Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: M. Dykeman.

Introductions by Members

Hon. M. Dean: In a short while, we will have the teacher Bill Thistle and a grade five class from Macaulay Elementary School visiting. Of course, they’re here to learn about what we do, and I look forward to meeting them after question period.

Would you all please make them very welcome.

S. Furstenau: Hold the banana phone. Raffi is in the building. I am so grateful to call him my friend and, I would say, mentor. Raffi, in every interaction, reminds us to connect with joy and happiness and caring and our inner children and our real children, and for that, I am enormously grateful.

Raffi, it’s wonderful to have you here.

Will the House please make him feel most welcome.

Hon. D. Coulter: I’d like to ask the chamber to please make two special guests here welcome: Karen Ranalletta, president of CUPE B.C.; and David Fleming, who is…. I don’t know the job title, maybe legislative liaison for CUPE B.C., something like that.

If the chamber would please make them feel welcome.

Hon. J. Brar: I would like to introduce a very special individual today, who played a very special role during the transition to my new role as the Minister of State for Trade, and that is Jocelyn Fan. Jocelyn is a super adviser and has exceptional people skills, and she’s very good organizer. She is there when you need anything. If you have a question, I know Jocelyn has the answer. She brings a lot of positive energy to the office, and it is very rare to see Jocelyn without a smile on her face.

I would like to ask the House to please make her feel welcome.

M. Elmore: This morning, Raffi has got good company up here. We’ve got my great friend RJ Aquino in the House. He’s someone that is a very well known leader in the Filipino community and progressive politics and ran as a former candidate on the executives for OneCity Vancouver and the Burnaby Citizens Association.

I’d ask everybody to please give a very warm welcome to my good friend, RJ Aquino.

[10:10 a.m.]

Speaker’s Statement

125th ANNIVERSARY OF
PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Mr. Speaker: Members, I wish to bring to the House’s attention that tomorrow, February 10, will mark the 125th anniversary since the opening of our Parliament Buildings. It is remarkable to think that the laws governing the province of British Columbia have been made in this very chamber for the past 125 years.

The design of these magnificent buildings was the first commission for a young Francis Mawson Rattenbury. His architectural vision was brought to life by countless hard-working labourers, with construction underway from 1893 to 1898. As tales would have it, some of these labourers still watch over our debates in the form of effigies, which we see around us in this chamber.

When the building was officially opened in 1898 to coincide with the start of the fourth session of the seventh parliament, our province was just 27 years old, and there were 33 members of this House.

It is astounding to think that at that time, people of colour, like me, were not welcome here. Indigenous people were not welcome here. Other minorities were not welcome here. Women could not run for office, and there was not a single women’s washroom in this building. Over these years, our debates have captured painful moments of our collective history, but we must persevere on our journey of fairness and equality.

As we take a moment to reflect on our history and the stunning setting in which we undertake our parliamentary work, let us also pause to reflect on the things we can do to continue to make this place more representative of the citizens that we serve and to set a positive course for the next 125 years.

Introduction and
First Reading of Bills

BILL 5 — PUBLIC SERVICE LABOUR
RELATIONS AMENDMENT ACT, 2023

Hon. K. Conroy presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Public Service Labour Relations Amendment Act, 2023.

Hon. K. Conroy: I move that the Public Service Labour Relations Amendment Act be introduced and read for a first time.

I am pleased to introduce the Public Service Labour Relations Amendment Act. This bill amends the Public Service Labour Relations Act to implement collective bargaining rights for government lawyers employed in the B.C. public service. The amendments enable these collective bargaining rights and ensure government maintains an appropriate public service bargaining framework that promotes continued labour stability and controls future costs.

Mr. Speaker: Members, the question is the first reading of the bill.

Motion approved.

Hon. K. Conroy: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House.

Bill 5, Public Service Labour Relations Amendment Act, 2023, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Statements
(Standing Order 25B)

ACCESSIBLE PRESCRIPTIONS FOR
PERSONS WITH VISION LOSS

N. Letnick: Today I’d like to talk about accessible prescriptions for British Columbians with sight loss.

The 252,000 partially sighted or blind British Columbians are a vulnerable population whose needs are often overlooked. Currently prescriptions are labelled with text-only instructions, making it difficult for the blind to use them without assistance. This can lead to delays in obtaining medications, which can have a significant impact on their quality of life.

