An authentic democracy is the fruit of a convinced acceptance of the values that inspire democratic procedures:
the dignity of every human person, the respect of human rights, commitment to the common good
as the purpose and guiding criterion for political life.
The Proper Role of Government
It is impossible to understand the role and purpose of government and other social institutions without first appreciating the purpose of life.
If, as the Church believes, the purpose of life is for each soul to search for and find the truth which is God, and to seek to grow closer to God, and to ensure that all other souls are encouraged and enabled to find their own ways to God, it follows that the proper role of government is to provide, with the support of the Church and other moral, educational, and economic institutions, a legal and economic framework in which the common good can flourish, in order that the people may accomplish their mission, that is, so that the people may use the freedom God has given them to seek the truth and thereby return to Him.
An authentic democracy is not merely the result of a formal observation of a set of rules but is the fruit of a convinced acceptance of the values that inspire democratic procedures: the dignity of every human person, the respect of human rights, commitment to the common good as the purpose and guiding criterion for political life. If there is no general consensus on these values, the deepest meaning of democracy is lost and its stability is compromised.
The Church’s social doctrine sees ethical relativism, which maintains that there are no objective or universal criteria for establishing the foundations of a correct hierarchy of values, as one of the greatest threats to modern-day democracies. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 407
Institutions and democracy
The Magisterium recognizes the validity of the principle concerning the division of powers in a State: “it is preferable that each power be balanced by other powers and by other spheres of responsibility which keep it within proper bounds. This is the principle of the ‘rule of law’, in which the law is sovereign, and not the arbitrary will of individuals”.
Responsibilities of the State include:
– ensuring that all individuals are enabled to achieve their full potential, by maintaining a framework capable of providing all the material, moral, and spiritual goods necessary for the common good
– harmonizing the different interests of sectors of society with the requirements of justice, including particularly the reconciliation of private ownership of goods with the common good
– ordering society not only in accordance with the desires of the majority, but the effective good of all the members of the community, including minorities
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 168
The Role of the Church
The Church does not wish to exercise political power or eliminate the freedom of opinion of Catholics regarding contingent questions. Instead, it intends — as is its proper function — to instruct and illuminate the consciences of the faithful, particularly those involved in political life, so that their actions may always serve the integral promotion of the human person and the common good. The social doctrine of the Church is not an intrusion into the government of individual countries. It is a question of the lay Catholic’s duty to be morally coherent, found within one’s conscience, which is one and indivisible. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 571
Taxes & Stewardship of Government
Public administration at any level — national, regional, community — is to be oriented towards the service of citizens, serving as steward of the people’s resources, which it must administer with a view to the common good.
Taxes
Tax revenues and public spending take on crucial economic importance for every civil and political community. The goal to be sought is public financing that is itself capable of becoming an instrument of development and solidarity. Just, efficient and effective public financing will have very positive effects on the economy, because it will encourage employment growth and sustain business and non-profit activities and help to increase the credibility of the State as the guarantor of systems of social insurance and protection that are designed above all to protect the weakest members of society.
Public spending is directed to the common good when certain fundamental principles are observed: the payment of taxes as part of the duty of solidarity; a reasonable and fair application of taxes; precision and integrity in administering and distributing public resources.
In the redistribution of resources, public spending must observe the principles of solidarity, equality and making use of talents. It must also pay greater attention to families, designating an adequate amount of resources for this purpose. In the democratic system, political authority is accountable to the people. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 355, 408, 412
Democratic Reform
Representative bodies must be subjected to effective social control. This control can be carried out above all in free elections which allow the selection and change of representatives. The obligation on the part of those elected to give an accounting of their work — which is guaranteed by respecting electoral terms — is a constitutive element of democratic representation.
Among the deformities of the democratic system, political corruption is one of the most serious. If there is no ultimate truth to guide and direct political action, then ideas and convictions can easily be manipulated for reasons of power. A democracy without values easily turns into totalitarianism. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 406-412
Cooperation and respect between parties
Political parties have the task of fostering widespread participation and making public responsibilities accessible to all. Political parties are called to interpret the aspirations of civil society, orienting them towards the common good… An authentic democracy is not merely the result of a formal observation of a set of rules but is the fruit of a convinced acceptance of the values that inspire democratic procedures: the dignity of every human person, the respect of human rights, commitment to the common good as the purpose and guiding criterion for political life. If there is no general consensus on these values, the deepest meaning of democracy is lost and its stability is compromised. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 407, 413
Subsidiary governments: provinces, municipalities, territories, & Indigenous peoples
The principle of subsidiarity is opposed to various forms of centralization, bureaucratization, and welfare assistance, and to the unjustified and excessive presence of the State in public mechanisms… Just as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so also it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organizations can do. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 185
Peace & Good Order
Interprovincial and International Trade
The Church has time and again called attention to aberrations in the system of international trade, which often, owing to protectionist policies, discriminates against products coming from poorer countries and hinders the growth of industrial activity in and the transfer of technology to these countries.
The continuing deterioration in terms of the exchange of raw materials and the widening of the gap between rich and poor countries has prompted the Church to point out the importance of ethical criteria that should form the basis of international economic relations: the pursuit of the common good and the universal destination of goods; equity in trade relationships; and attention to the rights and needs of the poor in policies concerning trade and international cooperation.
Economic and social imbalances in the world of work must be addressed by restoring a just hierarchy of values and placing the human dignity of workers before all else. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 370, 321, 364
“Opening up to the world” is an expression that has been co-opted by the economic and financial sector and is now used exclusively of openness to foreign interests or to the freedom of economic powers to invest without obstacles or complications in all countries. Local conflicts and disregard for the common good are exploited by the global economy in order to impose a single cultural model. This culture unifies the world, but divides persons and nations, for “as society becomes ever more globalized, it makes us neighbours, but does not make us brothers.
We are more alone than ever in an increasingly massified world that promotes individual interests and weakens the communitarian dimension of life. Indeed, there are markets where individuals become mere consumers or bystanders. As a rule, the advance of this kind of globalism strengthens the identity of the more powerful, who can protect themselves, but it tends to diminish the identity of the weaker and poorer regions, making them more vulnerable and dependent. In this way, political life becomes increasingly fragile in the face of transnational economic powers that operate with the principle of “divide and conquer”. Pope Francis, Fratelli tutti, 12
Criminal Justice & Public Safety
In order to protect the common good, the lawful public authority must exercise the right and the duty to inflict punishments according to the seriousness of the crimes committed. The State has the twofold responsibility to discourage behaviour that is harmful to human rights and the fundamental norms of civil life, and to repair, through the penal system, the disorder created by criminal activity… Punishment does not serve merely the purpose of defending the public order and guaranteeing the safety of persons; it becomes as well an instrument for the correction of the offender. There is a twofold purpose here. On the one hand, encouraging the reinsertion of the condemned person into society; on the other, fostering a justice that reconciles, a justice capable of restoring harmony in social relationships disrupted by the criminal act committed. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 402
Services, Stewardship & Reform
Services
The party advocates:
– not privatizing or otherwise outsourcing personal information collection and storage to organizations outside the province.
