"Victoria In Your Hands"; Does it indeed show the people of our province that BC Conservatives are serious about being responsive and accountable?

BC Conservative Party
candidate Tom Birch

BC Conservatives have long held the belief that Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are elected to "Represent" their constituents.  Its easy to say that, as both the NDP and the Liberals have done, BC Conservatives however are showing they have at least one way to make that work.

Today, I am pleased to present a guest commentary from BC Conservative Shuswap candidate Tom Birch.

As part of our plan to bring in transparent government that truly partners with the people, the BC Conservative Party is piloting a smart phone app. This app will allow an honest 2-way conversation detailing what government is doing for the people and inviting input from the people as to what they expect from their government.

I had the privilege of releasing this on Friday (Jan 18, 2013) during a press conference that was also live streamed to the internet.  The following links will take you to the content of that conference where you can judge its value for yourself.

Victoria In Your Hands - Part 1 (presentation)

This is about 6 minutes long and gives the context into which we are releasing this app.
http://youtu.be/aDkZwI-dT-s

Victoria In Your Hands - Part 2 (demo)
This is about 13 minutes long and shows how the app will bring transparent government and will open up an ongoing 2-way dialogue between the voters and their representatives. This is how government should work in the 21st century.
http://youtu.be/nWayw88jRYA

Victoria In Your Hands - Part 3 (questions/answers)
This is about 8 minutes long and just covers questions that were asked after the presentation.
http://youtu.be/4G5BzGbxCtY

The BC Conservative Party is committed to using all the tools at our disposal to shine a light on our government and to hold them to account for the people of BC.

We challenge every other party and candidate to show their constituents how they will do the same. 

Voter confidence is at a shameful low in our province due to 2 decades of scandals and breach of trust. Right now, our current government is increasing tax payer debt just to fight the Auditor General in court so that they will not have to submit to public scrutiny.

THIS MUST STOP!

I encourage all those who do not vote due to a belief that all parties are the same and looking out only for themselves: Review this app and see if you don’t agree that it is a chance to change the system. Get involved one more time and demand that your candidates show what they are willing to do. Then vote for a new kind of government. We can change the system!

This app will:

• Connect voters to their representatives.
• Allow ad hoc ‘referendums’ on any topic at any time. While these are not binding, they will be a matter of public record that the MLA will have to stand on in the next election.
• Document exactly how MLAs have voted throughout their term.  Again, this becomes a simple access point to information for the voters.
• Document MLA use (or misuse) of public funds

And much more – download it and check it out.

The intent is not to replace public forums but to identify where they are needed and allow more focused discussion on the issues that concern the public. It will take power away from parties and give it to the voters and it will allow everyone’s voice to be heard between elections.

True leaders are not afraid of being transparent and listening to the people they are serving.  The BC Conservative Party is showing their leadership with this app and other party policies. Only time will tell what other parties are willing to do.

So ... BC Conservative candidate Tom Birch has gone on the record with one way to show British Columbians that are party is serious about engaging, listening, and interacting with voters.  And as he also said:

 

We challenge the BC Liberals and the NDP to show how they will do the same.

What do you think of this idea?  Does it indeed show the people of our province that BC Conservatives are serious about being responsive and accountable?  I'd like to hear your thoughts now.