Opinion: B.C. Conservative leader reverses charge, accusing the New Democrats of making B.C. more vulnerable to Trump by weakening the economy
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VICTORIA — B.C. Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson lost no time this week addressing Premier David Eby’s charge that he and his party were supporting U.S. President Donald Trump.
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“I’ll tell you right now, Trump is an absolute bully,” Doerkson declared Tuesday in answer to a question about Eby’s repeated insinuations during his news conference earlier in the day.
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“I want to be crystal clear on this point,” the Conservative leader continued. “We will never, ever, be the 51st state, under my watch.”
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Sunrise
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He then reversed Eby’s charge, accusing the New Democrats of making B.C. more vulnerable to Trump’s depredations by weakening the economy.
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“The NDP, has spent 10 years dismantling industry in this province, and made it so much more able to be attacked by a bully south of the border named Donald Trump,” he said.
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“So the idea that they’re going to blame Donald Trump for this … sorry, but I blame what’s happening in our industry sectors right now on David Eby and the NDP.”
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He also clarified his position on Eby’s accusation that a Conservative election victory would mean the return of U.S. alcohol to B.C. government liquor stores. That won’t happen, Doerkson told CKNW host Mike Smyth on Wednesday.
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Smyth had played a clip from Conservative MLA Ward Stamer, recorded earlier this year, supporting “choice” in B.C. liquor stores. Doerkson said that was not the policy under his leadership, which commenced this week.
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The Conservative leader said there had been no change in the party’s position on the implementation legislation for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
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“There were promises made by this premier to address things like DRIPA and other things in this fall session, and he’s chosen not to (proceed) ” said Doerkson, underscoring a consequence of Eby’s snap election call.
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“That is the biggest question on British Columbians’ minds — it’s certainly my biggest question — what does the premier intend to do with things like DRIPA?”
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Eby during his news conference ducked a question about his intentions for DRIPA. Doerkson did not.
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“I will repeal DRIPA,” he told reporters, adding that it would be the “top priority” if the Conservatives form government.
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Yet Doerkson insisted that the party’s stance on repeal did not mean an attack on Indigenous people.
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“The reality is that we need clarity on policies that have been put in place over the last decades to get things moving in this province,” he said. “This isn’t any kind of an attack on Indigenous people, and I can assure you that that is never going to be heard out of my mouth or seen on my social media.”
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Doerkson ducked other questions about party policy. He said he could not cost the proposals for dealing with the crisis on the Downtown Eastside on what amounted to his first full day on the job.
