When You Live in Glass Houses, Things Can Always Get Worse

The boat is beyond leaky. I find it hilarious the BC Liberals think getting Sukh Dhaliwal is a big coup. After years in office, which should prove his record for constituents, he was wiped off the map by Jinny Simms, well-known, but a neo-phyte to federal politics. 

I met the guy in Ottawa, he came across like too many other politicians, humouring the electorate, by gracing us with his presence. He's got his own game, like most.
It won't matter though, BC Liberals are done like dinner!

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Clark-Dhaliwal schmoozing sign of Liberal hopes

By Michael Smyth, The Province November 1, 2012

Back when Christy Clark was hanging out with Stephen Harper and Preston Manning to prove her right-wing street cred, a guy like Sukh Dhaliwal wouldn't have made the cut on her photo-op A list.

Dhaliwal, unveiled Wednesday as a provincial Liberal candidate in Surrey, is a former federal Liberal MP.

Christy is also a former federal Lib, but she has gone to great strains to disguise her pedigree.

Why? Because the provincial Liberals have been bleeding right-wing support to the upstart B.C. Conservatives, and Clark had been passing herself off as a Harper fan to stop the hemorrhaging.

But that was before the B.C. Tories stalled in the polls, and perhaps the provincial Liberals feel the worst of the vote-splitting is over.

So it seems it's OK for federal Liberals to come out of hiding, and now Dhaliwal is being hailed as a star candidate for Team Christy.

"Christy Clark is a great leader," said Dhaliwal, who will carry the B.C. Liberal banner in Surrey-Panorama in the May election.

The seat is currently held by Social Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux, who will run in Surrey-Cloverdale, the seat being vacated by former finance minister Kevin Falcon. This is an excellent deal for Cadieux, who should have an easier time getting re-elected in the riding Falcon won by a comfortable 7,700 votes in 2009.

Dhaliwal will have a tougher time in Panorama — which Cadieux won by just over 3,000 votes last time — but the former MP said it wasn't a case of seniority rules.
"She lives in Cloverdale and I live in Panorama, so it works out well," said Dhaliwal, adding he decided to take another run at politics to stop Adrian Dix and the NDP.

"That's why I'm doing this — because the NDP have driven the economy into the ditch every time they've got in," said Dhaliwal, who was orange-crushed in the last federal election by the NDP's Jinny Sims.

Dhaliwal landed in controversy in Ottawa when he presented a petition in the House of Commons calling for 1984 violence against Sikhs in northern India to be recognized as "genocide."

Critics of the Indian government allege Sikhs were targeted that year following the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.

"It was a petition given to me by constituents and I did my duty as an MP and presented it," said Dhaliwal, who denies courting the support of militant Sikhs.

"I'm supported by a wide sector of the community," said Dhaliwal, who will bring a strong political machine to the race next May.

Despite their dismal standing in the polls, the B.C. Liberals seem to have a spring in their step. The B.C. Tories are sliding, and Clark put in a strong performance at the party's weekend convention in Whistler.

Dhaliwal and the Liberals are daring to hope things are getting better. They might as well. According to polls, they could hardly get worse.

msmyth@theprovince.com
twitter.com/mikesmythnews

© Copyright (c) The Province

BC leads in job loss numbers in Canada

Getting down to real brass tacks, while Premier Clark is gallivanting around the world and creating smoke & mirrors about BC's job prospects, the real skinny is coming down in real labour market statistics with the highest rate of job losses and fewer people participating in the labour force than previous periods. Hmmmm, would that because there are fewer real jobs out there.

B.C. loses 11,000 jobs in October: StatsCan

Emma Crawford, Nov 2, 2012, Business in Vancouver.

There were 11,000 fewer jobs in British Columbia in October compared with September – the highest loss of any province in the country, according to Statistics Canada numbers released this morning.

However, the provincial unemployment rate actually dropped by 0.3 percentage points to 6.7%, which is due to the fact that fewer people are now participating in the labour force. Employment has grown by 1.3% compared with the same period last year.

Nationally, the unemployment rate remained at 7.4% in October compared with September, which follows two consecutive months of increases. Year-over-year, the country’s full-time employment rate has increased 1.3%, or 229,000 jobs.

Alberta and Saskatchewan continue to have the lowest rates of unemployment in the country, at 4.5% and 4.7% respectively. The highest rates are found in the Maritime provinces, with Newfoundland and Labrador having the worst figures in the country with 11.9% unemployment.

ecrawford@biv.com

@EmmaCrawfordBIV

 

Is this the kind of stuff that makes so many call them the Lying Liberals?

It doesn't matter if  Boessenkool met with the head of BC PSA, or anyone else in that crooked organization. Anyone who has worked even a minute in the BC government knows that the PSA is a completely unethical and corrupt agency that will protect the BC government over protecting the interests of the public. Why do you think all of the pond scum get to slink away after leaving wreckages in their path? They will always get the backs of bureaucrats and managers, even the most incompetent and unethical, over the interests of the public and lower level employees, even in the face of outright evidence of malfeasance. Maybe when the BC NDP get in they might actually do something to make BC PSA a reputable, competent and ethical organization. It would take a lot of housecleaning though, like every other Ministry and public sector agency after a decade of BC Liberal incompetence.

Government miscommunicates probe into Clark's departed chief of staff “incident of concern”

By Bob Mackin Fri Nov 2, 2012, Business in Vancouver. 
 

Christy Clark's chief of staff Ken Boessenkool had no meetings with the head of B.C.'s Public Service Agency, Lynda Tarras, in the days prior to his resignation over an alleged misconduct – despite Clark saying the investigation was being handle by Tarras.

According to Boessenkool's agenda for September, obtained by Business in Vancouver via Freedom of Information, he had a five-minute phone call with Premier Clark on September 19 followed by an hour-long meeting with Deputy Minister John Dyble. Boessenkool tendered his resignation September 23 and Clark announced BC Hydro chairman Dan Doyle as the replacement on September 24.

