Editorials

SAY NO TO THE SELL-OUT OF BC RIVERS & CREEKS TO PRIVATE ENERGY CORPORATIONS.
Attached are two Summary Reports that show that the BC government has granted 'water licences for power production' on hundreds of British Columbia Rivers & creeks to private energy corporations.

Hydro Summary 1

Hydro Summary 2

BC Hydro and the Stolen Rivers *.pdf
During the last few years the provincial government has gone to unusual lengths to keep energy information from the public. We said we wanted our electric power systems kept public. The government then used the legal system to covertly achieve their policy of deregulating our power system against our interest.

THESE ARE THE TIMES, WE ARE THE PEOPLE
Great news --I applaud the action by the traditional Chiefs and the non-indigenous community to travel to Calgary and directly confront the corporate powers that are planning coalbed methane exploration and production in the Bulkley Valley areas. But we (in the rural and urban parts of this province) must, ally together, and go beyond these actions. These are the times, and we are the people.

Tricked and Treated:
The Case of Modern Day Piracy involving British Columbia hydroelectricity and water
Folks, this is an article I would rather not write. Indeed I would rather enjoy Halloween, the trick-n' treating, attending parties, the joking around, and watching the fireworks that accompanies this time of year. But it is not to be. The story that unfolds herein ought to be sufficient to 'scare your socks off', to cause you to demand answers, leap in to action. If you have any concern for the welfare of your children and grandchildren - please read this, pass it around, get very active.

BC HYDRO AND THE MISALLOCATION OF POLITICAL POWER
WITHIN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Presently the Crown owns it all, and grants most of the coal, timber, minerals, oil, gas, hydro licenses to major Corporations whose Boards of Directors really don't give two cents worth for local workers, families, and communities. Their focus is the bottom financial line and value to shareholders - especially majority shareholders. This is not new "news", this is the colonial way it has always been in BC., the municipalities and cities, and the people that reside within them, have little political power within the province vis a vis the Premier and the elite class of big business powers. This dysfunctional allocation of political power is the root cause of why the problem of BC Hydro's sale, restructuring, and the privatizing of our river's water to independent power producers exists.

'We might become extinct'
David Walkem was just finishing his breakfast at Vicky's Café on the banks of the Thompson River and gazing out the window at a dozen bighorn sheep moving up the hillside on the opposite bank.
Here at Spences Bridge in the southern interior of British Columbia, the hills gently rise into mountains, and above everything looms Shawnikenmx, a beloved peak where Mr. Walkem's Nlakapamux people used to go in the old days to get spirit power. Back then, the 50-year-old chief of the Cook's Ferry Indian Band explains, the high country was like parkland. As a boy, his grandfather could ride his horse through the forest at full gallop.

Sea-to-Sky Hurts Communities
The Sea-to-Sky highway project has more critics than just Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Habitat Enhancement Branch. Some residents of West Vancouver are extremely concerned over the impact changes in the traffic flow will have on their community. They would be joined by users of the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal if they had the slightest idea what is being proposed.

Corporate Influence
It is fitting, perhaps ironic, that information from the search warrants used in the December 28, 2003 raid on the Legislature was made available at the same time that the public learned who financed BC's political parties in 2005. Information in the search warrants is nothing but unproven allegations but they contain assertions that Ministerial Assistants received benefits from lobbyists for assisting a corporation. Filings with Elections BC show that in 2005 the BC Liberal party received $9.2 million from corporations and just under $1 million from unincorporated businesses, for a total of over $10.1 million out of $13.1 million from all sources. Despite having received 77% of their funding from the business sector, the Liberal Party had the gall to issue a news release which claimed that "Individuals made up a full eighty-two percent of the contributors to the BC Liberal Party in 2005". Of course, the BC Liberal Party wasn't counting dollars when it made that outrageous claim. If corporate and union donations were banned, as they are in Quebec and Manitoba, the Liberals would have a funding crisis.

Day's strategy: 'Debate is futile'
In the right-wing attempt to overthrow our public health-care system and put in place a multitude of for-profit privatized services, Dr. Brian Day is its leading revolutionary.
In a campaign-style speech for the very conservative Fraser Institute last Thursday, Day made clear that despite recently being chosen by B.C. doctors as their choice to be the next president of the Canadian Medical Association, he will not moderate his views.

Canada's energy security in jeopardy
OTTAWA-A report on the Athabasca tar sands released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Parkland Institute, and Polaris Institute warns of the potential enormous economic, social, and ecological threat from Athabaska tar sands development.
"The Athabasca tar sands project is the centerpiece of a continental energy plan to send massive new oil and gas supplies to the U.S.," says Tony Clarke, Director of the Polaris Institute. "Canada is sitting back and letting George W. Bush and the big oil companies dictate our energy policy."

Emerson's defection raises legal issues
Vancouver lawyer Peter Dimitrov has suggested that Vancouver Kingsway MP David Emerson and Prime Minister Stephen Harper might have "nullified" the constitutional rights of Emerson's constituents when Emerson abandoned the Liberals and joined the Conservative cabinet. In a phone interview with the Straight, Dimitrov said that a 2003 Supreme Court of Canada decision involving Miguel Figueroa "clearly elucidates the right of citizens to play a meaningful role in the election of their representatives".

Finally, a debate about private health care? Give us a break!
Ottawa (8 March 2006) - With the recent Supreme Court decision on wait times, and the moves by some provincial governments to allow a bigger role for the for-profit sector in health care, advocates of for-profit care are pretty pumped.
Finally, we're informed, we'll have the much needed 'public debate' about for-profit care. Those dinosaurs who've insisted we shouldn't even think about a for-profit role will now have to face the crucial 'debate' which we've apparently never had the courage to face.

Albertans must de-Klein the third way on Medicare
The Premier of Alberta, Ralph Klein, has defended his government's scheme to legislate two-tier health care with this line: "It's about people making choices for themselves."
No, Mr. Klein, it's not. It's about rich people making decisions for themselves. It's about the very wealthy being able to jump the queue at the expense of the rest of us.

CEOs set agenda for foreign policy talks
On March 7th and 8th a delegation of CEOs, all members of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), an organization made up of 150 of Canada's largest corporations, will arrive in Mexico City to seek out "new business opportunities" according to the February 16 editorial in the Mexican daily Reforma.

Is there a Legal Case Against David Emerson? - Part Two
In the United Kingdom where parliament is supreme "tradition' gives parliamentarians the right, indeed the privilege, to switch sides as they please without any restrictions whatsoever.
Parliamentarians in Canada seem to think that they can do exactly the same. The reality is, however, that in Canada, since the 1982 patriation of the Constitution with a new Charter of Rights and Freedoms - 'parliament is not supreme'. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and any common or statutory law, tradition, privilege, entitlement, or judicial ruling inconsistent with the Canadian Constitution can be overturned by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The Return of the Ruling Class
Last Monday I had occasion to speak to a Political Science class at University College of the Cariboo in Kamloops. I used my hour with the students to try and argue against cynicism about politics and political activity. I have long believed that cynicism is the path to hopelessness, and hopelessness is the excuse to take no action to improve our collective experience. Academic life sometimes encourages students to confuse cynicism with intelligence, and faith with naiveté. I wanted to refute that assumption and convince the students that the world as they would inherit is theirs to design or abandon and the appropriate way to make that choice was to make it consciously.

Is There a Legal Case Against David Emerson?
It is now becoming evident that David Emerson's actions have support, amongst some within his constituency, within the Conservative Party, but especially within Corporate Canada. Nonetheless I hazard to assert that the majority of ordinary Canadians across the political spectrum think that his actions were an absolute betrayal of those who supported his campaign and those who voted for him.

Public service workers take strike vote
The 25,000 women and men who work in the provincial public service will be taking a strike vote to back their contract demands for protection from privatization and contracting out of their work and stronger job security, the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) announced today.

Harper's hogwash hard to digest
I thought Stephen Harper was sharper than this. Apparently not.

He has made an unelected man, Michael Fortier, a senator - after saying future senators would be elected, not appointed. Then he put Fortier, along with turncoat Liberal David Emerson, into his cabinet - bypassing a clutch of very able MPs in his caucus.

Citizens Demand Emerson Step Down & Face By-Election
Recording of the Rally in MP3

More than four hundred people attended a rally in Vancouver on Saturday to pressure Liberal-turned-Tory David Emerson to resign. It's another forum for people to vent their anger with Emerson. Organizers of two online petitions say they have gathered more than 20,000 signatures in a week.

