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“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

WARD STAMER: Forest workers aren’t asking for special treatment. They’re asking for a government that understands forestry is a way of life in BC

British Columbia’s forest industry has long been one of the pillars of our provincial economy. For generations, forestry has provided stable employment, supported rural communities and helped build the economic foundation of this province. From communities like Prince George, Quesnel, Williams Lake and Kamloops, the forest sector has supported families for decades. These are communities where forestry is not simply an industry, it’s the economic heartbeat of a region. But today that heartbeat is weakening. Across British Columbia we are witnessing a troubling pattern of mill curtailments, permanent closures and layoffs. Families who have worked in forestry for generations now face uncertainty about their future. Entire communities are feeling the economic consequences. In communities such as Houston and Merritt, 100 Mile House and Crofton, mill closures have had devastating ripple effects. When a mill shuts down, it impacts far more than the workers inside that facility. Truck driver...
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KRUGGEL: Will Carney get his majority?

Will Carney get his majority?   Well, we can certainly say he will have 171 seats after the three by-elections are done.  The two Toronto area riding's are safe Liberal seats formerly represented by Bill Blair and Chrystia Freeland. The only fight will be for the nomination, if that hasn't already been decided.  Given the poll numbers today as well, those two riding's will easily remain Liberal. So the Terrebonne riding has been held, historically, by the old Progressive Conservatives, the Bloc Quebecois, and the Liberals. The 2025 election saw the Liberals win it by 1 vote which was then overturned by the Supreme Court of Canada on technicalities. This was a routine ruling for the court. What will a round 2 look like? The same candidates for the two main parties are running again, and by that I mean the Liberals and Bloc Quebecois. The Conservatives came in at a very distant third in 2025 and aren't expected to be a major force in the by-election. ...
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FORSETH -- Focus on the nine things I mentioned. That’s what will allow the Conservative Party to win the next election

IMAGE CREDIT:   Darryl Dyck, the Canadian Press. I thought I had already made up my mind who I would be ranking on my ballot, in the Conservative Party of BC leadership race; now I am not so sure.  That means that, at least for me, and perhaps many others, it’s a good thing voting hasn’t already taken place. There were initially only one or two of the candidates that I thought might be a little too right of centre for my liking, now it seems that list is growing. I consider myself more closely aligned with what used to be called a Progressive Conservative, regardless, I feel more than comfortable within the Conservative Party of BC.  Some, however, in messages to me on my political Facebook page, have been rather, shall we say, a bit mean-spirited in comments they’ve made about my ‘purity’ as a conservative. To tell you the truth, I really don’t care! Some leadership candidates, in comments made online, have also been raising the issue of who is a pure enough conservati...
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ICBA Applauds Fair and Open Tendering Bill

The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA), Canada’s largest construction association, is strongly endorsing a new Private Member’s Bill introduced in the BC Legislature that would require labour-neutral procurement on all public sector construction projects in British Columbia – and save taxpayers billions of dollars over the next decade. The Public Sector Construction Projects Procurement Act was introduced today by Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Kiel Giddens. The Bill would prohibit government and crown corporations from issuing calls for construction that require building trades union-only labour or mandate that contractors enter into a specific collective agreement as a condition of bidding. It would also bar solicitations that require non-union-only labour, ensuring a genuinely fair, open and level playing field for all qualified workers and contractors. The timing couldn’t be better. As MLA Giddens noted in his announcement of the bill, since the ...
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Conservative MLA Kiel Giddens: Cost overruns on capital projects have grown to more than $17 billion and are a combined 158 years behind schedule

IMAGE CREDIT:   Prince George Citizen  Kiel Giddens, MLA for Prince George-Mackenzie and Critic for Labour, has introduced the Public Sector Construction Projects Procurement Act, legislation aimed at ensuring publicly funded construction contracts are awarded through labour-neutral, merit-based procurement. “Here’s the simple question: if labour shortages are driving cost overruns, why would government limit who can work on public projects?” said Giddens. “Public infrastructure belongs to all of us. The opportunity to build it should be open to every qualified worker and contractor.” Giddens says restrictive tendering rules introduced by the NDP in 2018 through CBA’s and restrictive project labour agreements have reduced competition on many public sector capital projects by limiting who can bid based on labour affiliation. Since the NDP introduced restrictive tendering, he notes that cost overruns on capital projects have grown to more than $17 billion and are a combined 158 ...
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KRUGGEL: Before calling an election, Eby would be smart to get his lies straight first, and actually address the economy

In a commentary in the Hill Times today,  Andrew Caddell wrote that: BC’s Eby may not be long for the job The premier won’t have time to turn the economy around as the prospect of an election this year looms large. The article really doesn't give us any meat to argue that an election or a palace coup is on the horizon. In fact, people keep saying there's an early election coming but no one calls an early election when they have a majority and their lead in the polls isn't solid.    It is practical politics 101. If you control the date of the next election then you pick a date that works best for you.    The only reason, if I were Eby right now, to call an early election would be because the BC Conservatives are in the middle of a leadership race and I have a slight lead in the polls.    That sounds great on paper. Except, there is a w...
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