Our Official Opposition has spent weeks calling for action on the critical issues facing British Columbians. Things like the health care crisis, the cost of living, and rising rates of violent crime in our communities are on the top of everyone’s minds right now. People desperately want to see the current government acknowledge the seriousness of these problems and then address them.
Government is now resting its hope on David Eby, the previous Attorney General and Housing Minister who recently became premier-designate — after driving his only rival out of the NDP leadership race. He is set to be officially sworn in on Nov. 18, nearly a month after he officially became premier-designate.
It’s an unusually long wait time for a premier to be sworn in, made worse by the fact that he has cancelled the week of session that was set to take place in the days leading up to the 18th.
This means fewer days to hold government to account and fewer days to debate important legislation. For someone who as spoken so much about wanting to hit the ground running, it seems like our new premier is more afraid of facing the Official Opposition and his track record on issues like crime and housing, than he is serious about getting to work for British Columbians.
The legislative session is critical to the work of government. It’s where we have the opportunity to make real changes, pass new laws, and have vital discussions about the issues facing British Columbians. In the middle of so many overlapping crises, you’d think that government would want more time in session to address these serious issues.
But before he has even been sworn in, our new premier has already signalled to British Columbians that he wants to spend as little time as possible working to solve the problems facing our province. Not the best first impression.
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