VICTORIA, B.C.: The federal government’s latest agreement with B.C. shows just how badly the NDP government has botched the George Massey Tunnel replacement project. In last week’s MOU between the governments of Canada and B.C., the federal government pledged to cover up to one third of the capital costs for the project, totaling up to $3 billion. That same amount was once expected to pay for the entire replacement crossing, now it may not even cover a portion of the cost as the NDP’s financial mismanagement pushes B.C. deeper into fiscal trouble.

“When the George Massey Tunnel replacement project was first announced as a bridge, the entire project was estimated to cost $3 billion, and now we’re being told that number might not even cover a third of the total costs,” said Misty Van Popta, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure. “This is one of the most stunning displays of government incompetence I have ever seen, and it is inconceivable that David Eby and Mark Carney are trying to spin this as a win. The NDP government cancelled the bridge in 2017 for no good reason, with no realistic alternative in place. Nine years later, we are dealing with endless delays, cancelled contracts, and ballooning costs. Despite the Liberals’ attempt to bail out the NDP here, we still have no timeline and no cost estimate.”

“This deal is cold comfort to the millions of commuters stuck in traffic every day because of the NDP’s incompetence,” said Ian Paton, MLA for Delta South. “What good is this contribution without any plan in place to start building?”

“The federal Liberals seem to be trying to keep David Eby and his incompetent NDP government afloat, but given their track record, you can count on the NDP not to put this $3 billion to good use,” said Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Leader of the Conservative Party of B.C. “They could have built a replacement crossing for $3 billion nine years ago, but the NDP are only capable of wasting taxpayer money instead of building the infrastructure projects B.C. needs.”

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