Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

CHILD CARE PROVIDER
APPRECIATION DAY

D. Routley: I don’t know if I’ve ever been the first one up on Monday morning, but I’m very glad to be. I’m here to celebrate Child Care Month and particularly Child Care Provider Appreciation Day. I’d say that every one of us, as parents — and even those who don’t have children — want kids in this province to be given the best start in life.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

We all have an interest in that happening. Child care helps give children access to quality early learning programs and enables parents to pursue work, education and opportunity. Quality early care and learning programs contribute to children’s healthy development and celebrate and honour children’s identity and language.

For many years in B.C., parents were left with a patchwork system where child care was treated, in fact, as a luxury or an extra. But as we enter the fifth year of our ten-year plan for child care, we’re making significant progress to turn the corner and reverse this, to establish that, indeed, child care is an essential economic infrastructure piece but also a liberating piece that we can invest in — all of us at the same time.

Since launching the plan in 2018, we’ve been working very hard through ChildCareBC to build spaces, lower fees and train quality professionals and to support early childhood educators. Tens of thousands of parents are already saving up to $1,600 per month per child through the affordable child care benefit and the child care fee reduction initiative. And thousands more are paying $10 a day or less in our 6,500 $10-a-day sites.

[10:05 a.m.]

Together with federal investments that have recently been announced, the average care fees for children in this province will be cut by 50 percent from their 2019 levels for families with children under five. That will be happening by the end of this year.

Mr. Speaker, 30,500 new licensed spaces have been created. That, with the help of the federal government, will be doubled by March 2028. We have invested in early childhood educators, knowing that the system needs that support, knowing that the system needs the recognition of the professionalism that it represents.

I want to thank all the B.C. child care professionals who deliver this service and celebrate the work that they do, today and every day, caring for the children of British Columbia. British Columbians are grateful for their hard work, their sacrifice and their dedication, particularly during these past two years, where so much has challenged the delivery of child care services, as all services in this province.

In recognition of this valuable contribution to the fabric of B.C.’s society and economy, we’re investing in providing bursaries. We’ve doubled the number of ECE student spaces at post-secondary schools, and we’ve enhanced wages by $4 per hour, recognizing that we need to increase the benefit to these devoted public servants.

Investing in child care in the early years is good for children, families and communities and, of course, the economy. That’s why we’re building a future where access to affordable child care is a core service that’s available to families where and when they need it. We know there is more work to do, and we’re committed to continuing the progress for B.C. families.

I hope that the member responding will join me in celebrating Child Care Month and celebrating child care providers day. All child care professionals and providers — whether they’re private, public, in-home, non-profit, group, preschool or school age — deserve this recognition and celebration. This will give our children a better start in their young lives and make a better province for all of us.

L. Doerkson: It’s certainly a pleasure to have the opportunity to rise today and continue this discussion about the importance of child care providers and, of course, the vital work that they do every single day.

I want to thank the member opposite, of course, for bringing forward this topic this morning and for his supportive words. Regardless of which side of the House we sit on, we can all agree that having access to high-quality child care is essential, and it’s B.C.’s exceptional child care providers that set such high standards of care.

As the member mentioned, in B.C., May is Child Care Month, and May 19 is Child Care Provider Appreciation Day. It’s time to recognize the hard-working, dedicated individuals who look after our children, providing them with care and safety and education. It’s a service that is absolutely vital to our economy, as the member pointed out. It supports healthy families and communities, and it helps progress gender equality in our society.

Despite all of the advances of the last few decades, it still is women who are most impacted when child care options are limited or unaffordable. When there is greater access to safe, quality and affordable child care, more women, as well as single parents, are given the option to enter the workforce. This gives them the ability to provide for their families and more options for how they would like to shape their future, in addition to strengthening our economy.

In addition to supporting parents, child care also offers quality early care and learning programs for children. Many child care providers help to honour and celebrate children’s cultural identity and language and contribute to healthy development and learning of those in their care. They play pivotal roles in shaping the early development of children, investing in their growth and setting them up for success in the future.

We know that the past few years have been incredibly difficult for so many people and sectors, and that has most definitely been the case for B.C.’s child care providers. The stress, of course, of the pandemic has weighed heavily on providers, many of whom were on the front lines of the pandemic, providing care for the children of many of our essential workers, who still had to go into work every day.

[10:10 a.m.]

They dealt with increased risk and faced the pressure of keeping themselves and their children healthy and safe. They put together COVID-19 safety plans and learned how to pivot at a moment’s notice to ensure that they were always in line with the latest restrictions. And through it all, they continued to provide excellent and much-needed care for the children of British Columbia.

Going forward as a province, we must continue to support our child care providers, including both public and private operators. We must ensure that we’re investing in our workers, providing the resources they need to continue to operate their critical service. We have already highlighted today just how essential child care is for the well-being of our communities and our economy. We must work together to ensure providers are able to keep operating. Critically, we must be working to expand our child care sector.

We know that every single year more children are born, and tens of thousands of people immigrate to British Columbia. It is essential that our child care sector is able to expand to meet this growing need. In so many places in British Columbia, the system is already at capacity, and waiting lists for daycares can be years long. This is especially critical in rural and small communities, where daycare options and access are already very limited.

Government action is needed to make sure that spaces are created to keep up with the demand in our province. There’s nothing more important in our society than caring for and investing in our children.

This Child Care Provider Appreciation Day we recognize the critical role that providers play in our province and in the lives of our children.

To every child care provider, I want to simply say thank you. Thank you for your continued service, for your dedication to a difficult and exhausting job and for always providing a high quality of care, even through the most challenging times.

We are so thankful for you and for all you do for the people of British Columbia.

D. Routley: Thank you to the member for Cariboo-Chilcotin for his wise words and his joining all of us in celebrating this wonderful month of child care and the upcoming child care providers’ day.

I want to also echo his words in thanking all of those providers and celebrate them as an economic engine, adding so much to the economy of this province, freeing up people to participate in the economy. In the spirit of what the member offered, and in the notion of freeing, I’d like to celebrate early childhood educators as, in fact, liberators. If we look to the province of Quebec, they have the highest participation of women in the skilled trades, which has been directly linked back to their investments in child care. As the member indicated, it is primarily women who enjoy this benefit, but it’s also men.

I’d relate my own story as a young parent on opposite shifts from my partner, where we passed our daughter off like a baton in the mornings. I would return from a night shift as she went off to work in the daytime. It was exhausting. We didn’t have this kind of support.

I’ll tell you one story, in fact. I came home, sat down on the couch. My partner went off to work, and I promptly fell asleep, my three-year-old daughter running around the house. I woke up, and she wasn’t there. I panicked. I ran outside. I looked for her. I called her. I ran to the neighbours’ homes, knocked on their doors, told them she was missing. I jumped on my bike and rode around the block calling out her name. I couldn’t find her. It was the most terrifying moment of my life.

I phoned 911. The 911 operator took me through and said: “What happened?” I said: “Well, I came home from work. I was so tired. My partner said she’d….” And I realized that she’d been dropped off.

It was a story that ended innocently, but it was the most terrifying moment of my life. It was an example of a family that was overstressed, without enough support. We had grandparents nearby who helped all they could.

Families are under a huge amount of stress. Not only is this an economic investment, not only is it a liberation, but it helps families be healthy. That’s an important aspect of this.

Visiting parents and seeing the impact that it makes in their lives to have their kids in a $10-a-day program or to have the kinds of subsidies that are being provided is, indeed, life changing for them and their budgets and their lives but also, potentially, for the health and well-being of them, their families, their children.

With that, I’d thank every early childhood educator in this province and celebrate their great contributions to British Columbia.

[10:15 a.m.]

PRICES AND THE PUMPS

T. Shypitka: Today I rise to speak about an issue that continues to be a major concern for all British Columbia. This is an issue that must be addressed now to ensure that individuals and families can still afford to live here in this province.

Gas prices are again skyrocketing with no end in sight. Many people in this province continue to experience a deepening affordability crisis that will most likely worsen. Between the cost of gas, the rising costs of groceries, housing and more, everyone in this province is feeling the pressure just to make ends meet.

While these soaring fuel prices are affecting everyone in the province, the default message we are continuously told here in B.C. is that it is entirely due to the war in Ukraine. I am personally aware that the current war influences global supply for everyone on the planet. We are also aware that British Columbia had the highest gas prices in North America well before the invasion of Ukraine. Moreover, while so many people in British Columbia are struggling to pay their bills between all these rising costs, we are now seeing legislation here in Victoria that will undoubtedly increase costs at the pump even more.

Additionally, B.C. taxpayers are helping subsidize 40 percent of a $600 million investment by the Parkland refinery in Burnaby, which refines about 30 percent of the province’s gasoline. This investment is to increase the production of renewable fuel in the form of low-carbon-intensive diesel. That’s all fine and dandy. However, the production of this fuel will be much more expensive than traditional fuel. That, in turn, will only increase two things: one, Parkland’s profits for shareholders and, two, prices at the pumps for all motorists that gas up here.

Instead of providing a tangible plan to reduce costs, nothing has been offered up to B.C. motorists, who are facing the worst prices in North America. In Alberta, for example, the Premier for that province suspended the fuel tax on gasoline, which saved motorists about 13 cents a gallon. Further to that, gas stations did not artificially inflate the prices and add the 13-cent reduction to their own bottom line.

