ADAM OLSEN -- Not only is the BC NDP failing to develop a coherent plan to capitalize on our strategic advantages, but apparently, they have buried their inaction under the rhetoric of big budget numbers
Green Party MLA, and Interim Leader, Adam Olsen |
On Monday I was hoping to get an answer to a
straightforward question about the BC NDP's commitment to innovation,
technology and the knowledge-based economy.
I asked the Minister of Jobs, Economic
Development and Competitiveness (Michelle Mungall) about whether three
longstanding tax credits for the film industry (worth approximately $640
million) were part of the $700 million allocated to innovation in the
government's own economic framework and Budget 2020.
I received a confounding response. You can see it here.
This is no small matter.
Governments around the world are aggressively
positioning themselves to be at the forefront of these emerging economic
sectors. We lose ground everyday British Columbia fails to develop a clear
vision and strategy to position ourselves.
This has been a relatively frustrating experience to get what should be a fairly simple answer.
The reality that we're dealing with here is that when you say that there's $700 million going to technology, to include about $637 million of tax credits — which are really important actually, which are critically important to the respective sectors, which include thousands of jobs in the film industry that we should not be positioning ourselves to lose….
We need to be clear about where the money that British Columbians are sending to this government is going. We can't say….
What's at the heart of my concern, is that
the BC NDP government is not only failing to develop a coherent plan to
capitalize on our strategic advantages, but apparently, they have buried their
inaction under the rhetoric of big budget numbers to make us all believe that
they are taking action.
Either they can't (or they are choosing not
to) answer how they got to a $700 million number that they themselves published
in their economic framework. Let's be clear, this is their own number in an
area of their budget that they claim is a key opportunity for "quality
economic growth."
So yesterday (Feb 25th) I asked
the Minister again. CLICK
HERE for the video link to Oral Question Period
Comments
Post a Comment