Third Session, 42nd Parliament

(2022) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Monday, October 3, 2022

Morning Sitting

Issue No. 221

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Speaker’s Statement

Queen Elizabeth II

Introductions by Members

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

Women’s History Month

B. Bailey

T. Wat

Transparency

B. Banman

B. D’Eith

Buy B.C.

K. Greene

I. Paton

Emergency response

T. Shypitka

J. Rice

Private Members’ Motions

Motion 14 — Rights and inclusion of women, girls, trans, gender-diverse and two-spirit people

K. Paddon

R. Merrifield

J. Brar

K. Kirkpatrick

G. Lore

C. Oakes

J. Routledge

M. Bernier

H. Yao

T. Halford

B. Anderson

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2022

The House met at 10:02 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: B. Anderson.

Speaker’s Statement

QUEEN ELIZABETH II

Mr. Speaker: First of all, welcome to the fall session.

Hon. Members, for the purposes of the historic record of this

place, I wish to acknowledge that today marks the first time that our

House is meeting since the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on

September 8.

Just earlier this year, at the opening of the current session, Her

Honour the Lieutenant-Governor noted that February 6 marked 70 years

since Her Late Majesty’s accession to the throne, launching a historic

Platinum Jubilee year.

As members know, our system of parliamentary democracy is rooted

in a constitutional monarchy. Her Late Majesty was represented by 13

Lieutenant-Governors, and 13 Premiers of this province served during her

reign. In this House, 21 Speakers were confirmed in the name of Her Late

Majesty, and countless bills became law while royal assent was granted

in Her Late Majesty’s name.

Last month I relayed, on behalf of all members of this House,

sincere condolences to members of the royal family and our new

Sovereign, His Majesty King Charles III.

I know that we held Her Late Majesty in the highest esteem and

will reflect on her life of service for a long time to come.

Introductions by Members

J. Brar: Visiting us today are very special guests from India and here in B.C.

We have with us Sant Singh Brar, sitting right there, who is visiting us

from India.

[10:05 a.m.]

Mr. Brar is a well-known and respected farmer, activist and community

leader in the Punjab. He has served as the chairperson of Punjab State

Cooperative Bank, as a vice-chairperson of the National Cooperative Union of

India and as a director of Reserve Bank of India. He donated five acres of

his land to build a regional education centre of Panjab University at

Muktsar.

He’s also joined by his wife, Harjit Kaur, and his son and his wife,

Gurjit Singh Brar and Ramneet Kaur Brar. They live in Nelson, and they are

the owners of the famous nursery, Georama Growers.

Last but not least, Mr.

Speaker, their host, a good friend, Parmjit Singh Khosla, who runs a very

successful trucking business in Surrey.

I’ll ask the members to please make them feel welcome.

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

B. Bailey: Women, life, freedom. Zan, zendegi, azadi . October is

Women’s History Month in B.C., and it’s celebrated in October in

recognition of the Persons case when, in 1929, women were first

acknowledged as persons under law in Canada.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

Before I talk about Women’s History Month, I want to speak about

women making history at this very moment and the women-led protests that

are happening across the world in support of the brave women in Iran who

are standing up and fighting, against brutal odds, for their freedom,

for their personhood.

Jina Amini, also known as Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish

Iranian, was detained by the so-called morality police for allegedly

leaving some of her hair visible in violation of an Iranian law

requiring women to cover their heads. Mahsa Amini was, according to

witnesses, severely beaten in a police van and died on September 16

after falling into a coma.

This is state-sanctioned, gender-based violence, and the women of

Iran and their supporters have had enough. They’re putting their lives

at risk to demonstrate in the streets. They’re burning their head

scarves, and they’re cutting their hair.

This weekend I participated in an incredible march in Vancouver

that ran from the Art Gallery to the Lions Gate Bridge. Many thousands

of Canadian Iranians and their allies raised their voices in unison

against the continued state-sanctioned violence against women in Iran.

They chanted: “Women, life, freedom” and “Say her name — Mahsa

Amini.”

Heartbreakingly, Mahsa is not the first, nor the last, woman to

have been killed by the so-called morality police, but her death has

galvanized the populace in a way rarely seen. Mahsa is a Kurdish

Iranian, and Kurds are discriminated against in Iran. This tragic and

senseless death has brought together segments of Iran from many

perspectives, all protesting together for change.

Women in Iran, and everywhere in the world, do not need their

bodies policed. They need the freedom to live without violence and fear.

They deserve to participate fully in society. All women need this. When

I hear the chant, “We are all Mahsa,” I believe it’s our common desire

for freedom from violence and a desire to live full lives that binds us

together.

My colleague the Minister of State for Infrastructure and MLA for

North Vancouver–Lonsdale made an important point when we were discussing

the protests, which she also attended. She said that many of the Iranian

Canadians here in B.C. have close relatives in Iran, and they take a

huge risk when they raise their voices publicly against this repressive

regime, but we don’t. She’s right, and as such, we are not under threat

of retaliation. So I say to my non-Iranian friends and colleagues and,

especially, those of us in government: let’s help and add our voices to

this important fight.

What else can we do to help our Iranian sisters? At the rally, a

protester handed me a slip of paper that had been prepared should any

elected officials attend, and I want to raise her voice now. Here is

what it said.

“To all democratic governments. Iranians all over the world are

protesting the brutality and crimes against humanity of the Islamic

regime in Iran. The citizens of Iran have demonstrated that the

tyrannical regime is not their legitimate representative, and they want

to build a new democracy that is based on human rights.

[10:10 a.m.]

“Our request to you is: close your embassies in Iran and expel your

ambassadors of the Islamic regime from your continents; expel the

Islamic regime from all international organizations; stop trading with

the Islamic regime, and more importantly, stop buying their oil; stop

granting visas to those tied to the regime who directly or indirectly

participate in the suppression of Iranian citizens and perpetrations of

crimes against humanity.

“Be on the right side of history.”

That completes the message handed to me. I read it because it’s

one thing to attend a protest, but the people are asking for real action

from leaders all around the world.

This is Women’s History Month, and real history is being made by

the women of Iran and their supporters and women and allies all over the

world who’ve attended protests in more than 150 international cities,

including Auckland, New York, Seoul, Zurich. In Brisbane, Australia,

thousands from the Iranian diaspora protested under the slogan “Be our

voice.” In Tokyo, demonstrators carried photographs of Iranian women

burning their headscarves and cutting their hair.

But in Iran itself, protests in over 80 cities have been met with

an intensifying crackdown, shuttering of the Internet to decrease

protesters’ ability to organize, and estimates are that over 1,200

people have been imprisoned, including more than 20 journalists, and

that dozens and dozens of people have been killed.

Artists, filmmakers, athletes, musicians and actors voiced their

support for the protests, even as the Iranian football players wore

black tracksuits as their national anthem was played before their match

in Vienna. They are also likely remembering Sahar Khodayari, a young

Iranian woman who in 2019 dressed as a man to sneak into a soccer match

to see her beloved team play. In being discovered, she was arrested, and

rather than going to jail, she killed herself.

Yesterday reports came out of Sharif University that students and

staff were reportedly surrounded by armed guards, shot at and arrested.

This is Iran’s MIT, the most prestigious engineering school in Iran and

the alma mater of many people I know, many people working in the tech

industry here in B.C.

To the women and their allies in Iran, to the students and the

professors and to all Iranian Canadians, please know that we see you; we

stand with you.

Women, life, freedom.

T. Wat: Thank you to the member opposite for the opportunity to speak on

this important topic: Women’s History Month.

Having served nearly ten years as the MLA for Richmond North

Centre, I feel a great sense of pride every time I take my place in this

House and feel blessed for the opportunity to represent my

constituents.

Many years ago there were many fewer women in this chamber and

even fewer women of colour and of diverse cultures. I know that my

parents were incredibly proud to see what I was able to achieve in my

life, first in my career in journalism and next in my career in

politics. They made many sacrifices to help make my dreams

possible.

My beloved mother, Chee Kuen Lau, passed away one week ago today.

She dedicated her life to taking the very best care of me and my late

sister. She was an extremely intelligent woman and a real people

person.

[10:15 a.m.]

She would have thrived in any career, but she chose to be a

full-time wife and mother, which I’ve always been grateful for. Despite

her sacrifices, Mom led a very fulfilling and joyful life in Guangzhou,

Hong Kong and Vancouver.

Her tireless support and care no doubt helped me achieve my goals

and dreams and gave me the skills and confidence to pursue the seat I

hold in this House today. She inspires me to offer this same support to

women in my community and beyond. It’s so important that we lift each

other up and help each other succeed.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Women’s History Month, and

we celebrate the achievements and contributions of women everywhere.

This year’s theme is “She did, so now I can.” I think of this in two

ways. In one way, it fits in perfectly with the story I just described

of my mother’s selfless sacrifices so that her children could have a

better life. In the second way, it also ties into the importance of

diversity in our institutions, including this one.

That diversity helps women and members of other historically

underrepresented groups to see themselves as viable contenders for

elected office. If they see someone in the community do it, perhaps they

can as well.

During Women’s History Month, you also honour Canadian women who

refused to accept the status quo, who fought hard for the rights we

enjoy today. Of course, there’s always more work to be done on issues

like equal pay, as B.C. currently has the worst gender pay gap in Canada

at 18.6 percent; or issues like gender-based violence, which women,

girls, two-spirit, trans and non-binary people are at the highest risk

of experiencing.

We need a new, comprehensive action plan to tackle this serious

issue, and we need it as soon as possible. These are just a couple of

examples of the pressing issues we as legislators must consider and take

action on. We know there’s always a lot more to do, and it will take all

of us working together to achieve it.

We must all make it a priority to think about how we can advance

equality in our province and in our communities and take the action

needed so that everyone has the opportunity to contribute, to achieve

and to succeed. No one should face exclusion due to race, gender

identity, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, language or

immigration status.

