B.C. Conservatives lauded by leadership candidate - Dan Brooks relays resource platform in South Cariboo

The following is an article written by Carole Rooney, which appeared in todays (November 6, 2013) edition of the 100 Mile Free Press.  

 

British Columbia Conservative leadership candidate Dan Brooks recently visited 100 Mile House to meet with potential party supporters.  Brooks is based in Vanderhoof, where he runs a hunting and fishing lodge.

 

"I've been in tourism pretty much all of my life. In my background, I did an awful lot of land and resource management planning." 

 

While his party did not put forward a Cariboo-Chilcotin candidate in the last provincial election, Brooks said he is actively seeking new members in order to begin "building the party" and find a candidate in the constituency. 

 

"Even though we didn't elect anybody, the [B.C.] Conservative Party played a very, very crucial role in this last election, and we took the entire political spectrum to the right, toward free enterprise and personal freedoms. The [B.C.] Liberals tacked to counter us. In previous elections, we weren't a force, and so they could ignore us, but in this election, we were a significant force, and so they had to tack that way." 

 

In this manner, his party did a "great service" for the province and its democracy, he said, so despite having no members sitting in the legislature, those election efforts were not made in vain.

 

"This province will be better by our presence alone. Imagine how much better it will be when we are in government," he added, chuckling. 

 

Brooks explained he realizes people feel discouraged about the lack of strength in his party, but without his right-wing party views, they will only have an "NDP and NDP-like" perspective in the legislature. 

 

"We need a party that represents the ideals of [B.C.] Conservatives across the province. That's what we are trying to build." 

 

Most small rural communities in B.C. are either "outright suffering or stagnant," Brooks said, with little economic growth and dwindling population. 

 

"Across rural B.C. in the last 15 years, we have lost 58,000 people. That's an awful lot of people."

 

Last year, 10,000 residents left the province, he noted, while others have gone to larger urban centres. 

 

"As a potential leader of the [B.C.] Conservative party, that is a worrying trend that I propose to change. So, we have got to put the focus on rebuilding the rural resource economy." 

 

Brooks explained agriculture, forestry and tourism issues in the South Cariboo are likely much the same as in Vanderhoof, as they all require dedicated land. 

 

"So, you have to find ways to utilize land to maximize your revenue base off of that land base. And, there are some deterrents that currently exist." 

 

He noted the first example of this that came to his mind. 

 

"Aboriginal land claims ... have become an economic deterrent, and have made economic growth in our rural resource areas extremely difficult.  I agree entirely with the idea of consultation and accommodation, but you can't perpetuate this indefinitely. At some point in time, someone is going to have to stand up and say, 'we are going to force this issue'." 

 

Brooks added the "biggest problem" on First Nations reserves is abject poverty, and the way to eliminate that is to provide jobs. 

 

"How do you get jobs? You build a rural resource economy. So, by building economic growth in your rural communities, that benefits First Nations." 

 

The current MLAs have become "rubber stamp machines" who follow the party lines, he said, while the B.C. Conservatives will empower constituents by empowering their MLA to represent them as they see fit. 

 

Brooks noted he plans to visit the South Cariboo again before the party leadership elections take place April 11-12. 

 

"I'm going to be down here in 100 Mile the first week of December. This time I'll be holding an event ... we'll have a meet-and-greet."

Peterson Outlines Ten "Power Smart Tips" for Premier Christy Clark

Yesterday, BC Conservative Party leadership candidate Rick Peterson came out with some ideas regarding BC Hydro.  Here is the text of the plan he presented:

BC Conservative Leadership candidate Rick Peterson today proposed ten “Power Smart Tips”  for Premier Christy Clark that will help “turn down the heat” for BC ratepayers who are tired of backdoor BC Hydro rate increases to pay for BC Liberal claims of a balanced budget.

In celebration of BC Hydro’s “October is Power Smart Month” campaign, Rick Peterson spoke to media and supporters in front of the crown corporation’s offices on Dunsmuir Street in downtown Vancouver this morning.

“I think it’s great that BC Hydro has an ‘October is Power Smart Month’ campaign,” said Peterson, “but let’s be honest and recognize that there’s really not much that’s “smart” about the way that Hydro is being run."

