It’s an honour to rise in response to the Speech from the Throne. 

I want to begin by acknowledging that this year, the Throne Speech falls on the eve of one of the biggest events in B.C. history: The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  

For years, B.C. has been building to this moment.  And tomorrow night, the Olympic Torch will enter B.C. Place and light the Olympic cauldron. Every Canadian and every British Columbian that carried the torch en route to Vancouver symbolizes the potential that we all carry. The opportunity each of us has to lead... to guide us to a better province and a better country. We must cultivate that strength, long after the Olympic cauldron is extinguished. 

I want to say to all of the international athletes, media, guests and spectators: welcome to our home. I encourage you to take advantage of everything B.C. has to offer. 

To our Canadian athletes: You have been working for years to take part in this event. All of us appreciate and celebrate your dedication and sacrifice. Your country and your province are behind you and we're so proud of all of you.

I also want to offer our appreciation to all the families of the athletes. Anyone who's known an athlete knows that it means early mornings at the rink or the ski hill, long days of taking equipment back and forth and huge sacrifice on behalf of the families. So on all our behalf, I want to say thank you to the families of our athletes as well.  

To all the volunteers, who are going to be working incredibly hard: You’re the face of our province as we welcome the world. Thank you for your help, your energy, and your support.  

Finally, to all British Columbians: I hope that you’ll have the opportunity to make the most of the Olympic experience. Whether it's at home cheering on the couch with your family, or going to an Olympic event, I hope that everyone will make sure they provide that kind of support to our athletes. 

There’s no question there’s a spirit of excitement around the Games. But there’s also a spirit of concern. Concern about what will happen after the medals are awarded, after the crowds go home, after the final Olympic ceremony.

The public wants to know that hosting such an event doesn’t come at the expense of what we hold dear. That the legacy of the Olympics will build, not take away from, the strengths of our province.   

I’ve said many times that you can be an Olympic supporter, but still ask the tough questions. New Democrats will continue to ask those questions after the Games are over. Because, Mr. Speaker, there is a growing uneasiness about B.C.’s future after the Games. 

At a time when families and businesses are struggling recover from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, when education, critical to B.C.’s future and our economic renewal, continues to be under-resourced. 

Just yesterday we were reminded once again about how serious the crisis in education has become. We're seeing school closure after school closure, with even more cuts to come. If you're a parent of a child with special needs and they have a year in a classroom without the supports they need to succeed, that child doesn't get that year back.

Those opportunities don't come back for that child. That's an opportunity lost not simply for that child and that family, but it's an opportunity lost for all British Columbians, by not providing the best start and the best chance that that child has to succeed.  

We saw yesterday that the government's response really shows how disconnected the B.C. Liberals are from the reality, the day-to-day reality, in our classrooms.  

At a time when the public services British Columbians depend on, like health care, child care and affordable housing, are under tremendous pressure. And at a time when nearly one in five B.C. children lives in poverty, and social inequality grows year after year, the government is focused on the Olympics, to the exclusion of nearly everything else.  

And let me say that after eight years, we know that’s the wrong approach for our economy and the wrong approach for our province.    

Given the timing of this year’s Throne Speech, British Columbians weren’t expecting much.  But to be honest, I thought the government might prove them wrong. I thought that even with the Olympic focus, the government would provide some sort of a vision for B.C.. One that addresses the social and economic challenges facing families today. And one that takes us beyond the end of February 2010.  

But the Throne Speech failed to deliver much in the way of substance. In fact, this Throne Speech may have an even shorter shelf life than the ones that came before. In past Throne Speeches, promises for action were given lip service for at least a few months before they were forgotten. But the Olympics will be over in a matter of weeks. Meanwhile, British Columbians are left adrift at this most critical moment.    

New Democrats believe that B.C. needs strong and decisive action today, to revitalize our economy, to address social inequality, and to fight climate change – action shamefully missing from the Throne Speech.  

The recession continues to send shockwaves through all sectors of B.C.’s economy. More than 100,000 full-time jobs have been lost. That's an impact on families. That's not simply numbers. That's an impact on families and communities. 

EI recipients have more than doubled. Exports have fallen by more than 25 per cent. And while we’re seeing tentative signs of recovery, rising consumer debt loads are a growing concern.  

There’s no question that the economy continues to be the single biggest challenge facing B.C. today. It’s the number one issue on the minds of British Columbians. And yet in the midst of all that, the Throne Speech failed to address it.  

Meanwhile, there are 10 paragraphs devoted to a weak defense of the HST.  That’s the B.C. Liberal response. Shift the tax burden to those who can least afford it. An economically incompetent and regressive move. 

It’s pretty clear that this government is scrambling to find anything they can label an “economic strategy.” Well we know in British Columbia that the HST is a failed economic strategy. It’s going to hurt consumers, it’s going to hurt families, and it’s going to hurt small businesses. It won’t add a single cent of revenue for things that are so vital to our province, like health care or education. And the HST will kill jobs at a time when we’ve seen over 100,000 full-time jobs lost. 

New Democrats have been fighting the HST since the Liberals announced it last July. Since then, we’ve stood alongside hundreds of British Columbians at rallies across this province. We’ve collected tens of thousands of signatures. We’ve presented petition after petition in this House. We even travelled to Ottawa to urge MPs to say no to the HST. 

