John Horgan said he would “ban big money” as his first act in legislature if the B.C. NDP form a government in May.
Horgan made a campaign stop Wednesday in North Burnaby where he met with pre-selected residents in front of a house on Oxford Street with a large sign on the front reading “$1.2 million.” Horgan suggested Premier Christy Clark’s position on housing was influenced by her campaign donors.
"The B.C. Liberals sat idly by for years ignoring the crisis because it was working very well for them. Their developer donors were making lots and lots of money,” he said. “When big dollars distort our politics and give the public the perception that if you give a big enough cheque you can get contracts, you can get regulations changed. That distorts politics, that makes people cynical.
"Government should be working for the people that elect them, not the ones that fund their campaigns.”
Candidates Janet Routledge for Burnaby North, and Raj Chouhan for Burnaby-Edmonds were in attendance.
Party supporter Ian Reeve attended with his partner and said he is moving to Ottawa where he can afford to buy a home. Melanie Kuxdorf, who attended with her husband Zach Rothman and their daughter Saskia, said they had to move out of the area because they could not afford to live here anymore.
When asked how his government would address demovictions in Burnaby, Horgan responded that his government would close loopholes in the Residential Tenancy Act.
“We want to make sure that people have security of tenure,” he said.
