Hansard — Thursday, February 19, 2026 Afternoon, Issue No. 120

Hon. Jessie Sunner presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor: a bill intituled Post-Secondary International Education (Designated Institutions) Act.

Hon. Jessie Sunner: I move that Bill 7 be introduced and read a first time now.

Today I am proud to introduce the Post-Secondary International Education (Designated Institutions) Act. This bill creates a legislative framework for the education quality assurance designation, setting clear standards for institutions to meet in order to be authorized to enrol international students.

Bill 7 turns education quality assurance from a policy into legislation, strengthening oversight and giving government the enforcement tools needed to uphold quality education standards and hold institutions to account. This legislation will provide clear authority for government to conduct inspections, address non-compliance and take enforcement action against bad actors. It will put a clear appeal process in place and introduce program fees to support enforcement action and oversight across the sector.

I am proud to introduce this legislation. It will enhance the integrity and reputation of B.C.’s post-secondary system and ensure that international students receive the quality education and support they deserve.

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

Motion approved.

Hon. Jessie Sunner: I move that Bill 7 be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Motion approved.

Orders of the Day

Hon. Mike Farnworth: I call continued debate on the budget.

Budget Debate
(continued)

Hon. Christine Boyle: When I left off before lunch, I was sharing the story of Jay in Nanaimo, who found supportive housing through the HEART and HEARTH partnership in Nanaimo and as a result, was able to reconnect with his daughter, to find employment and to move into affordable, non-profit housing and continue to stabilize his life.

Jay’s story is just one of so many that we hear about and even more that we know exist across the province.

[1:05 p.m.]

The programs we choose to invest in are bringing more people off the street than ever before. Our investments are putting the keys to affordable housing, including affordable home ownership, in the hands of more people than ever.

[Mable Elmore in the chair.]

We’re doing it by bringing together a team of resources. Chief among them is a dramatic and much-needed increase in the number of homes built right across the housing spectrum, and while we’re making record investments in building new housing, we’ve also pioneered new ways to ensure that these are the most cost-effective homes in our lifetime. That work will continue.

I want to speak a bit about the belonging in B.C. plan. HEART and HEARTH, the programs I was speaking to before lunch, build upon record investments and success with supportive housing that we have seen since we began this work in 2018. Budget 2026 makes a deliberate choice to keep funding the essential services and supports that we see are making a difference.

We have built more than 5,000 homes, through the supportive housing fund, to help people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Programs like HEART and HEARTH and supportive housing are part of belonging in B.C. — our effort to bring together the wide range of initiatives and strategies our government has developed and implemented to ensure that people don’t become homeless and if they do, that they can quickly find a stable home.

We are determined to get people the care and supports they need and to transform our systems to end the cycle of people falling through the gaps — a cycle that was driven in previous decades through a lack of sufficient action and investment in housing by the previous government. That’s why our government has made investing in housing such a central priority.

It’s not just homelessness. We’re tackling other issues, like intimate partner violence. So far we’ve created more than 1,450 spaces through the women’s transition fund to create safe spaces for women and their children leaving violence.

This includes 130 spaces on Vancouver Island and almost 100 spaces in Metro Vancouver, all of which we opened just last year — safe spaces like the 33 second-stage units at Kw’i Lelum, also called Rise House, which is operated by the Cowichan Women Against Violence Society in Duncan; and 14 beds at Nisa Homes, which is operated by Nisa Foundation in Surrey.

Nisa Homes offers support for women and children, primarily those who are immigrant, refugee, non-status and Muslim, and any woman in need of help. They are one of the many organizations in B.C. that empower women to heal from trauma, to regain their confidence and to equip them with tools to start afresh.

Last March we were fortunate to share the story of a resident whose anonymity is being protected for safety purposes. She said: “Nisa Homes gave me and my children a place to heal and rebuild our lives. The staff was incredibly supportive, always there to listen and provide guidance. I feel safe, understood and empowered to move forward. I don’t know where I would be without this place.”

I have been fortunate to be at the opening of a number of women’s transition housing projects and have heard from women and their children who have moved in about what a huge difference it makes for a mother to know that her kids have a place they feel safe and secure, a place where they feel comfortable and even proud to invite friends to come over after school, a place where they’re having sleepovers and where they’re planning and imagining, dreaming about a future.

[1:10 p.m.]

The courage that it takes for a woman to leave a violent situation, to protect herself and her children and to start to rebuild that life…. That opportunity for dreaming and imagining something better is profound. To be able to meet that courage with the housing and supports needed continues to be a priority for our government.

We are also tackling decades of neglect for housing for Indigenous communities as well. We’re building more than 3,200 homes both on and off reserve through the Indigenous housing fund, which supports Indigenous-led and culturally appropriate housing solutions.

Regional Chief Terry Teegee of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations said it best when he said: “With each new home built through the Indigenous housing fund, we are taking meaningful action to address the critical need for culturally supportive shelter and to foster a lasting vision of community and resilience for First Nations in B.C.” He continues: “As the first-of-its-kind fund in Canada to provide provincial investments for on-reserve housing, the province of B.C. is leading by example on the collective effort needed to address this crisis, which disproportionately impacts First Nations in B.C.”

By meeting the fundamental needs of families and Elders, both on and off reserve, we lay a strong foundation for people to thrive while advancing our collective journey toward reconciliation.

In October of last year, the Indigenous housing fund helped the Lax Kw’alaams First Nation celebrate two fantastic milestones. They broke ground on 38 affordable rental homes for families, people living with disabilities and nation Elders who live with a family member who provides care and support. And they opened 20 new rental homes for First Nations families and Elders. These projects are led by the Lax Kw’alaams Band and managed by the Lax Kw’alaams Housing Society, creating affordable homes, good-paying jobs and economic opportunities in a boat-access-only, on-reserve community near Prince Rupert.

In times of strong economic headwinds, unreliable trading partners and difficult choices, we remain committed to addressing the housing crisis and to our investments in new, affordable housing. In this budget, we continue putting people first and investing in affordable rental housing. We are clear-eyed and acknowledge that, given fiscal constraints, we need to adjust the pace of our record-setting housing investments.

By adjusting our pace, we can continue to deliver the housing we’ve committed to, through programs that are delivering homes at a range of rent levels to meet the range of need across the province — programs like the community housing fund, which has already delivered more than 13,600 affordable homes.

While we have to make the difficult decision not to proceed with last year’s intake, we will continue to deliver the thousands of homes under construction right now under the fund, and we’ll issue another intake when we’re ready to take on additional projects under this fund. We remain firm in our commitment to meeting the overall housing targets for the program and in the meantime, focus our attention on getting current under-construction projects open for people faster. Thousands of units under construction right now will become good, stable, affordable homes for families across British Columbia.

Now, as folks in the House may know, housing developers today are impacted by inflation, the cost of land, the cost of construction and high interest rates. This can make financing and building new market rental housing challenging. That’s why we’re working with B.C. Housing to deliver an innovative program, BC Builds, to speed up the development of new homes for middle-income working people throughout British Columbia.

BC Builds partners with government, First Nations, community, non-profit and private landowners, providing low-interest, repayable loans and grants and speeding up project timelines to reduce how long it takes to get a building from concept to construction.

[1:15 p.m.]

We’re leveraging a major provincial investment of $950 million alongside $2 billion in province-funded, low-cost financing, along with $2 billion in federal financing through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. By matching provincial investments with further provincial and federal financing, we can get projects off the ground faster and more affordably than by working alone.

We’re looking beyond traditional government housing programs that provide ongoing subsidies to create affordability. Instead, BC Builds acts to lower development costs so that rents will be attainable for middle-income households.

In September, construction began on nearly 250 rental homes in the township of Langley, helping more people find housing options close to work, school and community services. Langley township mayor Eric Woodward said, and I quote: “Residents have made it clear. Housing that meets the needs of working families, seniors and individuals is a top priority, and these projects show how quickly progress can happen with the right partnerships in place.”

These sites are among the first BC Builds projects to break ground, showing the power of connecting eager builders with ready-to-go land and excited municipalities that want to expedite projects.

Beyond building new housing, we’ve also made the choice to help preserve affordable rental housing as well. In 2023, we made the choice to invest $500 million to create a first-of-its-kind rental protection fund because we know that people thrive when they have safe, secure homes without living in fear of being evicted or of sudden rent increases. This fund partners with non-profit housing providers to buy rental buildings at risk of being lost to the private market, ensuring people keep their homes and rents remain affordable.

Two years ago we set a mandate for the fund to protect 2,000 homes in three years. We made the choice to aim high because we knew that more and more people are at risk of being priced out of their homes. We didn’t just meet that bold mandate. We beat it, and we beat it earlier than expected.

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of announcing that the rental protection fund had surpassed its original goal by protecting nearly 2,200 homes and helping renters stay in their communities with affordable rents. With a third of the funding still remaining, the fund will be able to continue to protect more buildings to come — on budget, ahead of time and keeping more house keys in the hands of people who get to keep calling B.C. home.

You don’t need to take my word for it. In June last year, CBC’s flagship news program The National visited B.C. to fact-check our progress and speak with real people behind these programs. They spoke with Marleny Felix, a single mother of three, who now has a guarantee that her home will remain affordable, thanks to our efforts. The CBC reported that she pays roughly $1,390 less for her apartment than the average rent in the area. And because of the choices we’ve made in investing in affordable housing, Marleny’s house is safe.

The CBC explained that when her building went up for sale, chances were high that a for-profit landlord would purchase it, be it a small private equity firm or a large corporation whose focus is to make a return for investors. Instead, the rental protection fund made it possible for Aunt Leah’s properties, a not-for-profit organization, to buy the building with the explicit goal of keeping rents accessible. Marleny told the CBC, and I quote: “I would be out on the street with my children if we were evicted. I just can’t afford anything else that I see on the market in this neighbourhood.”

The fund doesn’t just preserve affordable rent prices for current tenants. It also keeps rents from skyrocketing if there’s a turnover, preserving some of the most affordable homes that exist today. The threat to those homes, without our intervention, is very real.

[1:20 p.m.]

The CBC also spoke with housing and policy expert Steve Pomeroy, who explained that Canada lost more than 550,000 affordable housing units between 2011 and 2021. These units themselves are still there. They just are no longer as affordable.

Now, affordability is a complex issue, and as I’ve mentioned, we’ve made record investments into building homes ourselves and preserving affordable homes. We’ve also chosen to make life better for people and families by breaking down barriers for homebuilders to do their part in building more affordable housing.

B.C. is not alone in facing a global housing crisis and rising development costs. We’ve also seen the choices of governments before us that let speculators and bad actors raise prices to record levels. We’ve seen decades of outdated zoning and too much red tape, making things harder for developers and homebuilders to build the kind of housing we need in the places we need it most. That’s why we’re continuing, in Budget 2026, to support the choices that we’ve made to dramatically speed up the delivery of homes across B.C.

I could go on and on talking about our DASH program, the digitally accelerated standardized housing program, that is seeing homes delivered more quickly in communities across the province; talking about the building permit hub and our work on standardized designs; our work to speed up development approvals and secure financing and permits more quickly; to create opportunities for larger multi-bedroom units and family-oriented housing; our work that is particularly important to me as a former city councillor to work in partnership with local governments to deliver, because their work is so important.

British Columbia is at a crossroads, and in this budget, the Premier, the Minister of Finance and our government have a vision for people and families in this province. We continue to deliver for them, and I am proud to do so.

Brennan Day: It’s not my file. I did notice a few things in the Minister of Housing’s speech that I think need to get pointed out.

She mentioned record-setting and most cost-effective housing. I would beg her to talk to any developer in this province about what cost-effective now looks like at $500 a square foot to build.

The other thing she took a victory lap on is how many houses are getting built. I’d encourage her to look and see how many of those projects are on budget or on time. Certainly nothing that showed up in this budget. In addition, she was talking about rental protections, which are critically important, but we’re seeing cuts to the Rent Bank under this budget.

These aren’t very optimistic for people looking for affordable housing in this province or people looking to get houses built in this province.

I’ll recognize, because I noticed he was sitting there…. We do have the member for Peace River South joining us virtually. I know we’re not supposed to pick on people that aren’t here.

Deputy Speaker: Member, we don’t mention who is present.

Brennan Day: I’d just like to recognize the hard work he’s doing up in Tumbler Ridge and getting here.

Deputy Speaker: Fair enough.

Brennan Day: Thank you.

Budgets are not simply financial documents. These are moral documents. They reveal priorities. They reveal judgment. They reveal competence. When the numbers are this stark, they certainly reveal failure.

This budget confirms that British Columbia now faces the largest deficit in history, following last year’s largest deficit in history — $13.3 billion. Not during a global pandemic, not during an economic collapse, although this government is trying its hardest to make that a reality, but today.

At the same time, taxes are increasing in this budget. Personal income taxes are increasing. The provincial sales tax is expanding. Government is taking far more from British Columbians than ever before, and despite this record taxation, despite record spending approaching $100 billion — that’s with a b — and despite projected revenue to exceed $200 billion within three years, of debt, the outcomes that matter most to British Columbians are not improving.

Health care access is not improving. Long-term-care access is not improving. Emergency room stability is not improving.

[1:25 p.m.]

This is the central contradiction in this government’s budget: record spending, record debt, record taxes, yet declining confidence and declining access where it matters most.

Independent observers have already recognized the seriousness of this moment, and you do not need to take my word for it. Veteran political journalist Keith Baldrey described this as one of the bleakest budgets he has seen. Rob Shaw with CHEK News reported that government is raising taxes by more than $800 million while still projecting record-breaking deficits. This is not fiscal stability. This is fiscal deterioration. It is poorly managed decline.

Government claims health care funding will increase by approximately 4 percent this year or 3.1 percent annually over the next three years. But that number does not reflect reality. Health care costs do not rise at 3 percent. They rise at 6 percent. They’ve risen at 8 percent over the last several years. Anything less than that does not expand care. It reduces it in real terms, terms that see care contracting and throttled.

Inflation alone consumes more than 2 percent. Collective agreements across the health care system are increasing wages by about 3 percent annually. These increases are justified. They reflect the value of nurses, care aides and front-line staff who carry this system every single day. But they also reflect unavoidable financial reality. They consume the entirety and more of the funding increase.

This means that before a single new long-term-care bed opens — all those have been cancelled, by the way — before a single new doctor is recruited, before a single wait-list is reduced, the money has already been spent, absorbed by inflation, absorbed by existing obligations, leaving nothing for expansion of services in British Columbia, leaving nothing for growth of services in British Columbia, leaving nothing to meet the needs of a rapidly aging population of British Columbia.

On paper, spending is increasing. But in reality, capacity is not increasing, access is not improving, and the health care system is falling further behind the very people it exists to serve. That is the most troubling reality revealed in this budget.

We are seeing the same pattern in education. Student outcomes have declined by the equivalent of a full grade level since 2012, despite record spending. In most classrooms, that would be considered a failure. But in the government’s grading system, perhaps they would call it an E for “emerging.” British Columbians see it for what it is: more spending, worse results.

If we continue on this path of educational decline, looking only at top-line budget numbers and ignoring educational outcomes, my eight-year-old son Lachlan will likely be on track to graduate with the equivalent of a grade 10 level. This is managed decline. Parents see it, teachers see it, and I’m not sure why this government doesn’t see it.

We are spending more; we are getting less. And we are failing our children and ensuring that the next generation of British Columbians is less educated, less prepared for the real world and wallowing in heaps of debt that this government has left squarely on their shoulders.

If this government is looking for a rebranding strategy, and after this budget I suspect you’ll need it, perhaps the MDP, Managed Decline Party. When funding increases fail to keep pace with costs, capacity does not grow. It shrinks. That is the reality behind the bleak numbers in this week’s budget, and we are already seeing those consequences.

The government promised that every British Columbian would have access to a family doctor by 2025 in the last election. That promise has now been pushed by this Premier to 2027, and even that date remains uncertain. Now 1.4 million British Columbians are currently without a family doctor. Without that doctor, patients cannot access specialists. They cannot access preventive care. Minor conditions become major conditions. Treatable illnesses become emergencies.

[1:30 p.m.]

You don’t need to take it from me. The Consultant Specialists of B.C. state:

“We are deeply concerned that Budget 2026 misrepresents the current state of specialist access and does not meaningfully respond to the growing wait-list crisis, with more than 1.2 million British Columbians currently waiting for a specialist consultation. This represents a critical system pressure affecting patients across the province and worsening outcomes through delayed diagnosis and treatment.”

Patients end up in emergency rooms not because they should be there but because they have nowhere else to go. This creates pressure throughout the system.

Thousands of hospital beds today are occupied by patients who do not need hospital-level care but cannot be discharged because there is nowhere else for them to go. These are alternative-level-of-care patients — seniors, often medically stable, waiting for long-term-care placements that do not exist. I will reiterate again. They do not exist, and this government has cut any funding for the proposed beds. This is not an isolated problem. This is a structural bottleneck, and it is growing.

The B.C. seniors advocate has been crystal clear. British Columbia must build approximately 2,000 new long-term-care beds every single year between now and 2036 just to keep pace with demographic reality — not to improve access, not to reduce wait-lists, simply to avoid falling further behind. As of today, we are 3,000 beds behind in British Columbia. By 2036, British Columbia is projected to face a shortfall of 16,000 long-term-care beds.

Today seniors are already waiting years for placement — three to four years. In Campbell River, that project, which was supposed to be online years ago, cancelled. Families are carrying this burden at home. Hospitals are absorbing the consequences, and some seniors are dying while waiting for care that never arrives.

This government has promised to transition long-term-care homes to stable, hospital-style funding agreements through the Health Employers Association of B.C. That transition was expected to begin this year, but this budget contains no clear funding to help implement that transition. Without that funding, providers cannot hire more staff and they cannot expand capacity. They cannot sign agreements based on promises alone. The result is uncertainty, and uncertainty delays investment, delays expansion and delays care.

The same instability is reflected throughout the health care system. Emergency rooms across B.C. continue to face intermittent closures due to staffing shortages. Communities like Tumbler Ridge, Port Alberni and others face growing uncertainty about their access to emergency care. Even major regional hospitals are experiencing staffing instability in critical care areas. Hospitalists, emergency physicians and health care professionals across the province are working under increasing pressure, with no clear evidence in this budget that capacity will grow fast enough to stabilize our crumbling system.

Government can point to the size of the health care budget, but size alone does not determine outcomes. Capacity determines outcomes. The number of staffed beds determines outcomes. The number of physicians practising determines outcomes. The number of long-term-care placements available determines outcomes.

Today capacity is not keeping up with the need. This budget does nothing to reverse that trend. It confirms it. We are managing the decline of health care in British Columbia under this NDP budget.

Investor confidence is built on credibility, stability and fiscal discipline. Investors evaluate risk-adjusted returns. I used to do this in the private sector. They assess expected returns, and then they assess risk. When government deficits grow rapidly, when debt accelerates and when there is no credible path to balance, risk increases. When risk increases, capital moves elsewhere.

This budget sends deeply concerning signals about the stability of our province’s long-term future. It projects a record $13.3 billion — that’s with a b — deficit and pushes total provincial debt beyond $230 billion. At the same time, the cost of servicing that debt is rising rapidly. Debt-servicing costs are now projected to reach nearly $9 billion annually. That is one of the fastest-growing expenditures in the entire budget, and it is taking money directly out of schools and hospitals.

This creates a dangerous cycle. As debt rises, debt-servicing costs rise. As debt-servicing costs rise, fiscal flexibility shrinks, and the cost of borrowing continues to skyrocket as we see increased pressure downward on our debt rating.

Independent observers have warned that British Columbia is now at risk of further credit rating downgrades. Nobody that read that budget will be surprised to see that being the next headline in the paper. When that confidence weakens, investment slows.

[1:35 p.m.]

This budget makes a quiet but deeply consequential change to the property tax deferment program, and seniors deserve to understand what that means. I’ll communicate to you a letter that I received from a constituent of mine, Peter Dobo. He’s asked me to share it with the House, and I’ll read it in its entirety because I think it cuts to the core of this problem:

“This morning I saw a sound bite of Finance Minister Brenda Bailey justifying the increased interest rate, along with the added monthly compounding interest rate, of the property tax deferment program, by declaring that people like myself who were enrolled in the tax deferment program were actually abusing the system by using cheap money to further their investments at the expense of all other taxpayers in the province and that, therefore, we should be punished for our malfeasance. I love being reduced to a stereotype first thing in the morning.

“She expressed that the system was placed to help out low-income homeowners to stay in their homes longer, but too many others took tax savings and put the money into their investment portfolios. Could she possibly have used a broader brush to paint homeowners with?

“What about the people who were using the program exactly for what it was intended to do? Were they a minority of those enrolled? Do they no longer matter? Are they just collateral damage as we villains are punished by righteous, punitive legislation?

“I would be happy to open my books on my investment portfolio for the minister to look at any egregious use of government cheap money to advance my growing personal fortune.

“Well done, Minister Bailey. If nothing else, you epitomize the thoughtful, compassionate and well-balanced performance of our current provincial government.

“Sincerely, a former NDP supporter. Best regards, Peter Dobo.”

He came into our office yesterday and ripped up his NDP membership card of 35 years. I suspect you’ll be seeing many in your constituency offices doing the very same.

This program was created with a clear purpose: to allow seniors to remain in their homes, without being forced out by rising property taxes. It recognized a simple reality. Many seniors are asset-rich but cash-poor. Has that changed under this government’s eight years? I think not. They may own their homes, but they live on very fixed incomes.

For decades, this program operated on simple interest. It was predictable, it was stable, and it reflected the spirit of the program, which was support, not profit. This budget changes that. Government is moving from simple interest to compound interest.

That is not a technical change. It’s a fundamental one. Simple interest grows slowly and predictably. Compound interest accelerates over time, pegged to the published rate. It grows faster each year because seniors are now paying interest on the interest itself. Anybody that didn’t learn that in school, I assure you, you need to go back and learn it. I don’t think that class was seen by everyone in this House.

This dramatically increases the long-term cost of deferment. A senior who defers property taxes for ten or 15 years will now face significantly higher repayment costs than under the previous system. We’ve actually done the math. It could turn into an increase of about $100,000 if you’ve done it over the long term. That is absolutely unsustainable.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

This is a program designed to protect seniors into one that extracts more from them the longer they rely on it…. It creates a direct contradiction. This government, in last year’s budget, said they wanted more seniors to age in place because we had a shortage of long-term-care homes.

It says: “We want to reduce pressures on long-term-care homes and health care facilities.” This was one year ago today. But at the very same time, it is making it more expensive for seniors to remain in those homes. It’s increasing the financial penalty for aging in place. It is increasing the cost of stability. It is completely contradictory to this government’s own budget last year.

Now on top of that, there will be less long-term-care homes available for seniors because they’ve been cut in this budget. Unbelievable. That is not support. That is shifting costs onto seniors, and seniors in British Columbia deserve far better than what this government is offering them.

[1:40 p.m.]

I’ll go into a few specifics here because I think they’re important. Who’s affected by the long-term-care home cuts? We’ve got Three Links in Vancouver. They were affected by last year’s cut. Non-profit serving low-income British Columbians and vulnerable British Columbians — they faced cuts last year. The new HEABC changes may affect them as well. They are not alone.

We’ll go back to the hospice and long-term-care capacity crisis. Hospice. Thank you to the Minister of Health for opening the hospice beds back in my riding after much pressure and community outrage. Nothing in this budget to address the lack of consistent and stable hospice and palliative care funding in the province of British Columbia. Again, we still have a 16,000-bed shortfall projected by 2036 and now cuts to long-term-care capacity.

The Doctors of B.C. have already warned that insufficient investment in capacity will worsen access problems. You cannot recruit physicians into a system that cannot support them. Nothing in this budget fixes that.

I’ll tell a story about my son very quickly, before I get into my wrap.

Kindergarten. In class, they had the standardized hearing test. Deaf in one ear. We make an appointment to see the GP. Blockage in the ear. Referral to a specialist, an ENT. Very basic health care. Eighteen months passed before we got that appointment. Over those 18 months, he was in emergency three times for infections and once because his eardrum ruptured.

The cost to our system to not care for that individual: thousands of dollars of front-line support. What was the solution? A $200 tubal ligation procedure that was done in 30 seconds.

That is the result of wait-lists and poor care in British Columbia under this NDP. We are spending more to treat patients worse. This is not sustainable.

We’ll go back to the family doctor crisis that this government loves to take a victory lap on, using top-line numbers. In their last report, the primary care report produced under the CARGA agreement, which no longer exists, and I can’t imagine why…. The one line that was buried in that report was: “1.37 million British Columbians are without a doctor.” That certainly wasn’t the headline.

I had to do the math backwards because they buried it in that report so much. We had to put in an FOI to get a basic statistic out of this government. The level of transparency is truly staggering, and in this budget, that opaqueness continues, although it’s hard to hide behind a budget that is so poorly formed.

Without GP access, access to specialists collapses. The 1.2 million people that are on a wait-list to see a specialist were lucky enough to be able to see a family doctor, and 1.4 million British Columbians don’t have that luxury. Without that doctor, they can’t access specialists. Then they can’t access preventative care. Conditions worsen, as I showed in the case of my son. Costs increase, and outcomes decline. So this has real-world consequences for everybody here in this room.

The old joke back in the ’90s, I remember, when my family first moved here in ’93, was that B.C. stood for “bring cash.” I can’t remember who was the government in the 1990s, but it seems we’re right back to that in this budget.

In my own riding, the Connect Centre, which houses vulnerable individuals and has been slated for replacement with the Braidwood project…. The transition society that runs it is now running a $500,000 deficit, backfilling for government commitments. Again, this budget — nothing in it to stabilize that. Braidwood is still delayed. Hopefully it’ll break ground this year. Will it? I don’t know. Everything else is getting cancelled in this budget. I certainly hope not. That would put about 100 vulnerable individuals back out on the street, affecting businesses throughout my community.

The rollback on the Merit Commissioner. You cannot write this. If I was a speechwriter…. I don’t have to hire a joke writer. It’s right there in the budget. Save you some money there, for sure.

In conclusion, the failure of this budget is not abstract. It is visible in every emergency room waiting area. It’s visible in every family struggling to find care for a loved one. It is visible in every single health care worker being asked to do more with less.

The crisis in long-term care is just the starkest example in this budget of where this government is failing British Columbians, and 2,000 new long-term-care beds per year simply keep pace, yet we’re cutting. So we will fall further behind the 3,000 beds we are currently behind by this time next year.

[1:45 p.m.]

Is that acceptable to British Columbians? It’s certainly not acceptable to me. It’s certainly not acceptable to this side of the House. I guess they just read the budget the day it was released.

Without sufficient long-term-care capacity, patients remain in hospital beds that should be available for acute care. This blocks access for others. Surgeries are delayed. Emergency departments become congested. Ambulances wait outside hospitals. This is how systemic failure spreads. It’s not one thing.

There’s a term in private industry that you should all learn. It’s called the de-bottlenecking. You look for the issue that’s plugging up the system, and you fix that issue. In the case of British Columbians, it is getting people out of the hospital when they’re no longer needed to be there. I have talked to people that have spent 18 months in alternative level of care in hospitals in British Columbia at great cost. This budget doesn’t fix that problem.

Providers can now not build facilities without certainty. They cannot hire staff without funding. They cannot expand capacity based on what is in this budget, because there is literally nothing there for seniors. As a result, both public and private capacity expansion have now been significantly throttled when we need them most. This creates a compounding effect. Every single year of delay makes this shortfall larger. Every year of delay makes this system more fragile.

How long is the government going to take to figure out how to stop spending $1.8 million per bed, as the Finance Minister indicated, to get it down? How much of those savings are going to get eaten up by the fact that costs will continue to rise the longer they kick this can down the road?

Health care professionals face increasing administrative burdens, regulatory uncertainty and unsustainable workloads. Many are choosing early retirement. Others are leaving the province entirely. As this happens, recruitment becomes harder, retention becomes harder, and staffing shortages that are already acute in this province — 40 percent in Northern Health — get worse.

This budget doesn’t present a clear, credible workforce stabilization strategy. Quite the opposite, this is the budgetary equivalent of a band-aid. Instead, it relies on projections that assume stability will somehow emerge on its own, but stability does not emerge on its own. It must be funded. It must be planned, and it must be executed. At the same time, government continues to expand costly administrative structures and care delivery models without demonstrating improved efficiency or improved outcome. Spending rises, but access doesn’t improve.

I’ll tell another story here. It’ll be a tough one. It’s on the back of Tumbler Ridge, but it needs to get told. I’ve been talking to Tumbler Ridge for months. I’ve got this sticker off the wall in my office that says: “Care after dark. Save our emergency room. District of Tumbler Ridge.” When we found out about that tragic incident, my first thought was: “Is that ER even open?” That is the state of health care in rural B.C. today under this government.

Capacity must grow now. Stability must be restored. This budget does not do that. Budgets reveal priorities, and this budget reveals a government that is spending more and delivering less. It fails British Columbians. What makes this budget so very, very troubling is not what it says but what it accepts. It accepts longer wait times. It accepts fewer staffed beds. It accepts emergency room closures as routine, rather than unacceptable and exceptional. It accepts seniors waiting years for care and families carrying burdens that they should never be forced to carry alone.

[1:50 p.m.]

This budget does not mark the recovery of health care in this province. It does not mark the bolstering of our education system. It marks poorly, poorly managed decline in British Columbia, and the people of British Columbia damn well know it.

Susie Chant: Thank you for the opportunity to speak today in support of Budget 2026.

To begin, I acknowledge that I am speaking on the lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən People, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. I remain grateful for the time that I spend here and for the opportunities to learn and work towards meaningful reconciliation.

I also recognize with appreciation the səlilwətaɬ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations, whose unceded territories formed the foundation of North Vancouver–Seymour. Their ongoing stewardship of land and water is actively restoring local ecosystems, and it’s been an honour to witness and acknowledge the impact of their work.

I will echo my colleagues in sending love, strength and stamina to the people in Tumbler Ridge as they move through the difficult times of grief and loss. Young Maya remains in all of our hearts, just as she remains in specialized care, surrounded by the love of her family.

To the member for Peace River South: allow me to send hugs to you and through you to all that might benefit.

It is my privilege and honour to rise today in support of the budget speech delivered by our Minister of Finance, the MLA for Vancouver–South Granville.

I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge the unwavering support of my husband, Rick, my family — Lindsey, Nicole, Troy and Rebecca. Their encouragement and understanding provide me with the energy and commitment required to fully engage in this important work. I am deeply grateful for the role they play in enabling me to serve.

I also want to express my gratitude to the dedicated team supporting my work as an MLA for the North Vancouver–Seymour area, also as the Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors’ Services and Long-Term Care and parliamentary secretary responsible for the Consular Corps.

My constituency office staff — Stephen Tweedale, Michael Charrois, Graham Assels and Lena McLauchlan — ensure that residents receive the assistance they need and create meaningful space for conversations with constituents.

I’m also thankful for the Ministry of Health team, the international government relations and services team, colleagues in the trade and Premier’s offices — all of whom contribute to a full schedule of meetings and events. Their patience, professionalism and hard work are deeply appreciated.

Of course, I do also have to make an ongoing thank-you to the people of North Vancouver–Seymour for entrusting me with the privilege of serving as your MLA over the past five years. My dedicated constituency office staff provide exceptional service and meaningful connection with our community.

I also extend my thanks to the many constituents who reach out with questions, concerns and feedback. This ongoing dialogue strengthens our democracy.

Finally, my deep appreciation goes to the steadfast volunteers whose commitment enables our outreach and community engagement. It is truly a team effort to serve our community, our ministries and our province.

Our constituency office is a vibrant community hub, a space for local art displays, a meeting place for guiding units exploring politics and leadership and a gathering spot for a monthly book club. We welcome high school students for job experience and internships. Our youth council meets regularly to ensure young people’s voices shape our work through discussion, outreach and research. Led by our youth outreach coordinator, the council brings together representatives from high schools across the riding as well as the local university.

All of these activities and others allow a free flow of communication that, in turn, supports and strengthens the care and maintenance of democracy.

I also wish to express enormous gratitude to the members of the Consular Corps, who have extended to me a warm welcome, a functional work environment and a superb cultural exposure to the many and diverse countries that are represented through the consuls general and the honourary consuls in our province.

[1:55 p.m.]

They are enthusiastically supporting and promoting British Columbia and Canada on the international market as a reliable and trustworthy place for trade and investment.

Budget 2026 is being introduced at a time of global turbulence, marked by conflict, geopolitical instability, climate pressures and tragic events that shake communities worldwide. Despite this uncertainty, British Columbia has built a strong foundation, advancing major projects that support thousands of jobs.

The province now has more family doctors, more patients attached to primary care providers and expanded access to nurse practitioners, strengthening longitudinal and continuous health care. Housing pressures are easing, with rental costs declining for the first time in years, and families continue to receive support through the B.C. family benefit, lower insurance rates and more affordable child care.

Budget 2026 focuses on protecting what matters most to people in B.C. — strong public services like health care and education, manageable taxes for working families and a steady, credible path to reducing the deficit. Key strategies include improving public sector efficiency to direct more resources to front-line services, pacing infrastructure investments to control costs and continuing to grow the economy, create jobs and generate new revenue.

Since being appointed by the Premier as the Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors’ Services and Long-Term Care, I have met with key stakeholders, service providers, advocates, the seniors advocate and seniors themselves to understand their priorities and identify opportunities to strengthen care across the province.

Working closely with the Minister of Health, we are advancing initiatives that support seniors to live longer in the comfort and safety of their own homes, while ensuring long-term-care facilities are staffed, stable and able to provide consistent, high-quality care. This budget recognizes the growing number of seniors who are unhoused or at a risk of homelessness and continues funding for rental housing and services that help low- and moderate-income seniors and people with disabilities live independently.

It also acknowledges the $447 million in federal funding that will enhance seniors health care, support treatment of complex conditions outside hospitals and improve safety and quality in the long-term-care realm. These investments build on the 2025 expansion of the Shelter Aid For Elderly Renters program, including raising the income cap to $40,000, as well as existing supports such as the seniors supplement, B.C. bus pass and the life-threatening health needs program.

In 2025, British Columbia advanced its commitment to building a province where everyone can thrive, where people can earn a liveable wage, afford a safe home, access food, water and health care, and live in a sustainable environment for future generations.

This budget continues to strengthen health care, education and affordability while supporting progress in child care, housing, public safety, reconciliation, climate action, mental health and addiction, community well-being, gender equity and a variety of other important areas.

Central to all of this work is a sustained, respectful government-to-government relationship with Indigenous Peoples. Guided by the voices and experiences of communities across B.C., ministries work together to identify needs, address gaps and build on progress. This budget provides a strong, flexible foundation for government and legislators as they collaborate with representatives and constituents to enhance the everyday lives of people throughout British Columbia.

With a clear focus on British Columbia’s future, we have made major investments to ensure every child has a safe, accessible place to learn. Over the next three years, $634 million is being directed to K-to-12 education, including $167 million for the classroom enhancement fund and $5 million for First Nations reciprocal tuition.

We are also continuing historic investments in child care, with $330 million over three years to create more spaces and continue to reduce fees for families.

[2:00 p.m.]

These investments are already making a difference. Students at Seymour Heights Elementary in North Vancouver are enjoying a new universally accessible playground funded by $200,000 in provincial support. North Vancouver is preparing for the opening of the new Cloverley School, which will include child care spaces and before- and after-school care. Capilano University will soon open new on-campus student housing, reducing commuter times and helping students focus on learning, alongside a new early childhood education centre with 70 preschool places and training capacity for future educators. A new pedestrian and cycling overpass will also provide safe access to schools and sports fields.

These projects, many already complete and others set for completion by 2026, are the result of steady, long-term planning through past budgets, despite criticism from the opposition parties.

Families in North Vancouver are also benefiting from new child care centres, including 37 new spaces in the Lynn Creek Community Recreation Centre, through the new spaces fund, all eligible for the province’s fee reduction program, to keep child care affordable.

Improving affordability includes investing in infrastructure and reliable public transit. Provincial funding is expanding active transportation in North Vancouver. We invested over $300,000 in the Spirit Trail eastern extension in order to add new cycling routes, multi-use pathways and safer pedestrian walkways that connect Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove.

Rapid bus service from Metrotown to Park Royal is coming to the North Shore to increase commuter capacity and reduce congestion. The upgraded Phibbs Exchange, now surrounded by new and existing multi-unit housing, a rec centre, a long-term-care facility and a local Sḵwx̱wú7mesh village, provides faster, safer access into Metro Vancouver and across North Vancouver, including Capilano University. These improvements support kids, students, workers, families and seniors in choosing active and public transportation.

All of this progress has been made under our government, which continues to invest in people through each year’s budget, including Budget 2026.

Provincial funding for disaster risk reduction has strengthened the North Shore’s ability to withstand and adapt to natural hazards and climate-driven emergencies. Through a collaborative effort between the three North Shore municipalities, the səlilwətaɬ Nation, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation and critical infrastructure partners, our communities are reducing risk and empowering residents and organizations to share responsibility for preparedness.

This work includes staff and volunteer training, stronger relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and improved supports for people forced to evacuate during emergencies. These investments have expanded our capacity to deliver emergency support services through volunteer recruitment and retention, training and essential equipment.

We have seen firsthand why this matters. Floods have torn through neighbourhoods, carrying trees and boulders into homes and across roads. A devastating fire in a subsidized seniors residence left 38 vulnerable people without homes, belongings or medications.

In each case, our firefighters, supported by neighbouring departments, responded within minutes and stayed for days. North Shore emergency services was on the ground almost immediately, assessing needs, prioritizing care and contacting family. Thanks to their rapid response, lives were saved.

Every community faces emergencies like these, and today they are better prepared than they were a decade ago because of a sustained provincial investment.

These budgets are built on careful consideration, listening to the people of B.C. through provincewide consultations, assessing local and global economic conditions and recognizing both the current and future impacts of climate change. These principles continue to guide, and did guide in the development of Budget 2026.

