KELOWNA, B.C.: Conservative Critic for Small Business and Innovation Gavin Dew says today’s new Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey confirms what British Columbians are feeling across the province: under Premier David Eby, jobs are disappearing, business confidence is collapsing, and opportunity is drying up.
“This government keeps trying to claim B.C.’s economy is strong. But the numbers tell a very different story, and it’s even worse when you actually talk to small business people,” said Dew, who is also the MLA for Kelowna-Mission. “British Columbians are paying the price for a government that has driven the small business economy into a ditch and slashed the tires.”
According to Statistics Canada’s latest data, B.C.’s unemployment rate has climbed to 6.4% — the highest this year, matching May’s rate despite 16,000 more people now living in the province. Youth unemployment (ages 15–24) has surged to 13.3%, a 1.6% jump since July and a 30% increase since Eby took office.
“What continues to worry me is the lack of opportunities for young people,” said Dew. “Eby’s self-inflicted public safety crisis has decimated our downtown storefronts, robbing a generation of their first jobs.”
The province also saw a loss of 15,000 full-time jobs in the latest reporting period — a blow to working families already struggling with record costs, housing unaffordability, and a stagnant private sector.
“This is a government that can’t grow jobs, can’t attract investment, and can’t give young people a reason to stay,” said Dew. “We’ve got 70,000 people leaving the province last year, youth unemployment skyrocketing, and small businesses barely hanging on. That’s the real Eby economy — high costs, low confidence, and zero hope.”
Dew said the Conservative Official Opposition will continue pressing the government to engage employers in developing an actual small business jobs plan.
“The NDP abruptly shut down the permanent Small Business Roundtable in February 2024, after 20 years providing feedback from employers,” said Dew. “With business confidence at rock bottom, I can’t fathom why they’ve sidelined their own Small Business Roundtable through the tariff crisis and the public safety crisis.”
“We need to rebuild confidence and create real opportunity — not for political insiders and the NDP’s latest six-figure consultants, but for everyday British Columbians trying to build a life here,” Dew said. “The NDP’s reckless mismanagement has left a generation of workers and job creators behind. Conservatives will fight to restore hope.”
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Media Contact:
Ryan Painter
Communications
Ryan.Painter@leg.bc.ca
