THE NDP said on Friday that when the BC Liberals were last in power, 30,000 forestry jobs were lost.

Former BC Liberal Cabinet Minister George Abbott recounts how last time the BC Liberals promised major tax cuts they slashed investments – including in forestry: “With their budgets slashed by 40 to 45 percent, resource ministries such as Forests and Agriculture were hit particularly hard, but even this measure could fill only a small portion of the $4.4 billion budget hole.” (Big Promises, Small Government, pg. 10). 

When B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson was at the cabinet table, they buried a consultant’s report warning of the closure of 13 mills in the Interior and failed to act to protect jobs.  

Now, Wilkinson is in the Interior, trying to tout his PST plan that helps millionaires, but leaves behind forest workers or communities, said the NDP.

Just this week Abbott “ripped the Liberals’ promise to eliminate the PST for a year” and warned it would lead to further cuts, the NDP noted.