Coalition to Build a Better BC

There is a new political coalition in BC. In some ways it feels a bit like Solidarity in 1983, though a shadow of that movement.

What is there is the cooperation between the labour movement and social activist groups. After the Kelowna Accords in 1983 made by the BC labour movement, the social activists in BC felt very sold out by the unions and extension the NDP.

The name is focusing on the positive and does not sound militant, but the text is a very much a call to arms to defend the status quo in BC (ok the status quo of a couple years ago).

The members are:

• Alliance for Arts and Culture
• BC Association of Social Workers
• BC/Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors
• BCGEU
• BC Federation of Labour
• BC Federation of Retired Union Members
• BC Health Coalition
• BC Persons with AIDS Society
• BC Retired Teachers Association
• BC Teachers Federation
• CFS - BC
  
• Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC
• Council of Canadians
  
• Check Your Head
• Council of Senior Citizens Organizations
• CUPE BC
• Federation of Post Secondary Educators
• First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition
  
• Health Sciences Association
• HEU
• IAM Northwest District 250
• Positive Women’s Network
• Positive Living Fraser Valley
• Seniors on Guard for Medicare
• Sierra Club of BC
  
• South Fraser Community Services Society
• Wilderness Committee
• Union of BC Indian Chiefs
• Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter

The membership is predictable but has some diversity. Getting the UBCIC and the Wilderness Committee certainly moves the coalition out of the typical leftie realm. Having only one private sector union is not a good start for them.

The announcement of the group has gone out, but there is nothing else out there. In this modern media age there should be a lot more available, Facebook, website, Twitter etc... OK, I now found a website for them

With so many public sector unions involved, I do not get the sense of this being a grassroots group. Also, too many of the group names there look like the coalition of the expected.

The first event will be a rally on April 10th in Vancouver at the Art Gallery - shocking, who would have guessed that? The choice of a rally and doing it a the Art Gallery says to me the coalition is as creative as having oatmeal for breakfast in Glasgow.

A dialogue forum was held on March 20th but not very well attended, only 150 to 200 people came out to it.

What they are planning on doing beyond the predictable is not at all clear to me. Will this group have any legs? I have no idea. Stay tuned and we will see.