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BC United Leader Kevin Falcon has said his party would scrap the CleanBC plan in its entirety if it won power in next year’s election.
He said the government strategy – which is designed to lower emissions in the province by 40 per cent by 2030 – will “kill jobs, kill paycheques, kill billions in funding for vital public services.”
Falcon also said the scheme will push British Columbia into recession, cost the average household $11,000 a year, erase 200,000 jobs and lead to a fall in tax revenues of close to $3 billion, citing a report from the Business Council of BC.
“The NDP’s plan won’t even make a dent in global greenhouse gas emissions, but British Columbians will pay an enormous price,” he said on Tuesday in Surrey.
“The CleanBC Plan is nothing more than a ‘Cost BC’ scheme.”
In response to the announcement, NDP Minister of Post Secondary Education Selena Robinson said Falcon was "searching for the Conservative vote."
Thank you to everyone who attended the @SBofT event today! 🙌#ICYMI I announced that BC United will scrap the NDP's 'CostBC' scheme and rollout commonsense measures that build our economy, grow people’s paycheques, and deliver real climate results!
— Kevin Falcon (@KevinFalcon) November 22, 2023
👀👉https://t.co/cGq45URJWz pic.twitter.com/fBkfuNrvdR
She wrote on X: “We’re spending billions dealing with the fires and floods that come from climate change ….. and @KevinFalcon who once said he is proudest of his work on climate action …. Now wants to go backward.”
Minister for Infrastructure and Transit Dan Coulter, meanwhile, accused Falcon of “campaigning to climate change deniers.”
He added: “We've been growing the economy and fighting climate change at the same time. BC has added over 100,000 jobs in the last two years, AND our emissions are coming down.”
Falcon, however, said he wanted to replace the CleanBC plan with “commonsense measures” that will both grow the economy and bring down emissions.
He said his party would:
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Abandon the CleanBC plan and replace it with new policies “that focus on real climate results while providing more jobs, higher incomes and lower taxes”
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“Go all-in on LNG” to end reliance on foreign coal, reduce emissions and improve the BC economy
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Prioritize private sector investment in the likes of carbon capture technology
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Invest in “climate resilient infrastructure”
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“Aggressively overhaul forestry management practices” to bring down emissions caused by wildfires
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End the electric vehicle subsidy so that “hardworking, lower incomes folks” are no longer “subsidizing Teslas for the wealthy”
“British Columbians are stretched to the limit, more kids than ever before are learning in portables and our healthcare system is being pushed to the brink,” Falcon explained.
This is deeply troubling news…
— Brenda Bailey (@BrendaBaileyBC) November 21, 2023
The #CleanBC🍃plan is perhaps the most progressive climate action framework put forward by any government in North America. Scrapping the plan to appease an extremist base in not leadership, it’s a catastrophic step backward that we cannot afford. https://t.co/0p0aLplnqu
“In the face of all this, BC cannot afford the NDP’s dangerous ‘Cost BC’ scheme. We need commonsense measures that will grow our economy and actually fight climate change, rather than punishing hardworking British Columbians who are just trying to make ends meet.”
He added: “It has never been a choice between real climate action and our economy; this plan recognizes that with real leadership, these things go hand-in-hand.”
In October, Falcon said he would ditch the carbon tax if Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre won the next federal election.
Last week, meanwhile, he told KelownaNow the provincial government is waging a “crusade” against health workers who are not vaccinated against COVID-19.
He also said he wants to lead a unifying government in the province, rather than one that is focused on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
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