A provincial news broadcast reported that Kootenay East B.C. Liberal Party incumbent Bill Bennett said a controversial campaign advertisement has run since February, but his NDP opponent said he believes the ad in question first appeared just last week.
“[Bennett] says the ads have been running since February and finds it ironic the NDP is only raising its objections now so close to election day,” Global B.C. television reported on May 10.
But Bennett's NDP opponent, Troy Sebastian, said he's been watching Bennett's ads for months and the contentious text, “You want someone who pays taxes and is concerned about how that money is being spent," first appeared May 4.
“That was the first time I saw it, was the paper on Monday,” said Sebastian, a member of the Ktunaxa First Nation. “People immediately noticed that his campaign was taking that approach. We saw it as a sign of desperation.”
A Liberal party official said the taxes ad first ran on May 4, but the "He's one of us" series has been running since February. "The reference to the ads running since February was provided by the reporter," Shane Mills wrote in an e-mail.
A call to the reporter, Ron Bencze, was not immediately returned.
The Global television report also quoted Bennett telling a news conference, “This is the worst personal attack on me that I've ever experienced and it's one of the dirtiest things I've ever seen in politics in my life.”
It was the quote about taxes that particularly rankled Sebastian and, according to a Canadian Press report Stewart Phillip, grand chief of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. The ad implies First Nations have no knowledge nor understanding of the government's management of services through taxes, he said. "The unspoken part is, 'My aboriginal opponent would not have any knowledge of these matters.'"
The Liberals do not dispute that the taxes text first appeared May 4.
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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cosmicstraight
3 years ago
Personal attack on Bennett?
WTF is he talking about? How are Liberal ads suggesting that Sebastian wouldn't be concerned about how tax dollars are spent because he is a member of the Ktunaxa First Nation an attack on Bennett?
He seems to be employing the famous Chewbacca defense:
If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must vote BC Liberal!
realisticman
3 years ago
Your mothers mother
“You want someone who pays taxes and is concerned about how that money is being spent,"
I pay taxes too. If I say that I do am I then a racist because I'm demeaning anyone who doesn't?
How ridiculous!
It's like a farmer in an agricultural region saying 'vote for me, I know this land', is that politically incorrect to someone that works as a mechanic and perhaps doesn't know the land?
Would that also be unfair to someone who's retired and perhaps no longer pays taxes but has decided to run for office?
According to many, taxes are an issue.
gamedev
3 years ago
To suggest that the ad was not intending to
be racist is either disingenuous or very naive. It is perfectly clear what Bill Bennett was saying and his history of saying inflamatory things appears to be long. The man in not an upstanding yet misunderstood individual, he is a person in a position of influence, using that influence to further hate. He does not deserve any votes. His type of politics should be shunned by all. People talk about "electoral reform", well, why don't we start with the obvious and refuse to vote for those who would see elections in our province turned into a three ring circus.
buccaneer bay
3 years ago
Rman
Bill Bennett is a senior(not new to the game)politician.....
2 Weeks ago he wanted young people to meet him at Bulldog`s pub for lessons on how to vote and free beer.....
He was removed from caucus before for cursing at constituents......
For you Rman to defend that loser puts YOU in the same class as Bill Bennett....
You have lost all of any cintilla of credibilty you had left.....
Typical Campbell Liberal,all is forgiven..everything is a misunderstanding......
Go crawl under a rock and join your fellow slugs,lllloooosss-----rrr
Skywalker
3 years ago
Right on buccaneer.
The ad might be OK running against another white. Of course then it would be plain dumb so that was not why it was used. No, it was used for a specific racist purpose. Anyone who does not see that is so mired in ideology that they can't see the truth behind the message..
DPL
3 years ago
Why do suppesedly educated
Why do suppesedly educated people keep talking about Indians not paying taxes?
They don't pay property taxes on reserve because they usually don't own the houses.
The federal government laws, set the tax issue and you can be most assured that a Indian living off , or working off the reserve pay all the taxes just like the sort of uneducated, loudmouths who support folks like the often discredited MLA Bennett. Bennett is running scared and if thinking folks use their heads tomorrow he will be out of a job and not a minute too soon.
Heck if I had the chance I'd not pay income tax either,and that particular tax was brought in to help pay the costs of the first world war, and guess what, we are still paying. In case you don't know, a lot of bands collect GST from their members, but that's another issue.
Time to pack your bags and leave town after tomorrow.
WHAT
3 years ago
Hi Skywalker
Sorry if I got you confused with another Skywalker on this site...Frank explained there's two skywalkers.
Skywalker
3 years ago
WHAT
Not a Problem. One goes by Luke Skywalker and Luke Skywalker Redux. I'm just plain Skywalker. Maybe I need to change mine but I was hoping Luke would change his to "copy and paste".
WHAT
3 years ago
Skywalker
LOL
freebear
3 years ago
I wonder what 'star; aboriginal liberal candidate thinks?
Come on Marion Wright, what do you think of your 'colleague' Bill Bennett?
Does Marion pays taxes?
Does it matter?
Prisoners can vote and they do not pay taxes!
freebear
3 years ago
Global News media manipulation
So the news report was inaccurate, and never copnfirmed by the reporter?
Reporter can be reached eh!
So Bill the racist is a media darling because he is running as a liberal.
The only (liberal) red is on his neck!