CKNW Editorial
for May 11, 2001

I must say that I enjoyed yesterday’s exchange between the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition. I had, like the baseball manager, the worst seat in the house from which to make a judgment but generally I was pleased how it went.

I received a lot of email before, during and after the debate as to what I should have asked and I can only say that I did the best I could to get in as many of the topics as I could. I had a list of more than 20 sub questions most of which I just couldn’t get to. Under the circumstances I thought it just as important that everyone hear the two of them go toe to toe.

I am interested in the plea by Mr Dosanjh that he and his party be the opposition in the next term and I thought that today I might pose some questions which could crop in an opposition leader’s day.

If a Liberal minister were to find, for example, that a crown corporation had set up a sweetheart deal for Liberal pals to get into the bottom floor of, would the NDP leader demand that minister’s resignation?

And what if the minister involved, later the premier, was found by a judge to be unbelievable in his evidence on the matter – would the NDP be howling for the premier’s scalp?

Suppose the Liberal Attorney-General were to swear a false affidavit that he wasn’t at a meeting plotting the strategy for a law case involving a matter dear to his heart … would the NDP opposition demand that the attorney-general stand down until the matter was cleared up?

Suppose that Premier Campbell was to – just for an example – accept special favours from a neighbour who was at the time seeking, say, a gambling licence, would an NDP opposition demand that premier resign? And would they also demand the resignation of the minister who let the premier’s friendly neighbour get the licence?

And on the same matter, what if the Liberal Premier had his house raided by the RCMP and his attorney-general knew that his boss was under criminal investigation, would the NDP demand that the Attorney-General resign for not insisting that the premier stand down until the investigation cleared the matter up, one way or another?

Let us suppose, just for discussion’s sake, a senior Liberal minister, during a lawsuit involving his ministry, got the government’s lawyer to call the judge, amongst other things embarrassing that judge … would there be a call for that minister’s resignation?

Suppose the premier of the province and two senior ministers were to make a "back of the envelope" deal to steal rights from a company, what would the NDP do when it learned that the judge of the matter found the conduct of the premier and his two ministers so high handed that he proposed to award punitive damages against the crown? And suppose the attorney-general, who is advising the cabinet to appeal the judgment, either (a) didn’t read the judgment beforehand (b) did read the judgment or (c) read excerpts … depending on when he was asked. Would the NDP opposition demand that Attorney-General’s resignation if only for incompetence?

What if the Liberal Minister of Forests were to make a behind closed doors deal with a forest company to buy back timber licences, committing the province to a very large sum of money, without getting Treasury Board approval, without the knowledge of the Minister of Finance and without the consent of Cabinet – would the leader of the NDP opposition demand that the Forests Minister resign? And what if either (a) the premier knew because his Deputy Minister was present when all this went on or (b) in spite of that, hadn’t heard about the matter – would the NDP opposition demand the premier resign for either not being truthful or being a blind bloody fool?

If we, the people, are to put many and serious questions to Mr Campbell as to how he will behave as premier … and if we assume, as does the present premier, that he, Ujjal Dosanjh, will be leader of the opposition … shouldn’t the opposition leader have to be give us an idea as to how he will oppose?

And aren’t the questions I have posed – all hypothetical of course – be just the kinds of questions any potential leader of the opposition would be simply delighted to answer thus assuring us that he will be a diligent leader who is ever mindful of the very best in parliamentary tradition?

Just thought I’d ask.