Orders of the Day

Hon. K. Conroy: Hon. Speaker, I move that this House, at its next sitting, do resolve itself for this session into a committee to consider the supply to be granted to His Majesty.

Motion approved.

Presentation of Estimates

ESTIMATES OF SUMS REQUIRED
FOR THE SERVICE OF THE PROVINCE

Hon. K. Conroy presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: Estimates of Sums Required for the Service of the Province for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, and a supplement to the estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, recommending the same to the Legislative Assembly.

Hon. K. Conroy moved that the said message and the estimates accompanying the same be referred to the Committee of Supply.

Motion approved.

Budget Debate

Hon. K. Conroy: I move, seconded by the hon. Premier of British Columbia:

[That the Speaker do now leave the Chair for the House to go into Committee of Supply.]

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ peo­ples, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, upon whose territories we are gathered today.

Today I am honoured to present Budget 2023, a budget that builds today for a stronger tomorrow, that eases the pressures we feel in our daily lives and that reflects the priorities of British Columbians. This year’s budget will improve health care, build more homes, help with rising costs and make our communities safer. Budget 2023 will continue our work to build a stronger, cleaner economy for everyone right across our province.

These uncertain times require careful, thoughtful action, action that addresses the uncertainty ahead while moving us forward on long-standing priorities like reconciliation, climate change and tackling global inflation. Action is what British Columbians want from their government, and it’s what Budget 2023 delivers, with real results focused on the priorities of British Columbians.

While B.C. is a great place to live, many people are facing real challenges. Global inflation is raising the cost of just about everything. It’s getting harder to afford groceries, find essential medication for your kids or find workers to fill jobs. By the end of the month, many families are wondering if they’ll ever get ahead. Then there is the added pressure of economists predicting a global economic slowdown.

We can’t control global forces, but we can make choices that will help British Columbians weather the storm and come out stronger. Some believe we should respond to uncertainty by pulling back, by making cuts that reduce services or by making people pay out of pocket for tolls and private health care. That’s not what British Columbians want, and that’s not our government’s approach.

Instead of making cuts to education and expecting teachers to fill the gaps, we are making record investments in B.C.’s elementary schools and high schools. This year is no exception.

Instead of privatizing health care, we are strengthening public health care.

Instead of leaving parents to shoulder the cost of child care, we are saving them hundreds of dollars or more every single month. All the while, we are opening new spaces across the province.

[1:40 p.m.]

We know that supporting British Columbians will build a stronger province for us all. We can see that in the results to date. Over three-quarters of last year’s job growth in B.C. was driven by women’s employment. This is a reflection of our government’s work on child care.

It’s clear that we can’t afford to go back to short-sighted thinking — the kind of thinking that cuts services today, while leaving the actual costs for tomorrow. It didn’t work before, and it certainly won’t work now. When times are tough, that’s exactly when you need someone in your corner, defending you from global uncertainty and building a stronger province for everyone.

That’s why our government will always be there for British Columbians. It’s why we’re putting this year’s new investments and multi-billion dollar surplus to work for people to deliver another round of the B.C. affordability credit and help more people make ends meet, to protect people from evictions and rent hikes while preserving rental buildings and to support growing cities and towns right across the province with a total of $1 billion in grants to improve local roads and water facilities and build more community centres, trails and arenas, because as someone who is proud to call rural B.C. home, I know it’s not just our large cities facing big changes.

That’s why these grants are going to all 188 of B.C.’s municipalities and regional districts. This is part of our ongoing work to support rural communities, especially those that rely on B.C.’s forest industry and have been hit hard by the effects of pine beetle and wildfires, because we are at our strongest when everyone, rural and urban, shares in the benefits of a strong economy. In an uncertain world, you can be certain that our government has your back.

Budget 2023 responds to the priorities of British Columbians. We know you want health care you can count on. You want more affordable homes built faster. You want help with everyday costs and an economy that is clean and strong, and you want a safer and healthier community. This budget delivers for you.

Today we are taking another step forward toward a brighter future for all. People want to know that strong health care will be there when they need it. At the same time, coming out of the pandemic, health care workers have never been under greater stress. These challenges are not unique to B.C. That’s why our government and other provinces across the country have been working with Ottawa to help us deliver better health care for people.

There is more work to do. The federal proposal we received earlier this month provides stable funding for the next generation. Stability is good, but the status quo is not good enough. That’s why we’re not waiting. Our government is taking action now to deliver better health care for more people. This year’s budget builds on the work we’ve done, with an additional $6.4 billion dollars to strengthen and improve health care over the next three years.

We’re continuing to manage COVID-19 and flu levels by supporting the ongoing public health response. As our population increases and ages, we’re adding $2.6 billion over the plan to meet the growing demand for health services, including cancer care. Cancer has touched the lives of almost everyone in B. C. Its impact on patients, families and our struggling health care system is one of the greatest challenges we face. A few days ago, we shared new steps to deliver cancer care people can count on for themselves and their loved ones.

As part of our fight against cancer, this year’s budget commits $270 million over the next three years. We’re focused on improving access to screening, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, because nobody should be stuck waiting for a test result or urgently needed treatment. We’re also increasing compensation for the doctors pro­viding this life-saving care. It’s part of our work to recruit and retain more oncologists in British Columbia.

We know our health care system is only as strong as the people who keep it running. This year’s budget delivers a new deal for family doctors and supports B.C.’s health care work force. Nearly $1 billion for our health work force strategy will recruit, train and retain workers. We’re also adding 1,700 health care staff and training 3,000 more graduates. New bursaries and grants will make it more affordable than ever to start a career in health care. At the same time, we’re adding new resources to get more internationally trained doctors, nurses, and health care staff working and off the sidelines.

