THE FAMILIES FIRST

AGENDA FOR CHANGE

VOTE FOR CHANGE

VOTE FOR CHANGE 1/19
VOTE FOR CHANGE
CLARK CAMPAIGN POLICY PROPOSALS
TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOUR CORNERS OF FAMILIES FIRST....................................................................................... 3

NEW BUSINESS AND JOB CREATION . ..................................................................................... 4

EMPOWERING PEOPLE ........................................................................................................... 12

MODERNIZING OUR APPROACH TO HEALTHY FAMILIES...................................................... 16

SAFE COMMUNITIES, SECURE FAMILIES............................................................................... 17

MAKING IT HAPPEN ................................................................................................................ 19

 FOUR CORNERS
OF FAMILIES FIRST

Dear fellow British Columbian,

This document lays out the foundation for decision making and the key policies I would introduce as
premier of British Columbia. It is the product of listening and consultation across our province, as well
as my experience as Deputy Premier of B.C.

Just as families are anchored by a set of moral values and a sense of history, my policies as premier
will be based on core principles that will guide the decisions my government makes to take B.C.’s
families forward.

My Families First agenda is built on a four part platform – the four corners of Families First. They are:

• Creating wealth, through new businesses and job creation;

• Empowering people;
• Modernizing our approach to healthy families; and,
• Building safer communities.

These policies are designed to strengthen B.C. families and they were designed in consultation with
British Columbians across the province. Together, we can bring change to our province and it all starts
with you on February 26th. I hope I can count on your vote.

Best regards,

VOTE FOR CHANGE 3/19

 NEW BUSINESS
AND JOB CREATION
A strong economy is about creating good jobs that support families and generating the revenue government
relies on to provide the services families need.

Specific initiatives to spur new business include:

• Complement the existing clean energy, venture capital and research tax credit programs by
launching a new Business Creation Tax Credit. This will offer angel investors a tax credit on a
portion of their investment in new businesses and will be targeted to firms that are less than two
years old.
• Offer a partially refundable payroll tax rebate to eligible start-up businesses in their first year.
• Promote greater entrepreneurship at our post-secondary institutions through a more open
approach to intellectual property, in exchange for greater government support to new business
ventures put forward by the university community.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
British Columbian families are counting on government to live within its means. We must get back to
sustainable, balanced budgets as soon as possible.

Returning to a balanced budget will be based on three principles:

• Holding the line on taxes.
• Protecting health care.
• Controlling spending in non-health areas to keep it below the rate of economic growth.

Once we have achieved a balanced budget, we will have the flexibility to further reduce taxes and to reduce
our debt. We must have a balanced budget before sweeping tax cuts or spending increases can occur.

Sunset Clauses
Our government will:
• Increase the use of sunset clauses for regulations and legislation.
• Mandate the Select Standing Committee on Finance to develop a comprehensive plan to review
laws and regulations on a consistent basis.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 4/19

 NEW BUSINESS
AND JOB CREATION

Keeping Health Dollars Secure and Separate

Health care spending is the most significant portion of the budget – almost half – and impacts all other
ministerial budgets.

Providing high quality health care is the single most important job of any Canadian provincial government.
Health care spending will continue to rise, but it must not be allowed to compromise every other service.

Our government will:

• Bring health care spending down toward the rate of economic growth, as is planned now.
• Separate health care spending from other spending in the provincial budget, such as education,
child protection and the resource ministries that help create jobs.
• Place greater attention on health spending and the sustainability of all government programs.
• Consider a Treasury Board sub-committee on health spending to strengthen cabinet’s focus on
health care capital and overall spending plans.

BUILD B.C.’S ENERGY ADVANTAGE

Our government will promote British Columbia’s advantage in clean energy and natural gas to ensure the
province meets its goal of energy self-sufficiency, creates new jobs and increases investment opportunities
throughout the province. We will continue to lead the battle against climate change.

