BC Council for Families

The BC Council for Families looks forward to a renewed partnership between non-profits and government under the leadership of Christy Clark that will bring real change to families in BC. Read on for our open letter to the premier-designate about this issue.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Dear Christy Clark,

Congratulations on your recent victory in the Liberal leadership race, and on becoming only the second woman in BC history to attain the premier’s office!

As the new premier-designate for BC, we’re sure you’re pretty busy just now, with many demands on your time and attention.  In fact, it’s a bit like being a new parent, isn’t it?  You’re adjusting to a life suddenly full of unfamiliar and almost overwhelming responsibilities, you have an intense desire to succeed in this new role, and you’re wondering who can help guide you as you try to find your way in this brand new world you find yourself in.  You may even (and, admittedly, we’re guessing here) find yourself a bit sleep-deprived currently – just like a new parent.

The analogy springs to mind not because we think the citizens of BC are babies (far from it! ) -- but because, much like a first-time parent experiencing a passionate identification with their new role, you’ve expressed a deep commitment to families.  Under your leadership, we understand, BC will make families the priority in the years ahead, and you’ve pledged to “provide communities and parents the tools they need to grow and succeed."

To that, we say “three cheers”!  Because as you no doubt know all too well from your time as Minister for Children and Family Development, and before that as Minister of Education, families in every region of this province urgently need support and resources.  Too many new parents in BC right now don’t know where to turn for the help they need to support them in their attempts to become the best parents they can be.  Too many community agencies and non-profit groups are struggling to maintain programs and services for families in the face of reduced funding, reduced staffing, and vastly increased community need. 

As a provincial non-profit organization which for nearly 35 years has focused on strengthening families, the BC Council for Families knows that preventive programs for families and children make good economic sense. When we give families experiencing challenges the help they need, we reduce the likelihood that those challenges will escalate into crises requiring costly and painful interventions, and we allow families to continue doing what they do best – take care of each other.  And healthy families make great economic sense -- what other social institution offers its members a similar package of free cradle-to-grave support, education, acceptance and love?

Like many non-profit organizations, the BC Council for Families is looking forward to working in the months ahead in a newly strengthened partnership with government, building the ‘made-in BC’ model of Non-Profit Public Partnerships envisioned in the Families First Agenda for Change.  In your victory speech you described your vision of bringing together a great coalition of provincial partners, to come together to create jobs, fight poverty, and build on the strength of our diverse families and communities.  It’s a grand vision, and one that has the potential to bring meaningful change to the lives of so many families in BC.

But a coalition, no matter how strong and committed, must have clearly articulated goals to work towards, and beyond the (undeniably pressing!) matter of job creation, we haven’t yet seen the policy objectives that coalitions of non-profits and government will address.  So in the interests of public dialogue, we respectfully submit our shortlist of family-friendly policy objectives:

•    A comprehensive poverty action plan that includes a living wage for families.
B.C. has led the country in levels of child poverty for seven years running, and that needs to end. Every hungry child has a family struggling under severe stress, has parents who are worried and distracted and unable to fully nurture and support their young children’s development.  Poverty causes childhood vulnerability, with potentially dramatic consequences throughout the individual’s lifespan. 

•    The creation of a provincial childcare system, including supports for families to enable more parents to be able to choose to stay home longer with their young children.

According to the Human Early Learning Partnership’s Smart Family Policy report card issued last fall, our province has the highest rate of work-life conflict in Canada.   When parents don’t have sufficient time to spend with their families, children suffer.  This province must address the lack of quality, affordable early education and care, and the lack of viable options for working parents.

•    A commitment to increasing the availability of safe and affordable housing for low-income families, and to strengthening communities.

Housing costs in BC put home ownership out of reach for many families, and push many more into substandard accommodation. We know that our neighborhoods and communities impact the lives of families and children. Where drugs, violence, and crime are everyday realities, families and children are at risk. 

•    Provincial support for prevention and early intervention programs and services that reduce risk for children and families.

Every community is different, just as every family is different.  But in BC, years of regionalization of services meant to increase the ability of communities to respond to localized needs have resulted in an uneven patchwork of programs and resources.  Families looking for support in one community may find they have very different resources to draw upon that do families in another region. 

Putting families first requires ensuring that children, youth and families in every corner of our province have access to similar community services, in order to ensure that each child in BC can develop to his or her fullest potential.

We are looking to your government to ensure that the non-profit sector as a whole, and the community services sector in particular, receives adequate support to sustain a robust, responsive system of programs and services for children, youth and families.  It’s what the economy needs. It’s an essential part of combating poverty and restoring economic prosperity to our province.

And most of all, it’s what BC families want and need.

Sincerely,

Glenn Hope
Executive Director