Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

THE News that was THEN ... and the News that is NOW



Care to guess which of the following news story starts, from the BC Government News on Demand website, ran prior to the start of the BC provincial election -- and which have run since after the election?

  • Effective immediately, the new allowable annual cut for the Quesnel Timber Supply Area is set at 2,607,000 cubic metres, chief forester Diane Nicholls announced today...
  • Floodwaters and groundwater in many places in the Central Interior are expected to continue to rise, and the threat may not be over for some time...
  • Effective at noon on June 15, 2017, the size of open fires will be restricted at all elevations throughout the entire Kamloops Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect the public...
  • All travellers, including drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, are reminded that McKenzie Avenue will be closed while construction crews install the new Galloping Goose Trail bridge as part of the McKenzie interchange project...
  • BC Wildfire Service crews have made good progress fighting the Pantage Lake wildfire, which is burning about five kilometres south of Pantage Lake and 40 kilometres northwest of Quesnel...
  • Post-secondary students at 16 colleges, institutes and universities throughout British Columbia will benefit from an investment of $1.3 million to raise awareness of the benefits of work experience among employers and students...
  • Provincial funding of over $10 million will bring more than 70 new affordable homes at two new housing developments in Kamloops...
  • The Province has provided $6 million to the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation to support the Vancouver Prostate Centre in expanding its Prostate Cancer Supportive Care Program throughout British Columbia...
  • The Province is providing $250,000 to the Kootenay Livestock Association over the next three years for projects administered under the Grassland and Rangeland Enhancement Program (GREP), Bill Bennett, MLA for Kootenay East, announced on behalf of Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson...
  • Members of Lake Babine Nation will benefit from forestry skills training and traditional ecological knowledge development that helps advance Lake Babine’s participation in the forest sector, made possible through $210,000 in funding from the Province...

The first five, came from several releases following day one of the election campaign, and up to and including Friday June 16th.  The bottom five?  Well they ran in ONE single media release alone ... dated April 7th.

Prior to the 2013 provincial election, independent MLA's, Vicki Huntington, John van Dongen and Bob Simpson released an eighteen page document entitled the "Democratic Reform Agenda".   In it were a number of suggestions regarding Election and Legislative reforms which NO political party in BC has to date seen fit to implement (although at long last we may be finally getting to campaign finance reform).

What was missing from these proposals?  One that would have ensured that government advertising, and media releases, remained NEUTRAL and NON-Partisan in nature.

Look again at the first five items listed above --- informative in nature.  The Next five?  Well there can be no doubt they were written and released to do nothing more than promote the government -- and by extension, the BC Liberal Party led by Christy Clark.

BUT ... at least these blatant advertorials only came at the expense of the salaries, and office costs, of the hack who wrote them.  That did not however include the MILLION$ of dollar$ which were spent by the government on paid TV advertising blowing the governments own horn, in ads that could have easily be mistaken for paid BC Liberal advertising.

Whoever ends up governing our province after June 22nd, one of the first orders of business should be to create legislation for an independent office to vet any and all media releases, and paid advertising, to ensure it is ONLY to advise on government services, and changes in legislation affecting British Columbians.  In other words, nothing PROMOTING the government of the day would be allowed.

Whether somehow miraculously Christy Clark's BC Liberals continue as our provincial government ... or it's the John Horgan / Andrew Weaver GreeNDP ... gaining the trust of British Columbians will take a huge step forward, in the trust department, by doing this one simple thing.

In Kamloops ... I'm Alan Forseth
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

RCMP gag order comes after BC NDP catch heat for diverted safe supply (Northern Beat)

In the wake of several high-profile police drug seizures of suspected safer supply that put the BC NDP government on the defensive last month, BC RCMP “E” division issued a gag order on detachments, directing them to run all communications on “hot button” public safety issues through headquarters in the lead-up to the provincial election. “It is very clear we are in a pre-election time period and the topic of ‘public safety’ is very much an issue that governments and voters are discussing,” writes a senior RCMP communications official in an email dated Mar. 11 in what appears to have gone out to all BC RCMP detachments . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story
Post a Comment
Read more

KRUGELL: BC NDP turns its attention from BC United to BC Conservatives

The BC NDP turning its attention, from BC United, to BC Conservatives was reported over the weekend from a variety of sources. It is the result of the surge in the BC Conservative's polling numbers and the subsequent collapse of BC United. The NDP has largely ignored the BC Conservatives, instead they opt to talk about issues directly or attack their old foes BC United. Practical politics says that parties closer to the centre tend to ultimately prevail over the long haul. They do wane but often make comebacks. A good example is the federal Liberals going from third party to government in 2015. Centrism has a lot of appeal on voting day. The NDP shifting its fire from United to Conservative is a reflection of reality. BC United did buy advertising online and radio over the last few months. Did that shift the polls back to them? Nope. The reality is today, the BC Conservatives are the party of the Opposition, and day by day the Conservatives are looking like a party not ready to fig
Post a Comment
Read more

PEATS: I am writing with a critical concern regarding the imminent closure of the Eljen Medical Clinic, a vital healthcare facility in our community

The following is a copy of a letter sent to me, which was sent to BC’s Minister of Health Adrian Dix. It is with regards to the impending closure of the Eljen Medical Clinic in Dawson Creek.   Dear Minister,   I am writing to you today with a critical concern regarding the imminent closure of the Eljen Medical Clinic, a vital healthcare facility in our community. The closure, scheduled for the summer of 2024, is a result of the utterly burdensome terms and conditions imposed by the bureaucratic Northern Health. As a result, Dawson Creek stands to lose four doctors who have made this city their home, and who wish to continue serving the people of our community.   The impending closure of the Eljen Medical Clinic is a significant blow to our city. Not only will it result in the loss of highly qualified and dedicated healthcare professionals, but it will also deprive thousands of Dawson Creek residents of access to their primary physicians. At a time when healthcare se
3 comments
Read more

Labels

Show more