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“Highlighting Inclusivity and Bold Action: Unpacking the Key Takeaways from BC Premier David Eby’s First Speech from the Throne”
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BC’s NDP government priorities for the coming year include promises to increase housing for middle-income families, crack down on gangs and money launderers, and reduce wait times for cancer treatment.
BC Premier David Eby speaks to media during a news conference on Parliament Hill, Wednesday February 1, 2023 in Ottawa. Photo by Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press
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While details were lacking, David Eby’s first speech from the throne as BC Prime Minister pledged to increase housing stock for middle-income families, crack down on gangs and money launderers, pass wage transparency legislation, expand access to addiction treatment and reduce cancer wait times Care.
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Lt. Gov. Janet Austin’s Speech from the Throne kicks off the 11-week Spring Legislature. The provincial budget will be released on February 28th. Here are some of the key takeaways:
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Housing for the middle class
The speech said the rising cost of living is by far the biggest source of concern for people and promised an updated housing strategy that will build more housing and services near public transport hubs in the province. It is backed by legislation to be introduced in the fall session.
Eby has promised to reconsider the province’s public housing scheme. Government-subsidized housing would no longer be just for low-income earners, but also for middle-class families who cannot afford to buy their own home.
Health
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The throne speech doubled down on the government’s opposition to private healthcare as a solution to reducing wait times for surgeries, calling privatization a “dangerous move towards a two-tier system that we know the British Colombians don’t want.”
With potentially life-threatening wait times plaguing people waiting for cancer treatment, the speech promises to hire BC Cancer staff and increase access to screening and early detection, diagnostic imaging and treatments.
The speech recognized the need to improve access to treatment for drug users through expanding treatment and recovery services.
BC Liberal leader Kevin Falcon last week unveiled his party’s $1.5 billion plan to extend treatment should he become prime minister in the next election. Falcon pledged to open regional treatment centers, increase bed capacity at existing treatment facilities, and subsidize beds at private treatment facilities so people can have free access to treatment when they need it.
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public safety
The government, which has been accused of overseeing a “catch-and-release” scheme that lets violent repeat offenders onto the streets, said it is working with provinces and territories to push Ottawa on urgent reform of the Criminal Code’s bail rules push.
The government said it will introduce legislation to crack down on gangs and money laundering.
The government will also introduce legislation to crack down on the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
climate protection
Acknowledging that BC is far from meeting its greenhouse gas emissions targets, the speech pledged to take action on climate change “with increased urgency.”
The government will introduce legislation this spring to ensure polluters foot the bill for cleaning up abandoned sites. New laws will also improve access to electric vehicle charging stations in condominiums.
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There was no mention of ending subsidies to fossil fuel companies, which Eby pledged to enlist the support of disqualified NDP leadership hope and BC climate activist Anjali Appadurai.
The economy
With a global economic slowdown looming, the government said it would address labor shortages by launching the Future Ready program. The
Skills Training Plan will make education and training more accessible, affordable and relevant to fill jobs where they are needed.
The BC NDP also said it would expand trade ties through trade missions in emerging economies like Korea, Vietnam and Japan.
equal rights
The government will introduce wage transparency laws that would require some private companies to disclose their wages to ensure women are paid the same as their male counterparts.
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The province began consultations on the issue in the spring, speaking to indigenous organizations, public and private sector employers, business and union organizations, organizations seeking equity and advocacy groups.
BC, one of four provinces without pay transparency or pay equity laws, has one of the largest gender pay gaps in Canada, with women earning an average of 20 percent less than men.
childcare
The Speech from the Throne said that by this fall, the childcare savings introduced on December 1 for preschoolers and younger will be extended to after-school care programs for children in 1st grade and older. The BC NDP’s partnership with the federal government has seen average childcare costs halved to $21 a day, but some have criticized an uneven rollout of the program that has left some parents behind and pressured childcare providers with mandatory fee caps.
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