Thoughts on BC Politics and More

A senior New Democratic Party parliamentarian has formally demanded that the Carney government release the full text of its secret law enforcement agreement with China’s Ministry of Public Security, echoing a set of facts The Bureau has been reporting for months, while warning that Ottawa’s continued refusal to disclose the deal is fueling legitimate fear among diaspora communities who have experienced or fear transnational repression by the Chinese state. Jenny Kwan, MP for Vancouver East and one of Parliament’s most prominent voices on Hong Kong and Chinese diaspora issues, wrote to Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree and Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand on May 12, calling the government’s silence on the agreement “particularly troubling” given what she described as the “problematic history of China’s foreign interference in Canada" ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

Research Co. survey reveals British Columbians across regions and parties see food security as a top priority in an era of U.S. uncertainty  ... When we asked British Columbians if it is time to maximize the food production use of ALR land, including land of poor soil quality that is currently not farmable, unfarmed, or used for agricultural purposes, 73 per cent believe the provincial government should “definitely” or “probably” take this course of action ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

The race for the next leader of the New Democrats hasn’t even started, but the party’s establishment already appears to be trying to stack the deck in its own favour. You might think that after the NDP’s implosion in the recent election, the high-level operatives that have been running the party for the last two decades would take a beat. Maybe do some soul-searching. Perhaps even canvass the opinions of the party’s disappointed members—not to mention the nearly two million NDP voters whose e-day pencils drifted over to other parties in last month’s vote. But the party’s class of professional consultants with whom power is concentrated do not recognize a fundamental problem with their approach ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The NDP likes to say that it must always be election-ready — especially in a minority Parliament. But as the party looks ahead to 2024, many signs indicate its election machinery is gearing up. Some outside the party point out that money issues still stand in the way of getting the NDP ready for an election. Party treasurer Sussanne Skidmore said the NDP expects to be debt-free by 2024. With less than $2 million outstanding, she said, the party should be able to retire its $22 million debt from the 2021 campaign next year. For New Democrats, that's the good news. In the past, the NDP has relied on its ability to use its prime real estate in downtown Ottawa as collateral to finance its campaigns. It also keeps Elections Canada campaign expense reimbursements — money that used to flow to candidates and electoral district associations. But the party still trails the Conservatives and Liberals in fundraising — something Skidmore said needs to change. "We know that an election coul...

New Democrats attending the party's policy convention are split over the deal their party has struck with the Liberals, as senior leadership focuses on pitching the NDP as the change voters are looking for in the next federal election. "NDP Leader Jagmeet (Singh) is doing all the work of kicking (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau's butt to get him to keep his election promises and Trudeau is getting all the credit," said Alanna Johnston, a delegate from Toronto. "This isn't politics. This is garbage. This is some kind of business agreement" ... CLICK HERE for the full story

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger. OH, HOW FAR they have fallen. The recent resignation of Gina Myhill-Jones as the NDP candidate in Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo is symbolic of the general state of the New Democrats’ fortunes in Canadian politics right now. Myhill-Jones was a candidate who did little more than fill a place on the ballot for the NDP. No matter what her convictions and party loyalty, she was never going to rise higher than a third-place finish at best. The loss of even a place-holder candidate is a severe embarrassment for the party but it’s typical of what’s going on at the national level. Former NDP candidate Gina Myhill-Jones Gone are the heady days when Jack Layton led the party to official opposition status in the Orange Crush of 2011, with the NDP taking 103 seats in the federal election. The NDP’s star burned bright but briefly, turning into an Orange Crash in 2015, and there’s been no sign of resurgence since, c...

KELOWNA WEST .... riding timeline ... Ben Stewart takes riding for the BC Liberals in 2009 and 2013 nearly doubling (each time) the vote of 2 nd place NDP candidates ... while her BC Liberal party wins the 2013 provincial election, Christy Clark herself loses in her home riding of Vancouver Point Grey to BC NDP candidate, and current Attorney General, David Eby ... Stewart steps down to allow Clark to run in Kelowna West where she takes the riding in the July 10 th by-election (she also doubled the vote over the NDP candidate) ... Sean Upshaw, for the BC Conservative Party, came in at 3 rd spot ... 2017 provincial election Clark retains the Kelowna West riding however without a majority Liberal government, she loses control of the legislature to John Horgan’s New Democrats, bolstered through a Confidence and Supply Agreement with the Green Party led by Andrew Weaver .... on July 28 th Clark announces she will be resigning as leader of...