B.C. Conservatives lauded by leadership candidate - Dan Brooks relays resource platform in South Cariboo

The following is an article written by Carole Rooney, which appeared in todays (November 6, 2013) edition of the 100 Mile Free Press.  

 

British Columbia Conservative leadership candidate Dan Brooks recently visited 100 Mile House to meet with potential party supporters.  Brooks is based in Vanderhoof, where he runs a hunting and fishing lodge.

 

"I've been in tourism pretty much all of my life. In my background, I did an awful lot of land and resource management planning." 

 

While his party did not put forward a Cariboo-Chilcotin candidate in the last provincial election, Brooks said he is actively seeking new members in order to begin "building the party" and find a candidate in the constituency. 

 

"Even though we didn't elect anybody, the [B.C.] Conservative Party played a very, very crucial role in this last election, and we took the entire political spectrum to the right, toward free enterprise and personal freedoms. The [B.C.] Liberals tacked to counter us. In previous elections, we weren't a force, and so they could ignore us, but in this election, we were a significant force, and so they had to tack that way." 

 

In this manner, his party did a "great service" for the province and its democracy, he said, so despite having no members sitting in the legislature, those election efforts were not made in vain.

 

"This province will be better by our presence alone. Imagine how much better it will be when we are in government," he added, chuckling. 

 

Brooks explained he realizes people feel discouraged about the lack of strength in his party, but without his right-wing party views, they will only have an "NDP and NDP-like" perspective in the legislature. 

 

"We need a party that represents the ideals of [B.C.] Conservatives across the province. That's what we are trying to build." 

 

Most small rural communities in B.C. are either "outright suffering or stagnant," Brooks said, with little economic growth and dwindling population. 

 

"Across rural B.C. in the last 15 years, we have lost 58,000 people. That's an awful lot of people."

 

Last year, 10,000 residents left the province, he noted, while others have gone to larger urban centres. 

 

"As a potential leader of the [B.C.] Conservative party, that is a worrying trend that I propose to change. So, we have got to put the focus on rebuilding the rural resource economy." 

 

Brooks explained agriculture, forestry and tourism issues in the South Cariboo are likely much the same as in Vanderhoof, as they all require dedicated land. 

 

"So, you have to find ways to utilize land to maximize your revenue base off of that land base. And, there are some deterrents that currently exist." 

 

He noted the first example of this that came to his mind. 

 

"Aboriginal land claims ... have become an economic deterrent, and have made economic growth in our rural resource areas extremely difficult.  I agree entirely with the idea of consultation and accommodation, but you can't perpetuate this indefinitely. At some point in time, someone is going to have to stand up and say, 'we are going to force this issue'." 

 

Brooks added the "biggest problem" on First Nations reserves is abject poverty, and the way to eliminate that is to provide jobs. 

 

"How do you get jobs? You build a rural resource economy. So, by building economic growth in your rural communities, that benefits First Nations." 

 

The current MLAs have become "rubber stamp machines" who follow the party lines, he said, while the B.C. Conservatives will empower constituents by empowering their MLA to represent them as they see fit. 

 

Brooks noted he plans to visit the South Cariboo again before the party leadership elections take place April 11-12. 

 

"I'm going to be down here in 100 Mile the first week of December. This time I'll be holding an event ... we'll have a meet-and-greet."

To all my BC Conservative friends ... and in particular Dan Brooks and Rick Peterson ... "Pursue your goal. Opinions be damned.”

Last Friday (September 27th) I happened across the North Shore News editorial entitled "Off to the races", which began by asking the question: 

"Can anyone recall a time when we were not in the midst of political party leadership race?  "

In the editorial comment they all but wrote off the 'leadership contests of the BC Conservatives and Greens' ... basically saying that even if you knew they were having a leadership contest, who would really care. 

At the same time however they did not have much complimentary to say about the Liberals or NDP:

Every time, we get the same commentary about the identity crisis the party must have in order to begin anew. Should they focus on their core principles? Or should they branch out to bring more people into the tent? 

