Let the mudslinging begin!
Editorial
So, the Legislature shut down several weeks early, ostensibly in preparation for the provincial election in October. This, after the spring session started late, robbed British Columbians of any opportunity, through their democratically elected MLAs, to push back against policies that are increasingly disturbing.
On the upside, at least the NDP can’t ram through any more legislation by cutting debates short with hundreds of pages to go. Think Bill 36 – how well did that go over with most constituents? Not very well at all, if the mood in Peace River North was any indication.
What is the current mood in Peace River North as we gear up for an election? Well, fractious would probably be a good description.
When BC United leader Kevin Falcon announced on Friday that talks of cooperation between BC United and the BC Conservatives to ensure the NDP will be defeated in October, the two parties began sniping at each other over exactly why talks failed. That’s now spilled over onto BC United MLA Dan Davies’ Facebook page, after he posted the press releases from both parties, and an illustration with a red X through the BC Conservative Party logo with the message “BC Cons reject cooperation proposed by BC United and lie about why. You deserve the truth.”
As I write this, there are 177 comments on that post, many of them do not agree with Davies or his party.
Whatever the reason, talks of cooperation between the parties are dead in the water. Whether it’s a clash of egos or simply that neither leader wants to give up the chance of becoming Premier of BC – after all, isn’t that what one signs up for when leading a provincial political party – what party leader wouldn’t want to be the guy who brings this province out of the political and economic quagmire the NDP turned it into in recent years?
The one thing that isn’t stopping them from working together is their ideologies.
That’s the funny thing – for all the sniping that’s been going on lately, both BC United and BC Conservatives appear to want the same things. To do the same things for the people of British Columbia.
Both Rustad and Falcon are unhappy with the policies David Eby’s government have brought in recently, with legislation that’s been rammed through without proper debate, and with the lack of commonsense shown by the NDP in general. Like effectively shutting down BC’s resource sector, which creates revenue for the province, and driving investors away.
Take Canfor, for example. Over the past few years, Canfor has shutdown mills throughout the province, particularly in the North, and at the same time increased their investment in the southern United States. Yet Canfor stated in their press release announcing the latest closures, that there’s enough timber and fibre in BC. The government is the problem.
Our healthcare system is another sore point. Lack of physicians, shortage of nurses, hospital emergency rooms on diversion, excessive wait times for surgeries and cancer treatment, so much so that patients are now going to the US for treatment.
And then there’s things like the carbon tax and SOGI, which are hot-button issues province-wide. The BC Conservatives like to point out that the BC Liberals, rebranded United, are responsible for both. They don’t deny it. They also don’t deny that governments make mistakes.
Look at all the mistakes the NDP has made and won’t take ownership of any of it.
People are skeptical. Fair enough.
But the fact that both Falcon and Rustad have come out with essentially the same message is interesting. Fighting over whose version of the same goal is better, is rather silly. Hopefully, the sceptics are wrong, and that the sniping and backstabbing between these two conservative-minded parties doesn’t lead to another NDP win.
People talk about vote-splitting. With two parties advocating for the same changes, the egos of the two leaders could very well ensure that the NDP carries the day once again. If Rustad and Falcon can put their self-proclaimed commonsense to good use, they could work together to find a way to bring British Columbia back to an even keel all-round.
To give British Columbians what we want and need – strong healthcare system, a prosperous economy, good educational opportunities, fiscal responsibility from government and the comfort of knowing that our democracy is functioning properly for ALL British Columbians.