Thoughts on BC Politics and More

The BC Conservative Party went through a bloodless revolution, with party leader John Rustad overthrown last week. The swift change in leadership gives Surrey much more clout on the provincial stage, with Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford now interim leader of the party.   Six of the 10 Surrey seats are held by Conservative MLAs, although Elenore Sturko of Surrey-Cloverdale remains outside the caucus CLICK HERE for the full story

Sixteen mayors from Metro Vancouver have penned an open letter to BC Premier David Eby, outlining concerns with bills 44 and 47 and provincial overreach into municipal decision-making. “The letter… expresses our collective concerns with the limited coordination and consultation by the province with local governments in developing Bills 44 and 47 (2023), the misalignment of province-wide requirements with the Metro Vancouver region’s land use and infrastructure context and regional planning frameworks,” the letter states. “We’re just writing to the premier appealing to them to roll back this legislation, allow local governments to do what they were elected to do,” Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley said at a press conference on Thursday ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

New interim BC Conservative leader Trevor Halford has been quick out of the gate to try and stabilize the party’s lagging finances and crumbling relationships after the departure of John Rustad. Halford, who took over for Rustad last Thursday, flew to Ottawa to meet federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Wednesday. The two leaders met for more than half an hour on Parliament Hill, as Halford attempted to mend fences in a relationship between the two parties that had become strained in recent months. “Our relationship with the federal Conservatives is vitally important,” Halford said in an interview. “We share a lot of the same platform ideas, and we share a lot of the same ideology. I wanted to make it very, very clear to Pierre and his team that I am very interested in working together and uniting on similar issues, whether it’s extortion, whether it's the challenges we are seeing on affordability ... CLICK HERE for the full story  

With public attention focused on a proposed bitumen pipeline to British Columbia’s northwest coast, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith let drop that Premier David Eby had told her he agreed to a different proposal to expand oil shipments through BC. That proposal would see a 40 per cent increase in the capacity of the existing Trans Mountain pipeline to BC’s Lower Mainland and an increase in tanker traffic in the Salish Sea. “I will acknowledge through gritted teeth this is not something we’re keen about, but we understand the role that we play and we have access to ports that we need to partner to Alberta”  ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Premier Danielle Smith sounds frustrated. Here she is, answering questions about a campaign to fire her as a member of the legislature. ... there are these recall campaigns where UCP politicians are targeted for firing and now Smith is on the list. The story makes the national news. There is analysis on what this all means. Is Smith in trouble? No doubt many newshounds hope the answer is Yes. This avalanche of recall campaigns , complete with a snazzy website on how to try and get a member of the legislature punted, really took off after the striking teachers were sent back to the classroom by the Smith government with a contract offer of more pay, more staff, more schools but still not enough on the table to soothe the irate educators. Smith says lefties have weaponized democratic processes ... CLICK HERE for the full story

I want the pipeline to the West Coast to succeed. And I want the federal Conservatives to knock off the Liberal government.  So why do I agree with the Liberals that Tuesday’s opposition motion in the Commons to get MPs to show support for the pipeline was a “cheap political stunt” and “immature?” Because it was ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Provinces call it “revenue,” but it looks a lot like exploitation of the marginalized The odds of winning Lotto Max are about 1 in 33 million. You’re statistically more likely to be struck by lightning than to win it. But your government is betting that statistics won’t hold you back; they’re counting on it. Across Canada, provincial governments not only regulate gambling, they also maintain a monopoly on lottery and gaming by owning and operating the entire legal market. That means every scratch card is government-issued, gambling odds are government-set, casino ads are government-funded and lottery billboards are government-paid. And these are not incidental government activities. They generate significant revenues that governments have powerful incentives to expand, not constrain. It would be one thing for our governments to encourage us to engage in healthy activities. We can quibble about whether the government should be trying to convince us to be more active or eat more vegetabl...

