Opinion

'The Premier Has Misled the Voters'

Gordon Campbell shares his views on the need for truth in budgeting.

By Bill Tieleman, 14 Jul 2009, TheTyee.ca

Gordon Campbell

A different tune now.

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Today, unfortunately, we do not have a government that will tell the truth about the finances of this province. -- Gordon Campbell, July 10, 1996

Today's column has been written for the most part by Premier Gordon Campbell, with his direct quotes from debates in the B.C. legislature.

Campbell's comments were aimed at the budget introduced by the New Democrat government of then premier Glen Clark before the 1996 election, when a small projected surplus in the $20.6 billion budget turned into a $235 million deficit -- but their relevance 13 years later is stunning.

On April 23, 2009 -- just weeks before the May 12 provincial election -- Campbell said: "I can tell you this: the deficit for 2009-2010 will be $495 million maximum."

But on Thursday, Finance Minister Colin Hansen finally admitted what everyone else in B.C. figured out months before: "Given what I know today, I am not optimistic at all that a $495-million number is anywhere near possible."

Back in February, Central 1 Credit Union's report on the budget clearly said that: "A deficit of $1 to $1.5 billion... in 2009-10 is the more likely outcome due to revenue shortfalls." The deteriorating world-wide economy's impact on B.C. was obvious but the premier continued the fiction that the deficit was fixed.

Campbell's sense of outrage

Here then, some choice quotes about truth in budgeting from Gordon Campbell:

July 2, 1996: "The fact is that this government, in less than a month, has broken dozens of promises. It misled the public before the election, it misled them during the election, and it has misled them since the election."

July 8, 1996: "The government has made it clear that truth in budgeting comes a distant second to its political agenda. Political deception has consistently taken precedence over the truth."

"The people of British Columbia expect accountability and truthfulness in the budget process. We have seen from this government consistently a misleading agenda in terms of budgets."

August 13, 1996: "This premier and this government and every single member on that side of the House misled the people of British Columbia before the election. They misled the people of British Columbia during the election, and they've misled the people of British Columbia every single day."

"People in British Columbia expected the truth from this government. They expected them to lay out the facts and recognize that we can have a good political debate based on the facts."

"This government has done everything they can to hide the facts, to cover up the facts; and when the facts were not comfortable, they would distort the facts to try to mislead the people of British Columbia, and that is wrong."

July 3, 1996: "The premier has betrayed the people of British Columbia, he has misled the voters of British Columbia, and I want to know from the premier today whether or not he is willing to resign."

"The only thing that is consistent about this premier is that he says one thing before an election and the exact opposite after an election."

"I think it's a shame when the legislature of British Columbia becomes known as the 'wriggle room.'"

July 4, 1996: "Like so many other things with this premier, he says one thing one day and does the opposite the next day."

"Honourable Speaker, I can tell you this: I would rather be on this side of the House having told the people of British Columbia the truth than on that side of the House having misled the people."

July 10, 1996: "I think and I hope that before we vote, every single member in this House will think of three important words and look at their conscience and ask themselves if they can support this budget in good conscience."

"I'd like to remind us of these three words. The first one is 'integrity.' The second one is 'honesty.' The third is one that I believe has been eroded time and time again in our political institutions over the last number of years -- certainly not just by this government but by many governments in the past as well as by this government -- and that is 'trust,' public trust."

"The best public service any of us can provide is to act with integrity and show the public of British Columbia that we put their interests ahead of political interests and that we understand that there is no such thing as government money; there is only taxpayers' money."

"Half a billion dollars -- I mean, people don't have any concept of how much money half a billion dollars is. Half a billion dollars will provide for all of the needs we have in schools across the province."

"Half a billion dollars will provide for the needs of students and patients across British Columbia. But this government misses their debt management plan by half a billion dollars in just one year."

"With this government, with this budget, there has been nothing done to re-establish the trust that British Columbians should have in their public institutions."

"The fact of the matter is that people in British Columbia today say: 'When can we trust anyone?'"

Again, all the words of Gordon Campbell.

