[LabComm] BC NDP Connection Newsletter

[BC NDP Newswire]

BC NDP Connection Newsletter



<h2>Arrogant Liberals get democracy lesson from NDP</h2>
The Gordon Campbell government was given a lesson in democracy this week.

The B.C. Liberals expected to come to Victoria this week, make a big show of appointing a new Child and Youth Representative, and then sneak away without being asked any tough questions or doing any other real work.

But Carole James and her B.C. NDP caucus wouldn't let them get away with it.

"We're very supportive of the nominee for the Child and Youth Representative position, and we'll unanimously support that appointment," said James. "But we're going to use the rules available to hold this government to account."

Legislative rules require three days' notice for motions to be debated. The government asked for the normal rules to be suspended, so they could get in and get out in one day. The NDP members refused to let them do that.

The confirmation of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond will take place on Monday, in time for her scheduled start date in the New Year.

"The arrogance of the Liberals seems to be growing day by day," said James. "We took this stand to show them that democracy means they don't always get their own way."

Refusing to play along with Liberal arrogance also gave the Opposition Caucus a chance to raise issues of importance to British Columbians. In Question Period this week, NDP Critics grilled government ministers on issues such as climate change, problems with private post-secondary education institutions, the unregulated home inspection industry and credit-card medicine practiced on this government's watch.

Opposition members also called for emergency debate on increasing the shelter portion of income assistance and the availability of clean drinking water to all British Columbians.

"These are all issues that we could have addressed had the Campbell government not cancelled the fall sitting of the Legislature," said James. "And there are other issues of importance to the people of this province that we just didn't get to."

It's not too late, James said. The official legislative calendar has the fall session extending until Nov. 28; the calendar became moot once Campbell's House Leader Mike De Jong decided that the Legislature was just 'busy work.'

"My caucus is willing to meet all week if necessary to improve the lives of British Columbians," James said. "We don't consider this 'busy work.' Acting on behalf of the people of this province is always important work."

<h2>James calls for Health Minister's resignation</h2>
Carole James says the Health Minister should resign.

"George Abbott refuses to stand up for public health care, which is a key component of his role as Health Minister," said the NDP Leader. "If he's unable or unwilling to do that, then perhaps it's time the Premier finds someone who can."

James said Abbott's tenure as Health Minister has been marked by crisis after crisis, by failures in leadership, and by his unwillingness to protect the public interest.

The most recent example of Minister Abbott's incompetence is the news that False Creek Surgical Centre is about to open a for-profit emergency room in Vancouver. James said the False Creek ER is another step toward credit card medicine.

The news of the for-profit emergency room came just a day after news that the Kamloops Surgical Centre was allowing patients to jump the queue for specialist care if they paid a fee. Minister Abbott was unaware of those developments until informed of them by the Opposition.

"This Minister has consistently refused to enforce the Medicare Protection Act,"
said James. "We've seen it with the Copeman Clinic in Vancouver and with the Options Clinic in Victoria.

"British Columbians are worried this is just one step closer to patients having to pay for emergency medical care out of their own pocket," James said.

"It's time for Gordon Campbell to bring in a Health Minister who can do the job, or he should just admit that his real agenda is an expansion of credit card medicine."

<h2>Solicitor General dismisses home-buyers' concerns</h2>
The arrogance of the B.C. Liberal government took a step forward this week.

Opposition New Democrats this week released a letter from the president of the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors of B.C, which shows just how arrogant the Campbell government has become.

The letter from Bill Sutherland recounted a conversation he had with John Les, the Solicitor General and Minister for Public Safety after Sutherland had sent a letter to Premier Gordon Campbell to regulate the home inspection industry.

Les told Sutherland that if he contacted the Premier's office again, the government would completely drop the issue of consumer protection for home buyers.

"It's astounding that the Solicitor General would tell British Columbians that if they don't play by B.C. Liberal rules, they won't be heard by this government," said NDP MLA Diane Thorne.

Thorne, the New Democrat Critic for Housing and Homelessness, said people who are buying houses need to know that the people inspecting their new investments have the skills they claim to have. She said she's had several meetings with people in the home inspection industry who have had frustration having their concerns heard by this government.

"I'm sure most of the home inspectors have the skills to provide the services they advertise," said Thorne. "But for consumers to have full confidence, there should be some standards in place for this industry."

Unfortunately, the Solicitor General seems to be living up to his threat to drop the issue of consumer protection. He told the Legislature that he didn't think any regulation is necessary, saying that people just needed to educate themselves.

"This is the biggest investment most British Columbians will ever make," said Thorne. "Protecting that investment means relying on people with a certain level of expertise to tell them of potential problems.

“"he Solicitor General's refusal to address this issue is shameful," Thorne said. "And his attempt to muzzle real, informed criticism shows how arrogant this government has become."

<h2>Other news this week</h2>
<strong>Child poverty numbers shameful indictment of Campbell government priorities</strong>

Gordon Campbell is allowing British Columbia's child poverty rate to remain the highest in the country and his negligent attitude towards the crisis is a shameful indictment of his government's priorities, NDP Leader Carole James says. <a href="http://nid-16346.newsdetail.bcndp.ca/">Read More</a> 

<strong>Confusion abounds as Campbell, Minister issue conflicting statements on offshore drilling</strong>

Conflicting statements from Premier Gordon Campbell and Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Richard Neufeld show the B.C. Liberals don't have a real plan to properly address the offshore drilling issue, John Horgan says. <a href="http://nid-16343.newsdetail.bcndp.ca/">Read More</a>

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