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From YouTube: MAY 10 2022 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
3rd Session
42nd Parliament
C
C
D
Thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and
I
thank
the
the
member
for
his
question.
Ever
since
this
government's
taken
office,
we
have
been
taking
action
on
issue
of
affordability
that
includes
gas
prices
and
recognizing
the
cost
pressures
that
people
face
themselves
under
on
a
day-to-day
basis.
As
we
know,
the
situation
with
gas
prices
is
a
direct
result
of
the
the
situation
in
ukraine.
It's
not.
B
D
D
Every
fuel
expert,
every
gas
expert
will
tell
you
that's
exactly
what
is
happening.
Honorable
speaker,
that
is
exactly
what
is
happening.
That's
why,
honorable
speaker
that
there
has
been
a
rebate
going
out
to
assist
people
dealing
with
the
cost
of
living,
which
includes
gas
prices.
Those
checks
are
going
out.
Those
debits
are
going
up
this
very
month.
Honorable
speaker
action
is
being
taken
and
we
will
continue
to
do
that.
C
And
if
action
means
by
this
government,
two
dollars
and
22
cents
at
the
leader
in
surrey,
right
now,
boy
are
we
in
trouble
skyrocketing
gas
prices
mean
the
cost
of
everything
is
going
up
for
a
commercial
truck
to
fill
up
before
it
was
six
hundred
and
fifty
dollars.
Now
it's
over
fifteen
hundred
dollars
filling
up
a
tractor
used
to
cost
two
hundred
thirty
dollars.
C
D
Thank
you
honorable
speaker.
Well,
we
have
been
keeping
our
promise
to
help
british
columbians
with
the
sky-high
problems
and
costs
that
that
government
created
when
they
sat
on
this
side.
D
Gas
prices
are
going
up
because
of
the
situation
outside
of
this
province
in
ukraine.
That's
a
fact
they
don't
want
to
accept.
At
the
same
time,
honorable
speaker
issues
that
impact
on
gas
on
on
transportation
costs,
whether
you're,
truckering
or
motorist.
We've
been
assisting
right
from
the
get-go,
removing
the
tolls.
The
number
one.
D
Taking
the
tolls,
taking
the
tolls
off
the
end
off
the
the
port
man
bridge
is
saving
businesses,
tens
of
thousands
of
dollars
a
year
on
rebel
spiegel.
D
E
E
E
Talk
about
being
completely
out
of
touch
with
the
pain
british
columbians
right
now
are
facing
at
the
time.
So
there's
a
very
simple
question
to
the
premier,
with
gas
at
223
a
liter.
Does
the
premier
know
how
much
it
costs
to
fill
up
the
average
vehicle
family
vehicle
today?
I
would
love
to
hear
that
answer.
D
Honorable
speaker,
well,
as
a
matter
of
fact,
I
can
tell
you
how
much
it
cost
to
fill
up
my
vehicle.
The
last
time
was
the
pump.
It
was
88.
Honourable
speaker,
that's
what
it
cost
to
fill
up
my
vehicle,
but
what
I
can
also
tell
you
is
the
insurance
on
my
vehicle
is
20
percent
cheaper
than
it
was
under
that
size.
D
And
I
remember
talking
to
a
small
business
person
who
told
me
that
that
was
saving
him
15
000
a
month
when
we
did
away
with
that.
Honorable
speaker
and
I'll
tell
you
what
else
I
don't
have
to
worry
about,
and
families
in
my
community
that
don't
have
to
worry
about.
They
don't
have
to
worry
about
msp
premiums,
honourable
speaker,
which
they
used.
D
And
I
know
something
else,
honorable
speaker,
that
families
have
access
to
the
child
opportunity
benefit
that
can
save
them
2600
a
year.
Honorable
speaker,
that's
a
huge
saving
and
I
won't
even
get
into
the
child
care
savings
because
we'll
say
that
for
no
doubt
the
next
question
that's
coming
up
one
more
thing:
while
on
the
topic
of
transportation,
kids
in
this
province
under
12,
right,
transit
for
free.
E
B
E
A
third
of
that
is
taxes
and
government
policies.
Under
this
ndp
since
they've
taken
office,
gas
is
up
90
cents,
a
liter
in
british
columbia.
We
are
still
50
60,
70
cents,
higher
than
washington,
state
or
alberta.