People understand that mental health is health. That’s why our government has made the largest investment in mental health and addiction services in B.C.’s history. It’s why we are opening more urgent and primary care centres around the province — which is how most people first access the mental health care they need — and it’s why we are building complex care housing for people living with addictions, severe mental health issues or brain injury.

[1:45 p.m.]

This year’s budget will get hundreds more units built and enhance health care supports at existing buildings. Our goal is to stop the cycle of evictions, shelters, emergency rooms and jails for those struggling with mental health and addictions, because we won’t stop working until all British Columbians get the help they need when they need it.

The budget delivers more than $1 billion in new funding, over three years, to support services and capital projects for mental health, addictions and treatment services. Our focus will be on expanding supports across the spectrum of care for people struggling with addiction. We’ll do this by expanding the number of treatment and recovery beds, by creating new recovery communities to support those who have gone through treatment, and by delivering wraparound services for youth and more Indigenous treatment centres.

This will all feed into our work to develop and implement a new model of seamless care, one that supports peo­ple through their entire recovery journey — from detox to treatment to aftercare. We’ll begin with new investments in Road to Recovery, in partnership with Providence Health and Vancouver Coastal Health. Our goal will be to expand the initiatives to other regions.

People may have heard of the Red Fish Healing Centre in Coquitlam, on the site of the old Riverview Hospital. It’s a first-of-its-kind facility in North America. At Red Fish, complex mental illness and addictions are treated simultaneously. With this year’s budget, we will expand the Red Fish model of care across the province with regional facilities, so that more people have access to those services closer to home.

Almost one month ago, B.C. became the first province to decriminalize people who use drugs, so they feel able to come forward to family, friends and medical professionals to seek help. We’re saving lives and delivering more services and supports at an unprecedented rate, because all of us know someone who has struggled or is struggling with an addiction. It could be a brother, sister, friend or parent. We also know that a health response is needed, not just a criminal justice one. This budget will provide specialized health care for people who need it.

When we think of what it means to build a good life in British Columbia, an affordable home is at the top of the list. For too long, the housing market worked well for investors, speculators and banks, but it did not work for everyday people. After 5½ years of work by our government, we are starting to see results: 40,000 homes are built or underway, and construction of new rental housing is at record levels, seven times what it was a decade ago.

In just the past few months, we’ve removed unfair strata restrictions that keep rentals empty, and we’re setting new housing targets with local governments, to keep pace with B.C.’s strong population growth. Still, new pressures coming out of the pandemic have left too many people struggling to find a decent home, even if they earn a good income. That needs to change, and it will.

This year’s budget will invest $4.2 billion to deliver homes of all kinds for all British Columbians. It is centred around a bold housing action plan, one that builds on our work and takes new steps to deliver more homes for middle-class families, for Indigenous peoples, for renters and for those in greatest need. We’ll clear the way for more housing, with zoning changes and a faster permitting process, and we’ll make major new investments to increase housing and services near public transit hubs around the province.

Our plan will also help to ease pressure on local rental markets by building thousands more student housing spaces. This is on top of the nearly 8,000 student beds already open or underway, from Okanagan College’s campuses in Kelowna, Vernon and Salmon Arm, to tripling the number of student homes at Abbotsford’s University of the Fraser Valley.

[1:50 p.m.]

I can’t forget my own stomping grounds. A few months ago we started work on new homes for students at Selkirk College’s Castlegar and Nelson campuses. The best part: these are all built using mass timber technology, which creates jobs and helps reduce carbon pollution.

It’s clear that homelessness is no longer just a big-city issue. What we see happening in communities and on streets throughout the province isn’t good for anyone, least of all for people who are living on the street or in dangerous encampments. This year’s budget will fund more supportive housing and strengthen existing programs which help vulnerable people keep their homes.

We’re adding hundreds more units of complex care housing, and we’re creating new regional teams to help any community dealing with a major encampment.

Whether I’m in Victoria or at home in the Kootenays, I often hear the same thing from my neighbours. People in B.C. are working harder than ever, but many feel like they’re just getting by, not getting ahead. If you’re renting your home, as almost one-third of British Columbians are, every month can feel like a stretch, never mind saving up for a down payment.

I hear you. Our government is working for you, whether you’re a young person looking for your first home away from home, a family wanting more space or a senior enjoying your retirement years. While some things, like interest rates, are out of our control, we can make other things a little better.

That’s why we launched a new $500 million rental protection fund to safeguard people against evictions and rent hikes while protecting rental buildings for many years to come. It’s why we are making new investments in B.C. Housing to upgrade older rental buildings while adding thousands of new rental homes, and it’s why we are introducing a new renter’s tax credit.

The new income-tested credit will put as much as $400 back into the pockets of low- and moderate-income renters. We expect this benefit will benefit more than 80 percent of renters right across B.C. The renter’s tax credit is just one way we are helping people with the costs of daily life.

We’re freezing basic car insurance rates for another two years, and we provided a $100 credit to reduce everyone’s power bill. More than 85 percent of people received the B.C. affordability credit in January, with some families getting up to $410, and just days ago, we announced another B.C. affordability credit coming in April. Adults will receive up to $164 more and children up to $41 more.

But we know there is much more work to do. Alongside putting money back in people’s pockets, a total of $4.5 billion in this year’s budget will help with the rising costs of essentials.

When it comes to essentials, having full control over your reproductive rights is at the top of the list. All too often, these fundamental rights are under attack, but not here in B.C. Starting April 1, prescription birth control is going to be free in British Columbia.