TERMINATOR BAN UNDERMINED AT UN MEETING IN SPAIN
The National Farmers Union (NFU) of Canada, the National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) in the United States, and other organizations are concerned that "suicide seeds" may be introduced into the environment through the back door.

A worldwide de-facto moratorium on Genetic Use Restriction Technologies (GURTs ­ popularly known as "Terminator" technology) was undermined this past week at a United Nations conference in Granada, Spain. Terminator technology is used to create genetically modified seeds which are rendered sterile at harvest.

Could Harper's win cost voters their homes?
On election night, some socially progressive voters probably heaved a sigh of relief that Conservative prime minister-designate Stephen Harper failed to win a majority government. Nationally, his party won fewer seats than the Liberals did in 2004. Without the support of other parties in Parliament, Harper won't be able to drag Canada into a war, ban same-sex marriage, create a "made-in-Canada" alternative to the Kyoto Protocol, or cut off funding for embryonic-stem-cell research.

Offshore oil an issue in BC
The Conservative candidate for the Skeena-Bulkley-Valley riding on B.C.'s north coast says he would push for offshore oil and gas drilling if his party forms the next government.

Will federal parties secure Canada's energy future?
The spike in world oil prices after Hurricane Katrina highlighted the need to plan for coming oil and natural gas shortages. The Americans are discussing how to ensure security of supply. So are politicians in many countries.

But not in Canada. We now have only 8.7 years of proven supply of natural gas. Conventional oil production is falling. Alberta’s tar sands have plenty of oil, but it comes with horrific environmental damage. During an election campaign, Canada’s main political party leaders seem oblivious to Canada’s energy security needs.

Deep Integration and the New North American Man.
Isn't it strange that a prominent political figure often touted as the next Prime Minister is actively and openly participating in a group whose unstated goal amounts to the destruction of the very country he wants to lead?

Stranger yet, this bizarre and frightening fact is ignored by the national media. Instead of front page stories, angry editorials and outraged columnists there's a soothing silence, which enables the man to keep alive his dream of becoming Prime Minister.

Will the Real Harper Stand Up
Human Rights Commissions:

"Human rights commissions, as they are evolving, are an attack o­n our fundamental freedoms and the basic existence of a democratic society.It is in fact totalitarianism. I find this is very scary stuff." (BC Report Newsmagazine, January 11, 1999)

In Their Own Words collects quotations by and about Canada's Conservatives, as well as quotes about Canada by well-known American conservative pundits.
"The establishment came down with a constitutional package which they put to a national referendum. The package included distinct society status for Quebec and some other changes, including some that would just horrify you, putting universal Medicare in our constitution, and feminist rights, and a whole bunch of other things."

- Conservative leader Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.

Council denounces Harper's desire to include property rights in Charter
Ottawa - During the party leaders' debate last night, Stephen Harper announced that a Tory government would entrench property rights in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Council of Canadians warns that this legal change would give sweeping new rights to corporations and enable them to undermine government regulations that protect social programs and the environment.

PPWC condemns mill closures
The Pulp, Paper and Woodworkers of Canada will not stand idly by and watch yet another closure and the loss of over 400 jobs.
The workers at the Western Forest Products Woodfibre pulp mill in Squamish, represented by PPWC Local 3, yesterday (December 15) received notice that their mill will close permanently in January 2006. This results in the loss of 282 jobs in the Local Union and an escalating impact on the community of Squamish. This news comes just a week after Cascadia Forest Products announced it was permanently closing their Island Phoenix sawmill in Nanaimo, laying off 170 members of PPWC Local 8.

The Future of Canadian Postal Services Goes On Trial In Washington DC
Ottawa, December 12, 2005 - The future of Canada's public post office will be decided by a private trade tribunal operating from the World Bank headquarters in Washington D.C. The hearings over our post office will run from December 12-17th

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and the Council of Canadians (the Council) are concerned that the tribunal, which is looking at a complaint filed by United Parcel Service (UPS), could issue a decision that has disastrous implications for postal and other public services.

Public Services or NAFTA - The choice is yours
In a few months a hearing will get underway within the inner sanctum of World Bank headquarters in Washington DC. On trial in those proceedings will be Canadian postal policy and the activities of Canada Post. The outcome could mean the dismantling of affordable, Canada-wide public postal service.

Reports on Poverty in British Columbia from SPARC BC
Welfare Leaves People Hungry
Two new reports show that despite BC's booming economy over 100,000 people on welfare are left behind.

B.C. has worst child poverty rate
A new report indicates B. C. had the highest child poverty rate in Canada in 2003 - despite the province's impressive record of job creation in recent years.
The report by the B.C. Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition says the province's child poverty rate was 23.9 per cent, indicating that nearly one in four B.C. kids was living below the poverty line.

Campbell Government Expands Internet Gambling
It started in July with the online purchase of lottery tickets, not long after the government cracked down on charities selling their lotteries online. It appears that the government wanted a monopoly on online sales. The Campbell government, through its agent the BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC), has moved into full fledged Internet gambling. As the promotion says, "frequent, fast, fun". One of the reasons almost all slot machines in BC casinos have been replaced with video lottery terminals is that they play faster and hence relieve players of more money. The latest introduction to online gambling by BCLC is a new online keno game every five minutes! Gamblers can sit at home in front of their computer terminal and blow the week's grocery budget. It is hard to imagine a more hypocritical government than what Gordon Campbell has delivered. The sale of BC Rail, chaos in the Ministry of Children and Families and the expansion of gambling are all the opposite of what Campbell promised.

May I take your order, please?
Just four days before May's provincial election, Vancouver investment tycoon Peter Brown sent a blunt e-mail to his staff at Canaccord Capital Corp. He started by claiming that he wasn't trying to influence how employees voted. But any sense of evenhandedness was quickly erased by what followed: a hearty endorsement of Premier Gordon Campbell and a thorough denunciation of the NDP.

Falcon Derailed
Too long in power makes many governments become arrogant. The Campbell government may have started out that way partly as a result of its initial 77-2 majority and partly because of the personal style of the Premier. Losing 30 seats in the 2005 election should have been a humbling experience that offered lessons, but Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon, one of Campbell's closest allies, demonstrated in question period on November 3rd that nothing has been learned.

Corky Evans calls on British Columbians to speak out on Terasen sale

I oppose the sale of Terasen Gas to Texas-based Kinder Morgan. However I believe that my opinion is of no greater value than other British Columbians I hear from on a daily basis.
I write today to encourage all British Columbians to tell government to facilitate (actively, vigorously, and with purpose) a public discussion of the implications of this transaction with the citizens of British Columbia. I am not talking about an intellectual exercise, or a big meeting in Vancouver, or a legal process that is intimidating to persons unaccustomed to the affairs of State or the Law.

Canada's Deadly 'P3' Hospital Boondoggles
It's difficult and perhaps pointless to try to pick the most dangerous threat to public Medicare in Canada - the drug companies' profit margins, Alberta's ideologically-addled Ralph Klein, the Canadian Medical Association's endorsement of more privatization, the shockingly misinformed decision by the Supreme Court allowing for competing private services within the public system. All of these endanger public health care. But, perhaps, the most immediate threat is the de-facto privatization of our hospitals through the use of public private partnerships known as P3s.

How Big Media Covered the Teachers' Dispute
On the evening teachers wrapped up their vote to return to school, BCTV legislative reporter Keith Baldrey surmised that they had succeeded in putting class size on the public agenda. Thanks to teachers' efforts, the Campbell government will need to address this issue seriously in the months ahead because the public will be watching, Baldrey predicted.

Seniors launch MSP complaint hotline, 1-866-699-4449, to chronicle poor service by Maximus
Fed up with lengthy delays in accessing information about their medical plan, B.C. seniors have established a toll-free hotline for British Columbians to share their complaints about poor service provided by the U.S. company Maximus Inc.

Privatization of BC Hydro
Having privatized a third of BC Hydro's operations by contracting various customer services to Accenture, and having severed responsibility for transmission by putting it under the BC Transmission Corporation, the Campbell government probably couldn't take the heat if it admitted that it was also privatizing Hydro's generating capacity, yet that is precisely what is happening. The evidence is found in Hydro's "service plan" which shows that 40% of BC's electricity supply will be privatized by 2020.

Teachers to Vote on Vince Ready Proposals
Yesterday, Vince Ready made recommendations to both sides in the Teacher's dispute on how to end the impasse. The Campbell government which has been intransigent in its refusal to meet with the teachers was quick to accept said recommendations. Certainly they are looking for a way to end this impasse without losing face, while at the same time achieving their objective to commit to not repealing Bill 12- the legislation that forces teachers back to work, with a zero pay increase, and without addressing the issue of class size or the need for more support for special needs/education teachers.

