The provincial NDP is promising significant democratic reform to fight the ‘big money’ that’s allegedly swaying political decision makers, incumbent MLA Doug Routley said at campaign launch on Sunday.
“You’ve got a government that is making decisions that favour people who have donated millions of dollars to them,” he said.
“We will ban union and corporate donations and limit individual donations.”
Routley was re-elected as the MLA for Nanaimo-North Cowichan in May 2013. He served as MLA for Cowichan-Ladysmith from May 2005 until the riding boundaries were re-drawn, in 2009.
He also currently serves as Opposition Spokesperson for Citizen Services and as Deputy Spokesperson for Forest – Forest Futures.
On the subject of natural resources and energy, the NDP are against the export of raw logs which Routley said is costing the province thousands of jobs and significant GDP growth.
The party also opposes the Site C hydroelectric dam on the Peace River in Northeastern BC.
“We’re offering a program called Power BC in which we will invest in renewable energy retrofits to make public buildings and homes more efficient and we will invest in solar energy rather than building huge multimillion dollar projects like Site C,” he said.
“We don’t need the power, we don’t have the money and it’s going to hurt our economy.”
Routley said the cost of childcare has also risen to an unbearable level for families and promised the NDP had plans to fix it over the long term.
“We are going to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour because every British Columbian who works should at least be able to feed their family,” he said.
Not about to pre-emp any official campaign announcements, Routley hinted to supporterss that an NDP government would bring BC Ferries back within the scope of government.
“We are going to build ferries in B.C.,” he said. “There are some sensitivities around that but we have built great vessels in this province and it’s time to keep the work here in B.C.,” he said.
Routley said he was excited about the election campaign.
“Different progressive issues bring us to this party but it’s the way that we can bring forward the things that matter to us.”