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From YouTube: JUNE 22 2020 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
5th Session
41st Parliament
C
It's
had
a
profound
impact
on
British
Columbians
they've,
been
impacts
on
families,
they've
been
impacts
on
communities
and,
of
course,
there
have
been
those
who've
been
stricken
by
the
disease
and
those
who
have
unfortunately
died
due
to
the
disease,
but
now
our
task.
What
brings
us
here
is
to
move
British
Columbia
into
the
future,
to
talk
about
making
British
Columbia
a
better
place
to
talk
about
recovery.
C
Now
we're
concerned
as
the
opposition,
because
we
heard
last
week
that,
rather
than
disclosing
a
plan
for
economic
recovery
in
British
Columbia,
the
Premier's
decided
to
embark
on
another
survey
that
will
last
for
weeks,
and
so
we
have
to
turn
to
the
premier
and
say
we
can
do
better.
You
can
do
better
as
the
government.
We
must
do
better,
so
the
British
Columbians
have
some
sense
of
hope
that
they
can
recover
from
this
without
massive
job
loss
and
business
insolvency.
So
the
question
goes
to
the
premier.
D
Premier,
thank
your
honorable,
speaker
and
I
thank
the
member
for
his
question.
I
want
to
also
welcome
those
who
are
sitting
in
their
offices
across
British,
Columbia
and
those
that
are
joining
us
here
in
the
legislature
today,
for
what
will
be
I
think
an
extraordinary
question
period
for
all
of
us
and
I
do
appreciate
the
the
members
question
and
I
do
know.
He
would
agree
with
me
that
the
past
hundred
days
have
been
extraordinary
for
British
Columbians,
whether
they
be
employees
or
employers,
and
we've
been
taking.
Steps
collectively
met
mr.
D
speaker
to
address
issues
as
they've
emerged,
whether
it
be
in
the
hospitality
sector,
whether
it
be
in
construction,
whether
it
be
in
a
range
of
sectors,
we've
been
working
hand
in
hand
with
leaders
with
workers
to
come
forward
with
proposals
and
suggestions.
I'd
also
say
that
members
of
this
house
on
all
sides
in
all
parties
have
been
providing
advice
and
counsel
to
government,
and
we've
been
taking
that
greatly
and
putting
it
into
action
in
many
sectors.
What
we're
doing
now
is
asking
British
Columbians
what
their
thoughts
are.
D
We
have
the
opportunities
and
the
luxury
and
the
privilege
of
sitting
in
this
place
of
penning
letters
of
making
comments
and
engaging
with
people
in
a
way
that
British
Columbians
don't.
So.
This
is
not
a
delay
in
restart.
We
have
been
going
since
the
middle
of
May.
We
have
been
adding
to
the
basket
of
initiatives,
a
five
billion
dollar
commitment
that
the
Minister
of
Finance
and
I
made
in
our
action
plan.
Not
that
long
ago
and
I
know
the
minister,
the
member
on
the
other
side
will
be
supporting
us
as
we
go
forward.
C
You
mr.
speaker,
well
I've
had
the
fortunate
opportunity
to
speak
to
British
Columbians
all
over
this
province
in
the
last
hundred
days
in
electronic
town
halls
up
to
11,000
people
listening
to
their
concerns.
Listening
to
their
worries,
British
clements
are
extremely
concerned
about
the
future
starting
now,
but
certainly
going
into
the
fall
where
bills
will
become
due,
including
all
the
deferred,
taxes
and
fees
from
this
government
and
they're.
Looking
for
ideas
about
how
we
can
recover
it's
not
just
about
opening
the
doors
again,
that's
a
public
health
declaration.
C
It's
not
an
economic
plan,
because
British
Columbians
are
feeling
impoverished,
they're
feeling
worried
about
the
ability
to
go
out
and
spend
and
participate
in
the
economy,
and
so
we
see
on
the
streets
of
Victoria
there
virtually
empty
during
the
business
day,
because
people
do
not
have
confidence
that
they
can
get
out
there
and
participate
in
the
economy
again.
So
we're
asking
this
premier
to
think
about
the
people
who
have
mortgages
the
people
who
have
kids
the
people
who
want
to
go
to
work,
whether
as
an
employee
or
as
an
employer
or
both
for
that
matter.
