Bob Mackin
John Horgan released the NDP platform, “Working For You: John Horgan’s Commitments too B.C.,” on Oct. 6 in a ballroom at party headquarters in the the Pinnacle Harbourfront Hotel.
It’s 54 pages (the 55th is blank). Here are 10 highlights:
1. Four main themes
Pandemic, healthcare, housing and affordability, jobs and clean energy.
John Horgan at the Oct. 6 platform release (NDP/YouTube)
2. Shots
Free COVID-19 vaccines, when available. “Anyone who wants the vaccine will receive it.” But not universally free flu vaccine now (which the BC Liberals promise). NDP says it will be preparing B.C. “for the next one.”
Evidence so far is the NDP wasn’t prepared for this one, after its two-and-a-half years in office under Horgan.
3. More, more, more!
The word more appears 170 times on 44 pages, less just eight times. The word green three times, but no reference to the Green Party. There are, however, 26 critical references to the BC Liberals on 19 pages.
4. Why not now?
That’ll be the question on minds of beleaguered residents of Yaletown and Strathcona when they read: “We’ll free up police to focus on serious crime in B.C. communities, including cracking down on those who distribute toxic drugs on the streets.”
5. Vote buying?
The Election Act states nobody is allowed to induce or reward anyone for voting.
But the NDP platform does just that, promising a “recovery benefit.”
Families with less than $125,000 annual household income would receive a one-time, $1,000 direct deposit. Singles earning less than $62,000 would get $500, with a sliding scale up to $87,000.
6. ICBC for condos?
If skyrocketing strata insurance rates are not corrected by the end of 2021, NDP promises:“we will develop a public strata insurance option, similar to Saskatchewan.”
7. Wrong highway
The platform promises by 2026: “Widening the Fraser Highway to ease congestion: This is a critical transportation link for people from Abbotsford to Surrey.”
Highway 1, the transportation and trade backbone of the Fraser Valley, is the correct highway. The party later corrected the platform.
8. You say BIPOC, we say IBPOC
Black, Indigenous and People of Colour is the rallying cry, but the NDP platform uses IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour) in a promise to increase representation from those groups in government and the public sector.
9. Museum musing
NDP hasn’t fulfilled the BC Liberal promise of building a Chinese museum (there was a Chinatown pop-up opened last summer). Now it promises to build a South Asian-Canadian museum.
10. Bottom line?
Pre-election deficit: $12.792 billion; election platform deficit $15.035 billion.
For the next two fiscal years? “Not projected.”
No details on how it will be paid, what taxes or fees would increase. But a promise to not increase taxes on middle class families, privatize public services, make wage cuts or rollback contracts.
Quote of the day:
Is the $1.4 billion in one-time payments vote buying?
Horgan: “We’re not just throwing money to try and buy votes, we’re throwing money at people to stimulate economic activity, to keep them safe…”
Tweet of the day:
From the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association.
Anyone else find any commitments to improving your personal privacy, access to information, or Government transparency? Did we miss something?
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