►
From YouTube: MARCH 10 2022 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
3rd Session
42nd Parliament
C
Despite
years
of
empty
promises,
the
premier
continues
to
shrug
his
shoulders
and
do
nothing.
But,
mr
speaker,
there
is
one
thing
that
the
premier
could
do.
One
step
that
he
could
take
would
be
to
return
some
of
the
millions
of
dollars
in
gas
taxes
that
his
government
is
receiving.
He
could
return
that
some
of
that
to
british
columbians
through
a
one-time
carbon
tax
rebate
to
help
lower
and
middle-income
british
columbians.
D
British
columbia
is
not
alone
in
facing
higher
gas
prices
right
across
the
country,
from
saint
john's
to
winnipeg,
to
toronto,
and
here
in
british
columbia
and
indeed
around
the
world,
the
the
war
has
had
a
huge
impact
on
world
prices,
and
just
yesterday
president
biden,
the
united
states
has
decided
to
end
imports
of
russian
oil
and
gas,
which
will
have
further
upward
pressure
on
prices
around
the
world.
D
The
federal
minister
here
in
canada,
the
minister
of
industry,
has
called
upon
the
competition
bureau
to
protect
canadians
against
possible
gouging
and,
unlike
the
opposition,
we
we
believe
gas
companies
should
be
accountable
should
be
accountable
for
markups
and
price
hikes.
We
brought
in
the
fuel
price
transparency
act
to
force
the
companies
to
come,
clean
and
and
the
members
to
members
chuckle
something
that
they
certainly
never
did
in
their
16
years.
D
D
C
C
And
you
know
every
time
this
government
mentions
kevin
falcon,
you
know
what
you
know
what
it
goes
through.
Our
minds
call
the
by-election
call
the
by-election,
so
he
can
sit
right
here
and
you
can.
You
can
have
the
exchange
with
them
in
person
when
kevin
faulcon
when
kevin
faulcon
was
in
government.
He
he
brought
in
the
car
the
revenue
neutral
carbon
tax
which
actually
offset
carbon
tax.
A
C
That
carbon
tax
revenues
and
offsetting
that
with
personal
income,
tax
reductions
and
small
business
tax
reductions
and
and
all
kinds
of
of
credits
and
and
rebates,
you
know
remember:
let's
listen
to
the
question.
Please
hold
my
home
renovation
tax
credit
things
like
that.
What
it
was
one
of
the
first
things
this
government
did.
They
ended
the
revenue
neutrality
of
the
carbon
tax.
C
The
ndp
are,
in
fact,
with
the
soaring
gas
prices.
The
ndp
are
actually
raking
in
billions
and
billions
of
dollars
of
extra
carbon
tax
that
they're
taking
right
out
of
the
pockets
of
british
columbians
families.
Families
families
are
being
hurt
by
these
high
prices,
these
high
gas
prices,
and
they
deserve
some
relief
from
this
from
this
government.
C
One
tool:
one
mechanism
that's
available
to
this
government,
which
we're
suggesting
here
today,
would
not
serve
to
put
additional
profits
into
the
pockets
of
gas
companies.
This
government
could
use
the
bc
climate
action
tax
credit,
a
tool
that
kevin
falcon
and
the
bc
liberals
created
he
could
provide.
The
government
could
provide
a
one-time,
enhanced
rebate.
Remember.
C
That
could
be
implemented
in
time
for
that
for
for
the
next
payment
in
april,
the
government
could
do
that
and
that
would
provide
relief
to
british
columbians
immediately.
So
the
the
the
question
to
the
premier
is
this:
will
he
implement
this
this
measure?
Will
he
implement
this
measure
or
any
other
measure
that
would
serve
to
actually
offset
these
soaring
gas
prices
to
help
british
columbia.