– not disposing of Crown corporations and assets, such as BC Hydro, without the permission of the voting public via referendum
– a thorough review of the role of ICBC and implement any recommendations to improve ICBC including allowing competition.
– encouraging private companies to locate in British Columbia and employ the residents of British Columbia by providing the infrastructure that they need and tax rates that are competitive with other jurisdictions.
Democratic Reform
The party states that:
– its 6-point plan for representative democracy would give the citizens of the province control over their government and the power to over-rule any decisions their government makes
– its reforms would enshrined in a BC Constitution so that every future government of British Columbia would be obligated to maintain its accountability to the citizens
– Governments need not be afraid to enact legislation to implement their policies if they have a mandate from the voters to do so. However, the citizens of British Columbia must have the final authority on all matters pertaining to their province
The party advocates introduction of a new provincial constitution including the following measures:
– direct election of the premier, using a system of Preferential Balloting
– separation of the Premier’s office from the Legislative Assembly in order to make the Executive branch of government accountable directly to the citizens of British Columbia
– introduction of preferential balloting, to ensure that each MLA and the Premier are elected by a majority vote and end “vote splitting.” No MLA would ever again be elected without receiving the support of at least 50% of his or her constituents who vote.
– ensure that all members of the BC Legislature are free to vote, independently of their political party on all bills introduced in the Legislature
– implementing effective recall legislation, giving the voters in every constituency a reasonable opportunity to “fire” their MLA in a recall referendum if that MLA is found guilty of illegal activity or immoral conduct or is deemed by his or her constituents to have failed to represent them. A “recall referendum” shall be held in any Constituency where at least 33% of the eligible voters registered in that Constituency sign a petition requesting a “recall referendum” within a 3-month time limit starting not sooner than 12 months after the last election. The referendum shall be held within 3 to 6 months of the petition being received by Elections BC, provided the signatures can be authenticated, and the MLA shall be dismissed from office and the office declared vacant if over 50% of the voters who vote in the recall referendum vote in favour of recall. Only one recall vote per incumbent, per term will be allowed. The Government shall hold a by-election to fill any vacancy not less than 3 months and not more than 6 months after the office is declared vacant as the result of a recall referendum or in the event of the death, incapacitation or resignation of the incumbent. The incumbent who was recalled may seek re-election in the by-election that follows.
– implementing effective recall legislation for the Premier, with all registered voters in the province being entitled to vote in the recall, utilizing the same rules that apply to the recall of MLA’s except on a province wide basis.
– fixed terms for both the Premier and the members of the Legislative assembly, with no provision for an early election unless they are removed from office by recall referendum, or by the death, incapacitation or resignation of the incumbent(s)
– elimination of the “Vote of No Confidence,” which will no longer be required, since governments will serve for fixed terms and will be accountable directly to the citizens of British Columbia through the “Recall Legislation”. It will no longer be possible for an opposition party to defeat the Government for its own political gain. However, the entire legislature might “resign” by holding a simple majority vote to dissolve the Legislature and hold an election. Such a vote would not affect the term of Premier or the Cabinet
– citizens’ initiatives: amending Citizens’ Initiative Legislation to allow citizens of BC power to repeal any law 4 passed by their provincial government or to force their government to implement a new law
– notwithstanding clause: implementation of a constitutional “notwithstanding clause”): allowing the provincial government to block any ruling any judge makes requiring either the Provincial or Federal Government to change the laws governing the residents of British Columbia. Each such implementation being subject to repeal by the citizens of British Columbia, if they wish to have the judge’s ruling implemented
– campaign financing: banning campaign contributions from any corporation, union or other special interest group and limiting the amount of contributions by individuals (registered voters only) to no more than $5,000 per year; and making it illegal to use money received from a third party to make political contributions
– uniform election dates: in order to minimize expenses, A Christian Heritage Party of BC Government will hold elections for all provincially elected offices and posts on the same date as the general election every four years. This schedule would not change if a government has to stand for election at another time due to a nonconfidence vote.
– election of federal senators, including n equal Senate to address the uneven distribution of Canada’s population and provide a balance to safeguard provincial interests, and holding of elections to fill the seats in the Senate that are reserved for British Columbia.
Constitutional Commission
To ensure that the above provisions along with other features of our system of democracy and our rights as citizens may not be ignored by any future governments, the party advocates:
– appointment of a commission to develop, approve and implement a common-sense BC Constitution, by the people and for the people
– requiring the commission to consult with the citizens of British Columbia before recommending the wording of the constitution to the Government
– causing the Government to then hold a binding referendum, asking the citizens of British Columbia to approve their new constitution
– including a provision the constitution may only be amended by a majority vote of the Citizens of British Columbia in a province wide referendum
Fiscal Reform
With respect to taxes, the party advocates:
– a complete review of all provincial taxation to be completed within one year of taking office
– a parallel review of provincial government expenditures to be completed at the same time to determine where costs can be cut so that taxes can be reduced
– as soon as possible after these two reviews are completed, submission of two proposals for a provincial tax structure to the voters, and allowing them to choose one of the two options in a binding referendum. The two options will be: a. a single rate income tax, or b. a single rate consumption tax (a tax on spending instead of income).
– no matter which tax system the voters choose, endeavouring to have the lowest provincial personal taxation rates in Canada. If the voters choose a single rate income tax, the current “Graduated Income Tax” will be replaced by a “Single Rate of Personal Income Tax” with a generous basic exemption to ensure that no low income individual pays more under the new system than they would have under the old system. If the voters choose the consumption tax, the current maze of taxes, including the HST, the carbon tax and a host of other taxes will be eliminated and replaced with one 6 single, visible tax on consumption. Certain basic necessities will be exempted so that low income earners will not be penalized for purchasing the essentials for survival.