Let's
be
clear,
the
ndp
has
no
idea
our
willingness
to
try
to
bring
any
relief
at
the
pump.
Mr
speaker,
we
have
suggested
that
they
could
suspend
provincial
gas
taxes
like
they
did
in
alberta,
which
did
see
a
13
centiliter
drop
at
the
pump.
E
They
could
give
a
one-time
rebate
to
the
climate
action
tax
credit
which
actually
would
get
into
people's
pockets
faster
and
is
actually
based
on
income,
so
the
lower
income
people
would
get
more
help
not
treated
the
same
or
they
could
stop
taxing.
The
fuel
imports
like
they
started
on
january
1st,
coming
in
from
alberta
by
truck
at
25
cents,
a
liter
starting
january
1st,
under
this
government's
watch.
B
Minister,
thank
you
honorable.
D
B
D
D
Honorable
speaker,
as
I
said,
we
have
taken
significant
action
on
the
on
on
cost
drivers
that
hit
families
right
since
we've
taken
office
and
I'll
repeat
it
again
for
the
honorable
for
the
honourable
members,
because
clearly
they
don't
seem
to
understand
that
when
you
eliminate
msp
premiums,
which
they
kept
jacking
up
year
after
year
after
year,
that
they
were
not
that's
a
huge
cost
virgin.
That's
a
huge.
G
D
Burden
of
family's
honor,
the
speaker,
that's
a
huge
cost
burden
when
you
bring
in
child
care
to
make
it
more
affordable
for
families,
so
they're
not
paying
sky-high
child
care
fees,
that's
making
life
more
affordable.
Honorable
speakers.
D
When
you
bring
in
enhanced
care
and
safe
people,
20
percent
on
their
insurance,
that's
helping
families,
that's
helping
their
transportation
costs
when
you're
able
to
give
back
rebates.
Honorable
speaker
because
of
those
changes,
that's
money
going
right
back
into
their
pockets.
Honorable
speaker,
that's
helped
with
all
kinds
of
costs,
not
just
fuel
costs,
but
it
helpful
food
costs.
It
helps
with
the
challenges
that
we're
facing.
And
finally,
honorable
speaker
I'll
remind
the
honourable
member
of
this
fact.
D
D
H
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker,
four
questions,
four
answers.
We
almost
got
there,
but
not
quite
to
the
one
piece
of
information
here
that
doesn't
seem
to
get
talked
about
when
we
talk
about
gas
prices,
which
is
2021,
big
oil
made
174
billion
in
profits,
and
that
number
is
rising
this
year.
Oil
and
gas
companies,
including
the
ones
in
canada,
are
taking
home
a
lot
of
profits
and
profits
is
something
that
I'm
interested
in
when
it
comes
to
our
health
care
system.
H
Honorable
speaker,
the
first
quarter,
finances
of
telus
were
reported
in
a
may
6
globe
and
mail
article.
Their
profits
are
also
up
21
due
to
rising
revenues.
One
source
of
those
revenues
is
telus
health,
which
operates
health
clinics
and
provides
services
such
as
virtual
care
and
health
benefits
management.
It
increased
its
revenues
by
17
million
dollars.
H
Telus
is
planning
to
expand
its
health
business
either
by
identifying
strategic
partners
or
by
taking
the
division
public
following
last
year's
successful
initial
public
offering
of
telus
international.
My
question
to
you,
honourable
speaker,
is
to
the
premier:
does
the
premier
believe
that
a
for-profit
corporation
should
be
generating
those
profits
in
the
publicly
funded
health
care
sector.
I
Honorable
speaker,
there
were
percentages
and
then
there
were
numbers
there
and
they
weren't
in
the
same
column,
but
I
would
say
that
we
have
our
primary
care
system
in
british
columbia.
Honourable
speaker,
our
primary
care
system
in
british
columbia,
our
health
care
system
is
more
public
than
it
was
five
years
ago.
That
is
the
position
of
the
government.
We
brought
in
rules
and
regulations
to
ensure
that's
the
case,
but
we've
also
taken
specific
action
on
primary
care
on
diagnostic
care,
on
surgical
care.
All
of
the
hospitals.
I
We're
building,
are
fully
public
and
100
public
owned
and
we're
going
to
continue
to
take
such
action.
