I must confess something. I like Mike DJ. Especially when he says things like "The member, I hope, is purposely choosing to ignore certain facts and is not ignorant of them." Speaking of which, I'm not the biggest fan of Kathy Corrigan. Mike DJ knows when to say he is wrong and he did. Does anyone watch The Wire? I suggest you do. They make very clear how easy it is for politicians to accept money without really recognizing where the money came from. And considering our dear Liberal party is known for their ineptitude, the NDP is on very shaky ground when they presume the Liberals keep close track of all the money they bring in. Sure, maybe the NDP know how to keep track of their campaign donations, but probably only because they bring in a lot less than the Liberals. Mike DJ then called out JennyK for being upset at not being able to pillory poor old Kash since he stepped down so very suddenly after being reappointed. And as for the NDP's constant references to the "4hours" that elapsed, these 4 hours were after 5pm. And I'm sure everyone had more important things to consider than how much effort it will require to reappoint a no-talent Hack to cabinet.
The ol' tainted election and investigation questions continued for the entire session. Just to show you how bored I am with the entire issue, I am not commenting. We all know politicians are corrupt. Their corruption doesn't even deserve airtime anymore.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Tuesday May 4th
Had Robin Austin started his question by relating the education funding study published last week, his attempt at a question could have been somewhat useful. Instead, his accusation of the Liberal Government playing Russian Roulette with our children's education was just silly. We all know the Liberals are paying less than is needed, you just need to find a better way to go about this whole thing. Robin did however get in a few decent questions on the dubious nature of the special adviser who has been appointed. Kathy Corrigan made the same mistake as Robin.
Scary lady Michelle M then asked about childcare resources in schools. She could have had a useful question, re: government plans to make schools neighbourhood hubs, but her point got lost behind her general snarkiness. I won't even bother commenting on Harry Bain's turn. Same for Mr. Brar and his comment about needing Margie to open her ears. I'm sure the woman's ears are already open, my guess is because she has no brain residing in the middle.
Wow Jenny K actually made a stab at an answerable question. I don't dare listen to the video to check her tone.
Vicki H then asked about the whole online purchasing of eyeglasses debacle. This issue I must confess, I find to be an odd one b.c I always thought we were free to purchase what we wanted online? I just never trusted the online folks myself b.c my prescription has some serious prism in it and it is oh so very important that the prisms are ground just right. I had to laugh though at Kevin's response to the question, he was obviously talking about people who don't wear glasses when Vicki's question seemed to be tied to people who do. Nor do I understand the whole hoopla about "no prescriptions." I've been wearing glasses for 12 years now and I always go to the Eye Doctor every year or two as my eye strength continues to decrease. And each time I visit them, I come off with a copy of my new prescription. I thought this was common practice.
Vicki H made sure to stick it to Kevin with her use of MSP referrals for a number of serious eye diseases. To which I must say, these eye diseases are actually one of the I think 6 categories of diseases and health issues that the BC government claims themselves to be number 1 at treating. However, Kevin still came off as the winner in this exchange by mentioning that these regulations Vicki was harping on were designed for asymptomatic individuals. While we're at it, can someone please clarify the "science" behind the pupil dilation eye drops that some eye "doctors" still have the audacity to charge you extra for? These eye drops are not necessary!
Guy Gentner then started talking about that oil pipeline from Alberta and how there are plans to increase the amount of oil flowing from there out through the Vancouver Harbour. Guy just wanted to know if the liberals are prepared for an eventual oil disaster. Robbie tried to back Guy up on the issue, but Blair would have nothing of it. I'm inclined to think the Liberals avoid questions they have no answers for.
Scary lady Michelle M then asked about childcare resources in schools. She could have had a useful question, re: government plans to make schools neighbourhood hubs, but her point got lost behind her general snarkiness. I won't even bother commenting on Harry Bain's turn. Same for Mr. Brar and his comment about needing Margie to open her ears. I'm sure the woman's ears are already open, my guess is because she has no brain residing in the middle.
Wow Jenny K actually made a stab at an answerable question. I don't dare listen to the video to check her tone.
Vicki H then asked about the whole online purchasing of eyeglasses debacle. This issue I must confess, I find to be an odd one b.c I always thought we were free to purchase what we wanted online? I just never trusted the online folks myself b.c my prescription has some serious prism in it and it is oh so very important that the prisms are ground just right. I had to laugh though at Kevin's response to the question, he was obviously talking about people who don't wear glasses when Vicki's question seemed to be tied to people who do. Nor do I understand the whole hoopla about "no prescriptions." I've been wearing glasses for 12 years now and I always go to the Eye Doctor every year or two as my eye strength continues to decrease. And each time I visit them, I come off with a copy of my new prescription. I thought this was common practice.
Vicki H made sure to stick it to Kevin with her use of MSP referrals for a number of serious eye diseases. To which I must say, these eye diseases are actually one of the I think 6 categories of diseases and health issues that the BC government claims themselves to be number 1 at treating. However, Kevin still came off as the winner in this exchange by mentioning that these regulations Vicki was harping on were designed for asymptomatic individuals. While we're at it, can someone please clarify the "science" behind the pupil dilation eye drops that some eye "doctors" still have the audacity to charge you extra for? These eye drops are not necessary!
Guy Gentner then started talking about that oil pipeline from Alberta and how there are plans to increase the amount of oil flowing from there out through the Vancouver Harbour. Guy just wanted to know if the liberals are prepared for an eventual oil disaster. Robbie tried to back Guy up on the issue, but Blair would have nothing of it. I'm inclined to think the Liberals avoid questions they have no answers for.
Monday May 3
There were a lot of questions on the issue of offshore drilling and tanker traffic. The Liberals got a few digs in by noting the 2 week delay on the NDP's questioning of the Liberals. Poor Blair Lekstrom probably had his briefing notes prepared for that long, and was just so happy to finally use them. I've decided though, that the Liberals really don't like John Horgan, the energy critic. They seem to show this dislike by always finding quotes by Johnny painting him in favour of an issue he states himself to be against. I've already mentioned the HST quote. Perhaps they dislike Johnny b.c they consider him to be a potential next leader of the NDP? Anyhoo, Johnny actually got some good questions in on Monday by starting off the festivities and also following up on Blair's responses.
Environment critic Robbie F then stood up to continue with the questions, I'm glad I mostly just read the transcripts b.c I find Robbie F's mock outrage and cool boy demeanor slightly irksome. I have to give him credit though for also forming his questions on the basis of Blair immediately previous response. Proves the boy can listen!
Shane Simpson then got up to try and nail the Liberals to the wall over their commitment to raising the moratorium on offshore drilling. His questions weren't as good though b.c Blair was more than happy to talk about the potential actuality of offshore drilling, he had no qualms over the governments intentions. Minus 1 point for Shaney Boy for asking useless questions.
As for Sue Fraser, she was more than a tad pretentious when she stood up to claim her lordship over riding of Alberni Pacific Rim. No offense Sue, actually no, please take offense, but I'm sure the Liberal Party is well aware of the glories of our island, they've probably taken a few deluxe retreats there.
