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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

Rob Shaw: B.C. election fever heats up as parties brace for rushed legislative session (The Orca)


BC’s legislature resumes this week with a throne speech full of promises and a budget full of numbers — neither of which it would be wise to put much trust in, with an election just a few months away.

Premier David Eby’s New Democrats will start the legislative session late, and finish early. Amidst that truncated timeline, the government says it intends to introduce 20 bills. That’s a rate of new legislation at least every second day.

Some things we know are coming, such as a new two-year real estate flipping tax and a bill to allow government to sue social media companies for harms. Both are measures that the NDP intends to package in its election campaign as protecting British Columbians against speculators in real estate, and predators online.

Whether either law actually improves the stated problem of housing affordability and online bullying and sextortion, will be a question only answerable after the Oct. 19 election . . . .

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