VANCOUVER — A look at some key developments from Day 24 of the B.C. election campaign for each of the parties:
NDP:
— NDP Leader John Horgan said his party would create a standalone Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction to try and combat the opioid overdose crisis. He said the problem has become worse despite the Liberal government’s declaration of a public health crisis a year ago and that the Liberals haven’t yet spent $10 million from the federal government to deal with the opioid issue.
— Horgan visited a fire hall in Vancouver, where Dustin Bourdeaudhuy, vice-president of Firefighters Union Local 18, said firefighters went on 700 overdose calls in April. He said firefighters are desperate for more funding from the provincial and federal governments.
LIBERALS:
— Liberal Leader Christy Clark brushed off comments from Alberta Premier Rachel Notley that B.C. lacks the legal authority to ban thermal coal shipments through its ports. “I appreciate their view. I would say, though, that Albertans are less familiar with our legislation than I am and we’ve been working on this for several months,” she said.
— Burnaby city council called for the Liberal party to withdraw newspaper ads that it says has misleading statements about council decisions and two councillors running for the NDP. But Clark said those candidates are running under Leader John Horgan, who has said he wanted to distribute marijuana through B.C. Liquor Stores.
GREENS:
— Green Leader Andrew Weaver said April was the strongest month ever for donations received for the B.C. wing of the party. He said fundraising has increased because they banned union and corporate donations. The party’s statement didn’t say disclose the value of last month’s donations.
— The Green party is being described by experts as an emerging presence in the election campaign. University of Victoria political science Prof. Michael Prince said Green Leader Andrew Weaver has successfully morphed from a climate scientist to a politician whose platform goes beyond environmental issues. Hamish Telford, political science professor at the University of the Fraser Valley, says Weaver “has presented himself as a credible alternative to the traditional parties.
The Canadian Press
