by Harvey Oberfeld
September 16, 2024
For some British Columbians, time has flown; for others it seems an eternity!
It is almost four years since the last BC provincial election, Oct. 24, 2020.
And almost two years since David Eby took over as Premier on Oct. 21, 2022 , chosen by the NDP after John Horgan stepped down.
Now, finally, voters will get their say on that selection, the record of Eby, the NDP in power and the pledges and promises of both the incumbent government and the newly-minted BC Conservative Party under John Rustad.
The press releases, news conferences, ads on radio, TV, print, billboards have already begun … highlighting a wide variety of issues, ideas and ideological differences.
But they all come down to some very basic political “Harv’s A,B,C’s”:
- Accountability and agendas;
- Beliefs and benefits;
- Costs and consequences.
All the major issues/promises/impacts during the campaign should be examined in the context of those categories: the economy, cost of living, health care, education, daycare, housing, crime, drugs, the Courts, climate change, carbon tax, ICBC, homelessness and poverty.
And, of course, there’s also the record of the incumbent NDP administration that’s up for judgement.
I believe the best election campaign is one where voters actually study the ideas/platforms and performances of those running for office … and don’t just vote automatically for any political party.
So I urge voters to take a serious look at the parties’ stated ideas, positions and pledges, listen to the speeches, watch any debates and study the platforms … especially those of the NDP and BC Conservatives, one of which will govern our lives for the next four years.
You may be surprised that a party you thought you would not support is actually proposing positions/solutions on pressing problems facing BC with which you most agree.
And the parties are already setting out some very clear differences:
The NDP: https://www.bcndp.ca/.
The BC Conservatives: https://www.conservativebc.ca/.
BC Green Party: https://bcgreens2024.ca/
Have at it!
We should be thankful we live in a democracy where we get to choose the party … and ideology … that will be able to put its ideas/solutions into effect over the next four years.
And, of course, we all will also be able to expose, criticize and hold them to account when they fail.
Harv Oberfeld
