Amalgamation

Greater Victoria has thirteen individual municipalities that together serve about 330,000 people compared to the one municipality of Vancouver representing over 600,000 people. The logical question for Victoria residents is - why not amalgamate? Unfortunately, some municipalities have recently engaged in public battles over taxation. This, along with disagreements on light rail transit and sewage treatment have resulted in strained relations. They've degraded so much that some have suggested breaking up the Capital Regional District.

It's likely that at some point, amalgamation will occur. Granted, it will be a long time until that day comes. The initial steps towards amalgamation would require synchronizing by-laws and emergency services. Still, I wouldn't expect all municipalities to merge together at one time. It's likely the Western Communities, Saanich Peninsula municipalities and the core communities would coexist before we all united under one city council.

The arguments for amalgamation are valid. Most point to a lack of efficiency with the current system and unnecessary bureaucracy. Barriers to amalgamation would be improving relations between municipalities to begin a dialogue on the situation and the size of city council. If amalgamation were to occur, provincial legislation, much like the Vancouver Charter would have to be created making provisions on the number of councillors for Victoria, and if a ward system was to be created along with other regulations.

Amalgamation has been done before in other large municipalities across Canada, and just as in our situation, it has nearly always been a protracted issue. It'll be a long road until then but eventually I would expect us to be under only one municipal government.

Calling it Quits

If the winds of change are blowing in British Columbia, a hurricane is hammering Alberta. Seriously, the changes in the Legislature since their spring 2008 election have been enormous. MLAs removed from caucus, upswing parties, loud opposition to leaders and now the Premier is resigning. To think too, Alberta politics is often a snooze fest.

This Parliament has had to deal with the global economic downturn and its implications on Alberta. As you can imagine, it hasn't treated the province well. Poor fiscal management from years past have become apparent, and so too has a huge budget deficit. This along with flip-flopping in nearly all areas of public policy and secrecy to debate legislation, the Progressive Conservatives are having a rough time. Guy Boutilier publicly criticized the government and was later removed from the caucus, sitting as an independent in the Legislature. By early 2010, two MLAs bolted from the party and joined the Wildrose Alliance Party. Just recently, Raj Sherman was removed from the caucus for objecting the status of the health care system. For now, he is an independent, but word on the street says he's looking for a new political home as well.

This has hurt the PC Party badly in the polls. On average, they have dropped approximately 20% since their 2008 election victory, into the low 30's. With such a poor performance by the government, one would expect the official opposition Liberals to be the main beneficiary. However, that is not the case at all. In fact, they've dropped in support recently, and one of their MLAs who resigned from the caucus due to "a lack of vision and direction" by the leader has now joined the Alberta Party as their first MLA ever.

No, the Wildrose Alliance Party has been benefitting from this political anarchy. They have positioned themselves further right then Ed Stelmach, and claim that if elected to government, they will return conservatism to Alberta. The people seem to like Danielle Smith, and she could very well lead her upswing party to victory by the next election and subsequently become the provinces first female Premier. This would also end the political dynasty of the Progressive Conservative Party in power since 1971. For lack of better words, that would be a very impressive feat.

The quietest party in all of this though is the NDP. The two member caucus has gained some support to about 12%, and may be able to convince Raj Sherman to join, but in the face of a massive split in the right-wing, things are quiet among the social democratic party for better or for worse.

So, with all this occurring within just over a year, as of today Premier Ed Stelmach has announced he will not run in the next election as leader or as an MLA. His political career is over. The hunt is on for a new leader and Premier, but the party might not be alone in that search. The Liberals might look towards an opportunity for renewal and dump Swann. Overall though, this is just further proof that the Progressive Conservatives are not capable leaders. Barring any tidal wave of change from this new leader, it appears that the Wildrose Alliance Party will win the next election. They won't be alone though. The PCs, Liberals, NDP, and Alberta Party will most likely be there with them. This is a time of great change in Alberta. If this is the change Albertans need though, only time will tell.

Harper Has the Power

Since October 25th, the fine citizens of Prince George - Peace River have been without an elected representative. No MP results in a lack of representation in Ottawa and poor government for all constituents. They aren't alone though, two other seats have been vacant since late October and early November as well, yet there is still no by-election. Thus far, there has been no indication by Mr. Harper he will call a by-election in any of the districts. He has until May 2nd to call one for Calgary Centre-North.

