►
From YouTube: JUNE 8 2021 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
2nd Session
42nd Parliament
C
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
We
know
women
have
been
disproportionately
impacted
by
the
pandemic,
and
unemployment
for
young
women
is
eleven
percent.
Higher
women
have
dealt
with
the
stress
of
juggling
work
and
child
care
needs.
Four
years
ago,
this
premier
promised
to
quote
bring
in
ten
dollar
a
day.
Child
care
end
quote,
but
he
has
failed
miserably
to
do
so
and
instead
of
actual
assistance,
today,
parents
get
bungled
and
multiple
misleading
government
news
releases.
D
Thank
you
honorable
speaker.
For
many
many
years
british
columbian
families
have
been
struggling
with
the
lack
of
affordable,
high
quality,
early
learning
and
child
care
opportunities.
When
we
became
government
in
2017,
we
were
faced
with
the
child
care
chaos
and
crisis
with
the
previous
government
of
bc,
former
bc
liberal
government
actions
that
caused
families
to
struggle
for
many
many
years,
we've
started
that
journey
to
build
and
bring
in
a
universal
and
high
quality,
inclusive
early
learning
and
care
system
with
over
three
dozens
of
strategies,
including
the
fastest
space
creation
ever
in
bcc
street.
C
So
let's,
let's
hope,
mr
speaker,
that
the
premier's
ndp
math
isn't
being
taught
to
our
children.
In
estimates,
the
minister
was
clear:
quote:
6
000
spaces
have
been
opened
end
quote
the
premier
told
every
family
in
british
columbia.
They
would
get
10
dollar
a
day,
child
care
he
has
failed
to
deliver.
D
D
Well,
we
have
been
accelerating
the
creation
of
spaces
and
created
twice
more
of
the
spaces
in
three
years,
then,
the
former
bc
liberal
government
has
created
in
16
years
together
and
we
have
been
bringing
affordability
to
tens
and
thousands
of
families.
90
percent
of
providers
in
this
province
are
joining
our
fee
reduction
program
to
bring
down
the
cost
of
child
care
up
to
350
a
month
when
the
former
government
actually
took
away
child
care
subsidy
from
bc,
families
that
caused
families
to
face
fee
increases
of
100
200
per
month.
D
E
One
member
at
a
time
or
is
it
the
minister's
statements
today
talking
about
throwing
out
numbers?
Mr
speaker,
it
happens
all
too
frequently.
The
pr
premier
makes
a
big
promise,
then
botches
it
and
hopes
people
forget
people
like
advocate
sharon,
gregson
hasn't
forgotten
quote.
It
is
not
okay
for
the
bc
government
to
put
forward
a
minuscule
commitment
compared
to
what
they
promised.
E
D
Thank
you
honorable
speaker.
We
need
to
remember
where
we
came
from
the
former
bc.
Liberal
government
has
left
a
chaotic
system
that
we
have
been
trying
to
fix
since
2017,
and
I'm
going
to
share
this
with
the
opposite
member
that
they
need
to
face
the
reality
that
it
is
since
we
became
government
every
single
week,
there
is
a
new
child
care
spaces
being
created
and
being
supporting
families
across
bc
communities.
This
is
what
a
single
parent
sarah
has
to
say.
D
If
the
opposite
member
doesn't
want
to
hear
what
parents
are
saying,
then
why
are
you
asking
the
question
when
you've
neglected
the
child
care
crisis
for
16
years
through
the
chair?
Sorry,
this
is
what
sarah,
a
single
parent
has
to
say.
The
new,
affordable
child
care
benefit
has
been
tremendous
help
to
my
family
as
a
single
mom.
This
financial
support
has
been
instrumental
in
giving
me
the
opportunity
to
go
back
to
school,
to
pretend
for
a
new
profession,
and
that
was
not
available.
D
When
the
other
side
of
the
house
were
in
government,
we
have
been
bringing
down
the
cost
of
child
care
to
tens
of
thousands
of
families.
We
are
creating
new
child
care
spaces
across
bc
communities.
Every
single
week
we
are
supporting
early
childhood
educators
with
the
wendy
enhancement
this
year
september.
Early
childhood
educators
will
get
a
four
dollar
an
hour
wage
enhancement
when
the
other
side
of
the
house,
when
they
were
in
government,
they
raised
top
primary
childhood
educators.
