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From YouTube: JULY 27 2020 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
5th Session
41st Parliament
A
Member
kabloop
south
thompson.
Well.
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
This
morning
the
the
premier
said
that
the
city
of
victoria
should
step
up
in
reference
to
the
tent
city
in
beacon
hill
park,
byron
louks,
who
owns
west
coast
appliances
here
in
victoria.
He
believes
that
the
premier
should
step
up
and
stop
blaming
others.
A
Byron
had
this
to
say,
and
I
quote,
the
changes
have
been
so
extreme.
This
was
a
very
quiet
neighborhood
now
24
7,
we
have
a
highway
of
people
who
walk
from
the
comfort
inn
through
our
parking
lots
at
all
levels
of
intoxication
clothing,
optional,
often
screaming
profanities
of
the
customers
and
staff.
A
Just
recently,
my
truck
was
broken
into
at
2pm,
and
someone
stole
my
waiting
ring
end
quote
so
to
the
premier.
The
decision
to
warehouse,
vulnerable
and
at-risk
people
without
the
needed
on-site
mental
health,
addiction
and
recovery
supports
is
clearly
not
working
for
the
people
who
need
that
help
the
most,
and
it's
also
failing
small
businesses
and
people
like
like
byron.
B
C
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker,
and
I
thank
the
member
for
campbell
south
thompson
for
the
question.
These
are
extremely
challenging
issues.
I
don't
think
that's
a
surprise
to
any
member
of
this
house,
honourable
speaker
or
any
british
columbian.
We
have
had
a
serious
public
health
emergency
for
half
a
decade
when
it
comes
to
opioids
and
the
impact
they
have
on
people
with
mental
health
and
addictions,
challenges
that
leads
to
encampments
and
has
led
to
significant
challenges
for
cities
and
the
province
over
the
past
decade.
C
Quite
frankly,
and
we've
been
doing
our
level
best
to
meet
that
demand
in
the
time
of
a
global
pandemic,
by
asking
people
to
all
work,
a
little
bit
harder
to
find
new
ways
to
be
a
little
bit
more
patient
with
those
that
are
vulnerable,
those
that
have
significant
health
issues.
We
do
have
wrap-around
services
available
to
the
individuals
that
we
re-housed
from
pandora
and
from
topaz
avenue
in
victoria,
as
well
as
those
that
were
up
in
oppenheimer
park
in
vancouver,
but
that
does
not
for
a
minute
dismiss
the
impact
on
neighborhoods.
C
That
does
not
for
a
minute
dismiss
the
challenge
we
have
going
forward.
But
I
ask
all
members
of
the
house
and
all
members
of
the
public
that
are
participating
today.
We
all
need
to
recognize
that
the
most
vulnerable
among
us
need
a
hand
up,
and
we
need
to
do
that
together,
cooperatively,
to
the
best
of
our
ability.
A
Well,
thank
you,
mr
speaker,
sadly,
by
failing
to
to
provide
these
supports
that
are
needed
by
the
vulnerable
and
at
risk
highly
at
risk
group
here
in
british
columbia,
the
the
the
premier's
decision,
his
government's
decisions
are
putting
many
other
people
at
risk.
Byron's
employees
are
at
risk,
his
customers
are
at
risk
byron
himself,
and
the
entire
surrounding
neighborhood
is
is
also
at
risk,
mr
speaker,
and
while
the
premier
is
busy
surrendering
parks
and
failing
to
provide
the
needed
supports
that
this
vulnerable
and
at-risk
population
needs.
A
He
also
said
this
morning,
and
I
quote:
there
needs
to
be
some
leadership
at
the
municipal
level
and
quote
well.
People
like,
like
byron,
would
like
to
see
some
leadership
from
this
premier
and
from
this
government,
and
byron
had
this
also
to
say-
and
I
quote
last
week,
our
store
was
broken
into
when
a
large
steel
ballard
was
thrown
through
our
front
door.
I
now
have
to
confront
intoxicated
screaming
individuals.
A
C
Thank
you
almost
speaker
and
again
I
appreciate
the
member
of
the
liberal
caucus
bringing
this
issue
to
the
floor
of
the
legislature,
so
that
we
can
have
a
discussion
and
a
dialogue
about
how
best
for
all
of
us,
regardless
of
where
we
sit
on
the
political
spectrum,
regardless
of
who
we
are
in
a
community.
