Once upon a time Premier Gordon Campbell seemed sincere in his thoughts on rural communities. His term ‘remember the heartland’ led us to believe the health of our rural communities were a priority of his government.
Once again he has failed to follow through. Would the Premier have us believe that his successful strategy would result in an unprecedented forestry crisis and the disappearance of family supporting jobs? His “plan” led to an overwhelming number of school closures and major cuts to health care services.
This is not a government that understands the importance of our rural communities and its crucial role in the overall wealth of this province. Instead it shows how out of touch Campbell is with the needs of rural B.C.
Wealth distribution in this province needs to be fair. We all have a solid understanding that rural B.C. generates much of the wealth for this province. Through this understanding must come a better plan.
Working with local governments will help in the creation of a rural developmental fund for the fair dispersal of wealth generated in their region and also create new and innovative economic development initiatives throughout rural B.C.
Until an effective wealth-sharing model exists, there must be additional direct financial resources provided from both levels of government to community economic development initiatives.
The needs of our rural communities have been on the back burner far too long. Rural communities must not be left behind when the government allocates services, resources and opportunities.
New Democrats in British Columbia are strongly committed to a new and better direction for rural B.C. Our rural strategy will be linked to the plans we are developing to forestry, agriculture, First Nation rights, and a green economy. This is a commitment to listen and work in partnership with people who make rural B.C. home.
More on the Rural BC Matters ………go to www.garycoons.ca