Y
esterday in Kamloops, as many of you know, the former BC
Conservative candidate for Nechako
Lake, Dan Brooks, officially
announced he will be seeking the support of members across the province, to
become the parties next leader. Some of
the news media stories regarding his announcement can be found at:
The Province: http://www.theprovince.com/news/Northern+candidate+Conservative+leadership/8904816/story.html
Kamloops Daily
News:
http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20130912/KAMLOOPS0101/130919947/-1/kamloops/first-bc-conservative-tosses-name-into-leadership-race
The Tyee: http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2013/09/12/BCConsLeader/
Just to be clear, as I have already been asked
this, I have not yet made any decision on who I will be supporting for the
leadership of the party. Right now, one
person has declared, one more is expected, and there are rumors afloat that
others are considering letting their names stand.
I, like many others BC Conservatives, will be looking foreword to hearing the visions
of the various candidates, for the future of "our" party.
In keeping with that, today I would like to present a background document from
Dan Brooks, on what he considers the three core issues that he will be
presenting. As others step forward in announcing
their candidacy, I will present their thoughts here as well.
Here then, are the three core issues or principles Dan Brooks will be presenting
during his campaign for the leadership of the BC Conservative Party; fiscal
responsibility and accountability ... rebuilding the economy of rural British Columbia ... and
decentralizing decision-making by empowering grassroots British Columbians.
1. Fiscal responsibility and
accountability
In 2001, British
Columbia's total debt was $33.8 billion. That was too
high, said the newly-elected BC Liberals, and so they introduced a balanced
budget law that outlawed future deficits.
By the end of the latest fiscal year, 2012/13 -
after a dozen years of BC Liberal governments - the provincial debt has climbed
to an historic high of $55.8 billion. That's an increase of more than $22.0
billion in just twelve years.
And instead of making fiscal shortfalls
illegal, the BC Liberals actually amended their balanced budget statute - twice
- to allow for successive deficits. Over the last dozen years, the BC Liberal
record is seven deficits and only five surpluses.
The province's independent Auditor General,
moreover, repeatedly has issued qualifying statements on the annual Public
Accounts, saying they do not conform with generally accepted accounting
principles.
On top of that, the province's 'Contractual
Obligations' - that is, future payments owed to contracted suppliers such as
Independent Power Producers - have exploded to $99.8 billion. Together, British Columbia's debt
and contractual obligations add up to an almost-unbelievable $155.8 billion.
The BC Conservative Party is dedicated to
bringing the province's finances under control. As party Leader, Dan Brooks
will introduce measures to ensure fiscal responsibility and accountability.
2. Rebuilding rural British Columbia
British
Columbia's rural population has shrunk over the last
several decades and now stands - as a proportion of the total population - as
the smallest in the country. As recently as 1966, one-quarter - 25 per cent -
of all B.C. residents were classified as living in "rural" parts of
the province; by 2011 that number had plunged to just 14 per cent. (The
comparable number for Canada
as a whole was 19 per cent.)
Looked at another way, over the last
half-century, the proportion of British Columbians living in an 'urban' setting
has increased from 75 to 86 per cent.
The trend is persistent. In total numbers, the
province's rural population peaked in 1996 at 667,000. By 2011, that number had
collapsed to just 609,000.
Over a 15-year period, therefore, British Columbia's rural
communities have lost almost 58,000 residents.
It must be said that some cities and regions
outside the Lower Mainland are doing well. For example, between 1996 and 2012,
the Thompson/Okanagan Development Region saw its population grow from 468,000
to 541,000.
That's an increase of 73,000 - or more than
15.6 per cent - over the last 16 years. Most of that growth, however, has taken
place in the central Okanagan, in and around Kelowna. Other cities and towns in the region
have not grown nearly so fast.
In the Kootenay Development Region, the
population between 1996 and 2012 grew by less than 500 people. The situation
was much worse for most of northern B.C., where three of the four development
regions actually lost population between 1996 and 2012.
The Cariboo saw its population fall by 9,600,
while the North Coast lost more than 12,000 souls. The
number of residents in the Nechako region fell
by almost 4,900.
Only the Northeast Development Region - home to
the province's booming natural gas industry - experienced a population
increase, gaining 7,700 residents from 1996 to 2012.
Unfortunately, the provincial government has
done little to acknowledge the on-going challenges that face rural British Columbia.
Indeed, in many instances Victoria
actually has exacerbated the situation, closing dozens of schools, forest
offices, courthouses and other public facilities located in rural and remote
parts of the province.
Dan Brooks and the BC Conservatives believe
that the province's wilful neglect of rural British Columbia must be reversed. It is
long past time to re-invest in our rural economy, to build up transportation
and social infrastructure, to improve the quality of life for rural residents,
and to reverse the decline in population.
As Leader of the BC Conservatives, Dan Brooks
will bring a renewed focus to rebuilding and restoring the province's rural
regions.
3. Empowering grassroots British
Columbians by decentralizing decision-making
