by nearly one-third. Transportation accounts for about 41 percent of the GHGs that British Columbia is responsible for. So this is an extremely…. It’s a large but also extremely important task, and we’re going to be doing that work.

Finally, I see that I’m running short on time here, so maybe I’ll end with my concluding remarks, which is how one usually ends very long speeches like this. I want to say that community has really played a significant role in our lives over the past year, even as we’ve stayed apart. What I found is that we found ways to really strengthen the feelings of community within people. As we look for ways to support one another, to lift each other up and to keep ourselves safe, it’s community that has brought us together when we were physically apart. It’s community that has helped us weather the COVID storm.

[4:25 p.m.]

I’m really honoured to speak here today in support of our government’s throne speech to highlight the ways that we are looking out for our communities and the people within them. I look forward to working with every member of this House to ensure that we, as a province, are able to come out of this pandemic strong, healthy and resilient.

Hon. A. Kang: I’m grateful to be here on the traditional and unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples, and I thank them for the ability to gather and work on their land.

As an immigrant, I often reflect on the glorious beauty of this land, especially on such a beautiful day as this one. I am honoured to rise today to speak on and support the throne speech.

Since 2020, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, our lives have been turned upside down, for the past year. We are still living in a global pandemic, but despite the pandemic, British Columbians have proven to be full of humanity, full of hope and love, but most of all, resilient. Together, we will continue to be strong and stand in solidarity as we fight this pandemic with courage and compassion.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the constituents of Burnaby–Deer Lake who have put their faith in me to serve our community. It is their voices that I bring to this chamber with me every single day, and I am reminded that it is a gift and an honour to be able to serve the citizens of British Columbia.

Throne speeches are opportunities to express gratitude and thanks. I’m able to serve at the Legislature because of my team, my friends and, last but not least, my family. I want to give a big shout-out to my campaign team, who worked so hard to get me re-elected in the fall so that I could continue my service to the people of British Columbia. As well, I want to thank my dedicated executive members, who serve on my executive riding association.

I also want to thank my hard-working and dedicated team of constituent assistants in Burnaby for keeping things going on the home front and making sure that my constituents are well taken care of. Special thanks to Alison Gu, Nick Hsieh and Joe Huo for serving the citizens of Burnaby–Deer Lake with heart, and, of course, my family. I want to extend my love to my parents — my mom, Suzanne Kang, and my dad, Colin Kang — for their unconditional love and support for me.

On election night, when I was re-elected, my parents were some of the first to text me. They didn’t text congratulations or anything along that line, but rather, as a minister and minister’s wife, they reminded me: “Daughter, you have more responsibility before you. Always remember to be humble.”

Thank you so much, Mom and Dad, for that reminder.

As well, I want to recognize my kids — my teenaged kids now — Elizabeth-Anne and Theodore, who are my best cheerleaders, my sunshine and my love.

Last but not least, I want to say thank you to all my friends, all of them, whom I call my brothers and sisters, who have continuously stood by me and supported me through stormy days and roller coaster rides — and that’s figuratively. You are all like my family, and I couldn’t be more grateful, so thank you all.

This year is a year like no other. All of our lives have been turned upside down for the past year because of the pandemic. I want to express my most sincere gratitude to our front-line workers, our health care workers, teachers and first responders for their service and sacrifices that keep our province and our country safe. Everyone in our communities and our province has been impacted by the pandemic, and everyone has demonstrated strength and resilience that continues to inspire us.

I would like also to take a moment to point out how important it is for all members elected to gather here today. This chamber is the linkage between British Columbians and the government. This linkage is essential to a robust democracy. That is why I am incredibly honoured to be here today to share a few thoughts on the speech from the throne.

[4:30 p.m.]

[N. Letnick in the chair.]

Not only is this an opportunity for us to reflect upon everything that we have been able to accomplish together, as British Columbians, since this government was formed, but it is also an important vision of how we can continue the progress that we have made, how we can fulfil our commitment to every citizen and how we can build B.C. back better.

From day one, our government has been about people. We hit the ground running, and we haven’t stopped since. I want to thank Her Honour, the Hon. Janet Austin, for opening the first session of the 42nd parliament of British Columbia with words of strength, leadership and compassion in such a challenging time for our province. I appreciate how her speech focused on people and protecting the health, safety and livelihoods of British Columbians during the pandemic and post-pandemic, into our recovery.

I want to take a moment to pay my respects to the friends and families of the British Columbians who are no longer with us. May our thoughts and prayers be with them always, and may their memories encourage us to continue our efforts to flatten the curve and to get through this pandemic and work towards building a better future. I know that many people across the province and my constituents have been negatively impacted during this pandemic. I am encouraged that the vaccination plan is well underway and providing our community members with the protection they need.

As the rollouts continue, my office continues to support citizens, especially seniors and those who don’t speak English as a first language, with the resources to register for their vaccination. Many tell me how thankful they are for the multilingual services offered by our government websites and information dispatchers and to be able to be informed with the most updated and factual information about provincial health orders and the vaccination plan.

I know times are tough right now and that many families, seniors, young adults and individuals are struggling to make ends meet. I have heard challenging stories of seniors who are having to make hard choices between paying their rent or paying for medication. This pandemic has exacerbated financial pressures for many of those who were already trying to balance a household budget.

As noted in the throne speech, our government will be taking more steps to make life more affordable for British Columbians. In the upcoming 2021 budget, we will continue our commitment on our 30-point housing plan to build thousands more rental homes across the province to help to keep the housing costs down for our communities.

For the first time ever, we have also made an increase of $50 per month to the seniors supplement to ensure that seniors have guaranteed minimum income level for those 65 years of age and older. Our government has also made a permanent $175 per month increase to those on income and disability assistance.

Small businesses are the fabric and backbone of our communities. In response to the needs of businesses during the pandemic, our government has initiated the small and medium-sized business recovery grant. Most recently, government has extended the timeline and expanded the eligibility criteria to increase the support that is desperately needed for those who have been impacted.

One of my favourite places to shop, buy fresh produce and get delicious takeout is Crystal Mall. Crystal Mall is a beautiful multicultural hub in one of Burnaby–Deer Lake’s vibrant multicultural neighbourhoods. Unfortunately, business in Crystal Mall has been greatly impacted since the early onset of COVID-19. When the Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation came out with the small and medium-sized business recovery grant, my staff team and I visited Crystal Mall and all of the businesses along the Kingsway business corridor to introduce the program. We visited several bubble tea stores, Tala Florist, Famous World Travel and On On Wonton House. That’s just to name a few.

Of course, at all times as we visited, we maintained the prescribed physical distancing and abided by the health and safety measures as recommended by provincial health experts. Our government’s launch of the recovery grant was very well received. Thank you to all small and medium businesses in B.C. for all your different contributions to your communities.

[4:35 p.m.]

I would also like to highlight other members of the Burnaby–Deer Lake community who have made valuable contributions to our neighbourhoods during the pandemic. Burnaby–Deer Lake is home to many organizations that have been doing exceptional work in supporting our neighbours. Since the beginning of the pandemic, MOSAIC’s Burnaby family centre has continued to support newcomers and refugee families. Their food hub distributes groceries from the food bank to family homes and supports 38 families in Burnaby per week, which means that they are feeding 162 family members a week.

Burnaby Neighbourhood House also plays a significant role in providing food to the community during the pandemic. Their free frozen dinner delivery initiative, in collaboration with Willingdon Church, serves 600 meals per week to seniors with mobility issues.

Tian-Jin Temple, also located in my riding, works to support the vulnerable population with their Vancouver outreach program with the distribution of fresh food and produce. One of their youth, Nancy Wang, was a recipient of the B.C. Multicultural and Anti-Racism Awards, in the Emerging Leader Award. Nancy’s volunteerism aims to support and lift up vulnerable people and break down stereotypes towards Chinese youth and other youth of colour. Congratulations, Nancy, on the award. It is so well deserved.

April is autism month. As a former elementary school teacher with a focus on special education, I want to take this opportunity to recognize parents, teachers and those who program to support people living with autism. Most recently, I virtually connected and met with Canucks Autism Network B.C., which is a provincial network that is dedicated to enriching the quality of life of individuals with autism and their families. I appreciate the extra efforts that CANBC puts in to support families at this challenging time.

All of these strong networks, all of these non-profit and community programs are all unique in their own ways. But they have one common mission: to find creative solutions to support our neighbours, our communities, during COVID-19 and beyond. I am so proud of the local and provincial organizations who champion these programs to help our community.

As a former teacher, a mother and a lifelong learner, I believe that education is a key part to building our future. Post-secondary education and trades training give people power over their own lives, and this empowerment is a value that is deeply close to my heart. That is why it is a true honour and privilege to be serving as the Minister for Advanced Education and Skills Training and to continue the work of our B.C. NDP government.

Work is already underway to benefit students and their families in the weeks and months to come. Our government has been working hard to support learners and workers. According to the labour force survey, B.C. currently has the highest job recovery rate in all of Canada, with months of sustained growth. We know that young people, post-secondary students and recent graduates have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Given the support and resources to succeed, our college and university graduates will play an important role in our economic recovery.

