Countdown to Provincial election

[fluffy]

So rather than vote for a government you don't like, you will vote for a government you don't like?

BC has the lowest unemployment rate in the country and boasts the second highest household income, hardly what I'd call underrated. The NDP are waiting in the wings with a shopping bag full of social programs and are opposing Site C and the Transmountain expansion. The math is undeniable.

Yes, it bothers me that BC voters are once again being asked to choose the lesser of multiple "evils", but I see little wisdom in voting out a government for emotional reasons when there are serious questions about the people that will replace them.

[Urbane]

So rather than vote for a government you don't like, you will vote for a government you don't like?

BC has the lowest unemployment rate in the country and boasts the second highest household income, hardly what I'd call underrated. The NDP are waiting in the wings with a shopping bag full of social programs and are opposing Site C and the Transmountain expansion. The math is undeniable.

Yes, it bothers me that BC voters are once again being asked to choose the lesser of multiple "evils", but I see little wisdom in voting out a government for emotional reasons when there are serious questions about the people that will replace them.

Agreed. Elections are almost always about the economy and not about scandals, mini-scandals, or faux-scandals. Keith Baldrey pointed out, in a tweet that I posted the other day, that BC elections aren't decided by scandals (and he provided lots of examples) but the NDP hasn't learned that lesson. And right you are that the NDP is sitting there with a bag full of social programs to enact while planning to say no to the very things that would help pay for those programs. As you say, the math is undeniable.

[Rwede]

BTW: Carole James is MLA in my riding and will get my vote unless a brilliant and dedicated Independent crops up to attract my attention - someone with the integrity and morals similar to Vicky Huntington - but that would be pretty unlikely!!

You'd be voting NDP even if Donald Trump were your local NDP candidate.

Of that, there is NO doubt.

The NDP counts on lifers to keep sending the usual suspects to the BC Leg each election. They simply can't BS enough of the rest of the electorate into supporting their destructive ways, and for that, we can be very thankful.

Time to fold the NDP and give us an electable alternative to the Christy Liberals. Vote for anyone but NDP and relegate them to history, so we can oust the NDP threat from BC and give us someone else to support in 2021.

[mr.bandaid]

For me it has always been about trust. I don't even know who the NDP is running in my riding but I do know that the Lieberals are running Ms. Clark. Forget about what happens provincially, that is not my concern. I would vote for a house plant before I would vote for Ms. Clark, you just can't trust her.

[twobits]

For me it has always been about trust. I don't even know who the NDP is running in my riding but I do know that the Lieberals are running Ms. Clark. Forget about what happens provincially, that is not my concern. I would vote for a house plant before I would vote for Ms. Clark, you just can't trust her.

I would love to see a houseplant run in your riding. It would make the NDP third in votes.

[flamingfingers]

The ChristyLiberals are not even running a house plant in my riding!!

[mr.bandaid]

I would love to see a houseplant run in your riding. It would make the NDP third in votes.

Well you're right, that would make the NDP third (maybe forth if the Greens have a person running in this riding). The trouble with the Okanagan is you could literally run a house plant as the liberal candidate and people here would vote it in. Christy simply can not be trusted and needs to go.

[jayro]

HAHAHA....... Now Christy decides its time to pay us back and she even admitted that her government is taking in too many taxes......after doubling the deficit too by the way . Next she'll brag about how much they are doing for education after the supreme court ruled against her and found her in the wrong for 12 years. Those are the facts she will just never admit it.

[mr.bandaid]

HAHAHA....... Now Christy decides its time to pay us back and she even admitted that her government is taking in too many taxes......after doubling the deficit too by the way . Next she'll brag about how much they are doing for education after the supreme court ruled against her and found her in the wrong for 12 years. Those are the facts she will just never admit it.

But, but but, she didn't raise taxes she raised the price of everything else connected to government...ICBC Hydro MSP....ect...

[XT225]

HAHAHA....... Now Christy decides its time to pay us back and she even admitted that her government is taking in too many taxes......after doubling the deficit too by the way . Next she'll brag about how much they are doing for education after the supreme court ruled against her and found her in the wrong for 12 years. Those are the facts she will just never admit it.

Perhaps the Govt should keep whatever pittance they plan to give us (its nothing but a pre-election bribe, anyways) and keep it for the next time they say that they have to close our schools!

[jimsenchuk]

Total provincial debt was around $45.2 billion when Clark took office in 2011 and has swollen to $65.3 billion, according to the quarterly report. It is projected to hit $71.9 billion in 2019.

https://thetyee.ca/News/2016/09/21/Chri ... ebt-Binge/

[Urbane]

Total provincial debt was around $45.2 billion when Clark took office in 2011 and has swollen to $65.3 billion, according to the quarterly report. It is projected to hit $71.9 billion in 2019.

The debt as a percentage of the GDP has gone down, which is good, but the debt is still growing. Every province has debt, and of course there's the federal debt, but that doesn't make it okay. We can hold the government to account, rightfully so, but you know who else is to blame? We are. The special interest groups are always demanding that the government spend more money on this program or that program and quite often the public buys into it.

Do they want to pay for the increases though? No way. We complain about any increase to the MSP, or even about the MSP itself, and people are constantly complaining about the government "nickel and diming us." So yeah, blame the government. Fair enough. But let's all look in the mirror as well and be honest about this debt.

[Merry]

I'll be "holding my nose" and voting Liberal, because I'm concerned the NDP is catering too much to the "ideologues" who have great sounding plans but no clue as to the ramifications of implementing those plans. The bottom line is if we want to have better healthcare, good winter road maintenance and the like, we have to be able to pay for it. And, like it or not, that means we have to accept a certain level of industry to generate the taxes the Government needs. It's a nice idea to be able to say no to all new development, and live in one great big beautiful park, but unless we all go back to being "hunter gatherers" it ain't going to happen.

That said, I wish the Liberals would stop catering so much to big business, to the exclusion of ordinary folks best interests. Case in point, we had not one but TWO sawmills blow up on their watch, and to the best of my knowledge nobody was prosecuted. We also had the largest mining dam collapse in Canadian mining history, and again no-one was prosecuted.

Both of these incidents could have been avoided with better Government oversight prior to the occurrence. But, even after they happened, the actions taken were lacking in that nobody was held accountable.

I believe in encouraging industry to come to BC, but I don't believe in giving them a "free ride" when it comes to safety and protecting the environment.

[flamingfingers]

Merry wrote:

That said, I wish the Liberals would stop catering so much to big business, to the exclusion of ordinary folks best interests. Case in point, we had not one but TWO sawmills blow up on their watch, and to the best of my knowledge nobody was prosecuted. We also had the largest mining dam collapse in Canadian mining history, and again no-one was prosecuted.

Both of these incidents could have been avoided with better Government oversight prior to the occurrence. But, even after they happened, the actions taken were lacking in that nobody was held accountable.

I believe in encouraging industry to come to BC, but I don't believe in giving them a "free ride" when it comes to safety and protecting the environment.

So you will give them a mandate to keep on doing what they have been doing - your 'wish' notwithstanding.

[Urbane]

Some people on here seem to think that the big issues during the upcoming provincial election campaign will centre around Christy Clark. Christy Clark promised big things for LNG but they haven't happened yet, Christy Clark accused the NDP of hacking but then apologized, Christy Clark takes corporate donations, and in general Christy Clark is incompetent. Other people think that the economy and jobs will be the big issues and Site C and pipelines will be at the forefront. History suggests that the economic issues will be the key ones but will this election be the exception? What do you think?