One thing has now been made perfectly clear with his pre-election budget. British Columbians can't trust this hypocritical premier or his BC Liberal government. [Tyee]

Bill Tieleman is a regular Tyee contributor who writes a column on B.C. politics every Tuesday in 24 Hours newspaper. Tieleman can be heard Mondays at 10 a.m. on the Bill Good Show on CKNW AM 980 or at www.cknw.com. E-mail him at weststar@telus.net or visit his blog at http://billtieleman.blogspot.com.

33 Comments:

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  • DPL

    2 years ago

    Gordo fooled some of us once

    Gordo fooled some of us once then twice and now a third time. Will the BC voters ever wise up and boot the bum out of office? HOpefully before he has sold the rest of the province

  • Hermans Hermit

    2 years ago

    Same Old

    Campbell puts us into deficit and the NDP wants a bigger deficit. So what's new.

    Let's try something different for a change.

  • Powell river pe...

    2 years ago

    @Herman

    I think your missing the point,it`s called honesty,check out the Tyee story in febuary written by Will McMartin.....It`s called.....

    This budget is toxic fudge

    I wish this question was posed to Gordon Campbell in the radio debate or TV debate(I did submit it)

    Premier Campbell,you state that the the budget deficit will be 495 million maximum,if the budget deficit turns out to be in the 2 billion dollar range will you resign?

    Gee,I wonder why they wouldn`t ask my question?

  • Powell river pe...

    2 years ago

    Mr.Tieleman....

    Thanks for sticking up for me today on brand X

    Cheers-Eyes Wide Open

  • SharingIsGood

    2 years ago

    integrity, honesty, trust

    This article summarizes what I have always believed about the character of Gordon Campbell; the man has never believed he has to be what he says we should expect of others. The man believes that words exist for him to use to manipulate others. Remember how he manipulated himself to power within his party; his claim was that Gordon Wilson was unvirtuous and thus did not deserve to be in power. Just looking at a picture of Gordon Campbell, I feel unclean. He oozes phoniness. Mr. Campbell will never have to worry about my heckling him in public: I never want to be within sight nor sound of the man.

    Sad news for our premier, hardly a person can now remember the name of either, the premier or the mayor responsible for the Montreal Olympics. Campbell will only be remembered for drunken driving and selling out the province, bankrupting our grandchildren. It will be but a handful of atheletes who are remembered for the Olympics, not Gordon Campbell.

  • Gary

    2 years ago

    Hermans Hermit

    The difference is that Carol James told us how big her budget deficit was going to be. Campbell pounced on that over and over and over again. Now the difference is Campbells big lie is even bigger than James truth.

  • Grumpy

    2 years ago

    In Whiterock....................

    ................the courts overturned election results because a councilor lied; can we do the same with Gordo, if he did indeed lie?

  • Skywalker

    2 years ago

    Excellent Bill.

    Gordon Campbell hoisted by his own petard. Gotta love it.

  • OUST CAMPBELL

    2 years ago

    It's only time

    Let the ousting begin !!!

  • freebear

    2 years ago

    Politicians share one thing in common - bullshit!

    Why is this a surprise!

    I suppose that is why the voter turnout has been dropping - everyone's bullshit dectection is getting better; or they/we are overwhelmed by the stench and volume of bullshit that we have to make our way through to get to the ballot box!

    Look for the telltale brown ring around the neck of a politician - it indicates how full of bullshit they are!

  • freebear

    2 years ago

    Others choose to support and work with the Bullshitters!

    Political opportunists (corporations, consultants, individuals) who manipulate in order to personally profit or benefit!

  • ReeferMadness

    2 years ago

    Things don't change....

    The more things change, the more they stay the same. Here we have one side accusing the other of doing exactly what they did 13 years ago. How does Bill have all these quotes from Campbell in 1996? Easy, Bill was there helping defend Glen Clark who did exactly the same thing. Is Gordon Campbell a hypocrite? Of course! But what does that make Bill Tieleman?

