The Campbell government mislead, some would say lied, when it promised not to sell BC Rail. Campbell had a choice, he could have said he changed his mind, but throughout the legislative debate in the fall of 2003, he insisted that he did not sell BC Rail. On August 12th, heavily edited versions of the agreements with CN were released accompanied by a news release that essentially said the public should be grateful for what it gets since the government didn't have to release anything.

The documents that are available on a government website consist of a 210 page "restated transaction agreement" (21.2 meg) and a 459 page "revitalization agreement" (52.9 meg). The documents are so heavily edited that even definitions are blacked out. Two of the censored definitions include "permitted encumbrances" and "re-purchase options". A clause dealing with "Land Tenure Agreements with First Nations" is nothing but censured black ink, and many clauses have even the headings blacked out. Article 2 of the transaction agreement is one of the most interesting. It puts the lie to Campbell's claims about not selling BC Rail. Article 2.1 is titled "Purchase and Sale"; it begins with:

"The Vendors hereby agree to sell, assign, and transfer to the Purchaser, and the Purchaser hereby agrees to purchase from the Vendors the Rail Shares and the BCR Partnership Units, free and clear of all Encumbrances, in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement for an aggregate of one billion and one dollars ($1,000,000,001), less the Railcar Purchase Price set out below …"

Some of the words in the above clause are defined in the agreement, but are blacked out in the version released to the public.

Originally conceived as the Pacific Great Eastern, BC Rail has been part of BC's economic development and history since 1912. In 1996 Gordon Campbell said he would sell it; that is credited with contributing to his defeat. In 2001 he promised not to sell it, and even though the heavily edited document makes it clear that BC Rail was sold, Campbell clings to his fiction. What does that say about the credibility of anything he promises for a second term, should voters grant him that privilege?

The Campbell government said it would not sell BC Rail, but it did. It said it would not break contracts, but it did. It said it would not expand gambling, but it did. It said it would provide stability for the Ministry of Children and Family Development, but it has delivered chaos. The Campbell government cannot be trusted. On what basis can it offer promises for another four years?