John Horgan’s campaign for a majority government landed in a Langley City back yard Wednesday morning, Oct. 21, with a supporter providing space for a media event with the NDP leader and party candidates Andrew Mercier, who is running in Langley, Megan Dykeman, running in Langley East, and Mike Starchuk, who is running in Surrey-Cloverdale.
With three days left in the election, Horgan thinks the party is poised to make gains in Langley, which hasn’t elected a New Democrat in many decades. It was in 1960, when the party was known as the CCF, and it elected two members in what was then the dual Delta riding.
“After three years, people are looking at the NDP differently,” Horgan maintained, arguing British Columbians are seeing that his government’s values and their values are the same, unlike Liberals, whom he painted as a party that favours the wealthiest “two per cent,” accusing the rival party of looking to provide the rich with ”tax breaks to get new yachts.”
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As for the very brief NDP candidacy of Langley Township Councillor Eric Woodward, who announced he would be running for the New Democrats in Langley East, then withdrew a day later, Horgan said he didn’t think that was an issue at all.
“Those are personal issues that he [Woodward] brought to us,” Horgan commented, who went on to praise Dykeman, who stepped up as last-minute candidate.
“I don’t think we could do any better [than her],” Horgan said.
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He responded to a reported comment by Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson, who said he, as a doctor, would be better able to work with provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
“We only need one health officer,” Horgan said, and went on to explain that he personally stopped attending COVID-19 press briefings because there was no need for him to be there.
“Why would we get in the way of the best public health officer in the land – and the best heath minister?” Horgan said.
Horgan listed a new elementary school, funding for a SkyTrain line to Langley and a new ER and MRI at Langley Memorial hospital among his government’s accomplishments in Langley.
“The stakes could not be higher. This is about what kind of government we want to lead us as we face a second wave of COVID-19 and prepare for a brighter future,” said Horgan. “British Columbians need to ask themselves: do we help the rich get richer or do we invest to help keep people safe and secure through the pandemic? Our votes decide.”
Horgan said the BC Liberal platform invests less than half what the BC NDP plan does in health care.
“There has never been a more important time to invest in health care and fix long-term care for seniors. That’s what our plan does,” said Horgan. “Instead of helping those that need it the least, our plan continues helping people who need it most — keeping us healthy, safe, and secure through the pandemic and beyond.”
Horgan made the comments after a roundtable discussion with people on health care and BC’s COVID-19 response.
“Here in BC, we’ve been doing the right thing by looking after each other, even when we had to be apart,” said Horgan. “I’m asking British Columbians to vote for their local BC NDP candidate so we can keep BC moving forward—not for those at the top, but for everyone.”
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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