“And what’s worse, all this is happening under the watch of BC Liberal appointees who are sitting on the Hydro board, raking in lavish salaries, while everyone else in BC – especially seniors, fixed-income and low-income earners and those below the poverty line - are acutely feeling the pain of these user-fee increases.”

Peterson says that BC Hydro rate increases, reported to be 26% or higher for residential ratepayers,  are needed to pay for a long-standing BC Liberal government practice of taking dividends from the public power company, at the expense of electrical infrastructure upgrades, to pay for BC Liberal spending.

“Crown corporations in BC under the Christy Clark government are out of control,” he said, “and BC Hydro is probably the worst of them. There is no business in the world that could pass on a 26% rate hike without heads rolling and yet the Christy Clark government rewards these decisions with lavish executive bonuses – it’s simply wrong,” stated Peterson

Peterson contrasted the federal Conservative government’s concern, as outlined in Wednesday’s Throne Speech, about helping individual consumers, with the approach taken by the BC Liberals under Christy Clark, who are downloading the cost of growing deficits on the backs of Hydro ratepayers.

“This is sloppy management, poor planning and lack of accountability at its worst. We need Christy Clark’s Liberals to take their hands out of the BC Hydro till. Turning BC Hydro around will be the first priority of a BC Conservative government under my leadership.”

Here are the “Ten Power-Smart Tips” that Peterson says are needed at BC Hydro:

1. Immediately begin to reduce by 5% the total BC Hydro dividends demanded by the Christy Clark Government.
2. Apply half of the dividend savings to stabilize residential and business Hydro rates negating the need for unsustainable rate hike increases.
3. Apply the other half of dividend savings to much needed BC Hydro infrastructure upgrades and debt retirement. 
4. Fully adopt International accounting standards (IFRS) and put an immediate end to deferring to future years certain expenses that would normally be recorded in the current year’s financial statements.
5. Freeze management staffing at current levels immediately for a 2-year period.
6. Freeze total management salaries, pensions, benefits and bonuses immediately for a 2-year period.
7. Implement an independent core services review with an attention focus on high ratio of management-to-front-line staff.
8. Implement firm limits on executive bonuses and severance payouts.
9. Reinstate  the BC Utilities Commission overview of ALL BC Hydro operations and rate applications.
10. Stop BC Hydro funding of opposing statements at the BC Utilities Commission.

A message from BC Conservative Party 'member' Alan Forseth

First let me start off by stating, "YES" I am the Campaign Manager for Dan Brooks leadership campaign, but my writing this post today is not about that, it is about something far more important. 

Some who are reading this message are BC Conservative Party  members, some former members, and some are supporters ... some are still active and working hard on behalf of the party -- others have become discouraged.

I am not discouraged, and let me tell you why. 

BC Conservatives, while not winning any seats in the May general election, played an important role; and that role must be built on.  We presented a message that needed to be heard; one of a caring and compassionate society ... of fiscal responsibility ... of environmentally sound resource management ... and of government accountability. 

Those are things which are vitally important to our province, which is why we now MUST build on the initial foundation which has been built.

In the current leadership race for the BC Conservatives, two individuals have stepped forward who believe in our party --- and it's future. I want to encourage you to follow their campaigns, and to take the opportunity to meet with both Dan Brooks, and Rick Peterson, when they are in your community.  Ask them the questions you want answers too.

There is a future for the BC Conservative Party --- an important one -- and we WILL be challenging the BC Liberals and the NDP in the next election in 2017.  I hope that future includes you playing a role in bringing our platform of common sense ideas to the people of BC ... and ensuring that we do indeed make history by electing BC Conservatives to the legislature.

Right now, I would like to encourage you to follow the campaigns of Rick and Dan, and keep up to date with where they are and what they have to say:



Dan Brook -- BC Conservative
leadership candidate

Dan Brooks:
 

Campaign website: http://danbrooksbc.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dan.brooks.14606
 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/danbrooksbc

 

 



Rick Peterson -- BC Conservative
leadership candidate

Rick Peterson:
 

Campaign website: http://rickpeterson.net/
 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rickpetersonbccp
 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RPetersonBCCP


 

Thank you for your time ... and thank you for your consideration of this message. 

