Bobby Deepak, NDP candidate for the riding of Prince George-Mackenzie, provided the following response to the BCHF Step Up for History questions on April 30. Deepak was responding to BCHF Council member Caroline Ross, who emailed the questions to all Prince George area candidates on April 22.
How will you ensure that local governments have enough resources to preserve history?
For the last 16 years Christy Clark and the BC Liberals have fought against, instead of working with communities to help them meet their goals. A John Horgan BC NDP government will work collaboratively with communities to ensure they have the resources required to deliver the services that citizens want and need.
Partnering with communities, we will create a capital fund to upgrade and build cultural spaces and other amenities that make life better for families.
How do you plan to support engagement around history in your community?
The BC NDP has a long tradition of encouraging people to reflect on our history. We will continue to encourage British Columbians to learn about our past so we can better direct our future.
What do you already do on a day-to-day basis to support the work of local history and heritage not-for-profits?
The BC NDP has committed to bringing back multi-year gaming grants so that small arts, culture and heritage organizations can spend less time filling out forms and more time doing good work.
In order to alleviate a perceived void in the provincial education curriculum, how will you become involved in incorporating subject material relevant to BC history and community heritage into the education degree programs at universities and the Grade 1-12 curriculum in BC?
As part of our commitment to ensuring the BC curriculum better reflects the rich heritage of our province, particularly around the contributions, heritage, and history of Indigenous peoples in BC we will develop, in consultation with First Nations, a curriculum for Indigenous languages and for Indigenous history in Canada and British Columbia, so Indigenous children and their peers can learn the history of our province accurately. This curriculum will also include more about the early history of settlement in BC, and how that impacted Indigenous peoples.
