Christy Clark will be INSULTING South Asians – and SURREY – if she tries to sabotage John Horgan

Christy Clark & John Horgan

CHRISTY Clark, who has been desperately trying to hang on to her Premier’s chair, will be insulting South Asians – and Surrey – if she ends up sabotaging the BC NDP-BC Green Party agreement and prevents NDP Leader John Horgan from forming the next government in B.C.

The fact is that the vast majority of South Asians rejected the B.C. Liberals and as many as SIX South Asian MLAs were elected. As well, SIX out of nine Surrey MLAs are now from the NDP: Surrey-Newton, Surrey-Green Timbers, Surrey-Whalley, Surrey-Fleetwood, Surrey-Panorama, and Surrey-Guildford.

As it is, South Asians are excited about Harry Bains playing a MAJOR role in the new government.

If Clark forces another election because her coffers are overflowing with cash donated by her rich corporate supporters there is likely to be a massive backlash against the B.C. Liberals.

 

 

South Asian NDP MLAs:

 

 

Harry Bains

Harry Bains

Surrey-Newton

 

Harry has lived in Surrey for over 35 years. He has been elected three times as an MLA.

 

 

 

 

Raj Chouhan

Raj Chouhan

Burnaby-Edmonds

 

Raj was the founding president of the Canadian Farmworkers’ Union and a founding member of the BC Organization to Fight Racism. He has been elected as an MLA three times.

 

 

 

Ravi Kahlon

Ravi Kahlon

Delta North

 

Ten years ago, Ravi Kahlon and his wife chose North Delta as the community where they would raise a family. He has been  a coach, and as a volunteer on the boards of the Delta Parks and Recreation Committee, the Tapestry Foundation and Men’s High Performance for Field Hockey BC.

 

 

Jagrup Brar

Jagrup Brar

Surrey-Fleetwood

 

Jagrup was MLA for Surrey Panorama and Surrey Fleetwood from 2004 to 2013. He’s been a long-time Surrey resident with his wife Rajwant and their children Noor and Fateh. For over a decade, Jagrup worked in the public and nonprofit sectors. As the Executive Director of the Surrey Self Employment and Entrepreneur Development Society (SEEDS), he trained entrepreneurs to develop and launch successful small businesses.

 

Rachna Singh

 

Rachna Singh

Surrey-Green Timbers

 

When Rachna moved to Canada in 2001, she chose to live in Surrey. She has worked as a drug and alcohol counsellor, a support worker for women facing domestic violence, and a community activist.

 

 

Jinny Sims

 

Jinny Sims

Surrey-Panorama

 

Jinny was the NDP MP for Surrey-Newton and the NDP Employment and Social Development Critic. She is the past president of the BC Teachers’ Federation.

 

Here is what Harry Bains wrote in The VOICE after the election:

 

Surrey votes overwhelmingly for change

  

Harry Bains on election night in Surrey.
Photo by Gurlal Singh of Punjabi Tribune

DURING the 2017 BC elections people of British Columbia noticed a clear contrast between the NDP’s platform and the BC Liberals status quo.

British Columbians were fed up with Premier Christy Clark giving tax breaks to the richest and increasing the tax burden on the ordinary, hardworking middle class.

Ordinary British Columbians saw increases in BC Hydro rates, ICBC rates and MSP premiums, while highest wage earners received tax breaks. They wanted change and voted for change.

In the fastest growing city of Surrey people spoke loud and clear that they are fed up with 16 years of neglect by the Christy Clark’s Liberals.

The Liberals increased taxes and fees on everything from text books to home care. People had had enough!

Burdened with increased medical premiums, ICBC rates, BC Hydro rates and bridge tolls, Surrey wanted change. The Liberals failed to put a meaningful crime reduction strategy in place and had no poverty reduction plan. Instead of showing leadership to expand public transportation, Clark played politics with a referendum she knew would fail. Here we are four years later with no improvement in public transportation.

In our overcrowded hospital we are seeing people waiting 10 hours to see a doctor and stuck in hallways waiting for treatment. Our schools are bursting at the seams with 7,000 students in portables and parents are tired of fundraising for playgrounds and school equipment. And to make it even worse, the portables are being paid for out of the operating budget, the money that should go towards students in class learning.

People in Surrey saw hope in the NDP Platform. Hardworking middle class and small businesses noted relief in their everyday cost of living. Our Platform was designed to help working class people on fixed income and our seniors. While people saw Christy Clark’s Liberal platform of staying the course to continue to help the wealthy and well connected and the corporations who funded Christy’s election campaign, the NDP made three commitments to the people of our province.

First, to make life more affordable for middle class and hardworking British Colombians by:

– Removing tolls from Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges

– Eliminating MSP premiums

– Freezing BC Hydro and ICBC rates

– Raising minimum wage to $15 per hour in four years

– Building $10 per day child care

– Establishing a poverty reduction plan

– Removing interest on student loans and providing $1,000 upon graduation

– Providing an annual $400 rental grant to renters

Secondly, improving public serviced that you can count on by:

– Providing innovative health care delivery by building urgent care centers in your neighourhoods

– Improving seniors home care services

– Providing resources to teachers and parents to help in class education for our children

Thirdly:

– Create good family supporting jobs by investing in infrastructure, building hospitals and schools

– Revive our forest industry by reducing log export and make logs available to our local sawmills.

Clearly our priorities resonated with people’s concerns about affordability and improved services. For the last 16 years the middle class has been stretching their pay cheques farther and farther and not being able to get ahead. NDP wanted to change that and put money back into the pockets of people.

It is clear Surrey sent a strong message to the incoming government that Surrey’s issues cannot be ignored any longer.

 

 

 

 

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