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From YouTube: JUNE 17 2021 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
2nd Session
42nd Parliament
C
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker,
six
a
day,
that's
how
many
people
are
dying
from
an
overdose
in
british
columbia
every
single
day,
it's
a
public
health
crisis
that
has
deepened
under
this
two-term
government
every
month
when
the
numbers
come
out,
the
response
from
the
government
is
exactly
the
same.
Hopefully
it
will
get
better
next
month.
D
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Absolutely
every
way
that
british
columbia
can
stand
up
and
expand
its
response
to
saving
lives
in
the
increasingly
accelerated
drug
toxicity
tragedy
that
is
hitting
our
province
in
every
way.
Cobit
has
made
it
work
in
every
way.
We
are
stepping
up
our
response:
expanding
safe
supply,
doubling
the
number
of
supervised
consumption
sites,
doubling
the
number
of
youth
treatment
beds,
adding
nurse
prescribers
to
medication,
medication,
assisted
treatment.
All
of
this
is
based
on
an
informed
and
evidence-based
advice.
C
C
On
one
hand,
the
premier's
office
has
seen
a
massive
increase
in
his
budget
to
deal
with
ndp
caucus
committees,
and
yet
he
will
not
reactivate
the
health
committee,
because-
and
I
quote,
committee
work
is
onerous.
It's
time
consuming,
it
takes
up
work
to
read
the
reports
complete.
The
report
prepare
the
report.
End
quote.
C
C
Six
people
a
day
are
dying
in
this
crisis,
and
the
premier
of
british
columbia
stubbornly
refuses
to
take
an
action
that
could
make
a
substantive
difference,
as
every
party
in
this
house
takes
part
in
a
discussion.
Getting
a
briefing
from
a
minister
on
one
subject
is
simply
not
enough
so
to
the
premier
again.
D
I
I
know
how
much
the
leader
of
the
official
opposition
appreciated
the
approach
of
the
health
minister
and
dr
henry
in
working
collaboratively
through
the
early
days
and
throughout
the
covenant
19
pandemic.
I
know
the
leader
of
the
opposition
was
very
clear
on
the
record
and
estimates
last
week
how
constructive
and
respectful
and-
and
I
think
all
british
colombians
saw
all
parties
working
together
in
a
very
clear
way.
D
D
Let
all
members
know
I
continue
to
draw
our
basis
for
the
over
the
tragic
death
toll
and
the
need
to
save
lives
in
our
overdose
response
by
working
with
british
columbia's
overdose
emergency
response
center,
which
is
the
umbrella
over
the
community
action
teams
that
act
in
many
of
your
communities.
Those
are
people
with
lived
and
living
experience
and
service
providers.
They
directly
feed
into
our
province's
overdose
response
plan
and
there
are
others.
We
are
drawing
our
expertise
for
people
on
the
front
line,
and
that
is
informing
our
response
across
the
whole
continuum.
D
There's
more
for
us
to
do
and
we're
grateful
to
those
on
the
front
line
directing
where
we
put
our
focus.
Thank
you.
E
Thanks,
mr
speaker,
apparently,
a
good
chunk
of
the
63
percent
increase
that
the
premier
has
given
his
own
office
budget
is
supposed
to
be
for
intergovernmental
relations.
So
is
it
money
well
spent
well,
four
years
on,
we
are
no
closer
to
a
softwood
lumber
agreement
and
american
tariffs
are
poised
to
increase.
E
Yet
again
and
in
just
a
few
weeks,
the
cruise
ships
will
begin
sailing
right,
past
bc,
ports,
ports
like
victoria
as
a
precursor
to
what
may
become
a
permanent
state
of
affairs
where
they
no
longer
stop
at
those
ports
and
along
the
way.
The
only
thing
we've
seen
from
the
premier
is
a
genuine
talent
for
belittling
for
dismissing
for
insulting
the
very
people
he
needs
to
work
with
to
resolve
these
issues.
F
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
The
premier
has
been
advocating
for
british
columbia
and
for
a
pan-canadian
approach
on
port
reopenings.
He
has
worked
with
industry.
He
has
worked
with
other
premiers
of
provinces.
He
has
got
provinces
like
quebec,
new
brunswick,
pei
and
nova
scotia
to
come
to
a
common
position,
and
that
position
is
that
the
federal
government
needs
to
give
the
certainty
to
the
industry
to
resume
cruise
ships.
