News
March 29, 2013
VICTORIA – British Columbia’s final weekend of paying the HST is a reminder of the mismanagement and instability that has plagued the Liberals’ entire term in office since the last election, say the New Democrats.
“The last term of the Liberal government began with the HST deception – the implementation of a $1.9 billion tax shift onto the backs of consumers just two months after an election in which they promised not to,” said New Democrat finance critic...
March 28, 2013
Instead of respecting the results of Auditor General John Doyle’s considered review of the Pacific Carbon Trust, the B.C. Liberals attacked the auditor, questioned his credibility and derided his integrity.
This fits the pattern of the Liberal government, which has preferred to dismiss, rebuff or outright attack the integrity of the auditor in the wake of his often scathing critiques.
Here are some of the more memorable examples in recent years:
Forest land giveaways – The...
March 28, 2013
Following reports that the Pacific Carbon Trust used public funds to hire P.R. firm Wazuku Advisory Group – an organization closely connected to the B.C. Liberals and known to specialize in behind-the-scenes campaigns to discredit individuals - New Democrat finance critic and chair of the Public Accounts Committee Bruce Ralston wrote to the PCT with several questions.
Ralston is asking how much public money was spent on the consultants, whether the contracts were properly tendered, and...
March 28, 2013
Two weeks have now passed since John Dyble’s scathing report into the quick wins scandal. Shortly after the review was announced, the premier promised her government would get to the bottom of the scandal, which saw government resources used to further the interests of the Liberal Party.
Mr. Dyble was constrained by having no access to the Liberal Party or to the Liberal caucus, but among his findings and recommendations are many key questions that British Columbians still deserve...
March 27, 2013
VICTORIA – Next week, buying fresh beer from your local brewery will get a little more expensive, say New Democrats.
A tax on beer purchased in growlers – 1.8-litre refillable jugs – will treat fresh beer purchased directly from local breweries as a packaged product and tax it accordingly.
"This unfair tax on small business and a sustainable industry has to go," said Maurine Karagianis, New Democrat liquor policy critic. “When it comes to liquor policy, this...
March 27, 2013
VICTORIA— Following the release of a disturbing Auditor General’s report into the Pacific Carbon Trust, the B.C. Liberals can no longer dodge responsibility for their poorly designed carbon offset scheme, say New Democrats.
"The audit shows that the government took funds from cash-strapped school districts and hospitals to pay an oil and gas company to do a project they were going to do anyway," said New Democrat environment critic Rob Fleming. "While the auditor'...
March 26, 2013
BURNABY – The Liberal government's plan to sell a publicly owned Burnaby property is part of a short-sighted, province-wide fire sale of public assets to pad their pre-election budget, say the New Democrats.
“Here is a property, in Burnaby, already owned by the province and already situated next to an existing affordable housing building for assisted living,” said Burnaby-Edmonds MLA Raj Chouhan. “It’s owned by B.C. Housing, which has a mandate ‘to assist...