Not being able to access prescriptions in a timely manner represents inequitable treatment for British Columbians with sight loss, persons with dyslexia and other forms of print disabilities who are unable to manage their prescriptions independently, confidently and safely without this necessary accommodation.

[10:15 a.m.]

I’m asking the government today to do more to ensure that all British Columbians with sight loss are able to receive accessible prescriptions. This could include providing Braille prescription labels or providing audio recordings of prescription instructions.

Auditory RFID labels allow blind individuals to easily access the necessary information contained on the label, including the name of the drug, dosage and other important information. This will enable them to independently use their medications and ensure that they are taking their medications as prescribed.

It is important that British Columbians with sight loss have the same access to prescriptions as everyone else. I urge the government to take action to promote the awareness of the needs of this vulnerable group.

NON-PROFIT SECTOR

M. Dykeman: It’s a pleasure to rise today to speak to the importance of British Columbia’s non-profit sector.

Our non-profit sector contributes a staggering $6.7 billion to the provincial economy. The sector employs over 86,000 British Columbians at nearly 30,000 registered not-for-profit groups and charities. It is an economic and social force in the province, helping individuals, families, children and seniors by providing critical services in health care, child care, housing, food security and more.

In every B.C. community, some of our most vulnerable people — such as women fleeing domestic violence, refugees escaping countries torn apart by war or people experiencing homelessness and addiction — are assisted by non-profit organizations. From smaller organizations such as the Langley Literacy Network,which helps residents of all ages with lifelong learning, to larger organizations such as the United Way B.C., which is working on behalf of government to eliminate period poverty, we are counting on the services non-profits deliver.

I’m thankful that B.C.’s non-profits are there for seniors who may feel socially isolated and need a friendly place to visit, like a neighbourhood house, for parents on lower incomes who desperately need affordable child care so they can get to their jobs and for people who are just looking for pottery courses or fitness and recreational programs that are enjoyable and fun.

I appreciate all the wonderful volunteers and non-profit staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes to serve British Columbians and thank them for their service. B.C.’s non-profits are helping raise our quality of life in so many ways to build a stronger B.C.

Will the House please join me in applauding B.C.’s non-profit sector.

EARTHQUAKES IN TÜRKIYE AND SYRIA

E. Sturko: The images and losses have been devastating. Nearly 20,000 people are now known to have died in the disastrous earthquakes in southern Türkiye and northern Syria. A magnitude 7.8 quake and its powerful aftershocks caused massive destruction, flattening buildings and other infrastructure. Rescuers are continuing their painstaking work to pull victims out of the rubble, but hopes for their survival are beginning to fade.

Our hearts go out to the people of Türkiye and Syria and to the many Canadians and British Columbians who’ve lost loved ones or who are waiting for word to know if their friends and relatives are safe.

Many British Columbians have stepped up to help in this dire time of need. For those who are in a position to donate, the Canadian government is now matching donations to the Canadian Red Cross’s earthquake appeal until February 22.

As well, the Turkish Canadian Society, the Canadian Turkish Educational and Cultural Foundation and the UBC Turkish Student Association have come together in Vancouver to form a logistics centre for accepting and packing donations. The donations will be shipped out on a scheduled Turkish Airlines flight every other day in an effort to provide relief to those affected by the disaster.

In the days and months to come, more generosity will be needed to support those who have survived and who have been left with nothing.

I know all members of this House join me in sending our deepest condolences, our thoughts, our best wishes and our prayers to the people of Türkiye and Syria and to all British Columbians affected by this horrific tragedy.

MULTICULTURAL CELEBRATION
OF LUNAR NEW YEAR

F. Donnelly: Da jia hao.

The lunar new year is a very important annual festival in many Asian countries and is celebrated here in British Columbia and around the world. On this day, families get together to enjoy delicious food and exchange warm wishes. Young people salute their elders and light fireworks to drive away negative energy.

[10:20 a.m.]

On January 15, the member for Port Moody–Coquitlam and I hosted a multi lunar new year celebration at Inlet Theatre in Port Moody. A large audience welcomed in the Year of the Rabbit and enjoyed multicultural performances by talented local artists.

