The House met at 10:03 a.m.

[The Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: Hon. Kelly Greene.

[10:05 a.m.]

Introductions by Members

Hon. Laanas / Tamara Davidson: I’m not sure if he’s in the gallery today, but I do know that he is in the precinct. I’d like to give a warm welcome to the mayor of Prince Rupert, Herb Pond. We have a very good relationship, including working together on the resource benefits agreements.

I would like the House to please make him feel welcome.

Dana Lajeunesse: This morning I want to recognize two people who have one of the most difficult jobs in the province: keeping me in line. Two of my constituency advisers, Aakriti Rai and Laura Hooper, are in the gallery, so please make them feel welcome.

Hon. Garry Begg: Today we are honoured to have in the gallery several members of the B.C. Police Association. Joining us this morning are James Hubert, Blair Canning, Dan Petrie, Noelle Wilson, Eric Blauer, Arthur Wlodyka, Glenn Marshall, Dan Young, Pat Dick, André Poulin, Kevin Small and Adam Sutherland.

Policing is a very challenging profession, demanding immense sacrifice and bravery to ensure the safety of our communities. On behalf of the Legislative Assembly, we thank them all for their service. Would the House please join me in welcoming them.

Also, one more. While I’m up, I would like to introduce to the House the admin team from the Public Safety and Solicitor General deputy minister’s office.

Welcome, please, Alexis Di Georgio, Stacey Horbas, Agnes Fraser, Vishrut Sharma and Matt Ladouceur. I want to thank them all for the public service that they provide and their important responsibility in government.

Kiel Giddens: MLAs from across the House were invited to a fantastic breakfast this morning with the Canadian Cancer Society, and I want to thank each and every one of them for that opportunity.

In particular, as part of the delegation, Donna Flood, from Prince George, was part of the group. Donna is the CEO of the Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society. I really want to thank Donna and her team for all of the work they do for end-of-life care for people in northern B.C. and in Prince George.

Will the House please welcome Donna for her first time to question period.

Hon. Sheila Malcolmson: Kelli Padden is in the House, former MLA for Chilliwack-Kent. She’s joining us here on the floor. Kelly’s impact on British Columbia continues. As Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, she led the tabling of the gender-based violence prevention action plan.

There is a better label for it than that. It implicates all of government. It’s keeping people safe. We live with it, and we are grateful for your legacy and your impact on British Columbians.

Will the House please make Kelly Padden welcome again.

Rosalyn Bird: Once again, I’d like to thank the Cancer Society for a wonderful breakfast this morning. I would also like to introduce Pablita Thomas. She is the executive director for the B.C. Hospice Palliative Care Association. She is a united voice for those that are fighting. She is impactful, and she is community-driven, working with 72 organizations across the province.

Will the House please make her feel welcome.

Hon. Ravi Parmar: I’m very pleased to be able to welcome in the House — they look super excited to be here — my constituency advisers Steven MacAskill and Ashley Russell. I’d like to think that they’re here to support me in question period, but they’re really here for B.C. Book Day.

I’m hopeful that we’ll have an entertaining question period and an exciting Book Day.

Will the House please join me in making them feel very welcome.

[10:10 a.m.]

Anna Kindy: I’d like to welcome, to the House, members of the MedAccess B.C. coalition. I understand that 18 delegates are with us, but the coalition includes over 30 patient advocacy groups.

I’d like to especially welcome Jamie Myrah, who is the co-chair and also the executive director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Society; Gail Attara, the CEO of the Gastrointestinal Society, who has just released an update to her organization’s report about public drug access in B.C.; as well as Darren Fisher.

Welcome, wherever you are. Somewhere.

Hon. Diana Gibson: I’d like to quickly also thank B.C. Cancer Society for the time they spent this morning talking about the important work they do as part of B.C.’s life sciences ecosystem, which has 20,000 employees across B.C. and continues to lead incredible innovation. I heard such great stories this morning of the work they’re doing in that space, so thank you.

I also rise in the House today to welcome the students from Gordon Head Middle School. These are the future leaders, and their teacher Jolene Smith is doing the hard work of helping them to grow and learn. So thank you, and welcome to the House.

Hon. Kelly Greene: I’d like to welcome to the House today my son Sully. He is clever and kind, and I’m so proud of the person he’s growing to be.

Please make him welcome.

Hon. Josie Osborne: Well, we’ve heard from a few other members in the House that we know the Canadian Cancer Society is with us. I, too, want to extend my gratitude for them hosting us for breakfast this morning.

I’m particularly pleased to introduce the whole team there, but I will just mention two names, and that is Chief Executive Officer Andrea Seale and Executive Vice-President Dr. Sandra Krueckl, joining us in the gallery today.

Since 1938, the Canadian Cancer Society has done tremendous work in the battle against cancer, raising over $2 billion in cancer research. Today 64 percent of Canadians diagnosed with cancer will survive at least five years after their diagnosis, up from 55 percent in the 1990s and 25 percent in the 1940s.

So it is Daffodil Month. I see lots of daffodils in the House today. Please help them bloom by making a donation or finding more information to help you assist yourselves and the ones you love.

Would the House please join me in making them feel very welcome.

Rohini Arora: We’re joined today with guests in the gallery from MedAccess B.C. I, too, would like to welcome them. We had wonderful meeting with them this morning.

I’d like to welcome Gail Attara, John Adams, Dr. Theresa Sande, Jamie Myrah and also Jamie Maghop. I appreciate their advocacy.

Would the House join me in making them feel very welcome.

Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert: Well, first I want to wish a very happy birthday to the Minister of State for Trade. Happy birthday, Minister.

But today is one of my favourite days of the year, in fact, probably one of the…. Well, one of my favourites. Today is B.C. Book Day. Books, books, books.

Indeed, we have publishers, authors, leaders, writers, editors, people who make the publishing and book world work in B.C. here today, joining us. It’s a global success story. We’re one of the biggest publishers of English-language literature, of course, in Canada. But in terms of punching above our weight internationally, B.C. does it all.

So please welcome Don Gorman, president of Books B.C., publisher of Rocky Mountain Books; Laraine Coates, vice-president of Books B.C., UBC Press marketing director; Douglas Hildebrand, director of UBC Press; Ruth Linka, publisher, Orca Books; Fiona Bramble, publisher of Here Magazine; Matea Kulić, Books B.C. ED; Eve Rickert, Thornapple Press; Tori Elliott, TouchWood Editions; and Prem Gill, our CEO of CreativeBC.

Please make them very welcome, and I hope you’ll join me at the books event today at noon in the rotunda.

[10:15 a.m.]

Introduction and
First Reading of Bills

Bill 11 — Employment Standards
Amendment Act, 2025

Hon. Jennifer Whiteside presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor: a bill intituled Employment Standards Amendment Act, 2025.

Hon. Jennifer Whiteside: I move that the bill be introduced and read a first time now.

I am pleased to introduce Bill 11, the Employment Standards Amendment Act, 2025. The goal of this bill is twofold. First, these amendments will help ease the administrative burden of doctors and other health care providers so they spend their precious time doing what is really important: caring for their patients.

Second, it supports individual health and well-being by removing the burden of being required to get a medical note from a health care professional to show their employers in order to take short-term sick leave. That means people who are ill can take the time that they need to get better without having the stress and expense of going to a health care professional for a sick note.

We know that health care providers want to spend more time on patient care and less time on needless administrative duties. Reducing this part of the administrative burden will save health care professionals thousands of hours every year.

This is just one part of our efforts to strengthen health care and improve the lives of British Columbians.

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

Motion approved.

Hon. Jennifer Whiteside: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Motion approved.

Members’ Statements

Harry Gill and
HAP Transportation Group

Bryan Tepper: I rise today to tell the story of a family who turned a single truck into an engine of opportunity for British Columbia, a story of vision, grit and the Canadian dream.

The Gill family arrived in Canada in 1996. Harry Gill began as a mill worker in Surrey before shifting gears in 1998, taking the road as a long-haul trucker on the Surrey to Los Angeles route. In 2006, driven by a desire to build a better future for his family and community, Harry launched HAP Transportation Group with just one truck, offering container drayage services to the Port of Vancouver.