We know cost varies, but it really adds up. For someone who pays $25 a month for birth control pills, that’s $300 a year in savings and as much as $10,000 in savings over their lifetime. As a mom of two daughters and five granddaughters, I know the effect this is going to have on peo­ple’s lives in our province. This is a win for health, it’s a win for gender equity in our province, and it’s about time. The days of passing down these costs to women, trans and non-binary people are coming to an end.

For the families who feel like they are just getting by and never getting ahead, we’re here for you. This year’s budget delivers an important and permanent lift to the B.C. family benefit — a 10 percent increase. Now parents will receive up to $1,750 for the first child, $1,100 for the second and $900 for the third. For a family with two kids, the extra $250 per year can help buy healthy food, pay bills and enrol kids in extracurricular activities.

On top of the 10 percent increase, single parents will get as much as an extra $500 a year, because while global inflation is stretching most household budgets, it can be really tough for those already struggling to make ends meet. To tackle food insecurity, we’re providing stable funding to expand local school food programs so any child who needs a meal gets one.

[1:55 p.m.]

For post-secondary students, we are doubling the student loan maximums and increasing the amount students can make before they need to start repaying their loans.

To help British Columbians relying on income and disability assistance to make ends meet, we are providing more support. Income and disability rates will be in­creased, including a 33 percent lift to the shelter rate. This marks the fourth increase to rates since 2017. We expect it will benefit about 160,000 people, including 33,000 children, and help reduce homelessness. There’s always more to do. That’s why we’re beginning engagement to update our poverty reduction strategy for March 2024.

All too often, the work of caregivers is not given the respect or compensation that it deserves. This goes back to my previous life at Children and Families. To foster parents and those who look after some of B.C.’s most vulnerable people: thank you. You are changing lives, and we are here to support you. Starting this year, foster families will see their rates increase by 47 percent. This will help cover the rising cost of essentials like food, gas and clothing. Youth and kids in care deserve every opportunity to thrive.

Just as people need to know that a good life is in reach in B.C., they need to feel safe in their home and community. Budget 2023 backs our safer communities action plan with a commitment of $462 million over three years. On the enforcement side, we’re adding 250 more RCMP members to help keep people safe, especially in rural B.C. We’re implementing new response teams to track, arrest and prosecute repeat violent offenders. These teams are made up of police, dedicated prosecutors and probation officers.

To improve access to justice, we’re continuing to update the Police Act and adding more resources to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal. Over the next two years, another ten Indigenous justice centres will open their doors. This is in addition to those already serving people in Prince George, Prince Rupert, Merritt and online through an innovative virtual centre.

Addressing the overrepresentation of Indigenous peo­ple in the justice system is a top priority both for our government and for the B.C. First Nations Justice Council. Together we can break the cycle of jail and release. It begins with addressing the poverty, trauma and health issues that brought the person to the justice system in the first place.

When a person’s violent or disruptive behaviour results from mental health and substance use, they need support to get better. In addition to significant new investments across the spectrum of care, this year’s budget will expand the number of mental health crisis response teams. These include integrated mobile teams like the successful Car 87 program in Vancouver, which pairs up a police officer with a health worker.

Budget 2023 includes new funding to expand operating hours for the existing Peer Assisted Care Teams on the North Shore and in Victoria and New Westminster, and it’ll expand teams to new communities, beginning with three new communities this year. The budget also provides funding to engage on Indigenous-led civilian crisis response services so people in crisis are met early on by health care workers and people who understand what they’re going through. This will also free up police to focus on stopping crimes, which makes us all safer.

As we prepare for another year of strong population growth, it’s clear that B.C.’s strong and clean economy is attracting talent from around the world. That’s a good thing. We’re forecasting one million job openings in the next decade. People see opportunity here. I couldn’t agree more. We weathered the pandemic with one of the strongest recoveries in Canada. Vancouver’s tech sector is growing at the highest rate in North America.

Last year, we had record-breaking mineral exploration. Funding for a new critical minerals strategy in this year’s budget will continue to support the sector. B.C. is ready to deliver the essential materials needed to help transition away from fossil fuels and grow a clean economy, materials like copper, for conducting wind power; nickel, for batteries and electric cars; and so much more.

[2:00 p.m.]

We’ll continue to deliver while meeting B.C.’s exceptionally high standards. With global uncertainty on the horizon and one million jobs to fill in the next decade, the safest bet we can make is on the people of B.C., and that is what we’re going to do.

This year’s budget supports our government’s Future Ready plan coming this spring. It’s a plan to grow the most inclusive and talent-driven workforce in Canada. It responds to one of the biggest challenges we’re hearing from businesses: better access to more highly skilled workers. To start, we’re attracting new talent by speeding up the recognition of foreign credentials, so internationally trained professionals can get to work rather than sitting on the sidelines.

I think of Monique, who started her nursing career in the Philippines. She now has a good job caring for patients in B.C., but the path wasn’t straightforward. Monique is excited about our government’s changes to make it easier and faster for qualified, internationally educated nurses to work in our province. In Monique’s words, it will create more opportunities for skilled professionals like her and: “To establish lives here too. This will benefit everyone in B.C., because more nurses means better health care.” And I couldn’t agree more. We are grateful to Monique and so many others who are using their skills and talents to make B.C. a better place.

We’re also training the next generation of workers, with thousands more seats in high-demand fields — from health care to tech and veterinary medicine to early childhood education. We’re focused on getting more people with multiple barriers and underrepresented groups into the workforce. I believe that if someone wants to retrain or upgrade their skills, costs shouldn’t be a barrier. Our Future Ready plan will make sure of that.