A diverse number of community organizations offered numerous cultural activities, including paper cutting, lantern-making and Chinese calligraphy. I’d like to thank our co-hosts, Linda Li and Ernest Wu of the Tri-City Chinese Community Society, and all their volunteers, as well as Jean Liang and members of the Golden Maple Culture and Arts Association; Teacher Wang of the BaoBao Arts Centre; and Wayne Gao of Pin-Point Media and his amazing team, who ensured that all went smoothly backstage.

Thank you to kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation Chief Ed Hall, who started us off in a good way.

This was truly a team effort which resulted in a dynamic array of performances enjoyed by all. Thank you to our wonderful performers, which began with an energetic lion dance and included a children’s ballet class, an Iranian choir, a solo dance, the K-pop dance group, a cello ensemble and a Chinese traditional orchestra.

It was marvelous to meet so many people at this year’s multicultural lunar new year celebration, from newcomers to those who have lived in the Tri-Cities for years. While joining together at community celebrations like this, we are building a foundation of understanding and harmony that will make our communities stronger and healthier.

Xièxiè.

RAFFI FOUNDATION FOR
CHILD HONOURING

S. Furstenau: For all of us who grew up singing along to Baby Beluga and Oats and Beans and Barley Grow and then sang along with our kids to Bananaphone and Down by the Riverside, we know that Raffi’s songs and Raffi’s voice bring immediate and lasting joy. If there is one person who has taught us to love and honour children, it’s Raffi, and it’s not just through his music.

The Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring is a charity that is dedicated to advancing child honouring as a way to create positive transformation. Reflect, for a moment, what it would be like to live in a world rooted in an overarching belief that children who are respected and loved grow into loving, caring adults who can, in turn, create a more caring world. That’s what lies at the heart of Raffi’s work of child honouring.

There’s a child-honouring covenant and a child-honouring course, the foundations of which include respectful love, diversity, caring community and a healthy environment. Raffi has one more way to celebrate and honour children: by making July 8 child-honouring day, a day where we would all put our minds and efforts towards making a world that truly honours children.

I’ve had the absolute gift of a friendship with Raffi for almost a decade. Each time I connect with him, I’m reminded of his wisdom and the wisdom of his wonderful music. He reminds me to tap into the joy of childhood that still sits in my core, and he shows in his essence what it means to honour not only children but all people and living things in our world.

I can confirm that what Raffi sings is true: all we really need is a song in our hearts, food in our bellies and love in our families.

WHITE CANE WEEK
AND VISION LOSS AWARENESS

S. Chant: I rise today to acknowledge February 6 through 12 as White Cane Week.

To start, I also acknowledge that I’m speaking from the ancestral lands of the Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking people, the Esquimalt and the Songhees.

Additionally, I have the honour of representing North Vancouver–Seymour in the traditional lands of the Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish people.

The Canadian Council of the Blind has promoted White Cane Week across Canada since 1946. Along with other organizations, they have been raising awareness of vision loss with a focus on the abilities of people who are blind or living with low vision. The symbol of this week is the white cane.

Since its introduction in 1944, there have been many advancements in the tools and technology that support people with visual impairments. Perkins, Mountbattens, Merlins, Navigators, PowerBraille, PACMate, JAWS, Plex talkers, DaVincis, Magna Lights, Zip Tabs — these are all devices that have helped people for years through Braille, magnification and audio. Other innovations in technology have produced personal voice assistants and smart-home technology that are also helping people with visual impairments.

[10:25 a.m.]

Not having the right technology isn’t the only barrier that people with visual impairments face. Of all people with disabilities in Canada, blind or partially sighted people have the highest rate of unemployment, at 70 percent. In fact, what most often creates barriers to accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities is the attitude of others.

In promoting this awareness week, the Canadian Council of the Blind is hoping to change this perception. Shifting attitudes is foundational to the advocacy and support work that they do. As they say, focus on demonstrating the abilities, not disabilities, of people living with vision loss.

That’s what our government believes too. That’s why we have the Accessible British Columbia Act and are working to identify, prevent and remove barriers to inclusion. By removing barriers both physical and attitudinal, we are creating opportunities for more people. Everyone deserves the chance to work, learn and contribute.

