►
From YouTube: MARCH 2 2023 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
4th Session
42nd Parliament
C
C
The
release
describes
that
Astra
is
poised
to
be
a
leader
in
drug
development,
for
emerging
sectors
and
at
the
Forefront
of
the
ndp's
decriminalization
program
statement
further
reveals
that
a
dastra
intends
to
and
I
quote,
evaluate
how
the
commercialization
of
cocaine
fits
within
the
company's
business
model.
End
of
quote
it's
a
premier.
What
on
Earth
is
going
on
here.
D
Karen
I
thank
the
member
for
the
for
the
question.
As
the
the
member
knows,
both
sides
of
the
house
have
supported
decriminalization
in
turn.
Yeah
you
have.
You
can
change
your
position
if
you're
changing
your.
If
you're,
if.
D
If
you're
changing
your
position,
then
you
know
I
think
it
would
be
a
an
important
thing
to
to
announce,
but
we
have
decriminalization
now
in
the
province
for
small
amounts
of
of
drugs
that
has
been
put
in
place
by
working
with
the
federal
government
by
working
with
police
and
health
officials
in
terms
of
how
to
do
that
to
deal
with
the
toxic
opioid
crisis
that
we've
been
facing
in
this
province.
D
What
the
member
is
has
been
talking
about
I
would
want
to
ensure
that
that
first
off,
it
has
to
be
done
under
the
guidance
of
Health
Canada,
There,
Are
Rules
around
and
criminal
code
rules
around
drugs
and
the
amounts
that
that
are
there
and
so
I
suspect,
honorable
member,
that
what
you're
talking
about
is
is
probably
something
that
has
been
put
in
place
under
the
Aegis
of
Health
Canada.
B
C
C
C
That
answer
explains
exactly
the
problem
that
we
have
is
that
the
ndp's
sole
Focus,
as
I've
said
repeatedly,
is
on
the
public
supply
of
addictive
drugs,
ignoring
the
important
emphasis
that
should
be
on
actually
helping
people
get
off
of
their
addictions
and
being
proper
functions.
E
C
Includes
statements
regarding
the
intention
to
evaluate
how
the
commercialization
of
cocaine
fits
within
the
company's
business
model,
end
of
quote
now:
Mr
Speaker,
since
the
NDP
decriminalized
hard
drugs
like
cocaine,
fentanyl
methamphetamine,
this
Company's
stock
price
has
doubled,
but
let's
be
really
clear
here:
cocaine
isn't
prescribed,
it
isn't
safe,
and
this
is
wrong.
Commercializing
cocaine
as
a
business
opportunity
amounts
to
legalizing
cocaine
trafficking
full
stop.
So
why
has
this
Premier
allowed
for
the
commercialization
of
cocaine.
D
Minister,
thank
you,
honorable
speaker
and
I.
Thank
the
the
member
for
his
question.
What
I
can
assure
the
member
is
that
any
decry
the
decriminalization
process
that's
taken
place
in
in
this
province
is
done
in
concert
with
the
federal
government
on
the
guidelines
that
have
been
put
in
place
by
Health
Canada,
and
that's
the
only
way
that
decriminalization
Works
will
work
in.
D
You,
honorable
speaker,
the
member,
asked
a
serious
question
and
I'm
trying
to
give
him
a
serious
answer,
which
is,
as
I've
said,
where
decriminalization
is
in
the
province
of
British
Columbia
and
the
rules
and
and
guidelines
that
are
in
place
that
have
been
put
in
place
by
the
federal
government
for
this
process
to
work.
What
I
can
tell
you
is
that
no,
we
would
absolutely
not
be
supporting
the
developments
and
the
the
wholesale
distribution
and
legalization
of
cocaine
in
the
province
of
British
Columbia.
D
What
we
have
is
a
policy
in
place
that
has
been
developed
through
considerable
amount
of
work,
with
health
Canada,
with
a
addiction
specialists
with
health
professionals,
with
Chiefs
of
police,
to
ensure
that
we
can
have
a
safer
supply
for
those
who
are
addicted.
This
is
not,
and
never
has
been
about
legalizing
cocaine
or
encouraging
it
for
commercial
distribution,
despite
whatever
the
members
reading
from.
F
B
F
Drug
trafficking
is
illegal,
but
a
retail
store
has
already
opened
in
Vancouver,
run
by
Dana,
Larson
and
they're
doing
it
in
plain
sight.
