December 8-12th has been a rough week for the Campbell government. He accepted arbitration for ferry workers; he accepted Education Minister Christy Clark's admission that she was wrong about the College of Teachers; he received a BC Supreme Court decision saying he couldn't unilaterally change the contract with medical laboratories; and he learned that David Emerson, President and CEO of Canfor (and Campbell appointee to many positions), rejected the proposed softwood deal.

Campbell apparently thought that his worst dreams would be year end reviews of his stay in a U.S. jail; that may be why he agreed to an exclusive interview together with his wife, Nancy. Rumours have it that he wanted to shuffle his cabinet on Thursday, December 11th, but recent events seem to have paralyzed decisions on that long delayed change.

On Friday, December 12th, the BC Ferry and Marine Workers' Union and BC Ferries agreed to binding arbitration. BC Ferries is not independent of government despite government rhetoric about BC Ferries being a "private corporation". The government owns BC Ferries lock, stock and barrel; there is no private sector shareholder. The Campbell government has never before agreed to binding arbitration in a dispute where it was responsible for the settlement. It rejected binding arbitration with BC's physicians, and it imposed contracts on teachers, nurses, hospital workers, para-medicals and other health care workers. The Campbell government would not likely have accepted binding arbitration without the job action taken by the union. That makes Labour Minster Graham Bruce's announcement that he will review the bargaining structure appear as threatening.

On Wednesday, December 10th, at a staged cabinet meeting Christy Clark, finally waved a white flag, and agreed to a majority of elected members on the College of Teachers. It is unusual to see Clark without a big grin on her face as she attacks partners in education. The government website provides streaming video of her announcement; just click on http://meta.insinc.com/opencabinet/20031210/cla_h.asx for the broadband version of her presentation.

In its customary unilateral, contract breaking fashion, the Campbell government announced in September that it would cut fees paid to medical laboratories by 8% effective September 1, 2003, and by a further 12% effective April 1, 2004. On Friday, December 12th, the Supreme Court of British Columbia struck down the Order in Council (government order) and declared the cut illegal. The Campbell government counted on $14 million in "savings" this year and $60 million next year from its illegal actions. In a year when the budget is planned to be balanced by a hair, that is but one of his failed assumptions that will cause panic for the Minister of Finance, and hardship for those who will probably suffer further cuts to make up the difference.

Just to cap off the week of failures for the Campbell government, David Emerson rejected the proposed softwood deal. BC Forest Minister Mike de Jong originally predicted that a softwood deal would be achieved by Chirstmas; that was Christmas of 2001. He'll soon be out by over three years and high on the list of prospects for the position of "former minister".