Here’s a (biased) look back at Gordon Campbell’s first year in office: BC NDP Newswire - May 17, 2002 GORDON CAMPBELL AND THE BC LIBERALS: A YEAR OF brOKEN PROMISES 1. Gordon Campbell promised his tax cuts would pay for themselves — but they’ve created the largest deficit in BC history. 2. Gordon Campbell promised he wouldn’t cut our health care — but he’s closing hospitals, cutting beds, laying off nurses and health care workers, and privatizing services. 3. Gordon Campbell promised he wouldn’t cut our education system — but schools are closing, class sizes are increasing, programs are being eliminated and teachers are getting laid off. 4. Gordon Campbell promised he wouldn’t slash our public services — but he’s started the largest public service layoffs in Canadian history and he’s cutting programs by an average of 25 per cent. 5. Gordon Campbell promised he wouldn’t rip up signed contracts — but that’s exactly what he did. 6. Gordon Campbell promised he wouldn’t reduce the minimum wage — but he invented a new “training wage” that’s 2 dollars an hour lower. 7. Gordon Campbell promised that the most dramatic tax cuts would go to people making less than $60,000 — but the riches 5% of British Columbians received 40% of all the tax cut money. 8. Gordon Campbell promised he wouldn’t reduce welfare — but he’s cut benefits and made it harder to qualify for assistance. 9. Gordon Campbell promised there would be an expansion of gambling — but he’s approved 1200 new slot machines and budgeted for a 40% increase in gambling revenue. 10. Gordon Campbell promised to run the most open and accountable government in Canada — but they’ve shut down or reduced funding for independent offices, restricted the flow of information and failed to consult British Columbians on important decisions. 11. Gordon Campbell promised he wouldn’t download costs onto municipalities — but he’s stuck municipalities with greater costs for policing, access to justice, and MSP premium increases. 12. Gordon Campbell promised to put the needs of children first by providing adequate funding — but he’s cut $490 million from the budget for the Ministry of Child and Family Development, and eliminated the independent office of the Child, Youth and Family Advocate. 13. Gordon Campbell promised he wouldn’t privatize health care services — but he’s turning hundreds of millions of dollars worth of services over to the private sector and looking at building a private hospiral in Abbotsford.
Background When Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals were running for election last year, they made a lot of promises — including a promise that they would keep their promises. “If elected, a Gordon Campbell government will serve you and all British Columbians with honour, respect and integrity.
We will keep our commitments and our MLAs will always remain accountable to you.” (New Era, Page 33) More recently, they’ve reminded voters to hold them accountable to their “New Era” election promises. “If it’s a covenant between us, then we’re bound to keep those commitments.
Why make promises if you don’t intend to carry through on them.” (Christy Clark, Vancouver Sun, December 12, 2001) But things haven’t turned out very well.
Only a few months after taking power, people started to suggest that the New Era election commitments weren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. “That document was a political fraud and economic nonsense.” (Jeffrey Simpson, Globe and Mail, January 19, 2002) That’s because Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals have broken several major election promises.
And it seem like there are more every day. 1. They promised their tax cuts would pay for themselves.
Again and again, Gordon Campbell assured us that there would be no need for deep cuts to public services because his huge tax cut would pay for itself. “Lower taxes mean higher incomes for all taxpayers.
And that will mean more jobs, more taxpayers and ultimately more revenue to improve the public services you want and need.” (New Era, Page 5) Instead, the Campbell’s tax cut blew a $1.9 billion hole in provincial revenues.
Now British Columbians are paying for it with the deepest public service cuts in Canadian history, closed hospitals and schools, and increased fees for everything from Medical Service Plan premiums to ferry rates. “The self-inflicted deficit has forced the Liberals into spending cuts and staff reductions beyond anything attempted previously in this province.” (Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun, November 21, 2001) 2. They promised they wouldn’t cut our health care.
Throughout the election campaign, and all through the New Era document, Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals promised that they would improve our public health care system by “improving the supply of health care providers” (New Era page 24), and ensuring that “people have the health care they need, when they need it, where they live.” (New Era page 21) Instead, the BC Liberals have cut staff at the Ministry of Health, closed hospitals and cut acute-care beds in communities around the province, and laid off nurses and health care workers. “The Liberals didn’t say anything during the election campaign about closing hospitals, lengthening surgery waiting lists…” (Michael Smyth, Vancouver Province, March 8, 2002) “After insisting as recently as last November that they would not lay off nurses, [Health Minister Colin] Hansen acknowledged yesterday he’s set to do just that.” (Michael Smyth, Vancouver Province, April 18, 2002) Now doctors and health care professionals are warning that wait times will increase and patient care will deteriorate. ”…BC doctors are warning that government spending cuts have launched a spiralling crisis in health care.” (Vancouver Province, April 11, 2002) “We’re in trouble.
