RICK PETERSON: "What this sector needs is clarity and decisive action from the government"

Today on the Conservative Thoughts blog, I am posting an update from BC Conservative Party leadership candidate Rick Peterson. 

 

To be clear, I have not yet endorsed either Dan Brooks, or Rick Peterson. I will for the moment however, continue to provide information from both campaigns as they progress.  With that out of the way, here's Rick.

I’m just winding up my third day here in the Peace River Country – which I know very well.

 

BC Conservative Party Leadership candidate
Rick Peterson (L) with Peace River Country
Campaign Chair, Oliver Steward

I was raised in Grande Prairie, just over the border into Alberta, and have spent a lot of time in Dawson Creek, Fort St. John and the whole area with friends, family, business partners and BC Conservatives. 

 

I help finance exploration companies that are active up here in the gas sector, so I know very well the challenges and opportunities in this very dynamic area of BC for businesses – large and small – and families. 

Amazing to see.

This is strong BC Conservative territory, as you know. Kurt Peats ran a strong campaign in Peace River South, and every BC Conservative I talk to says that we will absolutely take this riding in 2017. Peace River North is absolutely winnable, and given the reception I’ve received here from BC Conservatives, they are looking forward to us running a well-financed and well organized campaign under my leadership in four years’ time.

I made it a point to come here on my first visit outside the Lower Mainland after our September 23^rd launch. North-eastern BC is an important region not only for our Party, but for the Province. The energy produced here will power this province and support our health care, education and other areas of our economy for decades to come.

 

Strong, vocal and proud support of the Resource Sector is one of the key themes of my Leadership campaign – and it will become a trademark of the BC Conservatives under my Leadership.

As you may have seen on my Twitter account @RPetersonBCCP, I met with mayors, business leaders and a strong group of BC Conservatives here over the past three days. Our membership sales and fundraising for the campaign are now ahead of plan, because of the strong support I’ve received here. We are really on a roll.

I’m attending the final few sessions of the three-day BC Energy Conference. They key message here from every single one of the companies involved in the sector is this: the LNG window of opportunity will not last forever. Global competition is fierce, nimbler and opportunistic.

 

What this sector needs is clarity and decisive action from the government.

 

Tough to see how that can happen with Christy Clark playing pipeline politics with Alberta, the Legislature closed so there will be no debate on these key issues, and private sector leaders waiting to see the BC Liberal government tax plan for this sector – long overdue.

Promise made, delivery delayed.

There is absolutely need for a New Voice, A New Direction and New Leadership in the Peace River Country. Exciting times for our campaign, and for BC Conservatives up here.

 

Rick Peterson,
BC Conservative Party Leadership Candidate

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 announces candidacy for Leader of the BC Conservatives ... Campaign will emphasize issues in Interior, North and Rural B.C.

Dan Brooks steps forward as first candidate
to lead BC Conservative Party

KAMLOOPS, B.C. - SEPT. 12, 2013 - Dan Brooks today announced his candidacy to become the new Leader of the BC Conservative Party.

"I am proud to declare that I am seeking to win election as the Leader of the BC Conservatives," said Brooks.

"I was born in B.C.'s North, I am raising my family in rural British Columbia, and I make my living off our bountiful natural resources. For too long, however, the people living in our province's Interior, North and Rural regions have been neglected, ignored by the decision-makers in Victoria.

"My campaign will focus on developing and being a strong voice for those British Columbians who believe that their interests are not being heard or represented in the corridors of power."

Brooks was born in Vanderhoof, B.C. and he later graduated from the University of Waterloo with a B.A. in Classical (Greek and Roman) Studies.

He returned to the North and in 1995 to operate a family business, Crystal Lake Resort Ltd., located north of the Chilcotin region and south of the Nechako River.

In the May 2013 provincial general election, Brooks was the BC Conservative candidate in the riding of Nechako Lakes. He obtained 12.6 per cent of the popular vote, ranking him fifth out of 56 Conservative candidates who contested the election.

Brooks also announced that his campaign office will be located in Kamloops.

