Submission to the 2023 Budget Consultations

On July 22, 2022, West Coast LEAF appeared before BC’s Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services to share our key recommendations for Budget 2023. The Committee is conducting public consultations on priorities for the next provincial budget and will release its recommendations by November 15, 2022.

We made three recommendations:

• Increase funding to the Employment Standards Branch by at least $14 million to increase staff, open more regional offices, extend hours, and bolster enforcement activities, particularly, proactive investigations.
• Make a transformative investment in prevention and family support services for children, youth, families, communities, and Indigenous Nations that centres and supports child and family well-being and addresses structural barriers, such as poverty, lack of services, and waitlists.
• Dedicate new funding for legal aid services for child support applications. There is currently very limited funding for child support matters leaving many single parents without meaningful access to justice. A lack of access to child support contributes to increasingly feminized poverty and worsens child poverty.

Read our written submissions on Budget 2023.