Horgan attacks on health care, while Wilkinson seeks debates
NDP leader says Liberals will cut services during pandemic to benefit big business
VICTORIA B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan accused his opponents Tuesday of threatening to cut health care services during a pandemic, as he inserted the delicate issue of health and COVID -19 into the first full day of the provincial election campaign.
Horgan visited the battleground riding of North Vancouver-Lonsdale, where he and incumbent Bowinn Ma attacked the B.C. Liberal party's record on health care and argued that a Liberal government would cut health services to fund tax breaks for wealthy corporations.
To date, the Liberals have made no such campaign commitment, and it brought an angry retort from Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson who accused Horgan of undermining the united public health response.
“We need to keep fighting the pandemic,” Horgan said at the rally, held on North Van's waterfront. “And we need to make sure that we're focusing on an economic recovery that works for everyone, not just those at the top.
“The choice in this election is clear in my opinion ... there's the approach of the B.C. Liberals and Andrew Wilkinson, which we've seen over the previous 16 years of government, that focused on the wealthy and the well-connected, focused on reducing services for people and making us pay more in the process.”
Ma sharpened that attack. “John has been looking out for our families and communities through this pandemic,” she said.
“He understands what people are going through right now. He knows that people are worried about their loved ones and their livelihoods and he has a plan to get people through the pandemic and build an economic recovery that includes everyone. The choice in this election could not be clearer. Andrew Wilkinson and the B.C. Liberals would help those at the top.
“They support billions of dollars in tax giveaways for the wealthy and big corporations, and they would pay for it with cuts to services like health care that people desperately rely on. John understands this. He understands we cannot afford to take that risk right now.”
The criticism was a marked departure from the spring, when Horgan praised the co-operation between parties on the public health response to COVID-19.
The Liberals and the Greens voted in favour of $5 billion in extra pandemic spending, and lined up to support Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry — going so far, at times, to host joint virtual town halls in ridings to present a unified public health message. B.C.'s non-partisan response was cited elsewhere in Canada as a cornerstone of its early success in combating the virus.
“It's a concern when the premier is trying to make health care an issue when we've been collaborating with them for the last six months to look out for the health of British Columbians,” Wilkinson said Tuesday. “We said back in March, time to fight the virus, not each other. So it's disappointing seeing the premier trying to find divides and reasons to make partisan the health issue.”
Horgan told reporters his criticism of Liberal health care spending was based on the previous 16 years of government. But when pressed, he admitted there is no actual partisan divide between himself and his opponents on COVID-19 and the accessibility to health care.
Horgan used Tuesday's rally in North Van to promise 10 new urgentand primary-care centres in B.C. by the end of 2021 if re-elected.
He also said a snap election is necessary because the B.C. Greens wanted additions to the February budget that were unacceptable.
In response, B.C. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau released a letter she had written to Horgan on Friday asking the two parties to collaborate on a green economy, economic reform, health care, the overdose crisis, child care, endangered species, poverty reduction and affordability.
Meanwhile, the B.C. Liberal campaign launched Tuesday in Surrey, where Wilkinson challenged Horgan to three televised debates.
“We'll also be promoting the idea of three separate debates involving me, John Horgan and Sonia Furstenau, so that people can get to know our positions in this very strange pandemic election,” said Wilkinson. “Our concern is the NDP might be trying to suppress the interest of the public learning about the issues.”
Horgan said he'll consider it. Surrey is also a battleground region, with the Liberals seeking to reclaim several ridings they lost in 2017. Wilkinson highlighted the NDP government's failure to eliminate school portables in Surrey, which he promised in the last campaign.
We said back in March, time to fight the virus, not each other. So it's disappointing seeing the premier trying to find divides and reasons to make partisan the health issue.