Following the recent decision of Richmond Council to continue the status quo and allow mega mansions on ALR is their municipality, the BC Green caucus released a media release (reproduced below) calling on government to protect our rapidly depleting farmland.

Media Release

B.C. Green Caucus calls on province to take immediate action to stymie speculation on farmland
For immediate release
May 15, 2018

VICTORIA, B.C. – The B.C. Green Party caucus is calling on the provincial government to take immediate action to stymie speculation on ALR land. The Caucus says the vote at Richmond council last night demonstrates why provincial action is needed.

“Mega mansions on ALR land are imperiling our food security, destroying agricultural land and driving up prices well beyond the reach of young farmers,” said Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party.

“The provincial government has a number of tools at its disposal that it should immediately use to address the issue of speculation on ALR land. These include restricting foreign ownership of ALR land, applying the speculation tax and foreign buyers tax to the ALR or creating legally binding house size limits. It should use at least one of these immediately to prevent the loss of any more farmland.”

Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands and a former Saanich Councillor, added that local governments have been asking the province to take action for years.

“This decision at Richmond Council will drive the price of ALR in their community sky high, it will impact the rest of the province and demonstrates the need for action at the provincial level. When I was a Central Saanich Councillor, we knew 10 years ago we needed to take action on limiting house size and location on ALR land, we called on the government of the day to act. We were not alone and rather than take action the Province has buried this issue in consultation only further increasing pressure on the cost of farmland. The issue of speculation driving up land prices is well-documented and its solutions are clear. Delaying action only causes the issue to spiral further out of control: Last year, Richmond alone lost 50 farms due to the construction of mega-mansions on farmland. I urge the Minister in the strongest terms to recognize to take immediate action before any more farmland is lost.”

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Media contact
Jillian Oliver, Press Secretary
+1 778-650-0597 | jillian.oliver@leg.bc.ca

Today in the Legislature I introduced Bill M216: Business Corporations Amendment Act, 2018.

The proposed amendment to the Business Corporations Act will create a new Part 2.3 in the Act that enables companies to become benefit companies. These companies will have to meet certain requirements, including:

• Committing in their articles to operate in a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable manner, and to promote specific public benefits;
• The directors must act honestly and in good faith to pursue public benefits and consider the interests of persons affected by the company’s conduct
• Reporting publicly against an independent third party standard.

The choice to become a benefit corporation status is completely voluntary and has no impact on other existing corporations, other corporate forms, taxes or government regulation

It’s generally recognized that Canadian corporate law does not have a strict “shareholder primacy” rule as the US does, so directors of companies in Canada have more discretion to pursue a broader mandate beyond maximizing shareholder profits. However, this legislation is needed to

• Provide clarity for directors and shareholders about the nature and mandate of the company – avoid the risk of a shareholder challenge regarding the director’s duties;
• Provide certainty for impact investors of the nature and mandate of the company;
• Enable companies to attract capital while being true to their mission as they grow;
• Protect the vision of the founders of benefit companies from shareholder challenges;
• Provide a simple framework for companies to adhere to that is legally and commercially recognized.

This legislation would also encourage more companies to pursue a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable approach to business, creating beneficial outcomes for society as a whole and leveraging the power of business to help us to tackle significant social and environmental challenges.

Below I introduce the video and text of the introduction of this bill.

Video of Bill Introduction

Text of Bill Introduction

A. Weaver: I move that a bill intituled the Business Corporations Amendment Act, 2018, of which notice has been given, be introduced and read a first time now.

This bill amends the Business Corporations Act, by adding a new part 2.3 to the act that would give companies the ability to incorporate as benefit companies. Doing so would provide these companies with the legal framework to operate in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible way and to pursue public benefits, in addition to pursuing profits.

Benefit corporations differ from community contribution companies — known as C3 companies — which are hybrid businesses subject to an asset lock. Benefit companies would be required to meet standards of transparency and accountability by reporting their work against an independent, third-party standard.

By incorporating as benefit companies, businesses would achieve clarity and certainty for their directors and investors about their goals and mandate, thus enabling them to attract capital investment while staying true to their mission as they grow.

Companies that pursue a triple bottom line are on the cutting edge of rethinking the role of business in the 21st century and helping us tackle our most pressing, social and environmental issues. Government needs to support and encourage business to take on this role, and this bill is one way to do just this.

Mr. Speaker: The question is first reading of the bill.

Motion approved.

