Third Session, 42nd Parliament (2022)
OFFICIAL REPORT
OF DEBATES
(HANSARD)
Thursday, March 3, 2022
Morning Sitting
Issue No. 163
ISSN 1499-2175
The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.
The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.
CONTENTS
| Routine Business | |
| Orders of the Day | |
Budget Debate (continued) | |
THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022
The House met at 10:04 a.m.
[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]
Routine Business
Prayers and reflections: J. Tegart.
Tributes
FRAN PRINCE
R. Leonard: I’d like to acknowledge the passing of K’ómoks First Nation Elder Fran Prince. She was memorable for her proud presence, representing the K’ómoks people at many events. The tribute paid to her by Hegus Nicole Rempel speaks to the impact she has had on younger generations, and she will be missed not only by the K’ómoks First Nation but by all of us in this province.
Introductions by Members
D. Coulter: I’m really excited today to introduce three of my friends, from the B.C. NDP actually. It’s not often they get to come here and see the result of their work. I know at least one wouldn’t even be able to find this chamber. Anyway, we have the provincial director, Heather Stoutenburg, field director Jordan Reid and the best field organizer I know, Karl Riley. I would really, really like it if we all gave them a warm welcome.
I. Paton: Today in the House we have an elderly gentleman sitting up there that used to be with the B.C. Liberal caucus — actually talked me into running to do this job — and former MLA for Delta North, Mr. Scott Hamilton.
R. Singh: In the House today I have my son, Kautak Singh. He’s in his final year of biomedical engineering at UVic. I think, partly, he chose UVic because he wanted to get away from Surrey, from his mom, but unfortunately, coincidently, the same year I got elected and came to Victoria, and we have been housemates since then. Would you please make Kautak very welcome.
R. Glumac: You’ll remember that yesterday I introduced Tanya and Shane Davis. Tanya — imminent birth. That birth has now happened, just not long after leaving question period. I would like the House to welcome Henry Davis to the world.
S. Furstenau: I’m delighted to introduce three guests who are in the gallery today. Teagan Yakimovich is a grade 8 student at Queen Margaret’s. Gemma Kelly is a grade 8 student at Quamichan middle school. Teagan’s mom, Cynthia Lockery, is also here.
Teagan and Gemma are shadowing me today. They have been friends since grade 3. They’re both interested — and I’m delighted about this — in the humanities, social studies and English. Teagan loves to ride horses. Gemma loves to write stories.
Would the House please make these future leaders most welcome.
B. D’Eith: I wanted to rise today to wish a very happy birthday to someone who is very important to all of us. I would appreciate it if everyone would join me in singing happy birthday for the Speaker of the House — tomorrow.
Some Hon. Members:
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy
birthday, Mr. Speaker,
Happy birthday to you.
Mr. Speaker: Thank you so much, but it’s not today.
Now, I also have a minister of state on the list to make introductions. Should I recognize her?
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: All right. Minister of State for Child Care.
Hon. K. Chen: Mr. Speaker, I’m sorry that I’m unable to be there in person to wish you a happy birthday. I have made a promise not to mention anything about Bollywood or something else that I don’t want to talk about, because I want to be able to continue to wish the Speaker of the House a very happy birthday.
I know everybody knows that you’re very special to the Legislature and very special to our community here in Burnaby as a proud Burnabarian. You are also, probably, the most kindest person that I know, and I am just so grateful. Many of us all feel the same way — that we’re so grateful to be able work with you, to get to know you, to be able to know such a passionate, generous person who is so kind to all of us.
At the same time, I also want to wish happy birthday to another very special person to the Legislature — and also another proud Burnabarian. That is Amber Keane, from the Speaker’s office as well. I want to wish you both happy birthdays. Have a great celebration this week, and I wish you all have a wonderful rest of the week.
T. Shypitka: We have a couple of guests of mine that are in the galley here today. I’d like to welcome them. It’s Cranbrook native Don MacMillan, and beside him is Rob Milroy. Would the House please welcome them to the House.
J. Sims: I want the House to join me in welcoming my cousin Amrik Dhillon. I last saw Amrik Dhillon, before this year, in 1971. When his family immigrated, I was still living in England at that time. His family immigrated to Canada, and he stayed behind in England and lost touch after that. You know, we would talk occasionally on the phone — but really, lost touch.
When he turned up for a six-month visit here to visit his son and his grandchildren, we had a chance to reconnect. I know that he has enjoyed visiting our beautiful British Columbia, and I’ve really enjoyed reliving my childhood of climbing trees, falling off roofs and all that kind of thing. Apparently, I was quite bossy in those days. It’s hard for me to believe. What he does remember is that if anybody had to climb to the top of a tree or to the top of a roof to get to something, they could always count on me to do that.
Anyway, please help me welcome Amrik Dhillon to beautiful British Columbia.
H. Sandhu: My son Avishaan — it’s his birthday on Saturday, March 5. This is my first time wishing, out of my three children. I got the opportunity to wish him a very happy birthday.
So 11½ years ago life changed for me and my daughters, and things didn’t make sense. I thought that was the most devastating time. People told me things happen for a reason, but that thing didn’t make sense. But six years ago, when he was born, things started to make sense. He was destined to be part of our lives, not only mine.
He’s this lovely little gentleman. I’m trying to raise a gentleman who will respect women and respect everybody, and I see that. His sisters adore him. I hope I succeed in my goal.
He is in kindergarten this year, French immersion, so he often likes to show off his language skills to me with a few words he’s learning. The other thing about Avishaan and proud when I do this work. Whenever I leave, he started saying, very early on: “You my life.” He couldn’t say: “You are my life.” So those words, when I go home, I look forward to, and they remind me of the work I am doing.
I hope the House will join me to wish my son Avishaan happy birthday. It’s on March 5, one day after yours. I think he’ll be thrilled watching this.
[Interruption.]
Mr. Speaker: I think we should levy a penalty on the Clerk. [Laughter.]
Introduction and
First Reading of Bills
BILL M201 — BRITISH COLUMBIA
TRANSIT AMENDMENT ACT,
2022
J. Sturdy presented a bill intituled British Columbia Transit Amendment Act, 2022.
J. Sturdy: I’m introducing this bill today for a second time.
Last month’s new census numbers confirmed what we’ve known for years now. The Sea to Sky region is growing rapidly. Between Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton, we added over 8,000 residents to the corridor. These are growth rates of 18, 22 and 32 percent respectively. Things are getting busier in the corridor, and the Sea to Sky Highway is no exception.
B.C. Transit, the local governments and the Squamish and Líl̓wat First Nations recognize this. Since the 2017 generation of the 25-year Sea to Sky Transit Future Plan, the region has, with one voice, been advocating for a commission model for a new regional transit service to meet the demand created by Greyhound’s pullout and further fueled by growth in population and recreation.
The first step in the creation of this service is pretty straightforward. Currently only Sea to Sky’s local government elected officials are eligible to sit on the Sea to Sky Transit Commission. This bill rectifies this issue by amending the B.C. Transit Act to allow representatives of the Squamish and Líl̓wat First Nations to also serve on the commission. This supports the memorandum of understanding between the parties. It speaks to governance, growth and a funding model. I certainly hope the government will finally act to support the region to do what is necessary and what is right.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to remind government that, beyond regional transit, for over a month now, we’ve had no local transit services in the Sea to Sky due to a seemingly intractable labour dispute. It’s hurting kids, families, businesses. It’s driving people into their cars or to put out their thumbs.
I ask the Labour Minister to appoint a mediator. It is past time.
Mr. Speaker: Members, it’s the first reading of the bill.
Motion approved.
