Chris Gardner: NDP budget must commit to responsible resource development

It’s provincial budget time again — the first full-fledged NDP effort in 17 years.
It’s show time for the NDP government, and the scene is set. They assumed office in an enviable fiscal situation: five consecutive balanced budgets, a $2.7 billion surplus, a triple-A credit rating, and a debt-to-GDP ratio hovering just over 16 per cent. This legacy of fiscal prudence will be hard to match given the challenges ahead.
First, B.C.’s overall competitiveness. As the Business Co