►
From YouTube: DECEMBER 17 2020 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
1st Session
42nd Parliament
C
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
On
tuesday
sam
from
port
moody
wrote
an
email
to
the
premier.
This
is
what
sam
wrote
and
I
quote.
I
had
been
observing
how
the
ndp
is
handling
the
pwd
rates,
clawback
and
premier.
You
chose
to
make
the
harsh
changes
after
the
election
by
clawing
back
the
pwd
rates,
when
these
people
are
some
of
the
most
vulnerable
people
during
the
pandemic.
C
It
is
incomprehensible.
End
quote,
the
premier
has,
throughout
the
course
of
the
last
days,
tried
to
dodge
accountability
by
making
the
absolutely
ridiculous
claim
that
he
is
the
only.
He
is
only
one
voice
at
the
cabinet
table
well
to
the
premier.
That's
simply
not
good
enough.
Will
he
stand
up?
Do
his
job
and
end
the
claw
back.
B
D
Thank
you
from
philharmonic
territory.
I
appreciate
the
question
from
the
leader
of
the
opposition,
as
we've
said
quite
clearly.
We're
pleased
that
the
benefit
which
is
for
recovery
benefit
is
elf,
is
available
to
all
3.7
million
british
columbians
and
to
just
review.
The
members
should
know
that
in
march
the
province
introduced
the
workers
benefit,
for
which
these
individuals
were
not
eligible.
D
C
Well,
thank
you
very
much
and,
and
you
know
what
the
minister
should
know
and
be
paying
attention
to,
are
the
voices
of
per
people
in
british
columbia,
people
with
disabilities,
low
income,
seniors
and,
frankly,
they're
getting
tired
of
listening
to
this
minister,
give
the
same
answer
day
after
day
after
day.
Here's
what
sam
had
to
say
to
the
premier.
C
I
quote
again:
the
focus
is
now
not
what
happened
16
years
ago
or
two
years
ago.
It
is
now,
and
we
will
be
watching
you
to
keep
your
word
because
right
now
you
don't
appear
to
be
advocating,
and
instead
you
took
action,
clawing
back
pwd
rates.
This
is
the
saddest
decision
this
government
has
ever
made
end
quote.
So
will
the
minister
the
premier
somebody
stand
up
and
answer?
Sam's
concerns
sam
and
thousands
of
other
british
colombians
like
sam?
D
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker,
and
if
the
opposition
wanted
to
ask
a
different
question,
they
would
get
a
different
answer,
but
the
question
has
been
the
same
and
the
answer
has
been
clear:
individuals
receiving
income
assistance
and
disability
assistance
are
eligible
for
more
money
by
the
end
of
march,
and
if
the
member
will
just
cast
her
mind
back
not
that
long
ago,
she'll
remember
that
her
government
was
responsible
for
not
just
the
clawbacks
of
the
transportation
supplement
maternity
benefits.
D
The
province
is
committed
to
reducing
poverty
and
we've
made
important
steps
in
that
direction.
After
years
and
years
of
inaction,
I'm
pleased-
and
I
think
the
members
should
remind
all
their
constituents
that
they
are
eligible
for
this
funding
as
part
of
the
recovery
benefit.
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
E
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker,
joel
smith,
with
the
council
of
canadians
with
disabilities,
said,
and
I
quote,
cutting
this
300
benefit
in
half
and
then
eliminating
it
completely
in
three
months
is
shocking
and,
frankly,
quite
cruel.
We
certainly
did
not
expect
the
benefit
to
be
cut
before
the
pandemic
was
over.
End
quote
to
the
premier
williams
claw
back.
D
Thank
you
very
much
to
the
member
for
peace
river
north.
I
can
tell
him
quite
clearly
that
the
recovery
benefit
being
eligible
or
available
to
3.7
million.
D
E
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
you
know
the
the
minister,
I
think,
is
the
one
that
is
doing
the
math
wrong
and
every
other
british
columbian
and
everybody
that's
on
social
media.
Everyone
has
been
reaching
out
to
myself
as
well
as
I'm
sure
the
minister
sees
this
in
a
very
different
picture.
You
know
one
of
the
words
I
hear
this
is
now
a
christmas
claw
back
is
what
this
is
right
before
christmas
and
the
and
government
loves
to
go
down
memory
lane
recently.
E
The
now
premiere
have
this
to
say,
and
I
quote
I
want
to
ask:
I
want
to
plead
with
the
minister,
the
then
minister
of
social
development,
listen
to
the
people
you're
supposed
to
represent,
not
the
spin
doctors
back
at
public
affairs.
It's
your
decision.
