BC Today – Daily Report February 20, 2020 Quotation of the day “It's not been quite three years that we've been in government … [and] it's a ​ lot to fix after 16 years.” ​ Finance Minister Carole James says the NDP government is struggling to fix and fund issues ​ ​ and programs ignored by the former Liberal rulers. Today in B.C. On the schedule The house will convene at 10 a.m. for question period. Wednesday’s debates and proceedings Attorney General David Eby introduced Bill 7, Arbitration Amendment Act, which will repeal and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ replace B.C.'s existing domestic arbitration framework and shift family arbitration provisions ​ under the Family Law Act. ​ ​ The house spent the afternoon debating Bill 4, Budget Measures Implementation Act, which ​ ​ was introduced by Finance Minister Carole James on Tuesday afternoon after her budget ​ ​ speech. At the legislature The BC Care Providers Association hosted MLAs from both sides of the aisle at a lunch-time lobbying event. Provincial, federal officials strive for resolution to ongoing infrastructure blockades Premier John Horgan missed question period yesterday to participate in a conference call with ​ ​ ​ ​ his fellow premiers to discuss how to handle ongoing infrastructure blockades taking place across Canada in support of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs who oppose the Coastal GasLink pipeline. Following the call, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe — who currently chairs the Council of the ​ ​ Federation — said the premiers are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to join them in a ​ ​ teleconference meeting today to “discuss paths to a peaceful resolution and an end to the illegal blockades.” Horgan’s office released a joint letter from B.C. Indigneous Relations and Reconciliation ​ ​ Minister Scott Fraser and federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett, ​ ​ ​ ​ outlining their continued willingness to meet with the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs. Both ministers are available to travel to Smithers as early as today to engage in “a process based upon trust and mutual respect to address the urgent issues of concern” to the chiefs. But the chiefs want the RCMP to withdraw their mobile command unit from Wet’suwet’en territory before a meeting takes place. ​ ​ Meanwhile, TransLink is the latest entity to seek an injunction against protesters. BC Ferries ​ ​ now holds a presumptive injunction to prevent protest action from interfering with its terminal ​ operations. Budget 2020 ‘largely status quo’: DBRS “This is the government’s fourth budget since taking office in 2017 but it does not have the look ​ or feel of a typical pre-election budget, despite increasing speculation that the government could call an early election.” That’s the upshot from global credit rating agency DBRS Limited’s assessment of Budget 2020, reacting to pre-budget speculation the NDP would table a flashy fiscal plan in anticipation of heading to the polls. Instead, the agency notes the NDP government “remains cautious in its budgeting” with more conservative spending increases than previous years amid “sharply” slowing revenue growth. Despite the slowing economy, B.C.’s “economic base remains diverse and resilient” and the government’s efforts to right the ship at ICBC have resulted in improved “governance, operations, and earnings,” according to the agency. The NDP government is also keeping its debt forecast on the conservative side, stated Paul ​ LeBane, DBRS’ vice-president of public finance. ​ “B.C. tends to outperform its budget targets and underspend its capital plan,” he said. “Consequently, we project that the Province’s adjusted debt burden will rise, but that the adjusted debt-to-GDP ratio will remain largely unchanged in 2020–21 at around 14.5 per cent of GDP and that the ratio may rise to about 16.0 per cent in 2022–23.” “Despite the increase, British Columbia’s debt-to-GDP ratio will remain the lowest for Canadian provinces and consistent with DBRS Morningstar’s AA (high) rating,” he added. Finance minister clarifies ‘Netflix tax’ Budget 2020’s commitment to start applying provincial sales tax (PST) to streaming services is about levelling the playing field for digital media providers, Finance Minister Carole James told ​ ​ reporters yesterday. “This in fact isn't a change in the PST requirement — the PST requirement has been there for a ​ ​ very long period of time when it comes to streaming services,” she said, noting that many services, including Apple TV, Crave and Amazon Prime are already covered. “This is making sure that it's a level playing field for everyone. Some are paying right now, others aren't. We need to make sure that there's fairness for businesses.” As for some stakeholder concerns that Budget 2020 doesn’t deliver much in terms of increased funding for social service and community programs, James said last year’s budget provided more substantial funding increases for many sectors. “We know how critical those services are,” she told reporters. “Is there more