With Alison Redford’s big re-election as Alberta premier last week, Alberta will now join the ranks of provinces with a comprehensive poverty reduction plan. This will leave BC and Saskatchewan as the only jurisdictions in Canada without a provincial or territorial plan.
The Alberta plan may prove to be the most ambitious to date. On April 11th, the Alberta Progressive Conservatives issued a news release that read:
“A Progressive Conservative government is committed to strengthening supports for Albertans in their time of need. Our Plan for Poverty Reduction will focus on a 5-year plan to eliminate child poverty and a 10- year plan to reduce poverty. ‘This community-led initiative will result in equality of access to the economy, better health for the impoverished in our community, stronger families, safer communities and increased civic participation,’ says Premier Alison Redford. ‘The reason I created the Human Services Ministry was to bring all elements of social policy together under one ministry, which makes it possible to create a comprehensive model that will support our most vulnerable citizens.’”
One can’t help but compare and contrast this development with the situation in BC. Both Alison Redford and Christy Clark face a significant challenge from the political right (in the form of the Wildrose Party and BC Conservatives respectively). Christy Clark has been very consciously playing to her right flank, trying to win back conservative voters. She has not been publicly criticizing Conservative party policy, but rather, her mantra has been that “free market” supporters should not split the vote. One consequence of this strategy is that she stubbornly refuses to develop a provincial-level poverty reduction plan, despite a widespread desire for such action.
In contrast, Alison Redford sought to differentiate her party from Wildrose, and to carve out space in the political middle. The electoral promise to bring in a poverty reduction plan was one clear example of this strategy. In the end, it served her very well.
Notably, BC has recently announced that nine municipalities will pilot the development of community-level poverty reduction plans. As Trish Garner (coordinator of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition) and health policy researcher Stephen Elliott-Buckley explain in an opinion piece here, this new approach contains a few positive elements, but it is a far cry from an actual plan. With no new policies or money, its impact will be marginal at best.
And so, for now, BC, despite having the highest poverty rates in the country, remains a holdout in developing a comprehensive response.
Gloria // Apr 30, 2012 at 10:27 am
Harper gives billions of our tax dollars to, banks, mines, oil and gas corporations and big business. He also gives them huge tax reductions. This was seen on the House of Commons TV channel. Harper now, does his dirty deeds behind closed doors. Harper is stealing from us, to give to the wealthiest outfits in the world.
In BC, Gordon Campbell thieved and sold BC’s assets and resources. Harper and Campbell worked frantically to dismantle BC, before Campbell got the boot. They also worked on the BC HST scam, before the BC election. Scum such as Campbell, has the dirtiest, most corrupt and foul political record in Canada. He twice lied to be re-elected. However, Harper rewarded him, the post of High Commission to England, for doing his dirty work for him. It also seems, Harper has cheated to be re-elected as well.
Boessenkool, another of Harper’s henchmen, is running the BC Liberal party. BC’s assets thieved and sold, there is nothing for BC, to recover with. Because of Harper and Campbell’s dirty tactics and dirty politics…. it will be a frosty Friday in hell, before we will permit the Enbridge pipeline and the dirty tar tankers, anywhere near our province.
BC has pretty much been given to China. Our wood industry and our mines. China is bringing their own people, to work the BC mines. BC’s raw logs, Campbell has already given those to China.