Thoughts on BC Politics and More

  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has long held a firm position on the Lockheed Martin F-35 multi-role jet fighter aircraft. In 2015 his promise to Canadians was clear “ We will not buy the F-35 stealth fighter bomber ”. PM Trudeau further stated the F-35 “ did not work ” and that “ It no longer makes sense, if it ever did, to have a stealth, first-strike capacity fifth-generation fighter ". Things changed this week as the Trudeau Liberal Government announced that it has now decided that the F-35 will be the preferred replacement aircraft for the CF-18. Negotiations will now begin to purchase 88 new F-35 fighter jets at a currently estimated cost of around $19 billion. What was also very interesting about this Liberal decision was that recently released documents obtained under 'Access to Information' revealed the Liberal government communication strategy to justify purchasing the F-35 was developed two years ago, in 2020. Why was a “communications strategy” requir...

 BC Agriculture Minister Lana Popham Yesterday, the BC NDP government of Premier John Horgan announced new funding was going to be made available to raspberry growers for a ‘replant program”. Said Agriculture Minister Lana Popham, “ The new investment in this program will help more B.C. growers replant their fields with varieties that will support their businesses and increase the amount and improve the quality of local berries. Planting varieties that grow well in our climate and produce berries suitable for fresh, specialized frozen and value-added markets will ensure B.C. raspberries continue to be on many of our menus and part of B.C.’s food economy .” Here’s a good question ... should raspberry growers not be looking after their own crops, and finding what’s best for growing in our BC climate, and that will provide for larger crops? Who’s next?   Should mechanics and carpenters get a grant to replace their tools, rather than ensuring they have what they need for the job...

  The House of Commons is in session this week and the week began with some interesting developments. Most notable was an announcement between the Liberals and the NDP that a back-room deal has been reached that will result in the NDP supporting all Liberal confidence votes until the next election in 2025. This deal essentially gives Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the majority government he was unable to achieve at the ballot box in last year’s $600 million federal election. In exchange for offering their support, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh received promises from PM Trudeau that the Government will work towards implementing some key NDP programs. Some of the more significant programs include potential “dental coverage for low-income Canadians” that would start with children under 12 this year and be expand to those under 18, seniors and persons living with a disability next year. Full implementation is promised by 2025 although coverage would be restricted to families with...