Today, HAP Transportation Group employs over 300 drivers, part of a workforce of 426, hauling good jobs into the transportation sector. In 2024, their hard work drove them into a spot as one of the top three private fleets originating right here in British Columbia.

In 2024 alone, HAP moved 45,000 containers of lumber and pulp from their facilities in Surrey and Richmond to ports across Asia, Europe and the United States. That’s over $4.5 billion worth of British Columbia’s finest products delivered to the world, proof of their vital role in keeping our province’s economic engine revving.

Today, Harry and his son, Sharn Gill, ship this legacy forward, proving that one family’s determination can drive a province. I thank the entire Gill family for their tireless service to British Columbia, and I invite us all to celebrate the ingenuity and heart that keeps our communities thriving — or should I say, moving.

B.C. Book Day

Steve Morissette: It’s my pleasure to rise today in the House to recognize British Columbia’s 11th annual B.C. Book Day, one of the highlights of B.C. Creative Industries Week. It’s a day to celebrate the powerful role books play in shaping our culture, identity and creative landscape. Through stories, we share who we are with readers in B.C., across Canada and around the world.

Books open our minds. They connect us to new ideas, diverse experiences and each other. They help us to grow, dream and think critically, often sparking real change in our lives and communities.

[10:20 a.m.]

B.C. is home to Canada’s second-largest English language book publishing market. In 2023, the industry contributed an estimated $51 million in GDP and employed over 800 people. In 2023, we announced $600,000 in funding for book and magazine publishers over three years, followed by an additional $500,000 infusion in 2024 to help book publishers stay strong through inflation and supply chain challenges.

As we celebrate B.C. Book Day, let’s also remember that one of the best ways to support local authors, publishers and booksellers, especially during economic uncertainty, is to buy a B.C.-published book, subscribe to a local magazine or visit an independent bookstore. Every book purchased helps sustain the people who bring our stories to life.

I encourage everyone to visit the rotunda today where industry professionals are showcasing the incredible talent behind B.C.’s literary success.

I ask the members of this House to join me in recognizing and celebrating B.C. Book Day. Put down your phone and pick up a book.

Bulkley Valley Kinsmen

Sharon Hartwell: I would like to take this time to recognize a group at home called the Bulkley Valley Kinsmen.

The Telkwa Kinsmen were a group of people that came together in 1958. The history of the Kinsmen in our valley began in 1912 with a group of 12 to 16 farmers and ranchers that would get together mostly for social purposes. But if there were people in need within the community, these men would organize ways to help out.

It became what they did. They would identify where they could help the community as a group, and that became their purpose. These people in Telkwa are a dedicated group of individuals that not only host events in the valley but also provide funds for community projects.

The Kinsmen in Telkwa have been organizing the Telkwa Barbecue for 112 years, and it’s the longest-running event in British Columbia. The weekend event starts on a Saturday before Labour Day and lasts until Monday. The weekend hosts a baseball tournament and a pancake breakfast hosted by the Telkwa Seniors.

The past attractions, as I remember them, were a horse-racing event, a toad race for the children and things like that to keep the families busy. As logging was thriving in those days, the weekend included a chainsaw event, pole-climbing event and a contest to see who could chop down the tree the fastest.

To keep in pace with the changing times, the Kinsmen received lumber to build a sound stage for concerts. Some of the headliners were artists Brett Kissel, Aaron Pritchett and King and Cash.

On the night before the meat was to be cooked, the men would prepare the underground pit for the prized beef. There was only one man back in the early days that was responsible for seasoning the beef. His name was Asa Robinson. He kept his secret close to his chest, and people were concerned about what would happen when he passed. Well, everything is fine. Many people have stepped up to volunteer over the course of the years, and where would the communities be without their dedicated volunteers — the people who always step up when needed.

I’m not sure who supplied the wood, but men lit the fire, tended the coals all night. This made the pit ready to cook the beef. The beef was slowly cooked under a blanket of coals until tender and juicy. Outside the barbecue pit, tables were set up, and the men would cut the beef to prepare the buns for everyone to enjoy.

Tsunami Preparedness Week

Dana Lajeunesse: Today I want to say a few words about Tsunami Preparedness Week, which runs from April 13 to 19. This is an opportunity for people living in or visiting coastal areas to learn more about tsunamis, review emergency plans and ensure they’re ready in case disaster strikes.

In 1964, an earthquake off Alaska’s coast caused a tsunami in Port Alberni. Although no lives were lost, the consequences were notable. On a personal note, this event occurred a week before my first birthday. Where I grew up in Jordan River, the air-raid siren was used to alert folks that something was up, so my parents rushed to get us all into the car and head for higher ground. Our house was situated about 20 feet above sea level, and I had nightmares about tidal waves until I was about five.

Around 4,000 earthquakes, many too small to be noticed, are recorded in B.C. each year. Every so often, though, these earthquakes are strong enough that they have devastating consequences. Earlier this year was especially seismically active, and in February and March, British Columbians living on the coast experienced noticeable quakes.

[10:25 a.m.]

Although there was no lasting damage, these quakes were a strong reminder that we reside in a seismically active zone.

On the coast, part of protecting yourself after an earthquake means looking out for a tsunami warning. Depending on the location of the earthquake, these waves can reach the shore in a matter of minutes, or they can take hours, so being prepared, having an effective evacuation route planned is essential for those in low-lying areas.

If a tsunami risk is identified, the B.C. Emergency Alert System will issue emergency alerts to cell phones, radio stations and through television. However, it is vitally important to prepare in advance. Local fire and rescue departments are an invaluable source of information to assist with emergency preparedness plans.

Many coastal communities host high-ground hikes during Tsunami Preparedness Week. These events are great opportunities to come together, build community and to learn about and practise safe evacuation routes.

And so my message to everyone living along and visiting the coast of our beautiful province is take time this week to review your emergency plans. Make sure that you and your loved ones know what to do and to stay safe in the case of a tsunami.

National Volunteer Month

Ward Stamer: April is National Volunteer Month in Canada, and the theme for National Volunteer Week at the end of this month is “Volunteers Make Waves.” It highlights the power, impact and importance of individuals and collective efforts across Canada. Like a wave, volunteering is movement building. Each individual volunteer contribution, big or small, creates momentum and has the power to influence and inspire, joining a wave of positive change.

I have been fortunate to be a member of the Lions Club for almost 35 years. Through Lionism and Lions International, volunteers can serve their communities and support worthy causes around the globe. Many Lions clubs locally in my riding focus on assistance with children with disabilities, childhood diseases including cancer and diabetes, and support for those families with travel expenses and lodging with needed medical care. They help other charitable groups, school PACs, seniors, persons with disabilities, mobility challenges. The list is long and growing year after year.

So what is volunteering? Volunteering is the time you give to strengthen your community and improve people’s quality of life as well as your own. There are so many ways to be involved in your community. Speak to your passion, suit your personality, stir your interests, build and share on your experiences, fit into your lifestyle, contribute to your health and well-being. It’s so easy to volunteer.

You can volunteer from your home, in an office, in a garden, with family and friends, on your own, just in the spring, summer, fall, winter, any season. Once a year, every day, an hour later, short-term, long-term, one project, many projects. You can combine family time with volunteering with friends and family. You can share hobbies and knowledge with all ages. You can share recreationally, walk a dog, help someone with challenges.

Volunteers are the backbone of our communities. British Columbians and Canadians have long prided themselves as people who volunteer, serve and participate. So now more than ever, with threats to our economy, pressures with affordability, both young and old, now is the time to be active in our communities. It’s about helping your neighbour, your family, your friends to continue to make British Columbia that special place we call home.

Ken Gill and Forrest Owens
Memorial Hockey Tournament

Darlene Rotchford: Before I begin today, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered today on the traditional and unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən-speaking people, known as Songhees and SXIMEȽEȽ peoples.