I call on all members of this House to consider how we might work

together to further advance the rights of all women, so we can build a

more inclusive province for all.

Deputy Speaker: Of course, Member, we send you love during this difficult time for

you, and to your family.

B. Bailey: Thank you to the member opposite for her very personal and

powerful words.

Women’s History Month in B.C. takes place in October in

commemoration of the Persons case. According to The Canadian

Encyclopedia , Edwards v. AG of Canada , a.k.a. the

Persons case, was a constitutional ruling that established the right of

women to be appointed to the Senate. The case was initiated by the

Famous Five, a group of prominent women activists: Emily Murphy,

Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise Crummy McKinney and Irene

Parlby.

[10:20 a.m.]

Never doubt that a small and committed group of people can change

history. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.

People who identify as women, people of colour and Indigenous

people still make less money than their white male counterparts. People

who identify as women still carry an uneven share of domestic work,

including child care. Although we are making strides and more women are

graduating than ever from college, there are still more men named John

as CEOs than the number of female CEOs in total. For LGBTQIA folks, the

numbers are tougher still.

We must continue our work to fight sex- and gender-based

discrimination, and we must ensure that women’s work is valued properly,

that jobs that women often do are paid fair wages. That includes

reversing privatization, which drove so many women into minimum-wage

jobs. We must continue to properly fund sexual assault centres and

support women leaving domestic violence. Supporting the work of

organizations helping these folks is paramount. We must continue to

lessen the load for LGBTQIA folks by legitimizing their presence and

inclusion in society in every way.

I am proud to be a member of a government caucus whose majority is

women, but I also know that we live in a time when rights are slipping

backwards, not continuing forward, as one might expect. The recent

changes in regard to Roe v. Wade in the U.S. and the changing

political climate worldwide remind us that hard-won rights can be and

are being eroded. We must ensure that women are present in the new

economy. I’m particularly worried about research coming out of the U.S.

showing the slide backwards of women in tech from 2020 to 2021 by 2.6

percent.

This Women’s History Month, as we all celebrate the successes

we’ve gained, let’s all commit to doubling down on what needs to happen,

both at home and around the world, to ensure equality for

all.

TRANSPARENCY

B. Banman: Without transparency, there cannot be true democracy.

I’m pleased to rise before the House today to discuss the

necessity for transparency within British Columbians’ governments and

especially for the people’s ability to hold their elected

representatives responsible and accountable. Unfortunately, recent

changes in this very legislation have slowed and eroded away the

transparency that British Columbians enjoyed when engaging the B.C.

government.

Today British Columbians are served by a government which,

according to the C.D. Howe Institute, has one of the worst ratings of

governmental and fiscal transparency in the entire country. The fact is

that when it came to fiscal transparency, B.C. did not score well on the

metrics of timelines, placement of key metrics, reliability,

transparency of numbers or even comparability of numbers. Our province

scored a disappointing D grading, a stark decline from the A rating just

a few years prior to that.

As more and more people are choosing or being forced to choose

between food on the table or gas in the car to drive their kids to

school, all while being unable to find a family doctor…. Now more than

ever, transparency from government is essential. Hard-working British

Columbians have questions. Where does their hard-earned taxpayer money

end up going? What is it being spent on? Is it being spent

appropriately, and is it being spent where it is most needed?

Unfortunately, according to experts, British Columbians do not

have the answers to those questions. Unless you have support from

someone with a lot of time to help go through the governmental documents

for you, the everyday British Columbian is left in the dark, thanks to

the lack of affordable, accessible and easily understandable transparent

information from government.

Fiscal transparency aside, transparency with how government

intends to solve the issues that people are facing is also instrumental

for good governance. Let’s take the Fraser Valley Highway 1 corridor

improvement project as an example.

[10:25 a.m.]

People from my riding, in Abbotsford South, share the frustrations

of thousands of folks that travel through this congested, outdated,

overcapacity and, frankly, dangerous stretch of highway that connects

the Lower Mainland to the Fraser Valley.

The long overdue widening from 264 Street to Whatcom Road is a

critical length of highway that proved to be utilized heavily during

B.C.’s flood. The resource supply system has had no public-facing

updates since the public consultation ended over a year ago, in July of

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House, I encourage you to visit the

website yourself — Google search it — or even call the office. You will

realize very quickly how difficult it is to obtain information from

government regardless of whether it is complex fiscal information or

even just an update on your region’s transportation

infrastructure.

We need transparency on where the project is now, what has

happened since the consultation ended over a year ago and, at the very

least, whether the people in the Fraser Valley can expect to hear

anything about where the project is currently. Transparency,

accountability, representation, responsibility — these are all words

that are alive and well in B.C. political rhetoric. However, these words

will continue to remain nothing but buzzwords for as long as they go

unacted upon.

No, transparency doesn’t always mean low grades like the D rating.

You can get awards as well. Not really a cause worth celebrating, but

the Canadian Association of Journalists awarded government with the

Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy award in 2021: “The B.C.

government’s bold efforts to significantly walk back transparency

legislation has undermined freedom of the press and the public’s ability

to monitor the provincial government’s actions.” This is from a board

member of the Canadian Association of Journalists. What more evidence do

we need to realize that we have a serious problem with transparency in

government?

Here’s another one. The B.C. Union of Indian Chiefs has said in an

open letter that the introduction of fees for freedom-of-information

low-income requesters, including First Nations seeking to substantiate

land claims and land-related grievances. That’s a reference to the

controversial — and I have to say bewildering — $10 fee that was

implemented as a barrier to obtaining information from government

through the amendments to the Freedom of Information and Protection of

Privacy Act.

Despite all the reasoning given for government’s intent to pass

legislation, there remains one undeniable fact. That is: it has only

made requesting information from government more costly, more

bureaucratic and, overall, more difficult for average British

Columbians.

With that, I will take my seat and wait to hear from the member in

response.

B. D’Eith: Thanks very much to the member for Abbotsford South for bringing

this issue up.

What he’s saying is simply not true. I mean, in fact, B.C. is

committed to transparency and openness in regards to government records.

The Ministry of Citizens’ Services is actually improving FOI systems so

that people can timely access information they need and so the ministry

can respond quickly to complex and high-volume requests.

In fact, this past year alone, the ministry processed nearly two

million pages of records for response to FOI requests, and one million

pages have already been processed this year to date. That’s transparency

in action.

The number of proactive disclosures, which means disclosures that

come out without any request, has increased by 75 percent since 2017.

This means that this information is available to everyone for free. This

includes ministerial budget estimate binders. If anyone has seen them,

they’re massive. That contains a wealth of detailed information on each

ministry budget, line by line, completely open to the public at no

charge — significantly more transparent government.

[10:30 a.m.]

In fact, prior to 2017 there were a few transparency issues in

this government. That included things like a critical report on ICBC,

where pages were actually removed — these might have shone a light on

the dumpster fire that was extinguished after 2017 — or the very well

known triple-delete scandal that involved deleting emails concerning the

Highway of Tears after an FOI request. Under this new legislation,

actions like this might be subject to up to a $50,000 fine. These are

actual consequences for wilfully hiding information subject to FOI. That

improves transparency.

Now, recent amendments to the Freedom of Information and

Protection of Privacy Act permit public bodies to charge an application

fee of $10 for general, non-personal requests. This came into effect

November 26, 2021.

It’s very important that people requesting their own personal

information continue to pay no fee, and unlike what the member on the

other side was saying, Indigenous governing entities require no fee.

Once again, we’re getting a little bit of misinformation from the other

side. The $10 fee is only for non-personal FOI requests. This is in line

with other jurisdictions — a nominal fee, and it’s modest. This fee

encourages applications, as well, to be specific.

I am sure the member for Abbotsford South would prefer the older

fishing-expedition type of regime that happened before 2017, and they

would love to continue to search in vain for scandals, but we have made

very significant changes to update FOI in this province. Under the

previous legislation, people waited far too long. There was a very small

number of requesters that really clogged up the system, and we’ve been

dealing with that. The government is committed to providing access to

information, which people deserve, as quickly as possible.

With this implementation of the fee, the government has seen a

reduction in the broad, multi-ministerial requests, so they can better

focus on the requests from people that are asking for specific

information. There has been no indication so far that this new fee has

provided any barrier to people making requests in FOI. However, the

ministry is of course looking and monitoring this fee structure to make

sure that we have transparent government.

This government is improving services to delivery. It’s

transparent and including British Columbians who are waiting for access

for their free personal information and improving and increasing

proactive disclosure of information. This government is committed to

transparency. We’re delivering on that.

I appreciate what the other member is saying. However, I can say

that people are getting their freedom-of-information requests faster,

and that is exactly what we’re after.

B. Banman: I’d like to thank the member opposite for his comments, and on

much of that, we’ll agree to disagree. I’m sure we can agree that

government transparency helps engage more British Columbians with a

system of governance that has left them feeling unsupported in recent

times.

This is not just in British Columbia. I would say that this goes

across the country, in fact. Allowing the public easy access to

information that is presented in a digestible, truthful and factful

manner will only help this House better understand the people it serves.

Encouraging discourse, instead of making it more difficult for people,

only allows decision-makers to make more informed and consultation-based

decisions.

The people of Abbotsford South, for instance, should not have to

wait for over a year to hear the next update on their highway-widening

project from the government. Neither should the student learning to

become an investigative journalist have to pay to request information

from their government. We don’t need more barriers. We don’t need more

barriers between the government and the people it has sworn to

serve.

[10:35 a.m.]

We need these barriers torn down, replaced with more transparency.

The D rating for fiscal transparency, the Outstanding Achievement in

Government Secrecy award and the many calls for access to information

are things that we should not be proud of. They are things that we

should identify as a wrong direction and correct our course.

I encourage the members of this Legislature to live up to the

values of transparency, accountability and responsibility. They are

expected from us as elected representatives. We should all be in

agreement on that.

