VANCOUVER -- A promise by the BC Liberals to fight the pandemic with a provincial sales tax cut is separating the three parties in their approach to COVID-19 during the Oct. 24 election campaign.

NDP Leader John Horgan and the Green party's Sonia Furstenau panned the proposal on Tuesday.

But Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson is defending his idea, saying the elimination of the PST for a year is necessary during unprecedented times.

Campaigning in Campbell River, he says the province needs to boost consumer and investor confidence.

Furstenau says the promise would increase inequality at a time when people need help most.

And Horgan says the Liberal pledge to eliminate the PST for one year and then bring it back at a lower rate in a second year appears to be “desperate, not thoughtful.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2020.