This year’s election offers voters an opportunity to ensure that British Columbia is guided by leaders who will provide practical and efficient leadership with the good of all in mind – including the unborn, the elderly, the young, families, and those who are too often forgotten or ostracized by society – as well as workers, farmers, business owners, and all future generations.
Catholics are called to participate in accordance with the full measure of talents entrusted to them by God. At a minimum, this means voting wisely, after having considered all relevant issues, the positions of each of the candidates and parties, and relevant Church teachings; and after having prayed for guidance.
This page provides our summary of issues relevant to this year’s election, along with relevant Catholic teachings and the positions of the parties, using the parties’ own words. This summary should help you in deciding your vote, whether you are Catholic or simply a good person interested in a better world.
- The B.C. Catholic newspaper’s guide, with a letter from Archbishop Miller and a big-format platform comparison, is here.
- A printable side-by-side comparison is here.
- Having trouble deciding? Look here for details of a Catholic approach to voting.
Our party platform comparisons are based on official publications of the registered parties, and any communications provided by the parties directly to Catholic Conscience, as of October 17, 2020. We will update these materials as best we can as the elections approach. Voters are in all cases encouraged to review the websites, platforms, and other materials published by the parties, and to speak directly to the parties and their candidates. Parties having questions or suggestions for the improvement of these comparisons are invited to contact us at info@CatholicConscience.org.
Life & Human Dignity
The Sanctity of Life: from Conception to Natural Death
The right to life from conception to natural death is the foundation of all Catholic Social Teaching. It implies that every form of procured abortion and euthanasia is illicit. – 155, Compendium of of the Social Doctrine of the Church
“This is not something subject to alleged reforms or ‘modernizations.’ It is not ‘progressive’ to try to resolve problems by eliminating a human life.” – Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 214
The Dignity of Work
Work is an essential expression of the person. Any form of materialism or economic tenet that tries to reduce the worker to being a mere instrument of production, a simple labour force with an exclusively material value, would hopelessly distort the essence of work and strip it of its most noble and basic human quality. – 271-274, Compendium of of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Catholic Teaching Catholics care about the sanctity of life because the entire purpose of each soul God that endows with life is to find its way back to God. Terminating a life voluntarily at any time after its conception necessarily frustrates this purpose.
- The source of human dignity is the likeness to God that is bestowed on each of us at the moment we are conceived. We respond appropriately to this gift by using all the time, talent, and treasure that God has entrusted to us to seek and grow closer to God, by sharing in His continuing act of creation and caring for those around us. Our first purpose is to seek God, especially in one another. If we do that, everything else will be given to us. Anything that interferes with that is contrary to the Word of God. Genesis, Chapter 1; Matthew, Chapters 6, 22 & 25
“You shall not kill” – the 5th Commandment.
The right to life from conception to natural death is the foundation of all Catholic Social Teaching. “This is not something subject to alleged reforms or ‘modernizations.’ It is not ‘progressive’ to try to resolve problems by eliminating a human life.” – 155, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church; 214 Evangelii Gaudium
- Everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity. Physical, moral and spiritual difference and complementarities are oriented towards the goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life. -224 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Men and women with homosexual tendencies must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. – 2358 Catechism of the Catholic Church
- The solemn proclamation of human rights is contradicted by a painful reality of, including new forms of slavery such as trafficking in human beings, illegal drug trafficking, prostitution. “Even in countries with democratic forms of government, these rights are not always fully respected”. Some serious problems remain unsolved: trafficking in children, the phenomenon of “street children, and the use of children for commerce in pornographic material. 158, 245 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
- The use of one’s gifts to seek and serve God necessarily includes work, by which humans cooperate with God in God’s continuing act of creation. Work is an essential expression of the person… Any form of materialism or economic tenet that tries to reduce the worker to a mere instrument of production, a simple labour force with an exclusively material value, would hopelessly distort the essence of work and strip it of its most noble and basic human quality.Work is an obligation to one’s family, neighbors, and nation. 271-274, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Christian Heritage Party of British Columbia The Sanctity of Life
Abortion
The BC CHP believes that abortions (the killing of tiny human beings) do not qualify as healthcare, nor that BC taxpayers, many of whom conscientiously oppose abortion, should be forced to pay for them.
The party would
- Remove abortion from the list of taxpayer-funded surgeries (along with all other non-necessary surgeries)
- Restore access to statistical information on abortions performed in BC
- Repeal BC’s “bubble zone” legislation and restore freedom of speech
Assisted Suicide
The BC CHP commits to defending senior citizens and those with disabilities from attempts to institute euthanasia and assisted suicide in BC
The Christian Heritage Party has released no official statement concerning its policies on:
- Support for reluctant mothers and unwanted children
- Hospice or palliative care
- Gender identity
- Human Trafficking
- The dignity of work
Conservative Party of British Columbia The Sanctity of Life
As a matter of principle the BC Conservative party believes that every individual has value, that life and liberty are fundamental and inviolable rights, and that everyone is born equal to enjoy life in a tolerant society that respects their individuality and freedom of speech, religion, and assembly.
Palliative Care
The BC Conservative party:
- Recognizes that robust palliative care is key to ensuring meaningful choice in end-of-life decisions, and should be appropriately funded
- Believes that hospices should have the right to opt out of participating in Socially-Assisted Death (SAD)
The BC Conservative party has released no official statement concerning its policies on:
- Abortion or support for unwilling mothers and unwanted children
- Gender identity
- Human Trafficking
- The dignity of work
Green Party of British Columbia The Sanctity of Life
Abortion
The BC Green Party has released no official statement of its policies concerning abortion or support for unwilling mothers and unwanted children.
As core principles, the BC Green party:
- Respects the protection and valuing of all cultures and individuals while conserving variety in the world
- Acknowledges that all humans have a fundamental right to health, wellbeing, and freedom
Assisted suicide
In order to reduce healthcare costs, the party proposes to develop a strategy for assisted suicide to train nurses and doctors who which to participate, and ensure services are available to patients.
Gender identity
The BC Green Party has released no official statement concerning its policies on gender identity.
Human Trafficking
The BC Green party has released no official statement concerning its policies on human trafficking.
The Dignity of Work
The BC Green party believes that governments should be focused on the wellbeing of citizens rather than maximizing returns to private corporations, and that the social determinants of health include employment/working conditions.
Liberal Party of British Columbia From Conception to Natural Death
Abortion & Family Planning
The BC Liberal Party has released no official statement of its policies concerning abortion or support for unwilling mothers and unwanted children.
BC Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson is reported to have tweeted in May 2019 that “While we are a big tent party that includes many views and faiths, our position as a party has not changed in that we support a woman’s right to choose.”
The party advocates:
- Increased affordability and accessibility for in-vitro fertilization services
- Streamlined adoption approval processes
Assisted Suicide
The BC Liberal Party has released no official statement of its policies concerning assisted suicide, palliative care, hospice care, or other options for the terminally ill.
Gender identity
The BC Liberal Party advocates:
– ending discrimination based on age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, place of origin, and ensure that LGBTQ+ citizens are treated with respect, free of discrimination
Human Trafficking
The BC Liberal Party has released no official statement concerning its policies on human trafficking.
The Dignity of Work
The BC Liberal Party has released no official statement concerning its policies on the dignity of work.
Libertarian Party of British Columbia The BC Libertarian party has released no official statement concerning its policies on:
- Abortion or support for unwilling mothers and unwanted children
- Socially-Assisted Death (SAD)
- Hospice or palliative care
- Gender identity
- Human Trafficking
- The dignity of work
New Democratic Party of British Columbia The Sanctity of Life
Abortion
The BC NDP has released no official statement concerning its policies on abortion or support for unwilling mothers and unwanted children.
Contraception
The party has pledged free prescription contraception, in order to continue its efforts to provide free menstrual products in bathrooms of all public schools, and in order to advance reproductive rights and gender equality.
Assisted Suicide
The BC NDP has released no official statement concerning its policies assisted suicide, palliative care, hospice care, or other options for the terminally ill.
Gender Identity
The BC NDP reports that it introduced an “X” gender option for those who do not wish to identify as male or female on provincial documents.
Human Trafficking
The BC NDP has released no official statement concerning its policies on human trafficking.
Dignity of Work
The BC NDP reports that it:
- has implemented a $15 / hr minimum wage, to be in place by June 2021
- Increased minimum wage for farm workers, caregivers, and support workers
- Updated provincial employment standards and Labour Code
Points to Ponder Points to Ponder: Life & Human Dignity
Consider asking your district’s candidates the following questions, and discussing their answers with your family, friends, neighbours, coworkers, and fellow parishioners:
- What limits should be placed on voluntary termination of human life, either prior to birth or at any time before death?
- What alternatives to abortion are possible? Which should be offered? What should be done to assist reluctant or unwilling mothers?
- What alternatives to assisted suicide are possible? Which should be offered?
- Is current provincial investment in palliative care (care which neither hastens nor postpones natural death) for terminally ill individuals adequate? Are sufficient spaces for such care available to meet the needs of the province?
- What can or should be done to ensure that jobs which encourage and enable the spiritual as well as material growth of all workers are available to all who seek them?
Stewardship of Creation
There is urgency to this issue.
Every Pope since at least Paul VI has written of our need to shift to a more responsible use of the earth and its abundant resources. The Church accepts that that need is now urgent.
“A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system… Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat… at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it. It is true that there are other factors, yet a number of scientific studies indicate that most global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases released mainly as a result of human activity.
“Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue: it is not an optional or secondary aspect of our Christian experience.” -23, 217, Laudato Si’
Catholic Teaching God gave us dominion over the earth, thereby making us stewards of creation as we work with Him in His continuing act of creation. We must constantly consider how our actions protect or harm this glorious gift God has entrusted to us. This is a multi-faceted question, which must not be over-simplified.