As 2025 wraps up, Canada faces big economic changes. Years of building pressures have collided all at once, reshaping how businesses and governments operate. This isn’t temporary either. It’s the start of a new era—one that will shape economic outcomes and policy choices for decades. The sharp turn in U.S. foreign policy raises fundamental questions for Canadian security . But many other challenges are closer to home: rising uncertainty and the restructuring of global production, widening regional divides, a decades-long productivity problem, and mounting fiscal pressures that limit what governments can do. Each deserves a closer look ... CLICK HERE for the full story  

Finally accepting that the turmoil within his caucus was untenable, John Rustad resigned last week as leader of the BC Conservatives, a party he took from nearly-nothing to nearly-government in little more than two years. But it was inevitable that the rise of the Conservatives from a fringe party to a government-in-waiting would come with a change at the top. Because, for all his accomplishments in the whirlwind year that was 2024 in BC politics, Rustad was in many ways a leader who was installed by default. Before he took over the Conservatives, the party had no MLAs in the legislature and no reason to believe they’d soon elect one. Rustad had been ejected from the B.C. Liberal caucus and was offered the leadership by a party that was only registering in the polls thanks to the power of the federal brand. In the 2020 election, the BC Conservatives had managed 1.9% of the vote. They hadn’t hit double-digits in vote share or elected a single MLA since the 1970s. Fundraisi...

Self-described "agitator" Yves Engler has been denied entry to the NDP leadership race, after the party's vetting committee said it has credible evidence of harassment ... ... NDP national president Lucy Watson said in a statement that candidates in the leadership race need to uphold values of integrity, honesty and respect for human rights. "After reviewing Mr. Engler’s full application, the leadership vote committee determined he did not meet the eligibility standards that apply to every applicant. He exercised his right to request a review, and an independent review committee upheld that decision," Watson said in the statement. "Our focus is on supporting a leadership race that strengthens our movement and advances the kind of politics our members and communities can be proud of." In a virtual press conference Wednesday, Engler said the NDP's reasoning was "sloppy" and the party is scared to have him in the race. He said it should be u...

The Government of Canada has added four new groups to the list of terrorist entities recognized under the Criminal Code. The groups include 764, Maniac Murder Cult, Terrorgram Collective, and the ISIS affiliate Islamic State-Mozambique. “The Government of Canada is taking action to counter terrorism and violent extremism, in particular the radicalization of young people online, by adding four new organizations to the Criminal Code list of terrorist entities,” a news release issued by the federal government read ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Sometime early in the new year, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is expected to cross its fingers and issue a decision that will define how Canadians can watch streamed content and, probably, how much more they’ll inevitably have to pay for it. And it will do so with a small prayer that its ongoing efforts to outsource the burden of funding for the Canadian film and television industry to Netflix and the other U.S. streaming giants won’t make U.S. President Donald Trump any more grumpy than he already is and trigger retaliatory action against Canada for picking on American companies. This will be the second major announcement from the CRTC. A couple of weeks ago, Nov. 18 to be precise, the federal regulator announced a new method of defining Canadian content (Cancon). That was the first of two decisions stemming from a wide-ranging consultation and the second, which it said will be published “in the near future,” involves spending and prioritizing ...

British Columbia's attorney general has announced further provincial measures aimed at combating intimate partner violence, while calling newly tabled federal legislation "a step toward justice." Nikki Sharma said Tuesday the province will be establishing a comprehensive provincial framework to provide guidance to all those within the justice system to help better respond to intimate partner violence. BC will also be creating an "internal government accountability mechanism to monitor the implementation" of reforms. The changes come after the release of a systemic review in June of the province's treatment of victims, survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence in the legal system ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

The Department of National Defence is scrambling to figure out how it will clothe, equip and train hundreds of thousands of new reservists envisioned under an ambitious mobilization proposal that Canada’s top military commander describes as a work in progress. Similarly, in what may be an ominous sign of the times, the department has established a key position dedicated solely to growing the military in the event of a major crisis. Internal documents obtained by CBC News show the military buildup will, at the moment, proceed slowly because the defence industry is either overwhelmed — or not equipped for the ramp-up ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