D
D
And-
and
the
fact
is-
and
I
want
to
quote
members
and
a
professor
at
ubc,
werner
antoiler,
the
problem
is,
we
have
a
situation
in
the
global
market
and
no
amount
of
changes
to
taxes
will
make
that
go
away.
D
D
Alberta
announced
a
13
cent
measure
at
the
same
time,
the
price
of
gas
and
lethbridge
after
that
announcement
increased
by
14.5,
proving
the
point
that
they
just
made.
E
E
And
they
certainly
seem
infatuated
with
kevin
falcon
and
I
do
hope
they
actually
would
call
a
by-election,
so
they
could
see
him
in
person
in
this
room
because
in
2008
they
like
to
quote
2008.
So
let's
look
at
what
the
premier
had
to
say
in
this
chamber
in
2008
when
gas
was
going
up,
you
know
what
the
premier
was
advocating
for
a
cap
of
two
and
a
half
cents
of
carbon
tax
per
liter
of
gas
april
1st.
This
premier
is
going
to
be
charging
over
11
cents,
a
liter
for
carbon
tax.
E
E
D
D
E
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Well,
the
minister
seems
to-
and
I
guess
it's
not
surprising-
they've
ignored
their
own
advice
in
their
budget
book
about
taxes,
hurting
low
and
mid-income
families
in
this
budget,
but
the
reality
is
bc
has
the
highest
gas
prices
and
the
highest
gas
taxes
in
north
america
and
we're
about
50
cents,
a
liter
currently
more
expensive
than
alberta
right
next
door.
E
E
D
D
D
F
Thank
you
honorable
speaker,
my
colleague
and
I
have
been
asking
the
minister
of
health
about
the
corporate
delivery
of
health
care
in
our
province
and
raised
our
concerns
about
fees
that
are
being
charged
to
patients.
So
far
we
haven't
gotten
clear
or
direct
answers,
so
I'll.
Try
again
my
question
through
you,
honorable
speakers
to
the
minister
of
health.
A
Minister
of
health,
thank
you.
G
Well,
thank
you,
honorable
speaker,
and
for
the
last
several
years,
we've
repeatedly
taken
action
to
strengthen
our
public
health
care
system.
Member
knows
this.
That
action
has
affected
the
delivery
of
care
to
seniors
primary
care,
every
aspect
of
our
health
care
system
and
it's
involved
improving
services
for
people
in
terms
of
their
wait
time
and
their
access
to
services.
G
It's
why
we
purchased
and
brought
back
into
the
public
system,
mri
machines
with
respect
to
the
question
of
the
honorable
member,
what
has
happened
is
and
what's
happening
now
is
consistent
with
the
rule
of
law
in
bc.
The
medical
services
commission
is
reviewing
those
questions
they
started
to
do
that
in
february,
to
review
and
to
ensure
that
everyone
in
bc
is
acting
in
compliance
with
the
medicare
protection
act.
We
took
measures,
as
a
member
knows
in
2018,
to
bring
in
regulations
that
have
been
passed
by
the
previous
government,
but
not
brought
into
force.
G
F
Thank
you.
Honourable
speaker.
We've
looked
into
the
health
care
services
that
are
provided
by
telus
and
there
are
a
few
different
programs
available.
Virtual
care
is
covered
by
msp
and
patients
access
a
virtual
walk-in
clinic
doctors
can
prescribe
medications,
write
a
requisition,
give
advice,
but
no
longitudinal
care.
F
The
annual
cost
of
enrollment
in
life
plus
is
four
thousand
dollars
for
the
first
year
and
three
thousand
dollars
for
every
year.
After.
My
question
is
to
the
minister
of
health
when
a
for-profit
telecommunications
corporation
charges,
patients,
thousands
of
dollars
for
what
amounts
to
access
to
a
family
doctor
is
this
in
line
with
what
the
minister
considers
to
be
universal
public,
equitable
health
care.
G
Minister
of
health,
honorable
speaker,
the
medicare
protection
act
protects
our
public
health
care
system
in
bc,
just
as
the
canada
health
act
protects
it
in
canada.