Key areas of our energy development strategy include:

• Continue to spur innovation and global leadership in renewable energy technologies and clean
power generation through the government’s clean energy plan. This will create jobs in rural and
urban British Columbia.
o Continue to reduce carbon emissions.
o Aggressively establish British Columbia as a technology leader in clean energy.
• Champion the responsible development and use of domestic natural gas resources, the cleanest
burning, lowest emissions, traditional fuel.
o We will call on the federal government to announce a natural gas conversion strategy
in 2011.
o Support the private sector-led initiatives to develop B.C.’s natural gas industry, including the
proposed LNG Terminal in Kitimat.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 5/19

 NEW BUSINESS
AND JOB CREATION
• We will consult broadly across the province to listen to concerns and identify new opportunities:
o Ensure that contracts between B.C. Hydro and independent power producers foster the
necessary private sector capital investments.
o Harmonize bio-energy strategies and set targets and timelines regarding access to fibre,
cost of fibre and contract pricing for power.
o Examine the need for additional terminal capacity for wood pellet exports.
o Continue the Innovative Clean Energy Fund through the next fiscal year.
o Ensure that the First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund is providing aboriginal
communities with the resources and backing to participate in clean and renewable energy
opportunities.
o Look at ways to support small communities so that they can develop their own Community
Power Projects.
o Ensure adequate funding exists to promote deployment of innovative clean energy
technologies and to assist emerging innovative technology firms.
o Ensure the job creation benefits of these initiatives reach families across the province.

The ultimate goal of the energy policy is to make sure families have a clean, safe and secure energy future.
Our policy decisions must ensure that our children have a more secure economy and environment in the
decades ahead.

RENEW THE NORTHERN AND RURAL ECONOMY

British Columbia’s economy is strongest when rural communities are thriving, when families can live in any
part of the province they want to call home.

Our government will:

• Provide communities and parents the tools they need to grow and succeed.
• Protect and create rural jobs to make sure rural British Columbians share in the wealth
they help create.
• Reinvest in rural communities.
• Talk to all stakeholders—from municipal leaders to millworkers, students and experts in rural
development that teach at places like UNB.C., TRU, and VIU—to make sure we have the best ideas
to protect and promote the rural economy.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 6/19

 NEW BUSINESS
AND JOB CREATION

Change the Way Decisions are Made in Rural British Columbia

The first step towards renewing our rural economy is taking a hard look at how the decision making process
currently works.

We do not pretend to have all the answers. The economic challenges facing rural B.C. are complex and
require an approach where communities are empowered, people are listened to and government responds.
We recognize that government decisions, no matter how small, can have a big impact in rural British
Columbia.

Our approach to open government means the voice of rural British Columbians will be heard:
• Cabinet accountability sessions in rural regions.
• Implement examples of productive consultation, such as the Ranching Task Force, where MLAs
and industry worked together to identify solutions, across other industries.

Get Projects to Completion, Faster

Far too many projects are mired in lengthy approval processes that frustrate investors and the families that
want those jobs.

Engaging community interests regarding potential projects is important, as is the legal requirement to consult
with First Nations. Economic certainty is also important so that industry can operate in British Columbia with
some predictability and consistency.
Our government will:
• Make it a priority to facilitate industry development without compromising community engagement
processes, obligations to First Nations or environmental concerns.
• Create a B.C. Investment Board, comprised of experienced and respected business people from
across the province, to measure how successfully major projects are moving through the multiple
regulatory and environmental processes from all levels of government.
• Make the Prosperity Mine a top priority and work to facilitate solutions to the outstanding issues
with all of the parties.
• Push for increased harmonization of federal and provincial environmental approval processes.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 7/19

 NEW BUSINESS
AND JOB CREATION
Market our Resource Industries
The resource sector is the driving force behind the rural economy and we need to find ways to ensure forestry,
mining, agriculture, aquaculture, oil and gas and alternative energy have ways to grow. The most important
factor is growing the markets they can sell to.

Our government will:

• Be an enthusiastic sales force for British Columbia’s resources.
• Take a Team B.C. approach and aggressively support industry efforts, putting the provincial
government behind growing our export markets.
• Work our multicultural networks to promote B.C. in China, India and South Korea.
• Continue recent initiatives to market B.C. wood aggressively in China and India.
• Protect our markets from protectionism through active diplomacy, whether it’s wood, copper,
electricity, beef, salmon, or any B.C. export.

