[LabComm] Liberal Throne Speeches: Promises Made, Promises Broken

[BC NDP NEWSWIRE]

Liberal Throne Speeches: Promises Made, Promises Broken

James releases Throne Speech Tall-Tales told by Gordon Campbell

Victoria -- NDP Leader Carole James today released a list of Throne Speech tall-tales told by Gordon Campbell over the past three years.

"When you look back at Gordon Campbell's past Throne Speeches, they read like works of fiction," said James. "Tomorrow's Throne Speech will be no different.  No doubt Mr. Campbell will spin a good story, but for average BC families it will be the fifthinstallment in an ongoing fairy-tale."

James released the following 10 Throne Speech promises made by Gordon Campbell since he took office in 2001, all of which turned out to be more fiction than fact:

1. "Deliver high quality public health care services that meet all patients' where they live and when they need it."
2. "Create 5000 new long-term care beds by 2006."
3. "Ensure British Columbians are being served by a non-partisan public service appointed strictly on merit."
4. "Moderate the impact of cuts on people by phasing out less vital programs."
5. "Improve services for women and children."
6. "Stop the expansion of gambling."
7. "Establish an off-shore oil and gas industry by 2010."
8. "Open up a new provincial authority called Community Living BC to oversee programs for people with developmental disabilities."
9. "An open and accountable government."
10. "My government is also committed to giving local governments more autonomy."

"In each case, Gordon Campbell and the Liberals broke their promises," said James.  "Today average families have worse health care, gambling has exploded, skills training has been gutted and children, seniors and the most vulnerable have been punished with extreme cuts.

"Tomorrow afternoon Gordon Campbell will use the Throne Speech to tell British Columbians that he cares, but after three years of broken Throne Speech promises, British Columbians know that he can't be trusted."

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Broken Throne Speech Promises: Backgrounder

Broken Promise 1 
"Deliver high quality public health care services that meet all patients' needs where they live and when they need it." -- 2001 Throne Speech

The reality:
-- Closed facilities and reduced services in Nelson, New Westminster, Summerland, Delta, Kimberly, Lillooet and many more communities.
-- Allowed waitlists to increase a staggering 31% despite his promise to reduce the number of people waiting for surgery. The waitlist for orthopedic surgery alone, including joint replacement surgery, has increased by 83% since the Liberals came to power.
-- Increased fees for MSP and Pharmacare for most British Columbians, while reducing the amount of services and procedures covered.

Broken Promise 2 
"Create 5000 new long-term care beds by 2006." -- 2001 Throne Speech

The reality:
-- Not only failed to keep the promise of creating 5,000 additional beds, but actually closed over 2700 beds in communities all over the province.
-- Separated senior couples as the government forced the closure of hundreds of beds throughout the province.
-- Forced seniors to move hundreds of kilometres away from their families and homes as the government cut services and closed beds.
-- Raised fees for long term and extended care as well as MSP, making it harder for seniors to get by. 
-- Created massive backlogs in hospitals and emergency rooms by reducing the number of beds in our communities.

Broken Promise 3 
"Ensure British Columbians are being served by a non-partisan public service appointed strictly on merit." -- 2001 Throne Speech

The reality:
-- On Gordon Campbell's first day in office, he appointed Andrew Wilkinson, the President of the BC Liberal Party, to the "non-partisan" position of deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs. The President had no prior experience for the position and was given the perk of two offices in Vancouver and Victoria, and paid a salary of $199,540 (including bonus), which was much higher than the starting salary and more than what many career public servants in deputy minister positions were receiving. 
-- Fired 270 government communications staff who were professional public servants, and then hired replacements appointed by Cabinet, making government communications staff political appointees.
-- In 2005 appointed high-powered Liberal operative Prem Vinning to the position of Director of Asia-Pacific Trade, to only have to rescind the offer after he admitted to being "Peter from Surrey".

