Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
National

Highlights And U-Turns In The B.C. Liberals' Speech From The Throne

Darpan News Desk IANS, 23 Jun, 2017 10:52 AM
  • Highlights And U-Turns In The B.C. Liberals' Speech From The Throne
VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier Christy Clark has introduced what could be her final throne speech. In many ways it is a drastic about-face from the platform her Liberal party ran on during last month's provincial election. 
 
 
Here is a look at some of the major promises in the speech, and where the parties stood during the campaign:
 
Throne speech: Ban corporate, union and third-party donations to political parties.
 
Liberal platform: Create an independent panel that would report to the legislature on political fundraising.
 
NDP: Ban corporate and union donations, and set limits on individual contributions.
 
Greens: Allow only B.C. residents to donate to political parties, and impose donation limits.
 
___
 
Throne speech: Hold a referendum on electoral reform.
 
Liberal platform: No promise.
 
NDP: Hold a referendum on adopting a system of proportional representation.
 
Greens: Introduce proportional representation for the next election, then hold a referendum on whether to keep the new electoral system.
 
___
 
Throne speech: Spend $1 billion to create 60,000 new childcare and early-childhood education spaces, in addition to 13,000 spaces already promised.
 
Liberal platform: Create 5,000 new childcare spaces in 2017, with a goal of up to 13,000 spaces by 2020.
 
NDP: Introduce $10-per-day childcare. Also create 22,000 new childcare spaces within three years, growing to 66,000 spaces in five years.
 
Greens: Boost funding for early-childhood education from $495 million in 2017-18 to $1.38 billion in 2020-21, focusing first on expanding childcare spaces.
 
___
 
Throne speech: Create a new minister of state for mental health, addiction and recovery.
 
Liberal platform: Confirm $165 million for youth mental-health needs and substance-abuse issues.
 
NDP: Create a Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions.
 
Greens: Establish a ministry responsible for mental health and addictions.
 
___
 
Throne speech: Eliminate tolls on the Port Mann Bridge and work to eliminate tolls on the Golden Ears Bridge.
 
Liberal platform: Cap bridge tolls at $500 annually for commuters.
 
NDP: Eliminate tolls on both bridges.
 
Greens: Develop a tolling system to manage traffic.
 
___
 
Throne speech: Increase social-assistance rates by $100 per month.
 
Liberal platform: No change to welfare rates.
 
NDP: Raise all income assistance and disability rates by $100 per month.
 
Greens: Increase welfare rates by an unspecified amount.
 
___
 
Throne speech: Raise the existing $30 per tonne carbon tax by $5 per tonne per year, starting in 2019, up to a total of $50 per tonne by 2022.
 
Liberal platform: Maintain a freeze on the carbon tax.
 
NDP: Phase in the federally mandated $50 per tonne carbon price by 2022 over three years, starting in 2020.
 
Greens: Progressively increase the carbon tax by $10 per year for four years beginning Jan. 1, 2018.
 
___
 
Throne speech: Create a new provincewide poverty-reduction strategy, with a particular focus on children.
 
Liberal platform: No promise.
 
NDP: Introduce a poverty reduction plan with legislated targets and timelines.
 
Greens: Develop an anti-poverty strategy that includes specific actions to address poverty affecting First Nations children and families.
 
___
 
Throne speech: Increase legal-aid funding by 25 per cent.
 
Liberal platform: Spend an additional $2 million per year for single-parent, legal-aid assistance for women.
 
NDP: Improve legal aid.
 
Greens: No promise.
 
 
 
Throne speech: Work to fully eliminate medical services plan premiums for B.C. families.
 
Liberal platform: Immediately reduce medical fees by 50 per cent for two million people then explore further options to eliminate premiums completely.
 
NDP: Eliminate medical premiums within four years.
 
Greens: Roll medical premiums into payroll tax and personal income tax.
 
 
A LIST OF PROMISES IN THE B.C. GOVERNMENT'S THRONE SPEECH
 
 
— A comprehensive ban on corporate, union and third-party donations to political parties; and a maximum donation limit for individuals.
 
