Premier Horgan called out 20-39 year olds during a press conference on Monday.
He stated, “The cohort from 20 to 39 are not paying as much attention to these broadcasts and quite frankly, putting the rest of us in a challenging position.”
Many people have demanded Premier Horgan to apologize saying his comments are unacceptable, including UBC NDP president Justin Kulik and BC Green candidate Adam Bremner-Akins.
The 20-39 year old demographic makes up the majority of the front line workers in grocery stores, restaurants etc. These types of jobs are at high risk of transmission. Moreover, there has been an increase in university fees during the pandemic, along with higher rental prices, which is putting this exact demographic under immense pressure.
Many have turned to social media to hold the premier accountable, stating that his allegation is not considering the circumstances, and he is deflecting his responsibility in the rise in cases.
Premier Horgan had declared “we are on the right track” just 2 weeks prior, and many have criticized him for instilling a false sense of safety. Young people can’t help but wonder whether shifting the blame is a tactic to avoid taking responsibility for misleading the province.
These comments sting even more when compared to the government’s reaction to the spike in cases for seniors a few months ago. Premier Horgan did not blame seniors but rather found the underlying cause for the spike.
Bremner-Akins blatantly expressed this sentiment, stating, “We don’t deserve to be blamed for your governments (sic) incompetence, if you really wanted to help young people you would, but you are just using stereotypes to throw us under the bus for your political gain, and not address other issues.”