VICTORIA— New Democrats are introducing a bill calling for the creation of a sustainable development board which would report to policy makers about key indicators of economic, environmental and social progress.

“This bill advances the credibility, transparency and accountability of government by utilizing the knowledge and independence of established experts to measure and report on the things that matter most to our economic, social and environmental well-being,” said New Democrat environment critic Rob Fleming.

Fleming says that the bill is being introduced today, on the eve of government terminating the B.C. Progress Board to ensure the province isn’t left with a performance measurement vacuum.

“While the Liberals are dismantling the Progress Board whose reports often highlighted their economic failures, New Democrats are proposing a new board with an expanded mandate to measure key areas of our province’s economic, social and environmental health.

“Even though the Progress Board lacked important measures of performance found in other jurisdictions, it did provide annual benchmark reports that documented – among other things – a decline in infant health in the province and a drop to tenth place in poverty indicators the last reportable year,” said Fleming. “By doing away with the Progress Board it seems that the Liberals are more interested in hiding their shortcomings than in ensuring they have the information they need to make good policy decisions.”

Adrian Dix and the New Democrats believe the creation of a Sustainable Development Board is necessary to make government more accountable to citizens and spur wider policy discussions that can lead to innovative strategies to improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of our province.

“New Democrats want independent information to be publicly reported to the government and the province so that lawmakers have a foundation for seeking public input and support for policy development,” said Fleming.

“The public’s reaction to the way the Liberals developed and introduced their HST policy shows that British Columbians are looking for truly open and democratic leadership, not more empty promises and buzzwords. The Sustainable Development board proposed in this bill provides the foundation for open and effective governance.”