J. Sturdy: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.
Bill M201, British Columbia Transit Amendment Act, 2022, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.
Statements
(Standing Order 25B)
WORLD WILDLIFE DAY
T. Shypitka: Today is March 3, World Wildlife Day. World Wildlife Day will be celebrated in 2022 under the theme: “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration.”
The celebrations will seek to draw attention to the conservation status of some of the most critically endangered species of wild flora and fauna and to drive discussions towards imagining and implementing solutions to conserve them. According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species, over 8,400 species of wild fauna and flora are critically endangered, while close to 30,000 more are understood to be endangered or vulnerable.
In B.C., we are home to the most diverse collection of wildlife species in North America. We are slowly losing that distinction as the number of ungulates, deer, moose, elk and sheep are rapidly declining.
I have spoken in this House many times to the concerted effort that needs to take place between all sides to make wildlife a major priority. Ecosystem restoration and habitat loss need to be funded at arm’s length from government. Legislation is a must to prioritize wildlife. As well, data science–driven decision-making, with the aid of local First Nations and stakeholders, will achieve our goals.
Now I have had some preliminary discussions with members on all sides of the House — and a couple of ministers, actually — so I believe we’re underway. But it will take much more than talk, as we’ve heard this theme for over 40 years now.
I want to thank all our stewards and conservationists of the land, be it hunters, trappers, guide outfitters, biologists, ranchers, naturalists — many others that respect our greatest natural resource — and, finally, our First Nations that have been here for time immemorial, who can teach us so much from their traditional use.
Let’s all come together and celebrate today, Wildlife Day 2022.
LEGACY OF WAR AND WORK FOR PEACE
R. Singh: Just this past weekend my husband and I were having a conversation about a historical exhibition he recently experienced and how relevant those images and stories still are today, albeit in a slightly different context. This exhibition, aptly called Broken Promises, is currently installed at Surrey Museum, a display co-created by Nikkei National Museum, Royal British Columbia Museum and the Landscapes of Injustice research collective.
It explores the stories of seven families of Japanese origin that were subjected to internment during World War II — unjustly abducted from the lives that they had built, just like everyone around them. The exhibition is a poignant reminder of what follows wars, displacement of masses of people being just one of them.
It brought me to the realization that our world, unfortunately, has never been without war. Even if geographies and appearances of the people might change like characters, the weight and trauma they carry remain the same. The heaviest burden of each violent conflict, no matter its location, has been borne by the common people of that place, with faces and lives just like us. It is they who are sent to battle, they who suffer from the violence and they who are displaced from their homes.
As we look on today, towards Ukraine, with utmost concern, like we have towards other places experiencing violence, as our hearts again go out to the people, at the images of them being forced to leave their lives and loved ones to seek refuge and safety, and as our prayers again carry a hope for peace, I also feel inspired to see the world come together in joint peaceful action to avert war and calamity.
I, as many have before me, hope for universal and lasting peace.
FRANK DEMARIS
S. Cadieux: Some people really leave a mark on this earth. Today I’d like to recognize an individual whose volunteer and community spirit will be forever remembered in his community — my community of Surrey — but also in the memories of softball teams around the world.
Frank Demaris joined the Canada Cup organization in 1994 because he believed in community and wanted to volunteer to contribute. His impact was immense. At the age of 84, Frank headed transportation and logistics for the Surrey 2016 WBSC Women’s World Softball Championships, successfully greeting and transporting 2,500 international guests as a part of the largest multi-sport team world championships in Canadian history.
Our former colleague from South Surrey–White Rock, Gordie Hogg, knew Frank well. In his words:
“Frank had the patience of Job. He was a super fan and volunteer extraordinaire. He dealt with everyone in a kindly and respectful manner. He exemplified the best values of Canada to players and to visitors. A truly compassionate ambassador for our community and our country. As a host family for Canada Cup, we often held barbecues for the team that we hosted, and Frank usually transported the team to our house and joined in. Always positive and congenial, Frank was a prince of a man.”
Thankfully, following a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the Canada Cup Women’s International Softball Championship will proceed again this year, June 17 to 26. The tournament, now in its 25th year, showcases some of the top female athletes across Canada and the world, as well as more than 1,500 elite athletes at the national and club levels.
In honouring Frank, the Canada Cup has partnered with B.C. Amateur Sport Fund in the creation of the Frank Demaris Volunteer Spirit Award and will be honouring Frank this year at the tournament. It’s a fitting tribute for a community hero.
VMF WINTER ARTS FESTIVAL
IN
VANCOUVER
B. Bailey: What do you think of when you think of downtown Vancouver in February? The grey of February in the city can get us down at the best of times, never mind in the midst of a long and difficult pandemic. But as we know, Vancouver is one of the most digitally creative cities in the world. We’re brimming with creators working in video games, animation, visual effects, AR, VR, MR and the metaverse.
How wonderful that these digital creators recently transformed the downtown core into a vibrant, edgy, immersive experience. The VMF Winter Arts Festival was launched in 2021 at the height of the pandemic.
This annual event is Canada’s first-ever augmented reality festival and ran this year from February 11 to 27. It included 11 interactive augmented reality art and light installations by local and international artists. These installations were activated in public plazas all across downtown Vancouver.
Illumination displays included Blanketing The City: Lighting The Way, a public art series and reconciliation process designed by acclaimed Musqueam weaver and graphic designer Debra Sparrow.
This project lit up iconic landmarks like Science World and B.C. Place and others across the city with large-scale lighting displays, featuring transformed Coast Salish weaving patterns, colours and stories. It also included a free all-ages outdoor winter arts hub to enjoy art, drink, food and live performances as well as an online free talk series presented by Electronic Arts at the Vancouver Art Gallery, including the topic of “How Can Digital Spaces Increase Empathy?” and so much more.
Congratulations to the downtown improvement association and all the VMF Winter Arts festival artists, organizers and participants. Beautifully done. I’m quite surprised to admit that I’m actually looking forward to next February.
AGRICULTURE AND CLIMATE CHANGE
S. Furstenau: Cammy Lockwood is a constituent and friend of mine from the Cowichan Valley. She owns Lockwood Farms, a family-run business growing local produce and eco eggs. Cammy has written this statement, and I read these words on her behalf:
“I do not need to recap for you all that B.C. farmers have suffered in 2021. We have moved from crisis to crisis. I wake up tense about what the next day will bring, what crisis I need to deal with next. Our best-laid plans have been upended continuously.
“Mental health in farmers has long been a concern. The truth is that no amount of counselling, no pills, no healthy coping strategies are able to adequately address the very real problems that we face daily and that are beyond our realm of control.
“I share this with people, and they look at me with compassion. ‘It must be so hard when your livelihood is so dependent on the weather,’ they say. Yes, it is, but let’s not forget it’s your food.
“As farmers, we are on the front lines of the climate crisis, and our front lines are breaking. I’m calling on you, on all of you here, to allow the weight of my words to sink in, to understand how fragile our food systems are and how much they have been stretched and tested.
“We cannot continue to still favour corporations that rely on extraction from our incredible province. What use are jobs if there is no food to buy, no home to live in? I’m calling on this government to do more for farmers and our food systems for everyone’s sake. I’m calling on B.C. to be a global leader. I’m calling on this government to contribute to our natural world instead of taking from it.
“You have the opportunity to be climate leaders. Please take it.”
RECREATIONAL SPORTS
AND COVID-19
RESPONSE
J. Sims: The lifting of the restrictions means that families, coaches and athletes can meet and play at one of their happiest spots, be that the rink, a turf or a gym. Like every other aspect of our lives, this pandemic interrupted recreational sports. Clubs, associations and gym owners had to adapt to closures and evolving provincial health orders. Gyms like Dreams and Splitz managed to engage their gymnasts and keep them involved and active until they could return to the gyms to train.
