The three candidates in the Oct. 19 provincial election in the new Juan de Fuca-Malahat riding B次元官网网址� the NDP's Dana Lajeunesse, the GreenB次元官网网址檚 David Evans, and the Conservatives' Marina Sapozhnikov B次元官网网址� recently discussed issues around health, the environment and affordability with the Citizen.
Lajeunesse said itB次元官网网址檚 no secret that the health-care system in the province is facing challenges, and the NDP government has been working hard to improve the publicB次元官网网址檚 access.
He said the province's new payment model for doctors that was introduced 17 months ago has already attracted more than 800 doctors to family practice.
B次元官网网址淭he NDP has also been building and expanding hospitals in the province, including the new ($1.5-billion) Cowichan District Hospital,B次元官网网址� Lajeunesse said. B次元官网网址淲e will continue to make these investments in heath care, while if the Conservatives are elected and move forward with their plans to cut $4.1 billion from health care, these projects will stop. WeB次元官网网址檝e also invested ($60.7 million) in a new medical school in Surrey to train more doctors, as well as investing in UBC and the medical programs of other institutions.B次元官网网址�
As for the opioid crisis, Lajeunesse said itB次元官网网址檚 a difficult and complex issue, and the NDP government has been working hard to help people with addictions as much as possible.
B次元官网网址淭here are so many pathways that lead to addictions, and weB次元官网网址檝e found that catching people before they fall is a good strategy,B次元官网网址� he said.
In regards to the environment, Lajeunesse said the impacts of climate change are very apparent across the globe.
But he said the NDP is taking action, and have introduced the CleanBC program with the intent to lower climate-changing greenhouse-gas emissions by 40 per cent by 2030, and is collaborating with partners in industry, Indigenous communities and local governments.
B次元官网网址淭he program calls for caps on the oil industry and increasing B.C.B次元官网网址檚 supplies of cleaner fuels, as well as supporting training for people to fix electric engines as we prepare for the increasing electrification of transportation, among many other initiatives,B次元官网网址� Lajeunesse said.
Lajeunesse said itB次元官网网址檚 no secret that affordability for housing, groceries and more is a big issue in B.C.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no doubt that people need financial support due to the high costs of just about everything, but the government has lowered ICBC rates, the Medical Services PlanB次元官网网址檚 premiums have been discontinued, and, if re-elected, the NDP would implement an annual tax cut of $1,000 for the average family in the province starting next year,B次元官网网址� he said.
Lajeunesse also noted the NDPB次元官网网址檚 proposed new housing loan plan in which the government would offer low-interest loans to middle-income home buyers.
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In regards to health issues, Evans said the NDP governmentB次元官网网址檚 plan to involuntarily incarcerate those with severe addictions to provide treatment simply wonB次元官网网址檛 work.
Evans said it has been proven that approximately 96 per cent of people forced into drug treatment are not helped by incarcerating them against their will.
B次元官网网址淲hat is needed is more harm reduction because these people need housing, care and attention before their addictions can be properly dealt with,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e have to remember that these are people and weB次元官网网址檙e not going to arrest our way out of this problem. ItB次元官网网址檚 a complicated issue thatB次元官网网址檚 tied into many other issues, like poverty.B次元官网网址�
As for doctor shortages in the province, Evans said itB次元官网网址檚 not well known that B.C. has a higher ratio of doctors to patients than other provinces, but there are other issues that are impacting their ability to do their jobs.
B次元官网网址淢any doctors in B.C. are tired of all the bureaucracy and are leaving the health field,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he doctors are saying that they are spending as much as one-third of their time just filling out paperwork. I donB次元官网网址檛 think money is the main problem here. ItB次元官网网址檚 other issues like the heavy bureaucracy that are the main problems that must be dealt with.B次元官网网址�
Evans said the Greens are committed to establishing community health centres in every riding in B.C.
He said the health centres would have medical professionals from a number of fields and multiple labs to make health service quicker and more efficient for patients, as well as more cost efficient for taxpayers.
