Raising social and disability assistance rates:
For too long, British Columbians have heard empty promises about poverty reduction. The BC Greens are taking real action by raising social and disability assistance rates to $2,400 per month, and providing a guaranteed income for youth aging out of care, ensuring no one in BC lives below the poverty line.
“The deep poverty we are seeing in BC is a result of government policies,” said BC Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau. “While the BC NDP’s current rates keep people stuck in poverty, our plan offers dignity and support so that people can thrive.
“John Rustad’s plan is to cut taxes and services and ‘unleash the private sector’ – this is simply a return to the BC Liberal era where big, wealthy corporations called the shots and the roots of our housing, opioid and affordability crisis took hold. The BC NDP has paved the way for Rustad’s conspiracy-laden extremism by failing to keep their promises to reduce poverty.”
“Too many British Columbians are struggling to meet their basic needs, leading to worsened health and mental health challenges, and broader social problems,” said Jeremy Valeriote, BC Green Party candidate for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky. “With multiple crises overlapping in our province, it’s time to address the root causes rather than applying short-term fixes. We can’t keep trying to bail out a sinking ship with a thimble.”
Delivering on child care:
The BC Greens understand that eliminating poverty and supporting families go hand-in-hand. Alongside our poverty elimination strategy, we are committed to delivering affordable, accessible child care for all British Columbians.
“I am proud of the work I did under the 2017-20 minority government to get BC’s child care plan off the ground,” said Furstenau. “But the BC NDP is acting like they’ve finished the job when too many families are unable to access affordable childcare. We need to simplify the process and get affordable childcare to every family that needs it.”
The BC Greens are committed to finishing the job and delivering $10-a-day childcare by April 2026. We will also deliver a universal early childhood education (ECE) funding model, creating real access to affordable child care across BC, simplify the system for childcare providers, and increase wages for early childhood educators to ensure that every family can access the support they need.
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