Protect and Create Jobs

Additional ideas to support the northern economy that we would like input on:
• Continue efforts to develop the northern gateway by working with the federal government to
expand the container port and break-bulk terminals at the Port of Prince Rupert and Kitimat and
the transportation hub at Prince George.
• Extend the Oil and Gas Road Improvement Program.
• Support additional training opportunities in the North for health and engineering disciplines.
• Harmonize bio-energy strategies and set targets and timelines regarding access to fibre, cost of
fibre and contract pricing for power.
• Review funding for rural roads to ensure they are meeting the transportation needs of families
and industry.
• Ensure the federal government’s commitment to combating the mountain pine beetle continues
and ensure we have a proactive plan to help communities through a difficult transition.
• Support electrification of Highway 37.
• Move forward with the Wood Design and Innovation Centre in Prince George.
• Consult with rural tourism operators and guide outfitters to ensure they are getting the support they
need to help diversify the rural economy.
• Recognize that no issue is too small to help rural B.C. Predator control and fencing are examples of
issues that do not get a lot of attention, but are critical to ranchers.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 8/19

 NEW BUSINESS
AND JOB CREATION
First Nations
First Nations are a critical partner in creating jobs in rural B.C. Our government will:
• Continue Premier Campbell’s efforts to build relationships with aboriginal communities and pursue
economic partnerships.
• Engage First Nations through an annual meeting with aboriginal leaders and discuss the results of
First Nations reconciliation initiatives.
• Support efforts to ensure First Nations have access to capital so they have the financial tools to
secure their community’s economic future.
• Support efforts to bring First Nations leaders, government, and business leaders together to create
the networks and relationships that lead to new opportunities.

Share the Wealth Produced in Rural B.C.

Rural British Columbia generates a tremendous amount of B.C.’s wealth. It is imperative that the wealth is
returned to protect and promote rural communities. Reinvesting in rural B.C. will bring greater returns for all
British Columbians. Potential initiatives include:
• Ensure sustainable funding of resource ministries to facilitate ongoing resource sector permitting,
research, development and investment.
• Put more power in the hands of communities to decide on the allocation of infrastructure grants,
rather than trying to use one-size-fits-all programs.
• Review the progress made by regional trust organizations, such as Northern Development Initiative
Trust, Island Coastal Economic Trusts and Columbia Basin Trust, and look at how we can improve
and enhance regionally-based economic investments.
• Ensure that the provision of services, such as access to health care and education, is looked at
through a rural lens.
• Look at how decisions that are currently made in Victoria can be made in the regions.
• Explore how capacity can be built in small communities to address critical challenges and respond
to opportunities. Lack of capacity slows consultation processes and chases away investment.

TRADE MISSION TO INDIA AND CHINA IN FIRST SIX MONTHS

China and India are growing in importance to British Columbia’s natural resource and green technology
sectors. There are mills in British Columbia that are operating simply because of our increased access to the
China market. We have to continue our efforts to find new markets.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 9/19

 NEW BUSINESS
AND JOB CREATION
Our government will:
• Lead a Team B.C. trade mission to China and India within six months of our government.
• Promote our high tech and green energy companies, their talents and expertise to these countries,
creating jobs in British Columbia and a cleaner environment for everyone.

NEW MARKETING PARTNERSHIP

Every family in our province is impacted by tourism. Whether it is a family member employed in the hospitality
industry or the adventure of a holiday in one of our provincial parks, tourism touches all of us. Tourism is a
$13 billion industry in the province and with the right, collaborative approach we can continue to grow the
industry. Our government will work with the tourism industry to create a new tourism marketing partnership

It is important the industry is listened to and involved in implementing a long-range marketing plan. We need
to have an unbiased strategy to promote tourism that is not imposed by government and is fair to all. We
must recognize and build upon the successes that commercial operators have achieved in creating jobs and
expanding the industry in British Columbia. We need to listen to the industry. The way to promote B.C. is by
doing it together.

Our government will bring together successful commercial players, non-profit and community-based tourist
organizations to set up a new market-driven regime that will implement a B.C. Tourism Strategy, which will be
supported by government and have predictable funding.

Our government will work actively with industry players to promote our province as a destination for both
holiday travelers and convention-goers from around the world:
• We will work with Ottawa in the areas of open skies and improved border services for visitors.
• Eliminate fees in provincial parks to encourage families to explore B.C. parks.
• Vigorously champion emerging areas in the industry like eco-tourism and aboriginal tourism.

Tourism is a growth industry for British Columbia and we need to take advantage of the tremendous expertise
that resides here. The Olympics gave us some great momentum – now we need work together to build on
that momentum.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 10/19

 NEW BUSINESS
AND JOB CREATION
REVIEW MUNICIPAL TAXATION
Municipal governments play a vital role in creating a sense of community and ensuring families
have the services and amenities they need to flourish. We need to look at the competition between
commercial, industrial and residential taxation, the role local government is playing and find ways to
make sure the taxpayer is being well-served.
Our government will:
• Create an Office of the Municipal Auditor General.
• Fund the office as part of the Auditor General’s office. The office will provide advice on
financial decisions and provide a measure of accountability.
• Review the municipal taxation formula.
• Work with the Union of B.C. Municipalities to ensure municipalities are properly funded and
communities can provide the services British Columbians want from local government.

