Surrey-Whalley's candidates' promises on Jobs, the Economy, and Affordability

Agriculture

BC Liberals

Implement a Trespass Act to protect farmers' properties.
Implement reforms to the Agricultural Land Commission to allow farming and ranching families to earn supplemental income on their farms and lease secondary residences.
Ensure access to water for crops and livestock.

BC NDP

Create a Regenerative Agricultural Network to make farming sustainable and create agricultural jobs.
Expand the Grow, Feed and Buy BC programmes with new worker training, land acquisition supports, and new processing hubs.

Car insurance

BC Liberals

Open up the automobile insurance market to private insurance vendors.
Give all new drivers credit for up to four years of driving experience when they demonstrate safe driving habits.

BC NDP

Move ICBC to a new enhanced care model to reduce premiums by an average of 20% while increasing care available for people who are seriously injured in accidents.
Provide COVID-19 premium rebates to BC drivers from any surplus ICBC delivers during the pandemic.

Employment standards

We don't have any BC Liberals policies on Employment standards.

BC NDP

Develop employment standards targeted to precarious and gig economy workers.
Strengthen employment rights with employment standards inspections and by hiring more case workers to help resolve employment standards complaints.

Film and TV production

We don't have any BC Liberals policies on Film and TV production.

BC NDP

Re-establish the government-film sector task force to recommend the size and term of a new visual effects tax credit based on production costs.

Financial assistance

BC Liberals

Eliminate the PST for one year, then set it to 3% after that.

BC NDP

Give families with a household income under $125,000 annually a one-time direct deposit of $1,000.
Give single people earning less than $62,000 annually a one-time direct deposit of $500.

A one-time $1,000 direct deposit to families whose household income is under $125,000 annually — with a sliding scale up to $175,000.

A one-time $500 direct deposit to single people earning less than $62,000 annually — with a sliding scale up to $87,000.

— From Working for You.

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Food security

We don't have any BC Liberals policies on Food security.

BC NDP

Increase support of food banks and develop partnerships with grocery stores and not-for-profits to develop discounted food market, food recovery, and redistribution programmes.

Infrastructure investment

BC Liberals

Invest an additional $8 billion in infrastructure improvements over 3 years.

BC NDP

Invest an additional 1% of GDP — approx $3B/year — to build new schools, hospitals, child care spaces, roads, transit, and more, creating an expected 18,000 new jobs each year.

[...] wherever possible, we will attach our Community Benefits Agreement (CBAs) to projects launched through the Recovery Investment Fund. Through CBAs, we're providing good jobs, fair wages, and skills training to qualified local workers — particularly those who have traditionally been under-represented in the workforce.

— From Working for You.

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Precarious & gig workers

We don't have any BC Liberals policies on Precarious & gig workers.

BC NDP

Develop a precarious work and gig worker economy strategy focused on employment standards & union rights.
Develop a government-backed collective benefit fund for independent contractors, self-employed, & part-time workers.
Expand access to a voluntary pooled-capital pension plan.

Restauraunts & hospitality

BC Liberals

Cap online food delivery charges at 15%.
Provide a loan guarantee programme for tourism and hospitality businesses.
Allow liquor delivery with takeout.
Wholesale pricing from any liquor store.
Streamline approval of patio and outdoor dining.

BC NDP

Permanently authorize the expansion of service areas, such as patios.
Permanently allow retauraunts and pubs to purchase beer, wine, and spirits at wholesale cost instead of liquor store retail prices.
Permanently allow liquor delivery with takeout.

Single parent employment

BC Liberals

Expand the provincial Single Parent Employment Initiative to train and support single parents as they seek employment.

We don't have any BC NDP policies on Single parent employment.

Small businesses

BC Liberals

Eliminate the 2% small business income tax.
Implement a short-term commercial-rent relief plan that flows relief directly to tenants and supports small businesses unable to access current relief programmes.
Provide support for PPE from WorkSafeBC surpluses.

Provide full disclosure of the basis for WorkSafeBC premiums.

Conduct a full review of property taxes to ensure small businesses can survive.

— From Restore Confidence. Rebuild BC.

Implement split assessments on property taxes.

Appoint a non-partisan panel to help dramatically reduce the red tape burden on small businesses, by reviewing regulatory requirements and costs, and providing recommendations on the best steps to fuel economic recovery.

— From Restore Confidence. Rebuild BC.

Help small businesses prepare for online business and commerce, to be able to market their products and services to the world.

Address skilled labour shortages throughout BC.

— From Restore Confidence. Rebuild BC.

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BC NDP

Expand the RevUp programme to connect small business owners with mentors.
Expand BC's Export Navigator programme to help local businesses find and access new global markets.

Tech & Innovation

BC Liberals

Expand measures to increase access to capital and investment for the tech sector and new start-ups.
Ensure a competitive business environment.

BC NDP

Make targeted investments in high-potential, innovative businesses based in BC.
Introduce a First Patent Program to provide eligible businesses with a rebate on expenses that lead to obtaining their first patent.
Create 2,000 new tech-relevant spaces in public post-secondary.

We'll create 2,000 new tech-relevant spaces in public post-secondary institutions, provide start-ups with more ISI grants to hire new grads - with a priority on placements for women, Indigenous people, transitioning workers and others - and expand scholarships for people using online courses for necessary skill upgrades.

— From Working for You.

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