Larson
is
also
supporting
another
private
proposal
to
open
a
brick
and
mortar
store
to
sell
heroin.
Cocaine
and
methamphetamine
commercialization
of
cocaine
poses
a
significant
threat
to
health
and
safety
and
all
being
done
right
now,
under
the
guise
of
compassion.
So
my
question
to
the
premier
is:
why
is
he
condoning
and
enabling
the
commercialization
of
cocaine
in
British
Columbia.
D
Premiere.
Thank
you
honorable
speaker
thank
the
member
for
the
question
and
that's
just
nonsense
that
we
are
enabling.
E
G
B
D
D
D
Really
you
want
it
shut
down,
it
can
be
shut
down
by
the
police
and
pulling
the
business
license,
so
they
could
be
shut
down
today.
Second
Point,
honorable
speaker,
what
I've
learned
often
from
the
Liberals,
is
when
it
comes
to
their
press
releases,
they're,
often
very
selective,
and
so
I'd
like
to
go
back
to
exactly
what
is
taking
place
with
this
issue
that
they've
raised.
So
it
is
a
cannabis
company.
They
have
received
approval
from
Health
Canada
to
possess
250
grams
to
do
testing.
D
In
terms
of
this
substance,
the
license
is
issued
by
Health
Canada.
It
is
not
done
with
consultation
with
the
province,
but
I
can,
but
but
I
can
tell
you
this
cannabis
or
cocaine
is
an
illegal
substance.
It
continues
to
be
a
legal
substance.
It
is
regulated
by
Health
Canada,
and
that
is
a.
That
is
what
we
support.
We
do
not
support
the
legalization
of
cocaine
for
commercial
distribution.
F
Toca
leaves
and
manufacture
cocaine
for
the
future
distribution
of
cocaine
in
British
Columbia.
So
you
know
the
commercialization
of
cocaine
and
other
illegal
drugs
isn't
an
act
of
compassion,
it's
the
legalized
drug
trafficking
and
which
is
going
to
pose
a
significant
threat
to
health
and
safety
in
BC,
and
we
should
be
telling
people,
especially
children
and
youth,
that
drugs
are
harmful,
an
addictive
and
deadly,
and
that
the
effects
of
illicit
drugs
such
as
crystal
meth,
fentanyl,
heroin
and
cocaine
are
harmful.
F
D
E
D
B
D
After
repeat
violent
offenders
on
The
Honorable
speaker,
it's
also
why
we
have
made
Trump
dealing
with
with
drug
traffickers
and
those
who
profit
at
priority
for
our
government,
whether
it's
bringing
in
witness
protection
programs
to
to
be
able
to
build
strong
cases
to
bust
criminal
gangs
at
traffic.
Honorable
speaker,
we
take
it
seriously.
Our
budget
takes
it
seriously
and
it's
unfortunate
honorable
speaker
that
that
side
of
the
house
doesn't
realize
it's.
B
It's
really
interesting
to
see
today
when
question
is
being
asked:
if
there's
any
amount
of
hackling
from
the
government
side,
the
opposition
side
very
quick
to
point
out
to
stop
it.
When
the
answer
is
provided
the
hackling
happens.
They
just
ignore
that.
Please,
let's
apply
the
same
rule
to
both
sides:
hackening
is
okay,
but
at
least
paid
have
the
courtesy
to
listen
to
each
other.
Thank
you.
A
Speaker
for
weeks
we've
been
hearing
the
government
in
opposition
fighting
up
about
addiction,
treatment,
beds,
treatment.
We
desperately
need
to
support
recovery
of
British
Columbians.
Basically,
the
debate
has
been
framed
around
who's.
Worse
of
letting
people
die,
attempting
to
score
political
points
off
of
the
trauma
of
British
Columbians,
it's
theaters.
A
Neither
side
of
this
house
are
taking
accountability
for
their
failure
to
regulate
the
treatment
industry.
Private
Industries
are
profiting
from
the
drug
poisoning
crisis.
The
industry
has
a
vested
interest
in
having
clients,
and
that
means
more
harm.
Mr
Speaker
both
sides
offer
billions,
but
without
setting
industry
standards,
making
vulnerable
people
more
vulnerable
to
potential
predators,
addictions
treatment
and
recovery
options
are
greatly
needed.
