One on One with Premier Clark
Friday, April 5, 2013 @ 6:21 PM
Prince George, B.C. – The design build contract has been awarded, and the Wood Innovation Design Centre is one step closer to being built, although that construction is taking place under a cloud of controversy. In a brief one-on-one interview with 250News, Premier Christy Clark was asked if WIDC was a mistake. “It was not a mistake. Because some people were unhappy with the outcome of the bidding process ‘cause they didn’t get what they personally wanted out of it? That happens. There is always a loser in a bidding process if there is more than one person bidding. WIDC is going to revitalize downtown Prince George which is desperately needed in that part of the City, and it’s going to ensure we really establish this City as the world capital for forestry and innovative forestry ideas, so I don’t think it’s a mistake.”
There is still no commitment on the operational funding needed to provide the engineering educational and research component of that project but Clark says stay tuned “We will have more information after the election on that. It has been a bit of a struggle to get the project to the point where it can start being built.” But without confirmed operational funding, could P.G. be looking at more empty retail space in the downtown? “We will not let it be empty retail space. We’ve just gotten to the cusp of the construction phase on it, which is going to take some time, we have an election, we are going to make sure that this works and we will work with the University on making this work. I don’t have a specific answer for how yet, but talk to me on May 15th. We want this project to be a benefit to the City, to the University and to the forest business, not a net drain.”
Premier Clark stands firm on the base for the Provincial budget. Despite criticism that the budget places too much emphasis on natural gas and the selling of assets, she says the budget is solid “I think we’re in pretty good shape on the natural gas numbers, and in terms of assets, why should the people of British Columbia own assets that are surplus? A classic example is there’s a property in Surrey , the Government bought it because we were thinking we were going to build a hospital there. Well went ahead and built the hospital somewhere else. We have the land it’s sitting empty, fenced in, nothing going on it, we don’t need it, we should sell it. We’re selling assets that make sense, and government has always sold assets, always, every year, but we’re being more aggressive this year but it’s all achievable.”
She makes no apologies for her decision not to take part in candidate debates in her riding of Vancouver-Point Grey “No Premier has ever done that in the history of our province, we can’t find one that ever did. What I want to do is have as many possible debates as I can with Adrian Dix on tv, that’s what I want to do. If he wants to have 10 debates, I’m up for ten debates.”
She says it is much more relevant for people in her riding to see what she stands for compared to what Adrian Dix stands for.
The polls have not been favourable for the Liberals, and in particular, the polls suggest female voters are not supportive of her, so why the disconnect with female voters? “Your question assumes the polls are correct. I don’t assume the polls are correct because I think that as we get closer to the campaign people are gong to start making their decision. You look at all the campaigns across the country and people have made their decisions, literally, in the last five days and in Alberta it was the last three days and the polls were all wrong. I think polls measure the wrong thing. Polls say who would you vote for today, and everyone knows they are not voting so it’s a consequence free answer. But when you walk into the polling booth, there is a consequence to your action, and people think about that really carefully as a result of it. So when we get closer to polling day, people will have made up their minds and they will have done it knowing what they do has a consequence.”
“The election is not going to be a referendum on me and that’s sort of what the polls pre-suppose, that’s not what the election is going to be about. The election is going to be about who is going to take care of your economic future, what path is British Columbia going to go down, what ‘s the choice here, who is going to make sure our kids are better off than we are, and that is a different question from what the polls are asking. So how do I get from here to there, I talk about our economic plans for the future, I talk about paying off our debt, how we balanced our budget and how building a bigger private sector is what benefits our economy.” She says when people have a chance to focus on “the starkness of the choice” people’s feelings about that will change.
Comments
As much as I dislike some of the things the liberals have done. I have a problem with how the NDP will take this province.
In my opinion… We dont have great choices.
Its to bad.
Federally, I have to go with Trudeau in 2015 !
She talks as if she is hallucinating.
“Talk to me on May 15th …” you bet!
She cant think straight; too many Liberal knives stuck in her back.
There is obviously clear alternatives. One the devil we know, and the one we don`t know.
The one we don`t know is like a frog or bump on a log. Doing nothing but looking innocent…I prefer people who take action. Sitting on a log waiting for the brass ring to come around deserves nothing…action and words make me sit up, even if there are mistakes along the way.
Joey, Trudeau, you are kidding I hope.
“action and words make me sit up, even if there are mistakes along the way.”
Me too as long as the actions are for the right reasons and the words are true.
Does she ever stop talking and take some time to think????
Trudeau. ??? Is that the best we can do???
I certainly hope your not serious.
Palopu …. we know neither you or I nor JB si going to run, so Trudeau is the best we can do. ;-)
At least Trudeau is Canadian; not a Wannabe Yankee puppet like we have now.
Trudeau has a good vision and I beleive he represents all canadians.
The divisive politics of the NDP and Cons has really damaged this country.
There was a time years ago that all canadians were more united and heading in a colective direction within the world. That has been lost over the years.
I would like the Canada we once had or at least headed towards that path.