The good steward neither allows the resources entrusted to him to lie fallow or to fail to produce their proper fruit, nor does he waste or destroy them (Matthew 25:14-30). Rather, he uses them responsibly, for the Lord’s purposes, to realize their increase so that he may enjoy his livelihood and provide for the good of his family, his descendants, and his neighbors.
Humanity’s relationship with creation and the creatures of the earth “requires the exercise of responsibility, it is not a freedom of arbitrary and selfish exploitation.” – 115, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
There is urgency to this issue.
- Every Pope since at least Paul VI has written of our need to shift to a more responsible use of the earth and its abundant resources. The Church accepts that that need is now urgent. “A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system… Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat… at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it. It is true that there are other factors, yet a number of scientific studies indicate that most global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases released mainly as a result of human activity. 23, 217 Laudato si’
- “Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God’s infinite wisdom and goodness. Man must respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things which would be in contempt of the Creator and would bring disastrous consequences for human beings and their environment.” – 339, Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Humanity’s relationship with creation and the creatures of the earth “requires the exercise of responsibility, it is not a freedom of arbitrary and selfish exploitation.” – 115, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
“Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue:
it is not an optional or secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”
– Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ 217
Christian Heritage Party of British Columbia Climate Change, Energy, Resources & Sustainability
The BC CHP states that:
- Carbon emissions are not the primary cause of climate change, and it will not waste taxpayers’ money on efforts to stabilize climate by carbon taxes or credits.
- Instead, the party would concentrate 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.
The party supports:
- Appropriate environmental regulations for all phases of exploration, development, and extraction of natural resources
- Expansion of hydroelectric projects, especially environmentally-friendly run-of-river projects
- Encouragement of the mining industry and rejuvenation of the forest industry by reduction of regulation and move to a market-based system open to all operators, including small businesses
- Encouragement of the use of methanol in gasoline
- Ending release of chemicals to modify weather
- Major educational efforts to encourage energy conservation
- Construction of plants to convert wood fiber and other products to clean petroleum
- Use of pine-beetle infested trees as lumber, pulp, or bio-fuel
- Active promotion of wind, tidal, solar, and hydrogen power, including production of hydrogen from and bio-fuel from bio waste
Wildlife & Species Protection
The BC CHP supports:
- Requiring the federal government to honor its commitment in the BC Terms of Union to assume and defray costs for the protection and encouragement of fisheries
- Legislation recognizing and supporting the equal rights of all Canadians to fish regardless of race, heritage, or ethnicity
- Seeking compensation from the federal government for livelihoods of BC fishermen impacted by federal fisheries policies
- Operation of aquaculture in a manner not threatening to wild fish stocks, and a timetable for change to closed containment
Conservative Party of British Columbia Climate Change, Energy, Resources & Sustainability
The BC Conservative party:
- Recognizes that BC’s diverse environmental assets are the envy of much of the world and should be preserved and protected, and that environmental and fiscal sustainability and optimization should be the hallmark of a government’s policy. Our government will work with the public, landowners, involved business interests and other stakeholder groups
- Supports balancing development opportunities with environmental protection
- Commits to responsible stewardship of the environment, based on facts and best available scientific data
- Proposes elimination of the Carbon Tax and associated regulations
- Proposes a review of all subsidies for alternate energy production to ascertain which are most practical and minimize negative environmental impact
- Supports the Site C dam project
- Supports construction and upgrading of oil and gas pipelines
- Supports offshore oil and gas production
- Seeks to attract and retain investment in mining, with streamlined application processes and industry consultations on regulation
Resource protection
As a matter of principle the BC Conservative party:
- Believes in protection and management of the environment and natural resources to optimize benefits now and in the future
- Supports Crown ownership of forest land, to ensure perpetual wealth and benefits for BC citizens
Wildlife & Species Protection
The BC Conservative party recognizes the importance of hunters and fishers to tourism and conservation, and undertakes to protect their rights, while ensuring sustainable management of fish and wildlife.
Green Party of British Columbia Climate Change, Energy, Resources & Sustainability
As core principles, the BC Green party:
- Advocates learning to live within the physical and biological limits of our Earth and to protect its life-giving nature
- Is committed to ensuring that natural resources are used wisely to protect the rights and needs of future generations
The party proposes to:
- Amend the Greenhouse Gas Reductions Target Act to reflect achievable interim reductions of 40% by 2030
- Progressively increase the carbon tax
- Promote public education to reduce carbon footprint
- Increase requirements for equipment, vehicle, and building efficiency
- Promote design of efficient communities
- Promote transition to low-carbon fuels and materials
- Enhance carbon sinks, particularly forests
- Promote investment in green energy and transportation and clean/green jobs without increasing greenhouse emissions
- Invest $120 over four years to support R&D of climate friendly technologies
- Review environmental regulation to ensure promotion and adoption of green technologies and practices
- Promote use of clean technology to maximize economic recovery from waste streams
- Encourage green business and products through procurement policies; allocate $20 million per year to support adoption of green technologies
Climate adaptation
The party proposes to:
- Provide $31 million to fund climate adaptation initiatives and coordinate approaches with other levels of government
- Invest in mapping and data gathering to facilitate risk planning and risk management
- Work with local entities to ensure that stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water infrastructure accounts for risks of a changing environment
Resource management
The party proposes to:
- Rebuild and reform environment assessment processes
- Establish a compliance and enforcement unit to monitor all natural resource processes
- Create a Natural Resource Commissioner to establish sustainable harvest and extraction levels
- Address conflicts of interest within the Oil & Gas Commission
Forestry
The BC Green party states that its objective is to maximize the value of BC’s forests by recognizing the value of carbon sequestration, recreation, wildlife, biodiversity, soil and water quality and Indigenous interests as well as maximizing economic value.
The party proposes to:
- Enact a Forest and Range Ecology Act to protect and restore wildlife habitat, improve forest productivity and reforestation, address First Nations rights.
- Establish reserves and protect old-growth forests
- Add further restrictions of raw log exports
- Promote value-added enterprises in the forest industry
- Ensure that forest waste is used productively
- Identify opportunities for forestry innovation and value-added production
- Promote BC forest products in international markets and identify new markets
Water
The party proposes to:
- Review the Water Sustainability Act to ensure BC’s water quality and quantity are sustainable for future generations
- Gather data to enable science-based decision making with respect to water
Wildlife & Species Protection
As a core principle, the BC Green party:
- Respects the protection and valuing of all cultures and individuals while conserving variety in the world.
Liberal Party of British Columbia Climate Change, Energy, Resources & Sustainability
The BC liberal party advocates:
- Real, committed action to protect the environment, rather than ‘tax grabs and grandiose schemes’
- Focusing on clean air and water
- Committing BC to leadership in the charge on clean energy solutions to climate change
- Building of the Trans-Mountain pipeline to provide a secure, affordable, and reliable fuel supply
- Standing up proudly for BC’s resource industries
- Increasing BC’s role as clean hydro-power exporter, to aid in global greenhouse gas reductions
- Opposing cuts in the forestry industry which result in job losses
- Encouraging reduction of energy costs by retrofitting homes and businesses
- Expanding public transit options
- Investment in additional electric vehicle charging stations
- Supporting investment in renewable energy and next-generation clean technology, including leveraging innovations in carbon capture
- Ensuring a comprehensive greenhouse gas strategy to reduce emissions while enabling sustainable resource development and Indigenous land use
- With the federal government, reviewing scheduled increases in the carbon tax in light of the current recession
- Supporting food share programs to keep food out of landfills
Resource management
The party believes that respect, certainty, and clarity for employment in the natural resource sector must ensured. The party acknowledges that thriving natural resource industries are vital to provincial healthcare, education, and other public services.
The party advocates:
- Ensuring that the carbon tax system for job-creating export industries does not increase global greenhouse gas emissions by driving investment to higher-emitting jurisdictions
- Expediting collaborative LNG projects with Indigenous groups
- Reviewing and updating land-use plans for gaps and conflict points, to ensure certainty in a sustainable resource management framework
- Implementing a full online regulatory system by 2025
- Cutting permit-processing time for mining development in half
Forestry
The party advocates:
- A market-pricing stumpage system to maintain competitiveness
- Modernizing provincial forest-management practices to reduce production costs
- Aggressively seeking resolution of the softwood lumber trade dispute
- Increased investment in silviculture to enhance tree planting and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Introduce legislation to protect the working forest
Wildlife & Species Protection
The BC liberal party reports that it is committed to serious efforts to build up wild life populations and save wild salmon.
The party advocates:
- Protecting wetlands to ensure no net loss within the province
- Aggressive control of invasive species in BC lakes and habitat
- Engaging the public to significantly reduce styrofoam and plastic waste in waterways
- Continuing current restoration of wildlife populations
- Application of hunting fees to fund wildlife populations
- Accelerating reforestation programs, with high-value fish-impact reclamation as a priority
- Appoint a minister for Fisheries and Coastlines to protect water and fish resources
- Enhance Okanagan Lake water level management for flood control
Libertarian Party of British Columbia Climate Change, Energy, Resources & Sustainability
The BC Libertarian party advocates:
- Eliminating the carbon and fuel taxes.
