Budget 2027: After a Decade of Decline, NDP Budget Delivers an Assault on Seniors, Working Families, and Small Businesses

Peter Milobar, BC Conservative Finance Critic, condemned the NDP government’s latest budget as the result of a decade of decline that has left British Columbians broke, unsafe, and paying more for less.  

“After ten years of NDP mismanagement, this budget is an assault on seniors, working families, and the small businesses that drive our economy,” said Milobar. “The NDP have turned their back on the people working hardest to make ends meet and the seniors who built this province.”

Milobar pointed to a new $1.1 billion annual income tax increase and warned that the government is piling new costs onto households already struggling with affordability.  

“This government keeps asking British Columbians for more, while delivering less,” Milobar said. “The question people are asking is simple: Where has all the money gone?”

Milobar noted that BC has gone from a surplus in the first year of NDP government to a projected deficit of more than $13 billion this year, while provincial debt is projected to reach a record $182 billion this fiscal – more than triple what it was when the NDP took power.  

An assault on working families and seniors

The 2027 budget hammers working families with a $1.1 billion annual tax increase by increasing provincial income taxes on the lowest bracket and freezing the indexation of tax brackets until 2030 – a hidden hike.  

This budget punishes seniors with the expansion of the PST to include items like landlines, cable television, and clothing repair materials; people saving money by repairing shoes or knitting yarn scarves will be subject a tax increase.  

For years, British Columbians have been begging the NDP to address the rising cost of living, but after a decade of reckless spending and mismanagement, this government is trying to paper over their mistakes by punishing working families.  

Milobar challenged the government to answer the questions British Columbians care about most:

“Does this budget make your life more affordable? Does it make your community safer? Does it make your schools and hospitals stronger?” Milobar asked. “Nearly every metric shows things in B.C. have gotten worse, not better, and instead of taking accountability, the NDP will blame everyone but themselves and shake them down to pay the bill.”

Budget misses the mark on healthcare

This budget fails to address the many issues throughout B.C.’s healthcare system with the urgency it requires. Under the NDP, access to care has deteriorated across the province, and nowhere is that clearer than in long-term care.

New data from BC’s Seniors Advocate shows that long-term care waitlists have more than tripled over the past decade and average wait times have nearly doubled to 290 days.  

British Columbians were told that record spending would strengthen healthcare. Instead, seniors are being left stuck waiting for care while families are pushed past their limit, and the system is failing from emergency rooms to maternity wards.  

Additionally, six previously announced long-term care facilities as and the Burnaby Hospital Redevelopment have had their intended completion dates changed updated with TBC (to be cancelled? Page 64 Budget & Fiscal Plan)

Budget hits small business while communities face disorder

Milobar said the budget is especially punishing for small businesses that are already struggling, including a $500 million annual tax hike on professional services like accounting, bookkeeping, and private security, all of which will become subject to PST.  

“Small business owners are dealing with crime and disorder in our downtowns, made worse by David Eby’s reckless decriminalization experiment. They’re paying out of pocket for increased security because law enforcement can’t keep up with the chaos.  Instead of addressing the root causes facing small businesses, the NDP is shoplifting an additional $500 million a year from them.”  

Milobar also criticized the budget for failing to address key economic sectors and public safety concerns.

“The number of key economic targets that are “to be determined” in Ministry services plans shows just how unserious this government really is about economic growth.”

“There’s nothing meaningful here for forestry. And the budget fails to address the crime and extortion that are hurting families and businesses across BC,” he said.

Milobar said the BC Conservatives will continue pressing for a fiscal plan focused on affordability, safe communities, and fundamental support for the people and industries that power the province – not hidden tax hikes and novelty programs that pick winners and losers.