BELIEFS

The NDP is very proud of their health care system. New technologies and the increasing demand are driving up the cost of health care. Adrian Dix and the new democrats are taking steps to increase the efficiencies, improve accountability and provide better care. These steps include improving the care for seniors, people with disabilities and with chronic conditions and providing better front line mental health care. NDP’s platform places a strong emphasis on better use of the health dollars and will invest in prevention and additional health care providers such as nurses, practitioners and midwives. They will also work to reduce the cost of prescription drug. The five main things that the BC NDP government will do are improve home support and community care, increase access to mental health and addiction services, strengthen primary and community health services to take pressure off acute care, develop a rural acute care action to improve acute care and emergency services in hospitals and improve the quality and reduces costs.

Economy-Jobs & Employment

The NDP are aware that the Liberals had introduced and passed a new tax increase of 12%. The tax increase has hit a huge deficit on Canada affecting, businesses, consumers, investors, and ability for others to get jobs. The Liberals also neglected post-secondary educations and skills training, making several jobs untouchable.

A BC NDP government will make exponential changes that will increase jobs, and the income of Canadian citizen’s workers. How will they do this? Firstly they will provide economic stability and certainty, by introducing competitive tax evaluations and not surprise the public with sudden increase in tax such as the Liberals did with the HST. Secondly they will help small and local businesses thrive by expanding BC’s training tax credit program for small businesses that hire high-school and college students. For the businesses in need of skilled workers the BC NDP with make post-secondary and skills training education more accessible and affordable. To fill the whole in our economy that the Liberals left from the HST the NDP will highly promote tourism and maintain the rates of the BC Ferries keeping it as affordable as possible.

Senate Reform

Senate Reform, NDP at first were for reform alongside the Prime Minister. Using previous evidence from what the Prime Minister, Stephen Harper said. Even the Prime Minister said “The senates are a relic of the 19th century.” During his time of election he said the Senates do not represent the people, and instead they represent the Prime Minister that appointed them. Prime Minister Harper specifically said March 14, 2004 “I will not name appointed people to senate. Anyone who sits in Parliament of Canada must be elected by the people they represent.” But seven year after elected Prime Minister he has yet to make any Changes to Senate Reform. Instead of change he has appointed even more Senates to represent him and his interests, and even Harper knows the Senate’s take the Prime Ministers side. After all he said it himself on March 23rd 1995, “These people don’t represent anybody but the Prime Minister who appointed them.” The NDP now alongside the Canadians wishes to abolish the Senates, and getting rid of the Senates would save tax payers $90 million a year

Education

NDP believes that BC has an excellent public education system and are convinced that they are doing their best for the children. But with that they believe that over the last 12 year the liberals have failed to protect the public education system. As a result of this NDP believes that children are going to classes that are overcrowded with teachers that don’t have all the resources they need. Adrian Dix and the new democrats believe that public education plays a big role in creating a more prosperous society for everyone and are more focused on the well being and future of young Canadians.

Health Care

Enviroment

The NDP's policies around the Environment are broken down into numerous sections such as: Protecting the ecosystems, water and energy. For protecting the ecosystems, NPD seeks to create laws and legal work to ensure people have the right to live in a healthy environment with access to natural spaces, also protecting and developing our national parks and designating new parks while protecting the current Ecosystems around. For Water NPD seeks to allow access to clean water for satisfying basic human needs is a human right and make sure that water is a public resource, not a commodity. Most importantly in the water area NPD seeks that water resources are protected and managed to build and maintain a sustainable economy. Lastly for energy NPD wants to promote clean, renewable energy to mitigate the negative effect of non-renewable energy such as fossil fuels and they also wish to cut down on nuclear power and stop the expansion of it and focus on safety and security of the nuclear plants and employees. These are just some of the main ideas and policies that the NPD have around environment.

Crime and Justice

The NPD policies around Crime and Justice seek to enforce crime prevention and also give aid to the RCMP. Firstly for crime prevention the NPD wants to Invest in crime prevention, focussing on at-risk youth and gangs they also want to stop the smuggling of illegal firearms and enable all municipalities, provinces, and territories to implement a ban on handguns. The ones that stand out the most for Crime and Justice though are that the NPD want to keep a separate Justice system for the youth and keep it away from the adult court system. Second to that they also wish to strengthen rules for sentencing dangerous offenders without using the death penalty though. The second part NPD wish to do is give aid to the RCMP by encouraging people to join and increase the number of RCMP officers in Canada and also give funding so it Provides the RCMP with adequate resources and improve coordination of police forces to address organized crime, gang activities. These are some of the main highlighted key points of the Crime and Justice policies for NPD.