VICTORIA — British Columbia’s premier-designate Lorne Doerkson is a fan of this week’s federal budget, but an economist says he’ll have trouble emulating it. Marc Lee of the Centre for Policy Alternatives says B.C. is facing greater urgency than Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney to deal with deficit problems. Doerkson has praised Thursday’s resource-revenue-focused federal budget as “encouraging and ambitious” and has said that he will likewise be “very committed” to growth. Lee says that while the federal and provincial deficit-to-GDP ratios are about the same, British Columbia “can’t continue to run large deficits” year after year. Doerkson’s incoming B.C. Conservative government has promised to cut this year’s forecast deficit of almost $14 billion through economic growth and without new taxes. Lee says the federal government has more room to reduce spending than Doerkson, since the provincial government has primary responsibility for health, education and other social services, and British Columbians would notice cuts. He says he’s “more skeptical” than some when it comes to the prospect of stimulating growth through tax deductions and regulatory changes, and politicians have mostly “pushed all the buttons” around growth. This report by Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press, was first published Nov. 6, 2026.
