Resource development and an expansion of British Columbia’s role as an “energy superpower” took centre stage Monday as the province’s political leaders laid out economic and fiscal promises during the second week of the election campaign.
Both interim Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson and NDP Leader David Eby argued that stronger economic growth would help the next provincial government address British Columbia’s record deficit, although they offered different priorities for achieving that objective.
Doerkson pledged that a Conservative government would double liquefied natural gas production by 2032 if elected. Eby, meanwhile, said an NDP government would double the province’s exports of critical minerals within five years.
Doerkson said the world is facing an energy crisis and argued that Canada’s allies in Asia and Europe are in urgent need of Canadian LNG.
“Our allies in Asia and Europe desperately need Canadian LNG,” he said.
Eby also focused on international demand, highlighting British Columbia’s supply of critical minerals and the potential to expand exports to global markets.
“Getting them to world markets means less dependence on the U.S., while creating family-supporting jobs and the prosperity needed to strengthen health care and public services,” Eby said in Prince Rupert on Monday.
He also pledged that an NDP government would expand the Port of Prince Rupert, with the goal of making it the second-largest facility of its kind in Canada by 2030.
The two leaders also clashed over the NDP government’s record on LNG development. Eby said that, unlike the former B.C. Liberals, Doerkson’s previous party, the B.C. New Democrats had delivered on LNG projects.
“There are five LNG facilities reaching final investment decision or under construction right now in the province of B.C.,” Eby said.
Doerkson countered that the province could have been in a very different position had the New Democrats shown the same level of interest in LNG six or seven years earlier.
“It’s shocking to me that (NDP) interest in LNG has shown up 20 days before an election,” Doerkson said. “We need to get going on this right now.”
The province’s $13.8-billion deficit became another major point of debate as both party leaders were pressed on how their respective economic plans would address the shortfall.
At an event in Vancouver, Doerkson said British Columbians expect the deficit to be reduced.
“We can’t be dealing with a $14-billion deficit in British Columbia,” he said. “How do we manage anything, knowing that we are faced with these deficits year after year?”
Doerkson did not provide specific details on how a future Conservative government would balance the provincial budget. He said the party still did not know the full extent of the province’s financial position.
“The reality is that we’re not sure how bad the books are,” he said.
The interim Conservative leader replaced Kerry-Lynne Findlay roughly a week ago after her resignation. He also pointed to an accounting error acknowledged by the provincial government earlier this year that had overstated forecast natural-gas revenues by almost $1.5 billion.
“It’s going to be almost impossible to commit to how quickly we will be able to arrive at balanced budgets,” Doerkson said. “But the reality is, we have to get back to that.”
On Sunday, Doerkson had promised that a Conservative government would not increase existing taxes or introduce new ones.
Eby argued that the Conservatives’ proposed tax freeze raised questions about the party’s broader fiscal plans and said British Columbians had not been given enough transparency about what those plans would mean.
“The math doesn’t work for the Conservatives,” Eby said. “It’s very clear that their agenda, when you do the math, is to dramatically cut health care and education.”
Eby referred to comments made by Conservative candidate Tony Luck, who is seeking re-election in Fraser-Nicola. In February 2024, Luck said that because education and health care are the two largest items in the provincial budget, they would take “the brunt” of cuts.
Eby said the major parties were not fundamentally divided over the need for fiscal sustainability, arguing that the central issue was how the province would reach it.
“We’ve got to end wasteful spending,” he said. “We’ve got to grow the economy with announcements like today’s.”
Economists also weighed in on the province’s fiscal and economic challenges.
David Williams, vice-president of economics with the Business Council of B.C., said provincial spending has been growing out of control since 2021.
“Your fiscal situation is not the result of Donald Trump or external pressures or anything like that,” Williams said. “This is because of domestic policy choices around the rate of spending growth.”
Whoever forms the next government will need to bring that spending under control, Williams said.
Bryan Yu, chief economist with Central 1 Credit Union, said there are still significant questions surrounding how British Columbia can accelerate economic growth after a relatively weak year.
“It’s been a little bit troubling in terms … of business investment or business growth, like the number of business counts are very flat when it comes to Alberta and some of our other peer provinces,” he said.
Yu also said British Columbia’s public sector is relatively large compared with the province’s population and could be adjusted.
“We really need to find a way to get more jobs, more private sector investment in the economy.”
The election campaign also turned to an incident involving a gathering of alleged white nationalists on a B.C. First Nation reserve on Sunday, only days before National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
Roseanne Casimir, chief of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc nation, said a group of masked people had dropped a banner from an overpass in Kamloops questioning reports of human burials at former residential school sites.
Eby described the display as “disgusting,” while Doerkson also denounced the group.
In Victoria on Monday, Green Leader Emily Lowan outlined her party’s childcare priorities. She said the Greens would lift the freeze on the NDP government’s $10-a-day childcare spaces and aim to achieve universal free childcare spaces by 2031.
“Lack of access, lack of qualified educators, and unaffordable fees send a clear message to young people and families: the government is not investing in you,” Lowan said in a statement.
Lowan said B.C.’s current childcare model remains expensive and complicated, with the situation further aggravated by the previous NDP government’s decision to pause funding in the most recent provincial budget.
