AND WE JUST UNDER TWO WEEKS LEFT

IN THE CAMPAIGN, THERE'S A LOT

ON THE LINE FOR EVERYONE

TONIGHT.

SO SETTLE IN.

I'M PLEASED TO BE JOINED BY THE

LEADERS OF BC'S THREE MAJOR

POLITICAL PARTIES.

WE HAVE THE LIBERALS' CHRISTY

CLARK.

THE GREENS' ANDREW WEAVER.

AND JOHN HORGAN FROM THE NDP.

WELCOME TO YOU ALL.

>>> I WANT TO EXPLAIN HOW THE

NEXT 90 MINUTES WILL UNFOLD.

WE WILL BEGIN WITH OPENING

STATEMENTS IN JUST A MOMENT.

WE HAVE CONSULTED WITH SOME OF

THE TOP POLITICAL OBSERVERS IN

THE PROVINCE TO FORMULATE

QUESTIONS TAILORED TO EACH

SPECIFIC LEADER.

THERE WILL BE A PORTION OF THE

DEBATE WHERE THE LEADERS WILL

HAVE A CHANCE TO QUESTION AND

DEBATE EACH OTHER ON THREE MAJOR

THEMES AND OTHER HOT TOPICS.

AND THERE ARE, OF COURSE,

QUESTIONS FROM AVERAGE BRITISH

COLUMBIANS.

WE ARE GOING TO BE OBSERVING

SOME STRICT RULES OF ORDER.

THERE ARE TIME SEQUENCES AND WE

ARE USING A CLOCK.

IF THE LEADER GOES OVER THE

ALLOTTED TIME, THEIR MIC WILL BE

CUT.

THERE WILL BE TIME FOR FREE

DEBATE BETWEEN THE LEADERS.

WE HAVE DECIDED ONLY TWO LEADERS

WILL BE ALLOWED TO DEBATE AT A

TIME.

THIS WAS A FORMAT THAT WAS

AGREED TO BY THE POLITICAL

PARTIES AND BY THE MEMBERS OF

THE BROADCAST CONSORTIUM.

SO LET'S GET UNDERWAY.

>>> THE ORDER OF THE EVENING HAS

BEEN PREARRANGED IN A DRAW WITH

ALL THE PARTIES AND OPENING

REMARKS WILL BE ONE MINUTE IN

LENGTH EACH.

GOING FIRST IS THE NDP'S JOHN

HORGAN.

Mr. HORGAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.

>> THANK YOU, JENNIFER, AND

THANK YOU TO THOSE VIEWERS WHO

ARE TUNING IN TONIGHT.

>>> IN THIS ELECTION, YOU HAVE A

CLEAR CHOICE.

FOUR MORE YEARS OF THE

GOVERNMENT WORKING FOR THE

PEOPLE AT THE TOP OR A

GOVERNMENT THAT'S WORKING FOR

YOU.

OVER THE PAST NUMBER OF YEARS,

LIFE HAS BEEN GETTING MORE

DIFFICULT.

YOU ARE WORKING HARDER BUT NOT

GETTING AHEAD.

MEDICAL SERVICES PREMIUMS KEEP

GOING UP, HYDRO RATES KEEP GOING

UP, HOUSING COSTS ARE OUT OF

CONTROL.

THE SERVICES THAT YOU COUNT ON

AREN'T THERE FOR YOU WHEN YOU

NEED THEM, AND THE JOBS THAT WE

COUNTED ON ARE DISAPPEARING AND

BEING REPLACED BY LOW-WAGE,

PART-TIME WORK.

I DON'T THINK WE CAN AFFORD FOUR

MORE YEARS OF CHRISTY CLARK AND

HER RICH DONORS CALLING THE

SHOTS.

I BELIEVE THERE'S A BETTER WAY.

WE CAN HAVE A BRITISH COLUMBIA

THAT WORKS FOR EVERYBODY.

