I’m glad you stayed with me past that
American Idol pun. Let’s continue our election saga. To begin, this is how government
in Canada works in a nutshell:
Canada is a federal system. This means that we have two levels of government
(Provincial and Federal) that have different responsibilities (aka division of
powers).
Provincial governments are in charge of
things like education, health care and driving regulations. This is why rules
about driving licences vary between provinces. Right now, the head of the BC
provincial government is Premier Christy Clark. The federal (national)
government is responsible for things like foreign relations, trade and
Aboriginal affairs. The head of the federal government is Prime Minster Stephen
Harper.
All Canadians have a Member
of Legislative Assembly (MLA), who represents their area to the
provincial government, and a Member of Parliament (MP), who represents
their area to the federal government. Areas (called ridings or constituencies)
are determined by population. The MLAs’ and MPs’ jobs are to take your concerns
to government, represent your interests in debates and provide support services,
like help with immigration and taxes. These officials are usually elected every
four years.
Election candidates represent a political
party. Whichever party has the most representatives in parliament wins; they
get control of the government and their leader becomes PM or Premier. Each
party has a platform, which explains what they believe in. We are coming to a BC
election (May 14!), so I will be
talking about the BC political parties. This is an important distinction
because sometimes provincial and federal parties have the same names but are
actually very different. For example, the BC Liberals are actually closer in
platform to the federal Conservative party, than they are to the federal
Liberals.
Over the next couple of weeks I am going to
present the main BC political parties. I know that I am risking sounding too
much like a Social Studies teacher and at this point you might be zoning out.
So, in an attempt to remain interesting, and building on last week’s American
Idol theme, I’m going to describe each party very briefly, then do a “judges’
opinion” in vintage Idol style.
This week we’ll start with the BC Liberals
because they are the defending champions.
BC
Liberals
Leader:
Christy Clark (current Premier of BC), career
politician, former columnist and radio host.
Key
Issues:
- Believes in promoting the
private sector (dedicated to job creation, supporting small businesses and
promoting BC trade, particularly to Asia.
- Families first philosophy
(strong health care system, keeping commitments to seniors, fighting crime and strengthening
public education)
- Open government (being
transparent, using social media and open town hall style meetings)
Paula
Abdul would say:
On
the books, the BC Liberals have a solid record with the economy and most people
have faith in their abilities to create jobs and manage public resources. The
BC Liberals are experienced, optimistic and dedicated to strengthening our
economy. As I’ve heard some people say, “I’m not totally happy with Christy and
the BC Liberals, but what’s the alternative?” Can’t get a better endorsement
than that!
Simon
Cowell would say:
First
of all, there are too many attack ads from the BC Liberals. Talk about your own
platform, stop spending time criticizing other parties. Besides, those in glass
houses shouldn’t throw stones. This party has been plagued with scandal: MLAs
resigning, officials facing criminal charges and leaked documents with plans to
spend tax payers’ money to recruit the “ethnic vote”. Plus, there have been too
many administrative problems costing too much money; most recently the
implementation of HST and the costly and time-consuming return to PST/GST.
Sounds like the BC Liberals should be
spending more time singing and less time flirting with
the voters. Some talent here, but it comes with lots of drama. -
Lisa
