I was surprised to learn that the B.C. Liberal candidate for Cloverdale, Stephanie Cadieux has no voice of her own.
Recently I received a phone call asking me to support her, from whom but the man who abandoned ship, Kevin Falcon, but sailed B.C.’s economy into a huge deficit. This desperate move will result in exactly the opposite for me and many others in the community that I spoke with.
Perhaps Cadieux can explain to us why she and her government eliminated the Ministry of Women’s Equality and core funding for all 37 women’s centres, reduced home support and social assistance, eliminated the $100 child exemption, cut childcare funding, removed pay equity from the human rights code, allowed contracting out with Bill 20, cut legal aid, eliminated student grants for women with dependents, and cut funding for services to developmentally disabled people.
In the last department that she oversaw, 40 per cent of surveyed workers had been required to cut services.
The Liberals’ early years strategy allocates $76 million on early years services. This with nothing happening the first year but a study and then a slow increase spread over eight years.
In comparison, the NDP will invest $210 million a year assisting children and families in need as well as having a poverty reduction strategy. Up to 8,400 children will be lifted out of poverty and families will save an average of 2,000 per year in child care costs as well as see an increase in spaces and improvement in early learning.
Sorry, my vote this time will go to B.C. NDP candidate Harry Kooner. He has worked hard for his family and his Cloverdale community and chose to run for the party that will finally put families first.
Neovi Patsicakis
Surrey