Guildford Athletic, B.C. Tigers, Surrey United and countless other soccer clubs around the province spent months running drills, practising kicks and passes. Surrey Minor Hockey and other clubs focused their energies on skill development and endurance training. Athlete and DRIVE basketball clubs had their players practising shots and dribbling. Teams then moved from practices and drills to games within their league, with no spectators and no travelling.
Today teams are wrapping up their seasons and playing their playoff games. Basketball, soccer, baseball and hockey are holding tryouts for upcoming seasons and team placement. Year-end banquets can be held in person.
COVID has been challenging to sports. Today I would like to thank all the coaches who were able to keep the athletes engaged and active and who somehow made the activity fun, regardless of the restrictions.
Thank you to parents for supporting the gyms and the clubs through their closures. Thank you to parents for supporting our young athletes, getting them to practices and games at all hours, when you had to be a cheerleader from a distance and couldn’t watch in person.
We know, Mr. Speaker, that sports is much more than the game. Sports and the lack thereof during the COVID time had a huge impact on our kids, so let’s all of us in this House thank all those who keep our kids active and healthy.
Oral Questions
COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES
K. Kirkpatrick: British Columbians have done and are doing their part to fight COVID-19. They have overwhelmingly got vaccinated and boosted, and now they want government to do their part too.
People are asking for clarity in how British Columbia is moving forwards to an endemic approach to managing COVID-19. But so far, we are yet to see clear, specific metrics, targets or timelines for lifting the remaining restrictions.
The question to the Premier is: can he tell us the specific metrics for lifting the remaining COVID-19 restrictions?
Hon. A. Dix: With respect to the specific restrictions put in place to deal with the omicron variant of concern, when those were extended in the early part of January, Dr. Henry was specific as to when they would be reviewed. She repeated that statement on a number of occasions in between time, as did I. On the day where we said we would respond, we did, and changes were made to ease restrictions.
When that announcement was made, specific dates were given, as well, as to when the remaining restrictions would be considered. We’re following that schedule precisely. We’re continuing to follow the advice of public health.
I think it’s that clarity that has allowed us to keep schools open, where other jurisdictions have not, and, I think, to work very closely…. I’m very proud of the work that public health has done with the business community, with the labour community, with the non-profit community, with those who work with people with developmental disabilities, with school communities and with many others about COVID restrictions and their impact.
We’ve been clear, precise to the day, and we will continue to be.
Mr. Speaker: Member for West Vancouver–Capilano, supplemental.
K. Kirkpatrick: British Columbians are left wondering what “reviewed” means. They’re wondering what “being considered” means. So B.C. is an outlier when it comes to a clear and transparent, specific plan for lifting COVID-19 restrictions.
British Columbians have followed the rules to fight this virus, so it’s only fair to ask for clear, specific metrics when it comes to lifting restrictions. In fact, just last year, the B.C. restart plan had targets for hospitalizations, case counts and vaccination rates. It makes no sense that we don’t have that same level of transparency today. Surely there are specific indicators that will be used to make these decisions.
Again to the Premier, what specifically are the clear, scientific metrics for how the remaining COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted?
Hon. A. Dix: Every day we provide specific metrics on how COVID-19 is going in British Columbia. The member will know that yesterday we saw two things. We saw the number of people in hospital…. I think it was 516 yesterday, and that is less than half than it was at the height of the omicron variant of concern pandemic, which was 1,058. However, it’s also higher than it was at any time in the pandemic prior to December 1.
This is continuing to be a situation that’s particularly challenging for health care workers everywhere in B.C. It’s why we’ve taken a balanced approach, as we have from the beginning. Other jurisdictions have moved their restrictions up and down more quickly. Clearly, and it’s true, other jurisdictions have relied less clearly on public health than we have. But the situation continues to be a serious one, and it’s why a balanced approach is required.
It’s why, on the day that Dr. Henry said she would address the lifting of restrictions, she did. She gave four weeks notice of that. Repeatedly updated it. Gave a clear plan with clear metrics as to why that was happening. Laid it out remarkably, including yesterday.
She also, at that time, gave specific dates. I don’t know how you can be more specific than giving specific dates…
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Members.
Hon. A. Dix: …as to where the existing restrictions would be reconsidered.
The information is clear. The evidence is clear. The challenge continues, and the balanced approach remains. I don’t know of any jurisdiction in North America that can be prouder of public health than British Columbia.
S. Bond: What we are proud of is the fact that British Columbians…. For more than two years, the vast majority of them — I know the minister knows this too — have done absolutely everything that they have been asked to do and more. We’re proud of them.
While we certainly appreciate the fact that the government has laid out a time frame for the next update, what is missing in terms of the directions that have been provided for British Columbians is: what will it take to specifically trigger the lifting of the restrictions that remain in place?
The last restart plan had very specific targets for case counts, hospitalizations, the number of vaccinations. We don’t have that now. We have a date on the calendar where British Columbians have been told that the restrictions will be reviewed. I think the minister would understand that there is uncertainty. There is anxiety.
People want to know what specifically will trigger the lifting of the remaining restrictions in British Columbia — what specific measures. Could the minister provide those today?
Hon. A. Dix: The member knows, as I’ve just described it, that the situation in British Columbia with respect to hospitalizations continues to be challenging. Last week, about 13,500 health care workers were off sick. Not all with COVID-19 — there are a lot of health care workers in the system — but that’s significantly more than is usually the case.
What goes into the consideration? Modelling — that has been routinely provided to the opposition and to the people of B.C. by Dr. Henry and public health. Hospitalizations. Test positivity, which is more important right now than case counts specifically, because of the nature of the omicron variant of concern, something that Dr. Henry has described at great length. The number of people in critical care. Vaccination rates. All of these go into the consideration by public health in making the decisions.
Those are reviewed, and our progress is reviewed, every day, not just by Dr. Henry and her team but by the people of B.C., who see the results both in the number of people in B.C. who are still struggling and will continue to struggle with COVID-19 for some time and the impact of measures on communities. So we review these things consistently. Dr. Henry reviews these things consistently. She’s provided a date in which the next consideration will occur.
You know, it could be — and some people have called for this — that we would have Premiers make these decisions on behalf of Dr. Henry, but that’s not been our approach in B.C. on public health measures, which are the proper jurisdiction of the provincial health officer. We’ve communicated regularly and consistently, and I think it’s been a mutually successful situation.
The people of B.C. have responded with more adherence to public health measures than anywhere else in B.C. That’s in part because Dr. Henry and her team have been so open and, I think, thoughtful in their communications on those very issues. That approach will continue.
The members can expect to hear, on specific dates, the next steps in the COVID-19 pandemic. As you know, there are two major measures still in place: the B.C. vaccine card and mask mandates in indoor public spaces across B.C. Those will be considered in the context of the evidence, as we have done from the beginning of the pandemic.
Mr. Speaker: Leader of the Official Opposition, supplemental.
S. Bond: I think what the minister…. The point the minister is missing is that, as British Columbians have continued day after day, month after month, to do the right thing, as they sit in British Columbia today, what they hear from this government is: here’s the next date that we’ll let you know. We are far past the time where that is good enough.
As British Columbians sit and watch other jurisdictions across the country make specific decisions, make that information transparent…. They make it clear when and what will happen in their province. Let’s just look at what’s happened in other jurisdictions that have outlined….
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Members. Members, please. Let’s hear the question, Members.
Please continue.
