Most of the time, MLAs in the legislature agree more than people would expect — we have similar goals, just different ideas of how to achieve them. However, recently, the NDP revealed that when it comes to rural B.C., we do in fact have very different visions for the future.
Our BC Liberal Caucus sees rural B.C. as vital and valuable. A place of industry, of hardworking people, and a region worth investing in. It’s painful to watch as the NDP provides little support to our natural resource sector, particularly as industries like forestry face increasing challenges.
But in the Legislature last week, NDP MLA Roly Russell — the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development — said that supporting our natural resource sector was “uninspiring” and “a vision for what rural communities were 100 years ago.”
It’s disappointing that someone whose job it is to stand up for rural B.C. would disparage the people and industries that provide for this region. It’s no wonder this government has failed so spectacularly to support the Interior and the North if this is what they truly believe.
What little efforts the NDP have made in rural B.C. are nothing short of underwhelming. Recently they announced funding for what they refer to as a ‘job-creation’ program for rural communities. However, the first part of the fund only managed to create 90 temporary advisory jobs — and we don’t even know for sure if those jobs were created in rural B.C.
Our region needs appropriate supports, not half-baked schemes that fail to make a difference on the ground. We need a real plan for the future of resource industries, so we don’t lose jobs to begin with. We should be rewarding ingenuity in the sector and pursuing solutions, like making a better use of the fibre we have access to and supporting value added businesses.
Government cannot simply stand by and manage these industries’ decline. The resource sector is not a sunset industry, and this NDP government has to stop treating it like one.
READ MORE: MLA’S CORNER: Life has become less affordable
monica.lamb-yorski@wltribune.com
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