ude:

VICTORIA — In a seven-part 1983 election
platform the B.C. New Democratic Party has
spelled out a detailed plan to restore jobs and
social services in British Columbia. It is by far
the most extensive platform ever presented by
the NDP and is indicative of the party’s determi-
nation to offer a well rounded alternative to the
dicreditted Socred government.

Under the heading “Secure Jobs for British
Columbians” the NDP lists seven areas where it
Says immediate action can be taken to attack
B.C.s record 13% levels of unemployment.

In addition to the estalishment of a Commun-
ity Recovery and Development Fund which
would create some 14,000 construction jobs, the
party is proposing:

e Action to promote the small and medium-
sized business sector with leanding pro-
grams thorugh the NDP created B.C. Develop-
ment Corporation, a new B.C. business
development act, review of Socred taxation
policies, co-operative employment grants to
help B.C.-owned businesses hire young people,
a rechanneling of research and development
funds to more appropriate scale technology,
and a non-governmental B.C. trading corpora-
tion to assist in world wide marketing.

© Action in the Forest Industry to restore the
forest and ranges fund, a major additional
investment in reforestation, co-operation with
the federal govenrment to facilitate construc-
tion of forestry roads, initiatives to redevelop
the industrial base of the forest industry.

© Special Needs for Employment Programs
to assist women and young people overcome
the obstacles they face by restoring the many
thousands of jobs cut by the Socreds in areas
where women and young people are usually
employed, such as health, education and social
service area. In addition, the NDP program
pledges to implement a variety of programs to
promote employment for women and young
people by implementing affirmative action
programs, equal pay for work of equal value,
better child care, and permanent and predicta-
ble summer employment programs for youth.

e Action to create Jobs and Energy from
Waste Wood and Garbage thus utilizing the
half of every tree that is currently left as waste

and promoting environmental protection and

enhancement at the same time. This program
could create 12,000 jobs over four years.

e Legislation to guarantee job security by
implementing minimum standards on layoff

. Notice, severance pay and consultation on

closures or layoffs.

© Creation of a Tourism Development Fund
with a representative advisory council to
promote the provincial tourist industry.

Part two of the NDP election platform, titled
“Economic Redevelopment”, commits the NDP
to moving away from the all-or-nothing
approach of megaprojects to a more diversified,
modernized economy. In the resource sector such
a redevelopment would include:
© Diversification of the forest industry, a prohi-

bition on the export of raw logs cut on crown

land, initiatives to improve the forest yield and
other measures to require the provision of jobs
as a precondition for timber licenses.

e Creation of a B.C. Ministry of Fisheries to

ensure the processing of fish in B.C. and stop

the takeover of the industry by foreign
interests.

NDP PLATFORM

© Efforts to stabilize employment in the mining
industry and upgrade mineral resources, anda
renegotiation of the key terms of Northeast
coal to give priority to jobs for British
Columbians.

e Support for the B.C. agriculture industry to
maximize the jobs created by food processing
in B.C. Further protection of scarce farmland
by limiting the right of cabinet to remove
farmland from the agricultural reserve as
Social Credit has done.

An NDP government would seek to diversify
the economic base in B.C. by promoting the
development of manufacturing industry linked
to the provinces natural resources and assist in
the expansion of markets elsewhere in the world.

A New Democratic Party administration
would also reverse the trend toward centraliza-
tion that has accelerated in recent years by
promoting regional projects and an improve-
ment of the quality of life in smaller
communities.

In the third section of the NDP platform
“Provincial Government Finances and Tax
Relief” the party pledges a major review of B.C.’s
financial situation by independent auditors.

Noting that the provincial debt has more than
tripled since the outgoing government was
elected in 1975, the NDP says a proliferation of
government agencies and extravagances such as
partisan political advertising with public money
has contributed to deterioration in provincial
finances.

The NDP pledges to reinstate the renters tax
credit and personal income tax credit for the 1982
taxation year; overhaul the school financing
system; and restrain government fees, user
charges and levies on ICBC premiums, Ferry
Fares, and other government services.

“Assuring Social Security and Human Servi-
ces” is the fourth section of the election platform
of the B.C. NDP.