I'm Alan Forseth in Kamloops, and I'm a BC Conservative.

Forseth endorses Brooks for Leader, joins team as Campaign Manager

It's official ... and I am announcing the following today:

 

 

KAMLOOPS:  Dan Brooks, candidate for the leadership of the BC Conservatives, today announced that Al Forseth, a long-time party member, regional director and former constituency-association president, has endorsed him as the best choice for Leader.

Brooks also announced that Forseth has accepted an appointment as Campaign Manager of his leadership team.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have Al Forseth endorse my candidacy and join my campaign team as manager,” said Brooks.

“Al’s passion and dedication are legendary throughout our party and across the province, and his decision to manage my leadership campaign sends a strong signal of our unwavering commitment to building the BC Conservative Party into a vital force that will be reckoned with well into the future.”

Forseth said that Brooks shares his belief that British Columbians deserve a better political option than they have faced in recent years – a choice between the lesser of two evils: the New Democrats or the BC Liberals.

“The BC Conservatives – indeed, British Columbians across our great province – desperately need a Leader with a vision of how to create prosperity through well-paying jobs, a place where businesses can thrive and where we have a solid foundation for health-care, education and more,” said Forseth.

“I am inspired that Dan Brooks has a vision and a plan for our party – one where party members will be fully engaged and asked for their full input.

“I believe that Dan has the drive, passion and openness to listen, which will get us back on a path to gain the support of British Columbians and to governing British Columbia.”

Brooks concluded by saying that he will make additional, important announcements in the days leading up to the BC Conservatives annual general meeting, to be held in Vernon on October 19.

With this announcement, I will no longer be be considered neutral in commenting on the BC Conservative Party leadership campaign.  That said, I WILL however continue to make comment on social media, and on this blog, on things I beleive are important to our party -- and that includes information on Rick Peterson's campaign, and the vision and direction he also has for the party.

I fact, in conversation with Dan regarding my endorsement, and taking on the role of Campaign Manager, I indicated that it would be a deal-breaker if this was not acceptable.

To quote Dan ... "I wouldn't have it any other way."

I'm Alan Forseth in Kamloops, with the thoughts of one conservative.

She is the Premier of British Columbia, and as such, she leads a 'team'

I read BC Premier Christy Clark's column yesterday in the Kelowna Daily Courier (Bringing Canada To Kelowna), and one thing immediately struck me in the just the first few sentences:

"I" did this ... "My" this ... "My" that ...

 

In the last few weeks, all eyes have been on Kelowna. I brought cabinet to meet here, and later addressed the B.C. and Canadian Chambers of Commerce here.

My focus was on small business and skills training.

Small businesses don't always make headlines, but they're  crucial for the economy. They drive almost 55 per cent of B.C. exports and represent 98 per cent of all our business.

My government believes in freeing small business from regulatory burdens that can make it difficult to grow, and supporting them where we can. Our record on cutting red tape speaks for itself, as we were awarded the Canadian Federation of Independent Business' only A grade.

She doesn't begin to acknowledge the work of others, or that this government belongs to the 'people', until the 5th paragraph when she finally begins a sentence with, "We're ..."

We're also supporting small business is the Small Business Accord ...

BC Premier on Christy Clark

Right after that, however, BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark is right back to ... I announced ... I also spoke ...

At least on the positive side, she concluded with:
"Ultimately, we all want the same thing - more opportunities for Canadians.

This column was written from the MLA's perspective of course, but that said, she is the Premier of British Columbia, and as such, she leads a 'team'.

It could have been written to be much more inclusive, but instead it seems the focus and spotlight continues to be on her -- guess that's why I have never been able to feel comfortable with her way of doing the governments business.

One things for certain, at least in my opinion, when (not if) things start to go wrong, we know who has claimed all responsibility for the direction and policies of government.

I'm Alan Forseth in Kamloops, with the thoughts of one conservative.  The floors now opinion to you; your thoughts?

Dan Brooks is not taking the safe route in presenting his plan, and for that, he gets praise from me

It always seems to amaze me how things seem to happen for no apparent reason, but of course they never do. 

