April 25, 2005

VANCOUVER – The BC Liberals’ platform details the specific commitments and actions the government will take to achieve five great goals for British Columbians.

“We’ve made real progress over the last four years,” said Premier Gordon Campbell. “The foundation for growth and opportunity is now in place. Our plan is working. We have a record surplus budget and are living within taxpayers’ means. Low- and middle-income British Columbians now have the lowest provincial income taxes in Canada. That’s the power of a strong economy.

“It’s time to dream big dreams again and to set great goals that will keep our province moving forward for our children, our families and communities. The platform we are releasing is a proven plan that will build on the real progress of the past four years and help B.C. move forward to an even better future.”

The platform consolidates achievements to date, as well as the BC Liberals’ vision for the future, including commitments already made as part of the government’s Throne Speech and 2005-06 to 2007-08 Budget and Fiscal Plan, released in February. All spending required over the next three years to meet platform commitments will be met within the existing three-year Budget and Fiscal Plan. All platform commitments will be met within a balanced budget, as mandated by law under the BC Liberals’ Balanced Budget and Ministerial Accountability Act, passed in 2001.

Highlights of the specific actions that will be undertaken toward each goal are listed below.

1) Make B.C. the best educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent:

• Establish a teacher employment registry, administered by the College of Teachers, to publicly report the names of teachers disciplined for misconduct involving emotional, physical or sexual abuse.
• Require annual public reports for all public schools on the statistics relating to class sizes, teacher hirings, terminations, disciplinary actions and professional development.
• Hold an annual Teachers’ Congress to invite teachers from across B.C. to directly communicate with the Premier and education ministers on their ideas for bringing out the best in education.
• Create “one-window” access for students to apply for acceptance or financial assistance at any public post-secondary institution in B.C., through the AchieveBC Website.

2) Lead the way in North America in healthy living and physical fitness:

• Provide new tools to help all citizens develop, with their physicians, “personal health plans” with realistic goals and strategies to meet those goals.
• Increase the number of new doctors trained in Prince George, Victoria and UBC and create a new medical training campus at UBC Okanagan in Kelowna.
• Increase funding by $100 million this year to reduce wait times in key surgical and medical priorities, including cardiac treatment, diagnostic imaging, joint replacements, and sight restoration – as identified in the new federal/provincial health agreement.
• Improve home care services and support, and other key programs in the community sector, with an additional $100 million this year from the extra $759 million budgeted for health care.

3) Build the best system of support in Canada for persons with disabilities, special needs, children at risk and seniors:

• Push to increase the age at which seniors must convert their Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) into Registered Retirement Income Funds (RRIFs).
• Push to increase the age at which seniors must start drawing down their RRIF savings, to give seniors more flexibility in financial planning.
• Convert underutilized school spaces into centres to address community needs, such as early childhood development, daycare, libraries, music centres, and meeting rooms.
• Invest $76 million to provide universal access to hearing screening, sight testing and dental health checks for all children under age six.
• Explore viable options to extend parental leave benefits to self-employed and part-time workers.

4)  Lead the world in sustainable environmental management, with the best air and water quality, and the best fisheries management, bar none:

• Build a new Cold Water Release Facility at Kenney Dam to improve fish habitat in the Nechako River basin, and in the Murray-Cheslatta watershed, working with industry and communities.
• With the Kitasoo First Nation create a Spirit Bear Conservancy on the Central Coast.
• Triple the $7 million already committed to the new Living Rivers Trust Fund, to further improve watershed management and fish habitat, and restore B.C.’s waterways.
• Re-invest all net revenue from parking fees and pine beetle management in parks back into improving B.C. parks.

5) Create more jobs per capita than anywhere else in Canada:

• Launch a comprehensive review of B.C.’s tax policies and legislation, to develop revenue-neutral options for simplifying, streamlining and enhancing fairness.
• Work with the B.C. Competition Council to recommend a long-term strategy for reviving and securing B.C.’s pulp and paper industry.
• Provide $101 million over the next three years, plus $30 million through the enhanced Northern Development Initiative, to promote the use of pine beetle-damaged timber, to support affected communities, and to reforest affected areas. This is in addition to $100 million in new federal funds.
• Invest $2.5 million for engineering and environmental studies aimed at advancing construction of the new Omineca-Stewart Resource Road and to open up access to energy, forestry and mining.
• Increase tourism’s share of the hotel room tax from 1.65% to 3% by 2008, to ensure its marketing revenues grow as the tourism industry grows.
  Work with BC Ferries to deliver three new ships and improved ferry service between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert, along the mid-Coast, and Queen Charlottes.