B.C. election 2013: Party leaders' perspectives

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      The Georgia Straight is inviting the leaders of registered provincial political parties to each write an opinion piece for publication on our website. The commentaries will be added to this page, sorted alphabetically by party name, as they are posted.

      If you are a party representative, please contact us for details.

       

      B.C. Conservative Party

      John Cummins: B.C. Conservatives believe in fair taxation, balanced budgets, and good highways

       

      B.C. Excalibur Party

      Michael Halliday: B.C. Excalibur Party promises honest change

       

      B.C. First Party

      Sal Vetro: B.C. First Party aims to bring direct democracy to our province

       

      B.C. Libertarian Party

      Paul Geddes: B.C. Libertarians would replace top-down government with individual responsibility

       

      B.C. Marijuana Party

      Marc Emery: B.C. Liberals and NDP show their cowardice on marijuana prohibition

       

      Communist Party of B.C.

      George Gidora: Dump the B.C. Liberals, fight for real change, vote Communist on May 14

       

      Green Party of B.C.

      Jane Sterk: Green MLAs will keep an NDP majority government in check

       

      Helping Hand Party

      Alan Saldanha: Helping Hand Party believes in assisting British Columbians in need

       

      Unparty: The Consensus-Building Party

      Mike Donovan: Unparty seeks to bring consensus decision-making to B.C. politics

       

      Your Political Party of B.C.

      James Filippelli: Your Political Party is ready for change. Are you?

      Comments

      6 Comments

      davehester50@gmail.com

      Mar 25, 2013 at 6:59pm

      "Public preconception is everything" BC liberal politician are so out of touch and lack any basic common sense there are simply unaware of their own gross incompetence.Premier Clark promised to get our spending under control by cutting the deficit in half. But today, she broken those promises. And now, her words have no credibility. Premier Clark simply hasn't shown the kind of leadership we need.We face crises today which requires a steady hand, and a leader focused on the job. But christy clark focus has been on saving her own job, All this leaves BC taxpayers wondering, Where is the leadership?"Premier Clark has changed her political position so many times, even she doesn't know where she stands. Clark shouldn't even vote for herself. The women is delusional, or so out of touch with reality, she thinks liberal voters will vote for her no matter how many times she does and an about face or contradicts herself..The BC liberals are intentionally trying to deceive and delude the public, to keep NDP from being elected. BC taxpayers and voter deserve and wanted an honest government. So tell us the truth about B.C. Rail sale fraud scandal.The BC Liberals belong in prison for looting this province to the breaking point.When politicians make public commitments, typically in the hope of gaining votes, they presumably want citizens to believe them. However, in the political process there is a gap between commitment and action, between promise and fulfillment.The bulk of political commitments come from electoral campaigns, when candidates try to persuade citizens, partially through promises, to vote them into office. Accountability for meeting electoral commitments is not the requirement.The BC liberal government needs to money to top up pension and severance packages for MLA and appointed senior VIHA bureaucrats and to spend 16 millions dollars of taxpayers money trying to convince the taxpayer they are more prudent with there television ads.Shows you were the liberal party main priority are before may election.

      Skeptic

      Apr 2, 2013 at 8:38am

      Who Cares?

      None of these Idiots will form Government anytime in the foreseeable future.

      Instead hold the Party in power accountable via strong Recall action if they don't do whats best for British Colombians.

      That would mean active Voter participation everyday, every week not once every 4-5 years.

      People in BC, the Voters need to take their Democracy seriously and be active participants in real meaningful change not fringe one issue politics.

      HellSlayerAndy

      Apr 9, 2013 at 5:28pm

      Interesting no NDP?

      Even stranger when Dix doesn't want to debate Chrusty one on one because he thinks it might be disrespectful to the OTHER parties listed here.

      In other words, the NDP doesn't want to expose itself to the OTHER parties anymore than it does the Governing Party in any debate other than the obligatory one negotiated sometime during the time of the Writ.

      Dix announces 'tax cuts' for the film industry? Well debate that...? Dix was around when the NDP built Bridges and cut huge checks to Cannell studios spouting the same nonsense about it would produce a 'legacy' industry providing countless opportunities into the future? Even at that time, critics said it was a 'race to bottom' strategy...12 years later these guys are still promising 'countless opportunities' essentially through gubmint subsidies to special interests?

      I want something DIFFERENT from the both the LIberals and WHAT the NDP did in the 90s? Not the same...rob the many to pay off the few cronyism.

      orwell

      Apr 13, 2013 at 9:47am

      Ah, Skeptic, we don't have a democracy. We have a polyarchy. None of the US founding fathers used the term democracy. Ditto for those who established the political system in England, France, Canada, etc. Be careful what words you use, or I'll have to come out of the grave and give you a smack.

      James G

      Apr 13, 2013 at 11:49am

      I canvassed for Emery Barnes and Gary Lauk in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They tended to criticize what we then referred to as 'megaprojects' -- the Coquihalla Highway, Expo 86 ... both of which eventually proved their worth but that is not my point. The tendency of the Glen Clark government to follow close along (Island Highway, Winter Olympic bid) perplexed me. If an incoming NDP government now would dare to undertake massive spending on items unnnounced in election, those who spurred on the HST referendum would not likely be silent.

      The sense I get from Adrian Dix is not that he wants to be the best left wing Premier the province has ever had since that is not possible. That distinction belongs forever to Dave Barrett, just as W.A.C. Bennett holds the same title for the right. Oh, Mr. Dix has paid his dues and proven his loyalty, that is not in question. I believe he would rather be the best B.C. Premier he could be instead of the best N.D.P. Premier. Normally, I would be amongst those villifying him for this but I understand how things have changed.

      Christy Clark is certainly accident prone and seems to have trouble distinguising between what is good for the province and what is good for her party. That carelessness led to the 'quick wins' debacle. It made her and her party look cavalier and opportunistic on race relations -- not a file to mishandle. She is certainly no racist though and I will even admit that she seems to mean well (sometimes). Reading her star candidate in Quilchena's piece rankled me because I don't appreciate that tendency to look backwards through a fudge covered lens. Own up to errors and outline how to repair the damage done. Even the fact that the BC Liberals tripled the debt ... that fact alone stands high since it was nowhere near what they were elected to do.

      I am of the view that John Cummins was entrapped by the entire question of gay marriage. I am gay myself and married to my partner. There is a generational attitude at play here -- I am not so young myself either. The question is settled here in my opinion, so why rub his nose in his antiquated (but not homophobic) musings?

      I don't know anything about Jane Sterk and I don't want to. Every electable environmental initiative is now nurtured within the NDP -- where many of them were born before the Green Party existed.

      M. Elliott

      May 14, 2013 at 2:00pm

      Can the Liberal Party and the NDP not even be bothered to respond? If political leaders are that apathetic they don't deserve our support.