A. Weaver: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill M216, Business Corporations Amendment Act, 2018, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Media Release

Weaver introduces legislation to support companies pursuing environmental and social goals
For immediate release
May 14, 2018

VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party caucus, introduced legislation to enable B.C. businesses to incorporate as benefit companies. The legislation would establish a legal framework for companies pursuing social and environmental goals, rather than just profit.

“B.C. is home to incredibly innovative companies that want to play a bigger role in addressing the challenges and opportunities our province faces,” said Weaver.

“This legislation recognizes the important work being done by companies that want to have a social and environmental mission driving their business model, in addition to a profit motive. By extending legal recognition to benefit companies, B.C. will encourage more businesses to adopt this innovative business model.

“Moreover, this legislation is part of positioning our province to be a leader in the cutting edge of global economic trends. As the world turns to solutions to address major issues like climate change and technological innovation, we are seeing shifts in consumer patterns and behaviour, particularly among younger demographics. By becoming the first jurisdiction in Canada to legally acknowledge benefit companies, B.C. can best position our economy for success.”

The legislation would amend the Business Corporations Act, creating a new Part in the Act that enables companies to incorporate as benefit companies in BC. Companies would be required to commit to operating in a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable manner, and to promote specific public benefits. They would also need to report their progress against an independent third-party standard.

This legislation would ensure mission-driven companies can stay true to their mission as they grow. It is also important for allowing mission-driven companies to attract capital by providing investors with certainty about the mandate of the company, without being overly prescriptive with regards to how companies must spend profits. According to B Lab, benefit companies, which are legally recognized in over 30 US States, have raised nearly $2 billion in capital.

Weaver’s bill is his caucus’ first bill to be put through the official legislative drafting process. If passed, this legislation could become the first Private Member’s Bill from an opposition party member to be passed directly into law in British Columbia.

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Media contact
Jillian Oliver, Press Secretary
+1 778-650-0597 | jillian.oliver@leg.bc.ca

Today during Question Period I took the opportunity to ask the Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology when we might expect British Columbia to establish a trade office in Taiwan.

Taiwan is B.C.’s sixth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade volume totalling an estimated $1.87 billion. Alberta established a trade office in Taiwan in 1988 that has helped to steadily grow the trade between these two jurisdictions.

Below I reproduce the video and text of my exchange with the Minister. I was very pleased with his thoughtful and constructive response.

Video of Exchange

Question

A. Weaver: I must admit, I feel like I’m living in the twilight zone, listening to the line of questioning coming from the members opposite, in light of the last three or four years of hearing them defend the same.

British Columbia is the investment gateway to Canada for nations of the Pacific Rim, and British Columbia has established representative offices to help promote trade and investment in a number of these Pacific Rim nations. Just last fall, for example, the B.C. government established a new trade and investment office in Seattle, which will focus on trade and investment in the technology sector.

However, one jurisdiction that doesn’t have any representative office is Taiwan. Taiwan is B.C.’s sixth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade volume totalling an estimated $1.87 billion. Alberta established a trade office in Taiwan in 1988 that has helped to steadily grow the trade between these two jurisdictions.

My question to Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology is this: does the minister recognize the opportunity we have to cement a stronger trading relationship with Taiwan by establishing a trade and investment representative office in Taiwan?

Answer

Hon. B. Ralston: I thank the Leader of the Third Party for his question on this important topic.

Taiwan is indeed an important trading partner for British Columbia. Businesses here in British Columbia exported over $700 million worth of products and services to Taiwan last year, and that value has been growing steadily since 2012. Fully 43 percent of Canadian exports to Taiwan originate in British Columbia, and as the Leader of the Third Party pointed out, Taiwan is British Columbia’s No. 6 destination for exports. Many people here in British Columbia looking to expand look to Asia, and to Taiwan among those regions in Asia.

This weekend, I was pleased to attend the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce in British Columbia annual gala on Saturday night. A number of members were there. I was able to express these feelings of affinity and gratitude personally.

Certainly, as the Leader of the Third Party has noted, the federal government has a trade office in Taipei and helps Canadian businesses expand into Taiwan’s market. Our government continues to seek opportunities to diversify trade into Asia and seek reciprocal investment opportunities here in British Columbia. Indeed, the future prosperity of British Columbia depends on our ability to do that effectively.

