BC Ecosocialists

BC Ecosocialists is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. Its stated aims include steering the province to a greener society and fighting discrimination against the First Nations and immigrants. Formed in 2019, the 2020 British Columbia general election was expected to be its first.

BC Ecosocialists
Leadervacant
Founded2019 (2019)[1]
Headquarters1157 3rd Ave
Prince George, BC
V2L 3E4[2]
IdeologyEco-socialism
Anti-racism[3]
Political positionLeft-wing[4]
Slogan"Further left than the NDP, greener than the Greens"
Website
www.bcecosocialists.ca

History

Shortly after the 2020 provincial election was called, the party's interim leader, Stuart Parker, resigned following allegations of transphobia.[5] Parker dismissed the allegations as "a blizzard of cancel culture silliness", but resigned as party leader on September 22, 2020, leaving the position vacant.[6] The party eventually did not field any candidates in the election.

Policy

The party describes itself as "Further left than the NDP, greener than the greens".[7] It lists figures Greta Thunberg, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Autumn Peltier as their inspirations, among others.[8] They also support the water protector activists at Standing Rock Indian Reservation, particularly praising these people prioritizing the Earth and its inhabitants over wealth.

The party's main priority is to provide a better quality of living for all people, which includes housing for all, food for all, and creating sustainable environment.[9] They propose the adoption of a Green New Deal in order to create jobs by developing green energy sources in BC. They plan to increase taxes for top earning individuals and corporations in order to fund such projects, as well as make improvements to the transportation infrastructure. They also want to freeze fossil fuel development in the province.

The Ecosocialists have promised to break up large cooperative institutions into small, community based cooperatives.[10] Their main targets are Vancity, and the Mountain Equipment Co-op. They also plan to raise the minimum wage to $16/hour,[11] criticizing John Horgan's plan to keep the minimum wage below Alberta's until 2021.

The party also aims to improve human rights of minority groups in BC, particularly the First Nations in British Columbia, the LGBT+ community, persons with disabilities, and put an end to gender inequality. They have a policy of decolonization, which they describe as "returning power, land and resources to Indigenous people, not just tearful apologies and photo-ops".[12]

They plan to provide further resources to fight white collar crime, with emphasis on those who break workers' safety and wage laws, as well as polluting.[13] They want to decriminalize drug usage, and instead focus on rehabilitation for addicts. They would also file suit against the oil and coal industries for their role in climate change.

The party wants to shift to a proportional representation system of voting based on the Norwegian system.[14] Furthermore, they want to increase aboriginal representation in the legislature by adopting the New Zealand model, which includes Māori electorates. They want to make election day a statutory holiday to improve voter turnout.

References
  1. Smith, Charlie (January 4, 2020). "Here are some reasons why the B.C. NDP needs to watch its back". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  2. "Registered Political Parties - Information" (PDF). Elections BC. May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  3. https://thankyou.bcecosocialists.ca/policy#racialized-peoples-&-newcomers
  4. https://www.bcecosocialists.ca/#about-us
  5. Fetinko, Matt (September 23, 2020). "Parker out as BC Ecosocialist interim leader". CKPG Today. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  6. Hyslop, Katie (September 23, 2020). "BC Ecosocialists Party Leader Stuart Parker Out after Transphobia Allegations". The Tyee. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  7. https://www.bcecosocialists.ca/
  8. https://www.bcecosocialists.ca/#about-us
  9. https://thankyou.bcecosocialists.ca/policy
  10. https://thankyou.bcecosocialists.ca/policy#community-ownership
  11. https://thankyou.bcecosocialists.ca/policy#work-and-workers
  12. https://thankyou.bcecosocialists.ca/policy
  13. https://thankyou.bcecosocialists.ca/policy#justice
  14. https://thankyou.bcecosocialists.ca/policy#democratic-reform
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