British Columbia’s three major parties all laid out new campaign pledges Thursday, as the province’s election neared the one-week mark.
The New Democrats put their focus on job training, with the party pledging $150 million over three years to create more apprenticeships through SkilledTradesBC.
Speaking at a campaign event in Chilliwack, leader David Eby said the money would double the number of trade apprentice spaces in the province, from 26,000 to more than 50,000.
The plan would increase apprentice opportunities for a variety of skilled trades, including welders, industrial electricians, machinists and plumbers.
“These are trades where employers are ready to hire, where they are desperate to find people with these skills, they are in demand, they are good paying jobs,” Eby said.
“They are needed for two reasons. One is to help grow our economy … but also to build the housing we need, the hospitals we need, the schools we need.”
BC Conservative Leader John Rustad took his campaign north, unveiling a plan to bring local power generation to the province’s northwest.
Speaking in Prince George, Rustad said a Conservative government would turn to “local solutions” to provide electricity for communities like Terrace, Kitimat and Prince Rupert.
Those solutions, Rustad said, include burning wood waste and burning natural gas to power communities. The proposal would support the forestry industry while ensuring reliable electricity, he said.
“Ratepayers do not need to spend more on another boondoggle project by David Eby’s NDP in the form of unneeded power lines from the northeast,” Rustad said.
“Instead we’ll generate the power locally and save British Columbians millions in energy costs.”
BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau, meanwhile, was in Creston, where she unveiled her party’s mental health platform.
The plan would see MSP cover mental health professionals, introduce full regulation for psychotherapy and integrate mental health services as an option for someone calling 911.
“We need to ensure we remove the barriers to accessing mental health care,” Furstenau said.
“It affects all of us, either personally or through someone we love. But too often, people can’t find or afford the help they need. We want everyone in BC to get mental health support when they need it without worrying about how to afford it or where to go.”
The party is also pledging to launch an all-party review of B.C.’s Mental Health Act and to create an independent Office of the Mental Health Advocate.