Eby accuses Rustad of planning user-pay health-care as early voters smash records

NDP Leader David Eby is accusing BC Conservative Leader John Rustad of readying an “American-style” user-pays health-care strategy for British Columbia arsenic the provincial predetermination run enters its latest stages.

All 3 leaders of the province’s main governmental parties person converged connected Vancouver Island successful the last signifier of campaigning earlier predetermination time connected Saturday, with grounds numbers of voters already casting their ballots successful beforehand polling.

Eby told a run lawsuit successful Nanaimo that Rustad presents a “risk” to the wellness attraction strategy and helium would fto radical “buy their mode to the beforehand of the line.”

Rustad released his party’s level connected Tuesday, which makes nary notation of a user-pays wellness attraction exemplary and alternatively promises a single-payer strategy delivering attraction done nationalist and non-governmental facilities.

But the NDP has released an audio signaling of Rustad astatine an lawsuit they accidental happened successful August wherever helium tin beryllium heard calling the Canadian Health Act “silly” for not allowing for user-pays wellness care, and that “hopefully, 1 time we’ll get immoderate changes there.”

Elections BC says much than 181,000 radical voted connected Tuesday, breaking a grounds acceptable connected the archetypal time of voting past week.

The predetermination bureau says 778,000 radical had already voted up of today’s last time of beforehand voting.

Rustad besides had run events scheduled successful Nanaimo for Wednesday, portion Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau was successful Victoria.

The NDP has agelong regarded the land arsenic a stronghold, but Rustad has said helium regards it arsenic winnable territory, portion some of the Greens’ 2 existent seats are connected the island.

Eby volition besides beryllium travelling the land for run events successful Ladysmith, Duncan and Victoria, portion Rustad volition beryllium spending overmuch of the time successful Nanaimo wherever helium besides has an evening run rally astatine a hotel.

British Columbians yet saw the B.C. Conservatives’ level costings connected Tuesday, which Rustad said would effect successful a shortage nearing $11 cardinal successful the archetypal twelvemonth of government.

That is much than either the NDP oregon Greens forecast nether their costings, and Rustad said helium would equilibrium the books sometime successful his 2nd word with assistance from a predicted 5.4 per cent yearly economical growth.

Rustad said his level would get the provincial system increasing with strategical caller spending, the reallocation of wasteful NDP backing to precedence areas, a halfway reappraisal and audit of NDP spending, including a revision of existent and planned authorities superior projects.

He called the NDP’s spending “reckless” and said the authorities had “spent a batch connected ideology.”

The NDP said Rustad’s costings, released 4 days earlier predetermination day, meant helium would person to “cut supports for people” and helium was “making it up arsenic helium goes along.”

Furstenau said Rustad was relying connected “magical thinking” by predicting 5.4 per cent growth, “without immoderate program connected however to execute this.”

The NDP and Green platforms would some boost the shortage by astir $2.9 cardinal successful the archetypal year, resulting successful a $9.6 cardinal fund shortfall.

The BC Teachers’ Federation and the Canadian Union of Public Employees British Columbia released a associated missive to members connected Wednesday, encouraging them to ballot NDP.

In the letter, BCTF President Clint Johnston and CUPE BC President Karen Ranalletta accidental that Rustad has “demonstrated a deficiency of respect” for the nationalist schoolhouse system.

“When we look astatine the platforms of the parties seeking to govern our province, we are encouraged to spot 3 important commitments successful the BC NDP level that we deliberation are crippled changers,” it said.

This, the missive said, includes Eby’s promises of having a full-time counsellor successful each school, an acquisition adjunct successful each K-3 schoolroom and nationalist transportation of affordable earlier and after-school attraction successful each district.