Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS

S. Chant: I want to start out by acknowledging that I’m speaking on the territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən people, specifically the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations, and I thank them for the opportunity to live, work and learn here.

Additionally, I’m fortunate to live, work and learn on the unceded territory of the səlilwətaɬ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations when I am in my riding of North Vancouver–Seymour.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

This morning I stand to speak on accessibility stan­dards, and I’ve had the support and assistance of one of our interns who has studied accessibility at Western University and has her undergraduate degree in accessibility studies, Alexa Van Cuylenborg. I’m grateful to her for the help and support she’s given me in doing this statement.

[10:05 a.m.]

I am honoured to stand before you today to discuss the remarkable progress we’ve made in implementing the Accessible B.C. Act.

In June of 2021, the Accessible B.C. Act was passed in partnership with people with disabilities and the broader community to identify, remove and prevent barriers to ensure the full and equal participation of people with disabilities in British Columbia.

The act came about following wide-ranging consultation in 2019. It builds on the accessibility legislation of Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia, while complementing the federal Accessible Canada Act.

Part 3 of the act mandates that the government and prescribed organizations establish an accessibility committee, accessibility plan and a feedback mechanism. The government has created B.C.’s three-year accessibility plan, Accessible B.C., which outlines how ministries will make government programs and services more accessible. Government has also launched an accessibility feedback tool so people can report the barriers they experience accessing government programs and services.

Certain public sector organizations, including munici­palities, regional districts, school districts, post-secondary institutions, municipal police departments and public libraries were required to follow the example our government has set by establishing their own accessibility plan, committee and feedback tool by September 1, 2023.

Last week I had the privilege of visiting UVic and witnessing firsthand the remarkable progress their access­ibility committee is doing to create an accessible learning environment for all. For example, UVic conducted an accessibility audit, which included a broad range of consultation, assisting them in prioritizing certain buildings for retrofitting and designing universal design learning resources for students.

The acceleration program that they established in 2024 has established accessibility training for all IT developers and support staff, as well as a re-evaluation of all their IT support materials to ensure plain language, universal design and website accessibility. UVic is a shining example of the work being done by so many organizations to integrate accessibility into their everyday practices.

We are supporting organizations to comply with regula­tions and become accessible by developing resources, hosting training and offering guidance. Local governments can also apply for grants of $25,000 once they’ve complied with the regulations for any accessibility projects recommended by their accessibility committee.

The government is currently implementing part 4 of the Accessible B.C. Act by developing accessibility standards in collaboration with the provincial accessibility committee. PAC was established under the Accessible British Columbia Act in the summer of 2021 and is a government advisory committee pivotal in developing and recommending accessibility standards.

The provincial accessibility committee has created standards that seek to remove barriers, whether they are physical barriers, communication barriers, policy barriers or even barriers created by people’s attitudes. In empha­sizing barriers rather than focusing on a specific disability type, we recognize the diversity of the disability community.

PAC, alongside technical committees who work to assist PAC, is designed to incorporate a wide range of diversity. This is to ensure that the standards are inclusive by having a diverse lens of perspectives and lived experiences.

To ensure diverse perspectives are incorporated into standards, engagement with Indigenous peoples and partners has taken place on a regular basis and is ongoing. This includes overviews of draft sections of the standards and options to engage in policy development and provide feedback.

The accessibility standards also consider intersectionality. These standards will benefit other equity-deserving groups and can help advance the implementation of DRIPA, support anti-racism work and make B.C. more inclusive to newcomers.

Service delivery and employment accessibility were identified as excellent places to start for our first two standards, as we can build on the experience, success and learnings of other provinces’ legislation in these areas, to ensure that the B.C. standards are based in best practice. For accessibility service delivery, PAC is proposing standards to ensure that all events, activities and the process of buying goods are provided in accessible ways that promote the inclusion of people with disabilities.

These recommendations target barriers within organizations both in the physical and the virtual environment. The standard aims to empower people with disabilities and ensure self-determination. For example, they address barriers in the physical environment by requiring organizations to provide information about and photos of their publicly accessible physical environments, a trick we learned from Parks B.C.

[10:10 a.m.]

For the employment accessibility standard, PAC has developed recommendations for accessible and inclusive employment, which cover the entire employment spectrum, from recruitment through training through retention. Key features of the standard include informing potential job applicants that reasonable accommodations are available upon request at each stage during the recruitment cycle and ensuring that workplace accommodations are a collaborative process with as few barriers as possible to succeed.

PAC also recognizes the diverse range, size and scope of provincially regulated organizations and is working to define the recommended scope of application for these standards. We hope the standards will support employers to understand how to fulfil their legal obligations.

Key considerations as we develop standards are: that standards can be reasonably applied to organizations across a broad range of the public and private sector, that they do not place unreasonable or disproportionate costs or compliance burden on any one person or organization and that they are reasonably resilient to changing technology and social context.

D. Davies: I’d like to thank the member opposite for raising this important issue today.

I would like to take a moment to emphasize the reality that people living with accessibilities and disabilities face in British Columbia. In fact, one in five British Colum­bians lives with a disability. Probably every single person in this room knows someone or has a loved one that is facing these similar challenges.

These disabilities are visible or invisible, each of them presenting common and distinct challenges, such as barriers to accessing essential services, stigmatization and discrimination. People living with disabilities deserve to live full lives and become active members in our communities. Yet these persistent barriers mean that this goal is far from being realized.

We need to improve accessibility standards at all stages of life. This means raising the standards to support people living with disabilities and/or accessibility challenges — whether it be in schools, post-secondary institutions or in the workplace — in the way that we organize our society and treat others overall.

As a representative of a rural riding, Peace River North, I’ve seen firsthand the issues that are facing people with disabilities and how they’re exacerbated in our smaller rural communities. In fact, just a little story about a young woman: her name is Kristi Leer. She lives in Fort Nelson. She faced a horrific accident a few years ago and had a spinal cord injury.

Now, this didn’t stop Kristi from becoming a fierce advocate in her community and across British Columbia for people with accessibility issues, people that have disabilities. The community stepped up and wrapped around her. Kristi went on to form a group called Step Up and is working with these smaller rural communities to help them become more accessible.

However, the challenge that is faced by rural British Columbians is the service levels that people that live in smaller rural communities have trouble facing. In fact, sadly, Kristi has had to locate, most of the time, in Edmonton because she cannot get the services that she needs in Fort Nelson.

Now, unfortunately, Kristi’s story is not isolated to Fort Nelson. This happens across British Columbia in rural and more remote communities. The lack of specialized services for individuals with accessibility challenges is forcing them to travel long distances or to relocate altogether.

The lack of transportation within and between northern communities presents a real challenge when you’re facing extreme weather, mountainous roads. This puts up even more barriers for people that live in these areas to access the services that they need.

The gaps in health outcomes that result from these barriers are unacceptable. Rural British Columbians continue to be neglected or ignored in many of these conversations, and the most vulnerable members of our communities, including people with disabilities, are paying the price. Also speaking of paying the price, British Columbia is one of the most expensive places to live in the entire country.

[10:15 a.m.]

We’re experiencing an affordability crisis. The cost of essentials like groceries, rents and gas continues to soar. Over half of British Columbians are $200 away from insolvency. As you can imagine, this is even more impactful for people with disabilities.

Disability assistance in B.C. is not keeping up with the rising cost of living. Recipients of these benefits are living far below the poverty line, forcing them to make impossible decisions, like choosing between groceries or medications or the services that they need. People with disabilities have significantly higher rates of poverty and unemployment than the overall population.

The provincial government isn’t providing them with all the supports that they need and that they deserve. The persistence of poverty in our communities, especially among the most vulnerable, is a clear indicator that their current approach is not working. A new direction is needed. We need to create a future where disability is not synonymous with poverty.

The problem will not be solved by expanding bureaucracy without any real results to show for it. British Columbians with disabilities are tired of these endless task forces and advisory committees. We need to make sure — and it’s essential — that we are standing up and supporting people with disabilities.

It’s not just about policies. It is about improving the lives of real people.

S. Chant: Thank you to the member for his thoughtful comments. We are all on the same page in this area — absolutely. There is work to be done, and we will continue to do that work.

Through the standards, we are creating a foundation that can be built upon through subsequent phases of the implementation of the Accessible B.C. Act. The next step for the PAC is to consult with the public on draft accessibility standards that have been developed and revise these standards in response to public and stakeholder engagement. That public consultation will be initiated during AccessAbility Week 2024, which is the last week of May.

We have implemented a phased approach to consultation on these standards. For phase 1, which ran from January to March, we held approximately 50 sessions with trusted partners and stakeholders to receive initial feedback on the draft standards and to create awareness of the upcoming public consultation. We have used the information gathered from this phase to design a public consultation that will ensure meaningful participation and engagement.

