[LabComm] BC NDP Connection Newsletter

[BC NDP Newswire]

BC NDP Connection Newsletter



<h3>Allegations surface about inside knowledge of investigation</h3>
It's no longer just the New Democrats looking for answers from the Campbell Liberals. Now, a B.C. Supreme Court judge is asking questions.

Madam Justice Elizabeth Bennett, presiding over the trial of former B.C. Liberal insiders David Basi and Bob Virk, asked the provincial government this week about the former Solicitor General's role in the investigation.

Allegations surfaced that two former cabinet ministers were given advanced knowledge of the investigation by then Solicitor General Rich Coleman, who now fills the Forest Minister's role.

NDP Leader Carole James brought the issue up in Question Period this week.

"Last week we heard more startling allegations about the B.C. Rail investigation. Allegedly, the RCMP delayed interviewing two key players in the scandal, former Ministers Gary Collins and Judith Reid, at the request of the former Solicitor General," James said in the Legislature. "According to RCMP documents read in court, the government was concerned that two B.C. Liberal cabinet ministers could expose cabinet confidences.  My question is to the current Solicitor General. Can he explain why cabinet confidence would ever trump a criminal investigation?"

True to form, the Campbell Liberals refused to answer the question.

<h3>Government continues to hide true cost of the Olympics</h3>
After two years of delays, the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee finally released its business plan this week.

Unfortunately, British Columbians who were expecting a complete picture to emerge from the plan were disappointed.

The plan still doesn't divulge just how much British Columbia's taxpayers will be shelling out to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. New Democrat MLA Harry Bains says that's disappointing.

"After two years of waiting, we had reasonable hopes that the business plan would be complete and shed some light on the full picture," said Bains, the NDP Critic for the Olympics.

"Instead, we got the same thing we've been getting for the past two years -- only part of the story."

What makes things worse, Bains said, is that the information released this week doesn't match that which came out in the auditor general's reports released earlier. Combined with the secrecy that surrounds VANOC -- the Opposition has been pressing for the release of meeting minutes to no avail -- and there is a real worry that British Columbians could be in for a shock sometime in the next three years.

"All British Columbians want a successful Olympics," said Bains, the NDP MLA for Surrey-Newton. "But that doesn't mean we write a blank cheque. British Columbians are ultimately responsible for any cost overruns, so it's important that we be very diligent in examining the plans."

The Campbell government's attitude seems to be "trust us," said Bains. "Look where that got us with the Trade and Convention Centre expansion. The cost overruns are $400 million and counting, with no end in sight.

"These Olympics are going to cost the people of British Columbia more than $2 billion. We need to see some accountability, and that's sorely lacking from the Campbell government."

<h3>Gasoline price rises again: Campbell government refuses to act</h3>
Gas prices rose in British Columbia again this week, but the Gordon Campbell government refuses to take any steps to protect B.C. consumers.

The Campbell Liberals this week spoke out against two New Democrat-sponsored initiatives to address the rising cost of gasoline.

"Everyone knows we're getting gouged at the pumps," said NDP Leader Carole James, "yet Premier Campbell and his government have abandoned British Columbians. 

"Huge corporations like Chevron and Exxon Mobil are making billions of dollars in profits at the expense of ordinary consumers. Gordon Campbell won't take any steps to protect consumers because those corporations are his friends."

NDP Energy Critic John Horgan introduced Private Member's Bill to regulate gasoline prices in the same way that natural gas and electricity rates are regulated. The bill came up for second reading in the Legislature this week.

Several NDP MLAs -- including Adrian Dix (Vancouver-Kingsway), Mike Farnworth (Port Coquitlam-Burke Mountain), Guy Gentner (Delta-North), Leonard Krog (Nanaimo), Chuck Puchmayr (New Westminster) and Charlie Wyse (Cariboo-South) spoke in favour of the bill, yet speaker after speaker from the government side opposed it.

"The debate brought into sharp focus the differences between New Democrats and Gordon Campbell's team," said James. "My MLAs stood up to protect consumers from the gouging that we all know is going on, but the Campbell team has no interest in helping average British Columbians."

Horgan, the MLA for Malahat-Juan de Fuca, also asked the Attorney General to launch an investigation into why prices have spiked and why they seem to go up, as if by coincidence, just before a long weekend. Small Business Minister Rick Thorpe dismissed the idea out of hand.

"British Columbians can see now that the Gordon Campbell government has no intention to looking out for their interests," said James. "Well, New Democrats will continue to insist that the needs of average families should come first."

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