Photo courtesy Hansard.
The NDP government is accusing Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson of being “out of touch” with British Columbians following comments on renting Thursday morning.
The NDP released their response after Wilkinson gave his take on the government’s approach on protecting renters during a budget debate in the legislature, saying he was a renter for 15 years.
“I lived in dozens of rentals. It was challenging at times but it was fun, it was part of growing up and getting better. We’ve all done it,” Wilkinson said.
“It’s kind of a wacky time of life but it can be really enjoyable. Being a renter is a fact of life, it’s a rite of passage.”
There's nothing we can say that would do justice to just how out of touch the BC Liberals are.
So here he is in his own words: life as a renter according to Andrew Wilkinson. #wackytime #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/YnvWzB5zP3
— New Democrat Caucus (@BCNDPCaucus) February 28, 2019
“Andrew Wilkinson is showing that he just doesn’t understand the challenges faced by regular British Columbians,” West End – Coal Harbour NDP MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert said in a statement.
“Renting is not just a wacky and fun phase for most people, especially after the BC Liberals let the cost of home ownership skyrocket for years. Now Andrew Wilkinson is proposing to increase rents further, making life even harder and more expensive for renters.”
In case anyone thought MLA @SChandraHerbert was exaggerating BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson's casual dismissal of renting as being something like a "fun phase" that people go through when they're young… here's a screenshot straight from the official record of Hansard. pic.twitter.com/qHqYYIKctI
— Bowinn Ma (@BowinnMa) February 28, 2019
Wilkinson went to twitter to say he knows what it is like to try and make ends meet and that it’s the government’s job to help people realize their dreams.
The government’s job is to make achieving your dream possible. If you dream of a better job, a better home, a higher income – those are all opportunities that are crushed when this NDP government closes the door to investment and smothers job creation with taxes. 2/4 #bcpoli
— Andrew Wilkinson (@Wilkinson4BC) February 28, 2019
“Some people find themselves renters by choice, others not. They are all helped when we support the rental market with co-op housing and ensure there is ample supply,” Wilkinson added.
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