Judge dodges issue of worker rights in election spending decision

With the full verdict issued yesterday in the unions’ legal challenge to Bill 42 restricting spending by third parties in an election, the judge chose to sidestep the question of the democratic rights of workers who do not support their union’s political views.

Two educators: Gloria Laurence, a CUPE member, and Wendy Weis, a member of BCTF, were parties to the court case to try to prevent their unions from spending their mandatory dues to attack a government they support.

See the full text of ICBA’s news release on this issue at www.mydues.ca.

ICBA President Philip Hochstein, in an op-ed in today’s Vancouver Sun, is calling on government to stand up for worker rights on use of union dues.

“Unlike every other democratic country in the world, and despite a Supreme Court ruling that forced union membership is a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, British Columbia clings to labour laws that force workers to join unions, and then force those workers to contribute to the unions' political agendas, no matter how extreme.”

It is ludicrous to say that every single union member in BC supports the NDP, yet they’re all forced to watch their unions spend millions creating ads that say Gordon Campbell wants to kill their grandmas. This has to stop.

Arnie makes Carole James's Port Mann flip flop look even sillier

With Arnold Schwarzenegger praising the BC Liberal Government for doing Public Private Partnerships (P3) well, it seems all the sillier to look at how Carole James flipped her position on building the Port Mann Bridge component of the provincial Gateway Program.

James and her MLAs have gone out of their way to diss the bridge twinning project, going so far as to call it “…a colossal waste of taxpayers' money.” Of course, back in the 1990s the NDP were pushing for the bridge to be twinned, but obviously holding one opinion for any length of time is hard for the NDP.

And now the Georgia Straight caught James out again for a flip flop. Despite her 2007 talk of the Port Mann twinning being a bad way to spend public money, she told the Straight last month that now it seems like a good idea to her:

“You have to have a bridge. You have to have a crossing across there. It's very clear that the traffic is high enough that you need to have a bridge there.”

So it was no surprise that James’ flip flop brought out B.C. transportation minister Kevin Falcon to call a spade a spade. He termed it one of the “most extraordinary backflips I’ve seen in politics.”

Falcon added:

“I have sat for two years and listened to Carole James and the NDP say this would never get done, just like I had to listen to them say for two years that the Canada Line would never get done. So as we deliver the Canada Line ahead of schedule and on-budget, and as we move this project forward—and it’s going to be on-schedule and on-budget—I imagine I’m going to hear the same thing from the NDP.”

Carole James and the NDP. Wrong party, wrong leader, wrong time.

Rub a dub dub, Only 2 business people in a $30 billion tub....

Carole James spoke yesterday to the Business Council of BC in an attempt to make nice with business, but despite her protests that she’s different from the NDP of the 1990s, no one was buying it.

James said if she were in charge, she’d build homes, instead of the kinds of infrastructure projects starting now that can help turn our economy around. She made it clear that she plans to change the labour code, likely eliminating the democratic rights of workers and making it easier for unions to organize. That is no surprise given the NDP’s intimate relationship with big labour, but is hardly the kind of thing a business audience needs to hear to have any trust in someone who wants to lead this province during an economic crisis.

She told the Business Council that she would “study” green projects like run of river hydro, which really means she’ll make the approval process so cumbersome as to put an end to them. She says she’s going to consult with business, but that’s political code for “I’m making changes and they’re not good for you.”

There have been a lot of questions lately about the NDP’s lack of any experience in the private sector, and how they could possibly run the province’s economy with no business experience among their candidates.

So we listened closely when James was asked about the complete lack of business experience in her field of candidates. And we couldn’t help laughing uproariously at her answer. It seems there are a whopping two candidates (among 85 ridings!?) with experience in the private sector – a lawyer and a farmer. Oh sure, that instils confidence, doesn’t it?

No matter how many times she claims to be different from the NDP of the 1990s, the NDP who destroyed our province’s economy, she’s not different. She’s surrounded by the same people and making the same mistakes.

Carole James and the NDP. Wrong party, wrong leader, wrong time.

Comparing the Abysmal Record of the NDP to Now… Part three

Putting more money into people’s pockets to spend on themselves and their families is a record of which the BC Liberals should be especially proud.

When the NDP was in power “Tax Freedom Day” arrived in BC more than two weeks later than it does now.

Carol James and the NDP. Wrong party, wrong leader, wrong time.

A nice wednesday bit of NDP inconsistency

The NDP’s energy critic, John Horgan was on CKNW last Friday trying to dig his way out of a hole. Guest host Michael Smyth asked why the NDP(click the link to listen), who have come out strongly opposed to independent power production (IPP), support an IPP in Lytton.

Horgan touts the old party line that the NDP would put a moratorium on IPPs (despite environmentalists like Tzeporah Berman being in favour of them). But maybe not the ones already approved. Huh?

Smyth calls him out, saying “But, look, I thought you said the other day that you like this Lytton project because they need the power there, they’ve been having brownouts there and that it’s a good project in that respect. Now you’re telling me you wouldn’t approve it.”

And Horgan has the audacity to claim he’s being consistent.

Horgan: I'm not changing my position, Mike, but this is a much larger debate than a small micro-hydro project that will service a community that's underserviced today…the fact that the First Nations in Lytton have a power purchase agreement from B.C. Hydro, a contract to provide electricity to the community, means that that debate is over. The debate that we should be having….

Smyth: Yeah, but if you guys were in power, you wouldn't approve it.

Horgan: I'm not in power, Mike. You might have noticed that.

Thank heavens for that!

Perhaps our favourite line, though, goes to Smyth: “I think you’re making up your policy on the fly here.”

Carole James and the NDP. Wrong party, Wrong leader, Wrong time.

NDP versus clean energy advocates....again

The Prince George Citizen reported on another incident of the NDP getting knocked back for their stance against independent power production (IPP). The NDP’s view on this is mind boggling, given that major environmentalists continue to say IPPs are a great way to produce clean energy.

In a speech to the Prince George Chamber of Commerce, Harvie Campbell of Pristine Power is reported to have taken “a swipe at the B.C. New Democrats…for vowing to impose a moratorium on the projects if elected.”

Harvie said that "We can choose a clean energy future that will grow our economy, create new jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions or we can turn back the clock and choose a course that would increasingly rely on imported, dirty electricity, while we export jobs and opportunity to our neighbours."

The NDP keep pissing off environmentalists. First they don’t want to tax carbon, then they want to stop green power production. They are losing any support they might have had from green-minded people. I guess that just leaves the unionists to support them. And we know how well that went last time!

Carole James and the NDP. Wrong party, wrong leader, wrong time.

Comparing the abysmal record of the NDP to now...Part two

This is the second of a series of blog posts using economic facts to compare the NDP’s performance while in power in the 1990s to the past six years of the BC Liberal government.

When the NDP was in power, people left our province – it is that simple. There was no reason to stay, as NDP policies hampered investment and job creation. In 1998 alone, this included an exodus roughly equivalent to the current population of Fort St. John.

(Source: Statistics Canada)

Since the Liberals took charge of the Province, British Columbia has attracted on average close to six times as many new residents each year from 2002-2007 as we did from 1995-2001.

Carol James and the NDP. Wrong party, Wrong leader, Wrong time.

Comparing the Abysmal Record of the NDP to now....Part one

This is the first of a series of blog posts using economic facts to compare the NDP’s performance while in power in the 1990s to the past six years of the BC Liberal government.

The growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one of the most important indicators of economic health, and shows how well our provincial economy performs in terms of jobs and investment and the likelihood of improved incomes and living standards.

Source: BC Financial and Economic Reviews

This chart compares the final seven years of the NDP and the first six full years of BC Liberal government. There is no comparison. During the NDP’s reign BC badly under-performed as our province’s s growth fell behind the national average by a whopping 25 per cent. On the other hand, since the Liberals took over, GDP growth has exceeded national growth by almost 25 per cent.