On June 1 of this year, the minimum wage will be increased to $15.20 per hour, and the serving wage will be eliminated. This is going to benefit not only young people but those who have seen the service industry as their calling. For too long the lower serving wage created a different class of worker, and I am proud to support this increase to ensure that people in the service industry are compensated for the hard work they do.

[4:40 p.m.]

The throne speech also talks about new transportation infrastructure investments, such as the Broadway subway expansion and the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain.

It also talks about improvements to digital connectivity in rural and remote communities. As our post-secondary system has shifted largely online during the pandemic, these connectivity investments will help students stay safe and provide increased accessibility for them to learn in their own homes and home communities.

As an MLA and also as Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training, I love connecting with students and listening to their educational journey. One person, Kimani Wa Karangu, is one of my constituents and is currently a PhD candidate in the faculty of education at UBC. Not only is Kimani passionate in his studies, but he is also equally passionate about giving back to his community. He currently serves as a president of Graduate Student Society at UBC, also president of Kenyan Community in B.C. Society and also a member of Swahili Vision International Association.

As a president of UBC Graduate Student Society and an international student from Kenya, he shares with me the positive impacts of our government’s initiatives in making post-secondary education affordable and accessible to all graduate students. As he works towards his permanent residency, he is very happy to hear that his classmate is a benefactor of provincial scholarship funds. He is vocal about issues on affordability, racism, equity, inclusion and diversity. He is also an advocate for mental health supports.

During the pandemic, I met with students and discussed their need for more mental health supports for post-secondary students. Affordability is important and on top of the minds of students, but equally important is mental health. My ministry worked with the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions on a new mental health program called Here2Talk, for all students enrolled in a B.C. post-secondary program. Students, whether domestic or international, enrolled in a public or a private institution, studying locally or enrolled in a B.C. program internationally — everyone who is enrolled — can receive 24-7 mental health support from the Here2Talk program.

Programs such as the B.C. access grant that supports low and middle-income students’ access to a need-based, upfront grant of up to $4,000 — this is enhancing affordability to post-secondary education.

Emily, a student in the bachelor of arts at Capilano University, is a recipient of the B.C. access grant. She shares with me: “Receiving the B.C. access grant is such a relief. It isn’t just financial aid. It demonstrates that the community believes in me and the contributions I make to society. It means I have more opportunities to focus on my learning and my plans for the future, rather than having to worry about whether I’ll have enough money for my textbooks.” Emily’s story brings light to our work as a government that investing in affordable and accessible post-secondary education is not only key to student success, but it makes lasting impacts on students’ overall lives.

Our expansion of 250 graduate scholarships this year will continue our legacy in supporting graduate students, with more chances to explore and enhance their research projects. We know that students, faculty, staff and the communities they live in still face unprecedented challenges to their daily lives.

These success stories reflect the positive work that our government has done and will continue to do. I have been impressed by the resolve and the leadership that everyone in the post-secondary and skills-training sector has shown, and I am committed to working with everyone to address issues head-on.

[4:45 p.m.]

The Premier has given each minister a mandate letter to direct our work that delivers on our commitments to British Columbians. I am committed to working with my cabinet colleagues to create thousands of new tech spaces to train people for low-carbon jobs of the future, while also ensuring that no one gets left behind.

My ministry is contributing to our government’s 30-point plan on housing by investing in student housing at our public colleges and universities. These student housing facilities aim to be net-zero carbon neutral and with rent below market value. Our student housing program is making quite remarkable progress. Our most recent data shows that government, in partnership with our public colleges and universities, has committed or has already built approximately 6,000 of our 8,000-bed target.

Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor talked about how budgets are about choices. Our government is choosing to invest in students, to invest in education and to invest in the future of our province. Our government is also choosing to support our skilled workers and putting value back into B.C.’s trade system. The B.C. Liberal government chose to eliminate the compulsory trades system with no thought to the long-term impact on our trades system in the province. Our government is making a different choice.

Together with the Parliamentary Secretary for Skills Training and the Minister of Labour, we will be working to restore the compulsory trades system to add value to our trades jobs. Our government is also helping B.C.’s economic recovery by investing tens of millions of dollars in the new skills training program for Indigenous Peoples and creating new training seats for health care assistants, early childhood educators and mental health workers.

I am deeply passionate about education and about improving the accessibility of post-secondary education so all learners have the opportunity to be equal participants in our economic recovery. I want to share a quote by Kofi Annan. He said: “Education is a great equalizer of our time. It gives hope to the hopeless and creates chances for those without.” Similarly, Jim Clyburn said: “Education is the great equalizer and shouldn’t be limited to the wealthiest few.”

I know the importance of accessibility and affordability of education, and I will work hard with government to expand the B.C. access grant program to help keep education costs affordable. With my colleagues, I’ll be working hard to expand and strengthen the tuition waiver program for former youth in care past the age of 27.

I know this year has been very difficult for students. Post-secondary education has been very different this academic year. I want to thank all students for being resilient and determined. I want to express my appreciation to all university and college faculty for your agility to pivot to an online model, hybrid model or in-person instruction with safe physical distancing. Public university and college students can continue receiving the high-quality education B.C. is known for.

As Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training, I am absolutely committed to continuing to support the half a million students who are attending our post-secondary institutions across B.C. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Alone, we can do so little, but together, we can do so much. Together, I believe that we will all come out of this even stronger.

Thank you, hon. Speaker, for this opportunity to speak and support the throne speech.

Hon. J. Osborne: It’s my honour and privilege to rise today in unceded Tla-o-qui-aht territory to speak to the throne speech.

[4:50 p.m.]

First, as is often tradition, I will start off with thank-yous myself, noting first of all the people of Mid-Island–Pacific Rim, who have placed their faith and confidence in me to represent them in this chamber. It is a true privilege to do the work that I do and one that I take time every single day to reflect upon.

I’d like to thank my constituency assistant, Andrea McDonald, who is the face of this Legislature in my riding, especially in this time of COVID while our constituency office has not reopened to the public. Her diligence in responding to the needs of our constituents is remarkable. Her guidance to new constituency assistants and to other new MLAs is deeply appreciated.

I also want to note the staff in the minister’s office, from Municipal Affairs, who are equally incredible and valued. They are Hannah Luscombe, Heidi Reid, Lindsay Banh, Roari Richardson and Robyn Spilker. I also wish to extend my thanks to Christine White and Jade Ashbourne, both of whom were essential in my early weeks as minister before they departed to serve in a different ministerial office.

Finally, I want to thank the public servants who work in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. While the fruits of their labour are felt every day in communities across British Columbia, they are, perhaps, not recognized nearly as often as they should be. I thank them for the work that they do.

In my response to the throne speech today, I divide it roughly into thirds. First, to provide some observations about the throne speech and the work of reconciliation. Second, while there are many topics from the throne speech that I could touch on, I know time is limited, so I’ve chosen just a few highlights to speak to, primarily small business and its role in economic recovery. Then third, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and the work of local governments and communities in this time of a pandemic.

This throne speech is the first and, I hope, the only throne speech that serves as a bridge between two states of reality. As it was delivered, we were still in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic.

When this session of parliament ends, we all hope that the COVID-19 pandemic is largely, if not entirely, behind us and that we’re fully focused on building a strong recovery that works for everyone, as well as continuing the hard work ahead on the pressing issues of incredible importance that existed well before the pandemic struck, such as the opioid crisis, the mental health and wellness of British Columbians and what another member referred to last week as the existential crisis of climate change.

As a new MLA, I thought it would be instructive to read throne speeches from past sessions of parliament. Over this past weekend, I spent a few hours combing through the past 50 years of throne speeches. Thanks to the Legislative Assembly’s website, I was able to do that easily.

Tradition and history are important to understand, and they are important to honour, even though, as societies change and the very composition of government changes to be more reflective of British Columbians, we should expect and even demand that these traditions will change. Indeed, this is evidenced in the throne speech.

I noted these changes that are happening. First, the acknowledgment of First Nations territories. Second, the involvement of Indigenous People and people of diverse faiths in offering prayers or reflections before the throne speech. Finally, that First Nations languages are being spoken, at first by Indigenous Peoples themselves and now by a Lieutenant-Governor who, herself, is not Indigenous.

The first words of this throne speech read by Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia were spoken in SENĆOŦEN, the ancestral and ancient language of the W̱SÁNEĆ people. I think it’s important to pause a moment and acknowledge this — that the Lieutenant-Governor, the Queen’s representative in British Columbia, for the first time ever in a throne speech, both opened with words in an Indigenous language, before switching to English, and then closed, as she has done many times before, in an Indigenous language.

I find that the deliberate and thoughtful and intentional approach that Her Honour has taken in respect to learning words of the W̱SÁNEĆ is an inspiration. To those members in this House who did not find everything they were looking for in this throne speech, I trust they also find inspiration in this — what might seem like a small move but one that, put together with many actions, small and large, forms part of the individual and collective journey of reconciliation that we are on with Indigenous Peoples.

