Premier’s throne speech ‘out of touch’ with constituents
MLA Norm Macdonald sees no connect between voter needs, government promises

MARDY BACIGALUPO
Star Editor

Lieutenant Government Steven Point delivered his first provincial throne speech last Tuesday in the legislature, revealing the Liberal governments agenda for this year.  While health care and the environment are the main focus of the speech, Columbia River – Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald says Gordon Campbell is out of touch.

“My impression is that the Premier is out of touch with the issues that people are raising in my constituency,” Macdonald explains.  “Other than the concerns about climate change, which people care about, there is no mention of housing, poverty, forestry, childcare, or seniors issues.”

Macdonald has been traveling throughout his constituency as of late, holding public hearings for citizens, giving them the opportunity to have their concerns heard.

“The things people are talking about in these community meetings I’ve had in the last two months, there is a disconnect between what the government is doing and what the government is doing and what the people are telling me,” Macdonald says.  “I think (the speech) is more about positioning for the 2009 election and virtually all of their focus is on the lower mainland.  There is little that addresses issues of concern to people in rural areas.  There is nothing to address the crisis in forestry.  There is nothing to address housing.  There is nothing to address seniors issues.”

Many promises are made in the throne speech, regarding Trees for Tomorrow, rewarding ‘smart choices’, turning community ‘brownfields into greenfields’, adding a 211 phone number of community services among others.

Macdonald calls them ‘just promises’, adding the experience he’s had with this government is what follows after, is often very different from what was promised.

“One of the challenges of this government’s throne speeches is the use of fancy slogans that aren’t very clear,” he continues.  “It is quite likely that no particular (Trees for Tomorrow) program has yet been developed to support this slogan.  (In regards to the brownfields) again, there is no indication that this is an announcement of an actual program.  We’ve been given no further details of this program or of the others.”

The provincial government states all of BC will be carbon neutral by 2010.

Soon after the release of yesterday’s budget, a climate action plan will advance carbon neutral targets, and be updated annually.

The speech goes on to say the plan will be ‘founded on personal responsibility, sound science and economic reality.’  It will also be driven by one truth: ‘it is people who cause global warming and it is people who must act to stop it.’

Macdonald says the province’s approach on this matter is flawed, when asked how such an initiative would impact Golden and Area A, as well as what it might cost.

“Those are really important questions, and the public needs to be fully involved in answering those questions.  There is a climate change group who are tasked to work on this issue, but their work is done entirely in secret, with no public input,” he says.

On the matter of health care, the province states ‘health expenditures have grown at more than twice the rate at more than twice the rate of growth in GDP (gross domestic product) over the last 20 years and at nearly quadruple inflation rates this decade.’

Unless we come ‘to grips’ with the trend of inflation, the government says ‘our children and families will pay the price.’

“The government has consistently overstated the rising costs of health care in an effort to convince British Columbians to accept substantially less from our public health care system.  I don’t think that is reasonable,” Macdonald says, responding to whether British Columbians can expect an increased cost in their health care coverage.

“Universal health care is something that British Columbians support completely, and are determined to continue to fully fund.”

Legislation is in the works to ban smoking in cars with children in them, and to ensure health professionals who are certified to practice in other Canadian jurisdictions will be welcomed in BC, and have their credentials recognized.

Macdonald is hopeful the ban on smoking in vehicles will appear before the legislature in the near future.

He suspects dealing with health professional certifications will be complicated, since the federal government will need to be involved.

“What the government should do is listen to British Columbians and follow those priorities,” Macdonald says.  “What in fact happens is the Premier decides and that rarely matches what the people of Golden want.”

If you’d like to read the speech, visit www.leg.bc.ca and follow the links.