How
do
we
all
work
together
to
address
a
fundamental
crisis
in
our
communities?
And
I
know
the
member
from
kamloops
can
talk
about
his
community
equally
passionately
as
he's
just
done
victoria,
my
community?
C
This
is
not
something
that
we
dismissed
lightly
and
I
know
the
member
is
genuine
in
bringing
it
forward,
but
you
need
to
be
genuine
also
in
reaching
out
to
byron
and
others
and
saying
yeah.
This
is
a
problem
for
right
now
and
how
do
we
collectively
work
together
on
solutions?
One
way,
honorable
speaker
would
be
for
municipal
governments
to
be
more
rapid
in
their
turnaround
on
things
like
ensuring
that
we
can
build
the
houses
that
are
appropriate
for
hard
to
house
individuals
that
speaks
to
every
municipal
council
across
the
province.
C
D
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
No
that's
incorrect.
Mr
premier,
the
government's
lack
of
a
mental
health
and
addictions
plan
is
a
complete
failure.
There
are
new
tent
cities
and
homeless
camps
throughout
the
province,
from
vancouver
strathcona
park
to
langley
city,
to
parksville,
to
campbell
river,
to
victoria's,
beacon
hill
park
and,
what's
the
primer's
response,
not
my
problem.
D
E
Thank
you
very
much.
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker,
and
I
appreciate
the
the
members
and
of
course
we
have
from
day
one
2017.
We
started
a
rapid
response
to
homelessness,
and
you
know
why,
mr
speaker,
because
the
previous
government
ignored
it,
they
had
no
plan.
So
we
brought
in
thousands
and
thousands
of
units
over
two
over
two
thousand
people
have
been
housed
to
date.
More
than
two
thousand
another
nine
hundred
homes
with
supports
are
being
provided
in
the
coming
months.
D
Well,
if
that
was
true,
then
we
wouldn't
be
having
these
problems
right
now,
after
three
years
of
a
separate
ministry
of
mental
health
and
addictions,
the
government's
lack
of
supportive
housing
with
on-site
supports
are
for
our
most
vulnerable.
Citizens
is
putting
now
everybody
at
risk,
and
don't
just
take
my
word
for
it.
Dr
bill
mccoon
who's,
a
psychiatrist
who
has
worked
in
the
downtown
east
side
for
years
says,
and
I
quote
it
is
not
helpful
to
pretend
that
the
needs
of
this
population
can
be
met
by
simply
providing
a
room
in
social
housing.
D
E
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker.
Well,
you
know,
I
find
it
absolutely
fascinating,
because
you
know
the
the
bc
liberals
their
their
preferred
model
is
to
ignore
the
problem,
which
is
what
they
did
they.
You
know
they
left
people
to
be
homeless
without
supports
and
we're
saying
come
on
inside.
E
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker,
so
let
me
just
read
into
the
record
what
one
operator
from
turning
point's
collaborative
society
and
vernon
had
to
say
the
site
manager
said
this.
She
said,
and
I
quote
honestly
the
successes
we
have
experienced
here.
They
exceed
what
my
expectations
were
or
what
I
was
thinking
was
going
to
happen.
This
is
a
year
after
this
this
program
started.
This
is
what
she
had
to
say.
E
She
provides
examples,
honorable
speaker
of
people
who
are
now
getting
medical
attention
who
are
getting
psychiatric
attention
who
are
going
for
counseling
because
they
now
have
the
supports
they
now
have
access
to
the
services
they
now
have
food
in
their
belly.
They
now
have
peace
of
mind
that
comes
with
having
housing.
Honorable
speaker,
I
think
our
approach,
our
approach
to
house
people
to
provide
them
with
the
supports
is
a
far
better
approach
than
the
approach
that
the
bc
liberals
had,
which
was
to
leave
people
on
the
streets
with
nothing.
F
F
Here
in
bc,
we
have
been
lauded
for
our
tremendous
response
to
the
covid19
pandemic
by
working
together
using
current
research,
fast,
active
and
an
effective
communication,
we've
largely
been
able
to
keep
the
virus
in
check.
