[mr.x]

http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20081022/237_bc_premier_gord_live_081022.jpg

Campbell expected to deliver significant economic update
All potential spending in B.C. must be re-evaluated amid the global financial storm, premier says

Jonathan Fowlie, With files from Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008

VICTORIA -As Premier Gordon Campbell goes before the province in a prime-time television address this evening, he will give what is expected to be a significant update on the state of B.C.'s economy and of the measures his government will take to weather the global financial storm.

In September, Campbell's government projected it would have more than a $1.7-billion cushion this fiscal year -- comprising both a surplus and a $750-million forecast allowance -- that it could translate into anything from tax cuts to extra spending.

The province has not publicly updated those numbers since the onset of the global financial crisis, however, and sinking commodity prices, shaken consumer confidence and a slowdown in housing sales are likely to have changed the province's financial outlook.

Scheduled for 6:15 p.m., Campbell's planned 15-minute address will be aired live on Hansard television. It was not clear Tuesday whether any major network would carry the broadcast.

In Vancouver on Tuesday, Campbell provided few details of his planned talk, but he did say the province will have to re-evaluate all potential new spending.

"Obviously, if the economy is not growing at three or four per cent, then you won't have program expenditures expanding well beyond that," he said.

Campbell reiterated he will consider speeding up capital spending to help mitigate a projected slowdown in the construction sector.

Some of B.C.'s leading economists said they had no idea what measures Campbell will announce to help B.C. deal with the coming challenges, but that the provincial government has limited measures it can use to influence the economy.

"Ottawa has a lot more flexibility than the provinces typically do in terms of fiscal policy," said Jock Finlayson, executive vice-president of the Business Council of B.C.

"This is a worldwide issue, and of course a lot of it is beyond our control," added Bernie Magnan, chief economist with the Vancouver Board of Trade.

"I don't know what else he could say in his economic statement apart from 'Stay the course, we're going to manage the economy prudently, we're going to make sure we don't go into a deficit,'" Magnan said.

Finlayson and Magnan agreed that Campbell's address could help reassure an increasingly worried public.

"If consumers really think the economy is deteriorating drastically then they're going to pull back spending even more, which of course accentuates any downturn," Finlayson said.

"Political leaders -- and we've seen it with the prime minister and [tonight] with the premier -- are trying to lay out a realistic picture, but also to try and counter some of the fears that are out there."

Campbell has provided some hints about his priorities.

In interviews Monday, he indicated he may try to ensure B.C.'s credit unions have the same level of deposit insurance as Canadian federal banks. That mirrored what he has already told industry representatives.

"We've been assured the coordination will take place," said Don Rolfe, president and chief executive officer of Credit Union Central of B.C.

"They want to ensure that they instill the appropriate confidence so I fully expect they will do everything in lock-step [with the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, which sets the level for federal banks]."

Campbell also said Monday he believes the forestry crisis in B.C. will last longer than originally expected, and that the province now has to plan for the worst.

"A year ago people were saying, hopefully, the housing market would turn around by 2009," he told The Vancouver Sun on Monday.

"I think we have to start. We can't plan for what we hope for, we have to plan for the tough times and then if things get better, I think we can take advantage of that as we move ahead."

In an interview with the CBC on Monday, Campbell also suggested he may be considering a tax cut.

"We should be looking at ways that we can reduce costs to Canadian families," he said in that interview.

"In some provinces, I know they're talking about tax relief for Canadian families to help them bridge the gap between the challenges they face now and where they may go."

NDP leader Carole James told a news conference Tuesday she wants to see significant action from the premier, including an immediate cancellation of the carbon tax and a comprehensive review of all government spending.

"The first test is going to be the gas tax. If the premier is ready to really address the economic crisis, we'll hear him [tonight] say he's going to get rid of the unfair gas tax," James said. "Secondly, I'm going to be watching to see if the premier shows any restraint in government spending. I want to see a line-by-line review of the budget to see where taxpayers' money is being used, and what waste is occurring, and a tightening of the government belt."

jfowlie@vancouversun.com

[Smooth]

From the CKNW website...

Premier Announces Economic Plan for BC
BRITISH COLUMBIA/CKNW(AM980)

10/22/2008

Premier Gordon Campbell has announced a 10-point plan for British Columbia to deal with the downturn in the global economy, which includes accelerated tax cuts and more money for ferries.

Speaking to the province during a live telecast, Campbell says he plans to recall the Legislature on November 20th to implement the plan.

Amongst the initiatives:

- A 5% personal income tax reduction retroactive to January 1, 2008.

- Cut small business taxes from 3.5% to 2.5% on December 1st.

- Create a pension plan for private sector workers in BC who don't have access to a pension.

- Cut ferry fares by 33% on all routes for December and January and restore ferry service levels on all routes, including the Sunshine Coast, which were recently cut by BC Ferries as a cost-saving measure.

- Speed up spending on public infrastructure.

Campbell says the province also plans to rein in avoidable government spending, "We have a duty to be prudent and fiscally responsible in how we manage your tax dollars, and that's what we will do."

[hollywoodnorth]

GO GORDO GO!


Campbell fast-tracks tax relief, recalls legislature
10 key measures in response to world economic crisis
Last Updated: Thursday, October 23, 2008 | 1:24 AM ET Comments151Recommended55
CBC News
Premier Gordon Campbell will recall the provincial legislature to implement accelerated tax cuts and other measures to help B.C. deal with the global economic crisis.Premier Gordon Campbell will recall the provincial legislature to implement accelerated tax cuts and other measures to help B.C. deal with the global economic crisis. (CBC)

The B.C. government will accelerate income tax cuts, provide further tax relief to small businesses and enact other measures to help British Columbians deal with the global economic crisis.

