Post by Nic Wayara, WAVAW Volunteer

This election has to be one of the most politically electric one in decades of BC history. I implore you: When you vote, vote with women in mind.

We need to use our votes as a call to action, and prioritize the well-being of women and girls in this province.

Regardless of who forms government, we need to hold all parties and all elected officials accountable for budget cuts to programs that protect women and girls fleeing violence, specifically cuts to legal aid that have made survivors of violence doubly vulnerable.

We need to keep fresh in our memories the women’s organizations that offer support to our communities, and must not forget the funding that has been stripped away in the past, eroding our non-profits and our community organizations that fight for our well-being.

When you vote, don’t forget our low-income women.

When you vote, don’t forget our homeless women.

When you vote, don’t forget our single mothers.

We must put pressure on institutions that demonize, antagonize and under-protect our sisters who are involved in sex work, and demand their interests be considered central to dismantling hetero-sexist capitalism.

We have to stand tall against any and all forms of discrimination (marked as bureaucracy) that systematically keeps newly landed immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers without the tools they need to support their relations, both in BC and abroad.

We must scream with abandon at the injustices that have yet to be made right with respect to the MMIW inquiry.

We must commit to interrogating policies, parties, and platforms that do not provide clear steps towards reconciliation, decolonization, and reparations to our Indigenous peoples.

This is an important election. Cast your vote like it matters.