Thursday, April 09, 2009

Gordon Campbell's collapsing financial house of cards

If anyone still believes Premier Gordon Campbell's budget bunk that British Columbia will only have a deficit of $495 million this year and will back to break even two years after that, take a look at today's unemployment numbers!

This directly from Statistics Canada this morning:

"Employment fell in several provinces in March, with the largest declines in British Columbia (-23,000), Alberta (-15,000) and Ontario (-11,000).

Since October, these three provinces also had the fastest rate of employment decreases.British Columbia's employment fell by 23,000 in March.

This brings total employment losses to 69,000 (-3.0%) since October 2008, largely driven by decreases in construction and manufacturing.

Over the same period, British Columbia has seen its unemployment rate climb 2.2 percentage points to 7.4% in March."

The financial house of cards built by Campbell and Finance Minister Colin Hansen is collapsing just as BC goes into a provincial election.

The second harbinger is that Alberta yesterday announced a deficit of $4.7 billion - the first of four deficits in a row that will total $10.3 billion.

Earlier this year Helmut Pastrick - the respected Chief Economist of Central 1 Credit Union [formerly BC Central Credit Union] said the BC Liberal government's numbers were way off - he predicted our BC deficit before the budget was released in February would be $3 to $5 billion. After the budget came out Pastrick still said it should be $1 to $1.5 billion.

My friend Will McMartin - in The Tyee - called it a "toxic fudge budget" because the numbers were so cooked and sweet.

"It's the same old pre-election, budgetary sleight-of-hand British Columbians have seen many times in the past, but of a scale and breadth never seen before. Expenditures have been artificially dampened, revenues boosted heavenward and a fiscal shock-absorber eliminated, all to create the illusion of a fiscal shortfall that is probably just one-quarter to one-fifth of its actual size," McMartin - a former Social Credit government aide, wrote in February.

But you can't keep the truth secret for too long - Campbell's goal now is to just get through the election without serious questions about just how bad BC's budget really is - and what services he would slash to deal with it.

Here's a hint - take a look at his 2001 term, when he ripped up union contracts and slashed most of the public service by 25% to make up for his ill-advised 25% tax cut that put BC into a huge deficit.

Be very afraid if Campbell is re-elected on May 12.

.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

The SOB will down load Gateway onto the backs of taxpayers. TransLink will needs massive subsidies (read taxes) operating the wrong kind of transit on the wrong kind of routes. That outfit couldn't run a whorehouse at a profit.

Until Bill Boring and the mainstream media report the truth about Campbell and his 'Fiberals', expect massive tax increases after the election.

Kam Lee said...

The liberals continue to lie, cheat and steal. The mainstream media are appalling. Their coverage is milk toast at best. If they could tell the truth about gordo, there would be a complete change in government in May 09. I also feel that Mr. Heed, former cop, is now running for them. Has he not done a criminal check on gordo? Or the rest of the gang? Consider the fact that over 20% of his cabinet as well as backbenchers have quit, retired, or have run from the situations that gordo has created. Food for thought before and as well on May 12th, 2009.

Anonymous said...

Based on the past eight years, I'm wondering what's to stop a re-elected Liberal government from passing a law that declares all past deficits were actually surpluses.

(Of course, it would only apply to Liberal deficits, and not NDP deficits, eh?)

DPL said...

Sure hope King Gordo actually talks to Ida Cong. She was going on just yesterday how great things will be real soon. All the experts say things are not going to get better for along time, but the zealots for Gordo cling to his ever utterance as if it's the word from on high. Sure getting bring to hear about how bad things were in the 90's in Liberal speak

Anonymous said...

Bill, the one thing that really amazes me is that the Liberals are running on being the best economic managers for the province. I always hear people state this as if it is fact. The bad economic situation in BC and all the important numbers that everyone can understands needs to be communicated to the public. People don't actually know that our debt has grown under Gordo. Also the future committments under contract is seriously high, with no plan on how to pay for it. Conservative governments always leave a bigger mess than when they came in.