I would like to invite all members to join me, as we recognize White Cane Week, to envision and embrace an inclusive and accessible province for all.

Oral Questions

DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION PROGRAM
AND ACCESS TO ADDICTION SERVICES

E. Sturko: This NDP government’s sole focus on publicly supplied addictive drugs and decriminalizing hard drugs is not going to end well. There are specific obligations from last year’s letter of requirements from the federal government that have not been met — notifiable metrics. No plan for public safety, no timely access to treatment.

This is what the letter says: “As noted in the request, the province will ensure that individuals who desire treatment or other supports can access them when needed.”

To the Premier, why is he proceeding with the decriminalization of dangerous drugs like crystal meth, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl without first ensuring timely access to treatment and recovery, as was promised?

Hon. D. Eby: Thank you to the member for the question on an issue of mental health, addiction and the toxic drug crisis that we’re facing. I know it’s front of mind for members across this chamber. I know that because we worked very closely together on a cross-party parliamentary committee on this very issue.

The member raises issues of decriminalization and safe supply. The whole goal of those initiatives, the reason why it was supported by both parties, why it continues to be, is to keep people alive so they have the opportunity to get into treatment. When I meet with parents who have lost children and I meet with a spouse who has lost a partner to overdose, they wish that that person was still with them so that they could have that opportunity to get into treatment.

I agree with the member. It is vital that we have a public network of treatment that’s available for people on demand across the province. That’s what we’re building. We’re following the recommendations from the all-party committee on that.

Three hundred and sixty adult and youth treatment beds are in development, focusing on youth in particular, because if you can intervene early when someone is struggling with addiction, you can save them from a lifetime of pain.

I’m really, first of all, encouraged by the fact that the opposition is raising this as an issue, that they are embracing this idea that government should be funding public treatment. I’m glad they’re supporting that, and I encourage them to continue pushing in that direction. We all need to work together on this important issue.

Mr. Speaker: Surrey South, supplemental.

DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION
AND OVERSIGHT OF
SAFE SUPPLY PILOT PROJECT

E. Sturko: I’m glad to hear the Premier acknowledge that these things are still underway and still being worked on, and acknowledging, in fact, that they didn’t have the work completed prior to the decriminalization.

The NDP government has not only failed to do the work necessary prior to the implementation of this experiment policy, but British Columbians have good reason to be skeptical of this Premier when it comes to the decriminalization of hard drugs like heroin, meth, fentanyl and cocaine, because under this NDP government’s watch, high school students are accessing addictive hard drugs from drug vending machines in Vancouver, a process called diversion.

[10:30 a.m.]

Users of the so-called safe supply pilot project are selling their drugs to teenagers so they can buy other products off the street.

The NDP government has failed to provide oversight to make sure that addictive drugs don’t get diverted to teenagers. How can families trust this Premier…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Shhh. Members.

E. Sturko: …to protect youth while decriminalizing fentanyl, crystal meth, given that the NDP government has taken such a lax approach to publicly supplied highly addictive drugs being resold to teenagers?

Hon. D. Eby: The member knows the reason why every member of this place came together through the all-party committee and supported initiatives around safe supply and decriminalization. It’s to give a chance, when a mom has got a kid struggling with addiction, to get a health care worker between that kid and a predatory drug dealer, to give that kid the opportunity to remove that stigma, to have that conversation with a parent: “Look, I’m struggling with addiction.”

That’s the reason why there was support across the chamber — why there is support, at least as far as I understand it — for these kinds of interventions: to keep people alive and to have the conversations about treatment. Now, I know the member knows our government’s investment in the Foundry system, which was something that I believe started under the opposition’s government. We believe in that kind of intervention. I think we are on the verge of opening up to 24 of those now and doubling the number of beds for youth treatment.

You know, the critical piece here is around making sure that treatment is available for people. We’re working with St. Paul’s Hospital and Providence Health Care, for people who show up in the emergency room after overdosing, so that they can go direct into detox, direct from detox into treatment, all on the same site, so that there’s not even an opportunity to lose that person in a cab on the way to a treatment facility.

These are the kinds of innovative initiatives that we are exploring and working on and delivering across the province: outpatient withdrawal management in multiple new locations in the Interior; new treatment and stabilization beds in Kamloops, Kelowna and Lillooet; new sobering and assessment services in Prince George and Nanaimo.

