March 24, 2010
NDP NORTHERN MLAs DISMISS NORTHERN JOB CREATION, INVESTMENT

VICTORIA – NDP MLAs Doug Donaldson and Gary Coons told the BC Legislature on Tuesday a proposed multi-billion dollar project that could create thousands of jobs in Northern British Columbia should be scrapped without even a single day of consultation or assessment.

“I was astonished to hear northern MLAs stand in the Legislature and say an outright no to the Enbridge Gateway Pipeline project,” says Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad. “This is a project that is estimated to be worth $4 billion and will create 4,000 jobs in the construction phase, plus hundreds of direct and indirect jobs - yet the NDP just want to say no. Why wouldn’t you want to explore the project, do community consultation and a rigorous environmental assessment then decide? The NDP want politicians in Victoria to make decisions based on ideology instead of making decisions based on sound science."

“It’s wildly irresponsible for the NDP to say no to projects before they’ve gone through the appropriate reviews and cavalierly reject jobs and investment in Northern British Columbia at a time when they are much needed.”

Coons’ call for the government to summarily reject the pipeline is a complete flip flop from his earlier position. “I think it's going to be great… You're finally getting jobs and some optimism into the north.” – Gary Coons, NDP MLA for North Coast, CBC Daybreak North, Oct 17/05.

This isn’t the first time the NDP have unveiled policies designed to hurt economic growth in northern British Columbia. In fact, they have consistently opposed every major initiative that benefits the North:

•    This week, NDP energy critic John Horgan rejected wind power, saying the government was “pushing renewable energies at a       time when we can't afford to do it certainly on the wind front.”
•    The NDP have opposed every Clean Power Projects in the province – an industry that represents more than $9 billion in             potential investment and more than 1,000 workers.
•    The NDP proposed a new tax that would have cost major northern industrial employers millions of dollars
•    The NDP have opposed over $2 billion tax reductions for rural employers that will attract investment and create jobs.
•    The NDP have opposed the provincial government’s investment in the Highway 37 transmission line, which is necessary for the       development of several mining projects in the area.
•    The NDP also proposed ripping up the Softwood Lumber Agreement, a scheme that would have had devastating               consequences for the forest industry.

Rustad says NDP MLAs need to explain to northern British Columbia why they refuse to support any action that can bring needed jobs to the region.

“The NDP’s plan seems to be simple: stop all economic development in the north,” says Rustad. “Donaldson, Coons and their NDP cohorts are saying no to jobs for working families, no to investment in our communities and no to the revenues that can go to health care and education. We think the proper approach is to consult, get the facts and look at a project that has the potential to help economic growth. And that’s what we’re doing.”

Visit John’s website at www.johnrustadmla.bc.ca