    We had a chance to change the way we elect people in this province and it could have changed the nature of politics. And what group lied about BC-STV, making an informed decision by BC residents almost impossible? That would be No STV. And who led No STV? That would be Bill Tieleman.

    Jane Sterk was right. The NDP and Liberals have so much in common.

  • Powell river pe...

    2 years ago

    @Reefermadness

    It`s called research,all those quotes are in the Hansard archives,EDITED FOR PERSONAL INSULT AGAINST ANOTHER COMMENTER -- TYEE MODERATOR As for Italian restraurant waitress Jane Sterk,she is by far the most useless,stunned,deceptive,dishonest Green leader in their history......
    She was too busy playing the NDP are SO bad,NDP were too brown,too union and she certainly acted(or maybe it`s true) like she enjoyed the smell of Campbell`s shit!
    Thr Greens deserve what they got.....

    Sterk made but one decent speech,and she made that speech about 11.30 pm may 12,right after she learned that she ran the most pathetic campaign.....

    In her speech,she said, "Gordon Campbell,you are not an enviromentalist,your hurting salmon,building 10 lane highways,browning the province,you are the worst enviromental premier we ever had,we will be watching you closely and monitering the accumlative effect of these river projects etc etc etc"

    Thats right,her one and only harsh rebuke of Campbell came after the election was over!

    You go to HELL Jane Sterk,you played your silly little game,thinking you would become the official opposition,not,you became the official laughing stock of the political arena......
    I hold the Green party the most responsible for electing Campbell,second only to big media,I know what Sterk was up to,most posters here know what she was up to.........
    In fact,Sterk might have been a Gordon Campbell plant in the Green party,I will keep a close eye on where the tired old Sterk ends up next.

    Cheers-Eyes Wide Open

  • Skywalker

    2 years ago

    I couldn't believe Reefermadness could be so naive.

    Then it occurred to me, yes he/she could. I've read the same comment so may times. The NDP were a bunch of pussy cats compared to this bunch. There has been more fudging and lying and scandals under Campbell in one of his terms than there ever was under the NDP. You said it well Powell river pe. No point in repeating it.

    The beauty of Hansard is that it show hypocrisy.

  • morechatter

    2 years ago

    Our Premier, Mr. Campbell was right!

    "The people of British Columbia expect accountability and truthfulness in the budget process. We have seen from this government consistently a misleading agenda in terms of budgets."

    The rest is up to the NDP as my understanding is if party can hold the Liberals accountable for their misdeeds and lies then they are doing the job the citizens of BC entrusted them with.
    They say its easy to see the faults in others when you so readily have them yourself. There is a whole lot of truth in that statement especially when it comes to Campbell because what are you left to believe?

  • Skywalker

    2 years ago

    Good point morechattter but...

    ..why is it that most of the accountability comes from people who contribute to this site like Bill Tielmann. I don't get any of this kind od "holding them accountable" from the opposition MLA's. If any do speak out. it is always done in a "nice" and so ineffective way. It so good that at least Bill keeps the fight alive with good research and analysis.

  • morechatter

    2 years ago

    Beam Me Down Scottie

    And when your right Skywalker you are absolutely right. But there is a time to strike and there is a time not to and now is the time as people are left wondering exactly what to believe and who to believe. It must be advantageous having the press behind a political power as no one is safe from the headlines as you could become tomorrows news.
    When the NDP came down on Liberals for its mishandling of the economy they were told the NDP party was to negative as its makes the press. On that note I believe its time to go back to the skys above and back into the clouds as a girl can dream can't she? As I truly didn't have a problem with the NDP being held accountable for their actions in the past as it is what keeps government straight. A deceiful and dishonest government isn't taking this province anywhere good as its not just the NDP but the systems in place that are not functioning to help them do the job.

  • JIm

    2 years ago

    Wasn't Telemann the

    Wasn't Telemann the Communication Director, ie spin master, for the NDP during their fudge-it-budget? Talk about hypocrisy.

  • G West

    2 years ago

    JIm

    What hypocrisy?

