Orders of the Day

Hon. M. Farnworth: I call second reading of Bill 3, Employment Standards Amendment Act.

Second Reading of Bills

BILL 3 — EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS
AMENDMENT ACT, 2021

Hon. H. Bains: I move that Bill 3 be read a second time now.

Bill 3 amends the Employment Standards Act to provide up to three hours of paid leave per dose to employees in British Columbia who are receiving their COVID-19 vaccination.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

COVID-19 is an unprecedented public health emergency, not only here in British Columbia but across the world. An essential part of this province’s immunization plan is to remove barriers that prevent British Columbians from easily accessing the COVID-19 vaccine.

With this leave, both full-time and part-time employees will be allowed up to three hours of paid leave per dose in order to be vaccinated against COVID-19. For example, if an employee needs a leave from work half an hour early to receive their first vaccination, they would be entitled to be paid leave for that half an hour.

If for a second vaccination, for example, the employee needs to leave work in the middle of their shift — that would happen in different circumstances, different scenarios — they would be entitled to be paid three hours, and they will not be losing any pay or their job as a result of that.

Removing barriers to employees easily accessing COVID-19 vaccines will help stop the spread of this virus, ensure safe workplaces for all and support the economic recovery.

[10:55 a.m.]

While we hope that the vaccination clinics’ hours will provide enough option for employees to be vaccinated outside of their working hours, making sure that those employees who are unable to do so do not lose pay or their job is another way of removing barriers to access.

There can be many different scenarios. In many places, the clinic hours, as I said before, are such that people would be able to schedule their vaccination outside of their working hours. But there would be scenarios in different regions of the province — shift schedules are such, the clinic hours are such or the location of those clinics — where workers may have to travel a distance. They need this protection because many workers are paycheque to paycheque. They cannot afford to lose even this amount of pay in order to go get vaccinated. This leave will benefit those in rural communities or those who must travel greater distances to get to a vaccination clinic or where a local clinic has limited hours.

It will also help women, youth, minimum-wage earners and other groups who are more likely to be in lower-paid jobs that do not provide employer-paid leave benefits. It will also assist Indigenous women, who we know have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Last spring the government passed the Employment Standards Amendment Act (No. 2), 2020, Bill 16, which introduced a job-protected leave entitlement to employees impacted by COVID-19, including when they have been diagnosed with the virus or are in self-isolation or need to stay home to look after a child because of a school or daycare closure.

More recently, April 1, regulatory changes were made that extended the unpaid job-protected leave entitlement to include employees being vaccinated against COVID-19 or assisting a dependent family member to do the same. This regulatory change was brought in as an interim measure until ministry staff and I could consult on a proposal to introduce paid COVID-19 vaccination leave by legislation. Bill 3 incorporates feedback we heard during these consultations with the business community, labour organizations, Indigenous partners and other stakeholders.

Most employers understand the benefit of having workers vaccinated and the need to provide a safe workplace for both workers and their customers. In addition, when their customers know that that particular business and their workers have the vaccination provided to them, they know that the businesses are winning their confidence — knowing that their health and safety is protected when they cater to those businesses, knowing that the workers are protected, knowing that the workplace is safe for them to do business with. That is very, very beneficial to the businesses, and the businesses know that and acknowledge that.

We recognize that many employers are also in a tough spot at this moment of the pandemic. The intent of this legislation is not to add burden to employers but to promote the safety of their employees and all British Columbians by removing a barrier to their ability to receive COVID-19 vaccination.

To employers, I would like to thank you in advance for supporting your workers to get their vaccinations. Many employers are supporting their workers to go get a vaccination, because they know the benefits of having their workers vaccinated. They know that this is key for all of us to overcome the pandemic that we are facing right now.

That’s the best thing that could happen to all of us to stop this pandemic. This is one way, probably the best way, to have every British Columbian, especially the workers, vaccinated at workplaces. This bill will remove the barriers to vaccination for many of those workers. The best thing for all of us, as I said, is for us to stop this pandemic.

[11:00 a.m.]

