Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Conservative Labour Critic Kiel Giddens says the appointment of former BC Federation of Labour president William Laird Cronk as chair of WorkSafeBC  raises serious concerns about whether the board remains balanced and independent. “WorkSafeBC is supposed to represent workers, employers, and the public interest,” said Giddens. “Instead, this appointment tilts the board further toward the NDP’s organized labour allies in the same week that the business community gave this Government a ‘D’ letter grade for its terrible performance in Budget 2026.” Cronk replaces outgoing chair Baltej Dhillon, who had remained in the job despite running as an NDP candidate in 2024, before later being appointed to the Senate. “One insider leaves, another insider takes the chair. British Columbians can see the pattern,” Giddens said. “Key public institutions are increasingly led by individuals from the same political and labour circles.” Small business groups have already warned that emp...

Pallas Data Poll: British Columbia: This poll does not cover the period after the BC NDP budget with its sea of deep red ink. That said, there's some good data here to chew through.   The first is that three of the four main parties are down in the polls by statistically insignificant amounts, 2% is within the margin of error. That all three are down though, kind of interesting.    The Greens are up by 3pts but I don't think that's of any value in the BC political picture mainly because we have an Anybody But Conservatives or ABC movement in the province. This means that Green votes will likely shift to the NDP in ridings with close races.   Regional numbers Regionally the numbers are great for the NDP. They have a 10 point lead in Metro Vancouver. On Vancouver Island they have a 21 point lead. In the rest of BC the BC Conservatives lead by 7 points meaning there are plenty of seats that the BC NDP is still competitive in.   OneBC is eating some Cons...

Peter Milobar, BC Conservative Finance Critic, condemned the NDP government’s latest budget as the result of a decade of decline that has left British Columbians broke, unsafe, and paying more for less.   “After ten years of NDP mismanagement, this budget is an assault on seniors, working families, and the small businesses that drive our economy,” said Milobar. “The NDP have turned their back on the people working hardest to make ends meet and the seniors who built this province.” Milobar pointed to a new $1.1 billion annual income tax increase and warned that the government is piling new costs onto households already struggling with affordability.   “This government keeps asking British Columbians for more, while delivering less,” Milobar said. “The question people are asking is simple: Where has all the money gone?” Milobar noted that BC has gone from a surplus in the first year of NDP government to a projected deficit of more than $13 billion this year, while prov...

IMAGE CREDIT:   BC Green Party  I have been thinking about the BC Greens ending the cooperation agreement with the NDP and there are some sound short-term tactical reasons for it. First, after years of overspending, the NDP now has no choice but to restrain spending. This will cause some within the NDP coalition to look for options. Second, the NDP knows that they have to address issues around reconciliation, private property and the D eclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act  (DRIPA). After all, it was Eby who played the lead role in creating the current mess. While amending DRIPA is all but inevitable given public sentiment it will cause serious division within the left and could lead to caucus splits and potentially even a defection or two (Joan Phillip?). Again,the Greens become the direct beneficiary of any Holes in the NDP matrix. It is hard to tell whether the Greens or the Conservatives become the greatest beneficiary of any NDP decline but...

Conservative MLA and Critic for Indigenous Relations Scott McInnis says new public information confirms the BC NDP has fundamentally altered how major resource projects are approved in British Columbia without public debate, transparency, or a clear mandate from voters.   Public materials released by the Tahltan Central Government related to the Eskay Creek and Red Chris mines confirm that projects cannot proceed without the consent of the Tahltan Central Government Board. If consent is not granted, even after a provincial reconsideration process, the project does not go ahead.   “ This makes it clear that under Section 7 agreements, consent is no longer consultation, it is permission ,” said McInnis. “ If consent is withheld, the project stops. That represents a major shift in how Crown land decisions are made in this province .”   McInnis stressed that his comments are not a criticism of the Tahltan Nation, but of the provincial government’s approach. ...

Because we keep hearing about "echo chambers" I feel I need to talk about pie. A specific event I attended with pie in fact. When I lived in Calgary my area of the city had a tradition at election time of having an all-candidates meeting where the candidates would bring pie, enough pie for all. During the event there was the normal answering questions asked of everyone, or of specific candidates, but then there would be a break, and the attendees would try all the pies and judge who brought the best pie. It was a fun event and helped everyone see that no matter how different, we all liked pie. One year we had six parties there - this is central Calgary, so we all know that only two of them really have a shot at winning - but for that night it doesn't matter, we'll get to hear everyone's platform. As I'm looking around the room, I realize one of the parties didn't bring pie. The pie stations are all stet up at the back for during the first break when we...

IMAGE CREDIT:  HR Reporter New data from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey shows British Columbia’s economy continues to drift under Premier David Eby, just as the NDP prepares another high-deficit budget built on a fragile economic foundation.   The latest survey shows 6.1% unemployment in BC, down from 6.3%, while the labour force shrank by 5,600 people. In January, public sector jobs increased by 500 (up 3,100 year-over-year) while private sector jobs decreased by 100 (up only 700 year-over-year). This year-over-year ratio of 4.4 public sector jobs created for every private sector job follows years in which public-sector employment growth has outpaced the private sector economy.   “With debt at record highs and another massive deficit budget coming, David Eby has spent years weakening the very economy he’s depending on to pay for his surge in spending,” said Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna-Mission and Conservative Critic for Jobs, Economic Development, Inno...