1 – TAX THE CORPORATIONS AND THE WEALTHY
The Communist Party calls for redistribution of income away from the rich and the corporations who benefit from neoliberal policies and austerity cutbacks, and towards the working class and the poor who create all wealth. In this election, we demand:
a) Increase provincial revenues by $2.5 billion annually by restoring tax rates for the wealthy and corporations to pre-2001 levels, and further by making the tax system more progressive
b) Abolish MSP premiums and other regressive user fees, reduce provincial sales tax
c) no provincial income tax on earnings under $40,000 per year
2 – PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT
Capitalism is killing the environment: poisoning the air, water and soil, and generating greenhouse gas emissions which cause global warming. The Communist Party calls for socialist strategies to reduce the ecological footprint of our economy. In this election, we demand:
a) Oppose the Site “C” dam in northern BC and the Ajax Mine project in Kamloops
b) Block tar sands extraction projects including Northern Gateway pipeline and Kinder Morgan expansion; ban oil tankers on the west coast
c) Oppose LNG, “fracking,” drilling and exploration
d) No to ocean based fish farms; support programs to enhance wild salmon and seafood stocks
e) reduce BC overall carbon emissions – expand energy conservation and renewable energy programs
3 -RIGHTS FOR WORKERS
The Communist Party fights for a socialist society which protects the interests of the working class, not the big corporations. In this election, we demand:
a) Full Labour Code protection and workplace inspections for domestic, agricultural and migrant workers
b) Labour Code amendments to protect and enhance the rights to organize in workplaces and company-wide, to bargain collectively, and strike; bring back card-check organizing legislation.
c) $20 minimum wage – end the lower minimum wage for liquor servers
d) legislate maximum salary levels for public service, end bonuses for crown corporation executives
e) make BC a sanctuary province – no deportations of undocumented workers, ensure full access to medical care and education for all families
4 – STOP THE SELLOUT – REVERSE PRIVATIZATION AND EXPAND PUBLIC OWNERSHIP
Capitalist governments across the planet are privatising natural resources and public assets, at the expense of working people. We stand for socialism, which means democratic public ownership and control, not corporate profiteering. In this election, the Communist Party of BC demands:
a) Put natural resources under public ownership and democratic control
b) End P3 funding of public projects.
c) Re-integrate all energy-based services back into BC Hydro and keep them under public and democratic control
d) Massive program of value added forest products industries for job creation under public and democratic control.
e) Ban exports of raw log and cants, and of unprocessed fish
f) Halt the “run of the river” projects and other moves to privatize BC Hydro
5 – JUSTICE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
The Canadian state was established through the genocidal colonial theft of indigenous lands, including the unceded traditional indigenous territories of British Columbia. In this election, the Communist Party calls for policies to help achieve true reconciliation and justice:
a) Full recognition of inherent indigenous title to all unceded traditional territories
b) Provincial support to implement all 93 Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations
c) No natural resource extraction projects on indigenous lands without full consultation and approval
d) Expand support for Indigenous education and languages
e) Declare National Aboriginal Day (June 21) a statutory provincial holiday
6 – A FUTURE FOR YOUTH
Under capitalism, working class young people face high unemployment, low wages, massive student debt burdens, and lack of access to post-secondary education and apprenticeship training. In this election, the Communist Party calls for:
a) A $20 minimum wage; support the labour/student campaign for $15/hour now
b) Free post-secondary education
c) Expand apprenticeship programs, and end unpaid internships.
7 – EXPAND SOCIAL PROGRAMS
The Communist Party works to win a socialist society, in which free education and health care, housing, good jobs, and adequate incomes are basic human rights. In this election, we call for:
a) Education
– fund public education on a needs basis, including for all special needs and ESL students; raise annual public school education spending by $500 million (an increase of $1000 per student to reach the Canadian average)
– end provincial funding and tax breaks for private and religious schools.
– eliminate the FSA tests;
– complete seismic upgrades of all schools by 2020
– remove the Education Minister’s arbitrary authority to fire school trustees; hold an immediate byelection for the Vancouver School Board.
b) Healthcare
– Full funding for public health
– Uphold the Canada Health Act; close private, for-profit clinics and labs
c) Housing
– Emergency program to provide 100,000 units of new and renovated social and low-income housing over the next four years
– End the sale of BC Housing properties
– Ban “renovictions” and “demovictions”, and enforce strict rent controls for tenants and small business
– Ban property flipping and other practices which drive up housing costs
– Support taxation on all home purchases by non-Canadian buyers.
d) Raise Income Assistance and Disability rates by 100% immediately, to bring in line with the market basket of actual living expenses, indexed to inflation; remove artificial barriers to assistance.
– free transit passes for all Social Assistance and Disability recipients
8 – EXPAND AND IMPROVE PUBLIC TRANSIT
Expanded private vehicle use means higher greenhouse gas emissions, and more highways built over arable lands. We need a dramatic shift to improve public transit. The Communist Party demands:
a) Increase the number of buses in Metro Vancouver by at least 1,000 with accompanying improvements in service
b) Expand transit alternatives in all areas of the province, including restoration of BC Rail and free bus service on the “Highway of Tears”
c) Eliminate public transit fares; no zone fare system.
d) Make the ferry service an extension of the highway system; reduce fares and restore sailing cuts
9 – ELECTORAL REFORM
The undemocratic “first-past-the-post” electoral system is biased towards major parties and corporate interests. In this election, the Communist Party of BC demands:
a) Introduce a “Mixed Member” proportional representation system for BC elections.
b) Set MLA salaries at the average wage of a BC worker
c) Require corporate media to report the views of all candidates, and election forums to provide equal treatment for all candidates.
d) drastically lower the campaign expense ceiling, and ban corporate political donations.
10 – EQUALITY AND JUSTICE FOR WOMEN
Women today face a wide gender pay gap, misogynist violence, and a lack of social programs to help advance economic equality and social justice. In this election, the Communist Party of BC demands:
a) Establish a province-wide public system of universal, affordable, quality child care
b) Restore funding to BC women’s centres and programs, and provide safe spaces to women and families escaping domestic violence
c) Ensure all BC hospitals have “rape kits” and staff trained to administer tests
d) Expel post-secondary students who commit rape or other forms of violence against women
e) Close the gender pay gap
11 – PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes the rights to employment, shelter, education, equality, trade unions and much more. In this election, the Communist Party demands:
a) Re-establish the BC Human Rights Commission, and prosecute all police officers who commit crimes.
b) Enforce legislated protections for trans and gender-diverse people
c) Increase Legal Aid funding, ensure access to legal assistance for low-income people
12 – FOOD SECURITY
Food security is crucial for human survival, but the BC Liberals are wiping out agricultural land in the Fraser Valley and the Peace River. In this election, the Communist Party of BC demands:
a) End all removals from the Agricultural Land Reserve
b) Protect arable land in the Peace River, Fraser Valley and other regions
c) Support organic farming; require labelling of genetically-modified food products
d) Tax incentives and other measures to encourage fruit and vegetable gardens in urban yards
13) OPPOSE CAPITALIST GLOBALIZATION AND WAR
The imperialist drive for profits and control of resources is behind “capitalist globalization” and corporate rights deals, and growing militarism and wars. The Communist Party calls for Canada’s withdrawal from NATO and a 75% cut in military spending. In this election, we demand:
a) Oppose corporate dominated trade deals such as the TPP and CETA
b) Build solidarity with peoples in all countries who struggle to defend human rights, democracy, social justice and sovereignty, against capitalist globalization deals, exploitation by Canadian-based corporations, militarism, colonialism, and war.