On April 4 and 5, the second annual Ken Gill and Forrest Owens Memorial Hockey Tournament was held in Esquimalt by our local firefighters on south Vancouver Island. This year we had numerous IAFF locals from across Vancouver Island and Nanaimo participate. This charity hockey tournament was organized to remember two late firefighters, Ken Gill and Forrest Owens, and to help raise awareness around the risks associated with firefighting, including cancer and mental health, while promoting resilience in the first responder community.

This tournament focuses not just on memorializing our fallen firefighters, but it shares a focus on mental health challenges that first responders experience, and their controlled efforts in working towards resilience.

[10:30 a.m.]

This special event also brings together families, friends and hockey enthusiasts while raising funds for several community organizations. I would like to thank the IAFF locals as follows: Esquimalt Local 4264, Victoria Local 730, Central Saanich Local 4428, Saanich Local 967, Sidney Local 5282, CFB Local F-003, Nanaimo Local 905, Oak Bay Local 1856, Langford Local 2848, View Royal Local 5419 and Colwood Local 5420.

Thank you all for your tireless work and your deep commitment to your communities not just to keep safe but through your emergency response, as well, through ongoing efforts to support and strengthen the communities in which you serve.

As well, congratulations to the first-place winner and the charity that they donated to — plus bragging rights, because they were the Victoria firefighters local, and there are five MLAs that cover Victoria. To Victoria firefighters, Local 730: thank you for your donation of $6,000 to the Courtnall Society.

Thanks, again, to all those locals and all the work you do within our communities.

The Speaker: Members, a reminder to all members to keep your private statements within two minutes. Some of you went way over two minutes today, so practise before you deliver.

Oral Questions

Interior Health Data Breach
and Employee Privacy Protection

Bruce Banman: Today we have learned, and British Columbians have learned, that over 28,000 social insurance numbers have been stolen from B.C.’s Interior Health Authority’s 28,000 employees. Their personal information has been hacked and stolen. The Fifth Estate found that the stolen identities taken from Interior Health employees have been used for fraudulent CRA refunds and loans.

When was this government aware of this breach? And how come an employee like B.C. nurse Leslie Warner was never made aware that her account was hacked and her private information had been stolen? What kind of gong show is this government running in Interior Health? You can’t get a doctor or count on an ER room, but if you’re a nurse, you can now count on your information being stolen.

Hon. Josie Osborne: Privacy of personal information is, of course, an incredibly serious matter, one we take very seriously and that health authorities take their responsibilities to protect very seriously.

What I can tell the member is that in January, the RCMP informed Interior Health about a document, discovered during an investigation, that included personal information of individuals, including a number of current and former Interior Health employees. Interior Health took diligent steps to investigate the matter, to support the RCMP investigation that’s underway. They’ve also hired external security experts to conduct dark web searches and ensure that personal information…. They have confirmed that personal information is not on the dark web.

They’re now taking the steps to notify all current and former employees and, out of abundance of caution, helping to provide credit monitoring to help people protect their personal information. They notified the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of this information incident, and they will continue to keep them updated.

The Speaker: Member, supplemental.

Bruce Banman: B.C. health authority board of directors were making $1,400 a day after a 53 percent pay increase. This incompetent NDP government keeps on hiring more and more bureaucrats and managers while disrespecting the workers.

[10:35 a.m.]

Will the Minister of Health tell not me but the 28,000 front-line health care workers why this government failed to protect the personal and sensitive and confidential information of workers? Instead, this government has now exposed them to the kind of fraud that destroys and ruins people’s lives — destroys them. This guts people’s families, and it will leave them looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives.

This government had a duty to protect their private information, and this government has failed to protect their workers.

What will the minister now do to make this right and restore the lives of those that are now going to be destroyed as a result of them leaving this door open for hackers?

Hon. Josie Osborne: I have explained the steps that Interior Health has taken in contacting former employees to do everything they can to ensure that these employees are supported. I can also confirm that Interior Health security systems have undergone extensive improvement since 2009. Information systems have increased the granularity of security credentials and system logging. Obviously, Interior Health is not able to disclose those finite details because, of course, they are protecting security measures for security reasons.

This government takes the privacy of information incredibly seriously, as do the health authorities. Health authority boards have taken the proper steps forward in providing direction, keeping the proper parties informed and supporting the RCMP in this investigation. It is my expectation, of course, that they will continue to do this. I know that they will.

Funding for Rural Infrastructure
and Road Maintenance

John Rustad: Well I can tell you one of the things that I also find very serious is the fact that this government has been ignoring infrastructure issues for rural B.C. across so many regions. MLAs have done everything they can to try to raise these issues, including even singing a song, which I won’t repeat, about Quesnel Bridge falling down. However, this government, quite frankly, is treating rural B.C. with a dismissive and uncaring approach.

In my riding, the intersection of Highway 16 and Lloyd Drive is a serious safety issue. The installation of a left-hand turning lane and the extension of the passing lane were scheduled to be started in 2017. This government simply just cancelled the project.

I can understand why the people in these regions don’t vote for the NDP, but is the NDP government ignoring rural B.C. simply because they didn’t vote for the NDP?

Hon. David Eby: When we formed government, every corner of this province was facing outdated hospitals, schools that weren’t seismically upgraded…. Highway 1 — everyone knew Highway 1 had to be expanded. Government refused to do it.

In the Leader of the Opposition’s own community, a hospital was two double-wide trailers intended as a temporary facility for Fort St. James — never addressed. The member never advocated for it, never delivered it. But who built a new hospital for Fort St. James, in the Leader of the Opposition’s own community? It was this government.

I know the member was busy in Ottawa with all of the Trump apologists, advocating for higher pay for politicians. But over here on this side of the House, we’re fighting for this whole province every single day.

The Speaker: Leader of the Official Opposition, supplemental.

John Rustad: I’ll give the Premier an opportunity to apologize and withdraw, because I can show him reams and reams of opportunities that I did and the things that I did to advocate for the hospital in Fort St. James. He is just simply misleading this House.

Interjections.

The Speaker: Shhh.

John Rustad: However, I do want to go on to another very serious point about this. The last time the NDP were in government, in the 1990s, they ran a fudge-it budget. Capital projects were massively over budget, government spending ballooned, and the economy was in shambles.

[10:40 a.m.]

It’s amazing to consider how much history repeats itself to today. The 1990s solution by the NDP was to dramatically cut maintenance budgets for B.C. rural infrastructure. I’ll give you an example. In 1998, the entire amount of money that was spent on maintenance from the Alberta border to Burns Lake on Highway 16 was less than $1 million. Think about that.

We have a fudge-it budget today. We have massive overruns on all capital projects, ballooning government spending. Sounds familiar.

To the Premier: these roads across rural B.C. are critical for our infrastructure, critical for our economy, but they are also critical for people’s lives who depend on them every day to get back and forth for services, for health care and for other things.

Quite frankly, can the residents of British Columbia and the residents of rural B.C. expect this Premier to do the same thing that he did in the 1990s and slash maintenance budgets?

Hon. David Eby: Actually, we canvassed these very issues during the election campaign, and the commitment I made to British Columbians was this: we are building the schools, the hospitals, the roads to grow this province. There has been massive inflationary pressure on capital budgets all across North America…

Interjections.

The Speaker: Shhh. Members.

Members.

Hon. David Eby: …and so that brings a choice. Do you stop building the projects? The member advocated this. He wanted to put the Surrey hospital on hold. He wanted to review all the capital programs. He wanted to put projects on hold and stop them.

And so, when you had the opportunity…

Interjections.

The Speaker: Members, let the Premier….

Members. Members, that’s enough. Order.

Hon. David Eby: The member’s record speaks for itself.

Interjection.

The Speaker: Member for Abbotsford South, it’s not a very nice thing to talk like that. Be careful. It’s the first warning and may be the last.

Hon. David Eby: It brings a choice. Do you build the projects that people need to grow our economy and ensure our success to the province, or do you cancel them? We made a choice. We’re building those projects. The results speak for themselves: first among all provinces for GDP growth last year, 35,000 full-time jobs in 2020 — the highest increase in full-time jobs among provinces.

