(The following article is from the April 1-15, 2010 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)

By Kimball Cariou, Vancouver

As the full picture of the Campbell government's crippling cuts to social programs, health and education comes into focus, momentum is building for a powerful fightback campaign. Drawing together trade unions and a wide range of Aboriginal, student, women's and social justice movements, the Coalition to Build A Better BC will hold its first major rally on Saturday, April 10, 12 noon at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

     Leaders and members of dozens of affiliated groups gathered on March 20 in Vancouver for a one-day conference to discuss the deepening crisis, which affects virtually every section of working people.

     Formed just a few weeks ago, the coalition already includes (listed alphabetically) the Alliance for Arts and Culture, BC Association of Social Workers, BC Government and Service Employees' Union, BC Federation of Labour, BC Federation of Retired Union Members, BC Health Coalition, BC Persons with AIDS Society, BC Retired Teachers Association, BC Teachers Federation, BC/Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors, Canadian Federation of Students, Check Your Head, Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC, Council of Canadians, Council of Senior Citizens Organizations, CUPE BC, Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC, First Call, Health Sciences Association of BC, Hospital Employees Union, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (Northwest District 250), Positive Women's Network, Positive Living Fraser Valley, Seniors on Guard for Medicare, Sierra Club of BC, South Fraser Community Services Society, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Vancouver Rape Relief, and the Wilderness Committee.

     In its initial statement, the Coalition calls for "building communities where every woman, man and child is treated with fairness and dignity, and respect is a shared responsibility...

     "Public, community and cultural services are essential cornerstones of a civil society. They are a critical component of our economic well-being, especially in difficult economic times. A strong public sector to support, build and regulate the private sector is vital to the social, environmental and economic health of the province.

     "Due to drastic funding cuts, chronic underfunding and misaligned political priorities many of these services are at risk of disappearing, and putting our way of life and the environment at risk. Many of the cuts affect the most vulnerable people in our communities, particularly women, children, isolated seniors, and those with the lowest incomes. It is unacceptable for government to take more from those who have the least, in order to give more to those who have the most."

     Despite their "no tax increase" rhetoric, the Liberals are jacking up fees and taxes on working people. The "Harmonized Sales Tax" will start gouging consumers and small businesses on July 1. Another Vancouver regional transit fare hike takes effect on April 1, bringing fares a mind-boggling 66% higher than before the Liberals took office. BC Hydro rates will go up 9.11 percent this year, and by similar amounts over the next three years.   

     Young people have been the target of Liberal policies, such as the lowest minimum wage in Canada. Students have seen a 28% hit to StudentAid BC, and government revenue from tuition fees will exceed corporate income tax by $200 million this year.

     The latest controversial decision comes from the Ministry of Housing and Social Development, in the form of new cuts to health and medical services for people receiving disability benefits and income assistance.

     A wide range of medical equipment and supplies will no longer be funded, including diagnostic testing devices such as glucose meters, contraceptive devices, and pre-made orthotics. Other changes will reduce the frequency of equipment repairs or replacement, and limit spending for necessary items such as motorized wheelchairs.

     Recipients who need bottled water for health reasons will now have to pay themselves, since the $20 monthly payments for this purpose will be eliminated on May 31. Dental cleaning, examinations and fluoride treatments will be reduced to once a year from the current twice annually.

     Until now, the government has provided a minimum shelter allowance of $75 to people between 59 and 65, even if they were homeless or not paying rent. That funding is being eliminated, so that people on the basic disability income of $531 a month, plus the $75 shelter allowance, will lose 12% of their income.

     As Victoria Times Colonist writer Paul Willcocks said, "The income assistance and disability benefit cuts are cruel, wasteful and petty. Instead, the public affairs bureau - the government's $26-million-a-year communications arm - put out a news release headlined `Province protects services for low-income clients.' In fact, it was cutting services for those people ... who are already dirt poor."

     The accumulated impact of education spending shortfalls has also reached crisis levels. Despite Campbell's election promise to "make B.C. the best-educated, most literate place in North America", his government's refusal to cover rising costs means that public school boards across the province face a total shortfall of up to $300 million.

     Under huge pressure, the province has restored some funds cut last year, such as the annual facilities grant needed by boards for maintenance of schools. But the Vancouver School Board, for example, is still looking at a $17 million shortfall for the 2010-11 academic year, a gap which will inevitably force big layoffs, program cuts and school closures.

     As pointed out by Vancouver Parents for Successful Inclusion, the impact could be worst for students with special needs. While the government's Bill 33 set class size and composition limits for regular classes, the legislation excludes core educational services for students with special needs. The group fears that "Local Boards facing unprecedented budget pressures and left with no other options will be forced to concentrate budget cuts on special education programs and non-enrolling supports for at-risk students to achieve the required savings."

     In total, the Campbell government's latest round of layoffs, cuts, fee increases and new taxes spell the biggest attack on the working class of British Columbia since the Liberals took office. It will take a huge fightback to defeat this corporate-inspired agenda; the April 10 rally will be a critical test of strength for the labour movement and its community allies.