Why does federal NDP allow voting to occur before final debate takes place in Vancouver? It feel like an old-style national election where BC votes don't count

NDP leadership debate - is party moving Forward or Backward
by allowing voting to start before official debates end?

It was a great federal New Democrat leadership debate in Vancouver this afternoon.

Informative, entertaining and enlightening.

But I have one great big complaint - and it has nothing to do with any of the candidates.

Why is the federal NDP holding the last of its official leadership debates with voting for a new leader already well underway?

And why is long-suffering British Columbia subject to that old feeling we used to get on election night before staggered voting hours were introduced - that voters back East had already decided the results before our first ballots were counted?

We would turn on the TV and find that CBC, Global and CTV had already called the election!

So if the party feels these debates don't matter to NDP members and won't make any difference in candidate choices - then the ballots should have been sent out before the first debate even took place.

Obviously that's not how they feel and it didn't happen.

So if debates do matter and can change minds - then bloody well don't allow voting to take place until they're over!

What's worse is that British Columbia members have been strongly warned by the NDP that their ballots need to be in the mail by Monday March 12 to ensure they are counted.

That's less than 24 hours after the debate series ended.  Anyone concerned about getting their vote in has already popped it in the mail.

What's still worse is that after the debate, attended by 350 in studio and hundreds more in overflow rooms at CBC, I talked to at least four people who said they had changed their minds after watching - but couldn't change their votes!  They had already mailed in the preferential ballot.

So what about the thousands more NDP members watching the CBC NewsNetwork broadcast or online?

We in BC are well-known for our grievances against the East, Ottawa and Central Canada.

We don't like feeling left out.

So why did the federal NDP just do it again?

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BC government even manages to screw up $40 million deal with Telus to rename "iconic" BC Place - can now rename as "Field of Incompetents"!

"Field of Incompetents" should be new name for BC Place after BC Liberals drop $40 million ball


How amazingly stupid can the BC government be?  The evidence is in once again, as they screw up what is an obvious no-brainer - $40 million from Telus to rename BC Place as Telus Park.

BC Place - lights on but nobody in BC government at home!

I'm not a big fan of corporate names on buildings - but after taxpayers were bilked out of $563 million to put a retractable roof on BC Place by an out of control BC Liberal government, at least getting $40 million back from a private company would help.


And let's face it - it may be the only way to get a bit of "tax" revenue out of major corporations.  The reality is that corporate naming of stadiums is here to stay around the world, like it or not, so take the money and spend it wisely on public services.


But no - the Christy Clark crowd managed to not only lose the $40 million but needlessly piss off one of BC's biggest private sector employers - just as Telus announces it will invest a massive $3 billion in BC in capital projects and create 1,300 new jobs!


Stunning incompetence. Stunning incompetents.


In fact, let's rename it "Field of Incompetents" - an appropriate title given this monumental mistake by the cabinet.


It's no wonder neither Christy Clark nor any cabinet minister was on hand for Telus' big investment announcement last week - and that NDP leader Adrian Dix was.


Telus CEO Darren Entwhistle already knew the BC Place deal was going sour despite years of negotiation and Telus spending millions on giant outdoor signs and other costs for the renaming, as Global TV's Jas Johal exclusively reported Wednesday night.  The letters for the sign are each 17 feet high!


The deal appears to have died when the geniuses in the BC government let arch-rival Bell buy the right to call the playing field during Vancouver Whitecaps games "Bell Pitch" - and never thought that would be a problem for either company!  Bell is a major Whitecaps sponsor.


And lastly - BC Liberal cheerleaders - get off the field!


"BC Place" is not an iconic name that people here are permanently attached to - it's as memorable as "generic beer".


The appropriately named cabinet minister Pat Bell - no relation to the company - was sent out to sell that piece of nonsense.


Now if you really want to rename it and honour our province, call it Terry Fox Place - that I will support in a heartbeat - but I seriously doubt this government will do that.

