Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

WOMEN AND AGING

J. Routledge: When my mother was just a few years younger than I am today, she gave me this piece of advice. “Don’t get old,” she told me. “When I was a young woman,” she said, “men would leap up to give me their seats on the bus. They would rush to hold doors open for me. Now,” she said, “when I have arthritis in my hips and my hands and I could use a little extra help, no one offers me a seat anymore. And when people rush to open doors, it’s so they can get through ahead of me. I’ve become invisible in my old age.”

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

I’ve begun to notice the same thing happening to me. Do women lose respect as they age? Are older women treated with less respect than older men? If so, why is that? Does it matter? Is it a social problem we should be concerned about, and if it is, what are we going to do about it? These are the kinds of questions I’ll be addressing in my statement this morning about women and aging.

Let me begin by describing the invisible older woman syndrome. Yes, it is a thing. You can google it. The invisible older woman syndrome is a social phenomenon that starts to affect many women at the age of about 45. They start to feel irrelevant.

The women’s movement has made great strides, and the lives of women are much less constrained today than they were in our mothers’ time or grandmothers’ time. But women still tend to be judged by their physical appearance and perceived child-bearing and child-rearing capacity, attributes which are all associated with youth. So when women age, they feel less valuable to society, and they are not imagining it.

Studies from around the world confirm that older women are less likely to be hired or promoted than are older men or younger women. The results of a comprehensive field experiment published in 2017 found evidence that when candidates are being interviewed for jobs, physical appearance plays a bigger role in the assessment of women’s qualifications than it does for men. Furthermore, it found evidence that older women are judged by interviewers to be less attractive and, therefore, less qualified than older men or younger women. These conclusions are based on evidence gleaned from over 40,000 job applications.

Scientific research aside, social media and journalism’s fixation on finding out if 80-year-old Nancy Pelosi, arguably the third-most powerful person in the world, has had plastic surgery kind of proves the point. As one opinion piece put it: “Ambitious…women have to look pre-embalmed when they hit the big numbers, knowing that if they look anything like Bernie Sanders, who’s actually two years younger than Pelosi, they will actually cease to exist.” As another journalist put it, the mere fact that Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the United States House of Representatives proves she’s had a facelift.

Another study revealed that when looking for a place to live, older women are more likely to be told by prospective landlords that an advertised rental suite is not available, but the same unit is then offered to younger applicants. Women who divorce in later years are less likely than their husbands to remarry, and I think we all know at least one older woman who was terrified she would spend the rest of her life alone when her husband left her. It’s not an idle fear. Almost half of single, widowed or divorced women over the age of 65 live below the poverty line, and their poverty rate is double that of older men.

That women disappear as they age is embedded in our culture. It’s the premise of the Alfred Hitchcock classic The Lady Vanishes, in which an elderly governess disappears on a train, and no one can remember what she looked like or even that she was there on the train at all. In the end, it turns out she was a British spy. In fact, according to one article I read in preparation for this statement, intelligence agencies have been more likely to recruit middle-aged women than the stereotypic Mata Haris because they tend not to get noticed.

Then there’s the iconic scene from the Netflix sitcom Grace and Frankie, in which the older Jane Fonda has a dramatic meltdown when a male sales clerk remains oblivious as she tries to get his attention but immediately notices and serves a young, attractive female customer instead.

[10:10 a.m.]

Visibility can be infuriating, but it can also be life-threatening. For example, we know that the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on women workers and family caregivers, but according to medical journals, the impact on older women, especially in long-term care, has been ignored everywhere in the world.

I’d like to conclude this portion of my statement by reminding us of the often-quoted saying that “men age like wine, women age like milk,” and sour milk is something you throw away.

K. Kirkpatrick: Thank you to the MLA for Burnaby North. Well, it’s been a long journey for women, and it continues to be. I thank the groundbreaking women that came before me and started to open the door, and I thank the amazing young women coming up behind who are kicking that door open.

All too often it feels like getting older means being era­sed from a culture that equates youth with beauty and beauty with value. The world remains rife with ageism and sexism for older women. But I do see more and more of that narrative changing. I’m seeing more roles being written for, I’ll call them, mature women in movies. And I see more women leaders and an expectation that women will be leaders, regardless of age.

A friend once told me that when a woman hits 50, she becomes invisible. Now, from the MLA for Burnaby North, I did not know there was actually a syndrome called invisible older women syndrome, so I have just learned something. Perhaps my friend was not too far from the truth.

I think aging is a woman’s super power. As we age, we’re more likely to be able to live our own life with our truth and be comfortable with who we are and the value that we bring to others. As I age, I get smarter. But growing up as a woman in the ’80s and ’90s did result in some traditional baggage that so many women feel, at my age, and are trying to get rid of. That’s that self-doubt, the instinct to defer to others and the very annoying habit of when you apologize to someone in the grocery store, and they’re the one that actually walked into you.

I am very lucky that my daughter is growing up in a me-too generation, where there aren’t, in the back of her mind, traditional gender roles that are going to guide her life choices. Then when she finds herself in some situation being disrespected because she’s a young woman, she can recognize that now, as we perhaps didn’t, and she can call it out. But hopefully, because of all we’ve learned as we age, she won’t have to do that.

There is a consequence, however, to longevity. And we can’t forget that there are a number of continuing social issues that impact women disproportionately in their quality of life while aging. As our society ages, the ratio of women to men continues to increase. In Canada, there are two times as many women living after the age of 85 and five times as many over 100. The poverty rate for senior women in Canada is almost double that of men. The largest group of poor seniors are single, widowed or divorced women over 65, living alone. Almost half of those live below the poverty line, with isolation being a common struggle for senior women.

One of the top factors pushing women into poverty later in life is the traditional role that they play, and that traditional role does remain, in many ways, today in the workplace and in their families. Women are much more likely to work part-time than are men. Women continue to approximately make 70 cents per every dollar earned by a man, which further exacerbates low-income rates for women, especially those who live alone or as single mothers.

Women also experience more disruption in their car­eers, as they take time off to have children and to be caregivers. Now, I noticed something several years ago, when I was managing a group of women, that it wasn’t unusual for a woman employee, when she came to let me know that she was pregnant and she was going to plan her maternity leave, that she wouldn’t finish that sentence without apologizing to me. This is apologizing for what should have been the happiest time in her life.

Then I found I did it myself. When I told my boss I was going to take time off because I was having a daughter, I apologized. He looked at me like he was a bit annoyed, like I’d chosen a very inconvenient time to become a mother. Men don’t experience this.

[10:15 a.m.]

So the preponderance of women living in poverty is also due in part to biology. Women simply live longer than men: 83 years in Canada, on average, versus 79 for men. They are much more likely to outlive their spouses and their savings. That leaves them having to save more for their retirement. My own 94-year-old mother often jokes that she would have saved more had she known she was going to live this long.

But I wouldn’t trade aging for anything. The alternative is not very appealing. I have learned and grown for all of the journeys and experiences of my lifetime. It makes me a kinder and gentler person. But I will still never wear purple or a red hat.

J. Routledge: Thank you to the member opposite for your age-affirming observations. In my opening remarks, I spoke about the invisible older woman syndrome. But disappearing isn’t all that happens to older women.

Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella — these are all familiar fairy tales beloved by generations of children. These narratives shape our self-image and our rel­ationship to the world. What do they all have in common? A young, beautiful woman is saved by a handsome, young prince. But saved from who? In every iconic fairy tale, the young, beautiful heroine is saved from a jealous, bitter old woman. Even the classic Wizard of Oz is premised on the vindictiveness of an older neighbour who morphs into a witch.

Speaking of “witch,” what are some of the other nouns commonly used to refer to an older woman? Hag. Biddy. Crone. Battle-axe. Old bat. Even today, when women have more rights than ever before, more opportunities than ever before to lead fulfilling lives and influence the world around us on our own terms, it continues to be normalized, perhaps subconsciously so, that women are expected to compete with other women for the attention and approval of men. It continues to be normalized that as we age, our status, our worth will be stolen by younger women.

We all — women, men; younger, older — have a role to play to break the stereotype. We need to open our eyes and start seeing older women in stores, on public transportation, in the workplace. We need to start including older women in our research. We need to start recognizing that older women, like older men, have a lifetime of experience, wisdom and gravitas to contribute as we grapple with the challenges that confront our planet, our communities, our homes.

Finally, just as women of all ages are undoing the helpless damsel in distress stereotype, we older women must resist being typecast as crabby old witches.

Deputy Speaker: Recognizing the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke.

CRUISE SHIP INDUSTRY IN B.C.

D. Clovechok: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So nice to see you.

It gives me a great deal of pleasure to rise and speak about the tourism industry, a pillar of this province’s economy, and to highlight the cruise ship industry as a key contributing sector of our economic success.

I had the great fortune in my career to work for Princess Tours, a subsidiary of Princess Cruises, and spend an en­ormous amount of time on our ships. The job took me to the jungles of Costa Rica, to Panama and Nicaragua and, of course, to the glaciers of Alaska and so many other places and ports throughout the world.

