NDP Says Budget Is A 'Missed Opportunity'

By 250 News

Rising in the Legislature to respond to the Liberal's 2007 budget, the New Democrat MLA for Surrey-Whalley, Bruce Ralston, says the budget "missed the mark".

Ralston says with the robust economy, the Liberals should have done more to help working families.  And he says, if the last two budgets are any indication, the government will have difficulty living up to its promises.

"I want to remind this House that today's budget, which the Minister calls the 'Housing' budget, follows, as she reminded us, last year's 'Children's' budget, and the 'Seniors' budget the year before - both of those budgets were met with strong criticism because they didn't deliver on their promises."

Ralston continues, "Seniors didn't get the long-term care beds they were promised, there were cuts to home-care, we saw continued chaos at the Ministry of Children and Family Development and the Premier stood silent while the federal government cancelled almost half-a-billion dollars in childcare funding, passing those cuts along to B.C. families."

And he says this budget represents a missed opportunity, Ralston says, "At a time when global markets and high prices mean our prime industries are doing well, the government should be investing in programs for ordinary people."

Ralston points to health-care issues, saying B.C. has seen ER grid-locks, Code Purples, and the growth of private care under the Liberal government.  He says the Minister has said this year's funding is adequate to meet needs, but the New Democrat says none of these issues have been addressed.

"Families today are scrambling to find quality childcare spaces because the government won't provide adequate funding - not a single word about childcare in the Minister's speech," says Ralston, "This government can find more than a million dollars to boost the budget for Ministers' offices, but they can't scrape together $5-million dollars to keep the childcare resource and referral offices open."

"Childcare is fundamental to our economy, the government has chosen not to invest in those critical supports and working families will pay the price."

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