UPDATE - The deal was for $35 million in naming rights plus Telus would invest another $5 million in BC Place infrastructure.

The Globe and Mail reports that the Air Canada Centre in Toronto earns $1.5 million a year for naming rights and Montreal's Bell Centre- home of the Canadiens - gets $800,000.

BC had a good deal with Telus.

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Is it my NDP leadership voting package? Or a near-replica mailing from candidate Paul Dewar?

Is imitation still the sincerest form of flattery when it comes to the federal New Democratic Party leadership campaign material?

I have been waiting patiently for my NDP voting package and yesterday it arrived - in duplicate.

Or so I thought.  Below are the two packages I received in the mailbox the same day:

Paul Dewar direct mail above and NDP voting ballot package below it 

As a former direct mail consultant, I can't fault Paul Dewar or his campaign for wanting to get his mailing opened and positively influence voters in his favour - that's the goal of any mail package.

But direct mail experience has also taught that misleading or attempting to mislead people about the contents of a mailing can backfire.  

An NDP mailing in the distant past that looked like an official letter from then-Revenue Canada about your income tax blew up and was raised as an issue in Parliament - thousands of people were furious, thinking their tax return was being challenged, etc.  

Paul Dewar's name is certainly prominent in the upper left corner but anyone taking a cursory glance might well think it is an official NDP mailing and not from a candidate.  The colours and design are very, very similar.

Once you open it - or even turn it over - it's abundantly clear it's from Paul - so maybe it won't make a difference to members.

But there's no question that the copy-cat design is deliberately intended to get NDP members to open it - presumably because many wouldn't open a mailing that was abundantly clear it was from Paul Dewar.

And that may be the most damaging observation of all.

Lastly, to be fair - full disclosure - I have endorsed Peggy Nash for leader but I certainly respect Paul Dewar and his candidacy.  

And if Peggy or any other candidate sends me a similar NDP look-alike mailing, you'll read about it here too.

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Endometriosis hurts young women - like my stepdaughter Erin Ross Coward - more awareness needed

Shirley Ross, Erin Ross Coward & Bill Tieleman

Find Out About Endometriosis

This invisible disease that badly hurts young women needs more attention.

Bill Tieleman's 24 hours/The Tyee column

Tuesday March 6, 2012


By Bill Tieleman


"It is not a woman's lot to suffer." 

- Actress Susan Sarandon

Opium, intravenous morphine, oxycontin, naproxen, Lyrica, hydromorphone, fentanyl, Lupron, cesamet, Visanne, cipralex, clonazepam and ibuprofen.

These are just some of the drugs my stepdaughter Erin Ross Coward has taken over the past few years.

But Erin isn't addicted to drugs -- they were all doctor-prescribed to relieve the extreme and chronic pain of her endometriosis.

March is the month dedicated to awareness about this surprisingly common but mostly unknown chronic illness that affects one in 10 women in varying degrees.

Endometriosis occurs when tissue like that which lines a woman's uterus grows elsewhere in her body, usually the abdomen.

That tissue responds to the menstrual cycle like the uterus tissue does -- it builds up, breaks down and sheds.

But unlike during a period, this blood and tissue have no way to leave the body, resulting in painful inflammation and sometimes internal scarring or adhesions.

Many women mistakenly believe it is just "normal" menstrual pain and aren't diagnosed, but for others like Erin, the symptoms are far more severe.

And like many with endometriosis, Erin also suffers from fibromyalgia -- a disorder that causes widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue.

Surgeries, injections, recurring agony

At just 27 years old, Erin has undergone five separate surgeries to remove endometrium tissue attaching itself to her internal cavities and even organs, making it still more challenging to remove. Each surgery has left her recovering for weeks afterward.

Erin has also made literally countless trips to the hospital for morphine injections when the pain is unmanageable with prescription drugs, to her doctor, gynecologist, massage therapist, acupuncturist and naturopath seeking relief. 

The B.C. Medical Plan does not cover all of her treatments, making endometriosis expensive as well as painful.

Erin's pain is visceral and debilitating. The other results of endometriosis include serious fatigue, irregular and heavy bleeding, nausea, dizziness and depression.

About 30 to 40 per cent of women with endometriosis are unable to have children, says the World Endometriosis Research Foundation.

As Erin's parents, my wife Shirley Ross and I feel a very different pain from watching her suffer -- emotional and intense, with a sense of helplessness.

The chronic pain hurts us all. And there is no solution.

Out of the shadows

In the past doctors believed either pregnancy or a hysterectomy would cure endometriosis but that has been disproven. Pain management is the only solution.

Erin describes her endometriosis this way: "It's like having the worst period you've ever had, every day of your life."

And yet Erin is outwardly a beautiful young woman -- which makes it even harder for people to understand her "invisible" illness.

Too often someone has dismissed her devastating condition by saying, "You look fine to me."

Erin has bravely not only faced the disease by trying her best to live a normal live but also writes publicly about it on her blog End Endo BC.

"I struggle to get out of bed, to hold a coffee mug without spilling or dropping it and even the simple task of dressing yourself can exhaust you," Erin wrote Saturday. "I am not bitter about living this way, I'd rather live then be dead, so I keep trying. Keeping my head above water is the plan."

Ironically, just as endometriosis awareness month started, Erin's plans to become a teacher were put on hold. 

Erin was forced to take a medical leave from the University of B.C. because she is in too much pain to attend classes, so she must try to regain her health before resuming studies.

It's another unfair blow -- but Erin completed her bachelor of arts degree previously while fighting the illness, and plans to return.

Actresses Susan Sarandon and Padma Lakshmi are just two famous women who are speaking out about their battles with endometriosis and the need for more awareness, research and support for those who suffer from it.

As Lakshmi, host of Bravo TV's Top Chef and a former supermodel says, it's difficult for women to talk about the illness because of its intimate nature:

"Endometriosis still isn't openly discussed. It's at the stage that breast cancer was many years ago," Lakshmi says. "It's never pleasant talking about such a personal issue."

Learn more, hope for a cure

We remain hopeful for a cure or just better pain relief for women like Erin who suffer from the most severe form of endometriosis.

"Too many are affected by this terrible disease and too many of us are not being loud enough to bring attention to it when it affects one in ten women," Erin writes.

But for now endometriosis is still a hurtful illness that deprives so many women of their ability to live life fully, have children and exist without pain.

So spare a moment to find out about endometriosis. 

With so many affected, everyone knows a woman like Erin who needs your support. 

BC Mary - a tireless blogger on the Legislature Raids - has passed away from cancer. May she rest in peace.

BC Mary - 2011

BC Mary was one of Canada's most tireless, prolific, dedicated and dogged bloggers - with an absolute commitment to finding out the truth about the BC Legislature Raids - the Basi-Virk case - the BC Railgate story.
In fact, she named her blog The Legislature Raids.

And now my friend is gone.

Sadly BC Mary - Mary Mackie to those that knew her more - passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on Saturday March 3 in Toronto General Hospital.

Mary's daughter Nadina Mackie Jackson let me know on the weekend and several others - Laila Yuile and Robin Mathews in particular - have paid tribute to Mary's fighting spirit and citizen journalism.

Nadina wrote this to me Sunday about her mother, which I'm sure she would allow me to share: "She was a wonderful person, vivid and passionate, yet also surprisingly shy and retiring." 


Nadina sent me the photo on the left - the first I and likely most BC Legislature Raids readers have ever seen.  I thank her for sharing it.

Nanaimo NDP MLA Leonard Krog rose in the BC Legislature - how totally appropriate - to mark Mary's passing on Monday March 5:

L. Krog: "I rise today to ask the House to pay its respects to the passing of one of British Columbia's most courageous citizen journalists, a woman who was a harsh critic of the B.C. government, particularly around the sale of B.C. Rail, and also critical of yours truly, in the role that I played in criticizing the government. She was a well-known blogger. A defender of democracy, she feared no power. I'd ask the House to pay its respect to the passing of B.C. Mary — Mary Mackie."