E
E
Last
week
it
was
in
estimates
about
six
thousand
spaces
have
been
opened
and
that's
a
direct
quote
from
the
minister.
So
what
is
it
minister?
Despite
the
premier's,
clear
promise?
Four
years
ago,
the
minister
confirmed
in
estimates
that
there
is
no
plan
in
place
for
universal
ten
dollar
a
day.
Child
care
quote
different
funding
models
are
definitely
being
taken
into
consideration
and
quote.
E
D
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker.
I
really
want
to
take
this
opportunity
to
thank
all
the
child
care
providers.
Early
childhood
educators
advocates
who
have
been
working
with
us
together
to
make
sure
we
can
create
an
early
learning
and
care
system
for
bc
families.
We
need
to
learn
how
to
bring
down
those
costs
of
child
care
when
the
other
side
of
the
house,
when
they
were
in
government,
ignore
the
crisis.
We
have
a
fee
reduction
program,
that's
bringing
down
the
cost
of
child
care
up
to
350
a
month
with
90
of
providers
joining
this
program.
D
We
also
have
the
affordable
child
care
benefit
that
brings
10
a
day,
child
care
to
10
thousands
of
families
along
with
the
prototype
site.
So
many
families
has
benefited
from
our
program
and
we
have
this
space
creation,
that's
the
fastest
in
bc's
history,
and
if
the
member
opposite
want
to
hear
what
community
is
saying,
this
is
a
quote
from
the
city
of
prince
george.
D
I
quote
chris
bond
the
city
of
from
the
prince
george
social
planner
manager
is
saying
I
quote
at
the
time
when
the
former
liberal
government-
that's
you
know,
I
I
continue
to
quote
there,
wasn't
enough
money
available
to
help
creating
spaces
that
were
required
for
child
care,
but
the
environment
is
very
different
in
2019,
because,
thankfully
we
now
know
there
is
funding
available
to
help
create
spaces
and
as
the
actions
our
government
has
been
taken.
Care
of.
Are
you
ignoring
the
crisis
for
16.
F
G
G
Yesterday
dr
gustafson
said
that
the
delta
variant
of
covet
19
is
still
quote
relatively
uncommon,
with
just
over
500
cases
identified
in
bc
in
the
peel
region
of
ontario.
However,
they're
just
a
couple
weeks
away
before
the
variant
takes
hold
according
to
their
medical
office
officer
of
health,
dr
lowe
and
in
nova
scotia
chief
medical
officer,
dr
strang
says
that
while
the
province
is
quote
at
the
tail
end
of
the
third
wave,
the
delta
variant
first
identified
in
india
is
something
to
be
concerned
about
the
emerging
information.
G
G
H
Thank
you
very
much
honorable
speaker
and
thank
you
to
the
member
for
her
question.
The
the
what
I
think
the
evidence
suggests
is
that
we
have
to
continue
to
pursue
our
immunization
campaign
with
the
kind
of
speed
we've
been
engaged
in
in
the
last
month.
For
example,
last
week,
380
000
and
new
doses
administered
in
our
province,
significantly
more
and
as
at
the
end
of
the
week,
98
of
the
pfizer
vaccine
that
we
had
received
from
the
federal
government
was
in
people's
arms,
which
I
think
is
an
extraordinary
achievement.
H
It's
also
the
reason
why
we
have
taken
a
step-by-step
plan
to
limiting
or
easing
restrictions
in
british
columbia
such
that
the
first.
The
step
two
will
not
occur
before
june
15th
and
the
step
three
under
any
circumstances
won't
occur
before
july.
First,
step-by-step,
prudent
approach,
in
addition-
and
this
is
a
concern,
as
the
member
suggests,
with
other
jurisdictions
that
may
have
lower
levels
ultimately
of
immunizations,
such
as
some
areas
of
the
united
states
and
less
testing
for
variants
of
concern,
less
genome
sequencing
than
is
done
in
british
columbia.
H
The
best
way,
as
dr
augustus
said
yesterday
for
us
to
prevent
against
these
variants,
is
to
continue
with
first
dose
and
second
dose
immunization.
That's
exactly
what
we're
doing,
while
continuing
to
monitor
the
coping
19
pandemic
and
continuing
to
take
a
step-by-step
approach
to
the
easing
of
restrictions.
Considering
every
day
the
circumstances
on
hospitalization,
on
critical
care
on
cases
and
on
vaccination.