The public consultation will start at the end of May and continue throughout the summer. I will be asking everyone in this House to amplify that work so that we can get as broad as possible information back. We will be reaching out to several audiences in upcoming consultations, including organizations that could be impacted by future regulation, people with disabilities and their advocates, and the general public.

The opportunities for everyone to share their input will include regional virtual town hall sessions, small group sessions, direct submission and online engagement. We have heard great enthusiasm from the public, who are eager to engage on the accessibility standards. We’re looking forward to receiving the public input on the standards and learning from that engagement.

People with disabilities are pillars of communities and important to the fabric of British Columbia. Accessibility benefits everyone. These regulations will affect everyone, disabled or not. I implore everyone to take part in this consultation and share your perspective on how to make B.C. accessible.

I was very fortunate last week to provide opening greetings and remarks at the Pan-Canadian meeting of disability representatives from across Canada, which, I am delighted to add, the folks from our accessibility directorate are chairing and have been chairing and co-chairing. They’ve done remarkable work.

All of this work is, actually — dare I say it? — trying to dovetail together, so that we’re working as a nation as well as a province to lift everybody up and to provide something that allows the folks with accessibility needs to have those needs met in a dignified and effective and methodical fashion.

I am looking forward to all of that work being completed, but it is a ways down the way yet.

RED DRESS DAY

C. Oakes: Yesterday was national missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit awareness day, also known as Red Dress Day.

[10:20 a.m.]

This is a day that should not have to exist. But we must take time not only today but every day to acknowledge that there are far too many lost women, girls and two-spirit people in our communities.

Today I am wearing red in this House to remember the thousands of lives that have been lost. And I want to take a moment to acknowledge our B.C. United intern for her work on this statement today.

The colour red symbolizes both vitality and violence. Red is also significant as in many Indigenous nations, it is said to be the only colour that spirits can see. This colour can be used to call the spirits of those who have passed back to reconnect with their loved ones.

We wear red today in hopes that we may help reunite those lost spirits with their families and as a renewed commitment to work to protect communities every day.

In rural parts of the province of B.C., particularly along the Highway of Tears, a length of the Yellowhead Highway 16 that stretches through several northern commun­ities….

These communities are represented by a number of members here in this Legislature. Over 20 nations border this section of highway. It is an area where numerous women, girls and two-spirit people have gone missing or have been murdered.

While this epidemic of gender-based violence facing our Indigenous communities is not unique to northern British Columbia, the devastation and anger felt over these losses is immeasurable to the families. We will not forget your loved ones.

Today I read into the official record of the province of British Columbia a list of your loved ones. From my riding north along the Highway of Tears, I want to recognize that there are too many lost sisters.

Today I honour, I remember and I will not stop fighting for justice for the following list of women.

Leah Marie Faulkner.

Jean Kovacs.

Roswitha Fuchsbichler.

Nina Joseph.

Marnie Blanchard.

Donna Charlie.

Maureen Sullivan.

Therese Umphrey.

Alisha Germaine.

Sheila Kinequon.

Christine Kinequon.

Wendy Ratte.

Amanda Simpson.

Tracey Jack.

Savannah Hall.

Ada Brown.

Doreen Jack.

Helen Frost.

Nicole Hoar.

Candace Kalmokoff.

Aielah Saric-Auger.

Melanie Dawn Bowman.

Mary George.

Jill Stuchenko.

Beverly Warbrick.

Brittany Geise.

Cynthia Maas.

Linda Fredin.

Anita Florence Thorne.

Roberta Sims.

Jessie Lines.

Chrystal Chambers.

Christin West.

Ehr Anderson.

Roxanne Thiara.

Tracey Clifton.

Michelle Pare.

Ginny Sampare.

Monica Ignas.

Coreen Thomas.

Mary Hill.

Alberta Williams.

Cecilia Nikal.

Kimberely Dumais.

Helga Rochon.

Sherri Rochon.

Pauline Rochon.

Delphine Nikal.

Ramona Wilson.

Lana Derrick.

Hazel White.

Linda le Franc.

[10:25 a.m.]

Monica McKay.

Helena Jack.

Barbara Ann Joseph.

Margaret Nooski.

Kayla McKay.

Stephanie Donnelly.

Tamara Chapman.

Emmalee McLean.

Bonnie Joseph.

Chassidy Charlie.

Madison Scott.

Maria Rego.

Loren Leslie.

Destiny Rae Tom.

Mary Basil.

April Johnson.

Tara Lee Williams.

Shauna Sam.

Chantel Simpson.

Jessica Patrick.

Shirley Williams.

Frances Brown.

Cynthia Martin.

Laureen Fabian.

Joy Morris, from my riding.

Mary Mae Dick.

Barbara Ann Lanes.

Julie Oakley Parker.

Natasha Lynn Montgomery.

Jessica Rae Newman.

Carmelita Abraham.

Mary-Jane Jimmy.

Julia Batiste.

Deena Lynn Braem.

Dorothy McLaughlin.

Gloria Moody.

Sandra Rose Boyd.

Tiff McKinney.

Pamela Darlington.

Gale Weys.

To the families of these women, girls and two-spirit individuals, we are heartbroken for your losses, and we’re committed to fighting to bring you justice.

N. Simons: I just want to start by acknowledging and thanking my friend and colleague from Cariboo North for that powerful statement on such an important subject that has truly captured British Columbians, as we commemorate the deaths and the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and acknowledge the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

The issue is, obviously, one that every community feels grief over. As I came down from the territory of the Tla’amin people yesterday, I drove through a park and saw the dresses on the trees, ready to be borne witness by those who march past.

As I passed through the K’ómoks Nation, I saw the dresses hanging, as well, to commemorate and remember the past and to remind us of the important work that we need to continue to do.

I’d like to particularly acknowledge the shíshálh community. The community was the home to Cheryl Joe. Cheryl Joe was murdered in 1992, and soon thereafter, I became the director of health and social services in that community.

When we talk about these women and girls, it is important that we always remember that they are part of family, part of community, and to know the strength required for families to bear the terrible burden of their loss and, from that, to create strength and to think not just of their loss but of preventing the losses for other community members.

I think of Cheryl’s three boys. I can’t help but admire their ability to not just get through their day-to-day lives but to actually think about the importance of children in their community and the importance of creating a circumstance for their friends and their families’ children that is different from those of the past.

[10:30 a.m.]

We need to always remember that we need to reduce the vulnerability of children and young people. We do that by ensuring that the capacity is there to elevate, to strengthen, to nurture. When we do that as a community, we are doing what is necessary to respond to the tragic stories. When we work towards bettering our communities, giving strength to those who feel weak, we are attempting, making the efforts necessary to redress.

I think of Cheryl’s death. It resulted in the February 14 march, 34th year. I think of her sons. I think of her aunties, her cousins, who are all part of that movement to bring strength, to bring courage and to remind one another and all of us of the importance of doing what we can with the voices that we have to strengthen those who need strengthening, to comfort those who need comforting and to live with and hold hands with those who are left to bear those burdens.

I thank the member opposite for bringing to mind the names of those who’ve been lost. As we do so, we think of their Elders, and we think of their families, and we think of their descendants. We do so with love, and we do so knowing that we have work to do to continue to strengthen communities and to keep them close.

I thank the member for her statement.

C. Oakes: I want to thank the hon. member from Sunshine Coast for reminding us all of the power of our voices and the power of community.

The community of my riding came together over this weekend in support of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. Volunteers from the Quesnel Tillicum Society Native Friendship Centre distributed over 300 dresses around Quesnel that line streets, homes and businesses and hung at the entrance of the footbridge over our Fraser River. Each of these dresses was smudged before being displayed to honour the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit individuals.

A prayer and acknowledgment for those lost were also held at the Quesnel Women’s Memorial Monument before a walk to Spirit Square for the opening ceremony, including a prayer, smudging, drumming and traditional healing.

At the memorial monument, we also acknowledged the other women missing and murdered from our community. I want to read their names into the official record of the province of British Columbia.

Amanda Kimberly Gore.

Janice Hackh.

Mary Agne Thomas.

Eva Eileen Baker.

Caitlyn Avril Murray.

Barbara Anne Smith.

Cathy Mundle.

Santok Johal.

Jessica Yager.

I also want to draw attention to the two missing Indigenous women from Dawson Creek.

We took the time at this event to set up identification kits. For those who are unfamiliar with identification kits, they collect fingerprints and hair samples, which are then given to a trusted person to safeguard in a freezer should they go missing.

It’s reprehensible that not only as a province but as a country we’re in a place where we have lost so many people in this way that this kit is something that people need to think about creating. This should shatter our hearts and fill us with desire to do better. It is our collective duty to work tirelessly to make communities safer so that never again will an Indigenous woman, girl or two-spirit person have to create an identification kit.

[10:35 a.m.]

Before I take my seat, I would like to tell my community: if you have any information that can help bring justice to these people and their families, please call Crime Stoppers’ tip line or the Quesnel RCMP. These women, girls and two-spirit individuals and their families deserve justice. If you do not want to go to the RCMP, drop something off at our office.