S. Bond: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The members opposite may want to dismiss what are legitimate questions about the rollout of the next phase of lifting restrictions. British Columbians don’t think it’s quite as funny as people on the other side of the House do.
These are legitimate and important questions. They are about: what metrics will it take to actually trigger the lifting of the final restrictions? The minister can make statements about whether the Premier is making decisions. Those are not words that I said today. What I am asking, on behalf of the people of British Columbia, is: what specific measures, targets, metrics will lead to the lifting of the restrictions?
Mask mandates and vaccine cards have been removed in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Quebec, Manitoba and maritime provinces have clear timelines. They have timelines in place specifically about when those mandates will be lifted. Ontario has dropped their vaccine passport. Every province but B.C. has announced that they are completely ending the use of the vaccine passport.
We’re simply asking what I think is an important question in this Legislature. What will it take to lift the remaining restrictions in British Columbia so that parents can plan, businesses can plan, so that, in fact, we can have certainty as we move ahead in British Columbia?
Hon. A. Dix: I think the Leader of the Opposition knows that I’m always ready to discuss with anybody at any time and answer questions at any time. I don’t consider any question to be illegitimate, of any kind, about the COVID-19 pandemic. This is something we’re all living through together.
That’s why, during the period of the omicron variant of concern, we took specific measures to keep people safe in B.C. We went up to 1,058 hospitalizations. We’re now down at 516. Yesterday there were 9,350 people in acute care hospitals. That’s more than our base bed capacity, but significantly less than our base in surge bed capacities. But it’s a significant issue. There are 432 people in critical care.
These are the measures that we look at every day. The trajectory is in the right direction. But again, it is assessing that information against the reality of COVID-19 and its impact on people that we have to do every day. That’s what public health is doing.
The next they will be…. We made this clear last week. At our next week’s press availability, media availability, which the public sees in B.C, we’ve made it clear we’ll have more information about the two significant remaining measures.
What do we need? We need people to continue to do what they have been doing, which is overwhelmingly following the mask mandate, overwhelmingly getting vaccinated, overwhelmingly using their B.C. vaccine card to continue to drive down those rates. Even though 516 is less than 1,058, it’s still 516 people. And even though 73 people are in critical care, surely we all agree that’s 73 people too many with COVID-19.
We continue to have to take the steps necessary. We’ve laid out a specific time frame. It’s hospitalization, it’s cases, it’s test positivity, and it’s the impact of the omicron variant of concern on people that are the main considerations.
DRUG USE DEATHS
AND ACCESS TO SAFE
SUPPLY
S. Furstenau: This is a quote from a CBC article from February 27.
“Advocates say the lack of progress on a safe supply of drugs in B.C., and a fixation on treating addiction instead, is in keeping with the B.C. NDP’s approach since they came into power in 2017 and hindering any efforts to stop the deaths. This province makes no mention of safe supply in its 2022-23 budget, focusing only on the ruling NDP’s expansion of addiction treatment in response to the toxic drug crisis that claimed thousands of lives last year.”
Every day seven British Columbians are poisoned by toxic drugs. If every person with substance use disorder was to recover in British Columbia, our toxic drug market would still kill people, because not all people who use drugs are addicted. In fact, the chief coroner made it very clear that the majority of people dying from drugs are not frequent drug users and do not have a substance use disorder.
This is fundamentally not about addiction, but this government refuses to recognize the reality that in this province, more than 100,000 people use drugs and are at risk of dying from a poisoned supply. This is a health emergency, not an overdose crisis.
Because it is a health emergency, to the Minister of Health, how does the Minister of Health intend to separate those who use drugs from the toxic supply, without any additional funding in Budget 2022 to achieve this?
Hon. S. Malcolmson: I am honoured to be the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, with the assigned responsibility for overdose response and building a system of mental health and addictions care that did not exist in 2017, when we took government. I give thanks every day for the health care system and the health authorities that are fighting two public health emergencies while building that system of care simultaneously.
The budget commitment in last year’s budget, over the three-year fiscal plan, dedicates over half a billion dollars to building up that mental health and addiction system of care, with $22.6 million dedicated specifically to prescribed safe supply — prescribed safe supply being the bandwidth that the provincial government has within a federal system. That is our mechanism to deliver prescribed safe supply, to separate people from the toxic drug supply with the use of prescribers. We are grateful to health authorities, to the federal safer programs and to prescribers, nurse prescribers and doctors, who are separating people from the toxic drug supply.
This was mentioned in the Finance Minister’s speech. It was echoed in our budget. But because long-term planning is needed, it was in last year’s budget. We are spending at an unprecedented level on treatment and recovery, on fighting stigma through our decriminalization application and our work with the construction industry and other partners to beat back stigma, to do drug testing, treatment recovery, supervised consumption sites and prescribed safe supply. There is more to do, and we’re determined to do it.
Mr. Speaker: Leader of the Third Party, supplemental.
S. Furstenau: I think this reinforces exactly what was pointed out by advocates, which has been pointed out by experts, which has been pointed out by health professionals: that we are treating this like an addictions crisis.
It’s not an addictions crisis. It is a toxic supply crisis. If one in ten bottles of wine were killing people in this province, we wouldn’t have a minister stand up and say: “We’re going to build a system of care.” We would have a government respond to the fact that people are dying from a poisonous supply.
This government applauds itself for introducing safer prescribed alternatives to the toxic drug market. So 100 percent of the 12,000 people given prescribed safe supply in 2021 and 2020 were given withdrawal management substances, not true safe supply. It doesn’t mention the tens of thousands more people who don’t have a prescription of safe supply and will never get one.
It’s hard for me to understand the acceptance of seven people dying every day and not thinking: “Uh-oh, what we’re doing right now isn’t working, because things are getting worse.” More people are dying. Not people with substance use disorders, not people with addictions — people who use once in a while. This government tells you its priorities by where it spends its money, and this government is not spending money to stop these preventable deaths.
My question is to the Premier. Why does this government lack the political will to implement true harm reduction solutions that will actually prevent the deaths of seven people every day?
Hon. S. Malcolmson: Not a single death is acceptable in this province, and never has there been so much spent on mental health and addictions — $2.8 billion a year now, under this government.
There are a multitude of reasons where people fall into addiction or into drug use. So we are addressing…. We are hitting that crisis with everything — with better pain management, with better occupational safety, with anti-stigma campaigns carried out with the construction industry, with sports organizations like the B.C. Lions and B.C.’s Canucks.
We’re applying for decriminalization to more clearly assert that drug use is a health care problem, not a criminal justice problem. We are doubling youth treatment beds. We are adding hundreds of treatment beds every year. And because it is the power that a province has within a federal framework, we are offering prescribed safe supply, the only province in Canada that does so.
I am very encouraged that I now have a federal counterpart. The federal government has mirrored British Columbia’s adoption of having the first-in-Canada Minister of Mental Health and Addictions with a federal counterpart in Minister Carolyn Bennett. There may well be conversations about how to expand safe supply, within the federal framework.
These are the powers that we have. British Columbia is hitting this with every tool we have. Before the pandemic, the number of deaths did drop, and then the toxicity of drugs has spiked in a heartbreaking and life-threatening way. We’re determined to keep doing more and to bring the terrible death toll down again.
REPLACEMENT OF
B.C. BID PROCUREMENT
SYSTEM
B. Banman: In 2017, this NDP government announced that a new B.C. Bid website would be “up and running in 2019.” Next, the Minister of Citizens’ Services said: “We expect the new B.C. Bid to be ready in 2020.” Last year the minister claimed it was on budget and would be operating by the end of 2021.
