We can’t help feeling a bit sorry for Stockwell Day, the newly elected leader of the Canadian Alliance, formerly known as Reform. For our American readers, Day is a charismatic version of George W. Bush. He believes in balanced budgets, law and order and lower taxes. He’s challenging Prime Minister Jean Chretien, a leftist version of Bob Dole. The designated driver of Canada wants a third term, even though his hands don’t look as steady on the wheel as they once did.
Don’t get us wrong. The telegenic Day has a shot at unseating his mature rival. But he has to win a seat in Parliament first, and then prove his mettle as opposition leader. Our concern is that Day intends to run in British Columbia, where the normal rules of politics don’t seem to apply. It’s a polarized place, with leftists paddling in one direction while right-wingers paddle in the opposite. As a consequence, its economy is floundering while the rest of the country sails past.
The province has a reputation for flaky politicians too, with Amor de Cosmos and Glen Clark being past and present examples. On the federal scene, B.C. produced two prime ministers, Kim Campbell and John Turner. Both were embarrassments, albeit short-lived ones. Turner has since turned his energies to stopping diamond mining while Campbell is promoting exercise machines and classical music, or whatever helps the boyfriend pay his share of the bills.
Day has been warned to distance himself from the aforementioned and, instead, promote himself as more akin to W.A.C. Bennett, a former premier recently named British Columbia’s “Man of the Century.” During Bennett’s tenure, B.C.’s economy was envied by the nation. The books were balanced. People believed the sky was the limit. They were more like free-wheeling Albertans and Texans than their dour, establishment countrymen in eastern Canada.
We have some tips to pass along to Day too. Firstly, B.C. isn’t like Alberta anymore, not where it counts. Oh sure, some economically battered rural communities have offered to merge with their oil-rich neighbour, but certain folks in Vancouver will not stand for such right-wing heresy. And while those folks belong to a dizzying array of special-interest groups, they vote en bloc against anyone to the right of Karl Marx.
On the topic of Vancouver, don’t drink the coffee. The exotic swill they serve in those trendy bistros is suspiciously similar to the stuff they used to brew in coffee houses during the sixties. There is no scientific evidence to be sure, but we’ve noticed these establishments turn out more than their share of leftists and greenies. Stick to Tim Horton’s, which brews coffee made with some secret ingredient that somehow keeps people (mostly men) close to the median of normal.
On the topic of greenies, keep an eye out for Bobby Kennedy Jr. The globe-trotting do-gooder from Washington, D.C., makes regular pilgrimages to the province to bond with his inner wild child. He’s back now, this time to protect the Great Bear Rainforest, “the last large block of maritime temperate rainforest on earth.” He’s also telling unemployed loggers that their foolish dreams of taking home a paycheque could compromise a booming tourist trade. Not too booming, though, because that wouldn’t be good for the bears.
The loggers probably rolled their eyes, because the visiting eco-warrior didn’t bother to update his spiel from a decade ago, when he came to save Clayquot Sound, the then “last remaining rainforest” (not counting the Stein and various others saved from the chopping block). Plus, unlike Kennedy, the loggers know that almost half the province is off-limits to any sort of economic activity.
On the topic of the economy, the business community is grateful that Mr. Day intends to buy a house in the Kelowna region. As Patrick Nagle noted in a recent column in The Vancouver Sun, “selling land to rich Albertans is the only job many Interior residents can qualify for.” However, Kennedy’s plan to turn loggers into burger-flippers remains the uncontested cornerstone of the B.C. government’s job-creation plan now that the fast-ferry building boom is over (except for the bargain-basement sales). Meanwhile, moving vans continue to haul away the faithless to Toronto or Calgary.
On the topic of faith, local native groups aren’t prepared to show any to Day, whose policies conflict with their goal of settling land claims that cover about 125% of the province. He’ll have his work cut out for him on this front too.
Still, the last word belongs to the people, and poll after poll shows that most British Columbians want change. A provincial election is looming too, and, if the polls are right, the new day in B.C. politics won’t belong just to Mr. Day.
Be the first to comment on "Tips for Day"