The tourism industry is B.C.’s third-largest economic sector, and we all know it has been the sector that has been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the cruise ship industry. Traditionally, April is the beginning of the Alaska cruise season, and the ships begin to reposition for Alaskan departures, which typically run right through late September. It has been these ships that have brought tens of thousands of passengers to visit our beautiful ports of Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo and Prince Rupert, visitors all experiencing the beauty and hospitality of B.C. and leaving their hard-earned cash behind, supporting our local and provincial economies.

British Columbia is the largest cruise region in Canada, accounting for more than 69 percent of all Canadian cruise traffic, with visitors from all over the world. Most cruisers come from the United States, about one quarter from overseas and the rest from Canada.

[10:20 a.m.]

The cruise ship industry in B.C. is responsible for about $2.7 billion in economic activity. In Vancouver, each docking ship contributes approximately $3.17 million, for a tot­al of about $2.2 billion in economic impact. The industry creates around 20,000 direct and indirect jobs in B.C.

Here in Victoria the industry is responsible for about 800 jobs, contributing about $130 million per year.

In 2019, pre-COVID-19 times, 264 cruise ships visited Victoria, with over 700,000 passengers who, on average, spent about $83 per person, with crew members spending on average about $113 per person, locally.

It’s obvious that the cruise industry is a key driver of economic activity within the tourism sector in B.C. It represents one of the largest employers yet is an industry that has been completely shut down. This, in turn, affects thousands of British Columbians and businesses who are directly impacted by the catastrophic effect that COVID has had on this industry. The industry has not only been under attack from COVID-19 but now is under pressure from the United States government.

The Jones Act, which for decades has been deemed by the cruise industry as antiquated, is a federal U.S. law that regulates maritime commerce in the United States. Within that act is cabotage. That relates directly to the transports of people and goods between the ports in the same country.

If you have been on a cruise, you would know and have noticed the amount of detail that is spent on recording passengers coming on and off ships. This is all due to the Jones Act. Cruise operators are highly motivated to avoid breaking the Jones Act, because if they do not abide by the law, there are significant fines that are levied.

Again, this is an act or piece of legislation that cruise operators for years have believed is antiquated and restricting. What most people may not know is that most cruise ships operating out of the United States ports are not registered in the United States and are subject directly to the Jones Act.

To put this in simplistic terms, because of the Jones Act, cruise ships that were not built in the United States or not U.S.-owned, and with non-U.S. crews, cannot travel directly between U.S. ports unless they stop in a foreign port. This means that a ship with a foreign crew or in any way foreign cannot, as an example, go on a round trip from Seattle, Los Angeles or even Alaska without stopping at a Canadian port, which of course would be Vancouver, Prince Rupert or Victoria.

Due to COVID-19, the Trudeau government curtailed the arrival of cruise ships into Canada until 2022. What that means is that cruise ships originating in the United States and destined for Alaska in 2021, because of the Jones Act, would not be able to stop in Canada, thus preventing them from sailing north.

This has been disastrous news for the American-based cruise companies and industries, as they are repositioning to reopen their Alaska market this summer.

In response, the decision to close our ports has, in turn, precipitated the passing of a bill by the Americans that will allow ships to go to Alaska without stopping in Canada. This bill was unanimously passed in a rare example of U.S. bipartisanism and, as I say, unanimously. President Biden signed the bill into law last week, which allows cruise ships to sail to Alaska without requiring them to stop in Canada.

What does that mean for B.C. and the thousands of British Columbians who depend on the arrival of these ships? It means that the millions of dollars of tourism-generated moneys that were spent in our province will end up being spent in American ports like Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau, ports that are absolutely dependent on the cruise industry.

This new law represents an achievement the industry has wanted for years. The cruise industry has been asking for the repeal of this for years, and they finally have got it, all because two Alaskan senators and an Alaskan congressman took it upon themselves to do their jobs and fight for the well-being of their constituents, who are so dependent on the cruise ship industry.

J. Rice: Under current U.S. law, foreign-flagged cruise ships travelling between U.S. destinations are required to stop at a foreign port in-between. This rule has greatly benefited British Columbia, where Alaska-bound cruise ships have stopped in places like Victoria and Prince Rupert.

[10:25 a.m.]

A decision made by the federal government of Canada temporarily banned cruise ships from Canadian ports until February of next year to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Because of this, the recently passed Alaska Tourism Recovery Act temporarily allows Alaska-bound ships to bypass B.C. ports. This is a temporary measure, with a sunset clause. The law is clear that the changes would be automatically rescinded when Canadian ports are reopened to cruise ships.

My home community of Prince Rupert is ready and willing to welcome Alaska cruise passengers when it’s safe to do so. We have a breadth of attractions for adventurous souls, with world-class kayaking, whale- and bear-watching and cultural experiences.

Our restaurants cover the gamut from international cui­sine to locally caught seafood. While things are gradually opening up across the province, it’s still not safe enough to open international and U.S. borders. This is for the health and safety of all Canadians. We are working with colleagues across the province, with the federal and U.S. governments. Premier Horgan is meeting Alaska senators on June 9 on this very matter.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Minister has sent a letter to his federal colleagues around the logistics of technical stops. The Tourism Minister has met with the U.S. Consulate General in Seattle and discussed this issue. She has spoken to the federal Economic Development Minister on the matter, and she has met multiple times with Ian Robertson from the Greater Victoria Port Authority.

Ian is also a member of our tourism advisory table. The B.C. intergovernmental relations team meets with the Seattle consulate weekly. Provincial government shares a common desire with the people of Alaska to see a safe return to the cruise ship industry to the benefit of both of our regions. We’re investing in tourism so that we are ready when the borders open.

On December 22, we announced a $100 million tourism-specific stream under the small and medium-sized business recovery grant program as a response to a call to action from the tourism task force. We’ve also del­ivered $5 million in dedicated relief funding that is being delivered by Indigenous Tourism B.C. for Indigenous tourism businesses.

We have also invested $19 million to support small municipalities that are dependent upon tourism to build, adapt and diversify their tourism infrastructure. We’ve invested $20 million for tourism infrastructure projects supporting destination development. We’ve invested nearly $14 million to support targeted tourism development partnership initiatives in the six tourism regions across B.C. to help the industry recover from COVID-19.

We have also supported local community development management organizations with $60 million so they can retain critical staff and offset fixed expenses. On May 27, we announced a $50 million program for B.C. major anchor attractions.

The province will continue to support and defend B.C.’s tourism industry and all the people, businesses and communities who depend on it. I will continue to stand up for tourism businesses, and I look forward to receiving cruise passengers in Prince Rupert when it’s safe to do so.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

Of course, members are reminded we do not use members’ personal names in statements.

Recognizing the member for Columbia River–Revel­stoke. Wonderful part of the world.

D. Clovechok: There you got it. Well done, Mr. Speaker. It is so.

Thank you to the member opposite for their comments. The British Columbians and their families whose livelihood depends on tourism and, in this case, cruise ships deserve a much better fate. The problem that we see before us today has been on the radar screen for over a year, yet nothing has really been done to address this issue.

This issue was in front of the provincial leadership as of February 12, 2021 when they were cc’d on a letter that was sent to our Canadian Prime Minister from the two Alaskan senators and an Alaskan congressman informing them: “As neighbours and economic partners, we are discouraged by Canada’s lack of outreach before announcing this long-term closure.”

Upon receipt of this letter from the American politicians, red flags should have gone up immediately for the leadership of this province, yet the seriousness of this threat to B.C.’s cruise industry and those who depend on it has been downplayed from the start.

[10:30 a.m.]

It was dismissed by the Premier who said it was “a blip,” and assured British Columbians the chances of this law being passed by the American senators were….

Deputy Speaker: If I might remind the member before he goes further, remarks that target specific members in this House go contrary to the spirit of this time. Of course, there are opportunities in question period, speeches, etc., on other bills to target individuals.

D. Clovechok: A good reminder. Thank you.

The Minister of Tourism told British Columbians the proposed American legislation was “a temporary measure and its passing was very unlikely.” The reason I make these comments, Mr. Speaker, is that they speak to a point that I’m going to be making.

The thing is, is on May 13, the U.S. Senate passed, unanimously, and approved a bill to bypass Canadian borders for the duration that they were closed, a bipartisan action that virtually never happens in the United States. The biggest issue now for B.C. is that the new legislation has been signed into law by President Biden and will work to the advantage of the American-based ports, like Los Angeles and Seattle. This will allow U.S.-based cruise ships from the Los Angeles, Seattle, Alaskan run to completely bypass B.C., a move that analysts say will likely become permanent.

The British Columbians who worked directly or indirectly for the B.C. cruise industry deserve better, or at least the same advocacy and respect the Alaskans received from their elected officials. Had action been taken immediately and had the American concerns been taken more seriously when it first presented, the tourism calamity that is today and the tourism cruise calamity that will be tomorrow could have well be avoided.

ANTI-ASIAN RACISM

N. Sharma: I come here today with a great sense of shame — shame that fills my heart as a Vancouver MLA, whose city is the anti-Asian hate crime capital of North America.

I know that we are all ashamed of what this means. It means that reported hate crimes have gone up over 700 percent. It means that, as a recent poll found, 43 percent of British Columbians of Asian descent have experienced a racist incident in the past year, ranging from racial slurs to property damage to physical assault. That is almost half of the population. It means that as fear of the virus spread, so did hesitation to visit Asian-owned and operated businesses — businesses that have been a staple of our communities for decades. It also means that elders in our community are fearful, now, of walking on the streets.

