Lead the Way is a blog in favour of the carbon tax in BC. The blogger is looking at all manner of environmental policy issues in BC leading up to the election. I like it because he is pro BC Liberal based on their actions and is not simply anti-government because of long held rhetoric.
As it stands at the moment, the BC Liberals have clearly shown they are strongly green, well as strongly green as anyone can be when in government in the current paradigm.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Trying to figure out some NDP positions
I was looking at the NDP website and trying to understand where they stand on a number of issues that are important to me, but I can find almost nothing substantive for policy on the website. I am impressed with the detail of the Green Party platform, thouhg I have major problems with the actual document, more on that later.
The NDP has been very quiet on aboriginal title and rights - I can find nothing to say if they support aboriginal title or not. The NDP has been acting as if this is not an issue at all in BC.
The environment matters a lot to me, but I do not see anything indicating the NDP has any sort of policy for any environmental issues. They claim the forests are 'ruined' but I see no substantive difference in policy from the NDP era with respect to forest management.
I can not any sort of plan from the NDP for climate change other than saying they would undo the carbon tax and take on big polluters. I do not even know who they mean as the big polluters since cars, planes and meat are the main greenhouse gas sources in BC. They have been close to silent on the issue.
I have been big on the green economy for much longer than it has been popular, but I can find nothing on the NDP site telling me where they are at with it. The biggest green economic boom we have is production for green power and the NDP has said they would put a hold on more run of the river hydro projects. Billions of dollars of investment looking to produce the greenest power going and the NDP seems to want to send them away.
Public transit, I am not even sure the NDP supports the expansion of transit that has been announced for BC. Government spending is higher than in the past, I assume the NDP thinks it is not really enough, but I have no idea of what they think should be done. I chose to live where I do because I know it is good for transit access.
I am better informed than most people about politics in BC and I am pretty good at finding stuff online, but I am not finding much for me to get a hold of.
The NDP and the BCTF are constantly saying the government is underfunding education, but what is the model the NDP suggests? The government has been increasing spending faster than the rate of inflation each and every year. We have OECD results showing that are 15 year old youth are among the best educated in the world. What is not being done and how much should be spent?
I know that the BC Liberals do not have a comprehensive platform on their website either, but I have their record to go by and there is some sense of where they will go with things on the website. Normally the 'government in waiting' in a parliamentary system develops a detailed plan of action as a platform and the government runs on their record.
I am not trying to be provocative here, I honestly am trying to figure out where the NDP stands on issues and what an NDP government would like. With Mike Harcourt I had a good idea of what to expect from his government because of his time as mayor of Vancouver. With Carole James I am in the dark as to what to expect from an NDP government.
The NDP seems to be hoping that people hate Campbell and the Liberals enough to let the NDP win, that is all I can see as a strategy at the moment. The NDP is not giving the public any good reason to vote for the NDP.
I never vote against a party, I always vote for the person and party I like the most out of the options I have. Baring something dramatic happening such as the Liberals nominating someone really useless, I will end up voting for the Liberals.
If I had a sense that my MLA Rob Fleming had a passion for a postive vision of governance, I would consider voting for him. Over four years it feels like he has been tinkering on small issues or saying lines that the Canadian Federation of Students have been saying for 25 years. I am not sure why he is an MLA. I know why Corky Evans was an MLA.
Let the partisan left of centre rants begin on the comments.
The NDP has been very quiet on aboriginal title and rights - I can find nothing to say if they support aboriginal title or not. The NDP has been acting as if this is not an issue at all in BC.
The environment matters a lot to me, but I do not see anything indicating the NDP has any sort of policy for any environmental issues. They claim the forests are 'ruined' but I see no substantive difference in policy from the NDP era with respect to forest management.
I can not any sort of plan from the NDP for climate change other than saying they would undo the carbon tax and take on big polluters. I do not even know who they mean as the big polluters since cars, planes and meat are the main greenhouse gas sources in BC. They have been close to silent on the issue.
I have been big on the green economy for much longer than it has been popular, but I can find nothing on the NDP site telling me where they are at with it. The biggest green economic boom we have is production for green power and the NDP has said they would put a hold on more run of the river hydro projects. Billions of dollars of investment looking to produce the greenest power going and the NDP seems to want to send them away.
Public transit, I am not even sure the NDP supports the expansion of transit that has been announced for BC. Government spending is higher than in the past, I assume the NDP thinks it is not really enough, but I have no idea of what they think should be done. I chose to live where I do because I know it is good for transit access.
I am better informed than most people about politics in BC and I am pretty good at finding stuff online, but I am not finding much for me to get a hold of.
The NDP and the BCTF are constantly saying the government is underfunding education, but what is the model the NDP suggests? The government has been increasing spending faster than the rate of inflation each and every year. We have OECD results showing that are 15 year old youth are among the best educated in the world. What is not being done and how much should be spent?
I know that the BC Liberals do not have a comprehensive platform on their website either, but I have their record to go by and there is some sense of where they will go with things on the website. Normally the 'government in waiting' in a parliamentary system develops a detailed plan of action as a platform and the government runs on their record.
I am not trying to be provocative here, I honestly am trying to figure out where the NDP stands on issues and what an NDP government would like. With Mike Harcourt I had a good idea of what to expect from his government because of his time as mayor of Vancouver. With Carole James I am in the dark as to what to expect from an NDP government.
The NDP seems to be hoping that people hate Campbell and the Liberals enough to let the NDP win, that is all I can see as a strategy at the moment. The NDP is not giving the public any good reason to vote for the NDP.
I never vote against a party, I always vote for the person and party I like the most out of the options I have. Baring something dramatic happening such as the Liberals nominating someone really useless, I will end up voting for the Liberals.
If I had a sense that my MLA Rob Fleming had a passion for a postive vision of governance, I would consider voting for him. Over four years it feels like he has been tinkering on small issues or saying lines that the Canadian Federation of Students have been saying for 25 years. I am not sure why he is an MLA. I know why Corky Evans was an MLA.
Let the partisan left of centre rants begin on the comments.
AFN Chief Race
In Calgary in July the Assembly of First Nations will be choosing their national chief for the next three years. Phil Fontaine has been the national chief since 2003, he also was national chief from 1997 to 2000.
The AFN elects the national chief through a vote of all of the chiefs in the country, there are about 635 electors. The voting is very similar to the traditional political party leadership election, a series of votes after each round the lowest candidate is dropped. There is a big differences, chiefs can give their proxy to others to vote.
