BC's New Democrat cabinet ministers have their marching orders after Premier John Horgan issued letters to his 22 ministers outlining their mandate and instructing them to find ways to deliver on the NDP's promise to "make life better for people".
For instance Energy Minister Michelle Mungall is to freeze B-C Hydro rates and send the Site C dam project to the B-C Utilities Commission for an economic viability review.
And Finance Minister Carole James is tasked with balancing the budget, cutting MSP premiums 50% by January and eliminating them within 4 years, and raising the carbon tax $5 per tonne by next April.
As for the former Liberal government's habit of taking dividends from crown corporations -- ICBC and BC Hydro -- which could not lead to huge rate hikes for British Columbians, James says that's something her government will review. But it won't come in time for their first budget:
" It's on our list of review, along with all the other issues. We'll be bringing forward a budget in September. So that's the timeline we're looking at, a very quick timeline. So you won't see huge major changes, because there just won't be time by September. And then you'll see a full budget in February."
Meantime she had these words for Liberal MLA Andrew Wilkinson who accused the NDP of showing a lack of leadership in addressing the problems at ICBC which could lead to 30% rate hikes for British Columbians:
" Unbelievable. Unbelievable that he could stand there and make those kinds of comments when it was his government for 16 years that has made the mess that they've left for us."
James says the former Liberal governments played a shell game by taking money from crown corporations and pumping it into their budget to make it look like things were rosier than they are.