"I believe BC Conservative members living in the Interior, North and Rural parts of the province will decide the next Leader of our party," said Brooks. "And Kamloops is ideally situated as a centralized location from which to run my leadership campaign."

 

BACKGROUNDER

Dan Brooks was born in Vanderhoof in 1975, not long after his parents - Fred and Carolyn Brooks - had moved to British Columbia from Alberta, and bought Crystal Lake Resort, a hunting and fishing lodge located southwest of town.

When Dan was eight, Fred, Carolyn and their children moved back to Alberta to operate the family farm while Fred pursued various businesses across BC and Alberta. The Brooks family would return each summer to Vanderhoof and in 1994 Dan began working at Crystal Lake as a guide.

After he turned 21, Dan decided that he wanted to make his home in northern British Columbia. He married an Alberta girl, Ellen Smith, in 1998 and together they raised their family at Crystal Lake.

Can you please tell me the differences between the Conservatives and the Liberals?

Differences?  Yes there certainly are differences, and not just
minor ones, between the BC Liberals and BC Conservatives

On Saturday I received an email from a resident of the North Thompson; they asked, “Can you please tell me the differences between the Conservatives and the Liberals?” 

I think if a number of BC Conservative supporters were asked that question, they likely would have a number of different answers. 

It is a good question, one the party should be considering, and I hope you will take a moment to see what I had the say in response to it: 

Hello Alan,


This is Robert S---, I am in the North Thompson riding. I emailed Peter Sharp before the election because his was the only email I found. I don't imagine it makes much difference at this time though.

I only started getting interested in politics this year because I am tired of voting a party out, not voting a party in, so I figured to try a third party, the Conservatives.

Can you please tell me the differences between the Conservatives and the Liberals, both being free enterprise parties.

Thank you,
Robert S.  


Good afternoon Robert ... thanks for getting in touch ...

WOW -- you have asked a big question; one that deserves a thoughtful response, and not necessarily one that all members would not be unified in stating. 

First I believe there are two distinct area where we differ from the BC Liberals; one we believe that political parties should be sponsored by individuals, not big business and big labour.  The BC Liberal Party has be steadfast in not supporting this, which is not hard to understand as they are supported to the tune of millions of dollars by big business.  Our position has now also been taken up by the NDP and Green Party, and is being pushed by Integrity BC. 

The question that needed asking was, "So where do the Conservatives go from here?"

It's conversation time again ... this time Alan and Allen ... as the question is asked of me, "What went wrong, and where do we go from here." 

These kinds of conversations are going on all over the province and so it would seem to me that there is much value to be gained from sharing thoughts, questions, and suggestions amongst each other. 

This then, is another of several I have had in recent days:

Hi, Alan,

I would be interested in your take on the election results.  It seems to me that John focused all his energy in attacking Christy Clark rather than the NDP, in expectation that she was vulnerable and the Conservatives could pick up Liberal seats.

Obviously, like the pollsters, he got it wrong. So where do the Conservatives go from here?


Hello again Allen, and thanks for your email ...

Boy there is sure a lot to look at and digest from the election.  The bottom line, in my opinion, is that we were strategically wounded last Summer and Fall, and the party and leadership were never able to recover.  The party tried to make several attempts to highlight positions of importance, that would make real positive change across the board to the people of BC, but the clamour we were spiraling down (fed by polls and media pundits) only re-enforced that we were not yet ready to govern.

That said, we now have the opportunity to build a strong party, and leadership at all levels will also need to be looked at; from the local CA level right to the top.

The beliefs and principles of our party ARE important, and we as BC Conservatives need to present our party as a clear alternative to the BC Liberals -- AND the NDP.  I hope that you will be encouraged to support our party, to perhaps take a step towards being part of the local CA Board, and to show others that BC Conservatives will have a message integrity and accountability in the platform and policies we will take to voters next time round.

Thanks again for getting in touch ... and have a great day ... 


Thanks, Alan, this is as I have expected. 

I do think that we were wounded, as you say, and I also supported our leader, but I hope that he will recognize the value of stepping aside and encouraging the search for a new leader. He did not seem to ever connect with the public, and it was not all the fault of the media. 