As I learned the other day, some elders are taking self-defence courses, learning how to use their aged limbs to protect themselves from the threat of physical violence on our streets. These elders are arming themselves with whistles, in the hopes that if they are attacked on our streets, people will come to their aid and protect them from violence and hatred that they may face.

This is where we are today. To those elders who are to be revered and protected in this stage of their lives: I am ashamed that this is your reality today, and I am sorry. Despite the over 150 years of Asian immigration to Canada, we’ve yet to overcome the racism and xenophobia that exists among us.

May is Asian Heritage Month, a time to acknowledge the contributions that the Asian community has made to British Columbia — their blood, sweat and hard work that is so deeply tied to the building of British Columbia, whether it’s our railway system, our agricultural system, our small businesses, our health care system, and the list goes on.

Our history is also filled with tragic stories, like the fact that two Chinese workers died for every mile of railway that was laid across the Rockies, and so many more. Yet despite these contributions and the generations of families that live here in B.C., far too many are met with hatred today.

What is a hate crime? It’s a crime committed against a person or property that is motivated by hate and includes things like assault, uttering threats, criminal harassment and graffiti. Hatred is an ugly thing. It’s defined in law as an emotion of an intense and extreme nature that is clearly associated with vilification and detestation. It puts upon those individuals a feeling that they are to be despised, scorned, denied respect and subject to ill treatment.

This hatred is experienced in reality by our neighbours, like a Vancouver lawyer who was yelled at in his car when he was on the corner of Fraser and 41st Avenue by two men who screamed a racial slur. When he rolled down his window in misbelief, they threw garbage at him.

[10:35 a.m.]

Or a young woman who was spat at for walking too loudly on the seawall and has written about grappling with the impacts of this incident on her well-being. And terrible acts of violence: a 92-year-old who was forced out of a convenience store on to the sidewalk or a woman who was punched in the head at a downtown bus stop.

These are just some of the hate crimes and the incidents that have been reported. We need to ask ourselves: how do we bend this curve? How do we bring a sense of safety back to our communities and push back against this racism?

As we learn and listen to the communities that are im­pacted, we are finding there are many tools that we need to use in solidarity to make our streets and our communities safe. Number one, do not be a bystander. Hollaback, an organization, provides bystander intervention training to help arm us with knowing what we do if we witness a hate crime. That includes the five Ds.

Distract. Derail the incident by interrupting and di­verting its attention. Start a conversation with the victim to deflect.

Delegate. Seek help from a third party that is more capable of intervening. Call 911 if the situation is speci­fically unsafe.

Document. Record the incident, always making sure the person who is being recorded decides what’s done with the footage.

Delay. Check with the person that’s affected. Ask them if they want you to sit with them or walk with them after the incident.

Direct. If it is safe, intervene directly by addressing what is happening and confronting the perpetrator.

There are also other supports that are coming. B.C. is launching a hotline that is intended to be a multilingual service not delivered by the police, for British Columbians to respond and report incidents and receive support and referrals.

We need to support our local Asian-run businesses that have not only been impacted by the pandemic but this rising hate. We need to support those community organizations that are on the front line and are working to keep people safe.

I call upon all of us here today to stand in solidarity against the rise of hate crimes and all do what we can to support our neighbours and never be a silent bystander in the face of hatred.

T. Wat: I thank the member opposite for her comments. As MLAs, we have a fundamental responsibility to not only represent our constituents but represent the many diverse cultural groups that make up our communities. Regardless of our personal political beliefs, we must all be allies in our fight against racism and intolerance in this province. Amidst these horrific events, it gives me great hope and pride to see so many MLAs speaking out against the rise in anti-Asian hate that our province has experienced this past year.

Although we are discussing anti-Asian racism, I think it is also important to recognize the heartbreaking discovery of a burial site of 215 children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Our hearts go out to the families of those impacted by this horrific discovery.

This pandemic has shone a dark light on how deeply racism and intolerance are still rooted in parts of our society. Last year, more anti-Asian hate crimes were reported in Vancouver, a city of 700,000 people, than in the top-ten most populous U.S. cities combined. Almost one out of every two residents of Asian descent in British Columbia have experienced a hate incident in the past year.

While I thank government for acknowledging the public desire for more anti-racism initiatives by establishing an Anti-Racism Awareness Week, we have far to go if we are to truly eliminate hate and intolerance in our province. We need to take concrete steps that amounts to more than just sympathy. This is why I wrote to the Premier and Attorney General last week, outlining a ten-point plan of crucial actions government could take to truly follow our province’s mission of eliminating racism.

[10:40 a.m.]

The official opposition has asked government to take the following steps.

One, activate the Select Standing Committee on Education to review policies and actions that have contributed to the rise in racism and conduct a comprehensive examination of the current state of racism in B.C. by working with organizations and community representatives to provide recommendations on how we can improve.

Two, fund an anti-racism secretariat to monitor and quantify discrimination, promote preventative measures and report on this progress to the Legislature by the end of this calendar year.

Three, quickly implement and activate the hotline for British Columbians to report racist incidents, announced on April 30, 2021.

Four, increase funding to multiculturalism and anti-racism programs.

Five, develop more educational tools and resources for the K-to-12 education curriculum to combat racism and educate students about the contributions of immigrants to British Columbia.

Six, ensure local police forces have sufficient resources to respond quickly and to fully investigate hate crimes and racist incidents, including online reporting.

Seven, ensure that the Attorney General’s Crown prosecution service treats racist incidents as a priority for charge determinations and prosecutions.

Eight, press the federal government on amendments to section 718.2 of the Criminal Code with respect to sentencing for hate-inspired crimes to better define hate based on race.

Nine, apply to the National NewsMedia Council for a review of media coverage to determine the extent, if any, to which language, visual depictions and editorial content may have conditioned people to accept racial stereotyping and racial intolerance.

And ten, call upon major media outlets in Canada, as well as social media outlets, to implement a coherent public awareness campaign on racism and the unacceptable incidents of harassment in recent months in conjunction with the 50 year anniversary of Canada’s multiculturalism policy.

I look forward to the Premier and the Attorney General’s prompt response. Implementing these steps will go a long way to securing a bright and tolerant future for all so we can work together to build a culture of acceptance where all people can feel safe no matter their race, their religion or their background.

N. Sharma: I’d like to thank my colleague for her very deep and powerful comments and to acknowledge that many of us are wearing orange today for the recent and tragic discovery of the bodies of those children at the Kamloops residential school.

I’d like to spend the rest of my time thanking organiz­ations who are supporting people on the front lines of this increased incidence of hate. Resilience B.C. supports an anti-racism network of organizations across B.C. on the front lines. This includes Queenie Choo and her fabulous team at SUCCESS. MOSAIC and Collingwood Neighbourhood House are all part of the anti-racism network.

I’d like to acknowledge artist Christopher Tse, who created a public service announcement where he wrote and directed Eyes Open, which is a beautiful call to action and a tribute to the Asian-Canadian community during this Asian Heritage Month.

I’d also like to thank all the organizers of the May 29 day of action and all those who participated. It is always the show of solidarity and support from our community in response to these incidents that brings us hope for a better future, one where our elders can walk the streets without threats of violence and hatred. Throughout our history, it has always been the solidarity and action of groups like these that help us build a more equal society. I know we all are very grateful.

NATIONAL ACCESSABILITY WEEK

S. Cadieux: We all benefit from a society and an economy without barriers to inclusion. But every day people with disabilities face barriers to accessing basic necessities like housing, employment, resources and services.

National AccessAbility Week is an opportunity to celebrate the valuable contributions of people with disabilities and to recognize the efforts of individuals, communities and workplaces that are actively working to remove barriers to access and inclusion. The theme this year, “Disability inclusion 2021: leaving no one behind….” Well, that will take some work. It won’t be the default.

[10:45 a.m.]

Most people watching this or even hearing this right now are probably thinking: “Yes. Of course we should do that. That’s nice. But it’s not about me. I don’t have a stake in this.”

This morning I would like to be a bit provocative. No. I would actually like to be a lot provocative. It’s not about me or other people with disabilities. It’s about you. The whole reason we have to have this week is because you, in the widest sense, have, and continue to, built a world and policy that exclude us. That creates barriers for us. We don’t do it to ourselves. We can’t fix it or overcome it ourselves. It’s about you as individuals, as businesses and as policy-makers.

Let me explain why you should care. In 2017, 22 percent of Canadians aged 15 and over, or about 6.2 million people, identified as having one or more disabilities. That’s nearly a quarter of the population that might have an issue interacting with you, might not be able to access and purchase your services and products, might not be able to relocate to your community or exercise their rights as citizens.

Among those people with disabilities aged 25 to 64 who were not employed and not attending school, 39 percent want to work. That’s nearly 650,000 people that are ready, willing and able to work, but they aren’t working because businesses aren’t hiring them or because the places of work aren’t accessible. That’s a huge untapped labour pool that could be mobilized to fill job openings.

The reality is…. As the Conference Board of Canada showed in a report titled the Business Case to Build Physically Accessible Environments, in January of ’18, the number of Canadians living with physical disabilities that impair vision, hearing or mobility will rise by 1.8 percent per year between now and 2030. The total population growth in that same time will average less than 1 percent a year.