Do
the
right
thing,
end
quote
so
maybe
the
premiere,
maybe
the
premier.
B
E
D
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker,
and
I
thank
the
member
for
his
supplemental.
I'm
not
traveling
that
far
down
memory
lane,
in
fact,
just
to
march
of
this
year
march
of
this
year,
we
instituted
a
workers.
Recovery
benefit
a
worker's
benefit
that
was
eligible.
That
was
made
eligible
to
a
certain
number
of
people
that
did
not
include
people
on
disability,
assistance
or
income
assistance
and
did
not
reach
to
the
seniors
who
were
receiving
the
supplement.
So
we
instituted
a
300
a
month
supplement
that
300
month
supplement
was
scheduled
for
three
months.
D
We
now
have
a
recovery
benefit
for
which
people
on
income,
assistance
and
disability
assistance
are
eligible,
so
I'm
pleased
to
say
that
at
the
end
of
march,
those
under
income,
assistance
and
disability
assistance,
and
indeed
those
receiving
the
senior
supplement,
will
be
eligible
for
more
money
than
they
otherwise
would
have.
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,.
A
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
As
we
move
into
the
winter
months
bc,
businesses
are
facing
challenges
like
they've,
never
seen
before.
It's
heartbreaking
to
see
how
many
family-owned
businesses,
the
entrepreneurs,
the
investors
in
our
communities,
are
going
to
be
closing
the
doors
permanently
so
far.
This
government
frankly
hasn't
acted
quickly
enough
to
throw
the
lifeline
to
these
businesses.
A
The
programs
that
have
been
developed
have
been
difficult
to
access
with
a
lot
of
red
tape,
and
it's
unclear
the
timeline
about
when
the
money
will
flow.
Mr
speaker,
today's
fiscal
update
did
not
shed
any
light
on
the
300
million
dollar
small
business
program
that
it
this
government
created
back
in
september.
This
money
is
an
essential
lifeline
for
businesses
and
needs
to
be
landing
now
to
have
the
greatest
impact.
My
question
through
you,
mr
speaker,
to
the
minister
of
jobs,
economic,
economic,
recovery
and
innovation.
A
F
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
I
want
to
thank
the
member
for
his
question
and
we,
of
course,
on
this
side
of
the
house.
We
know
that
it's
a
challenging
time
not
only
for
small
businesses
but
people
throughout
bc
and
and
the
member
talks
about
one
grant,
but
I
think
he
has
to
also
acknowledge
the
host
of
things
that
we've
been
doing
as
a
government
to
support
small
businesses.
F
Just
recently,
a
survey
came
out
on
our
speaker
that
two-thirds
of
all
businesses
in
bc
are
functioning
right
now
with
supports
of
government.
That's
a
significant
number,
95
percent
of
jobs
that
we
lost
during
covet
have
have
come
back.
That's
something
that
was
raised
again
by
the
minister
of
finance.
F
Today,
in
the
economic
update,
470
million
dollars
went
to
psd
rebates.
We
brought
in
tax
credits
for
payroll
for
employers
that
wanted
to
either
hire
new
employees
or
bring
employees
back
and
so
and
there's
a
whole
host
of
others.
Honorable
speaker,
but
I
appreciate
the
members
question.
We
also
know
how
difficult
of
a
time
it
is.
We've
been
working
for
the
last
two
weeks
since
I've
been
named
in
this
portfolio
with
stakeholders
to
find
ways
that
more
business
can
get
access
to
this
program.
A
I
think
what
we're
trying
to
get
to
with
the
point
of
this
question
is
some
actual
substance
and
unfortunately,
what
we
continue
to
get
and
what
we've
got
quite
often
in
our
responses
in
this
session
is
rhetoric
we're
looking
for
the
numbers.
We
want
to
know
how
much
of
the
300
million
dollars
which
which
we
in
this
place
have
put
forward
to
businesses
have
got
to
businesses.
We
want
to
know
how
many
businesses
have
applied.
We
want
to
know
how
successful
this
program
has
been,
and
unfortunately
there
was
a
missed
opportunity.
A
This
morning
the
minister
just
missed
another
opportunity
to
highlight
the
success
of
this
program.
If,
indeed,
this
program
has
been
successful.
It's
december.
This
program
is
now
three
months
old.
It's
been
eight
months
since
this
house
authorized
that
the
government
to
spend
1.5
billion
dollars.
The
only
report
that
we've
seen
so
far
suggests
500
businesses
have
applied
meaning
if
they
got
the
full
subsidy.
Only
15
million
dollars
of
the
300
million
five
percent
has
actually
been
allocated.
Those
are
old
numbers
we're
just
looking
for
new
numbers.