I WANT TO SEE AN AFFORDABLE

BRITISH COLUMBIA WHERE SERVICES

THAT YOU COUNT ON ARE THERE FOR

YOU AND AN ECONOMY THAT WORKS

FOR EVERYBODY.

THE PEOPLE AT THE TOP HAVE HAD

THEIR PREMIER.

IT'S TIME YOU HAD ONE THAT WORKS

FOR YOU.

>> Jennifer: THANK YOU VERY

MUCH, Mr. HORGAN.

>>> LET'S MOVE ON NOW TO ANDREW

WEAVER FROM THE GREENS.

HE HAS THE NEXT SPOT.

YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE.

>> THANK YOU.

GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU FOR

JOINING US HERE TONIGHT FOR THE

DEBATE TONIGHT.

YOU KNOW, I'M THRILLED TO BE

GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE

WITH YOU OUR EXCITING VISION OF

A PROSPEROUS FUTURE FOR OUR

BEAUTIFUL PROVINCE.

LIKE THE REST OF OUR EXCEPTIONAL

TEAM, I AM NOT A CAREER

POLITICIAN.

I HAVE COME TO THIS AS A

SCIENTISTS, FOR MOST OF MY LIFE,

I HAVE BEEN AN EDUCATEDOR AND A

SCIENTIST.

JUST FIVE YEARS AGO, I WOULD

NEVER HAVE IMAGINED MYSELF AS A

LEADER OF A POLITICAL PARTY, BUT

AFTER YEARS OF CHALLENGING MY

STUDENTS TO BE MORE ENGAGED IN

OUR DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS, IF

THEY WANTED TO FACILITATE

CHANGE, I REALIZED I NEEDED TO

TAKE MY OWN ADVICE.

AND SO WHEN JAMES DIRK, THE

FORMER LEADER OF THE BC GREENS,

ASKED ME FOR THE FOURTH TIME IF

I WOULD RUN, I SAID YES.

SO SINCE BEING ELECTED I HAVE

TRAVELLED ACROSS BRITISH

COLUMBIA AND WHEREVER I HAVE

GONE, BRITISH COLUMBIANS HAVE

SAID THE SAME THING.

THEY ARE DESPERATE FOR A NEW

VISION FOR THIS PROVINCE AND

THAT THEY CAN VOTE FOR RATHER

THAN BEING TOLD WHAT THEY SHOULD

BE VOTING AGAINST.

TONIGHT I'M EXCITED TO BE GIVEN

THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE BC

GREEN VISION WITH YOU.

>> Jennifer: THANK YOU,

Mr. WEAVER.

>>> LET'S MOVE TO LIBERAL

LEADERICS CHRISTY CLARK.

YOU HAVE 60 SECONDS.

>> THANK YOU.

AND THANK YOU FOR TUNING IN

TONIGHT.

I KNOW HOW BUSY EVERYBODY IS.

AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL

THAT YOU DO TO HELP BUILD A

STRONG BRITISH COLUMBIA.

YOU KNOW, DOING WHAT IS RIGHT

ISN'T ALWAYS DOING WHAT'S

POPULAR.

BUT DOING WHAT'S RIGHT IS

WORKING.

IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, WE ARE

NUMBER ONE IN ECONOMIC GROWTH,

NUMBER ONE IN JOB CREATION.

OUR HEALTHY OUTCOMES ARE AMONGST

THE BEST IN THE WORLD, AND OUR

STUDENTS SCORE AMONGST THE BEST

IN THE WORLD WHEN IT COMES TO

THEIR TEST RESULTS.

WE ARE CONTROLLING SPENDING AND

THAT MEANS THAT WE CAN INVEST IN

HEALTH CARE, IN HOSPITALS, IN

SCHOOLS, IN ROADS AND

INFRASTRUCTURE WITHOUT GOING

INTO DEFICIT.

WE ARE DOING THIS TOGETHER.

BUT IN THE FACE OF RISING

PROTECTIONISM IN THE

UNITED STATES, THE QUESTION IN

THIS ELECTION IS WHICH LEADER

HAS THE SKILLS TO LEAD US IN THE

TIME OF UNCERTAINTY.