D
Thank
You
honourable
speaker,
and
we
have
been
working-
it's
March
to
put
in
place
initiatives
to
protect
workers
to
protect
businesses,
five
billion
dollars,
1.5
billion
of
that
remains
for
a
stimulus
package
that
will
be
rolling
out
in
the
days
ahead
to
make
sure
that
British
Columbians
stand
in
good
stead
across
the
country
and
indeed
around
the
world.
I
think
it's
important
for
the
leader
of
the
Opposition
that
members
in
this
house
and
at
home
to
remember
that
this
is
not
a
British
Columbia
problem.
D
Henry
and
Minister
Dix,
as
we
laid
out
the
health
challenges
that
people
were
facing
and
I
would
suggest
to
the
member
and
I'm
sure
he
knows
this,
that
in
order
to
build
confidence
for
consumers
to
go
back
into
into
retail,
into
hospitality
and
other
sectors
that
require
that
type
of
activity,
we're
gonna
have
to
do
a
couple
of
things.
We're
gonna
have
to
make
sure
that
the
workplace
is
safe.
D
Worksafebc
has
been
working
with
the
public
health
officers
to
make
sure
that
we
put
in
place
guidelines
so
that
customers
can
be
comfortable
when
they
go
into
an
establishment
that
they're
going
to
be
safe
and
the
workers
in
there
are
safe
as
well.
This
cannot
be
done
by
snapping
fingers.
It
cannot
be
done
by
edicts
brought
forward
in
question
period,
but
I'm
happy
as
I
have
been
for
the
past
number
of
weeks
to
read,
suggestions
and
hear
suggestions
from
members
of
this
house
anytime
anywhere
the
member
put
forward.
Some
tax
changes,
I
suggest
he'd.
D
C
Thank
you.
Mr.
speaker.
We
here
the
premier
talking
consistently
about
public
health
measures
which
actually
don't
have
anything
to
do
with
economic
recovery.
The
federal
government
has
spent
$7,000
for
every
living,
breathing
human
being
in
this
country
in
an
economic
support
and
stimulus
package.
So
far,
the
provincial
government
has
spent
one
tenth
of
that
$700.
C
It's
a
paltry
contribution
to
a
colossal
problem.
We
have
more
than
500
British
Columbians,
who
are
not
employed
now
compared
to
a
year
ago.
This
crisis
has
disproportionately
damaged
the
careers
of
women
and
youth
and
I
think
we
all
know
young
people
who
are
now
adrift
living
on
a
federal
check
for
$1,250
a
month
wondering
where
their
future
lives.
It
cries
out
for
leadership
from
this
government
to
talk
about
what
the
future
holds
for
British
Columbians,
so
once
more
allows
the
premier.
C
B
D
You,
honorable
speaker,
I,
guess
perhaps
we're
not
getting
press
releases
through
to
the
official
opposition.
That
surprises
me,
they're
readily
available
on
on
the
Internet
BC
dot
CA,
the
emergency
benefit
for
workers.
$1,000
is
already
250
350
dollars
higher
than
the
number
that
the
member
articulated
there
this
month,
another
451
dollars
through
the
climate
action
tax
credit
will
be
going
to
families
who
deserve
that
up
to
families
of
4c.
$450
temporary
rent
supplement
the
only
province
in
the
country
to
bring
forward
a
temporary
rent
supplement
because
of
the
high
cost
of
housing
in
British
Columbia.
D
The
members
might
be
aware
of
how
that
happens
over
time,
but
we're
the
only
province
to
put
that
in
place
and
we're
going
to
advance
it
for
a
couple
of
more
months
as
we
go
forward,
there
will
be
a
thousand
dollar
grant
for
those
seeking
a
diploma,
a
certificate
or
a
degree
come
September.
The
first
time
a
non-refundable
grant
will
be
available
to
young
people
in
British
Columbia
in
16
years.
So
I
we're
doing
our
part
on
this
paper.
D
We're
doing
our
part
to
lay
the
groundwork
for
a
very
challenging
future
and
I'm
under
no
illusion
and
I
know
the
members
under
no
illusion
as
well.
We
need
to
continue
to
work
together.
