B.C. NDP Leader David Eby speaks to reporters after a leaders debate at radio station CKNW, in Vancouver, on Wednesday, October 2, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

New Democrat Leader David Eby has released his party’s British Columbia election campaign platform promising to find solutions to “today’s tough challenges” in the province.

The 65-page platform lists about $2.9 billion in what it calls new investments until 2027, while mentioning rival B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad by name 56 times, compared with 29 times for Eby.

Among what the party says are new pledges are a $1,000-per-household grocery rebate, allowing pets in purpose-built rentals and free off-peak transit for seniors, while pledges that have already been unveiled include a middle-class tax cut.

The platform also forecasts reductions in revenue of more than $1.5 billion by 2027, mostly due to the tax-cut pledge.

Eby released the campaign platform, “An Action Plan For You,” on Thursday in Surrey.

It pledges to make life better for families, youth and older people.

“I hear you, and I see you,” says Eby in the platform document. “The challenges we are facing together are what drive me. And working to solve them is what gets me out of bed each morning.”

Other platform commitments include building 300,000 affordable homes, finding a family doctor for everybody in B.C., building more hospitals, ensuring safer streets by giving police more powers to fight gangs and creating good jobs by expanding training programs.

Eby also promised to ensure every public school has a mental health counsellor and to end bias against pet owners by getting rid of 'no-pet' clauses in purpose-built rental apartment buildings.

Rustad features heavily in the document, with breakout sections titled "What's the Rustad risk?"

The B.C. Conservative leader has announced several economic initiatives in recent days, and on Wednesday announced a plan to end the provincial insurance corporation's monopoly on basic vehicle insurance.

He said Thursday that this would bring in competition, drive down costs and improve services.

"Any time you've got competition, you're going to get the best prices," he said.

Rustad said ICBC has "lost its edge," but he still believed it could be competitive.

"(That's) why we want to build … competition and let ICBC be able to structure itself as competitively as possible so that we are seeing the best rates we can."

The Conservatives had already pledged to exempt people who suffer life-altering injuries in crashes from ICBC's no-fault insurance model, saying it's unfair to accident victims to curtail opportunities to sue for damages.

An equivalent to no-fault would remain in place for minor injuries, Rustad said.

"For major injuries, we will allow … an individual to have somebody to represent them and to fight for what they need to be able to recover fully," he said.

The Conservatives have also released a series of pledges related to infrastructure, transit and boosting the economy, including Rustad's promise to reintroduce a minister responsible for "red tape reduction."

"The key is we need to get to better management in this province. We need to be able to make sure that we unleash our potential," he told reporters on Thursday.

A statement from the Conservatives says they would eliminate B.C.'s nearly $9-billion deficit within two terms of government and require voter approval of any new taxes, through referendum or an election.

"There are times when government does need to go back to the taxpayer and ask for resources for specific things, but when that time comes, they should actually ask the taxpayer, the people in this province, for permission to be able to do that."

Rustad said the Conservatives would be rolling out announcements over the coming days and the party's complete platform would follow.

"If anybody could give me an accurate number of … what the NDP's deficit (is), I think that would be a great help in terms of how we could actually make sure it was fully and properly costed in terms of what we're doing," he added.

B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau was expected to make an announcement related to the cost of living and support for working parents in West Vancouver on Thursday.

— With files from Brenna Owen in Vancouver

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2024.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2024