Carol James and the NDP. Wrong party. Wrong leader. Wrong time.

The company they keep

Did you know that NDP is a member of Socialist International? This is a world-wide alliance of socialists who believe, we assume, all the same ideals as Carole James and Jack Layton.

Yup, there sits the NDP, along with the Sandinista National Liberation Front of Nicaragua, the New Space Party of Uruguay and Panama's Democratic Revolutionary Party.

Oh look who else is in this illustrious company -- the Democratic Socialists of America. What kind of group is this? Well, on the DSA website, they say:

“Key to economic democracy is a democratic labor movement that plays a central role in the struggle for a democratic workplace, whether worker or privately owned. In workplaces that the employees do not own – traditional corporations, family businesses, government, and private nonprofits – only independent, democratically run unions can protect workers.”

Hmmm, that sounds so much like the BC NDP. Remember the 1990s when they tried to legislate union rules onto non-unionized workplaces? If their brothers and sisters at the DSA want to force everyone who works for a living to join a union, no doubt they’d also support Carole James’ NDP when they try to get rid of the secret ballot vote when workers are choosing whether or not to join a union (imagine the peer pressure from the socialists without the secret vote!).

Just goes to show that the company the NDP keeps really does speak to their desire to prop up unions and hurt small family-run businesses.

Carole James and the NDP. Wrong party, wrong leader, wrong time.

NDP step into it again by protesting green power

Environmentalists have said they want BC to pursue green power, Independent Power Producers (IPP) are making it clear that they are ready and able to produce green power, but still the NDP keeps fighting against new clean sources of electricity for the province.

And now it’s getting them into a dispute with First Nations too.

As the Campbell River Mirror reports, “North Island NDP MLA Claire Trevena was blasted by two First Nations chiefs…over comments she made in the Legislature against Plutonic Power's Bute Inlet power project.”

According to Hansard, Travena said:

“The promise of jobs is dangled along with the plans for development…These wilderness areas are their traditional territories, and these bands are poor. Their people need work, and they need the promise of a better future.”

Travena’s comments “infuriated Homalco First Nation Chief Richard Harry” and “angered Klahoose Chief Ken Brown,” who accuse her of insulting all First Nations by saying that they will take a few dollars and jobs in exchange for the destruction of their lands.

And IPP companies, at a luncheon sponsored by the Vancouver Board of Trade, said that the NDP is threatening investments. As reported in the Vancouver Sun article headlined “Power producers say criticisms costing B.C. billions of dollars – Firms complain NDP imperils investments,” Resja Campfens of Sea Breeze said:

"Almost every jurisdiction in the developed world has opened up their electricity grid to some form of competition, all for the benefit of the ratepayer. Yet, the [NDP] opposition has called for a moratorium on IPP projects in B.C. In the least, a moratorium would drive away clean energy investment to other jurisdictions."

The construction industry is excited about the possibilities of independent power production in BC, because not only is it a clean, green source of power, and not only is it the way of the future, but it holds the promise of emerging markets for construction contractors and for more jobs.

Let’s see, construction industry, in favour. First Nations, in favour. Environmentalists, in favour. Yet Carole James and the NDP continue to stick their feet firmly in their mouths and protest clean power at any cost.

Carole James and the NDP. Wrong party, wrong leader, wrong time.

Good Bridge, Bad Bridge - NDP flip flop on Port Mann

In 1993, an NDP member rose in the Legislative Assembly to state clearly that the Port Mann Bridge needs to be twinned. The transportation minister Art Charbonneau said:

“…we need to twin the Port Mann Bridge…When we are able (to do this)…then we will have resolved the traffic congestion problems around that area, while allowing a safe and efficient transportation system.”

