By ThinkPol Staff

British Columbians are mocking the BC Liberals after the party that ran the province for 16 years until last July blamed the six-month-old NDP government for the financial crisis faced by BC’s auto insurer.

“The BC NDP are trying to distract from the fact they are not taking action on the challenges ICBC is facing,” BC Liberal critic John Yap stated in a release^[1]http://bcliberalcaucus.bc.ca/blog/newsreleases/statement-bc-liberal-critic-john-yap-icbc/. “The threat posed by rising claims and payouts is well-known and the previous government took steps to deal with the issue.”

“As well, a third-party review of ICBC was ordered by the BC Liberals and was delivered on July 10, so it was waiting on the desk of the new minister,” the MLA for Richmond-Steveston added. “Instead of taking the immediate actions the report called for, David Eby has done nothing for seven months except order another review.”

Yap served as the minister responsible for multiculturalism until being forced to step down after being linked to the Quick Wins scandal^[2]https://thetyee.ca/News/2013/03/05/Minister-Yap-Resigns/, which has seen a a former BC Liberal communications director being convicted for breaing the BC Elections Act over a plan by the party to use government resources to attract ethnic Chinese votes.

British Columbians took to social media to mock the BC Liberal Party for its response.

“Who do you think is believing these statements?” teacher Nick Smith from Gibson, BC, asked^[3]https://twitter.com/mr_nixmith/status/958199756798349312. “And when do you start blaming the NDP for BC Rail?”

“Right. You totally screwed up ICBC for years them blame the NDP who has barely put their butt in the chair,” educational writer Doug Little tweeted^[4]https://twitter.com/jdouglaslittle/status/958107734058196993. “Totally shameless.”

“Oh c’mon. This is 100% on you,” Shelley Oulette tweeted. “You corrupt pieces of garbage.”

Even BC Liberal supporters did not appear too impressed.

“I am a Liberal supporter and absolutely hate this kind of bold, two-faced propaganda,” Elizabeth King, from Surrey, BC, responded to the post on the BC Liberal Caucus Facebook page^[5]https://www.facebook.com/BCLiberalCaucus/photos/a.190000324425644.43188.186971981395145/1590672827691713/?type=3&theater. “The issues with ICBC are longstanding ones so instead of casting blame let’s try to find positive solutions.”

Earlier in the day Attorney General David Eby promised to put out the “financial dumpster fire” at ICBC, which is projected to run a $1.3 billion loss in the current fiscal year, by making drastic changes to the the way the insurer operates.

But Yap, who has previously refused to comment about his ties to fraudster Paul Oei, does not seem to be have much faith in Eby’s assurances.

“It is clear the BC NDP made promises they can’t deliver on and so are looking to lay blame instead of accepting responsibility for that,” Yap said. “David Eby has a blueprint for moving forward at ICBC but keeps delaying any action and is allowing the problem to grow even worse under his watch.”

[Cover Photo: MLA John Yap with fraudster Paul Oei and his wife Loretta Lai with and Premier Clark. (Facebook)]