Orders of the Day

Hon. R. Kahlon: I call continued address in reply to the throne speech.

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

R. Russell: It’s my privilege to rise in the House to speak in favour of the throne speech, so I’m pleased to be here.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

I will start by saying the Minister of State for Workforce Development, in his response to the throne speech, opened, which I think is fitting, with comments about how much this work takes us away from our families and the people who really support us. Especially on Valentine’s Day, I think it’s appropriate to recognize the fact that the burden of this place is placed on us, but it is also very directly placed upon our families, and they carry a lot.

So I will start by giving a shout-out to my wife — Happy Valentine’s Day — and just thanks for everything that she and my children carry for me while I am in this place. Thank you.

[1:35 p.m.]

In the same vein, the member for Langford–Juan de Fuca a couple days ago mentioned his immense privilege in being able to be in this place representing his community. I certainly share that gratitude and want to make sure that I have a chance to articulate that as well and just recognize how much of a privilege….

It doesn’t seem to matter what day it is when I show up to work in this place. It is a pretty remarkable feeling to be able to come here and advocate and represent on behalf of those constituents, to try to help improve whatever it may be that is on their minds and what they need help with. Immensely thankful for that.

In the same way, there are a lot of people that are here that help support us to make this happen. I have a long list here. I won’t go through it all, but first I would shout out to my CAs back in the home office. I have two in my own office as well as one that works remotely, given the scope of my riding. To Sarah Dinsdale, April Lebedoff and David Lubbers: thank you for keeping everything on track and helping advocate for our constituents. I know that they are very thankful, and I am probably more so.

Likewise, there are many volunteers that help out on the home front. Thanks, particularly, to people like Char Thiessen and Ian Mitchell, who have been helpful in the office, and the many more who I won’t name here.

Then, of course, in this place in particular, there are a lot of people that help me to do this work. Thank you to them. Thank you to my LAs Paige Falkins as well as recently — I’ve gone through a few — Andrew Christie and Patrick Vachon. Hopefully, that’s not a statement to my HR skills, but I thank them all for the work that they’ve done.

On the other side of my work, thanks to Molly Wilkins, Niki McVicar, Nina Karimi, Kassandra Lawal. There are a lot of people there that help enable me to do the work I do, which I love. And especially to Jesse Gervais, who is at my side when I am out on the road. I’m immensely thankful for having that ability to have somebody like him to share the challenges with and to help navigate through this work. Thank you to all of them.

The member for Richmond-Queensborough, in his address, I think had a fascinating anecdote — I’ll call it an anecdote — which was a reference to the question: when do we decide that civilization began? From an anthropological perspective, what is the moment that we decide, that we identify in the record as that occurring? He made reference to Margaret Mead’s answer to that question, which is: the moment that we see a femur that has healed. The rationale for that is that prior to us helping each other out, if you broke your leg…. Any animal that broke their leg would die, because you cannot access the supports you need and you are too vulnerable.

I think it is a fascinating point to make, to set the stage for a conversation around this throne speech in terms of: what are we doing in this place? I really appreciate that grounding to recognize that we’re in this place because of our ability and the requirement that we have for society to take care of one another. I use that as a bit of a metric of the work that we’re doing and how successful we are doing that.

In the conclusion of the throne speech, I think that there were a number of points that were made that, for me, capture much of the same. What is it that we are striving to do here? And what is it that we are striving to accomplish? I think at the heart of it, a lot of it has to do with taking care of one another.

The statement was around closing comments, where it was said, “Your government believes B.C. should be a place where everyone can build a good life,” which I think we all would agree on. Maybe the how is different. The following bullets were things such as where you can afford to buy or rent a decent home.

[1:40 p.m.]

I’m glad to hear from the opposition, clearly very passionate, about helping move us forward in terms of that initiative to try to supply more and more homes and to help provide homes to those people who otherwise might not be able to afford that opportunity, where you feel safe in your home and your community.

The throne speech mentioned the safer communities action plan. This is another example of how government is supporting people in the ways that they need it but that won’t happen on their own accord. It’s not just dealing with crime and the roots of crime — which has been, obviously, a focus of conversation recently — but I would extend that to disasters, and much more about what it is that makes us feel secure and comfortable in our homes, where health care and public services are there when we need them.

I certainly have spent time living in the United States. I know what it’s like to live in a place where the health care system doesn’t support us in the way that we do here. It is dramatic to witness that firsthand and see people that are making choices that we don’t have to make here because of the health care system that we do have, where there are training opportunities for young people to pursue their dreams.

I think about this, particularly in the context of rural communities and decisions, for example, around adult basic education — which, a few years ago, the previous government had made a decision to stop funding, to pull the rug out from under those communities. My community that I live in has a branch campus of Selkirk College. The primary purpose for that to exist is to be able to provide people that adult basic education, which gives them the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

It’s astounding to me that we would see a government say: “We don’t think that that’s worth supporting, and we’re going to remove funding.” With the reinstatement of funding, that directly — in a community like mine and in rural communities, particularly — has an enormous impact on opening the door to those educational options where our beautiful natural heritage is protected for future generations.

Anyone who has a sense of the tragedy of the commons, the concept of that, has, I think, a good sense of the challenges that we face in that space to manage our natural environment in a way that works well for us. This is why the dedication of government to things like a CleanBC plan that is ambitious and complex in how it’s delivered becomes enormously important for the future of our children, for example, and our children’s children, where our economy is cleaner and fairer, rewarding those who work hard and play by the rules.

I think about the vision that that opens up for us and the kind of place that we can brand British Columbia as, a place where people want to come for a fair and reasonable opportunity to invest in a province that takes things like environmental and social governance objectives seriously.

We see that the investment community around the world is looking for that. There’s a huge opportunity there to do what, I think, most of us would recognize as the right thing and, at the same time, attract investments into our province, where we always work in true partnership with Indigenous people.

I applaud the House. It occurred before my time, but I think most of us are still…. I’m certainly astounded by the forethought and the action to actually pass DRIPA. Doing that ahead of the rest of the country, ahead of the country itself, is a pretty remarkable accomplishment, moving in that direction to deliver on values that we all share and on obligations that I think we feel.

I think that those wrapping comments on the throne speech, to me, are a good testament back to that analogy of the broken leg. It’s back to the notion that we take care of people. That’s why we’re here. I really think that’s of fundamental importance to understanding what our purpose to be in this place is.

I will take the opportunity, also, to say that in the responses that I’ve heard…. I come from a rural community. I represent a riding that has only small communities in it, none of them much larger than 5,000 people, and I have the privilege to work on the government side, in being the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development.

[1:45 p.m.]

I’ve heard a fair bit of push-back from the opposition, in response to the throne speech, around a rural vision and what they see. Frankly, from my perspective, what I hear is a very uninspiring vision for rural development from the opposition, which is focused on natural resource development and very little more.

For me, when I hear the throne speech, when I hear references to things like the delivery of a rural strategy, and I hear the references to the many different ways in which we support rural communities, I think it does represent our passion and our recognition that we do care about rural communities. That vision for rural communities goes well beyond a vision for what rural communities were 100 years ago, which is I think the much less inspired version of what that is.

Interjection.

R. Russell: Thank you.

I hear, for example, yesterday one of the members of the opposition was talking about how he was hearing that forestry is a sunset industry, which is disappointing to me, given how much time I spend on the road talking to people in rural communities. I don’t ever hear that from those people in those communities. Nobody is saying forestry is a sunset industry in the conversations they’re having with me. Nor do I hear that amongst my colleagues, so I’m curious where that commentary is coming from.

It’s disappointing. For us, I think that there is a pretty clear recognition that forestry is a foundational part of our province and will continue to be so. The question is: how do we make sure to do so in a way that is going to continue? It’s a sustainable industry, and it’s something that is going to continue to provide good jobs in our communities. That means figuring out how we do more with less. How do we do a better job of extracting the value from those resources?

Back to our StrongerBC plan. Clean and inclusive future growth is really part of what that represents, what we’re moving towards. That recognizes the challenges that the industry faces, recognized through things like our commitment to streamlining permitting in some of these natural resource sectors, through opportunities like an ESG Centre of Excellence, and through investments in the private sector like the B.C. manufacturing jobs fund, saying: “We know that sometimes there are challenges with capitalizing on those innovative ideas, so we’ll help support.” The B.C. government is going to help support the industry deliver on that.

At the same time, again, coming back to that vision for what rural communities are, I think there’s a recognition that’s it is a lot more than just that natural resource sector, which is why programs such as our rural economic diversification and infrastructure program help support communities to chart that path forward and determine, based on their own ideas, where they want to go. It’s trusting in rural communities to have the faith in their creativity to chart their own paths forward.

In the process, I spent a fair bit of time thinking. I’ve read a lot of rural development plans for a lot of different places, and given, again, how uninspired the old narrative that I’m hearing about rural communities being nothing but natural resource extraction, what really is our vision for rural communities?

Certainly, for myself, I think there are a number of different components to that. It’s things like recognizing that our rural communities are diverse and inclusive and making sure that we’re making the most of people’s talents in those communities and opening doors. Back to, for example, the adult basic education comment. It’s recognizing rural communities as providers of goods and services, that natural resource extraction piece, but more than that.

It’s also food security. It’s also technological innovation. It’s things like regenerative agriculture, which hopefully I will have time to touch on. That vision for me includes things like recognizing that rural communities are full of innovative and entrepreneurial people. These are not communities that don’t have the capacity to navigate those challenges.

In a conversation that we were having at one point with some colleagues and some rural health professionals recently, there was conversation, for example, around handheld ultrasounds for physicians to be able to utilize when they don’t have access to an ultrasound tech nearby. The example was proposed as a demonstration of where the challenges of resource limitation in some of those communities necessitates innovation.

[1:50 p.m.]

Innovation is integral, I would say, in a great deal of what happens in these rural communities.

Likewise, I’ve been in conversations with the rural colleges around their challenges, making sure that they can deliver the best supports possible to rural communities, even rural communities that are very, very small. This is all about innovation in those rural communities.

In my mind, a vision also includes the idea of rural communities being champions of natural systems and our connections there. I think that those people that live in communities that are very small have more likelihood to be connected deeply in terms of their natural system around them. That recognizes that we as humans are part of that system, but it’s something that we are intimately connected with in those rural communities, whether it’s forests or otherwise.

Things like recognizing that the rural communities are equally privileged digital citizens, that commitments like our connectivity commitments…. To say that we’re going to connect all communities in rural B.C. by 2027 — that is an ambitious target, and that’s to help make sure that those rural communities, where they want to go down that path of innovation and development of whatever way, shape or form that looks for them, have the capacity. The infrastructure is there. The scaffolding is there for them to be able to move forward with it.

I had some fascinating conversations in places like Haida Gwaii about just what that looks like and how that will be delivered through things like Connected Coast.

I see rural communities as a fascinating demonstration of how we deliver creative governance structures, and those of us that live in rural communities, on both sides of the House, I think recognize how challenging it is in a rural community when who is making decisions always changes. In a place like…. Whether that is regional models, local models in terms of municipal governments, regional districts, Indigenous governance models or people in terms of opportunities like planning, like community planning….

Sometimes maybe the chambers are the lead, maybe the Community Futures organizations. I think it’s something to recognize — that value in fluid and dynamic governance models that are a necessity in rural communities.

Finally, I would say that rural communities are resilient and adaptive. We look at examples like disaster recovery in my own community of Grand Forks or Princeton. We see how creative those communities have to be, to be able to be resilient and to deliver those skills. Those are the sorts of enterprises that we certainly, on the provincial government side of things, are trying to figure out how to best support, and that’s been our model. Community guides what that process looks like.

On that note, I would talk…. The throne speech also mentioned our new Emergency Program Act, our new suite of legislative changes that will be forthcoming around how we navigate disasters in this province. I think most of you probably have heard me speak in favour of this before.

Part of the reason why I come to this House — I went to my constituents to ask for that privilege — is because I recognized in 2018, when my community was underwater, that we had a great response system there. We had very little of a roadmap, on the provincial side of things, in terms of how we navigate recovery.

There are a lot of changes that are necessary there, and things like…. The provincial government, at around the same time, in 2018, adopted the Sendai framework, which basically frames up things like that to be able to recognize that emergency management is about disaster risk reduction. That’s really the target, and therefore, we can’t just look at response. We need to be able to take into account response and recovery but also mitigation and preparedness. Those kinds of changes have very far-reaching impacts in terms of the legislation and the requirements.

[1:55 p.m.]

Part of that framework also recognizes that disaster risk reduction is a shared responsibility, everyone from the federal government through the provincial government, down to regional and local governments, Indigenous governments, and even to individuals. Recognizing that shared responsibility is certainly key.

Probably part of that community-led recovery model…. A great example is working with a community like Lytton. I heard one of the members yesterday speak about how it doesn’t look like much is happening there. I was there a week or two ago, and certainly, a lot has happened since I was last there.

I would, again, give thanks to the local government, the local leaders. They’re the ones, in this model of recovery…. They know best, and it’s figuring out how best to support them. The provincial government has invested over $50 million in helping to address the needs that have been identified by that community, which, in my mind, is as it should be. The community leads. The provincial government plays a supporting role to make sure they have what they need, which is different in different communities.

I would talk a little bit about connectivity as well. In terms of that commitment that I mentioned earlier, this is one of those pieces. This is part of our vision for rural B.C. This is part of our strategy for supporting rural communities.

It doesn’t directly tie to natural resource development in the way, certainly, that the opposition is framing, but it absolutely does connect to whether those rural communities are in a position to thrive. Certainly, if you are in the natural resource sector, you’re going to recognize the value of those investments for, even, the delivery of those major projects in those communities.

I applaud the very ambitious commitment to connect all of B.C. by 2027. It has an enormous impact on the future of those rural communities. It is one of the number one items, in conversations with rural communities, that they bring up again and again.

There was a study done last year through the Ministry of Citizens’ Services and B.C. Stats that looked at: what is the economic return on those investments? The results were pretty profound, in terms of the magnitude of investments. On a roughly $20 million investment, the short-term payback was about five times that. The medium- and long-term payback, in terms of economic return to that community, was 14 times that.

When we talk about rural development, when we talk about supporting rural communities…. In a case like that, it’s not just the connection with friends and family. It’s not just the ability to engage in remote education opportunities and those kinds of supports. It’s direct economic returns, in addition to that.

I will talk a little about our support in terms of…. The throne speech also identified the value of being safe and healthy in your community. That’s certainly something…. Rural health care, particularly, is a challenge for those of us that live in those communities. We recognize that.

We see initiatives, here and now, that are being implemented to help support those rural communities. We see things like the announcements for the north Island around the recruitment and retention of those health care professionals. Those are the sorts of steps that need to be taken in order for those health care systems to thrive.

Again, likewise, in Grand Forks, we recognized the Boundary Hospital there, which serves a fairly large number of rural communities. The risk of closure is enormous. The risk, for service that people receive, of closure is enormous.

And so, likewise, there was action. There was a response. A system was put in place to help ensure that we had the capacity to keep them — in that case, it was nurses, particularly — and ensure that we could attract and retain those nurses, given how much work was taking place and, particularly in the last couple of years, how much work our health care professionals had done.

[2:00 p.m.]

Those are, again, I would say, the kinds of investments that are rural development and that matter in those rural communities.

I will speak a little bit about forestry particularly. In my own riding, we have the community of Midway. We have a mill there that is struggling right now. They’ve laid off about a third of their workforce with an expectation that they’re going to have to lay off more. In that community, we’ve seen the support of the community action team in the rural development public service team, as well as Community Futures, to really help mobilize to say: “How do we best support this community? How do we help the community imagine what the future might hold and what that looks like?”

It touches again on that notion of communities being the champions of their own futures and being able to say: “Maybe the path is the forest industry. Maybe it’s something else.” That’s not, I don’t think, for us in this place to say. It’s for those collective conversations on the ground in those communities to help identify. I think that there are a lot of steps there to take, but we’re moving in the right direction, certainly.

I have the privilege also of sitting with a group of agricultural champions for the Minister’s Advisory Group on Regenerative Agriculture and Agritech. For the last handful of months, that group has been working very ambitiously to provide a set of recommendations to the Minister of Agriculture around how we do this.

I flag that because of the value in regenerative ag, broadly, and the merging of that with agricultural technology to be able to help address some of our climate challenges and some of our carbon budgeting in a way that is creative and that the agriculture sector has been engaged in forever, frankly — recognizing that and actually embracing it and bringing it into the fold in terms of what our direction is for agriculture, and regenerative ag specifically. How best do we support those producers and develop markets for them or enable them to thrive where they might not otherwise?

One of those agricultural sectors that I feel privileged to have in my own riding is the wine industry. The South Okanagan and Similkameen, specifically, make some very tasty wines, which many of you will have tasted. Even working with the wine industry has been really fascinating. The regenerative piece….

I was visiting one winery, and they were showing me how they had decided to utilize some regenerative practices in their vineyard. They were explaining to me that it was a bit of a challenge at first, but then they realized, when the heat dome hit recently, that that regenerative practice approach that they had taken meant that the impact on their production was much smaller than many of their counterparts. It’s neat to see that translation into economic returns on investment in things like regenerative ag.

I have a lot more to say, but I don’t suspect that I will get a lot more time to say it in. I will leave it at that and, I guess, just say again that I’m proud of the commitments in that throne speech to supporting rural communities in real ways that matter for people.

Hon. S. Robinson: I seek leave to make an introduction.

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

Hon. S. Robinson: I’ve just noticed that we have a group of school children here. I’m not 100 percent sure what school they’re from, but it was really interesting to see the intensity with which they were listening to the proceedings.

I thought I would just take a moment to explain to them that what you have before you are people that are elected from right around the province who are speaking to the throne speech. That was a speech that was made by the Lieutenant-Governor just last week, talking about what the government’s plans are for the coming year to deliver for people in British Columbia, people just like you. So what you’re hearing now are members providing their response to the throne speech.

I wish you a wonderful tour today of the legislative buildings.

[2:05 p.m.]

Deputy Speaker: Welcome, indeed, to everyone. Thank you for coming to your House.

Debate Continued

T. Wat: I’m pleased to rise and respond to the Speech from the Throne. I’m grateful for another legislative session where this House has the privilege of working together in pursuit of a better British Columbia for all.

I appreciate all the comments shared by my colleagues on the floor and would like to highlight some important matters to my constituents in Richmond North Centre, in my capacity as a shadow minister of multiculturalism, Anti-Racism Initiatives, Arts and Culture.

First, I would like to acknowledge the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations upon whose lands we gather here today. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the Lieutenant Governor for delivering the Speech from the Throne and sharing the government’s vision for the year ahead.

The throne speech is an opportunity for the government to provide long-awaited answers to the problems that British Columbians are facing. Anyone can look around and realize that here in B.C., housing prices and rents are higher than they have ever been. The cost-of-living crisis is punishing families and making life less affordable every day in B.C. A collapsing health care system sees one in five people without a family doctor.

It doesn’t end there. Six years into this NDP government, the Premier’s failed catch-and-release system continues to see four people a day randomly attacked and an overdose crisis that is only getting worse with the same old approach.

The throne speech was full of problems but empty of solutions. It failed to address critical issues that are top of mind for families, and people deserve answers. So what did the government fail to include in the Speech from the Throne? Despite over 11,000 lives being lost since the overdose crisis was declared a public health emergency, there was no mention of accelerating B.C.’s response to the overdose crisis or making the dramatic shift necessary to an accessible, low-cost recovery-oriented system of care that we have called for.

The decriminalization of hard drugs like crystal meth, fentanyl, heroin and cocaine with limited access to treatment and recovery is causing a great deal of stress and concern for families as they look for information and answers. Disappointingly, there was also no mention of decriminalization once in the throne speech. It is almost as if they are embarrassed by it.

Despite many communities and stakeholders pressuring the government for updates, there was no mention of our LNG sector. We need more clean, ethical and world-leading resource projects like LNG Canada phase 2, Cedar LNG and Tilbury LNG to fund the social programs we need. There was no mention of the softwood lumber agreement, no vision for forestry and nothing about a long-term fibre supply solution.

We cannot leave our workers in the dark as the government’s lack of care threatens even more jobs. Despite the deeply damaging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was also no mention of supporting B.C.’s tourism industry. The $400 rental rebate promised by the NDP in the last two elections is still nowhere to be found, nor was it even mentioned in the throne speech. We cannot expect results or for promises to be kept under the current leadership.

[2:10 p.m.]

No mention of promised schools like Olympic Village elementary or Mission high school. Parents, growing communities and families are again left in the dark.

No mention of urgent primary care centres that have been paraded around by this government as if it improves our health care system. It did not.

No mention of increasing access to health care in rural areas, the overdue ten-year cancer action plan and nothing related to seniors health, long-term care and assisted living.

Gender equity is left out as there’s no mention of making birth control free, as promised, and no plans for improving women’s health resources.

The NDP are good at making announcements but not at delivering for people. Governing is hard, but the Premier needs to get on with it. Whether it is the housing crisis, the health care crisis, the overdose crisis or the failing catch-and-release justice system, people expect real results that they can see and feel. After all, nice words and empty promises from government will not address the challenges people face every day.

