Orders of the Day

Hon. R. Kahlon: I call Motion 16 on the order paper.

Government Motions on Notice

MOTION 16 — POWERS OF
AGRICULTURE, FISH AND FOOD COMMITTEE

Hon. R. Kahlon: I move Motion 16, which outlines the terms of reference for the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fish and Food, of which notice has been given in my name on the order paper.

[That the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fish and Food be empowered to examine carbon sequestration and related technology in British Columbia’s agricultural sector and make recommendations with respect to:

1. Opportunities to increase carbon content in agricultural soils in British Columbia.

2. Supports for British Columbia’s agricultural technology sector as they relate to carbon sequestration.

3. Supports and incentives for encouraging the use of made-in-B.C. agricultural technology innovations to enhance carbon sequestration.

That, in addition to the powers previously conferred upon Select Standing Committees of the House, the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fish and Food be empowered to:

a. appoint of its number one or more subcommittees and to refer to such subcommittees any of the matters referred to the Committee and to delegate to the subcommittees all or any of its powers except the power to report directly to the House;

b. sit during a period in which the House is adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the next following Session and during any sitting of the House;

c. conduct consultations by any means the Committee considers appropriate;

d. adjourn from place to place as may be convenient; and,

e. retain personnel as required to assist the Committee.

That the Committee report to the House by February 29, 2024, and that during a period of adjournment, the Committee deposit its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, and upon resumption of the sittings of the House, or in the next following Session, as the case may be, the Chair present all reports to the House.]

Motion approved.

Hon. R. Kahlon: I call committee stage debate on Bill 3, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act.

Committee of the Whole House

BILL 3 — MISCELLANEOUS STATUTES
AMENDMENT ACT, 2023

The House in Committee of the Whole on Bill 3; S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.

The committee met at 2:40 p.m.

On clause 1.

The Chair: All right, Members. Let’s call this committee into session.

M. de Jong: I see the Attorney sitting all by her lonesome self over there, and a myriad of staff, but I think I indicated that my question on the first clause would be procedural in nature.

I just wanted to ask this. What has been done here I think makes sense. The OIC is dated, which this clause 1 refers to, April 12, 2022. The Statute Revision Act that we are relying upon….

I suppose, just to put on the record, this is a mechanism that was created to correct, by regulation, typographical errors, cross-referencing errors that someone, usually leg. counsel, comes across.

The OIC that made this correction is dated April 12, 2022. The Statute Revision Act, in section 12(2), says that: “Unless confirmed by the Legislature, corrections made by a regulation under this section cease to have effect after the last day of the next session of the Legislative Assembly after the regulation is made.” Would the time for this legislative correction to have been made have been the fall session? Has a gap inadvertently been created?

The regulation was done in the spring, April 2022. The House then adjourned and came back for a sitting in the fall. Is the regulation still in effect or…? Because the Statute Revision Act is pretty specific about when the correction must come before the House.

Hon. N. Sharma: Thanks for the question. I’m going to get some information for you on that.

Can I just ask for a five-minute recess?

The Chair: Okay, the request has been made for a five-minute recess. I think the expectation was it would be an easier question, but there’s going to be some staff coming that we will need.

Okay, so we will take a five-minute recess.

The committee recessed from 2:43 p.m. to 2:47 p.m.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

Hon. N. Sharma: I want to give thanks to the member for the question. I want to give him a full answer, and I’m asking to stand the clause down for now. After, we’ll go on to section 2.

The Chair: We will be standing down clause 1 and, I believe, now moving on to clause 2.

Clause 1 stood down.

On clause 2.

Interjection.

The Chair: Sorry, I believe….

If you’d like to, yes. Before we move on, we will recognize the minister for introducing the staff, and moving from there.

Hon. L. Beare: Thank you, Chair, and thank you to the member for allowing me some opening remarks here. I’d like to give a detailed description of where we’re at today, which will help formulate the member’s questions.

To begin, I do want to acknowledge the staff that I have here with me. We have CJ Ritchie, the associate deputy minister and government chief information officer; Charmaine Lowe, assistant deputy minister of corporate information records management office; and Colleen Rice, executive director, strategic legislation and policy branch.

The goal of this amendment, and why we’re here today, is to restore coverage of the act to the independent officers, which were inadvertently omitted by a drafting error during the restructuring of the bill in February 2021. Clause 2 will address that error that was introduced into the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act in 2021 due to the inadvertent and unfortunate effect of excluding most of the records of the independent officers of the Legislature.

Independent officers of the Legislature include the Ombudsperson, Auditor General, Human Rights Commissioner, Information and Privacy Commissioner and several other important oversight offices. A draft of this amendment was provided to the Information and Privacy Commissioner, who is supportive of the amendment.

[2:50 p.m.]

To begin, I’d like to provide some background and context to the error that we are here to fix. Section 3 of the act is an introductory section which specifies what records the act applies to and, in some cases, how the act applies to that record.

For background, the act has always applied to the records of the independent officers of the Legislature, but it did so in a very specific way. For example, the access-to-information, or FOI, provisions of the act only applied to the administrative records of the officers, not their operational records. In other words, the records relating to an independent officer’s investigations or audits were not covered by FOI, but the officer’s HR and finance records were covered.

As part of the 2021 amendments, section 3 of the act was significantly restructured to provide better clarity on the application of the act. Paragraphs were reordered, so that the application of the act to employees was in one paragraph, the covered records in a second paragraph, and the records excluded in a third paragraph, for example,

While this restructuring did provide better clarity and brought all the application-related provisions into one section of the act, it also unintentionally disrupted the specific manner in which the act applied to the independent officers. As part of the reordering of section 3, introductory words like “subject to” were dropped, which had the unintentional effect of excluding all the independent officers’ records of coverage by FOI, rather than just their function-related records.

To correct this error, Bill 3 will reinstate this clarifying language, clarifying that despite the exclusion of the independent officers’ functional records from FOI, other provisions, such as privacy, whistleblowing and offences still apply to these records. The correction will also ensure that FOI once again applies to the administrative records of the independent officers — the goal being to restore coverage of the act to the independent officers to what it had been before this error was introduced in 2021.

With that, the member and I always love our quality time together here in the House, and I am happy to take any questions the member has on restoring the coverage to the independent officers.

B. Banman: As I said to the minister once before, if this is quality time, we need to have, probably, a better definition of what “quality time” actually is.

I always do enjoy being given the opportunity to ask the minister, as the opposition, on behalf of the citizens of British Columbia…. In part, what the minister has put forward to clean up is actually why we do ask questions: to look for errors and/or omissions that were not intended and were overlooked. I do thank the minister for clarifying that. That’s very helpful.

One of the questions I have and that has been of concern is with regard to disclosure if it is outside of Canada. I’m going to read it, at section 33.1. Personal information may be shared outside of Canada if it is in accordance with the regulations set by the minister.

Would the minister care to share what those regulations would be? What penalties would be involved in case it was disclosed inappropriately? Could she share that, and what the amounts of those penalties could amount to?

[2:55 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.]

Hon. L. Beare: I thank the member for the question. I want to reference the member…. The very simple answer to this question is that these subsections that the member is referring to applied before the act was amended in 2021 and are not being amended or changed now, so that coverage still remains. What we are doing is restoring coverage to the independent officers.

The member and I are going to have ample opportunity coming up in estimates to spend hours and hours of more quality time together, where those kinds of questions are appropriate for discussion. This amendment is discussing the return of coverage for the independent officers.

I do look forward to a very spirited debate with the member during estimates on this.

B. Banman: I noticed that in one of these, one of the updates is to ensure that information released through an FOI does not reveal that a child is in care or who made the report for the protection of that child. I would think both sides of the House would agree on that, or did I read that wrong? I may have read that wrong.

The one question I do have…. Really, it’s housekeeping. I don’t have a lot really for you, which you’ll be happy to know. The legislation also adds a new section (4.1), which says that the sections above apply to public bodies. Would the minister be so kind as to give an example of a few of the public bodies that would be included in that?

Hon. L. Beare: Thanks to the member for the question. The Auditor General for Local Government — that office was shut down, so we have inserted this clause to make sure that the records are available through FOI that are being held at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

B. Banman: I understand the look I got from the minister earlier, and I do apologize. In my haste on the notes, the FOI with regard to children actually applies to the Attorney General, not to the…. But it is within FOI.

As I said before, this is simple housekeeping. At this time, I have nothing further, and I look forward to long, lengthy debates when we get into estimates. I do appreciate the minister’s time.

Hon. L. Beare: I thank the member for the question. I always look forward to our great conversations.

I will ask for a five-minute recess while we reset to another ministry in the next….

Oh, you’ve got to do your passing. Sorry.

Deputy Speaker: I do have to ask if people want to pass this clause.

Clause 2 approved.

Deputy Speaker: We will take a short recess as we reset for the next minister. Let’s say, hopefully, two minutes — a two-minute recess.

The committee recessed from 3:04 p.m. to 3:11 p.m.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

The Chair: Thank you, Members. We will now resume the committee meeting.

Hon. L. Beare: We ask to stand down the other clauses and move to clause 11, for Health.

The Chair: So standing down clauses 3 to 10?

Sorry. I see the member for Abbotsford West.

M. de Jong: Sorry. I think the minister just requested….

If you go back to the second reading remarks that led to this bill being referred here, as I always do on these bills, I laid out for the Attorney General specifically the questions we were going to ask. The Attorney General responded with thanks and said the ministers would be here to answer those questions.

There are only four of them. It’s a 16-section bill, and somehow this seems to elude the government to be in a position to answer some basic questions about a piece of legislation that they have introduced.

We actually want to do the work. The next section is section…. We’ve already stood one section down. We’re now on section 3. We’d like to get to work doing the bill.

Is the minister going to be here or not to answer the questions?

Hon. L. Beare: Absolutely. The minister is going to be here and looking forward to the spirited debate. If the member would like to continue at the moment, we can go at clause 11, if we would like to stand down 3 to 10. Happy to go on clause 11 at the moment.

M. de Jong: The opposition consents to the passage of clauses 11 and 12.

Clauses 3 to 10 inclusive stood down.

Clauses 11 and 12 approved.

Hon. L. Beare: I ask for a five-minute recess.

The Chair: We will be in recess. We are just waiting for the ministers responsible. This committee is in recess.

The committee recessed from 3:13 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

The Chair: I’ll draw the committee back into order.

Hon. G. Heyman: I look forward to taking questions on our clauses in the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act. My apologies for the crossed signals about being up here in time.

Clause 3 approved.

On clause 4.

R. Merrifield: What kind of offences or penalties currently exist under the Ecological Reserve Act?

Hon. G. Heyman: Just for clarity, we are on clause 4 now. Yes.

The answer is there are currently no penalties other than what we could achieve by going to court. There are no administrative monetary penalties currently, which is why we’re bringing this amendment forward.

R. Merrifield: So then, understanding that there are no current penalties, what are some of the kinds of penalties that will likely be forthcoming under the new section of “administrative penalties”? I’ll just tag this onto this question in the interest of expediency: what kind of dollar amounts, then, will be considered as penalties?

Hon. G. Heyman: The monetary amounts will be established by regulation, and that will follow some consultation. They will address unique circumstances that may exist with respect to the particular offences. For instance, we’ll look at whatever financial benefit might have been obtained by somebody who violated or trespassed.

We also want to make sure the administrative monetary penalties serve as an adequate deterrent. We will use, generally, as a model other scales of administrative monetary penalties that exist under other pieces of legislation — for instance, the Environmental Management Act — but ensure that they’re tailored to the kinds of circumstances that would occur in terms of violations of the act that we’re concerned with here in parks and ecological reserves.

[3:20 p.m.]

We will, of course, as I said, be consulting about that as they are in development before finalization.

R. Merrifield: If I’m to understand, currently these vio­lations would be pursued through the courts or through the legislative bodies. My question to the minister is: how many court cases would currently be underway in any given calendar year, and for what amount of claim would those be currently underway for?

Hon. G. Heyman: It’s a difficult question to answer because there were no court cases in 2022 or, as far as we can recall, in 2021. There have been some back in time, but the reason that there aren’t a lot is because the test to go to court is very different.

As the member for Abbotsford West, I’m sure, will know, for Crown prosecutors to agree to proceed with a charge, there has to be a reasonable or high likelihood of success, and the court tests to be successful in a prosecution are high, much higher than they would be for an administrative monetary penalty. That is why administrative monetary penalties are widely used for offences under a range of acts. Of course, we won’t be removing the ability to go to court, but it will be reserved for truly serious cases and offences.

R. Merrifield: To the minister: how many, then, of these administrative penalties would you be expecting to be given in a calendar year?

[3:25 p.m.]

Hon. G. Heyman: There are very few violations under the Ecological Reserve Act because there are fewer of them. There are more under the Park Act.

I think something like 100 violation tickets were issued last year. We would expect the penalties to be far, far fewer than that, because in many cases, the ticket is appropriate as a warning, there wasn’t significant damage, and people who receive the ticket get the message. We also expect that the fact that penalties are an option that people could now be subject to will give, hopefully, some people pause to think about whether it’s worth taking the risk for some financial advantage that they could lose, plus.

Generally we would expect…. It’s hard to put a number, but it would certainly be significantly less than half of the 100 number that applied to tickets.

R. Merrifield: Thank you to the minister for that answer. Given that this is meant to be a deterrent, what sort of awareness or education campaigns will be undertaken or are being planned to make the public aware of these new penalties that will be able to be rendered?

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

Hon. G. Heyman: In answer to the member, the penalties for which administrative monetary penalties would apply are already offences, and they’re already known. As we’re developing the penalty schedule, of course, we’ll be consulting.

Among those who will be consulted significantly would be permit holders and stakeholders who regularly use parks and conduct activities in parks, some of which could result in a potential violation. This is primarily the target audience, and we will certainly let them know of the existence of the provision for penalties.

We probably will do some very small public awareness campaign as part of an announcement, but we’re not planning a major, wide campaign. We don’t think one is necessary, because this would primarily be directed at people who hold park use permits or do some form of permanent activity within the park.