But back in the present day of 2009, the NDP transportation critic Maurine Karagianis continues to reject the new Port Mann Bridge and the 8,000 jobs that will be created during construction. In fact, in Question Period this week she called the Port Mann Bridge project “…a colossal waste of taxpayers' money.”Gee, has traffic congestion eased in the past 15 years? We certainly keep seeing more cars and trucks queuing up to get into or out of Surrey over the Port Mann. Do the NDP have special rose-coloured traffic cameras that show them a different picture? Or are they trying so hard to distance themselves from the 1990s that they lost sight of common sense?

Carol James and the NDP. Wrong party. Wrong leader. Wrong time.
www.votesmartbc.com

Newsletter offers statistics proving NDP wrong choice for economy

The latest edition of the BC Construction Monitor is now available online, and it clearly shows what the economic impact of an NDP government would be for the construction sector.

The BC Construction Monitor provides ahead-of-the-curve information and statistics on the BC construction industry and issues relevant to it. The Monitor draws on analyses and outlooks from various sources, and provides current and substantive insight.

This issue examines economic indicators from the past eight years and compares them with the 1990s when the NDP were in power. The numbers clearly show that a change in government, especially at this time, could harm BC’s economy further and halt a recovery for construction jobs and growth.

Family owned businesses can’t afford to return to the bad old days of low growth and debt.

Carole James and the NDP. Wrong party. Wrong leader. Wrong time.

Carole James wants to spend more and tax less - where would the money come from?

How does Carole James plan to pay for all the spending she is planning? Her party platform is expected to cut many sources of government income and taxes, yet her platform promises significantly more spending. She is kidding herself to think she could manage a provincial budget with that kind of thinking.

As Vancouver Sun political columnist Vaughn Palmer points out:

“There's much less discretionary money in the budget, at a time when James wants to spend more and tax less… if you put together all the places where she would second-guess the government plan -- a deeper decline in the economy, less revenues, more tax cuts, more spending -- it points to bigger deficits than the $750 million over two years projected by the Liberals.”

We’ve been saying for weeks now that letting the NDP have a say in BC’s economy is inviting a return to the bad old days of the 1990s when the NDP ran huge deficits. And now the Sun agrees:

“…that may recall the record from their last time in government, when they produced eight deficits in 10 years and doubled the provincial debt. Not the most welcome point of comparison when opinion polls already suggest that voters think the Liberals are the best choice to manage in tough economic times.”

What revenues will James cut? For starters, she’s made it clear she’d get rid of the carbon tax, losing $2.3 billion in projected revenues over the next three years, but would keep the tax breaks brought in by the Liberals to offset the carbon tax. As we’ve pointed out before, the carbon tax hasn’t been a hardship for British Columbians and is doing what it set out to do, so getting rid of it can hardly be seen as prudent fiscal management.

There have been NDP calls for lower ferry fares and lower Hydro rates (even though are hydro costs are among the lowest in North America) and condemnations of liquor taxes. How much revenue would that all take out of the province?

And how much more does she plan to spend? She keeps criticizing the Government for not spending enough on everything from children at risk to forestry to health care. But if she started spending more, where would she get the money from?

Granted, deficits are expected for a couple years, but if Carole James gets her hands on our budget, she is ready to drag us back to the 1990s with huge debts and long-term deficits. British Columbians can’t afford to let Carole James determine spending and taxation for our province. Small family owned businesses will pay the price if this inexperienced leader is ever in charge.

Wrong leader. Wrong Party. Wrong Time.

New transit line to create construction jobs for BC

Good news from the BC Government last week with the announcement that the new Evergreen Transit Line is going ahead.

This project shows that the provincial and federal plans to invest in infrastructure to generate economic recovery are on the right path. Construction is expected to start in 2010 and be completed in 2014.

The best news for the construction industry is the more than 8,000 direct and indirect jobs that will be a part of the Evergreen Line construction.

This is another example of why the current BC government is the right one to lead us through this economic turmoil.

www.votesmartbc.com