Questions they should have asked:
1) What is your definition of environmentally sustainable? How can we hold you to this? Does it involve public consultation?
Gary then entered into a spirited exchange with Barry on the remains of the Queen of the North. Gary wanted to know why the fuel hasn't been removed yet, and Barry said that drilling (ahaha drilling) for the fuel wasn't a viable option b.c the Coast Guard ENGINEERS told him so. Gary was all upset due to the pollutants leaching out of the remains of the Queen of the North. Gary was the definite looser in this exchange because he failed to ask about alternate methods of removal. Same for Dougie D.
Leonard Krog then asked what appeared to be a totally redundant question. In a battle of he said he said, Mike DJ shut poor Leonard down. Funny that LK didn't get a follow up, guess it has something to do with some proviso of Erskine's. Dougie D also needs to work on his question forming lack of abilities.
Spencer then tried to hold Mike DJ to the wire by asking about a report that Mike DJ suggested Spencer has already looked at. So....... what was the point of this question Spence? Who ever is in power likes to help their friends. Period. Norm and Jenny also attempted some mock outrage.
Environment critic Robbie F then stood up to continue with the questions, I'm glad I mostly just read the transcripts b.c I find Robbie F's mock outrage and cool boy demeanor slightly irksome. I have to give him credit though for also forming his questions on the basis of Blair immediately previous response. Proves the boy can listen!
Shane Simpson then got up to try and nail the Liberals to the wall over their commitment to raising the moratorium on offshore drilling. His questions weren't as good though b.c Blair was more than happy to talk about the potential actuality of offshore drilling, he had no qualms over the governments intentions. Minus 1 point for Shaney Boy for asking useless questions.
As for Sue Fraser, she was more than a tad pretentious when she stood up to claim her lordship over riding of Alberni Pacific Rim. No offense Sue, actually no, please take offense, but I'm sure the Liberal Party is well aware of the glories of our island, they've probably taken a few deluxe retreats there.
Questions they should have asked:
1) What is your definition of environmentally sustainable? How can we hold you to this? Does it involve public consultation?
Gary then entered into a spirited exchange with Barry on the remains of the Queen of the North. Gary wanted to know why the fuel hasn't been removed yet, and Barry said that drilling (ahaha drilling) for the fuel wasn't a viable option b.c the Coast Guard ENGINEERS told him so. Gary was all upset due to the pollutants leaching out of the remains of the Queen of the North. Gary was the definite looser in this exchange because he failed to ask about alternate methods of removal. Same for Dougie D.
Leonard Krog then asked what appeared to be a totally redundant question. In a battle of he said he said, Mike DJ shut poor Leonard down. Funny that LK didn't get a follow up, guess it has something to do with some proviso of Erskine's. Dougie D also needs to work on his question forming lack of abilities.
Spencer then tried to hold Mike DJ to the wire by asking about a report that Mike DJ suggested Spencer has already looked at. So....... what was the point of this question Spence? Who ever is in power likes to help their friends. Period. Norm and Jenny also attempted some mock outrage.
Friday, April 30, 2010
You know Carole, the trouble with your questions is that you've got to remember the issue is not "listening." You were annoying Carole when you "looked at the facts." Of course everyone is against the HST. It means more paperwork. It means changing the system. People don't like change. I didn't like your second question either Carole: "When will the BC Liberals do the right things and scrap the HST?" I mean like, how silly are you Carole? When will the Liberals do the right thing? They already think they are doing the right thing. If you'd wanted your questions to be at all logical, you would have had to have said: "When will the Liberals do [what I consider to be the right thing] and scrap the HST?"
As for what Mr. Hansen said in return, I had to check out his sources. I found Mr. Hansen's reference of support from the retail council of Canada, they praise the exact same thing that I mentioned. Unlike the unqualified support Mr. Hansen talks about, the support offered by the retail council of Canada appears to be singular and a product of blind faith in economists who say the HST will be a good thing. I found a PDF, associated with the BC Chamber, praising the HST. Of course the chartered institute of accountants and the certified general accountants support the HST, the implementation of the HST will make it more important than ever to file tax returns and it also allows our accountant friends to profit from hosting a series of events in advance of the HST's implementation. Ah capitalism and profit: what the HST is all about. Concerning Mr. Hansen's mention of ShelfSpace and their representation of tens of thousands of businesses who support the HST, I checked ShelfSpace's website, and they themselves say they only represent thousands of businesses, that is thousands across Canada, not thousands across BC like Mr. Hansen suggested. Concerning ShelfSpace's support of the HST, I found an ad warning businesses about the new hst charges to their memberships, and a letter saying yes to the HST but only at a rate lower than 12%. Finally, yes, small businesses are "benefiting" from the Liberal government, what with the always changing levels for income tax exemptions, but this "benefit" is definitely not specific to the HST.
This argument is frustrating. Why can't someone just put up their hand, patiently wait to be called upon, and then ask "How about retailers just fold the cost of the tax into the price of the object, or the service?" At least then we know how much things cost, and as for the niggling concerns of the rate of taxation, give people a month and I'm sure people will forget all about what percent we're paying.
For her final question Carole played the ultimate fool by relating a comic bookstore owner whose doors will close with the HST when Mr. Hansen was quick to point out that books are already exempt from PST and so the tax rate slapped upon them will go unchanged. AHAHAHAHA. Perhaps, what the owners of Legends Comic Books were trying to allude to, was that the HST will eat up people's monies for comic books. Or maybe, the fact that comic books are going extinct thanks to technology and such things as web comics.
Bruce then stepped in and could have asked an interesting question but he lost focus. He meant to ask one about HST and how it will affect the commissions small businesses used to be able to collect from the BC government in exchange for collecting the PST. Although Mr. Hansen recognizes the compliance costs that small businesses used to pay and will supposedly no longer pay after July 1st, he failed to mention whether small businesses will still be eligible for PST commissions. He did seem to suggest though that such commissions will no longer be necessary as the introduction of the HST will seemingly eradicate the high compliance costs that small businesses used to have to deal with. Hmmm...... unnecessarily complicated.
Dougie D then stepped up to be the useless smuck of the day. Of course the Liberals aren't going to just stop the HST. What planet did you grow up on? Optimismville? Same for Norm M. Mr. H was quick to pick up on Norm's rhetoric and easily used it to his advantage. I still don't understand where the new jobs will come from, but like I mentioned a few days ago, we low income folks will be fine under the HST so long as we remember to sigh up for our HST/GST credits. Good thing my dad does my taxes!
Cary Coons then stood up and tried to ask a focused question on the impact of the HST on ferry prices but ended up generalizing to an increased burden on coastal communities which just allowed Mr. H to again expound upon how the HST will result in the creation of new jobs. I found yet another generic looking PDF supposedly associated with the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association that Mr. H talked about. Gary then pulled a Carole and directly asked about HST and ferry fares, just to find that ferry fares don't have GST so they will be exempted from the HST. Hmmm.... apparently BC Ferries has to pay GST, but as a transportation service are not allowed to charge GST. Or maybe they can just charge GST on cabins and reservations? Is this some sort of hotel thing? I thought hotels would cost less under the HST? Reservations too should cost less b.c the service should be cheaper to provide right?