 

In the NDP's case, it didn't seem to matter. Dix came in as a leader criticized for being too much of an old-guard, partisan ideologue and went down as a leader who wouldn't fight hard enough win the election. 

 

No matter who emerges as the new leader, a few things won't change.

Shall I complain?  Well to paraphrase the North Shore News, who would really care.  But then again, who should really care what they have to say?

SOME in the media, in my personal opinion, take the easy way out.  They rely on government, or political party media releases to get information needed for the news they present, and they don't dig very deep because that would take some effort and time.  Given the fact that media everywhere have chopped newsroom staff and budgets, that becomes difficult. 

So, let me say this ...  there are difference between parties, and therefore there is reason to pay attention to leadership races.  NOT just to see who is running, but why they are running. 

Every British Columbian -- and people involved in presenting the news -- should make some effort to find out what each political party stands for; not just the policies they say they champion, but also the principles that guide them. 

As a BC Conservative, I believe there is good reason see what both Dan Brooks and Rick Peterson will present as their vision for the party -- AND see how that lines up with our beliefs and principles.

IT DOES MATTER!  

Dan Brooks leadership campaign to focus on three core issues

Yesterday 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:

Kamloops TV7 News: http://www.cfjctv.com/story.php?id=15999

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

It is up to BC Conservatives to show we are a party worthy of support

I have to say that I am feeling MUCH MORE enthusiastic about being a BC Conservative these days.  Despite not much in the way of news in mainstream media, the rumor mills are alive with talk of upcoming announcements. 

That's why I am asking those outside, and inside the party, "Are you looking to create, and be part of, a true small 'c' conservative party with a social conscience?"

That is what I have always believed in, and hoped to see created in the BC Conservatives.  And those of us who have stuck by the party, and who are now giving us a second look, are (I hope) looking to continue to grow and develope that kind of common sense alternative. 

Dialogue.  That is what people within the BC Conservative Party need to have.  But it must be a respectful dialogue. 

No any one person, or group, is the BC Conservative Party. We have had enough inner squabbles, and I for one am more than ready to say ... "So long good riddance to the past crap" ... and look forward to building the future of the party. 

Personally I believe the party needs to grow from a support base and move out from there -- that means a solid foundation in the interior and north. I feel fairly certain some will not see eye to eye with me on that, however that's the kind of discussion and dialogue the party needs to have. 

Just to be clear, I have not yet chosen who I will be supporting for the leadership of the BC Conservatives. That's because I do not even know yet who is planning to seek the nomination, other than rumors of Dan Brooks and Rick Peterson.  I hope at least one or two others will step forward as well ... and I hope there conservative women considering the leadership as well. 

That is NOT something Christy Clark will do -- it is however, something that Sean Upshaw is firmly committed to!

Where has he been you say (well some will be glad I've been away for awhile), but it has been a busy few weeks, and a few changes in where things are at.  

Regardless, with only a couple of days until the Westside - Kelowna by-election (voting takes place on Wednesday), I wanted to be sure I had at least one post online before hand.

Let me start by saying sometimes I get accused of being negative, when it comes to politics in BC.  Personally, I like to think that in reality that I point out areas of concern, and where improvement might be needed here in our province.

BC Conservative candidate Sean Upshaw
meets with voter on the streets of Westside
Kelowna to talk issues and concerns.

That said ... through the general election in BC, and having spent Saturday with campaign volunteers for BC Conservative candidate Sean Upshaw, I know that  people at the 'ground' level, no matter what party they are affiliated with, are sincere in wishing BC to be a better place to live, work, and raise a family.

I had a chance to say hello to a couple of workers for both the NDP and the BC Liberals while in Kelowna that day, and that just reaffirmed this.

So with that in mind, I'd like to send out 'Kudo's' to all who give of their time and energy. 