- Liberating energy & resources by repealing the GreenBC plan to create a government monopoly in energy
- Allowing private energy providers to sell directly to consumers, rather than to BC Hydro
- Ending government legal opposition to pipelines and resource export projects
- Requesting that the federal government lift the tanker ban in Northern BC
- Requesting that the federal government lift the offshore drilling moratorium
- Ending corporate welfare and preferential treatment towards energy and resource companies
The BC Libertarian party has released no official statement concerning its policies on:
- Wildlife & species protection
New Democratic Party of British Columbia Climate Change, Energy, Resources & Sustainability
The BC NDP reports that:
- It has invested $902 million in its climate plan
- It implemented a requirement that all new light-duty cars and trucks in BC be zero-emissions by 2040
- It has updated provincial environmental regulations to protect against diluted bitumen spills
- Begun retrofitting social housing units to make them safer and more energy efficient
- Increased the Climate Action Tax Credit by 14% to benefit low and middle income families
- Is investing more than $111 million to combat and prevent forest fires
- Has taken steps to support and expand the forestry industry, including requirements for new projects to include BC wood allowing taller wood-framed buildings
- It established a new LNG framework to attract $40 billion in investment from the Federal government,
Wildlife & Species Protection
Salmon
The BC NDP reports that:
- It has enacted rigorous new rules for salmon farms; created a Wild Salmon Advisory Council; and funded a BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation fund
- It is working with First Nations to phase out fish farms in the Broughton Archipelago
Bears
The party reports that it has banned trophy hunting for grizzly bears
Points to Ponder Points to Ponder: Stewardship of creation
Consider asking your district’s candidates the following questions, and discussing their answers with your family, friends, neighbours, coworkers, and fellow parishioners:
- How can British Columbia achieve a sustainable, adaptable, and resilient economy and life style, in order to protect future generations and those who live in other parts of the world, while enabling British Columbians to work at spiritually fulfilling and materially-sustaining jobs?
- What, if anything, should be done with respect to the Site C Dam project, in view of unexpected obstacles and rising costs; proposed loss of agricultural land; damage to the local environment; concerns expressed by Indigenous and other affected populations; and possible effects on short- and long-term employment?
- Should the elimination of single-use plastics, packaging, and implements be made a provincial priority?
Community & the Common Good
Development of the Family; Healthcare, Support for the Elderly and the Young; Education; Culture, Arts & Tourism
The family is the primary unit in society. It is where education begins and the Word of God is first nurtured. The priority of the family over society and the State must be affirmed. – 209-214, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
The Church teaches that the proper role of government and other human institutions is to foster human life and dignity by maintaining social conditions that enable and encourage us to serve God in one another, and thereby to promote that which is truly in the common interest. This includes nurturing and enabling families, as well as supporting the elderly and other marginalized members of society.
Catholic Teaching “Honor your father and your mother.” – the 4th Commandment
The priority of the family over society and over the State must be affirmed. 214, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
The family is the primary unit in society. It is where education begins and the Word of God is first nurtured. – 209-214, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
The Church teaches that the proper role of government and other human institutions is to foster human life and dignity by maintaining social conditions that enable and encourage us to serve God in one another, and thereby to promote that which is truly in the common interest. This includes nurturing and enabling families, as well as supporting the elderly and other marginalized members of society.
- Among the causes that greatly contribute to underdevelopment and poverty, mention must be made of illiteracy, lack of food security, the absence of structures and services, inadequate measures for guaranteeing basic health care, and the lack of safe drinking water and sanitation
- If the elderly are in situations where they experience suffering and dependence, not only do they need health-care services and appropriate assistance, but — and above all — they need to be treated with love. – 222, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
- Authentic democracy requires that the necessary conditions be present for the advancement both of the individual through education and formation in true ideals, and of the ‘subjectivity’ of society through the creation of structures of participation and shared responsibility. Faced with rapid technological and economic progress, and with the equally rapid transformation of the processes of production and consumption, the Magisterium senses the need to propose a great deal of educational and cultural formation. 406, 376 – Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Christian Heritage Party of British Columbia Development of the family
The BC CHP believes that:
- The family unit is essential to the well-being of individuals and society, because that is where children learn values and develop responsibility
- Parents are primarily responsible for training their own children in matters of morality. The party opposes use of tax-supported schools for social engineering regarding human sexuality, sexual orientation, etc.
- The Corren Agreement of 2005 should be reversed.
- No person, government or agency has a right to interfere in the duty of parents except through due process of law and where children have been neglected or abused.
- All students should be protected from all forms of bullying, including pressure from teachers and peers to conform to new standards of sexual labelling and attitudes.
- Schools should provide positive references to abstinence, chastity and marriage.
- The institution of marriage should be restricted to one man and one woman.
Healthcare
The BC CHP supports:
- Payment of healthcare providers on a ‘performance’ basis
- Reliance by the province on private healthcare providers who can perform more efficiently or more timely
- Sharing of invoices paid by the province with patients, to increase awareness of costs
- Creating an office of Provincial Surgeon General to oversee the entire healthcare system
- Fast-tracking accreditation of foreign-trained health professionals
- Increased capacity for healthcare education
- Increased long-term care capacity, to free hospital beds
- Increased capacity for home-care support
- Encouraging establishment of walk-in clinics
- Adding emphasis to preventative medicine and promotion of fitness and nutrition
- Expanding health and fitness programs in schools, including mandatory physical education in K-12
Education
The BC CHP supports:
- Parental freedom to send children to any schools financed through government revenues, any schools that emphasize teaching traditional methods, or charter schools
- Parental freedom to send children to independent schools which emphasize religion, sports, or arts in addition to other topics, with equal per-child taxpayer support to public schools
- Use of volunteers and non-licensed paid employees to assist with non-academic services for independent schools
- End of promotion of social engineering regarding sexuality, sexual orientation, etc., at tax-supported schools.
- Publicly-funded education of all residents through grade 12
- Responsible increases in loans to support education at technical and vocational institutes, colleges and universities
- Forgiveness of student loans for graduates who continue to live, work, and pay taxes in BC
The BC CHP has released no official statement concerning its policies on:
- Physical or spiritual care for the elderly
- Culture, the arts, or tourism
Conservative Party of British Columbia Development of the family
The Conservative party believes:
- That families are the most important building blocks for our society, and must be supported.
- That parents should be the child’s first and most important teachers.
Healthcare
As a matter of principle the BC Conservative party believes in sustainable patient-centered healthcare.
The party supports:
- A comprehensive review of the healthcare system to ensure efficiency and effectiveness
- Comprehensive review of all alternatives to ensure better and more effective care, and reduction of chronic illnesses
- Promotion of a preventative healthcare and wellness program
Support for the Elderly
The BC Conservative party:
- Commits to work toward improved lives for seniors
- Seeks to establish services to enable seniors to remain at home as long as possible
- Supports housing assistance for seniors in need
Education
The BC Conservative party:
- Believes that parents should be entitled to apply tax dollars to provincially approved educational options in accordance with their values and the students’ needs, and the Act should be so amended.
- Believes in student-focused education that also promotes academic excellence
- Supports priority for BC students in BC post-secondary education.
- Supports increased training for trades and tech jobs
Culture & Arts; Tourism
The BC Conservative party supports:
- Appropriate measures and incentives to encourage expansion of tourism
- Provincial assistance in tourism marketing
Green Party of British Columbia Development of the family
The BC Green party proposes to:
- Invest in early childhood education (ECE) and care, including:
– 25 hrs free ECE/week for 3&4 year olds
– Free daycare for working parents with children under 3
– Up to $500/month support for families with children under 3 and a stay-home parent - Provide $35 into student nutritional and activity programs to promote health and learning readiness
- Develop strategies to address all aspects of child poverty throughout the province
Healthcare
COVID recovery
The BC Green party’s plan for supporting British Columbians goes beyond the provincial and federal government programs already in place, and focuses on the longer term security provided by having the education and skills to be part of the post-pandemic economy. It provides a strong start for our children’s education and assists women, especially, get back into the workplace through the provision of quality early childhood education and care.
The party recognizes that investing in education is the single most important investment we can make in our society and starts to fund our K-12 system to the levels it needs to support children, teachers, and learning outcomes. It envisions a less frenzied work culture that allows for a higher quality of life and more time with loved ones, and it recognises the importance of a home that people can afford and that meets their needs. It also envisions an inclusive society where no-one is left behind, where everyone has income security and is free from the fear of not being able to afford basic necessities.
General Healthcare
The BC Green party proposes to:
- Create a ministry for health promotion, disease prevention, and healthy lifestyles
- Invest $35 million in nutrition and physical activity programs
- Emphasize preventative care
- Invest $100 million to expand primary care delivered by nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, midwives, and dieticians, etc.
- Consider reducing costs of prescription drugs
- Invest $40 million in long-term care facilities, to free up acute care beds
- Promote best practices innovation
Support for the Elderly
The BC Green party proposes to:
- Invest $35 million over four years in assistance to allow seniors to stay in their own homes
- Enforce provincial guidelines for private care homes and provide $200 million over four years to increase staffing levels
Education
The BC Green party proposes to:
- Increase funding for schools, to prepare students for a 21st century economy
- Invest $140 million over three years to train teachers in a new curriculum
- Promote teaching among Indigenous leaders, teachers, and universities
- Offer grants and tax forgiveness for post-secondary students
- Invest $65 million over 4 years for high-school and undergraduate co-op and work experience programs
Culture, Arts & Tourism
As a core principle, the BC Green party respects the protection and valuing of all cultures and individuals while conserving variety in the world
The party proposes to invest up to $28 million over four years for recreation and tourism facilities on BC parks and public land
Liberal Party of British Columbia Development of the Family
The party advocates:
- Expanding the Baby’s Best Chance program to support healthier outcomes for children
- Streamlined adoption approval processes
- Investing $1.1 billion in subsidized child care for low-and middle-income families, including $10/day child care for families with incomes up to $65,000, and $30/day care for families up to $125,000.
