VICTORIA - B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell says public service job cuts are his last choice, but he didn't rule them out as his government prepares to table its first deficit budget in years Tuesday.
Campbell said Monday the province is preparing for a recession -- confirming earlier public speculation by business and labour groups -- and government programs and jobs could become casualties of the economic downturn.
In a speech from the throne outlining the government's priorities as the province heads into a May election, the Campbell Liberals are saying British Columbia has been through rough times in the recent past and come out stronger.
But Campbell suggested strongly it could be a while before good times return.
"What we've been very clear about is we're going to make sure we maintain health care. That we maintain education," he said. "But when you're putting those dollars into health care they're not available for other places."
He said the details of his government's financial plans will be in the budget. Campbell said he couldn't guarantee that other ministries will face job cuts.
"We're going to do everything we can not to ... that's the last choice that we've got," he said. "We think a significant amount of this is coming through attrition. It does recognize the fact that there are a number of jobs that have not been filled in the past."
Opposition New Democrat Leader Carole James said the government should not be cutting programs and jobs during an economic downturn.
"That was the only message we got out of this (throne speech): be careful people there are big cuts coming," she said. "That's not a reassuring message to people who are concerned about losing their jobs and worried about cuts in programs and services," she said.
James said the Opposition will be going over the budget to find out what is being cut.
She said the throne speech missed its target because the government didn't address Vancouver's gangland crime wave.
"I find it extraordinary on a day when we had another shooting last night, a killing today, there was no mention of crime," said James.
Lt.-Gov. Steven Point, who read the 40-page speech in the legislature, said B.C. battled back from being a have-not province receiving federal bail out dollars to one of the top economies in the country. The throne speech said the province will work its way out of the current downturn.
"We managed through a multibillion-dollar structural deficit, the tech market meltdown, the disruption of the 9/11 attacks, record forest fires and floods and the SARS outbreak," Point said.
He said the world has changed radically in recent months and the economic uncertainty has left families and businesses wondering what hit them.
"The things we took for granted keep changing," said Point. "These are challenges that call this legislature to action."
He said the government does not know how deep the recession will be or how long it will last.
There were few hints as to what's to come when Finance Minister Colin Hansen tables his budget on Tuesday, except that the province's minimum wage will stay at $8 an hour.
James said the government is refusing to raise the minimum wage because they say it adds costs to businesses, but it is refusing to drop its escalating carbon tax, which adds extra costs to fossil fuels, including gasoline.
Finance Minister Colin Hansen has already said the budget will include a deficit, the first after a series of consecutive billion-dollar surplus budgets.
The government said B.C. will develop stronger ties with Alberta and Saskatchewan, hosting a joint first cabinet meeting next month in British Columbia.
And the province will pass legislation that requires using wood as the primary building material for new public and provincial buildings in attempt to boost the ailing forest industry.
Point said the government will also continue to build its legal and cultural relationship with First Nations.
The government is working with aboriginals to develop a Recognition and Reconciliation Act that establishes a new legal framework that recognizes aboriginals have lived in British Columbia throughout history and this fact does not require proof.
"It will recognize constitutionally established aboriginal rights and title, and will facilitate partnerships and prosperity through shared decision making and revenue sharing," he said.
The government will open a new law school at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, but plans to offer provincewide all-day kindergarten classes for five-year-olds next September is being delayed, Point said.
The government said it plans to expand supportive housing to fight homelessness and will introduce programs to help individuals battle homelessness, he said.
The throne speech did not mention rising crime or law-and-order issues even though there have been numerous gang-related shooting deaths across the province.
But the government trumpeted the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler, saying the event will bring emotional, cultural and economic benefits to the province.
"The Olympic torch lights the way to a brighter future for British Columbia," he said. "Nothing will do more to stimulate global investment and job creation across the province than our Olympic advantage."