When we developed this legislation, we have been mindful of the requirements of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. We have done an assessment of this legislation as it relates to aligning with the United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Introducing paid COVID-19 vaccination leave for employees in British Columbia, covered by the Employment Standards Act, as this bill proposes, does not uniquely affect Indigenous rights described in the UN declaration.

We undertook consultation with employers and workers’ representatives and other stakeholders along with Indigenous partners to seek and consider their input and perspectives during the development of this bill. This included the Indigenous leaders and other representatives on the B.C. COVID-19 Industry Engagement Table and representatives from the Minister’s Advisory Council on Indigenous Women, the B.C. Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres and the First Nations Health Authority.

I was advised that the paid vaccination leave will particularly assist Indigenous women, who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. I also heard that the paid leave could be a greater financial challenge for small businesses that do not currently provide paid vaccination leave, particularly those in rural areas and Indigenous communities where travel may be required to access vaccinations. Our government appreciates this concern, and it is one that the small business community has also raised with us more generally.

Throughout this pandemic, we have been mindful of the need to support workers and businesses. That’s why our government recently introduced another business support, the circuit breaker business relief grant. As a way to support employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, we are proposing the paid leave in this bill.

Turning to the specifics of this bill, I will highlight some of the features of the proposed COVID-19 vaccination leave. Paid leave of up to three hours will be available to employees in British Columbia for each dose if they need to take time off work to receive their COVID-19 vaccine.

If an employee needs more than three hours or time off to assist a dependent family member to receive their vaccination, the unpaid job-protected leave introduced earlier this month will remain in place to support workers in this situation. The bill sets a formula for calculating the amount of pay for this leave, which is based on an employee’s average hourly wage for the previous 30-day period. This is similar to the formula already in place under the Employment Standards Act for calculating an average day’s pay for the purpose of statutory holidays and paid domestic or sexual violence leave.

The legislation will permit an employer to ask an employee for reasonable, sufficient proof that the employee is entitled to the leave — for example, a copy of the confirmation email detailing the date, time and place of an employee’s COVID-19 vaccination appointment. The bill specifically provides that a worker will not need a note from a doctor, nurse or nurse practitioner to take this leave. If this bill is passed, the leave will be retroactive to the day it was introduced — yesterday, April 19 — to maximize the paid vaccination leave coverage for working-age British Columbians.

We’re not alone in recognizing the need for this important support for employees. Saskatchewan recently passed a law granting one three-hour paid leave for employees to receive their COVID-19 vaccination.

Bill 3 recognizes that the need for this leave is time-limited while COVID-19 remains a threat, and it may be repealed by regulation once the crisis has passed. This bill not only supports employees but also helps ensure the safety of all British Columbians. By helping to ensure that as many employees as possible are vaccinated, paid leave will play a vital role in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

British Columbians know that their government has their back throughout this crisis, and together, we will get through this. I look forward to debate on this bill. Thank you very much for the opportunity.

[11:05 a.m.]

G. Kyllo: It’s always a pleasure, and I’m very proud to rise in the House today on behalf of the hard-working men and women of the Shuswap and in fulfilling my obligation, my duty, as the critic for Labour to respond to Bill 3, Employment Standards Amendment Act.

I think it’s very important that we put on the record that no worker should have to choose between a paycheque and getting vaccinated. Vaccinations are extremely im­portant. I don’t think anybody would in any way suggest otherwise. But I think what’s important to note is the fact that as this bill is coming forward, we are now two months into the legislative session.

The minister has characterized the fact that government has the backs of employees and employers in the province. Yet if we had to look, the pandemic has been upon us for over 13 months now — 13 months. We knew 13 months ago that there was going to be a need for vaccinations in this province. We certainly knew last fall, at the start of the fall legislative session, of the potential opportunity for vaccinations.

Yet this bill, which is a very simple bill — it does not appear that it took a lot of drafting time to put together — we did not see previously. As well, when we had the December sitting, there was ample opportunity in order to bring this legislation forward. Yet here we are, two months into the spring legislative calendar, with this bill being tabled.