I think they gave him a fair opportunity to set forth his message as one of the four leaders. I also thought that the things he said, and the policies he set forth had opportunity to resonate with the electorate, but I believe his strategy was wrong, and his negativity towards Christy Clark backfired. 

Yes, I am disappointed in the results of Tuesday night; but are my thoughts sour grapes? I hope not!

I'm back ... after a two and a half month long absence to take on the role of Campaign Manager for Peter Sharp, and BC Conservatives in Kamloops South Thompson. 

I'll start off my first Conservative Thoughts blog post saying I have wrestled with the material for this first one back, as some will say this is sour grapes.  That is NOT my intent however. 

This is just a personal observation, after having previously run as a candidate in a provincial election in 1996 --- and now 17 years later being just as intensely involved. 

People then (1996) indicated that a large concern they had was for government to be more open and accountable to them -- they were also concerned about rising debt -- and respect / integrity by elected representatives to the people of BC.  The turnout of registered voters was 71.5% of the population. 

In 2001 that dropped to 70.95 ... in 2005 it dropped again to 62.36 ... and in 2009 a huge drop to 55.14% again of registered voters occurred.

Tuesdays turnout apparently was 52% but that was likely of those estimated to be eligible to vote -- not of those who were registered.  I think is probably safe to assume that there was no change in voting patterns.  

Given this, I would like you to consider the opening comments of a Royal Commission study of Voter Turnout in Canada (Bakvis, 1991: xvii): 

The act of voting in an election is perhaps the single most important form of political participation in modern democracies. It remains the most direct means available to citizens of signaling their interests and preferences to government and of controlling those who seek to govern them. 

The extent to which citizens exercise this most fundamental right can be seen as an indicator of the health of democracy. 

A low level of voter turnout can be taken as indicative of political alienation among a good proportion of the populace; as a consequence, elected leaders may not be seen as fully legitimate.  

A lack of confidence when manifested through low voter turnout may also affect the legitimacy of basic political institutions. Conversely, high voter turnout can be construed as evidence of both a high level of commitment to the political order and existence of a citizenry interested in the welfare of their nation. 

*** I have added the BOLD font

So now back to the wrestling I have been going through with my thoughts and observations from this campaign, and others, including the one I participated in as a candidate in 1996. 

PETER SHARP: BC Conservatives release "Spending Smarter" policy paper

"Change for the better, with how the Legislative Assembly operates, will only begin when individual MLA's can once again have greater say in the role of government."

BC Conservative Party candidate Peter Sharp

So said BC Conservative Kamloops South Thompson candidate Peter Sharp, after reviewing the parties just released position paper, "Spending Smarter".  

"For all intensive purposes, it honestly seems that our BC Liberal government has abdicated its' role in ensuring taxpayer financial resources are wisely spent."

"While the government would like us to believe this recently introduced budget is balanced, most are understandably suspicious." 

Highlights of the "Spending Smarter" policy paper include specifics on how Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA's) can once again ensure taxpayers get full value for their money.  These will include: 

1) Allowance for a thorough look at the financial outlays of government before they are made. 

2) The creation of a Legislative Budget Office, with the role of providing independent analysis for MLA's, helping them with complex financial and economic data. 

3) An improvement to how the Fall sitting of the Legislature functions.  Rather than a focus on passing or amending legislation, the Legislature will instead have opportunity to review the expenditure of taxpayer resources by the government, Crown corporations, as well as schools, universities, colleges and hospitals.

"Ongoing deficits, and ever increasing debt, is a financial plague that must end.  Our Spending Smarter position paper will be the start of making that actually happen", concluded Sharp.

NOTE:
The BC Conservative Party "Spending Smarter" policy paper is available to review at: http://www.bcconservative.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Spending-Smarter.pdf

Polls -- Support --- Nominating Candidates -- and YOU

In spending some time online this morning looking over news stories, and comments from political commentators, I came across two things of note:

1) The new EKOS Politics / iPolitics.ca poll shows the strongest age demographic, with support for the BC Conservatives, is the "Family Raising" age bracket of 25 to 44 ... with those who are retired (65+) being the next strongest age demo. 