Though Boessenkool's agenda shows the meeting with Dyble, it does not mention any meeting with Tarras. The Premier has not mentioned that Dyble was involved in this investigation. Neither Tarras nor Dyble responded to a BIV interview requests.

September 20 appears to be Boessenkool's last full day of work. The agenda includes a 45-minute phone call with Clark before he checked in for an afternoon Harbour Air flight from Victoria to Vancouver. The last day shown is September 21 and the only entries are for a daily conference call and a regular meeting of ministerial and executive assistants.
Boessenkool returned to his family in Calgary after resigning over what Clark called an "incident of concern."

Global TV reported that Boessenkool attended a September 7 golf day at Metchosin for the government caucus and media and an evening gathering at the Bard and Banker pub in downtown Victoria. A female government worker complained about Boessenkool's behaviour at the pub, but Boessenkool was not suspended.

Clark claimed the Public Service Agency conducted an investigation, but no documents were released via Freedom of Information. The government claimed the probe was all-verbal.

Boessenkool's September 7 agenda shows he flew Harbour Air from Vancouver to Victoria and had no appointments listed after 10:45 a.m.

He flew to Vancouver the next morning and had phone calls booked with assistant deputy minister of strategic planning and public engagement John Paul Fraser and Doug Horne, Clark's parliamentary secretary. Boessenkool took an Air Canada flight to Hong Kong, where Clark began a four-day trade mission on September 9. Clark's highlights included tea with tycoon Li Ka-shing in Hong Kong, a panel appearance at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin and a photo opportunity on the Great Wall of China at the Mutianyu section. Boessenkool's agenda shows a meeting with Tulsi Tanti, chairman of Indian wind turbine supplier Suzlon Energy, in Tianjin and a Beijing meeting with China Huadian Corp., a state-owned power generator.

Boessenkool, Clark and her assistant Gabe Garfinkel flew back to Vancouver on Sept. 12 via Air Canada in first class seats 5A, 1K and 1F, respectively.

Upon return, Boessenkool met with Ministers Rich Coleman, Terry Lake and Mike de Jong, and had three meetings with Clark communications advisor Don Millar. Millar was Clark's BC Liberal leadership campaign communications chairman.

Boessenkool also had a phone call with Mike Magee, who is chief of staff for Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson.

Boessenkool is a former policy advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and a lobbyist for companies like Enbridge, Taser International and GlaxoSmithKline. When he became chief of staff, he agreed not to a standard code of conduct that forbids lobbying the B.C. government during the first year of separation.

BMackin@biv.com
@bobmackin

Follow the Money Trail: Infrastructure contract goes to Corporation under Domestic & International Police Investigation

Hold on here. As taxpayers we need to be examining every nook and cranny over the latest gigantic transportation infrastructure contract that has been awarded to SNC-Lavalin. Currently this corporation is under investigation, both in Canada and also internationally, for allegations of bribery in connection with infrastructure contracts being awarded overseas and in Quebec.

Looks like SNC-Lavalin has been a faithful funder of the BC Liberals, handing over a nominal $27,647 from May 2005 to November 2011 according to Elections BC reports of financial contributions.

Is it possible we have another B.C. Rail on our hands? How did the bidding process go down? What are the exact terms of the contract? Is SNC-Lavalin going to be having money problems in the future? How will this impact provincial and federal taxpayers?

See below for more details about SNC-Lavalin and share my growing concern about this project. 

In the mean-time a credible source has told me that while this project is being amped up, massive cuts are coming to transit services and transit staff across the Metro Vancouver region. Things are chaotic internally as staff don't know when the axe is falling and who is going to be pruned, but everyone knows its coming. 

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Security contractor with Gaddafi ties grilled over links to SNC-Lavalin
National Post, Feb 29, 2012.  

The Ontario private security contractor who helped dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s family flee Libya during last year’s revolution was grilled by Canadian immigration officials Tuesday about his ties to SNC-Lavalin.

Gary Peters spent almost five hours at the Canada Border Services Agency offices in Mississauga, Ont., where he was questioned about the Montreal-based engineering giant’s role in financing some of his international travels.

Asked what the CBSA officers wanted to know about SNC-Lavalin, Mr. Peters replied: “What trips they paid for, how much they paid, who paid, who was the contact. That’s what they were asking about that. How I got paid.”

SNC-Lavalin announced earlier on Tuesday it had launched an independent investigation into $35-million worth of improperly documented payments related to construction projects “and certain other contracts” in the last quarter of 2011.

The payments “were documented to construction projects to which they did not relate,” the company said in a news release. SNC-Lavalin lost 20% of its market value in a single trading session on Tuesday.

News of the audit came almost three weeks after SNC-Lavalin announced the departure of executive vice-president Riadh Ben Aissa, who oversaw the company’s Libyan operations, and his accountant, Stéphane Roy. Mr. Ben Aissa declined to comment on the audit.

*************************************************

A brief history of SNC-Lavalin: One of the world's largest construction and engineering firms under scrutiny 

CBC News, Apr 30, 2012. Excerpts:

SNC-Lavalin has been in the news recently regarding corruption allegations in Bangladesh and Libya after results of an internal investigation showing $56 million in mysterious payments became public in March 2012.

The allegations are that SNC made a series of unauthorized payments to undisclosed agents connected to the company's operations in Libya.

Those operations include what the company calls, "the largest civil engineering project ever-conceived," a 4,000-kilometre pipeline to bring water from underground aquifers in the southern desert to Libyan cities in the north.

In September, RCMP raided SNC-Lavalin's offices near Toronto in connection with a corruption probe into the Padma bridge project in Bangladesh. The World Bank's anti-graft unit had provided information to the RCMP.

The next month, the World Bank suspended a $1.2 billion loan it had offered to Bangladesh for the project.

Then in April, the World Bank temporarily banned an SNC-Lavalin subsidiary from bidding on new bank contracts. SNC-Lavalin was to supervise the contractor for the bridge on behalf of the Bangladesh government.

The company's name had also surfaced in connection with Canadian consultant Cyndy Vanier, who is accused of masterminding a plot to smuggle members of Libya's Gadhafi family into Mexico. Vanier has been in jail in Mexico since October 2011.

On April 20, Standard and Poor's revised its outlook for SNC-Lavalin to negative because of the news about the company.

On April 30, the company's share price closed at $37.14. Although up for the day, the shares are down 38 per cent from their 52-week high on July 5, 2011.

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Police probe McGill hospital contract awarded to SNC Lavalin

Greg McArthur, Les Perreaux and Colin Freeze

The Globe and Mail, Sep. 18 2012. 

Quebec’s police task force on corruption is probing how a billion-dollar contract for a Montreal mega-hospital was awarded to a consortium led by Montreal engineering giant SNC Lavalin Group Inc.

The police raids conducted at McGill University Health Centre headquarters Tuesday morning threaten to tarnish one of Canada’s landmark private-sector bids to build public infrastructure, while also enhancing the climate of suspicion surrounding Quebec’s construction industry. The spotlight has already prompted the province to launch a corruption inquiry and contributed to this month’s ouster of Jean Charest’s Liberal government.

The police probe further suggests that SNC Lavalin, lately under scrutiny for its dealings overseas, could be facing heightened attention at home. Up until six months ago, the hospital project had been overseen by Riadh Ben Aissa, the former head of SNC’s construction division, and the central figure in an ongoing scandal.

In April, Mr. Ben Aissa was jailed in Switzerland, without charge, on allegations that he was involved in corrupt payments to public officials in North African countries where SNC has done business. As of early September, he was still incarcerated.

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Ex-spy watchdog reportedly under microscope as anti-corruption squad raids hospital office, probes SNC-Lavalin contract

Brian Hutchinson, Sep 20, 2012, National Post.


When Quebec’s anti-corruption police squad raided the McGill University Health Centre’s (MUHC’s) downtown Montreal headquarters on Tuesday, looking for evidence of alleged wrongdoing in a public-private partnership contract awarded to a consortium led by SNC Lavalin Group Inc., they might have peeked inside a large corner suite on the 14th floor.

The space was recently occupied by Arthur Porter, the MUHC’s director-general until business controversies and questions about his commitment to routine administrative duties exploded late last year. MUHC is one of Canada’s largest public health care providers with almost 12,000 employees. The SNC-Lavalin consortium is building the MUHC’s new $1.3-billion hospital in Montreal’s west side and will help operate the facility for decades, according to the terms of a deal it finalized in 2010, during Dr. Porter’s tenure.

“Investigators have detected something fishy in the way the $1.3-billion contract was awarded that could shake the MUHC’s very foundation,”  Montreal’s Gazette declared Wednesday. According to an unconfirmed report from Montreal’s Le Devoir newspaper, police are scrutinizing Dr. Porter himself.

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SNC-Lavalin wins contract to build Evergreen Line

Nelson Bennett, Oct. 5, 2012. Business in Vancouver.

SNC-Lavalin Inc., the company that built the Canada Line, has won the bid to design, build and finance the Evergreen Line.

SNC-Lavalin was one of three companies shortlisted in tendering bid. The other two were EL Partners and Kiewit/Flatiron.

The $1.4 billion project will be financed by the B.C. and federal governments – which are contributing $583 million and $417 million respectively – and TransLink, which will pay the remaining $400 million.

The new 11-kilometre light rail system will link Burnaby, Port Moody and Coquitlam. It will run from Lougheed Town Centre in Burnaby to Douglas College in Coquitlam.

The system will include a two-kilometre bored tunnel and seven stations. It will link with the existing SkyTrain system via the Millennium Line and will connect to the Expo Line, Canada Line, West Coast Express and regional buses.

Premier Clark Votes No Confidence in her own Government

As my faithful readers know, I've been using this blog to aggregate media on the BC Liberals for some time and yes, to rant and rave. But here in BC, we've gotten to a whole new level where I couldn't even make this $h!t up if I tried.

Our own Premier, Christy Clark, has actually given her own government a vote of No Confidence in explaining why she is refusing to call the Legislature back into session for a fall sitting. If the Premier and leader of the majority government isn't responsible for carrying out the mandate and creating the culture of the Legislature then who the hell is?

I can only surmise that this was one of those unscripted moments where her media wranglers were notably absent and she went off the speaking points that had been carefully prepared for her. They must have some sort of code word for this by now.

Now, going into an election year, I suppose it will be helpful for the voters of Victoria to be fully aware that their Premier and the "leader" of the BC Liberals does not consider them to be "real people." I'm not exactly sure what she would consider them to be, but the dehumanization of the population of an entire city is pretty clear in spite of what spin they're now trying to put on her very honest and sincere comments.

Some relevant facts:

• The BC legislature only sat for 48 days last year. 
• The legislature recessed on Thursday, May 31, 2012 almost four months ago.  
• A fall session of the BC legislature was scheduled to be in operation for only 28 days in October and November 2012.
• The BC Liberal government apparently plans to cut spending by $241 million this year and $398 million next year to meet budget targets. 
• It will be almost 9 months between sittings of the Legislature under Clark's leadership. 
• A provincial election is scheduled for May 14, 2013.

**************************************
Here are some choice excerpts:

Clark’s diagnosis of 'sick culture' in Victoria reflects poorly on leadership

By Craig McInnes, Vancouver Sun September 19, 2012 

 

Clark said the unflattering portrait of the provincial capital she painted for National Post correspondent Brian Hutchinson after an interview in her Vancouver office last spring shouldn’t be taken as insult by the city and the people who call Victoria home.

Hutchinson first reported her comments at the end of the summer, but they surfaced again this week in the context of Clark’s decision not to hold a fall session of the Legislature.
She told him: “When the House rises at the end of [May], you’re never going to find me in Victoria.

“I try never to go over there. Because it’s sick. It’s a sick culture. All they can think about is government and there are no real people in Victoria, and you get captured by this inside-the-beltway debate, and it’s really unhealthy.”

Finance Minister Mike de Jong gave a more persuasive and less flattering explanation for the lack of a session when he told reporters recently that it was cancelled because Clark restocked her Cabinet with rookies who need time to learn their portfolios and the government wanted to continue the work started last summer of “reaching out to British Columbians.”

In other words, it lacks the competence at the moment to face the opposition in question period and would rather spend the time campaigning.

It’s not unusual for a fall sitting to be cancelled. But to assert that time spent conducting the formal business of the government would be a waste of time better spent “listening” to the common folk represents a new level of contempt for the political process.

What’s most disturbing is that the contempt is being shown by the one person who is in the best position to improve the “sick culture” and make it more productive.

Or who would be if she had any desire to make it a more effective institution. That doesn’t seem to be on her fall agenda, however.

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Some people will say anything to get elected, why the change of heart? Which statements are true? How do you trust someone who changes their spots so fast? Or is there another agenda and isn't that as bad, or worse? See de Jong above.

 

Premier Christy Clark shows disdain for 'sick culture' of Victoria 

 

Rob Shaw, Times Colonist September 19, 2012

 

While running for the B.C. Liberal party leadership in 2011, Clark "told reporters she loved the daily cutandthrust of question period. After she won the party leadership, she expressed a desire to run in a byelection as quickly as possible to get her seat in the house. "As you know, I love question period and I hate to miss it," she told reporters.
When Clark was resigning as an MLA in 2005, during her first stint in office, she also professed love for the job in her last speech in the chamber.

"I have a deep, deep love of politics. I love question period. I love debate. I love the people I've met. I even love the protesters. I love politics."

 

Some response:

 

It's little wonder that the Liberals have little support on Vancouver Island if they think the people who live here are part of a sick culture," said John Horgan, NDP MLA for Juan de Fuca.

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An open letter to B.C. Premier Christy Clark

By Evan Solomon, CBC News, Sep 15, 2012.

I thought I'd write to you about your decision to cancel your provincial legislature's fall sitting.You were supposed to face opposition parties for seven weeks at Question Period and now — nothing.

 

Your Finance Minister Mike de Jong explained the rationale: 

 

"The government will be preoccupied over the next number of months in terms of the preparation of the budget blueprint, and continuing what began in the summer and reaching out to British Columbians. That will be the focus for the government."
Is it really too much for citizens to want their leaders to focus on key issues and reaching out — whatever that means — while being held accountable in their own legislature?

Your government hasn't faced the electorate since you won that byelection and became Premier and you do have an election scheduled for May 14, 2013.

So, what's the message here?

That the government doesn't want to hear from opposition parties during a time of deep austerity and cuts?

Or that the government does so little of consequence that there's no need to meet about its activities? Not a lot of good options.

From Twitter:

Globe Politics ‏@globepolitics

Premier Clark forced to explain remarks about Victoria http://bit.ly/Od1cxw  #cdnpoli

Adam Stirling ‏@Adam_Stirling

But will they be real people? RT @BC_Iconoclast: Next week #yyj will see an extra 1500 -1700 politicians in town to attend the UBCM 

Stephen Smart ‏@CBCSmart

Skills training plan could have been good news for Clark, but b/c of her sick Victoria comments, it was derailed. #moredumbmistakes #bcpoli

Tess van Straaten ‏@tessvanstraaten

#BCpoli Carole James says Premier Clark should step down if she doesn't want to come to Capital, #BC legislature #NDP #Liberals @CHEK_News

  

BC Liberals & Conservatives: Struggles to Attract Credible Candidates

Clark, Cummins struggle to attract credible candidates

Keith Baldrey, Vancouver Courier August 31, 2012

Premier Christy Clark is “re-structuring” her cabinet, but a more pressing challenge for her is finding enough credible candidates to carry her party’s tarnished banner in the next election.

The B.C. Conservatives, on the other hand, have yet to demonstrate they possess a disciplined, seasoned process to oversee an election campaign. Cummins once expressed concern to me on a Shaw Voice of B.C. program that his party would attract the wrong kind of candidate who could prove embarrassing.

As I wrote here previously, the B.C. Conservatives have to inoculate themselves from “bozo eruptions” from candidates in the middle of a campaign. They can derail any campaign momentum rather quickly.

Indeed, Cummins himself has just provided the exact kind of comment I’m talking about. In an interview with the Vancouver Sun’s Jonathon Fowlie last week, Cummins compared himself to Jesus Christ no less.

In talking about facing a potential challenge to his leadership, Cummins said he could find only one party board member who wanted him gone. Then, he added this gem of a quote: “I hate to use a Biblical reference but Christ had 12 apostles, and one turned him in. We share the same initials but I can’t rise from the dead and I can’t get unanimity on the board. I wouldn’t expect to be able to. He couldn’t. I can’t.”

Clark’s potential problem when it comes to candidate recruitment is a little different. While Cummins is asking people to come on board a new venture, where the expectations might not be so high, Clark is trying to convince people to jump aboard a ship that is listing badly and seems likely to go under, or at least not right itself any time soon. 

While her predecessor, Gordon Campbell, could woo “star” candidates such as Carole Taylor, Wally Oppal, Margaret McDermiad, Kash Heed and Moira Stilwell with the offer of a cabinet post, Clark is not in a position to do that.

The best she can offer, right now at least, is the chance to be a portfolio critic sitting in the Official Opposition. That’s not the most appealing offer to people who currently have good careers in the private sector.

The one leader sitting in the catbird seat is, of course, the NDP’s Adrian Dix. He’s only losing a handful of MLAs from his caucus (Clark, on the other hand, will lose about 20 sitting MLAs) and his party is well along in the nomination process.

The NDP finds itself in a situation similar to the one it faced in 1991, when it was also heavily favoured to form government. Back then, it got people like Mike Farnworth, Joy MacPhail, Penny Priddy, Andrew Petter, Ujjal Dosanjh and Sue Hammell to run as first-timers, and they all became strong cabinet ministers.

It’s yet another parallel to the pivotal 1991 election, which saw a long-time political dynasty almost disappear from sight. The current premier has a lot of work ahead of her to prevent the same thing happening again next May.

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New BC Liberal-inspired Drinking Game:

Family drinking game

The lushes at K&K have come up with a new drinking game. From now until the provincial election on May 14, 2013, we’re going to drink a shot of Baja Rosa every time Premier Christy Clark or someone in her newly shuffled cabinet says the word “family.”

If we had started this drinking game when Clark and her so-called “families first” agenda was ushered into office, we would have a nice buzz going right now. But with the election looming and Clark desperately trying to make a connection with disillusioned voters, we fully expect to be on the verge of liver failure by the time polls close on election night.
In fact, it’s only been a few days since Clark introduced her new cabinet and we’re already comfortably numb from the sweet nectar of tequila- and strawberry-infused dairy products.

According to the Vancouver Sun, Clark wrote a smiley letter to each of her cabinet members stating: “Our government faces many exciting challenges and opportunities in the months ahead. Our success will be defined by our ability to develop and implement an agenda that connects with the priorities and circumstances of B.C. families.” One shot.

“I have established a cabinet working group on family affordability which will work to find savings, and opportunities to provide some relief for household budgets.” Two shots.

“I urge you to identify specific ideas on how our government can help keep life affordable for families.” Three shots.

“What I’m really focused on are families,” Clark told the media Wednesday. Four shots.

“And there are a lot of families who fit into this category—who just feel like they aren’t getting ahead and they’re worried about their future.” Five shots.

Clark then passed the families first peace pipe to her new finance minister, Mike de Jong, who said: “Where we can reduce the [tax] burden further for families, we will explore that.” Six shots.

Clark then got changed into a cheerleader uniform, grabbed a set of pompoms and performed a cheer. “F-A-M-I-L-I-E-S! What does that spell? Families!”

Admittedly, we were pretty wasted on Baja Rosa by the time that occurred, so we may have hallucinated the whole thing.

BC Liberal Dream Team: September 2012

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. ~ Albert Einstein

So cliched, but can it really go unsaid about the shuffling of the deck chairs on the Titanic? It's the best metaphor, sorry. Don't you just love their spin as "Cabinet Renewal?" It's all so comical. It's like they are all suffering some mass delusion that they have a chance of getting in as a majority again. It's almost sad really, if it weren't for all of the people who've been kicked in the teeth over and over again by the BC Liberal government over the last decade.Oh and those people are us. You know, voters.

It's like a game of political Survivor where people are voting themselves off the island one by one. 

BC Liberals Resign: Sinking Ship Or Fresh Start (TWITTER REACTION)

Huffington Post, Andree Lau, Aug. 30, 2012

                                 


Christy Clark shuffles cabinet
VICTORIA/CKNW (AM980), 9/5/2012

Office of the (Ill-fated) Premier: Premier Christy Clark Announces Cabinet Renewal

VICTORIA - Premier Christy Clark today renewed her cabinet with a focus on a strong and growing economy, controlling spending and  making life more affordable for families.
"Our government is delivering for British Columbians. This new cabinet brings a renewed commitment to our priorities," said Premier Clark. "That means staying focused on jobs and fiscal discipline and continuing our efforts to make life more affordable for B.C. families. I have directed each minister to stay focused on these priorities."

The new Cabinet is made up of 16 ministers and two ministers of state, plus the Premier. No new ministries have been added, keeping the size of the Cabinet smaller than pre-2011 levels.

There is a new cabinet working group focused on family affordability, and the cabinet committee on jobs and economic growth now includes skills training. A full listing of the cabinet committees and membership is attached in the backgrounder.

The new cabinet is:
* Premier - Hon. Christy Clark
* Minister of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas and Minister Responsible
for Housing and Deputy Premier- Hon. Rich Coleman
* Minister of Finance and House Leader - Hon. Mike de Jong
* Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation - Hon. Ida
Chong
* Minister of Advanced Education, Innovation and Technology and
Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism - Hon. John Yap
* Minister of Agriculture - Hon. Norm Letnick
* Minister of Children and Family Development - Hon. Stephanie
Cadieux
* Minister of Citizens' Services and Open Government - Hon. Ben
Stewart
* Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development - Hon. Bill
Bennett
* Minister of Education - Hon. Don McRae
* Minister of Environment - Hon. Terry Lake
* Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations - Hon.
Steve Thomson
* Minister of Health - Hon. Margaret MacDiarmid
* Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister
Responsible for Labour - Hon. Pat Bell
* Minister of Justice and Attorney General - Hon. Shirley Bond
* Minister of Social Development - Hon. Moira Stilwell
* Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure - Hon. Mary Polak
* Minister of State for Seniors - Hon. Ralph Sultan
* Minister of State for Small Business - Hon. Naomi Yamamoto

Voters see the truth: BC Liberals becoming more & more unpopular

From Integrity BC:

Each logo represents a donation of over $7,500 to Clark's 2011 leadership campaign. They represent over $200,000 in donations and don't include donations these companies may have made to the BC Liberal party in 2011. The NDP set a donation cap of $2,500. 

