Provincial Convention 2009: Oral Report on Meeting with Government

Submitted by: Sandra Stajduhar

Meeting With Government: March 25, 2009

Four members of the BC & Yukon Provincial Council of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada met with Liberal and New Democratic party MLA’s to present and discuss CWL resolutions. The delegation consisted of Marianna Caldwell, president, Nancy Simms, president-elect, Sheila Quinn, Legislation chairperson, and myself, Sandra Stajduhar, Resolutions chairperson. A report has been sent to and printed in some newspapers – this report has more detail.

Information on the CWL and the resolutions was prepared and given to the MLA’s beforehand, and while the information and the oral presentation were the same in both cases, the two meetings varied. MLA Randy Hawes, Government Whip, introduced us and chaired the meeting with the Liberal caucus. There were about sixteen members present, with others joining us as other meetings concluded – followed by a photo shoot. The meeting with the NDP was an informal table discussion with three MLA’s – Claire Trevena (North Island) critic for women’s issues, Leonard Krog (Nanaimo) critic for the Attorney General, and Harry Bains (Surrey-Newton), Olympics critic. In both cases, our presentation was received with interest, and questions, comments and suggestions were offered in return. We attended the afternoon question period in the legislature and were introduced and thanked by both parties.

The information package prepared for the MLA’s included all 2008 resolutions as well as two past resolutions still of interest. Briefs, bibliographies and action plans were included. In the oral presentation, specific items of concern, particularly in B.C., were highlighted as we asked for ongoing support in resolving issues.

The resolution directed to the B.C. government was “Ban the Use of Cell Phones While Driving”. Some provinces have already enacted legislation, and 46 countries have such a ban in place. Studies show that cell phone use impairs driving in simulated environments to a degree similar to a blood alcohol level of .08%. Government members seemed to be in agreement with this resolution. We were asked if we had considered expanding the resolution to include other communication devices, and it was pointed out that eating while driving is also a dangerous distraction. The problem of enforcing a ban on hand held cell phones was asked. Our reply was that it would begin slowly but over time would be accepted similar to the seat belt law. NDP MLA Claire Trevena stated that the BCAA was also addressing this issue.

With the Olympics being hosted in Vancouver next year, Resolution 2008.01 Preventing Human Trafficking at 2010 Olympics was well received. The correlation between international sporting events and increased human trafficking is well documented. The BC government was commended for establishing the Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons and MLA Colin Hansen (Minister for the Olympics) noted that a higher level of watch is needed and that hotels and restaurants have been approached to help in relation to this. One minister commented that she is concerned about the 2 – 3000 international exchange students in Vancouver. It was stated that there is a need to educate people and create awareness, and the NDP stated that an integrated approach is needed – to educate men on this issue and cut off the demand. It is encouraging to note that several MLA’s have spoken in the legislature on trafficking.

An overview was given of several resolutions. This was informative and received with interest. Regarding products containing triclosan, it was suggested that we work with the Canadian Cancer Society; regarding toxic substances in household products, it was agreed that dumping in the environment is a cause for concern; and accurate food labelling was deemed a federal issue. Resolution 2008.05 Transportation Tax Credit for Post Secondary Students was also presented briefly. Comments were made that it is not the best policy to single out one area (i.e. rural)

Information on hospice palliative care, a focus for CWL this year, was presented. While there has been improvement in this area, there is still a need for a system where quality of care does not depend on ability to pay and where hospice palliative care is designated as a core service and accessible across the province. Funding issues were raised, as well as the question of whether palliative care should be community rather than government driven. It was agreed that volunteers are necessary to provide adequate care. Hospice makes an annual presentation to the government, and MLA’s have made presentations on end of life care to caucus.

The final issue addressed was poverty, in particular child poverty. Statistics show that BC has a very poor record, and that poverty costs all of us. There is a need for improved income for both the employed and unemployed; better, affordable housing; improved childcare; and training and education. The statistics were questioned by some MLA’s (particularly whether rent subsidies were taken into account) and the Liberals stressed that improving the economy in general would show improvement in child poverty statistics. The NDP stressed that poverty in B.C. is a shameful situation – both morally and economically – and that a national policy and national housing strategy is needed. The challenge is for all of us to work together for a minimum 25% reduction in child poverty by the year 2012.

The national theme is “Women of Peace and Hope”, while our provincial theme is “Serving With Faith and Joy”. We tried to exemplify both in our presentation and in our manner, and the meetings with both parties were interesting, informative and productive to both the MLA’s and our delegation. We were commended for our presentation – that it was well thought out and researched – and for the presentations by the BC & Yukon executive over the past 13 years.