In North Vancouver, the B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation had a $1.2 million investment done in Foxy Produce Ltd. That is already delivering results, from a new produce store, to an advanced air-insulated greenhouse that is cutting energy use down, to the creation of approximately 62 jobs and about a 30 percent revenue increase driven by fresh, B.C.-grown produce produced with less energy.

These are real, measurable outcomes that show what happens when we invest in people and ideas.

[2:05 p.m.]

At the same time, Seaspan continues to expand its skilled-trades workforce for the national shipbuilding program, generating major economic ripple effects across the province. The company is even running worker shuttles from the surrounding communities to its North Vancouver yard, easing traffic congestion — a practical solution that is visible every day at shift change.

These types of examples are seen in various communities in the province — small and large businesses providing good-paying employment.

British Columbia’s housing crisis has been affecting people across the province for a long time, and our government has taken decisive action to ensure everyone has access to safe, appropriate housing. In my community, this work is already making a real difference, from Capilano University’s first student residences, to the full rebuild of a deteriorating home for adults with disabilities, through the opening of a new safe house for seniors facing violence or homelessness.

Affordable, low-income, market and supportive housing projects are underway, including a new supportive housing complex in North Vancouver developed in partnership with the community. These initiatives reflect our commitment to delivering on annual budget promises and creating housing options that meet the diverse needs of our residents.

BC Builds is delivering more affordable housing for North Vancouver, with new projects supporting families, seniors and individuals. Since its launch in 2024, the program has fast-tracked significant developments, including 179 new homes and a new community services facility, which is the North Shore Neighbourhood House. It has now expanded to meet growing demand and will offer child care, food programs, wellness activities and youth and seniors services.

These projects reflect the broader progress across the province, where increased housing supply has contributed to higher vacancy rates and lower rental costs.

Let’s talk a little bit about mental health care. Mental health supports across the province have expanded significantly. Peer-assisted care teams, first piloted in North Vancouver, now operate in many communities, offering in-person or phone-based responses with increased hours of availability. Car programs pairing mental health clinicians with police have been introduced or strengthened in multiple regions. New treatment beds for detox, rehabilitation and ongoing therapy are being built to ensure timely access for people seeking help with addiction.

Indigenous communities are developing culturally grounded healing centres that provide effective, inclusive assessment and treatment. There are a number of communities who will benefit from increased services, and this progress is ongoing, with recognition that continued work is needed.

In other areas, many steps have been taken to strengthen and rebuild our health care system. In nursing, new training seats have been added so more graduates can come from B.C.’s own programs.

Just a couple of weeks ago I visited a centre in Surrey that now hosts an additional nurse practitioner program with about 30 seats and a long list of eager applicants. The facility included one of the most comprehensive skills-training labs I’ve seen, alongside physiotherapy, occupational therapy and midwifery programs, complete with classrooms and off-site clinics for practicums.

Work with colleges, unions and professional bodies has accelerated the process for internationally trained doctors, nurses and other care providers to become qualified and registered, allowing them to join our workforce more quickly. These professionals bring valuable skills, cultural knowledge and languages that enrich the care available to patients.

Financial supports have been introduced to help internationally trained nurses overcome the high costs of getting qualified here, costs that have historically discouraged many from continuing in the profession.

Across the system, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and community pharmacists are now working to full scope of practice, delivering specialized care in many areas, including that of substance use management.

Speaking of nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives, people that are near and dear to my heart, let me speak again about the Canopy clinic, Canada’s first clinic staffed exclusively by nurse practitioners and midwives when it was set up. It has now enrolled more than 1,500 patients who previously lacked a family practitioner, setting a model for innovative, community-focused care.

Investments in paramedic training, expanded ambulance fleets and improved staffing have strengthened emergency services, while new hospitals, updated technologies and modernized legislation continue to advance health care across this province.

[2:10 p.m.]

In North Vancouver, the new Lions Gate Hospital tower has opened with 108 single-patient rooms, a state-of-the-art operating suite with eight ORs and streamlined perioperative spaces. Designed with the latest infection control standards, this facility supports shorter hospital stays and reduces in-hospital transmission.

I recently had the opportunity to tour the new St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, a long-awaited facility with purpose-designed spaces throughout. Each specialty unit reflects thoughtful input not only from architects and engineers but also from the people who will work and receive care there. Even the power complex has been placed on the fourth floor to improve resilience against floods and earthquakes.

Not long ago, I was walking through an area that used to be a driving range and an informal green space in North Vancouver. Today a major new building stands there on səlilwətaɬ land, soon to open as a purpose-built home for the First Nations Health Authority, replacing its current commercial office space. It will serve as an important and dedicated part of the B.C. health system.

These projects and many others across British Columbia have taken shape over the five years that I’ve been in this role, supported by annual budgets that recognize and respond to the province’s evolving needs.

As we all know, and some of us are currently experiencing, B.C.’s senior population is rapidly growing, with nearly 22 percent of residents expected to be 65 or older by 2035-36. To meet rising needs, the province invested about $2 billion over the past five years to expand and improve care for seniors, including long-term care, health care staffing, seniors services and primary care.

In 2024, more than $354 million over three years was put in place to strengthen community-based and home health services, including $227 million to enhance home health quality by adding over 900 new health care providers. An additional $127 million was dedicated to stabilizing and expanding high-demand provincewide non-medical supports that help seniors stay active, socially connected and safely at home longer.

I was recently at my local health authority in a case management meeting and saw the results of these investments — results such as an outreach team that includes a physician and other health professionals to go into the homes and see fragile clients who can’t get out of the home to go to the doctor; an obligated social worker to manage adult guardianship concerns, rather than taking other care professionals into a realm that is often complex and difficult; RNs and LPNs working together in community to support seniors to stay in their homes longer. These are things that were not part of community health in 2017.

Better at Home, a provincially funded program managed by the United Way B.C., got a significant funding boost last spring and has provided seniors with non-medical home support such as housekeeping, grocery shopping, yard work, transportation and friendly visits to help them remain independent and connected in their community. New services have included system navigation support, peers programs, expanded group activities, social meals and more flexible transportation.

Three additional seniors programs also expanded: the family and friend caregiver support program, the therapeutic activation program for seniors and social prescribing. If you want to know about any of those programs, please come and talk to me.

The number of community connector positions has increased, strengthening support for seniors who are frail or at risk by helping them develop wellness plans and access appropriate community and health services.

To enhance communication and collaboration in long-term care, resident and family councils have been stood up, and regular regional and provincial meetings have been implemented.

Although we’ve made meaningful progress in preparing to care for our elders with the dignity that they deserve, B.C.’s health care system still needs greater cohesion. We will continue to re-evaluate our care models, build robust social systems and supports in every community, explore alternative housing options and strengthen communication across organizations. Moving towards these things together requires nimble, adaptive decision-making and a willingness to embrace creative change.

[2:15 p.m.]

I would be remiss if I did not mention the B.C. film industry in this speech. Over the past years, investments and changes have been made to support jobs and encourage filmmakers to come to B.C. or return to B.C. In Budget 2026, further changes work towards removing administrative burdens that can lead to slowing down production. In order to keep Creative B.C. doing the great work that they do, certificate fees for some film and TV tax credit applications will be increased. This is an industry that continues to thrive in North Vancouver.

Budget 2026 moves forward with a steady hand and a clear focus on the challenges of today and tomorrow. It builds towards a province where everyone has a home, a liveable income and a safe community to thrive in. Many of the measures needed to achieve this vision are already underway, with more to come.

In the year ahead, our government will continue delivering work that puts people first, strengthening the services that matter most, including health care and education, while keeping B.C. one of the lowest-taxed provinces for working families.

I am honoured to represent North Vancouver–Seymour, and I remain optimistic about the future of my community and our province. That future includes a beautiful British Columbia enjoyed by residents and visitors alike, a growing and resilient economy and a continued commitment to diversity and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

Thank you for the opportunity to rise in support of Budget 2026.

Ian Paton: Before I begin, I want to pass on condolences and love from the people of Delta South that have come to my office, have phoned me, have sent me emails passing on their respect and their love and condolences for the people of Tumbler Ridge that have lived through such a tragedy and to all the victims and their families.

I personally want to shout out to the RCMP, the nurses, the doctors, the paramedics and everybody that was involved in such a horrific incident that happened. I also want to pass along my grateful thanks to my member for Peace River South and my member from West Kelowna that hustled up there in airplanes to get involved and help out in any way they could with organization.

Let me speak plainly today about this budget. The recent budget delivered by the British Columbia New Democratic Party government is being marked as compassionate, responsible and necessary. But behind the press releases and podium lines lies something far less comforting: runaway spending, ballooning debt, structural deficits and a shrinking margin of error.

We’ve seen this movie before. Whenever an NDP government has been in power in this province, the fiscal trajectory has bent downwards. Investment confidence weakens. Business hesitates. Growth slows, and debt accelerates. The result? Working families pay the price through higher taxes, rising costs and fewer opportunities.

Look at where we stand today. Total government revenue is forecast at $85.5 billion in ’26-27, rising to $88.6 billion the following year and $91 billion the year after that. Revenue is growing, largely off the backs of taxpayers paying more and in part due to the new measures introduced in this very budget. Yet despite record revenues, we are staring at a projected annual deficit of roughly $13 billion. That tells you something fundamental. This isn’t a revenue problem. It’s a spending problem.

In 2017, when this government took office, provincial debt stood at approximately $65.9 billion. Today we are on a trajectory pushing toward and beyond $235 billion that this province is in debt. The taxpayer-supported debt-to-GDP ratio is forecast at 30.6 next year, climbing to 30.4 and then 37 percent the year after that.

This ratio is a way of measuring how big government’s debt is compared to the size of the economy, so we can see that the debt is growing faster than our economy is growing. It means less room for the government to spend money on schools, hospitals, roads and helping people. It makes it more expensive for the government to borrow money in the future. Debt is rising faster than the economy that supports it. When that happens, flexibility shrinks.

[2:20 p.m.]

Every dollar spent servicing interest is a dollar not going to health care, not going to classrooms, not going to infrastructure, not going to seniors. Interest payments build nothing. They heal nothing. They educate nothing. When borrowing becomes routine instead of rare, priorities begin to shift.

That brings me to Delta, because it isn’t theoretical for us. It’s personal where I live. Delta’s seniors population is growing faster than the provincial average. These are the people who built our community, paid their taxes and contributed to society for decades. They deserve to know that in their later years, they will have a safe, dignified place to age.

Yet according to this budget, the long-promised Delta long-term-care project is now one of seven facilities across British Columbia whose timelines are being adjusted — not cancelled, they say, just re-sequenced. That is bureaucratic code for “I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

Here’s the part that stings the most. The Delta Hospital Foundation was told that if they raised $18 million, which they did, and absolutely knocked it out of the park with support of people directly from our community, the government would deliver its share.

It’s not just the community foundation feeling blindsided. Fraser Health had no warning either. What kind of relationship blindsides the health authority, the community? The people who suffer the most are seniors. Families are already scrambling to find beds. Hospitals are already under strain, and now Delta South is being told to get to the back of the line.

The government says it is adjusting the timing of several approved long-term-care projects to incorporate lessons learned. Well, let’s be real. When spending explodes without discipline, when debt quadruples, when deficits reach $13 billion and climbing, promises get triaged. The people paying the price are Delta seniors, the very people who gave so much to our province. They deserve better from this budget.

Then there’s the George Massey Tunnel replacement. For nearly a decade, we’ve seen announcements, redesigns, consultations, resets, revised timelines and new renderings. Under the past government, we’d be driving over the new bridge to replace the George Massey Tunnel three years ago. Instead, what do we have? Nothing. Every year there’s another photo op, another next phase. Meanwhile, commuters sit in traffic, truckers lose hours, emergency vehicles inch through congestion and businesses absorb the cost.

We’re told completion could come around 2030. That is laughable. They tell us that they’re still on budget to replace the George Massey Tunnel for $4.1 billion. I would suggest, from people in the financial institutions that I know, that this will be north of $9 billion if this project ever gets completed. We’re well into 2026 right now. Nothing has been started, yet they’re still telling us that it will be completed by 2030. This is laughable.

If priorities don’t shift, if nothing else gets re-sequenced…. Quietly added to the project was the footnote that the tunnel project is in design and the estimated cost of the project is being updated and reviewed as the design and contract negotiations progress and that an updated estimate for the project will be announced before the contract is executed.

Given this government’s fiscal trajectory, I would say that everyone south of the Fraser is already thinking this project risks either being quietly pushed to the back shelf while congestion worsens and accountability evaporates or it will be wildly over budget since there has been no fiscal update to this project in years. Now they are pushing that responsibility onto a contractor who hasn’t even been picked yet, and the environmental assessment for this project still has not been granted.

That tunnel is a luxury. It’s a critical trade corridor. It’s a lifeline for port activity, trade, agriculture and business in our region. Every delay sends a message that businesses and residents south of the Fraser are not a priority.

You cannot run record deficits, balloon the debt and then act surprised when infrastructure stalls and seniors care gets postponed. Budget reveals priorities, and right now Delta South is being asked to wait while these budget cuts bleed red across the province.

[2:25 p.m.]

I’d like to speak now about child care in Delta South. Let’s talk about affordability in this budget for families with children. The province says families are saving under the $10-a-day daycare program. That’s the headline in the budget, but here in south Delta, parents are living a very different reality. In Tsawwassen, there are about 3,380 children from ages one to 14. In Ladner, there are about 3,590 children ages one to 14.

That’s nearly 7,000 children across my community. Even if only a portion are daycare age, we are talking about thousands of families who need licensed child care. Yet according to the provincial directory, there is only one $10-a-day daycare location serving all of my riding of Delta South.

Across B.C., recent reporting has highlighted long wait-lists, uneven rollout and staffing shortages that limit how fast new spaces can open. Families who secure a $10-a-day space say it’s life-changing. But for most others, access remains out of reach. Parents here don’t need another announcement about how great this program can be if they actually win the lottery and get a space. They need a space for their child, and they need it now, because right now, in Delta South, this isn’t a $10-a-day program. It’s a one-centre program.

I’ll tell you, on a personal note, in my family, my granddaughter…. My son and his wife could not find anywhere to get little Natalie into some sort of daycare. Where did they end up going? To a private daycare facility, paying $1,400 a month to have little Natalie in daycare.

Every $1 billion added to the debt ledger is a silent decision made on behalf of people who did not vote for it. Young families already struggling with housing costs will shoulder higher taxes or reduce services later. We should be asking: what kind of province are we handing them, one of resilience or one of repayment? The answer matters.

British Columbians have immense strengths — natural resources, entrepreneurial talent, world-class geography, global trade access, a skilled workforce. But strengths must be stewarded. The path forward requires discipline; a credible plan to eliminate structural deficits; spending growth tied to economic growth; transparent reporting that doesn’t bury risk; policies that encourage investment, not drive it away; and recognition that debt has consequences.

Criticism is not cynicism. It’s accountability.

A government that increases debt fourfold and swings from multi-year surpluses to a $13 billion deficit should expect scrutiny. That scrutiny isn’t partisan. It’s prudent. If history teaches us anything, it’s this: fiscal mismanagement compounds quickly. Recovery takes far longer. After the 1990s, it took nearly 20 years to steady management to restore stability, 20 years to regain confidence, 20 years to rebuild credibility. Do we really want to repeat that cycle, or do we demand better?

British Columbia deserves a government that understands that every dollar spent comes from someone who worked hard for it; a government that views debt as a last resort, not a first instinct; a government that prepares for downturns during good times, instead of spending through them; a government that sees budgets not as political documents but as moral ones.

Let’s ground this in facts. In 2017, when this government took office, British Columbia’s total provincial debt was roughly $66 billion. Today we are on a trajectory that pushes that number toward, in the coming years, beyond $235 billion of provincial debt. That is not incremental growth. That is not routine expansion. That is a structural transformation to our province’s balance sheet. In less than a decade, the debt burden has more than doubled and on some projections will approach nearly triple the level it was when the keys changed hands.

I’d like now to speak a bit about agriculture, which is obviously very dear to my heart, still living on the farm in Delta that I was born and raised on.

Here’s what’s troubling. British Columbia has been promising to reduce internal trade barriers for over a year, yet many of our own food and agriculture producers are still facing them.

Right now B.C. wineries still cannot sell directly to most Canadians, despite the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement that was signed late last year between all provinces, because this agreement excluded alcohol and food. That’s a significant trade barrier for our wine sector and distillers.

[2:30 p.m.]

Last month Wine Growers British Columbia, the leading industry association, sent a letter to all provincial Premiers, together with Wine Growers Canada, to urge again for a workable national framework for direct-to-consumer wine sales.

They continue to face provincial markups, taxes and regulatory uncertainty — all of which are real barriers that limit competition, raise consumer prices and undermine the province’s own food and beverage sector.

The livestock sector still has problems with provincial trade barriers as well. Many meat producers operate under provincially regulated inspection, which means their products cannot legally be sold in other provinces unless they spend significant time and money upgrading facilities to meet federal standards, often costing more than half their annual revenue, for smaller processors. This makes interprovincial expansion difficult.

Then there are the craft brewers, who are still trying to expand beyond their own province and who must navigate a confusing patchwork of provincial liquor boards, markup systems and licensing requirements.

Small-scale food businesses in B.C. like specialty foods, small farms and artisanal producers are most affected by this lack of trade options as they often lack the resources to navigate multiple provincial regulatory systems.

Even though interprovincial trade barriers are a single line in your budget, the remaining barriers between provinces remain, and there is nothing in the budget to signal that these barriers are coming down.

The stalls to interprovincial trade also apply to fresh vegetables, which can’t freely flow from B.C. growers into other provincial markets without complying with duplicative or province-specific requirements that raise costs and complicate logistics. Those extra requirements increase labour and compliance costs, reduce competitiveness and, ultimately, are passed on to consumers on grocery store shelves. Because of these lingering barriers, many vegetables grown in B.C. don’t circulate freely across Canada.

These aren’t theoretical barriers. They affect farmers and food producers in B.C. Despite repeated commitments to improve mutual recognition and streamline standards, many of these barriers remain firmly in place.

So when the government now says it will make it easier to move goods and services across provincial borders, British Columbians are right to ask: “Why hasn’t this been done already? Why are B.C. producers still fighting red tape now after promises were made to tear it down?”

Reducing interprovincial trade barriers isn’t a new idea. Provinces have had years to streamline mutual recognition, harmonize standards and remove unnecessary internal barriers. Yet progress has been slow and uneven. This matters because these barriers don’t just inconvenience producers. They drive up costs for families at the grocery store, slow down supply chains and limit competition.

Lowering food prices and strengthening supply chains requires more than speeches. It requires real cooperation with other provinces and real results for families and producers here at home. Right now what families and B.C. farmers don’t need is a regulatory promise.

Here’s a quote about agriculture from the B.C. Agriculture Council:

“With few agriculture-specific measures announced, the modest increase represents a missed opportunity to strengthen investment in a sector that plays a critical role in B.C.’s food security and economic resilience. The budget is disappointing. While we recognize the broader fiscal pressures reflected in this year’s budget, BCAC holds its position that the agriculture sector be prioritized as an essential service and valued as a strategic priority, especially given that food security and affordability is a top concern of British Columbians.”

That is a quote from the president, Jennifer Woike.