None of these comments from the minister turned out to be true. The NDP and the minister have completely bungled this project from day one.
My question to the minister is: when will the project be done, and how much more will this NDP bungling end up costing the B.C. taxpayers?
Hon. L. Beare: I’d like to let all the members of the House know that the current B.C. Bid site is actually more than 25 years old. It no longer meets the needs of people and the businesses that do use it.
Our government is doing what the members opposite failed to do. That is to fix the system. We need a system that’s faster, more reliable and will provide more openness and transparency on opportunities to work with government. We’re now testing the application. We’re preparing buyers and suppliers for registration and on-boarding. We’re training government buyers on using the new tool, and we’ll be hosting information sessions for broader public sector users and suppliers to ensure that they become familiar with the new application on launch.
We’re doing the work, hon. Member. There are almost $7 billion worth of opportunities available annually through B.C. Bid, and this new site will give people and businesses the opportunity to work with government who haven’t had the chance before.
Mr. Speaker: Member for Abbotsford South, supplemental.
B. Banman: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. You know, the sad fact is that British Columbians just don’t believe this minister anymore. Everyone knows she has trouble with the truth.
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Member. The member will withdraw that comment.
B. Banman: I withdraw the comment, Mr. Speaker.
Now, whether it’s on fees for freedom of information or on a project that she’s completely bungled, on March 23, 2020, recommendations were prepared for the minister for a complete project reset, with delayed timelines, reduced scope and a changed budget.
The minister, respectfully, had to be aware of the serious problems, but when asked by the opposition — myself — last spring, she completely dismissed the concerns and claimed nothing had changed from the original budget. FOI documents released to a reporter show not one, not two, but 34 change requests were made on the project, which have added more than $2½ million in costs to the B.C. taxpayers.
The question is: why was this minister pretending the project was on time and on budget when it wasn’t even remotely true?
Hon. L. Beare: I think it’s truly unfortunate that the members opposite take great pains to attack my character here in this House, but I truly believe it speaks more to them than it does to me.
I do find these questions really interesting, because when the members opposite were government, they did absolutely nothing to improve a 25-year-old system that was falling apart.
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Member. Member for Abbotsford West.
Members. Members, be careful with your language.
Minister will continue.
Hon. L. Beare: Thank you. It is because of a lack of planning by the previous government that we are here today, and our government is doing the hard work to actually fix the system. This is a huge, large, complex system that…. The work has taken longer than expected, of course. We were affected by the impacts brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and other factors associated with the complicated technical redevelopment of a 25-year-old legacy program that was falling apart.
The new B.C. Bid is being worked on now. As I’ve said in my previous answer, we’re actually out testing it right now with users, so that we can provide a better service for British Columbians. We’re creating a more open and transparent B.C. Bid that will allow people to share in the $7 billion in procurement we do every year.
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Members. Answer is over. Question time.
M. de Jong: The minister wonders why we are doubtful about the accuracy of what she advises this House. Her own documents, obtained by FOI, confirm that the work on this project was initiated in 2015, and she deliberately tries to suggest to the House that that is not so. That is unacceptable. The problem is that it is once again very difficult to reconcile what the minister is saying with the truth, as revealed in her own documents. That is the challenge.
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Members. Members, please.
Member, please continue.
M. de Jong: It’s a recurring pattern from this minister. I’m sorry to have to say that. If there were a Nobel Prize for secrecy and misinformation, she’d be in Oslo today.
The government that claimed they were going to be the most open in all of Canada is about as transparent as my bathroom window.
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Members, order.
Continue.
M. de Jong: Page after page after page of documents obtained by FOI confirm that this project is years behind schedule, significantly over budget and continues to be plagued by problems. The minister has tried deliberately to conceal that fact from this House for the past three years.
Why has she done that, and why won’t she be honest about the state of the project?
Mr. Speaker: Members, before I recognize the minister, an oral question has been asked, so please be quiet. Let’s hear the answer.
Minister of Citizens’ Services.
Hon. L. Beare: Well, if there was an Oscar for little theatre, the member for Abbotsford West would certainly win that.
I don’t know what the members don’t understand about fixing a 25-year-old legacy system that was left falling apart.
We are doing the hard work. We are testing the application with buyers. We’re preparing suppliers. We’re onboarding as we speak. We’re training government buyers.
We were delayed due to COVID-19, and actually fixing a 25-year-old legacy system. We’re doing the hard work that those members didn’t.
[End of question period.]
I. Paton: I rise this morning to present a petition from the farmers of Hatzic Prairie, B.C.
Mr. Speaker: Proceed.
Petitions
I. Paton: I rise today to present a petition on behalf of the farmers in the Hatzic area of British Columbia.
They are requesting that provincial and local governments work together to address the long-standing issues concerning drainage, removing vegetation and opening beaver dams that obstruct waterways and for years now have been causing flood damage to these surrounding farms.
Orders of the Day
Hon. M. Farnworth: I call continued debate on the budget.
Budget Debate
(continued)
J. Rice: I rise today to speak to Budget 2022. I realize that I am one of the last speakers on the list to address the budget, and I will only generally say that I think there are a lot of positive decisions that have been made in this budget that will serve British Columbians and also people within my riding, within North Coast, particularly around increased funding to support rural connectivity, which is critical to having the members of North Coast contribute and participate in the 21st century.
We’ll also have seen some positive decisions made around improving health services, addressing the rural recruitment and retention issues and making spaces available for training new nurses, LPNs and nurse practitioners.
[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]
I thought I would take my time today to really just focus on some of the major decisions and announcements that we’ve made in regards to my portfolio as the Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness. So I will take my time to focus on those highlights.
As we know, climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity and duration of disasters. The events we experienced this past year from a heat dome and wildfires to flooding and mudslides have highlighted the need to support communities with disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation. Budget 2022 includes $2.1 billion to support the recovery of communities as we build back better from recent disasters and to strengthen our defences to make sure people and communities across B.C. are protected from future disasters.
To do this, $1.5 billion in new funding will be invested over the next three years to support the province’s ongoing response and recovery efforts, including rebuilding more resilient infrastructure. This includes contingencies over the next three years to support those people, businesses and communities that have been impacted due to recent disasters.
Budget 2022 invests $110 million over three years for the community emergency preparedness fund, which is administered by the Union of B.C. Municipalities, or UBCM. This is a historic investment into this fund that will support local governments and First Nations with their community-led disaster risk-reduction initiatives: things such as evacuation route planning, structural flood mitigation, volunteer fire department equipment and training, Indigenous cultural safety training, flood risk assessments, and emergency operation centre training and supports.
Through emergency management B.C., we’ve made investments to expand our public alerting system and emergency surge capacity to support people when it matters most. We are strengthening our ability to protect public safety and transforming emergency management B.C., adding more staff to improve capacity to support communities, with a strong focus on the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery for wildfires, floods and all other hazards.
First Nations will benefit from the community emergency preparedness fund investments. As well, an additional $10 million is allocated to begin to address the needs of Indigenous communities. That means that in total, $120 million is being allocated to support both First Nations and local governments in realizing their emergency preparedness goals.
In regards to the B.C. Wildfire Service in Budget 2022, we have allocated $194 million to the B.C. Wildfire Service — an increase of $58 million over last year, and over three times as much as the 2018 firefighting allocation. We’re moving the B.C. Wildfire Service to a year-round workforce, so these professionals can support British Columbians in their wildfire preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. This model will also allow the B.C. Wildfire Service to flexibly support its partners in response to other emergencies, such as flooding and landslides.
