VICTORIA, BC - B.C. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau laid out a number of key priorities for the next Green Caucus at a press conference in Victoria today.
“As early voting opens, we know that many British Columbians are still making up their minds about who to trust with their vote. Today I’m outlining our top priorities so voters can see what a Green caucus will focus on delivering,” said Furstenau.
“My team and I know firsthand that the NDP are willing to campaign on the right words, but only take the necessary action when forced to do so. We have been pushing for changes to long-term care, to end old growth logging and to cancel Site C, but the NDP is only just starting to show signs of moving on these issues now that we’re in an election. We need a strong Green Caucus to keep standing up for these issues.”
Furstenau outlined some of her top priorities for the next Green caucus:
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Help small businesses and the tourism sector survive the winter with a rent subsidy program and grants to urgently support small tourism operators;
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Provide immediate action on affordability and inequality – including new grant for those paying more than 30% of their income in rent and making significant improvements to the social safety net;
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Protect our last remaining old-growth forests from logging and take back control of our forest industry to create good, local, sustainable jobs;
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Stand up for real solutions in healthcare, like affordable and accessible mental health services, and ending the practice of public money going to for-profit seniors care;
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Stop the subsidies for fossil fuel and fracking companies, and establish a clean jobs strategy which offers a transition plan for workers in the oil and gas sector, guaranteeing them a job in the clean economy.
“Last night, the former NDP Environment Minister opened the door to even more LNG plants. He claimed LNG Canada fits within our climate targets, which is demonstrably false. The NDP passed CleanBC, at the same time as pursuing an agenda that drives up our emissions. The plan is only as good as the actions you take. So far the NDP have been big on words, but small on action.”
“The B.C. Liberals are showing they can’t be trusted to put forth credible plans and stand up on the issues that matter. They are stuck offering tax cuts for people who don’t need them, and wrestling with social policies that British Columbians long ago demanded action on.
“In the next legislature it is the B.C. Greens who will stand up for small businesses and make sure they have a voice in the legislature. It is the B.C. Greens who will fight for real action on a more inclusive society that doesn’t leave so many people behind. And it is the B.C. Greens who will push for clean recovery and a stronger, more sustainable economy.”
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