BUY B.C.

K. Greene: I’d like to talk about Buy B.C.

Buy B.C. is awesome. It supports local food producers. It gets

fresh, locally made food into the hands of enthusiastic customers such

as myself, and it grows our local economy. Our government relaunched Buy

B.C. in 2017. Since then, an investment of $10 million has generated

over $80 million of sales of good-quality food and beverages across the

province.

The Buy B.C. program is great for generating awareness in

consumers that they’re choosing an option that supports local businesses

and workers. This grows the size of the market and creates a win for

producers but also a win for consumers, who can access excellent

products in just about every category.

Did you know that over 3,400 products currently use the Buy B.C.

logo? That represents hundreds of B.C. companies. The Buy B.C. logo is

also free for B.C. companies to use. They get the benefit of

provincewide brand recognition, which increases their domestic sales.

It’s such a recognizable and desirable brand that grocery stores are

happy to partner to promote B.C. products in store. Sobeys, Thrifty

Foods, Safeway and Save-On-Foods feature great local food and beverages

at over 70 grocery stores in 40 communities. That’s a mighty reach for

delicious B.C. products and a great way to help build success and

opportunities to scale up.

Strengthening local food systems is also good for people and the

economy. It’s also good for climate policy. Shorter supply chains mean

less GHGs and more resilience when faced with challenges. We’ve seen a

lot of those challenges lately — fires, flooding, pandemic, just to name

a few — but supporting local products improves B.C.’s. food security,

because we don’t have to rely as much on agricultural products from

California or stock up on snacks from the U.S.’s east coast.

Our local food systems are important. That’s why Buy B.C. is also

partnering with almost 150 farmers markets and engaging the public with

local food literacy activities. Education helps motivate consumers to

purchase local products, which grows demand and improves our food

security.

Education also encourages business-to-business sales growth, where

Buy B.C. connects farmers and processors with retailers, restaurants and

distributors to increase the availability and consumption of local

products. Industry-led marketing promotions support the ability of B.C.

farmers, processors and farmers markets to increase the consumer

awareness and sales of the registered local products. With Buy B.C.

provincewide advertising campaigns, broad support for local farmers and

processors has increased. We’ve created more opportunities for business

growth. Buy B.C. is a strong and recognizable brand that promotes

consumer confidence and helps identify local food and drink for

consumers.

Consumers know that when they buy local, they’re supporting local

businesses and their local communities. An incredible 90 percent of

consumers feel that Buy B.C. is important to their local community, and

85 percent say that Buy B.C. makes it easier to identify local products

in stores across the province. Combined with the visibility of Buy-B.C.

advertising in B.C., that has resulted in overwhelming demand from

retailers, such as Sobeys, who are looking for opportunities to increase

their local food offerings and partner on Buy B.C. retail promotions.

Partnering, in all things, is the key to success.

A key component of Buy B.C. is the Buy B.C. partnership program.

Every year this $2 million popular program is fully subscribed. It

provides eligible businesses with cost-shared funding to deliver local

marketing activities using the Buy B.C. logo on their products or

promotional materials that helps consumers easily identify their product

as a B.C. product.

[10:40 a.m.]

Buy B.C. has helped hundreds of local businesses increase their

sales and share local products with British Columbians through the use

of the Buy B.C. logo on thousands of B.C. products, combined with

funding for over 300 industry-led marketing campaigns and thousands of

Buy B.C. signs in 79 grocery stores. The ministry is always looking for

new ways to create additional opportunities to help promote and sell

more local food.

This past year Buy B.C. initiatives have included retail

partnerships with major retailers, like chain grocery stores, which

increase the visibility and demand for local products. There’s also an

annual networking event called Every Farmer Needs a Chef, Every Chef

Needs a Farmer to strengthen that relationship between chefs and farmers

so that we can grow the strength of our food system and demonstrate the

value of locally sourced food and beverages.

The Buy B.C. chef ambassador initiative promotes the importance of

buying local to consumers — again, part of the outreach on the

importance and benefits of buying local. Part of looking for new ways to

create opportunity for local business is being adaptive to changing

conditions. That’s why the Buy B.C. e-commerce program was launched,

with $550,000 of one-time funding, in 2020, as part of the COVID-19

response.

This program helped farmers and food and beverage processors pivot

their sales model so that they could develop and market online sales.

The marketplace is changing, even for food and beverage producers. It’s

important to support a digital transition for industries that

traditionally rely on in-person sales.

Buy B.C. products are delicious and great for our local economy

and food security. I know I’m not the only one who looks for locally

produced food and drinks, because I know they’re going to be great and

support our community. People get excited about local food. Buy B.C. is

a natural partner to help folks find their way to their next great find

that they’ll share with their family and friends.

Food brings people together, and Buy B.C. is an important part of

helping make that happen with fantastic local products.

I. Paton: It’s a pleasure to rise in the House today on the opening day of

the fall sitting to speak on a topic of great personal interest to me —

buying local. We all know the economic, social and environmental

benefits of doing so. When we spend our hard-earned dollars on local

goods, we put those dollars into the hands of our friends and neighbours

who have worked equally hard to produce high-quality goods for our

enjoyment. Buying local keeps those dollars in our community, producing

many spinoff benefits, including job creation and improved public

infrastructure.

It also feels good to support local entrepreneurs and business

owners, to interact with them personally at a farmers market or in their

storefront to learn more about their goods and how they were produced.

Many of these operations are family-owned and -operated and have spanned

generations.

So for those who are interested in true farm-to-table experiences,

who want those high-quality and delicious locally grown products

featured in their meals, the Buy B.C. program is a great place to start.

You can look for the Buy B.C. symbol in your local grocery store, as it

helps to promote a wide range of agriculture, food and beverage

products. This free marketing tool also helps B.C. producers and

processors get the word out about their exceptional goods.

It’s those people I want to focus on for a moment — the farmers,

the ranchers, the growers, the processors and the producers. The ones

keeping a constant eye on the weather, on their many expenses, trying to

predict how they will fare each season. The ones taking all the risks

involved with their planting on time, harvesting on time, weather,

frost, heat, disease and livestock health. The ones still recovering

from last year’s record-high temperatures, blazing wildfires and an

atmospheric river that devastated many farms and ranches. If the rest of

us want to keep buying local, we need to ensure these folks are being

supported beyond the purchases that we make at the grocery

store.

We have seen a tremendous movement towards agritourism and on-farm

sales. Let’s take berries, for instance, that used to go to a

jam-processing plant. Now we’re seeing farm day trip experiences for

city folks, who have an on-farm blueberry sundae, a strawberry milkshake

or a raspberry ice cream cone, combining all this with hayrides, petting

zoos, live music and direct retail sales of home­grown meats and

vegetables.

These on-farm activities should absolutely be encouraged, not

frowned upon, by government. It’s imperative that government be there

for them, supporting them in their efforts to remain viable,

particularly in the most challenging times.

[10:45 a.m.]

Times have been challenging indeed, not just for consumers who

find themselves doing a double take at their grocery store as costs for

food continue to rise, due to inflation and other factors, but for

farmers who are also dealing with skyrocketing costs and the many

impacts on their bottom line.

I’ve spoken before in this House about some of their main

concerns, whether it’s the employers health tax, routine increases to

British Columbia’s minimum wage, increased carbon taxes without revenue

neutrality, rising fuel prices or higher insurance premiums. They’re

also currently dealing with the rising costs of the three Fs in

agriculture: feed, fuel and fertilizer. To help alleviate some of this

burden, I have called for financial incentives and tax relief for

farmers. I believe there are several measures that would make life more

affordable for farmers in the future and help those currently struggling

to turn a profit.

We also know the challenges facing farmers aren’t strictly

monetary. I have been outspoken about the fact that our province has

experienced a veterinarian shortage. Existing veterinarians are

experiencing burnout, and newly credentialed veterinarians are not

choosing to take their desperately needed skills to rural parts of

British Columbia. We need to be innovative in our approach to this

shortage. I believe we could start by providing certainty to students

attending the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon that

the additional spaces allocated to them will continue to be funded past

the 2022-23 school year.

These are some ideas to further support the industry so that we

can all continue to buy local now and well into the future. We must

ensure that these hard-working individuals and families can continue to

stay in business and pass on their operations to the next generation. We

know how important it is to protect farmers today, but also future

generations of farmers. I know that’s a big priority for the Minister of

Agriculture, one that I applaud as a third-generation dairy farmer

myself.

I thank the member opposite for giving me the opportunity to not

only highlight the Buy B.C. program and the many benefits of buying

local but also to shine a light on the many affordability challenges

farmers are facing, which ultimately get passed on to consumers, as we

know. Helping farmers manage their costs in turn helps keep prices

affordable for people who do want to buy local in this

province.

K. Greene: I want to thank the member for his enthusiasm on local agriculture

and local food. I’m always very excited to talk about food. You may have

noticed.

Buy B.C. supports over 300 producers, processors, cooperatives,

agricultural fairs, farmers markets and associations with marketing

activities that generated approximately $80 million in total sales from

a total government investment of $10 million. Buy B.C. is a provincewide

marketing program led by the Ministry of Agriculture and focused on

building greater consumer awareness, demand and sales of local

agriculture and food and beverage products within B.C.

Buy B.C. has helped hundreds of local businesses increase their

sales and share local products with British Columbians — grateful

British Columbians. To date, Buy B.C. has enabled over 750 companies to

register for logo use to promote over 3,400 B.C. products, funded over

300 industry-led marketing campaigns and displayed over 10,000 Buy B.C.

signs in 79 grocery stores.

Examples of local businesses that Buy B.C. has supported include

the Squamish Water Kefir Co., which produces fermented drinks. They used

Buy B.C. to promote their business and introduce buyers and consumers to

a new product line. This allowed them to create a marketing campaign

that they otherwise would not have been able to implement and reach the

audience that they needed to reach real growth and success.

Little Creek Dressing produces small-batch artisan salad dressings

in Kelowna. It promoted its products by using the Buy B.C. logo on

point-of-sale items and promotional materials, along with a very clever

online advertising campaign. Sheringham Distillery Ltd., in Sooke, on

southern Vancouver Island, incorporated the Buy B.C. logo onto labels of

campaigns to help identify its product in the B.C. marketplace. Buy B.C.

allowed them to free up capital to create new product lines as well as

target more territories with added marketing materials.

To find out more information about the program, visit the Buy B.C.

eatdrinkbuybc. Whether you grow apples, make specialty baking or are

just hungry, remember: Buy B.C.

[10:50 a.m.]

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

T. Shypitka: I’m grateful to rise today and welcome everybody back after an

enjoyable summer, in this first day of the fall session. I rise this

morning to speak to an issue of growing concern throughout communities

across our province.

As we all know, B.C.’s. health care system continues to

deteriorate, with regular hospital closures, understaffed UPCCs, rising

wait times, people dying waiting for ambulances and still nearly one

million British Columbians without access to a family doctor, including

this MLA for Kootenay East. Rural communities are bearing the brunt of

this crisis. Every part of our health care system is in crisis, and

fixing our primary care system must be a priority. Our communities

continue to suffer, with residents feeling as though nothing is being

done to address the situation.

Amid this crisis, urgent and primary care centres, or UPCCs, are

dubbed as the solution. But unfortunately for British Columbians, UPCCs

are also facing major staffing shortages and failing to meet the health

care needs of residents in their areas. This is happening while

hospitals across British Columbia are undergoing major diversions as

they grapple with staffing issues.

There is nowhere in this province, it seems, that is untouched by

this issue. Communities are not only struggling with low levels of

physicians, nurses and midwives but also finding inadequate patient

transport from their communities to larger centres. Emergency rooms are

frequently closed as they are overwhelmed and understaffed.

Communities face tremendous problems, calling ambulances for

emergencies where they end up facing long waiting times that have now

proven to be fatal. Just two weeks ago a resident of New Westminster

suffered a stroke. They were forced to wait an hour for an ambulance,

despite living just minutes away from the hospital. She is now partially

paralyzed.

Paramedic shortages are largely affecting ambulance response

times, as smaller teams are now forced to cover an even larger area.

This forces ambulances to have to travel large distances between calls,

which can create delays when they are so far apart.

Clearwater emergency room, the site of the province’s most

frequent closures, has often been operating with half the registered

nurses needed for a full shift coverage. Many staff members are coming

in early and staying late to ensure they can keep their doors open as

much as possible.

Advocates for health care in small communities have said that for

far too long, the wants and needs of residents have been ignored. Rural

hospitals are particularly vulnerable to shortages, as just one staff

member calling in sick is enough to shut down an emergency room

entirely.

Now, I will always give credit where credit is due. I do want to

bring to attention the recent announcement of some extra paramedics for

the city of Sparwood, in my riding of Kootenay East. I give thanks, on

behalf of myself and Mayor Wilks, for these extra resources. I’ve been

asking for these much-needed resources, along with Mayor Wilks, for many

years, and it’s good to finally have the support that we

need.

This is merely the tip of the iceberg. Like most other

communities, Elkford, a half-hour trip up the road from Sparwood, has

some serious issues. This mining community of close to 3,000, which has

the largest mines in the province in their backyard and which houses

4,000 workers, is in dire need.

Anniversaries are generally a time to reflect and celebrate.

However, in the East Kootenays, on September 29, the thriving community

of Elkford had the sad occasion of marking the one-year anniversary of

the temporary closure of the Elkford emergency department. One year and

counting and a heavy industrial town with no hope in sight. This is

unacceptable and continues to create dire situations in our part of the

province.

Recently a senior resident fell and severely broke his leg.

Calling the ambulance dispatcher, he was told the wait time was at least

30 minutes. Not sure what to do, he called my office, hoping we would be

able to provide him with some assistance getting an ambulance. Upon

getting in contact with the dispatcher, the timeline had now become an

hour wait. The resident simply could not withstand the pain and lengthy

wait and decided to drive himself to the hospital with a broken

leg.

This elderly citizen having to take himself to the hospital with

such a severe injury is indicative of the state of our emergency

response crisis. I can’t imagine to tell you the safety issues that this

posed, with an elderly citizen with a broken leg driving himself down an

industrial neighbourhood, and how that could pose a problem not only to

himself but other people on the highway.

It is clear. There is a cascading failure in our health care

system. The first responders, who are on the front lines, are sounding

the alarm.

[10:55 a.m.]

In many communities where ambulance shortages are so severe,

firefighters are now being stretched thin because they are responding to

medical calls. They consistently aid in calls that paramedics and

ambulances can’t immediately attend to, which ties up their resources

even further. Many of the firefighters responding to these calls are

also volunteer firefighters, who may not be fully trained or equipped to

deal with more complex medical emergencies.

Over the summer, there were two instances in Ashcroft that, due to

the extent of the extended ambulance response time, tragically ended

with two lost lives. In the most recent situation, after the ambulance

was unable to reach the person suffering from a heart attack for at

least 30 minutes, firefighters were called. Unfortunately, they were all

volunteers and not trained as medical first responders but tried their

best to aid the person suffering.

The mayor of Ashcroft highlighted how this is also causing

concern. For many rural communities, it is already difficult finding

volunteer firefighters. The now added expectation of having to step in

for ambulances as an emergency response has the potential to deter

people from joining and to force others out.

This crisis is clearly an incredibly layered issue with failures

happening on all different levels. Our emergency rooms are understaffed

and overrun, struggling to handle capacity and often closed in rural

areas with little staff. Our ambulance services are struggling to keep

up with demand, covering large areas and working as hard as possible in

an impossible situation.

It is time to listen to our communities across the prov­ince

and take immediate action to relieve the pressures on our emergency

response teams and ensure there’s not a single additional avoidable

death.

J. Rice: Thank you to the member for raising this important issue, which is

not just relevant to the challenges we’re facing in health care in

British Columbia.

Canada-wide and internationally we are experiencing a health care

shortage. People are recruiting health care workers from all over, and

we’re all in competition with each other to attract and to retain these

health care workers.

I, too, come from a rural community and understand the challenges

that he’s raised with health care for rural communities.

In 2013, I was appointed by the current Health Minister, the

leader of the day, to be the northern and rural health critic. The

issues that this member raises have been long standing, since even

before my time becoming the Health critic. Of course, that was much more

highlighted for me as I carried out my work as the northern and rural

health critic. I travelled across the province and visited many rural

communities to talk about the challenges, particularly around maternal

health, facing rural communities.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

I wanted to acknowledge that the stories that he’s shared….

They’re deeply troubling stories. I’m quite empathetic to the pain and

the challenges people face, particularly in those rural communities that

he’s mentioned.

These messages of needing more health support are not going

unheeded. In fact, just — I don’t know — a week ago, a few days ago, our

Minister of Health released our health human resources strategy, which

is quite a robust strategy to actually address the issues that he’s just

raised.

For example, we’re going to be expanding the scope of practice for

pharmacists and paramedics. Pharmacists will now, actually, be able to

prescribe certain medications, including providing renewals for up to

two years. Particularly for those that don’t have a family doctor, we

know how challenging it can be to get a prescription renewal. Sometimes

we have to go to the emergency department, which is not a good use of

resources. So by expanding their scope of practice and allowing them to

fill standard or common prescriptions, this is actually addressing some

of the challenges that we’re facing.

We’re also recognizing the credentials of foreign-trained workers.

There’s a lot of red tape for foreign-trained health care workers to

practise their particular trade or training, not just in British

Columbia but in Canada. So we’ve been streamlining that process to make

it easier and quicker to get foreign-trained health care workers

employed in our community.

[11:00 a.m.]

We’ve got new training programs to actually train health care

workers on the job. We have free education for anyone who wants to be a

health care assistant — free education. We’re putting in strategies to

make health care centres and hospitals much more culturally appropriate

and safer.

We’re increasing the doctor training spaces at UBC. For 2023,

that’ll be 88 new training positions for physicians. We’re implementing

or we’re just undertaking a new strategy to actually create a training

program at SFU, or Simon Fraser University.

We are putting together a pool of nurses that can be deployed to

rural and remote communities. We’re increasing the access to virtual

health care, which is critical for our rural communities, and it has

really stepped up the game as far as our ability to get specialized care

for those of us that live in these faraway communities.

We’re increasing the support for family doctors. We are assisting

doctors right now, for the next few months, on supporting some of their

overhead costs for them to actually continue staying in operation for

family practice in their clinics. We know the overhead costs are really

expensive and with the rising cost of living right now, they’re facing a

huge challenge.

These are just some of the things that we’re addressing to combat

the challenges we’re facing for health care, emergency response and,

particularly, for servicing rural and remote communities.

T. Shypitka: Madam Speaker, access to primary care is essential. However, far

too many people do not have family doctors and face absurd wait times

for care. British Columbians are tired.

Last month our province was shaken as a worst-case scenario came

to reality when an eight-month-old infant from Barriere died from an

ambulance that failed to arrive in time. This is an absolute tragedy,

one that must be avoided at all costs in the future.

Our province’s ambulance services are majorly understaffed,

especially in rural areas, leaving few ambulances to cover significant

areas. In this tragic case, the nearest ambulance was dispatched in

Kamloops, which is 64 kilometres from Barriere. It’s completely

unreasonable to expect one crew to be able to travel such distances and

respond to calls in an immediate manner. This expectation has led to

firefighters stepping in on calls, when ambulances are too far away to

respond, stretching out their resources even more.

Another tragic situation happened to a good friend of mine and his

son, and I will read to you what he wrote me.