    I think such an accusation requires some back up - there are all kinds of 'backup' for the indictment against Campbell...the best you can do is accuse Tieleman of hypocrisy because he worked for less than a year for a former government...

    What's with THAT anyway? - Is Campbell so bankrupt that even his supporters have given up trying to provide some context for his ignorance and obvious lies?

  • JIm

    2 years ago

    G West are you that blinded

    G West are you that blinded by ideology that you can't see the hypocrisy of the situation? Not surprising.

  • G West

    2 years ago

    Hardly JIm

    Tieleman worked for less than a year for the Government of the time - Campbell has had more than 8 years of dissembling or hadn't you noticed?

    Tieleman is a journalist who has quoted Campbell extensively in this article.

    Did you read it?

    Furthermore, I asked you for some supporting evidence for your accusation. I assume the fact you've decided to turn on me indicates pretty clearly that you don't have any information which would actually support your ad hominem attack on a Tyee journalist.

    I thought that kind of thing wasn't permitted here - you can check the rules if you like.

  • Powell river pe...

    2 years ago

    Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy

    Typical neo-con men....

    Bill Tieleman working for Clark is not the issue,do you really think that anyone in public affairs has access to provincial finances?
    And on a more fundamental basis,since every fib,transgreesion,crime has happened in the past by all politcal parties that it gives current or future goverments carte blanche permission and forgiveness to do it again?
    The crusades of the past,ethnic genocides by countries,poisoning,gassing of people,wholesale slaughter of races........

    All is okay and acceptable because others did it?

    Have a long look in the mirror if you can stomach that,bow your head in shame.

    Defend the actions Campbell,is he a liar,a conman,was he truthful in the lead-up to the election,is he truthful now?

    Those are the issues

  • Skywalker

    2 years ago

    So Bill worked for Glen.

    So what? Maybe if Glen had taken more of his advice things would have been different but who cares. Did Jim work for one of the liberals? We'll never know will we because he won't identify himself. How convenient!

  • Skywalker

    2 years ago

    Beside JIm

    Bill worked for the Premier's office after the budget that wasn't fudged according to the courts. Now on the liberal fudgit budget we still need a court case on election fraud.

  • North of Hope

    2 years ago

    MY NEW TRUCK RADIO

    I bought a new GMC Sierra and returned
    to the dealer yesterday because I couldn't
    get the radio to work. The salesman
    explained that the radio was voice
    activated. 'Nelson,' the salesman said to
    the radio. The radio replied, 'Ricky or
    Willie?' 'Willie!' he continued and 'On
    The Road Again' came from the speakers.
    Then he said, 'Ray Charles!', and in an
    Instant 'Georgia On My Mind' replaced
    Willie Nelson. I drove away happy, and for
    the next few days, every time I'd say,
    'Beethoven,' I'd get beautiful classical
    music, and if I said, 'Beatles,' I'd get one
    of their awesome songs. Yesterday, some
    guy ran a red light and nearly creamed
    my new truck, but I swerved in time to
    avoid them. I yelled, 'As* H*le!'
    Immediately the radio responded with,
    "Ladies and gentlemen, the premier of BC,
    Gordon Campbell."

    Damn, I love this truck!

  • morechatter

    2 years ago

    You sure could fool me!

    This article is fact not fiction and there is a great deal more than leaves many feeling a little uneasy about the true state of affairs. Can Mr. Campbell be trusted? There is every indication that there is no chance of that as its been a secret agenda from the start. What Bill is or isn't or what the NDP is or isn't dosen't matter as Mr. Campbell said it himself its what the people deserve. Mr. Campbell has been more than dishonest and untruthful with the people of BC in more ways than one but goes unaccountable. If Campbell is counting on fooling the people its likely not going to work for him. Because you can't fool all the people all the time, or can you?

  • Tieleman

    2 years ago

    Bill Tieleman responds

    Thanks for some of the kind comments.

    To those who question myself or my article, a few brief comments.

    1. Regardless of my role or the NDP's record, Premier Campbell put himself on the record as stated above in Hansard - there is no question about any of the comments he made.

