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.

BC Politics ... this week

WHAT is happening over at Christy Clark Central??  Staff are coming and going; well actually they mostly seem to be coming… and the cost of staffing and running the Premiers office is soaring. 

Premier Clark -- Is she praying for a miracle?

It seems that many rank and file members of the BC Liberals are wondering if they are on the Titanic or not ... and time will certainly tell – especially if she losses both of the upcoming by-elections, which I predict she will.

Any way … as usual it’s been another busy week on the political front, with many stories that made headlines.  Here are some of the stories that you may have missed, or might like to have a refresher on:

HST will haunt B.C. Liberals until the eve of the next election

… the terms also insisted that if the province abandoned its side of the deal — harmonization — the full amount of the transition funding would have to be paid back … such agreements are common in federal-provincial relations and Ottawa was not about to step onto the slippery slope of letting a province walk away from its obligations …

21st Century Value-Added Forest Industry

… concluded that there is an exciting opportunity for BC in the emerging bioeconomy … potential of this new economy is huge ($170 billion for bioenergy, $200 billion for bioproducts) and BC has some of the best fiber resources to feed it. The job potential of this sector is also great …

Christy Clark replaces her chief of staff

… Flagging in the polls, and with just 16 months to go before the next election, Premier Christy Clark has replaced her chief of staff… In a news release issued before Clark's official announcement Thursday, BC Conservative leader John Cummins attacked the appointment.  "Premier Clark has appointed an Albertan super-lobbyist as her chief of staff," Cummins said in a statement…

IHA too cheap to fix donated tub

… the health authority is charging people for the bathing program, it didn't even pay for the tub in the first place, rather had it donated by the Lions Club . . . surely the IHA could cough up some cash for a new tub and lift to serve that area of Kamloops … but we doubt that will happen…

Support the party you believe in; but do it because you believe it’s the best choice -- NOT because it's the lesser of two (3) evils!

Today, the Toronto Star, featured an editorial opinion by Chantal Hebert* entitled, “For Harper, Liberal Clark might be preferable to NDP alternative”.  It starts off by saying,

In a strictly black-and-white world, Prime Minister Stephen Harper might not be predisposed to give B.C. Premier Christy Clark, who was on a goodwill mission to Parliament Hill last week, much of a leg up in her upcoming bid for a fourth Liberal mandate in British Columbia.

In federal Conservative circles, Clark’s past ties to the clan of former Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin remain a source of widespread suspicion. Also, it is no secret that she is no friend of her former boss and predecessor, Gordon Campbell.

Until he resigned last year, Campbell was probably the premier closest to Harper. He has since landed a plum diplomatic posting in London, courtesy of the prime minister.

And then British Columbia is in the federal finance department’s bad books these days for repealing its recently introduced harmonized sales tax.  The two governments are currently negotiating the repayment to the federal treasury of a $1.6 billion HST-related transition package.

Those talks were at the centre of Clark’s trek to Parliament Hill this week. The premier is lobbying to have her province keep a portion of the cash and be granted considerable time to repay the remainder.

Clark will face her first election test as premier within the next 18 months.  Polls suggest she needs all the help she can get from a friendly federal government if she is not to lose power to the NDP….

The story then goes on to explain the difficulties Stephen Harper might have if the NDP were to have a stronger handle on politics across Canada with a win in BC … that it would give a boost to the federal New Democrats … that other election provincial elections could hand further problems to Harper … etc etc.

Stephen Harper, and many of the federal Conservatives rode into town (Ottawa), on a promise of reform of the political system … that things needed to change … and that political parties and MP's needed to be accountable and responsible to voters.

The very things which are polar opposite to the thoughts of Chantal Hebert.

Now maybe we have what could be the real reason why it is taking so long to end the HST

It looks like perhaps now we have what could be the reason --- the real reason why it is taking Christy Clark so long to end the HST --- and go back to the previous tax. 

Christy Clark is trying to get a break on paying back the $1.6 billion dollars the BC Liberals took, from the federal government, to implement the HST. 

Here in part is what a Globe and Mail news story had to say today:

.... central to her argument is the notion that by the time it’s repealed, the HST will have been in place in B.C. for two-thirds of the period that was required in the federal-provincial deal which doled out the $1.6-billion....

Read the full story ... BC Premier presses Ottawa for break on HST repayment
... Christy Clark asks Harper government for a discount and a delay on repaying federal funding for soon-to-be-scrapped HST ............