B.C. Election Report Card

October 16, 2020

Dear Members,

For the past few weeks, our union has followed B.C.’s election with interest, knowing that whichever party forms the next government could have profound effects on our members and our province. Our union has a long history of political activism when it comes to election campaigns, and this year is no different.

I want to thank all of you who have been involved in our campaign so far, sending letters to the editor, volunteering for your local candidates, attending our telephone town hall, and talking to your friends, family and co-workers about the importance of voting, and voting for a party that supports you and your job this time around.

Below is our report card on the parties’ work to date as well as their platforms going forward. To compile this analysis, we sent a survey to each of the main parties asking about your priorities and their previous record and took into account their platforms and their willingness to meet and discuss important issues with us in recent years. If we were grading purely on a party’s openness and responsiveness, the New Democrats would get an A+, having met with us whenever we asked for many years and responding to the survey to help us focus in on the things that matter most to our members. The Liberals would likely get a C: their leader met with us but their ICBC critic stood us up for a meeting in February and they didn’t respond to our survey. And unfortunately, although one member of the Green caucus met with us, we were rebuffed multiple times when we attempted to meet with the current Green Party Leader over the last three years. Combining that with getting no response to our survey, we’d be forced to give the party a D for accountability and transparency.

I hope you find our analysis helpful and informative as you are voting in the coming week. We’ve included some additional information about how you can vote in advance, by mail, and on election day here to make it easier for you to make a plan to make sure your voice is heard. I encourage you all to exercise your right to vote and make a difference in selecting the government that will shape the next four years in British Columbia.

Click here for a PDF of the full report card.

In solidarity,

David Black
President