The member for Saanich North and the Islands spoke to the throne speech last week, stating that “the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act is an important step forward. But just because we have taken a step forward, it’s incorrect to assume that all is well. This is a journey with no end.”

I agree with the member. It’s entirely appropriate, in my view, that the member challenges this government to do more and to work harder. He certainly has my commitment and, I believe, the commitment of all members of this House.

[4:55 p.m.]

The member is absolutely correct. Reconciliation is a journey with no end. I am certain that this will be some of the richest and most rewarding work that we will do as members of this Legislative Assembly, not just in this session, nor in this mandate, but for years and years to come.

As was noted in the throne speech, government recognizes that our future must be one where we share decision-making and prosperity with Indigenous peoples who have exercised their inherent rights on their respective territories since time immemorial. Further in the throne speech, the hard work has only just begun. To be successful, it must be done together.

Speaking further to the work of reconciliation, the member for Saanich North and the Islands further noted that he is reminded to judge actions, not words. This reminds us all that we are accountable to the commitments we have made, such as those in DRIPA. Just last Friday our government reached an agreement to provide Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs $7.2 million in funding to support the implementation of their rights and title, a three-year funding commitment to support them in their work on governance and the shared goal of reunification within the Wet’suwet’en Nation.

I know that all members of this House understand that part of the meaning of the UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples is their own personal commitments to listening, learning and working with First Nations in whose territories our ridings lie, our invisible system of boundaries that is imposed over a landscape that has been nurtured and stewarded for generations and generations.

Last Friday, in my capacity as an MLA, I met with the Ha’wiih, the hereditary leaders of the Ahousaht First Nation, the largest First Nation in the riding of Mid Island–Pacific Rim. It was an exciting and energizing meeting that went well over our allotted time as they spoke of initiatives that are related to the Ahousaht land vision, the work that they have done to engage and consult the muschim, or the people, that developed their vision of the future in the lands that they have occupied for generations and generations.

As we spoke of all the progress that Ahousaht has made in the past year, one of the Chiefs paused and reflected on how much has been accomplished in a year when you would not have thought that that could have happened. The pandemic, with all of the threats and the anxiety that it brought their community, a time when people had to physically stay apart, had actually brought people closer together, including bringing the hereditary leadership closer with the elected leadership.

I have been privileged to work alongside the Ahousaht people for over 20 years and have attended literally hundreds of meetings with Ahousaht leaders as a fisheries biologist, as a mayor and now as an MLA This was one of the most hopeful and positive meetings that I have attended, not to say that implementing their vision would be easy work, but one that they are committed to deeply and that I am committed to as their MLA.

Let me turn now to another area of the throne speech that I am passionate about as well and that matters to the communities that I represent. That is small business. It is often remarked, and was with the speaker previous to me, that small businesses are the backbone of B.C. communities, and that certainly is the case in my riding, Mid Island–Pacific Rim. In fact, entrepreneurs make up the vast majority of business activity in communities like Tofino, Ucluelet, Cumberland and Hornby Island, for example. In Tofino alone, over one in four permanent residents holds a business licence, which speaks to the importance of small business to the vitality of my home community.

We often reflect, in Tofino, how local business owners are community members and vice versa. That’s the truest expression of the fact that people are our economy and why putting people at the heart of our government’s recovery strategy is the only way forward.

I saw personally, at the beginning of the pandemic, the incredible sacrifices that businesses made and how many small businesses had to make very tough decisions to temporarily close or reduce services to protect their workers and customers. This impacted hundreds of employees, who are also valued residents of our community. Business owners went to extraordinary ends to keep people employed while employment insurance kicked in and to ensure that staff housing wasn’t lost due to lack of work.

Throughout the last 14 months, across British Columbia, we have seen small business operators demonstrate their skills, ingenuity and tenacity with quick pivots and adaptations. As well, we have seen their incredible perseverance.

One of the common refrains I have heard from business owners across my riding, from surf companies to art supply stores to restaurants, is: “I’d always meant to add online sales to my business, but I never had the time.” This government has been at their backs with support to launch online storefronts and e-commerce options. In fact, as the throne speech mentions, over 4,000 eligible small businesses have been able to take advantage of the launch online program.

[5:00 p.m.]

In addition to that particular support, this government has taken significant steps to listen to, to hear and to support small businesses, cutting property taxes for businesses and postponing the date that late penalties would be applied, prohibiting commercial evictions, forgiving hydro bills and, later in the B.C. recovery plan, providing tax incentives for businesses to hire workers and a PST rebate to help businesses make investments.

The small and medium-size business support program recognizes the tourism sector, as one that has been particularly hard hit, with a special top-up by extending the timelines of that program and by adjusting the eligibility criteria to make it easier for businesses to qualify, and then, with the circuit breaker business relief program, introducing a brand-new program to support the businesses that have been hit hardest by this latest round of advisories and restrictions.

The business supports have been a topic of significant debate in this House, and I am certain that all members of this House have been listening hard to the business operators in their communities. Their stories inspire us. They motivate us on all sides of the House to advocate hard for their needs. I want to explain about one particular business owner in my riding who I think is an excellent example of resilience in the face of hardship.

Chef Ian Riddick owns a small restaurant in Ucluelet and has done so for the last three years. The pandemic hit his business, and it was very hard. It has been for so many restaurateurs. In March 2020, he shut down completely, but then, with the advantage of having a beautiful garden patio, he reopened to what turned out to be a relatively busy summer season. At first, he’s explained to me, it was the federal government wage supports and loan programs that enabled him to stay open. He was able to keep his core staff, which he says will now be his key to a successful return when the pandemic subsides.

He did not initially apply for the small and medium business recovery program, but when the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation expanded the eligibility criteria, he successfully received a grant. In his words, “All the help I received from the federal and provincial governments was exactly what it needed to be,” making up almost exactly the losses his restaurant experienced in the pandemic year over the previous year.

Ian didn’t just accept the money and keep quiet, though. He told his business colleagues about it. In fact, he told an owner of a wedding business about the business recovery grant, and she successfully applied. For her business, the grant was the difference between still taking calls to book weddings for the 2022 season versus not answering the phone at all because she wasn’t sure if her business would survive.

While she and the small business operators across Mid-Island–Pacific Rim riding have demonstrated incredible resilience during this challenging time, our government understands that stories like Ian’s do not erase the struggles that many small businesses still face, especially in those sectors that have been the hardest hit, which is a significant number of businesses in my home community and in my riding.

Early in my first term as the mayor of Tofino, the executive director of the local chamber of commerce explained his perspective to me — that government is a partner to small business in creating the conditions for success by providing the roads, water, schools and child care, as well as imposing regulations that are necessary to help keep people and the environment healthy and safe, and how the trick is for government to work with local businesses.

In working with the executive director for several years, I came to understand just how important dialogue between government and the business sector is in listening, understanding, creating, adapting and tweaking laws and policies to create those conditions for local businesses to thrive. I’m incredibly proud of the work that the business community in Tofino, across my riding and across B.C. has done throughout this pandemic.

There’s been a lot of criticism from members opposite about this government’s support for small business, and it’s the role of parties opposite to provide that criticism. I’m proud of how my colleague the Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation and his staff have themselves adapted and pivoted, expanding the eligibility of the business granting programs, creating niches for particular circumstances that were not being addressed. And although some might only criticize and find fault, it is clear to me that an effective government listens and changes as quickly and effectively as it can, all the time using sound principles of financial accountability. That is what this government does and what it will continue to do.

I now will turn to the work of my ministry, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. It’s an enormous privilege to be the Minister of Municipal Affairs, and I’m grateful for the years of experience that I’m able to bring with me from local government into my new role. I want to start by acknowledging the incredible work that local governments across B.C. are doing.

[5:05 p.m.]

As was noted in the throne speech, local communities have been on the front lines of COVID-19. When the pandemic hit, communities of all sizes across B.C. responded quickly, establishing emergency operations centres to coordinate the flow of information between the province and first responders, health authorities, businesses and residents. They developed COVID response plans to ensure that the critical services that people depend on, such as potable water delivery, wastewater systems and firefighting, would continue despite so many unknowns in those early days of the pandemic.

I distinctly recall, since I was the mayor of Tofino at the time, that, almost overnight, transformation occurred in our municipal workplaces, with hand sanitizer and signage everywhere, with masking tape arrows on the floor that were designed to help keep us all two metres apart. Our government has been there from the start for communities. In times of crises, people look to their leaders, and that starts with listening and then quickly responding. Our government has done just that for local governments, for communities.

In March 2020, when the pandemic arrived, most local governments had completed their budget processes, or they were in the final stages of finalizing their five-year operating and capital plans and setting tax rates. To say that the pandemic threw a wrench in those works would be an understatement. But local government financial officers responded swiftly. They worked with their colleagues and with their councils and boards to discuss risk mitigation measures, to make difficult decisions around spending, reducing spending in non-essential — or maybe I should call it less essential — or lower-priority services and reprioritizing capital projects. Our government responded by providing new financial tools to ensure that cash flows were in place so those critical services like water and wastewater were not disrupted.