It's
critically
important
to
our
economy
here
on
bc's
west
coast.
F
But
you
know
who
the
premier
takes
advice
from
and
has
taken
advice
from
throughout
this
pandemic
public
health
officials
who
have
guided
this
province
safely
through
a
restart
that
british
columbians
are
just
beginning
to
enjoy
more
and
more
with
the
reduction
of
health
restrictions.
He
has
guided
our
economy
to
have
the
strongest
recovery
in
the
country.
A
four
and
a
half
percent
growth
rate
increase
projected
for
next
year.
Four
and
a
half
percent
growth
rate
projected
for
the
year
after
a
99
recovery
on
jobs
from
pre-pandemic
levels.
That's
what
the
premier
has
been
doing.
E
Then,
mr
speaker,
well
I
don't
recall
the
premiere,
deeming
the
advice
from
those
officials
worthy
when
it
came
to
selecting
a
time
for
an
election
in
the
middle
of
a
pandemic.
E
Look
the
the
premier
and
the
the
minister
who
just
responded
two
days
ago
received
this
letter
from
the
victoria
cruz
industry
alliance,
who
now
confronted
by
legislation
in
the
u.s
that
would
make
permanent
changes
that
would
no
longer
require
those
cruise
ships
to
visit
bc.
Ports
is
saying
this
quote.
We
cannot
make
the
same
mistake
and
underestimate
the
threat
this
poses.
E
We
cannot
be
dismissive,
and
they
say
this,
mr
speaker,
because
the
line
from
the
premier
now
is
don't
worry,
be
happy
places
like
victoria
are
nice
and
people
the
cruise
ships
will
come
here
anyways,
but
here's
what
the
industry
says.
Mr
speaker,
we
know
victoria
has
something
special
to
offer,
but
we
also
know
alaska
is
the
draw
for
those
who
book
a
cruise.
E
We
know
the
cruise
lines
generate
higher
revenues
during
their
time
in
alaska
ports
than
they
do
in
victoria.
We
know
they
often
feel
rushed
from
their
alaska
destinations
in
order
to
get
to
victoria
for
the
necessary
stop
in
a
foreign
port
and
quote.
In
short,
mr
speaker
was
the.
What
the
crews
in
the
the
cruise
industry
alliance
is
saying
is
that,
if
these
cruise
ships
are
no
longer
legally
required
to
come
to
ports
like
victoria
in
many
instances,
they
won't.
G
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker,
and
I
I
appreciate
the
the
concerns
raised
by
the
the
member
opposite.
The
premier's
been
really
clear.
This
is
a
federal
issue.
The
the
government
has
been
engaged
with
our
colleagues
in
ottawa
on
this
issue.
The
president,
the
premier
has
talked
with
the
cruise
industry
with
ian
robertson
here,
but
what?
What?
What
we
do
hear
from
this
from
this
opposition
honorable
speaker,
is
that
somehow
that
somehow
this
bill,
that
has
a
sunset
clause,
is
going
to
result
in
a
decimation
of
the
cruz
industry.
G
Well,
I
will
tell
you
something
honorable
speaker:
nothing
could
be
further
from
the
truth,
because
if
they
knew
exactly
how
the
cruise
industry
operates,
they
would
know
that
they
are
already
planning
next
year's
cruise
destinations,
and
I
can
tell
you
as
someone
who
has
taken
more
than
the
occasional
cruise,
that
my
mailbox
right
now
is
full
of
brochures
for
cruises,
up
to
alaska
and
guess
what
honorable
speaker
they
are
where
they
departing
from
vancouver
to
victoria
and
up
the
inside
passage.
The
cruise
industry.
G
Honorable
speaker
has
confidence
in
british
columbia
and
vancouver
and
victoria,
because
their
brochures
that
they're
sending
out
to
customers
all
across
this
province
in
this
country
are
booked
for
next
year.
Honorable
speaker,
there's
a
world
first
cruise
taking
place
next
year.
Is
it
taking
place
out
of
los
angeles?
No,
is
it
taking
place
out
of
seattle?
No,
it
is
taking
place
out
of
vancouver.
It
is
a
world
first,
a
pole
to
pole,
crews,
something
no
other
cruise
company
has
done.
Honorable
speaker,
they
have
confidence
that
the
cruise
industry
is
here
in
british
columbia
to
stay.
