Thoughts on BC Politics and More

While Canada posted modest job gains in July, warning lights are still flashing in British Columbia. Youth unemployment remains stubbornly high, leaving too many first-time jobseekers shut out of the workforce. BC also lost 3,400 public administration jobs in July, likely as temporary Census positions ended. “BC's jobs divide remains stark. Unemployment is far higher in business-driven communities like Kelowna (9.3%) and Abbotsford-Mission (8.3%) than in Victoria (5.0%). Government should be focused on creating the conditions for private-sector investment and job growth,” said Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna-Mission and Shadow Minister for Economic Development. “We need an economy where young people can find work, businesses can hire, and every region has the opportunity to prosper.” This comes as BC faces five straight quarters where more businesses are closing than opening, an NDP cabinet rift over job-creating projects like Tilbury LNG, and fresh signs that even the province's to...

New Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey data shows British Columbia lost 20,000 jobs in February, including 33,000 full-time jobs, while the province’s population declined by roughly 3,000 people last month, including 2,000 youth aged 15–24, raising new concerns about the direction of the province’s economy. Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna-Mission and the Critic for Jobs, Economic Development, Innovation and AI, says the numbers point to a worrying trend for BC’s economy:  “With BC losing 20,000 jobs in February and David Eby on track to lose his own job, no wonder he’s trying so hard to distract British Columbians with silly political games. The NDP jobs minister is seemingly more focused on taking over the Premier's job than protecting private sector jobs for British Columbians." "Here's a simple economic truth: holding the unemployment rate steady by losing both jobs and population is not a success story," said Dew. "Less people chasing fewer jobs is a downw...

IMAGE CREDIT:  HR Reporter New data from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey shows British Columbia’s economy continues to drift under Premier David Eby, just as the NDP prepares another high-deficit budget built on a fragile economic foundation.   The latest survey shows 6.1% unemployment in BC, down from 6.3%, while the labour force shrank by 5,600 people. In January, public sector jobs increased by 500 (up 3,100 year-over-year) while private sector jobs decreased by 100 (up only 700 year-over-year). This year-over-year ratio of 4.4 public sector jobs created for every private sector job follows years in which public-sector employment growth has outpaced the private sector economy.   “With debt at record highs and another massive deficit budget coming, David Eby has spent years weakening the very economy he’s depending on to pay for his surge in spending,” said Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna-Mission and Conservative Critic for Jobs, Economic Development, Inno...

Image Credit:  Statistics Canada British Columbia’s latest Labour Force Survey confirms a troubling pattern under the NDP: job losses, weakening private-sector momentum, and a growing reliance on government employment instead of a healthy, opportunity-driven economy. December saw 3,300 jobs lost in BC, continuing a trend of economic softness that the government is trying to spin away. While public administration employment continues to grow, natural resource jobs are declining, and youth unemployment remains stubbornly high, signalling deep structural problems the NDP has failed to address. “It’s concerning to see government jobs keep growing while the private-sector jobs that pay for them aren’t keeping up, especially in the resource sector. Compared to other provinces, B.C. is seeing more growth in government-supported employment than in the industries that actually drive investment, productivity, and exports. I’m particularly concerned about stubbornly high youth ...

Earlier this month, Statistics Canada reported that employment fell by 66,000 jobs in August. That headline caught attention—and rightly so—but it’s important not to overreact to any single month of data. Labour force surveys can be volatile and subject to revision. What matters more is the broader trend. But, unfortunately, that looks even worse. And Canadians are feeling it ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

In contrast to an uptick in the national inflation rate, British Columbia’s rate fell in June to 2.1 per cent year-over-year, from 2.3 per cent in May. Core measures also declined, with inflation excluding energy dropping to 2.7 per cent from 3.0 per cent while inflation excluding both food and energy fell to 2.5 per cent from 3.0 per cent. That said, BC’s inflation rate remained higher than the national reading of 1.9 per cent ... ... While BC residents are seeing some price relief, tariff-related shocks are filtering into prices. Vehicle prices are rising, as are goods such as clothing and footwear, pointing to some impacts of Canadian retaliation against U.S. tariffs ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The annual pace of inflation accelerated to 1.9 per cent in June as consumers were paying more at car dealerships, Statistics Canada said Tuesday. The June price hike is up from 1.7 per cent in May and was largely in line with economists’ expectations ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The province lost 21,600 workers last month as youth took a step back from the labour market because of a lack of available jobs, particularly in the private sector, according to Statistics Canada’s labour market survey for June. Although BC’s unemployment rate declined from 6.4 per cent to 5.6 per cent last month, making it the third-lowest in the country, that improvement mainly reflects the number of people leaving the workforce, as opposed to job creation ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Canadian residents will be asked about their sexual orientation in next year's national census, CBC News has learned. While Statistics Canada has asked about sexual orientation in past surveys, next year will mark the first time the question will appear on the long-form census questionnaire that will go out to 25 per cent of Canadian residents in May 2026 ... ... census will also feature questions about homelessness and health problems for the first time ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Young people, the Canadian-born and the highly educated are more likely to hold strong negative views of people who hold differing views about politics, racism or gender identity than other identity groups, a new study indicates. Overall, Canadians tend to feel more negatively toward people they disagree with about gender identity and racism, than those they disagree with politically, the Statistics Canada study shows. Researchers say the results could point to important trends about social cohesion ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Who’s standing up for Canada’s poorest families? While there has been near-total political consensus around the need for retaliatory tariffs, it’s Canada’s poor who may be paying the heaviest price, literally at the grocery store. The latest inflation data, released Tuesday by Statistics Canada, show the extent to which Canada’s counter-tariffs on U.S. goods are driving up food prices here. On a seasonally adjusted basis, food prices have jumped 4.4 percent since January (or 18 percent annualized). That’s the biggest three-month surge in food inflation in records going back to the early 1990s—and more sudden than even any three-month period during the pandemic. Lower-income households feel this most acutely ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Blaming the U.S. won’t cut it. Canada’s food inflation crisis is largely a result of Ottawa’s poor policy choices By Sylvain Charlebois It was expected, but still jarring. In April, food inflation in Canada surged to 3.8 per cent—a full 2.1 percentage points above the national inflation rate and nearly double the U.S. rate of two per cent. Once again, food is the primary driver behind headline inflation, amplifying affordability concerns across the country. But this isn’t just a story of global disruption or seasonal cycles. It’s increasingly clear that Canada’s food inflation is largely homegrown—a direct result of domestic policy missteps, particularly tariffs and protectionist procurement practices. Since March, when both Canada and the United States introduced a new round of tariffs, the difference in outcomes has been striking. U.S. food inflation has continued to cool, while Canada’s has nearly tripled over the same period—a divergence that should raise serious red flag...