In his first major interview in 2023, BC Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon is setting his sights squarely on Premier David Eby’s NDP government for doing far too little — economically, politically and on key topics like housing and infrastructure.
“My hope is that I can become premier before it’s too far along so that we can stop it before they get any construction work done on the actual tunnelling, and we can get back to building a bridge overpass,” he said. To that end, he noted that Eby and Horgan’s administrations have vilified investors and capital sources like real estate investment trusts — when the aid of investment from the private sector can play a role in alleviating B.C.’s housing distress.
That overall theme of less government restrictions on investment and business operation extends to Falcon’s view on overall economics. Although he admitted the province is limited in what it can do to address rising inflation, Falcon said B.C.’s current surplus of $5 billion should be used to pay down debt, rather than being spent in ways that could contribute to further inflationary pressures.