British Columbia currently ranks last amongst other provinces in operational funding for its Ministry of Agriculture.

I also want to chat about the Agricultural Land Commission. Now, there’s one thing in this budget that is absolutely flatlined, like all other portions of the Agriculture Ministry. The flatlining here is for the Agricultural Land Commission.

[2:35 p.m.]

Between 2012 and 2017, funding for the Agricultural Land Commission, or ALC, followed a historical and ever-increasing trajectory. Those investments were designed to arm the commission with the resources it needed to do its job to preserve farmland, enforce regulations and protect the agricultural land reserve.

Importantly, these investments were made even as the provincial budget was either balanced or ran surpluses year over year. Farmers and stakeholders recognized that a well-funded ALC was essential to maintain B.C.’s farmland for future generations.

Fast-forward to Budget 2026, and we see a troubling pattern. ALC’s operating budget is flat, at $5.5 million, now for multiple years in a row. This is not a small detail. It has profound implications. Operational funding has not kept pace with the commission’s expanding responsibilities — enforcement, compliance, farmland protection, digital mapping and all the work stakeholders have consistently highlighted.

At the same time, the demand for these services is growing. The ALC is being asked to prevent unauthorized activities, from illegal dumping to non-farm-use buildings on farmland, at a time when land values are soaring and development pressures are more intense than ever. With farmland values high, due to a failed Bill 52 from several years ago, and development pressures mounting, a flatlined budget does more than constrain operations. It puts farmland at risk. Enforcement is delayed, compliance is weakened, and proactive planning is nearly impossible.

The commission is being asked to do more with the same resources, while the stakes for B.C. farmers, ranchers and communities have never been higher. Yet the commission is expected to operate at the same level as it did years ago, despite rising costs for staff, compliance, mapping and enforcement. To put this into perspective, the real value of $5.5 million today is far lower than it was even five years ago. In short, the ALC cannot fully deliver on its mandate under these conditions.

Budget 2026 is another missed opportunity. If B.C. truly wants to maintain its agricultural land, protect farmers and ensure future food security, the province must reinvest in the ALC, increase operational funding and ensure that resources keep pace with inflation, workloads and the growing challenges facing our farmland.

When we speak about agriculture and production insurance, speaking of flatlining, there is something else in the budget that is going to flatline farmers. It is a topic that goes straight to the heart of the viability of farming in British Columbia, and it has been severely decreased. In previous years, if this item had been cut so drastically, it would have lost whole agricultural industries in B.C.

In Budget 2026, the provincial government has made a choice to decrease funding for production insurance — the program that protects farmers and ranchers when crop-destroying weather or other perils strike. According to the Ministry of Agriculture’s own numbers, the production insurance account drops from about $38.3 million in 2025-26 to just $21.2 million in 2026-27. That’s not a minor adjustment. That’s a drastic curtailment of the core risk management safety net that farmers rely on.

Let’s be clear about what production insurance does. When hail wipes out a berry crop, when frost devastates an orchard, when drought hits a field of grains or when flooding washes out a pasture, production insurance is there to keep farms in business. It’s not a luxury. It’s not a handout. It’s a program farmers pay into. It’s financial resilience in the face of forces no farmer can control.

Now ask yourself: if this cut had been in place over the last five years, what industries wouldn’t have been able to recover? Just two years ago unprecedented cold snaps and extreme weather led to major payouts for tree fruit growers, grape growers and berry producers. Those insurance payments were the difference between closure and survival for dozens of operations. Without robust production insurance, many of those farms would not have been able to absorb those losses in British Columbia.

The livestock sector has also felt unprecedented pressure from heat stress; pasture loss; feed shortages; and, of course, the AWP program — the agriculture wildlife program that reimburses farmers for major, major damage to their fields and their crops from elk, from bears, from ducks and from geese, and it is a major thing that happens in this province. We certainly know that from my good friends up in the Cariboo, the Chilcotin, Vancouver Island and, of course, the Kootenays.

[2:40 p.m.]

Without adequate coverage, ranch operations, many of which are multigenerational, would be forced to downsize or to exit the industry entirely. We all know the trends. Climate volatility is increasing, not decreasing.

The question is not just what this cut means, but why now? Why slash production insurance funding at a moment when all indicators — climate risk data, market volatility, input cost pressures — point to further vulnerability for farmers? Why weaken the very safety net that helps farmers survive the inevitable bad years, the years that have actually happened and are forecast to become more frequent? This isn’t austerity. This is risk transfer. This is telling producers: “You shoulder more risk. We reduce our commitment from government.”

This is not just a budget line item. This is a decision that undermines the stability of farm businesses, jeopardizes food production and weakens rural communities when they can least afford it. If this government truly understood the realities facing farmers and ranchers, it would be expanding production insurance, not shrinking it, especially after a decade of increasingly unpredictable growing conditions.

Now let me cut to the part of this budget that hits working people so hard, and that is taxes. That’s exactly what Budget ’26 does with the property tax deferment program. Seniors, families, people planning responsibly — all of them now facing bills that grow faster than they can keep up. For decades, the property tax deferment program has been a lifeline. If you couldn’t pay your property taxes, you could defer them. Pay later, not now. It helped seniors age in place. It helped families stay in their homes through tough times. It was a bridge. It was reliable.

Not anymore. Interest is no longer simple. It’s now compound interest at prime plus 2 percent, applied monthly. That $20,000 deferred tax bill that used to grow slowly can now balloon to tens of thousands of dollars more. The longer you wait, the faster it compounds. Ask yourself who benefits from this.

Every working person in British Columbia is also paying more right now. Budget 2026 raised the lowest personal income tax rate from 5.06 percent to 5.60 percent. That means every worker, from the nurse to the retail clerk, the teacher to the tradesperson, is paying more on the first dollars that they earn.

Meanwhile, the government has expanded the provincial sales tax to cover services that were once exempt: accounting, bookkeeping, engineering, strata management, even security services. Small businesses that already juggle payroll, rent and overhead now face 7 percent added costs on services they cannot avoid.

This is all about accountability. A government that moves from multi-year surpluses to $13 billion deficits, that sees debt climb from $65.9 billion towards $235 billion and that delays seniors care in Delta South should expect scrutiny. Once fiscal credibility is lost, it takes decades to rebuild.

I hate to say it, but we’ve been there before. It took nearly 20 years to restore stability in this province after the 1990s. Do we really want to repeat that cycle? British Columbians are resilient. Delta South folks are resilient. But resilience is not a substitute for responsibility. We don’t need more announcements. We need discipline. We don’t need more resets. We need results.

Budgets are not just financial documents. They are moral documents. Right now this budget tells Delta South, my constituents and the people across B.C. to wait — wait while the debt keeps growing. That is not good enough. British Columbians deserve better.

Scott McInnis: It’s wonderful to be back in this beautiful chamber speaking with my colleagues from around the province. It’s truly an honour to stand here and represent the wonderful, hard-working and adventurous people of Columbia River–Revelstoke. It never gets lost on me, the honour that it is to stand in this House and speak.

[2:45 p.m.]

Before I begin, I want to echo the comments made by all of my colleagues about the tragedies last week in Tumbler Ridge. As a high school teacher, I can’t imagine the horrors that the adults and the children in that school faced last week. I can’t imagine the suffering that’s happening in that small rural community.

I want to thank members from government, the Premier, our members and especially my friend from Peace River South, who has shown tremendous resilience in supporting his constituents during this very, very difficult time.

I also want to extend our continued prayers and thoughts to young Maya, who is battling very hard right now in Vancouver General Hospital. Some good news for Maya. I’m hearing from her parents’ latest posts that she’s starting to take some breaths on her own, which is a very, very encouraging sign.

Maya, we’re going to continue with our thoughts from the East Kootenay until the day you get out of that hospital, and to your family as well.

I’ve got a lot to cover here today, and I’m not going to pull any punches. I obviously can’t support this budget for the reasons I’m going to outline in detail here with my notes. I’m trying to think of a theme to highlight what this budget means for British Columbians. The only thing I can think about is how to polish a turd, is what this budget sounds like. There’s nothing.

This is an attack on rural British Columbians. I’ll get into that in detail. This isn’t coming from myself, the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke. I’m going to speak directly from people I represent as to how bad this budget is for them.

Back to my theme title. I hear things from the Finance Minister, such as “the budget starts from a position of strength,” “protecting the progress we’ve made” and — the icing on the cake just this morning — that this is a “balanced budget.” Let me give you the other side of the coin as to what British Columbians think about this budget.

From the Business Council of B.C., who represents over 200 businesses in this province: “The current fiscal plan fails to stabilize the province’s finances. Debt-servicing is the fastest growing line item in this year’s budget. Provincial finances remain on track for a fifth consecutive credit downgrade that will further increase the cost of debt-servicing.”

This is a serious problem — the fact that we are running a $13.3 billion deficit and piling massive debt on, day after day, eventually leading to, as many of my colleagues have highlighted, $9 billion worth of debt-servicing costs in just the coming short years ahead. That’s over $1 million an hour in payments just to service the debt.

In real terms, every day we could be hiring 20 to 30 nurses, 20 to 30 teachers, half a dozen doctors. But instead, we’re flushing that money down the toilet for debt-servicing, because this government doesn’t know how to responsibly spend.

It’s shameful. They’ve gone from a $5 billion surplus in 2022 to a $13.3 billion deficit today. How is that possible that we can have a government so recklessly spending the provincial purse? Spending is up 90 percent since 2017. Call me crazy: I haven’t seen services in this province improve by 90 percent in that time period.

[2:50 p.m.]

The minister is boasting about cutting 15,000 jobs from the public sector over three years, saving on administrative costs. These are costs this government has incurred. The public sector has grown by 50 percent under this government. So they’re swooping in, saying, “We’re going to save the day. We’re going to cut the costs” — that they’ve piled on. It’s out of control, and the public needs to know this. This is a crisis.

Seniors in my riding who have generational ranches….

Thank you to my colleague from Delta South for pointing out that, yes, wildlife losses in agriculture have been slashed.

A wonderful constituent of mine, Mrs. Karen Barraclough, sent me a letter saying, “Scott, I need help. I was supposed to get a cheque for $30,000 from elk losses on my hay fields. I just got a letter, with an apology letter from the Minister of Forests, and a cheque for $16,000” — just over half. She’d already budgeted for that — fertilizer, feed and medicine for her animals. Sorry?

Ranchers who built our communities — people in Golden, Invermere and Revelstoke — built a forestry industry there for over a hundred years.

The seniors who worked in the mighty Sullivan mine in Kimberley where I live, which was the largest lead-zinc mine in the world for nearly 100 years, are under attack from this government.

I received an email this morning from my constituent Rolly Garrelts. I quote:

“Good morning, Scott. I just received notice about the changes to this program” — referring to the homeowner tax credit — “and I’m quite concerned as it is going to make a huge difference in my living situation. I’m not a multi-millionaire with a huge home in Vancouver but a pensioner with a joint family income that, at best, places me at the low end of the middle class. I don’t live an exorbitant lifestyle.

“I have a 13-year-old car and a nine-year-old truck that will need upgrading in the near future, a 30-year-old RV and a very small house. I heat with wood and grow a good portion of my own food. A 4 percent interest increase in this program and the resulting $300 monthly payments of property tax will have a huge effect on my ability to stay in my home comfortably.

“Hopefully you can start some discussion around this matter.”

Rolly, I certainly will, and so will my colleagues. This is unacceptable.

[Lorne Doerkson in the chair.]

I have been trying to find some silver linings in this budget. I’ve scoured the media — nothing.

I did see there was some funding for hormone therapy for menopausal women. I think that’s fantastic; I really do. Continued funding for IVF treatment, although it does nothing, really, for people in rural B.C. We have a $2,000 flight and a $500-a-night hotel bill on top of the payments for the IVF treatment, because there’s nowhere within a 12-hour drive of where I live to receive that. But I’ll give credit where it’s due. I appreciate that funding.

Back to what associations are saying in this province. The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade: “The budget confirms slow growth, higher taxes and continued runaway spending.” This is Bridgitte Anderson, President and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, by the way. “Despite significant new tax increases, the province’s fiscal situation continues on a perilous trajectory, with an eye-popping $80 billion to be added to the debt over the next three years” — and a generous D given on the report card for this budget.

[2:55 p.m.]

PST expansion on accounting and bookkeeping services for small businesses. I had a call yesterday with a young woman who owns a diner in Golden, B.C., in my riding. She’s struggling to hang on. February is a tough month for businesses in my riding. Tourism is down. People don’t nearly…. The locals who support businesses during the shoulder season do not have the expendable income they did five years ago. She was almost in tears, saying, “Help me.”

I had to break it to her: “Sorry. Now you have to pay PST on bookkeeping and accounting services that are necessary for you to operate your business. Sorry about that.” “Well,” she said, “what can you do about it, Scott?” I said: “I can stand up here and yell and scream, but ultimately it’s those guys who get to make the decisions around here.” I’ve got to say that the decisions being made around this budget are not very informed, to say the very least.

The Finance Minister and several colleagues from across the way keep talking about GDP-to-debt ratio and the GDP numbers in Canada, comparatively so. Come to Nicholson, B.C., in my riding, and talk to the single mother with three kids, who is paying $100 for a bag of basic groceries. Tell her about your GDP numbers. I dare you. It’s embarrassing.

Education is something I hold very near and dear to my heart. I always consider myself to be a teacher. Where are these K-to-3 EAs in every classroom? Now, I’ll give the government credit. I’m sure they’re working on it. But at the end of last year, I heard nothing from local school administrators but that hours were being cut for EAs in high schools.

I asked the minister about that in estimates last year. “Are you going to take from one to give to another?” “No, no, no. That’s not what we’re going to do.”

What about the autism funding being cut? I had the pleasure of working with dozens of children with autism over my career. Sorry, families, you’re out. We’re robbing Peter to pay Paul somewhere else.

Health care. Some 250 ER closures in 2025. I didn’t hear anything to address that crisis.

I know, Mr. Speaker, that in your very own riding, you face that challenge just about weekly.

I’d like to read something I got this morning from the B.C. Rural Health Network and that’s important to get on the record:

“B.C. Budget 2026 does not adequately address the structural realities facing rural and remote communities. Although overall spending continues, the budget still lacks the rural-specific design, targeting and accountability needed to improve real access.

“Our concern is straightforward: broad provincial commitments do not automatically produce equitable rural outcomes. Instead, in many areas, this budget relies on systemwide framing rather than rural-specific solutions.

[3:00 p.m.]

“There is little mention of rural focus and no mention of rural-specific health spending in Budget 2026. In fact, the word ‘rural’ does not appear in any specific funding initiatives or service allocations. The budget only acknowledges rural communities through tax increases and reduced homeowner benefits.”

I’ve been trying for a year in this place to get the very basics for health care professionals in the southern part of my riding, nurses and other health care workers who do not receive the provincial rural retention incentive. I can’t even get an answer out of the Health Minister. What is the criteria for that? X number of hours from a major city? The size of local communities? “We’re re-evaluating it. We’re looking at it.”

I had a meeting with about 60 regional nurses last week, and they said: “Scott, what’s going on with the PRRI?” You know what I told them? “I don’t know.”

I’ve been trying with the Health Minister to get a deal done with Alberta for cross-border access to acute care, a deal that used to exist. If you live in Kimberley, it’s a 7½-hour drive to Kelowna over three pretty severe mountain passes. It’s four hours on the flat prairie to Lethbridge, 4½ to Calgary. Alberta and Saskatchewan have a deal where they can have cross-border services. Why can’t we?

I’ve been trying to secure long-term funding for Angel Flight East Kootenay, which now needs a new airplane, by the way. They’ve had three engine replacements on their Cessna 414. Can’t get it. They still have to rely primarily on private donations. It’s all volunteer-run for people to get to Kelowna for things like cancer treatment. My neighbour two doors down has had to use that service for several months. We need this. This is not a luxury service.

Again, I’m pulling no punches saying this is an attack on rural B.C. — this atrocious budget.

I came into this House with high hopes that we would address some of the serious concerns in this province. When are we going to have a conversation in here about our energy deficiencies and our energy sovereignty? Not for today but 20 years from now, because it will take at least that to build anything in this province under this government.

Where’s the state of emergency around forestry? All I heard is the Forests Minister call the opposition a bunch of crazy people.

Keep it up. Don’t forget a million people voted for us in the last election.

How are we actually going to address the spiralling addiction and homelessness crisis in this province? It seems that extortion and crime are at a teetering point in certain communities in this province. How are we actually tackling that? Instead, it seems like we’ll just keep the status quo.

Mining. Obviously a cornerstone of the resource development in this province. We’re blessed with the natural resources we have here in British Columbia. The exploration industry in this province is just about done. Those people that are out in the mountains prospecting….

I know the Minister of Mines is laughing, but I dare him to come and speak to the East Kootenay Chamber of Mines with a smile on his face saying: “Everything’s fine.”

Interjections.

[3:05 p.m.]

Deputy Speaker: Members, the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke has the floor.

We’ll get back to the budget speech.

Scott McInnis: I appreciate that, Mr. Speaker. It actually gets me excited here, to be frank with you.

Mineral claims are down, the timeline is up, and, yes, there’s money coming in. But we’ll see if that does anything substantive.

It’s unfortunate that First Nations were burdened with the MCCF and that it’s taken nearly a year to actually give them some support to move some of these claims through.

AME was saying for a year that this isn’t going to work. From AME: “It’s unhelpful to see a government who claimed to be trying to fix a dire fiscal situation also lean into policy objectives that only serve to reduce access to land for economic development. If the Premier is serious about maximizing our opportunities, we must see more clarity on land use planning in our province.”

From the Mining Association: “Unfortunately, the budget is unlikely to improve B.C.’s competitive position and attract more capital investment to B.C.’s mining sector.”

I’m going to keep my powder dry on the Eskay Creek agreement. There are some serious questions to ask about that, but that’s for another day.

I can’t conclude without speaking about reconciliation. What’s the plan? That’s my simple question. Do we have one? This is the most serious and pressing file in our province right now.

We’ve heard nothing about a long-term strategy to achieve reconciliation with the 204 First Nations in this province. We see an agreement there on a Friday afternoon. We see another one here five months later, after it was signed. You cannot do this without the public input and public transparency. Reconciliation involves everybody in this province — everyone.

We’re at a crossroads. Obviously, the Declaration Act is at a crossroads in itself. It’s supposed to be a mechanism to implement the constitutionally entrenched section 35 rights — hunting and fishing rights, treaty rights, land rights. Taking away the Declaration Act doesn’t take away those rights. It says that this plan is not working.

I find it hard, in a lot of respects, to find how it is working. The Declaration Act is currently being challenged in the B.C. Supreme Court by a local organization. The Premier has sought leave to the Supreme Court of Canada about the implementation on the Declaration Act — an implementation he drafted. How is this working?

I think, with or without DRIPA, this government is failing. Just last month the province lost a case in the B.C. Supreme Court because they didn’t meet the bare minimum consultation standards for the transfer of a forest licence between two First Nations. They put the wrong email address into a communication from one of those First Nations that was seeking some clarification — embarrassing.

[3:10 p.m.]

DRIPA is going to keep us out of the court? Not when this government can’t even complete basic communication with First Nations about pretty serious issues.