– no matter which tax system the voters choose, continuing to collect royalties on publicly owned assets such as timber, petroleum and minerals
The party further advocates:
– promoting job creation by removing unnecessary regulations on small and large businesses
– promoting freer trade in goods and services between the provinces and territories in Canada, and encouraging Municipalities, Universities, Colleges, Technical Institutions, Schools and Hospitals to adopt the same policy
– enactment of balanced budget legislation, which includes overrides for declared provincial emergencies
– using any budgetary surpluses to pay down the huge provincial debt, which places a burden on the shoulders of our children and grandchildren
– removing all BC “carbon taxes” and provincial efforts to combat global warming by reducing the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and concentrating instead on fighting real pollution and encouraging the development of alternate, clean sources of energy in order to reduce our dependence on non-renewable resources
– ensuring that adequate compensation, based on market values at the time, will be paid to British Columbians for all our natural resources that are harvested anywhere in British Columbia, either above or below ground and in and below the territorial waters of British Columbia
– establishment of “Zero Based Budgeting” for provincial expenditures in order to ensure that the Provincial Government Departments are basing their budget estimations on actual requirements instead of setting them as an increase over the previous year’s expenditures, and to discourage government departments from spending money unnecessarily near the end of the fiscal year in order to ensure that their budget allotment is maintained or increased for the following year
– eliminating the BC Property Transfer Tax
– holding a referendum to obtain permission from the taxpayers before introducing any new taxes or appreciably increasing any existing taxes
– establishing and adhering to generally accepted accounting principles for government as outlined by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants
– amortizing capital expenditures in accordance with the principles above
– ending the gambling addiction of the BC Government and will take steps to progressively eliminate government dependence on revenues from lotteries, casinos and other types of gambling; working to reduce or eliminate widespread public gambling in BC
Provinces, Territories, Municipalities
National Unity
The party states that:
– the values most Canadians share in all the provinces and territories, which are part of our great Canadian heritage are greater that the values on which we are divided
– it supports Provincial Premier’s 1997 declaration in Calgary, stating, “Canada’s gift of diversity includes aboriginal peoples and cultures, the vitality of the English and French languages and a multicultural citizenry, drawn from all parts of the world”, and respecting the statement in the Premier’s declaration, “Canada is a federal system where federal, provincial and territorial governments work in partnership while respecting each other’s jurisdiction. Canadians want their governments to work together for the protection and wellbeing of all our citizens.”
– it believes that all Canadians should have the freedom to travel freely, and to move to any location in the Country, to work, to vacation or to retire wherever they desire in this great land. It also believes that they should be fully entitled to all the benefits offered by the Government of any province where they choose to live and that they should have a reasonable expectation that those benefits will be similar, no matter which province they choose to live in. It will fight for the standardization of benefits throughout the Country so that this type of disparity is eliminated.
The party advocates:
– ensuring that the five basic principles of the Canada Health Act are applied throughout Canada, even though the administration of health services comes under provincial jurisdiction. Residents of any province or territory who require medical assistance or services while visiting elsewhere in Canada should have as full and equal access to all health care facilities and services as residents of the province or territory in which the need for such services is required.
– the following federal policy priorities, in seeking to promote national unity: a) The Federal government should work with the provinces to reinforce Canadian economic union through the Inter-provincial Trade Agreement. b) The Inter-provincial Trade Commission should be given authority by the Federal Government to initiate and carry out policies derived from the Inter-provincial Trade Agreement. c) The Federal Government should take a leadership role in eliminating inter-provincial trade barriers in commerce, labour and capital mobility.
– establishing provincial control over:
• Natural Resources (Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, etc), including control over and revenue from offshore resources both in the sea and under the sea.
• Forestry
• Health Care
• Education, including Post Secondary Education.
• Taxation
• Immigration to British Columbia from outside of Canada.
• A Provincial Police Force to replace the RCMP, with authority similar to the OPP and the QPP
– a Federal “Triple E” Senate to give B.C. residents a greater share in the decision making in the Federal Government.
– co-operating with the Federal Government to amend the Federal Constitution to include Property Rights, as well as to guarantee that no person shall be deprived of their just rights without due process of law and full, just and timely compensation.
Courts & Public Safety
The party advocates:
– reforming the provincial legal system to ensure the protection of the public, restore punishment as a deterrent to crime and dispense justice in a timely manner
– mandatory restitution for non-violent property crime and enaction of “proceeds from crime legislation”, to assist in providing compensation to victims of crime
– creation and publication, on the government website, of a record of the cases handled, and sentences handed down, for each individual judge
– creation of a recall process whereby judges who are “soft on crime” or otherwise fail to dispense justice fairly can be relieved of their duties by the voters.
– creation of a commission, consisting of judges and ordinary citizens, charged with reviewing sentencing guidelines and proposing any changes to the Parliament of Canada for adoption.
– considering impaired driving as an endangerment of the public and on the second offence possible forfeiture of the vehicle if it is registered to the driver and prison time for anyone that is convicted of this offence.
– recommending to the federal government that any person who is not a citizen of Canada and who is convicted of a violent crime in British Columbia be deported to his or her country of origin immediately after release from prison. They should be escorted directly from the prison to the airport and placed on the first available flight to their country of origin.
– elimination of the BC Human Rights Tribunal, which is currently being used unfairly by special interests to harass our citizens and coerce them into silence on important issues. Complainants currently have free, unfettered access to the Tribunal while the defendants have no such assistance and must incur a huge expense to defend themselves. The decisions handed down by this Tribunal are final and not subject to review in a court of law. The Human Rights Tribunal is not necessary and will be disbanded, since aggrieved groups and individuals have sufficient recourse through the court system. A CHP-BC Government will work to dismantle the Human Rights Tribunal and repeal the enabling legislation which supports it.
The Role & Purpose of Government
As a matter of principle, the party states that:
– good government is ethical, accountable, fiscally responsible and enforces the rule of law to provide for the peace and security of our society
– it believes in smaller, less intrusive, more efficient government to afford the greatest amount of freedom with the least amount of taxation
Stewardship & Reform
Taxes & Financial Reform
The party states that:
– the government is an inefficient delivery vehicle for services and its growth is cannibalizing private-sector job creation. Wasteful spending should be cut and the savings returned to taxpayers.
– British Columbians are being taxed into poverty. With the highest gas prices in North America, it’s time to axe the Carbon Tax, the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and ensure more refined product reaches the B.C. market.
– it is immoral (and financially hazardous) to continue living beyond our means and leaving our children with the bill. While not immediate, we will plan on balancing the budget.
Provinces, Territories, Municipalities
As a matter of policy, the party advocates:
– support for the work of like-minded organizations, and elections of representatives at other levels of government.
The party further advocates:
– support for all new parents with the costs of daycare directly, while incentivizing the private sector to create new daycare spaces. This plan includes forming partnerships with municipalities.
Courts & Public Safety
The party advocates:
– reversing the decriminalization of hard drugs. Drugs like fentanyl, crystal meth and crack cocaine are destructive, life-devouring substances that have no place in our society. Police should have the tools to confiscate and limit their availability.
– defending the police. Instead of defunding the police, the brave men and women in law enforcement should be supported and given the resources they need to successfully do their jobs.
– cracking down on violent crime, including zero tolerance for violent and repeat offenders, and ending the revolving door justice system by directing prosecutors to pursue maximum sentencing for those convicted of serious crimes.
– appointment of principled judges, including judges that put victims and their families first – not the sob stories of hardened criminals.
