""
Will she stay, or will she leave?
Fri, 2013-03-01 20:27
#1
Will she stay, or will she leave?
Fri, 2013-03-01 20:30
#2
Please stay Christy - don't give up! 
Will Christy Clark throw in the towel?
Amid this uproar, there is growing concern inside the Liberal camp over another controversy involving cabinet ministers Shirley Bond and, to a much greater extent, Pat Bell. New documents obtained by The Globe and Mail contradict denials by the two ministers that they were inappropriately involved in the procurement process for a multimillion-dollar contract in their riding of Prince George.
Some members of the Liberal caucus want to see Mr. Bell step aside from cabinet until this matter can be properly looked into by an independent investigator. The Premier, meantime, has not expressed any concern over the matter and, rather, has backed her two cabinet colleagues unreservedly.
But the matter that has Liberals MLAs most upset at the moment is the Premier’s entirely tone-deaf response to the leaked ethnic strategy memo. Under the proposed plan, taxpayer-funded resources were going to be used for party purposes. The names of members of the ethnic community who showed up for public events were to be compiled and supplied to the Liberals for possible election purposes. And perhaps most disdainful of all, the document outlined a scheme to acknowledge historical wrongs as a way to score a “quick win” with specific ethnic communities.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/gary-mason-will-chr...
Fri, 2013-03-01 20:38
#3
But, but, we're Liberal politicians, and we are entitled to our entitlements
Christy Clark and Kathleen Wynne discover miracle cure for political deafness
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/03/01/kelly-mcparland-christy-c...
Fri, 2013-03-01 20:41
#4
Definitely looking forward to the next series of polls.
Fri, 2013-03-01 20:52
#5
Fri, 2013-03-01 20:54
#6
Liberal Premier Christy Clark's Deputy Chief of Staff just resigned in disgrace but this will not stop the bleeding
Fri, 2013-03-01 21:00
#7
Another very, very, very bad day for ther Liberals in BC.
First the Premier denies everything. Then 3 liberal party riding presidents resign,
Coleman refuses to comment on a so-called investigation like he said he would do yesterday withing 24 hours, and now the Premier's Deputy Chief of Staff is booted out in disgrace.
And what is the real reason Bell is no longer running and what does Shirley Bond's involvement have to do with what is going with Bell's predicament?
Stay tuned, as the day is not over yet.
Fri, 2013-03-01 21:54
#8
If she does go, who the hell would want to replace her in the job?
Taking over the BC Liberals at this stage would be pretty much a political kamikaze mission.
Fri, 2013-03-01 23:03
#9
There has been some mention of Abbott, but I think she will stay, and I certainly hope she stays.
Heard one of the commentators on TV suggesting that the Liberals will probablynot see 25 seats, and maybe substantially less, in the next election. I think at this stage there is some validity to that.
My hunch is the Liberals will be droping and the Cons rising in the next series of polls.
Fri, 2013-03-01 23:15
#10
Christy Clark’s Government Coming to a Thunderous and Painful End: Watching a Train Wreck in Slow Motion
http://alexgtsakumis.com/2013/02/28/christy-clarks-government-coming-to-...
Fri, 2013-03-01 23:20
#11
This guy is something else.
‘EXCLUSIVE’ BREAKING NEWS: Christy Clark Government on the Verge of Collapse–The ‘Ayatollah’ Stabs the Prom Queen in the Back; The Bell Affair and ‘Ethnicgate’ Strangling Caucus Solidarity to Death; Kim Haakstad to be Fired–Or Else!
http://alexgtsakumis.com/2013/03/01/exclusive-breaking-news-christy-clar...
Fri, 2013-03-01 23:25
#12
(UPDATED) ‘EXCLUSIVE’ BREAKING NEWS: DAVE BASI CONFIRMS CHRISTY CLARK COMMITTED A BREACH OF TRUST WHILE SHE WAS DEPUTY PREMIER AND THUS LIED TO THE MEDIA IN 2011 WHEN SHE CLAIMED TO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SALE OF BC RAIL
http://alexgtsakumis.com/2012/06/24/exclusive-breaking-news-dave-basi-co...
Fri, 2013-03-01 23:32
#13
Our Liberal Premier's star candidate.........oops
Sukh Dhaliwal Resigns At Ill-Advised Press Conference Following Failure To File Tax Returns Controversy
Fri, 2013-03-01 23:41
#14
How to win the female vote........oops.
