With B.C.'s legislature opening for business on Feb. 9, one week after voters are slated to go to the polls in the Coquitlam-Burke Mountain byelection, the Tri-Cities' newest MLA will have to be prepared to immediately jump into the fray in Victoria.
Who will be the most prepared?
Over the next few weeks, during the throne speech and budget presentation, we can expect the BC Liberals to laud their own accomplishments on cutting red tape, creating more nursing jobs, governing during a stable economy that generated small raises for most unionized provincial employees, and accepting increased migration, including 5,000 more students, whose enrolment in schools will have to be paid for.
Sure, B.C.'s economy is doing better than provinces to the immediate east. But there are clouds on the horizon and an astute MLA will need to be able to look carefully into the future. Voters don't need another yes man or woman, regardless of what party they belong to. Instead, they need someone who will keep eye on what's really going on behind the scenes and scream loudly when things aren't right.
For example, what does it mean to affordability when housing prices go up because of foreign investment? How are B.C. wages standing up to higher food prices as a result of Canada's sinking dollar? How will the province weather global economic uncertainty caused by China's faltering economy? Is LNG still the cash-cow the Liberals promised it will be?Is B.C. planning for a low carbon future even while gas prices are in the tank?
Here's what the province is doing for now: allowing mining companies to defer their electricity bills, something that most B.C. families, many of which are also struggling with rising costs, don't get, while also extending tax credits to that sector. Does the mining industry need that kind of break?
Meanwhile, how are the lucrative tourism, film and export sectors, all big job generators, faring? What is being done to ensure they can take advantage of the low dollar that may or may not be around for the long-term?
There are many questions that need to be answered as the legislature gets ready for the spring session and voters have a huge responsibility to pick a politician in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain who will do the necessary job of holding the government to account.
One more question to ask yourself: Do the candidates seeking your vote have the breadth of knowledge and experience for your vote or are they one-issue wonders? Check out what they have to say at www.tricitynews.com.
