BC Politics … week of Feb 13th, 2011

Well this week we saw three candidates (2 Liberal and one NDP) drop out of the races to lead their parties … a Throne Speech and Budget delivered that mean nothing as a new premier will be elected next weekend by the BC Liberals … more on Basi Virk / BC Rail and a multitude of other stories. 

As usual, I have tried to stick with one perhaps you may have missed, or that offer another side or viewpoint.  Regardless, take a minute to click the link in each headline and read on for the political stories that made the news this week in BC.

MLAs back after 256-day break -for four days
BC politicians return to work at the legislature Monday for a bizarre one week session that includes a …

Now available … “HST Math for Dummies”

Yesterday in the Vancouver Sun, columnist Don Cayo had a brief story entitled “The HST’s total impact on BC prices well under 1%”.  The following two paragraphs are the story in its entirety:

What might he be saying? Perhaps,"I think
the effect of the HST will be about this much"

The impact varies according to your income and spending habits, but for the average British Columbian the impact of the HST has been less, according to a just-released study, than most experts predicted. And much, much less than many of the tax's critics have claimed.

Jon Kesselman, the Canada Research Chair in Pubic Finance and Simon Fraser University, has calculated the overall impact on the price of consumer purchases at 0.6 per cent, based on StatsCan data on price changes and spending patterns, and factoring in inflation.

I guess perhaps columnists for the Vancouver Sun make enough money they can just kiss off any increase the provincial government decides to throw at us.  Stating that the impact of the HST has only amounted to an increase of .6% of course does make it sound very small … but let’s look at this in “real” dollars and cents.

BC Liberals no more fiscally responsible than NDP.

Plain and simple, the BC liberal Party has given up any right to claim being fiscally responsibile, when it comes to the finances of British Columbia.  In fact, with the provinces debt now approaching the $60 billion dollar mark, the BC Liberals have shown themselves to be no more fiscally responsible than the NDP.

The NDP actually appear to have been more fiscally responsible than the Liberals because they took the debt up to $30 billion from its initial starting point. Liberals however; including current Finance Minister Colin Hansen, have actually raised the debt by $30 billion.

In so doing, they are holding future generations to ransom to pay down this debt, and they have left today’s taxpayers responsible for debt payments of $8 million dollars a day.

Prudent fiscal management? ...... "Horse Manure!"

Yesterday the Finance Minister, Colin Hansen brought down the provinces budget --- and in doing so he said:

“We’ve come through a seismic shift in the global economy and we are emerging much stronger than other places around the world.  Business and consumer confidence are growing.  We have a solid foundation for job creation, business development and improvements in health care, education and social services.  B.C.’s future looks bright.”

BC’s future looks bright???  If our future is looking so bright, then I for one would like to know why the provincial debt is headed for $60 BILLION dollars.  The “Honorable” Finance Minister, Colin Hansen, also stated that: 

“Budget 2011 stays the course, keeping the focus of protecting health care, education and social services as British Columbia moves towards balanced budgets beginning again in 2013.

Protecting health care, education, and social services???  Mr. Hansen, would you care to tell us what the interest payments alone are on a debt of $60 BILLION dollars??  Perhaps some of you are saying $60 BILLION dollars – come on Alan, you're making that up. 

Read todays Victoria Times Colonist editorial

There’s a great editorial in today Times Colonist entitled “MLAs need bigger role”. The following are just a few excerpts from it.

It's unfair to say that MLAs have spent the past eight months on holidays, even though the legislature hasn't met since June 3, 2010. But it's fair - and important - to ask why they accept such a diminished role….

The 3rd session of BC's 39th Parliament opened yesterday --- WHY?

Yesterday in Victoria, Lieutenant-Governor Steven L. Point open the third session of the 39^th Parliament of British Columbia, as he delivered a throne speech outlining government’s agenda for change in the coming year.

This of course is a mean nothing Throne Speech as members of the BC Liberal party will be electing a new leader February 26^th, who will then become the next premier of the province, replacing Gordon Campbell. 

For the official transcript of the throne speech by Lieutenant Governor Steven L. Point can be found online -- CLICK HERE.  You can also CLICK HERE to download a .pdf document of the complete speech. 

In their view of yesterdays Throne Speech yesterday, Canadian Press said:

BC Liberals set aside democratic principle of one member = one vote

One BC Liberal member equals one vote --- 1 member equals 1/10th of a vote – 1 member equals 1 / 20th of a vote ... or how about 1 member equal 2 votes ... or 5 votes ... or more? 

Any of these mathematical options, and many more, now holds true for the BC Liberals as the head to the finish line in their leadership race.  One option now is certain however --- in the BC Liberal Party leadership race, one member NO LONGER equals one vote.

While trying to make it sound like the most democratic idea ever, the BC Liberal Party on Saturday tossed the one member – one vote system in favour of having an equal weighted vote for every riding in the province.  Under this system, it will not matter how many members the BC Liberals have in a riding, votes from party members in each of the 85 provincial riding's will be weighted to 100 so that each constituency has the same influence.