And this spring we will once again stand strong with British Columbians and fight the HST when it's introduced in this Legislature. We will take every opportunity to oppose the bill when it's introduced, every opportunity to call the B.C. Liberals on their betrayal of trust to the people of British Columbia.    

We'll be taking our campaign on the road, directly to the doorstep of every B.C. Liberal MLA. We will be demanding that those Liberal MLAs stand up for their communities, join with the people of British Columbia, and say no to the HST.  

Today B.C. is facing an economic challenge like no other: How do we transform and modernize our economy while enduring a long and protracted period of recovery? No one has all the answers. What is clear is that we need leadership with the energy, with the creativity and with the drive to ask the right questions, to seek out solutions that focus on the fundamentals we need for a new economy, leadership that makes the necessary investments — smart investments in people, in our economy.    

If we're going to emerge from this crisis ready to compete and win, that leadership is needed like never before, leadership that draws on the innovation and strength of British Columbians to get the job done.  

This crisis is a test of the government's resolve, of their ability to lay out a foundation to guide us through tough times. But this crisis is also a test for the opposition. We also have a role to play during these difficult times.  

Our job isn't simply to point out the shortcomings of this government. We're also here to respond, to put forward positive ideas and solutions to address the social, environmental, and economic challenges facing B.C. today. 

New Democrats are doing that work. We're reaching out to British Columbians from all walks of life. We're tapping into the potential of our people. We're engaging economic leaders and innovators, local and first nation governments, small business owners, labour and community groups. We're putting people at the centre because when we harness that ingenuity, energy and those ideas, we'll find the solutions to the most pressing and challenging questions B.C. has ever faced. We're bringing people together to build relationships among British Columbians to maximize opportunities for tomorrow.  

I recently held a round table with Chinese business leaders to talk about the approved-designation status for Chinese tourists visiting Canada. They said that B.C.'s not ready to seize that opportunity. We had a great discussion about what's needed to get us there — wonderful expertise shared around that table with good, concrete ideas about how we can take advantage of the opportunities ahead of us, how we can make sure that B.C. is best positioned to be able to take advantage.  

We're going to continue that dialogue with British Columbians on the new economy.  

I'll be embarking this spring to bring together a diverse group from all sectors, all regions and all perspectives to discuss the challenges we face, to talk about how we build the new green economy of the future — a future that is built on the values of fairness and opportunity for all. I'm looking forward to that discussion, because it's this kind of dialogue, this kind of engagement, we need if B.C. is going to move ahead.  

New Democrats are offering British Columbians a progressive and practical alternative. We're putting forward solutions to enhance B.C.'s position in the new economy, including support for emerging industries like digital media, to maintain our competitive edge.We've put education at the centre of our agenda to drive innovation and new economic opportunities, and we've committed to addressing B.C.'s social conditions, starting with our pledge to implement a child poverty reduction plan for the province of British Columbia — overdue and a strategy that should have been implemented years ago in British Columbia.We've proposed environmental solutions like a green fund that would take $150 million in annual carbon tax revenue and direct it to climate change solutions and transit improvements now in British Columbia.  

These are just some of the ways that New Democrats are showing British Columbians that there's a better way. Throughout this session we're going to continue to propose alternatives and ideas for our province. If we're honest about the challenges that we face, if we engage British Columbians so they can be part of the solution, then we're going to weather this storm. We're going to start to build that brighter future, and it is only by working together that we're going to succeed. 

I've made a strong, dynamic and sustainable economy the focus of my remarks, but our economic progress can only be measured by what it contributes to the well-being of British Columbians.

The word "sustainability" means more than simply being green. It's about recognizing that the decisions we all make must work economically, socially and environmentally. That is what this government doesn't get.  

The government thinks we should forego social and environmental concerns for economic ones. We saw that in the Throne Speech. It braces British Columbians for more cuts, more deregulation, less environmental protection. It sees us miss this opportunity for real climate change solutions.

But these are false choices. It's an old way of thinking, and it simply fosters the bitter and divisive polarization that has dominated B.C. and B.C. politics for far too long — that by choosing sides, one against another, British Columbia fails. Today a dynamic economy is impossible without social justice and expanded opportunity for working people, and we can't move forward without consideration of the impact of all of our choices on the environment.

It's about balance, it's about trust, and it's about working together to make this province a better place.  

New Democrats are up to this challenge because we live in an amazing province. We have tremendous natural advantages — a spectacular environment, abundant natural capital and vibrant, diverse communities. We have everything we need to move through today's economic uncertainty towards a new economic reality.    

Having travelled this province, I know that British Columbians are up to the challenge. But if we want to succeed, we have to provide people with the opportunities to succeed — the opportunity for our children to get the best possible start in life, to get a quality education, to be supported as they learn and grow and prepare for their future. We need to provide opportunities for students to get the skills training they need to succeed regardless of their income.  

We have to be willing to provide opportunities for hard-working British Columbians, who are struggling right now in our province, so that they can support their families. We have to provide those opportunities for entrepreneurs and small business people to take their ideas and bring them to market, because we'll all benefit.    

We have to provide the opportunities for the vulnerable to have a home, a safe place and the supports that they need, and for our seniors, who have given so much to this province, who deserve the dignity and respect in their years, the support and the helping hand. 

New Democrats are committed to providing that opportunity to every British Columbian, because together we can build a more confident, secure, compassionate, sustainable British Columbia that benefits everyone in our province. 

Carole James

Victoria-Beacon Hill

Carole has served as the MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill since 2005.