 

BC Government Credit Card Expenditures from 04-01-2011 to 03-31-2012

The credit card expenditures of Officers of the Legislature and Ministries for 2010 – 2011 and 2011 – 2012.

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Listing Liberals unable to right their ship 

Keith Baldrey, Vancouver Courier August 8, 2012

The bad news just keeps accumulating for Premier Christy Clark and the B.C. Liberals, and there's little to suggest that pattern is going to change in their favour anytime soon.

The latest disappointment for them is the latest Angus Reid poll, which shows Clark and her gang got absolutely no bounce in the polls from her pipeline announcement. Indeed, it is the NDP that is growing in popularity, while the B.C. Liberals are stuck in the polls, unable to get any traction at all with the voters.

The poll followed on the heels of revelations of increased credit card spending in a number of government ministries, including Clark's office. 

The breakdown of the poll's other findings reveal just what a bleak situation the B.C. Liberals find themselves in. Pick a category -region, gender, income level, age demo-graphics-and the party trails in pretty well everything.

For example, just 15 per cent of decided female voters say they would back B.C.'s female premier and her party-an astounding finding. The NDP also leads in all three age demographics and among almost all income groups.

The B.C. Liberals have also lost the support of half the people who voted for them in 2009. They trail the NDP in all regions of the province, creating the potential for a scenario similar to the 2001 election results, except in reverse.

As the next election draws nearer, it's a safe bet to assume the bad news will continue to accumulate for the ruling party. The pattern has been set, and there's little chance of it being altered in any great way. Even a change in leadership-as remote a possibility that it is -appears unlikely to right their ship. 

 

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Victoria's secrets: All's fair game in love and politics

All's fair game in love and politics 

Michael Smyth, The Province August 5, 2012

After last week's uproar over Christy Clark's credit-card bills, and the financial farce that passes for secretive MLA expense accounts, the political blame game has begun.

Now the ugliest fight is between the Liberals and upstart B.C. Conservatives, who are calling on the Liberal speaker of the legislature, Bill Barisoff, to resign over the whole secrets-pending mess.

Shortly after Conservative leader John Cummins called for Barisoff's head, the Liberals called me to tear a strip off John van Dongen, the former Liberal MLA who jumped to the Conservatives in March.

Better put on a raincoat, dear reader - the mudslinging gets down and dirty from here.

Krueger has three part-time constituency assistants in Kamloops. In November 2010, one of them was hired as his "executive assistant" at the legislature. Then Premier Christy Clark dumped Krueger from cabinet in March 2011, and his executive assistant was let go and given $73,000 in severance.

In March 2012, Krueger rehired her as his constituency assistant.

It was one of the more eye-popping items on Premier Christy Clark's credit-card statement: $3,267.66 at the Ferris Oyster Bar in Victoria.

That was the bill for a reception Clark threw for Canada's premiers at a conference last year. The hungry first ministers also chowed down at Vancouver's fancy Bishop's Restaurant, to the tune of $2,279.

As Clark herself said, when denying a raise to B.C. civil servants: "After all, it's taxpayers' money."

Bafflegab: BC Liberals fiscal (mis)management of taxpayer dollars

bafflegab:[baf-uhl-gab]                        

noun Slang . confusing or generally unintelligible jargon; gobbledegook

I'm a bit confused about what government Premier Clark is talking about here:

“What we have to count on is that our vote is going to come together. And if people care about good government, open government, family government, government that creates jobs, government that respects your money and treats it the way that you would, then you have to remember that we have to come together.”

From: Eby considers rematch with Clark in Vancouver-Point Grey

Vancouver Courier, Mike Howell, July 25, 2012.

 

Is this the government she's referring to, the one she & the incompetent BC Liberals have been in charge of since 2001:

 

Auditor general says finances of B.C. legislature are a mess

By Rob Shaw, timescoloniist.com July 26, 2012

Doyle released a scathing audit Thursday that pointed to a host of financial irregularities and failures at the legislative assembly, which has a budget of almost $70 million for staff, MLA salaries and expenses, security, a library, dining room and gift shop.

“It’s really bad,” Doyle said. When asked if he could conclude whether the legislature had lost any money or spent it improperly, Doyle replied: “We don’t know.”

Doyle said his auditors had to adjust the legislature’s books by $1.3 billion. “That’s how far wrong they were in what they were doing,” he said.

Legislature financial staff had not reconciled their records with their bank accounts in years, resulting, in one case, of records showing the legislature $133 million in overdraft while the actual bank account sat at $0, he said.

The audit also found that taxpayers have been paying off MLA credit cards, used for travel expenses, without proper documentation — likely totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

 

Barisoff described the audit as a difference in “accounting procedures” and a personality conflict between Doyle and legislative comptroller Dan Arbic.

“I think the Speaker might not appreciate the gravity of the findings, and hasn’t yet quite worked out what this means properly, and what his responsibilities are,” Doyle replied.

Editorial: Legislature sets bad example 

Times Colonist, July 27, 2012.

How can we expect B.C.’s finances to be handled competently and honestly if the elected officials themselves can’t account for their own expenses?

In his audit of the B.C. legislature’s finances, auditor general John Doyle has revealed neglect and incompetence of scandalous proportions. No one, it seems, has kept proper track of the legislature’s annual budget of nearly $70 million for years.

Because of the accumulated neglect over that period, Doyle said his auditors had to adjust the books by $1.3 billion. At one point, records showed the legislature had a $133-million overdraft while the actual bank balance was zero. Taxpayers have been paying off the credit cards MLAs use for travel expenses without proper documentation.

Because the accounting has been so shoddy, Doyle doesn’t know if the legislature has lost any money or if it has been spent improperly. In other words, it’s so bad, he can’t tell how bad it is.