In the United States over a month ago, President Biden announced a plan to suspend a ban on summertime sales of higher ethanol gasoline blends, a move that White House officials said was aimed at reducing gas prices.

While other leaders across North America are looking out for their citizens…. In Dawson Creek today, you can buy regular gasoline for $2 a litre. In Grande Prairie, just over 100 kilometres away, it is $1.61, almost 40 cents a litre cheaper. In Sparwood, close to where I live, the cost of gas is about $1.90 per litre. However, you take about a 25-minute drive east, just over the Alberta border, and you’ll pay about 20 cents a litre less.

If you think that is bad, then hang on to your jerry cans, boys and girls. In Vancouver, you’re paying the highest gas prices in Canada and North America. Yesterday another high gas record was set at $2.34 per litre, while those in Washington state, just a hop, skip and a jump over the Canada-U.S. border, are paying about $1.17 per litre. That is exactly half the price, at $1.17 a litre cheaper. Last time I heard, the war in Ukraine affects Alberta and Washington state as well.

While families are paying double the gas here in B.C…. Hard-working families are struggling as it costs more than $200 to fill up an average-sized family car. So far, the only relief we’ve seen is by way of a $110 ICBC rebate. That has nothing to do with the price of gas, and the cheques are yet to have been delivered.

The British Columbia Utilities Commission is B.C.’s independent energy and utilities regulator. According to their gas prices website…. It identifies four components that make up the price of gasoline. The first component is the price of crude oil, the second is the refining price, the third is the retail price, and the fourth is taxes.

When we compare Vancouver with Edmonton and those four components, we see that the first component, the price of crude, is identical. Both jurisdictions pay about 74 cents a litre for the crude oil.

The second component, refining, is 29 cents a litre in Edmonton compared to 51 cents in Vancouver. That is because Edmonton is a lot closer to where the crude oil is refined. It either comes down by pipe from northern Alberta or across the U.S. border to final destinations such as Vancouver.

The third component is retail. Surprisingly, the retailers in Edmonton were taking ten cents a litre, while the ones in Vancouver were taking about eight cents a litre. So pretty close there.

[10:20 a.m.]

The big difference comes by way of taxes. Edmonton taxes made up for 35 cents a litre, while Vancouver was 56 cents a litre. When you have some people that want to stop projects like the Trans Mountain pipeline, while at the same time living in the high-tax jurisdiction, your citizens will pay the highest costs on the continent.

I’ll note that British Columbians have been promised relief at the pumps for the past four years. Every year since then, long before the current global market’s reaction to Ukraine, promises were made to explore options to reduce the costs. While British Columbians are suffering to make ends meet while paying the high price of gas just to get to work, government coffers are filling up from tax revenues. Quite simply, the notion that this is completely a result of the Russian attack is not a good enough reason anymore.

Fortunately, there are three straightforward steps that can immediately bring prices under control and provide help to make ends meet during this troubling time. First, temporarily suspend provincial gas taxes. Two, provide a one-time rebate through the climate action tax credit. Three, suspend hidden import fees on gas brought into B.C. from Alberta. Our gas prices have gone up a significant amount, so that we’re almost 60 cents higher per litre than our neighbouring jurisdictions.

My suggestions are a sensible course of action that would provide British Columbians with the relief they deserve. It would be great to hear a response from the member opposite — not to use the war in Ukraine as an excuse, as well as rehashed announcements of affordability policies from years gone by.

We in British Columbia need something that identifies the here and now on rising gas prices.

A. Walker: It is my pleasure to have this discussion with the hon. member for Kootenay East about the challenges with global inflation and with global fuel prices around the world. We know that this is having a tremendous impact on people all across this country and all across the world. We’re seeing challenges as people move, as goods move, as farmers try to raise produce, and for students and families.

When the member opposite refers to the war in Ukraine and diminishes the impact of the third-largest oil producer in the world, producing 10 percent of the world’s oil — millions of people displaced, thousands of innocent people dying — referring to that as an excuse for world oil prices, world coal prices and world natural gas prices going up 40 percent within the few weeks before and the few weeks after, I find that incredibly offensive. This is a challenge that the whole world is facing. There are people right now living in fear and dying due to the unprovoked attacks of the Russian Federation.

The other challenge that wasn’t mentioned was the fact that we’re coming out of a pandemic. Supply chains are already at their brink, and we spent two years working from home, working remotely. We spent two years not seeing our family. We spent two years not travelling. The whole world is now coming back together and, as can be imagined, that also exacerbates these supply challenges. Oil at the end of July was at $88 a barrel, and it is now pushing $112 a barrel. That’s massive. That is not something that we in the province of British Columbia can control.

The member proposes three solutions. I appreciate when, in discussions in this House, we can come up with solutions. The first is to increase the climate action rebate — I have the title written down; I don’t have it exactly here — which is what we’ve done historically. As the carbon taxes increased, we have increased the money that goes to people. That is a rebate that used to go to large corporations. Now that money is going to the people that need it most, and it’s being invested in a low-carbon future. That is something that we’re already delivering on. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to say that publicly.

The other two solutions are the same thing: the import tax and the excise tax are the same tax. The member opposite suggests that the solution to high fuel prices is to cut taxes, knowing full well that the majority of these taxes are going to local governments to fund road maintenance and to fund public transit. If the member opposite is suggesting the solution to high fuel prices is to cut funding to public transit to those people who need it most, who need the relief most, who rely on public transit to get around in their communities, that is not the solution to high fuel prices.

We need to, every single day, invest in people and do what we can to make life more affordable. ICBC, through the rebate: $400 million in relief. We moved when the fuel prices were at the point that they were impacting people’s lives, immediately directing ICBC to deliver $400 million in relief to the people of British Columbia. That’s over $100 for every policyholder, and it makes a big difference to people. When the members opposite talk about everybody being $200 away from insolvency, $100, when fuel prices are at their highest that we’ve ever seen, makes a huge difference.

[10:25 a.m.]

Investing in child care, as was said before by the members opposite, is an investment in our economy. The savings are beyond just ICBC. We are, by reducing the tolls on the Port Mann and the Golden Ears Bridge, saving commuters $1,500 a year as they move to their places of work and to school. We are saving individual drivers over $500 a year on ICBC premiums, which historically have been significantly higher.

Savings are in the pockets of people so that they can help weather the incredible challenges that we’re facing — all of us, not just in British Columbia, not just in Canada but around the world — due to the unprovoked attacks in Ukraine. The member opposite may want to say that that’s an excuse, but it is a reality that’s being faced by people all over this planet.

The child care. I really want to focus on that in the little bit of time I have left, because we have already funded 30,500 spaces across this province, which means that people who…. And the member laughs. I think that that’s incredibly important. The 30,000 spaces across this province make an incredible difference for families but also small- and medium-sized enterprises that are desperate for workers.

In response — I only have a brief time left — the member is proposing that the solution to high gas prices is to cut taxes, cut services, cut fees and cut public transit. At a time when people need to rely on these types of public services, this is not the time to do that. We need to be there for the people of British Columbia.

I appreciate this conversation.

T. Shypitka: The rhetoric continues: rehashed an­nounce­ments on affordability issues that this government has looked at for the last three or four years. That’s not the here and now.

As the member phrased up the excuse on Ukraine, I identified quite clearly in my statement that the war in Ukraine definitely has a challenge on global supply chains. There’s no question about it. But every jurisdiction in the world, as the member said, is affected by that same supply crunch, full stop.

B.C. is the highest-cost jurisdiction in North America for price of gasoline. Alberta, Ontario — they all have the same ramifications from the global crunch that the war in Ukraine is providing. Wy is B.C. standing alone on this? Taxes for infrastructure — absolutely. But last time I checked, Toronto has a rapid transit system; they have highway maintenance costs. In Alberta, it’s the same thing — Alabama, Florida, Ontario. We all have those challenges, and taxation pays for that infrastructure. Once again, B.C. stands alone. Why are we the record holder for North America’s highest gas prices? That is the whole context of the conversation.

Government would like you to believe that this is out of their control, but it clearly isn’t. There were four components that are part of what make up gas prices. Those are the price of crude, the price of refining, the price of retail and the price of taxes. Our taxes are incredibly higher than any other jurisdiction. That is why we have the highest gas prices in North America.

Now, he mentioned the ICBC rebate. What has that got to do with the price of gas? This was a smoke-and-mirrors announcement to take profits out of ICBC — that’s another debatable discussion — and to put them into the hands of British Columbians in the guise that it was to solve the gas price.

The Premier in Alberta months ago addressed this head-on and took the price of fuel tax off — temporary relief. The United States’ Joe Biden has taken away the ban on high-ethanol blended fuels — temporarily, as this crisis continues — to bring down the price of gas. This is what we’re trying to accomplish here in British Columbia. We’re trying to come up with some good solutions.

The member seems to want to run around and talk about old, rehashed announcements and the fact that the price of gas doesn’t have any bearing on government. It does. B.C. can take a leading charge here, and we’re failing to do it.

[10:30 a.m.]

INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST
HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA
AND BIPHOBIA

G. Lore: Tomorrow is International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, and I am proud to stand as an ally in this place, to stand with my lesbian, bi, gay, queer and trans colleagues.

As the proud MLA for the community in our country with the most trans people, I’m also proud to stand with our 2SLGBTQ+ constituents, who deserve to live in safety and to thrive in communities around the province. This is a province for everyone, for people of all genders and all sexualities, and it is the responsibility of every one of us in this House to stand up against hate and for inclusive, bright, full, diverse communities.

