►
From YouTube: DECEMBER 14 2020 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
1st Session
42nd Parliament
C
C
D
D
So
remember
quite
vividly
that
we
replaced
the
clawback
of
transportation
passes
that
were
taken
away
by
the
former
government.
Taking
bus
passes
away
from
people
with
disabilities
and
when
the
pandemic
hit,
we
introduced
a
new
300
a
month
benefit
for
a
three
month
period,
extended
it
for
another
three
months
and
have
only
recently
reduced
that
so
that
we
could
get
into
the
budget
process
and
make
any
increases
permanent.
In
the
years
going
forward.
I
would
have
thought
someone
who
spent
16
years
in
government
would
have
understand
how
government
makes.
C
Thank
you
very
much,
and
I,
while
I
appreciate
the
premier
standing
up
today,
simply
not
good
enough
what
the
premier
needs
to
do.
He
may
want
to
continue
to
look
back,
but
what
the
premier
needs
to
do
is
stand
up
and
look
in
the
mirror,
because
this
decision
wasn't
made
five
years
ago
or
ten
years
ago
it
was
made
last
week
and
the
responsibility
for
the
decision
lands
squarely
on
his
shoulders.
C
Christie
writes,
and
I
quote,
the
300
supplement
has
made
an
absolute
world
of
difference
to
many
disabled
folks,
including
myself,
yet
you
chose
to
cut
it
in
half
prior
to
canceling
it
in
the
middle
of
a
pandemic.
End
quote
so
in
the
middle
of
the
pandemic.
This
government
is
making
it
harder
for
those
living
with
disabilities
instead
of
making
life
just
a
little
bit
easier.
C
D
D
We've
been
sure
that
those
same
people
have
the
same
amount
of
money.
In
fact,
they'll
have
50
bucks
more
as
we
go
through
the
budget
process
and
make
permanent
changes
to
reduce
poverty
in
british
columbia.
I'll
also
remind
the
member
before
I
take
my
seat,
that
british
columbia
was
the
last
province
in
the
country
to
have
a
poverty
reduction
plan,
because
that
member
sat
on
it
for
16
years
and
did
nothing
to
stand
up
today
and
profess.
She
cares
is
a
little
bit
rich.
C
Absolutely
do,
and
what's
a
little
bit
rich,
is
that
the
premier
seems
to
have
forgotten
that
today,
not
three
months
from
now,
not
during
a
budget
process,
by
the
way
which
this
government
brought
everyone
to
the
legislature
to
discuss,
pushing
off
that
budget
longer
and
longer
and
longer
from
when
it
should
be
in
this
house.
So
the
premier
has
the
opportunity.
Today
he
actually
won
the
right
to
be
the
leader
of
of
his
party
and
of
government.
C
C
That's
we
listen
to
what
tj
had
to
say,
here's
what
tj
had
to
say-
and
I
quote
my
stomach
just
dropped
and
I
became
nauseous,
because
what
I
read
into
this
is
that
they
will
be
taking
it
all
away
very
soon.
End
quote
it's
not
about
waiting
for
a
budget
process,
it's
not
about
letting
people
worry
and
be
concerned
and
be
upset.
C
D
Now,
her
majesty's
official
opposition
is
supposed
to
have
a
modicum
of
common
sense,
honorable
speaker
and
after
16
years
in
government,
I
would
have
thought
I
would
have
thought
that
the
leader
of
the
opposition
would
understand
how
budgets
are
made.
We
are
going
to
make
the
budget
and
we
will
be
mindful
of
all
british
columbians
all
particularly
those
that
are
vulnerable
at
this
extraordinary
time
in
our
history.
I
appreciate
the
member
needs
to
stand
up
and
say
something.
E
E
B
F
Thank
you
very
much,
honorable
speaker
and
I
appreciate
the
members
question
and
it's
a
it's
a
repeat.
The
answer
is
obvious
and
clear.
In
march,
the
province
introduced
a
worker's
benefit
for
people
in
the
province
and
since
not
everyone
was
eligible.
F
E
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
The
fact
remains
that
this
cut
will
hurt
people.
It
doesn't
matter
how
you
slice
it
and
the
minister
talks
about
a
150
increase.