Obviously, one of the things that we’re trying to prevent is people who conduct economic or industrial activity adjacent to a park and who may transgress the borders of the park. But on a case-by-case basis, we would want to make sure they’re aware of what the boundaries are, what the offences are and the penalty schedule.

R. Merrifield: What would be the amount of expected penalties that would be coming in? Could the minister tell us what the moneys in the park enhancement fund, which these penalties will be going into, will be spent on?

[3:30 p.m.]

Hon. G. Heyman: The money that would go into the park enhancement fund would be used to defray any expenses involved in enforcement. That monitors and, in some cases, will lead to penalties. It can be used to repair any damage or remediate any damage that has been done.

We don’t expect that there will be leftover funds after that, but the changes to the bill do not prevent money collected from being used for any other purposes that the fund can be used for, which is, essentially, to enhance park facilities.

R. Merrifield: I’d love for the minister just to briefly talk through a little bit on the compliance agreements.

What is the process for entering into a compliance agreement? Is it just offered automatically, as an option, if a person or corporation has received an administrative penalty? Is it something that has to be pursued by that person or corporation through legal representation? Or will these compliance agreements be just offered? Then also, how are they going to be able to be amended or extended due to extenuating circumstances?

[3:35 p.m.]

Hon. G. Heyman: We would be unlikely to. In fact, I can’t actually think of a circumstance where we would seek out a compliance agreement.

But if we have found an infraction and issued or are considering a penalty and the offender comes and says, “I have a plan to fix the damage that I caused. I regret it. Here’s what we will do at our cost,” and that fixes the problem, we would consider that. That’s why the clause is in the act.

Clauses 4 and 5 approved.

On clause 6.

R. Merrifield: The minister has already mentioned some of the offences or penalties that are currently under the Park Act in terms of violation tickets that are issued — approximately 100 a year.

Perhaps the minister could offer what kinds of penalties these are right now. Are there any new ones that would be forthcoming under the new section of administrative penalties? Just what sort of dollar amounts are we looking at on these?

Hon. G. Heyman: Currently, under the Park Act, tickets can be issued in a value that ranges from $58 to $575. That would cover things such as illegal fires or illegal camping. What the changes will allow is administrative monetary penalties to be applied to those violations.

Again, the schedule of that would be set through regulation following consultation. It will also allow the application of administrative monetary penalties to failure to comply with the term and condition of a permit in the park or an order. I’ll use as an example illegal logging or harvesting of firewood.

Clauses 6 to 10 inclusive approved.

Clauses 13 to 16 inclusive approved.

Clause 17 approved.

[3:40 p.m.]

Hon. L. Popham: I’d like to call for a five-minute recess.

The Chair: We’ll be in a five-minute recess — five min­utes precisely.

The committee recessed from 3:42 p.m. to 3:44 p.m.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

The Chair: I call the committee back to order.

On clause 1 (continued).

Hon. N. Sharma: I want to thank the member for the question. I have an answer for him right now.

Interjections.

Hon. N. Sharma: I can’t use my phone…. I don’t have it printed off. This is my first time in committee. I apologize.

The regulation was made April 12, 2022. Section 12 of the Statute Revision Act gives until the last day after the next session for confirmation. This is the next session, so we have until May to confirm.

Clause 1 approved.

Title approved.

Hon. N. Sharma: I move that the committee rise and report the bill complete without amendment.

Motion approved.

The committee rose at 3:45 p.m.

The House resumed; Mr. Speaker in the chair.

Report and
Third Reading of Bills

BILL 3 — MISCELLANEOUS STATUTES
AMENDMENT ACT, 2023

Bill 3, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2023, reported complete without amendment, read a third time and passed.

Hon. L. Popham: I call committee on Bill 6.

Committee of the Whole House

BILL 6 — MUNICIPALITIES ENABLING
AND VALIDATING ACT (No. 5)

The House in Committee of the Whole on Bill 6; J. Tegart in the chair.

The committee met at 3:49 p.m.

On clause 1.

The Chair: I will call the committee to order. We are dealing with Bill 6.

Hon. A. Kang: I’d like to first thank members of the opposition for this to be very interesting conversation on my very first bill as the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

I’d also like to introduce the staff that I have with me here today: my deputy minister, Okenge Yuma Morisho; the executive director of the policy, research and legislation branch, Kara Woodward; and, as well, the manager of the policy, research and legislation branch, Danielle Lukovich.

[3:50 p.m.]

I’d also like, once again, to thank the member of the opposition for being here today.

M. Bernier: I’ll thank the minister as well. I thank the minister’s staff. They probably are going to spend more time walking in and sitting down in the chamber than they actually will spend in answering questions, but I think it’s just important. The minister, I know, in her opening comments on section 2 highlighted, basically, the need for this piece of legislation.

As mentioned, I’m filling in for my colleague from Penticton, on his behalf, just making sure that we cover this off. Again, I just thank the minister.

Just quickly looking through the bill, obviously there’s nothing in here that’s contentious. If I understood the minister correctly in her opening remarks, and I’ll give her a chance to clarify, it sounds like this piece of legislation had been canvassed with the local governments in the area. There were no objections, I believe. I’d also thank the minister’s staff for the quick briefing that we had on this.

Maybe the minister can just clarify for the House. This is obviously a request, ask, need of the federal government for this piece of land, understandably — an extension, as we’ve talked about. But if she can confirm just the quick process of the need for that and then the requirements of consulting with local governments and First Nations. Was that all met before it was brought to the House?

Hon. A. Kang: Yes. It was a requirement of the federal government.

As well, we did consult with local government, the regional district of Okanagan-Similkameen, and there were no objections. As well, we did consult with the 21 area First Nations, through notification letters explaining the proposal as well as by follow-up emails and follow-up phone calls.

The First Nation that was cited as having primary responsibility for the territory overlapping with the St. Andrews development identified the White Lake area around the observatory as a highly significant cultural area. They expressed support for restrictions on development on the White Lake area and interest in future engagement on outcomes.

Clause 1 approved.

On clause 2.

M. Bernier: When we talk about the termination of this — again, thanks to the minister for the briefing from her staff — it was explained that through this piece of legislation, in this section here, I guess, and as we’re going forward with these changes, it won’t have to come back for legislative extensions at the end of 2034, because we’re doing a ten-year extension and future extensions will be able to be made through OIC from future governments after 2034, if that’s correct. Did I understand that correctly during my briefing?

I see a nod from the minister, so she doesn’t have to get up. I just wanted to make sure that we got that on the record for that.

Through that, one question I have is: what if there are technological changes? How is that thought through? Obviously, this piece of legislation is around protecting a zone around the federal use of that land there, and it’s because of the interference that could come through technology. What if technology changes over the next ten years? Is there a chance in here for zoning changes through the regional district? Is it going to be requiring a legislative or OIC change for a different buffer zone?

Obviously, I’m trying to understand this, if the minister can appreciate, not understanding the full use of that land and how the federal government uses it in this observatory. Just trying to cover that off. What if changes are needed in the next ten years? How does that process work?

[3:55 p.m.]

Hon. A. Kang: The regulation for radio frequency interference is within the jurisdiction of the federal government. So we are taking cues from the federal government, and we feel that perhaps ten years allows them time to look and see what they need to make changes to.

We do encourage the federal government to explore new or existing mechanisms to more effectively manage RFI levels, both regulatory and non-regulatory. Technology has already changed significantly since a land use contract was created in the 1970s, with our microwaves and our cell phones and our TVs.

This is an imperfect tool, but it is the only local government land use tool that limits development, which means use of technology by humans, over the long term.

Clauses 2 to 6 inclusive approved.

Title approved.

Hon. A. Kang: I move that the committee rise and report the bill complete without amendment.

Motion approved.

The committee rose at 3:58 p.m.

The House resumed; Mr. Speaker in the chair.

Report and
Third Reading of Bills

BILL 6 — MUNICIPALITIES ENABLING
AND VALIDATING ACT (No. 5)

Bill 6, Municipalities Enabling and Validating Act (No. 5), reported complete without amendment, read a third time and passed.

Hon. L. Popham: I now call return to debate on the throne speech.

[4:00 p.m.]

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

Hon. N. Cullen: By the clock, I’m continuing on from yesterday’s interrupted conversation with respect to my response to the Speech from the Throne. For colleagues that weren’t here, it was somewhat of a disjointed affair as I tried to be respectful of the Chair and the end of the day and the proceedings that we follow towards the end of the clock.

I had outlined, just very briefly, the perspective of those of us that come from the northwest, which I represent as the representative for Stikine in this place. I try to consistently take that lens and apply it to the goings-on of this august chamber, which can feel very far away, as you would know as well, Madame Speaker, from some of the smaller, more remote communities that some of us represent. Yet what does happen in this place has an inordinate effect on the lives of British Columbians in both big cities and small.

The throne speech, again, as I started to talk about yesterday, was to take a snapshot of a moment in time, which they always do — where we are as a province — as well as, importantly, lay out some steps and priorities that the government has identified. The moment in time, of course, is — I know we’re all tired of talking about it, but it’s not tired of us — coming out of the global COVID pandemic and all of the many effects that that had upon us as a society and our economy, certainly our health care system.

I was very encouraged to see moves by our government to enhance, particularly, rural and remote health care supports, getting more teachers trained, more doctors trained and facilitating the ease with which those who are qualified to practise medicine, to be nurses in our province but live and were born away, their ability to come and practise medicine and health here. I don’t know what, in my region — I don’t know about yours, Madam Speaker — we would do without foreign-trained doctors and nurses. That’s been many years now.

Yet our wait times, coming into British Columbia in particular, are not amongst the best. It takes very long. In a sense, we are in a competition with other jurisdictions — other provinces, certainly, but other countries around the world. When the United States, the U.K., Australia and others have a third or two-thirds the wait time that we do in order to apply and then come into our country and practise the professions that they’ve trained in, we lose out. People move on. They don’t wait.

With respect to…. The other aspect is being in such an inflationary environment. Global inflation has caused the price of just about everything to go up. Certainly, when a family goes to the gas station to fill up to be able to move around, buy food, the cost of living has incrementally and consistently been on the rise.

The capacity for people to refinance their mortgage, to get a first mortgage, and the price of borrowing, affects and cascades not just for those in the housing market but right across industry and businesses. The cost of raising money has become more expensive for the individual and our economy.

[4:05 p.m.]

I was looking at inflationary rates in the U.K., which are just a little north of 10 or 11 percent right now. Ours was hovering just a little bit above about half that, which is still impactful, but we know this phenomenon has happened, of course, in poorer countries around the world, to devastating consequences. We have impacts here. It is always good and prescient to look around the world to see what that impact has.

The cost-of-living piece I want to speak to in a minute, because in the throne speech, we talk about some of the measures that have been done and some of the measures British Columbians can look forward to.

I had a moment. My ICBC renewal came through the other day, just last week when I was home in Smithers, where I live. I opened it up, and I don’t know about you, Madam Speaker, but there have been many times in my life where opening up a thing like a car insurance renewal is done with some dread to see what my new assessment is, because it’s going to be more, going to be expensive, and it’s going to be painful.

I, in a sense, didn’t have to look at the figure because I knew what it was going to be, once I remembered that the rates had been lowered and then frozen for not just this year but for next year as well. That’s real money and consequences for people who are trying to make ends meet, that there’s some, at least in this small way, certainty over what the cost of living is going to be with respect to ensuring their vehicle or their kid’s vehicle to stay on the road.

We know — well, we know; I’m not sure all British Columbians know — that this government brought in the largest tax cut, I believe, in our province’s history, for the middle class when we eliminated MSP premiums. Again, reflecting and not paying attention enough, I suppose, when I got a strange letter from MSP on something else, it had an invocation of some past traumas, I suppose, where I thought that immediately I needed to phone to find out what I owe.

It sounded quite daunting, and I phoned and said: “How bad is it?” This is going back a year now. The very nice woman on the other line…. She has a terrific job now, I think, because what she says each and every day is: “Oh no, you don’t owe anything on your MSPs. You’re fine. We were adjusting for your address, just making sure that your address is correct.”

What a wonderful job to have — to help confused people like me who are phoning out of fear, suspecting that there’s some great bill and pain coming, and being able to say: “No. A decision was made. In order to have the health care coverage that you need, it has been covered through your basic taxes.” And we move on from there.

We know the other measures, the affordability measures, when it comes to removing the tolls, when it comes to child care…. I did a quick bit of math, and I think this is important, thinking about this direction next for the government. The average family of four living in the northwest where I live, with one child in child care, was saving just a little north of $14,500 a year, this year and every year, because of decisions that were taken in this place, that were taken by the previous Finance Minister and this government and cabinet.

That’s $14,500 after-tax money, which, as you know, if it were given in wages or was in a direct cheque, it would be much, much higher. And $14,500 for the families I know is an enormous difference in terms of the options and the choices that are available to families, because you’re not as close to the wire as you ought to be.

We’ve all heard the statistics. Canadians are…. This surprises us, I think, about ourselves, but we are a heavily indebted nation. Our current debt rate, the individual debt rate we carry as Canadians, is far higher than our American, British or French counterparts, yet we sort of see ourselves as small-c conservatives when we think about money — that Canadians are not high risk-takers, not heavily indebted people. But the fact of the matter is that’s not true, and we know there’s a very large number of Canadians that are living within a very short amount of money and time between where they are now and bankruptcy.

We know that one of the most effective things we can do as government is look at the real-life costs that people are facing, be it child care, be it premiums they’re paying for medical insurance, for car insurance and a toll every day as you try to get to work and trying as best as we can to control what we can control.

I’m reminded of the prayer. I thought it was an Irish prayer. The Irish — we like to take credit and claim for most anything that we think is thoughtful. But it is an invocation, to say: “Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things that I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”

I thought it was an Irish prayer and invocation because that’s what my grandmother used to tell me, and she was very, very Irish — that we need the courage to change the things we can. It takes a lot of grace to accept the things that we can’t, and then it’s the distinction of the difference between those two categories.

[4:10 p.m.]