– ending “tent cities.” Illegal “tent cities” lead to increases in crime, violence and disorder in otherwise peaceful communities. They are unfair to those who work hard, pay their taxes, follow the law and have had their neighborhoods stolen from them.
Stewardship & Reform
The party has provided a table of estimated additional costs to be incurred in order to implement it proposals (reproduced below). It states that the costs are presented in the form of the annualized costs of the program rather than by fiscal year. It also notes that additional revenue and offsetting savings will mitigate the impact on the province’s bottom line. For example:
– approximately $1 billion per year will be saved by ending oil and gas subsidies
– reinstating the regular increments of the carbon tax and increasing the annual increase to $10/tonne CO2e will draw in additional revenue in the short term
– investment in social programs will avoid future costs, while investing in education and innovation will yield future returns
Electoral reform
As one of six core principles, the party advocates:
– working to create proportionally elected governments that represent and engage citizens.
Social indexes & well-being indicators
The party states that:
– gross domestic product (GDP) was an accounting tool that originated in the 1930s to measure the size of the US economy. Somewhere along the way, governments started to treat it as a measure of the health of our economy and human wellbeing – a purpose for which it was not intended.
– the flaws of measuring success in this way have been known for years – in 1968, Robert Kennedy gave a famous speech in which he noted that if you just look at the aggregate number, the US looked to be in fine shape, but he went on to say that: “(GDP) does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials….it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile”
– Kennedy’s words still ring true. B.C. has enjoyed the strongest GDP growth in the country, but the benefits of our economic growth aren’t being felt by many. Younger British Columbians, in particular, are being squeezed by the extremely high cost of living. GDP doesn’t capture this pressure, nor does it tell us how difficult it is for British Columbians to start business, or how long it takes to save money for a down payment on their first home. It doesn’t tell us about the state of our natural environment, or whether our resources are being managed sustainably and for the benefits of local communities.
– it’s time to move away from an exclusive focus on GDP, and start measuring what really matters to the health and wellbeing of people in this province. Other countries are already embracing this approach. New Zealand has adopted Wellbeing budgets, which force Ministers to work together closely, focusing on how they could collectively address the wellbeing priorities. British Columbia can do the same thing, adopting budgets focused on health and wellbeing, and measuring our success with a suite of genuine progress indicators that more adequately capture the real health of our economy and our society.
The party advocates adopting health and wellbeing budgets with genuine progress indicators focused on economic, health, social and environmental factors, and requiring Ministries to justify spending in accordance with measurable progress on these indicators
Provinces, Territories, Municipalities: Intergovernmental Relations
Vibrant Cities
The party states that:
– the province can do many things, in partnership with local governments, to make B.C.’s cities more attractive and inclusive places to live, work and play, including partnering with local governments to drive development of more walkable neighbourhoods, complete communities, and healthy community design; and expanding provincial funding for sustainable projects such as bike lanes, paths, parks, community spaces, and pedestrian-only street
– in planning support for vibrant cities, honest conversation is also needed about sustainable funding for local governments, that would allow them to plan to meet the challenges of the 21st century
To build vibrant cities, the party advocates:
– partnering with local governments to drive development of more walkable neighbourhoods, complete communities, active transportation and healthy community design, by providing funding for cost shared funding for projects such as bike lanes, trails, parks, community spaces, and pedestrian-only streets
– making the expanded patio program permanent, working with local governments and stakeholders to ensure that patio expansions are maintained in a safe and sustainable way
– making electric bikes more accessible by: removing PST from electric bikes; requiring offices and commercial premises to provide secure bike parking with charging capabilities; and creating more safe storage options including bike lockers at key locations e.g. transport hubs
– promoting neighbourhood car co-ops with insurance instruments and parking areas
– working with local governments to explore modernization of revenue models to fully capture the public’s fair share of the land lift from transit oriented development
– working with local governments in partnership to reform our local government finance system, which leaves local governments overly reliant on regressive property taxes and unable to properly deliver the projects required for cities in the 21st century. This would include a committee to consider relevant recommendations in the UBCM report Strong Fiscal Futures.
Public Transit
The party states that:
– one of the most important areas in truly establishing livable cities is to address transportation needs in a forward-thinking way.
– before COVID-19, public transit ridership was growing at significant rates, as many residents chose transit over a single-occupancy vehicle.
– COVID dealt a temporary, but significant blow to the finances of B.C.’s transit agencies. Rather than allowing transit infrastructure to be compromised by the pandemic, the province needs to double down on these investments.
– regional planning must be tackled in a holistic and thoughtful way, rather than simply picking projects according to their potential to win more votes.
– climate goals must be integrated into every infrastructure decision, as must ensuring that any public money spent on transportation is expanding transit and active transportation networks
– investing in transit, livable cities and active transportation will not only help us meet our climate targets – but it will also improve physical and mental wellbeing, the strength and connectedness of communities, and the province’s overall quality of life.
The party advocates:
– prioritizing investments in transit service and ensuring that long term financial support is provided to TransLink, BC Transit and BC Ferries. For coastal communities and some interior communities, ferries are part of the way of life and a core part of the transportation network. We need to stop pretending that ferries should, or could, be run with a profit motive and bring their focus back to the essential services they provide to our communities.
– working with local governments to establish a vision for sustainable transportation in an era of expanded population growth on the South Island, including through: a regional transportation strategy; establishing a regional governance body to overcome fractured decision-making and deliver integrated planning for the growing region; investing to support expansion of public transit options to help people move around more easily; building frequent and affordable public transportation links between cities, such as between Cowichan and the CRD
– prioritized investment in transit service to support economic recovery, improve livability of communities, and reduce GHG emissions
– ensuring that the projected long-term losses facing TransLink, BC Transit and BC Ferries are dealt with so that service levels are maintained, allowing ridership to quickly bounce back through the economic recovery period
– working with local and regional governments to redesign the transit funding model and establish an equitable, stable long-term funding model for transit, including consideration of mobility pricing
– developing climate and sustainability criteria, including consideration of cumulative impacts, to be applied to all future capital projects including transportation infrastructure investments
– bringing BC Ferries back into government as a Crown Corporation, and conducting a full review of BC Ferries operations focused on providing an efficient, public service for British Columbians, and the role of ferries in BC’s transportation network.
Courts & Public Safety
As one of its six core principles, the party advocates:
– safeguarding people’s security and freedom through cooperation and consensus building
Proposed costs from the party’s 2020-2021 platform:
The Role of Government
The BC Libertarian Party values the rights and dignity of the individual as well as ensuring accountability for wrong-doers, and believes that protecting the rights and civil liberties of individual citizens is one of the few appropriate roles for our government.
