P.G. New Democrat Candidates Open Campaign Headquarters
Wednesday, April 3, 2013 @ 10:50 PM
Prince George NDP Candidates Bobby Deepak and Sherry Ogasawara listen as Party Leader Adrian Dix addresses crowd – photo 250News
Prince George, B.C. – The sign on the reception desk at the campaign headquarters for the two Prince George NDP candidates reads “When nothing goes right, go left” and nearly 200 people showed up at the headquarters opening tonight to show the direction they will be taking in the Provincial election.
NDP leader Adrian Dix was on hand for the opening to pump up the local NDP supporters, and encourage them to help make a change in Victoria. He said the NDP’s real opponent in the upcoming ballot is voter apathy “Our opponent is the idea we cannot bring positive change through the democratic process, we want to bring people back, we want more people voting, more people participating, more people in the campaign office.”
While still not laying out all the planks in his election campaign, he says “It will be a smaller platform than you have seen from the NDP or the Liberals”. He has offered comment on some areas saying the fiscal plan will be the first to be rolled out, while no specifics on that fiscal plan, he said it would be “modest and focused on the key problems of our time”. He did respond to questions on the following :
- his would be a government that is dedicated to forest health and opportunities in forestry.
- the NDP would reinstate non refundable student grants and pay for it by reinstating a tax on big banks.
- As for the carbon tax, although the Liberals announced today they would freeze that tax, Dix says he would not abolish it. “I think the carbon tax is here to stay.” He says the Carbon tax is “completely disconnected from investment in the green economy and infrastructure. It’s a tax that’s gone solely to offset other tax cuts and I think we have to focus carbon tax money on key issues of infrastructure, whether it be transit in some communities, water in other communities, we’re seeing real demands on the future.”
- The PST, will stay at its current 7% level. “I think we have had enough tinkering with sales taxes for a long time, I think what we need now on that front is stability so I don’t see any change in the PST, I don’t see any change in the small business tax, no reinstatement of a generalized capital tax other than big banks.”
He says while that means there are many things they would like to do “We’re going to have to wait until the fiscal situation is addressed before we deal with it.”
Dix recognizes Prince George is an important riding “Nobody wins in B.C. without winning Prince George. But it’s not just because its important in an electoral sense, this is a very important community in B.C, very important for industry, very important as a hub, very important in education.” He says if people are going to stay here and work here, they have to have educational opportunities here.
Comments
Socialism, the most terrifying political concept short of fascism.
Nice to see a political leader that gets out and about and answers questions as opposed to just photo ops and then back into hiding. Where are you hiding CC??
Nice try Oldun, but I have tried 3 different times to have Adrian Dix answer a question and over the past couple of weeks, I have also directed the same question to both Sherry Ogasawara and Bobby Deepak. None of these individuals have bothered to answer my question.
This doesn’t seem surprising considering that Dix and the NDP have yet to lay out their platform.
Hart Guy, I don’t think they have to lay out a platform. I think the Liberals have done all the work for them. I would say it is pretty much a sure thing the NDP will get in next election.For the record, I am anti-NDP.
NDP= No Defined Platform ! BC is already in trouble with declining house sales and the NDP are only rumoured to win ! Wait till they win……the only business increase will be the makers of ‘For Sale’ signs!
Reinstating a tax on big banks…so it starts. Wonder how much business is dreading the return of this exact thing. Tax the hell out of business and watch business disappear.
Fiberals & Conservatives – the next best thing to Fascism! Help spread the ‘Big Lie’ weaksauce.
His hand gesture looks defensive. How can anyone believe what this guy says. Once a wolf always a wolf.
Reinstating the tax on big banks would be the most sensible tax proposal made by any Party so far. They’re the ONLY sector of business that is actually in a position to ‘make’ money, all the rest of us in business can only ‘get’ money. And a tax on banks, which alone amongst all sectors of business, are always in favour of a high tax policy, (since anything that accentuates a shortage of purchasing power amongst consumers benefits the banking sector enormously in forcing the public to have them ‘make’ more loans for me and thee to purchase our daily bread), would be only right and proper to give them a taste of their own medicine.
Now we’ve heard Dix on the PST ~ he wants to keep it at 7% ~ which one of the others is going to commit to lowering it to 5%? If “Tax cuts work”, (and they DO, when they’re meaningful cuts), then give us one. The increased volume of business will more than make up for the immediate loss of revenue, and be beneficial to ALL BC consumers.
Boon, if the NDP had instituted a deeper program of ‘austerity’ during the recession of the 1990’s precipitated by the ‘Asian meltdown’, we would’ve suffered far worse consequences than we did under their (mis)management in that period. They made more than their share of mistakes in that era, and their wholesale turfing by the voters in 2001 reflects that, but one thing they did get right was to avoid making the mistake that Bill Bennett made in the 1980’s recession when he launched his ill-fated Austerity Progam. Which saved us nothing, and ended up costing us far more.