The Premier’s first throne speech is simply more of the same tired NDP rhetoric that has failed to improve the lives of British Columbians. All it takes is to have one look around.

With top economists projecting that B.C. will be facing a recession in 2023, under the NDP government, I would like to address the economy. The fact is this government hasn’t done enough to protect families and small businesses, with 44 percent of British Columbians reporting they are $200 away, or less, from being unable to pay their bills at the end of each month. Instead of helping, the NDP has introduced 29 new or increased taxes.

A strong government that is fiscally responsible would focus on industry that drives this province and pays down our debt, like our LNG sector — except, unfortunately, these projects were absent from the throne speech. We want more clean, ethical and world-leading resource projects like LNG Canada phase 2, Cedar LNG and Tilbury LNG to fund the social programs we need.

My riding of Richmond North Centre is one of the province’s fastest-growing communities, with its own housing crisis, as with communities across B.C. The reality is that housing has never been less affordable under the NDP. We have the most expensive housing market ever. It now requires $268,000 in income to afford a home in Vancouver, according to RBC.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.’s annual Rental Market Report shows that British Columbia is the most expensive place to be a renter in the country, with B.C. renters now paying $4,332 more a year under the NDP. Vancouver has the least affordable rental markets in the country, while Victoria and Kelowna are No. 3 and No. 4.

We know things are looking rough when the Minister of Housing has already admitted defeat, saying: “In two years, we are not going to solve the housing crisis.” I would even remind the House that the Premier, too, has admitted that under the NDP, the Downtown Eastside is “worse than ever.”

[2:15 p.m.]

I have had the opportunity to witness extremes of a housing crisis during my many visits to especially impacted areas such as Chinatown. From 2001 to 2017, when we were on the other side of the aisle, we completed close to 24,000 new, affordable housing units. More than 2,000 units were in development or under construction when we left office. Yet the latest progress report from B.C. Housing shows that just 11,898 units are actually open. That means that just 10.4 percent of the 114,000 homes promised by the NDP in the 2017 election are actually open today.

Let’s talk health care. While the Premier tries to blame the federal government for the province’s shortcomings, the throne speech had no plan to address the crisis in our health care system. This is unacceptable when considering that a new report for Medimap shows that wait times for medical clinics in B.C. have literally doubled since 2019. British Columbians have to wait more than triple the amount of time — 79 minutes — to see a physician at a walk-in clinic, compared with Ontarians who wait an average of 25 minutes. It’s 79 versus 25.

Adding salt to the wound, major hospital projects, such as Cowichan Hospital replacement, are drowning in cost overruns and delays thanks to the NDP’s CBA program, criticized with NDP-supportive unions over First Nations peoples. The health care crisis clearly has no end in sight for as long as we continue with the same old approach of fiery announcements and no results.

My time spent in the Chinatown neighbourhood also brings me again to the topic of mental health. Decriminalization is an insufficient response to the overdose and mental health crisis. Instead of solely focusing on harm reduction, we need to shift to a recovery-oriented system of care that emphasizes treatment and recovery. No one can look around and say that the current approach is working. But better is possible, at least under a. B.C. Liberal government.

That is why my colleagues on this side of the House and I announced a change in direction: a plan to overhaul the delivery of mental health services and to build a recovery-oriented system of care for those suffering from addiction. As I said earlier in the House, we will build on innovative models like the Red Fish Healing Centre, located on the former Riverview lands, in regions across the province so people with severe and complex needs can get compassionate, 24-7 psychosocial support.

We will eliminate user fees at publicly funded addiction treatment beds and provide direct government funding for private beds, because money shouldn’t determine whether or not you get well. We will build regional recovery communities where people struggling with addiction can stay for up to a year with individualized holistic treatment support. Although always a last resort, we will implement involuntary care for adults and youth at risk of harm to themselves or others.

The status quo is not working. Doing more of the same is not going to drive better results. People want a different approach, because no one thinks that what we have right now works. Instead of perpetuating an endless debate of harm reduction versus recovery, we need to provide all supports possible to people trying to overcome addiction and give them every opportunity to get better.

Since 2018, anti-Asian hate crime has increased by 400 percent. It certainly didn’t help when the Premier, who used to be responsible for housing, attempted to blame housing prices on Chinese homeowners.

[2:20 p.m.]

Crime and disorder in community have been getting worse and worse under the current catch-and-release justice system. Violent crimes increased 30 percent while the Premier served as Attorney General, according to new information released by Statistics Canada. From 2020 to 2021, the violent crime severity index is up almost 5 percent in B.C. Cities like Kelowna, 14 percent, and Victoria, 12 percent, saw double-digit increases in violent crime severity.

British Columbia saw 10,860 major assaults last year. Victoria alone, our capital city, saw a 49 percent increase in sexual assaults. Five years into the job and violence and random attacks keep getting worse. Four people a day are facing random attacks and assaults in cities like Vancouver.

Under the NDP, B.C. has seen a 75 percent increase in the rate of no-charge assessments and a 26 percent decrease in the number of accused being approved to go to court, yet the throne speech completely missed the mark in explaining to British Columbians why we should expect any improvement this time around. It is time to scrap the catch-and-release policy and keep prolific offenders off our streets while investing in much-needed mental health and addiction supports.

The throne speech also reminds us of the responsibility we have for our constituents and their interests. It is also an opportunity to acknowledge that there are many actors in our communities. They are working alongside government with the goal of building better communities.

The pandemic has been challenging for many in our community in Richmond North Centre. A survey conducted by the Yorkville University found that 92 percent of participants agree that the pandemic left traumatic scars for people across Canada, and more than half said the state of parents’ and caregivers’ mental health post-pandemic is somewhat or significantly deteriorating.

In Richmond, we are fortunate to have organizations such as Community Mental Wellness Association of Canada and Pathways Clubhouse to help those in need. CMWAC is a registered non-profit charitable organization that was established in 1995 as a grassroots organization. It serves as a platform that connects those with mental illness to their family members and other people with shared mental health concerns via culturally appropriate counselling services, education and training referrals provided within a caring community environment.

With the help of volunteers, and in co-operation with other organizations, CMWAC strives towards the objective of reducing the social stigma associated with mental illness as part of an early intervention and prevention strategy.

I have been joining CMWAC’s events in Richmond, and I would like to thank Ahlay Chin, executive director and founder, and all the staff and volunteers for their wonderful efforts to build support networks where people can share their experiences in a nurturing environment that promotes recovery and well-being.

Pathways Clubhouse is a non-profit organization creating an inclusive community through meaningful work and relationships, education, quality housing and a sense of belonging. The organization collaborates with people and organizations in the broader community to educate and eliminate the stigma around mental illness while championing mental wellness.

[2:25 p.m.]

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Dave MacDonald, executive director, and Pathways staff and volunteers for their work to offer hope, encouragement and opportunities to people who live with mental illness.

Their important work is a reminder of the critical role that community organizations play in our society. I would like to thank all organizations, the CMWAC and Pathways Clubhouse for their services.

As I conclude my response to the Speech from the Throne, I also would like to reflect on the gratitude I have for the privilege to represent Richmond North Centre, a diverse and vibrant community.

I was able to join the Richmond Jewish Day School for its intercultural and interfaith event called Shine a Light recently. The school brought Highway to Heaven schools and community members together to showcase what wintertime celebration is like in their respective cultures and traditions. The spirit of this celebration shares winter customs, such as those practised during Hanukkah and Christmas, built into our individual identities.

By providing a safe and educational learning environment, the school hopes to create an environment to improve understanding about different cultures by encouraging people and institutions to work together and share responsibility for addressing racism, discrimination and anti-Semitism.

Kudos to Sabrina Bhojani, the principal, for your ideas of building an inclusive society. I would also like to thank the Bayit, a warm and vibrant synagogue in Richmond, committing to making everyone feel included and at home. Bayit offers services and programs to connect our community members with respect and inclusion.

In December, I was also pleased to join the annual public lighting of the city’s 25-foot Hanukkah menorah at Richmond Cultural Centre. Warm thanks to Ebco, Lightspeed commerce, Bayit and president Keith Liedtke, Rabbi Levi Varnai, Chabad of Richmond and the Richmond Public Library and Cultural Centre for hosting this wonderful ceremony to bring Richmondites of all faiths together to celebrate the theme of light eliminating the darkness.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

These are just a couple of many examples of how the diverse communities of Richmond come together to empower and lift one another with the shared goal of an inclusive and prosperous society. As the MLA and Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism, I’m incredibly proud of the work that Richmond residents have been doing and will continue to do over the next year.

Unfortunately, overall, the throne speech was full of problems and short on solutions. British Columbians should be able to expect better six years into this government, except they receive disappointment after disappointment.

Better is possible. I hope this government will change its approach once and for all to focus on outcomes and results over announcements and press releases.

K. Greene: I’d like to start off by recognizing that we are gathered here on the traditional territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking people, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations.

[2:30 p.m.]

I would like to start by thanking the Lieutenant-Governor for graciously participating in democracy and bringing the throne speech to us here in this House and, through broadcast, to the people of British Columbia. I’d also like to thank my constituency staff, because without them, this work becomes impossible because we are here and constituents are there.

Carven and Karen, thank you so much for your dedication to the people of Steveston. I know how much compassion and hard work you bring to the role, and it’s invaluable to our community.

I also wanted to thank my LA, Paige. She keeps me on track here and organized and is incredibly supportive in all that I do. So thank you to Paige.

My personal thanks would go to my family. Thank you to my folks, John and Peggy. They are incredibly helpful for having support in the same city. They’re my favourite constituents. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do activities for the kids and get them to all the things that they love to do.

I also want to take a moment to remember my grandpa Edward Berkyto, who always asked me what my ten-year plan was. As a 16-year-old, it was very perplexing, because I didn’t know what was happening on the weekend, let alone in ten years. I think that he would be absolutely tickled to be able to be here today. So I’d like to remember him.

Also, my other grandparents Basil and Margaret Shaw, who were just the most kind and regular. I don’t know what regular is, but they were just so lovely — salt-of-the-earth prairie folks. They would be incredibly proud to see me here today.

I am very aware of the honour that I have being here in this House, in this chamber. Without the support of my constituents, I couldn’t be here, as well.

To my kids, Matilda, Sullivan and William, who are very patient. And sometimes it’s very hard to say goodbye. I love them very much.

To my husband, Trevor, Happy Valentine’s Day. We’re almost up to 20 years of marriage. Trevor, I need you like the flowers need the rain. Love you.

Thank you for indulging me, Madam Speaker, in my gratitude to my family and my support networks.

I would like to speak to the throne speech, and in particular, I just want to kind of set the tone by reading a passage from a book that is probably familiar to everyone here.

“‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo. ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’”

I’ve decided that the time that is given us, and I think the commitment of everybody who’s supporting the throne speech, is to put people first, is to work hard and make sure that we’re doing the best with the time that we are given to us.

I’m here to help people. I’m here to centre their well-being and work every day to make life better, because the problems that we’re facing are big, complex problems. We might not be taking a ring to Mordor, but they are not easy to solve.

We’ve got global inflation, and that’s affecting food prices and living costs. We’ve got housing costs that are increasing due to migration. They’re big, complex problems, and it’s going to take a sustained and dedicated efforts to tackle them.

Some of the successes that I think are making a difference in the lives of folks that I care about are things like child care. Very recently, people that have their kids in child care would have noticed that they received up to a $550 discount per month. That is extraordinary.

I was talking to a mom who had three kids in child care. They’re relatively close in age, and that kind of money is transformational. It goes from: “I don’t know how we’re going to make it this week. I don’t know how I’m going to stick the landing.” Right? Being able to have $550 times three back means that they can pay their mortgage, they can have better food, and they don’t have to lie awake at night wondering how they’re going to make it work.

[2:35 p.m.]

In my riding, we’ve got Seasong YMCA, which is a $10-a-day site. It’s 37 spaces. That’s 37 kids that are supported in an incredibly loving and enriched environment.

The people that work at Seasong are incredible. I had the opportunity to meet them, play with some of the kids. Pro tip: don’t wear high heels when you go see kids in daycare. We went through the bushes and up and over things. It was fantastic, and the kids were so happy and supported and growing in a safe environment. That’s all that parents really want.

Having $10-a-day child care is incredibly transformational. In the last year alone, we had another 208 seats created in Richmond. I spoke to another mom who, because she was able to secure a $10-a-day seat, is going back to school to upgrade so that she can have a better job and a better life for her family. That is incredibly meaningful, and that benefit will multiply over the years.

We also have some challenges in Richmond with housing. It was definitely noticeable, before the speculation tax came into effect, how many empty homes were in some neighbourhoods. I had residents let me know that they felt unsafe because at so many doors, there was nobody there. If you need help, there is no neighbour.

After the speculation tax was introduced, people started coming back to the neighbourhood. It started coming back to life. People said that it was noticeable. The quality of life in that neighbourhood improved. So the spec tax was incredibly helpful for making sure that homes are being used for people to live in, in my riding, and it created 20,000 homes in B.C.

When we talk about big, complex problems, it’s going to take a lot of different solutions to make progress. We can’t go backwards. We don’t want to take away 20,000 homes. Those 20,000 homes are important for people. We need to keep adding to that. We have to decide whether homes are for speculators to use as a financial instrument, or whether they’re for people to live in, to create homes and memories with their families and go to work and be part of a vibrant community.

You know, collaboration with local government is also really important for creating those homes, and some of the tools that we’ve created, such as rental tenure zoning, are very important to be able to create that stock of supply for folks to live in. For example, Richmond is starting to utilize the rental tenure zoning, protecting existing rental-only buildings where the zoning didn’t match the building type. They were being targeted by speculators. By creating that rental tenure zoning, it really protected the existing stock.

Also, new projects are coming online. Right adjacent to my riding, at No. 3 and Williams, there is a building going up, brand-new, with rental housing on top, commercial on the bottom. It’s going to be an important part of that community.

There’s also a lot of interest and concern in health care. Because we’ve just gone through a pandemic, we’re still feeling the effects. It hasn’t decided it’s over with us yet. We’re working on it. Those tools are, happily, available to us, including vaccines — which I am very, very grateful were developed for that.

In Richmond, we have the Richmond Hospital replacement project. It is so important to our community. It has been under construction since the fall of 2021. I think it’s important to remember that for years and years — and years before that — it was announced. It was announced regularly. There are members in this House that were at those announcements, and it never got started.

[2:40 p.m.]

It’s time to do it right. It’s time to get it built. We got started on the project. We made sure that the business plan was right. We took the time to go back and expand that business plan.

Now we’re looking at a new emergency department that is going to be 86 spaces, up from 62. We’re looking at getting 11 modern operating rooms, which is going to be up from eight currently. And because of the age of the hospital, those eight operating rooms were not the standard that is now acceptable. They’re about half the size, so it becomes very, very difficult for staff and medical professionals to use them, because they’re not large enough for the technology that we have nowadays.

The people that work in health care in Richmond Hospital are so fantastic. I regularly have compliments coming to my office and through social media saying how wonderful it was to be cared for in their time of need by these very dedicated and caring folks at Richmond Hospital. But they should never have to overcome the building to do that work. So that’s why I’m really excited to see these improvements come forward.

Some of the other improvements that we’re looking at for the Richmond Hospital replacement project are pre- and post-surgical care beds. They’re going to increase from 26 to 68. We’re going to increase the number of beds in the acute care tower by almost 50 percent, from 240 to 353. Again, coming back to having modern standards of care with a lot more individual rooms for privacy and comfort instead of being on a ward, which is incredibly stressful for people that are having some of the worst days of their life.

The building is going to be earthquake-safe and above the floodplain. For folks that know Richmond very well, it’s a little bit flat. It’s quite near the ocean, and it’s not very tall. Having that above the floodplain and earthquake-safe means that if disaster were to strike — and I pray that it never does — we have the ability and capacity to look after people when they need help.

The building is also going to be carbon-neutral. This is exciting, because really big buildings have really big carbon footprints. So leading with the technology that we have developed here in B.C. means that we’re going to be able to deliver on that.

I also wanted to take a moment to thank the Richmond Hospital Foundation for all of the good work that they’ve done supporting this project and connecting with community members. I want to also acknowledge the work of Natalie Meixner. I have so much appreciation and respect for her principle of joyful giving — that people should feel connected and excited to be part of something bigger than themselves.

Also with respect to health care, we were able to announce, in the Richmond Hospital — that was exciting — the fast-tracking of foreign-credentialed doctors. That means that folks that have the background and experience to help us fill some of the needs that we have in this province aren’t going to be underutilized. It’s not unheard of to hear about foreign-trained doctors doing jobs that, you know…. I think that they would be better served in the medical system. That’s going to be an important part going forward.

We also opened, in Richmond, a UPCC, the urgent primary care centre. It’s helped a lot of residents, including myself. I recently sliced open my toe in a little bit of an accident there. But instead of having to go to the hospital — because it was definitely urgent, but it wasn’t an emergency — I could go to the UPCC. They were so professional and caring. They had me stitched up and out the door quite quickly. Oh, and my tetanus booster. I highly recommend vaccines.

It’s so important to be able to have more options for the delivery of health care so that we’re not tying up really key resources like the emergency room with things that could be dealt with elsewhere, like stitches in your toe.

[2:45 p.m.]

I’d also like to talk about the idea of a green economy because we know that we’re facing global warming. We are heading into a climate crisis. We are feeling those effects in this province. Whether it’s wildfire or flooding, the ecological disasters keep coming, and they keep being more severe. We get heat domes, things that we would not have contemplated previously, so we know we need to do better.

Part of that would be the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030, mapping out how we’re going to achieve our climate targets. It’s incredibly important that we do this, because it’s the right thing to do, but also because it’s an incredible economic opportunity.

There are global capital flows for ESG investments, and that money is moving. If we can take advantage of that leading edge, we are going to be the new hub and centre of excellence for ESG, for environmental and climate technology, in the world. There’s incredible opportunity for that.

We also need to recognize the flipside. What’s the cost of doing nothing? Well, the cost of doing nothing is our ecological systems start to fail, and at the end of the day, we need a planet for jobs. We need a healthy planet for jobs. We need to be able to live in harmony with our planet, and we haven’t figured that out yet. There is definitely work to do on that, and part of that is going to be the CleanBC Roadmap.

We’re also investing in innovative green solutions and projects that create a lot of value for communities such as the clean coast, clean waters program, which captures a lot of the plastic waste that washes up on our shores. This is particularly difficult in communities that are more remote, because they don’t have frequent shoreline cleanups like places in the Lower Mainland, where they’re very easy to get to.

Ocean Legacy Foundation in Steveston takes this plastic that is degraded and contaminated and can’t otherwise be recycled in traditional recycling facilities. They sort it, clean it and recycle it. They take all this nasty plastic waste from the beach, and the end product is a like-virgin material that can be used again. So basically, they’ve turned trash into new material.

I really appreciate the principles of this Ocean Legacy Foundation, because they don’t want that new material to become more waste. They don’t want another water bottle on the beach. They don’t want another broken pallet. Their principle is that whoever they’re selling that like-new material to, they’re producing a durable good.

I was privileged to see one of those products, which was basically, for lack of a better term, an origami kayak and paddle. It’s very compact, folds out, and it’s a durable good that people can enjoy for years to come, and it is actually recyclable. I thank them very much for that work.

The province has also granted to the city of Richmond $2.285 million. That is a lot of money. But why is it important? Well, it’s for flood risk hydrodynamic modelling, flood protection system emergency reconstruction strategy, drainage pump station climate adaptation and resilience upgrades.

Richmond is basically at sea level. We have an average of one-metre elevation. When it is a king tide, with a freshet, with a storm surge, you really see the water cresting just about to the top of some of the dikes.

[2:50 p.m.]

The city of Richmond has been very proactive in the work that they’ve done. That work has borne fruit in the fact that we stay dry all the time, but there is so much more to do because sea levels are rising.

They’ve started that work of raising the dikes, replacing pump stations, making sure that the armouring is in good condition on the dikes. But this money is going to make sure that the support is there for diking excellence and draining excellence. I want to do one more shout-out to the city of Richmond, commending them for the diligence with which they have approached diking and drainage maintenance.

Now, I’d also like to talk a little bit about schools. For those who don’t know, my sort of pathway to being here today was that there were going to be school closures in my district. There were going to be a lot of them. The more I looked into it, the more that nothing made sense. It was incredibly frustrating — when you look at a system and say: “How can you decide that schools need to be closed when what they really need is to be repaired?”

So I got mad, and we were successful in keeping the schools open. This was incredibly important because not that long after, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that class sizes did, in fact, matter, and those empty classrooms became full. In fact, we were having classrooms in gyms and libraries and computer rooms because we, quite frankly, ran out of room.

Now in my riding today, just my little section of Richmond, we already have four schools seismically upgraded, for $42 million.

Interjection.

K. Greene: Thank you.

I think it’s heartwarming to know that government prioritizes the safety of children. Where they spend six to eight hours a day, that building should be safe.

Our communities also depend on them to be safe. One of the things that I found out as I was going through this process was that people were expecting to be able to congregate at schools and in gymnasiums in the event of a major earthquake, because that was seen as the local neighbourhood assembly place. Those buildings would have been on the ground.

