Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Image Credit:   UBC If there is anything to be learned from the uproar around OneBC, it is this: in British Columbia’s parliamentary system, voters elect MLAs, not parties - and MLAs do not surrender their independence the moment they are sworn in. Dallas Brodie and Tara Armstrong were duly elected by their constituents. They did not lose their seats when they left the BC Conservatives, nor should they have. Our system has always recognized that caucus affiliation is voluntary. Conscience, disagreement, or principled breaks are not defects of democracy - they are features of it. The rules around official party status are not secret, novel, or accidental. They were debated, amended, and adopted by the legislature itself. If two MLAs meet the threshold, they qualify. OneBC did exactly what the law allows, no more and no less. Complaining after the fact because one dislikes the outcome is not a serious argument-it’s buyer’s remorse. Public funding is not a reward for p...

It has become widely accepted that capitalism has failed – that free markets exploit workers, hammer consumers and can’t be trusted as the bedrock of a liberal democracy. It’s why an unrepentant “democratic” socialist, Zohran Mamdani, can be elected mayor of New York and why Mark Carney can produce a budget with massive spending and increased government meddling yet still be hailed as a prudent manager.  Matthew Lau isn’t having it. In this incisive critique, Lau demolishes four myths driving the modern attack on capitalism and explains how it is only free markets that make people richer, happier and more equal ... CLICK HERE for the full story

I wonder why, in today’s world, we continue with the rhetoric that public participation and our voting are hallmarks of our democracy? Today at our municipal, school board, provincial and federal levels, those who are elected most often succeed based on political party affiliation/support, or slates and willingness to bloc vote – to hell with independent critical thinking, common sense, accountability, and transparency – and heaven forbid real public input! So, in politics, we see avoidance of real issues, no real tangible solutions, adherence to some minority view or ideology to address or avoid addressing real problems. We regularly witness minority supported projects and dutiful virtue signaling and benefit to political supporters ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Chile had a functioning democracy until democratically elected President Salvador Allende was overthrown in a 1973 coup and replaced with military dictator Augusto Pinochet, who ruled for the next 17 years. Spain’s democracy collapsed into a civil war in 1936, after which no further elections were held until 1977. Germany had a functioning democracy in the 1920s, but by 1932 most Germans were voting for the two parties which enthusiastically promised to abolish democracy: the Communists and the National Socialists ... ... Who can claim with certainty that democracy in Canada would not be suspended over a real or alleged economic crisis? Freedom is even more fragile than democracy. Freedom can be euthanized gradually as governments grow ever larger ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

A functioning democracy depends on a shared commitment to its foundational rules. When a group decides those rules no longer serve its agenda, it can choose persuasion or sabotage. In Canada, a movement known as the Longest Ballot Committee (LBC) has unequivocally chosen the latter. Under the guise of advocating for electoral reform, this group is engaged in a calculated campaign of systemic disruption, weaponizing the democratic process against itself.  Their tactics are not legitimate protest but procedural blackmail, designed to manufacture chaos to the point where politicians and the public capitulate to their demands. By flooding by-elections with dozens, and soon potentially hundreds, of non-serious candidates, they seek to coerce the country into adopting proportional representation — a system fraught with dangers that Canadians have wisely and repeatedly rejected. The LBC’s campaign, which has roots in the satirical Rhinoceros Party, has been marked by a clear and deliberat...

A commentary by Steve Orcherton, former MLA for Victoria-Hillside. Hard to believe, as we in BC watch and reel in horror at the daily overt abuse of power, the suspension of democratic processes and the undermining and attacks on the rules of order (read laws and judiciary) south of the border, we seemingly are collectively blinded to the undermining of our own democracy closer to home, right now, right here in Beautiful BC. From undermining and intervening in the legitimate responsibilities and longstanding authority of municipal governments to act on behalf of their citizens regarding zoning and development, all the while downloading responsibility for health care, drug and mental health issues, housing and social services on municipalities, to having the provincial government forcing municipal governments to address these issues and find/deliver, and often pay for, solutions to these serious questions. Our democratic relationships are changing, and not for the better ... CLICK HERE ...

