Recent statements from B.C. Liberal leadership candidate Kevin Falcon confirm the extremist approach he might take as premier and are completely at odds with British Columbians concerned about climate change and who value the local food industry, the New Democrats said today.

“Kevin Falcon says he wants to scrap existing and planned climate change programs at a time when we should be taking stronger action to protect the environment. His plan to slam the brakes on a regional cap and trade market is not the kind of leadership British Columbians are looking for,” said New Democrat environment critic Rob Fleming.

“People want to see our province investing in innovation and new technology to create the green jobs of tomorrow, protect B.C.’s incredible natural assets, and ensure that we take action to leave a clean environment for our children and grandchildren.”

Fleming noted that while Kevin Falcon has stayed silent about the controversial Enbridge tarsands pipeline and whether he would continue B.C. Liberal efforts to lobby the federal government to open up B.C.’s coastline for platform oil drilling, this week he advanced policies that would undermine agriculture.

“We need to be preparing for a low-carbon future,” said New Democrat agriculture critic Lana Popham. “That means aggressively pursuing policies that promote sustainable communities and resilient local economies. Mr. Falcon’s plans to further weaken the Agricultural Land Reserve are a step in the wrong direction.”

In 2004, the B.C. Liberals took away the power of the Agricultural Land Commission to make decisions about oil and gas activities on ALR lands in the Peace River Regional District and Northern Rockies Regional District. These decisions are now made by the Oil and Gas Commission. Approximately 32 per cent of the ALR lies within these two districts.

“We should be looking at ways to ensure that our agricultural land is being put to use to produce food and enhance local economies,” said Popham. “Undermining the ALR doesn’t just hurt communities and our economy today, it is a short-sighted move that will hurt our province generations into the future.”

Ninety-five per cent of British Columbians support the ALR, and 91 per cent agree that it is important that B.C. produce enough food so we do not have to depend on imports from other places, according to an Ipsos Reid poll from December 2008.

“Climate change is a real and present threat to our way of life. Adapting to a changing climate means protecting agricultural land and should be one of our province’s top priorities,” said Fleming. “Instead, we have a B.C. Liberal candidate for premier who wants to scrap programs that are supposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change, while at the same time he recommends it be made easier to destroy agricultural land.”

Fleming notes that Mr. Falcon was front and centre when the B.C. Liberals imposed the HST on British Columbians and scrapped tax exemptions for a variety of green products, including hybrid and electric vehicles, bicycles, energy saving appliances, green building products and high efficiency energy and heating systems.

“Clearly the B.C. Liberals only pretended to care about the environment when they were posturing before an election,” said Fleming. “If they actually shared the environmental values of the majority of British Columbians they would stop repeating their reactionary rhetoric that a strong economy is at odds with protecting the environment.”

The B.C. New Democrats are calling for the provincial government to forgo using carbon tax revenues to fund a further corporate tax cut planned for Jan. 1, 2011 and instead use those carbon tax revenues to invest in public transit, green infrastructure and other climate action initiatives.

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