Broken Promise 4 
"Moderate the impact of cuts on people by phasing out less vital programs." -- 2002 Throne Speech

The reality:
-- Here are examples of programs and services that the Campbell Liberals deemed "less vital" -- and that have been eliminated or had their funding significantly reduced:
- legal aid
- women's centres
- child care programs and subsidies
- affordable housing
- crime prevention and victim assistance
- transition-to-work assistance for people on social assistance
- dozens of programs for high-risk youth 
- BC Seniors Supplement
- delisted MSP services such as podiatry, massage, physiotherapy, and chiropractic therapy

Broken Promise 5 
"Improve services for women and children." -- 2002 Throne Speech

The reality:
-- Some of the deepest cuts made by the Campbell government have been to services and programs that most affect women and children.
-- Eliminated the freestanding Ministry of Women's Equality, slashed the legal aid budget by 40% and shut down legal aid offices across the province; cut welfare rates for single mums -- and forced them to go back to work when their children turn 3; ended zero tolerance for spousal violence, eliminated victims' assistance programs and cut all funding to women's centres.
-- Targeted the Ministry of Children and Family Development for some of the biggest budget cuts across government -- a 23% cut.  As a result of these cuts, agencies serving children across the province had their budgets slashed, dozens of programs for high-risk children were eliminated, and front-line social workers serving our most vulnerable children were cut.  

Broken Promise 6 
"Stop the expansion of gambling." -- 2002 Throne Speech

The reality:
-- Gambling revenues have doubled, and if revenue targets are met for 2006/07, the BC Liberal government will be making $1 billion off gambling by 06/07 -- a 78% increase.
-- The limit on slot machines, one of the most addictive forms of gambling, has been eliminated. Under the Campbell Liberals, the cap on the maximum number of slot machines in B.C. was first increased to 5,400 (from 3000) -- and then eliminated altogether.
-- Casinos have been expanded and deregulated. The Campbell government has allowed casinos to begin serving alcohol on the casino floor and put ATMs right on the premises -- 2 key triggers to problem gambling that the BC Liberals spoke against in Opposition.  
-- The Campbell government also started pushing municipal bingo halls to take on slot machines under a quiet plan to turn local bingo halls into "community gaming centres."
-- New and addictive forms of gambling have been introduced.  In October 2004, online internet gambling was introduced to boost revenues.  

Broken Promise 7 
"Establish and off-shore oil and gas industry by 2010" -- 2003 Throne Speech

The reality:
-- The Campbell government generated false hope for coastal communities when they started touting the prospects of the off-shore oil and gas industry. Now, it's an empty promise brought on by political expediency and vote grabbing.  
-- Caught in the middle between Liberal hype and reality are the coastal communities that have been devastated by Campbell's false hope now that it has become clear that this commitment will not be part of the Campbell re-election platform. 

Broken Promise 8 
"Open up a new provincial authority called Community Living BC to oversee programs for people with developmental disabilities." -- 2003 Throne Speech

The reality:
-- The Campbell government's failed plan for devolution and Doug Walls Liberal insider scandal have resulted in repeated delays and millions of dollars wasted, with the result that CLBC is still not up and running.  
-- The Campbell government has been forced to defer the provincial authority's start date until after the May election.

Broken Promise 9
"An open and accountable government" -- 2001 Throne Speech

The reality:
-- The Campbell government made staffing cuts and changes to the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act that have reduced public access to government information.
-- Increased secrecy has been the result of the governments privatization agenda:  the new BC Ferries Corp and privatized portions of BC Hydro were explicitly excluded from the Freedom of Information Act.
-- The new Lobbyist Registry operates on the honour system, and has such enormous loopholes that BC Liberal insider Patrick Kinsella can represent companies without actually having to register.
-- The Campbell government has spent millions of dollars on pro-government ads after having pledged not to spend public money on partisan government advertising. And worse, Campbell refuses to put a dollar figure on the cost of the ads.
-- Caucus suspensions remain secret, except when Kevin Krueger slips up.
-- Staged "Open Cabinet" meetings that have proven to be nothing more than an expensive farce where lines are rehearsed , no real decisions are made -- and the real cabinet meeting starts the moment the public and media leave the room. 

Broken Promise 10
"My government is also committed to giving local governments more autonomy." -- 2002 Throne Speech

The reality:
-- Passed Bill 75 -- the Significant Projects Streamlining Act -- that gave government absolute power to override all local bylaws and decision-making processes.
-- Passed Bill 48 -- the Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Statutes Amendment Act 2003 -- that gave government the ability to overrule local government decisions on aquaculture and force fish farms on communities that do not want them.
-- Failed to fully implement the Premier's pet Community Charter. The government passed enabling legislation but completely failed to resolve outstanding issues about revenue tools. 

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