Doerkson has made over $5 billion in uncosted promises, no plan to pay for them

VANCOUVER – BC Conservative promises made in this campaign could add more than $5 billion in new operating spending and reduced revenues every year. They have chosen not to put out any costing on their commitments, hiding the reality that their numbers don’t add up.

“It’s easy to see why the BC Conservatives won’t show their work on how much their promises will cost. With every announcement, the math becomes clearer: it only adds up to deep health care cuts,” said Adrian Dix, BC NDP candidate for Vancouver–Renfrew. “Pretending you can fund billions in new promises by ‘flipping a switch’ just isn’t believable. Their math doesn't work. They’ve already told us health care would take the brunt – and that would mean longer waits for surgeries and fewer family doctors.”

Interim leader Lorne Doerkson’s tax plan alone will cost at least $3 billion a year – including $200 million in tax breaks going to the wealthiest British Columbians. That’s the equivalent of 8,000 doctors. UBC law professor and tax expert David Duff said that “the cost is enormous,” representing “a 20 to 25 per cent increase in the deficit just by that one measure and they’ve said they’re not going to raise any other taxes.”

On top of his tax plan, Doerkson has racked up another $1.9 billion in uncosted promises, including:

• PST Elimination on Canadian Alcohol: Promised in the first days of the campaign with zero financial plan. Based on Liquor Distribution Board sales data, this will cost $280 million a year.
• 500 New RCMP Officers: Announced with no costing provided. Based on the BC NDP government’s 2022 investment in new officers, this promise adds $150 million a year.

With Conservatives ruling out raising other taxes, Doerkson’s total agenda now adds up to more than $4.9 billion in annual costs and another $500 million in one-time expenses, with zero explanation of how to pay for it.

Doerkson has suggested that forestry, LNG, and mining can fund his platform, but his numbers do not hold up. His 2035 LNG production targets mean less LNG development, and less revenue, than the BC NDP’s plan. According to data from the Mining Association of B.C., Doerkson would need to bring 114 new mines online just to close the fiscal gap created by his promises.

In an interview on national television, Doerkson said he won’t back down on his commitment to aggressively cut the deficit, making it impossible to avoid cutting services – including health care.

A backgrounder follows this release and can be found here.

Backgrounder: