BC Conservatives talk of common sense, undoing NDP policies at open house
Local candidate Jordan Kealy holds first events
Healthcare, agriculture, forestry, and even the presence of MLA Dan Davies at the meeting were all topics of conversation at Jordan Kealy’s open house, held at the Royal Canadian Legion on Saturday, as he kicked off his election campaign.
With party leader John Rustad by his side, the Peace River North BC Conservative party candidate, began his campaign with two events in town on Saturday – a standing room only open house at the Legion, and a sold-out fundraising dinner and dance at the Pomeroy Hotel.
Rustad did most of the talking, outlining the BC Conservatives’ platform, and promising to undo many of the current provincial government’s policies, which they deemed harmful to British Columbia’s people and economy.
Healthcare is always a hot topic, and BC’s health system is deteriorating, according to Rustad.
“The only country in the world that has a similar system of health to ours is South Korea,” he said.
As a result, Rustad said that 17,000 people have died on the waiting list for surgery or diagnostic scans in Canada in 2022-2023.
British Columbia is “the only jurisdiction to not hire back unvaccinated nurses,” which compounds the shortage of trained medical professionals who can help take care of the backlog. Rustad says his party aims to reduce wait times, add more doctors and nurses by incentivizing post-secondary institutions, and allow choice and competition.
Costs must be brought down in order to make agriculture viable again, said Rustad, and the carbon tax is a large part of that.
As a farmer, Kealy understands all too well what drought and excessive costs can do to an agricultural operation.
“We’ve had to cut our herd back by 70 percent because of the drought. [The NDP government] say that paying carbon tax will help, but it won’t,” said Kealy.
The high cost of doing business in BC doesn’t just affect farmers, they said. Industry, forestry are all suffering, whether it’s because of carbon taxes, production caps or inability to obtain permits, BC is not an investment-friendly jurisdiction under the current government.
Billions of dollars in GDP could be realized in the life a mine, for example. “But who is prepared to invest in British Columbia when the permitting processes take so long,” Rustad said.
Another example, he said, is the fact that the forest industry is cutting green timber, because they can’t get permits to harvest the stands of burnt timber leftover from the fires. These stands are good for only two to three years after being burned, before they fall and start rotting.
Rustad also took issue with the NDP’s 30 by 30 commitment. Thirty percent of the province is already Crown land, the highest park jurisdiction in Canada, he said. “What is doubling that going to do to the resource and agriculture sectors?”
Attendees had a lot of questions for Kealy and Rustad, including whether the BC Conservatives will stand up against the WEF and United Nations.
“We will put BC first, for sure,” Rustad assured the crowd. “We’re always going to have that lens on BC, and what is going to benefit British Columbia. If it doesn’t make sense for British Columbia, we’re not going to do it.”
That common sense approach will carry over into the Emergency Act, the pair said. The new Emergency and Disaster Management Act has been causing a lot of headaches for the Peace River Regional District, Kealy explained so it’s another thing that needs to be put right.
However, Rustad noted that because there are no regulations to govern the EDMA as yet, it cannot be implemented, even though it was given Royal Assent.
“We will repeal it when we win,” said Rustad. “We’ll do everything we can to support and encourage local engagement.”
Instead of waiting for the ministry to assess a wildfire, Rustad believes that BC Wildfire should be able to make use of local people and their knowledge, and work with them to deal with fires. Waiting for government to assess a fire, oftentimes leads to delays in response and greater losses for residents.
There were a lot of questions about mental health and the opioid crisis, and concerns expressed about the lack of treatment options in northeastern BC.
“Safe supply has failed miserably,” said Rustad. But there needs to be more than just local treatment for these issues. “There needs to be a range of treatment for people. From doctor prescribed treatments, through voluntary to involuntary treatment programs, some may have to be long-term. We need to be compassionate with the treatment.”
Rustad also suggested setting up facilities on reserves, so that First Nations people have supports at home when they return from other treatment facilities.
Energy and electricity also saw a lot of discussion and questions – with several attendees expressing their concerns that wind and solar power aren’t reliable.
“It’s good to have solar and wind power, but not to ask the taxpayer to foot the bill,” Rustad said. He also doesn’t want to see BC’s grid become as vulnerable as Alberta’s did during the recent cold snap.
Rustad believes that LNG is the way of the future. Not only will natural gas keep British Columbians warm in the harshest of weather, but other countries can benefit from this abundant, low-emission resource. A BC Conservative government will extend the permits for LNG pipelines by 10 years, to enable them to get built – there are several projects whose permits have been renewed twice, but thanks to provincial policies, have not been built.
Electricity generation is proving very expensive, said Kealy. Site C is over budget, and its finished capacity will only be 36 percent of that of the WAC Bennett Dam.
Rustad agreed, stating that BC Hydro needs a “significant review”. When it was first proposed, the budget was $6.8 billion with a contingency of $500 million. The cost of the project is now over $17 billion, he said.
As mentioned, MLA Dan Davies attended the open house, and was pointed out by the public as “the enemy in our midst”. Davies, Kealy and Rustad all refuted that assertion.
“I think it’s important to hear what everyone says,” said Davies. “Jordan came to our BC United meeting.”
Kealy agreed, stating that Davies welcomed him to the BC United town hall meeting with leader Kevin Falcon and Skeena MLA Ellis Ross.
“This is a public meeting,” Kealy said. “We represent the region – our platform is not secret.”
“It’s about standing for what’s right. We need to get away from divisions of party lines,” said Rustad.
When asked what he would do to keep the community engaged and informed, Kealy replied that he’s made it clear he answers his phone.
“At the MLA level it will be different [than as PRRD director],” Kealy said. “My main goal is to be able to get back to people. Most of the questions I’m dealing with now are provincial, which is why I decided to run.”
What is important, Rustad pointed out, is that people elect representatives that fight for people, not the party.
“You are electing a representative for you.”
“I’m very proud of the team that’s coming together. I’m very happy with Jordan – he’s a farmer, a mechanic, and a nice guy. He’s a good guy to have on our team.”