Meantime, BC Conservative Party candidate Sean Upshaw, in the Westside Kelowna by-election, will continue right up to election day hitting the doors steps of the riding. Sean is a 'local' candidate that wants to serve the people of the Kelowna, and he knows what that means ... meeting people wherever they are ... whether on the street, in a coffee shop, buying groceries, or on the doorstep. 

He wants to be a true representative to the people of his community, which is why he continually reminds himself that the word 'serv'e, is in Conservative. 

The BC Provincial election is over, the Liberals won a majority, and there is NO need to fear the BC NDP coming to power. 

Christy Clark lost her own riding -- and it is obvious that the people of Vancouver Point Grey were not at all pleased with how she 'represented' them.  They gave her a chance the first time in a by-election ... they saw how she served them ... and they chose to elect someone else they felt would better do the job. 

SEAN UPSHAW; "Let me remind everyone that the word 'serve' is in Conservative"

Who is Westside-Kelowna BC Conservative candidate Sean Upshaw?  Well I asked Sean that very question, and here is what he had to say: 

Westside-Kelowna BC Conservative
candidate Sean Upshaw

Every story has a beginning.  Mine is similar to some, and greatly dissimilar to others.  I begin with this simply to let you know my early roots.  My parents divorced when I was 3. and I ended up in foster homes and between parents. Due to illness my Mom was on Disability Assistance; my father was an alcoholic. It was a challenging time for me as a child, and into my late teens. 

At age 18 I nearly died when I was stung by dozens of wasps, and I went into anaphylactic shock. I survived, and shortly after, I made a decision to make some major changes in my life.  Since then I have never looked back, and set myself on a path to be the best person I can. 

I have been married to my lovely wife, Heather, for almost 30 years. We moved here to Kelowna 11 years ago from Abbotsford, with our 3 children, Andrew, Sarah and Dave.  

Since then, Andrew has gotten married, to Ashley, and they have 2 children, Noah and Ezra. Sarah has been working with me for about 7 years. She did receive her real estate license, but is now working as my unlicensed assistant. Dave was working in real estate with us as well, but has recently moved to Vancouver with his fiancé, Jen. 

Heather and I have a dog named Sami. Some of my hobbies are spending time with my family, watching Canucks hockey and Golf, being out on the lake in the summertime, and vintage cars. I really enjoy studying the stars, the universe and physics. 

I am also a political junkie.  My political interest began when at the age of 10 in Camrose Alberta.  There I had the opportunity to meet, and shake the hand of, Premier Peter Lougheed. From that moment on, I grew to learn that that one individual can make a difference in this world. 

In the 2011 Federal Election I ran as an Independent Conservative Candidate in the Okanagan Coquihalla riding, and of course in the recent BC Provincial General Election, I ran as a candidate for the BC Conservatives. 

My record is that of a person who is well educated, a real

achiever who is not afraid to be innovative and take risks. 

I am loyal and committed to what is right, and to serving people whenever and wherever I am able. Even though I could have been held back by a challenging start to life, I have not let that hold me back from being the best person I can be. 

The reason I have chosen to run, in the Westside Kelowna by-election, is because our Province truly needs a Conservative government if we are to ever get out of the financial mess that the BC Liberals have put us in. 

It is not an easy task taking on a Premier, especially one who is as arrogant and cunning as the one we have now. 

Our province has been robbed from, lied too, and corrupted by this present Liberal government, but hopefully with new eyes on the situation, and the ability to speak first hand to it, they can finally be held to account. 

The BC Liberals have done a masterful job, of covering up their past, with a campaign that was paid for by the very taxpayers that are being deceived. I guess you could say we have sown the wind, and reaped to the whirlwind. Soon the chickens will come home to roost. 

Unfortunately it seems the media, in large part, are a big part of the problem. They have long passed the point of journalism and have been sold out to commercialism. The unbiased days of truth and fairness have been replaced with favoritism and greed, and the need to be populist instead realists. 

Am I being too honest?  

So I have chosen to run because I, like many BC Conservatives, am not under the “spell” of this agenda. 

