VICTORIA — A provincial core review tasked with finding tens of millions of dollars in savings will take aim at some of the province’s most politically sensitive programs to make sure they are working efficiently, the minister responsible said Wednesday.

“We’re going to look at some sacrosanct things, like certain agencies. We’re going to look at the Agricultural Land Reserve and the Agricultural Land Commission,” Bill Bennett, minister responsible for the core review, said Wednesday.

“I’m going to look at things that politicians have been nervous about looking at over the years and ask to better understand how they make their decisions and why they make their decisions and determine whether they’re structured to help achieve the goals of our provincial government,” he added.

Created by the province’s first NDP government almost 40 years ago, the Agricultural Land Reserve protects almost five per cent of the province for agricultural use. It has survived repeated changes of government and is seen as among one of former premier Dave Barrett’s significant achievements.

“There is certainly some potential here for some controversy over the next year and a half,” Bennett said. “Like I say, nothing is off the table.”

Premier Christy Clark has asked Bennett to lead a core review to find savings of $50 million a year over the next two years. The detailed plan for the review will be confirmed at the end of August, with final recommendations going to cabinet by the end of March.

The entire process is scheduled to be complete by December 2014.

Bennett said the review will look at virtually all entities within the public sector, and could lead to the privatization of some programs.

But he said programs that are now privatized could also be taken back into government “if they can be delivered with fewer tax dollars and better service.”

Bennett said he will seek input from public organizations and the people they serve, as well as industry associations and other interest groups. He said he also wants to consult members of the private sector and the public, but has yet to determine exactly how that will take place.

Bennett also said he wants to keep the review as open as possible and will welcome suggestions from the New Democratic Party, as well as the province’s labour unions.

“There’s no reason why the NDP or the B.C. Federation of Labour or the BCGEU shouldn’t come forward and say, ‘You know what government, we’ve got some ideas we want to give you that will help you redesign some of your service delivery and it will provide better service at less cost to the taxpayer,’” he said.

“If they have ideas like that, I want to hear them.”

NDP critic for core review Shane Simpson said Wednesday he is concerned about the fate of programs for vulnerable citizens, especially given that promises were made ahead of the Liberal government’s 2001 core review to protect such services.

“There’s a pretty vague commitment around protecting our most vulnerable citizens and programs for those citizens,” he told reporters Wednesday.

“You’ll know that in 2001 a similar commitment was made before that core review and that led to a cut of 12 per cent in the budget for the Ministry of Children and Families,” he said.

“I think it’s imperative on Mr. Bennett to release a list of what programs are we talking about for vulnerable citizens that in fact are going to be protected and not allowed to be looked at in this process.”

A news release Wednesday said the core review “will not make recommendations on those services provided to the most vulnerable of citizens except to the extent that they are not achieving intended results,” though it did not give specifics on the exact programs that will be protected.

jfowlie@vancouversun.com