Premier Gordon Campbell announced 10 key actions Wednesday night in a televised broadcast from the legislature in Victoria.

The three per cent personal income tax reduction that was to take effect on Jan. 1, 2009, will be fast-tracked. The government reduced income tax by two per cent in July.

"We will accelerate that income tax retroactive to last January. This will mean the full five per cent personal income tax cut will be in place for this year, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2008," Campbell said.

'The biggest disappointment was the premier's failure to remove the gas tax.'— Carole James, Opposition leader

"This will put an additional $144 million back into taxpayers' pockets. That's good news for your home economy, and it's good news for our provincial economy."

For small businesses, which make up 98 per cent of the province's businesses and employ more than one million people, the 2.5 per cent tax reduction planned for 2011 will now take effect Dec. 1 of this year.

Corporate income tax rates will be further reduced to 10 per cent in 2011.

Campbell also announced he will recall the legislature for an unplanned sitting on Nov. 20, to implement the measures. In September, the government cancelled the fall sitting of the legislature, which was to begin Oct. 6.
New private pension option, ferry fare reduction

The province will create a new private sector pension option for British Columbians who currently have no access to a group pension plan.

More than 75 per cent of private-sector workers in B.C. currently aren't covered by a group pension plan, Campbell said.
New Democrat Leader Carole James said she was disappointed at the premier's failure to remove the gas tax. New Democrat Leader Carole James said she was disappointed at the premier's failure to remove the gas tax. (CBC)

"We will spearhead the creation of a privately financed, defined contribution plan that creates a viable option to those who want to participate," the premier said. "It will be available to employers, employees and self-employed people on a voluntary basis."

The province will fund a 33 per cent reduction of ferry fares on all routes for December and January and will restore ferry service levels for all routes, including those on the Sunshine Coast.

"It will require $20-million in one-time funding. This will reduce cost for passengers and will act as a bridge until lower fuel prices work their way through to lower ferry fares," Campbell said.

Other measures outlined in the premier's 10-point plan include:

* Unlimited deposit insurance for deposits to credit unions in B.C.
* Rebate of 50 per cent on all school property taxes to light and heavy industry.
* Doubling the commission paid to business for collecting the provincial sales tax and hotel room tax.
* Speeding up public investments in capital infrastructure projects.
* Re-evaluating spending priorities and scaling back unbudgeted increases.

NDP disappointed gas tax not removed

New Democrat Leader Carole James said Campbell's response to the economic crisis will do nothing to address the real challenges British Columbians are facing.

"British Columbians deserve a substantial economic plan. But all they got was 10 points scribbled on the back of a napkin," James said.
B.C. labour leader Jim Sinclair says he's not impressed with Campbell's plan to lower taxes for businesses.B.C. labour leader Jim Sinclair says he's not impressed with Campbell's plan to lower taxes for businesses. (B.C. Federation of Labour)

"The biggest disappointment was the premier's failure to remove the gas tax."

“The premier’s address tonight was more about his political fortunes in the two up coming byelections and in the provincial election next May than it was about helping working families facing tough times," she said.

Campbell’s decision to wait until Nov. 20 to recall the legislature isn't good enough, she said.

"If he were serious, we would be tackling these issues in the legislature right now.”
Praised by businesses, criticized by labour leader

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said the tax cut for small businesses will have a major impact on the economy.

Small businesses owners will likely gain confidence in their business expansion plans, said Brian Bonney, the federation's director of provincial affairs in B.C.

"If you can restore their confidence, you convince them to go out and buy that equipment that they need or to continue with the expansion plans that they have put on hold a couple of months ago," he said.

Jim Sinclair, president of the B.C. Federation of Labour, said he's not impressed with lowering taxes for businesses.

"[Campbell] is using the economic situation to do his classic trick, which is cut taxes in the middle of a downturn in the economy," Sinclair said.

"You really have to ask yourself why [you] would give businesses tax cuts now when you are looking at your primary responsibility [which is] to take care of schools, hospitals, old folks and people who are suffering as a result of this crisis."

[WarrenC12]

Some good stuff in there, overall I think he did what he could.

I was hoping for some more specifics on the "fast tracking of capital projects", I haven't read or seen anything on that.

I think the Liberals have backed themselves into a corner with the "no deficit" law. I think this would be a prudent time to spend a little more. Or perhaps not reduce spending at a time when revenues are likely to decrease.

James is out to lunch as usual. Now's she's calling the carbon tax a "gas tax". Newsflash to James: there are many "gas taxes" and most of them are federal, Gordo can't do much about those. :slob:

As somebody on another board said "The NDP like the poor so much they want to create a lot more of them". :notacrook:

[deasine]

Well the BC Government basically wants to boost confidence into the economic system with the "no deficit law"... not that it really matters. Like Campbell said, British Columbia doesn't much of an influence to the overall economic chaos.

[ravman]

October 23, 2008
Carole James responds to Campbell's Economic Statement

Last night, Gordon Campbell made a number of economic announcements after weeks of silence about the global financial situation. Here is how Carole James responded:

----------------------------------

Families across BC are worried tonight.

They have been watching the economic collapse come closer and closer for almost a year.

First the American housing market collapsed and the lay-offs began in our forest communities.

Gordon Campbell did nothing.

Then as the economic news got worse across North America…

Gordon Campbell decided it would be a good time to hit families and businesses with a new gas tax.