We’re launching a new future skills grant to get people trained and working in high-demand fields. From programming and software development to trades, manufacturing and aquaculture, the new grant will help people access the skills they need to succeed today and in the years to come. At the same time, we recognize businesses have faced their share of difficulties, whether it’s uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, global inflation or the growing labour shortage. These are major and ongoing challenges, and responding to these needs is a key part of our Future Ready plan.

We’ll provide new funding to help small and medium-sized businesses implement solutions to today’s labour market challenges and prepare for a changing economy, because businesses aren’t just going to weather today’s storm, they’re going to come out of it stronger, backed by the diversity, skills and unique strengths from people right across the province.

When we think of tomorrow’s economy, sustainability and innovation are top of mind. In a world shaped by climate change, not only is this a necessity, it’s a competitive advantage. B.C. is more than ready to deliver. This year’s budget includes more than $1 billion dollars over the next three years to fight climate change by building more climate resilient communities — communities that will stand strong in any emergency, whether it be wildfires, heatwaves or atmospheric rivers. New investments this year will increase species emergency management capacity and help buy more firefighting equipment.

We must prepare for a changing climate, but we must also do our part to fight climate change, because the cost of doing nothing or not enough is too high for people and our environment. We will, guided by our government’s CleanBC Roadmap to 2030. It’s a continent-leading plan to reduce emissions while creating family-supporting jobs and strong communities.

Budget 2023 builds on our CleanBC commitments with new targeted investments in active transportation networks across the province. Additionally, the popular CleanBC go electric program will continue, as will pilot projects for heavy-duty electric vehicles, so transportation-based industries can shift away from fossil fuels.

B.C. has always been a leader in climate change and will continue to be in the years ahead, because fighting climate change will take all of us working together. Our CleanBC plan is a key part of Canada’s plan, which is part of a global solution to reduce emissions.

But ordinary British Columbians, who are already struggling with rising costs, can’t bear the cost burden alone. That’s why we eliminated the largest subsidy to big oil and gas companies and put the money back to work for people. That’s why, as the price on pollution rises, so too will the climate action tax credit. Budget 2023 will deliver more money to more households through an enhanced climate action tax credit. Where a family of four would have received a total of $500 last year, that same family will receive almost $900 starting in July.

[2:05 p.m.]

In 2030, we expect a significant majority of people who receive the credit will actually receive more than what they pay in carbon tax costs.

People here understand that our natural landscape is a source of incredible beauty. It’s also a wealth of economic opportunity when done sustainably and responsibly. It’s where we see the results of a new approach to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, whether it’s new agreements with the Blueberry River First Nations and other Treaty 8 Nations that find a new balance of environmental restoration and resource development or it’s the first consent-based decision-making agreement under the Declaration Act with the Tahltan.

We know what doesn’t work — endless court battles, short-term transactional relationships, litigation instead of negotiation and collaboration. The future lies in a rights-based partnership approach to decisions respecting land, water and resource stewardship. That is where we are focusing our work.

To advance our work on old growth and forest stewardship, we are tripling the number of forest landscape planning tables, including eight new planning tables. This will provide a greater opportunity for First Nations, local communities, workers and industry to come together and plan for the future of land management.

We’re also ramping up our investments to support innovation in the forest industry. Just a few weeks ago we doubled the B.C. manufacturing jobs fund to $180 million and opened it up to projects from around the province. This will help mills move away from old-growth logs and towards higher value-added wood projects like mass timber.

When natural resource projects meet our high stan­dards, we want shovels in the ground quickly. Delays are just unnecessary barriers to growth. This year’s budget will help speed up the permitting process for natural resources. Delays cost money, and they slow down our transition to a clean energy future.

Through this year’s budget, about 160 new staff will help move key resource and infrastructure projects forward, from connectivity to electrification and hydrogen power. They will also help reform the system so that it works better and faster, while maintaining B.C.’s. high standards.

We know anything built today must meet the demands of a changing climate and a growing population. It’s a high bar, and B.C. is ready to meet it with the largest infrastructure investment in our province’s history.

If you’re looking for good family-supporting work, British Columbia is the place to be. We’re creating jobs by building hospitals, from Lions Gate to Stuart Lake; by building schools in fast-growing areas; by building a fast, reliable transit network, including the Broadway subway and the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain; and by building homes for generations of British Columbians.

No matter where you live, be it rural or urban, there will be opportunities for you and your family. Brick by brick and board by board, we are building a brighter future for everyone who calls our province home. If there’s one thing we have learned through these challenging years, it’s this. Going it alone doesn’t work.

We are all in this together. A neighbour’s success is your success. A strong rural B.C. is our entire province’s success. A growing, secure and clean economy is a success for everyone today and in the years ahead.

These are your priorities, and they’re ours too. We are all better off when a good life is in reach for those who call B.C. home. That is a better, brighter future we all believe in, and that is the future Budget 2023 delivers.

P. Milobar: It’s nice, after three weeks of sitting in this chamber, to finally have something of substance to debate in this House.

[2:10 p.m.]

It is a privilege to stand here once again and deliver the initial response, on behalf of the official opposition, to Budget 2023.

I would like to thank the minister and her staff for their work to bring this budget forward for us, both as a collective of electeds and also for the broader public to be able to dive into and see just what this government is thinking over not just this year but the next two fiscal years moving forward.

It always does reveal the priorities of the government, but unfortunately, what we see in Budget 2023 is, frankly, a lot of the same as we saw in the previous six budgets introduced by this government through to…. [Applause.]

I think the applause led by the Premier says it all, Mr. Speaker, because this is another budget full of glossy marketing and large promises but very short on actual deliverables or tangibles and results that people can actually count on to improve their daily lives.