I n September 2023, retiring Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said the U.S. military owes its loyalty to the Constitution, not to a “wannabe dictator.” In the year before his death, Arizona Senator John McCain issued a warning:     We need a free press. We must have it. It’s vital. If you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and adversarial press. And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That’s how dictators get started. According to a democracy research project based at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg, 27 countries have transitioned from democracies to autocracies since 2005. Nations controlled by strongmen now outnumber those where citizens exercise control through elected representatives ... CLICK HERE for the full story

When political parties ride to power calling themselves “populist,” their leaders can sound as if they are restoring power to the people as they carry out their radical reform movements. But here’s what populist parties — from the extreme-right AfD in Germany to Donald Trump’s Republicans in the United States, from the Conservative Party of Canada to the United Conservatives in Alberta — have in common. Their idea of freedom and democracy is fundamentally different from what most of us are used to. A “liberal democracy” doesn’t mean one governed by liberals or Liberals. The term, originating in 18th-century Europe, instead means a form of democracy that protects individual liberties and group rights, and ensures diverse voices are heard ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office in 2015, Canada's foreign policy towards Cuba has been marked by inconsistency and a lack of action in defending the human rights of a people whom the Canadian government considers "friends." Despite Trudeau's claims to defend democracy in other parts of the world, such as Venezuela, Belarus, Ukraine, his government does not uphold the same standard when it comes to Cuba . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story

“A rest from politics.” For the past year or two, this phrase keeps rattling around in my head. In these fractious days of political polarization and bitter division, it feels damn-near impossible to find common ground. But one thing we might all agree on, perhaps, is that democracy is bloody exhausting. Who wouldn’t want a rest? A short nap? Just a minute to catch our breath and recharge before we get set for some more political bloodsport? “A rest from politics.” I think the phrase keeps popping into my head because it’s so seductive, but it’s also so sinister ... CLICK HERE for the full story

After a two-week hiatus, Day Seven is back.   It’s time to take a look at the stories and commentaries that caught the most eyes over the past week ... and an opportunity for you to check out any you may have missed. Let’s get things underway with … A REMINDER that if you haven’t moved your clocks ahead by an hour --- do it now    😊 And with that Public Service Announcement completed, let’s get underway with … #10 … PECKFORD: Why can’t the rest of the people in Canada see the Agreement at the same time as the Wet’suwet’en people see the Agreement? (March 4 th ) … the Canadian people will not see the newly minted agreement among the three entities -- Federal Government, BC Government on the one hand, and the Wet’suwet’en people on the other -- until the Wet’suwet’en people have had a chance to review it. This seems strange to me … #9 … BUSINESS, INDIGENOUS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS call for a return to order , the free m...

Proportional Representation (PR) is an exercise in mathematics removed from democratic representation; a solution looking vainly for a problem to solve. It does not lead to improved governance, or a stronger connection between Members of Parliament (MPs), and the people they represent. Democracy is layered, and the foundation is at the 338 electoral districts that make up parliament. We vote for a local representative. The candidate with the highest number of votes wins. PR proponents claim that this is unfair. Democracy is not fair. The majority rules.   Consider one set of electoral district results:   Party Votes % Conservative 19,856 44.6% Liberal 12,356 27.8% New Democratic Party 9,387 21.1% Green Party 1,777 4.0% People's Party 510 1.1% Christian Heritage Party 304 ...

"Over the past few weeks, I have heard a considerable lack of excitement about the federal election . In my opinion, the single greatest threat to our democracy is voter apathy " ~~ Adam Olsen A lack of interest in governance between elections is understandable. When this extends to the election period, it is problematic. After writing this post I ran into a podcast that I have referenced a few times in my blog about this very issue. The Big Story Podcast dedicated an entire episode to these issues in the ongoing federal election. You will always run into people, while canvassing, who are less than enthused by politics. Few pay attention to governance unless the decisions impact them directly. The backroom political spin machines have long been acknowledged as a part of election campaigns. Still, rarely have we seen the entire narrative of every Party -- be so thoroughly disrupted -- as we have seen this time around. This is not to...

Righteous anger requires a credible and noble cause. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) offers neither. There is nothing righteous about terrorizing children. There is nothing noble about attacking and shaming democratic free enterprise nations because of their unprecedented success and subsequent high standards of living. That is socialist dogma; everyone should have equal benefit from the riches of the world without the responsibility of sharing equally in the effort, failures and risks inherent in generating that wealth. There is nothing remotely righteous about children leaving their classrooms and declaring they are “ on strike ” and demanding “ justice ”. These truants appear incapable of understanding or being grateful that they have the huge advantage of publicly funded classrooms and teachers.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men were created equal … that all men were created equal. Those immortal words, written by Thomas Jefferson are from the second paragraph of the American Declaration of Independence . They were an ultimatum to a tyrannical English king and they mark a turning point in the history of mankind. They are in fact, the basis of the standard of living we take for granted today. And that message is particularly relevant today, with our world overwhelmingly populated with intellectual experts whose main claim to fame consists of holding a profound capacity to ignore context in all their thinking. Tragically, the message they send out vilifies the very people who did so much to move our society from despotism toward freedom. Hence, this effort to put meat on the dry bones of history. … to elaborate my point. The Egyptian civilization, beginning some 5 thousand years ago, is among the earliest from which we have a written r...