I too want to pay tribute to BC Mary - with some of her own words to me over the roughly seven years we corresponded about the Raid, the arrest, pre-trial and surprise guilty pleas of ex-BC Liberal ministerial aides Dave Basi and Bob Virk and many other issues as well.


But - and Mary might have scolded me for this - I want to share a bit more of the personal side  - because Mary certainly spoke for herself and her political views on her own blog.


BC Mary was one of my strongest, fiercest and most committed supporters - and almost every column, article or post I published was reference and linked in her blog.  


The BC Legislature Raids was the one website that referred more readers to my blog than any other - quite an accomplishment.  I suspect many had no idea the enormous readership it had.


I never met Mary in person, nor did I ever - surprisingly - speak to her by phone.  It was a true Internet friendship in every way.  [It actually reminds me of the wonderful relationship by mail in the book 84 Charing Cross Road - unfortunately, as in that true story - the two correspondents never meet in person.]


But despite never meeting, Mary did early on trust me with some of her secrets.  She did not want it known that she actually lived in Ontario - felt some might try to undercut her deep passion for British Columbia, where she had spent a large part of her life, and attempt to discredit her blog.  


Actually, that simply wasn't possible - Mary was truly BC Mary.


Mary also contacted me privately in May 2010 when I disclosed in my column and blog that my mom Pat had been diagnosed with lung cancer to offer her support and sympathy.


I share that very personal message publicly today - to show the measure of Mary:

"Dear Bill, 

My heart is with you -- and your beloved Mom -- as I write. She is indeed blessed, to have you as her son. 

These will be precious hours for you, her, and your family members. 

It is incredibly ironic that you, of all people, won't be in the courtroom for the trial. But you're so right, in saying that

"our most important role in this case is likely behind us"  ... no, wait a minute ... 

Bill, "they" will still be trying to prevent the news when they ought to be reporting ... and for evidence of that, have a look at my blog postings for recent days. 

NOT that I'd try to draw you away from family matters ... I'm just saying: there will be times when only your voice may be heard clearly. If I can facilitate that, I'd be honoured to do so ... anything from a signed statement to an anonymous comment or even a private comment. Let me do that, if I can. 

Thank you for letting me know the momentous journey you and your Mom are embarking on. It's a beautiful thing you are doing. Peace be in your hearts. 

Much love, 

Mary."

I truly, deeply appreciated her message at a difficult time.  My mom passed away 12 days later.  

And despite her diagnosis in April, my mom insisted that I be at the opening day of the Basi-Virk trial - like Mary, she totally understood the importance of this trial. And like Mary, she would have been appalled at its sudden ending in October 2010.

Mary's cancer diagnosis


It was a heartfelt message because in March 2010, Mary had been told she had developed breast cancer and the prognosis was not good.


Again, I share this private message she sent me now, to show Mary's courage in the worst kind of circumstances any of us can face:


"Bill: There's no easy way to say this. There's cancer in the left breast, and under the arm, with two suspect lumps on shoulder and neck. These will be subject to new biopsies for analysis. There's some abnormality in the right breast but no cancer there, chino. 

They will also do further tests (CT Scan, Bone Scan) to see if there's further involvement. 

Preferred treatment (by them) is Estrogen Treatment. 

First, the new tests. Then the correct pill prescription. Then wait 2 or 3 months to see if the pills are effective. 

They feel that surgery even as things appear right now, would be too invasive for me to withstand; I agree. 

As it appears to be an aggressive form of cancer, this will be a critical 2 or 3 month period. 

Allan manfully stood by me right through the whole procedure. He saw it all, heard it all. 

Only once did I feel like crying, when I thanked him for being there and I heard myself say: "I wouldn't want to have faced this alone."   

