Lək̓ʷəŋən [LEKWUNGEN] TERRITORY / VICTORIA B.C. – Following the BC NDP’s unusual use of Standing Order 81 to rush through Bill 8 in a single day, BC Green interim leader Jeremy Valeriote (West Vancouver-Sea to Sky) released the following statement:
“April Fools Day usually involves light-hearted jokes, but today, the BC NDP have managed to fool themselves into believing they are still climate leaders. The party that fought an election campaign on Axing the (Carbon) Tax in 2009, and would later come to support it because it is the most effective tool in a climate action toolbelt, has come full circle. This is a flip-flop not based on principle and evidence, but by following the lead of the Conservatives who flirt with climate change denial.
“Premier Eby failed to make the case for the Carbon Tax, giving up on it even before last year’s election. He allowed the Conservatives to politicize it and flood B.C. with misinformation. This is the same BC NDP that bent over backwards with taxpayer dollars to expand a sunset LNG industry in B.C., again following the initiative of the BC Liberals (now reconstituted as the BC Conservatives). Piece by piece, the BC NDP is dismantling our province’s ability to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
“As BC Greens, we have our work cut out for us. We will lean heavily into the early review of CleanBC, made possible by the Cooperation and Responsible Government Accord. We will fight for a B.C. that can call itself a climate leader again. The BC Greens will not give up on an electrified, decarbonized economy and a sustainable British Columbia.”
BC Green MLA Rob Botterell (Saanich North and the Islands) added:
“Under Premier Eby, the province has blown through a $4 billion surplus to a deficit of $11 billion in just a few years. With the elimination of the Carbon Tax, the BC NDP has added over $2.5 billion to that figure. They are making it harder for the government to adequately respond to rampant unaffordability and a healthcare system already in crisis.
“In fact, Bill 8 has actually slashed a successful affordability measure – the Climate Action Tax Credit. Central to the Carbon Tax was this redistribution of funds to low- and moderate-income families, amounting to almost $1 billion in financial support annually.
“Not only has the BC NDP taken a massive step backwards for climate action, but they have also taken a massive step backwards for fiscal management and affordability – all in a single day. Together with Jeremy Valeriote, I will work to find new ways to put B.C. back on track. We were able to find agreement with the BC NDP on many matters in the Cooperation and Responsible Government Accord, and I hope we can similarly find a new path forward for major climate action, fiscal responsibility, and affordability.”
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