With the COVID-19 pandemic and response continuing to take a heavy toll on the lives and livelihoods of people, families, and businesses in British Columbia, BC Liberal leadership candidate Gavin Dew is calling on the NDP Government to commit to holding a Commission of Inquiry into British Columbia’s public health and economic response to the crisis as soon as it is reasonable to do so.

“British Columbians are tired, frustrated, confused, and angry,” said Gavin Dew, candidate for Leader of the BC Liberal Party. “Many have lost loved ones, lost jobs, lost opportunities, and missed moments of connection with our families and communities. That’s why today I’m calling for government to commit to holding a Commission of Inquiry into BC’s pandemic response.”

The goal of the inquiry should not be about political finger-pointing, but to understand what worked and what needs to be fixed regarding the government and public health system’s response to this unprecedented crisis.

“How will British Columbia re-establish confidence in our public services if we don’t ensure complete transparency through a thorough examination of the failures and successes of our COVID-19 response?” asked Dew. “British Columbians deserve to know that the lessons of the pandemic are identified and put to use building resiliency for the challenges we will face together in the future."

Dew has launched a petition calling on all parties to support the call for an independent and non-partisan COVID inquiry, located at: www.gavindew.ca/covid19_inquiry