Having been in government for the last six years, and with several portfolios currently reaching fever-pitch crisis status, many hoped the Premier’s first throne speech and budget would be beacons of hope to help us through this troubling time.
With catchy headlines like “having your back in uncertain times,” the first half of the throne speech gave us the laundry list of big-ticket items, while warning of an economic slowdown and signalling its intention to spend its $5.7 billion budget surplus prior to the year end on March 31, 2023.
The Premier acknowledged the shortage of family doctors, soaring housing prices, the lack of affordability, increasing climate change emergencies, the rising crime of repeat offenders, the mental health and addiction crisis, the need for greater Indigenous reconciliation under UNDRIP, and a shifting focus towards building a ‘clean’ economy.
What was noticeably missing from this speech may have said more than what was in it.
There was a total of 59 words allocated for agriculture in the throne speech, with recycled material galore, which is telling from a ministry that has no top bureaucrats with any farming background. No mention of the Massey Tunnel replacement project either.
Rural B.C. was left out of the throne speech as was any mention of LNG, one of B.C.’s biggest energy industries. Standing in juxtaposition to its climate goals, its absence was notable given several LNG expansion projects are expecting announcements later this year.
Looking at the budget, announced on Tuesday, it does little to curb fears that the tide will change for everyday British Columbians.
Instead, what we saw Tuesday was a forecasted deficit of $11 billion over the next three years. Given this government had a $5.7B surplus going into this budget, it is troubling news.
Among the budget announcements is a $400 income tested rental tax credit rather than the $400 renters’ rebate that was promised to every renter six years ago.
The BC Liberals announced a comprehensive $1.5B mental health and addictions plan last month, and this budget provided only $867m for a worse version of our plan, which will not address timely access to beds, eliminate fees for treatment beds, and doesn’t have any money allocated to track data on waitlists, or usage of beds.
Budget 2023 provides little reassurance to British Columbians that government has figured out how to address the problems they face every day. From housing, to affordability, to health care, and crime, never before has a government spent so much money to achieve so little.
