Vaughn Palmer: If every minister were as on top of his ministry as Adrian Dix, the NDP would be living up to the premier’s vow to ‘hit the ground running’.
VICTORIA — The B.C. Conservatives got ahead of the New Democrats this week in meeting with seven industry associations over concerns about economic growth and private sector employment.
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The Business Council of B.C., B.C. Chamber of Commerce and five other industry associations raised those issues in an open letter to the government on Oct. 30.
They flagged the loss of manufacturing jobs, the lag in private sector employment and affordability.
The New Democrats, continuing a slow-motion approach to their postelection agenda, have yet to set up a meeting with the seven or release a formal response to the letter.
Nine Conservatives, led by Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna-Mission and the party’s critic on jobs, economic development and innovation, met with the business organizations on Tuesday.
“I think it’s quite notable we’ve made the effort to put together nine critics to go and meet with those folks and establish a relationship and get down to work on our approach to supporting private sector job growth,” Dew told Rob Shaw of the Orca online newspaper.
“It’s equally notable the NDP has not responded, and is totally silent, as to any indication of how they intend to shift direction.”
Not every NDP minister has been slow off the mark on economic matters. On Tuesday, I was on a panel at the First Nations Energy Summit, put on by Clean Energy B.C.
The room was buzzing over the previous day’s presentation by Adrian Dix, the new minister of energy and climate solutions in the NDP government. Though two other ministers were in attendance, Dix got the most attention for his emphasis on building clean energy projects in partnership with First Nations.
One of the organizers told me he’d lost count of the number of times Dix emphasized the need for “urgency.”
In that regard, B.C. Hydro is expected to announce by mid-month the successful respondents to this year’s call for independent power projects.
The hard part is getting them built in expedited fashion. But I gather Dix acknowledged as much Monday.
If every minister in government were as on top of his files as Dix, the New Democrats would be living up to the premier’s postelection promise to “hit the ground running.”
Back to the Conservatives and their meeting with the industry group.
“Throughout the meeting, Dew and his fellow critics emphasized their commitment to working collaboratively with industry leaders to develop a comprehensive recovery plan,” according to the Opposition news release.
“Discussions also highlighted the province’s growing fiscal challenges, including a projected $9 billion deficit for 2024-25, the largest in B.C.’s history.”
No mention there of the corresponding lapse in the Conservative election platform. After declaring that “B.C. is drowning in a sea of red ink,” the Conservatives said it was their intention to top up the sea with another $2.3 billion in spending.
Only after winning a second term of government (which presumes a lot) would the Conservatives “return the budget to balance.”
In the meeting with business leaders this week, “the Conservative economic team reaffirmed its commitment to an inclusive and collaborative approach, ensuring that all voices are heard in the development of policies that drive long-term prosperity and job creation,” according to the news release.
Speaking of inclusivity, the Conservatives have not been in any evident rush to address lingering concerns about Brent Chapman, their winning candidate and MLA for Surrey South.
Chapman was dogged during the campaign over some deeply offensive social media posts he’d made against the Muslim and Palestinian communities. He apologized, but also ducked media questions, a practice that has continued to this day.
One of his few interviews since the election was with Tom Zillich of the Surrey Now-Leader. “Chapman initially agreed to a phone interview, but later asked that questions be emailed, due to his busy schedule,” according to the Nov. 15 posting in the Now-Leader.
Zillich asked Chapman if he had “reached out to Muslim groups” over his posts on social media.
In writing, Chapman pretty much ducked the question: “I was fortunate to have Muslim people in Surrey South vote for me. Some told me that they voted for me in the hope that I would get SOGI out of schools, recriminalize hard drugs, bring safety back to our streets, help people experiencing homelessness, and bring down the cost of living.
“I intend to honour their support, the support of the rest of my voters and work hard for all the people of Surrey South.”
Last week, several advocates in the Muslim community told the Tyee that Chapman has yet to respond to their invitations to meet with them. Reporter Jen St. Denis also wrote that “Chapman did not respond to the Tyee’s request for an interview for this story.”
Conservative leader John Rustad appointed Chapman critic for transit and ICBC. Both are major portfolios given persistent concerns over funding for rapid transit and the fallout from “no fault” auto insurance.
Opposition critics are sometimes referred to as members of a “shadow cabinet.” If Chapman continues to avoid the overdue reckoning with the Muslim community, he risks making his post all but invisible.