MLA not impressed with BC budget
By Contributor
In Tuesday’s budget, presented by Finance Minister Colin Hansen, the Liberal Government tried to make the case that the last ten years of BC Liberal government has improved the lives of British Columbians however most people who live in rural BC are not agreeing with him, says Kootenay West MLA Katrine Conroy.
“As the new Seniors and Long Term Care critic I know that seniors are struggling to make it on a fixed income and they certainly wouldn’t say that life has gotten easier for them since the BC Liberals came into power” said Conroy. “The 2011 budget brought in this week includes a 6% increase to Medical Services Plan (MSP) monthly premiums and this will be a real hardship for seniors. There is also the added cost of increased fees for long-term care and the imposition of the HST and all of this makes it more difficult for seniors to make ends meet.” Conroy also points out that nothing is being done to address the fact that British Columbia continues to have the highest rate of child poverty in the country. “How we treat our seniors and our children is a true measure of our society. Without question, using that as our benchmark, the BC Liberals have failed.” Included in the budget were also cuts to student aid funding by $34 million and a failure to invest in training and colleges. “This cut and lack of increased funding to post secondary institutions makes no sense when we are in an economic slowdown. We should be investing in training to ensure we help prepare the next generation for the jobs of tomorrow” said Conroy. Of real concern in our area is that this budget, on the 100th anniversary of BC Parks, the government is cutting the funding for our park system and for conservation officers. We already have far too few conservation officers in the Kootenays and we need increased funding for parks in BC. As MLA for Kootenay West Conroy has also been calling on the government to step up to the plate to address the need for reforestation but instead of taking responsibility for the state of our public forestlands, the BC Liberals have cut the funding for forest stewardship and tree planting by $21 million. “This budget is a real disappointment. Instead of taking seriously the needs of the people of British Columbia, the BC Liberals continue to make choices that neglect our public lands and leave children and seniors behind.”
