Vancouver Province columnist Michael Smyth along with political pundit - and former super-deputy-minister - Bob Plecas have put together a Christy Clark to-do list, all in the hope of aiding her election campaign next May. Smyth carried it in his June 10 column. There's a Hail-Mary sense of desperation to the suggestions but they could work. Here's the list along with a large spoonful of added flavour for the North and Central Interior.
Plecas begins by urging Premier Clark to seek out the malcontents. Reach out to the right, get a spine on the policy front and set out a clear distinction between her policies and those of NDP leader Adrian Dix.
Good point.
So far, Premier Clark has focused on the family, given us a February holiday, held a couple of great fundraisers and announced two hospital projects on Vancouver Island. Nice, but not good enough when you're in the fight of your life.
Currently the Liberals are ten points down; Adrian Dix is looking better every day, while provincial Conservative leader John Cummins is attracting the grumpy crowd who see Clark as too fluffy and too light on policy.
Clark needs a tough and defining issue, and the February holiday just doesn't cut it.
Plecas suggests privatizing the liquor distribution system and not just the wholesale distribution network to liquor stores but also allowing the sale of beer and wine in grocery stores. Now there's a wedge issue. The B.C. Government and Service Employees Union would light its hair on fire, yet the working-guy member of whatever union might find the concept of Superstore and Costco having a six-pack pricing war pretty attractive.
On a side note, the government is considering a move to a private liquor distribution company, which has a suspicious political connection to the Liberals. I'd say forget the middle man, let the grocery chains buy whatever product they want from any supplier and sell it. That's the way they run the rest of their business.
Purchasing, shipping and selling beer and wine is no different than any other commodity, be it broccoli, beans or bananas. Carrying this further, why limit sales to beer and wine, why not spirits as well? There are thousands of British Columbians who'd love to see a high-end single-malt whisky war. Also, I wonder how former NDP premier Glen Clark, who has a huge interest in the success of Save-On stores, would view a Christy Clark proposal for grocery-store off-sales.
Plecas also suggests Christy Clark should get off the fence and come on side with the Enbridge pipeline. Again, this would be a wedge issue setting out the distinction between the Liberals and the NDP. But - and this is classic Plecas - the price of support from Clark must include a beneficial-to-B.C. revenue-sharing agreement with Alberta.
It's not that the money isn't there. Enbridge vice-president Janet Holder says the pipeline has the potential to contribute $9 billion annually to the Canadian GDP. Holder also says an Ipsos poll shows the pipeline project has the support of 50 per cent of British Columbians, with over 55 per cent approval from Northern B.C. respondents.
Given those polling numbers, Clark should get on the pipeline bandwagon, set herself apart from the NDP, and campaign for an improved B.C. economy. Premier Clark would also be well advised to determine an economic rent factor for approval of the project and campaign on dedicating a good portion of those pipeline revenues into a Northern heritage trust. The Northern Development Initiative Trust would be a good body to receive this income.
Speaking of the North, Clark should also get on with legislation allowing B.C. municipalities to ban plastic shopping bags. Prince George is in the pulp and paper business and the less plastic on the market the better it is for the environment and our local economy.
As May 2013 comes closer, there's no question Clark and the Liberals have a tough road ahead. Dix is running a good campaign while Clark is struggling with the hangover of GST and Gordon Campbell.
She has to define herself and the Liberal party on her terms. Set out the differences between a Clark government and what an NDP government would do for the province.
Above all Clark has to be brave, take on the big issues and if anything at least go down fighting.
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This bus is too big.
I had a call this week about the purpose of an omnibus bill. As you've no doubt heard, the Harper government has dumped a 420-page omnibus bill on Parliament and the opposition is furious, as it should be. Omnibus bills are typically used to combine a number of minor amendments from various pieces of legislation into one bill. An omnibus works well for this purpose but for minor amendments only. Omnibus bills should never be used to roll major pieces of legislation into one bill. This is an unconscionable abuse of parliament and Stephen Harper knows it.