I see my role in Victoria as one of fighting for truth in the midst of what Christy Clark herself has called a “sick” culture -- one I hope that a growing number of British Columbians will come to acknowledge as a role much in need of being filled. It certainly is not one that the NDP will take on, after all, they are as much a part of it, as the BC Liberals.

Christy Clark has challenged us to, "... compare our (BC Liberal) plan to that of our opponents

This morning I saw a Twitter comment from Kamloops South BC Conservative nominee candidate Peter Sharp, which I admit has prompted me to write today Conservative Thoughts blog post.

"They're hiding it because they don't want you to know what's in it."

At the last BC Liberal conversation in Whistler Christy Clark stated:

"I wish I could challenge you to compare our plan to that of our opponents but you can't. They are hiding it. They're hiding it because they don't want you to know what's in it."

Once again, this comment only shows the arrogance, and contempt, which Premier Christy Clark has for the voters of BC. Truthfully I think she was trying to use reverse psychology.

What she should have said is, "Please don't try to compare our plan, to that of our opponents, because its not there for you to see." 

And that would have been the truth!

What does the BC Liberal Party have as a plan, or vision, to once again make our province strong ... to claim the BC Conservative Party campaign slogan,  "We Believe in BC", as their own?

Well, not much.  If you do try to make the attempt, all you will find is a few lines of fluff:

... that government must promote private sector job creation and competitiveness
... that government must put families first in all decision-making
... that BC must lead in the area of open government

That's it. That's all she wrote. You can see for yourself at "What We Believe" on the BC Liberal Party website.

MEANTIME, as I noted, Christy Clark has challenged us to: "... compare our (BC Liberal) plan to that of our opponents."

And then going on to further state, "They're hiding it because they don't want you to know what's in it."

Would that be accurate? Would that even be truthful?  FAR FROM IT!

John Cummins: "All we need to do to secure a better future is to believe in ourselves"

John Cummins, leader of the BC Conservatives, today released his party's Alternative Throne Speech (2013) which features the theme of 'We believe in B.C.' 

"The BC Conservatives have a positive, optimistic view of British Columbia," said Cummins. "We believe our future has the potential to be better than our past, but there are significant challenges that must be overcome if we are to take full advantage of our many opportunities."

The BC Conservatives' Alternative Throne Speech, 2013, pointed out that B.C. not long ago led the country in terms of average-weekly earnings, but today has sunk to fifth place.

In gross domestic product per capita, B.C. similarly has fallen to fifth in Canada. In fact, British Columbia's GDP per capita is nearly $2,000 behind the national average. 

Labour income - which is the sum of all wages and salaries paid to B.C. workers - is approximately $10.8 billion less than it was two decades ago.

Once a population magnet that drew workers and families from across the country to the Pacific coast, B.C. over the last year-and-a-half has been suffering net losses from interprovincial migration.

B.C. used to be a high-wage province, but that hasn't been the case in recent decades.

How to turn around the province? The BC Conservatives' Alternative Throne Speech, 2013, outlined a number of areas that the party would focus on, including specific policies to assist rural and northern B.C., resource development, fair taxation (including repeal of the carbon tax), balanced budgets, safer communities, skills training and apprenticeships, transportation and agriculture. 

"All we need to do to secure a better future is to believe in ourselves," said Cummins. "The BC Conservatives believe in BC"

To read the full BC Conservative plan ... showing how We Believe in BC ... CLICK HERE

Tell the BC Liberal's, and the New Democrats, enough is enough!

Today we have a guest commentary from BC Conservative Party member, and Kamloops South nominee candidate, Peter Sharp:

One of the stories in today's edition of the Kamloops Daily News had the following headline; "MLA expense reports lack detail, taxpayers’ federation says -- 'It’s a virtually worthless document'

Expense reports showing how much B.C.’s provincial politicians spend on travel are worthless, a director of the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation says.

“It’s flawed in many ways,” Jordan Bateman said Friday.