However,
in
British
Columbia
there
is
no
standard
of
care
Mr
Speaker.
Additionally,
this
government
doesn't
even
collect
data
on
the
number
of
beds
who's
in
them
and
how
many
are
needed.
A
E
Of
Health,
oh
thank.
D
You
and
thank
you
to
the
member
for
his
question,
as
the
member
will
know
previously
under
minister
of
mental
health
and
addictions,
Judy
Darcy,
the
government
re-regulated
an
area
that
had
been
deregulated,
which
is
recovery
houses
in
BC.
It
was
a
significant
action
that
reflected
exactly
what
he's
talking
about
in
the
community
we
have
to
in
this
week
before
the
house,
a
budget
that
invests
unprecedented
amounts
in
treatment.
D
Honorable
speaker,
that
adds
treatment
beds
in
our
Province,
publicly
funded
treatment
that
supporting
groups
in
the
community
as
well,
such
as
the
Canadian
Mental,
Health
Association,
that
do
just
that.
So
we
have
moved
on
these
questions
on
the
issue
of
data
you'll,
see
in
the
in
the
minister
of
mental
health
and
addiction
service
plan,
new
measurements
of
data,
to
do
exactly
what
the
member
is
asking.
In
other
words,
we
have
a
serious,
thoughtful
and
and
and
frankly
action-oriented
response
to
what
is
a
public
health
emergency
that
affects
everybody.
A
Mr
Speaker,
see
I
agree
with
Johnny
that
the
one
billion
dollar
investment,
mental
health
and
addictions
care
is
a
remarkable
investment.
But
the
Finance
Minister
failed
to
mention
that
Johnny
also
raised
concerns
about
the
lack
of
funding
for
mental
illnesses.
Beyond
substance
use
disorder.
It
appears
only
61
million
dollars
is
going
to
support
those
illnesses
in
budget
2023.,
I've
heard
many
stories
of
families,
Desperately
Seeking
care
for
their
loved
ones,
being
turned
away
or
discharged
less
than
24
hours
after
suicide
attempts
or
self-harm.
Our
Mental
Health
Care
system
is
deeply
broken.
A
One
in
five
British
Columbians
900
000
British
Columbians,
will
develop
a
mental
illness
over
their
lifetime.
Some
of
those
may
be
related
to
addictions,
but
many
will
not
be
of
the
billion
dollars.
There
is
little
for
those
with
schizophrenia
with
eating
disorders
with
dementia.
This
government
currently
is
failing
them.
Mr
Speaker.
My
question,
Mr
Speaker
is
through
you
to
the
premier.
When
will
he
fix
the
broken
system
of
mental
health
care
for
all
the
people
in
British
Columbia
who
depend
on
it.
D
You
very
much
and
thank
you
again
to
the
member
for
his
question:
investment,
mental
health
and
addiction
since
2017
has
gone
up
more
than
any
other
area
of
Health
Care
more
than
ambulance
paramedics,
more
than
surgeries
more
than
any
other,
because
the
system
was
not
in
place.
I
think
we
can
all
acknowledge
that
was
not
in
place
to
provide
people
the
care
that
they
need,
and
so
we
have
taken
systematic
steps
to
address
that
in
a
number
of
ways.
D
45
000
visits
to
counseling
service
not
funded
before
Primary
Care
networks
that
have
added
more
than
200
full-time
equivalents
to
support
family
doctors
and
nurse
practitioners
in
providing
Mental,
Health
Services,
building
out
a
system
of
care
for
the
very
issues
the
member
raises
because
he's
quite
red.
There
are
many
people
in
British
Columbia
who
are
not
dealing
with
a
dual
diagnosis
and
not
dealing
with
addictions
issues,
but
we're
dealing
with
serious
mental
health
issues
and
even
mild
mental
health
issues
have
increased
clearly,
and
we
all
know
this,
and
we
all
feel
this
during
the
pandemic.
D
So
he's
quite
right.
We
have
to
build
that
out
in
every
aspect
of
care
in
child
and
youth.
Mental
health.
You've
seen
it
in
the
pathway
to
Hope
initiatives
that
have
taken
place
in
Primary
Care,
you've
seen
it
in
the
major
investment
in
Primary
Care
networks,
you've
seen
it
in
the
actions
of
success,
of
Ministers
of
mental
health
and
addictions
in
adding
counseling
services,
and
we
have
to
continue
to
do
that.
