On Wednesday, B.C. Legislature Speaker Darryl Plecas opened question period by asking MLAs to be more civilized than they had been the previous day.
“Members, before we begin question period today, I should mention that yesterday, being an example of the last few days, we burned off seven minutes of time of that question period, almost a quarter of the time, doing nothing but being unruly. Perhaps today we could bring that number down? Thank you for your help in making that happen.”
Here are some excerpts from Tuesday’s question period, taken from Hansard.
B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson: We see now the Finance Minister standing up on behalf of the real minister, because this is a government that seems to think that righteous indignation solves every question.
The workers this minister is now discriminating against are the lowest paid in the social services sector, and they’re overwhelmingly women. So we can turn to the NDP and say: “Well done. You’ve created a whole subclass of people …
(Interjections.)
Speaker: Members, we shall hear the question.
Wilkinson: … who are being treated poorly.” This is a gratuitous, unnecessary move by the NDP to trash a sector of our hard-working public sector that is probably the most deserving of all.
This is what the executive director of Board Voice said last week. “Good and important services…
(Interjections.)
Speaker: Members, please allow the Leader of the Opposition to get through his question.
Wilkinson: …delivered by caring people who really know their stuff are at risk as never before.” Congratulations to the NDP.
Why are these caring people not good enough to be treated equitably by this government?
Finance Minister Carole James: Well, I think the real question is: why didn’t that side care when they were in government for 16 years? I know they had people in their constituency offices, as we had people in our constituency offices, for 16 years talking about the drastic cuts that happened in social services in this province under that side.
…
Social Development Minister Shane Simpson: The B.C. Liberals’ question period epiphany on social programs doesn’t dismiss 16 years of ignoring and neglect for this sector. Let’s be clear here….
(Interjections.)
Speaker: Members. Members, we do not want to recess in the middle of question period.
Simpson: That side neglected and devalued these workers. They neglected and devalued the people they serve every day for 16 years.
…
Jane Thornthwaite: My question is to the Minister of Children and Families. Why won’t she stand up and explain why she’s discriminating against Hollyburn?
Simpson: Well, as we hear the griping from the other side, who now, all of a sudden, have discovered the issues of social programs, for the first time in a decade and a half…. You would think, as they talk about our friends who are here from the CEO Network, that you might recognize most all of those are in this ministry, not Children and Families. But you’d have to pay attention to the sector to understand that.
The Minister of Children and Families and myself have worked with this sector for 20 months. We have worked to collaborate on the…
(Interjections.)
Speaker: Members.
Simpson: …poverty reduction strategy. We have worked to collaborate on new child welfare initiatives…
(Interjections.)
Speaker: Members.
Simpson: …related to Indigenous people. We have worked with this sector on Reimagining Community Inclusion on what the future looks like for people with developmental disabilities. That’s the reality.
…
Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver: I must say, it feels like I’m rising midway through an episode of the Twilight Zone here today in this Legislature. Frankly, while last night I was busy trying to prep up on the money laundering going on, it seems like far too many members of this chamber were enjoying casino night a little bit too much and probably are a little grumpy as they lost far too much money there last night.
…
Attorney General David Eby: The member knows why we have not yet called a public inquiry. That’s because we have been acting quickly to address the issues that the previous government left for us — the giant, gaping loopholes in our casino industry that allowed this activity to continue up until the point that we actually formed government.
(Interjection.)
Speaker: Member. Member, we will hear the response.
…
Simpson: And this from a party that, when they were government, rolled back the wages of community social service workers — rolled back the wages.
(Interjections.)
Speaker: Members. Members, the government side listened to the question. Now, please, listen to the response.
Simpson: We used a collaborative process. We engaged people in this community.
(Interjections.)
Simpson: Yeah, it’s a pretty shameful performance over there, absolutely.
We have worked with the sector.
(Interjections.)
Speaker: Members. Members.
…
Speaker: The Minister of Social Development and climate change. Sorry, Poverty Reduction.
I guess maybe I’m trying to change the weather in here.
…
Laurie Throness: Well, in the year 2000, the NDP were, happily, forced to back down in their fight to penalize non-union caregivers. It was the B.C. Liberals who reinstated a policy of equal pay that lasted, sadly, until just three weeks ago. I can hardly believe that the NDP, who love to cast themselves as a caring government….
(Interjections.)
Speaker: Members. We shall hear the question.
Throness: The NDP love to cast themselves as a caring government, but they’re totally heartless. They’re being totally heartless in trying to pull this stunt again.
The NDP are being totally heartless in trying this stunt again.
How can this government call itself caring when it doesn’t care equally for every caregiver?
Minister of Children and Family Development Katrine Conroy: Well, I’m glad that the member raised what the Liberals did, because I remember it well. I lived through 2001, when they cut the social service sector so devastatingly, so devastatingly. They cut community living. They cut social services.
(Interjections.)
Speaker: Members, we shall hear the response.
Minister, if you could take your seat for a moment.
Conroy: That member remembers well the core review and what it did to the social sector. In fact, a number of members in this House remember that well — how they struggled to make ends meet. And now they have the audacity to suddenly remember about the social service sector? Not taking lessons from you.
(Interjections.)
Speaker: Members. Members, you are out of order.
Conroy: For the first time in 10 years….
Speaker: End question period. Ring the bell.
The bell ends question period.
Sorry, Minister.