to do? Yes, there is ... I'm as impatient as everyone else. I wish that we had more resources, because I can tell you that almost everything that crosses my desk as finance minister is worth funding.” Today’s events February 20 and 21 — Vancouver ​ ​ This year’s Adaptation Canada conference kicked off yesterday at the Sheraton Wall Centre. ​ ​ Topics of conversation ● Three people were arrested on charges of mischief after refusing to vacate Premier ​ ​ John Horgan’s driveway on Tuesday. A group calling itself Extinction Rebellion ​ Vancouver Island showed up at the premier’s house after Horgan had departed for the legislature, blocking the driveway and knocking on the door while his wife was in the home. “If people think that it helps their cause to terrorise my spouse, then they're dead wrong,” he said in response to the protestors’ actions. “She's a strong woman. She's lived with me for 40 years.” Horgan said he was not aware of any damage to his property. ○ Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson agreed that the protest was beyond the pale. ​ ​ “Canada has to be governed by the rule of law, and we've got to have an orderly format for protests,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “You can't block railway lines, you can't block our premier's house, you can't block intersections for 16 hours. We need to have the rule of law in this country or you might as well just give up.” ● The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion’s updated $12.6-billion price tag has many Canadians rethinking their support for the project, according to a new survey from the ​ ​ Angus Reid Institute. While 55 per cent of respondents expressed support when simply asked about the project, only 48 per cent were in favour when informed of the increased cost projection — the first time support for the project has dipped below a majority in two years. ○ For the first time in five years the majority of British Columbians are no longer in support of TMX, while opposition in Quebec and Ontario is at the highest level since 2018. In Alberta, 88 per cent say they supported the project, with a slight dip to 85 per cent once they were told the cost. ● B.C.’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 is now fully recovered, according to a joint ​ ​ statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian ​ ​ ​ Dix. ​ ● BC Ferries has christened its two newest vessels Island Aurora and Island Discovery. ​ ​ The two ships are expected to go into service later this year on the Powell River–Texada Island and Port McNeill–Alert Bay–Sointula routes. Question period On Wednesday, Liberal MLAs continued to focus on the government’s handling of infrastructure blockades and the ongoing tensions between the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and Coastal GasLink. Training activists on the taxpayer’s dime ● “Can the minister of housing … explain why her parliamentary secretary is using public money to get training from a group that seems dedicated to the disrespect of the rule of law and grinding the Canadian economy to a halt?” Liberal MLA Mike de Jong asked ​ ​ Housing Minister Selina Robinson. ​ ​ ○ The Liberals produced a receipt thanking Bowinn Ma, the NDP’s parliamentary ​ ​ secretary for TransLink, for “registering for an Organize BC program” that was scheduled to take place in April 2018. De Jong described Organize BC as “group dedicated to the training of activists,” adding that the program’s director is “providing active social media support for ongoing blockades” in support of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs. ● Government house leader Mike Farnworth took the question on notice. ​ ​ ○ The NDP later provided documents indicating Ma’s expense was to attend a panel discussion organized by The Tyee — featuring former NDP MP Libby ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Davies and the Broadbent Institute’s BC director Maria Dobrinskaya — about ​ ​ ​ “sky-high rents, overdose deaths, [and] homelessness” in Vancouver. The event never took place and the $20 fee was reimbursed, per the NDP caucus. ○ In a tweet, Ma mocked the Liberals for targeting her. ​ ​ ● De Jong persisted. “If members opposite want to be activists, then leave this place and go back to being an activist, but when you're here, maybe you can do your job, do your duty and show some respect for the rule of law,” he said. ● Farnworth accused the Liberals of trying to score “cheap political points” on an issue that provincial and federal leaders have been working hard to resolve. “We're working to fix things,” he said. “They're working to stay on the other side of that aisle.” ● Liberal ICBC critic Jas Johal called on Environment and Climate Change Strategy ​ ​ Minister George Heyman to “disavow the statements of his friends” at Stand.earth who ​ ​ Johal said “support conflict and illegal activity.” He accused the NDP government of failing to “stand up for law and order.” ○ Johal noted Heyman attended a meeting with Stand.earth’s Karen Mahon, Mike ​ ​ ​ Hudema, Sven Biggs and Tzeporah Berman on Bowen Island in January 2018.