I suspect that there will be about 560 votes represented in Calgary in July, this means 280 votes is what is needed to win.
There are three declared candidates for the post:
John Beaucage
He is a member of Wasauksing First Nation and been elected the head of the Anishinabek Nation in Ontario. There are 42 members and if he carries allow of them, he is 15% of the way to the numbers he needs to get elected.
He is well educated and has been around the halls of power long enough not to be intimidated. He was educated as an economist, and this is a plus for me.
His platform is reformist, but not dramatic. I would like to see someone run for national chief and advocate for one person one vote to elect the national chief, but that is a radical shift in power. Reformers have had troubles staying in power in the AFN. There has been some talk that he might go forward with something like this if elected.
Ovide Mercredi was elected as a reformer in 1991, he managed to be reelected in 1994 because he dramatically helped raise the profile of First Nations issues, but ulitmately he alieanated too many chiefs and the relationship with the federal government was not positive. His defeat in Vancouver in 1997 was hard on him. Phil Fontaine won that time because he said he would cooperate with the federal government and get more for First Nations that way.
In 2000 Matthew Coon Come defeated Phil Fontaine because Phil was seen as being too close to the federal Liberal party. Matthew is one of the most inspiring and principled aborginal leaders I have ever met, he lived his talk. He was elected as a reformer, but there was a moral superiority he exuded and his relationship with the federal government was non-existant. He was badly defeated in Phil Fontaine in 2003.
John has a good web presence, making it easier to observe the election process than in past years. He has a facebook group
Perry Bellegarde
He is a member of the Little Black Bear First Nation from Saskatchewan. He has served as AFN vice chief for Saskatchewan and been the chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.
He has been public about a run for the AFN chief job since last summer, though only officially got into the race last month. He is very light in any details on what his platform means, frankly he sounds like he would be offering a status quo leadership in the AFN.
His facebook group is here.
Shawn Atleo
He is from the Ahousat First Nation near Tofino, part of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Nation. He has been BC AFN Vice Chief since the fall of 2003. He has given the AFN Vice Chief role in BC a higher degree of importance than it had in the pervious decade.
His website looks slick, but does not have a lot of details. He does have a facebook group.
He is a younger generation of leadership, and is able to work well with the people in power. He is by no means a radical, but the generational difference will make a huge change within the AFN.
BC has close to one third of the chiefs in Canada, so you would think that a chief in BC would easily be able to win the national chief's position. The reality is that BC First Nations lack any political unity. We have three province wide organizations representing BC First Nations, the First Nations Summit, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and the BC AFN. The last number of years has seen more and more work by certain leaders in BC to bring the various groups together and have a stronger unity. My friend Chief Robert Shintah has pushed for this all the time.
If Shawn Atleo can get the support of the a significant portion of the First Nation Summit regulars, he has a base of about 100 going into Calgary. The last national chief to come from BC was George Manuel who was chief from 1970 to 1976. It has been 33 years since the AFN has chosen a BC leader.
Will Phil Fountaine run again? That is not clear at this point, though last summer it sounded like he was running. It is also not clear if anyone else is going to be in the running.
At this point I see Shawn Atleo and John Beaucage being the leaders, but everything depends on how well their campaign teams are doing in getting firm support from chiefs across the country. Ther are chiefs out there how help boost the voice of their people by getting numerous proxies together. One chief is one chief, someone with ten proxies can get a lot more influence.
As I hear more, I will post more on the race. You can follow it at this facebook group.
The AFN elects the national chief through a vote of all of the chiefs in the country, there are about 635 electors. The voting is very similar to the traditional political party leadership election, a series of votes after each round the lowest candidate is dropped. There is a big differences, chiefs can give their proxy to others to vote.
I suspect that there will be about 560 votes represented in Calgary in July, this means 280 votes is what is needed to win.
There are three declared candidates for the post:
John Beaucage
He is a member of Wasauksing First Nation and been elected the head of the Anishinabek Nation in Ontario. There are 42 members and if he carries allow of them, he is 15% of the way to the numbers he needs to get elected.
He is well educated and has been around the halls of power long enough not to be intimidated. He was educated as an economist, and this is a plus for me.
His platform is reformist, but not dramatic. I would like to see someone run for national chief and advocate for one person one vote to elect the national chief, but that is a radical shift in power. Reformers have had troubles staying in power in the AFN. There has been some talk that he might go forward with something like this if elected.
Ovide Mercredi was elected as a reformer in 1991, he managed to be reelected in 1994 because he dramatically helped raise the profile of First Nations issues, but ulitmately he alieanated too many chiefs and the relationship with the federal government was not positive. His defeat in Vancouver in 1997 was hard on him. Phil Fontaine won that time because he said he would cooperate with the federal government and get more for First Nations that way.
In 2000 Matthew Coon Come defeated Phil Fontaine because Phil was seen as being too close to the federal Liberal party. Matthew is one of the most inspiring and principled aborginal leaders I have ever met, he lived his talk. He was elected as a reformer, but there was a moral superiority he exuded and his relationship with the federal government was non-existant. He was badly defeated in Phil Fontaine in 2003.
John has a good web presence, making it easier to observe the election process than in past years. He has a facebook group
Perry Bellegarde
He is a member of the Little Black Bear First Nation from Saskatchewan. He has served as AFN vice chief for Saskatchewan and been the chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.
He has been public about a run for the AFN chief job since last summer, though only officially got into the race last month. He is very light in any details on what his platform means, frankly he sounds like he would be offering a status quo leadership in the AFN.
His facebook group is here.
Shawn Atleo
He is from the Ahousat First Nation near Tofino, part of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Nation. He has been BC AFN Vice Chief since the fall of 2003. He has given the AFN Vice Chief role in BC a higher degree of importance than it had in the pervious decade.
His website looks slick, but does not have a lot of details. He does have a facebook group.
He is a younger generation of leadership, and is able to work well with the people in power. He is by no means a radical, but the generational difference will make a huge change within the AFN.
BC has close to one third of the chiefs in Canada, so you would think that a chief in BC would easily be able to win the national chief's position. The reality is that BC First Nations lack any political unity. We have three province wide organizations representing BC First Nations, the First Nations Summit, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and the BC AFN. The last number of years has seen more and more work by certain leaders in BC to bring the various groups together and have a stronger unity. My friend Chief Robert Shintah has pushed for this all the time.