Now, as the minister has clearly indicated, this bill, should it pass, will come into force and effect as of yesterday, the day it was actually tabled in this Legislature. However, it’s also my understanding that over one million British Columbians have already been vaccinated. So the timing of this bill…. When the minister characterized, or tries to characterize, that this government has the backs of employees and employers, that certainly was not the case when they called that unnecessary and risky snap election last fall.

Employers want to support their employees. There are ample opportunities…. As the minister has indicated, the opportunities for getting vaccinated in many communities is seven days a week with extended hours of operation, and there is always the opportunity for employees to schedule their vaccinations outside of their work schedule.

One of the pieces that I’m hearing from businesses that is very concerning is the fact that this applies to even part-time employees. Now, there is not a definition of what a “part-time employee” is. But for a moment, let’s think about those struggling small businesses that are challenged right now just keeping their doors open. They’ve had a significant amount of additional cost pressure, reduced revenue, business closures around the circuit breaker and otherwise, yet now these businesses will be potentially saddled with additional costs.

For a part-time employee that may only be working ten hours a week, I fail to understand why it would be necessary for that worker to have the opportunity of paid leave when the large majority of their week would be open in order to schedule their vaccination at a time other than working hours. You know, we need to find balance. That is the one challenge. What we have seen from this current government is additional layering on of additional ex­penses and taxes onto the backs of hard-working businesses at a time when businesses are struggling.

There’s no question that vaccinations are for the greater public good, and most businesses would amply want to support their workers in becoming vaccinated. But I think we have to have a look at the manner in which this bill is being brought forward specifically with the opportunity for part-time employees to also have access to this particular funding.

There are many concerns that business organizations have. The other area comes to the proof — the ability of an employer to actually have confirmation that an employee has taken time off for valid reasons and actually received the vaccine. Now, the minister has indicated that in order to request leave of an employer, getting confirmation of a registered appointment, whether that is either through a text or through an online email, would be sufficient evidence to provide to your employer in order to gain access for the paid leave component.

[11:10 a.m.]

What I did not hear from the minister was: how is the employer able to verify and ensure that the employee has actually been vaccinated? If the intention of this bill and this piece of legislation is truly to provide the paid leave to ensure that workers are not losing any of their pay in order to become vaccinated, I think it’s also — to provide that balance — imperative that the employer has the ability to request confirmation from the employee that they’ve actually become vaccinated.

I’m certainly happy to canvass some further questions in committee stage, but I think that is going to be a very important piece. Employers will want to know that if they’re indeed paying their employees for time away to become vaccinated, they have the ability of actually confirming that their employee has indeed actually obtained that vaccination.

Again, I just wanted to bring back the fact that this particular piece of legislation is now two months into the legislative calendar. As we know, over 1 million British Columbians have already received their vaccination shot. The funding and the opportunity for employees to take advantage of paid leave…. Those million-plus British Columbians will now lose out on that opportunity. As much as we know that the vaccine has been available, and there is going to be the need and necessity for British Columbians to be vaccinated for well over a year now, it just seems a little bit odd that this piece of legislation is coming in this late in the day.

I was provided an opportunity to have a briefing from senior staff from the minister’s office yesterday. I asked specifically about the level of consultation that was undertaken and the timing of that consultation. Al­though I had requested more specific information about the consultation — the depth, the breadth, the number of organizations that were actually consulted — I was denied that opportunity. I guess we have to take the minister at his word that the consultation has been very broad and included a large number of different business organizations.

Then also, think about the timing. If we have known for over 13 months that there is going to be the need and necessity for British Columbians to become vaccinated, I would certainly be very interested in finding out at what point in time government actually undertook that very important consultation.

When we have a look at the supports that have been provided for businesses….This is where it’s important to have a look at the balance. We certainly want to support employees, but we also need to be able to provide the necessary supports for the employers.