Then banks and lenders started to falter

And Gordon Campbell said everything is fine…

The stock market collapsed and the Premier was on vacation.

Major projects like the Golden Ears bridge and the Olympic village ran into problems…

The Premier said don’t worry

He’s out of touch

BC families are worried…

They are worried about their retirement. They are worried about their jobs. And they are worried about their kids’ future and balancing the family budget.

After tonight, they will continue to worry…

British Columbians deserve a substantial plan. They got ten points scribbled on the back of a napkin.

Gordon Campbell finally woke up to the economic crisis, but he delivered very little to show that he really gets it.

Tonight’s address wasn’t about you and what you need to get through this difficult time.

The Premier’s address was – unfortunately- more about his political fortunes in the two up coming by-elections and in the provincial election next May than it was about helping working families facing tough times.

Here’s what the Premier didn’t do tonight…

He didn’t get rid of his pet tax, the gas tax.

The gas tax is a bad tax. It hurts average families’ far more than wealthy ones.

It hurts workers trying to keep their jobs.

The gas tax – and the finance committee have heard this across the province – hurts businesses big and small in every corner of BC.

You’ve told him… It’s wrong to bring in a new tax when the economy is hurting.

But the Premier’s not interested in what you think… He refuses to budge and axe the gas tax…

The Premier is also not listening to rural British Columbians…

As mill after mill goes down…

As forest workers lose their jobs…

As forest communities struggle to survive…

The Premier and his government continue to sit on their hands…

Tonight he turned his back on rural BC once again.

British Columbians want leadership.

Tonight, the Premier abdicated leadership…

A real leader leads by example…

Here’s the example Gordon Campbell should have offered tonight…

Two months ago he gave his top executives a 43% pay increase. This follows his own $65,000 pay increase.

If Gordon Campbell was serious, he would roll back those obscene pay raises and he’d get serious about government waste.

Contracts for his friends and party members…

Government ads that eat millions of dollars a year.

Expensive travel for his ministers and their staff…

Dinners and parties and things we can get by without…

Tonight he said nothing about waste. The big paycheques for government favourites will continue.

The full page ads telling how great the Premier and government will still show up every weekend in your paper and on your tv.

The Premier isn’t willing to show any leadership and that’s wrong

Because every dime that’s spent on his pet projects is a dime that doesn’t go for health care…

That isn’t going to senior’s care…

That doesn’t go to a forest community in crisis.

That doesn’t help our economy grow…

For the last few years, the commodity and construction boom has put a lot of money into government coffers.

But Gordon Campbell wasted the chance to help the middle class.

Wages are stagnant. Costs are rising. And many people are falling behind. The gap between rich and poor is growing faster in BC than anywhere in Canada.

Tonight Gordon Campbell showed that he still is not focussed on the fundamentals. He has other priorities. Cost overruns on pet projects. A gas tax that hits families and businesses. A pay raise for his top aides.

British Columbians are fed up with his arrogance, and tonight he didn’t do anything to show that he’s really changed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 23, 2008
Campbell's weak response to economic crisis neglects rural and Northern B.C.

TERRACE – Gordon Campbell’s weak response to the economic crisis neglects the pressing needs of rural and northern B.C., say the New Democrats.

Premier Campbell made his economic statement Wednesday, but the economic meltdown started years ago for small-town B.C., says NDP MLA Robin Austin.

“The forest industry, which is unquestionably the economic driver in most of rural British Columbia, has been in freefall for the past two years, and the Premier looked the other way,” said Austin, the NDP critic for rural issues.

“Cutting industry’s school taxes won’t do anything to help workers whose mills have already shut down,” said Austin. “Premier Campbell is out of touch if he thinks this will have any impact on rural B.C.”

Nearly 14,000 direct jobs have been lost from the forest industry since the beginning of 2007. Most of those jobs were well-paying, family-supporting jobs in communities which depend primarily on forestry.

Austin said the timing of Campbell’s address has more to do with the upcoming Vancouver by-elections than meaningful action on the economy.

“If Campbell were listening to British Columbians, he would cancel the gas tax, take action to revitalize our forest industry, and get back to work right away in the Legislature instead of delaying for a month,” he said.

----------------------------------
Between Lines of Campbell's Speech: A New 'Fudge-It Budget'
He'll have to jigger the books to not show a deficit.
View full article and comments here http:///Views/2008/10/23/FudgeItTwo/
By Will McMartin
Published: October 23, 2008
TheTyee.ca

Clip this column. Or, at least, remember this key point: Gordon Campbell's BC Liberal government is going to foist a "Fudge-It Budget" on British Columbians next February, just before it faces voters in a May provincial general election.

Simply, B.C.'s 2009-10 fiscal plan is going to have a deficit because the government's expenditures will exceed revenues. The Campbell government, however, will say otherwise, claiming instead that their budget is "balanced." That means they are going to have to "fudge" the books to show that revenues exceed expenditures, rather than the other way around.

Preparing to sail the red ink sea

B.C. will not be alone in this sea of red ink. A fiscal contagion is now engulfing governments across North America, hot on the heels of widespread economic dislocation following the global credit crunch.

In the United States, where sizeable deficits have wracked the federal government for most of the past decade, experts believe that a newly-elected president Barack Obama will inherit an annual shortfall of $1 trillion.

State governments also are suffering. Consider California, where governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has recalled the state legislature for an emergency session next month to combat a possible $17 billion deficit.