We know that it’s important. We are working on it. We know that there are more schools to do. There is more to come. I’m really excited for that work because it means so much to so many people. When I think of how many thousands of kids have their bums in seats all day, you very much know how important that work is.

We’re doing it right. We’re working closely with the school boards and making sure that if there are additional upgrades, they are coordinated with the school boards so that we don’t open up walls twice. That doesn’t make any sense.

We also make sure that seismic upgrades are seismic upgrades. One of the things that happened under the previous government was counting seismic upgrades where, in fact, the school was bulldozed. Well, yeah, I guess it’s not going to fall down in an earthquake, but that probably doesn’t meet what most people would think was a seismic upgrade.

Those are some of the things that we’re working on, some of the things to come. I’m really excited for that work.

I’d like to talk a little bit about my riding and some of the things that are important there. We have a very long history of a diverse community in Steveston. People from all over the world have been attracted to that community for a very long time, all the way back to the earliest settlers.

The Musqueam were, of course, there. That’s Musqueam territory. We had a lot of folks of Japanese heritage, Chinese heritage and European heritage making their homes there. One of the central pieces that is interesting to me is the connection that we have with the places in our home.

[2:55 p.m.]

One of those is the Steveston Tram. They are opening, for Family Day, a new permanent exhibit to talk about how that tram connected us to other places. The tram in Steveston was quite central to the life there because Steveston was isolated. If you can imagine, Richmond was just really Steveston, up in the north of the island, a little community there. There wasn’t a lot in between, except for farms.

That was a lifeline that ran all the way into Vancouver, and everybody rode it all the time. The milk came in and out on there. It’s a fantastic historic site to visit. I would really recommend it, to learn a little bit more about Richmond.

Along the perimeter of the building is a newly installed memorial garden to remember the Japanese internment. At the time of internment, Steveston was about 20 percent Japanese, and suddenly 20 percent of the community was gone. They started their journey on that tram, and when some of them came back, they ended their journey on that tram. There’s a very important memorial. There are large stones, and there are stops along the way where they would have sent Japanese Canadians for internment.

Even the patterns of the stones on the ground are meaningful. The people who were interned could basically carry what they had with them. The Japanese ladies were wanting to be able to create a home for their families, so what they would do is take the labels off the cans of salmon, and they would weave them to make placemats. The stones in the memorial garden remember the bravery and the fortitude of Japanese women supporting their families with a sense of home when they had basically nothing.

We also have the Gulf of Georgia Cannery museum. I was fortunate enough to go to the volunteer appreciation event, as I mentioned in a two-minute statement previously. It is really quite central to our community. All the schools in the area go there to learn about what the early days were like in Steveston. Honestly, they were pretty dangerous.

I’m really grateful for the labour laws that we have today, including no more dangerous work for youth, which is so important. Young people should never have hazardous occupations. The cannery was, quite frankly, a deadly place to work. Learning about those challenges and difficulties I think brings awareness and a sense of place to where folks are.

Then, I think, just finally, I would like to take a moment to thank everybody in Richmond that volunteers. We thank them in the House quite often, but without them, that knitting of community really couldn’t happen. Whether a volunteer is at the food bank or at the Georgia Cannery, we really wouldn’t have the vibrant community that we have without them. So I’m very, very grateful for that help.

With that, I would like to say that I am in support of the throne speech, and I’m very excited by the values and principles that are within that throne speech. I think that they are something that we should stand by, and put people first every day.

S. Bond: I always appreciate the opportunity to speak in this House. It never fails to amaze me, after all these years as an elected official, how all of us look at one document and bring such different views to the Legislature. We shouldn’t be surprised by that, and we certainly shouldn’t be upset by that.

[3:00 p.m.]

That’s actually why the Legislature is so important. We bring people from across this province that represent communities of different sizes and different geographic locations, and our job is to speak on their behalf about the kinds of initiatives that the government is planning to put in place, and that’s what the throne speech is. It is technically a roadmap of what the government intends to do in the year ahead.

Obviously, I’m going to have some comments about the content of the speech, but from my perspective, one of the most important things that happens when we speak in the Legislature is that people talk about their ridings and about their families and about the people that support them, and that is really important as we think about the role of legislators and what it means to be an MLA.

I, like others, want to express my gratitude to the incredible family that I have — two amazing grandsons — and I want to especially thank them for their patience, because we, as people who commute to work from further-flung parts of British Columbia, often are away on really important days. We spend time on the road. We spend time here. I am really grateful that there is an understanding on my family’s part about why that matters so much to me.

I’m also really grateful for the amazing staff that work tirelessly to respond to our constituents’ needs. They do it with dedication and in incredibly caring ways.

In Prince George, Dorothy Titchener — I can’t say enough about the amazing work that she does, and I want to say I’m very truly sorry for missing her surprise birthday party. Kevin Loewen recently joined our team and has done a great job since day one. And Tegan Raines, who works with us one morning a week, is an accomplished Special Olympian. In fact, just days ago, she competed in the B.C. Special Olympics Winter Games in Kamloops. Not surprisingly, she came home with multiple medals, and I am so very proud of Tegan.

In Victoria, I can’t imagine life without the incredible Shala Robins, who is always there for us. Jen Wizinsky, Abigail Uher, our small but talented and incredible research and comms team, you are simply the best, and we are very thankful.

I also want to thank the staff here in the precinct, from those who work here in the chamber, the Clerk’s office, the library, the dining room, security. The list goes on. They take care of things every single day to enable us to do the work we were elected to do. They do it so very well, and we are grateful.

I’m proud to represent the riding of Prince George–​Valemount. It’s had another name in times past, and certainly we’ll be looking forward to the electoral boundaries report which, by the way, was not mentioned in the throne speech at all, yet it has the potential to impact many members in this Legislature.

I can tell you that one of the things I am very grateful for is that the Electoral Boundaries Commission, in their draft report, made it clear that they are not prepared to see the elimination of rural ridings in this province. That is really great news, because the government refused to protect those ridings to ensure that those of us who represent ridings, in my case, the size of Belgium and, for some of my colleagues here, even larger than that — how important it is to look at the issue of effective representation. But we await that report, and we know that it will still have impacts.

We also recognize the necessity to consider growth in urban areas, and we’ve always recognized that that’s an important consideration as well.

My riding, as I noted, is the size of Belgium. It is full of incredibly hard-working and resilient constituents. It is home to the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, which is Mount Robson, and, of course, is the most beautiful riding in the province. I think we’ve heard that multiple times over the last number of times. Even my own colleagues are heckling me at this point in time.

One of the things that matters most to me is working constructively with other levels of governments to serve our region in the most collaborative way possible. I am very lucky to live and work on the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, and I’m very, very honoured to have friendship and partnership with the Chief of the Lheidli, Chief Dolleen Logan and her council.

[3:05 p.m.]

I’m also a proud member of Team Valemount, led by Mayor Owen Torgerson. We intentionally work together with all levels of government to best serve our mutual constituents.

Thank you, also, to mayor Gene Runtz and the McBride village council and the representatives of the regional district of Fraser–Fort George for the work that we do together.

The city of Prince George made history electing a new mayor, mayor Simon Yu. Mayor Yu is the first person of colour elected to the mayor’s chair in the city of Prince George. Mayor Yu campaigned with the slogan, “Yu can do it,” and he certainly did. He has a council of experienced and newly elected councillors that have an ambitious agenda, and I am confident they are up to the challenges that we are facing in our city. Like every other municipality in this province, we are facing challenges, and I look forward to working with them in the years ahead.

I want to give you a sense of the character and generosity of my constituents. I want to reflect for a moment on the work that has been done by a group called PG for Ukraine. Members include locally elected officials and many hard-working volunteers. That group is led by Charles Scott and supported by incredible people like Dick Mynen, Eva Gillis, Don and Mary Antoshko. What can we say about Father Andrii and so many others?

Prince George has welcomed almost 200 Ukrainians, with at least 90 more inbound and others who are very interested in coming in the future. It is an incredible scene when a Ukrainian family arrives at the airport. Often it coincides with a late-night flight of mine, when I arrive home. There you will see volunteers holding up the flag of Ukraine, with flowers and a welcome. It is an amazing thing, and it happens over and over again, as people looking for safety and care arrive in our community and many others around the province.

I’m incredibly proud of the work done by PG for Ukraine. In fact, a former MLA in this House, Pat Bell, and his wife, Brenda, and their family have a Ukrainian family living with them. It’s been amazing to watch that. In fact, the grandma arrived just recently. So the whole family is together now. Children, grandchildren and now grandma have arrived. They have told me that it is one of the best things they have ever done in their lives.

Every week more families arrive, and there are always people there to greet them with love, support and a warm welcome. That’s just typical of the communities in the region I represent.

Having the opportunity to represent the people of Prince George–Valemount is an unbelievable honour. It is my job to bring their issues and their concerns to this place. And I have to tell you. On a personal note, it’s still extraordinary to me that people put their faith in individuals in this Legislature. We are given the responsibility of coming to this House and speaking up on their behalf.

That’s why you hear different opinions in this Legislature, and sometimes they’re heated. You’re going to hear some of those different views that I have about the speech that was presented by this government shortly.

One of the things that is most upsetting to my constituents is feeling that their government doesn’t hear them or know what matters to them. One of the things that I’ve heard most frequently in the last number of years is: “This government doesn’t care about us.”

We live in rural and northern parts of this province. What matters is that this is a big, diverse province, and whoever sits on the government bench needs to govern for the entire province. Well, did the throne speech deliver on that? In a word, no.

The throne speech proudly announced that there would be a rural community strategy. That is almost six years after this government became government. Six years and there’s a proud announcement about a rural community strategy. One line. No details. No action. Just a strategy, six years after being elected. That speaks volumes to the people I represent and about governing for the whole province.

[3:10 p.m.]

As I listened and then reread the speech, I searched for answers to the desperate issues facing my constituents and so many other rural, northern and remote communities.

Here’s one issue: did the government show their support for the natural resource sector by recognizing the importance of a sector that has driven the economy of this province for decades? Well, it did do one thing: it recognized the revenue that it generates. In fact, it noted that there had been record-setting revenue, but nothing substantive about what the future looks like and how we grapple with continuing to grow the economy while at the same time we do that in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way.

With the recent closures and loss of jobs in the forest sector, it is incumbent on this government to consider what the future of the industry looks like. How will workers be supported now? Not six months from now. They may see the industry as a sunset industry, but we don’t, and they shouldn’t. I went back and actually checked Hansard, because I wanted to carefully reflect what I heard the member from Boundary-Similkameen say yesterday about the resource sector. I literally could not believe my ears. So I went back.

Let me quote. This member is the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development, and here’s what he had to say: “I was at the Natural Resources Forum in Prince George recently, though, and I did hear a member of this House stand and speak to the fact that her priority was to retain as many natural resource jobs as possible. I disagree with that, and I’m happy to have a reason to disagree with people.”

Now I’m not sure who the member was quoting, and if it was me, I happily accept responsibility for that quote, because jobs in the natural resource sector actually matter to thousands of British Columbians. To suggest that we don’t want to retain as many of those jobs as possible shows the significant disconnect between members on this side of the House and the government. This is the member responsible for rural development.

No one is suggesting…. I heard his remarks again today. They’re about innovation. Of course we believe in innovation. What does he think that the industries in the natural resource sector have been doing for generations in this province? Innovating. Looking at how they do things in a more sustainable and responsible way. But make no mistake about it. The natural resource sector matters.

It is almost as if this government is embarrassed to talk about natural resources. They certainly didn’t in their throne speech. To have their parliamentary secretary quote a person that said they want to retain as many natural resource jobs as possible, as if that’s a bad thing, well, I hope he has the courage to go and say that to families whose incomes depend on that sector and on those jobs. Will the industry look different in the future? Of course it will. That is the job of the government: to grapple with what it looks like, not simply to write it off or be embarrassed to talk about it.

I was pleased to see a reference to connectivity in the throne speech. That actually matters to rural British Columbians as well. It’s there again: a promise to ensure that underserved communities have access to high-speed Internet by 2027. Well, I’d like to ask members on the government side if they know that there are hundreds of miles of highway in British Columbia where you do not have cell phone service. Of course we want to have high-speed Internet.

In my constituency, for example, I have one of the world’s top class heli-skiing companies, and if they can’t have high-speed Internet and the ability to talk about what they offer to international visitors, that is a huge disadvantage. But we do not have cell phone service — a basic safety issue — along hundreds of kilometres, of miles. Many of my colleagues in the House today face that very situation. I face it in a two-hour drive between communities.

[3:15 p.m.]

In the winter, if you go off the road, you got to wait till the snowplow is there to try to find you. There is no cell phone service. Again, out of touch with the reality for many British Columbians in the part of the province where I live.

The throne speech had not a single mention of the tourism sector. Again, the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development was busy talking about innovation and diversification. Well, you bet we need to diversify. We’re going to continue to have a natural resource sector and an industry related to that, but of course we care about tourism. It is absolutely essential to the economy of many communities like mine. We need a government that is a champion for the tourism sector. Instead, nothing.

In my constituency, winter tourism sustains small businesses and jobs, whether it’s snowmobiling and skiing or heli-skiing. It’s some of the best in the world, as I noted. A focus on tourism is critical to diversifying an economy, yet not one word. My riding is also home to an exceptional network of bike parks, driven by the tireless efforts of volunteers, whether that is Pidherny or Taper Mountain or McBride or the fantastic Valemount bike park. These bike parks provide much-needed economic opportunity and the potential to market this corridor as a tourism destination. That is endless, yet not a single mention of tourism as an important economic diversification possibility.

We need a government that understands that a human resources strategy must recognize that you have to train professionals closer to where they are needed if we ever have a hope of meeting the critical shortage in rural or northern communities. It simply will not work if we train individuals and professionals in the Lower Mainland and cross our fingers and hope they’re going to move. There must be an intentional plan to train closer to home.

The University of Northern B.C. and CNC have a model and the capability to add programs that we desperately need, and that could start with a veterinary school at UNBC. We have raised this issue directly with the minister and the government. There is a desperate need for veterinarians in our province. I’m glad to see the leadership that the regional district of Fraser–Fort George and, more recently, our city council have provided as well. The throne speech would have been a perfect place for the government to acknowledge the training challenges and the dire situation we face in northern and rural parts of this province. It could have started with committing to dealing with the issue of veterinarians.

The list goes on. We have raised the issue of the closure of the sign language interpreter program. There is an enormous demand for interpreters. This short-sighted decision will mean the program will no longer be offered in western Canada, forcing students to leave our province for desperately needed training. We’ve also heard about the potential closure of the only program that trains eye surgeons in British Columbia. That would be devastating. No word of that in the throne speech.

Parents of children with autism were given hope that their incredible efforts to get the government to change its mind on the arbitrarily announced hub model, which would eliminate the individualized funding model that families rely on…. The throne speech could have outlined a plan for meaningful and ongoing discussions with families to validate the Premier’s claim that they would do things differently. Were parents given that assurance? No. They were not.

The throne speech could have laid out a plan for a comprehensive system of care to deal with the ongoing opioid crisis. Again, it failed to do that. We know that better is possible, and it’s absolutely necessary. I am very proud of the plan that was laid out by the Leader of the Opposition that would build a recovery-oriented system of care for people suffering with addiction. It would ensure that there is affordable and accessible treatment and that there would be recovery communities. Note this: a minimum of five regional recovery communities for addiction treatments where residents can stay for up to a year. Regional facilities.

[3:20 p.m.]

It’s a big province. It’s a diverse province, and governments need to govern for the entire province. There would be treatment on demand, comprehensive care, complex mental health support and a variety of other things. The throne speech could have addressed that issue, and it didn’t.

We have a health care system in crisis, yet almost daily in this House, the minister and the government dismiss the pain and suffering that British Columbians are experiencing in every single corner of this province. There are a million people without a family doctor, a million people on wait-lists to see a specialist. There are overcrowded ERs, diversions and closures — where; mostly in northern and rural communities in this province — burned-out staff and an ambulance system that is overwhelmed.

People have told us they are literally afraid to get sick in this province. That is the legacy of this Health Minister in this government. The government members stand up and refer to announcements. What matters is results. Every single MLA in this House hears regularly about the long wait-lists, delayed surgeries, people in pain in constituencies right across the province. Believe me. That is a non-partisan issue. Because I can assure you that as many government members are hearing those stories as members of the opposition. Yet we rarely hear them stand up and talk about the need for change and to fix those situations. The throne speech provided little hope and no help for those families.

One of the most disappointing things that we experience as MLAs trying to serve our constituents in the most effective way possible is the bureaucratic process we need to go through to get answers. Gone are the days under this government when local MLAs could work with ministries or organizations directly in their communities.

The Minister of Finance can smile, but I know this. You actually have to call the minister’s office. We have called her office. In fact, you have to call the minister’s office and in essence get permission to get answers.

Interjection.

S. Bond: Well, the minister might want to…. She may have to think about that because that is exactly the directions we are given. We have to contact the political staff in a minister’s office to get information about the communities where we live.

Well, I would remind the Minister and her government that we are elected by the people in the regions that we live in to serve them. Shouldn’t that work be done in community by building relationships and working with the people who know our region best? The Premier went to the extent of putting in mandate letters for every single minister, including the Minister of Finance who’s nodding there. Here’s the quote. In the mandate letters of every single cabinet minister, it says: “That means seeking out, fostering and championing good ideas regardless of their origin. I expect you to reach out to elected members from all parties as you deliver on your mandate.”

Well, I’d happily canvass some of my colleagues about the last time they got a phone call from anybody on that side of the House to actually talk about the issues that matter to us. Imagine though, I actually appreciate those words in those mandate letters. Now I’d just like to actually see them in action. We know the communities we represent best, and we should have the opportunity to provide input and share ideas and raise issues.

One way that could begin immediately is by looking at the process of dealing with private members’ bills. Members bring important, well-thought-out initiatives to this chamber in the form of private members’ bills, and rarely, if ever, do they get debated, much less passed.

My private member’s bill deals with the issue of making defibrillators available in public spaces. It has the opportunity and potential of saving lives across this province. My colleagues have tabled important bills related to gender pay equity and the removal of discriminatory covenants on land titles, and others. How could government members not agree that getting rid of discriminatory covenants on land titles isn’t something we could all agree to in this Legislature?

[3:25 p.m.]

It is inconceivable that we do not immediately call that bill, debate it and pass it, because it’s the right thing to do.

It’s also time for the Premier to ensure that these directions in mandate letters result in meaningful action and that we consider reforming the private members’ bill process.

The throne speech gave the government the opportunity to provide certainty and to demonstrate that they intend to govern for the entire province, to welcome new ideas and to work across party lines, to honour promises made by this government not once — in many cases, multiple times. Like the renters grant.

Universal — and the key word is universal — $10-a-day daycare. We see announcements. “Oh, we’re so excited. There are ten spots here and 15 spots there.” This government made a promise to families in British Columbia, and it wasn’t that 15 of you are going to get $10-a-day daycare. It was that the entire province…. If families needed $10-a-day daycare, they would get it. That was not mentioned in the throne speech and certainly has not been delivered on.

I would describe the throne speech as a missed opportunity. What the throne speech did accurately portray was the struggles of British Columbians. And to me, the throne speech very clearly laid out those concerns. It talked about how families are actually struggling to make ends meet day after day after day. That’s the one thing we can agree on that was incredibly well laid out.

Let me just list what the throne speech said: “Global inflation is squeezing household budgets. Food prices are going up. It’s hard to find a doctor. We continue to see mental health and addiction challenges brought on by the pandemic and the toxic drug crisis. Housing costs continue to rise as our population grows and interest rates increase. People in B.C. are working harder than ever, but many feel like they’re just getting by, not getting ahead.”

That is actually probably the most definitive statement made not once but repeatedly in the throne speech. That reflects the reality for British Columbians in this province. That’s the reality for the people we represent right across this province.

Better is possible, and British Columbians deserve a government that governs for the entire province. And again, I think of the comments made in this House about the natural resource sector and so many other things that are crucial not just to the people I represent, but frankly, to the economy of the entire province. It benefits urban residents as well as rural residents, yet it’s just dismissed.

Well, better is possible, and British Columbians deserve better. They deserve a government that has the courage not just to acknowledge the issues, which are written many, many times throughout the throne speech, listed one after another, but they need a government that has the courage to acknowledge that they need to do more. A two-term, six-year government that has failed to meet the needs of British Columbians is simply not good enough.

Of course that takes courage, but it’s the right thing to do. We hear speaker after speaker on the government side lauding the press releases and the announcements. What they need to take a few minutes to do is look at the results, because British Columbians deserve better.

The throne speech was a missed opportunity for a two-term, almost six-year government to do just that: to take the opportunity to support British Columbians in meaningful ways. The throne speech was a missed opportunity. British Columbians need and deserve so much better.

H. Sandhu: I would like to begin my response to the throne speech by acknowledging that today I am delivering this speech from the unceded and traditional territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking First Nations, represented by Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. I thank them for their stewardship of this land.

[3:30 p.m.]