The poll also shows that timing is now crucial.  It indicated support is increasing again, and has gone from 11.4% late last year, to now stand at 14.6%. This is the 3rd poll, in two weeks, where I have seen showing support growing once again

2) Another reason why small 'c' conservatives can - and should - support the BC Conservative Party is found in a blog post from political commentator BC Iconoclast. 

This morning part of his post stated; "The media story is that she (Allison Redford) pulled off a dramatic change of fortune for her party. If she can do it, so can Christy Clark is the argument. I do not think this example applies in BC for a number of reasons ..."

His opinion piece is short and to the point, and so I would certainly like to encourage you to read it (http://bciconcoclast.blogspot.ca/2013/02/cold-christy-clark-pull-of-win-like.html)

Right now we need every member and every supporter to lend a hand, in whatever way they are able (including simply offering encouragement), so that we go into the 30 day campaign period strong! 

Volunteer to help -- make a donation to the campaign -- get your friends and neighbors to think about supporting and voting for us.  The bottom line is we simply need you to do whatever you can.

For those of you who are BC Conservative Party members, in the Kamloops South Thompson riding, this is what you need to know is most important. 

Right now we need you to beb there at the nomination meeting (Thursday February 21st) to cast a vote for the candidate you believe will best represent us here in the Kamloops South Thompson riding. 

Again the meeting is at 7pm at the Old Yacht Club on River Street. Come hear what your nominee candidates (Maria Dobi and Peter Sharp) have to say ... ask them your questions. 

If you require a ride to attend, just call and we'll be happy to get you there.  IF you are unable to attend, please call or email so we can get a Mail-In ballot to you.

We are BC Conservatives ... We Believe in BC!


FOLLOW-UP:
Since posting this earlier, I received a comment by email that I thought I would share and pass along to you:

Alan, that's my story.  I am in that age bracket and many of my friends are worried about our future in BC.  Low paying jobs, high cost of living and a government that spends taxpayer money like it was from their parents trust fund.  I even hear stories that people don't want to have kids because they won't be able to afford it. 

I wasn't drawn to the party because it was an OWG club.  I was drawn to it because of the principles the party stood for.  I think this is what we need to push out everytime we hear of the OWG criticism.

SO ... just which political party actually DOES support the hard working men and women that pack a lunch bucket to the job site?



I'm wondering ... does Adrian Dix and the BC NDP support the 'leadership' of the unions which make large campaign contributions --- or the actual men and women that pack a lunch bucket to the job site?

I'm wondering this because it seems ONLY the BC Conservative Party actually supports development of new high paying, family raising, union jobs in the resource industry (ie: mines and Northern Gateway)

From the Globe and Mail ... with regards to Adrian Dix and the NDP:
"With a regulatory review for the contentious Northern Gateway project still under way – and a provincial election on the horizon – British Columbia’s New Democratic Party is already looking at ways to stop the $5.5-billion project should it be approved."

That includes a legal team considering strategies to prevent it from being built, NDP Leader Adrian Dix says.

“You can do a whole pile of stuff on the regulatory front that will increase the price to where it makes it economically prohibitive,” said one former bureaucrat, who did not want to be identified because of current contracts with industry. “The smartest thing to do from a political perspective would be to fight the thing in court because the delays will kill the project.”

And in the National Post with regards to, Christy Clark Yes today and NO tomorrow??
"Clark’s real weapon is political: the opposition of much of the B.C. public to the project, and the price the federal Tories would likely pay at the polls were they seen to be overriding the government of B.C. on the matter — her own, or her likely NDP successor’s.

The list of demands she has suddenly produced, are
an obvious attempt to inoculate herself on the
Gateway issue, without actually coming out against it."

The list of demands she has suddenly produced, far behind in the polls with less than a year to go before the provincial election, are an obvious attempt to inoculate herself on the Gateway issue, without actually coming out against it."

Now let's look at the comments of BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins, spoken just a week ago:
"The BC Conservatives, alone among our province's four major political parties, support the economic development and high-wage job opportunities that will come with construction of the Northern Gateway pipelines," said Cummins.

