BC Conservative Party leader John Rustad accused NDP leader David Eby and his government of failing the people of this province Friday during a weekend swing through the Okanagan valley.
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Standing beside local Penticton-Summerland candidate Amelia Boultbee at a jam- packed Dragonboat Pub, Rustad accused Eby and his government of failing to allow the province to thrive. Rustad promised better days if the Conservatives form government in British Columbia for the first time in almost 100 years.
鈥淒avid Eby has had his opportunity, hesa国际传媒 had his chance to tell his story of this province, we need to change that,鈥 said Rustad. 鈥淚鈥檓 a proud Canadian. David Eby has actually told the public service that you鈥檙e not even allowed to call people British Columbians because it could offend somebody.
鈥淚鈥檓 sorry, but we鈥檙e going to end that kind of nonsense.鈥
Rustad said hesa国际传媒 been asked many times what would success look like for a Conservative government.
鈥淚 said itsa国际传媒 quite simple,鈥 said Rustad. 鈥淥ne in two youth are looking at leaving British Columbia today. In four years time, I want to see those youth wanting to stay in British Columbia and wanting to build a future. We want youth from across the country to look at British Columbia and say 鈥榶es, I want be part of that.鈥 I want to be part of the dream that is British Columbia. Thatsa国际传媒 going to be the measure for us in terms of success.鈥
Rustad started his speech saying Canadians are sick and tired of the federal carbon tax driving up the costs of goods and services from coast to coast.
鈥淭raveling across this province, itsa国际传媒 plain and simple and people want to get rid of the carbon tax,鈥 he said. 鈥淟etsa国际传媒 just get rid of this tax. Letsa国际传媒 get it out of our system.鈥
Eliminating the carbon tax would save British Columbians 36 cents a litre in a litre of gas, Rustad said.
鈥淚tsa国际传媒 just remarkable the NDP wants to keep it,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get rid of that sort of nonsense and put money back in peoples鈥 pockets.鈥
British Columbians are struggling to pay rent and their mortgages, he said.
鈥淲e want to help them (young people) out. We want to make sure your rent, your mortgage and your strata fees are going to tax deductible in terms of a tax credit.鈥
If elected, his government would initiate a $3,000 tax credit in 2026 for renters and homeowners, which would put an additional $1,800 per year in their pockets when fully implemented by 2029, he said.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe that the basic things you need for a living should be taxed,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat is your house, your food and your energy. We鈥檙e going to reduce these costs.鈥
Itsa国际传媒 been a very difficult few years for Okanagan farmers and orchardists and policies need to be put in place to encourage residents to purchase food from local growers, he said.
鈥淚n British Columbia today, we only procure one third of the food we consume from British Columbians,鈥 he said. 鈥淭wo thirds comes from outside our borders. That means we鈥檙e vulnerable and I think thatsa国际传媒 wrong.鈥
As the government, the Conservatives would invest heavily in agriculture and see the sector double in size by investing in water and water management is easily accessible during drought to assist the industry across the province, he said.
鈥淚 think at the end of the day, everybody would love to have our good quality, locally grown sa国际传媒 food and have that food security. Itsa国际传媒 a commitment we need to make as the Conservative Party.鈥
Rustad said the campaign has been difficult -- but productive -- and he firmly believes the Conservative Party is leading the way with two weeks to go until election day Oct. 19.
鈥淚 tell you, itsa国际传媒 going to be a tight race and every vote matters,鈥 he said.
According to 338Canada, the Conservatives are ahead in all seven ridings within The Herald and Daily Couriersa国际传媒 readership area (Vernon-Lumby down to Boundary Similkameen, including sa国际传媒).
Rustad again blamed the NDP for numerous problems facing sa国际传媒 residents.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a crisis in our healthcare system, we鈥檝e got a crisis in affordability, a crisis in housing,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got drugs running rampant in our streets. We鈥檝e got crime. Our resource sector is in shambles. Our agriculture sector is in trouble. Our deficit and our finances are in trouble.
鈥淲hat is the NDP doing? All they鈥檙e doing is talking about us. Thatsa国际传媒 all they鈥檙e doing.鈥
Eby constantly attacks his party, but never look in the mirror, Rustad said.
On social issues, Rustadsa国际传媒 government would immediately end the decriminalization of hard drugs and safe supply 鈥渢hat are destroying families.鈥
The fact a young person as young as 11 could become addicted to hard drugs and reject treatment without notifying a parent is ridiculous, said Rustad.
鈥淵ou have no options and I just think thatsa国际传媒 wrong,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 think we should make sure we put the power in parents鈥 hands to do whatever they can for their child.鈥
His government would introduce compassionate care that would allow parents to seek treatment for their young children, the Conservative leader said.
鈥淚tsa国际传媒 the right thing to do and we鈥檒l make sure itsa国际传媒 there for British Columbians,鈥 Rustad said.
Crime remains out of control across the province and Ebysa国际传媒 government is largely responsible, he said.
鈥淭hese prolific offenders we have in British Columbia, there are no consequences,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e committing crime. They鈥檙e getting a slap on the wrist and getting put out on the street. They just go back and do more crime because there is no consequences for this anymore. This has to change.鈥
The court system needs to be streamlined to ensure prolific offenders aren鈥檛 rotated through the system.
鈥淲e want to streamline it and get them into trial right away so we can get these people off our streets,鈥 Rustad said.
Besides bail reform, his government will push for minimum sentences for repeat offenders, he said.
鈥淲hen you have 20 percent of these criminals committing 80 percent of the crimes, we鈥檝e got to get these people off our streets so that our police can be doing other things,鈥 he said.
The provincial healthcare system is in a crisis and collapsing across Canada, he said.
Canada has the second-most expensive healthcare system of the top 30 industrialized countries in the world, but have the second-worst outcomes, he said.
鈥淟etsa国际传媒 actually look at a model that is working,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hen we go to Europe, we look at their universal healthcare, just like we have. Government pays, but itsa国际传媒 delivered by both government and non-government agencies. The key is the funding follows the patient.鈥
All the healthcare workers who lost their jobs during the COVID pandemic for refusing to get vaccinated need to be returned to the provincial system, he said.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincesa国际传媒 chief medical officer, would not keep her job if hesa国际传媒 elected, noting her recent support of more safe injection sites and further decriminalization of hard drugs, Rustad said.
British Columbia should be thriving, instead of struggling, he said.
鈥淲e have all we could ever want,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e have all the resources we could ever hope for. We have a well-trained and well-educated population. But unfortunately, itsa国际传媒 hopelessly managed. That needs to change.鈥
It should take days or months, not years to get permits to cutting permits in the forestry sector after a forest fire, he said.
鈥淲hy does it take three years ... 听we鈥檝e got to get rid of all that nonsense,鈥 he said.
There are 17 mines across the province in the permitting stage and those mines, once productive, would produce between 20,000 and 30,000 good paying jobs, he said.
During the life of those mines, the benefits to the province would exceed $800 billion, he said.
鈥淭he revenues from that ... Would almost be enough to eliminate the deficit on an annual basis in British Columbia,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e need to get these mines open.鈥
Rustad ended his speech reiterating this province is the best place to live in Canada and theresa国际传媒 limitless potential that must be achieved to turn things around and allow more people to thrive and succeed.
鈥淚tsa国际传媒 been almost 100 years since we鈥檝e had a Conservative government in British Columbia,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e on the verge right now of being able to deliver that. Being able to change common sense back to British Columbia and allow people to once again be proud of this great province.
鈥淲e are going to turn British Columbia blue on Oct. 19.鈥