I want to say "Don't worry!" and that sort of stuff but it tends to ring hollow just now.  Of course you will worry.  

But one thing I would like you to know is that I feel at peace, knowing that my time has come. In the great span of human history, very few humans have had lives as good for as long as the one I've enjoyed.  It is enough.

Also: I believe in Canada's Health Care System. If our system hadn't been there to correct various health issues over the years, I wouldn't have had this full, happy life. 

I'm grateful for that ... but if I try to use medical intervention right now on the 3 major problems which have befallen me, I'm sure it would cost the system puh-lenty. And for what?  It has already given me more than enough.  

So my time has come and I hope to sail away into the sunset perhaps to find out just exactly what it is that we do with drunken sailors ... er-li in the mornin' ... 

And yes, I really am OK with this news. There's an old saying, about "to everything there's a season" or some such thing. Well, mine is about completed and that's the way it should be.  

Mary." 

I can only hope that should I unfortunately face such terrible news I will also write my friends about it with the same grace, strength and understanding.


Fortunately for all of us, Mary's health held until this past weekend - and she continued to post blog items until her final entry on February 23, 2012. 

Mary was also fiercely proud and protective of her beloved ex-husband Allan.  When one of my blog posters took an unfair cheap shot at Allan and Mary - which I didn't understand when I published it - Mary sent me what I could only call a love letter about Allan and how wonderful a man he was.  

She concluded this way:


"It's difficult to stop writing about Allan, once started. He is, without a doubt, one of the smartest, strongest, most level-headed, most amusing, and consistently annoying persons I've ever met (no mercy for those who 'produce nothing')."

I quickly rectified the slight.

I am sure Allan knows how much Mary loved him, as do her daughter and son.

That was Mary's personal struggle.


Her public struggle was with the BC Legislature Raids and she doggedly followed it to her final days.


BC Mary's blog essential


Mary's blog became THE clearing house for all information on the Basi-Virk case - my writing, that of Robin Mathews of Vive le Canada, Mark Hume of the Globe and Mail, Neal Hall of the Vancouver Sun, Keith Fraser of the Province - the BC Supreme Court regulars - and anyone else who came to Courtroom 54 and wrote about it or who covered the story.  You can still find links to almost everything written on this case at Mary's blog - long may it remain online.


Mary was also always extremely respectful of my work and the right of 24 hours newspaper and The Tyee online to publish it first and in full, as well as my blog.  


So Mary would always on her blog post excerpts and encourage readers to go to the whole version at one of those sources.  


In an age when there is some shameless theft of online material without compensation or even credit or acknowledgement of the author's work, Mary was exemplary in her approach.


Here's just one example:


"Bill,

I write to apologize for knowingly copying too much of your Tyee  

column today ... and to ask your permission for that.

It's one of your absolute best columns ... and I just hated to lop  

anything off ... much less to interrupt the delicious flow of  

inevitability that comes with a well-reasoned diatribe.

I must admit that it gave me some fresh courage. It's been a grind,  

since that damn trial (awful as it was) was dumped. Having some of the  

participants answer some of the hard "premier" questions will be doing  

a great service to the public.

Let me know if you'd rather I trimmed my posting today and I'll remove  

some more of it.

Mary."

If only everyone in our online world were so considerate and thoughtful about others' work!


Tenacious to the end


Lastly, Mary was tenacious about getting to the bottom of the Basi-Virk case.


And we didn't always get along - Mary had her own views about how to cover the BC Legislature Raid - and sometimes I was on the wrong end of some stern advice!


But we never let those differences affect our ongoing friendship and mutual interest in getting to the truth.


I do not know if there is an afterlife, a heaven for those who have passed on.


But I truly hope that Mary Mackie now knows the full, unadulterated, unspun, gospel truth about what happened with the BC Legislature Raids.


That would only be fair for someone who dedicated so much of their life to finding out.


For those of us still here - we need to push for a full public inquiry - the truth will out.