Work.
D
H
D
Thank
you
very
much.
Honorable
speaker,
the
last
week
was
recorded
information.
We
set
a
record
for
February
for
the
number
of
surgeries
completed
mostly
a
record
we
did
in
January.
We
did
in
December.
The
all-time
record
was
set
in
the
middle
of
December.
In
the
midst
of
very
significant
challenges
for
our
system
with
respect
to
respiratory
illness.
Honorable
speaker,
we
we
have
reduced,
wait
times
for
surgery
in
a
pandemic,
which
is
not
an
extraordinary
achievement
for
me,
but
for
doctors
and
for
surgical
nurses.
We
have
added
300
net
new
surgical
nurses
to
the
system.
D
To
do
that,
we've
put
in
place
a
surgical
renewal
commitment.
That's
had
real
impact
for
people,
reducing
wait
times
in
in
key
areas
of
care
and
on
diagnostic
care.
The
member
represents
a
constituency
in
the
northern
health
authority.
He'll
know
that
that
Authority
in
2017
had
the
lowest
level
of
MRI
of
any
equivalent
region
in
the
country.
Number
10
well
really
number
13
honorable
speaker,
and
we
have
changed
that
we
have
more
than
doubled
the
number
of
MRIs.
H
H
What
on
Earth
is
the
matter
with
this
Minister's
approach
to
health
care
that
are
not
they're,
keeping
these
health
care
workers
from
actually
being
in
the
system
instead
of
focusing
on
urgent
Primary
Care,
which
costs
approximately
three
times
as
much
per
visit
with
far
fewer
visits
per
doctor
than
a
family
doctor.
Why
isn't
this
Minister
focusing
on
getting
these
registered
family
doctors
back
into
the
system?
D
Minister
of
Health
well,
thank
you
very
much.
Honorable
speaker.
Yes,
there
are
6
800
family
doctors.
Yes,
that's
600
more
than
there
were
when
I
was
became,
minister
of
Health.
All
of
them
are
working
in
BC.
What
he's
referring
to
I
think
is
those
who
are
delivering
longitudinal
Family
Practice
Which
is
higher
than
what
he
said,
but
in
the
range
of
that
closer
to
four
thousand
than
3200,
and
so
all
of
those
doctors
are
working.
D
Many
of
them,
for
example,
family
doctors,
working
as
hospitalists
providing
care
for
people
in
The,
Province
now
and
he'll,
know
there's
more
than
ten
thousand
people
in
hospital
today.
So
that's
significant!
So
what
have
we
done?
We
developed
with
the
doctors
of
BC
a
new
payment
model
and
in
the
first
month
1975
doctors
have
joined
that
payment
model,
including
honorable
speaker,
167,
that
weren't
practicing
last
year
in
longitudinal
Family
Practice.
In
a
month.
D
Honorable
speaker,
we
have
added,
through
our
new
to
practice,
contracts
a
program
that
used
to
have
20
to
30
doctors,
116
new
doctors
to
that
program,
because
we
worked
with
the
residence
doctors
of
BC
and
the
doctors
of
BC
to
make
that
effective
and
to
make
that
work.
We've
tripled
the
number.
Thank
you
a
nurse
practitioners
in
DC,
so
those
actions
in
Primary
Care
are
working
because
we
developed
them
with
a
Workforce
in
Primary
Care
foreign.
I
Mr
Speaker
families
who
have
fled
war-torn
Ukraine
require
a
driver's
license
to
integrate
into
Canada
and
rebuild
their
lives.
However,
ICBC
has
failed
to
provide
the
written
drivers
test
in
Ukrainian,
despite
the
significant
and
increasing
number
of
ukrainian-speaking
people
in
British,
Columbia
and
they're
coming
in
by
the
thousands
every
day,
the
government
at
ICBC
have
cited
costs
as
the
reason
for
rejecting
the
addition
of
Ukrainian
and
instead
suggest
using
phone
translation
services
which
are
very
cumbersome
and
disjointed
or
taking
the
written
test.
I
Mr
Speaker
in
Russia
I,
don't
think
I
have
to
tell
anyone
in
this
chamber
they're
requiring
ukrainians
to
take
the
written
driver's
test
in
Russian
is
not
only
traumatic
but
also
insulting
for
those
who
have
fled
Russian
aggression.
