================================================================= Note: The electronic version of the following Hansard is for informational purposes only. The printed version remains the official version. ================================================================= HANSARD Published By Authority Volume 1, No. 7 Victoria, March 24, 1992 --------- TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 1992 The House met at 10:06 a.m. Prayers. Orders of the Day Throne Speech Debate (continued) U. DOSANJH: Hon. Speaker, let me begin by congratulating you on your election to the position of Speaker, and follow that by congratulating perhaps the tallest member in the House, the longest-serving member in the House, the member for Vancouver-Burrard, for his election as Deputy Speaker. I was only four years old in terms of my Canadian life when he was first elected to the House here. That was in 1972, and I had arrived in Canada in 1968. It's been a pleasure knowing him. His warm and large handshake works as an embrace on you, and you never forget that. I'm honoured to be elected as the new member for the new riding, or constituency, of Vancouver-Kensington. It is in the heart of Vancouver; it's perhaps the most central Vancouver riding. It touches on the south Vancouver-Fraserview, on the east and north Vancouver-Kingsway, and then Vancouver-Mount Pleasant and then Little Mountain and then Langara. So I'm right in the middle of all of the members, some of whom are in cabinet, others in the opposition and others sitting with the government caucus. I'm honoured to follow in the footsteps of Grace McCarthy, the member for Vancouver-Little Mountain. A substantial portion of my riding comes from her old riding. As we all know, she served this province with distinction over the years -- and, of course, Mr. Mowat, who also served this province. I also have to recognize Stephen Rogers and Russ Fraser, as I ran against them in '83 in Vancouver South, and a portion of that constituency falls in my present constituency as well. They both have served this province well over the years. At the heart of my constituency is the Kensington Community Centre, whose name has been used to carve this riding out. It sits right in the centre of the constituency, and I've had the privilege in the past of acting as counsel to the Kensington Community Centre Association. They're doing a wonderful job in serving the needs of that particular area. There are three other community centres that this constituency serves: the Killarney Community Centre on the east and the Riley Park Community Centre on the west. There is another institution worth mention in my riding, and that's the South Vancouver Neighbourhood House. It sits near 49th Avenue on the boundary of Vancouver-Fraserview and my constituency. There is another neighbourhood house -- Little Mountain -- which sits on Main Street near King Edward. That neighbourhood house also serves many people in my constituency. I'm making that point simply to say that it's important to strengthen and support those institutions which serve people in their own neighbourhoods. In my constituency people live harmoniously with each other, and they or their ancestors have come from all areas of the globe. There is one thing that stands out, in terms of the constituency that I'm honoured to represent, and that is that there is a large percentage of persons whose mother tongue is Chinese. They form at least 30 percent of my riding. The Chinese Canadians, and Chinese British Columbians in particular, have been here since the 1850s and have contributed to building this province to what it is today. I'm honoured to represent that particular riding, which boasts the largest percentage of Chinese-speaking people in the province. I might say something about that group of individuals. All of us come from civilizations that are ancient and important. I want to make this point about the kind of civilization, culture and enrichment that the Chinese community brings to this province. I'm now quoting John Gunther's Inside Asia. He says, referring to the Chinese civilization: "...the longest civilization known to mankind. They have uninterruptedly existed as a political and cultural entity for well over 4,000 years, a record no country in the world can match. The Chinese were old when ancient Greece was young; they produced Confucius centuries before Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar.... Chinese history goes back at least to 2800 B.C. The birth of Solomon, the death of Socrates, the birth of Jesus, the death of Charlemagne, the birth of Newton, the death of Bismarck all took place while China was the same nation.... They have always been there. They seem older than the rocks." That's the background of Chinese Canadians, more particularly the ancestors of 30 percent of my constituents. I'm proud to be representing that particular constituency in the House. [10:15] Over the last four or five months I've had the privilege of being involved in many events in and out of my constituency, and there are a few I would like to mention. There have been a series of meetings in the downtown east side-Chinatown area, initiated in the Premier's constituency, dealing with inner-city problems. Meetings have been initiated with respect to the establishment of a community policing project in Chinatown. I had the privilege of being part of those meetings. I'm delighted that our Attorney General saw the establishment of that policing project in Chinatown through, so that our city would be a safer place and the policing would come closer to the grass roots in the community. Talking about the Chinese community, I want to dwell on it for another second. It's important to remember that it was at the urging of British Columbians several decades ago that the Chinese head tax was imposed by the federal government. It had been attempted by British Columbians themselves, but the attempts failed. Eventually the Chinese head tax was imposed by the federal government. That has been an unjust historical reality that needs to be dealt with. I have placed before the House a notice of motion -- first in the printing -- which deals with that, and perhaps we may get to that sometime in this session. It's extremely important for the federal government, and I urge the federal government -- and I'm sure members of the House would join me in asking the federal government -- to expeditiously deal with this matter, correct this historical injustice and provide a reasonable redress for that injustice so we can get on with life and with building a better, more prosperous and harmonious British Columbia. What of the issues? My constituents are concerned about the same issues as all other British Columbians. Perhaps being in the city they may be concerned more about transit than many other British Columbians, but they are concerned about, in addition to transit, health care, child care, human rights, employment