NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Distribution

BC Liberal solutions to revenue loss do not address basic economic fundamentals

September 13, 2012, Victoria – The expectation of an increased deficit because of dropping natural gas revenues shows the deficiencies in the BC Liberal government’s economic plan. To depend increasingly on the export of raw natural resources places the BC economy at the whim of global forces.

The BC Green Party maintains this is not a credible strategy for the long-term economic health of the province. Transitioning to regional, self-sufficient inter-dependent economies that take advantage of regional geographic and demographic conditions is the only hope for a sustainable future.

“The BC Liberal government has increasingly tied our economic future to the rapid extraction and export of natural gas and other natural resources,” says party leader Jane Sterk. “It is a myopic and failing strategy.

“The globalized economy is fragile and BC, like Canada, is looking to China to purchase our resources. We even encourage China’s State-owned companies to take an ownership position in industrial projects. This is worrisome for BC Greens and for most British Columbians.

“In reality, China is experiencing its own dramatic slow-down and the fight for its diminishing dollar is becoming a competitive race to the bottom with BC trying to elbow its way to the front.

“On an increasingly stressed and resource-depleted planet, the strategy makes no sense. Given the increasingly dramatic evidence of rapidly accelerating climate change, the strategy is insane.”

BC Greens believe this is a time for new thinking and a new economic plan. We propose moving to a renewable-energy based, low-carbon, distributed economy that creates new jobs and new local business opportunities throughout BC.

The BC Liberals decision to reduce government expenses will have limited success. Greens support freezing salaries for public sector management but we would go further. We believe that there needs to be a wholesale review of executive compensation with the view of reducing the level of those salaries.

Greens also believe we need to look at the number of new executive positions that have been established during the BC Liberals tenure. Despite the BC Liberals purported adherence to free enterprise principles, they have overseen a bloating in the number of increasingly expensive executive positions rather than sticking to a just-lean-enough to be effective model of organizational effectiveness.

“The BC Liberal’s plan to review the “bargaining mandate” is odious for collective bargaining. There is already labour unrest with the BC GEU, workers at UVic and BC Transit workers. Unionized workers are angry about the BC Liberal government’s refusal to respect collective bargaining rights and to bargain in good faith.

“Is this a BC Liberal election strategy? Do they think that deliberately provoking further deterioration in labour relations is a way to turn support away from the NDP? If so, their plans for the election are as flawed as their economic management,” concludes Sterk

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