We don’t know now whether John Horgan will win his snap election bet. We do know, however, that it is politics as usual – pandemic or no pandemic.
The premier spins his case for forcing British Columbians to the polls in the midst of what is predicted to be a resurgent pandemic as do all political party leaders seeking to exploit circumstance for political gain: for the good of the electorate.
But the good of an electorate facing monumental economic challenges never depends on being distracted by political opportunism in a short sprint to the polls that will inevitably sidestep issues of substance in favour of partisan promises bankrolled by taxpayer dollars. And neither is the good of B.C. residents well served by vacating the legislature during a health and economic crisis for an unnecessary election.
The good of the electorate requires that more than taxpayer-funded aid will continue to flow unchecked in every direction from the provincial treasury.
B.C. has thus far been spared serious long-term damage from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the bills are adding up.
The province’s 2020-21 deficit is on track to hit $12.8 billion, and its overall debt is headed to $88 billion and beyond as revenue forecasts in the government’s first quarterly report for 2020 are $4.6 billion lower and expenses are $7.7 billion higher than envisioned in the province’s 2020 budget.
The runaway debt train is rolling along an economic landscape in which tourism, travel, natural resources and other key B.C. industries are in crisis and difficulties with major trading partners China and the United States abound.
Remedies to those and other serious economic ailments will not be found in the partisan divisiveness that will be sparked by Horgan’s snap election call.
A win for the BC NDP is no guarantee of any wins for the rest of the province and its economic future, especially if the post-election recovery plan is as predictable as the one the party delivered prior to the provincial election call.