There’s been another lawsuit filed in the last few days for a very similar issue. I can’t speak about it. It’s before the courts. This government can’t stay out of the courts. There’s no major project consultation framework. They go from project to project, nation to nation — different deal for everybody. That’s not reconciliation. That’s making it up on the fly.

Here’s what we need in Columbia River–Revelstoke. Many of these I’ve already mentioned. We need homes built as fast as possible. In Revelstoke, it’s hard to find a home under a million bucks, and that’s not a palace. Affordable homes, so seniors can stay, so that young people, just starting out in the workforce, can afford a place to live.

We’ve got to stop this arbitrary closure of the back country. It’s not a luxury for the people in my riding. It’s a way of life. You see closure after closure. No explanation. Roads deactivated. Access cut off. It has got to stop.

We need transportation, not only within our communities but between communities. We need child care spaces and professionals to work in those spaces. We need teachers. We need doctors. We need nurses. We need infrastructure. Unfortunately, and I’m sorry to the people of Columbia River–Revelstoke, this budget offers nothing for us. Nothing.

But I’m not surprised. The only time this Premier has been to my riding was under tragic circumstances, when we lost a wildland firefighter several years ago. I can’t remember the last time a senior minister came to my riding for anything, so how would they know?

I’m ashamed of this budget, and there’s no way I will support it.

Hon. Brittny Anderson: First, I would like to acknowledge that we are here today on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən-speaking Peoples, the Songhees and the Esquimalt First Nations.

I am also the MLA for Kootenay Central, and that is on the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa, the sn̓ʕay̓čkstx and the Syilx Peoples.

Before I get started to support this budget, I just want to recognize the incredible tragedy that, of course, has faced the community of Tumbler Ridge. I want to express that not only myself but our government…. Certainly, I’ve received a lot of messages from community members from across my riding about how devastated they were by the events that took place in Tumbler Ridge.

I want to thank the mayor of Tumbler Ridge — Darryl, who I consider a good friend — his council, his entire community, all of the first responders, the teachers and the faculty for trying their very best to keep the community safe as they work to rebuild. Of course, more than anything, our hearts are with the families of those who have suffered the most incredible loss you could possibly imagine.

I was really grateful to hear the other night when members on all sides spoke about working together across government.

With that, I just want to say to my colleague from Peace River South that we are with you and we’re here to support you in the recovery of your community. Thank you.

[3:15 p.m.]

I would also like to thank my family for all of their support. We all know the toll that this place can take on us, and if it wasn’t for our families, our close friends and our communities that uplift us, none of us would be able to do this work. So I just want to give my love and gratitude to them.

I also want to thank my team. I have an incredible team based in the Kootenays that works so hard to deliver to the constituents across my very vast riding. The northern tip is beyond the community of Nakusp. It extends down the Arrow Lakes to Silverton and New Denver, over to Kaslo, to Nelson, to Salmo and then over to the communities on the East Shore, Creston and Yahk. So it’s a very large riding, and I’m really grateful for my team that’s based in Nelson that’s able to deliver services and to support people across the riding.

I also just want to thank all of my constituents, the people that voted to elect me to represent them again in this House. It is a true honour, and I will work hard every day to represent you and your needs. I just want to say thank you and extend my gratitude for this incredible honour and privilege to serve.

I’m also so grateful for my colleagues that I get to work with here in Victoria. I have an incredible team. My chief of staff…. We’re a really small team in my portfolio as the Minister of State for Local Government and Rural Communities. We primarily work with IGRS, but we also work across all of the ministries, which is a really new and unique position. I’ve been in it for just over a year now. It really affords me the opportunity to work across various ministries in support of local governments and really focus on rural communities and supporting their needs across the province.

I just finished a tour. We met with over 42 local governments. We started off in Cherryville, wound our way through the Monashee, down through the West Kootenays, the East Kootenays, over through Kamloops and then all the way up on our way to Prince George, where we ended at the natural resource forum. It was fantastic to get to meet people within their home communities and hear directly from those local leaders about how we can best work together.

It is an incredible privilege to be able to work with these local governments, these local government leaders, both the electeds and their staff. It’s incredible, also, how community to community, every leader is incredibly proud. There is so much love for their communities, and they work so hard to deliver services.

The reason why I asked for this portfolio is because I really believe that local governments are some of our most important delivery partners in all of the services that our government is able to provide. By making sure that we’re able to communicate more effectively, work more closely, identify challenges and then work together to solve those problems, it’s really something that I feel really passionate about, and it’s an honour to be able to get to do.

As part of that work at UBCM, we announced the local government awareness project, and that is to make sure that our government, as we are working on different programs and policies, whether it’s something like legislation, is engaging early with local governments, that we are hearing from them, that we are trying to make sure that we’re incorporating their needs and their ideas to make sure that these programs and policies work best for them and also across rural British Columbia.

In one of the communities I was in, I commented on how every small community is like a snowflake because they are so unique and special. Even in two communities that might be neighbours, their industries can be different, and they can be quite culturally different. Their facilities, their recreation — it’s all unique. They offer really interesting and unique perspectives. I think the more diversity that we’re able to get from those perspectives and from that feedback makes our government’s work stronger. I am grateful to get to do this work.

[3:20 p.m.]

I’ve also been working really closely with UBCM. I want to thank Cori Ramsay for her really incredible leadership. She is the current president of UBCM, and she’s working with a really incredible group of electeds from across British Columbia to serve on that board. It has been fantastic to get to work really closely with them. I think by having that really direct communication, we’re able to solve problems a lot sooner. I’ve just really appreciated the board’s work and all of the staff’s work as we get to work in collaboration across different ministries, solving different challenges that arise.

I also wanted to speak a little bit about our rural lens, which was also announced at UBC in September. There’s a matrix that is included within the rural lens because, again, we know that rural communities are not all the same. It depends on your size. It also depends on your distance to different services.

That matrix provides us with a much…. You’re able to look at the different factors of rural communities and then place them within that matrix, which gives decision-makers and people that are working on policy within government a better idea of how they can better serve those communities.

It’s a slow rollout. We’re working right now on the low-hanging fruit to make sure that we can have lessons learned and find those successes. I really believe that if we’re able to make sure that we’re doing this work really meaningfully across the different ministries, our government will be able to serve rural communities in a better way.

With our budget, I also just want to thank the Premier and, particularly, our Minister of Finance, who I know has been working very, very hard with her team to make some really challenging decisions. But I think that she’s really been able to find a balance here, making sure that we are protecting core services — like health care, like education — that British Columbians value. Those are part of our core values.

Our public education system. Every parent wants the best, wants excellence, wants the supports that are necessary for their children. We are protecting that, and we also want to make sure that we have a robust health care system. We are protecting those services within health.

Why I think it’s so critically important to mention those off the top is that when you look at the provincial budget, the two biggest line items, by a large majority…. When you look at the pie of this, the education system and the health system take up the most of government’s expenditures. We also know that we need to continue to invest in our health care system and in our education system.

We have an aging population. Of course, all of us know that, which means that there is an additional burden on our health care system. We know that there have been not enough doctors, not enough people that are attached, so we are working every single day to attach patients to our health care providers, whether those are doctors or nurse practitioners. My understanding is that currently, on a weekly basis, we are attaching 4,200 patients to those primary health care providers every single week, so I think that that is really significant progress that we are making.

Budget 2026 makes careful choices to protect what matters most to secure B.C.’s future. Over the last eight years, the B.C. government has focused on the foundations of a strong province by expanding access to family doctors, more affordable housing, easing everyday costs for families through lower child care and the B.C. family benefit, and investing on building the hospitals, schools and roads that people rely on.

I want to talk a little bit about affordable housing. I was getting a blood test. I’m not very good at getting blood tests, so I’m always a little bit nervous going in. When I sat down on the chair, the woman could tell I was nervous. She looked at me and said: “I know who you are.” I said: “Oh, okay.” She then proceeded to thank our government for the work that we had done to provide housing.

[3:25 p.m.]

She was a single mom with a young daughter, who I had seen earlier. She was getting picked up to go to school. That mom told me that she would not be able to work in our health care system and live in the community, which was the community of Nelson, if it wasn’t for the opportunity that our government provided her with affordable, secure housing.

I am so grateful for the non-profits and the community leaders that have worked so hard across my riding to deliver housing in communities like Nelson. We’ve had several projects, including at Selkirk College. We’ve had student housing built. In communities like Nakusp, New Denver, Kaslo, Creston, they’ve also had housing projects built. I know these communities are also looking forward to having more housing built in their riding.

We have been leading the way in Canada, and actually in North America, on delivering housing for people, and that work is incredibly important. It’s not just this single mother that was telling me about how it has changed her life. I know former small business owners who are now retired that have really benefited from housing in one of our seniors housing complexes.

There are other people that are still working that are in those housing complexes. Actually, a woman that I know…. Our grandmas actually knew each other when my mom was a young teenager living up in Watson Lake. That’s when our families first got to know each other. Now she’s in one of the affordable housing units. She’s an incredible community member. She works at our grocery store, but she is benefiting from that type of housing.

So there’s workforce housing in Nelson. We’re also going to be getting more supportive housing. We know there’s an incredible need for that. That is in the process of being completed as we speak. I’m just so grateful for all of the community leaders that have worked so hard to help deliver housing projects across our riding, so thank you.

Another piece, of course, is lowering child care costs. We’ve been able to more than double our investments in child care. Most families now are benefiting — up to $900 decreases in child care. I believe the average for child care costs is $25 a day, and some people are paying as low as $10 a day.

We know that this isn’t just a social program, but this is an economic program. We know that it benefits families. I also want to speak to how, generally, if there’s going to be someone that stays home, it tends to be a woman in the household. So this is also a feminist investment. By having child care spaces that are available for families, we’re able to make sure that parents, and mothers in particular, are able to go out into the workforce if they choose and to be able to contribute to our economy.

I am so grateful to see that we have additional investments in our child care sector because it is so important that we’re able to provide good quality, affordable child care across my riding and throughout British Columbia.

I want to talk a little bit about the attachment of patients to family doctors. We’ve been working really hard.

I’m going to go back. I remember when I was in high school. I remember hearing people tell me: “One day all the boomers are going to retire, and there are going to be so many jobs for your generation.”

Well, unfortunately, previous governments didn’t invest in things like a medical school. We are the first government that has invested in a medical school in 60 years in western Canada, and it is so, so needed. We’ve invested in spaces for nurses. We’re making sure that other health care seats…. We’re also investing in those, as well, because we know that that training is incredibly important to be able to support our health care sector.

[3:30 p.m.]

I also wanted to talk a bit about some of the work that we’ve done on health care. We were able to announce, a few years ago, free birth control. I know so many people have benefited from free birth control.

We have also expanded the scope of pharmacists. Now, speaking in particular with rural pharmacists, this has been incredibly important, especially when it can be difficult to access a doctor or folks don’t want to have to go up to the ER in order to ask a simple question. Now, by expanding the scope of pharmacists, we’re able to better serve the health care needs of British Columbians across the province but in rural B.C., I think, in particular.

I’m in the demographic. I’m going to be 40 this year, and I have friends that are both undergoing IVF, have children in child care and, also, are on hormone replacement therapy. I am so thrilled that on March 1, our government is going to be providing free hormone replacement therapy for those perimenopausal and menopausal women that need it.

Speaking with my friends who are a little bit older than me…. I have one friend that has been working with a group of women doing a lot of education on menopause and on perimenopause. For a long time, we know that we’ve needed to make sure that these are covered. The benefit to women is incredible when they’re able to have access to this type of treatment. I’m really grateful that our government is investing in these women.

We also are covering diabetes medication. I know many of us have people in our lives that are diabetic. By making sure, when they’re diagnosed with diabetes, that they’re not having to pay for the absolutely critical life-saving medication that is an ongoing, daily, multi-time-of-day medical treatment for them, that they’re able to access that for free, is going to impact so many people for the better. I’m so grateful that our government is investing in those people.

I also want to talk a little bit about the renter’s tax credit. I don’t know if many people know, but we instituted the renter’s tax credit, and that is benefiting British Columbians who are renting. This is making sure that they’re able to get that tax credit that is so meaningful for them.

We are working on growing our economy. In our Look West: Jobs and Prosperity for a Stronger B.C. and Canada, we’ve set targets to attract $200 billion in new private sector investments over the next decade, ensuring that British Columbia is at the forefront of delivering nation-building projects that create good jobs, raise revenues to pay for services and strengthen governments’ long-term fiscal outlook.

Budget 2026 includes $283 million in new funding over three years to support the commitment set out in this targeted plan. Of this $241 million over three years, we will double funding for trades and training and SkilledTradesBC, giving tens of thousands of British Columbians the chance to earn more, build careers and step into good-paying jobs.

I think this is incredibly important. I was thrilled to see that we’re doubling trades training. I know some people in my own life that…. By getting a skilled trade, it has totally transformed their trajectory. By doubling our investments in trades training, we’re going to make sure that when the opportunities and the investments come to our province, we are able to fulfil those workforce demands.

I’m grateful that our government is using money now, to invest in people now that will benefit the future and for generations to come. Many of these investments will really have generational impacts. I’m grateful to see that we are expanding this opportunity for so many British Columbians.

A new $400 million British Columbia strategic investment special account will be set up. This is to co-invest and work collaboratively with the government of Canada, and it invests billions of dollars to secure Canada’s sovereignty along with the jobs and economic opportunities these projects bring.

[3:35 p.m.]

Building on the past three years of progress in speeding up and streamlining permitting, Budget 2026 invests over $40 million in additional funding, over three years, to provide stable, ongoing funding that strengthens permitting capacity across the natural resource and tourism sectors. This investment supports government’s broader strategy to modernize permitting and regulatory frameworks by removing barriers, delays and duplication for businesses.

Government has made significant investments in building up a world-class talent pool by focusing on advancing technology and innovation as a major economic driver and job creator. B.C. provincial programs, such as the integrated marketplace initiative, are helping companies start up and grow and are delivering the infrastructure needed to participate in the sector.

Government is taking more action to support business investments in Budget 2026 by introducing a new, temporary manufacturing and processing investment tax credit to encourage investments in buildings, machinery and equipment used in manufacturing and processing.

I’m really grateful for some of the investments that we’ve had in my area in terms of manufacturing. Two that come to mind immediately are at Kalesnikoff and at Spearhead. Both are manufacturers from our forestry sector.

Kalesnikoff is building both mass timber and modular. This is really exciting, as modular can also be used to help us deliver on things like housing, child care spaces and schools. These are assembled on site at their location, between Nelson and Castlegar, and then they’re delivered throughout B.C. and beyond. This is building great jobs for people in the Kootenays but also job opportunities across British Columbia, and it gives us the opportunity to help to deliver faster on our infrastructure needs.

Spearhead is located just north of Nelson. The Hall family is incredibly innovative. We’ve invested in Spearhead. I really believe that a lot of the wood that they use is actually from the Harrop-Procter community forest. The Harrop-Procter community forest has their own mill. We’ve also invested in their mill.

When we look at the work that that community forest is doing, they’re working on protecting their watershed. They’re working on FireSmarting their community. They are making sure that they’re protecting their biodiversity and their ecosystems, and they’re logging.

With these logging practices, they’re also able to mill at their mill on site. Then some of that wood, for example, is purchased by someone like Spearhead. Spearhead is then, using engineering and manufacturing, now using that product in incredible designs, not just in British Columbia, not just in North America, but all over the world.

The jobs that are at Spearhead are very well-paid jobs. They’re very technical jobs, very skilled jobs. Those are manufacturing jobs in rural British Columbia, in the Kootenays. I’m so proud of that type of innovation not only in the Kootenays but in rural British Columbia. I see a tremendous opportunity there. I’m so grateful that our government has focused on making sure that we are continuing to invest in manufacturing and processing.

I do want to talk a little bit, also, about clean energy. One of the key components of B.C.’s Look West strategy is expanding clean energy capacity to drive nation-building economic growth, deliver critical minerals and create the renewable energy the world needs. B.C. Hydro, one of the many organizations making the vision of Look West a reality, is continuing to invest in clean energy to help households, businesses and industries save on their energy bills and switch from fossil fuels to clean energy.

[3:40 p.m.]

This helps reduce pollution that is driving climate change, reduce costs for clean energy users and build healthier communities. In addition to increasing B.C.’s energy capacity through various renewable energy projects, B.C. Hydro has recently launched a competitive process to allocate electricity to support and strengthen emerging technology centres in B.C.

A few other pieces that I wanted to touch on. I see I’m running out of time.

There’s so much good news in this budget. Our tax credit for volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteers has been increased. I know this has been something that regional districts, local fire departments and search and rescue organizations have been asking for. I want to say how grateful I am for all of the work that our volunteer firefighters do and that search and rescue does. At any moment’s notice, they could be called out on a call.

I have a dear friend of mine. I was driving to her house one day, and she ran out of the house. She’s a volunteer firefighter in my region. She asked if I could give her a ride to the fire department. I immediately said yes. I turned my car around, and we went straight to the fire department. She was responding to the call of a choking child. Thank goodness that that child was okay, but this is the type of work that our volunteer firefighters do.

We also know search and rescue…. Whether it’s day, sometimes night, on the weekends, in evenings, at a moment’s notice, they can go out there. They are trained to make sure that they’re able to locate people. You know, we live in an incredible region. It’s mountainous. But sometimes people need help and support out there, so our search and rescue volunteers are really at the front lines and do incredible work every day to support our communities.

I’m so grateful that we are increasing their tax credit. That is a big thanks to the people that advocated for that.

Last, I also just want to talk about the new children and youth disability supplement that was introduced. This is going to benefit families with children with a variety of different abilities, making sure that we’re focusing on the children and the families that need the support the most, but making sure that there’s going to be support for everyone. A lot of that support is also community-based.

I know that a lot of work has gone into this, and I just want to thank the minister for her leadership on this.

With that, I want to thank everyone that worked so hard to deliver on this budget.

Jeremy Valeriote: I’m grateful to be here today to respond to Budget 2026.

I had some words about Tumbler Ridge a couple days ago, but I’m just profoundly grateful to hear that 12-year-old Maya is breathing on her own. I see the GoFundMe campaign is doing extremely well — one way of expressing our support and distress at this tragedy.

My colleague the member for Saanich North and the Islands spoke in detail on behalf of our caucus yesterday. I want to expand on his thoughts in three key areas: the impact on my riding of West Vancouver–Sea to Sky, the links between climate and health and the real risks of not addressing the rampant inequality in our province.

I think many people that aren’t familiar with the Sea to Sky region think that we’ve done extremely well. We had a $700 million highway upgrade. We had Olympic investments. I’ll remind members that that was 20 years ago. I will say that Squamish, in particular, did not see a lot of benefits from those investments and was really just starting to get noticed — a rapidly growing urban centre with some urban problems — and really has been ignored by the province for a long time.

[3:45 p.m.]

There has been some recent movement on HEART and HEARTH funding. Under One Roof is an exemplary shelter and transitional housing project. We just started planning for a new hospital that is sorely needed, but, sadly, it seems to have been one of the first to be abandoned as soon as times got tight. So this is an austerity budget for the district of Squamish.