- Adding 10,000 new child care spaces across BC
- Implementation of an online childcare application process
- Encouraging both non-profit and market-based child care providers
- Expanded training and support for child care workers
- Expanded access to before-and after-school care and incentives for employers to support child care options
- Family counselling and law centres, based on Australian model
Healthcare
COVID Recovery
The party advocates:
- establishment of an all-party emergency Pandemic Response Committee for collaboration on a plan to manage the current and all future pandemics, including aid and supports for individuals and small businesses impacted by COVID-19
- in order to ensure student and teacher safety, establishing a province-wide framework for hybrid and online learning options, including distance and distributed learning programs
- a comprehensive, independent review of the province’s response to COVID-19 in seniors’ long-term care and assisted living homes
General Healthcare
The party advocates:
- A provincial prescription-drug monitoring program to prevent addictions
- Doubling the number of midwives qualified each year
- Providing free flu vaccines for all British Columbians
- Establishing more primary care networks and community health centres
- Expanding opportunities for international graduates in health professions
- Encouraging more health professionals in under-served areas
- Encouraging practice networks and innovative practice modules
- Improving response times for the BC Ambulance Service, particularly in rural communities
- Increased capability for online booking of appointments & renewal of prescriptions
- Reducing wait times for surgical procedures
Support for the Elderly
In order to provide better, more dignified seniors’ care, the party advocates:
- investing $1 billion over 5 years in new long-term care facilities, including and ensuring that every senior in long-term care who wants one has a private room
- implementing a new tax credit of up to $7000 a year for home care, for seniors living in their homes
- expanding programs to assist seniors and the disabled with home renovation programs
- working with care home operators to increase staffing and care quality
- covering costs of drivers’ tests for those above the age of 80
Education
The party advocates:
- earlier assessments to identify learning needs in children
- consistent options for full-time hybrid and online regular school in a safe setting during the pandemic, for public and independent and independent distributed learning
- implementation of consistent unified portals for student parents
- upgrading K-12 facilities
Culture, Arts & Tourism
The party advocates:
- Doubling campgrounds in popular campsites
- A loan guarantee program for more than 19,000 tourist and hospitality businesses hit by COVID
- Development of tourism hubs across BC
- Support for Community Gaming programs, to prevent COVID interruptions
Libertarian Party of British Columbia Development of the family
The Libertarian party proposes to:
- Reduce family tax burdens by repealing regressive tax structure
- Raise base tax exemption levels to relieve more workers from tax burden
Healthcare
COVID recovery
The BC Libertarian party believes that management of the COVID crisis has been disproportionate to the harms caused by the virus and causes more damage than it helps to cure; that the climate of fear is causing irreparable harm.
The party advocates:
- Ending the provincial state of emergency
- Removing case totals as a primary policy driver
- Ending all orders of the Public Health Officer except those relating to long term care homes
- Continuing to carefully protect the elderly and vulnerable
- Replacing mask mandates with recommendations
General Healthcare
The party believes that:
- Responsible governance and economic reality dictates that only a certain portion of government revenue can be used on the medical system. However, medical advances over the decades have made it possible for British Columbians to positively affect their quality of life with more spending on preventative care and risk reduction.
- Our wealth as a society would be better served if our excess income was able to be directed toward our own health – far better than credit fuelled consumerism or asset speculation.
- The ruling in Chaoulli v Quebec should be applied in BC to open private healthcare
The party advocates:
- Reducing healthcare expenses by increasing administrative efficiency and delivering more appropriate patient-centered care
- Maintaining the existing multi-payer system for total healthcare costs
- Legalizing private healthcare services
- Promoting preventative, long-term, and primary care
- Attracting and retaining more doctors
Education
The BC Libertarian party proposes to:
- Shift authority from the province to regional school boards where possible
- Empower parent choice in education
- Allow tax funding to follow the student
Culture, Arts & Tourism
The BC Libertarian party proposes to eliminate the $600 million film industry tax credit.
New Democratic Party of British Columbia Development of the Family
The BC NDP reports that:
- It created the BC Child Opportunity Benefit by investing more than $400 million a year by offering monetary support ranging from $1600-3400 per year to families having up to three children
- It is building a universal child care system, by reducing and capping child care fees and investing in early childhood educators
- It is boosting support payments for foster parents, family members, and other caregivers
Healthcare
COVID Recovery
- The BC NDP reports that:
- It will provide free COVID vaccines when they are ready
- During the provincial state of emergency it has invested more than $8 billion in responding to the COVID pandemic
- It is investing $1.6 billion for 7000 new frontline healthcare workers and new homecare programs
- To fund long-term recover, it will maintain rates for long-term recovery
- It provided a $1000 emergency benefit to more than 600,000 workers
- It provided temporary rent relief for mor than 86,000 renters
- It provided crisis supplements for more than 200,000 people on disability and income assistance
- It implemented multiple tax cuts and benefits to keep businesses going
- It is preparing an action plan for future pandemics
General Healthcare
The BC NDP reports that:
- It is eliminating premium payments for the Medical Service Plan (MSP) in 2020
- It has invested $4.4 billion to expand and upgrade hospitals to improve patient care
- It hired hundreds of new primary care practitioners and opened centers for urgent and community care across BC
- It “dramatically increased” the number of diagnostic procedures and elective surgeries
- It expanded Pharmacare and increased staffing in residential care homes
Support for the Elderly
The BC NDP reports that:
- Built affordable seniors housing across BC
- Funded more than a million additional hours of direct care for seniors
- Helped residential care homes purchase 1000 new pieces of equipment
Education
The BC NDP reports that:
- It has hired 4000 new teachers and 1000 assistants, and invested $2.7 billion in school upgrades
- It has eliminated interest on all current, future, and outstanding BC student loans, saving affected families approximately $230 per year
- It is helping fund new student housing at three colleges and universities
Culture & Arts; Tourism
The BC NDP reports that:
- It has established a new music fund to support people working in a diverse music industry
- It increased funding for the BC Arts Council and Creative BC
- It has supported the BC tourism industry by moving Family day to the 3rd week of February, created new campsites in BC parks; added 107 hectares to existing parks; invested in resort municipalities
Points to Ponder Points to Ponder: Community & the Common Good
Consider asking your district’s candidates the following questions, and discussing their answers with your family, friends, neighbours, coworkers, and fellow parishioners:
- When, if ever, is it appropriate to place limits on the right of parents to make decisions pertaining to care or education of their children?
- What measures, if any, should be implemented by the new government to combat COVID-19, particularly in schools, and to ease the resumption of a sustainable economy?
- Is current provincial investment in palliative care (care which neither hastens nor postpones natural death) for terminally ill individuals adequate? Are sufficient spaces for such care available to meet the needs of the province?
- What, if anything, needs to be done to address child poverty as a problem within British Columbia?
- What should be done to ensure the physical and spiritual well-being of seniors in British Columbia?
- What should be done to secure access to the right to clean drinking water in rural communities, or to improve other aspects of life & health conditions in such communities?
- What should be done to ensure the continued right of Catholic education in British Columbia, for Catholics and/or for others?
Option for the Poor & Vulnerable
Poverty Reduction, Support for the Marginalized and Vulnerable, an Economy at the Service of the People
‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ – Matthew 25:45
The poor, the marginalized and those whose living conditions interfere with their proper growth should be the focus of particular concern. – 182, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
“Money must serve, not rule!” – Pope Francis, Joy of the Gospel – 58
Catholic Teaching The poor, the marginalized and those whose living conditions interfere with their proper development as human beings should be the focus of particular concern. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 182
- Catholics are called to remember Jesus’ own words: What we do to the least among us, we do to Him. – Matthew 25:31-46
- Catholic Social Teaching holds that it is wrong for a person or group to be excluded unfairly from participation in society.
- For many people, a living wage and dignified housing are beyond reach. The Church teaches that the opportunity for a dignified life and housing are fundamental human rights.
“I encourage financial experts and political leaders to ponder the words of one of the sages of antiquity: ‘Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, but theirs…”
“Money must serve, not rule!” Pope Francis, Joy of the Gospel, 57-58
In order to balance the principle of solidarity with the rights and obligations of the individual, the State’s intervention in the economic environment must be neither invasive nor absent, but commensurate with society’s real needs. “The State has a duty to sustain business activities by creating conditions which will ensure job opportunities, by stimulating those activities where they are lacking or by supporting them in moments of crisis. The State has the further right to intervene when particular monopolies create delays or obstacles to development. 351, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
Christian Heritage Party of British Columbia Poverty Relief and an Economy to Serve People
The BC CHP promotes job creation through:
- Removal of unnecessary regulation of small and large businesses
- Freer trade in goods and services between provinces and territories
- Amendment of the Fair Wage Policy to include both union and non-union entities in bidding for public contracts
- Use of tax incentives to encourage new businesses and industries in BC
- Implementation of essential services dispute mechanism to resolve issues between province and government employees
- Expansion and improvement of mass transit
- New export duty for raw logs, to be used to re-train those in the logging industry, in order to promote manufacturing of wood products
- Building of a new bridge to Vancouver Island, incorporating tidal power generators
Transportation
To achieve long-term objectives for rural and urban travel, the BC CHP supports:
- Improvement of existing road systems
- Development of additional light rail lines
- Increased car-pooling and other forms of HOV use
- Increased use of bicycles and pedestrian ways
Agriculture
The BC CHP:
- Will work to keep BC agriculture competitive by removing red tape and control
- Supports incentives to encourage growth of secondary product preparation such as slaughterhouses
- Supports working with industry to advertise BC farm products
- Supports guaranteed funding for agricultural programs
- Supports a sustainable crop insurance program
- Supports establishment of a modern conservation system to replace the Agriculture Land Commission
- Supports an interest-free regional loan program to fund water supply and purification projects through local governments
The BC CHP has released no official statement concerning its policies on:
- Support for the marginalized or vulnerable, mental health, or addictions
Conservative Party of British Columbia Support for the poor & vulnerable
As a matter of principle the BC Conservative party believes in a strong social safety net that cares for the vulnerable in our society while encouraging individual self-sufficiency.
Poverty Relief and an Economy to Serve People
The BC Conservative party:
- Supports implementation of a timely and effective program tying social assistance to the performance of work
- Encourages delivery of social services by community-based organizations rather than directly by government
- Supports making all charitable giving tax deductible at the provincial level
- Supports social responsibility within the framework of a free enterprise system and promoting compassionate service, volunteerism, individual responsibility, and care for those unable to care for themselves
As matters of principle the BC Conservative party believes in:
- A free-enterprise system as the basis for prosperity and growth.
