THE BC Liberals said on Thursday that as B.C. approaches the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are tired of guessing when remaining restrictions will be lifted and they are looking to the NDP government to lay out a real plan, with clear benchmarks and scientifically supported targets, instead of the current vague assurances and undefined goals.
“The vast majority of British Columbians have done everything to fight COVID-19, follow public health orders, and protect their communities, but now they are looking for real answers about how we are going to move forward as a province,” said Shirley Bond, Leader of the Official Opposition and Critic for Health. “This NDP government talks about shifting to an endemic approach for managing COVID-19, and yet they still have not given the public a real roadmap with clear metrics or targets for how and when restrictions will be lifted. People, families, and businesses need to be able to plan for the future, and the NDP’s approach of ‘just trust us’ makes that impossible.”
At this time, mask mandates and vaccine cards have already been removed in Alberta, and Saskatchewan, Quebec, Manitoba and maritime provinces have clear timelines in place for removal, and Ontario has eliminated their vaccine passport.
“People need and deserve transparency from this government about how decisions are being made — especially as other jurisdictions make plans to lift restrictions — but the NDP has failed to provide it,” said Bond. “What is happening in B.C. that isn’t happening in the rest of Canada, that is preventing the NDP from following suit and providing clear benchmarks on what will trigger the end of the remaining restrictions? After two long and challenging years, people deserve clarity from this government.”