It's
not
an
issue
of
amounting
to
it's
an
issue
of
ensuring
that
medically
necessary
care
is
available
to
all
british
columbians
regardless
of
income,
and
this
is
honorable
speaker
been
the
basis
of
the
system.
G
If
the
members
are
saying
because
this
has
been
the
development
of
public
health
care
in
canada,
that
it
has
been
defined
and
provided
often
by
private
corporations,
including
family
doctors,
effectively
that
with
public
pay,
that
is
our
public
insurance
system
in
canada,
and
it
has
worked
for
us.
Well,
it
requires
improvement.
It's
why
we've
invested
in
56
primary
care
networks,
28,
urgent
and
primary
care.
Centers
delivered
tune-based
care
added
community
health
centers
delivered
by
non-profit
providers
in
this
province
and
will
continue
to
support
public
health
care
for
everyone
in
bc.
H
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Yesterday
the
premier
premier
finally
agreed
to
activate
the
select
standing
committee
on
health
to
work
across
party
lines
on
the
opioid
crisis
in
our
province.
H
H
B
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
The
premier
announced
yesterday
that
we'll
be
developing
terms
of
reference
for
the
committee
and
I
look
forward
to
developing
those
terms
of
reference
in
combination
with
the
in
cooperation
with
the
premier
and
his
office,
and
I
look
forward
to
hearing
the
opposition
members
ideas
on
how
we
can
work
together
to
fight
the
overdose
crisis
and
save
lives.
H
H
H
A
B
We
have
evolved
our
response
to
the
terrible
loss
of
life
and
the
increasing
toxicity
of
the
drug
supply
every
year
since
2017
since
the
beginning
of
the
forming
of
this
ministry,
we
agree
with
the
policy
directions
that
were
identified
in
yesterday's
death
panel
review
report
and
they
align
with
the
work
that
we've
committed
to
and
that
we
have
underway
expanding,
prescribed,
safe
supply,
expanding
the
treatment
and
recovery
system,
expanding
drug
testing
and
the
oversight
and
accountability
of
the
treatment
and
recovery
sector.
B
In
addition
to
the
other
work
that
we're
doing
to
decriminalize
people
who
use
drugs
to
expand
supervised
consumption
sites,
adding
inhalation
sites
as
the
method
of
consumption
of
drugs
has
changed
and
the
drug
profile
and
the
terrible
toxicity
has
expanded.
And,
as
I
said
yesterday,
we'll
work
with
our
ministry
to
identify
where
we
can
meet
the
timelines
that
are
recommended
by
the
panel
and,
at
the
same
time,
we'll
say
we're
not
going
to
give
people
suffering
on
the
loss
of
loved
ones.
B
Any
false
confidence
about
work
that
we've
been
trying
to
implement
and
expanding
and
amending
every
week,
that's
been
over
the
last
year
and
a
half
that
a
30-day
timeline
or
a
60-day
timeline
is
realistic.
We
won't
give
anybody
in
the
province
false
hope,
we'll
work
as
fast
as
we
can,
as
we
have
from
day.
One.
H
B
B
The
panel
found
that
the
primary
cause
of
death
was
the
increased
toxicity
of
the
drug
supply,
I'll
remind
the
chamber
again
the
2019
year.
The
number
of
overdose
deaths
fell
for
the
first
year
since
the
public
health
was
emergency
was
declared.
The
first
two
months
of
2020
deaths
continued
to
fall
and
spiked
terribly
from
a
four
to
eight
percent
toxicity
of
fentanyl
before
the
pandemic
to
in
the
last
month
of
2021
24
to
28
toxicity
that
has
outpaced
the
ability
of
us
of
our
government
to
add
services
which
we
are
doing
every
week.
B
I
I
The
latest
death
review
panel
shows
that
people
in
my
community
are
not
immune.
