Vaughn Palmer: So far, 2013 has been an annus horribilus for the B.C. Liberals
By Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun,
VICTORIA — The B.C. Liberals began the year needing major
momentum to close a substantial gap in public opinion with the New
Democrats before election day.
So far, that hasn’t happened. With seven weeks gone already, the year has been marred by a string of embarrassments, fizzles and gaffes for the Liberals.
The lowlights package:
Jan 5. News breaks that the B.C. Liberal members of a legislature selection committee have schemed to deny Auditor General John Doyle a second term. The clumsy revenge move, targeting an independent financial watchdog who has bitten the government multiple times, will blight the governing party for weeks.
Jan. 13. The Liberals launch yet another round of advertising to promote their jobs plan, provoking more backlash from people fed up with tax dollars being used for partisan political purposes.
Jan. 15. The optics are against the Liberals as the Toronto Stock Exchange marks the return to trading of B.C.-based Catalyst Paper. Standing alongside the CEO Kevin Clarke to ring the bell is Opposition leader Adrian Dix, a rare placement for a New Democrat. Missing, though she was invited, is Premier Christy Clark.
Jan. 16. Scrambling to reverse the perception that her party is out to get Doyle, Clark suggests that the Liberal klutzes on the selection committee offer him a two-year extension. This only serves to prolong the agony because Doyle, stung by what he calls a “Mickey Mouse process” will reject the offer.
Jan. 19. Surrey council turns down a $100-million casino project that the province had been promoting. Cabinet minister Rich Coleman and lotteries boss Michael Graydon then blow a gasket in the direction of B.C.’s second city.
But Surrey is not to be intimidated by the bullying minister and his out-of-line Crown corporation head. Over the next few days, Mayor Dianne Watts, Liberal MLA and caucus chair Gordon Hogg and Liberal MLA Kevin Falcon will all say that council got it right, meaning Coleman got it wrong.
Jan. 23. Moe Gill, the Abbotsford councillor and raspberry farmer, exacts his revenge on the governing party for vetoing his bid for a nomination in Abbotsford South. He announces he’ll run as an independent against his former ally, cabinet minister Mike de Jong, in Abbotsford West.
Jan. 24. Premier Clark takes the wraps off her vaunted 10-year plan for labour peace in the K-12 education sector. Some good, albeit overdue ideas. But none of the major players in the sector can take seriously a 10-year plan from a government with mere weeks left in its mandate.
Jan. 29. After months of telling Hydro ratepayers that they have no choice but to accept smart meters, the Liberals back off, sort of, leastways until the election. Another reminder that this $1-billion exercise should never have been denied a proper review by the independent utilities commission.
Feb. 4. Opposition energy critic John Horgan has been going over the latest numbers from Hydro and announces that the Liberals have saddled the giant utility with a surplus of expensive power, setting up a potential loss of $1 billion over the next four years.
So far, that hasn’t happened. With seven weeks gone already, the year has been marred by a string of embarrassments, fizzles and gaffes for the Liberals.
The lowlights package:
Jan 5. News breaks that the B.C. Liberal members of a legislature selection committee have schemed to deny Auditor General John Doyle a second term. The clumsy revenge move, targeting an independent financial watchdog who has bitten the government multiple times, will blight the governing party for weeks.
Jan. 13. The Liberals launch yet another round of advertising to promote their jobs plan, provoking more backlash from people fed up with tax dollars being used for partisan political purposes.
Jan. 15. The optics are against the Liberals as the Toronto Stock Exchange marks the return to trading of B.C.-based Catalyst Paper. Standing alongside the CEO Kevin Clarke to ring the bell is Opposition leader Adrian Dix, a rare placement for a New Democrat. Missing, though she was invited, is Premier Christy Clark.
Jan. 16. Scrambling to reverse the perception that her party is out to get Doyle, Clark suggests that the Liberal klutzes on the selection committee offer him a two-year extension. This only serves to prolong the agony because Doyle, stung by what he calls a “Mickey Mouse process” will reject the offer.
Jan. 19. Surrey council turns down a $100-million casino project that the province had been promoting. Cabinet minister Rich Coleman and lotteries boss Michael Graydon then blow a gasket in the direction of B.C.’s second city.
But Surrey is not to be intimidated by the bullying minister and his out-of-line Crown corporation head. Over the next few days, Mayor Dianne Watts, Liberal MLA and caucus chair Gordon Hogg and Liberal MLA Kevin Falcon will all say that council got it right, meaning Coleman got it wrong.