A. G. Tsakumis said...

Anonymous 5:05 states, "Conservative govts always leave a bigger mess than when they came in..."

Really?

Please explain how Gordon Campbell is running a 'conservative' govt.

Some of you doctrinaire whackjobs on the far-left need to learn to label less and make sense more...

Gordon Campbell changed course so that he couldn't be called a conservative...

And that's precisely why he's in trouble.

He's a serial exaggerator...that's not the mark of a real anybody, conservative or liberal.

Maybe you should concentrate on that next time.

Anonymous said...

No matter what happens it simply never gets reported since BC's beautiful mainstream media is really BC Premier Norman Bates' media.

So whatever the crime or the failure it did not happen.

If a crooked Grit falls in the forest and nobody reports it did the Liberal ever fall?!
Can you answer that for me Mr. Skulsky or Mr. Asper?

The GREAT SATAN

Anonymous said...

Kash Heed and Stonewally are both going down. I spoke to Indo-Canadians at 49th and Fraser, and they were unanimous in finding the Libs arrogant for thinking the community will back Heed, based on Stonewally' king making. Nobody likes a manipulator.

Anonymous said...

"ripping up union contracts"?

Now that is so progressive isn't it. Unions are parasiting on taxpayer's money, making work for themselves, and shunning the hard stuff, and hiring more assistants to the assistants, and taking every other Friday off ....

The average salary and benefit at BC Transmission is $130,000. Its right their in their openness filing - read it and weep.

Any action that cuts down on freeloading and graft is indeed progressive.

Jeff Barkley said...

If the result wasn't so tragic the comments on here from the fat, lazy, useless, and overpaid Public Affairs Bureau employees would be funny. They spout mis-truths about the NDP with complete freedom from ever being questioned about THEIR wages and benefits. Amazing, since they are hired liars, paid for with the public purse. Anonymous 12:58, for instance. Where do you work? What is your wage? After we find that information, we can then look at the job classification and follow it back to when it was started. Then we can add the benefits of those that did the "job" (and I use the term job loosely, similar to a gangland hitman) in the past to pump up the total "cost" of those employees. You know....the way dirtbags did the same thing to show how expensive auto-workers are in the past few months.

The BC Liberals constantly talk about the huge deficits under the NDP, which are just lies. The Auditor General laid those lies open for all to see (and none to publish) years ago. It has been Gordon Campbell and his so-called Liberal government that have added massive amounts of debt to the balance sheet of BC, or perhaps I should say to the "off-balance-sheet" since they have been "hiding" huge amounts of debt under the "PPP" umbrella.

Its really too bad that we don't have any media, other than blogs, in BC. It must be pretty easy to win an election when you control all forms of the "mainstream media aka BC Liberal newsletters" and are free to publish complete distortions with no questions asked. Oh well, I can only hope that CanWest and others of their ilk will soon be bankrupted by their own greed...

Anonymous said...

@AGT

Campbell might have some Conservative roots.But Campbell`s goverment is a hybred,a corporate version,a George Bush special....
it is neither Conservative/Liberal...
It is a failed idealogical goverment of the few,of the insiders club............
The closet thing/goverment could be found in Russia.....

A goverment run for the benefit of goverment for the benefit of but a few,Gordon Campbell is a total failure,he been a pathetic fiscal manager,he has tripled our BC Debt while reducing services,quaity of service.............
The more I think about Campbell his goverment is like the once powerful Holy Roman Empire or even more fitting is like Calligula....

Excess,wine,food,unsatiable demands,unadulterated greed,while the slaves,sick are removed,destroyed executed.....

Do what I do,complain,call out BILL GOOD,call out Smyth,write to global,complain and speak the truth.........
Bill T ---You defend Bill Good---This week Bill Good has reached an all time low,lap-dog interview with the Premier,michael Levy being asked to applaud Campbell`s refusing to raise the minimum wage,Palmer today with breaking news from Marc Jaccard!----
At least I call in and tell them off!
Harvey Oberfeld has enough balls to call Bill Good on this matter.....
When are you going to stand up to good and Spector bill T?