I accept the member’s critique. We’ve got more to do, but I think it’s vital that we all recognize the work we need to do together on this incredibly sensitive issue for British Columbians, where they want us to support those folks struggling with addiction, to keep them alive and get them into treatment.

DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION PROGRAM
AND FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS

K. Kirkpatrick: What I just understood the Premier to say is that these beds and these supports are being explored, and they’re being worked on. In the federal letter of requirements, there is an obligation to have these recovery beds and treatments available at the same time as decriminalization has come in, and I am hearing that that is actually not what is happening.

There is also an obligation to have done a comprehensive public education plan, particularly for youth, but instead of an awareness campaign that illicit drugs are harmful and addictive, the NDP are letting their allies do that public education. The former employer of the Premier — Pivot Legal — and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users are even actively working to discourage people from seeking treatment. A quote from VANDU: “Police should not be handing out health information cards. The only role police should play in decrim is to stand down.”

This question is to the Premier. Why is it that the only information about decriminalization and its harm — or not harm, in the case of VANDU and Pivot Legal…? Why is that information and communication only coming from VANDU and Pivot Legal instead of public safety information coming from this NDP government?

Hon. J. Whiteside: Thank you very much to the member for the question. However, the supposition in the question is just simply wrong.

[10:35 a.m.]

With respect to the requirements that Health Canada set down in the application that we made for exemption…. An application we made was developed in collaboration with front-line law enforcement, with people with lived experience, with public health, with front-line care providers, who all stood together with us as we made the announcement two weeks ago.

Issues with respect to how we communicate the intention of this have been very broadly discussed across all of those partner groups — and we are working with school districts, with youth-focused organizations, through our youth mental health support organizations, such as Foundries, such as ICY teams — to ensure that those important front-line folks who work directly with kids understand what the intent is.

We have a very robust curriculum in our K-to-12 system with respect to mental health and substance use. Those are the primary mechanisms we’re relying on to communicate this very important information for children and youth.

Mr. Speaker: Member, supplemental.

K. Kirkpatrick: Well, frankly, that answer is just not good enough. “The province has committed,” and I’m reading directly from the letter of requirements, “to ensure that individuals who desire treatment or other supports can access them when needed.” So the words I’m hearing are: “It’s in process. We’re doing it. We’re exploring it.” That is not doing it when needed at the same time that decriminalization is happening. One year after the federal requirements were issued, these things should be up and running.

The letter of requirements also calls for a comprehensive consultation with communities, but, instead, communities are being forced to act on their own when it comes to public safety. Campbell River has passed a bylaw to give enforcement tools to address the use of open hard drugs like heroin, meth, fentanyl and cocaine in public areas. Coun. Ben Lanyon says: “The need for this is in direct response to the unknowns that we’re facing.”

So to the Premier, why are communities like Campbell River being left on their own to manage the impact of open drug use in their parks and their public areas?

Hon. J. Whiteside: The core planning table that met for years leading up to the application for the exemption included the B.C. Union of Municipalities, and we’ve been working very closely with our partners in municipalities with respect to the impacts in communities.

I understand there are some municipalities who have taken what they view as particular preventative measures — not that there are particular issues that they’re dealing with, that they’re faced with right now, but to look at what they think may be problems down the road. But I would say our conversations with municipalities have been very much about, again, how we need to pull together as communities to support individuals who are in crisis, to support individuals who need access to care and support.

That is why we’ve been working with 9,000 front-line police officers to ensure that they have training and education and skills development with respect to what decriminalization means, what its intended purpose is, the role of reducing stigma and fear. We heard so eloquently from people with lived experience, from people who have lost loved ones to the toxic poisoned drug crisis who, again, would much prefer that their loved ones were alive to be able to access care and support.

That is the purpose of decriminalization. That is the purpose of the work we’re doing with all of our partners, including municipalities, and we’re going to be there to work with municipalities through whatever issues that arise on the ground for them. But this, again, is something we are working together with all of our partners to work through, and that’s the work we’ll continue to do.

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION
OF ENERGY PROJECTS

A. Olsen: To the Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, in the minister’s first few weeks on the job, how would the minister characterize the regulation and enforcement of environmental infractions of energy projects in British Columbia?

