BC Today – Daily Report February 13, 2020

Quotation of the day

“I do not want to live in a society where politicians tell the police to go move ​ people along because it's convenient for them.” ​

Premier says Tuesday’s demonstrations at the B.C. legislature crossed a line, but ​ ​ unrestrained use of law enforcement is not the answer.

Today in B.C.

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

Wednesday’s debates and proceedings MLAs spent the afternoon session debating the government’s throne speech.

Premier backs right to peaceful protest, but says legislature demonstrations went too far

After cancelling a scheduled post-throne speech news conference the day before, Premier John Horgan held court for nearly an hour with legislature press gallery ​ ​ reporters on Wednesday.

He reflected on the protest action that disrupted the legislature one day earlier, saying the demonstrations inspired “strong feelings” and he thought it best to take “24 hours to reflect.”

“I respect people's right to speak to power and to assemble peacefully at the legislature to do so, but yesterday was not like other days,” said Horgan.

He said the demonstrations at the legislature showed “a shift from traditional protests to something quite different” from what the premier remembers from his own days of joining protests on the legislature grounds.

Victoria Police said Wednesday that four people reported they were assaulted at the ​ ​ protests, during which demonstrators opposing RCMP presence at Wet'suwet'en First Nation blocked entrances to the legislature, physically obstructing MLAs, staff and media from going inside.

“Peaceful demonstration is fundamental to our success as a democracy but to have a group of people say to others, ‘you are illegitimate, you are not allowed in here, you are somehow a sellout to the values of ’ is just plain wrong, and I want to underline that,” he said of the vitriol that was directed at those working in the legislature.

Asked about calls for more robust action from law enforcement, Horgan said police need to “find that fine line between protecting the rights of people to protest and also protecting the rights of citizens to get on with their lives.”

He said law enforcement should not be the first resort when people gather to protest.

“I don't want to live in a society where politicians direct police to take action against other citizens without appropriate reason for doing so,” added Horgan. “That's why we have courts. That's why injunctions are sought. I do not want to be able to phone the police as the leader of the government and say, move those people off the bridge.That's not my role.”

The NDP government said it remains committed to reconciliation with First Nations and implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), but Horgan emphasized that the issues at stake are complicated and will not be resolved quickly.

“I think we need to remind ourselves that this is not an event — this is a process,” he said. ​ ​ “A hundred and fifty years of colonization will not be eliminated by the passage of a piece

of provincial legislation — it will be eliminated by people of good will, working together to ​ ​ ensure that the prosperity that we want for ourselves is shared by everybody.”

“I believe that we're on the right path and so do countless thousands of Indigenous peoples,” he added, acknowledging that the sentiment is “not unanimous.”

Some First Nations, like the Wet’suwet’en, are still in the process of reestablishing traditional governance systems and reconciling them with those imposed by the federal Indian Act, a complicated process that many misunderstand, Horgan noted. ​ ​ “I've heard this repeatedly from Wet'suwet'en people who want to see prosperity and economic development in their territory ... that they need to come together as Wet'suwet'en and figure that out,” he said.

“When you have, as we did yesterday, people who don't understand the complexity of a court decision from the 1990s or more importantly, thousands of years of tradition on a territory that is just now being made known to many people — that's how you can have ​ ​ [interim Green Party leader] , an Indigenous person, barred from coming into ​ ​ the legislature.”

Throne speech Asked about Tuesday’s throne speech, which went ahead despite the protests, Horgan said the government is playing the long game on its pledge to address affordability.

“Many of the initiatives that we announced [and] re-announced yesterday ... were initiatives that have a long horizon,” he said. “Whether it be our housing plan, whether it be the ten-year child care plan — these were proposals that we campaigned on, and now we're going into the third year of some of the development of those issues.”

As for the upcoming budget, Horgan reiterated his joke from the days leading up to the introduction of Budget 2019.

“There will be numbers. They'll be very big numbers.”

The promised paid leave for survivors of domestic violence was confirmed following consultation with the business community, Horgan said, and will be “inclusive” of sexual assault survivors.

The premier also provided reaction to Liberal Leader ’s comments about the ​ ​ policy, made on a radio show on Wednesday morning, where he said the leave policy amounted ​ ​ to "five days’ pay for people who are in a tough marriage.”

“I can't imagine a man in 2020 saying that, thinking that, much less actually articulating that,” Horgan told reporters.

Wilkinson later described the comment as “the wrong choice of words.” ​ ​ Topics of conversation

● A Wet’suwet’en hereditary chief is calling for an all clans meeting to discuss protest action in response to the RCMP’s enforcement of Coastal GasLink’s injunction, APTN reports. “We are the proper rights holders based on Section 35 and Delgamuukw,” said ​ ​ ​ ​ Andrew George, a wing chief of the Grizzly House within the Wet’suwet’en Bear Clan. ​ “The only people that can issue Aboriginal rights and title are the Wet’suwet’en. It’s an inherent right.” A letter advocating for the meeting has reportedly been sent to Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Scott Fraser and provincial liaison ​ ​ . ​ ○ Fraser said he has yet to receive the letter but emphasized that ’s efforts to resolve the conflict on Wet’suwet’en territory are ongoing.

