Liberal Party.

[Gone_Fishin]

At least we're training some now. The NDP trained none in the 10 years they had to do something about it.

[flamingfingers]

^^ In the 1990s BC was not the only province to slash medical programs for doctors... other provinces did exactly the same, all because a report by 2 'health economists' said there would be a glut of doctors. Turned out to be a false prediction... so much for what 'economists' know, eh?

While it is perhaps laudable to be training our own doctors here in BC it is a costly measure and takes 10 years to really see any results, if in fact any of these 'BC trained doctors' decide to even stay here, or will agree to service rural practices, which are typically brutal in regards to working ridiculously long hours with not a lot of qualified technical support or facilities. No wonder they will opt to work in cities where there are facilities commensurate with their advanced training or move to another province, part of the world where their remuneration is better.

It is much more cost effective to open up funding for residencies for foreign trained doctors (2 years turnaround time). My own doctor is from South Africa and was lucky to get a residency. He is an absolute gem and I am happy he was one of the fortunate ones.

The youngest qualified GP I knew was 27 when he joined the clinic I worked in. He was a pilot as well and went on to film in Australia's "Flying Doctor' series. BC boy. But he was an exception and had parents who were 'quite well off'...

[Urbane]

^^ In the 1990s BC was not the only province to slash medical programs for doctors... other provinces did exactly the same, all because a report by 2 'health economists' said there would be a glut of doctors. Turned out to be a false prediction... so much for what 'economists' know, eh?

While it is perhaps laudable to be training our own doctors here in BC it is a costly measure and takes 10 years to really see any results, if in fact any of these 'BC trained doctors' decide to even stay here, or will agree to service rural practices, which are typically brutal in regards to working ridiculously long hours with not a lot of qualified technical support or facilities. No wonder they will opt to work in cities where there are facilities commensurate with their advanced training or move to another province, part of the world where their remuneration is better.

It is much more cost effective to open up funding for residencies for foreign trained doctors (2 years turnaround time). My own doctor is from South Africa and was lucky to get a residency. He is an absolute gem and I am happy he was one of the fortunate ones.

That's quite a defence of the NDP's slashing medical programs for doctors. Other provinces were stupid and short-sighted too so that excuses the NDP in BC. Good grief!

And since you don't seem thrilled about the idea of us in BC training our own doctors where should perspective medical students who live here go to study? Some other province? Some other country? And imagine relying only on foreign doctors and not training our own. Well, I guess you are imagining that scenario and you like it. Again, good grief! Double good grief!! We need to train our own doctors and we need to recruit doctors from elsewhere. Period.

[flamingfingers]

We need to train our own doctors and we need to recruit doctors from elsewhere

Yes, yes we do. And it is prospective doctors.. who can go to study elswhere.. Like the son of one of the Liberal's MLAs does:

http://thetyee.ca/News/2012/04/10/Stilw ... ining-Son/

[Urbane]

Yes, yes we do. And it is prospective doctors.. who can go to study elswhere.. Like the son of one of the Liberal's MLAs does:

http://thetyee.ca/News/2012/04/10/Stilw ... ining-Son/

"Yes, yes . . ." isn't the best form and after "..." you don't want the capital L on like. Glad we can help each other with typos and interesting to know that the rules on these forums about correcting such things have changed.

I guess your argument is that since Moira Stillwell has a son studying medicine elsewhere we don't need any medical schools in BC. That's about all I get from your link. I don't agree with you though. We shouldn't be forcing BC students to study medicine here but we should provide the opportunity. It's good for the students and good for our health care system. You'll like the NDP for sure when it comes to such things because they didn't open up new medical schools. Instead, they closed seats in our existing medical schools. Perhaps you can look forward to more of the same!

[flamingfingers]

Instead, they closed seats in our existing medical schools.

Asked and answered.

[Urbane]

Asked and answered.

Yes, your position is that the NDP government made a blunder but some other governments made the same blunder. Got it.

ETA: I was just thinking that you can send you idea along to Adrian Dix. He might like it. "Yes, we screwed up and made blunders the last time we governed but other governments screwed up and blundered too. So vote for us!"

[NAB]

""Pollsters have scary news for Christy Clark

A couple of numbers in a pair of recent opinion polls should be giving Christy Clark’s Liberals some pre-election nightmares right about now.

No, it’s not the number 16 (percentage points separating the trailing Libs from the leading NDP) or even 31 per cent (Clark’s lowly job-approval rating as premier.)

The scariest stat for the Liberals may be the number of B.C. voters who agree with the statement: "It’s time for a change of government in British Columbia"— 59 per cent.

In contrast, just 24 per cent of voters told pollster Angus Reid that it’s not time for a change and Clark should be re-elected.

This is disturbing news for the Liberals, coming as it does after the government tabled a balanced budget and promised a multibillion-dollar prosperity fund in the recent throne speech. With so many voters still determined to throw them out of office any way, it appears there’s little the Liberals can promise at this point to save their skins.

Not that they could promise much any way. The government had already decided against trying to spend its way to re-election.

To achieve the balanced budget, the government raised taxes, sold public assets and choked off spending across most ministries. There’s no money left to buy voters’ support with campaign promises of new program spending or tax cuts.

It seems many voters have simply decided it’s time for a change, and that can be an extremely powerful force in any election.

It’s why Adrian Dix has promised to repeat the NDP’s campaign slogan at every opportunity: Change for the Better.

The Liberals will counter by trying to increase public fear about how an NDP government would drive the province into the red with
deficit budgets.

But that’s where the other scary polling number comes in for the Liberals, this one courtesy of Ipsos Reid.

The pollster asked voters their opinion of the Liberals’ balanced budget and only 12 per cent said they believed the books are really balanced.

An astonishing 72 per cent said they think the books are cooked and the balanced budget is actually a deficit.

The bottom line: When more than half of voters want a change of government, that’s a big problem for the Liberals.

But when more than two-thirds also think the Liberals are lying about their central re-election pitch, that’s a portent of doom.

Up next for the Liberals: Taxpayer-financed TV commercials bragging about a budget many believe is fudged.

Good luck with that.""


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

[Smurf]

Urbane wrote recently in another thread:

"Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it." Just ignoring what happened last time would be a big mistake. And just remember that these guys have been yelling about "chronic underfunding" ever since they left office so expect big deficits and higher taxes if the NDP are elected.

Taking that advice anyone taking into consideratin the last 12 years under the Liberals would have to be brain dead to believe their claim to a balanced budget and probably to even believe most of what they say.

[Urbane]

Taking that advice anyone taking into consideratin the last 12 years under the Liberals would have to be brain dead to believe their claim to a balanced budget and probably to even believe most of what they say.

I take everything that politicians say with a grain of salt regardless of which party they represent. And I've been very critical of the Liberals on here even going so far as to say that they don't deserve to be reelected. Sadly, many of the NDP'ers on here are so blinded by their hatred of the Liberals that they excuse Dix and his team for every ethical lapse and every ridiculous spending demand while simultaneously accusing others of having their heads in the sand. Hilarious and ironic of course.

[Smurf]

Is it anymore hillarious than ignoring the last 12 years and thinking of re-electing the Liberals. They have been given enough chances to change their ways. It is time they get the message and apparently the only way is to throw them out as it seem it will be the only way the message will get through.

[Logitack]

yeah cuz the liberal sheeple ignore, deflect, and lie when transgression committed by liberals are highlighted.

on a side note, what about pat bell and two liberal backers are charging him with not following through on alleged commitments made by him on the Wood invonation and design center in prince george.

Prince George businessmen Dan MacLaren and Brian Fehr that Bell had promised that they would benefit from a land deal surrounding the project.
http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/arti ... llegations

Bell and the government are accused of promising to influence what was supposed to be an independent bid process in favour of two developers with ties to the B.C. Liberal party.

The allegations are contained in a written complaint filed last November by two Prince George businessmen and submitted to Jane Shackell, the lawyer charged with overseeing the fairness of the bid process.

In the complaint, Dan McLaren and Brian Fehr detail their concerns about "breached protocols, broken promises and misrepresentation" by Bell and the government.

McLaren and Fehr allege that in May 2012, government representatives met with them and assured them they would be short-listed for the project if the land needed to build the development was purchased ahead of time.

coincidence that Bell announced he would not seek re-election because of "medical issues"?

what is hilarious is liberal supporters and financial backers, so used to buying liberal favors, are screaming foul when they do not get what was allegedly promised to them by Bell.

Elections BC records show that Fehr or his company have donated $123,000 to the B.C. Liberals since 2006.

The records also show McLaren has donated more than $2,100 to the BC Liberals over the past eight years and in 2001, he vied against Bell for the Liberal nomination in his Prince George riding.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c ... laint.html

[Urbane]

Is it anymore hillarious than ignoring the last 12 years and thinking of re-electing the Liberals. They have been given enough chances to change their ways. It is time they get the message and apparently the only way is to throw them out as it seem it will be the only way the message will get through.

What is your opinion about UNBC, UBCO, the new cardiac unit at KGH and the other expansion there, the refurbishing of Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, the expansion to Vernon Jubilee Hospital, the new medical school in Kelowna, and the Bennett Bridge? When I've asked other NDP posters in the past I have gotten responses like "It doesn't matter because the Liberals are all crooks" or "The NDP would have done all that as well" or "Who cares?" etc etc. The hatred against the Liberals is so great from some that they can't recognize what seems obvious to me, i.e. that those things are terrific accomplishments. You seem more reasonable than some of your anti-Liberal compatriots so I'm wondering if you at least do give the Liberals credit for those things.

[sooperphreek]

they have to take credit for all the bad things too. you know....like all the ones you guys wont let go of from the 90's. you cant have it just the one way. the street is a 2 way street.

[Logitack]

what class this liberal "moron", "scum" and "idiot" has displayed....repeatedly. and liberals back this guy?

Kevin Krueger blasts the BC Conservatives in an email
CKNW/VANCOUVER (AM980)
Shane Woodford | Email news tips to [email protected]
2/26/2013

The bombastic MLA for Kamloops South is again firing from the lip this time taking aim at the BC Conservative party.
In an email Kevin Krueger blasts the BC Tories and its leader John Cummins for a news release they issued today asking for Jobs Minister Pat Bell to be suspended.
The email in its entirety is below;
-------
From: Krueger.MLA, Kevin <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 4:01 PM
Subject: The Honourable Pat Bell
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>, "Krueger.MLA, Kevin" <[email protected]>


Attention: B.C. Cons:

Mr. Cummins, and everybody involved in this news release, are “Unmitigated” MORONS to have published such crap as this.

Pat Bell is beloved in Prince George, for good reason. There is not ONE of you scum worthy to tie his shoes – nor tall enough.

You have just blown whatever support you might have hoped to muster in Prince George, and many other places.

What idiots you are.

Kevin Krueger, MLA
---------
- See more at: http://www.cknw.com/news/vancouver/stor ... xDdAD.dpuf