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. 

Meet Ed Fehr, BC Conservative Party candidate for Kamloops North Thompson

Kamloops North Thompson BC Conservative
Party candidate Ed Fehr

I was born in Beaver Lodge, Alberta. My family moved to a small community called Takysie near the Lakes District community of Burns Lake, BC.  At Takysie, my family bought and operated a small sawmill.

Three years later, we moved to Fraser Lake, BC, where my parents bought a 160 acre farm on which our family raised 200 head of sheep.  At an age of 12, this helped me learn the importance of being responsible, and knowing the value of hard work. 

Ed Fehr is; “A guy that’s willing to have boots on the ground, go door-to-door and talk to people and bring their issues back to Victoria."

Over the course of my life, I have worked in several industries including operational aspects mining; and  like our party leader John Cummins,  I have taken pride in being able to see the end results of hard work. 

I cut my teeth in politics with the Saskatchewan Party while living there between 1997 and 2004.  I held the role of Vice-President in Saskatoon Center, and then went on to become President of the Riding Association a year later. 

Ed Fehr sees increasing access to doctors as a major priority for the next provincial government; "We need to have more doctors, and the health-care system needs to be completely revamped.”

I returned to BC in 2007, and in March 2012, I was elected as president of the Kamloops-North Thompson Constituency Association for the BC Conservative Party.

I married my lovely wife Naomi in 1996. 

Throughout my life people like late Cyril Shelford (BC rancher and Social Credit MLA), have made a lasting impression on me, to be a voice for the people of British Columbia in the provincial legislature.

The grey skies in Kamloops, and a brief shower, didn't dampen our spirits

What a great time this afternoon, at the Kamloops North and South Thompson Constituency Associations Get-Together and Bar-B-Que, at Juniper Ridge Park.

It’s too bad the sun waited till we were wrapping things, before making an appearance, but the grey skies and a brief shower didn't dampen our spirits.

Nearly 4 dozen members and guests came out and had the opportunity to meet, and speak one on one, with BC Conservative MLA John van Dongen.

Also joining us was Tom Birch, nominee candidate in the Shuswap riding, and Maria Dobi who ran as a candidate in Kamloops South Thompson, for the BC Conservatives, in the last provincial election.

We'd especially like to thank four of our guests who joined the party today ... welcome Hazel, Lorna, Marisa, and Bill!

We hope you can join us … and bring along a guest

You Are Invited …

BC Conservative Party
MLA John van Dongen

The Kamloops North and South Thompson, BC Conservative Party Constituency Associations, invite you to join them at a Get-Together and Bar-B-Que for members and guests on Sunday June 24^th.

PLEASE NOTE ... DUE TO FLOODING IN RIVERSIDE PARK WE HAVE MOVED LOCATIONS.

Our Get-Together and Bar-B-Que will now take place in the playground area of Juniper Ridge Park, located at the top of Highland Drive (off of Valleyview Drive or the East Trans-Canada Highway in Kamloops).

We'll be there between 4 and 7pm -- just watch for the signs.

BC Conservative MLA John Van Dongen will be our guest, and he’ll be taking the time to meet and visit with us, talk about the party, and answer any questions you may have.

We'll be grilling up hamburgers and hotdogs, and we’ll also have chips and soft drinks on hand.

We hope you can join us … and feel free to bring along a guest

Please RSVP to:
Alan at (250) 374-6196

Ed at (250) 372-7222

Don’t forget to bring your lawn chair

Not much has changed in 16 years

Last night I was going through a box of campaign material from the 1996 provincial election in BC.  For those not aware, I ran as a candidate for the BC Reform Party in the riding of Kamloops North Thompson.

Kamloops Daily News political cartoon from April
'96. We still have a “Clark”, but now it’s Christy.

While going through the box, I came upon opening remarks I made at an All-Candidates Forum that had been held in Barriere, a small rural community about half an hour north of Kamloops, in the North Thompson.   

Today I thought I would share them, once again, because in reading them I thought … not much has changed in 16 years!  I wonder, as you read this, if you'll think the same thing.

For far too long we have had only two choices in British Columbia come election time.  One was to vote a party out of power, thereby allowing the other party to win by default – or to vote for a party that didn’t really meet our needs, but kept the other out of power.  Things are different now.

The election being held May 28^th is going to be one of the most important ever.  One that will provide each of us with a choice to continue with ‘behind closed doors decision making the traditional parties offer – or to choose a party that has the will and courage to listen and make ‘real change happen … to make government accountable to you.

But with choice, comes the responsibility to know where the parties stand on issues, and how they will deal with the important decisions that face our province in the years ahead … and how they will consult with you and seek your input in making those decisions.

Our choice will also come down to electing a ‘politician’ – or electing a ‘representative’.

CRIME. What’s the cause, what’s the solution?

Growing up as a kid in the 1960’s certainly allowed for a lot more freedom than it does today.  Mind you I grew up in the Cariboo, and not the city of Vancouver where I was born.  Even in Vancouver though at that time we still had the freedom of a couple of blocks from home before there would be trouble.  Today’s saying of, “I want to be able to see you when I look out”, still had not been born.

In Williams Lake where my parents moved when I was ten, we had the run of the entire community for miles.  Down to the creek below McKenzie Avenue that ran out of the lake … into the woods next to the old grassy strip that had been the airport to built forts … across the highway to hike up Fox Mountain (really not much more than a hill) … and biking down to the lake for a day of swimming.

There was a lot more freedom in those days – and I guess safety as well.  I don’t recall hearing about cases like Robert Pickton … the bullying and murder of young teens like Reena Virk in 1997 … child pornography on the internet (mind you there was no internet back then) … and about teachers like Robert Noyes who prayed on young children.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying those kind of things didn’t happen.  Even in the Cariboo we had the still unsolved murder of 16 year old Colleen McMillan.  She had last been seen hitch-hiking near Lac La Hache in August of 1974 – a month later her body was found.  What I am saying however is that I don’t believe cases like the ones mentioned above happened to anywhere near the same degree as they do now. 

And so what is the cause – and what is the solution?