BC Conservative Party nominee
candidate Peter Sharp

The reports don’t include a breakdown of ministers’ expenses, doesn’t give context on the number of trips they actually took or where they went, nor does it include who travels with them, although MLAs are allowed to take someone on 12 trips a year.

“It’s a virtually worthless document,” he said.



While the BC Liberal government crows about what a wonderful job they are doing with our economy -- the BC Taxpayers says BC Liberals and NDP MLA's are being completely unaccountable with our tax dollars. 

This is just ONE of the reasons why I have chosen to seek the nomination to run as the BC Conservative candidate in Kamloops South Thompson. Here are the FIRST two things the party I support believes in:

The BC Conservative Party is founded on and will be guided in its policy formation by the following principles:

1) A belief in clearly defined public policies and programs that are affordable and effective and for which delivery is accountable to all the people of British Columbia.

2) A belief in managing the government to the highest standards of integrity and transparency and British Columbians are entitled to full knowledge of services rendered and their costs.


We have endured two decades of NDP and BC Liberal governments. 

Ever vigilant to comments I make on social media, about his government, Kamloops South BC Liberal MLA Kevin Krueger was there to respond

BC Premier Christy Clark - Families First?

With regards to the pathetically partisan / self congratulatory advertising the BC Liberal government is running, using $15 million of our tax dollars. While the following, from the Competition Act applies to businesses only, it is the spirit of what is written in to the act that is of interest to me.  It is also something the BC Liberal Party brass has never given a second thought, or concern about.

False or Misleading Representations:
The Competition Act provides criminal and civil regimes to address false or misleading representations. Section 52 of the Act is a criminal provision.

It prohibits knowingly or recklessly making, or permitting the making of, a representation to the public, in any form whatever, that is false or misleading in a material respect.

I wonder if they have ALSO read this section?

False or Misleading Representations:
Paragraph 74.01(1)(a) of the Act is a civil provision. It prohibits the making, or the permitting of the making, of a representation to the public, in any form whatever, that is false or misleading in a material respect.

Ever vigilant to comments I make on social media, about his government, Kamloops South BC Liberal MLA Kevin Krueger was there to respond:

Kevin Krueger:  Have you been to the web-site which the ads refer job-seekers to? Probably not. Do you know or care that the B.C. Liberals have built an economy which has added hundreds of thousands of jobs for British Columbians? Or that we have vastly ramped up skills training in B.C.?

Alan Forseth:  Yes I have actually been there Kevin --- and there is much self-congratulatory rhetoric there ... along with of course useful and helpful information.

Where I have the biggest issue is the out and out lies being told about the fiscal record of this current government --- its tax policies that have negatively impacted and affected middle-class families struggling to make ends meet -- and the impossibility (given ever-rising annual deficits) that it can possibly deliver a balanced budget next year.

This has been the worst partisan advertising -- rivaling even that done by the NDP in the dying days of their government -- and to ad insult to injury, its is we that taxpayers who are funding this BS advertising.

Shame on your government!

Kevin Krueger: Your continual disparaging of British Columbia's economic success is false and destructive. Name a non-socialist economist in Canada who agrees with you! We have the lowest income taxes in Canada, and with Alberta, the most robust economy in the country, which is world-leading. Ontario is running a $14 billion deficit this year; B.C.'s deficit will be eliminated on March 31. Most western countries are running deficits, Al. You should stop your fear mongering and deception.

Alan Forseth:  On this we will just have to agree to disagree Kevin ...

I am part of the shrinking middle class that continues to see nothing but increased government costs whittling away at resources that should instead be used for not just necessities, but even a little entertainment and relaxation. Those things, for low and middle class British Columbian's, are getting harder and harder to do, under the BC Liberal watch.

