Globe and Mail | Political Insider

Ontario’s Drummond report is a cautionary tale for B.C.voters

BC's Economic D-Day should be now,not after Election 2013

This week in Ontario Don Drummond,chair of commission on public service reform , released a 688 page report that should serve as a cautionary tale to voters here at home in B.C.

We have a little over a year until we have our own provincial election and we have plenty of time to ask those who are running what they are planning and what will it cost.

We should not have to wait for the writ to drop do know exactly where we stand fiscally and where the parties will take us.

All during the last election we heard that the deficit was in the area of 495 million only to be told right after that it was in the billions. The B.C. Liberals told us no HST and then brought it in right after the election.

Today,Adrian Dix and the NDP have a number of promises and plans so how much? What is your plan to get us to where you want the province to go.

Adrian says he doesn’t want to be in the limelight. Guess what Adrian ? You are applying for the top job in the province and a formal interview is in order!

Every politician should now and always be in the limelight.They want to spend your money!

An independent economist should be appointed and have to release a no B.S state of affairs. Both the opposition and government should have to read it and tell us well in advance of any election what they want to do and how much it will cost.( Not just now but before every election)

This report is not to be confused with the upcoming smoke and mirrors budget. This week the government will say and do anything to try and boost their standing in the polls.

Rather we need to know exactly where we stand financially right now. Ontario found out after their election,a little to late to do anything.

People held the government’s feet to the fire on the HST,why not on this?

People and politicians alike always say what they do now will help generations to come.

As the Drummond report shows nothing could be further than the truth.

If we don’t do this, we vote and will get more of the same and have nobody to blame but ourselves.

Why would you want to vote and place your trust in somebody who will not stand in front of you and tell you the truth,tell you their plan?

Do you want 4 more years of that?

Hasn’t this gone on long enough?

BC Liberals Continue trend,Throw Seniors under the bus!

The busiest person in the BC Liberal Party lately has been the Proverbial Bus Driver.

To Recap:

The Taxpayers were thrown under the bus with the sleazy introduction of the HST.

Then Finance Minister Kevin Falcon was tossed under the bus by the Premier over the resultant fallout from the aforementioned HST.

Christy Clark has thrown Gordon Campbell under the bus time and time again, when she blames his government for all the mistakes caused by the Liberals.( It’s a given that since Clark has had her fingerprints over a large part of what the Campbell government did,she threw herself under the bus too! She just doesn’t realize it)

Next on the list: New Minister of Justice Shirley Bond. She no sooner said the issue before the courts with the TV cameras was over, then Premier Clark promptly tossed her under the bus with a statement about soldiering on and finding a way to get them in there.

Now comes word, the BC Liberal Government for the last 11 years has collectively thrown the Senior population under that same bus. The BC Ombudsman put together a scathing 400 page report on the inadequacies of the system and presented it yesterday. Worse news is that the Liberals have had it in their hands for some time ( they have had part of the plan since 2009) and have done nothing with it.

Admittedly people like Clark,Campbell,Falcon and Bond belong where they were thrown. But the Taxpayers and Seniors?

It kinda makes you wonder who’s next,doesn’t it?

Government Staff Appreciation Programs in Action !

I wish I could say I am shocked,but I am not.

I am not sure what is worse,the government having a 1.5 million dollar staff appreciation program or Linda Terras head of the B.C Public Service agency defending the program by saying it ONLY works out to $52 per employee.

This was uncovered in an excellent piece of reporting by Michael Smyth.

As John Cummins ,leader of the BC Conservatives , points out in the piece,there are a number of different ways the program can be abused.

This comes on the heels of Mr.Smyth’s excellent series on Bullying in the government.

It makes you wonder what else is going on and why the people we elected are doing nothing about it.

Mr and Mrs.Taxpayer" It's only $52 per employee,who cares"

UPDATE

There is only one trial the people want to see on TV Christy!

The people have no clue what is best for them!

The people want the Hockey riot trials to be over! They want the guilty charged and convicted.They don’t care whether they are on TV or not.

The only person in this province who does not get this is the Premier,Christy Clark.

Even Vancouver’s Dipper Mayor understands that!

In the name of safety,shame and fair hearings the judge that will rule on the application Monday thinks it’s a sham.

This is another in a long line of misjudgements and gaffes made by the Premier!

There is one trial, however, the people are anxious to see on TV. It will occur on election night in 2013.That day Christy Clark and her government will be judged by a jury of their peers.

That trial date can’t come soon enough!

It's bloody obvious isn't it! The people are not smart enough to connect with me!

B.C.Liberals to Chilliwack:We want to buy your vote,is it for sale?

My name is Naomi and I would like to buy your vote!

In another brazen demonstration of old school politics,the B.C.Liberals went to Chilliwack in an attempt to buy off the voters.