"Of course, the project must adhere to our nation's stringent environmental laws and regulations. A fair and objective analysis will conclude that the economic benefits to Canada and British Columbia are real and tangible."

The reasons behind the support for the pipeline centers on job-creation and resource management.  “If we don’t do something with these resources,” he said, “someone else will”.

Meantime, if anyone thinks the BC Conservative Party position has changed in any way, I invite you to check out this link to a video which was done by Integrity BC.  It features BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins, and confirms our position has remained the same.

Do BC Conservatives support development at any cost -- NO of course not ... although we have, and will again be alleged, to have that policy.  Here however are the facts of BC Conservative Party policy regarding jobs, the environment, and resource development:

BC HYDRO Part 3 (AKA) Does "No" actually mean "No" to the BC Liberals? To all of them? Some of them? And on what day?

Today's Conservative Thoughts commentary is a guest op / ed.  Unfortunately I am unable to include the name of the writer, but this is a person I have known and have respected for nearly 20 years.

 

As B.C. Hydro and Corix installers roll out across the province, targeting people who’ve refused the Hydro smart meters, the message changes constantly.

“I’ve been ordered to put a meter on every house
and I’m doing it.”, he replied ... and he did.

From 85,000 to 140,000 British Columbians have registered with Hydro to refuse the smart meters. Reasons include health, safety, privacy, time of day billing and, as one man put it, “the jack-booted way it’s being imposed”.

On January 22nd Energy Minister Rich Coleman reassured the hold-outs that meters wouldn’t be forced upon them.

On January 29th Liberal MLA Gordon Hogg issued a statement, telling people pressured to accept new meters, to notify their MLA’s.

On January 30th a Kamloops reporter wanting to confirm the government’s position, phoned several MLAs.  BC Liberal MLA and Energy Minster Rich Coleman wasn’t available, but his office sent a copy of the Jan. 22nd statement that Smart Meters would not be forced on them.

Gordon Hogg’s office replied “Mr. Hogg is no longer speaking to the media on the smart meter issue.” 

Kamloops South Thompson MLA Kevin Krueger, the only Liberal MLA who would speak, said “..We always have some people who think everything’s bad for them. …however there are some people with really unique health conditions.  I don’t want to have smart meters anywhere near them."

People felt reassured.  It didn’t last long.

Between January 28th and February 1st, the city of Kamloops was targeted for a final installation blitz. Corix, the company doing installations, employs mostly young men who are paid by piece work.  Every morning they held a team meeting during which they’re told where to go, what to say and what to do.

On January 28th, a 72 year old woman insisted to the installer that she didn’t want a smart meter.  “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?” she asked. 

“I’ve been ordered to put a meter on every house and I’m doing it.”, he replied, and he did.

Another woman, who has medical problems, explained why she was refusing. “Now I’ve talked to you can I be confident no one else will come install a meter?” 

"We’ll be back”, was the response.

“When?”, she asked 

The response?  ... “Maybe tomorrow.” 

One man became so exasperated, after he was asked three times why he was refusing, that he grabbed for the smart meter.  In the scuffle a Corix employee fell to the ground.  The RCMP arrived within 15 minutes and told the householder he would be charged.

Finally, Christy Clark has said something that I can agree with! It is possible to ... "predict future behaviour based on your previous record.”

Given Premier Christy Clark's comments, I predict
rising taxes and fees ... and ever increasing debt

The following comments are from an opinion piece, in the Victoria Times Colonist, which was written by Les Leyne; "Leaders differ on balancing the budget"

NDP Leader Adrian Dix said ... there’s no way it will be balanced. Premier Christy Clark said it most certainly will ...

Even while continuing the advertising blitz, the government announced it is currently a half-billion dollars off its budget

Clark said ... “We are going to make sure we are the lowest tax jurisdiction in the country for personal income taxes ... that is the most important way government keeps life affordable for people.”

Although the running tally for the current year’s deficit is higher than expected, the plan is to erase it in a new budget next February.

