Dear Geoff ... you asked? Well here's the answer.

Former BC Attorney General, Geoff Plant

Today former BC Liberal Attorney, General Geoff Plant wrote a column entitled, “What does John Cummins really want?”

In it, he begins by stating:

Of the two provincial by-election campaigns about to get underway in BC, the race in Chilliwack-Hope may be the more interesting.  It looks like the fight in Barry Penner’s former riding will be between a BC Liberal candidate with impeccable conservative credentials, and a BC Conservative party candidate with impeccable conservative credentials. 

Huh? 

Well, it’s true.  The BC Liberal candidate is Laurie Throness, who was chief of staff to former Conservative MP Chuck Strahl, and calls himself a “policy conservative.”  The BC Conservative Party candidate is John Martin, a professor of criminology and former Chilliwack Times columnist, whose party describes itself as “BC’s only true conservative party.”

So with two candidates trying to “out-conservative” each other, maybe this is as good a time as any to ask what it is that BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins actually hopes to achieve.

He goes on to talk about truth … policies … being an armchair quarterback … the split-vote argument and more … the regular stuff you would expect to hear from the BC Liberals.  Then he concludes by saying:

Our communities, and our province, are a better place because of your commitment

On Saturday night, across the province, there were the cheers and sounds of victory … and the quiet sounds acknowledging defeat (at least at the polls) ... as hundreds of thousands of ballots were counted.

Many great people were elected to office --- and many great people gave it their best but didn't see their hopes achieved.  I’d like to say to those who gave of their time and energy --- your commitment to serve is definitely appreciated! 

To the husbands, wives, and children of those who stood for election – thank you for sharing your spouse / father / mother with us.  For those who won, be sure to acknowledge at all times the sacrifice your family will be making while you work for the betterment of our communities.

Democracy, the Grassroots, and the BC Liberals

In reviewing several dictionaries, it seems the most common description(s) for the word “Democracy” would include...

1.        government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

2.        a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges.

3.        political or social equality; democratic spirit.

4.        the common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power.

So in British Columbia then, democracy would be a government where ultimate power is with the people in that they elect their MLA's – who should then represent each of us in Victoria. It would be a government where each of us have equal rights and privileges ... and where no one person is more important than the other.

My MLA happens to be Kevin Krueger, and he has been elected to represent the voters of Kamloops South Thompson in the legislature in Victoria.  As I understand the definition, he would be there “serving to represent”. Another definition would be that he is “standing for, or representing, others” … “others” being the constituents of Kamloops South Thompson.

Some would say however that the current Liberal government, of which Kevin Krueger is a member, has been anything but representative of the vast majority of people.