One Year Later, New Premier Brings More Chaos, Little Change

The New Democrats say a review of Christy Clark's first year on the job shows a government spinning its wheels and generally carrying out Gordon Campbell’s term.
Shortly before being sworn in, Clark promised change, saying “When I talk about change, one of the changes people are going to see in government is we are going to move fast.”
But Shane Simpson, New Democrat caucus chair and MLA for Vancouver-Hastings, said, “We’ve seen little real change, many flip-flops and more chaos in the way the Liberals do business under Premier Clark.
“What change we’ve seen has hurt more than it has helped the middle class and working British Columbians.”
Simpson said that in contrast, Adrian Dix and the New Democrats are offering positive and pragmatic solutions to address social, economic and environmental challenges and will continue to focus on the issues and the everyday concerns of British Columbians.
The year in review:
Leadership: Photo ops over substance
She may not wear red mittens, but the new premier continues to put photo-ops over real leadership. Premier Clark used the Kitwanga Mill in a “jobs plan” announcement about how important mills are to British Columbia’s economy. The mill has since shut down and the company has filed for bankruptcy. The premier was nowhere to be found when it came to helping the mill stay open.
Less money in your pocket
Gordon Campbell’s legacy was to cut taxes for corporations and the wealthy while families paid more for long term care, medical services premiums, tuition fees, hydro rates, ferry fares and more. Under Premier Clark it is more of the same. We are still paying the HST, with the Clark Liberals foot-dragging on the transition back to the PST.  Ferry fares will increase even more on April 1. And Clark’s first budget includes another medical premium increase, for a combined Campbell/Clark increase of 85 per cent or $732 per year for families with children.
Mismanagement and boondoggles
This week it’s the B.C. Place/Telus naming fiasco where the Liberals walked away from $40 million and counting, but we’ve also seen the $30 million payout to compensate Boss Power, $6 million to convicted Liberal insiders in the B.C. Rail scandal, $100 million blown on a K-12 student information system, and the billion dollar B.C. Hydro smart meter program.
More dubious pre-election budget claims
Remember Gordon Campbell’s 2009 pre-election budget, with the $495 million “maximum” deficit that ballooned to six times that amount shortly after the election? Premier Clark now predicts a miraculously balanced budget by 2013 - right after the next election. Her plan relies on a massive fire sale of public land and assets with no provision for major new costs like the federal crime bill.
Dropping the ball on post-secondary education and skills training
Gordon Campbell’s last budget froze funding for post-secondary education. Premier Clark tabled a jobs plan with no training plan. Her 2012 budget cuts funding to B.C.’s colleges and universities by three per cent over the next three years. Despite the premier’s so called jobs plan, the Liberals have put zero new money into skills training, and are even cutting their contribution to the Industry Training Authority.
More inequality
Growing inequality continues. B.C. has ranked worst among the provinces for eight years in a row for child poverty, but Premier Clark has no poverty reduction plan. On the Missing Women’s Inquiry, Clark’s initial claim to want to hear all the voices did not translate into real support for aboriginal women. As a result, the inquiry is unravelling with aboriginal organizations and legal counsel deserting.
Still picking fights in education
One of the most confrontational ministers in Gordon Campbell’s cabinet, as Minister of Education Christy Clark picked fights with teachers, stripped contracts and brought in funding formula changes that have hurt students. With Bill 22, Clark’s Liberals are again fighting with teachers, and hurting students and public education.
More raw logs shipped and fewer B.C. jobs
Gordon Campbell’s Liberals sat idly by as tens of thousands of forest jobs were lost and dozens of mills shut down. Under Christy Clark, the problem has only gotten worse. Job losses now total more than 35,000, while mills shut down for lack of wood. Clark's forest minister is issuing ministerial orders that deprive local mills of wood (putting B.C. jobs at risk) and allowing an increase in raw log exports against the recommendation of his own committee.
Environment takes a back seat
Premier Clark continues to support more oil tankers on our coastline. She said it was "dumb" for the federal government to reject the Taseko mine plan, despite strong First Nations concerns and serious threats to an ecosystem. And we have yet to see legislation banning cosmetic pesticides.
Failing grades from auditor general, ombudsperson
February’s scathing report on forest health found that we don’t really know the true condition of our land base after a decade of underfunding and lack of leadership. The Liberal response was to argue about the auditor general’s numbers and deny the problems. We have seen an ombudsperson review outlining the sad state of seniors care after 11 years of Liberal policies. And a tragic report on the deaths of three children at the hands of their father found numerous failings in the child protection and legal system.
British Columbia courts in shambles
By the time Gordon Campbell left office, B.C. courtrooms were in serious trouble. During Christy Clark’s first year as premier, the number of delayed and cancelled trials has shot up, meaning more criminals have walked free without seeing justice. And the Liberals can’t give us the cost the federal crime bill which could add hundreds of millions of dollars in new justice services.

NDP introduces motion to save popular home retrofit program

With Conservatives, Canada is falling behind on clean energy investments

OTTAWA – The ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program was so popular with Canadians—reducing heating bills, helping the environment, and creating clean energy jobs—that the NDP wants Parliament to review its cancellation by the Conservative government.
“Let’s hear firsthand about the positive impact this program was having and consider making the home retrofit program permanent,” said New Democrat Natural Resources critic Claude Gravelle (Nickel Belt) as he filed his motion to be considered at the Natural Resources Committee on Thursday.
“While the Conservatives chase every pipeline project, here’s a proven success story for our economy and our environment that they ended prematurely in January, cut without warning and for the second time in two years.”
A quarter of a million Canadians used the program, with the government’s own numbers showing that households that participated saved, on average, $700 per year per $2000 spent on utilities; they also reduced energy consumption by over 20 per cent and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 3 tonnes per house.
“Roughly 1,000 businesses that specialize in energy efficiency might have to close their doors if the program is not renewed,” said New Democrat MP Anne-Marie Day (Charlesbourg-Haute Saint-Charles), also on the Natural Resources Committee. “Thousands of households will not be entitled to these subsidies. With no work done, there are no jobs and no energy savings.”
The Save EcoENERGY Coalition, noting the billions being spent on oil sands and fossil fuels, want the government to focus too on energy savings and energy efficiency.

NDP urges Conservatives to take action to protect patients and prevent future crises

NDP calls for plan to avoid drug shortages

NDP urges Conservatives to take action to protect patients and prevent future crises

OTTAWA – The NDP is calling on the Conservatives to adopt a concrete plan to manage the current drug shortage and adopt a national strategy to prevent this type of situation from happening again, as proposed by an NDP motion to be voted on tonight.
  The motion restates the demands of health experts and the provinces, who are calling on the government to put in place a system that would require drug manufacturers to report any planned disruptions to Health Canada.
 “Currently, drug manufacturers aren’t required to inform authorities of potential supply problems. It’s up to the Conservatives to change that,” said New Democrat Health Critic Libby Davies (Vancouver East). “The government must act immediately to protect patients from avoidable drug shortages.”
 “We must ensure that shortages like the current one never happen again,” said NDP Deputy Health Critic Anne Minh-Thu Quach. “If the Conservatives are serious about protecting patients, they’ll support our motion and put in place a real strategy to avoid other problems of this nature. It’s the health of Canadians that’s at stake.”
The motion is below:

 That, in the opinion of this House, the government should:
 a)    in cooperation with provinces, territories and industry, develop a nationwide strategy to anticipate, identify, and manage shortages of essential medications;
 b)    require drug manufacturers to report promptly to Health Canada any planned disruption or discontinuation in production; and
 c)    expedite the review of regulatory submissions in order to make safe and effective medications available to the Canadian public.

Dewar's focus on crime prevention will win new voters

SURREY - A New Democratic Party led by Paul Dewar will win new support from Canadians with a strong focus on crime prevention and addiction treatment.
"A stronger and more caring Canada is a Canada where everyone is safe at home and in their communities. But Stephen Harper's approach has a proven track record of failing our communities and leaving the government deeper in debt," said Dewar during a campaign stop in Surrey, BC. "My focus will be on preventing crimes and actually making our communities safer. It's a strategy that will attract more voters to the NDP right here in BC."
Dewar announced his priorities for public safety at Surrey's Trilogy House One, an assisted living home for individuals recovering from addictions which has assisted over three hundred people to get clean and sober since 2007. The cost of services for a person in Trilogy House One is just over $11,000. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, if the same person committed a crime, incarceration would cost over $84,000 at the provincial/territorial level and over $147,000 at the federal level.
"Addiction treatment centres are providing real crime prevention by helping people overcome their challenges rather than fall into criminality," said Dewar. "Prevention is not just the better way of ensuring public safety, it's the more cost-effective way."
As leader of Canada's NDP Paul Dewar would make communities safer by:
- emphasizing treatment and prevention, instead of mandatory sentencing, as the best approach to reducing drug related crime
- working with provinces to ensure recovering addicts have adequate housing and transition support services available to them
- ensuring policy advisory processes include the voices of independent experts, practitioners, and those with addiction experience
- cracking down on the importation and smuggling of illegal hand guns
- increasing support for the National Crime Prevention Centre and Youth Gang Prevention Fund
- addressing the over-representation of Aboriginal peoples in Canada's criminal justice system
- supporting communities in addressing their policing needs
Dewar went on to say that crime and safer communities has been a political wedge for the Harper Conservatives for too long. He says under his leadership the NDP will take on Harper's crime and punishment agenda and make safer communities a strong focus for the NDP in the next election.
"Harper's approach of building jails and filling them to capacity is fundamentally flawed. It failed in the US and wasted resources that could have gone to treatment and prevention," said Dewar. "Canadians know this. The NDP must not be afraid of crime as an issue. We must put forward a strong agenda and let families know that our policies will make their communities safer."
"My approach is less expensive and more effective. It makes our communities better places to live," Dewar said.

