Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Bill 41, The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, is a critical change for the future of British Columbia. For the first time in the history of our province, we move from the perspective of the denial of Indigenous rights to rights recognition. It’s 2019 and long past due. Green Party MLA Adam Olsen When the Bill was introduced on Thursday, many of the questions from reporters continued to build on a narrative that declaring the rights of Indigenous people creates uncertainty. When confronted with this question, I asked the reporter if they felt the status quo gave them comfort?  I asked if the current situation offered the level of certainty that the business community, municipalities, and Indigenous communities are all seeking?

Everybody knows that snails don’t run, but no one told Sam. Sam arrived in our household along with Soda, a colourful betta fish we picked up from the local pet shop as replacement for Ollie.  (Ollie succumbed to fishy old age and was transitioned ceremoniously into compost in the garden, under the grand epitaph: “Here Lies A Good Fish”.) The pet-store guy threw Sam, a finger-nail-sized “mystery snail", in for free. Selecting companions for betta fish can be a bit tricky: otherwise known as Siamese fighting fish, they aren’t known for their affability.  But betta fish aren’t threatened by snails, we were assured.  Plus, snails keep the water clean. All seemed well, at first.  Soda simply ignored the tiny striped mollusk meandering around his space.  The only thing he attacked was his food ... until the night he drove Sam clean out of the bowl.   Sam’s great escape was akin to a “black swan” event Presumably spooked by...

I do not usually repeat previous e-mails, but this time I will make an exception in view of the results of the election. Canada has Left the Building      Avarice is an acid that ultimately destroys the avaricious. Greed overcomes common sense, logic and reason with fatal consequences. Canada as we knew her is collapsing under irresponsible political leadership that fails to understand the greatness it inherited.   Canada has always been considered a treasury of resources for men of means to exploit. The northern portion was colonized to exploit available resources, initially fish, furs and timber. Control over the colonies was initially in Paris (roughly 1608 to 1759), and then London from 1763 onward.      London agreed to the British North America Act, as it relieved London of an obligation to come to Canada’s aid if the USA invaded. It took anther 64 years before London relinquished full control over Canada in the ...

Canada’s equalization program has cost taxpayers — including taxpayers in “ have ” provinces such as Alberta — $2.1 billion more in equalization payments since 2017 due to a program design flaw , finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non - partisan Canadian public policy think - tank . “ Most Canadians likely assume that if the fiscal disparity between richer and poorer provinces shrinks, equalization payments also shrink — but currently, that’s not how the program works ,” said Ben Eisen , Fraser Institute senior fellow and co - author of Wh y is Equalization Still Growing ? Due to a specific rule (created in 2009) within Canada’s equalization program , which transfer s federal tax dollars to lower - income provinces , total equalization payments to “ have - not ” provinces must grow every year, even if the gap between richer and poorer provinces shrink s. And that’s exactly what’s happened recent ly , due ...

Canada's Parliament following the 2019 federal election ... LPC - CPC - Bloc - NDP - Green What exactly does a minority government mean and how might that work to serve Canadians? The Liberals hold 157 seats, the Conservatives 121, the BLOC with 32, and the NDP 24. There is 1 independent MP and the Green Party now has 3. The reason the seat count is critical is due to the fact that it illustrates that the Liberal Government requires only the support of one major party to either pass a budget, or have legislation approved. While the Government has three parties, which they have the option of working with on a bill or budget, the same is not true for the opposition. For the opposition to defeat a Liberal Government bill, no two parties’ combined carry enough votes to effectively block the legislation. The only way the opposition could prevent a Government bill from going forward would be if all three parties agree to work together to block it. For these reasons the...

UP UNTIL TODAY I have purposely decided not to comment on the election campaign we were just subjected too, and in particular the Conservative campaign. YES ... subjected! This morning however I was reading a few letters from readers of MacLean’s , and one in particular struck me.   In their letter they stated: " None of our political leaders are statesmen with clear and inspiring national visions that unite Canadians. Instead, voters are bartered in an open political market where myopic promises are traded for votes—a choice as appealing as a Big Mac to vegans. The choices before voters are stunningly vacuous, if not perilous ." While I am not so sure that ‘ vacuous ’ would be the best descriptive for Election 43 ... ‘ disappointing ’ would certainly fill the bill Leaders of all parties, to some degree, promised the moon and beyond in their spending promises –far too many of which intruded into provincial jurisdictions. What t...