HST
Our government will proceed with a June referendum on the HST.
• On this issue, people for and against the HST prefer a public vote to deal with the tax.
• The date for a referendum should be June 24.
• We will provide equal funding to both sides during the referendum period, as was done in
the electoral reform referendum.
• The referendum will be conducted in the same manner as a provincial election.

HARMONIZE THE ENVIRONMENTAL APPROVALS PROCESS

Our government will:
• Work to harmonize the approval processes between the federal and provincial government,
so business deals with one process.
• Ensure that all issues are examined thoroughly and properly with extensive consultation –
but with one process, not two.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 11/19

 EMPOWERING
PEOPLE
The Families First agenda recognizes that there are British Columbians who are not able to share in our
prosperity. There are families in every part of the province who cannot afford three meals a day and who
send their children to school hungry.

Our government will introduce specific initiatives to help empower families out of poverty:
• Eliminate the training wage.
• Complete the government’s consultation with business and increase the minimum wage.
• Phase in an increase to the Working Income Tax Benefit to match the similar federal government
initiative announced last year.

OPEN GOVERNMENT
We will enact a series of proposals designed to rebuild public trust and reconnect people with government.

Specific initiatives will include:

• Holding 12 town hall meetings a year as premier to hear directly from British Columbians.
• Share information as soon as problems are identified, allowing for honest discussion as
solutions are sought.
• Ensure MLAs maintain constant conversation with the people they represent.
• Increase the use of open line radio and telephone town halls.
• Involve cabinet in sharing a greater part of the load in communicating the government’s agenda.
• Work with MLAs to develop best-practices for staying in touch with constituents, including
community meetings, regular reporting and using new technologies to rebuild a dialogue with
British Columbians.
• Find ways to reinvigorate the legislative committee system and identify issues that can be most
effectively dealt with by select standing committees. Some first steps could include:
o Greater departmental support for legislative committees.
o Have committees travel to the places that will be affected.
o Increase broadcasting and streaming video of committee proceedings on the internet,
including using technology to increase public participation.
o Work co-operatively with all MLAs to see more Private Members’ Bills debated and
passed each year.
o Ensure cabinet ministers involve caucus earlier in the legislative process or be prepared
to deal with amendments in the Legislature from government MLAs.

ONLINE VOTING
When only half of registered voters in the province participate in the democratic process something is
fundamentally wrong and it’s time to look at new solutions. Canadians have repeatedly identified online
voting as an option that could increase their participation.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 12/19

 EMPOWERING
PEOPLE
Our government will:
• Ask Elections B.C. to name a non-partisan, expert panel to begin reviewing best practices from
across Canada and around the world to investigate the potential of using an online system in
British Columbia.
• Online voting will only be implemented if security concerns are addressed.

CONNECTED AND RESPONSIVE PREMIER

Public policy debate is increasingly happening online, often without government involvement. This reflects the
broader disconnect between citizens and government.

Our government will:

• Launch the Open Government Online project to harness the use of social networks and online tools
to engage citizens, improve government’s responsiveness and accountability, cut bureaucracy and
improve government productivity.
• Create a Citizen Engagement Challenge on a dedicated website where government ministries will
identify the key challenges they are facing and provide a forum for British Columbians to work
collaboratively with government to improve policy and service delivery. Some ways this could be
used include:
o During the budgeting process, identifying policies British Columbians see as priorities
or wasteful.
o Reviewing government red tape by having the public nominate regulations that should be
downsized or eliminated, to cut through red tape for business and citizens.
o Identifying ways ministries can improve front line service delivery.

Engagement by the Premier, Cabinet and MLAs

Elected officials should be using a wide range of online tools to engage the people they represent on an
on-going basis. Our government will consider:
• Quarterly reports from the premier via webcast to allow citizens to learn about progress
being made on key priorities and the obstacles government is encountering.
• Develop best-practices for MLAs to stay in touch with constituents, including through
interactive chats and online town halls.

Online Transparency
Taxpayers need to know how their money is being spent and if their elected officials are meeting their prom-
ises. As a first step to improving transparency in government, we will provide the following online within our
first year in government:
• Frequently updated business plans for all key ministries, along with the updated status of
key objectives.
• Key government spending figures, including travel costs and expenses for all MLAs, ministers and
senior bureaucrats.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 13/19

 EMPOWERING
PEOPLE
Open Data
Government data is the people’s data and making it available using open standards unlocks enormous
potential for private sector innovation. This approach is being embraced by governments around the world
and implemented by municipalities across Canada, including Vancouver. It is done by making information
collected by government available to the public in an open, standardized and usable format, while taking into
account privacy concerns.

