Sept 1, 2024
No middle road
in B.C. politics
The illusion of a middle road in British Columbia politics has been shattered with the implosion of the Liberal/BC United party.
The concept of a middle in politics has always been an illusion, it’s either left or right with a little lane wandering from the main parties. It also clears the picture for voters, they have a choice either way.
The birth of the Social Credit party eons ago was an attempt to bring factions of the political centre-right together to oppose the left socialist New Democrats. It virtually eliminated vote-splitting on the right, enough to come out on top in many elections. That continued until recent times with the B.C. Liberals, a rebranding of Social Credit after they fell apart.
That brought us the Bill Bennett, Gordon Campbell and Christy Clarke governments interspersed with the NDP’s Mike Harcourt, Glen Clark, John Horgan and David Eby.
That’s where we’re at now, a lying and finger pointing contest between Eby and B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad. That’s what it’s going to be if the release of the first NDP election commercials is any indication. Instead of focusing on issues, the NDP is intent on smearing Rustad’s image.
It’s made more difficult by Rustad’s lack of a track record. So whatever he comes out with now becomes a target screaming extremism, no matter that it’s a mislabel.
The demise of B.C. United is not a simple switch of that voting bloc going to the Conservative. They had about 10-per-cent voter support in recent polls while the Conservatives were within a couple of points of the NDP. Will there be enough crossover to put the Conservatives in the lead? Early indications are that a majority will go to the Conservatives.
It’s not a sure bet. For example, former Liberal cabinet minister Terry Lake says he'll consider voting for the New Democrats if the Conservatives don't shift their stance on climate change.
The status of many Conservative candidates is also raising questions. Are they simply making way for United MLA and candidates to step in? That’s not the case in Nanaimo-Gabriola where Viraat Thammanna was pushed aside.
That results from the rush to get candidates by appointing them rather than going through the normal nominating process. It may fill the roster of names but can have messy repercussions. With the free-agent United candidates on the open market, a lot can change in the next little while.
July 15, 2024
Election campaign must be
about things that matter
The name-calling and labelling have begun. Political parties need to recognize that for every “far-right extremist” they see on the election campaign they are a mirror of “far-left extremists.” Denigrating anyone serves no purpose other than to divide people.
A lot of the problems facing our province are neither left wing or right wing, they are political problems and a lack of will or ability to solve them. Our messed up health care system is not a left or right problem. Closed emergency rooms in rural areas have nothing to do with ideology but with the inability of those in charge to solve the problem.
Already obvious in the first campaign TV commercials is the outright lies they tell without having to look you in the eye.
Money is the root of most problems, but elected officials try to please all of the people all of the time. They need to set priorities and scale back vote-buying handouts to special interests.
Many of our problems today are the same as the ones we had years ago under the B.C. Liberals. They still exist and neither party has been able to solve the them.
The closest any issue comes to ideology is the homelessness many British Columbians are suffering under. Premier David Eby refuses to accept institutionalization of people with mental health problems, but he’s not the first. Decades ago successive Liberal and NDP governments decided that the mentally ill should be “integrated” into the community.
They closed facilities like Riverview, and similar programs, thus creating today’s problems – integrating the mentally ill onto our sidewalks and parks has done that.
It doesn’t really matter whether they are government-approved for recreational use or bought off the street drug dealer. There’s an inescapable fact, and that is if you do drugs you die.
Housing affordability lies partially at all levels of government, federal, provincial and the municipal. Over-regulations has jacked up the cost of housing with ever-rising development cost charges which in reality are taxes. Then there’ the Liberal/NDP property transfer tax which adds to the cost of buying a property.
So don’t let the politicians on the campaign trail fool you into thinking it’s all the “other” party’s fault. They are all to blame.
I could go on about the long list of issues, but they all have the same bottom line. Each party is shouting from the roof tops about how terrible the other parties are, in in many instances exaggerating or outright lying.
All of them fail to focus on what they will do for us, likely because they don’t have the answers themselves. And when they don’t have the answers they resort to name calling, and that doesn’t solve anything.
Sept 3
Rustad has a mess to clean up in a hurry
Rustad outlines views on energy, education in podcast appearance
Veteran BC United MLA mulls solo run, BC Conservatives pull candidates
There is no middle of the road in British Columbia politics
Conservatives and NDP in statistical tie after United implodes: Poll
Sept. 2
There is no middle of the road in British Columbia politics
Conservatives and NDP in statistical tie after United implodes: Poll
Nanaimo-Gabriola candidates shuffle amid BC United/Conservative merger
Falcon's BC United announcement shakes up Penticton riding
Esquimalt-Colwood MLA Mitzi Dean not running for re-election
BC United candidates wait for call from Conservatives
Conservative Party reconsiders Nanaimo-Gabriola candidate
Former B.C. Liberal minister Terry Lake says he may vote NDP
What went wrong for BC United?
BC United Vancouver Island candidates react to the party’s withdrawal
Aug. 30
What went wrong for BC United?
