Image Credit: Flickr / Government of BC

By Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Time for John Horgan to put a plan on the table to rebuild B.C.’s economy

Jun 26, 2020 | 10:39 AM

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC EVOLVED RAPIDLY and B.C.’s response — led by the very capable efforts of civil servant Dr. Bonnie Henry and her public health team, and supported through the non-partisan cooperation of the Official Opposition and sacrifices of British Columbians — has been effective in containing the virus to this point. While continued vigilance on the health side of this crisis is absolutely required, the government must now turn its attention to rebuilding B.C.’s economy. Unfortunately, Premier John Horgan and his NDP government appear not to have a plan to do so.

British Columbians are waiting for the government to unveil a comprehensive strategy to get people back into their jobs and small businesses back on their feet, especially since the Legislature approved $1.5 billion in “stimulus” for businesses back on March 23^rd – money that the government has effectively stored away and not yet put to use over three months later.

Last week, as MLAs were preparing to head back into the legislative session, we thought and hoped that the premier would be announcing a plan to rebuild B.C.’s economy at his weekly press conference, but instead, he and the finance minister announced the launch of a six-week public consultation survey. This survey feels like a slap in the face to those who have been sharing their concerns and stories of personal hardship with government for months.

Remember, close to half-a-million British Columbians lost their jobs and tens of thousands of small businesses were forced to close or have suffered significant reductions in sales during the pandemic over the last three months. Which begs the question, if the government feels it now needs to launch a consultation to ‘listen to British Columbians’, what the heck was it doing the past three months while Dr. Henry was coordinating the province’s healthcare response to the pandemic?

From forestry to mining, to tourism and small business, there are many sectors and industries across this province that need assistance and action from government. They’ve been dramatically impacted by the events of the last four months and they need to know that this government has a comprehensive plan to get them back on their feet. Instead, this government has said, ‘we’ll get back to you in six weeks.’

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The survey in and of itself would not be as frustrating if it was paired with real action from the government to get B.C.’s economy rolling again. I’m not talking about the various program supports announced to help people get through the crisis – the most impactful of which have been programs launched and funded predominantly by the federal government. I’m talking about actions to re-build B.C.’s economy beyond the rest of 2020, focused on one, three and five years from now. Where’s the plan to re-build, grow and diversify B.C.’s economy for the next decade?

The fact of the matter is that the John Horgan government never had an actual plan to build B.C.’s economy before the pandemic arrived, and they still don’t have one to this day. From their first budget to their most recent, the NDP have been riding the momentum of the work of the previous government which left them with a $2.7 billion surplus, the strongest economy and best job creation record in the country. All of this was squandered over the last three years via 23 new or increased taxes, unchecked spending, and stifling regulations – and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit which has made matters obviously much worse.

To add insult to injury, the NDP government is refusing to bring forward either a revised provincial budget, or at the very least an economic update taking into account the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on B.C.’s economic picture, which has completely changed since the budget was introduced in B.C.’s legislature last February. MLAs are now being asked to debate this February budget which is completely detached from the actual fiscal circumstances of British Columbians and the provincial government. This is nothing less than ridiculous.

Families and British Columbians would never be expected to make critical financial decisions about their future based on their circumstances from three months ago – if say, they’d lost their job during that period of time. So why does John Horgan and the NDP government expect us to do so with the provincial budget being so obviously detached from current reality?

We recognize that these are unique times and British Columbians need support from government. What’s concerning, however, is the lack of details from the NDP on the true extent of the crisis and it’s impact on B.C.’s finances, as well as the absence of any plan for economic recovery. Over the last 90 days, the Official Oppostion has offered government more than 60 tangible ideas for re-building B.C.’s economy. John Horgan can embrace any of these ideas or come up with his own, but it’s time for him to put a concrete plan on the table to re-build B.C.’s economy through and beyond the pandemic for all British Columbians.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.