VICTORIA – Since the Liberals' so-called jobs plan was introduced in September 2011, B.C. has seen stagnant job numbers overall and huge losses in the private sector – the target of the Liberals’ plan, say the New Democrats.

“Taxpayers are paying $15 million for Liberal government ads that tell you the jobs plan is working great,” said New Democrat finance critic Bruce Ralston. “The ads you’re paying for say because of the Liberal jobs plan, we’re leading the country in job creation. That is, and always has been, factually incorrect.”

“No matter how you look at it, overall jobs numbers have been underwhelming since the plan was announced,” said Ralston. “And private sector jobs in BC have seen a massive drop.

Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey released Friday show job numbers in B.C. have been stagnant since the plan was announced on Sept. 19, 2011, and the province lost nearly 16,000 jobs over the previous month. The statistics also show that 37,000 jobs have been lost in the private sector since the jobs plan began.

B.C. is now second worst of all the provinces for job growth.

“The only major initiative the Liberals have undertaken since Premier Clark became leader has been the jobs plan, which has turned out to be nothing more than an excuse to waste $15 million of taxpayers' money trying to convince British Columbians that the Liberals are doing a good job.

“This is a tired government that has run out of steam. They have no new ideas, and aren’t up to the challenge of following through on the policies they’ve already put on the table,” said Ralston. “It isn’t surprising that British Columbians want change.”

British Columbians deserve better. Rather than wasting valuable taxpayer dollars on politically-motivated advertisements, B.C.’s New Democrats are offering change for the better, one practical step at a time.