[10:40 a.m.]

Hon. G. Heyman: The member has asked a very general question, so it’s hard to know exactly where the member wants to focus the answer.

What I would say is that there are a number of agencies that have distinct and outlined responsibilities for enforcement of regulations, conditions on permits. There are administrative procedures and administrative fairness in each regime. There is an escalating pattern of warnings, of penalties, of orders that precede penalties, and they are applied in an escalating manner.

Mr. Speaker: Member, supplemental.

COASTAL GASLINK PIPELINE PROJECT
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE
AND ENFORCEMENT

A. Olsen: The construction of the CGL pipeline continues to cause damage to sensitive habitat and cultural sites in northern British Columbia. Last month, a dam at the Clore River ruptured, damaging critical salmon and steelhead habitat. That’s part of the reason why I asked the question to the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation.

It’s my understanding that it’s actually the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission that is responsible for the regulation of water crossings. The Tyee reported: “The Oil and Gas Commission initially cleared the pipeline builder of any wrongdoing but added that it had not inspected the site in person.”

The breach of the Clore River is not an isolated incident. Today the CGL pipeline has been fined three times. It’s had 37 warnings. It’s had 17 orders for non-compliance related to erosion and sediment control. There doesn’t appear to be any amount of damage that can happen and this government will hold the company accountable. This NDP government is appearing more and more to be captured by industry.

In fact, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the federal body, is not enforcing there because they basically are saying that they’re relying on the province. Effectively, neither senior government is holding this company accountable. It’s a $14.5 billion pipeline, and this government has fined them a total — a grand, grand total — of $456,200 to date. That’s less than a rounding error, way less than a rounding error.

This government is failing to properly penalize CGL, and it’s a terrible message to send, especially considering that there are several other pipelines and gas liquefaction plants poised to go ahead under a Premier who promised no new fossil fuel infrastructure. This government says it rewards those who play by the rules. However, it is clear they also reward those who break the rules.

To the Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, will the minister act to ensure that Coastal GasLink does not further damage critical salmon and steelhead habitat, and how much more damage do they have to inflict before this government finally issues a stop work order?

Hon. G. Heyman: I reject the premise of the member’s question. It’s simply inaccurate. We take enforcement of regulations and permits and conditions seriously.

The environmental assessment office, along with, in some cases, inspectors from the Oil and Gas Commission, and in some cases, inspectors from other divisions in the Ministry of Environment, regularly inspect behaviour on the CGL pipeline as well as many other projects. There have been numerous inspections by EAO officers of CGL. There have been orders, there have been meetings, and there has been an escalating series of penalties. There is consideration being given every time an infraction is found.

We entered into a compliance agreement with CGL to raise the level of attention and focus on continued breaches of their permits. There was, in fact, a stop work at one point until corrections were made.

It is not true that Oil and Gas Commission inspectors did not attend Clore River. They did, in fact, attend. So did DFO. I have asked to be regularly briefed on findings of all of the agencies that inspect. The EAO officers are in regular contact with the Oil and Gas Commission inspectors, who do have the responsibility for inspecting the erosion, and we are all waiting for the analysis by DFO of their findings from their inspection of the Clore River.

[10:45 a.m.]

GOVERNMENT ACTION ON ISSUES
IN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

T. Halford: Day after day, we raise devastating stories of delays in the health care system, only to be dismissed by this minister.

Last October the Leader of the Opposition raised the issue of Fayra Krueger, a nurse from White Rock who was diagnosed with skin cancer and faced one gruelling delay after delay. Because her surgery was delayed in December, the procedure was done with outdated scan results, and it missed a cancer node. It was discovered two weeks later.

Now Fayra has been undergoing radiation therapy for the past three weeks, but her body’s inability to keep food down has caused significant weight loss. As a result, Fayra needs a feeding tube, and she was told that she faced a four-week delay to get that feeding tube. She was also told that if her weight continued to drop, they would need to stop her radiation treatment. If she loses any more weight, this is threatening her life.

It is unimaginable to think that this is happening in our province today. This Health Minister has known about this case for months, and it requires immediate action today.

