Vaughn Palmer: Lorne Doerkson pledges independent review of B.C.’s finances on Day 1

VICTORIA — Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson kicked off his first news conference with an outreach to Northern, rural and Interior B.C., areas of the province that haven’t produced a premier in decades.

“It has been a long time since you’ve had a premier from where you live,” Doerkson said Sunday.

You would have to go back to the Bennetts, father and son, who represented the Okanagan from the 1950s to the mid-’80s. Otherwise, apart from John Horgan (Langford) and Dan Miller (Prince Rupert), modern-day B.C. premiers have hailed from Metro Vancouver.

“I live in Williams Lake,” continued Doerkson before translating that experience into something relatable to folks in the hinterlands.

“I know what it means when the mill closes, when the emergency room shuts at night, and when there’s fire on the ridge,” he continued. “Under this government, you will never be an afterthought.”

To that end, Doerkson announced that his first 100 days in office will include an “an expert panel on keeping our emergency rooms open and cutting wait times.”

He thus flagged a mystery of the NDP’s time in office. The New Democrats doubled health spending — to $40 billion from $20 billion — and added tens of thousands of employees to the health-care workforce.

Still, they couldn’t keep the ERs open in Doerkson’s part of the world.

The work of the expert panel “starts with the doctors and nurses on the front line, and it starts right away,” said Doerkson, who again pledged to “fully fund publicly accessible health care” and to “bolster our frontline supports.”

While making it a priority to figure out how to keep the ERs open, Doerkson also said, “On Day 1, will we will launch an independent review of the province’s finances.”

Such exercises are common with changes of government. The New Democrats practically invited this one by confessing to a $1.5 billion math error (?!) in this year’s budget and fiscal plan.

“We need to know where things stand, and so do British Columbians,” said Doerkson. “Before we table a budget, you will have the full picture.”

The findings of the review won’t change his determination to proceed with his most expensive election promise — a $3 billion commitment to raise the basic personal income tax exemption to $32,000, putting “about $1,000 a year back into the pocket of nearly every working British Columbian.”

“When I make a promise, I will keep it, and that starts for sure right now,” the premier-designate added.

The Conservatives never let David Eby forget how, following the 2024 election, he abandoned his promise of a $1,000 grocery rebate. They are not about to repeat the same mistake with their own $1,000 relief.

Tax changes are implemented by legislation. Since Doerkson is hedging on calling a fall session, the Conservatives might have to make the cut retroactive to Jan. 1 when the house convenes in, say, February 2027.