Liberal Party.

[NAB]

Jeesh, just the guy they need (with all HST baggage attached to his name and image) to continue helping lead the next Liberal election campaign LOL.. If the Liberals had a clue they would immediately remove him from any involvement at all... with him there it would be like having "remember the HST" in a big red circle with a bar through it stamped on every Liberal campaign sign and advertisement.

Colin Hansen has become the latest Liberal cabinet minister to announce he won’t seeking re-election.

Hansen said in a statement Friday morning that, “with very mixed emotions,” he will not run for re-election in the Vancouver-Quilchena riding he has held since 1996.

“It has been an honour to serve as their MLA and I am sure they will be well served by whoever they elect to succeed me,” Hansen said.

He did not give a reason for leaving, but said he would be deputy campaign manager for the Liberals in the 2013 election and will continue to serve as MLA for the duration of his term.

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Liberal ... story.html

Edit to add: And now from the G&M at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/bri ... le4558881/

Mr. Hansen offered no specific reasons for his departure, but took responsibility for the flawed rolling out of a harmonized sales tax for B.C. that rocked the Liberals and forced the departure of former premier Gordon Campbell.

“We did not do an adequate job in how decisions were made and how they were implemented and, as the Minister of Finance at the time, I take the responsibility for that,” he said.

“Many became convinced that we had planned the HST from before the election and that we had explicitly promised during the election that it would not be introduced. Neither of these perceptions is true and I accept responsibility for not being able to correct the public perception.”

>>>>>>>
Mr. Hansen will be leaving one of the Liberals’ safest seats. He won the riding with 70 per cent of the vote in 2009.

Now one wonders who the good folk of Vancouver-Quilchena riding are going to look to to further their "interests" next time.

(map of the riding here: http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/map/red ... VNQ_ED.pdf)

Hansen left cabinet about 18 months ago after serving 10 years on the front benches in portfolios ranging from health to finance and the minister responsible for the 2010 Olympics.

Edit to add: Seems to me the "right wing" conservative, socred, reform section of the BC Liberal Party "coalition" is turning into a major lost cause. Who is left in that section besides old Ralph Sultan? Even he stands a good chance of getting turfed by the voters in his riding next election.

[maple leaf]

Some people will say anything to get elected.How can anyone take Christy Clark or John Martin seriously,they both will say anything to get elected.Then once elected then what?



Twelve John Martin Quotes to Haunt Premier Clark
The new BC Liberal, defector from BC Cons, on scrapping health care and 'junk science' behind climate change.
By Andrew MacLeod, Yesterday, TheTyee.ca



'We all say things when we are trying to get elected,' Premier Clark responded to reporter questions about Martin's past attacks.




When John Martin joined the British Columbia Liberals and announced on Sept. 21 that he hopes to represent the party in Chilliwack in the next provincial election, it didn't take long for reporters and political researchers to start circulating some of his juicier quotes.

Martin, a criminology professor at the University of the Fraser Valley, can turn a phrase. He put that skill to work as a candidate for the BC Conservative Party in Chilliwack-Hope, when he regularly skewered Premier Christy Clark and the BC Liberal government on his way to a third place finish in a race won by the NDP's Gwen O'Mahony.

And before that campaign, Martin put his views on the public record in hundreds of columns for The Vancouver Province, The Chilliwack Times, The Abbotsford Times and other newspapers. They included attacks on the BC Liberals' drunk driving laws, a call to kill healthcare and scepticism about climate change.

While those views might have fit with a right-wing populist movement like the Conservatives, they're more likely to make some of the more liberal among his new Liberal colleagues squirm.

Following are 12 John Martin quotes to haunt Christy Clark:

1. Not even the most devoted Liberal supporter could argue with a straight face that this government has earned a fourth mandate. Theirs is a legacy of deceit, incompetence, and financial mismanagement. (CKNW, March 28, 2012, via NDP)



2. Any talk of a complete reformation of health care is completely off the table. If it were a car, you'd scrap it in a heartbeat. If it were a dog, you'd take it for that one last drive to the vet. (Chilliwack Times, Aug. 3, 2011)

3. To put it bluntly, boys are getting shafted ... In the '70s, there was concern that girls were less successful than boys in school. Since then, there has been a deliberate feminizing of public education, and boys have lost out big time. Boys are being taught that masculinity is an antisocial trait that must be extinguished. (The Province, Sept. 5, 2007)

4. The Premier [Christy Clark] decided after the Stanley Cup riots to get some photo ops out of this and make this a big priority and push for cameras. You know, they're basically turning it into a show trial. (CKNW, Jan 26, 2012, via NDP)

5. Many are completely fed up with the reckless hysteria and junk science the climate change thesis is founded on. (The Province, Sept. 17, 2008)

6. Now that much of the science behind climate change has been successfully challenged and in some cases, exposed as out and out fraud, die- hard supporters increasingly equate those who don't bow down for Al Gore and David Suzuki to Holocaust deniers. (Maple Ridge Times, Nov. 19, 2010)

7. Trampling on due process, the rule of law and people's civil liberties is apparently quite acceptable -- so long as we're going after impaired drivers and impaired drivers only. I hope people understand that this legislation represents the most draconian and intrusive government initiative in more than half a century. (Maple Ridge Times, Oct. 8, 2010)

8. Your rights, supposedly guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, are as of now null and void, with respect to suspected impaired driving. The police no longer need establish reasonable and probable grounds. On a whim, a hunch, or a grudge, they can pull over whomever they please and needn't worry about defending those actions in court. Essentially; they can now charge, convict and pass sentence on the spot. (Ibid.)


9. I always strive to be careful with hyperbole, but without a hint of exaggeration, this law has "police state" written all over it... To simply bypass the Criminal Code and give police absolute unlimited and unaccountable authority to run roughshod over people's rights is outrageous. (Ibid.)