Well,
the
premier
see
the
indignity
that
this
represents
when
so
many
families
are
fleeing
Russian
oppression
and
please
allow
ukrainians
as
an
addition,
an
additional
language
auction.
D
You
honorable
speak
I.
Thank
the
member
for
his
question
and
I
would
agree
with
the
the
challenges
being
faced
by
ukrainians
fleeing
Russia's
illegal
invasion
of
Ukraine.
D
I
can
tell
you
that,
yes,
there
are
the
the
tele
telecommunication
language
option
on
there
in
terms
of
that
translation,
but
I
also
know
that
there
have
been,
depending
on
certain
parts
of
the
province,
access
to
those
who
speak
Ukrainian
to
it,
to
assist
ukrainians,
who
don't
speak
English
to
be
able
to
take
the
to
to
write
that
to
write
that
test
to
assist
with
that,
but
I
most
certainly
will
take
back
the
the
issue
of
being
able
to
write
the
the
test
in
Ukrainian
and
I
completely
agree
asking
to
to
to
write
in
Russian
is
is
just
completely
unacceptable.
I
Well,
thank
you
Mr
Speaker,
and
thank
you
to
the
minister
for
that
Moment
of
clarity.
We've
written
the
minister
on
this
and,
as
the
minister
knows,
the
letter
that
I
got
back
was
citing
costs.
So
perhaps
now
the
minister
has
reconsidered,
and
I
would
certainly
appreciate
that
going
forward.
There
is
a
solution.
As
the
minister
knows,
we
have
a
group.
We
have
a
fortunate.
I
We
have
a
group
in
Cranbrook
that
volunteers
and
we
heard
ministerial
statements
last
week
talking
about
the
support
that
all
sides
of
the
house
want
to
give
the
these
refugees
from
Russian
aggression.
We
heard
the
member
from
Prince
George
Valmont
talk
about
her
support
group
and
her
community
and
they're
across
the
province.
So,
but
we
have
a
group
in
cranber
that
has
stepped
forward
to
cover
costs
and
organize
the
written
translation
for
the
Ukrainian
test
auction,
which
I
informed
the
minister
about
last,
probably
about
a
couple
weeks
ago.
I
D
Mr,
thank
you
honorable
speaker,
as
I
said,
I
will
be
ensuring
that
ICBC
is
able
to
provide
the
test
for
people
in
Ukrainian
and
don't
worry,
it
will
be
done.
B
B
G
G
G
D
Matters
come
to
people's
families.
It
has
a
devastating
effect,
not
just
on
Morris
in
this
case,
but
on
the
entire
family,
and
so
our
hearts
go
out
to
them.
Diagnosis.
That's
discovered
in
the
midst
of
another
procedure,
is
devastating
you're
preparing
for
something
profoundly
difficult
and
another
diagnosis
comes.
The
member
knows
that
I
will,
in
terms
of
the
specific
case,
I
can't
speak
of
those
specific
cases
in
the
house.
D
He
knows
that,
but
he
also
knows
that
I
will
follow
up
with
him
on
the
specific
issue,
with
respect
to
surgical
surgeries
and
surgical,
weightless
I
I
think
the
evidence
is
pretty
clear
and
BC's
surgical.
Renewal
commitment
is
being
followed
by
the
entire
country
because
of
the
very
reason
she
states
why
it's
so
important
for
people
to
get
the
surgery
they
need
when
they
need
it.
D
It's
why
that
we're
doing
record
numbers
of
surgeries
now,
because
people,
regardless
of
whether
it's
surgery
that
involves
life
and
death
or
someone's
sight
or
someone's
ability
to
move
all
medically
necessary
surgery,
is
important
and
that's
why
we've
expanded
the
number
of
operating
room?
Nurses,
expanded
the
number
of
medical
ice
processing
technicians,
expanded
the
number
of
Surgeons,
expanded,
surgical
hours
by
175,
000
and
still,
as
the
member
knows,
it
doesn't
always
work
in
that
way
for
everybody.
D
So
we're
going
to
continue
to
pursue
those
initiatives
and
I'll
be
happy
to
talk
to
The
Honorable
member
about
his
constituent
and
their
circumstances.
As
he
would
expect
me
to
do,
and
I
know
the
member
has
done
because
we've
done
this
in
the
past,
we'll
work
through
that
with
the
family
in
the
most
appropriate
possible
way.