Trudeau will restore democracy in Canada, the liberal Canadian democracy we used to take for granted before it was hijacked by the Cons.
Dynasties rule good, eh? North Korea now Canada? I don’t think so, pal. I like my vote. Not heredities.
I want to see a charity boxing match between Justin Trudeau and Ben Mulroney.
Scary. People have no idea what Trudeau stands for, yet many seem to want to annoint him as the next PM.
http://o.canada.com/2013/04/05/justin-trudeau-given-easy-ride-in-leadership-race-say-canadians/
A lot of what is now wrong with Canada can traced directly back to Pierre Trudeau. Things were going downhill waaaaay before anyone had even heard of Stephen Harper.
To: JohnnyBelt
we are getting a bit sidetracked from provincial politics to federal but..
I read your link and sure Trudeau has a name but so what?
That question is all spin. for example you could ask “where would Steven Harper be if he didnt support big oil companies?”
The answer will would probably be nowhere. He probably wouldnt be known to anyone??
Its all spin.
At the moment Trudeau is the best person to lead this country, in my opinion.
Going back to bc provincial..I dont any great choices, in my opinion.
You’re bang-on with that one weaksauce !!
Finally, someone who must have lived through those years, and has the guts to tell it like it is.
Joey: “At the moment Trudeau is the best person to lead this country, in my opinion.”
Great. What is that opinion based on?
“WIDC is going to revitalize downtown Prince George”
LMAO! If you really think that’s going to happen, I have a railroad to sell you.
Dix says his first order of business is to get rid of the balanced budget law in BC – shows you the direction he is off to
When we had Trudeau we had a form democracy. We have a dictatorship with Harper.
Cneers
to Johnybelt
what is my opinion based on.
with the divisive politics that Moclair has shown. I am not a big NDP fan. Moclair plays the different regions against each other and in some cases it works. All leaders play this Harpers forein policy is not what I beleive canada should follow. Pro US, Pro War, Pro Israel. Remember Harper never been out of north america until he was primeminister. Also he is a dictator in his own party and as leader of the country. NO one speaks out of line, bottom line.
Trudeau brings a vision of collective ideas from all regions and partisonship. He brings a vision of canada based upon a strong midddle class. He is also an educated man, that is open to ideas.
His values are along what I beleive for the future. He has kids so do I, and I beleive he wants a better place for them in the future. I think ultimatly, that is why he is running.
Can he do a better job? I dont know, but I am hoping he gets a chance to see what he can do.
These are some of my reasons that brought about my opinion. I hope this answers your question.
We won’t have a country if another Trudeau leads it the way the first one did.
So Joey, to sum it up… your first paragraph basically says ‘he’s not the other guys, who I hate’, and your second paragraph is full of flowery political-speak with little substance. Any politician would say the same thing.
You then summarize by saying that you’re not sure if he’s really all that much better. but what the heck, you’ll give him a chance.
Not meaning to be critical, but there’s just way too much support for this guy for no real reason that I can see. Your post pretty much proved that.
Slinky, we might as well get rid of the ‘balanced Budget’ law, since EVERY Liberal Budget has been balanced by an increase in borrowing, not ‘pay as you go’ through taxes.
The whole concept of a balanced Budget under the system of accounting used by government is ridiculous. It pre-supposes that the governments’ capital assets are being ‘consumed’ at the same rate we are ‘producing’ them. And this is never the case. Each year we produce more than we consume, and if the government kept its books properly, along the same lines they’re kept in any private business that provides goods and services to the public, this would show up. The current method of accounting used by the government is simply a way of robbing us to try to make a failed system of finance seem as if it’s working, when it clearly is not.
Retired O2, we didn’t have much ‘democracy’ when Trudeau Sr. was in charge. And I’m not talking about his assumption of dictatorial powers under the War Measures Act in an over-reaction to some silly separatists in Quebec, who the police could’ve, and did, easily apprehend.
Trudeau was a ‘centraliser’. All power would emit from the top down, from Ottawa, and he’d run roughshod over Provincial rights wherever and whenever it suited him.
He wasn’t the worst PM we ever had, Lester Pearson, that little internationalist, UN-loving pip-squeak, was far worse.
But Trudeau and Mulroney could vie easily for second worst. In contrast, Harper has done far more good for this country than any PM we’ve had in decades.
I don’t like his pro-Israel stance, I think we’re backing the wrong horse there. But there’s none of the others in the other Parties, given the opportunity to govern, who are ever going to openly criticise Israel either ~ they’re all terrified of being labelled ‘anti-Semitic’. And that’s the ‘kiss of death’ so long as so much of the power of the purse and the press are in the hands of those who currently hold them.
As for the rest of the Conservatives foreign policy, why shouldn’t we back our traditional allies, Britain and the USA and the other countries of the Crown Commonwealth? Far better we do that than go around pretending we’re some great important power that everyone should listen to when we’re not.
to Johnybelt
I stated my reasons and you didnt seem to appreciate them because you judged them with a little spin of your own.
