►
From YouTube: FEBRUARY 23 2022 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
3rd Session
42nd Parliament
C
C
More
ndp
taxes,
mr
speaker,
despite
the
premier's
promise
during
the
election
just
this
last
election,
and
I
will
quote
him-
I
know
he
loves
it
when
he
gets
asked
to
actually
live
up
to
a
campaign
promise.
But
this
is
what
the
creamer
said
in
the
last
election
just
a
year
ago.
Our
our
plan
does
not
include
any
new
taxes.
We
have
no
intention
of
raising
new
taxes.
End
quote
so
when
will
the
premier
start
to
actually
live
up
to
one
of
his
campaign,
promises
and
actually
start
to
take
steps
to
make
life
more
affordable?
D
So,
mr
speaker,
clearly
the
member
opposite
doesn't
know
how
to
quite
read
the
budget
document,
so
I
think
it's
really
important
to
certainly
clarify
that
the
the
marketplace
pst,
that
is
about
closing
a
loophole
because,
mr
speaker,
if
you
have
a
bricks
and
mortar
store,
you
have
to
charge
pst
like
that's
standard
and
we
certainly
saw
with
activity
through
the
pandemic.
That
lots
of
folks
went
online
and
are
using.
You
know
different
marketplaces
to
sell
their
wares.
Well,
they
should.
They,
too,
should
be
collecting
pst.
D
D
D
I
want
to
say
in
terms
of
affordability,
now
the
member
did
ask
and
sit
and
suggest
somehow
that
affordability
wasn't
something
that
this
government
has
been
taking
action
on,
which
is
absolutely
not
the
case,
mr
speaker,
and
I
want
to
say
I
just
want
to
talk
about
one
of
the
items
in
which
we've
addressed
affordability,
particularly
in
this
budget,
mr
speaker,
and
that's
about
affordable
child
care
and
how
that
is
changing
lives.
D
C
You,
mr
speaker,
while
the
premier's
silence
on
his
own
campaign,
promises
speaks
volumes
in
this
chamber.
It's
quite
incredible
that,
in
the
middle
of
an
affordability
crisis,
the
ndp
are
going
after
people
trying
to
save
money
on
used
goods
and
in
fact
the
the
minister
references
child
care.
Only
the
ndp
could
think
a
plan
that
is
six
years
late
at
twice.
The
cost
is
a
success
story,
but
I
digress.
C
C
Groceries
are
up
skyrocketing
and
nothing
to
help
the
most
vulnerable
members
with
record
high
quality.
In
fact,
the
ndp
tax
increases
target,
those
who
can
actually
least
afford
it.
Now
again,
I
know
the
premier
and
the
minister
don't
like
having
their
own
documents
quoted
to
them,
but
on
page
91
of
the
budget,
it
very
clearly
says-
and
I
quote,
individuals
involved
in
private
vehicle
transactions
are
more
likely
to
be
low
to
medium
income
and
quote
so
again.
D
D
D
D
We
said
we
would
build
it
out
over
10
years,
mr
speaker,
and
that's
exactly
what
we've
been
doing.
We
have
been
building
it
out.
We
have
included
a
wage
enhancement
for
those
workers.
We
have
training
seats
for
early
childhood
educators.
We
are
building
spaces
left
right
and
center.
Mr
speaker,
more
and
more
keep
coming
online.
We're
going
to
continue
down
that
path
towards
10
a
day
day
care
it'll,
be
20
by
the
end
of
the
year
and
we're
gonna
keep
going
until
we
get
to
ten
dollars
a
day.
Mr
speaker,.
E
E
And
and
mr
speaker,
when,
when
you
hear
this
government
when
when,
when
people
hear
this
government
constantly
patting
themselves
on
the
back,
instead
of
addressing
the
real
affordability
challenges
that
people
have
do
you
know
what
british
columbians
want
to
say
to
this
premier?
They
want
to
say,
give
me
a
break.
E
Paul
paul
paul
kershaw
of
generation
squeeze
says,
and
I
quote
whether
it's
in
trying
to
fight
housing,
unaffordability
or
the
crisis
around
child
care
unaffordability,
the
numbers
show.
Clearly
these
are
lower
level
priorities
in
the
2022
budget.
