BC Pre May 14, 2013 Election Call

Thu, 2013-03-14 12:02

NorthReport

'Single issue can't define us': Researcher responds to ethnic vote scandal

And that's why he's incensed the BC Liberals, according to their leaked multicultural outreach strategy, thought they could win his support by apologizing for it.

"I can understand that the history of the Komagata Maru is nuanced and complex, but as a citizen, I also care about issues that are not necessarily based on my ethnicity," he wrote. "Housing, homelessness, the environment and climate change are just a few of these, and I can choose more than one political issue to care about."

http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2013/03/13/critique-ethnic-vote-liberals/

Thu, 2013-03-14 13:25

#353

NorthReport

B.C. extends $260-million contract despite A-G’s critical report

The B.C. government has extended a contract with a U.S.-based firm to manage health insurance services.

The decision comes less than two weeks after Auditor-General John Doyle delivered a critical report on the deal with Maximus to manage call centres for PharmaCare and the Medical Services Plan.

Doyle said the contract had provided some benefits, but the government hasn’t shown exactly what’s being achieved at what cost, and he also raised concerns about the security of the data system.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-extends-260-mill...

Thu, 2013-03-14 14:17

#354

NorthReport

It gets worse and worse for Christy Clark every single day now.

It has been two years now that Christy Clark has been premier

http://bciconcoclast.blogspot.ca/2013/03/it-has-been-two-years-now-that-...

Thu, 2013-03-14 15:00

#355

NorthReport

How convenient - blame people who are already gone.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/03/14/bc-ethni...

Thu, 2013-03-14 15:13

#356

NorthReport

Review confirms B.C. government resources misused for partisan gain

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/review-confirms-bc-...

Thu, 2013-03-14 15:16

#357

NorthReport

Quote:
The report will also find that the whole thing was ingeniously orchestrated by a low-level unpaid intern.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/review-confirms-bc-...

Thu, 2013-03-14 15:21

#358

NorthReport

But I am your Premier, and I'm shocked I tell you, just shocked about this whole sordid mess, that I didn't know anything about it, even though it was going on right under my nose in my office.

Ha, ha!

Report says Liberal government crossed the line and misused resources in ethnic outreach plan

B.C Premier Christy Clark_2.jpg

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/report-says-liberal-government-c...

Thu, 2013-03-14 15:32

#359

NorthReport

BC Liberals are not even mentioned in the headline - how convenient of the Sun to have left them off.

Ethnic vote report finds serious misuse of B.C. government resources

Report finds two officials, Kim Haakstad and Brian Bonney, engaged in serious misconduct and that several others, including Pamela Martin, engaged in misconduct to a lesser extent

Ethnic vote report finds serious misuse of B.C. government resources

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Ethnic+vote+report+finds+serious+misuse...

Thu, 2013-03-14 15:49

#360

NorthReport

MAJOR SCANDAL:

Speaker Bill Barisoff Should Resign in Disgrace–Auditor General John Doyle Flags $660,000 in “Hidden Payments” Approved by the Speaker!

If you are still wondering what all the bloviating from the BC Liberals was about this week, let me defuzzify for you…

Bill Bennett and Rich Coleman are two of the most shameless, dishonourable MLAs currently infesting the Legislature. Why? I’ll tell you. The BC Liberals KNEW that yesterday’s release by the Auditor General was coming, and they needed to manufacture a scandal, so they willfully sent out Bennett, with Coleman as clean up crew, to essentially lie about an NDP scandal–that never was.

They trotted out the story I broke some weeks ago, the so-called NDP ‘kickback’ scheme, and they went to willing dupes in the mainstream press, who proceeded to publish embarrassingly inaccurate stories about a DRAFT report that never made it into final copy about an NDP outreach account, which was approved, set-up and administered by former Legislative Controller Dan Arbic. The biggest non-story of the last ten years even made the front page of the discreditable Vancouver Sun, that continues to follow the Dennis Skulsky method of years past: Ass-kiss the BC Liberals, lie about the BC NDP, create controversy for the “Socialist hordes.”

