Enough talk; it’s time for politicians to act.
B.C.’s five-week exercise in pandemic politics has yielded a majority decision from the electorate following a predictable parade of campaign promises from all quarters that will inevitably yield three parts hot air to one part action. The answer to the question of whether the October 24 election was necessary was available when it was called back in September. The answer to what the BC NDP government will do with its election victory remains to be seen. From the perspective of business, that answer needs to have substance, because, as the familiar saying so accurately notes, talk is cheap, and in this pandemic economy, inaction will be extremely costly now and well into the province’s future. The same holds true for the federal government, which recently avoided a non-confidence challenge from opposition parties. If either needs ideas on useful actions to undertake, the to-do list is long and time is short. For starters, how about releasing a transparent plan for reducing government spending so that the future of the province and the country is not mortgaged deep into the next generation? Also, as mapped out in an October Macdonald-Laurier Institute commentary listing a baker’s dozen of big ideas for the country’s next sitting of Parliament, government needs to act on a wide range of initiatives to deal with the COVID-19 economic crisis. They range from reviving manufacturing, reducing regulation and supporting investment to connecting the North, unlocking the country’s huge Indigenous enterprise potential, establishing a bold Indo-Pacific trade strategy that provides alternatives to Canada’s China dependence and creating an environment in which Canadian innovation can compete and flourish. These are not transparent political promises aimed at winning votes; these are concrete actions needed to restore a crippled economy now and build a better one for Canada’s future. As always, action here will speak louder than words.
