VOTE COMMUNIST!

VOTE COMMUNIST FOR REAL CHANGE ON OCTOBER 19

On October 19, voters in B.C. face limited choices – NDP leaders who adopt a few minor reforms while pouring tax dollars into the fossil fuel industry; a Green party which fails to challenge capitalist economic control; or far-right politicians who promote bigotry and corporate profiteering. But in some ridings, the ballot includes Communist candidates who fight for a socialist future. We fight for justice for Indigenous nations, expanded public health care and education, real solutions to the housing crisis, and full equality for women and 2SLGBTQ people. We stand in proud solidarity with struggles for labour rights, climate justice, and global peace and solidarity.

EXPAND PUBLIC HEALTHCARE!
Expand public health care to include pharmacare, optical and dental care, and mental health and addiction rehabilitation. Train family physicians and nursing staff for everyone, expand hospital beds, reduce surgery wait times, and improve conditions in long-term care homes. Create a permanent, safe, legal and regulated supply of illicit drugs, together with on- demand access to housing and mental health services and long term recovery support programs.

HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT, NOT A PROFIT OPPORTUNITY!
When housing is a commodity for personal and corporate enrichment the result is a massive crisis. We demand: end housing speculation! Limit rents to 20% of family income. Establish vacancy controls which tie rents to the unit. Build 100,000 units of new and renovated social and low-income public housing. Ban “renovictions” and “demovictions” and abolish “sweeps” against unhoused people using tents for emergency housing needs.

BETTER PUBLIC EDUCATION
Increase public education spending by $1000 per student. End funding and tax breaks for private and religious schools. Protect the health and safety of all students, staff and teachers during infectious disease outbreaks. Fully implement SOGI-123 (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) policies in all school districts, and private and religious schools. Roll back post-secondary tuition.

FULL EQUALITY, DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS, SOCIAL JUSTICE!
Restore funding to women’s centres and programs, provide safe spaces to people escaping misogyny and domestic violence. Take swift political against those who threaten the 2S/LGBTQ+ community. Build the universal, affordable, public child care system desperately needed by working class families. Raise social assistance and disability rates by 100%. Replace “first past the post” with Mixed Member proportional representation.

CLIMATE JUSTICE, NOT CARBON BOMBS
Cut hydrocarbon emissions now! Prioritize renewable energy and conservation. Cancel taxpayer subsidies to the LNG industry. Implement just transition – retrain fossil fuel sector workers for other jobs at union wages. Free public transit for all. build an accessible province-wide transit system.

RIGHTS AND JOBS FOR WORKERS
Raise BC minimum wage to $23, fully adjusted to inflation. Security for workers affected by layoffs, including 100% recall rights and wage protection. Protect and expand union rights to picket during labour disputes. Full Labour standards protection for domestic, agricultural and migrant workers. Allow the right to strike around political demands.

HOW CAN WE AFFORD THIS?
Increase annual revenues by $3 billion – roll back the tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations given in 2001 by the Campbell Liberals. Cut subsidies to the fossil fuel sector. Demand to shift federal military spending to civilian needs. Defund the police.

SOCIALISM IS THE FUTURE!
The profit-driven capitalist system is killing the planet. We call for socialism – a world without poverty and war, where working people democratically own and control the economy.

JUSTICE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
Support the “Land Back” demand. Ensure Indigenous inherent title to all traditional, stolen and unceded territories. No resource extraction and infrastructure projects on indigenous lands without full consultation and approval. Stop violating Bill 41, the “Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.” Indigenize the B.C. education curriculum, to foster solidarity and collaboration with Indigenous resistance struggles, and to promote inclusivity, cooperation, and justice.

OUR CANDIDATES

Kimball Cariou for Vancouver-Strathcona
Kimball Cariou is the leader of the Communist Party of BC, and the party’s election candidate in Vancouver-Strathcona. Born on Treaty 6 territory in Saskatoon, Kimball’s working class prairie family background includes both Metis and European settler ancestry. In 1993, he and his family moved to east Vancouver, where he was the editor of People’s Voice newspaper for over 25 years. Kimball is a long-time activist in movements for labour and Indigenous rights, and in resistance against war, racism, homophobia, transphobia and misogyny. He is active in his housing cooperative, as a strong advocate to stop displacement and launch a massive low-income housing program. He calls to reverse BC’s multi-billion dollar tax breaks for the wealthy and the corporations, and to double social assistance and disability rates. “It’s not enough to criticize the injustices of capitalism,” says Kimball. “We have to get rid of this private profit system, and build a socialist future. Voting Communist is one important step in a struggle to end exploitation, oppression and environmental destruction, and to create a sustainable and just world.”


Ryan Abbott for Surrey City Centre
Ryan Abbott is a Red Seal Industrial Painter and a proud Union member living in the heart of Surrey. He is passionate about building democracy in the workplace, the expansion of tenant rights and climate action that puts working people first. In his free time he enjoys reading, writing and spending time with friends.


Robert Crooks for Victoria-Swan Lake
Robert Crooks is the Provincial Organizer for the Communist Party of BC. He is a long-time tenant’s rights organizer and anti-imperialist peace activist. Robert was born on Treaty 1 territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and hasn’t missed a step in continuing his political work since relocating to BC. He strives to build relationships in the community with the goal of forging a broad democratic leftwing coalition that can focus on freeing people’s basic rights to housing, healthcare and education from its subordination to profit.

 

To reach our candidates, call (604) 254-9836 or email cpcbcorganizer@gmail.com