Nearly a quarter of resource sector workers are now out of work – what is the provincial government of BC NDP Premier John Horgan doing about the situation -- Conservative leader Trevor Bolin

In a media release from the Conservative Party of BC this morning, they indicated that despite Statistics Canada showing that employment held steady in BC for the month of February, the unemployment rate had risen markedly. With more people searching for work, they stated the result was a .5% increase in the unemployment rate, sending it to 5%.

“In reviewing the employment statistics, it’s clear that BC’s resource sector continues to be hard hit, as both the federal and provincial governments fail to get a handle on the troubles this sector is facing”, said Conservative Party of BC leader Trevor Bolin.

“This news is staggering”, he continued. “Statistics Canada shows that between February 2019, and February 2020, employment in BC’s Natural Resource sector dropped by 21.9%”. (Table 6 - Employment by province and industry, seasonally adjusted).

“Nearly a quarter of resource workers are now out of work, and so the question must be asked – what is the provincial government of BC NDP Premier John Horgan doing about the situation?”

“Last month we raised alarms saying BC’s Labour Minister, Harry Bains, should be concerned when news came out that there had been 6,100 full-time job loses experienced across the province. 

And while a small bright spot in employment news showed employment increasing by 1,000 for women aged 25 plus (between January and February), this was wiped out with employment for men in the same age group dropping by 13,000 – going from 1.170 million to 1.157 million. (Table 5 - Labour force characteristics by province, age group and sex, seasonally adjusted).

“This month’s employment stats show nothing has changed in the way government is handling the situation -- and thousands of forestry workers, miners, and oil and gas workers -- along with 1000’s of others – simply continue to wonder whether they’ll ever be able to find work in the fields again”.

After receiving the parties early morning media release, I called to ask Bolin about yesterdays news, from Advanced Education Minister Melanie Mark, that ... new workers to the forestry sector would be able to train tuition-free, at post secondary schools, for a range of forestry jobs. 

“New workers?”, Bolin remarked.

“We already have thousands of forestry workers with no jobs to go to, and Mark is about to train even more for jobs that don’t exist!  That is the very definition of insanity”.

“As Conservatives in BC, we are going to continue to call for job development to become a top priority for this current NDP government of John Horgan.”

If they can’t deliver on that, then it’s time for them to step aside”, Bolin concluded.