I hear the members moaning over there about our capital investments in all of their constituencies. But you know what? We’re going to keep doing it.

Climate Change Education
in School Curriculum

Jeremy Valeriote: A local teacher came to my constituency office last month to deliver surprising news. At least half of her high school’s graduating class couldn’t identify what causes climate change or how to address it. In 2025, the science of climate change is not in dispute. Ninety-nine percent of scientists are in consensus about human-caused climate change. It threatens our prosperity and maybe even our existence on this planet.

Education is our best hope. The students of today are our future, and we will be relying on them to develop societal and technological solutions to the problem they will inherit. Yet in a search of our B.C. K-to-12 school curriculum, climate change content is almost completely missing.

Will the Minister of Education urgently direct officials to make climate change education prominent in the B.C. course curriculum?

Hon. Lisa Beare: I want to thank the member for the question. It’s so important we educate our youth about the challenges that are facing us all around climate change. I know this is something the member is very passionate about, as is our government. The work that we’ve done with the Green Party around CleanBC has been world-leading — leaders in North America, leaders across the globe — and there’s absolutely more to do.

Our youth have a number of amazing initiatives within the K-to-12 system around education on climate change and climate science and what we need to do for the future.

Interjections.

The Speaker: Shhh.

Hon. Lisa Beare: I can also tell the member that it’s an absolute passion of the youth as well. The students that I talk to…. This is something they are deeply concerned about. They know it’s their future, as do we. Happy to sit down with the member, following this, any time to talk about what’s happening in our schools and how we can continue to support that education.

Thank you, Member, for the question.

Jeremy Valeriote: Thanks to the minister for that answer.

In mandatory courses, there is a single mention — this is in a search of the B.C. course curriculum — of climate change in science 7. The reference speaks about “evidence of climate change over geological time and recent impacts on humans.” But there’s nothing about the causes or how we can combat it. It appears in three optional high school courses.

[10:45 a.m.]

In fact, in a search of the website, trying these search terms: “fossil fuels” — nothing; “global warming” — nothing; “renewable energy” or “clean energy” — nothing; and “conservation” only speaks about conservation of water.

I have to say, I’m stunned about this. Does the minister at least agree that climate change is not controversial and is accepted science, nor is it too political to include in basic school curriculum?

Hon. Lisa Beare: Absolutely I agree with the member. Climate change and climate science are real, and we on this side of the House absolutely support that. We know how vital it is to take care of our environment, to take care of the future for our youth.

We have amazing resources in our K-to-12 schools, including educators who continue to bring in resources and teach students their passion around climate change and climate science as well.

We also work with First Nations, people who have stewarded these lands for time immemorial, who come to classes all through K-to-12 to educate youth about what is happening on the land in their local areas and what the history is of the land.

As I said, I’m absolutely happy to sit down with the member and talk about what’s in the curriculum, and happy to have that meeting with them.

Bus Rapid Transit System
in Maple Ridge–Langley Area

Misty Van Popta: British Columbians are $200 away from not being able to pay their bills. Affordable and reliable transportation isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity.

In October 2024, the Premier promised to deliver a bus rapid transit line to the North Shore, Surrey, Langley and Maple Ridge, but the budget shows no funding to do so.

Can the minister tell the public why this government broke its promise to the families counting on the BRT line?

Hon. Mike Farnworth: I appreciate the question from the member.

Absolutely, transit is important to families right across the province of British Columbia. That’s why this side of the House has invested significantly in transit ever since we’ve taken office. During COVID, we provided, along with the federal government, more than $849 million to TransLink for their operations.

The subsequent year, in 2023, we provided another $479 million. Last year alone — $300 million in terms of capital projects. We are committed to transit, and we will ensure that people are getting the services that are required.

In terms of the specific issues that the member just mentioned, the recent agreement that we have just achieved with TransLink, which has seen the province contribute another $312 million over three years to assist them in dealing with their operating challenges, is going to allow for expansion of services. One of the priorities for TransLink in terms of the expansion of services is the BRTs.

The Speaker: Member, supplemental.

Misty Van Popta: For a government that’s broke, the BRT is cost-effective to build. Families are struggling to stay afloat, and without reliable transit, getting to work, school or child care becomes nearly impossible. The NDP claims to support working families, but what kind of support is that when they fail to fund the very transit system people rely on?

How can this Premier expect British Columbians to believe he has their backs when he can’t even deliver the buses he promised back in the fall?

Hon. Mike Farnworth: I’m not sure of what part of “commitment to transit” the member missed, but let me be clear: $848 million during COVID is a commitment to transit; $479 million two years ago for their operating funding is a commitment to transit; $300 million in capital last year is a commitment to transit; building a $4.9 billion SkyTrain line, Surrey-Langley SkyTrain system, from Langley Centre— in the member’s own riding — is a commitment to transit.

Let’s be clear. We are committed to transit. They’re committed to complaining. We’re going to continue to build this province.

[10:50 a.m.]

Quesnel River Bridge and
Highway 97 Interconnector Upgrades

Sheldon Clare: No singing today from me.

The Speaker: Good.

Sheldon Clare: The Quesnel River Bridge and rail overpass were built 64 years ago, and the NDP first promised action 21 years ago when this very same minister was in government. There is a dire need to build an interconnector to include a new bridge and rail overpass on the Quesnel River before the existing ones are condemned.

I have written the minister, and thank you for the response. I have held meetings and documented the dangerous state of this crumbling infrastructure.

Will this government commit to building British Columbia’s Highway 97 interconnector upgrade before it’s too late?

Hon. Mike Farnworth: I appreciate the question from the member. I want to confirm that he asked for briefings from my ministry staff. Those have taken place. I know that a meeting is going to be scheduled for later this week with him, with myself and staff, again, further on some of the issues that he has raised around the Quesnel River Bridge and Highway 97 in his area.

I can tell him that ministry staff regularly inspect the Quesnel River Bridge, on an annual basis, to ensure that it is safe. I know he sang about it, but I can assure him that the Quesnel bridge is not falling down. The professionals in my ministry are ensuring that that bridge is safe, and they do that on an annual basis. I want to reassure him on that.

But I also want to reassure him that, when it comes to Highway 97, again, that’s an area that the province continues to make investments in. On Highway 97 at Cottonwood Hill, construction is currently underway on that project. Highway 97, Cuisson Creek, pre-works are completed, with construction to start again in this year.

There are others that I am also able to list, and I will wait for the supplemental.

Rural Transportation Infrastructure

Donegal Wilson: We learned this morning that a rock slide in my riding between Keremeos and Kaleden has closed a section of Highway 3A again. The last time this happened, the highway was shut down for a week and repairs took months. It cut off our communities and choked our local tourism economy. Yet this government still refuses to invest in the preventative maintenance real infrastructure needs.

Why is this Premier always caught flat-footed when disaster strikes? And when will he stop neglecting the transportation lifelines that keep rural B.C. moving?

Hon. Mike Farnworth: Again, I have to disagree with the member. It’s $15 billion in capital projects that this government is investing in every part of the province. Road builders in this province will tell you that they have more work now than they ever had when the Leader of the Opposition sat on this side of the House.

Interjection.

The Speaker: Member.

Hon. Mike Farnworth: Thank you, hon. Member. I think that member should heed the advice from the member for Peace River North.

In regards to the rock slide, I can tell you that geotechnical engineers are on site assessing the situation to ensure that the road is cleared as quickly as possible. As well, there is an alternative route that is underway. The professionals in my ministry, working with the road builder crews, are doing everything to ensure that that road is cleared as quickly as possible and assessing what additional works need to be undertaken.

Currently, there is one of the rock-fall catches. In this particular slide, that did overwhelm that. So following this will be an assessment on how to make it stronger and better so that it’s able to deal with situations like this if they occur in the future.

Jordan Kealy: I would like to know what my advice is, please.

Hon. Mike Farnworth: I suggest you check your Twitter account.

