Local Liberal MLA Doug Bing will advocate for parents on government assistance as he lobbies against the child support clawback.
The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows riding sent first-term MLA armed with issues to discuss as he attended the Liberal Party Convention in Kelowna over the weekend.
Each riding can submit three topics, and the local Liberals wanted Bing to bring forward the clawback, party bus enforcement and opposition to the grizzly hunt.
“I’m their MLA, so I’m the point man,” Bing said Friday morning before the convention convened.
The clawback issue is one of child poverty. Bing said he has been to the Salvation Army Caring Place and met with the volunteers who work with people in need.
“I’m certainly aware of the poverty issue,” he said.
With the government’s child support clawback, when a parent receives child support from the other parent, then their social assistance subsidy is reduced by that amount – so the parent with custody does not receive more than $945 per month in income assistance given to a mother with one child.
Premier Christy Clark has taken criticism from the NDP Opposition over the government’s clawback policy.
Bing said the government’s position is defensible.
From a position of fairness, estranged parents should be expected to contribute, whether or not the custody parent is receiving government assistance.
“They have always felt that a parent should be responsible for the care of their child,” he said.
It is also sound financial policy, said Bing.
It would cost an estimated $17 million to stop the clawback policy.
“We’ve only just achieved a balanced budget.”
The members rank the issues in order of importance.
The Clawback was about 25th, and the convention never got around to the issue.
The other issues were ranked even lower.
Bing also tabled the issue of party busses.
He has met with Julie Raymond, the mother of 16-year-old Shannon Raymond, who passed away after consuming alcohol, then taking two pills of Ecstasy while on a party bus in summer 2008.
Party buses are popular with suburban teens. They are a rolling party complete with plush seats, strobe lighting, mirrored ball, dancing pole and loud music.
Bing said even the company’s websites show photos of people drinking, and that is against the law.
“They’re an illegal bar on wheels, basically,” said Bing. “I’m trying to get something happening.”
Although these issues were not debated at the convention, Bing hopes they will gain more traction with government, and eventually result in legal changes.
What’s in a name?
The party did get around to discussing a name change at the convention, and decided to stick with the Liberal brand.
The party rose to prominence in 1991, when it earned official opposition status in the B.C. Legislature.
Bing calls the B.C. Liberal Party “a coalition of everyone to the right of the NDP.” He said Liberals identify themselves as being “right in the middle,” politically.
“And that’s a good place to be.
“People elected this brand. Why change it?”