“Dear Tom,

“On December 26, while visiting my family in Briscoe, my son

suffered a head injury during a sledding accident. I rushed him to

Invermere and begged them to dispatch a helicopter from

Calgary.”

That, if some people don’t know, is probably not even a half-hour

of flight time.

“It was explained to me that the bureaucracy between Alberta and

B.C. STARS ambulance did not allow for the helicopter to come land. We

then transported my son to Cranbrook by ambulance, where, again, a

helicopter would not come. Four hours later, he was transported by an

airplane that had to come from Kelowna first.

“Unfortunately, my son passed away due to the blood that built up on

his brain, despite all efforts to drain and relieve the pressure. There

was a physician in Alberta, immediately, that could have taken care of

this. I can’t help but think, had the helicopter been dispatched from

Calgary hours prior, that there would have been a chance to better serve

him and save his life.”

Madam Speaker, this is simply unacceptable. Now the only thing

this father has left is a feeling of “what if?” and a $4,600 bill from

B.C. Ambulance Service that delayed transport to Calgary.

We must all ensure that the well-being of people in British

Columbia is front of mind in this Legislature. We must act swiftly to

avoid any further avoidable health care disasters. Until doctors and

health care workers are being listened to and real steps are taken to

get more people attached to primary care providers, every part of our

system will remain under pressure.

[11:05 a.m.]

It’s time for action to train, recruit, properly compensate and

retain our health care workers and emergency responders.

Hon. J. Whiteside: Hon. Speaker, I ask that the House consider proceeding with

Motion 14, standing in the name of the member for

Chilliwack-Kent.

Deputy Speaker: Members, unanimous consent of the House is required to proceed to

Motion 14 without disturbing the priorities of the motions preceding it

on the order paper. If any member is opposed to the request for leave,

please indicate now.

Leave granted.

Deputy Speaker: I recognize the member for Chilliwack-Kent to move the

motion.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 14 — RIGHTS AND INCLUSION OF

WOMEN, GIRLS,

TRANS, GENDER-DIVERSE

AND TWO-SPIRIT PEOPLE

K. Paddon: I am honoured to rise and move the motion:

[Be it resolved that this House commit to advancing the rights of

women, girls, trans, gender diverse and Two Spirit people, and building

an inclusive province for all.]

At a moment in time where we see gender-based discrimination,

threats and violence across the world, across the border and throughout

our own country, there is no excuse for not speaking up and calling out

the rhetoric, threats, violence as loudly as those who have been

emboldened or even encouraged to spread this gender-based hate and

discrimination. Lives are at stake. Livelihoods, safety, education,

bodily autonomy, participation, access to services, representation — all

at stake.

When we talk about the rights of women, girls, trans,

gender-diverse and two-spirit people, more than half of the people in

our province are impacted by what is happening right now. This is not

niche, and we know it’s not new. But when I speak with people in my

community, they describe to me that what does feel new is the growing

sense of danger as we collectively witness the entitlement, anger and

freedom felt by some to spread hate, to threaten, intimidate, injure,

harass and otherwise harm, based on misogynistic and patriarchal systems

and beliefs.

A thicker skin and a smile don’t protect against what’s happening

right now. What about our next generation? Will women, girls, trans,

gender-diverse and two-spirit people feel confident in stepping into

roles like journalist, teacher, politician? Will they put their hands up

to represent their communities because they feel safe to do so or

despite the fear after watching what happens?

It’s questions like this that should crystallize for us how

critical it is, not only that we do the work necessary for gender equity

in the workforce, but how essential it is that we all focus on ensuring

that our kids are learning and developing in an education system that

supports their success.

This is why I was so proud last month, in the midst of yet more

discriminatory fear and anger-based rhetoric and misinformation, to read

the joint statement made by the Minister of Education and Child Care and

K-to-12 education partners on support for sexual orientation and gender

identity. It’s so important. I will read it now.

“We know that each child expresses themselves in their own unique

way, and some have been bullied and ostracized in the past. All of

B.C.’s provincial education partners for K-to-12 schools — public and

independent — are standing together in solidarity to ensure every school

is a place where all students deserve to be welcomed, included and

respected in a safe learning environment, while being fully and

completely themselves. No student should be excluded or bullied because

of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender

expression.

“In 2016, the B.C. human rights code was amended to ensure that

gender identity and expression are protected under the code. There is no

room for any type of discrimination in our schools. As provincial

education partners, we stand together in this commitment. All 60 school

districts, independent and First Nations schools have SOGI-inclusive

codes of conduct and policies in place, and many are participants in the

B.C. SOGI Educator Network. We have joined collaboratively with ARC

Foundation and 11 education and community partner groups to form the

provincial K-12 SOGI Collaborative, officially committing to creating

learning environments that are safe, respectful and welcoming for all

B.C. students.

“B.C.’s K-to-12 curriculum includes a focus on valuing diversity and

respecting differences as well as human rights and responses to

discrimination. Students deserve to have the complete support of

teachers, administrators, support staff, trustees, parents, guardians,

caregivers and their community, as we work together to create learning

environments where all students are free from discrimination so they can

thrive and succeed in their school years and beyond.”

Hon. Speaker, I know that our government will continue to do the

work on gender equity and look forward to the canvassing of all of these

actions in the comments to come.

[11:10 a.m.]

I also look forward to hearing from the opposition — responses to

this motion. And not only in correcting the horrible record on women set

by the B.C. Liberals, a record of hacking at services for those most

vulnerable, cutting funding and wages for women, scrapping the Human

Rights Tribunal and a culture that delivered, at best, a confusing,

inconsistent and harmful position on gender equity among members. But I

also look forward to real commitment to working together to advance the

rights of women, not an attempt to justify, not a list of how many women

people know.

Thank you, hon. Speaker. I look very forward to the next

comments.

R. Merrifield: I’m pleased to rise today to speak on this important topic that

the member opposite has brought forward today. It is one I’m sure that

all members of this House can wholeheartedly endorse.

We all want to see a more inclusive B.C. We all want to create a

more equitable society where people are not discriminated against or

disadvantaged on the basis of their gender identity. We know that women

and gender-diverse people have historically been, and in many ways still

continue to be, discriminated against in our province. Yet we’ve made

some significant strides over the past century, especially in the last

few decades.

The year that I was born was the first year that women could have

a credit rating on their own without a man. This was needed in order to

qualify for loans, a credit card — without a male signatory. We’ve come

a long way in just my lifetime, but we have so much farther to

go.

Let’s start with the first step: admit we have a problem. It’s

important to admit and acknowledge the fact that we do not live in a

truly equitable, inclusive society and that women and gender-diverse

British Columbians need action.

Which brings me to my next step: act. To not just talk or promise

to make a change but to make it happen, something that this NDP

government has failed to show us so far because they’re very stuck in

step 1. The members opposite like to style themselves the champions of

women and gender-diverse people in B.C., but their actions have not

lived up to their lofty rhetoric.

Let’s bring up some more facts. The NDP has promised repeatedly to

bring in equal pay legislation. Years later — six years later — under

this NDP government, B.C. has become one of the last surviving members

of a club we do not want to be in: one of four remaining provinces

without pay equity and transparency legislation in this country.

Embarrassing.

To make matters worse, we’ve also got the worst gender pay gap in

Canada at 18.6 percent. And what has been done by this government?

Nothing. Madam Speaker, as a member of the Select Standing Committee on

Finance, we heard from multiple organizations representing women begging

for action rather than the lip service that they have received over

these past six years.

My former colleague, the previous member for Surrey South,

introduced pay equity legislation five times in this House, and this NDP

government refused to adopt it every single time. The Premier even went

so far as to call this much-needed legislation a political stunt. From a

government that professes to care about equality and advancing the

rights of women, this behaviour is absolutely hypocritical and

shameful.

Pay equity is not even the only example that we have of this

government making a promise to advance equity and failing to follow

through, because we cannot forget that the NDP also promised six years

ago to make contraception free for all. Free contraception is a matter

of fairness. In fact, one person speaking in favour of the policy said:

“For too long, the cost of contraception has fallen disproportionately

on the backs of women, trans and non-binary people. It’s time to make

contraception free for all.”

It’s a sentiment I absolutely agree with. But it might surprise

the members in this House, especially the Minister of State for Child

Care because it was her that said it from two full years ago.

[11:15 a.m.]

Where is the free contraception British Columbians were counting

on this government to deliver? Where is the Minister of State for Child

Care, who repeatedly professed the importance of this policy? Where is

the action? If it was important then, it should be even more important

now.

British Columbian women and gender-diverse folks are dealing with

increased costs of living, having to choose between rent, food or

medications. They have worse living conditions now than back then. Yet

year after year, budget after budget, there has been no funding for free

contraception.

At every turn, the NDP have failed to make good on their promises

and, as a result, have failed to make needed progress on the path of

having a more inclusive B.C., leaving women and gender-diverse British

Columbians in the dark.

Now is the time for action, for tangible steps that make a real

difference in the lives of British Columbians.

J. Brar: I stand in this House today to support the motion introduced by

the hon. member for Chilliwack-Kent that “this House commit to advancing

the rights of women, girls, trans, gender-diverse and Two Spirit people,

and building an inclusive province for all.”

Everyone has the right to feel safe, respected and included in

their community. Gender equity means that people of all genders and

gender expressions are treated fairly and have the same opportunities.

Our government is committed to helping people achieve what they need to

be successful, every day, in everything we do.

The previous government has completely failed — completely failed

to do it. For 16 years, the B.C. Liberals cut programs and services

designed to help women facing gender-based bias, violence and

discrimination. They scrapped the pay equity legislation and the Human

Rights Tribunal and eliminated the Ministry of Women’s Equality. That’s

what they did.

They eliminated funding for B.C.’s 37 women’s centres dedicated to

help rape and domestic violence victims, and the list goes on. The B.C.

