John Cummins not only has what it takes to lead the BC Conservatives in the next election; he is best suited to be the next Premier of our province

Today, my friend Sean Smith posted what I think is the best take on the differences between BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins and Premier / BC Liberal leader Christy Clark.  He said:

BC Premier Christy Clark

"It's the difference between having a leader with no experience working hard in BC industry, and one that had an active part in it. Christy Clark hasn't worked a hard day as a labourer in her life, while Cummins helped build the WAC Bennett Dam, was a commercial fisherman AND was a teacher. Experience in leadership is everything!"

My soon to be retiring Kamloops South BC Liberal MLA, Kevin Krueger, came back to say:

What you say is not true. Christy worked in the hospitality industry as a young person. She is so obviously bright, and politically astute, that she was drafted into political activities very young, and ran a pan-Canadian political organization for youth. She is well into her second year as the Premier of British Columbian, while looking after her little guy as a single Mom. You think John Cummins' challenges stack up better than that?

    

Christy is a leader; she is kind to people, and knows how to enable a team. Her team's results are the best in Canada, with Alberta's. John Cummins has a history of scrapping, not leading, as far as I have seen. It is ridiculous to suggest that he is the more accomplished person.

Not wanting to miss out on a good discussion Sean responded by saying:

Seriously!? You are going to compare her time as a hostess / waitress to Mr. Cummins time in construction / commercial fishing/education? The only reason she was drafted into politics was because of her father’s connections! For cryin' out loud, how out of touch do you think the people of British Columbia are!! Next you will be talking about her education at SFU, the University of Edinburgh and the Sourbonne, none of which she actually graduated from! Perhaps you would like to put that up against Mr. Cummins 2 degrees!

John Cummins DOES have a better connect with the people of BC – he knows what it means to work hard – he knows what it means to put food on the table, and a roof over the head of his family.

Why do I say that?  Well here’s the facts:

John Cummins obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Western Ontario where he attended King's University College ... and ... a master’s degree from the University of British Columbia

He also worked in the pulp and paper industry in Ontario, the oil fields of Alberta and on the construction of the Bennett hydroelectric dam in Northern BC.

He taught school in the Northwest Territories, the Peace River district of Northern Alberta, and then spent 15 years teaching in Delta.

He was a commercial fisherman; owning & operating commercial fishing boats in BC for over 20 years.

As to his political experience, John Cummins was first elected to the House of Commons in the 1993 election, as a Reform Party member. He was re-elected in 1997, 2000 (as a member of the Canadian Alliance), 2004, 2006, and 2008 (as a Conservative). As a Member of Parliament, Cummins served twice as party critic for Fisheries and Oceans, in addition to his work on various other House of Commons and Joint Committees.

And Christy Clark?

Clark was born in Burnaby, British Columbia on October 29, 1965. Her father, Jim, was a teacher and a three-time candidate for the Legislative Assembly and her mother, Mavis, was a family counsellor. Clark attended Simon Fraser University (SFU), the Sorbonne in France and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She studied Political Science and Religious Studies but did not graduate

Clark was first elected to the legislature in the 1996 election, representing the riding of Port Moody-Burnaby Mountain. During the next five years, she served as the Official Opposition critic for the environment, children and families and for the public service. She also served as the campaign co-chair for the BC Liberals during the 2001 election, in which the party won 77 of 79 seats in the legislature.

Clark hosted the Christy Clark Show, airing weekdays on CKNW 980 AM in Vancouver from August 27, 2007 through to her decision to enter the BC Liberal leadership election in December 2010.

Hands down John Cummins not only has what it takes to lead the BC Conservatives in the next provincial election, when compared to BOTH Christy Clark and Adrian Dix, he is best suited to also be the next Premier of our province.

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