Photo provided by the Province of British Columbia
She owes you a cheque, and a very big one at that. In the lead-up to the upcoming provincial election next year, Premier Clark must answer for the many BC Liberal policies that have left young British Columbians with the prospects of rising costs of living, rising unemployment in all sectors, and increasingly expensive post-secondary education. Of course, Ms. Clark isn’t just going to apologize for this unprecedented burden on millennials. That would be admitting guilt, and that would be “unpoliticianlike” behaviour.
But it really is her fault. For five years, Ms. Clark’s record for keeping BC’s newest generation of workers ready for the future is dismal. Her indecisiveness in dealing with the housing bubbles of the province’s urban areas have robbed millennials of affordable housing where jobs are more prevalent. Ms. Clark’s hyped-up BC Jobs Plan has been disappointing as well, with the youth unemployment rate actually rising under her Plan. Post-secondary tuition has also risen to record highs while surpassing regular inflationary growth. And forget Ms. Clark’s investment to improve the quality of education in BC. How can a young man or woman justify spending the time and money on education when it won’t lead to work in a job-starved provincial economy?
Another “sorry, not sorry” press conference won’t make much of a difference, anyways. Even if she were to apologize, it wouldn’t mean much to those of us who expect to continue experiencing unemployment, debilitating debt, and life in mommy and daddy’s basement. The provincial budget has already been “balanced” enough so that those unlucky enough to be young and financially unsupported won’t receive very much in the way of government aid. But, make no mistake. She owes you.
Older British Columbians will argue that we millennials have it all, that we’re spoiled and merely whining about what we can’t have. They are conveniently Ms. Clark’s voter base. The provincial government exists to serve you. You paid for your taxes, therefore you should get your fair share. The provincial government was supposed to enact policy to ensure the economic security of all British Columbians. Judging by their policy choices, the BC Liberals have failed you. Through no fault of your own, you are punished with difficulty finding in-province employment and paying more for housing, costs of living, and tuition.
As the leader of a party in power since 2001, Ms. Clark will have to face the wrath of newer, younger voters who grew up under a regime that has slowly diminished the millennial’s ability to afford the costs of living in British Columbia. But, don’t worry about her. She’s prepared for that eventuality by creating the conditions that will make Ms. Clark™ sellable come election day. Case in point, she tanked her own climate advisory panel’s tax-hike recommendations last month just to make it look like she’s fighting for tax-weary families and firms. Ms. Clark ordered the panel herself knowing full well that climate action requires some kind of raise in taxes. In a way, she’s fighting for you without really fighting for you.
Didn’t know about Ms. Clark’s hand in your economic malaise? That’s exactly what she would have wanted. What kind of damage could a bunch of uneducated kids possibly do to the poll numbers? You’ll probably just pick the cooler candidate. You know, the one with the pretty hair. Ms. Clark is reaching for her hairbrush.