BC NDP

Thank you very much.

It's a pleasure to be here.

And thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here.

I am very grateful to have the opportunity to hear more from you about your industry and where it's headed in the future.

You know, it feels like I am playing hooky.

Right now the NDP caucus is meeting in Victoria preparing for the afternoon session of the Legislature. And their leader is in Vancouver speaking to another business audience.

Nobody tell them that I was here today, okay.

Actually, that's not necessary. They know where I am.

And they fully support my efforts to work with BC's business and financial community.

I spend a lot of time speaking to business and professional audiences like this one. My message is simple: Business and financial professionals like you can count on me to listen and to work with you on the issues you care about.

I want BC business to succeed.

And I want BC businesses to compete and win.

It's a view shared by my caucus.

The 30 plus new NDP MLAs elected in 2005.

It's not widely talked about but you should know many people on my team have strong business and financial credentials.

Bob Simpson, my Forestry Critic and the MLA for Cariboo North: a long history working in BC Forest Management.

Gregor Robertson, the MLA for Vancouver-Fairview co-founder and owner of Happy Planet Juice.

Maurine Karagianis, the NDP's Children and Families critic: an extensive business background with years of experience working in tourism marketing, publishing and retail.

Bruce Ralston, my Finance Critic: the former Chair of Van City Savings, Canada's largest Credit Union.

My team is a reflection of my approach to leadership.

It's a balanced team. They understand people. And they understand the bottom line.

Today, I want to leave you with a clear understanding of the core values that I will bring to the government.

Values that come from a lifetime of experience working in my community.

Experience that taught me that you get things done by being practical.

By setting aside the things that divide people and finding common ground.

As Chair of the BC School Trustees Association for five consecutive terms that's how I got things done.

School trustees are a diverse group.

But we had one goal: To provide the best education possible to BC kids.

It wasn't easy. We had to work within limited budgets.

And at times I had to fight an NDP government when it made bad decisions.

But I brought people together and kept us focused on our goal.

I didn't care about ideology, about whether you were Conservative, Liberal or NDP.

I cared about results. And I got results.

Some people say that I am less flashy when measured against the flamboyant traditions of BC politics.

But I will happily take that criticism.

Because I learned long ago that a lot more is accomplished by being practical, setting achievable targets, and listening carefully to what other people have to say.

My approach has been described as "balanced."

It's a simple concept. But, quite frankly, it's a big step for BC.

For a long time politics in this province has been about winners and losers.

When I entered provincial politics, I set out to change that.

And I said there was a better way.

In the last election, people responded in huge numbers.

And that groundswell for change caught many by surprise.

A strong opposition backed up by the public's desire for a new way of doing business will get even the most stubborn premier's attention.

And we've had an impact on the government's agenda.

I am sure it's a big reason why the Premier is trying so hard to change his image.

But my goal is not be leader of a good opposition. My goal is to form a new government to secure a strong future for all British Columbians.

And my agenda to get there can be summed up in four basic points:

1. Prudent fiscal management;

2. Competitive taxes and a strong business climate;

3. Securing our future through expanded opportunity and a strong environment; and

4. Dealing everyone in.

When you think about it, the service you provide depends on exactly the same values.

Balanced budgets help keep mortgage rates low and the dream of home ownership alive for British Columbians.

In the last election, I was very pleased that the big New York bond rating agencies said that my fiscally prudent plan gave them confidence in maintaining BC's high credit rating.

A strong business climate is also fundamental to your work and my vision for BC.

Creating wealth with the new ideas, new investments and strong entrepreneurs keeps us ahead of the pack and keeps real estate markets strong.

Last week, I announced as a first step I would lower the small business tax in British Columbia by one per cent.

I want to be clear here: If you think of New Democrats as tax and spend, think again.

Not this New Democrat.

For me, fiscal prudence and a strong, competitive business climate are a means to an end.

They're the bedrock upon which we can build a better BC for all.

But to unlock our full potential we need to expand opportunity.

Our post 2010 economy will depend on smart people working in smart environmentally clean industries.

But we're not producing the skilled people we need. Cuts to skills training have meant many fewer graduates.

BC is way behind on meeting its 25,000 post-secondary spaces promise.

And we lag behind our competitors in R and D spending.

A new administration under my leadership will ensure education is more widely available to British Columbians so they can participate and help drive our economy forward.

Fiscal responsibility, a strong business climate, and expanded opportunity are key.

But to keep BC growing, we must make life more affordable and secure for average families.

The people you work with, so that they can save for that first down payment on a house, pay the monthly mortgage, and contribute to their community.

In many ways, middle and low-income families have been dealt out of the current tide of economic growth.

I want to deal them back in.

Let me outline just few ways I will do that.

First: Health care.

Six years ago, the Premier promised health care where and when you need it.

It's a promise he didn't keep.

All he's delivered is a two-year conversation, and no plan.

British Columbians can't wait for the Premier to figure out what he wants to do. We need action today.

And so does the business and financial community.

In the US, catastrophic health costs force many people to walk away from mortgages.

Recently, the CEO Starbucks said that health care reform is his number one concern for his business.

Every dime of revenue from a recent price increase to a Starbucks coffee went to pay for employee health coverage.

That experience demonstrates what a critical advantage universal public care is for the Canadian and BC economy.

As first steps to improve health care, I propose expanding the number of community health care centers, building the long-term care beds that were promised and never delivered, and reversing the cuts to acute care beds.

These initiatives will alleviate severe emergency room overcrowding that is reverberating throughout the entire health care system and hurting patient care.

Second: I want to help British Columbians cope with the high cost of living.

Unemployment may be low, but life is less affordable than ever.

Costs have gone through the roof, making it harder and harder to pay the bills at the end of the month.

MSP premiums up. Tuition fees up. Hyrdo rates up. ICBC premiums up. Ferry fares up. Gas prices up.

Don't forget: Every dime that goes to a government fee increase is a dime that's not available to business.

I've called on the government to control wild fluctuations in gas prices through the BC Utilities Commission - just like they do in other provinces.

And I've put forward proposals to freeze tuition fees and to keep BC Ferries, ICBC and BC Hydro accountable to the taxpayer.

Third: We have to address BC's growing divides.

It's true. The economy is doing well.

But we are a more divided province than ever.

While some places can barely manage growth, many cities and towns are losing population.

While some neighbourhoods prosper, others are getting subsumed by crime and despair.

And while many British Columbians are moving ahead, many others are falling behind. BC now has the highest child poverty rate in the country.

And the gap between rich and poor is growing faster here than anywhere else in Canada.

This growing divide between regions and people is not sustainable.

After the world goes home in 2010, it will bite us back if we don't deal with it.

That's why I've proposed new ideas to help communities as they manage through a difficult economic transition.

It's why I am committed to fighting crime in our neighbourhood and to ensuring the supports are in place to give every child a good start in life.

And it's why I've proposed an increase to the minimum wage, the first increase in six years with future increases tied to inflation.

That's a brief overview of my priorities. As I said at start my remarks, they are a reflection of my basic approach.

Practical, achievable, and focused on results.

Too often, political leaders talk big and don't deliver.

I think that's part of the problem in Victoria.

Promises are made as fast as they are forgotten.

That's not my style. It's not how I got results for kids in BC's schoolrooms. It's not how I became leader of my party. And it's not how I will govern.

When I say that I will work with BC's business and financial community to meet those challenges, I mean it.

Under my leadership the NDP is moving forward.

And we are ready to take on the task of making better, more prosperous province for all British Columbians.

Thank-you