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Throne Speech lacked substantive solutions to the challenges British Columbians face: Macdonald
The October 3 Throne Speech by Premier Christy Clark is a big disappointment for British Columbians as she missed another opportunity to lay out a substantive plan to address the challenges that people face, said Columbia River – Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald.
“People in this area are grappling with real issues, and struggling as a result of decisions and policies made by this government,” said Macdonald. “Christy Clark came into office promising to do government differently, but so far we’ve seen little proof of that. Premier Clark’s first act of this Legislative session was to present a Throne Speech that was as lacking in meaningful initiatives as last month’s Jobs Plan.”
Macdonald stated in a press release that much of the text of speech, which was written by the Premier’s office but read by the province’s Lieutenant-Governor, was a rehash of previous announcements leaving those who are looking for a new direction from government with little about which to be optimistic.
Macdonald, who is also the Opposition critic for Forestry, was particularly looking for the government to address issues of forest health and declining employment in the forest sector.
“In a province where forestry was once our largest industry, it is incomprehensible to me that this Premier can go through an entire Throne Speech and not once mention forestry. The government is ignoring their responsibility to promote forest health and is continuing to allow employment to go off-shore through raw log exports,” he said.
“There is no question that British Columbians deserve better. They deserve a government that puts the needs of regular British Columbians first.
Macdonald also stated on his Facebook page: “What I wanted to see in the Throne Speech: It would be built around principles of social equity, democratic engagement and protection of the land. It would be built on community resilience, and it would deal with food security. And it would include a real plan for family-supporting jobs. What would did you want to see in the Throne Speech?”
Ian Cobb/e-KNOW
