More action on child care, transit urged
B.C. finance minister says federal budget funds for housing are ‘back-end loaded’
The federal budget unveiled Tuesday aligns with B.C.’s values and priorities, but is lacking when it comes to specific commitments that benefit the province, according to B.C.’s finance minister.
Gender equality, housing, the opioid crisis and reconciliation with First Nations peoples were among the areas that Finance Minister Carole James was pleased to see mentioned.
However other topics, including child care and transit, were given little or no attention.
“On the first look at the budget and the first going through, I’m glad to see the values reflected, I’m glad to see our priorities reflected in the federal budget,” James told reporters after the budget was released. “Now I want to see the details — I want to see the partnerships, I want to see the resources.”
James said B.C. is in an affordable housing crisis and while she was glad to see the federal government’s plans to increase loans for rental housing projects, the money is “back-end loaded,” so it won’t materialize for a number of years. She said she wants to see the federal government step up with longterm funding and strategies.
Thom Armstrong, the executive director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of B.C., said while the federal government’s big housing announcement came in 2017 there were also additions of note in this budget, including $1.5 billion over five years for First Nations housing and the loan increase.
“The devil will be in the details, but it does have the potential to get more affordable supply into the market,” he said.
There was no additional money for child care this year, although in a previous budget, the Liberals pledged $7.5 billion over 11 years for bilateral deals with the provinces and territories.
James said she was pleased that B.C. signed off on an agreement with the feds that will see Ottawa provide $153 million in new childcare funding over three years.
Now, she’d like to see resources committed in the long term.
“Certainly federal dollars are going to be necessary to make sure we truly build a universal child-care plan,” James said.
Sharon Gregson, spokeswoman for the $10-a-Day child care group in B.C., said it would have been nice to see additional funds, particularly with the Trudeau government saying it is committed to gender equality.
Gregson noted that when more B.C. parents can go to work they will pay more income tax, which benefits the federal government.
“It’s completely appropriate that they should ante up for child care,” she said.
There was very little mention of transit funding commitments — only that the federal government is finalizing negotiations for bilateral agreements with the provinces and territories.
“I expected to see more focus on transit,” said James.
In last year’s federal budget, the government committed $20.1 billion to transit system improvements across Canada over 11 years.
Of that, $2.2 billion is earmarked for up to 40 per cent of the cost of major capital projects that are part of the second phase of a 10-year plan for transit and transportation improvement in Metro Vancouver.
Those projects include constructing an at-grade light rail network in Surrey and a subway line beneath Broadway in Vancouver. The federal transit funding could also cover some of the cost of adding rail cars and upgrading stations on the existing SkyTrain system.
The budget did not break down the amounts that would go to each province or individual project.
According to TransLink, “We continue to work closely with our provincial and federal partners. We are confident a funding formula for Phase 2 will be reached soon.”
NDP finance critic Peter Julian, the MP for New Westminster-Burnaby, had a harsh critique of the budget, saying there was little to help to alleviate the housing crisis in B.C. or the opioid crisis.
“The Liberals like to talk a good game, but when it comes to implementing real measures and standing up to the wealthy and well-connected, they’re showing they don’t have the courage to act and make a real difference in British Columbians’ lives,” Julian said in a written statement.
Green party Leader Elizabeth May, the MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, said the Liberals squandered an opportunity to take a bigger leadership role on climate change.
Despite increasingly urgent warnings from climate scientists that the window to achieve the Paris target is rapidly closing, the federal budget does nothing to accelerate climate action and nothing to prepare for the impact of catastrophic climate events, said May in a written statement.
Business Council of B.C. chief policy officer Jock Finlayson said his organization is supportive of measures in the budget that include Indigenous reconciliation, gender equality and support for innovation and research.
What’s missing, however, are measures to come to grips with the much more competitive landscape that businesses are dealing because of U.S. protectionism and U.S. tax reforms.
“There’s a continuing erosion of our relative attractiveness for investment to the U.S. in traded good industries,” said Finlayson.
That includes energy, all other natural resources and manufacturing, he said.
Finlayson pointed to the prospective liquefied natural gas export industry in British Columbia that never materialized.
The Wilderness Committee welcomed the federal government’s promise of $1.3-billion over five years to support Canada’s promise to conserve 17 per cent of its land and inland waters by 2020 through a network of protected areas and other area-based conservation efforts.
“We’re thrilled about that,” said Wilderness Committee official Peter McCartney.
In British Columbia, $162 million is being set aside to support reforestation of public forests that can absorb atmospheric carbon and store it.
Certainly federal dollars are going to be necessary to make sure we truly build a universal child-care plan.