Public services gutted to finance tax cuts for the wealthy
The Hospital Employees’ Union says the Liberal government’s announcement this afternoon of a three-year funding freeze in health care will have disastrous consequences for the province’s health care system and will result in service cuts for Brititsh Columbians.
Finance minister Gary Collins’ presentation to the open cabinet meeting in Penticton also included a three-year funding freeze for education and an average cut of 35 per cent to all other ministries over the next three years.
“Not only will health care suffer because of this funding freeze,” says HEU secretary-business manager Chris Allnutt, “but there will be additional pressure put on the system because of the cuts to the other important public services outside of health and education.”
Gordon Campbell and his Liberals said during their election campaign they could cut taxes without reducing public services. They also pledged to increase health care funding by the rate of economic growth in the future. But today’s announcement breaks both promises, says Allnutt.
“This is the other shoe dropping,” says Allnutt. “You cannot cut taxes as deeply as the Liberals did without gutting public services.
“The tax cuts primarily benefited corporations and the wealthy in this province. Now the resulting reductions to services will begin, and it will be working families who will pay the price.”