Things that BC Liberal MLA Terry Lake hopes you won't become aware of --- BC Liberals backroom manipulators remain hopeful as well

Today Kamloops North Thompson  BC Liberal MLA Terry Lake is quoted as saying; "What we do see is, as we get closer to election, is that people are understanding what the BC Conservatives are all about ... "

MY hope is that people do indeed fully understand what the BC Conservatives are all about ... what we stand for ... and what we hope to bring to the political stage in British Columbia.  They are the things that Terry Lake hopes you won't become aware of --- and BC Liberals backroom manipulators hope that remains the same.          

That's because BC Conservative beliefs, principles and policies are totally opposite to how the BC Liberals have in reality governed:

BC Conservatives believe in clearly defined public policies and programs that are affordable and effective and for which delivery is accountable to all the people of British Columbia.  We are entitled to full knowledge of services rendered and their costs

BC Conservatives believe in managing the government to the highest standards of integrity and transparency

BC Conservatives believe that governments at all levels are responsible to serve and respect all individuals and their families

BC Conservatives believe that Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA's) are primarily responsible to represent the interests of their Constituents

BC Conservatives believe in a rigorous system of law and order focusing on the rights of victims and the protection of the public

And BC Conservatives believe in smaller government resulting in more liberty and personal property rights, the encouragement of new enterprise and individual achievement striving towards excellence and prosperity

MEANTIME ... what would be our "understanding" of how BC Liberals do things?

With BC Liberals we have had cost over-runs on a number of projects ... the BC Liberal government has raised rates on the Medical Services Plan ... while managers and CEO's of government agencies and crown corporation have given themselves raises and bonuses, rates for ICBC, BC Ferries, and BC Hydro have all been jacked up.  WHY?

Remember that the BC government was going to will allow for naming rights to BC Place Stadium; Telus put in a bid for tens of millions of dollars and then the government rejected it.  WHY? 

Auditor General John Doyle holds the BC Liberals to account for spending waste -- then all of a sudden he is not going to have his contract renewed -- then he is -- then maybe he will be.  WHY? 

Will BC Liberal MLA Eric Foster confirm taxpayers of BC will be sinking over a quarter of a million dollars into a building that cost the owners $189,000 to buy?

BC Liberal MLA Eric Foster seems to have no concerns as to questionable spending of taxpayer dollars to renovate a constituency office he had JUST leased.  I am not surprised -- but all British Columbian's should be --- and they should know this is okay with BC Liberal Party hacks and elected officials.

Regardless ... the people should however have answers.

Why on earth would Eric Fosters lease a building, to be used as his Vernon- Monashee Constituency Association office, when tens of thousand of dollars were going to be needed to renovate that same building?

Why were the costs for this renovation submitted to the government with no paperwork accounting for what the money was spent on?

Why would he have leased a building requiring that kind of expensive renovation when office space was available that did not require anywhere near this kind of expense?

Can or will Eric Foster (or the BC Liberal government) confirm they approved renovations of $78,000 to be made on a building that had only been purchased for $189,000 -- just 4 days before the 2009 provincial election?

Will Eric Foster and his BC Liberal government confirm that the taxpayers of BC will indeed be sinking over a quarter of a million dollars (including the much higher costs of a new 4 year lease) in to a building that cost the owners $189,000 to buy?

Will Eric Foster confirm the owners of the building are indeed BC Liberal supporters?

NO HE WILL NOT ... instead, Eric Foster dismisses legitimate questions saying; "I think [the BC Conservatives would be well served to find out who owns buildings of other MLA's around the province, on both sides of the House."

"There is no shortage of low-paid jobs. It's the well-paying sectors like natural resources, agricultural products, and manufacturing that are declining"

I hope you won't mind the change, in fact I am sure you won't.  In the coming months leading up to the provincial general election next May, I am opening up the Conservative Thoughts blog to my friends who like me are small 'c' conservatives with a social conscience.

 

Scott Anderson, BC Conservative
candidate for Vernon - Monashee

Today I am delighted to present the talk given by Vernon - Monashee BC Conservative candidate Scott Anderson -- this was to party members in Kamloops at a function they held a week and a half ago.