It was on this day in 1990 that the World Health Organization declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder. As someone who was just four at the time, it is hard for me to imagine a world where one was formally pathologized by the WHO for who you love. What is not hard for me to imagine, 30 years on, is the existence and persistence of hate and the informal efforts to pathologize people for who they are.

It was just months ago that conversion therapy was made illegal in our country. It’s been less than 130 days since it was legal to engage in a practice to try to change someone’s gender or sexual orientation. So today is not just a day to mark the change at the WHO and the decades that have passed, but a day to recognize the work left to do.

We know that people continue to face inequality, harassment, violence and discrimination because of their gender, sexuality or gender expression. I recently spoke in this House in defence of access to abortion, of abortion as health care. I spoke of the protection of women’s rights and about the active and intentional threats to women’s access to health care south of the border. I spoke about the rights of people who are pregnant to make choices about their own bodies.

“People who are pregnant.” The backlash, the toxic reaction to the use of this phrase speaks to the existence and persistence of transphobia, the hate directed at people because of who they are and because they are not who someone else thinks they should be. I believe that the phrase “people who are pregnant” should only offend those who think women are not people, and if you think about it for a minute, that’s how we got here in the first place.

You cannot fight to protect someone’s rights through the denial of others’ rights — the rights of two-spirit, trans and non-binary people to be who they are, and the rights of non-binary and genderqueer people and trans men to access abortions when they need them.

According to StatsCan, 2SLGBTQ+ people are twice as likely to experience homelessness and housing insecurity and nearly three times as likely to be diagnosed with a mood or anxiety disorder. This is not because they are gay, lesbian, queer, trans or bi but because of the persistence of barriers, of inequities and of hate.

We are committed to making this province a safe, inclusive and accessible place for everyone in British Columbia, and we made progress. In our K-to-12 system, all students deserve to be welcomed, included and respected in safe learning environments while being fully and completely who they are. All 60 public school districts are now involved in B.C.’s SOGI Educator Network, and all have SOGI-inclusive codes of conduct and policies in place.

We are committed to SOGI-inclusive education because knowledge and connection equip students to understand, respect and celebrate their differences. We are committed to schools that are free of discrimination, bullying, harassment, intimidation and violence. We’ve seen this intimidation and violence in recent weeks, and we must stand up against it.

We fly the Pride, trans and two-spirit flags on days of importance outside the Legislature, a recognition and a welcome to this place. We’ve made it easier for people to change gender on their ID by getting rid of requirements for a physician or psychologist to sign an application. When people tell us who they are, we should believe them. It is they, not doctors, who know their gender. It is about dignity and respect. It’s about being seen by government for who you are.

It’s also about access to basic government services. Trans Care B.C. supports equitable, accessible care for trans and gender-diverse people in our province. They provide education for clients and for families. They train clinicians. They improve services for Indigenous people by engaging with communities and by offering presentations on decolonizing sex and gender assumptions.

[10:35 a.m.]

Over the last two years, as we fought the pandemic, nearly 1,400 people received gender-affirming surgeries. Before 2018, people needing lower surgeries were forced to travel out of province. We’ve brought all kinds of care closer to home, including ensuring that breast and chest surgeries are available on the Lower Mainland, on the Island, in the North and in the Interior. We’ve removed 1,300 instances of gendered language from government regulations to reflect the diversity of people we serve.

It’s pretty simple. Provincial laws and regulations should explicitly include everyone they apply to. We don’t need to use “he or she” when we can use “they.” Where we have used words like “mother” or “father,” but what we really, actually mean is “parent,” that’s what we should say.

This is not just about words. It’s about inclusion in the rules, the laws, the regulations of our province. It’s about belonging and recognition. Backlash rooted in transphobia, hateful words and accusations to me personally of bending to a small minority of our population — not uncommonly having it suggested I’m keen on ruining society…. But the vast majority of gender-affirming care is provided to cis people, and language matters.

More to the point, human rights are for everyone, and trans, gay, lesbian, bi and queer rights are human rights.

T. Stone: I want to thank the member opposite from Victoria–Beacon Hill for the opportunity to respond on this, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. The statement, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” appears in article 1 of the universal declaration of human rights, yet it wasn’t until May 17, 1990, that homosexuality was declassified as a mental disorder by the World Health Organization.

This date marks a global celebration of sexual and gender diversities, and it’s recognized in more than 130 countries. But it’s important to note that more than one-third of countries continue to criminalize the LGBTQ+ community. While this is certainly not the case in Canada, it’s still incumbent on all of us to recognize and to work to dismantle the many barriers and challenges faced by people in these communities.

This year’s theme is “Our bodies, our lives, our rights.” This means recognizing the right to express one’s gender freely without fear of violence. It means denouncing and putting an end to reprehensible practices like conversion therapy. It means removing barriers to accessing health care and other services for members of the LGBTQS+ community. And it means tearing down some of the long-standing policies that have maintained discrimination, fear and stigma.

I think about the recent announcement by Health Canada that it has finally accepted an application by Canadian Blood Services to remove the three-month blanket donor deferral period for all sexually active men who have sex with men. Instead, it will screen all donors, regardless of gender or sexuality, for high-risk sexual behaviours. This is a significant move towards a more inclusive national blood donation system, and this shift comes after a tremendous amount of effort by advocacy groups who have called for this change for a long, long time.

As we celebrate strides like this one, it’s important we acknowledge those advocates and activists who have fought and continue to fight for equal rights and opportunities for all. There is much we can all do to ensure that all British Columbians are treated equally and fairly and that they can enjoy their lives and be who they are in a safe, inclusive and welcoming society.

In my home community of Kamloops, that is made possible by a number of organizations that work to support our LGBTQS+ community and help increase allyship. Kamloops Pride, a local non-profit organization, is a prime example of this. While they work directly with individuals who identify as LGBTQS+, they also help to promote a flourishing community and culture in our city.

Five years ago, in 2017, Kamloops held its very first Pride parade, and the public turnout to this event, which was in the thousands, was impressive. We were all very proud to be there. Kamloops Pride has another great lineup of events for this year’s Pride Week, coming up from August 22 to 28, with many opportunities for members of the LGBTQS+ community, supporters and allies to come together and celebrate.

[10:40 a.m.]

Other local groups offering supports and services to the community include Safe Spaces, which gives youth and their allies safe spaces to meet and receive resources; ASK Wellness Centre, which can assist with health navigation, housing and substance use support; A Way Home Kamloops, offering housing and wraparound supports to local youth; Orchards Walk Medical Clinic, which provides gender-affirming care to community members; and the Kamloops chapter of PFLAG Canada, which offers supports to families and helps build acceptance and understanding.

As we mark International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, let’s celebrate how far we’ve come in building a more inclusive British Columbia. But let’s also reflect on what more we can and must do, what more we can and must do to remove barriers and let people be who they are and express themselves free from intolerance, discrimination and judgment.

That’s the British Columbia that I see, and that’s the British Columbia that I am so proud to call home.

G. Lore: Thank you to the member for his comments today. Around the world, gay, lesbian, bi, trans and queer people continue to face discrimination, threats and violence. I spent Sunday with Canadian women for Afghan women, and they shared the intense fear of prosecution and death for LGBTQ+ folks under the Taliban.

Homosexuality remains illegal in 69 countries, and in the United States, more than 100 anti-trans bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year. The pending decision on Roe v. Wade has many worried about the implications for the protection of gay marriage in the country.

Here at home, police reported 263 hate crimes targeting sexual orientation in 2019, and another 259 in 2020. This is up significantly from previous years, and the highest number of hate crimes targeting the 2SLGBTQ+ community for a decade.

Things are changing, and progress is being made. In Gabon, Angola and other countries, we have recently seen the reversing of criminalization laws. Twenty-eight countries in the world recognize same-sex marriage. At home, we cannot slow down, and we cannot assume that this work is done. There’s work to do, work to ensure that pride, love, connection and community have a home in our province and that hate does not; work to ensure access to services that people need; that they are recognized by their names and genders across our systems; and that rights are protected.

I want to recognize advocates, service providers and peers, the work of everyone at QMUNITY. QMUNITY provides programming, counselling, peer connection for 2SLGBTQ+ people across all of B.C., including youth and seniors. I want to recognize pride societies across the province, from here in Victoria to Fernie, to Delta, to the North Peace. Rainbow Refugee supports those seeking refugee protections in Canada because of persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

Organizations like WAVAW and VSAC have worked to ensure that services are responsive and available to the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Egale and the Enchanté Network provide advocacy and education. PFLAG provides peer support and family outreach. Community-Based Research Centre promotes the health of people with diverse sexualities and genders through research and intervention.

Tomorrow I have the chance to go to QMUNITY’s breakfast recognizing this day. Tomorrow, on the International Day to End Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, I will be standing with my 2SLGBTQ+ colleagues, constituents, families and friends, and I ask all in the House to do the same.

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS

M. Lee: I rise to take my place in this morning’s private members’ debate to discuss a topic of vital importance for the safety of our communities. Community safety has become one of the paramount issues we face in our province, as municipalities and communities all across British Columbia experience growing rates of violent crime and assaults, often unprovoked, random and perpetrated against innocent people.