The same report suggests that implementing measures to improve workplace accessibility would enable 550,000 Canadians to work more hours and increase GDP by $16.8 billion. This larger pool of available workers would boost the total income of people with disabilities by over $13.5 billion. Yet here we are, still building barriers.

Why are there no accessible electric-vehicle-charging stations? An example of how we’re continuing to exclude — building barriers — and an example of bias: assuming that no one with a disability would also have an electric car.

Multi-storey buildings with only one elevator. When it’s out of order, there’s no access.

Cities piloting e-scooters. Sounds like fun for some, but these are a huge barrier to people with disabilities who need clear sidewalks for safe routes. People with mobility aids can’t get by. People who are blind can trip over haphazardly discarded scooters.

What about, for example, the blocking of accessible parking spaces at an Island Health unit to use as a tented area during COVID? One action for a purpose eliminates access to the whole clinic.

What about policy barriers? Here’s an example of a barrier to love and relationships. For those requiring income supports from government, a long-standing challenge. Incomes are reduced for couples, treating these couples differently than two-income couples who are able to work. Now we’re not just talking about access. We’re talking about dignity.

I say again. Accessibility is not my problem. It’s society’s problem. We all have a role to play. You might not need these things today. I didn’t either, until a split second changed my world to one where I couldn’t even go home. These are truly fixable problems. They are barriers we can break down. We have to see them, and we have to make change.

Here’s some homework. If you’re an individual member of the public, ask yourself: what biases do I hold? How can I be an ally? Do I know what to watch for? When I see a barrier, do I point it out and advocate for change? If you’re on social media, do you use alt text for images and caption your videos? I’m still struggling to get this right myself.

If you’re a business owner, do an inventory. How ac­cessible are you? What about your website or the apps you use for customer loyalty? Engage an expert for assistance. Put up a sign. Ask your customers to tell you how you’re doing, what you’re doing well and how you can do better. Make a plan to make changes when you learn you have deficiencies.

If you’re a municipal leader, do you have a disability advisory group? Are you actively engaging with them? Ask citizens with disabilities to share the challenges they face accessing their community. Review your bylaws. Check in with your planning and inspectors. Do they have enough knowledge to do their jobs properly? Do they need a crash course in what to watch for? Do you have an accessible parking bylaw? Are you permitting accessible and adaptive housing?

[10:50 a.m.]

If you’re an MLA or cabinet minister, demand change. Let’s make sure we put an access lens on all our work, not just on, but starting with, the Accessible B.C. Act. I ask this as your colleague, a friend, an advocate and, most importantly, as a person who knows personally how much good intentions aren’t enough.

I’m tired of feeling thankful when there’s an accessible washroom, a ramp or a powered door opener. I’m tired of fishy-smelling freight elevators that are considered access to public places like restaurants. I’m tired of arriving at appointments to find that the accessible parking is being used to house shopping carts, dumpsters or snow piles. I’m tired of having to explain to people why it is not okay for them to assume that I always want to have or always have someone with me to assist me.

There is a lot to do. This week this Legislature can commit to change. Let’s see that we do.

K. Paddon: I’m grateful for the privilege of speaking from the traditional, unceded territories of the Stó:lō people.

Although I am so thankful for this opportunity to discuss accessibility, I do acknowledge that I’m doing so during a time of profound grief. Even despite the importance of this topic, it doesn’t eclipse the trauma currently being experienced across our province.

As the member opposite has highlighted so well, ac­cessibility is everyone’s problem. This week, May 30 to June 5, is National AccessAbility Week. It is also British Columbia’s fourth annual AccessAbility Week. This week is an important opportunity to recognize and show appreciation for the self-advocacy, support and commitment of so many individuals, families and organizations who work, speak up and lead the way to inform us and to educate us on how to be inclusive and accessible throughout British Columbia.

The British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society, or BCANDS, is celebrating with National Indigenous AccessAbility Week. They describe the importance of this week, with the intersectional lens of indigeneity, with the following: “Honouring the rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada means honouring the rights of Indigenous peoples living with disabilities to be included and protected in our communities.” As they put it, simply: “If it’s not accessible, then it’s not acceptable.”

Societal and physical structures that interfere with accessibility are built on a history of norms — typical, average and majority. Systems of attitudes, policies and environments that worked for most — or at least, many — were good enough. For those who could not access, the fault or issue was squarely located within the individual — a history of blaming some people for not fitting neatly into boxes. But we know it’s not some people. In B.C., over 900,000 people aged 15 and older, about a quarter of our population, identify as having a disability. In Canada, one in five adults has a disability. As our population ages, this number is expected to grow.

Accessibility is a social, family and economic issue as well, as 55 percent of Canadians have a connection to physical disability in their daily life, either personally or through someone they care about, impacting how people work, buy, access services, travel, spend time together and participate in our community. We also know that issues of accessibility impact disproportionately across our community. When interacting with impairments related to pain, mobility, flexibility, learning disabilities, mental health, cognition, vision, hearing or communication, we know that age, gender and race — aspects of identity that also have an impact on accessing society — can compound and further impact accessibility.

Based on Statistics Canada, in 2019, roughly one in three Métis and First Nations people living off reserve had one or more disabilities compared to one in five for non-Indigenous Canadians. The prevalence of disability increases with age, and although disability can occur at any time of life, rates range from 13.4 percent in youth to 41.7 in seniors. Also, women have a higher prevalence of disability than men, regardless of age, at 26.5 percent.

Only by identifying, removing and preventing barriers can we move forward together to an inclusive B.C. where everyone has access to fully participate. That’s why I’m so excited about the Accessible British Columbia Act that was introduced on April 28 of this year. Once passed, this act will enable us to move ahead with establishing new accessibility standards in areas such as service delivery, education and the built environment. This Legislature….

[10:55 a.m.]

Deputy Speaker: Member, sorry. If I might remind the member, we don’t talk about legislation that’s in front of the House except in speeches on that legislation. But thank you.

K. Paddon: Thank you.

I’m also very grateful for our government’s announcement this past weekend that in celebration of B.C.’s AccessAbility Week, there will be new community grants aimed at improving accessibility and inclusion. Through Disability Alliance B.C., with their mission to support all people with disabilities to live with dignity, independence and as equal and full participants in the community, $500,000 in grants will be distributed to support local accessibility projects focusing on accessible education and learning; sports and recreation; arts, culture and tourism; community participation; emergency planning and response; or accessible employment.

The pandemic has shown us what it looks like, what we are capable of, when it comes to making accessibility a focus and a requirement. When so many of us suddenly had to change how we access our jobs, our colleagues, our families, our education, our services, we had to pivot immediately. As we celebrate this week, let us carry that learning forward far beyond these past months and truly embrace the idea: “If it’s not accessible, then it’s not acceptable.”

S. Cadieux: I thank the member for her comments. I appreciate her allyship. She’s right: nobody fits neatly into a box. It has taken too long to recognize this and too long to change. But we have shown, during this last year, that we can pivot. So let’s do that. Earlier I cited a few of my daily barriers, but I asked my friends in the broader disability community for theirs. Here are some examples.

The move to self-serve-only gas stations, because pumping gas is not actually a simple task for many drivers with disabilities. I’m pretty sure I know every full-serve station in the Lower Mainland and Victoria.

Limited seating at event venues, always at the back and always limited to one person with a disability and one guest, like we don’t have more than one friend or family member.

Getting stuck in the hallway in buildings where there’s Braille signage on the elevator buttons but not on the walls on the floor you need to visit.

Restaurants with a majority of high-top tables or booths, because — news flash — these are not accessible options for wheelchair users or people with other mobility issues.

Limited options for transportation. Temporary procedures initiated by TransLink during the pandemic made it very hard for people with disabilities to ride transit safely. Ride-share companies are not stepping up to provide wheelchair-accessible service. On this front, I’d argue that companies would do a lot better if they hired some people with disabilities to help them innovate. People with disabilities are experts in innovation — like the new prototype airline seating, designed by a woman with a disability in Montreal, as just one example.

The incredible, and I do mean incredible, lack of accessible and adaptable housing options across the spectrum.

Regular stresses of wondering if medical appointments might be cancelled because an individual can’t transfer independently onto inaccessible exam tables. Yes, the barriers are real, even in health care.

The worst, though, and still the more pervasive, barrier, of attitudes — attitudes about the value of people with abilities, about their abilities and about what accessibility means.

What it all boils down to is that the rights of people with disabilities are not being met. Governments at all levels are letting people down. If someone today were not able to access a public space because of their race, we would be rightfully mad as heck, and society would demand action. Yet if somebody today is unable to access a public space because the space is built to exclude them, we make excuses: it’s too expensive, only a few people need it, it’s not our market, or it’s too difficult. Well, that’s just not good enough.

This is National AccessAbility Week. It is a time to recognize people with disabilities and their accomplishments. It’s also a time to recognize that there are hundreds and thousands of people who are prevented from engaging fully, prevented from giving back. Just imagine how many more accomplishments we could celebrate if we made sure that all people had access to the same things that you do and take for granted. As the B.C. Aboriginal Network on Disability tweeted, “If it’s not accessible, it’s not acceptable” — period, full stop. Get mad with me; get loud with me. It’s 2021. Demand access for everyone.