It
isn't
and
the
thousands
of
people
that
are
taking
to
social
media,
the
thousands
of
people
that
are
signing
the
petition
say
also
the
other
way.
Danny
lamb
started
this
petition
to
fight
the
ndp
cut
and
is
asking
the
premier
to
go
back
to
the
drawing
board
and
do
better
for
those
that
are
vulnerable
and
most
at
risk.
E
G
H
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker,
and
thank
the
member
for
the
question
it's
when
and
when
discussing
site
c,
it's
important
to
reflect
back
on
the
genesis
of
this
project
and
remember
that
the
old
government,
the
liberal
government,
set
out
to
push
this
project
forward
past
what
the
premier,
then
premier
premier
clark,
described
as
the
point
of
no
return.
H
They
refused
to
let
the
bcuc
the
independent
watchdog
examine
the
project
they
signed
off
on
a
design
that
include
geological
risks
and
they
spent
billions
of
dollars
without
proper
oversight
in
pushing
the
project
forward.
Clearly,
there
were
cost
pressures
on
the
project,
but
the
government
has
been
managing
them.
Kovid
created
unforeseen
challenges
for
the
project
and
we
are
now
facing
geotechnical
challenges
in
the
design
that
the
old
government
approved.
H
As
a
result
of
that,
I
asked
and
brought
on
peter
milburn,
a
former
deputy
minister
to
the
member
for
abbotsford
west.
As
a
special
advisor,
he
has
been
playing
a
major
role
in
examining
the
project.
He
will
provide
me
and
our
government
with
independent
advice
and
a
fresh
perspective.
H
G
Yeah,
thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
I
think
it's
important
to
note
that
this
is
not
just
a
liberal
project
at
its
genesis.
This
is
an
ndp
project
as
they
picked
it
up
and
have
been
carrying
the
water
on
this
for
the
last
three
and
a
half
years,
and
also,
I
think
it's
important
to
point
out
that
I
did
not
ask
a
question
about
the
project.
I
asked
a
question
about
what
the
premier
knew
and
when
he
knew
it,
I'm
not
sure
why
that
minister
stood
up
and
answered
the
question
or
answered
the
question.
G
G
It's
reckless
in
the
extreme
that,
instead
of
pausing
the
project,
this
government
is
barreling
ahead,
even
diverting
a
river
in
the
middle
of
an
election.
Still,
we
have
no
answers
about
the
public
safety,
no
answers
about
the
stability
of
the
dam
site,
no
answers
about
when
the
final
cost
will
be.
The
premier
won't
stand
up
and
ask
a
question
about
what
he
knew
and
when
he
knew
it.
My
question
again,
mr
speaker,
is
to
the
premier.
H
Well,
thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker.
It's
disappointing
to
hear
this
member
spread
information.
Bc.
Hydro
has
been
clear.
It
wasn't
until
december
2019
that
engineers
confirmed
the
significant
foundation
challenges
associated
with
the
right
bank
in
january.
2020,
further
analysis
on
the
foundation
and
potential
enhancements
was
initiated
and
this
work
continued
in
in
this
into
the
spring.
That's
one
of
the
items
in
which
we'll
expect
further
comment
from
mr
milburn.
A
Thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and
I'll
say
what
is
disappointing
is
that
the
ndp
government
won't
actually
stand
up
and
give
accurate
information
to
the
public
or
to
this
house
on
this
project,
and
this
is
really
starting
to
look
like
a
cover-up
when
the
premier
won't
even
stand
up
and
answer
the
question
posed
to
him
by
my
colleague
from
spanish
north
in
the
island.
There
is
a
shocking
amount
of
secrecy
around
sight
c.
A
This
is
the
single
most
expensive
infrastructure
project
in
bc's
history
and
the
premier
is
deliberately
keeping
the
public
in
the
dark,
while
spending
three
million
dollars
per
day,
continuing
construction.
This
is
public
money,
mr
speaker
and
people
have
a
right
to
far
more
transparency
and
accountability
on
this
project
than
they
are
getting.
H
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker.
I
I,
as
I
mentioned,
I
brought
on
mr
milburn
who's,
a
a
professional
engineer
and
a
former
deputy
minister.
