B.C. Today – Daily Report March 5, 2019

Quotation of the day

“The only thing this premier has done when it comes to talking about softwood in this House is dodge, deflect and demean a discussion that is essential in British Columbia.”

During Monday’s question period, Liberal MLA Shirley Bond says Premier John Horgan is ​ ​ ​ ​ “missing in action” in the fight against American tariffs on softwood lumber.

Today in B.C.

On the schedule The House will convene at 10 a.m. for question period.

Monday’s debates and proceedings

Finance Minister Carole James introduced Bill 12, Supply Act. The procedural bill secures ​ ​ ​ ​ funding for the public service operations through the first three months of the upcoming fiscal year, beginning on April 1, 2019.

Following question period, Government House Leader Mike Farnworth directed the House to ​ ​ begin its review of the supplementary estimates for the Ministry of Health; Committee A studied the supplementary estimates for the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.

By the end of the day, reviews of the supplementary estimates on the following files were complete: health, municipal affairs and housing and forestry and natural resources.

In the House Liberal MLA Tracy Redies welcomed Liberal MP Gordie Hogg (South Surrey—White Rock) — ​ ​ ​ ​ “the incorrigible, one of a kind, snappy dresser” — to the chamber along with Liberal MP Randeep Sarai (Surrey Centre). Hogg served as a MLA in B.C. for 20 years and held various ​ cabinet posts in former Liberal premier Gordon Campbell’s government. ​ ​

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan was also welcomed in the House. The Liberal cabinet minister ​ ​ and MPs were at the legislature to announce federal funding to combat gun and gang violence in B.C.

B.C. gets $5.3 million to fight gun and gang violence; federal ministers get questions on federal caucus

Over the next two years, B.C. will receive $5.3 million in federal funding to put towards efforts to prevent gun and gang violence. Federal Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Minister Bill Blair and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan joined B.C.Public Safety Minister and ​ ​ ​ ​ Solicitor General Mike Farnworth in the B.C. legislature’s Hall of Honour to announce the ​ ​ funding boost.

“There were 118 homicides in this province in 2017 — 30 more than the previous year,” Sajjan said. “More than half of them involved firearms, and just over two thirds of them were known or suspected to be gang-related.”

Farnworth said the federal funding, which is part of Ottawa’s five-year, $214 million provision to the provinces, will help B.C. continue its “strong strategic prevention and enforcement efforts” against gun and gang violence.

“Our government is committed to addressing it through a multi-pronged approach to help us not only deal with gangsters but also help people exit the gang lifestyle or prevent them from getting

into it in the first place,” he said. “This new funding being announced today will help us with a made-in-B.C. approach that addresses B.C.’s unique gang culture.”

Wilson-Raybould’s fate and Wangzhou’s civil claim Following the announcement, Blair and Sajjan were questioned about former Liberal cabinet minister Jody Wilson-Raybould’s fate in the federal caucus in the wake of the SNC-Lavalin ​ ​ scandal.

“That’s a decision that will be made by the prime minister and the caucus,” Blair said, adding he has “enormous respect” for Wilson-Raybould.

Sajjan emphasized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “unprecedented” decision to waive cabinet ​ ​ confidentiality and allow Wilson-Raybould to testify before the House of Commons justice committee last week.

Asked whether economic considerations should enter into corruption proceedings against large corporations like SNC-Lavalin, Blair declined to comment on specifics but said the Liberal government “will always stand up for the importance of jobs” while respecting Canadian institutions.

“At all times, our government is committed to upholding the rule of law and to acting in the public interest,” he said. “I think it is incumbent upon every government to make sure that we abide by both of those requirements, and that is our commitment.”

The border services minister praised the Canadian Border Service Agency’s “excellent work” in the face of a civil claim launched by Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou last week. ​ ​ ​ ​

“This is a complex issue that will be dealt with through the appropriate processes,” he told reporters. “But in my experiences, the men and women of the CBSA do an outstanding job and uphold Canadian law … in an exemplary way.”

Today’s events

March 5 at 9:30 a.m. – Kamloops ​ Federal Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Minister Patty Hajdu will highlight ​ ​ Ottawa’s work to ensure Indigenous people get the skills needed to secure good quality jobs at the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council’s offices.