COVID-19 also challenged the fundamentals of local democracy, including in-person decision-making and public presence at council and board meetings as well as the ability to safely conduct voting in by-elections and referendums. Our government responded quickly by putting in a number of extraordinary measures to help local governments keep functioning effectively across this province. This included enabling local governments to conduct electronic meetings and public hearings, expanding the ability for our local governments to use mail-in ballots, enabling them to change high-touch interactions in elections into safer options like oral declarations for voter registry.

Just as business owners have said to me they’ve been waiting for an opportunity to add e-commerce to their repertoire, I’ve heard from mayors across B.C. who have explained that the necessity to move meetings on line was just what they needed. It was the impetus that gave them the ability to install the right hardware and software in their municipal halls to ensure that the public had continued, safe access to council meetings, to decision-makers and to ensure that councillors and staff remained safe as well.

With the end of the pandemic in sight, our minds are turning to what we’ve learned, and I’ve heard consistent feedback from community leaders that they’ve quickly adapted to new ways of conducting meetings and hearings, that they’re seeing increased participation from residents in watching online meetings and increased use of technology to enable their voices to be heard by local decision-makers. I look forward to continuing to work with local governments, supporting them further.

One of the most significant ways this government is supporting communities in this time of need has been through the Canada-B.C. safe restart funding agreement. In the early days of the pandemic, this government advocated strongly to federal partners to deliver funds directly to local governments to keep them whole and to help them continue to deliver those services that their residents and businesses needed the most.

In my monthly calls with mayors and regional district chairs across the province, these leaders explained to me just how critical restart funding has been for their communities. It’s helped keep recreation centres, playgrounds and local parks open for safe use by community members. It’s helped to cover the cost of safety measures and supplies that workers need to stay safe, and many communities chose to flow some of these funds through to the non-profit organizations in their communities that have been tirelessly serving residents, delivering critical community services and lifting the hearts and minds of people with arts, culture and recreation programs in new and safe ways.

The throne speech speaks to the unprecedented investments this government is making in housing and how the pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing conditions that not only lead to homelessness but have also made homelessness more visible in our communities. The speech speaks to this government’s unwavering commitment to help people who are experiencing homelessness, who face housing insecurity and who feel left out from the hope of ever affording their own home. Investments like these are not possible without the support and direct involvement of local communities.

[5:10 p.m.]

Once again I express my gratitude to local governments across B.C. for stepping up to the challenges in their communities. Not only are they helping to serve people who are experiencing homelessness and precarious housing, but in many cases, they’re providing municipal land for new supportive and affordable housing developments, accelerating zoning amendments, waiving fees. In fact, several regional districts — like the Comox Valley regional district, which touches on my riding — have established regional homelessness support services which enabled them to further leverage partnerships with B.C. Housing and non-profit housing and service providers.

I’m proud that our government has partnered with the Union of B.C. Municipalities in the delivery of $100 million of safe restart funding, through the strengthening communities services program, to support communities in their work of supporting people that are experiencing homelessness, and a further $15 million into the local government development approvals program, which will provide communities with the funding that they need to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their approvals processes so that they can do even more than they’re already doing to help get British Columbians into homes that are safe, secure and affordable.

Building new partnerships with municipalities remains a mainstay of this government. As the throne speech stated: “As we turn towards recovery, investing in stronger communities will be a key priority. Budget 2021 will make record investments in infrastructure to keep people and our economy moving.” There’s no dispute that investments like these are critical to kick-starting or accelerating local economies in times of economic downturn or depression. Several times in the last century, we’ve seen the importance of infrastructure funding.

The throne speech goes on to list some of the major investments this government will continue to advance, including several large transit and transportation projects, primarily in the Lower Mainland. But our government’s investments in B.C. communities are far more than just those specific projects mentioned in the throne speech — investments that might seem small in comparison to things like the Pattullo Bridge but that mean so much to B.C.’s smaller cities and rural communities too. Community halls, water systems, wastewater treatment facilities, recreation centres and cultural centres are all investments in people, not only creating jobs while the construction is underway but leaving communities with assets that will improve their physical, emotional and social health and well-being for years to come.

Moving forward, British Columbians’ economic and social recovery are very much going to depend on working collaboratively with communities. We continue to work closely with our local government partners, including the Union of B.C. Municipalities, along with health care workers, first responders, education workers, retail service workers and so many other British Columbians. We know that local governments, too, have been on the front lines of COVID-19.

As I come towards the close of my speech, I want to return to the matter of reconciliation and how the relationship between local government and First Nations is changing in lasting and meaningful ways. Last week, a significant event took place in which the Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’-Che:k:tles7et’h’ First Nation joined the Strathcona regional district as a full member of the board, with all the rights and responsibilities of voting and contributing tax requisitions, just as any municipality or rural area participates at the board.

Kevin Jules is the vice-Chief of the Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’-Che:k:tles7et’h’ First Nation. In his words: “Joining the Strathcona regional district is a new experience for everyone. Working together shows we are moving in the direction of reconciliation. This is a huge step forward in being heard and recognized as a modern treaty nation. We look forward, in working with the Strathcona regional district, to help our nation and all of our communities build and grow together.”

The Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation noted: “Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’-Che:k:tles7et’h’’s membership on the Strathcona regional district is a tangible act of reconciliation that strengthens the government-to-government relationship and benefits everyone.”

As a former director of the Alberni-Clayoquot regional district, which has four First Nations fully participating at the board table, I have witnessed the transformation that occurs when First Nations and local governments come to the table as equal partners. I could not agree more with vice-Chief Jules and with the minister. Because words and their meaning matter, understanding the Nuu-chah-nulth language meaning of these two nations is important. Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’ means “different people,” and Che:k:tles7et’h’ means “people from a place where you gain strength.” We all gain strength by working with people who are different than us.

[5:15 p.m.]

In closing, I offer again the observation that this throne speech is truly like no other, as it is a bridge between today in the midst of a pandemic and a tomorrow of a brighter future. But the hard work is not over yet. Vaccinations have yet to be completed, public health measures are yet to be lifted, and recovery will be a longer road for some economic sectors than for others and longer for some people in our communities than for others.

The hard work of government and all members of this House is really never over, and there is so much more to be done on our collective journey of reconciliation with Indigenous People, on tackling discrimination and systemic racism, on reducing inequality — so that all British Columbians are able to live well and healthy, with dignity and purpose, and are able to take advantage of opportunities that still today are only available to some — and on tackling climate change and the alarming loss of biodiversity.

In the past, the Lieutenant-Governors have closed the throne speech with phrases that remind us of our collective duty, such as: “Hon. Members, I leave you now to discharge your legislative duties, in the full confidence that your deliberations will be in the best interest of all citizens.” While the wording might seem a little bit stiff or traditional, its meaning is true. Keeping people healthy and safe until this pandemic is over is our collective responsibility and our common purpose. It is an essential precondition for economic and social recovery, a recovery that leaves no one behind, and it remains this government’s top priority.

It has been my privilege to speak in support of the throne speech. Thank you.  ƛ̓eekoo, ƛ̓eekoo.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Minister.

Just to remind all members, if they’re going to have a phone conversation, they should turn off their cameras. Thank you.

M. Starchuk: I rise in the House today to respond to the throne speech from the second session of the 42nd parliament.

Before I would start, I’d like to recognize that I’m speaking to you today from the unceded territories of the Coast Salish people. This includes the Kwantlen, Katzie and Semiahmoo First Nations people.

I’ll be placing thank-yous at the beginning and the end of my comments today. Thanks to my campaign team, who worked with the constituents of Surrey Cloverdale to get myself, the first professional firefighter, elected to the B.C. Legislature. Thank you to Veronica Harrison, for managing an amazing group of people who showed up every day and left with smiles as well. Thanks for pushing me to the finish line, and letting Mike be Mike at times. Thanks to Tanya and Kirat, and all of the volunteers that were there on a day-to-day basis. Without you and the voters of Surrey-Cloverdale, I wouldn’t be here today.

I rise in the House, virtually, to support the throne speech that was delivered April 12. By way of background, for those of you that don’t know, Surrey-Cloverdale is approximately 13,500 acres in size, with just over 6,000 of those acres that are inside of the ALR. That makes my riding one of the largest in Metro Vancouver when it comes to ALR, which means that there are a lot of young families and a lot of farmers. Agriculture is very special, and somebody doesn’t get to be my size, unless you really love food.

The population of the riding is nearly 78,000 people, which we have a large portion of the population that are young families. The riding of Surrey Cloverdale encompasses parts of Fleetwood, Port Kells, Clayton Heights and Cloverdale.

We have just passed the five-year mark of the opioid overdose crisis, and I’d like to express my condolences to the families of those who have passed on from these overdoses. The pandemic has added to the difficulties around these overdose deaths, like no other time before.

The Health Ministry and the Mental Health and Addictions Ministry have been working diligently to address the issues around the overdose crisis. I want to thank all of the front-line workers and agencies, who have been responding to those people who were in overdose states. I recognize the staggering numbers, over 7,000 lives, lost during this five-year period. But I myself and others, I believe, must recognize the work of those front-line workers, who have reversed thousands of overdoses, with the use of naloxone, which was delivered by those front-line workers.