● The BC Liberal Party expects to acclaim their candidate for — in ​ ​ the next provincial election on March 8. James Robertson is a Special Forces veteran ​ ​ with a Masters of Business Administration from Royal Roads University. He will be the second candidate acclaimed by the party — Cheryl Ashlie was chosen to represent the ​ ​ party in Maple Ridge—Pitt Meadows earlier this month while beat out ​ ​ two other hopefuls to clinch the party’s nomination in this past weekend. ○ Port Moody—Coquitlam is currently held by NDP MLA , who won ​ ​ the riding by just under 1,850 votes in 2017. ○ The Liberals will be holding a candidate selection meeting for the Oak Bay—Gordon Head riding on April 4.

● The longest strike B.C.’s coastal forest industry has ever seen “significantly impacted” ​ ​ Western Forest Products’ 2019 fourth quarter financials. The company is reporting a net loss of $29.2 million in the final quarter of last year, after posting an $18.7-million loss in its third quarter. ○ “In the fourth quarter, we continued to focus on limiting the impact of the [United Steelworkers] strike on our customers and our financial position by managing our debt levels,” Don Demens, the company’s president and CEO, said in a ​ ​ statement on the results. “With terms of a tentative collective agreement reached with the USW, we look forward to bringing people back to work following the completion of the ratification process.”

Question period The first question period of the new session focused on the protest that swept the legislature on Tuesday and the NDP government’s handling of the Wet’suwet’en, Coastal GasLink conflict.

The cost of ‘unlawful protest’

● Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson kicked off question period by tallying up the cost of ​ ​ lost wages, “lost commerce and lost credibility” caused by recent blockades of B.C. ports, bridges and roads. “How much longer will the premier tolerate this obstruction of essential infrastructure that not only inconveniences people but puts peoples' lives at risk and makes life miserable for ordinary British Columbians?” he asked.

● Horgan acknowledged a “need to address the challenges, the disruptions in activities in that have resulted from the dispute on the land of the Wet'suwet'en people” in northern B.C. “This is a challenge for all of us,” he said.

● Wilkinson and Liberal ICBC critic spent the next several questions citing ​ ​ examples of statements made by NDP MLAs while in opposition — in support Indigenous rights and title and the legitimate role of hereditary chiefs — and asking them to retract words that “ultimately encouraged unlawful behavior.”

Proceeding with LNG while Indigenous opposition remains ● Green Party Adam Olsen asked Indigeous Relations Minister Scott ​ ​ ​ Fraser why the government gave the green light to the LNG Canada project when it was ​ aware “outstanding matters” with the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs had not yet been resolved.

● Fraser backed the project as “a significant opportunity” that will generate 3,000 in jobs and $23 billion in revenue.

● Olsen followed up by asking Fraser about the government’s plans to further facilitate reconciliation with Indigenous people and received a lengthy list in response.

● “Good grief,” Liberal LNG and Resource Opportunities critic said as he rose ​ ​ to ask his question after watching the exchange. “The politics in this place hasn't done First Nations any favours. It's politics that got us to this place.” ○ He went on to accuse former NDP MP Nathan Cullen, the government’s liaison ​ ​ on the matter, of already having “a bias against LNG” and “an opinion on what the rights and title should look like.”

Shutting down the government ● Liberal house leader asked what the government will do about further ​ ​ protests planned for Friday with the aim of shutting down government ministries in Victoria and . ○ Polak cited a planning document that was posted online earlier this week. ​ ​

● Premier John Horgan reiterated his support for peaceful protest “but not at the expense ​ ​ of liberty of other people,” emphasizing the role of both the courts and law enforcement.

Appointments and employments

New deputy Speaker and assistant deputy Speaker appointed ● NDP MLA (Vancouver—West End) was appointed deputy ​ ​ ​ Speaker, and Liberal MLA Simon Gibson (Abbotsford—Mission) was appointed ​ ​ assistant deputy Speaker.

Search for a new auditor general continues This session’s special committee to appoint an auditor general is as follows: ● NDP MLA (—North Cowichan), chair; ​ ​ ● NDP MLA ( North); ​ ​ ● Liberal MLA (Prince George—Valemount); ​ ​ ● Liberal MLA (Richmond—Steveston); and ​ ​ ● Green Party MLA Adam Olsen (Saanich North and the Islands). ​ ​

Special committee to select a new legislature clerk appointed The membership of the special committee to appoint a clerk of the legislative assembly is as follows: ● NDP MLA (Surrey—Guildford), chair; ​ ​ ● NDP MLA (Esquimalt—Metchosin); ​ ​ ● Liberal MLA Michael de Jong (Abbotsford West); ​ ​ ● Liberal MLA Mary Polak (Langley); and ​ ​ ● Independent MLA (Oak Bay—Gordon Head). ​ ​