The head of B.C.'s largest business organization calls on all parties elected to the B.C. legislature to pull the provincial economy out of its "downward spiral."
Fiona Famulak, president and chief executive officer of the British Columbia Chamber of Commerce, said the provincial economy is heading in the wrong direction.
"So the government of the day must focus on the economy. They must change the trajectory from a downward trajectory to an upward trajectory. They must focus on business investment. They must focus on unleashing the economic potential of our resources to generate the revenues that they need to deliver the public services that we need and to create an economy where British Columbians today and in the future can prosper."
Famulak made these comments Thursday (Oct. 24) as British Columbians await the final results of Saturday's election outcome. Initial counts show the B.C. NDP leading in 46 seats, the Conservative Party of B.C. leading in 45 and the B.C. Greens in two. Forty-seven seats are needed for a majority and two seats are subjects of an automatic recount Oct. 26-28. That is also when officials will count an estimated 65,000 absentee and mail-in ballots. Earlier figures pegged the number at 49,000.
Whatever the final count might be, Famulak said "businesses need certainty and confidence with which to invest" in B.C. in pointing to the results of three polls, which the chamber had commissioned.
"We know that British Columbians are concerned about the underlying economic conditions in British Columbia," she said. "They noted that the cost of business is prohibitively high. They note that our regulatory system creates uncertainty and we know that businesses are actively considering leaving the province."
Asked how much certainty businesses can expect from a minority government, Famulak said she is unable to "foresee how either a majority or a minority government operates."
"They need to prioritize getting the economy back on its feet," she said.
She said promises by Rustad to bring down a future NDP minority government as early as possible run counter to the notion of certainty.
She pointed to job figures from September that show B.C.'s unemployment rate went up by 0.2 per cent to six per cent as the economy shed 18,000 full-time and part-time jobs. That contradicted national numbers that show employment increased with 46,700 more jobs in September than in August as the unemployment dropped by 0.1 per cent to 6.5 per cent.
The B.C. Chamber of Commerce did not endorse any particular party during the campaign. Other business organizations have taken a more partisan stand.
The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association publicly endorsed the Conservative Party of B.C. President Chris Gardner said his organization is "deeply concerned" about the possibility of a minority B.C. NDP government. Gardner predicted that such a government would continue to expand government at the expense of the private sector and raise taxes.
He added members feel the deck is stacked against them.
"Once elected officials have power, they are extremely reluctant to give it up," he said. "I think David Eby is going to do everything he can to cut a deal with the B.C. Greens to provide some certainty and the B.C. Greens are going to take as much as they can get."