Transportation Projects
in Kelowna and Status of Highway 33
Multimodal Corridor

Gavin Dew: During the recent election, we heard a lot of big talk from this government about commitments to Kelowna and made-in-Kelowna solutions.

As one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, one of our most pressing needs is serious investments in transit and transportation. Can the minister tell us in what fiscal year, specifically, this government will actually step up with funding for a new transit operations centre and the next steps on the Highway 33 multimodal corridor?

[10:55 a.m.]

Hon. Mike Farnworth: I know that we seem to be getting estimates questions, and I look forward to them. But what I am happy to tell the member is that work that we are doing, ensuring that B.C. Transit has the funding that it requires to be able to expand operations, is something that we are actively engaged in, in the same way that we’re wanting to ensure that TransLink has got the operating funds that it needs to be able to operate and also to expand service.

But in terms of when it comes to infrastructure in his neck of the woods, again I’d like to inform him that significant investments are being made. In fact, I just had a meeting with the mayor of Peachland, a very strong advocate for his community, where he was advocating for the two intersections and the Trepanier intersection. I was able to inform him that we are going to be funding the work on that for this year.

So he can expect to see key improvements on transportation systems that matter to his mayor and council happening this year.

Highway 37 Safety
Upgrades and Maintenance

Claire Rattée: In November, Cassidy and Jayden, two young people with their whole lives ahead of them, were tragically killed when their vehicle hydroplaned and flipped into a body of water on the section of Highway 37 between Terrace and Kitimat during heavy rainfall. This tragedy was entirely preventable. The road lacks basic infrastructure like proper drainage and barriers.

The minister has access to ICBC data, which shows almost 600 single-vehicle and non-intersection crashes occurred on Highway 37 alone from 2019 to 2023, a disturbing number of which resulted in fatalities.

If the government knows where these crashes are happening, why hasn’t it prioritized installing safety features like guardrails and barriers at those critical locations? How many more lives need to be lost before this government takes rural highway safety seriously?

Hon. Mike Farnworth: Of course the government takes highway safety seriously. To suggest that it doesn’t is simply wrong. That’s why we have made a number of improvements. For example, increasing the number of commercial vehicle safety enforcement officers right across the province, to ensure that road safety is a key priority.

Also, at the same time, assessing those areas that need to have additional supports in place, in terms of additional infrastructure. That’s why we continue to invest not only in highways such as Highway 37, Highway 9, Highway 5, Highway 1 but highways right around the province.

There is a lot of work to do, but we will continue to make those investments to ensure that we are making our highways as safe as possible.

Sharon Hartwell: To the minister: well, he’s right. There is a lot of complaining going on. The complaints that I’m hearing from Highway 37 in my riding are substantial.

The communities such as Kitwanga, Stewart, Dease Lake, Telegraph Creek, Iskut, Atlin — they all live on Highway 37. It’s more than a road; it’s a lifeline for northern communities and major industries, yet it remains chronically neglected. I know this because I drive it. Potholes are four to six inches deep.

The crash statistics don’t lie: 345 crashes, 82 casualties and an overwhelming number being single-vehicle accidents.

Why is this NDP government refusing to invest in proactive maintenance and safety upgrades for Highway 37?

Hon. Mike Farnworth: In fact, the government is not refusing to be proactive in terms of investing in highway maintenance on Highway 37 or any other highway in the province of British Columbia. In fact, along with the provincial investments that take place and the changes in terms of operations that take place, such as commercial vehicle safety enforcement, investing in intersections and dangerous intersections, we’re also working with industry, for example, on Highway 37, in how we partner in ensuring that when resource development takes place, road improvements are taking place, safety infrastructure is put in place to deal with the development that’s taking place on that highway.

Also working with the federal government to ensure that we are getting our fair share of transportation improvement investments. That’s the approach this government is going to continue to take. We will continue to invest in safety right across the province.

[11:00 a.m.]

Budget Provisions for
Rural Infrastructure Projects

Peter Milobar: As with everything with this NDP fudge-it budget, the numbers just simply aren’t adding up today. We have no teachers assistants in this budget from K to 3 as promised by the Premier. We have the grocery rebate no longer in this budget. We have the seniors bus passes no longer in this budget. The list goes on and on of broken promises, by this Premier in the most recent election, that are not in this fudge-it budget.

Now we hear about the $15 billion of infrastructure. What the government fails to point out in that $15 billion number is that their infrastructure projects are currently $15 billion over budget — and delayed, I might add. No wonder they’re hearing from all across this province about lack of maintenance, lack of safety updates, lack of infrastructure investment across the board.

What is this Premier’s response to this, when members from this House have been elected and sent here by people in their ridings to bring these issues to the floor? The Premier characterized it earlier: “We are moaning about the lack of investment in this province.” Moaning. That’s how the Premier chooses to convey back what he’s hearing, through us from rural B.C., about the lack of infrastructure investment in rural B.C.

Again, how, when the government is broke, when the government is running record deficits, do they reasonably expect anyone to believe that there will be substantive changes to rural infrastructure spending in British Columbia over the next three years of this fiscal plan?

Hon. Mike Farnworth: If any government has invested in rural British Columbia infrastructure, it is this side of the House. A hospital in Fort St. James…

Interjections.

The Speaker: Shhh. Members.

Hon. Mike Farnworth: …that the member failed to get done when he sat on this side of the House.

Interjection.

The Speaker: Member.

Hon. Mike Farnworth: A brand-new Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace, British Columbia, built by this side of the House.

I met with the mayor of Peachland the other day, who came to lobby, to ask for a new intersection to be done. He left my office with that intersection funded and being done this year.

The member from Kamloops north centre over there, when I met him in a previous ministry, asked for cameras on trucks. Work is being done in my ministry to get it done. It’s being done, by this side of the House.

On the Lower Mainland, a $4.9 billion Surrey-Langley SkyTrain centre being built. We’re getting a $1.6 billion Pattullo Bridge that’s going to open later this year….

Interjections.

[End of question period.]

The Speaker: Are members feeling better now?

Good, okay.

Orders of the Day

Hon. Mike Farnworth: In this chamber, I call continued second reading debate on Bill 5. In the Douglas Fir Room, I call continued committee stage on Bill 7.

[11:05 a.m.]

[Mable Elmore in the chair.]

Personal Statements

Sharon Hartwell: I’d like to open debate with a few remarks from yesterday.

Yesterday evening the Minister of Finance rose on a point of order regarding comments that I made during second reading debate of Bill 5. As promised, I have reviewed my comments, and I acknowledge that I was not correct. I am all about truth and accountability, and as such, I retract my comments with respect to the personal conduct of the minister.

I’d like to continue my debate.

Second Reading of Bills

Bill 5 — Budget Measures
Implementation Act, 2025
(continued)

Sharon Hartwell: Following up on that, this bill does have one tax cut in it. It’s a tax cut this government, for years, has refused to do. That is until the former head of DigiBC is now the head of the Ministry of Finance. While this province is getting two credit downgrades, on the same day, this minister is rewarding her old employer. British Columbians are $200 away from being able to pay their bills, and this minister decided now is the time to give her former employer a tax break.

That brings me to the heart of the matter: the North. My riding of Bulkley Valley–Stikine is one of the most beautiful, resilient and hard-working regions in the province, yet year after year, budget after budget, we are being left behind. Promises are made, photo ops are staged, press releases are issued, but when the rubber hits the road, there’s nothing.

The most glaring example is the promised long-term-care facility in Smithers — a promise made by the former MLA, a promise made while campaigning, a promise that gave people hope, hope that their loved ones would receive care closer to home, surrounded by family and community. But in this budget, that promise is nowhere to be found — not a line, not a dollar, just silence.

It’s not just health care. Our roads are in a shameful state. The Babine and Suskwa roads are seeing 150 to 160 truckloads of logs every single day. These roads are essential, not just for industry but for safety, for emergency response, for connectivity, yet they are neglected. Contractors are burning through equipment faster than ever — tires, shocks, suspensions torn apart by roads that haven’t seen real investment in years.