Now ... here's another comment that our BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark made, and now probably wishes she hadn't, back in December of last year.  QUOTE: “It’s possible to predict future behaviour based on your previous record.”

Okay Christy ..., let's do a little research to see if in fact that comment, which YOU made, is indeed correct.

BC Ministry of Finance (Summary of Provincial Debt Report -- page #5)
* total BC debt 2001: $33,385,000,000 ($33.385 BILLION)

BC Ministry of Finance (Fiscal and Debt Summary) 2nd Quarter Report 2012 / 13 dated November 28th, 2012
* total estimated Provincial debt (March 2013): $56,356,000,000 ($56.35 BILLION)

BC Ministry of Finance (Budget & Fiscal Plan: 2012/13 - 2014/15 - page #5) -- government document is dated February 21st, 2012
* total estimated debt by 2014/15: $66,354,000,000 ($66.35 BILLION)

Will you look at that!  Christy Clark has finally said something that I can agree with! It is definitely possible to ... "predict future behaviour based on your previous record.” 

But what a dismal record that is for British Columbians here and now ... and those in the future who will be saddled with the results, and consequences, of that ever increasing debt.

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? 

"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!

So Madame Premier ... given the facts ... would you now apologize for misrepresenting the true state of finances in our province?

Why people would ever try to accuse me of fudging and miss-representing figures, regarding the ACTUAL DEBT being racked up by this BC Liberal government, is beyond me. I have said, and will continue to say -- the BC Liberal government, being led by Premier Christy Clark, is LYING to us.

Despite spending millions of taxpayer dollars on partisan advertising, trying to convince us otherwise, the facts speak for themselves.  These are NOT numbers I have made up -- these figures that follow are directly from the BC Ministry of Finance.

Budget and Fiscal Plan ... for the years 2006 / 2007 through to 2008 / 2009

February 21, 2006 -- Ministry of Finance (http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2006/bfp/Summary2.htm)  

Budget Estimate of debt (in billions) for the year:
2006 - 07  ... $36,590
2007 - 08 ... $38,175
2008 - 09 ... $39,800

 

Budget and Fiscal Plan ... for the years 2009 / 2010 through to 2011 / 2012

February 17th, 2009 -- Ministry of Finance (http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2009/bfp/2009_Budget_Fiscal_Plan.pdf)

Budget Estimate of debt (in billions) for the year:

2009 - 10  ... $40,471
2010 -  11 ...  $44,203
2011 - 12  ... $47,215

 

Budget and Fiscal Plan ... for the years 2012 / 2013 through to 2014 / 2015

February 21st, 2012 -- Ministry of Finance
(http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2012/bfp/2012_Budget_Fiscal_Plan.pdf )

Budget Estimate of debt (in billions) for the year:
2012 - 13 ... $57,603
2013 - 14 ... $62,714
2014 - 15 ... $66,354

So Madame Premier ... given the facts ... would you now apologize for misrepresenting the true state of finances in our province? Will you also now STOP running highly partisan ads cheering the obviously questionable financial management of our province by your government -- given the fact it is NOT the truth?

Finally --- given past performance, what on earth would ever convince us that there is any hope you will be able to present a balanced budget for the coming year --- any more than the BC NDP were able to do in the past?

Only one party stands for common sense government, and smarter government spending -- that's the BC Conservatives.

I'm Alan Forseth in Kamloops ... with the thoughts, and questions, of one conservative.

SHARP: "I have made BC, and in particular Kamloops, my home ... I have no more desire to live in a cesspool of pollution, or a scared landscaped, than anyone else."

BC Conservative Party nominee candidate Peter Sharp

Today's Conservative Thoughts blog post is a guest piece from Kamloops South Thompson BC Conservative nominee candidate Peter Sharp.  He writes in response to an article by Kamloops City Councilor Donovan Cavers:

My friend  and Kamloops City Councilor, Donovan Cavers, is concerned about the prospect of the proposed Ajax Mine falling off the radar in Kamloops, stating: 

 

"If, as it seems likely, a decision on the Aberdeen mine falls after the provincial election, will it receive the full and thoughtful examination it warrants during the writ period? Or, will brief responses such as, “I can’t comment as the process is underway,” or “Our party supports the health and prosperity of all Kamloops citizens” and similar “soft” answers echo forum after forum? Perhaps the only firm responses will come from B.C. Conservative candidates cheering the project on, “Full steam ahead!”