Urgh, Jenny Kwan then asked her first question in a long time. Thankfully she doesn't get to stand up as often as she used to. She gets angry very quickly and can be difficult to listen to. True to form her question was useless and silly. She asked which Liberal would have courage to go against the HST? See Jenny, I don't think opposition to the HST is a courage thing for the Liberals. It seems to be more of a need for brains and an understanding of social class, economic efficiency, and utilitarianism. Liberals definitely don't have any of these. Not sure the NDP do either, but hey, at least they have the worthy position against the tax. Jenny K's question was rewarded with no one raising to acknowledge her. Ooooooo snap. Legislative fail for you Jenny K. You are not allowed to talk again in QP for 1 year! I wish............
Shane Simpson then got up to talk about an interesting issue, how Elections BC have rebuked the Liberals for wanting to send distribute a pro-hst mailout so that we poor citizens could have the facts. AHAHAHAHA. I don't think the Liberals even have the facts to mail out but whatever. Shane wanted to know if the Liberals will respect Election BC's ruling, and if they will, how much taxpayers money has been wasted in creating such spin. Well, first off, I just read in the TYEE today, that the Libs are planning on sending their pro HST mailout in July, after the initiative campaign is over. And I also read in the TC, an editorial on how ineffective our HST initiative will be. Perhaps we should look forward to reading the truth about the HST while we're all enjoying the sunshine later this summer and some government representatives are busy tallying the millions of signatures that are sure to be gathered in the initiative drive.
QP then ended with a spirited and highly irrelavent back and forth between Mike F. and Mike DJ. I had to check back to the video from QP to even get an idea of the tone of their conversation. Mike F gave quite the emotional tirade just to sit down with a very smug look on his face after not even asking a question, and Mike DJ, well, he is just a very sexy beast. MDJ was going on about an email he supposedly had from Vander Zalm talking about safe sex and how "The province needs to degrade itself more and sink further into a mindless immoral state with its sad and dire consequences."
Alright kids, whats the first lesson and smear tactics 101. Take a full length document, chose one isolated sentence and read it aloud.
On the positive side, watching QP allowed me to bask in the glory of Ida Chong's supreme 1980s outfit.
Questions they should have asked:
1) Who are the vast majority of businesses who will benefit? What are the minority who will not? How will this benefit/lack of benefit occur? Can you provide us with detailed information on this?
2) Why are you able to spin the removal of the PST? Under the HST will the Province not still collect 7% tax?
3) Comparing the current costs and commissions system faced by small businesses, under the HST will the current ratio of costs to commissions be affected? Will this be in a positive or negative direction? Can you please explain why?
4) How will the manufacturing and exporting of our natural resources be more competitive under the HST? (Perhaps b/c foreign companies can take advantage of purchasing lower cost machinery for the purposes of manufacturing our natural resources elsewhere? YAY)
Opposition members take note, at the end of a daily blog, I should have more than 4 questions for you. My only having four questions seems to indicate that you truly wasted QP yesterday.
Here is website against the HST if anyone is interested.
As for what Mr. Hansen said in return, I had to check out his sources. I found Mr. Hansen's reference of support from the retail council of Canada, they praise the exact same thing that I mentioned. Unlike the unqualified support Mr. Hansen talks about, the support offered by the retail council of Canada appears to be singular and a product of blind faith in economists who say the HST will be a good thing. I found a PDF, associated with the BC Chamber, praising the HST. Of course the chartered institute of accountants and the certified general accountants support the HST, the implementation of the HST will make it more important than ever to file tax returns and it also allows our accountant friends to profit from hosting a series of events in advance of the HST's implementation. Ah capitalism and profit: what the HST is all about. Concerning Mr. Hansen's mention of ShelfSpace and their representation of tens of thousands of businesses who support the HST, I checked ShelfSpace's website, and they themselves say they only represent thousands of businesses, that is thousands across Canada, not thousands across BC like Mr. Hansen suggested. Concerning ShelfSpace's support of the HST, I found an ad warning businesses about the new hst charges to their memberships, and a letter saying yes to the HST but only at a rate lower than 12%. Finally, yes, small businesses are "benefiting" from the Liberal government, what with the always changing levels for income tax exemptions, but this "benefit" is definitely not specific to the HST.
This argument is frustrating. Why can't someone just put up their hand, patiently wait to be called upon, and then ask "How about retailers just fold the cost of the tax into the price of the object, or the service?" At least then we know how much things cost, and as for the niggling concerns of the rate of taxation, give people a month and I'm sure people will forget all about what percent we're paying.
For her final question Carole played the ultimate fool by relating a comic bookstore owner whose doors will close with the HST when Mr. Hansen was quick to point out that books are already exempt from PST and so the tax rate slapped upon them will go unchanged. AHAHAHAHA. Perhaps, what the owners of Legends Comic Books were trying to allude to, was that the HST will eat up people's monies for comic books. Or maybe, the fact that comic books are going extinct thanks to technology and such things as web comics.
Bruce then stepped in and could have asked an interesting question but he lost focus. He meant to ask one about HST and how it will affect the commissions small businesses used to be able to collect from the BC government in exchange for collecting the PST. Although Mr. Hansen recognizes the compliance costs that small businesses used to pay and will supposedly no longer pay after July 1st, he failed to mention whether small businesses will still be eligible for PST commissions. He did seem to suggest though that such commissions will no longer be necessary as the introduction of the HST will seemingly eradicate the high compliance costs that small businesses used to have to deal with. Hmmm...... unnecessarily complicated.
Dougie D then stepped up to be the useless smuck of the day. Of course the Liberals aren't going to just stop the HST. What planet did you grow up on? Optimismville? Same for Norm M. Mr. H was quick to pick up on Norm's rhetoric and easily used it to his advantage. I still don't understand where the new jobs will come from, but like I mentioned a few days ago, we low income folks will be fine under the HST so long as we remember to sigh up for our HST/GST credits. Good thing my dad does my taxes!
Cary Coons then stood up and tried to ask a focused question on the impact of the HST on ferry prices but ended up generalizing to an increased burden on coastal communities which just allowed Mr. H to again expound upon how the HST will result in the creation of new jobs. I found yet another generic looking PDF supposedly associated with the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association that Mr. H talked about. Gary then pulled a Carole and directly asked about HST and ferry fares, just to find that ferry fares don't have GST so they will be exempted from the HST. Hmmm.... apparently BC Ferries has to pay GST, but as a transportation service are not allowed to charge GST. Or maybe they can just charge GST on cabins and reservations? Is this some sort of hotel thing? I thought hotels would cost less under the HST? Reservations too should cost less b.c the service should be cheaper to provide right?