Federal electoral law dictates an election must be called for a district within 180 days of a seats vacancy. In theory, Harper could wait for nearly six months to call any election at all. Often, Prime Minister hold off holding by-elections for this long because of a looming general election. Should this be the case, those federal election worries and quite justified aren't they?

Manitoba adopted a wonderful piece of legislation under their NDP government that requires a by-election to be called within 90 days of a vacancy. Harper and all other provinces should move quickly to adopt a similar law. It ensures citizens will not be without a voice in the capital for too long. The law does make an exception though, if a general election will be held within the next 90 days, the vote can be deferred until that date. This avoids voter fatigue in the constituency and wasting money.

Still, this federal business is puzzling. It appears that the Conservatives could win two of the seats pretty easily. Granted, Harper has done this before. In April 2009 when Dawn Black resigned, he waited until November to hold an election. This, coupled with proroguing Parliament multiple times, one would gather Harper must really hate parliamentary democracy.

Just as most provinces and the federal government have set dates for general elections, the time has come to set dates for all future by-elections within 90 days of vacancy. Everyone deserves a voice in Ottawa and we need to respect that right.

The Party System

There's been a slow transformation in the Canadian political scene over the years. While the federal government has yet to experience this great change, some provinces have, while others have not. In fact, other Westminster-style governments such as Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have also seen it. This great change is the symbolic death of the centre.

In the United Kingdom, the political scene was dominated by the Liberals and Conservatives: the Liberals at the time representing the left, and the Conservatives for the right. Over time, the Labour Party grew to become a huge force and has replaced the Liberals (now Liberal Democrats) as the primary left-wing party, pushing them into the centre of the political spectrum. This is the party system in Britain.

In Canada, this "new" left-wing is the New Democratic Party. It has replaced the left-wing Liberals in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia who now run under the name as a group of conservatives. Yukon is currently undergoing the process and could very well adapt to this two-party system very quickly, perhaps within the decade. Should Nova Scotia's NDP also hold onto power for a little longer, the same thing could also occur.

This switch occurs simply because the entire political scene is dominated by contrast. When one party exists on the centre-right, the other must adapt to the centre-left if it is to survive. Saskatchewan altered in the 1960's, while Manitoba and British Columbia transformed by the 1970's. It has happened there, and will happen in the Yukon, and for that matter in every jurisdiction. A centrist party cannot run against a conservative government and be effective. The people won't accept it, nor will the party membership.

This change is controversial, but even the federal government will adapt. This is inevitable. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon the Liberals will become a fringe party or at best the third party everywhere in the face of intense competitions between the Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party. This change is not something to fear (unless you're a committed Liberal, in which case - shit!) rather it is something to celebrate. The great debate on social democracy and conservatism is about to erupt internationally, and I'm placing my bets to the one on the left.

The Long & Winding Road

A long time ago, from the 1990's to 2008 the Conservative Party advocated for Senate reform. Back then, even our current Prime Minister stood for reform to the upper house, but when word came that a coalition might knock him off his pedestal of self-satisfaction, he quickly appointed over a dozen senators. Despite being off the current political agenda and the hearts and minds of the populace, will the Senate be reformed, and if it is, how?

The Conservatives do want to reform the Senate in the form of 8-year term limits on future Senators, a clear departure from the current process of serving until the age of 75. This attempt also wishes for provinces to elect future Senators. The Liberals are crying foul claiming that a change to the Senate would require an alteration to the Constitution, I believe they are correct with that claim. As we know though every attempt to alter the Constitution has nearly torn the nation apart. If we are to proceed down this road, we must move forward with great reserve.

Reforming the Senate in this manner resolves the issue of patronage, but keeps a clear and definitive problem within our plain sight that many are failing to see. In the face of three minority governments in a row, and a fourth one coming, the make-up of the upper body could easily differ from the lower body. A Conservative win in the Commons and a Liberal victory in the red room would create even more tension on the hill. Just what we need: more divisive politics. Two parties claiming to have won an election is the stuff that civil wars are made out of.

Manitoba, Nova Scotia and perhaps most importantly Quebec all had legislative bodies similar to the Senate on the provincial level. After much debate in Quebec, it too was abolished just as so many other provinces had done away with in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Their Legislative Assembly's function better without that bureaucratic slow down, and yet the will of the people is still respected. No province has an upper body any longer; it is only now exclusively confined to the federal government.