G
H
Thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
as
we
cruise
into
the
last
day
of
session
here
before
a
three-month
summer
break,
we
are
indeed
all
collectively
celebrating
the
declining
covid19
deaths.
The
hospitalizations,
the
overall
cases
after
a
period
that
has
indelibly
been
marked
by
this
disease
this
summer
will
bring
connections
and
opportunities
that
we
have
missed
over
the
last
15
months
and
a
slow
transition
to
a
new
world.
H
These
people
are
struggling
with
increased
fatigue,
brain
fog,
nerve
and
muscle
pain,
high
blood
pressure
and
psychiatric
issues.
My
question,
honourable
speaker,
through
you,
is
to
the
minister
of
health.
We
are
all
excited
for
brighter
times,
but
kovid
19
remains
a
harsh
reality
for
thousands
of
british
columbians.
What
steps
is
his
ministry?
Taking
to
provide
long-term
support
for
those
with
long
covet,
and
how
will
those
supports
be
offered.
I
Thank
you
very
much
and
thank
you
to
the
member
for
her
question
she's,
quite
right
that
the
evidence
is
that
the
situation
around
cova
19
is
improving
in
british
columbia,
but
prudence
is
required
and
that's
why
we
removed
it
by
step
with
respect
to
easing
restrictions,
well
continuing
to
provide
significant
continuing
to
provide
the
significant
support,
support
from
public
health
she's.
I
Also,
quite
right
that
many
people,
many
people,
particularly
those
who
have
been
hospitalized,
who
represent
about
five
percent
of
cloven
19
patients,
that
that
group
of
people
is
much
more
likely
to
be
what
are
called
long
haulers
or
have
long-term
symptoms.
Indeed,
most
of
the
studies
related
to
long-haulers
are
related
to
this
group
of
people.
It's
also
true
that
cobit
19-
and
this
is
of
course
a
new
virus
in
the
world-
is
having
long
lasting
effects.
I
That's
why
we
are
leading
in
terms
of
research
in
british
columbia
under
the
direction
of
dr
henry
and
teams
throughout
the
health
authorities
in
in
addressing
these
questions,
we've
added
specialty
clinics
to
support
long
haulers,
and
we
will
continue
to
do
so.
In
addition
to
that,
we
are
using
the
evidence
from
that
to
the
biobank
that's
established,
for
those
who
wish
to
participate,
who
are
part
of
that
to
continue
to
improve
the
care
that
we
need
to
provide
and
to
continue
throughout
our
system
of
primary
care
to
provide
support
for
people.
H
Cases
may
be
currently
declining,
but
we
know
that
covid19
adapts
quickly
and
may
present
new
challenges
well
into
the
future.
Today
dr
gustafson
indicated
that
public
health
officials
are
shifting
away
from
emergency
pandemic
management
towards
communicable
disease
control,
meaning
less
of
an
all
hands,
deck
approach
and
more
long-term
management.
H
H
We
await
the
updated
guidance
for
how
contract
tracing
ventilation,
rapid
responses
in
schools,
coveted
safety
plans
and
public
communications
will
change
over
the
course
of
the
coming
months.
My
questions,
for
you,
honourable
speaker,
is
to
the
minister
of
health.
Can
we
expect
that
the
updated
guidance
will
recognize
aerosol
transmission
of
covid
and
provide
effective
ways
to
keep
people
safe,
particularly
students
and
teachers,
who
will
be
returning
to
school
in
the
fall.
I
Thank
you
very
much
honourable
chair
and
I
think,
on
behalf
of
members
of
the
legislature,
I
want
to
thank
everybody
in
the
education
system
for
this
significant
achievement.
My
colleague
the
minister
of
education
teachers,
parents
support
workers
and
education,
administrators
and,
of
course,
the
students
for
all
they've
done
to
make
this
the
school
year.
I
It
has
been
in
british
columbia
a
school
year
like
no
other
but
a
school
year,
honorable
speaker
compared
to
other
jurisdictions
that
have
been
fuller
and
more
meaningful
in
the
lives
of
young
people,
and
I
think
that's
an
achievement
that
everyone
in
british
columbia
can
be
proud
of.
The
minister.
The
member
refers
to
reluctance.
I
What
we've
done
in
bc
is
follow
the
guidance
of
public
health.
We
have
learned
and
adapted
throughout
this
pandemic.