We are on our way to being a “have-not province” again.
All the usual BS.
Nobody in BC wins, without winning Prince George. Duhhhh. Prince George has 2 ridings (more or less) So how can he make such a stupid statement.
Both the NDP and Liberals want to keep the carbon tax. Which does diddly squat for Prince George and Northern BC. Transit both in the Interior and the lower mainland is a bloody disgrace.
None of our problems are caused by a shortage of tax dollars. They are caused by the wasting of public funds, and Governments (Both Liberal and NDP) who are not qualified to run a washing machine.
I wont vote for either, and hopefully we can get some sort of a coalition, and maybe just maybe, get some truth in Government.
I am not holding my breath.
Who is the independent running in PG? Is there one? If not there is no other choice but the NDP for taxpayers. I will vote for them only if no inependent is found. After the LIE-berals and HST they are going to LOOSE hopefully in all 85 ridings. We proved in the referendum it CAN be done. Thank you Bill ad all the canvassers for the referendum and getting the HST EXTINGUISHED.
Spell check enabled boss.
LOOSE – The opposite of tight.
LOSE – The opposite of win.
Learn it, know it, love it.
Don’t worry johnnybelt. When the LIE-berals lose taxpayers are gonna love it.
Ya I am a taxpayer. And one of the MAJORITY in this province who wanted HST EXTINGUISHED. We voted for that two times. First in 2009 election then in 2011 with our democratic referendum. Just sooooo sad your side lost. You say I don’t like paying tax and that may or may not be true. But are you HST lovers not exactly the same? Is that not why you are all so upset that you LOST the referendum? Because now you have to pay your tax share again? Hypocrites. So that makes all of you just as bad as you make me out to be. Why are you upset that you have to pay? You think that working people should pay for you. Thanks to Bill and the dedicated volunteer canvassers who paid their own expenses and did the leg work to get it back to where it should be. It never should have been changed. We fought long and hard and WON. Remember you HST lovers said it can never be done. Remember that winter idiot what he said? So ya I am a taxpayer. Too bad there was not a few more like me not afraid to speak up. That’s why there is no HST now in BC. Because of ME. I collected the most signatures in the riding while canvassing. Hope you businesses like it. We’re ready to do it again if required. Remember the dike?
Just FYI Matty – I do not own a corporation so I am not “sad that we lost” for that reason at all. I just fail to see the point in the province spending several billion dollars reverting to an archaic tax system because a few misguided souls got thier noses bent out of shape over paying a few extra cents for a cheeseburger.
PS – only about 6% of the population of BC signed your referendum so dont hurt your arm patting yourself on the back about your “majority”
IF I hire a local contractor (and I have numerous times) and he even mentions that he will work under the table for cash, I won’t hire him. I won’t goat him into the conversation by asking him. Pay your taxes and enjoy the benefits of being in this society. If you want to pay less tax…..move to China. And then learn to stop complaining about it becasue you’ll be silenced faster than you think.
The part that really gets me is that if Billthe Saviour Vanderzalm was still a businessman, he wouldn’t have spent 5 seconds on your precious referendum. Not to mention his big fat file of scandal and conflict of interest in his past. The crazy oriental woman and the Fantasyland land dealings seem to jump out.
missed a “1” should be 16 – lol
PGguy1234…….can you get your dog to run as an Independent candidate ? Pleeeeze ! I am considering not voting at all for the first time in my life, but I may consider voting for your dog !
interceptor
6 % 0r 16%
what are you talking about? Does the win make you so confused, that you cannot see the reality?
Globe and Mail writes
Almost as many British Columbians voted in the mail-in HST referendum as those who cast ballots in the last provincial election, despite a postal strike and the possibility of summertime lethargy.
More than 1.6-million voting packages were sent back to Elections BC during the almost-eight-week voting period, the independent agency said Thursday. That’s 52 per cent of the more than three million registered voters in the province.
And what make me really mad, how the Liberals wasted the tax money? Lying to us, bringing in the HSt, that costs money, now back to the old system, that costs as well – how stupid are these politicans?
Wasting my tax dollars on that, cannot blame anybody who is fed up paying tax for that BS.
The 7% I save eating out, I rather give to the waitress and I do not care at all, if she files her tips in her income tax? None of my business, what others do or like doing. I do not make my life more complicating caring what others do?
And I wish, the posters here would not be that miserable.
Posting stuff like this is not funny any more
PGguy1234 on April 4 2013 11:20 AM
I bet Bill VZ has a big chunk of cash stashed away in an off-shore account hiding from the CRA. You tax cheats need to stick together.
What is wrong with you all here?
