VANCOUVER, BC (March 19, 2026): Iain Black, leadership candidate for the BC Conservative party says David Eby’s recent photo-op at a welding company in Maple Ridge flies in the face of major job losses across the province, and a growing lack of confidence in the provincial economy.
The latest job numbers for British Columbia paint a dismal picture, said Black, a former Minister of Labour , and former President and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.
Latest Job Loss Data
February 2026: –20,200 jobs lost in British Columbia (–0.7% in one month)
Key sector losses:
- Construction, Finance, Real Estate and Healthcare
“We have an NDP government and Premier who are driving people and businesses out of our province,” said Black. “We’ve seen this movie before in the 90s, and David Eby is repeating the same costly mistakes that were made back then: too much red tape and taxes that were so high they cost BC jobs and business investment.”
Black said while jobs are disappearing in construction, manufacturing, finance, and health care, Eby is focused on photo-ops and political theatre.
“British Columbians don’t need another photo-op, we need jobs, growth, and real leadership,” added Black who served on the province’s Treasury Board. “The lack of job-creating experience around the NDP cabinet table is there for everyone to see. They have no plan and they are incompetent at a time when we desperately need to turn this downward spiral around, and it’s just not there.”