At the Polls

As British Columbia’s four-week election campaign closed on a rainy October 19, a race that looked tight from the beginning remained too close to call. It stayed that way until several days later, when the dust finally settled, and the NDP were declared the winners. The NDP’s razor-thin victory – securing just enough seats (47) for a slim majority – puts it in a delicate position. The new government will likely need cross-party support to pass major legislation. This result, and its implications for BC’s health-care system, had nurses and other health-care advocates watching the campaign closely.

STARK DIFFERENCES DEFINED PARTIES’ PLATFORMS

David Eby’s NDP campaigned on its record around key voter concerns, including the cost of living, housing affordability and health care. But the party also took aim at BC Conservative Party leader John Rustad, including his plans for health care. They accused Rustad of planning to cut billions out of the health-care budget and expand for-profit care in the province. Critics like the independent watchdog BC Health Coalition echoed these concerns, calling the Conservatives’ platform a pathway to “major cuts in health care service and increased wait times.”

"High-quality health care shouldn’t be a partisan issue, and implementing staffing ratios can be a point of unity.”

- BCNU President Adriane Gear

BCNU members had plenty of reasons to be skeptical of the BC Conservative party’s intentions around health care. Many will remember that Rustad and several of his party members served in Gordon Campbell’s BC Liberal government, which passed Bill 29 in 2002. This bill gave the government sweeping powers to rip up signed collective agreements, fire 10,000 workers (mostly women) without cause, and cut wages for thousands of health-care staff. At that time, BCNU joined with other labour unions to fight the bill and eventually defeated it at the Supreme Court of Canada, but not before the bill had done significant damage to the health-care system.

Later, the BC Liberal government continued privatizing parts of the health-care system, pulling staff and resources away from public health care to serve those who could afford to pay – at the expense of quality and timely care for everyone else. With Rustad’s history, many in health care feared a return to similar policies.

The Conservative campaign this year also sparked controversy for the extreme comments many candidates made in the past. These included Rustad’s anti-vaccination and climate change denial positions and commitments to roll back reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and supports related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

One BC Conservative candidate, Marina Sapozhnikov in Juan de Fuca-Malahat, made blatantly racist comments about Indigenous peoples in an interview conducted on election day. Although Rustad denounced her comments, he stopped short of removing Sapozhnikov from the party. Indigenous leaders, including those from the Okanagan Nation Alliance, condemned the remarks, calling them “hate speech.” Rustad’s refusal to remove the candidate before her narrow election loss left questions about his commitment to anti-Indigenous racism.

Despite winning just two seats, the BC Green Party will likely play a key role in the legislature. Though party leader Sonia Furstenau lost her seat, newly elected Green MLAs Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell may help the NDP to pass major legislation. The Greens’ health-care platform focused on strengthening public health care and rejected expanding private care – a hopeful sign for the interests of nurses.
 

BCNU’S NON-PARTISAN ADVOCACY REACHES NEW HEIGHTS

While BCNU remains committed to non-partisanship in its political engagement at every level of government, that doesn’t mean the union holds back from pointing out when a party’s policies threaten members or undermine the delivery of high-quality health care. Rather than endorse any party, BCNU encourages all parties to prioritize health care and support nurses.

“As a union, we are most effective when we remain objective and independent from political parties at every level of government,” says BCNU President Adriane Gear. “We fiercely defend and advocate for our values and priorities no matter which party is in government. Every MLA in the legislature is a potential ally. We will work with anyone who supports nurses and helps us improve our working conditions and the health-care system.”

While BCNU maintained neutrality through the campaign, stark contrasts between the parties on public versus private health care, belief in the science of vaccines and climate change, and Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ rights demanded that the union take a more proactive approach and do more to highlight the differences between the parties’ positions on key issues.

To ensure all members knew about the union’s positions, BCNU mailed leaflets sharing key election asks to members in the summer/fall 2024 issue of Update Magazine. Implementing minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, a proven life-saving measure to improve patient care, topped the priority list. During the campaign, the union’s “ratios save lives” message appeared on billboards, social media, Spotify podcasts, newspapers, radio stations and on the RatiosSaveLives.ca website.

This advertising effort resonated widely, with candidates from all parties – alongside two of the three party leaders – signing an election pledge supporting staffing ratios.

Check out the sidebar to see who signed the health-care pledge.

“All parties need to be on board with addressing the challenges in our public health-care system,” says Gear. “High-quality health care shouldn’t be a partisan issue, and implementing staffing ratios can be a point of unity.”

With a re-elected NDP government, BCNU members have good reasons to hope for continued progress on ratios. In 2023, the union and the government reached an agreement to implement ratios in all care settings, and phase one has already started in hospitals. Meanwhile, the government’s work to invest in nurse retention and housing affordability further strengthens the foundation for health-care improvements in the coming years.

A CALL TO ACTION: NURSES LEADING THE WAY

While elections are important opportunities for members to shape the province’s future, the union’s advocacy efforts don’t stop after election day. As the province moves forward under a new government, the challenges facing BC’s health-care system are as urgent as ever.

"Candidates and MLAs from all parties are eager to hear from nurses. They know how highly respected we are in their communities and our critical role in the health-care system.”

- Baljit Fajardo, Shaughnessy Heights lobby coordinator

With an astounding 56 new MLAs elected to the 93-seat legislature, BCNU will remain hard at work educating the government on how to improve health care. The union’s activists, lobby coordinators, and elected officials will need to build many new relationships with policymakers in Victoria and identify allies willing to support the union’s key priorities. Nurses’ high credibility with policymakers and the public puts them in a strong position to influence the direction of the province.

“Candidates and MLAs from all parties are eager to hear from nurses,” says Baljit Fajardo, who has been the lobby coordinator for Shaughnessy Heights since 2017. “They know how highly respected we are in their communities and our critical role in the health-care system. That’s why when we speak, politicians know they need to listen.”

The union’s elected officials also plan to work with politicians to advance members’ priorities and the policies that support better working conditions and a stronger public health-care system for all British Columbians.

“We congratulate the NDP government on its re-election and look forward to working with Premier Eby for another term,” says Gear. “We look forward to educating MLAs from all parties about our priorities and holding them accountable for their positions and actions. BCNU members will continue to be the backbone of the public health-care system, not only on the front lines of patient care but as vocal advocates for improvement. The road ahead will require sustained effort, collaboration and bold action to ensure the promises made during this election lead to meaningful change.”

BCNU is ready to step up and continue to be the catalyst for that change, fighting for a public health-care system that is accessible, equitable and sustainable for all. In the coming months, BCNU will be there, holding the government accountable, working across party lines, and ensuring that nurses’ voices are heard in every conversation that shapes the future of health care in British Columbia.

Working together, members create a system that truly serves the people of BC, starting with the collective commitment to the principles of fairness, equality and compassion in care. The time for action is now. The future of BC’s health care depends on it

UPDATE (Winter 2024)