I think sometimes we look at government, those of us that operate within the political sphere and those of us in our communities that look to government for solutions to our challenges in life. It’s important to make the distinctions.

What is it that we can actually control, and then what decisions do we make about that? We can’t control all the housing supply, but we can certainly bring much more supply into the market. We can’t control all the cost-of-living issues, we can’t control inflation, we can’t control the Bank of Canada and what interest rate they set, but we can control things that exist within the power of the provincial government to do, to try to lower the burden on people. I thought that was a very consistent theme in the throne speech, which is important because that’s the time we live in right now.

The second important context that I think the throne speech talks about — I heard the Premier mention it just earlier today — is the threat or concern of recession, of the significant slowdown, again caused by many factors, many of them global in nature, and the economy slowing down and there being less opportunities.

I don’t know about you, Madam Speaker, in your constituency, but one of our greatest challenges right now…. This is somewhat of a unique context in time. I’ve been in politics some time, and this is not typical. It’s been the labour shortage that has been the pressing concern for many of the businesses that I talk to on main street — just being able to find staff, qualified and otherwise; just people, bodies.

A constant and curious question that gets raised is: where did everybody go? What happened? There are so many fewer people willing to fill the positions, right across the employment spectrum, from folks pouring coffee to designing architectural plans and everything in between and around.

There are recessionary fears right now that affect the way our government is perceiving what comes next. There are a couple of choices when one sees a slowdown, perhaps less job opportunity or less revenue coming in to people or to government. Our choice, which was a very consistent choice, I would offer, when we were facing the threat of the early days of the pandemic and throughout….

The choices are to either withdraw — where the government pulls back, does less, spends less, becomes very insulated and insular — or to affect what we can affect. We saw — with, I believe, the highest per-capita rates of support to small businesses in the country, which came from this government in B.C. — that the effect was positive.

We supported chambers of commerce. We supported town councils and city councils right across because we wanted them to be able to keep their lights on when their doors were closed. Small towns were not able to receive the normal taxation and revenue because they didn’t want to tax their residents if they were about to lose their jobs.

We knew, from businesses to small communities to our health care system, that we had to invest. We had to place a bet to say that this was a wise use of the public resources that we collect, the public money that we collect. “We are going to protect ourselves as best as we can, allow people to stay home five days of sick leave.” All of the different measures we took in COVID.

We now look towards the threat of global recession. The estimates are changing. I think this might be…. They’re always changing; they’re economists. They’re always advising the government. They’re always in the newspaper. If you want three opinions, you ask two economists. The changes of how bad or, if a recession is coming, how deep it will be, have been shifting, and they’ve been shifting for the positive, generally speaking. That’s good.

But it’s also prudent to look around the world and to see, perhaps, demand dropping off — demand for things that we produce as British Columbians — and being cautious about that and saying: “All right, what do we need to do?”

Shoring up our manufacturing base. Making sure that we’re investing in training dollars. Continuing to invest in health care and child care and mental health supports and policing. Continuing to try to make our communities even more vibrant than we found them. I saw the tradition of that being consistent in the throne speech that I watched.

I would add — this is more on a personal level — that I think that along with those other inflationary and potential recessionary thoughts, there’s been the long-standing and jealously guarded tradition of greed. Some have taken advantage of the notions of inflation and just simply jacked their prices.

The reason I know that all of those exorbitant prices that we’re paying in the grocery store and at the fuel pump are not all associated to more expensive, broken supply chains is because we’re now seeing the profits recorded, because they’re publicly traded companies, of the major food companies, of the major oil and gas companies. They are doing very, very well, historically well.

[4:15 p.m.]

That frustrates me as a British Columbian. When peo­ple say, “Why are the prices so high at the pump?” some portion of that pie, some amount of that, is just rent and revenue-taking of extreme levels, and it frustrates me because this is something we can’t control provincially. This is a federal concern. We seem to have, as a country, turned a blind eye to that opportunism. It’s really hurting families. We’re doing what we can, as a province, but we do need our federal cousins to look at it in a much more serious way.

There are other aspects of the throne speech that I think are important for us in the northwest. One was a larger frame, which I was very, very encouraged to see, which was the notion of a rural strategy from this government. I think having a strategy that’s very explicit to rural British Columbians is important, because some of our needs, absolutely, are shared across big cities, in suburbia and into small towns. But there are also some things that are somewhat unique in terms of the challenges and opportunities we have as rural residents.

The cost of travel to medical appointments. I don’t know if you’ve had this experience. I hope you haven’t, Madam Speaker. Certainly, people in your life and people in my life have had to travel great distances for the very, very basic medical appointments that in the city might be a SkyTrain trip or a quick jump in the car or a taxi. For many of our rural residents, it could be many, many hours. Many hours, and it’s expensive not just in the getting there but potentially staying overnight.

We have issues of street disorder that look a little different, I think, in small towns. I was very glad to see the government announce a significant amount of money — $100 million, I believe — for policing, with a focus towards rural British Columbia. We know, and I mentioned this in the first segment of my throne speech, that small communities do struggle. It’s a small tax base.

Policing is very expensive. We have estimates that putting an officer on the street in some of our northern towns runs a municipality somewhere around $160,000 per offi­cer. That’s incredibly difficult on a municipal budget. I’ve seen some municipalities where the budget line for policing is 40, 45 or 48 percent of their total budget — just policing, nothing extra, not roads and maintenance and other things that the municipality has to spend on.

I was so grateful to see the announcement, from the new Minister of Municipal Affairs, of $1 billion with no significant strings attached, significant strings in terms of accountability and good prudence and accounting and all of the rest but to allow the communities in this province to access funds that they would not otherwise.

The notes that I’ve been getting from mayors, particularly in the North but around B.C., because I know many of them, are notes of surprise, questions of, “Is the money real? How are we going to see it?” and of course, all those good questions that mayors ought to ask.

We know that on the issues of street disorder, we see Vancouver making some significant investments, which we encourage, in terms of hiring more street nurses, mental health workers and some police. We know, and I heard this report from one of our cities just the other day, that out of all those calls of street disorder on our streets, in that city at least, 6 or 7 percent of them actually required the accompanying police officer.

The others, the vast majority, needed a mental health worker. They needed somebody in support — an addictions counsellor, somebody to help the person get off of the state of affairs they were in, where they were causing such disturbance and violence. Frankly, when we talk about violent offenders, repeat offenders, we also know we’re talking about a very small segment of even that population, which is a small population in and of itself.

I was encouraged to finally hear our federal cousins talk about changing bail requirements, which started with one intention: overrepresentation, particularly, of Indigenous people in our prisons, a good intention. The solution was a bit blunt, I would argue, and had unintended consequences, which we’ve asked Ottawa to reconsider.

Now, we’re not in question period, so I have the liberty of just saying that without having somebody yell back that we’re blaming others. This is not a blame game. This is a fact and a reality that we see in the evidence. We have given Crown some new directions, just with respect to their behaviours.

We absolutely need our federal counterparts to do their part in terms of bail reform and investments in mental health and all the rest that we’ve talked about, to make sure that our streets become that safe place that they need to be for everybody, including people who are homeless, people who are struggling with addictions. It is no more safe for them than it is for anyone else.

I want to speak a small moment, because I know I only have a couple of minutes left, with respect to the need our province has for and the incredible benefit we have received from immigration over the years.

[4:20 p.m.]

I am a son of immigrants. I am first-born of my family here. We have never regretted, particularly in terms of taking in refugees from war-torn countries…. This is of constant preoccupation as the war perpetrated by Putin in Ukraine continues with just disastrous consequences, I would argue, for both sides, particularly for Ukrainians and on the Russian people for being a part of this horrendous act.

We as British Columbians have seen our communities stand up and welcome in Ukrainians and continue to see support from our provincial government to the various Ukrainian communities and agencies that have done so much. We lifted up the settlement agencies, particularly in the Lower Mainland and here on Vancouver Island.

I want to say this small point to those that live in small-town British Columbia. I just spoke to somebody in Haida Gwaii whose community had accepted Syrians and Ukrainians and who was just reflecting back, as a Haida, on how much richness this brought and how many incredible stories that they were hearing and knowing how, over the last couple of years, their community has been enhanced by this. In one of our most furthest-flung communities, quite beautiful in just about every other way….

A part of our rural strategy has to be that — to allow the richness and diversity that is Canada to be a greater part of rural British Columbia, because we know we are made better. We know the diversity allows us to see different worldviews. That entrepreneurial spirit that immigrants have brought to this country over many generations is something that, maybe even to our homegrown younger generations, is a nice lesson too, because we struggle sometimes with our homegrown entrepreneurial spirit.

I mostly wanted to say that with immigration levels setting around 500,000 a year by the federal government and B.C. needing approximately one million new people to fill jobs over the next ten years, a preponderance of people are coming to this province. Building the housing for them, having the services in place, making sure their credentials are qualified and that they can do the work they’re trained to do is something our government is very focused on.

I very much appreciate your time and attention, Madam Speaker, to my response and the House’s attention, as well, and the opportunity to take this and speak on behalf of the people of Stikine, one of the most beautiful ridings in our province.

Personal Statements

WITHDRAWAL OF COMMENTS
MADE IN THE HOUSE

J. Routledge: This morning I rose to apologize for a remark I made yesterday in debate, and I neglected to with­draw the remark.

I withdraw it now.

Debate Continued

Hon. R. Singh: It is such an honour to stand up in the House today and talk about our throne speech. I’m very proud to be the MLA for Surrey–Green Timbers, but this is my first time speaking as the Minister of Education and Child Care as well, so very deeply honoured. Before I start, I just want to thank the constituents of Surrey–Green Timbers for giving me this honour since 2017.

Also 2017, I just want to…. When we formed the government in 2017, we put people — not just the people of Surrey–Green Timbers or Surrey but the people of British Columbia — at the forefront. Every decision, every investment that we have made is thinking about the people and the communities that have been needing the resources.

I remember, in 2017, one of the first decisions that came out from this government was taking off the tolls from the Port Mann Bridge. That is very, very strongly connected with my community of Surrey, because this is what we were hearing from people — that this was an undue tax that they had to pay just because they were living on the other side of the river.

Along with that, we took off the MSP premiums, which has helped, I know. I’ve heard a number of stories, like how many communities, how many people, how many families…. That one act of taking off that tax, taking off that burden has helped people.

[4:25 p.m.]

This is why it makes me extremely proud to be standing here and talking about what our vision is for the coming years. What we have been doing for the last almost six years is extremely important, making life better for people.

That has been what every member on this side of the House has been thinking about, how to work towards that. We also know that we have gone through a number of challenges in the last few years. I really want to thank everybody not just in this House but all across British Columbia who came together for us to get through that time. It was a very difficult, challenging time. Really, I want to raise hands for everybody who came together during those challenging and difficult times.

Just for the vision ahead, I want to say we started the groundwork in 2017. That’s the work we really want to continue during good times that people are enjoying, especially when the economy is great, when things are fine during those times, but also during the challenging times as well.

We know that what people are facing, the one thing that is on the top of their minds, is global inflation and affordability. Whenever I go around and go grocery shopping…. I remember I was grocery shopping in just my local store in my riding, Fruiticana, which is one of the best stores to get Indian groceries. I was just buying some vegetables, and I looked at the price of cauliflower. At that time — this was about three weeks ago — it was $7 for that small piece.

I just mentioned to the cashier…. I said: “Oh my god, this is so expensive, right?” There was a person just ahead of me who recognized me as the MLA. He looked back, and he said: “MLA, time for you to do something.” He was smiling. He was not accusing us of anything, but smiling. But then it made me realize how close to people’s hearts these issues are, the affordability. I just did not have the opportunity to talk to him, because he left. He picked up his bags and left.

These things matter to people. Little stuff. I know what people are struggling with. It does not matter what kind of job you’re doing. But it is hitting us. It is pinching us whenever we are going for grocery shopping. That’s what our government is really cognizant of. We have put in measures. We have put in resources for people, especially people who are at the lower end, who are struggling.

Especially, I really want to talk about our B.C. Affordability Credit that the new Premier announced when he was sworn in. It landed in bank accounts at the start of the new year. I think the stats are telling us that 85 percent of British Columbians will benefit from that affordability credit. I think this means a lot.

Hearing from people, understanding what they are going through and putting in resources and making an effort to make life a little easier for them. I think, as a government, we understand, and that’s what we have been doing for the last six years. But this is what we will continue to do. With this affordability credit, a family of four will get about $410.

[4:30 p.m.]

Before this affordability credit went out, we had made a lot of changes. I’ve already talked about taking off the tolls and taking off MSP premiums, but one of the biggest changes that we have brought in is the reduction in basic car insurance. That has been…. We have already reduced the costs, but basic insurance rates have been frozen for another two years. We have also reduced ICBC rates by an average of $490 a year.

We also received a $100 credit, a reduction of $100, in our hydro bills, and this went to everybody. Everybody who had a hydro account saw these changes.

These are a few things, and I really wanted to mention these because these are the things which are very, very close to people’s hearts. We know people are hurting, and in every possible way, we are trying to support them, especially people with families.

I really want to…. I did not get the opportunity to talk to the person that said to me that it is upon us as a government to do something, the person I met at the grocery store. But I just want to tell him, and many others who are listening today, that your government has your back. We are listening to you, and we are, during these tough times, especially during this global inflation, standing with you and will be supporting you in every possible way.

Another very, very important thing I want to talk about is child care costs. This is very close to my heart because it is part of my portfolio. I really want to…. I know that my partner in this portfolio, the Minister of State for Child Care, has already talked about it and is a great advocate on this issue. But I just want to talk about how much difference, in the last five years, we have been able to make by creating those child care spaces and also reducing the child care fees.

In November of this year, we announced our plan for affordable child care, with which an average family is saving up to $900 per child, per month. This is one of the biggest things, biggest differences that we have been able to make in people’s lives.

