With the BC provincial election only a
couple weeks away, we know that you are left with a big decision. With so many
parties vying for your affection, it is difficult to get the facts straight.
So, FairJAKE is profiling the main
contenders for the political crown. So far we have looked at the BC Liberals,
the BCNDP and the BC Greens. This week we are presenting the BC Conservatives.
Are we saving the best for last? You decide!
BC Conservatives
Leader: John
Cummins, former federal politician, former fisherman and former teacher.
Key Issues:
·
Repeal of
the Carbon Tax and increase in funding for Justice programs.
·
Trying to
keep BC workers in BC by providing good wages, rather than losing them to
neighbouring provinces. Support for agriculture workers, farmers and fishermen.
·
Sees the
Northern Gateway Pipeline as providing more benefit than harm.
Paula Abdul would say:
With
Alberta right beside us, so many skilled workers, especially youth, are going
there to work. John has been spending time in BC’s often forgotten Northern and
rural communities. They need attention; there is more to BC than just the lower
mainland. They believe that most new immigrants feed into larger urban spaces,
leaving rural communities without a labour force. This, coupled with skilled
workers leaving the province, causes for a major problem in finding qualified
workers in rural areas. This is what the Conservatives want to address with
their politics. Can’t get any more tangible than that.
Simon Cowell would say:
I’m
sorry. The BC Conservatives want the Northern Gateway Pipeline? Clearly they
aren’t listening to the majority of people in BC. They lose. End of discussion.
Yikes! The BC Conservatives appear to be
tone deaf to the major concerns of British Columbians!
Remember, provincial parties and federal
parties are different even though they may have similar names. The BC Liberals
have different platforms and priorities than the Canadian Liberal Party, as do
the BC Conservatives from their national counterpart.
Although I have profiled four parties in
this exposé, there are many, many more parties to vote for. Check out this link
to find out which party suits your values best:
Not all parties are in each area of the province.
Make sure you know what is available in your riding. This is easy… just take a
walk around your neighbourhood and read the election signs.
Some political candidates run without a
party too. These are called independents.
There are definitely benefits to voting for an independent. Independent MLAs do
not have to follow party lines and can vote for what they think will be best
for their community. However, they have less power to be effective in
parliamentary decision making.
Make your decision on May 14 count! Do your
research, learn about the parties, the candidates and your community.
-Lisa
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