Will this government, will this Premier, will this minister give Fayra and her family a chance and ensure that no other family has to go through something like this? It would likely save her life to get a feeding tube, a routine procedure that she has now been told will take four weeks to get.

Hon. A. Dix: Of course, anyone who is struggling with cancer needs care, deserves care and gets care in B.C. In this case, and in others….

The member will know, because I work on issues with him and all members of the House all the time, how deeply everybody in the system cares, including the doctors and nurses and health care workers responsible for care in this case. Of course, I’ll look into the issues that the member has raised today, and it reminds us of the continuing need to invest in our public health care system, to have more doctors and nurses, more oncologists and surgeons, more supports for people, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.

The member will know — he knows it personally — that when cases are brought to my attention, I work with members all over the House, and I will, of course, work in this case.

To the family and everyone involved in dealing with very difficult health care issues for themselves, they have our compassion and they have our support.

The member will know that all of the people involved in these processes, all of the health care workers involved behave with that in mind.

HEALTH CARE STAFFING AND
ROLE OF PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS

S. Bond: Thank you to the minister. To be clear, this situation was raised with the minister months ago, and it is unbelievable that the minister thinks that we can continue to bring case after case individually to his attention. It is symptomatic of a health care system in crisis in British Columbia, because, in fact, in this province, people are dying on wait-lists.

It’s not just patients that are suffering, and the minister knows that. There is burnout, and there are reports of toxic workplaces where doctors and nurses face retaliation for speaking out. It is leading health care professionals to abandon their jobs and resign across the province. Staffing levels are at critical levels.

Yet the minister has today, on his desk, a proposal from the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants to get some desperately needed help for the people of Port Hardy and elsewhere. I raised that issue with the minister months ago — in fact, almost a year ago. The proposal is supported by the Doctors of B.C., the First Nations Health Authority, the B.C. Rural Health Network and even the MLA for North Island. All of them are begging the minister and this government to agree to the proposal and recognize the role physician assistants can play in the health care team.

[10:50 a.m.]

Physician assistants are permitted in other provinces, and once again, they can’t work here in British Columbia. They could start to work almost immediately.

Knowing that we should have all hands on deck in this province and that the proposal is widely supported, even by government members, will the Premier or Penny Ballem or someone over there take what is a seemingly immediate step and direct the Health Minister to approve the proposal that will provide desperately needed help?

Hon. A. Dix: Over the past number of years, our government has taken, I think, unprecedented action to build up the health care team. When I became Minister of Health, we were last in Canada, last in nurse practitioners. We’ve more than doubled the number of nurse practitioners practising in B.C. We’ve built out the health care teams in primary care with allied health workers and mental health and addictions specialists and nurses and nurse practitioners supporting doctors in community.

The member, I think, understands that the reason physician assistants have not been approved in the past in B.C. is that the previous government reviewed the issue and repeatedly rejected that. They did. That is a fact — that we don’t train physicians’ assistants in B.C., and therefore, it’s a constrained number.

This is an issue in terms of their licensing and so on that involves the ministry. It also involves the College of Physicians and Surgeons. They are looking at that issue right now, but people have to, in this province, have their scope of practice regulated and put in place. But when it comes to team-based care, an area where the province was deficient in 2017, we’ve made unprecedented progress.

CONDITIONS FOR HEALTH WORKERS
AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF
HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATORS

T. Stone: Well, on the question of physician assistants practising in British Columbia, the member for Prince George–Valemount raised this with the minister about a year ago, and the minister said he would look at it. I think what British Columbians are expecting and what medical professionals are expecting is the minister is going to work on this expeditiously. We need these physician assistants to be added to the health care system to add the capacity that’s needed.

I’ll move to a different matter. Doctors should be practising medicine in this province as opposed to being muzzled by the NDP. The people of Port Hardy will soon be down to their last doctor in the emergency room of their hospital, Dr. Alex Nataros. But instead of giving Port Hardy’s last doctor the physician assistant that he has been asking for, he has been suspended.

What did this doctor do recently? Well, he called for this NDP government to be held accountable for the collapse of B.C.’s health care system. This is the most high-profile muzzling of a health care professional in the province, but let’s remember that hundreds of nurses and doctors have also been silenced from speaking out about the quality of care in the province and the collapse of B.C.’s health care system.