Investment in a year-round model will mean more training and staff development, with a focus on continuous service improvement. The B.C. Wildfire Service is committed to educating individuals and communities about wildfire risk and the actions they can take to protect themselves. An additional $98 million over the fiscal plan will fund wildfire prevention work and maintain crucial forest service roads used to respond to forest fires.
Wildfire risk reduction is a shared responsibility. Budget 2022 includes $90 million in 2021 and 2022 to help more communities participate in programs like FireSmart. FireSmart provides homeowners and communities with information and tools to take direct action and protect their homes, their neighbourhoods and their communities from the impact of wildfire.
Mitigating wildfire risk is a shared responsibility. Individual British Columbians can play a critical role in mitigating wildfire risks around their homes and properties by undertaking FireSmart initiatives. Given the effects of climate change and the number of homes being developed in forested areas, B.C. residents need to participate in proven FireSmart activities to help protect their homes and neighbourhoods from wildfires.
The FireSmart program was developed to help people reduce the risk of personal property damage due to wildfires. FireSmart is the Canadian standard recognized by all provinces and territories. It is based on National Fire Protection Association standards that have evolved over the last 40 years.
FireSmart is backed by a vast amount of field, laboratory and modelling research. The methods have proven to reduce the risk of losses, even under the most extreme fire conditions.
Local governments also have a role to play, by implementing FireSmart-related bylaws or new developments in the wildland-urban interface. This has already been done in some B.C. communities. FireSmart principles can also be used in the design of new communities, by incorporating more green space between houses and surrounding areas to create firebreaks.
The river forecast centre does excellent work with their team of world-class experts in hydrology and forecasting and has developed innovative tools and models to support accurate and timely forecasting. To make sure that people and communities continue to receive timely and accurate information in the face of changing flood risk, the province is expanding the river forecast centre and floodplain mapping program.
This is part of the $210 million set to support community climate change preparedness and emergency management, which includes supports for communities and First Nations to build more resilient dikes, floodplain mapping and other risk reduction activities.
In summary, Budget 2022 protects people and communities from climate-related disasters, with a total investment of over $2.1 billion from 2021 through the end of this fiscal plan. We’re working to help people on the ground recover, and we’re helping communities rebuild stronger so that they’re better prepared in the future.
T. Stone: I appreciate taking my place in the debate on the budget that was presented by the government in recent days.
I want to start off the front end of my remarks by just underscoring the fact that I think every member of this House, every British Columbian, continues to be horrified by what’s happening in Ukraine. Sometimes the debates in this place, the back-and-forth in question period and so forth, might feel like the most important thing in the moment. But for context and for some perspective, when you turn on the television and you take a look at what’s happening, the tragedy that’s unfolding in Ukraine, it’s a very, very humbling perspective.
I was honoured to rise in this House recently to provide a statement on behalf of the official opposition, a statement of solidarity for the Ukrainian people. Certainly my prayers and, I know, the prayers of everyone in this House continue to be with all of the people of Ukraine who are in the middle of this conflict and on the receiving end of the Russian aggression.
With respect to the budget that is in front of us, I think this budget is best characterized as a budget that’s disappointing and that really fails to deliver on the major issues that are facing British Columbians today. You know, these are uncertain times with respect to just coming out of the pandemic. There’s lots of job dislocation and lots of businesses that are still hanging by a thread and struggling. There’s obviously the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as I just mentioned, from an international perspective. Inflationary pressures. It’s a challenging time. It’s uncertain for all of us.
British Columbians, I think, against that backdrop, are looking for the government to just come forward with a plan to tackle these big issues — to tackle these issues that we’re facing not just today and in the months ahead but, indeed, the years ahead, as we’re seeing significant changes and almost a realignment of so much from a global perspective, whether it’s supply chains and the potential for additional waves of the COVID-19 virus and so forth.
The budget really fails to address the affordability challenges that are faced by so many British Columbians today, whether that’s with respect to housing or rents or groceries or gas prices. The budget fails to deliver in a tangible way, from a results perspective, on commitments that the government has made around affordable, accessible child care.
The government is failing in this budget with respect to addressing the mental health and addictions crisis. Communities in downtowns in every corner of this province are in the midst of significant social strife that has, at the centre of it, a tremendous and growing number of vulnerable populations that are simply not getting the supports that they need. It is creating all kinds of challenges in our communities.
When you talk to people who live in these neighbourhoods; when you talk to small businesses that operate in the neighbourhoods; when you talk to the social service agencies that are there on the front lines to support and serve these vulnerable populations; when you talk to law enforcement, not enough is being done to address these challenges.
There’s no private sector jobs plan in this budget. There wasn’t in the economic plan that preceded this budget by about a week, and there certainly wasn’t in the throne speech that preceded that.
There is a growing range of significant challenges in health care. Again, no community, no region of this province is spared.
Yet the NDP government had made very clear commitments on all of the above, not just in the most recent election, in 2020, but in the election before that, in 2017. We’ve been through two elections in nearing five years of this NDP government. Very little progress made on these critical commitments that were made and these challenges that British Columbians are facing.
From an affordability perspective, it is actually breathtaking, to an extent, that against the backdrop of the most significant affordability challenges that British Columbians have faced in literally decades, the government would seemingly think this is a good time to actually increase some taxes and impose some new taxes. In the areas that the government chose to do so, areas that will only serve to impact, overwhelmingly, lower- and middle-income British Columbians, it is bizarre political choices that the government has made.
A new tax on online marketplace transactions. What is an online marketplace? Well, it’s a service like Facebook, when Facebook completes the implementation of their e-commerce capability that will enable the exchange of funds.
A struggling family decides to go to Facebook online and purchase a new parka for their child or decides to go on to Facebook to sell some surplus skis or sports equipment to raise a few extra bucks to maybe buy a few more groceries. It’s odd that this government would choose that as an area to target for adding additional tax onto the backs of, again, the lower- and middle-income British Columbians that would be predominantly impacted by that.
The fact that the government has made a choice in this budget to increase taxes on used-car sales…. Are you kidding me? The new rules in this budget provide for an increase in the PST on used-car transactions. The way the government is going to generate more tax revenue is they’re going to apply the tax on the greater value between the actual sales price and the average sales price.
Again, if British Columbians go out there, as they do to this day, and are fortunate to negotiate a really good deal on that used car, that used pickup truck, the government is saying, “I don’t trust you on the price that you’re disclosing. I don’t trust that what you’ve paid is what you should have paid” — because we have a Black Book or a Blue Book or whatever the benchmark on fair market value is that the government is going use. Government is saying: “We’re going to use that as the value with which the tax will be calculated.”
We ran some rough scenarios and looked at a 2015 minivan that was actually for sale online in Surrey. Based on the value of that — if the van actually sells for what it’s posted as — it’s quite a bit less than what the fair market value of the Black Book suggests, meaning if that transaction went ahead, that individual, that British Columbian, is going to pay a couple of hundred dollars more for that used minivan.
We’re not talking about luxury cars here. We’re not talking about brand-new cars here. We’re talking about used vehicles that struggling British Columbia families, against this backdrop of affordability, look to, to stretch their dollars as far as they possibly can. This government has decided to tax at that higher value.
The budget book suggests that this tax will result in about $30 million of additional tax revenue for government — again, during an affordability crisis. It would be bad enough in normal times, if we weren’t in this crisis, but they’re doing it in the middle of a time when people are having such difficulty making ends meet.
To hear members opposite explain this tax or try and play it down as closing a loophole or that, essentially, government doesn’t trust that British Columbians are telling the truth when it comes to the values that are being disclosed….