Unfortunately,
citing
emerging
data,
the
united
nations
recently
declared
that
a
mental
health
crisis
is
looming
and
will
be
the
pandemic
that
nations
will
have
to
confront.
F
These
findings
are
also
consistent
with
government's
recently
released
data.
That
indicates
47
percent
of
the
nearly
400
000
people
surveyed,
say
their
mental
health
is
currently
worsening.
My
questions
for
you,
honorable
speaker,
is
to
the
minister
of
health.
I
expect
that
the
minister
agrees
that
health
is
not
just
the
absence
of
disease,
but
rather
includes
physical,
social
and
emotional
well-being.
Given
this,
what
immediate
steps
are
being
taken
to
incorporate
this
definition,
which
includes
mental
health
into
our
health
care,
delivery?.
G
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker,
and
thank
you
to
the
member,
the
house
leader
for
the
third
party
for
her
question.
There
is
absolutely
no
doubt
that
covet
19
has
affected
the
mental
health
of
the
entire
province
of
the
country
of
the
world,
and
it
has
been
very,
very
traumatic,
especially
for
people
who
are
already
struggling
with
mental
health
and
addictions
issues.
G
Those
issues
have
become
exacerbated
as
a
result
of
this
crisis,
and
that's
why,
honorable
speaker,
within
three
weeks
of
the
pandemic
being
declared,
we
had
worked
with
our
partners
with
cmhabc
with
community
counseling
agencies
and
very
closely
with
the
bc
psychologists
association
in
order
to
stand
up
access
to
virtual
services,
and
I
want
you
know.
G
I
I
take
my
hat
off
to
the
bc
psychological
association
because
they
stepped
up
with
200
psychologists,
offering
free
counseling
to
people
across
the
province
and
they've
done
incredible
work,
and
it
has
made
a
difference
honorable
speaker,
but
we
know,
as
with
natural
disasters
like
floods
or
fires,
and
this
pandemic,
we
know
we're
not
out
of
it.
Yet
we
know
that
people
are
still
struggling
with
mental
health
issues.
G
We
know
that
substance,
use
and
use
of
alcohol
is
going
up
and
we
know
that
we
can
expect
an
ec
what
is
referred
to
by
the
experts
as
an
echo
pandemic,
and
that's
why,
literally
as
we
speak
in
our
ministry
and
working
across
government,
we.
G
G
Families
struggling
with
kids
at
home,
but
also
a
specific
focus
on
healthcare
workers,
honorable
speaker,
because
they,
as
we
all
know,
have
been
doing
absolutely
yeoman's
duty
and
taking
a
lot
of
the
stress
and
the
tension
and
the
anxiety
onto
themselves.
And
so
we've
stood
up
some
particular
programs
that
are
about
support
for
health
care
workers,
and
we
will
continue
to
support
them
and
making
sure
that
we
have
programs
in
place.
Going
forward
to
support
british
columbians
happy
to
hear
the
members
ideas
about
what
that
looks.
Like.
F
You,
honourable
speaker,
and
I
appreciate
the
minister's
response
and,
and
we
will
be
coming
forward
with
ideas
over
the
course
of
the
week
since
the
first
kobit
19
case
was
diagnosed.
16.5
million
people
around
the
world
have
contracted
the
virus
and
tragically
650
000
have
died
even
in
the
time
since
we
drafted
this
question
on
friday.
That
number
went
up
by
one
two,
two
million
cases.
The
the
trajectory
on
covet
19
is
a
very
distressing
one.
F
F
How
we've
dealt
with
the
covid19
global
pandemic
juxtaposes
our
treatment
of
the
opioid
pandemic
that
is
ravaging
our
province.
728
people
have
died
so
far
in
2020
from
toxic
drug
poisoning,
mothers,
fathers,
sons,
daughters,
friends
and
neighbors.
My
questions,
for
you,
honourable
speaker,
is
to
the
minister
of
mental
health
and
addictions.
G
Thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and
thank
you
again
to
the
member
for
the
question
and
I
think
the
member
is
very
well
aware
that
the
coroner
has
been
really
clear
that
the
primary
cause
of
the
spike
in
deaths
is
as
a
result
of
a
toxic
drug
supply
more
toxic
than
ever
before
lethal
combinations
of
drugs.
