New Feature: Hot Button Issues

A proven plan for a golden decade. It’s about time! Because everyone matters. Government for all the people. Four parties, four recyclable slogans.

But then elections are usually won and lost on intangibles. Trust, leadership, and sustainability are the buzzwords of the NDP, the BC Liberals, and the Greens. Then there’s Tom Morino and Democratic Reform BC. “Never heard of him, but he sounds good to me.” Pick one!

Too bad that actual public policy is such an afterthought.

Lately The Tyee has been looking at some of the policy issues underlying the election, in our Election Central feature Hot Buttons. We’ve tried to find the back door on some big issues, to get away from the usual party posturing.

On health care, for example, we’ve asked “What kind of privatization is acceptable?” After all, in government the NDP allowed the WCB to pay extra for quick treatment of its patients at private clinics, and the Liberals decried the practice. Most doctors’ offices and labs are private. And then there’s the entire pharmaceutical industry.

We’ve also asked what independent mechanisms the parties would employ to assess and protect standards. After all, if you read the NDP and Liberal platform claims on health care, you know somebody’s lying. Yet on independent mechanisms both the NDP and the Liberals seem to be saying only “Trust us.”

There are also many important issues that have barely been mentioned as the two primary contenders try to galvanize public opinion on health, education and the economy.

Under the radar

For example, the Liberals have made subtle but fundamental changes to the Agricultural Land Reserve, which may seriously undermine its ability to protect farmland. Near Abbotsford, the municipality of Kent is currently considering removing prime agricultural land from the reserve for housing. The Liberals and the Greens both argue that control should be in local hands. Others fear small municipal councils are vulnerable to the lure of new tax revenue and pressure from developers.

When we undertook this enterprise, we set out the issues, tried to ask a few tough questions, then asked all the parties to respond. Only the Green party and Democratic Reform BC chose to do so. Their responses are generally thoughtful and sometimes provocative.

The NDP and the Liberals were just “too busy” to reply. However, the major parties both have political histories that allow us to fill in the blanks. While they may not always like what we’ve said, they’ll have to console themselves with the knowledge that they’ve had plenty of other opportunities to fill empty spaces with political rhetoric.

We hope that you’ll find our Hot Buttons shine a little light into some of the ignored corners of this campaign. And we intend to post at least a dozen more in the next few days, so keep checking back with us, as the campaign rattles to its tumultuous conclusion on May 17.

The Islands Trust

The Agricultural Land Reserve

Health Care Costs and Standards

BC Ferries

Marijuana Use

Fish Farming

The RAV Line

ICBC’s Future

Electoral Reform

The Auditor General

Welfare Reform

Tyee contributing editor Charles Campbell is directing the Hot Buttons project with the aid of Jhenifer Pabillano and Andre Beaucage.