September 5, 2025
Parteek Singh Mahal
BC Conservative Opposition Leader John Rustad has accused Premier David Eby of a “desperate political pivot,” claiming the premier’s recent public statements on immigration, fiscal policy, and a key land claims case are an attempt to mimic conservative positions and distract from his government’s failures.
In a statement, Rustad said Premier Eby is “trying to put on a new costume, but British Columbians know the record he’s trying to run from.” He pointed to the province’s “record debt, a declining economy, high youth unemployment, a collapsing healthcare system, and a catch-and-release justice system” as evidence of the NDP government’s shortcomings.
Rustad’s comments were a direct response to Premier Eby’s recent public call for the federal government to either “cancel or significantly reform” the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Eby, speaking in Surrey, had argued that Ottawa’s immigration policies were overstraining provincial social services and infrastructure.
“We cannot have an immigration system that fills our homeless shelters and our food banks,” Eby said in his previous remarks. “We cannot have an immigration system that exceeds our capacity to build schools and homes. And we can’t have an immigration program that increases unemployment among our young people.”
The premier’s statements on immigration were a rare point of agreement with federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who has also publicly demanded an end to the program.
However, Rustad dismissed this alignment as a political ploy. He argued that Eby’s attempt to blame Ottawa for immigration challenges ignores his own government’s role in a worsening jobs market and the high cost of living. Rustad highlighted recent jobs numbers showing youth unemployment nearing 13% in the province, while small businesses struggle with “vandalism, violence, and chaos.”
“Families and job creators are paying the price for this government’s failures,” Rustad said, adding that the premier’s newfound talk of fiscal responsibility is “laughable” given the NDP’s record of driving the province into “record debt and deficits.”
“You can’t dig a hole for years and then pose as the guy with the shovel,” Rustad quipped, concluding that British Columbians deserve honesty and real solutions, not “spin and political games.”
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