Ever since they have appointed their candidate for the yet to be called by-election they have had minister upon minister make an appearance here.

Are they running scared?

Yes; sources tell Political Insider that the B.C. Liberals own internal polling shows them losing this riding badly.

So much so that the Premier has not yet called this by-election.

We wonder when that will happen.This district wants to be represented in the legislature.

It’s only fair!

What do you think?

Ipsos: NDP Expand Lead as BC Conservatives Take BC Liberal Support

Thank god these two can't vote,I can't afford any more bad news!

More bad news for the BC Liberals as the BC Conservatives continue to eat into Liberal numbers.

Glum news for a Party and a Premier who have been making announcement after announcement this week.

This probably explains why the Premier is returning to her old stomping grounds on NW radio Monday for as Justine Hunter says “a faux Throne Speech” with Bill Good.

Prepare to be nauseated for 90 minutes. This will more than likely be an opportunity for BC Liberal staffers and party members to phone in with easy to answer questions that even the Premier can answer.

Maybe we all will get lucky and she will call those by-elections.

What do you think?

Hey Pat,Does that $850,000 include the $780,000 for the pamphlet you threw in the garbage?

Minster Pat Bell said today, after it came out that they had spent $17,000 on a photo-op for the Premier,it was OK because “as of 45 days ago they had only spent $850,000”.

In the manner of the pot calling the kettle black,Adrian Dix said this ad was merely a re-branding of the Premier. Uh Adrian,how many times have you been re-branded over the years anyways?

Minister Bell,that $850,000,does it contain the $780,000 for the HST pamphlet you tossed in the garbage?

Federal By-Election called for March12

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has today called the by=election to file the vacancy left by the death of Jack Layton in the EDA of Toronto-Danforth for March 12,2012.

Voters in this EDA have a history of voting for the two socialist parties the NDP and the Marijuana Liberal Party of Canada.

Even Marijuana Liberal interim Leader Bob Rae held this riding when he was a Federal Dipper back in the late 70’S.

Traditionally governments don’t win by-elections but Layton is probably looking down with more than a passing interest from heaven.

After all,having just been laid to rest,it is a little soon for him to roll over the grave, should the lefties split the vote and the governing Conservatives come up through the middle and win the seat!

BC Liberals Gaffe,tell Chilliwack folks they take their vote for granted!

Another day, another act of stupidity on behalf of the BC Liberals.

In another gaffe that will more than likely come back to bite them,the BC Liberals and their spokesperson tell Chilliwack voters that their vote doesn’t matter because the by-election race is a two way race and that the BC Conservative party is a non factor.

It is a sad day in the province when the governing party or any party for that matter takes a voters intentions for granted.

The BC Liberal Spokesperson also reports that the Premier will be the keynote speaker at their candidates acclimation tonight.

Given the way her approval ratings have been sinking lately,her Federal Liberal ties and her penchant for photo-ops,the lucky winner would probably rather be anywhere other than on stage next to her.

Spokesperson Jehnifer Benoit goes on to say that” this election will be fought on the economy,creating jobs and managing taxpayers money”.

I would imagine that by economy our fearless spokesperson would mean debt load,which of course is worse under the Liberals than under the NDP.

The fact that anybody could manage an economy worse than the NDP is a discussion best left for another day.

On the issue of creating jobs,reports released this week show those numbers to be down considerably.

I also believe the taxpayers have already put their seal of approval on how the BC Liberals manage their money when they voted en-mass to throw out the HST.

So I think Ms.Benoit should be careful what she wishes the election might be fought on.

If her wish comes true,she won’t like the result!

Just when the B.C.Liberals thought it couldn’t get any worse…….

Along comes former Premier Gordon Campbell and his Red Mittens taking center stage in the run-up to the London Olympics.In his roll as Canadian high commissioner to the United Kingdom,Campbell was out promoting “Canada House”

Columnist Michael Smyth chose today to write an excellent column that discussed whether the BC Liberals have passed their best before date.

Vaughn Palmer, not to be outdone,steps in with a discussion on whether the good ship B.C. Liberal has hit rock bottom.

This comes on the heels of the previous days column relating to the recent poll results.

The Premier would not have time to read any of this, because as she likes to say, that would take away from the business of thinking about jobs. The Financial Post gives her some food for thought on that topic today when it reveals that the BC Job market shed 2,200 jobs in January.

This has not been a good week for the Premier,the government,the BC Liberals and especially the Province. This government has passed their best before date but unfortunately has not hit rock bottom.That will more than likely occur the night of the by-elections when they will undoubtedly finish in third place in both cases.

If they don’t do something to create renewal in the province before then,they will have wasted more precious time defending their short comings.

British Columbia can ill afford that!