Hon. J. Whiteside: I ask that the House proceed to the consideration of Motion 9, standing on the order paper in the name of the member for Chilliwack.

Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, unanimous consent of the House is required to proceed with Motion 9 without disturbing the priorities of the motions preceding it on the order paper.

Leave granted.

[11:00 a.m.]

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 9 — ACCESSIBILITY AND
INCLUSION FOR PERSONS
WITH DISABILITIES

D. Coulter: I would like to move:

[Be it resolved that this House recognize the fourth AccessAbility Week and reaffirm its commitment to building an inclusive province that improves the lives of people living with disabilities.]

Hon. Speaker, we celebrate awareness weeks in British Columbia to highlight and create awareness of important issues.

[N. Letnick in the chair.]

This week we celebrate the abilities of people, recognize the individuals and organizations that continue to go above and beyond, and raise awareness about what each of us can do to make our province more inclusive. The recognition of AccessAbility Week is supported by our government, and there’ll be several events this week. The minister and I had a kickoff event this morning.

Yesterday, to start off AccessAbility Week, we announ­ced new community grants aimed at improving accessibility and inclusion. The grant funding will support organizations across the province in removing barriers and creating new local opportunities for British Columbians with disabilities. We’ll have more announcements throughout the week.

People with impairments are not disabled until they en­counter a barrier that gets in the way of full participation in their communities. Our lives and communities are not built with disabled people in mind. But our government is committed to making B.C. a better place for people living with disabilities. We’ve introduced the Accessible British Columbia Act to remove barriers for people with disabilities, and 25 percent of people identify as having a disability. That’s one-quarter of our province that we have put barriers in front of. The ABC Act will identify, remove and prevent these barriers.

Much of our work is ahead of us. To be a truly inclusive province, we must integrate accessibility into all aspects of our lives so that people living with disabilities can fully participate in their communities. Together we can create more opportunities for meaningful employment, support greater independence and help facilitate full workplace and community participation for people with disabilities.

It is so important that we are enshrining this week in Bill 6, the Accessible British Columbia Act. But it goes without saying that accessibility is something that we must keep in mind every day of the year, especially if we want to identify, remove and prevent barriers in people’s lives.

I have had my own lived experience, but my role has driven me to become a better advocate. When I became an MLA, people from across the province reached out with their personal stories. I must thank the member for Surrey South for her stories today. I share many of the same stories with her. Today I’ll share some stories — in particular, my experience with parking lots just yesterday.

I went to get my hair cut. It looks pretty good, right? As I’ve said in this House before, I circle businesses to find access and stuff. When I got there, there was an accessible parking spot which had enough room for me to get my wheelchair out of my car. But the curb cut was around the corner. I had to go through the parking lot. Sitting in my chair, I’m somewhat short, and there are cars backing out of spots and stuff. This is hazardous.

After I got my hair cut, I went and stopped at a store. They had an accessible parking spot, but the curb cut was in the middle of the parking spot, which made it so that if you left your car in the parking spot, you couldn’t access the curb cut. These are two stories just from yesterday, while I was on the way to the Legislature.

These types of physical barriers represent only a subsection of the barriers people with disabilities face in their everyday lives. The highest proportion of disability types is related to pain, but we know people also face disabilities impacting their flexibility, mobility, mental health, seeing, hearing, dexterity, learning, memory, developmental and more.

MLAs from all parties need to support AccessAbility Week. We need to recognize that we need to make our spaces more accessible because I and many struggle with this every day. I’ve often met people out for a drink or a bite to eat and had to return home because the venue wasn’t accessible. I used to chock it up to the way things are, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

[11:05 a.m.]

We can build a province where everyone is included, where everyone can participate fully in their communities. I’m here today talking to you in this House as a passionate advocate. It is with this passion that I urge this House to recognize the fourth AccessAbility Week.

R. Merrifield: I love the passion that I just heard, as today I rise in the House to speak positively to this motion, because I believe that this House wholeheartedly needs to affirm its commitment to building an inclusive province that improves the lives of people living with disabilities.

This one is personal for me. Daniel was born six weeks early. He had a difficult delivery and was kept in the NICU for a few weeks. His brain didn’t get enough oxygen, and he was diagnosed with dyskinetic ataxic cerebral palsy and a severe hearing impairment when he was ten months old.

Daniel’s mom has fought for occupational, speech and physiotherapies, for school integration and for an equal chance for independence, education, a job and, ultimately, a future for her son. She had to pay for any modifications or special equipment necessary to level the playing field for his growth and future.

I can still remember her tears when Daniel may have gone into the pool with his hearing aids on or lost one of them while he was having fun. Her background as a teacher, administrator and professor enabled her to work towards a positive diagnosis and plan so that Daniel could have the best chance at an independent life and productive, positive future.

I have watched Daniel struggle with simple physical tasks or miss out on opportunities because of a lack of ac­cessibility when it should be there. People with disabilities are often forgotten, overlooked or just plain not considered when designing our societal systems. That’s why accessibility is so important. That’s why those of us that can stand up and yell, for accessibility is so important.

Every British Columbian deserves to have equal access to employment, services and the built environment. It’s not just Daniel that requires this commitment; 25 percent of the population does. But Daniel, well, he’s a fighter — fiercely independent, strong, smart and very funny. He has always had to work harder to overcome his physical limitations, while performing tasks that are much easier for those without disabilities.

My hope is that motions, but moreover, commitments like these, will be a step to levelling the playing field for others like Daniel, steps that lead to action and positive change. Considerations need to be made in all facets of our society — how we move, how we accommodate on transit, our housing, our businesses and our education system. Daniel was, at one time, thought not to be able to read or write, but give him a computer, and thoughts could pour out of his trapped mind.

How do I know Daniel and his mom so well? Well, Daniel is my nephew, and his mom is my sister. Daniel is now 25 and a graduate of university, an active blogger on all things politics and sports. He is so smart.

But the pandemic has been difficult for those with disabilities. A cold for Daniel is not the same as a cold for me. Daniel contracting COVID would be devastating. Daniel was overlooked in many ways in this pandemic. Daniel is only a symbol of the 25 percent of those with disabilities, because despite being immunocompromised, ones like Daniel still had to take public transit. He was still required to go into the office that he worked at.

This pandemic was simply a light — a light that shone through the cracks of missing legislation, missing societal norms, and gaps within our systems of care. This evidence of how the pandemic has affected our society provides us with an incredible opportunity to fix it, to make life easier and more accessible for everyone, all of the time.

[11:10 a.m.]

We must take this opportunity. We must stand up for those overlooked and make adjustments to give an equitable chance at independence and life, to make sure that we all benefit from the thoughts, contributions and community that every British Columbian has to offer.

My hope is that Daniel and other people with disabilities will be able to have stronger futures because of the work that we do in this Legislature.

B. Bailey: I rise to support the motion: “Be it resolved that this House recognize the fourth AccessAbility Week and reaffirm its commitment to building an inclusive province that improves the lives of people living with disabilities.”

Technology designed to include all users is called adap­tive technology, or AT. AT is a broad category that includes both software and hardware. An example of adaptive software is Microsoft’s Seeing AI, which uses artificial intelligence to describe the environment around you through the use of the camera on your smartphone so that blind folks or folks with low visibility can have increased situational awareness. Examples of AT hardware are things like adaptive keyboards and toggles and mechanical chairs.

Technology and technologists have unlimited capacity to aid those living with disabilities to fully integrate into community, education, workplace and society. Many tech advances have led to the opening of access for people living with disabilities — tools such as screen readers, audiobooks, voice-to-text programs, geolocation tools, AI, and so much more.

If you have not yet seen the incredible work going on in robotic exoskeletons, I encourage you to look it up online. These devices provide the ability for some people who have been unable to walk, to walk on their own while wearing the device.

The relationship between people living with disabilities and the technology embedded into our daily lives can be fraught, depending on whether the tech has been built from the ground up with people with disabilities in mind or not, and whether people with disabilities have been involved in the creation of that tech or not.

Last week I visited Neil Squire centre in Burnaby. Thanks to the team there for the incredible work and the fascinating tour. The guiding vision at Neil Squire is to achieve economic and social inclusiveness for all people with disabilities. The program that I found most compelling was Makers Making Change. This program leverages the capacity of community-based makers, occupational therapists and volunteers to develop and deliver affordable, open-source assistive technologies.

What does this mean? Here’s a great example: the LipSync wireless mouth mouse. This device was designed and refined by maker volunteers, community members, engineers and tinkerers who volunteer their time to solve technical issues between what the user wants to do and what the product allows them to do. So in this case, the use challenge was using a touch screen if hand dexterity does not allow. The LipSync device is a mounted device where the movement of a joystick by one’s lips and a puff of air from one’s mouth controls the cursor and touch features on an iPad.

Neil Squire has more than 200 active volunteers, mostly engineers, working with clients to build or create the AT needed to fully access products that we all take for granted, such as our phones, computers, gaming consoles, screens and even things like driving our cars or opening the oven. Makers design or build open-source adaptive technology, often relying on 3D printers to print out the device once designed.

