On Sept. 19, while addressing local elected officials at the Union of BC Municipalities annual conference in Vancouver, Premier David Eby repeated what has become a central plank in the BC NDP campaign messaging: that BC Conservative Leader John Rustad believes climate change is a hoax.
On Sept. 20, Rustad addressed the same local officials and refuted the premier’s claims. The following are excerpts of what both leaders said on the topic during those public appearances.
Eby: “Having a leader of a major political party in British Columbia that believes that climate change is a hoax and a lie and that carbon pollution can’t be bad because we’re made out of carbon, is a disturbing thing.
“Will that person prioritize ensuring that your communities are protected at dikes, with the forest fire management that you need to keep your community safe? Will that person tell the investors … that they’re idiots for investing [in hydrogen projects] in British Columbia because they can do it more cheaply elsewhere, and carbon actually isn’t a problem?”
Rustad: “Climate is real. The climate change issue is real. There’s no question there. Man is having an impact on our climate. There’s no question there. But taxing people into poverty is not going to change the weather.”