Liberals’ cuts to these programs, combined with the couple of years of

the pandemic, have impacted the lives of women in this

province.

Women were disproportionately affected by the economic challenges

of the pandemic and carried a disproportionate amount of responsibility

for home-schooling and caregiving when services were interrupted.

Indigenous women, women of colour, immigrant women, two-spirit and

non-binary people and women with disabilities disproportionately

experienced gender-based harassment, violence and

discrimination.

According to the Canadian General Social Survey, in 2014, women

are seven times more likely to report sexual assaults than men.

Indigenous women are 3.5 times more likely than non-Indigenous women to

experience violence, and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals are more than two times

more likely to be a victim of violence. The list goes on.

Our government is fixing the damage done by the B.C. Liberals.

That’s why we’re focusing on removing systemic barriers and taking some

of the biggest challenges. Our ongoing recovery from the pandemic and

climate-related disaster must be rooted in equity, where opportunities

are available to all people, regardless of their gender, ethnicity or

other parts of their identity.

Our investment in child care will help parents, especially women,

build good lives for their families and pursue their careers. More women

than ever will have a safe place to go as we move forward with the major

investments in transition homes for women and children leaving violence.

We are opening doors for women to pursue their dreams and bringing down

barriers for women in trade, technology and other non-traditional roles

with employment and skills-training programs.

[11:20 a.m.]

We continue to raise the minimum wage to help bring equity and

fairness for workers. Sixty percent of these workers are

women.

B.C. went from one of the lowest minimum wages in Canada under the

B.C. Liberals to the highest among prov­inces under our

government, and we are moving forward with plans to introduce pay

transparency legislation, a first in B.C. Together, we will use the

opportunity before us to advance equity and everyone’s right to live

free from discrimination and violence to build a better future for

women, girls, two-spirit and non-binary people in British

Columbia.

Therefore, I fully support the motion introduced by the hon.

member for Chilliwack-Kent.

K. Kirkpatrick: I am pleased to support the member’s motion that this House commit

to advancing the rights of women, girls, trans, gender-diverse and

two-spirit people and building an inclusive province for all.

I’ve seen, in my own lifetime, advances for women — their economic

independence and their ability to choose their own path in life. But

more work needs to be done, and it will take generations for women and

men to unlearn the expectations that society has historically placed on

people due to their gender.

In 1970, the Royal Commission on the Status of Women proposed a

national child care plan, stating that the care of children is a

responsibility to be shared by the mother, the father and society, and

unless this shared responsibility is acknowledged and assumed, women

cannot be afforded true equality.

Yet B.C.’s current child care system is far from adequate to

deliver the universal child care that the NDP government promised in

2017. Despite receiving money from the federal government, the NDP is

hoarding those funds and those surpluses instead of making retroactive

payments to all parents with children in licensed child care, like

they’re doing in the province of Ontario.

Now, five years, almost six years since the NDP promise, less than

35 percent of families who need child care will see a fee reduction, and

just 10 percent of spaces required will be $10-a-day spaces. In fact,

child care fees are higher today than when the NDP government came in

over five years ago. Toddler fees in Surrey have increased 22 percent.

Preschool fees in Richmond are up 30 percent.

Women’s equality can’t become a reality without universal child

care. The government has an important role to play in advancing women’s

rights and empowering them to be equal participants in the workforce and

the economic and social process. NDP delays in implementing universal

child care are still holding women back in this province.

Child care, child rearing — we know it primarily falls to women.

This is also a significant contributor to the gender equity pay gap.

When a woman stays home to be with her child and steps out of the

workforce while her counterparts continue to work, she falls further and

further behind in pay equity. The B.C. Liberals’ equal reporting act has

been introduced five times in this House by former MLA Stephanie

Cadieux. It enables pay transparency so both employees and the general

public can see where the pay gaps are and ultimately act on

that.

Why is the NDP ignoring this proposed legislation over and over?

B.C. is one of the only provinces without pay equity and transparency

legislation. It has the worst gender pay gap in Canada, at 18.5 percent,

according to Statistics Canada; and B.C. received a C grade on providing

economic security for women in West Coast LEAF’s gender equality report

card, in part due to its lack of pay equity legislation.

[11:25 a.m.]

There have also been increasing rates of domestic violence under

the NDP prior to the pandemic, and the pandemic has certainly

exacerbated that. The rate of family violence against children has

increased 41 percent in 2019, over the previous year. B.C. had the

largest provincial increase in Canada, with a 25 percent increase in the

rate of family violence.

In 2019, police-reported family violence against seniors increased

by 20 percent for the fourth consecutive year. But notwithstanding this,

the provincial office of domestic violence no longer exists under the

NDP government. It was transferred from the Ministry of Children and

Families to Public Safety and Solicitor General in 2018, and then it was

dropped altogether from being mentioned in any budget from 2019

onwards.

We need a comprehensive action plan for domestic violence. The

#SaySomething campaign against domestic violence was discontinued. So,

yes, I support the member’s motion that this House commit to advancing

the rights of girls and trans and gender-diverse people and building an

inclusive province for all. But we need urgent action on these issues to

ensure a safe and inclusive province for all. This government has the

tools and should make it happen.

G. Lore: I also rise in support of the motion today — with a number of

comments, though. I have to say I’m nearly speechless at some of the

accusations and some of the words already shared. As Parliamentary

Secretary for Gender Equity, I work across government to make sure that

the rights of women and girls to safety, to success, to economic

independence and a life of their own choosing are protected.

I work with my colleagues to make sure that two-spirit, trans and

non-binary people are treated with the dignity and respect that they

deserve, something our government is committed to, whether in the

environmental assessment office, where we fundamentally changed the

process for resource development projects to require a look at the

social impacts on community; or in health, where we’ve made it easier to

access gender-affirming care; or by moving sexual assault service

funding from precarious grants to dedicated funding.

We have work to do. We have work to do after a government that

eliminated funding for 37 women’s centres, reduced child care supports

for families and slashed legal aid for survivors of domestic

violence.

I know that the members opposite have already talked about pay

transparency. I’ll remind them that it was their party, when their

current leader was Minister for Deregulation, that scrapped pay equity

legislation and that we have work to do to consult with employers, with

labour, with advocates, with First Nations and with Indigenous

leaderships. Those are conversations that we’re having to get this

right.

More to the point, I’m waiting for a time when this commitment to

addressing the gendered and racialized pay gap transforms into support

for raising the minimum wage, scrapping the server wage and ensuring

that people — disproportionately, racialized women who work in health

care and critical jobs of health, housing and housekeeping — have fair

wages and job security.

I’m looking forward to a time when an interest in closing the wage

gap becomes support for funding for targeted opportunities in tech and

trades, investing in affordable child care and wage enhancements for

early childhood educators. I’ll let the members opposite know that that

gap is starting to close, because it’s going to take a multi-pronged

approach.

But it is pretty easy to get caught in the dance that we do here.

Of course, the reason, I know, all of us are here is for the people in

our communities — for the people who need us to get it right. This

summer and fall I had a chance to hear directly from

community.

To a member opposite who insisted that there was no action being

taken in Kitimat, I joined the Tamitik Status of Women for

groundbreaking on 44 units of housing, 12 transition beds, 12 units of

second-stage housing and 20 units of permanent affordable housing.

Tamitik told me how desperately this is needed, because they have turned

away women staying in unsafe homes.

In Terrace, I visited the Ksan Society, who, with our emergency

sexual assault funding, have developed 24-7 response to survivors of

sexualized violence in their community — a new service. They attend

hospital and police reporting. They provide emotional support, system

navigation and much more. That is real action in defence of the rights

of women, girls, two-spirit and non-binary people — the rights of all

people — to safety.

[11:30 a.m.]

In Prince George, I visited the sexual assault centre funded by

our government. They built a police interview room. It means that

survivors can make police reports in trauma-informed ways. I visited the

Native Courtworker and Counselling Association, which has a new

Indigenous victim services program to support survivors navigating the

system. In Prince George, 55 new safe and affordable homes, from

transition to second-stage to townhome rentals.

I visited the Howe Sound Women’s Centre to learn about their

brand-new 24-7 sexual assault support. In addition to being available

for emotional support via text and phone, since they started, they’ve

supported 12 survivors accessing health care and forensic exams, people

who otherwise would not have had access to this service or would have

had to do it alone.

These programs, these homes, these supports — they exist because

this government believes in a province for everyone, believes in the

right to safety and to healing. We believe in the rights of survivors

and the value of community care, so we invest in front-line service and

community organization. We invest in support. We invest in survivors and

families. We invest in their healing. I’ll put this record up against

the other side any day.

C. Oakes: I rise today in support of this motion to advance the rights of

women, girls, transgender, diverse and two-spirit people to build an

inclusive province for everyone.

Safety is one of the most fundamental needs of human existence.

Yet every single day the physical, emotional and mental safety of

individuals is stripped away in the very places that people should feel

the most secure. Gender-based violence is the type of abuse that women,

girls, trans, non-binary and two-spirit people are at the highest risk

of experiencing. It can take physical and emotional forms and happen in

relationships and at work.

Anyone can be abused, but women, girls and gender-diverse are at

higher risk due to the additional discrimination and barriers that they

face. When we speak about advancing the rights of all individuals in

British Columbia, it’s critical that we stand up and not only call out

this significant issue in our society, but we need to work together

every single day to bring an end to sexualized violence in our

communities.

Sexual violence is a systemic issue. While anyone can experience

it, individuals from marginalized communities do so at disproportionate

rates. A 2019 study from Statistics Canada found that one in ten female

students were sexually assaulted in post-secondary settings in that year

alone. The study also revealed that more than 70 percent of students at

Canadian post-secondary institutions either experience or witness

sexualized violence. This is an astonishing number, and it should make

all of us stop and think about the true volume of students that that

represents.

