Liberal Party.

[flamingfingers]

Same reason that if people can't get their own tax return right they hire an accountant, or people hire plumbers since they can't do it good enough, or why people get an investment broker to manage their money.

Thanks for amply proving my point. If I hire an accountant (which I do), an electrician (which I do), or a plumber (which I do) I am PAYING them to work IN MY BEST INTERESTS. Got it?

[maple leaf]

Shocking that the NDP would be openly listening to Labour before an election and finding out what they want.Google NDP talks with Business and there are hundreds of articles on that topic as well.That is what a political party should be doing is listening to both Labour and business .Compared to the liberal government who behind closed doors, listens only to and invites only business for input,and does everything possible to squash and silence labour at every turn.

BC Liberals meeting with BC Business Council December 14 to develop election platform!

BC Liberal Party working with the Business Council of BC to develop its election platform at behind closed doors meeting of top business leaders on December 14

The BC Liberal Party and some media have been in a near-frenzy over the "news" that the BC Federation of Labour is meeting with the New Democratic Party to discuss a labour platform for the 2013 provincial election.

Mike McDonald, BC Liberal Party Campaign Director on Global TV

The document obtained by The Province newspaper was in fact widely circulated at the BC Federation of Labour Convention last week, as President Jim Sinclair pointed out, but no matter - it makes for a great tabloid front page screamer, with BC Liberals like cabinet minister Mary Polak chiming in with shock and outrage.

So let's see if The Province reacts similarly to this news:  I have obtained a document that shows the BC Liberal Party is meeting behind closed doors with the Business Council of BC to develop its own election platform!

And unlike the BC Federation of Labour's Convention, this meeting is not open to the public or media.  Nor do there seem to be plans for the BC Liberals to meet with labour and get its input, even though the NDP is regularly meeting with business as well as unions.

So - big business tycoons will meet in private with the BC Liberal Party's Campaign Director Mike McDonald to hear a "campaign update" and then offer their "policy ideas" to help develop the Liberals' "election platform."


Sounds like a story to me.

Here is the full email I obtained that was sent out by longtime BC Liberal backer Victor Vrsnik - a communications consultant and lobbyist and ex-Canadian Taxpayer Federation staffer with strong ties to business, with personal information removed for privacy reasons, and key parts in bold type added.   

From: Victor Vrsnik
Date: 30 November, 2012  
To: 
Subject: Meeting invite with Mike McDonald, Campaign Director, BC Liberal Party
Dear Xxxxxx,

You are invited to a stakeholder meeting with Mike McDonald, Campaign Director of the BC Liberal Party, on Friday, December 14, 2012, from 10:00AM to 11:00AM at the boardroom of the Business Council of British Columbia (1050 West Pender St., Suite 810).

A renewed Cabinet, combined with seasoned returning MLAs, and an impressive slate of new candidates, the 2013 BC Liberal team is looking strong.

The grassroots of the party are energized from the successful convention in Whistler, and they are stepping up to get the party campaign ready. 

Sold out fundraising dinners have been held around the province, most recently Wednesday night's Resource Dinner in Vancouver that will net a record-breaking total.  Campaign preparations are well under way, but there is still much work to be done.

With the election fast approaching, Mike wanted to provide you, and other industry and business associations, with a Campaign Update and a high level overview of the Party’s plan over the coming months. 

He would like to structure the session so there is plenty of time for discussion and feedback, and also an opportunity for you to offer up policy ideas to feed into the election platform. 

Please RSVP by email xxxxx or by phone xxxxxxx.

Thank you.

Yours,

Victor Vrsnik

-- 
Victor Vrsnik, APR
Principal
SPIRE Public Relations
http://billtieleman.blogspot.ca/2012/12 ... iness.html

[Veovis]

Thanks for amply proving my point. If I hire an accountant (which I do), an electrician (which I do), or a plumber (which I do) I am PAYING them to work IN MY BEST INTERESTS. Got it?

SO you don't bribe your accountant and plumber, you pay them for a service?

Funny how you pay for services and the NDP get Labors "opinion" but the liberals are "bribing" people.

I get you hate them, good for you, but your hobby of having 2 sets of ethics for 2 different parties isn't how I like to view things. I like facts over hatred and emotional outbursts.

[flamingfingers]

NDP get Labors "opinion"

And it costs me the taxpayer zip, nada, nothing. It is an 'opinion' nothing more, nothing less. Dix is also speaking to business groups and listening to their 'opinions' as well. Costs me zip, nada, nothing. And he SHOULD be gathering 'opinions'. That is what I expect any politician needs to do.

liberals are "bribing" people.