Stewardship & Reform
Tax Reform
The party states that:
– the tax code is a convoluted mess of tax credits for individuals and businesses set against income taxes. If the purpose of a sin tax is to reduce consumption of products deemed sinful, what is the purpose of the income tax? It is costly to administer, audit and comply with the tax code and it could be made much simpler by eliminating all of these credits and instead increasing the personal base exemption on income by an equal or even greater amount. A simple tax code also means easier filing for everyone and fewer exploits and loopholes for schemers. Under our plan, we will reduce the number of tax brackets and provide immediate tax relief for those who need it most.
– governments have become addicted to tax revenues and public monopolies to close funding gaps in essential services. The politicization of ministry funding creates an institutionalized inertia inside the largest ministries. Millions of taxpayer dollars are lost due to inefficiencies and friction between departments.
– it has the most progressive tax policy ever offered to voters in British Columbia. Its collection of policies target the taxes paid most often by average lower to middle income citizens
– despite past discussion of reducing taxes on “the poor,” “the working class,” and “the middle class,” British Columbians still pay an average of 42% of their income every year to various levels of government, and lower income workers are actually paying more than their fair share. New tax credits against their income taxes pale in comparison to the multitude of hidden taxes and fees paid on fuel, car insurance, imported goods, tobacco, alcohol, and other taxes still that are only reflected in the higher cost of everything we buy such as with carbon taxes, payroll taxes and corporate income taxes. Those with lower incomes pay a higher proportion of their incomes toward these sorts of consumption taxes than do those with higher incomes
– taxes that affect disposable income for every British Columbian have an effect on their total spending. Eliminating those taxes add back to the spending power of everyone, creating jobs, real wage increases and competitiveness on a global scale.
– while a struggling young family often pays little or no income taxes, their share of overall taxes contributed to the government remains very high; especially where such taxes implicitly raise the costs of gasoline and food. Its goal is to eliminate this hidden burden.
The party advocates:
– through a series of legislative actions, eliminating sin taxes entirely, abolishing anti-competitive cartels and price-fixing monopolies, and liberating entire swathes of the economy to competitive forces
– it specifically targets institutions where reform will deliver immediate cost savings to British Columbians and specifically targeting taxes that affect lower income working families the most. Recipients of corporate welfare will see funding eliminated and instead benefit from an overall lower tax environment and a more competitive worker-friendly job seeking environment.
– reduction of bloated healthcare administration costs without reducing delivery expenditures, tying funding to outcomes and reducing funding for programs that do not deliver acceptable returns compared with their cost. We will use legislative action to legalise private delivery options and ensure transparency in pricing, which will immediately create a rush to provide patients with the lowest cost, highest quality healthcare possible.
– reducing the average family’s annual tax burden by repealing regressive taxes that hurt low income working families the most
– raising the base exemption to relieve more workers from the income tax burden entirely
– eliminating the direct fuel tax and the regressive carbon taxes, the Employer Health Tax, “sin” taxes on tobacco and liquor
– replacing the provincial charitable donation tax credit with a $750 annual charitable donation tax refund – those who donate to registered charities get the money back next year
– pursuit of completely open trade agreements with the other provinces and other markets. Trade is good because it allows for an ever greater division of labour. The increasing specialization it enables makes domestic producers more attractive and competitive in open global markets, increasing the wealth of everyone involved to a far greater extent than any closed economy trying to produce everything for itself. For example, the economic potential of eliminating intra-provincial trade barriers has been estimated as high as $7500/family. Indeed, incremental steps made in the past to liberalize provincial trade in wine have resulted in Canadian wines going from laughing stock to internationally renowned, as the various disparate regions learned to do only what they do best and trade that for what the other regions specialize in. Our reforms will see the same sorts of productivity enhancements across all industries.
– raising the base exemption to $44,000.00. By raising the base exemption on income taxes paid by individuals, we expect the marginal propensity of workers to reject further offered work to be diminished. In other words, workers will take more hours knowing the earnings will end up in their pockets. Fewer people working cash jobs and more hours worked per employee will drive total wages higher.
– to help pay for tax cuts, implementing corresponding cuts in expenditures and regular sales of assets, selecting expenditures which are least effective in delivering desired outcomes and those capital assets which would be better managed by municipal governments, non-profits or private corporations
– phasing out subsidies to post-secondary schools over a 10-year period, reducing expenditures by $400 million annually
– eliminating provincial affordable housing subsidies, saving an estimated $500 million annually. Affordable housing subsidies for purchasers make housing less affordable. Their introduction encourages insiders to speculate on the price gains that will occur when all the new buyers soon compete for the same properties with a larger borrowing capacity.
Provincial Liquor Monopoly
The party states that:
– the BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) takes $1.4 Billion annually from consumers by artificially raising the prices of beer, wine and spirits by up to 170% of their original price before distributing it to retailers. By law the LDB is the only one permitted to purchase, import or distribute alcoholic beverages in the province. This unnecessary bottleneck creates inefficiencies that have added costs to consumers and taxpayers.
– these archaic liquor laws have major impacts on the viability of the tourism and hospitality industries, as sky high compliance costs and alcohol costs mean continually higher menu prices for all items. Small, independent restaurants are particularly hurt by regulatory compliance costs. Specialty restaurants or distilleries are also being victimized by having their craft liquor confiscated if it is not on an approved list. Restaurants should be free to purchase directly from sellers local or abroad at the wholesale price they agree on (like any other good). They should be free to sell their products at whatever price they feel will be competitive, and they should be free from burdensome regulations that distract them from running their business.
– it advocates eliminating the Distribution Branch, tendering any assets it has for sale, and to setting a timeline for the sale or lease termination of all BC Liquor stores, providing existing employees right of first refusal. To comply with federal laws requiring provinces to regulate liquor, the BC Liquor Control Board will continue in its role of regulating the sale of alcoholic beverages only to those over the age of 19 and collecting data from new distributors. PST would be the only tax that applies to alcohol.
Government Salaries & Benefits; Per-Vote Subsidies for Parties
The party states that:
– British Columbian politicians are living high and eating well off taxpayer dollars. The basic annual salary of a Member of the Legislative Assembly is $111,024. For every $1 the politicians contribute to their own pension plans, taxpayers get to pay $4 just to chip in, even during times like the pandemic when over 14,000 Vancouver businesses closed in six months. Most Canadians are lucky if their employer matches a dollar-for-dollar RRSP. There is no justification for taxpayers to be forced to put in $4 for every $1 an MLA chips in.
– the problem with political entitlement goes beyond bloated unearned salaries and world-class retirement packages. The per-vote subsidy introduced in 2017 means that in British Columbia, the major established political parties will take $16.4 million from taxpayers over four years (they already have most of it!) and are using it to pay for their lawn signs, paid staff, attack ads and junk mail. It doesn’t matter if you support a particular party’s policies, if you pay taxes, you’re paying for NDP, Liberal and Green Party internal party operations. You don’t get a say in the matter.
– just two months after the parties received another cash instalment of taxpayer money, an early election was called by the prior government.