WHICH OF US WILL PROTECT AND

PRESERVE JOBS FOR BRITISH

COLUMBIANS, TO SECURE A STRONG

BC AND A BRIGHT FUTURE?

>> Jennifer: THANK YOU, Ms.

CLARK.

AND THANK YOU ALL FOR STAYING TO

TIME.

WE WANT TO NOW FOCUS ON THREE

MAJOR THEMES TO BEGIN THIS

DEBATE IN EARNEST AND WE ASKED

FOR INPUT FROM THE PEOPLE OF BC

AND RECEIVED AN OVERWHELMING

RESPONSE.

THERE WAS ONE PARTICULAR THEME

THAT EMERGED RIGHT OFF THE TOP.

THAT WAS THE HIGH COST OF

HOUSING IN THIS PROVINCE.

GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.

PETER DENT FROM KAMLOOPS WROTE

THAT HIS TWO UNIVERSITY-EDUCATED

KIDS SAY THEY JUST CANNOT AFFORD

TO BUY IN THE LOWER MAINLAND AND

SO THEY ARE LOOKING TO MOVE

SOMEWHERE ELSE IN CANADA.

THIS WAS A THEME ECHOED OVER AND

OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND LED US

TO CHOOSE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY

AS OUR FIRST TOPIC.

SO THE PARTIES HAVE DRAWN FOR

SPOTS.

AND THE FIRST QUESTION FROM THE

CONSORTIUM GOES TO JOHN HORGAN

OF THE NDP.

Mr. HORGAN, YOUR PARTY HAS BEEN

PREPARING TO BECOME GOVERNMENT

FOR SOME 16 YEARS NOW.

AND AS PART OF YOUR PLAN TO MAKE

HOUSING MORE AFFORDABLE, YOU

HAVE SUGGESTED A $400 REBATE FOR

RENTERS.

NOW, WE DID THE MATH.

THAT WORKS OUT TO ABOUT $33 A

MONTH.

CAN YOU TELL US HOW WILL THAT

MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO HOUSING?

YOU HAVE 90 SECONDS TO RESPOND.

>> THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.

AND THE HOUSING RENTER REBATE IS

JUST ONE PART OF A MULTIFACETED

PLAN TO MAKE LIFE MORE

AFFORDABLE FOR BRITISH

COLUMBIANS.

WE HAVE BEEN RAISING ALARM BELLS

ABOUT THE HIGH COST OF HOUSING

IN BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR THE PAST

THREE YEARS.

AND WHAT WE GOT BACK FROM THE BC

LIBERALS WAS STONED FACES.

NO DESIRE TO TAKE ACTION TO STOP

THE FLOOD OF SPECULATIVE MONEY

COMING INTO THE MARKETPLACE AND

DRIVING UP THE COST OF HOMES

HERE IN METRO VANCOUVER.

AND IN FACT, RIGHT ACROSS

BRITISH COLUMBIA.

THE CONSEQUENCE OF THAT IS THAT

WE HAVE A SEEN $600,000 INCREASE

IN THE COST OF A SINGLE-FAMILY

HOME BETWEEN 2014 AND 2016.

IF YOU CAN'T FIND A PLACE TO

BUY, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND

A PLACE TO RENT, BUT WE CAN'T DO

THAT EITHER.

15,000 BRITISH COLUMBIANS ARE ON

THE WAIT LIST AT BC HOUSING

LOOKING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

WE BROUGHT IN THE RENTERS REBATE

TO MATCH THE HOMEOWNER GRANT

WHICH HAS BEEN IN BRITISH

COLUMBIA FOR OVER 50 YEARS NOW.

IF HOMEOWNERS CAN GET A BREAK

FOR OWNING A HOME, WE FEEL THAT

RENTERS DESERVE A BREAK AS WELL.

IT'S $400.

IT CAN GO A LONG WAY TO HELP