May 12, 2005

A Few More Days

Liberals in both Ottawa and Victoria are in denial. After promising to call an election within 30 days of the Gomery report being released, Prime Minister Martin is now pleading for the opposition to give him until Thursday, May 19th. Martin's news release would have you believe that he suddenly discovered the west and doesn't want to interfere with the BC Election or the Queen's visit to Saskatchewan and Alberta. Opposition leader Stephen Harper appears to take the west for granted as he was willing to bring the government down this week. Meanwhile, Premier Gordon Campbell responded to the latest provincial poll saying that he might not win as many seats as last time but he hopes to win the same percentage of the vote. In 2001 he won 57% of the vote; his party has recently fallen to 45%. Campbell is hoping to stay in his bubble for a few more days, hiding his real agenda until after May 17th.

Think what could have been if Gordon Campbell had governed as a moderate. He could have phased in his tax cuts over four years based on the province's ability to pay. He could have respected contracts and renegotiated them as they expired. He could have protected the weakest, frail seniors, children in need of protection, mentally ill who sleep on the street, using windfall revenues from natural resources and the federal government transfers. He could have been the successor to WAC and governed as a populist for the rest of his days. What made Campbell and his caucus turn so mean? Did they ever stop to think that May 17th would be "get-even-day"? Drunk with power and very inexperienced, the Liberals appeared to govern as if their day of reckoning would never come.

Winning a second term majority will mean four more years of Campbell Liberals saying that the election was all the consultation they need, that it ratified their uncaring cuts and gave them a blank cheque for the future. A few hundred voters in a dozen ridings will determine whether Campbell succeeds. Liberals are praising the performance of Adrianne Carr because they are praying that she will attract enough votes to keep Campbell in power. Those who suffered under the Campbell cuts must be careful not to split their votes.