I’m not extremely pleased with the 2013 B.C. election results.
Everyone has their own views, but as a teen who attends a high school with increasing class sizes, and having dealt with the teacher’s strike, the B.C. Liberals don’t seem like such a great choice.
I understand that Premier Christy Clark has done a lot for the province: increasing the minimum wage to $10.25; implementing a 10-point, $2-million anti-bullying strategy; establishing an Independent Investigations Office to investigate serious cases involving police officers; and many more things and I acknowledge that.
But if we think about other aspects that spark growing tension, the Liberals have not touched upon the many situations that are leading the province to a complete downfall.
The Liberals cut $16 million in student loan funds, with no warning, leaving students unable to attend classes and wreaking chaos on families who are already financially strapped.
They applied cuts to surgeries in B.C., diagnostic and rehabilitation services, community outreach services, horrific cuts to domestic violence programs and violence against women outreach and counselling programs, and cuts to many vital medical and health related items previously funded for those on income assistance.
The B.C. Liberals played a huge role in the 2012 BCTF strike. Since then, relations between the BCTF and the B.C. Liberal government have been spiteful.
The Liberals have been a disaster for the most vulnerable people in this society. I believe a majority of B.C. residents are middle-class families. After reviewing the list of the party’s highlights, I think they seem to support issues that are of no interest to average families. They focus on situations that do not apply to a majority of us.
The NDP on the other hand, does. I was extremely hopeful that the NDP would win a majority of the votes, but this stunning come-from-behind victory has made me concerned about not just my education, but my family and society as well.
The NDP works towards improving public education, investing in our future. They want to build a sustainable economy and create new jobs. They want to reduce poverty and inequality and improve healthcare in B.C.
These are all situations which everyone in B.C. can undoubtedly relate to. Defeated Surrey-Fleetwood NDP MLA Jagrup Brar is a significant example of the NDP’s dedication towards drawing attention to issues of poverty and unemployment in B.C.
Brar embarked on a welfare challenge for a month, and this lead to a $20 increase in welfare rates. I know $20 is not a lot, but for those on welfare, it’s a difference between a full stomach and starvation.
At least the NDP addressed a societal issue making a change, unlike the Liberals. As leader Adrian Dix stated after Tuesday night’s election results, “sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, and in B.C. it often rains.”
I guess it’s only a matter of four more years.
Navi Dosanjh, 16, Surrey
