Splendour Without Diminishment; is that representative of how things are here in our province now, 130 years later?”

Long-time conservative friend Ben Besler said to me recently, “I remember being in a BC Conservative board meeting with the Tactical Advisory Group. Former Newfoundland Premier Brian Peckford was there, and he started in on a rant about where we were as an organization.”

He (Peckford) said, “Listen. If you want to win, there are three things that you need to work on, and that’s: Organization! organization! and organization!”.

“His direct passion in saying those words has always stuck with me”, said Ben, before continuing, “But organize where … and how?  And who are we … and what do we stand for?”

Good questions, asked by Brian Peckford a year or two prior to the 2013 Provincial election … and more recently from Ben as well.

That led me to think, and wonder, who we are as a province … which accidentally led me to finding the motto of our province.  First adopted in 1895, it is Splendor sine occasu … "Splendour Without Diminishment".  Now let me ask you a question ... is that representative of how things are now in ourt province, 130 years later?

Small town BC is in decline … young people are facing fewer job opportunities … our healthcare system is not providing enough doctors and nurses to meet our needs (and people having to line up for services at walk-in clinics) … school yards filled with portable classrooms due to a lack of planning … criminals walk free with a slap on the wrist … and children are ending up in school with a sick feeling of hunger in their bellies.

It would be hard, very hard, to not see that years of Liberal and NDP governments have sadly diminished the shine on BC’s splendour.

Traditionally over the past two plus decades the BC Liberals (and before that Social Credit), were said to be a coalition of liberals and conservatives, with the objective to keep the NDP out of power.  But is that coalition needed any more … better yet, why should it even exist?  We’ve now seen that the NDP can win government, even with Andrew Weaver’s Green Party splitting the vote (and then joining up for a coalition of their own on the left).  

So, what becomes of the old tactic … one in which the BC Liberals continue thinking they have the right to demand conservative support, as the conservatives have (at least up to now) had no place to go?  It seems a growing number of conservatives no longer are content, being subjected to sitting at the back of the bus.  They have a problem however.

Many, who consider themselves conservatives, are good at writing cheques and giving financial support.  What gets in the way of doing more is often a lack of time and opportunity, along with energy and voice.

That’s because they’re busy getting to work on time, getting kids to school and recreational activities, and having family time. 

They are entrepreneurs who devote every waking minute to creating a better product or service.

They are also people who are generally self-sufficient and don’t prioritize the necessity of outside assistance or governance high in their lives.

All good and commendable things, however as Ben Besler said to me, “This must change, because the battles worth fighting are the ones with boots on the ground, backed by passion, and a strong conviction to the cause. We need to find the passion to inspire again”.

Even more strongly he stated, “It is a defeatist mentality, that assumes that the rightful role of a conservative is to be in opposition (within a Liberal dominated coalition).  The democratic vote, which makes everyone equal, is a sacred concept no matter your political stripe.”

Whatever the makeup of coalitions, by their very nature, they are designed to be short term agreements.  So then, are supporters of conservative ideals in BC ready to accept that they no longer need, or wish to be yoked to, the liberalism of Justin Trudeau, Andrew Wilkinson, and their ilk any longer?

Inside the Provincial Legislature.  Notice the provincial motto
written in the buttress, to the bottom left of the British Ensign

Liberalism in BC can perhaps be described as something which would rather chase after ‘the new green skirt’ of the Green Party, rather than be committed to the momentum of conservative populism.  That means the so-called coalition, which is the BC Liberal Party of Andrew Wilkinson, cannot and should not be sustained. The merciful thing conservatives in BC can do is pull the plug on it, and stand proud as the voice of reason.

If ever there was an opportunity for Conservatives to really organize, it’s now.  So, what do Conservatives in BC have to say? 

Interim Party Leader Scott Anderson says, “As BC Conservatives, we will be addressing policies that our research, not only with members but with British Columbians of all ages across the province, has shown to be of importance to them.”

“Those policies will include a strategy to solve the affordable housing crisis, a policy to solve the gridlocked roads crisis, and a policy to update and improve BC's existing Initiative, Referenda, and Recall legislation”, he continued.

You won’t get any arguments from me on these, especially the housing issue.  While the BC Liberals neglected this file for the 16 years they were in office, there is still little that has changed under the current NDP administration.  Inroads however are being made with emergency housing through-out the province

“Perhaps most import is the hated Carbon Tax. At a time when the cost of energy is rising and British Columbians are having trouble paying for transportation, heating, and sometimes even food, the carbon tax is a cynical tax grab the drives the cost of everything up and doesn't achieve what it's supposed to achieve.”

Additionally, Anderson has already said BC Conservatives will ensure there is a province-wide addictions treatment program, based on the model already developed by the BC Centre for Substance Use, and using funding from taxes on the sale of tobacco, gambling, alcohol, and cannabis.

As for ICBC, Anderson stated, “We agree with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) that ICBC should be turned into a co-operative owned by BC drivers.”

“As we prepare for the next provincial election, BC Conservatives will present real, workable, practical solutions to critical issues facing BC residents”.

“We will provide British Columbians with the opportunity of using those solutions to bring about the kind of change they have desired, but which the BC Liberals, and John Horgan NDP, have only given lip service too”, he concluded.

It’s time to wrap this up … and I’ll begin that process by asking if you’ve heard the story of the elephant who wouldn’t break free from a string that it had been tied up with? While still very young it learned it couldn’t break a string its trainer had used to keep it in place. As the elephant grew older, it still believed it would be unable to break the string.

Although such a powerful beast could easily do so, it was unable to do so because of the false expectations of the string’s strength.

Like the elephant in that story, conservatives need to rid themselves of the attitude that they cannot break free of the ties put on them by liberals … and liberalism … and even by themselves.

Stand. Speak. Organize.

Create real, workable, practical solutions for a province which was built by a hard-working, ethnically diverse society … one which saw no end to the opportunities which would be available for the generations that would follow.

“Splendour Without Diminishment”. 

It can’t, and won’t, be delivered by sitting at the back of the BC Liberal bus.  The battles worth fighting are the ones with boots on the ground, backed by passion, and a strong conviction to the cause.  We need to find the passion to inspire again.

In Kamloops, I’m Alan Forseth, and I hope you’ll join the discussion on this, or any other topic presented here.  Do you agree … disagree?  Post your thoughts in the Comment Section directly below.