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From YouTube: APRIL 20 2023 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
4th Session
42nd Parliament
C
C
Now
the
international
Holocaust
remembrance
Alliance
has
brought
forward
a
definition
of
anti-semitism
based
on
the
lived
experiences
of
Jews
around
the
world
and
provides
a
strong
framework
for
identifying
and
fighting
this
Insidious
form
of
hate.
So
my
question
in
the
Premier
is
simple:
will
he
stand
up
and
adopt
the
IRA
definition
of
anti-semitism
here
in
British,
Columbia.
D
As
as
a
government
we've
adopted
it
because
the
federal
government
has
has
adopted
as
well
in
demonstrating
leadership
and
we're
joining
all
these
other
jurisdictions
and
making
sure
that
that's
the
the
functional
definition
of
anti-semitism.
Here
in
British
Columbia.
C
C
Just
earlier
this
week
the
ihra
definition
is
World,
leading
as
a
clear
and
comprehensive
example
of
what
anti-Semitism
means
refusing
to
formally
adopt
that
IRA
definition
through
legislation
sends
an
unmistakable
message
in
the
face
of
a
growing
rise
of
hate,
bigotry
and
prejudice
against
the
Jewish
community.
So
again
to
the
premier.
Will
the
premier
listen
to
the
voices
of
Holocaust
Survivors
and
their
descendants,
follow
the
the
lead
of
the
federal
government
and
take
immediate
legislative
action
to
formally
adopt
the
IRA
definition
of
anti-semitism?
Right
here
in
British,
Columbia.
D
D
We
know
that
we've
been
investing
in
in
the
public
schools
we've
been
investing
in
and
supporting
The
JCC
I
think
that's
also
critically
important.
We've
delivered
25
million
dollars
as
a
government
to
make
sure
that
the
Jewish
Community
Center
can
redevelop
and
help
continue
to
educate,
British
Columbians
about
the
impacts
of
Holocaust
and
to
address
the
root
causes
of
anti-Semitism
Mr
Speaker,
because
we
know
that
how
important
that
is.
E
Mr
Speaker
I
certainly
recognize
what
is
occurring
within
the
Jewish
Community,
including
in
my
riding,
a
Vancouver
langera
and
The
JCC.
The
Jewish
Community
Center,
as
the
minister
just
responded
to,
but
the
problem
with
that
response
is
that
it
emits
some
pretty
significant
facts
about
where
this
government
has
been,
including
the
premier's
personal
active
opposition
to
adopting
the
IRA
definition
of
anti-semitism.
Here
in
BC
for
years,
I
have
urged
this
government
to
formally
adopt
that
definition
in
BC,
which
led
to
the
creation
of
an
internal
government
briefing
note
dated
May
26
2022..
E
D
D
Now,
thank
you
very
much
Mr
Speaker
I
again
we
had
already
formally
taken
a
look
at
the
definition
we've
engaged
with
sija
we've
created
a
policy
about
how
we
are
working
forward.
With
this
and
and
again,
the
leader
of
the
opposition
continues
to
interrupt
me.
Mr
Speaker
I,
don't
understand,
what's
so
hard
about
listening
to
an
answer.
D
And
we've
been
working
closely
with
the
organized
Jewish
community
that
let
us
know
that
that
was
absolutely
acceptable
to
them
in
terms
of
addressing
the
root
causes
of
anti-Semitism,
it
works
for
the
organized
Jewish
Community
Mr
Speaker,
that's
what
they
said
would
work
for
them
and
we've
worked
with
them
to
create
this
opportunity.
Now,
however,.
D
It's
how
you
get
things
done:
Mr,
Speaker
and
that's
what
we
were
doing
is
working
with
Community.
However
Mr
Speaker
I
do
want
to
point
out
that
the
people
on
the
other
side
were
the
people
who
got
rid
of
the
human
rights
commissioner,
Mr
Speaker.
That
shows
you
how
much
they
care
about
people's
human
rights.
We
brought
it
back
Mr
Speaker,
because
we
work
with
Community
to
make
sure
that
everyone
is
safe,
regardless
of
their
religion,
their
faith,
their
gender,
their
color.
