An NDP government would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, hike corporate taxes on profits by 1%, build 114,000 affordable and rental housing units over 10 years, give students who graduate university $1,000, scrap bridge tolls, implement $10 per day daycare and provide renters with a $400 rebate.
It would also increase capital spending by $7 billion over three years.
NDP Leader John Horgan said an NDP government would deliver a $108 million surplus in their first budget year.
The first budget would have $717 million in new spending. That would be partly covered by eating into the Liberal government’s projected surplus – $295 million. The NDP said an additional $530 million would come from increased revenues and savings to produce a $108 million surplus.
One immediate source of funds would be the Liberal government’s $500 million prosperity fund, which the NDP would raid and cancel. The NDP’s day care program alone is estimated to cost $1.5 billion.
In announcing his party’s platform April 13, Horgan identified addressing housing costs as his top priority.
“We’ve got to address the housing issue,” Horgan said. “It’s our top priority when we come into this campaign.”
To address concerns of renters, Horgan said an NDP government would give all renters a $400 rebate and would revamp the Residential Tenancy Act to tighten rent controls and prevent renovictions.