End
quote,
mr
speaker:
fighting
unaffordability
for
people
is
not
the
priority
of
this
budget,
but
what
was
one
of
the
priorities
making
life
more
affordable
for
the
for
the
premier
and
for
ndp
cabinet
ministers?
B
D
B
D
Mr
speaker,
even
even
in
an
emergency
mr
speaker,
it
forces
government
to
balance
books
on
the
backs
of
british
columbians,
making
sure
that
that
we-
and
if
we
followed
that
hold
back
provision.
Mr
speaker,
we
wouldn't
have
supports
for
business.
We
wouldn't
have
vaccination
clinics.
It
is
the
wrong
members.
D
E
Wow
wow
well,
so
so
so
for
the
average
british
columbian
a
tax
increase
is,
is
a
is
just
taking
care
of
a
loophole,
but
for
this
government
when
it
comes
to
a
pay
increase
for
the
premier
and
the
cabinet
ministers,
it's
just
dealing
with
a
hold
back.
I
talk
about
a
double
standard.
E
The
taxes
of
average
british
columbians
and
pounds
their
own
pockets
talk
about
being
just
a
little
bit
toned
down
in
the
middle
of
an
affordability
crisis,
with
half
of
all
british
columbians
about
200
away
from
not
being
able
to
pay
their
bills.
The
premier's
priority
was
a
twenty
thousand
dollar
pay
raise
for
himself
and
his
cabinet
ministers.
E
How
much
did
the
average
person
get
from
this
from
this
budget
zero?
How
much
does
the
premier
and
the
cabinet
get
in
this
document?
They
get
20
000
in
pay
increases,
mr
speaker
where's.
Where
is
the
where's
the
the
relief
that
this
premier
promised
to
help
british
columbians
with
british
climates,
who
are
being
crushed
under
the
weight
of
unaffordability
across
this
province?
And
will
the
premier
stand
up
today
and
say
to
british
columbians?
You
know
what,
upon
second
sober
thought.
D
B
D
D
The
holdback
a
holdback
provision,
it's
fundamental
value,
it's
fundamental
value.
Its
message
is:
don't
do
the
right
thing
by
the
people,
otherwise
we
will
hold
back
your
salary.
We've
said
we
should
always
be
doing
the
right
thing
by
the
people,
and
so
we
are
eliminating
that
hold
back.
Mr
speaker
and
the
accountability.
Mr
speaker,
the
member
wants
to
know
about
accountability.
Ministerial
accountability
is
still
there.
Every
single
minister
that
is
surrounding
me,
mr
speaker,
is
required
to
work
within
their
budget.
Mr
speaker,
that's
what
we're
committed
to.
B
G
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker,
property
tax
revenue
is
expected
to
grow
by
an
average
of
5.2
percent
annually
and,
according
to
the
budget
and
fiscal
framework,
this
projection
projection
is
in
line
with
inflation.
It's
true
that
inflation
is
a
problem.
According
to
stats,
can
inflation
is
the
highest
it's
been
since
1991,
but
those
numbers
fall
short
of
the
grossly
inflated
prices
of
housing
in
bc.
G
G
D
You
and
I
want
to
thank
the
member
for
for
the
question
the
housing
crisis
has
has
been
with
us
for
some
time
we
were
making
some
headway
before
the
pandemic.
Mr
speaker,
we
were
seeing
some
moderation
and
that
certainly
suggested
that
we
were
moving
in
the
right
direction.
With
our
30-point
plan.
We
know
the
speculation
vacancy
tax
certainly
made
a
difference.
D
Not
only
did
it
tamper
down
speculation,
but
it
also
turned
18
000
empty
units
into
homes.
For
for
british
columbians-
and
I
appreciate
the
members
question-
we're
continuing
to
spend
1.2
billion
dollars
every
year
to
build
the
kind
of
housing
that
british
columbians
need
and
in
fact,
in
this
budget
we
accelerated
the
community
housing
fund
by
a
hundred
million
dollars
to
continue
on
that
on
that
path,
to
continue
to
deliver
housing
for
british
columbians
that
they
can
afford.
G
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker
and,
and
while
I
recognize
the
government
has
been
trying
to
address
the
housing
crisis.