E
E
The
Briefing
you
outdated,
May,
22nd
2022
tells
a
very
different
story
as
the
reasons
for
why
that
was
not
adopted.
On
page
two,
it
highlights
the
quote:
difficulties
of
adopting
the
definition
and
the
current
political
climate.
End
quote:
28
countries,
Mr
Speaker,
including
Canada,
and
every
Western
Province,
except
BC,
have
adopted
the
definition.
D
Is
it
a
per
I?
Take
that
as
a
personal
front,
I
have
to
say
Mr
Speaker,
because
we
have
been
working
diligently
with
the
community.
The
community
wants
their
government
to
work
with
them.
It
is
exactly
how
we
have
been
proceeding.
The
member
refers
to
Federal
writings.
Some
of
my
colleagues
are
connected
to
Federal
writings.
Others
are
not,
however,
I
think
it's
really
important,
and
this
I
think
I
want
all
members
to
listen
very
carefully.
F
He
seemed
to
think
that
I
was
asking
if
the
former
Premier
had
lobbied
him
since
leaving
office,
but
that's
not
what
I
was
asking.
My
question
was
whether
the
former
Premier
had
discussed
the
issue
of
referring
text
pollution
of
the
elk
Valley
to
the
international
Joint
Commission.
While
he
was
still
premier
what
I
think
the
public
has
a
right
to
know
is
just
how
involved
the
former
Premier
was
in
advocating
on
behalf
of
tech
before
he
resigned
as
Premier
and
began
negotiating
with
tech
about
a
board
appointment
to
their
spin-off
company.
F
Elk
Valley
Resources
I've
read
the
entire
foi
package
for
over
12
months,
two
members
of
the
premier's
office
were
point
on
the
discussion
around
the
referral
of
text
pollution
to
the
ijc.
In
the
end,
two
ministers
sent
a
letter
to
the
federal
Minister,
arguing
she
not
refer
the
selenium
pollution
issue.
The
ijc
one
can
logically
assume
that
the
former
Premier,
whose
staff
or
Point
knew
this
letter
was
being
sent
by
his
two
ministers.
My
question
is
to
the
minister
of
forest,
the
former
minister
of
mines.
G
Thank
you
very
much
honorable
speaker,
and
there
are
very
few
issues,
if
any,
with
respect
to
to
the
environment,
with
respect
to
International
obligations
relating
to
the
environment,
with
respect
to
impacts
of
mining
or
work
in
which
my
Ministry
is
engaged
about,
which
I
have
not
had
numerous
discussions
and
meetings.
However,
to
the
best
of
my
recollection,
I
never
had
a
discussion
about
the
ijc
with
the
former
premier.
F
Thank
you
Arnold
speaker
and
I
I.
Thank
the
minister
for
a
clear
answer
to
that.
It's
it's
fascinating,
because
the
foi
package
paints
a
pretty
clear
picture.
F
This
isn't
about
metallurgical
coal,
for
steel
or
bicycles
or
windmills.
This
is
about
power,
influence
and
access,
and
ultimately
it's
about
public
trust
in
government
and
how
decisions
are
made
in
this
province,
something
that
the
members
on
that
side
of
the
house
used
to
be
very
passionate
about
47
lobbying
meetings,
dozens
and
dozens
of
emails
from
the
premier's
office
about
the
referral
to
the
ijc
public,
expressions
of
frustration
by
First
Nations
on
both
sides
of
the
Border.
A
letter
from
two
ministers.
H
F
F
The
case
against
the
ijc
referral
and
a
former
Premier
announcing
his
board
appointment
less
than
24
hours
after
his
resignation
as
MLA.
My
question
honorable
speaker,
is
through
you
to
the
premier.
What
does
the
premier
say
to
the
people
of
British
Columbia
in
light
of
this
timeline
and
these
outcomes.
G
You
very
much
honorable
speaker,
I
I,
gave
the
member
a
clear
answer.
Yesterday
I
gave
the
member
a
clear
answer
today.
I
mean
anybody
can
take
a
sequence
of
events
and
try
to
connect
them,
but
I
can
assure
the
member
and
I
can
assure
every
member
of
this
legislature
that,
when
positions
are
taken
by
Ministers
of
this
government
or
by
the
government
as
a
whole,
it's
taken
after
a
Folsom
analysis
of
the
issues
that
are
under
consideration.