I
appreciate
that
the
responsibility
of
the
Opposition
is
to
hold
us
accountable,
I'm,
fine
with
that,
but
don't
make
stuff
up.
We've
already
far
exceeded
the
the
last
comments
in
your
question,
I'm
sure
we'll
hear
more
as
the
half-an-hour
progresses
remember.
E
You,
mr.
speaker,
small
businesses
are
pleading
with
the
Minister
of
Labour
to
change
employment
rules
to
extend
layoff
time
limits
to
the
end
of
August,
plus
an
additional
six
weeks
once
emergency
orders
are
lifted.
Mr.
speaker,
this
is
what
Anita
Berman
from
the
Seri
Board
of
Trade
had
to
say
quote.
Revisit
your
recent
negative
response
to
the
business
community.
Take
action,
severance
payments
will
be
significant
and
in
many
cases,
will
lead
to
bankruptcy.
Is
that
what
the
BC
government
wants?
E
D
You
Rama
speaker
and
I
thank
the
member
for
his
question.
We
did
hear
of
this
issue.
We
put
in
place
the
the
variance
or
the
extension.
In
the
first
place.
There
is
under
Section
72
in
the
Employment
Standards
Act
an
opportunity
for
businesses
to
seek
variance
I
understand
from
correspondents
from
them
today.
That's
not
adequate
for
their
needs.
We're
quite
happy
to
continue,
engage
in
discussion.
This
is
an
important
issue.
D
The
member
knows
that
Blatz
I
hope
the
businesses
are
not
saying
through
you
to
to
the
house
and
to
workers
across
British
Columbia
that
the
severance
that
they
earn,
those
workers
earned
over
many,
perhaps
potentially
decades,
of
employment
with
the
companies
in
question
are
to
give
up
that
separates,
because
if
that's
the
proposition
that
you're
putting
forward,
we
disagree
with
it.
The
question
at
hand
here
is:
can
we
find
a
way
for
businesses
and
workers
to
find
an
accommodation
so
that
we
can
get
back
to
where
we
were
pre?
Koban?
D
E
You,
mr.
speaker,
this
is
what
I'm
suggesting
in
my
community
Richmond
Richmond
Queensboro
the
constituency
that
I
represent
I
have
a
small
events
company.
They
have
six
employees.
Five
of
them
have
been
laid
off.
They
are
getting
to
the
point.
Well,
they'll
have
to
pay
severance
those
that
cost
that
company
can't
afford.
They
will
have
to
declare
bankruptcy.
There
will
be
no
job
for
those
employees
to
go
back
to
and
I
remind
the
premiers.
E
Just
think
about
that
for
a
second
that
this
small
business
that
employs
six
people
has
survived
the
quote:
vid
pandemic,
but
isn't
going
to
survive.
Ndp
policy,
that's
the
issue
here,
mr.
speaker,
and
the
fact
that
various
organizations
around
British
Columbia
had
to
send
a
letter
today
up
until
yesterday.
In
fact,
up
until
two
hours
ago,
the
answer
was
no
from
the
Minister
of
Labour.
Absolutely
no.
E
Instead,
you
have
the
Vancouver
border
trade,
the
surrey
border
trade,
the
BC
Chamber
of
Commerce,
the
Kean
Federation
independent
business,
I
CBA,
the
restaurant
Canada
retail
Council
BC
Hotel
Association
of
collectively
spoken
in
one
voice
that
this
is
a
clear
and
present
issue.
Just
the
other
day,
BC
B
C's
also
stated
that
we
with
200,000
small
businesses
in
this
problem,
they
expect
10
to
15%
to
go
under
by
the
end
of
2021.
E
That's
what
we're
talking
about
here.
It's
a
small
mom-and-pop
shops
that
are
impacted
the
backbone
of
our
economy.
Mr.
speaker,
the
business
community
is
also
saying
today
quote:
BC
employers
will
be
faced
with
regulated
chaos,
as
the
clock
ticks
down
to
deadlines,
beginning
in
early
July,
forcing
many
businesses
by
law
to
terminate
laid
off
employees
and
pay
out
severance
end
quote.
Will
the
labor
minister
act
now
before
it's
too
late?
D
You,
honorable
speaker
and
again
we're
happy
to
engage
with
the
business
community
on
these
issues
they're
important
issues.