And
we
know
that
we
were
making
progress
and
dr
bonnie
henry
has
certainly
acknowledged
that
we
were
moving
in
the
right
direction.
G
As
far
as
the
supports
that
we
were
providing
people
in
the
bccdc
estimated
that
6000
deaths
were
averted
as
a
result
of
the
interventions
of
this
government
and
the
thousands
of
people
on
the
front
lines.
But
when,
when
it
was
clear
that
the
threat
was
there
of
the
numbers
going
back
up
again,
we
moved
very
very
quickly.
As
the
member
knows.
G
We
brought
in
risk
mitigation
guidance
so
that
we
could
improve
access
to
safe,
a
safe
supply
of
prescription,
alternatives
to
the
poisoned
drug
supply,
critically
important
to
separate
people
from
that
poison
drug
supply
on
the
street.
But
at
the
same
time,
honorable
speaker,
we
are
working
on
building
a
better,
a
continuum
of
care.
G
We've
just
announced
new
treatment
beds,
we've
announced
substance,
use
integrated
teams
because,
honorable
speaker,
what
we've
learned
also
from
the
coroner,
is
that
in
the
past
the
past
year,
often
before
people
have
died
of
overdose,
four
out
of
five
of
them
have
been
in
contact
with
the
health
care
system.
Four
out
of
five,
so
we
need
to.
We
need
to
connect
with
those
people.
We
need
to
stay
connected
with
those
people,
so
substance
use
integrated
teams
that
will
be
in
place
across
the
province
are
going
to
do
exactly
that.
G
Honorable
speaker
later
this
week,
we'll
be
making
some
more
significant
announcements.
I
don't
want
to.
You
know,
make
the
announcement
before
we
make
it,
but
we've
been
working
really
hard
with
the
first
nations
health
authority
on
a
new
treatment,
treatment
facilities,
chilliwack
youth
center
and
there's
much
more
to
come.
Honourable
speaker,
we
know
we
need
to
strengthen
the
continuum
of
care
that,
frankly,
was
left
in
in
very,
very
bad
shape
by
the
previous
government.
H
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
On
may
30th
2019
the
premier
stood
in
this
house
and
said
quote:
I've
asked
marie
rankin
at
no
cost
he's
working
pro
bono
because
he
is
an
mp
currently
to
be
our
whatsoeverton
emissary
end
quote
last
week,
mr
speaker,
we
found
out
that
taxpayers
have
paid
the
former
ndp
politician
over
122
thousand
dollars
in
fees
and
nearly
6600
in
expenses
question
to
the
premier.
Can
he
explain
why
he
led
everyone
to
believe
that
his
whatsoeverton
emissary
was
at
no
cost
to
the
public
premier.
C
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker.
At
the
time
I
made
the
statement.
Murray
rankin
was
a
member
of
the
parliament.
As
you
said
in
your
preamble,
and
he
said
I
will
not
need
any
compensation.
Well,
I'm
a
member
of
the
house
of
commons
he's
now
naughty
he's
now,
not
a
member
of
the
house
of
commons
he's
a
member
of
the
bar,
not
unlike
the
tested
member
of
the
leader
of
the
official
opposition
and
he's
doing
this
work
on
behalf
of
us
and
we're
paying
him
compensation
for
that.
H
Mr
speaker,
it's
rather
obvious
that,
with
this
ndp
government,
friends
and
insiders
arriving
riding
the
gravy
train
here,
it's
pretty
obvious
and
they're
going
first
class.
Mr
speaker,
this
government
is
spending
nearly
a
quarter
million
for
two
former
ndp
politicians
to
hold
talks
with
the
watson
ndp
insider
nathan.
Cullen
is
being
paid
two
hundred
and
fifty
dollars
an
hour
he's
been
paid
more
than
eighty
seven
thousand
dollars
in
fees
plus
twenty
six
hundred
expenses
for
what
works
out
for
what
works
out,
mr
speaker,
to
two
months
of
work,
good
work.
H
If
you
can
get
it
and
put
that
in
context,
the
average
canadian
average
british
columbian
makes
fifty
thousand
dollars
a
year.
