Abuse of Question Period

March 8, 2002

Keeping Score

Campbell's Backbench is losing Including the Premier there are 28 members in the Campbell cabinet. That means when the Speaker is taken out, there are 48 government backbenchers. At the end of Question Period on Thursday, March 7, the BC Legislature will have sat for 4 weeks since hearing the Throne Speech on February 12. After one more week of sitting, the MLAs will return to their constituencies for a week of meetings with the people who elected them.

In the first four weeks of legislative sitting, opposition members Jenny Kwan and Joy MacPhail put 30 questions plus related supplementary questions. The Speaker may allow up to two supplementary or follow up questions after an initial question kicks off a topic. Hansard records questions under topic headings it assigns. Of the 30 topic areas addressed by the Opposition, 14 dealt with some aspect of health care. During the same time government backbenchers asked questions under 32 topic headings plus related supplementary questions. Only 3 of the 32 topics chosen by government backbenchers were related to some aspect of heath care.

Some government backbenchers have questions under more than one of the 32 topics. Members like government whip, Kevin Krueger, have risen on three occasions. Hence, only 21 government backbenchers have actually asked questions. We have no reports on what the other 27 government seat warmers are doing. If they are contemplating wasting Legislative time with the kind of questions put by their colleagues, they would be best advised to stay in their seats.

The performance by Kevin Krueger on February 14th is typical of the abuse of question period. Asking one of the three questions put by government members on health care in the first four weeks of the session, the government whip gave a lengthy introduction attacking the former government and then tossed this softball: "I'd like to ask the Minister of State for Mental Health how the recent reorganization is expected to deliver mental health services to those who desperately need it in this province." The Opposition has since revealed that the Minister of State is failing to act as an advocate for mental health. Government has removed mental health as a separate line item in budgets. The amount spent on mental health is now up to regional health authorities who may trade it off against any other service.

On February 21st North Island MLA Rod Viser asked the Health Services Minister about the New Era promise to get health care when and where you need it. After receiving a rambling answer about reducing administration costs, Viser followed with a supplemental that will go down in history as one that should embarrass even a government backbencher. Viser said:

"Under the previous government there were lots of changes to the health regions, and many of them had little or no success. Can the minister please tell my constituents that the changes we've made now are going to be more successful than the ones we've done in the past?"

Minister Hansen answered by saying that in the past Victoria engaged in too much micro-management and now health authorities would spend less on administration. Two weeks later while debating the Premier's budget estimates, Joy MacPhail succeeded in getting the Premier to admit that the health authorities are appointed by the government with no community or service provider involvement. Backbencher Viser would have served members of his community far better by pressing for answers on why communities will have no say in what government does as wait lists are made longer and beds are closed.

The third and last question from the government backbench on health care was put on February 25th by East Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett. It was a puffball question about a teleconferencing project that had been demonstrated earlier in the day. Bennett's use of question period to repeat what is usually covered in a news release to regional media is another example of the abuse of question period.

As constituents grow increasingly upset, the 48 government backbenchers may discover the record they have left in Hansard and in their communities makes them as accountable as their higher paid colleagues.

March 5, 2002

Abuse of Power

On June 5th, 2001, at his swearing in ceremony Premier Campbell said:

"I want our new government to reflect a fundamental change in attitude. The Legislature is there to serve the people, and the cabinet is there to serve the Legislature. Our Legislature will be open. It will be a place where we all learn from one another. It will be a place where we strive to reflect the values of British Columbians and to unite our province in common purpose."

A moments later, he went on to say:

"Truly responsible government is not just answerable to the Legislature. Truly responsible government invites public participation and open and honest dialogue. I sincerely hope that the two NDP members who will be sitting in the Legislature can play a meaningful role in helping us over the next four years."

In less than nine months, the Campbell government went from those high sounding principles to a style of arrogance and abuse of power.

Question Period in the British Columbia legislature lasts only 15 minutes. Carrying out the will of government, the Speaker recognizes the two NDP members for no more than half of that time. The remainder is spent with government backbenchers acting as the stooge to toss setup questions to Ministers for announcements.

In lieu of news releases, legislative followers now have to watch for phony little exchanges that waste the valuable few minutes of question period. On March 4th with the news full of stories about cuts to health and education, the backbenchers again ran out the clock so the government could avoid answering questions.

When Joy MacPhail and Jenny Kwan are given the opportunity to put their question, government ministers and the Premier duck and cover. Their first response is to attack the former government. Their second response is to say the economic situation is so bad they have to do what they are doing. Their third and final response is to repeat already broken promises from the New Era Document and claim that things will get better. Never do they provide a simple honest answer.

On March 4th, Joy MacPhail confronted the Premier with a leaked government document showing plans to axe nearly 28,000 health care jobs, increase surgery wait lists and shift another $500 million in health care costs on to the shoulders of B.C. families. Neither Health Minister Colin Hansen nor Premier Gordon Campbell said one word in defense of their plans and broken promises.

That leak comes the day after Vancouver Province columnist Mike Smyth revealed a leaked cabinet document that puts the lie to Education Minister Christy Clark's claim about flexibility in education funding. According to Smyth, the leaked document reveals government's real motivation as making school boards accept the blame for cuts to education that are being inflicted by the Campbell government.

The only openness found in the Campbell government comes in the form of leaks. With 77 of 79 MLAs, the New Era bunch rammed contract breaking legislation through the legislature in an unnecessary weekend sitting ending with the Lt. Governor proclaiming the bills in the dark of night. It is thoroughly consistent that a government that would do that would also essentially eliminate most of Question Period for the two MLAs that are capable of holding the government to account in the legislature.