My question to the Premier is this. Will he direct the Minister of Health to stop his muzzling of health care workers, and as importantly, will he ensure that the people of Port Hardy are not left without a single doctor in the emergency room of their hospital?

Hon. A. Dix: Well, the Island Health Authority has a director of medicine who’s an outstanding doctor, who people in all communities on Vancouver Island will know, Dr. Ben Williams. Dr. Ben Williams, in that position, has a legal obligation, when he becomes aware of patient cases that must be investigated, to take that action in the name of patient safety, and that’s what he does. That’s what occurred in this place.

I refer the hon. member to the detailed response that Dr. Williams has put in place. What happened, in this case, has nothing to do — nothing to do — with the public comments made by anybody about the public health care system. It has nothing to do with it, and to suggest that it does is just false.

[10:55 a.m.]

I’d go further. What has happened since 2017 is the implementation of all of the recommendations of the review by the Ombudsperson of health firings in B.C.

The change in the law, brought in by the then Attorney General, now Premier, on the Public Interest Disclosure Act, and an assurance that people can speak out in this province — that is something that we passed in this House and that the opposition, I believe, supported, notwithstanding their conduct in government in the health firings matter.

We take it very seriously. Everyone has the right to speak out. Everyone should have that right to speak out. Their speaking out makes the public health care system better. But when senior doctors do their job to protect patients…. The member doesn’t know what it’s about. He doesn’t have the slightest clue. He makes allegations about Dr. Williams and his actions. That is not something I agree with.

P. Milobar: Time and again, we hear in this place about the toxic work environments within health authorities and within individual health facilities, from doctors, from nurses and from all sorts of health professionals working in those facilities. Time and again, this minister brushes those concerns off. That type of an environment gets fostered from the top down. We’ve heard how people that are raising issues get threatened with muzzling and threatened with suspensions.

Let’s look at why those health care professionals feel that that is happening. Let’s see what happens if you’re in the administrative side of health care and how this government and this minister treat you.

Dr. Albert de Villiers, the former chief medical officer for Interior Health, has just been convicted of sexual assault and sexual interference of a child. He’s still awaiting trial on a few more charges for different incidents. It’s extremely disturbing to everyone to learn that after he was charged in June 2021, he was allowed to return to work on October 4, 2021, where he continued to collect a six-figure salary. No suspension there.

Under this government, hard-working doctors and nurses that speak out are facing swift justice and suspensions, but a vile criminal like Dr. de Villiers was simply reassigned and allowed to continue to work and receive pay.

To the Premier, why does the Ministry of Health continue to foster a toxic health care workplace by muzzling and suspending front-line doctors, nurses and health care professionals while protecting employment of administration accused and then convicted of something as egregious as sexual assault of children?

Hon. A. Dix: Dr. de Villiers has been convicted. He no longer works for Interior Health, as appropriate.

The members asked questions about the case of another doctor and have, I think, put into question the ethics of a senior doctor whose responsibility it is to protect patients. That is always what our senior doctors do in British Columbia. I think that to attempt to juxtapose those issues is disgraceful.

We have taken steps, repeated steps…

Interjections.

Hon. A. Dix: They think that asking these questions of this seriousness requires heckling. It does not. It requires….

Interjections.

Hon. A. Dix: Here they go again. Dr. de Villiers rightfully is gone, as he should be. With respect to….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, the question has already been asked. Let’s hear the answer, please.

Hon. A. Dix: As noted, people do have the right….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, relax, please. Be quiet.

The member will continue.

Hon. A. Dix: People, of course, do have the right, will always have the right, to speak out in our democracy. That right has been assured by legislative action in this chamber. They will continue to do so in our province, as they should.

[11:00 a.m.]

In our public health care system…. Well, the member is just wrong as to the facts. To make such serious allegations when you’re wrong speaks of the opposition and not the government.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. A. Dix: People who are watching on TV should know that they’re just heckling away, so I’m just waiting for them to stop.

We expect our public health officials to act with the highest standards, and they do. We will continue to support people who need care in British Columbia with unprecedented measures to do so, but we will also support when people are doing their jobs, like Dr. Ben Williams. We will support them in their efforts to protect public safety, and we’ll continue to do so.

[End of question period.]