    2. I was Communications Director to Premier Glen Clark from February through June of 1996, including the May election. I had no involvement in or knowledge of the budget process of the Ministry of Finance.

    3. The NDP paid a high political price for what was called the "fudge it budget" situation - regardless of whether it was fair or unfair.

    4. A court case alleging that some NDP MLAs were guilty of electoral fraud connected to the budget was dismissed.

    5. When the NDP left office, the budget was independently verified beyond any reasonable doubt.

  • Bob Watts

    2 years ago

    Campbell's Budget

    2010 and playing games killed the budget. 100's of millions cost overruns on the convention centre and add in what 50 other projects and its game over for BC's budget. Hope no one gets sick. Great that we have the highest child poverty rates in Canada, and then we invite other peoples kids from all over the world to stay here and play games all on a free first class ticket, handed over with a smile from Campbell, what a hero "NOT".

  • Skywalker

    2 years ago

    morechatter

    Strange that today I should read a newspaper where the local MLA's slams the liberals on their "budget deficit change". Now really could one not uses some language more descriptive than that? There was no reference to the "election fraud" perpetrated during the election by insisting that the deficit target would remain under $500 million. No reference to a liberal fudged-budget . Nope. Just nice ineffective language that would keep ones attention past the headline if that.

    Sometimes it doesn't pay to read the stuff.

  • sunshine coast girl

    2 years ago

    I wrote to the Premier

    copying the above referenced quotes. Not surprisinly, he hasn't responded. I don't think he's going to somehow.

    On the lighter side, how about this?

    Gordon the Chicken

    Trevor the farmer was in the fertilised egg business. He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets' and eight or ten roosters, to fertilise the pullets' eggs.

    Trevor kept records and any rooster that didn't perform went into the soup pot and was replaced. That took an awful lot of his time so he bought a set of tiny bells and attached them to his roosters. Each bell had a different tone so Trevor could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing. Now he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report simply by listening to the bells.

    The farmer's favourite rooster was Gordon, and a very fine specimen he was too, but on this particular morning Trevor noticed Gordon's bell hadn't rung at all!

    Trevor went to investigate.

    The other roosters were chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing. The pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover but to farmer Trevor's amazement, Gordon had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring.

    He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.

    Trevor was so proud of Gordon, he entered him into the London Exhibition and Gordon became an overnight sensation among the judges.

    The Result?

    The judges not only awarded Gordon the No Bell Piece Prize but they also awarded him the Pulletsurprise as well.

    Clearly Gordon was a politician in the making: Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.

    Do you know a Politician called Gordon?

  • sunshine coast girl

    2 years ago

    I tried to post this and it disappeared!

    Gordon the Chicken

    Trevor the farmer was in the fertilised egg business. He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets' and eight or ten roosters, to fertilise the pullets' eggs.

    Trevor kept records and any rooster that didn't perform went into the soup pot and was replaced. That took an awful lot of his time so he bought a set of tiny bells and attached them to his roosters. Each bell had a different tone so Trevor could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing. Now he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report simply by listening to the bells.

    The farmer's favourite rooster was Gordon, and a very fine specimen he was too, but on this particular morning Trevor noticed Gordon's bell hadn't rung at all!

    Trevor went to investigate.

    The other roosters were chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing. The pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover but to farmer Trevor's amazement, Gordon had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring.

    He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.

    Trevor was so proud of Gordon, he entered him into the London Exhibition and Gordon became an overnight sensation among the judges.

    The Result?

    The judges not only awarded Gordon the No Bell Piece Prize but they also awarded him the Pulletsurprise as well.

    Clearly Gordon was a politician in the making: Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.

    Do you know a Politician called Gordon?

  • monty

    2 years ago

    North of Hope: Truck for Sale?

    Well done! Gave me a good laugh. For a moment I thought you had too much BC Bud but no, lo, it is those folks in Victoria who appear to be on some
    thing ?

  • Skywalker

    2 years ago

    There's a lot to be said for A******s

    Some of them can be funny. But, there is not much to be said for a dishonest and devious one.

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