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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

FORSETH – Government bafflegab (pretentious language, especially bureaucratic jargon)

 

Balderdash (senseless talk or writing; nonsense) ... bafflegab (pretentious language, especially bureaucratic jargon) ... claptrap (absurd or nonsensical talk or ideas) ... drivel (nonsense). These and similar words can often be used to describe the propaganda that issues forth multiple times a day from the media department of the BC government.

Want an example?  Well let’s look at this example from early Saturday morning ... “Fast track to infrastructure construction trades in Vancouver”

In this media release, the government proudly announces that up to 30 individuals will get skills training to prepare them for jobs as construction craft workers and labourers in the Lower Mainland.  It seems NEW jobs in BC are so hard to find that 30 is apparently worth talking about (NOTE that IF these 30 individuals actually become employed it will amount to .0000158% of the fulltime workforce).

The trouble is however, there is NO assurance -- not even the slightest – that the training being received by these individuals will lead to a job. In fact, the opposite is more likely true ... and this is where the balderdash ... bafflegab ... claptrap ... and drivel comes in to play.

The media release I noted above states that under a partnership with the British Columbia Infrastructure Benefits Corporation (BCIB) there will be:

... training for individuals seeking employment on large scale construction projects like the Pattullo Bridge, Highway 1, the Broadway Subway project and more ...

And then we are reminded that the:
... BCIB is the Crown corporation that employs the skilled trades workforce on public infrastructure projects under the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) ...

The BC Infrastructure Benefits Corporation is ALSO the entity which the government established to gift their favorite labour unions with exclusive access to projects being undertaken by the provincial government of Premier John Horgan.

Here’s the thing though – no one is going to be doing those jobs without already being a member of those unions -- and that also means having the training required.



Let’s take a welder for example. First there’s Welder Foundation instruction ... then take Welder B training ... followed by Welder A level training. According to the BC Institute of Technology (BCIT), that then qualifies the candidate for A Level Certification.

The eventual, or possible, 30 future jobs are an extremely far cry from Saturday’s government announcement of what they called a fast track to infrastructure construction jobs in Vancouver. I would even go so far as to say most people will seriously question if this skills training will ever lead to a single job, but hey, anything’s possible ... right?

Governments love to pat themselves on the back for the most mundane things – it’s what they do. But let’s call a spade a spade ... what they churn out is mostly just propaganda.

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