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

FORSETH -- Only the most ardent NDP supporters will be able to say this budget is one that truly benefits all British Columbians


Over the past quarter century, according to Statista, parents in British Columbia have given birth to an average of 42,000 children.

IF only those children knew what kind of government debt they would be inheriting, never mind their own personal debt for things like a home or vehicle.  If they did, they might just try to head right back into their mother womb and say forget it.

Especially given what came out in BC Budget 2024 yesterday.

 


According to the NDP governments provincial debt summary (Table 1.9 – page 54) the updated provincial debt for 2023/24 is expected to be just under 104 billion dollars – however, by year 2026/27 the provincial government is estimating that debt will increase to one hundred and sixty four billion, nine hundred and seventy three million --- an increase of SIXTY THREE percent.

“What I saw today is a budget that is quite frankly bankrupting the people of the future” ~~ Conservative Party of BC leader John Rustad

 

British Columbians are desperate for health facilities and healthcare professionals ... schools and educators ... services for seniors ... better transportation and infrastructure ... and more. Instead, we will be seeing more and more taxpayer resources going to simply pay the interest on the debt – from 3.2 cents per dollar today, to 5.4 cents per dollar by 2026/27.

AND REMEMBER ... that’s just to pay the INTEREST on the debt.

Most / all of you reading this know what happens when all we pay is the just the interest on a credit card; the total debt just keeps on climbing -- no wonder then that the Vancouver Sun’s Vaughn Palmer was quoted saying:

 

“BC Budget 2024 bleeds red ink, with no cure in sight” ~~ Vaughn Palmer


British Columbians (yes I will proudly call myself that, but that’s another story) need a government that will take a look at every way it is spending OUR money and determine if that is providing the best value.

It needs to decide if a handful of unions should be getting sweetheart contracts with the government to build our infrastructure – while inflating the cost of every project.

 

It should decide if throwing money at a variety of segments in society – in an effort to buy votes – is the best value for the people of BC.   

And it needs to decide if a 35.5% increase in ‘per person spending’ since 2016/17 -- the highest by far in all of Canada -- has made our lives any better

And WE should be concerned about this revelation from Rob Shaw who last Fall (Oct 13th 2023) revealed something that was costing us ever increasing billions; the staggering increase in public sector / civil service employees hirings: 

 

“By next year’s election, the number of full-time equivalent government staff will have risen more than 31 per cent since the NDP took power in 2017” ~~ Rob Shaw

 

What has that got us? Are services any better?  Are wait times to see doctors getting any better?  Are seniors getting better care?  Are we seeing a decrease in deaths from a poisoned drug supply?

The answer to that, I believe, is a resounding NO!

The government can mess around with Debt to GDP figures all it wants. The bottom line is this ...

 

Only the most ardent NDP supporters will be able to say this budget, delivered yesterday by NDP Finance Minister Katrine Conroy, is one that truly benefits all British Columbians.

In Kamloops, I’m Alan Forseth

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nurses Take Job Action After Years of NDP Neglect

Image Credit:  BC Nurses Union BC nurses have reached a breaking point after years of unsafe conditions, rising violence in the workplace and a government that wouldn’t listen. Now they are on the picket line fighting to be heard. Last week, nurses began job action with a 72-hour strike notice, refusing non-essential overtime and stepping back from non-nursing duties. As of Tuesday, they have escalated to picket lines for the first time in decades. This moment was avoidable. It is the result of years of unanswered concerns from the frontline workers who keep our hospitals running. Nurses have been raising the same concerns for years: unsafe staffing levels, rising violence on the job, and a workload no single person should have to carry. None of it is new, and none of it should have taken a strike vote to get the government's attention. "Nurses are exercising their legal right to job action, but it shouldn’t have had to come to this," said Kiel Giddens, MLA for...
Post a Comment
Read more

British Columbians Still Don’t Know Who’s Paying for NDP’s BC Hydro Deal

The NDP is making billion-dollar promises with BC Hydro, but British Columbians still don’t know who will pay the bill. Last week’s memorandum of understanding isn’t what the federal government and the NDP are making it out to be. It’s an admission that the NDP failed to make the long-term investments needed to keep B.C. powered. Now British Columbians have serious questions about the cost and whether BC Hydro ratepayers will end up paying the price. David L. Williams, MLA for Salmon Arm-Shuswap and Shadow Minister for BC Hydro and Electrical Energy Development , said British Columbians deserve clear answers about the full implications of the Canada–British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement. “British Columbians deserve the full truth,” said Mr. Williams. “This multi-billion-dollar announcement does not answer who pays for cost overruns, who pays for new generation, who carries the risk if industrial customers do not materialize, or whether ratepayers will be forced ...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more