Lək̓ʔəŋən [LEKWUNGEN] TERRITORY / VICTORIA, B.C. — Emily Lowan, Leader of the BC Greens, released this statement ahead of the BC NDP’s press conference regarding BC’s wildfires:
“Apocalyptic wildfires are tearing through communities in BC, while the BC NDP refuses to acknowledge the reality that so many families are now experiencing firsthand: this is an emergency.
It is not a coincidence British Columbians have lived through the worst wildfires they’ve ever seen during the BC NDP’s tenure; it is the BC NDP’s policy choices that have created these conditions.
Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar touts wildfire prevention measures, as communities reap the consequences of his unrestrained razing of BC’s forests. Meanwhile, Premier Eby proudly diverts billions of taxpayer dollars to foreign LNG corporations — the very corporations responsible for the climate emergency causing our wildfires.
The BC NDP is fundamentally incapable of addressing these wildfires because it has staked its legacy on the agenda that drives it.
The BC Greens call on the BC NDP to:
- Declare a state of emergency over wildfires;
- Immediately double the budget of FireSmart;
- Enact the recommendations of PFAC and the Old Growth Strategic Review that we jointly commissioned;
- Implement the Clean Air Act, introduced by the BC Greens in 2024 and 2025;
- End public subsidies to LNG and oil corporations.
Each summer, our skies are painted BC NDP-orange. Perhaps, as testament to their failure.”
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