The reason I said it is very close to my heart…. I came to Canada in 2001 as an immigrant to this country, with a two-year-old son, at that time, obviously, with a dream of building a new family, a new home for myself and my young son. At that time, for both my husband…. Obviously, we both needed to work, but we just could not think of doing it at the same time, because we did not have access to affordable child care.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

We did not, and as an immigrant I did not have the resources. I could not afford it. So what we were doing as a family at that time, because we had to pay our bills, had to pay our rent…. I was working during the day, and my husband would work during the night, just because we could take care of our son.

When I see any announcement, although my children are not of the child care age anymore — Mr. Speaker, yours are — I just feel so happy. What we had to go through, the struggles that we had to go through, the families, especially the new families, the new immigrants that are coming and making Canada, making British Columbia, their home…. They won’t have to go through this.

We are looking at this from an intersectional lens. It is not just because you are making more money and you have more access to it that you will get child care.

[4:35 p.m.]

We want to make child care the core program of our government services, and that’s the direction that we are going in. I’m so proud of the work that the previous Minister of Child Care has done in bringing us to where we are today and the continuous work that I, along with the Minister of State for Child Care, will keep on doing to make child care affordable and accessible for everybody, for anybody who has children. If they want to access the service, they should be getting it.

One thing that is very close to child care is education. As the Minister of Education and, also, as a parent whose kids have gone through the public education system, I think really good investment in our education is key when we are talking about having kids who can do well in society.

I’m so proud of our government for the historic investment that they have made in education in all the communities, especially with the influx of new people who are coming to British Columbia. One of the key attractions for those people making British Columbia their home is the education system that we are providing to those children.

I’m so very proud to say that B.C.’s education system is one of the best five that we have all across the world. I could see it before. My son went through the public education system. My daughter is still in the public education system. I could see it.

When I was told that it is one of the top five, it made me so proud. It’s not just the work that I am doing, the work that I am going to lead. It is just how important it is for parents like myself, my colleagues here but also for so many families who are coming here and making British Columbia their home. We are committed to giving those families, giving those children a quality education wherever they are living in this province. Whether it is in the Lower Mainland or up in the North, in the rural communities, this is our commitment to them.

Another thing that was in our throne speech that I want to touch upon…. It is not my current portfolio. It was my previous portfolio. I used to be the Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives.

Last year was an historic year for us. We, for the first time ever in British Columbia, launched our anti-racism data legislation. Racism is a difficult topic. It’s a challenging topic to talk about, but this is a topic we really need to take action on.

I’m really proud of what our government has done, having made it a priority. We know that we are dealing with a number of challenges. I’ve already talked about the affordability. We are also, especially when the challenges are up, when communities are struggling….

We saw it during the challenging times we just went through. When things are going badly, it is like we are always looking to blame somebody for that. We have seen that in the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes.

It is also time for us to reflect on our systemic structures, which are colonial and due to the colonization. A lot of things…. How those structures are built is creating gaps. They are creating barriers for Indigenous, Black and peo­ple of colour.

I have always said this, and I will say it again. As government, we have a moral and an ethical responsibility to tackle racism. I’m so glad that we are making it a priority. We are making it imperative that, especially, our government systems have…. When people are accessing our core services — like health care, like education, like housing — they are not facing those barriers.

[4:40 p.m.]

It is not an easy task. It will take some time. It is not just because…. We brought in the anti-racism data legislation last year. We will be bringing our anti-racism act. It would be the first time in British Columbia that we will be introducing that, and I have the Attorney General sitting here. She’s the one that will be leading that file — so very proud of that.

This is how we want to make our communities inclusive and welcoming, especially all those people who are coming here with hope, with dreams in their eyes, and they want this British Columbia to work for them, for their families. I just want to tell them that, as your government, we are committed to doing that.

Another thing I would really like to touch upon is housing. I know we have heard not just in the question period…. We have seen it in the news, and I personally have heard from a number of my constituents, especially new immigrants who are moving to this country — the housing crisis that they are facing.

I would say that I have been…. Although as an immigrant, life was quite difficult for us to start here. But I’m still very…. I consider myself extremely privileged to be in the housing market, which is not a reality for so many of these people.

I have a really good friend who’s doing a very good job and, according to my standards, making pretty decent money. But Eddy is living in a small basement, and he’s been living in that basement for the last eight years. Every time I go and talk to him, whenever we have the opportunity, he always talks about: “I don’t know how I will even be able to get into the housing market.” He has children who are growing up, and they need more space.

For so long, the housing market has worked very well for the speculators, and it has worked very well for the investors, who have used the housing crisis to make excessive profits. But it has not worked for the common man who wants to get into that housing market.

As a government, we have taken important action to deliver the homes that people need. I really am extremely proud of the work that we have done in the last few years, especially cracking down on the speculation with the speculation and vacancy tax, with which we have been able to turn 20,000 empty condos into rental homes. This is something…. I think this is work that needs to continue, and this is our commitment to British Columbians — that we will keep on working. We are hearing them.

We are starting to see the results of these efforts, like the 10 percent increase in construction of rental housing this year. This is so very important. We have also, as government, removed unfair strata restrictions, so empty condos become rental units for people.

We are also investing $500 million in a new rental protection fund. I think this is extremely important, especially in the wake of a number of people we are getting, who are going to come to British Columbia. We know that more than 100,000 people came to British Columbia last year, and we know that number is going to exceed in this year.

With that, I also want to talk about the labour shortage that we are facing. We definitely need more people to come here, and we are very thankful for all the people who are making British Columbia home.

[4:45 p.m.]

But for a long time, a lot of people who were coming here with the skills to be able to do the jobs that they had been doing in their home countries or home provinces before, have been facing barriers. I can say this.

When I came here, almost 22 years ago, I was hearing from the immigrant communities at that time that this was a barrier that they are facing that somehow we, as Canada, really want people to come here and make their home, but they are not able to get the respect and the dignity, especially in the workforce. I would say it was more common and more prevalent in the people coming from South Asian countries and Middle Eastern countries. This was like a barrier that they faced.

You would think that in the last 20 years, these barriers would be loosened or these barriers would be reduced, but it has not been the case. In the wake of the labour shortage that we have, a lot of that has to do with because we have not been able to get these people who have amazing skills and amazing qualifications to work in the fields that they deserve to be working in.

We have heard a number of stories, especially in British Columbia, that people say that the best way you can find a doctor or physician would be if you are in a cab, because a lot of times those extremely talented, professional people have to do these jobs. It’s a sad reality. I would, again, talk about the intersectional lens in here. It is much more prevalent for the Black and racialized immigrants. Finding the professions that they can work in is even more difficult for them. We are going to change that.

We are putting in the resources so that there’s a way to assess their skills and to make the foreign credentials — how to lose that red tape-ism around it so that we are able to train more people. I’m sure that they are bringing an immense amount of experience from their home countries but how to make it easier for them to use those skills, to use that qualification and be a productive part of our very strong and robust labour force.

We know that in the next five years how many job openings are going to come in British Columbia. I’m really, really hopeful that we, as government, are able to utilize everybody’s qualifications, and anybody who is coming to British Columbia is able to work in the field that they deserve to be working in. This is what our government’s commitment is, and I’m sure that we will be hearing more about it in our upcoming budget as well.

I want to say…. There are a lot of challenges. I know people are worried about safety of their communities. We, as government, hear them. When they say that they don’t feel safe going and taking their family in the Downtown Eastside, we hear them. When we are talking about safety, it is not just about policing or having more forces out there.

It is important investments in everything that is causing this, going to the root cause of the issues, like putting in the resources for the mental health, creating more Foundries and creating more resources for people. If they want to access mental health resources, having more complex care housing, putting in the resources and looking at any situation from an intersectional lens. A lot of times, we see a situation and we think there is just one solution, but it is not, because these issues are so complex, so layered — a lot of different layers.

[4:50 p.m.]

A lot of collaboration is required to find resources and solutions for that problem. I know these are challenging issues, especially when it comes to mental health, about the safety. People get really concerned about these issues, and we hear them. That’s why we are putting resources, whether it is giving the resources, creating more complex care housing, increasing the minimum wag — all that we are doing…. We have this vision in mind that we are able to create communities that are safe, that are welcoming and where we are able to raise our families.

This is the dream that I came with. I can’t believe it’s almost 22 years ago. This is the dream that I hope people continue with — that they believe their government is with them during good times, but also during the challenging times. We are going to stand with them, whether it is on the issues of affordability….

I know one issue I did not have the time to touch upon is the climate crisis. That is on top of people’s minds. On every challenge that you are facing, we are hearing you, and we are going to be with you. We have always put people first, and this is what we will continue to do.

With that, I’ll take my seat.

Hon. N. Sharma: I’m very pleased to speak in favour of the throne speech in this response. I want to start by thanking some people that help support us. The first is the staff in my constituency office, who, as we all know as MLAs, do a lot of work in our communities to help represent us. I just want to thank Mariah Gillis, Kathryn Mandell and Jessica Wei for being there for my community at the community office and doing the important work there.

As having been the Attorney General for over two months now, I also have a very important team to thank in my office that have been helping me transition into this role and really supporting me. I want to thank Amelia Hill, Derrick Harder, Tamera Nanninga, and Paula Demelo for being part of the team. I really am looking forward to working with them over the next little bit.

One of the really important traditions of throne speeches is to start by acknowledging those people we have lost over the years. One person was particularly important to my community, and I just wanted to take a minute to acknowledge that loss, which was Kat Norris, who was an incredible Indigenous warrior, leader in our community. Everybody that had showed up for any kind of movement or protest or event in Vancouver would have probably heard Kat giving a very powerful speech. She was a very strong Coast Salish advocate and was attributed to a lot of work on Idle No More and starting Vancouver’s first Aboriginal Day.

In a memorial, people described her as a pillar of beauty, grace and strength. I certainly second that. It’s a great loss when such a leader leaves us, but her legacy certainly will live on forever.

This throne speech goes through a lot of our government’s commitments to the people of British Columbia, focusing on affordability, tackling the housing crisis, public health care, making our communities safer, fighting climate change and, of course, the important work of reconciliation.

I want to spend some time going over some of the things that I think are so important about the commitments this government has made in our community. The first one I’ll start with is child care. Child care has had such a profound impact on so many communities and families across the province. Our investments in not only adding spaces but also increasing the affordability of child care and also supporting the workforce have had such an important impact on communities.

I want to share with you a story that, as an MLA, I will remember for the rest of my life. It’s one of my fondest memories of how government can actually work directly to impact lives in community. We have a very, very good provider, Kiwassa Neighbourhood House, of two child care sites. And when they became a $10-a-day site, they decided what they would do was to surprise their parents and not tell them exactly what had happened, which is that they were going to then be paying $10 a day.

[4:55 p.m.]

So I showed up with the team, and they were playing music in the background, with chocolate and lots of little giveaways with $10-a-day stickers. We got to announce it to each parent as they dropped off their child in the morning. The parent would come to drop them off, and I would be there, along with the leadership team, to say: “Guess what. You’re now in a $10-a-day site.”

I have to tell you that the stories and the memories of that moment and that impact on parents I will carry with me for the rest of my days. There were a lot of tears. There was a lot of surprise, and there were a lot of feelings about how much of a change that would be in their lives — to have that impact. Over and over again, more than one parent would say: “You mean I only have to pay $10 a day for child care?” It was just such a beautiful moment that I’m really grateful to be a part of.

It really was a firsthand experience of government in action, making a difference in people’s lives, and that’s what we do here. That’s what we came here to do. Although some issues are very challenging, we are constantly making the effort to invest in the solutions we know will help people and impact people in their lives.

Another big issue in my community is housing. Housing, as many people know, in Vancouver, is a big challenge. We are, as a government, investing in the types of housing across the spectrum that are needed. I know one such change in policy that’s made a big difference in my community is the speculation tax. This was directly focused at getting all of those….

Half of my community are renters. A lot of things that I hear are about the instability of some rental units or some that are just unavailable, so it drives up costs. That action of stepping in has put 20,000 units on the market — the vacancy rules that have been put in place for that.

I just think this is the type of creativity that it takes in this crisis that we’re in when it comes to housing, and that’s what this government does. We consult with experts. We consult with community members. We think about solutions that communities are facing, and then we take actions that are unprecedented and often very new and innovative. I think that’s a really good example of that.

I also want to talk just a little bit about health care. We’ve been taking and putting a lot of effort…. Every time you talk about health care, I think everybody in this House has to first thank all of those health care workers out there for the level of commitment they showed for their jobs over the last three years, which have been extremely challenging, and how they’ve showed up for all of our communities across the province and provided service at a time of need for so many people.

We’ve been through a lot together. This government’s approach, and it’s noted in the throne speech, is about investing in health care and advocating for more funding and also taking the approaches of building up services in community.

I have to say, as a parent of two kids, I far too often am accessing health care services, usually for accidents or things that have come up. There has been…. For two years in our community, we’ve benefited from the investment in an urgent primary care centre, the Northeast UPCC. This team, right on Hastings Street, down from my office, is a great team and a great service for the community.

As I said, I’ve been there far too often, unfortunately, with my kids. Only two weeks ago I was there, actually, on a Saturday. What I saw and what I continue to see with that team in our community is a group of very committed, very compassionate, very able health care professionals that are providing services that are wonderfully adapted to the community and the needs of the community.

I can speak for myself, where I really appreciated the service and what they were able to provide me, but I also know they were in tune with the needs of the community. They also provide, for example, harm reduction supplies at the door. They provide services to connect with mental health supports if that’s needed. This model of health care, at the community level, I know is really benefiting my community, along with the access for things that you don’t want to wait in an emergency room for.

I certainly want to thank the team at the Northeast UPCC for their great work and for the way they show up for my community all the time.

[5:00 p.m.]

We know that a very pressing issue for lots of communities right now has to do with safer streets. Part of my portfolio and work that I’m working on with my colleagues across the spectrum and other cabinet ministers is on our safer communities action plan. I just wanted to talk a little bit about the work at the Attorney General’s office that was talked about in the throne speech related to that.

Everybody in their community deserves to feel safe. We know that across the country there has been a rise in unfortunate and very tragic, violent incidents that were an unfortunate result of changes to bail policy at the federal level. We have been advocating to the federal government but also are taking action.