This is not a new government. When they keep talking about former governments, they need to look in the mirror, because the failures that we are dealing with as a province right now have been building up over the last 5½ years.

As I said, this is the seventh budget introduced by this government now in this House. And despite all seven budgets referencing record investments, what we see now is a record housing crisis, record rent levels, the worst health care and worst health care outcomes we’ve ever seen in this province, the worst mental health and addictions outcomes we’ve ever seen in this province and the worst cost of living pressures we have ever seen in this province. In fact, the crises are becoming such a regular and common occurrence in B.C., the word has actually started to lose some of its meaning.

British Columbians shouldn’t have to be living in anxiety day to day, wondering how they’re going to make ends meet moving forward. But that’s exactly what they’re doing. They’re worrying whether an ambulance they call will be able to get to their loved one in the case of an emergency, and then, if the ambulance does come, whether or not there’ll be a hospital or an emergency room open for that hospital to take them to in a timely fashion. I can remember when this Health Minister, for four years as the Health critic, would complain about 11-minute ambulance wait times. And now, under this government and these budgets, two-plus hours, sometimes a day wait seem to be acceptable.

Things have gotten worse, and nothing in this budget indicates they’re going to be moving forward in a better way. Results ultimately matter. The amount of the dollars spent in a budget do not automatically translate to a better outcome and a better result for the population.

I think we have to keep in mind when you hear about record levels of spending and you factor in the increase of the overall wage package for the existing complement of public service employees and subtract that out, a very large portion of the increase in spending is going to provide the exact same level of staffing and programs that we currently have in the here and the now.

I’ll touch on some of these as we move through. When we look at housing, the government’s response to housing was a 30-point plan that introduced 13 new taxes on the housing sector of various forms. What we have received for that 30-point plan in this budget is in alignment with the throne speech, no longer a recognition of the ten-year housing plan and no longer the recognition that 114,000 units is a target to be delivered by this government.

They’ve walked away from any measurement whatsoever on the housing front of what this government would consider a success. In fact, now you need to earn $268,000 a year to be able to afford a mortgage on an average home in Vancouver.

This government has effectively ended the dream of home ownership for an entire generation. So we hear about the much-talked-about, twice-election-promised $400 renters rebate. But the devil, as is always with this government, is in the detail.

[2:15 p.m.]

It’s fine that it’s income-tested. However, you have to earn under $60,000 to qualify for the full amount. No definition of what household income is for that $60,000. But I’m hard-pressed to understand how people renting right now are doing it alone if they’re making $60,000 or less. If they have roommates and their income adds together, does that mean they no longer qualify?

We’re not 100 percent sure yet at this point, because the detail was a little light. What we do know is that things like pad rentals for people that live in modular homes won’t qualify. You could be living in what is generally seen as lower-income housing on an affordable pad rental in an older modular home earning under $60,000 a year, and you won’t qualify for this government’s $400 renters rebate.

Why does this matter? Because I talked about the $268,000 needed to be able to afford a mortgage in Vancouver. To be able to afford the average rent under this government in Vancouver now, you need to have a household income of $150,000. That’s to be a renter. The much-talked-about renters rebate will not help very many people. It’s a little disingenuous by the government to once again oversell a project that has been six years in the making through two election promises and is going to once again severely underdeliver for people.

It’s also a refundable tax credit. I think that’s very important. Because, again, a $60,000 income threshold is important to remember. Because it’s on your provincial income taxes that it would be refunded, not on your federal income taxes. One would hope — I guess the province is hoping — that you’ve triggered enough tax, if you’re $60,000 or less in provincial taxes, that you’d actually get the full amount back.

We have a lot of question marks about this so-called $400 renters rebate that appears to be an effort by the government to get a broken promise off of their plate without actually truly delivering it. Again, this is a Premier that not too long ago said that you cannot tax your way to housing affordability. Well, we still have the 13 housing taxes there. Now, it is a flipping miracle that there’s not a flipping tax added to this, so we don’t have 14 right now. But I’m sure that that’s coming in the next budget.

General affordability. Let’s look at that. Now, housing is one element. But, again, the NDP has wildly missed the mark in this budget on general affordability. The price of groceries has gone up 10 percent in the last year alone. The so-called affordability measures in this budget are too little, too late, and we fully expect that they will be buried in red tape, as with most programs that this government has rolled out.

Mental health and addictions. We heard a lot today about mental health and addictions. It’s very disappointing to see in this budget how the plan will actually be rolled out. We had high hopes when we heard the Premier talking in his agreement on Better is Possible program, like we rolled out. We thought this would have a lot of similarities.

Unfortunately, when you get into the detail again, it doesn’t. Not only is it unclear just how many beds are going to be built in various regions of this province, but there are no actual capital dollars set aside for any projects over $50 million to be built anywhere in this province in this budget for mental health and addictions treatment centres. Now, given that the Red Fish is about a $131 million build, one would assume that even a smaller regional centre would be over $50 million, especially at the rate this government goes over budget on their capital projects.

There are no capital dollars identified in this budget for mental health and addictions centres as referenced in their new plan. Worse yet, it’s not a free access plan. It does not allow for people to access treatment centres that are currently for-profit with empty beds sitting there for the treatment they need in the here and now, immediately.

People will need to wait years for this government to get around to finally building the programs in this budget that they’ve announced before they can actually access the treatment they desperately need. It’s a life-and-death situation with empty beds sitting and no funding in this budget to allow for free, open access for people and their families in critical need.

[2:20 p.m.]