– it unequivocally finds the concept of per-voter subsidies repugnant. Old, entrenched parties get a free pass while small unelected parties have to fight to earn every dollar. Our own candidates have technically paid taxes to directly help out our opponents this election. Is that process truly democratic?
Government Waste
The party states that:
– there is a culture of waste inside the BC government that has lasted for decades through successive governments. The Plecas Report reveals that it didn’t matter much who the people were and what their politics suggested. Fiscal conservatives and spendthrift progressives acted alike; nobody wanted to risk upsetting the apple cart once they were given the reins. The way the organization is structured virtually guarantees the status quo of waste will prevail. All of our hundreds of government offices are structured as hierarchies where one or a few people give their final approval on major spending decisions, expense approvals, retirement packages, vacation rules, etc.
– government bureaus of various sorts are mostly apportioned budgets from general tax revenues or from specific taxes and fees that fund them. Management of these bureaus can either use what is granted to them, or they will lose the funds back to general revenues. “Use it or lose it” is a poorly designed incentive that underlies much of what makes government institutions, inefficient, resistant to productivity-enhancing changes, prone to using taxpayer money for purposes other than which it was intended, and virtually incapable of ever reducing their own size
– demanding accountability for tax dollars being spent sounds reasonable. But it will not bring actual accountability. It will only move the goalposts for managers to manipulate the appropriations process in their favour.
– the only true way to ensure taxpayer money is not wasted, is not to tax it in the first place. With smaller budgets at their disposal, the culture of waste can be starved of its lifeblood.
The party advocates:
– moving toward outcome-based funding formulas which allocate more tax dollars toward programs that deliver on their intended results, and fewer for those programs that cannot consistently perform. If managers of these programs wish for more funding to reward their employees, they will need to prove they deserve it. Where a reasonable expectation for positive outcomes cannot be made, program funding may be cut entirely. The party estimates a minimum of $800 million in annual savings from such measures.
– introduction of “whistleblower legislation” to prevent the dirty tactics of dismissing employees that raise eyebrows at misdeeds, and forcing them to sign non-disclosure agreements about the grounds for their dismissal. All government employees should be encouraged to raise red flags the moment they see them, first as a deterrent and second to protect them against retribution.
Social Assistance
The party states that:
– Government should support British Columbians in genuine hardship who cannot otherwise support themselves. It should play a limited, but important, role in protecting the vulnerable.
– at its worst, social assistance can become a trap for many. While the intention of alleviating hardship is noble, hundreds of thousands of British Columbians are now dependent on welfare. This prevents them from living independent, productive lives.
– individuals on social assistance can not work, or can work in very limited amounts depending on their circumstances, without a complete clawback of their benefits. This creates a perverse situation for the individual trying to get back on his or her feet, for much of their first earned income will come directly at the expense of the benefits they were receiving, money they no doubt need to make ends meet. In this calculus, there is literally zero financial incentive for a person to work those first few marginal hours while on welfare.
The party advocates:
– introduction of a lifetime limit of five years on training and jobs assistance, and a lifetime limit of three years for income assistance, with ‘cashless welfare’ being applied when those limits are reached
– extending cashless welfare to any parent who has additional children while receiving a benefit. This means a person’s benefits will be placed on a debit card which can only be used for specific purposes – for example, rent, energy, and groceries.
– adjusting income tax categories so that those receiving welfare can start working without an immediate 100% clawback of benefits
Courts & Public Safety
Wrongful Death Laws
The party states that:
– British Columbia is the last province in Canada, including the Yukon yet to modernize its wrongful death laws. Only in BC is it still perversely “free” to kill anyone who does not meet the discriminatory criteria of being a breadwinner with dependents. A “breadwinner” is typically defined as an income earning parent and a “dependent” is typically defined as a non-adult aged child who would have otherwise relied upon their deceased parent’s future lost income for survival.
– under the present BC Family Compensation Act if a person has no income and no dependents, they essentially have no “value”, or “worth” under the law. As a result, certain classes of citizens such as children, seniors, and the disabled are especially vulnerable without having any sort of legislated value granting protection under the law.
– when the citizens of the province do not have a basic level of equal “value” under the law, there is accordingly no available potential judgement “worth” to their life that would otherwise cover court costs, denying families the ability to obtain truth, justice, and hold wrongdoers accountable. In these instances, not only are the surviving family members burdened with the loss of their loved one, but they are even further victimized when they discover that the province’s antiquated wrongful death laws deny them access to justice.
– thus grieving family members are often left with a burning sense of injustice after having been denied the ability to right a wrong. Oftentimes there is a significant indirect economic impact on these surviving family members, such as funeral expenses, counselling & therapy, divorce, loss of work, career retraining, loss of business & opportunity cost for the self employed, and the general pain & suffering associated with the grief of losing a loved one.
– the current legislation under the BC Family Compensation Act is 174 years old, having been adopted from the UK’s Lord Campbell’s Act (1846), with no significant amendments since its implementation.
The party advocates:
– legislation that favours the victims and not the wrongdoers, as proposed by the BC Wrongful Death Law Reform Society with respect to the proposed “Wrongful Death Accountability Act”.
– amending the wrongful death statute to contain the following key tenets:
(1) all reasonable expenses necessarily incurred by any survivor for medical services, nursing services, hospital services, burial & memorial services, as well as travel & accommodation expenses rendered for the decedent as a result of the wrong;
(2) the present value of future income, benefits or other pecuniary support owing to or anticipated to have been received by a survivor from a decedent, including but not limited to: the loss of financial support reasonably expected to have been provided had the decedent lived; the loss of household services reasonably expected to have been provided had the decedent lived; the loss of child support, spousal support, alimony or any other financial obligations owing from the decedent to the survivor, whether embodied in an order of court or otherwise; and/or the loss of reasonable contributions to the future educational expenses of any survivor;
(3) all other reasonable pecuniary losses incurred by the survivor arising from the wrongful death;
(4) reasonable non-pecuniary losses arising from the survivor’s loss of the decedent’s love, guidance, care, companionship and affection, proportional to the relationship that existed between the survivor and the decedent prior to the decedent’s death. A close relationship is presumed for spouse, parents, children, and siblings.
(5) punitive damages may be awarded in appropriate cases of egregious misconduct, but if the damages are awarded, they are for the benefit of the estate of the deceased.
If a cause of action survives, damages that resulted in actual financial loss to the deceased or the deceased’s estate are recoverable, as is all reasonable non-pecuniary losses arising from the decedent’s conscious pain, suffering and disability during the period between the wrong and the decedent’s death, including damages for loss of expectation of life, pain and suffering, physical disfigurement or loss of amenities.
