With just days to go before the official start of the provincial election, voters have already been treated to some amazing happenings.
B.C. United leader Kevin Falcon has collapsed his party's campaign before it even started. The only way to stop the NDP, he now says, is to join up with the B.C. Conservatives. John Rustad is promising to spend more money on health care but has yet to say where it will come from while fending off accusations from NDP premier David Eby that he will actually cut the health care budget. For his part, Eby now says he will cancel the carbon tax for ordinary consumers if the federal government does away with a national requirement for a carbon tax.
Voters will elect 93 people to represent them and to form the provincial government. The decisions they make at the ballot box will affect the future of the province.
At present, there are four parties represented in the provincial legislature, with the New Democrats under David Eby forming a majority government and B.C. United under Kevin Falcon as the official opposition.
The disappearance of the B.C. United party changes everything. In particular, there are a number of former B.C. United candidates now saying they will run as independents.
All of the statements and promises should be considered carefully. No statement exists in a vacuum, and each promise has the potential to have far-reaching effects.
If a party promises tax relief, it is important to question what this will mean. A reduction in taxes across the board will mean less money for provincially-funded programs and services, while a restructuring could see some people paying more while others pay less.
If a party promises improvements to health care, education or another sector, it is important to ask how the improvements would be funded. Spending could be cut in one area to allow for improvements in another, or taxes could be raised.
There are some huge issues facing the province, including British Columbia’s cost of living, housing prices and supply, the ongoing deaths from opioids, providing proper health care and providing a solid education system.
People will have differing views on how to address these and other issues, but the challenges facing the province cannot be ignored.
The promises made during the pre-campaign period and during the campaign period need to be examined since they set the direction a party will take if elected.
In the end, there will be trade-offs with any election platform or campaign.
It is up to the voters to decide which direction they wish to see. This choice must not be taken lightly.
