Image Credit: Facebook / BC Liberal Party

By Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Mike Starchuk

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: While NDP builds a stronger B.C., Kevin Falcon plans tax cuts for the wealthy

Feb 9, 2022 | 10:19 AM

TO SAY THE LAST YEAR HAS BEEN CHALLENGING would be an understatement.

Communities have been devastated by fires and flooding. As a firefighter who has spent time supporting our wildland firefighters in Barriere, I know first-hand impact of these disasters. Our healthcare system has also been strained beyond belief by the global pandemic.

But at a time when these same challenges have increased polarization and division around the world, people here in B.C. have pulled together.

We got vaccinated in record numbers and looked out for each other when things got tough.

This is who we are as British Columbians.

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That’s why it’s disturbing that, by choosing Kevin Falcon as their new leader, the BC Liberals are turning back to old ideas that don’t work for everyday people.

Falcon’s lengthy record shows that he’s working for the wealthy and well-connected while making life tougher and more expensive for everyone else.

He was a key decision-maker for the BC Liberals they gave tax breaks to the richest one per cent while making deep cuts to services like hospitals, schools, and seniors care.

As finance minister, he increased car insurance rates while treating ICBC like an ATM; now he’s opposing changes at ICBC that have delivered the biggest rate reduction in history, saving people an average of $490 a year.

Not only that, Falcon is criticizing the tax on wealthy speculators and wants to give tax breaks to people with homes worth over $3 million.

His record is clear: he’ll work for the people at the top while cutting services and raising costs for everyone else.

Our BC NDP government knows we can’t cut our way to a better future. Building a stronger B.C. is not about pulling back.

In the year ahead, we’re going to keep investing in better health care, fighting climate change and helping communities adapt to extreme weather.

We’re going to build on the measures that are bringing down people’s costs, like more $10-a-day childcare spaces and increasing the supply of homes for middle class families.

B.C. added 100,000 new jobs last year and we’re building on that by helping people prepare for the jobs of the future with a generational commitment to skills training.

After going from one of the lowest minimum wages in the country to the highest in any province at $15.20 an hour, we will take action to make sure B.C. workers are not left behind by tying minimum wage increases to the rate of inflation.

We’ve come through two of the most difficult years in our history. People are exhausted and families are feeling stretched. That’s why our BC NDP government’s focus has been, and will continue to be, on investing in people to help make their lives better.

We can’t afford to go back to the old ways of Kevin Falcon.

By putting people first, we have laid the foundation to help B.C. come out of these challenging times stronger than ever.

We’ve been through a lot together, and there is no doubt that there will be more challenges ahead. But if we look out for each other, we have shown we can overcome anything that gets thrown our way.

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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 Pattison Media.