SOUND OFF: NDP ‘blame game’ is getting stale
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THE FALL SITTING OF THE LEGISLATURE brings another opportunity for the Official Opposition to ask tough questions of government and get the answers British Columbians are seeking. It also presents an opportunity for John Horgan and the NDP to finally own up to some of their mistakes, instead of continuing to duck and dodge.
The most egregious evasion of responsibility came during this summer’s unprecedented heat wave. The premier brushed off hundreds of deaths of vulnerable British Columbians by saying “fatalities are a part of life” and that “there’s a level of personal responsibility” — basically, a polite way of blaming others instead of himself for failing to communicate appropriate warnings to the public.
The reality is that a 2019 Strategic Climate Risk Assessment, among other reports, noted these fatalities and other dangerous outcomes were a possibility, yet the government ignored the warnings. Nearly 600 people lost their lives, many of them vulnerable seniors who lived alone. It’s incredibly tragic and heartbreaking, and their loved ones left behind find no comfort in John Horgan’s finger-pointing.
The premier has also refused to take responsibility for the lack of progress on the opioid crisis which continues to claim far too many lives — 1,204 so far this year. Since setting up a standalone Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions more than four years ago, the NDP has continually claimed it would change the trajectory of mental health and addictions.
