B.C. premier-elect Gordon Campbell says reviving the province’s economy is his main task but other issues - such as health care and the environment - are also on the agenda.
Campbell held a press conference Wednesday morning, hours after voters gave his B.C. Liberals 49 seats to the NDP’s 36 in the new legislature, according to preliminary results posted on Elections BC’s website.
"The economy rests on the certainty that we can create with aboriginal people," Campbell said. "The health care system rests on the strength of the economy. Our education system will actually generate economic opportunities, but it requires a strong economy to be able to invest in it."
The Liberals focused on the economy throughout their campaign and warned voters against taking a chance on a new government in tough economic times.
’I think it’s clear the economy was an issue, and people felt they wanted somebody with experience who’d been in the premier’s position already.’
Campbell’s message likely resonated with people who cast their votes for the Liberals, leading to the NDP’s defeat, NDP Leader Carole James said Tuesday night.
"It’s clear the economy was an issue, and people felt they wanted somebody with experience who’d been in the premier’s position already," she said.
Campbell said Wednesday he is not planning to slash jobs to keep the province’s deficit down, but he will consider reviewing existing government services.
"We’ve already seen some uptake in job creation in British Columbia. In April, we created almost half the new jobs in Canada," he said.
"I am confident in the budget that we laid out in February. We don’t expect radical shifts or changes from that position."
Campbell said he stands by his projection of a deficit no bigger than $500 million this year.
He said there are difficult challenges ahead and the government will have to examine how it delivers services.
Campbell won a historic third straight term as the province’s premier in Tuesday’s election.
Credit: cbc.ca.
Photos: Gordon Campbell(top) and Carole James.
Editor’s note: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is the home of the Patriotic Vanguard. Congrats to Premier Campbell!
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