All of the designs are open source, meaning the code, if software, or design and instruction, if hardware, are open for anyone to use from their website. They also have instructional videos. If a person prefers, they can be partnered with a maker who will build the device in question, asking only to be reimbursed for the cost of parts. All devices are designed with simple, inexpensive parts that can be ordered easily or 3D-printed at Neil Squire or elsewhere. If the device the consumer requires isn’t created yet, then a volunteer maker can work to create a solution that meets the needs of that user.

I was so impressed by the range of adaptive technologies available on the Neil Squire website. I encourage you to check it out.

Some tech companies have truly embedded adaptive technology into their company DNA. Apple is a great ex­ample. They’ve been a huge leader in the way that accessible design — and providing a range of accessibility features and products — come right out of the box. Simply put, iPhone has become the most powerful and popular assistive device ever.

[11:15 a.m.]

What stands out about Apple is that they seamlessly include accessibility into a device that all people can use universally. One example is VoiceOver, AT reading off the contents of the screen in a way that allows blind users to navigate OS easily.

How have these companies, companies like Apple, been so successful in their AT integration? Inclusion. Representation and inclusion are critical to getting AT right. The mantra of many living within the disability community is: “Nothing about us without us.”

Companies that hire folks from the disability com­munity to get these adaptive technologies right — they’re the ones that are doing it right. Research indicates that integrating folks with disabilities into product design improves the product overall for all users, not just those with disabilities.

Hats off to the leaders in this space and to the makers, such as those working at the incredible Neil Squire Society.

E. Ross: On behalf of my constituents of Skeena, I am more than happy to address the following motion: “Be it resolved that this House recognize the fourth Access­Ability Week and reaffirm its commitment to building an inclusive province that improves the lives of people living with disabilities.”

I first gained insight into this issue when I sat on the Haisla Nation Council. We wanted to build more wheelchair ramps, purchase more chair lifts and aid equipment at home to help with beds and bathrooms, but the whole process was application-driven. So our response was limited to whatever government approved, especially when it was outside of our existing federal funding agreement.

Now that my band has its own source of revenues through title agreements, we have not only funded some of these services ourselves but are even capable of offering benefits for our off-reserve members as well. But ultimately, my real insight into the world of people with disabilities didn’t happen until I came here to the Legislature in 2017.

At that time, we had three elected MLAs in the B.C. Liberal caucus who used wheelchairs throughout the stone passageways of this Legislature that was designed with a 19th-century approach to access and mobility that was virtually non-existent by today’s standards.

Now, the building has since seen a number of improvements, but at the end of the day, each MLA I knew experienced difficulties unique to their own situation and abilities. Former MLA Sam Sullivan first sparked my curiosity when he thanked my offer to help, but my kind of help wouldn’t do much good. That led me to ask him a whole bunch of questions about his unique set of difficulties and how he managed in a highly specialized wheelchair.

Sam was very patient and kindly tolerated my ignorance and politely answered my questions. At one time, we were both late for a caucus meeting at the Legislature, so I offered to walk with Sam and his wife, and she told me he would probably beat us both there because his wheelchair actually moved quite fast, which it did. I ran behind the whole way down Government Street.

My next learning experience came from former MLA Michelle Stilwell. One night when we were departing from an event, I offered to help push Michelle up a hill, but I couldn’t find any handles on her wheelchair to push on. Her loud, somewhat fierce and independent voice came out as she declined my offer. It wasn’t a polite declination either. But as we talked more, I understood where her attitude came from. As I got to know her even more, I began to realize that she experienced a lot in life, but it was never enough to quell her competitive spirit or her exceptional will to be independent.

The last insight I got was from our caucus chair, who I caught red-handed standing up beside her car after a day’s end, and she explained to me the basics of blood circulation and that standing was still possible for some.

By seeing the world from different perspectives, I got even more inspired to learn more. I’ll never forget playing wheelchair basketball with Michelle Stilwell and players from the Wounded Warriors Canada program here in Victoria. It was that moment I saw the pride and determination of people who refuse to give up, regardless of setbacks. It was inspiring, to say the least.

So I have a different outlook when I come to a traffic stop or I see a parking spot or a ramp. It makes me think about what it’s like for someone who is hearing-impaired, uses crutches, has limited sight or doesn’t have the use of their legs or arms. It’s not about special treatment. It’s about having equal access to the same services that the rest of us take for granted at times.

I will leave you with one last thought. One day I was outside a restaurant here in Victoria getting ready to go inside with my fellow colleagues, but our caucus chair had stopped short at the entrance.

[11:20 a.m.]

When asked what was wrong, she informed us that the restaurant didn’t have wheelchair access. I was stunned, angry, but felt crunched up inside thinking about how she felt about the simple act of trying to enter a place that could possibly affect her whole day and, saying that, how it could affect her whole life. Her response was casual: “It happens. It’s no big deal.”

But it is a big deal, not just for equality but for the simple reason of inclusion.

A. Mercier: I’d like to rise to speak to the motion moved by my friend, the member for Chilliwack: “Be it resolved that this House recognize the fourth AccessAbility Week and reaffirm its commitment to building an inclusive province that improves the lives of people living with disabilities.”

There are two people in my life that have really opened up my eyes to the barriers and impacts that having a disability can bring to bear on somebody’s life and also that the lack of appropriate supports can have on folks. They’re both injured workers.

One of them is my friend the member for Chilliwack, who I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for over a decade now. I’ve seen firsthand…. I’m thinking back to university, to college, being two, I think, relatively good-looking young men trying to go out and find a spot to have a beverage and seeing the problems that that can cause when there is no accessibility, when there is no ramp and when there is nowhere appropriate to sit.

I’ve watched the member for Chilliwack come into this role and tirelessly focus on advocating for other folks. That’s really been the tenor of the spirit that he’s brought to advocacy for his whole life. It’s really typical of the member for Chilliwack, as well, that he’s not engaged in self-advocacy. He is busy fighting for others.

Now, the second person is my mother. My mother is a nurse, and I remember, quite young, she had an injury that’s very common among nurses, which is that she injured her back. It started off as a slipped disk. A slipped disk leads to a surgery. A surgery leads to a fused spine, and a fused spine leads to chronic pain, an inability to walk properly in many ways and a lifelong fight with WorkSafe to try to return to work and to try to get an appropriate accommodation so that she could continue working and eventually retrain and move on and become a professor of nursing at Douglas College.

My point here is that through my friendship with the member for Chilliwack but also my own experience growing up with a mother with a disability, you see firsthand the impacts that a helping hand can have to help reduce barriers and to help people lead their best lives, because the fact of the matter is there is a dignity to work.

Outside of personal, familial relationships — your marriage, your relationship with your parents, your child — the single most important relationship in somebody’s life is work. It’s where you spend the bulk of your time. For many folks, it’s where you get your sense of purpose and meaning. Returning to work and going through a return to work, it’s not a single day, it’s not a single event; it is a lifelong process that occurs over the course of someone’s working life.

Now, as legal counsel to a labour union, I was involved in that process firsthand for many grievors and for many members as they struggled to return to work with an injury. Often you would have an employer that would be looking for an accommodation and a lot of very difficult realities around trying to manage the accommodation process and manage the return to work. It is so important that we as legislators, the government, support that process.

I’m proud to be a part of a government that’s invested $6 million in the National Institute of Disability Management and Research over the next four years. We’ve done that specifically to help promote disability management. I really want to reiterate management and process here — this isn’t a singular event — so that folks can get back to work.

Part of what that funding is going to go to…. That funding has, really, three strategies behind it: promoting disability management programs, assessments and improvements as well as educational development and professionalization.

[11:25 a.m.]

But a core part of that, and part of the professional designation component, is scholarships for part-time and full-time students enrolled in bachelors of disability management programs. We need to support the folks who are doing the critical work and helping support others so that we can all go on to lead our best lives. No one should be regarded as less than because they have a barrier to their accessibility. No one should have to go through those kinds of impacts.

I’d like to say that I strongly support this motion and I strongly support the work of my friend, the MLA for Chilliwack.

T. Shypitka: On behalf of my constituents of Kootenay East, I am pleased to support the following motion and will use my time this morning to explain why.

But before I do, I would just like to use a few moments to offer, on behalf of all of the constituents of Kootenay East, our sincere thoughts and prayers to all of those in the Kamloops area and those survivors of the residential school system across the province.

Today I also send my prays to the Ktunaxa Nation, as well, whose traditional territories include Kootenay East. The St. Eugene Mission is just north of Cranbrook and was the site of a residential school from 1910 to 1970. My friend Cheryl Casimer is a survivor of that school and wishes more positive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. True change can only happen when we work together, and this is what she advocates for. I couldn’t agree more. May we all pray for those 215 beautiful souls and the unthinkable loss that tragically has been uncovered.

To speak to the motion I wholeheartedly support, “Be it resolved that this House recognize the fourth AccessAbility Week and reaffirm its commitment to building an inclusive province that improves the lives of people living with disabilities….”

When we think of disability as a concept, it’s natural for us to relate to the last person we saw trying to access a building without the proper entrance facilities or perhaps the pain of watching someone trying to navigate sidewalks that are not up to speed for people living with disabilities. However, rather than look for problems in this debate, I think we should concentrate instead on finding appropriate solutions.

According to the latest data gathered by Statistics Can­ada, an estimated one in five Canadians aged 15 and over had at least one or more disabilities that limited their daily activities. This is according to a national 2017 Canadian survey on disability. That’s why I think this morning’s debate is so important.

