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Fact-Checking the Election Claims: A Reality Check

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Politicians in British Columbia have been bombarding voters with various claims and statistics in the run-up to the May 12 election. However, an examination of some of these claims reveals inconsistencies and contradictions. The Globe and Mail's fact-checking exercise aimed to put the truth behind these claims and provide voters with an accurate picture of the province's economic performance. Key figures, such as the NDP and the Liberals, have made several contentious statements that have been disputed by each other and other reputable sources.

Key Takeaways:

  • The NDP claims that 80,000 British Columbians lost their jobs in the first three months of this year, but Statistics Canada reveals that 69,000 jobs have disappeared in B.C. since October 2008.
  • The Liberals argue that the B.C. economy has been stronger under their rule, but the NDP points out that complete statistics for the Liberal track record are only available for six years, up to 2007, while figures for the NDP decade are available for 10 years.
  • The Liberals claim that increasing the minimum wage to $10 an hour would result in tens of thousands of job losses and $450-million in new labor costs, but the NDP debunks these numbers, stating that the costs would be significantly lower.
  • The NDP argues that British Columbians' disposable income has decreased during the Liberal government's tenure, while the Liberals say that their policy has led to a 25% increase in average annual growth rate during their eight years in power.
  • The Liberals use an extreme scenario to estimate the impact of a minimum wage hike, which is disputed by the NDP and other experts.
  • Both the NDP and the Liberals have been impacted by the global economic crisis, with the NDP decade being hit by a financial meltdown in Asia and the Liberals benefiting from international commodity price increases.
  • Gerald Campbell's government lowered taxes and implemented policies to boost investment, which had a positive impact on the economy.

Statistics:

  • The unemployment rate in March was 7.4%, an increase of 2.2 percentage points from last October.
  • 50,800 minimum-wage earners accounted for 2.7% of the workforce in B.C. as of last year, compared to 6% in 2001.
  • The province has experienced significant job creation and wage growth over the last eight years, with an average growth rate of 3.6% annually compared to the national rate of 2.8%.

Sources:

  • Statistics Canada
  • NDP press releases
  • Liberal Party press releases
  • The Globe and Mail article, "FACT-CHECKING THE ELECTION CLAIMS: A REALITY CHECK"

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