If anything, this must encourage all of us to do more in sexual

assault prevention. It’s clear that a new comprehensive action plan is

necessary to tackle the different forms of gender-based violence that

our communities face every single day.

Unfortunately, we’ve seen some troubling decisions by this

government. Not only have annual reports been neglected, but the

provincial office of domestic violence does not even exist anymore.

After being transferred to the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor

General, it was dropped from even being mentioned in budget documents

from 2019 onwards. Women’s transition housing was promised by this NDP

government, yet only 10 percent of the promised units are open today,

leaving many to wonder how long it will take until the rest are

ready.

This is a complex issue — I certainly understand that — and the

plan must be in-depth and tackle different areas where people are

vulnerable. This includes safe housing, legal aid agencies and other

programs, such as educating younger people about on-campus and domestic

violence.

[11:35 a.m.]

It’s important to ensure policies are in place that call for

increased funding to address sexualized and gender-based violence on

campuses. Over the past four years, at UBC alone, visits to their sexual

assault support programs have increased by nearly 300 percent. The

result is that the school is absolutely stretched to its limits and has

even had to ask students for a fee increase to cover these

costs.

If we’re going to tackle meaningful action and put in place the

types of supports we need in post-secondary institutions, and we know

that we’ve seen an increase in sexualized violence during the pandemic,

then real steps are going to be needed, and they’re needed

now.

I applaud the many organizations that are helping people in

community and throughout British Columbia and will continue to be an

advocate for the necessary policies to aid them in their

work.

We must shine a light and work towards creating change. We must

continue to stand up with our communities. We need to listen, and we

need to support those in need.

J. Routledge: I rise in favour of the motion: “Be it resolved that this House

commit to advancing the rights of women, girls, trans, gender diverse

and Two Spirit people, and building an inclusive province for

all.”

I represent B.C. on the steering committee of the Canadian branch

of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, the CWP. I’m going to talk

about why it’s so important to democracy that our Legislature is made up

of members who mirror the rich diversity of our province, to reflect on

the barriers to equity-deserving groups entering politics and

characteristics of the political environment that may be driving them

out, and to share some of the steps we are taking in B.C. and in other

jurisdictions to make legislatures more welcoming to those whose lived

experiences may not be considered normal in this environment, who may

still feel like outsiders.

To quote from the executive

summary of the report on gender and

diversity sensitivity at the Legislative Assembly of B.C. commissioned

by the CWP in 2020, in the words of the author, Dr. Jeanette Ashe,

“Canada is celebrated as one of the most diverse countries in the

world,” yet, “Although women were first elected to Canada’s national and

provincial legislatures approximately 100 years ago, it took until the

1980s for women’s representation to hit double digits,” and even longer

for the first Indigenous, Black or openly lesbian women to secure

seats.

Recent elections have created the most diverse legislatures, but

these bodies still do not closely mirror Canada’s demographic profile.

As the report states:

“Canada’s legisla­tures are overwhelmingly comprised of ‘white

male elites’ and their ‘working practices continue to reflect the

traditions and preferences of members who have historically populated

it.’ With women comprising 29 percent of Members of Parliament, Canada

ranks 53rd of 193 countries, placing it well below other established

democracies…. When taken as a whole, women hold 34 percent of all

provincial and territorial legislative seats.”

“So what,” you may be thinking. “Doesn’t the world have bigger,

more existential problems to solve like the climate crisis, like the

rise of fascism?” I would argue that that is exactly why we should be

addressing gender and diversity representation in this

institution.

Studies show that more diverse and inclusive parliaments tend to

be more effective and legitimate institutions. Decisions reflect a more

expansive set of interests, concerns and issues. Diverse parliaments

tend to be more trusted by their electorate. The politics of presence

matters for reasons of justice and for legitimacy. The more diverse the

legislative body, the more that body is likely to pass legislation that

advances the rights of equity-deserving groups and to build an inclusive

society for all.

Counting matters. We need diversity data to track changes in who

and who is not present. But as I’ve learned, working with Dr. Ashe,

substantive representation also matters. Not only do we need to be

asking ourselves how many women and other equity-deserving groups are

present in the Legislature; we need to be asking if they are

proportionally represented in positions that influence

outcomes.

[11:40 a.m.]

I’m proud that our Premier created a cabinet that is 50 percent

women. So much more needs to be done to adequately assess substantive

representation.

Power imbalances can be invisible and subtle. That is why the CWP

is embarking on a comprehensive gender sensitivity audit that asks such

questions as: are women and other equity-deserving groups

proportionately represented in parliamentary leadership positions? Do

the standing orders, codes of conduct and dress codes reveal evidence of

organized masculinism? What are the informal norms and conventions, and

do they tend to be exclusive? Are there formal supports for parents with

young families? Does the Legislature have a plan for supporting and

protecting legislators who may be vulnerable to violence and abuse

because of their identity?

That’s just a small sample of the kinds of questions that go into

developing a plan to ensure this environment is welcoming to

everyone.

To conclude, critical to committing to the advancement of the

rights of women, girls, trans, gender diverse and two-spirit people and

building an inclusive province for all, as this motion urges this House

to do, is a commitment to taking a hard look at how we operate

here.

Democracy may depend on it.

M. Bernier: I know a few people have read this, but I want to start by

actually reading back into the record again today the motion brought

forward by the member for Chilliwack-Kent: “Be it resolved that this

House commit to advancing the rights of women, girls, trans, gender

diverse and Two Spirit people, and building an inclusive province for

all.”

This morning when I was reading that motion, I thought: “This is a

great opportunity.” I was kind of surprised that it was coming up at

this portion, but I thought: “This is a great opportunity. This is

somewhere where we can all agree.” I’m looking for somebody to put up

their hand in this House that said: “I hope I get elected so I can make

things worse for people in the province of British Columbia.” I don’t

think anybody in this House did that. I sure hope not.

What surprised me with this motion was not so much the wording in

the text of that motion itself but the commentary that I’m hearing in

the House. I think anybody watching this right now at home would be

absolutely just shaking their heads and appalled.

When I heard the member for Chilliwack-Kent — and she did a very

good job of putting this forward and bringing forward some of the

commentary, working with school districts and the ARC Foundation and

others — I thought, “This is great. This is something we can all

support. This is something we can all get around collectively, and we

can all not politicize such an important issue,” until the very last few

words that had to target and politicize it. That is absolutely

unfortunate that I’m hearing that in the House here today.

This is an actually….

Interjection.

M. Bernier: Well, now I’m getting heckled. That goes to the interesting point.

I did hear the whole thing, and I just…. It’s unfortunate, when it gets

to the very end though, that we have to try to politicize on the

actions.

I do find this interesting, again, because we’re talking about

something where we’ve had an opportunity to collectively work together.

Is this an issue? Absolutely. Is it getting worse? Absolutely. Which is

why this is a perfect opportunity where all sides of the House can work

together to try to solve an issue. Which is why in 2016, the B.C.

Liberals — we brought forward and changed the human rights code. Working

with the ARC Foundation, the school districts, the independent schools

around the province, we were the ones that brought that forward because

we recognized that this needed to be dealt with.

Now, it’s unfortunate that the NDP are trying to politicize that,

but it was an opportunity, I think, where actually all sides of the

House could have agreed that we could work together. There’s been

opportunity to have bills in front of this House that I guarantee you

would pass unanimously if the NDP brought them forward, because they’d

be the right things to do, the right things to help women, the right

things to help our youth, the right things to help people in the

province of British Columbia.

You know, we look at the promises that this government has made.

It’s one thing to make promises. It’s another to deliver on those

promises, and I guarantee you that those promises that you’ve made to

help people…. If you actually brought forward meaningful actions, they

would be supported. That’s what’s needed, not politicizing such an

important issue.

[11:45 a.m.]

I want to thank, actually, the NDP members that were around in

2015, ’16 and ’17 when this side of the House brought those bills

forward, when we brought those changes forward to help children, to help

youth and to help people in the province. Why? Because at that time,

they did not politicize it. At that time, they supported it. And I want

to thank the NDP because they recognize there are times we can work

together to help women and children in the province of British

Columbia.

It’s unfortunate today that that seems to have digressed into a

political narrative that’s not helping the cause. I think we need to get

back to the grass roots of what we’re trying to do in this house. That’s

help people. That’s working together to support the issues.

That’s why, when I saw this motion this morning, I was excited to

stand up and hopefully not have to politicize an issue. I was hoping to

hear how we were going to work together to help the people — the women

and people part of our LGBTQ community in the province who right now are

struggling, who are being marginalized, who are being victimized. There

are opportunities that we can actually work together to help

them.

I want to thank the school districts, all the public and private

operations in the province that are helping our kids, that brought

forward the proper guidance mechanisms to help the students, to help the

teachers and to help all of the people in the province. That has gone a

long way.

I want to thank the ARC Foundation and others too. They’ve been

scrutinized and criticized, but they’ve persevered, and our students are

benefiting because of it.

H. Yao: I want to start by thanking and expressing my full support to the

MLA for Chilliwack-Kent for introducing the bill that it be “resolved

that the House commit to advancing the rights of women, girls, trans,

gender diverse and Two Spirit people, and building an inclusive province

for all.”

I would like to start my speech on a positive note. Recently my

family welcomed a brand-new addition to my family. My son was born in

early September this year. His arrival brought joy, and unfortunately

stress, to our family. With two under two, my wife and I had have had to

replan everything in our life to support both children. It is an

overwhelming challenge that taxes every aspect of our lives to the

limit.

The reality is that my wife and I are both lucky and privileged.

We both have strong careers to pursue and loving, extended families

supporting from the sideline. Yet for many other families, it is a

herculean effort that demands unwavering sacrifice from at least one of

the two parents. Frequently the sacrificial responsibilities fall onto

the mother. It is exponentially more difficult for single mothers to

balance personal life and child care.