We know, as I’ve shared earlier, the significant litany of additional new taxes that have put additional cost burden on the backs of businesses. The minister referenced the restart program. I’d like to remind listeners at home who may be watching today and may have interest in this particular topic of the fact that the $345 million COVID restart funding program — the botched $345 million program — was very late to come out of the gate, and $5 billion in funding was provided by all members of this Legislature, in unprecedented fashion, last March. The $345 million COVID restart program was not announced until just days ahead of the current Premier dropping the writ and throwing us into an unnecessary and risky snap election. As of last week, it’s my understanding that only $120 million of the $345 million program has actually gone out the door.

With all due respect, the funding that was committed to and agreed on by all members of this House last March was intended to be put into the hands and the pockets of struggling small businesses to help them meet their financial challenges.

Yet what happened? The current government chose to put their political self-interest ahead of the health and well-being of businesses and employees and individuals across this province.

I’m very concerned about the lack of balance. When government does come forward with a program to help small businesses, it’s delayed. There are significant challenges. With respect to the current challenge with restaurateurs that have been shut down from in-dining experiences…. There are many businesses that are going to close over the next coming months, yet the $50 million that was identified to help those specific businesses is not new money. They’ve simply reallocated funds out of the $345 million of the COVID restart program.

[11:15 a.m.]

That funding should have already been out the door. There is no benefit to British Columbians or the economy of this province until those funds leave government coffers and actually land in the hands of those struggling small businesses that are trying to meet payroll.

I’m very supportive of employees. I certainly am very interested in hearing further commentary through committee stage and canvassing the minister further on some very specific questions. But I really do want to say that I am very supportive, as are my colleagues, of supporting vaccination programs in this province and providing supports for employees. As I indicated at the outset of my comments today, no worker should have to choose between a paycheque and becoming vaccinated.

A. Olsen: It’s my honour to rise today to speak to Bill 3. I’d like to thank the Minister of Labour for bringing forward this bill.

I very much echo the sentiments of my colleague from Shuswap with respect to the fact that we should not expect workers in this province to have to make that difficult decision between going to work and receiving a vaccination. Just as we want to see the support for British Columbians who are feeling ill to be able to make the decision to be able to keep their job as well as keeping their colleagues in the workplace safe, we also want to be encouraging British Columbians to be getting a vaccination for those brighter days that this government continues to talk about so that we can perhaps see the light at the end of the tunnel — that, indeed, through vaccination, we will be able to achieve that.

This bill does provide the workers the ability to be able to step away from their jobs, to be able to go out and get that vaccination without losing pay and without perhaps losing their job because of it.

I do think it’s perhaps somewhat unfair to raise these issues within the context of this bill. However, I think it is important to echo the comments that were raised by the member for Shuswap with respect to the delay in receiving this bill and, as well, the online platform for British Columbians to sign up for vaccinations. It is important that British Columbians know that the members of the opposition parties are raising these concerns with government.

When government has said numerous times that they were prepared and ready for the vaccination program…. Thinking back to this time last year, in 2020, the governments and our government were talking about how vaccinations could take 12 to 18 to 24 months and that, really, the way that we were going to get through this pandemic was through mass vaccination. It should be of no surprise — I think it is important to note — that for the platforms that have been put in place, the government took a long time to get there.

We’ve, thankfully, seen the registration platform work very well for the government. I think that it’s important that we and members of the opposition do apply that pressure to government to ensure that they are putting in place the resources and the infrastructure to be able to support this mass vaccination. This bill, I think…. Despite what the member said earlier of perhaps the delay and the number of weeks ago that this could have been brought in, I’m very happy to see it here today.

I’m just going to leave it at that. I’m interested in the questions around the consultation that will come, I think, in the committee stage. I just want to reiterate our support for this initiative to ensure that British Columbians don’t have to make that choice as it was framed earlier.

[11:20 a.m.]

I thank the minister for bringing this forward, and I do encourage the provincial government, with this vaccination program, to expend the resources to put in place the infrastructure to be able to support British Columbians to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to speak to Bill 3. I look forward to supporting this bill through the process.

Deputy Speaker: Seeing no further speakers, I go to the Minister of Labour to close second reading debate.