One of the important investments that you see in this throne speech is for the repeat violent offenders response teams. This is modeled after something that was around, around 2012. Unfortunately, it was cut, but it was actually a targeted response team that was to circle the criminal justice system around repeat violent offenders and help to think about what the tools are for that particular individual, to face consequences if there’s violence, and also to think about how the systems could connect each other.

The repeat violent offender response teams will have Crown counsel, with probation officers and with police officers working together. It’s, I think, a very important approach to helping to respond to the street-level violence and the repeat violent offenders. We know we need changes to advocate to the federal government, which we will continue to do.

We have invested in an increase in the Crown counsel to support that. There are 21 Crown counsel that would be dedicated to that team. In order to invest in all of the Crown counsel, we need…. So 40 new Crown counsel are going to be hired. This is just part of the work that we’re doing on the safer communities action plan.

Of course, my part of it with the justice system, I also work with the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and the Minister of Public Safety, because we know there are multiple responses that are needed. Housing is also a component. This kind of government-wide response under the safer communities action plan is really going to help us focus on a range of solutions that are needed for this, and I’m really looking forward to continuing that work of my predecessors on that.

I’m fortunate to be in the House with the previous PS for anti-racism here. Another important work that we’re doing, also under the AG’s office, is anti-racism work. Not only is this important in terms of, as previous speakers talked about so eloquently, actually addressing the systemic barriers that exist in government…. It’s such important work.

The first step is with the anti-racism data legislation, and we’re going to see the results of that soon. But as was mentioned previously, what we need to think about is: how do you look at changing government systems to address racism? It’s a big task, and it’s an important one that we need to work with our community members to understand how to do, but we do plan on introducing legislation that would be like an accompaniment to that anti-racism data legislation. It’s part of the work that I know the new PS for anti-racism — we’ll be working together on.

It’s always disturbing, I think, to everybody when we hear about the rise in hate crimes or the rise in anti-Asian hate and the things that we were reeling with in our community over the last few years. What I’m grateful for is that this government has a response that’s not only empathetic but connects communities, that reaches across different communities and brings them together and then comes up with solutions to figure out how we can address those challenges, because a lot of times we need to do more than just denounce things.

We need to figure out how to change things to respond to that. I’m really looking forward to continuing that work. I think the throne speech really reflects our commitment and our continuing commitment on that.

What also the throne speech talks about is upcoming legislation on non-consensual disclosure of intimate images. I think many of us have been horrified over the years to hear stories of, particularly, women, when they’re impacted by the disclosure of images that they didn’t consent to. That can, in our day, have long-lasting impacts for their lives, for their mental health. We, as governments across, actually, the world, need to focus on building up those legal systems to respond to the harms that are often found online that people are facing.

[5:05 p.m.]

This piece of work — I know it had a lot of hands in it that are previous to me — that will be coming forward really is focused on helping those people that are harmed by this in B.C. have recourse and have some way to be protected from this. I think it’s really important work that we’re doing with our partners. It shows our commitment to keeping people safe.

At the heart, the work that I do is about equity, justice and fairness. We need to continually think about how the ways that technology and our changing lifestyles are impacting upon that and constantly adapt as governments. I think this is a sign of how we’re doing that. Of course, there’s always more work to do.

The throne speech talks also about our First Nations justice strategy. At heart, this strategy is about decreasing the impacts of the justice system on Indigenous people, the negative impacts that have happened over time, and decreasing the rates of incarceration of Indigenous people. The work was done by a lot of really important Indigenous leaders and led by the First Nations Justice Council. I’m so grateful for their work.

A lot of times, I think, we as a government need to think about how decolonization means getting out of the way and letting Indigenous leadership lead the way. I think our First Nations justice strategy is an example of us doing that.

The throne speech talks about a commitment to ten new Indigenous justice centres across the province, and we’re committed to expanding on that. Right now the First Nations Justice Council is a team of very committed leaders that are talking about what amazing work they could do across the province if they had Indigenous justice centres, as we’re going to invest in across the province, to show up for people when they’re most in their time of need in their encounters with the justice system — help them come up with plans and diversion and support the transition of the justice system.

There’s another side to the work under the First Nations justice strategy. That is the second track, which is really important and very much an important part of the work, which is rebuilding Indigenous justice systems on their own. There’s a lot of really amazing thought leadership in professors like Val Napoleon that we’re really blessed to have, actually, in B.C., and that are thinking about Indigenous legal orders and how that shows up in our colonial, right now, justice system. I’m really excited about that work.

Of course, we will always approach that work by being led by Indigenous leaders and understanding their ways of being and knowing when it comes to justice. Parts of that strategy also cover many things. So as a ministry, we will be focused, along with this government, on how reconciliation shows up in the justice system and the many ways or work that we have to do in that regard.

I also wanted to talk a little bit about our climate commitments. We, as a government, have a very strong climate plan, very focused on figuring out a pathway to meeting our targets, which are vital. In B.C., unfortunately, we’ve felt the brunt of a lot of, too many, climate disasters that are still impacting our communities. I think the work of the new ministry is going to be super vital when it comes not only to more forward planning with our Emergency Management but the work of our Minister of Environment and Climate Change about our path to meeting those targets.

I want to talk about this initiative out of my consti­tuency office and the volunteers that have come together. In Vancouver-Hastings, we have a climate action team, which is a group of really remarkable volunteers that came together to actually just sit around a table and plan how we can help our community face the impacts of climate change and mitigate some of those impacts and also do the transition work that needs to happen on a community level. This group of sometimes 20, sometimes more, peo­ple come together to meet regularly. I just want to acknowledge, and I’m so grateful for their work.

[5:10 p.m.]

They have decided to have three subcommittees: one on active transport, one on buildings and one on food. They are hard at work in the community doing different actions. Most recently we had a very successful event that was about helping people understand heat pumps and how they show up and what our various incentives are for peo­ple to transition to a heat pump.

We planned it wondering: when you do these things, how many people are going to show up? Are people interested? It’s the big question mark when you do community events. What happened was that a full room of residents of Vancouver-Hastings showed up with pads of paper and pens, ready to learn.

We had a team from the city of Vancouver that came to talk about it and, actually, just brought a heat pump. They talked about how it works and what different things you have to consider when you’re transitioning, how to think about the incentives that are in place.

It was just, to me, a really remarkable community-level action that that climate team did and that I know is going to have an impact. After that meeting, we know that at least five or six of those people that showed up at that information session are now transitioning to heat pumps. These are greenhouse gas emissions that will be removed from the air forever.

I have to acknowledge that all of those volunteers that show up on that climate action team are doing incredible work. I’m so grateful for it. You know, it’s one of those things that you learn: sometimes, when you just bring people together that are passionate and that care about an issue, it’s amazing what will happen, just amazing. I look forward to the things that come from it afterwards.

I talked a little bit about the work that we’re doing on the First Nations justice centres. But another part of the work is about the bigger piece of reconciliation and how we bring UNDRIP in, in all of our laws, take a look at our laws and see if we are in compliance with our Declaration Act. That’s important work. That’s work where I’m really impressed by the leadership we have in government and the team that’s working on that.

I know it’ll take time, but what I really appreciate about our approach so far — I know that we will continue — is that we’ve always focused on building the partnerships and the agreements necessary to come up with solutions. I think Blueberry First Nation, that agreement, was a great example of that. I know that we will continue that work when we think about reconciliation.

This throne speech really covers off our approach to governing, which is to listen to the issues that are happening in community and to respond. I know there are challenges that people are facing with rising costs and housing. I know that one thing about British Colum­bians is that when we come together to tackle these problems, just like we did in the pandemic, we can have some amazing results.

That’s the approach that we’ll continue to take with the challenges that are being faced today. I’m grateful for the work of all of our colleagues and the commitment of this government to be on the side of British Columbians when it comes to addressing those problems.

Hon. D. Coulter: Thank you to my colleagues for the wonderful support I’m getting. I really am appreciating the debate here on the throne speech. I’m also very excited that this is my first opportunity to speak since we’ve come back to session. I’ve always really enjoyed speaking in the House, and I enjoy listening to my colleagues.

I think the Attorney General just gave a wonderful summary of the throne speech and the ways that we’re addressing the challenges that British Columbians are facing, but I’d like to talk about it as well, because I think it’s very important that we are taking action to address the things that are affecting everyday people here in our province. The throne speech accurately outlined our government’s plan to tackle the big challenges and, as well, to build a stronger and more secure future for everyone.

Maybe I’ll start by talking a little bit about my own constituency. It’s sort of an urban-suburban constituency, but we also have quite a bit of ALR land in farming. A lot of the things that are affecting my constituents have been addressed in the throne speech, helping people with costs. For folks in my constituency, $69,000 is the median take-home pay for a household.

[5:15 p.m.]

Helping people with costs is very important to my constituents, things like child care. It’s amazing. The amount of money that people save through our child care plan, as it continues to roll out, is life-changing to some of my constituents. I’m very, very proud of my government’s, our government’s, dedication to this. It’s building an entirely new universal plan that is really helping British Columbians and is invaluable to many of my constituents.

Deputy Speaker: Sorry, Minister. I see a minister may seek leave to make an introduction. I’m just guessing.

Hon. R. Fleming: Yes, you have read my mind, Mr. Speaker. I do seek leave to make an introduction — with apologies to the minister for interrupting the flow of his response to the throne speech.

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

Hon. R. Fleming: It’s a great pleasure to see in the gallery joining us the Victoria 79th Embers, formerly known as Brownies, and their teacher, Stephanie Calce. I think we have 15 Embers with us and three adult chaperones. Would the members welcome these folks to the House.

Deputy Speaker: Welcome to the Embers.

Debate Continued

Hon. D. Coulter: I’d just like to say to the minister that there’s no need to apologize for interrupting my flow. I can always pick it right back up, and the introduction that he just made is really important.

I welcome the Embers here as well. It’s lovely to see you. You get to see democracy in action here, which is really, really great. I once went to a legislature and saw this, and now I’m doing it. It’s really impressive. So I hope we have some future legislators up there in the gallery today. Wonderful to see you here.

I think when I left off, I was talking about how important child care is for the folks in my constituency and how life-changing it is to have a whole new universal social program, such as child care. I really have to thank the incredible work that my colleague the former Minister of State for Child Care has done on this file. It’s just absolutely amazing. I can see her up on the screen there. She’s participating today remotely.

I can’t believe the amount of work she has done, as well as the Attorney General. Our current Attorney General really worked hard on the child care file when she was ministerial adviser for the Minister of State for Child Care. It’s so important for my constituents, and I cannot thank you enough for the hard work you’ve done. I’m very impressed by the hard work you’ve done, as well, so thank you very much.

In my riding of Chilliwack, the government has actually opened up 365 child care spaces and converted 37 spaces to be $10-a-day spaces, making a huge difference for parents as of September 2022. I think I mentioned the median household income of my constituents, so things like this are just life changing.

We’re putting money back in the pockets of parents, with incredible fee reductions that were put in place across this province this January, saving parents up to $550 per month. When your median household income is $69,000 a year, that is absolutely life changing. That’s an amazing program, and I’m very impressed, very thankful, on behalf of my constituents, to the former Minister of State for Child Care and the current Minister of State for Child Care for the excellent work they’ve done.

Another way we’re helping people with costs is with the tax credits we have for businesses and individuals. The new B.C. Affordability Credit introduced this year will help 85 percent of British Columbians by putting as much as $410 into the accounts of families of four.

[5:20 p.m.]

That is just amazing. It is another great step by our government to help people with rising costs, which we’re all feeling, obviously. With inflation and global supply chain challenges…. These kinds of things, to help people and support them through these challenging times, are invaluable.

I can say that my constituents are affected by this deeply. I hear about this all the time in my office and assist people, with casework, in my office, who are definitely facing these sorts of challenges. So credits such as these are very, very important for my constituents and for the people of British Columbia.

Our government is taking action on helping people with the cost of living. I’m really happy about that and happy to see that addressed in the throne speech. I’ll leave it there and move on a little bit.

Other credits. Individuals received $100 for a B.C. Hydro credit, and businesses were eligible for up to $500 off their hydro bill. This, also, is a great measure to support people through this cost-of-living challenge.

Car insurance rates. We froze the increases for two years, which is amazing. We’ve reduced ICBC rates.

This particular measure is extremely important. We ended bridge tolls. Bridge tolls were a tax on hard-working British Columbians that couldn’t afford housing, necessarily, in the city centres. So they needed to use bridges to get to work. Bridge tolls were extremely burdensome for many British Columbians.

The Leader of the Opposition has said that removing bridge tolls was a bad policy decision. It was a good policy decision, and I’m proud that our government did that. We are saving British Columbians who have to travel for work money every day. It’s really a regressive tax on hard-working British Columbians. So I’m so proud of my government for removing bridge tolls.

I heard the Minister of State for Workforce Development’s speech. He was talking about the lack of infrastructure being built south of the Fraser. That went on for many, many years. Then you add bridge tolls to this.

The people south of the Fraser are much better served by an NDP government than they would be by the B.C. Liberals, for sure. We’d still have bridge tolls. Who knows if there would be infrastructure being built? I would hazard a guess that it wouldn’t be. I don’t know that the folks who live south of the Fraser, the hard-working folks that live south of the Fraser, were prioritized at all before our government took over.

As the Minister of State for Infrastructure and Transit, I get to work on exciting new transit projects south of the Fraser, which I’m really excited about. The Surrey-Langley SkyTrain is going to be life-changing.

Interjection.

Hon. D. Coulter: The Minister of State for Workforce Development is a big fan of the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain, and I’m glad he is. It is going to be a game-changer south of the Fraser.

I’m also working with the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure on transit-oriented development. South of the Fraser, around these transit hubs and SkyTrain stations, we’re going to look to develop and create housing so folks can get to work more easily than if they lived away from these hubs. So I’m very proud to work on that.

[5:25 p.m.]