In Canada, TD Economics last week issued a special report under the headline, "Canada's federal government facing significant deficits." While our country is expected to stay in the black for the remainder of the current fiscal year (2008-09*), it's a much different story over the next two fiscal periods. According to the TD economists, expenditures could exceed revenues by $10.4 billion in 2009-10, and then $9.9 billion in 2010-11.

And just hours before Campbell's televised address to British Columbians, the Ontario finance minister admitted that despite cutting some expenditures and delaying others, his government anticipates the current year will end with a $500 million deficit -- this just months after the legislature passed a balanced budget. He refused to make any forecast for next year.

Premier changes his tune

Let's go back to last night when Campbell made his televised address to the province and admitted that British Columbia is not immune to the financial and economic turmoil now gripping the industrialized world. "World stock markets are reeling, commodity prices are plunging and the world's financial system is under attack," he began, a little breathlessly.

Readers who tend toward the churlish might suggest that this observation shows the premier has made a 180-degree about-face, now accepting that global forces have had, and are having, a significant impact on B.C.'s economic health.

For the last half-decade or so, the BC Liberals have strenuously denied that soaring, world-wide commodity prices, skyrocketing international demand for our natural resources, historically low interest rates and an explosion in federal transfers to provincial governments, had anything at all to do with B.C.'s improved economic circumstances, and succession of budgetary surpluses.

Rather, they crowed that British Columbia's economic and fiscal successes were due exclusively to BC Liberal policies, the courage and foresight of the premier, and the commitment of his dedicated caucus. External forces, whatever they were, were irrelevant.

Well, times have changed, and so too has Campbell's tune.

Ten plus five equals...

To meet this grave situation, which Campbell said was the "worst crisis in over 75 years," the premier outlined a 10-point plan -- which was on top of a five-point program he unveiled earlier in the day in Nanaimo (which proposes meetings with experts, business leaders and other governments).

To start, the legislature will be recalled for a short session to begin on Nov. 20. Six weeks ago, of course, the government cancelled the legislative assembly's scheduled fall sitting because it had nothing to do.

Well, now there is. Legislative approval is needed for tax cuts promised by Campbell, including relief for industry (a school property tax rebate), small business (a reduction in the small-business income tax rate to 2.5 per cent) and individuals (a retroactive cut in personal income tax).

As well, the provincial government will remove limits on deposit-insurance protection for individuals with credit union accounts, and set up a private-sector pension plan for those British Columbians who do not have a group pension scheme.

A technical measure that will be applauded by the private sector is a doubling of the commission Victoria pays to businesses for collecting the sales and hotel taxes. It's a gift estimated to cost the provincial treasury $60 million over a three-year period.

That's seven of the proposals unveiled by Campbell. Another is a gimmick, pure and simple -- Victoria will give the BC Ferry Services $20 million to cover a 33 per cent reduction in fares for December and January.

Why those two months? Well, the premier explained, it will help families get together over the holidays. Then again, the BC Liberals hold only four* of 14 seats on Vancouver Island, and there's this election in May.

One more proposal put forth by Campbell is a pledge to accelerate capital expenditures for infrastructure. This is a neat trick insofar as British Columbia's GAAP accounting allows the cost of capital spending to be spread over many, many years. So, while the BC Liberals get the benefit of having construction jobs created and projects fast-tracked, just a fraction of those expenditures will be counted in the current or subsequent fiscal years.

Define 'avoidable'

Finally -- and this is proof that B.C. will be facing a fiscal shortfall very soon -- Campbell said that his government would re-evaluate spending priorities and reduce "avoidable" government expenditures.

The intent of this measure, the premier said, was to "not start digging ourselves into that hole that we worked so hard to get out of in 2001."

That comment echoed what Campbell told CBC News earlier in the week following an economic summit he and Canada's other premiers attended with the prime minister in Montreal. "It's taken us more than a decade to get out of the deficit holes that were dug," he said.

"And I think we should be building on that because that's the foundation of that financial prudence into the future, not starting to dig another hole. So I am not in favour of deficit financing."

It's possible to detect in Campbell's remarks the sentiment that while he blames the current economic and fiscal uncertainty on "the world," he still credits British Columbia's economic prosperity and fiscal strength to his own government's actions.

But as students of fiscal history know all too well, it is seldom that public finances fall seriously into deficit -- digging a hole, as the premier put it -- because of government over-spending. And that's because government expenditures (absent a war), are generally relatively stable.

On the other hand, government revenues fluctuate considerably. And this is especially true in countries such as Canada, and provinces like British Columbia, which depend to a great extent on the extraction and export of natural resources. Inadvertently, Gordon Campbell himself provided evidence of this in his televised address.

"Today the world's financial system is in the grips of its worst crisis in over 75 years," he said. That takes us back to 1933, the nadir of the Great Depression, which began in 1929 and persisted through the early years of the Second World War.

Did governments around the world face horrendous deficits in the Great Depression because all of them were engaged in out-of-control spending? Hardly.

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, global commodity demand and prices fell off a cliff. Around the world, government revenues dropped off a cliff. Those deficits were caused because, while government expenditures stayed steady -- and, actually, most decreased significantly, to the consternation of John Maynard Keynes -- the monies flowing into public coffers slowed to a trickle.

It was very nearly the same in British Columbia in the early 1980s, as commodity prices plunged and government deficits quickly appeared. The condition persisted in B.C. through to the late 1990s, until the most-recent global commodity boom got underway.

It's revenues, not spending

To appreciate that Victoria's spending is not responsible for B.C.'s worsening fiscal situation, the premier should consult the 2008 edition of the British Columbia Financial and Economic Review, an annual publication published by the finance ministry.

