John Cummins is saying and thinking the kinds of things that are resonating with British Columbians

There have been numerous media stories on the latest poll which was conducted by Angus Reid … one of those was in the Vancouver Sun.

Latest Angus-Reid Poll

This story, as has been noted by other media organizations says that, “… the BC Liberals have dropped 12 percentage points since March, when Clark was sworn into office.”

It also indicates that, “In the same seven-or-so-month period, John Cummins' BC Conservatives have gained 13 percentage points, giving the party its highest level of support in recent months.”

Good so far … but here’s the part that I disagree with:

“Benefiting from the right-wing split, the New Democratic Party now enjoys a nine-point lead over the BC Liberals, up considerably from March when Angus Reid found the Liberals to be leading by five percentage points.”

There is NO right-wing split that is benefiting the NDP.  The fact of the matter is that the NDP only gained a paltry 2%.   And why is that important?   It’s important because you should know what the margin of error in this Angus Reid poll is.  The details at the end of their report, which can be found by clicking HERE, says that the sampling variability is +/- 3.5%.

• that means that instead of being up 2%, the NDP could actually be down -1.5% from the last poll. 
• it means the BC Liberals Party could actually be DOWN a FURTHER 3.5%
• and … it means the BC Conservative Party could in fact 3.5% higher

That however is PURE SPECULATION on my part --- and really that is what polls are.   Polls are a brief snapshot for a very specific period of time … and they represent what people felt at that exact moment.

Here’s the real reason why I think this poll is important however.  There have now been 4 consecutive polls conducted by the Mustel and by Angus Reid --- ALL OF THEM have shown the BC Conservative Party climbing in support.

This particular Angus Reid poll also points out an interesting fact concerning previous Liberal and NDP support  … The New Democrats are holding on to 84 per cent of the voters that supported the party in the 2009 provincial election, while the BC Liberals are only keeping two thirds of their past voters (67%). In fact, one-in-five BC Liberals voters in 2009 (21%) are currently supporting the BC Conservatives.

YES … the BC Liberal Party has lost a huge number of previous supporters --- BUT the NDP is losing support as well. 

So what is happening out in the political landscape of this province??   The only constant during the past year --- and over 4 consecutive polls --- is that the BC Conservative Party is gaining both support AND momentum!

And how do the BC Liberals interpret things??  In Victoria Liberal MLA Mary Polak was quoted as saying ..."A vote for John Cummins is basically a vote for premier Dix … in British Columbia there is one free enterprise alternative that can ensure that the NDP don't take office ever again in this province, that's the BC Liberals led by Premier Christy Clark.”

HERE’S WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW … a vote for John Cummins WILL NOT be a vote for the NDP!

A vote for John Cummins and the BC Conservative Party candidates will be a vote for common sense policies … it will be a vote for MLA’s who will be accountable to the people who have elected them … it will be a vote to end the lies and deceit we have had dumped on us with this current Christy Clark led BC Liberal government. 

It will about the end of lies and deceit where we saw the BC Liberals implement the HST … around the sale of BCR … around taxpayers holding the bag for the legal costs of Basi & Virk, while the government refuses to hold an inquiry into the whole stinking mess that had the RCMP in the legislature building hauling out boxes of records and files!

It will mean the end of government chicanery that is being used to move money around within BC Hydro to make it appear profitable, when in fact BC Hydro is being driven into bankruptcy. 

It will be about not just ending huge bonuses being paid to the executives of government ministries, crown corporations, and agencies like BC Hydro, BC Ferries, and CLBC … but ending a culture where that was acceptable!

A vote in the next provincial election for John Cummins, and BC Conservative candidates throughout the province, will be an end to a tax and spend BC Liberal government -- one that is little more than “NDP Light”.

A news story on the CBC is saying, “ … it is the B.C. Conservatives who are making the most gains since Premier Christy Clark took over the reigns of the B.C. Liberal Party from former premier Gordon Campbell last winter.”

Their story also quotes pollster Mario Conseco saying, “The B.C. Conservatives have increased their standing dramatically, particularly in the southern Interior and the north. The Tories have attracted a large proportion of former B.C. Liberal supporters …”

John Cummins and the BC Conservatives are attracting not just marginal supporters of the BC Liberals however … they are also attracting those in the 50% who have become disengaged from the political system … and from the 16% of voters that NO LONGER support the NDP as well.

BC Conservatives are giving them hope that there actually is a political party that is dedicated to being accountable to the voters, taxpayers, and the people of BC.

There’s a good reason why that CBC News story had this headline … “BC Conservatives surge in latest poll”.  It’s because at last British Columbians are able to see there is a common sense alternative.

John Cummins is saying and thinking the kinds of things that are resonating with British Columbians:

“While the government wastes money on bonuses and photo-ops the Premier plans on trying to negotiate with the federal government on the costs of enforcing the law. The criminal justice system is one of the primary responsibilities of the provincial government and it would be a priority under a new BC Conservative government.”

“It is no coincidence that BC is now losing people to other provinces since under the Liberals the average family in BC now pays more taxes and makes less income than any province west of Quebec.”

“What the BC parents and children need is an independent body free from influence of both the BCTF and the Ministry of Education – neither of which has an interest in exposing failing or incompetent teachers. This is the sort of reform a new BC Conservative government would bring – we will stand up for children and not the special interests like the Liberals and the NDP.”

“It is becoming abundantly clear that ‘families first’ is simply a slogan to buy votes for Premier Clark. Otherwise, why would her government continue with such irresponsible policies that will leave future generations paying for the Liberal government’s inability to act with prudence?”

“The Liberals continue to demonstrate that they feel that public safety is not worth the money. The Liberal government has made clear with their recent cuts to sheriffs and prosecutors in the province that tackling crime is not a concern of theirs.”

”At a time of economic difficulty people not only want to hear there is hope, they need a plan that gives them real solutions. This week the Liberal government has fallen far short on providing leadership in these tough economic times.”

“The new BC Conservatives are the only party committed to reducing the tax burden on the middle class. We will scrap the carbon tax, stop the new 2 cent per litre gas tax for the lower mainland, and get spending under control by cutting wasteful spending.”

I conclude with the following words spoken by John Cummins in recent weeks:
“Every British Columbian deserves a real choice in the next provincial election. As you can see, Premier Clark and the NDP share the same vision for British Columbia. I am here with the new BC Conservatives to provide a common sense, mainstream choice, for all British Columbians.”

He is right --- and THAT IS WHY people are indeed turning to the BC Conservative Party --- as this poll today from Angus Reid clearly shows.

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops, with the thought of one conservative.