July 9, 2009 • 11:10 am 3
If “Republicans for Ignatieff” really was aimed at supporters of the Republicans and Conservatives, then why would Social Democratic Northern BC Dipper be receiving their e-mails without signing up for them!?
Jeez, if you are trying to scare the bejeezus out the Canadian left in regards to Iggy, at least send e-mail from a pretend left-winger.
Filed under: Conservatives, Federal, Liberals
July 3, 2009 • 11:39 am 0
Now that Green Party leader Elizabeth May has chosen to run in Saanich-Gulf Islands and achieve what the Liberals couldn’t do with no NDP candidate in the next general election, wouldn’t it stand to reason that her next by-election choice would be (relatively) nearby New Westminster—Coquitlam, for the purpose of boosting her profile in BC?
June 17, 2009 • 10:28 am 0
Well, in a minority government, political parties are supposed to make deals with each other in order for the government to earn the confidence of the House of Commons.
That being said, for all of the kerfuffle, you’d think that the Liberals would have been able to make a better deal.
I mean, a working group to study EI reform? You’d think that the House of Commons would have a committee for that. A committee with members from all parties in the House. Maybe it will come up with a EI reform policy before the recession ends!
Oh, and I suppose the Liberals will get access to government documents and get an opposition day in the fall.
Thing is, it seems that getting all of these, um, concessions would have been possible if Ignatieff and the Liberals went and talked to Harper and the Conservatives in the first place. Heck, it would have saved exposing Ignatieff as an indecisive leader that can’t make a decision in a relatively quick time frame.
You’d think that the Liberals would have learned from the Dion era not to make so much noise if they can’t back it up with action. Come on, even a fourth place party can make a deal better than this!
Filed under: Conservatives, Federal, Liberals, NDP
June 11, 2009 • 1:21 pm 2
Huh. I suppose the plan for the federal Liberals in regards to confidence votes was to vote against the Conservative government and force one of the two other opposition parties to support them.
Because, as we know, the two other opposition parties don’t want an election. So why not force them to wear it?
Filed under: Conservatives, Federal, Liberals, NDP
June 10, 2009 • 4:57 pm 3
Now, for the most exciting political event since the BC Election: The new BC Liberal Cabinet.
Pundits have been saying that because of the influx of new cabinet material paired with a lack of movement of old cabinet ministers, Campbell has had to make a few hard choices. So let’s see what’s happened here.
First of all, Linda Reid, Ron Cantelon and Joan McIntyre from the previous cabinet have been dropped. Joan McIntyre probably had to move over to make for fellow Northern Vancouverite Naomi Yamamoto’s rise to cabinet. Linda Reid is finally being punished for the booster seat scandal.
There are also eight new cabinet ministers: the aforementioned Naomi Yamamoto, Kash Heed, Margaret MacDiarmid, Ben Stewart, Moira Stilwell, Steve Thomson, Mary McNeill, John Yap and Randy Hawes.
It looks like BC’s North took quite a few hits for this cabinet. Shirley Bond of Prince George has been demoted from Deputy Premier and Minister of Education to Minister of Transport. Considering that Health has been Bond’s only non-educational portfolio, this new assignment should be… interesting. Replacing her as Deputy Premier is southern, and male Colin Hansen (this is considering that all of Campbell’s previous Deputy Premiers have been female). As well, I am surprised that Donna Barnett, a northerner that barely won to take away New Democrat Charlie Wyse’s seat away from him, didn’t get a cabinet position.
Mary Polak, famous for banning books that dealt with same sex couples while she was a school board trustee, has been promoted to Minister of Children and Families. Then again, Children and Families tends to be a good place to destroy political careers in BC.
Kevin Falcon got a promotion to become Minister of Health. I can only hope that he doesn’t treat sick people like he treats forestry workers losing their jobs (his opinion on the subject? “Boo-hoo”).
So overall, this cabinet is one that reduces representation of Northern British Columbians, brings in new recruits, and seems to put those interested in the BC Liberal leadership (cough* Colin Hansen and Kevin Falcon *cough) in a visible position.
Campbell’s New Cabinet, June 10 2009.
Naomi Yamamoto
Minister of State for Intergovernmental RelationsGeorge Abbott
Minister of Aboriginal Relations and ReconciliationMoira Stilwell
Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market DevelopmentSteve Thomson
Minister of Agriculture and LandsMike de Jong
Attorney GeneralMary Polak
Minister of Children and Family Development
Minister Responsible for Child CareBen Stewart
Minister of of Citizens’ ServicesBill Bennett
Minister of Community and Rural DevelopmentDr. Margaret MacDiarmid
Minister of Education and Minister responsible for Early Learning and LiteracyBlair Lekstrom
Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum ResourcesRandy Hawes
Minister of State for MiningBarry Penner
Minister of EnvironmentJohn Yap
Minister of State for Climate ActionColin Hansen
Minister of Finance and Deputy PremierPat Bell
Minister of Forests and Range
Minister Responsible for Integrated Land Management BureauKevin Falcon
Minister of Health ServicesIda Chong
Minister of Healthy Living and SportMary McNeil
Minister of State for the Olympics and ActNow BCRich Coleman
Minister of Housing and Social DevelopmentKash Heed
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor GeneralMurray Coell
Minister of LabourIain Black
Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic DevelopmentKevin Krueger
Minister of Tourism, Culture and the ArtsShirley Bond
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
Filed under: BC Liberals, BC New Democrats, Provincial
May 26, 2009 • 4:30 am 2
The issue of setting wages for politicians tends to be quite awkward, especially if it the politicians themselves setting their wage.
After all, they obviously benefit personally from any raises. But complicating the matter, there is also the ability to score political points for opposing a pay raises. Unfortunately, those political points tend to be lost when the politicians that were opposing the wage increase decide to take it.
This happened to Reform, and is currently happening to the BC New Democrat MLAs, who have decided to take the 2007 pay raises that they protested so loudly and gave to charity.
But is there a better way to handle pay raises for politicians? Is there a way to gain political points on the issue without having to back down and look like idiots later. I think there is.
The next time there is a controversy over pay raises, the following proposals, to be enacted when the party gets into government, might be a better way to handle it:
In this manner, there is a way to make sure that politicians are compensated for their work while avoiding the whole “pigs at the trough” image with the public.
Filed under: BC Liberals, BC New Democrats, Political Blogrolls
May 21, 2009 • 6:39 pm 2
The New Brunswick education minister has proposed that there be one seat reserved for a student, appointed by the high school student council president, on every school board.
What an interesting idea, making sure that those that are the most affected by the school board decisions have some representation and voice of the very same governing board.
The only thing I don’t like about this particular proposal is the selection of that student representative. Instead of being selected by a council of high school student council presidents, why don’t you instead have the representative chosen via an election where the electors are high school students? Doing it that way might just translate into high student students learning the importance of voting, something that sorely needed in this age of low voter turnout.
H/T: Albertosaurus Talks
Filed under: Other Provinces
Lastest BC NDP News Lastest Federal NDP News
