Tagged With: provincial politics
The Colonist and the 1952 ‘transferable vote’
Letter to the Editor published in the Victoria Times Colonist, 9 April 2009 Re: “Voting systems aren’t the same,” letters, April 7. I appreciate the interest generated by my op-ed on B.C.’s experience with electoral reform in the 1950s, which was intended to draw attention to this history. Though technically an alternative vote system, the … Continue reading
Liberal policies dented incomes
Published in the Victoria Times Colonist, 11 May 2008 Statistics Canada has confirmed what many Greater Victorians have known for some time: B.C. Liberal “downsizing” since 2001 contributed to a drop in incomes. This might be a “puzzle” to economists and employers, likely because they never bore the brunt of Gordon Campbell’s cuts. Across B.C., … Continue reading
BC Experience shows failure of P3s
Published in Lower Island News (Victoria), October 2006 So the BC Experience has gone “belly up.” Big surprise. Campbell’s giveaway to CFAX millionaire Mel Cooper has left both the City of Victoria and BC government on the hook for uncollected expenses, along with 226 other unsecured creditors. Too bad the political will doesn’t exist to … Continue reading
Social ownership of BC’s resource wealth: A vision for the BC NDP
Published in the Lower Island News (Victoria), June 2005 With 33 MLAs in the BC legislature, five MPs in the House of Commons, and hundreds of activists in local governments, the BC NDP is a powerful force. We must remember, however, that power is never enough on it own. Inspired by recent electoral success, New … Continue reading
NDP balanced the budget
Letter to the Editor of the Victoria News, 11 February 2005 Several letter-writers, and columnist Paul Willcocks, have contributed to the misconception that the 1990s were a ‘dark decade’ for BC’s economy. NDP leaders are portrayed as terrible fiscal managers, while Campbell and his cohorts are praised for bringing about an economic miracle. This story … Continue reading
The real problem with resource developments
Letter to the Editor published in the Victoria Times Colonist, 26 July 2004 Re: “Ottawa should invest in the West,” July 15. As a trained historian, I would like to clarify a recent editorial on the pattern of economic development in B.C. From a historical standpoint, investment in infrastructure offers no panacea for economic success. Nor … Continue reading
Irving is not a mountain
Letter to the Editor published in The Brunswickan (Fredericton), 20 January 2004 From their tax shelter in the Caribbean, the Irvings have stamped out free speech on Fredericton’s North Side. While this is not surprising, it should raise alarm bells about the danger of concentrated economic power in New Brunswick. Many of us are prone … Continue reading
The NDP and extra-parliamentary action: Lessons from BC
Published in Confrontation (Vancouver), August 2003 May 16, 2003 marked the two-year anniversary of the Campbell government’s election to office in BC. Having crippled NDP representation in the legislature, vested interests have embarked on a determined campaign to wipe out 50 years of social progress. And the Left has been unable to resist this assault. … Continue reading
Take a stand against Liberals
Letter to the Editor of the Victoria Times Colonist, 17 February 2003 It is no longer enough to simply disagree with the Liberal agenda. The 60 per cent of Victoria citizens who cast their ballots for NDP and Green candidates must use their majority mandate to shut this government down. In the Legislature, the Liberals … Continue reading
Here, here, here
Letter to the Editor published in the Victoria Times Colonist, 14 August 2002 I am 24 years old and writing in response to a recent article on youth leaving Victoria (“Gone, Gone, Gone,” Aug. 11). This trend cannot be blamed on the absence of a sports arena and concert venue. Such partisan reporting may bolster … Continue reading
Socialism is not an evil
Letter to the Editor of the Victoria Times Colonist, 11 August 2001 In a recent editorial, this newspaper suggested the NDP needs to resist the agenda of the New Politics Initiative. Socialism should be rejected in favour of Tony Blair’s moderate program in Britain, we are told. I fundamentally disagree. The problems facing our people … Continue reading
Liberals sworn in as Victorians mourn
Published by Victoria Independent Media Centre, 4 June 2001 With a fiery coffin in tow, over a hundred Victorians publicly mourned the coronation of the Campbell Liberals on June 4. The day began with a funeral procession from the city’s courthouse to the provincial legislature. Participants staged a “die-in” on the steps of the People’s … Continue reading
Anti-NDP fearmongering
Letter to the Editor of the Victoria Times Colonist, 19 January 2000 I was both amused and repulsed by Les Leyne’s recent column, “NDP class clowns of 2000…” (January 18) Leyne pokes a colourful jab at a government and party in desperate need of renewal. He betrays, however, something more disturbing: his newspaper’s venomous, often … Continue reading
Keep the schools open, increase provincial funding
Letter to the Honourable Glen Clark, Premier of British Columbia, 13 July 1999 A report prepared for NDP Minister of Education Paul Ramsey and the Board of School Trustees of School District No. 61 (Greater Victoria) has called for $19.8 million dollars in spending cuts. These ‘savings’ are to be achieved through the routing of … Continue reading
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Predictions of NDP’s death unfounded
Letter to the Editor published in the Victoria Times Colonist, 29 January 2011 Surely Adrian Raeside has been following B.C. politics long enough to know that it is naive to depict the NDP as a “dying party” (cartoon, Jan. 21). The New Democratic Party is no stranger to controversy or internal debate. It is composed … Continue reading »