June 9, 2025
Parteek Singh Mahal
Conservative MLAs are accusing the BC NDP government of prioritizing executive salaries and insider contracts over support for families with seriously ill children.
They strongly condemned the NDP’s decision to make major cuts to the BC Family Residence Program, which helps parents stay close to their seriously ill children during hospital stays. They have claimed that at the same time, shocking details have emerged that the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) currently employs 336 staff members earning $300,000 or more annually.
Peter Milobar, Conservative MLA for Kamloops Centre, stated “The hypocrisy of the NDP’s priorities is crystal clear. While families face some of the most painful moments of their lives, this government continues to protect its insider contracts and inflated administrative salaries. Cutting support for families with sick children is simply wrong.”
The program, which previously covered up to 30 nights of accommodation per hospital visit, has now been cut to just 15 nights per year, and is only available to families with a household income of less than $85,000 annually.
Anna Kindy, Conservative MLA for North Island, added “Placing a financial burden on families already under enormous emotional and economic stress is unconscionable. Children always need their parents’ presence and advocacy — especially during critical medical situations. The NDP’s choice to prioritize bureaucratic excess over vital family support isn’t fiscal responsibility; it’s blatant mismanagement.”
Health Minister Josie Osborne recently defended the cuts, saying the province had to “prioritize funding.”
However, the Conservative Caucus argued that insider contracts under Premier David Eby’s leadership have surged, including a $58,000 contract to former NDP Cabinet Minister George Heyman and a $150,000 contract awarded to Michael Bryant, a personal friend of the Premier. Additionally, Osborne’s own ministry budget has reportedly received a 10% increase.
The Conservative Caucus is demanding that the NDP government immediately reverse the cuts and redirect funding away from inflated administrative salaries and insider deals, and instead restore support to essential health services that genuinely help BC families.
Loading ...