I
think
british
columbians
can
acknowledge
and
see
that
for
many
many
people
the
crisis
is
getting
worse,
but
our
reliance
on
problematic
revenue
sources
isn't
just
limited
to
housing.
G
G
So,
let's
be
clear,
this
government's
so-called
climate
budget
is
predicated
on
increasing
the
volume
of
methane
and
carbon
emissions
from
fracking
in
british
columbia.
After
the
climate
disasters
we
endured
last
year,
it
is
business
as
usual
from
this
government
through
you,
honourable
speaker,
to
the
minister
of
energy
and
minds.
H
H
They
they
set
forward
a
series
of
conclusions,
there's
been
a
public
consultation
process
and
we've
made
it
very
clear
that
we
are
going
to
eliminate
outdated,
inefficient
fossil
fuel
subsidies,
and
that
report
has
we
were
in
in
process.
We
will
be
making
an
announcement
in
fair
fairly
soon.
I
hope,
and
I
invite
the
member
to
await
that
announcement.
F
Well,
thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Look
we've
just
heard
and
we
all
know
that
housing
has
never
been
more
out
of
reach
for
most
british
colombians
than
it
is
now
under
this
ndp
government
and
what
we
learned
yesterday
that
the
ndp
is
profiting
off
of
the
skyrocketing
housing
prices
to
the
tune
of
almost
3
billion
dollars.
F
What
have
they
decided
to
do
with
that
money?
Well,
as
we
heard
today,
I
guess
their
top
priority
is
making
sure
that
cabinet
members
and
the
premier
make
almost
twenty
thousand
dollars
more
each
using
that
money's
rather
than
helping
people
who
need
help.
Well,
I
can
hear
the
back
bench
heckling.
I
guess
they're
just
upset
they're,
not
in
cabinet,
because
they're
not
making
twenty
thousand
dollars
extra.
F
So
I
guess
the
peak
is
the
peak
of
ndp
hypocrisy.
So
it's
a
real
real,
easy
one.
The
premier
has
been
promising
now
for
five
years
that
he
is
going
to
lower
housing
prices,
make
life
more
affordable.
When
is
he
going
to
do
that,
rather
than
trying
to
make
life
more
affordable
just
for
himself
and
his
cabinet.
D
That's
that's!
That's
action,
mr
speaker.
That's
action!
Last
year
alone,
mr
speaker,
housing
starts
reached
47
000,
an
all-time
high
and
53
greater
than
the
old
government's
plan.
That
is
action,
mr
speaker
and
mr
speaker.
We're
investing
1.2
billion
dollars
in
housing
and
homelessness
supports
every
year.
That's
three
times
the
level
that
was
funded
in
2017,
mr
speaker,
we're
continuing
to
do
the
work
that
needs
to
be
done
to
make
up
for
the
15
or
16
years
of
negligence
that
was
left
behind
by
the
previous
government.
F
End
quote
they're
also
saying
that
there
are
10
000
promised
homes
in
the
pipeline,
they're
sitting
there
they're
waiting
and
guess
what
they're
unfunded
in
this
budget
by
the
ndp.
So
the
minister
can
spout
off
whatever
numbers
she
wants
about
imaginary
houses
that
must
be
for
imaginary
people
because
nobody's
living
in
them,
because
they're
not
built
the
five
five
years
into
a
10-year
plan.
We
are
halfway
through
a
10-year
plan
and
guess
what
5200
homes
have
actually
been
built
with
people
living
in
them,
real
people
exactly
you
know.
F
F
D
You
very
much
thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker.
Well,
certainly
what
we've
seen
is
significant
appetite
to
build
the
kinds
of
homes
that
people
can
afford.
Mr
speaker
and
that's
why
that's
why,
in
this
budget,
we've
accelerated
and
put
in
a
hundred
million
dollars
more
into
the
community
housing
so
that
those
projects
that
that
weren't
successful
can
be
successful.
So
we
can
continue
to
build
more,
mr
speaker,
but
let's
just
let's
just
talk
for
a
second.
D
Let's
just
talk
for
a
second,
mr
speaker,
about
what
the
folks
on
the
other
side
have
been
saying
about
our
housing
plan,
mr
speaker,
they've,
been
saying
that
they
would
eliminate
the
speculation
tax.