The
the
members
have
raised
the
issue
of
telus
an
issue
with
respect
to
one
part
of
their
operations.
We've
referred
to
the
medical
services
commission,
which
is
how
we
function
under
rule
of
law
in
british
columbia
and
in
my
view,
honourable
speaker,
we
have
a
public
health
care
system
with
more
public
health
delivery
than
anybody
ever
before,
and
we're
going
to
continue
to
move
in
that
direction.
H
H
H
I
Honorable
speaker,
you
can
only
make
that
argument
that
the
system
is
not
becoming
more
public
if
you
entirely
ignore.
What's
going
on
in
2017
in
2017
honorable
speaker,
there
are
175
000
mris
on
the
public
system
in
this
year
in
this
year,
and
that
was
an
area
of
healthcare
where
there
was
the
largest
implantation
of
private
care
prior
to
2017.,
when
people
could
get
a
higher
place
on
the
list
by
going
to
private
care
in
the
public
system.
So
that's
changed.
What
was
the
number
this
year
during
a
pandemic,
296
000.
B
I
When
we
purchased,
when
the
government
purchased
two
private
surgical
centers
in
this
area
and
brought
them
back
into
the
public
system,
honorable
speaker,
I
would
say
honorable
speaker
that
what
what
is
happening
across
the
public
health
care
system
is
a
more
public
and
directed
approach
and
using
those
public
resources.
More
effectively,
we've
gone
from
using
one
mri
machine,
24
7
to
using
10
24
7,
publicly
done
in
the
public
system,
with
more
public
health
care
workers,
doing
the
work.
F
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Our
health
care
system
is
crumbling
and
for
days
now
we
have
been
bringing
painful,
difficult
stories
from
nurses
across
british
columbia,
and
yesterday
the
minister's
answers
were
completely
inadequate.
When
we're
talking
about
a
crisis,
in
fact,
he
chose
to
say
how
proud
he
was
not
once
but
eight
times.
F
I
Well,
thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and
thanks
to
the
member
for
a
question.
It
is
beyond
dispute
that
the
last
two
years,
and
indeed
the
last
four
months,
have
been
fundamentally
challenging
for
nurses
for
health
science
professionals
for
doctors
for
health
care
workers.
In
the
past
week,
for
example,
we
had
a
level
of
absence
and
system
largely
due
to
covet
19
that
was
almost
twice
the
ordinary
level,
including
during
the
last
year,
and
that
has
presented
exceptional
challenges
on
the
ground.
I
I
I
am
proud
of
that,
in
spite
of
all
the
challenges
we're
facing,
I'm
proud
of
the
fact
that
we
were
last
in
orthopedic
surgery
in
2017
in
the
canadian
institute
for
high
health
information
reports
today
that
the
90th
percentile
were
first
on
hip
replacements,
first
on
knee
replacement,
first
on
cataracts
key
areas
of
measurement
of
the
of
quality
healthcare
delivered
last
to
first.
I
am
proud
of
that
and
I'm
proud
of
the
nurses
and
the
doctors
and
the
healthcare
workers
who
did
that
work.
I
There
are
exceptional
challenges
right
now
in
our
health
care
system,
two
public
health
emergencies
and
a
profound
impact
on
the
daily
reality
of
nurses
in
hospitals
in
the
community
as
a
result
of
the
covet-19
pandemic
and
the
public
health
emergency.
That's
why
yesterday
I
was
specific
about
the
actions
we
were
taking:
training,
more
nurses,
making
it
easier
for
internationally
educated
nurses
to
come
the
measures
we've
taken
in
northern
health
and
other
places.
These
are
specific
actions,
not
rhetoric.
Just
actions.
F
We're
also
concerned
about
the
parent
disconnect
between
the
premier
and
the
minister,
because
perhaps
he
should
talk
to
the
premier
last
week,
two
weeks
ago
the
premier
said-
and
I
quote
time
spent
talking
about
new
programs.
While
existing
programs
are
crumbling.
I
think
it's
wasted
time.
It's
right
across
the
board.
This
is
a
crisis.
F
If
the
premier
has
decided
and
agreed
that
it
is
a
crisis
in
health
care
across
british
columbia,
then
it
is
time
for
this
minister
to
recognize
the
concerns
of
nurses
that
are
here
today
and
those
across
the
province.