[5:20 p.m.]

With regard to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I would like to express my sincere condolences to those families who have lost a loved one. There have been just over 1,500 people that have passed on, due to the COVID-19 virus. We are 14 months into this pandemic, and I believe we’re beginning to get closer to putting the pandemic behind us. But we must remain vigilant against this virus. We must follow those public health orders to a T. With the vaccines arriving and being administered, now is not the time to let our guard down.

I would like to give thanks to all the front-line workers who’ve been working throughout this difficult time. I want to say thanks to our people who’ve helped keep our pantries and fridges full. Thanks to the farmers who kept growing our food. Thanks to those drivers who kept the produce coming to the grocers who adapted in ways to stay open. I want to say thanks to those health care workers who are meeting and treating all of the patients — to the doctors, offices, pharmacies, clinics and hospitals who have been looking after all of our health care matters.

Special thanks to those ER personnel for the work that they do each and every day. I want to take this opportunity to give an extra special thanks to one particular Abbotsford ER nurse, Andrea Svava Jónsdóttir, who is currently engaged to my son, Ryan. I’m looking forward to a time when gatherings are permitted and when we can enjoy your wedding.

Thanks to the paramedics, police services and law enforcement officers for the service that they provided and continue to provide during the pandemic. Thanks to the firefighters, who are now receiving their vaccines. Thanks for being patient and understanding while waiting for these vaccinations. Thanks to the Minister of Health and Dr. Henry for recognizing the situations in which these firefighters work every day.

Everything was ready to roll out to our first responders at the end of March, and like so many twists of fate during this pandemic, the AstraZeneca vaccine was pulled because of the safety signal shown by the CDC. But now I’m pleased to see our firefighters have received their training, and they’re out in the community providing vaccinations to the public. In Surrey, there are 12 firefighters each day that are working in three clinics delivering vaccinations to the very people that they serve every day.

The throne speech identifies the plan to build a new hospital in Surrey, about which I’m very excited. This new hospital, to be built in Cloverdale, will be a great addition to the health care model here in Surrey. We all know how busy Surrey Memorial Hospital is, and a new hospital in Cloverdale will take some of the pressure off of Surrey Memorial Hospital as well as Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock and Langley Memorial Hospital in the township of Langley. The new hospital in Cloverdale will do many things for our community. For many of our seniors in the community, it will give peace of mind, knowing that should they require the service of an emergency department, it’s nearby.

During the campaign, I heard about a constituent that had a fall while she was out trimming a tree. This senior knew that they had hurt themselves but did not want to travel all the way to Surrey Memorial Hospital for treatment. Her family showed up, met her in the backyard and convinced her that she needed to go to the hospital. Her daughter, who’s a nurse, wrapped up her arm and drove 15 kilometres to Surrey Memorial Hospital emergency ward to find out that there was a hairline fracture. With a new hospital in Cloverdale, a senior like this will no longer have to worry about how far away help is.

A new hospital will have the ability to energize the surrounding community. When I see the transformations around Surrey Memorial Hospital and Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, I’m encouraged that there will be a similar hospital precinct built around this hospital coming to Cloverdale. The potential developments around this new hospital are very exciting. The potential to manufacture equipment for this hospital and other medical facilities are found in lands that are already properly zoned and are just blocks away.

[5:25 p.m.]

The potential for new housing is also just blocks away. With all of this in mind, there’s great potential to create more jobs. When you create this community with these extra people and these extra jobs, the public will need transportation that will follow soon after. In the throne speech, where we talked about strengthening communities, we see the steps that will be taken towards building the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain, ensuring the line fully extends to Langley.

The government will take the lead role to ensure this line is built all the way to Langley in one phase. The line was originally going to be built in phases, but it’s now going to be done as a single build. Previously, the line was only funded to Fleetwood in phase 1, and the extension to the Langley station was to be built in phase 2, not knowing when phase 2 was actually going to come forward. The provincial government made this commitment, and making this continuous build makes good economic sense.

Making this a continuous build will bring jobs to Surrey, specifically to the Cloverdale area, in the same way that jobs will come when we are building the new hospital here in Cloverdale. The SkyTrain stations which come through my riding will serve the constituents very well. The stations will be located in areas where you’ll find very many young families living today.

SkyTrain will get more people out of their cars. Imagine walking out of your home, getting on to SkyTrain and, 15 to 20 minutes later, you can be in a shopping area to get your groceries or other essentials. Imagine living in Clayton Heights, and you grab your family, the kids, the backpacks, and you go to the SkyTrain station. Five or six minutes later, you’re in Fleetwood at the leisure centre, enjoying a skate or a swim. Imagine how simple that would be. Imagine how the outing will be. You don’t have to get into the car. You don’t have to do your seatbelts. You just get there.

Imagine how life will change for the better for those that already connect to SkyTrain to get to work. Imagine how much time will be saved on a daily basis — more time to be spent with your family and friends at the end of each day. Imagine the reduction of greenhouse gases that SkyTrain riders will be responsible for by getting them out of their gas-powered vehicles.

The throne speech recognizes the CleanBC plan and climate action. Through electrification, we will move more industrial activities along with more motor vehicles from fossil fuel to clean hydroelectric power. The province of B.C. has more EV charging systems than any other province, and we continue to add more.

I want to say that there are courier companies, now, that converted their entire fleet to electric vehicles. That, in itself, tells us that we have enough stations and enough programs to get these people out of gas-powered vehicles and into electric vehicles. In fact, just the other day I saw a lawn care company that had zero emissions. There was an electric car, an electric lawnmower and all the electric attachments — an environmental small business success story if I’ve ever seen one.

The government’s small business recovery grant program has seen qualifying businesses receive this grant at a time when they needed assistance. In my riding of Surrey-Cloverdale, we have HWG, Chartered Accountants, and they’ve been helping out small businesses for months now. HWG has assisted over 20 small businesses with these grant applications. Having the government pay directly to these registered accountants has been received very well.

We all know the restaurant industry has been hit hard during the pandemic. One restaurant owner who lives in the Cloverdale area has the story that really exemplifies how well the small business grant program works.

[5:30 p.m.]

My friend Naresh Sachdev, of Maharaja Catering, reached out regarding the program. With catering being a large part of their business, they were really in hard straits when large gatherings were no longer permitted. His wife, Narinder, filled out the online application and received confirmation that they would qualify. They reached out to HWG and began building a recovery plan. They were soon to find out that because they catered in the tourism industry, they could apply for the additional $15,000 in funding. Because my staff was able to link these two businesses together, the application process was seamless.

As we all know, in the restaurant business during this pandemic, the owners needed to pivot and find new ways for their customers to continue enjoying their new food. The grant that this restaurant qualified for will go a long way in retooling the delivery of their food as their in-room dining is put on pause and they wait to reopen.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

In addition to this grant, the circuit breaker grant that was just announced will be coming to Maharaja Catering soon, and this is all done with no extra work, as all of the information is already in place. This restaurant was able to pivot and convert their business. So not only is it takeout — that they have some prepackaged meals where they’re cooked for a certain percentage…. You take them home, and you throw them in your oven. You cook them for another 15 or 20 minutes, and you get all the credit for how the meal tastes that day. Thanks to the Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation for rolling out this program in an expedited manner.

The throne speech also mentions supporting mental health and addictions. British Columbia was the first province in the country to establish a Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions. Now, I’ve got to say that this ministry does important work for many people in British Columbia. This ministry increased the per-diem funding two years ago by almost 15 percent to assist those registered supportive recovery home operators as they assisted those in recovery who face their addictions.

As a person who was with the fire service a number of years ago, I got firsthand knowledge of how these registered recovery homes were functioning in the city of Surrey. This additional funding to them will go a long way in helping people in their addictions. This 15 percent addition to their funding that was established by this ministry was long overdue. The previous government had not made an increase to this funding stream for over a decade. There’s a long road ahead. This ministry will be making new investments in the Pathway to Hope plan to improve mental health and addictions care for those people that are in need.

The throne speech has also made mentions that will help more families to get access to affordable, high-quality child care and increase the number of $10-a-day spaces. This has a personal appeal to me, as my daughter Shannon and her three-year-old, Parker, may be needing more child care space after she delivers her second child in August.

There were 284 new child care spaces that were announced last month in Surrey: Junior Einsteins Academy had 30 spaces; Khalsa Childcare Centre, 26 spaces; Kings and Queens Childcare Centre, 36 spaces; Playbox Learning Centre, 44 spaces; and Sandbox Early Learning, 148 spaces. Surrey is a fast-growing community, and there’s no doubt about it. It’s important that parents can access the care they need close to home. What better way is there to segue and pivot from child care to education?

In the three years from 2017 to 2020, there were 17 new schools and additions in seismic improvements in Surrey. In the previous three years, there was only one new school. I’m pleased with the work that my government is doing with regard to schools and keeping up with the demands of the growing population. We’re adding 500 spaces in the Clayton Heights high school to meet those growing demands in Clayton Heights.

[5:35 p.m.]

