Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Michael Reeve

CRITIC ROSTER

Kamloops MLAs Milobar and Stamer hope to utilize past experience in critic roles

Nov 21, 2024 | 4:33 PM

KAMLOOPS — Less than a week after Premier David Eby named his executive council during a ceremony held at government house in Victoria, Opposition Leader John Rustad has put forward his shadow cabinet. In total, 38 Conservative MLAs received critic portfolios — including the two Kamloops area representatives — and another three were given leadership positions in caucus.

It’s a portfolio that Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar knows well, as the former BC United finance critic will shadow the new finance minister, Brenda Bailey.

“Over the next week or so the government, by law, has to release it’s second quarter results for it’s fiscal plan, so we will see just how much in the hole they actually are,” said Milobar. “And then there is Economic Forecast Council and other things that happen in December, so already knowing the job, I guess, will help us still be able to keep that close eye on what is going on with the finances in the province.”

Milobar will be tasked with scrutinizing an upcoming Quarter 2 report before shifting his focus to NDP election promises and the spring budget.

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“I’ve already been hearing from people behind the scenes that as they started to cost out within government, the NDP election promises are a lot more costly than what the NDP were telling the public they would be. It will be interesting to see what ones they actually follow through on and the timelines of those. The renters rebate that the NDP talked about in 2017 — no one actually saw that in a bank account until 2024,” outlined Milobar.

Rookie Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer has also earned himself a high profile post, and one he knows well, taking on the forestry file opposite Vancouver Island MLA Ravi Parmar.

“It also involves working with the minister. That is what our role is. It’s not just to be critical of things that have happened in the past, but as we move forward what are the initiatives that this NDP government wants to enact and how we can work together to make it better for all of us. That is the role of the forest critic,” said Stamer.

The forestry file is ripe with issue surrounding stumpage, fibre supply, use of burnt logs and a softwood deal with the US.

“We are looking at trying to reduce the impacts of wildfires because of the risk of catastrophic losses for not only the forests but for homes and infrastructure. And I think we really need to be able to look at the total picture of our forest health and not just arbitrary put an area aside saying lets protect that with not knowing the risks that are associated by doing it,” added Stamer.

Merritt-area MLA Tony Luck received the post of municipal affairs and local government, while veteran Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson was left off the critic roster, earning the Tory nomination for deputy speaker.