Absolutely disgusting. And I am extremely disappointed in Globe and Mail columnist Ian Bailey, whose work I otherwise admire. HE wrote an entire column about this non-story without ONCE mentioning, at least, that the NDP were simply following advice and the Auditor General’s admonition came only in a DRAFT document. Beyond belief a seasoned reporter would miss such detail So incredulous was I, that I wrote Bailey this morning. No reply as yet. Though, there should be no surprise there: the Mop and Pail’s Dirk Meissner was the one that launched that fraudulent journalism for the BC Liberals, from his own keyboard, without a stitch of in-depth research. And through the week as the real story is revealed, NO CORRECTION forthcoming, just blaring headlines from Vancouver’s biggest broadsheet. What a sham!

But what is now obvious is that for all the pushing and peddling Bennett and Coleman did, after getting help from the lamestream press, their quaint little play has badly crumbled. This much is abundantly clear.

http://alexgtsakumis.com/2013/03/14/major-scandal-speaker-bill-barisoff-...

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4280

Thu, 2013-03-14 16:52

#361

NorthReport

Premier’s Calculations for Pipelines, Fish Farms, Site C Dam Don’t Add Up

Thu, 2013-03-14 17:56

#362

NorthReport

Just more BC Liberal lies

Quote:

The Martin/Les press release said that when in opposition, the BC Liberals released specific plans for public scrutiny "well before" the 1996 and 2001 elections.

But Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer disputed this on Twitter, saying that the then-opposition Liberals released their platform in 2001 five days after the writ was dropped and in 1996 10 days after the writ dropped.

Also in opposition, the Carole James-led NDP offered platforms in 2005 six days before writ and in 2009 five days before writ.

"Dix target early April would be earlier than James, Libs in Opposition," Palmer Tweeted.

http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/news/Election+ideas+debate/8094907/story....

Thu, 2013-03-14 23:09

#363

NorthReport

This guy nails it. And read the comments following his article as well.

I, as well, am so disgusted by the constant sick bullshit that is spewed out by the Vancouver Sun almost on a daily basis, who discredit journalism everywhere.

Yellow journalism courtesy of the Vancouver Sun

Hence today’s above the fold story: a full on made up piece of transcribed trash fresh from of the lips of the BC Liberal campaign chair MLA Bill Bennett.

Bennett claims, and the Sun writes, that the NDP broke the rules to create a caucus fund to pay for a partisan outreach program earning a condemnation from the Auditor General in his report on Legislative spending. To back it up they quote from a draft of the report.

It’s a full on smear, and Bennett know’s it. More importantly, the Vancouver Sun knows it.

The Sun knows that the Auditor withdrew his draft and they know why. The AG learned that the fund was set up on the advice of the Legislative comptroller, the guy hired to oversee Legislative accounts, and a guy who reports to Liberal Speaker Bill Barisoff.

The Sun also knows that the NDP went on its own accord to the Comptroller because they wanted to ensure that the fund followed all the rules. The Sun knows that the Comptroller, not the NDP, administered the fund.

And they know that the Comptroller signed off on the activities the fund was used for – translation services, writing in Chinese, commentaries, South Asian outreach, advertising, caucus advertising. All things the NDP Caucus is entitled to do. The Sun knows that no money was spent on any party activities.

How does the Sun know that the fund was completely on the up and up and the Comptroller signed off on it and administered it? Because, Vaughn Palmer wrote on it in their paper two months ago.

“The auditor general routinely circulates preliminary drafts of his reports to affected agencies” Palmer wrote about this report, adding, “and he routinely makes revisions in response to the feedback.”

In this case once the AG found out the Comptroller, not the NDP was responsible for the design and administration of the fund he removed any accusations and altered the body of the report to reflect the truth of the matter.

The final report came out today, as per Palmer’s description. The Liberal smear that appeared this morning above the fold is a lie.

Yellow journalism is the name for this. According to Wikipedia It’s a type of journalism “that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headline to sell more newspapers”.

Or in this case, to sell a corrupt government.

http://therealstory.ca/2013-03-13/bc-liberals/yellow-journalism-courtesy...

Thu, 2013-03-14 23:16

#364

NorthReport

Highlights from the Dyble report on the B.C. Liberal's Multicultural Strategic Outreach plan

http://www.straight.com/blogra/362536/highlights-dyble-report-bc-liberal...

Thu, 2013-03-14 23:20

#365

NorthReport

Here is the complete Dyble report

http://www.straight.com/files/files/130411981-Review-of-the-Draft-Multic...