We are seeing how many parts of our daily lives are impacted by a lack of community safety and security. Small businesses in our urban communities fear for the security of their properties as they face repeat incidents of threat, intimidation and vandalism. British Columbians are losing confidence to live in their communities and neighbourhoods over a growing fear for their personal safety and the safety of their loved ones.

[10:45 a.m.]

When people have such heightened concerns about their own personal safety, they lose confidence in our public institutions to deliver the support, safety and justice necessary to protect our communities. This is underlined by the need to maintain public confidence in the administration of justice. This is a test that is applied, for example, to detention orders for a person detained in custody until trial or sentencing.

The well-being of British Columbians is increasingly under threat by a handful of people who act outside of the law and are willing to inflict fear, pain and harm on individuals, families and communities, often in multiple separate incidents. On April 5, 2022, a joint letter from the B.C. Urban Mayors Caucus highlighted the incredible impact on public safety and the disproportionate strain on local resources that a few prolific offenders can have in a community.

In Kelowna, a single individual has generated 346 RCMP files since 2016 and has received 29 convictions for property crime and assault offences. This offender is routinely released with conditions and subsequently re­offends.

A single offender in Prince George has generated an incredible 916 crime files since 2016, including 262 files in the last 12 months, none of which have resulted in charges.

In Vancouver, 40 super chronic offenders are collec­tively responsible for more than 2,100 offences.

These are signs all around us. The current system for handling these violent individuals is just not working in what can be best described as a catch-and-release approach by our current administration.

Between 2017 and 2020, no charge recommendations increased from 8,600 per year to nearly 13,000, a 45 percent increase. Police agencies have also flagged a significant increase in the number of offenders routinely breaching conditions while on bail or failing to appear in court without consequence. When the current approach is not working to detain prolific offenders, bringing them to justice and providing them with the services they may need to put them on the path to recovery, there is an imminent need for new and better solutions and action by this government to implement these solutions.

Earlier this month the growing concerns of municipal leaders and community advocates were met with a promise of creative solutions that would address the gaps in our justice system and restore safety to our province. This was welcome news. British Columbians, like members of our House here, were eager to witness a collective approach, by all levels of government, to take action and, from all parts of the province, to bring solutions to the table.

While our municipalities and communities have gone to incredible lengths to highlight for this government the many gaps in the current system, they’ve also brought forward a series of solutions that government could act on today, as highlighted in the April 5, 2022, letter from the B.C. Urban Mayors Caucus.

These proposed solutions include stricter control and consequences for repeat property offenders; stronger consideration for maintaining public confidence in the administration of justice in bail and charge assessment policies and guidelines; increased investment for B.C. Prosecution Service resources across the province; implementation of community courts across communities; a review of the 2021 B.C. Prosecution Service charge assessment guidelines to uncover unintended consequences in relation to property offenders; and a review of the 2018 B.C. Prosecution Service full disclosure policies, in the context of homicides, in the interests of maintaining public confidence in the administration of justice.

[10:50 a.m.]

With such a collective effort invested into the drafting and presenting of these proposed solutions, you can understand British Columbians’ disappointment when the province’s promised so-called creative solution was merely a 120-day review “to investigate and report on prolific offenders and random violent attacks, and the necessary actions.”

There are so many reasons why this announcement was underwhelming to many. Firstly, government already had a wide array of reports, analysis and expert reviews on how to handle dangerous repeat criminals. The decision to opt for further consultation could be interpreted as simply kicking the can down the road.

Secondly, this decision completely ignores our municipal leaders and the monumental effort that has already gone into the recommendations outlined by these organizations, including the B.C. Urban Mayors Caucus. This solution also fails to recognize the urgent need of the situation. Vancouver alone is experiencing, on average, four violent assaults per day.

G. Begg: Thank you to the member for Vancouver-Langara for his thoughts on this very important and very challenging issue. From the very outset, let me say very clearly that this government believes that every area of our province must be protected from dangerous repeat offenders, and we will take every reasonable step, within our authority and jurisdiction, to make that happen.

The large body of evidence suggests that focusing on the underlying causes of crime, as opposed to overincarceration, is the most effective deterrent against crime and a much better use of public funds. This government acknowledges that the residents of the member’s and other’s ridings have observed drug-related gang violence and other criminal events not usually seen in some areas of the province.

These are not recent nor new occurrences. They are, I submit, the result of decades of government policies that neglected the social safety net for vulnerable British Columbians and made these communities more vulnerable to the problems that accompany drug, homelessness and other addictions.

There’s a popular Chinese proverb that says: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Basically, in the context of this conversation that we’re having here today, this means that if you want success and growth, the best time to act is now. A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.

But, of course, we need action and results now. We must act against those who are responsible for these crimes while we take actions that will ensure a safe future for all our citizens. We will, as a province, find the balance of prevention, intervention and suppression, if we are to be successful and have success in our communities. That is exactly what we’re doing.

What we’ve seen during the ongoing pandemic is a shift in the patterns of crime. And while overall crime trends are down, particularly when it comes to property crimes and reports to Crown counsel, there are highly visible crimes taking place in our downtown cores. There’s also a very real presence of repeat offenders in our communities — a small number of people having a significant impact on people’s feeling of safety.

We stand with all victims of crime, and we share British Columbians’ concern and frustration with prolific offenders. We’ve heard from mayors and residents that creative solutions are needed, and we agree. By working together with mayors, we’ve identified and hired the experts in policing and mental health needed to investigate these trends, identify solutions and help us implement them. In other words, an evidence-based approach.

We understand that there are many factors that have contributed to the shift in crime patterns. Experts in policing and mental health and addictions will conduct independent investigations and provide recommendations to our government.

[10:55 a.m.]

We’re grateful for the cooperation and advocacy of mayors in communities across the province to help us address this challenge, and we’re committed to working together to protect communities and connect repeat offenders with what they need to break that cycle.

The report is due to government in 120 days, and we will be reporting out quickly on additional steps that this government will take. In addition, we’ve advised the experts that if they find opportunities, they do not need to wait for a final report. They will advise us as quickly as possible, and it is our commitment that we will act upon them.

This investigation and the subsequent recommendation structure mirrors actions taken by the province to successfully address money laundering, as well as the financial crisis at ICBC, which, respectively, resulted in significant and ongoing reforms that dramatically reduced money laundering activities in B.C. casinos and some of the lowest car insurance rates in Canada. We are working with the police, the community and now the experts in policing and mental health needed to address these challenges to protect people and communities.

At the beginning I talked about planting trees. It is significant, I think, to continue that analogy that 20 years ago the government of the day announced the closure of 24 courthouses across the province representing one quarter of the total number of provincial court locations in the province.

M. Lee: I certainly would like to thank the MLA for Surrey-Guildford for his comments. I know the saying well, and the wisdom of our elders, our leaders, who have built so much for our province — to continue to ensure that when we talk about the importance of how we build a stronger British Columbia, a healthier British Columbia, it has to be a safe British Columbia.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

We need to work together, not to talk about actions that were 20 years ago but to talk about actions as to what we can do today. I know that the member, through his years in law enforcement, recognizes the actions that this government could be taking, this government that has been in government for over five years now. When I talk about the issues that I know affect his constituents in Surrey and my constituents in Vancouver….

As I was saying, we are up to four violent unprovoked attacks a day in Vancouver alone. In the time that it’ll take for this government to do the review, to kick the can another 120 days down the road, it’s estimated that about 500 Vancouverites alone could be victims of further violent attacks. What we need is immediate action, not further delay by another 120 days. Those actions are set out in this letter from the B.C. Urban Mayors’ Caucus.

There have been lots of reports and analysis. You talk to members of the leadership team of the Vancouver police department, as I and Kevin Falcon, the Leader of our Official Opposition, have had the opportunity to do. There has been lots of discussion, lots of recommendations made.

Even at that, when this government talks about creative solutions, we know Joe Alphonse, the Tribal Chair for the Tŝilhqot’in National Government, has criticized the government’s announcement by saying that not once, never, did they mention Indigenous involvement, yet they talk about how they’re going to get creative. To get creative, they need to involve Indigenous leadership all throughout British Columbia.

We know that in the absence of leadership from this government, communities are just going to be dividing themselves. We’ve seen that by the Attorney General, who has previously worked with Pivot Legal Society, and the kinds of divisive language that is being expressed by that organization, which has said: “I have no issue recommending people not shop at businesses that explicitly advocate for more police on the streets.”

This is happening in Chinatown, Vancouver. This is the kind of division happening in our communities across the Lower Mainland without the leadership of this government because they’re kicking the can down the road for another 120 days.

Hon. N. Simons: I ask that the House consider Motion 12, standing in the name of the member for Maple Ridge–​Mission.

[11:00 a.m.]

Deputy Speaker: Prior to calling upon the member for Maple Ridge–Mission, unanimous consent is required to proceed with Motion 12 without disturbing the priorities of other items on the order paper.

Leave granted.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 12 — CREATIVE INDUSTRIES WEEK
AND ROLE OF CREATIVE SECTOR

B. D’Eith: Thank you very much, hon. Speaker. I’d like to make the motion:

[Be it resolved that this House recognize Creative Industries Week and celebrate the talents, innovation and contributions that people in this sector bring to our economy and communities.]

This week is Creative Industries Week in British Columbia, a week to celebrate the contributions of the creative industries, an industry that contributes $5 billion per annum to the provincial GDP and employs nearly 100,000 people.

