It’s on! British Columbians are heading to the polls on October 19th, and election campaigns are in full swing.  

Political leaders and candidates across the province are making the rounds – door-knocking, speaking to voters and participating in local debates – presenting unique opportunities for us to hear what they have to say about key issues and policies related to environmental and social justice.

It’s not every day that we get the chance to speak to our elected officials to-be face-to-face. This election season, we encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to speak with your local candidates about what matters to you. In addition to building knowledge to inform your own decisions, engaging with your candidates also helps demonstrate that important topics like environmental and climate justice should be high on their policy agendas.

Not sure what to say when your candidates come knocking? Looking for questions to raise at an upcoming debate in your community?  

Our lawyers have put together a list of five questions for BC election candidates about a few key priorities for nature and communities.  

Download a printable PDF here. 
 

Questions for 2024 BC Election Candidates: 
 

1. BC is not currently on track to meet its near- or long-term legislated greenhouse gas reduction targets to fight climate change.  

• If elected, what are the top three things your government would do to meet 2025, 2030 and 2050 GHG reduction targets? 
• If your party is not in favour of the carbon tax, will you commit to replacing it with an (at least) equivalent measure, and to meeting our climate targets?  

Climate change is increasingly costing British Columbians and communities around the world. BC likes to think that it’s doing its part to fight climate change, but the reality is that we have missed every greenhouse gas reduction target we’ve set – greenhouse gases today are more or less where they were in 2007, when then Premier Gordon Campbell first pledged to tackle climate change. We are nowhere close to on track to meet our new targets.  

BC has an expert Climate Solutions Council who have called for BC’s carbon tax to be strengthened, but the BC Conservatives are running to “axe the tax,” while Premier David Eby has recently said that he would drop the consumer carbon tax if the federal government relaxes national standards. Currently only the BC Greens say that they would keep and strengthen the carbon tax.  

When politicians pursue short-term political gains at the expense of our long-term safety, that harms us all. For more climate-related questions for candidates, see here. 

2. How would your government create pathways for supporting Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) under BC law?  

West Coast has worked with First Nations across BC to develop recommendations for the Province to recognize, support and implement IPCAs in BC, recognizing that IPCAs represent one of the most promising ways to address the biodiversity and climate crises we all face today, as well as offering a practical way to implement the rights set out under UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and achieve conservation targets, such as existing commitments to protect 30% of lands in BC by 2030.  

These recommendations and calls to action were endorsed by First Nations across the province through resolutions passed by the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Summit. Despite this however, little progress has been made to implement these recommendations or to support IPCAs under provincial law or policy.  

3. Will you enshrine the newly released Coastal Marine Strategy in law? What else will you do to ensure the Coastal Marine Strategy is implemented? 

This July, the Province released its first Coastal Marine Strategy – a huge win for marine life and coastal communities. The Strategy is a blueprint for planning and managing the BC coast in a more cohesive and collaborative way. It contains four main themes, with goals, actions and activities under each – ranging from reporting on conservation actions and outcomes every five years, to reforming marine activity licensing to consider how the activity will impact wild Pacific salmon.     

To ensure the success of the Strategy, it cannot remain simply a policy and must be enshrined in law. This will ensure it is resistant to the winds of political change and is able to fulfil its 20-year vision. A strong coastal environment and economy are important to all British Columbians, no matter their political leaning, so making the Coastal Marine Strategy as strong as possible should be a priority for all of us.

4. Would your government enact a new mineral tenure law that is consistent with UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as soon as possible? How would you ensure the public plays a meaningful role in the process of reforming BC’s mining laws?

The provincial government has set out a process and timeline to introduce, by 2026, a new mineral tenure law that is consistent with UNDRIP. This is an important opportunity to improve BC’s outdated mineral tenure system, which currently grants mineral claims automatically without consultation, consent or even notification of affected First Nations. While more than 150 years have passed since this gold-rush era legal regime was instituted, the presence of mineral claims, new or historical, still gives mining activity priority over virtually all other land uses in BC regardless of the environmental, cultural or economic value of the area.  

In September 2023, the BC Supreme Court declared that this system breaches BC’s constitutional obligations to First Nations, and gave the Province 18 months to design a new regime. It is critical that a new mineral tenure law be developed in consultation and cooperation with First Nations, and informed by engagement with stakeholders including industry, local governments, environmental groups, and the public.   

5. If elected, would your government enact a Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Law to prioritize biodiversity and ecosystem health across all sectors (as recommended by the independent Old Growth Strategic Review)?

We are at a pivotal moment for nature, as the world faces increased biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystems. As Canada’s most biodiverse province, BC provides important habitat for a wide array of species and ecosystems – and we have a critical role to play in addressing this crisis.

In late 2023, the provincial government released a draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework, which put forward a new paradigm that would prioritize these values across all provincial decision-making. The draft Framework includes a commitment to introduce an associated biodiversity and ecosystem health law, as recommended by the Province’s Old Growth Strategic Review. A new Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Law is essential to give teeth to the Framework and ensure it meets its goals.  

Take action: Send a letter to your candidates to show your support for a BC Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Law.

Authorized by West Coast Environmental Law Association, registered sponsor under the Election Act, admin@wcel.org