Premier Christy Clark’s Liberal government delivered a threadbare throne speech Tuesday that promised British Columbians a new medal for good citizenship and little else.
Dismissed by the Opposition as “half an hour of emptiness,” the speech listed past accomplishments and commitments, while offering few insights into the legislative session ahead.
Clark made no apologies for her stay-the-course strategy. She told reporters that government will continue to deliver balanced budgets, promote a diverse economy, open up overseas markets, develop an LNG industry, cut red tape and overhaul secondary and post-secondary education.
“All of those things are not necessarily new to you,” she said. “But they’re all part of our plan. I might have to write a letter of apology to your editor that I can’t help you come up with a news story. But that’s not my job. My job is to stick with the plan.”
NDP leader John Horgan, however, accused Clark of squandering opportunities to help people “crushed” by higher Medical Services Plan premiums and rising hydro and ICBC rates.
“That was a half an hour that none of us will ever get back,” he said of the speech, which traditionally lays out government’s agenda for the spring sitting of the legislature.
“People in British Columbia are saying, I’m sure, ‘Goodness me, didn’t we just elect these people? Do they not have any ideas that are important to us?’ ”
Horgan says he has nothing against recognizing the work of volunteers with a new medal.
“We should acknowledge that,” he said. “But, again, when people are struggling, I think they want to hear, ‘Where are you going to give me a break?’ I didn’t hear any breaks today.”
The speech said government will award the Medal of Good Citizenship to British Columbians who “go the extra mile, volunteering their time, money and talents to build stronger communities.”
The medal will complement the Order of B.C. by recognizing people focused on changing their communities, Clark said.
“Think of the people who — unheralded, unapplauded — go out and do work every day in their communities, visiting senior citizens in their homes, working in a poverty-stricken community to help make sure kids have access to dentists,” she said.
The 15-page speech, read by Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon, also promised that government will launch a rural advisory committee, update the Forest Act and cut “red tape for real people.”
The Liberals took office 14 years ago promising to get rid of red tape, so it was unclear where additional cuts will be made.
“People will see that as we go through the coming weeks and months,” Clark said. “One of the things that we certainly will do is engage the small business community in helping us identify where those areas are.”
The throne speech also seemed to downplay plans for a liquefied natural gas industry once touted as an economic saviour.
Leading off with references to “uncertain times” and falling oil prices, the speech devoted just five sentences to LNG, noting that it “could create 100,000 jobs and the revenues to eliminate our debt.”
Clark said government continues to work on LNG and that a number of proponents are “nudging closer” to final investment decisions.
“We’ll see,” she said. “The price of oil will have a complex impact.”