Thu, 2013-03-14 23:28

#366

NorthReport

Major Liberal #Fail on Quick Wins

http://strategicthoughts.com/

Thu, 2013-03-14 23:44

#367

NorthReport

Christy Clark should be doing the honourable thing here and resigning but she won't so the citizens of BC will be firing her instead both as the unelected Premier and as MLA for Point Grey.

Shame!

Blamelines in ethnic outreach debacle run straight to premier

Blamelines in ethnic outreach debacle run straight to premier After the release Thursday of a scathing report on a Liberal multicultural outreach strategy, Premier Christy Clark said the only reason her opponents have a report from which to quote is because she asked for an investigation.Photograph by: Chad Hipolito , THE CANADIAN PRESS

The four deputies, led by head of public service John Dyble, appear to have dug up as much information as they could in relatively short order, while leaving open further avenues of inquiry by the independent watchdogs on access to information and provincial finances.

Full credit to them as well for laying this shabby affair on the premier’s doorstep, much as Christy Clark would have preferred to see the blamelines run in any direction but her own.

Trying to put the best face on the findings in the legislature Thursday, the premier claimed “the reason that members of the Opposition and any member of the public has a report from which to quote is because ... I asked the head of the civil service to review it.”

Pure guff.

The reason for the report is because somebody leaked a draft of the strategy to the New Democrats. Nor was Clark all that quick in her drive to get to the bottom of it.

Two days after the Opposition blew the whistle, she was still insisting that any mixing of public money and partisan interests “didn’t happen in this case” and the whole thing was a product of “somebody way down the chain.”

Both claims have now been refuted by her own officials.

Haakstad resigned two weeks ago. Bonney left earlier and the party has now agreed to repay half of his salary. Another staffer implicated in the report resigned Thursday. Other discipline should follow.

But the culture of crass, partisan evasion remains very much on display in the Clark administration, starting with the person at the very top of the chain.

http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/Vaughn+Palmer+Blamelines+...

Fri, 2013-03-15 00:03

#368

NorthReport

Even though it is 2 months away today, we are basically going to be going into full blown election mode shortly. The NDP nneds to ignore the tants and more particularly the lies from the BC Liberals, and their cohorts in the mainstream press, keep their powder dry, and hold off releasing their platform until we are a week or two into the actual election campaign.

Fri, 2013-03-15 01:04

#369

NorthReport

Not one single Liberal MLA or the Premier has resigned over this disagraceful if not criminal behavior. Why no criminal charges here? This is nonsense, and we need an outside independent investigation.

Report into ethnic-vote strategy by B.C. Liberals fuels another resignation

A scathing report looking into the B.C. Liberal government’s ethnic vote-getting strategy cost Premier Christy Clark another resignation and thousands of dollars that she says her party will repay.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/03/14/report_into_ethnicvote_str...

Fri, 2013-03-15 02:09

#370

theleftyinvestor

The voters will be happy to do the "resigning" for them.

Mon, 2021-11-22 09:25

#371

jfb

.

Fri, 2013-03-15 16:38

#372

NorthReport

In other words screw you you BC voters, as we never had any intentions of doing any investigation.

Reminds me of useless Liberal Labour Minister Pat Bell's non-investigation into the foreign workers and HD Mining.

The only reason the Liberals are in the least bit upset about any of this is that they got caught and BC voters know that, and is the reason the Liberals have seriously tanked in the polls. Voters in BC are very tired of being lied to by Premier Clark and the Liberals.

B.C. Liberals will not release 2nd ethnic outreach probeCaucus chair Gordon Hogg says releasing report would violate privacy rights

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/03/15/bc-hogg-...

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4465

Fri, 2013-03-15 16:47

#373

NorthReport

This event is so politically tainted now that no matter what happens the Liberals will not get voter support for the event.

B.C. Premier Christy Clark pushed for Bollywood awards show before May election:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/b-c-premier-christy-clark...

WebRepcurrentVotenoRatingnoWeight

Fri, 2013-03-15 17:06

#374

NorthReport

People have the right to vote for whoever they want to, but if you really want to get rid of stench of the BC Liberals there is only one other party capable of forming the government.

http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2013/03/15/Green-NDP-Vote-Split/

Fri, 2013-03-15 17:32

#375

theleftyinvestor

NorthReport wrote:

People have the right to vote for whoever they want to, but if you really want to get rid of stench of the BC Liberals there is only one other party capable of forming the government.

http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2013/03/15/Green-NDP-Vote-Split/

With the NDP running over 50% in the polls, I don't think anyone really has to be concerned about whether a vote for other than the NDP would prevent them from beating Liberals.

As for: "The third thing is why people think the Greens only take from the NDP. I don't understand why they think that. I look in my riding… we have as much support from the collapse of the Liberals as we do from the NDP. In fact, frankly, in the last few weeks, we've seen them in droves coming from the Liberals. I don't even think the Liberals are even in the race in Gordon Head," Weaver said. <-- This. The BCNDP is looking a lot greener in 2013 than 2009. I think the most likely Green votes are in ridings that are either already safe NDP anyway, or have a significant protest vote from Liberals.

If you look at Island riding projections on 308, you'll see that many of the ridings have only a small-to-modest increase in the NDP vote from 2009 (or even a small decrease) but the Liberal vote is still tanking by a lot more.

Fri, 2013-03-15 17:51

#376

NorthReport

That gap between the NDP and the Libs may well shrink.

I take nothing for granted until this election is actually over, and will never ever underestimate the right-wing's ability to rebound.

If Clark's behaviour since she became Premier is any indication, this will be a vile and extremely dirty campaign, and as well she will have the mainstream press 100% behind her.

Fri, 2013-03-15 20:13

#377

NorthReport

Teachers call on BCTF to endorse NDP

http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2013/03/15/Teachers-Call-to-Endorse-NDP/

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4516

Sat, 2013-03-16 01:01

#378

NorthReport

She has been hiding from the press all day with good reason as another Christy Clark scandal is breaking tonite which is rocking the BC Liberals to its very core. I would hate to be one of their candidates tonite.

Sat, 2013-03-16 01:20

#379

NorthReport

What a Week! Christy’s Diamond Appalls, Caucus Solidarity Falls, Bill Bennett Hauls–More BS!

This whole thing screams for the RCMP to step in.

http://alexgtsakumis.com/2013/03/15/what-a-week-christys-diamond-appalls...

Sat, 2013-03-16 01:30

#380

NorthReport

Christy Clark Must Resign

Of course Premier Christy Clark must resign. This unholy bloody business called “ethnicgate” started and stayed in her office. The cabinet minister, John Yap, who ran up on his own sword, lied while doing so saying that none of this had crossed his desk.

Why did he lie?

Clearly because his knowledge as a member of cabinet would be imputed to the premier, his boss. His note cheering on his hired fixits could hardly be sent unless he had Clark’s approval.

The appointment of the premier’s deputy minister to investigate this matter was wrong from the beginning and his report bears that out – he did not interview any members of caucus, more importantly he didn’t interviews any cabinet ministers, most importantly, he did not interview the premier.

Sat, 2013-03-16 01:38

#381

NorthReport

Here we go again. The people in BC have had more than enough. Seriously let's get the RCMP in here right away

Premier’s Office targeted crucial election ridings for the BC Liberals — all on government time and your dime

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Premier+Office+targeted+crucial+election...

Sat, 2013-03-16 10:36

#382

NorthReport

Clark on defensive as B.C. election nears, with legislature session ending on sorry note

Sat, 2013-03-16 12:10

#383

NorthReport

In 2009 the BC Liberals did not release their platform until some time after the writ was dropped. There is no way Dix should be releasing the NDP platform for another month at least. Best to just ignore the BC Liberal nonsense which is being feed to the press on a daily basis.

NDP leader Dix rebuts criticism on ''Top Story''

"We're going to say what we're going to do, and say how we're going to pay for them. And that means there's going to be some things that we really support that we're not going to be able to do right away, because there's not enough money," he said to Chris Gailus, responding to criticisms that his party has not released a platform yet.

"I think we've been out there and said what our priorities are."

http://www.globaltvbc.com/ndp+leader+dix+rebuts+criticism+on+top+story/6...

Sat, 2013-03-16 12:37

#384

NorthReport

Our Premier of course didn't know anything about it,

It is sad to see the Vancouver Sun covering up for the BC Liberals by not printing a word about this serious new BC Liberal scandal this morning.

Premier’s staff targeted swing ridings: paper

Premier Christy Clark’s inner circle developed and executed a comprehensive strategy that used government resources for partisan purposes in an effort to advance the interests of the B.C. Liberal Party in swing ridings, The Province has learned.

