VANCOUVER – For 16 years the previous B.C. Liberal government ignored the housing crisis, and as a result, rents and housing prices across the province moved out of reach for everyday working people – jeopardizing the livelihoods of many. Andrew Wilkinson’s recent comments in the Vancouver Sun show that he does not side with hard-working B.C. families trying to afford a home, but rather puts the interests of his rich developer friends first.

“I don’t think anyone is surprised that Andrew Wilkinson continues to side with speculators who have profited from sky-rocketing prices,” said Raj Chouhan, New Democrat MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds. “He has made it clear to British Columbians he isn’t on the side of affordability or families.”

During his leadership race, Andrew Wilkinson took more than $150,000 from developers, and now he is trying to score political points with his donors by standing up for their interests instead of people. Rather than supporting solutions to the housing crisis, he is proposing handouts for developers.

The B.C. Liberals are fighting tooth and nail against every measure the government is taking to make housing more affordable, despite that poll after poll after poll shows British Columbians support the government’s actions.

“I’m proud of the steps our government has taken to address housing affordability. Shame on the B.C. Liberals continuing to put developers ahead of everyday people,” said Katrina Chen, New Democrat MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed.

Under B.C. Liberal watch wealthy speculators drove up housing prices for their own gain, while people struggled to find a place to live.

Even today Andrew Wilkinson won’t side with working people. His repeated opposition to our government’s solutions to the housing crisis prove that he and the B.C. Liberals are only interested in standing up for speculators, the top two per-cent, and those who have benefitted from out-of-control housing prices.