10. The CBC is... irrelevant in the digital age and contributes virtually nothing that is not already accessible elsewhere... No one watches it and its homegrown programming, for the most part, is pathetic. (Chilliwack Times, Aug. 3, 2011)

11. Any person of any age living with their parents, except in health care circumstances, of course, should be prohibited from having a vote at all. It used to be a person became an adult at no later than 19 and made his own way in the world. Now we have 35-year-olds living with their moms and not feeling the least bit ashamed about it. (Maple Ridge Times, Dec. 31, 2010)

12. Everything costs more under this Liberal government. Medical premiums, ICBC, BC Hydro, Carbon Tax, Gas Tax. The list goes on and on. It just doesn't end. The only people getting ahead in Christy Clark's British Columbia are cronies, insiders and lobbyists. (Conservative press release, January 25, 2012)

Finally one last quote, but this one's not from Martin. Instead it's what BC Conservative Party Leader John Cummins had to say in a prepared statement about the departure: "With regards to John Martin, who took our party to a third-place finish in last year's Chilliwack-Hope byelection, we wish him well in the future."

When reporters Justine Hunter at the Globe and Mail and Sean Leslie at CKNW asked Clark about Martin's past attacks, she said, "We all say things when we are trying to get elected."

With files from Robyn Smith.

[NAB]

When reporters Justine Hunter at the Globe and Mail and Sean Leslie at CKNW asked Clark about Martin's past attacks, she said, "We all say things when we are trying to get elected."

I'm sure that in Martin's case that comment by a premier gives the folk of Chilliwack-Hope some comfort in potentially voting for him. In fact, the entire electorate of BC should take major note of it, especially those who push for the various parties to present their platform, recognizing that such things are just saying "things when (they) are trying to get elected" - ...and so easily forgiven and forgotten by our premier(s) when the election games are over it seems...

Nab

[flamingfingers]

What next??!!

BREAKING: Premier names new Chief of Staff
VANCOUVER/CKNW (AM980)

9/24/2012
There is another shake-up in Premier Christy Clark's inner circle.

She's announcing a new Chief of Staff.

The following email is from the Premier's office.
STATEMENT
For Immediate Release
2012PREM0116-001409
Sept. 24, 2012
Office of the Premier

Premier's Statement/Media Advisory
New Chief of Staff Announced

VANCOUVER - Premier Christy Clark issued the following statement today:
"Effective immediately, Dan Doyle will serve as Chief of Staff in the Premier's
Office.

"A career public servant who helped build British Columbia's infrastructure, Dan
also played a key role in making the 2010 Olympic Winter Games a success and has
served as the chair of BC Hydro.

"Earlier this month, the Premier's office was made aware of an incident of
concern. Since that time, a review has been undertaken that adhered to the
processes set down by the B.C. Public Service Agency. Having considered this
review, I accepted the resignation of the Chief of Staff. That letter of
resignation is attached.

"As per British Columbia's privacy laws, no more details can be provided."

Sept. 23, 2012
Premier:
Earlier this month I was involved in an incident where I acted inappropriately.

I was wrong, regretted my behaviour very much and immediately and
unconditionally apologized.

Notwithstanding my genuine apology and sense of regret, and following my meeting
with you earlier today I tender my letter of resignation as your Chief of Staff
effective immediately.

This will give me a chance to return to Calgary to be with my family - who I
have also let down - and from whom I have been separated on a weekly basis for
most of the last eight months.

I have been very proud to be at your side and proud of what I helped the team
accomplish. Nothing should stand in the way of your successful leadership and
the accomplishments of your government in creating jobs and making family life
affordable.

I wish you the very best.
Sincerely,
Ken Boessenkool

http://www.cknw.com/news/vancouver/stor ... ID=1779189

[Logitack]

Ken Boessenkool wrote:
Earlier this month I was involved in an incident where I acted inappropriately.

I wonder why Boessenkool did that was inappropriate? makes one go hmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Nebula]

What did he do that was inappropriate?

Let's just say that the media is 'groping' for an answer to that right now.

[flamingfingers]

....maybe he gave Pammy a wild goose?

[flamingfingers]

Seems like Neb has "grabbed" the essence of the story.....

[NAB]

The full story will come out (or be dug out) eventually. Parts of it appear to be emerging already.

Nab

[steven lloyd]

What next??!!

I have been very proud to be at your side and proud of what I helped the team
accomplish. Nothing should stand in the way of your successful leadership and
the accomplishments of your government in creating jobs and making family life
affordable.

I wish you the very best.
Sincerely,
Ken Boessenkool

http://www.cknw.com/news/vancouver/stor ... ID=1779189

Successful leadership ?!?!? Making family life affordable ?!?!?
I think we need to start drug-testing these guys !!!

[flamingfingers]

^^ When you have a veritable gun to your head... and to paraphrase "you will say things that will get you elected" (and not killed off) politically speaking of course.

Just wonder if Chrispie didn't actually ask him to check and see if 'they could crush a beer can' (Manswers j/k) from Chrispie's open mouth show at CKNW.

[Nebula]

Now, now, flaming. You're 'grasping' at straws. Don't make Christy the 'butt' of all your jokes.

P.S. You must be loving this.

[flamingfingers]

^^ What is there to love about this clown show, Neb? It actually saddens me that a person of my gender can do so much harm to a whole province through her insatiable need for power. And she has no concept of morals, integrity or honesty and is actually allowing herself to be used by backroom power brokers.

Sad and pathetic is what she and her Christy Liberals are. All of them. Including the backroom power brokers.

[steven lloyd]

This is comedy - and the BC electorate is the butt of the joke.

[Logitack]

well, you know what they say... you get what you deserve