— A referendum on electoral reform.
 
— $1 billion to be spent over the next four years to create 60,000 new childcare spaces.
 
— A $100-a-month increase to social assistance rates while future annual increases in disability assistance rates would be tied to the consumer price index.
 
— Increase in legal-aid funding by 25 per cent.
 
— Increase in the number of RCMP officers dedicated to drug enforcement by 30 per cent.
 
— Create new minister of state for mental health, addiction and recovery.
 
— Work to fully eliminate medical service premiums.
 
— Establish a royal commission on education to ensure students and teachers have the resources, training and tools they need.
 
— Work to build light rail on southern Vancouver Island and a passenger ferry connection between Vancouver and Nanaimo.
 
— Conduct feasibility studies to connect the Lower Mainland and North Shore communities in the Vancouver area by transit and light rail.
 
— Eliminate tolls on the Port Mann Bridge and work with TransLink to eliminate tolls on the Golden Ears Bridge.
 
— Build 50,000 new units over 10 years as part of a new rent-to-own program for the middle class.
 
— Work to open eight new mines by 2022 to help rural communities.
 
— Continue construction on the Site C dam.
 
— Raise the carbon tax by $5 per tonne per year, starting in 2019, up to a total of $50 per tonne by 2022, but offset future increases by reducing the provincial sales tax by a corresponding amount.

MORE National ARTICLES

Traffic Moving After Truck Fire Closed Coquihalla Highway For A Full Day

Traffic Moving After Truck Fire Closed Coquihalla Highway For A Full Day
Northbound traffic on the Coquihalla Highway, 25 kilometres south of Merritt, was allowed by the accident site at about 6 a.m. and southbound traffic began flowing 90 minutes later.

Traffic Moving After Truck Fire Closed Coquihalla Highway For A Full Day

Eight Revenue Agency Workers Fired For Roles In Privacy Breaches: CRA

Eight Revenue Agency Workers Fired For Roles In Privacy Breaches: CRA
OTTAWA — The Canada Revenue Agency says eight of its employees were fired in the last fiscal year after violating taxpayers' privacy.

Eight Revenue Agency Workers Fired For Roles In Privacy Breaches: CRA

NDP Holds Courtenay-Comox, Focus Shifts To Absentee Ballots In B.C. Recount

NDP Holds Courtenay-Comox, Focus Shifts To Absentee Ballots In B.C. Recount
VANCOUVER — ElectionsBC is turning its attention absentee ballots cast in British Columbia's tight election race after recounts in two ridings upheld the original outcome of the May 9 vote.

NDP Holds Courtenay-Comox, Focus Shifts To Absentee Ballots In B.C. Recount

Metal Thieves Suspected By Police After 175 Bronze Vases Stolen From Surrey Cemetery

Metal Thieves Suspected By Police After 175 Bronze Vases Stolen From Surrey Cemetery
  The RCMP say a mother who was visiting her son's grave on April 26 noticed the bronze vase at his gravesite had been stolen.

Metal Thieves Suspected By Police After 175 Bronze Vases Stolen From Surrey Cemetery

Police In British Columbia Fear Foul Play In Case Of Missing Woman

Police In British Columbia Fear Foul Play In Case Of Missing Woman
Police say Roberta Marie Sims was reported missing by a concerned member of the public and her disappearance is suspicious and out of character.

Police In British Columbia Fear Foul Play In Case Of Missing Woman

The Young and the Responsible - Tripat Sandhu and Jaspreet Sahota

The Young and the Responsible - Tripat Sandhu and Jaspreet Sahota
Tripat K. Sandhu and Jaspreet K. Sahota are two extraordinary girls that are making their families and communities proud. They are the co-founders of Sikh Sewa International Society of Youth (SSISY), a non-profit organization carrying out humanitarian activities ranging from feeding the hungry to organizing drives to serve those who need health care support

The Young and the Responsible - Tripat Sandhu and Jaspreet Sahota