Thoughts on BC Politics and More

... generations of Westerners have fought to reform Canada to make its institutions more representative of the country as it is, not as it was before the settling of the West. As hard and as passionately as they have fought, they failed. So be it. Now it's up to Eastern Canada. If confederation means anything at all to Eastern Canadians beyond a mechanism to redistribute Western resources, it's their move. Meanwhile, the only honourable course left to those of us who love freedom and Western Canada is to face this fact. We must admit that we have a federal government that does not practice federalism. It preaches rights but practices coercion. It promises to build, but all it produces is debt ... CLICK HERE for the full editorial

M aybe this time it will be different. All the other mental-health horror stories that make their way to the legislature involving deranged people inflicting ghastly harm on citizens follow a similar pattern. The horrifying details are recounted by the opposition, then there’s a strident demand for action ... but it’s a long, zigzag march towards any kind of progress ... CLICK HERE for the full story

I f the NDP is going to rebuild after a difficult federal election campaign, it needs to work on its messaging, according to the lone NDP candidate who held onto a Vancouver Island riding. Gord Johns, who retained his Courtenay-Alberni seat with 39.6% of the vote, defeating Conservative challenger Kris McNichol — who got 34.6 per cent — said the party’s message just didn’t seem to resonate with voters. “We saw the Conservatives with slogans they couldn’t even explain” Johns said Tuesday ... said it’s frustrating when he sees people struggling with the cost of living while big business, big oil, big banks, big grocery stores and big telecommunication companies have record profits and large real estate conglomerates are buying up residential housing ... CLICK HERE for the full story

S he's said it before, and she said it again. "We will act decisively when our residents are left behind," she vowed, concerning the dearth of healthcare services here. "Together let us send a very clear message Surrey deserves nothing less than it's fair share and we intend to secure that." Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke presented a notice of motion at Monday's council, to be dealt with on May 12, on a point of "deep concern" given Surrey's population rivals Vancouver's, and is expected to surpass it within the next decade. "Yet our residents continue to face an alarming shortage of the critical healthcare resources" ... CLICK HERE for the full story

... “It’s unimaginable to think that a tragedy like this could happen, and unfortunately, it’s changed all of us,” said BC Conservative Leader John Rustad. With that grief, there were also calls for action, amid revelations that the accused has a history of mental health issues and was being supervised under the Mental Health Act. “The system failed and people were killed,” said BC Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko. Eby says an independent commission will be held to provide guidelines for ensuring future public events are safer, and a public inquiry into the attack will be called if sufficient answers don’t come from the criminal trial ... CLICK HERE for the full story  

C anada’s “natural governing party” won re-election for the fourth time in a row, led this round by a wealthy banking expert. Occupy Wall Street 2.0 this was not. But the comeback that Mark Carney’s Liberals staged against Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives, who had built a commanding lead by echoing many themes and tactics employed by Donald Trump’s MAGA movement, was read by many observers as maybe a bit revolutionary. At least a key victory in a global fight against autocratic illiberalism ... CLICK HERE for the full story

P reston Manning, former Member of Parliament and founder of the Reform Party of Canada, has raised concerns about growing Western alienation following the re-election of a Liberal minority government under Prime Minister Mark Carney. In a statement released Tuesday, Manning said polling is underway to assess whether the continuation of Liberal rule has deepened the estrangement of Western Canada from Ottawa and the rest of the country. He noted that Carney’s assurances of a "180 degree turn" from key policies of the Trudeau government — including on climate change, pipelines, immigration, and what Manning described as “proliferate deficit spending” — remain to be tested ... CLICK HERE for the full story

I n striking remarks delivered days after Canada's federal election, former longtime Liberal MP John McKay suggested that threats from President Donald Trump helped propel Prime Minister Mark Carney to power—and warned that Canada is entering a period of “existential” uncertainty. He likened the threat posed by Trump’s second term to the peril Taiwan faces from China’s Xi Jinping ... CLICK HERE for the full story

