Youth Rights or Lack Thereof

My first post on this blog was about the HST. This issue made my blood boil a little bit, prompting me to participate in my first Burma Shave, and join in a rally downtown at the Legislature. I found the HST harmful; not just for seniors, or adults, but everyone including youth. We all buy things, thus we will all pay the tax. I determined last month that I would participate in Mr. Vander Zalm's initiative to end the HST, starting on April 6th and ending on July 5th. Today, I received word from my local "captain" in the region that I cannot canvass. Why? Because I am not a registered voter.

By now, I should inform you that I have yet to reach the age of majority; I've got another year and a half to go until I achieve enfranchisement. If you're below 18 years old, you cannot be accepted on the Registered Voters List. So in essence what this means is that everyone below the age of 18 must remain silent on this issue. The youth of this great province have no voice on one of the biggest issues in British Columbia politics.

Elections BC, I hope you realize: I pay taxes too. On my receipt I see the little acronyms scrolled across reading both "PST" and "GST". I know this tax will cost me more, it affects me, and it hurts me. But it's not just me, you failure of a non-partisan election organization, everyone in this province from when you are born to your death bed has a right, guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms to criticize the government, and get involved in the democratic process. Your attempts to silence the Y Generation will end in complete and utter failure. Great change is coming; it is only a matter of time...

Democracy isn't simply about every four years crossing an "X" by your favoured candidate; it encompasses volunteering during elections to help a candidate, holding rallies down at the work place of all Members of the Legislative Assembly, and even canvassing to gain enough signatures for an initiative to force a draft bill to be in introduced in the chamber. For an organization that urges parents to bring youth and children to their voting place to get them engaged in the process, it is incredibly hypocritical of them to deny the few of those that do show an interest in the topic the right to change the province for the better.

This issue goes beyond simply allowing youth to participate in initiatives and other democratic opportunities, the voting age should be lowered as well. Elections BC can call it whatever they want, but at the end of the day this is just another attempt by the majority to silence the minority. That is discrimination.

Spring Duel

The Legislature is back from Spring Break now, and so far this has been one of the feistest sessions yet. Budget deliberations are continuing, some of the policies outlined in the Throne Speech will come out, and the dreaded HST legislation will also be introduced. If any session is going to break the people into a period of civil unrest, it's going to be this one. The Liberals are on the defensive (even more so then usual!), while the New Dems are asking for honesty from the government benches. As we all know, we aren't getting that.

A part of me wants a Liberal Minister to have a nervous breakdown during these lively debates like Stephane Dion did back in January '09 during those intense months about the possibility of a coalition. I'm expecting the NDP to bring up the fact that ordinary citizens taxes have consistently been raised since 2001, while the government will mention some distorted facts from the 1990's when the social democratic party in our province held the helm of Premier.

But the outrage goes beyond the Legislature, the Stop the HST campaign will be in full force by April 6th, having 90 days to go out and collect signatures from 10% of constituents in all electoral districts. Expect speeches, cheering, booing, and maybe even a few calling for Vander Zalm to return to his post he left so quickly back in '91.

Yes ladies and gentlemen the times are very interesting. But perhaps the most fascinating of all will be Mr. Campbell's decision to stay on or to call it quits.

Continue Minister...

Recently, I've been watching Question Period in the Legislative Assembly, and I've found an interesting trend. The next Premier will stand up and ask the BC Liberals anything ranging from a new controversial tax, to dangerously high air pollution levels in Prince George. Next, the Minister opposite will stand up and proudly state that colleagues from outside those walls back up his or her claims. Then, Ms. James will stand once again change the wording of the question, and be slightly more emotional. The Liberals will then point out additional funding they have provided to any aspect of governance, even if it's unrelated to the question at hand. Finally, the Leader of the Opposition will have her last attempt to get any answers from Campbell's buddies, and they'll respond with the claimed "awful" record of the NDP during the 1990's.

This is Question Period every day, for 30 minutes. I know that it is rare for anything to be accomplished during the half an hour, but at least in Ottawa the Conservatives don't bring up the record of the last government every 45 seconds. Well after a bit of searching I found an article online stating that if cabinet ministers can't answer the best they can "they're advised to attack the NDP record, evidence of internal conflict, etc." The document also states that it is Question Period, not "Answer Period."

If there is anything to take away from this rant, it's that the Liberals openly know that they can't answer the NDPs questions about government actions. If they don't have an answer then they will attack the NDP for their history in the 1990's. Unfortunately, a vast majority of today's Opposition MLA's weren't around in Legislature back then. Then again though, as long as the public doesn't know that, the government is in the clear. Let it be known, the NDP's record is fantastic in government stretching from Dave Barrett, Mike Harcourt, and even Ujjal Dosanjh at the turn of the century.

Free yourself from the Liberals hold, and educate yourself about the Liberals record and the NDPs record: if after that you still think Gordo's right, then there's no convincing you...

Here's the article: http://www.straight.com/article-205046/bc-premiers-office-its-question-period-not-answer-period