Yet
this
minister
calls
this
quote
a
reasonable
average
end
quote:
does
the
premier
agree
this
taxpayer
funded
quarter
of
a
million
dollar
payout
to
ndp
insiders
is
reasonable.
C
Premier,
thank
you,
honourable
speaker.
Well
nathan
cullen
was
the
member
of
parliament
for
the
area
where
the
so
wet
soweton
are
nathan.
Cullen
was
acceptable
to
the
wet
sowen
to
come
to
a
resolution
to
an
intractable
problem
that
had
existed
for
25
years.
But
that's
not
my
point
honorable
speaker,
it's
not
that
he
was
wildly
qualified
and
accepted
by
all
parties.
I
hearken
back
to
the
swearing-in
of
a
bc
liberal
government
back
in
2001,
and
what
did
that
government?
Do?
I
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
it's
it's
interesting.
Listening
to
the
premier.
Try
to
talk
about
2001,
because
the
residents
of
blue
river
and
the
north
thompson
valley
are
worried
about
the
here
and
the
now
they're
not
worried
about
2001.
I
So
to
the
premier.
Why
is
there
not
any
proper
engagement
discussions,
resources
any
of
that
being
put
to
the
residents
of
blue
river,
the
sim
first
nations
and
the
protesters
to
try
to
get
rid
of
the
problems
and
the
headaches
that
are
being
experienced
in
blue
river?
When
you
have
nothing
but
money
to
spend
on
ndp
insiders
on
a
pipeline,
you
want
to
see
move
forward.
J
You,
honorable
speaker
now,
I
want
to
thank,
I
want
to
to
thank
the
the
member
for
his
question
and
we
are
aware
the
situation
that
is
taking
place
up
in
blue
river.
As
the
member
knows.
We
have
spoken
about
this
issue
and
on
a
number
of
occasions,
and
we
have
attempted
to
and
are
working
with
the
community
to
deal
with
this
particular
situation.
J
Previous
efforts
have
required
and
the
rcmp
have
increased
resources
in
there
that
have
helped
in
dealing
with
that
situation
and
trying
to
to
to
to
get
it
resolved
recently.
In
fact,
I
believe
this
friday,
the
minister
of
indigenous
relations
and
reconciliation,
is
engaged
with
meetings
with
first
nations
in
the
area
to
try
and
come
up
with
a
solution
to
what
is,
as
the
member
will
acknowledge,
a
very
complex
problem
between
the
the
first
nation,
whose
territory
it's
in
and
a
group
that
are
at
odds
with
them.
J
I
Well,
thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
it's
it's
unfortunate.
The
premier
doesn't
want
to
answer
because
the
premier's,
the
one
getting
the
letters
the
premier
got
the
letter
from
the
chief
of
assimt
last
week
that
actually
on
january
20th
of
this
year,
they
informed
the
premier
and
the
indigenous
relations
minister
that
they
wanted
the
government
to
take
action
january
20th.
When
I
asked
the
minister
on
july
17th
the
minister
said,
the
request
for
formal
engagement
has
only
been
received
recently.
I
I
guess
seven
or
eight
months
is
what
this
government
considers
recent
here's
another
gem
from
the
premier
to
quote
out
of
the
chief's
letter
in
response
to
a
reporter's
question.
Last
thursday
july
9th
you
stated
that
people
here
could
call
the
cops
and
were
you
not
advised
that
there
was
no
rcmp
detachment
in
blue
river?
End
quote
the
chief
also
says
it
is
vitally
important
that
you
understand
the
smaller
communities
that
you
serve.
We
all
have
a
voice.
I
End
quote
so
again
to
the
premier.
Why
has
this
government
sat
on
their
hands
for
two
years
pitted
three
different
communities
to
get
against
each
other,
while
dumping
hundreds
of
thousands
of
dollars
on
ndp
insiders
over
the
last
few
months
on
a
pipeline?
They
want
to
see
move
forward
and
using
the
residents
of
the
north
thompson
valley
as
the
last
tool
in
their
tool
kit
to
try
to
stop
kinder
morgan
construction.