Hon. H. Bains: I do appreciate the comments by the member of the opposition — the member for Shuswap — and the member from Saanich for their very valuable input. I think I understand, from their commentary, that they do recognize the importance of having a very successful immunization program. The plan that B.C. has put in place is one of the largest and one of the most complex plans that we have seen in the history of this province.

All experts know that having a successful immunization plan is the key to coming out of this pandemic. Businesses know. That’s why they’re supporting their workers already — many of them are — to encourage them to go and support them to go and get vaccinations. Workers know that not only is it their health, it’s their fellow workers and the families that they go back to live with. And their communities that they live in also are benefitting from the vaccination program. Overall, it is a win-win-win situation.

We all understand the best thing that can ever happen to all of us, including businesses — especially businesses, I will say — is to have this pandemic ended. I think this is one way of doing it: removing barriers to vaccination. Many workers…. I have said before, and it’s been recognized, that there are many of those who, for a variety of reasons, may not be able to schedule outside of their working hours.

The member talked about part-time. I think at the end of the day, it is the labour relation between the employer and employee. If an employee knows, “I have a number of days. I’m a part-time worker for this particular operation. I have a number of days to go and get vaccinated and get my appointment during those off days,” they will do that. But again, a part-time worker may be with this employer, but they may have another job somewhere else. They may have to work with that employer as well. Overall, they may not have any time outside of their working hours to get vaccinated. Every situation will be different.

I do recognize and appreciate the comments and the concerns that are raised. Those issues were looked at. I think a lot of thought went into it, because we want to make sure that the employers aren’t burdened over and over with the cost implications of any policy that government brings in. We are very, very cognizant of that situation.

Again, it is also recognized — and I appreciate that the opposition, both parties, recognize — that we need to work together to make the vaccination program successful. That’s the only way we are going to get out of this pandemic. I really do appreciate the comments.

Now I move second reading of Bill 3.

Motion approved.

Hon. H. Bains: I move that the bill be committed to a Committee of the Whole House to be considered at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill 3, Employment Standards Amendment Act, 2021, read a second time and referred to a Committee of the Whole House for consideration at the next sitting of the House after today.

H. Yao: If you don’t mind, I forgot to make this introduction earlier.

Deputy Speaker: The member seeks leave to make an introduction.

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

H. Yao: I want to take a moment to wish my nephew Logan Robertson a happy birthday. He is the first grandchild on both sides of the family, and we really love that little rascal. I want to thank the House for giving me this opportunity and ask everybody to wish him a happy birthday.

Hon. H. Bains: Could we ask for a five-minute break, please?

Deputy Speaker: I will approve that request. We are on recess for five minutes.

The House recessed from 11:25 a.m. to 11:27 a.m.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

Hon. R. Kahlon: I call Address in Reply to the throne speech.

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

Hon. J. Whiteside: Again, it’s a pleasure to resume my response to the throne speech. I think when I left off yesterday, I was singing the praises of my community of New Westminster and some of the really important organizations and people who work to make that community such a thriving, resilient place.

I wanted to also mention important organizations, such as the Centre for African Immigrants who have been the recipient of an important grant as part of the B.C. multiculturalism grants for work to tackle anti-Black racism. The centre was formed in 2003 with the goal of supporting visible minorities with ethnocultural barriers and assisting them in settlement, adjustment and integration processes. The work they do in the community is important and a real example of the way in which we are increasingly valuing diversity and inclusion.

I wanted to also note that, again, along the vein of the work that our government has committed to and that was outlined in the throne speech around anti-racism, the Purpose Society — also based in New Westminster and another very important part of the fabric of our community — provides social, health and education programs across the Lower Mainland. They’ve received, also, a grant to further their community-based anti-racism work through the Resilience Anti-Racism Network.

[11:30 a.m.]

This work is really foundational to the values that are expressed in the throne speech about how we build strong and resilient communities. Other organizations, as well, like the Last Door Recovery Society and the Lookout Society, are providing very important supports to vulnerable people in our community. They have been called on to step up, during this pandemic, to protect vulnerable people, and they have done so with compassion, with dedication, with commitment. We all, I think, in our community, owe them a debt of gratitude.

