Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

Employment should have been at year-end high; instead, thousands of jobs were lost, and many British Columbians simply give up hope of finding work


On January 10th, hoping to get ahead of the curve, on what he knew was going to be bad news, Bruce Ralston, Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology, issued a statement declaring that; “The December labour market report closes out the 2019 year showing a resilient economy in British Columbia despite uncertainty around the globe”.

He then went on to proudly state that since the NDP formed government … BC has created over 60,000 jobs.   


Well here, is the reality of BC’s employment situation.

Last month, according the BC Statistics, our provinces labour force was reduced (contracted) by nearly 15 thousand people … and there were over 7,500 fewer jobs available.   

In a month where employment should have been at year-end highs due to holiday shopping, thousands of jobs were lost … with far too many British Columbians simply giving up hope of finding work.

While the Labour Minister was telling British Columbians about having the lowest unemployment rate in Canada, there were in fact 1,200 fewer full-time jobs available … and over 7,500 fewer part-time jobs. Worse hit were those aged 55 and over who saw an incredible 6,500 job losses!

This government, of Premier John Horgan, has seen some of the worst job loses, and labour contractions, in some time ... and information in the provinces Labour Market Survey is not the great news Ralston would have us believe.

Jobs for men 25 and over in this province decreased by over a thousand according to the Labour Market Survey, and for women, there were 4,300 fewer jobs in December.

The only reason the government can claim that at least for women, unemployed remained relatively the same, was because 3,900 women simply gave up hope of finding a job.

While BC’s NDP Labour Minister Bruce Ralston was smugly stating that ‘our province’s economy set the standard across Canada last year with the nation’s lowest unemployment’ ... the reality is, thousands of British Columbians have simply given up hope of employment.   

This is not a record to be proud of.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

NDP Government Blames Everyone but Themselves

The federal government has announced new measures to support British Columbia's forestry sector, including $65 million in funding for projects across the province. While any support is welcome, it falls far short of the level of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries. Conservative Forests Critic Ward Stamer says the NDP government needs to take responsibility for its mismanagement of B.C.’s forest industry instead of trying to pass on the blame. Despite promising to create more jobs in the forest sector, the NDP government has overseen the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and 21 mill closures which have devastated communities. “If Premier Eby spent more time addressing the regulatory issues impacting the forestry sector than he did complaining about the federal government, we would not be in the position we are now,” said Stamer. “And instead of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should t...

Tourists Rack Up $200M in Unpaid Health Bills While BC Patients Wait Years for Care

While British Columbians wait years for basic medical care, the NDP government has allowed non-residents to rack up $200.6 million in unpaid health bills since 2020-2021. New research from SecondStreet.org, obtained through a freedom of information request, revealed that people from outside Canada are coming to BC, receiving health services, and leaving without paying their bills.  The losses span every health region in the province. "British Columbians are not guaranteed timely access to healthcare, be it treatment or diagnostics, and this situation continues to deteriorate under the NDP," said Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Critic for Health. "Taxpayers are footing the bill for tourists' health treatments to the tune of over $200 million, enough to cover over 21,000 hip replacements in this province while British Columbians wait months to years for that surgery.” The research found BC has the worst record of any province in Canada examined so far. Under a dec...

NDP Finance Minister Given "F" on Report Card by Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Peter Milobar, MLA for Kamloops Centres and Official Opposition Finance Critic, released the following statement in response to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation's 2026 Finance Minister Report Card, which ranked BC Finance Minister Brenda Bailey dead last among provincial finance ministers in Canada with an overall grade of "F":  "British Columbians didn't need a report card to know things are headed in the wrong direction. They see it every time they pay their bills, try to buy a home, or watch another government deficit pile up. But now an independent national organization has confirmed that NDP Brenda Bailey is the worst-rated finance minister in Canada. "After nearly a decade of decline under this NDP government, British Columbia has become a province where people pay more, government borrows more, and families get less in return. We have some of the highest debt in the country, repeated credit downgrades, and no credible plan to get our finances back on...

Labels

Show more