opportunities, jobs, education, ESL and post-secondary education. There is a large immigrant population in the constituency I represent, and I have a special attachment to the institutions that surround my constituency. To the north of my constituency on Broadway between Knight and Fraser Streets sits the Vancouver Community College King Edward Campus, whose predecessor is where I taught English to new Canadians years ago when I was going to law school. My wife currently teaches English as a second language to adults in that particular facility, and my constituency is home to many students who attend that institution. At the other end, situated in the constituency of Vancouver-Langara, is Vancouver Community College, Langara Campus, where I had the privilege of actually doing my first two years of a BA. That's where I met my wife. We married, and we live half a block away from that particular place at this time. Incidentally, my oldest son is presently attending Langara. So in a sense I have a family attachment to the institutions of education around the constituency which I represent. Since my constituency is home to many immigrants for whom English is a second language, I applaud the initiatives that this government has taken with the immigrant settlement program, funding for ESL and their general policies on better education and better access to education for all. This government has taken, or promised, many important initiatives in many of those areas that I have mentioned. The most recent announcements have been regarding the provision of health care to all women. Incidentally, if I might add, my constituency is home to the first Everywoman's Health Centre in British Columbia, and I'm proud to have that in my riding. This government has launched a school meals program. There is the Working Opportunity Fund to create jobs, the Land Commission, the panel on the Family and Child Service Act and many other initiatives that one can go on discussing. What I really want to say is that this government has taken a mix of initiatives which aim at job creation and wealth creation, as well as addressing the needs of the disadvantaged, the poor and those in our society who need assistance from the government. This government has not shied away from creating jobs and opportunities on the one hand and addressing the needy and their needs on the other. I want to quote, perhaps very appropriately, the well-known economist John Kenneth Galbraith. It's important that we deal with this issue, because in the past, in British Columbia particularly, while we have talked about creation of wealth, free enterprise and jobs, whenever a voice has been raised on behalf of the needy and the disadvantaged it has been looked down upon. At least, an attempt has been made to muzzle those voices that have attempted to speak on behalf of the disadvantaged and the needy. In his forthcoming book, The Culture of Contentment, an excerpt from which was published in Harper's of March 1992, John Kenneth Galbraith talks about the contented class in America, which is the majority population, and indicates that both Democrats and Republicans address the needs of that particular class. He goes on to say that while the needs of the disadvantaged and the poor have occasioned quite a bit of comment over the years, and there have been social, law enforcement, drug, housing and health problems resulting from some of those issues, the contented class has occasioned much less comment. He goes on to say about the contented class: "The income of this favoured community, or much of it, is in turn made relatively secure by a variety of public and private reinforcements: private pension funds, social security, publicly and privately sponsored and supported medical care, farm income supports and, very expensively, guarantees against loss because of the failure of financial institutions, banks, and the now greatly celebrated savings and loans associations. "The substantial present role of the government in subsidizing this well-being deserves more than passing notice. Where the impoverished are concerned, government support and subsidy is seriously suspect because of its adverse effect on the morals and working morale. This, however, is not true of the government support to those of comparative well-being. No one is thought to be damaged by social security payments or their prospect, nor is a depositor, by being rescued from a failed bank. Nor if one is employed in the defence industry. The comparatively affluent can withstand the adverse moral effect of being subsidized and supported by the government; not so the poor." I think that that's an important point, because over the last many years government in this province has been always trying to denigrate those who stood up and spoke on behalf of the needy and the disadvantaged in British Columbia. It's important that this government has injected the sense of realism, that, while we need to create wealth, we need to address the needs of the poor, the disadvantaged and the underprivileged in this society. Otherwise we would have a lopsided development, which would be no good for anyone in this province or this country. Let me say something about what I've been doing for the last few months with other members of this House: the work of the constitution committee. It has been an eye-opener. It has been pleasant at times and inspiring at others, while still shocking at other times, to hear the views of British Columbians. Despite the tensions and the disparities that exist in the views across British Columbia, one thing has become clear to me, and I'm sure it has become clear to other members on the constitution committee: British Columbians want us to keep the country of Canada, as we know it, together for centuries to come. Despite the fact that we don't want to award any special status to Quebec and despite their concerns about the rights of the English-speaking in Quebec, there is a large reservoir of goodwill about Quebec and about the natives in British Columbia. I want to say that the natives obviously have suffered over the centuries in British Columbia, and it's important that we redress that wrong not only by recognizing self-government but by putting in place programs and policies that would ameliorate the conditions that we as a society have forced them into. I want to read to the House one paragraph from the distinguished Thomas Berger's book, A Long and Terrible Shadow: White Values, Native Rights in the Americas. Just one paragraph -- I don't mean to bore you all. Talking about the history of the natives in the Americas, he says: "It is important for us to know something about that history. In 1992 we commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus's landfall and the triumph of the European enterprise in the New World. The history that we will celebrate is the history of the progress we have made. That progress has been made at the expense of the Indians; for them that