Justice is needed for all of these families.

CHILD CARE MONTH

M. Babchuk: Good morning, everyone. I just want to start by saying thank you to both the speakers that spoke on that very important topic this morning, and thank you very much for bringing that to us today.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to stand up today and talk about an important topic that’s especially important to me, and that is child care. The month of May is Child Care Month in B.C. It’s a time to pay tribute to the unsung heroes who dedicate their lives to taking care of our children when we are unable to.

For too long, access to affordable child care has been a struggle for many families and often treated as a luxury rather than a necessity. Thankfully, through many great initiatives, we are changing that narrative. Through our commitment to ChildCareBC, this government is laying a foundation for a future where access to affordable, quality and inclusive child care is not just a dream but a reality, a core service that families can depend on.

Affordable child care isn’t just about balancing the family budget. It’s about changing lives. It’s about giving children the best possible start in life, providing them with a nurturing environment where they can learn, grow and thrive. It’s not just families who benefit from affordable child care. It’s also good for our communities and vital for our economy.

Since the creation of ChildCareBC in 2018, this government has made significant strides in all facets of our child care plan. Let’s take a moment to reflect on that progress.

Our child care affordability programs are making a tangible difference in the lives of families across the province. Average child care fees have plummeted from $45 a day to approximately $18, thanks to initiatives like the child care fee reduction and the $10-a-day ChildCareBC program. In addition to more than 15,000 spaces in the $10-a-day ChildCareBC program, over 143,000 children are benefiting from reduced child care fees, with families saving up to $900 per month for younger children and $145 per month for school-aged children.

When combined with the affordable child care benefit, many families are paying $10 a day or less for child care, including those not participating in the $10-a-day child care program. The affordable child care benefit is an income-tested provincial program providing up to $1,250 per month, per child to help eligible low- and middle-income families with their child care costs.

Families making less than $45,000 per year may receive the maximum affordable child care benefit, paying nothing out of pocket for their child care. Families making as much as $111,000 per year may be eligible to receive additional child care support through the affordable child care benefit. An average of 35,000 children have received support through the province’s affordable child care benefit each month so far, in 2023 and 2024.

Access to quality child care is essential to families, and we are committed to expanding access across the province. Since 2018, we’ve funded the creation of over 37,000 new licensed child care spaces, with more than 18,000 already open and providing care for children. Our focus is on long-term community investments that are run by public and not-for-profit institutions, ensuring sustainability and accessibility for all families.

Quality child care is about more than just spaces. It’s about people who make those spaces come alive, the dedicated early childhood educators, affectionately referred to as ECEs, and other providers. We’ve taken action to recruit and retain ECEs by enhancing wages, providing better access to training and professional development and streamlining pathways for international ECEs to become part of this sector, because when our ECEs thrive, our children thrive.

[10:40 a.m.]

That’s why we continue to work to recognize, support and uplift the ECEs, including the wage enhancement of $6 per hour and increased professional development opportunities. We are making life more affordable for hard-​working families in B.C. and supporting the child care sector that enables people to pursue opportunities and make life better for British Columbians.

Every child deserves a chance to reach their full potential, regardless of their background or abilities. That’s why we’re committed to supporting inclusive child care that meets the diverse needs of all children. Through enhanced funding, through programs like supported child development and Aboriginal supported child development, we’re ensuring that every child has access to the care and support that they need.

Our commitment to Indigenous-led child care is unwavering. Since 2018, we’ve supported the creation of over 2,000 Indigenous-led child care spaces, with partnerships that prioritize culture, language and community need. We’re working hand in hand with First Nations, Métis and Inuit organizations to build a child care system that honours and respects Indigenous cultures and traditions.

A couple of weeks ago I was given the opportunity to stand up and talk about a wonderful initiative that’s happening in the North Island. There are different models of child care across the province, but I’d like to once again highlight the collaborative work that’s happening between school district 72 and CUPE 723 to bring before- and after-school care to the footprint of seven elementary schools in the district. It just makes sense. It allows for continuity for students and provides ease to parents, with one drop-off and pickup place. The joint initiative is going to provide an additional 210 before- and after-school spaces across the district.

I’d just like to once again thank everyone for their dedication to students, families, educational assistants and early childhood educators in Campbell River and on Quadra Island. It’s my hope that we will explore this model more, not only through school district 72 but also through B.C.

I will take my seat now and hear the comments from the members opposite, but I am excited to stand up again and talk about the government’s child care initiatives that are changing lives for families in the North Island.

T. Halford: I want to thank the member that just spoke before me for bringing such a critical issue to the floor of the House today.

Child care is foundational. It’s foundational to our society, supporting families, enabling parents to work and providing essential early experiences for our youngest citizens. During Child Care Month, we take this opportunity to assess the state of child care in our province and talk about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. It’s no secret that in British Columbia today, we are facing a severe shortage of accessible and affordable child care options. It’s a pressing issue that significantly affects our families and can ultimately undermine our economic stability.

An alarming 64 percent of young children live in areas known as child care deserts, where the demand for child care far exceeds the available spaces. Furthermore, 75 percent of children in the province lack access to licensed child care programs. Less than 10 percent of child care spaces are $10 per day — less than 10 percent. Together these statistics underscore the critical barriers families face in obtaining quality, affordable child care, which underscores the urgent need for solutions.

How do we improve the situation? We must critically examine how federal funds intended to enhance child care expansion and affordability are managed. This year we’ve seen that the initial strategies for fund distribution were highly flawed, leading to significant implementation challenges. In other words, it’s a bureaucratic nightmare for parents and for providers, with the ultimate suffering going to children who are not able to access these spaces at affordable rates. For these funds to have the impact intended, we must overcome the bureaucratic obstacles and improve transparency and accountability in their allocation and their use.

[10:45 a.m.]

Other issues are threats to private child care providers, predominantly women-owned child care small businesses, which are vital to our child care system. Delivering half the spaces in our province, despite their crucial role, current policies have put these providers at risk by excluding them from opportunities.

We have talked in this House, on this side, about a commitment to rectifying the current crisis by delivering tangible results and establishing strong partnerships with non-profit, public and private providers. We are dedicated to transforming empty promises into actionable outcomes that provide the crucial support and access our family needs. Our objective is clear. Every child in our province should have access to quality child care. This involves not only increasing the number of available spaces but also ensuring that these spaces are affordable and meet the diverse needs of our individual and respective commun­ities.

We must strive to create a robust child care infrastructure that supports economic growth and provides essential support to families. The ultimate goal is to provide the best possible start in life for our children, to support families in their varied needs and to foster a future where every child and every family in British Columbia can thrive.

M. Babchuk: Thank you for the comments from the member opposite. I want to use the rest of my time today to speak about all of the great child care initiatives we’ve made in my riding of the North Island.

First and foremost, let’s talk numbers. We’ve invested a staggering $60,022,205 in various child care programs from 2018 to 2023. These include initiatives like the child care operating fund, the affordable child care benefit, wage enhancement programs and $10-a-day child care. This substantial investment underscores our unwavering dedication to providing accessible, affordable, inclusive and high-quality child care to families across the region.

But here’s the real testament to our progress. From 2018 to 2023, $22,745,728 has been directly returned to the pockets of parents. This figure represents more than just a monetary value. It symbolizes the relief and support we’ve extended to hard-working parents, enabling them to pursue their careers and livelihoods with peace of mind, knowing their children are in safe hands.

These efforts have translated into tangible outcomes on the ground. We’ve established 269 new child care spaces through the new spaces fund and start-up grant programs, addressing the pressing need for increased capacity in our communities. Additionally, the implementation of $10-a-day spaces has been a game-changer, with a monthly average of 642 families benefiting from the affordable option in 2023.

Furthermore, our commitment to recognizing and valuing early childhood educators is reflected in the wage enhancement program. A total of $688,999 has been allocated to enhance the wages of these dedicated professionals, with an average of 127 early childhood educators receiving this support every month. By investing in their well-being, we ensure a skilled and motivated workforce that can provide the best possible care for the education of our children.

The progress we’ve made for child care in the North Island is nothing short of remarkable. It’s a testament to our collective dedication to the well-being of our children and families and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive in a nurturing and supportive environment.

This work is far from over. As we celebrate Child Care Month in B.C., let us recommit ourselves to the vision of a province where every child has access to affordable, quality and inclusive child care. Together we can build a brighter future for our children, our families and our communities.

[10:50 a.m.]

POST-SECONDARY SAFETY

M. Lee: I rise to speak to my motion relating to and supporting safety at our post-secondary institutions and campuses.

As the member for Vancouver-Langara, I’ve spoken about this and advocated for many, many months, including since October 7, with the horrific attack by the Hamas terrorists. We’ve seen at Langara College Prof. Natalie Knight make statements to glorify the heinous and bar­baric terrorist attack by the Hamas at the Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza on October 28.

