November 26, 2009
Building A Stronger British Columbia

VICTORIA – While the BC Liberals were busy passing legislation to strengthen the economy and protect public safety, the NDP continued their pattern of promoting policies that will damage B.C.’s economy and threaten jobs.

“Governing requires a balance between spending taxpayer dollars on the services they need and respecting that every dollar government spends belongs to the taxpayer,” says BC Liberal House leader Michael de Jong. “The NDP think the answer to everything is to spend recklessly. British Columbians saw the disastrous outcome of that type of incompetent economic thinking in the 1990s and we’re not going back there again.”

During this session, the BC Liberals stayed focused on strengthening the province’s economic foundation with a massive stimulus package, supporting vital services and ensuring B.C. is ready for a strong 2010.

 “We introduced new measures to create jobs and strengthen the economy and we did it while maintaining the country’s lowest personal income taxes for individuals,” says de Jong. “Health care spending is up to record levels, education spending is up and we accomplished that while still maintaining our triple-A credit rating. It’s been a difficult year but we’re in good shape to come out of this downturn in a strong position.”

The financial meltdown of the past year affected almost every jurisdiction in the world but prudent planning and responsible fiscal management left B.C. in the best shape to recover, with the Conference Board of Canada calling for British Columbia to lead the country in economic growth in 2010.

“We made difficult spending decisions but decisions that we know would ultimately benefit British Columbians,” says de Jong. “The NDP solution of out-of-control spending leaves taxpayers on the hook for the bill. They have not offered one positive solution for dealing with the economic times, only a commitment to spend, spend, spend.”

From making our roads safer by banning hand-held cell phone use to taking body armour away from criminals to strengthening our economy by promoting the use of wood and building stronger forest product trade with China, the BC Liberals have taken action on the issues that matter most to B.C. families.

“The NDP seem to think that simply saying the word ‘economy’ gives them economic credibility,” says de Jong. “The problem is that talking about the economy and actually understanding and managing the economy are two very different things. We’ve made tough decisions on spending and we’re investing in infrastructure projects across the province and British Columbia. We have an economic plan and we’re going to follow it through.”

Attached is a backgrounder detailing the actions taken by the BC Liberal Government during Fall 2009 to build a stronger B.C.

Click here to open attachment.