Until we have a cumulative understanding of each and every one of the challenges that people living with disabilities face on a daily basis, both physical and mental, we won’t be in the right position to help and inform government policy. Those with more severe disabilities often have lower rates of employment, lower income — even when employed full year and full-time — and a greater likelihood of living in poverty, regardless of age.

As an elected representative from rural British Columbia, I think it is also worth noting that there is a substantial difference in the challenges that people living with disabilities face between those living between urban and rural parts of the province. Urban and suburban parts of B.C. have a much wider tax base and, therefore, the ability to deliver far greater access compared to our rural counterparts. Therefore, those living with disabilities in rural parts of the province do face greater challenges because of fewer available resources. We need to change that.

Winter, spring, summer or fall, my riding of Kootenay East presents its own set of challenges for those living with disabilities in small-town B.C., day or night. It’s difficult, even at the best of times, for a fully able-bodied pedestrian to navigate rural sidewalks at night with no proper lit crossings, let alone deep snow. For people living with disabilities, this is nothing short of a complete disconnect from everything that most people enjoy without concern every day. This is unacceptable.

We need a coordinated effort by all three levels of government. If we have a chance at making a difference in the general well-being of our whole society, city planning and bylaws need to coordinate with provincial legislation and federal funding for appropriate models for complete inclusiveness.

[11:30 a.m.]

Able-bodied people need more education, understanding, on the barricades that face those with physical and mental disabilities. This can all be done with more conversation and focus.

My colleague from Surrey South said it best on recognizing these challenges. She said: “We have to see them, and we have to make change.” She also said: “If it’s not ac­cessible, it’s not accessible.”

Although I wish I had more time in this debate, suffice to say that while we have made progress in making pathways to accessibility on many different levels, both mental and physical, much more remains to be done, and that’s why I support the motion on behalf of Kootenay East.

S. Chant: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this opportunity to speak in support of the motion.

I speak to you today from the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish Nations, where I have the opportunity to both live and learn.

I also put my hand on my heart for those children, and I am so sad, and I know the people in my riding are so sad to acknowledge something that has been part of unknown knowledge before, and has now truly been said as: “This is real, and we have to see this.”

I would like to talk about a couple of other things that maybe have been spoken to in this time. I want to talk about the invisible population. We’ve heard Daniel’s story, where Daniel has a mom and an auntie who are very able to advocate on his behalf and has done many, many things that many other children with similar disabilities would never have the opportunity to access, because their mothers and aunties and families have lobbied and advocated and rallied. There are many other people in our population that don’t have those strong advocates, and as such, our society isn’t able to recognize them and support them, because they don’t make it to that place.

I speak of what I call our invisible population. We have children that are staying at home, cared for by their parents with some help, perhaps, from our health agencies or from our various organizations, but their parents are often full-time caregivers for the children. They can’t access school. They can’t access baseball. They can’t access soccer. None of those things are available to them because of the way that they are dealing with their world.

When the families reach out for help and when the families reach out to advocate, sometimes they get that help and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes their advocacy is heard, and sometimes the energy that it takes to do that advocacy and do the care and try to have a life is too much.

We talk about our youth. We talk about our youth who are in…. Let’s talk about elementary school. School is supposed to be available and accessible to everybody. It’s not. Elementary school is not necessarily available and accessible to everybody of the appropriate age to be there. Again, there are many different things that have been done and can be done and many things that have not been done at all. We have to look at each person and look at the community in which they are living and the environment that we’re trying to support and get them there — support them to be there. There are so many people that haven’t even come to the surface.

We talk about our 25 percent. I’ve heard many people say 25 percent of our adults in British Columbia and in Canada are dealing with disability. We have a lot of children behind that number too. We have to remember them as well. We have to support them as well, because they will become our adults. I did hear somebody who indicated that the growth of the numbers with disabilities is going to outstrip our birth rate. Absolutely it is. Our aging population is going to contribute to that as well.

There is no reason in this day and age — it’s 2021, by the way — that we should be having people saying: “I can’t do this because it’s not accessible.” That is just wrong. It’s not acceptable in our society. However, we’ve got to do the work and continue to do the work and demand that the work be done.

[11:35 a.m.]

I heard somebody else speaking: “We need the three levels of government.” We absolutely do. That means we need to collaborate and work together and have goals that integrate, again: “Nothing about us without us.” We’ve got to have our goals that integrate the people that we’re working towards.

I find it absolutely amazing when I see some great and wondrous plan put together by somebody that does not include the people that it impacts. We’ve got to learn from ourselves and from each other how to make this work. I thank you for this opportunity to support this motion in its fullness.

M. Lee: Today as we recognize National AccessAbility Week, I am pleased to rise to continue the discussion on the motion before this House: “Be it resolved that this House recognize the fourth AccessAbility Week and reaffirm its commitment to building an inclusive province that improves the lives of people living with disabilities.”

It is certainly a motion needing considerable discussion in this House, and I appreciated the contributions of my colleagues to this discussion and the continued advocacy by many members of this House, including our former colleagues representing Vancouver–False Creek and Parksville-Qualicum, as well as the members for Chilliwack and Surrey South. We learn a great deal from each other in all of this.

Similarly, the work in this House to move forward with Bill 6, the Accessible British Columbia Act, is certainly a much-needed step towards modernizing our province’s approach to accessibility. We have spoken a great deal in the past few years about what it means to make communities more inclusive. An essential component of that work must be to provide safe, inclusive and accessible public spaces so that everyone can live and participate to their full potential.

For too long, we have approached accessibility as an afterthought or simply as a set of criteria that businesses are required to meet to be within the bounds of the law. But true inclusion goes far beyond simply doing the bare minimum. It involves looking at the world and the policies we design, from the built environment to social programs, through an accessibility lens in a way that incorporates the lived experience of people with disabilities and truly seeks to ensure a world where everyone can take part to their full potential.

This year’s theme for National AccessAbility Week is: “Disability inclusion 2021 — leaving no one behind.” How do we ensure that in this House, through the work we do every day, no one gets left behind? It’s a question that we need to continually ask ourselves.

Our approach certainly needs some modernizing and an attitudinal shift. There continue to be obvious gaps in the way that we approach accessibility. For example, in the city of Vancouver there are no formal guidelines for designing accessible parks and outdoor spaces, which means that, unfortunately, many parks in the city cannot be equally appreciated and enjoyed by all. In contrast, cities like Campbell River have established guidelines for parks that set out appropriate dimensions for accessible signage, trails and parking, all to improve park accessibility for users with physical, cognitive and sensory disabilities.

There also continues to be the need to increase the number of accessible public restrooms along TransLink’s routes, as only the SeaBus terminals and West Coast Ex­press trains currently have them, as opposed to what are effectively staff bathrooms, which are only usable by asking a SkyTrain attendant. None of the six underground stations for the planned Broadway subway will initially have accessible public washrooms either — only hypothetical possibilities of them being built in the future.

We in this House have been elected to serve as MLAs because we want to make life better for our constituents and because we want to make our communities better, more equitable, more inclusive and accessible, where people can thrive and live full lives. We have all made commitments, as this motion suggests, to improve the lives of all British Columbians.

This pandemic has disproportionately impacted people with disabilities, and we can’t make decisions about recovery without taking this into account. We need to take a look at the lessons that this pandemic has taught us and the gaps that have been revealed and proactively ensure that we do not discriminate against people with disabilities. We must do better.

[11:40 a.m.]

Our discussion here is an important part of that work, and I hope that we will see the sentiments expressed today go beyond words and into real action. People living with disabilities face very real barriers every day, in the built environment and in attitudes, and we in this House should feel an urgency to do our part to break down those barriers that can prevent people from being able to fully participate in society.

Let’s commit to working together to improve the lives of all British Columbians.

M. Starchuk: The motion, in part, asks that the House reaffirm its commitment to building an inclusive province that improves the lives of people living with disabilities.

It was a few weeks ago that we heard the MLA for Vancouver–West End speak about his four-year-old and fart bikes. It’s not that when I think about accessibility, I think about fart bikes, but rather, I think about a four-year-old and when they ask them: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I think about the upcoming legislation and moving forward, and I think about a four-year-old with no barriers, and they can do whatever it is that they want to do when they grow up.

When we all think about accessibility, you have to be excited about the creation of the Accessible British Columbia Act, which will build an inclusive province and work for all of us. The act will remove the barriers so that all people can fully participate in their communities. The act will allow government to establish accessibility standards aimed at identifying, removing and preventing barriers to accessibility and inclusion.

I’m familiar with some of the regulations that are currently in existence as Surrey’s former chief fire prevention officer. We were always ensuring that building code and fire code regulations were being adhered to. When a fire alarm bell is ringing and someone needs to get out, there are many things to consider. Strobe lights for those with hearing disabilities, Braille on doors and elevator keys for those with visual disabilities and emergency pull stations at the height for those in wheelchairs are just a few the British Columbia building code and fire code regulations in use today.

Our government is committed to the United Nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and the principle of “Nothing about us without us.” It’s important to note that James Charlton authored the book Nothing About Us Without Us in August of 2000. The term “Nothing about us without us” expressed the conviction of people with disabilities that they know what’s best for them. This mantra became the rallying call of the United Nations convention on persons with disabilities, which was adopted in 2006.

