Victoria, BC / Lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) Territory – Today, Sonia Furstenau, Leader of the BC Green Party, introduced the party’s 2024 platform, centered on wellbeing and grounded in the view that government can provide the services that people need without incurring massive deficits and crushing debt.

“When we focus on wellbeing, we’re saying that people, health, happiness, and sense of belonging are essential parts of a strong economy,” said Furstenau. “We want to ensure everyone in BC has the chance to live a good life, no matter where they live or where they’re from.”

The BC Greens platform is built on four key pillars: thriving people, resilient communities, a flourishing natural world, and good governance. It’s an integrated approach that prioritizes the long-term well-being of British Columbians while addressing urgent social, economic, and environmental challenges.

Building on previously announced policies, including preventive healthcare, evidence-based drug policy, support for renters, free public transit, and investments in mental health support and infrastructure for students, the BC Greens platform introduces new commitments, including:

Thriving People

• Enact an Indigenous Languages Act to preserve and revitalize Indigenous languages.
• Provide wraparound supports, including guaranteed income, for youth aging out of care, ensuring financial stability during their transition.
• Align social work practices with professional standards and increase accountability in the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD).
• Provide free vaccines and remove tobacco sales from pharmacies.
• Develop a dementia support strategy with a focus on early screening and cultural safety.
• Increase the BC Arts Council budget to $55 million.
• Create career programs for the hospitality sector, providing job training, mentorship, and placements in BC’s food, beverage, and hospitality industries.

Resilient Communities

• Invest $650 million annually in municipal infrastructure to support new housing.
• Invest in inter-regional transit so that people can travel between communities.
• Allocate $250 million to expand childcare space creation for children under five.
• Update property taxes on high-value homes over $3 million to help address housing challenges and fund infrastructure investments.

A Flourishing Natural World

• Dedicate $100 million annually for wildfire prevention and fuel management.
• Implement all recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Review.
• Impose a new tax rate on excessive corporate profits over $1 billion, redirecting revenue to climate action and renewable energy investments.
• Invest $20 million annually in education and training for the renewable energy sector.

Good Governance

• Streamline healthcare administration, reducing bureaucracy, through a review of the Health authorities.
• Introduce a two-year stand-down period between holding a designated office in government and working in a lobbying role.
• Reintroduce legislation to ban conversion therapy in BC.
• Disband the RCMP’s Critical Response Unit (formerly the Community Industry Response Group, CIRG).
• Introduce legislation for a proportional voting system.

“We’re offering something entirely different – a government that puts people’s wellbeing as the framework for governing, not just economic metrics. We are focused on long-term solutions that prioritize the future of British Columbians,” said Furstenau.

Press Release PDF  |  BC Greens 2024 Platform

-30-

Media contact: 
newsroom@greenparty.bc.ca
Phone: +1 250-418-5528