Mel Hurtig Says Foreign Investment? No. Foreign Ownership and Control? Yes!
The latest figures from the Investment Review Division of Industry Canada are now available. They cover the period from June 30, 1985, when the Mulroney government put the Investment Canada Act into effect, after abolishing FIRA, to the end of September, 2005.

Photos of the Teachers Rally at PNE - Vancouver, October 21, 2005

Submission to the BC Utility Commission regarding Kinder Morgan's Application
to Take-Over Terasen
Firstly, I write to express my opposition to the possible approval by the BC Utilities Commission of the acquisition of Terasen's common shares by Kinder Morgan Inc. - a Texas based corporation. It is my opinion that the 'take-over' is not in the best long-term public interests of British Columbia or Canada, or in the best public interests of this or future generations yet unborn.

Legislation mocks Libs' own words
The B.C. Liberals think they are above the law when it comes to dealing with teachers.
By imposing a contract last week on B.C. teachers instead of allowing them to continue with free collective bargaining, including the democratic right to strike, the Gordon Campbell government once again showed disrespect for the law.

PHOTOS OF THE TEACHERS SOLIDARITY RALLY: VANCOUVER, October 11 2005

What Is Conservatism and What Is Wrong with It?
Liberals in the United States have been losing political debates to conservatives for a quarter century. In order to start winning again, liberals must answer two simple questions: what is conservatism, and what is wrong with it? As it happens, the answers to these questions are also simple:

Why we need to support the teachers of British Columbia
BC Teachers don't consider themselves obliged to obtain permission from Gordon Campbell's government in order to exercise their rights as guaranteed under international labour laws. In September, teachers passed a strike vote with 88.4% approval for a legal strike. Now that the government has provocatively passed Bill 12, one would expect fewer BCTF members to support strike action in defiance of punitive legislation that makes it illegal.

British Columbia teachers defy anti-strike law, court rulings
Forty-two thousand British Columbia elementary and secondary school teachers are mounting an “illegal” strike in defiance of a provincial labour relations board “cease-and-desist” order, a BC Supreme Court contempt of court ruling, and a series of repressive laws enacted by BC’s Liberal government.

BC Teachers Backed by All of Us Can Win Against This Government!
Across B.C. teachers are striking over fundamentals. It's a fight to maintain quality public education. It's a strike against the policies of a government rolling in money that has closed 113 schools and terminated 2,600 teaching positions.

C. Evans: Mr. Speaker, it's good to see you sitting there.
As you're aware, this is not my first speech. If this was a marriage, I wouldn't be dressed in white. After I gave my real maiden speech, which was 14 years ago, I received a note from a lovely man, Emery Barnes, who worked here then. He said: "That was a good job." I took it home, and I pinned it on the wall. He kind of tried to show me how you function here. In honour of that wonderful fellow, I'm wearing a shirt made by his daughter so I'll look better. He always was better dressed.

It May Be Time for Canada to Pull Out of NAFTA
Outrage over the duplicitous diplomacy used to avoid treaty obligations on Devil's Lake is not enough.
Cancelling a meeting of trade bureaucrats in defiance of a NAFTA trade ruling on softwood lumber is blowing smoke in the wind.

Union wants B.C. Ferries examined
Victoria - As B.C. ferries break down almost every day, the ferry workers' union is demanding that the company face some scrutiny.
Two more vessels broke down on Wednesday - the Queen of New Westminster on the Tsawwassen-Nanaimo run and the Queen of Capilano on the Horseshoe Bay-Bowen Island route.

New Legislation Threatens Privacy for Canadians Once Again!
The Globe and Mail report by Bill Curry on Aug.19,2005 states, "The federal government will introduce legislation this fall that would give police and national security agencies new powers to eavesdrop on cellphone calls and monitor the Internet activities of Canadians, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler said yesterday." The first question should be why? Is there no longer a presumption of innocence in this county? Have we all become possible criminals as we go about our daily lives?

Hitler's Germany Revisited in Canada?
Connie Fogal, Leader of CAP, says " 'NO' to an impending federal law to give police and national security agencies new powers to eavesdrop on cellphone calls and monitor the Internet activities of Canadians"
"This law is another destruction of Canadian freedom,"insists Fogal. "It moves Canada even further into the realm of a police state. This is an adjunct to our nefarious anti terrorism laws imposed on an uninformed citizenry by our Parliament and Senate. It is another elimination of some of our sovereign rights that were supposed to be guaranteed to us under our Constitution and our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is an act of stealth imposed under the guise of national security."

Uranium battle brewing
A new uranium mining project in the Okanagan is set to revive a fierce environmental battle in B.C. Sparton Resources and Santoy Resources have bought the Blizzard uranium claims near Beaverdell, about 50 kilometres southeast of Kelowna, and plan to extract some 4,500 tonnes of the fuel, a spokesman said Tuesday.

NDP shadow cabinet unveiled
Veteran MLA Jenny Kwan has been appointed as the NDP finance critic, after spending the past four years as one of the two NDPers to survive the Liberal election sweep of 2001.

Liberal Corruption, beyond the Sponsorship Scandal
For the past couple of months, Canadians have been inundated with stories, commentary and parliamentary debate about corruption -- as in the sponsorship scandal. It is unfortunate that the same amount of attention is not paid to a kind of corruption that is much more serious, and has a far larger impact on far more people. I am speaking here of the corruption of the role of government, often at the behest of the country's -- and the world's -- largest corporations. This is not to say that the sponsorship scandal should be ignored or is unimportant. But on the grand scale of things the sponsorship scandal is a side-show of Lilliputian proportions The people involved, the usual bottom-feeders of power politics, don't deserve the attention they're getting. The Liberal government has a lot more to answer for when it comes to political corruption.

Quebec Referendum #3: Beyond the Pedagogy of Fear-Opportunity?
The way I see it, the legal relations between Quebec & the Federal government and the rest of Canada needs changing big time. The constitutional framework which Quebec did not sign is not only not good for Quebec, it isn't good for the rest of Canada either. Canadians, including Quebecers and First Nations need to modernize the legal relations between themselves the cities, provinces and the federal government. For those who lament the death of the old institutional-legal order that constitutes the state of CANADA please remember, a new constitutional order, hopefully better, can only rise from the ashes if citizens and NOT the Premiers and the Prime Minister are empowered.

Sterile Seeds, Canada's Impotence
Two weeks ago, a group of self-appointed guardians of Canada's well-being released their final report on "The Future of North America." The task force that wrote it is promoting some extremely radical proposals for the integration of Canada, the US and Mexico.

CAN'T GET NO SATISFACTION: PART TWO
I Can't GET No Satisfaction ..from the May 17th election result and another four years of seeing Gordon Campbell's face all over the news, and worse, knowing that for four more years Capital in this province will have virtually a free- hand to continue extracting even more profit by exploiting organized & unorganized workers, by running completely roughshod over the natural environment, by furthering shredding the social fabric. The attacks on all forms of labor will continue, de-regulation affecting the forestry, mining, fisheries, oil & gas, hydro-electricity, farm-fishery, etc. sectors will continue as major corporations extract even more surplus wealth from the natural world without a care in the world about the environmental consequences. I expect to see more public assets sold off to private corporations. I expect to see more promises broken or not kept. I expect to see even more money from the bcpension funds invested in the 'war economy' of US companies ...which is ethically scandalous. The big losers are the non-business elites of this province, and those that have no voice, the wild salmon, the grizzly, the wildlife whose habitat will be affected as the boundaries of other provincial parks get 'de-constructed' so as to further benefit Capital- (as the Fiberals did in the Chilcotin!). What the Green Party Leadership hoped to gain by running non-electable candidates in virtually all 79 ridings is unknown to me?

"I can't get no satisfaction, but I tried, and I tried!
BC Liberals: Battered but buoyed by another majority
Well you sure did it, eh! The morning papers are all awash with Gordon Campbell's beaming face. Happy he is that his BC Liberals managed to hold on to 46 seats while the NDP were held to 33 seats. Indeed re-elected as Premier, the first Premier since Bill Bennett to be re-elected for subsequent terms is of notable consequence within this province's zany political climate. So if you're a Liberal supporter, a person or corporation generally happy with the last four years, then likely you'll be still partying.

Campbell Skillfully Picked His Enemies
The election campaign, while dull, has come down to the question of how big the Liberal majority will be. A few days ago there were some pundits daring to think we might be in a horse race but now, clearly, there is lots of blue water (to nicely mix a metaphor while splitting a nifty infinitive, don't you think?) between Gordon Campbell and a Carole James who has established herself as a cool and articulate campaigner.

Next Vote in 2008 or 2009?
The kickoff to the next election campaign starts today; some would say it started a couple of years ago. If Gordon Campbell wins less than 50 seats in today's vote, his leadership could be challenged. Carole James will secure her leadership as long as the NDP wins 20 or more seats. Voters who are thinking of voting Green may not be able to defeat the Campbell government by switching to the NDP, but they may be able to personally defeat Campbell's continued leadership by reducing his caucus to less than 50 seats. For many people a vote for the NDP is an opportunity to hold Campbell accountable for cutting most government services by 30-40%, selling BC Rail, cutting services to Children and Families, doubling gambling and hurting seniors. It is payback time; with a vote for the NDP a direct challenge to Campbell's hold on the party he hijacked from Gordon Wilson.

The Single Transferable Vote proposal for BC elections contains a quirk that could guarantee a permanent rural and right wing advantage in all future elections
A dangerous potential for a permanent partisan bias in BC elections could result if voters approve a May referendum proposing a new electoral system for the province.
A commission established by the right-leaning Liberal government and comprised of randomly selected citizens from around the province has returned with a recommendation that BC throw out its current voting system and adopt what they call the BC-Single Transferable Vote system. Citizens will vote on whether to do just that in a referendum that will accompany the general election in BC in May, and if the referendum passes, BC will vote with the BC-STV system in the 2009 election.

Rafe Mair Online
It seems that Premier Gordon Campbell will not be coming on this show prior to the election, as promised. The reason, no doubt, is that he might actually have to answer some tough questions backed up with cross-examination. I frankly couldn’t care less. Contrary to what politicians would have you believe, they are not good for ratings and, at any rate, we’re not in ratings.

Time to Bust CanWest Media-ownership Monopoly

Vote No if Uncertain on STV
On May 17th British Columbians might vote to change the electoral system. The alternative that could be adopted, termed BC-STV, is not generally understood but understanding isn't a prerequisite for voting. In 1991 over 80% of British Columbians voted in favour of adopting initiative and recall, features that are part of politics in California but are foreign to parliamentary democracies. It was necessary to set up a legislative committee to interpret how to implement those foreign concepts. The committee, chaired by Ujjal Dosanjh, its recommendations and the ultimate legislation were thoroughly criticized by Gordon Campbell, who promised in 2001 to make recall easier. That is one of several of his broken promises.

Rural ridings will suffer under STV
STV supporters often say it is a cure-all and paint a rosy picture of B.C.'s political future under STV. As usual, when something seems too good to be true, it is.
We believe STV will have unintended consequences in B.C.
STV will reduce local representation. Why? Because, while we will continue to have 79 B.C. MLAs, there will be as few as 18 multi-member constituencies, each with two to seven MLAs.

For the record: Teachers have no plan for strike vote
VANCOUVER, May 12 /CNW/ - Contrary to reports on BCTV Global last evening and in today's Vancouver Sun, B.C. teachers have no plan for a strike vote. BCTF President Jinny Sims said she wants to assure parents that there is absolutely no plan for any disruption in the school year.

The BC Economy: Whose Numbers?
With BC's hotly contested election campaign in its final week, the BC Liberals shout ever more loudly their main message: We fixed the economy! But several reports released in the last week, including from Statistics Canada and the Social Planning and Research Council, bolster those who argue the economy isn't better than in the 1990s, and the Liberals have nothing to do with the recent improvements, and in fact have hindered economic recovery.

If You're Concerned About the Environment Don't Split the Vote!
Witness today's Vancouver Sun...it states that BC 's oil & gas sector in NE BC..are 64% out of compliance - 5,734 infractions of the slack Campbell regulations. Wonder where the figures are on the 'forest' sector, the 'booming' mining sector, the fish farming sector?

Dirt and distraction on B.C. election trail
So much fur has been flying lately that it is hard to avoid writing about the provincial election here in B.C.
Gordon Campbell's Liberals don't like the NDP getting help from organized labour and are turning over every rock in order to find some violation of the Election Act. Of course, they sorely need something of substance to mask the stink of their own slimy conduct of scamming money from municipalities and various organizations using their position as government. You can bet if the situations were reversed and it was the NDP in government with this scandal the public outcry orchestrated by the Liberals' buddies in the media would be deafening.

Scandal may dwarf goings-on at Gomery
VANCOUVER -- The biggest political scandal in Canada may not lie in Quebec, where the Gomery inquiry is laying bare a tawdry tale of misdirected funds, but in British Columbia, where a conservative judiciary is suppressing information about alleged drug dealing, money laundering and influence peddling.

The Basi-Virk-BC Rail probe may yield BC's biggest scandal yet. If so, meet the Crown's mysterious star witness: 'Spiderman' Erik Bornman.
Erik Bornman's nickname is Spiderman but the former top Paul Martin aide is now stuck in a sticky web of intrigue that includes the tainted $1 billion BC Rail privatization deal, drug trafficking, influence peddling and the impending high-profile trial of accused ex-BC Liberal ministerial aides David Basi and Bob Virk.

Campbell's Future
Ninety minutes out of the bubble was too much for Gordon Campbell. Fearful of being without support, the Liberals sent out an email asking supporters to stack the phone lines to the radio debate. There's nothing new about that tactic from any political party, but it is blatantly stupid for paid political staff to call a show. Steve from Prince George was identified by Vancouver Sun Legislative reporter Sean Holman as Heath Minister Shirley Bond's assistant, on leave to help her in her campaign. Confronted with the truth, Campbell admitted that the Liberals appealed for supporters to call into the show. It is disappointing that professional political staff would respond to that call and take airtime away from other voters.

4 YEARS OF BC POLICY CHANGES
A 2-page overview of key policy changes implemented by the current government

Angel of Joy guides Gordo to salvation
Hallelujah. Praise God. Premier Gordon Campbell has discovered the Holy Book in time for the 2005 provincial election. Campbell read scriptures from the Old Testament at a nondenominational prayer service during the first week of the campaign. The premier also met with a Christian youth group.

Market Electricity Rates in NorthWest USA- Implications for BC?
PORTLAND , Ore. A Bush administration plan to force the Bonneville Power Administration to sell electricity at market rates could boost prices 65 percent and cost Northwest ratepayers $1.3 billion, according to a new report.

Market Rate Electricity for BC at US Prices
Is this What the Future Looks Like for BC Consumers?
Time to wake up British Columbians and check out what is happening next door in Alberta. There consumers are having to decide what types of contracts for supply of electricity. As Ralph Klein says buying electricity is "no different than buying a cable service or telephone or any other kind of service or commodity...". KLein also "...the regulated rate option ­ which is set by the Energy and Utilities Board and is cheaper than the contract rate ­ will likely be extended when it expires in July 2006." Is Klein implying that there is also a likelihood that the 'regulated rate option' may not be extended past July 2006 or perhaps at some unknown time in the future regulated electricity rates will be a thing of the past - and that rates will be set by the "market"?

Wanted in Rural BC: Politicians Who See Potential
Kama Steliga has some good things to say about the BC Liberals. Steliga, the executive director of the Lillooet Friendship Centre, applauds the premier's attention to early childhood education, for example. Lillooet now offers a limited amount of free pre-school to anyone who wants it.
But over the past few years Steliga also has seen an increase in use of Lillooet's food bank to 300 people a month, about 10 percent of the town's population. She's seen an elderly couple suddenly lose their benefits and try to survive on a combined income of less than $370 a month. She's been told that because Lillooet has fewer than 5,000 people it cannot have a problem with homelessness, making the town ineligible for related funding. "Tell that to the people living under the bridge outside town," she says.

BC Liberals plan deep cutbacks after the election.
School boards expect to be back in the red.
Once the BC Liberals' increased pre-election education funding grant is spent, school boards almost certainly will find themselves back in the red after the election.
That's what budget plans show, and it's a big story. But so far only three small newspapers across the province have zeroed in on this alarming likelihood.

Part 1

BC's "Hurtlands" and the Rise of Territorial Power in British Columbia.
Here is my take on the situation - of "the coast" - and "rural BC", --or as some may say "centre- periphery" relations. It is 100% correct that most of the monies that end up in Provincial Treasury (aside from personal taxes) come from resource extraction, forestry, pulp & paper, oil & natural gas, hydro-electricity, minerals, fishing, and most of those revenues have been spent for the benefit of "the coast". As someone who has lived several decades in the interior of the province I have always thought the "coast" was getting most of the benefits while interior communities were getting "ripped" from what is essentially a "colonial" relationship. To my view, provincial political parties, whose HQ are located down at the "coast", whose "brass/cadres/ employees" are mostly urbanites, and where most of the Leaders of said parties are from the "coast", subject as they are to the "lobbying" by business and labor elites mostly located at the "coast" - the consequence is that the "interior" continues to receive little understanding, sympathy, benefit from these "parties" "cadres" etc. etc.

Part 2

BC's "Hurtlands" and the Rise of Territorial Power in British Columbia.
Just a few points of clarification, what I am NOT proposing is off-loading programs & costs...as Campbell is doing. What I am proposing is fiscal and political decentralization relying on the principle of 'subsidiarity' and the concept of equalization payments to regions within BC who can't meet their needs due to downturns in their regional economies. In the areas of education, health, the environment, labor, there could be "meet or exceed standards" - which implies that regions must meet provincial standards but they could exceed them too.

Hard Feelings in the Hurtland
When Gordon Campbell's Liberals swept into office, Dave Chutter rode the wave, winning the MLA seat for Yale-Lillooet.
He's not running this time, a decision he likely contemplated on February 28, 2002, as he sat at the front of the Lillooet Recreation Centre before a seething crowd. Nearly 400 people had come to vent their confusion, frustration and anger. This was just a few weeks after the provincial government had taken the sickle to the town. More than 50 public service jobs would be cut. The local office of the Ministry of Forests was to be closed, along with the courthouse, the Legal Aid office, an elementary school, and the Human Resources office. Rumor had it that the town hospital was about to be downsized.

Campbell Misled Public on NDP Finances
Mere days after winning the 2001 general election with promises of honesty and accountability, incoming premier Gordon Campbell misrepresented the province's finances by portraying the massive surplus he had inherited from the defeated NDP as an enormous deficit.

BC Rail meeting draws packed house
Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals should be voted out of office in the upcoming election for breaking his promise not to sell BC Rail, several people said Thursday night at a citizens' meeting.
Hours after Campbell was in Prince George to announce over $80 million in provincial funding for Prince George and the region, former Liberal support Ron East and columnist Ben Meisner spoke at the meeting, and called for a public inquiry into the 999-year lease to CN Rail.

The Role of Labour:
To either advance Capitalism or to Promote the Creation of Co-operative Alternatives - Which will it be?
Labour unions - while the rationale for their creation is certainly different than that of major corporations - I am no fan of most of the labor elites that run the show. I remember full well, the rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery, the issue being the HEU strike, and a certain member of the BC Fed leading the crowd into chanting the slogan repeatedly and very enthusiastically "We Shall Not Back Down", and as workers from other sectors walked off the job in many parts of BC, within a day or two, indeed Labor, especially the big time labor bosses did back down. But then, to counteract that, there is the story of STELCO -which is going through 'creditor protection' proceedings and in that instance the union rank and file and leadership have maintained high solidarity in opposing the plans of Capital. That is the Canadian context, then of course, we have Venezuela, where the old guard in the old union actually sided with the Opposition neo-Liberals/ Chamber of Commerce to carry out a coup in April 2002 - thankfully, military forces loyal to Chavez plus thousands of people (many women) were able to apply pressure to have him returned and the constitution upheld.

James' Platform Features Reduced Healthcare Waitlists, Long-Term Care Beds, Smaller Class Sizes, Balanced Budget
VICTORIA - Reduced healthcare waitlists, additional longterm care beds, smaller class sizes and a balanced budget are the central features in the New Democrat election platform released today by NDP Leader Carole James.

(To downlaod a copy of the platform, click here.)

Untangling the spin about long-term care in BC
In recent months the provincial government has acknowledged that it has not delivered the 5,000 new long-term residential care beds promised during the last election. But it continues to claim success in its overall approach to restructuring BC's continuing care services, even if falling short on the beds promise. We are told that there are plans for thousands of new beds, and that we need not worry because although the population of seniors is growing, they are healthier than ever before.

Threat highlights need for whistleblower protection
The threat of disciplinary action against a doctor at St. Paul's Hospital highlights the need for whistleblower protection for health care providers who speak out publicly against deficiencies in our health care system.

Carole James speech at the Vancouver Board of Trade
"I think we've demonstrated that politics in B.C. and big public policy questions need not be filled with invective, but rather with a spirit of good will and shared purpose for the benefit of all," said NDP leader Carole James at today's Special Speaker™ event.

Send the BC Liberals and their Crony Business Friends A Message
I notice that Carole James has yesterday gone to the Board of Trade, the organization whose members include the biggest corporations in British Columbia...saying essentially, "lets work together", lets create a mechanism whereby big business, big labor and government can sit at the same table and talk- find common positions.

Letter to CKNW'S Bill Good respecting Twinning of the Port Mann Bridge and Widening Highway No. One
Repeatedly you have stated on air "Are you in favor of twinning the Port Mann and widening Highway One, or not?" What a biased way to frame this issue.

You know when you go to buy a car, you will want to shop around, see different models, look at the options available, and compare prices to see if you're going to get the best "bang for your buck", perhaps consult a consumer magazine to do some research, etc.

Where or Where has Our Democracy Gone?
According to recent news release from the CBC: "Liberals flush with cash" Last Updated Apr 6 2005 11:43 AM PDT, CBC News VICTORIA ­ The B.C. Liberals are heading into the election with more than three times as much money as the NDP, according to figures released by Elections B.C. The Liberals finished last year with a surplus of $3.2 million, while the NDP had less than $900,000 in the bank. Forest giants Canfor and Interfor and the mining multinational Teck Cominco lead the list of Liberal donors for last year. Canfor donated about $90,000, and Interfor more than $70,000. Two Teck Cominco companies contributed a total of more $87,000. Corporations and businesses accounted for nearly $6 million of the $8.2 million the Liberals raised last year."

Time to Tame Corporate Power
As I was scanning the latest documents describing WTO negotiations on its services agreement (the GATS - the General Agreement on Trade in Services) I came across a quote that reinforced for me how much corporations have come to dominate our political life. In other words how much power has been transferred from citizens and democracy to CEOs and corporate boards. The quote was from Thailand's Supachai Panitchpakdi, the Director General of the WTO. He was taking questions from a gathering of CEOs of global service company and one asked him what it took it "get things going."

Long-term care and home health services in BC on steady decline
(Vancouver) Access to long-term care and home health services for BC seniors has decreased significantly over the past three years, in spite of rising pressures from an aging population and cuts to the acute care system. The level of services in BC has fallen far below the Canadian average, and is now near the bottom compared to other provinces. Cuts have also been much deeper in some health authorities than others, leading to growing regional inequities in the availability of care.

How Long and Deep is the Spending Spree?
A search on the news release page of the government website reveals 46 releases between January 1, 2005, and April 4, 2005, that contain the word "one-time". The amounts range from $30,000 for a one-time computer pilot project in Surrey to $400 million over the next 15 years for oil and gas development, $40 million of which is a one-time grant to "Peace River Regional District ($35 million) and Fort Nelson ($5 million) to recognize the significant historical deficits in local infrastructure." The blitzkrieg of government announcements is reminiscent of Black Thursday 2001 when dozens of news releases poured out with news about 30% to 40% cuts in government services. The message is different but the technique is the same; pump out more than can be digested. A small portion of what was cut over the past four years is being given back on the eve of the election, but it is virtually impossible to determine what is one-time, what is ongoing and what might be reconsidered if plans change. If the legislature continued to sit, as is called for in the fixed legislative calendar, budget estimates would be debated and answers would be demanded regarding the fiscal impact of the spending announcements and whether each was the best use of scare resources.

Lillooet - 13 more jobs lost at CN
The railway has advised USWA-IWA Canada Local 1-424 that effective May 9, 13 more jobs will be eliminated in Lillooet. The 13 Lillooet-based jobs are broken down as follows - two traveling mechanics, one heavy duty mechanic, five track patrolmen and five rock gang workers.

CN Railcar Shortages Threaten Regional Economic Stability
Vancouver - In the wake of reports of shipping delays and rail car shortages along the former BC Rail line, BC's independent Auditor General needs to assess the impact of CN's poor performance since purchasing BC Rail from the Gordon Campbell Liberal government, NDP Leader Carole James said today.

Budget Coverage Out of Balance

Forget the issues, it's Liberal 'star power' reloaded
Reminiscent of Paul Martin's appointment of the likes of Ujjal Dosanjh, David Emerson and Ken Dryden just weeks before last year's federal election, Gordon Campbell is starting to invoke 'star power' to retain his hold on the B.C. legislature.