B.C. has incredible resources and skilled workers that help us capture entertainment and digital media opportunities from all over the world. This vibrant sector includes the largest motion picture hub in Canada and the third-largest motion picture hub in North America, a leading hub for digital entertainment that attracts large global media companies. It represents 17 percent of Canada’s interactive entertainment companies and is at the forefront of a global virtual and augmented reality boom. B.C. has the second-largest English language book publishing market in Canada, a vibrant magazine sector and the third-largest centre for music in Canada.

With the support of Creative B.C., the creative industries will once again be in the legislative precinct to introduce members to the amazing people behind the creative industries, but let’s not forget that this celebration was curtailed for the past two years as our province dealt with the changes of the global pandemic.

As the Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film, part of my mandate was to work with the sector to identify challenges that the pandemic brought and to ensure that there was adequate support and relief and eventual recovery funding. I have conducted multiple consultations with individuals and organizations from arts and creative industry sectors to make sure that our support is strategic and effective. In this regard, a number of significant actions were taken.

Our government worked hard with the film and television industry to ensure that protocols were sufficient to reopen after the initial lockdowns that shut down the film industry. In fact, due to the incredible work of Dr. Henry and the Ministry of Health in managing the pandemic, the industry was only closed for three months, and B.C. became a go-to location for filming. In fact, in the fall of 2020, we had the single-largest quarter for film and television productions in B.C. ever. We introduced a $2 million domestic motion picture fund to help stimulate B.C.-based productions.

Now, with rehearsal spaces, festivals, theatres and all live venues closed during most of the pandemic, people and organizations working in this sector lost most of their revenues. After initial consultation early in the pandemic, many programs administered by Creative B.C. and B.C. Arts Council pivoted to allow flexibility.

For example, Creative B.C. pivoted $500,000 of Amplify B.C. funding to fund live musicians $500 each to produce live-streaming shows. This program was launched with the Premier and now Grammy Award–winning Smithers artist Alex Cuba.

The B.C. Arts Council allowed organizations and individuals who had received or were counting on receiving money the flexibility to adapt to what they needed. As the pandemic progressed, additional funds were released through the StrongerBC fund to Creative B.C. and the B.C. Arts Council, in addition to their already increased funding, to keep the lights on.

For example, in 2017, when we formed government, the B.C. Arts Council’s budget was $25 million. Our government raised this to a base funding of $39.4 million. In addition to the lift, the sector received $47.4 million from StrongerBC for relief and recovery during the pandemic. An additional $30 million was provided to support festivals, fairs and events.

Amplify B.C., administered by Creative B.C., was funded by our government for three years in April 2021 for an historic $22.5 million. This fund, after industry consultations, was able to pivot during the pandemic to help artists, venues, companies and other organizations in the music industry to weather the storm.

Now in closing, I’d like to recognize the incredible work of the sector associations who’ll be with us this week, whom I’ve worked closely with for many years: the Canadian Media Producers Association, B.C. branch; Motion Picture Production Industry Association; Music B.C.; the Association of Book Publishers of B.C.; the Interactive and Digital Media Industry Association of B.C.; and the Magazine Association of British Columbia.

I want to thank them and everyone in the industry for the work they’ve done during this incredibly stressful time. Through significant challenges — this sector has faced so much over the last couple of years — the creative industries have shown incredible resilience, and I really look forward to celebrating with the entire sector this week.

[11:05 a.m.]

G. Kyllo: It is truly my pleasure to take my place to join the House to speak on the motion: “Be it resolved that this House recognize Creative Industries Week and celebrate the talents, innovation and contributions that people in this sector bring to our economy and communities.”

B.C. truly is blessed with an abundance of resources, from timber to fishing to agriculture to renewable energy resources. All of these industries help to keep our families fed, our communities healthy and shape our identity as a province, to the rest of Canada and to the world. But perhaps the greatest industries that help to shape our cultural identity are our creative industries.

B.C.’s influence on the world’s art and culture is felt in towns and cities all over the world. The incredible talents of local British Columbians is seen on the big screen, heard through our music and read in world-renowned books, poems and screenplays every day.

The Shuswap is blessed to be home to some of the most beautiful scenery on the face of the planet, which might explain why the people who call the Shuswap home have helped to shape our province’s art and culture for decades. The Shuswap has become a hub where some of the province’s greatest talents gather to create, master and share their art with one another.

In late April, the Shuswap hosted the Word on the Lake Writers Festival, where some of Canada’s most renowned authors hosted presentations and workshops to share their work and stories, help guide local authors and grow the next generation of best-selling writers and publishers.

Since 1977, the Shuswap Theatre society has been the beating heart that has kept performing arts alive and thriving in the Shuswap, from hosting acts and performances from both local and national productions to helping inspire our children and create a love for theatre through their youth summer camps.

The annual Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival is a three-day music festival that occurs every third weekend in August, with six stages and featuring an international roster of artists as well as a strong contingent of Canadian talent. This year’s lineup of near 40 acts includes Jann Arden, the Snotty Nose Rez Kids and one of my favourites, Tom Cochrane. And folks, children under 12 years of age get in free.

Any night of the week you can experience some of B.C.’s greatest musical talents in the cafés, bars and concert halls throughout the Shuswap. Last June the incredible documentary Celebrate Shuswap showcased the rise of the Song Sparrow Hall, a concert venue and studio which overcame the incredible challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic to build an incredible music venue that now serves as a hub to showcase local artists and performances. It has since become a cultural icon of Salmon Arm and the Shuswap.

Just like these incredible organizations support the arts and culture of our communities, our communities and our province must support them to help them continue their endeavours. These past two years have been some of the most difficult years ever for our creative industries. Now, more than ever, we must invest in the companies that are helping to bring jobs to our communities and prosperity to our province through their art.

Last July my colleagues and I in the B.C. Liberal caucus were proud to advocate on behalf of the world-leading production company Enderby Entertainment, calling for the province’s support to help them establish a new facility in the Okanagan that could result in thousands of regional jobs.

By keeping our creative industries alive and thriving, they will help B.C. further make its mark on the global markets and culture and help our business, communities and our hearts recover.

B. Bailey: I’m delighted to have the opportunity to speak on one of my favourite weeks of the year, Creative Industries Week. While creative industries include books, magazines, films, series and music, I’m going to focus my comments today on the creative industries that overlap with my Parliamentary Secretary for Technology role — animation, interactive media, visual effects and AR-VR.

[11:10 a.m.]

B.C. has a history of screen-based storytelling going back over 50 years. Our animation sector is one of the largest in the world, employing more than 2,000 people in high-paying jobs working on some of the largest intellectual properties in the world, with more than $350 million coming into the economy a year, injecting money not only into the economy but also into our infrastructure. They partner with public and private higher education, providing work-integrated learning and placement.

There are over 60 active studios in the province employing digital artists and animators; computer coders and producers; and everything else needed to make a business successful. These businesses range from small independent studios to large multinationals who have chosen to set up marquee studios in British Columbia — for example, Image Engine, who brought you the dragons in Game of Thrones, and ILM of the Star Wars franchise.

There are many award-winning studios drawing Oscars, Emmys, Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards and BAFTAs, for example. To share some of the properties folks might be familiar with that are worked on here in B.C.: the LEGO movies, Into the Spider-Verse with Spider-Man, Molly of Denali, The Dragon Prince, Rick and Morty, VeggieTales, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Addams Family, and so much more.

Our video games sector has a long and storied history and continues to create cutting-edge properties. It’s made up of over 160 companies employing about 8,000 people in the province. The companies range from a small number of people to massive, international corporate companies like EA in Burnaby and False Creek Flats, employing in the range of 3,000 talented creators working on multiple EA properties. Mid-size companies like Blackbird entertainment create beautiful experiences like Shipbreaker or their work on Homeworld 3, building in that beloved universe.

We often see small studios scale and sell to international studios based on the success of their IP. Two examples of this of late are Klei Entertainment — Don’t Starve and Hot Lava are two of their famous properties; and Phoenix Labs, who built Dauntless. They were most recently acquired by multinationals. What happens, though, is that the founders and the investors of these studios that are bought are then able to continue to support the growth of the ecosystem through making their own investments and through mentorship, creating the next generation of success.

The visual effects sector in British Columbia is largely multinational studios such as ILM, Image Engine, DNEG, Pixomondo, Scanline, Sony Imageworks and Method Studios, to name but a few. We also know that Weta Digital is opening up shop in Vancouver, and many of us are excited about that. They did the VFX for the Lord of the Rings movies and are one of the top studios in the world. The sector is fed by many wonderful post-secondary training opportunities in both public and private realms.

To really highlight the sector, I’m going to choose one of my favourite IPs of all time, Dune, and talk a little bit about the VFX done here in Vancouver that led to them taking home this year’s Oscar for visual effects. If you’ve not yet seen Dune, I highly encourage you to do so. The quality of the VFX stands out even to an untrained eye, and the mixture of live action and computer-generated image is blurred so successfully that it’s impossible to tell what was filmed and what was coded.

Dune’s VFX team did many innovative things to bring the wind and sand of Arrakis to life. Many folks are aware that filming is often done using chroma keying, with a green or blue screen in the background providing a single colour that can then be switched out to overlay CGI, or computer-generated imagery. The VFX team in Dune used something new, sandscreening, which prevented the reflection of blue or green from affecting the lighting of actors’ faces and enhanced the constant sand colour in the Arrakis world. The lighting in this film is simply extraordinary. In my view, Dune is one of the high-water marks on what can be accomplished in visual effects, and that was done right here in B.C.