Deputy chief of staff for B.C. premier Christy Clark resigns amid controversy
The provincial election is less than three months away, and the Liberals trailed the opposition NDP by up to 15 percentage points in recent polls. Last September, Clark’s then chief-of-staff Ken Boessenkool resigned after acting “inappropriately” with a female Liberal staffer.
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/03/01/deputy-chief-of-staff-for-bc-premie...
Fri, 2013-03-01 23:45
#15
Close Aide to Premier Clark Resigns
Controversy over leaked Liberal plan to win ethnic vote claims the job of Kim Haakstad, a longtime ally.
Sat, 2013-03-02 00:39
#16
Vaughn Palmer: Christy Clark staffers find a way to conduct public business without public scrutiny
http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/Christy+Clark+staffers+fi...
Sat, 2013-03-02 01:05
#17
Last one out of the BC Liberals, remember to turn out the light.
Sat, 2013-03-02 13:27
#18
Cabinet forced premier to apologize
But over Wednesday night, the full import of the issue seemed to sink in. It dawned just as quiet dissatisfaction within the Liberal ranks about Clark’s performance as premier escalated.
By Thursday some thoroughly fed-up Liberals were ready to go to the wall. The government’s apparent strategy of minimizing the issue wasn’t going to cut it.
Clark was sitting down around mid-day with the Vancouver Sun editorial board for an on-the-record talk.
Nowhere in that conversation did she apologize or indicate an apology was in the works.
Around the same time, her cabinet was meeting to plan for the upcoming question period. Halfway through that meeting, about a dozen aides in the room were asked to leave. After they walked out, the cabinet ministers decided over the course of 30 minutes to take on the premier directly.
They decided an apology most certainly would be made, and it would be made by her, or she would find herself short at least one cabinet minister.
Sources say Clark did not participate by conference call, and had to be informed by her chief of staff that cabinet had changed her game plan.
The actual apology was written on a blank, undated piece of paper. They couldn’t even manage to get her signature on it. It was photocopied a few dozen times and given to a staff member, who scrambled down the hallway handing out copies just before question period started.
When deputy premier Rich Coleman read it into the record in the house, it was striking what a difference a day makes.
Where Yap’s non-answers got waves of desk-thumping, Coleman got nothing. The Liberal benches looked completely whipped, as the contrite front-bencher apologized abjectly eight times in a row.
In an indefinable way, you could feel Clark’s authority to lead the government seeping out of the building. The ethnic-outreach scandal ignited the showdown, but a lot of disappointment, resentment and frustration about other things contributed.
The terms of reference released Friday for the investigation suggest it will take a lot longer than the 24 hours Coleman threw out as a time frame to get to the bottom of this. It may allow the government to calm down.
They may be counting on the deputy chief of staff’s sudden resignation Friday to buy time, as well.
But over her 102 weeks in power, the one thing that’s become clear is that the pessimistic bet is always the safest as far as the premier is concerned.
http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/columnists/les-leyne-cabinet-forced...
Sat, 2013-03-02 14:23
#19
A better title for this thread would be...
Will she fall, jump, or be pushed?
Sat, 2013-03-02 18:55
#20
This is shaping up to be a banner week in BC Liberal politics with the Premier skating on very thin ice. Will she keep her job? Stay tuned as the knives are coming out.
Why I Quit the BC Liberals
The most recent scandal — “ethnicgate” — is one of the most appalling things I have read about this party doing. Government staffers, who are required to be non-partisan, put together a document explaining how the BC Liberal government could take advantage of horribly racist crimes in order to get a jump in the ethnic vote. The document talked about leveraging an apology for the Chinese Head Tax and the Komagatu Maru incident, to name two. This document was circulated among some of the highest levels of provincial government.
What makes it so repugnant is that the government misused taxpayer dollars to put together a document explaining how the government could misuse taxpayer dollars further and to offer apologies for absolutely horrible things all for a bump in the polls. Not to actually apologize for the events, but with the end goal of winning popularity points.
Ethnicgate is just the latest string in a series of scandals that have plagued the BC Liberal Party. Unofficially, I checked out months ago, but I am horribly embarassed that my name was still associated with that party for all this time. Whether we’re talking about the John van Dongen tossup or the incident with John Doyle, it is pretty clear that this party is being run by crooks.
