VICTORIA: Christy Clark’s “Forget Everything” pre-election budget is cold comfort to people after a decade and a half of B.C. Liberal neglect, says B.C. New Democrat Leader John Horgan.

“Christy Clark made life worse for ordinary families. And now that an election is coming she wants people to forget everything,” said Horgan. “The B.C. Liberals are using their cash surplus to make you forget there’s a deficit in the services people care about.

“She wants people to forget that she hit them with endless hikes to Medical Services Plan premiums, rising hydro bills, skyrocketing housing costs, a crisis in child care affordability, and the worst wage growth in Canada.

“Christy Clark wants British Columbians to forget the $300,000 she took from her wealthy friends, and the billion-dollar tax break she gave to her big money donors in return.

“She wants people to forget that her government doubled MSP premiums and only now, on the eve of an election, she promises to reverse that damage.

“She wants people to forget that their wages haven’t gone up while housing costs have spiraled out of reach for too many people.

“The only thing Christy Clark cares about is winning the next election. After years of neglect why would anyone believe she is going to change now?”

Horgan noted that since Christy Clark was elected the average family is paying more than $1,000 more for Hydro, MSP and ICBC fees alone.

“Fifteen years of cuts from our kids’ classrooms, and robbed an entire generation of children of opportunity — and Christy Clark says ‘Forget about it,’” said Horgan.

“She wants British Columbians to forget that she was forced by the Supreme Court of Canada to restore what she cut from our schools.

“Christy Clark is hoping her ‘forget everything’ budget will distract from the fact that 9 in 10 seniors’ care homes are understaffed.

“She is hoping that if her promises are outrageous enough people will forget all the times she simply made things up.

“One ‘forget everything’ budget isn’t going to change who Christy Clark is really working for. She didn’t work for you after the last election and she won’t work for you after the next one,” Horgan said.

“It’s time to make government work for people again.”