G
Now
the
member
would
have
the
people
of
British
Columbia
believe
that
absent
and
international
Joint
Commission
no
work
whatsoever
is
being
done
on
water
quality
as
a
result
of
metallurgical
coal
mining
in
the
southeast
of
this
province,
and
that
is
simply
not
true.
What
has
been
going
on
on
a
regular
basis
for
years
is
consultation
with
the
tanaha
consultation
with
the
United
States
state
governments,
consultation
and
discussion
with
academics
on
both
sides
of
the
Border
about
appropriate
concentrations
to
set
water
quality
levels.
That's
the
work.
G
We
do
that's
the
work,
we're
continuing
to
do,
that's
the
work
to
which
we
are
absolutely
committed
and
we're
committed
to
Fast
Track
that
work,
the
acceptability.
The
agreement
of
the
Nations,
the
acceptance
of
a
proper
and
appropriate
water
quality
level
in
the
elk
Valley,
so
that
the
economy
can
continue
to
work
and
the
fish
and
the
people
who
depend
on
the
water
can
continue
to
be
safe
and
an
international
Joint
Commission
that
doesn't
accomplish
that.
It's
the
work
with
Scientists.
Thank
you!
Nations,
and
people
on
either
side
of
the
border
that
accomplishes
that.
J
You
Mr
Speaker
for
months
this
legislature
has
been
hearing
about
the
official
opposition
asking
questions
about
offenders
and
government,
of
course,
has
been
responding
with
programs
as
well
as
political
rhetoric,
but
it's
time
to
quit
playing
politics.
It's
time
to
quit,
allowing
to
those
liberals
to
handcuff
this
political
system.
Members.
J
It
is
time
to
quit
playing
politics
and
quit
allowing
to
those
Federal
liberals
to
handcuff
this
government's
justice
system.
We
need
to
remove
political
prolific
offenders
and
violent
offenders
from
our
streets
so
that
we
can
feel
safe,
I'm
prepared
to
use
the
notwithstanding
Clause,
to
put
criminals
away
and
take
back
our
streets,
and
let
me
be
Crystal
Clear
if
you
choose
to
repeatedly
commit
crimes
or
commit
violent,
offenses.
I
am
not
concerned
about
violating
your
rights
I'm
concerned
about
getting
Justice
for
your
victims.
J
A
Thank
you,
honorable,
speaker
and
I
appreciate
the
question
from
the
member
I.
Think
one
of
the
cornerstones
of
our
system
of
government
is
that
we
have
the
legislative
which
makes
the
laws
and
we
have
an
independent,
Judicial,
System
and
I.
Think
that
is
the
best
place
for
our
criminal
justice
system
to
do
its
work.
A
I,
don't
believe
that
governments
should
be
using
the
notwithstanding
Clause
I
think
what
governments
need
to
do
is
to
work
with
the
police
agencies,
the
men
and
women
who
are
doing
the
law
enforcement
in
this
province,
a
very
difficult
job.
It's
our
job
to
work
with
those
who
are
responsible
for
the
criminal
code
of
Canada
to
get
the
changes
that
are
needed.
It's
our
responsibility
to
work
with
local
communities
in
terms
of
the
challenges
that
they're
facing
that's
the
approach
that
that
needs
to
be
taken.
J
You
Mr
Speaker
and
I
appreciate
The
Minister's
answer,
but
the
minister
has
talked
a
lot
about
hiring
more
RCMP
officers
and
he's
also
talked
about
creating
the
hubs,
and
these
are
all
good
ideas,
but
with
understand
with
the
understaffed
RCMP
plus
other
issues,
it's
hard
to
expect
results.
Let's
face
reality.
J
J
Building
positions
and
burning
out
officers
will
be
a
growing
problem
and
I
know
the
RCMP
are
doing
the
best
they
can
for
us
in
this
province,
but
the
police
in
BC
need
help.
They
need
help
from
this
government
and
the
people
want
to
take
back
our
streets
and
instead
of
pointing
fingers
and
passing
blame.
When
will
this
government
put
the
needs
of
victims
first
and
get
these
prolific
offenders
off
our
streets,
foreign.
