Finance Minister Carole James set to deliver NDP budget

The British Columbia Government will outline their financial plan for the year ahead this afternoon, as Finance Minister Carole James delivers her third budget document to the Legislature since the NDP took power in the spring of 2017.

Today's financial outline one that is expected to focus on the NDP's goals on poverty reduction, supportive housing and environmental objectives.

The Budget Speech comes one week following the Speech from the Throne, a document which was full of forward thinking and big picture ideas, a wish list of sorts of what the NDP would like to achieve while they hold the levers of power at the BC Legislature.

Today's presentation will offer some indication as to how the Horgan government plans to fund many of their Throne Speech pronouncements as well as a range of other policy objectives, all while striving to keep to a balanced budget.

The Budget Speech is more of a technical document, steeped in numbers and financial forecasts, though it too tends to follow the pre determined talking points from the government that fall in line with much of the ministerial planning that has been taking place in the lead up to the Budget making process.

The Finance Minister wasn't tipping her hand over the weekend as she made a number of public appearances, though her general observations suggest that the NDP document to be revealed today will differ significantly from those of other provinces where program and spending cuts have made for the headline takeaway.

Spending on child care, education, health and housing is expected to continue, with the NDP set to remind British Columbians as to how their approach to the provincial treasury differs from that of their predecessors in office.

As she made her tour of the Victoria area over the Family Day weekend, she put the spotlight on families and that is a theme that many political observers believe today's budget will follow, with the NDP to continue to put their focus on how they will be helping individual British Columbians in the areas that impact on their lives the most.

Today's speech begins at 1:30 PM and you can follow the financial blue print through the Legislature Broadcast available here.

Once delivered, you will be able to review all of the NDP Government's talking points from the document here.

For a look at some of the previews of what political columnists and reporters believe will be the guiding themes for BC Budget day, see our notes from our Victoria Viewpoint feature.

More notes related to the work of North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice and Skeena MLA Ellis Ross can be found from our archive pages below:


North Coast

Skeena

Cross posted from the North Cost Review.