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Kelowna MLA critical of NDP and Liberals as threat of US tariffs looms

While Canadians can breathe a momentary sigh of relief as the United States has paused its incoming 25% tariffs on Canadian goods for at least 30 days, one local MLA is sounding the alarm on BC’s economy.

Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew, BC Conservative critic for jobs, economic development and innovation, recently sat down with NowMedia video host Jim Csek and the duo covered a plethora of topics surrounding the BC and Canadian economies.

"Our economy in BC is weak by choice," said Dew.

"By choices that have been made by governments...we have cut our own throat and we have put ourselves in a position where not only are we not making the most of the endowment that we have of resources and people, but we have left ourselves so unprepared for the economic crisis that we face right now as a result of these tariffs."

The MLA added that as a country “we've willfully crippled our access to other markets." Dew said an example of this is Canada relying on sending oil south to the US.

“When you combine the fact that we've made historical decisions over a matter of decades that have in some cases increased our reliance on that market (the US), with the fact that this is a provincial government, and a federal government as well, that have left us with a stalled out, anemic economy with very little capacity and resilience to respond to even a minor economic threat, and now we're facing the big one, to me, that's just so insanely irresponsible, and it speaks to the total lack of economic competency of leadership on the part of both David Eby and Justin Trudeau,” stated Dew.

The MLA explained another impact on the country’s economy is the speed at which projects are completed.

“We are just so darn slow to get publicly funded transportation, infrastructure, hospitals, schools, to get all those things built,” he said.

“And we're also so incredibly slow and we create so much risk and uncertainty around building things in the private sector that we end up driving up the cost.”

Dew added that these frustrations reduce the number of investments made in BC and Canada and diminish the health of the economy.

“We have to break that impasse,” said Dew.

“And pardon my French, but we have to start getting s**t done again in this country and in this province.”


Click the above video to hear more about the talking points Dew and Csek covered in their conversation including:

  • Calls for a second bridge and transportation investments in the Okanagan
  • The feasibility of the federal and provincial governments seeking new markets
  • BC’s forestry industry
  • The need for more government accountability, a clear economic vision and more


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