I always feel so grateful and humbled to get the opportunity to represent one of the most beautiful constituencies, Vernon-Monashee. Madam Speaker, it’s an absolute honour and I’ve utmost gratitude to get to represent the wonderful people of Vernon-Monashee. It has been more than two years in this humbling role, and it has been a great journey so far.

Every day I wake up and have immense gratitude in my heart to think about this opportunity, the ability to represent this riding, in a building where people like myself weren’t even allowed to enter. We didn’t even have the right to vote. It’s only possible because the people of Vernon-Monashee put their trust and their confidence behind me. So I wake up every single day reminding myself of that immense gratitude, and I don’t take this opportunity for granted.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

I want to give a shout-out to people in my constituency for always doing such an incredible job, especially by showing kindness, compassion and for standing together, especially in the past couple of years — whether it is to support one another or to help the people in need, or whether it is to organize the community’s beloved events or festivals. People, every time, come together and work selflessly. Those things not only give people happiness and joy but also bring us all together, despite our differences.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank and proudly acknowledge my wonderful and hard-working staff members at our Vernon constituency offices: Caitlin, Lisa and Charlene. Caitlin, Lisa and Charlene work tirelessly and with so much compassion to support people not only in Vernon-Monashee, but from time to time they also help people from surrounding communities, as people reach out to my office for different needs, being the government MLA. We’re very proud of the work that they do, and I’m always grateful.

I want to say thanks to Hannah, my Legislative Assembly assistant. She is incredible to support my work while I’m in Victoria. To all my staff, thank you so much for all you do. I would say that on the work that we’re doing, everybody agrees, and the enthusiasm our staff shows every day to support people is incredible. We wouldn’t be able to do the job we do without their help.

I want to thank my family for being so patient and for supporting me always while I do the work. It’s very important work, and when I feel, at odd times, mom guilt, I thank my daughters, who always remind me: “No, Mom, we’re so proud of you.” Those words kind of reassure me that what I’m doing is for their future. The work we do here today, no matter on which side we sit, is going to shape our kids’ future and generations to come.

I’m speaking to support this throne speech, as it is focused on our government’s vision for the province, with our plans to continue to support people and to strengthen services. The throne speech outlines our government’s plan to tackle the big challenges now and build a stronger, more secure future for everyone.

In a time of uncertainty and challenges, our government has the backs of British Columbians. Instead of pulling back, cutting services and practising austerity or making people pay out of pocket for private health care, we are putting the people right front and centre of our policy-making, and we’re putting people’s needs at the front. We’re taking actions today to build a stronger province tomorrow.

I will go over…. There has been a lot of discussion, from members of the opposition, that a lot of the work we’re doing is only announcements and no action. I’ll be very happy to highlight some of the actions and the difference that has been seen not only in the province but also in my very own riding of Vernon-Monashee and in surrounding ridings. I’ll go over that and what I hear from people.

We’re taking the actions today and helping people with costs by introducing new measures to help everyone — targeted supports to people who have been hardest hit, whether it’s during the pandemic or global inflation. I want to remind the audience that it’s global inflation, not B.C. inflation or Canada inflation. We know that the entire world is grappling with global inflation, but what matters is: what can we do in this Legislature, or in the government, as the representative? How do we put people first, and how do we find ways to support people?

[3:35 p.m.]

That’s what we’re doing — individuals, families with children, seniors and whatnot.

Some of the highlights were probably mentioned by various members of the government. I would like to share, with people in my constituency, some of the cost measures to support people during this inflation.

Providing a one-time $100 cost-of-living credit to B.C. Hydro bills. Establishing a new B.C. Affordability Credit to help low- and middle-income earners with rising costs. Boosting the B.C. family benefit by $175 per child from January through March 2023. Families registered for the Canada child benefit are automatically registered. A lot of families have reached out to my office, thanking them — whether they had one, two, three or four children — for how much it meant after seeing that in their account.

Creating a new task force backed by $750,000 in provincial funding to support the goal to end period poverty and to support period products.

A distributed $4 million in grants to help Vernon-Monashee businesses to manage COVID-19 challenges and bolster the recovery.

Moving to freeze ICBC rates for another two years.

Cutting costs of child care by as much as $550 per month per child by directly funding licensed child care centers.

I was coming to Victoria the first week of session. At Kelowna Airport, a gentleman approached me and said hello. I was curious what his question might be. He came to me to share his story and thanks for this affordable child care benefit. He also mentioned about the lower child care costs.

He said: “Harwinder, I want to tell you one thing. We were paying more than $2,000, and right now we are saving $950 per month.” He said: “I understand people talk about affordability. Yes, there are challenges. But,” he said, “often we forget that these savings will mean a lot.”

It was really heart-touching. Those stories are powerful, and people can…. Those are results of those announcements, because in Vernon-Monashee, we are getting hundreds of child care spaces. I’ll highlight and give more specifications on which area and when we did the ribbon cutting. Kids are in, and we’re doing more as well. So that was a very powerful moment and very encouraging.

Our Premier, David Eby, his vision is…. I call him “leader of action,” and he says….

Deputy Speaker: Of course, we don’t use names, Member.

H. Sandhu: My apologies.

Our Premier, our present Premier, always mentions that we want to deliver results that people can see and touch. When you hear those stories, those are the results that resulted from those announcements. If there weren’t any announcements, there wouldn’t be action, and people wouldn’t be benefiting. So these announcements are very important.

We’re also working to tackle the housing crisis by getting through speculators while launching a refreshed middle-class housing strategy and increasing homes and services near transit hubs across the province.

Also in various communities, rural communities or other communities, we’re strengthening public health care during the pandemic and also strengthening this system that has been underfunded for quite some time, more than a decade. It’s not a secret, and especially not to somebody who worked in the health care system for two decades and faced all those cuts and felt the pressures of those cuts. I saw my colleagues going home and having to come back to work the next day on a minimum wage and having to lose all their benefits, pensions, as a result of the B.C. Liberal government’s cuts.

Those cuts. I don’t know if a lot of members realized…. There was a statement made by one member of the opposition last week that they have never disrespected health care workers, and here my colleague from North Vancouver–Seymour and I were raising hands.

At least what happened — that’s okay; it’s passed. But saying that, a lot of people from the community reached out to me who lost their jobs at that time. They said that was really disheartening to hear, and there were stories that somebody even committed suicide due to those decisions.

The reason I’m mentioning it…. Let’s look forward. We’re investing.

[3:40 p.m.]

We’re making sure that those people, their jobs, are protected and that we hire more people to support and strengthen the health care system. We’ve seen the dire consequences of those cuts and austerities, as I’ve shared previously from time to time, and I can’t help but share.

My own family. I’ve lost a loved one due to delayed diagnosis, no access to imaging. You know, there wouldn’t be any bigger witnesses. It’s really…. Sometimes it’s tough. We try to stay calm and collected, but some members and the Leader of the Opposition have the audacity to say how health care was well funded and how now it’s in dire need, and stuff like that.

I will go over some of the things that we’re doing to strengthen our health care. In Budget 2021, our government committed $495 million over three years to support surgical and diagnostic surgeries. In Budget 2022, our government committed a further $300 million over three years to address wait-lists, surgeries and scans.

On May 10, 2022, the Canadian Institute for Health Information released a report for surgery, diagnostic imaging and other procedures during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. This report shows that B.C. was one of the top-ranking provinces in performing surgeries and delivering MRIs and CT scans.

I remember, after injuring my right shoulder at work during my nursing career, having to wait for an MRI for several months, and then I was told years. Then I had to go to Kelowna to get private — I still have those CD disks — because I needed to go back to work. That’s the difference, then and now. Now if you go in Vernon — these are factual stats, and I talk to the imaging manager from time to time — they perform more than 770 MRIs per month, and they run seven days a week. I had one of my MRIs done just recently, and it was 8:30 p.m. Nine days was the wait, and same for other people.

That’s the difference. That’s the difference when you make investments, and people feel the difference. When I was waiting for my MRI — I had the mask on — an older gentleman said: “Are you our MLA?” Oftentimes I, you know…. I was saying I work here. Then he said thank you. He said: “I brought my friend who has cancer.” He said: “I remember having to wait for months and sometimes years to get an MRI.” He said: “This is incredible.” By the time his friend walked out — very happy and gave me a hug too.

Those are the results people feel and touch. They’re getting positively impacted. Those are not just announcements. Those are life-changing experiences for many.

That doesn’t mean that we stop investing here. No. Our work just started in 2017 and ’18, and we’ll continue to do so, because the need is huge. Yes, there are gaps. There wouldn’t be gaps in the system if these investments were made in the previous 16 years under the B.C. Liberal government. But they chose to do different. They chose to slash funding. They chose to….

Again, let’s….

Interjection.

H. Sandhu: So $360 million, Member.

Again, ask…. There are no bigger witnesses than people who lived through those, whether it was work, whether it was personal, family-related, and whether it was access to child care later.

The members can heckle all they want, but all the facts are there.

For B.C. cancer surgeries, B.C.’s performance improved in 2020.

I was a surgical unit nurse, and I worked in many, many health care, whether it was rural, from Terrace, to community nursing. So members can heckle all they want, because they don’t like facts.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: The member for Vernon-Monashee has the floor.

Members, please. We’ll listen to the member for Vernon-Monashee and respect that she has the floor.

H. Sandhu: I understand truth is harsh, and it’s bitter to swallow, but truth is truth, so yes.

For cancer surgeries, B.C.’s performance improved compared to 2020 and was mid-range when compared to other provinces. In radiation therapy, B.C.’s performance saw 88 percent of patients start their treatment within the four-week target. MRI wait times went from fifth in the country in 2018 to second in 2021. CT wait times went from sixth in the country in 2018 to third in 2021.

Benefits of these investments are being seen not only in my constituency but across the province. But there are gaps that we are constantly, together, working hard to fill, and I am reassured that we’ll get there.

[3:45 p.m.]

From 2020 to 2022, 7,700 exams were performed only at Vernon Jubilee Hospital. Members can deny, heckle as they did earlier, but these are the stats. I double-, triple-check, because I value facts. Trust matters, and misinformation already created so much chaos in the world, so I do not appreciate misinformation or twisted facts. That’s why I have these numbers here.

On average, they do 720 to 750 exams per month. Local patients now only wait, as I mentioned, a few days versus a few weeks or months, depending on the urgency of diagnosis. Now we don’t have to send people to Kelowna, with the entire team, and then have to cover that team of another nurse on overtime or make other nurses work short. So there is that positive aspect of these investments.

As I mentioned, another action and result I’ll share is a story of my mom. She just saw her ortho surgeon three weeks ago. Her surgery is coming in a few days, very soon, within a couple weeks. When a presurgical screening nurse gives you that recording — maybe it’s different in every health authority — they highlight that “now we have more funding,” exact words, “from the government, and now surgeons have the mandate to perform these surgeries within less than six months,” which I’ve never heard before.

Those are the impacts on people. They are not suffering in pain. Those are the investments we’ll continue to make.

Mind you, often people, sometimes critical people, may think: “Oh, maybe you worked there. Maybe you’re in this role.” I never tell people who I am until I go there to see. Even if I do, working in health care for two decades, I know why health care professionals are held to the highest regard and trust, because we treat everybody equally. Whether we picked you up from the street, we don’t judge. You are equal to all of us, and everybody will get the same exceptional care. That’s why I have so much respect for health care professionals, from support staff to doctors to nurses, and I wanted to make that clear.

Also, many other people…. I shared the story of Steve, who had colon cancer in Vernon. He got from colonoscopy to treatment to post-op recovery within days.

What are we doing to strengthen the health care system that has been fractured previously by underfunding and privatization and cuts, and so on?

We’re adding 322 allied health care professionals training seats across the B.C. post-secondary institutions. We added — not an announcement; it’s happened — 602 new nursing seats to public post-secondary institutions across the province, which is in addition to a previously added 2,000 seats; invested $4.9 million in a new medical school at Simon Fraser University, which is the second medical school to be opened in the entire western Canada in more than 50 years; eliminated application fees for internationally educated nurses, which we announced last year, in April, I believe.

The program was launched in June — again, not an announcement. The announcement was made. The program was live in June, because I helped tons of internationally educated nurses. As of today, we had 5,500 people, expressions of interest, and more than 2,000 are very close to getting their registration in B.C. So those are the impacts.

Also, we made another announcement in my role as Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors Services and Long-Term Care. That was my first announcement I recently made, this year, with the Premier and also the Health Minister — to enhance those supports, to provide more supports to internationally educated nurses, whether it’s to cover their fees and also the pathway to get their licence, to make it easier.

As an internationally educated nurse, I know it took me four to five years and lots of tears and almost to the giving-up point when there was no help available. But that announcement wasn’t only for internationally educated nurses. This announcement also provides financial assistance to Canadian nurses who left the profession, for whatever reasons, if they want to come back. As I say, once a nurse, always a nurse. Nobody can take that nurse out of nurses, whether they are on leave or retired. That help will also help encourage many nurses to join the workforce.

[3:50 p.m.]

We’re creating a new payment model to attract and retain new family doctors. We are creating out-patient withdrawal management services that allow patients to access medications that they need in recovery, and pharmacists are allowed to prescribe medication. We’re hiring 19 full-time-equivalent workers in Interior Health across our new extended services that provide substance and mental health supports.

We’re investing $4.2 million provincewide to expand affordable, low-cost to no-cost counselling services in communities like Vernon through services such as…. The Independent Living Vernon Society provides some supports to people. We’re covering the cost of the federally mandated medical exam eligible to Ukrainian newcomers.

Recently the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions announced $16.2 million to expand Foundry’s current model and to support youth peer support workers by creating many full-time and part-time positions.

The internationally educated nurses announcement was well received. So was the other announcement by the Canadian nurses. We received a very positive response in my office.

I want to share…. This Friday I was at a local high school talking to a social studies class, grade 11. The teacher told me that she moved from Alberta. The last time, when I was visiting the school last year, she expressed her worry about finding a family doctor.

Under a new model and the work we’re doing in Vernon, we hired a couple that were Canadian, went to Australia, did the training and came back. They worked with my office, and now they’re practising. In addition to that, there are more doctors practising in hospitals.

This teacher this Friday said: “Oh, by the way, I want to say that whatever your government or your advocacy, whatever happened, now my family has a doctor.” I asked her further: “What happened?” She said: “There is this doctor who took over a practice from the doctor that was retiring.” I could see the impact of the work that is being done. That’s when you see that these are actions. These are results, not just announcements. These are the results people are feeling, and they are sharing. I didn’t go to ask her, but it was very, very encouraging.

Again, I was at another school. I go, the best part for me, to meet these students. They are very curious. They ask the most intelligent questions. It also expands my understanding of where they want us to go and what they want.

Another teacher shared this story with the children. When I was talking about our vision and the work and the child care investment, she raised her hand. I didn’t ask her permission, but I’ll be happy to share her name after if somebody asks. She said: “I want to tell you kids about the child care investments.”

She moved from Alberta. She said: “I didn’t have child care. I was part time. My husband…. We couldn’t work full time.” She said now they’re at one of the child care…. Because of the children’s confidentiality, I won’t mention the child care centre’s name. She said that they are there. With this program, the affordable child care benefit…. “Not only are we saving money now. We’re both working full time, and the kids are getting quality care.”

Besides the numbers…. We can read all the numbers. These stories are very powerful, and they encourage us to do more.

We keep people safe, also, by investing $230 million, over three years, to support rural police detachments in communities of less than 5,000 people and by hiring additional officers in rural and specialized positions. I do represent some smaller communities in Vernon-Monashee also. There are Lumby, Cherryville and Lavington, those smaller municipalities. This means a lot to me as well.

We’ve also awarded $97,000 to the Vernon Search and Rescue group for public safety work. We’re providing three organizations with a $5,000 grant to fight racism and promote diversity. We’re investing $150,000 to assist the city of Vernon with wildfire education, planning, emergency planning and FireSmart activities in residential areas.

We’re providing $25,000 to both the city of Vernon and the Okanagan Indian Band to support their emergency support services and to keep people safe in the event of an emergency. As part of the province’s $3.2 million emergency preparedness investment, the city of Vernon, OKIB and the regional district of North Okanagan received more than $75,000 in support for an emergency operations centre.

[3:55 p.m.]

Fund more than $474,000 to the Silver Star Property Owners Association to complete wildfire risk education and treatment along the main road to Silver Star Mountain Resort. Provide more than $665,000 to wildfire mitigation projects around Lumby. Pass the Wildlife Amendment Act, which ensures the culture and traditions of Indigenous people will be respected and incorporated when making decisions about wildlife management.

We’re fighting the climate crisis by investing $1.9 million in 36 First Nations and local governments across B.C., including Lumby, to help implement projects to mitigate extreme weather events and heat events and awarding $19,500 to the Allan Brooks Nature Centre Society for its environmental education and outreach programs. We’re supporting Vernon forestry workers affected by layoffs and downturns through the province’s forest employment program.

We’re introducing a new oil and gas royalty system that eliminates outdated and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. We are improving infrastructure, investing $3.3 million in the revitalization of the Lakeview Wading Pool and park. We’re investing $56,000 into connecting residents of five communities around Vernon, including Coldstream, Parker Cove and Cosens Bay, to high-speed Internet.

We are investing money to deal with money laundering. We’re making some changes there. We are doing everything that we can to keep people safe, not only strengthening health care or providing services people need but ensuring their safety and supporting climate action, as well, so we can all have a healthy, livable planet for generations to come.

When it comes to housing…. Many of my colleagues from the government side got to visit many housing sites when our government was there in June 2022. Many said we’re the envy for all the investments — and very happy. They got to meet people whose lives have changed due to these hundreds of affordable housing units that are built and, I think, almost all completed. Some are being built — close to 600 — in Vernon-Monashee, whether it’s Lumby or whether it’s seniors housing and all.

I would like to highlight some of that. I just recently got to attend the opening ceremony of the Crossings in January, along with local leaders and our partners from B.C. Housing and Turning Points Collaborative Society’s hard-working staff. They recently opened 52 units — three one-bedroom units for couples and eight accessible, adaptable units, each unit with a private bathroom and kitchen. These are another great addition to hundreds of previously added, being built or completed, housing in Vernon-Monashee.

I was at, again, a high school. One girl, when I finished my speech, raised her hand. She shared: “My family, three siblings and I, were living in a motel.” She said: “If it wasn’t for the housing units that were built in Vernon, we would be homeless.” That family now has a house. These investments, again, helped. This girl can take a shower and go to school, and her siblings can have a safe place.

These investments matter for the short term, to deal with while we are building these homes. We also purchased the former Polson Park Motel for $2.6 million to provide a short-term solution to people so people don’t end up being homeless or on the street.

There are several units that I can go over. The most important…. I want to share the story of Leandra, who was dealing with a meth addiction and homelessness. The day of the ribbon cutting, she shared, and later shared with the new Housing Minister…. She said: “If it wasn’t for your government….” That story is also published in local newspapers, if anybody questions what I’m sharing.

She said: “For years, I was struggling to find a treatment centre. When your government came into power and had these treatment centres, I got sober.” Now she’s working at Turning Points, helping many people. She found a recovery bed, housing.

Those stories matter. Those are not due to just announcements but due to actions.

I know my time is running out. At the end, I just want to say I support this throne speech. It highlights what we’re doing. It also reminds us of the importance of continuing to do the work.

[4:00 p.m.]

I want to invite all the members of this House…. Vernon is hosting the greater Vernon winter games from March 23 to March 26. All my colleagues, from all sides, are most welcome to come. I can also take you around to these child care centres or housing units we have built.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

H. Sandhu: Thank you so much. I’ll be thrilled to see you there.

J. Rustad: It’s a pleasure today to have the opportunity to represent my riding of Nechako Lakes, in response to the throne speech.

I want to start off…. Of course, today is Valentine’s Day. So I would love to take this opportunity to wish my wife a happy Valentine’s Day. I love you. It’s unfortunate we can’t be together this year.

That was one of the advantages of COVID. I actually got to spend some Valentine’s Days at home. I wasn’t able to do that very often as an elected official.

I also want to take this opportunity to recognize, of course, my riding. The strengths in my riding are the people there. I thank them very much for their continued support and for sending me here to be their voice and to represent them.

So 2022 was a challenging year for, I think, many people. In particular, it was a challenging year for me. I had the opportunity to say this in the House once before. My father, Laurie Rustad, passed away in early January of 2022. My father-in-law passed away at the end of February in 2022. My mother, Molly Rustad, passed away in July of 2022. It was a pretty challenging year, I think, for the family, and I just wanted to make sure I recognize them.

Then, of course, I got an interesting birthday present. I got kicked out of the B.C. Liberal Party on my birthday, which, actually, I consider a present. It’s allowed me to be able to see politics from a very different perspective.

Many people used to come up to me and say that the political parties are all the same. Now I understand why they say that. Perhaps more on that another time.

I do also want to get an opportunity to say…. During the throne speech, there were many recognitions of people who passed. I know it’s not perfect. We can’t always get everybody. One of the people who passed and, unfortunately, who was missed in the throne speech was Howard Lloyd. He was a representative in this House from Fort George from 1975 to 1979, for the old Social Credit Party back then. He passed away at the end of December of 2022.

I knew Howard, not so much when he was an MLA, a little bit over that time. He was a constituent of mine when I was first elected to Prince George–Omineca. Despite the fact that he’d been out of politics for a long time, he was still continuously advocating for changes and for things that needed to be done in the riding and in his area. I very much appreciated the opportunity to get to know Howard over that period of time.

I want to take a second, as well, to recognize my staff. Of course, my constituency assistants in my riding of Nechako Lakes…. Both Carrie Smith and Lori Derkson do great work for me, and I really want to thank them for that work.

New staff that I’ve hired to work and support me here in Victoria on a part-time basis…. Recognizing that sometimes it’s a challenge to get people who want to live in Victoria, because of the high costs, they live in other jurisdictions, but they do work remotely with me. I want to recognize Randy Roy, Adam Beattie as well as Azim Jiwani. They all do some great work in helping me through the work that I need to do in representing my riding here in Victoria.

The throne speech talked about a lot of things, as all throne speeches do. It was, I would say, void of real direction. Themes that came through…. It was more just a collage of issues highlighted with a few little things, I guess you could say sprinkled with a little bit of extra money spent here and there.

Some of the things, though, that initially started off in the throne speech…. It talked about inflation, whether it’s food costs or housing costs, increases, of course, in housing. You can’t find a doctor. Affordability. Things like crime and mental health. It’s interesting. It seems to be missing one very important component, which is energy. That, of course, is a huge component and a huge cost factor.

The throne speech highlighted that it’s going to have help for people with the cost of living. When I hear government saying it’s here to help, I often think of Paul Harvey, who was a broadcaster back in the ’80s and, I think, into the ’90s. He used to describe government coming with help in this way. He would say: “It’s like giving yourself a blood transfusion from your right arm to your left arm. But when government does it, they manage to spill half of it.”

[4:05 p.m.]

It’s great to see that the government is going to come out and give some help. The challenge, of course, is…. It would be, sometimes, better just to leave that money in people’s pockets in the first place. Obviously, the significant tax increases that we’ve seen and the other costs that have gone into it….

You know, people say: “Well, where are all these costs?” Just think about the carbon tax, for an example. Last year it took in $2½ billion, and that’s set to triple over the next seven years. That is direct money from people’s pockets in this province. That is an increase in cost to everything, particularly for things like food production. Over half the people in this province are struggling just to put food on the table.

The throne speech also claimed to have more people working now than in 2020, before the pandemic. I think that’s interesting, except when you look at it and see that three-quarters of those jobs are in government. That’s a pretty sad state, when you think about the fact that it’s the private sector that drives the revenues for government. Quite frankly, there has not been that focus on expanding the private sector and what needs to be done in the private sector.

To that end, the throne speech also talked about skills training for people, to try to get more people into the workforce. Here’s the problem I’m facing in my riding. In Vanderhoof right now, there are between 125 and 165 jobs available, with nobody to fill them. Those are jobs that are going unfilled. Those are services. Those are hospital health care jobs. Those are educational jobs.

We cannot seem to be able to attract the people we need into the area, despite the fact that the community and the whole region is doing everything they can. There was no recognition of this kind of problem in the throne speech in terms of how to help communities — particularly, small communities and rural areas — be able to attract professionals that are needed.

I recently met with the northern Interior branch of the B.C. School Trustees Association. They clearly outlined the challenges they’re facing in attracting teachers and how many teachers now are on letters of permission, because they cannot find the professionals. There are many days now where there’s nobody to cover if a teacher is sick, if a teacher needs to take time off. There are bus routes that are routinely cancelled because there are no drivers. They can’t find the drivers to be able to go through the routes, and people living in rural areas are dependent upon those buses to get their kids to school. There’s no recognition of this problem in the throne speech as well.

The throne speech also talked about putting more money, record amounts of money, into health care and things like mental health and addictions. I think it was Einstein who coined the phrase that doing more of the same and expecting different results is insanity.

I would say that, certainly, we need to see more resources, but we already have the second-highest cost-per-capita health care system in the world, certainly in the OECD nations, only second to the United States in terms of the costs of health care. Yet when you look at that health care and you look at the outcomes that we have in this province — the number of doctors per capita; the number of hospital beds cut; the number of critical care facilities; the number of diagnostic services — we continually rank near the bottom of the OECD.

The member for Vernon-Monashee said: “We are very proud that we’re one of the best provinces in Canada.” Well, that’s good, except that when you measure Canada against the rest of the world, we’re not so good. There is a tremendous amount that should be worked on.

I would suggest that we need to start with a fundamental rethink of how we deliver health care. The throne speech was very clear that it will not do that in British Columbia. Yet that conversation is needed. Close to two-thirds of the people in this province recognize that we need to have this conversation about a change to our health care system.

I’m not talking about privately funded, private-expense systems, but a blended model like there is in Europe, where it is one payer. It is the government that pays, but it’s a blended delivery system. I’ll just give you one example. Up in the North, there’s only so much surgery capacity. We have more surgery capability with the professionals, but we do not have enough capacity in surgery rooms to be able to fit all the hours that surgeons could work. We need to be able to provide alternatives, and that’s where a blended model can come in to be able to supplement our health care system and to be able to add to those services.

[4:10 p.m.]

At the end of the day, when you look at it, in 2021, according to stats that I had read, 11,500 people in this country died while waiting for diagnostic services or surgeries. That’s an awful lot of people.

I’m trying to get the numbers in British Columbia, and I could only get one number from back in 2020 out of Fraser Health, where it was 321 people that passed away waiting for diagnostic services and surgery. Those sorts of things are just unacceptable. We can do better than that, and we need to do better than that. But we need to be able to be honest about having a discussion about improving our health care system in this country.

That is also why I’ve encouraged people to hire back our health care heroes, the ones that were fired and the ones that left the system because of mandates and, quite frankly, because of disrespect. Now there are lots of really good, qualified people in the health care system, and I applaud them every day for what they do.

The member from Vernon-Monashee talked about 2,000 people coming in from out of country and, perhaps, thousands more on the list coming in, and that’s good. That’s perhaps a short-term solution. According to the Allied Health workers, there were 7,000 health care workers — nurses and doctors and others — that either were fired or left the system. These are people that we desperately need in the system to be able to handle the crisis that we have. We need that and more. We need everybody we can in the system.

I tell you, when you go to places like Fort St. James and the hospital emergency room is on diversion…. There’s a new hospital being built there, and that’s great, but there isn’t the staff to open it. We need significant recruitment to even be able to open that facility once the new facility is open. It likely will be lucky to be opened in phases. It could be many years before the full capacity of that hospital is actually achieved, because we do not have the professionals.

This needs to change. The impact, in particular, of the professionals that left the system because of the mandates is most felt in rural areas, where there are diversions of emergency rooms, where there are closures, where the services are not what they need to be.

I really applaud the volunteers and the people that have been out collecting the petition on Bill 36. There have been hundreds of people around the province that have collected thousands of signatures. I introduced that petition here earlier this week, with 10,845 signatures. There’ve been thousands of more signatures that have come in since then that I will be introducing at a later date. These are people who simply want to see improvements to our health care system and to see respect for health care workers, to see engagement with the health care workers before major changes, like what has been proposed in Bill 36.

It’s time that we hire back those health care professionals in our system, but I would also suggest that there needs to be a bit of a change in that relationship between the ministry and health care workers. When Bill 36 was brought in, there were virtually no doctors in the province who even knew about this. Talking with some doctors, they just were: “What’s this Bill 36? I don’t know about this.”

It’s a major change to the colleges and the way health care is governed in this province, and there wasn’t the engagement with the health care professionals. Yes, there was some from the colleges that were in as part of it, but there wasn’t that process that’s needed to be able to get the buy-in and to make sure that those kinds of changes would be respected and actually be helpful for our health care system.

Since we’re on health care, I also want to talk a little bit about some of the challenges in my riding. A constituent of mine actually contacted me just the other day. He went to see his doctor in Houston, and the doctor said: “Well, you’ve got a heart problem that has to be dealt with.” We need to put a heart monitor on him to be able to do the assessment. He’s actually had this problem once before, and it was a two-day wait, and he was able to get the monitor. He’s now told it’s going to take more than a month to be able to get that. This is something that should just be simple and straightforward, but it just goes to speak about the challenges we have in rural B.C. trying to get health care.

[4:15 p.m.]

I want to go on a little bit, also, and talk about some of the other issues that we have in my riding. When I talked about the throne speech and looked at what was in there, the throne speech paid lip service to the forest sector and talked about wanting to do the value-added, as every throne speech has, probably since the 1950s, about the forest sector. But the reality is our forest sector is in a crisis. There wasn’t any recognition of that in the throne speech.

When you look at the amount of curtailments and the closures and the fact that British Columbia…. The cost structure in British Columbia is about 70 to 80 percent higher than the cost structure in the rest of North America. It’s no wonder why we’re seeing forest companies investing anywhere but here. British Columbia has become uninvestable.

To that end, we’re in a situation now where decisions are being made about whether a mill that was built 20 years ago for the pine beetle epidemic should be rebuilt. In Houston, the Canfor closure that was just announced…. They talked about possibly rebuilding. But it’s a decision that was yet to be made. There is a good fibre supply there. They have a good workforce there.

Now that community has been told that their last major mill that they have in the community is going to close, and the workers don’t know if there’s going to be a rebuild. They don’t know if they need to be putting their lives on hold for two years or moving on. The community itself has been devastated, not to mention on the revenue side but just the confidence in the community. It’s a real challenge.

What did we hear from government? Nothing in terms of the urgency of the situation that’s there. Now I’ve reached out to the Premier’s office, and the Premier has said that he will take a meeting with me on this issue, which is good. I look forward to having a conversation with the Premier, and hopefully, with the Forests Minister, as well, on the topic.

What’s needed for forest workers in my riding, as well as across the province, but particularly for places like Houston, is a plan to be able to help people bridge through the two years. First and foremost, though, is to make sure that the mill is going to be rebuilt and what government needs to do to be able to support that. But then also come in with a package for the community to be able to help it through this period of time.

This is what we did — what I did, when I was part of the B.C. Liberal government back in the 2007-08 period of time — when we had these big challenges, and it’s what the government should be doing to be able to support the small communities and be able to support the workers in the forest sector.

Quite frankly, the forest products that we produce are the solution to so many problems we have in the world. What would we be building with, what would we be using, if we weren’t using forest products? And it’s not just about British Columbia; it’s about every jurisdiction in the world. Think about that. I’m not going to ask you to think about toilet paper, but think about it. Just when you look around at the wood that we have in this building and what we would do if we weren’t using forest products. It is the solution to so many of the issues we have in the world, yet it’s continuously under attack.

Whether it’s the old-growth issue…. When you look in the Interior, particularly in areas of my riding, it’s not coastal wood. It’s not the type of wood that people see as the iconic wood when they go through parts on the Island or even in the Lower Mainland. It’s a very different type of wood in terms of it.

What is being proposed, what is being done by this government, in terms of the deferrals, hits directly at the mid-term timber supply. I mean, it’s this government, back in the ’90s, that ignored the pine beetle crisis that created a huge problem, and now it’s compounding that problem by taking away the mid-term timber supply from so many of these mills.

That’s not right. We should be respecting our forest sector, and we should be thinking about how it can grow and continue to support communities as well as the global products that we need to use rather than thinking about the alternatives.

To that end, I also want to move on to talking about one of the other major things in the throne speech and that’s on climate and the policies to address climate. Climate change is real. There is an issue there that we need to be thinking about. But people have forgotten where we have come from.

[4:20 p.m.]

We used to have to fight against the climate for survival. A hundred years ago, the number of people that passed away, that died because of climate problems — heat, cold, storms…. The number of people that passed away 100 years ago had been reduced from by almost 99 percent compared to what it is today. Why? Because we weren’t able to deal with all the climate issues back then compared to what we’re dealing with today. We’re able to adapt. We’re able to manage through these issues today compared to then.

The world is 30 percent greener today than it was 50 years ago. These are things that you don’t hear about in the media. There is more forested land now in places in Europe than there was 100 years ago because forests had to be cut down for fuel. Those have been regrown in many areas. There are more forests in places like Germany. There have been huge advancements.

I want to just take a minute and recognize a person. His name is Norman Borlaug. I hope I’ve pronounced that correctly. He’s not alive today, but in 1970, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for what was then called the Green Revolution. Most people don’t even know what that means in terms of today’s terminology of green, but the Green Revolution was the third major agricultural revolution of our society of humans. Through that work, he’s accredited with saving more than one billion lives from starvation.

What did he do? Nitrogen-based synthetic fertilizers, improvements with seed, improvements with water management, land management. It was a massive increase in food productivity on the landscape. What did that do? It helped to bring hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. It saved more than one billion lives from starvation.

Yet the policies that we are talking about today at a federal level, and even on a provincial level, are set to try to reverse that, to try to stop using things like nitrogen-based fertilizer. Forty percent of the world’s food supply today is because of nitrogen-based fertilizer, yet we seem to be bent on this idea that we need to reduce that.

You’re talking about hundreds of millions of people starving in the world if we carry down this path of these unrealistic policies on climate. It is wrong. It’s, quite frankly, the one issue that I stood up inside to talk about which got me kicked out of the B.C. Liberal Party. I’m not going to stand up here and support policies that are going to be responsible for hundreds of millions of people potentially dying of starvation, and I don’t think anybody in this Legislature should do something like that.

We talk about climate policies. We talk about reducing emissions from fossil fuels. That’s a great project, and I think it’s a good thing to do. We should be trying to do that. However, what are the consequences, unintended or intended, of that? The reduction in the quality of life. The increase in food costs, which also contribute toward food shortages.

Just think of this. There are 345 million people in the world today that are facing severe food insecurity. It just takes a nudge to tip that over into people starving. Driving up costs of fuel and driving down the productivity of our land all contribute to that. We’re one small jurisdiction here in British Columbia, but these are policies that are being talked about around the world, whether you look at it in the Netherlands or you look at it in Sri Lanka and other jurisdictions that are talking about doing this.

Collectively, we have to think of ourselves as global citizens, not just as British Columbians. What can we do to help? What can we do just to help the people in this province be able to afford food and be able to have the quality of life that I think we all want for our children and grandchildren? What can we do to help others in the world?

Well, 2.4 billion people have been lifted out of abject poverty in this world because of affordable energy. We’re talking about wanting to reverse that. What about their lives? Don’t they matter? How should we be looking at environment policies and thinking about it from a global perspective?

[4:25 p.m.]

When I think about what I talked about at the beginning and my opportunity to represent my riding of Nechako Lakes, I think about what’s important for the people in my riding — families being able to put food on the table, to be able to provide for them, being able to travel, to recreate, the lifestyles that they want to live. I believe that governments should be focused on improving those qualities, supporting those qualities, not trying to dismantle them.

That’s why, when I look at climate policies, I think we need to take a good, long, hard look at the policies we brought in and at what the consequences and unintended consequences of those policies are. It’s not just about saying nice things. As a province, if we were to completely eliminate all of the carbon we produce, we wouldn’t even register on the dial. We’re like 0.1 percent; it’s not even a factor.

What are we trying to do here? I look at my riding, which is benefiting from an LNG project and a pipeline being built. All around the world, there are a billion people without electricity. Solar and wind are not the solution for them, but we have a solution here in this province. We can be exporting natural gas to help people to be able to build a future.

It has been proven, time and time again, that the wealthier that people are, the more prosperous they can be. Having those amenities, being able to evolve, makes people more concerned also about their environment. You will see much more significant gains on environmental issues by doing that than by keeping them in poverty and keeping them without power and electricity.

Mr. Speaker, the good people of Nechako Lakes have given me an opportunity to be a voice for them. These are issues that I think are important for them. Some of them are obviously controversial, but they’re issues that need to be spoken up for, that people need to be able to raise a voice to.

I think it is absolutely wrong that a political party would prevent a voice from being added to the debate and discussion because they’re afraid of the cancel culture or they’re afraid of the woke community attacking them. People should be able to stand up and fight for what’s important in their riding. They should be able to do that, certainly, because their job is to be a representative for their riding, not to be just a representative for a party.

With that, it’s once again an honour to have the opportunity to be able to stand here in this House and talk about the issues that are important, to talk about things like the Blackwater mining project that’s about to start up south of Vanderhoof, a great project for my riding. It’ll be a very welcome project, given all the struggles that are happening in the forest sector.

I talked about some of the exploration work that’s going on in my riding. My hope is that government recognizes the minerals that we need for the future, for the products we want to see used, and that government policies will align with supporting those, because it’s not just about supporting jobs in an area like Nechako Lakes and small communities, but it’s about supporting the type of lifestyle that we want to see for all British Columbians.

I look forward to seeing the budget and the initiatives that’ll be coming forward in the budget, particularly those associated with what’s come forward in the throne speech. I do hope that government will heed the need for a conversation on the future of health care, to talk about how we need to bring about dramatic change, as well as how we can support the resource sectors in this province and not just focus on ideology.

A. Walker: Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to follow my neighbour here. To quote Einstein and to quote the member for Vernon-Monashee, putting both those people in the same category is something I would do as well. So I thank the member for that.

It is my pleasure, as the second-youngest member in the chamber today, in the chamber here, to respond to the throne speech.

Interjection.

A. Walker: I’m being heckled by my own side here.

The throne speech is incredibly important. It kicks off a legislative session. This time we’ve seen that it recognizes the challenges that British Columbians all across this province face.

[4:30 p.m.]

I straddle between a rural and an urban community. We like to think we’re urban, but the folks in the Lower Mainland may think that we’re rural. I feel this throne speech recognized the challenges that are faced both in our village neighbourhoods as well as some of the rural parts of our community. It outlines some of the opportunities that we, as a province, and we, as a people, have. It highlights some of the values that I think we all, in this chamber, agree to. We want to make life better for the people in our communities, and this throne speech talks about that. To me, it gives hope, and it gives clear action for where our government will go.

Now, this throne speech started with a territorial recognition. I always start, every time I go to any sessions, especially if I’m in a high school class or an elementary school class, with a territorial recognition. I ask students: “What does this mean? What is a territorial recognition?”

We are here on the traditional territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋ­in̓əŋ-speaking people, the Songhees and the Esquimalt.

Where does that come from? That is a tradition that dates back centuries for Indigenous people. It is an act of reconciliation, and it recollects the history of the land that we stand on today.

In my community of Parksville-Qualicum, we are on the traditional territory of the Tla’amin, the K’ómoks, the Qualicum, the Snaw-naw-as and the Snuneymuxw, and there’s a long history there, on this land, of these people.

It’s interesting. We actually have three different languages in my small constituency. One that I’ll start with — I’ve shared this story before — is that of the Pentlatch people, those of the Qualicum First Nation. Qualicum means “where the chum salmon spawn.” Not sure whether that’s the Little Qualicum or the Big Qualicum River, but that’s where the story of Qualicum comes from.

It’s interesting. The pre-contact civilization that lived in my community built up the largest fishing complex in North America. The Speaker is nodding. I’ve shared this story. It was constituted of 300 separate traps. It took 1,300 years to build. Can you imagine taking 1,300 years to perfect a sustainable food harvest that, now that I’ve learned more, was actually able to harvest as much salmon every year, sustainably, from these rivers as we harvest today? It was constituted of 200,000 individual hemlock and fir stakes, and it was 300 metres in length.

This is incredible, to think of something this large, created one generation after another. It’s a good reminder as we here in this body, as elected officials, represent our communities, of the legacy that we’re going to leave and what it means to work between generations to get things done. It’s also a good reminder of the history that existed in our communities long before this beautiful building was built and what we call modern British Columbia existed under its name.

Snaw-naw-as comes from the name naus, which is “the way of the harbour.” In the early 1800s, there was a battle that took place on this land, and there was one sole survivor. The entire community that exists there today can trace their lineage or at least their family story back to one sole survivor in this place.

They have a long history of clam gardens and forestry management that continues to this day. They have a modern aquaculture program, and the First Nations woodland licence that our province has expanded over the years has benefited the Snaw-naw-as. It’s a wonderful example of working together in modern reconciliation and ensuring that the management of our land is done in a way that’s sustainable. I can’t think of a more sustainable way of managing land than relying on those who have done this for thousands of years on this land.

Of course, in the south of my community is Snuneymuxw. That means “a gathering place for great people.” It’s amazing that for thousands of years, cultures existed on these lands, and all that we see today, other than the oral history, are some petroglyphs in Nanaimo, and, when there was an earthquake in the 1940s, a whole bunch of wood staves coming out of the muck in Union Bay.

We have a lot to learn from the people whose land we currently share, and I hope that by sharing that today, we can carry that knowledge on together.

The constituency of Parksville-Qualicum is a very special place. Most of it lies in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. There are not many UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in Canada. I think there are about 19 of them, and there are two of them right here in the middle of Vancouver Island.

[4:35 p.m.]

This one is quite unique. The entire watershed is in the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Reserve. We’ve got the Little Qualicum River, French Creek, Englishman River, Nanoose Creek and Bonell Creek. That supplies our drinking water. It supplies habitat for an amazing variety of wildlife, and it helps make our place special.

It is the coastal Douglas fir biogeoclimatic zone, which is a unique region in our country that doesn’t exist…. It is one of the few remaining temperate rainforests in the world to the extent that it is. It’s unique as a biosphere reserve just by the vertical range. There is over 2,000 metres of elevation change in a very short distance. You can travel this driving in the course of, probably, half an hour. The hike at the end is a little onerous.

I was up there a couple of years ago, to the top of Mount Arrowsmith. Amazing views. But to go from the high alpine and then work your way down through the coastal forest, into the intertidal and marine habitats — that’s very unique in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, or just in habitat in general.

We, in this reserve, have a couple of endangered species. We’ve got the Vancouver Island marmot and the Vancouver Island white-tailed ptarmigan. I didn’t even know about this species until doing some work on MABRRI here. These are species unique to Vancouver Island that survive today because of some incredible work of volunteers to maintain the habitat and increase the resiliency of these species. Obviously, the pressure from industrial development, especially logging, in our community, on wildlife can have a tremendous impact. To know that there are so many passionate individuals that are working to protect this habitat really gives me hope.

We are on a critical path for habitat for many migratory birds. We are just kicking off this year’s Brant Festival. The herring spawn in March is a sight to see. I don’t know if it’s thousands or millions of birds. It feels like millions. But the thousands of birds that come through my community through the Brant Festival is just an incredible, awe-inspiring sight. I would encourage all members to migrate to my community to witness this. It is a memorable experience.

I think what makes my community — I’ll join all the other members who have said it — the most beautiful constituency in the province, what really, truly makes it such a wonderful place, is the people. Yes, the nature draws us all, and there’s an incredible history on these lands, able to sustain many people. But it’s the people that really make Parksville-Qualicum as special a place as it is.

The throne speech started off memorializing some of the losses that we saw over the last year. I know we’ve all lost friends and family and important members of our community, but I just want to make one recognition here. This is for a man that we know in our community as Flyin’ Phil. Phil St. Luke passed away on January 13. He was 70 years old.

If you’ve spent any time in Parksville, whether as a tourist or someone who lives there, you will recognize Phil. He’s 6 foot 3. His shoes are, I think, size 15. He just walks back and forth all day, or he did, and he would just be giving thumbs up and waves to every single passer-by. He was an ambassador for the city of Parksville and our whole community. He was a giant man. He had a giant heart. He was a highly decorated Special Olympian. He volunteered at many causes — the SOS, the Salvation Army, the SPCA. He was always willing to get his hands dirty and help clean up our community. He worked with food drives.

I was talking to my wife yesterday about him, and we talked about how he would always lead the parades with his drums, but she talked about a story. A year ago, she was driving through town and she saw a child care centre. All the kids were outside, playing outside as they should. The best place to learn. They saw Flyin’ Phil come up, and the kids knew him, and he knew the kids. The kids were all waving, and he came up, and he gave them all a high five.

My wife shared that she could see that every kid who interacted with Flyin’ Phil…. It lit them up. They were absolutely ecstatic. She could see in him the sheer pleasure of being able to make all these kids happy. She then took that story and shared it with others. It was this infectious happiness that truly defined who Phil was. He will be missed. I know that the city of Parksville will be recognizing his loss in a significant way.

[4:40 p.m.]

To do this job as an MLA, we support our community. Regardless of who comes to our office, we do everything we can to connect them with services and to hear their concerns. We can’t do this work without our constituency assistants.

I am so fortunate in my office to have Lorna Gray. She’s just started, though I’ve known her for several years. She’s an active volunteer in the community. She has worked with QCEWS, which is Qualicum Community Education and Wellness Society, and volunteers with a whole list of different community groups.

Zina Boileau. She’s a geologist. You know, she’s only a new hire, and I don’t know how long she’ll be in the office. She’s a casual employee, but we give her a task and she asks what she needs. She gets right to it, and she just gets on with the next thing and gets things done.

My main CA right now is Rebecca Ladd. Over the last couple of months, she has been training staff. She’s been working in an office that’s gone through some changes. I don’t think a single constituent day goes by that I don’t hear from a constituent about how amazing she is as an employee. She never watches this, so she’ll never hear this.

I couldn’t do this job without the three of them. They really do my office proud, which is difficult. Our office…. I just checked. We have about 60,000 emails that we’ve received since I was elected. You know, we’ve got a really passionate community. A lot of these are handwritten letters that we try to make sure that we get back to as quickly as we can and with as thorough of an answer as we can.

Family, of course, supports us in the work that we do — my father, Ken Walker; my mom, Karen Flannery; and Steve Shipley. I don’t see them as much as I’d like to. Our last organized family dinner was not organized. We were both at Costco at the same time, and we shared a hot dog together. We take the moments that we have together and really cherish those, because as life gets busy, to be able to spend time with family is incredibly important.

Of course, that takes me to this. I’ll get into the throne speech quick here, but on this Valentine’s Day, not being able to spend it with my wife, Karli…. She’s at home looking after my kids. I just couldn’t do this without her. Early after the election, I remember getting a call from her. She wasn’t happy, and she called me up. She says: “The cow’s out. It’s in the neighbour’s yard, and I don’t know what to do.” So my wife’s at home. She’s a nurse. She’s looking after two daughters, and she’s in the dark, chasing a cow through a neighbour’s yard while I’m away. It’s just one example of some of the things of really what going above and beyond means.

I do remind her that she signed my nomination papers, so she can’t say she didn’t sign up for it. But family — they go above and beyond, and they don’t get the recognition and gratitude that they deserve for the work that they do so that we can do the work that we do.

Of course, in our community, we’ve got the elected officials that we all rely on. With the recent throne speech investments, we’ve seen $1 billion get moved into our local governments. That makes a huge difference for our local governments that have gone through this whole pandemic and the impacts — the labour shortages and the impacts it’s had on them.

Infrastructure deficits. You know, I remember talking to a high school class recently. One of the kids asked: “Can local governments raise taxes as much as they want?” I said: “Well, the answer is yes and no.” I mean, as a politician, you can always give two answers to things. Yes, local governments can raise taxes as much as they want, but every four years they have to answer to the people, so it’s very easy in local government to pass on an infrastructure deficit.

These funds that we’ll be transferring into our local governments and our regional districts will make an incredible difference to help them with the challenges of quickly growing communities, while balancing the need to upgrade infrastructure that has potentially been neglected by previous elected governments.

Going through this throne speech, the recognition at the beginning with the challenges that we all face…. Global inflation. It’s not just B.C. It’s not just Canada. Around the world, we hear stories and the impact that it has on families — high energy costs, high food costs.

Wages aren’t going up with the rate of inflation. It means that every month people find themselves with a little less — and the challenges that makes for families, who are finding ways to pay their mortgage, to pay for good quality food. That recognition in this throne speech is important, that we hear from British Columbians and that we’re going to act, and we’re going to deliver on these challenges.

[4:45 p.m.]

Challenges around health care. We are proud of our publicly funded system. We are proud of the health care workers that every day — my wife’s a nurse — go to work and deliver amazing care for the people of our province.

But there’s a recognition that there are some challenges that are facing health care that we haven’t seen before and that we need to make investments to address. The challenges of housing, the challenges of child care — not the challenges of child care. That wasn’t one of the challenges highlighted, but that is a challenge that as a parent we face.

Maybe that’s where I’m going to start: the things that we’re delivering to make life more affordable for British Columbians and some of the supports that we’re doing to make a real difference to families. In my community of Parksville-Qualicum, we are so fortunate. The Qualicum First Nation operates a child care centre. They have both a child care centre, and they have the school packs. I feel like I’m exaggerating, but I think they have over 100 of these school packs that talk about traditional history, cedar or salmon or different things. There’s an Indigenous connection. They’re sharing that with students across the school district.

On reserve, we have 24 more spaces, adding to the existing spaces there, that are being funded by our province to provide child care, not just to Qualicum First Nations members but to the whole broad community, in a very passionate, outdoor play space that’s led by the local nation, with traditional knowledge as a part of it. It’s a beautiful thing.

It is just one of 321 new spaces that we funded in our community. That’s making a huge difference to families. To know that we’re saving parents up to $550 a month, $6,000 a year, in child care when the cost of everything is going up and they know that those savings can help make that difference, it’s incredible. We have labour shortages, and to know that parents are able to carry on the profession that they want to do, to give back to the community or their profession in a way that makes them feel fulfilled….

If child care is that barrier, we’re delivering on those spaces to make sure that parents, mothers or fathers, are able to look after their kids in a safe place, where they can develop, while they can still go back to work.

In my community, that’s $6 million in reduced fees. I hear every day from parents in our community about the difference it makes, and I think that’s a great place to start as far as investments.

The throne speech did highlight some of the specific investments that we’re making in British Columbians — $410 through the new B.C. Affordability Credit. That’s in people’s bank accounts right now. It makes a big difference when you go to the grocery store and that head of lettuce that used to cost $2.50 is now $8. To have more money showing up in your bank account makes a big difference.

Freezing ICBC rates for two years. It just makes such a difference, especially for young people in my community. When they have their first job, they’re making minimum wage. They want to give back to the community, and the cost of gas and the cost of insurance was a real barrier. To see the savings get passed down to people in our community…. It’s life-changing for a lot of young people.

In housing, which is something I hear a lot about in Parksville-Qualicum…. A lot of folks in my community own their own home. The price of housing goes up, and they celebrate that. But not everybody is celebrating the price of housing going up. Lots of people, especially new to the workforce, are finding it a real challenge to find a home in Parksville-Qualicum. We actually had a doctor last summer, a medical doctor who could practice in our community, who left because there was not enough housing.

To already see, with our new Premier, a $500 million investment in the rental protection fund to protect rental housing in communities like mine, older rental building that are at risk of being converted into stratas, to protect that housing stock, is incredible.

We committed to building 114,000 affordable rental units, and this will help ensure that the existing load of housing is protected as we build more and more new housing in our communities.

I believe it was a year and a bit ago that we funded a new affordable housing project in Parksville: 87 spaces, predominantly senior affordable housing. That was through, at the time, the Nanaimo Affordable Housing Society. It’s now the Ballenas affordable housing society. You know, every time I come home, I drive by it, and to see it slowly get closer and closer to being completed is just incredible.

[4:50 p.m.]

I would say that at least once a month I have a constituent coming into my office — a retiree, usually a woman, usually in her ’70s. She’ll show up with an eviction notice and often very close to the period of eviction.

They don’t know where to go. They’re living on fixed incomes. There are no rentals in our community. It’s very difficult to talk to these people and say: “Well, you know, you’re going to have to sleep in your car for a couple of nights. We’re going to try to get you connected with some housing, likely out of the community, while we wait for housing to get built in our community.” To have 87 units of affordable housing opening any day now in Parksville is going to make a huge difference to those people who haven’t been able to keep up with the rising cost of housing.

That’s in addition to breaking ground — any day now, hopefully — in Qualicum, and 56 units of affordable housing in Nanaimo. We’ve already built 600 units, but there are hundreds more coming.

There’s a Parksville councillor who shared a joke with me. It just reminded me of this, of not investing in the things that matter to people. He said: “You’re driving down the street, and there’s a sign that says ‘$10 haircuts.’ You think: ‘Oh, $10 haircuts — great deal.’ You go down the street another couple of blocks, and there’s another sign that says: ‘We fix $10 haircuts.’”

That, to me, is reflective of the situation that we have. An underinvestment in housing by government, an underinvestment in health care and an underinvestment in mental health supports have led to some of the challenges that we face today in British Columbia. That’s why I’m so proud of the work that our government is doing.

Health care. That’s probably the number one issue that I hear from people in my community. To hear the throne speech focus on health care — especially hospitals, but health care in general — really gives me hope.

I’ll share this story again. My grandfather was Attorney General in Saskatchewan. He worked with Tommy Douglas. He was an MLA for 19 years, and he and his team brought medicare to Saskatchewan. So I grew up with those stories about the difference it made in the lives of people from Saskatchewan, of not having health care and then having health care. To know that an elected official can be a part of something so big is why I’m here today — to be a part of this.

Health care was just as important then as it is now. The investments that we’re making in health care…. The Minister of Health and the recent physician master agreement — this is the largest transformation that we’ve seen in primary care in a generation. Doctors are going to be making tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, more every year, not because they’re working more hours but because we have a system that didn’t pay for the work that was important.

We all remember going to a doctor and the doctor saying: “Well, we just do one issue. You’re going to have to make another appointment and come back.” That’s been fixed. A doctor can now bill for multiple issues. They can now bill for extra hours, for mental health supports.

The announcement a few months back of covering some of the overhead makes a big difference to doctors, family medicine doctors, who we so desperately need. The challenges that we have…. There are a number of factors, but demographics have played a real challenge.

In my community, last year we saw four or five new doctors come. But as doctors retire, we’re just trying to keep up. To know that we’ve got more medical seats at UBC…. I was going back. In 2011, there were 2,088 seats at the UBC medical school. To know that we’ve got 128 seats that are moving forward right now to expand that capacity…. These are investments that are going to make a difference today, they’re going to make a difference tomorrow, and they’re going to make a difference for future generations. These are investments that should have been made by previous governments. These are investments that should have been made over time.

We can’t change the past, but what we can do is recognize the issue and work together to find solutions to make life better for everybody here in British Columbia, regardless of rural or urban or which side of the House you represent — every single person in British Columbia.

My wife is a nurse. I’m smiling, but the challenges that nurses face right now are incredible. She’s a community health practitioner, and she will show up for work sometimes, and it’s regular to have one person not there for a shift. Sometimes it’s two. The triage and the extra effort that nurses and all health care professionals have to do when we’re short-staffed…. It’s an incredible sacrifice, but they do it for the patients.

We talk about the 602 new nursing seats that we funded in the last year. That’s not the first time we’ve done that — 600 new nursing seats. That’s the second time we’ve done that. We have almost doubled the number of nursing seats in this province, because we recognize that nurses are absolutely essential to our health care system. The investments we’re making today….

[4:55 p.m.]

The member for Vernon-Monashee — I’ll recognize her as a nurse as well. The sacrifice that’s being made by these workers when we’re short-staffed is incredible. Adding these spaces is making a big difference in the lives of people. It’s not just nursing seats, allied staff seats. You know, doing everything we can to make sure we strengthen the health care system that people rely on….

In my community, primary care is changing as well. We saw, a year ago, the opening of the Flowerstone Clinic. It’s a team-based clinic: eight practitioners, six nurse practitioners. There’s space for a couple more, and they’re attaching thousands of patients.

It’s interesting. I talk to people who say: ‘“I’ve had a family doctor my whole life, and I don’t want to go to a nurse practitioner.” When you talk to them after they’ve been put on panel at the Flowerstone Clinic, they absolutely love the level of care that they get. At their first meeting, if they need 45 minutes to go through their whole health history, they get the time that they need. It makes a huge difference to have a team-based system where you’ve got nurse practitioners working with allied staff that are able to deliver health care in an innovative way that keeps up with the times.

It’s these types of investments in our local health care systems that are going to build the resilience that we need moving forward. We know there are some demographic changes that are going to put the system under pressure over the next eight years. These models will stand that test of time, and they’ll be there to support people in our community.

I see that I’ve spent most of my time here, and I still am on page 3 here of many. I just want to quickly talk about the environment.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

I’ve heard from lots and lots of constituents about the importance of protecting our environment. Through this throne speech and recent announcements by our new Premier, the protection of 30 percent of our province by 2030 is game-changing. Whether you are an environmentalist or a hunter or Indigenous or just a regular person like me that wants to know that we’re leaving this world better off for future generations, this is a once-in-a-lifetime type of commitment.

To know that our Premier and this government is moving forward on this commitment is something that I am so proud of. I know that for so many people back home, this is something that’s important to them.

On old growth. I still have a Friday protest every week in front of my office. I think they just, last week, had their hundredth protest. They have less folks out than before. They’re all out there. They’re smiling, they’re having a good time, and they’re doing what they think is right. But when I talk to them about what they want to see, we’re delivering on what they’re asking for. The deferral of 1.6 million hectares of old-growth forests in our province through the process that we have….

It’s hard to visualize 1.6 million hectares. If you drew a line from the North Pole to the South Pole that was one kilometre wide, it would almost get you from the North Pole to the South Pole. That’s how much old-growth forest that we are in the process of going through deferrals and strengthening protections on. It’s important. This is a legacy that we are going to leave for our children and our children’s children, and this is irreplaceable. So to be a part of a government, on all sides, that is able to share these stories with, hopefully at one point, my grandkids is something that really gives me hope for the future.

I’m just trying to triage my list here. I’m just going to end on climate change and the importance of the commitments that we’ve made. The Roadmap to 2030, setting a very clear path of how we’re going to decarbonize this province by 2050, is not just nationally leading, not just North America leading. It sets us apart in the world as one of the most progressive jurisdictions when it comes to climate change. It’s a lasting legacy that we can all be proud of, and it’s absolutely necessary.

We look at some of the impacts of climate change over the last few years in our province, whether it’s the flooding or the forest fires. These investments are absolutely necessary, and by making these commitments and delivering on these actions, we’re going to make this world better.

[5:00 p.m.]

J. Sturdy: I want to start off by recognizing that I am privileged to represent the good people of West Vancouver–Sea to Sky. It is an amazing place, and I will challenge, as many have done, the assertions that they live in the best and most beautiful place in British Columbia. But truly, if you’ve visited West Vancouver–Sea to Sky, I think you’d certainly begin to appreciate what we have there.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the people that really do the work, in many respects, in my riding and the people that make the difference.

In terms of my staff, I have a number of constituency assistants, the longest-serving being a woman by the name of Nicola Bentley, who’s been with me probably seven years now, I think, and is very much embedded in the community of Whistler, involved in Whistler 360, which is an initiative to improve health care in Whistler, as well as an organization called Zero Ceiling, which I’ve done a two-minute statement about in the past. It’s a tremendous organization, supporting disadvantaged youth and training them, housing them and giving them a new lease on life and a new start.

We also have a woman by the name of Andrea Flintoft, who has been with me, I don’t know, probably five years now anyway and really is the heart of much of the constituency work and keeping me organized. And then a new woman by the name of Terry Oaken, who actually used to be Ralph Sultan’s CA, who has stepped up while we’ve had some challenges with other staff and staff sickness. So all of these people really do the work that supports me as an MLA, the same work that supports all the other MLAs in this House.

It’s important work. I think we all recognize that with­out the hard work of these constituency assistants…. They’re the ones who, where the rubber hits the road in many respects, support constituents on files that we might not even ever see, navigating bureaucracy and overcoming conflicts, overcoming policy issues, informing us of policy issues, dealing with health care or ICBC or MOTI or whatever it has to be. They really do so much of the work in the constituency. Without the hard work of these three women, there’s just no way I could do what I do.

I also have to — and recognizing I’m talking about it second, it’s by no means second in my heart — acknowledge my beautiful wife. Happy Valentine’s Day. As many have said today, I’m sorry I couldn’t join you today. And also the rest of my family. Many of you may be aware that we run a farming operation in the Pemberton Valley. It’s a very intensive farming operation, vegetables and berries. When we look at what we actually do…. When people think about what 45 acres of rows of vegetables and berries are, that is a tremendous amount of work. Really, my family has taken up the slack, has really taken up the role when I have not been around.

I think, as we know, we’re here much of the time. We’re on the road much of the time. Without the commitment of my family, I don’t know where my farm would be. So they really have made it possible for me to do this job for almost 20 years now — coming up to ten years here and ten years as a local government elected official.

Again, thank you to my family. Thank you to my staff and my constituency office and also the support that we receive here in the Legislature.

It is an opportunity to speak to the throne. I have to start off with some initial comments on what that throne speech sounded like to me. As I sat and listened, it really just didn’t come across as having much in the way of vision. There was certainly a significant repetitive self-congratulatory aspect to the whole thing. I think that was a good half of the speech, but it didn’t really present a vision for where the government sees the province going into the future.

[5:05 p.m.]

I will provide, you know, credit where credit is due. Two things that did come out in a positive way, one that was dropped from all the historical speeches, which I don’t think I heard, the term “far too long.” I don’t think that that occurred in this particular throne speech.

What did occur, which I was glad to see, was that there was the first time in six years that I heard any mention of the economy. This was pretty much the first time. That’s a good thing. Now, that being said, this is how it was characterized: “Global inflation is squeezing household budgets. Food prices are…up. It’s hard to find a doctor. We continue to see mental health and addiction challenges brought on by the pandemic and the toxic drug crisis. Housing costs continue to rise as our population grows and interest rates increase. People in B.C. are working harder than ever, but many feel like they’re just getting by, not getting ahead.”

Well, I think that pretty much sums up the last six years. Thank you very much. I certainly agree. This is what we’ve seen from a two-term, six-year government. It’s doom and gloom. It certainly doesn’t look good. It doesn’t present a vision or a plan for the future. It doesn’t.

We have yet to ever see any private sector jobs plan or jobs growth or strategic direction. We have a default to a big government, big…. There’s certainly a public sector jobs plan. I think we’ve seen that the public sector is growing significantly more than the private sector. There seems to be a bit of a lack of understanding that it’s actually the private sector that pays the bills at the end of the day.