Urgh, Jenny Kwan then asked her first question in a long time. Thankfully she doesn't get to stand up as often as she used to. She gets angry very quickly and can be difficult to listen to. True to form her question was useless and silly. She asked which Liberal would have courage to go against the HST? See Jenny, I don't think opposition to the HST is a courage thing for the Liberals. It seems to be more of a need for brains and an understanding of social class, economic efficiency, and utilitarianism. Liberals definitely don't have any of these. Not sure the NDP do either, but hey, at least they have the worthy position against the tax. Jenny K's question was rewarded with no one raising to acknowledge her. Ooooooo snap. Legislative fail for you Jenny K. You are not allowed to talk again in QP for 1 year! I wish............
Shane Simpson then got up to talk about an interesting issue, how Elections BC have rebuked the Liberals for wanting to send distribute a pro-hst mailout so that we poor citizens could have the facts. AHAHAHAHA. I don't think the Liberals even have the facts to mail out but whatever. Shane wanted to know if the Liberals will respect Election BC's ruling, and if they will, how much taxpayers money has been wasted in creating such spin. Well, first off, I just read in the TYEE today, that the Libs are planning on sending their pro HST mailout in July, after the initiative campaign is over. And I also read in the TC, an editorial on how ineffective our HST initiative will be. Perhaps we should look forward to reading the truth about the HST while we're all enjoying the sunshine later this summer and some government representatives are busy tallying the millions of signatures that are sure to be gathered in the initiative drive.
QP then ended with a spirited and highly irrelavent back and forth between Mike F. and Mike DJ. I had to check back to the video from QP to even get an idea of the tone of their conversation. Mike F gave quite the emotional tirade just to sit down with a very smug look on his face after not even asking a question, and Mike DJ, well, he is just a very sexy beast. MDJ was going on about an email he supposedly had from Vander Zalm talking about safe sex and how "The province needs to degrade itself more and sink further into a mindless immoral state with its sad and dire consequences."
Alright kids, whats the first lesson and smear tactics 101. Take a full length document, chose one isolated sentence and read it aloud.
On the positive side, watching QP allowed me to bask in the glory of Ida Chong's supreme 1980s outfit.
Questions they should have asked:
1) Who are the vast majority of businesses who will benefit? What are the minority who will not? How will this benefit/lack of benefit occur? Can you provide us with detailed information on this?
2) Why are you able to spin the removal of the PST? Under the HST will the Province not still collect 7% tax?
3) Comparing the current costs and commissions system faced by small businesses, under the HST will the current ratio of costs to commissions be affected? Will this be in a positive or negative direction? Can you please explain why?
4) How will the manufacturing and exporting of our natural resources be more competitive under the HST? (Perhaps b/c foreign companies can take advantage of purchasing lower cost machinery for the purposes of manufacturing our natural resources elsewhere? YAY)
Opposition members take note, at the end of a daily blog, I should have more than 4 questions for you. My only having four questions seems to indicate that you truly wasted QP yesterday.
Here is website against the HST if anyone is interested.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
It was another HST days in QP today. I sure hope they change things up a bit tomorrow, the HST is a tad boring. I suppose it could get interesting though if the NDP actually learned to ask some good questions. Anyhoo, here are my coles notes:
Mr. Hansen cut Carole off short today in QP with a zinger. Admittedly, there she was today talking about a lack of consumer confidence, when just yesterday she bemoaned a consumer rush to beat the HST. Kudos to Mr. Hansen for actually listening to and remembering what he says in QP:D Carole's follow up questions on whether the BC government will present as much information as the Ontario government on which items will be hit by the HST seemed pretty silly. The Liberal government has been maintaining a website about the immediate financial implications for consumers for a while now. I'm inclined to think the Liberals are disinclined to lie about something they could so easily be held to account for. I quite enjoyed Mr. Hansen's efforts to try and portray the NDP as wanting to make the general public pay both the PST and the HST. What is better though, is this press release from the Liberal War Chest praising the Liberals for "abolishing" the PST. I don't think tucking away is the same as abolishing. Finance Critic Bruce Ralston jumped in to accomplish about the same as Carole did, which of course was nothing. Same for Dougie D.
No wait, I take that back. Dougie D did manage to pull yet another quote from Carole Taylor's recent interview, unlike the quotes used yesterday, this one was actually kinda relevant. The quote involved Ms. Taylor's speculations on increased border traffic for consumer purposes in the wake of continued parity and the impended implementation of the HST. Mr. Hansen didn't like that though, he marked his submission with silence on the issue.
As for Mr. Hansen's reference to a recent Conference Board of Canada report "Harmonize Consumption Taxes to Improve Economic Efficiency" the way he references the article doesn't really appear consistent with what the article appears to be about. The article speaks about the benefits of a nationally harmonized sales tax, it is only 9 pages long so I highly doubt it also touches upon the "benefits" of the supposed benefits for the isolated provincial implementation.
Shane Simpson then started talking about real estates and the HST. I probably should have researched the issue a little bit for you, so as to cut through some of the discrepancies between what the NDP and the Liberals say. I couldn't stop laughing though over Mr. Hansen's second zinger of the day when called out Shane's use of "averages."
Nicholas Simmons then started talking about kids, summer camps, and the HST. He also cited some policy researcher, Jon Kesselman, who has said that low income folks will be worse off with the HST. Mr. Hansen corrected him on this, if you look to yesterday's post you'll see that I agree. We all know the middle class will be hardest hit. Gary Coons then jumped into ask why the parents of poor church kids will have to pay more for summer camp. I don't know about you but I'm not any more inclined to trust the churchies than I am Mr. Hansen.
Questions the NDP should have asked
1) Will the minister acknowledge that perhaps research on the economic benefits of the HST in the Atlantic provinces is not comparable because unlike here in BC, the introduction of the HST in the Atlantic provinces saw a reduction in overall tax rates?
2) How does the HST help the forestry sector? Are these monies directed towards helping the forestry sectors monies that will stay in BC, or international pockets?
3) All the questions I suggested yesterday that they ask.
Today's Little Bit of Excitement
Robin asked the Minister why some teacher on the mainland got fired for being a lesbian parent. Perhaps she was fired because she was a bad teacher? Or maybe she was just let go because the school districts have no money?
Here's to hoping the Opposition tries to cover a different topic tomorrow.
Mr. Hansen cut Carole off short today in QP with a zinger. Admittedly, there she was today talking about a lack of consumer confidence, when just yesterday she bemoaned a consumer rush to beat the HST. Kudos to Mr. Hansen for actually listening to and remembering what he says in QP:D Carole's follow up questions on whether the BC government will present as much information as the Ontario government on which items will be hit by the HST seemed pretty silly. The Liberal government has been maintaining a website about the immediate financial implications for consumers for a while now. I'm inclined to think the Liberals are disinclined to lie about something they could so easily be held to account for. I quite enjoyed Mr. Hansen's efforts to try and portray the NDP as wanting to make the general public pay both the PST and the HST. What is better though, is this press release from the Liberal War Chest praising the Liberals for "abolishing" the PST. I don't think tucking away is the same as abolishing. Finance Critic Bruce Ralston jumped in to accomplish about the same as Carole did, which of course was nothing. Same for Dougie D.
