Stop the Smears...

Dec. 10, 2008
NDP Not Honest on Coalbed

NDP leader Carole James is being completely dishonest once again when she slams responsible coalbed methane gas (CBG) exploration in B.C. Here’s the truth:

• There is currently no commercial CBG production in BC.
• Any CBG projects in B.C. would have to meet the highest environmental standards in North America.
• Companies must undertake extensive public consultation with communities and First Nations.
• A typical commercial CBG project can create 150 jobs for 2-5 years of development and 25 jobs in ongoing production.
• B.C.’s resource potential of CBG is estimated to be enough to heat 10 million homes for 100 years.
  

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Dec 9, 2008
NDP Off-Side on Offshore Oil and Gas

As usual, the NDP are out fear-mongering around offshore oil and gas, rather than taking a serious look at the challenges and potential. Here are the real facts:

• Our government has been clear – offshore oil and gas development can only move forward if we can develop the science to show it can be done in an environmentally-safe way consistent with our province’s greenhouse gas reduction targets.
• The NDP oppose even doing the basic science to determine if offshore oil and gas development should go ahead. They’d rather bury their heads in the sand than explore the potential.
• Offshore oil and gas could generate thousands of jobs for coastal communities and bring in about $35 billion in revenue to government to help pay for services like health care and education.

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December 9, 2008
Transit Fare Fudging – NDP Make More Empty Promises

The NDP are at it again, making promises they know full well they can't keep. This time they're promising to reduce transit fares while still expanding the transit system. That's just plain dishonest, and they know it. The fact is the NDP have made billions in new spending promises in the past few months alone with no explanation of how they'd pay for them. This latest claim is just another addition to a long list of unfunded NDP promises that add up to huge tax hikes, massive deficits or both. And on top of that, the NDP are opposed to twinning the Port Mann Bridge, which will allow transit across the Port Mann for the first time in over 20 years.

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December 1, 2008
James Rips Off BC Liberal Rural Development Idea

NDP leader Carole James and her MLAs are touring B.C. promoting their plan for a rural economic development fund. The only problem? The BC Liberal government already created three rural economic funds guided by locally-elected representatives four years ago. While it’s nice that after four years Carole James and the NDP finally recognize a good idea, they should try thinking up a few of their own:

•  In 2004, the BC Liberal Government provided $285 million for three regional economic trusts to invest in local programs – the Northern Development Initiative ($185 million), the Southern Interior Development Initiative ($50 million) and the North Island-Coast Development Initiative ($50 million).
• These trusts have been investing tens of millions of dollars over the past four years in projects that are helping diversify the economy of rural communities, like an expanded Prince George airport, new Nanaimo cruise ship terminal, and developing the high tech industry in the Southern Interior.
• The NDP talk about rural development, but want to impose huge new taxes on the oil and gas industry, tear up the Softwood Lumber Agreement, and cancel Independent Power Projects that are creating over 1,000 jobs in rural and First Nation communities.
  

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November 29, 2008
Carole James Promises ‘Change’ – A Change to a Have-Not Province

NDP leader Carole James told the BC NDP Provincial Council in a speech on Nov. 29 that her economic scheme will “deliver the kind of change British Columbians are looking for.” Unfortunately the only “change” the NDP have in store is to change budget surpluses into deep budget deficits; change B.C. back into a have-not province; and change B.C. back into the highest-tax jurisdiction in North America - just like it was the last time the NDP were in government:

• As numerous journalists and columnist have pointed out - Carole James’ economic plan would put B.C. billions into debt. Her budget is nowhere close to being balanced.
• The plan calls for at least $1 billion in new spending at a time when the global economic slowdown has reduced government revenue.
• The NDP insists that 7,200 units of affordable housing can be funded at a one-time cost of $650 million. However, the true capital cost is closer to $2 billion, plus an additional $200-250 million each year to operate.
• The NDP would have to add nearly $2.3 billion in new annual spending to fulfil their health care commitments.
• Add it together and you have billions in unfunded NDP promises. The only way for Carole James to make her plan a reality would be to go deep into deficit, or raise taxes sky high.
  

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November 18, 2008
James Dances Around NDP Deficit Budget

NDP leader Carole James told the Surrey Board of Trade on Nov. 18 that the NDP economic plan is affordable and won’t drive B.C. into a deficit. She’s being dishonest, and you deserve to know the truth:

• The NDP insists that 7,200 units of affordable housing can be funded at a one-time cost of $650 million. However, the true capital cost is closer to $2 billion.
• Furthermore, the supports associated with housing the homeless in those units would cost between $200 and $250 million each year once completed.
• Carole James made new promises around light rail, but the NDP economic scheme contains no provision for that new spending.
• The NDP would have to add nearly $2.3 billion in new annual spending to fulfil their health care commitments.
• With the current global economic pressures, the NDP’s plan to add billions in new spending would most certainly drive B.C. into a deep deficit.
  
  

On November 4 on CHNL radio, NDP education critic Norm MacDonald repeated his opposition to the Foundation Skills Assessment test – an important indicator of student learning. He justified his position by saying: “Parents are informed about the progress of the children through report cards.” Unfortunately, he must not have been aware that his NDP leader, Carole James, has refused to condemn the teachers’ unions plan to stop providing comments on report cards.

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November 22, 2008
James Budget Leaves No Money for Health Care

Looks like the wheels are coming off the NDP’s health plan, along with the rest of their so-called budgeting. NDP Health Critic Adrian Dix told CFAX radio on Oct. 15 last year that an NDP government would make it a priority to raise B.C.’s health care spending to the highest in Canada. That would cost taxpayers well over $2 billion each year. But NDP leader Carole James already announced how the NDP would spend all of the surplus and more over the next three years in her Oct. 27 economic address – with no mention of health care at all. So either the NDP are lying about their plan for health care – or they would massively increase taxes to cover it. Either way, it’s clear British Columbians can’t afford the NDP.

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November 21, 2008
NDP Dishonesty Takes its Toll

NDP transportation critic Maurine Karagianis is spreading misinformation about the dismantling of the Coquihalla toll booths while trying to gloss over the fact that she and the NDP are against removing the Coquihalla tolls. She’s being dishonest, here are the facts:

• Premier Gordon Campbell announced tolls were off the Coquihalla permanently on September 26.
• NDP MLA Harry Lali claims he was in favour of removing the tolls back in the 1990s, despite the fact he did nothing about the tolls when he was Transportation Minister under the NDP government at the time!
• The NDP’s transportation critic Maurine Karagianis responded to the removal of the tolls by saying: “I'm not hearing rural and Northern communities asking for the tolls to be lifted off the Coquihalla.”
• Removing the tolls saves a driver who uses the Coquihalla just twice a month $480 annually.