CKNW Editorial
for April 10, 2001

The insistence, by Liberal campaign guru Martyn Brown that all Liberal candidates submit any questions they receive to party headquarters for the official response tells us a lot about both the system and the BC Liberal Party. What it tells us about the system is that we, the long suffering public, ought not to be concerned because Liberal MLAs, let alone candidates, are not to be expected to think for themselves anyway. This is not endemic to Liberals but, considering the history of the Liberal Party is just more firmly applied by them than by others. Elected Liberals are expected to be ciphers. One need look no further than Stephen Owen who went to Ottawa carrying with him high hopes not only of his constituency but the Province. He had scarcely got his security card into the Parliament Buildings before John Chretien, as if he was teaching a puppy where to go the bathroom, rubbed Stephen’s nose in it. He had, you see, dared not only to think for himself but had actually articulated his thoughts. This is a most un-Liberal way of doing things and Mr Chretien wasted no time demonstrating how the rules work to Mr Owen.

Can you imagine, for example, a candidate for the United States Congress, referring questions to the Democratic or Republican, as the case might be, national headquarters? For that matter, can you imagine a candidate for the British Parliament emailing questions to the party bosses for their handling of the matter?

Only in Canada and while not only in the Liberal party, more there than anywhere else. That's because unlike US Congressmen and British MPs, Canadian politicians have all the power of articulation as a fence-post with hair. They’re under wraps, especially in the Liberal Party, from they time they first think out loud that they might seek a nomination.

What this directive from Martyn Brown tells us is that it doesn't matter a damn who is nominated for the Liberal Party ... whoever is elected under their banner is going to do what they are told. Take the great nomination contest for the Vancouver-Capilano riding - a sure seat - where the vote went to 7 ballots. For what? To make sure the best person was chosen? Of what possible consequence could that be? Who, knowing the system and being in their right mind could care? It is utterly irrelevant and unimportant.

And what did these candidates for candidacy all do?

Why they made pretty speeches about what they would do when they were elected. And it was all 100% barnyard droppings for the answer to every question of policy was the same. I’ll do and say as I’m instructed by my betters.

Here’s what an honest Liberal candidate would say … What will you do about health care? Just what I'm told. And what are your views on the question of labour relations and the Labour code? Please submit that question to Liberal headquarters. What is your stand on BC Hydro and how it should be run? Please ask Martyn Brown. That's the way an honest candidate would respond because those are the truthful answers. Instead, all employ the art of circumlocution, so important to politicians, to a fare-thee-well so that the person best evading the issues but sounding great while he is at it, wins. It's all make believe. And we all play along. Candidates’ supporters all make the point that he or she will make an outstanding MLA whereas, because of the system, there is no such thing. MLAs are, by definition, about as non outstanding as a person can possibly get.

What is so interesting – dare I say both ironic and hypocritical, is that the party that proposes free votes for its members in the legislature, the Liberals, muzzles them when they’re trying to get there.

My criticism of the Liberals is not so much that they demand candidates submit constituents' questions for official answer but the inefficiency of how they do it. We live in the electronic age where it would be duck soup to have every candidate electronically hooked up to Martyn Brown so that any question put to him or her, whether orally at an all-candidates meeting
or on the doorstep, or in writing from a local organization, could be instantly transmitted to Liberal headquarters. Out of the candidate’s breast pocket, if male, out or the purse if female, would come the dulcet tones of Martyn Brown, or even Mr Campbell himself saying "I'm so glad you asked that question '' followed by the usual pablum that substitutes for an honest, straight forward answer and which is so much a part of Liberal Party tradition.

The BC Liberals say, of course, that they are not in any way associated with the federal party of the same name. And, of course, we all believe that now don't we? I mean after all, don't both Gordon Campbell and Martyn Brown say that's so?  No ... this is not a pro NDP editorial at all. They don't deserve to elect a single member. What it is, is a reminder that any who think that Liberal MLAs will ever speak their mind unless it accords with the wishes of Gordon Campbell as enforced by Martyn Brown are sadly mistaken. To suppose that they would be to suppose that pigs fly, Jean Chretien tells the truth and that there's no connection between the provincial and federal Liberals.

Surely none in this politically hip province are that naïve.