No wait, I take that back. Dougie D did manage to pull yet another quote from Carole Taylor's recent interview, unlike the quotes used yesterday, this one was actually kinda relevant. The quote involved Ms. Taylor's speculations on increased border traffic for consumer purposes in the wake of continued parity and the impended implementation of the HST. Mr. Hansen didn't like that though, he marked his submission with silence on the issue.
As for Mr. Hansen's reference to a recent Conference Board of Canada report "Harmonize Consumption Taxes to Improve Economic Efficiency" the way he references the article doesn't really appear consistent with what the article appears to be about. The article speaks about the benefits of a nationally harmonized sales tax, it is only 9 pages long so I highly doubt it also touches upon the "benefits" of the supposed benefits for the isolated provincial implementation.
Shane Simpson then started talking about real estates and the HST. I probably should have researched the issue a little bit for you, so as to cut through some of the discrepancies between what the NDP and the Liberals say. I couldn't stop laughing though over Mr. Hansen's second zinger of the day when called out Shane's use of "averages."
Nicholas Simmons then started talking about kids, summer camps, and the HST. He also cited some policy researcher, Jon Kesselman, who has said that low income folks will be worse off with the HST. Mr. Hansen corrected him on this, if you look to yesterday's post you'll see that I agree. We all know the middle class will be hardest hit. Gary Coons then jumped into ask why the parents of poor church kids will have to pay more for summer camp. I don't know about you but I'm not any more inclined to trust the churchies than I am Mr. Hansen.
Questions the NDP should have asked
1) Will the minister acknowledge that perhaps research on the economic benefits of the HST in the Atlantic provinces is not comparable because unlike here in BC, the introduction of the HST in the Atlantic provinces saw a reduction in overall tax rates?
2) How does the HST help the forestry sector? Are these monies directed towards helping the forestry sectors monies that will stay in BC, or international pockets?
3) All the questions I suggested yesterday that they ask.
Today's Little Bit of Excitement
Robin asked the Minister why some teacher on the mainland got fired for being a lesbian parent. Perhaps she was fired because she was a bad teacher? Or maybe she was just let go because the school districts have no money?
Here's to hoping the Opposition tries to cover a different topic tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Tuesday April 27
Today began with some fiery questions on the HST. Carole was in true snarly form and tried her best to get Mr. Hansen to admit to being a devious troublemaker. Mr. Hansen worked hard to defend Bill 9 and actually made some relevant arguments in the process. He advocated for the passage of Bill 9 so as to protect British Columbians from having to pay both PST and HST. Hmmm.... He also said that the only things being charged HST in the interim would be articles intended for delivery after July 1st. This does not coincide with what Carole was talking about when she provided a litany of service providers offering deals before April 30th. This whole "buy now beat the HST" thing seems shifty though. Its a message box through and through. Neither the opposition or the government are providing us the public with an itemized breakdown.
Questions Carole should have asked
1) Can the minister provide a list of items that will cost less in an HST world?
2) How is it that hotel rooms will be cheaper when hotel operators are having to deal with an HST world?
Bruce Ralston then picked up the HST thread throwing around some bunk on how sports tickets will cost more after May 1st. Mr. Hansen says they'll only cost more after July 1st.
Questions Bruce should have asked:
1) Where will HST result in the creation of new jobs?
2) Where will small businesses make more profit under the HST?
3) Where will the economy profit under the HST?
4) How will the HST, a value added tax, result in more money in peoples pockets?
Jenny Kwan then jumped in to the HST debate by questioning Mr. Hansen's previous claim about the need for transitions rules to help cut off the PST from certain goods and services in advance of the introduction of the HST. Neither she nor Mr. Hansen did tell us good folks which goods and services they might be talking about. Like Bruce before her, Jenny asked Mr. Hansen of why roof repairs are going to cost more after May 1st. In hindsight, what difference does paying two additional months of taxes actually make? We all know that the Liberals are underhanded, I'd hope to heck though that they can keep an accurate tally of which items receive what tax.
Questions Jenny should have asked
1) How does getting rid of corporate income tax result in more jobs?
2) Whose facts are you using to claim that BC has the most dynamic economy? Where did you get the stat on 390,000 people?
It was then Bob Simpson's turn to try and jump on Mr. Hansen. Bobbo wasn't really paying attention to what Mr. Hansen was saying, preferring instead to step up the rhetoric when he asked "If everything is going to be cheaper post May 1st, why is everybody going to such great lengths to avoid paying the HST? If it's cheaper, why aren't they putting up billboards saying "pay later?" Such a question allowed Mr. Hansen to skip to his desired location and take a swipe at the 1990s NDP, he also spoke of how businesses will be able to get HST rebates.
Questions Bobbo should have asked
1) Will large and small businesses get the same rate of return on HST paid? Can you provide a breakdown of the expected returns for each level of business?
2) How is it that houses up to $550,000 in price will actually be lower after the HST?
A scary lady named Michelle Mungall then continued with the HST threat. As usual her question was kinda complicated when she drastically overreached the parameters of her questions (resort passes) by asking why the premier is making families struggle. I don't know about you, but I imagine a number of families would be struggling if they really committed themselves to actively utilizing a seasons pass at a ski hill before July 1st. Scary lady did however make a valuable point of the influence of the HST on Tourism. Everyone loves to go to places like Alberta and Oregon precisely because they have no consumer taxes.
In true form, Mr. Hansen ignored the scary lady, I don't blame him, and spoke instead on how the HST will again increase jobs. He also said that HST will result in more pay raises and more job security. Ah, Mr. Hansen, can you please source this argument for me?Are we just going to be paid more because things are going to cost more? That'd be nice, seems to me though that wages truly do not keep pace with inflation. Everyone who makes less that 100k a year knows this.
Impact of Harmonized Sales Tax on Arts and Culture
Spencer made his first showing in QP today. As usual he tried to make himself big and blustery, I just thought his question was useless as he failed to listen to Mr. Hansen's lesson on how HST will only be charged on products and services being delivered after July 1st.
Impact of Harmonized Sales Tax on Membership Costs
Ray Chouhan then tried to play the hardworking family angle, failing to listen and understand why the costco memberships already have HST on them.
Impact of Harmonized Sales Tax on Families
Mikey got up to ask more of the same, why hockey will cost more May 1st instead of after July 1st, yadayada.
Questions Mike Should have Asked
1) Where will these 113, 000 new jobs be? Will they be local? Will they be full time? Will they be permanent? Who will be paying the wages to these 1130,000 new employees.
2) Does the Minister recognize that the HST is a highly unpopular tax? Is the Minister concerned about his future electability if he passes this tax?
3) Can you please provide us with the literature which demonstrates how BC will gains so many benefits from increased taxation? Why do you still believe in these statistics after Jack Mintz
has been publicly discredited?