Jan. 23. Moe Gill, the Abbotsford councillor and raspberry farmer, exacts his revenge on the governing party for vetoing his bid for a nomination in Abbotsford South. He announces he’ll run as an independent against his former ally, cabinet minister Mike de Jong, in Abbotsford West.
Jan. 24. Premier Clark takes the wraps off her vaunted 10-year plan for labour peace in the K-12 education sector. Some good, albeit overdue ideas. But none of the major players in the sector can take seriously a 10-year plan from a government with mere weeks left in its mandate.
Jan. 29. After months of telling Hydro ratepayers that they have no choice but to accept smart meters, the Liberals back off, sort of, leastways until the election. Another reminder that this $1-billion exercise should never have been denied a proper review by the independent utilities commission.
Feb. 4. Opposition energy critic John Horgan has been going over the latest numbers from Hydro and announces that the Liberals have saddled the giant utility with a surplus of expensive power, setting up a potential loss of $1 billion over the next four years.
Feb. 7. “B.C. Liberal faces tax-evasion
charges,” says the front-page headline in The Vancouver Sun, reporting
on the sizable legal difficulties of “star” candidate Sukh Dhaliwal. A
key backer of Clark’s leadership bid, he didn’t even tell the party
about his legal troubles until contacted by reporter Kim Bolan. Still,
party headquarters briefly sticks by him until the inevitable public
outcry forces a resignation.
Feb. 8. The Liberals discover the downside of spending millions of dollars touting the jobs plan: What if the numbers head in the wrong direction? StatsCan reports that B.C. shed almost 16,000 jobs in January, second worst performance in the country.
Feb. 12. The legislature resumes with the speech from the throne, second of the Christy Clark era. The Liberals stake their hopes on a $100-billion fund that would supposedly be generated from five — count ‘em, five — liquefied natural gas terminals. To reach that place, set your sights on the second star on the right, and fly straight on till morning.
Feb. 13. For the first question period of the session, the New Democrats disclose that the Liberals have bumped the budget for taxpayer-funded partisan ads to $16.5 million, including a scheduled blitz following the coming provincial budget. All of this comes straight from a confidential report given earlier to the Liberal caucus, which is leaking.
Feb. 14. The Liberals mark Valentine’s Day by discounting speculation about a less-than-loving atmosphere in their caucus room. Will the government be able to muster a majority for every vote in the house? Not to worry, say caucus leaders.
But the premier herself was sufficiently concerned to reach out to disaffected independent MLA John Slater and ask him to vote with the government.
Her hand-picked party brass had declared Slater unfit to run for office for the Liberals. “But can we count on your support on the budget?” Slater rebuffed her. “I can’t do a flip-flop like that,” he tells Cassidy Olivier of the Province.
So ended another discouraging week for the premier and her team. And just 12 more to go until the voters have their say.
vpalmer@vancouversun.com
Feb. 8. The Liberals discover the downside of spending millions of dollars touting the jobs plan: What if the numbers head in the wrong direction? StatsCan reports that B.C. shed almost 16,000 jobs in January, second worst performance in the country.
Feb. 12. The legislature resumes with the speech from the throne, second of the Christy Clark era. The Liberals stake their hopes on a $100-billion fund that would supposedly be generated from five — count ‘em, five — liquefied natural gas terminals. To reach that place, set your sights on the second star on the right, and fly straight on till morning.
Feb. 13. For the first question period of the session, the New Democrats disclose that the Liberals have bumped the budget for taxpayer-funded partisan ads to $16.5 million, including a scheduled blitz following the coming provincial budget. All of this comes straight from a confidential report given earlier to the Liberal caucus, which is leaking.
Feb. 14. The Liberals mark Valentine’s Day by discounting speculation about a less-than-loving atmosphere in their caucus room. Will the government be able to muster a majority for every vote in the house? Not to worry, say caucus leaders.
But the premier herself was sufficiently concerned to reach out to disaffected independent MLA John Slater and ask him to vote with the government.
Her hand-picked party brass had declared Slater unfit to run for office for the Liberals. “But can we count on your support on the budget?” Slater rebuffed her. “I can’t do a flip-flop like that,” he tells Cassidy Olivier of the Province.
So ended another discouraging week for the premier and her team. And just 12 more to go until the voters have their say.
vpalmer@vancouversun.com
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