(6) there should be no legislated caps on compensation and it should be left to the discretion of the courts based on case law. We believe caps on compensation become entitlement windfalls, rather than discretionary recognition of the distinct value of the individual life wrongfully taken. Further, when caps are implemented, then the legislation must continually be revisited to account for inflation, adding a further unnecessary legislative burden. This can be handled at the discretion of the courts, just as inflation increased the rough upper limit on non-pecuniary damages set by the Supreme Court of Canada several decades ago.
The Role and Purpose of Government
The party has published no official statement concerning its policies on the role or purpose of government.
Stewardship & Reform
The party states that:
– prior governments have wasted millions in the courts fighting against teachers and hurting our kids’ education, caused long wait times for urgent healthcare, and have left seniors in care going a week at a time without a bath.
The party advocates:
– proper funding for classrooms and school equipment, so parents don’t have to fundraise for classroom essentials.
– replacing portables with real classrooms and make our schools earthquake safe.
– expanding provincial apprenticeship and trades training programs.
– increasing access to doctors, nurses and health practitioners in all communities.
– relieving pressure on emergency rooms and reduce wait times.
– providing faster access to mental health services, when and where people need it.
– increasing the time home care workers can spend with seniors, so seniors can stay in their own homes longer.
– addressing court backlogs and investment in programs to end gang violence.
– development and implementation of a comprehensive poverty reduction plan.
– restoration of parks, hiring of more park rangers and conservation officers, and build new campsites.
Finance and Affordability Services
In its 2024 provincial budget, the party states that the current government is investing in ways to make life better by helping people with costs, delivering more homes faster, strengthening services, and building a stronger and cleaner economy, including:
– $13 billion more in operating funding across the fiscal plan to support a growing population and invest in new priority measures.
– measures intended to build prudence into its fiscal plan, including providing significant contingencies for emergent and unknown costs
– to ease the pressures of everyday costs, including $248 million for a new, one-year BC Family Benefit bonus starting in July 2024, to support 340,000 low- to middle-income families with cost-of-living pressures, which on average will provide eligible households $445 more over the twelve-month bonus period.
– a one-year BC Electricity Affordability Credit, starting in April 2024. B.C. households will see, on average, approximately $100 in savings on their residential electricity bills over twelve months, while commercial and industrial customers will receive savings of about 4.6 per cent on average based on their 2023/24 electricity bills. Total estimated savings for electricity customers in B.C. is $370 million
– to assist small and growing businesses, reduced Employer Health Tax obligations, by increasing the exemption threshold from $500,000 to $1 million, so that an estimated 90 per cent of businesses will be exempt from the Employer Health Tax, estimated to help save businesses more than $100 million each year.
– to support continued investments in the Homes For People plan, new operating and capital funding of $198 million over three years for the BC Builds program, along with new tax measures designed to support affordability and boost housing supply by prioritizing homes as living spaces. Measures include a new tax targeting home flipping activity, effective January 1, 2025, that will discourage short-term speculation that contributes to inflated housing costs. There are also new and expanded property transfer tax exemptions for first-time homeowners and newly constructed homes, which are estimated to save British Columbians over $100 million annually
– it is committed to protecting important services, including strengthening health and mental health care, investing in social supports and the education system, and keeping people and communities safe. It’s 2024 provincial budget provides $8.0 billion more over three years to ensure services are available for B.C.’s growing population. This includes targeted new measures that expand supports for cancer care, seniors home care, access to family law services, and K-12 students with dyslexia or other learning differences.
– its 2024 provincial budget also funds measures on an ongoing basis that were previously funded through pandemic contingencies and federal funding, such as vaccination costs. Government is also introducing an In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) program starting in 2025. The new publicly funded program will create more equitable access for people seeking IVF and reduces barriers for those who may not otherwise be able to access fertility services.
– over $1 billion in new spending over the fiscal plan period to protect British Columbians from the effects of climate change and build a stronger, cleaner economy that works for everyone, including year-round wildfire response, and new investments to support CleanBC and advance the clean economy, including more active-transportation grants to communities and additional heat pump rebates for low- and middle-income families, as well as additional investments to maintain and improve access to communities through road, transit and community infrastructure investments. This supports the movement of goods and people, which helps drive the economy forward.
Essential Services
In its 2024 provincial budget, the party proposes nearly $8 billion in incremental funding to strengthen health care, K-12 education, justice, public safety, and social supports:
– states that the current government is investing in ways to make life better by helping people with costs, delivering more homes faster, strengthening services, and building a stronger and cleaner economy, including:
– for health and mental health services, $6.01 billion over three years
– for K-12 education enrolment growth, $968 million over three years
– for justice and public safety services, $398 million over three years
– for people who need care and support, $585 million over three years
Public Service Staffing
The party states that:
– as of April 2023, there are just over 520,000 people working across the provincial public sector, including the core Public Service, Crown corporations, health, community social services, K-12 public education, post-secondary institutions, and research universities.
– of those people, approximately 404,000 are unionized employees paid under collective agreements or professionals paid through negotiated compensation agreements.
– the 2022 Shared Recovery Mandate applies to all public sector employers with unionized employees whose collective agreements expired on or after December 31, 2021. The mandate supports government’s priorities to protect the services people in British Columbia depend on and improve health care by providing fair and reasonable compensation including significant inflation protection to B.C.’s unionized employees.
– the mandate helps government prepare for future needs and challenges, as well as ensuring there are resources to continue to invest in building a stronger economic province
– the 2024/25 fiscal year marks the third and final year of the mandate which provided the province’s public sector workers with an average of 13.75 per cent in combined general wage increases and cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) over the three-year term. Year 1 of the mandate provided a greater percentage increase for lower paid workers hardest hit by the challenges of affordability. The COLA increases provided protection of up to 1.25 per cent in Year 2 and 1 per cent in Year 3 to account for the impacts of inflation. These amounts are earmarked within the Contingencies vote until costs become more certain.
– during its term in office full-time equivalent (FTE) staff utilization in core government ministries is projected to increase from a forecast of 36,800 in 2023/24 to 37,300 in 2024/25, an increase of 500 FTEs. This projection is expected to be stable for the three years of the fiscal plan.
– the anticipated FTE growth is due to newly approved resources as part of its 2024 provincial budget, including resources to support fire management, public safety and
CleanBC initiatives. There are also new FTEs to support BC Builds, digital building permit tool, new conservation officers, an Independent Gambling Control Office, and increased frontline and oversight staff for child protection, and to address growing demand for government services.
In its 2024 provincial budget, the party advocates:
– reallocating $7.4 billion from contingencies to permanent base funding to reflect known compensation costs for the delivery of public services.
– the government and provincial public sector employers spend about $43.8 billion annually on total compensation.
Provinces, Territories, Municipalities
The party states that:
– to support economic growth and development, its 2024 provincial budget provides $250 million over five years for the 21 local governments that make up the Northwest BC Resource Benefits Alliance. These communities are primarily rural, remote, with small populations but are relied upon to support an influx of new industry and workers. Funding will be used to support planning and construction of municipal infrastructure, such as roads, water, sewer and other community facilities needed to support new industrial development and create liveable communities for their workforce.