I wasnt sure you even read them?
who are you voting for , why? and back it up with your reasons.
So Joey, to sum it up… your first paragraph basically says ‘he’s not the other guys, who I hate’, and your second paragraph is full of flowery political-speak with little substance. Any politician would say the same thing.
(NOT WHAT I SAID)
You then summarize by saying that you’re not sure if he’s really all that much better. but what the heck, you’ll give him a chance.
(NOT WHAT I SAID ) CAN HE DO BETTER? I DONT KNOW. HAVE TO SEE.
Not meaning to be critical, but there’s just way too much support for this guy for no real reason that I can see. Your post pretty much proved that.
(MY POST DOESNT PROVE THAT)
all this tame election stuff is sooo boring…i’m gonna watch “taxi driver” 1976
no one cares what people post its just entertainment
you want to make a difference then rattle some cages instead of mamby pamby blog chatter that means zero/nada word noise
i couldn’t care to vote for anyone up here anyway…
poli=many
tics=blood sucking creatures
One thing good about 250 and its forums is we get to evaluate in our own minds the opinions and mentality of those who’d choose the other party or often “ANY” other party than the one currently in power, (both Provincially and Federally) and some of their reasons for doing so.
I gotta say — if some of the personal attacks, hate mongering, and slavering rants we endure on this forum from time to time, and especially at election time,is in any way representative of the general mentality of those supporting the party THEY’D choose to govern us if they had the chance, and they do actually take power in May, God help us all. (oops – not supposed to mention God here in case I offend someone).
Yeah, yeah, I know, free speech and all that, and one Guy’s opinion is only one Guy’s opinion, but is anyone else but me noticing what is happening here?
Unbelievable the reasons some use to justify the way they’d run this country. Good thing they’ve only got one vote, and obviously NONE of what it takes to lead anything.
infrequent poster here..
I look forward to reading the comments here and even more so in light of our upcoming provincial election
Is it possible for the comments to be on topic??…
I thought the article was about Ms Clark and her vision for the province? what ever that is.. not about Trudeau or Harper or polices from decades ago
Is this asking too much?
I agree. Lets talk about $11 million to host the Indian Movie and Disco Dance Awards.
It is but an indication of the utter insignifigance of Christy Clark, the dogs, who’ll hopefully soon have the chance to practice ‘families first’ with her own family on a full time basis instead of trying to be the leader of that pack of self-serving thieves known as the B C Liberal Party.
I for one can only hope for the fall of the current govt. hand outs to big polluters while hospitals and schools pay , (PCT) or that sham of the so called award show in Vancouver..I can only shake my head
My biggest peeve, my msp has gone up another 4% that is 6 increases in 5 years.. at the same time Ms. Clark, when addressing big industry in Vancouver she apologizes for the 1% increase in corporate taxes and assures them that it is temporary! can I as an ordinary smhuck in this province get the same type of assurances regarding my msp premiums?
Thedogs, for an infrequent poster, it didn’t take you too long to reveal your bias.
As for the msp, the money has to come from somewhere. Healthcare is the biggest item on the budget provincially and that trend is not turning around anytime soon. What’s your solution, other than blaming big bad corporations?
The reason corporate tax rates aren’t increased is because corporate profits as a percentage of sales are continually declining.
This forces corporate consolidation and concentration in order to try to increase the rate of profit necessary for companies to be able to continue to access capital. Since the principal of every bank loan to a business is amortised from profit.
This phenomenon can NOT be corrected the way businesses and governments have been trying to correct it. If the corporate tax rate was reduced to zero the problem with the continual decline in profit would continue, and every increase in the corporate tax rate only exacerbates it.
It is virtually impossible in an overall sense to impose a tax on a business, since every business must collect all its costs, including the costs of its taxation back in the price of its products. Or it simply will not be in business.
Which means the consumers of those products, you and I and everyone else if they’re products or services sold to us in this country, are the ultimate payers of all corporate taxation.
Failure to understand this salient fact is why the BC Liberals, and those who gravitate to the right of centre in their political ideology, can do nothing more than ‘re-act’ to a situation they do not understand in the ways they do. Which will, on close examination, be found to be a reaction that mimics exactly the socialist philosophy and policies they’re supposedly opposed to. A philosophy and policy which will not succeed in any case, no matter who imposes it on us.
Jonnybelt
we are THE ONLY province that charges it’s citizens an MSP. premium, how is the other 9 provinces can manage but we can’t
I didnt say anything about big bad corporations but thanks for heads up on what you think you might know about me..
I have no biases just questions! Im trying to find out information that allows me to vote one way or another.. sorry if it interferes with your biases.. anyways cheers to all and I appreciate the forum
“we are THE ONLY province that charges it’s citizens an MSP. premium, how is the other 9 provinces can manage but we can’t”
So what’s your point? You’d rather that the money that you currently pay in MSP is hidden in some other tax or levy? As I said, the money has to come from somewhere.
Sorry to say, no matter who you vote for, MSP’s aren’t going away, and they’re not going to get cheaper.
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