The
issue
of
severance,
however,
is
at
the
core
of
this
question
and
I
hope.
It's.
The
official
opposition's
position
that
those
workers
deserve
that
severance,
regardless
of
what
goes
forward.
We're
happy
to
work
with
small
businesses
through
their
representatives,
either
to
the
BC
Chamber
or
through
the
boards
of
trade.
I
have
a
meeting
on
Thursday
with
them.
F
Honourable
speaker,
during
this
pandemic,
we've
seen
outbreaks
occur
in
many
of
our
provinces,
long-term
care
homes
and
assisted
living
living
facilities.
585
cases
as
of
June
17th
can
be
linked
to
those
outbreaks
and
heartbreakingly
116
residents
or
patients
have
died
of
kovat
19.
An
important
aspect
of
this
tragedy
is
the
part-time
hours.
Many
frontline
workers
are
hired
for
this
resulted
in
many
employees,
mostly
women
and
visible
minorities.
Working
in
multiple
facilities
to
make
ends
meet,
causing
them
unwittingly
to
spread
the
virus
between
multiple
homes.
F
I
welcome
the
fact
that
the
government
has
ordered
employees
to
only
work
at
one
facility
and
provided
a
backstop
for
those
who
have
suffered
financial
hardship.
As
a
result,
the
premier
has
said
that
he
quote
thinks
that
you
can
anticipate
that.
That
will
be.
In
fact,
you
can
be
certain
that
will
be
the
norm
going
forward.
End
quote
my
questions
for
you,
honorable
speakers
to
the
Minister
of
Health.
How
will
government
ensure
that
employees
are
being
paid
a
living
wage
so
that
they
can
afford
to
work
at
only
one
facility?
G
Thank
you
very
much,
honourable
speaker.
Thank
you
to
you
to
the
member
for
her
question.
The
single-site
order
that
was
put
in
place
pursuant
to
the
medical
health
officer
or
the
provincial
health
orders
or
officers
orders
included
a
very
significant
change
that
made
it
happen.
This
involved
by
the
way
501
facilities
and
48,000
795
for
employees
working
in
those
facilities,
8800
of
whom
worked
at
multiple
sites.
So
what's
happened
all
501
right
now,
all
501
have
have
single-site
orders
in
place.
G
All
eight
thousand
eight
hundred
and
seventy
four
employees
have
been
assigned
to
a
single
site.
In
addition,
all
of
those
employees
all
of
those
in
place,
all
of
them
not
just
eight
thousand
eight
hundred,
say
four
affected
by
the
single
site
order
are
seeing
a
top-up
to
their
wages,
to
bring
them
up
to
eg
ABC
negotiated
levels
and
those
who
have
a
particular
pay
grade
go
to
the
highest
pay
grade
if
they're
at
multiple
sites.
So
these
are
significant
changes.
G
I
want
to
say
that
we
made
this
happen
by
making
those
investments
by
supporting
the
process.
Other
provinces
talked
about
this.
The
British
Columbia,
with
the
support
of
all
political
parties,
have
acted
and
I
want
to
thank
everyone
involved
in
healthcare
who
made
it
happen.
Those
orders
are
going
to
be
in
place
for
some
time
and
give
us
the
opportunity
to
work
on
the
future,
but
I
have
to
say
that
it
has
been
the
contribution
of
unions
such
as
ATU
of
employers
such
as
those
represented
by
denominational
health
and
the
BC
care
providers
of
civilization.
G
F
Currently,
BC
spends
1.3
billion
dollars
per
year,
contracting
for-profit
companies
and
not-for-profit
societies
to
operate.
Two-Thirds
of
the
provinces,
long-term
care
beds,
the
not-for-profit
sector
spends
almost
$10,000
or
24%
more
per
resident
per
year
than
the
for-profit
sectors
on
direct
care.
One
of
the
biggest
reasons
for
this
disparity
is
the
for-profit
sector
under
pays
their
care
aid
staff
by
as
much
as
twenty
eight
percent
compared
to
the
industry
standard.