There was a process that Langara College followed in reviewing that, but we know that even on that campus, in the riding that I represent, Vancouver-Langara, most recently there have continued to be protests that have threatened the safety of students on that campus, to the extent where, because there’s no place to protest indoors, students have been blocked from attending their classes. We’ve had a report from a young woman who had to hide in the washroom at Langara College because of the fear and intimidation she felt, and she had to miss her class.

At the University of British Columbia, where I’ve been a former student body president and chair of the alumni board, I focused a lot of my attention, as well, with the new president of UBC. I wrote to him back in December, as I did with Langara College in November, to call out to ensure that our university and colleges are utilizing their codes of conduct to ensure that students, staff and faculty feel safe in these places of learning.

I know that even when we saw Hillel House being under attack — incidents of trespass; a protest at Hillel House, a safe place for Jewish students at UBC — this government, in the face of a proposed student referendum, did nothing in that. The University of British Columbia, like all of the other post-secondary institutions that are public, reports to the Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.

I wrote to the former minister back in December to encourage this government to hold our universities and colleges accountable to be places of learning, to be free from that intimidation. We know now that we’ve seen the spread of encampments on universities — UBC, now UVic, Vancouver Island University on the Nanaimo campus. In the face of that, the government continues to do nothing.

We’ve seen Charlotte Kates arrested for hate speech at a rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery, who recently praised the October 7 massacre of Jews by Hamas, and is supporting these encampments on behalf of Samidoun. Samidoun has received government funding despite direct ties, as a listed terrorist entity in Canada, to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, otherwise known as the PFLP.

While McGill University has requested police assistance to protect student safety and the Quebec Premier had supported that, this provincial government continues to do nothing here in B.C.

When I wrote to both the Minister of Post-Secondary Education and the current president of UBC in December, I noted, under UBC’s Discipline for Non-Academic Misconduct: Student Code of Conduct that “physically aggressive behaviour, assault, harassment, intimidation, threats or coercion; conduct that threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person; conduct that creates conditions that endanger the health, safety or well-being of any person; engaging in a course of vexatious conduct, harassment or discrimination that is directed at one or more specific persons and that is based on any of the protected grounds under the B.C. human rights code; and engaging in unwelcome or persistent conduct that the student knows, or ought to reasonably know, would cause another person to feel demeaned, intimidated or harassed.”

[10:55 a.m.]

These are exactly the kinds of threats and intimidation that are occurring at the encampment at UBC right now. Now we’re in day 5 or day 6, yet this government does nothing to ensure that these publicly funded institutions are accountable to enforce their codes of conduct. They clearly need the help. The Vancouver police department doesn’t have jurisdiction on the University Endowment Lands. This provincial government does. It has the level of accountability.

We know there are faculty, student and staff guide­lines, as well, relating to UBC’s policy No. 3, discrimination and harassment. These are the policies that need to be enforced by the University of British Columbia. In addressing antisemitism on campus, as I’ve continued to call for, over the last seven years in British Columbia, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition for antisemitism needs to be adopted and fully implemented in this province, and it is not — nor on these university campuses as well.

We know that under that definition, “denying the Jewish people their right of self-determination…by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavour,” or “calling for, aiding or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion” are also antisemitic.

We need to have a clear understanding of antisemitism in this province. This government continues to fail in that. We need to ensure that those students are safe, because in a civil society, it affects all of us. When one person in any community is targeted for their identity or for who they are, we cannot stand for that in this province. We need a government to ensure that our students, our faculty and staff are safe and free from harassment and intimidation on our campuses and to deal with these encampments on these universities right now.

I encourage the government to do so, and I look forward to the response from the government.

A. Singh: Absolutely, we do need to recognize this. I’ve seen the story played before. You cannot conflate the criticism of a state with antisemitism. That’s the first point. I’ve seen this story before. When I was a young, young man in the ’80s, protesting the draconian actions of the Indian government, what was said to me? “You’re anti-Hindu.” It had nothing to do with religion, but that’s what it is. We’re seeing very similar things here.

Campuses, absolutely, need to be a safe place for everyone. Everybody agrees that. All students, faculty and staff have the right to feel safe and be learning and working in an environment free of hate, and institutions must remain committed to ensuring that balance, where ideas can be peacefully and respectfully debated without compromising on student safety.

However, governments should also be very vigilant in not interfering in places where free expression should have its greatest protections. Since we kind of went down this route of a situation that’s happening right now, I’m going to read something from a statement put out by the Jewish Faculty Network. They’re Jewish faculty from universities and colleges across Canada who share a strong commitment to social justice.

They talk about encampments and protests.

“As faculty, we support the student protests and their demands that the university disclose its investments; divest from companies complicit in Israeli apartheid, occupation and genocide; and terminate partnerships with Israeli universities that operate in the illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territories or sustain or support the state of Israel’s apartheid policies and its ongoing genocide in Gaza.”

Again, the Jewish Faculty Network. They go on to say:

“We recognize that these students, their demands and their protests further the mission of our university…. The students’ demands are supported by and grounded in national and international laws. The university is bound by legal and moral responsibility to abide by the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice as well as the Canadian government’s parliamentary resolution.”

They go on to state…. There’s a lot here. I’m not going to read it all, because I only have so much time.

“Our students deserve to be able to protest without being smeared by accusations of antisemitism. Pro-Palestine perspectives and advocacy critical of Israeli state policies are met with false antisemitism” — very similar to what I was met with in the ’80s — “accusations by pro-Israeli lobby groups and their allies, which has created a chilly climate on campus. Politically motivated and baseless accusations of antisemitism directed at pro-Palestine voices are extremely dangerous, as they are aimed at shielding Israel from criticism. These false charges furthermore perpetuate anti-Palestinian racism” — Islamophobia. “The weaponization of antisemitism against students opposing genocide allows the Israeli state to cement its occupation and expand its colonial and apartheid policies in Palestine.”

[11:00 a.m.]

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

From UBC here, the Independent Jewish Voices: “We are a group of Jewish students, staff and faculty at UBC” — the encampment that my friend talks about. “We are inspired by the level of trust, dedication and anti-discrimination we see in the UBC encampment,” the group said in the statement.

“As Jewish members of the UBC community, we support and are a part of this peaceful encampment. We are here alongside our peers, our friends, our classmates and our students. We add our voices to those urging UBC to take a principled and ethical stance towards the genocide taking place on Gazans.” There’s a lot more there.

Again, governments need to be incredibly circumspect when it comes to policing speech. That is a slippery path down which we do not want to go. It’s a path that directly leads to totalitarianism.

Our government also has zero tolerance for hate of any kind, not only on campus but everywhere else. We have shown that from the time that we got elected here. From the very start, we reinstated the Human Rights Commissioner, which the other side got rid of — since they have already gotten partisan — an independent body that has the power to look at government action and inaction.

That’s also why we have launched an impressive amount of work in combatting racism and discrimination, work being debated right here. In the area of sexualized and gender-based violence…. Today we heard about Red Dress Day. The province requires that all post-secondary institutions have sexualized violence policies.

When it comes to post-secondary universities…. Each institution has its own policies in place. We, as a government, expect them to uphold those policies, as we expect the police to arrest people that commit hate speech or hate crimes. Clearly, it works. It has happened.

Our government has been extremely clear that hate of any kind will not be tolerated in British Columbia. We expect post-secondary institutions to support a diverse community that is safe, welcoming and inclusive. Students and staff have the right to free expression, and we will continue to support that.

M. Lee: I caution the member for Richmond-Queensborough in terms of his statement. I think, as he reflects upon what I’m about to say and what I said in my first seven minutes…. I would invite him to share it with anyone else in the government caucus, and the Premier, who shares his views.

This is the reason why the member for Coquitlam-Maillardville left the government cabinet and then left this government caucus. There’s a complete failure and lack of understanding.

The B.C. human rights code, as I had referred to earlier, is referred to in the codes of conduct of universities and colleges.

What I’ve been asking for and what this government of B.C. has failed to do over seven years is to implement and adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism. It was adopted internationally in 2015, in 2019 in Canada and, subsequently, in other provinces of our country. B.C. is an outlier here.

Why is this important? For the very reason that the member for Richmond-Queensborough, as a member of the government, is standing up in this chamber today, on Yom HaShoah. We are about to go into the Hall of Honour, in about ten minutes, and speak in blessed memory of all of those lives lost in the Holocaust.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance came up with this definition, after many years of work, in Stockholm, in 2015, as an international standard adopted by over 30 nations in the world, for the very reasons that the member for Richmond-Queensborough stands up in this House and is still confused about the fact of what antisemitism is.

It’s not about denying Jews the opportunities or services available. It’s not about holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the state of Israel. It’s not. There are many Jewish people, of course, who have their views on the state of Israel.

[11:05 a.m.]