I know Mary would urge me to ask you to join my Facebook group Basi-Virk Public Inquiry - to add to pressure for such an investigation.  Please do so if you haven't already - because we need to know what happened.


BC Mary - it was not just a pleasure to know you - it was truly an honour. 


You were one of a kind - rest in peace, for a job well done.


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Bill Tieleman on CBC TV NewsNetwork - Connect with Mark Kelley - on Robo Call Scandal - 5:20 p.m.

I joined guest host Reshmi Nair to talk about the Robo Call Scandal on CBC TV's Connect with Mark Kelley Friday afternoon at 5:20 p.m. BC time on NewsNetwork - channel 26 in Metro Vancouver.

The show will be online later tonight or Saturday at this link.

Reshmi Nair

Bill Tieleman

UPDATE - Tariq Ghuman turfed as federal Liberal Party of Canada Riding President for Surrey North over Jaspal Atwal affair!

UPDATE - Federal Liberal Party dumps Surrey North riding president Tariq Ghuman over controversy on Jaspal Atwal - convicted of attempted murder of Indian diplomat but a guest at BC Legislature budget speech


Why did Tariq Ghuman resign from BC Liberal Party Executive because he brought convicted attempted assassin Jaspal Atwal to the BC Legislature for the BC Budget - but stay on as both riding president of BC Liberals in Surrey-Panorama and riding president of federal Liberal Party in Surrey North?

Jaspal Atwal & then-Liberal Party of Canada leader Michael Ignatieff,
February 2009

UPDATE - Did federal the Liberal Party of Canada dispatch Tariq Ghuman as Surrey North riding president over the Jaspal Atwal controversy?

The current LPC website for Surrey North has an obvious alteration since my original post was published Wednesday - the contact name and email for Surrey North riding president Tariq Ghuman has disappeared!

Twitter messages last night in response to my original story below suggested that perhaps the LPC website had not been updated - and sure enough, Ghuman was gone today.

Still unclear - is Ghuman the current provincial BC Liberal Party riding president for Surrey-Panorama and cabinet minister Stephanie Cadieux?

Likely not, given all the publicity over Ghuman bringing convicted attempted assassin Jaspal Atwal to the BC Legislature as a guest of the premier's office for the BC budget speech.

But like Premier Christy Clark dodging questions about Atwal's possible role in her campaign, don't expect a straight answer on what happened to Ghuman either - my questions below remain largely unanswered.


ORIGINAL POST

The federal Liberal Party of Canada, the provincial BC Liberal Party, Tariq Ghuman and Premier Christy Clark have a lot of questions to answer.

Ghuman resigned Wednesday as a Director and member of the BC Liberal Party for bringing to the BC Legislature - as a guest of the premier - Jaspal Atwal.  Atwal, as we now know thanks to the Vancouver Sun's Kim Bolan and two MLAs who complained to the Speaker, attempted to murder Indian cabinet minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu near Gold River in 1986, twice shooting the Punjabi politician. [Sidhu was later assassinated in India.]


Question #1 - why did Ghuman quit the BC Liberal Party executive but stay on as president of BC Liberal cabinet minister Stephanie Cadieux's Surrey-Panorama riding association?


If his serious error in judgement was enough to quit the executive, why hasn't he resigned from that post as well?


Question #2 - if Ghuman rightly quit the BC Liberal Party executive over this matter, why does he remain as president of the federal Liberal Party of Canada riding association of Surrey North as of February 29?


Question #3 - what does the Liberal Party of Canada think of Ghuman inviting to the BC Legislature a man who attempted to kill an international official visiting this country?  Is he an appropriate LPC riding association president?  


Question #4 - what does former Liberal Party Member of Parliament Ujjal Dosanjh think of Ghuman's role as a federal riding association presidency?  Dosanjh has been an outspoken opponent of the use of violence in support of Punjab independence. 


Atwal was acquitted of charges he beat Dosanjh in February 1985.


