Today Kevin Falcon’s BC Liberals voted against using BC’s 2022 surplus to help people and communities.

The BC Liberal vote was consistent with Falcon’s explicit opposition to Premier David Eby’s plan to invest the surplus on priorities like helping people with the cost of living, keeping people safe, building infrastructure, and improving healthcare.

“Instead of using some of that to responsibly pay down debt or deal with other things, what did the NDP do with the surplus they had last year, a one-time surplus? They are trying to spend all of it,” Falcon told Global News.

Despite the BC Liberal attempt to block it, the supplementary estimate vote passed successfully. This authorizes government to invest BC’s budget surplus to address some of the most significant challenges facing British Columbians, including:

• $150 million to the BC Cancer Foundation for cancer research
• $1 billion Growing Communities Fund to invest in infrastructure and other amenities in communities across the province
• $150 million to keep people safe by modernizing the province’s outdated 911 system
• $500 to BC Ferries to avoid double digit ferry fare hikes
• $75 million to advance reconciliation agreements with First Nations
• $200 million to improve food security at a time of rising grocery prices

The BC Liberals also voted against nearly all of the items individually at earlier stages of the supplementary estimates process.

BC NDP MLA Bob D’Eith:

“As British Columbians face challenges like global inflation, Premier David Eby is taking real action that will help people with the cost of living, keep people safe, build infrastructure, and improve healthcare. Action is needed now to help people, but Kevin Falcon tried to block it. It’s clear that he would make the challenges we’re facing much worse and make life harder for British Columbians.”