Evidence of a second plan originating from the Premier’s Office that violates government standards of conduct and blurs lines between partisan and government work comes a day after the premier claimed no prior knowledge of the controversial multicultural outreach strategy.

Sources say the so-called Swing Team Strategy was executed through the Premier’s Office beginning in 2011 by Clark’s former principal secretary, Dimitri Pantazopoulos, a well-connected Tory, with involvement from Kim Haakstad, Clark’s former deputy chief of staff.

“Dimitri was the driving force behind the swing teams, from its inception through to the operational phase,” a confidential source told The Province. “Swing team leaders reported directly to him, and he co-ordinated activities between the teams and the party.”

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/premier-s-staff-targeted-swing-r...

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4635

Sat, 2013-03-16 12:43

#385

NorthReport

B.C. plan to build ‘iconic’ wooden office building turns into ‘ten-storey scandal’

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/03/15/brian-hutchinson-b-c-plan...

Sat, 2013-03-16 14:05

#386

NorthReport

Two years on: her words don’t match the picture

http://2010goldrush.blogspot.ca/2013/03/two-years-on-her-words-dont-matc...

Sat, 2013-03-16 14:32

#387

NorthReport

Greens’ unusual election strategy includes endorsing four independents

http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/Vaughn+Palmer+Greens+unus...

Sat, 2013-03-16 19:20

#388

jerrym

The Greens, seeing little chance of a major breakthrough, have decided to endorse an extremely mixed bag of 4 independents (MLAs Vicki Huntingdon in Delta South who opposed the development of native lands and the expansion of port and road facilities, and the Liberals' closing of a local hospital, in her ridging, Bob Simpson, a former maverick NDP MLA, in Cariboo North who left the party over Carole James' leadership, and John Van Dongen, a former Liberal and Conservative MLA in Abbotsford South who was fired as Solicitor General for repeatedly broke the traffic laws by exceeding the speed limit by more than 25 km, as well as Arthur Hadland, who won 31% of the vote in the 2009 election on a platform of balancing the budget and opposition to the building of the Site C hydroelectric dam).

Green leader Jane Sterk even admits that they will not be running anywhere near a full slate of candidates. She is hoping "for in excess of a 70 candidates" in the 85 ridings. I would emphasize the word "hope". Currently, the Greens have 35 candidates nominated, the same number a week ago, while the NDP have 81 nominated, the Liberals 68, and even the Cons, who only had 20 candidates in the last election, now have 31 candidates nominated as of March 14 ( the bottom of the site below gives candidates nominated:

http://bciconcoclast.blogspot.ca/p/candidates-for-may-2013-bc-election.html).

She even admits “We’re not going to do what we’ve done in previous campaigns: simply to put someone on the ballot to have them on the ballot. They have to be well-qualified, they have to be professional, they have to be able to speak to our issues, and they have to be people that the ordinary voter in the riding would say, ‘That’s a person I can vote for.’ ”

The Greens are further reducing their overall provincial effect on voting patterns by concentrating on four ridings in the Victoria area.

"One is Sterk’s own choice of seats, Victoria-Beacon Hill, where she’s up against New Democratic Party incumbent Carole James, the party’s former leader. The Greens will also direct resources to adjacent Esquimalt-Royal Roads, taking on incumbent New Democrat Maurine Karagianis. Neither seat is likely to change hands with the electoral tide running strongly in favour of the NDP, as the opinion polls suggest. But the prospects are better in the other two seats on her list, both held by the B.C. Liberals.

In Saanich North and the Islands, being vacated by retiring Liberal MLA Murray Coell, Greens have nominated Adam Olsen. A housing consultant to the local Tsartlip First Nation, he recently stepped down from his seat on Central Saanich council to run provincially.

Then there’s Oak Bay-Gordon Head, where the Greens have attracted Andrew Weaver, the high-profile climatologist from the University of Victoria. Weaver played a subsidiary role in the last provincial election, helping the B.C. Liberals to craft their climate action plan and carbon tax, then denouncing the New Democrats for opposing it."

The shortage of candidates may mean that the Greens do "not clear the threshold for inclusion in the televised leaders’ debate during the campaign. But Sterk is prepared to run the risk, perhaps hoping public opinion will support the party being included." (Considering that Sterk makes Bob Dole look like a glitter rock star on speed, not being in the TV debates may even be part of her strategy.)

http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/Vaughn+Palmer+Greens+unus...

