“Where’s the beef?” or “Where’s the substance?” Mar 14, 2017 12:00 PM

KAMLOOPS — In less than two months, British Columbians will go to the polls to elect a new government. Whether it will be the incumbent Liberals or one of the other two parties remains to be seen. But so far, based on what we’ve seen, I can’t see how anyone could see anything different than another Liberal government. There are some so-called experts who are calling for it to be a close election, and I understand some polls show that as well. But I can’t see it.

Current statistics show that B.C. has one of the leading economies in Canada. It has the lowest unemployment rate, and a new report out today by the B.C. Central 1 Credit Union calls for that to continue. At least one major union has voiced support for the Liberals, because it says that’s the party whose policies seem to be leading towards more jobs for their workers.

But most importantly in my view, the other parties aren’t really hitting the main issues, other than issuing general promises that have little substance. I went on the B.C. NDP page this morning, and many of the statements make promises but offer no specifics. And that’s not good enough when you’re combating the lowest unemployment rate in the country. The NDP page has headlines which suggest John Horgan will energize the B.C. tech sector with talent, capital and expanded markets. But if you dig down, you see very little on how that will be accomplished. Growing B.C.’s economy and creating more jobs are nice statements, but how exactly does the NDP propose to accomplish that?

I like the B.C. Green website much better. At least I can put my finger more easily on what the party would do if elected. Based on what I have seen so far, if I were to vote for a party that wasn’t Liberal, I could buy into many of the Green platforms more easily than the NDP’s. In fact, I think the Green Party, if they focus on their core platforms, have a chance to steal several seats in the province from both of the other parties. I don’t think that’s beyond the realm of possibility.