August 24, 2001

Recycling, Double Speak and Pain

Premier Mike Harris and Premier Gordon Campbell have something in common other than their cutting ways. The website for the Ontario Progressive Conservative party recycles government news releases posting them to the party site after removing the government header and contact information. For two months following the BC election, no changes were made to the BC Liberal website. When that was drawn to their attention, guess what they did. That's right - the BC Liberals now recycle government news releases by posting them to their party's website after removing the government header and contact information.

One news release the BC Liberal party did not recycle was the August 22nd release titled "Caucus group to review workplace smoking issue". It is understandable given the internal division on the issue that the party website ignored the release. After all, they couldn't even get the title correct. The issue is exposure to second hand smoke and the independence of the WCB. But double speak in news releases is becoming common in the New Era.

On August 21st Solicitor General Rich Coleman introduced legislation making cut backs in the criminal injury compensation program. He admitted as much in first reading of the bill. On August 23rd the top level government news page gave a positive spin with the release titled "New crime victim program enhances services". Those enhancements are the elimination of awards for pain and suffering. In an interview on CKNW's Bill Good show, Coleman explained that originally awards went mostly to male victims of assault but now the claimants include many women and children who are victims of sexual abuse. Thanks, Rich, I guess that explains why pain and suffering ought not to be compensated. What were we saying about Mike Harris?

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August 22, 2001

"Even after these changes ..."

Solicitor General Rich Coleman introduced the Crime Victim Assistance Act to replace the Criminal Injury Compensation Act. First reading of a bill usually provides very little information. This time, the Solicitor General said "This new legislation will allow the ministry to provide a program that effectively responds to victims of crime while being fiscally accountable to government. Even after these changes, the B.C. program will still be among the most generous in Canada." In plain language, those words sound like cut back.