Lots going on these days so here’s my scattergun comments:
FLOOR CROSSING – The Liberals are falling right into the Conservatives’ trap. The devious plan, which everyone read here first (including the Conservatives), is for all the Conservatives to cross the floor to the Liberals and force a leadership review. Now who’s getting a majority government through the back door?
Lots of chest-puffery over the last week about MPs who cross the floor and whether it should trigger a byelection. I used to be in that camp, but not so much anymore (and, no it’s not because Conservatives are flocking to the Liberal camp). Technically, in Canada we don’t vote for the party. We vote, or at least we should, vote for the best candidate in our riding.
Even if they cross the floor, that’s the person we wanted to represent us.
ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATES – At the urging of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, British Columbia Premier David Eby reduced this province’s electric vehicle mandate from 100 per cent of new vehicles sold by 2035 to 75 per cent.
I need to shock the old grey matter to know whether this a good move or not. However, with Donald Trump’s Hormuz Horror Show in full swing and the impact of that being increased gas prices here and around the world, we would be fools not to look more to electric vehicles.
We bemoan the fact that a madman exerting his madness on the other side of the world drives up gas prices here, which, in turn, drives up prices for everything else, and yet we refuse to wean ourselves off that which holds us hostage.
Gas prices soar because oil is traded on a global market. Electricity, however, is not. We control the price of electricity here at home. It might not be cheap, but we control it and that is better than not.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating that we abandon oil, just that we move away from being so dependent on it.
CONSERVATIVE LEADERHIP – No, not Pierre Poilievre, but rather who will lead the BC Conservatives into the next election? The frontrunners – Peter Milobar and Caroline Elliott – both have deep roots in the old Liberal Party of B.C. Milobar was first elected as a Liberal and eventually changed to Conservative when the Liberals and then United Party imploded. Elliott was a ministerial staffer and a party volunteer for 20 years for the Liberals and then United Party. Former Liberal leader Kevin Falcon is her brother-in-law.
Both could probably be termed more ‘centre-right’ than ‘right-right.’
Whoever wins the leadership will still have to deal with the main issue in the party and that is bringing the centre-right and right-right folks together. Has never been an easy task.
MAJOR MARK – Prime Minister Mark Carney, by hook and by crook, has attained a majority government and his first act, in true Liberal style, was to take a page out of the Conservative handbook and cut taxes on fuel. Not that I’m complaining. So, will Carney go down in history as the best conservative prime minister we’ve ever had? Asking for a friend.
