John Rustad has repeatedly attributed a supposed quote to David Eby but failed to provide a source. The NDP says it’s not a real quote and the Conservative leader is “desperately spreading a lie.”
One thing that Conservative Leader John Rustad and NDP Leader David Eby seem to be able to agree upon is that they have starkly different visions for how to fix B.C.’s continuing housing crisis.
Eby, both as housing minister and then as premier, has said he wants policies that enable more housing to be built by the private sector, non-profits and by the government.
Rustad, meanwhile, presents a more market-focused approach, saying B.C. needs to “unleash” the private sector to make housing more affordable. Further, the Tory leader has cast his NDP counterpart as hostile to private-sector involvement in housing — but one specific claim repeated by Rustad merits scrutiny.
The claim
In recent weeks, Rustad has repeatedly claimed that Eby has previously said the private sector has no role to play in housing.
In a recent interview with Postmedia News, Rustad said: “At one point, David Eby stood up in the legislature and said: ‘The private sector doesn’t have a role in housing.’ ”
Rustad initially said Eby made the statement in the legislature, and then, when asked about it, he said it might have actually been during a radio interview.
“It was either the legislature or an interview, I can’t remember which it was. But I remember him saying that specifically,” Rustad said, adding that his staff could help track down the source of the quote.
What we found
There is no record in the B.C. Legislative Assembly’s official transcripts of Eby (or anyone else) saying: “The private sector doesn’t have a role in housing.”
In the days following the interview with Rustad, the Conservative Party of B.C. didn’t respond to a series of emails seeking the source of the supposed quote.
The B.C. NDP replied by email, flatly denying the quote.
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said: “This is not a real quote. John Rustad is desperately spreading a lie.”
“David Eby has led our historic housing action to partner with the private sector to build more attainable homes,” Kahlon said.