BUDGET 2025: Conservative Party of BC Responds
“Again, Premier Eby and his finance minister haven’t bothered to come up with a plan to get rid of trade barriers with other provinces. They didn’t do the homework they needed to do.”
-Peter Milobar, Conservative MLA and Official Opposition Finance Critic
VICTORIA, BC – David Eby’s NDP government delivered a stand pat, do-nothing budget today, despite the longstanding threat of destructive American tariffs coming true on budget day.
Eby’s budget uses a pre-election economic forecast, but:
- $1,000 grocery rebate is cancelled
- Carbon tax is going up
- No tariff relief plan
- No plan on inter-provincial trade
- Record deficit of $10.9 billion
“The Premier and the Minister of Finance could have easily taken the time to deliver a budget with substantial tariff relief,” said Milobar. “Instead they pushed ahead with a hastily-arranged plan that provides nothing for the people of this province.”
“David Eby promised $2 billion in tax relief during the election – a $1,000 grocery rebate for every household. Now families will need to come up with that $1,000 themselves.”
Despite removing $2 billion from family grocery budgets this coming year, the NDP budget still clocks in with a record deficit of $10.9 billion.
“The Premier and his finance minister are using the same growth number for the economy that was published before last year’s election,” said Milobar, “but he’s ditched his grocery rebate, and he’s still blown past his spending, debt, and deficit forecasts, setting new records for each one.”
Milobar pointed out that Eby’s NDP are still going ahead with a carbon tax hike of 3.3 cents a litre on April 1st, making it more expensive to fill the tank as living gets more expensive.
“Ironically, the NDP is also putting sales tax on the price of used electric vehicles. There is simply no way to escape,” said Milobar.
Milobar noted that there is no plan and no economic modeling showing the benefit of removing barriers to trade between Canada’s provinces, potentially the most potent weapon available to Canadians in the face of American tariffs.
“Again, Premier Eby and his finance minister haven’t bothered to come up with a plan to get rid of trade barriers with other provinces,” said Milobar. “They didn’t do the homework they needed to do.”
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