Question #5 - what exactly did Atwal do that caused ICBC to win a $28,000 judgement against him in court in connection to allegations of stolen car fraud?  


Question #6 - what did Ghuman know about Atwal's past conviction and other background when he asked him to accompany him to the BC Legislature as a guest of the premier? 


None of it, some of it or all of it?


Question #7 - what role did Ghuman play in Christy Clark's BC Liberal leadership campaign?


Question #8 - did Atwal play any role in that campaign?


Question #9 - how does the Indian government feel about Atwal being a guest at the BC Legislature?


None of these questions have yet been publicly answered, to the best of my knowledge.

CKNW's Sean Leslie got hold of Ghuman's resignation letter, in which he apologizes to Liberal Party president Sharon White and takes responsibility for getting Atwal into the BC budget speech as a substitute guest on the premier's ticket without divulging who Atwal was:

"......I take full responsibility for inviting Mr. Atwal to the budget....the young people I originally invited could not attend....I did not inform the premier's office that I was bringing different guests...it was an error in my judgement, and I take full responsibility for it."

Fair enough - but that doesn't explain what happened.

Atwal was punished for the very serious crime he was convicted of.  He has paid the price our justice system demanded but that does not mean he should be an honoured guest at the BC Legislature. 

Ghuman may be the BC Liberal scapegoat in this affair.  If so, he should answer the questions he can above and be done with it. 

But both Liberal parties have to explain themselves in this unfortunate incident.  The sooner they do, the better.

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UPDATE - convicted attempted assassin Jaspal Atwal was guest at BC Legislature of BC Liberal Party Director Tariq Ghuman -Ghuman resigns. Was Atwal active in Christy Clark leadership?

UPDATE - BC Liberal Party Director Tariq Ghuman has resigned this afternoon following shock that he brought a convicted gunman to the BC Legislature Budget Speech as a guest of the Premier's office.

As CKNW's Sean Leslie reports, Ghuman resigned in a letter to BC Liberal Party President Sharon White, saying:  "......I take full responsibility for inviting Mr. Atwal to the budget....the young people I originally invited could not attend....I did not inform the premier's office that I was bringing different guests...it was an error in my judgement, and I take full responsibility for it."

But questions remain about this disturbing situation.  


And Vancouver Sun reporter Kim Bolan also reports that Atwal was charged with assaulting former BC premier and former Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh and acquitted of those charges in 1985.

ORIGINAL POST

The shocking news that a man - convicted of the 1986 attempted assassination of an Indian cabinet minister visiting British Columbia - was a guest in the BC Legislature for the Budget presentation using an invitation from the office of Premier Christy Clark was bad enough.

Premier Christy Clark on Global TV News

The Vancouver Sun's Kim Bolan deserves credit for breaking that story.


But more questions must now be raised - was Jaspal Atwal, the gunman in question - the guest of a Director of the BC Liberal Party - Provincial Executive member Tariq Ghuman?


Ghuman is described on the Party website as REGION 9 DIRECTOR (VANCOUVER SUBURBS SOUTH).


I am reliably told Atwal was the extra guest of Ghuman and accompanied him in Victoria. 


Ghuman was also an active supporter of Christy Clark's successful leadership campaign - was Atwal working on that campaign?


And what about Atwal's involvement in a recent judgement ICBC won against him for $28,000  related to what the Vancouver Sun described as a "stolen car fraud ring"?


Clark claims she doesn't even know who invited Atwal:


"I haven't talked to the person who invited him," Clark said. "I'm not even sure with certainty who it was that invited him at this point."

Let's get some answers from Clark, her staff and Tariq Ghuman.


If he did invited and escort Atwal, Ghuman has some explaining to do.


And who else knew about Atwal's past when he arrived at the BC Legislature on budget day?


How many BC Liberal MLAs, government staff and other guests invited by the government knew exactly who he was?


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BC teachers face dirty dealing BC government in high stakes bargaining poker game

Deck stacked against teachers in bargaining - F. Pamplona photo

BCTF is playing poker against opponent with ace up sleeve in contract negotiations.

