琉璃神社 West MLA Ben Stewart is getting some heat for a controversial tweet criticizing federal government COVID-19 benefits for workers.
鈥淏usiness owners across BC are struggling to stay open as Gov鈥檛 programs don鈥檛 encourage workers to seek employment. This is wrong!鈥� reads the tweet Stewart published on Twitter Saturday afternoon.
Stewart said he made the comments after taking a walk around downtown 琉璃神社, seeing many restaurants looking for employees but failing to find any. He says programs like the Canada Recovery Benefit are to blame.
鈥淧art of the problem is that programs have been extended and are running until the end of September. There is no accountability on whether you鈥檙e busy looking for work. Even during a crisis, you still have to be looking for work, and that is not happening today,鈥� said Stewart in a Monday interview with Black Press Media.
Many responded to his tweet, pointing out that while Stewart is criticizing COVID-19 benefits, he鈥檚 paying his employees minimum wage. Stewart is the owner of Quails鈥� Gate, a popular winery located in West 琉璃神社. A recent job posting for vineyard workers required applicants to work 60-plus hours per week, Monday to Saturday, with occasional Sunday work. Applicants must also be available all weekends during specific time periods and must be available to travel to vineyard sites all over the Central Okanagan as well as Osoyoos.
BC Liberal MLA Ben Stewart is mad about government programs that support workers who lost their jobs.
鈥� Mo Amir 啷� This is VANCOLOUR (@vancolour)
Unrelated to this, Mr. Stewart owns Quail鈥檚 Gate Winery in 琉璃神社, which apparently doesn鈥檛 pay its vineyard workers a penny above minimum wage.
LINK:
Stewart said that employment costs have increased during the pandemic and workers at Quail鈥檚 Gate are not forced to work 60 hours, but many workers choose to. He says he鈥檚 had trouble finding anybody to take up jobs at the winery recently.
鈥淚f you wanted to be an equipment operator, the numbers are far higher than minimum wage and we are not contracting anybody. My human resources department is perplexed on why people are not taking up jobs here,鈥� said Stewart.
Statistics Canada鈥檚 labour force survey for July 2021, released Aug. 6, shows British Columbia as the lone province with employment above its pre-pandemic level. The national unemployment rate fell to 7.5 per cent in July, compared to 7.8 per cent in June. Long-term employment accounted for more than one-quarter of total unemployment in July, and youth unemployment fell by 54,000.
READ MORE:
Stewart, however, claimed that the numbers in the labour force survey have been skewed because most employment in B.C. happened in the public sector.
The government is too focused on 鈥渟pecial interest groups,鈥� such as disabled people, as part of their economic recovery plan and does not pay much attention to the private sector, according to Stewart.
鈥淭here are no programs to help people build skills that they need. What are we doing to help youth to get caught up and get jobs in nursing and engineering?鈥� he said.
When asked for specific solutions, Stewart did not give specifics. He pointed to the BC Liberal鈥檚 track record of making 鈥渂alanced鈥� budgets, growing B.C.鈥檚 economy and helping businesses across the province. He wants the province to let the private sector do things they are good at and not put further restrictions on sectors such as housing. The NDP government is spending a lot of money but not at the right places, he said.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 get jobs by giving money to people,鈥� said Stewart. 鈥淲e are faced with inheriting a deficit, and residents will have to pay more in taxes as a result.鈥�
In response to the criticisms, Stewart posted an apology on Twitter on Tuesday, Aug. 10, calling his comments, specifically those regarding disabled people, 鈥渨rong and insensitive.鈥�
I want to apologize for my comments around government programs, specifically for those living with disabilities who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. They were wrong and insensitive.
鈥� Ben Stewart (@benstewartbc)
Editor鈥檚 note: This story was updated with Ben Stewart鈥檚 apology at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 10.
READ MORE:
paula.tran@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on and follow us on and subscribe to our daily newsletter.
