Premier David Eby said British Columbians understand the depth of challenges facing the province, adding he is prepared to be judged by the concrete results his government can deliver between now and the next provincial election in October 2024.
B次元官网网址淢y core belief is that government can really be a force for good and can achieve things we canB次元官网网址檛 achieve on our own,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 want British Columbians to look around their community and see, whether in their own lives or in their community, an area where government is making a difference on something that they really care about,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淭hat is the definition of success for me B次元官网网址� that people can see in a meaningful way in their lives the difference that one government party is making versus another party being in government.B次元官网网址�
While this test can apply in many policy areas, Eby specifically singled out housing.
B次元官网网址淧eople are going to able to see these changes by next October and if they want them to continue, then they should be voting for us and if not, then I will understand,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut we put literally everything we had into this.B次元官网网址�
Eby made these comments in his year-end-interview with Black Press Media little more than a year after becoming B.C.B次元官网网址檚 37th premier.
Eby entered the office with a reputation for being a workaholic, with a knowledge of even the most intricate policy details. He sometimes introduces discussions with the line B次元官网网址榳e are going to get Level 5 on this, but this is a Level 5 crowdB次元官网网址� like he did during a recent meeting with business leaders.
He has also not shied away from defending his more interventionist interpretation of government.
When BC United released a ministerial memo found on the floor of the legislature as alleged evidence of government trying to extract a hydro rebate from a company proposing to build a green hydrogen plant in Prince George, Eby did not run away from it. He doubled down on it.
B次元官网网址淏ig affordability initiatives? Absolutely,B次元官网网址� he said during Question Period before accusing BC United of standing in the way of affordability measures and jobs benefiting residents in one of their ridings. B次元官网网址淎nd now he (BC UnitedB次元官网网址檚 Mike de Jong) stands up and says, B次元官网网址楽hame on you for trying to find more affordability options for British Columbians?B次元官网网址� Shame on you, Member.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
Eby, in a form of verbal Jujutsu, even embraced the language, which the opposition had believed would embarrass him.
B次元官网网址淚 am absolutely looking for big affordability measures for British Columbians and I want them to shine,B次元官网网址� he said later. B次元官网网址淚 want British Columbians (to know) that we are delivering for them on affordability,B次元官网网址� he added, pointing to various past policies. B次元官网网址淚 have asked every single minister, B次元官网网址楲ook at the your file, find ways to deliver affordability for British Columbians.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
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Perhaps nowhere has EbyB次元官网网址檚 approach been more apparent than in housing, an issue often described in moral terms.
B次元官网网址淓very British Columbian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home,B次元官网网址� he said in early January. B次元官网网址淯nfortunately, this simply wasnB次元官网网址檛 a priority for more than a decade.B次元官网网址�
About a year later, EbyB次元官网网址檚 government has in the minds of many revolutionized housing legislation. At least four major housing law passed alone during the legislatureB次元官网网址檚 fall session on top of policies announced in late 2022 and early 2023 with more coming in 2024.
But quantity does not necessarily guarantee effectiveness and the question remains: when will British Columbians see significant improvements in housing?
Eby said some British Columbians have already benefited from changes that have made units previously used as investments and vacation properties available to renters or buyers.
B次元官网网址淏ringing those units has been really important, but for the long-term, for our population growth and for getting families the chance to live in (units coming online through increased density in what are now single-residential neighbourhoods), those changes are going to take a while,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he good news is that municipalities have to have the rules in place by next year. Construction will be starting almost right away. B次元官网网址�
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But EbyB次元官网网址檚 housing agenda has also received criticisms from various corners, including the BC Greens, whose leader Sonia Furstenau accused New Democrats of becoming the very thing they once despised by ramming through legislation without sufficient parliamentary scrutiny.
So how did Eby, with his history of defending procedural fairness through his previous career as a civil rights lawyer, take FurstenauB次元官网网址檚 criticism?
Governments of all size and around the world get B次元官网网址渨rapped up in endless process,B次元官网网址� he said, pointing to procedural wranglings in Vancouver.
B次元官网网址淔or people, who are struggling to find a place to live, they like process as much as the next person, but they want government to treat this housing crisis like a crisis,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淵oung people want to know that they have a future in the province, that there is actually a government, who cares about whether or not they have a place to live hereB次元官网网址nd if people feel that the process was insufficiently process-oriented, they will be able to vote that way at the fixed election date.B次元官网网址�
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Eby enters 2024 as the expecting father of a third child and with the best personal approval ratings among the four party leaders. Polls show his party comfortably leading in the polls, despite a slowing economy and still-high inflation.
Far from showing fatigue with a party entering its seventh year in power, British Columbians appear poised to re-elected New Democrats under Eby as the opposition on the right side of the political spectrum remains divided. But what some might call a dream scenario appears against the backdrop of rising populism partly caused by concerns about affordability.
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Both BC United and the Conservative Party of BC have promised to trim back, if not eliminate entirely, measures to fight climate change, including the carbon tax, a measure once introduced by the BC Liberals, now defended by a New Democratic premier.
B次元官网网址淚n an atmosphere of people struggling with affordability, it is a challenging thing to say, B次元官网网址榣ook, we need to take action on climate change,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭his (carbon tax) is a mechanism that has worked well to reduce pollution in our province and if you donB次元官网网址檛 have the carbon tax, you are going to have to have something else that funds various pieces of government.B次元官网网址�
Cutting or eliminating the tax would also hurt businesses and individuals, he added, noting that companies have not passed on cuts to consumers, but generated windfall profits instead.
B次元官网网址淚 do understand caring about affordability, but what I donB次元官网网址檛 like is posturing on ideas that you think are politically popular that will have no effect on peopleB次元官网网址檚 daily lives.B次元官网网址�
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By vocally supporting the carbon tax, Eby also runs the risk of allowing the opposition to make the election about the tax. So what kind of politician defends a tax?
B次元官网网址淚 believe in my heart that British Columbians are not idiots,B次元官网网址� he said, pointing out that later that British Columbians actually elected B次元官网网址渢o the NDPB次元官网网址檚 chagrinB次元官网网址� the BC Liberals, when they were running on the carbon tax. B次元官网网址淩egardless of partisan stripe,B次元官网网址� British Columbians understand that taxes are necessary to fund government and the services they rely on, he added. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 probably better to tax pollution than to tax a number of other things.B次元官网网址�
wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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