Rafe Challenges Premier Photo-op to a Debate

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I have good news for our premier.
 
If what I’m about to say is wrong, you have nothing to worry about. You see, Premier, I have this radical notion that the mood of the voter has changed – you evidently don’t, making it obvious (sorry to talk as if you are a slow learner) that if you just paddle along, down the happy old stream, why the voters, so afraid of the bad old NDP, will put you right back in government in 2013.
 
In fact, if I’m wrong and you’re right, may I respectfully suggest that some tactics are natural:

1. Keep right on charging us the HST. No matter that if you could start it in an instance you could stop immediately. I’m sure that the voter knows that you’re really trying hard on this matter.

2. Ignore the Fish Farm issue – most of the jurisdiction is now with the Feds so just wash your hands of the whole mess. Some might suggest that you should now speak up for BC and urge the Feds to get rid of this monstrous rape of our precious wild salmon resources, but I’ll betcha most people will overlook the fact that you don’t want to piss off the feds just when you’re trying to make a deal on that pesky HST.

Even though I and others will, tiresomely remind voters that it was under your stewardship that this horrific mess came about you can depend upon the fact that the voters will still have faulty memories.

3. On the question of those private power plants you should assume that I’m wrong to say that voters are pissed over losing all those rivers to foreign companies to make power BC Hydro must pay for yet doesn’t need. I’m obviously a bad British Columbian who doesn’t realize voters don’t care about BC Hydro going broke, and trust in your bosom buddies at the Fraser Institute who say it would be a great blessing if all crown corporations and agencies went into private hands. (By the way, Madame Premier, did you know that a fairly recent “Fellow” of the Fraser Institute believes in “consensual slavery”? If, for example, a young single Mom can’t feed, clothe and educate her kids she should be permitted to enter permanent bondage to some guy with lots of loot! Look it up…I can give you the guy’s name but your government should, I know you would agree, do its own research.)

4. If I’m wrong about the pipeline issues clearly you should maintain your position. Just in order for people to understand what that position is, can we infer from recent comments that you don’t think the Enbridge pipeline from the Tar Sands to Kitimat should be dealt with by the National Energy Board? And that I’m wrong again to point out that a spill from such a pipeline is inevitable and the ability of Enbridge to get to, much less do anything about it is nil? Again, with respect, might I suggest that your people “google” Enbridge/Kalamazoo?

5. I am always on about tanker traffic and simply oppose it as being a sure source of catastrophe. Again, with respect and just for clarity, might I infer from your statements that you don’t understand that the Enbridge Pipeline must result in about 300 tankers a year out of Kitimat, down the most beautiful and most dangerous coastline in the world? It’s like the old song about Love and Marriage – “you can’t have one without the other.” I should add, Madame Premier, that I’m sure you know about the new capacity and planned huge expansion of the Kinder Morgan line to ship Tar Sands gunk through Burrard Inlet.

No, of course, a person of your attainments must understand the big picture here and just think that in this modern world we need gunk from the Tar Sands going to China more than a pristine environment.
 
I do have this little query Ms. Clark: what does BC get out of all this except short term labour? Are we getting royalties? Any security against damages certain to happen?
 
6. I have been making a lot of noise about First Nations rights where land has not been ceded. I believe First Nations have rights and, following the Supreme Court of Canada, ownership of land not yet dealt with. Following the theory that the opposite of Rafe’s opinions are the right ones, you should continue to ignore these interests and just barge ahead – after all, we’re only talking about a bunch of Indians here and you will surely make the case that Rafe’s concerns about their rights are not in the best interests of the Province. Standing against Rafe and all those who stand with First Nations, especially where the environment is at issue will surely be understood by voters for what it is – loyalty to all your old friends. Surely that trumps concerns for touchy-feely things like birds, bears, fish, caribou that don’t make you a nickel for election expenses.
 
May I make another assertion on your behalf, namely that the NDP are fiscally irresponsible and that your government is business-oriented. I want you to know my stance so that you can be clear what you oppose.
 
Here’s Rafe’s take:
 
Party philosophies and positions tend to change over time and the coming of new issues – surely you and your party would agree to that. I believe that the NDP has learned much more from its mistakes than you have learned from yours.
 
I say that there are things the public should know about.
 
The NDP from 1991-2001 doubled the Provincial debt. From 2001-2011 the Campbell/Clark government more than tripled it.
 
I understand that your claim is that the Liberal debt was caused by events over which you had no control. If that’s the case you must be saying that when you put together your 2009 budget and ran an election on it you hadn’t heard of the 2007 stock market crash and the 2008 massive Recession.
 
