Whereas Gross Domestic Product GDP was never intended to be used as an indicator of a societys health or wellbeing, does not reflect Indigenous values, does not account for the health of natural systems which underpin all life, and does not account for harmful externalities including pollution and climate change impacts; And whereas the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations recommended that the province adopt a Wellbeing Framework in British Columbia in the 2020 report Centering First Nations Concepts of Wellbeing toward a GDP-alternative Index in BC; And whereas 82 of Canadian respondents felt that measures beyond economic growth such as health and safety, access to education, access to clean water, time for extracurricular and leisure activities, life satisfaction, social connections, and equality of access to public services are important to their day-to-day life: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, and all relevant Ministries to work in partnership with Indigenous peoples, including the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, provide resources and policy direction to enable local governments to implement analytical process for the assessment of systemic inequalities i.e. Gender-Based Analysis Plus across local government capital investments, operations and strategic initiatives to ensure all citizens can participate fully in civic life and to make measurable progress towards dismantling systemic inequality in our communities.
Ministry of Finance Government recognizes and understands the need to use a diverse set of measures of well-being and economic progress. For example, since 2018 Government has used Gender Based Analysis Plus GBA in all its decision making. This helps to ensure, that as policies are developed, the impacts on a range of people and communities are considered through comprehensive, evidence-based advice. Earlier this year, government released the StrongerBC economic plan with its missions of clean and inclusive growth and a suite of progress indicators that measure a wide range of social, environmental and economic progress. In September 2022, Government released the Environmental, Social and Governance ESG Summary Report, which illustrates Governments commitment to strong reporting frameworks that will encourage continuous improvement on how we evaluate, assess, and adapt performance standards, measures and outcomes. Through using an ESG lens, Government plans to continuously work to enhance the quality of life for all British Columbians. In preparation for Budget 2022, the Minister of Finance consulted with a new ESG Advisory Council as well as the Economic Forecast Council to explore and discuss how Government can continue to support well-being in BC. This process will continue with Budget 2023. Government will continue to work with First Nations and other levels of government to ensure that we measure and compare progress for all people in British Columbia. We are working on data plan initiatives that will include measures of progress about the things British Columbians care about. Our current focus is on the critical but complex questions around the safe collection and use of race-based data.