2020 will go down as one for the record books.
COVID-19 has forever changed our views toward many things and brought economies to a halt in countless jurisdictions.
Here in B.C., the early response to the pandemic was swift, with all three political parties in the legislature working together in a non-partisan manner to get British Columbians the help they needed and deserved. MLAs unanimously passed a support package, and throughout the summer the official Opposition worked hard, reaching out to people in every corner of the province and putting forward constructive policies and suggestions to address the real needs of the British Columbians.
However, in late September, the trust and goodwill of the BC Greens and BC Liberals was not enough to prevent John Horgan and the BC NDP from calling an unnecessary snap election in the middle of a global pandemic. In the end, their election gamble paid off as people chose not to risk a change in government amid a health and economic crisis.
Unfortunately, after assurances from Horgan that a snap election would not slow the progress of government, we’ve seen in recent months that it certainly did. The government was put on pause, and as a result, vital programs and operations have been delayed. So much so that the NDP recalled the legislature in December – not to pass new supports to help people, small businesses or non-profits that continue to struggle, but to delay the introduction of the 2021 budget by an extra month. Simply put, Horgan took his eye off the ball and this government lost focus.
The decision to call back the legislature provided the government with a perfect opportunity to follow through on the promises it made to British Columbians. However, it chose to ignore that opportunity. British Columbians need and deserve so much more.
As the official Opposition, we’ve been pushing for greater accountability and transparency, as well as immediate supports to help those who need it most. Even before this pandemic, British Columbians were facing challenges. People were already feeling the pain of the skyrocketing cost of living, increases in insurance premiums, and no relief was in sight to remedy the lack of affordable housing or appropriate mental health and addictions supports so desperately needed.
It is the Opposition caucus’ responsibility to hold the government to account for its lack of action on these and other critical issues.
We will also work hard to support efforts to deal with COVID-19’s impacts on public health and the economy.
As we look to a new year, we are committed to engaging with British Columbians to hear about what matters most to them. We must look back and learn from the recent election and the clear message that we need to refresh, renew and set out a bold and visionary plan for our province.
As we look back on 2020, my hope is that we can take a moment to reflect on the strength and resilience of the people who call British Columbia home. COVID-19’s impacts have been devastating, and through it all we have been reminded that we live in a very special place. Times like these motivate us to work harder on behalf of the people we were elected to serve and we are committed to doing that in the months and years ahead. •
Shirley Bond is interim leader of the official Opposition and MLA for Prince George-Valemount.
