David Eby and the BC NDP have pushed British Columbia’s economy into chaos. Their irresponsible approach has led to reckless spending, skyrocketing taxes, and major economic sectors pushed to the brink of collapse.
Reckless Provincial Finances:
- David Eby and the NDP are running the highest deficit in British Columbia’s history at a record $13.8 billion.
- Debt per British Columbian is forecast to climb from $17,300 to over $32,000 this year, and over $40,000 by 2028/29.
- By then, interest payments alone will cost about $8.7 billion or roughly $1,500 for every British Columbian. This is money that cannot go into health care or schools.
- Their record includes eight credit downgrades since 2023.
Skyrocketing Taxes:
- In spite of that, David Eby has raised taxes more than forty times and has already announced $1.3 billion in tax increases during the first few weeks of the campaign.
- Even before David Eby’s proposed “Doctor Tax” that applies an additional 2% to all highly talented workers, BC’s top marginal income tax rate of 53.5% was among the highest in North America.
- The NDP also suspended inflation indexing of tax brackets up to 2030, meaning British Columbians pay more tax each year, eroding their purchasing power.
Jobs and Economic Decline:
- Real GDP growth is forecast at 0.9%.
- Housing starts are down almost 10 percent year to date.
- From January 2019 to August 2026, private sector employment grew by about 3% while public sector employment by 46%, the highest in Canada.
- In August alone, the province lost 26,000 full-time jobs, and unemployment has climbed to 6.5 percent.
- At one point, there were more than 20 LNG projects proposed in B.C., but most ran into the brick wall of a hostile BC NDP.
- Twenty-one lumber mills have closed since 2023.
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Media Contact:
Alex Shiff, Director of Media Relations
media@conservativebc.ca