A
Mr
speaker,
my
question
again
is
to
the
minister
of
jobs,
economic
recovery
and
innovation.
When
can
we
expect
a
full
and
comprehensive
update
about
how
this
money
that's
been
earmarked
for?
Small
businesses
has
been
spent,
and
when
will
we
know
how
many
businesses
have
actually
been
supported
for
these
holidays.
F
Thank
you,
honorable,
speaker
and,
and
and
I've
already
shared
with
the
members
that
over
1400
businesses
have
already
come
through
the
door,
and
it's
important
to
note
on
our
speaker
that
the
the
program
was
set
up
in
a
two-stage
approach.
F
First
stage
for
these
businesses
was
up
to
two
thousand
dollars
for
supports
for
them
to
build
a
financial
plan
for
them
for
their
own
recovery,
which
has
been
well
received
by
many
businesses
through
obesity.
The
second
stage
was
the
financial
supports,
but
you
know
the
the
member
has
to
acknowledge
the
amount
of
investments
we've
made
to
support
businesses
through
obc.
It's
it's
considerable.
I
mean
we've
got
190
million
dollars
in
tax
credits
for
them
to
bring
back
employees
or
hire
new
employees,
25
percent
property
tax
cut.
F
Honorable
speaker,
that's
significant,
also
65
percent
of
65
percent
of
rent
support
from
the
federal
government.
You
know
even
the
restaurant
sector,
we
know
they
were
hurt.
On
our
speaker.
We
took
actions
to
expediate
the
members.
F
It's
difficult
to
hear
all
the
investments
we're
making
on
a
little
speaker
and
and
but
they
should
hear
this
honorable
speaker,
it's
important-
it's
important
honorable
speaker,
because
it's
a
responsibility
of
all
of
us
to
make
sure
that
businesses
know
that
these
supports
are
available
for
them.
We've
been
meeting
with
stakeholders
in
various
sectors,
the
associations-
they
all
agree-
that
they're
going
to
work
together
to
make
sure
every
one
of
their
members
knows
all
the
things
that
are
available
for
them.
F
G
She's
created
further
uncertainty
around
the
budget
process
by
altering
basic
timing
and
reporting
requirements,
and
today
we
are
witnessing
yet
another
blatant
attempt
at
budgetary
manipulation.
The
minister
and
her
government
are
asking
for
authority
to
spend
an
additional
two
billion
dollars.
It's
two
billion
dollars.
The
government
doesn't
have
they're
gonna
have
to
borrow,
but
to
the
point
made
by
the
member
for
saanich.
G
C
H
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
in
her
report
left
behind
the
representative
for
children
and
youth,
told
the
heartbreaking
stories
of
parents
of
children
and
youth
with
special
needs
who
have
been
supported
by
the
province
pandemic.
Support
was
stopped
in
the
fall,
and
parents
have
struggled
ever
since,
as
the
snap
election
meant
no
support.
H
I
With
this
pandemic,
we
did
step
in.
We
did
offer
support
and
we're
continuing
to
offer
flexibility
in
the
use
of
resources
for
respite
and
families,
and
people
who
serve.
Families
have
told
us
that
that
has
been
very
welcome,
but
the
system
needs
a
fixed
honorable
speaker.
We
need
to
put
children
and
youth
at
the
center
of
the
system
and
in
my
mandate
letter
the
premier
has
tasked
me
to
do
that,
and
I've
already
instructed
staff
to
get
moving
on
this
as
quickly
as
we
can
and
to
strike
an
advisory
panel.
Thank
you.
J
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Yesterday
the
government
seemed
surprised
that
they
had
promised
parents
an
extra
250
million
dollar
for
child
care
in
this
fiscal
year.
Their
response
from
the
minister
of
finance
was
quote.
It
would
be
an
inappropriate
place
for
those
investments
to
be
made.
End
quote
moms
and
dads
are
feeling
extra
pressure
this
year
and
believe
that
government's
promise
was
not
an
empty
one
to
the
premier.
J
M
M
The
only
thing
that
the
small
business
community
has
seen
from
the
ndp
thus
far
in
terms
of
health
has
been
a
a
single
economic
recovery
grant
program
which
mr
speaker
very
few,
are
applying
for,
because
very
few
are
eligible
for
it's
a
red
tape
disaster.
Now,
if
we
want
confirmation
on
this,
mr
speaker,
you
just
have
to
look
at
the
numbers.
M
The
the
minister
of
jobs
has
has
thrown
out
the
number
of
1400
businesses
that
are
in
the
process
of
applying
for
the
small
and
medium-sized
business
recovery,
grant
that's
of
an
estimated
15
000
businesses
that
the
government
projected
would
be
eligible
for
this.