I just, last week, drove the path of the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain, where it is going to be. It’s going through some areas that were really underserved and that I think are going to be well served by the new line, as well as just being able to expand what is there and being able to develop around the SkyTrain station in those areas.

Some other things we’re doing to help people with costs. We eliminated the MSP, the largest middle-income tax cut in British Columbian history — invaluable to my constituents. The people in my constituency are thanking the B.C. NDP government for this excellent, excellent measure.

I know we’ll continue to introduce measures that help British Columbians who need it most, including low- and middle-income families, which are the families that I’ve been talking about that live south of the Fraser, my constituents. I’m really excited that we have a B.C. NDP government, for obvious reasons. We’re helping people with the cost of living as well as other things.

Another thing I’m working on as the Minister of State for Infrastructure and Transit is widening Highway 1 from Langley through to Abbotsford — I know in the Minister of Transportation’s mandate letter — and possibly out to Chilliwack. We’re still studying that part. That highway was built a long time ago, and it is long overdue that we put an HOV lane on that highway.

We’re also looking at doing other things in the Fraser Valley. We’re looking at the entire transportation system in the Fraser Valley, how the different pieces interact with each other, to see if we can match that up better — integrate it, if you will — as well as the aforementioned transportation-oriented development that we’re looking at. We’ll be looking at that and doing those things in the Fraser Valley.

This, once again, is going to save my constituents money. It’s going to improve services for folks in the Fraser Valley who are very underserved right now by the transit system.

Our government is taking action. It’s our government that is doing these things and doing the things that the B.C. Liberal government failed to do. So I’m quite excited about that too.

Another thing that was quite outlined in the throne speech was the strengthening of public health care. We all know that the pandemic took a real toll on public health care. So we are taking action to strengthen it. It is a vitally important thing to all of us in British Columbia and, I would say, in Canada. It is one of our strongest values. It is something that every Canadian and every British Columbian is proud of. I’m happy that we are strengthening it.

The previous government gutted the health care system. It was further events that strained it through the unprecedented global pandemic.

We’re adding more medical training seats for doctors and other health care professionals. We want to keep health care public and make primary care available to all British Columbians.

In my riding, we now have a new primary care clinic. The Health Minister was out to open it up with myself and the member for Chilliwack-Kent in attendance. It is an impressive space. It will hold many different health care professionals: doctors, nurse practitioners, social workers. It also has culturally safe space for Indigenous folks. It’s really impressive, and I’m very proud of my government.

[5:30 p.m.]

Some of the work of my friend the Minister of State for Workforce Development is bringing folks with foreign credentials into our health care system. We’re looking at 2,000 internationally educated nurses fast-tracked into our system. Our Premier has also indicated that we are looking to do that, maybe, for other health care professions as well.

Really important. Our Premier recently, in Ottawa, was working on an historic agreement on health care funding with the federal government. This is important. The share that the federal government has been…. The health care transfers to our province have been declining — well, to all provinces across Canada. The federal government’s share has been declining. It was partially declining during the reign when the B.C. Liberals were there.

Stephen Harper, the former Prime Minister of Canada, made some cuts to the health care transfers. I just want to read you some quotes. This funding cut deeply affected British Columbians and was, in my view, a very bad thing. Others in the country felt it was bad as well.

The Ontario Finance Minister, Dwight Duncan, at the time said it was “a frontal attack on public health care.”

Quebec Finance Minister Raymond Bachand said: “Totally unacceptable.”

Manitoba Finance Minister Stan Struthers said that it’s a lump of coal.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, not known for being a social democrat, called the cuts to the Canada health transfer frustrating.

P.E.I. Finance Minister Wes Sheridan: “I couldn’t quite believe what we were seeing.”

Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter called the cuts to the Canada health transfer “profoundly disappointing.”

What did the B.C. Finance Minister at the time have to say? That former B.C. Finance Minister, I’ll just kindly point out, is the current leader of the B.C. Liberals. He said: “From B.C.’s perspective, we think certainty is a good thing” and “I appreciate that certainty. Obviously, some of my colleagues feel differently.”

Of course they felt differently. They opposed the cuts to the Canada health transfer.

Now, a B.C. NDP government would never do that. We believe in strengthening our public health care system. That was outlined in the throne speech.

I just would like to draw that contrast between our approach, in the B.C. NDP caucus, and the approach that the members opposite would take.

Interjection.

Deputy Speaker: Member.

Hon. D. Coulter: I don’t understand why you would heckle public health care, why you oppose public health care. That’s beyond me.

It’s an interesting choice. Like I said, it’s not a choice that a B.C. NDP government will ever take. We will always stand up for public health care. You’ll never catch me heckling another member making a statement about public health care. It’s just not something you’ll see me do.

Another thing that our government is working on, and that was in the throne speech, is to make our 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 distribution of intimate images. This is very important.

[5:35 p.m.]

The Attorney General yesterday outlined in question period some of the actions that our government is taking to crack down on repeat violent offenders. We have a new cadre of prosecutors. I think the Attorney General said it was 20 prosecutors that are going to be dedicated to tackling repeat violent offenders and make sure that they cannot wreak havoc on our streets and hurt people.

I know this is very important to my constituents, and I know it’s very important to British Columbians in general. We’re also directing Crown counsel to oppose bail or at least fight hard for it when it comes to violent repeat offenders. That is also going to help keep our community safer. Once again, outlined in the throne speech.

We’re also petitioning the federal government, as a lot of other provincial governments are, to change the bail system. There were some very unintended consequences from a recent law that that the federal government introduced and passed in their parliament. I think these measures are going to really help make our streets safer and help my constituents. I know that for sure. I know they’re concerned about public safety. They’re concerned about street disorder. But we are taking action, and that’s been outlined in the Speech from the Throne.

Another thing I would like to highlight that was in the Speech from the Throne is the fact that we are fighting climate change and building an economy for everyone. I think it’s evident we’re building an economy for everyone, and why people want to move here is because we have a thriving economy that is inclusive and designed for everyone.

I think, in question period today, the Premier put quite a fine point on that. Many people are moving to British Columbia, and many people are coming from other countries or, from within Canada, are moving to British Columbia. They want to live here, because it is a good place to live, and we have a strong, vibrant economy.

I’ll say that is a really good thing, but it also presents some challenges for us. It’s exacerbating a housing crisis that we have, which is another part of the throne speech. We are tackling this housing crisis. We’re getting tough on speculators.

I think it’s very important that we introduced a speculation and vacancy tax that opened up 20,000 homes for British Columbians to live in. I think it was a good measure. The B.C. Liberal leader disagrees and may, if he comes to power, cancel this speculation tax, which I think would be disastrous for British Columbians. I think our government is taking strong action on getting tough with speculators.

We’re also launching a refreshed middle-class housing strategy and increasing homes and services near transit hubs across the province. That goes back to that transit-oriented development, I was talking about, which is really important, so people can get to work and back in an efficient, easy, cheap manner that is also good for our planet as we get people out of cars. Having transit-oriented development makes that much more convenient than it otherwise would be.

[5:40 p.m.]

We’ve taken a lot of other measures on housing. I think the Premier, today, was talking about real estate investment trusts and, hopefully, dissuading them or stopping them from actually buying up buildings and evicting people. I think that’s a strong move by our government, to do that.

I’d like to say I’m looking forward to the upcoming session. I’m looking forward to what our government will be doing this year, the actions that we’re going to take, and I really appreciate that that was laid out in the throne speech so well.

I will leave it there, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to hearing from more of my colleagues about how great the throne speech is.

Deputy Speaker: Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. [Applause.]

Hon. M. Farnworth: God, I haven’t started speaking yet. We’ll see what they do at the end.

Anyway, it’s my pleasure to take my place in the throne speech debate. I haven’t spoken on a throne speech for a little while, so I’m really looking forward to the opportunity for a number of reasons.

I think I’ll start by talking a little bit about my riding and how the throne speech is going to benefit my community of Port Coquitlam.

For those who don’t know, I have called Port Coquitlam home for over 50 years, since 1969. At that time, it was a small community of about 10,000 people, and now it’s about 60,000 people. It has had significant growth during that time, but it’s a wonderful place to raise a family. It’s a wonderful place to live, and it’s been an amazing place to represent as MLA. It is unique.

The nice thing about being MLA in Port Coquitlam is that it is the last riding in the province whose boundaries are completely coterminous with the city boundaries. There used to be, prior to the last redistribution, two — New Westminster and my riding — and now it’s just my riding. As all of us know here, it’s really nice when you’re the only MLA for a particular community because you have your one council. You’re not dealing with a whole range of councils, and you can have a really good relationship. That’s the case in my community.

I have an amazing council in Port Coquitlam, headed by our mayor, Brad West, and six really community-minded, dedicated councillors: councillor Darrell Penner, councillor Steve Darling, new councillor Paige Petriw, councillor Nancy McCurrach, councillor Dean Washington and a very good constituency assistant, my councillor Glen Pollock, whom I hope to introduce to the House in the coming weeks because, sadly for me, he is retiring from my office. I know members from both sides of the House who have had dealings with him know that he does an incredible job on behalf of the people of my riding as a constituency assistant but also as a city councillor.

I say that because throne speeches are important to communities. They look forward to how the throne speech is going to impact them on a whole range of issues, whether it is health care, whether it is education and transportation, public safety — all the key priorities that people are concerned about.

Port Coquitlam is also a very special community this year because this year will be the 100th anniversary of our first May Day, which was held in PoCo back in 1923. For the last 100 years, we have celebrated May Day in our community.

It’s an extremely popular, well-attended event, with a May Queen and an ambassador and maypole dancing. It’s a huge community celebration with a parade that will come through the downtown, and it’s an opportunity for our community to really get together. It’s something that I know the city is really looking forward to this year, and I know that I am. It is an honour to….

When I think about it, I attended the first May Day parade back in 1969. So I’ve attended…. There have been 100 of them — this year. I will have attended more than half of them. I think that’s pretty special.

[5:45 p.m.]

I encourage…. If you happen to be in PoCo around that time, come and see our May Day parade, because it really is a very special occasion.

This brings me, of course, to the throne speech and why it matters. Ours is a growing community. Ours is a young family community. If you look at the demographics of our community, it has a larger-than-average family size compared to many other ridings in the province of British Columbia, because it has been an affordable community. So education is of critical importance to my community.

We have two very good school trustees from my riding, Michael Thomas and Christine Pollock, who do a really good job. There has been significant growth in the member for Coquitlam–Burke Mountain’s riding and schools being built there, but I also want to acknowledge that we’ve had some really great school developments taking place.

We opened up Irvine. I know the former Minister of Education was there for that announcement — the member for Peace River South. He and I attended that, and it was a great opportunity for me, to go to the opening of that school. We’ve done additional improvements to the school system, in terms of new middle schools and upgrading of schools. All of those things are of crucial importance.

Our throne speech continues the work that we have done over the last seven years in investing and ensuring that education remains a priority for the people of Port Coquitlam so we’re able to ensure that not only do kids get a quality education but that we’ve got the facilities there that are required to ensure that takes place. I’m really pleased our government is going to continue on that work.

At the same time, we know that people have been facing many challenges in terms of the cost of living that we have seen, certainly over the last year, with inflation running at more than 7 percent and how that has impacted families right across this province — indeed, right across the country.

There have been a number of factors for that. Obviously, COVID and the pandemic had a significant impact in terms of supply chains and choking supply off. We have seen the horrific invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the impact it has had on commodity prices and the volatility that has created — and supply shortages. All of those things have come together to see that prices have increased significantly.

With that have been attempts by governments — the Bank of Canada, for example — to try and get inflation under control. That, of course, has led to a rise in interest rates, which has created challenges for families in my community and communities across the province and, indeed, across the country.

Our government has recognized this and taken steps to deal with some of these challenges. The throne speech outlines that is still going to continue to be a priority for our government as we move forward, not only into this session but the fall session and in the coming years. We have seen initiatives such as the hydro tax credit to help with increased energy costs that families have been facing. We have seen efforts to assist with seniors. We have seen efforts to ensure that things such as insurance rates are made more affordable.

In my role as Minister for ICBC, to be able to see those cheques and the rate reductions go out to people, I think, has been something that has made me very pleased. I know it’s made my constituents very happy to see insurance rates go down, on average, by about 20 percent. Then to see the rebates, totalling well over $1 billion, going back into the pockets of the motoring public in B.C., I think, has been extremely important and is something that helps people deal with the cost pressures they have been facing.

Our initiatives, in terms of helping people deal with affordability, deal with the increase that we see at the grocery store, the increase that we see in terms of….

[5:50 p.m.]

Whether it’s fuel, whether it’s hydro — all of those things have been front and centre in our efforts to ensure that government is in tune with what people are having to deal with and how we can make life more affordable and deal with the cost escalations that I have mentioned, that have been part of a global challenge for us here in our province.

At the same time, we know that health care is of critical importance to all British Columbians. That’s why a priority in our throne speech, obviously, is protecting health care, is ensuring that British Columbians get the quality health care, that they get it when they need it. That’s why we’ve seen the expansion of urban urgent care centres across the province. That’s why we have seen the investments that have taken place in terms of surgeries, being able to deal with the challenges that were caused by the pandemic.

When you look back at the pandemic and the profound impact that it had on this province, on this country and, indeed, globally, the fact that all of us came together to be able to deal with that challenge and to be able to ensure that our health care system was able to function, that British Columbians were still able to get the health care services that they required, even under challenging circumstances, is really quite remarkable.

It really says something about our province and how we saw people come together to be able to recognize: “You know what? You needed to get vaccinated.” We needed to wear masks. We needed to listen to our public health officials and follow public health orders to be able to do the right thing.

The overwhelming majority of the people in this prov­ince did just that. Sure, there were a few groups or people who didn’t want to, who felt they knew better, who thought that QAnon was the place to get health information, that somehow ivermectin was some sort of cure, that it would work. I would get emails from some of these individuals, and it was like: “No, no, no. It’s about science. It’s about health professionals who know what they’re doing. It’s about listening to public health officials. It’s about listening to the health experts.”

