The Written Word
for February 18, 2001

Then British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan, in 1961, spoke of the "winds of change" sweeping Africa. I sense that these winds may finally hit if not Canada, at least British Columbia.

There is a palpable sense of disconnection between the governors and the governed never more brutally displayed than when rookie Liberal MP Stephen Owen shot off his mouth about the need for a Commons appointed Ethics Counselor then, on orders from his boss, marched into the Commons and voted against it. People are fed up with this ironclad party discipline that sees the leader with absolute control of the legislative body he heads.

The examples abound – the Hep "C" vote a few years ago is one recent example of MPs being forced by the whips to vote against their consciences and the wished of their constituents.

Last Thursday I spoke at a fund raiser for Linda Reid, the Liberal MLA from Richmond East (I’ve made it clear that for my usual fee I will speak at fundraisers for any party) and my topic was, in part, reform. I’ve spoken on the same subject around the province and to several groups in Vancouver with large out-of-town components and the reaction is all the same – very positive to real change.

I was asked after my speech last week if I thought that change would come and could only say this – for the first time in my memory a potential leader, Gordon Campbell, has spoken of real reform to the system.

The question is, of course, will any reforms he brings in be anything more than cosmetic? I have some hopes that they will. Mr Campbell has made it clear on my show that he wants to be remembered as the premier that did make real change and I propose to take him at his word until the contrary proves to be the case.

Campbell has already promised to have fixed election dates – a very good start. He has promised to revive the committee process which, if he keeps his word, will be a remarkable step forward. It is the parliamentary committee which is supposed to give the ordinary member of the legislature the chance to hold government departments up to scrutiny. As it presently stands, none, with the exception of the Public Accounts Committee, whose chair is an opposition member, meet at all except at the beginning of the session so the government dominated membership can adjourn it sine die. It has been a disgrace.

It all depends, of course, on how Mr Campbell revives, if you can indeed revive something that never existed except on paper, the dormant committees. If he appoints the government members and the chairs, and permits cabinet ministers and their parliamentary assistants to sit upon them, thus ensuring that nothing embarrassing to the cabinet or the premier occurs, then it will be a sham and will son be seen as such – as indeed the Commons committees in Ottawa are. If, on the other hand, a Premier Campbell is not afraid of criticism from his caucus and if his ministers see the positive things to be gained by colleagues on both sides of the house looking critically at their ministries, both the government and the people will benefit.

The hard part is the first part. When a committee, say Health, first dumps on the ministry and the minister the temptation will be to shut down the committee. But, believe it or not, you can get used to criticism and profit from it. Moreover, if ministries cooperate with committees ordinary MLAs become much better acquainted with the huge problems inherent in the act of governance.

Time will tell – but I listen to a hell of a lot of people in the course of a year and I can tell you that the appetite for change is very strong indeed and all eyes will be on Gordon Campbell if, as expected, he is BC’s next premier for he has the golden opportunity to be what he wants to be – the first reform premier in BC history.