K
And
thank
you,
honorable
speaker,
and
we
understand
and
share
the
very
significant
concerns
that
have
come
in
from
cook
bee
loring
and
cook
me
casimir
from
the
simp
and
the
kamloops
first
nation.
We
received
the
letter
in
the
within
the
last
week.
My
office
is
currently
working
to
schedule,
a
meeting
with
them
as
soon
as
possible
to
discuss
the
situation
and
determine
if
there
may
be
ways
that
we
can
work
together
to
address
their
concerns
and
that
work
is
underway.
Honorable
speaker.
L
Thanks,
mr
speaker,
my
question
is
also
to
the
minister
of
indigenous
relations
and
reconciliation,
who
represents
the
wet,
sweat
and
first
nations,
specifically,
who
has
the
legal
authority
to
negotiate
and
enter
into
an
agreement
with
the
government
of
british
columbia
on
behalf
of
the
people
of
the
wet
sweden.
K
Yeah,
thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and,
as
the
members
all
know,
I
think,
including
the
member
that
just
asked
the
question
that
there's
there's
significant
discrepancy
within
with
solatin
about
governance.
In
the
mou
that
we
were
able
to
achieve
with
the
hereditary
chiefs.
K
L
Well,
thanks
honorable
speaker,
I
may
have
just
asked
the
minister,
the
easiest
question
ever
asked
in
a
question
period,
but
he
couldn't
give
the
answer.
The
answer
is
the
dually
elected
chief
and
council
of
the
people
of
the
wet,
sweat
and
first
nation.
L
Mr
speaker,
the
elected
leaders
of
the
wet,
sweat
and
first
nation
made
their
opposition
to
this
process
clear
back
in
may.
They
have
done
so
again
as
recently
as
june,
the
24th,
where
they
said
this.
Mr
speaker,
regarding
the
mou
negotiations,
we
have
repeatedly
and
forcefully
advised
canada,
british
columbia.
L
K
K
Notwithstanding
the
memorandum
of
understanding
is
honorable
speaker,
it's
a
first
step
towards
resolving
the
difficult
and
complicated
issues
around
with
soweton
rights
entitled
and
these
issues
the
members
should
know,
remain
unresolved
for
over
the
last
25
years,
since
the
1997
delgamuca
stay
away
decision.
It
is
important
to
remember,
I
think,
honorable
speaker,
that
this
is
the
start
of
a
negotiating
process
and
we
have
a
great
deal
of
work
to
do
and,
as
I've
mentioned
reunification
with
the
with
so
the
nation
is
essential
for
this
work.
K
M
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Not
only
has
the
watson
first
nation
leadership
advised
in
the
letter
that
they
have
been
completely
excluded
from
all
of
these
negotiations,
but
they
point
out
something
else,
and
maybe
the
minister
needs
a
reminder.
They
point
out
this.
We
must
also
remind
you
that
your
ministry
has
previously
acknowledged
in
writing
the
strength
of
claim
of
what
so
it
in
first
nation
to
aboriginal
rights
and
title
in
our
territory.
K
Yeah,
thank
you,
honorable
speaker
and
as
I
I
I
have
always
recognized
the
important
role
and
the
significant
role
that
all
the
elected
chiefs
and
councillors,
the
with
silicon
elected
bans
and
councils,
have
that
they
play,
and
you
know
the
negotiations
that
we
have
with
them
are
continuing
with
whether
it's
with
forest
agreements
or
or
whatever
honorable
speaker,
and
what
we
have
now
is
engaged
a
memorandum
of
understanding,
which
is
the
very
first
part
of
a
step
in
trying
to
address
the
the
incomplete
work
really
that
that
we
were
left
with
from
25
years
ago,
with
the
get
the
belgian
movie
stay
away
decision.
K
Of
course,
as
I've
said
already,
that
needs
to
be
an
inclusive
process,
I'll
speaker
in
the
sense
that
we
have
built
into
the
memorandum
of
understanding
the
the
necessity
to
address
the
governance,
issues
that
that
and
and
and
the
controversy
that
that
exists
within
the
sourcing
people
and
the
governance
structures
that
that
need
to
to
need
to
reflect
that.
So
that
work
is
underway,
honorable,
speaker
and
and
I'm
hopeful
that
that
is
the
right
direction.