Was his hiring as Chief of Staff in the interests of BC … did the bloated Premiers Office need another political appointee paid for by the taxpayers of BC?

In recent days, John Cummins, leader of the BC Conservative Party has raised a number of questions, and points of concern, regarding Christy Clark’s new soon to be Chief of Staff, Ken Boessenkool

BC Conservative Party
Leader John Cummins

While Christy Clark has publicly stated she is against using a per-capita basis for health care transfer payments, as Cummins pointed out, that very idea was championed by Ken Boessenkool.

“Ken Boessenkool championed the idea of transfer payments being allocated on a per-capita basis, the very idea his new boss is campaigning against,” said John Cummins, Leader of British Columbia’s Conservatives. “Mr. Boessenkool was a super-lobbyist with significant influence in Ottawa – so it was no surprise that the move to per-capita funding was included in the 2007 federal budget.”

A Toronto Star story in December of 2010 in the Toronto Star had the following quote from Boessenkool … “If the past is any guide, this meeting will quickly degenerate into provinces begging the federal government for more money to fund their own programs. This makes sense: Wouldn’t we all want to spend someone else’s money?”

That being the case, Cummins has rightly asked, “Does he still stand by what he wrote … has Mr. Boessenkool already lost his first battle in the Premier’s office before he has taken office, or will the Premier’s position change when he becomes Chief of Staff in February?”

What is the answer to this question? Yesterday, John Cummins asked another important question of the Premier:

"Why did Premier Clark appoint a Chief of Staff who in her words 'share[s] a lot of views in common' with Quebec separatists?  Does Premier Clark still believe that standing up for provincial rights is the same as Quebec separation? Has she discussed these views with Mr. Boessenkool … how does Mr. Boessenkool feel about his new boss lumping him in with the Bloc Quebecois?"

Again, these are important questions, and it appears only one person is asking them … the leader of the BC Conservative Party, John Cummins.

Neither has experience, achievement, knowledge, or prominence in the field of the environment, ecology, or engineering

CTV political commentator Craig Oliver

On Friday January 6^th Craig Oliver posted his thoughts on the proposed northern oil  pipeline in an opinion piece entitled “Craig's Take: The politics of pipelines”.

In reading this piece, I think one would be hard pressed not to note he appears to be opposed to the pipeline, especially given the choice and selection of some of the descriptive words he used.  He also had this insightful comment:

“Even such luminaries as American actors Robert Redford and Kevin Bacon are joining in the opposition to the all-Canadian pipeline, which Prime Minister Stephen Harper says raises some serious questions about foreign political interference.”

Merriam-Webster defines luminary as:

… a person of prominence or brilliant achievement

This Week in the World of BC Politics

It’s Friday … the end of the week … and time to take a look at some of the stories that made political news in our province.   

Let’s see … we have BC's Auditor General going to court to get documents to investigate the government payout on legal fees for the Basi / Virk trial … we have changes to the Family law Act … John Cummins speaking out on compact fluorescent lights and smart meters … the BC Fed calling for a bigger increase to the minimum wage … the Northern Gateway Pipeline … the BC Conservative candidate selection announcement for Port Moody-Coquitlam ... and much more.

First though, I’d like to remind you to get out and vote this Saturday.  Through-out the province thousands of candidates are seeking office on municipal councils … as school trustees … and as regional directors.  Your vote DOES count … as this YouTube video shows …

Now … here’s the news.

New RCMP commissioner speaks softly and ponders a broken force

… combined assault on the iconic status of Canada’s police force has left an indelible stain on the red serge … disillusionment is so great in British Columbia that there are calls for the province not to renew its policing contract with the national force.

Candidates should take lie-detector tests -- Lots of people shouldn't be running for office

… given all the untruths voiced at election time, should candidates for political office be forced to undergo lie-detector tests?