Liberals flip-flop on welfare, donations
Throne speech will tout more disability assistance, ban union and corporate political gifts
Premier Christy Clark will reverse course in Thursday’s throne speech by pledging to raise welfare rates, tie disability assistance to inflation, and ban union and corporate political donations.
The promises mark a dramatic departure from Clark’s previous stance on those issues, but it’s unclear whether she will get a chance to act on any of them. The NDP and B.C. Green Party have signed an accord to topple her Liberal government in a confidence motion within days of the speech.
Clark, who has acknowledged that she expects defeat, seems intent on making the opposition parties vote against positions they support.
The Liberals confirmed Monday that the speech will contain a pledge to increase monthly social assistance by $100, to $710 — the first increase in a decade.
The NDP campaigned on a similar promise for the May 9 election, while Clark defended the 10-year freeze, saying her government preferred to focus on finding people jobs rather than boosting rates.
Social Development Minister Michelle Stilwell said Monday that the Liberals, who failed to win a majority of seats in the legislature, now realize that British Columbians want social programs improved.
“The premier’s heard that message,” she said.
“I’ve heard that message and we’re going to do more for British Columbians who need a helping hand.”
The speech will also contain promises to index disability rates to inflation and expand an initiative to help “underemployed” single parents who have jobs, but are unable to find time or money to get the additional training they need for better employment.
In a conference call with reporters, Stilwell was unable to say when the changes will take effect or how a Liberal government will pay for them.
A $100-a-month increase in welfare rates would cost the province about $53 million a year, while the expanded employment initiative would cost nearly $16 million a year, the Liberals said.
“I think we’ll have to wait until we see the final quarter [figures] come out and see how much money is in the government surplus,” Stilwell said.
The NDP questioned the sincerity of Clark and the Liberals.
“What this demonstrates is that Christy Clark will actually do or say anything to hold onto power,” said Selina Robinson, NDP MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville. “But I don’t believe that we can trust her to fix the problems that she’s created and I don’t think British Columbians believe her, either.”
Robinson noted that the NDP has introduced legislation to ban union and corporate donations to political parties on six occasions, and the Liberals refused to support it each time.
“They would mock the Opposition for it,” Robinson said. “So now, after they have lost and they’re going to be a fallen government, they suddenly have a change of heart? I just find it really, really hard to believe Christy Clark now. It’s too difficult to make that leap.”
Attorney General Andrew Wilkinson said that, as with welfare rates, the Liberals have realized that British Columbians want donation reforms. “This is something that we’ve learned through the election and we think it’s timely to bring it forward now,” he said.
“What this is, is an offering to bring in legislation — if we had that opportunity — which would squarely address this issue and accomplish what all three political parties now say they want to do.”
The government’s critics, however, say the Liberal promises are “too little, too late.”
Kelly Newhook, executive director of the Together Against Poverty Society in Victoria, said she’s glad the Liberals got the message that British Columbians care about poverty, but she said a $100 lift in welfare rates falls short of what is needed.
“This is a government that has treated people living in poverty horribly over the last 10 years,” she said. “They’ve made the ability to even access income assistance, to get through on a phone line, to apply for benefits, so difficult that this kind of thing is such a drop in the bucket. We need structural change to happen.”
Michael Prince, Lansdowne professor of social policy at the University of Victoria, said the Liberal campaign platform was “woefully inadequate” and “tone deaf” on social issues, and he’s heartened the party has publicly acknowledged its mistake.
“It was to me always a puzzle that the Liberals did not recognize that they were vulnerable on these issues,” he said. “These are not big-buck announcements, but they’re incredibly important for people on social assistance.
“For a governing party that’s been in denial for 10 years, finally there’s a breakthrough now. So I hope it ups the conversation and, whoever’s in power for however long, that this isn’t the final statement on these badly needed reforms.”