G
G
G
My
question
for
you,
honourable
speaker,
is
to
the
minister
of
health.
We've
learned
a
lot
in
the
last
16
months
about
covid19
we've
been
able
to
look
at
other
jurisdictions
and
how
they've
responded
and
what
has
been
successful
and
not
as
we
enter
into
this
phase
of
the
pandemic,
where
we
hope
to
see
the
cases
reduced.
Will
we
be
more
assertively
going
for
an
elimination
strategy
that
uses
rapid
testing
in
order
to
keep
our
cases
low.
H
We
will
continue
to
follow
that
advice
of
experts,
of
putting
the
resources
and
the
means
in
the
hands
of
experts
to
deal
and
to
reduce
the
transmission
of
covet
19
in
british
columbia.
I
think
that
is
cont
and
continues
to
be
the
right
course.
Of
course,
the
the
government
and
public
health
does
not
always
get
it
right,
but
we
have
continued
to
adapt
and
put
the
resources
in
the
hands
of
of
those
that
can
make
the
best
decisions
for
all
of
us
and
we're
going
to
continue
to
do
that.
H
There
will
be,
and
there
will
continue
to
be,
as
the
technology
proves-
greater
and
greater
use
of
rapid
testing
british
columbia
as
there
are
in
other
jurisdictions
and
the
decisions
around.
What
we
should
do
in
that
regard
will
be
led
by
public
health
as
they
have
been
from
the
continue
from
the
beginning
of
this
pandemic.
A
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Bc
has
the
dubious
distinction
of
having
the
worst
gender
pay
gap
in
canada
between
copenhagen
19
pandemic,
and
this
government's
failing
child
care
promises.
Things
aren't
looking
a
lot
better.
The
premier
could
start
by
keeping
his
snap
election
promise
to
pass
pay
equity
legislation
which
has
been
introduced
four
times
now
by
the
official
opposition.
F
You
very
much,
mr
speaker.
Well,
I'm
I'm
really
pleased
to
get
up
on
my
feet
and
talk
about
equity.
We
just
heard
from
the
minister
of
state
for
child
care
who
talked
about
a
significant
child
care
plan.
Finally,
organizing
for
the
lives
of
women,
so
many
of
us
have
suffered
and
struggled
to
find
child
care,
and
we
finally
have
a
plan
in
place
here.
Mr
speaker,.
A
Well,
it's
disappointing
that
the
minister
is
completely
missing
the
point.
This
isn't
about
child
care,
it
isn't
about
minimum
wage.
It's
about
pay
equity.
When
I
first
proposed
pay
equity
legislation,
the
premier
called
it
quote.
A
political
stunt.
End
quote:
with
the
pandemic:
having
delivered
a
crushing
blow
to
gender
equity,
the
premier's
still
missing
in
action.
A
F
You
very
much,
mr
speaker.
Well,
women
are
offered
often
the
servers
in
in
the
restaurant
industry.
I'm
sure
the
member
is
well
aware
of
that.
I'm
sure
there's
as
many
of
us
who've
you
know
had
that
role
and
we
got
rid
of
the
server
wage.
If
I
recall
the
other
folks
on
the
other
side
of
the
house
thought
that
was
perfectly
acceptable.
Mr
speaker,.
F
I
I
A
report
from
the
bc
women's
health
foundation
shows
that
over
40
percent
of
women
in
british
columbia
don't
have
access
to
the
mental
health
they
need
during
this
pandemic,
more
than
40,
this
government
is
failing
women
who
need
assistance.
My
question
to
the
premier
is
a
simple
one:
will
he
provide
women
with
the
help
they
need
not
based
on
their
ability
to
pay
but
solely
based
on
their
need
for
treatment?.
J
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
at
the
foundation
of
our
government's
work
through
this
ministry.
Just
this
the
first
time
the
ministry
of
mental
health
and
addictions
has
been
established
in
canada
is
to
build
that
system
of
care
that
did
not
exist.
When
we
formed
government,
we've
been
working
hard
every
day
to
build
up
that
continuum
of
care,
so
that
people
can
access
both
mental
health
and
addiction
services
when
and
where
they
need
it.
J
I
imagine
that
the
member
opposite
would
be
in
support
of
we've,
just
put
a
historic
half
a
billion
dollars
for
mental
health
and
addictions
service,
so
that
people
can
get
care
when
and
where
they
need
it
into
this
year's
budget.