A nyone remember when BC lumber was not subject to U.S. tariffs? What we now refer to as the Canada- U.S. Softwood Lumber Dispute began in 1981 when the U.S. lumber industry complained to its Department of Commerce that Canada was unfairly shipping and selling lumber in the U.S. the Department of Commerce found Canada’s lumber industry did not “hinder” the U.S. industry. Although that decision was not appealed, additional and subsequent charges were levied by the U.S. producers, resulting in the softwood lumber war that continues today ... CLICK HERE for the full commentary

I n one of the most closely scrutinized races of Canada’s 2025 federal election, Joseph Tay—the Conservative candidate identified by federal authorities as the target of aggressive Chinese election interference operations—was defeated Monday night in Don Valley North by Liberal Maggie Chi, following a campaign marred by threats, suspected intimidation, and digital suppression efforts. The Bureau has learned that Canadian police last week reviewed complaints alleging that members of Tay’s campaign team were shadowed in an intimidating manner while canvassing in the final days of the race. The status of the incident review remains unclear. With over 20,000 votes—a 43 percent share compared to 53 percent for Liberal Maggie Chi—Tay nearly doubled the Conservative Party’s 2021 vote total of 12,098 in this riding. Last Monday, federal intelligence officials disclosed that Tay was the subject of a highly coordinated transnational repression operation tied to the People’s Republi...

W hat a difference six months, a dissident cabinet minister and a rogue president can make to an election.  And, perhaps, to the future of Canadian politics. In November, Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives looked to be heading to a big majority government, with 42-per-cent support compared to the Liberals’ 23 per cent. The NDP were looking strong with 19 per cent. Then the wheels fell off Poilievre’s campaign ... CLICK HERE for the full story

For an excellent recap of last nights election, analyzed region by region, check out 338 Canada

H umans desire certainty. It’s one of the biggest reasons why Donald Trump’s threats and provocations have been so destabilizing for Canadians. Our economy and politics are seemingly in the hands of someone who doesn’t know the meaning of impulse control. Many of us have become desperate to bring order to the Trump-induced chaos of the past few months. That’s clearly been a key part of the election campaign. The Hub’s co-founder Rudyard Griffiths aptly characterized the nearly 25-point swing in the polls from a commanding Conservative lead to a Liberal one as a “flight to safety.” Yet if Canadian voters—particularly older ones—went to the polls in search of order and stability, it’s far from obvious that that’s what they’ve gotten ... CLICK HERE for the full commentary  

A s we finally reach the end of this strange campaign, The Line will honour an old newspaper tradition — no political content or endorsements on election day, at least until the polls close. On Monday, you get some peace and quiet to decide. For my final comment before you shuffle off to a church basement or community centre near you, I want to talk about the central problem of Mark Carney's appeal to the voters. If you'll indulge me a little alliteration, let's call it Carney's Conundrum. Carney is offering himself as a change agent, despite leading the incumbent party, because he is the change. I'm not accusing him of any vanity there. That is the literal pitch — "Justin Trudeau is gone, I am Mark Carney, and that's change enough." But that requires voters to accept one of two things. And each of those choices brings its own problem ... CLICK HERE for the full story

O n the eve of the federal election, pollsters are out in force, releasing their final polls ahead of Sunday night’s cut off. From issue polling to advance vote breakdowns, data-seekers are spoiled for choice at election’s end. Issue polling suggests Mark Carney holds a lead over Pierre Poilievre as the election comes to a close, while the two are statistically tied on who’s best to handle the cost of living. The Angus Reid Institute asked Canadians which leader would be best to handle an array of issues facing the nation today. Carney holds the highest lead over Poilievre on issues pertaining to the US-Canada trade war (+25), expanding trade relations beyond the US (+23), and supporting Canadian workers during the trade war (+18). The Liberal leader also holds a 13-point lead over Poilievre on which leader Canadians think would be best equipped to grow Canada’s economy and improve healthcare ... CLICK HERE for the full story  

S ince the onset of the election media, politicians, and spin doctors have tried to tell you that this election is about Donald Trump, tariffs, and that it's about left or right - it’s not.   It’s really not about any of that. This election is about your government, its choices, and more importantly: this election is about YOU. It’s about your life here - wherever you reside - , and what kind of country you will have to live in and leave for your children. Across Canada, for the first time since the 1960s, we’re witnessing a deep cultural shift. It’s not one between East and West, or rural and urban, but between generations. The Lost Liberal Decade as it is now being called, has created deep and nearly irreconcilable economic and cultural cleavages between younger Canadians and their aging, increasingly retired fore-bearers. The neighbourhoods of the North Shore of Vancouver have made this strikingly clear - and it's up to the young voters who still manage to call the North Sho...

