Doerkson, Eby battle over the best way forward with no-fault auto insurance system

You've promised to replace ICBC's no-fault system with a hybrid model that would allow more big-money lawsuits. Personal injury lawyers want this. They've lobbied for it, but many British Columbians worry it will drive up their own insurance premiums, especially after seeing their rates noticeably fall under the current system. Mr. Dirksen, will you take the opportunity right here, right now, to guarantee that drivers will not pay a penny more under your plan? I will say this, Shaoqi. This is a very serious topic in this province, and it's one that seems to be ignored by many. I am committed to keeping our rates very competitive in British Columbia. British Columbians, of course, want that. But on the other side of that, when you speak with a woman in the Kootenays who has lost her daughter and two of her grandchildren in a car accident that had simply a tire blow on the front end of a logging truck and that there has been no compensation for supports for that family, no compensation for those children going forward at this point, the children that survived the accident. It's shocking to me that we're having this debate. We will put guardrails in place that will protect the rates for British Columbians by making sure that there are caps on what lawyers can charge. But I will not let those individuals down that have frankly been let down for a number of years under this no-fault scheme. It is not working for those that are catastrophically injured, those that have been hurt so badly. It is not working and it is not serving them well. It's hard to imagine for British Columbia families facing an affordability crisis that the Conservatives would do what they're planning to do on car insurance. Now, look, the enhanced care system is not perfect. We built a five-year review into it from witnesses who've had a negative experience with the system. We've got to fix those issues. But the idea that you're going to open up the door to personal injury lawyers again? I want to take British Columbians back to the dumpster fire of ICBC losing a billion dollars a year, 30% rate increases slated for British Columbians in a single year, some of the most expensive insurance in Canada and we move to the enhanced care system. Now, Lorne, you want to move British Columbia to the Alberta system or the Ontario system? It's more than double. Who's going to pay for those lawyers, Lorne? Where's that money going to come from? It's coming from the pockets of British Columbia. The personal injury lawyers will make you man of the year, Lorne. But unfortunately, that's going to come out of the pockets of British Columbia with double insurance. Mr. Eby, you're unclear on how much damage has been done under this system. I have spoken to multiple people. I can certainly go through all of those experiences. Another woman on the Lower Mainland whose daughter was killed in the front seat of a car when it creamed into a telephone pole. There has been no support. And the fact that you don't want to talk about that, the fact that you don't want to engage in that conversation is shocking to me. Those are tragic stories, and you, in fact, set up a committee to hear from people just like that. We absolutely must have that. But then you called an election and paused that ICBC panel. That work will continue because it's been said and lost. It should have been delayed because of this election. That conversation should have been happening now. Hundreds of people reached out to our legislature. Hundreds of people were to be having that conversation right now. And the reality is that for every driver at home, they just want to know one thing. And has denied all of those people their comment. Every driver at home wants to know one thing. You say you want rates to stay competitive. Of course I do. You will not provide the three-year freeze that we are guaranteeing to British Columbia. Of course I want rates. So tell British Columbia, just tell them one simple thing. How much will their car insurance cost them to replace them? I absolutely want our rates to stay competitive, but you are missing the point, Mr. Eby. You heard him. He doesn't know how much your rates are going to be. And you heard him. Call a relative in Alberta, call a relative in Ontario, and you will hear their rates are more than double.