You can read his full opinion piece, "Will Ajax be lost in election politics?" by CLICKING HERE.

 

Donovan -- you should indeed be worried we will get more of the same wishy-washy talk from both the BC Liberals and the NDP on the prospect of ANY kind of resource development. They refuse to take any kind of stand for fear of backlash from one side or the other.

The BC Conservatives on the other hand have been very clear ... "Yes -- full steam ahead" with developments that will create well-paying family supporting jobs -- and NEW jobs for our young people desperately looking for something other than low minimum pay entry level jobs.

Its NOT development at any cost however. 

Article3.1.1 of our policy states that we will ... "Enact all legislation in accordance with the concept of economic growth and job creation being most effectively driven through private enterprise as the engine of the economy."

We have, what we believe to be, a balance approach to job creation and long term protection of the environment. Article 7 of our Environmental policy begins by stating:

"We recognize that BC’s diverse environmental assets are the envy of much of the world and should be preserved and protected, and that environmental and fiscal sustainability and optimization should be the hallmark of a government’s policy. To ensure this, our government will work with the public, landowners, involved business interests and other stakeholder groups."

It goes on to state, among other things, that we WILL:

Whatever Kevin (Krueger) thinks, many are INDEED concerned with the downgrade ... and much has been written about it by mainstream media

Kamloops South Thompson BC Liberal MLA Kevin Krueger

For some reason, my friend Kevin Krueger (and Kamloops South Thompson BC Liberal MLA) keeps insisting that all is well with the provinces finances, that they have a handle on the annual and ongoing budget deficits ... and that we should have no concerns about the doubling of debt.

I ... and many others ... would beg to differ.

Kevin on the other hand has gone so far as to say, and I quote:
The BC Conservatives have never done a positive thing for B.C. I have yet to see an apology from John Cummins for the lie he published about BC's Triple A credit rating; we still have it; it is the highest rating in the world, and our interest rates are COMPLETELY UNAFFECTED by Moody's debt warning. All the BCC's have ever accomplished is to elect NDP MLA's.

For starters I MUST remind Kevin that the BC Conservative Party has really only come back to the forefront of BC politics in the past 2 years -- so we have actually played NO role in NDP MLA's being elected.

Those reading Kevin's comments may or may not agree with him -- its up to you. That said, BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins was quite clear in his thoughts on the downgrade of BC's credit rating by Moody's:

“Shocking” was the response last evening from John Cummins, leader of the BC Conservatives, as Moody’s Investor Service downgraded British Columbia’s credit rating to Aaa negative.  “BC’s debt is rapidly rising, even as our economic growth is dramatically slowing.  Meanwhile, the BC Liberals are spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on feel-good, pre-election advertising in the hope they can mask British Columbia’s deteriorating fiscal problems.”

The Moody’s down-grade of B.C.’s debt was accompanied by a sober assessment of the province’s economic and fiscal position.

1) The province’s net debt has grown from “roughly” 65 per cent of revenues in 2008, to 82 per cent in the current fiscal year. That number is expected to grow to approximately” 94 per cent by 2014 / 2015.

2) The fiscal deficit for 2012/13 is forecast to grow by at least 50 per cent (from less than $1.0 billion, to nearly $1.5 billion) – or 3.5 per cent of revenues

3) BC’s economic growth is slowing (according to B.C.’s Economic Forecast Council), to an expected 2.1 per cent in 2012, and 2.2 per cent in 2013.

“B.C.’s total debt will double in just over a decade under the BC Liberals from $33.8 billion, to $66.4 billion,” said Cummins.  “Now, as a result of the credit down-grade, our borrowing costs will rise ever higher. Even though the BC Liberals claim to be superb economic and fiscal managers, the evidence clearly proves otherwise.”

Well of course my Liberal friend Kevin wasn't going to see eye-to-eye on that assessment.  His retort was that: