bc government

May 27, 2013 2:00AM

Canada is a country, not a set of provincial fiefdoms

When Christy Clark recently asserted British Columbia didnt need the federal government and also said we don't need Alberta, the B.C. premier demonstrated why Canadas founding fathers were concerned about provincial politicians: when they think in isolation, such premiers harm the interests of all Canadians.

The context of Clarks election-time remark was how BC could become an energy superpower if more natural gas was developed and delivered through pipelines, as opposed to allowing oil pipelines to crisscross British Columbia more than they already do.

Tags:

provincial protectionism, provincial premiers, governance, energy, natural gas, northern gateway, bc government, alberta government, federal government, provincial politicking

May 16, 2013 2:00AM

Now Comes the Hard Part: Governing

Niels Veldhuis, Jason Clemens

The BC Liberals and particularly Premier Christy Clark deserve the praise theyre receiving for their surprise electoral victory. After all, the Liberals reversed a double-digit deficit in the polls and ended up securing a majority government. This moment of jubilation for the Liberals and their supporters will be short-lived however, as the reality of governing in difficult times takes hold. The litmus test for the success of this government, which they themselves established, is the success of the economy and in particular, jobs.

Tags:

bc government, government spending, bc liberals, bc budget, bc deficit, bc debt, program spending, taxes, fiscal challenges for bc

February 13, 2012 2:00AM

What are the top fiscal landmines that B.C. could hit in 2012 and what can the Liberals do to avoid them?

Niels Veldhuis, Charles Lammam

In 2011, most economic forecasters began the year rather optimistic. British Columbia had rebounded nicely from the 2009 recession and saw its economy grow at 3.0% in 2010, robust growth most forecasters thought would continue. Indeed, the BC governments Economic Forecast Council, a group of private-sector economists, predicted growth of 2.7% in 2011 and 3.0% for 2012.

Tags:

bc budget, bc government, british columbia government, government budget british columbia, government spending, provincial budget bc

October 26, 2010 2:00AM

Premier Campbell's popularity doesn't match his performance

Niels Veldhuis, Charles Lammam

What a difference a year and a half makes. In May 2009, Gordon Campbell had just won an historic third term as premier of British Columbia. Now a recent opinion poll not only puts him as Canada's most unpopular premier, but also the least popular premier in B.C.'s history.

Has he really done that bad a job?

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bc government

March 2, 2009 2:00AM

Is this the right budget for BCs business community at this time? No ~ Not the Right Recipe for BCs Economy

Niels Veldhuis, Milagros Palacios

With BC facing a recession, the provincial government had good reason to re-focus on the economy in its 2009 budget. Unfortunately, the government did not make the tough decisions required to make British Columbia more competitive and attractive for investment and business development.

For starters, little was done to improve incentives to work, invest and take entrepreneurial risks. Reduced personal income and business taxes would have improved these incentives and provided a stronger foundation for wealth creation now and in the future.

Tags:

bc economy, bc government

October 1, 1998 2:00AM