“We Are Going To Fight An Aggressive Campaign And There Will
Be No Holding Back,” Said John Horgan!
“From the dream of owning a home becoming more difficult and rising rates and government user fees – it all leads to government taking more from working people’s pockets and then the fundamental question becomes affordability and that is where an NDP government will level the field,” Horgan said.
By R. Paul Dhillon
VANCOUVER – Unlike his predecessor Adrian Dix who as leader of the NDP going into the last election blew a chance to put a dagger into the BC Liberals, choosing not to highlight the BC Rail corruption and numerous other scandals from BC Liberals’ over decade long in power, the feisty and tough new NDP leader John Horgan plans to be in attack mode come next spring heading into the May 9 election.
“We are going to hold the BC Liberal government accountable for not only the last four years but the last 16 years,” Horgan told the LINK in an interview at our offices on Wednesday morning.
“I’m a fighter and we will be aggressive and there will be no holding back. We have to hold this government accountable and there will be negative ads as that is only way we can attack the government’s record and make a clear distinction between what they have been doing and what we plan to do to benefit majority of British Columbians and not only the rich and wealthy.”
Horgan, who was in Surrey for this week for a number of announcements including one of transportation as well as having a luncheon meeting with members of the South Asian press, said he see three key issues in the next election which are Healthcare (waiting lists for medical procedures and long waits to be treated like at Surrey Memorial Hospital), Transportation and Education (too many portables in Surrey).
He also named Affordability as the top priority not only with skyrocketing real estate prices putting most people of out of reach for owning a home but the government dumping on working people with too many user fees and rise in ICBC rates and gouging on hydro bills and not to mention the highest MSP Premiums in Canada.
“From the dream of owning a home becoming more difficult and rising rates and government user fees – it all leads to government taking more from working people’s pockets and then the fundamental question becomes affordability and that is where an NDP government will level the field,” Horgan said.
“For me it all comes down to choices that we have to make as individuals and as government – do we want a pricey $500 million BC Place roof or do we want to use that money for something more substantial like our transportation infrastructure which needs to be upgraded to meet the expansion of new housing and development. Look I love the Lions and Whitecaps but we have to make hard choices and my government will make those choices instead of wasting taxpayers’ cash like the BC Liberals have been doing.”
Following his meeting with the South Asian media, Horgan announced that to get Metro Vancouver commuters moving again, if elected the NDP government will be increasing the provincial share of capital funding for public transportation improvements to 40 percent, clearing the way to shorter commutes and thousands of new construction jobs over the next 10 years.
“We’re stepping up while the B.C. Liberal government continues to stall. Because Christy Clark hasn’t done her work, the people of Metro Vancouver can’t get to work. I say let’s get moving on building transit and creating new jobs,” Horgan said.
“A New Democrat government will increase the province’s capital share from 33 per cent to 40 per cent to get moving on the transportation planning framework developed by Metro Vancouver mayors.
“Our plan delivers clear benefits for commuters, the environment and our economy. We’ll put people to work building infrastructure, generating more than 4,300 jobs a year for British Columbians over 10 years. That’s almost $3 billion in wages over the coming years, and a contribution of almost $4.5 billion to the B.C. economy,” said Horgan.
“The Metro mayors have worked hard to develop a 10-year transportation plan, and New Democrats support their vision. We’re going to work together to break the gridlock on our roads, fight climate change, and create thousands of good jobs as we move ahead.”
Horgan said the mayors’ plan provides 1.5 million more people with reliable public transit service, cuts congested commutes by up to half an hour every day, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
“The mayors have made it clear they need provincial support to get people and goods moving smoothly across Metro. We can’t afford to wait any longer for Christy Clark to do her job. Her inaction is holding back people and holding back our economy.
“I’m ready to take the lead and work with the mayors to get this done,” Horgan said.
Horgan’s position received positive endorsement from the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF), which said in a press release that it is encouraged by the recent attention being paid to public transit funding in the lead-up to next year’s B.C. provincial election.
“Today, the B.C. NDP’s transportation commitment is aligned with recommendations the DSF made in June 2016 as part of our report Breaking Gridlock: B.C.’s transit investment deficit and what can be done to fix it,” DSF said in a statement.
“Today’s commitment from the B.C. NDP, along with the B.C. government’s announcement earlier this year to fund the first stage of transit expansion in Metro Vancouver, hints that public transit investment is likely to become a major election issue,” said Ian Bruce, director of science and policy for the DSF. “With congestion clogging our roads and population growing rapidly, we need political leaders who will prioritize improvements to our transit systems.”
Studies suggest Vancouver is the most traffic-congested city in Canada and that the cost of this congestion is upwards of $1 billion per year to the regional economy. Emissions from vehicles stuck in traffic also erode air quality and contribute to climate change. Road transportation is currently responsible for 25 per cent of B.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions. Fast, effective public transportation networks can reduce these emissions.