Provincial budget fails to address BC's social deficits
(Vancouver) The provincial government's pre-election budget, tabled today, fails to address BC's social deficits, according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
"The government claims that its approach is balanced. Its approach for the last four years, however, has been anything but," says Seth Klein, the CCPA's BC Director. "BC has seen a significant redistribution of income from the poorest among us to the wealthiest. This budget fails to restore the deep and painful spending cuts of recent years. Spending outside health and education remains $1.2 billion lower than in 2001/02."

Premier asked to address child welfare concerns
VICTORIA - Three former public officials with years of experience in child welfare are calling on Premier Gordon Campbell to respond to their concerns about cuts to B.C.'s child protection system.
Former children's commissioner Cynthia Morton; former child, youth and family advocate Joyce Preston and former ombudsman Dulcie McCallum say they're worried child welfare services in B.C. may now be in an appalling state.

John Manley and the New North American Man
Isn't it strange that a prominent political figure often touted as the next Prime Minister is actively and openly participating in a group whose goal is the destruction of the very country he wants to lead?
Stranger yet, this bizarre and frightening fact is ignored by the national media. Instead of front page stories, angry editorials and outraged columnists we get a soothing silence, which enables the man to keep alive his dream of becoming Prime Minister.

Part 11: The Need for a National Constitutional Constituent Assemby
It has been said that "The idea that somehow and someway we can just 'rewrite' the constitution is ludicrous, there is virtually no way apart from a revolution that that can occur. Even if you had a political party proposing it it would never get through the legal system which would essentially have to be disbanded."

We Need a Constitutional Constituent Assemby to Regain Sovereignty
I agree with Murray Dobbin that this country is rapidly losing its sovereignty, sold out by politicians and the corporations that back their poltiical parties, all of whom have allegiance to the mobility and rights of capital and little allegiance to the sovereignty of Canada. But what is the root cause?

'For Our Own Good, Give Canada Away'
As Canadians watch their daily news - the same sex marriage debate, the continuing saga of equalization payments and the fight over splitting the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in two - the future of the country is being decided elsewhere by unelected corporate power brokers.

This particular future is called "deep integration" and is backed by the most powerful business groups, think tanks and foundations in the country. The most recent manifestation of this betrayal of Canada is called the Task Force on the Future of North America. Its leaked report shows the plan in its most refined form to date.

JUST WHAT IS ON THE LINE IN THIS ELECTION?
What is on the line in this election - is NOT the past NDP record - the electorate has already deliberated and executed a severe judgment in that regard.
What is on the line now in the upcoming election is precisely: Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberal record of the past four years; and secondly, regardless of that record, whether he and his cronies should be ever trusted again.

"The BC Liberal Budget" - Electoral Spin-Doctoring at its Best?
According to the BC Liberal "hoopla" and the mainstream media, the election budget is better than "sliced bread" and the invention of the "light bulb". Some, with their tongue in cheek might have us believe it is even better and more popular than "bc bud". Indeed the stage is set for a "golden decade" - and all that is due to Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals?

B.C. throne speech tells population 'eat your vegetables'
VICTORIA - The British Columbia government plans to encourage its population to get fit, quit smoking and eat more vegetables - all initiatives included in Tuesday's pre-election speech from the throne.

Empty Promises - Throne 2005
The Honourable Iona Campagnolo, suffering from what sounded like a cold, took almost an hour to rapidly read the speech prepared in the Premier's Office, the last Speech from the Throne before the May 17th election. Few of over 4 million British Columbians will hear or read the Throne Speech. A few invited guests and several dozen reporters assigned to the task had to endure the lengthy revision of history in which the government pretended that it accomplished much and hurt few.

A Letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin
Re: Your "serious consideration" to send troops to Iraq

I hear in the news that you are now giving "serious consideration" to sending Canadian troops to Iraq. I ask: are you completely out of your mind, without principles, ready to concede to such a request from George Bush? What rationale basis exists in your mind to send Canadian troops to Iraq is beyond my comprehension.

Get the BCGEU's Countdown to Change Calendar

Rail Deal's Olympic Angle
Come spring in beautiful B.C., Gordon Campbell's government will be extolling the great deal it put together in the sale of BC Rail to CN. They will proudly tell the people the new railway giant is the way of the future in B.C.

How Carole James Won the '05 Election
MAY 17, 2005--It will go down in Canadian political history as the biggest choke of all time: the defeat of the Gordon Campbell Liberal government that had won 77 of 79 seats in the legislature just four years ago.

Libs Take Hard Right With Collins Departure
Did Gary Collins ever get his wish! On December 14, he smacked Gordon Campbell squarely between the eyes, and in public, when he resigned as finance minister to take a private-sector job.
The impact of Collins's shocking departure to Campbell and to the B.C. Liberals cannot be overestimated, no matter how much spin he and the party put out saying otherwise. Collins was second only to Campbell as the Liberals' most important politician. He was in the critical portfolio of finance minister and in September had been put in charge of the government's communications operations, taking over from Martyn Brown, Campbell's chief of staff.

2004 in Review
Soon planes will be leaving with politicians on annual trips to Hawaii, and British Columbians will brace themselves for what could be the third year in a row with a major scandal at Christmas. No one knows what it might be, but surprise is the best part of opening the presents under the tree. While we wait for this year's goodies, in the time honoured tradition, a review of 2004 is in order. The review shows a government that appears to have run out of ideas.

Collins' Resignation
Just as politicos were hanging their stockings for Santa, and getting into the last 10 days of Christmas shopping, Gary Collins resigned as MLA and Minister of Finance. Campbell hasn't even arrived in Hawaii yet, and it is already three years in a row that his government has shocked BC over the Christmas season.

Inspiration
My friends, do not lose heart. We were made for these times. I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world right now. Ours is a time of almost daily astonishment and often righteous rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to civilized, visionary people. You are right in your assessments. The lustre and hubris some have aspired to while endorsing acts so heinous against children, elders, everyday people, the poor, the unguarded, the helpless, is breathtaking. Yet, I urge you, ask you, gentle you, to please not spend your spirit dry by bewailing these difficult times. Especially do not lose hope. Most particularly because, the fact is that we were made for these times. Yes. For years, we have been learning, practicing, been in training for and just waiting to meet on this exact plain of engagement...

BC Government Employees Union sues to prevent province from providing personal health information to US-linked company.
British Columbians double-crossed over Medical Service Plan [BC's Health Insurance Plan] contract with American corporation. BCGEU vows to continue legal action to stop the government from handing over personal medical information to American-linked companies.

B.C. ignores privacy to outsource medical data to U.S.
Victoria - The British Columbia government has privatized the processing of medical claims to U.S.-based Maximus Inc. for 10 years at a cost of $324 million - despite concerns raised just last week in a damning report by the province's privacy commissioner.

WHY DID COPE LOSE ON 'WARDS'?
The ward vote attracted a turnout of 22.6 per cent. In fact, a little over 35,000 residents -out of just over 250,000 possible voters decided to cast a vote. Essentially Vancouver voters decided that it was more important to enjoy the nice sunny day than go to the polling stations and cast their votes? But why, and could not have this defeat been avoided?

Growth Stalled
The weekend papers once again carry a full page government advertisement boasting about BC leading Canada in job creation.

U.S. Liberals Want Their Own Network
A group of progressive media activists covering the Democratic National Convention in Boston plans to launch a new television network to counter the conservative news coverage they see on Fox News and CNN.
The group includes one of the producers of the Clinton documentary, The Hunting of the President, and the author of a book about corporate influence on politics, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: The Truth About Corporate Cons, Globalization and High-Finance Fraudsters. Also on board are a veteran record producer, multimedia producers for the Democratic Party's website, leftist bloggers and the former head of the Dean Media Team Network, which produced online ads for the Howard Dean presidential campaign.

Why Silence on B.C.'s Groaning Debt?
Nobody seems to want to mention the fast growing $38 billion elephant
in our living room. Each of us owes $9,003, sharply up under the Liberals.
 The burden of provincial-government debt on every man, woman and child in British Columbia has grown by $682 in the three short years since Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberals took office.

James Demonstrates Her Style
New Democrat Leader Carol James reflected on recent good news for the BC economy in her speech to the Coalition of BC Businesses, and identified some of the challenges that must be met to insure long run growth, including land claims, land-use plans, and BC’s chronic under-investment in research and development. In what CBC described as a "room of mainly liberal supporters", James spoke of "listening carefully to a wide variety of views" and said that "as the new leader of the BC NDP, I have made it a top priority to meet with business people…to hear from you directly and to learn from your experience as business leaders".

Gordon Campbell's constituent assembly is a farce!
Worse, the constituent power of this Assembly has been neutralized, crushed between narrow limits of the "Terms of Reference" imposed by Gordon Campbell's neo-liberal Cabinet...also it has a temporal limit - that being December 15, 2004.

