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Liberal pre-election budget offers no hope for British Columbians

Public services will be cut and assets sold off, hurting families and communities across the province.

Vancouver (22 Feb. 2013) - B.C.'s Liberal government’s supposedly balanced budget will come at a high cost to public sector workers and the people and businesses that rely on quality public services.

“After a decade of budget and staffing cuts, extending the hiring freeze will lead to the loss of another 1,350 public sector jobs and most ministries are facing budget cuts or small increases well below the rate of inflation,” says Darryl Walker, President of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE).

“Our justice system and Community Living BC are both in crisis. Neither are getting the meaningful budget increases they desperately need. Community and social service workers are the lowest paid workers in our health care system. They will see no increase. The Ministry of Children and Family Development will be unable to adequately serve the most vulnerable people in our society. These are just a few examples. BCGEU/NUPGE members know all too well that budget cuts have undermined the delivery of all public services,” says Walker.

Reid Johnson, President of the Health Sciences Association of B.C. (HSABC/NUPGE) agreed saying, "If you reduce spending in health care, you reduce services to British Columbians. It’s that simple." The HSABC/NUPGE, represents 17,000 members of the modern health care team.

“Government is counting on restructuring the delivery of lab services, and containing physician and drug costs to reduce the health care budget. Based on vague ideas about how that might result in savings, they’re telling British Columbians that direct health care services won’t suffer. It just doesn’t add up,” he said.

“There is no plan to focus on the health programs British Columbians count on. There is no plan to address the shortages in the specialized health science professions that lead to longer wait lists and delays in service,” he said.

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE