BC’s provincial election campaign officially begins six days from today on April 16. That’s the day the chief electoral officer issues the writ. From there, it’s 28 days of candidates in 85 ridings across the province working to convince voters to support them.
Obviously, the campaign began a long time ago. In 2012, the BC Liberals and the New Democratic Party (NDP) raised more than $17 million in political donations, according to Elections BC. The Liberals raised $10 million, half of it from corporations and $3.8 million from individuals, with the rest coming from small sources. The NDP raised $6.9 million, with $4 million from individuals, $1.6 million from trade unions and about a million from corporations.
War chests in place, the Liberals and NDP have strategic plans for spending. The Liberal party has bought time for a 30-minute TV special on Sunday, April 14, to kick off its campaign for a fourth term. The NDP has already started to run a 30-second TV ad featuring leader Adrian Dix speaking about his party’s commitment to practical change.
So far, neither the BC Conservative Party nor the Green Party of BC have announced candidates in the Powell River-Sunshine Coast riding, but that’s expected to change.
Many issues will arise during the campaign, but arguably the most important one for Powell River is BC Ferries. Escalating fares have negatively impacted ferry-dependent communities. The quasi-private company model brought in by the provincial government 12 years ago is not working and needs to be re-engineered. Candidates from all parties need to tell voters what they would do about the broken ferry system if their party forms government after the election.
There are many more issues that will surface during the campaign. The federal government has announced an extension of its long-term infrastructure plan for local governments. Will provincial parties commit to matching federal funds? What resources will parties provide to support economic development and economic diversification programs in rural communities?
Environmental protection will also be a major election issue, with many organizations and individuals interested in how the various parties will approach the issue if they form government. They will be asking candidates, for example, what resources will their parties provide to ensure the effective implementation, monitoring and enforcement of provincial environmental legislation and regulations.
The next few weeks will be filled with promises. It’s up to voters to sort through fact from fiction, then to hold whoever wins to their commitments.