My Musings
Every question after the first question was a total waste. I'm sure there are more important things in the world than a negligible revenue neutral tax shift. Perhaps we could talk about how all the necessary social services are going to be paid for? As for all us poor british columbians who are going to be hardest hit by the HST, don't worry, we'll be fine so long as we're all signed up to receive our GST and HST rebates cheques. I love me my rebate cheques. So when Mr. Hansen say's the low income folks will be better off with the HST, I can concur and say, well yes, we will be receiving larger rebate cheques.
It's kinda fun being a student and having an excuse to be poor. And oh, if you look at the "answers" provided by Mr. Hansen, seems he tends to go into more depth when he is actually provided with a worthy opponent.
Questions Carole should have asked
1) Can the minister provide a list of items that will cost less in an HST world?
2) How is it that hotel rooms will be cheaper when hotel operators are having to deal with an HST world?
Bruce Ralston then picked up the HST thread throwing around some bunk on how sports tickets will cost more after May 1st. Mr. Hansen says they'll only cost more after July 1st.
Questions Bruce should have asked:
1) Where will HST result in the creation of new jobs?
2) Where will small businesses make more profit under the HST?
3) Where will the economy profit under the HST?
4) How will the HST, a value added tax, result in more money in peoples pockets?
Jenny Kwan then jumped in to the HST debate by questioning Mr. Hansen's previous claim about the need for transitions rules to help cut off the PST from certain goods and services in advance of the introduction of the HST. Neither she nor Mr. Hansen did tell us good folks which goods and services they might be talking about. Like Bruce before her, Jenny asked Mr. Hansen of why roof repairs are going to cost more after May 1st. In hindsight, what difference does paying two additional months of taxes actually make? We all know that the Liberals are underhanded, I'd hope to heck though that they can keep an accurate tally of which items receive what tax.
Questions Jenny should have asked
1) How does getting rid of corporate income tax result in more jobs?
2) Whose facts are you using to claim that BC has the most dynamic economy? Where did you get the stat on 390,000 people?
It was then Bob Simpson's turn to try and jump on Mr. Hansen. Bobbo wasn't really paying attention to what Mr. Hansen was saying, preferring instead to step up the rhetoric when he asked "If everything is going to be cheaper post May 1st, why is everybody going to such great lengths to avoid paying the HST? If it's cheaper, why aren't they putting up billboards saying "pay later?" Such a question allowed Mr. Hansen to skip to his desired location and take a swipe at the 1990s NDP, he also spoke of how businesses will be able to get HST rebates.
Questions Bobbo should have asked
1) Will large and small businesses get the same rate of return on HST paid? Can you provide a breakdown of the expected returns for each level of business?
2) How is it that houses up to $550,000 in price will actually be lower after the HST?
A scary lady named Michelle Mungall then continued with the HST threat. As usual her question was kinda complicated when she drastically overreached the parameters of her questions (resort passes) by asking why the premier is making families struggle. I don't know about you, but I imagine a number of families would be struggling if they really committed themselves to actively utilizing a seasons pass at a ski hill before July 1st. Scary lady did however make a valuable point of the influence of the HST on Tourism. Everyone loves to go to places like Alberta and Oregon precisely because they have no consumer taxes.
In true form, Mr. Hansen ignored the scary lady, I don't blame him, and spoke instead on how the HST will again increase jobs. He also said that HST will result in more pay raises and more job security. Ah, Mr. Hansen, can you please source this argument for me?Are we just going to be paid more because things are going to cost more? That'd be nice, seems to me though that wages truly do not keep pace with inflation. Everyone who makes less that 100k a year knows this.
Impact of Harmonized Sales Tax on Arts and Culture
Spencer made his first showing in QP today. As usual he tried to make himself big and blustery, I just thought his question was useless as he failed to listen to Mr. Hansen's lesson on how HST will only be charged on products and services being delivered after July 1st.
Impact of Harmonized Sales Tax on Membership Costs
Ray Chouhan then tried to play the hardworking family angle, failing to listen and understand why the costco memberships already have HST on them.
Impact of Harmonized Sales Tax on Families
Mikey got up to ask more of the same, why hockey will cost more May 1st instead of after July 1st, yadayada.
Questions Mike Should have Asked
1) Where will these 113, 000 new jobs be? Will they be local? Will they be full time? Will they be permanent? Who will be paying the wages to these 1130,000 new employees.
2) Does the Minister recognize that the HST is a highly unpopular tax? Is the Minister concerned about his future electability if he passes this tax?
3) Can you please provide us with the literature which demonstrates how BC will gains so many benefits from increased taxation? Why do you still believe in these statistics after Jack Mintz
has been publicly discredited?
My Musings
Every question after the first question was a total waste. I'm sure there are more important things in the world than a negligible revenue neutral tax shift. Perhaps we could talk about how all the necessary social services are going to be paid for? As for all us poor british columbians who are going to be hardest hit by the HST, don't worry, we'll be fine so long as we're all signed up to receive our GST and HST rebates cheques. I love me my rebate cheques. So when Mr. Hansen say's the low income folks will be better off with the HST, I can concur and say, well yes, we will be receiving larger rebate cheques.
It's kinda fun being a student and having an excuse to be poor. And oh, if you look at the "answers" provided by Mr. Hansen, seems he tends to go into more depth when he is actually provided with a worthy opponent.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday April 26
Things actually got off to a balanced and rational start in QP today. Wish I could say the same about the end..............
Surgical Services in Fraser Health Authority
Adrian Dix began with "Will the minister tell this House and the residents of the fastest growing health authority in the province what surgeries will be canceled, which hospitals will be affected, and what operating rooms will be closed?" Dix was of course talking about an internal document released to staff in the Fraser Health Authority on a reduction in the medically necessary scheduled surgery budget by 14% in 2010-2011. This question was specific, relevant, and for that reason an uncommon beast. Kevin responded to this query by mitigating the threat presented in Dix's request. Kevin spoke of much smaller reduction (1-2 not 14%) and also made sure to mention that there have been 15% budget increases in the ministry of Health. Sure, sure, sure. Didn't answer the question Kevin.
Dix followed this up by repeating his initial question, and even commented on the reasonable nature of his own question. Kevin didn't like this though, claiming that the NDP only measures the success of a the health care system by what goes in, not by what comes out. Um, Kevin, if this was true, Dix wouldn't have just been asking you the questions he's been asking you....... Kevin went on to mention statistics compiled by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, statistics which supposedly identify BC as #1 when it comes to the delivery of elective surgery procedures. Hmmm.... too bad Dix was actually talking about medically necessary procedures there Kevin.
I'm not sure where to find Kevin's statistics concerning the 1-2 % but I did locate the document on which he is basing his claim that BC leads the entire country in wait times for surgical procedures. Looking at Table one on page 4 of the document in question, you will see that yes indeed, BC is the only province to have achieved the legislated benchmarks for 75% of the cases of Hip replacements, knee replacements, cataract surgery, hip fracture repair, and cancer radiation treatment. No information is given mind you, on where this 75% is drawn from, and what the experience of the other 25% may have been.