There's
never
been
such
a
new
infusion
of
investment
into
british
columbia
in
in
the
province's
history.
J
I
would
imagine
that
the
member
would
support
our
the
100
new
adult
treatment
beds
that
we've
added
this
year
already
our
budget
commitment
to
do
another,
almost
200,
our
expansion,
particularly
during
cobit,
which
has
made
everything
worse
from
the
addictions
crisis
to
mental
health
for
us
to
stand
up
new
counseling
grants
for
us
to
put
25
million
dollars
into
the
system
in
quick
order,
with
the
support
from
across
the
aisle
to
stand
up
community
counseling
grants
particularly
focused
on
women,
our
new
investments
in
eating
disorders,
into
every
single
health
authority
and
and
working
with
non-profits
on
the
front
line.
J
I
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
given
this
minister's
past
performance
in
last
week's
estimates,
I
was
hopeful
optimistic
that
she
would
not
continue
to
politicize
incorrectly.
I
might
add
such
an
important
file,
such
as
mental
health
and
addictions,
but
she
continues
to
amaze.
What
I
will
point
out
is
two-thirds
from
the
study.
Two-Thirds
of
women
that
are
essential
workers
are
experiencing
worry,
anxiety
or
stress,
and
two
and
five
are
experiencing
depression.
I
Sixty-Three
percent
of
younger
women
reported
feeling
worry
anxiety
or
stress
indigenous
women
and
those
from
a
minority
community,
more
inclined
to
rate
their
emotion,
health,
emotional,
health,
poorly
so
again
to
the
premier.
Will
he
do
the
right
thing
and
ensure
the
services
are
provided
and
that
no
one
has
to
choose
between
feeding
their
families,
paying
their
rent
or
getting
the
support?
They
desperately
need.
J
J
80
new
seats
to
trade,
to
train
new
mental
health
workers
and
every
aspect
of
the
health
care
system
we
are
building
in
new
supports
for
people.
There
is
more
to
do
no
doubt,
but
if
the
member's
going
to
make
comments
about
my
performance
in
estimates
last
week
for
him
to
spend
three
days
with
the
minister
and
not
ask
a
single
question
about
pathway,
to
hope,
not
a
single
question
about
our
the
service
plan
that
we're
required
to
to
to
file
associated
with
the
budget.
K
Thank
you
honorable
speaker.
The
minister
keeps
talking
around
the
issues
which
isn't
what
women
and
those
suffering
with
mental
health
issues
need
right
now.
They
need
the
minister
to
listen
and
to
act
more
than
forty
percent
of
women
reported
not
having
access
to
the
mental
health
supports
that
they
need
getting.
Help
requires
a
referral
from
a
doctor
which
can
take
months
or
private
counseling,
which
isn't
covered
by
the
province.
J
I
that
is
exactly
the
system
that
we
are
working
hard
every
day
to
build
one
that
did
not
exist
before
one
that
we
are
investing
in
in
unprecedented
ways
through
our
budget,
but
here's
some
of
the
tools
that
we've
already
added
to
the
mental
health,
addictions
and
healthcare
system
that
are
already
making,
despite
the
setback
that
the
pandemic
has
posed,
that
are
already
creating
more
access
to
people,
regardless
of
their
pocketbook.
J
We
are
embedding
mental
health
care
services
on
a
team-based
approach
across
the
province
to
have
already
opened
23
new,
urgent
primary
care
centers.
That
is
same
day,
access
we've
opened
bc's.
First
mental
health
and
addictions
substance
use
urgent
response
in
surrey,
opened
a
75
bed.
J
New
mental
health
and
substance
use
wellness
center
at
royal
columbian
last
august,
provided
15
million
dollars
to
49
community
organizations
to
provide
a
no-cost
and
low-cost
counseling,
2.4
million
to
20
other
organizations
to
expand
counseling,
virtually
and
in
person
we're
helping
to
train
100,
south
asian
youth
ambassadors
to
be
able
to
to
help
get
the
word
out
to
people
and
remove
the
stigma
about
asking
for
help.
J
We've
expanded
foundry
virtual
and
now
funded
a
new
foundry
app,
so
people
can
engage
in
an
online
system
again
no
cost
built
for
and
by
young
people,
and
the
list
goes
on.