Table A3.6 on page 93 shows historical expenditures by the Consolidated Revenue Fund for every fiscal period from 1984/85 to last year, 2007/08. And for every year but the last four, government expenditures were between 17.1 per cent and 19.7 per cent of the province's GDP.

Then, in 2004/05, the figure fell to 16.6 per cent, and over the next three years was 16.2 per cent, 15.6 per cent and 15.9 per cent.

How, one is tempted to ask, is it possible that Victoria faces fiscal uncertainty when government spending is in decline, and at its lowest point in a quarter-century?

The answer, of course, is on the other side of the fiscal equation -- government revenues.

The monies flowing into the provincial treasury will slow -- and probably have already begun to slow -- as people lose their jobs and businesses see their sales weaken, as commodity prices fall and companies lay off their workers, and as Ottawa tries to get its finances under control by freezing or even slashing federal transfers.

Running in the red?

Still, as was stated earlier, the situation is grave and the premier should be commended for taking action to mitigate the potential impact on British Columbia. But he also is facing an election in six months, and woe be the B.C. premier who seeks a mandate from the voters as red ink drenches the province's books.

Next February, the Campbell government will introduce the fiscal plan for 2009-10. By law, its revenues must exceed its expenditures, but as governments of every political stripe across North America wrestle with gargantuan shortfalls, what is the likelihood that it will be?

Almost impossible, and so let us begin to prepare for a B.C. budget packed with that good, old fudge. But here's something else to consider: what should we do about it?


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is that really it? Premier Gordon Campbell's free-time political broadcast shows lack of common sense in lame approach to fiscal crisis

By Bill Tieleman
Is that really it? That's all Premier Gordon Campbell had to offer British Columbians facing the biggest economic crisis in decades?

Hopefully voters will be able to cut through the guff and see the Mcguffin in Campbell's freetime political broadcast. (http://harveyoberfeld.ca/blog/?p=110)

Accelerated timing for previously announced tax cuts as we head into recession? Does anyone really believe that cutting government revenue will produce anything but a lot of red ink on the balance sheet?

Fortunately some commentators have crunched the numbers and seen the reality behind the TV address - most notably Will McMartin in the Tyee and David Schreck.

Interfering in the operations of the allegedly independent BC Ferries? Wasn't that made completely improper by the BC Liberals? Ooops, not if there's an election of the horizon.

I expect to see BC Ferries CEO David Hahn's resignation on Campbell's desk shortly to protect his independence.

Recalling the Legislature? You mean to have the scheduled sitting you previously cancelled?

Increased deposit insurance for credit unions? Was there a run on VanCity last week that we didn't know about?

Doubling the commission for businesses collecting GST and PST? Wall Street is responding favourably to that huge economic stimulus.

I suspect the Premier's new pension plan - can I have his MLA pension instead please? - is written on the back of a napkin like his post-secondary education grant of $1000 per baby a few years ago, as Sean Holman exposed. (http://www.publiceyeonline.com/archives/002013.html)

Let's see the details - and I might even support it.

Meanwhile, I'm just waiting for the second TV address Campbell will give around July 2009 if he's re-elected: "The fiscal situation has turned very grim indeed - we'll have to severely cut government programs. Who knew?"

You read it here first!

[mr.x]

lmao....

[LeftCoaster]

Wow.

I dont say this about many people, but I sincerely hope Carole James chokes to death.

[WarrenC12]

I was listening to CKNW yesterday and Carole James was on for 5-10 minutes or so. She said "Gordon Campbell" about once every 10 seconds.. I think she has a crush on him. :haha:

She's out to lunch, that's for sure. She wants to roll back taxes, increase spending, and balance the budget. I think we should chip in and enroll her in Economics 101.

[ravman]

B.C. families better off under NDP's tax plan

NDP Plan Would Save Taxpayers $570 Million a Year

VICTORIA – The New Democrats’ tax plan would leave $570 million more in British Columbians’ pockets than Gordon Campbell’s plan, NDP finance critic Bruce Ralston said today.

“By keeping income tax cuts in place while axing the gas tax, a Carole James government would ensure that British Columbians have $570 million more in their pockets next year alone,” said Ralston, the MLA for Surrey – Whalley.

Ralston noted that the NDP has already committed to maintain any income tax cuts, including the previously announced tax breaks that were moved up a few months by Wednesday evening’s address from the premier.

“What’s clear is that B.C. families will get a better deal from Carole James than they would from Gordon Campbell. The B.C. Liberals want to replace one tax with another, ineffective and unfair one,” said Ralston.

“British Columbians deserve strong leadership as we deal with the economic downturn, not a hastily thrown-together list of vague ideas and previously announced tax cuts.”

Ralston pointed out that under Gordon Campbell’s plan, any government revenues returned to British Columbians through tax cuts next year will be clawed back by the gas tax.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reality Check: Billions squandered by Campbell on pet projects and cost overruns

Gordon Campbell wants us to believe that he will curb wasteful government spending, but his record shows just the opposite. Time after time, Gordon Campbell has squandered billions of dollars on pet projects and handouts for his friends, funding that could have been put towards lowering child poverty or combating our homelessness crisis.

Hundreds of millions on cost overruns...

* $400 million in cost overruns on the Vancouver Convention Centre, and it’s not even complete.

* $560,000 for a fancy, over-budget renovation at the MCFD head office, while at the same time the Campbell government was denying funding to the Mary Manning centre for sexually abused children.

Hundreds of millions in benefits for B.C. Liberal friends and insiders...

