Dear Mr Heyman and Mr Eby,

Many thanks for hosting last night’s community meeting. I called Mr. Sullivan’s office this morning and left a message at how disappointed I was that he did not show. Without representation by people in the party that’s at the head of this mess, it’s more difficult to get the word out about how unacceptable this is.

I was the one who exhorted you to oppose more. I thought I’d take a moment and express what I’m not seeing from the NDP. (Maybe you’ve done this but it hasn’t got out, which tells you that messages from your party are not reaching the parents.)

  1. Why has the NDP not declared and emergency and demanded the recall of the legislature to deal with this issue?
  2. Why is the NDP not vociferously standing up for the rights of the children in the context of the Canadian constitution as well as the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child?
  3. Why has the NDP not offered resources in terms of your own time to the BCTF and the government on this issue? For me, the ethics of caring for children far outweighs the perceptions of party politics.

My concern is that you are motivated to do little because the BC Liberals are doing such an amazing job of self-destruction that, waiting and not putting your collective foot in your mouth, is a tactical advantage at the next election.

Were we dealing with port closures, failure to process MSP claims, unionized staff disruptions at the legislature that would be one thing, but this contract dispute is damaging the lives of children.

Soon (if not already) Mr Eby, you will have that first moment of holding your new born child. All Dads and Moms have had this experience. You will realize in your heart – in ways you could not previously imagine – how precious young life is. All parents are hurting at the DNA level because we have a government that we elected that is not caring for our children.

Please. You are part of the legislature. Oppose more, more often, and with more force.

Thanks,

Robert Ford
Hudson PAC Chair