- Inter-provincial free trade across Canada
And supports:
- Introduction of competitive individual, personal, and corporate tax rates to encourage growth and job creation
- A comprehensive review of all provincial business regulations, to encourage growth
- Enhancement of production and shipping of finished products from BC
Agriculture
- Effective retention of farmland in the Agricultural Land Reserve, competitive crop insurance and safety net programs for livestock and crops, and competitive and sustainable dairy and poultry supply management
- Improved start-up opportunities for new agricultural producers
Transportation
The BC Conservative party supports:
- Development of a strategic transportation plan for the future, addressing rehabilitation and new construction for new and existing transportation systems
- Working to establish Via rail passenger service on former BC Rail line now leased to CNR
- Seeks to reform ridesharing laws to allow class 5 licensed drivers to participate
- Converting the Insurance Company of British Columbia into a co-op and allowing competition in auto insurance
Green Party of British Columbia Support for the Marginalized & Vulnerable
The BC Green party believes proposes to:
- Increase funding for disabilities allowances, income assistance, and shelter allowances
- Introduce basic income support for youth aged 18-24 transitioning out of foster care
- Establish a ministry for mental health & addictions
- Develop a strategy for early detection of mental health illness in youth
- Allocate $80 million to fund early intervention and youth initiatives, supervised injection sites, and community centres
- Implement fentanyl responses based on successful European models
Poverty Reelief and an Economy to Serve People
COVID recovery
The BC Green party’s plan for supporting British Columbians goes beyond the provincial and federal government programs already in place, and focuses on the longer term security provided by having the education and skills to be part of the post-pandemic economy. It provides a strong start for our children’s education and assists women, especially, get back into the workplace through the provision of quality early childhood education and care.
It recognizes that investing in education is the single most important investment we can make in our society and starts to fund our K-12 system to the levels it needs to support children, teachers, and learning outcomes. It envisions a less frenzied work culture that allows for a higher quality of life and more time with loved ones, and it recognises the importance of a home that people can afford and that meets their needs. It also envisions an inclusive society where no-one is left behind, where everyone has income security and is free from the fear of not being able to afford basic necessities.
General Economy
The BC Green party
- Believes that governments should be focused on the wellbeing of citizens rather than maximizing returns to private corporations.
- Supports development of a basic income pilot
- Supports abolition of regressive MSP payments
Innovation and training
The party proposes to:
- Allocate up to $10 million per year for in-service training for small and medium-sized businesses
- Encourage Crown corporations to promote innovation through procurement
- Streamline business and consumption taxes to promote risk-taking and innovation
- Invest up to $20 million/year to support innovation, mentorship, and networking at post-2ndary schools
- Provide up to $70 over 4 years leverage seed and angel funding
- Invest up to $50 million in business incubators and accelerators
- Modernize labour codes to increase fairness and competitiveness
Agriculture
The Green party proposes to:
- Invest $30 million to enhance long-term viability of BC agriculture
- Introduce legislation to enhance protection of agricultural land
- Provide $40 million for research and establish regional bureaus to help farmers adapt to climate change
- Promote alternative land access models for farming, such as co-operatives and agricultural land trusts
- Work with farm operators to attract laborers, including improvements in remuneration
Transportation
The BC Green party proposes to:
- Provide an additional $35 million per year to improve frequency of service and affordable rates
- Invest $152 million to match federal public transit infrastructure contributions
- Work with local governments to improve community and regional transportation infrastructure
- Promote investment in clean transportation initiatives
- Develop a 10-year integrated transportation plan
- Establish BC Ferries as a Crown corporation
Liberal Party of British Columbia Support for the Marginalized & Vulnerable
The BC Liberal party advocates:
- a full spectrum of care and real opportunities to get off drugs and lead healthy, productive live
- a provincial prescription-drug monitoring program to prevent addictions
- recognizing that addiction is a mental disorder to properly focus treatment
- increased mental health support, including psychiatric nurses, in public secondary schools
- enacting a Safe Care Act to safely and ethically treat young people with addictions
- end funding discrimination against abstinence-based treatment programs
- support food share programs to keep food out of landfills while feeding people who need it
Poverty Reduction and an Economy to Serve People
COVID recovery
The BC Liberal party proposes to:
- Eliminate PST for one year, and then set it at 3% as the economy grows.
- Eliminate the Small Business Income Tax entirely
- Appoint an independent Fair Tax Commission to review all taxes
Poverty reduction
The party advocates:
- Increased training/school seats for doctors, nurses, & health professionals
- A new Work Experience for Students Program, including co-ops and job-creation programs during times of high unemployment
- Expansion of apprenticeship programs for trades
- Expanding secondary school trades programs
- Expanding the Single Parent Employment Initiative to train and support single parents seeking jobs
- Extending support for foster children to age 25
Economy to serve people
The party advocates:
- Restoration of BC’s economic advantages by reducing taxes and red tape that crush innovation and growth, including more timely environmental approvals for building projects.
- no increases in auto insurance rates
- rights of non-union construction workers
Small Businesses
The party advocates:
- eliminating the small business income tax
- providing surplus protective equipment for COVID
- appointing a non-partisan panel to dramatically reduce regulatory red tape
- helping small businesses build online capabilities
Technology & Innovation
The party advocates more investment and loans for tech and start-up sectors
Agriculture
The party advocates:
- A Trespass Act to protect properties and livelihoods of farmers
- Allowing supplemental income opportunities under the Agricultural Land Commission
- Reducing obstacles to hiring of skilled and semi-skilled labour
- Making BC agriculture more self-sufficient and sustainable
Transportation
The party advocates:
- investing $30.9 billion over three years to improve hospitals, clinics, care homes and other infrastructure, to create jobs and stimulate economy
- ending the ICBC monopoly by opening to private market, and lowering rates by giving all new drivers credit for two years’ experience, or 4 years on completion of driver’s education
- returning excess premiums collected by ICBC
- improving roads, transit, and clean transportation infrastructure to reduce congestion
- replacing George Massey Tunnel with bridge of 8 traffic lanes and 2 HOV lanes, and widening Trans-Canada Highway in Fraser Valley
- ensuring electronic charging stations are widely available
- banning photo radar for speeding in BC
- expanding TransLink and transportation corridors;
Libertarian Party of British Columbia Support for the Marginalized & Vulnerable
- The BC Libertarian Party has released no official statement of its policies on support for the marginalized and vulnerable, or mental health and addictions.
Poverty Reduction and an Economy to Serve People
The BC Libertarian party believes that our wealth as a society would be better served if our excess income was able to be directed toward our own health – far better than credit-fueled consumerism or asset speculation.
The party proposes to:
- Introduce lifetime limits of 5 years for training and jobs assistance, and of 3 years for cash income assistance
- For recipients of more than three years assistance history, and for those who have additional children while on assistance, shift to cashless use of debit cards useable only for specific purposes such as rent, energy and groceries
- Reform tax rules so that 100% clawback does not start immediately upon employment
Economy to Serve People
- Reduce family tax burdens by repealing regressive tax structure
- Raise base tax exemption levels to relieve more workers from tax burden
- Eliminate corporate tax subsidies
- Eliminate fuel taxes and regressive carbon taxes
- Eliminate the employer health tax
- Eliminate taxes on alcohol and tobacco
- Replace charitable tax credit with tax refund
- proposes to convert ICBC into a member-owned co-op and open auto insurance to competition
- return licensing and vehicle registration to the province
- Modernize provincial wrongful death law
Transportation
The party proposes to:
- Repeal the Passenger Transportation Act;
- defund enforcement
- foster quality-driven market competition for ridesharing, taxis, buses, and other for-hire transportation modes.
- Remove legal and regulatory barriers to ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft and end corporate welfare to the taxi industry.
- End the TransLink monopoly on bus service in the Lower Mainland; refocus their business around integrated rapid transit services such as the SeaBus, SkyTrain, and West Coast Express.
- Eliminate PST on private vehicle sales.
- Ban photo radar in British Columbia.
- Reinstate tolls on bridges and express highways.
- End the NDP union-only “community benefits agreement” infrastructure contracts.
Agriculture
The party proposes to legalize sale of raw, unpasteurized milk
New Democratic Party of British Columbia Support for the Marginalized & Vulnerable
The BC NDP reports that:
- It created a new Ministry of Mental Health & Addictions to combat overdose crisis
- It has invested $332 million to combat the overdose crises, and sued opioid companies for misleading practices
- Began construction of a new mental health and addiction center at Riverview
Poverty Reduction & an Economy to Serve People
Poverty Reduction
The BC NDP reports that:
- It has introduced a strategy to reduce poverty in BC by 25%.
- To do so, it has increased income and disability assistance rates by $150 per month, and introduced a disability supplement for use on BC Buses.
- It has increased earnings exemptions for people on income and disability assistance by $200 per month
- It is increasing the minimum wage to $15 / by June 2021
- It has restored free basic English language courses
Economy to serve people
The BC NDP reports that:
- It has cut the small business tax rate by 20%
- Is committed to achieving the lowest unemployment rate and highest wage growth seen in 10 years
- It is creating thousands of new trades and technology seats at post-secondary institutions
- It has frozen provincial ferry and bridge fares
- It has invested $20 billion in construction projects, creating tens of thousands of jobs, including bridges, hospitals, highways, and seismic retrofits, including $1.8 billion for Vancouver subway projects
- Invested ‘millions of dollars’ in BC’s tech industry, to attract talent, prioritize skills training, and create opportunities for local businesses
- Recognizing the importance of BC’s mining industry, it has invested $20 million in an independent industry oversight body, working with communities and the mining industry to do so
- It has increased BC North bus services, and restored 10 discontinued ferry routes
Points to Ponder Consider asking your district’s candidates the following questions, and discussing their answers with your family, friends, coworkers, and fellow parishioners:
- What strategies should be adopted in the treatment of those who suffer harmful addictions? Is it consistent with principles of solidarity and good stewardship to simply feed and enable addictive behaviors, rather than working toward true rehabilitation?