Dix went on to identify for Kevin's sake that BC is 10th in the country in diagnostics procedures, MRIs and such. I'll take Dix's word on this one b/c statistics on MRI and CAT scans performed by BC were not reported to the individuals who compiled the report by the CIHI that Kevin was so readily touting. Dix then changed it up a bit in his question by asking "why is the minister laying off sterilization staff right now, and why people in Fraser Health should expect longer wait times when their own minister is from their region is not protecting their interests?" Kevin didn't quite hear Dix on this one, he focused again on the CIHI results instead. I can tell you though, that Kevin's assertions of BC being #1, are not correct. Check it out for yourselves.
Staffing of Sterilization Units in Fraser Health Authority
Sue Hammell then picked up on Dix's previous attempt by asking: "Will the minister reconsider these cuts to the sterilization departments?" Interestingly, Kevin actually acknowledged the cuts, and of course he also downplayed them. For Sue's next question she became a little more unclear when she asked "Will the minister apply the lessons from these recent incidents and reject cuts to sterilization departments in the Fraser Valley?" The ambiguity allowed Kevin to jump right in to identify the merits of the Faser Valley. He also spoke of the NDP having had no cleanliness audit procedures for hospitals, and he said it like this was a bad thing. I'm inclined to think it was b/c cleaning staff used to be well-paid, and #2 there were not as many crazy diseases 10 years ago.
Questions Sue should have asked
1) How will the staff who are being laid off affect the surgery budget?
Acute Care Beds at St. Joseph's Hospital
Scott Fraser then picked up on a hot topic from last week, that of the acute care beds in the northern part of the island being used for residential care for old folks. Scotty asked " Will the minister finally agree to meet with the Comox Valley residents and physicians and hospital staff to consult with them about how to keep these essential acute care beds open?" Apparently there was a meeting and Kevin did not show up. It was essentially a rehash of last week though, so I'm skipping through.
Comments By Former Finance Minister on Harmonized Sales Tax
John Horgan thought he'd be all smart and sassy but ended up getting played by Mr. Hansen. He tried to rub the "defection" of Carole Taylor in his face by reading a series of quotes from a recent interview she gave on the topic of the HST. Johnny's first Q was "Will he agree with his former colleague, Carole Talyor, the former Finance Minister, that this government was elected based on misinformation?" Duh, of course he will not agree with you.
Mr. Hansen got Johnny good. Thanks to the structure of QP, whereby the opposition has to submit their Qs a few days in advance giving the governing party time to prepare, Mr. Hansen went digging through Hansard for what he considered a goody, a quote from Mr. Horgan in finance committee meeting expressing his wife's support for the possible harmonization of PST and GST. If however one goes and reads the quote in its entirety, they see that Johnny was simply trying to draw out the presenter, never was he actually presenting his own opinion as Mr. Hansen tried to allude. Check it for yourself, the part where Johnny speaks is down near the bottom of the page, just below the [2000] mark.
Johnny never admitted nor denied the quote, preferring to joke instead about an all powerful wife. He then missed the mark in his next question by asking "Does he agree with his predecessor, the Minister of Finance, that this tax was misinformation and deception before the election and a tax shift from business to consumers after the election?" This allowed Mr. Hansen to play up the "benefits" of the HST.
Questions Johnny should have asked
1) Can you provide us with a graph detailing the benefits for small businesses vs. big business under the HST
2) Will the minister acknowledge the HST will shift the tax burden from big business to consumers?
3) Will the minister provide a detailed breakdown of just how exactly he expects the trickle down effect to work?
Doug Donaldson and Mr. Hansen then has some further exchange on the topic of the HST, I couldn't be bothered to understand it though, so let's move along.
Funding for School Band Programs
Again Robin was given the go-ahead on school questions, this time posing a doubled barreled super whammy "Can the Minister of Education tell this House why she's forcing the closure of band and string programs in Vancouver and taking apart the quality educations system that this province has enjoyed?"
Let me pretend to be Margie: "Well, Robin, first off, where is your batman? Second off, I hate music. Hate it hate it hate it with a passion. I especially hate classical music. My mother always pined about how my father would serenade her with string concertos and man, I just hated her for having such love in her life. As for why I am single-handedly destroying BC's quality education system, well, can't you see that I am an elitist snob? Private schools are like so totally the way to go."
Wouldn't it be fun if Margie actually answered like this?
Questions Robin Should have Asked
First off Robin needs to recognize in his questions that the Vancouver school board is not being targeted. All schools are being forced to make cuts. Vancouver has been lucky to have held on to their strings program for so long. He needs to recognize the Margie probably couldn't care less about the strings program, and that she sure as heck did not single-handedly seek its demise. If anything, all this exchange was missing was a honest faced comment by Rich Coleman speaking so earnestly about those poor kids who need free lunches. Who wins in that equation Robin, middle/upper class kids who take cello lessons, or malnourished street kids?
1) Is the minister aware of the scientifically established correlation between early music involvement and later economic and social success? Does she recognize that music lessons contribute to intellectual development?
2) Will there be any money is future budgets for the purposes of funding school music programs?
3) What does the minister suggest parents and students do to raise funds for their strings program? Might the liberal caucus be willing to attend a concert?
Meeting Between School Trustees and Education Minister
Nasty old Diane then kept true to form when she closed off the festivities today by demanding of Margie " How is she going to fix the crisis in BC schools when she won't talk to parents, she won't talk to students, and now she won't talk to school boards?" Crikey Diane, if you want to rub someone's face in the mud, you'll never accomplish it by advertising the mud as a deluxe spa treatment. Your silly question to Margie first required Margie to acknowledge a crisis in our school system, and then, required her to accept that she hasn't been talking to parents, students, or school boards? How silly are you Diane. Of course she has been talking to them. She just doesn't seem to have been listening.
Questions grumpy old Diane should have asked
1) Is it true that the minister left the Trustee's meeting early (FYI the trustees were actually streaming this meeting of their live and I watched a bit of it).
2) What did the minister dislike about the meeting/ the questions they asked
3) Does the rain in Spain fall mainly on the plain?
Surgical Services in Fraser Health Authority
Adrian Dix began with "Will the minister tell this House and the residents of the fastest growing health authority in the province what surgeries will be canceled, which hospitals will be affected, and what operating rooms will be closed?" Dix was of course talking about an internal document released to staff in the Fraser Health Authority on a reduction in the medically necessary scheduled surgery budget by 14% in 2010-2011. This question was specific, relevant, and for that reason an uncommon beast. Kevin responded to this query by mitigating the threat presented in Dix's request. Kevin spoke of much smaller reduction (1-2 not 14%) and also made sure to mention that there have been 15% budget increases in the ministry of Health. Sure, sure, sure. Didn't answer the question Kevin.