history is one of suffering, of massacre, disease and devastation. Europe has cast a long and terrible shadow over the native people of the New World. Today they are emerging from beneath that shadow, and they have a tale to tell not only of subjugation but also of survival, for they still live among us, and they have a claim on our consciences, a claim that we should honour the principles by which we profess to live." My friends, members of this House and hon. Speaker, that principle is the principle of self-government. And there is sentiment across Canada, more particularly across British Columbia, to extend that right to the natives. I applaud that sentiment both in this House and across British Columbia, because it's about time we dealt with that particular issue, so that the natives can get on with being the fullest possible citizens in this great country of Canada, and as British Columbians we can move on to better and bigger things together. I will try to be brief, since I can't see the Speaker's lights. Let me tell you something about myself; I thought it might be important to do that. I came to Canada in 1968. Before then I was in Britain for three and a half years, where I laboured in many jobs and went to school part-time. Before then I was born and raised in India. I came to Canada in 1968, joined the lumber mill industry as an industrial first-aid attendant, broke my back, went back to school at nights at the old King Edward campus that burned down -- the old landmark -- and then went to Langara, Simon Fraser and UBC. In the meantime I married. I have three sons, and my wife is my constant political companion. In fact, she organizes, and I disorganize sometimes. As part of that work history, I became aware that institutions like WCB need to be made more responsive to the needs of the working people that they are ensured to protect. The needs of the farm and domestic workers should be uppermost in our minds. Both the farmworkers and the domestic workers are the people who literally put food on our tables. The farmworkers grow and reap it from the fields, and the domestic workers cook it and put it on our tables in many homes across British Columbia. Those are the kinds of people, if we want to move ahead as a civilization with dignity and equality for all, whose needs have to be addressed. I'm sorry to say that the federal government has not paid much attention to the needs of the domestic workers. This government has made a commitment to address the needs of both the farm workers and the domestic workers in the upcoming legislative review, and I applaud that effort. [10:30] The other issue I want to touch on is the human rights issue. When I was going to law school, I had the opportunity of teaching English to new Canadians while working as a liaison with the human rights branch between '72 and '75 for a couple of summers. I became aware of the needs of the people and the problems they faced, and I'm proud to say that I was partly responsible for the first equal employment opportunities program at the city hall in Vancouver. That's why the issue of human rights is important to me, and that's why I applaud the initiatives that have been announced in the throne speech with respect to human rights. It's very important that we deal with those issues. I actually have a connection with this province which is much older than myself. It may be a bit of a stretched connection, but let me tell you how it is, since I think it is important for you to know who I am and where I come from. My maternal great-grandfather's brother was in Canada in 1914 in the days of the Komagata Maru. A few days after the Komagata Maru was forced to leave Canada, he left for India voluntarily because in Canada he had breathed a sense of freedom that others enjoyed while he didn't. He had seen a sense of dignity that others enjoyed while he couldn't. He went back to that country to struggle for the freedom of India, which he loved. In March 1916 he gladly went to the gallows for the sake of freedom, justice and equality in that country. My maternal grandfather was a resident of Shanghai, China, for a while. He was a wrestler and a security guard. He was invited to Canada by his brother. My grandfather thought that he might leave for India to see the family and then come to Canada. When he went to India, he got embroiled in the struggle for the freedom of that country and never made it to Canada until the seventies, when he was invited here by us. He spent 18 years behind bars in British jails fighting for equality, liberty, justice and fairness for the people of India, and he fought against the British with his life. My mother was a political activist. She and my father never agreed on things. My father belonged to the nationalist movement; she belonged to a leftist movement; so there were two camps in the household. I'm proud to say that I was educated, in my elementary and high-school education, in schools founded by my grandfather. The elementary school was initiated by my grandfather, and I was the first student in that school, where my aunt taught me. The high school from which I graduated was founded by four friends of my father's -- my father being one of the founders of that school, where he taught until 1962. So I have a certain political heritage that I come from. I have a commitment to a sense of fairness, justice, equality and openness -- all of the issues and principles that this government is committed to. That's why, when I came to this country, the New Democratic Party was a natural home for me to walk into; and I walked into it easily, because it had open doors. I thank the New Democrats and British Columbians for that opportunity to participate in the development of this province with which I had connections in the past. In the next few months, as legislators, British Columbians and Canadians, we're going to face the question of national unity, the question of the renewal of Canada, and the new constitution. We're all concerned about that. Let me end by reading to you from an essay on politics by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Before I read this, let me just customarily say -- although I say it from the bottom of my heart -- that I look forward to working with members on all sides of the House to make British Columbia a better place for us to live. Let me read from Emerson: "In dealing with the State," -- I'm talking about the constitution and the unity of the country that we all love -- "we ought to remember that its institutions are not aboriginal, though they existed before we were born; that they are not superior to the citizen; that every one of them was once the act of a single man;" -- this is dated, obviously -- "[that] every law and usage was a man's expedient to meet a particular case; that they all are imitable, all alterable; we may make as good; we may make better." -------------------------- Queen's Printer for British Columbia(c) Victoria, 1995