Lastly but certainly not least, B.C. has a burgeoning AR, which is augmented reality, and VR, virtual reality or mixed reality sector, having impacts far beyond the entertainment sector and into solving real-world problems.

B.C. is a world leader in the creative technology sector. I tip my hat to all of the brilliant creators in the industry and thank them very much for all the entertainment they’ve provided us.

[11:15 a.m.]

K. Kirkpatrick: Thank you to the member for Maple Ridge–Mission for putting forward this motion. He and I spoke the other day about the impact of music in our respective lives and how the creative sector is near and dear to my heart, as music and theatre were so much of a part of who I was as a young person.

The creative industry sector is the heart of our communities. The term “creative industries” has been around for 20 years. They’ve been referred to as the cultural industries, the creative economy and, in other parts of the world, the orange economy. Here in British Columbia, we’re celebrating the 7th annual Creative Industries Week to recognize the contributions of creators of motion pictures, music, book and magazine publishing and interactive and digital media industries.

Arts and culture are vital to the well-being of our society. With more than 58,000 people working in B.C.’s creative sector, it has generated $4.4 billion in total GDP in 2020. On top of our economy, they enhance people’s lives and propel B.C.’s reputation, including being home to the world’s largest visual effects and animation clusters, having the second-highest number of interactive gaming companies in Canada, being the second-largest English-language book publishing market and the third-largest music production centre in Canada and, last but not least, as Canada’s largest and North America’s third-largest centre for motion picture production, earning Vancouver the title of Hollywood North.

As the film and TV industry rebounds from the pandemic, Creative B.C. estimated that 450 productions spent $3.5 billion across British Columbia in 2021. I want to give a special shout-out to one famous motion picture and TV production studio in North Vancouver, North Shore Studio, formerly known as Lions Gate Studio. It features eight soundstages totalling more than 100,000 square feet and has produced many international movies and TV shows, including The X Files, if you all remember The X Files. Its president, Peter Leitch, reminded me that the creative sector also needs accountants and business managers and for all young people to consider this as a career path.

When I first moved to Vancouver and was struggling to find work, I was able to support myself, however humbly, as an extra in some of Vancouver’s most well-known TV series. I won’t tell you which series were shooting at the time, because it will give you my age, but they were very well-known and exciting. I look forward to seeing North Shore Studio continuing to showcase beautiful B.C. on the global stage.

After two years of social disconnection, creatives in the film, TV and animation industry are facing a need to adapt and evolve in the post-pandemic world. These talents are at the heart of B.C.’s vibrant creative economy. As the critic for Education, I’d like to take this opportunity to touch on how our education system can foster creativity in the next generation.

Who is responsible for instilling creativity? It begins at home, and it begins with education. Creative thinking should be a key learning objective that all students need for lifelong learning. As policy makers, it requires us to consider: what are the skills and behaviours that determine creative ability? What lessons and areas of concentration will prepare students to be part of a creative workforce? Does the current curriculum offer such creative readiness?

Creative talents are open-minded and curious. They take joy in learning, are willing to think divergently and are comfortable with taking risks to go beyond existing concepts. To foster such talents, schools must provide a creative, friendly environment, starting with physical space that offers a comfortable setting for learning and imagination, including outdoor spaces to let creativity thrive. Through free play and engagement with teachers and peers, inspiration and new ideas can spontaneously arise.

Educators have a role in developing strategies to facilitate new ideas and provide time for incubation. Teachers can establish the mental space to allow students to think outside the box, such as setting the right tone in class­rooms, encouraging students to express themselves free from peer judgment and limiting stringent assessment procedures in creative activities. Education is vital to cultivating the creative economy.

We must do all we can to promote the development of curious and creative minds in the next generation of students.

[11:20 a.m.]

A. Singh: When I think of British Columbia and its industries, of course the traditional resource-based industries come to mind. But I also immediately think of the magnificence of our province and what a perfect inspiration it is for the creative industries. Where else can you, within a few hours, go from dense urban back alleys reminiscent of New York in the ’80s to a coastline scattered with beaches and up to snow-covered mountains?

The creative sector includes the motion picture industry, music and sound recording, interactive and digital media, book and magazine publishing industries. We’re fortunate to have a wealth of creative talent and infrastructure here in British Columbia. B.C., as my friend has said, is the largest motion picture hub in Canada, the second-largest English-language book publishing market in Canada and the third-largest centre for music in Canada.

Creative B.C. is British Columbia’s lead agency for the creative sector for its funding and development. Creative B.C. administers a provincial motion picture tax credit program, and this funding helps sustain and grow B.C.’s creative organizations and industries. To help improve diversity and inclusion in the sector, Creative B.C. engages with industry by providing hands-on facilitation to improve diversity, including delivery of the Creative Pathways initiative. It targets investments and practices to increase equity, diversity and inclusion in the industry. It partners with other organizations to support underrepresented groups, and that includes substantial and growing support for the South Asian diaspora.

B.C. has long been a destination for Bollywood productions and is increasingly becoming a destination for films in the Punjabi diaspora. This is largely due to the incredible supports provided to these sectors by the government and the high quality of experienced workers that we have in this sector. The romantic comedy Honsla Rakh, filmed in the Lower Mainland and in India, became the highest opening Punjabi film ever to be produced. Organizations like the Vancouver South Asian Film Festival have been supported through the arts impact grant.

I’d like to highlight a few key productions. One of them, Out of the Stands, is an intimate look at our national sport through the young hockey players of the Punjabi-Sikh community in Surrey, B.C. Only a few will get to the next level, so the drama is high — not just for the players but for their families. This is Hoop Dreams on ice.

It’s a 60-minute documentary intended for broadcast by Telus Originals. It’s written and directed and produced by Nilesh Patel and Baljit Sangra from Roaming Pictures and Viva Mantra Films. It’s supported through the DMPF Production Program. This documentary is currently in production, and it’s scheduled for broadcast in early 2023. On an interesting side note, one of the players that the project profiles, Arshdeep Bains, was just drafted to the Vancouver Canucks.

Another film, Emergence: Out of the Shadows. For Kayden, Jag and Amar, awaking to and expressing their sexuality within conservative South Asian families was a lonely and terrifying experience. Heart-wrenching and healing, their distinct coming-out paths offered comfort, compassion and inspiration to individuals and communities struggling with acceptance. It’s tender, thoughtful and teary.

Emergence: Out of the Shadows asserts a potent and transformative voice in support of marginalized queer youth and their families. This feature-length documentary is produced in association with OUTtv and is a product of director Vinay Giridhar and producer Alex Sangha from Sher Films. It’s supported through the Creative B.C. and Rogers Documentary Fund and the project development fund. This film has attended over 20 film festivals and won four awards so far.

A Generation of Dreamers, an oral history of an immigrant journey to Canada told by those who made the journey and staged by those who are Canadian because of that very journey. It’s a docudrama series in early development. Writer-producer Manny Mahal from Sital Cinema productions is the creative mind behind this. This is supported through the Creative B.C. equity and emerging development program.

In addition, in the music sector, B.C. is Canada’s third-largest music centre. In 2020, the music industry contributed $203 million in total GDP to B.C.’s economy and more than 4,000 jobs — over 8,000 if you include the gig workers who were employed in that industry. Amplify B.C. is the province’s music industry fund. It’s administered by Creative B.C. Amplify B.C. supports B.C.’s diverse music industry, including those in the South Asian diaspora.

Kahnvict, an electronic artist from Surrey, B.C. A-SLAM, Surrey and Vancouver, B.C., hip hop and rap artist. Burnaby sitarist and composer Mohamed Assani. Ruby Singh, a Vancouver multi-genre artist. Hip hop fusion artist Ish Vektor. The internationally renowned fusion group Delhi 2 Dublin. Hip hop and rap artist from Cultus Lake Saint Soldier.

Examples of other companies supported by the South Asian music community include Naad Production, Snakes x Ladders, the 5X Fest, which celebrates essential South Asian youth cultural festival. A vegan summer festival coming this summer — it offers multi-art experiences of central….

[11:25 a.m.]

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

T. Halford: I am grateful for the opportunity to rise in the House today and pay tribute to the thriving arts and cultural sector that we enjoy here in British Columbia.

For many decades, our province has had the reputation of being the hub for the creative sector, whether it’s Hollywood North productions, Bard on the Beach or cutting-edge music recording studios.

This hasn’t just happened overnight. Our world-class sector has developed because of the incredible talent that is in our province, and we are better for it. During the pandemic, I think we all learned just how important the arts can be for our mental well-being. The arts can bring us together, whether at a music concert, a theatre or just a gathering opportunity. During COVID-19, when all of these events were put on hold, I believe many of us developed a greater appreciation for what those opportunities mean to our society.

I’m excited to say that as more in-person concerts and festivals return, there is much to look forward to. In my own community in Surrey, there are a few upcoming events that I just want to take a moment to highlight. Coming up on May 28 is the Support Ukraine Fundraiser at the White Rock Elks Club. I encourage everyone to attend this day-long food and entertainment event for a cause that we can all agree deserves our support. We will also serve to highlight incredible local music talent.

