Friday December 13, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 11:50 am | Lats update 1:16 pm]
Political analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Today Deputy Premier and Attorney General Niki Sharma delivered an update on negotiations with the BC Green caucus, addressing media from the Vancouver Cabinet Office.
An agreement dated December 12, 2024 has been reached between the two parties toward strenthening health care, building affordable housing, creating livable communities and growing a strong sustainable economy.
The goal has been to stabilize what is a 47-seat BC NDP minority government by reaching across party lines to involve support of the two BC NDP Green MLAs who were elected in the October 19, 2024 BC Provincial Election.
A notable part of the agreement between the BC NDP and the BC Green caucus is supporting the growth of community health centres (as distinct from the UPCC model which met with limited success during 2017-2024), something that was important to the BC Greens during the fall provincial election campaign.
The BC Green Party Leader is still Sonia Furstenau even though she did not win a seat in the October 19, 2024 provincial election. The two elected BC Green MLAs are Jeremy Valeriote (West Vancouver-Sea to Sky) and Rob Botterell (Saanoch North and the Islands).
Another notable aspect of the agreement is having a schedule for meetings by government with Opposition House Leaders, and to meet regularly with the BC Green Caucus house leader to discuss business of the legislative assembly.
Meanwhile, there is a glaring oversight in the list of 11 priorities and that is public education which got some high profile mention by the Green Party during the provincial election, including mental health and digital IT support in schools.
Policy initiatives & 2025 deliverables:
The agreement in principle between the two parties includes “Section 3 – Policy Initiatives & 2025 Deliverables”, with this list of 11 points:
- Health Care – use the Community Health Centre (CHC) model for primary care facilities; system performance analysis; deal with barriers for health professionals hoping to start CHC’s.
- Mental Health Care – expand public coverage of psychologists, including for youth and children.
- Housing – protect, purchase and build 30,000 units of non-market housing (including 7,500 in 2025)
- Renters Protection – expand SAFER and RAP and expand funding to those programs ($75 million more in 2025, another $75 million in 2026); recapitalize the Rental Protection Fund.
- Homelessness – actively support local communities to advance appropriate housing models to provide wrap-around services to reflect local conditions and move funds more quickly.
- Transit – implement frequent, reliable, affordable regional transit on key interregional routes.
- Climate – initiate and complete a review of Clean BC in 2025; contribute $50 million annually toward electric heat pumps for fiscal years 2025 and 2026 (to be accessible to low-and moderate-income households)
- Environment – undertake a review of BC forests with First Nations, workers, unions, business and community to address concerns around sustainability, job, environmental protection and the future of the industry, ensure permanent protection of the Fairy Creek Watershed; strengthen collaborative local processes around water management at the watershed level and improve local governance.
- Social and Economic Justice – end the spousal clawback on disability payments and ensure people can keep all of the Canada Disability Benefit; review social assistance and disability rates toward future increases.
- Taxation – end the property transfer tax loophole for sale of properties by trusts.
- Democratic and Electoral Reform – creative a special legislative all-party committee to evaluate and recommend policy and legislation measures to be pursued starting 2026 to increase democratic engagement and voter participation, address increasing political polarization, and improve the representativeness of government.
BC Greens to their membership:
In a statement to their members, the BC Greens said “these are Green ideas, they’ve always been our ideas” – in particular listing Helathcare, Mental Health, Housing, Transit and Climate from within the list of 11 points in the agreement.
“Now they will benefit every British Columbian,” it was stated in the BC Greens message to their members.
Premier Eby’s statement in full (December 13, 2024):
Premier’s statement on agreement with BC Greens
Premier David Eby has released the following statement about an agreement with the BC Greens:
“British Columbians expect us to work collaboratively to deliver on the most important issues people are facing.
“I’m pleased to share that the government and BC Greens have reached an agreement to work together on a specific set of shared priorities:
“Strengthening health care, building affordable housing, creating livable communities and growing a strong sustainable economy.
“We are two distinct parties with two distinct identities, and we won’t always agree. We also have many shared values. The agreement lays out specific areas of action we will work together to achieve.
“This agreement will strengthen the stability of government and help deliver on the priorities of British Columbians. We will continue to work with all MLAs who want to make the legislature work for people.”
===== RELATED:
Digital Literacy Secretariat would be set up by BC Greens (September 3, 2024)
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