Mr
speaker,
from
this
opioid
crisis,
the
report
highlights
that
rural
and
remote
areas
still
face
systemic
barriers
accessing
key
services.
The
report
cites
the
following
challenges,
and
I
quote:
vast
distances
between
communities,
small
service,
centers,
the
harsher
climate
with
poorer
transportation
systems,
remoteness
and
isolation
and
potentially
limited
social,
educational
and
employment
opportunities.
End
quote,
mr
speaker:
will
the
minister
commit
to
delivering
a
30-60-90
day
action
plan
by
may
9th
to
actually
address
the
systemic
barriers
that
rural
communities
are
facing
right
now,.
B
B
We
know
there
is
more
to
do
and
we
are
adding
new
services
in
all
regions
of
the
province.
Almost
every
week
at
the
start
of
the
public
health
emergency,
we
focused
on
scaling
up
expansion
of
naloxone.
We
then
added
in
medication-assisted
treatment
and
later
as
the
emergency
response
required.
We
added
registered
nurses
the
only
place
in
canada,
where
they're
allowed
to
prescribe
medication,
assisted
treatment
that
has
got
particular
benefit
for
rural
and
remote
areas,
we're
also
working
with
first
nations
health
authority
to
build
and
rebuild
eight
different.
B
First
nations
led
treatment
and
recovery
centers.
That's
got
particular
benefit
for
remote
and
northern
regions.
The
only
province
in
canada
that
I'm
aware
that
is
funding
directly
through
the
first
nations
health
authority
to
build
facilities
to
also
work
with
indigenous
leaders
around
land-based
solutions.
In
every
way
we
have
modified
and
expanded
our
approach,
and
it
has
been
outpaced
by
the
increased
toxicity
of
the
drug
supply.
I
share
the
members
concern
particularly
about
access
and
service
to
rural
and
remote
areas.
B
I
Well,
thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker.
I
think
we've
discussed
this
before
minister.
The
current
approach
is
not
working
and
the
results
are
clear.
The
north
is
disproportionately
represented
in
overdo
those
deaths.
The
23
public
health
experts
of
the
death
review
panel
said
very
clearly
that
a
30
60
90
day
action
plan
is
both
realistic
and
urgently
needed.
B
You,
mr
speaker,
our
government
has
been
acting
urgently.
We
shared
the
urgency
that
identified
in
the
coroner's
reports.
The
report
also
correctly
notes
that
one
of
the
impediments
to
being
able
to
mount
a
response
to
this
public
health
emergency
has
been
impeded
by
the
lack
of
a
system
of
care
for
mental
health
and
addictions.
When
we
form
government
in
2017,
it
was
not
in
place.
We've
been
acting
to
fill
all
of
the
gaps
in
the
system
of
care.
Since
then
that
is
not
built
in
a
30,
60
90
day
framework.
B
I
wish
that
it
could
be,
and
so
we
continue
to
add
treatment,
overdose
prevention,
medication-assisted
treatment,
safe
supply,
anti-stigma
campaigns
applying
for
decriminalization
working
with
every
health
authority
and
I'll
take
this
opportunity
to
give
thanks
again
to
the
health
authorities
that
are
fighting
two
public
health
emergencies,
implementing
a
system
of
care
and
rolling
out
an
unprecedented
immunization
campaign.
I
think
all
members
in
the
house
would
recognize
we're
asking
more
of
our
health
authorities
than
we
ever
have
before,
and
we
wish
that
they
could
work
faster.
We
are
there
with
them
and
working
together.
J
G
Thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and
I
thank
the
member
for
his
question
and
I
can
confirm
for
the
member
that
the
terms
of
reference
are
being
worked
on
and
it
is
our
expectation
that
they
will
be
tabled.
The
motion
to
activate
the
committee
will
be
tabled
on
the
monday
that
we
return
to
this
house
after
the
two-week.