The point being, for those who continue to call out and deny the right for self-determination of Jewish people by saying that the state of Israel is a racist endeavour, for those who call for and aid and justify the killing and harming of Jews in the name of radical ideology and an extremist view of religion…. That is antisemitic. That’s the reason why these encampments have to be stopped, dismantled and dealt with now.

Hon. D. Coulter: I ask that the House consider proceeding with Motion 6, standing in the name of the member for Burnaby North.

Deputy Speaker: Members, unanimous consent of the House is required to proceed to Motion 6 without disturbing the priorities of the motions preceding it on the order paper.

Leave granted.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 6 — WORK OF GOVERNMENT
AND RESULTS FOR PEOPLE

J. Routledge: I move the motion:

[Be it resolved that this House agrees that instead of working for those at the top, governments must always work to deliver results for all British Columbians and put people first.]

This motion has been on the order paper in my name for months now. I am delighted that we now have an opportunity to debate it.

I strongly suspect that everyone in this chamber agrees with the spirit and intent of this motion and believes that the principles, goals, priorities and strategies that make up their party’s platform are informed by a commitment to put people first. However, I also suspect that our ideas about how best to actualize this motion, how best to put people first, will vary significantly. It might even be so different as to seem mutually exclusive.

How we think government should work to put people forward, what we think government should do to put people first, is a reflection of our world view, a world view that is translated into an ideology, a system of beliefs and ideas that form a basis of economic and political theory and policy. Of course, how we think the world works determines who we sit with in this House.

Some of my colleagues may be perplexed by my opening comments. They may have come here today prepared to hear me take potshots at those who are guided by a different set of beliefs. They may have expected me to argue in detail, armed with examples, stats and validators that prove my party is better at putting people first. They may have expected me to offer a different set of examples, stats and validators to demonstrate that the opposition does not put people first.

I am not going to do that. I leave that to others. Rather, I hope that I can use my time to help frame the debate. I want to share with you some of the questions I ask myself, questions that I hope we are all asking ourselves when we are assessing the efficacy of particular government programs and priorities and the package as a whole.

I hope that as the debate progresses back and forth over the next hour or so, we will hear, at least implicitly, what the member thinks is the answer to these kinds of questions. Who are we as a society? What do we owe to each other? What do we mean when we say our suite of actions will help people or families get ahead? Get ahead of who?

Do we think that civilization is inherently competitive? Is it a big race to the top? If so, how should the winners be rewarded? Should winners take all, most, some? How much does luck contribute to one’s success? Not everyone gets to be at the top of the pyramid. Is there a social cost to the possibility that a significant percentage of society further down the hierarchy may feel more like losers than winners? How does the fear of losing social and economic status contribute to social disintegration?

Is it the role of government to help catch us if we do fall? Should government have measures in place that prevent us from falling? Does everyone get to have our basic needs met — access to food, clothing and shelter? Then why is it not okay to hoard food and then resell it at an unaffordable price but it is okay to hoard housing?

Market forces play a huge role in the distribution of wealth, status and security. Is the market allied with us in putting people first? Or left to its own devices, will the market undermine our efforts to put people first?

[11:10 a.m.]

I have a lot more questions against which to measure what putting people first looks like. But in the interests of time, I will take my seat and eagerly listen to the rest of the debate.

M. Bernier: Wow. This is the last motion the NDP has put forward before an election, and I couldn’t agree more that governments must always work to deliver results for all British Columbians. So let’s talk about delivering results, because I couldn’t agree more.

Over the last seven years specifically…. I think it’s important we talk about this, because this is what we’re looking at going into the next election. So let’s think about this — over the last seven years.

We used to have what’s called balanced budgets, the highest credit rating in Canada. That has now turned into unprecedented deficits, the largest debt in British Columbia’s history and credit downgrades.

Seven years ago our resource sector was thriving, with massive investments, major projects being built, growing rural communities. But now people are fleeing British Columbia, looking for jobs. Investment is moving to almost anywhere except British Columbia, and 16 mills shut down even though this government said that not one would. Oil and gas investment is shrinking. Mines are looking at closing down.

Seven years ago housing was more affordable. There was hope for our children to get into a home, at least maybe even try to afford rent. But now, even though they try to mock this — maybe they should remind themselves too — housing prices have doubled in British Columbia. Most people are saying they’re almost $200 away from insolvency. People have given up on even the thought of trying to own a family home.

In the last seven years, we’ve gone from some of the lowest taxes in Canada to 32 new or increased taxes, creating an unaffordability crisis where money isn’t even enough for most people to buy food anymore in our province.

Seven years ago we had some of the best health outcomes in Canada. Now we have almost one million people looking for a family doctor and some of the longest wait times for procedures in B.C.’s history.

In seven years, this NDP has created chaos, with crime on our streets, a catch-and-release program that they support, six people a day dying of a drug overdose, drive-by shootings, people not feeling safe. I could go on.

These are the results that they seem to want to talk about. But I agree. We should be delivering results. We should be getting back to a government that actually knows how to deliver results.

Let’s talk about results. If you want to get results, get me more family doctors and nurses so every weekend I don’t have to be shutting down the ER in Chetwynd.

If you want to talk about results, stop releasing prolific offenders onto our streets, who are causing chaos and are a menace in my communities and that we’re seeing every single day. People don’t feel safe anymore. You can’t let your children go to the playgrounds anymore without fear that they’re going to find drugs or drug paraphernalia. Families are being told they have to install security systems just to feel safe in their own homes because they’re also being threatened there. Businesses are having to hire security guards to protect their businesses, their staff and the patrons.

This is what we’re dealing with. Do I agree that we have to deliver results? Absolutely, but that hasn’t happened. In fact, this government…. Anything they say now, in my opinion, is too little, too late. They have had seven years, and they have taken us from first to worst in almost every category that’s measured. They try to brag about how much money they spent while the results are getting worse.

Do I agree with the motion that governments must always work to deliver results? Absolutely. But why are they bringing that up now, seven years later, on the heels of an election, when they should have started seven years ago? If that’s what their mantra was going to be, putting people first, they have utterly failed in almost every measurable way.

Let’s take a moment again. It should almost be a moment of silence for the people of British Columbia, for the failure of this government and the results that they’ve achieved for the people. It’s no wonder that more and more people are saying it’s time for change, to go back to a government that knows how to deliver results to help the people in the province of British Columbia.

[11:15 a.m.]

H. Yao: I just want to take this opportunity, before I start, to thank the member for Cariboo North and the member for Powell River–Sunshine Coast for delivering such a phenomenal speech to help remind us that we need to stay together and support communities throughout a tough time. I want to take this opportunity to thank the member for Cariboo North for leading that initiative.

I’m honoured to rise to support the member representing Burnaby North that: “Be it resolved that this House agrees that instead of working for those at the top, governments must always work to deliver results for all British Columbians and put people first.”

I heard a member before me making quite a few comments, but I’m going to stay focused, if possible. I’ll start with health care.

One important thing, as a Richmond MLA, is that we are celebrating the fact that we are actually finally moving forward with Richmond Hospital. Richmond Hospital should have been done two decades ago, three decades ago. We are building it today.

We have incorporated two UPCCs in Richmond, helping people dealing with the health care crisis. Doctors of B.C., and I mentioned this before, stated in February 2024 that the one million people in British Columbia who no longer have a family doctor is out of date. Even though there is still more work to do, even though our government is still putting more investment in, right now the current number is closer to mid to high 700,000. It is still a large number, and we need to support British Columbians. But it means investment takes time to happen.

The previous member was talking about deficit. The previous member was talking about expenses. I want to remind the previous member that a lot of our government investment would be a lot cheaper and we would be seeing results now if it was invested two decades ago.

For example, the second medical school in SFU Surrey. We’d have far more family doctors coming online supporting British Columbians. We’re just starting to train them now. And if somebody is going to say seven years is long enough for us to train family doctors, well, I think they should go talk to somebody who’s going through medical school at this stage.

On top of that, we also want to look at different things that our government is doing to support British Columbians, to support all British Columbians. First of all, I’m a father of two children, and I want to thank the members earlier, people talking about child care. The importance of how it relieves so much familial stress for me….

I am personally privileged to be able to serve here and to be representing my riding, but not everybody can afford child care if it’s at full price. The fact that government goes through all kinds of strategies to reduce the costs, to make child care more and more affordable for others to utilize, is giving all British Columbians a chance to step up.

I want to emphasize the fact that we also talked about MSP removal, removal of the toll, ICBC rate reduction. We’re supporting our seniors. With CleanBC, we are investing in the environment. We’re fixing up our schools, incorporating Foundry with mental health support for youth and integrated child and youth teams, increasing our student loan level and eliminating interest rates with the B.C. access grant.

All of this fulfills one philosophy, and I want to thank the member for Burnaby North for introducing it. It’s that we are here talking about investing in the greatest asset of British Columbia, and that’s British Columbians.

When we place British Columbians first and continue investing in their needs, such as health care, education, mental health care, child care…. We reduce their costs in various ways to ensure they can continue to function and operate, and we can fight against the struggle against global inflation. We can fight against the struggle against forest fires that can devastate our community. The floods, the drought, the heat dome — the devastation of what comes with climate change.

