BC Liberals: NDP abandons Surrey as key promises left out of budget

THE BC Liberals said on Wednesday that despite big election promises for meaningful investment in Surrey, Premier John Horgan and the NDP government’s latest budget once again abandoned their commitments to families, schools and infrastructure in the region.

“I am extremely disappointed in the NDP’s latest budget, which abandons the promises this government made to Surrey residents. Despite billions in promises and billions in deficit spending and a ballooning public sector payroll, there is no plan to grow the economy or to help those most impacted by pandemic job losses – women and youth,” said Stephanie Cadieux, MLA for Surrey South.

“As for the new Surrey Hospital, it’s clear that the people of Surrey won’t see progress anytime soon with no construction funding allocated for the next three years, two conflicting timelines for its completion date within the budget, and a commitment of only 168 inpatient beds – a fraction of what is being allocated for other new Metro-Vancouver hospitals.”

The list of broken promises continues to grow, with no $400 annual renters’ rebate, no universal $10-a-day childcare, a 32-per-cent increase in school portables since the NDP first took office, and no spending in the three-year fiscal plan for a new Surrey Hospital. Also missing from Budget 2021 is funding for the George Massey Tunnel Replacement, Skytrain to Langley or the promised Surrey medical school, said the BC Liberals.

“It’s clear that the NDP have forgotten about the promises they made to voters south of the Fraser,” said Trevor Halford, MLA for Surrey-White Rock. “Not only is there serious confusion around the new Surrey Hospital – but the NDP has also completely broken their promise to eliminate all portables. Surrey schools are still seeing an increase in portables, all while school districts are cut by $53 million despite having to adapt to new COVID guidelines. The people of Surrey deserve so much better than this continued disrespect.”