I’ll start with Squamish Hilltop House long-term-care facility, originally scheduled to be completed in 2030, now moved to TBC, as we’ve been hearing in this House — “to be confirmed.”

The Housing Squamish Society Government Road project, perfectly placed for a community housing fund — a lot of efficiencies with an adjacent B.C. Housing project next door — could be squandered. The loss of community housing fund has and will be devastating. Housing Squamish has been waiting since last July, with an answer promised in September, only to find out their project was cancelled on Tuesday.

I would be grateful for some honesty on this type of thing. Back in July, there was an intake of a whole bunch of projects. I think some honesty back then would have been really valuable for Housing Squamish. “We’re re-evaluating. Don’t count on funding.” Instead, we have the stringing along of a non-profit society who have overextended and overleveraged themselves while they waited for an answer that could have been delivered eight months ago.

The government’s decision to pull $1.4 billion in desperately needed social housing capital feels really shortsighted, especially when it sits alongside the billion-dollar annual cost of maintaining the homeowner grant that has been retained. One investment builds long-term affordability for low-income families, seniors and people living with disabilities. The other largely protects existing wealth. For me, that contrast sends one of the clearest signals of misguided priorities that I’ve seen in a provincial budget.

Social and community housing is not optional infrastructure. It is health infrastructure. It is poverty reduction, and it is prevention. When we fail to build homes people can truly afford, the costs don’t disappear. They show up in homelessness, hospitals and shelters and families under impossible strain. Cutting housing capital doesn’t save money. It simply shifts the cost somewhere else.

In tight fiscal times, the real test of a budget is what we choose to protect, and the people who depend on social housing deserved better.

In transportation, I see a capital spending of $13.8 billion across three years. We’re still spending more on roads than on transit. Of the projects costing more than $50 million, the redevelopment of the Belleville ferry terminal and upgrades on the SkyTrain are the only non-road projects.

Ambition on transit may be going backwards. The 2025 service plan had 318 million transit rides as their performance measure for 2026-27. The 2026 goal is only 301 million rides. Why chase a target when you can just change it?

I try to be balanced on this. I am encouraged to see increased transit capital spending, going $295 million to $325 million to $489 million. On page 54 of the fiscal plan, transit spending goes from $165 million to $418 million. And that’s a good thing.

Transit is deeply personal in the Sea to Sky region. We’ve been advocating for years — local governments, MLAs, chambers of commerce, tourism organizations — and in 2025, I was proud to negotiate regional transit buses on the road as part of our cooperation agreement with the government. Myself and local governments have attended at least five meetings with the Premier and the Minister of Transportation and Transit where assurances about delivery of the service were made over and over.

I’m eagerly awaiting buses rolling up and down the Sea to Sky — taking people to their jobs, to their medical appointments, to see their friends, rather than getting behind the wheel of a car on a snowy highway. And I remain optimistic that the government will find the paltry $3 million per year that is their share of this program.

[3:50 p.m.]

Mental health is also deeply important in the Sea to Sky. I am grateful to the Minister of Health for Pemberton Foundry funding for youth mental health.

On the flip side, the inability of this government to bring psychologists into the public health system is a problem that will impact generations to come. They deserve better.

Mental health specialists are not interchangeable. There are things that only psychologists can do. This includes autism screening for children to make sure that they can access supports and resources. The decision not to go forward with the psychologist program means that children and their families will not be able to access these services — something with real and direct consequences for these families.

It’s Thursday afternoon after a long week, and I know that people in this chamber may have their eyes glaze over when I talk about climate and the budget, but I’ll ask you to bear with me because there’s more to come.

I will speak to climate. Climate change is an economic problem, and the government seems to be doing everything they can to make it worse. Decisions seem to be based on 19th-century economic analysis.

Gone are the days when we were a resource colony. I think we all know that, but we sometimes cling to it. We often talk about climate change as if it’s only an environmental issue — wildfires, lack of snowpack, changes to seasons and disappearing species. But climate change is not just an environmental crisis. It is an economic crisis. Right now our government appears to be making decisions that risk making both crises worse.

For too long, we’ve treated climate policy as if it’s in conflict with economic growth, as though protecting our environment somehow threatens our overall prosperity. That thinking is outdated. It belongs to the 19th century, an era where economies were built on extraction and success meant digging something out of the ground and shipping it away.

Those days are over. Yet too many of our economic decisions are still rooted in that old model, which dies hard, a model that assumes fossil fuels will forever be the backbone of prosperity, a model that treats climate risk as someone else’s problem and a model that ignores global market signals that are right in front of us.

Here’s the problem. We’ve already missed the fossil fuel timing. Global supply has outpaced demand. Prices have crashed. Communities have been left holding the bag before, and they will again. Why are we making the same mistake with the LNG sector?

We can’t afford to miss the renewables boom while we double down on yesterday’s industries. Every dollar we invest in infrastructure that locks us into fossil fuels for decades is a dollar not invested in innovation, resilience and future competitiveness. It’s not just an environmental risk. It’s a financial one. Investors around the world are already shifting away from carbon-heavy assets. Markets are pricing in climate risk, whether governments acknowledge it or not.

The consequences aren’t just abstract. Take LNG flaring in Kitimat. When gas is flared, we don’t just emit carbon dioxide. We release toxic pollutants that harm air quality and public health. That means higher rates of respiratory illness, higher health care costs, higher burdens on families and public systems. We’re actively increasing our health costs. It’s not smart economics. It’s short-term accounting that ignores long-term liabilities. When communities bear the health consequences while profits are privatized, the math doesn’t add up, and it never has.

It’s encouraging that the budget continued the 2025 CARGA agreement commitment of $60 million for electric heat pump rebates for low- and moderate-income households, including in multi-unit residential buildings, where they’re sorely needed. We’d like to see more investment in this regard, but we are no longer in a position to impact that, at least not today.

I’ll move past the climate and talk about the future. The social contract is simple. We all contribute, and we all benefit. We trust that our institutions act in the public interest. We believe that the economy works for people, not the other way around. When people see decisions that worsen climate risk, increase health costs and concentrate wealth, that trust begins to fray and weaken. Once trust is gone, it’s very hard to rebuild.

This is not just about emissions targets. It’s about the kind of economy we want to build. Do we want to cling to 19th-century extraction models or one that leads in 21st-century innovation? Do we want to invest in industries that are peaking or in industries that are growing? Do we want to absorb the hidden cost of pollution through our health care system or prevent those costs in the first place? And more importantly, do we want an economy that widens inequality or one that strengthens the social contract?

[3:55 p.m.]

Climate action is not anti-economic. Smart climate policy is economic policy. It’s about reducing long-term risk and seizing new markets. It’s about protecting public health, and it’s about fairness.

We have a choice, but we can’t afford to pretend that these decisions are neutral. They will shape our prosperity, our health and the trust we have in each other for decades to come.

I’ll spend much of the rest of my time talking about inequality. My colleague from Saanich North and the Islands yesterday talked about the abdication of responsibility in driving down taxes as a headline-making, vote-grabbing, “simple to understand and support” campaign tactic. The same thing goes for panicked language about debt levels and credit ratings. It sounds deeply alarming in sound bites, but is it real, or is it overblown?

What I see is the government chasing the Conservatives around to try and plug holes in their political narrative like plugging holes in a dam. We saw it most egregiously in the scrapping of the carbon tax, which I will remind the House that only this caucus opposed. It blew the most significant hole in the budget we’ve seen this year, tariff or no tariff.

We’ve also seen a drift to the right on DRIPA, on involuntary treatment, on social housing and on preventive health care.

Our conclusion at the end of our 2025 agreement was that we spent most of our time chasing this government for results. It was hard to get their attention because they were spending most of their effort chasing the Conservatives for popular, or sometimes populist, policy ideas.

The wealthy may not like to hear it — certainly, at least one of the contenders for the leadership of the opposition party likes to bandy around the 53 percent total tax burden on the highest income bracket — but the numbers don’t lie. B.C. has a lower tax burden than most provinces, even some U.S. states.

I was shocked when I was elected to municipal government to see what the rest of the country is paying in property taxes. It’s such a common complaint in local government in B.C., yet our property taxes in B.C. are comparatively low.

Anti-tax politics are one way of looking at the problem, and it expresses a frustration that we need to hear and consider — that people don’t think they’re getting value for their money. But if we’re going to be proud of and defend our low-tax environment, we must also at least be accountable for the homelessness, poverty, addiction and despair we’re seeing play out on our streets and in our society. We can’t have one without the other.

It hasn’t always been this way. In the 1940s, during the existential crisis of World War II, in the U.S., the top marginal tax rate on the highest earners peaked at 94 percent in 1944 for income over $200,000. The top corporate income tax rate increased to 40 percent in 1942, with excess profits taxed at 90 percent. In Canada, we also implemented high marginal tax rates, with top rates up to 84 percent by 1948 and over 60 percent throughout the high-growth 1940-1980 period.

Yeah, the 1940s were a long time ago, but we have some very accomplished thinkers who have compared the climate crisis to World War II and drawn parallels with the response needed. We need to think of it in terms of the mental health, toxic drugs, opioid, homelessness and affordability crises as well. Nobody likes paying taxes, but we all like living in a province that functions within a social contract, that observes the rule of law, that takes care of its people, that provides opportunity for all.

Nobel Prize winner and economist Joseph Stiglitz has written extensively about the erosion of democracy and rule of law that stems from inequality. Our current society, as flawed as it might be, is why people want to live here, and the wealthiest among us should be willing to pay to help preserve it. In many cases, it facilitated their success, and I believe they should be willing to pay taxes on their accumulated and often inherited wealth as well as their income, as the society facilitated that accumulation as well.

Now, I know we’ve got some mistrust of the United States right now, but it is one of the closest analogues to our economy. I’ll mention to the House that a small, prominent group of wealthy Americans and billionaires, including notable figures like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, advocate for higher taxes on the rich, citing the need to reduce inequality and bolster public services. Organizations like Patriotic Millionaires and movements such as Proud to Pay More lobby for wealth taxes, higher estate taxes and, most importantly, closing loopholes, arguing that extreme wealth concentration is detrimental to society.

[4:00 p.m.]

Many in this group support taxing unrealized capital gains, implementing a wealth tax and increasing income tax rates for the highest earners.

Data shows that effective tax rates for the top 400 wealthiest Americans have declined to about 24 percent, prompting calls for reform.

For those who will defend the wealthiest among us, let’s have a reality check of the billionaire’s household budget. How much is $1 billion put into a wealth-preserving trust that generates about $25 million annually after taxes? What does that look like in terms of education, food, clothing, transportation and housing for a family of two adults and three kids?

Well, that billion dollars, the interest from it, covers tuition for the kids and their 90 best friends at the most elite private school. Everyone eats $1,000 meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The parents wear new $10,000 outfits every day. They staff and maintain 15 luxury homes. All of this every year, forever.

So that’s the 1 percent or the 0.1 percent or the 0.01 percent. Whatever it is, it’s a small group of very privileged people who each have an army of tax lawyers to use every loophole in the book. Personally, I can’t get my head around the lifestyle pain that a 5 or 10 percent wealth tax would impose, but I’m not in that league.

If you’ll indulge me with a bit of humour, my children are in grade 6, and their classmates seem to think that I’m the Prime Minister and that I’m very rich. I guess perception is everything. It’s not a great perception. I don’t know where they get that idea, but I will try to dispel it.

I don’t love class division. Like a lot of things in this House, it’s oppositional, and it can foster mistrust and conflict and can be a waste of all our energies. But the fact is that structural inequality has produced different tiers, and we need to reckon with that.

I think we’re still pursuing an outdated idea that rewards in this life are mostly extrinsic — money, toys, mansions, vacations, status relative to others and power. I see us as a species evolving towards more intrinsic values and rewards — personal accomplishment and contribution, purpose-driven work, self-fulfilment and actualization, personal legacy and modelling the way for others.

I think we need to adapt away from the idea that to motivate and incentivize high performance, the prize waiting at the end of the rainbow needs to be millions or hundreds of millions or billions of dollars. Is that all there is? We know we can’t take it with us, and are we really serving the next generation by leaving them an inherited life of leisure and excessive spending and consumption?

I believe this does truly cross party lines. I know Conservatives who have told me they are uncomfortable with the consumer, materialistic culture we’ve created, and I’m sure there are those across the aisle who question its long-term value as well.

I’ll move on. Budget 2026 plans to cut 15,000 public service jobs — the huge impact on families, on regulatory rigour and on the functioning of our public service. As we found in the Campbell era, written about by one of his cabinet ministers, gutting the public sector has long-term effects on the health of our society.

Budget 2026 really doesn’t contain any relief for B.C. families struggling with the affordability crisis. In fact, income tax increases seem to be focused on income less than $50,000.

In addition, unspecified $3.5 billion cuts through so-called expenditure management and recalibrating program delivery — I would love to see a search-and-destroy for bureaucratic terms like this in our public documents — have the potential to further strain already stretched public services. Fewer staff means longer wait times for disability assistance, slower enforcement of labour and environmental protections and an erosion in service delivery.

Further, slowing down the delivery of approved long-term-care projects at a time when our population is aging and access to long-term care is already stretched is asking vulnerable seniors to take the hit for reducing the provincial debt.

B.C.’s deep affordability crisis demands bold solutions. So do rising inequality, the housing crisis, uneven access to health care and child care, growing homelessness and the climate crisis. The cost of climate inaction grows every year, as we see in the massive costs of fighting wildfires and dealing with floods.

[4:05 p.m.]

Instead of asking those who have more to contribute more, the B.C. budget asks youth, working families, people in poverty and seniors to fend for themselves amid public services stretched beyond capacity and huge rural-urban gaps in access to health care, transit and other key services. We all pay for poverty and homelessness in higher health care costs, lower school success, higher policing and criminal justice costs and lost productivity.

I will give a little peek into some of our Third Party caucus discussions. We’ve had a lot of discussions about the term “working class” in our caucus of late. Being of a certain age, I associate it with the British class system and all the discrimination and prejudice that infects that system. But when you think of it as everyone who works to survive, it takes on a different meaning.

I’ll draw it to a close here. One of the great parts of this job is that I get — as we all get — sent and confronted with thought-provoking items on a daily basis from all political and cultural ideologies. I love this part of the job and trying to integrate it into our daily work and trying to draw a thread between it. I’ll read one of these pieces into the record today, and then that’ll be my conclusion.

“The working class today isn’t defined by the colour of your collar. It’s most of us. It’s everyone who works every day to care, to build, to innovate, to protect our planet and to provide the services that keep our communities going. From nurses and teachers to bus drivers and tradespeople, scientists and tech innovators, conservation, recreation, tourism, retail and service workers — if you have to work to live, you are the working class. From clinics to classrooms, highways to trails, construction sites to offices, shops and resorts — if you work every day to care, build, innovate or serve, you are the working class.”

This budget draws a stark dividing line between workers. It values extraction above other sectors. It values short-term gain over long-term resilience. It sends a clear message that only one kind of work, one kind of worker, really matters to this government.

As my colleague said yesterday, this is a budget to keep industry happy. The government has put all of our eggs, the financial future of the province, in the Look West basket. But the working class is so much bigger than that. Our strength isn’t in one sector. It’s in the millions of British Columbians who show up every single day to do our part. Our real strength and resilience lie in all of us working together to build a future that sustains us all.

Tony Luck: I’d like to say it’s a real pleasure to stand today and speak to the budget, but I’ll make a small quote from a friend of ours who wanders these aisles here. It kind of sums up the mood, I think. From Mr. Keith Baldrey: “The entire room was somewhat shocked. This is one of the bleakest budgets I have seen in quite some time.” From there, as you’ve heard from a number of my colleagues, things seem a little bleak out there with this budget right at the moment.

British Columbians tuned in on Tuesday for their budget. What was going to happen? Taxes up? Taxes down? Were we going to get that $10 billion or $11 billion we were promised? But no. They were hoping for a plan to see things turn around, a plan to ease the crushing cost of living in this province, a plan to stop the exodus of our kids and our grandchildren leaving this province and a plan to restore faith in a health care system that is barely hanging on. Dare I say, it’s more like it’s on life support.

Instead, what they got was a glossy document with a wishful title: Securing B.C.’s Future. They did not get a plan. The only plan this government has is more debt, larger deficits and the continued decline of our beautiful province and our economy.

The members across the aisle may disagree with me, but nearly everyone agrees with us on this side of the House. Here’s a headline: “A B.C. Budget Brings a Record Deficit and No Big Changes.” That is from one of their favourite media outlets, the Tyee.

[4:10 p.m.]

This budget has been called, among many things, a disaster, a failure and a ticking time bomb. It has been described as a budget with no vision — in perspective, probably one of the worst terms, because it suggests a government void of ideas and direction, one that is reacting to circumstances rather than shaping the future, managing decline instead of inspiring progress and prioritizing short-term fixes over long-term strategy.

If members want to yammer on about health care, we can talk about health care. Here’s what the seniors advocate has to say about their plans for health care: “It’s going to put pressure on the family caregivers, people who should be in the workforce, who are now caring for that senior family member. And it’s also going to create a situation where the seniors are not getting the kind of care that they should have.”

This is a budget, I think we’re all determined, that’s failing seniors. It asks seniors for more while telling them to wait longer for long-term-care beds. It spends more than ever yet delivers less than ever.

This seems to be a common theme with this government and, of course, through this budget. It asks families for more and then taxes them on clothing alterations when they have to hem the hand-me-down jeans.

It asks struggling small businesses for more, as well, and then taxes them on the security this government has failed to provide for them. When this government was asked to help, they delivered higher taxes, fewer services and longer wait times.

The first number that really jumped off the pages of this budget was the deficit number. We were told it was probably going to be $10 billion to $11 billion. Going back to Mr. Baldrey’s comments, we were shocked when we were here to learn…. Last year’s budget deficit was a record number. This again surpassed that as a bigger record number. It’s the largest in our provincial history, right after the last, which was a historic number as well.

This seems to be becoming a legacy of this government. So what are we looking at next year, $14 billion? The year after that, $15 billion? Not because of a global pandemic, and not because of Donald Trump either, as much as they like to remind us. This started long before him. This started…. They’ve had nine years to get their spending under control, even though this Premier started with a $6 billion deficit.

It’s because this government has steadily lost control of its spending, all while our economic growth has stalled. Worst, investor confidence is completely eroded in this province.

No one agrees with the NDP’s bold proclamation that this is a prudent budget they were forced into because of the times that we’re in or that this government has a plan to get back on balance — nobody is being fooled this time; you can only play the fool’s game for so long — or even that our economic decline and terrible fiscal position is a result of global events.

Today the Globe and Mail editorial board released an editorial, a damning editorial at best, which absolutely shreds the credibility of the Minister of Finance in this government’s budget. “Global turmoil is a reality, but the Finance Minister’s framing ranges beyond disingenuous and into outright fiction. British Columbia does not have a revenue problem.” Let me finish that. It has a spending problem. They go on to say: “Whatever the pressure this government is feeling comes from its deeply ingrained habit of irresponsible spending.”

Let’s talk about just how irresponsible the spending has been and will be. When this government first took office, British Columbia was posting a surplus. Their former leader left the purse full. The bank account had lots of money in it.