If Shawn Atleo can get the support of the a significant portion of the First Nation Summit regulars, he has a base of about 100 going into Calgary. The last national chief to come from BC was George Manuel who was chief from 1970 to 1976. It has been 33 years since the AFN has chosen a BC leader.
Will Phil Fountaine run again? That is not clear at this point, though last summer it sounded like he was running. It is also not clear if anyone else is going to be in the running.
At this point I see Shawn Atleo and John Beaucage being the leaders, but everything depends on how well their campaign teams are doing in getting firm support from chiefs across the country. Ther are chiefs out there how help boost the voice of their people by getting numerous proxies together. One chief is one chief, someone with ten proxies can get a lot more influence.
As I hear more, I will post more on the race. You can follow it at this facebook group.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
New Westminster—Coquitlam Federal By-election
With Dawn Black resigning this seat to run in the provincial election, there will need to be a by-election in this seat.
I have no idea when the by-election will be called, but it could be some time as the Prime Minister may wait for several to be run at the same time. With the resignation Stephen Harper is one seat closer to a majority, though still far enough way to not really matter. If he was less than five short, he could pass bills without opposition if he has a good whip and is completely up on who is in the house.
The by-election will be a very interesting one to watch because this really is a three way race. Yes, the Liberals did very badly last time, but then the NDP did very badly in 2000.
With the new leader the Liberals are going to be going all out to win this seat. A second place finish would be good for them, but to cement Ignatieff as PM in waiting, he needs a win here.
The NDP I suspect think they will win it without too much trouble, but without a well known naming running for them, they are going to have to fight hard to hold it. A loss here may mark the end of the Layton era in the NDP.
For the Conservatives this is an important riding to win to bring them closer to a majority and show that the popular opinion is with the government. They have to place at least second.
The wildcard are the Greens - who will they run and how hard will they run? I can see a the Greens, NDP and Liberals battling each like crazy if someone like Elizabeth May runs.
I have no idea when the by-election will be called, but it could be some time as the Prime Minister may wait for several to be run at the same time. With the resignation Stephen Harper is one seat closer to a majority, though still far enough way to not really matter. If he was less than five short, he could pass bills without opposition if he has a good whip and is completely up on who is in the house.
The by-election will be a very interesting one to watch because this really is a three way race. Yes, the Liberals did very badly last time, but then the NDP did very badly in 2000.
With the new leader the Liberals are going to be going all out to win this seat. A second place finish would be good for them, but to cement Ignatieff as PM in waiting, he needs a win here.
The NDP I suspect think they will win it without too much trouble, but without a well known naming running for them, they are going to have to fight hard to hold it. A loss here may mark the end of the Layton era in the NDP.
For the Conservatives this is an important riding to win to bring them closer to a majority and show that the popular opinion is with the government. They have to place at least second.
The wildcard are the Greens - who will they run and how hard will they run? I can see a the Greens, NDP and Liberals battling each like crazy if someone like Elizabeth May runs.
From Main to Mission - who will win?
Vancouver Fraserview
Wally Oppal is not running for re-election here for the Liberals. The riding is not dramatically changed from the past. The riding has elected a government member in each of the last four elections but has not had any MLA serve more than one term. They will get their fifth new MLA on May 12th.
The NDP are running Garbiel Yui, and the Liberals look like they will be running Kash Heed. At this point I see the Liberals winning here.
Vancouver Hastings
Shane Simpson should easily win for the NDP.
Vancouver Kensington
Safer NDP ground than BC Liberal ground, but it is possible for the Liberals to take this one from the NDP. David Chunovsky is retiring after a single term as MLA.
No NDP candidate nominated yet. Chinatown leader Syrus Lee is running for the Liberals.
Vancouver Kingsway
Adrian Dix should not have any trouble holding this seat for the NDP
Vancouver Mount Pleasant
Jenny Kwan should easily win for the NDP. This is a place the Greens should try and finish second.
Burnaby Deer Lake
John Nuraney is running here for re-election against Kathy Corrigan of the NDP. It would be a major upset if he were to lose.
Burnaby Edmonds
NDP MLA Raj Chouhan should be able to get relected here, it would take a catastrophic election for the NDP to lose here.
Burnaby Lougheed
Harry Bloy will be running for re-election in this riding. He was previously the MLA for Buiquitlam which straddled the boundary of Burnaby and Coquitlam. Jaynie Clark is running for the NDP. I do not see Harry losing, there are few better retail politcians than him out there.
Burnaby North
Richard T Lee is trying for a third win here as the Liberal MLA and his fourth race here. For the first time it will not Richard T Lee versus Pietro Calendino. The NDP is being represented by Mondee Redman.
Even though the race was close last time, I do not see the election playing out to allow the NDP to win this one. If the NDP were running a star here I would think there was a chance they could take the seat. A former school board trustee is not a big enough name to make a difference at the ballot box. Mondee did not win re-election to the school board in 2005 even though she was chair of the board.
New Westminster
Dawn Black has left Ottawa to run to be an MLA for the NDP. I expect her to win, other than 2001, the last time the NDP/CCF did not win here was in 1949.
Coquitlam Maillardville
A close race in 2005 with New Democrat Diane Thorne narrowly defeating Liberal MLA Richard Stewart. Richard has gone one become mayor of Coquitlam.
At this point I give Liberal Dennis Marsden the edge over Diane Thorne.
Port Moody Coquitlam
This is where sitting Liberal MLA Iain Black will be running for re-election. He faces Shannon Watkins of the NDP, but I do not see him having any trouble in getting re-elected.
Port Coquitlam
Mike Farnworth is running here for his fourth term in the house. Many people seem to think that he is unassaible in this riding due to personal popularity. He was defeated badly in 2001.
There is no Liberal candidate nominated here yet. Depending on who they nominate, they could win here. At the moment this is a toss up riding for me with an edge to Mike Farnworth.
Maple Ridge Meadows
Michael Sather is running here again for the NDP and once again is facing Ken Stewart. Ken ran here in 1996, 2001 and 2005.
The redistribution has made this riding less NDP friendly, at this point I would give this one to the Liberals. The wildcards for me are how Michael Sather's opposition to the Tsawwassen Treaty and the Upper Pitt green power projects impact the local voters.
Maple Ridge Mission
The redistribution makes this riding notionally an NDP one. The Liberals have nominated Marc Dalton and the NDP have not yet nominated anyone.
I do not see the NDP doing as well this time around as last time, so I expect the Liberals to win here.
OVERALL
In these 15 ridings, the parties go in with the NDP 'holding' 9 and the Liberals 6. I see the NDP coming out with 6-7 seats and the Liberals with 8-9 seats
Wally Oppal is not running for re-election here for the Liberals. The riding is not dramatically changed from the past. The riding has elected a government member in each of the last four elections but has not had any MLA serve more than one term. They will get their fifth new MLA on May 12th.
The NDP are running Garbiel Yui, and the Liberals look like they will be running Kash Heed. At this point I see the Liberals winning here.
Vancouver Hastings
Shane Simpson should easily win for the NDP.
Vancouver Kensington
Safer NDP ground than BC Liberal ground, but it is possible for the Liberals to take this one from the NDP. David Chunovsky is retiring after a single term as MLA.
No NDP candidate nominated yet. Chinatown leader Syrus Lee is running for the Liberals.
Vancouver Kingsway
Adrian Dix should not have any trouble holding this seat for the NDP
Vancouver Mount Pleasant
Jenny Kwan should easily win for the NDP. This is a place the Greens should try and finish second.
Burnaby Deer Lake
John Nuraney is running here for re-election against Kathy Corrigan of the NDP. It would be a major upset if he were to lose.
Burnaby Edmonds
NDP MLA Raj Chouhan should be able to get relected here, it would take a catastrophic election for the NDP to lose here.
Burnaby Lougheed
Harry Bloy will be running for re-election in this riding. He was previously the MLA for Buiquitlam which straddled the boundary of Burnaby and Coquitlam. Jaynie Clark is running for the NDP. I do not see Harry losing, there are few better retail politcians than him out there.
Burnaby North
Richard T Lee is trying for a third win here as the Liberal MLA and his fourth race here. For the first time it will not Richard T Lee versus Pietro Calendino. The NDP is being represented by Mondee Redman.
Even though the race was close last time, I do not see the election playing out to allow the NDP to win this one. If the NDP were running a star here I would think there was a chance they could take the seat. A former school board trustee is not a big enough name to make a difference at the ballot box. Mondee did not win re-election to the school board in 2005 even though she was chair of the board.
New Westminster
Dawn Black has left Ottawa to run to be an MLA for the NDP. I expect her to win, other than 2001, the last time the NDP/CCF did not win here was in 1949.
Coquitlam Maillardville
A close race in 2005 with New Democrat Diane Thorne narrowly defeating Liberal MLA Richard Stewart. Richard has gone one become mayor of Coquitlam.
At this point I give Liberal Dennis Marsden the edge over Diane Thorne.
Port Moody Coquitlam
This is where sitting Liberal MLA Iain Black will be running for re-election. He faces Shannon Watkins of the NDP, but I do not see him having any trouble in getting re-elected.
Port Coquitlam
Mike Farnworth is running here for his fourth term in the house. Many people seem to think that he is unassaible in this riding due to personal popularity. He was defeated badly in 2001.
There is no Liberal candidate nominated here yet. Depending on who they nominate, they could win here. At the moment this is a toss up riding for me with an edge to Mike Farnworth.
Maple Ridge Meadows
Michael Sather is running here again for the NDP and once again is facing Ken Stewart. Ken ran here in 1996, 2001 and 2005.
The redistribution has made this riding less NDP friendly, at this point I would give this one to the Liberals. The wildcards for me are how Michael Sather's opposition to the Tsawwassen Treaty and the Upper Pitt green power projects impact the local voters.
Maple Ridge Mission
The redistribution makes this riding notionally an NDP one. The Liberals have nominated Marc Dalton and the NDP have not yet nominated anyone.
I do not see the NDP doing as well this time around as last time, so I expect the Liberals to win here.
OVERALL
In these 15 ridings, the parties go in with the NDP 'holding' 9 and the Liberals 6. I see the NDP coming out with 6-7 seats and the Liberals with 8-9 seats
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Online campaigning
I have noticed that on most political blogs in BC it is the NDP that is getting their targeted ads in front of people - feel free to click on the one on the right side here and see the NDP online presence. I have not seen any from any other party at this point.
The only other political ones I have seen are for Support the Vote and for Vote Smart BC. I also see the Support the vote ads on facebook
On facebook I am seeing ads for Liberal candidate Donny van Dyk in Skeena come up all the time. It seems to be working for him because has 738 supporters on his page.
I would have expected more candidates to make use of the online world, especially the ones with few or no resources, but that does not seem to the case at the moment.
The only other political ones I have seen are for Support the Vote and for Vote Smart BC. I also see the Support the vote ads on facebook
On facebook I am seeing ads for Liberal candidate Donny van Dyk in Skeena come up all the time. It seems to be working for him because has 738 supporters on his page.
I would have expected more candidates to make use of the online world, especially the ones with few or no resources, but that does not seem to the case at the moment.
Greens get a DRBC founder
I find the machinations of the fringe parties and the people drawn to them interesting to watch. The combination of passion and drive is wonderful to see though they are almost all without a real sense of the political reality of elections in BC. One guy that has the passion and energy is Matthew Laird.
Matthew Laird, the young guy that was in my opinion the energy behind Democratic Reform BC has chosen to be Green candidate in this election. He formed his own party before the 2005 election called the Moderate Democratic Movement which eventually was one of the pieces that became DRBC. He was party president and organizer and ran in Burnaby North for them in 2005.
Many of the DRBC policies that actually were released after Tom Morino resigned as leader were written by him
He ran for New Westminster city council in the fall and came 14th out of 16 candidates. He almost doubled his vote total from 2005.
I think the BC Greens will make a good home for him and I am certain he will give the Greens a bigger presence in the election in New Westminster than otherwise.
Matthew Laird, the young guy that was in my opinion the energy behind Democratic Reform BC has chosen to be Green candidate in this election. He formed his own party before the 2005 election called the Moderate Democratic Movement which eventually was one of the pieces that became DRBC. He was party president and organizer and ran in Burnaby North for them in 2005.
Many of the DRBC policies that actually were released after Tom Morino resigned as leader were written by him
He ran for New Westminster city council in the fall and came 14th out of 16 candidates. He almost doubled his vote total from 2005.
I think the BC Greens will make a good home for him and I am certain he will give the Greens a bigger presence in the election in New Westminster than otherwise.
State intervention in the economy
I am feeling depressed and down because of this rise in the idea that the state is able to, and should, be running businesses. The idea that the state is a good steward of business is one I simply have seen no evidence that will convince it makes any sense.
I have liked the work of Joseph Schumpeter, the idea of creative destruction as an important tool in improving the economy. The danger with government control of business is that government is very conservative by nature and not going to take risks with a business to make it better. We can see the global effort by governments at the moment to 'save' the car manufacturers. The problem is that by helping the companies we have numerous unintended consequences.
Saving the Car Industry Will Cost Us Jobs
First of all, government support of the car industry means we reward business managers that did not prepare for the future. The companies that have done the best now have to compete with ones that messed up.
Secondly, government support means we are paying higher taxes with no direct benefit to the public. Should we all be paying more taxes to convince Chrysler to stay in Canada?
Third, the money going into the car industry could have been used by individual Canadians in companies that have a strong future. Instead the government takes the money from us to give it to failing companies.
Fourth, if the car companies fail, something will emerge from their ashes. Someone will take over the factories and do something new. A slimmer and radically restructured car industry may deliver to us some amazing new cars. Supporting the status quo is not going to get us any further forward.
All of these things will reduce economic growth and reduce the number of jobs new industries could create.
We Need More Trade
The one most important truth since the end of world war two has been that more free trade has always brought us more economic growth. The time is now to embrace dropping trade barriers that still exist and make the world a single market. We Canada are better off when people in China are wealthier. Trade is not a win/lose proposition as so many protectionists seem to think, it is one in which there is benefit for all. Governments are talking about 'protecting' jobs in their countries by not allowing free trade, that fundamentally scares me.
We Need More Freedom For Entrepreneurs
I know many people will flip at this, but the easier it is for people to start businesses and find niches that are profitable, the more wealth that will be generated. Regulation is important and has to be done well by government, but it has to be done in such a way as to not waste too much time of the people in business.
I also would like to see more aspects of government done by the private sector. A government monopoly in most cases leads to a status quo that will not innovate and seek efficiencies. Allowing the private sector to take on these roles will make government cheaper, faster and more effective. It will also offer more opportunities for people to operate businesses, it would make more people entrepreneurs.
Have Government Regulate and Govern
Smaller government that is focused on god governance and regulation would be much more ideal set up. The historical oddities of some of the businesses that government has taken on defies rational explanation. We are willing to accept private companies running our airplanes but we think the government should operate the ferries.
Anyway, I find it depressing they way many people are talking and the implications this has on our general well being. The idea that most of us should have a lower standard of living because of bad government policies is just not acceptable.
Addendum on March 19th
William Watson addressed many of my fears in this column in the National Post.
I have liked the work of Joseph Schumpeter, the idea of creative destruction as an important tool in improving the economy. The danger with government control of business is that government is very conservative by nature and not going to take risks with a business to make it better. We can see the global effort by governments at the moment to 'save' the car manufacturers. The problem is that by helping the companies we have numerous unintended consequences.
Saving the Car Industry Will Cost Us Jobs
First of all, government support of the car industry means we reward business managers that did not prepare for the future. The companies that have done the best now have to compete with ones that messed up.
Secondly, government support means we are paying higher taxes with no direct benefit to the public. Should we all be paying more taxes to convince Chrysler to stay in Canada?
Third, the money going into the car industry could have been used by individual Canadians in companies that have a strong future. Instead the government takes the money from us to give it to failing companies.
Fourth, if the car companies fail, something will emerge from their ashes. Someone will take over the factories and do something new. A slimmer and radically restructured car industry may deliver to us some amazing new cars. Supporting the status quo is not going to get us any further forward.
All of these things will reduce economic growth and reduce the number of jobs new industries could create.
We Need More Trade
The one most important truth since the end of world war two has been that more free trade has always brought us more economic growth. The time is now to embrace dropping trade barriers that still exist and make the world a single market. We Canada are better off when people in China are wealthier. Trade is not a win/lose proposition as so many protectionists seem to think, it is one in which there is benefit for all. Governments are talking about 'protecting' jobs in their countries by not allowing free trade, that fundamentally scares me.
We Need More Freedom For Entrepreneurs
I know many people will flip at this, but the easier it is for people to start businesses and find niches that are profitable, the more wealth that will be generated. Regulation is important and has to be done well by government, but it has to be done in such a way as to not waste too much time of the people in business.
I also would like to see more aspects of government done by the private sector. A government monopoly in most cases leads to a status quo that will not innovate and seek efficiencies. Allowing the private sector to take on these roles will make government cheaper, faster and more effective. It will also offer more opportunities for people to operate businesses, it would make more people entrepreneurs.
Have Government Regulate and Govern
Smaller government that is focused on god governance and regulation would be much more ideal set up. The historical oddities of some of the businesses that government has taken on defies rational explanation. We are willing to accept private companies running our airplanes but we think the government should operate the ferries.
Anyway, I find it depressing they way many people are talking and the implications this has on our general well being. The idea that most of us should have a lower standard of living because of bad government policies is just not acceptable.
Addendum on March 19th
William Watson addressed many of my fears in this column in the National Post.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Interesting Thing in the Boundary Similkameen Riding
Joe Cardoso was recently the BC Liberal candidate in the riding of Boundary Similkameen. He had his nomination withdrawn because he neglected to fill out all the details on the form.
I noticed earlier today that the BC Conservatives had Joe Cardoso as a candidate in Boundary Similkameen. I passed this on to Sean Holman and he looked into it. The BC Conservatives have now removed his name from their site.
There seems to be a strong ground swell of right of centre candidates in the Okanagan Shuswap. In the seven ridings there are four Conservatives and five Refederation candidates listed already.
I noticed earlier today that the BC Conservatives had Joe Cardoso as a candidate in Boundary Similkameen. I passed this on to Sean Holman and he looked into it. The BC Conservatives have now removed his name from their site.
There seems to be a strong ground swell of right of centre candidates in the Okanagan Shuswap. In the seven ridings there are four Conservatives and five Refederation candidates listed already.
Navigable Waters Act
I have been of the opinion that this act needed to have been scrapped ages ago. It is mainly a problem because it is an unreasonable federal intrusion into provincial jurisdiction. It is also a problem because it is so badly written and does not reflect the needs and concerns of the country.
Here is a quote from the other that I found from Richard Neufeld, one of BC's new Senators:
Here is a quote from the other that I found from Richard Neufeld, one of BC's new Senators:
Senator Neufeld: I have listened to the discussion around the table and, although this is the federal government, I have never been involved in a federal government budget, only 17 or so provincial budgets. Every time there is a provincial budget, there happens to be some effect on the statutes of the province. It is quite normal for that to take place. I cannot imagine how you could even think about saying that we should put out only the stimulus package and hold back the rest of the bill. I can tell you, the Navigable Waters Protection Act has hardly been amended since 1876 or so when British Columbia was barely a province. We have counted about 300,000 plus streams and rivers. It was a much different province back then than it is today. We need to move forward with some of the things that this infrastructure money can initiate to stimulate employment in the province and across every province and territory in Canada.
I firmly believe that this is a needed package and should be dealt with in an expeditious fashion. I understand from reading newspaper articles and from listening to the President of the United States, our largest trading partner, that there are huge problems in economies worldwide. Anyone who has not noticed that has not been listening or reading. In Canada, we need to deal with these things in an expeditious fashion. I fully understand that we have a responsibility to ask questions. Those things are fine with me but this is no time to play games. Games are used sometimes but at this time we need to get on with it."
BC Liberal Party Leadership Race
I am 99% sure this is the last election for Gordon Campbell as leader of the BC Liberals. I believe he will resign sometime after the election, but when?
I am certain his resignation will be after the Olympic Games, so he will be premier through to the end of the Paralympic Games on March 21st of 2010, but how much longer after that?
He needs to leave his successor enough time before the election in 2013 to allow them to have a track record in office. To me this means he needs to step down before the spring session of the house in 2012. He also needs to announce it early enough to allow for there to be a race to replace him at a Liberal convention in the fall. The normal cycle has a Liberal convention in the fall of 2010 and 2012. The 2012 convention is too late.
Based on all of this, I see Gordon Campbell announcing his retirement at the end of the spring session of the house in 2010 with the new leader to take over in the fall of 2010.
So who is there that will replace him? I am not sure who I see in the race at this point. The next leader needs to have a proven track record in politics, they realistically need to be born between 1952 and 1975, and they need to have the drive and desire to become leader.
Here are some names in no particular order, just throwing some ideas out there.
I am certain his resignation will be after the Olympic Games, so he will be premier through to the end of the Paralympic Games on March 21st of 2010, but how much longer after that?
He needs to leave his successor enough time before the election in 2013 to allow them to have a track record in office. To me this means he needs to step down before the spring session of the house in 2012. He also needs to announce it early enough to allow for there to be a race to replace him at a Liberal convention in the fall. The normal cycle has a Liberal convention in the fall of 2010 and 2012. The 2012 convention is too late.
Based on all of this, I see Gordon Campbell announcing his retirement at the end of the spring session of the house in 2010 with the new leader to take over in the fall of 2010.
So who is there that will replace him? I am not sure who I see in the race at this point. The next leader needs to have a proven track record in politics, they realistically need to be born between 1952 and 1975, and they need to have the drive and desire to become leader.
Here are some names in no particular order, just throwing some ideas out there.
- Colin Hansen - he would be 60 when taking over, a bit on the old side to become premier.
- Christy Clark - this is her chance to do it, not going for it this time may push her out of contention for the future.
- Keith Martin - he has done everything he can at the federal level and has a strong personal appeal. Though he needs someone to help him organize if were to try
- George Abbot - though I have no idea if he has the desire to be premier
- Mary Polak - only realistic if she gets a stronger public presence between now and the timing of the race. If she gets a major cabinet post after the election, I see her as a candidate for leader.
- Kevin Falcon - he has the organizational skills to win a race, but he also has more baggage than most of the Liberals. Right hand man to Rich Coleman might work better for him
- Dave Hayer - maybe, not convinced he has the desire, but I am certain there will be at least one Sihk running in any leadership race.
- Mike de Jong - I see him being a candidate and see him having good odds of winning
- Rich Coleman - I see him running to be the standard bearer of the right wing
- MP Suhk Dhaliwal - The provincial scene may offer him more to go after for his ambition than the federal scene.
- Surrey Mayor Diane Watts could make a very interesting person to be in the race.
Can the Green Party Win a Seat in the Election?
The Green Party needs to win a seat in this election to move from being background noise to having a centre stage seat in provincial politics, but is there any seat that the Greens can win in BC? There are only a handful where I can see the Greens having even a slim hope of winning and even then it would take something dramatic that I can not predict.
West Vancouver Sea to Sky Country
Joan McIntyre had a strong win for the BC Liberals here in 2005. The riding has been comfortably Liberal since 1991.
The Greens have placed a distant second here twice in a row without spending anywhere close to what they are allowed to spend. The NDP is not a factor in this riding.
For the Greens to win, they need to harness the anti-run of the river mood in the riding. The strong growth in population in Squamish to Pemberton corridor together with the reduction of the amount of West Vancouver in the riding changes the focus of the riding. The change in the boundaries has brought the Greens closer to the Liberals than before, though still very far back.
Powell River Sunshine Coast
The Greens put a lot of energy into this riding in 2005 in an attempt to get Adriane Carr elected. They placed third behind the Liberals, though this is the closest they came to winning in BC in 2001 and 2005.
In 2001 the Greens almost came second in the riding, but they had no growth in their vote between 2001 and 2005, in fact they had a small shrinkage.
I can not see a scenario in which the Greens can win this riding. Given the fact that they do not yet have a candidate nominated, it is late in the day to get serious about winning.
Saanich North and the Islands
Andrew Lewis ran here for the Greens in 2001 and did well. Ken Roleau did not do nearly as well in 2005. Tom Bradfield is running for the Greens, I like him and know him from our joint involvement in 3rd Douglas Scouts.
Federally this has been a strong area for the Greens in the 2004 election, but their support has been falling off since then. They are not close enough to be a factor.
Nelson Creston
In 1996 and 2001 the Greens scored well here, but their vote dropped a lot in 2005. Federally this was traditionally a stronger area for them even when the national party was barely alive, but they have not kept up their growth when compared to the rest of the country. Also no candidate nominated yet.
On the positive side for the Greens is that Corky Evans is not running. Corky has a strong personal following that may not vote for Michelle Mungall.
Esquimalt Royal Roads
The only reason this riding is on the list is because Green Party leader Jane Sterk is running here.
I put her on here because I have seen her campaign and she is much better than most Greens I have seen. She also has one major experience that almost no Greens have, she has run in an election and won. She managed to top the polls for the Esquimalt Town Council in 2005. She should not have been able to do that but did it because of her skills.
She is the first leader of the BC Green Party that understands that the party is lacking in a lot of things to win and is working to address these issues. She is not hoping for a Gordon Wilson moment. She is taking advice from a lot of people.
She also benefits from the fact that the BC Liberals do not think they can win here. In 2005 they put a lot of effort into winning here but did not come close. Another benefit is that the NDP MLA has been one of the weakest MLAs for the NDP in the last four years.
The riding gains Vic West, which had a high NDP vote last time because the people were voting for Carole James.
Can she win? Only if she has several hundred volunteers on the ground, runs a full get out the vote campaign and can spend the limit of what is allowed. She may benefit if the NDP is clearly trailing the Liberals provincially and it looks like another Liberal government. People may be willing to take a risk on electing the Green party leader.
In general for the Greens to win anyone of these, they need to be agressive and very visible in the election. They need to push the NDP and Liberals to worry enough about them to start getting significant attacks directed against them. What I have seen of the Greens lately does not indicate this is going to be happening.
West Vancouver Sea to Sky Country
Joan McIntyre had a strong win for the BC Liberals here in 2005. The riding has been comfortably Liberal since 1991.
The Greens have placed a distant second here twice in a row without spending anywhere close to what they are allowed to spend. The NDP is not a factor in this riding.
For the Greens to win, they need to harness the anti-run of the river mood in the riding. The strong growth in population in Squamish to Pemberton corridor together with the reduction of the amount of West Vancouver in the riding changes the focus of the riding. The change in the boundaries has brought the Greens closer to the Liberals than before, though still very far back.
Powell River Sunshine Coast
The Greens put a lot of energy into this riding in 2005 in an attempt to get Adriane Carr elected. They placed third behind the Liberals, though this is the closest they came to winning in BC in 2001 and 2005.
In 2001 the Greens almost came second in the riding, but they had no growth in their vote between 2001 and 2005, in fact they had a small shrinkage.
I can not see a scenario in which the Greens can win this riding. Given the fact that they do not yet have a candidate nominated, it is late in the day to get serious about winning.
Saanich North and the Islands
Andrew Lewis ran here for the Greens in 2001 and did well. Ken Roleau did not do nearly as well in 2005. Tom Bradfield is running for the Greens, I like him and know him from our joint involvement in 3rd Douglas Scouts.
Federally this has been a strong area for the Greens in the 2004 election, but their support has been falling off since then. They are not close enough to be a factor.
Nelson Creston
In 1996 and 2001 the Greens scored well here, but their vote dropped a lot in 2005. Federally this was traditionally a stronger area for them even when the national party was barely alive, but they have not kept up their growth when compared to the rest of the country. Also no candidate nominated yet.
On the positive side for the Greens is that Corky Evans is not running. Corky has a strong personal following that may not vote for Michelle Mungall.
Esquimalt Royal Roads
The only reason this riding is on the list is because Green Party leader Jane Sterk is running here.
I put her on here because I have seen her campaign and she is much better than most Greens I have seen. She also has one major experience that almost no Greens have, she has run in an election and won. She managed to top the polls for the Esquimalt Town Council in 2005. She should not have been able to do that but did it because of her skills.
She is the first leader of the BC Green Party that understands that the party is lacking in a lot of things to win and is working to address these issues. She is not hoping for a Gordon Wilson moment. She is taking advice from a lot of people.
She also benefits from the fact that the BC Liberals do not think they can win here. In 2005 they put a lot of effort into winning here but did not come close. Another benefit is that the NDP MLA has been one of the weakest MLAs for the NDP in the last four years.
The riding gains Vic West, which had a high NDP vote last time because the people were voting for Carole James.
Can she win? Only if she has several hundred volunteers on the ground, runs a full get out the vote campaign and can spend the limit of what is allowed. She may benefit if the NDP is clearly trailing the Liberals provincially and it looks like another Liberal government. People may be willing to take a risk on electing the Green party leader.
In general for the Greens to win anyone of these, they need to be agressive and very visible in the election. They need to push the NDP and Liberals to worry enough about them to start getting significant attacks directed against them. What I have seen of the Greens lately does not indicate this is going to be happening.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Gordon Campbell's time in office
Here is a little factoid and shows the sort of stability we have seen in government with the BC Liberals. As of next Wednesday Gordon Campbell's will have been premier longer than Mike Harcourt and Glen Clark combined, though Campbell's time has not seemed as long. On January 5th 2011, Gordon Campbell will have been premier longer than all four NDP premiers from 1991 to 2001.
Assuming that Campbell decides to retire sometime before the election in 2013, he is likely to end his term as the fourth or fifth longest serving premier in BC history. He is likely to be the first BC premier to retire without a scandal or an election defeat since John Hart in 1947.
OK, some of you will point to Bill Bennett, but I tend to think he retired to avoid a probable defeat. Bill Vander Zalm pulled win out for the Socreds in the 1986 provincial election, so the party was not defeated, but that was an election that the NDP did not really seem interested in winning. I admit here that I supported the NDP in 1986, even worse, I joined the party to support Bob Skelly in the leadership race, think of it as the foolishness of youth, I was only 20.
In any case, Gordon Campbell is breaking the mold in BC politics by managing to remain a relatively popular premier while in power. This really has not been the case in this province in the last several generations.
Assuming that Campbell decides to retire sometime before the election in 2013, he is likely to end his term as the fourth or fifth longest serving premier in BC history. He is likely to be the first BC premier to retire without a scandal or an election defeat since John Hart in 1947.
OK, some of you will point to Bill Bennett, but I tend to think he retired to avoid a probable defeat. Bill Vander Zalm pulled win out for the Socreds in the 1986 provincial election, so the party was not defeated, but that was an election that the NDP did not really seem interested in winning. I admit here that I supported the NDP in 1986, even worse, I joined the party to support Bob Skelly in the leadership race, think of it as the foolishness of youth, I was only 20.
In any case, Gordon Campbell is breaking the mold in BC politics by managing to remain a relatively popular premier while in power. This really has not been the case in this province in the last several generations.
Is NATO failing in Afghanistan?
There has been more and more talk about NATO not being able to 'win' in Afghanistan, that there is no point in having troops there because nothing will change.
There is an interesting article in the Economist on the Uruzagan province and how well the Dutch are doing there. They are in the province neighbouring Helmand (where the Brits are) and Kandahar where the Canadians are. They Dutch are having some success through modeling the benefits of stablity in the core areas. The withdrawl of NATO troops from this area would end this success.
Over drinks with Terry Glavin last week, we talked about Afghanistan and what is happening there. Clearly there is a strong desire among the people in the country for NATO to be there and bring stability, but somehow this does not get expressed much in the media.
Ashraf Ghani, candidate for president of the country, wants more western intervention to help a civil society develop. But his concern about the west is the lack of sympathy or engagement by the people in the west.
People in the west are willing to dismiss the people of Afghanistan as ignorant and unruly tribal people that are unable to function in a modern society, that are unable to make a rational decision at the ballot box. There is a strong prejudice in the west against the people in Afghanistan as being 'not like us' and therefore better left to the gangs and warlords than try to help them have a stable and open society.
It is through this lens of 'they are not like us' that the media is reporting the story of Afghanistan and reporting it as being lost by the west. The media also makes little distinction between the NATO mission in the country and the Soviet invasion in 1979 or even the British in 19th century.
The mission is very different because the troops are there because of a request of the government that was chosen by the people. It is also different because there is no national interest being pushed by NATO. Canada is not in Afghanistan to make sure Tim Horton's has the exclusive right to sell bad coffee.
Clearly the process to work towards a civil society in Afghanistan is going to take a long time. There is no quick fix and no easy way to change what generations of despotic rulers that worked hard to keep the people poor and uneducated means to the country.
So, is NATO losing? I do not think so, there is clearly a much better life for most of the people in the country. There are actual infrastructure projects underway for the first time in almost two generations. The population is better educated than it was seven years ago.
The problem in the nation is that there are gang leaders who want to steal as much as they can for themselves and they see the changes in the country threatening their generations long free ride off of the backs of the people. The Taliban warlords are trying to kill as many civilians as possible to scare the population into submission. Should they be allowed to do this? What responsiblity does Canada have to protect the civilian population from the attacks of the warlords? Is it not ethical for the west to intervene in favour of democracy? Is withdrawl unethical?
I still struggle with all of this as I am a pacificist. I can not condemn NATO when it chooses to intervene on behalf of human rights, I just wish we could do all of this without resorting to violence.
There is an interesting article in the Economist on the Uruzagan province and how well the Dutch are doing there. They are in the province neighbouring Helmand (where the Brits are) and Kandahar where the Canadians are. They Dutch are having some success through modeling the benefits of stablity in the core areas. The withdrawl of NATO troops from this area would end this success.
Over drinks with Terry Glavin last week, we talked about Afghanistan and what is happening there. Clearly there is a strong desire among the people in the country for NATO to be there and bring stability, but somehow this does not get expressed much in the media.
Ashraf Ghani, candidate for president of the country, wants more western intervention to help a civil society develop. But his concern about the west is the lack of sympathy or engagement by the people in the west.
People in the west are willing to dismiss the people of Afghanistan as ignorant and unruly tribal people that are unable to function in a modern society, that are unable to make a rational decision at the ballot box. There is a strong prejudice in the west against the people in Afghanistan as being 'not like us' and therefore better left to the gangs and warlords than try to help them have a stable and open society.
It is through this lens of 'they are not like us' that the media is reporting the story of Afghanistan and reporting it as being lost by the west. The media also makes little distinction between the NATO mission in the country and the Soviet invasion in 1979 or even the British in 19th century.
The mission is very different because the troops are there because of a request of the government that was chosen by the people. It is also different because there is no national interest being pushed by NATO. Canada is not in Afghanistan to make sure Tim Horton's has the exclusive right to sell bad coffee.
Clearly the process to work towards a civil society in Afghanistan is going to take a long time. There is no quick fix and no easy way to change what generations of despotic rulers that worked hard to keep the people poor and uneducated means to the country.
So, is NATO losing? I do not think so, there is clearly a much better life for most of the people in the country. There are actual infrastructure projects underway for the first time in almost two generations. The population is better educated than it was seven years ago.
The problem in the nation is that there are gang leaders who want to steal as much as they can for themselves and they see the changes in the country threatening their generations long free ride off of the backs of the people. The Taliban warlords are trying to kill as many civilians as possible to scare the population into submission. Should they be allowed to do this? What responsiblity does Canada have to protect the civilian population from the attacks of the warlords? Is it not ethical for the west to intervene in favour of democracy? Is withdrawl unethical?
I still struggle with all of this as I am a pacificist. I can not condemn NATO when it chooses to intervene on behalf of human rights, I just wish we could do all of this without resorting to violence.
The act to recognize aboriginal title and rights is being delayed till after the election. I am not at all suprised given the extreme complexity of the implications of the proposed act and the way that the business community has felt blindsided by it.
I believe that BC will benefit dramatically if the First Nations have a well defined ownership stake in the land. I also know that moving away from the status quo where the government owns almost all of the land is major shift in thinking for most people. People tend to resist change unless it is overwhelmingly clear the change is dramatically better than the status quo.
Long term it is better for everyone in BC if the lands of the province are managed by people that live close to them and have clear ownership stake in that land. The new decision making process will lead to unique and specific management practices everywhere. The new decision making process will also look to see how a maximum economic value can be extracted for the least environmental impact, this is something impossible to do with the current one size fits all approach to land management in BC.
I believe that BC will benefit dramatically if the First Nations have a well defined ownership stake in the land. I also know that moving away from the status quo where the government owns almost all of the land is major shift in thinking for most people. People tend to resist change unless it is overwhelmingly clear the change is dramatically better than the status quo.
Long term it is better for everyone in BC if the lands of the province are managed by people that live close to them and have clear ownership stake in that land. The new decision making process will lead to unique and specific management practices everywhere. The new decision making process will also look to see how a maximum economic value can be extracted for the least environmental impact, this is something impossible to do with the current one size fits all approach to land management in BC.
Statement on Recognition and Reconciliation ActMarch 15, 2009
VICTORIA - Premier Gordon Campbell, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Michael de Jong and the First Nations Leadership Council: Regional Chief Shawn Atleo of the BC Assembly of First Nations; Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs; and Grand Chief Ed John of the First Nations Summit made the following statement this weekend regarding the status of the Recognition and Reconciliation Act:
"Over the past several weeks many important issues, concerns and questions have been raised about the Discussion Paper for Implementing the New Relationship and the concept of a new Recognition and Reconciliation Act.
"This is the time for us to make this important and historic transition in our government to government relationship and we need to take the time to make sure we get this right.
"As the parties to the discussion paper, together we need to take the time for consultation and further discussions before tabling this bill."
The Premier and Minister de Jong will continue to engage with the business community on this important initiative.
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