At the same time – I hope I’m not embarrassing you Madame – when the NDP were in power the Asian Flu occurred, all but obliterating that market for our forest products. I would like to say that then-Opposition Leader Gordon Campbell pitched in and offered bi-partisan support in our province’s time of need but, alas, such was not the case.
 
So there we have it Premier – your view of things and those who are of another persuasion.
 
Disagreement on all fronts – so let’s you and me have a debate!
 
Looks like pretty easy pickings for you but I’m used to being beat upon and will do it just so you can demolish all my silly, left wing notions with one swing of the bat.
 
Surely you, a premier with all the resources of government behind you isn’t afraid of an octogenarian who’s not running for anything. (I’m not running away from anything either – are you?)
 
So, let’s do a TV debate on these matters – any time, any place – and let the chips fall where they may.
 
 

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About Rafe Mair

Rafe Mair, LL.B, LL.D (Hon) a B.C. MLA 1975 to 1981, was Minister of Environment from late 1978 through 1979. In 1981 he left politics for Talk Radio becoming recognized as one of B.C.'s pre-eminent journalists. An avid fly fisherman, he took a special interest in Atlantic salmon farms and private power projects as environmental calamities and became a powerful voice in opposition to them. Rafe is the co-founder of The Common Sense Canadian and writes a regular blog at rafeonline.com.

10 thoughts on “Rafe Challenges Premier Photo-op to a Debate

  1. .Our Premier is a wast of perfectly good DNA… She strikes me as Harper in a skirt.. bulldozes over the people and goes ahead with what she (or her backers) want..
    Look back at the Smart Meters.. The Union of BC Municipalities voted to halt their installation until more information could be gathered about their safety. What does Ms P.Op say.. tough noogies.. the installations are going ahead.. not very DEMOCRATIC there Crusty!

  2. We are on the tail end of one of the most corrupt governments in Canadian history (soon to be out done by Harper & Co.) and Premier photo-op is desperately grasping at political straws.

    The government needs the added income of the HST to survive and she knows full well that the next government must increase income taxes just to remain at our current fiscal state.

    The evil that Campbell, Falcon, Coleman, etc. have wrought on this province is almost indescribable and fear is rife in Victoria as there is a good chance some sitting cabinet ministers and the Premier herself may face judicial proceedings if there is a BC Rail inquiry.

    Fear and loathing is the state of affairs in Victoria and no one will ever agree to a debate as the deck is well stacked against this government and its adherents.

  3. She is unable to debate as she has no original ideas or vision of her own. I believe that Campbell is still running this government by proxy; through contact with other people here such as G. Morgan who give Photo-op her marching orders.
    I mean what, exactly, has changed with Christy posing as leader? Absolutely nothing; no policy changes at all that I can see. Maybe a few twists that amount to window dressing only.

  4. We do know, The Common Sense Canadian writers, are dead set against fracking, that is a given.

    Right now we have to work on getting rid of the Campbell/Clark BC liberals. Christy is about the most useless politician in BC’s history. Campbell was the criminal politician, and still is Harper’s little corrupt boy.

    Good luck getting Christy in a debate. She can’t ever allow that to happen, she hasn’t got the smarts to do so, and she knows it.

  5. Karla, your concern is noted and justified. We have covered fracking a lot on our site over the past year and I recently contributed to a Global TV national documentary called “Untested Science” and am currently working on a feature documentary on the subject about which you’ll be hearing more soon. None of us can cover every issue all the time. But I assure you we do take fracking very seriously. Stay tuned for much more on the subject.

  6. I thought you were supposed to ‘mellow’ with age.

    Either Rafe is not aging, or he was one surefire hell raiser when he was younger.

    Poor preemy, she’s dead in the water either way, so why not go out in style in a ‘mano et mano’ with Rafe, eh Christy?

    She might even learn how to become a ‘real’ radio host, just like that Mair guy who kicked Alcan’s ass back in the day.

  7. Rafe, Rafe, Rafe…
    you missed the whole Fracking thing.. you know the thingy where we inject millions of gallons of our seemingly endless supply of fresh water into the earth to extract more pollutants.. madame premier wants to keep this hush hush until the right time and then spring it on us..
    it is just some alarmists in the US that have ceased such activity citing massive increases in seismic activity where fracking has been carried out.. the premier would not ever want to risk increased earthquake activity on the ‘ring of fire’…
    a tanker spill would have one advantage sir.. it would kill the farm fish industry.. there is a bright side!

    if you can get Ms Photo Op on a live TV debate I will eat a farm fish! (ewwww)

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