It’s about spend, spend, spend and, correspondingly, tax, tax, tax. Certainly, one of the more notable aspects is the idea that we have…. Government has 40 days, I guess, now to somehow spend $6 billion in a responsible way. I find it hard to understand how that’s actually going to happen. I guess…. You know, we’ve been characterized as wanting to reduce spending, and the narrative has been that if we don’t spend the $6 billion in the next 40 days, you somehow lose it. Well, no. The legislation is that anything in surplus must go towards paying down debt, but in actual fact, this year, there is an operational surplus. But let’s really look at what the overall picture is.

In 2017, when there was a transition of power to this government, the provincial debt was $65 billion, a 17 percent debt-to-GDP ratio. By the end of this fiscal plan, next year, according to the 2022-23 budget numbers, the provincial debt will be $128 billion. We’re talking about actually doubling the provincial debt in a mere seven years, so not necessarily…. What we’re doing by having this $6 billion, while there’s this perception that it’s a surplus, the reality is that we’re in a deficit situation.

We’re borrowing more than we have. We’re increasing our provincial debt, and our debt-to-GDP is moving from 17 percent. It will be up to 23 percent. Well, I know that nobody seems to think that anybody cares, but I think that those of us who are paying attention should care. If they don’t spend the full $6 billion in a month in a responsible way, I don’t think it would be a bad thing if we spent a little bit less in terms of our debt.

This is something I would hope that the media would pick up on. I’d hope that the public would pick up on it, and I’d hope that all of us in this House would pay a little bit more attention to. The media did provide one interesting observation that, when it comes to the throne speech, this was more about slogans. How did it go? Slogans masquerading as programs. I thought that was a very interesting observation, the idea that this government is about announcements versus results. Certainly, we’ve seen divisive tactics as a priority for them.

[5:10 p.m.]

How does this all relate to West Vancouver–Sea to Sky, to the beautiful place that I represent? Well, the Sea to Sky is, in many respects, a community of communities and a community of small businesses. A notable example of this is the Whistler Chamber of Commerce.

Now, this is a community that has about 12,000 residents, and it has 700 members of the chamber of commerce. That is a phenomenal number, and that’s because Whistler is built by small business. It’s Squamish, as is Bowen Island, as is Pemberton.

Small business is challenged by this government. Small business is affected by taxes. We’ve seen plenty of those and additional taxes. We’ll be paying close attention to the budget coming up in the next couple of weeks, the delayed budget. The employer health tax, paid sick days, extra stat days.

In the Sea to Sky, we saw government not react to the fact that we had a transit strike, the longest transit strike in British Columbia history. Government just didn’t seem to care. It’ll solve itself or something. And it carried on. This is the kind of thing that affects businesses. It affects families. It affects communities. It affects the ability of the region to perform.

Another classic example. We’re looking at things like the water sustainability applications, which, given the dynamic nature of the Sea to Sky, are very much affected by provincial jurisdiction. The ability to advance some of these applications is just not there.

Another example is recreation tenures. We have a recreation tenure for an area called the Hurley. They put an application in, in 2017, six years ago. Two years ago they asked: “When are we going to make some progress?” They sent a letter to the ministry that said: “When are we going to make some progress on this? Is anything happening? Can you tell us what’s going on?” Certainly, we’ve been supporting them there from our constituency office.

An email came back last week. “Sorry about the delay.” Six years. Two years to respond to an email. These types of delays and bureaucracy just destroy people’s ambition. They affect people’s ability to even want to care, to want to try. They affect all opportunities for growth.

We have seen growth. We have seen tremendous growth. In the last census, Squamish grew by 22 percent, Whistler grew by 18 percent, and Pemberton grew by an astounding 34 percent. Unfortunately, over the last number of years, we have seen, when it comes to…. When we see that growth….

The private sector has certainly been contributing, in terms of dealing with some of the housing challenges. But when it comes to housing people that are challenged, the vulnerable, we’ve seen applications languishing. Squamish and Whistler have not been at all successful, in the last number of years, with B.C. Housing applications. Perhaps it’s the forensic audit of B.C. Housing that is causing these delays. Nothing seems to be advancing on that housing front.

The promise has been referenced a number of times, about 114,000 affordable housing units that just haven’t been delivered. What are we seeing? So 18,000 or 16,000, something like that, have been delivered, and we’re six years into a ten-year promise. It’s pretty clear that those are not going to be delivered.

When we look at housing, Squamish certainly has outperformed. They have densified. They have done a tremendous job of advancing housing applications, but it has caused consequences. It has created consequences. There’s a challenge there, with the community, to find that balance between growth and change and how people can accept that.

[5:15 p.m.]

One of those consequences is an interesting one that’s we’d certainly challenge the government to look at. B.C. Assessment is looking at assessments in the community in a way that I think needs reconsideration. They have taken properties in the downtown of Squamish that have an OCP designation supporting higher density and used it as an actual. So what we’ve seen as a result is properties doubling in value year over year because the OCP designation says that it supports higher density. This is causing people who have been in the community for many years to be forced out as a result of higher assessments.

I think the member for Kamloops–South Thompson put forward a private member’s bill to deal with this issue at a commercial level in Vancouver. After — what? — five times he had to put forward the bill, the government has finally taken it up, albeit not in a way that looks like it’s going to actually work. I’d say that we need to start looking at this in terms of B.C. Assessment on residential properties because we’re seeing exactly the same situation — residents being forced out as a result of B.C. Assessment policy and legislation. I think that’s something that certainly needs to change.

We’re also seeing, as I mentioned, big delays in processing applications. We’re seeing this issue of assessment being needed to be highlighted in other areas as well. What we have is Crown land leases in the Squamish Valley that the policy is it’s a function of the assessment. The assessments for Crown land leases are seeing significant appreciation. As a result, the province of British Columbia has over the last number of years…. This last year it’s been held firm, but there’s a tremendous amount of uncertainty around what Crown land rents will look like.

We’re seeing the province in a position to increase people’s Crown land rents tens to hundreds of percent. Now, the Crown is the only landlord in the province of British Columbia that’s able to do this, and it’s based on an MOF policy around the assessed values of the land and a percentage of value.

I put forward a private member’s bill twice. I’ll be putting it forward again in the next couple of weeks, and hopefully, the province will look to change those policies, because we’re seeing Crown land lease rates again pushing people out.

We’re also seeing that this same thing is happening on other residential properties — seeing that in B.C. Rail properties as well as other Crown land commercial leases that are, again, based on assessed values and as a percentage of assessed values. This is having tremendous impacts on people who are trying to make a living in the Sea to Sky.

What are some of the other drivers of community and businesses in British Columbia but in the Sea to Sky in particular? Well, certainly one is regional transit, transit connections. Anybody who has, certainly, taken the time to listen to me over the last number of years has inevitably heard me talk about regional transit and the desire for regional transit.

Certainly, the mandate letter for the Minister of Transportation has claimed progress. This was interesting. This is a quote out of the mandate letter: since 2020, making transit “a priority.” They’ve made “progress.” Well, certainly not in the Sea to Sky. We haven’t made any priority, and it clearly isn’t a priority. I mentioned the longest transit strike in B.C. history taking place in the Sea to Sky with no assistance from government.

[5:20 p.m.]

Also, no seat at the table for the people who are actually paying the bills, which was interesting and which I think needs to change. Communities suffered, but at the same time, communities are looking for more transit options. The new mandate letter issued in the fall of 2022 has: “Work with First Nations, local governments and the federal government to advance rural transportation solutions.”

Well, I certainly hope that will be the case. I hope that we will see some commitment to Sea to Sky transit, because it’s certainly not a thing right now. We had a B.C. Liberal government in 2016 work with transit to fund the B.C. Transit 25-year Sea to Sky transit future plan, which put a path forward for transit in the Sea to Sky, to connect Mount Currie with Pemberton, with Whistler, with Squamish, with Britannia Beach, with Furry Creek, with Lions Bay, with Horseshoe Bay, with Vancouver. It’s a critical transportation connection.

B.C. Transit laid out a 25-year plan. The local governments and the First Nations in the area got together and put forward a proposal around a transit commission model and have been asking for the last six years to have some progress on developing transit. It has essentially been rejected each and every year. There has been no support from this government for regional transit. They’ve been told a number of times to be more creative in terms of their desires, and it leaves local government and First Nations scratching their heads in terms of what that actually means.

Again, there are two components to this that need to take place with the transit model. One is the development of a commission. At this point, a commission is only available to members of local government, not First Nations. I put forward a private member’s bill to allow for First Nations representation on the Sea to Sky Transit Commission. If that doesn’t happen, the commission model can’t be supported, at least as the MOU between all these parties has supported.

Then the other piece is that we need a funding commitment from the province. We’ve seen that there has been pretty much flat funding for B.C. Transit. Again, we’ll see what that looks like going forward. There was little mention of it in the throne, and I’ll look forward to seeing or hoping that the province supports my private member’s bill around the transit commission model and that we see some support for the funding model that local government has advanced.

What else is a driver in the Sea to Sky? Well certainly, fuel costs. We in the Sea to Sky are not subject to — what is it called? — the TransLink tax. Yes, the 18½-cent TransLink tax in Metro Vancouver. We are not subject to that in the Sea to Sky, but we’re paying a 10-cent premium, on average, over the last number of years — a 10-cent pre­mium on top of the price of fuel in Metro.

Now, there’s a 7-cent transit levy on fuel outside of Metro. That should take 13 cents, so there should be a 13-cent differential, but what we’re seeing is a 23-cent differential, on average. When we look at the 60 million litres a year that are sold in the Sea to Sky, that means that there’s $13 million to $15 million that’s being taken out of the Sea to Sky and that could have otherwise been productively used or left in the pockets of the Sea To Sky residents.

For whatever reason…. The province advanced the Fuel Price Transparency Act in 2019, which is supposed to provide some understanding of why fuel costs are what they are. They identified that in the Sea to Sky, in Squamish in particular, there are all sorts of unexplained costs.

I’ve sent a letter — numerous letters, actually — to the Minister of Energy to say: “What are the next steps? What are we going to do here? Clearly, they’re extracting more money out of here unnecessarily. What are we going to do to bring this back into line?” They defer to the BCUC, which is the entity that has been tasked with reviewing this stuff.

[5:25 p.m.]

This was an interesting publication last fall. “The BCUC reviewed the data submissions and observed that the sampled stations along the Sea to Sky Highway and Highway 1 in Powell River appear to earn higher margins on each litre of gasoline sold than those sampled in Metro Vancouver and the B.C. average.” Well, yeah, that’s exactly what’s going on. What are we going to do about it? That’s the question.

The government is pushing BCUC to do yet a little more study. At the end of the day, what we need is not a little more study. We need some action. If nothing else, I’ve asked the Minister of Energy to take the data that we have…. Because we have a lot of it, let’s take the data and make a submission to the Competition Bureau in Ottawa. Let’s make a submission, because I don’t think that we’re seeing free competition. We’re not. We’re overpaying, as I said, to the tune of 20 to 25 cents per litre. This has been going on since 2019 or before, even, and it’s certainly time to do something about it.

Numerous other issues. I certainly want to follow up on the MOTI side in estimates when we come to the maintenance contract for the Sea to Sky and, I think, around the province. It’s opaque. It’s difficult to follow. It’s difficult to enforce. We’re seeing that the maintenance levels are not where they need to be — years waiting to make any changes, years and years before we get any movement.

I’ve certainly got plenty of estimates questions around the responsibility of MOTI to hold their contractors to account but also to understand what is happening with MOTI infrastructure and how it affects other people, how it transfers risk to other properties. We have situations where MOTI infrastructure is not being maintained, specifically around drainage. What ends up happening is that fields end up being flooded, septic fields end up being drowned — the public health issues. The contractors say, “Well, you know, not my responsibility,” because there’s no threat to the infrastructure itself.

I’ll certainly be asking a question to the minister, given time, recognizing that estimates times have shrunk significantly for the spring session. How is MOTI able to transfer risk onto the private property holders and ignore that risk themselves?

Issues around flooding and how…. I see the province has a flood intentions paper out there. I think it’s timely. It’s important. I’m glad we’re doing that work. But I have to admit that I’m concerned that we’re seeing that that desire to build back better can be translated into perfection, which will get in the way of progress, and we won’t see the advances in the movements that we need.

I see, like some of my colleagues, that I’m running out of time — too many pages, too much to talk about in such a wonderful area that I do represent. But I will end up, finalize my comments around…. We need a plan. We need a plan for our province. We need to all understand it, as citizens of this province, so that we can all support a direction and a destination for us.

Better is certainly possible. Unfortunately, with this throne speech, that’s not what we’re getting.

J. Routledge: I rise to take my turn to respond to the throne speech.

In doing so, I’d like to acknowledge that we’re gathered on the unceded traditional territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking people, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.

[5:30 p.m.]

I’d like to thank the member for Parksville-Qualicum for reminding us so eloquently why we make the land acknowledgment and that it’s more than just a social convention. As he was describing his relationship with the First Nations where he lives, I was thinking about the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, on whose land I live and work and play and raise my family. I think about the struggles that they’ve been having to steward this very abundant land in the face of increasing urbanization and industrialization and all the things that that means. I hope that they will continue to see me as an ally.

Many speakers before me have commented on this being Valentine’s Day. I would like to wish a happy Valentine’s Day to my husband, and I look forward to celebrating with him our 45 years together.

I’d like to begin by putting the Speech from the Throne and my response to it in context. We in B.C., like people around the world, are living in uncertain times, to put it mildly. I talk to people every day who think we are living in terrifying times. They are terrified that when they go to the grocery store, prices will have gone up again and soon they won’t be able to put healthy food on the table for their families.

They’re worried that when they turn on the news, the Bank of Canada will have announced another hike in interest rates, and that will give their financial institution permission to raise their mortgage. They’re terrified that they will lose their home and life savings, or they’re terrified that their landlord is going to find a way to evict them.

They’re terrified that their plant or mill is going to close. They’ve become terrified to walk down the street in case a stranger punches them because they don’t like the colour of their skin. They’re terrified they will go home and find a loved one dead on the floor from a toxic drug.

They’re worried that when their maternity leave ends, they won’t find child care, and how are they going to pay the mortgage or rent if they can’t go back to work? They’re terrified that their aging parent will soon need round-the-clock care and they won’t find a place for them in a well-run facility where they can live out their lives in dignity. They’re worried that soon the planet will no longer be able to sustain life.

Yes. People are terrified, bewildered, angry and fragile, and with good reason.

I want to thank the front-line workers, agencies and community services who are trying to help people navigate the system, help people feel included, respected and worthy and help them find the right path to justice, fairness, redress and hope in what must feel like a maze, with too many dead ends and wrong turns. I’d like to particularly thank the staff in my community office: Kyle Kattler, Perisa Chan, Forest Chu and Nairi Caracas. They, too, are front-line workers. Often when constituents are in crisis, it’s their MLA they call first, and that conversation can take a huge emotional toll.

This is a throne speech that recognizes and respects that people who put us here to represent them are living through uncertain times and are worried about their futures. The throne speech sets out to reassure them that we get what they are going through and are prepared to take bold steps to help them with rising costs by introducing new measures targeted to support people hardest hit, including those with lower incomes and families with children. More than 200 new $10-a-day daycare spaces were opened in Burnaby in 2022 alone.

They’re counting on us to tackle the housing crisis by continuing to get tough on speculators while launching a refreshed housing plan and increasing services near transit hubs throughout the province, and by strengthening access to public health care after the pandemic by investing in new hospitals, in new medic schools, better cancer care, substance treatment and recovery services and getting internationally trained health professionals into B.C. clinics to provide care.

[5:35 p.m.]

In Burnaby, we opened a second UPCC just last year. And just last week, I attended a press conference announcing that with our help, Dania Society is starting construction on 155 affordable rental homes for seniors. Last year we opened the BCIT Health Sciences Centre, with 32 new programs and new technology to prepare students for careers in health care.

We’re making communities safer with actions to get violent offenders off the street and new laws to crack down on gangs, money laundering and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. We’re fighting climate change and building an economy for everyone by launching a new job skills plan, expanding low-cost clean energy solutions, introducing a new pay transparency law that moves B.C. closer to pay equity for women and working in partnership with Indigenous peoples.

If ever there was a time for society to pull together to protect each other, now is that time. We are living through the biggest, most consuming global crisis since the Second World War. Every life on the planet is touched by it.

Perhaps you can understand why I’m troubled by the vitriolic tone of some of the opposition’s responses. I’ve listened to them call the throne speech and, implicitly, the current government an utter failure, broken, more of the same, hollow words, light, boring, offensive platitudes, doomed to fail, burying our heads in the sand, a victory lap, lip service, rhetoric, cowardly, not good enough, self-congratulatory and no vision. These are trigger words. It’s hyperbole. And I can’t help but think that it’s a tactic designed to play on fears and foster disunity and distrust at a time when we should be working to overcome our differences and strengthen social bonds.

I’ve been so perplexed by the intensity of the outrage expressed by some of the members across the aisle in response to the throne speech that I decided to refresh my memory about throne speeches and the role they’re meant to play in our parliamentary democracy. I’d forgotten that throne speeches actually predate democracy. They were originally presented by monarchs as a kind of edict outlining how, in that moment, they expected their subjects to express their loyalty and servitude.

Well, since then, a few kings have lost their heads, and the purpose of the throne speech has evolved. The throne speech has become a ritual that is meant to seek cooperation for the government’s priorities in broad terms. It’s meant to signal a general direction. It’s an agenda, not a transcript. The throne speech lays out what the government wants to do. It’s the budget, which is coming soon, that spells out how we want to do it.

I think many of the opposition speakers are confusing the two. It’s not like they’ve looked at our itinerary and are making the case that they want us to take them in an entirely different direction. It’s not like they’re saying: “Can we go to Orlando instead of Palm Springs?” It’s not like they’re trying to stand up and convince us to drive them to these other places. It’s more like they’re sitting in the back seat, constantly badgering us with questions like: “Are we there yet? How did you pay for this car? What’s the speed limit? Did you see that parked car over there? Hey, the light’s changing.”

But you know, I don’t think they are confused. Of course they know the difference between a throne speech and a budget. I think they doth protest too much. I think we’ve all seen the same polling results.

[5:40 p.m.]

It’s a long tradition of the Westminster model of parliament for the opposition to go to great lengths to discredit the motives and competence of the party in power, to try to convince voters that they themselves are more worthy to govern.

I get it. It’s all part of what’s considered the game of politics. Belittling the government from across the aisle is an expected ritual. Some might even call it harmless. But is it harmless in 2023, when public discourse has become routinely toxic, cruel and divisive, when bots are spreading disinformation, when right-wing demagogues are gaining a growing following around the world? In 2023, what…?

Interjection.

J. Routledge: Madam Speaker, I feel like I should maybe pause at this point and address what seems to be happening right now. I get the impression that the opposition seems to be anticipating I’m leading up to blaming them somehow. They seem to expect me to be saying that the current crisis is all their fault. They expect me to invoke the 16 years or they expect me to remind the public about all the programs and services they cut and privatized and left the remaining programs and services too weakened and underfunded to cope with the current historical, unprecedented crisis.

Well I am not blaming them. If I’m blaming anything, it’s much bigger than a little party in a small corner of North America. Rather, what I’m trying to shine a light on is a problem that is much bigger than even us in this room, in this chamber.

I think of it as being clear about cause and effect. If I blame anyone, it’s the authors of neo-liberalism. Neo-liberalism is an economic model that sought to reassert the market as the dominant, if not the only, economic driver, that sought to shred the social safety net that had painstakingly been knit together to prevent the depth of despair and humiliation that set the stage for the wholesale destruction of the Second World War. Many in this chamber are old enough to remember what life was like before neo-liberalism gripped the world, what life was like when governments were expected to play an active role in the economy, were expected to act to level the playing field.

I grew up in Kingston, Ontario. There were five prisons there. Collins Bay was a prison farm where inmates grew enough food to feed themselves and the people who lived, worked and recovered in institutions throughout the area.

At Kingston Pen and Millhaven, there was a thriving trades program where inmates learned skills that got them good jobs and good lives after they’d served their terms. While they were learning their trade, they built furniture that graced public service offices. These programs were terminated when neo-liberal dogma determined that food and furniture must be purchased on the market from the private sector.

There is a controversy brewing right now in Burnaby North because NavCan proposes to change the flight paths of incoming flights to YVR so more of them will fly over our homes. The prevailing view in the beginning was that there was nothing the federal government could do about this because NavCan is a private, non-profit corporation independent of government.

Well, I remember when NavCan was part of the federal department of transportation, as was the airport itself, and like so many other vital services, it was sold off in the 1990s in a fire sale as part of the federal government’s austerity plan.

I am not blaming the members opposite for the mess we find ourselves trying to fix. I’m blaming a hegemonic adherence to neo-liberalism, and it has woven itself through many of the speeches here around the throne speech. It’s an economic model that’s associated with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher and has become so much a social norm that we don’t notice it anymore. I get why the party opposite might want to be dropping the word “liberal” out of their name.

Like I say, I’m not blaming you.

Interjections.

[5:45 p.m.]

Deputy Speaker: I’d remind the members that the member for Burnaby North has the floor.

