Do the NDP agree with their apologist?

Bill Tieleman, a left-wing journalist and commentator in favour of all things NDP, was on CKNW on Easter Monday saying that if a business is only barely profitable, then it shouldn’t be in business at all.

A caller to the radio show made the point that raising the minimum wage would cost jobs for many small businesses and significantly hurt profitability in this unstable economic climate. Host Bill Good agreed with the caller. But Bill Tieleman spoke up and firmly stuck his foot in his mouth, saying:

“Why do we support businesses that are marginally, minimally profitable in the first place? If you are that marginal then maybe you shouldn’t be in business.”

After a commercial break Tieleman went on to dig his hole by saying:

“When you’re paying all minimum wage, odds are the state is subsidizing that business with medicare premiums, benefit relief. If you cannot survive without state intervention then maybe you shouldn’t be in business.”

Gee, so if you’re suffering during these tough economic times and not staying profitable, you should just go out of business. Wonder if the Canadian Auto Workers would agree with that, given that Tieleman’s logic would certainly shut down all the North American auto manufacturers.

Think Carole James would agree?

Carole 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 have magic wand to make clean power appear!

A recent ad in the BC NDP’s magazine, The Democrat, calls for a rally to stop independent power projects (see page 8). But prominent environmentalists have said IPPs should continue. Tzeporah Berman who heads PowerUp Canada told Bill Good on CKNW on January 22, 2009.

“I think we need to see a lot more support for green power in this province than we’ve been seeing in the public…the opposition that we’re seeing in British Columbia…to the move towards green power…needs to be rethought.”

“What I’m saying is we need to support the move to green power. We need to reduce carbon emissions, as a priority. And yes, we need to do it smart; we need to be careful about our rivers. But the fact is we need to support the move to green power.”

In seven of the past ten years, BC has been a net importer of dirty electricity from the U.S. and Alberta. Carole James’ NDP say they are for clean power, but have opposed every clean energy project in the province. They’re against all Independent Power Producers, even calling for a moratorium on every proposed project.

The NDP oppose the 45 operating independent power production projects that are providing badly needed construction and operating jobs in rural and First Nations communities. In March 2008, they called for a moratorium on future developments of power projects.

Environmentalists say we need green power. Independent Power Producers are creating green power for our province, and creating jobs in needed areas. Do we really want Carole James and the BC NDP deciding energy policy for our province?

Wrong party. Wrong leader. Wrong time.
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