Our government will:

• Work to implement Open Data policies across government, allowing new online applications and
web-based services to be developed.

Connecting Rural British Columbia

We must ensure that all British Columbians can take advantage of the new openness that the Internet
provides. There are still many areas of the province, particularly in rural B.C., which cannot get broadband
Internet. Our government will:
• Work with the private sector to finish the expansion of broadband throughout rural B.C.
• Look at options for expanding cell coverage to highways in rural B.C., which will provide access to
911 emergency services and expand access to high speed internet.
• Make sure schools and community centres have access to high speed broadband.
• Look at other jurisdictions that have successfully achieved extensive rural broadband access to
ensure we are doing everything we can to extend high-speed Internet access in British Columbia.

COMMUNITY GAMING GRANTS

The community gaming program supports a host of organizations – from the arts and culture sector to sports
programs to social services. The small amounts that each of these groups receive can mean the life or death
of programs that weave our communities together. We get healthier children and seniors, safer streets and a
flourishing arts community from these gaming grants.

Our government will:

• Provide an immediate boost of $15 million to the Community Gaming Grants funding program, a
12.5 per cent increase over the current $120 million that is set aside for the program.
• Meet with local non-profits to begin a review of how the funding structure can be improved to bring
greater certainty to the groups.
• Appoint a retired judge to head the review, with input from charities, community members, industry
representatives and local government to examine the role of government in gaming.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 14/19

 EMPOWERING
PEOPLE
NON-PROFIT AND PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS
Non-profits, charities and volunteer groups deliver services every day in B.C. and form the bedrock of our
communities. They creatively deliver services, they react to their residents needs with an alacrity that
government can not match and they provide tremendous value for money.

Our government will:

• Look at strengthening the role of non-profit organizations and volunteers in delivering services to
British Columbians.
• Explore ways to fashion a greater role for Non-Profit and Public Partnerships (NPPPs). We will
hold a special summit with non-profits, charities and government to see if we can construct a
made-in B.C. model for Non-Profit and Public Partnerships.

The expansion of non-profits will follow four principles:

• Transparent selection: organizations will clearly know how funding will be allocated and the
criteria for selection.
• Encourage: motivate groups and people to get involved.
• Resources: provide predictable funding and knowledge transfer from the B.C. Public Service
to non-profits.
• Measurability: Reward excellence and identify weaknesses in public and non-profit delivery
of services.

We can help raise the work these groups are doing to the next level. We can engage non-profits and British
Columbians and find a way to build non-profit and public partnerships that strengthen communities.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 15/19

 MODERNIZING OUR APPROACH
TO HEALTHY FAMILIES
Putting families first means addressing the pressure on families to secure quality caregivers for sick or aging
relatives, or giving them the freedom to do it themselves. As our population ages, and pressure on our hospi-
tals increases, home care-giving is becoming more important than ever.

Our government will introduce specific initiatives to modernize our approach to healthy families. We will:
• Strengthen the role of non-profit organizations through the creation of Non-Profit Public Partner
ships so they can play a larger role in delivering services.
• Boost the B.C. Caregiver Tax Credit, once we balance the budget, to ease the burden on family
members who must care for a loved one at home.
• Focus on the growing challenge of dementia and other similar illnesses that attack the brain.
• Follow through with a family tax credit for involving children in sports and the arts, first proposed
seven years ago by MLA Christy Clark.

NICOTINE REPLACEMENT THERAPIES AND CESSATION PRODUCTS

Smoking is an addiction and people need support to quit smoking to help prevent lung cancer. Smoking costs
the B.C. economy more than $2.5 billion a year. The return on investment in these programs is a healthier
population, reduced impact on the health care system and lower cancer rates. We need to add incentives to
help people quit.

Our government will:

• Reinvest proceeds from tobacco taxes ($686 million in 2010/2011) into nicotine replacement
therapies and cessation products.
• Work with the Canadian Cancer Society, the B.C. Lung Association, the B.C. Heart and Stroke
Foundation and the BC Medical Association to find out how we can best help smokers quit and give
them the support they need, including physician counselling.
• Tap into the expertise of the charities and medical professionals to lower the rate of smoking and
the incidents of lung cancer.

