Slash and burn cuts sell out British Columbians

January 18, 2002 - VANCOUVER - Premier Campbell’s slash and burn approach to running the province means more pollution in BC, fewer field staff monitoring forestry and fishing, and longer and more expensive treaty negotiations, the David Suzuki Foundation says.

"Premier Campbell is selling out the well-being of British Columbians for an ideology," Foundation executive director Jim Fulton said today.

"He is risking the health and safety of every British Columbian all because of irresponsible tax cuts. The immediate human impact from these job cuts is shameful, but the loss of these professional employees also undermines our society's ability to provide basic humans needs like clean water and a healthy environment."

The public service cuts mean a loss of nearly 1,500 jobs in the ministry of forests, a 40 per cent reduction in the budget for the Treaty Negotiation Office, and a significant loss in the capacity to set and enforce standards to address air pollution and climate change, Mr. Fulton explained.

"How can this government expect BC to have a strong and sustainable economy when it has gutted even the most basic programs and services? They're cutting off our legs and telling us to run," Mr. Fulton said.

In the absence of treaties, the Liberal government said it is committed to negotiating interim measures agreements with First Nations in order to achieve economic stability.

“This government has found nine million dollars for a referendum to attack First Nations rights yet it is cutting the resources to finally negotiate treaties in BC,” said Mr. Fulton.

The Liberal party’s New Era commitments included “environmental management based on sound science, cleaner air, cleaner water and sustainable practices,” but in fact Mr. Campbell has set the stage for disaster, Mr. Fulton said.

“When we stop properly policing our public resources, we set ourselves up for what happened in Walkerton,” he said.

“Premier Campbell has promised the world the highest standards of sustainability as he courts the 2010 Olympics. With these cuts he is now risking our international reputation in tourism and important export markets such as forest products.”