BC Conservative Leadership Candidate Believes He’s The Right Messenger
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Former Prince George-Valemount Conservative candidate, Nathan Giede, BC Conservative leadership hopeful, Dan Brooks, party supporter, Randy Roy, at this weekend's founding meeting of the Prince George-Valemount Conservative Riding Association
Prince George, BC – BC Conservative leadership hopeful, Dan Brooks, says it's time to 're-balance the equation' in the province and bring some focus and attention back to the needs of rural and northern BC.
His message may be a well-worn one – that resource projects in rural and northern BC power the province – but Brooks feels he's the right person to deliver it in Victoria. "We've had great mayors of Vancouver who've run the province," says the Vanderhoof native, "Their focus has been on making Vancouver a world-class city and I'm proud of Vancouver – I'm from British Columbia and I take a great amount of pride in that – but you can't make Vancouver a world-class city and, at the same time, abandon rural BC."
He says a proposed wind farm project south of Vanderhoof is a prime example. "They (Innergex Renewable Energy Inc) employ 40 people in a high-rise tower in Vancouver. To my knowledge, they don't employ a single person in Vanderhoof yet. They will and it will bring economic benefit to Vanderhoof, but Vancouver gets 40 people and they're getting it right now," he says. "So there's economic benefit to Vancouver to seeing rural BC thrive."
Brooks says the exodus of more than 50-thousand people from the province since 2001 – the majority from rural and northern BC – is a very visible example of the Liberal Government's neglect in the region. And says the lack of a clear resource plan is tying up a number of projects that could bring economic benefit to the region. He says projects like the Taseko mine are being 'thwarted' by minority special interest groups. "That's not to say we don't care about what those special interest groups and stakeholders have to say in the process, but, I believe, that process has actually been dumped upside down." The Conservative leadership candidate says, "Let's plan first, and then bring in resource projects after the planning's been done, so that (developers) already know the expectations they have of their local communities."
Brooks was in Prince George on Saturday for the founding meeting of the Prince George-Valemount Constituency Association. It's part of an effort to re-invigorate the party membership and have candidates in place in all ridings well in advance of the next election.
With just four people in attendance, it appears Brooks and the BC Conservatives may have their work cut out for them. Nathan Giede is one committed to getting the fledgling local riding association off the ground. Giede finished third in the May election to Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, Shirley Bond. He says he heard consistently during his four weeks of campaigning that people were tired of the status quo in Victoria and his early objective will be to just 'get out there and let people know we're here.'
Brooks, himself, finished third to incumbent Liberal MLA John Rustad in Nechako Lakes. He says the vote-splitting fear was very powerful and says a lot of people held their noses to vote Liberal out of fear the NDP would get in. The prospective leader says his party's challenge will be to give people the confidence the BC Conservatives can form the next government in 2017. "The fiscal situation with this province (that) the Liberals have created will be their own demise and they're banking everything on LNG to fix it." Brooks is promising balanced budgets and tax policy revisions to ensure taxes are levied fairly.
But more immediately, he'd like to win the leadership. Brooks admits the political polarity that exists in BC, is very much visible in the leadership race – the other candidate, is Vancouver businessman, Rick Peterson.
Brooks will be holding a meet and greet in Smithers tomorrow night at the Apen Inn at 7pm and will be at the Nechako Lakes Constituency Association AGM on Friday night at the Village Inn at 7:30pm.
Comments
They look right a rag tag team ready to take over the province to show us all the path to prosperity. NOT!!!!
So I see that Innergex has been around for close to 25 years. It operates in Quebec, Ontario, BC, and Idaho.
They say this about themselves:
“Conscientious innovators who are respectful of their partners, the members of the Innergex team champion fundamental values that earn them the respect of their partners and the communities that host their projects.”
Seems that the rag tag team above does not agree with the last part of the statement.
Get over it. Companies will chose where their offices are. Typically they are where they do business. The extraction part, whether it is hydro, solar or wind in their case, happens elsewhere. Their energy footprint is smaller when they are where most of the business is actually conducted rather than where the natural resources are.
That is the way it has been for some good reasons, and that is why it will stay that way and a rag tag team of farmers from the hinterlands is not going to change it.
“His message may be a well-worn one – that resource projects in rural and northern BC power the province – but Brooks feels he’s the right person to deliver it in Victoria.”
Does he really believe Victoria doesnt know this? Does he figure he will stand up and say “you know, the resources in the north brings money into the province” and everyone will look up in suprise and say “dang! I never thought of that!”
We do not need messengers. They get killed. We need people who know how to accomplish something and have proven that they can actually accomplish something.
So where do these people fit into that characteristic?
The rebuilding of the Conservative Party in BC will only mean one more party under the present structure.
The present Liberal Government is basically a coalition of right wing Liberals, Socreds, and Conservatives,. Not sure where the **New** Conservatives will fit in.
On the Left we have the dysfunctional NDP, who seem to be prone on shooting themselves in the foot every chance they get. They have no one of any consequence to lead the party, and even if they did, they are devoid of any idea’s that would attract new voters.
In other words, BC is in a mess, Governed by those who don’t know how to Govern, and an opposition sitting in the wings, that if elected, wouldn’t know what the hell to do.
“present Liberal Government is basically a coalition of right wing Liberals, Socreds, and Conservatives”
I think that the party has shifted towards the center under Clark’s leadership. Those who were on the extreme right have been shown the door and many have taken it.
I doubt any of those are interested in the rag tag group, but we shall see if any of them will have another stab at politics under the BC Conservative banner.
Well, all the best for the BC Conservatives, go for it, split the vote with the NDP, that works for me and the BC Liberals sneak in for another term.
We in the north are use to being shafted by the office towers in Vancouver. However, we also know that a socialist government is brutal to us in the resource communities, that is why we support the parties which has historically supported resource industries.
So we accept the fact that the pencil pushers in Vancouver will make money on us, we also don’t mind the idea of them thinking we are uneducated hewers of wood, and diggers of dirt. As long as they keep to themselves east of Hope, we will live beyond Hope and be happy about being your little slaves….. This keeps our cost of living down and allow us more freedom, like trips to Mexico.
“His message may be a well-worn one – that resource projects in rural and northern BC power the province – but Brooks feels he’s the right person to deliver it in Victoria”
Does he provide any data to substantiate this claim or is he just shooting from the hip to please the 250 crowd?
Same old, same old. Not likely to go anywhere, except back to oblivion. Really not much going for them, except we do need a Premier who’s not from greater Vancouver, or pretending not to be.
“Brooks, himself, finished third to incumbent Liberal MLA John Rustad in Nechako Lakes. He says the vote-splitting fear was very powerful and says a lot of people held their noses to vote Liberal out of fear the NDP would get in.”
Hmm… now where did we read something like this just a couple of days ago?
“I don’t see the Conservatives leaving the BC Liberal bed anytime soon. To do so would split the vote and allow the NDP to be elected.
Conservatives will continue to hold their noses while bedding down with the Liberals because they know they can’t go it alone.”
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