Bill TIeleman's 24 hours/The Tyee column

Tuesday February 28, 2012

 By Bill Tieleman

"There is no gambling like politics." 

- Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister, 1868, 1874-1880

No one in their right mind would play high stakes poker against a dealer who not only uses a marked deck but also deals from the bottom of that deck and has an ace up their sleeve.

But that's the untenable position B.C. teachers now find themselves in, trying to negotiate a new contract with a provincial government that announced last week it would impose its own terms through legislation.

It's an all-in, no-win situation for teachers.

B.C. Liberal Education Minister George Abbott claims negotiations have failed, so the government has no choice.

"This isn't a situation that anyone wanted," Premier Christy Clark chimed in.

Some observers nod their heads sagely and agree -- what else can Abbott do? The teachers aren't willing to bargain, they say, it's so predictable.

Don't be fooled -- it's predictable all right -- that when the government holds all the cards, the teachers lose the game, every time.

And it's exactly what Clark and Abbott wanted -- the opportunity to bolster their flagging public support by getting tough on teachers.

With the BC Liberals down to 25 per cent in a new Forum Research poll and the BC Conservatives nipping at their heels at 22 per cent, while the New Democrats coast at 42 per cent and two by-elections imminent, things are desperate.

The pollsters even predict the NDP would win 63 of B.C.'s 85 ridings with these numbers.

And the provincial budget introduced last week only offers more pain and higher costs for British Columbians.

What options are left? Pick a fight with teachers!

Gov't gave employer no room to negotiate

The B.C. Teachers' Federation technically negotiates with the B.C. Public School Employers' Association, which is the province's bargaining agent.

But talks have come to an impasse because the government doesn't want teachers to get a raise -- any raise -- unless it comes from cutting school budgets elsewhere.

That means BCPSEA doesn't have to negotiate -- can't bargain -- because the government has restricted its mandate.

Abbott's statements as minister show just how little room BCPSEA was given to work with: "The union's demands, which would add $2 billion in costs for B.C. taxpayers, are not acceptable given the current financial reality."

Leave aside that Abbott is using gigantic financial numbers to put a cost on a deal -- outlandish projections that the union totally rejects, saying $565 million is currently the price tag for their current position.

Abbott ratchets up the rhetoric even more, claiming the minimal job action to date is damaging and an actual walkout would be unacceptable.

"It is clear that this strike is hurting students and any escalation in strike action will only increase the harm to students and the impact on parents," said Abbott.

The minister, conveniently, forgets that teachers have gone out on strike several times in the past, including a two-week walkout in 2005 -- without the sky falling or students failing.

How collective bargaining works

The government has every right to take the position that there is no money for wage increases -- but so does the union to demand more money and better conditions for its members.

The whole concept of collective bargaining is that pressure is put on both sides to compromise and move to a mutually acceptable agreement that gives each some of their goals.

To apply pressure, unions can partially or fully withdraw their labour, while employers can leave them out on a picket line rather than drawing regular pay -- or even lock them out.

In public sector negotiations, unions pressure their employer -- a provincial, municipal or federal government -- by creating inconvenience that results in voters demanding an agreement be reached.

And an Environics poll commissioned by the B.C. Federation of Labour clearly shows that in this situation the public sides with teachers, at 52 per cent, rather than the government, at 39 per cent.

The same poll shows 89 per cent would agree to binding arbitration to settle the contract and just eight per cent reject it.

But the BC Liberals are obviously in that eight per cent minority, again showing their lack of interest in making a deal and instead provoking a confrontation for political gain.

Game was rigged

Even the B.C. School Trustees Association’s provincial council came out in favour of the BCTF request for a mediator rather than an immediate move to legislation.

How governments handle these disputes can make or break their political future.

But by imposing a contract without serious bargaining, never even considering putting money on the table and without allowing teachers to take real job action, this government shows the poker game was fixed from the start.

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