Think about how great it would be if our society as a whole had invested earlier in our environmental prevention program to reduce our carbon pollution in our community, to support investment in health care, to support investment in education. Our British Columbia today would be able to reap all those results.

But for results, that takes time to invest. Time is the essence. And if we choose not to invest early and, unfortunately, are forced to invest later, there’s a compound interest socially, economically, environmentally that we end up bearing today. Think how much everything would cost so much less if we dealt with housing issues back then.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the member for Burnaby North for bringing up such a good motion, to remind us all that we can still work for British Columbia today. Even though we’re investing now and it’s costing us a lot more money, we are laying a better foundation for British Columbia for the future.

[11:20 a.m.]

If we go back to neglecting to invest in British Columbians, then we’ll be pushing back all these issues to later on. Let’s think of our children.

C. Oakes: It truly is a privilege to be able to speak to this motion today and to bring the voices of my constituents of Cariboo North. Governments must always work to deliver results for British Columbians and put people first.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge that this week is national nurses awareness week. I want to thank all of the nurses in our communities for their incredible work. I believe that government does need to work for our nurses and to make sure that they’re safe.

Last week I had the opportunity to meet with a group of northern nurses. This is what I learned. I learned that at least once a month, 50 percent of our nurses are exposed to weapons; 72 percent of our nurses in northern B.C. are exposed to illicit substances; 54 percent of our nurses in northern British Columbia experience physical violence; 85 percent of our nurses in northern British Columbia experience verbal or emotional abuse; 94 percent of nurses in northern British Columbia are working short-staffed; and 34 percent of nurses in northern British Columbia are seriously considering leaving nursing or are already making a plan to do so.

These are not the results that our communities need. These are not the types of outcomes that our communities in northern British Columbia expect. After seven years of the NDP government, these are the types of results that we’re experiencing in our community.

Last week I had the opportunity to talk a little bit in this Legislature about the impacts of what people are feeling in rural British Columbia. Today I wanted to take my time to talk about the workers in my constituency and in northern B.C. I want to talk a little bit about the impacts of legislation changes and regulation changes and policy changes that really have a significant impact on workers in my riding, particularly around permitting.

This government is absolutely failing on getting the necessary permits out the door that keep our workers employed. A few weeks ago, we had 400 people that didn’t take a paycheque home because we had a government that wasn’t able to get permits out the door. It’s not just the workers in the sawmills and our pulp mills and our MDF plants and our pellet plants and all of that that depend on these permits to get out the door. It’s our logging contractors. It’s our small businesses that depend on it. It’s the whole ecosystem.

When the government fails to deliver the necessary supports and permits and regulation and supports like that, our workers suffer. Our workers are suffering right now, and they need change.

I also want to talk about our mining sector. Our mining sector is also equally waiting for permits. When the government fails to deliver these permits, there are very real consequences on the people and workers in my riding.

The best that this government can offer when we see a mill shutdown is: “Look, you know what? We’ll give you some help writing a resume.” And then: “You know what? You should consider taking that and moving to an urban setting. Maybe you could go into the tech sector.” You tell that to a worker who has worked 35 or 40 years in a mill: “You know what you can do now? Why don’t you just pick up your family, pick up your life and move to an urban setting? Because you know what? I think you’d be really great in the tech sector.”

Well, I have a message for this government, and I have a message to all of the people working behind the scenes. People in rural B.C. don’t want to move to urban settings to get a job. We want permits issued. We want to keep our lifestyle. We like living in rural communities. We like doing the job. We’re proud of the work that we do. That sweat equity that builds this province matters.

[11:25 a.m.]

We are saying to this government, after seven years, you’ve not only abandoned rural British Columbia, but you’ve abandoned the workers. What happened to the NDP party that stood up for workers? The only thing that this government is doing is they’re putting workers out of work. People in our communities demand and expect more.

R. Parmar: What a pleasure to be able to rise in this House — and comments from the member across the way. I want to thank my colleague, the member for Burnaby North, for bringing forward this very important motion and for centring us today in this important conversation about how governments must deliver for people.

We know we are in a time where people are facing big challenges. I want the people in Langford–Juan de Fuca, but also all British Columbians, to know that on this side of the House, they have a government that hears them. They have a government that will work day in and day out to deliver for them. People on this side of the House want British Columbians to know that we’ve got their back.

To have a member across the way say that we’re not standing up for rural B.C. is complete nonsense, and she knows that. The members across the way, when they sat on this side of the House, had a philosophy that was all around leaving people to fend for themselves. We know, on this side of the House, that that philosophy never works. They would like nothing more than to be on this side of the House and to leave it to people to fend for themselves.

That is the record of the Leader of the Opposition. That was his record when he sat on this side of the House as the Minister of Health, as the Minister of Finance and the Minister of red tape regulation or whatever you want to call that portfolio.

We also have to remember….

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members.

R. Parmar: I’m not going to spend…. The member for Peace River North won’t have to worry. I’m not going to spend much time talking about them and their record, because they’re irrelevant. For some of them, these are going to be their last weeks in this place.

We also have to remember that who was there when they sat on this side of the House but the leader of the Conservative Party. Let’s not forget the leader of the Conservative Party was a member of the B.C. Liberal Party when they called themselves a free enterprise coalition.

Let’s talk about their records. Let’s talk about the fact that in 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013, they made commitments to British Columbians. And what did that result in? Massive cuts, deep cuts to the social services that we all rely on. Health care, education, skills training — the list goes on and on.

They weakened the services that British Columbians rely on each and every day. They made people pay. They increased tolls on bridges. They doubled MSP premiums, a regressive tax, one of the only ones left in the country at the time. They turned ICBC into a dumpster fire. That is the record of the B.C. Conservative, B.C. Liberals, BCUP. It doesn’t matter what you call them.

What I want to conclude with on this line is that those parties on that side of the House would like nothing more — and they do this in this place and they do this in communities — than to divide British Columbians. We’re seeing that from the leader of the Conservative Party. We see that from the Leader of the Opposition. Again, I want the message to British Columbians to be straight. These are parties, the Conservative Party and the BCUP and others, that would like nothing more than to divide British Columbia, to pit us against one another. Not on our watch. Never on our watch. We’re not going backwards.

British Columbians, we want you to know that you’re not alone. We are going to deliver more homes for people. Just this past week we opened the largest expansion of affordable housing in my community’s history. Do you know how much the BCUP invested in Langford–Juan de Fuca housing over 16 years? One hundred units. How much have we invested in the last seven years? Over 1,000. Look at that difference.

We’re going to strengthen public health care: 700 new doctors, thousands of new nurses. What do the BCUP and definitely what do the Conservatives want to do? They want to fire Dr. Henry. That’s their action on health care. That’s what they want to do.

We’re going to protect B.C. from climate emergencies. We have a party in this House that wants to sit on this side of the House that doesn’t even believe in climate change. That’s the reality of what we’re sitting with.

[11:30 a.m.]

We want to build an economy that works for people. That’s why we are investing in skills training. That’s why we are investing and building a new university in downtown Langford to train the next generation of workers in my community. That’s why we’re investing more in post-secondary education, supports for industry, supports for small businesses. At the end of the day, our belief, on this side of the House — and I learned this from my predecessor — is an economy that is built for all is an economy that is built to succeed. That is what is going to drive our work, on this side of the House, right until the end of our mandate.

L. Doerkson: I agree with only one point from the previous speaker, and that is it is a pleasure to speak today about this motion. Now, the member chose not to talk a whole bunch about the motion, but I would like to bring it back to what we are here to talk about, and that is that governments are to provide results to all people in this province.

I would like to tell you about some of the results in Cariboo-Chilcotin. I would like to start with health care. The member touched on the hiring of 700 doctors. It is not the first time that I have talked about Lee Butler or Hank Krynen in this room. Now I can share comments from Wyn Parry’s family, who said in a letter to me that they noted the lack of care, including an array of neglect, ranging from sitting in his own excrement to his mask filling with blood due to blood thinners, blood over his food, his gown and his bedding and his floor. That is a result of today’s government.

I am absolutely frustrated with hearing over and over that we have done this, we have done that. The division that has been created in this province is created by this government, and this member suggests that we have done that. This government forgets it has been in power for nearly a decade.

There are 6,000 people in my community in Cariboo-Chilcotin….

Interjection.

L. Doerkson: If the member finds that funny, I’d love to hear her response.

Six thousand people are on waiting lists in Cariboo-Chilcotin for a doctor. That’s the people that we know of. There are thousands more that are not being served in any way.

Our roads and infrastructure are absolutely crumbling. I visited the community of 103 Mile last night. The roads can no longer be patched. They are absolutely destroyed, and they are not the only ones. We have reached out on many occasions to talk about areas like Mahood Lake, the Interlakes, all of those areas. These are serious issues in rural B.C., and we are struggling to be heard in any one of those ridings.