Really, these kinds of values — around putting people first, making strong investments in the supports and services that people need; recognizing and taking steps to support diversity, equity, inclusion and reconciliation; ensuring that we are supporting people to live with dignity, no matter what their circumstances, and in fact working hard and fighting every day to change and improve those circumstances — are the key ingredients to building strong communities. That is how we nourish communities. That is where community resilience comes from.

These elements — investing in health care and education, child care, skills training for workers to take up the jobs that will be created as we build a green economy — are the values and actions that our government has committed to. They’re the values that are reflected in the throne speech.

I think that in this time we reflect on: what is the role of government coming out of and helping to navigate the scope of a global pandemic? It’s an event that we had never anticipated any of us would be living through. The role of government, as we are finding, is critically important in supporting communities, in nourishing communities, in ensuring that people have the services and the supports that they need. Our government has been and will continue to be absolutely committed to ensuring that British Columbians have the services and supports that they need.

I want to take a moment now just to turn to, specifically, the portfolio that I have in the role as Minister of Education. I have to say it is such an incredible privilege to serve in this position and to be, really, an advocate for British Columbia kids and for the people who are working in our education system. We have, indeed, an excellent education system by many measures. Of course, we also have some challenges that we need to address. We have laid out, in our government program and through the values and principles we have articulated in the throne speech, a path forward.

I have to say that kids, in particular, have been doing a remarkable job during this pandemic. I think this generation of children will of course be marked by their experience of the pandemic, for a lifetime. They have had to pivot suddenly to online learning, in some cases. They have had to change how they interact with their friends.

We have seen, across the education system, incredible work done in order to respond to this unprecedented time. We’ve witnessed, across so many parts of our society, particularly in education, just remarkable feats of compassion and resilience as workers, families and students have pivoted. When we closed schools last spring at the start of the pandemic, we know that that had significant consequences in terms of the challenges that it posed both for students and parents and for everybody across our education system.

[11:35 a.m.]

In a report that was produced by the BCCDC in September examining this period, they looked very closely at the impact of this period on kids. What they identified were an increase in the sense of isolation, an increase in mental health concerns, difficulties adapting to online learning, the fact that kids were missing their teachers and those social connections, and also the very real concern that this pandemic, as we know, has impacted people and communities in different ways. There are vulnerable communities. Kids living in vulnerable communities have been disproportionately impacted in negative ways by this pandemic.

That is why our government made it a really clear commitment — following the advice of our provincial health officials — that, really, keeping our schools open was critical, not only to maintain the connection to learning that is so important for children but also to ensure that kids retained a connection to the mental health supports they have access to in schools, to the meal programs, to all of the other services that support a child as a whole individual.

It’s not as though kids are only students when they show up at the door of the school, that they then leave the rest of their life behind them and come in and are just a student. They bring their whole lives with them. Some of those lives are challenging, and school is a refuge and an important source of supports. We have prioritized maintaining those critical supports.

I know that it has been very, very hard, and there have been so many incredible acts of support from principals and teachers ensuring that kids who were not in school had groceries, ensuring that they’re working to maintain those connections. It has been tremendously humbling to witness the degree of compassion, commitment and effort that has gone into keeping schools going. We owe a significant debt of gratitude to all of those on the front lines in our education system for making it work.

I know we’re at a very challenging point in the pandemic right now, but we are of course starting to turn our thoughts to what things will look like in September as we build back. We know we have a challenging few weeks, several weeks, to get through at this point in the pandemic, but we know that there’s light on the horizon. When we are planning for September and we think about what September is going to look like, we certainly are hoping that that’s going to look much more like a regular September for kids across our schools.

When I look at the way in which the values of our government are reflected in the mandate that has been set out for our education system, the values that are reflected in the throne speech…. We are working now on developing an anti-racism strategy for education. We are working with Indigenous rights holders on improving outcomes for Indigenous children. We are increasing the presence of, contributing to and fostering the revitalization of Indigenous languages, which are critical parts of our government’s commitment to reconciliation.