At the end of the day, the current Senate is simply representing associates of the PMO, and an elected Senate could easily cause more minority governments and divisive government. Perhaps rather than maintaining or reforming the legislative body, we should simply turn to unicameralism like so many other parliamentary democracies have. They all are effective and speed up the initiating of laws while cutting back on pointless procedures. We don't need to reform the Senate ladies and gentlemen, we need to abolish it.

Let's Win With John!

The BC NDP leadership race just got interesting. John Horgan, the MLA elected to represent Malahat-Juan de Fuca in 2005 by a solid margin, re-elected in 2009 for Juan de Fuca in a landslide, the former Shadow Minister of Education, current Shadow Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, and chair of the NDPs economic committee is running to become leader of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia.

John announced his candidacy in a theatre in Langford late Monday evening. Away from the swarms of media personnel covering the campaigns of the BC Liberals, the Juan de Fuca MLA went to speak with regular British Columbians. Despite some snowfall, he received a warm welcome from over 300 proud, enthusiastic supporters.

The energy in the room was electrifying. Following a wonderful introduction by both Maurine Karagianis and Scott Fraser, John entered the room to thunderous applause. With the music blasting, the signs a waving, and the hands a shaking, the whole event really got me energized for a full-out campaign, but that will have to wait. Once he approached the podium he delivered his speech (complete with a few jokes of course). He spoke of intellectual, pragmatic government that places people before profits. The public interest first, rather than that of wealthy CEOs.

John is intelligent, caring, honest and passionate. What more could we ask from a leader? He has a deep rooted knowledge of the issues affecting our province, from the economy, public transportation, health care, the environment, education and everything in between. It is because of this, I support John Horgan in his quest to become leader of the BC NDP.

To do this though, he needs your help. New members will help rebuild our party and build bridges to present and future generations. Renewing your membership and getting your family signed up as members would be a huge help. You can volunteer for events in your community. You can even donate to the campaign financially, however small your contribution is, it is vitally important. Everything helps! Just go to his website here: http://www.horganforbc.ca/

Together, we can elect John Horgan as leader of the BC NDP, and help move our province forward. It's time we return honesty and good government to the Premier's Office once again. Let's win with John!

Never Again

2000 was the last time a majority government was elected to Ottawa. It has been three elections since then, (with a fourth one coming) and so a good question arises, will there ever been another majority federal government?

Looking at the 2008 federal election, with one the Liberals worst election results in recent memory, the Conservatives were still unable to reach a majority, granted they were very close. The problem is not the NDP either, it is the Bloc Quebecois. By capturing 38% of the vote in Quebec, and winning 49 seats, the Conservatives were stopped from getting that majority. A strong fourth party has often kept the government in minority territory whether it was the Social Credit Party in the 1960's or the Bloc Quebecois in the 2000's.

A majority government is not an unattainable goal however. Harper nearly got it two years ago, and if the polls were just a little bit more kinder towards him, he would quickly call an election, drift towards more seats and the reign of terror would begin. Should the Bloc eventually cease to become a credible force in Canadian politics, majority governments would become much more common once again. Until then though, we get to live by chaotic government.

Recent trends however have shown that the Bloc has been losing support to its current level of 10%. A weak Liberal Party also greatly helped the Conservatives perform well. Barring any leadership changes, huge scandals, or major reversals of policies, it won't happen in 2011, and its possibility further down the line is even less clear.

It will happen again, but if it involves the Liberals or Conservatives, is it really a good thing?

Gender Quotas

We now have a situation on our hands. According to the BC NDP constitution, the top three positions within the party (leader, president and treasurer) must represent both genders, and seeing that two are currently held by gentlemen, logic would tell you the next leader would have to be a woman. Yes, gender quotas are restricting democracy within our party.

Women in politics have been a long sought after goal since the suffragist movement. Even as you look towards federal politics, parachute candidates arrive simply because parties felt they needed more women running to become an elected representative. Male politicians, female politicians, what we really need is good politicians. If the best individual wishes to move us forward, why would we even consider stopping them?

A recent study found that about 30% of the BC legislature members were women. It also found that men were five times more likely to win a nomination contest over women. Is this a sign that our party is sexist? Well considering that both the current and previous leader are both women, one would be correct to state a profound no. The BC NDP is not sexist. The only thing this study confirms is that the citizens in question closely observed all candidates and made an informed decision. They elected who they thought was the best candidate based on their knowledge of the issues and plans of actions to solve these problems. Gender was not a factor. As it stands though, if a man wins the leadership race, our president or treasurer might have to step down. However, we could always alter our constitution to avoid the ensuing chaos just as the BC Liberals are doing before their leadership vote.