Yesterday, Doug Donaldson, the Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, released a statement regarding the transfer of a forest licence from Conifex to Fort St. James Forest Products.  In his statement Donaldson noted: “ On Friday, Oct. 25, 2019, I approved the transfer of a forest licence and associated road permits from Conifex Timber Inc. to Fort St. James Forest Products, a subsidiary of Hampton Lumber Mills. After a comprehensive review of this public asset, I determined that this transfer is in the public interest and will benefit British Columbians ”. Continuing, Donaldson went on to say: “ As a condition of the transfer, Hampton has committed to build a new mill in Fort St. James that will be operational within 36 months of closing the transaction with Conifex. It is my expectation that Hampton will continue to work closely with First Nations to develop business and capacity-building arrangements and ...

One of the things I looked forward to, after the decimation of public education under the BC Liberals, was seeing classrooms thrive again. I, like most parents, didn’t expect miracles to happen overnight…the system was so underfunded all education advocates knew it would take time to restore things to where it should be. I knew the NDP was passionate about education and when I retired from blogging, I felt little need to follow BC education closely. But having seen what’s coming down the pipeline now, I feel urgently compelled to write and ask that this post is shared far and wide so as many parents of kids and teens with special needs, learning disabilities or any challenges that require classroom support see it as soon as possible. And when I write this, I want you to know that this perspective is coming from myself not just as a government critic, but as a parent of a teen with challenges, who I have had to fight to have classroom supports for, his entire time in the ...

Last week in Question Period I asked the Honourable Doug Donaldson about the impact of the growing risks of climate change on our forests in British Columbia. Public attention is focusing in recent months on the forest industry that is controlled by multi-national corporations shuttering operations, cutting jobs and putting into question of the future of rural and remote communities in our province. People in those communities are concerned about whose interests those companies are looking out for. There is a growing concern that it is not the local interests. The aspect that I dug into this week is not often discussed. What role do our forests play in a changing climate? How does a changing climate impact our forests? What is our government innovate the forestry sector? These are incredibly important questions we will continue ask. FOREST MANAGEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION Adam Olsen: Yesterday my colleague drew the con...

Dozens of farmers, who are angry at the NDP’s devastating Bill 52, joined BC Liberal MLAs at the Legislature today (October 28 th ), joining the call for John Horgan and Agriculture Minister Lana Popham to repeal the legislation. “ Farmers and their families work tirelessly to contribute to our economy and make sure British Columbians have fresh, locally-produced food ,” said BC Liberal Agriculture Critic Ian Paton.  “ Bill 52 has done nothing but tear communities apart and put farmers out of work, which is why we are calling on the NDP to repeal it. Farmers deserve to be protected by government, not persecuted by it .” Farmers from throughout the province joined Liberal MLAs to rally against this damaging legislation that has sent farmers a clear message — the NDP government values land more than the people who make farms successful. “ The recent act changes by the NDP create barriers for entry-level farmers, add financial burdens for current far...

The BC government is calling upon emergency management practitioners, community and First Nations leaders, businesses, non-profit organizations and other interested British Columbians to provide their input and expertise as the Province prepares to modernize its emergency management legislation. “ There’s a lot of emergency management expertise and experience in this province that can help us ensure that modernized legislation is responsive to B.C.’s needs in the future ,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. Photo credit -- Government of BC “ Whether it’s a wildfire or a flood, the legislative framework provides the backbone of what we do. We want to draw upon the knowledge that exists so our legislation reflects what communities need to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies .” To gather input on proposed legislative changes, the Province is releasing a discussion paper for comment, outlining the proposed ...

This summer, Minister Doug Donaldson announced the appointment of a two-person panel to lead an Old Growth Strategy Review. The panel members, Al Gorley, a professional forester with 45 years of experience, and Garry Merkel, a registered professional forester also with 45 years of experience in the industry, have instructions to lead an Old Growth Strategy Review and report back to Honourable Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. The Ministry has opened the consultation process and is seeking public input on the Review. I have heard British Columbians' overwhelming concerns about how the province is managing the few remaining old-growth forests in our province. Over several months, frustration has been growing on how the provincial government protects high productivity old-growth. Pressure is building with every series of photos and video streams showing clear-cuts of massive stumps. ...

“ The truth shall set you free ,” advises the old canon. Unless you’re a criminal, that is.  Then the truth will land you in prison.  That’s how the justice system works, most of the time. Roughly 40,000 convicts are presently locked away in the fifty-three federal and provincial prisons scattered across Canada. The vilest of the perps (the murderers, the rapists, and the pedophiles) are punished with lengthy consignments to the most secure of these institutions; eight federal maximum-security prisons are needed to house them all – and almost all of them are men. Women commit crimes too, but at far lower rates and attended by much less violence and predation, a fact reflected by the lower security and gentler living conditions typical of female prisons (there’s not a single dedicated maximum-security institution for women in Canada).  The Institutional Mother-Child Program even allows incarcerated mothers to raise their children in prison until the ...

“Andrew Scheer remains convinced that a prime minister can hold conservative views on divisive issues like same-sex marriage and abortion, and still be trusted by Canadians not to impose them on the country.”   ~~   CBC News    Scheer’s personal views should be confidential. When Sheer is on stage, he is not representing Andrew Scheer; he is spokesman for the conservative party and its supporters. When Scheer is asked about his views on marriage, the response should be: “ The Conservative Party of Canada will uphold the equality of gay people in all matters and their Charter rights .”  When asked about abortion, the response should be: “ The Supreme Court stuck down restrictive sections of the criminal code that violated the Charter rights of women. The Conservative Party of Canada will oppose any efforts to infringe on the rights of women to choose the alternatives appropriate for them .” Women and gay people don’t care about Scheer’s persona...

On Thursday, the United Conservative Party led by Premier Jason Kenney delivered its first budget. On the campaign trail, UCP members regularly stressed the need to tackle Alberta’s deficit, which is projected to total $8.7 billion in 2019/20. The government’s first budget shows it’s willing to meet those words with action. Alberta’s era of fiscal complacency has ended. First, let’s look at the grim reality of Alberta’s finances.  The province has run budget deficits every year except one since 2008/09. Largely as a result, provincial net debt has soared to nearly $37 billion. And yet, despite the severity of these challenges, fiscal policy in Alberta has in recent years been characterized by unrelenting complacency. For example, instead of confronting the deficit challenge, the NDP government of Rachel Notley allowed it to fester. Alberta kept increasing nominal government program spending year after year. Predictably, large deficits remained and...

The 2019 federal election is over, and undoubtedly many Canadians woke up Tuesday morning wondering just what happened. It’s important to look beyond the media spin, and at the actual results. Yes, the Liberals, by winning the most seats under Justin Trudeau, will form a sizable minority government, but by almost every other metric, this was a complete repudiation of their first term in office. Compared to 2015, the Liberals lost 27 seats and receive more than a million fewer votes – in fact, the Conservatives actually won the popular vote.   And get this … since 1867, in the history of our country, no political party –- or Prime Minister — has ever received this small a share of the popular vote and still formed government.   Their share was just 33 percent. But, taking a step back from the actual results, let me just say that objectively, this was a terrible election!

Pollster, pundits and the media are picking over the election results looking for meaning therein. There isn’t any significant meaning -- the people have spoken -- the results are known. Trudeau carries on with a minority. He can no longer govern without support from one or more of the opposition parties. The most significant change is not obvious however. The Liberals no longer control parliament’s committees. The Conservatives, BQ and NDP will have 52% of committee memberships. This means the Liberals can’t block an inquiry into SNC-Lavalin, or the Vice-admiral Norman affair, without opposition support. That will put the ethics, honesty and openness of all parties to the test. Parliament will open with a Throne Speech. The content may be tempered by concessions to the opposition in return for support. We can expect the first Throne Speech to pass, and a budget will follow. After prolonged debate, the budget will also pass. ************************...

Yesterday (October 24 th ) was one of the most important days in the history of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, and for all British Columbians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike. When the Honourable Scott Fraser stood and introduced the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, it signified the most substantial change in Indigenous relations in the history of our province. This bill is the right thing to do because it pays respect to basic human rights and provides a path forward for British Columbia to ensure economic prosperity to all of our citizens. This legislation is a foundational piece of the BC Green Caucus Confidence and Supply Agreement with the BC NDP. It's an initiative I've been championing with the Minister for over two years. Few are the days in which legislation has been introduced that upholds the basic human rights of Indigenous Peoples. Indeed, the sad reality of the history of parliaments in our country is that they h...