Courts & Public Safety
The party states that:
– its 2024 provincial budget invests in keeping people safe and communities strong by providing $398 million over three years to support various justice and public safety programs.
– new investments better support families with access to the justice system by expanding the early resolution model and legal aid services. The early resolution model helps divert family law cases to mediation to improve timely resolution and helps reduce the number of family law cases that proceed to court.
– funding for legal aid services will help establish a new family law clinic dedicated to clients experiencing family violence and expand access to legal aid services to help more individuals and families build safer lives.
– additional funding is provided to support important public safety programs, such as:
• the Nanaimo Correctional Centre, a new modern facility set to open in 2024, to replace the existing outdated correctional centre and increase capacity with a 12-room unit for women, include culturally responsive programming, accommodate remand inmates closer to their courts of origin located on mid and north Vancouver Island, and enhance the Guthrie Therapeutic Community that has been proven to reduce re-offending;
• the BC Coroners Services, to help deliver more timely Coroner’s reports, inquests, investigations and address increasing operating costs;
• the Police Services Branch, including funding to support negotiated wage mandate increases for RCMP civilian staff and to fund dispatch services provided by E-Comm to provincial policing jurisdictions on South Vancouver Island; and
• Road Safety BC programs, including permanent funding for the daily administration of 140 red light cameras throughout B.C., including 35 cameras that provide speed enforcement at high-crash intersections to further the Province’s goal of zero traffic fatalities
– additional funding is provided for compensation-related increases for Provincial Court judges and judicial justices as recommended by the independent Judicial Compensation Commission, as well as Supreme Court masters and registrars, and Crown counsel.
– the 2024 provincial budget also supports safer communities by supporting various justice and public safety initiatives and programs including the Intimate Images Protection Act, anti-racism initiatives, establishment of Independent Gambling Control Office, Public Guardian and Trustee, BC Corrections, courts services and operations, and legal services.
(FOR REFERENCE ONLY. PARTY HAS ANNOUNCED ITS WITHDRAWAL FROM THE ELECTION. CHECK CANDIDATE LISTINGS AND CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES BEFORE GOING TO THE POLL.)
The Role and Purpose of Government
The party has published no official statement concerning its policies on the role or purpose of government.
Stewardship & Reform
Taxes
The party states that:
– it’s wrong for government to spend beyond its means and leave our kids with the bill
– it advocates low taxes, smaller government, and responsible spending
– the current government’s “Community Benefits Agreements” give contracts to NDP-friendly unions while shutting out 85% of the workforce – meaning British Columbians pay more for less. It advocates scrapping CBAs and restore competitive bidding on public projects.
Courts & Public Safety
To better protect the public and end the current government’s revolving door of justice, the party advocates:
– ending the “Catch and Release” program, which dumps violent offenders on our communities where they commit more crimes against innocent, hard-working citizens.
– ending the decriminalization experiment, which has resulted in an explosion of open drug use in parks, playgrounds, and beaches. It advocates focusing instead on getting people well
– taking all crime seriously. When there’s no consequence for small crimes, offenders develop a sense of impunity. The party advocates ensuring that all crimes have consequences to stop minor offenders from progressing to serious crimes
– hiring more police. BC’s brave men and women in uniform keep neighbourhoods safe. The party advocates hiring hundreds of police officers to restore law and order to the streets.
– banning open drug use. Parks and playgrounds are for kids and families, not drugs and crime. The party advocates an immediate ban on drug use on playgrounds, parks, beaches, and public spaces.
Points to Ponder: Good Government
Consider discussing the following with your local candidates, elected representatives, and the parties, and discussing with your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and fellow parishioners:
The Role and Purpose of Government
Catholics have definite ideas about the purpose of life and, arising from that purpose, the proper roles of civil society, government, and other social institutions.
- Are those ideas shared by most Canadians? If not, to what extent can or should we share our ideas with other Canadians?
- Are any values held in common by most Canadians? If so, what are they, and how do they inform the proper role of government and other social institutions? For example, what do we owe each other, and what does the answer mean for government, charities, schools, etc.?
- Is it important for a society to share common values? How can common values be promoted within a society?
The Government of Canada has recently published a Framework for Quality of Life (https://www160.statcan.gc.ca/infosheet-infofiche-eng.htm), and has instructed its ministers that “Across our work, we remain committed to ensuring that public policies are informed and developed through an intersectional lens, including applying frameworks such as Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) and the quality of life indicators in decision-making.”
1. To what extent is the Quality of Life framework consistent with the principles and values of Catholic social teaching?
2. To what extent does, or should, the Quality of Life framework apply to provincial governance as well we federal?
Truth, Respect & Good Governance
Each of the mandate letters used by the federal government to instruct its ministers at the time the current government assumed office explains that: “Canadians expect us to work hard, speak truthfully and be committed to advancing their interests and aspirations. When we make mistakes – as we all will – Canadians expect us to acknowledge them, and most importantly, to learn from them.”
1. Has this standard been applied to provincial government in British Columbia?
2. To the extent it has not, what can or should individual British Columbians do to encourage their governments to apply it?
It is an unfortunate and nearly universal practice for our political parties, in framing their platforms and policy statements, to focus at least as much on what’s wrong with the other parties as they do on what’s right about themselves.
- How can we, as citizens and voters, help encourage parties to look for common ground, speak positively about one another, and voice their suggestions for improvement in respectful and collaborative terms?
Democratic Reform
Canada and many of its provinces have long debated the advantages and disadvantages of first-past-the-post vs. proportional voting schemes.
- Should the present system be changed? If so, how?
It is very often the case that party members and candidates – including particularly rank-and-file members and staff members – are very good people, who sacrifice much in order to contribute to a better world. And it seems too seldom that we thank them, or have anything other than criticism to offer.
- What can we, as individuals, do to thank and support these selfless people?
Contracting; Public – Private Partnerships
Contracting and cooperation between government and corporations or other private entities can be instrumental in accomplishing great common projects. On the other hand, unwatched they can become instruments of misuse.
- To what extent should public-private partnerships be allowed, for research, infrastructure development, or other purposes?
- What type(s) of entities should be considered when contemplating such partnerships? Local or foreign corporations? Non-profit or charitable organizations?3. How should such partnerships be monitored or regulated, in order to assure that arms-length relationships are maintained, and that principles of subsidiarity are respected?
Fiscal Responsibility
The table below is taken from the 2024-2025 provincial budget, and shows projected provincial revenues, expenses, and debt for the next several years.
- What do the figures tell British Columbians?
- Should voters or taxpayers be concerned?
- Should future generations of voters, taxpayers, or citizens be concerned?