Who decided to divert $50 million to a G8 slush fund?

According to the Office of the Auditor General, one of the unsolved mysteries of the G8 legacy fund is who decided to divert $50 million into a slush fund?

“We made simple investigations into why it was $50 million, but there was really very little information available. We had asked, through the normal course of doing our interviews, the departments that were involved in this, but they had explained to us that it was really not a decision that was made at their level.”
– Wendy Loschiuk, Assistant Auditor General, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, October 5, 2011

So who decided on diverting $50 million? Here’s what Tony Clement told local mayors in Muskoka:

“Budgets in addition to the basic G8 Summit Management Office Budget must first be determined by the Prime Minister's Office.”
– Local Area Leadership Group Minutes, November 7, 2008

But when asked in the House of Commons about the involvement of the PMO, John Baird came up with an alternative explanation:

“The $50 million was allocated in budget 2009 as part of Canada's economic action plan.”
– John Baird, Hansard, October 7, 2011

Just one problem: Budget 2009, Canada’s Economic Action Plan, makes no mention of a G8 “Legacy fund” or “Muskoka”.

Statement by NDP leader Nycole Turmel on passage of opposition day motion on electoral fraud

Tonight, your New Democrat team was very clear. We take allegations of electoral fraud and voter suppression extremely seriously.
Tricking voters by directing them to phony polling stations is wrong. Election fraud is a serious crime that hurts our democratic institutions.
Our democracy is something to be proud of. We are so privileged to have a democratic system where everyone is encouraged to vote and where elections are free and fair. That’s why we have to protect it.
That’s why we tabled this motion. And that’s why we made sure to press the Conservatives to support it.
Our motion called on the Conservatives to strengthen the Elections Act with stricter controls on telecommunications during election campaigns to prevent electoral fraud.
Our motion passed.
Now it’s time the Conservatives took these allegations seriously. It’s time they faced the facts instead of trying to deflect blame onto others.
While other parties focus on dirty tricks, New Democrats are committed to delivering for Canadians. That means getting things done for families—and it means cleaning up Ottawa for good.
Today is just the first step to preventing electoral fraud. You can count on your New Democrat team to continue holding the Conservatives to account to protect our democracy.

Premier Clark’s cynical Bill 22 politicking hurts students

Premier Christy Clark’s actions on Bill 22 show that instead of acting in the best interests of students, her Liberal government is using children as pawns in a cynical political game.
Here is what Premier Clark has said, and what she hasn’t done on Bill 22.

• Derailed Question Period in a desperate bid to score political points

On the day that Bill 22 was introduced to the legislature the Premier demanded that the opposition break the rules of the house by asking questions about a bill that had just been introduced.
“These issues matter to families, and this debate needs to happen in this legislature.” (Premier Clark, Hansard, Feb. 28, 2012)
Premier Clark was cautioned by the Speaker twice for breaking the rules of the house by discussing a bill before the house during question period. Yet despite her insistence that the bill needed to be debated in the legislature, she has been a no-show in the Bill 22 debate.

• Refused to debate Bill 22 in the House

Premier Christy Clark has refused to debate Bill 22 in the house. She has not spoken on the bill nor has most of her cabinet. Perhaps she should answer her own question from her question period derailment.
“What does it say about the priority they put on public education in this province if they refuse to even discuss it?” (Premier Clark, Hansard, Feb. 28, 2012)
While New Democrats have spoken to the bill and even suggested an amendment, Clark has refused to stand up and defend her bill, which removes class size and composition protections from classrooms.

• Claims she doesn’t know where New Democrats stand

After hypocritically refusing to debate Bill 22, Premier Clark took to the airwaves and claimed that she didn’t know where New Democrat leader Adrian Dix stands on Bill 22.
“He needs to stop hiding his position with respect to Bill 22. I've been really clear about it and I think it's time for him to come clean." (Christy Clark, CKNW, March 12, 2012)
The New Democrat leader has taken an hour to speak to the bill in the house. He expressed his opposition to the bill during second reading and spoke in favour of a New Democrat amendment which would have de-escalated the conflict with teachers and brought in an independent mediator to settle the dispute.
In outlining his opposition to Bill 22 Adrian Dix said: " This bill gives up on the future, gives up on the possibility of doing it better, gives up on our public schools. We will not support legislation that hurts class size provisions. We will not support legislation that hurts class composition provisions. We will not support legislation that puts an end to real mediation and imposes a disrespectful process on teachers." (Adrian Dix, Hansard, March 7, 2012)
Meanwhile, although the Premier has never participated in the Bill 22 debate, she had the audacity to make this claim:
“I've spoken to it a lot, as you know. I've spoken to it, I think, every day.” (Christy Clark, CFAX, March 13, 2012)
New Democrat House Leader John Horgan
“By grandstanding on one day and hiding from substantive debate on the next, Liberal Premier Christy Clark has made it clear that she is more interested in playing cynical political games than taking steps to get students back in classrooms with teachers who feel respected.”