Let’s be honest. Except for a very engaged few, no one cares about a political party’s new name and colours. As excited as my team and I were to launch our new BC United name last week, most of you were just going about your lives, spending time with your loved ones, working hard, and trying to build a better future for yourselves and your families.
You just want to know that the government is doing its job, too.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case over the past six years. David Eby and the NDP have taken more of your money than ever, spent more than ever, and doubled the debt for our kids to pay off, with virtually nothing to show for it.
Sky-high housing prices mean far too many are having to choose between paying their rent or paying for groceries. And still more have given up hope of ever owning a home.
People are genuinely afraid to enter areas of Vancouver, Prince George and Kelowna. Violent crime is totally out of control, with an average of four random stranger attacks a day in Vancouver alone.
We’re seeing some of the longest healthcare waits in Canada, regular closures of ERs and a million British Columbians without a family doctor, causing people to lose trust in the system being there when they need it.
I could go on. At the end of the day, it's clear the NDP want you to just accept the status quo. They want you to just get used to things not working the way they should.
But I’m here to say: enough.
You have every right to not just expect better, but to demand better. And that’s where BC United comes in. It’s time for a change, because a better British Columbia is possible.
British Columbia needs a government that knows how to build a prosperous economy that supports your family and provides the first-class public services you deserve. A government that supports our natural resource sector and partners with Indigenous communities to build a sound, independent economic foundation that creates confidence for the future.
It needs a government that respects the workers – union and non-union – who drive our economy, build our infrastructure, and contribute to our tax base. And that treats your hard-earned tax dollars respectfully to achieve real, measurable results.
It’s time for a government that has the courage to go beyond the status quo, embracing innovation and bold thinking to solve our biggest challenges, from healthcare to housing and more.
When it comes to public safety, its high time we saw a government that fights to ensure your right to feel secure in your community comes before the rights of violent criminals to reoffend, and that never accepts lawlessness and violence as normal.
A BC United government will be laser-focused on results, not rhetoric. On competence and compassion, not mismanagement and neglect. And on optimism and hope, not despair and division. At our core, we know with absolute certainty that if we work together, if we are courageous, if we are determined, there is no problem too big to fix, and no vision too bold to strive for.
As British Columbians go about their lives, rightly thinking more about family or work or a million other things more important to them than political branding, they can rest assured of one thing: BC United will work relentlessly to take on B.C.’s biggest challenges and seize its greatest opportunities, so your kids and grandkids can have the future they deserve. Join us.
Kevin Falcon is the MLA for Vancouver Quilchena and leader of the BC United party.