BC United Vancouver Island candidates react to the party’s withdrawal
BC United rebrand went 'spectacularly,' says sarcastic Falcon
Chaos, anger and resignations in wake of BC United’s collapse
Orphaned voters and attack ads: BC United fallout continues
Shirley Bond withdraws campaign, citing surprise United capitulation
BC United rebrand went 'spectacularly,' says sarcastic Falcon
Earlier election stories HERE
Aug. 29
BC United suspending election campaign to avoid vote-splitting on the right
BC United MLAs ponder futures as Conservatives after party demise
A timeline of how BC United unravelled, less than two months before election
‘They’re still the same guys’: Eby on Rustad and Falcon amid party upheaval
Transportation a driving issue for Green's Camille Currie
Nanaimo candidate's criticism of harm-reduction kiosk prompts review
Nanaimo candidates hear about front-of-mind issues at hunting, fishing forum
BC United Party drops out of election
Nanaimo candidate's criticism of harm-reduction kiosk prompts review
Nanaimo candidates hear about front-of-mind issues at hunting, fishing forum
Voter registration cards in the mail from Elections BC
Eby orders review of crack pipe dispensing vending machines
B.C. launches phone line to provide same-day opioid treatment
Misleading 'drug experiment' attack ad by BC Conservatives
Growing pains for Rustad's B.C. Conservatives
Our world is spinning
out of control
Every now and then the moon aligns with the stars to throw our planet out of whack making you question the sanity of everyone everywhere.
DESPITE A HOUSING CRISIS, our regional district has decided it’s a good time to update regulations affecting people living in recreation vehicles. If the updates go into force a lot of people living in RVs in the central Island will have no more than six months at a time before they have to move. What then, pull up stakes and spend a fortune on moving to another RV park for another six months? These are not pop-up tents, they are motor homes with full facilities, connected to services in commercial settings. They are part of the housing picture.
ALSO THIS WEEK WE LEARNED that three B.C. communities that had been promised the moon after massive flooding in November 2021 got nothing but the finger from Ottawa. Abbotsford, Merritt and Princeton spent a lot of money on studies and reports to satisfy Ottawa bureaucrats only to be told their 500-page application back up wasn’t sufficient.
That comes after Prime Minister Trudeau visited the area during the disaster he hugged one mayor and promised “we’ve got your back.” Justin did not tell him what that really meant. As one of the mayors wondered aloud, if it had been along the St. Lawrence, in Ontario and/or Quebec, would it have been a different story?” These communities are getting it in the back alright.
Now some people are floating a proposal to flood Sumas Prairie permanently to return it to a lake that existed 100 years ago. The proponents say it’s no big deal, only $1 billion to buy the farmland and flood the area which is one of our largest food-producing areas.
HERE’S AN INVESTMENT idea for someone wanting to make a few quick bucks. Sell something every vehicle should have – metre sticks – to help drivers determine their distances. New regulations went into effect this week to keep vehicles at least one metre from pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchairs, etc. The concept makes good sense, but how can a driver determine what distance 39 inches is while zipping along at 30 km/h? Thankfully the regulation includes “at least” in determining how far, so to be safe, keep your distance. Now if we can just get cyclists to observe the rules of the road.
EVERYTHING ELSE CONSIDERED, the October provincial election is sure to be a lively affair as the political ground undergoes massive shifts. More B.C. United/Liberals are abandoning ship and going to the Conservatives hoping to gain enough strength in a few months to even imagine toppling the NDP government.
What was wishful thinking in some quarters not too long ago is getting the attention of Premier David Eby who is refocusing his political darts at John Rustad’s Conservatives instead of the fading United. BCU has more money and more organization than the Conservatives, but if the current trend continues who knows what can happen? When a building crumbles, a firm foundation doesn’t do much good other than a rebuilding from the ground up.
AND WHILE WE’RE THINKING ELECTION, now would be a good time to start keeping track of all the promises we’re going to get from the government and those would hope to form government. We should sort them into specific categories that would determine their value, how many are good for the province and how many are political frills. While we’re at it, we could also tick off whether promises are serious . . . or just vote bait that will never see the light of day.
Everyone will promise, cross their hearts, that they will solve the drug crisis and the homeless problem and crime that goes with it. What we need to hear is what, when, where, how and how much along with a firm timeline.
Our medical system remains in shambles, with lots of room for new ideas and promises. With those we also need specifics. How many of them will be realistic and how many of them will be pie in the sky? It’s easy to promise a new hospital here or an emergency room there with no timeline. And who will promise to rehire the heath care workers still fired because they would not take vaccines? That comes in the shadow of U.S. Congressional hearings which put great question on the way the whole COVID scheme was handled, including masks, vaccines and the major shutdown.
Will any party do something to restore private property rights which have been decimated by the present government? Your home is not your home any more.
Those are good starting points, it will be tough to find others to classify as top priorities. Beware of the frills that look good, cost a lot of money, but don’t really amount to much.