We’re raising the red flag now to tell you early on that these cuts are going to have terrible impacts down the road.” (Dr Joanne Young, Vancouver Sun, April 11, 2002) “It’s going to be so crowded.
It’s going to be mayhem…It’s going to mean lives, because I can see our emergency ward not working as efficiently.” (Dr.
Ernie Murakami, Medical chief of staff, Fraser Canyon Hospital, Vancouver Sun, May 6, 2002) 3. They promised they wouldn’t cut education.
Gordon Campbell promised that he could cut taxes and still keep his “commitment to balance the budget and protect health care and education funding.” (New Era page 10). During the election campaign, he assured the B.C.
School Trustees Association a Liberal government would not cut education funding. “You can count on it, you can guarantee it, it’s not going to happen,” he said. (CBC, April 21, 2001) But since then, the Liberals imposed a three-year funding freeze on our education system.
Because of inflation and increasing costs, school boards are left with no choice but to cut programs, close schools and lay off thousands of teachers.
Class sizes are increasing, and children in some communities will have to be bussed up to 80 kilometres each way to get to school. “Protected is not an accurate reflection — it’s just a play on words.
Cuts are happening, and they are happening in the classroom.
Schools are going down.” (BC School Trustees Assocation President Gordon Comeau, Vancouver Province, April 28) “Burnaby school trustees want an apology from Premier Gordon Campbell for breaking his promise not to cut education funding.” (Vancouver Province, March 27, 2002) “School boards across BC are proposing to close as many as 57 public schools at the end of the school year to balance their budgets, according to a survey by the BC Teachers Federation.
The survey also found 1,857 teaching positions will be cut.” (Vancouver Province, May 7, 2002) “In Terrace, a brand-new $3.2 million elementary school will be closed.
In Wells, Children will have to bus 80 kilometres each way to the nearest school in Quesnel.” (Vancouver Province, May 7, 2002) 4. They promised they wouldn’t slash our public service.
Gordon Campbell and his colleagues went out of their way to assure us that they wouldn’t cut jobs in the public service. “Our goal is not to go in and slash the public service,” said Campbell in March 2001. Christy Clark said ”… we’re not planning massive layoffs in the civil service.” (Voice of the Province, February 14, 2001) While seeking votes from government workers and small-business owners in Victoria Beacon Hill, Jeff Bray told concerned “There’s not going to be massive job cuts.” (Victoria Times-Colonist, April 26, 2001) And Sheila Orr, who also needed to win votes from workers concerned about the future of their jobs, said “I have made it very, very clear.
We have no intention of going out and firing the public service. (Victoria News, April 25, 2001) But we all know what happened once the Liberals managed to win their seats.
Even though BC has the second-leanest public service in Canada, one-third of all public service workers — some 12,000 people — will be laid off in the next three years. 5. They promised they wouldn’t rip up signed contracts.
In November 2000, Gordon Campbell assured the Health Employees’ Union that he would respect agreements that had been negotiated and signed by public service workers and their employers. “I am not tearing up any agreements,” he assured the HEU’s newspaper.
Fast forward to January 2002, and Gordon Campbell is ripping up the very agreement he promised not to touch. “…he promised not to rip up this agreement — and went ahead and did it anyway,” said the Vancouver Sun. (January 29, 2002) He didn’t even try to negotiate first.
Now how can anyone trust a deal signed by the government ? “If the government’s aim is to increase business confidence, tearing up contracts, even labour contracts, isn’t the way to do it.” (Editorial, Victoria Times-Colonist, December 6, 2001) 6. They promised they wouldn’t reduce the minimum wage.
But they didn’t say anything about creating a new “training wage” that’s $2 less. “What’s the likelihood that a Liberal government will reduce the minimum wage?” asked reporter Charlie Smith in the April 19, 2001 edition of the Georgia Straight.
Campbell replied: “I would say it would be zero.” “…they didn’t say anything about a training wage. it think it’s really deceitful and dishonest,” said Grade 12 Oak Bay high school student Hilary Gibson-Wood to the Victoria Times-Colonist on November 9, 2001. 7. They promised the most dramatic tax cuts would go to people making $60,000 or less But they gave an even bigger tax cut to those making more than $60,000. In fact, the richest 5% of British Columbians received 40% of all the tax cut money. “British Columbians earning $60,000 or less are the ones who are going to benefit the most.” (Gary Collins, Vancouver Sun, April 23, 2001) “[Campbell] hatcheted the top three brackets, something he never mentioned in his bid for the premier’s office.