F
Not
only
that,
according
to
the
latest
report
from
the
BC
seniors
advocate,
the
for-profit
sector
failed
to
deliver
207th,
ow
and
hours
of
funded
care,
which
means
over
200,000
hours
of
care
paid
for
with
public
funds
was
never
provided.
In
contrast,
the
not-for-profit
sector
provided
every
hour
they
were
funded
to
deliver
and
then
80,000
hours
more.
My
question
through
you,
honorable
speaker,
is
the
Minister
of
Health
on
March
4th
2020,
the
minister
said
in
relation
to
for-profit
companies
and
I
quote:
they
have
the
responsibility
to
provide
care.
F
G
Thank
you
very
much.
Thank
you
very
much
for
the
supplementary
question.
I
think
you'll
note
that
the
report
of
the
seniors
advocate
was
based
on
the
fiscal
year,
2017
18.
Since
then,
a
number
of
changes
that
occurred
that
are
important
unanimously
in
this
house
members
supported
bill
47,
which
got
rid
of
bills,
29
and
94
and
empowered
health
care
workers
in
a
way
that
hadn't
happened
before
it
gave
them
the
same
rights
as
other
workers
in
society.
G
Just
to
put
that
in
context,
that
is
more
than
three
hours
per
week
per
resident,
a
direct
care
under
provincial
standard.
There
were
75
such
care
homes.
Now
there
are
zero
and
we've
also
got
in
place,
began
working
with
a
team,
BC
approach
with
new
mechanisms
to
enforce
contracts
and
a
new
web-based
tool
which
will
be
worth
moving
to
this
summer
to
assist
everybody
in
ensuring
that
the
hours
provided
and
the
funding
provided
by
government
or,
in
fact
delivered
by
provide
we're
doing
this
by
working
together.
This
is
a
maiden
BC
approach.
G
It
involves
not-for-profit,
it
involves,
for-profit
involves
associations
of
employers
and
unions,
and
we
are
moving
forward
to
improve
seniors
care
in
this
province
and
those
changes
bill
47,
a
hiring
of
new
care
aides.
The
increase
in
care
standards
have
made
a
significant
difference
in
BC,
as
we've
done
through
the
Cova
19
pandemic.
H
You,
mr.
speaker,
mr.
speaker,
the
answer
is
the
premier
gave
to
the
member
from
Richmond
Queens
borough.
Our
seemed
to
be
a
little
bit
all
over
the
map.
On
the,
on
the
one
hand,
he's
saying
that
the
premier
is
saying
this
is
an
issue.
That's
just
come
up,
makes
it
sound
like
it
just
came
up,
it
makes
it
sound
like
it's
something
they're
fundamentally
opposed
to.
H
Yet
this
government
had
already
extended
it
from
13
weeks
to
16
weeks
for
a
temporary
layoff
and
then
makes
it
sound
as
if
they've
always
been
open
and
willing
to
discuss.
Even
though
last
week
his
minister
made
it
very
clear,
there
would
be
no
extension.
Mr.
speaker,
there
133,000
British
Columbians,
who
are
on
temporary
layoff
right
now,
thousands
of
small
businesses.
H
They
need
that
certainty
now
or
there
will
not
be
a
hundred
and
thirty
three
thousand
jobs
for
them
to
come
back
to
organizations
representing
thousands
of
small
businesses
have
written
today
and
I
quote
through
your
in
action
now
Minister,
you
are
dismissing
the
gravity
of
the
situation
still
facing
many
businesses
who
have
been
forced
to
close
or
curtail
operations
and
lay
off
workers,
and
quote
so
to
the
Minister
of
Labour
or
the
premier.
Will
the
time
limits
be
extended
today,
premier.
B
D
You
all
the
speaker
and
I
thank
the
member
for
the
question
and,
as
I
said
to
the
member
for
Richmond
Queensboro,
we
felt
that
the
the
provisions
under
Section
72
of
the
Employment
Standards
Act
were
adequate
for
companies
that
were
companies
that
were
affected
to
take
that
Avenue.
Clearly,
the
opposition
and
those
that
have
written
the
letter
today
have
a
different
view
on
that
matter,
and
I'm
absolutely
prepared
to
go
back
and
take
another
look
at
it.
This
isn't
about
trying
to
stop
people
from
succeeding.
