BC NDP Premier David Eby threatens BC jobs with shaky pronouncements on tariffs and taxes

“David Eby is creating panic and uncertainty. Eby can’t control American tariffs, but he’s keeping BC in the dark about the carbon tax and his so-called middle-class tax cut.”  ~~   Peter Milobar, MLA for Kamloops Centre, and Official Opposition Finance Critic

Workers and families in British Columbia are going to bed under a cloud of uncertainty after Premier David Eby released a grim new economic forecast and provided no answers on the carbon tax and the middle-class tax cut he promised just 99 days ago.

“During the election, the premier criticized the Conservatives for being too cautious,” said Peter Milobar, Conservative MLA for Kamloops Centre and Official Opposition Finance Critic.

“David Eby mocked Conservative plans to deliver realistic tax relief over the next three years. Instead, he promised a $6,000 tax cut for a family of three adults renting a three-bedroom in Richmond. Instead, it looks like British Columbians will have to settle for no support from a government that has made disappointing British Columbians a bad habit.”

Milobar noted that the deficit has grown by $1.5 billion since the budget last spring, to a record $9.4 billion.

“BC is in the weakest financial position in history,” said Milobar. “David Eby is now telling us that the threatened tariffs from the United States would create two consecutive years of recession and cost 124,000 jobs by 2028. He’s left us totally unprepared for this crisis.”

Milobar said the Premier’s silence on the scheduled 3-cent-litre increase in the carbon tax also threatens jobs.

“Everybody seems to understand that a carbon tax increase will kill jobs,” said Milobar. “Everybody, from Jagmeet Singh to Chrystia Freeland, to Mark Carney. Only David Eby and Justin Trudeau seem fixated on raising the carbon tax on April 1st.”

Gavin Dew, Conservative MLA for Kelowna - Mission and Official Opposition Critic for Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, said the Premier’s direction to Finance Minister Brenda Bailey was so disjointed and incoherent that it is likely to discourage investment.

“After 7 years delivering zero private sector job growth, increased uncertainty for capital investment, rock bottom business confidence, and massive government bloat, David Eby is directing his NDP cabinet to do the opposite,” said Dew.

“He has rewarded failure by appointing a Finance Minister who, as Jobs Minister, oversaw an era of private sector stagnation and virtually zero job growth. He has replaced her with a new Jobs minister who doesn’t seem to understand that government red tape hampers investment."

"If you want proof of just how disconnected from reality the NDP’s economic brain trust is, they just tried to run an end-of-year victory lap after 2024 saw them add 13,000 public sector jobs and lose more than 6,000 private sector jobs," Dew added.

Dew concluded, "David Eby has new talking points, but that doesn’t change his dismal economic record or the obvious divisions in his caucus over how to grow the economy. When the rubber hits the road, these folks just don’t understand how business works.”