Government’s Fiscal Disaster Leaves Vulnerable British Columbians Paying the Price

“It’s time for the NDP government to start treating people as their first priority.” ~~ Rosalyn Bird, BC Conservative Shadow Minister for Children and Family Development


While many British Columbians desperately struggle to access essential supports after seven weeks of BC’s ongoing public sector strike, the NDP government continues to dismiss the consequences of managing the economy with callous disregard.

The resulting BC General Employees Union strike is disrupting application and payment processing for a number of essential programs relied upon by the province’s most vulnerable.

Seniors, people with disabilities, students relying on grants, and those on social assistance are all being forced into desperate measures to make ends meet amidst the current chaos.

BC taxpayer-supported debt has tripled since the NDP took power in 2017 and now stands at over $134 billion. Operating deficits continue to break records annually, with an expected $11.6 billion shortfall for the 2025/26 fiscal year. Debt per person is skyrocketing and expected to reach an alarming $5,300, more than double its height during the pandemic.

Then there are the blatant examples of pork barrel politics, including:

• Former NDP Cabinet Minister George Heyman’s sweetheart soft-landing to advise the government on public sector bargaining (which clearly isn’t working in light of the current state of gridlock);
  
  
• A secret contract to former Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant worth up to $300,000 annually (that was only cancelled after public outcry);
  
  
• The $450,000 contract given to a “joke writer” to create a more humourous image of Premier David Eby and his plummeting approval ratings.

Rather than isolated anomalies, these are symptoms of a deeper culture of entitlement, incompetence, and contempt for the public trust, according to BC Conservative Shadow Critic for Children and Family Development Rosalyn Bird.

“The NDP government doesn’t seem to grasp the dire consequences that British Columbians are now encountering as a result of their total disregard for fiscal prudence,” says Bird. “This key question being faced by those who are struggling is whether we have a system and a government that aims to put public interest ahead of efforts to achieve political advantage through taxpayers’ expense.”

“When a woman, a former child in care, or any ordinary BC resident can’t access their monthly life-enabling supports because the system buckled under the weight of government failure, collateral damage amongst average British Columbians is inevitable,” adds Bird. 

“It’s time for the NDP government to start treating people as their first priority.”