Whether it is in the case of the leader, a candidate in a riding, or an administrative position why are we looking towards gender and not ability? The time has come for us to abandon our gender quota policy, and look for the best leader of our party, regardless of whether they are a man or a woman.

Manitoba '11: A Preview

Manitoba is heading the polls on October 4th. It has elected the NDP to the government since 1999, and a victory in 2011 would be a fourth term for the party. Still this election is much different from 2007, for a wide variety of reasons.

Polling numbers since Gary Doer's resignation as Premier have shown the NDP dropping in support comparable to the PC Party, in the low 40's. The Liberals are staying at about 12%, and the Greens appear to have quadrupled their support to 8%.

These numbers are puzzling to me. Support doesn't evaporate without a valid explanation, and yet the NDP's record has been environmental protections, one of the smallest deficits in the country, along with one of the best unemployment rates. Manitoba seems to be a wonderful province that I would love to visit and feel the warmth and security of social democracy. Still, it could always be the fact that Greg Selinger wasn't elected Premier by the province, but rather the party.

This could also very well be the last run for many party leaders. Should Greg Selinger, Hugh McFadyen, or Jon Gerrard lose, it is very possible they won't be in Winnipeg for the 2015 election writs. This election will be a test of NDP strength away from Doer at the helm, and if successful, would become the longest running period for social democrats in power outside of Saskatchewan.

The people of the province are smart. They know that previous PC leaders such as Mr. Lyon, or Mr. Filmon didn't move the province forward, but rather in the opposite direction. It's time the province stop flirting with conservatism and realize the blossoming utopia they are about to embark on with a social democratic Manitoba.

Twenty Eleven

2010 brought about some serious changes in our social, financial, environmental, cultural and political lives. Near the end of the year, I was begging for a few more constants in life, but alas great change is still upon us. 2011 might be even more chaotic than last year, and shit went down then; we can only begin to imagine how different things will be this time next year...

There are going to be so many elections this year you are going to want to vomit violently, or puke profusely whichever you prefer. Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador all are scheduled to hold a provincial election this year. Manitoba may look to remove the NDP from power (no!) and Ontario is so upset they just might elect the Progressive Conservatives. Newfoundland and Labrador and Saskatchewan will most likely remain the same with their current right-wing majority governments perhaps shrinking slightly.

Yukon must also hold an election this year due to the current mandate having run its course since 2006. British Columbia along with Prince Edward Island may hold an early election for a better chance of their governing parties to remain in power. The Liberals or NDP could displace the Yukon Party for first place in the north, with the Liberals winning a huge majority in PEI, perhaps even every seat in the Legislature. Finally, British Columbia, I wish I could tell you who would win a possible early election, but unforeseen circumstances have actualized as of late, so I'll get back to you on that...

Federally, the chance of another general election in 2011 is very real. Harper is looking for that majority, and with the polls sitting where they were two years ago, he might just call one to extend their time in power until at least 2015 (shudder). Then again, the Liberals are also getting impatient. If they Conservatives win again, Liberal Party dissidents might look to unseat Iggy from the top spot and Ms. May also might be out of a job. As of today though, polls are sitting close to their 2008 levels.

The BC Conservatives, Liberals and NDP are all looking for new leaders this year. All of which will be solved by the summer. My guess is that Christy Clark will most likely become the next Premier of British Columbia, as painful as that would be. The Tories in Newfoundland and Labrador will also elect a new leader, while the Liberals in New Brunswick will begin the difficult task of finding someone to lead an imploding political party.

Issues of central political importance this year will likely revolve around the debt, the environment and democracy. This issue of electoral reform won't hush down anytime soon, and while no referendums are being held on the topic, it will probably be put into the public's attention. Don't expect any major reforms to these areas this year though.

2011 will also mark municipal elections in British Columbia, specifically November 19th, 2011. Should the HST referendum be moved up to June 24th, the election will be the first I can vote in, or be a candidate for. Considering this, and looking to the fallacies with the current direction of Langford City Council, I am seeking positive solutions to the challenges we face. My role within this city is currently unknown, but I am exploring my options.

The New Year will be exciting, not scary. We need not to fear what is ahead of us, but rather to embrace it. It's just a number ladies and gentlemen, it always has been, and always will.