Hard working BCNDP Candidate Raj Hundal has stepped aside and shut down his bid to become the MLA for Surrey-Tynehead.
Hundal as you might recall won the nomination back in July of 2011.
Up until earlier this week Hundal was one of the more active BCNDP hopefuls on Twitter and Facebook.
Interestingly enough all of Hundal’s social media accounts were shut down soon after the announcement.
Her has yet to make a personal comment.
The press release made a reference to the old stand by ‘personal reasons”.
The timing is interesting in that the BCNDP is having a nomination meeting this weekend between two so-called heavy weight candidates Geoff Meggs and George Heyman in the vacant seat of Vancouver-Fairview.
It is rumored that both men are cabinet material.
It has been said that the BCNDP will find a seat for the candidate who loses on Sunday.
Could it be that they found a seat and asked Hundal to step aside?
Christy Clark: Sorry Justin but nobody takes center stage from me!
Not wanting to be one-upped on the news high-lites by the likes of Justin Trudeau, Knucklehead Premier Christy Clark used the occasion of the opening of Trudeau’s coronation to tell the world she will withhold electricity if the pipeline goes ahead without her okay.
One problem with what Clark said is that if and when it gets to that point she will either have been ousted by her own party or sent packing by an angry electorate.
Justin Trudeau on the other hand, well, his world, is about to get a whole lot more exciting after announcing tonight that his hat is in the ring to lead the Liberal Marijuana Party of Canada to oblivion.
I am sure The Prime Minister is sitting back thinking this is the best thing that could have happened to him and the Conservative party.
Trudeau, if as expected, waltzes to the LMPofC leadership more or less uncontested, he will have more than Prime Minister to contend with.
Tommy Mulcair is no dummy and wants to hold onto the title of Patron Saint of Quebec. Trudeau will not get seats in his home province without a fight.
A fight that bodes well for Conservative Party fortunes across Canada as both the NDP and the LMPofC clash and prepare to split whatever vote is out there allowing Harper’s team to come up through the middle and win seats they don’t currently have.
It’s also possible, although I never take the electorate for granted, that the CPC will pick up additional seats with the new riding redistribution under way and expected to be in place before the 2015 campaign.
This should make for a larger majority in 2015 than they have now.
Speaking of elections,Liberals in BC complained during the 2011 federal campaign that they were tarred and feathered with the Gordon Campbell Liberal brush. Just wait until they get painted with the Christy Clark ” I am a federal Liberal in my heart brush”
They will also have the Ghost of Justin’s old man to contend with.For years the west has wanted in and now that we are ” aint no man named Trudeau going take that away from us”
The next LMPof C leader has his work cut out for him. ( it will be no cakewalk for Mulcair either, as by the time 2015 rolls around, Adrian Dix and the BCNDP will have had two years to screw up enough things to have their share of doors slammed in their faces too)
For Justin Trudeau to succeed and show the country he will do politics different and more exciting, he will have to be just like his dad.
He will have to be like his dad in that he will have to stand at the ready with his middle finger, the only difference being he will have to wave it at his own party establishment rather than the electorate in Salmon Arm,BC.
The folks in the LMPofC establishment will no doubt try and refine Justin’s image,something that he cannot allow to happen.( Look for fallout here too!)
Adrian Dix has been doing a lot of talking in public lately and if the latest polls are to be believed at this point not many of the voting public are paying much attention.
It may be that it is not close enough to an election and nobody cares but it is time to listen because this is platform stuff that the electorate will be voting on.
This should be of concern to the average voter because an increase in corporate taxes will either result in a loss of jobs or at the very least result in frozen or decreased wages in the private sector.
It has to, there will be less money for companies to allocate for raises or benefits.
On the heels of that we see reports today that Dix told reporters after a speech to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities that he would repeal balanced budget law if elected premier .
Dix claimed the law as is was a joke.
While I agree that the Liberals have made a mockery of the law, the nice thing about forcing a government to go before the house with hat in hand to ask to run a deficit is at-least it goes on Hansard .
This forces both a record ,a vote and yes the house to be in session.
To allow any government in this day and age to run a deficit and tell you later is heresy.
With Dix ( he has a history of forging memos and fare-beating) and the BCNDP’s propensity to raise taxes without warning why would you want to give them this license.
I hope this expensive waste of time to score political points is going to be paid out of BCNDP funds because it duplicates the cost of the federal study already financed on the backs of the taxpayer.
One study, that’s fine and needed but two gimme a break.
Your federal cousin/brother Tom Mulcair already said this issue is dead in the water.
If that is so Mr.Dix why would you want to throw good money after bad?
This is no doubt the first in a series of increased taxes ( that’s what reviews are) that the NDP will announce in the run up to the election.
Question for Mr.Dix: Has this been costed and included as part of your platform?
If so what price tag do you put on this taxpayer funded review?
Clark has done nothing to create jobs nor has she helped with the cost of housing.
The specter of an NDP government with its alarming tax and spend policies ( You will hear more after the election.Don’t expect Dix to say or do anything with such a large lead in the polls), is also contributing to the exodus as young people head to conservative Alberta and Saskatchewan in search of better paying jobs and housing they can afford to live in.