* $327 million this year alone in subsidies for big oil and gas companies.

* $220 million in tax breaks for banks.

* Hundreds of millions in benefits for forestry corporations after the Campbell government gave away more than 120,000 hectares of forest land on Vancouver Island and the Coast, with no benefits for local communities.

* Over $90 million to private liquor retailers since 2004.

* $23 million in overpayments to B.C. Liberal-linked job placement contractors GTI and West Coast Group.

* $600,000 that Campbell insider Doug Walls milked from the government, plus the hundreds of thousands spent on special prosecutors and independent auditors required to sort out the mess.

Millions for B.C. Liberal-friendly advertising...

# $63 million over the next three years for unaccountable advertising from the premier’s Climate Action Secretariat, in addition to the $9 million ad budget in 2008.

# $30 to $40 million per year for Campbell’s Public Affairs Bureau spin-doctor shop.

# $29.5 million this year in government advertising, the budget for which has increased by over 150 per cent since 2001.

Millions in pay raises for Campbell’s top advisors...

* $3 million a year for Campbell’s secretive pay raise for his top executives.

* $710,000 per year for the 60 per cent pay raise for the Liberal-linked B.C. Ferries board of directors.

* $460,000 a year for the 500 per cent wage hike for the TransLink board of directors, even though they’re no longer publicly accountable.

Millions on pet projects...

* $20 million for the ill-fated “B.C. Experience” tourist project.

* $15 million from the Ministry of Forests for an ice rink in then-Minister Rich Coleman’s home town of Langley.

* $10 million for the premier’s ill-conceived “Conversation on Health”.

* $6.4 million spent backing out of the B.C. Liberals’ deal to privatize the Coquihalla.

* $4.2 million for Leading Edge B.C., which was supposed to promote the high tech sector but was plagued by accountability issues, before it was brought back under public control in 2006.

[jlousa]

Wow the BC NDP is taking a page from the federal NDP and only quoting how much big oil and the banks have saved, how about how much all businesses have saved under Campbell, or how many Billions all residents have saved with the initial 25% income tax reductions plus the current reductions?

[Hong Kongese]

James would outspend Campbell on recovery

By Tom Fletcher - BC Local News

Published: October 27, 2008 7:00 PM
Updated: October 27, 2008 8:15 PM

NDP leader Carole James wants to axe the carbon tax, keep the accelerated income tax cuts announced last week by Premier Gordon Campbell, and spend much of the remaining surplus on social housing, forestry and student aid.

In her rebuttal TV address Monday night, the main difference in the NDP plan was more spending and specific infrastructure projects. The NDP proposals include restoring post-secondary student grants, proceeding with the Evergreen transit line to Coquitlam, widening Highway 97 to the Cariboo, and building thousands of new social housing units.

A costing breakdown released with James' speech shows $629 million in new spending in the first year alone. That's on top of the tax cuts, property tax rebate, PST commission increase and two-month reduction in ferry fares announced by Campbell last week, worth an estimated $224 million in the next fiscal year. The NDP retains all those in its plan.

Altogether, the NDP program calls for more than $1 billion in new spending over three years. James said would be financed by surpluses projected by the finance ministry in September. The $1 billion-plus projected surplus for this year is built largely on natural gas royalties and bids for new drilling, but the price of natural gas has since nose-dived along with other commodities.

Fielding questions after the speech, James called her cost estimates "very conservative," adding that there are predictions for an economic rebound by 2010 that would return some of the surplus.

"We know that there will be a surplus this year, we expect a surplus next year, it could be smaller than the surplus that's forecast right now," James said. "That's why we've ... left a cushion in there."

Other major spending plans include a rural and forest infrastructure plan, worth $200 million next year and $100 million in each of the next two years, and a $100 million fund for energy saving retrofits to B.C. homes.

B.C. Liberal house leader Mike de Jong called the plan "remarkably lame," adding that it's difficult to believe the NDP will now support the government's tax cuts when they haven't for the past three years. He had not seen the costing Monday night and couldn't comment on it.

The only spending cuts James specified were $20 million per year in government advertising, $118 million in consultant fees, $15 million in government travel, and $3 million saved by rolling back recent pay increases for deputy and assistant deputy ministers.

[Stingray2004]

JUSTINE HUNTER

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

October 27, 2008 at 10:45 PM EDT

B.C. Finance Minister Colin Hansen said after Ms. James's speech that the NDP promises would plunge the province back into the red.

“This is a recipe for putting the province back into deficit financing,” he said.

“I don't believe Carole James could fund her reckless promises based on the earlier forecast,” he said, much less the numbers that he will announce next month.

Mr. Hansen said there is no $1.7-billion surplus to spend. “No, it's gone … the forecasts are out the window,” he said.

In an attempt to prevent a deficit, the New Democrats' plan relies on a bookkeeping trick that would shuffle almost half of the new spending onto the previous year's books.

The NDP Leader has already warned that her commitments could be jettisoned if the B.C. economy spirals downward.

A bookkeeping trick?:rolleyes:

That certainly inspires confidence.

[fever]

A bookkeeping trick?:rolleyes:

That certainly inspires confidence.

It certainly shouldn't inspire confidence in what passes for reporting at the Globe & Mail. It's fair game if it's an editorial, and I'd agree with the position.

[mr.x]

A bookkeeping trick?:rolleyes:

That certainly inspires confidence.

NDP: "2+2=5"

[ravman]

October 27, 2008
James proposes stronger plan to help B.C. families -- says premier's plan won't do the job

VICTORIA – This evening, New Democrat leader Carole James proposed a stronger provincial response to help B.C. families during the dramatic economic downturn. James was responding to Premier Gordon Campbell’s address last Wednesday.

