THE BC NDP on Saturday said British Columbians won’t forget CentreBC Leader Mike Bernier’s B.C. Liberal record of making life harder for working people while giving tax breaks to the top 2%.

It said that as Education Minister from 2015 to 2017, Bernier capped off eight consecutive years of frozen school capital budgets under the B.C. Liberals, choosing to sell off dozens of school properties instead of building new schools. In fact, the B.C. Liberals invested less in school construction under Bernier in 2016/17 than they did in 2009/10. This freeze triggered a generational deficit in school spaces that is still being felt today.

At the same time, Bernier and Christy Clark cut taxes for the top 2%, let speculators drive up the cost of a home by $600,000 in just two years, and continued to hike ICBC rates and MSP Premiums on the middle class.

As an opposition MLA, Bernier called the flipping tax “really scary” and endorsed Kevin Falcon for leader, doubling down on the failed B.C. Liberal approach that cost working British Columbians.

Darlene Rotchford, MLA for Esquimalt-Colwood, said:“I’m sure some Conservative-leaning people who can’t stomach Findlay’s Trump-style approach will find a home with Centre-Right-BC, but many of us remember how Mike Bernier and the B.C. Liberals cut funding for hospitals and schools while giving tax breaks to the richest 2% and letting speculators drive us into the housing affordability crisis. While B.C.’s conservative parties fight over who should cut services again, David Eby and the B.C. NDP are creating good-paying jobs, hiring thousands of healthcare workers, and bringing down housing costs.”