On the contrary, when the New Democrats accused the Liberals of secretly planning tax cuts for “the rich” - the top three brackets apply to people making more than $60,000 a year — the Liberals complained that the NDP was misleading the public.” (Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun, June 7, 2001) 8. They promised they wouldn’t reduce welfare rates.
Gordon Campbell’s New Era booklet promises “compassion for those in need.” More specifically, Campbell told the Georgia Straight that “We have no intention of reducing welfare rates.” (April 19, 2001) But on April 1, 2002, Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals cut social assistance for single parents, employable couples, and people between 55 and 64. They also eliminated the earnings exemption for most people, discontinued work-entry assistance and transition-to-work assistance, made it harder for social assistance recipients to receive a child care subsidy, made eligibility tougher for families and students, and will now force single mothers to seek work when their children are only three years old.
Employable recipients who haven’t found work in two years will be cut off welfare altogether if they have no children, while those who are single parents will lose an additional $100 off their cheque. “More people sleeping on the streets, more crime, more squeegee people, and more violence are among some of the consequences [Vancouver police inspector Ken Frail] anticipates as people are cut off welfare, have their welfare reduced, or no longer receive refugee hardship funds.” (Francis Bula, Vancouver Sun, February 23, 2002) 9. They promised to end gambling expansion.
On page 26 of the New Era, Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals promised to “Stop the expansion of gambling that has increased gambling addiction and put new strains on families.
But now they’re budgeting for a 40 per cent increase in revenue from gambling, and in January they approved 1,200 new slot machines. “The B.C. cabinet endorsed on Wednesday a proposal that could see 1,200 new slot machines in the province even though the government promised never to expand gambling.” (Dirk Meissner, Vancouver Sun, January 17, 2002) 10. They promised to run the most open and accountable government in Canada.
On Page 30 of the New Era, Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals to create the most open, democratic and accountable government in Canada.
Instead, they’ve made major changes without consulting British Columbians, appointed unrepresentative boards, cut funding for independent offices, and clamped down on the flow of information by centralizing ministry communications under the control of the Premier’s Office. “The B.C.
Liberals, despite their promise of openness and transparency, routinely swallow up requests for information.” (Vaughn Palmer, November 27, 2001) 11. They promised not to shift costs onto municipalities.
On Page 4 of the New Era, Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals promised that their Community Charter would “outlaw provincial government ‘offloading’ of costs onto municipal governments.
Instead, they’ve stuck municipalities with great costs for policing and access to justice, and when they doubled Medical Service Plan premiums, municipal governments were left to pay for the increased cost of staff benefits. “While renewing their vow to ‘outlaw’ the offloading of provincial costs on local taxpayers, the BC Liberals admit their service cuts could have indirect cost impacts of municipalities.
And George Abbott, minister responsible for municipal affairs, delivered a blunt message to civic leaders when asked to respond to concerns about possible offloading. ‘Well, cry me a river, that’s the way it goes,’ Abbott said in an interview with the Metro Valley News.” (Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News, February 2, 2002) 12. They promised to put the needs of children first with proper funding.
On page 26 of the New Era, Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals promised to “devote the resources to the job needed to put the interests of kids first”.
Instead, they’ve cut $460 million from the budget for the Ministry of Child and Family Development, and they eliminated the independent office of the Child, Youth and Family Advocate. the Liberals plan to chop $460 million from spending on children and families over the next three years…
It is a profound betrayal, of children, of families and of voters who believed the Liberals’ promises.” (Paul Willcocks, Vancouver Sun, December 12, 2001) Upon learning that her office was to be eliminated, Child, Youth and Family Advocate Laverne MacFadden told the Vancouver Sun she had “grave concerns about how the service needs of vulnerable children are going to be met.” (February 8, 2002) 13. The promised not to privatize health care services.
Gordon Campbell’s New Era document said there were too many private clinics in BC, and before the election he told CKNW’s Bill Good, “I don’t think there is any appetite in British Columbia to do any kind of privatizing of health care.
And, indeed I don’t believe we need to do that…
We have a long way to go in British Columbia before we maximize or optimize the benefits to the public health care system and we are committed to helping the public health care system work.” (March 3, 2000) Then, last fall, the Vancouver Province obtained leaked documents showing that the Liberals were already planning to break the promise. “The Province received a copy of a memo from deputy ministers Penny Ballem of health services and John Tegenfeldt of health planning showing the Liberals intend to open the door to private medicine in B.C.
This is despite repeated promises during the election campaign they would not increase for-profit medicine in the province.” (Vancouver Province, October 19, 2001) Now, under the health care restructuring plan, we know that several hundred million dollars worth of services will be privatized - documents leaked just prior to the official announcement indicate the number could be as high as $700 million. “Services currently valued at $700 million will be privatized.” (Draft briefing material for Minister of Health Services, obtained by Health Employees’ Union, March 4, 2002)