Barry ONeill, President of the B.C. Division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, says that by tying its own hands, the provincial government is playing into the hands of B.C.s business lobby and hampering its own ability to protect health care, education, and other vital services.
Nobody denies that we all want to work towards reducing our provinces annual budget deficit, and nobody denies that we want to work towards paying down the debt, says ONeill. But we cant afford to achieve these goals at the expense of the basic public services that British Columbians rely on every day.
Weve seen over the last few years that British Columbias economy is changing, and as our economy experiences highs and lows that we dont always control and cant always predict, its more important than ever that our provincial government has the flexibility to provide adequate funding for schools, hospitals, and the hundreds of other services that we depend on every day.
Im disappointed that Premier Dosanjh and our NDP government have taken this regressive step, and I challenge them to reconsider this unfortunate piece of legislation.
For more information:
Barry ONeill(604) 916-8444
Jim Kirk(604) 291-1940
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