The lack of Green candidates in many ridings and the focus on Victoria may benefit the NDP in many ridings as past history suggests Greens draw more votes from voters who would otherwise support the NDP than from other parties.

Sat, 2013-03-16 19:47

#389

NorthReport

There is no end to this sleaziness and unethical behaviour, as it just continues from one day to the next, week after week, month after month, whenever Christy Clark has been involved with the BC Liberals.

Premier’s office targeted crucial election ridings for the BC Liberals

Premier Christy Clark’s inner circle developed and executed a comprehensive strategy that used government resources for partisan purposes in an effort to advance the interests of the B.C. Liberal Party in swing ridings, The Province has learned.

Evidence of a second plan originating from the Premier’s Office that violates government standards of conduct and blurs lines between partisan and government work comes a day after the premier claimed no prior knowledge of the controversial Multicultural Outreach Strategy.

http://www.globaltvbc.com/premiers+office+targeted+crucial+election+ridi...

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4725

Sat, 2013-03-16 19:53

#390

NorthReport

Christy Clark Breaks Her Own Record: EIGHT SCANDALS IN ONE WEEK!

As I told you all three weeks ago: If Christy and her cadre of charlatans and rubes fire or attack the wrong people in either of these major scandals, her personal political bailiwick will spring more leaks than a ‘Watergate’ memoir would reveal heart-stopping nuggets.

I must say, while President Nixon was later an important statesman in America’s future, Christy’s defiance is reminiscent of old Dick at the White House gates while in the thick of it.

But without the intelligence.

http://alexgtsakumis.com/2013/03/16/christy-clark-breaks-her-own-record-...

Sat, 2013-03-16 20:14

#391

kropotkin1951

jerrym wrote:

She even admits “We’re not going to do what we’ve done in previous campaigns: simply to put someone on the ballot to have them on the ballot. They have to be well-qualified, they have to be professional, they have to be able to speak to our issues, and they have to be people that the ordinary voter in the riding would say, ‘That’s a person I can vote for.’ ”

That kind of talk should really fire up her troops on the ground. Apparently the leader thinks the past candidates have suffered from one or all of the being unqualified, unprofessional and/or not able to speak to issues. I wonder how many of those activists and supporters will be active this time?

Sat, 2013-03-16 21:13

#392

jerrym

kropotkin1951 wrote:

jerrym wrote:

She even admits “We’re not going to do what we’ve done in previous campaigns: simply to put someone on the ballot to have them on the ballot. They have to be well-qualified, they have to be professional, they have to be able to speak to our issues, and they have to be people that the ordinary voter in the riding would say, ‘That’s a person I can vote for.’ ”

That kind of talk should really fire up her troops on the ground. Apparently the leader thinks the past candidates have suffered from one or all of the being unqualified, unprofessional and/or not able to speak to issues. I wonder how many of those activists and supporters will be active this time?

With comments like that and a monotone speaking style, the Green's Jane Sterk will not only fail to motivate her own cadre but be disastrous in TV debates (if she is allowed in the debate with a partial slate of candidates) which, for better or worse, play a vital role in many voters' decisions on who to vote for.

Sat, 2013-03-16 23:29

#393

NorthReport

The story the Vancouver Sun refused to run.

And Premier Clark is not available to comment.

No kidding!

‘Swing teams’ linked to B.C. Liberals outreach strategy

B.C. Premier Christy Clark speaks to media following the release of a report by Deputy Premier John Dyble in Victoria, B.C., Thursday, March 14, 2013.

The concern, the sarcastic humour, the disappointment and, for some, the outright shame carried right across the phone lines.

Within 24 hours of the release of a scathing report into a controversial ethnic outreach strategy that some thought would cost the Premier of B.C. her job, Christy Clark’s Liberal team had yet another brewing scandal to think about over the weekend.

As was the case with the outreach strategy, Liberal sources who spoke with the Sunday Province on Saturday said they had no knowledge of the so-called “Swing Team Strategy” — which, evidence suggests, is connected to the ethnic plan — until reading about it.

While some camps offered little more than a heavy ‘I knew nothing about it,’ more than one pressed an interesting point: With the House adjourned and full campaign mode just around the corner, will Clark have to answer for this latest slight on the Liberal brand?

“She wanted to get out of that House in the worst way,” one Liberal source said. “She has no obligation now to bring caucus back together. She doesn’t care about any of that now. And she won’t have to face the criticism [of caucus or the Opposition].”