I mean, the comments that the member for Vancouver–False Creek made in this House the other day are just absolutely absurd, suggesting that anyone who gets a good deal on a used vehicle and might save a few hundred bucks or a few thousand bucks on that deal…. If they don’t pay that extra tax that the government wants to take from that British Columbian, in some way…. These are the words, again, from the member for Vancouver–False Creek. She said: “Frankly, it’s tax evasion.” She said that the other day.
What planet is that member living on? She’s a very reasonable person. I don’t know her terribly well, but I think it’s astonishing. She repeated what several other members of government said — “It’s tax evasion” — as if to suggest that, in some way, British Columbians are cheating if they go out and get a good deal on a used vehicle. That just doesn’t make sense. It shouldn’t be in this budget. The government shouldn’t be adding that burden onto the shoulders of British Columbians.
The budget provides for increased taxes on the purchase of home heating systems that use natural gas, as an example. Home heating systems using natural gas will have the sales tax that applies to that increase from 7 to 12 percent. This will cost taxpayers an additional $9 million. This will predominantly impact people — British Columbians, families — who live in rural areas of the province. It will predominantly impact people that live in the Interior and the north.
That’s simply because, notwithstanding the government saying that there are incentives in this budget for people to purchase heat pumps, these variable heat pumps don’t work that well in really cold climates, and you end up needing to have either a natural gas backup or you have to have natural gas — period — as your heating source. There are all kinds of communities in this province, particularly in the Interior and the north, where you don’t have access to this technology, and if you did, you can’t afford it.
I don’t know if anyone in government has gone out and looked recently at what a heat pump actually costs. We’re talking thousands of dollars. If you’re privileged, if you have the means, likely you’ve already made the conversion, you’ve already implemented the heat pump, and then this increased tax would not apply because you are using less natural gas, presumably, or no natural gas. But that’s not possible for so many British Columbians. Why would the government think that this makes sense for B.C. families that will be impacted by it?
It continues to be very disappointing that there’s been no reconsideration by this government with respect to going back to a revenue-neutral carbon tax. There was an understanding with British Columbians, who agreed with the former government that brought in the carbon tax — it was our former government — that good tax policy looks at taxing the things that you want less of, and you decrease the taxes on the things you want more of. There was always a corresponding decrease in personal income taxes and small business tax and other taxes, requisite with the carbon tax.
We’re talking about this government making the decision a number of years ago, one of the very first decisions they made when they came into power, to eliminate that revenue-neutrality on the carbon tax. That’s ripped about $1 billion out of the pockets of British Columbians, who haven’t received those requisite tax reductions.
Let’s talk about gasoline for a moment. British Columbians have been advised that folks in the Lower Mainland should expect that the price of gas is going to hit an all-time high of $2 a litre any day now — $2 a litre. And 37 cents of that is tax that is applied at the provincial level. This government decides it’s a good time to increase taxes by another cent a litre. That’s going to take effect on April 1. Instead of just holding back and saying, “You know what? We’re going to hold off on that additional increase in gas taxes,” they decide: “No, we’re going to proceed with it.”
This, again, is against the backdrop of very specific commitments that the Premier has made around utilizing every tool possible. He said: “Everything’s on the table.” He said that on February 25 of this year. Everything is on the table with respect to tackling gasoline prices, to try and drive them down. He said: “We are monitoring gas prices, and we will take steps if necessary…. We have talked about a range of options, and we will look at them should the prices remain high over the next number of weeks.” The Premier said that, actually, on March 21, 2018. That was 204 months ago. There has been no action aside from a website.
British Columbians are struggling under the weight of increased costs pretty much right across the board. Not all British Columbians have the option to jump on a bus or a bike. If you’re a contractor, you’ve got a pickup truck full of equipment, and your worksite is on the other side of the Lower Mainland, for example, you don’t have the luxury. As the Premier said the other day: “If you can’t afford the gas prices, take the bus.” You don’t have that luxury. If you’re a person with a disability, it can be a great challenge — not always, but often it can be.
If you’re a mom trying to get your three kids to dance and soccer and basketball, as is the case in my household with my wife and my three daughters…. It’s not an option for them to take the bus. You’ve got to pay to put more fuel in your vehicle. Like so many other families out there, we’ve tried our best to switch out our vehicles with vehicles that burn less fuel, that are more fuel-efficient, buying used vehicles. We’re going to get taxed more on that. This government said that they were going to focus on gas prices, that they were going to be there for British Columbians.
It’s a joke to point to this transparency act, that we’re now transparent — or that we forced the oil companies to be transparent about what they charge for gasoline or we’ve set up a website. None of that, in practical terms, means anything to British Columbians as they show up and pay a buck-84 or a buck-95 and soon $2 or more.
This government will say: “Oh, don’t you know, MLA, there’s a war going on in Ukraine?” You know what? British Columbia had the highest gas prices and the highest taxes on gas prices anywhere in North America prior to the pandemic, prior to the war in Ukraine. We continue to have the highest prices and the highest taxes on gasoline today. That’s on this government.
Housing. The cost of housing has skyrocketed under this government. There was perhaps no more signature commitment that this government made when they were first elected, when they first formed government in 2017…. They repeated the commitments in 2020. There was probably nothing more prevalent in their campaign than: “We are going to make life more affordable, and it’s going to start with housing. We’re going to make housing more affordable.”
How well is that going? We have the highest housing prices ever. It’s not just in the Lower Mainland anymore, in the capital region here, or in Kelowna; it’s happening in communities all over British Columbia. We know that assessed values have jumped, year over year, by about 20 percent across the entire Lower Mainland, with about a 40 percent increase in Chilliwack, a 39 percent increase in Langley and by 38 percent in Abbotsford.
In my home community of Kamloops, prices have gone up, on average, about 25 percent, year over year. Over the last four years, all while this government has been in power, while the NDP have been in charge, housing prices in Kamloops have gone up about 40 to 50 percent — in the last four to five years. Yet of course, it’s not anything to do with them. It’s nothing to do with government choices. It’s nothing to do with policy levers, taxes or anything that the government chooses to implement or embrace. It’s everyone else’s fault.
They were elected on the promise to make housing more affordable, and that has not happened. It’s not just homeowners. This government just can’t…. They get squeamish when we talk about renters. Like child care, and like so many other supposed domains of the New Democratic Party, we’re not allowed to talk about these things.
Well, you know what? There are a heck of a lot of British Columbians who rent in this province, in every community around the province, and renters have been let down by this government as well. Renters have been let down big-time. Renters are paying almost $3,000 per year more today, under this government, than they were five years ago — almost $3,000 more. Renters in Metro Vancouver, specifically, are paying $2,880 more per year under this government.
Of course, this government promised a renters rebate. Well, they’ve had — this is their sixth budget — six budgets in a row to deliver on that promise. The Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing, the week before the budget came out, in answer to a question in question period in this House, even said, “We’re working on it,” when we asked him: “Where’s the renters rebate?”
It was a pretty fair assumption, I think, to assume that that statement, which was very definitive by the Minister for Housing, meant that good news was coming, that it was going to be in the budget. It wasn’t in the budget, Mr. Speaker.
Let’s talk about road pricing. I think we’re going to be talking about road pricing a heck of a lot more, frankly, in the coming weeks and months. I believe that this government intends on implementing road pricing in the Lower Mainland. This government’s friends…. The mayor of Vancouver wants to do it. TransLink has got staff that they’ve hired and that are working on it.
I just want everyone to understand what this means. This means if you’re a driver — again, as I said earlier, you have no choice — if you live in Langley, you’re a contractor, and your worksite is in Coquitlam, or if you’re that soccer mom, you’ve got to get your three girls to their different activities, and transit is not an option, this government is going to charge you.
