The voters have done their work 鈥� now it鈥檚 time for the province鈥檚 newly returned sa国际传媒 Liberal government to roll up its sleeves and get to work on the things that matter.
Glib phrases and empty photo-ops must now give way to serious policy-making and difficult choices.
The provincial economy, which is closely linked to the political football that is the provincial debt, was the centrepiece of Premier Christy Clark鈥檚 campaign, as it must be the centrepiece of her government鈥檚 programs. We won鈥檛 know the truth about the budget鈥檚 bottom line until the end of the fiscal year in 2014, but we do know that the provincial debt sits at $63 billion, $27 billion more than it was when the Liberals took power in 2001.
To reduce the debt and provide all the services taxpayers expect, Clark envisions liquefied natural-gas plants to capitalize on the booming Asian markets, but even if LNG materializes, it will be more than a decade before revenues flow, and our problems are more immediate.
Election claims notwithstanding, the ability of a provincial government to affect the economy and create jobs is limited, and when it comes to the government鈥檚 bottom line, keeping the books balanced and cutting the debt will take more than selling off a few pieces of land.
Many environmental issues face the province, and oil pipelines are just the most current. The National Energy Board hearings on the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline to Kitimat have moved out of the province, but not out of public consciousness.
The provincial government鈥檚 power to stop the Enbridge proposal is debatable, and could ultimately be determined by politics or the courts. Clark has committed to making sure sa国际传媒鈥檚 five conditions are met before she will sign off on any pipeline, and the federal government is equally committed to getting the line built, so conflict seems inevitable.
And that is only one of many environmental questions the province faces, including the carbon tax, water supply, forests and the cascading effects of climate change.
Two of the biggest issues facing the sa国际传媒 Liberals are perennial ones. The province spends about $18 billion a year on health care and $12 billion on education.
In addition to dwarfing other provincial expenditures, these two services touch British Columbians almost every day. In both areas, costs continue to climb despite constant efforts to wrestle the spending under control. Surgical wait times, availability of family doctors, school closures and labour negotiations will be the government鈥檚 daily fare for the next four years.
Here on the Island, we wait anxiously for solutions to another perennial problem: what to do about sa国际传媒 Ferries. With costs and ticket prices rising while ridership falls, more painful decisions lie ahead.
The talking is over 鈥� it鈥檚 time for action.