When we look at health care, again, the outcomes have never been worse. In fact, this morning, on the front page of the Vancouver Sun, it declared that B.C. has the worst cancer wait times in the country — the worst. We’ve been waiting years. We’ve had promises made, election after election, by this government, around cancer in particular. Passing reference to the new centres in Nanaimo and Kamloops — they garnered one part of one sentence in this budget, no capital dollars identified, despite three years down the road.

This is a government that took three years to finally present, in this budget, a ten-year cancer plan that was announced as part of an election three years ago, on something as critical as cancer, and no definable capital projects to go with it.

There is nothing in this budget that translates to better care for people based on the spending priorities this government has laid out. In fact, over the last six years under this government’s watch, we’ve actually seen a dramatic decline in cancer care and outcomes. We’ve seen wait-lists for a family doctor grow to one million British Columbians. We’ve seen over one million people now on the wait-list for diagnostic testing. We see an unprecedented number of levels of walk-in clinics closed, and we have the highest wait times for the remaining walk-in clinics to be opened. Yet what do we see? Nothing of substance in this that would indicate that over the next 12 months, there’s going to be meaningful change to anything along those lines.

Now, I recognize that staffing is an issue, but it’s an issue for all jurisdictions. When we’re being benchmarked against other jurisdictions, that’s the important part in this. That’s why it’s disappointing when you look at both health care promises and the actual results in this budget. You look at the mental health and addictions promises in this budget and the lack of accountability by this government on what they would consider a success as laid out in their budget. It’s disappointing.

Complex care beds were announced in this budget. The minister forgot to mention that, also in this budget, it says they will not be staffed. It will be a slow ramp-up of intake once they’re finally built. That’s simply not good enough. We need to have better planning and better access for people.

It’s also true that with the mental health and addictions, with the ramp-up of these regional treatment centres, the matrix of wait time to access to treatment, which at least one budget document fleetingly referenced was at 29.3 days, has now been completely removed from this budget document, moving forward.

Again, we don’t know what this government would consider a success with this budget for treatment services and access to treatment services, on how long someone is expected to wait, when they’re in crisis, to find treatment options for their addiction. Like with most things, this government does not want to be held accountable to those options.

Mr. Speaker, I apologize. I realized with the clock…. I am our designated speaker. I should have referenced that at the very beginning, but I won’t be two hours today. Don’t worry, everyone. I’ll just be a few more minutes today, and then I’ll finish up tomorrow.

Let’s look at capital projects quickly in this budget, or let’s look at what’s missing for capital projects in this budget.

Now, as we have seen, for almost any reasonably sized build now, a capital project is typically over $50 million in this province. When you go to the capital list of over-$50-million projects, it was shocking to find that despite all these record-level discussions, there are only four new capital projects in this year’s budget that are over $50 million — four. There are 21 on that list from last year’s list, which have now been either delayed or are over budget or both, but only four are added to this year’s list.

[2:25 p.m.]

What isn’t on that list? Well, there’s the Pitt Meadows Secondary School, the Mission high school and the Olym­pic Village elementary school. There are no schools for Surrey — Surrey, which was supposed to have portables eradicated by this government by 2020. None of that exists. Why is that important? Because there’s a finite number of British Columbians’ tax dollars that this government has to work with. It’s not an unlimited piggy bank. So when you see something like the Cowichan Valley hospital replacement go from $600 million to $1.45 billion, $850 million over budget, that’s an important piece to look at.

You could and should be building that hospital with the same workforce on it, getting it constructed for the people of the Cowichan. You should be building, at the same time, with that extra $850 million, the Pitt Meadows Secondary School and having people employed on that construction site, the Mission high school, the Kamloops cancer centre, the Nanaimo cancer centre and schools in various districts. But when you don’t effectively and efficiently manage your scarce capital resources, this is the outcome. This is the result we’re seeing from this government — four capital projects and 21 that are over budget and delayed.

If you look at public safety, again, we are just not seeing the results. In fact, in this budget, prolific offenders — sorry, they’ve been rebranded; they’re now repeat violent offenders — are referenced several times. You know what word doesn’t appear once in this budget? Victims, because there’s no support for victims in this budget.

In Vancouver, serious assaults with a weapon are causing serious bodily harm. They increased by 28.5 percent relative to pre-COVID numbers, 28.5 percent more victims. No recognition of that. Hate crimes based on religion and sexual orientation, 64 percent increase in those victims too. It goes on and on.

When we hear things like 250 more police officers coming to British Columbia, we agree with that. We’re not quite sure where the Solicitor General is going to find those 250 officers. By his own admission, and I would agree with him, over the last week and a half or so in this chamber, it’s pretty hard to find RCMP officers to bulk up complements for just retirees, let alone increase the complements.

It does make one wonder if that’s not the dragging of the feet, with the difference between the SPS and the RCMP in Surrey. It seems like there’d be a couple of hundred officers there to be able to be re-transferred around on the backs of the Surrey taxpayer, but we won’t know if that factors into this budget or not.

Near the end of this speech by the minister, the minister references permitting and resource development.

Now, it’s interesting that the resource revenues in this year’s budget are projected to be about the same as they were projected to be in last year’s budget, which means that on things like forestry, this government has projected for over a year that we were going to see a $1 billion drop in forest revenues and major impacts to the forest industry, and they have done precious little over that 12 months. Yet in this budget, we’re expected to believe that the hiring of 160 more people in the public service is going to expediate permitting and get things rolling.

[2:30 p.m.]

Yet when you look at the description of those hires, although it’s under the natural resource section in the budget — and the Premier talked about this in Prince George at the Natural Resources Forum, when he was talking about these people as well, so it makes sense it’s in the budget — they were actually tied to working on housing permitting and, one would assume, mainly in the metro areas of the province, not natural resource development.