D
Quite
the
contrary,
we've
been
spending
the
past
hundred
days,
doing
the
exact
opposite,
trying
to
make
sure
we're
putting
in
place
initiatives
that
will
help
people,
whether
it
be
working
with
the
very
businesses
that
you
just
articulated
in
convincing
the
federal
government
to
fully
fund
a
sick
pay
operation
that
will
allow
people
to
not
go
back
to
work
when
they're
sick
because
of
an
economic
imperative
that
was
driven.
That
was
driven
by
the
very
people
that
the
member
just
articulated
to
me.
So
it's
not
like.
D
We
haven't
been
working
closely
with
BC
Business
Council
with
the
boards
of
trade
with
the
BC
Chamber
of
Commerce.
Quite
the
contrary,
we've
been
working
very
closely
with
them
to
try
and
find
ways
that
we
can
collaborate,
workers,
employers,
community
groups
to
find
a
better
way
forward
and
I
hope.
The
opposition
will
join
us
I'm
happy
to
revisit
this
issue
with
these
groups
as
early
as
Thursday.
H
You,
mr.
speaker,
well,
these
groups
have
been
voicing
these
concerns
for
quite
some
time
now
and
they're
not
waiting
for
the
premier
to
find
some
yet
another
federal
program
to
try
to
ride
the
coattails
on
and
make
it
look
like
it's
a
provincial
program.
The
minister's
response
last
week
to
this
issue
was
to
say
that
employers
can
request
a
variance.
We
heard
the
premier
reference
to
variances
as
well
earlier.
The
business
community
responded
to
that
today
and
here's
another
quote.
D
You,
honorable
speaker,
we've
been
absolutely
overwhelmed
by
the
extraordinary
work
of
government
employees
over
the
past
hundred
days.
Doing
things
going
beyond
anything,
they
had
imagined
when
they
took
on
their
oath
of
office
and
they
signed
on
to
work
for
the
people
of
British
Columbia,
whether
it
be
to
go
to
airports,
to
add
more
resources
to
protect
our
borders
with
federal
employees,
whether
it
be
to
work
on
issues
like
this.
We
have
regular
meetings
with
the
economic
recovery
task
force
where
every
corner
of
government
is
coming
together
across
government
approach.
D
A
You
very
much
mr.
speaker
and
frankly
to
the
premier
that
isn't
an
adequate
answer.
Today,
the
Minister
of
Labour
received
an
absolutely
scathing
letter
from
organizations
representing
thousands
of
workers
across
the
province.
We've
heard
several
quotes,
but
let
me
provide
the
premier
of
the
minister
with
another
one.
A
This
is
what
the
business
community
wrote
to
the
Labour
Minister
today
and
I
quote
your
lack
of
appreciation
for
the
dire
situation
facing
thousands
of
small
businesses
and
workers
calls
into
question
the
Premier's
sincerity
and
thousands
of
businesses
now
face
what
amounts
to
a
regulated
insolvency
because
of
your
inaction.
End
quote
so
a
very
simple
question:
will
the
Minister
of
Labour
do
his
job
and
commit
to
extending
the
time
limits
today?.
D
You
rommel
speaker
I,
don't
know
if
the
technology
is
not
working
in
across
the
province
but,
as
I
said
to
the
member
for
Kamloops
North
Thompson
I'm
happy
to
revisit
this
question
as
and
I
will
be
speaking
with
many
of
the
signatories
of
the
letter
on
Thursday
and
if
that's
not
fast
enough,
we
can
set
up
an
earlier
call,
but
I
think
it's
appropriate
that
we
take
the
time
it's
already
scheduled.
These
are
busy
people
working
on
a
whole
host
of
issues.
D
A
Thank
you
very
much
and
we
can
save
the
premier
at
the
time
of
making
a
phone
call,
because
in
fact
what
he
could
do
is
commit
today
to
extending
the
timelines.
That's
what
business
organizations
you're
asking
for-
and
this
is
what
they
said
once
again
today
and
perhaps
the
premier
may
want
to
have
a
conversation
with
his
Labour
Minister.
The
business
community
repeatedly
brought
this
looming
issue
to
your
government's
attention,
beginning
in
early
April.