This event is building upon the incredibly successful White Rock Peace Walk for Ukraine that took place in April and raised over $33,000. The proceeds for that event have already gone towards food and medical supplies for Ukraine. I am grateful that so many members of my community have stepped up and shown support for the people of Ukraine.

It’s also exciting to see events return to White Rock this summer, such as the White Rock Sea Festival in July, or completely new events, like the White Rock Promenade Sculpture Competition, which is set to begin in September. There are so many incredible festivities and festivals, gathering opportunities, in my community, and I know everyone is grateful for these beloved community events.

Surrey not only hosts events but is also a setting for many successful films and television shows. TV show such as Fringe, iZombie, The Good Doctor and Arrow have all featured Surrey. Even the Netflix blockbuster The Christmas Chronicles used Surrey’s renowned production studio, which has one of Canada’s largest sound stages.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t highlight the fact that my two sons…. Their favourite actor, if not human in the world — next to their dad — is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. I always remind them that he was actually a former CFL player for one game, albeit he actually filmed the movie Skyscraper in Surrey at Surrey Central. That is something that…. When we actually went and saw the movie, we were able to pick out parts of Surrey, and we enjoyed that.

Just take one major motion picture such as Star Trek Beyond, filmed before the pandemic. According to the Motion Picture Association of Canada, more than 3,900 British Columbians helped bring Star Trek Beyond from the green screen to the big screen. I’m not a Trekkie. I understand there are people in this House, self professed, that are. I was more of a Star Wars guy growing up, and continue to be. But that is almost 4,000 jobs on one production alone. Over the course of 78 days of filming in British Columbia, the production contributed $69 million to the province’s economy, including more than $40 million to hire a local cast, crew and extras.

The future for film and television is bright in British Columbia, even after the significant impacts of COVID-19, as production volumes soared to $3.3 billion last year. I look forward to more productions showcasing everything that B.C. has to offer in the incredible Surrey studio. The arts and culture sector have faced significant setbacks throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, through its own resilience, the sector is back and ready to showcase its incredible talent to British Columbians.

M. Elmore: I’m very pleased to rise today and speak in favour of the motion from the member for Maple Ridge–Mission: “Be it resolved that this House recognize Creative Industries Week and celebrate the talents, innovation and contributions that people in this sector bring to our economy and communities.”

[11:30 a.m.]

We have heard from all members of the House just what a strong economic engine our creative industries are, bringing billions of dollars in economic activity to our province and employing over 100,000 workers. Our creative industries span such a huge continuum. We have just such an incredible array of talent, natural resources and innovation here in British Columbia. The creative sector includes the motion picture industry, music and sound recording, interactive and digital media, and the book and magazine publishing industries.

We are just so fortunate to have a wealth of creative talent and infrastructure here in B.C. We know that B.C. has developed outstanding resources and an incredible capacity to help us really become a leading jurisdiction and really become a focus for expanding creative industries in terms of global entertainment and digital media opportunities.

Incredibly, B.C. is the largest motion picture hub in Canada, the second-largest English-language book publishing market in Canada, the third-largest centre for music in Canada and the third-largest motion picture hub in North America, following Los Angeles and New York. As mentioned by the member previously, B.C. is home to one of the world’s largest animation and visual effects clusters and has the second-largest video games workforce in Canada.

We know that the creative sector has been hard hit by the pandemic. Some elements are coming back strong — motion pictures — while others continue to struggle. We’re looking forward to seeing more live music presentations right across the province. The film industry in B.C. was one of the first jurisdictions to come back in North America because of the skills and talents of crews and the industry here. It’s a huge part of the people-centred economic recovery.

I want to also recognize Creative B.C., which is British Columbia’s lead agency for creative sector funding and developments. They really play a central role to sustain and grow B.C.’s creative organizations and industries. I want to particularly focus on their efforts to increase the issue of the importance of equal representation in film and to ensure that we have a full range of stories and perspectives that come forward in film, as well as opportunities for people from diverse communities, racialized communities.

The role that Creative B.C. plays to help improve diversity and inclusion in the sector is in working together with stakeholders, targeting investments and practices to increase equity, diversity and inclusion, and partnering with other organizations to support underrepresented groups. We know that so critical and key is the issue of equal representation in film, to ensure that Black and Indigenous people of colour are represented in leading and supporting roles and not just as tokenism.

I want to also recognize and thank and appreciate the leadership of the Union of B.C. Performers, UBCP, and ACTRA, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, for their work, their initiative and their leadership that they take on these issues. We know that the sector is highly unionized. In the role that UBCP and ACTRA play, I want to recognize their equity and inclusion committee mandate, which plays a key role to bring forward policies and advocate for equitable representation for diverse and historically marginalized artistic communities.

I also want to recognize IATSE Local 891, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada — in British Columbia and the Yukon — for their leadership in equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism and anti-oppression. They play a key role in making sure that opportunities are realized.

I want to conclude with a quote from IATSE 891 that really sums up the importance of capturing these narratives from underrepresented groups. It’s a quote from Audre Lorde: “When we speak, we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed, but when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.”

[11:35 a.m.]

R. Merrifield: I remember. It was year 2 of the pandemic. I was going to a meeting in downtown Vancouver. I walked into the hotel lobby, and I stood in my tracks. There was live music — a human voice, a guitar — and suddenly, the thread to connect each person’s experience was in that room in that moment. Suddenly, I was aware of how life had changed during the pandemic and how much less art there actually was being shared.

I was acutely aware of this void that had been created by the pandemic and that art used to fill. The performing arts are only a small portion of what comprises the creative industries. Yes, this aspect of society was probably one of the hardest hit by the pandemic when we could not gather or get together, and it’s only now coming back to life.

Do we need creativity? Of course. Creativity influences society by changing opinions, instilling values and translating experiences across space and time. Creativity asks the questions that we all have, without necessarily having to answer. Art serves as this interpreter, an influencer and a catalyst for change. Creativity and art connect us.

What are the creative industries? Well, advertising, architecture, arts and crafts, design, fashion, film, video, photography, music, performing arts, publishing, research and development, software, computer games, electronic publishing, TV and radio — just to name a few — but other aspects of the creative industries suddenly came to the forefront of importance as COVID hit society. Digital innovation was paramount as companies pivoted to reach audiences alone in their homes, enticing them to buy fashion that they may or may not get to wear or to find goods required by their households.

UN deputy secretary-general Isabelle Durant said: “The creative industries are critical to the sustainable development agenda. They stimulate innovation and diversification, are an important factor in the burgeoning services sector, support entrepreneurship, and contribute to cultural diversity.”

The creative industries offer an important launching point for our economic recovery. The creative economy and the arts have huge potential to contribute to our economic, cultural and social well-being, but their needs and potential are not fully understood by policy-makers and by those who fund and support innovation. As a result, they’re often undervalued.

As many in the creative industries struggled under COVID, they are still struggling to fully recover. Perhaps not those in digital fields, but as advertising dollars plunged, many creative companies struggled. I watched a few pivots in my own riding. Buzz Marketing, led by Mark Tompkins, completely redesigned the business plan and doubled down during the pandemic. Mark expanded his services to include not only web design and marketing but also moved into podcasts, interviews and video during the pandemic, helping companies expand their creative digital presence.

Kelowna Now, led by Nikki and Jim Csek, also pivoted. Once a marketing, media and event company¸ they expanded into news service into the entire valley and have recently launched a new radio station focused on talk radio.

Lastly, I want to celebrate the creative work done by One Peak Creative, a creative marketing agency that tells the brand story. They dramatically pivoted during COVID, when no one could get together, and I was wildly entertained by their project #Adsolation, where they were filmed an entire commercial for a product that they were not hired to do. These were amazing. They took their social media audience with them to tell the behind-the-scenes story of how they made the ad — absolutely brilliant, attracting the attention of Ryan Reynolds and more.

This brilliance brings me back to why we need the creative industries so desperately. While they are creating and being an industry themselves, they’re also breathing life into the stories of society, the fashion of our personal identities and making sure that we have connectivity while we ask the questions of all that ails us.

Did you hear that? There might not be music right now, but we are surrounded by creativity at all times, and we most certainly feel it when it is gone.

[11:40 a.m.]

R. Russell: I’m pleased today to rise and speak in favour of the motion brought forward by our colleague from Maple Ridge–Mission regarding our support for the creative industry. Given the growth in this sector and the potentially enormous economic and social value for our rural communities, particularly, I’m keenly supportive.

This economic sector blurs the lines between industry, as it sits at the crossroads of art, culture, business and technology, according to the Stanford Social Innovation Review. I like the simplicity of a definition offered by Rasmussen University. “The concept of creative economy can be best summed up as the income-earning potential of creative activities and ideas.”

Growth in this sector is enormous. Take as example League of Legends. I didn’t know it existed until a few years ago, when my son joined an e-sports team. I will acknowledge and admit that I was skeptical of the title, even — e-sports. But since, I’ve clearly seen the value and certainly recognize the strength of the connections, the genuine team-based nature that he’s developing as a teenage boy in this game with his teammates.

For reference, in 2019, the league finals had an estimated 100 million viewers worldwide. For reference, the Stanley Cup typically sees closer to four million. This is an enormous industry with a huge opportunity for all of us in B.C., particularly rural communities.

There are two specific elements of our creative industry that I think are so important for those rural communities — economics and cohesion. Whether it is the creators, the distributors or the buyers, our rural communities are bustling with creative activity, and it’s growing.