If it’s a typo within the budget, I would hope the government would correct that. But again, we can only work off the documents the government has provided for us.

Now, we always get asked: “What do you like?” Well, of course, we support the prescription contraception for women in British Columbia. We do question why, fundamentally, something that that seems on the surface to be relatively easy to make the transition for took as many years of arm twisting as it did, given that there was full support around this chamber over the last few years. We will keep an eye out.

Interjections.

P. Milobar: No problem, Mr. Speaker. I know we’ve spent three days debating decorum in this House and how to make things better, but I guess we’ll add heckling the budget speeches to the list here on the first day.

We just hope that it comes as a truly easy-to-access program for young women in this province so that it is truly accessible, truly easy to get access to, and can move forward in the way that it’s intended, or at least how people would expect it to be intended.

Again, Mr. Speaker, this budget is frankly underwhelming. When you compare the dollars actually going out the door to the deliverables and the results the public could actually see, it’s a missed opportunity. It’s disappointing. This side knows that better is possible. Budget 2023, frankly, isn’t it.

I thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will reserve my time for tomorrow and move adjournment of the debate.

P. Milobar moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Introduction and
First Reading of Bills

BILL 10 — BUDGET MEASURES
IMPLEMENTATION ACT, 2023

Hon. K. Conroy presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2023.

Hon. K. Conroy: I move first reading of Bill 10, Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2023.

The bill consists of two parts. Part 1 amends two statutes in order to implement non-tax measures in Budget 2023. Amendments are proposed to the Balanced Budget and Ministerial Accountability Act to include the 2025-26 fiscal year in the period of fiscal years for which budget deficits are allowed to be forecast in the main estimates. This is consistent with similar amendments made over the last three years.

Amendments are also proposed to the Members’ Remuneration and Pensions Act to suspend salary adjustments for Members of the Legislative Assembly for fiscal years 2020-21 and 2023-24, in accordance with decisions of the Legislative Assembly Management Committee.

Part 2 amends a number of statutes in order to implement the tax measures in Budget 2023. Bill 10 amends the Income Tax Act to introduce a new renters tax credit for 2023 and subsequent tax years. The act is also amended to allow the income thresholds for the climate action tax credit to be prescribed by regulation.

The Income Tax Act is amended to permanently increase the B.C. family benefit starting in July 2023. The Income Tax Act is amended to extend two tax credits: the farmers food donation tax credit for three years and interactive digital media tax credit for five years.

The bill includes a number of technical amendments to the Income Tax Act. It implements previously announced changes to the pre-certification rules under the production services tax credit, adopts or clarifies the application of federal measures and modernizes the language for assessing information from other public bodies.

The Carbon Tax Act is amended to increase B.C.’s carbon tax rates by $15 per tonne annually from 2023 to 2030, clarify tax payable if fuel is not used for eligible purposes to receive a partial exemption and ensure that operations regulated by the new made-in-B.C. output-based pricing system that capture, store or sequester emissions can be exempt from tax.

[2:35 p.m.]

This bill contains amendments to the Greenhouse Gas Industrial Reporting and Control Act. These amendments set out the framework for a made-in-B.C. output price system that improves upon our current system. The amendments enable the made-in-B.C. OBPS, which will be brought into force for 2024.

This bill amends the Provincial Sales Tax Act to make a minor technical amendment that makes permanent a temporary correction that ensures heated tobacco products will continue to be subject to tobacco tax as well as the base 7 percent provincial sales tax.

The Provincial Sales Tax Act is also amended to clarify that the federal goods and services tax does not form part of the taxable purchase price of goods brought or sent into B.C. for use. It also clarifies that the federal luxury tax does not form part of the taxable purchase price or lease price of vehicles, boats and aircraft.

This bill amends several rules related to the collection obligation of online marketplace facilitators and the taxation of online marketplace services in the Provincial Sales Tax Act, to make the rules more clear, simple and consistent. The bill also authorizes retroactive regulations to exempt automated external defibrillators from PST.

It also authorizes retroactive regulations under the Motor Fuel Tax Act and the Financial Administration Act to ensure the correct calculation of interest on overdue payments under the international fuel tax agreement.

The Nisg̱a’a Final Agreement Act is amended to enable the Nisg̱a’a Nation to establish property tax exemptions for Nisg̱a’a citizens for property on Nisg̱a’a lands. This change will create flexibility for the Nisg̱a’a Nation to broadly determine when and if it is appropriate for property taxation to apply to Nisg̱a’a citizens on Nisg̱a’a lands.

The Treaty First Nation Taxation Act is amended to en­able treaty First Nations to establish property tax exemptions for treaty First Nation members or constituents for property on their treaty lands.

This bill also amends the Property Transfer Tax Act to exempt certain new purpose-built rental buildings from the further 2 percent property transfer tax applied to residential property values exceeding $3 million. Qualifying buildings must meet eligibility requirements, including containing at least four apartments, and offer every unit for rent, on a monthly basis or longer, for not less than ten years.

The bill also amends the Speculation and Vacancy Tax Act to clarify the definition of “corporate interest holder” in cases involving a receivership.

It amends both the Insurance Premium Tax Act and the Logging Tax Act to improve tax administration through the harmonization of offence and penalty measures, and by adding a mechanism for audit cost recovery fees in the case of out-of-province taxes. It also amends the Insurance Premium Tax Act to make electronic filing and payments mandatory.

Finally, hon. Speaker, the bill amends a number of tax and revenue statutes to harmonize confidentiality and to further protect information collected under those acts.

Mr. Speaker: Members, it’s first reading of Bill 10.

Motion approved.