Asked about his thoughts on the latest scandal, departing MLA George Abbott, who lost to Clark in the Liberal leadership race, expressed disappointment and concern.

“I think the issue that we’ve been dealing with for the last couple of weeks has been one where there has been some challenges around the blurring of the line between partisan interests and government interests,” he said. “And it is important that a distinction be maintained between those two lines.”

http://www.theprovince.com/news/bc/Swing+teams+linked+outreach+strategy/...

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4775

Sun, 2013-03-17 05:47

#394

theleftyinvestor

I saw Jane Sterk speak when she ran for the 2008 by-election in Vancouver. Just completely uninspiring. Good luck to her and her party but I think they're going to have a leadership review before 2017.

Sun, 2013-03-17 10:23

#395

NorthReport

Susan Lambert Says Christy Clark's 'Goose Is Cooked' In Speech

The outgoing leader of B.C.’s teachers federation appeared to delight in the prospect of the province's scandal plagued government soon being ousted, as she addressed union members Saturday.

BCTF President Susan Lambert has often accused the governing Liberals of paying scant attention to teachers' concerns.

And her pithy assessment of Premier Christy Clark's current political woes earned Lambert a standing ovation at the annual BCTF conference in Vancouver.

“You know, I may be a lame duck,” Lambert told her audience of about 600 teachers. “But I think Christy’s goose is cooked.”

Lambert suggested teachers face a “critical time” in the future of education as they approach the May election — a vote the New Democrats have a very real possibility of winning.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/17/susan-lambert-christy-clark-goos...

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4845

Sun, 2013-03-17 13:22

#396

jerrym

With this second scandal involving using government resources for partisan purposes, the BC Liberals may have to look more at the BC Cons chomping at their heels in the ridings where the Cons are running (currently 31) than worrying about the NDP.

When the NDP becomes the government, it needs to make sure that it not only follows clear guidelines that distinguish partisan from government activities but appears to do so. A new free-enterprise opposition would love nothing better than being able to accuse the NDP of being hypocrites on this issue and will use the flimsiest excuse to throw it back in the faces of the NDP. This can be tricky because oftentimes good policy is also the best partisan approach and one can therefore be smeared for doing what is best, although I'm sure the latter never entered Christy's mind.

Incidently, I happened to return to university as a student during a period when Christy lost the election for student president at Simon Fraser University by a very small margin. Her highly competitive nature came across in a most destructive manner as she not only claimed that she should have won but was defeated by opposition vote scheming but continued this approach for a year, thereby paralyzing student government activities.

Sun, 2013-03-17 14:48

#397

NorthReport

Hopefully Mable will get 60% to 65% of the vote this time around.

http://www.straight.com/news/filipino-canadians-divided-over-mable-elmor...

Sun, 2013-03-17 15:24

#398

NorthReport

Who knew?

BC Liberals head into BC election facing a credibility gap

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Sun, 2013-03-17 15:30

#399

NorthReport

More right-wing nonsense from the Fraser Valley.

http://www.news1130.com/2013/03/17/is-the-ethnic-vote-scandal-the-libera...

Sun, 2013-03-17 15:41

#400

NorthReport

Another bungled Liberal plan

And so it’s little surprise the beleaguered B.C. Liberals looked to the ethnic vote as partial salvation from the political quagmire in which they find themselves.

Except, in what has become virtually predictable Liberal fashion, the initiative was fumbled.

What was conceived as an ethnic outreach effort turned into another embarrassment, with distasteful references to “quick wins” via government apologies to ethnic communities for historical wrongs.

Apparently, it never occurred to the Liberal strategists involved that they were playing catch with a live hand grenade should the NDP – and thus the media, and thus the public – ever to hear about this ill-considered plan. Of course, that’s what happened, and Premier Christy Clark had to do some apologizing of her own.

It seems the Liberals learned little from the last internal pratfall, when it was discovered they were breaking the rules by using taxpayer-funded computers and facilities to launch anti-NDP websites.

Premier Christy Clark must be growing weary of having to say sorry for the mistakes of her team. It may well be that she won’t have to for much longer.

http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/news/198531971.html

Sun, 2013-03-17 23:47

#401

NorthReport

I don't have a good feeling about this.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/which-campaign-team...

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BC Pre May 14, 2013 Election Call

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