2010 could have been a lot better politically. It was mostly a year to just step back and ask yourself, "What is going on?" The WTF moments weren't just restricted to BC politics either; nearly every region of the country had some truly bizarre events occur over the course of only 365 days. To start, we'll go the West Coast.The HST hatred didn't hold up this year in BC. As the bill was introduced the NDP fought it, and in response the Liberals used time allocation (restricting of debate) in order to pass the bill in time, something they said they wouldn't do once in office. Later, a FOI (freedom of information) request showed the BC government was in discussions with Ottawa over introducing the HST before the election! It was great timing too, what with the HST initiative collecting signatures and all. On a positive note, it was the first initiative in provincial history to met the Elections BC requirements since the Recall & Initiative Act was introduced in 1995. Still, inside the government the problems were enormous. As BC Liberal polling numbers were free falling, Kash Heed resigned as Solicitor General after "oddities" were discovered having influenced his Vancouver-Fraserview campaign during the 2009 election. Blair Lekstrom later resigned from cabinet and caucus in June over the manner the HST was introduced. To add to that, the budget had the largest deficit in provincial history as well, after Mr. Hansen failed to find $4,000,000,000 in funding. If you want the true definition of a "fudge-it budget" look no further. Eventually, Gordon Campbell succumbed to the pressure from inside and outside his party by announcing his resignation as Premier. This too though caused a Liberal leadership race to begin causing five candidates to put their names forward, one of which will be the next to lead the province. Over in the BC NDPs wings, things were going well until the bitter end of the year. In October, Bob Simpson was removed from the caucus for publicly objecting to Carole James' leadership, this caused two more resignations from within the party (caucus whip and caucus chair), raising questions about her leadership. Eventually, a leadership vote was held with 84% in support of her leadership, but still a group of 12 MLAs voiced their opposition to Carole. Later in December, Ms. James too announced her resignation as leader. Today, we find ourselves with two leadership races going on, one for the BC Liberals, the other for the BC NDP, with the Greens gaining some support from the electorate, and the BC Conservatives becoming a real threat at about 8% support. There is never a dull moment in British Columbia.
Alberta's Progressive Conservatives also have had a bad year. After a huge deficit and appalling reversals of policies, their polling numbers have dropped from the low 50's to the low 30's. Worse still, its main competitor, the Wildrose Alliance, shares the same ideology as the government, making it tough to differentiate between the two. Despite some PC Party MLAs resigning to sit as Independents or to join the Wildrose Alliance, it does still hold a very thin lead in the polls. The Liberals though have also lost support, with the NDP as the main beneficiary. Finally, the Alberta Party (having been taken over by ex-Green Party supporters) has merged with Renew Alberta, giving it a new centrist ideology. These are exciting times for Alberta, since 1971 it has had the PC Party in government, perhaps 2013 will mark the beginning of a new political dynasty for the province.
Saskatchewan appears to be enjoying its government thus far. Despite the blatant privatization of crown corporations, budget deficits and flip-flopping, the people are sitting pretty with the Saskatchewan Party unfortunately. The governing party's polling numbers have lifted up to about 58% to the NDP's 29% at least as of early November, granted with a name like Sigma Analytics, it's validity as a legitimate polling resource should be questioned. Manitoba meanwhile has been observing the positive results of a social democratic government: quality health care, education and crown corproations with government integrity and one of the lowest deficits and unemployment rates in the country. I'm green with envy Manitoba, I really am. What's confusing me though, is the NDP's drop in support. As of now, the party is about 4% behind the PC Party. Often, one can identify a reason or reasons behind the drop, but not in this case. If anyone wants to fill me in on why everyone wants a right-wing government again over there, please don't hesitate to comment. Perhaps though it is the fact that Greg Selinger has yet to be elected Premier by the general public, having being appointed first minister after election by the party. Still, don't forget how fortunate you really are Manitoba. You've got it ridiculously good!
Ontario is also following the national trend of hating however holds power. Support for the Liberals has dropped by about 10% in favour of the Progressive Conservatives. The NDP is sitting between 20% and 22% (sweet!) with the Greens at 8%. Also, a hefty amount of MPPs have announced their resignation as politicians by the dissolution of Parliament. A sign that not many have faith in the Dalton McGuinty government since the HST, health care cuts, online gambling announcement, or the 46% hike in energy costs have set in.
The good news just keeps coming doesn't it ladies and gentlemen? Well, Newfoundland and Labrador didn't fair too badly in 2010. Their energy sector of the economy grew, largely at the expense of the environment, while social services received little assistance. An energy deal was also signed between the province and Nova Scotia, effectively giving Danny Williams the justification to step down as Premier. He left office with an approval rating consistently ranging the seventies and eighties.
New Brunswick was the only province to hold a general election this year. Early in the year with the NB Power-Hydro Quebec deal causing outrage among the electorate, the Liberals were far behind the Progressive Conservatives. After the deal fell through though, they recovered greatly, and it appeared they might be capable to win in September. They didn't, it was quite similar to the 1999 election with Bernard Lord. Still the NDP recovered from the 2006 results, and the Greens didn't have a bad showing. The Liberals have continued their disarray after the party's worst election result ever. The provinces debt is still a paralyzing issue for New Brunswick, but the public is currently ignoring it, and supporting newly elected Premier David Alward en mass in opinion polls.
The NDP has its hands full in Nova Scotia. Major reforms to the education and health care system take time. Still, the changes over there seem to be always positive. The Liberals have been looking for scandals that are fictional, and the Tories have elected a new leader after the 2009 election. As a result the NDP has lost some support, at the expense of the Conservatives, but for 2010 marking the social democratic party's first full year in government, and often a governments worse, it's done quite well. In our smallest province, things were quiet. I would love to tell you about the provinces pressing issues, but no one has said a word about Prince Edward Island. I can assume that the recession is affecting them, but with support for the governing Liberals in the mid 60's, it sounds like the public is enjoying those centrist policies.
Finally, federal politics never maintained the public's attention for long. We got the usual, "Well, there might be an election..." with shifty eyes from Ignatieff and Harper, but overall nothing came of it. The budget was horrendous, the government also cut funding for legal abortions in third-world nations, and the Long Gun Registry nearly died. A lot of people resigned or announced their incoming retirement including NDP MP Judy-Wasylycia-Leis, Government House Leader Jay Hill, Environment Minister Jim Prentice, NDP MP Bill Siksay, Speaker of the House Peter Milliken, and Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca MP Keith Martin.
2010 had some prevailing themes regardless of your geographic position. The economy from the perspective of the kitchen table was the forefront of the public's attention. Social services specifically health care and education deserved a lot more attention then they received, but overall the public just wanted to be listened to. Most governments out there aren't listening to the people that elected them. Just ask Shawn Graham about acknowledging the people's opinions. Unless they clean up their act, Ed Stelmach, Dalton McGuinty and Dennis Fentie all might lose the label of Premier by the end of 2011. How exciting!
