On this edition of Journal, I would like to invite you to play a game. It’s called British Columbia Politics.

First of all, we had two dominant political parties: the NDP, under David Eby; and the other party, the Conservatives, were under John Rustad’s leadership – until they weren’t. Thinking he wasn’t right-wing enough, Rustad was forced out, resulting in a leadership race which Kerry-Lynne Findlay barely won last spring.

So, once again: two leaders: Eby and, this time, Findlay – vying for the hearts and minds of British Columbians. Except – and it turns out to be a BIG “except” – it turns out that Findlay focused her negative energies and arrows on her own party, turfing out long-time staffers, alienating sitting MLAs, and ignoring rather than welcoming anyone who didn’t pass a purity test.

Lo and behold, Conservative caucus members started quitting the Kerry-Lynne party. 13 left during her short tenure and 9 of these “independent” MLAs formed a new party with Peter Milobar as leader. But then, Findlay resigned, and the newly named “interim” Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson welcomed these independents back into the fold.

Only in BC.

So that leaves David Eby with a big smile on his face, watching the utter disarray of the Conservatives. What better time to call an election? It’s legal, but is it ethical?

Perhaps he hopes people won’t remember his dismal record in government in the midst of all this chaos – or maybe they will.

To help us understand this highly volatile situation is Stewart Prest, political scientist at UBC and frequent commentator on BC politics.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal: What do we do about Metro Vancouver? It is, after all, a major level of governance – responsible for water, sewers, housing, and more in the regional district. It’s important that it functions well and has the trust of the communities it serves.

But there have been problems like the wastewater project, whose budget skyrocketed from $700 million to $3.6 billion – all on the taxpayer’s tab.

How exactly did that happen? Can Metro Vancouver be trusted to handle future infrastructure any better?

Last year, a Deloitte report stated that Metro Vancouver had basically outgrown its governance structure and must be changed – the Board was too big, expenses too much.

Adding to the confusion and distrust, the Chief Administration Officer, who directly informs and advises the Board, has recently been “ousted” or “resigned,” depending on which headline you believe. This follows the departure of the Chief Financial Officer late last year.

And now Metro Vancouver has become a target in some of our municipal elections. Kash Heed, running for mayor of Richmond, and Daniel Fontaine, running for mayor of New Westminster, have co-written an accountability charter supporting major reforms at the Board.

Obviously, a steady hand is needed. Mike Hurley, the successful mayor of Burnaby, is also Chair of the Metro Vancouver Board. I’m sure he was less than pleased to hear Premier Eby say last year, “The gong show that continues at Metro Van needs to come to an end.”

So, how does Mayor Hurley, who calls himself a change agent, see the current situation?

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this edition of Journal, I would like you to meet a man I have known for a long time: Max Cameron. As a Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at UBC, he co-founded the Institute for Future Legislators.

We would often find ourselves on the same panel, not always with the same views, discussing democracy – its failings and its possibilities.

What better time for Max to take a clear eyed look at our current political dysfunction: a US President and some of his cabinet ministers openly ridiculing Canada with their pointed comments, such as suggesting the only way Canada could conduct “war” with the United States would be to take two of our defunct tourist submarines out of the Edmonton mall and sic them on the States.

Furthermore, they keep calling Canada the 51st state and our Prime Minister “Governor.”

While showing remarkable – if not perfect – restraint, Canada has its own internal problems, with two of our provinces talking openly about leaving Canada, and ALL of our provinces maintaining interprovincial trade barriers, despite promises to take down those walls.

Canada also gets very low marks for the abrasive partisanship that rears its ugly head during elections, especially on social media.

And so, Max Cameron has just written a new book on democracy: “Divided we Fall: How We Can Resist Polarizing Pressures and Strengthen Our Identity as Citizens.”

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.