The Gitxsan: Betrayal of a Nation
The irony contained in the Globe & Mail¹s January 27, 04 front page story ³PM¹s Throne Speech has native focus², I¹m sure was not lost on the 50 Hereditary Chiefs of the Gitxsan Nation and their 5000 band members living in the western region of central British Columbia.

Clayoquot First Nation Evicts Interfor
Tofino, BC -- The Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations have issued a notice of eviction to International Forest Products (Interfor), informing the logging company to leave their traditional territory in Clayoquot Sound. "We've had enough," said Chief Moses Martin of the Tla-o-qui-aht. "This logging tenure was given out decades ago without our consent, and Interfor and the government continue to operate without meaningfully accommodating our interests. Distant corporations will only ever pay lip service to sustainability and ensuring long-term jobs and benefits for local communities. The only real solution is for us to manage the tenure ourselves."

B.C. workers defy back-to-work legislation
Health care workers in British Columbia are continuing to defy Bill 37, the back-to-work legislation that was passed in the legislature before dawn on April 28. The Bill slashes the pay of hospital workers by legislative fiat, cuts benefits and increases hours of work. It also paves the way for more privatization and contracting out which will lead to more wage cuts — as much as 40-50 per cent — and fewer benefits in the future. Workers remained out on Thursday in what their union leaders called a “protest,” while the Health Employers Association went to the Labour Relations Board in an attempt to force HEU members back to work.

Death of a Family
For the past seventeen years 'The Studio' has operated as a safe haven for the ever-growing number of Vancouver street-youth. Operated by artist Brenda Carr
(I have been a committed volunteer from its inception), it has offered a free art program for youth who are referred by other agencies, or who just come in off the street. Available are oil and acrylic painting, materials for drawing, and pottery. Food is always accessible, as is an internet-connected computer to allow contact with family and friends, to search for jobs, or just for fun.

BIG BUSINESS GOES TO WASHINGTON"
- CONTINENTAL INTEGRATION NEXT?
Next week, the leaders of Canada's biggest corporations head to Washington, hoping to kick off a historic debate.
They want to move beyond free trade with the United States to a partnership that includes a common security agenda, joint military institutions, an integrated energy market and harmonized tariffs and regulations.

Campbell's cruel cuts end era for B.C. women
Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberal government campaigned on the slogan that a "new era" was necessary for British Columbia - an era, they argued, where the excesses of the social democratic governments before it had to be brought under control.

Canada's Patriot Act- An Assault on Civil Liberties
March 23, 2004
http://www.911review.org/Reports/CanadasC17.pdf

For the past three years, the Canadian government has tried and failed to pass a legislation to abridge political rights and institute the apparatus of a police state. The currently pending C-7 bill would give the government unprecedented and unrestrained powers under the Quarantine Act and would authorize the seating of military judges to prepare for a declaration of martial law.

BCGEU asks courts to save Medical Services Plan
Victoria - The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) has asked the courts to review plans by the province's Liberal government to sell off the provincial Medical Services Plan to a U.S. company.
"We are asking the court to find that selling the administration of medicare is a violation of the B.C. Medicare Protection Act, the Canada Health Act, and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act," says BCGEU president George Heyman.

Campbell's New Era Fails Women
Gordon Campbell seems to have a major disconnect with women; perhaps that is why a pamphlet has appeared on the government caucus website (pdf) under the heading "A New Era for Women". It misrepresents what government has done in terms of communities, health services, child care and self-sufficiency (code language for kicking people off welfare). The word "equality" does not appear in the pamphlet. The Campbell government abolished the Ministry of Women's Equality, replacing it with a junior Minister of State for Women's Equality and then abolishing the word completely with a new Minister of State for Women's and Senior's Services. The government caucus pamphlet carries a smiling photo of the Premier with a note that begins by saying "Women contribute to every aspect of our quality of life - owning and operating 37 per cent of our small businesses and holding key roles in our province's academic, business and public life." A note about participation in small business seems out of place next to the pamphlet's box that lists resources for violence against women, resources for family services and other services - all of which have been cut by the Campbell government - but it reinforces the image many have of the Premier.

Budget Bashes Meek Business Community
Last week's provincial balanced budget was a terrible betrayal of trust to the B.C. Liberals' best friends, the business community.
You may have missed their damning words of condemnation in the media, however, or the sight of pinstriped suits marching in the streets to protest the Liberal attack on corporate interests.

Collins Should Resign
In early January Finance Minister Gary Collins returned from Hawaii briefly in order to assure reporters that his Ministerial Assistant, who was fired, had little or nothing to do with government policy. According to Collins, Mr. Basi's duties involved scheduling legislative business and talking to MLAs. Either the police have it wrong, or Collins was less than fully truthful. The summary of the search warrant released on March 2nd refers to the Ministerial Assistants involved in the scandal as "Official 1" and "Official 2", but anyone who has read a newspaper in the past two months knows the names of those officials. The summary makes it clear that they are under investigation for accepting ". personal benefits as consideration for their cooperation, assistance or exercise of influence in connection with government business, including BC Rail contrary to section 121(1)(a) and (c) of the Criminal Code." The summary goes on to state that "The RCMP are investigating whether Official 1 and Official 2 committed a breach of trust in connection with the duties of their office contrary to Section 122 of the Criminal Code. An aspect of the investigation is whether Official 1 and Official 2, in the course committing an offence, passed unauthorized confidential information to persons interested in government business for the purpose of obtaining a benefit."

Canada police raid linked to sale of BC Rail
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Police raided British Columbia's legislature in a corruption probe involving the sale of BC Rail to Canadian National Railway Co. , according to a court document released Tuesday.
Police were investigating if two officials, who are not named in the document, passed along "unauthorized information to persons interested in government business for the purposed of obtaining a benefit."

BC Rail Set to Post $95 Million Profit
Vancouver - The B.C. Federation of Labour has learned BC Rail is set to post a profit of $95 million for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2003, more than a 50 percent increase from the $61 million forecasted by the BC Liberals, said BC Federation of Labour President, Jim Sinclair.

2004 Budget Highlights
The government published its version of budget highlights but it overlooked many important facts. In an attempt to correct those deficiencies, here is a citizen's version of highlights from the 2004-05 budget.

Observations on the Supreme Court hearing of Percy Schmeiser
Picture the scene. The nine Supreme Court judges, resplendent in their red robes, file in and take their places at the far end of the room. The tall, slender, pale lawyer from Saskatoon sits alone on the Appellant's (Schmeiser) side of the aisle, flanked by three lawyers for the Respondent (Monsanto) across the aisle. Behind Zakreski are 2 pairs of lawyers and a whole lot of vacant seats. The pairs represent two sets of Interveners supporting Schmeiser's position: first, a consortium of 6 NGOs (Council of Canadians, Action Group on Erosion, Technology, and Concentration, Sierra Club, National Farmers Union, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, and the International Center for Technology Assessment), and second, the Attorney General for Ontario. Stacked up behind the Monsanto contingent are a bevy of two or three lawyers for each of the other Interveners granted permission to speak in support of Monsanto's position - the Canola Council of Canada, BIOTECanada, and the Canadian Seed Trade Association. The audience at the back of the courtroom is limited to 50 hardy souls, most of whom have braved hours of truly bone-chilling conditions on the steps of the Supreme Court to ensure a place at the proceedings.

'MAD COW' EPISODE OFFERS GLIMPSE OF HOW WE RAISE CATTLE
AND IT'S NOT A PRETTY PICTURE
It's hard to say whether an American hamburger was appreciably less safe to eat the day after a Holstein cow tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Washington State last month than it was the day before, but it had sure gotten less appetizing. The news cracked open a door on the industrial kitchen where America's meat is prepared, and what we glimpsed on the other side was enough to send even the heartiest diner to the vegetarian entree or the fish special.

Open Letter to Premier Gordon Campbell
Dear Premier,

As you are aware, the public is very concerned about the events that led to the execution of search warrants on the offices of top political staff in your government and to the firings and suspensions of those staff carried out by your office in their wake.

US planning to recruit one in 24 Americans as citizen spies
The Bush Administration aims to recruit millions of United States citizens as domestic informants in a program likely to alarm civil liberties groups.
The Terrorism Information and Prevention System, or TIPS, means the US will have a higher percentage of citizen informants than the former East Germany through the infamous Stasi secret police. The program would use a minimum of 4 per cent of Americans to report "suspicious activity".

