CKNW Editorial
for February 27, 2001

It’s too much to ask Premier Dosanj and the NDP to simply fold their tents and go quietly although that’s what they really ought to do. We will see, instead, an increasingly bitter attack on Gordon Campbell … which, if Liberal top flack Pat Kinsella has his way will be stupidly reversed by the Libs. Moreover, any resemblance of any ads to the truth will be merely coincidental.

The political ad has come a long way – or perhaps I should say has descended a long way – since the days when a pleasant face had vote for Bloggs under it with, perhaps, a recitation of Bloggs attainments, service to the community and the obligatory reference to Bloggs’ wonderful family.

Moreover, no longer do we see the political promise. Bloggs will bring you a new hospital, lots of tourists with wallets full of money and clean public lavatories. No … the skilled ad is now plainly innuendo and no more. As often as not it will match the unmatchable as for example, we might have a smiling picture of Bloggs promising new schools while Snerd is shown, scowling of course, standing for a new race track. The fact that both are in favour of both schools and a new racetrack is distorted by implying that Bloggs first priority is schools while Snerds, though it may be 100^th on his list of priorites, is also first. It’s clever advertising but it may be too clever by half. Even worse for the NDP especially, it may just be that no one’s listening.

A very good example of what I’m talking about can be found in the first newspaper ads which show the ever so kindly Ujjal Dosanjh in favour of health care with a slightly dour looking Gordon Campbell in favour of tax cuts.

The message is strong because it ties into all other NDP propaganda – I use that word in its literal not pejorative sense. The case the NDP make is that they care about people while the Liberals care only about giving their rich friends some of their money back.

The premise is a false one of course. It may even be high comedy when you think of it. For nowhere have the NDP had more spectacular failures than in the social ministries.

They claim to be strong on education and point to their freeze on university tuition freeze. What they fail to mention is that more and more British Columbians – often wage earning British Columbians – are turning to private education. Moreover with the freeze on fees they have simply moved the costs from the student, without any regard to that student’s ability to pay, onto the taxpayer generally.

The Ministry of Children and Families has been a catastrophe from the start. Children with mental health problems fall between the stools. We lack social workers. Apprehensions, especially of native children, seem to have no common standards. Social workers have the lowest morale in years, especially in Northern B.C. Leadership from the government has been appalling.

But let’s deal with health because that’s what Mr Dosanjh wants to talk about. It is in utter disarray. Equipment is so bad that third world countries won’t even take it as gifts. We have an enormous shortage of nurses. Doctors, especially those with specialties, are flocking to the United States. The then health minister last summer made a settlement with Prince George doctors in isolation of other rural doctors then acted surprised when the others stated that the Prince George deal was, for them, the starting point. The Long Term care program has bogged down so that long term care patients continue to occupy ac ute care beds so that surgery lists get longer. During the past year we had a death because a lack of hospital bed denied a transplant patient of her new organ and recently we had a woman, at the hospital, deliver her own baby.

It is true that the federal government cut back transfer payments for much of the NDP’s term but what that meant was a setting of priorities. That’s what governing is all about – setting priorities. For the NDP the priorities were fast ferries, Skytrain to friendly constituencies, HOV lanes and competing the Island highway. I don't say that these things weren't needed ... it's just that when it came to setting priorities in a cash strapped situation the NDP put other, more politically sexy (they thought) programs ahead of the health care they now proclaim to be their first priority.

Now … when dealing with priorities lets consider something the NDP can claim to be first at – apologizing to the people for their mismanagement. Premier Dosanjh apologized, on this show, for the fast ferries debacle. He then, a few weeks ago – again on this show, apologized for the way the government handled the Carrier Lumber matter. Which brings me to my final point.

The NDP are claiming a surplus … perhaps a quarter of a billion dollars or more. What they don’t tell you is two things – they can only do this because most of their big ticket items are off budget and because they haven’t factored in what might just be pretty close to a quarter of a billion dollars when the dust settles – the Carrier decision.

When you listen to the Premier tonight you might ponder that little item. And you might ponder that further when the premier does call an election and starts handing out the lolly all over the place he will, when making his campaign promises of up to a quarter of a billion dollars, be hoping that you forget that because of their insolent arrogance and utter denial of justice they owe all that so-called surplus to Carrier Lumber.

The record of the past 10 years is atrocious in every sector. Even the NDP budgetary surplus comes about only because of unforeseen gas price rises – which in effect mean those revenues are taxes on consumers of natural gas and the ability to hide their big ticket items. Mr Dosanjh can be expected to make a stout defence of his record but he can’t expect BC voters to buy it.