Bill Walker, B.C. Libertarian Party candidate, said excessive taxation and government regulation are handcuffing British Columbians. He said taxes are increasing year after year and it’s hurting everyone.
“There is way too much regulation and it is getting worse,” he said. “The [government] just wants to keep charging more taxes and we cannot sustain this as workers, as taxpayers. We cannot sustain this type of regime.”
Walker, a local mortgage broker and owner of a bed and breakfast in Tofino, is hoping to become Nanaimo’s next MLA and is up against five other candidates in the Jan. 30 byelection. He said the NDP have done little for Nanaimo over the years, adding that socialism isn’t the way to go for the community.
“I think at some point in time people have got to realize that it is not working,” he said. “They can keep voting NDP if they want but it doesn’t work.”
Walker ran unsuccessfully in the 2017 provincial election and said he is running again because there is no difference between the major provincial parties, adding that they’ve failed British Columbians for years. He also said he doesn’t view himself as a politician, but as someone who wants to help others.
“I see myself as a concerned citizen who is looking to improve the lives of people,” he said.
Key agenda items and issues for Walker include eliminating provincial carbon tax, ending ICBC’s monopoly on basic auto insurance and axing excessive rules and regulation around riding sharing. He said the Libertarian Party is all about giving people freedom.
“We want to put more money in the pockets of people so they can decided where they want to spend their money,” Walker said. “That’s the bottom line. It’s about freedom. It’s about freedom of choice for the individual.”
ICBC isn’t working for people anymore according to Walker, who said British Columbians should be able to buy basic auto insurance from a private company.
“We have to go through the government agency to get it,” he said. “All the other types of insurance, we can shop around, but with car insurance they won’t let us do that. They are cutting off our freedom of choice.”
On the issue of carbon tax, which will go up from $35 a tonne to $40 later this year, Walker said the tax needs to be eliminated entirely. He said climate change is real, but questions whether humans have “anything to do with it” and doesn’t believe taxation will help the situation.
“I don’t see how that is going to do anything,” he said. “What do they want to do? Change the climate change with carbon tax money?”
When it comes to local issues and items, Walker said he is totally opposed to the speculation tax and believes there needs to be more incentives for developers to build housing, particularly rental housing, in the community.
At the end of the day, Walker said competition is a good thing for consumers. He said there is too much waste in the public sector and that the government needs leave the retail and insurance sectors.
“The government has got no business being in the liquor business, they got no business being in the pot business, they got no business being in the insurance business,” he said. “They should just stay out of our business.”
The B.C. Libertarian Party are holding a rally at Diana Krall Plaza on Jan. 12 between 1-3 p.m. For more information visit https://libertarian.bc.ca/
nicholas.pescod@nanaimobulletin.com
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