BC Government Meeting 2010

BC & Yukon delegation to Victoria, meeting with Liberal and NDP MLAs

March 31, 2010 — For the fourteenth time, a delegation from our BC & Yukon Provincial Council of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada met in Victoria with Liberal and New Democratic party MLA’s to present and discuss CWL resolutions. The delegation consisted of president, Marianna Caldwell, president-elect, Nancy Simms, and myself, Sandra Stajduhar, Resolutions chairperson. Legislation chairperson, Sheila Quinn, helped us in the preparation.

Information on the CWL and the resolutions was prepared and given to the MLA’s beforehand, and included all 2009 resolutions as well as information on some past resolutions still of interest. Briefs, bibliographies and action plans were included. In the oral presentation, specific items of concern, particularly in BC, were highlighted as we asked for ongoing support in resolving issues.

The government was commended on the recent legislation to ban the use of hand held cell phones while driving – the subject of a 2008 resolution. It was requested that more driver education be given, with the emphasis on safety. 2007 statistics on injury collisions show that driver inattention was the major contributing factor – 34.3%. A 2009 resolution asks that a province wide policy be made to govern the use of personal electronic devices in schools and that the policy be widely distributed to both students and parents. We were advised to work with parent and teacher groups to determine specific restrictions to be included in such a policy.

The resolution “Hate Messages” urges the federal government to restrict proceedings on matters of hate solely under the Criminal Code and to repeal section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act entitled Hate Messages. BC has similar provisions to section 13 in its BC Human Rights Code under section 7. Criminal Code proceedings require proof of beyond a reasonable doubt, whereas the Canadian Human Rights Act uses the lower civil standard of balance of probabilities. Persons charged under the Criminal Code are entitled to a presumption of innocence, but when a complaint is made under the Human Rights Act, the accused must prove their innocence. As well, the Criminal Code excludes persons who in good faith express or attempt to establish by argument an opinion upon a religious subject. One MLA commented that he would have thought that the Catholic Women’s League would be fighting for the victims of hate messages. It was emphasized that the Catholic Women’s League certainly does not condone hate messages, but urges that they be prosecuted solely under the Criminal Code of Canada.

There have been a number of resolutions on human trafficking. The resolution passed in 2009 asks for Protection and Support Services for Foreign Victims of Human Trafficking. Through temporary residence permits, victims are able to receive health care benefits and counseling, and to apply for a work permit. These measures are ministerial policy and need to be legislated into the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in order to give important service providers the framework to fully intervene.

Domestic trafficking is also a concern in Canada, with aboriginal women and children being the most vulnerable. They are often the victims of sexual exploitation. While some people are forced into prostitution by a third party, others do it to make ends meet, or to cope with a drug habit or a life marked by violence or incest. The resolution “Exit Strategies for Prostituted Persons” asks for a coordinated approach to identify and provide solutions for those persons who want to exit prostitution. Those most likely to be trafficked domestically or to enter a life of prostitution include youth and women who face poverty, inequality, violence and unemployment. The problems that lead to a life of prostitution also act as obstacles to exiting. Focusing on trafficking and/or prostitution alone, without fighting against the root causes such as poverty and unemployment, will only go so far in the long term. Related past resolutions included in the information package were “Children Living in Poverty”, “Affordable Housing for Low-Income Canadians”, and “Hunger in Canada”.

Two other past resolutions were included in the information package – “Assisted Suicide – a Criminal Offence” and “Hospice Palliative Care: An Integral Component of the Canada Health Care System”. Bill C-384 (Right to die with dignity) asked to legalize both euthanasia and assisted suicide. Fortunately, it was defeated but we know it will resurface. We need to protect the most vulnerable: the old, the disabled, the sick and the dying. One answer is good palliative care – not euthanasia or assisted suicide. The goals of palliative care are relief from suffering; treatment of pain and other distressing symptoms, psychological and spiritual care. Unfortunately, the aspect of spiritual care has been seriously undermined by the Fraser Health Authority’s decision to eliminate a dozen paid spiritual care coordinators from its acute care facilities. The government was commended for the Palliative Care Benefits Program and urged to fully support palliative care programs throughout the province.

MLA John van Dongen, Government Whip, introduced us and chaired the meeting with the Liberal caucus. There were twelve members present. The meeting with the NDP was an informal table discussion with four MLA’s – Michelle Mungall (Nelson-Creston), Diane Thorne (Coquitlam- Maillardville), Nicholas Simons (Powell River-Sunshine Coast), and Shane Simpson (Vancouver-Hastings). The meetings with both parties were interesting, informative and productive to both the MLA‘s and our delegation.

We did not have an urgent agenda for this meeting, but arranged it to keep the continuity – to keep in touch. We felt that the attitude of the MLA’s that we met with was the same. However, we did feel that the meetings were beneficial. It is to be hoped that further meetings could be arranged directly with the MLA’s concerned. Diane Thorne complimented us on our professionalism, and offered two suggestions to take our meetings to the next level:

1. Try to get more resolutions directed to the provincial government – they can act on those.
2. Get feedback from other organizations to supplement what we bring – for example, when speaking to the PED’s resolution it would be helpful if we had information from school trustees, PAC organizations, BC Teachers. This makes sense, as we know that the cell phone legislation was promoted not only by the CWL but also by the BCAA as well as other groups.

Both the Olympics and Paralympics showcased our Canadian pride and British Columbians working together and supporting each other. Budget 2010 mentions that the Olympics are a launching pad for new partnerships, investments, business opportunities and building strong communities. We hope that the prosperous British Columbia highlighted in the budget will be built for everyone.