C omplaining that MLA salaries are too low, provincial Conservative Party Leader John Rustad had this to say: “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.” Rustad was responding to another year’s freeze on MLA salaries, the third since the 2020 COVID outbreak. While he acknowledged the political realities involved, he wants a better deal ... CLICK HERE for the full story

H eading into the federal election campaign, BC was painted as an even mix of red, blue and orange, with one lone dot of green. But political observers predict an explosion of colours after the ballots have been counted Monday, with the potential of multiple BC seats swapping their hues. “BC, more than any other province, has a lot of contested ridings,” said Simon Fraser University political scientist Sanjay Jeram. “The most ridings that are really up for grabs.” That’s largely because of the apparent collapse of the NDP ... CLICK HERE for the full story

T here’s a very limited group of people who understand what it’s like to run a country or province. With the 2025 federal election coming up on Monday, April 28, here are three former BC premiers sharing their opinions on who’s best equipped to lead Canada. Spoiler alert: No one seems to agree. Read the excerpts and then click through to read the full article

I t’s still pretty quiet on the polling front, but that will change very soon. Today’s update to the Poll Tracker, which only included the two morning trackers from Nanos Research and Mainstreet Research and yesterday’s from Liaison Strategies, has hardly changed the dial. Mainstreet put the gap at a little over two points, while Nanos put it at a little over four points. Liaison yesterday had it at five points. Not much change ... CLICK HERE for the full story

... the Liberal leader’s response was typical of an election focused on surviving the emerging trade war with the United States. As the federal government prepares to weather tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, Indigenous rights and reconciliation have taken a back seat to discussing the expansion of resource development, fueling the domestic economy and diversifying Canada’s trade partners. Indigenous leaders The Tyee spoke with said the parties’ focus on economics doesn’t fully capture the many issues important to Indigenous communities. They called on the next government to fully implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which was passed into law several years ago, one of several issues being left out or glossed over in the current election campaign ... CLICK HERE for the full story

W ith just days to go before Election Day, the 2025 federal election is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched—and misunderstood—in recent memory. Most polls, including ours at Abacus Data, show a tight race. For the past three weeks, we’ve consistently had the Liberals ahead of the Conservatives by 2 to 3 points nationally. Among those who have already voted or are most certain to vote, the gap grows to 5. That may not sound like much. But in our electoral system and in the current context, that would be plenty for the Liberals to win a majority. Because in Canada, a party doesn’t need to win the most votes to win the most seats. And if there’s one thing Conservatives should know by now, it’s this: winning the popular vote is not enough ... CLICK HERE for the full story

“British Columbia needs compassionate intervention legislation for involuntary care which combines community-based programs, and bed-based involuntary treatment when necessary, for people who are a danger to themselves or others because of drug use.” –           Elenore Sturko, Critic for Solicitor General and Public Safety and MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale   Conservative MLAs Elenore Sturko and Claire Rattée say the NDP government’s 10 new beds at Surrey Pretrial Services Centre is a limited expansion of existing services, and will not assist people who do meet the criteria for involuntary care under the Mental Health Act but are not in the custody of BC Corrections. Claire Rattée, Critic for Mental Health and Addictions, says the announcement also fails to reflect the real scale and urgency of BC’s mental health and addictions crisis. “BC is sorely lacking in prevention and early intervention supports to help people before so...