The member before me talked about housing. Seniors in Cariboo-Chilcotin are organizing to build their own housing. They’re doing everything in their power to reach out. In fact, we have tried to get meetings with B.C. Housing. These are for groups in 100 Mile that already have the land and can’t get meetings with B.C. Housing.

Results do matter. No question about that, but the fact is these seniors are struggling.

When it comes to prolific crime, it is out of hand in our communities. Absolutely everywhere you look, there are signs of the catch-and-release program that this government has managed over the last seven years. People in our ridings are frustrated and fed up with this.

I agree with the motion today that we need to deliver results to people, but we are not seeing that where the rubber hits the road in Cariboo-Chilcotin.

With respect to the cost of just about everything in this province, it is staggering to me that we have seen 32 new taxes. Is that working for the people of British Columbia? The debt in this province is absolutely growing at a staggering rate. Today we see 32 new taxes in this province, not to mention the increasing pressure that the carbon tax is creating for all of us in this province, but specifically in Cariboo-Chilcotin, where it is a challenge to get around there, where we do have issues of traversing a riding that takes six or seven hours to drive across.

[11:35 a.m.]

I think that there are plenty of things that this government could do better. Certainly, B.C. United has a plan to restore prosperity to rural British Columbia. We will permanently eliminate fuel tax, and that will save up to $0.15 per litre on gas. Additionally, we’ll eliminate carbon tax on home heating fuels and cancel this Premier’s plan to triple the carbon tax. Many of us are paying, now, more for carbon tax than we are the actual commodity of natural gas.

I’m pleased to have the opportunity to speak for a little bit this morning on results in this province, and I hope we get some.

J. Sims: It is a pleasure today to rise in support of the motion before us: “Be it resolved that this House agrees that instead of working for those at the top, governments must always work to deliver results for all British Columbians and put people first.”

There are many things that drive all of us to run for elected office and to come here to try to make things better for British Columbians. I can tell you that it was the 16 long years of a government that decimated the social safety net, that was ruthless in its cuts to public education, taking away supports from students with special needs and attacks on our most vulnerable health care workers and my desire to build a more just and inclusive society that drove me to run for office. I’m so proud of the work that this government has done to date.

As I’ve said often, we have done lots. Lots more to do. But let me say that I wake up every morning thinking: “I am so happy that we have this government in power right now, rather than what we had for 16 years.” Yes, we have been in government for seven years. Seven years. It has taken time to undo the devastating damage that was done by the previous government, whether it’s been in education, whether it’s been in health care or whether it’s been in building infrastructure and the social safety net. And you know, Mr. Speaker? I am so proud that we are doing this work day in, day out.

Being a teacher, I always like to throw some data in there, something to show the changes that we have seen. We hear from the other side: “All these taxes. You are being taxed more today.” There is so much misinformation being put out there deliberately that it is very concerning, because it is damaging the very fabric of our democracy.

Let me put some numbers out there, when it comes to taxation. An average family with two kids earning $100,000 used to pay $7,473 in taxes. They now pay $4,630. That’s a 38 percent reduction. That is a fact. People making $80,000 used to pay $5,637. They have had a reduction of 56 percent, and I’m talking about net reduction. Now they pay just over $2,500. Those earning $30,000 used to pay $177 in taxes. Can you believe that? They now get $2,420 back in their pocket. These are the facts. This is the data.

When I look at the additional nurses that have been hired over the last seven years, and especially over the last year, the additional doctors that have been recruited and that have been hired…. When I look at the number of schools that are being built, the number of hospitals that are being built, including a new medical school right in Surrey, a new hospital being built, a new tower in the planning, at the business stage….

We have created 74,000 mostly private sector jobs last year alone. A 30 percent year-over-year increase in new rental homes registered. When I look at our financial rating — one of the best in the country. One of the best in the country.

But if you were to listen to the rhetoric from across the way, you would believe that none of these things had happened. I don’t know what kind of a world they live in — I really don’t — that they have actually come to believe the misinformation that they create and spread.

[11:40 a.m.]

Let me tell you, I always….

Deputy Speaker: I’d advise the member to be cautious with her words.

J. Sims: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for that very kind reminder.

I will go on to say I am so proud that for the last seven years we’ve had this government, and I know the people of British Columbia feel it every single day.

I always have to mention child care. When it comes to child care alone, the number of people who’ve been able to go back to work and the millions and millions of dollars, hundreds of millions, that have gone back into people’s pockets, families’ pockets…. And that money also spurs our economy.

Mr. Speaker, thank you so much for the opportunity to highlight some of the things we’ve done and why it matters who we vote for when it comes to election day.

T. Wat: Today I stand before you, Mr. Speaker, not just as a representative of Richmond North Centre but as a voice for all British Columbians who feel the crushing weight of the failed policy under this NDP government. Our communities demand safety, affordability and trust in their leadership, qualities simply missing from this NDP government.

British Columbians are grappling with a cost-of-living crisis that has spiralled out of control under this government’s watch for the past seven years. While our citizens struggle to make ends meet, NDP political staff received pay raises of up to 17 percent, a clear indication of where this government’s priorities lie. Not doctors, not nurses, not the more than half of all British Columbians who are less than $200 away from being unable to pay their bills…. No one gets a 17 percent pay increase unless you work for the NDP.

This is not just poor governance but a betrayal of the public trust. The people they purport to stand for are doing worse under their watch than at any time in this province’s history. I’m sure my NDP colleagues don’t need to be reminded that they have increased taxpayer-supported debt per person by more than 150 percent.

The bureaucracy grows. The red tape runs rampant, and the political elite that make up the Premier’s staff and friends are profiting. It begs the question: who does this government stand for? And who does this government work for?

The public safety crisis in our communities is a sign of this government’s misalignment with the needs of the people. Our streets have become battlegrounds for criminal activity, with small businesses bearing the brunt of the rampant theft and vandalism. The NDP’s response: a reckless decriminalization experiment that has only exacerbated the issue, with drug-related deaths reaching unprecedented levels and patients and nurses in B.C. hospitals having to deal with secondhand fentanyl smoke and cockroaches.

When it comes to delivering results, decriminalization has delivered the worst result we’ve ever seen. The NDP Premier stubbornly refuses to scrap his failed experiment, a policy B.C. United will end immediately. It is shameful, and it’s shameful that members opposite continue to stand and support what is clearly and obviously a disaster.

In Richmond, our hospital’s proposed safe consumption site was met with overwhelming opposition from the community, who were largely ignored. The NDP pushed forward without proper consultation, disregarding the very voices they serve, only to have more than 22,000 signatures presented before them to stall their agenda.

[11:45 a.m.]

This is not an isolated incident but a pattern of neglect and poor decision-making that affects us all. The government’s approach to public safety and to crime prevention is fundamentally flawed. We need a dramatic shift towards a system that prioritizes recovery, treatment and rigorous enforcement to protect our communities.

B.C. United is committed to implementing policy that focuses on treatment and recovery, providing real solutions to the drug crisis and restoring safety to our streets. We stand for a government that works for all, for each and every one of us, not just the select few at the top.

As we move forward, let’s remember the real issues and the leadership necessary to address them. It is time for a change, time to bring back safety, trust and affordability to the people of British Columbia.

K. Greene: I am pleased to be able to speak in favour of this motion to work to deliver results for all British Columbians and put people first. Everyone in B.C., regardless of whether they’re a lifelong resident or a new arrival, wants to be able to build a good life for themselves and their loved ones. With inflation pushing up prices of necessities, we are taking action to deliver services that help address those costs.

Half of all British Columbians will menstruate at some point in their lives. With menstruation comes health costs that can add up, like prescription birth control. People should be able to make decisions about their sexual and reproductive health without worrying about cost, and our government’s program covers 100 percent of the cost for over 60 commonly used birth control methods, including pills, contraceptive injection and IUDs.

Universal coverage of contraception is part of our government’s work to make health care more affordable and accessible for people in British Columbia. What’s more, contraceptive options can now be prescribed by a pharmacist through the minor ailments prescribing program, another way we’re reducing barriers to health care.

Our government is working to deliver results for all British Columbians and put people first. As a mom of three kids, I know how fast family costs add up. And with global inflation pushing up the cost of children’s essentials, like good food and clothing, parents need access to affordable, good-quality child care options. Other governments left parents to fend for themselves, with ever-escalating costs and even having to worry about the safety of their child care option.

Our government has been making record investments so families don’t have to go it alone. There are now over 15,000 $10-a-day child care spaces in B.C., and we’re on track for 20,000 by 2026. The families of another 70,000 children are receiving a benefit of up to $900 per month per child through the child care fee reduction initiative. Parents with low incomes may even qualify for free child care through the affordable child care benefit.

Not only are families’ well-being supported by these investments in child care, but the program is an economic success as well. Parents, usually mothers, can end up underemployed or dropping out of the workforce while their children are small. Good, affordable child care means better earnings for the parent and a boost in quality and availability of workers for a successful business environment.

