Now that we have been back in the Legislature for several weeks, I would like to give you an update on two of the important bills that are now under debate.
Bill 2: “Budget Measures Implementation Act”. BC has benefitted from a competitive tax environment with low corporate and business taxes as well as low personal income taxes. That advantage has attracted investment and grown BC’s economy to become one of the strongest in the country. This bill eliminates that competitive advantage by raising personal, corporate and carbon taxes that will be passed along to consumers, taxpayers and industry. The Carbon Tax will no longer be “revenue neutral”, and added to the price of gas at the pump and to home heating bills. There are many other changes in Bill 2 that will have an impact on all of us, so I urge you to go online and become better informed.
Bill 3: “Election Amendment Act”. I support this bill that will limit union and corporate donations and reform campaign finance laws. This bill was first introduced by the Liberal Government last spring and has now been reintroduced by the NDP, but with some significant changes and the addition of Section 20. Section 20 includes taxpayer funded political party financing, something myself and several of my colleagues have stated publicly that we do not support. The taxpayers of BC will be out of pocket $14 million for this alone, plus the reimbursement of 50% of campaign expenses on top of that which is an additional $11 million dollars. The Riding of Boundary-Similkameen will not be accepting this money. I have always been proud of the financial support of the individuals and small businesses that have covered the costs of my election campaigns.
These two bills that I have noted must be of concern to all the people of BC, as everyone will be directly financially impacted.
We are also in the process of estimates. This allows us to question the spending being proposed in each Ministry and we will debate and question the budgets. I will be questioning the new Minister of State for Childcare on her budget and how she plans to fulfill the promises made to create $10-A- Day- Daycare for the parents of BC.
As you can imagine there is never a dull day in the Legislature!
Locally, this is a critically important time for everyone involved in agriculture and our Wine Industry, as harvests are completed. And while the work never stops, we do take time to celebrate with many community events and Wine Events throughout our region. All of these celebrations need an extraordinary group of volunteers, literally in the thousands, from Princeton to Christina Lake, Osoyoos to Kaleden, and every place in between.
In closing, I would like to mention two volunteers who, from its humble beginnings 21 years ago, have volunteered for the Festival of the Grape in Oliver. Marie and George Boychuk have been volunteering at FOG every single year since its start in 1996. A festival that began with a handful of local wineries and 400 visitors and has grown to over 50 participating wineries and more than 4000 visitors. It is the single largest Wine Festival in the Okanagan and only happens with the support of volunteers like the Boychuk’s. A big thank you to all of you who volunteer your time to help showcase our award-winning wines, and help celebrate what our agricultural industries have to offer.
Linda Larson, MLA
Boundary Similkameen