WHILE Premier John Horgan was searching for new ways to avoid scrutiny, the NDP completely failed British Columbians when it comes to the new federal regulations for travellers, the BC Liberals said on Thursday.

“It was shocking to hear the premier suggest this was all new and that he somehow needed time to review,” said Opposition Transportation Critic Jordan Sturdy. “The Government of Canada had the status of every jurisdiction up immediately and British Columbia was missing. Ontario, Quebec, the Yukon and others all managed to work with the feds to ensure their residents would be able to fly — but not British Columbia. John Horgan blew it.”

The premier spoke about how he’s worked collaboratively on the issue, particularly with Quebec, and yet somehow British Columbia — the third largest province in Canada — got left behind. In an attempt to explain his incompetence, Horgan said “we are not going to amend the B.C. vaccine card… if you want to travel now on federal transportation modes, you’re going to need a federal transportation card.”

But it doesn’t exist for British Columbians.

“The premier’s bungling of this important file will impact many who were hoping to reunite with family and are now left in limbo,” said Opposition Tourism Critic Teresa Wat. “John Horgan has failed anyone who needs to travel by somehow not managing to meet the standards and refusing to fix it.”

Pointing fingers at Ottawa is not going to get this fixed, the BC Liberals said.

“If Premiers Doug Ford, Francois Legault, Scott Moe and others can deliver for their provinces, John Horgan should as well. The premier should not be abdicating his responsibility on this important issue,” said Sturdy. “He needs to tell British Columbians they will have access to the required federal authorization to fly without any delay.”

While other Canadians can access this immediately, British Columbians are denied and there’s no timeline on when the NDP will fix this, said the BC Liberals.