The BC Society of Transition Houses has developed this toolkit to encourage candidates running in the May 2017 provincial election to inform the people of British Columbia about how they will work to eliminate violence against women and children if elected. In order to raise awareness about violence against women in BC, we ask that our members, women serving organizations, individuals and other community groups draft letters to their local candidates to advocate for legislation, policy and practice commitments that benefit women and children experiencing gender-based violence.
In this toolkit you will find background information and key points that will help inform candidates about the nature and scope of violence against women in BC. This is not an exhaustive list by any means and we hope that you will add to and adapt this material to make it as useful as possible for your own organizations and communities. We have also provided questions you may wish to ask candidates as well as a letter template to candidates, statistics sheets and a reference list. Please feel free to adapt the resources in this toolkit to strengthen your local concerns and most pressing issues.