First, the creative industry provides an economic engine, as we’ve heard, an economic engine that often might get underestimated in its significance for those rural economies. There are many examples, but I look close to home, at organizations like the Okanagan Film Commission and the fact that even during the pandemic, they brought in $44 million last year to rural communities in my part of the world.

It’s also a different demographic that is supported in these creative pursuits. According to the UN, of its nearly 30 million jobs worldwide, this sector employs more people aged 15 to 29 than any other, and nearly half are women. The work of the Creative B.C. organization is helping to enable and support these values.

Given our StrongerBC economic plan and my deep enthusiasm for environment, social and governance goals, those ESG goals that underpin our own plan for growth, I was thrilled to read the following in the 2021-22 impact report from Creative B.C.:

“But from within this variable and uncertain economic context, there is a strong and unifying theme across the entire sector, as the people within it ask: what kind of economy do we want to rebuild? Deepening priorities for social justice are combining with a close-to-home experience of the global climate crisis linked to B.C.’s devastating fires and floods in 2021.

“All together, the sector is adopting a new imperative for developing a sustainability mindset, one that builds its economy with greater purpose and interconnection, reprioritizing equity and the environment as equal considerations.”

A case study of this redefinition about what good growth is might be learned from Shambhala, a hugely successful electronic music festival in the Kootenays. Look to their remarkable work in harm reduction and drug testing on site for an example of how growth can be respectful and compassionate.

Indeed, another part of the beauty of the change in the creative sector over the last decade has been the democratization of access — geographical, gender and age democratization. My ten-year-old daughter can now create and distribute to the world with the technology that sits in our pockets, providing a connection to the global stage from our rural communities that didn’t exist in the relatively recent past.

Beyond the support for our economic vibrancy, we recognize that the creative industries, and the arts more broadly, also provide that glue, the cohesion that allows our social systems the thrive. It’s part of the magic of rural communities that encourages recruitment and retention of our health care professionals, clearly top of mind for so many of us at this moment. It’s part of what’s driving the sea change in our rural communities, defining who we are and supporting our growth and new opportunities. These creative pursuits are part of what we define and distinguish our communities.

The South Okanagan Amateur Players, a.k.a. SOAP, is a great close-to-home example of this kind of community building, a group from Oliver, B.C. with a mission to foster interest in the performing arts, to broaden opportunities for locals to participate and to enjoy, to educate and train the whole supply chain of the performing arts — stage craft, lighting and beyond — and to support youth with a passion.

[11:45 a.m.]

Conveniently, I can take this opportunity to highlight the Okanagan Zone or OZone Festival, hosted next week by SOAP and celebrating stage theatre across the Oka­nagan. The entire week will be rich with theatre, from performers throughout the Okanagan. It starts Monday.

Don’t miss it.

B. Banman: I am indeed pleased to rise on this motion: “Be it resolved that this House recognize Creative Industries Week and celebrate the talents, innovation and contributions that people in this sector bring to our economy and communities.”

Every year, my community of Abbotsford plays host to dozens of film and TV productions. If you and your family like to gather around and watch Hallmark movies during the holidays, you have probably seen Abbotsford in the background.

In fact, during last year’s holiday season, Tourism Abbotsford put together a Countdown to Christmas, Abbotsford film edition, where they provided a list of recent Hallmark holiday movies featuring our local businesses and community spaces as a backdrop.

It’s not just Hallmark movies, though. Netflix productions like Mixtape, Ivy and Bean and The Mighty Ducks were also filmed in Abbotsford. Last year, a total of 71 productions were filmed in Abbotsford. This amounts to 334 filming days at over 240 locations. With a total economic impact of more than $4 million, the film industry in Abbotsford makes a huge impact on the local economy and gives our residents a sense of pride and joy when seeing our hometown on the silver screen.

Not only do we have a thriving film industry in Abbotsford. We also have a great performing sector. The Abbotsford centre brings a wide range of performing artists and is the premier sports and entertainment venue in the Fraser Valley. The venue has hosted major concert and events like Cirque du Soleil, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Sesame Street, Jeff Dunham, Alice Cooper, KISS, Babbu Mann, Sharry Mann and the world-famous Globetrotters.

We also have great local theatre companies like Gallery 7 Theatre, Fraser Valley Stage, and going on 40 years, every parent’s and grandparent’s favourite production company, Abbotsford Children’s Theatre. As pandemic restrictions have been limited, I know many of us are looking forward to attending outstanding events and live theatre performances once again.

Here in B.C., we celebrate our creative industries all year long, but especially this week. We have incredible talent in this province who continue making world-class contributions to this sector.

Creative industries are at the heart of B.C. and are continually driving our province’s future by attracting more people, companies and productions to B.C. Our province is stronger with fantastic creative industries.

This week, we can celebrate the contributions and innovations that creative industries bring, but we should also consider what we can do to support them. These industries feel the impact of our province’s greatest challenges. What often drives the film sector to Abbotsford is the lower cost of production, compared to other areas in the Lower Mainland.

We know, however, that costs are rising across the province, not just in the city of Vancouver alone. The industry is highly reliant on robust supply chains and fuel. When climate events are impacting highways and transportation, the film industry can feel the impact. When the price of fuel is skyrocketing, like it is currently, productions have to consider their budgets.

It’s especially the case for films shooting on location, as they often rely on diesel generators to power their sets. We need to be mindful that this industry can easily move to other, more affordable locations.

I want to share my appreciation to the creative industry — companies who are doing incredible work to be more sustainable. It is this type of innovation that allows B.C. to set itself apart as a global leader in content, creation and production.

We want British Columbia to continue to be the hub for talent and a place that attracts creative projects. This is why it’s so important to support these industries and address the overall affordability concerns in British Columbia.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Thank you to everyone involved in our incredible creative industries. Your talent, your passion, your creativity make us proud, and we will continue celebrating and championing your achievements.

[11:50 a.m.]

M. Dykeman: I’m thrilled to rise in the House today to respond to this motion brought by my colleague and friend, the member for Maple Ridge–Mission and Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film, who is such a champion for the industry.

B.C. is the largest motion picture hub in Canada, known as Hollywood North. The motion picture industry is a strong economic engine for British Columbia. In 2020, with 337 productions and $2.7 billion of estimated activity through tax credit incents, B.C.’s movie industry total GDP was $1.83 billion, providing 28,018 full-time-equivalent jobs. Our government supports the motion picture industry because we know this sector creates good-paying jobs in our communities and supports local businesses.

Although the pandemic was so hard on so many sectors in 2021, film production remained strong thanks to the collaboration of B.C.’s motion picture industry to keep film sets safe. In my riding of Langley East, we have incredible filming. Just a short list of shows that have been filmed in Langley include Bates Motel, Once Upon a Time, Twilight, Night at the Museum, Arrow, Riverdale, When Calls the Heart and Snowpiercer, a show which the Premier is a fan of and virtually toured the set during the pandemic.

The film industry is growing in Langley township because of great facilities like Martini Studios. It is under the leadership of vibrant CEO Gemma Martini, who is an amazing ambassador for film. It boasts 150,000 square feet of stage space with eight stages.

In addition to great facilities, the township offers a unique rural backdrop, with shows coming to Langley because people farm, not despite them farming. Like MacInnes Farms, a 100-acre family farm, which has a set known as Jamestown, providing a picture perfect farm background for the filming of the Hallmark show When Calls the Heart, or Copper Stone, a stunning lavender farm where Riverdale’s Cheryl Blossom’s family mansion is filmed.

The film industry is growing in the township of Langley. Martini Studios is constructing another adjacent film studio. The campus will have 16 sound stages, with a total sound stage floor area of about 370,000 square feet. Additionally, there will also be 224,000 square feet of support space buildings — such as for mill shops, wardrobes or props — construction bays and two five-storey buildings which will also offer about 135,000 square feet of office space to further support production, operational and planning needs.

This brings the total campus building floor space to about 730,000 square feet, which will be such a great addition for Langley East. All of this is timed for completion in the middle of 2024, and it will be one of the largest film and television production facilities in Canada.

Skills training is also offered in Langley East to train and prepare new people to enter the industry. North Island College, Island North Film Commission and Martini Film Studios offer three motion picture skills-training programs, featuring grip, lighting and set construction, a program that’s funded through the province of B.C.’s community workforce response grant.

The film industry in the township of Langley is a huge economic driver, providing great-paying and secure jobs for families, supporting our local businesses and spurring tourism, like when superfans of the show When Calls the Heart, affectionately known as Hearties, come to town — over 450 people from around the world — just to tour the set.

In 2019, there were over 1,600 film days permitted in the township, representing over 185 separate productions, which resulted in direct investment of millions of dollars in the township’s local economy through the acquisition of services and the purchase of goods.

Thank you to Val Gafka, from the township of Langley, who is the senior manager of economic development, for being such a champion for film.

According to Creative B.C., in 2019, over 2,500 township residents worked in film. As we celebrate Creative Industries Week, let us celebrate the talents, innovation and contributions that people in this sector bring to our economy and our communities.

Thank you to all of those that work and support those that work in film, and all of the other creative industries, for making our province such a wonderfully diverse and creative place to live.

M. Dykeman moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. N. Simons moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House is adjourned until 1:30 p.m. today.

The House adjourned at 11:54 a.m.