Carole James and her NDP family secrets

Current Position: NDP MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill, NDP Leader

Past Positions: NDP Leader

Family Connections: James won the NDP leadership in 2003 by receiving the backing of all major public sector unions. These remain key supporters of her as the election disclosure will show.

Family Secrets: Upon becoming leader, James set about to build a staff and caucus of former Clark era people. Her two Chiefs of Staff, David Perry and Ian Reid, were senior advisors during the Glen Clark years. Those in her inner circle like Adrian Dix, John Horgan, Maurine Karigianis, Harry Lali, Sue Hammell, Bruce Ralston and Mike Farnworth all served as MLAs or senior staff in the 1990s. James spent a lot of time talking about a new kind of politics but has run the most negative campaign in memory.

Jenn McGinn and her NDP family secrets

Current Position: NDP Candidate in Vancouver-Fairview

Past Positions: NDP MLA for Vancouver-Fairview

Family Connections: McGinn is connected to the NDP network in Fairview, which includes CUPE Vice President Paul Faor and city councilor and former BC Federation of Labour Executive Director Geoff Meggs.

Family Secrets: McGinn is the latest NDP candidate to launch personal attacks in what has become the most negative campaign by the NDP in BC history. Carole James offered her usual half hearted apology.

Doug Brown and his NDP family secrets

Current Position: NDP Candidate in Kamloops-North Thompson

Past Positions: NDP Candidate in Kamloops where he upset at least one resident for his aggressive campaigning.

Family Connections: Brown has been the face of the NDP in Kamloops for years and was appointed the local media officer following the last campaign.

Family Secrets: After the NDP jumped up and down about driving offenses by BC Liberal candidates, it was revealed that Brown has had nine driving offenses of his own. Those who live in glass houses…

Business and Forestry groups warn of damage NDP win will do to economy, industry

In the past few days, business and forestry groups have issued news releases and held news conferences to warn of how damaging an NDP win could be for British Columbia’s economy. Business leaders from all stripes are agreeing that Carole James and the NDP have put out a platform that will cost jobs, business and create havoc for BC’s economy at a time when we can ill afford it.

First, forestry leaders issued a news release on May 4th setting the record straight on forestry issues. The heads of Interfor, West Fraser Timber and Canfor came together to accuse the NDP of playing “politics with the lives of the thousands of people who depend on forestry.” They credit Gordon Campbell for being a champion of the industry, and say that the NDP’s plan to open up the Softwood Lumber Agreement shows a fundamental lack of understanding that would “jeopardize the economic stability of BC companies, their employees and the communities in which they live and work.”

Then on Tuesday, the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) and the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of British Columbia (CHBA BC) issued a joint news release rallying everyone touched by construction in BC to ensure voters get out to the polls to stop the possibility of an NDP win.

“The NDP platform shows their hostility to the interests of home builders and home buyers, by proposing significant re-regulation that would disadvantage independent construction companies and raise prices across the board,” says Tim Kasten, President of CHBA BC. “Our industry has worked collaboratively to build a strong industry training system in recent years, but the NDP is proposing to undermine these improvements in one fell swoop. We can’t stand by and let that happen.”

Also on Tuesday, the Coalition of BC Businesses held a news conference with 13 business associations representing more than 50,000 small- and medium-sized employers held a news conference where they warned that higher taxes and higher payroll costs featured in the NDP platform will put at least 110,000 British Columbians out of work and put at risk the viability of BC’s small- and medium-sized businesses.

“The sectors of the economy we represent are working hard to keep their businesses open and keep people on the job through this global economic downturn. That will become harder with the $450 million in extra payroll costs, courtesy of the NDP’s 25 per cent minimum wage hike. Job losses are estimated at 50,000 as a direct result of the minimum wage increase.”

It seems everyone agrees that the NDP platform promises ruin for British Columbia. We have to ensure that voter turnout is high on May 12th to stop the NDP.

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

Taranjit Purewal and his NDP family secrets

Current Position: NDP Candidate in Abbotsford West

Past Positions: Before entering the spotlight as a strong proponent of the death tax, Purewal was a relative unknown.

Family Connections: Purewal was a supporter of Glen Clark during his leadership run.

Family Secrets: Purewal has become the self appointed point person for a new death tax in BC.

Bonnie Rai and her NDP family secrets

Current Position: NDP Candidate for Abbotsford South

Past Positions: Ran as a member of Jack Layton’s team during the last federal election.

Family Connections: Rai was a relative unknown until she ran for the federal NDP in the last election where she finished third.

Family Secrets: Rai likes to take shots at her opponents…until she is caught. Then she has problems taking responsibility for her own actions.

New environics poll shows construction community can't be complacent, must get voters out

(May 5, 2009 – VANCOUVER) An Environics poll released yesterday shows the BC Liberals with an 11 per cent lead over the NDP, but that margin has the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) of BC and the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of British Columbia (CHBA BC) rallying everyone touched by construction in BC to ensure voters get out to the polls to stop the possibility of an NDP win.

“If the NDP win, they have promised to bring back policies that will destroy the competitiveness of BC’s construction sector, so even with this lead in today’s poll, we cannot be complacent,” says ICBA President Philip Hochstein. The poll was sponsored by ICBA, and results released today show that 47% of voters support the Liberals, with 36% of voters supporting the NDP, 12% for the Green Party, and 16% undecided.

“The NDP platform shows their hostility to the interests of home builders and home buyers, by proposing significant re-regulation that would disadvantage independent construction companies and raise prices across the board,” says Tim Kasten, President of CHBA BC. “Our industry has worked collaboratively to build a strong industry training system in recent years, but the NDP is proposing to undermine these improvements in one fell swoop. We can’t stand by and let that happen.”

With the NDP platform demonstrating a continued willingness to sacrifice economic logic and the greater good to the interests of big labour, Hochstein and Kasten are urging anyone involved in construction, home building or home buying to rally their friends, family and colleagues to ensure voter turnout is high on May 12th.

“The last time the NDP were in charge, they directly attacked independent, family-owned construction businesses with policies like union-only hiring, pension suspension legislation, and badly hurt the economy,” added Kasten. “Carole James and the NDP are the wrong party and wrong leader at the wrong time, and we have to be sure voters who agree with that get out to the polls.”

New poll has BC Liberals ahead of NDP by 11 points

Check out the data from this recently released poll

http://erg.environics.net/media_room/default.asp?aID=700

Doug Routley and his NDP family secrets

Current Position: Running for re-election as NDP MLA in Nanaimo-North Cowichan

Past Positions: A near invisible MLA, Routley was appointed as the apprenticeship critic by Carole James. When Routley ran in 2005, Ladysmith Mayor Rob Hutchins supported him. After four years of watching Routley as MLA, Hutchins is now running against him as a BC Liberal.

Family Connections: Routley was a supporter of Clark-era MLA Jan Pullinger. Pullinger is returning the favour by managing Routley’s campaign this time around.

Family Secrets: Routley was part of an RCMP probe last summer, a fact that Carole James kept close to her vest.

Michael Sather and his NDP family secrets

Current Position: Running for re-election as MLA in Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows

Past Positions: Sather recently ran to become Mayor for Maple Ridge where he finished a distant third. He was an assistant to NDP MLA Bill Hartley during the 1990s and has also worked for NDP Members of Parliament.

Family Connections: Sather has had trouble getting along with his political family. In 2007, he took a principled position that angered his boss and was suspended from caucus.

Family Secrets: In 2008, Sather ran for Mayor in Maple Ridge, promising that if he won, he would resign as MLA. He didn’t win, and now decided to run for MLA again and support such progressive policies as getting rid of the carbon tax.