Bill Good has officially reached Liberal Hack status/ what radio host asks their guests to play radio tricks, Palmer/Baldrey/Levy......

You have all lost any credibility you once had!

A. G. Tsakumis said...

I think some of you that expect the bashing of Bill Good are mistaken in your hope and sentiment. Bill's style has always been non-confrontational. What did you expect? Yes, I agree, it was not his shining moment earlier in the week when he interviewed the Premier, it might as well have been a Liberal ad, but Bill Good does some fine radio otherwise.

As for Jeff Barkley's comments: THEY DESERVE A POSTING ALL BY THEMSELVES, THEY WERE THAT GOOD, NO, GREAT!

The problem here folks is that there is no alternative, as poor Carole has the minions in her own party after her.

I wish the Premier has the courage to debate me in public.

Sushi, anyone???

Anonymous said...

Oh but the public is entitled to the greater skills of a Bill Good Senior and a Jack Webster to be seen again.

Anonymous said...

http://harveyoberfeld.ca/blog/convention-center-w-5/

A. G. Tsakumis said...

Anon 8:26pm:

Yes, I agree, but they don't have the budget to give me my own show...

Anonymous said...

"If anyone still believes Premier Gordon Campbell's budgt bunk..." BT

Does anyone still believe Premier Gordon Campbell on anything?

Number 1 election issue this time around should be the cloud of corruption Premier Campbell and his cronies are under and the surreptitios manner in which they operate.

Bill Tieleman said...

To Anonymous 12:18 - I think I can safely put my credibility up for public judgement after years of writing columns and doing radio and television commentary about the failings of the BC Liberal government and Premier Gordon Campbell.

I have and will defend Bill Good anyday. I'm proud to be a regular guest every Monday and I don't have to apologize to anyone for my views there - certainly not to someone who makes anonymous comments about Bill or myself here.

I have a lot of time for Harvey Oberfeld - always have - and his blog is a fascinating read. At least he puts his names to his comments. But that doesn't mean he's always right.

But readers here can listen to Bill Good's interview with Gordon Campbell and judge for themselves by going to www.cknw.com and using their Audio Vault feature to hear the original broadcast.

Meanwhile, I'll be on again Monday morning and anyone who listens can decide if I'm credible or not.

Campbellwearsatutu said...

Bill T---I`m anon 12.18------

I meant to say that Bill good has lost all credibilty,and Christie Clark, I would like you to stop letting Spector RAG the puck(the talk)on the monday show.
Bill Good has gone "all Liberal,all the time"

And this bitter caller lets Bill good have it,and Vaughn and Keith.

Good has been stacking calls,(arranging calls).........

But what I take from this is,Campbell has asked Bill good for all the help he can get......

Because Campbell is fading in the polls,the more he shows his face,the more deficit money he spends the more people are tuning Gordon Campbell out!
This last week alone on the Bill Good show.....
Tuesday--Mcinnes(CEO of Plutonic) misleads the caller about donations,(bill good chases caller away)the CEO later in the day re-cants his statement.

Wensday--A weak interview with Campbell,no tough follow ups,serving up softballs--Later in the day the caller from tuesday calls back to Bill Good(on wensday)and asks for clarification....

Bill good spends a minute tip-toeing and apoligizing for the CEO of Plutonic not understanding the donation to the Liberals question 3 times.
Thursday---Bill good asks Michael Levy if he agrees with Campbell stance on not raising the minimum wage and---Levy states "oh yes,I 100% agree that you CAN`T raise the minimum wage" Then Levy quotes from a report from the FRASER INSTITUTE,then when callers give Levy shit,he starts to WAFFLE and backtrack......
Shame on Bill Good for dragging Levy into a political stage play.

FRiday--Cutting ledge---Vaughn Palmer with "Breaking news".....

Vaughn states "Marc Jaccard says the NDP`s Cap n Trade plan will cost 60.000 thousand jobs!"

Well!!!!!!!!---Vaughn,Keith,Good and Jaccard forgot to mention that ..........

Gordon Campbell and the Liberals signed on to a CAP N TRADE with several provinces and states last spring!They rammed it through without debate........

So Marc jaccard had a study that came out 12 hours after the NDP platform that stated "the NDP cap n trade will cost 60 thousand jobs but the Liberal cap n trade won`t?

Breaking news? Vaughn pulled the same stunt a month before on the cutting ledge --Near the end of the show,Vaughn cut off a caller and said ........

"breaking news Bill,a new poll from Mustel has the Liberals with a big lead"
Give me a break,this is shameful (staged radio).........

Bill--you know who I am,just call me MR. Bitter.

As for Bill Good,he is starting to swirl the toilet bowl---Talk to you on monday Bill T

Anonymous said...

check bc mary site

DPL said...

If folks don't like Bill Good, Spector, Smythe or Palmer, why not look up the blogs of those who have them and let fly there. Complaining that Tielman is some sort of an apologist for the guys is not productive. I've used both Mike Smythe and V. Palmers blog and what I wrote got printed. I am certainly not a right winger but read Spector often, and have done so for years. He has been around for a long time and often flattens Gordo. If Tieleman doesn't know what he is talking about maybe the bitchers should tune into other folks.

Anonymous said...

"Some of you doctrinaire whackjobs on the far-left need to learn to label less and make sense more"...says AGT

Wow in the same sentence you say one shouldn't use labels and you use one yourself. Hypocrite.

Whether Campbell is a conservative or not is irrelevant. He is thought to be 'conservative' by a lot of people, and thus has perhaps tarnished the image of the conservative name. Everyone knows he is not a Liberal. Maybe AGT you can start to clarify what it means to be a conservative and thus distance yourselves from Campbell.

As for me, you can call me what you like as I will never apologize for caring for the environment and the public of BC before the filling of a few fat cat wallets,far out pinko commie that I am.

RossK said...

DPL--

....maybe the bitchers should tune into other folks....

Point taken.

But....

Who would you suggest, exactly?

(which is the real point here)

.

Anonymous said...

Try the Liberal blogs , or maybe the Green ones 8:57. Or maybe the NDP ones. The mainstream media may not satisfy some folks, but as Carole James said on Voice of BC this week" Blogs twittering and on line newspapers will be quite involved in the upcoming election. She mentioned as well that with the economic downturn( No downturn said Gordo at first and he still finds it hard to admit even now) a lot fewer reporters will be on the campaign buses.

It's not too productive for folks supposedly on the left to keep attacking each other. The Opposition leader got the job and we either run with her or end up with Gordo, one more time. Up to us. We know from past practices that some media do their best to discredit anything left of Attila the Hun.

Anonymous said...

Lots of well timed digs at Gordon Campbell today on the monday quarterback.
Way to stand up for raising minimum wage bill T

I didn`t have much time at the end of the show to comment,only enough time to show Jaccard for the political hack that he is.
Norman Specter,still a knuckledragger,but I still like him.
No hard feelings Bill T--And I wasn`t (anon 12.18) going after you.
Cheers --Bitter B--Garden Bay

DPL said...

Hi
The anon at 10:31 was a slip of the finger. I wrote it and stand by what I write.

Anonymous said...

All the shots at CKNW may be the reason that the CBC has become a top radio show in Vancouver.

But having said that, the issue Bill Tieleman raised with the deficit is important. I believe that who ever forms government will have a huge deficit - it will be around $2 Billion! The current budget will be the Liberals version of the Fudget Budget of the NDP.

Stay tuned, I hope that "Truth in Budgeting" can become an election issue.

Anonymous said...

NDP is on the wrong side of history with its opposition to the carbon tax.

The NDP used to be a party of ideas and progressive policy. James has reduced them to pathetic pandering and morally despicable policy positions.

Anonymous said...

