NDP Spin on Low-Income Support Dishonest

April 21, 2009

Combating poverty in our communities is a serious discussion requiring a serious response. That’s why it is so disappointing that NDP leader Carole James has again released an inaccurate and misleading attack on the topic, claiming poverty and child poverty rates are getting worse in British Columbia.  Let’s compare her claims with the facts.

NDP CLAIM: “The Campbell Liberals don’t have a housing strategy.”

• WRONG: We know the NDP has trouble using Google, but should they type in “BC Housing Strategy” it will be the first hit.  For the NDP, here is the link: http://www.bchousing.org/programs/Housing_Matters_BC.  Admittedly, this strategy does differ from the NDP’s housing plan in that our plan doesn’t threaten to cancel the Rental Assistance Program that provides direct financial support to families, which the NDP called “a gift for landlords.”

NDP CLAIM: The BC Liberals “cut funding for BC Housing by $96 million in their last budget.”

• WRONG: The budget for housing this year is actually $469 million – the highest level ever and four times more spending than under the last full year of the NDP.

NDP CLAIM: “The Campbell Liberals are ignoring proven policies that would make a real difference in the lives of struggling B.C. families.”

• WRONG: The BC Liberals have increased income assistance rates, introduced a Rental Assistance Program, eliminated provincial income tax for low-income British Columbians, eliminated MSP premiums and lowered drug costs for over 215,000 British Columbians, introduced new Low Income Climate Action Credits, and doubled the annual child care subsidy for low income families.  What these policies also have in common is that the NDP voted against every one of them.

NDP CLAIM: “More than half a million British Columbians (13 per cent of the population) live in poverty.”

• MISLEADING: The percentage of British Columbians who are considered low income by Statistics Canada is actually at its lowest level since 1991.  The rate actually peaked in 1996 at 18.1 per cent under the Glen Clark NDP. In fact it is now 14 per cent lower than it was in the last full year of the NDP. 

NDP CLAIM: “B.C. has shamefully held the crown as Canada's child poverty leader for the past five years. “

• MISLEADING: The NDP neglects to mention that child poverty is actually decreasing in B.C. – a 15 per cent reduction between 2003 and 2006.  In fact, according to Statistics Canada, the rate today is actually lower than it was for the majority of the years when the NDP was in power. This information is also entirely based on Low-Income Cut-off (LICO data) which Statistics Canada clearly states is not a poverty measurement.

The only fact Carole James has proven is that when it comes to delivering support for low-income families there is only one party that has consistently delivered real results – the BC Liberals.