For
this
benefit.
Now
I've
asked
these
questions
multiple
times
last
week,
and
this
week
I
asked
them
in
supplementary
estimates.
Yesterday
I've
asked
them
in
question
period.
M
The
member
from
saanich
north
in
the
island
says
asta
has
asked
for
for
questions,
we're
looking
for
detail,
so
I'm
going
to
ask
one
more
time.
A
question
to
the
premier
would
be
this
of
the
300
million
dollars.
That's
in
this
in
this
grant
program
exactly
how
much
how
many
dollars
have
actually
been
allocated
to
those
that
are
in
in
the
process
of
applying
for
this
funding.
I'd
like
the
the
government
to
answer
that
and
answer
that
in
detail
today.
F
Thank
you,
honorable,
speaker
and
and
there's
a
couple.
F
Okay,
thank
you
honorable
speaker
and
the
member
wants
to
know
how
much
money
is
allocated
and
I'm
gonna
tell
the
members
300
million
dollars
has
been
allocated.
B
F
We
have
one
of
the
most
comprehensive
plans
across
the
country,
honorable
speaker,
one
of
the
most
comprehensive
plans
across
the
country,
470
million
dollars
in
pst
rebates
member
failed
to
mention
that
in
his
remarks,
300
million
dollars.
Of
course,
he
mentioned
190
million
dollars
in
tax
credits
for
businesses
that
want
to
either
hire
someone
new
or
bring
employees
back,
and
we
know
many
sectors
face
different
challenges.
We
know
that
the
restaurant
sector
faces
significant
challenges.
F
F
That's
not
even
mentioning
all
the
supports
that
the
federal
government
has
put
in
place
as
well.
Honourable
member,
so
I
would
say
that
the
stats
were
clear.
The
minister
of
finance
said
confirmed
it
today,
where
95
percent
of
jobs
that
we
lost
pre-covet
have
come
back.
We
know
with
the
new
coven
restrictions
that
there's
going
to
be
some
significant
challenges
for
businesses
over
the
holidays,
we're
going
to
continue
to
work
with
them
to
ensure
that
we
make
this
program
as
accessible
as
possible,
so
that
as
many
businesses
as
possible
can
get
the
supports.
F
N
Thank
you,
honourable
speaker.
Yesterday
we
asked
the
minister
a
simple
question:
when
would
the
tourism
industry
receive
the
financial
support,
this
government
promised
them
and
what
was
her
response?
She
used
the
pandemic
as
an
excuse.
What
the
minister
doesn't
seem
to
understand
is
this.
Businesses
need
help
now
because
we
are
still
in
the
middle
of
a
global
pandemic.
N
L
Thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and
I'd
like
to
thank
the
member
again
for
the
question.
The
first
week
on
the
job
I
met
with
the
chair
of
the
task
force
that
our
government
put
into
place.
One
of
the
key
actions
that
we
did
was
set
aside:
50
million
dollars
to
the
task
force
we
have
in
the
middle
of
this
pandemic,
set
aside
100
million
dollars
for
recovery
to
invest
in
infrastructure.
L
The
most
immediate
focus
right
now
is
people
safety,
but
when
this
pandemic
is
over,
we
need
to
return
to
the
business
of
tourism
being
on
the
map
for
visitors
to
come
to
british
columbia,
and
we
want
it
to
be
safe.
So
for
right
now
we
are
working
to
implement
the
recommendations
of
the
task
force.
I
received
it.
Last
week
I've
met
with
the
task
force.
There
are
seven
recommendations.
L
L
H
H
O
You
know
I'm
encouraged
that
some
of
the
measures
that
my
predecessor,
the
first
minister
of
mental
health
and
addictions
across
the
country,
some
of
the
measures
brought
in
over
the
last
three
years,
had
started
to
curve
down
the
line
of
overdose
deaths.
But
sadly
the
pandemic
has
made
everything
worse,
and
so
we
have
been
working
flat
out
the
mandate
that
the
premier
has
given
me
to
build
more
treatment
beds
to
expand
overdose
prevention
services
to
work
on
prescription,
safe
supply.
O
To
advocate
to
the
federal
government
for
the
decriminalization
of
small
amounts
of
illicit
drugs,
the
personal
possession
as
a
way
to
reduce
stigma
is
going
to
help
all
of
those
pieces,
but
no
one
single
measure
will
will
do
the
work
that
is
necessary
to
save
the
lives
that
we
are
committed
to
saving.
I
will
note
the
new
surrey,
mental
health
and
addictions
treatment
response
center
that
was
established
in
syria
in
the
members
riding.