Mr
speaker,
mr
falcon
said
that
he
would
do
that,
and
I
gotta
hear
here.
You
know
what
that
would
happen,
mr
speaker,
what
that
would
do?
Eighteen
thousand
people,
families
would
be
turfed
and
would
have
to
then,
while
those
homes
sat
empty
because
they
would
get
rid
of
a
speculation
tax.
D
Mr
speaker,
and
you
know
what
else
it
would
do,
it
would
drive
up
real
estate
even
higher.
Mr
speaker,
they
have
opposed
nearly
every
major
step.
We
have
taken
on
this
housing
crisis,
mr
speaker.
They
would
eliminate
our
cap
and
make
renters
pay
even
more
mr
speaker,
that
two
percent
two
percent
dpi
instead
of
just
cpi.
Mr
speaker,
I
think
that
that
renters
and
homeowners
are
better
off
with
both
with
us
folks
here
on
this
side,
because
we're
making
the
investments
at
the
right
time
in
the
right
way.
I
I
Withdraw
let's
look
at
what
british
columbians
are
actually
facing
today
and
it's
not
just
the
cost
of
housing
and
by
the
way
for
the
minister's
reference
it
used
to
cause
it
used
to
take
34
years
to
actually
save
to
buy
for
a
home
in
vancouver
in
the
short
time
these
guys
have
been
in
government
they've
managed
to
drive
it
up
to
36
years.
I
So
that
is
one
thing
they've
accomplished
on
the
housing
file,
but
it's
not
just
home
ownership,
it's
actually
rental
rates
in
british
columbia
and
in
fact
there
are
new
statistics
from
cmhc
which
show
that
renting
is
less
affordable
than
ever
under
this
ndp
government.
Let's
just
take
a
look
at
what
it's
costing
people
who
live
in
surrey,
for
example,
they
are
paying
thirty
two
hundred
dollars
more
a
year
under
this
government.
I
I
So
last
week,
when
we
asked
the
housing
minister
about
the
renter's
rebate,
that
was
promised
not
only
once
but
twice
in
big
flashy
brochures
from
the
premier
during
two
election
campaigns.
Finally,
someone
admitted
or
working
on
it.
Well,
it's
been
five
years
of
empty
promises,
the
sixth
consecutive
budget
and
guess
what
no
renter's
rebate.
So
maybe
the
housing
minister
would
like
to
get
on
his
feet
today
and
explain
to
british
columbians
exactly
how
long
it's
going
to
take
for
them
to
work
on
the
renter's
rebate.
D
Okay,
thank
you.
Thank
you
very
much.
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker
and
again
I
I.
I
listened
very
carefully
to
the
members
question
and
trying
to
understand
you
know
exactly
what
is
she
getting
at
like?
D
What
is
what
is
she
getting
at
right
because
she's,
because
because
she's
suggesting
mr
speaker
she's
suggesting
that
that
that
we
we
don't
know
what
we're
talking
about
or
something
like
that,
but
I
have
to
say,
mr
speaker:
it's
the
people
on
the
other
side,
it's
the
people
on
the
other
side
who
seem
to
forget
that
that
their
they
allowed
landlords
to
increase
rents,
two
percent
plus
cpi,
two
percent
plus
cpi.
Mr
speaker,
that
was
the
people.
On
the
other
side,
we.
B
B
D
By
by
eliminating
the
two
percent
on
the
rent
hikes,
we're
reducing
costs
for
families,
mr
speaker,
cutting
this
annual
rent
increase
to
inflation
is
saving
an
average
bc
family
over
a
thousand
dollars
a
year
on
a
two-bedroom.
Mr
speaker,.
D
A
year,
mr
speaker,
because
we
took
action,
it
is
helping
to
make
helping
families.
Mr
speaker,
there
is,
there
is
still
much
more
to
do.
Mr
speaker,
all
I
can
say
is,
thank
goodness.
We
took
off
that
two
percent,
mr
speaker,
because
that
would
really
have
devastated
families
in
a
way
that
that
we
couldn't
miss.
We
got
rid
of
their
policy
because
their
policies,
frankly
stink.