Dix followed this up by repeating his initial question, and even commented on the reasonable nature of his own question. Kevin didn't like this though, claiming that the NDP only measures the success of a the health care system by what goes in, not by what comes out. Um, Kevin, if this was true, Dix wouldn't have just been asking you the questions he's been asking you....... Kevin went on to mention statistics compiled by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, statistics which supposedly identify BC as #1 when it comes to the delivery of elective surgery procedures. Hmmm.... too bad Dix was actually talking about medically necessary procedures there Kevin.
I'm not sure where to find Kevin's statistics concerning the 1-2 % but I did locate the document on which he is basing his claim that BC leads the entire country in wait times for surgical procedures. Looking at Table one on page 4 of the document in question, you will see that yes indeed, BC is the only province to have achieved the legislated benchmarks for 75% of the cases of Hip replacements, knee replacements, cataract surgery, hip fracture repair, and cancer radiation treatment. No information is given mind you, on where this 75% is drawn from, and what the experience of the other 25% may have been.
Dix went on to identify for Kevin's sake that BC is 10th in the country in diagnostics procedures, MRIs and such. I'll take Dix's word on this one b/c statistics on MRI and CAT scans performed by BC were not reported to the individuals who compiled the report by the CIHI that Kevin was so readily touting. Dix then changed it up a bit in his question by asking "why is the minister laying off sterilization staff right now, and why people in Fraser Health should expect longer wait times when their own minister is from their region is not protecting their interests?" Kevin didn't quite hear Dix on this one, he focused again on the CIHI results instead. I can tell you though, that Kevin's assertions of BC being #1, are not correct. Check it out for yourselves.
Staffing of Sterilization Units in Fraser Health Authority
Sue Hammell then picked up on Dix's previous attempt by asking: "Will the minister reconsider these cuts to the sterilization departments?" Interestingly, Kevin actually acknowledged the cuts, and of course he also downplayed them. For Sue's next question she became a little more unclear when she asked "Will the minister apply the lessons from these recent incidents and reject cuts to sterilization departments in the Fraser Valley?" The ambiguity allowed Kevin to jump right in to identify the merits of the Faser Valley. He also spoke of the NDP having had no cleanliness audit procedures for hospitals, and he said it like this was a bad thing. I'm inclined to think it was b/c cleaning staff used to be well-paid, and #2 there were not as many crazy diseases 10 years ago.
Questions Sue should have asked
1) How will the staff who are being laid off affect the surgery budget?
Acute Care Beds at St. Joseph's Hospital
Scott Fraser then picked up on a hot topic from last week, that of the acute care beds in the northern part of the island being used for residential care for old folks. Scotty asked " Will the minister finally agree to meet with the Comox Valley residents and physicians and hospital staff to consult with them about how to keep these essential acute care beds open?" Apparently there was a meeting and Kevin did not show up. It was essentially a rehash of last week though, so I'm skipping through.
Comments By Former Finance Minister on Harmonized Sales Tax
John Horgan thought he'd be all smart and sassy but ended up getting played by Mr. Hansen. He tried to rub the "defection" of Carole Taylor in his face by reading a series of quotes from a recent interview she gave on the topic of the HST. Johnny's first Q was "Will he agree with his former colleague, Carole Talyor, the former Finance Minister, that this government was elected based on misinformation?" Duh, of course he will not agree with you.
Mr. Hansen got Johnny good. Thanks to the structure of QP, whereby the opposition has to submit their Qs a few days in advance giving the governing party time to prepare, Mr. Hansen went digging through Hansard for what he considered a goody, a quote from Mr. Horgan in finance committee meeting expressing his wife's support for the possible harmonization of PST and GST. If however one goes and reads the quote in its entirety, they see that Johnny was simply trying to draw out the presenter, never was he actually presenting his own opinion as Mr. Hansen tried to allude. Check it for yourself, the part where Johnny speaks is down near the bottom of the page, just below the [2000] mark.
Johnny never admitted nor denied the quote, preferring to joke instead about an all powerful wife. He then missed the mark in his next question by asking "Does he agree with his predecessor, the Minister of Finance, that this tax was misinformation and deception before the election and a tax shift from business to consumers after the election?" This allowed Mr. Hansen to play up the "benefits" of the HST.
Questions Johnny should have asked
1) Can you provide us with a graph detailing the benefits for small businesses vs. big business under the HST
2) Will the minister acknowledge the HST will shift the tax burden from big business to consumers?
3) Will the minister provide a detailed breakdown of just how exactly he expects the trickle down effect to work?
Doug Donaldson and Mr. Hansen then has some further exchange on the topic of the HST, I couldn't be bothered to understand it though, so let's move along.
Funding for School Band Programs
Again Robin was given the go-ahead on school questions, this time posing a doubled barreled super whammy "Can the Minister of Education tell this House why she's forcing the closure of band and string programs in Vancouver and taking apart the quality educations system that this province has enjoyed?"
Let me pretend to be Margie: "Well, Robin, first off, where is your batman? Second off, I hate music. Hate it hate it hate it with a passion. I especially hate classical music. My mother always pined about how my father would serenade her with string concertos and man, I just hated her for having such love in her life. As for why I am single-handedly destroying BC's quality education system, well, can't you see that I am an elitist snob? Private schools are like so totally the way to go."
Wouldn't it be fun if Margie actually answered like this?
Questions Robin Should have Asked
First off Robin needs to recognize in his questions that the Vancouver school board is not being targeted. All schools are being forced to make cuts. Vancouver has been lucky to have held on to their strings program for so long. He needs to recognize the Margie probably couldn't care less about the strings program, and that she sure as heck did not single-handedly seek its demise. If anything, all this exchange was missing was a honest faced comment by Rich Coleman speaking so earnestly about those poor kids who need free lunches. Who wins in that equation Robin, middle/upper class kids who take cello lessons, or malnourished street kids?
1) Is the minister aware of the scientifically established correlation between early music involvement and later economic and social success? Does she recognize that music lessons contribute to intellectual development?
2) Will there be any money is future budgets for the purposes of funding school music programs?
3) What does the minister suggest parents and students do to raise funds for their strings program? Might the liberal caucus be willing to attend a concert?
Meeting Between School Trustees and Education Minister
Nasty old Diane then kept true to form when she closed off the festivities today by demanding of Margie " How is she going to fix the crisis in BC schools when she won't talk to parents, she won't talk to students, and now she won't talk to school boards?" Crikey Diane, if you want to rub someone's face in the mud, you'll never accomplish it by advertising the mud as a deluxe spa treatment. Your silly question to Margie first required Margie to acknowledge a crisis in our school system, and then, required her to accept that she hasn't been talking to parents, students, or school boards? How silly are you Diane. Of course she has been talking to them. She just doesn't seem to have been listening.
Questions grumpy old Diane should have asked
1) Is it true that the minister left the Trustee's meeting early (FYI the trustees were actually streaming this meeting of their live and I watched a bit of it).
2) What did the minister dislike about the meeting/ the questions they asked
3) Does the rain in Spain fall mainly on the plain?
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