Child care is one of the most challenging barriers for equity

today. That’s why I’m thrilled about the Childcare B.C. plan. Since

2018, our government has invested over $2.4 billion to build an

affordable, accessible, high-quality child care system to ensure that

families, especially women, can participate in the workforce, advance

their education, pursue their career and, most of all, define a life

balance of options and preferences, not of limitations and inequality

due to gender. And as a Richmond child care service recipient, I, too,

am deeply grateful for the investment.

Although there’s much more work to do, our provincial government

has accomplished much on the child care front. I know many young

Richmond South Centre families look forward to affordable, accessible

and high-quality child care to provide much-needed relief so they can

thrive here in B.C. as well.

Before I was honoured by the constituents of Richmond South Centre

to serve as an MLA, I had the privilege to work as the community

resource navigator for bc211. However, calls involving individuals

trying to flee domestic violence were truly heartbreaking to handle.

Callers often experienced multiple forms of abuse — physical, verbal,

emotional, sexual and financial — many of which callers endured for an

extensive period of time before they found the courage to reach

out.

Financial dependency, societal shame, child separation, emotional

blackmail, threats of violence and illegal status are all reasons why

many individuals tolerate abuse and delay reaching out for help. When a

caller finally finds the courage to reach out, the most heartbreaking

answer I hate to provide, from time to time, is: “The transition house

in your area is full.”

[11:50 a.m.]

I’m glad our provincial government takes gender-based violence

seriously. Tens of thousands of people who are experiencing or have

experienced gender-based violence are getting counselling and other

assistance they need through the over 400 victim services and

violence-against-women programs across B.C.

We introduced paid leave for people facing domestic and sexual

violence, and job training specifically for survivors of violence and

abuse. Also, the Be More than a Bystander campaign to support a violence

prevention program and $10 million provided to Ending Violence

Association of B. C. to support emergency sexual assault

services.

In our 2022 budget, we’re providing core funding to more than 50

sexual assault services, undoing cuts that were made to these critical

services in 2002. We put survivors first.

The B.C. women’s transition housing fund provides $734 million

over the next ten years to build 1,500 new transition homes for women

fleeing violence. There’s more work to do, and our provincial government

is committed to end gender-based violence.

On a positive note, we’re working to build a province where

everyone can thrive. I’m glad our government is expanding women’s access

to education and training in STEM through programs and funding,

including a $250,000 grant to the Achieve Anything

Foundation.

We’re also expanding opportunities under the new community benefit

agreements so that women, youths and Indigenous people will have access

to employment, training, apprenticeship opportunities on major

infrastructure projects.

Furthermore, closing the gender gap is extremely important, which

is why we are moving forward with a commitment to introduce gender pay

transparency legislation. Our government is committed to support

equality, equity and justice for all British Columbians.

T. Halford: I do stand with pride to support the motion put forward by the

member for Chilliwack-Kent. Today, if it’s not failing me, is October 3,

and tomorrow is October 4, which is my son Nicholas’s birthday. It

wasn’t in my notes, but I just reminded myself that the pride that we

had as a family as Nicholas….

We have an organization called Sources, which is throughout the

province. Sources have a transition house for women fleeing domestic

violence. And on Nicholas’s fifth birthday, he decided that he wanted

his birthday funds to go to Sources. So he and his mom and his sister

went there, and they presented the money, and he’s got a certificate

that proudly sits in his room.

But to this day, there is still a donation called Nicholas’s

birthday fund at Sources, which you can go to and donate, which we will

be doing as a family, to provide that level of services in our community

of Surrey–White Rock. So it was timely that I spoke on this with

tomorrow being Nic’s birthday.

But as we reflect on today’s motion of advancing inclusivity,

it’s, by its definition, the practice of providing equal access to

opportunities and resources for people who might normally be excluded or

marginalized. This, we can all agree, must be a priority for all members

of this Legislature, which I know it is.

As each one of us today stands together in raising awareness and

pledging action, we must work to break barriers for marginalized

communities in B.C., especially women, girls, trans, gender-diverse and

two-spirit people. Whether it be in the workplace, schools or other

institutions in our communities, women and gender-diverse people play a

pivotal role in shaping our province and deserve respect and equal

opportunity.

It is truly remarkable the impacts that they have made in our

province in the face of systemic gender biases. Women in B.C. continue

to fight discrimination and challenge stereotypes while paving the way

for future generations of leaders. And it brings me to this.

I can’t help but also take a moment today to recognize a new MLA

that will be serving in the community next to my own. The new member for

Surrey South has been recognized as a champion of human rights and has

been an adviser on matters related to gender, sexual orientation equity

inclusivity. And in 2019, she even published a book in tribute to her

uncle, a victim of Canada’s LGBT purge, with all proceeds going to

children in Nunavut and residential school survivors.

I know I’m not the only member today who’s excited to welcome the

new MLA for Surrey South and to have her incredible lived experience

shared in this Legislature, which will happen later on this

afternoon.

[11:55 a.m.]

But while we reflect on the important contributions gender-diverse

individuals have made, there is much more to be done. As critic for

Mental Health and Addictions, I can’t help but think of the

disproportional impact that bullying, harassment and violence has on

women and gender-diverse people.

Violence against women is not only a women’s issue; it’s

everyone’s issue. It affects entire communities, as the trauma ripples

through families, schools, workplaces and homes. We can no longer be

bystanders. We must continue to push for actions that will prevent

violence against women, such as ensuring employment supports, helping

those fleeing violent situations and securing access to health care

resources for counselling and mental health services.

Our previous government tabled a report called Addressing

Violence Against Women In British Columbia . The report detailed

the steps the province needs to take to help prevent violence against

women. We need to continue to build on that work to ensure the right

supports are available in communities across B.C. Part of taking action

is ensuring that the most at-risk groups — such as Indigenous women,

women of color, women with disabilities — have the right supports they

need, such as culturally relevant education, mental health resources,

and so much more.

We all have a role to play in preventing violence before it

starts, responding to violence when it happens and rebuilding from its

devastating effects and impacts. Violence prevention, though, is perhaps

the most challenging. The critical element of the task ahead is one we

all need to focus on.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

In closing, let’s work together to ensure that for everyone in

British Columbia that needs access to mental health resources, whether

it’s a child facing loneliness or women facing domestic violence, there

is a system of care in place to help in the moment.

B. Anderson: I would like to enthusiastically speak in favour of this

motion.

First of all, as we come back to the House, I really felt the

weight and the privilege of being able to voice my thoughts in the

Legislature, and I would like to thank the people of Nelson-Creston for

the enormous honour and privilege of being elected to serve and

represent you here in Victoria.

When the Legislature was built, it was built by men and for men.

Between 1891 and 1914, 16 women’s suffrage bills were introduced and

defeated in B.C.’s Legislative Assembly. Some women in B.C. had been

permitted to vote in municipal elections since 1873, but there was a

growing sentiment among many that women’s votes and voices were needed

on the provincial stage, both as a matter of justice and also as a means

of influencing the policies of the day. What a novel concept.

In 1916, a referendum was held and resulted in 66 percent of the

men who voted in favor of extending the rights of women to both vote and

hold provincial office. By 1918, a by-election was held in the

provincial riding of Vancouver City, and Mary Ellen Smith became the

first woman elected to B.C.’s Legislative Assembly.

Many people believed that securing the right to vote and be

elected to public office would bring about needed improvements in

women’s and children’s social and economic conditions. But in spite of

this growing momentum, B.C. suffragists were still predominantly white

and middle-class.

In fact, the suffrage movement was marked by its remoteness from

other groups in the province, notably First Nations and Asian women.

Many suffragists viewed these women as potential beneficiaries of a

progressive social agenda rather than political allies and equals. Today

I am proud to be part of the most diverse government in B.C.’s history.

We have come a long way, but there is still more work to do.

Representation matters.

Reflecting on the events of this past week, I think about my

rights as a woman, in stark contrast to Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old

Kurdish-Iranian woman who died last month after being detained by the

Islamic Republic’s morality police. Over the weekend, we saw people from

across the globe demonstrate, rally in solidarity with Iranian

protesters. I stand here today in solidarity with them.

I’m so grateful that, as a woman in British Columbia, I have the

rights and freedoms that I do, but we have still so much more work to do

to cultivate an inclusive province. Gender equity means that people of

all genders and gender expressions are treated fairly and have the same

opportunities, and we must always use an intersectional lens.

I would like to thank my colleagues the Parliamentary Secretaries

work they do each and every day to build an inclusive province and

advance the rights of all British Columbians.

[12:00 p.m.]

Indigenous women, women of colour, immigrant women, two-spirit and

non-binary people, transgender people and women with disabilities

disproportionately experience gender-based harassment, violence and

discrimination. And too many of us in B.C. are still making less than

men.

To ensure that government policies, programs and services are

working for all British Columbians, we must understand different ways

that people experience the world. The gender-based analysis plus is a

tool our government uses to help understand how diverse groups of people

experience public policy and where changes should be made. GBA+ is

making a difference in the choices we’re making.

We’re investing in better wages for people and providing important

services such as long-term care and child care. We’re increasing the

minimum wage. We’re restoring dedicated funding for emergency sexual

assault response services. We’re speeding up investments in Internet

connectivity in rural and remote communities. We’re updating language in

government regulations and legislation to reduce barriers for people in

accessing services and to ensure that more people see themselves

reflected. We’re working on pay transparency.

We have also been increasing women’s representation in leadership

positions. Women now make up over 49 percent of public sector board

membership in British Columbia, up from 41 percent in 2017.

Representation matters.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all of the people across the

province who have been committed to advancing the rights of women,

girls, transgender, gender-diverse and two-spirit people and building an

inclusive province for all. Everyone has the right to feel safe,

respected and included in their home and community. Our government is

committed to helping people achieve what they need to be successful

every day in everything we do.

Thank you, Speaker.

B. Anderson moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. J. Whiteside moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 12:02 p.m.

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