Hon. K. Conroy: Hon. Speaker, I move that Bill 10 be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill 10, Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2023, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Tabling Documents

Hon. K. Conroy: I have the pleasure to rise to table government’s overall strategic plan and the Budget and Fiscal Plan 2023-24–2025-26, which together fulfil the requirements of sections 7, 8, 10 and 12 of the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act.

I also table, on behalf of the ministers responsible, the service plans as required under section 13 of the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act.

The service plan documents are presented in two binders. The first binder contains service plans for the Office of the Premier and 23 ministries.

The second binder contains service plans for 30 service delivery agencies and Crown corporations. The second binder includes a listing of organizations that are exempt from the reporting requirements of section 13 of the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act.

Mr. Speaker: The Minister of Finance will continue.

Presentation of Estimates

SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES FOR THE
FISCAL YEAR ENDING MARCH 31, 2023

Hon. K. Conroy presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: supplementary estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.

Hon. K. Conroy moved that the said message and the estimates accompanying the same be referred to the Committee of Supply.

Motion approved.

Government Motions on Notice

MOTION 21 — COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY
AND COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
TO SIT IN THREE SECTIONS

Hon. R. Kahlon: Hon. Speaker, I move Motion 21 of the sessional order authorizing certain proceedings of the House to be undertaken in three sections, designated Section A, Section B, Section C, standing in my name on the order paper.

[That, for the remainder of the current Session:

GENERAL

1. Certain proceedings of the House may be undertaken in three sections, designated Section A, Section B, and Section C, to be subject to the rules that follow.

2. Section A and Section C sit in such committee room as may be designated from time to time, and Section B sit in the Legislative Chamber.

3. Section A and Section C be authorized to examine all Estimates, and for all purposes be deemed to be the Committee of Supply, and that the Standing Orders relating to the consideration of Estimates in the Committee of Supply and to Committees of the Whole House be applicable to such proceedings, save and except that, during proceedings in Committee of Supply, a Minister may defer to a Deputy Minister to permit such Deputy to reply to a question put to the Minister.

4. Section A be authorized to consider bills at committee stage after second reading thereof, and for all purposes be deemed to be a Committee of the Whole House, and that the Standing Orders relating to the consideration of bills in a Committee of the Whole House be applicable to such proceedings.

5. Section A and Section B be authorized to examine all Estimates and any public bill appearing on the Orders of the Day at committee stage, which may be considered in the order determined by the Government House Leader in accordance with Standing Order 27 (2).

6. Section C be authorized to examine all Estimates, which may be considered in the order determined by the Government House Leader in accordance with Standing Order 27 (2).

7. Estimates or bills previously referred to a designated Section may at any time be subsequently referred to another designated Section, as determined by the Government House Leader in accordance with Standing Order 27 (2).

COMPOSITION

8. The Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Whole or their designate preside in Section A and Section C.

9. Section A consist of 11 Members, not including the Chair, being seven Members of the Government Caucus, three Members of the Official Opposition Caucus, and one Member of the Third Party Caucus.

10. Section C consist of 11 Members, not including the Chair, being seven Members of the Government Caucus, three Members of the Official Opposition Caucus, and one Member of the Third Party Caucus.

11. The Members of Section A be: the Minister whose Estimates are under examination or who is in charge of the bill under consideration and Hon. Lisa Beare, Garry Begg, Bob D’Eith, Hon. Ravi Kahlon, Hon. Selina Robinson, Hon. Niki Sharma, Dan Ashton, Trevor Halford, Renee Merrifield and Sonia Furstenau.

12. The Members of Section C be: the Minister whose Estimates are under examination and Michele Babchuk, Hon. Adrian Dix, Hon. Mike Farnworth, Hon. Rob Fleming, Hon. Bruce Ralston, Hon. Rachna Singh, Coralee Oakes, Tom Shypitka, Elenore Sturko and Adam Olsen.

13. Substitutions for Members of Section A and Section C be permitted with the consent of the Member’s Caucus Whip, where applicable, or otherwise with the consent of the Member.

14. Section B be composed of all Members of the House.

DIVISIONS

15. When a division is requested in Section A, the division bells shall be rung four times and the division shall proceed in accordance with Standing Order 16, as amended by Sessional Order adopted on February 6, 2023.

16. When a division is requested in Section B, the division bells shall be rung three times, at which time proceedings in Section A and Section C shall be suspended, and the division shall proceed in accordance with Standing Order 16, as amended by Sessional Order adopted on February 6, 2023.

17. When a division is requested in Section C, the division bells shall be rung five times and the division shall proceed in accordance with Standing Order 16, as amended by Sessional Order adopted on February 6, 2023.

18. If a division is underway in Section A or Section C at the time that a division is requested in Section B, the division in Section B be suspended until the completion of the division in Section A or Section C.

REPORTING AND COMPLETION

19. At 15 minutes prior to the ordinary time fixed for adjournment of the House, the Chair of Section A and Section C shall report to the House.

20. If a report from Section A or Section C includes the last Vote in a particular Ministry Estimate, after such report has been made to the House, Members of the Government Caucus shall have a maximum of seven minutes cumulatively, Members of the Official Opposition Caucus shall have a maximum of four minutes cumulatively, Members of the Third Party Caucus shall have a maximum of two minutes cumulatively, and Independent Members shall have a maximum of one minute cumulatively to summarize the Committee debate on that Ministry’s Estimates. Such summaries shall be in the following order:

a. Independent Members;

b. Third Party Caucus;

c. Official Opposition Caucus; and,

d. Government Caucus.]

Motion approved.

Hon. R. Kahlon moved adjournment of the House.

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

The House adjourned at 2:40 p.m.