I
Thank
you
very
much
and
you
know
what
well
we
might
sit
in
this
house
and
think
it's
funny
to
listen
to
the
minister
of
finance.
It's
not
funny
to
the
families
in
surrey.
She
can
pretend
all
she
wants
and
her
mlas
can
be
as
silent
as
they
want,
but
they
are
paying
3
200
more
every
single
year
under
this
ndp
government.
That's
her
record,
and
that
is
nothing
to
be
laughing
about.
I
He
made
a
promise
to
the
people
of
british
columbia
that
life
would
be
more
affordable
under
his
government
and
he
has
utterly
failed
on
that
promise
to
british
columbians.
He
made
a
promise
that
renters
would
receive
a
400
rebate,
pretty
straight
up,
straightforward
promise.
Well
guess
what
right
now,
if
we
look
at
the
cost
of
that
rebate,
it's
probably
about
350
now
and
shrinking.
As
we
speak,
saying
you're
working
on
it
as
the
housing
minister
minister
did
last
week
is
pretty
cold
comfort.
I
If
you're
a
renter
in
the
tri-cities,
which,
of
course
the
minister
of
finance
represents
they
are
paying
4
500
more
a
year
in
rent
under
the
ndp
rent
is
skyrocketing.
This
is
a
two-term
government.
That's
done
nothing
to
implement
a
promise.
This
premier
made
not
once
but
twice
when.
Will
the
premier
deliver
on
at
least
that
simple,
straightforward
promise
to
help
renters
in
british
columbia.
D
D
D
A
That's
how
many
british
columbians
have
lost
their
lives
in
this
overdose
crisis.
Last
year
the
bc
chief
coroner
says-
and
I
quote,
we
have
not
seen
a
response
commemorate
with
the
size
of
this
crisis
with
so
many
people
dying
every
day.
End
quote,
and
what
did
we
see
yesterday
from
this
minister
from
this
premier
from
this
government,
an
8
million
dollar
transfer
not
a
bump,
but
a
transfer
into
the
ministry
of
mental
health
and
addictions
budget
for
communications
for
advertising
for
staff.
A
This
minister's
priority
spin
doctors
at
a
time
where
british
columbians
are
losing
their
lives
over
six
a
day,
eight
million
dollars,
that's
over
200
treatment
beds.
So
my
question
is
to
the
minister
of
mental
health
and
addictions.
Will
she
immediately
do
the
right
thing
and
will
she
put
that
money
where
it
belongs
into
treatment
and
recovery
for
british
columbians.
D
You
very
much,
mr
speaker
and
the
tragic
loss
of
life
is
something
that
I
think
everybody
in
this
house
thinks
about
every
day.
D
Mr
speaker,
we
are
spending
375
million
dollars
every
year
to
put
together
a
mental
health
and
addictions
framework
that
works
for
people
who
are
most
impacted
by
the
opioid
crisis
of
poison
drug
supply,
who
have
mental
health
issues.
D
It
used
to
be
once
upon
a
time,
a
hodgepodge
of
services
that
had
no
coordination
that
had
no
framework
around
it
and
I'm
very
proud
to
be
a
government
that
has
put
laser
focus
on
developing
and
building
out
a
mental
health
and
addictions,
a
framework
and
program
that
makes
sense,
mr
speaker,
and
that
work
has
been
going
on
for
five
years
as
we
continue
to
build
it
out.
D
I
want
to
point
out
to
the
member
that
that's
actually
not
true
when
he
talks
about
as
a
communications
piece,
and
I
can
break
it
down
for
him
that
the
money
includes
services
for
people.
It
includes
six
million
dollars
for
the
community
innovation
fund,
which
funds
community-based
actions
to
combat
the
toxic
drug
crisis,
and
I
think
that
everybody
here
can
really
appreciate
that
people
on
the
ground
know
what
their
communities
need
and
that's
what
six
million
of
that
eight
is
is
doing.
D
The
other
two
million
dollars
is
for
stop
the
stigma,
public
awareness
campaign
with
online
and
physical
advertisements
in
communities
across
british
columbia-
and
I
know
that
everybody
here
stands
up
in
the
face
of
stigma
and
challenges
it
and
that
that's
what
that
money
is
going
for.
Mr
speaker,.