The B.C. Liberals' throne speech may be tailored towards winning back support in the Lower Mainland but it also features items voters in the Central Interior can also look forward to, according to Prince George's two MLAs.
Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond highlighted specific mention in the speech of opening an engineering school in the city, following up on a promise made during the election campaign.
"I'm also very pleased about the commitment to review the funding formula for education," Bond said. "That has been a concern, particularly in our constituencies where we have declining enrollment."
As well, BC Hydro would be directed to explore opportunities for geothermal power which should draw interest in Valemount, Bond noted.
Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris emphasized doubling of the rural dividend fund, aimed at small communities and measures to help lift low-income families out of poverty.
"All in all, I think rural B.C. and Prince George in particular will see some significant benefits from this," Morris said.
Whether any of it will be realized depends on whether the speech survives a confidence vote, which can occur as soon as next Thursday.
What happens next depends on "how cooperative the other side of the house is going be in accepting some of the ideas we presented today," Morris said.
Bond said the speech was about "taking great ideas from other parties and work together on those issues."
She also stressed that the promises made in the speech are the result of a larger surplus than was expected in February.
"And much of that is due to personal income taxes, meaning people are working," Bond said. "British Columbians told us 'you need to find a balance between your economic priorities and core values and also looking at social issues and the environment."
It appears Site C will remain a sticking point. The B.C. Liberals remain steadfast in their support of the project while the New Democrats and the Greens have vowed to put it to a review by the B.C. Utilities Commission.
But Morris said he's hopeful the bridge can be gapped.
"One of the things that's overlooked with Site C is the fact that if we don't have Site C and we don't that firm power commitment, we can't aggressively pursue the opportunity we have with solar and wind," Morris said.
Bobby Deepak, who ran for the New Democrats in Prince George-Mackenzie, dismissed the throne speech as an example of the B.C. Liberals' desperate attempt to stay in power.
"They cannot be trusted to fix the problems that they created," Deepak said. "They should move quickly to the confidence vote and not delay the inevitable."
Deepak is confident the New Democrats and Greens can provide a stable and lasting government if given the chance, noting the agreement they reached earlier this month.
Hilary Crowley, the Green Party candidate in Prince George-Mackenzie thought it strange that the throne speech was "so so different from the platform that they ran on."
Apart from the positions on Site C, Crowley said the speech offered everything the Greens and the NDP wanted. "They've had the last 16 years to do all those things," Crowley said.
She conceded a Liberals-Greens alliance would be more stable because of the greater margin in seats it would have produced, but she said the Liberals failed to agree with the Greens on key issues. "That's why we didn't go with them," Crowley said.