“Last week, the premier finally made a start on responding to the economic downturn. Unfortunately he offered few specifics and little to help struggling families. He’s still out of touch with their needs. I believe that we can and must do more to help ordinary families through these turbulent economic times,” said James.

James outlined five proposals to focus on the fundamentals of the economy and support B.C. families. The first step, said James, is tax relief for the middle class and small businesses.

“More money in the pockets of average British Columbians will help people make ends meet while providing a needed economic stimulus. The Premier moved up already announced cuts a few months. That doesn’t go far enough,” said James.

“My plan puts $570 million more dollars back into the pockets of British Columbians next year, more than double the premier’s plan,” said James. “And I will help make life more affordable by giving B.C.’s lowest paid workers their first pay raise in seven years.”

James’ second step would be skills training and education. “We need to prepare now for the high-skilled, high wage, green jobs of the future. My plan will help make post-secondary education and training an option for all families, so that our kids get good jobs as the economy turns around.”

The third step, said James, outlined specific investments in infrastructure.

“We need to accelerate school seismic work, build enough new affordable housing units to end homelessness, accelerate spending on transit and green retrofits, and address the community infrastructure gap in smaller cities and towns across B.C.,” said James.

James’ fourth step would be a revitalization of the forest industry and rural economy, something that has been sorely neglected by the Campbell government.

“The forest industry is in crisis. Tens of thousands of jobs have disappeared. But the Premier didn’t even mention our forest industry. We must have a plan to revitalize the industry, including action to ensure that B.C. logs create B.C. jobs,” said James.

“My plan also addresses BC’s rural economy with an economic development fund for infrastructure, economic development and job creation, while fast tracking the New Relationship with First Nations.”

James said the final step would be getting rid of government waste. “We need a government that protects key services like health and education, That means putting an end to wasting money on self-congratulatory ads and pay raises for the premier’s top executives,” said James.

James noted that some of the steps could be acted on today while others build for the long term, and called for the premier to return to the legislature immediately. All the steps, James said, could be taken while maintaining fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Equal TV time for NDP leader a good thing
The Province
Published: Monday, October 27, 2008

Less than a week ago, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell announced he would go before the province in a prime-time television address to update the B.C. economy and lay out his party's plans for navigating the global financial storm.

The speech was to be aired on the legislative channel and made available to all the major network broadcasters at 6:15 p.m. Without knowing the details of the address, each broadcaster had to choose whether or not to cut away from its news hour to air the Liberals' message. In the wildly competitive world of TV ratings, the smart thing to do was play along with the premier and broadcast his address live.

Normally, such a decision would be a no-brainer, but British Columbia is holding two important byelections this week. Critics of the premier accused Campbell of using the "economic crisis" as an excuse to sweeten the pot during prime-time viewing for the undecided voters in the byelection ridings.

Now Carole James, leader of the Opposition NDP, is going on the legislative channel today at 6:15 p.m. to respond to the premier's "new deal" announcement of last week. The NDP is asking the private network broadcasters to provide James with the same coverage afforded Campbell.

A big reason for not giving her the same coverage is this: Carole James is not the premier of British Columbia.

But news organizations work hard to present themselves as unbiased at election time. Readers and viewers may disagree with that point, but people who claim bias are often making that claim from a biased position to begin with.

Given the importance of this week's byelections, it is likely the major networks in British Columbia will choose to air the NDP address.

And that is a good thing.

James and her party will not be able to cut taxes, or throw money at the ferries, or accelerate infrastructure spending, so her address will be merely reaction.

Still, the province will be facing some tough times in the next year or longer, and given that a general vote is set for May, what the Opposition has to say right now is an important part of the democratic process.

We hope the networks see it that way, as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Vancouver’s two highest rated evening news programs, on Global and CTV, added insult to injury Monday night … giving Opposition Leader Carole James second-class treatment in the days leading up to two major by-elections in the city.

There are more than 100,000 voters in Vancouver Fairview and Vancouver Burrard eligible to vote Wednesday in what many see as a test of the popularity Premier Gordon Campbell and his Liberal government.

Last Wednesday, less than a week before the vote, Global and CTV (and a couple of lesser lights as well) WITHOUT KNOWING ANY OF THE CONTENTS IN ADVANCE turned over part of their major evening news hours to allow the Premier to make a 12 minute speech … free of charge, right on the evening news!

It was an unprecedented horrible journalistic mistake that I believe cast a dark shadow over the integrity and impartiality of both the news shows and the networks involved. And judging by the reaction, many members of the public agreed with me when I said so (except some politicos, who think one-sided partisan broadcasts, as long as they are from a far right or far left wing perspective, are great!)

On Monday night, NDP Leader Carole James delivered her own address to voters at the same hour (6:15 p.m.) that Campbell had given his. But both major stations refused to give the Opposition Leader the same privilege they had given the Premier.

CTV covered the Opposition Leader’s address the way all news shows should have done originally with the Premier: Legislative Reporter Jim Beatty delivered a news report, listing in written graphic point form 14 of James’ key points/promises, supplemented with a couple of clips from the NDP … and then Beatty’s own analysis of the contents.

And, to CTV’s credit, it was all turned around and aired at the same time in the program that Campbell had delivered his free 12 minutes.

Global, in my view, almost spit in James’ face. Not only did they not run her address, but they didn’t report on its key points/promises until the back half of their show.