The day-to-day operation of the legislature is the responsibility of the legislature clerk, who reports to the legislative assembly management committee, chaired by Speaker Bill Barisoff. That committee has had only two 20-minute meetings in 12 months. Fingers can legitimately be pointed at the legislature’s financial staff — surely, these are professionals who understand basic accounting procedures — but the ultimate blame rests with the elected officials.

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John Doyle deserves the Order of BC for his work in fulfilling his mandate to the citizens of B.C.

Changes to Privacy Rights of Citizens of BC

Why did the BC Liberal government move so quickly to ram through poorly thought out changes to BC's privacy laws? Who benefits and who doesn't?

Piecemeal repeal of FIPPA?

BC Freedom of Information & Privacy Association, June 1st, 2012 11:30am

There has been a lot of discouraging news on the FOI and privacy front recently as a raft of new legislation introduced in the last couple of weeks undercuts the law protecting our FOI and privacy rights.

All four bills have been criticized by provincial Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham in an unprecedented barrage of letters from her office. Yet her concerns, along with those raised by FIPA and others, have fallen on deaf ears. Questions about why changes to institutions like PharmaCare require an expansion in the government’s ability to collect, use, and disclose sensitive personal information, similarly, have gone unanswered.

FIPA has just sent a letter to Premier Clark asking why her government feels it necessary to undertake this piecemeal repeal of the information rights of British Columbians. The full text of that letter can be downloaded as a PDF here.

For some background on the controversy that has arisen over this legislation, and what FIPA has been saying about it, check out the following links:

BILL 35:
Drug bill includes personal information grab: advocate, from The Tyee
Bill easing research access to ehealth data sparks privacy fears, from The Vancouver Sun

BILL 37:
BC commissioner critical of animal health secrecy measures, from The Tyee
Government Moving to Keep Farm Disease Outbreaks Secret, from The Tyee

BILL 39:
New Bills Smack of Big Brother, from The Times Colonist

BILL 47:
Elizabeth Denham’s letter to Minister Lekstrom regarding Bill 47, Coastal Ferries Amendment Act

GENERAL:
Christy Clark repealing transparency and privacy rights: FIPA, from The Tyee

Those Nasty BC Liberals: Democracy, pffft, Who Needs It?

There will only be one more session in the fall. The campaigning is going to be starting to ramp up in what will be the last election in which the BC Liberals have a majority and death grip on B.C.

Word: Spencer Chandra Herbert (Spencer Herbert):

Christy Clark, and her BC Liberal government have decided that changing laws which affect your employment, your health, your privacy, your transportation, your finances, and your environment only needs to take 30 minutes of debate per bill all in a mad rush to close down the legislature today and avoid any real scrutiny. It's bad government full stop. A change in government can't come soon enough.  

With session ending Thursday, B.C. Liberals cut short debates on legislation

The Liberal government used its majority to cut short debate on 13 pieces of legislation, in an attempt to pass them all into law by the time the legislature adjourns for summer break Thursday. Most will get between 30 and 60 minutes of debate by MLAs before a snap vote is called by the Liberal majority.

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Video: Premier Clark defends BC hydro rate increase

She keeps spinning that they were asking for a 50% increase, when it was only 32% and other inaccuracies too.What this means is she and her media people think all of us are simpletons and they can confuse us with sophistry. Can you smell the desperation? It smells like a party in its' death throws.

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BC’s Top Investigative Reporter Bob Mackin Pulls Back the Curtain on Liquor Distribution: What Were Minister Rich Coleman and His Good Friend and Political Confidante Patrick Kinsella Talking About?

In obtaining an internal memo, Business In Vancouver columnist Bob Mackin has peeled back the curtain on the machinations by one particular bidder–a bidder represented by Premier Chirsty Clark’s rainmaker, Pat Kinsella.

There was a Time When Democracy and Charter Rights meant something in BC: Not to BC Liberals Apparently

This is close to the cold, dark heart of BC Liberals Suck since the minions of the ill-fated government made a complaint to Elections Canada about our humble blog last election. 

Why does Big Brother need to shut down democracy in BC? A healthy and functional democracy doesn't fear citizens having a voice and a forum.

Election law crushes small spenders

VINCENT GOGOLEK, SHANNON DAUB AND MICHEAL VONN, Special to the Sun May 7, 2012

http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/Election+crushes+small+spenders/6581861/story.html

The British Columbia government wants you to shut up during the next election.
That’s the message that emerges when you read between the lines of its proposed amendments to the Election Act.

Premier Christy Clark claims she is trying to prevent Big Money from buying provincial elections. Her government has reintroduced a controversial measure to limit “third party election advertising” before the start of a provincial election campaign.

But what the premier doesn’t mention is that the Election Act requires third parties to register with Elections BC before they are even allowed to speak up.

Given the extremely broad definition of election advertising in the act, this is a serious problem. Here is that definition (from section 228 of the act): “the transmission to the public by any means, during the period beginning 60 days before a campaign period and ending at the end of the campaign period, of an advertising message that promotes or opposes, directly or indirectly, a registered political party or the election of a candidate, including an advertising message that takes a position on an issue with which a registered political party or candidate is associated ...”

In other words, just about any public communication on any provincial issue under the sun. Failure to register as an “election advertising sponsor” means you will have committed an offence, and will be liable to up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine.

It gets worse. You don’t have to spend a single cent to be caught by a law that claims to be about reducing the influence of Big Money.

According to Elections BC’s website, “Election advertising sponsors must be registered with the Chief Electoral Officer, even if the election advertising they are conducting does not cost any money.”

This law poses a real danger to engaged citizens and small organizations who may spend a few dollars (or even no dollars) communicating with their neighbours or the wider public. Want to put a sign in your window about an issue you have an opinion about? Better register with Elections BC first. A community organization wants to talk about its concerns on Facebook? Register first.

