BC Today – Daily Report November 27, 2020

Quotation of the day

“I'm a geek, I'm a nerd, I can't help it.”

Premier John Horgan says he didn’t realize he had flashed the Vulcan salute during yesterday’s cabinet oath ceremony until it was brought to his attention afterward.

Today in B.C.

Written by Shannon Waters

On the schedule The 28 members of the BC Liberal caucus will take their oaths today. The virtual swearing-in ceremony starts at 10:30 a.m.

Premier watch Ahead of yesterday’s cabinet ceremony, Premier John Horgan released a statement to celebrate the first anniversary of B.C.’s D eclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which made the province the first in Canada to “recognize in law the human rights of Indigenous peoples.” The legislation passed with all-party support.

“It has been quite a year since then, as we grapple with a challenge unlike anything we have seen in generations,” Horgan said. “The pandemic brings home how important it is that we work together - a principle at the foundation of the Declaration Act.”

The full realization of the act is still in the works; the premier acknowledged there is still “a great deal of work ahead,” adding that the NDP remains committed to continuing to work on implementing the legislation with input from Indigenous peoples in the province.

Horgan unveils new cabinet focused on pandemic response Premier John Horgan mostly stuck to familiar faces for his second executive council. The new NDP cabinet was sworn in during a mostly virtual ceremony — Horgan and Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin presided over proceedings at the University of Victoria’s Farquhar Theatre.

“I was very proud to swear in the cabinet that will be in place as we tried to get through the challenges of Covid,” Horgan told reporters following the ceremony.

The premier has taken on a new special advisor — former finance minister C arole James will be in the premier’s corner for at least another year with a $1 per year salary. Horgan said he hopes to keep her on throughout his second term

In total, the new NDP cabinet includes 20 ministers and four ministers of state — two more than during the last parliament — with 12 women and 12 men, plus the premier.

Lots of familiar faces, no new ministries Seven ministers retained the portfolios they’ve held for the past three and a half years: Health Minister A drian Dix, Attorney General D avid Eby, Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth, Labour Minister H arry Bains, Environment and Climate Change Minister George Heyman and Lana Popham, whose agriculture portfolio was expanded to include food and fisheries.

Bruce Ralston remains on the energy file as minister of energy, mines and low carbon innovation (formerly energy, mines and petroleum resources).

Former housing minister S elina Robinson takes on the high-profile portfolio finance minister post, and K atrine Conroy, who served as minister for children and family development, becomes B.C.’s first female forests minister.

Former parliamentary secretary R avi Kahlon — most recently responsible for forests — got promoted to jobs minister. His new ministry is now also focused on economic recovery and innovation.

Mitzi Dean, former parliamentary secretary for gender equity, is now minister of children and family development. S heila Malcolmson was also promoted from her former parliamentary secretary post to minister of mental health and addictions while N icholas Simons, an NDP caucus stalwart, was named minister of social development and poverty reduction.

Three new members of the NDP caucus received ministerial roles: M urray Rankin is minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation; Jennifer Whiteside, a former business manager for the hospital employees’ union, takes over as education minister; and ex-Tofino mayor Josie Osborne received the municipal affairs portfolio, which has been split away from housing.

Attorney General Eby is now also the minister responsible for housing and will be tasked with leading the NDP’s effort to deal with skyrocketing strata insurance premiums, possibly via a public insurance option.

The remaining members of cabinet are all former ministers taking on new portfolios: ● Former education minister R ob Fleming is now minister of transportation and infrastructure; ● Former tourism minister Lisa Beare is now minister of citizens’ services; ● Former advanced education minister M elanie Mark is now minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport; and ● Former citizens’ services minister A nne Kang is now minister of advanced education, skills and training.

Two new minister of state positions plus five new parliamentary secretaries No new ministries were created, but two new minister of state positions were added to the executive council. Stikine MLA N athan Cullen will serve as minister of state for lands and natural resources, and B owinn Ma is minister of state for infrastructure after serving as parliamentary secretary for TransLink. Responsibility for the Lower Mainland’s transit system now rests with the environment minister.

Minister of State for Child Care K atrina Chen remains at her post, and G eorge Chow will continue to serve as minister of state for trade.

Another 13 NDP MLAs, including nine new faces, were given parliamentary secretary posts: ● Anti-Racism Initiatives: R achna Singh; ● Skills Training: A ndrew Mercier; ● Fisheries and Aquaculture: Fin Donnelly; ● Environment: K elly Greene; ● Gender Equity: G race Lore; ● Rural Development: R oly Russell; ● Seniors Services & Long Term Care: M able Elmore; ● Technology & Innovation: B renda Bailey; ● New Economy: A dam Walker;

● Emergency Preparedness: Jennifer Rice; ● Community Development & Non-Profits: N iki Sharma; ● Accessibility: D an Coulter; and ● Arts and Film: B ob D'Eith.