And even then, they offered up only Legislative Reporter Keith Baldrey only verbally detailing one of James’ specific points and then they ran clips of her listing several others … and, unlike CTV, no graphics.

And although both stations covered the story the way that kind of story should normally be covered … they were BOTH terribly unequal and unfair in their coverge of James, with two possibly very close by-elections only days away, in light of the preferential treatment they had awarded the premier.

Even The Province newspaper {as pasted above}… in my opinion, no great friend of the NDP … came out in an Editorial saying James deserved equal treatment… and her News time air time.

What we ended up with reminded me of what we see on government-beholding television stations in those “new” democracies that still don’t get it quite right: a long uninterupted, unedited speech by the Glorious Leader in prime time … followed much later by coverage of the Opposition Leader, but showing only selected clips, all cut up and dished out in pieces.

And the worst part of it all: some will defend that as meeting the proper standard for political coverage in B.C. in 2008."

[hollywoodnorth]

What ever weed Ravman and Carole James are smoking I SURE WANT SOME! It must be killer for them to dream up all these things and even think they are real!

!!! PM ME RAVMAN I NEEDS THE HOOKS UPS YO!!!!! ;)

[bugsy]

What ever weed Ravman and Carole James are smoking I SURE WANT SOME! It must be killer for them to dream up all these things and even think they are real!

!!! PM ME RAVMAN I NEEDS THE HOOKS UPS YO!!!!! ;)

Goddamnit. Everytime you have a political thread, this ravman comes along and shits it up with his shilling and press releases for the socialist left.

Most of the time the Politics section isn't even worth reading anymore.

[zivan56]

^^ And you present a far right POV in every political thread...so what is your point? I guess if he doesn't agree with you, he must be wrong :rolleyes:
Now who does that remind you of in history? Hint: his name starts with an H.

[touraccuracy]

and if someone doesn't agree with YOU on the LEFT, compare them to HITLER.

it seems to me that there were ARTICLES posted about the new plan and then NDP PRESS RELEASES posted against it. which one is more in the realm of bias...

[Stingray2004]

and if someone doesn't agree with YOU on the LEFT, compare them to HITLER.

Just Goodwin's Law raising its ugly head again.

"As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwins_law

[jlousa]

Why do the Left refer to people on the right as Nazis and hitler, Do they forget that Nazi's were neo-socialists? Do they forget that the "right" were the ones that fought them?

[dreambrother808]

Because people and movements fall cleanly and neatly on either side of the right/left divide?? Yes, the right is good... they stopped Hitler, don't you know? So leftists should view themselves as being naturally aligned with Hitler? That's just being equally silly. The realm of political leanings is far more complex and 3 dimensional, especially when making historical comparisons, than simple notions of right and left.

I agree with Zivan's post that Ravman has as much right to post according to his POV as anyone else, but yes, Hitler references just work against what one is trying to say. Such references should be reserved for extreme cases, not simply someone trying to shout down the impulse of others to post arguments contradictory to their own.

We all hold our political ideals to heart and therefore it is quite hard not to get into an argument on these matters. Nevertheless, we must respect the fact that others will disagree on the forum, and that this forum belongs to all POV, not just yours or mine.

[zivan56]

Well you can replace Hitler with Stalin for all I care, although the point still stands (although I would argue Stalin was more tolerant, if you can call it that). If you look at bugsy's posts, a large number of them end up calling anybody who cares about social issues or anybody that doesn't agree "bleeding heart liberals" or whatnot. Here is proof: Google search (http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=MQd&q=bugsy+%22bleeding%22+site%3Aforum.skyscraperpage.com&btnG=Search&meta=)

[dreambrother808]

Yeah, the "bleeding heart liberal" term is both infuriating and laughable. As if caring about people other than yourself is some sort of problem. But unfortunately there will always be those who only care about themselves and the fact that they "make more money than you". It's a disease of their heart and mind but in the end they have to learn from their own mistakes. Too bad those people are likely to climb to positions of power that negatively effect the rest of us.

[quobobo]

Well you can replace Hitler with Stalin for all I care, although the point still stands (although I would argue Stalin was more tolerant, if you can call it that). If you look at bugsy's posts, a large number of them end up calling anybody who cares about social issues or anybody that doesn't agree "bleeding heart liberals" or whatnot. Here is proof: Google search (http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=MQd&q=bugsy+%22bleeding%22+site%3Aforum.skyscraperpage.com&btnG=Search&meta=)

I laughed pretty hard at that Google search. I'm closer to Bugsy's corner of the political spectrum but I agree, that's a little much.

[deasine]

^^ And you present a far right POV in every political thread...so what is your point? I guess if he doesn't agree with you, he must be wrong :rolleyes:
Now who does that remind you of in history? Hint: his name starts with an H.

Though I'm right of center, I agree with this. Everyone has their right to express themselves on these forums (that's if you follow through with the guidelines).

I have to say that the NDP plan doesn't even solve anything. Spending as if there's no tomorrow during poor economic times is not a solution: this has happened with the NDP in the 90s.

[ravman]

Though I'm right of center, I agree with this. Everyone has their right to express themselves on these forums (that's if you follow through with the guidelines).

I have to say that the NDP plan doesn't even solve anything. Spending as if there's no tomorrow during poor economic times is not a solution: this has happened with the NDP in the 90s.

Look at Herbert Hoover and FDR- Hoover did nothing while FDR did stuff and who was a better president? My point exactly

[LeftCoaster]

Yes, one example surely proves every historical case possible. :rolleyes:

Herbert Hoover's incompetence is surely why we should vote in another NDP government in BC...