Supplementary Question

A. Weaver: Thank you to the minister for that constructive and thoughtful response.

British Columbia presently has offices in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and mainland China. Their establishment represents an important step in diversifying trade partners and positioning British Columbia to take advantage of new and emerging markets, which is all the more important, frankly, as B.C. continues to develop its tech sector.

Developing strong relationships with trading partners in Asia, who will drive much of the demand for innovation both within and beyond the clean tech sector in the coming years, will be essential if we are to firmly establish ourselves as a leader in shipping not just B.C.’s raw resources but also B.C. technology and ideas to other jurisdictions. My question, once again to the Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Technology, is this: when can British Columbia expect this government to establish a trade office in Taiwan?

Answer

Hon. B. Ralston: I share the Leader of the Third Party’s enthusiasm about the trading opportunities in Asia. We’re certainly looking at where British Columbia businesses can expand and how we might be able to assist that.

Taiwan is an important partner for many British Columbia businesses. As I mentioned, on Saturday, I was able to discuss these opportunities with many Canadians who have origins in Taiwan. Indeed, there are members in the Legislature who have strong affinities with Taiwan. Those opportunities are there.

We’re committed to diversifying the economy and our markets both in terms of attracting investment and in terms of exporting more of our goods and services to Asia. We’re building the strength in our economy to help businesses expand and create good jobs for British Columbians here in British Columbia, not only in one region but throughout the province, in a way that the previous government didn’t.

Today in the legislature the premier rose to offer a Ministerial Statement on the flooding in the Boundary Similkameen area. As is normal practice, the leader of the official opposition and I were also granted an opportunity to respond. Below I reproduce the text and video of my response.

Unfortunately, I was cut short by the speaker. And so, I also append the ending of my speech that I never got to say.

Text of Speech

A. Weaver: Like every member in this House, I’ve been following the flood crisis closely and with a heavy heart. I commend the Premier for offering disaster recovery assistance today. Every support possible must be extended to the communities threatened by rising rivers. It’s heartbreaking to see homes submerged and businesses lost. I hope the worst is behind us. Sadly and unfortunately, the forecast for the coming days is not looking so positive.

I’d like to also extend my gratitude to the first responders and emergency support providers who are helping people evacuate safely and making sure that nobody is left behind. The National on CBC last night had footage of firefighters swimming through polluted waters to reach houses in Grand Forks. Our province could not weather these emergencies without their bravery and determination, and I offer my sincere thanks.

It seems cruel and unusual to be facing more devastation after last year’s floods and fires. The 2017 fire season, as we know too well, was the longest in the province’s history. We had a state of emergency in place for ten weeks, and more than 65,000 residents were evacuated. The flood response cost more than $73 million, and direct fire suppression cost more than $568 million.

Incredibly, thanks to the hard work by so many volunteers, there were no fatalities despite the 1,342 fires. The strength, courage and resiliency of British Columbians are unmatched and unrivalled. Those qualities paired with a world-class team of firefighters and first responders is why we made it through last year’s floods and fires without a single life lost in British Columbia — especially those in rural areas who have been fighting the front lines of climate change for so long.

It’s cruel to be facing more flooding after last year’s natural disasters, but sadly, it’s no longer unusual. And there is so much more to come as a consequence of global warming. It’s going to get much, much worse if we, as elected officials, fail to transition to a low-carbon economy.

I had an elderly gentleman in my office last week from a riding hit hard by the 2017 fire season. He talked about staying up all night to watch the fire move across nearby hills, going out to hose down his house with his son, checking on his neighbours to make sure they were okay too.

He talked about having post-traumatic stress disorder, but also he talked about having what he called pre-traumatic stress disorder, as the fire season for 2018 approaches. He doesn’t look forward to summer anymore. He said he’s too worried about fires.

The irony and the illustrative cognitive dissonance is that that afternoon, his MLA stood in this House to speak in support of Kinder Morgan and the LNG development.

We as elected officials cannot let British Columbians fight climate change alone. We need to be there when disaster strikes — like this week in the southern Interior — but we also need to be here with the will to recognize the link between the laws we pass or protect and the climate change impacts felt by our constituents. The world has no time for politicians who show up to help sandbag one day, but work to prevent meaningful climate action the next.

As the B.C. Auditor General wrote…

Mr. Speaker: Thank you, Member.

The ending I didn’t get to say

As the BC Auditor General wrote in her February 2018 report, Managing Climate Change Risks, from 1900 to 2013, BC’s average temperature has increased faster than the global average.