- Who is best positioned to provide care for those suffering addictions? Government, or community/charitable organizations, or some combination?
- What, if anything, should be done to ensure that a minimum or living wage is available to workers, or those willing to work, or to reduce poverty in British Columbia? Should a basic income policy be considered?
- What can be done to ensure that all British Columbians are encouraged and enabled to use the full range of their talents and gifts to care for their families, to lift themselves out of poverty, and in so doing to give praise to God through meaningful work?
- What else can or should be done to ensure that British Columbia’s economy serves the people, rather than the other way around?
- What, if anything, should be done to mitigate the effects of speculative foreign investment in BC real estate on local housing markets, and its consequent impacts on families and on quality of life, particularly for younger families and younger workers?
- What, if anything, should be done to address provincial suicide rates?
Rights & Responsibilities; Subsidiarity
Human Rights; Freedom of Religion, Speech & Conscience; Gender Equity; Rights to Housing, Food, & Clean Water
Conscience Rights
With euthanasia and medically-assisted death and abortion legalized, it is critical that healthcare providers whose deepest moral convictions tell them that such procedures are wrong, not be forced to participate.
Housing
Many British Columbians live in substandard housing, or have no homes at all. Choices of decent housing must be offered, and the people directly involved must be part of the process.
Food & Water
Access to nutritious food and drinkable water are among the fundamental human rights recognized by the Church. Lack of proper food and water have been linked to long-term poverty and ill health.
Catholic Teaching “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul.”
– the 1st Commandment
Every member of society is imbued with a number of rights. With them come responsibilities.
- The Catholic Church emphasizes, among other rights, the right to religious freedom. With euthanasia and medically-assisted death and abortion legalized, it is critical that healthcare providers whose deepest moral convictions tell them that such procedures are wrong, not be forced to participate. Catholic teaching says workers should be safeguarded from suffering any affront to conscience or personal dignity. It is a grave duty of conscience to avoid cooperating, even formally, with practices contrary to the Law of God.
- The feminine genius is needed in all expressions in the life of society. The first indispensable step in this direction is the concrete possibility of access to professional formation. The persistence of many forms of discrimination offensive to the dignity and vocation of women is due to a long series of conditioning that penalizes women, who have seen themselves relegated to the margins of society and even reduced to servitude… An urgent need to recognize effectively the rights of women in the workplace is seen especially under the aspects of pay, insurance and social security. -295, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
- The Church also emphases rights to adequate housing, clean water, and secure, nutritious food.
Subsidiarity is the principle that each individual, and smaller groups of people, should be allowed to make for themselves all the decisions that can responsibly be left to them, rather than to larger groups or greater authorities. This is one of the fundamental social teachings of the Church, since it helps to ensure that each individual is empowered to find his or her own way to God, and to avoid large group errors.
“Higher” orders of government or society should never make decisions that can responsibly be left to “lower” levels. -185, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Christian Heritage Party of British Columbia Rights & Freedoms
The BC CHP:
- 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 Canada.
- Believes that all Canadians should be fully entitled to all the benefits offered by the Government of any province where they choose to, live and that that those benefits will be similar, and will fight for the standardization of benefits.
- Believes that the Federal constitution should be amended to include property rights, with a guarantee that they will not be violated without due process of law and just compensation
- Supports elimination of the Human Rights Tribunal, which is being used by special interests to harass BC citizens and coerce silence on important issues
Gender Equity
The BC CHP has released no official statement concerning its policies on gender equity.
Housing
The BC CHP proposes:
- To eliminate the BC property transfer tax
- To require a referendum prior to any tax increase
Water
The BC CHP supports an interest-free regional loan program to fund water supply and purification projects through local governments
Subsidiarity
The BC CHP:
- Opposes divestment of Crown corporations without public referendums
- Proposes to attract private companies to BC by providing infrastructure and competitive tax rates
Conservative Party of British Columbia Rights & Freedoms
As matters of principle the BC Conservative party believes:
- That every individual has value, that life and liberty are fundamental and inviolable rights, and that everyone is born equal to enjoy life in a tolerant society that respects their individuality and freedom of speech, religion, and assembly.
- In a principle of equality for all BC citizens, with special privileges for none. This includes protection of private property.
- That compelled speech in any form is a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms.
- That it is unethical and wrong to require applicants for government-funded programs to sign a values test attestation endorsing government ideologies
- Supports a review of the mandate of the BC Human Rights Tribunal to ensure that rights, privileges, and freedom of speech of all are protected; and to require rules of evidence and procedure before the tribunal
- Stronger legislation to protect property rights for British Columbians
- Public consultation with strata owners before amending the Strata Property Act
Gender Equity
The BC Conservative party has released no official statement concerning its policies on gender equity.
Housing
The BC Conservative party supports:
- Allocation of 1% of existing Crown land for development to promote affordable housing
- Increasing the threshold for qualification for property transfer tax exemptions for first-time buyers
Subsidiarity
The BC Conservative party supports:
- A review of all government entities to assess their suitability for replacement by private entities
- Ensuring that any transfer of services from provinces to municipalities is fair and appropriately funded
- Encourages delivery of social services by community-based organizations rather than directly by government
- Supports social responsibility within the framework of a free enterprise system and promoting compassionate service, volunteerism, individual responsibility, and care for those unable to care for themselves
Green Party of British Columbia Rights & Freedoms
As a core principle, the BC Green party acknowledges that all humans have a fundamental right to health, wellbeing, and freedom.
Gender Equity
The BC Green party has released no official statement concerning its policies on gender equity.
Housing
To make housing more affordable, the BC Green party proposes to:
Cooling the real estate market
- Work with the federal government to eliminate money laundering and international property speculation
- Discourage speculation by enhancing progressive property transfer taxes
- Introduce a speculation PTT to discourage flipping of property
- Tax lifetime capital gains in excess of $750,000
- Introduce progressive property taxes
Increasing affordable housing
- Invest $750 million / year to support construction of 4000 new units per year
- Make federal and local government land available for affordable housing
- Comprehensively review zoning to promote affordable housing
Rental housing
- Revise the Residential Tenancy Act to control rent increases
- Include private rental properties in housing managed by BC housing
Access to Water
The BC Green party proposes to:
- Review the Water Sustainability Act to ensure BC’s water quality and quantity are sustainable for future generations
- Gather data to enable science-based decision making with respect to water
Subsidiarity
The BC Green party has released no official statement concerning its policies on subsidiarity.
Liberal Party of British Columbia Rights & Freedoms
The BC Liberal party has released no official statement concerning its policies on human rights or freedom of religion, speech, or conscience.
Gender Equity
The BC Liberal party reports that it:
- will propose a law to ensure transparency in pay scales for men and women
- will fight to make sure women and men get equal pay for equal work
Housing
The BC Liberal party advocates:
- In order to make housing more affordable, support for the building of additional housing by reducing increases in taxes on new housing
- Replacement of the real estate speculation tax with a presale condo flipping tax
- generational investments in transit, roads, and bridges to reduce congestion, ensuring the private sector builds the right mix of housing to create affordable options and making real progress on safe, affordable healthcare
- An incentive fund for municipalities with housing polices that enable demonstrable increases in supply of new housing
- Working with municipalities to seek property tax structures to encourage affordable housing and rental development, and to discourage speculation
- 5-year reviews of community plans and zoning reviews
- Protecting net availability of rental housing n real estate development projects
- Real estate tax reforms and assessment practices
- Use of provincial and municipal land for affordable housing
- Ensuring prompt resolution of tenancy disputes
- Encouraging self-insurance by stratas
- Supporting development of co-op housing
Subsidiarity
The party advocates encouragement of both non-profit and market-based child care providers.
Libertarian Party of British Columbia Rights & Freedoms
The BC Libertarian party believes that:
- all individuals are entitled to equal treatment under the law, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or religious belief.
- The foundations of our society – the rule of law, protection of private property and the person – can and must be applied to every person.
- Freedom of expression is the foundation of all freedoms
And supports:
- Fostering an environment and culture in all government institutions of respect for diverse viewpoints and free expression
- Ensuring robust free-speech policies, with tangible enforcement mechanisms, for universities;
- Elimination of government hiring policies based on race, gender, sexuality, ‘critical race theory,’ and so forth
- Reform of provincial law regarding wrongful death, to cover people who arent’ breadwinners with dependents
Housing
The BC Libertarian party proposes to eliminate provincial affordable housing subsidies for both buyers and renters to reduce the cost of housing and save the province an estimated $500 million annually.
Subsidiarity
The BC Libertarian party proposes to:
- Raise $10 billion through sale of provincial assets, including hospitals, BC Place, the Vancouver convention centre, BC lottery, and provincial lands
- Repeal the Liquor Distribution Act to privatize provincial alcohol sales
New Democratic Party of British Columbia Rights & Freedoms
The BC NDP reports that it:
- has appointed an independent commissioner to educate British Columbians on human rights, examine and addressing issues of discrimination, and develop tools, policies and guidelines to combat inequality and discrimination.
- has introduced legislation to block strategic lawsuits intended to censor or intimidate critics
Gender Equity
The BC NDP reports that it appointed a Parliamentary Secretary to coordinate governmental action on gender equity
Housing
The BC NDP reports that it:
- has implemented a tax of up to 20% on speculation in real estate
- has ‘updated’ rules for landlords and renters to ease the process of finding a safe, secure, and affordable home
- is building 114,000 affordable rental, non-profit, and co-op housing units through partnerships over a ten year period
- is funding 4,900 new affordable rentals for seniors, families, and low and middle-income earners
- is funding 280 units of transition housing to help women and children fleeing violence
Food
The BC NDP reports that it introduced a new program to support BC food, beer, and wine producers, and to provide healthy, nutritious produce to patients in care of Interior Health
Subsidiarity
The BC NDP has released no official statement concerning its policies on subsidiarity.