In my riding, we are opening Maddaugh Elementary, which will have 460 spaces for kindergarten to grade 7 students. This school will alleviate the pressures of Katzie and Hazelgrove elementary schools. Maddaugh Elementary will be implementing before- and after-school programming. This will assist young working families who may struggle with getting to work at the same time as getting their children to school. Those types of scheduling matters for working families will have a solution in this new school.

When I said “imagine” early on, imagine that there you are, dropping your children off, knowing that they’re safe and they’re at school. They go to school, there’s a safe spot, and you grab them at the end of the day.

I support the throne speech in its entirety. It looks out for people of British Columbia as we recover from this pandemic. During this 42nd session of the parliament, we’ve heard the opposition constantly refer to the tales of 20 years ago. I thank those members of the opposition for their renditions and resurrections of the term fudge-it budget. What I find interesting is one particular comment from the member opposite in response to the April 12, 2021 throne speech: “Just like a second-term government blaming the previous government for their inherent failures, these excuses only go so far.”

The opposition’s four-term government has gotten us to where we are today. Some of those members of that four-term government seem to be stuck in the past. Knowing your history has a value, but being stuck in it is another story. I support the forward thinking of the throne speech and look forward to making life for all British Columbians better.

Before I conclude, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my front-line workers, my constituency assistants. Both Denise and Naz have risen to the opportunities and challenges that come their way each and every day. They are the front-line greeters to my constituents who are also facing challenges, but they’ve been amplified by this pandemic.

Denise has been by my side as my anchor CA from the moment the election was over. She has a particular skill where an upset constituent will call and express their dissatisfaction, as we’ll call it. At the end of most of those calls, she’s calmed them down, reassured them and let them know we’re working on a resolve.

Thank you, Denise, for what you do for me and our constituents.

Naz is new to our team, as she joined us in late February. The story goes, as well, that Denise was working in the MLA from Panorama’s office with Naz. She told me that her contract to that office was finished at the end of February, and we needed to hire her. Naz fit the job description to a T. She was the successful applicant.

I can stand here today and say without reservation that this team is dedicated to the constituents of Surrey-Cloverdale, and at the same time, probably has more laughs than in any other MLA office in British Columbia. Yeah, we’re bragging.

As to the new LA, Hannah, in Victoria, I look forward to seeing and meeting her in person next week. I hope she’s ready to add some laughter to each day we’re working together. I also want to take this opportunity to thank my former LA, Anmol, who has moved into the RCO role in the Legislature. She’s bright, funny, full of energy. I see a brilliant future ahead of her.

This concludes my remarks on the throne speech of April 12, 2021.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you very much, Member.

Recognizing the member for Vancouver-Kensington.

M. Elmore: Terrific. Thank you very much, hon. Speaker. Very pleased to have you in the chair, and I’m very honoured to rise and speak in favour of the Speech from the Throne this year, 2021.

[5:40 p.m.]

We find ourselves now in the second year facing unprecedented challenge across British Columbia, across Canada, around the world — the challenge of the global COVID-19 pandemic. We can see there is light characterized as “at the end of the tunnel,” with our vaccination program rolling out and closing in at 30 percent of British Columbians vaccinated — the majority of our elderly, the most vulnerable, vaccinated. That’s a positive beacon of hope. But now, in a third wave of the pandemic and the rise of the variants being more infectious, certainly it’s a challenge.

I wanted to first thank all essential workers and particularly the health care workers on the front lines, who have just endured incredible stress, really unimaginable stress on the front lines in our hospitals, providing important care to folks in the long-term care sector, supporting seniors. Essential workers are really providing the services that all British Columbians depend on. It’s been an incredibly stressful time, I know, for folks — for families, individuals, communities, businesses in Vancouver-Kensington and across the province.

On the one hand, it’s really taken a toll in terms of not only the stress but also of British Columbians falling ill. I know that COVID-19 is an infection like no other, and it’s a terrible disease. I know many individuals, many friends and families who have been infected and gone to the hospital and some, unfortunately, have lost their lives. It is very difficult.

But now, going into the second year, British Columbia is poised to make it through. I’m proud of this throne speech and of the steps, the initiatives and the leadership that our government has taken to support British Columbians through this difficult time and to support individuals, to support families, communities, businesses really to make it through. We know that we’re looking to put the pandemic behind us, and the throne speech has laid out a plan to build a strong recovery for everyone. We’re getting close to that point.

Our government’s top priority has been protecting people’s health and livelihoods as we accelerate B.C.’s vaccine rollout. It’s certainly no understatement to say that the COVID-19 pandemic is the toughest challenge we have faced in generations, certainly in over a century. We’ve gotten through it together.

British Columbians have come a long way by looking out for each other. I think British Columbians, Canadians, really value our public health care system and our public services. In times of crises and, certainly, in times of the pandemic, we really value our public health care system and the dedication of our provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, and all health care and essential workers.

We see that the finish line is in sight. There are over one million people in B.C. who have received their first vaccine. Thousands more are getting it every day. I’ve registered as well, so I’ll be in the queue to receive it shortly — I think, next month. So just a tribute as well to the dedication and commitment of the teams across the province who are really doing an exceptional job to administer vaccines to British Columbians. It’s really been just a great response from health care professionals coming together and really providing that service.

[5:45 p.m.]

We know that with the threat of new variants, we can’t let down our guard. We have to maintain those levels of protection. We know that keeping people healthy and safe until we’ve got to the point of crossing the finish line is our collective responsibility.

I think it’s been a test for us. It’s been a test for this Legislature. Last year we really saw unprecedented cooperation, of all members of the House coming together and British Columbians coming together across the province, from all levels, all communities, working with First Nations, the business community, non-profits, people volunteering to participate and help.

It’s also exposed some cracks in British Columbia. We’ve seen the exacerbation of inequality. It’s laid bare some of these cracks in our society. That’s been to answer that challenge and also the role of the government…. I’m pleased with the commitment that our government’s taken to support people through these difficult times.

When the pandemic hit, B.C. was an economic leader in Canada. We were one of the country’s fastest-growing economies — low unemployment rates, steadily rising wages — but despite the challenges of the last year, strengths still remain across British Columbia. We know that B.C. enjoys abundant natural resources. We’re a gateway to Asia with very active trade, in terms of our ports. We have highly skilled people and just a lot of strength in our people.

We’re seeing some positive signs of recovery, but there’s still more to do. We are talking about the throne speech and, shortly, tomorrow, our government will introduce a new budget. Looking forward to that and looking forward to hearing how our government will be improving health care, helping businesses and also making record investments in infrastructure.

The focus from day one has been putting people first. The focus has not wavered during the pandemic and will continue through the recovery. When COVID-19 first struck, our government moved quickly to provide relief for renters, middle-class families, hard-hit small businesses and the most vulnerable. In fact, B.C. delivered more direct help for people throughout the pandemic than any other province in Canada.

We know that, from the beginning, we were all affected by the pandemic, but not everyone was affected evenly. We’re all in the same storm but not in the same boat. As we move towards better days, our government will continue to make targeted investments to ensure that the recovery does not leave people behind.

We know that local communities have been on the front lines of COVID-19. Certainly, I’ve seen that in Vancouver-Kensington. Pleased that our government has been there to support them from the start. Through the pandemic, we know and have relied on local governments continuing to provide services under very difficult circumstances and to keep the people providing those services working. Now, as we turn towards looking forward to recovery, investing in stronger communities will be a key priority.

Our budget tomorrow will make record investments in infrastructure to keep people and our economy moving. Investments in roads, bridges, rapid transit, as well as schools, hospitals, community centres, will continue to be built across the province. They will be built, and there will be opportunities, training programs and community benefits agreements to ensure that these investments support good job creation where it’s needed most.

I know, in Vancouver-Kensington as well as right across the province, there are a number of very active community organizations that are so central and key, and I’m pleased that the government has continued to support organizations. I’d like to recognize some of these organizations in Vancouver-Kensington that just do terrific work. They’ve received community gaming grant funding. And, Mr. Speaker, I’m sure a few of them you’ll be familiar with.

[5:50 p.m.]

We’ve got the Rainbow Band Society, West Coast Chamber Music, the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra Society, the Shameless Hussy Productions society, the Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir, Sophisticated Laughter Theatrical Society, South Vancouver Little League society, Vancouver Ringette Association, the Kensington–Little Mountain Soccer Association and the Simon Fraser Aquatics Swim Club.

We know that through COVID-19, it’s put such stress on communities and support for these organizations, and I wanted to thank them for their leadership and their commitment to the community. They’re so key and so central.

I’ve heard a lot from businesses, of course. I know that representatives across the province have been in touch with their businesses….

[Interruption.]

I don’t know whose phone that was.

Deputy Speaker: Members are reminded to turn off any devices. Thank you for the musical interlude, but I’d prefer to hear the member speaking.

Please proceed, Member.

M. Elmore: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think somebody is going to be up for a fine around here.

Certainly I’ve talked to our business…. Vancouver-Kensington is a very vibrant neighbourhood with many small businesses represented by the South Hill Business Improvement Association and also the Victoria Drive Business Improvement Association. I’ve heard, and I know, that while some businesses have been able to persevere…. Some businesses have flourished, but many businesses have been hard hit with the pandemic, and they’ve had to make very tough decisions to close or reduce services to protect their workers and customers.

