NDP

_Meet the new boss, same as the old boss_“To: The new ministers.“Topic: Survival.“…First and most important, remember who you are working for.“The public, sure. Your ministry, too. The clients and stakeholders who relyon its programs and services. Your constituents and whatever goals youbrought to public life.“But ultimately you are only working for one person, Premier GordonCampbell.”_- Vaughn Palmer (Vancouver Sun), June 16, 2009 __Who’s the minister responsible for making us wash behind our ears?_“We've got two ministers of sport and health. They just have slightlydifferent titles... Healthy Living and Sport is Ida Chong. Mary McNeil isActNow and the Olympics. Both are healthy living and sport, but they havetwo different titles and two different ministries two different staffs, twodifferent bureaucracies. Not to take away either woman's capabilities, but Ithink if you could criticize expanding the cabinet, that one seems to be alittle silly to me.”-Keith Baldrey“One will tell you to eat your fruit, and one will tell you to eat yourvegetables.”- Vaughn Palmer_From Voice of BC – Shaw TV, June 18, 2009__Just a reminder of just how sensitive is our new health minister_“On Feb. 14, 2008 (ahem, Valentine's Day) at a debate in the legislature,Mr. Falcon offered a less-than-heartwarming response to the plight oflaid-off forest workers. NDP critic Doug Routley was attacking forestrypolicies over job losses in his riding. The official Hansard transcriptrecorded Mr. Falcon's interjection: ‘Boo hoo.’“In July, 2008, while he was still serving as Transportation Minister, Mr.Falcon criticized Vancouver police for blocking bridge traffic to rescue asuicidal woman. It took six hours, but they succeeded in convincing thewoman not to jump.‘I am utterly perplexed how it can take six hours to deal with an elderlyfemale,’ he told The Vancouver Province. ‘In my view it is not acceptableand I am not happy about it and don't want to see it happen again.’_- Justine Hunter (Globe and Mail), June 19, 2009 __On the Campbell government’s rush to privatize B.C.’s rivers and streams_Environmental protection under the Campbell Liberals: you spin the barreland you’re your chances“The proof's in the pudding. The province is playing Russian roulette with600 B.C. rivers staked out for private power projects, Environmentalenforcement is lax and these documents show that's the case.”_- Gwen Barlee, Western Canada Wilderness Committee (in the Province), June17, 2009 __Presto change-o, the surplus is really a deficit!_“In fact, the Stats Can report says when you add in municipal governmentshortfalls in 2008/09, the deficit was $2.6 billion, compared to a $1.8billion surplus the year before.“Now, that would be bad news for the B.C. Liberals. They change their ownbalanced budget law to allow deficits for the next three years, but thechange is not retroactive.”_- Sean Leslie (CKNW), June 17, 2009 __For the Liberals, balancing the books on the backs of poor kids is justgood policy_“The program, which subsidized camp fees, was frozen because of a provincialcash crunch. For many, it means telling their children they might have tostay home this summer.“‘It's not right,’ [parent Lorrie] Forseth said, explaining she is on incomeassistance and partial disability and can't afford to send her daughter to acamp without assistance from the province.“’If the government is saying the kids are our future, why are they doingthis?" she asked. "There's going to be a lot of disappointed families.’”_- Jonathan Fowlie and Ian Austin (Times Colonist), June 19, 2009 __You can’t spell dysfunctional Liberals without f-u-n!_“The provincial government is failing when it comes to protecting drinkingwater, according to a West Kelowna councillor.“Carol Zanon says problems with dirt bikes in the Bear Creek watershed provethat B.C. Liberals are ‘dysfunctional in the treatment of water.’”_- Jason Luciw (Kelowna Capital News), June 13, 2009 _[1] Links: 1. http://home.bcndp.ca/donate