NDP Confirms Reckless Economic Plan

May 3, 2009

Vancouver– At a time when British Columbians are concerned about their jobs, NDP leader Carole James failed to put forth a single new idea in the televised leaders’ debate this evening.  Instead, James continued to re-iterate the same unfocused, reckless and confused job-killing policies.

James defended policies that expert, independent analysis has confirmed will destroy over 110,000 jobs. The reckless NDP policies she promoted include:

• New wage policies that will cost businesses $450-million and kill 50,000 jobs.
• A disastrous climate plan that’s been panned by leading environmentalists and economists who have confirmed it will result in 60,000 jobs lost. 
• More than $1 billion in new taxes on small business, rural industries and major employers across the province.
• A moratorium on clean energy development that will destroy 1,100 jobs and billions in new investment.
  

Carole James refused to explain numerous glaring errors in her scrambled economic plan, including:

• A plan to impose $155-million in new taxes on private liquor retailers that will increase liquor prices by 25 per cent across the province, resulting in business closures and hundreds of lost jobs.
• A new tax on forest companies (log exports) that will put 2,000 jobs at risk in rural British Columbia.
• A $412-million tax on natural gas flaring that even the NDP were forced to admit they proposed without a clear idea of who or what they were taxing. 
• The NDP’s confused position on a cap-and-trade system for B.C. was exposed as Carole James tried to claim her party now supports cap and trade, despite voting against it in the Legislature.
• James claimed the NDP were decreasing the small business tax, knowing full well that’s NOT in the NDP’s platform. The BC Liberal government reduced the small business tax by 44 per cent in 2008 – and the NDP voted against it.
  

James claimed the NDP fiscal plan is balanced, despite knowing that is not the case:

• Despite voting unanimously in favour of balancing the budget within three years, the NDP then admitted just weeks later in their platform that they had no intention to balance the budget.
• The NDP platform includes over $3.6-billion in new spending that will add (by their own account) over $1.5-billion to our operating deficit – and billions more in unfunded commitments and unrealistic revenue assumptions.
  

Carole James dishonestly claimed that a reduction in discretionary spending would result in fewer resources to fight crime. That is false and completely disingenuous considering her plan cuts government spending by $1.2-billion MORE than the BC Liberal plan.

• Compounding her dishonesty, Carole James voted against the resources that have added more than 1,100 new police officers across the province, including 168 new police officers and 10 new prosecutors dedicated solely to gang crime.
• Furthermore, her party has actively campaigned against building new jails to lock up criminals. The NDP also continue to oppose tough new federal laws that will put criminals behind bars.

Carole James’ scattered approach and continued support of policies that leading experts say would destroy more than 110,000 jobs proves the NDP do not have a coherent plan to support families and communities.

At a time when British Columbians are asking themselves who is best suited to lead them through these difficult economic times and come out stronger it is clear that there is only one leader and one party who have a plan to keep B.C. strong - Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals.