As a summer election becomes increasingly likely, we will soon be faced with big decisions as several parties try to convince Nova Scotians to vote for them.
As social workers, we labour in solidarity with our clients, organizations and communities, and with Nova Scotians who are vulnerable, oppressed and dealing with the hurtful outcomes of society. Our profession is committed to social justice, and is mandated by our code of ethics to work for a society that promotes social, economic, political, and cultural equality for all people. A critical analysis of the party platforms, to understand how their positions will impact the clients that we serve, is a helpful process.
As part of our mandate to serve the public good, the NSCSW will therefore be providing some analysis on each party’s positions, through the lens of the social policy framework that we developed with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Nova Scotia (CCPA-NS): Creating the future we all deserve: A Social Policy Framework for Nova Scotia. This evidence-based report lays out what is required for a transformative social policy agenda in our province, and we encourage our members to utilize it in order to ensure that they better understand how their votes will address or remedy the injustices and harms we see daily.
During the anticipated election period, we will evaluate how each party’s platform advances our vision and values using this intersectional and evidence-based framework and these ten guiding principles:
- Interconnectedness
- Decolonization
- Social Inclusion
- Universality
- Climate Justice
- Decent Work and Well-Being
- Public Provision
- Fiscal Fairness
- Shared Governance
- Democratization.
Each of these principles are critical in ensuring a society where all Nova Scotians can thrive.
Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll use this framework to analyze each party’s platform on some of our core social justice and advocacy issues of concern to social workers. We invite you to join us in exploring each of these principles, and examining the proposals made for our province’s future. By working together, we can make decisions that align with our professional values, and that advance the well-being of our clients and all Nova Scotians.
Agreed. Thanks for this! As a political candidate and a social work candidate, I feel that these principles are at the centre of why I am running for the NSNDP.