Image Credit: Flickr / Government of BC

By Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Fewer surveys, more results

Jul 2, 2020 | 12:39 PM

THE HEALTH AND SAFETY APPROACH we have taken to protect our most vulnerable has proved to be incredibly effective. We should all be proud of the extraordinary efforts by all members of the community and our health officials for leading us through this turbulent time.

As we begin to come out the other side, we cannot ignore that the last few months have also brought unprecedented hardships to families, businesses and communities all across the province. We have felt the economic downturn across all sectors — jobs have been lost, businesses have been forced to close up shop, and people are worried about the long-term effects for themselves and their children.

While public health and safety needs to continue to be front of mind as we move forward, we need to recognize that we will not be successful in overcoming the impacts of the pandemic if we do not have a plan to rebuild our economy.

B.C. is moving Phase 3 of B.C.’s Restart Plan and we are ready to look ahead to kick-start our economy. We need strong government leadership and action now more than ever.

Regretfully, I fear we have not yet seen the bold and decisive action needed to pull our province out of this and come out on top.

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In a time when businesses have been met with unforeseeable obstacles, government needs to make it easier, not harder for businesses to safely reopen and give people their jobs back.

We have been working across party lines to meet the needs of British Columbians throughout this crisis and this has proven to be effective. In order to move forward with the best interest of British Columians in mind, all sides must come to the table and take action on the solutions brought forward.

MLA’s throughout the province have been reaching out to people across all sectors over the past few months to listen to their concerns and hear what support they need from the government going forward. As the Official Opposition, we have passed on more than 40 suggestions for requested action to the government in the hopes they would act.

The government has had ample time to consult over the last 100 days and waiting longer to act will have devastating effects and may end up costing people their jobs, their livelihoods or businesses.

But rather than taking action, the NDP government has launched yet another survey, claiming they need to further consult British Columbians. This only denies people the help they have already asked for.

Equally important as listening is acting on the solutions brought to the table.

Why does the government continuously deny businesses and their employees the certainty and supports they need to come back from this?

We are at risk of seeing the entire economic landscape in B.C. be affected because the NDP has no solid plan. The small business community has been the backbone of B.C., and if we want to see them continue to be integral to our economy, the government will need to support them.

The pandemic has certainly exposed the vulnerabilities that exist within our system. We have been given time to reflect on how we can do things better and rebuild our economy stronger than before.This transformation can only be done by listening to people, experts and local communities who hold first-hand experience and know what solutions are best for themselves and their communities.

We have to get our economy back into shape and give people optimism and confidence in their lives.

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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.