When this current Premier first took office just a few short years ago, British Columbia was posting a wonderful surplus. A big surplus. In 2022, this Premier had a surplus of nearly $6 billion in the piggy bank. This Premier blew through that in no time at all. Today he is saddling British Columbians with another $13.3 billion of debt.

[4:15 p.m.]

Since this Premier took the reins of government, he’ll blow through almost $41 billion in just under four years. He’s got to add the $6 billion he blew through and then the deficits as well. By the time his fiscal plan ends in 2028-29, the province’s total debt is projected to be over $230 billion, more than doubled during the Premier’s tenure.

So here we are waiting for the fifth credit downgrade. We’re going to sit waiting for that to come on. If that happens, you know that interest will go up. That’s how it works. When those interest payments come in, the deficit looks like it’s going to be even bigger.

Now, these are not abstract numbers in a spreadsheet. Every dollar of deficit today is a dollar plus interest that must be paid somewhere down the line. Every $1 billion of new debt means more of our future budget will go not to health care, not to schools, not to infrastructure, but to interest payments.

As a recent ad I’ve heard on the radio…. This money goes to the big bankers, and that will help build pools in Arizona.

This is a budget that tells British Columbians to check the cushions of their own couches for nickels and dimes. This is a tough time. Then the government shakes dimes out of the pockets of every household and every business to pay for its own mismanagement.

When you add up the PST changes on professional services, fee increases, so-called adjustments to credits, new or higher levies on every family necessary to small business operations, it is no longer nickels in the couch. It is a full-scale assault on the bank accounts of British Columbia seniors, hard-working families and small businesses in this province — those people that keep the province running on a day-to-day basis. This is more of a government that has a mantra of: “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Think about what this budget does to families with children. A little more on their land line or cable bills, all adding up to tens of millions of dollars pulled out of the economy, taken away from families that could spend it on economic activity, spend it at the coffee shop or the toy store or the clothing store. Gone. A little bit more on clothing alterations for hand-me-downs. A little more at the till because of tax changes on everyday purchases.

One small increase might be manageable. Dozens of them add up to the groceries left in the shopping cart, kids’ activities cancelled, hockey games not attended, parents taking extra shifts just to stay afloat in the family.

The government says: “Do not be concerned. Don’t be concerned about it. We’ll look after you. It’s only $96 additional per year for the average British Columbian.” Well, for the average British Columbian, that seems like nothing, but that could be the new pair of winter boots. It could be the registration for a hockey team or a baseball team.

The Premier and the Finance Minister will insist that these are fair and targeted adjustments to the income tax. We don’t see it that way. They are not fair to the people who write to our offices and stop us in the grocery store and talk to us about how they’re feeling these days.

I think last year it became a very noticeable chat that we’ve seen, like, 50 percent of the people in this province are $200 away from catastrophic financial failure. I don’t think that’s changed. I think we’re still there with that.

Interjection.

Tony Luck: It may even be worse now, as my colleague’s saying.

These are not fair to the hard-working families who have been suffering under the NDP’s decades of decline. They are unseen and unrecognized people we pass by or interact with every day. You’ve seen them. You’ve talked to them. All in this House have.

These are the people that ensure that hospitals have fresh bedding. The people who look after our kids and grandkids in schools as EAs and teachers. Small-town entrepreneurs and those that work for them. The grandparents trying to help their kids with a down payment because housing is so unaffordable in this province for so many under this government. They are the ones who are looking for those so-called nickels in the couch. These are the people this government is failing with this budget.

[4:20 p.m.]

How does this budget fail seniors? Let’s talk a little bit more about that. It charges them PST on the essentials that they need every day, the last little bit of enjoyments that they have in their life, to stay connected with friends with a land line. We talked about that. People up north don’t always have cell service and that, so they have land lines. They keep them. Seniors are reluctant for change and go to this technology. They like their landlines. They’re comfortable with them. But we’re going to tax them some more on that.

They’re doctors, or they’re pharmacists.

It fails them by charging them PST on the yarn that they use to make Christmas and birthday gifts. It fails them by telling them: “Wait indefinitely for the long-term-care bed that you might get somewhere down the road.”

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and this government is failing them as well. Small businesses have been sounding the alarm for years about the decay and disorder infecting our downtowns because of this government’s failed experiment. Tired of broken windows and stolen merchandise, many have resorted to hiring private security to provide the protection the government has failed to provide.

Think of everywhere you see private security nowadays — the convenience store, the grocery store, your pharmacy. I remember 30 years ago, when I was visiting Florida, I went into a pharmacy and there was a security guard outside. I said: “You would never see that in Canada.” But what do we see here in British Columbia? Security guards outside our convenience stores, outside of our grocery stores, all over the place.

Think of everywhere you see private security now — the convenience store, the grocery store. We’ve seen all of those here. Nowadays, you’re more likely to see private security than you are a police officer. When the NDP sees that there are more security guards than there are police, they don’t see this as a problem. Another download. They see it as an opportunity for more money to fuel their reckless habits of irresponsible spending.

British Columbia used to be an economic leader in Canada. We used to have a strong, vibrant economy. Yeah, we would go through — the resource sector — ups and downs and things like that. For the most part, we would get out of it. We’d have a strong economy.

But after a decade of decline and NDP mismanagement, our economy has stalled. We are half…. I know we don’t like to compare ourselves to the United States, but Washington state has twice the per-capita income that people in British Columbia have. We have some of the lowest productivity in the country.

Some economists remind us that we have the same standard of living in British Columbia as they have in Alabama. Is that something we should be proud of? I’m not disparaging Alabama, but wow. British Columbia used to be an economic leader, as I mentioned, but after a decade of decline and NDP mismanagement, our economy has stalled. Private sector investment is lagging badly.

I’m reminded of the discussion we had last year about Nutrien moving to Washington state — a $500 million to $1 billion investment that we have lost because we’re unproductive in this province. We couldn’t keep one of our own large corporations in British Columbia.

Major projects, as I said, have been cancelled. Billions in potential investment is sitting on the sidelines, waiting for some kind of certainty, some kind of turnaround that we were hoping this budget would have presented here on Tuesday. But it didn’t. It continues to nickel-and-dime the citizens of this province that are struggling every single day.

These businesses are scared off by the uncertainty created by this government in many, many areas. The rising cost of doing business has become untenable for many of them. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, over two-thirds of business owners would not recommend starting a business in Canada. Can you believe that? Two-thirds. It’s shocking. It’s absolutely shocking. They would not recommend starting a business in British Columbia.

The Premier likes to boast about the potential investing waiting to come to British Columbia. Well, where is it? Where’s the list? When you’ve got two-thirds of your own business telling other business to stay away, there’s a disconnect there. But the dollars invested by companies and the decisions they make are worth much, much more.

I’ve already talked about Nutrien and how they’ve decided to move their operations down to the States here. We’ve lost jobs. We’ve lost income tax. We’ve lost all the opportunities to really make a difference here.

[4:25 p.m.]

But here’s the sad part of the thing too. We like to brag about wanting to export more out of the country, more out of British Columbia. Our ports, the Port of Prince Rupert and the port of Vancouver, plus or minus 20 ports around the world…. We sit at 391 and 376 or something. Our ports are not even efficient to be able to export the products that we have.

We’ve got a lot of things that are not linkage, and I know that’s probably more related to federal, but it’s still an issue. We talked about exporting more. How can we, when we’ve got bottlenecks in our ports and they’re inefficient?

One of the most stunning omissions in this budget is what it does not say about forestry. I live in a forestry-dependent riding, Fraser-Nicola. We have made our living on forestry and ranching and those dirt ministries, as people like to call them, in my riding.

Forestry once built this province, if you remember. It built our towns. It funded our schools and hospitals and sustained generations of families across rural and northern British Columbia. Yet in the government’s glossy vision for securing B.C.’s future, forestry…. Well, it says here: “Barely even appeared.” It didn’t appear.

This is an industry that is on the brink of collapse, and this government has no plans. I think I’ve stood in this House a number of times and asked to get permits issued so that we can cut burnt timber, and the minister keeps refusing me. He keeps refusing the industry that’s dying for fibre to go in their plants. Next year it’ll be no good. If you don’t cut it within the first 12 months, it’s rotting in the field. Why has this been allowed?

No plan. No plan to do anything.

Communities in my riding are feeling the consequences — communities like Lillooet and Merritt, where mills have reduced shifts and people have been given pink slips. We used to drive down Highway 8 there in Merritt, and the yard would be full of logs. This isn’t the only community. I can talk to my colleague from Barriere. You’re going to hear the same thing there. No logs because we haven’t issued cutting permits.

My riding is a forestry riding, and it’s not just in the communities where the mills are. Logging contractors have parked their equipment because they cannot get tenure, certainty, approvals or markets. Trucking firms that depend on the forest sector struggle to stay afloat. If you’ve got a logging truck, there’s not much else you can do with it but haul logs, and they’re all sitting idle right now.

Small businesses that rely on mill paycheques — the local grocery stores, the coffee shops, the auto shops — are all hurting. When I go to my town, there’s a feeling of despair. I dare say some of my colleagues in here would feel the same thing in their small communities.

In previous years, even as the sector faced challenges, budgets at least attempted to acknowledge the importance of this industry. This government has all but abandoned forestry in this province, dare I say.

It spoke to a strategy for value-added production, fibre supply and market access. It has launched review after review, and there has been no conclusion to any of these reviews, no plan for any of these reviews. What are we going to do with this review? It sits on a shelf collecting dust.

This government has given up even pretending. The industry is on life support, just like health care in this province. All this government can do is shrug and blame Donald Trump. This started before Mr. Trump was even on the scene.

This is a government that has lost its way. The absence of forestry from this budget is not just rhetorical oversight. It tells every logger, every millworker, every contractor in every community from Vancouver Island to the Interior that their future is not part of the NDP’s future. They have betrayed every rural community in British Columbia, and these are the communities that pay the bills in this province and have done so for decades.

What is happening in rural British Columbia under this government? Mill towns are watching their kids leave for better opportunities. Their communities are slowly dying. House values are dropping. Those local coffee shops close.

[Mable Elmore in the chair.]

The small manufacturing firm that employs ten to 20 people closes overnight and moves away — another dozen out of work. The communities quietly vanish.

This is a record after a decade of NDP decline. For three years, we have watched this government rack up the credit card with no regard to the future. After a decade of mismanagement, this government is saying that they are on the right path.

[4:30 p.m.]

I don’t know if I want to take a vote in the House to see if that’s true or not. But as I’ve discussed, no one aside from the members of that side of the House thinks that this budget, the NDP claims….

This is not a plan. As I said before, this is a ticking time bomb that will be dropped on the next generations of British Columbia. That is the sad part. The people that are going to inherit this debt are the people that probably aren’t even born today. They are going to pay with the consequences of this debt. I’ll explain that in a little bit.

It is a ticking time bomb that will be dropped on the next generations of British Columbia. I want to say that again, because that’s what it is. Some of us, me included probably, won’t be here to suffer the real impact of what’s going to happen here — a bomb that will destroy the opportunities they haven’t ever even had a chance to capture.

There has been no serious effort to lay out a plan for growth that harnesses our strengths — our resource base, our tech sector or even our enviable strategic location. There is no plan to give investors and workers confidence that if they invest their money here, it will work for them, especially when you’ve got two-thirds of business in the province saying: “Stop, don’t even come here.”

Budgets should not just be about how much we spend. They should be about the outcomes the spending creates for families and the opportunities the government creates for the growth of this province.

The Finance Minister has tried to present this document as a balanced approach, balanced between fiscal responsibility and compassion, between investment and restraint. But there is an older, more sobering definition of a balanced budget that we should keep in mind. Economist Milton Friedman famously observed that in the long run, all budgets are balanced. The Minister of Finance, actually yesterday, I think, was bragging that her budget is balanced. Well, to some effect, some thinking, she’s probably right.

Let me explain a little bit more. The only question is whether they are balanced honestly through disciplined spending and sustained taxation today or whether they are balanced later through inflation, higher future taxes and reductions in service when the bill finally comes due. This government has chosen the second path, the wrong path. With this budget, the NDP has dined out on British Columbians and left them holding the bill.

Mr. Friedman’s warning matters here because it reminds us that discipline is not ideology. Numbers don’t lie. Math works. One plus one will always be two.

It’s about intergenerational fairness. What are we leaving for the next generation? What are we leaving for our children? It is about not sending today’s problem forward on the credit card and hoping someone else will sort them out. I think some of us will remember that when we’d run the card up when we were in university and give it back to Dad, he’d take care of it. That’s not happening. That’s not happening today.

I want to close by returning to the most painful consequences of this government’s choice — the quiet but growing exodus of our young people out of this province.

Look, when we get people leaving this province, we should be labelling…. I’m going to be calling it, from now on, the brain drain. It’s the brain and youth drain that’s going on in this province right now.

It’s the youngest and the brightest that are leaving, kids that are fed up. I spoke to my son on the phone yesterday, and the first thing he said: “Dad, I’m giving up. I’m looking at moving out of this province, like all my other friends have done over the last couple of years.” They are not coming back. They have no intention of coming back.

This is our future — the young people, the brain trust. We need them to stay in this province. They need to see hope. They need to see something to work towards. They can’t afford homes. They can’t find jobs now. The cost of living is too high. There’s a myriad of reasons.

Every MLA in this chamber has heard the stories — parents whose adult children have already moved to Alberta, Saskatchewan or Ontario because they could not see a future here; grandparents whose kids now live in a province or two away. Visits are limited to holidays because airfare and time are so expensive.

I have a whole bunch of friends that have moved to Alberta recently. They had a reunion out there. They had an expat reunion out there, and 150 people in Lethbridge showed up from British Columbia to the party. I didn’t get invited. They said: “We’ll invite you next time.” I probably know a lot of them.

That’s disheartening. Friends of mine that we used to go out with and have dinner with and party with and do whatever have all gone to Alberta and Saskatchewan and other places.

[4:35 p.m.]

Young couples who would love to stay close to their families and put down roots in the community where they grew up but who look at the cost of housing, the tax burden and, the biggest thing, the lack of opportunity make the heartbreaking decision to leave. How does this budget help those people?

How does it even bring them back? There’s no hope in this budget to even: “Hey, guys. Here’s the red flag. We’re surrendering or whatever. Give us some time and we’ll bring you back.” There’s nothing in this budget that offers hope for those people.

In my own community, I’ve spoken with families who have one child already gone and another preparing to go. Their friends are doing the same. These are bright, talented British Columbians. They are the nurses, tradespeople, tech workers, educators, entrepreneurs — the people that have left here.

We have two children ourselves in Alberta. Two more are thinking of going. The one couple went out to Alberta and bought a house for $350,000, a three-storey home. They live in it. They enjoy it. Where can you find a house anywhere in the southern half of British Columbia for $350,000 — a three-storey, ten, 15 years old? I’d like to know.

These are exactly the people we need to build our future, and they are voting with their feet. This budget does nothing to change that calculus. It tells them that taxes will stay high or go higher, that housing remains scarce and costly, that public services will continue to struggle and that the government’s answer to every problem is more spending today and more debt tomorrow.

When a government brings down a budget titled “Securing British Columbia’s Future,” but the people who are our future are leaving, something is definitely wrong. Something is misaligned. I will have more to say in this House and beyond it about the families I have met whose children have already left and the ones who are preparing to go. These stories deserve to be heard over time.

As we debate this budget, I ask every member here to think about the messages we are sending to those young people, the future of our province. Are we telling them that British Columbia is a place where if you work hard and contribute, you can afford a home, raise a family and build a life? Or are we telling them that we will keep reaching into their pockets now and in the future to pay for a government that cannot live within its means, cannot deliver basic services and cannot muster the courage to chart a different course?

Budgets are moral documents. This budget fails that moral test. It fails families. It fails seniors, and it fails resource communities. It fails small businesses, and it fails the next generation of British Columbia. For all these reasons, I, along with all of my colleagues on this side of the House, will express our disappointment and opposition to this budget in the days ahead.

Steve Morissette: I’m pleased to rise in this House today in strong support of Budget 2026. Contrary to what we have heard some of today, the sky is not falling. This is a budget designed for the realities of our time, a budget built on thoughtful choices and a budget that safeguards the services British Columbians depend upon while securing our province’s future.

This budget comes at a moment of ongoing and heightened global economic uncertainty. That’s a fact. Around the world, jurisdictions are grappling with instability, cost pressures and shifting economic conditions. This is not a situation unique to British Columbia or Canada. In such times, governments face a fundamental test: whether to retreat or whether to protect what matters most while preparing responsibly for the future. Budget 2026 answers that test with clarity and resolve.

Let me state plainly that this is not an austerity budget. This budget does not cut the foundations of our social and economic strength. It does not withdraw from health care, education, housing or the social supports that provide stability and dignity for so many people.

[4:40 p.m.]

Instead, Budget 2026 safeguards critical services for the long term while taking disciplined, measured steps to strengthen our fiscal outlook. It reflects balance, protecting people today while planning responsibly for tomorrow. This approach will achieve our goal of reducing the deficit while continuing to support the housing, health care, education and social services British Columbians need.

The central commitment of Budget 2026 is to protect the services that British Columbians rely upon every single day. In turbulent times, stability is not accidental. It is a deliberate policy choice. This budget makes that choice through $5.1 billion in funding to strengthen health care, K-to-12 education and essential supports for people who require care and assistance. These are not abstract numbers. They represent real impacts in communities across British Columbia.

In health care, Budget 2026 provides critical funding to recruit and train more professionals — doctors, nurses and long-term-care workers — ensuring that people can access the care they need when they need it. Demand for health services continues to grow, and this budget recognizes that protecting care capacity is both a social necessity and an economic imperative.

In education, the budget delivers $634 million in new funding for K to 12 over three years. This includes a $167 million investment in the classroom enhancement fund, supporting more teachers, more special education professionals and additional counsellors and psychologists. These investments directly shape the learning environments of students across the province.

Education is not merely a line item. It is an investment in opportunity, productivity and the future workforce of British Columbia.

The budget also recognizes the growing importance of mental health and addiction services, and $131 million in new investments will support intensive and specialized treatment for people facing complex mental health and substance use challenges, including the establishment of new involuntary treatment beds in communities such as Prince George, Maple Ridge and Surrey. These are compassionate and practical measures designed to address real and urgent needs.

Families, too, see meaningful support. A $330 million lift to ChildCareBC protects affordable child care services, maintaining lower fees and supporting operators and educators. An additional $25 million will expand child care options on school grounds, a practical solution that helps working families and strengthens communities.

For children and youth with disabilities, $475 million in new funding will improve access to services and provide direct support to families, ensuring greater flexibility and better outcomes.

These measures illustrate the defining principle of Budget 2026: safeguarding what matters most in uncertain times.

While protecting essential services, Budget 2026 also looks forward, because resilience requires preparation. The fiscal plan boosts skills training and economic development initiatives designed to strengthen British Columbia’s economic security.

[4:45 p.m.]

The budget opens doors for people seeking good-paying careers in the skilled trades through $283 million in new funding over three years. This funding expands training spaces, increases per-seat support for training centres and enhances the B.C. employer training grant, with the goal of doubling apprenticeship seats by ’28-29.