A new housing minister means new policies. For Kamloops, it means a new supportive housing project won’t offer drug recovery supports despite assurances earlier this year. That’s according to councillor Bill Sarai, who said previous housing minister Ravi Kahlon would have arranged for a contentious BC Housing project to restrict drug use for its tenants in favour of recovery supports. “We had a minister in a meeting that said he would support recovery-based housing if we had data to support it,” Sarai said at a council meeting today, Dec. 9. He was speaking while council debated whether to lobby new Housing Minister Christine Boyle to change plans for an North Kamloops supportive housing project. It’s a project that was met with opposition from neighbourhood residents, who voiced concern over the prospect that the project would allow drug use and exacerbate social issues in the neighbourhood, including petty crime, open drug use and homelessness ... CLICK HE...

“Our responsibility is to prove every day that we are ready” ~~ Trevor Halford, Interim Leader of the Conservative Caucus and MLA for Surrey-White Rock   Interim Leader of the Official Opposition Trevor Halford has set new critic and leadership responsibilities within the Conservative Caucus, sharpening the team’s focus on holding the NDP government to account during a period of deepening crises across British Columbia. Halford said his responsibility in this interim period is to provide steady leadership, keep the Opposition focused squarely on government accountability, and ensure the caucus is positioned for a seamless transition to the next permanent leader.   “As I said on my first day, British Columbians want an Opposition that shows up, digs in, and g...

Conservative Interim Leader Trevor Halford issued the following statement in response to the government’s newly approved regulation for the North Coast Transmission Line: “Just two weeks after we warned the Premier he would flip-flop again on a northern pipeline, his government has done exactly that, quietly authorizing BC Hydro to power the very petroleum and natural-gas facilities that would support a North Coast pipeline. On page 35 of the NDP’s own Order in Council , these facilities are now defined as ‘Eligible Projects’ for connection to the transmission line. We have always been clear: a northern pipeline is an opportunity for jobs, economic growth, and long-term stability for British Columbia. While the Premier was calling a northern pipeline a ‘fantasy,’ his Cabinet was quietly updating BC Hydro’s rules in a way that enables the very projects he insists aren’t real. So, which is it? Is the Premier against a northern pipeline, or is he preparing the regulatory ...

For all the noise that has accompanied Mark Carney’s first seven months as prime minister, one fact is now impossible to deny: the prime minister is rebuilding the federal Liberal Party into a modern, centrist, pro-growth political coalition — one that Canada has not seen in a generation. Donald Trump’s protectionism and the changing global trading order have no doubt accelerated Carney’s reforms. Still, one gets the sense that Carney is determined to reorient Canada’s Natural Governing Party come hell or high water. The transformation has been swift, substantive and unapologetically focused on economic renewal amid a precarious time for the country. And it’s beginning to resonate with Canadians who have grown tired of ideological rigidity on both ends of the political spectrum ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

Alberta First Nations are applauding a ruling by an Alberta Court of Kings Bench judge on Friday that a proposed question for a referendum on the province’s separation from Canada is unconstitutional. The question being proposed in a citizen initiative petition by the Alberta Prosperity Project would ask, “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?” Alberta’s chief electoral officer, Gordon McClure, had requested a judge review the proposed question to determine if it violates the Constitution. In his ruling, released late Friday, Justice Colin Feasby focused much of his ruling on the failure of the proposed question to guarantee First Nation treaty rights ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The BC Conservative Party is entering a new chapter following John Rustad’s surprise resignation as leader last week. In the wake of the announcement, interim leader Trevor Halford has stepped up to maintain caucus cohesion and ensure the party remains focused on holding the NDP government accountable. Amid the transition, veteran MLA Peter Milobar has indicated he is seriously considering stepping into the leadership race himself. Speaking with reporters, Milobar described the past week as “a bit chaotic” but underscored a sense of purpose within the caucus. “It kick-started a new direction for the party in terms of the party now needing to kick into a leadership race,” he said ... CLICK HERE for the full story