J. Routledge: I get it. This kind of repartee has come to be part of what happens in politics. But is it harmless in 2023, when public discourse has become so routinely toxic? In 2023, when we interact this way, what forces are we unleashing, when we systematically resort to overheated negative rhetoric and criticism?

Public political observers around the world are raising the alarm that democracy is in jeopardy, and when we glibly accuse the democratically elected government of being incompetent and our clever words get picked up on social media, do impressionable minds think they hear us saying that our democratic institutions are incompetent?

Barely a week after Holocaust Remembrance Day, I’m reminded of the story of a Holocaust survivor who now resides in Britain and who recently challenged her MP in Britain to tone down the anti-immigration rhetoric. What she said was that the holocaust ended in death camps, but it started with words. Words are powerful, so let’s use them to bind us together as a civilized society, not tear us apart.

The Westminster model has been centuries in the making. Ridiculing each other from across the aisle is a deeply embedded tradition. But let’s remember that the architects of the Westminster model were powerful white men who made their fortunes building empires on the backs of slave labour and stolen land, long before women got the right to vote. Times have changed. Let’s be careful about how we choose to justify our behaviour. Let’s think about the outdated injustices that may be embedded in the traditions we choose to emulate.

In conclusion, this throne speech does exactly what it’s supposed to do. It articulates this moment in time in British Columbia. It expresses what is top of mind for British Columbians, and it puts it in the context of how we got here. In broad strokes, it sketches a picture of a better future we intend to create. Our job in the coming months is to fill in the details of that sketch, connect the dots and add depth through tones and shades. Let’s paint that picture and create that future together. The people of British Columbia are counting on us.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Excuse me. The Chair will address the member.

Has the member completed her statement?

J. Routledge: No. Apparently I could say a few more things about neo-liberalism and how it has shaped the current economy and the particular crisis we’re in. I could talk about how some of the previous comments that have been made about the throne speech show that that is embedded in what people are saying.

[5:50 p.m.]

I would love to talk more about this. I’m sorry that it sort of went past some people. I think it’s really important, and I think that it is a context that would help us work together to move forward on the future and get past this competitiveness that seems to have characterized our interactions.

With that, I will take my seat.

M. Starchuk: It is my pleasure to rise in this House to provide my comments on the throne speech.

Before I go there, we’re nearing the one-year anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. I’d like to thank those British Columbians who have welcomed those fleeing Ukraine into their homes, communities and places of worship. British Columbians are also helping support those who have stayed to defend their country. Having Ukrainian roots, it just tears me apart to watch what’s going on in a land where some of my relatives still stay.

Before I continue, I’d like to acknowledge that my office is located on the traditional unceded territories of the Coast Salish people, specifically the Kwantlen, Katzie and Semiahmoo First Nations. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to live, work and play on these shared territories, on which I also had the privilege of raising my two children and, currently, three grandchildren.

My riding of Surrey-Cloverdale has a significant portion of lands inside the ALR, which separates Cloverdale from the Fleetwood and Clayton areas. We’ve heard from some members that it takes up to ten hours to drive around their ridings and from some members that it may take up to ten minutes to walk their ridings. I can tell you from experience that for me to ride my mountain bike around the perimeter of my riding, it takes me about 90 minutes on a good day.

My riding is also home to a couple of very spectacular events. One will be coming up on the May long weekend, which is the Cloverdale Rodeo. Equally as important in my riding are the Canada Day celebrations that are held in Cloverdale, which are some of the largest Canada Day celebrations in all of western Canada.

I’d like also to take this time to thank my constituency assistants for the work that they do in my office. Those are our true front-line workers. They are there to answer the phone, sometimes at a person’s worst day of their entire life. It is not often that they’re phoning the constituency office to let us know what a great day that that other person is having.

Denise Blundell has been there from the very start. She provides the constituents with the information that they’re looking for. She also provides the levity in the office that’s required on some of the darkest days. I thank her for that very dry sense of humour.

Nazik Sabharwal also brings her experiences from other offices, which are great assets to those that are in there. Recently we’ve added Shelley Woodin, who brings her managerial office expertise to us, and it has been a great addition. I make no mistake. Those three women run that office. They are definitely, at times, the boss of me.

I’d also like to thank Maddie O’Neil-Johns, my LA, for keeping my legislative calendar up to date. At certain times, with the changes that are coming, I’m sure it feels like herding cats. That’s not because there’s anything wrong with cats. I’d rather herd dogs, though.

[5:55 p.m.]

In the throne speech, there’s mention of working on new models of addiction care. Here’s where I’d like to take a little time to talk about the work of the Select Standing Committee on Health, which dealt with the overdose crisis. The report that came out last year was supported by all three parties, with a clear understanding that the toxic drug supply and the overdose deaths that are associated with this toxic supply need all four pillars to address the crisis. The pillars are harm reduction, prevention, treatment and enforcement.

We’ve heard from the members opposite that decriminalization of small amounts of narcotics, less than 2.5 grams, will not be effective. However, that’s not the same story that was heard at the committee stage. Decriminalization of less than 2.5 grams of narcotics does a couple of things. It prevents the person who uses drugs from having their drugs confiscated when it’s less than 2.5 grams, which would have put that person in a position to acquire new funds to purchase their next dose.

The other part of decrim would see contact with a law agency becoming an outreach role, by leaving some contact information regarding treatment and recovery. To be clear, decrim doesn’t change the laws around trafficking, which remain exactly the same.

Other new initiatives include having some supports embedded inside the emergency room. The committee heard from persons who experienced overdoses. What we heard is that when a person calls out for help, they want it now and not a week from now. The people who end up in an emergency ward at St. Paul’s due to an overdose will now have the ability, should they want it, to reach out for help with their addictions.

Connected to the emergency room will be a room that can begin a treatment plan right away for that patient. This program, if successful, could be replicated in other ERs across the province to serve those when they want treatment and can get it in a timely fashion. That committee heard it from recovery coaches. They heard it from other peer supporters. They all agreed that if they embed themselves into the medical system, the medical system can help those people in their recovery.

We’re keeping costs down. During a time when inflation and interest rates are problematic for some British Columbians, our government is finding ways to keep more money in their pockets. We’ve done this in many ways. We’ve restructured our public insurer, put ICBC back on solid footing, and provided people with some of the lowest rates in Canada. Basic car insurance rates have been frozen for the next two years.

The recent B.C. affordability credit can see as much as $410 back in the pockets of a family of four. In December of 2022, child care costs were reduced again. This reduction can save a family as much as $550 a month for each child, or nearly $6,000 a year in savings. This has been life-changing for many parents. I know for a fact that my daughter, her partner and the two kids, with these cost savings, can actually now go out and enjoy a movie and the meal that comes with it, without having to worry about where the child care costs are going.

These cost-saving measures build on the work that the government has done over the last five years, initiatives as reducing ICBC rates an average of $490 per year per driver. We ended the bridge tolls in Metro Vancouver. We eliminated medical premiums, which was the largest middle-class tax cut in a generation.

We can see, all around us in British Columbia, that we’ve been hit with one climate disaster after another. It’s clear that we need to be better prepared in the future. That is why a new Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness has been created.

[6:00 p.m.]

I can tell you that when I was a structural firefighter and I was deployed to the Okanagan to help out with wildland fires, I gained a new kind of respect and admiration for the wildland firefighters. The work that they do is unnerving, somewhat dangerous, and very labour-intensive.

I’ve told this story before, and I’ll tell it again. I told it to those people that I was working with those two days at Strawberry Hill, just outside of Barriere.

I would trade the scenario of going into a burning three-storey, wood-frame apartment with half a tank of air rather than spend another shift in the wild trying to protect properties while an inferno burns just around the corner. I am not sure if anybody has ever been in the forest when that happens, but it is loud and scary. I give kudos to those people protecting the lands and property that they do.

What this new ministry, in place, will do…. You’ll see, in the spring session, that a new emergency and disaster management act will be introduced to better improve British Columbia’s ability to respond to and recover from whatever might be in store.

We are investing today to build a stronger tomorrow. The throne speech speaks to building hospitals, schools, child care centres, roads and public transit. That makes us stronger.

When I speak about public transit, I’m talking about the SkyTrain, which is being extended from Surrey city centre all the way to downtown Langley. The SkyTrain has not moved one single inch for the last 30 years. It’s this government that’s taking ownership of the project. The build from King George station to downtown Langley will be in one phase rather than two phases, as it was previously announced. This one-phased approach will deliver transit to Langley sooner and cheaper than a two-phase project.

With the extension of the SkyTrain down the Fraser Highway, many commuters will finally be able to get out of their cars. Not only will SkyTrain make it easier to commute; it will also be faster to get downtown. Not only will SkyTrain stimulate ridership; it’ll stimulate denser housing projects around the stations. Higher densities will lead to various options of housing projects, which will be near these transit hubs.

When we talked about what hospitals and schools and child care…. I want to talk about the first new medical school in western Canada in 55 years, to be built at the SFU Surrey campus. This school will create more opportunities for future doctors to learn, train and stay in a practice in communities throughout B.C. With a new hospital set to open up in 2027 in my riding of Surrey-Cloverdale, some of those future doctors will be able to stay in practice in a hospital that’s only 20 kilometres away from the school from which they graduated.

Let’s talk about the hospital that’s coming to Cloverdale. That’s why my constituents are so happy with it coming to our riding.

Land was set aside for a second hospital in Surrey over 15 years ago. It was about five kilometres away from the hospital lands we have in Cloverdale today. Eleven years ago the Leader of the Official Opposition, who was Finance Minister at the time, announced the sale of the land that was supposed to be used for a second hospital in Surrey. He said this land was surplus and sold the land at a $3 million discount.

Now the Leader of the Opposition is saying he’ll stop the second hospital that our government is building. He said he would stop it and move it to another location. The location that he suggests is the middle of a large section of ALR lands, with the nearest residential lands approximately half a kilometre away. This does not sound like the proper location.

The people of Surrey and, specifically, of Cloverdale are happy with this project. They’re happy where it’s going to be located. The RFP process is nearing completion. After these are reviewed and assessed, a contract will be awarded. Construction will begin in the middle of 2023, and the hospital is expected to be open for patients in the summer of 2027.

[6:05 p.m.]

The hospital will have 168 in-patient beds, five operating rooms, four procedure rooms, an emergency department, 55 treatment spaces, a medical imaging department, two MRI machines and three CT scanners. The hospital will also have child care on site for nearly 50 kids. The new regional cancer centre that will be located at the hospital will have an oncology ambulatory care unit, 50 examination rooms, 54 chemotherapy spaces, functional imaging, including PET and CT, a cyclotron and room for six linear accelerators for radiation therapy to provide care for people diagnosed with cancer.

I do not know what a linear accelerator is, and I know that there are six of them going there, and I know six is better than five, but maybe we can get seven when this is all done.

I want to go back and speak about the 54 chemotherapy treatment spaces that will be part of this regional cancer centre. These 54 spaces will bring the total of chemotherapy treatment spaces in the city of Surrey to 90. My math indicates it’s not quite triple, but it’s more than double the amount of chemotherapy spaces that are in the city right now. What this means is that there will be less people who will have to make a longer commute to other cancer treatment centres in Metro Vancouver.

I’d like to share this story in the House today in regard to cancer treatment and the occupation of firefighting. As some of you will know, I’ve spent over 30 years in the fire service in Surrey, and the very first day that I walked into a fire hall, I met my very first fire crew. To say that it wasn’t intimidating…. This is back in a time where handlebar moustaches, soup-strainer moustaches — they were all the rage. And these people were intimidating like you would never believe.

I was filled with excitement, and the prospects of running into a burning building instead of out of it were high on my list of things that were exciting. I can tell you today that that excitement is gone. Every single one of those people that I met on my very first day have all passed away from cancer. That cancer is as a result of their occupation as a firefighter.

It’s important to recognize that both sides of the House have provided presumptive cancer legislation for firefighters. This allows those members who are being diagnosed with cancer, a presumptive cancer, their ability to concentrate on their treatment and recovery rather than concentrating on a WorkSafeBC appeal.

For years, I was the voice of people who were no longer around. I fought for the compensation to the families in recognition of the life they gave to the citizens of the municipalities they served in. I often think of those people who are no longer with us, as I unfortunately shared the same workplace exposures and hazards as they did. While I may be a walking, talking, ticking time bomb waiting to be diagnosed with cancer, having a regional cancer centre in my riding is greatly welcomed by myself and my constituents.

The hospital is a major development for the whole area, not only for the community of Cloverdale but the surrounding region. The Surrey hospital and cancer centre project is supporting people with better access to health care and reduced surgery wait times through an emergency department, medical imaging department, surgical suite, pharmacy, laboratory and academic space.

[6:10 p.m.]

The hospital will shape the area into a vibrant community, like we see in other hospital districts in British Columbia. I can’t wait to see how the lands will be developed around this community icon in the not-so-distant future.

With the hospital coming, with SkyTrain coming and the other things that are coming to the Surrey-Cloverdale area, jobs are on everybody’s mind that’s there. I’ve had the pleasure of attending KPU in the area, looking at their trade school that they have and their red seal program.

When you talk to the youth that are graduating from that school relatively close to now, they’re looking at all of the opportunities that they can have to be inside of their neighbourhood and working local when I tell the story that I’ve never driven across a bridge to go to work, and how many of them want to have that same experience of simply just having that short little commute to the job that we have.

Before I close, I want to go back to some of the topics that we’ve talked about around decriminalization and some of the comments that come forward. The member for Surrey–White Rock was there on the committee along…. The riding escapes me.

Interjection.

M. Starchuk: Peace River. There we go. We heard the testimony from all of those people. One of the things that we heard that was important for us as a committee to consider and to put in a report was around destigmatizing to allow these people the right to live without the stigma that follows them and without that shame that was following them all over.

And now we’re hearing, from time to time, from some members opposite about decrim and how it won’t have anything to do…. They start listing off the drugs that will be applied, whether or not it’s cocaine, whether or not it’s meth, whether or not it’s heroin, but they’re listing off the drugs that are there, and I can’t help but think that that furthers the divide and the stigma of being a drug user.

So I would just ask the people of this House: when they talk about decrim, who are the people that it affects the most? Just because they may not be in our backyard, may not be a neighbour, may not be a friend and may not be a relative…. But what we are doing — the bottom line — is keeping these people alive until a point in which they will reach out and seek help, and they can start moving themselves down the pathway of recovery.

We’ve heard this throne speech described as lacklustre and dull by some of the members opposite, and it may be when you compare it to a rocket launch or to last week’s Super Bowl.

And yes, thank you, Kansas City.

When you take a longer look at the throne speech, you see that it signifies the beginning of this session of parliament. You’ll see how the words describe what government has done and what government will be doing to make British Columbia a better place to be.

With that, I’m going to take my seat.

Hon. N. Cullen: It’s a pleasure and an honour to rise in this place every single time and particularly when we have the opportunity to talk about the Speech from the Throne.

I recognize that we are on the Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking peoples’ territory, the Songhees and Esquimalt.

I always like to recognize, as well, where I come from. The seat that I occupy in this place has afforded me with the support of the people in the northwest, of Stikine, a great and beautiful part of British Columbia.

I’ll resist comparing its beauty to other ridings because I know, Madam Speaker, you too come from an outstanding and beautiful constituency that, when I come from the North, I often pass through.

[6:15 p.m.]

Suffice to say that representing the northwest provides unbelievable opportunities and privileges to know and meet the people, their struggles and their determination and, as well, from time to time, to honour — as we did in the throne speech — those that represent the North in different ways. As is tradition, the throne speech, through the Lieutenant-Governor and the words of the Premier, made mention of those that have passed in the past year.

One gentleman in particular, a fellow named Madeek, Jeff Brown, was a Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief who passed recently. He was an example of incredible fortitude, determination and grace in his constant efforts to represent the best of the Wet’suwet’en and pass it on to the future generations, as is tradition within the Wet’suwet’en. The name now rests for a period of time until the family mourns and we go through the proper protocols, but I very much appreciated the Premier’s acknowledgment of his passing and of his contributions.

The Speech from the Throne, of course, is two things. It’s a moment in time. If one looks back to previous throne speeches, one can see the mood of the moment in the province, what was happening, what we were just coming from. And it, of course, is meant to do the second thing, which is point to the future. What is the government’s plan? What is the agenda? What is the path forward?

Both of these, as I looked through the throne speech again today, are very much alive and well for those that watched or read the captions. As we emerge from a global pandemic and as we come through the strains and stresses on our society and our individual communities, individual families — the loss of life, the desperate illness that many people went through — it is also that time to reflect on where we are now and what we have learned.

We knew, obviously, that our health care system, our front-line workers, were of such great and vital importance to us. I don’t know how many times they were referenced in this place that way — many, many thousands over the years. There’s no further need to make the argument of the importance of health care workers of all varieties, from folks that are cleaning our hospitals and nursing homes to those that care for our elders — the doctors, the nurses, and on down the line — and that the system went through extraordinary strain.

The speech talks about that, acknowledges it and then says what we’ll do about it, because it is unsustainable — that pressure on those that serve our communities from the health care professions, from mental health and addictions through primary care, and on down the line.

I was very much please as well — well, I suppose pleased — and appreciative of the acknowledgment of the strain that there has been on our communities.

You and I both see this, Madam Speaker, from our largest cities to our smallest towns: the issue of street disorder, the issue of repeat offenders and, of those that are committing offences, the relatively small but incredibly important and dangerous ones who commit violent offences. Then again acknowledging what is — that we’ve seen that rise. Then what does one do about it? It’s acknowledged in several steps that the government seeks to take.

I was appreciative of that because, coming from northern B.C., rural B.C., we certainly weren’t the first to acknowledge this. But seeing your downtown and your main streets change, and the feeling…. Sometimes this is a feeling, either a direct experience that one has or a sense of the loss of safety, and that, once lost, is more difficult to regain.

As Canadians and British Columbians, we generally experience an incredibly high level of safety in our communities and our homes, especially compared to the rest of the world. This is something that we need to cherish and value. I was very glad that what is a complex issue was not treated in a simplistic way in the Speech from the Throne.

Of course, there was the commitment to seeking further bail reforms from our federal partners, who set the rules on how bail works. There was direction to our own Crown prosecutors on how the prosecutions went out and an increase in supply of funds to local small communities, rural communities, for policing.

We know that municipal budgets are incredibly strained when it comes to paying for local police services. Especially if you’re in one of those small communities, just above 5,000 people, you get quite a bit of the burden of the share, yet you don’t have the tax base, necessarily, to cover those costs. So our government is coming in with more support and more mental health supports, more support for street nurses, more support for those who are suffering through addictions. The path to recovery is incredibly important.

[6:20 p.m.]

We have to contextualize this, which I think the Speech from the Throne did, and understand what the root causes are, because those, again, looking for a simple solution to what is a complex problem, are going to be left disappointed by slogans and jingoism. What we need is an all-of-government, — all-of-society, in fact — approach to our ability to deal with what is a significant issue for everybody.

I would add, as my own home community of Smithers has struggled with this issue, that there is no great safety in the tent encampments that we see around. For those that are in those places, for the many, variety, sometimes generational issues that they face, we know that their own personal safety is often quite threatened, more so than anybody else’s. So the progressive thing, the right thing, to do, is to wrap services around each individual, provide the housing and the supports, be they mental health or addictions treatment or whatever the case may be, but sensitive to the person individually.

I want to be respectful, Madam Speaker, that you may…. Oh, no. You’re looking for the instruction as well? Good. Okay. I wasn’t sure if it was you bringing it forward or there was some man in a black cloak that may be entering the chamber, as ominous as that sounds. He’s not ominous at all. He’s quite a nice guy.

The other notions that were set out in the context of the throne speech that we operate in…. Coming out of COVID with, I think, the strongest recovery of any province in our nation with respect to job recovery. We had the fewest lockdowns. We had, fortunately, one of the lowest mortality rates per capita. Our public service, the investments government made in making sure people stayed safe and that businesses were supported, bore the right fruit.

There were some that saw the global pandemic — particularly, for some reason, conservative governments — and their instinct was to pull back, was to withdraw, to do less government, as conservatives are sometimes fond of saying. Well, tell that to the small business communities, the local chambers in the North, who received significant and steady support from our government and were able to sustain themselves even though their doors were closed for some significant time.

There is a number of aspects of our economic recovery, which I think are very important.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

I know the foundation of our communities is our local business sector, our small businesses, and they, at times, struggle to see themselves in the discourse of this place. We have to do more, I would argue, and more to make sure that they both feel welcome and supported and engaged and that we’re able to do things that continue to support our small businesses in ways that matter and will matter for future generations.

I’m looking at the Speaker, because the Speaker is not looking at me.

The other issues, some of which are under…. Some of the issues that we face….

Now the Speaker is looking at me.

Mr. Speaker: Noting the hour, Member.

Hon. N. Cullen moved adjournment of the debate.

Motion approved.

Question of Privilege
(Reservation of Right)

M. Lee: I rise to reserve my right on a point of personal privilege.

Mr. Speaker: So noted.

Hon. R. Kahlon moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. tomorrow.

The House adjourned at 6:23 p.m.