I’m not the only one who feels this way. Numerous leaders of riding associations have already resigned, and part of the reason involves the parachuting in of acclaimed candidates. Basically, the notion of a parliamentary democracy is that anyone can run and be elected. The reality is that you need to be a member of a big party (typically). What’s more is that you need to be vetted and essentially hired by that party in order to run. It doesn’t matter if you have amazing credentials, if the party has someone else marked for that riding, you will not get it. They will not give it to you. They will put your application in a folder and toss it aside. It doesn’t matter if “the people” want you, it doesn’t matter if they would have elected you. What matters is that some obscure shadow council likes you. It’s an affront to democracy. What’s happening across BC is that candidates are being acclaimed, just like that, with no warning or notification to the various riding associations. Amrik Virk, who is himself a very great man and someone I would have supported anyway, for example, was acclaimed the other day. That’s it. No choice. On March 4th, the “nomination meeting” will happen. There won’t be a yes/no vote, nothing. There will be an acceptance speech. This is happening across BC as the powers-that-be in the BC Liberal Party decides which chess pieces it will deploy across the province. Whether you’re a member of the party or not, it doesn’t matter. You have no say — and what’s more, that’s the point.
The Party expects your allegiance. They don’t want you to speak out. They’ll smear you if you do. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” they’ll say. I have given years to the BC Liberal Party and people like me are being shuffled aside across the province. It’s horrible. The Party is only as strong as its weakest link, but chains of people are being discarded. The Party expects absolute allegiance and absolute servitude. If you deny it that, they will cast you aside.
My decision has been months in the making. So long ago, I decided I would only stay along to support Dave Hayer. I wouldn’t go to any events that didn’t involve him. I endured dozens of phone calls from the Liberals asking for money; I declined every time, advising that I would only give money directly to my MLA. I would support him, not the party.
I was relieved when Dave announced he would not run in the next election. This meant that my tenure with The Party could come to an end. I could leave with a clean conscience, knowing that I didn’t support the depravity that The Party had now come to represent. I was proud, after all, of the work I had done: I had helped Dave get elected and helped work on numerous campaigns. I had been a paid employee of The Party and had done a lot of good work for them. I worked on a number of initiatives and helped form a number of pieces of policy. I’m not at all embarrassed by what I’ve done or what I’ve helped do.
That changed with Ethnicgate. I can no longer stand idly by. I can no longer watch from the sidelines as The Party crashes itself into the ground. That seems to be the fate of political parties in BC, but I cannot stand idly by.
Sat, 2013-03-02 19:47
#21
Catchfire
I'd be surprised if Clark leaves, since there's virtually no way the BC LIbs can improve their position through a hasty leadership race, while there's an extremely slim chance they can do it under Clark. Still, it's incredible to watch this slow, systematic and ocmplete destruction.
That said, like I mentioned to a friend last night, the only party capable of screwing up this golden opportunity is the BC NDP!
Sat, 2013-03-02 20:10
#22
It would probably be the greater punishment if the party make her stay.
Sat, 2013-03-02 20:11
#23
Boom Boom
I'd be surprised if Clark leaves, since there's virtually no way the BC LIbs can improve their position through a hasty leadership race, while there's an extremely slim chance they can do it under Clark. Still, it's incredible to watch this slow, systematic and ocmplete destruction.
That said, like I mentioned to a friend last night, the only party capable of screwing up this golden opportunity is the BC NDP!
If the BC NDP lose the election, there should be a public inquiry.
Sat, 2013-03-02 20:16
#24
What is really telling about this document is that it is a year old. I still wonder if the NDP is sitting on any more gems to release when the timing is right.
The real question for me is will the NDP go after the Basi Virk corruption. Many people think that Christy and her family and friends were up to their elbows in that deal. The only way to stop corruption on this scale is for the criminals to be charged, convicted and punished.
Sat, 2013-03-02 20:27
#25
I'd be surprised if Clark leaves, since there's virtually no way the BC LIbs can improve their position through a hasty leadership race, while there's an extremely slim chance they can do it under Clark.
If Clark steps down, I can see the Lib caucus convincing former leadership contender George Abbott to become interim leader through the election.
And then there is also another possibility. The independent MLAs, including Bob Simpson, have a private members bill on the order paper proposing to have the fixed election date moved from May 14 to October 1. Both the Libs and NDP have made soundings that they agree with same and I suspect that is what the NDP intends to do when they form government. The October election date will prevent any shenanigans surrounding the budget in the spring prior to an election.
The government would need to receive royal assent on this bill by April 15, 2013 as the writ drops on April 16, 2013.
Sat, 2013-03-02 20:35
#26
Just remember though Clark had, what was it, one caucus member support her run for the leadership. The very fact that the Cabinet met without her on Thursday and forced her to issue an apology is telling.
How does a political party though, give their leader the boot, without say, a leadership convention?
Sat, 2013-03-02 20:35
#27
Electorate turns off, tunes out B.C. Liberals
http://www.nsnews.com/news/Electorate+turns+tunes+Liberals/8034475/story...
Sat, 2013-03-02 20:41
#28
One of things that helped drive the NDP down to 2 seats in their meltdown was hanging on till the last possible date. Like Christy instead of gong to the polls after a leadership change they hung on to government for 15 months after Ujjal was elected leader and Premier.
I think any further delay will only mean less seats for the Liberals come the fall. especially given their fantasy land budget. By October the budget numbers will have been proven to be as far out of whack as most people think they are. However the extra time will mean more chunks of our public assets being handed over to insiders from Howe Street.
Sat, 2013-03-02 21:00
#29
I'd be surprised if Clark leaves, since there's virtually no way the BC LIbs can improve their position through a hasty leadership race, while there's an extremely slim chance they can do it under Clark.
If Clark steps down, I can see the Lib caucus convincing former leadership contender George Abbott to become interim leader through the election.
And then there is also another possibility. The independent MLAs, including Bob Simpson, have a private members bill on the order paper proposing to have the fixed election date moved from May 14 to October 1. Both the Libs and NDP have made soundings that they agree with same and I suspect that is what the NDP intends to do when they form government. The October election date will prevent any shenanigans surrounding the budget in the spring prior to an election.
The government would need to receive royal assent on this bill by April 15, 2013 as the writ drops on April 16, 2013.
I think it more likely that the independents will force a non-confidence vote, which the Liberals may well lose. That may not bring the election any sooner, but it certainly wouldn't be any later than May 14th.
Sat, 2013-03-02 22:09
#30
Christy Clark facing rebellious caucus whose knives are out
This is on the web posted 50 minutes ago but then the Province withdrew the article - maybe they have an even bigger story coming.
Is she being replaced this weekend? 
Sat, 2013-03-02 22:22
#31
Please, please don't go Christy!
If Christy Clark calls it quits
specially with respect to pricing potential outcomes on the UBC Election Prediction Market, I am starting to factor in a scenario where Christy Clark decides to resign and the BC Liberals elect an interim premier.
It is running quite close to the legislated election date, so the first order of business would be to change the fixed election date from May 14, 2013 to October 1, 2013. This is in parallel with theprivate members’ legislation being proposed by the independent MLAs (and specifically it wasBob Simpson bringing the bill forward). The government would need to receive royal assent on this measure by April 15, 2013 (as the writ drops on April 16, 2013).
I would find it very unlikely that the BC Liberals would have time to come up with a comprehensive campaign strategy with a new leader in place with the existing fixed election date. To give some comparisons, former premier Glen Clark took over as Premier on February 22, 1996 and he dropped the writ on April 30, 1996 (he had until September 19, 1996 to call the election). This gave him precisely 68 days between his anointment as premier and when he went into campaign mode.
Of course, his 68 days were spent quite well, laying the groundwork for his upcoming campaign against Gordon Campbell and the last day of the legislature (April 30, 1996) saw finance minister Elizabeth Cull tabling a “balanced budget” (after the election, this was the so-called “fudget-budget”) and ultimately one of the best run election campaign turnarounds the province has ever seen.
http://bc2013.com/2013/03/01/if-christy-clark-calls-it-quits/
Sat, 2013-03-02 22:24
#32
And why is the Premier's buddy Pamela Martin being so quiet - she must up to her eyeballs in this mess as well.
Sat, 2013-03-02 22:54
#33
Liberals, federal or provincial, wouldn't know the truth, even it hit them right in the head with a two by four.
The very fact they are now denying that there is a Caucus rift means there definitely is one.
Grits grapple with resignations amid 'ethnic vote' conflict
Liberal Caucus Chair Gordon Hogg insists party is not divided
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/03/02/bc-liber...
Sat, 2013-03-02 23:07
#34
The CBC is reporting that the president of the B.C. Liberal Riding Association for Abbotsford Mission quit as well and joined the Greens which just shows you how right wing the Greens really are.
This brings the total to 5 BC Liberal riding associations presidents who have resigned this week alone.
This is rapidly escalating out of control for Christy.
Sat, 2013-03-02 23:07
#35
Boom Boom
I'm in Quebec so I can't comment on this too well. But if Clark moves the election to October, wouldn't that make it possible for the Northern Gateway to slip through somehow? 
Sat, 2013-03-02 23:09
#36
Why the B.C. Liberals deserve scorn and ridicule for their plan to pursue nonwhite voters
But they went into this controversy with a fairly dismal track record.