Ferry Scandal Eclipses Strike
Last March, the Crown-owned B.C. Ferry Corporation, along with $330 million in public assets, was handed over to a private company called British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. Victoria didn't just hire a private management firm. The government gave away the ferry corporation.

Enjoying big corporate money
The B.C. Liberals are famous for their misdirection. What are we to make of Premier Gordon Campbell's suggestion that he is about to become a political victim of a campaign by trade unions and special interests in B.C.?

BCGEU says 1,400 more jobs to be axed by Liberals
Vancouver - The B.C. Liberal government will eliminate about 1,400 jobs between now and the end of March, causing more economic hardship across the province, says the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE).

Health law may protect Ottawa
The proposed "modernization" of the Food and Drugs Act will prevent Canadians from suing Health Canada for negligence, even for flagrant failures like those that occurred during the tainted-blood scandal, a new report says. Changes to the law will also greatly increase the likelihood that unsafe drugs and hazardous products make their way to market, and open the door to direct-to-consumer advertising, genetically modified foods and human cloning, the Canadian Health Coalition says in a scathing analysis that will be released today in Ottawa.

The fox is in the hen house
Doublespeak - language deliberately constructed to disguise its actual meaning.

Disinfopedia, the encyclopedia of propaganda.

No better an example of doublespeak exists than Health Canada's new consultation paper entitled Health and Safety First! A Proposal to Renew Federal Health Protection Legislation. Its aim is replacing outdated statutes with a new legislative regime better suited to modern technology and society. Internal Health Canada documents do the decoding. Canada's Food and Drugs Act is outdated because it has too narrow a focus on safety.

Promise of Balanced Budget plunges into Credibility Gap
The Campbell government's growing credibility gap may interfere with public acceptance of the number one promise - balanced budgets. Protection of essential public services has taken a backseat to myopic attention on reaching a balanced budget for 2004-05 and thereafter. The problem is that the public will have to accept government's word that the budget is balanced because the Auditor General's report on fiscal year 2004-05 will not be available until a couple months after the election, and his report on the budget that will be tabled in February 2005 will not be available until more than a year after the election.

Day Two after the Raid on Government Offices
The raid on government offices in the BC Legislature poses many questions; some can be answered irrespective of the ongoing investigation.

Unlike what was done when Gordon Campbell was in opposition, everyone should benefit from the presumption of innocence, including the Ministerial Assistant who was fired while his colleague was merely suspended. That raises at least two questions. What led to the different treatment, and was Collins' MA given any severance payment?

Search Warrant for Collins' Office
According to news reports, the offices of Finance Minister Gary Collins and Transportation Minister Judith Reid were the target of search warrants served at the legislature on Sunday, December 28. It is becoming an annual tradition for major bad news to be visited upon the Campbell government at year end. Last year the Premier was in jail; this year a truck load of documents was hauled away from the legislature as part of a criminal investigation.

In a Brave New B.C., Even Kids Will Work for the Man
Believe it or not, Premier Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberals are about to bring child labour back to British Columbia after it had been banned by the province since the Depression years of the 1930s.
In early December, the Liberals will put in place regulations filling in the details of Bill 37, legislation passed in October that amends the Employment Standards Act to allow children as young as 12 years to work full-time.

Province strips authority from local governments
For most political parties, holding 77 out of 79 seats in the B.C. legislature would be enough. Not for Premier Gordon Campbell and the Liberals. The government is on a campaign to centralize power in Victoria and remove independent authority from local governments.

The BC Liberal government is unpopular enough to lose
Two years ago, the BC Liberals took 77 of 79 seats and won the popular vote by a 58% to 22% margin. Ignoring the increasing volatility of politics, many observers thought that Premier Campbell was guaranteed at least two terms in office. However, as the two most recent public opinion polls taken in BC suggest, the BC Liberals are in serious political trouble.

'Solution' threatens public medicare
Public Medicare brought to you by Accenture? This week, the BC Liberals launched another privatization scheme - the proposal to contract out the administration of MSP and Pharmacare to the private sector.

'Heartlands' strategy just isn't working
Economic strategy or communications gimmick? Five months after PremierGordon Campbell announced his "Heartlands Economic Strategy" to support theailing Interior economy, Interior and Island residents are beginning towonder what the premier had in mind.

Taxpayers lose on Coquihalla deal
The public accounts are in and the news is not good. BC had by far the largest deficit in its history in 2002-03 and the largest ever increase in direct debt.

Governmentium- "The Gordon Campbell Institution"
A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest chemical element yet known to science. The new element has been tentatively named Governmentium.

Revisioning the Political Architecture of the Province.
By Pete Dimitrov, MSc. LL.B.
Following the massive tax break that has resulted in the largest deficit in British Columbia's history, the BC Liberals have been vigorously off-loading provincial responsibilities to the regions and various sub-provincial institutions such as school boards and health regions. All this while also cutting back on the monies needed to prevent the numerous closures of schools, hospitals, courthouses, Ministry of Forestry offices, senior and women's centres, the layoffs of thousands of HEU workers, and the imposition of higher user fees on a host of governmental services.

BCR line north of Squamish could be abandoned
Leaked documents hint at further shop closures under CN
Two leaked BC Rail briefing documents say rail service to Lillooet could end if CN purchases the provincial railway.

Unlike BC, Alabama is Raising Taxes
The Governor Decided against cutting services, so the rich will pay more
Is Gordon Campbell too right-wing to be Governor of Alabama? This question is prompted by a dramatic new initiative launched by that state's arch-conservative Republican Governor.
On May 19th, a bust of Ronald Reagan peering out over his right shoulder, Alabama Governor Bob Riley announced a dramatic package of tax increases on the wealthy and corporations, tax cuts for the poor and significant increases in state spending on public education. The entire package was passed by the State Legislature and will be put to public referendum on September 6.

MACPHAIL DEMANDS TRANSPARENT BC RAIL BID PROCESS
VICTORIA - Opposition Leader Joy MacPhail is demanding that the Campbell government open the secretive BC Rail bid review taking place today to public scrutiny and allow the citizens in communities served by BC Rail to judge for themselves the worthiness of the bids as compared to the status quo.

Olympics bid is skewing priorities
Why is the provincial government using the Winter Olympics to radically distort B.C.'s transportation and economic development priorities?

BC RAIL SELL-OFF WILL DEAL ANOTHER BLOW TO NORTHERN ECONOMY - MACPHAIL
Analysis reveals sale would cost North 1200 jobs and $65 million per year.
The BC Liberal government's move to sell-off BC Rail will deal a serious blow to the northern economy, New Democrat Opposition Leader Joy MacPhail said today.

MACPHAIL WILL NOT SEEK NDP LEADERSHIP
NDP Opposition Leader Joy MacPhail announced today that she will not be seeking the permanent leadership of her Party at its leadership convention in November.
She made the announcement in her Vancouver - Hastings constituency, a seat she has held since 1991. MacPhail also announced that she will not be running as a candidate in the May 2005 provincial election.

Financing of Political Parties in BC
BC's political parties released their annual financial statements last week. Premier's Campbell party set a dubious new record. No political party in British Columbia, in Canada, even in North America is as dependent on corporate special interests as the BC Liberal Party.

IMPACTING WOMEN:
Provincial Government
Cuts to Health Care
In British Columbia, women are hurting because of cuts to health services, ever increasing health user fees, and the loss of good jobs in the health sector. User fees, increases in user fees, and higher deductibles all disproportionately affect women who on average earn less than men. According to Statistics Canada, women earn 73 cents for every dollar a man earns. A senior woman's average annual income is $16,000, ten thousand dollars less than a senior man's income.

Labour lauds UN slap at Liberals
Unions say 'terrible blow' should spark political change in B.C.
A United Nations body has chastised the B.C. Liberal government for its treatment of public sector unions, saying laws that stripped teachers of the right to strike and imposed contracts in education, health and community services violate international agreements.

LIBERAL FOREST CHANGES OPEN UP FIRE SALE ON PUBLIC LANDS
The Campbell government has opened up a fire sale on public land with changes to BC's forest tenue system, Opposition NDP Leader Joy MacPhail said today. MacPhail said the changes will mean lost jobs and fewer economic opportunities for forest communities around BC.

BC Liberal legislation passed last week would deprive over 52,000 British Columbians of their right to fight BC Hydro privatization in court, says BC Citizens for Public Power (Group announces largest class action sign-up in Canadian history and will challenge authority of Bill 10 in court)
Vancouver - Legislation passed last week by the BC Liberal government to allow the privatization of one-third of BC Hydro without BC Utilities Commission approval was also designed to stop a class action lawsuit against privatization, says BC Citizens for Public Power.