More families having to turn to welfare: NDP says BC Liberals need to protect parents and kids
Tamiko Nicholson (NEWS1130)
May 31st, 2009

SURREY (NEWS1130) - There are now 33,000 kids in the province who are living on welfare rates, and the NDP says that needs to change. The NDP financial critic Bruce Ralston says Premier Gordon Campell is focussing on EI for a reason. "I think what's happening is that when people lose their EI then they tend to go on welfare as the only alternative. The federal government pays for EI, but the provincial government pays for welfare. So, I think the premier is concerned not so much about protecting families, but about protecting the BC budget in a way that he did not let on in the election campaign."

The latest provincial statistics also show that the number of two-parent families who are collecting welfare has gone up by 77 per cent compared to April of last year. He says the increase in welfare users shows that the recession is deeper than the BC Liberals have let on. He says this is making a big impact on the budget, which is already under a lot of stress.