BCGEU provides submission to BC Gov't to help build a long-term economic plan for B.C.

This past June, the B.C. government requested input from business, labour, Indigenous and other stakeholders for the development of our province's long-term, post-pandemic economic plan.

Your union represented the voices of our 82,000 members in the consultative process, which involved Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation and a team of advisors from the University College London (UCL)'s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. In addition to participating in stakeholder engagement sessions this summer, your union also delivered a comprehensive submission to Minister Kahlon. 

Our submission, made on behalf of the BCGEU membership, provided recommendations rooted in the perspective of working people across the province and aimed at equitably guiding the province through the post-pandemic era.

The submission covered climate action and the transition to a greener economy, building resilience in our social systems, strengthening economic inclusion and equity, and how to ensure fairness moving forward. Another central theme was to shift the narrative to accurately position government and the public sector as major economic contributors.

BCGEU President Stephanie Smith advocated strongly for workers throughout the process, concluding that "Our union knows that a new and ambitious economic plan will mark a major step toward ongoing recovery, future opportunity and prosperity, and also the symbolic commitment to a larger social project aimed at building a better, fairer British Columbia."

The government's economic plan is expected to be released later this fall.

UWU/MoveUP