Will Rogers once said that if even 10% of what politicians promised came true, none of us would want to go to Heaven because it would be too much fun here.  What he meant of course is that politicians have a reputation for telling people what they want to hear instead of telling them the truth.

Looking at British Columbian politics today we can see why politicians have such a bad reputations. 

I'm going to use the Northern Gateway pipeline as an example, but I'd like each of you to think of it as representative of something much bigger - the way we do business in this province. 

Christy Clark has been blowing hot and cold about the pipeline depending on which group is making the most noise, and Liberal MLAs have been running around like headless chickens trying to figure out what direction Clark is going in each day.  The latest news is that Clark is refusing to even meet with pipeline officials, but tomorrow she may be having tea with them! 

The NDP, for its part, is against the pipeline but won't come out and say it - instead they are going to bury it in red tape with yet another redundant  "environmental review." As you know, the federal government is conducting a months-long, multimillion dollar environmental review.  But the NDP's second review will ask the same questions, get the same answers, cost millions of our dollars, and it's all just for show because they've already said they're against the pipeline.

What the two parties have in common is that neither one is being upfront with us. 

The BC Conservatives aim to change that way of doing business.  We WILL tell you where we stand.  If everything we know so far holds true, we ARE for the pipeline.  If there truly are 4,100 person-years of direct on-site work, and a total of 35,000 person-years of work throughout the province, then - with the proper environmental controls in place - we would be fools NOT to go ahead with the pipeline. 

Let's talk about economic realities in Canada for a moment.  The Canadian Energy Research Institute estimates that there the oil sands will generate $2.1 trillion in economic benefits over the next 25 years and about 905,000 jobs by 2035.

Here's what Marc Joiner, a partner at Deloitte has to say about the oil sands:

 “The oil sands are going to be the economic engine for the country for the foreseeable future, for the next 25 to 30 years, and it is akin to the impact of building the national railway in the 1880s."

What does this have to do with BC?  Well, there's a catch.  The International Energy Agency recently estimated that the United States would be the world's biggest oil producer by 2017.  Even right now there's an oil supply glut in the US, which is one reason Canadian oil is getting almost $30 less per barrel than world prices for its oil in the US.

That means we need new markets for our oil.  Those new markets are in Asia.  That's reality. 

So let's not kid ourselves - after all is said and done, there will be a pipeline.  If it's not in BC, it'll be in the Yukon, where the Premier has already said he'll support it, or in the northern US.  We can either say yes to the economic benefits or we can let someone else benefit.

I want those benefits to come to BC.

We have to stop saying no to economic growth and start saying yes to carefully managed projects that will bring highly paid, highly skilled jobs back to BC. 

Now what about environmental concerns?  To hear some people talk about it, the Northern Gateway Pipeline is like a giant garden hose just waiting to spew bitumen all over the landscape. 

There are over 700,000 thousand kilometers of pipeline in Canada today, and of them all, the Northern Gateway pipeline has the distinction of being the most modern, most scrutinized, most environmentally regulated pipeline in the history of this nation. 

It has layers of fail-safes built in, including pressure monitoring, isolation valves that shut automatically, and even permanent human monitoring.  The initial application to the National Energy Board is 20,000 pages long and involves over a decade of detailed and exhaustive study covering engineering, and environmental assessments.  There is nothing slipshod or unstudied about this pipeline. 

But as a party that holds the environment as one of its top priorities, even that's not enough.  We will insist on extremely stringent environmental guidelines, and strictly enforce them.

So will the pipeline destroy northern BC?  Is it a disaster just waiting to happen?  Of course not.  If I had a wall map of BC here on the wall, and I took a human hair and stretched it across the map from left to right, that's the physical footprint we're talking about.  That doesn't mean we can thread it between the trees and leave no footprint of any kind, but with careful stewardship we can minimize the damage we cause.

And it's important to understand something else.  All talk of so-called "green jobs" aside, Asia is going to get its oil from somewhere.  If not from here, it will get it from Africa or the Middle East where there are no environmental controls at all.  So people who are concerned about the earth's environment should thank their lucky stars that Canada - with our strict environmental controls - is destined to become one of the world's leading producers of energy.