From the outset, our government has made it clear that we would help small businesses and their employees get through the pandemic. Early on, we cut property taxes, prohibited commercial evictions and forgave hydro bills. We introduced tax incentives for businesses to hire workers and make investments.

One of the especially hardest-hit sectors, of course, was the tourism sector. The tourism, hospitality and cultural sector — incredibdialy hard hit. We’re going to, in the year ahead, continue to support businesses that have been hardest hit and also build towards a more innovative, sustainable, inclusive economic future. We’ve made record investments in infrastructure, and this is to help support a resilient economic recovery by putting people to work and helping businesses get goods to market and really have that spinoff effect in local communities.

We’ve also invested in affordable housing and child care as part of the economic development strategy, because they help businesses attract and retain talent by lowering the cost of living. We know certainly in Vancouver-Kensington and other communities that there is a real crisis of affordable housing. I’m pleased that the HousingHub is continuing to provide an important role and really provide support for the building — to hit those middle-income families and really provide those needed housing units in British Columbia, an investment of over $2 billion in low-interest-rate loans to development partners through the B.C. HousingHub to finance the construction of thousands of new homes across B.C. to middle-income families over the next three years.

This is a concrete step. The HousingHub provides low-interest-rate financing loans to encourage developers to build new rental and affordable home ownership units instead of market-rate condominiums, and the loan is repaid by the developer.

This program, the scale of it…. Prior to 2017, B.C. Housing’s financing capacity was limited to $165 million. This additional $2 billion investment in the HousingHub will increase the overall borrowing of B.C. Housing up to $2.8 billion, 17 times what it was under the previous government — so a real, concrete step in terms of providing those needed units to families, for middle-income families, over the next three years. Thousands of units are expected to follow.

[5:55 p.m.]

We know that over the next year there’ll be a number of steps to ensure British Columbia comes back from the pandemic. We’ve taken steps to support British Columbians, and now we have to look forward, to improve our economy and ensure that there’s more support and that British Columbians have opportunities to make it through and to work to build and strengthen our province.

We’re going to improve health care to ensure we’re prepared for future challenges. My role as Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors Services and Long-Term Care is…. I’ve been privileged to meet with a number of seniors and seniors organizations across the province, as well as health care workers in the long-term-care field. They’re very engaged and very concerned about how COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted seniors. Certainly, they appreciate the support that our government has put into prioritizing the safety of seniors and elders who’ve been very hard hit and really faced the brunt of COVID-19.

We are committed to fixing these long-standing systemic problems in long-term care that COVID-19 has exposed. Also, in terms of health care, to reduce surgery wait times, and also committed to building more hospitals and urgent primary care centres so that folks can have access to primary care wherever they are in British Columbia.

In addition, we’re committed to making life more affordable by cutting ICBC rates by 20 percent, expanding access to $10-a-day child care spaces and helping thousands of folks have access to affordable rental homes. We have supported businesses with grants to help them transition to build online stores and, also, supported the InBC strategic investment fund to help promising B.C. firms scale up and keep jobs here. That’s a really strategic decision in terms of building our economic resiliency here in British Columbia in the future. Also, to build more inclusive communities by developing B.C.’s first anti-racism law, reforming the outdated Police Act and legislation to remove barriers to accessibility for those with disabilities.

This is one topic I want to reference. What’s come with COVID-19, besides the challenge to our health, to employment and to businesses, has also been, we’ve seen, just a terrible rise in anti-Asian racism and reports of anti-Asian racism. The Vancouver police department reported that there is a 700 percent increase over last year. And there’s a recent report by the Burnaby police department of an over 350 percent increase. We’ve heard this across the province, and Vancouver-Kensington is no exception to that.

I know that since last year, I’ve heard and fielded many calls and cases and instances of anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Terrible, terrible accounts of folks — ranging from verbal assaults to physical assaults. A young woman was assaulted in Gray’s Park in broad daylight.

You know, it’s called anti-Asian racism, but it’s not only targeted against Asians. It’s racialized folks, folks with dark skin, who are targeted. Most of the reports I received were of verbal assaults — racist assaults on buses, on the street, walking down the street. I had a case of a senior woman who was also pushed down, knocked to the ground. We know we’ve seen those other cases, as well, in other parts across British Columbia, as well as instances in stores — really escalating to assault. So right across the board, just these increasing experiences.

[6:00 p.m.]

It’s not limited to British Columbia. Certainly, it’s across Canada, and it’s around the world. We know that it was a real contributing factor in giving rise to the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States when George Floyd was killed by police officers. That really gave rise to a global movement, highlighting the terrible racism against Black people, particularly in the United States, but it really resonated around the world. It touched the chord, the experience of systemic racism, experienced not only in British Columbia. We had rallies here in B.C. So that’s really the context of this experience of racism.

I was so alarmed in terms of these accounts of what I heard was happening in Vancouver-Kensington on the streets — people going shopping, taking the bus, walking in the park — that I last year organized a town hall meeting to really bring together community leaders; the business community; the non-profits; the neighbourhood houses; individuals in the faith community; folks from all walks of life, all communities, all colours; and the First Nations Indigenous community, as well — to come together in a dialogue and to talk about steps to take, what we needed to do to put an end to these racist attacks, this racism that was really emerging.

When we look at the impact of COVID-19 and what it has shown us around the world, it’s shown us that there’s value in a public health care system. There’s value in public services. There’s value for governments to support people. That’s recognized, I think, in terms of the role of government. It’s exposed, as well, deep inequities in terms of racialized workers, often at the forefront as essential workers in low-wage jobs. It’s also exposed this….

Often in British Columbia, in Canada, it’s an uncomfortable discussion to talk about the reality of racism and the context of systemic and institutionalized racism that gives rise to these instances. It’s not a fluke. It doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s not an accident, but it really is an opportunity to have these conversations and to talk about why there is so much racism. Why is it that we just keep hearing of more and more instances? It’s an opportunity, as well, to have that conversation.

When I had my town hall, I asked the community to come together in Vancouver-Kensington. I put a call out to all the neighbourhood associations, too. We have a number of neighbourhood Facebook groups, who have 1,000 or 2,000 of their neighbours online. I asked them to put out a call and to be active neighbours, to be active citizens, to stand up against racism, to intervene, if it’s safe, to support someone if they’re the victim of racism. That’s part of our conversation. We need allies across the board.

When we talk about how we address the rise of racism in British Columbia that we’re seeing with COVID-19, it’s really been highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement and brought into mainstream consciousness in a way that I haven’t seen. It’s an opportunity to…. How do we address this? The community must come together. British Columbians must come together. Allies must come together. Racialized communities must come together. Folks who are white, with white skin privilege, must come together. They must stand up. Men and women must stand up.

Another characteristic. It’s not just…. It’s anti-Asian racism. Who is it? Who is being impacted? Seventy percent are women who are the victims. Also, it’s elders and seniors who are disproportionately impacted. So it’s really the most vulnerable. It’s anti-Asian racism but also mixed together with misogyny.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Mr. Speaker, welcome to the chair. Nice to see you here.

B.C. is leading the country and the world in terms of that demographic, disproportionately having so many women, and also vulnerable and elderly women and elders being targeted.

[6:05 p.m.]

This is really…. We have to end this, Mr. Speaker. We need British Columbians to come together, to stand up, to support each other, to intervene, if they feel safe, and to really also reflect on: where does this come from? We know that it’s a conversation to talk about institutionalized…. I mentioned earlier institutionalized and systemic racism. We know we’ve talked that our Legislature — British Columbia, Canada — was founded on a colonial, white settler, patriarchal foundation. We know that British Columbia has undertaken this reflection, in terms of apologizing for our racist legislation that we’ve passed.

There’s certainly a need for us to reflect, as well, as individuals, as organizations, as our society and as our institutions, particularly as our government. So I’m pleased that our government has made a commitment to address that, to recognize racism, to take leadership, to move forward and to reconcile our history, which was built on the dispossession of our Indigenous Peoples and the dispossession, also, of other racialized settlers — to reconcile with that.

We’ve taken steps towards that, adopting the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. There’s much more to do and move forward.

In the conversation around…. I’m very concerned — and I know this is a concern shared by my colleagues — about this rise in hate. It’s in British Columbia. We’ve seen it to the south, with our neighbours, and thought that maybe we were isolated by that, with Donald Trump and just the incredible dynamics in the United States. We’re impacted, as well, in terms of British Columbians reconciling with this reality, which is here on our streets, in our communities, in our stores, in our churches. It’s unacceptable.

My conversation with the panel that I convene and community leaders…. My urge and my request to British Columbians is to answer the call to stand up against this behaviour. It’s also to reflect, within ourselves, in terms of having honest conversations about our attitudes and beliefs, these beliefs of white supremacy, which are institutionalized, and to challenge ourselves to become better as British Columbians and to make that commitment, not only on racism but, I will say, against misogyny and patriarchy, against the treatment of people with disabilities, people with all abilities.

