Daniel Veniez: NDP Leader Adrian Dix bears no resemblance to B.C. Liberals' caricature

“The public deserves better than a government that sees the budget as an exercise in game theory,” Dix told me this week.

He has been on the receiving end of a relentless barrage of paid political attack ads. In them, he is framed as a radical left-wing ideologue that will inflict irrevocable destruction on B.C.’s fragile economy. The bluntness of the B.C. Liberal “free-enterprise” story line is shrewdly reinforced by a $15-million taxpayer-funded government advertising campaign.

Polls seem to show that the scare tactics are falling on deaf ears, and use of public funds for pre-election advertising is further eroding the already tenuous standing of Clark’s B.C. Liberals.

Dix remains philosophical about the personal attacks: “I don’t let it distract me; but I do worry about how it affects my parents.”

However, Dix is anguished at the lack of civility in public life and the consequent corrosion of trust in government. “There’s a reason why people are voting less, why young people are turned off and disengaged from the political process, why trust in their elected representatives is so low."  

The B.C. Liberals have been working to define Dix and the NDP as a band of anticapitalist, antibusiness, class-warrior ideologues determined to tax and spend the province over a precipice. Dix shakes his head and laughs at the line of attack.

“A healthy and growing economy is not secondary; it’s absolutely fundamental," he says. “Without a vibrant and competitive private sector, nothing else is possible.”

Dix grew up in an entrepreneurial family. Until it was sold recently, his parents were the owners of a small but very successful insurance brokerage business in Vancouver. The Dix family is close, and they raised Adrian to value hard work, education, fiscal prudence, and fairness.

Dix worries about growing income inequality and wealth gap. “The levers at the disposal of a premier are very limited," he acknowledges.

He dismisses that old conservative economic bogeyman of “redistribution” as neither desirable nor feasible. “My goal is to address the predistribution of wealth through smarter and better investments in education and skills development.”

Dix’s economic policy approach is as practical and rooted in common sense as they come. The precondition for social justice is a growing economy. A competitive tax regime, skilled and educated workforce, judicious use of tax dollars, sensible environmental stewardship, and honest government are how Dix plans to get there.

Despite B.C. Liberal claims that provincial books are in balance, Dix believes the province is in structural deficit. He rejects balanced-budget legislation as political gimmickry, pointing to the consistent deficit-spending ways of the current government.

He told me that he has no plans to increase personal income taxes beyond what was just announced in the provincial budget.

“There’s little room for a tax increase”, he stated.

As far as corporate taxes go, Dix is holding to a one percent increase to 12 percent, which restores the 2008 level.

In a preemptive move designed to show that he plans to raise the bar on appointments to the public service, Dix recently announced that Don Wright would become deputy minister to the premier. Wright earned a doctorate in economics at Harvard and is a highly respected senior executive with deep private- and public-sector experience.

While taking nothing for granted, Dix is intent on making his time in government count. He is a reflective, not an impulsive, manager, and wrestles with making the right choices within the fiscal and policy constraints that he’ll likely inherit. 

Contrary to the caricature Christy Clark is attempting to define him, Dix’s approach is reality- and evidence-based, not ideological. And his management style is professional and measured.

In stark contrast to Clark, office staff has not changed since Dix became NDP leader and caucus is united behind him. That includes his predecessor, Carole James, whom Dix is proud to say plays a key role.

So my free advice to fellow free enterprisers of the world is this: be not afraid and breathe easy. If Adrian Dix becomes premier, B.C. will be in capable hands.

Daniel Veniez is a former federal Liberal candidate in West Vancouver–Sunshine Coast–Sea to Sky Country. Follow him on Twitter @DanVeniez.