Words and actions, differentiating again

The BC Liberals have made a lot of noise in recent months, talking about how they are continuing to fund health care and education even in the midst of the economic downturn that they claimed would never affect British Columbia. It would be a change of pace for the BC Liberals if the words they gave us matched the actions they took in the Legislature. We have been told rather continually that education funding per student has not lowered under the BC Liberals, and has instead increased. If this is true, and by all means there is a lack of evidence to support their case, then how can they explain the dozens of school closures that have occurred across every school district in the province? These closures do not reflect the claimed priorities of the BC Liberals, and they most certainly do not represent the wishes of the people, who rely on these schools to foster stronger communities and educate our province’s future professionals.

The failure here is from the Ministry of Education, and especially its current Minister, Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid. Vague platitudes about the Throne Speech’s plan to create all day kindergarten and ‘bold strategies to renew the delivery of education’ do not replace schools that we have already lost. To be frank, adding full day kindergarten adds a further burden to school districts that already face budget shortfalls. Where will the money come to pay for all day kindergarten, as the BC Liberals have promised to deliver. Certainly, it is within their power to create all day kindergarten, their legislative majority would allow it. So, perhaps local MLAs would like to tell the population where the money for such a program will come from. Perhaps it will be more appealing to the BC Liberals to tell us why they can’t pass their legislative promises that are in highlighted in the Throne Speech, promises that were highlighted by the Minister in charge of the portfolio in question.

The Liberals keep claiming that education is one of their highest priorities. Our Premier promised that we would become the best educated place on earth under his leadership; this is a difficult claim to make when his leadership has led to the closure of so many schools. It is time for the BC Liberals to create commonsense, workable plans for our education system, one that takes into account the needs of everywhere in British Columbia, and a plan that is based on reality. The pipe dream they are selling the people now is just that, a pipe dream that is nowhere near becoming a reality.