There is a touch of absurdity in the new “Look West” economic master plan for B.C. that the NDP government dropped this week.

It puts huge emphasis on speeding up and streamlining permitting, reducing ­barriers and delays and “removing ­duplication across regulatory frameworks.”

It sets a wonderful goal — clearing away all the backlog of projects awaiting government permits.

But what raises eyebrows is the fact that the government is giving itself 10 years to meet that goal.

“By 2035, 100 per cent of all permitting turnaround times will be met — meaning no backlogs — and B.C.’s regulatory system will be profiled as the best in the world, with predictable, timely authorizations that meet ­world-leading environmental standards.”

Embarking on a crash program to wipe out all the bureaucratic delays and then giving yourself a full decade to do it is more than a little incongruous.

Particularly since the government goes to some length to congratulate itself on all the work it’s already completed in cutting red tape.

The document says all 1,000 housing projects that........

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