When
will
he
stand
up
and
take
specific
actions
yesterday,
he
said
clearly
we
need
to
do
more.
Can
the
minister
outline
exactly
what
else
he's
going
to
do.
I
Well,
thank
you
very
much,
honourable
speaker,
and
I
think
this
is
a
pattern
and
I
don't
think
it's
a
good
one.
I
engage
with
nurses
all
the
time
with
their
representatives
and
with
nurses
everywhere
I
attended
and
talked
to
many
nurses
last
night
talk
to
them
about
their
issues.
What
they're
facing
on
the
ground
we
are
facing
in
our
public
health
care
system
right
now,
exceptional
levels,
for
example,
of
absences.
This
isn't
an
excuse.
I
It's
just
a
fact
that
people
deal
with
every
day
in
the
public
health
care
system
to
ignore
it
is
to
ignore
their
issues.
To
ignore
the
fact
that
this
sixth
wave
of
cobit
19
with
the
omicron
variant
of
concerns
and
its
sub-variant,
has
had
a
huge
impact
again
on
the
healthcare
workforce
and
not
and
not
for
nothing.
There
were
five
previous
waves
that
also
affected
the
healthcare
workforce.
It
affected
them
in
every
single
possible
way
in
terms
of
absences
with
it,
which
affects,
shifts
and
effective
its
impact
on
patients
in
every
way.
I
The
impact
on
the
individuals
involved,
the
fact
that,
with
the
public
health
emergency,
that's
the
overdose
crisis
and
the
public
health
emergency,
that's
cobit,
19
people
have
had
personal
experiences
and
nurses,
in
particular
personal
experiences,
often
on
behalf
of
family
members,
who
haven't
been
able
to
visit
at
bedtime
that
have
been
profound
and
life-changing
in
terms
of
outlook.
You
bet
I
hear
what
nurses
are
saying
and
that's
why
we're
taking
specific
measures?
Many
of
them
recommended
to
me
by
nurses,
to
make
things
better.
G
G
Another
doctor
has
made
it
clear
that
she
is
also
leaving,
and
now
I
have
a
letter
from
17
of
19
operating
room
nurses
and
11
of
13
operating
room
physicians,
mr
speaker
collectively
they
are
calling
for-
and
I
quote,
immediate
actions
to
ensure
a
safe
working
environment
and
prevention
of
further
harassment,
bullying
and
intimidation
of
staff.
End
quote:
my
constituents
deserve
better.
Will
the
minister
commit
today
to
immediately
dealing
with
these
situ
this
serious
issue
so
that
not
a
single
doctor
or
nurse
leaves.
I
Very
much
honourable
speaker
and
I
think
the
member
talks
about
action
in
williams
lake
there's
been
action.
I
went
to
williams
lake.
The
member
will
know
this.
He
wasn't
in
mla
at
the
time,
but
he'll
know
this.
My
first
trip
is
minister
of
health
and
doctors
and
nurses
and
health
care
workers
came
to
me
and
said:
we've
got
to
rebuild
the
hospital
we've
been
waiting
for
years
and
years
and
years
and
years
and
years
that
there
are
four
temperature
zones
in
the
pharmacy.
I
I
I
appreciate
the
exceptional
challenge,
particularly
in
interior
health,
because
well,
we've
had
a
wave
of
kobit
19.
Now
the
member
will
know
it's
been
challenging,
essentially
in
the
interior
since
last
july,
unremittantly
challenging.
So
I
hear
the
concern.
Of
course
I
do.
We've
lived
the
concern
together,
all
of
us
as
communities,
we've
lived,
these
concerns
together
and
they
continue
to
be
challenging.
We're
going
to
continue
to
support
doctors
and
nurses
and
health
sciences,
professionals
and
healthcare
workers
in
williams,
lake.
J
Thank
you
so
much
honorable
speaker.
Well,
the
minister
continues
to
victory
lapse
on
empty
rhetoric,
while
nurses
and
staff
are
not
being
heard
and
our
hospitals
are
falling
apart.
This
minister
has
done
nothing
to
address,
listen
to
or
respond
to
the
concerns
of
the
doctors
and
nurses
about
the
toxic
environment
that
is
driving
so
many
to
leave.
Here's
another
nurse-
and
I
quote,
I
see
you-
seven
nurses
short
last
night
and
had
triple
assignments.
