The campaigns are in the home stretch and the moment of truth is near and some MLA’s will remain and others will change. The reality of it all is the choice is ours. The party who gets to form government for the next four years is completing up to us. We must understand that voting is not just a privilege or right voting is a real responsibility. You may have heard the saying that if did not vote then can not bitch about how our government officials do things. Other may say that it does not matter we will only get what the rich people want us to have. Voting for our government officials is one of the best mechanisms we have to change our world and leave a better life for our great-grandchildren. Our future is what we truly need to focus on with things like climate change, depleting soil and fuel reserves running out. Our counts more than ever we need to decide how our future looks for the next 100 years. With a pandemic caused by a deadly virus that has a 20% fatality rate. So much is riding on our vote in this election we need to make the best choice for our lives, environment, and at the least of problems our economy. Each has put together a platform that is focused on what they think we need. Liberals and NDP are still very focused on the status quo with oil, gas and harvesting of forestry product. We still hear about things like pipelines and LNG. The Liberal Party is coming into this election with the same opinion on LNG and pipelines while the NDP promised to end these projects if they were elected 2017 but there seems to be a 180-degree turn about and they are now saying that British Columbia needs these project to continue. The BC Greens have not changed their stance on ending LNG, the Site C Dam and stating the pipeline is way too dangerous to our forest, wildlife and overall environment. In this time of pandemic do we need a government that puts power and commerce above human life?
It is clear that 2020 is one of the most unprecedented years in modern history. Multiple overlapping crises – the affordabilitycrisis, the overdose crisis, the climate crisis – were already coming to a head even before COVID-19. We need to act urgently to get people and businesses the support they need now, and make sure we’re building a stronger, more resilient province in the long term.
Consecutive BC Liberal and BC NDP governments have promised to make life better for people, but have failed to deliver security and long term sustainability. Their actions have not followed through on the promises they make.
The BC Greens are different. We worked hard in the last minority government to improve the NDP’s policies and to stand up for the issues that matter to people’s wellbeing. We’ve shown that partisanship is less important than advancing policy that makes a difference in the lives of British Columbians. Now as we face down COVID, we need this commitment more than ever.
Our plan proposes new, targeted supports where they are needed most. We know the anxiety that British Columbians are feeling about the present and future. We know that for many people, COVID-19 has simply further entrenched the cost of living challenges they were facing. For others, the economic security that was already feeling distant now seems completely out of reach.
People are worried about their health and safety, their kids going back to school, and the future of their jobs and the economy. To address these concerns, we need to build a stronger, more resilient province so that people can be safe and secure in their communities.
WE ARE PROPOSING REAL SOLUTIONS, LIKE:
- Support for small business owners by helping with rent payments through the winter;
- A new grant for those facing unaffordable rents as part of ensuring everyone has affordable housing;
- Better quality care and an end to the privatization of our long-term seniors’ care;
- Supporting young families with affordable childcare, income for stay at home parents, and more flexible work arrangements;
- Implementing principles of basic income into our social safety net;
- A green recovery from COVID-19 with an ambitious climate plan at its centre.
These priority actions won’t just help address the immediate challenges in front of us – they can help position our province for success coming out of COVID-19. We need to ensure that the investments we make today to address the health and economic impacts of COVID, allow us to build a stronger, more sustainable, more resilient economy.
While COVID is the most pressing crisis we face, it is not the only one.
For many, the cost of living in BC is far outstripping the ability of people to cover the necessities, let alone save for the future. Not enough has been done to address the growing number of people who are being left out of the prosperity of this province.
Some fear that the massive disruption caused by COVID will pale into insignificance compared with the disruption caused by the changing climate. Our communities face growing threats and our government is not moving fast enough to adapt, and reduce our emissions.
In all of this is an opportunity. By making deliberate, strategic choices in how we navigate COVID-19, we can seize new opportunities from these challenges. We can build an economy that is more inclusive, that has secure jobs for British Columbians across the province. We can establish BC as a world leading low-carbon economy, exporting the ideas and the technology that the world needs to solve the climate crisis.
We know that the government works better when no party has all the power. No matter the outcome of this election, we will fight for the immediate and targeted support that can get us through COVID-19, and we will hold the government accountable for positioning our economy to emerge stronger, cleaner, and more equitable on the other side.
In 2020, the people of British Columbia have proven their commitment and passion for our province. Through unprecedented health risks, financial pressures and, sadly for too many, the heartbreak of losing someone close, people have put their family, neighbours, community and province first.
And with no end in sight for the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting financial hardships on people and businesses, British Columbia has reached a fork in the road. Election 2020 is about which path you want to take – about what kind of future you want as we face the new reality and move towards full recovery.
Before COVID-19 hit, we had begun fixing all the problems created through years of the BC Liberals working for people at the top while making you pay the price. And the progress we’ve made together continues with the plan we’re presenting here. With your support, we can continue to move BC forward – investing in people, and delivering the programs and services that matter most to you.
While the Liberals have changed their stance offering help only the riches and biggest businesses and residents here in BC they don’t make much of statement about their platform on the website. They find it very important to let us know they are not affiliated with the Federal Liberal Party. You can download the entire platform here.