Topics of conversation

● On March 18, the B.C. Court of Appeal will begin hearing the B.C. government’s reference case to determine whether it has the jurisdiction to regulate increases to the ​ amount of heavy oil products shipped through the province. But the government’s arguments may be hamstrung by rail companies that have refused to hand over their oil shipping data, citing concerns about terrorism, according to reporting from The Globe ​ ​ ​ and Mail. B.C. says it needs to know how much heavy oil is being shipped through the ​ province — something rail companies provide to Washington State on a quarterly basis — in order to properly prepare for the possibility of a spill. ○ In December, B.C.’s Environmental Appeals Board sided with the rail companies, ruling that there is a “reasonable basis” for their objections and noting that ​ dangerous goods transportation falls under federal jurisdiction. ○ Ottawa and Alberta are expected to argue against B.C.’s jurisdictional claim, which is likely the province’s last available argument against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

● A change to B.C.’s government identification policy is making things difficult for some of the province’s most vulnerable residents, according to reporting from The Tyee. Last ​ ​ ​ ​ May, Health Insurance B.C. stopped automatically reissuing non-photo services cards, which advocates are able to request on behalf of their clients, and began requiring photo identification to prove eligibility for health and social services. “We’ve got collection ​ agents calling our homeless folks because the hospital and B.C. ambulance services just process it like any other outstanding debt,” Rev. Carmen Lansdowne of the First United ​ ​ ​ Church Community Ministry Society said. “It’s all a little bit ludicrous.” ​

Question period

During Monday’s question period, the B.C. Liberals grilled Premier John Horgan on his ​ ​ government’s approach to softwood lumber tariffs.

Softwood lumber ● Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson took the premier to task over his “ineffective” tactics ​ ​ to protect the province’s softwood lumber industry from American tariffs. ○ “Where are the visits to Washington, D.C.?” Wilkinson asked. “Where are the attempts to corner American senators? Where is this premier when it comes to protecting the interests of B.C. forest workers, rather than grandstanding here in British Columbia?”

● “To hear the leader of the Opposition talk about grandstanding is rich — it's really rich,” Horgan said. “I don't know why the Liberals just woke up now after 100 mills closed on their watch. Thirty thousand people lost their jobs. Now, all of a sudden, it's an important issue.”

● “Workers are losing their jobs while this premier does nothing,” Liberal caucus chair Jackie Tegart (Fraser—Nicola) said. “When is the premier going to stop making ​ excuses and show us a strategy on softwood?”

● Liberal municipal affairs critic Todd Stone asked Horgan if the government plans to take ​ ​ the same approach to B.C.’s forestry industry as it has to fish farms. “We all know that this government's agenda, when it comes to fish farms, is to shut them down,” Stone said. “Are they going to apply the same tactics that they've applied to the aquaculture sector [to the forest industry]?”

● “Whether it's LNG, whether it's forestry, whether it's mining, whether its agriculture, whether it's aquaculture, what we need to do as a province is put down the partisanship and start to find solutions for people,” Horgan responded.

Work B.C.’s procurement policies “lack rigour and transparency” ● “It sure sounds like there are some fun and wacky times happening down there at the end of the opposition bench,” Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver remarked before ​ ​ launching into his question. ○ The Green Leader asked Social Development and Poverty Reduction Minister Shane Simpson about recent changes to Work B.C.’s procurement process, ​ which Weaver said is now “heavily biased towards bigger organizations.”

● Simpson said the province has increased Work B.C.’s funding and plans to open more offices across the province over the next year. He contended that the new procurement system will actually increase the share of contracts going to non-profits. ○ “We'll be watching this moving forward, but we think we've found the balance,” he said.

News briefs - Governmental

Ministry of Attorney General

B.C.’s Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) has implemented a new requirements for contract-brewing in the province as it looks to increase transparency and fairness in the province’s beer industry. Contract-brewing is a practice where brewers produce beer on contract for an outside brewery. Tweaks to the Liquor Control and Licensing Act made in 2015 introduced the practice in B.C.

Brewers in the province will need to keep closer tabs on their production volumes in order to meet new reporting requirements in 2020. Each B.C. brewery will need to report the volume of

beer they produce on contract and the volume of beer they contract out, as well as the annual worldwide production of any brewery they have a branding agreement with.

The new rules are being brought in after concerns about the increasing use of contract brewing in B.C. surfaced during industry consultations conducted by the LDB in October. The B.C. Craft Brewers Guild, which represents 150 brewers in the province, supports the new requirements.

Each brewery’s mark-up rates will be assigned based on their reported production volumes, included contract brewing volumes. The changes to the reporting requirements will help ensure larger brands pay their fair share while allowing smaller brewers to “engage in a reasonable amount” of contract brewing without disproportionately boosting their mark-up rates, according to a release from the LDB.

Funding announcements

● The University of Victoria’s CanAssist program, which helps youth with disabilities ​ ​ ​ ​ gain employment skills, will receive $1.2 million from Ottawa’s Skills Link program. The ​ ​ funding will help 80 young people get hands-on job experience.