British Columbians head to the polls on Oct. 19
The provincial election campaign is underway in British Columbia as voters will head to polling stations in under two weeks.
Premier David Eby and the NDP occupied 55 out of 87 seats in the legislature when the election was called on Sept. 21.
BC United held 20 seats and the Conservatives had eight seats. The two parties are now united under the Conservative banner and led by John Rustad.
The NDP and Conservatives have released their respective party platforms, and Farms.com is combing through them to find out where ag and rural issues fit into each party’s plans.
Pam Alexis, the provincial ag minister, is the NDP’s candidate in Abbotsford-Mission.
Here are the NDP’s promises to farmers and B.C.’s ag industry.
If re-elected, the NDP promises to establish a Premier’s Task Force, as requested by the BC Agriculture Council, to work with stakeholders to develop a Provincial Agri-Food Competitiveness and Growth Strategy.
The party’s other commitments related to ag are:
- Inventorying and protecting farmland for future generations,
- Working with the ag sector to identify opportunities for innovation and food processing,
- Matching young farmers with farmland available for purchase or lease (Young Agrarians has delivered a similar program since 2016, which as of 2022 has provided 203 matches covering 9,108 acres).
- Protecting crops and livelihoods through a topped-up perennial crop renewal program,
- Expanding the Extreme Weather Preparedness Fund to help farmers and ranchers prepare for extreme weather (The provincial government launched the program in 2022 with $1.4 million in funding. In 2023 the government increased the funding to $2.5 million.)
- Increasing the amount of food processed in B.C.,
- Ensuring B.C. communities have sources of clean water and building on the Agriculture Water Infrastructure Program to support producers.
The word “rural” appears in the NDP’s platform four times.
One highlights that each decision the government makes will be assessed on multiple factors, including rural and remote communities.
The second mention is in a section about the forestry industry.
The government promises to work toward First Nation agreements that make sure industry only pays once per stumpage (a price on standing timber and the right to harvest it).
The third and fourth mentions are related to health care.
The government commits to expanding the Travel Assistance Program to help people in rural communities who must travel for specialist health care services.
And a re-elected NDP promises to deliver unified access to provincial health care resources to reduce wait times and provide better access for patients from rural areas.
Be sure to check back on Farms.com for coverage of the BC Conservative platform.