This section cites ten major areas where social
Credit cutbacks and neglect have resulted in a
decline in the level of social services in the
province. They are:

e¢ Health Care. The NDP will immediately
reopen closed hospital beds in areas where
needs are most urgent; give priority to long-
term care and day care medical services,
community health resources, home care and
ambulatory services to free up acute care beds
for the more seriously ill; medicare will be
secured for the unemployed and those on fixed
incomes; a denticare program will be intro-
duced and a Health Planning Council
established.

© Education. The NDP will return planning of
Icoal school needs to local school boards;
establish a new school financing formula,
strengthen the regional college system; and
improve availability of early childhood and
special needs education.

e Seniors. The NDP will put a priority on
developing additional seniors housing, ensure
seniors do not pay more than 25% of their
income on housing; improve the GAIN (MIN-
COME) program; and introduce denticare for
seniors.

e Children. The NDP is committed to improv-
ing the quality of existing child care, training
for child care workers, and improving child
care resources and facilities.

e Housing. An extensive NDP housing pro-
gram will include: creation of the B.C. Savings
and Trust Corporation to help channel funds
to priority housing needs; reintroduce rent
controls; re-establish, through the Ministry of
Housing and the B.C. Housing Corporaiton,
the provincial presence in home construction;
and promote non-profit co-operative housing.

e Arts Development. The NDP willestablisha
community-oriented B.C. Arts Board to pro-
mote regional development of arts and cultural
activities.

© Conditions of Work. The NDP will reaffirm
the independence of the Labour Relations
Board and reaffirm the integrity of the Labour
Code which has been increasingly eroded by
Social Credit in favour of the employers; |
provide Workers’ Compensation Board Protec-
tion to farm workers; and develop additional
health and safety minimum standards.

e Cultural Diversity. The NDP will introduce
programs to promote cultural diversity and
tolerance, improve the availability of English-
language training, and work to reduce cultural
tensions resulting from the current state of the
economy.

e Disabled Persons. The NDP will amend the
Human Rights Code to provide protection for
disabled persons and work for greater oppor-
tunities for the disabled in education, housing,
work and access to leisure and social activities.

e Legal Services. An NDP government will
restore legal services cutback by the Sacred
government. - 7 74
In Chapter five of the NDP Election Platform

the NDP promises a “Consulting and Open

Government”.

“The NDP is committed to instituting regular
session of the legislature, to circulate planned
legislation, and to present regular budget state-
ments. The NDP is determined to curtail the
implementation of major policy changes through
cabinet order rather than through legislative
debate,” the platform declares.

Social Credit “Dirty Tricks” are condemned,
and the NDP promises to develop a code of ethics
for elected officials.

The NDP also pledges continuous consultation
with industry, with communities and with
affected groups.

Part six of the NDP election platform is
‘Environmental Quality — Preservation and
Restoration”. Seven major environmental princi-
ples are outlined in this section including:
Protection of life sustaining resources; the rights
of other species to exist in their natural environ-
ment and habitat; a commitment to environmen-
tal planning and impact analysis; freedom of
information and public-involvement; protection
from environmental hzards; promotion of conser-
vation, recycling and appropriate technologies;
and the rule of law to clearly define the rights and
obligations of citizens on environmental
matters.

“B.C.’s role in Canada and the World Com-
munity” is the seventh seciton of the election
platform.

A strong plea for nuclear disarmament, opposi-
tion to the testing of cruise missiles in Canada
and a commitment that an NDP government will
encourage community efforts to halt the use of
nuclear arms and promote nuclear disarmament
throughout the world are outlined in this section.

Finally, the platform pledges that an NDP
government will give British Columbia a sub-
stantive role once again in national economic
and other questions, in particular on such
matters as fisheries, regulation of telecommuni-
cations, control of offshore resources, and federal
funding of social and medical programs.

This summary of “The 1983 British Columbia NDP
Election Platform” was prepared for “On The Level” by
Editor Ron Johnson, and is not an official version of
the platform. The full platform is available from NDP
campaign offices and the E. C. NDP at 210-517 East
Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1X4.

Lumber Worker/April, 1983/7