The level of disappointment that British Columbians will be feeling in Tuesday’s BC Liberal 2014 budget cannot be underestimated, says Columbia River – Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald.
“This is a budget that fundamentally fails British Columbians as costs for hydro, medical service plan premiums, and car insurance continue to go up,” Macdonald said in a statement released after the government introduced its new budget. “Nothing is being done to address real issues like child poverty, unemployment and skills training.”
British Columbia continues to have the highest rate of child poverty in the country and the province lost 8,500 private sector jobs last month, he said.
But while little is being done to use taxpayers’ money to make life better for British Columbians, BC’s debt is rising faster under Christy Clark than any premier in the province’s history.
“What is truly disturbing about this government’s record on financial matters is that we have skyrocketing debt, and very little to show for it. Health and education services are being cut due to a lack of funding,” the Opposition MLA said.
“And now, due to more than a decade of government interference, Crown Corporations that have traditionally operated with significant surpluses are struggling to stay afloat. This budget is a classic example of mismanagement of the province’s resources: taxpayers’ get less while paying much, much more.”