But just because the Northern Gateway pipeline isn't going to destroy the north, does that mean it's a good idea?

After all, the pipeline is not going to solve all of BC's economic problems by itself.  While it will bring hundreds of jobs to BC, by itself it's no cure for our jobs problem.

But it is a start.  It's a start to the kind of economic develop we need in this province. 

A recent report - Hungercount 2012 by Food Banks Canada, points out that food bank use in BC is up over 23% since 2008.  Much more worrying is the fact that most of that increase is by middle class families - not just the homeless and drug users.

That's not just a jobs problem - that's a social problem.

I was talking to a restaurant owner in Vernon a few days ago and he told me that many of his regular customers would live here and work in Alberta.  He said that started changing about 6 months ago when they began to pick up and move to Alberta. Now he says that about one family a week is moving away.  They're gone and they won't be back.

That was in Vernon, but I know you have the same issues here.  How many here know of people who have moved to Alberta or are planning to in the near future?  And this is not just an abstract to me either.  My own 25 year old son is moving to Alberta after seven years of trying desperately to find a decent paying job here. 

Take a walk around the downtown core and count the empty storefronts.  We have a serious problem here in the Interior.  This province is being hollowed out.  When Premier Clark announced her Jobs Plan last fall unemployment was at 6.7%, but in May it hit 7.4%, and now it's worse.  The lion's share of that unemployment is right here in the Interior.

Food Banks Canada identified the problem:

"There is no shortage of low-paid jobs. It's the well-paying sectors like natural resources, agricultural products, and manufacturing that are declining."

Now, what are the other parties solutions?  Vague references to green jobs and more skills training.  Recently Carol James of the NDP said in an editorial that the NDP's poverty reduction plan involves affordable housing, education, and skills training.  Skills training is important, of course, but it's only part of the answer.

My local Liberal MLA pointed at increasing the minimum wage as a step toward solving the problem. 

Those solutions are not poverty reduction at all - They simply make poverty slightly more bearable. 

That's not the answer.

What's missing from these plans?  Actual high paying jobs.  You can have all the training in the world, but without a job, what good is it?  My daughter wants to be an astronaut.  She's got the grades and the drive and the ambition to do it too.  But she can go to school for 400 years and earn 50 doctorates, but without an astronaut job available, it won't do her a whit of good.

Yes we need education.  Yes we need skills training.  Yes we need to help the poor.  But let's not build our vision around poverty. 

Let's build it around a strong economy and high paying jobs.

The Northern Gateway Project won't save our economy single-handedly, but represent a change in the way we've been looking at our economy.

We have the potential of a great economic future for our kids.  The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development recently pegged Canada among the world’s leading economic lights over the next 50 years - in large part because of our natural resources.

I believe we have to stop looking at resource development as a bad thing and start looking at it as a necessary thing.  Yes there are challenges, but we should start looking at them as challenges to be solved rather than reasons not to try.    That's something we always tell our kids when they say "I can't."  There's a difference between something that's hard to do and something that's impossible.  Let's start to adopt that

It's time to stop saying no to economic growth and start saying yes to carefully managed projects that will bring highly paid, highly skilled jobs back to BC.

We have to stop dreaming of magical jobs conjured up by tax-and-spend parties because they sound great at election time but never seem to appear.  We have to stop strangling development in red tape and alarmist rhetoric.  We have to start thinking outside the box and start moving forward into the 21st century. 

The British Columbia Conservatives are the party of realistic change.  We'll bring integrity back into politics, we'll bring common sense back into politics, and we'll bring economic growth back to BC so our kids don't have to leave the province to find work.  We need to move forward, not backwards, we need to embrace change, not hide from it.

With your help, that's exactly what we're going to do.

Again ... the words of Vernon - Monashee BC Conservative party candidate Scott Anderson.  As always now, the floor is open to you.