Unbelieveable!!!!
good one suzir2000. Most of the stuff on this page is all about confused liberals. They have been campaiging for so long on tax dollars they have lost sight of reality.
They are posting lies on tv that dont have one bit of credability. They just blabber on like monkeys for a good banana.
Cheers
Posted by suzier200:
“And I wish, the posters here would not be that miserable.
Posting stuff like this is not funny any more
PGguy1234 on April 4 2013 11:20 AM
I bet Bill VZ has a big chunk of cash stashed away in an off-shore account hiding from the CRA. You tax cheats need to stick together.
What is wrong with you all here?
Unbelieveable!!!!”
It’s called expression of an opinion. I find it offensive that you tell me that there is something wrong with me or interceptor or anyone else on here who expresses a different opinion than yours. You HST haters have hung your joy on a guy who clearly misled the taxpayers of this province with his shady dealings and suspect past.
Express opinions about the issues you hold dear and leave the comments about what is wrong with me to my Doctor.
Suzir and Retired, time to go back to elementary school and learn some basic reading compehension skills. ‘Hooked on Phonics’ wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
Thanks to the LIberal Government that I have a Doctor.
So to keep it simple this is what is wrong with me:
1) The leader of the NDP should be in jail and not leading this province.
2) The media has made politics in this country about the leaders and not the politicians. I’m sick of hearing about Christie Clark’s Liberals. Are they the Adrian Dix NDP? What does that say about the folks running for office. You can be an idiot as long as your leader isn’t?
3) Knee jerk reactions by people with time interfering in processes best left up to the people that the majority elected to make those decisions. The change in decision on the HST was based on economics and a fat chunk of cash from the feds. If you don’t like it, or if the NDP didn’t agree, I would have left it alone and made it an election issue. Special interest groups have done nothing to further the social systems or living conditions for anyone in North America. We are going the way of the US. IF you don’t like something, buy a politician and make it happen without the electorate.
to JohnnyBelt
compehension???????
looks like you are missing the r. Are these your skills?
And to correct you Suzi:
“Ok, PGguy, than please proof it, that Bill VZ has a big chunk of cash stashed away in an off-shore account hiding from the CRA.
Proof it and give yourself a little bit of credibility.
And lucky, when you have a doctor – I heard, many do not have or cannot find a doctor. Ask the doctor for some happy-pills, that might work.
Cheers”
I think the term you are beating the crap out of is “prove it”.
Proof is a physical truth which nobody needs to prove it otherwise. Prove is the action taken to have proof.
Let he without sin….cast the first stone.
The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t.
I would be more careefully in writing , I cannot proof or prove it.
But like i wrote before, None of my business, what others do.
If Mattyc works for cash, who cares?
If the waitress claims her tips in the income tax, who cares?
But I care, when my tax I paid, gets wasted by a government.
And I care, when I government lies.
I know, there are many companies, they are more than happy, when you pay cash.
So you care if the government ‘wastes money’ and ‘lies’, but don’t care if people pay their fair share. Hmmm…
I just want to say thanks to all of you for providing what I think is a good spirited debate on these issues. I hate when people use this term but here goes: At the end of the day (thats the term I hate) BC will continue on. The sun will rise and set, the taxes will come off our paycheques and we will be as close to normal as we can. We will see the next group muck it up over a term or 2 and we will replace them with the other group. Politics in BC
Yes, you are right.
I absolutely do not care, what others do, if they sit naked in the garden, if they pay taxes, or whatever they like doing. If they feel good, great.
But I care about, what they do with my taxes and like I wrote be4, I do not like it, how they waste it.
The sun will rise and set, the taxes will come off our paycheques and we will be as close to normal as we can. We will see the next group muck it up over a term or 2 and we will replace them with the other group. Politics in BC.
Yes PGguy, I like that.
Life goes on.
Politics in Bc and anywere else.
So, people can waste money and lie, but the government cannot. I see.
JohnnyBelt on April 4 2013 3:01 PM
So, people can waste money and lie, but the government cannot. I see.
Do not know what you mean with that, people can waste money and lie.
Do you think if we are dining out, it is waste of money? They take already the tax from my paycheque, before I can spend it.
And what I really would like to know, and maybe you can answer this, how much it costs us working people in taxes
1. to bring in the HST.
2. to get rid of it and go back to the old system
I really would like to know, how much it is in tax $, that got wasted on that.
I give up.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, come on, I am sure, you know the numbers I would like to know.
What we need is a leader that will do what President Roosevelt did when he was elected. He told the 1% and the big corporations that if they did not pay their fairshare of taxes there would be a revolt and he felt that their fairshare was a lot more than they thought it would or should be. Guess what, business did not leave or close their doors; they ended up making money and hiring more people because the people now could buy things. Right now in Canada and the USA the 1% and big corporations pay less tax than they ever did even back in the 1920’s and the average person pays more in taxes.
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