Time For Some Answers From The NDP
The World Today Editorial ON CKNW, December 1st, 2011 - http://bit.ly/vS9QAS
It’s time for answers from the NDP….not just drive-by smears. It’s time for Adrian Dix and his critics to put forth solutions, tell us how much that solution would cost, and where the money is coming from.
Not once but twice this week right here on CKNW we have listened to NDP’ers slam the Liberals – that’s their job. But what really ticked me off was the fact they didn’t have the jam to actually say what they would do. The NDP are leading in the polls. If the vote were today, Adrian Dix would be the next Premier. Long-time critic Bruce Ralston would likely be the Finance Minister. Kathy Corrigan would likely be in charge of ICBC. But get a straight answer from them on some basic questions – no way.
Corrigan was on with Bill Good yesterday morning, commenting on ICBC jacking up basic rates by an average of 30 dollars per year, while the Liberals have taken about 1-billion dollars in ICBC profits over the past several years and plunked the dough into general revenue. Bill then asked a straight-forward question – are you saying an NDP Government would not take profits from ICBC or BC Hydro and put that money into general revenue? Not once, not twice, but three times he asked the question, a lot nicer that I might have, and each time Corrigan danced and bobbed and weaved and refused to answer. “We don’t have the keys to the car”. “That’s a hypothetical question”. The NDP governments in the 1990’s took Crown Corporation profits and put them into general revenue, just like the Liberals have in the past 10 years. So, would an Adrian Dix government do the same thing? Of course they will. An NDP government will need just as much money as the current Liberal government does. But no, Corrigan won’t answer the obvious. She wants to criticize without saying what she would do. She wants to criticize without putting forth a solution. She wants to have her cake and eat it too.
On Monday, Finance Critic Bruce Ralston was on with me here on The World Today, commenting on the rise in the provincial deficit to 3.1 billion dollars, because revenue was down by 300-million. As the Finance Minister in an Adrian Dix government, he would have to deal with the ramifications of any pay hikes for public servants. So, a logical and straight-forward question – would you give the BCTF a pay hike and if so, how much? The Liberals have consistently said to all public servants, including now the teachers, no net increase. What is the NDP’s position? I asked him three times and three times he refused to give an answer….only “We want the collective bargaining process to unfold”. Kind of like Kathy’s “We don’t have the keys to the car”.
Adrian Dix has said the NDP would raise the corporate tax rate in BC from 10 per-cent to 12 per-cent, where it was under the Liberals 3 years ago. Assuming business doesn’t tank for the corporations, that would give the Provincial Government an additional 400-million dollars. The Liberals complain the cost of the promises made by Dix are 6-billion dollars. Even if they are wrong by half, then that’s still 3-billion. So where will the NDP get money they need – especially considering we haven’t heard any suggestions of cost cutting by the NDP? Personal income tax – that’s the only place the NDP could hope to raise enough new money to pay for everything. So, will the NDP raise the personal income tax rate to pay for its promises?
If the performances this week by Bruce Ralston and Kathy Corrigan are any indication, we won’t be getting any straight answers to straight-forward questions until the actual election campaign. The NDP wants to criticize the Liberals but doesn’t have the jam to say what their solution is, what that solution will cost, and where the money will come from.
Maybe you want to vote for the NDP. Maybe you want to vote for the Liberals. Maybe you like the Conservatives. Regardless of your political stripe, you have every right to demand each of the parties say where the money will come from. And I think you have the right to know the answer now. The NDP say “trust us…you will get the answers all in good time….all in good time.”
Really?
