PRINCE GEORGE, B.C.: If you’re a qualified local B.C. business hoping to compete for WorkBC employment training contracts in your region, don’t bother asking what experience matters. Ask who you know.
The NDP needs to be transparent about its recent decisions on qualified bidders for WorkBC contracts in Prince George.
The companies selected for WorkBC contracts include one based in the U.S., one with no prior experience in employment training but with the NDP Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals’ spouse as a senior executive, and one closely linked to the ArriveCAN scandal. Why weren’t any local businesses included?
“In Prince George, local companies with a proven commitment to our community weren’t even qualified to bid on these WorkBC contracts. It’s hard to see how that decision was based on merit,” said Sheldon Clare, MLA for Prince George-North Cariboo and Official Opposition House Leader. “At a time when the Premier is talking tough about Canada and the U.S., it’s rather hypocritical to favour American companies over local providers. When taxpayers are footing the bill for contracts involving a cabinet minister’s spouse and a company tied to one of the most blatant misuses of federal funds in recent memory, we have every right to be concerned.”
“The NDP plays politics with voters by attacking the United States daily and then quietly hires American instead of Canadian companies to do the work! The deception is a slap in the face to British Columbians,” said Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Leader of the Conservative Party of B.C. “Local businesses deserve a fair shot at government contracts, and taxpayers deserve to know their money is staying here and being spent responsibly.”
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