The Real Story on... The NDP Ads

April 7, 2009
The Carole James NDP has launched another dishonest, negative attack ad campaign that attempts to vilify not only the BC Liberal agenda, but also the private sector and their contributions to our economy. Meanwhile, one look at the facts shows that Carole James has no real plan for the economy and will sacrifice thousands of jobs and millions in investment to pursue their ideological agenda.

THE NDP AD SAYS: “Gordon Campbell’s Liberals privatized BC Rail”

THE FACTS

Under the NDP, BC Rail was losing millions of dollars, cost taxpayers over $850 million in asset write-offs, and was carrying a crippling debt of over $500 million.
The BC Rail Partnership agreement signed with CN generated $1 billion in new private sector investment, and protected BC Rail’s rights-of-way, railbed and tracks under public ownership.
That deal facilitated the $135-million Northern Development Initiative, provided $30 million for the expansion of the Port of Prince Rupert, new jobs at the Prince George Wheel Shop and intermodal facility, and expanded service with 800 new rail cars.
This faster service to key markets, new jobs, and new investment generated by partnering with the private sector, when coupled with our dramatic expansion of regional highway, bridge and regional airport infrastructure, has opened up the economy of rural B.C.

THE NDP AD SAYS: “They gave multinationals more control of our forests”

THE FACTS:

Under the NDP, investment in forestry fled our province because of too much red tape and high taxes. This led to mill closures and job losses across the province. The NDP even wasted millions trying to bail out failing companies like Skeena Cellulose – the impacts of which are still felt by other mills today.
Today, under the BC Liberal government, communities actually have far more control over the forest land base through the expansion of Community Forests, Woodlot programs and First Nations partnerships.
Despite some of the most challenging forest markets in recent history, we have seen billions of dollars in new investment by the forest industry over the past several years.
These investments and the jobs they support are made possible by a Softwood Lumber Agreement that the NDP want to scrap, even if it means entering into a trade war with our biggest trading partner.

THE NDP AD SAYS: “Sold water rights on over 200 rivers to private interests”

THE FACTS:

The NDP promoted private, run-of-river hydro projects when they were in government. In fact, they lowered water rental rates in 2000 as a way to encourage more applications for this type of clean power, citing the job-creation and environment benefits it produced.
When the NDP left office there were 21 private, independent power projects operating including a number of run-of-river projects.
The fact is that all B.C. rivers are publicly owned and the province retains ownership of water at all times. With over 290,000 rivers in the province, run-of-river proposals are on about 0.03 per cent of our rivers. When leases expire, the water rights and any private development revert back to government ownership.
Every project must undergo stringent environmental approvals that require extensive study and consultation with First Nations and communities.
This industry has already fostered $2.4 billion in private investment in our communities and created 1,100 jobs, with billions more in potential investment to come.

THE NDP AD SAYS: “They're privatizing B.C. Hydro”

THE FACTS:

This is simply a lie. In fact, the only government that ever considered selling BC Hydro was the NDP in the 1990s.
The BC Liberal Government was the first government to pass legislation to ensure BC Hydro remains publicly owned.
Significant public investment in expanding BC Hydro continues to occur. Between 2001 and 2010 we will see nearly $9 billion in investment in public BC Hydro assets – more than double what was invested between 1991 and 2000.
It is the BC Liberals that committed to seriously examining the construction of the Site C dam in northern B.C. – the largest hydro project to be considered in a generation.
All this has taken place while BC Hydro rates remain among the lowest in North America.

THE NDP AD SAYS: “They’re planning to privatize development of hospitals”

THE FACTS:

Hospitals have always been built in cooperation with the private sector. But under the NDP, all the risk was taken on by the taxpayer for the construction and the operation of these facilities. As a result, critical health care facilities like the promised Abbotsford hospital didn’t get built.
By using public-private partnerships (P3s), we are able to make innovative arrangements to transfer the risk of construction and operation while saving money that can go back into patient care.
For example, the new $355 million Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre was completed as a P3, saving taxpayers $39 million (according to the Auditor General). The new Outpatient Hospital at VGH was built on time and on budget with an estimated $17 million in savings. The upcoming Kelowna and Vernon hospital construction projects are expected to save $25 million. Every dollar will go back to public health care services instead of construction costs.

The bottom line is that since Carole James and the NDP can’t compete on the facts, they have resorted to dishonest and reckless characterizations attacking the private sector and job creation across our province. Meanwhile, their attacks on the private sector threaten to take B.C. back to the economy of the 1990s where investment and jobs fled the province.

Click to learn more about the potential impact on the NDP’s dishonest attacks on the economy.