 

Earlier today I came across the following  quote below, in an article about change in business.  It seems fitting to me to have found it, given the leadership race currently underway within the BC Conservative Party, and so in a post to Facebook I stated:

"It will be interesting to see the ideas presented by Dan Brooks, Rick Peterson, and any others who may decide to let their name stand"
Now here is part of the article I found, "CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO":

 

"Simply asking the question "Why?" can lead to new ideas and new innovations that can directly impact the bottom line. 

 

Organizations benefit from change that results in new ways of looking at customer needs, new ways of delivering customer service, new ways of strengthening customer interactions and new products that might attract new markets.

New employees joining an organization are especially valuable because they can often point to areas of opportunity for improvement that those who have been long involved in the company might have overlooked. But even existing employees should be encouraged to question why things are done a certain way and look for new ways to get work done faster, better and with higher levels of quality and service."

Well it wasn't more than an hour later when I received a media update from the Dan Brooks leadership campaign.  This is what he had to say:

Dan Brooks, candidate for the leadership of the BC Conservatives, today introduced a dramatic, innovative plan to promote party unity.

"The BC Conservative Party has recorded many successes in recent years," said Brooks. "We have significantly increased our membership, and in the last election we fielded an impressive roster of candidates."

"Yet, because of internal divisions, it sometimes has been difficult to focus on our primary task - electing BC Conservatives to the Legislative Assembly."

"The leadership contest now underway gives our party a welcome opportunity to build a solid foundation for the future, and I pledge my best efforts to ensuring that in April 2014 we emerge stronger and more united than ever before."

RICK PETERSON: "What this sector needs is clarity and decisive action from the government"

Today on the Conservative Thoughts blog, I am posting an update from BC Conservative Party leadership candidate Rick Peterson. 

 

To be clear, I have not yet endorsed either Dan Brooks, or Rick Peterson. I will for the moment however, continue to provide information from both campaigns as they progress.  With that out of the way, here's Rick.

I’m just winding up my third day here in the Peace River Country – which I know very well.

 

BC Conservative Party Leadership candidate
Rick Peterson (L) with Peace River Country
Campaign Chair, Oliver Steward

I was raised in Grande Prairie, just over the border into Alberta, and have spent a lot of time in Dawson Creek, Fort St. John and the whole area with friends, family, business partners and BC Conservatives. 

 

I help finance exploration companies that are active up here in the gas sector, so I know very well the challenges and opportunities in this very dynamic area of BC for businesses – large and small – and families. 

Amazing to see.

This is strong BC Conservative territory, as you know. Kurt Peats ran a strong campaign in Peace River South, and every BC Conservative I talk to says that we will absolutely take this riding in 2017. Peace River North is absolutely winnable, and given the reception I’ve received here from BC Conservatives, they are looking forward to us running a well-financed and well organized campaign under my leadership in four years’ time.

I made it a point to come here on my first visit outside the Lower Mainland after our September 23^rd launch. North-eastern BC is an important region not only for our Party, but for the Province. The energy produced here will power this province and support our health care, education and other areas of our economy for decades to come.

 

Strong, vocal and proud support of the Resource Sector is one of the key themes of my Leadership campaign – and it will become a trademark of the BC Conservatives under my Leadership.

As you may have seen on my Twitter account @RPetersonBCCP, I met with mayors, business leaders and a strong group of BC Conservatives here over the past three days. Our membership sales and fundraising for the campaign are now ahead of plan, because of the strong support I’ve received here. We are really on a roll.

I’m attending the final few sessions of the three-day BC Energy Conference. They key message here from every single one of the companies involved in the sector is this: the LNG window of opportunity will not last forever. Global competition is fierce, nimbler and opportunistic.

 

What this sector needs is clarity and decisive action from the government.

 

Tough to see how that can happen with Christy Clark playing pipeline politics with Alberta, the Legislature closed so there will be no debate on these key issues, and private sector leaders waiting to see the BC Liberal government tax plan for this sector – long overdue.

Promise made, delivery delayed.

There is absolutely need for a New Voice, A New Direction and New Leadership in the Peace River Country. Exciting times for our campaign, and for BC Conservatives up here.

 

Rick Peterson,
BC Conservative Party Leadership Candidate