VICTORIA – As another session of the B.C. legislature wraps up in Victoria, people across the province are left wondering who Premier Christy Clark is really working for, says New Democrat leader John Horgan.
“Who is Christy Clark really working for? The evidence adds up, and it sure isn’t the people of British Columbia. This session, we saw the premier hard at work for her friends, her party and herself,” said Horgan.
“The session began with a budget that doled out a quarter billion dollars in tax breaks to millionaires and clawed back affordable bus passes from people with disabilities. Then we learned about the premier’s secret $20,000-a-plate fundraising dinners, the half a million dollars she has spent on private jets, and the $50,000 salary top-up she gets from the Liberal Party.”
The Christy Clark government showed again and again that their priorities are very different than those of B.C. families.
“Schools around this province are being forced to close because of funding shortfalls from the Christy Clark government. People in Surrey are coping with unprecedented gun violence. And people across this province are struggling to pay the bills and find a place to live,” said Horgan.
“Those are just a few of the real priorities of British Columbians, and after 12 weeks in the legislature, the B.C. Liberals have failed to make real progress on any of these issues.”
Instead, the session brought to light the Christy Clark government’s failures. A report from the Auditor General called the government’s approach to mining regulations a “decade of neglect” that led to the Mount Polley disaster, while reports from the Representative for Children and Youth showed the government’s continued failure of children and youth in government care.
Horgan says British Columbians also learned this session about the real top priority of the Christy Clark government – winning at all costs.
“Today, the executive director of the B.C. Liberal Party faces criminal charges for destroying government documents. A Ministry of Transportation staffer faces charges for destroying emails and lying about it. And the session ended with very serious criminal charges being laid against top B.C. Liberal operative Brian Bonney for actions he took to promote and protect the premier’s political career,” said Horgan.
Horgan says New Democrats spent the legislative session proposing real change in the province.
“In the legislature, we introduced legislation to address real estate speculation and improve housing affordability in Metro Vancouver, to get big money out of B.C. politics and restore pre-election spending limits, and to make hydro affordable for low-income families,” said Horgan.
“New Democrats stood up for the issues that people in this province care about, and the B.C. Liberals blocked every bill.”
Horgan says British Columbians have learned this session just how out-of-touch and arrogant the B.C. Liberals really are.
“British Columbians deserve better than what they’re getting from Christy Clark and her government,” said Horgan.