B次元官网网址淧eople from the Cowichan Valley would not have to go to Victoria anymore for a number of medical procedures as they would be done in a local health centre,B次元官网网址� Evans said.
As for the environment, Evans said many changes have to be made if B.C. is going to make a difference on climate change.
He said the province needs to change the way it extracts resources and, in regards to forestry, more value-added projects are necessary to keep jobs and money in B.C.
Evans said that despite the clear link between burning fossil fuels and catastrophic climate events, the NDP government has overseen a 44 per cent increase in fracked gas production and an expansion of the LNG industry in its time in power.
In regards to affordability, particularly in housing, Evans said that people are currently paying so much for housing while also having to deal with other skyrocketing expenses that the food banks in Sooke, where he lives, had run out of food when schools opened last month.
He said, if elected to government, the Green PartyB次元官网网址檚 policy calls for everyone in B.C. to be able to afford a home that meets their needs, as either renters or owners, by 2035.
Evans said the Green Party believes housing is a basic human right and not a tool for generating profit.
In its party platform, the Greens said they would introduce a number of changes to housing policy to help deal with the ongoing housing shortage, including providing $1.5 billion annually to construct 26,000 new units of non-market housing each year.
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Sapozhnikov said B.C. spends more than 11 per cent of its GDP on healthcare, more than 27 comparable other countries, and spent more than $30 billion on the health-care system in the 2023-2024 fiscal year alone.
She said, at the same time, more than 180 emergency room closures across B.C. have been reported in 2024 to date.
B次元官网网址淭he taxpayers are the ones who subsidize our system and we should demand much better services,B次元官网网址� she said. "As a physician, I have seen the results of a failing health care system first hand. The BC Conservatives have created a new B次元官网网址楶atients FirstB次元官网网址� healthcare model which would deliver universal health care to everyone under a single-payer system where the funding follows the patient.B次元官网网址�
Sapozhnikov said, under that model, facilities would be paid for the number of patients treated or procedures performed, which would incentivize hospitals to treat as many patients as possible and that would slash waiting times.
B次元官网网址淥ur policy is strengthened by a wait time guarantee proposal, according to which patients would be able to get treated in another province if they are not able to access timely care at home,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e would also enforce a zero-tolerance policy on illicit drug use in hospitals.B次元官网网址�
As for the environment, Sapozhnikov said conservation is a core value for her party.
She said the Conservatives would maintain the ecological integrity of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 forests by implementing selective harvesting which allows the balance between the steady flow of fibre with reducing the wildfire risk, and aligns with conservation goals.
B次元官网网址淲ildfires pose a significant threat to B.C.B次元官网网址檚 forests, communities, and the economy, and the Conservatives would reintroduce controlled burns, avoid monoculture when possible, and create borders of wetter species and other preventative measures to reduce wildfire risks, protect watersheds and communities,B次元官网网址� Sapozhnikov said.
B次元官网网址淭he BC Conservatives are also committed to clean energy and moving away from fossil fuels," she said.
Sapozhnikov acknowledged that the cost of living is one the most pressing issues in the province.
She said the provincial debt has doubled in the last six years and B.C. now has record debt and uncontrolled spending, while services have worsened and infrastructure is failing.
B次元官网网址淭he NDP inherited a $2.7-billion surplus and have turned it into a $9-billion deficit, with nothing to show for it and no end in sight,B次元官网网址� Sapozhnikov said. B次元官网网址淥ur policy for B次元官网网址楢 Free and Prosperous BCB次元官网网址� proposes, among others, focusing on growing private sector jobs, including in part increasing a Made-in-B.C. manufacturing initiative, ending the carbon tax, and reducing bureaucratic red tape which will attract international investment.B次元官网网址�
Sapozhnikov said the Conservatives also propose to empower First Nations through economic reconciliation.
B次元官网网址淭he Conservative PartyB次元官网网址檚 plan also includes an immediate tax rebate which will remove B.C. income taxes from $3,000 per month of housing costs, including rent, mortgage interest, and strata fees, offering significant relief to both renters and homeowners.B次元官网网址�
