Media Release
Thursday, October 3, 2013
The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services (SCFGS) clarified Wednesday that it is the first of many opportunities for the public to provide input on the Core Review currently being undertaken by the British Columbia government.
There was confusion over the past week as Hon. Bill Bennett, Minister responsible for the Core Review, seemingly caught the Committee members off guard when he announced in a letter to government Ministers that the Committee was responsible for accepting the public input.
On Wednesday October 2, 2013, BC Green Party Interim-Leader, Adam Olsen presented to the SCFGS Committee in Nanaimo, seeking clarification to this confusion. (See full draft Hansard transcript attached.)
Dan Ashton, Chair of the SCFGS, said “For some clarification, yes, you can put the input. We have had a brief discussion among some of the members here, including the Clerk’s staff, so I am more than prepared to accept the dialogue and the opportunity for people like yourself bringing it forward.”
“I outlined several issues with the process for the public to provide input in the Core Services review, including the lack of proper notification and clarity on the process,” said Adam Olsen, Interim-Leader of the BC Green Party. “It is important British Columbians know that this is only one opportunity for their voices to be heard.
The Finance and Government Services Committee will not be the only opportunity for British Columbians to provide input in to the process.
“As the parliamentary secretary, and I have spoken to the minister today…. There is going to be ample opportunity for public input into the core review services,” Ashton continued. “You have to understand that it is only starting at this point in time and carries on until 2014. So through your local MLAs and, I’m quite sure, through other public processes, there will be ample opportunity. But anything that is said today will be discussed by this committee and, upon agreement of the committee, will be included in the report that will be going to the Legislative Assembly.”
Olsen’s statement to the committee stated, “The government can fix this problem by creating a transparent process that informs British Columbians of their opportunity to be heard. I encourage the government to do this. I encourage the government to be clear in the mandate of that process. The core review is not about saving the government money; it’s about saving the taxpayers of British Columbia’s money.”
The BC Green Party is encouraged by the clarification on the core review input process from the SCFGS. However, as the timeline is compressed to December 31st 2013, and the committee has already visited many locations across the province, it is imperative the government provides every opportunity for public input. We are committed to working with the government to ensure British Columbians are aware of their opportunities to be heard.
– 30 –
Media contact:
+1 888 473 3686 ext. 49
newsroom@bcgreens.ca