A
Regrettably,
you
have
not
reached
out
nor
responded
to
our
concerns
until
last
Thursday
June
17,
leaving
your
ministerial
duties
to
others,
end
quote
so
to
the
Minister
of
Labour.
Apparently
he
hasn't
had
a
conversation
with
the
premier.
This
has
been
a
discussion
item
since
early
April,
and
the
answer
was
known.
So
can
the
Minister
of
Labour
explain
why
he
would
force
the
permanent
layoff
of
workers,
whether
they
are
their
employees
like
it
or
not?
Premier.
B
D
Have
been
discussing
these
and
many
other
issues
for
over
a
hundred
days
now,
we've
had
a
cross
government
approach.
The
Minister
and
I
reviewed
this
issue.
We
felt
that
section
72,
as
I
said,
was
appropriate.
Clearly,
these
business
organizations
feel
differently
and
I
am
committing
today
to
speak
with
them
at
a
scheduled
phone
call
on
Thursday
to
address
the
question.
I
Mr.
speaker,
this
seems
to
be
an
NDP
pattern:
lots
of
discussions,
lots
of
surveys,
no
action,
hard
hit,
small
businesses
are
already
struggling
to
survive,
and
the
ministers
in
action
will
now
force
them
to
pay
significantly
unnecessary
costs,
which
will
be
the
final
straw
for
many
businesses.
Sadly,
for
example,
a
restaurant
with
30
staff
would
have
to
pay
$100,000
so
again
to
the
Minister
of
Labour.
Explain
why
he
is
forcing
small
businesses
to
permanently
layoff
workers
and
incur
costs
that
they
simply
cannot
afford.
Premier.
B
D
You,
honorable
speaker,
unnecessary
costs,
is
how
the
leader,
or
the
opposition
party,
refers
to
working
people
in
British
Columbia
unnecessary
costs.
This
is
a
severance
question.
This
is
us
if
the
whole
point
why
they're
asking
for
relief
is
because
they
can't
afford
the
severance
I
thought.
That's
what
one
of
your
questionnaires
asked
between
reading
paragraphs
from
a
letter
that
I've
acknowledged
I've
received
and
will
respond
to,
but
for
the
opposition
to
say
that
it's
it's
unacceptable
for
business
to
be
responsible
for
their
employees.
It's
a
bit
rich!
It's
a
bit
rich.
I
The
NDP
does
not
seem
to
understand
that
unnecessary
cost
to
businesses
cost
people
their
jobs
since
early
April,
small
businesses
have
repeatedly
begged
this
government
to
act.
What
is
being
asked
is
just
a
simple
fix
to
protect
businesses
from
being
permanently
asked
to
fire
their
employees.
It's
this
ministers,
inaction,
not
kovat
19
that
will
penalize
small
businesses
and
force
them
to
shudder
their
operations
for
good.
Will
the
Minister
of
Labour
explain
how
businesses
are
supposed
to
do
this
premier.
D
Thank
You
honorable
speaker,
well,
we've
been
working
with
businesses
on
a
whole
range
of
issues,
one
that
the
attorney-general
just
resolved.
Not
that
long
ago
was
wholesale
pricing
for
the
hospitality
sector.
That's
going
to
save
an
enormous
amount
of
money
for
small
businesses.
We
put
in
place
provisions
to
ensure
that
businesses
wouldn't
be
evicted
for
because
there
were
property
management
companies
that
wouldn't
apply
for
federal
relief.
We've
been
working
hand-in-hand
with
our
federal
partners
to
find
way
to
fill,
find
ways
to
fill
gaps
in
the
very
generous
programs.
D
They've
brought
forward,
and
it's
been
successful
to
this
point
in
time,
I
assumed
when
we
came
back
to
the
legislature.
Honourable
speaker,
when
we
could
talk
about
these
issues,
we
would
bring
up
more
than
one
piece
of
Correspondence
I'll.
Be
it
important
that
I
have
acknowledged
and
said
I
will
address
before
the
week
is
out
make.
Perhaps
maybe
you
should
get
another
refrain.
You've
had
a
hundred
days
to
figure
out
question
period,
I've
acknowledged,
I've
acknowledged
the
issue.
I've
acknowledged
the
issue.
We
felt
that
the
variance
was
appropriate.
The
opposition
disagrees
with
us.