03) COMMUNISTS CALL FOR BIG CHANGES IN
PV Vancouver Bureau
As the clock
ticks towards a May 2013 provincial election,
Much of the
convention debate was focused on a Political Resolution which analyses the main
economic and social trends in the province after eleven years of Liberal rule.
The Resolution stresses that "the political, economic and social
environment in
By the time
that crisis erupted in 2008, British Columbia had already been squeezed by
"free trade" deals into even deeper dependence on the export of
unprocessed resources. The last two decades have seen the closure of hundreds
of sawmills, a serious decline in shipbuilding, and
closures of pulp and paper factories. This economic shift has been matched by
major job losses, escalating deficits and debts, and under the Liberals, by
"an orchestrated shift of wealth from 80% of the population to the top 20%
who were either corporations or top feeders living off the corporate plunder of
the economy and the environment."
One of the
main policy goals of ex-premier Gordon Campbell was to remove most elements of
progressive taxation. Campbell's tax cuts gave huge benefits to the wealthy and
the big corporations, while middle and low-income earners saw their tax cuts
swallowed up by regressive changes such as increased Medical Service Plan
premiums and user fees.
As the
Political Resolution points out, these changes have also reduced provincial
revenues by an estimated $3.4 billion per year. This deliberate revenue
reduction has been used by the Liberals to dramatically reduce spending on
social programs, education and health care as a percentage of the provincial
GDP. The targets of this reduction, not surprisingly, are organized public
sector employees, poor people, students, seniors, and other sections of the
population who are not part of the "1%" upper crust.
The BC Liberals'
grip on power was finally shaken by the popular revolt against the HST in 2009.
This hated tax, imposed without warning on British Columbians, marks yet
another shift of wealth and income from the pockets of working people to big
capital. But in a unique development, citizens used the province's initiative
legislation to force a referendum on the HST. This upsurge of popular anger
also compelled
Since then,
his replacement Christy Clark has tried "populist" tactics to revive
Liberal fortunes, with little success. Nearly 55% of B.C. voters rejected the
HST, with the highest margin among working people and economically depressed
areas. Opinion polls show the Liberals trailing the NDP by ten points or more,
and the re-energized provincial Conservatives gaining ground, which could
divide right-wing votes and let the NDP sail to victory.
As the
Resolution points out, "The NDP under the leadership of Adrian Dix might
be able to shed some of (former leader) Carole James' image with big business
and the main antagonists of the BC working class, especially with the call to
roll back the last few years of Campbell's corporate tax cuts. However there's
a problem with this, because even in pre‑Campbell days the corporate
taxes weren't enough and the system was skewed against working people."
In contrast
to the NDP strategy of tinkering to reduce the impact of the
The
Resolution calls for a new and truly progressive taxation system; major changes
to resource policies, such as an end to anti-environmental "fracking" by the energy industry; action to defend and
expand universal public healthcare, public education and child care; reversal
of privatization; and an end to government attacks on the labour
movement.
On the second
day of the convention, delegates elected a new 15-member BC Provincial
Committee of the Communist Party, and re-elected Sam Hammond as the party's
provincial secretary and electoral leader.
The Provincial
Committee will meet in late February to finalize editing of the Political
Resolution and other reports, and to launch plans for expanded communist
activity across
(The above
article is from the January 1-31, 2012, issue of People's