B.C. Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson says his party’s projection of 3.2% economic growth by 2029 is achievable ahead of the Oct. 24 provincial election.
The Story
B.C. Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson says his party’s projection of 3.2 per cent economic growth by 2029 is “absolutely doable,” during the final days of campaigning before the Oct. 24 provincial election.
Doerkson said the Conservatives’ growth estimate represents about one per cent “more optimism” than the New Democrats previously budgeted and is more than 50 per cent higher than the forecast in the last provincial budget.
He also pointed to higher projections than recent outlooks from the Bank of Canada and the International Monetary Fund at the national level.
Speaking at a campaign stop in Maple Ridge, B.C., Doerkson said industries including natural gas, forestry, mining and agriculture are waiting to invest once there is a change in government, which he attributed to “fear” under the previous NDP regime.
The Conservative platform promises to create $2.6 billion in new revenue over three years, while shrinking the deficit to $10.8 billion on gross domestic product growth of 2.5 per cent next year, 2.8 per cent the year after and 3.2 per cent in 2029.
NDP leader David Eby said the Conservatives are “torquing the numbers” and that their platform has “major omissions” on how the party would pay for its plans, citing a failure to cost “basic platform commitments like their cut to the (Provincial Sales Tax) on alcohol, which costs almost $300 million.”
Eby said the approach is intended to “minimize the reality of the cuts they’re going to have to make.”
← More stories