Research we conducted with social movement groups after the 2009 provincial election found:

• The prospect of being publicly labelled as a “third party advertising sponsor” created anxiety for many non-profits, charities and other organizations that are careful to remain non-partisan, with some simply choosing to opt out of public engagement during the election entirely.
• One in four of the groups that participated in our study self-censored as a result of the rules. Six groups censored public communication activities specifically to avoid having to register as advertising sponsors. Others self-censored due to confusion and/or concerns about the risks of inadvertently breaking the rules.
• Most of the activities groups censored had little to do with commercial advertising. For example, nine groups did not post new material on their websites; four removed existing material from their websites; and four refrained from issuing or endorsing a call for changes to government policy.

• Particularly troubling is the revelation that five groups avoided commenting in the mainstream media due to confusion about the rules (media commentary is one of a few exemptions from the definition of advertising).

Other parts of Canada with third-party spending limits don’t require registration until you spend at least a minimum amount. Usually this minimum amount is $500; in Alberta it is $1,000. Having a minimum spending threshold reduces the risk to small groups or individuals who just want to speak out about an issue that is important to them.
Without a minimum threshold, in practice B.C.’s rules focus mainly on these small spenders. Of the 232 organizations registered as third-party sponsors during the 2009 B.C. election, more than half (59 per cent) spent less than $500, and three quarters spent less than $3,000.

The requirement to register before you spend a dime targets the involved, active citizen that every democracy is supposed to be encouraging. And it targets small organizations, many of which represent the least powerful people in our society, whose voices are already marginalized. At a time when voter participation is falling, this law is not only unjustifiable, it is also profoundly destructive to democracy.

In his 2010 report to the Legislature, the chief electoral officer noted the problem of not having a minimum spending threshold given the sweeping definition of election advertising. He suggested legislators consider making changes. Apparently the government either forgot about his report, or decided to ignore it.

In all likelihood, the current rules are an unconstitutional restriction on freedom of speech, and likely also of freedom of association.

Instead of resurrecting the controversial “pre-campaign period,” the provincial government should set a reasonable minimum registration threshold so that the rules no longer target small spenders.

If the government is unwilling to do so, then it should at least seek an opinion from the B.C. Court of Appeal on the constitutionality of requiring third parties to register before they can even speak up.

After all, the small spenders can’t afford to launch a costly court challenge.
Vincent Gogolek is executive director of B.C.’s Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, Shannon Daub is communications director with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and Micheal Vonn is the B.C. Civil Liberties Association’s policy director. Together they co-published the 2010 study Election Chill Effect: The Impact of B.C.’s New Third Party Advertising Rules on Social Movement Groups.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

BC Liberals Latest Dream Team

Premier Christy Clark was sworn in today, March 14th, in Victoria as BC's 35th Premier.

Clark's New Dream Team Cabinet:

• Kevin Falcon, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance. (Ed: keep your enemies closer?)
  
• Mary Polak, Minister of Aboriginal Relations.
• Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of Advanced Education.
• Don McRae, Minister of Agriculture.
• Barry Penner, Attorney General.
• Mary McNeil, Minister of Children and Family Development.
• Ida Chong, Minister Community Sport and Cultural Development.
• George Abbott, Minister of Education.
• Rich Coleman, Minister of Energy and Mines and Minister Responsible for Housing.
• Terry Lake, Minister of Environment.
• Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
• Mike de Jong, Minister of Health.
• Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation.
• Stephanie Cadieux, Minister of Labour, Citizens Services and Open Government.
• Shirley Bond, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
• Harry Bloy, Minister of Social Development and Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism.
• Blair Lekstom, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
• Rich Coleman will serve as the Government House Leader.
• Terry Lake will be the deputy Government House Leader.
• Ben Stewart will be the Government whip.

Other changes the Sun points out:

• "Five members of the last cabinet are gone: Colin Hansen, Murray Coell, Moira Stilwell, John Yap and Margaret MacDiarmid."
• Clark brought energy, mines together into one portfolio.
• She linked forestry, lands and natural resource operations under its own ministry.
• Created a new ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation.
  
• New ministry of Labour, Citizens’ services and Open Government

Some choices quotes:

"Now it’s time for our government to reach out to those families for whom the great promise of British Columbia may have remained elusive. and that works starts now.”

She promised “real and tangible” steps in coming weeks to help families, and said government will be more open and explain its decisions to British Columbians.

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New Premier Names Her Cabinet
CBC News, March 14th, 2011.

Clark cut the size of cabinet from 23 to 18, including herself, meaning a large number former premier Gordon Campbell's ministers will now be sitting on the backbenches of the legislature.

Clark also named another 10 MLAs as parliamentary secretaries to work with ministers to focus on key initiatives of government.

Amongst those who did not get a seat at the cabinet table were former deputy premeir and finance minister Colin Hansen, and Kevin Krueger.

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Moira Stilwel Sidelined in Christy Clark's Cabinet, Sources Say

Gary Mason & Ian Bailey, Globe & Mail, March 14, 2011.

Excerpts:

Dr. Stilwell, a former cabinet minister, will not be one of Ms. Clark’s ministers. Instead, she will be named parliamentary secretary in charge of innovation. She will have a reporting relationship with the minister in charge of a newly-created portfolio for jobs.

Dr. Stilwell’s demotion is surprising. A physician trained in nuclear medicine, Dr. Stilwell is one of the brightest minds in the Liberal caucus.

She was one of Mr. Campbell’s must trustworthy ministers and performed well in colleges and regional economic development, the last post she held before resigning to run for the Liberal leadership. But it was during her unlikely bid for the leadership that Dr. Stilwell shone, impressing many with her thoughtful and articulate responses on a range of policy topics.

As the ink dries on the new government letterheads, we all have no choice but to wait and see how all of this is going to play out for BC citizens.

Next up - when & where will Premier Clark run in a by-election and who will run against her from the NDP?