One
of
the
significant
decisions
in
that
respect,
early
on
in
the
pandemic
and
then
later
on,
was
the
important
work
of
contact,
tracing
and
supporting
people
who
test
positive
for
covet.
19
bc
has
not
just
led
canada,
but
the
world
in
both
the
hiring
and
the
resources
we
put
into
this
and
the
remarkable
work
done
by
people
in
contact
tracing.
What
we
we
are
doing
every
day
is
learning
about
covet
19
every
single
day.
I
J
Well,
thank
you,
mr
speaker.
I
don't
think
anybody
I
know
on
this
side
of
the
house
is
surprised
at
all
to
have
learned
that
the
premier
is
bungled
yet
another
issue
with
the
business
support
programs.
Yet
again,
we've
received
confirmation
now,
through
a
letter
from
the
finance
minister,
that
all
coveted
business
supports
are
going
to
be
taxed.
J
J
A
You,
honourable
speaker,
and
I
appreciate
the
member
raising
this
question
and
it
gives
us
an
opportunity
to
reflect
on
all
that
we've
seen
throughout
this
pandemic
and
certainly
this
session
we
are
in.
I
appreciate
the
comments
from
all
members
of
this
house
talking
about
what
we've
been
able
to
accomplish-
and
I
think
it's
important
to
take
this
moment
to
reflect
on
what
we've
been
able
to
accomplish
here
in
this
chamber
in
this
session.
Of
course,.
B
A
Thank
you,
honorable,
speaker
and,
and
the
member
will
know
that
we're
proud
here
in
british
columbia,
we
have
provided
the
highest
per
capita
support
for
people
and
businesses
in
this
entire
country.
Honorable
speaker,
99,
pre
pandemic
employment
numbers
on
our
speaker,
there's
so
much
that
we
can
be
proud
of.
You
know.
The
original
budget
for
small
medium-sized
business
recovery
grant
program
was
300
million
dollars.
We
expect
to
be
over
530
million
dollars
in
direct
grants
to
businesses
throughout
this
province.
A
A
The
the
the
house
leader
for
the
opposition
has
questions.
He
can
ask
the
next
question,
but,
honorable
speaker,
what
I
want
to
highlight
is
this:
that
we
have
the
highest
per
capita
supports.
A
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker
they're.
They
seemed
excited
today
about
the
last
day,
but
we
know
that
the
work
is
going
to
continue
on
our
speaker.
Even
after
today,
we're
going
to
continue
to
work
with
businesses
we're
going
to
continue
to
work
with
people
we're
going
to
continue
to
work
with
the
nonprofit
sector
to
provide
them
the
supports.
They
need
overwhelmingly
we're
getting
positive
reviews
and
that
work
will
continue
as
the
pandemic
moves
on.
J
Well,
thank
you,
mr
speaker,
the
ndp
get
into
government
and
they
raise
taxes
on
businesses.
Then
they
try
to
pat
themselves
on
the
back
saying
we're
going
to
give
some
of
it
back
during
a
global
pandemic
in
a
tax
rebate
only
to
turn
around
and
tax
it
and
take
money
away
again
and
claw
it
back
from
businesses.
J
J
The
emergency
child
care
center
funding
will
now
be
taxed
by
this
premier
in
this
government,
meaning
parents
are
going
to
be
forced
to
pay
for
that
child
care.
Centers
are
going
to
be
having
money
clawed
back
through
taxes
after
this
government
tries
to
pat
themselves
on
the
back
for
helping
them.
So
will
the
premier
stop
the
claw
back
to
child
care,
centers
and
reverse
his
decision
on
this
emergency
funding?.
A
A
A
I
appreciate
all
the
speaker
that
all
this
good
news
is
hard
for
them
to
hear
honorable
speaker,
I
I
I.
I
appreciate
that
hearing
overwhelmingly
from
all
the
stakeholders
how
pleased
they
are
of
all
the
support
we've
been
put
in
place.
Honorable
speaker,
the
list
is
massive.
This
session
honorable
speaker
recovery
benefit
that
helped
people
pay
1.3
billion
dollars
in
the
direct
supports
recovery
benefit.
A
We
had
a
thousand
a
dollar
work
benefit
that
was
provided
for
six
hundred
thousand
british
columbians
honorable
speaker,
two
two
icbc
rebates,
two
drivers
across
this
province,
honorable
speaker
and
that's
on
top
of
the
400
dollar
average
that
they're
all
saving
on
insurance.