The new executive council is more expensive than its predecessor — the minister of state title comes with a $38,858 annual bump to the MLA base pay of $111,024. The two new positions add $77,717 to the total cabinet payroll.

The new roster of parliamentary secretary salaries will rack up $1.66 million per year — $83,265 more than before the 2020 election.

Ministers get a more substantial $55,512 per year bump while the premier gets an extra $99,922.

Today’s events

November 27 at 10 a.m. — O nline The BC Care Providers Association is hosting a panel discussion on how the province can better protect B.C. seniors during the second wave of the pandemic.

November 27 at 3 p.m. — O nline Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister A drian Dix will provide an update on Covid in B.C.

Topics of conversation

● B.C. reported 887 new Covid cases yesterday. There were 7,899 active cases (up 283), but for the third day in a row active cases in the Fraser region remained at 5,734. There were 294 people with Covid in hospital, 64 of them critical (up three). Another 13 new deaths were reported, pushing the total to 384 and setting a new single day record.

● Premier John Horgan told reporters he has “never interfered” with D r. Bonnie Henry’s recommendations around B.C.’s handling of the Covid pandemic. “That’s not how [Health] Minister [A drian] D ix, [deputy health minister] Stephen Brown and Dr. Henry and I operate,” Horgan said. ○ The premier’s assertion came in response to a question about a C BC report revealing Alberta health officials were pressured by politicians to provide an “impossible” level of evidence before bringing in restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid, among other things. ○ Horgan said his chief of staff G eoff Meggs and his outgoing deputy minister D on Wright have been in daily contact with public health officials and the health minister, keeping Horgan in the loop. “We come to conclusions based on the best

advice we get from public health, and then we implement those decisions in the best interest of British Columbians,” the premier said. “I know I did not interfere in any way.”

● Despite several increases to contact tracer recruiting targets, rising Covid exposures in the Fraser Health region have pushed B.C.’s contact tracing program to its limits. The Globe and Mail digs into the effort to stay on top of exposure notifications and case confirmations. ○ “I wouldn’t say we’re losing, but we’re on the edge for sure,” D r. Bonnie Henry said Wednesday. “We committed very early on to testing, tracing and isolation, and we’re still barely managing to hold on to that.”

● Union of BC Indian Chiefs president Grand Chief S tewart Phillip and BC Civil Liberties Association Director H arsha Walia are “outraged” by the Vancouver Police Board’s response to their 2018 complaint about the Vancouver Police Department’s street check policy. ○ The police board has claimed that its own review of “available data” on street checks conducted by Vancouver police officers “could neither confirm nor deny police racism.” But, as the V ancouver Sun reported, a key section of the report — including allegations of racism by police officers — was removed before the report was made public. Pyxis Consulting Group, which assembled the report, claimed the deleted material was “outlier information,” a characterization several experts have disputed. ○ “Perhaps the board was OK with the coverup of racism because racial violence is woven into the fabric of policing,” Phillip and Walia wrote in an op-ed published in the S un this week. “The contemporary scars of police brutality are inseparable from the lineage of police as enforcers of settler-colonialism, slavery and genocide.” ○ The pair are calling for a provincial ban on street checks, a move that is supported by multiple community organizations in B.C. as well as Vancouver and Victoria city councils.

Lobbying registration

Consultants who registered, renewed or amended registrations from November 20 to November 26, 2020

● Bilal Cheema, Cheema Strategies Incorporated o Clients: Shxwhá:y Village (Skway First Nation)

● Kimanda Jarzebiak, D anielle Bourgeois, M ichael Gardiner, Ascent Public Affairs o Clients: Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver

● Moe Sihota, Parhar Investments & Consulting Ltd. o Clients: Paper Excellence Canada

● Natalie Dash, Campbell Strategies Inc. o Clients: Staples Canada Inc.

● Craig Jangula, Jangula and Company Consulting o Clients: 7 Generation Capital

● Kimberley Smith o Clients: Quad Riders ATV Association of British Columbia

Organizations that registered in-house lobbyists from November 20 – November 26

● GlaxoSmithKline Inc. ● FP Pharma Inc. ● Microsoft Canada Inc. ● BC Chicken Growers Association ● Adventure Tourism Coalition of BC ● The Explorers and Producers Association of Canada ● Canadian Nurses Association ● National Police Federation ● TELUS Corporation ● Disability Alliance BC ● YMCA BC ● The Co-operators Group Ltd. ● Ecojustice Canada Society ● Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (Vancity) ● DigiBC - The Interactive & Digital Media Industry Association of British Columbia ● A.S.T.C Science World Society ● British Columbia Dairy Association ● Western Canada Wilderness Committee ● Vancouver Island Real Estate Board ● British Columbia Hotel Association ● International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 168 ● Association of Doctors of BC ● BASF Canada Inc. ● Chevron Canada Limited

BC Today is written by Shannon Waters, reporting from the British Columbia Legislative Press Gallery.

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