Who pays for that? The small business owners, the truckers, the families, the ones who get up at 5 a.m. and put in 12- and 14-hour days just to make ends meet. What do they get in return? Potholes, washouts, silence from this government.

The situation up Highway 37 is just as dire. This is a highway that serves some of the most productive mining operations in our country — operations that pay taxes, employ workers and contribute directly to this province’s bottom line. Yet the highway they rely on remains unimproved — no investment, no upgrades, no urgency. It’s as if the government is happy to take the money but wants nothing to do with communities that generate it.

Let’s not forget Stewart. This community has been advocating for critical infrastructure funding — specifically, a new bridge that connects the town to its port. This isn’t some pet project; it’s a necessity. Without that bridge, the port can’t function, and the economy can’t function, yet for eight years, this government has dragged its feet. They talk about fast-tracking projects. Well, if eight years is fast, I’d like to see what slow looks like.

[11:10 a.m.]

Meanwhile in Smithers, a local daycare applied for a small grant to expand capacity. They were denied, yet the Premier somehow found $1 million to hire nine new staffers in his office — nine people, $1 million — but no money for daycare, in a working-class town where parents are desperate to get back to work. How does this government expect people to work, to contribute, to thrive, when the basic supports just aren’t there? It’s outrageous.

Then there’s the issue of local fundraising. In community after community, I see the same heartbreaking scenes — parents and volunteers holding bake sales, garage sales, raffles, just to raise a few thousand dollars for playgrounds, community hall improvements or youth programs. These are the same communities that are already paying their share, and then some. They’re not asking for luxury. They’re asking for fairness, for respect, for a government that sees them, hears them and acts on their behalf.

Still we hear the same tired line from this government: “We all need to tighten our belts.” Tighten our belts? In the North, we don’t have belts left to tighten. We’ve been tightening for years. We’ve been making do, stretching every single dollar, doing more with less. Now as inflation bites and costs soar, we are told again that we have to sacrifice more, while the Premier’s office expands, while insiders collect $1,000-a-day contracts, while the Finance Minister gets tax breaks.

What communities will be left behind next? What promises will be broken next? What services will be cut next? Quietly, subtly, without fanfare, that’s what’s happening here. These aren’t flashy cuts. They’re quiet, deliberate, strategic — promises that are quietly erased, projects that are quietly shelved, funding that is quietly denied — and the North is paying the price.

There’s a growing frustration in our communities, a sense that no matter how hard we work, how much we give, how loud we shout, we’re not being heard. We’re not being respected. That’s not just frustration anymore; it’s fatigue, exhaustion. People are tired of being last on the list, tired of being forgotten until the next election rolls around, tired of holding onto promises that never come true.

I say this with all sincerity: people are losing faith — not in themselves, not in their neighbours, but in this institution, in this government — because they see the contradiction. They see a government that talks about equity but delivers inequity, that talks about affordability but raises taxes, that talks about reconciliation but ignores Indigenous communities when it comes to infrastructure and investment.

Take the Babine region, for example. There are First Nations communities there, lodge owners, families, real people who rely on these roads, who rely on connectivity, who rely on this government to do its job, yet year after year their needs are pushed aside, their voices drowned out by the noise of billion-dollar announcements for the Lower Mainland.

I want to be very clear. The North is not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for basic respect, for roads that don’t destroy our trucks, for hospitals that can care for our seniors, for daycares that allow our parents to work, for infrastructure that keeps our towns alive. We’re not asking for handouts; we’re asking for fairness. This bill does not deliver that, this budget does not deliver that, and this government has not delivered that.

I ask, where do we go from here? How do we rebuild trust? How do we ensure that the next generation of northerners can stay, build lives, and raise families in their hometowns? How do we protect industries — forestry, mining, tourism — that keep this province running?

The answer starts with listening. It starts with acknowledging the reality of life outside of Victoria and Vancouver. It starts with keeping promises, with doing what you said you would do, with investing in the communities that invest in this province every single day.

I’d like to speak for a minute on the budget, in the context of the recent credit downgrades in B.C., received from respected bond-rating agencies Moody’s and S&P. I speak with a profound sense of concern and troubling sense of déjà vu. We stand in this chamber once again facing a troubling reality: a budget from this NDP government that looks suspiciously like history repeating itself.

Many British Columbians vividly remember the infamous fudge-it budget of the ‘90s, a term synonymous with fiscal irresponsibility, lack of transparency and outright deception. Sadly, here we go again, faced with a modern-day reincarnation of that same lack of accountability and openness that plagued our province three decades ago.

[11:15 a.m.]

In the 1990s, this province witnessed firsthand the damaging effects of a government that prioritized political convenience over fiscal responsibility. The original budget was infamous, precisely because it deliberately misled the public about the state of our provincial finances, artificially inflating revenue projections while systematically downplaying expenses.

When reality inevitably surfaced, it was British Columbia’s ordinary, hard-working....

Deputy Speaker: Just a minute, Member.

Recognizing the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.

Point of Order

Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert: Point of order, hon. Speaker. I believe the member used unparliamentary language in making allegations about deliberately misleading members.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you. Just one minute.

I just caution the member not to cast aspersions with your remarks.

Interjection.

Deputy Speaker: Member, I’ve provided my caution, and I encourage you to heed the caution.

Continue.

Debate Continued

Sharon Hartwell: When reality inevitably surfaced, it was British Columbians — ordinary, hard-working people — who paid the price through increased taxes, cuts to essential services and profound erosion of trust in their elected officials. The fiscal mismanagement of the era did not merely strain public finances; it shattered public confidence. Citizens lost faith in their government’s ability to manage the economy responsibly. Business hesitated to invest, wary of unstable economic policies and unpredictable fiscal manoeuvres.

Families across the province struggled under the weight of uncertainty, never fully certain of what economic shocks might come next. The ramifications were both immediate and lasting, setting back our province’s progress by years, if not decades.

Now, as we scrutinize this latest budget, the parallels to the past become impossible to ignore. It seems the NDP government has once again adopted the same old playbook: financial obfuscation and evasive answers.

Questions posed directly to the Finance Minister remain consistently unanswered, replaced instead by vague platitudes and troubling refusal to act, to offer clear, direct information. It is deeply concerning that our Finance Minister feels comfortable hiding the realities of our fiscal situation behind rhetorical gymnastics rather than addressing them head-on.

Let’s examine closely the current state of affairs. This government’s recent budget presented numbers that simply do not add up, an alarming echo from the past. Independent experts, economic analysis and even this province’s own parliamentary budget officers have voiced significant concerns. They highlight the lack of transparency regarding the true size of the deficit and potential future program cuts, cuts which government refuses to clearly articulate to the people of British Columbia.

When the official opposition in the British Columbia Conservative caucus raised legitimate, pointed questions, questions about the precise size of the deficit, questions about how many cuts were planned, questions about what crucial programs would be affected, the minister continually dodged responsibility, pivoting instead to political talking points, devoid of substance.

British Columbians deserve better than answers delivered in half-truths and carefully managed evasion. Transparency in budgeting is not merely a political courtesy; it’s the cornerstone of democratic accountability and sound governance. Without honesty from our government, trust is eroded, cynicism grows, and our democracy itself suffers.

When the media, including respected sources like the Vancouver Sun, CTV News, and CBC News repeatedly question the honesty and openness of this budget, we now have a serious problem. Just recently, commentators noted that despite repeated questions from the press corps, the Finance Minister has yet to provide clarity on crucial financial details. The evasive responsiveness has only amplified public suspicion that this budget, like its notorious predecessor, is built on shaky foundations and political wishful thinking.

This government claims it wants to protect services British Columbians rely on, yet it refuses to detail exactly how these services will be maintained amidst growing deficits and mounting debt. The silence speaks volumes. It suggests the government either does not know the answer or is unwilling to share it. Either scenario is deeply troubling.

[11:20 a.m.]

Why does this government choose opacity over honesty? Why does it choose to repeat the mistakes of its own historical record, rather than learning from them?

We don’t ask these questions lightly. We ask them because we have seen the cost of deception before. The price was paid, clearly, by our constituents through increased taxes, through diminished services and through prolonged erosion of public trust.