The former premier, Gordon Campbell, had a distinctly ahistorical outlook for most of his career. As leader of the Opposition, he went to court against the treaty with the Nisga'a people. Once in power, he held a referendum on minority rights. And he scrapped the B.C. Human Rights Commission.
Then in 2004 when it came time to shuffle his cabinet, Campbell appointed 16 white men, three white women, and no visible minorities to senior positions.
The seven B.C. Liberal MLAs of South Asian descent and the three B.C. Liberal MLAs of Chinese descent didn't make it to the big show. Ida Chong, Sindi Hawkins, and Gulzar Cheema were named ministers of state, which meant they had to report to senior ministers.
Similarly, Premier Christy Clark has not developed a reputation for acknowledging the need for B.C. to come to terms with its white-supremacist history.
She's happy to speak from the stage at the annual Vaisakhi celebration and march in the annual Chinese New Year parade to show her allegiance to nonwhite communities. The last thing she wants to do is create a human-rights commission to educate the public about discrimination on the basis of race and sexual orientation. She also won't order school boards to do more to address homophobia.
I've attended many educational events focusing on miserable treatment of Chinese and Indian pioneers, which have been put on by progressives in the local Chinese and South Asian communities. I've never seen Clark at any of them, whereas NDP Leader Adrian Dix and former NDP premier Ujjal Dosanjh have shown up at several.
Dix and Dosanjh clearly want to learn more about how minority communities overcame oppression and helped build our province.
Clark, on the other hand, hasn't demonstrated nearly the same level of curiosity as an MLA, cabinet minister, and radio broadcaster.
This has created a credibility gap between the B.C. Liberals' day-to-day actions and their pre-election efforts to attract votes from nonwhite communities.
The bottom line is that the B.C. Liberals hadn't built up much goodwill in advance of screwing up so badly.
It didn't help that their actions were condemned by one of their highest profile MLAs of colour, Kash Heed.
The B.C. Liberals' biggest error wasn't their absurd plan to profit electorally by apologizing for historical wrongs.
It was ignoring those wrongs in the first place.
http://www.straight.com/news/357881/why-bc-liberals-deserve-scorn-and-ri...
Sat, 2013-03-02 23:17
#37
- from tha Province newspaper article with a dead link
One thing is for sure: The New Democrats sure hope she survives. Christy Clark is the NDP's best weapon now. The last thing they want is a ...
Sun, 2013-03-03 00:07
#38
The fact that he won't comment means it is being discussed
Wiill Christy go back to CKNW?
Liberal MLA not saying whether caucus members will ask Christy Clark to step down
http://www.cknw.com/news/vancouver/story.aspx/story.aspx?ID=1902292
Sun, 2013-03-03 07:41
#39
Many Liberals want Clark gone, but forcing her out won't be easy Premier faces party revolt after documents leaked
http://www.theprovince.com/news/Many+Liberals+want+Clark+gone+forcing+ea...
Sun, 2013-03-03 07:44
#40
Christy Clark is looking more and more like Bill Vander Zalm
http://www.straight.com/blogra/357991/christy-clark-looking-more-and-mor...
Sun, 2013-03-03 08:03
#41
Geez I miss the entertainment of daily immersion in BC electoral politics.
Just watching the titles of articles, and of this thread go by, I was thinking that's just the usual over the top Babble hyperbole: "No one is going to seriously entertain ditching the Premeir 2 months before an election."
But here it is...
Sun, 2013-03-03 10:39
#42
Yup, it's right up there with Quebec.
--------------------
Maybe though that leaked memo was released too soon, and should have been released half way through the election campaign.
-------------------
Today: Dear Cabinet Colleagues,
That rotten dirty no good Gordon Campbell caused all these problems. It's not my fault.
Tomorrow: Dear Caucus Colleagues:
Same thing!
Sun, 2013-03-03 10:40
#43
I would ask the moderators to merge the various threads currently running on the BC election. I can't keep track but there are about 4 or 5 open threads and now the same articles are being posted in more than one thread.
Sun, 2013-03-03 13:20
#44
CBC News reports that a group of "ethnic" Liberal party members held a breakfast this morning in advance of the 4 PM emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the ethnicgate scandal. After the meeting, a group of them said that Clark should resign at the 4 PM meeting in order to give the Liberals some chance of winning the May provincial election.
BC has the most interesting (as in the Chinese 'ethnic' connotation of this word) politics in the country.
Sun, 2013-03-03 16:55
#45
National post article reporting on that same Liberal meeting gets more specific about the anger and demands she resign.