A
Of
Public
Safety,
thank
you,
honorable
speaker
and
I
again.
I
appreciate
the
question
and
there's
a
a
lot
of
questions
in
there
to
to
try
and
and
deal
with
honorable
speaker,
but
I
will
I
will
address
one
of
the
questions
part
of
his
question
in
terms
of
the
the
Recruitment
and
the
vacancy
patterns
that
we
see
it
is
a
complicated
and
complex
issue
evolving.
Both
the
federal
policing
line,
the
provincial
policing
line
on
the
municipal
policing
line,
because
each
have
a
different
role
to
play.
A
I
can
tell
you
that
when
it
comes
to
the
provincial
policing
line
that
that
the
the
number
of
vacancies
hard
vacancies,
not
soft
vacancies
is
about
277..
That's
why
we
put
in
place
the
funding
that
we
did
to
fill
those
vacancies
and
I
can
tell
you
it's
not
a
question
of
the
province
having
to
go
and
ask
for
those
vacancies
to
be
filled.
A
The
those
are
done
by
the
with
the
federal
government
and
I
can
tell
you
that
my
Ministry
has
already
been
working
with
the
the
RCMP
in
terms
of
prioritizing
areas
for
the
provincial
business
lines.
I
have
spoken
with
Minister
Mendocino
shortly
after
the
announcement
in
terms
of
the
importance
of
British
Columbia
places
on
on
filling
that
that
particular
the
provincial
line,
the
largest
investment
in
police
resources
in
the
history
of
this
province,
and,
in
fact,
one
of
the
largest
in
the
history
of
this
of
this
country.
A
At
the
same
time,
working
with
local
governments
and
I
can
tell
that
the
the
member
of
the
community
that
he
represents
in
the
case
of
Vanderhoof
that
the
municipal
policing
line
again,
we
recognize
that
we
need
to
ensure
that
we've
got
the
recruits
coming
through.
We
get
about
30
percent
of
the
troop
out
of
out
of
Depot
and
that
we
they
go
through
about
900
officers.
A
year
come
through
there.
B
A
K
The
abrupt
closure
of
sfu's
football
program
has
come
as
a
surprise
to
family
communities.
Most
importantly,
the
players-
everyone
that
has
been
involved
with
this
proud
program
for
the
last
half
century
is
well
aware
of
its
significance.
Louis
pasaglia,
Glenn
Jackson,
Sean,
Millington,
Terry,
Bailey,
John
McDonald.
K
All
players
that
have
gone
on
to
lead
the
CFL
be
great
Community
leaders,
the
SFL
SFU
football
Community
is
united
in
finding
a
solution.
They
have
support
from
alumni
from
local
leaders,
but
we
have
heard
nothing
from
this
government
in
terms
of
standing
up
for
this
program
and
standing
up
for
these
players
who
are
fighting
fighting
to
keep
their
season
alive.
K
D
You
very
much
Mr
Speaker
I
have
been
hearing
from
the
coaches
that
coach
in
my
community,
who
have
who
are
who
have
expressed
concern
about
a
decision
that
the
SFU
has
made
and
I've
also
spoken
with
the
president
of
of
SFU
to
understand
how
they
are
supporting
these
student
athletes.
There
is
tremendous
disappointment.
This
has
been
a
a
fledgling
team
for
a
number
of
years.
The
post-secondary
institutions
and
I
know
the
member
opposite
appreciates
this,
that
they
they
do
operate
independently
of
government.
D
They
have
the
the
operational
responsibility
of
making
programmatic
decisions
based
on
the
best
interests
of
the
students
and
the
student
athletes.
I
do
understand
Mr
Speaker
as
well,
that
this
is
before
the
courts
that
there
is
a
court
action
being
taken.
So
it
would
be
inappropriate
for
me
at
this
point
to
to
say
anything
further
on
the
matter.
H
You
very
much
honorable
speaker:
will
the
premier
Dave
specific
Direction
in
his
mandate,
letters
to
ministers,
all
of
them
to
Champion
good
ideas,
regardless
of
where
they
came
from,
but
so
far
those
are
just
empty
words.
Sudden
Cardiac
Arrest
can
happen
to
anyone
anywhere
at
any
time
and
when
it
does,
every
single
minute
counts.
