VICTORIA, B.C. – The B.C. Green Caucus finished this legislative session having called on the BC NDP for improved outcomes for healthcare, reconciliation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and public safety.
“This government promised to build a ‘Stronger BC’, but everywhere we look we see evidence of systems collapsing,” said Sonia Furstenau, Leader of the BC Greens and MLA for Cowichan Valley.
“This government continues to be reactive rather than proactive. Heading into summer, we do not have a sense that the BC NDP have things under control. Instead of being straightforward with British Columbians about the crisis in healthcare, affordability, and emergency preparedness, they are planning for a $1 billion museum. If we’ve learned anything from COVID-19, it should be how expensive it is to manage a crisis when we are unprepared.”
The B.C. Greens have taken a constructive approach to opposition, proposing tangible solutions to our province’s most pressing issue, healthcare. The B.C. Greens were the first caucus to refocus attention on the family doctor crisis, calling for:
- Immediate financial support for family practices so that no more offices have to close their doors
- Modernization of the fee-for-service model
- Shift toward a community-based healthcare model to address the family doctor crisis
- Refocus on a public model of healthcare as for-profit corporations encroach on primary care
- Support for nurses and other healthcare professionals so they can provide care for patients
- Whistleblower protection so healthcare professionals can speak out about workplace conditions without fear of reprisal
The B.C. Greens also pushed for improved access to reproductive healthcare; for the BC NDP to immediately follow through on their promise to provide free prescription contraception, and to improve access to abortion services throughout the province.
Last summer B.C. experienced wildfires and deadly heat waves, followed by major floods in the fall. It is likely more emergencies will occur in the coming months; snowpack across the province, for example, is prompting concerns for flooding.
“When it comes to emergency management and preparedness, the BC NDP have not done enough,” said Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands. “Despite investments in wildfire response, proactive changes are not happening on the land base. This government continues to subsidize fossil fuel development, continues to log and drill the landscape with little regard for the consequences. Lytton has yet to be rebuilt. Our government is abandoning British Columbians who are worried about what the hot weather will bring.”
“This government is more focused on making headlines than headway. It is focused on pushing a narrative of successes rather than delivering the outcomes. We will not let the government off the hook on these issues. British Columbians suffer the consequences of their inaction and poor planning. We will continue to bring good ideas to the table and work hard across the aisle to advance them,” said MLA Furstenau.
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Media contact
JoJo Beattie
Press Secretary
B.C. Green Caucus
+1 250-882-6187 | [email protected]