NDP accusations have local MLA on the attack

Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: December 03, 2009 6:00 PM

Eric Foster is lashing out after the NDP accused him of “failing to stand up for his Vernon-Monashee constituents.” Foster is angry Nelson-Creston MLA Michelle Mungall has issued a press release challenging his activities since being elected in the spring. “I don’t know where Ms. Mungall gets her information,” he said. In her press release, Mungall takes aim at the harmonized sales tax. “When he was elected, Eric Foster said that Vernon-Monashee would have a voice in government, but instead of advocating on behalf of his community, Mr. Foster has sat quietly by while the B.C. Liberal government breaks promise after promise,” she said. “Despite running on a platform that promised not to bring in the HST, Mr. Foster has refused to justify why he is breaking his word to Vernon families.”

Foster says Mungall is off base when it comes to the tax. “To say I promised to never bring the HST in is wrong. The matter never came up during the election,” he said, adding that the government never initiated its policy until after the vote. Mungall goes on to accuse Foster of barely speaking in the Legislature during his first session. “I listened to what was going on instead of just beaking off,” said Foster. “It’s really easy for people to sit in opposition and criticize and not present options.” Mungall also raises the provincial government’s meat processing regulations and a recent NDP bill that calls for farm gate sales. “With as little as Mr. Foster has done for his constituents, I would hope he can at least come out in support of local food production when the legislature sits next,” she said.

Foster is quick to defend his actions. “I’m working my butt off to see if we can resolve this,” he said of local food processing concerns. Foster added that he hasn’t had a chance to take a stand on the NDP bill because it was just released. “To say I’m sitting silent on this, I didn’t hear from them until the last week of the Legislature sitting.”