Election platforms are smoothly written documents that many voters have learned to distrust from experience.

Today (April 15), the B.C. Liberal party released its platform, following the announcements of the NDP and the Greens.

For voters who want to ask hard questions of candidates, the B.C. Association of Social Workers has prepared a list covering 10 areas:

1. POVERTY

BC has led the country in rates of child poverty for five consecutive years. Income assistance and the minimum wage are well below the poverty levels and are creating hardship and homelessness.

What specific immediate and long-term plans do you and your party have to reduce poverty and increase access to basic income, health care and housing?

2. HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS

More than 11,000 in BC are without a home.

What specific immediate and long-term plans do you and your party have to
- increase the stock of affordable housing around the province
- ensure housing for all is a legal entitlement, and that substantial investment in social housing is a political goal?

3. CHILD CARE

What is your party’s specific strategy to improve families’ access to high-quality child care and improve participation rates of women in the labour market?

4. ENVIRONMENT AND MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE

What will you and your government do to ensure more is spent on environmentally sustainable activities such as green space protection, alternative energy sources and public transportation?

5. EDUCATION

With school closures and program cutbacks in public schools, plus the Government’s increases to funding for independent schools in BC, many children from poorer families are suffering in education services.

What steps will you and your government take to -improve learning and support services to children and youth with special needs in the school system -restore adequate financing to public schools?

6. ABORIGINAL CHILD WELFARE

Aboriginal children make up 9% of the child population but 49% of the children in care and 42% of youth in custody.

If you and your party are elected and form government, what will you do to reduce this hugely disproportionate number of aboriginal children and youth in care or custody?

7. HEALTH CARE

In 2006/07 the Conversation on Health heard what more than 12,000 British Columbians had to say about public health care in BC.

- How will you and your party implement the feedback from the Conversation on Health?
- what is your party’s position on the privatization of health care? What will you and your party do to keep health care in the public sphere?
- will your government restore the role of the Mental Health Advocate in BC? If not, why not?
- what will your government do to improve access to mental health and support services for children, youth and their families?

8. SOCIAL SERVICES

A new study by the Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC BC) confirms that employers in community-based social services are experiencing recruitment and retention problems across the sector because of low wages and a lack of respect for the work performed. For qualified social workers, salaries in BC are 14-17 % less than in Alberta.

If your party forms government, what will your immediate and long term steps be to improve the recruitment and retention of social workers in the community, in the public service, in health care and other areas?

9. WOMEN AND MARGINALIZED GROUPS

Women, Aboriginal peoples, people of colour, people with disabilities, in poverty or with differing sexual orientation are all disadvantaged in BC society.

If you and your party are elected and form government, what specifically will you and your government do to protect the most vulnerable and marginalized?

10. ADULT GUARDIANSHIP & SENIORS

What specific actions will you and your party take to restore and enhance home care and home support services to allow seniors to live independently for as long as possible?

The BC Adult Abuse and Neglect Prevention Collaborative is a forum for collaboration and coordination at the provincial level in addressing and preventing adult abuse, neglect and self-neglect. The result of their work is the Provincial Strategy Document: Vulnerability and Capability Issues in BC. Will your government and its representative ministries (seniors, community living, health, housing, attorney general and the solicitor general) fund and support the implementation of their recommended strategies to prevent adult abuse and neglect in BC communities?

Bill 26 and Bill 29 were to modernize legislation related to advance planning, adult guardianship, facility admission and response to abuse/neglect and self neglect concerns. They have been passed but not proclaimed. What will you and your party do to ensure this critical legislation is proclaimed in order to address the needs of vulnerable seniors and others?