Points to Ponder Consider asking your district’s candidates the following questions, and discussing their answers with your family, friends, neighbours, coworkers, and fellow parishioners:
- Under what conditions, if any, is it just to require private healthcare providers to participate in abortion or assisted suicide, particularly when it is contrary to their religious beliefs?
- What, if anything, should be done with proposals for a combined healthcare system comprising both public (provincial) and private healthcare providers? To what extent is it appropriate to leave all healthcare services in the hands of a government?
- What, if anything, should be done to ensure that all British Columbians have access to safe, clean water, and nutritious food?
- What, if anything, should be done to address tent encampments that have sprung up within some of our cities? Which of the following concerns are relevant to the answers?
- The fears and safety of nearby residents
- Fairness in taxation and the availability of good jobs
- To what extent, if any, should powers or responsibilities of provincial and/or municipal governments be expanded, reduced, or redistributed in order to ensure that individuals, public interest groups, and service organizations are empowered to employ their lives and talents in the service of the common good, and to have an appropriate voice in provincial society?
Solidarity
Indigenous Peoples & Reconciliation; Rural Communities; Refugees & Newcomers
Solidarity is acceptance of the truth that because all peoples are part of the same human family – part of the one body of Christ – what happens to others affects us as well, regardless of differences in location or life circumstances.
Solidarity is found in a commitment to the good of one’s neighbour. The good of one is the good of all, and the other is as important as the self. Injustice done to another is an injustice that affects everyone. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 193
Catholic Teaching Solidarity is the principle that the good of one is the good of all, and the other is as important as the self.
Injustice done to another is an injustice that affects everyone. – 193, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Indigenous Relations
- The relationship of indigenous peoples to their lands and resources deserves particular attention, since it is a fundamental expression of their identity. These peoples offer an example of a life lived in harmony with the environment that they have come to know well and to preserve. Their extraordinary experience, which is an irreplaceable resource for all humanity, runs the risk of being lost together with the environment from which they originate. – 471, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
- The Canadian Catholic Church supports the work of the Truth and Reconciliation commission. We are called to support thriving Indigenous communities in Canada, rooted in their unique cultures and traditions.
Rural Communities
Too often, social services and infrastructure development suffer from neglect in rural areas. Cf. 300, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
Refugees & Newcomers
We are called to welcome immigrants and refugees with generosity and good will, as if they were Jesus Christ himself. Matthew, Chapter 25
Racism
The unity of the human family is not yet becoming a reality. This is due to obstacles originating in materialistic and nationalistic ideologies that contradict the values of the person integrally considered in all his various dimensions, material and spiritual, individual and community.
In particular, any theory or form whatsoever of racism and racial discrimination is morally unacceptable. 433 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Christian Heritage Party of British Columbia Indigenous Relations
The BC CHP:
- Believes that outstanding Indigenous treaty claims should be settled equitably and quickly, in order to facilitate orderly growth and development within the province
- Will work with the federal government to honor existing Constitutional obligations and insist on compliance by the federal government with any negotiated settlements
- Advocates development of interior and north through use of Crown land and development of infrastructure, to offset economic loss due to mining, forestry, and government cutbacks
- Advocates replacement of the Indian Act with more appropriate legislation, including private ownership of all existing housing on reserve lands
- Believes that all residents of BC should be treated with equal respect under the law, and have equal access to services and to employment, education and advancement opportunities
Rural communities:
The BC CHP:
- Believes that all residents of BC should be treated with equal respect under the law, and have equal access to services and to employment, education and advancement opportunities
- Opposes further development of the Lower Mainland and encouragement of development of interior and north through use of Crown land and development of infrastructure, to offset economic loss due to mining, forestry, and government cutbacks
- Supports opening and re-opening hospitals in smaller communities in rural areas
- Supports opening more community-care facilities in rural areas
Refugees & Newcomers
The BC CHP has released no official statement concerning its policies on refugees and newcomers.
Racism
The BC CHP has released no official statement concerning its policies on racism.
Conservative Party of British Columbia Indigenous Relations
The BC Conservative party believes in working in collaboration with all stake-holders to address Aboriginal issues within the Province of BC.
Rural Communities
The BC Conservative party has released no official statement concerning its policies on rural communities.
Refugees & Newcomers
The BC Conservative party will strive to achieve an independent immigration industry based on the Quebec model, with revisions to meet the unique requirements of BC and its economy.
Green Party of British Columbia Indigenous Relations
The BC Green party proposes to:
- Recognize First Nations as equals in land management
- Collaborate with First Nations to renew and reinvigorate the treaty process
- Engage with Indigenous People to create a positive and collaborative relationship
- Develop a plan for full implementation of relevant recommendations of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission
Rural Communities
The BC Green party proposes to:
- Invest $100 million to hire additional social workers for child protection services in rural areas
- Support small, resource-dependent communities by building skills and capacity for a future forest industry
Refugees & Newcomers
The BC Green party has released no official statement concerning its policies on refugees & newcomers.
Racism
The BC Green party has released no official statement concerning its policies on racism.
Liberal Party of British Columbia Indigenous Relations
The BC Liberal party advocates:
- working every day to resolve all Indigenous right and title issues
- clarifying applicability of UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples relates to claims in BC
- supporting the right of First Nations to negotiate for renewed capacity funding benefits
- financing revenue-generating First Nations economic opportunities
- prioritizing sector-specific job training opportunities Indigenous peoples
- supporting Indigenous-led LNG export projects
- requiring all provincial employees to undertake cultural safety and humility training
- working with First Nations Health Authority to improve health and wellness attempts
Rural Communities
The party advocates:
- in order to to prevent job loss and preserve the rural way of life, opposing cuts in the logging industry, and its 5-point plan for recovery in the forestry industry.
- improving response times for the BC Ambulance Service, particularly in rural communities
- expanding high-speed broadband and mobile coverage in rural areas
- Establish a northern Premier’s Office in Prince George
Refugees & Newcomers
The party advocates expansion of opportunities for internationally-trained medical professionals.
Racism
The party advocates:
- eliminating systemic racism and bias across the healthcare system, to ensure equitable and accessible services for all, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or any other discriminating factor
- ensuring that all government services are free of racism and prejudice
- requiring all police services to actively adopt anti-racism policies
- adopting and ensuring that diversity commitments for public hiring and government boards are honored
- ending arbitrary racial profiling by police
- increasing use of un-armed community policing patrols
Libertarian Party of British Columbia The BC Libertarian party has released no official statement concerning its policies on:
- Indigenous relations
- Rural communities
- Refugees & newcomers
- Racism
The party believes that all individuals are entitled to equal treatment under the law, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or religious belief.
New Democratic Party of British Columbia Indigenous Relations
The BC NDP reports that it:
- is making reconciliation a priority, and mandating all ministries to fully adopt and implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Human Peoples and the Calls to Action of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission. This includes partnering with Aboriginal Justice Council to reduce over-representation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system
- granted $50 million to the First People’s Cultural Council, to revitalize Indigenous languages
- is expanding the Aboriginal Head Start program for First Nations children
- is making an historic investment in housing for Indigenous peoples
Rural Communities
The BC NDP reports that it:
- has implemented projects to bring expanded wireless and high-speed internet to 443 communities, including 75 Indigenous communities
- supports access to affordable farmland for young farmers through a Land Matching Program
- is taking measures to support BuyBC and promote BC food products
- is protecting BC farmland by “addressing” mega-mansions and speculation on land reserved for agriculture.
Refugees & Newcomers
The BC NDP reports that it passed legislation to establish a registry for temporary foreign workers, to prevent exploitation and abuse.
Racism
The BC NDP has released no official statement concerning its policies on racism.
Points to Ponder Points to Ponder: Solidarity
Consider asking your district’s candidates the following questions, and discussing their answers with your family, friends, neighbours, coworkers, and fellow parishioners:
- How can relationships with Indigenous and other peoples best be reconciled with one another?
- What, if anything, should be done to ensure vibrant, healthy rural life in British Columbia?
- What, if anything, should be done to ensure the safety and well-being of refugee and newcomers in British Columbia?
- What can or should be done to combat racism in British Columbia?
Justice & Peace
The Role of Government; Stewardship of Public Office; Democracy; Justice & Safety
The Church teaches that the proper role of government is to provide 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 find their way back to Him. Public administration at any level — national, regional, community — must 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. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 406-412
The province has the twofold responsibility of discouraging behaviour that is harmful to human rights and the fundamental norms of civil life, and of repairing, through the penal system, the disorder created by criminal activity. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 402
Catholic Teaching The Church teaches that:
The Proper Role of Government
- The proper role of government is to provide 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.
Stewardship of Public Office
- Public administration at any level — national, regional, community — is 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.
Democracy
- 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.
Criminal Justice & Public Safety
- In order to protect the common good, the lawful public authority must exercise its right and duty to inflict punishments according to the seriousness of the crimes committed.
- The State has the twofold responsibility to discouraging behaviour that is harmful to human rights and the fundamental norms of civil life, and of repairing, 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, encouraging the re-insertion of the condemned person into society while fostering a justice that reconciles, a justice capable of restoring harmony in social relationships disrupted by the criminal act committed.
402, 406-412 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Christian Heritage Party of British Columbia The Role of Government
The BC CHP has released no official statement concerning its policies on the proper role of government.
