Smarter spending, modest surpluses part of 5-year budget plan: B.C. Tory leader

VANCOUVER – BC Conservative leader John Cummins has released a five-year budget plan that he says will produce modest surpluses by spending smarter.

Cummins didn’t release specifics of Conservative spending, saying voters can expect details when he releases his election platform.

He says a Conservative government will not raise taxes but find efficiencies in spending.

To do that, Cummins has a three-point plan that includes more votes in the legislature on budget estimates and MLA oversight committees.

A conservative government would cut the carbon tax and eliminate some of the sector-specific tax breaks that the Liberal government implemented to offset the tax.

And the legislature would undergo a major facelift in order to provide much greater oversight of government spending, with a fall sitting that would include MLA committees to scrutinize spending.

Cummins says that under the Liberals, debate has been stifled and there is too little scrutiny.