British Columbians did that. That’s why we came through the pandemic with a record which I think is very much an envy of many other jurisdictions, certainly in North America and in other parts of the world, especially when you look at the size of our province. It’s because of the dedicated health care workers. It’s because of the dedicated health professionals. It’s because of the leadership from our public health officials that helped us to get through that.

Of course, it did create challenges. It created challenges in terms of surgeries. It created challenges, sometimes, in terms of access. But again, government worked hard to ensure that those surgical backlogs…. We were able to deal with them, and we have been.

The throne speech speaks to…. We need to continue that work. We need to continue to build on the challenges of a growing population, an aging population that we need to recognize, with the number of people moving to British Columbia. I mean, this is such an amazing province. Peo­ple want to come here.

My own community, as I said, has grown from 10,000 when I first moved there to over 60,000 now and is still growing. We see the growth in the province. The fact that we’re seeing the redistribution…. That population growth is going to add six more seats in this chamber. It’s because we have a dynamic economy. We have a dynamic province. That brings lots of benefits, but as I said, it also brings challenges, health care being one of them.

That’s why it’s been so important — the work that’s being done by the Premier and the Health Minister in terms of working with Ottawa to get them to understand the need for additional health care funding for our province. We have watched the share of federal funding in our province decrease over time, and if it keeps on going the way it was, it would be down 15, 16 percent. That’s not acceptable.

[5:55 p.m.]

That is not acceptable, but British Columbia has played a constructive role under the leadership of our former Premier, the member for Langford–Juan de Fuca, in terms of working with other Premiers on getting the federal government to the table to acknowledge and recognize that health care funding is critical to not just British Columbia but all Canadians. It’s important that they are fulfilling their responsibility with that additional funding. I think we are all looking forward to that, and that will help significantly.

At the same time, we also need to recognize there have been issues and concerns around public safety. That’s why we brought through our safer communities initiative, our safer communities plan, to be able to deal with some of the challenges that people are facing in Vancouver, for example, or in Nanaimo or in other in other communities.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

What we’re seeing is that we have seen a rise in certain types of crime related to a number of issues. For example, the terrible situation regarding addictions and the mental health challenges and addiction crisis that we have because of the toxic drug supply, the toxic opioid crisis that we have seen that, in fact, was exacerbated by COVID in a way that I don’t think anybody quite foresaw.

We were making good progress prior to the advent of the COVID pandemic. Then, with the pandemic, we saw an increase in deaths. This government has been working incredibly hard.

Our Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions has been working incredibly hard to be able to deal with that situation, to get that under control, the initiatives that we’re taking in terms of trying to ensure that people get the treatment that they need — working with the federal government on issues such as decriminalization, working to ensure that we’ve got facilities in communities, such as exist in Coquitlam and that we need to see in other parts of the province, so people have the ability to get the treatment when we need it.

That, again, is what our throne speech speaks to. I know, in the coming weeks and months, the initiatives around that will continue to be unveiled. That is something that I think all British Columbians want to see happen. I know, certainly, the work that we have seen in this House is something that I hope all members will continue to support.

I can tell you that as Solicitor General, working with police agencies in our province to be able to put in place measures that will assist them has been very rewarding. It’s been incredibly important work, and I look forward to continuing to do that. That’s why I’m glad that the throne speech has got a focus on public safety, and that’s why I will be looking forward to the budget when that comes down, in terms of the initiatives that are underway.

Work that has taken place to date, I think, is very much showing the direction that we are heading, initiatives such as expanding the car programs that are in a number of communities in our province, the additional $3 million that our government has committed to that.

The creation of peer-assisted care teams, based on the programs that we have had in the North Shore and in New Westminster, for example, have shown great promise, have shown a reduction in calls that police have had to attend, where you have had people with lived experience, peer-assisted teams and mental-health professionals, going out doing an initial assessment and, many times, being able to deal with the situation without having to involve the police but obviously able to make that decision that the police do need to be involved and call them. That coordination takes place, and then the police arrive.

What we have seen so far is that it is highly successful, and we’re looking to expand that program. We will be expanding that program across the province.

Those kinds of initiatives come about from working with police and police agencies and mental health workers and people who have experience in dealing with addictions and dealing with the challenges that too many people in this province, indeed across this country — in fact, North America — face. It is something that I think all of us are concerned about.

[6:00 p.m.]

At the same time, we also know, and it has been mentioned in the throne speech, we want to make sure we continue our battle and our efforts against organized crime, for example. We have had success in this province on a number of fronts in dealing with that and changes that have come about through the Cullen commission and the changes that were put in place following the Cullen report into money laundering in British Columbia. A number of legislative changes have already taken place, and there will be more.

We have announced in the throne speech that there will be work. There will be legislation regarding unexplained wealth orders. This is something that I look forward to bringing before this House and having passed. There are initiatives that have been put in place already in the U.K., for example, and in Ireland and in Australia as well as Manitoba. I think that that will be an additional useful tool for police, and it sends a strong signal to organized crime that in British Columbia we take this issue very seriously.

It builds on the work that we have been doing. For example, initiatives such as the first witness protection program designed for British Columbia, designed for the unique circumstances of our province, that the federal legislation — while important and is still there in place — did not necessarily deal with the challenges that we faced here in British Columbia. So that initiative, which this government brought forward, has been highly successful.

Along with that — the investments, for example, in the province’s first and own forensic laboratory to deal with firearms. We were having to send firearms to Ottawa, to the national forensics lab there. And the reality is that that takes time. It’s much better when we have our own here in British Columbia to be able to do the investigation, to speed up an investigation, to be able to, hopefully, result in a stronger case and a stronger prosecution. All of those things are initiatives that this government has undertaken.

I also want to take this opportunity to talk about something that is of critical importance. I know it is certainly to rural British Columbia, smaller communities in British Columbia, but also to a number of specialized teams. And that is the historic funding by this government in terms of the 277 RCMP positions that we will be filling over the next three years. It is unprecedented in terms of the size of the investment and the number. In fact, we’ve had comments from other provinces, like…. Their reaction is: “Wow, wish we could do this in our province.”

This will help ensure that smaller communities in rural British Columbia have the police resources that they need, that too often, you know, have seen significant growth, particularly outside their communities. I know it’s an issue that has been raised by my colleagues across the way up in the Peace country. I’ve met with the mayor a number of times about the growth outside the city and how that puts a strain on their resources. This will help that.

It will also help the integrated teams. It will help the integrated teams so police are able to deal with some of the surge capacity that sometimes is required. It will ensure that traffic highway patrol, in particular, for example, will be able to benefit.

I know, meeting recently with the mayor and chief administrative officer of your community, hon. Speaker, of Merritt, that that was an issue that they raised with me — the challenge they have in terms of the highway patrol on the main highway that runs through your riding. They were very pleased with being able to know that this funding is going to be able to help deal with those kinds of problems.

We have already been in contact with the RCMP, for example, and this is going to be something where the province will be working with the RCMP as to where those officers go. So very much in terms of “okay, what are the priority areas? Where are the challenges?” That’s what we want to do to ensure that…. That’s what this throne speech is about.

[6:05 p.m.]

That will build on the work that has been done in the past. We were able to put in place, a few years ago now, the surge capacity — in Terrace, in Prince George and in Kamloops — of the additional police officers that are able to help. This investment will have, in my view, a significant impact on the provincial policing line, particularly in small communities and rural British Columbia. I think that is critically important.

At the same time, one of the areas in the throne speech that we view as a priority is, obviously, our partnership with Indigenous peoples. As it relates to my ministry, again, this is an area where Indigenous communities have made it very clear to me that they want to see a focus, they want to be able to have the resources that they need for public safety in their communities.

There have been a number of nations which I have met with — either at UBCM, for example, or at the First Nations leadership gathering — that have made having additional police resources of critical importance to their communities. Many of them are remote. Many of them are communities that have difficult transportation routes to get to. The lack of police resources, or police having to travel a significant distance, often means that they don’t have the support that they are entitled to and that they should have.

I’ve made it clear that I want to see resources going in that ensure that they get the policing that they need. It also means working with the federal government to expand Indigenous policing in this province, and Indigenous policing opportunities. A number of nations have indicated to me, for example, that they would like RCMP. Others have indicated that they would like to start to move to be able to have their own Indigenous policing.

I was pleased, during the pandemic, that we managed to get the federal government to fulfil its responsibility in fully funding the Aboriginal policing component that they are required to do. British Columbia was doing its part and in fact was doing more. There was a shortfall, the feds stepped up, and it was because of the work within my ministry to make sure that they did that.

I can see, hon. Speaker…. I could go on about the throne speech and all its things, how great this throne speech is.

Interjection.

Hon. M. Farnworth: It is a while since I have done a throne speech, which is why I’ll probably come back to where I started off in the beginning, in the few remaining moments that I have left: talking about my community of Port Coquitlam, the place that I have called home since 1969. As I said, we’ve got the 100th May Day coming up.

The thing that amazes me about it is…. It’s funny, because I was talking with my brother today. Over time — I’ve noticed it, really, as I get older — the people that I knew when I was young, the people who we looked up to, are passing on. My brother was informing me today that the father of a friend of mine that we all knew as kids had passed away recently, last week, at the age of 88. There’s a celebration of life on Saturday.

Then I had to remark to him that our neighbour that we knew from down the street had passed away a couple of months ago, and somebody else, our neighbour across the street, just recently. We thought about that. It’s like the people that we grew up with and that we looked to, our parents’ generation, are moving on, are passing on, and we’re the ones now who are that generation.

We talked about how…. As my brother said, “You know, I go downtown PoCo now, and I go down Shaughnessy Street, and it’s so different than when we were kids. When we were kids, it was low-rise bungalows, built after the war. You’d just walk down….”

[6:10 p.m.]

Now it’s all four-storey walk-ups, and the community has changed, but what hasn’t changed is that sense of community spirit. That sense of community spirit was there when Port Coquitlam was started in 1913 as Westminster Junction. Then it became Port Coquitlam, the terminus of the spur line that went to New Westminster, and the railway yard was there, the CP railway yard.

The people built that community. Their kids carried on and built that community. Today, those of us who grew up there…. Many of us are still there. Lots of friends I went to school with are still there. They’ve raised their families there. That sense of community spirit is there. That sense of a small town, which is, I think, one of the things people recognize about Port Coquitlam is still very much there.

We have an amazing downtown, which is undergoing some really important revitalization, under the leadership of our mayor and council. It’s a place I call home. It’s an amazing community, and I know this throne speech is going to really help it.

With that, I see 19 seconds left, so I will let other members of the House continue. Thanks very much.

G. Chow: I’d like to start with an acknowledgment to the Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations upon whose territory we are gathered today and to thank them for sharing these lands.

I’m supposed to be talking about the throne speech, which was a great throne speech. The previous speaker, the Solicitor General, has already touched upon many of the points.

Certainly, I’d like to also thank my constituency assistants, Kimmy Kular and Forest Chu, for doing such a great job in my office, which allows me to be sitting here and doing my job in Victoria. There are two things that the CAs have to do. The first one is to listen to the constituents patiently. The other is to summarize the one succinctly for my benefit, because then I know what’s going on, in the shortest possible time, so that we can all work to help. Both of them do this very well, and I’m very, very thankful and impressed.

Yesterday, I heard, the member for Parksville-Qualicum came on and said that he may be the second-youngest member in this chamber. If that were the case, I might be the second-oldest member in this chamber. For that, Madam Speaker, would I get double the time to speak? I’m just testing the water. Obviously, being engineers, we are precise and concise, and we don’t need all that time in order to burn up half an hour. Anyway, thank you.

I do echo what the Solicitor General was saying: during COVID, a lot of things had gone on. A lot of those in my riding had passed. Particularly, just before Christmas, one of my great supporters, Karen Jacobson, who was the chair of the Killarney Community Centre Association, passed away. That was really sad for me, because she had always been supportive. She’d done a lot for the community — as well as her husband, who had passed a few years ago, Keith Jacobson. He had also been the chair of the Killarney Community Association.

We have all these people that help us, and our job, of course, is to help them. I’m very happy to say that this throne speech, which is being debated and talked about, is great. This throne speech outlines our government’s plan to tackle the big challenges and build a stronger, more secure future for everyone. In this time of uncertainty and challenges, our government is working hard, has been working hard and is working hard for all British Columbians.

[6:15 p.m.]

Some of the points, just to recap, that were in the throne speech and that we want to accomplish are helping the people with costs by introducing new measures to help everyone; targeted support for those hardest hit, including those with low incomes and families with children — that’s certainly very important for us; and tackling the housing crisis by getting tough on speculators, while launching the first middle-class housing strategy and increasing homes and services near transit hubs across the province.

In my riding of Vancouver-Fraserview, which is Fraser Street to Boundary Road, and also 49th Avenue to the river — we are the southeast corner of Vancouver, right next to Burnaby — we have a new area called River District. It’s a site that’s about 15 acres and is now being built out. It used to be a lumber mill and factories, and now it’s being built with all kinds of housing, condos. It’s really the only area where we have highrises in my riding.

I was surprised that some of the people have said: “Hey, this is the most affordable area in Vancouver.” Even at that, it’s pretty expensive. So our government is doing what we can in building affordable housing, in partnership with the federal government, in the River District.

The other, of course, is strengthening public health care after the pandemic by investing in new hospitals and a new medical school and getting internationally trained doctors and health workers into our clinics to provide care to British Columbians.

We’re mindful of the fact that our population is aging. In Vancouver-Fraserview, in the city of Vancouver, we have the highest number of seniors living in Vancouver. That’s in my riding. It’s very, very important that we make sure we strengthen our public health care system, including looking after our seniors.

Another thing in the throne speech is about making our communities safer, with actions to get violent offenders off the street and new laws to crack down on gangs, money laundering and non-consensual distribution of intimate images. That’s certainly very important, as you have witnessed. Teens are being harassed online, and some of them have actually got into a suicidal situation. That’s one aspect with regard to the youth.