Scientists, including myself, projected that the province will face increases in extreme weather, rising sea levels, increasing risk of wildfire and flooding, as well as widespread loss of biodiversity and extinction of species.

Recognizing the linkages between and among these extreme weather events, and the impact of global warming is critical to any real progress going forward.

As early as 2004, a postdoc and I published a paper in Geophysical Research Letters pointing out that we can now detect and attributing the increase area of Canadian Forest fires to global warming. In 2000 a student and I showed the Canadian precipitation record exhibited significant increases in extreme events. More recently these changes have been attributed to global warming. The list goes on.

British Columbians are working tirelessly to fight the effects of climate change. I vow to do the same from this chamber.

Video of Speech

Today I had the distinct honour of providing the opening remarks at the Reimagining Masculinities Conference 2018 held at the University of Victoria.

As noted on the conference website:

ReImagining Masculinities is cultivating meaningful conversations about healthy, non-violent masculinities. Our hope is to inspire empathy, action, and self-reflections through conversation, education, and awareness.

Online streaming of the conference is also available.

Below I reproduce the text of my opening remarks.

Text of Opening Remarks

Opening statement – Reimagining Masculinities

Thank you everyone for being here today to explore an issue that isn’t often discussed in such a public setting.

I’ve been given the opportunity to say a few words about Reimagining Masculinities and as both a professor at UVic and MLA for this riding, it is my absolute pleasure to do so.

Please keep in mind that I teach climate science rather than gender studies, but I will do my absolute best.

This conference is such an accomplishment, not only because of the topic, but because of the breadth of talent represented as well.

Paul Lacerte has many fans in the legislature who are proud to wear their moosehide campaign pins and I hope everyone here today will pledge to get involved.

We could surely all benefit from more poetry in our lives and I know Councillor Jeremy Loveday will show that politicians can have a way with words.

The links between Tanille Geib’s Healthy Relationships workshop and Allan Wade’s analysis of colonial masculinities show just how complex this topic really is.

When I consider toxic masculinity, it is not hard to make connections to the events that we hear about every single day.

Whether it’s disgraced actors or the tragedy in Toronto, the MeToo movement has highlighted just how big an impact toxic masculinity has on all of us.

It’s possible that until recently a lot of men may not have realized the extent of abuse that women have always had to deal with.

On the other hand, I want to avoid the idea that the only role men can play in the movement is of the accused.

This conference is a prime example of the role that men can play in addressing this problem, and it’s something that I have always tried to do as an MLA.

Through collaboration with the previous government, I was able to ensure that legislation passed to require all universities and other postsecondary institutions in British Columbia to implement comprehensive sexualized violence and misconduct policies.

My hope was that survivors of sexualized violence on campus would be better supported by their schools, and that the process would be more transparent for all involved.

Based on our initial consultations it appears as though this has been the case. I thank Kayla Phillips, who has been working diligently in our BC Green Caucus as a legislative intern.

She has been spearheading our efforts to determine the effectiveness of the legislation that we introduced two years ago.

I was also able to introduce and get implemented a law that banned employers from requiring their employees to wear high heels which had been a problem particularly in jobs like serving where women have traditionally been subject to high levels of sexual harassment.

While it has not righted all wrongs in the industry, I have spoken with many women who are happy to no longer fear losing their job for refusing to wear painful footwear.

This conference also highlights the importance that intersectionality plays when considering toxic masculinity. This is not simply an issue of masculine men and feminine women, but a whole spectrum of those with varying identities impacting their own experiences.

I encourage anyone involved in tackling toxic masculinity and its effects to think outside our standard binaries for innovative solutions, such as we have here today.

I would like to thank hosts Scott Thompson & Steven Hao as well as the organizers, including Nick Sandor, for asking me to speak today.

I’d now like to introduce Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South and Parliamentary Secretary for the Status of Women, Terry Duguid.

Terry’s appointment in this role is a great example of how the status of women in Canada is not a responsibility that rests solely with women, and the part that everyone has in addressing it.

While Terry can’t be here in person, he can tell you more about his role through this video:

I’m also lucky enough to be joined by MLA for Esquimalt-Metchosin, Mitzi Dean. Mitzi was recently named Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity in BC and it’s hard to imagine a better choice for that role in the legislature.

Before her election last year she had spent many years advocating for women and children in various parts of the world and with the U.K.’s largest child protection charity. She now brings that experience to share with you today.