FAMILY DAY HOLIDAY

One of the keys to strong families is having quality time together. In British Columbia, families will go 111
days this year – from New Year’s to Easter – without a long weekend. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario all
celebrate Family Day, with similar holidays in Manitoba and Prince Edward Island. A February holiday may
spark an increase in tourism and family-related entertainment and allow for greater productivity as employ-
ees come back to work refreshed.

Our government will:

•Begin a discussion with British Columbians, especially with the business community, about
celebrating Family Day on the third Monday in February.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 16/19

 SAFE COMMUNITIES
SECURE FAMILIES
Our families should be able to raise their children in a safe community and feel safe in their own homes.
When our families are threatened by violence, our sense of community is lost, feeding a vicious cycle of
decline. We lose our ability to trust and then our commitment to our communities.

PLANNING FOR RESULTS AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Everyday our communities are kept safe the by the women and men of our police services. It is the respon-
sibility of government to make sure our police have the tools and support they need to deliver the services
our citizens expect and deserve. It is equally important that our police earn and maintain the confidence
of the citizens.

Our government will establish a strategic plan for policing that sets out goals, targets and performance
standards. This plan will be developed outside Victoria by police, community leaders and members of the
social service sector. It will include:
• Goals and performance standards for the next three, five and 10 years.
• Police oversight and the independent investigation of alleged instances of police misconduct.
• Ways to strengthen the tools of the Integrated Gang Task Force so their presence is felt in all
communities targeted by organized crime.
• The development of a comprehensive response to gangs and guns activity throughout the
province. We will establish a task force led by government that includes:
o Police officials from the RCMP and municipal police forces.
o The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.
o The Civil Forfeiture Office.
o The Criminal Justice Branch.
o The Public Prosecution Service.

TAKING BACK PROFIT FROM CRIMINALS

We are committed to reducing the profits associated with crime. Our government will look at expanding the
very successful Civil Forfeiture Office, which can launch civil actions in Court to recover the proceeds of
unlawful activity.
• A new Act will be introduced to provide the Criminal Justice Branch with the direction and
authority to manage restrained property and to dispose of proceeds forfeited through the
criminal law process.

DOING MORE TO HELP CRIME VICTIMS

Our government will remove the restrictions preventing the Civil Forfeiture Office from making grants to
communities, municipalities and police agencies.
• During the planned summit with non-profit community organizations we will work to find ways
these groups can be more effective in assisting crime victims.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 17/19

 SAFE COMMUNITIES
SECURE FAMILIES
ACCELERATING THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE
In order to accelerate the pace of cases through the criminal justice system, our government will ask the
Attorney General to study Ontario’s “Justice on Trial” program, which is aimed at cutting the amount of
time spent on many cases. This project brings together the members of the criminal justice community to
work collaboratively to reduce the number of unnecessary court appearances and take other steps.

SENTENCING THAT MAKES SENSE

Repeat offenders are a problem that cannot be ignored. While we must continue to try to address the
root issues at the community level, we must also send a stronger message to those who continue to
ignore our laws. To help protect the elderly, our government will:
• Seek tougher sentences by lobbying the Federal Government to amend the Criminal Code to
make it an aggravating factor in any offence if a victim is particularly vulnerable due to age.

FIGHTER ELDER ABUSE

Elder abuse is a growing problem in society and our government will move aggressively to fight it by mak-
ing more information available to seniors and by lobbying the Federal Government to amend the Criminal
Code to make it an aggravating factor in any offence if a victim is particularly vulnerable due to age.

MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION

As part of the Families First Agenda our government will work with non-profit organizations to deliver
enhanced services at the community level. This is a key component of the Non-Profit Public Partnership
plan that will be a key initiative of our government.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 18/19

 MAKING IT HAPPEN
Our government will approach decisions through the lens of Families First. When a decision comes
before cabinet, we will ask: how does this affect B.C. families? We will build this family focus into
government operations. Our government will:

• Set targets and measures based on factors such as our families’ income and health;
impacts on taxation; impacts on business investment and job creation; impacts on future
generations in terms of debt servicing; impacts on families in rural areas, aboriginal
communities, and new Canadian families; and impacts on social and educational
opportunities, so that families have an opportunity to get ahead in life.

• Incorporate these targets and measures into each Ministry’s annual service plan.

• Require each minister to affirm in their cabinet submissions that they are consistent with
meeting Families First targets.

VOTE FOR CHANGE 19/19