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

ADAM OLSEN: Why do politicians act on consequences, instead of conscience? Because, they are rewarded for it


I heard a quote the other day; "They act out of fear of consequence, not out of conscience - Why? because you reward them for it!"  CNN anchor and Sirius XM host Chris Cuomo was talking about politicians.

Cuomo is brash. This quote comes from the middle of a rant about the political divide in the United States. It was actually very good, perhaps it was more of a verbose lamentation. Nevertheless, at a high level this is applicable in our divided politics.
LNG Canada

The wrong incentives motivate us.

In the debate on the LNG tax bill last week, more of that was exposed. Even though the votes on the record for these tax breaks show every BC NDP and every BC Liberal standing for them — and only the 3 Greens against — this does not accurately reflect the sentiment in the Chamber.

I can see it, and I have been told otherwise. While I deeply respect the challenge that each of my colleagues struggle with - personally, professionally and politically, I wonder why do they stand with such confidence when Mr. Speaker calls the vote?

Rewards for bad decisions

One explanation is the perverse incentives in our political systems. To Cuomo's point: for decades now, politicians have been acting out of fear of consequences, not on their conscience.

I had numerous conversations with my colleagues last week "who agree with much of what I am saying" in my speeches about the LNG tax bill. Yet, when the vote was called, there were only 3 of us standing to reflect that.


There are not strong enough consequences for knowingly disconnecting information. For example, how is it that there can be a majority of support for the LNG industry in British Columbia and an almost perfectly equal opposition to fracking?

It's because for many British Columbians the two are not directly connected. The LNG pitch based on a false premise that it is our duty to the rest of the world to help them get off coal, because burning gas is cleaner than burning coal.

But fracking is really bad for the environment. Concerns about water use, earthquakes, toxic tailings ponds pock-marking the landscape, habitat destruction and more are all realities of the fracking industry. They are our burdens and British Columbians are very concerned about that.

The whole supply chain

The LNG narrative has been, and continues to be, dishonest. An honest discussion would account for all aspects of the fracked gas supply chain, not just the convenient chunks.

An honest accounting of the economics does not stop at the revenue projections, but decision-makers would have to reflect on the projections of the environmental, social and other costs of the decision as well. Unfortunately, potential revenue is the only thing dangled in front of British Columbians.

My guess is that this decision about LNG and the future of our planet is being made by political operatives measuring consequences.

The BC Liberals will tell British Columbians:  
"This is our work; it was always this timeline; the BC NDP have done nothing (except make it worse). All this aside, we support it because we always have."

There are political consequences for them to vote against it.

The BC NDP on the other hand are calculating that if they can accomplish what the BC Liberals could not, then they will get a political win. If they can all weather the storm for a few weeks, while this bill is in front of the House, and keep their numbers in line (standing up when their supposed to), they might win some seats in non-traditional areas.

Adam Olsen, Green Party MLA
for Saanich North & the Islands
Finally, they are gambling that there will not be any consequences with their voting base. They’re betting their voters will look at the ballot, in the next election, and do what they have always done.

That's the final part of Cuomo's comment. Why do politicians act on consequences instead of conscience? Because, they are rewarded for it.



Adam Olsen is the Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Saanich North and the Islands

Born in Victoria, BC in 1976, Adam has lived, worked and played his entire life on the Saanich Peninsula. 

He is a member of Tsartlip First Nation (W̱JOȽEȽP), where he and his wife, Emily, are raising their two children, Silas and Ella.





FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

"BC government News:  Legislation introduced to complete fiscal framework for LNG investment, jobs and benefits"

Read full story by CLICKING HERE

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

GORDON F. D. WILSON: When The Trick Masquerades as The Treat

Thirty-seven years ago, Halloween 1987, I became the leader of the BC Liberal Party.   British Columbia was badly polarized. Social Credit held one side and the NDP the other. It had been twelve years, 1975, since Liberal MLAs Garde Gardom, Pat McGeer, and Alan Williams had walked away from their party to join Social Credit, one year after the lone Progressive Conservative MLA Hugh Curtis had abandoned his party to sit with Bill Bennett, the son and heir apparent to long-serving BC Premier, WAC Bennett.   An unwritten agreement by the biggest Canadian political shareholders, the federal Liberals and Conservatives, decided that if British Columbia was to remain a lucrative franchise from a revenue perspective, they couldn’t risk splitting the electoral vote and electing the real enemy, the NDP, so no resources would be used to finance either a Liberal or Conservative party provincially.   “There are two sides to every street,” I was told by a very prominent Canadian businessman who cont

FORSETH: As a BC Conservative member, and campaign worker, I will again state that the fact these errors were found -- AND brought to light BY Elections BC -- shows the system IS working

Sadly, two and a half weeks after the BC provincial election campaign, those who want to undermine our political process are still at.  PLUS, we also have one who doesn’t even live in our country, never mind our province. I speak of the buffoon running for President of the United States, who has poisoned the well when it comes to faith in the electoral process. Just today alone, comments such as the following, were being made of posts that I shared online: ... all the votes they keep finding has just favoured NDP on in all critical ridings and soon they will flip another riding in favour of NDP, Come on. ... Elections BC has ridiculed British Columbians, and I no longer have confidence or trust in their process and competence regarding the results Then there are others online, with comments like these – who are claiming fraud in the October 19th election: ... Who is the oversight for Elections BC? They should be investigated for election fraud! ... Fraudulent election ... should be red

“With the talent and dedication of this caucus we will hold David Eby to account for his government’s out of control spending and ongoing failures in healthcare, public safety and addictions" — John Rustad

Today, John Rustad, Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, proudly unveiled his shadow cabinet, a dynamic team of talented individuals ready to hold David Eby’s disastrous government accountable and present a strong alternative vision for British Columbia. “ Our shadow cabinet is a diverse and experienced group, committed to restoring prosperity, public safety, and affordability for every British Columbian ,” said Rustad. “ With experts in every field, we are focused on delivering real solutions for the challenges our province faces .” Rustad emphasized the historic appointment of Aaliya Warbus as House Leader. The shadow cabinet reflects the Conservative Party’s vision to build a brighter future for British Columbia. The appointments are as follows: Leadership Positions : Aaliya Warbus – House Leader Bruce Banman – Whip Sheldon Claire – Deputy Whip Portfolios : Tony Luck – Municipal Affairs and Local Government Sharon Hartwell – Rural Communities and Rural Development I

Labels

Show more