What a difference a year and a half makes. In May 2009, Gordon Campbell had just won an historic third term as premier of British Columbia. Now a recent opinion poll not only puts him as Canada's most unpopular premier, but also the least popular premier in B.C.'s history.
Has he really done that bad a job?
With BC facing a recession, the provincial government had good reason to re-focus on the economy in its 2009 budget. Unfortunately, the government did not make the tough decisions required to make British Columbia more competitive and attractive for investment and business development.
For starters, little was done to improve incentives to work, invest and take entrepreneurial risks. Reduced personal income and business taxes would have improved these incentives and provided a stronger foundation for wealth creation now and in the future.