Reflecting further on the 1990s, we recall how this province endured years of economic uncertainty and stagnation due to misguided financial policies. Business struggled, families faced hardships, and public confidence plummeted. The economic repercussions were severe, lingering long after the original budget scandal had faded from the headlines. It took years of disciplined fiscal management to recover from the damage inflicted during those dark times.

Today we find ourselves precariously close to repeating these costly mistakes. The economic conditions facing our province now are precarious enough without adding layers of financial uncertainty. Families across British Columbia are already struggling under the weight of rising housing costs, escalating grocery bills and higher interest rates. The last thing they need is a government that refuses to come clean about its financial reality.

The parallels between this government’s current approach and the infamous fudge-it budget of the ‘90s were impossible to ignore. The earlier scandal saw financial sleight of hand that ended in courtrooms and headlines, with a public deeply disillusioned by a government that promised transparency but delivered deception. We must ask ourselves: are we doomed to repeat history?

The British Columbia Conservatives, along with responsible legislators across party lines, believe that budgets must reflect not just the priorities of the governing party but the realities faced by our citizens every day. People across our province are grappling with rising costs of housing, skyrocketing housing prices, stretched health care resources and uncertain economic futures. They do not deserve political theatre. They deserve clear, honest and accurate information.

Our call today is clear and unequivocal. This government must immediately release the full, unvarnished financial figures underpinning this budget. The people of British Columbia deserve to know precisely how deep our deficit runs and exactly which services are potentially on the chopping block. The veil of secrecy and obfuscation must be lifted once and for all.

We urge the Finance Minister to abandon the path of evasion and engage earnestly with the public, the opposition and independent oversight bodies. This transparency is not just a political responsibility; it is a moral imperative. British Columbia deserves better. They deserve a government committed to openness and responsibility. This government’s citizens have a right to know how their money is spent, how their future is safeguarded and how their essential services will be protected.

I cannot and will not support this legislation. It is out of touch, it is unfair, and it is a betrayal to the people I represent. I will continue to stand up for the North, I will continue to fight for fairness, and I will continue to speak truth to power, no matter how inconvenient that truth might be.

The people of Bulkley Valley–Stikine deserve better. The people of northern British Columbia deserve better, and I will not rest until they get it.

Anna Kindy: The Budget Measures Implementation Act, known as Bill 5, is the legislative muscle behind B.C.’s latest budget. Looking at the whole picture, I think it’s really a disaster, and British Columbians should be really concerned. We’re looking at B.C. being on track for two credit downgrades. What that means is that we’re going to be paying more on the interest of already ballooning debt.

I just want to go back to what that debt is, and I want people to understand how serious this is. If I were running a household and going to the bank, wanting to borrow money, and showing how I was budgeting my money, the bank would refuse. We need to remember that, sitting in this Legislative Assembly. We need to honour the people we represent and take our jobs seriously, meaning that we need to not fudge-it the budget, so to say.

[11:25 a.m.]

We went from, in 2017 — just as a reminder for people — a $151 million surplus. This is what this government inherited. In 2024, it had ballooned already up to over $9 billion. In 2025, initially before Bill 5, it was forecasted at almost $11 billion. Now Moody’s projects our deficit to be $14.3 billion. That’s a deficit. That’s added to our debt. That means more interest.

How much are we spending on debt-servicing? Well, in 2017, we were already spending $2.5 billion, but it has ballooned up. That’s before this. Bill 5 doesn’t explain to us where the extra $2 billion is coming from. Are they going to be cutting more in terms of infrastructure? Are they going to be cutting more for health care? Are they going to be cutting more for schools? We’re looking at way over $4 billion of interest we’ll be paying this year.

What does this $4 billion mean? It’s just a number. We look at that, and we repeat it often enough, and we don’t actually look at what this $4 billion means. I just brought the fudge-it budget, Standing Strong for B.C. It’s really not standing strong for B.C.

If I were running a household — I’ll come back to that — I would not be able to borrow from the bank. I’m spending beyond my means. That means I need to start cutting back on groceries. I need to start cutting back on transportation, on heating the house. Our own government, this NDP government, is running the province in the same irresponsible way.

I’ll just round it down to $4 billion of interest. What does that mean? In my riding, we have a school, Cedar school, that’s rated 0.68. That means it’s one of the worst elementary schools, infrastructure-wise. There was a campaign promise to build a new school. The community was very excited. It has got programs for our First Nations, but it’s not a safe school. The programs — some of them are being run in closets.

If I open this book up to…. Let’s have a look here. Schools. I’m just going to open it up to schools and look at what a school costs. How much does a school cost to build? I didn’t know until I actually ran here and sat here as an MLA. I do represent my constituents, so I want to know the cost of things.

I’m just going to pick one at random. I underlined it because I was thinking…. For Henry Hudson Elementary School, which has a go-ahead, the total anticipated cost of building it is $60 million. If I multiply that by ten, it’s $600 million, right? Then I multiply that by, let’s say, seven. It’s $4 billion.

By that analysis, we could build how many elementary schools with just the interest that we’re paying on this debt? Here we are cancelling schools. That’s a reality of today. The scary part to me, again, looking at this fudge-it budget, looking at debt-to-GDP ratio…. I’m not an economist; it’s not rocket science to look at this.

[11:30 a.m.]

Let me add, as well, that this is the size of Standing Strong for B.C. This is how much money we are spending, and this is the amount of detail we’re getting.

Anyhow, looking at the debt-to-GDP ratio, we started off at 22.9 percent, and we’re going to be up to 34.4 percent. If we look at the graph of 2017 to now, the graph looks like this. There’s no downward. There’s no plateauing, and there’s no downward.

What does that mean? It means that we’re just continuing, for the foreseeable future, to increase our debt and increase the interest on the debt. That means less money to spend for schools, less money to spend for roads and infrastructure, less money to spend on health care.

I’m just sitting here shaking my head, because I’m going…. I’m just new to this, and I’m looking at…. Who’s making this government accountable for this fudge-it budget? It’s hurting my constituents when you’re not building a new school that we really need that’s servicing First Nations.

Again, I’ll go back to my riding, and let’s just hit health care for a little bit. We have increased our spending on health care dramatically since 2017. I think it’s almost 80 percent. On the ground, the health care crisis is continuing, and people have a harder and harder time accessing.

In my riding, in Port Hardy…. I used to work there in the early ‘90s when there was a fully functioning hospital. Let me add that our debt wasn’t what it was then. Anyhow, I went there recently. This fully functioning hospital now has had an emergency department closed at five o’clock for two years, and it services not only the community but four First Nations.

Now, it’s nice to talk about reconciliation, but what does that mean — reconciliation? It means giving a helping hand. When you’re taking what’s sort of the centre of a relatively smaller community and removing a functioning hospital, I wouldn’t call it reconciliation.

On top of this, this hospital, which we could admit patients to…. Now we can’t. Why? Because every bed is filled with what’s called long-term-care patients waiting for placement. So if you’re from that community….

First of all, the emergency closes now at five, and you can’t get admitted if you’re sick. That’s part of reconciliation? I call that virtue-signalling. We could talk about reconciliation, but let’s do real, true reconciliation and not take things away. Health care is a big part of people’s lives.

Again, with this government, with this fudge-it budget — no money. I asked the Minister of Health, specifically, a question. Can they commit to reopening Port Hardy Hospital as a fully functioning hospital? And I got no answer. Probably why I got no answer is because Bill 5, as well as this fudge-it budget…. Our debt is ballooning. Our interest rates are rising.

[11:35 a.m.]

Guess what, folks. We have no money. That’s a reality. We can play theatre here, but the reality is that we’re in trouble, and we need to start addressing what we’re doing.

One thing this government has done very well is not so much supporting the front line or supporting the health of the First Nations. What they’ve done very well is ballooning the bureaucracy, being it health care or otherwise.

