Government Subsidized Corporations and Crown Corporations:
There has been a trend in BC to give crown corporations, such as BC Ferries, BC Hydro, and Translink, more independence. However, these corporations are still subsidized by the province which creates a scenario where non-elected officials of these corporations are making decisions on allocating tax dollars. We feel this is not acceptable, and the responsibility for the allocation of tax dollars should always lie with the elected officials who have been given that duty by the electorate. There are two main points of concern that will be remedied by this policy:
(i) BC taxpayers are concerned that the directors of these corporations have awarded themselves high pay increases (up to 300% in some cases). While we at the BC Action Party believe that good management is valuable skill and should be rewarded, we are concerned that the management of these corporations has fallen below the standard that we would consider commensurate with their new pay scale.
(ii) All government subsidized corporations are monopolies, and therefore to protect the interests of British Columbians the provincial government should maintain a significant level of control.
The BC Action Party would review all these important portfolios and either instigate a restructuring or revert them back to full Crown Corporations status.
Family Day:
The advent of the new statutory holiday in February was welcomed by British Columbians. However, the timing is not conducive to business. It makes no sense to be open for business when many parts of Canada are closed, and closed for business when other parts of Canada are open.
Family Day is a provincial holiday occurring on the third Monday in February in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. In Manitoba, the same date is called Louis Riel Day, and in P.E.I. we find Islander Day on that date. In BC, Family Day is the second Monday in February, a date shared with no other province. We believe this should be changed to the third Monday of February, to align us with the half of Canada that celebrates on that date.
Marijuana:
We expect that the Liberal Party of Canada will initiate a marijuana decriminalization process as per their election mandate. The BC Action Party strongly believes that the role of the government is to manage the province and that government should not be dictatorial. It is our belief that there is a significant portion of the BC population that consider marijuana a normal part of their life and indeed there is medical evidence not only suggesting its medical value but also classifying it as less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco. We therefore believe that it is time for the people to decide, by way of referendum, if this substance should be decriminalized and regulated much the same way as alcohol.
The illicit marijuana industry in BC also puts a significant strain on our law enforcement network and our judiciary, and is linked to violence on our streets that endangers British Columbians everywhere.
Most Capable Candidate for the Position:
Tax payers and the electorate demand and deserve the best possible government. It is with this in mind that we do not make a pledge to have our cabinet portfolio's balanced in a politically correct manner. Selecting a person for a job based on any criterion other than their ability to do that job will inevitably result in picking second best, as for at least some jobs the best person for a job will be barred from taking it by an artificial quota. We believe that deliberately selecting second best, no matter what the motive, is a disservice to our constituents.
Traffic Lights:
Our traffic light control systems need to be modernized, to maximize traffic flow and thereby minimize commute times. The technology to implement an intelligent wireless traffic flow system exists, and the BC Action Party believes that this should be an essential part of our infrastructure investments, at bare minimum on the main commuter routes in our cities.
Highway Rules:
The goal is to make our highways safer. To further this objective, we propose to make it a priority to encourage police to enforce safety-related highway rules. For instance, the overtaking lane is used to overtake, rather than being considered a cruising lane. We also propose to make overtaking in the right lane an offence (with the exception of bumper to bumper traffic).