Premier Gordon Campbell officially launched the provincial election campaign this afternoon after asking Lieutenant Governor Steven Point to dissolve parliament.
“We face serious challenges,” Campbell said speaking to reporters at government house in Victoria. “On May the 12th voters will decide who they want to manage our economy and our province as we go through these unprecedented times.”
Campbell said voters will have to decide between supporting the direction of the B.C. Liberal Party government, or “Whether they're prepared to let the NDP take B.C. back to the failed policies of the 1990s and have not status.”
The Liberal Party will release “Canada's first digital platform” at 9 a.m. tomorrow, April 15, he said. “We will put those ideas against the ideas of the opposition, which I must say in many ways are chilling to me.”
The B.C. Liberals introduced fixed election dates after making it a campaign promise in 2001. In 2004 Campbell mused to reporters about moving fixed elections to the fall to “make sure there are no questions about the books” and “so the final books are in for any given year,” according to a Vancouver Province article from the time.
The government usually releases the public accounts in June or July each year.
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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North of Hope
3 years ago
"toxic fudge budget"
You report, "In 2004 Campbell mused to reporters about moving fixed elections to the fall to “make sure there are no questions about the books” and “so the final books are in for any given year,” according to a Vancouver Province article from the time."
However, he didn't do it because that would put his budget under scrutiny and he doesn't want that. So we have from him is what Will McMartin - in The Tyee - called it a "toxic fudge budget."
For example, if we add the debt that BC Ferries is in the deficit will be $1 000 000 000 more than announced in the budget.
G West
3 years ago
Sure hope so
That the Opposition's ideas are 'chilling' to the CEO.
Because he's been giving the province - with the exception of his friends from Arthur Andersen Accounting (Accenture); the New Car Dealers Association of BC; The Road Builder's Association and a few close personal friends from Whistler and West Point Grey - the cold shoulder ever since 2001.
I hope he's extremely chilled out - frozen out in fact.