While we wait for Bill 6 to take some time to implement…. We know it will take some time, but it doesn’t preclude local governments from moving forward on accessibility issues while this bill moves forward. In my riding, we have many civic facilities that have looked at accessibility as a main focus. In speaking with the manager of support services and accessibility, Tara Cleave, I was informed that Surrey has received 25 accessible certified designations and five accessibility gold certifications through the Rick Hansen Foundation.

Surrey is currently the highest-participating municipality in Canada. Surrey offers a range of adapted and inclusive programs in sport, leisure and recreation, which include wheelchair basketball, sledge hockey, chair yoga and fitness, audio book clubs, sensory-friendly spaces, inclusive cooking programs and one-to-one skating and swim programs. I’ve been told that Surrey is currently working on updating their parking bylaws, which include signage and parking stall requirements that would have helped out the MLA for Chilliwack.

This leads me to a personal story of a friend and a colleague and his comments regarding accessibility. Pete Skowronek's son Todd is a 33-year-old with cere­bral palsy and hydrocephalus. A number of years ago we engaged in a group conversation regarding the word “handicapped.” He spoke to the origin of the term and how it was not a word that anyone with a disability cared for. Cap in hand, when connected to handicapped, is a term that was offensive to Peter.

I am pleased to see my city, Surrey, is removing this type of signage from all the public areas, washrooms and other public areas. I’m hopeful that other private areas in my city and other cities in British Columbia will follow suit and not wait for the upcoming legislation of Bill 6.

Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to take some time to address some concerns, one in particular that a constituent has with regard to perception that Bill 6 would lack inclusion of learning disabilities under the definition of impairment. This constituent has a child diagnosed with learning disabilities, including dyslexia and ADHD.

[11:45 a.m.]

I can assure this mom, who is a physiotherapist, that this is enabling legislation. It provides a framework in which we can create regulations based on thorough consultation and consideration. It’s not intended to create prescriptive lists that wouldn’t be flexible in the future.

It’s my hope that Erica, like many others who have contacted us, will be understanding that this is a definition and will know that it’ll include all of those that have been diagnosed with learning disabilities.

I look forward to a better society for all British Columbians and when the Accessible British Columbia Act comes into full force and effect in the near future. I look forward to a day when accessibility issues are so far in the past that we have to google them, the same way the four-year-old googles what a VCR was.

C. Oakes: I want to recognize that I’m joining the de­bate today from the Southern Dakelh Nation.

My prayers are with all the residential school survivors and their families during this heartbreaking time.

On behalf of my constituents of Cariboo North, it truly is humbling to join the members of this Legislature to recognize the fourth AccessAbility Week and to reaffirm its commitment to building an inclusive province that improves the lives of people living with disabilities.

I want to thank all of the members who have shared today. I especially want to acknowledge my colleague from Surrey South for her tireless efforts as an advocate for improving the lives of people living with disabilities. She has done this work both inside and outside of government, and I want to personally thank her for her leadership, her education of and for the work that she continues to do.

I commit to this House that I’ll join her call to action to get mad, to get loud and to demand access for everyone. When we discuss the need for affordable housing, we need to be ensuring that we also have adaptive housing. Far more needs to be done, and I appreciate the member for Surrey South’s advocacy on this. Another takeaway from the member’s comments is to understand that people with disabilities are experts in innovation.

Imagine the incredible potential of a post-pandemic world where everyone has access to and can participate in the rebuild of our magnificent province. Several weeks ago, during one of our Children and Youth Committee meetings, I had a profound moment — where the meeting will stay with me for a long time. We had the opportunity to hear from Myles Himmelreich, a strong advocate to increase the understanding, support and inclusion for children with FASD and their families. I want to sincerely thank Myles for sharing his story, for being vulnerable, for standing up and helping us understand how all of us can help remove barriers.

I also want to thank the Representative for Children and Youth and her team for providing recommendations on how we all can be removing barriers when we look at legislation in this House. I also want to acknowledge the government today for the announcement that they have made for increasing support for students with disabilities enrolled in public secondary institutions. This work has been championed for many of the student associations, for the Alliance of B.C. Students. I think that it’s important to hear from students and that when the government listens and makes improvements, we acknowledge and recognize those efforts.

The ACE program supports accessible post-secondary education for students who are deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind and are attending or planning to attend college and university in B.C.; the CAPER program that provides alternative-learning-format materials such as digital audiobooks, large-print text, electronic text and other suitable formats to students and instructors; and the pilot program that supports post-secondary students that require specialized adaptive technology.

I know we all share an incredible pride in our world-​class post-secondary education system. We understand that access to advanced education is essential to rebuilding B.C.’s economy. We must ensure that no British Columbian is left behind as the province moves forward. Despite the importance of post-secondary education for employment outcomes, students with disabilities still face significant barriers to accessing post-secondary education and, following completion of their degree, barriers to accessing employment.

[11:50 a.m.]

We must get loud. We must remove barriers. And there’s so much more that we need to do. I want to recognize and thank the Alliance of B.C. Students for their advocacy on this topic. In particular, I want to thank June Reisner, who is the accessibility justice coordinator and is a student at Capilano University, and Jessica Levesque, who attends Fraser Valley University. Their advocacy on improving inclusion at post-secondary is incredibly valuable. I thank them for their efforts.

From listening to the students, I gained a perspective and an awareness on the experiences students with disabilities face, including disruptions to their education due to financial, health and accessibility constraints. Students with disabilities often take on exceptional additional costs both directly and indirectly related to their education.

It is critical that we recognize and understand invisible disabilities such as dyslexia. It’s vital to apply a critical lens to our post-secondary institutions so that we can celebrate past achievements but, in so doing, develop a better understanding of what life is like with a disability. So I am calling on the government with the request that the Alliance for B.C. Students has recommended: that the province of British Columbia conduct a provincewide survey on the experience of students with disabilities in post-secondary education.

I think this makes sense. In the minds of many, if it’s not accessible, then it’s not acceptable.

R. Leonard: I rise in support of the motion by the member for Chilliwack to recognize our fourth AccessAbility Week in British Columbia and reaffirm the commitment of this House to building an inclusive province that improves the lives of people living with disabilities.

AccessAbility Week is not only a time to celebrate all the incredible work being done by diligent and thoughtful people and organizations throughout B.C. to make it a more equitable and inclusive place for all. It’s also a time to raise awareness and commit to doing our part, individually and collectively, to making life better for those with diverse abilities, those abilities that have not been fully recognized and accommodated in the mainstream.

With nearly a quarter of B.C.’s population aged 15 and older, that’s more than 926,000 people living with disabilities, and the numbers are growing. It’s apparent that we’re not talking about just a small portion of society. If you’re not someone living with a distinct challenge to your ability to move, communicate, learn, understand or cope with everyday matters, your life is more likely than not to be touched by such a person. We’re talking about living with a disability as a regular part of everybody’s life.

In the spirit of “Nothing about us without us,” our government swept the province in the fall of 2019 to consult with people with lived experience, to help shape the development of accessibility legislation that would lead to standards and regulation, entrench the voice of those living with disabilities and review to make sure we continue to make progress.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

My own community came out to the Comox legion to share with the then minister their challenges and ideas for addressing their needs. I recall Jean sitting in her wheelchair, speaking with passion and strength of purpose to address communication challenges and technology for the hard-of-hearing, reminding us of the range of experiences as people with multiple disabilities strive, in an exhausting daily trial, to participate.

I have ridden the bus with my sight-impaired friend, Michael McLellan, a tireless advocate for the disabled. After he moved, he shared about the painstaking work to learn the lay of the land and travel in new places that the sighted only need a road map and bus schedule in hand to navigate.

I have my own experiences of living with a cane on and off over many decades. People with transitory or episodic challenges or invisible disabilities also regularly face attitudes about justifying their lives. The need to reduce stigma is very real.

I’m also grateful to John Higginbotham, who has made it his mission to entice newly elected Courtenay councillors and senior staff to tour the city with him on an electric scooter. A poorly placed bush at an intersection, inadequately designed public washrooms — experiencing the safety challenges and frustrations of navigating a walkable world does more than raise awareness and understanding. It elicits a compassionate response to make it right. That’s why it’s exciting to see the focus of our government on building an equitable and inclusive B.C. that it is accessible and improves the lives of people living with disabilities.

[11:55 a.m.]

Today, as we provide more programs and supports, doors are opening for a different world. Our government has raised disability rates many times, the latest being the single greatest increase ever. We’ve also raised the amount people can earn without clawbacks. We’ve supported people living with disabilities through the pandemic with income supplements and grant opportunities, work experience programs and adjustments to grants and programs to give flexibility in these uncertain times.

We are dedicated to including people with disabilities in a strong recovery, building a more accessible, inclusive B.C. in child care, affordable housing, school playgrounds, supports for post-secondary education, accessible government services, improvements to transportation and the built environment, communication tools and learning resources, technology, business supports, and so much more.

We can be assured of continuing attention with the member for Chilliwack in the new position of Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility. The Premier and our government continue to take steps to build a more inclusive British Columbia and improve the lives of people living with disabilities. As we move forward, AccessAbility Week has more and more reasons to celebrate together.

R. Leonard moved adjournment of the debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. J. Osborne moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 11:56 p.m.