We are working on developing, on the ground, in the school, integrated mental health teams to support the mental health of children, and we have a mental health in schools strategy that is about supporting students and also adults in our school system.

Of course, we are going to bring our child care system into our education system and connect up those two very important elements of learning — early childhood learning with education — and build the kind of child care system in this province that we know British Columbians need and that will be fundamental to our recovery.

[11:40 a.m.]

We are building on the success of the work that we did in the previous term of this government, in which we hired 4,200 teachers, including 700 special education teachers, and where we invested significant resources in not only improving the staffing in our schools but improving the services in our schools. I have to say that we also…. I think this is one of the most significant elements of what we’re doing — the investments in capital dollars and in infrastructure that is built by and owned by British Columbians in which to build a modern education environment in which kids can learn.

I’ve had a chance to tour the new high school in my own community of New Westminster, and I have to tell you, it is such a remarkably different environment than the high school that I went to or that many of us went to. It is so open and light and designed around the principles of team learning. I think about the kinds of competency and skills that kids are going to learn in those environments and the kinds of contributions that they’re going to make having gone through a modern education system — the contributions that they’ll make to our society. It makes me feel very hopeful, I have to say — extremely hopeful.

The work that we are doing on anti-racism in the sector is critical, and on reconciliation. All of those elements also are critical to building and imparting a sense of real empathy and compassion in kids. I think that one of the most exciting elements of the work that we’re doing around child care is just building all of those values and principles into early childhood learning right from the very beginning and then as kids move into elementary school. I think we are going to see such incredible fruits, across society, of those investments that we are making, both in improving the operational side — the content and quality and empathy and compassion in our system — as well as improving the actual places that kids are learning in.

I feel deeply privileged to be part of that work and to have an opportunity to speak for and be part of a government that is making such incredible contributions to the health and well-being of our society.

R. Singh: It is such an honour for me to speak in support of the throne speech.

Before I start, I really would like to thank my community of Surrey–Green Timbers for having faith in me and getting me re-elected in the last election. I would also like to thank my campaign team, especially my campaign manager David Fleming, Hasan Alam and Anmol Swaich for all the hard work that they put in, in my election campaign, which was very, very different than the traditional campaigns that we are used to.

Also, a big thank-you to my constituency assistants, Sarina Grewal and Balkaran Singh, for all the hard work that they put in. I always say about them that they are my eyes and ears while I’m not there in the office, listening to the concerns of the community and providing advocacy. So thank you to all of them.

[11:45 a.m.]

We know that the last year was really challenging for all of us. We were not expecting…. Last year when it first started, 2020, we had no idea how challenging it would be. How the communities have come together and faced this challenge…. Especially, I would really like to thank the different community organizations in Surrey that have stepped up and helped the most vulnerable populations in our communities.

I really want to thank our front-line workers, our health care workers who worked on the front lines providing services for all of us that needed them, a lot of times putting themselves at risk. My hands go up for them. Really, I don’t even have enough words to say how thankful I am for all the work that they have put in.

But we also know of the challenges that came last year, and which we are still going through, that there were certain sections of the communities that were disproportionately affected. We know that COVID does not discriminate. It affects all of us. But certain populations, certain communities that are already marginalized, already oppressed, felt the challenges. The challenges for them were much more grave than what was felt by the majority.

It was an honour for me that the Premier had this faith in me to appoint me as the first Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives. We know that racism and discrimination have been pervasive in Canada and in British Columbia. But also, we need the commitment to tackle that, to spell out that we have this kind of discrimination, that we have these issues in our communities, and how to tackle that.

That’s why I was so pleased and I felt so proud of our government when I saw in our throne speech that they have committed to the work that must be done to dismantle systemic discrimination, which is still a lived reality for so many in our province.

