Thoughts on BC Politics and More

The high-priced consultant the BC government has hired to find savings in the health-care system has billed taxpayers almost $1.4 million the past four years to help design the system she’s now reviewing. Dr. Penny Ballem, who the NDP government named as the interim CEO of the Provincial Health Services Authority on Monday, received the money as an advisor on health care to the government, premier and provincial health minister, as well as serving as board chair for Vancouver Coastal Health, the second-largest health authority in the province. The $1.4 million does not include Ballem’s new $400,000 annual salary at PHSA ... CLICK HERE for the full story

BC officials were guarded Wednesday about the impact on Canada of the tariff wall U.S. President Donald Trump erected around the U.S., but it appears it could have been worse. Trump’s announcement was so incoherent that much of the rest of the world had to scramble to grasp even the basic details. So cabinet ministers begged for more time to check the impacts. “It’s still very uncertain,” said Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, who chairs the “war room” committee responsible for countering tariff threats. “It’s hard to make sense from President Trump’s speech" ... CLICK HERE for the full story

It might be too soon to call it but I'm going to call it. Mark Carney's Liberals are going to win a large majority government and I'll peg that number around 190-200 seats. There is plenty of data to accurately gauge a few things. First, the Liberals are in control of the narrative of the election campaign. They've seized every issue first with the Conservatives following behind them usually trying to one up them. Second, the Liberals have all the momentum. While that is something we really cannot quantitatively measure it is something those of us long time followers with some training in political science can recognize. This campaign is barreling towards election day with the Liberals riding it to the finish line. Third, the polls are showing clear trends that are not changing. The Liberal lead is expanding by fractional amounts every single day. While Manitoba appears to be somewhat in play the rest of the provinces are all but decided. The Conservatives will sweep Al...

Conservative Party of British Columbia Leader John Rustad is sounding the alarm after S&P Global and Moody’s announced credit downgrades for British Columbia, dropping the province’s rating due to continued record deficits. This marks the fifth credit downgrade under Premier David Eby’s NDP government. “This is a direct consequence of reckless spending and economic mismanagement by David Eby,” said Rustad. “British Columbians are paying more and getting less. Now, we’re paying the price with a weaker credit rating, which means higher borrowing costs for our province.” Credit downgrades came with the following warning, “The negative outlook reflects a one-in-three chance that we could lower the ratings in the next two years if, in our view, the province's commitment to fiscal consolidation continues to waver, as reflected by persistent and substantial deficits.” The report continues stating “The province's commitment to fiscal discipline and stability has wavered in recent y...

Yesterday’s announcement from U.S. President Donald Trump that Canada would be excluded from his sweeping new round of reciprocal tariffs appears, at first glance, to be a welcome reprieve for Canadian industry. But the reality is more complicated. While we’ve dodged the latest bullet, previously announced tariffs—particularly on autos, steel, and aluminum—remain a threat. Politically, the question becomes: does this development take pressure off the governing Liberals and their leader, Mark Carney, or does it open the door for Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives to highlight other concerns? ... CLICK HERE for the full story

State capacity is the measure of a government’s ability to get stuff done that benefits its population. There are many ways to quantify state capacity, including GDP per capita spent on health, education, and infrastructure versus outcomes; the tax-to-GDP ratio; judicial independence; enforcement of contracts; and crime rates. But a government’s ability to actually implement its own policies has got to rank pretty high here, too. All the best intentions are worthless if, as I wrote in the context of the Liberal’s 2023 national action plan to end gender-based violence, your legislation just won’t work in the real world. So I thought I’d take a look at some examples of federal legislation from the past ten years that passed through Parliament but, for one reason or another, failed to do the job ... CLICK HERE for the full story

  Chantelle Williams/Facebook “Somebody has to come out and tell the truth on what happened and who’s at fault” ~~ Martin Watts, Uncle of Chantelle Williams The Conservative Party of BC is urgently calling for a coroner’s inquest into the death of 18-year-old Indigenous youth Chantelle Williams, who tragically died under the care of Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services, an agency of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Her family is disturbed by the lack of transparency and unanswered questions surrounding her final moments, and are seeking answers on who was responsible for her care and supervision and why no one noticed she was missing until it was too late. Chantelle was found unresponsive in Port Alberni in the early morning of January 28, 2025. She was later pronounced dead in the hospital. Temperatures had dropped below –7°C the night of her death. Her family is demanding clarity on the circumstances that led to her untimely passing, and they demand answ...

The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA), Canada’s largest construction association, today condemned Liberal leader Mark Carney’s stated intention to keep the Liberal government’s controversial Bill C-69, despite the Supreme Court of Canada’s clear ruling that much of the legislation is unconstitutional. Major parts of C-69, better known as the “No More Pipelines Bill,” were struck down by the country’s highest court in October 2023. The Court determined the federal government overreached its authority by interfering in areas of clear provincial jurisdiction – a position ICBA strongly supported before the Court as an intervenor in the case. “The Supreme Court got it right. Mr. Carney has it wrong,” said Chris Gardner, ICBA President and CEO. “It is deeply disappointing that Mark Carney has decided to double down on one of the most damaging and unconstitutional pieces of legislation in Canadian history,” said Gardner. “By keeping C-69 in place,...

  CLICK HERE for video of the campaign launch for the Canadian Future Party, with leader Dominic Cardy