What would you expect them to do? With No job prospects today and even less after next years election most young folks are leaving now to beat the rush next May and June.
Don’t forget about those pesky Liberal gas, carbon taxes,smart meters, higher insurance and hydro.People can escape that by bolting for the confines of neighboring welcoming provinces.
Who would be happy about this?
The moving companies that’s who. I can imagine they are planning for steady growth over the next 11 or 12 months.
Maybe that was Clark’s idea of creating jobs?
Better hurry folks, Dix will find away to tax you on the way out of town.
This Premier’s office expenses nearly doubled. One reason given was that Clark hosted a couple of Council of Federation meetings. ( Those reading should remember that during the period Campbell’s expenses were audited he hosted a small event known as the Olympics!)
By full disclosure I mean an online view of the actual receipt not just a PDF of the statement.
There should also be an explanation of what the expense was and why it occurred.
As a taxpayer I want to know where these people are spending my money.
The auditor should have power over legislature including the ability to enforce tough penalties when the system is abused.
One penalty that should exist in the case of abuse of expenses ( Taxpayers money) is automatic recall in serious incidents.
The way the system works now,with the politicians overseeing each other, the fox is guarding the hen-house and nothing is happening.
It gives credence to what the average person on the street thinks about our politicians and that would be that they don’t care.
The Liberal Vancouver sun continues to run the picture used for affair l’farebeat forgetting that most people would prefer to throw Clark under that train rather than hold Dix accountable for his actions.
Not only does the poll show that the BC Conservatives are on the rise ( up 3%) but it also tells the tale of the women voter.
You would think that Clark would have the market cornered on that segment of the population but not so, she has lost that too!
The worst news for Clark and crew to come out of the Angus Reid research?
That would be the numbers that say people feel Dix and the socialists are better able to manage the economy.
I will say that again so there is no mistake: Polled Voters think a bunch of socialists are better able to manage the economy than the supposed Free enterprise Chumpion Clark.
Not only that, the poll goes on to say that 55% of those folk’s opinion of Clark has worsened!
Furthermore 64% of those people disapprove of the way she does the job.
Not only that but since this is not due to finish until late 2013 they are leaving a hand grenade without the pin for the NDP to deal with.( The dippers are on record as being against this issue which will put them on course for a head on collision with the Harper government should the proposal get “green lighted”)
Before you think I feel bad for the NDP I don’t.
I just think the Clark Government who claims to have a families first agenda,should have at least had some reports or queries to file by the January deadline.
Let’s face it, the Premier is on record saying she will sit squarely on the fence until she sees the results of the study before going one way or another on the issue.
So why not take advantage of the opportunity and at least ask the questions that concern YOU?
Why miss the deadlines Premier?
Better yet if you care so much about the result why not be a government participant in the study?
To me the answer is obvious: The results of the proposal hearing will be released after the election and they know they are going to lose so they don’t care!
Just when you thought the wacky world of Premier Christy Clark couldn’t get any stupider, she stands on her her soap box , attempts to exonerate incompetent Cabinet Minister Stephanie Cadieux and then blames the whole sordid CLBC screw up on the NDP.
Unless Adrian Dix is a ventriloquist and projected Stephanie to say and do the dumb things she has done since she got the file, how on earth do you hold the NDP accountable for yet another BC Liberal gaffe?
What does she not get?
The Liberals had one of their worst weeks ever and it was largely once again due to the fact that they never take ownership/ leadership of their mistakes.
Their worst weeks ever that is, until this week.
Today,damning evidence came to light showing clearly Premier Clark has lied about her involvement in the BC Rail fiasco.
Tsakumis nails her and confirms beyond the shadow of a doubt the PREMIER IS THE CHARLATAN WE ALL KNEW HER TO BE! ( Charlatan is probably to week a word, liar,cheat and sleaze would be more appropriate)
How on earth do we expect people to vote or get involved with politics with a Premier who tells one lie after another?
She even lied to get the bloody job! In the real world that in itself is cause for dismissal.
In the name of restoring honesty and integrity to the Premier’s office, Clark Must Go!
In one corner you have Geoff ( I declare war on the car and lean-to the far left ) Meggs versus George ( I am in the center and would have made a good leader) Heyman.
This nomination will be worth watching for a lot of reasons:
Will Adrian come out and support buddy Geoff sending a message he like his friends and that the party is veering left?
Will he support George and send a centrist message to the voting public?
Will Meggs if he wins immediately resign his municipal Councillors seat?
Will Mayor Moonbeam get involved and demonstrate a win for Meggs means bicycle lanes across the province? ( Maybe they will put one up one the Pat Bay Highway from the ferry terminal to the legislature for Meggs to peddle his way to work?)
Will George learn the hard way that even though he thinks he is going to win there will be a busload of last-minute membership sign ups for Meggs enabling him to defeat from the jaws of certain victory?
Will Adrian sit squarely on the fence,support neither of them and still profess to be a leader?
What do you think,will this race define the BCNDP?
