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

The NDP is destroying BC's softwood industry as 100 Mile House mill shuts down and jobs vanish

No more than a few days after the province hosted its much-touted summit to discuss the continuing impact of U.S. softwood tariffs, and with Statistics Canada reporting another decline in BC’s softwood production, the axe has fallen on West Fraser Timber’s 100 Mile House mill. Lorne Doerkson, MLA for Cariboo–Chilcotin , says the devastation now hitting the South Cariboo is what happens when government ignores every warning sign coming from the forest sector. “One hundred and sixty-five people in 100 Mile House just lost their jobs,” said Doerkson. “That’s 165 families wondering how they’ll pay their bills and whether they can stay in their own community. The ripple effect will hit every business on main street, from the gas stations and restaurants to the grocery stores.” “The Minister’s thoughts and prayers aren’t enough for those families facing unimaginable hardship. It’s time this minister did his job and not another photo op,” said Doerkson. “The Minister thinks the ...

Premier’s Office Acknowledges Richmond Residents Affected by Cowichan Land Claim Face Issues on “Mortgages, Property Sales”

“The Premier’s Office is secretly sending letters to my constituents behind my back. If the NDP were truly committed to transparency and supporting residents, they would have proactively engaged with owners years ago, not rushed out last-minute letters to cover their tracks.” ~~ Steve Kooner, Conservative MLA for Richmond-Queensborough and Opposition Critic for Attorney General Steve Kooner, Conservative MLA for Richmond-Queensborough and Opposition Critic for Attorney General, is criticising Premier David Eby and the NDP provincial government for secretly delivering non-committal, last-minute letters to Richmond residents affected by the Cowichan Tribes land claim. For over six years the NDP misled British Columbians on the implications of indigenous land claims. Premier Eby is now quietly sending staff to conduct damage control following public fallout from his 2019 strategic directive for government lawyers not to argue extinguishment of aboriginal title, even over p...

Kamloops woman’s cancer test cancelled due to Interior Health mandates for OB/GYNs (iNFO News)

A Kamloops woman’s cancer screening appointment was considered urgent by her doctors and scheduled within weeks, but it was postponed indefinitely when Interior Health ordered her gynecologist take that day’s on-call shift. Troylana Manson now waits with the mystery of whether she might have cancer amid a staffing crisis for women’s health care specialists in Kamloops. “I was happy to have that appointment in December so we could rule this out, but now it’s thrown in the air again. People in Kamloops, certainly people in positions of power, need to realize what Interior Health is doing”  ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Labels

Show more