British Columbia’s job market is showing signs of strain, and Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew isn’t mincing words about who he believes is to blame.
According to the latest Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada, B.C. added 13,000 jobs in May, a modest 0.4 per cent increase.
“This marginal gain is overshadowed by a more troubling trend,” Dew said. “Our province's unemployment rate has risen by 0.2 per cent to 6.4 per cent in May, and job vacancy rates are falling.”
Dew, opposition critic for jobs, economic development, and innovation, argues that the NDP is using external factors like tariffs as a smokescreen for deeper economic problems.
“While the NDP continues to use tariffs as an excuse for their failures, the reality is that self-inflicted economic mismanagement and ideological choices are an even bigger threat to jobs and prosperity,” he said.
The national picture isn’t much better. Canada’s unemployment rate climbed to seven per cent in May—the highest it’s been since September 2016, excluding the pandemic years.
“This national challenge demands a strong provincial response, and the NDP is clearly falling short,” Dew added. “We see provinces like Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, which also experienced employment increases in May, but their unemployment rates fell by 0.7 and 0.6 percentage points, respectively.”
Dew did acknowledge one positive development.
“Thankfully, there is finally some moderation of the out-of-control growth of the public sector we've seen under this NDP government,” he pointed out. “But we will need to see dramatically stronger private sector job growth for a prolonged period to reset the balance between a bigger government and the market economy that pays for it.”
Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Minister Diana Gibson said recently that the province is now leading the country in private sector job growth. B.C. added 8,900 private sector jobs out of 13,000 total last month.
He also raised concerns about young people entering the workforce.
“Young people are facing yet another difficult summer student job season, depriving many of a strong start to their working lives.”
Dew also cited a recent report from the Independent Contractors and Business Association (ICBA), which claims that the NDP’s CleanBC program has had a 2.5 times worse impact on B.C.’s economy than the Trump-era tariffs.