There
is
so
much
more
for
us
to
do,
but
in
every
way,
there's
more
support
available
for
people
who
are
in
need,
and
we
urge
anybody
who's
struggling
under
the
mental
health
impacts
of
covid,
to
ask
for
the
help
that
they
need
and
we
will
get
back
to
them.
K
K
K
Women
and
women
of
color
and
she
says
for
a
racialized
person
to
be
able
to
speak
to
a
therapist
from
a
racialized
background.
Someone
who
understands
the
negative
and
traumatic
effects
of
racism
from
their
own
personal
experience
makes
a
massive
positive
impact
in
the
success
of
their
treatment.
End
quote
the
premier's
in
charge.
K
J
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Anybody
that
is
struggling
with
mental
health
challenges
and
and
lots
of
people
are
and
addictions
as
well.
Please
go
to
our
website.
J
Continue
that
are
translated
services
that
are
being
stood
up
by
fantastic
community
organizations,
multiple
languages,
please,
we
want
people
to
reach
out
if
the
member
has
got
a
particular
constituent
that
he
wants
me
to
talk
with.
I'm
very
learned
happy
to
learn
more,
but
I'll
also
note
that
2.7
billion
dollars
is
spent
every
year
on
mental
health
and
addictions.
J
L
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Let's
be
clear.
This
is
a
minister.
That's
a
minister
on
paper
only
and
by
the
answers
in
in
estimates.
Last
week
it
made
it
very
clear
that
every
other
minister
is
actually
responsible
for
approving
funding
and
programming
or
not,
but
mr
speaker,
it
seems
day
in
day
out
in
this
house
when
we
bring
forward
questions.
Mr.
L
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
It
seems
every
day
in
this
house
when
we
bring
forward
questions
and
concerns
from
our
constituents
and
and
people
across
this
province.
This
government
gets
very
very
amazed
that
we
would
have
the
audacity
to
remind
them
of
their
own
promises
and
their
own
commitments
and
refuse
to
actually
acknowledge
or
answer
based
on
those.
Today
we
ask
very
simple
questions:
straightforward
questions
about
their
twice
promised
10
a
day,
universal
child
care.
L
L
Instead,
the
minister
of
finance,
it
gives
a
very
dismissive
question
that
reigns
is
around
everything
and
anything
to
do
but
pay
equity,
and
then
we
get
into
mental
health.
Supports
for
women
who
have
been
disproportionately
impacted
by
the
pandemic
so
again
to
the
premier.
The
premier
is
charge
of
all
of
this.
The
premier
has
made
promises
in
two
elections
on
all
of
this.
When
will
the
premier
start
to
deliver
even
one
of
these
things?
F
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker.
Well,
you
know.
I
find
it
very
interesting
that,
on
the
other
side
of
the
house,
you
know
the
the
members
opposite
suddenly
have
a
newfound
interest
in
women.
I
recall
when,
when
when
they
were
in
government,
they
actually
eliminated,
they
eliminated
the
women's
ministry.
They
eliminated
it
gone
gone.
F
They
did
nothing
to
advance
the
pay
equity
when
they
were
in
government,
they
ignored,
they
absolutely
ignored
the
rising
cost
of
child
care.
They
even
brought
in
legislation
in
2002
that
led
to
the
largest
layoff
of
women
in
this
province's
history.
F
F
They
refuse
to
protect
jobs
of
people
fleeing
domestic
violence
and,
of
course,
they
refuse
to
increase
minimum
wage.
Mr
speaker,
now
there
is
a
lot
of
work
for
us
to
do
to
make
up
for
lost
time.
We
have
a
significant
investment
in
child
care,
the
biggest
investment
in
child
care
in
bc's
history
that
is
actively
going
on
thousands
and
thousands
of
spaces
we're
building
housing
for
women,
fling
violence
again.
F
Thousands
and
thousands
of
spaces
give
a
parliamentary
secretary
who
is
dedicated,
absolutely
dedicated
to
making
sure
that
all
ministries
are
addressing
women's
issues
and
we
have
representation.
Mr
speaker,
we
have
representation
on
this
side
of
the
house.
I
can't
wait
till
all
of
my
colleagues
are
here
and
on
this
side
of
the
house,
we
have
more
women
than
the
opposition
has
for
all
of
their
members.
Mr
speaker,
I
can't
wait
to
show
everybody.