... let’s take a closer look at the parties’ platforms to get a sense of their vision of a strong Canada. The Conservatives want a smaller government, a stronger military and an increased role for private business. The Liberals see investing in infrastructure, pipelines, the CBC and defence spending as the path to strengthen Canada in the face of U.S. belligerence. Meanwhile, the NDP are pushing a different vision: they want to increase government spending in health care, a green economy and housing, and increase taxes on wealthy people ... CLICK HERE for the full story

G reat news! We’ve brought inflation back under control and stuff is now only costing you 2.4 percent more than it did last year! That’s more or less the message we’ve been hearing from governments over the past couple of years. And in fact, the official Statistics Canada consumer price index (CPI) numbers do show us that the “all-items” index in 2024 was only 2.4 percent higher than in 2023. Fantastic. So why doesn’t it feel fantastic?  CLICK HERE for the full story

W ith only a few days left in the election campaign, we’re now waiting for the final polls from all the major pollsters. Expect a rush of them starting on Saturday through to the end of Sunday. I’ll be updating the Poll Tracker once daily until Sunday, when I’ll likely have multiple updates right up to the wire. But should we expect things to shift around much between now and then?  ... CLICK HERE for the full story

E ach election is called “the most important of our lifetime.” This time, though, it might actually be. Trump’s threat of tariffs and even annexation loom large, upending what was looking to be a guaranteed Conservative super-majority into a race that has shown to be far more competitive. At the heart of this political shift is older Canadians who’ve disproportionately adopted an anti-American “elbows up” posture and see Pierre Poilievre as too akin to President Trump—despite comments that suggest that Trump would prefer Mark Carney. Given this demographic-driven dynamic, Poilievre’s chances hinge on a colossal youth turnout, with Gen Z proving to be one of the most supportive group of the Conservatives. It’s a seismic shift from 2015 when Justin Trudeau was elected largely on a wave of youth enthusiasm, but not a surprising one to anyone who’s been paying attention ... CLICK HERE for the full commentary

T his week on The Bureau, we examine one of the most urgent and politically charged stories in Canada: the crisis surrounding government-issued “safer supply.” I’m joined by Adam Zivo, the investigative reporter who broke many of the key stories exposing the unintended—and often devastating—consequences of Canada’s drug policy experiment. Together, we unpack how federal and provincial “safer supply” programs, originally designed as harm-reduction tools, have instead become conduits for organized crime. In some regions, like London, Ontario—where fentanyl once had little presence—the program has triggered an influx of potent opioids and fueled new criminal markets. We’ll explore what’s really happening on the ground, why this issue matters in Canada’s federal election on Monday, and which political parties are pledging to reverse course—or maintain the status quo, even as overdose deaths surge and fentanyl floods our streets ... CLICK HERE for the full story

T he union representing BC Ferries workers is calling on the next federal government to commit to a larger investment in marine transportation on the West Coast and bring it more in line with funding of the ferry system on the East Coast ... ... BC Ferries, which according to the union carries more than 21 million passengers and $8 billion in cargo each year, receives about $35 million annually from Ottawa. At the same time, Via Rail gets about $380 million in operating funds, and Marine Atlantic gets nearly $130 million from the federal government. Marine Atlantic carries fewer than 400,000 passengers annually on its ferry service ... CLICK HERE for the full story

T he signs are popping up in ridings all around Metro Vancouver and the Island: “ BC votes NDP to stop Conservatives .” They are a visible reminder of the uphill challenge federal New Democrats are facing in the April 28 federal election, as collapsing polling numbers spook voters into second-guessing NDP candidates across the province. The party is trying furiously to combat that narrative, on doorsteps reminding voters in BC’s 13 NDP riding's that if they have an incumbent New Democrat MP on the ballot, the best bet to block a Conservative win is to stay loyal to the party. It’s a message leader Jagmeet Singh has brought to Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver voters over the last several days, at times very bluntly ... CLICK HERE for the full story

T he Conservative Party’s platform launch has prompted a lot of focus on the party’s underlying economic and fiscal assumptions—particularly since Pierre Poilievre and other party spokespeople have (rightly) criticized the Liberal plan in recent days. The Conservatives’ own fiscal plan is a bit of a mixed bag. Similar to the Liberals’, it anticipates ongoing annual deficits for the next four years. The deficits are smaller than the Liberal platform and even the government’s pre-election baseline, but there’s still no clear path to a balanced budget. The result is that even under a Poilievre-led government, Ottawa will have run deficits for a decade and a half and counting ... CLICK HERE for the full story