Can you imagine? I actually was there before health authorities were implemented. If we wanted to start a program in our hospital, we did. We were heard. Then the health authority system was implemented, and then it ballooned in terms of bureaucracy. Now Island Health has, specifically, the CEO, nine vice-presidents and a ballooning bureaucracy. We don’t have money, but we do have money for paying nine vice-presidents.

I didn’t get elected to represent the vice-presidents or the health authorities. I got elected to represent my constituents. When there has been financial mismanagement, and there no longer is any money, I’ll call it out.

What do people care about? I door-knocked over 17,000 doors, and the top three, and they still are the top three: affordability, health care, safety. All that is tied to policies and budget. If we mismanage, the money is just not there. The government needs to start coming clean.

When you hear that in British Columbia, families are just $200 away from not being able to pay their bills…. That’s what I saw door-knocking. Families where Dad had two jobs; Mom had a job and took care of the kids; two of the kids had, for example, medical issues…. What they told me is they had nothing left in the bank to ever own a home.

I can give them credit. They were budgeting within their means. They weren’t in debt. We expect families and people on the ground to budget and to be careful with their money. What happens otherwise? We go bankrupt, right? I think this government now has to start looking in the mirror and become accountable to what I’m seeing on the ground.

In terms of the health care crisis, I have to say, once you access our health care, it’s usually good. But the issue now is accessing — accessing primary care and accessing specialty care, where it has become so long that people are actually getting sicker waiting, and it costs more.

Once you access it, for example, in our hospital, which was built in 2017…. Unfortunately, again, I think it’s part of planning, but I have to admit this isn’t just due to this government. When you plan a new hospital, you plan for, I imagine, the amount it costs for a number of years. We were already running, on the day we opened, over capacity.

There’s money for paying the vice-presidents, but there’s no money for paying for extra beds for patients.

[11:40 a.m.]

The reality — when there are no beds upstairs, where do the patients stay? In emergency, and some of them for weeks, with one bathroom. We’re talking 12 patients with one bathroom, and what’s called a bridging program, because they can’t even have a GP to look after them.

That’s the reality. That’s a crisis. How do you fix that crisis? Well, part of it is to manage your money appropriately so that you can have money to spend and reallocate the money. But with this fudge-it budget, I have to say, it’s a bit shocking to me.

I look at an example of this government passing what’s called the HPOA, the Health Professions and Occupations Act. Compared to this book, it was probably twice the size — one act, to change how all health care is regulated, completely removing the input from the front line, making patients less safe, treating doctors like felons. The government has time for that, but it obviously has not spent the same quality time in respecting moneys from our constituents.

People pay taxes, and they expect the politicians to respect their money. When a CEO of a health authority mutually leaves and gets a huge package — we’re talking close to $1 million, I think — for, actually, not properly doing their job, that’s not respecting taxpayers. That’s not accountability.

How do we move from here? Well, I think the government needs to come clean. This is not a theatre. People are hurting. Obviously, there’s a segment of the population that is comfortable. They’ve bought their homes, they’ve worked in jobs that they get good pensions from, and they’re maybe not aware of the struggles that the rest are feeling. And the struggle is real.

I feel sad about it when people that I know — quality people that want to contribute to British Columbia, at the beginning of their careers, with young families — are planning to leave.

We should be a have province. You look at Norway. They have over $1 trillion of excess, surplus money. And us? Our deficit is climbing. We’re not even talking surplus. We’re talking about a debt with a yearly interest that would build a hospital this year, every year, and fund it — every year. And how many schools? That’s where we are.

We’re resource-rich, and we’re importing things that we could actually produce. We’re not encouraging people, people that are trying to make it — small companies or people that have been in the resource industries for years, trying to make it and being shut down by the complexity of all the permitting, the complexity of running a business, the cost of running a business, the cost of building a house.

All that, we need to change, and that’s why we’re here. I strongly believe that we’re all in this House to do better, to improve what we hear on the ground, to improve the situation for people on the ground. That starts with being honest. It’s not theatre — honesty.

[11:45 a.m.]

For example, with Bill 5, we’ve just added $3 billion — well actually, $2 billion, because we’ve taken away the grocery rebate, which would have gone to people that needed it. We’ve taken that away.

We have to be honest with our accounting, look in our backyard and look at what we need to streamline. What do we need to reallocate to the front lines, be it health care, be it teachers, nurses, workers? How do we make it easier for people that have that entrepreneurial spirit and that want to work and just be able to buy a house, provide for their family? That does take more than theatre.

I do strongly feel that both sides of the House want to do what’s right. I’ve met people, personally, outside this House, and I have to say that nobody that is a politician is lazy. The amount of work everyone puts in their job is crazy amazing. We’re talking seven days a week, 13- or 14-hour days. I don’t think that’s recognized. I want to say it here again: there’s nobody that’s lazy in this House.

We are bombarded with so much, and we need to learn to streamline what we’re being bombarded with and start paying attention to the things that matter, like how we can make this budget better — not by faking it or by playing theatre but by making it better — and how we make health care better.

There is a crisis. When people are dying on the wait-list and if you don’t have an advocate, good luck to you, that’s not the health care I know, that I grew up with, that I worked in 25 years, 30 years, 40 years ago. It has changed. I think we can go back. I think we have to maybe look at how other countries have done it. How did they support their industries?

We do need the taxes. We can sit there and pretend that hiring more government workers will solve things, but it doesn’t. We need the resource industry to provide us with what we need: renewable resources. We need food. We need to respect the environment, but we also need the jobs. There’s a balance, and that balance has been lost. That’s what I hear on the ground. These are people that, again, have been around for many, many years.

I’ve got talking points here. I decided I wouldn’t use them because I think we’ve said it enough, the talking points. I think we need to, again, talk from the heart, listen to our constituents. It doesn’t matter what party we’re from.

Let’s be real: this budget — I hate to say it again — is a disaster. I guess if I ran my household this way, using the credit card to pay for things…. I mean, this is not a credit card, because it’s not 21 percent debt, but with Moody’s issuing two credit downgrades, that means more interest payment. That interest payment is real money; it’s billions. One year would be enough to build and run how many schools? That is a reality.

[The Speaker in the chair.]

I’m optimistic that we’ll find a solution for this, but it will start with this government coming clean and letting us know, with Bill 5, what will happen to that extra $2 billion that we owe? What programs will be cut, and what is the plan moving forward to improve our fiscal situation in British Columbia?

[11:50 a.m.]

Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert: I’ll be focused on the tax credits for film and TV, interactive digital media. These are incredibly important for every region in this province: the film business, digital technologies, video games, telling the story of our province, telling the story of the world, through the incredible crews, the incredible talent, the incredible producers. They do such important work for our province.

We’ve increased the tax credits because we want to be competitive with the world. I know some of my colleagues in the Conservative Party were talking down the film industry, suggesting it was, perhaps, not a good industry for B.C., just for rich people in the big city. They couldn’t be more wrong. The film industry employs people in every region of this province, good-paying jobs, hard-working people, from truck drivers to anyone who decorates the set, to doing the makeup, the hair, the costumes, the writing, the directing, the grips.

I could go on about the vitality of just the film industry, because it is so important to this province.

But I just want to assure the film industry that we’ve got your back. We’re speaking up for you. We support you.

This bill does that, and I’m happy to finish my debate in support of Bill 5 now.

The Speaker: Noting the hour, Member.

Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert: Sorry. I’m finished with my speech but, certainly, I guess at this stage, I don’t see…. We’ve got one speaker there. Sorry, hon. Speaker.

Point of Order

Elenore Sturko: Sorry, Mr. Speaker. I do also note the hour, but I’d also like to bring up a point of order.

At no time did anyone on this side suggest that B.C.’s film industry was not a worthwhile industry to invest in.

Debate Continued

The Speaker: Noting the hour, Member.

Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert: Okay. Are there other speakers, or no?

The Speaker: Adjourn the debate.

Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert: Okay, thank you. With that, hon. Speaker, I move adjournment of the debate.

Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

George Anderson: Mr. Speaker, Section A reports progress on Bill 7 and asks leave to sit again.

Leave granted.

Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 11:52 a.m.