Image Credit: Flickr / Province of B.C.

By Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson

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SOUND OFF: Out-of-touch government offers underwhelming relief measures

Sep 8, 2022 | 10:29 AM

THE NDP HAS ANNOUNCED THEIR LONG-OVERDUE MEASURES to fight inflation and, in classic fashion, their plan is too little, too late.

Six months after the BC Liberals proposed an enhanced rebate using the BC Climate Action Tax Credit to provide financial relief to B.C. drivers dealing with high gas prices, the NDP government is finally moving forward with the idea. So what took them so long? If they had listened to us back in March and taken swift action, low- and middle-income families struggling with inflation could have seen savings in early April, or even early July.

Instead, the NDP spent the spring and summer dithering and delaying while British Columbians continued to stress about their finances. They also couldn’t get those $110 ICBC ‘relief’ cheques out on time. And with high gas prices continuing to cost families thousands of dollars, the lack of significant action by the NDP continues to hurt them.

But it’s not just the cost of gas that’s gone up — prices for food, goods and services continue to rise and housing and rental costs are skyrocketing. Let’s look at those rental costs for a moment. On a provincial level, British Columbia had the highest rental rates in July 2022, with landlords seeking $2,590 per month on average for all property types. That’s a staggering amount, and it’s up $525 from when David Eby first became housing minister in the fall of 2020. All this has happened despite the rent freezes implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

And with rent costs rising to the highest in the country, it’s worth noting that the NDP have failed to bring in their $400 annual renters’ rebate despite promising it in the past two election campaigns. David Eby even promised this year that it was being worked on. He clearly can’t be trusted to deliver for renters. If the NDP had just kept their campaign commitment, renters could have seen some relief months or even years ago.

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And what about supports for families? All the NDP are doing in their latest announcement is renaming an existing tax credit and trying to sell it to B.C. families as new money. It’s a ruse and it’s disappointing to see.

After months of NDP promises that some significant anti-inflation measures were coming, I expect most people are underwhelmed by what was finally announced. It’s further proof this government is out of touch with the financial realities people are facing, and that they have no real clue how to make life more affordable for people — which has become yet another broken NDP slogan and promise.

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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.