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THIS BUDGET IS NOT WHAT’S NEEDED IN MIDST
OF RECOVERY
By Bruce Ralston
B.C. New Democratic Party's
finance critic
This Tuesday, the B.C. Liberals
presented a budget in the Legislature that failed to offer any substantial plan
to lead the province towards economic recovery.
As the Winter Olympics come to a
close, B.C. is beginning to show some signs of economic growth from the
previous year’s global downturn.
But B.C.’s economy is still
fragile. The gap between the rich and the poor is growing larger and larger,
and housing prices continue to skyrocket, leading to even more fiscal
uncertainty for B.C. families. With the worst record in the country on full
time job losses, growing consumer debt loads, and declining market exports,
our province still has a long way to go before recovery is complete.
In spite of B.C. residents’
concerns, the Liberal government has brought forward a budget that backtracks
on their promise to protect vital services such as healthcare and education,
and instead pummels consumers and small businesses with the HST. Now the B.C.
Liberals are trying to justify their HST betrayal by saying it’s meant to
fund healthcare. They deserve a gold medal in distortion for trying to get
away with this lie.
This budget is not what the
province needs in the midst of its recovery.
We should be focussing
our investments in securing our recovery, and creating jobs to strengthen our
communities. The B.C. Liberals should be investing in the future of our
province – our children’s education – to help guide our economy through
innovation and fresh ideas.
It is crucial that we focus our
attention to our long-term future, and not make short-sighted cuts that
negatively impact our recovery.
But that’s exactly what the B.C.
Liberals have done with this budget.
They've made deep cuts to public
services that British Columbians rely on, and which threaten the tentative
economic recovery we've seen to date.
These cutbacks to essential
services are the direct result of the Liberal government’s post-election
budget lie.
Rather than coming clean on the
state of the province’s finances during the 2009 spring election campaign,
they chose to be dishonest with British Columbians. They chose to cover up
their poor fiscal management, rather than investing in our economic recovery.
If we take a look at the dismal
state of B.C.’s public education system, we can see the failure of the B.C.
Liberals.
A successful economy requires an
educated and talented workforce. It is a key component to developing a
thriving global economy. As experts like former clerk of the Privy Council
Kevin Lynch say, we need to emphasize education and innovation.
Instead, the B.C. Liberals refuse
to acknowledge the results of their decisions to cut back on education
funding. Overcrowding and continued cost pressures plague schools across this
province, drastically impacting the quality of education for our children.
Boards of education are
struggling to pay for the bare necessities and keep schools open. Meanwhile,
parents are left wondering whether or not their children have the support
that they need to be successful in our public education system.
If we want to grow the economy,
we need sustained, stable funding for B.C. schools.
To make matters worse, the B.C.
Liberals are also failing to invest in innovative research and post-secondary
educations.
The government has cut student
aid by 28 per cent from what they promised during the election, making it
even harder for families to send their children to post-secondary.
In addition, the B.C. Liberals
promised during the election to protect and maintain health services. But
this budget is another example of their betrayal to the people in my
constituency of Surrey; they’re failing to address the crisis in health care,
and we’ll see patients and their families left waiting in pain even longer.
In order to rebuild our economy,
we have to boost consumer confidence. But the B.C. Liberals have introduced
the harmonised sales tax to do the exact opposite.
The HST will cost the restaurant
industry 12,000 jobs. Many family-owned businesses in places like Surrey and
Burnaby are already struggling, and with the HST they may not even see the
end of the year. Despite intense lobbying efforts, the B.C. Liberals continue
to ignore pleas from the hospitality industry.
The B.C. Liberals put forward no
solutions in the budget to aid restaurant owners in this difficult time.
British Columbia is facing some
tough decisions. It is crucial that the Liberal government realize the frailty
of the current economic situation, and make targeted, smart investments to
lead our economy into the 21st century.
But we must make the right
investments.
In order to pay for the services
that we need, wealth creation and economic growth are essential. And we can't
have long-term growth in this province if we don't promote social inclusion
through strong social programs and a world class education system.
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