He
has
been
examining
the
project
playing
a
very
important
role,
and
it's
because
we
take
this
situation
very
seriously
that
he
has
been
brought
on
and
he
will
provide
advice.
He
will
give
myself
and
our
government
independent
advice
and
a
fresh
perspective.
H
I
I'm
not
in
position
to
to
prejudge
the
results
of
his
review
and
therefore
not
able
to
answer
some
of
the
detail
in
the
member's
questions.
A
Thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and
my
colleague
and
I
have
asked
a
series
of
questions
of
government
today
about
the
single
largest
infrastructure
project
in
bc's
history,
and
we
have
not
received
a
single
straightforward
answer.
We've
seen
in
this
question
period,
what
is
reminiscent
of
what
we
have
seen
around
site
c
for
the
last
three
years.
Few
answers
very
little
information.
A
No
transparency
from
this
government,
peter
milburn's
appointment,
is
an
exercise
that
appears
to
serve
as
political
cover
for
this
government.
To
avoid
answering
questions
for
anything
else,
melbourne
doesn't
have
the
right
technical
expertise
to
even
recommend
a
fix
to
the
site,
and
he
is
like
every
other
expert
that
this
government
brings
forward
far
from
independent
from
this
project.
A
My
question,
for
you,
honorable
speaker,
is
to
the
premier:
will
he
finally
do
the
right
thing?
Suspend
construction
at
the
stamp
and
at
this
dam
and
appoint
an
independent
panel
of
actually
internationally
recognized
experts
to
undertake
a
review
to
see
if
this
project
can
be
built
safely
and
at
what
cost.
H
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
I
have
full
confidence
in
mr
milburn
and
I
don't
share
the
view.
That's
expressed
of
his
expertise
and
his
fall
of
qualifications.
I'm
looking
forward
to
the
report
and
the
advice
that
he
will
provide
to
myself
and
to
the
government
and-
and
I
think
it
will
be
very
helpful
in
assessing
the
path
forward
for
this
project.
I
I
At
the
time.
The
ndp
promised
immediate
actions
to
quote
find
the
best
solution
for
the
george
massey
corridor.
End
quote:
it
has
been
nearly
three
and
a
half
years
or
one
thousand
one
hundred
ninety
five
days
since
then,
after
one
thousand
one
hundred
ninety
five
days,
can
the
premier
tell
us
the
best
solution
and
when
it
will
be
built.
I
J
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
thank
you
to
the
member
for
the
question.
I'm
very
pleased
to
report
that,
in
the
coming
days,
government
will
receive
a
business
case
on
the
the
crossing
replacement
project
with
recommended
options.
Timelines
costs
all
of
those
sorts
of
things.
I
had
a
meeting
last
week
with
leaders
in
metro
vancouver
to
advise
them
of
this.
What
an
engagement
plan
will
look
like
immediately
beginning
in
the
new
year
in
2021.
J
Of
course,
the
member
will
know
that
what
this
government
has
done-
and
this
was
of
course
not
done
previously
when
they
were
in
power-
is
that
we
have
actually
created
a
budget
to
replace
this
key
piece
of
infrastructure,
so
that
is
in
our
fiscal
plan.
That
is
part
of
what
we
would
like
to
do.
We
will
get
to
a
massey
crossing
that
has
the
support
of
metro,
vancouver
mayors
that
was
critically
important
to
them.
J
J
Because
because,
while
we're
spending
much
of
this
week
debating
a
measure
and
an
extraordinary
time
to
help
3.7
million
british
columbians
put
more
money
in
their
pocket,
we
had
a
plan
that
would
have
taken
hundreds,
if
not
thousands,
of
dollars
out
of
metro,
vancouver
residents
pockets
each
and
every
year
forever.
That's
an
approach
we
reject.
We
will
build
infrastructure
that
will
serve
the
future
of
this
region.
We
will
do
it
by
continuing
to
consult
with
mayors
working
with
first
nations
communities
and
get
the
right
project.
I
Well,
mr
speaker,
that
answer
is
simply
not
good
enough.
It's
not
good
enough
for
the
commuters,
the
thousands
of
commuters
who
come
from
richmond,
south
surrey,
langley
delta,
ferry
users,
long
shore,
workers
truck
drivers,
all
who
continue
to
wait
in
traffic
waiting
on
this
government
day
after
day
after
day.
They
need
an
answer
from
this
government,
not
more
empty
promises
of
timelines
to
come
on,
may
23,
2019
already
two
years
after
promising
to
find
the
best
solution.
The
premier
told
british
columbians
quote.
I
I
J
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker,
and
one
of
the
critically
important
things
that
the
business
case
is
going
to
advise
us,
especially
as
we
look
to
recover
our
economy
after
we
get
through
the
covet
19
pandemic.
Make
critical
investments
invest
an
additional
three
billion
dollars
over
the
most
ambitious
capital
plan
that
this
province
has
ever
had
is
to
see
how
we
can
accelerate
timelines
for
exactly
that.
We
wanted
to
get
to
the
right
decision.
This
is
a
tremendously
technical
review.
J
It,
of
course,
involves
key
pieces
of
federal
legislation.
We're
talking
about
the
fraser
river
here,
we're
talking
about
the
fisheries
acts
the
navigable
waters
act.
This
has
to
be
done
right
from
an
environmental
perspective.
This
has
to
be
done
right
in
terms
of
how
it
serves
the
region
for
decades
to
come
into
the
future.
So
the
review
is
critically
important.
I've
told
the
mayors
that
the
timeline
is
there.
The
timeline
is
being
adhered
to.
J
We're
going
to
get
to
this
in
the
new
year
as
a
government,
we
have
a
budget
to
be
able
to
do
this.
This
is
a
critically
important
and
exciting
piece
of
infrastructure.
I
would
ask-
maybe
the
member,
if
he
wanted
to
do
something
constructive
to
work
with
the
government,
is
to
join
us
in
reminding
the
federal
government,
our
friends
there,
where
we've
successfully
negotiated
many
partnership
agreements,
that
this
would
be
an
excellent
candidate
for
a
partnership
agreement.
This
is
the
national
trade
corridor
that
is
significant
for
the
economic
health
of
british
columbia.
K
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
speaking
of
working
together
with
government.
I
would
say
we
work
quite
well
with
the
other
side
of
the
house
with
a
hundred
million
dollars
that
we
spent
during
our
time
of
three
and
a
half
years
of
getting
the
bridge
to
where
it
was
with
the
sand
with
the
pilings,
with
all
the
different
things
that
we
put
in
place
to
give
them
the
opportunity
to
keep
going
on
it,
but
they
killed
the
project.
K
Mr
speaker,
mr
speaker,
people
are
trying
to
get
home
from
work,
get
their
kids
to
practice
and
seniors
to
medical
appointments.
They
can't
wait
another
decade,
mr
speaker
stuck
in
traffic
in
the
largest
traffic
bottleneck
in
british
columbia.
If
the
premier
hadn't
played
petty
politics
three
and
a
half
years
ago,
we'd
have
a
bridge
almost
two-thirds
complete
every
month
for
39
months.
There
seems
to
be
a
new
excuse,
so,
mr
speaker
to
the
premier.
My
constituents
want
to
know
when
a
replacement
will
be
built
at
the
very
least.
J
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
to
the
member
for
the
question
and
as
I've
said
in
my
previous
answers,
the
business
case
delivered
being
delivered
to
government
is
literally
days
away.
I've
given
a
heads
up
to
metro,
vancouver
mayors,
including
the
mayors
of
richmond
and
delta
of
that,
and
how
we
need
their
time
and
attention
immediately
in
the
new
year
to
be
able
to
once
government
has
had
the
ability
to
digest
that
crucially
important
business
case.
J
But
what
I
would
remind
the
member
opposite
of
is
that,
in
actual
fact,
this
government
has
avoided
playing
politics.
It
was
the
then
government
that
played
politics
with
the
massey
crossing
project.
We've
avoided
that
studiously
by
working
with
mayors
by
integrating
this
project
into
the
regional
transportation
plan,
and
if
you
don't,
if
the
member
doesn't
want
to
take
my
word
for
it.
J
If,
if
the
member
wants
to
go
down
for
a
stroll
down
memory
lane
and
the
member
said
a
lesson
for
me
that
I
really
want
to
apply
moving
forward
is
that
I
think
we
had
our
elbows
up
a
bit
too
much
with
mayors.
I
think
the
tone
of
conversation
was
not
always
one
of
partnership
and
working
together.
Well,
mr
speaker,
the
tone
on
this
side
of
the
house
and
the
business
case
that
we
look
forward
to
receiving
in
a
few
days
is
all
about
partnership.
K
Mr
speaker,
mr
speaker,
there's
no
money
in
the
budget
budget,
there's
no
date
for
completion
and
not
even
a
business
case
that
is
now
overdue.
In
the
campaign
the
ndp
promised
a
business
case.
This
fall
in
federal
funding
by
the
end
of
the
year.
None
of
what
was
promised
has
happened.
All
we
get
is
delay
after
delay
after
delay.
This
government
can't
even
tell
us,
will
it
be
a
bridge
or
will
it
be
a
tunnel
despite
stacks
of
studies
and
reports
that
lay
out
all
of
the
options
and
regarding
a
bridge
or
a
tunnel?
K
I've
been
told
recently
in
the
media
by
our
member
from
delta
north
that
it's
going
to
be
a
tunnel,
and
I
spoke
to
the
chief
of
twas
and
first
nations
just
the
other
day,
and
I
certainly
hope
I
certainly
hope
that
they've
had
consultations
with
first
nations,
because
the
tawassen
first
nations
wants
nothing
to
do
with
a
massive,
concrete,
tube
sunk
into
the
bottom
of
the
fraser
river
again
to
the
premier.
Is
it
really
a?
J
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
again
to
the
member
I've
said
a
few
times
now.
I
think
this
afternoon,
and
certainly
on
other
occasions,
the
business
case
is
coming
any
day
now.
This
is
an
extensive
technical
review
about
the
preferred
option.
This
is
something
that
government
will
consume
and
use
to
make
an
investment
decision.
J
In
the
meantime,
we've
already
budgeted
for
a
massive
infrastructure
project
to
replace
the
the
the
massey
tunnel
currently-
and
I
think
what
my
good
friend,
the
member
for
delta
north
forgot
to
mention,
as
he
was
speaking
to
the
media,
is
that
under
no
circumstances
when
we
build
this
piece
of
critical
infrastructure,
will
there
be
tolls
that
take
money
out
of
the
pockets
of
working
families
in
metro,
vancouver,
it'll
be
a
toll-free
bridge
that
is
for
for
people
to
see.
L
L
Yet
our
recollection
is
the
first
order
of
business
from
this
government
and
their
first
fiscal
plan
was
to
completely
remove
the
massey
crossing
from
the
budget
and
in
fact
we
we
are
hard-pressed
to
find
any
budgets
moving
forward
where
that
has
been
referenced.
And
yet
the
minister
is
telling
us
that
they
have
monies
identified
for
a
yet
unknown
business
plan
and
a
yet
unknown
style
of
crossing,
but
they
have
a
big
big
budget
he's
identified.
So
can
the
minister
provide
to
this
house
today
or
the
premier?
L
Perhaps
maybe
the
premier
would
like
to
answer
this
question?
How
much
money
is
identified
in
which
budget,
which
fiscal
plan
are
they
operating
off
of
because
after
this
house
breaks?
Mr
speaker,
we
won't
see
a
budget
in
this
house
until
may,
instead
of
in
february,
because
the
only
reason
we're
here
is
to
not
to
debate
the
two
billion
dollars
of
relief
payments.
We're
here
to
debate
whether
they
can
delay
a
budget
for
an
extra
two
months
so
again
to
the
premier.
L
J
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
I
think
all
of
these
questions
this
afternoon
are
are
going
to
be
a
critical
part
of
the
business
case.
That's
why
government
has
done
that
in
terms
of
the
technology
of
the
crossing,
the
high
level
of
costing
detail
that
will
be
done
with
it,
the
timeline
at
which
it
can
be
built
and
hopefully
accelerate
even
further
in
a
in
a
post-pandemic
recovery
period.
All
of
those
sorts
of
things
are
why
we
have
are
getting
the
level
of
advice
that
we
are
getting.