I
Health,
well,
thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and
members
may
wish
to
pretend
that
we
haven't
been
through
and
aren't
living
through
a
public
health
emergency
to
public
health
emergencies
throughout
the
last
couple
of
years,
which
have
affected
people
they've
affected
people
in
kelowna,
they've
affected
people
everywhere
else,
and
and
what
I
would
say,
though,
and
what's
clear
people
talk
about
staffing
and
not
providing
supporting
and
not
taking
action,
action
on
nurses,
action
on
health
sciences,
professionals,
6,
600,
more
people
in
the
long
term
care
sector.
A
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Well
yesterday
and
today
the
official
opposition
has
raised
a
series
of
specific
concerns
that
have
been
provided
to
us
by
specific
nurses
and
doctors
in
hospitals
and
healthcare
settings
across
the
province
and
each
of
these
stories
that
we've
cited,
whether
it
be
in
kelowna
or
kamloops,
or
williams,
lake
or
elsewhere,
are
they
have
a
common
theme
of
a
health
care
system?
That's
in
crisis
and
the
healthcare
workers
who
are
in
the
midst
of
that
crisis
are
crying
out
for
this
minister
to
listen
to
them.
A
They
don't
feel
like
they're
that
they're
they're
being
heard
at
royal
inland
hospital
at
royal
inline
hospital.
The
the
leaked
information
that
has
been
provided
to
us
indicates
that
that
hospital
is
operating
at
a
nine
to
one
patient
to
nurse
ratio
nine
to
one
according
to
additional
data
over
the
next
two
months
there
are
nearly
twenty
thousand
unfilled
shift
hours
in
the
icu
and
the
emergency
department
at
royal
inland
hospital,
and
we
heard
yesterday
about
three
er
nurses
on
one
shift.
A
Looking
after
40
patients
with
40,
more
patients
waiting
at
royal
inland,
we
heard
about
kelowna
general,
where
there
was
one
nurse
on
a
shift
responsible
for
54
patients.
At
the
same
time,
we've
heard
about
the
situation
in
williams
lake
at
caribou
memorial,
where
28
out
of
32
operating
room,
doctors
and
nurses
are
saying
enough-
is
enough
they're,
not
sure
how
much
longer
they
can
do
it
and
they
may
follow.
Colleagues
who
have
already
walked
out
the
door.
A
Mr
speaker,
this
is
a
crisis
impacting
hospitals
and
care
right
across
the
province.
Now
to
be
clear,
we
are
not
questioning
the
minister's
heart
here,
we're
not
questioning
his
motivations,
but
what
we
are
saying
what
these
nurses
are
saying
is
that
this
situation
is
unacceptable
and
they
want
this
minister
to
listen
to
them,
and
so
the
minister
has
an
opportunity
again
today,
with
a
whole
bunch
of
nurses,
sitting
up
in
the
gallery.
A
I
Of
health-
honourable
speaker,
I
think
we
have
over
the
last
two
years
and
with
respect
to
the
overdose
public
health
emergency
over
the
last
six
years
faced
unprecedented
times
no
community
in
bc,
and
I've
talked
to
the
honorable
member
and
I've
talked
to
him
out
of
here.
I've
talked
to
him
in
here
about
this
no
community
in
bc,
and
no
group
of
healthcare
workers
has
done
as
much
under
more
difficult
circumstances
than
the
healthcare
workers
and
the
nurses
in
kamloops,
some
of
whom
are
here
whom
I
spoke
to
last
night.
I
Kovit,
the
covet
public
health
emergency
has
hit
kamloops
hard.
The
overdose
public
health
emergency
has
hit
kamloops
hard.
The
heat
dome,
the
wildfires
we
had
people
in
those
communities
and
members
in
the
region
know
this.
We
have
people
moving
from
100
mile
house
to
camels
from
merit
to
kamloops.
This
is
a
group
of
workers.
I
Since
january
of
2021,
we've
hired
200
more
nurses
at
royal
inland
hospital,
we're
hiring
more
as
we
lead
to
the
period
when
we
open
the
new
tower
at
royal
inland
hospital
we've
added
nursing,
nursing
places
both
for
nurse
practitioners
and
for
nurses
at
thompson,
rivers
university.
We
are
adding
staff
and
adding
supports
all
the
time
and
we're
going
to
continue
to
do
that.