I did not say that.. The Liberals are using MY tax dollars to hire a nonessential 'economist' (don't we have a stable of them available already on our payroll?) to attempt to prove legitimacy on a certain portion of the budget. Interesting how O'Neill's $25,000 report (all 19 pages of it at around $5 per word) did not include the aspect of selling off of assets...... Hmm....

[Veovis]

I did not say that.. The Liberals are using MY tax dollars to hire a nonessential 'economist' (don't we have a stable of them available already on our payroll?) to attempt to prove legitimacy on a certain portion of the budget.

Well considering it's was review of an area of the budget that the Liberals have made many past errors, wow what a shock they might be responsible and find out if it was actually reasonable. I think it was far more responsible than "nonessential".

Note how I noted that's what I think, where you state your opinions as facts, and I highly doubt much of that 25,000 were YOUR tax dollars.

[flamingfingers]

I highly doubt much of that 25,000 were YOUR tax dollars.

Picky, picky.. Even if MY share were a portion of $1 it would still represent MY tax dollars that are being spent..wastefully. If all you want to do is fight, please take your fight below the fold.

[Veovis]

I'm simply disagreeing with your opinion. I didn't see harm in a party that had failed in certain aspects to have it double checked. I'm sorry that you feel anyone not agreeing with your assessment means "fighting"

[Gone_Fishin]

And it costs me the taxpayer zip, nada, nothing. It is an 'opinion' nothing more, nothing less. Dix is also speaking to business groups and listening to their 'opinions' as well. Costs me zip, nada, nothing. ....

It will cost the taxpayers billions of dollars to pay for what the BC Federation of Labour wants to do to the labour code. And Dix MUST listen to Sinclair, as Sinclair has bought and paid for Dix's puppet strings. Sinclair's "offer" is one that Dix can't refuse.

[madmudder]

*try again, this time in a civilized manner/Jo*

[Urbane]

Here's some very good news:

B.C. recruits record number of doctors in 2012 from Canada and around the world

The Canadian Press /
February 25, 2013

VICTORIA - Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid says B.C. recruited a record number of doctors last year, and many of them set up practices in rural areas.

She says 268 physicians were drawn to B.C. from across Canada and around the world, a 24 per cent increase over the number recruited in 2011.

Of the new arrivals, 102 doctors will work in rural communities, including 69 in family practice.

In addition to the general practitioners, the new recruits include emergency physicians, psychiatrists, anaesthesiologists, radiologists and pediatricians.

The B.C. government says it's also committed to training more doctors by more than doubling seats for first-year medical students between 2001 and 2014 and expanding the University of B.C.'s medical school to Victoria, Prince George and Kelowna.

© Copyright 2013

[NAB]

From the time an extra seat is created for a fully qualified first year medical student, someone targeting a career as a GP for example, How many years does it take for that individual to reach a position where (s)he can reach a level of financial and qualified technical competence to open their own practice?

Nab

[flamingfingers]

^^

In terms of the initial training period, it can take over 9 years to become a family practice doctor and 12 years or longer to become a specialist or sub-specialist. Before admission, all applicants must have completed at least 90 credits of university level courses. This is followed by 4 years in medical school, and then a minimum of a 2-year residency training in a hospital setting.

More here:

https://www.bcma.org/medical-careers/how-become-doctor

[Urbane]

Yes, it takes a long time. And that's why we're still recovering from the cuts that the NDP made in the late 1990's to the number of seats in medical schools. Credit to this government for taking a two-pronged approach - opening up new spaces and recruiting a record number of new physicians this past year. It's hard to imagine anyone condemning the government for that approach but cue the negative posts . . .

[Veovis]

So by the time they are done residency they likely work for another practice to save money to open or buy-into their own, so another 5 years at least I would imagine. So around 11 years to go from 1st year med school (post university) to maybe opening a practice.

To keep the right amount of doctors is a very long term investment the government must make in it's training programs. Glad to hear it's getting expanded. I would like us to train our own than to have to keep recruiting from everywhere else.

[NAB]

Recruiting from elsewhere is largely a rotating door situation. There are doctor shortages across the country, even out of the country, so my thinking is it just becomes a very expensive bidding war, particularly outside major centres. And yes, while there may be an uptick in doctors recruited, let's not forget, on top of population growth requiring more doctors to service it, there has also been an offsetting uptick in doctors leaving for greener pastures, retiring, selling their practices, or passing away. Plus, even if we create more seats now to fill spaces 10 years down the road, what is being done within the Liberals "investment" to ensure we are not simply training doctors some percentage of whom will choose to leave BC on completion of medical school and serve their practicum and possibly start a practice elsewhere in Canada or the world?

Nab