T here is an "anything you can do, I can do better" vibe to the defence policies of both the Liberals and the Conservatives, but a trio of national security and military experts say each of the parties are missing — or avoiding — the fundamental national security issue at stake in this election. They say voters are likely asking themselves: What will it take for Canada to defend itself without — or possibly against — the United States? CLICK HERE for the full story

C anadians could be forgiven for being unaware of the existence of the Leaders’ Debate Commission. Elections get called and debates just inevitably follow; we don’t think too much about how or why that happens. But now, suddenly, Canadians have become very aware of the commission’s existence — and not in a good way. After three election cycles, millions of dollars, and a series of recent fiascos, it’s fair to conclude that the commission is a waste of money and completely unnecessary. It’s time to bid it adieu ... CLICK HERE for the full story

T oday, we'll look into the full cost of the Conservatives' platform, which was released yesterday. We'll also get into why some Jewish voters are leaning Conservative for the first time, and we'll break down the Conservative campaign as to whether or not Mark Carney is "just like Justin" Trudeau ... CLICK HERE for the full story

I n a time of serious global democratic decline, and especially with the United States falling from the ranks of true democracies and posing a very real threat to Canada, it is crucial that the next federal government do what it can to strengthen governance and protect democracy. Below is a brief exploration what each of the main federal political parties are promising in terms of governance, democracy, and rights ... CLICK HERE for the full story

P olls from nine separate pollsters were released over the last 24-36 hours, nearly reseting the Poll Tracker aggregate in its entirety. But despite the flurry of polls, the overall portrait of the race has hardly stirred. The Liberals are still in the lead nationally, if by a smaller margin, but enjoy decisive advantages in the key battlegrounds of Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. The Liberals have 43.1% support in the Poll Tracker, their lowest score since the March 31 update. The Conservatives have ticked up a little to 38.4%, matching their best result so far in the campaign. That puts the gap between the two parties at just 4.7 points. The New Democrats are stuck at 8.3%, while the Bloc Québécois is up to 25.4% in Quebec ... CLICK HERE for the full story

...  the bigger takeaway is this: the Carney Liberals aren’t reversing any of the Trudeau program spending they claim to be running away from. They’re layering on top of it. The most revealing part of the platform is what it doesn’t do—correct for past errors. In effect, it allows Trudeau’s legacy to carry on well into a Carney government ... CLICK HERE for the full story

C anada is now in the midst of a federal election campaign. Candidates and political parties are filling our ears, eyes and minds with reasons to vote for them—or at least not for the other guy. Advance polls have already opened. It’s time to go and vote. But will we? According to Elections Canada, less than two-thirds of eligible federal voters have cast a ballot in any election so far this century. Turnout has steadily declined in recent decades, driven by voter apathy, disillusionment with politics and a sense that individual votes don’t make a difference. Cynics ask, “Why vote? The government always gets in.” We should vote because we can. Millions around the world live under regimes where elections are neither free nor fair, if they’re held at all. In many places, people live in fear of what unelected despots might do to them. In Canada, we have real choices. Our ballots aren’t a sham featuring a single candidate while opposition leaders sit in jail—or worse. Some countries mainta...

The latest projections from 338Canada show the Conservatives making gains in British Columbia. On their map, the entire province is blue — save for the Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island. The latest projection even showed Green Party leader Elizabeth May's riding as a "toss up" between her party and the Conservatives ... CLICK HERE for the full story

T he Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) is calling for public pension funds to divest from Tesla. To show solidarity with American workers facing attacks from Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the union says it’s time for the Canadian Public Sector Pension Investment Board (CPSIB) to dump its Tesla shares. Despite holding no elected position in United States President Donald Trump’s administration, Musk and his DOGE are firing public servants with reckless abandon, placing the entire American federal public sector in jeopardy. Essential workers at the departments of education, health and human services, energy, veterans affairs and defense, as well as the Internal Revenue Service, the National Park Service, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have been summarily fired, furloughed, or pressured to accept dubious buyouts. In response, CAPE, which represents more than 27,000 Canadian federal public servants, is leading the ...