We are putting people first and taking action to deliver results for British Columbians. Climate change is real, caused by humans, and is an urgent global crisis that requires B.C. to take action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in order to protect people and the environment. Shockingly, some members of this chamber don’t believe that this is the case and will double down on statements like “greenhouse gases are good for trees.” Those trees are going up in flames.

Wildfires in B.C. have been the worst on record, exacerbated by record drought and record heat. Our homes, livelihood, food security and lives are threatened by climate change. Instead of abandoning B.C. to the ravages of a changing climate, our government is investing in year-round wildfire service, restoration of our watersheds and seizing the economic opportunity of transitioning to a clean economy.

[11:50 a.m.]

The direct costs of inaction on climate are astronomical. Just one major event can cost billions of dollars in direct costs and make a massive dent in GDP. We cannot afford to do nothing, which is exactly what the other parties will do.

Our government is committed to climate action, and CleanBC guides government’s actions to meet B.C.’s emissions targets and build a cleaner, stronger economy for everyone. Green jobs are across industries — tech, forestry, plastics, renewable energy, ocean economy, to name just a few — and they’re good-paying, sustainable jobs to support families and communities for decades to come. They’re across this beautiful province and offer a generational opportunity to create a better future for our children.

We’ve been taking action, implementing CleanBC, and our economy is the strongest in Canada since we formed government in 2017. There are also the important public benefits in human health, biodiversity and mitigation of climate impacts. Our plan for a clean economy will deliver the results people want: good-paying jobs and a beautiful British Columbia where we can all live, work and play.

T. Shypitka: I find it absolutely incredible that this NDP government would want to spend its last motion before we go to election to talk about the work of government and the results for people. Quite something, quite astounding. The member for Langford–Juan de Fuca said that this NDP government has their back.

I will agree with the member for Surrey-Panorama when she said that it has taken seven years for this government to undo what the former government has done. Quite something. We had a great economy, best credit rating anywhere in the country, and they’ve been able to dismantle all of that in just seven years.

The rhetoric just doesn’t meet the reality. Over the past seven years, our province has witnessed a sharp decline in optimism and economic stability. Housing is so expensive that no one can afford it. Taxes are so high that our wallets are empty. Health care is so mismanaged that we’ve lost trust in it being there when we need it. The handling of the drug overdose problem that has made addictions even worse. Streets so unsafe that small businesses close under the weight of unending theft and intimidation from the same caught-and-released criminals. This is the harsh reality British Columbians have come to know.

Life in British Columbia has become increasingly difficult due to rising costs that are a direct result of this NDP government’s policies. Since 2017, the carbon tax has more than doubled, significantly driving up gas prices, which are now the highest in North America. Shockingly, amid the NDP’s carbon tax increase, more than half of the families in British Columbia are a mere $200 away from being unable to pay their bills.

Instead of alleviating the burdens, the NDP themselves sit among “those at the top,” being the same people they condemn in this motion. At last count, NDP MLAs own 102 properties, profiting nearly $8.5 million from real estate sales since the election.

Between the Leader of the Opposition and the Premier, only the Premier speculated. He sold his Victoria condo for $150,000 profit shortly before it would be subject to the speculation tax, capitalizing on its Airbnb potential during a housing crisis. The situation reveals an NDP government that pads its pockets while the people suffer.

Moreover, amid this hypocrisy, the economic trajectory of our province is concerning. People are tired of seeing their bank accounts drained, with little to no improvement in affordability, access to health care or housing availability. If taxing people were the solution to our crisis, we would have seen positive results by now. However, the NDP imposes 32 new or increased taxes while so many are faced with the skyrocketing cost-of-living crisis.

To make things worse, under the NDP, our province’s economic stability is falling. Credit downgrades have become the norm, each downgrade pulling more money from the pocket of hard-working British Columbians. The result of the downgrades is high borrowing costs, escalating living expenses and increased taxes. These cost pressures are staggering and will only get worse.

And now, at a time when British Columbians are already stretched thin by soaring living costs, the Premier quietly awarded partisan NDP staff raises of up to 17 percent, with some receiving raises as high as $17,000.

[11:55 a.m.]

These huge hikes starkly contrast the low increases given to essential workers like nurses and teachers, highlighting unbelievable mismatch of government priorities during a cost-of-living crisis. This financial decision not only reflects a disconnect in priorities but also feeds into a larger pattern of fiscal irresponsibility. Such actions reveal a government that is more focused on self-service than public service, undermining the trust of British Columbians.

It is in this context that we must view the motion presented today by the NDP. This motion, claiming to prioritize the needs of all citizens, is misleading and serves as a disservice to the people of British Columbia. It glosses over the serious issues of NDP mismanagement and fails to propose any significant measures to genuinely enhance affordability for everyday people.

[The Speaker in the chair.]

B.C. United is prepared to change this narrative. We will make life more affordable in B.C. by eliminating the provincial fuel tax and removing the property transfer tax for first-time homeowners, up to $1 million. Our focus will be in reinvesting in B.C.’s world-class health care system and prioritizing the safety of British Columbians over ideological projects. Rather than engaging in political stunts, B.C. United are committed to implementing effective policies that genuinely put British Columbians first and restore stability in our province.

M. Starchuk: Thanks to the member for Burnaby North to be able to speak of always working to deliver results to all British Columbians. Our government has always put people first in British Columbia and not just the top 2 percent wage earners. Over the last seven years, the government has delivered many programs to British Columbians to help them out with new challenges we all face every day.

I want to speak to the issues around mental health and addiction areas and the treatment. In 2019, the provincial government increased the per diem funding for the residential recovery homes by 15 percent, and that was the first increase in over a decade. The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services heard from various committees, organizations, non-profits and other operators about the needs that they had. It was often repeated during these hearings about the good work that these operators were providing, but the funding formula that they were getting was less money than what it would cost to kennel your dog for a day.

We often hear how it takes time to get into a treatment facility, yet I rarely hear anyone from that side ever talk about the valuable services that are in the community. Many of these facilities have spaces on a daily basis, and you can walk right in and begin your recovery. Many of these people were just incarcerated, and they have been released with conditions and are going to find their way to one of these places and seek help and assistance without having to open their wallets.

Operators like Susan Sanderson of Realistic Recovery will see a per-diem rate go from $35.90 to $60. This means more time to provide assistance to the clients rather than spending time looking for grants and other funding sources as they try to make a difference in these people’s lives.

We all know people in recovery do well when they have a roof over their head, are in a warm bed and are fed. They don’t have to worry about the basic necessities of life. They just need to concentrate on getting themselves better.

This government has recognized the good work that these organizations have done, and now we are properly funding them. To ensure organizations are properly funded, this funding formula includes a cost-of-living adjustment so these organizations don’t fall behind in funding in their future.

We all know the challenges that are in our health care system, but we know that we’re on a path to making things better for all British Columbians. That’s why I want to take the time right now to talk about the differences on this side of the House as opposed to the opposite.

I remember it well, in 2014, as a city councillor sitting through one of the longest public hearings that I had ever experienced, while people displayed their opposition to a housing project where a hospital was supposed to be built.

A hospital was supposed to be built in Panorama. The planning was done. The roads were built. Everything was in place, except for the hospital. The land was sold when the Leader of the Opposition was the Finance Minister, and then, after a few flips of the property, it came to city council, and the community was outraged that they no longer had a hospital in that area. People lined up for hours to express their anger. There was a whole community of people that were grieving their loss of a hospital in the neighbourhood.

[12:00 p.m.]

Fast-forward to where we are today. We hear about the overworked staff and overcrowding of the Surrey Memorial Hospital. We’re committed to building another tower on the site, and we’re addressing their staffing issues.

But where would we be today if that hospital was built in Panorama? What would be the impact felt by the patients and staff of Surrey Memorial Hospital today if the hospital in Panorama was built ten years ago?

Our government is taking action as we speak right now while construction is underway to build a new hospital in my riding in Cloverdale. The hospital comes with the needed regional cancer centre, and the hospital includes 168 inpatient beds, five operating rooms, four procedure rooms, an emergency department, 55 treatment spaces and a medical imaging department — two MRI machines, three CT scanners.

The regional cancer centre will have oncology, an ambulatory care unit, 50 exam rooms, 54 chemotherapy treatment spaces, functional imaging including PET and CT, cyclotron, room for six linear accelerators and radiation therapy to provide the care for the people that are diagnosed with cancer.

Our government removed those unfair tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears Bridges. Family members who had to take one of those bridges every single day, where other people in Vancouver could freely move around without having to pay a toll…. Some families were saving over $1,500 a year. These are the fees that were unfairly put into effect by the members opposite.

Noting the hour, I call for adjournment of the debate.

M. Starchuk moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. D. Coulter moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

The Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. today.

The House adjourned at 12:01 p.m.