Honorable
speaker
overwhelmingly
we're
getting
positive
responses
on
all
the
financial
supports
that
we've
provided.
They
know
that
they
can't
they
can't
quote
a
single
stakeholder
that
will
say
otherwise.
Honorable
speaker.
K
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
This
government
has
no
plan
for
dealing
with
this
deadly
opioid
crisis.
Young
people
are
paying
a
high
price,
young
people
are
dying
and
when
they
seek
help
the
premier
and
this
government
are
clearly
not
there
for
them.
The
family
of
two
17
year
old
girls
are
trying
to
get
them
into
a
residential
treatment.
These
girls
are
willing
to
go
and
they
need
to
go
to
a
center
without
boys.
K
K
D
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
I
applaud
all
young
people,
anybody
across
british
columbia,
struggling
with
addictions
and
mental
health
challenges
that
steps
forward
and
asks
for
help.
This
is
exactly
the
system
of
care
that
we
are
trying
to
build
unattended
work
for
a
very
long
time,
work
that
is
articulated
in
our
long-term
plan
pathway
to
hope
which
we
have
been
building
out
every
year,
since
this
ministry
was
created,
this
year's
budget
commitment,
half
a
billion
dollars
historic
investment
in
building
up
that
system
of
care,
and
we
are
not
all
the
way
there.
D
Yet
it's
not.
I
disagree
with
the
members
characterization
on
these
particular
files.
We've
been
working
very
hard.
My
ministry
has,
I
can't
speak
to
the
specifics
of
them,
because
this
is
a
matter
of
direct
care
and
privacy,
but
I
will
say
that
there
are
14,
publicly
funded
beds
at
westminster
house,
the
system
of
care
that
we've
been
building
up.
D
Six
of
them
have
already
been
opened
on
vancouver
island.
We
have
identified
that
gender-specific
care
is
a
challenge.
That
is
something
that
we
are
working
with:
healthcare
providers
and
the
health
authorities
to
address
through
the
again
the
historic
funding
to
expand,
bed-based
addictions,
treatment
and
and
the
advocacy
of
the
families
is
important
and
we
are
working
hard
on
it.
K
K
This
minister
is
in
charge
of
a
ministry
that
actually
does
not
run
the
ministerial
programs
that
she
continues
to
reference.
Her
ministry
is
the
smallest
in
government.
It
is
smaller
than
the
office
of
the
premier,
which
is
increased
by
5.7
million
dollars.
That
is
enough
for
20
additional
treatment
beds.
K
Dr
mark
tyndale,
a
professor
at
ubc,
school
of
population
and
public
health,
says,
and
I
quote:
when
you
look
into
this
ministry,
I
mean
it's
basically
just
a
front:
there's
no
power,
there's
no
decision
making.
They
take
quite
a
junior
minister
and
make
her
kind
of
stand
there
and
answer
questions,
but
she
has
no
budget
and
no
power.
End
of
quote
those
are
very
harsh
words,
and
now
we've
got
a
ministry.
That's
been
labeled.
K
K
We
need
this
government
to
take
control
and
take
control
now,
and
it
has
failed
to
do
that
time
and
time
again.
My
question
is
to
the
premier:
will
he
do
the
right
thing
and
make
sure
that
these
girls
do
not
fall
victim
to
an
inadequate
system
that
continues
to
fail?
British
columbians
young
peoples
and
family
day
after
day.
D
Mr
speaker,
I
could
not
disagree
more
with
the
way
that
the
member
has
characterized
our
government's
commitment
and
financial
commitment
to
this
work.
We
direct
the
budgets.
We
make
this
treasury
board
submissions,
it
was
our
ministry's
work
and
my
work
as
minister
that
got
a
historic
half
a
billion
dollar
investment
in
mental
health
and
addictions
care.
D
Through
this
budget
cycle
already
across
all
ministries,
2.7
billion
dollars
a
year
is
dedicated,
and
if
the
member
would
propose
that
we
build
a
parallel
system
of
health
care
delivery
and
artificially
amputate
mental
health
and
addictions
care
from
the
health
care
delivery
system,
he
is
wrong
and
he
is
not
getting
his
advice
from
the
people
on
the
front
line.
I
direct
the
health
authorities.
I've
met
with
every
health
authority.
My
ministry
talks
almost
daily
with
every
health
authority,
all
of
them
across
british
columbia,
about
how
to
get
the
best
care.