Another provincial election is upon us and I hope to see a polite adult discussion and assessment of the policies of the major parties.
My opinion is that, after 16 years in office, it is time for the Liberals to spend some time in opposition. The platform they have put forward is meaningless and full of ambiguities.
As usual they have promised a low-tax regime but is not clear what they define as taxes.
The Medical Services Plan fee, which they have promised to cut next year seems to have not been a tax previously whenever they compared B.C. taxes to other taxes in other provinces. Now that they may cut the fee it seems to have become a tax. Income tax is supposed to be frozen (not cut) but Hydro rates will rise perhaps as a result of their decision to go ahead with Site C. Ferry rates and bridge tolls, that don't impact most northerners very much will fall but ICBC rates that do impact us will rise.
Liberals pride themselves on balancing budgets but that has no meaning unless they detail in the budget all of the goals they hope to achieve in a session and then assess their success rate at the end of the session.
They always claim that they will create jobs but their imagination to date has not ranged beyond letting corporations dig holes and sell whatever they find and building a dam to generate electricity that may not be needed.
Both kinds of activity are objectionable on environmental grounds.
Meanwhile, like right-wing governments everywhere, they do nothing to maintain or increase the wages of people who already have jobs.
Throughout their mandate, education has been underfunded while they used large amounts of taxpayer money to try and bankrupt the teachers union by keeping the contract stripping cost before the courts. Health care in several areas has been severely rationed, care for children in care has been substandard and poverty and homelessness have both increased.
Ross Pearce
Prince George
