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Big money, big media and the coming B.C. election It turns out B.C. politics may be even more corrupt than we imagined. So-called “pay-to-play” political fundraising is so widespread it has created a veritable industry for lobbyists and other corporate operatives, according to a new blockbuster investigative report by journalist Kathy Tomlinson in the Globe…
This month included a rare sighting at the provincial legislature in Victoria: politicians doing their jobs and actually debating in that underused public building. After Premier Christy Clark cancelled the fall session, the legislature is briefly convening before the Liberals, NDP, and Greens head out on the campaign trail for the election in May. The…
This past weekend people from coast to coast braved the cold to hold vigils and rallies in response to the horrific massacre carried out by a white supremacist at a mosque in Quebec City. More than 40 cities and towns across Canada held actions to mourn and to stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers…
What a difference one New York Times article can make. In this remote northwest outpost known as British Columbia, sometimes it still takes some attention from national or international media to shake up the political status quo. For many years, civil society watchdogs and concerned citizens have drawn attention to the dominance of big money…
In just a few days, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the President of the United States. It’s really happening. Feelings of anxiety, despair, and disbelief are hard to shake. As the northern neighbour of a declining empire now led by an erratic and uncouth bully, what can we do in face of this…
When it comes to politics, 2016 has been a nightmare. This year’s winter holidays – ostensibly a time for family and friends, rest and recharging – will be celebrated under the long shadow of the reality that Donald Trump, barring some Hail Mary intervention, will be sworn in as President of the United States on…
Nothing is impossible. That’s a phrase I’ve heard uttered by countless friends, colleagues, and acquaintances since Donald Trump’s unexpected victory over Hillary Clinton. Whatever the initial subject of a conversation these days, it inevitably turns quickly to discussion of the Nov. 8 shocker south of the border. All over the world, people and politicians are…
The long nightmare known as the U.S. presidential election campaign has finally come to its end. I feel stupider just for having followed it. Donald Trump, that unrestrained id of right-wing xenophobic politics, has been melting the world’s collective brain for more than a year. That his opponent was a cynical, hawkish, Wall Street backed…
The B.C. election campaign is already underway. Unofficially, that is. The writ won’t actually be dropped until about a month before the fixed voting date of May 9, 2017. For that official campaign period, there’s a legislated spending of several million dollars. But the governing BC Liberals, having raked in piles of money from their…
Considering this province was basically founded because of 19th century gold rushes, there’s remarkably little public discussion about the mining industry in British Columbia. Back in the 1850s and ’60s, the discovery of gold transformed local politics and economics, as an influx of settlers came to pan for mineral riches, first in the Fraser Canyon…
This week’s much-hyped B.C. visit of British royals William and Kate was a reminder of just how thoroughly our province was, and is, a colonial project. Even with a name like British Columbia, and the union jack on our provincial flag, some of us seem to forget where this recent political entity came from, and…
On March 2, 1999, BCTV’s news hour featured a live RCMP door knock at the East Vancouver residence of then NDP Premier Glen Clark. The cops were at the home of the province’s top politician to execute a search warrant issued in connection with an investigation into breach of trust involving a casino license approved…
Eight months out from the next provincial vote, Christy Clark is acting like she’s already begun the long election campaign. And based on her government’s recently released B.C. Climate Plan, the premier is betting that British Columbians won’t vote based on their concerns about the global climate emergency. Clark chose a Friday during the dog…