These investments are about more than labour markets. They are about enabling people to build stable, rewarding careers, addressing workforce shortages and strengthening the province’s long-term economic capacity.

Complementing this effort is the creation of a $400 million British Columbia strategic investment fund, allowing the province to respond quickly to collaborative opportunities and major projects. In a world of shifting economic and geopolitical conditions, agility and readiness are critical strengths.

Budget 2026 also supports businesses directly. A temporary manufacturing and processing investment tax credit encourages investment in buildings, machinery and equipment, strengthening competitiveness and productivity. The shipbuilding and ship repair industry tax credit is extended, supporting British Columbia’s maritime sector, the largest in Canada.

These targeted measures help businesses leverage new opportunities, drive growth and sustain employment across the province. Economic strength and social strength are mutually reinforcing. If we build the economy, the income generated will support social programs. Budget 2026 recognizes that connection.

While this budget protects services and invests in growth, it also confronts fiscal realities with honesty and discipline. Budget 2026 forecasts declining deficits beginning in the 2026-27 fiscal year. This is a difficult transition in a time of escalating prices that require additional budget just to meet current needs. This is a critical signal of responsible financial management.

Deficits are projected to decline from $13.3 billion in ’26-27 to $11.4 billion by ’28-29, with the deficit-to-GDP ratio falling steadily over the fiscal plan. British Columbia’s debt-to-GDP ratio remains among the most favourable in Canada and continues to be affordable relative to provincial peers.

This is not about dramatic and destabilizing measures. It is about a steady, credible path forward. Government continues expenditure management efforts, building upon operational and program savings achieved previously. Hiring restrictions, efficiency reviews and streamlined service delivery all contribute to improved sustainability. This is not austerity. This is prudent stewardship, reducing pressures while protecting front-line services that people need.

Budget 2026 also makes realistic choices to improve the fiscal outlook and protect critical services. To raise revenue responsibly, the budget includes a modest adjustment to the first income tax bracket, less than 0.6 percentage points. Importantly, this change is paired with an increase to the B.C. tax reduction credit, ensuring that lower-income British Columbians are protected from higher taxes. In fact, when combined with the credit enhancement, more than 40 percent of B.C. taxpayers will see savings.

[4:50 p.m.]

British Columbians with middle incomes will continue to enjoy among the lowest taxes in the country, while benefiting from programs that reduce everyday costs, including the B.C. family benefit, more affordable child care and lower car insurance rates.

Additional measures focus on fairness and equity, including increased speculation taxes for foreign owners and untaxed worldwide earners, and adjustments to luxury home taxation. These choices reflect a balanced approach, protecting services without placing undue burden on working- and middle-class families.

Infrastructure remains essential to economic growth and quality of life. Budget 2026 continues nearly $38 billion in taxpayer-supported investments over three years, supporting major hospitals, school expansions and transportation improvements.

At the same time, the province is adjusting the pace of the capital plan to ensure long-term sustainability. Re-pacing is not retreat. It is responsible planning. It aligns investments with construction capacity, cost pressures and fiscal stability. This ensures projects are delivered efficiently and that operating budgets, the budgets funding everyday services, remain protected.

Budget 2026 reflects the realities of our time and the values of our province. I repeat: the sky is not falling. It safeguards critical services for people. It strengthens economic security through skills training and investment. It sets a responsible path of declining deficits. It raises revenue fairly and thoughtfully, and it ensures that British Columbia remains resilient, compassionate and forward-looking in uncertain times.

This budget rejects false choices between fiscal responsibility and social investment. It recognizes that strong public services, skilled workers and stable communities are the very foundation of long-term prosperity. For these reasons, I am proud to support Budget 2026.

Sheldon Clare: It’s a sad thing that tragedy is something that brings all sides of this House together. I would first, before I begin my remarks on the budget, join my colleagues on all sides of the House in expressing my sorrow and condolences to the families and community of Tumbler Ridge, in Peace River South, over the tragic losses suffered there.

Yet this tragedy follows on the heels of another — Lapu-Lapu, just in April of last year. B.C. is hurting because of these tragedies, and I think there’s a serious need to really look at mental health and this mental health crisis that we are going through in this province. Remembrance shall be small solace when we think of these great tragedies.

I rise today on behalf of the people of Prince George–North Cariboo and the people of British Columbia, on behalf of seniors counting every dollar, small business owners fighting to keep their doors open and working families wondering how much more this government thinks that they can take. I rise today to respond to what can only be described as one of the most reckless, punishing and, dare I say, even dishonest budgets in our history.

[4:55 p.m.]

This is not a budget of hope. This is not a budget of growth. This is not a budget of stability. This is a budget of higher taxes, deeper debt, fewer services and declining trust.

The reviews are in. The B.C. NDP’s 2026 budget is a catastrophic flop. The government may try to spin this budget as responsible, but British Columbians are not buying it, and neither are many critical thought leaders across the province.

For example, the B.C. Chamber of Commerce warned that the budget fails to stimulate growth or restore fiscal stability: “Today’s budget offers little required to kick-start our economy.” The chamber also highlighted the growing deficit in debt: “Particularly alarming is the increase in the deficit to $13.3 billion, once again a record amount.” And the chamber cautioned that rising deficits today mean higher taxes tomorrow: “We are making our children pay for services that we receive today. This is shortsighted and unfair.”

The Business Council of British Columbia delivered an equally stark assessment: “B.C.’s finances have unravelled at a breathtaking speed. Spending growth has far outpaced revenue growth.” The business council concluded plainly: “The current fiscal plan fails to stabilize the province’s finances.”

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade also warned the province is heading down a dangerous fiscal path: “Despite significant new tax increases, the province’s fiscal situation continues on a perilous trajectory.”

The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association stated the budget will do little to encourage growth or investment: “This budget will do little to bolster economic growth or encourage more capital investment in the province.” ICBA pointed to soaring deficits and debt with no credible plan to balance the books.

The reaction from seniors advocates has been particularly troubling. The B.C. seniors advocate warned that delays to long-term care and supports will have real impact: “These are needed beds that are urgently needed. Family caregivers are really being pushed to the edge.”

The B.C. Care Providers Association went further, saying: “The lack of funding in this budget for seniors is appalling.” BCCPA warned that thousands of seniors are waiting for long-term care while projects are delayed and that the consequences will be felt throughout the health care system.

The Fraser Institute delivered one of the most blunt assessments of the government’s fiscal plan. I’m sure my colleagues on the other side of the House wouldn’t be surprised at that. “The government’s fiscal approach isn’t sustainable.” The institute noted that the budget includes the largest projected deficit in provincial history and warned that mounting debt will crowd out funding for essential services and tax relief. It’s shocking.

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade gave this budget a failing grade, stating: “Overall, we have given Budget 2026 a D.” And as a longtime educator, I can assure you that a D grade is nothing to be proud of.

The Business Council of British Columbia warned that the budget fails to stabilize the province’s fiscal trajectory or improve conditions for investment and job creation.

The B.C. Taxpayers Federation delivered a stark warning about this budget. The Taxpayers Federation said: “Premier David Eby’s new budget is going to make life more expensive for B.C. families.” They went on to warn that the government is “taking more money from families to pay for record-breaking spending while recklessly borrowing billions.” Perhaps most importantly they reminded us: “Government debt is just tax hikes pushed off until tomorrow.”

[5:00 p.m.]

Even opposition voices across the spectrum, including my colleagues in the B.C. Greens, have described the budget as maintaining a status quo that “isn’t working.” Taxpayer and fiscal watchdog groups have raised concerns about the long-term burden being created. Business and taxpayer advocates warn that expanding taxes and record deficit will place growing pressure on households and employers while debt-servicing continues to rise rapidly.

There are real costs to debt-servicing. Many point out that every dollar spent servicing debt is a dollar not available for health care. It’s not available for emergency preparedness or support for seniors or small businesses.

When you step back and look at the response from across British Columbia — the response from business leaders, seniors advocates, fiscal analysts and the taxpayer representatives — a pattern emerges. That pattern is one of record deficits and rising taxes. It’s a pattern of growing debt. It’s a pattern of cuts and delays in critical services.

As one observer noted, this budget seems to have “managed to upset everybody.” That is not a sign of a strong or balanced plan for British Columbia’s future.

After nearly a decade of NDP mismanagement, the 2026 budget confirms what British Columbians already know: that this government has no pathway to fiscal stability — none. No road map. No discipline. No accountability. Instead, we are given a budget that asks British Columbians to pay more and receive less — less infrastructure, less access to health care, less transparency and less confidence in our economic future.

Let’s start with the big picture. British Columbia has gone from surplus to staggering deficit under this government. We now face a deficit projected at well over $13 billion and debt on track to reach a record $182 billion. Let me repeat that — $182 billion in provincial debt.

Over the past decade, provincial debt has more than tripled. Every single British Columbian — every senior, every worker, every small business owner — will be carrying that burden on their backs. And what do they get in return?

Do they get faster access to health care? No. Do they get safer communities? No. Do they get stronger economic growth? No. Do they get relief from the crushing cost of living? Absolutely not.

Instead, this government raises taxes. This budget contains what amounts to a $1.1-billion-per-year income tax increase. It hits working families, seniors and everyone trying to make ends meet during an affordability crisis. It freezes tax bracket indexation until 2030. That’s a hidden tax hike that quietly pushes British Columbians into higher tax brackets as inflation rises.

That is not fiscal responsibility. That is not transparency. That is taxation by stealth. When the government quietly reaches deeper into your pocket without telling you, that is not sound policy. That’s a betrayal of trust.

The hits do not stop there. With this budget, this government is expanding the PST onto everyday essentials: land lines, cable services, clothing repairs — costs that fall disproportionately upon seniors and working people, seniors who rely on land lines for safety and connections, land lines that work when the power is out. That’s why I keep a land line. Cell phones — well, they can be a lot of trouble. They rely on electricity. They rely on coverage, something that in the rural areas of this province, we have a very sparse ability to access.

The costs also fall on families, families that are trying to stretch their dollar by repairing instead of replacing clothing.

[5:05 p.m.]

I think of the cobbler in Quesnel who repaired my boots. The customers who frequent his shop are going to pay more because of this budget. This government is punishing people for trying to live responsibly and trying to recycle and reuse old clothing and their old shoes. That is completely ridiculous.

Let’s talk about small business — the backbone of our economy and the heartbeat of our communities. This budget hits small businesses with roughly $500 million a year in new provincial sales tax on professional services — accounting, bookkeeping, security — the very services small businesses need to stay compliant, to stay safe and to stay afloat.

Small businesses are already dealing with rising crime, disorder in our downtowns and escalating operating costs. Small businesses in downtown Prince George, including the defunct CrossRoads Brewing and the bottle depot, deal with arson, feces, vandalism, needles, condoms and theft on a daily basis. Many are forced to spend thousands on private security because this government cannot keep streets safe.

What does this government do? It taxes these people more. This government taxes the accounting services that keep people compliant. It taxes the security services that keep people’s staff safe. It taxes the professional supports that help people to survive. At a time when small businesses are barely holding on, this government sees them as yet another revenue source to be squeezed. That is not economic leadership; that is economic vandalism.

This budget offers virtually nothing for key industries like forestry, mining, energy or agriculture. There is no serious plan here for economic growth. There is no serious plan here for competitiveness. There is no serious plan to attract investment or create jobs. Nay, in fact it drives it away.

Forest communities in this province are struggling. Mills are closing. There is much uncertainty for workers, their families and their communities. Yet the Finance Minister is silent on forestry. Instead of unleashing the potential of British Columbia’s resource economy, this government burdens it with more regulation, more taxes and more uncertainty.

Then we come to infrastructure, or rather the lack thereof. British Columbians were promised progress. What they received was pause after pause. Major projects have been delayed, deferred or quietly shelved. Long-term-care projects now have the term “TBC” or “to be confirmed” completion dates. The Burnaby Hospital redevelopment timeline is unclear. Communities across the province are left wondering if promised facilities will ever materialize.

In rural British Columbia, in the North and in the Interior, critical infrastructure needs are being ignored. Do I need to sing another song in this House to bring attention to these critical needs?

In my riding, the Cariboo Road recovery program funding is evaporating, with essential projects like Durell Road and the Quesnel-Hixon Road being abandoned. Other projects, like the Cottonwood slide on Highway 97 and the Knickerbocker slide, are being delayed. These are big problems. They need attention.

The Taylor Bridge replacement in the Peace? I was over it just over a week ago. Terrifying. That project is still unresolved. The South Okanagan alternative route — not realized. British Columbia’s north-south interconnector in Quesnel — nothing there from the NDP. “Let’s slap some more paint on it, maybe put a couple more bolts to fill some holes.” These are not luxury projects. These are essential lifelines for industry, safety and connectivity.

[5:10 p.m.]

Even the Massey Tunnel project still operates under a budget that has not been revised since 2020 — not revised, not updated, not credible. No one believes those numbers anymore.

This government announces projects for headlines then quietly pauses them when bills come due. And when costs rise, as they inevitably do, this government doesn’t take responsibility. It instead downloads costs onto municipalities. Local governments are being asked to do more with less.

In my own riding, the city of Quesnel is put in the unacceptable position of taking on the funding to clean up the needles this provincial government hands out with no regard to the safety of schools, businesses and communities in Prince George and the people that live in the riding of Prince George–North Cariboo.

The community of Hixon is without a source of potable water for over 100 constituents. Even Hixon’s simple ask for a flashing crosswalk light so that children can cross to school isn’t there. You see these flashing lights in municipalities all over the place. Yet, on the highway, where children have to cross to go to school, is it too much to ask for to get a little button or to have a light that flashes rather than the illuminated system that’s there? I think not.

Why are municipalities being forced to pick up the tab for services that the province has the responsibility to provide? Property taxes go up, local services strain, and the province walks away. That is no government-to-government partnership. That is betrayal and abandonment.

Then let us look at health care, the service most British Columbians care about a great deal. This budget fails to tackle health care backlogs. It’s worse than a D. That’s an F. It fails to address emergency room closures. It fails to deal with maternity ward shutdowns in rural communities. It fails to deliver a credible plan to expand access to long-term care.

Long-term-care wait-lists have tripled. The average wait is now approximately 300 days. That’s nearly a year. Think about that. The seniors who built this province are waiting nearly a year for the care they need and, in some cases, much longer.

Families are struggling to support loved ones at home without adequate supports. Communities are stretched to the breaking point. And First Nations people are facing declining life expectancies. Maternal mortality rates in the North are twice that of the rest of the province.

Why is that? Why does this budget offer no meaningful solutions? Instead, what we have is delayed projects and uncertain completion dates.

Seniors are being left behind. This budget is, in effect, an assault upon seniors. It taxes seniors more. It delivers less in services, and it offers very little reassurance that any help whatsoever is on the way.

Now, let’s talk about accountability. When a government spends more than ever before and delivers worse results, people deserve answers. Where did the money go? Why are services declining despite record spending? Why are projects delayed? Why are costs skyrocketing?

The offices responsible for answering those questions, the independent watchdogs of government, should be strengthened, not weakened. Instead, we see cuts and constraints. The Office of the Merit Commissioner faces elimination. Merit in hiring matters.

Oversight bodies face pressure. The Auditor General, for example — the office that could dig deeply into government spending and expose waste, incompetence and, dare I say, mismanagement — needs more resources, not fewer. If there is rot in the system, we must find it. If there is mismanagement, we must expose it. If there has been waste or wrongdoing, we must hold the people responsible accountable.

British Columbians deserve to know where their money has gone. But instead of empowering oversight, this government obfuscates, deflects and avoids accountability. It prefers spin to scrutiny, press releases to transparency.

[5:15 p.m.]

The B.C. Ombudsperson is overburdened with complaints from constituents frustrated by poor service and government mismanagement. The Information and Privacy Commissioner faces a multi-year backlog. People cannot even get timely access to information about their own government.

When watchdogs are overwhelmed and underfunded, accountability suffers. When accountability suffers, trust collapses. British Columbians no longer trust this government to manage our money responsibly. We can’t trust this government to deliver services efficiently. We cannot trust this government to tell the truth about the government’s finances. And why should we?

This government has raised taxes while delivering worse outcomes. It has borrowed recklessly while failing to build lasting infrastructure. It has faced bureaucracy while front-line services struggle.

[The Speaker in the chair.]

The core test of any budget is simple. Does it make life more affordable? Does it make communities safer? Does it strengthen essential services? No. This budget fails on all three counts. It does not make life more affordable. It raises taxes and adds hidden taxes. It does not make communities safer. It burdens small businesses and municipalities while crime rises. It does not strengthen services. Health care waits grow longer. Infrastructure is delayed. Oversight is weakened. British Columbians are paying more and getting less. That is the legacy of this government.

British Columbia has endured catastrophic wildfires, floods and evacuations in recent years. Communities across the Fraser Valley, the Island, the Interior and the North understand that emergency preparedness is not optional. It is essential. Yet this budget signals restraint and cuts in the very systems designed to keep people safe.

This B.C. NDP budget cuts operating funding for the very ministry responsible for emergency management. The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, charged with disaster planning, preparedness, response and recovery, sees operating budgets shrink year after year, even as risks intensify. Programs that support front-line readiness, risk assessment and interagency coordination are slated for reduced resources.

Rather than bolstering our capacity to safeguard communities, this government is imposing cuts at the very moment we need more investment, not less. We cannot expect firefighters, emergency planners and local governments to do more with less. Preparedness delayed is disaster multiplied.

On this side of the House, we believe in a different path — a path of fiscal discipline, economic growth, accountability, transparency, safety and leadership. We believe seniors deserve security and dignity, not higher taxes and longer waits. We believe small businesses deserve support and opportunity, not new costs and burdens. We believe working families deserve relief from the cost of living, not hidden tax hikes. We believe taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going.

We believe in a government that lives within its means; that prioritizes essential services; that respects the people who pay the bills; that inspires, not punishes; and that cares about working people, not just activists, champagne socialists.

This budget fails to meet the needs of British Columbians in any tangible way. Instead, it doubles down on the very policies that have led us into this fiscal mess: more spending without results, more taxes without relief, more debt without a plan.

British Columbia cannot continue down this road. We cannot tax our way to prosperity. We cannot borrow our way to stability. We cannot spend without accountability and expect that trust will remain intact. This province needs to get back to the basics — a return to common sense, to fiscal responsibility, to economic growth and opportunity.

The people of British Columbia are resilient. They are hard-working. They are patient, and they see what is happening with this government. They feel the pressure in their everyday lives. They know that this path is unsustainable.

This budget is not a solution. It is a symptom of a government that has lost control of the province’s finances and lost sight of the people it serves.

[5:20 p.m.]

I will continue to stand in this House and fight for a province where seniors are secure, small businesses are free to grow, communities are safe and opportunity is not something people have to leave British Columbia to find.

Budget 2026 is clearly disappointing. It is doomed to fail in providing the responsible management that would get our economy out of the danger of fiscal collapse that looms on its every page.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of Prince George–North Cariboo, and on behalf of British Columbians, I, sir, cannot support this budget.

Sheldon Clare moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. Grace Lore moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

The Speaker: This House stands adjourned until ten o’clock, Monday, February 23.

The House adjourned at 5:21 p.m.

Contents