Is this the first day of the election AND the gag laws kick in again?

Anonymous said...

The Campbell Tax is NOT a Carbon Tax - it's a money laundering scheme that has contributed not a dime to reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions in this province.

Rolling that stone up the hill for the whole campaign - that the Carbon Tax is anything more than a footnote to history - is going to keep all 225 of Jessica's PAB minions busy though.

Keep posting guys - and we'll keep noting the IPs....cheers!

Jeff Barkley said...

I was disappointed to see that major environmental groups have turned against the NDP for their opposition to the "carbon tax". It is unfortunate that it is possible to spin a tax which will clearly hit the "little guy" as something positive. I mean, if you carry the logic of the carbon tax through, you will understand why we should simply give Exxon, Shell, etc all of our money, so that we can't afford to use any fuel to heat our homes and drive to work, thus protecting the environment! If the money that is raised by the tax were 100% used to provide more clean public transit and clean alternate power sources, I would support it, but, as it is, it is just another cheap BC Liberal trick to obtain money from the public with no strings attached. Of course there will be compensating tax cuts for friends of the government to make the revenue "tax neutral". No change in anything, other than taxpayers having less money and corporations having more. Is it really surprising that right wing corporate hack governments are flocking to this latest scam?

I noticed that Plutonic power, on their corporate website, seem to rely on comments from ForestEthics to support their applications for "run of the river" projects....interesting....

Its too bad that many environmental groups have been deceived and manipulated by the corporations and the BC Liberals. A little donation here and there and everybody is smiling, regardless of the long term overall results. It is to their advantage to believe the Campbell lies and distortions because they get a few donations and a bit of "support" and "respect" (cough) from the government. They are the ones that are "consulted" about environmental "plans" by the Campbell government and kept quiet at the same time Campbell rapes and pillages the environment with his policies.

I'm sure they will be "shocked" and "surprised" when they are betrayed by Gordon Campbell, but they will still stay quiet because they will still be "important stakeholders" in the Campbell spin machine. They will be invited to "conferences" where issues will be "explained" by "experts". They will leave with nothing except empty promises and Gordon Campbell and the AIG types will continue...

Jeff Barkley said...

Oops! I forgot to say "Hi!" to all the Public Affairs Bureau employees trolling this site. I'm sure you will rationalize your dirty deeds as "its just my job!" and forget to mention what you do for a living to your families and friends. Yes, you can probably talk yourself into believing that you aren't telling your families and friends what you do because you "had to sign a non-disclosure agreement" at work. Yeah, thats it! I bet you feel better already. Don't let it bother you that your children will ultimately suffer for your work... I mean, its all about money, right?

Anonymous said...

I am not linking to the Lib platform (released Wednesday) however, as expected they quote Gregor Robertson praise of our convict Premier: “As premier, he has shown his leadership on the
environment, including overseeing BC becoming the first
jurisdiction to introduce a Carbon Tax in North America.” They saw him coming.

Apparently Gordo is going to put so many of his fellow criminals in jail, that we will need more prisons. Canwest, in the last stage of solvency, will love this platform statement on the criminal justice system needs:

"Cracking down on gangs and gun crimes

1. More police officers
2. More prosecutors
3. More jails and secure courts
4. Tougher laws and sentences
5. Crackdown on illegal guns
6. Outlaw armoured vehicles and body armour
7. New gang hotlines and rewards program"

Yah, we are dodging bullets everyday, and subversives are infiltrating our courthouses, while illegal guns are sold out of vending machines. Yah, right!

anony said...

If you think the Campbell government's fiscal and economic stats are bad now be prepared for them to get even worse. Especially watch for the asset values to plunge in the massive public-sector pension plans managed by B.C. Investment Management Corp. The preliminary versions of those numbers could have been tabled in the recent sitting of the Legislature but the government hid them. A drop of 25% from about $80 billion to about $60 billion would not be surprising because the CampLibs let the bureaucrats and private-sector managers play odious games with the public sector's money.