THRONE SPEECH
Horgan pleads for safety
Premier John Horgan used the first throne speech of his new majority government on Monday to plead with British Columbians to follow public health restrictions during the holidays.
“This was among the briefest throne speeches we've had in a long, long, time and that was deliberate, ” Horgan told Postmedia, describing the eight-page speech that was mainly focused on asking the public to buckle down to prevent the spread of COVID-19 over Christmas.
“This is a time when the only focus of the public is on COVID-19 and are we prepared to come out of this. So we touched upon those key issues in the speech, and we'll have a couple of pieces of legislation and then we'll continue to flow money out the door from the programs that we already announced back in September.”
The short December session of the legislature is necessary for Horgan to obtain legislative spending approval for more than $2 billion in promises made during October's election campaign. The NDP won a large majority in the election, and now has 57 seats in the house, compared to 28 Opposition B.C. Liberals and two B.C. Greens.
But the session also comes as both Horgan and public health officials are asking the public to dramatically restrict social contact during the holidays and not travel unless absolutely necessary.
The provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, on Monday extended restrictions on social gatherings and events to Jan. 8, meaning most large Christmas-related group celebrations are cancelled except for certain drive-thru lights displays.
“This moment calls for action,” read the throne speech, delivered in the legislative chamber by Lt.Gov. Janet Austin. “The way to get through this difficult time is by following the same approach we used during the first wave: by listening to the experts, supporting health care workers on the front lines, and taking care of each other.
“This government pledges to be there for British Columbians for the long haul.”
Horgan said the two-week session will have two pieces of legislation.
One will authorize the new spending, including a marquee election promise for a tax-free COVID-19 benefit payment of up to $1,000 for families. That was promised for Christmas, but on Monday a government news release said payments will be “rolled out by the end of the year.”
The benefit is on a sliding scale, with the full $1,000 for combined household incomes of less than $125,000 and a lesser amount for up to $170,000. Single people earning less than $62,000 will be eligible for $500, with a sliding scale of a lesser amount up to $87,000.
Horgan said Monday the benefit has been retooled since the election.
“We've expanded the criteria to make sure that everyone — people with disability and (those on) income assistance — are also able to access it,” he said. The cost, estimated in the election at $1.4 billion, will be more than that, but will not exceed $2 billion, he said. More than 3.7 million people will be eligible for some money, his office said.
The second legislation this session will authorize is to delay the B.C. budget beyond February, said Horgan.
“We'll likely be moving the budget date,” said Horgan, adding the legislature's finance committee will be reconstituted to do more consultation.
Finance Minister Selina Robinson told Postmedia News earlier this month the budget could be delayed to as late as the fourth week of March, to accommodate extra work required by COVID-19 and the October provincial election.
The government also addressed the looming arrival of vaccines on a day in which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an additional 294,000 vaccine doses from Pfizer would arrive in the country this month and be distributed to provinces on a per capita basis.
“Preparations are underway for when a vaccine is available,” read the speech.
“The focus will be distributing it to British Columbians quickly and safely, beginning with those most at risk.”