Armed
with
a
CPR
with
CPR
and
automated
external
defibrillators,
we
can
double
the
odds
of
survival.
H
That
is
why
I
have
repeatedly
introduced
the
defibrillator
Public
Access
act
requiring
visible
visibility,
registered
and
maintained
aeds
in
public
buildings,
Ken
caruska,
a
Survivor
says
this
in
support
of
the
bill.
I
am
alive
today
because
of
an
AED
in
a
hockey
arena
simply
put
aeds
save
lives.
We
must
do
all
we
can
to
ensure
that
people
like
me
can
go
home
to
their
families.
End
quote:
British
Columbians
have
no
idea
why
a
bill
that
has
the
potential
to
save
lives
has
broad
support,
has
been
introduced.
H
L
Of
Health,
thank
you
honorable
speaker
and
like
The
Honorable
member
I
am
a
I'm
strongly
committed
to
a
network
of
aeds
across
BC.
It's
why
we
work
so
closely,
for
example,
with
the
Heart
and
Stroke
Foundation
on
those
issues,
why
we
support
that
network
with
them
and
the
growth
of
that
network
with
them,
and
why
we'll
continue
to
do
that?
This
actually
honorable
speaker,
continues
the
work
that
had
been
done
under
the
previous
government
in
the
same
regard,
and
we
continue
to
build
out
that
Network
and
we're
going
to
continue
to
do
so.
L
I
look
forward
because
I
think
there
will
be
an
occasion
for
us
shortly
in
estimates
to
have
a
longer
discussion
with
the
member
on
the
question,
but
I
think
I
think
it's
fair
to
say
that
everybody
in
BC
understands
and
supports
the
growth
and
the
effectiveness
of
our
AED
system.
The
the
you
know
the
education
required
for
people,
because
it
it
also
will
require
educational
support
to
do
that
and
I
look
forward
to
continuing
as
I
have
for
a
number
of
years
and
The
Honorable.
L
Member
knows
her
intervention
and
I
understand
the
sort
of
community
basis
and
where
she
came
to
her
intervention
and
her
bill
and
I
intend
to
continue
to
work
with
her
and
people
across
the
community,
including
the
Heart
and
Stroke
Foundation,
to
improve
the
network
in
BC
and
that's
the
work
that
we're
going
to
continue
and
I
believe
that
we'll
continue
to
do
together.
I
Thanks
honorable
speaker,
more
than
seven
years
after
the
Declaration
of
a
public
health,
emergency,
The
Province
continues
to
set
one
Grim
record
after
another
2
314
deaths
in
2022,
a
record
high
197
deaths,
just
in
March
a
record
for
any
March
yeah
record.
30-Day
average
of
Overdose
calls
in
March
highest
overdose,
calls
ever
on
a
single
day
in
March
on
March
22nd,
unprecedented
19-day
streak
of
a
hundred
plus
overdoses.
I
I
I
B
I
M
Thank
you.
Thank
you.
Mr
Speaker
and
I
thank
the
member
for
for
raising
for
raising
the
question
and
I
want
to
take
the
opportunity
to
reflect
on
the
most
recent
Coroner's
report
and,
of
course
agree
that
each
of
these
deaths
is
tragic.
They
represent
our
neighbors,
our
friends,
members
of
our
community
and
I
know
we
all
extend
condolences
to
those
who
have
lost
loved
ones.
In
this
unrelenting
toxic
drug
crisis,
Mr
Speaker,
we
have
taken
numerous
steps
to
to
match
the
recommendations
from
the
select
standing
committee.
M
Of
course,
much
of
that
work,
and
we
are
very
grateful
for
the
collaboration
across
this
house
in
that
work.
Those
recommendations
in
many
respects
confirmed
work
that
we
are
doing
across
our
Health
Care
system,
with
our
Community
Partners
scaling
up
harm
reduction,
making
making
harm
reduction,
Services
more
broadly
available,
working
to
scale
up
treatment,
opportunities,
opening
hundreds
of
beds,
investing
in
Upstream
Mental,
Health
Services
for
Children
and
Youth
working
across
that
entire
Continuum
with
an
unprecedented
billion
dollar
investment
in
this
budget,
we
will
continue
to
do
that.