Stewardship of Office
The BC CHP advocates:
- Comprehensive review of provincial taxation & expenditures
- Either (a) single rate income tax or (b) single rate tax on spending, to be chosen by referendum of voters
- Continued collection of royalties tied to natural resources
- Balanced budget legislation, with exception for declared emergencies
- Application of any surpluses to payment of provincial debt
- Payment of market-rate compensation to all BC citizens for natural resources harvested within the province
- Implementation of zero-based budgets for all provincial offices
- Requiring adherence to generally-accepted accounting principles for all government offices
- Progressive elimination of provincial dependence on lotteries
- Negotiations with federal government for control over and royalties for offshore resources
Democratic Reform
The BC CHP has called for:
- Direct election of the Premier by voters & separation of legislature and Premier’s office
- Preferential balloting requiring a majority of votes for election of MLAs and Premier
- MLAs should be free to vote their consciences, regardless of party lines
- Recall upon petition of 20% of eligible voters
- Fixed terms for elections, to eliminate early elections & votes of no confidence
- A $5ooo cap on contributions by individuals, and a bar on contributions by corporations, unions, and special interest groups
- Enactment of legislation to allow citizens to override government by referendums
- Election of federal senators
Justice & Safety
The BC CHP supports:
- Reform of the provincial legal system to ensure protection of the public, timely justice, and restoration of punishment as a deterrent
- Mandatory restitution for non-violent property crime
- Publication of records of individual judges showing cases handled and sentences imposed, and create a recall process for judges soft on crime
- Establishment of a commission of judges and lay people to review sentencing guidelines and propose reforms
- Forfeiture of vehicles for 2nd convictions in impaired driving
- Deportation of convicted violent criminals
Conservative Party of British Columbia The Role of Government
It is a matter of principle to the BC Conservative party that:
- Government should be ethical, accountable, fiscally responsible, and enforce the rule of law to provide for the peace and security of society.
- The party believes in smaller, less intrusive, and more efficient government.
Stewardship of Office
The BC Conservative party advocates:
- Review of all government entities to assess their necessity and efficiency
- Zero-based budgeting program to include all government departments and Crown corporations.
- Introduction, where appropriate, of multi-year budgeting to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness
- Except in emergencies, mandating budget surpluses to pay government debts and reduce taxes
- A comprehensive review of Federal Equalization formulas to ensure fairness of equalization payments
- An independent review of the all compensation for elected and appointed government officials
- Establishment of an independent provincial ethics commissioner
- Establish a comprehensive freedom of information act
- Publishing salaries and expenses of all elected and senior government officials
- Requiring municipalities to conduct referenda for capital borrowing projects
Democratic Reform
The BC Conservative party:
- Supports banning political donations by corporations, unions and other entities, or foreigners
- Supports reform of the Recall and Initiative Act
- Believes that MLAS should be empowered to best represent the interests of their constituents
- Believes in restructuring he tax system to maximize benefits for the greatest number of BC citizens
Justice & Safety
As a matter of principle the BC Conservative party:
- Believes in a rigorous system of law and order that also focuses on the rights of victims.
- Seeks to ensure sufficient funding for effective policing and protection of citizens.
Green Party of British Columbia The Role of Bovernment
The BC Green party believes that:
- Governments should be focused on the wellbeing of citizens rather than maximizing returns to private corporations
- The purpose of government is to facilitate the highest and best outcomes for the health and wellbeing of current and future BC citizens.
- The social determinants of health are:
– Income
– Early childhood development
– Disability
– Education
– Social safety net
– Gender
– Employment/working conditions
– Race
– Aboriginal status
– Safe and nutritious food
– Housing homelessness
– Access to healthcare
– Healthcare wait times
– Biology & genetics
– Air quality
– Civic infrastructure - The purpose of government is to:
– Sustainably manage the province for all BC citizens
– Be the steward of public resources and manage delivery of public services as assets owned by all
Stewardship of Office
The BC Green party proposes to:
- Establish a public watchdog for government advertising and communications
- Help Auditor General to develop a performance scorecard for government
- Establish independent advisor for Legislative Assembly on state of finances and budgets
- Develop a genuine progress indicator for BC based on the social determinants of health
Fiscal Plan
The party advocates a fundamental overhaul of the tax system, including:
- Reversing the trend of regressive taxation, streamlining and simplifying the tax system, and removing perverse incentives
- Increasing tax rates for those earning over $108,460 per year by 1% for four years
- Increase the corporate tax rate to 12%
- Eliminate boutique tax credits
The party further proposes:
- Introduction of a Fiscal Responsibility Act to require a BC budget to be balanced on average, over a government’s term of office
- Requiring retailers to display the tax-included costs of products and services
Democratic Reform
A core principle of the BC Green party is that it will work to create proportionally elected governments that represent and engage citizens.
The party proposes to:
- Ban political contributions by corporations, unions, and other groups
- Limit annual political contributions by individuals
- Ban fundraising by cabinet ministers
- Restrict lobbying by former senior public office holders
- Increase penalties for lobbying violations
- Introduce proportional voting
- Reduce the voting age to 16
Justice & Safety
The BC Green party proposes to:
- Allot $50 million to increase access to restorative justice and other alternatives to the criminal justice system
- Allow wider use of paralegals to increase access to justice and reduce time and costs for court processes
- Work to integrate those with mental illness and addictions in civic and social life
- Develop strategies to reduce harm and reduce drug trafficking
- Invest $15 million to address white collar crime, including phone scams and other forms of fraud
- Implement a whistleblower program to protect those who report fraud
Liberal Party of British Columbia The Role of Government
The BC Liberal party:
- Believes that the proper role of provincial government is to help people get on with their lives, and take as little as possible from them in taxes and fees.
- Suggests that it disagrees with the proposition that ‘government always knows best’
Stewardship of Office
The BC Liberal party:
- Advocates a comprehensive fiscal plan to balance the budget once the pandemic has ended
- Proposes to review public infrastructure contracting processes, to end over-priced deals with unions
- Supports rights of non-union construction workers
- Advocates appointment of an independent Fair Tax Commission comprised of non-partisan tax experts, to review all provincial taxes and which should be modified or eliminated to most effectively fuel economic recovery from the pandemic
Post-COVID recovery plan
The party advocates:
- Tabling a comprehensive fiscal plan in fall 2020, to be passed as part of Budget 2022.
- To stimulate the economy, eliminating the provincial sales tax (PST) and small business income tax
- Simplifying and speeding up permits processing for natural resources and housing projects
- Invest in affordable childcare, to allow parents to return to the workforce
Democratic Reform
The party advocates:
- Amendment of election law to ban early elections during provincial emergencies
- Banning foreign money and influence in BC politics
Justice & Safety
The party advocates:
- Increasing funding for public safety by $58 million, to provide resources for police and prosecutors
- Hiring of 200 additional police officers and 100 more psychiatric workers across the province
- Establishing more Integrated Mobile Crisis Response Teams for response to mental-health related emergencies
- Hiring 40 additional Crown prosecutors
- Enacting ‘Clare’s Law’ to open violent criminal histories to vulnerable members of the public
- Improved training of health care professionals to deal with sexual assault cases
- Cracking down on roadside panhandling, street racing, handguns, and gangs
- Banning photo radar for speeding in BC
- Ensuring that victims’ families are notified on release of perpetrators
- Improving victim services and supports
- Prompt protection of access rights to public roads, bridges and railroads from unlawful blockades
Libertarian Party of British Columbia The Role of Government
The BC Libertarian Party has released no official statement concerning its policies on the proper role of government.
Stewardship of Office
The BC Libertarian party proposes to:
- Reduce provincial deficits by fueling economic growth through open trade agreements with provinces and other markets
- Promote outcome-based funding formulas which allocate more tax dollars to programs that deliver intended results, fewer to those which cannot consistently perform
- Introduce whistle-blower legislation to prevent abuse of government employees who report misdeeds
Democratic Reform
The BC Libertarian party proposes to repeal the per-vote payment of tax revenue to political parties passed in 2017.
Justice & Safety
The BC Libertarian party advocates banning photo radar in British Columbia.
New Democratic Party of British Columbia The Role of Government
The BC NDP has released no official statement concerning its views on the proper role of government
Stewardship of Office
The BC NDP reports that it:
- Is working to improve finances for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
- Has instituted a comprehensive review of BC Hydro, to keep rates low
- Is committed to eliminating BC’s operating debt for the first time in 40 years
- Is simplifying the provincial procurement strategy to create jobs and support BC products
Democratic Reform
The BC NDP reports that it:
- “Banned big money from provincial, municipal, and recall campaigns in BC”
- Provided legislative drafting support to opposition MLAs
- Appointed a Parliamentary Secretary to coordinate governmental action on gender equity
Justice & Safety
The BC NDP reports that it:
- has eliminated barriers to workers’ compensation for mental trauma in first responders
- is investing in programs to keep young people away from lifestyles associated with gang activity and violent crime, including expansion of anti-bullying programs
- has increased efforts to enforce money laws against money laundering
Points to Ponder Points to Ponder: Justice & Peace
Consider asking your district’s candidates the following questions, and discussing their answers with your family, friends, coworkers, and fellow parishioners:
- Is it necessary or wise to call an early election during a pandemic, on grounds that a majority government is required in order to implement appropriate policies?
- Is it relevant that the governing party had previously promised another party that it would not seek an early election?
- What should be done to encourage the parties, voters, and other British Columbians work together in order to ensure that parties, candidates, and governments serve with a deep spirit of wisdom and humility, to guide and gather us toward what is truly good for all of us, seeking common ground for cooperation, rather than seeking or drawing distinctions to draw us apart?
- Is it wise or helpful for parties to wait until the last minute to release their platforms, as elections approach, or to release them piecemeal and without costing projections? Who benefits from such practices? Who might be hurt by them?
- What, if anything, should be done to ensure the provision of fair and timely criminal trials within the province, and access to legal assistance?
- What, if anything, should be done to address provincial budgetary imbalances and debt?
Information on this page was last updated on Oct 22, 2022 @ 10:39 am.