Bell & Boone Weigh in on Throne Speech
Prince George, B.C. – Some local reaction to today’s throne speech in Victoria.
As 250News reported earlier today, it includes increased spending – for instance $1-billion over four years to create 60,000 child care spaces, a ban on corporate and union donations, and a referendum on electoral reform (for a full list click here).
Many of the promises were absent from the BC Liberals election platform this spring but added after Premier Christy Clark said she had “listened” to British Columbians after May 9.
“I think there may be some criticism that the Liberals have moved too far to the left, but at the same time, I think they’ve tried to maintain a balance of economic strength and move to support the social issues that have been identified by communities,” says Pat Bell, a former Liberal MLA and cabinet minister.
“So, significantly more spending in education, a poverty reduction plan is something that we’ve heard about for years but not delivered. An increased carbon tax. Those are three initiatives that really move more towards the social side.”
On the other hand, he says there’s a renewed commitment to go forward with construction of Site C – albeit with more consultation – and a commitment to maintain a revenue neutral carbon tax.
“This is a point of difference between the NDP and the Liberals. The NDP intend to use that money to supplement transportation and other social programs whereas the BC Liberals – my read of it is they will reduce individual taxes to reflect and maintain an overall zero increase in the tax burden on individuals.”
He says all eyes will now be on BC Green Leader Andrew Weaver.
“I think the question for Andrew Weaver now will be do you vote against this throne speech that offers many of the same sorts of things that they’ve been looking for that the NDP will promise? Or do you support this government?”
What does Lois Boone – ex-NDP MLA and cabinet minister – make of the speech?
“It makes me laugh a little bit because Christy Clark suddenly cares about all the things that we talked about during the election,” she says.
“And I may sound a bit cynical but I think the rest of the public are also pretty cynical about this as well. She suddenly decided that we need to take big money out of elections? Six times the NDP brought this up in the previous government and they voted it down.”
She says the same goes for her new promises to increase welfare rates and child-care spaces.
“Suddenly Christy Clark has found a heart? I don’t think she has and I don’t think people really trust that she’s going to do any of these things that she talks about.”
Boone likens the policy reversal to a desperate attempt to hold onto power.
“I think she will do and say anything to stay in power. And right now, that’s exactly what she’s trying to do.”
Comments
This is all moot. Christy Clark’s government will fall next Thursday. The only thing really up for debate is whether the BC Governor General will all the NDP to come to power or whether or not there will be another election. I think the odds are probably 40/60 between those two possible outcomes in my opinion.
Seems like everyone is on edge. Like I have said in previous post and so many others saying the same thing. we will be going to an other election before the end of the year! Mr. Weaver better hope that he has not lost his advantage because when the next election results come in, he will just be a wannabe.
*allow the NDP to come to power
Have to agree with Lois 100%.
You have to? Is someone forcing you to? Or are you thinking it through rationally? I cannot see any rationality in her words.
They are very partisan and even spiteful.
I know it must hurt. We lost S. Harper and now C. Clark is about to get the boot.
Agreed. I don’t trust Clark either.
What else do you expect Boone to say?
The reality is, they either show they can work together, or they switch sides and deal with all that will cause and cost, and run into the same thing of having to work together. Each side has to deal with someone being away because they are sick or there is a family situation, etc ….. That cannot hold up whatever side is in power.
So, another election and whoever is going to cause it will likely be the loser in the end.
Both sides are likely already starting to prepare their war chests.
So, Boone’s position is archaic.
Why can she not accept the fact that the BCLibs have seen why the people voted the way they did? It is not as if they were left with 2 seats like the NDP were. Now there was an embarrassment!
The BCLibs moved towards where the NDP wanted to go. So let the government continue to do their work, get the bills that both sides can agree on pass, continue that way until they hit a serious impasse, and then call a non-confidence vote. Then deal with going to the LG, propose to form government and try that way and see if the LG will support that or call the election. That might be this Fall or next Spring …… or in a year or two. Who knows, by that time there might be a by-election and one of the sides might take over a seat.
If it were the NDP who had the most seats, I would post exactly the same opinion. I try to look at it rationally rather than by party line.
So let the government continue their work? What work? People voted to get rid of Christy and the BC Liberals and I hope it happens very soon.
How convenient it is for you to just leave out that the Liberals got 43 seats, the NDP only 41 and the Greens only 3. To me that doesn’t show that the Liberals were voted out at all. If not for the collusion between the Greens/NDP there would be no talk of this at all. I still think the Greens blew it big time siding with the NDP, shows a total lack of political experience on the part of Weaver. He just made the moves that are going to put them into obscurity in the next election, whenever that is. His supporters are not going to forget he took them from a position that actually held some power to one that is now just a puppet of the NDP. Horgan almost sounds rabid in his talking about wanted to “seize” power from the Liberals. Do you really want an obsessed egotist like that running the province? I sure don’t.
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