I would really like to thank the work that has already been done. An especially big thank-you to my friend, my colleague, the Minister of Jobs and Economic Recovery, the MLA for Delta North, and the work that he has put in, in creating the anti-racism network for B.C., which is known as Resilience B.C.

This year we recently nearly tripled the funding for Resilience B.C., for all the work that they are doing. This funding lift will support 36 organizations in 57 communities to fight discrimination and hate with anti-racism initiatives throughout B.C. This increase is part of the $2.9 million investment from B.C.’s economic recovery plan, StrongerBC, to deliver anti-racism initiatives.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

I would like to give some examples of how Resilience B.C. supports our communities, especially the victims of hate crimes. The Resilience B.C. folks are on the front lines doing outreach and contacting those victims, people who are affected by this hate, and also creating a lot of educational programs that will bring more awareness about these issues.

I would really like to name a few recipients which got this funding, like Richmond Multicultural Community Services, which will promote and further implement a community response protocol which outlines procedures to respond to racist incidents and to facilitate focus groups to understand how better to support victims of hate.

Deltassist Family and Community Services will develop a social media training curriculum to help local social media spaces improve their capacity to respond to online racism and hate and to offer workshops on active witnessing and bystander intervention and refine the community response to racism.

Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society of Prince George will create a manual for the public on the impacts of racism on health, especially in the context of COVID-19, to raise awareness and lessen the numbers of racist incidents in the health sector.

These are just a few examples of the organizations. There are many of them who are doing amazing work, and we want to enhance and empower them more. That’s why this increase in funding will help support these organizations.

[11:50 a.m.]

We have also committed to introduce the race-based data collection to help identify gaps in services and how to address them. We know that systemic racism exists in policies and programs, and this has a negative impact on people and communities. We need better information to ensure that services are delivered equitably. Race-based data collection is about identifying where gaps and failures exist so we can provide better services for communities.

We are beginning to engage with Indigenous leaders and community groups to develop a clear framework that will guide what we are asking individuals to disclose, how to store the data, how it will be used and with what goal, holding broader public consultations this summer.

This data is going to be so important to help us break down systemic barriers, but we don’t want this data to be misused and misconstrued in a way that’s harmful to communities of colour, perpetuating stereotypes and furthering racist sentiments and violence. That’s why we need to work with communities to ensure that it is stored and used properly. We are already doing some early work on our end. In the coming months, we will start engaging with community groups to develop a clear framework that guides what we are asking individuals.

Also, the government will continue working with the communities to develop B.C.’s first anti-racism law. The past 12 months, as I’ve already mentioned, have shown that we need to address systemic discrimination and hatred in the province. We have seen a rise in anti-Asian and anti-Indigenous racism during COVID-19, and a worldwide focus on anti-Black racism through the marches for Black Lives Matter. This act is a recommendation from the multicultural advisory committee. The Multiculturalism Act has been in place for more than 25 years, and it’s time for a transition to active anti-racism.

The introduction of B.C.’s first anti-racism act will reinforce our goal to combat racism in B.C. and ensure that individuals are treated equally, regardless of their race or skin colour. We are hearing from people that this needs to happen, and we are also hearing from them that it has to be done in the right way. We are in the early stages of the work, as I said, for the race-based data collection. It’s likely to come sooner, and this one will follow. The anti-racism legislation will follow the race-based data legislation.

We have been gathering feedback from our Multicultural Advisory Council and Resilience B.C., the first B.C. anti-racism network. We are also trying to find out how we get together and how we collect the information to get legislation that is made in B.C. We have also reached to, as I mentioned, our Indigenous leaders to begin these discussions.

I know I don’t have much time. I just want to say that the work…. I’m so proud of our throne speech. We want to continue the work that we started, almost four years ago, of putting people first — whether it was health care, providing the health care resources, building more hospitals; putting more funding into our educational sector; putting resources for the most vulnerable and the marginalized populations…. Always, whatever we are doing, we are putting people first. That’s what we will continue to do in the coming year.

With that, I would like to stop now, and I would like to adjourn the debate.

R. Singh moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. M. Farnworth moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 11:54 a.m.