They’re going to charge you in some fashion. Whether that’s per kilometre, some kind of mileage-based system…. They’re working on it. Joy MacPhail, a former member of this House, a former minister, has recommended it in various reports. So drivers, beware. Road pricing is coming under the New Democratic Party, under this government.
I’ve talked about gas prices. I’ve talked about housing, renting and renters. I’ve talked about groceries. I’ve talked about these new taxes that the NDP wants to impose. This is against the backdrop of people really struggling with affordability. I know the government doesn’t like to hear it, but 53 percent of British Columbians are within $200 of being insolvent, of not being able to pay their bills — half of British Columbians.
I guess this would be as good a place as any to say, also against this backdrop: it’s just beyond the pale that this government would think that now is a good time — if there ever is a good time — for cabinet and the Premier to give themselves a raise. I know they say it’s not a raise; it’s a holdback. Let’s be very clear about this.
This government is making changes to legislation, as part of this budget, that will have, as an end result, the increase in the Premier’s compensation of about $40,000 over the next four years and of $20,000 over the next four years for each cabinet minister. They can call it whatever they want, but British Columbians would look at that and go: “Hmm, your pay is here. You’re making changes. I don’t really understand the mechanisms of the changes, but after the changes you make, your pay is going to go from here to here. That’s a pay increase.”
It’s absurd, when British Columbians are struggling with every facet of cost in their life, just trying to make ends meet and put food on the table for their kids, that this government is going to whack them over the head when they go to get a good deal on a used car. They’re going to whack them over the head with how they heat their homes. They’re going to whack them over the head when they go to an online marketplace to save a few bucks so they can prioritize their spending and maybe spend more money on food or other priorities.
All the while, they’re going to give themselves a raise. They’re increasing their pay. When our Finance critic highlighted this in his comments, right on the day that the budget was released, oh boy, were there ever shocked looks on the faces of private members in government, who obviously didn’t know that this was there. I sure would love to be a fly on the wall to see how they explain that to their constituents back home — how it makes sense for a $20,000-per-cabinet-minister raise at any point.
The members can chuckle, and many that are in the chamber at the moment spoke to the budget earlier. I’m well aware of the comment from the member for Victoria–Beacon Hill, who just completely downplayed this as: “Nothing to see here.” The Finance Minister had the most ludicrous explanation of this, suggesting that by requiring a holdback on the salaries of cabinet ministers and the Premier if the province is in deficit, it somehow drives austerity, that if we kept that in place….
That accountability mechanism is really all about ensuring that the government is doing everything it can to, yes, meet the needs of British Columbians but also to have some semblance of fiscal sanity to the decisions that are taken. There shouldn’t be accountability? By the way, this mechanism was brought in by the NDP when they were in power in the 1990s, albeit in the dying days of their administration, prior to being reduced to two seats in this chamber. They did bring in the initial provision relating to the cabinet ministers’ and the Premier’s holdbacks.
That was, again, intended to send this clear message to everyone in government, to send a clear message to British Columbians that cabinet and the Premier were going to lead by example when it comes to stretching every taxpayer dollar as far as they possibly can.
Today to suggest, as the Finance Minister did in her comments recently, “Well, there wouldn’t be vaccination clinics. There wouldn’t be critical services if we didn’t do away with this holdback” — sorry, “pay increase for cabinet and the Premier” — is absolutely ridiculous.
There is so much more that could be canvassed in this speech. The fact that there’s no private sector jobs plan, the fact that this government can’t get big things done, especially when it comes to infrastructure investments in the province…. I mean, what has the government got to show for infrastructure in five years in power? What have you got to show? What have you built? It’s been five years, right? Instead, we’ve got a promise to….
Interjections.
T. Stone: Oh, I’ve woken them up.
Instead, we’ve got a promise to replace a four-lane bridge with a four-lane bridge in Surrey that’s $100 million more than it should be because of community benefit agreements, union-only construction. All of the Trans-Canada projects are all projects that were launched by the former government. They’re all massively over budget now. They’re all delayed.
Interjections.
T. Stone: The Labour Minister talks about Surrey. Boy, I wish I had more time. How many portables are still in Surrey? There are more today than there were when you came into power. But give me a break. Give me a break, Minister of Labour.
And the George Massey Tunnel — really? You’ve got a ten-lane tunnel, $500 million of transit. You’ve got all kinds of interchanges and the broad project. It’s $2.6 billion. It’s $900 million under, and you’re going to build a tunnel for double the cost. That’s never, ever going to get built. That’s the NDP — less for more. This budget fails British Columbians.
Deputy Speaker: Recognizing the Minister of Finance to, I believe, close debate.
Hon. S. Robinson: I want to thank everyone for standing up and participating in the budget debate, even the member from Kamloops.
I am, however, saddened to hear that opposition doesn’t support funding for more urgent primary care centres. That’s really disappointing. They don’t think it’s a good idea that government should be spending…. That’s really, really disappointing.
I’m also terribly disappointed that the members opposite don’t support funding for sexual assault centres. It was their government that cut the funding to victims of sexual assault. Well, we’re restoring that funding in this budget. It’s very, very disappointing — certainly as a woman, it’s disappointing, but as a British Columbian it’s disappointing — that the members opposite don’t support funding these critical services for British Columbians.
It’s also disappointing that they don’t support funding a full-time, year-round wildfire service. Did they not pay attention to what was happening in the summer in many of their communities? By not supporting this budget, they’re saying that’s not important. How disappointing that is.
And what about significantly reducing fees for child care? They don’t support that either. You know what? While I have to say I’m disappointed, I’m not surprised, because they never supported that anyway, so why would they change now?
Now, the other thing that they’re not supporting is more complex care housing for those most in need of mental health and substance use supports. I heard the member for Kamloops–South Thompson talk about what’s happening in urban centres. We all see people who are needing more supports than traditionally have been offered. That’s being delivered in this budget, and they’re not supporting it. What does that say about how they care about the urban centres in our province and what they need?
The other thing that we’re doing here in this budget is we’re fighting climate change. It’s disappointing that they don’t support fighting climate change or mitigating against future climate-related disasters, because that’s here in this budget. As well, growing our life sciences industry — they’re not supporting us doing that either. They don’t think that that’s what British Columbians need or want. Or what about more Indigenous Head Start programs? They’re not supporting that either, by not supporting this budget.
It’s a long list, but the last thing I do want to mention is expanding connectivity for rural, remote and Indigenous communities. It’s so disappointing that the members opposite do not think that that’s a good idea for British Columbians.
Now, there are other elements in this budget. I could go through them, but I don’t have as much time as I would like, so I want to just make a couple of other comments. This is a budget that builds a stronger economy, a stronger environment and a stronger society.
We are continuing to protect and support British Columbians through the pandemic. We are continuing to invest in the services that British Columbians rely on. We are preparing and protecting British Columbians from climate-related disasters. We are continuing to fight climate change, and we are investing in a clean and inclusive economy, one that works for everyone here in British Columbia. That is what British Columbians want from their government.
I’m just going to sign off. My colleague from Burnaby North, who chairs the Select Standing Committee on Finance….
[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]
She earlier commented to me today just how much this budget tracks with what she and the committee heard from British Columbians as they toured the province just a few months ago. In her words, she said how proud she is of this budget. You know why? Because, she said, this is what we heard from British Columbians, and this is their budget. With that, I am very proud to table this budget.
I move, seconded by the hon. Premier of British Columbia, that the Speaker do now leave the chair for the House to go into Committee of Supply.
Motion approved on division.
Hon. L. Beare moved adjournment of the House.
Motion approved.
Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1 p.m. today.
The House adjourned at 11:47 a.m.