Of course, we have been doing a lot of work in the Downtown Eastside. This is a priority of the Premier. Even before the throne speech came out, we had been working on the Downtown Eastside. The Premier, the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant and I have been meeting in the Downtown Eastside with the merchants, the Chinatown merchants, the service providers in the Downtown Eastside, as well as the Indigenous leaders in that area. We are working on that.

Particularly with Chinatown, I’m very proud of what our B.C. NDP government has done in building the Chinese Canadian Museum, which will open in July this year. This was mentioned in the throne speech. In spite of some comments coming from the opposition that we’re not doing anything, we’re actually doing a lot with our actions. The Premier has gone down and met with the merchants, met with the service providers and met with the Indigenous leaders and people. We have a plan. This is where we’re going forward.

[6:20 p.m.]

If you look to…. I want to go back to the fact that I inherited this riding. The last member who was from the B.C. NDP was in 1996. The late Ian Waddell was actually the member for Vancouver-Fraserview. He passed in 2021, and because of COVID, we did not have a celebration of life until 2022. He was a great MLA, a great MP. His contribution to the riding, to the tourism and film industry, was tremendous.

Also, if you really look at what we, the NDP government, have done for Chinatown, we did it with action. If you go back to the ’70s, the idea of the Chinese Cultural Centre was actually an idea by the late Alex Macdonald, who was the Attorney General at the time under Dave Barrett, the late Premier. That was his idea, and that got the community started and built the Chinese Cultural Centre.

Later on, the Chinatown parkade was an idea of the city council but was actually finished by Premier Harcourt. The Chinese Cultural Centre Museum is also a product of the B.C. NDP government. It was done under Premier Glen Clark, as well as Block 17 in Chinatown. Block 17 in Chinatown is the big building that’s beside the Millennium Gate. It houses the SUCCESS office and a seniors home, the Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association building and also a building project called the CBA housing manor that houses seniors.

All these projects were done under the B.C. NDP government. So we do work by actual action, not just going down there, taking a few photos and then posting online and saying: “Hey, we’re doing great in the area.” Quite the contrary. I think a lot of it is just talk.

That’s what we did. I’m very happy that we finished the Chinese Canadian Museum. It will be open in time, actually, for us to remember Chinese immigration, the Chinese Exclusion Act that was put forward 100 years ago in 1923. It will be a very good exhibit. UBC is working…. Professor Yu is working with a student, along with Catherine Clement, to put on a great exhibit based on that part of the history.

The other thing we’re embarking on is fighting climate change and building an economy for everyone by launching a plan that will give British Columbians the skills to fill the jobs of today and tomorrow, expanding our low-cost, clean energy solutions and working in partnership with Indigenous peoples. That is great.

What we have been doing in the throne speech, and it was mentioned here, is we are working with the forest sector to ensure a sustainable industry going forward to retool mills and manufacture value-added products, including those that replace plastics made from fossil fuels.

I was very happy to work with the now Minister of Housing on trying to get an industry going here using the wood that we have. That’s the mass timber project. Mass timber is engineered wood that is glued together in order to allow the wood to take more load and also span longer. It is the future of building. It’s very competitive with concrete buildings because the overall life cycle of mass timber is much better than building with concrete.

Nowadays the federal government as well as the B.C. building code allows us to build to 12 storeys high. Of course, our UBC did the research and rebuilt a building that is 18 storeys high, which is the highest in the world so far. Mass timber is the future. We also have private developers who are building with mass timber over in North Vancouver, in Coquitlam, and these buildings are finished and they’re being sold.

Of course, we are also embarking on building student residences using mass timber. I think the mass timber future is bright. We could build schools, community centres, particularly apartments, using mass timber, and I think that would be a great future for us.

[6:25 p.m.]

I think we are doing what we can in order to help British Columbia in this uncertain time, and I would very much like to thank my family for their support through the years. Last year was the 20th year since I entered politics. I went into politics running for city council in 2002, and it’s been 20 years.

It’s been a long time. I can remember, when I first started, my wife and kids were really, really helpful. My wedding anniversary falls in October, so that means every time we have an election, we miss the anniversary because that’s the time we’d be campaigning. I would tell my wife: “Well, let’s have dinner.” But this would be a community dinner at some Chinese restaurant, and that’s how we celebrated our wedding anniversary. That’s certainly a great sacrifice from my wife and my kids who are helping me with the campaign.

I thank you for the opportunity to speak, and I look forward to us putting our words into action.

Hon. B. Ralston: It’s a pleasure to rise and speak in response to the Speech from the Throne delivered February 6, 2023. I think what I want to talk a little bit about is what people in my riding of Surrey-Whalley, in the north part of Surrey, are experiencing and what’s on their minds and how this speech, in particular, responds to those concerns they have expressed.

I would say that top of mind and among the concerns that I hear is cost of living. Certainly, I think everyone has been touched by the inflation that occurred recently. Although there are some signs that it might be abating, it certainly had an impact on family budgets and business planning. That’s something that I hear from people in my part of the world.

The speech does address, in part, some of those concerns. The B.C. affordability credit landed in bank ac­counts at the start of the new year and helped 85 percent of British Columbians with increased costs. As much as $410 for a family of four went to British Columbians last month.

Another area where the government has responded to the concerns… I know it’s not only in my riding that people have expressed these concerns about cost of living, but basic car insurance rates have been frozen for another two years, and the Premier announced a $100 credit on people’s hydro bill. Although some may dismiss that as a very small amount, I think for some families, certainly in my riding…. The medium per-capita income is certainly not among the highest in the province. That was appre­ciated and recognized as some relief from some of the cost pressures that families are experiencing.

Also, in December of 2022, just last year, child care costs were reduced again, this time by as much as more than $550 a month for each child or $6,000 a year in additional savings. This has really had an impact. In a community of working families such as I represent, that kind of change in the cost of child care has really been life-changing for many parents in my community.

[6:30 p.m.]

These are some of the cost measures that the government has undertaken in response to the concerns that people have expressed.

People also, I think, are concerned about…. I remember that on child care, there was an announcement made at Surrey city hall, which is in my riding, including new spaces for infants and toddlers. Those are the most expensive spaces to service, because the level of care needed by an infant or a toddler, as one can well imagine, is more intense than that perhaps required by an older child. And 49 spaces for children 2½ years to kindergarten age. Again, Surrey city hall is located in Surrey-Whalley. That an­nouncement was made very recently in Surrey.

In addition to that, there was an important announcement made. I think this reflects concerns that people have about housing. That was a pretty spectacular announcement, because it combined a number of concerns. Whalley legion, 229, has been engaged in the process of planning and building a replacement for their own facilities, but on the site that the veterans very prominently acquired just after the Second World War in the heart of the riding and now in the heart of the city centre. That site was redeveloped, and the announcement was of a tower with a really innovative mix of services.

One of the services is accessible housing for veterans and for first responders. That was a contribution of $13 million made by the B.C. Housing organization. In addition to that, led by the legion and others, there’s a centre working together with Fraser Health and with first responders and some visionary physicians in Surrey, a centre which will treat disabled veterans who have been affected either physically or mentally.

As I think many recognize, there’s a challenge in veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

This clinic will treat the whole person, in the sense of people who have profound physical injuries and people who have experienced the mental stress and strain and resulting illness that comes from the stresses of either responding as a first responder or in combat. One attaches no blame to them, but it is a reality of returning veterans and of people who are affected by traumatic events during their work as a first responder.

It’s open now, as part of this facility, so veterans will be able to come. First responders will be able to come and be there on a day patient basis. But if they require a more detailed and longer treatment plan, they will be able to reside in some of these units and get ongoing treatment there.

In addition, there is family housing for families, there is a child care centre, and then there’s also a component of market housing as well. This project and its ability to unite and weave together in a collaborative way all these disparate elements is really quite an innovative project. I think it will be…. Certainly, the Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs was at the opening, along with the usual array of community leaders, from the legion, from the health district…. The mayor of Surrey was there.

[6:35 p.m.]

Randeep Sarai, the federal MP. I was there on behalf of the province. City councillors. The police and fire service were represented as well. VRS Communities is an operator that will run the accessible units as well. So a really spectacular achievement.

There’s another tower to be built. The work is only half done, but I think it’s something that everyone who participated in bringing this project to fruition was really proud of. I’m delighted to be able to say that it’s in my riding, in Surrey. It will be a beacon across the country, a model of the kind of care that we want to give to veterans and to first responders in the future. So a very successful day.

I’m pleased to be able to say that the province participated and contributed as one of the funders of this project. It’s, of course, part of a broader housing plan, but I wanted to talk about that particular project as well.

The other announcement that was made just recently in Surrey was an announcement made by the Premier and the Minister of Municipal Affairs on Friday, February 10. A fund of $1 billion has been set aside for municipalities, and it’s targeted at municipal infrastructure. Not all the details have been released.

There will be a formula that will be based on per capita — I think the minimum any community will get will be $500,000 — and then a formula based on the growth of the community, based on the Canadian census data, between 2016 and 2021. That combination will be provided…. Funds, according to that formula, will be provided to every community and every regional district in the province.

Part of that is to accommodate, in particular, the pressures on growing communities. I think every community certainly has projects that they want to undertake on behalf of their citizens, whether it’s a new playground, a walking trail, a bike path or, in some cases, a capital project or a project that is bigger, new rinks, new recreational facilities.

The city of Surrey has a very extensive capital project list, which they’ve shared with me. They’ve certainly got a lot of proposals and a lot of plans that are on the books. We’ll see, when the announcement is made, how the share that goes to any individual community is made. I’m optimistic that Surrey will be given its per capita, its size, in terms of population, and its growth. It will be a recipient of a major part of this fund. There will be opportunities to spend this on good projects that will benefit the citizens of Surrey and every other community throughout the province.

Some have questioned…. What is the mechanism for accountability? Because it will be given at year-end, there will be no formal requirements. What municipalities will be expected and asked to do is to set that money in a segregated fund, which will be provided with their audited financial statements at year-end. So it would be an audited financial statement at year-end setting out what any individual municipality has done with the money that they’ve been granted.

I think that publicity or that disclosure, which will be required, will certainly alleviate any concern that some may have that municipalities might not spend the money wisely. Frankly, speaking for myself and having met many municipal officials across the province, I would say, to a person…. They are well motivated, know their communities, have projects that they want to see funded. They will take this opportunity to undertake those projects with dispatch and with enthusiasm.

[6:40 p.m.]

I see the Speaker is shifting in his chair.

Interjection.

Hon. B. Ralston: Pardon me?

I do have a few more things that I want to say, although I have a colleague….

Interjection.

Hon. B. Ralston: I’m told I have five minutes.

Interjection.

Hon. B. Ralston: Oh, okay. Well, then, perhaps I should….

Interjections.

Hon. B. Ralston: I’m going to have to abbreviate my remarks. There seems to be a lot of support for that, Mr. Speaker.

I want to end by saying that I wholeheartedly support the Speech from the Throne. I’ve given some examples, I hope, of the wise decisions that have been made with the public funds to advance the interests of the citizens of my community and of British Columbia as well.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

J. Rice: I promise that I’ll keep my remarks shorter than my introduction yesterday. I just wanted to squeak this out. I’ve been losing my voice all week.

I would love to brag about my community, which we have the opportunity to do in the throne speech. I have a dozen local governments and probably a dozen First Nations. I’d love to talk about all of them, but I know we have a few minutes.

I just wanted to take this opportunity…. I was recently appointed the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health, and I’ve certainly heard from some of the stakeholders and some folks from the opposition that they haven’t heard much from me. I just wanted to let people know that when I have more of a voice…. I’m happy to have much more constructive conversations about the work that I intend to undertake or that I’ve already started doing.

I just wanted to say this, mostly for my constituents, my rural remote and my rural Indigenous communities. Having lived 20-some years rurally and having been the MLA for rural remote and Indigenous communities for the last nine years, I have certainly heard about the struggles for accessing equitable, safe, accessible health care in the North and in Haida Gwaii and down the Central Coast. That’s the area of my riding. We’ve certainly heard a lot of other rural remote and rural Indigenous communities expressing their angst.

I was really delighted that the Premier appointed me the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health so that I actually could complement and support our current Minister of Health in that work, applying the rural lens, which I unquestionably have, based on my geography and where I live.

I want you to know that I’m keen. I hear you. I live rural. I hear you, rural. I’m motivated for rural.

I have been tasked with three areas to look at, which are access, travel, when it comes to accessing medical appointments, and rural maternity and obstetrical care. We’ve seen a centralization of health care that makes it harder to birth at home. I actually get to help support the minister in regard to a health human resources strategy. These are my areas of focus for right now. I’m super excited about them.

I’m happy to work with the opposition — not a problem. Let me get my voice back. I just wanted to make that introduction to my role. I didn’t mean to appear silent. I’m keen.

Thank you for allowing me this couple of minutes here, on the throne speech, to introduce myself.

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, seeing no further speakers, the Chair will now put the question on the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne.

The question is: “We, His Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in session assembled, beg leave to thank Your Honour for the gracious speech which Your Honour has addressed to us at the opening of the present session.”

Division has been called.

[6:45 p.m. - 6:55 p.m.]

Motion approved on the following division:

YEAS — 46
Alexis	Anderson	Babchuk
Bains	Beare	Begg
Brar	Chandra Herbert	Chant
Chen	Chow	Conroy
Coulter	Dean	Dix
Donnelly	Dykeman	Elmore
Farnworth	Glumac	Greene
Heyman	Kahlon	Kang
Leonard	Ma	Malcolmson
Mercier	Osborne	Paddon
Popham	Ralston	Rice
Routledge	Routley	Russell
Sandhu	Sharma	Simons
Sims	A. Singh	R. Singh
Starchuk	Walker	Whiteside
	Yao
NAYS — 23
Banman	Bernier	Bond
Clovechok	Davies	Doerkson
Falcon	Kyllo	Letnick
Merrifield	Milobar	Morris
Oakes	Paton	Ross
Rustad	Shypitka	Stewart
Stone	Sturdy	Sturko
Tegart		Wat

Hon. R. Kahlon moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 10 a.m. tomorrow.

The House adjourned at 6:58 p.m.