My time is drawing near. I want to close and say…. I’ve just been so inspired by my conversations with seniors that I’ve met in my role. It’s been a humbling…. I met with seniors with the South Vancouver Seniors Network the other week, with my colleague from Vancouver-Langara.

The seniors said to me: “Mable, what are we going to do? How are we going to address this discrimination against BIPOC — Black, Indigenous, people of colour — seniors? What are we going to do to address anti-Semitism? What are we going to do to address discrimination against seniors with LGBTQ+? What’s our response?”

Really, taking from them, I think that they…. They have it, right? They have that view, as seniors and elders in our community that we look up to and that we should respect.

Let’s come together, across these differences, take a stand against hate, reach out, understand, challenge ourselves, have these conversations. We need to address racism. It’s about talking about white supremacy. We need to bring an end to violence against women by talking about toxic masculinity and these pieces.

I’m so heartened. I’m pleased about the throne speech. I look forward to the budget tomorrow and more opportunities as well.

[6:10 p.m.]

Thank you very much. I appreciate the opportunity to speak today.

Hon. J. Whiteside: It is an honour to rise virtually in this House and speak on the Speech from the Throne, a speech that I have to say I found inspiring and poignant, given the stage that we’re in, in the pandemic. I’ve just really been reflecting on the incredible journey that we’ve been on in the past, more than a year now, as we continue to confront an absolutely unprecedented challenge to all of us in our communities in British Columbia, across Canada and across the world.

I really wanted to start by reflecting on some of the content and the words that our Lieutenant-Governor had around the importance of investing in people and the importance in building strong communities, because really, I think that is at the heart of what our government is about. It is, I think, what motivates us all, not just in our government. Everyone in this House is dedicated to ensuring that we get up and represent our communities to the best of our ability every single day.

I wanted to start by giving thanks to my community of New Westminster and to the people who elected me. I can’t really express, actually, the honour and privilege that I feel in representing such a thriving, resilient community. It’s a community on the banks of the mighty Fraser River, one that is on the traditional territory of the Qayqayt First Nation.

I know I’ve spoken in this House before about the importance of that sort of territorial acknowledgment, but what is particularly meaningful about that acknowledgment for me, in the context of our government’s commitment to reconciliation, is that the Qayqayt Nation is a nation without a land base. It’s a nation that, in fact, was almost extinguished from the federal records as being in existence because it didn’t have a land base and because there had been a rupture.

One of the impacts of colonialism was a complete rupture of the traditional leadership for the Qayqayt peoples. It took considerable work to rebuild that and ensure that we didn’t lose that important heritage and that the Qayqayt people did not lose that important status.

It’s been a real journey, I think, for our community to work with and learn about and build the relationship with the Qayqayt Nation. So I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to reflect on that in the context of our government’s commitment to reconciliation.

I also wanted, just in the spirit of giving thanks and in reflection on the throne speech, but also thinking about the journey we’ve been on for this past more than a year, to thank the people who support the work of the MLA, of me, in the community.

We have a terrific staff who is working virtually in New Westminster as we get our constituency office settled. I’m very grateful to have Amy Ryder and Erica Williams working in our constituency office and to have had the wise counsel of Keefer Pelech, a constituency assistant from the previous MLA, to my term. Also grateful that Keefer has stayed with New Westminster, now working as my executive assistant in my ministry office.

Just to say that the work of responding to and being that important link to people in the community is an absolutely critical role.

[6:15 p.m.]

I just want to shout out to all of the constituency assistant staff in all of the MLA offices across the province, because the work that you do is very important to community-building in every single community across the province. The work that we are doing in government and in my office in the ministry really could not be accomplished without the excellent staff that we have supporting what I do here.

I would just like to take the opportunity to thank Veronica Harrison and Melissa Farrance, who were the ministerial assistants in this office when I started and without whom I could not have managed getting through the first couple of months of this role. Of course, we were supported at that time in this office by Lisa Grant and Nicole Hansen. They’ve all moved on to different roles in different offices within government. We now have a great team, with Breanna Viala, Leah Waters, Will Beale, Anna Lindsay and Keefer, as I mentioned. I’m very grateful for the team that we have that is so dedicated to the work that we do on education in this office.

I will say, too, that I think we all owe, all British Columbians owe, a real debt of gratitude to the public service for the dedication of public servants to ensuring that British Columbians get the services and advice and policy consideration that they need. I think that our public service has been called upon in particularly difficult ways in these challenging times to step up, helping government navigate this unprecedented situation that we are in.

Likewise, I know that many of my colleagues, many of you, have already sung the praises of our health care workers, our first responders — everyone who is on the front lines protecting British Columbians, supporting us.

Of course, I am eternally grateful for the work that education workers do: the teachers, the educational assistants, the clerical workers and custodians, principals and vice-principals, superintendents, trustees, and of course, parents and kids, who are all working so hard to keep our education system going, to keep our schools open and safe. We owe them a debt of gratitude as well.

I will say to all workers, essential workers, all workers who have contributed to making sure that we can buy food, that we can get gas when we need it, that our transit system is operating…. There is just really no part of our society that isn’t run by people who often do work that’s unsung and unrecognized. I think that has been a real lesson of this pandemic — the degree to which we all rely on each other. We have seen, I think, many acts of social solidarity throughout the course of this pandemic.

Even though I know that at this point, we are all very tired, that everybody is very tired…. We are so tired of together alone or alone together, apart together — you know the phrase. We miss each other. We miss our families. I was reflecting on this, this past weekend, spending some distanced time with some family who are in my bubble but very much longing for an ability to do that in a more normal way, as we all are. I think that we are so close to the finish line.

But I’ve been reflecting on the incredible resilience of our communities and reflecting on the resilience of New Westminster in particular. I wanted just to talk a little bit about some of the incredible acts of solidarity and pivoting and resilience that I’ve seen in New Westminster, whether it’s the small business community in New Westminster, very well advocated for by groups like the Downtown Business Improvement Association…. We also have the Uptown Business Association and the local chamber of commerce, who all do just a remarkable job advocating for businesses, pulling them together, figuring out ways to pivot to get information out to businesses and ways to engage the community.

[6:20 p.m.]

We have a thriving restaurant scene in New Westminster. There is so much support in the efforts of restaurants to provide services to the community safely. That has been really heartening to see.

I wanted to talk, too, about the changing demographics in New Westminster. It’s a community where there are many more parents and young families coming to settle in New Westminster. So really important organizations like New West Family Place play a fundamental role in supporting young families and young children in our community. That is a very socially engaged and socially interactive kind of work that they do. So when the pandemic hit and physical distancing rules went in place, they had to pivot so quickly to figure out how to provide services and support to families at a time when it was even more important, given the kind of isolation that many families were having to endure at the time.

Their online engagement process skyrocketed, and they’ve reached more than 20,000 people who were engaging each month for their online circle times. Their one-to-one Zoom playdates. Their morning check-ins. They organized chats with child development experts. They have monthly birthday party opportunities for kids. Baby singing and baby song sessions for families. Science and crafting and fun features. These kinds of online opportunities are a really innovative way to connect families and kids and have been really successful.

They have also had to pivot to providing a lot of one-on-one support for families, including mental health supports and parent coaching and coordinating food hampers and donations. Helping families figure out how to navigate applications for services that they might need. Helping families with supported referrals each month for community services.

They also provide a toy lending library in partnership with the New Westminster library. They provide toys and a structure, and they’ve worked out a system where this can all be done in a safe way, physically distanced. There is a pickup and a drop-off. They organize monthly free family fun packs that provide hundreds of early childhood development play packs that they provide to families who need them. They’ve arranged, again, a safe pickup at local community centres.

They really provide important programming for young children zero to six. I’ve been able to go to some of their outdoor playdates. They ran outdoor play sessions for families, travelling to different parks in different playgrounds across New Westminster, all throughout the pandemic, through the summer, through the fall, in those rainy, snowy days in the winter. There were very few sessions that they actually cancelled. I can tell you that parents showed up and grandparents showed up with their young ones because that kind of outlet and accessing that kind of community is so incredibly important to families.

The resilience by groups like family services, by groups like the Seniors Services Society as well, who also support seniors in our community and had to pivot to providing services online to address seniors’ isolation in our community. Century House as well, providing services to seniors.

New Westminster has a thriving arts scene. So when we could no longer have the weekly arts and crafts markets down at the New Westminster Quay or have the New Westminster art crawl, the New West Arts Council pivoted to provide other ways to support artists and crafters in our community.

[6:25 p.m.]

I’m really pleased to say that there are a number of arts organizations that have received grants from our arts and culture resilience supplement, including the Arts Council of New West, the Massey Theatre Society, the New West Museum and Archives, the Patrick Street Productions Society and the Savage Production Society. It’s just a real testament to how creative that sector is, that they still have found ways to provide outlets for artists to show their work and for artists to be able to sell their work.

Noting the hour, I reserve my place to continue at the next sitting and move adjournment of the debate.

Hon. J. Whiteside moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. M. Rankin moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 6:26 p.m.