B.C. Liberal Housing Critic Todd Stone on Wednesday called out Premier John Horgan and the NDP government for their disappointing housing plan and failure to secure adequate federal funding for much-needed projects.
“We recently found out that B.C. is set to receive only $7 million of the $1.4 billion in funding that’s been allocated for affordable housing as part of the federal government’s National Housing Co-Investment Fund, which is incredibly frustrating,” said Stone. “But to hear NDP Housing Minister Selina Robinson criticize the federal government for not following through on its housing promises as we watch the homeless crisis worsen in cities throughout the province is especially hypocritical, given the minister has utterly failed to fulfil her own government’s promises to British Columbians for the last three years.”
BC Housing data shows that despite their promise to build 114,000 units of housing over 10 years, the NDP has only managed to build 2,963 units of affordable housing during more than three years in government. At the current pace, it will take the NDP more than 100 years to fulfil this commitment, said the B.C. Liberals.
“There has never been a greater need for affordable housing in our province, and it is incredibly hypocritical for Minister Robinson to criticize the federal government for the mistakes her government continues to make,” added Stone. “From their dismal record on the construction of new affordable housing units to their mishandling of supportive housing projects, the NDP has continually failed to deliver on what they have promised. We desperately need to address the housing crisis and homelessness in B.C. but no progress will be made until the NDP acknowledge their failures and start showing real leadership on this file. The sad reality is that the Minister and her NDP cabinet colleagues are lousy negotiators and inept at ensuring British Columbia gets its fair share of federal funding for housing. After three years on the job, the Minister she should know by now that rhetoric is no substitute for real solutions and decisive action.”
