Go Canucks

Premier Photo-Op in Action

With the Canucks preparing to entertain the Chicago Blackhawks in less than two hours, I'm sure that Premier CEO is rooting for them at least as hard as me, hoping they go DEEP into the playoffs - or at least another two weeks. It is obvious that Gordo the Greedy and his band of Merry Pirates appreciate anything that might distract the people of BC from the real issues until at least May 12th! I just had a thought, wouldn't it be nice if the province had a new Premier when the Canuckleheads bring the Stanley Cup to a parade down Robson Street?

News Flash

Gordon Campbell Utters Truths

I know it is shocking, but lately I've been catching Gordon saying things that are true. One he repeats ad naseaum is that the election on May 12 could be/is/will be the most important in a generation. I have to admit I cannot disagree with him on that, though our reasons for thinking that are probably not the same.

But the most startling to me, yesterday or the day before, was probably more of a Freudian slip - but those are usually a form of truth as well. While he was glorifying himself and his party up in Golden, during the photo-op above, he exhorted his assembled supporters to be sure to "Talk to your EMPLOYEES, family members and....." about the upcoming vote. (I forget the third group he mentioned and for some strange reason his PR team of Palmer, Baldrey et. al. didn't happen to quote this particular statement). I know he said it though because I heard the clip a few times on the CBC radio,unfjortunately without a recorder set up to save his words for posterity.

To the Coot this was a sub-conscious slip of the tongue that makes it clear (as if it wasn't already), whom he considers to be his constituentcy. The average voter in British Columbia, especially after eight years of BC not-really Liberal rule, is lucky enough to have a job, much less any employees, other than maybe the neighbor kid who mows the lawn every couple weeks. Excepting of course those who specialize in construction of Olympic venues (with or without massive over-runs), approaches (like the Sea to Die Highway)or P3's that haven't lost their financing due to irresponsible gambling in sophisticated pretend financial instruments like hedge funds and sliced and diced sleazy phony/BAD mortgages. And then there are those happily ensconced BC liaR party insiders with shiny new positions with the Pirate Power Corporations that he seems determined to give all our watersheds to for a song!

Don't forget this is the government that managed to almost kill off the Forest Industry during the biggest building boom/bubble in US history. Now the "economic meltdown" caused by the same policies that this government promotes is finishing off any operations that managed to survive until now! I doubt if VP and BaldreyDash have pointed out yet that according to the most recent figures from StatsCan the BC Economy trailed EVERY PROVINCE in the country LAST YEAR - it actually Shrank. Oh yeah, I forgot though, these are the guys we can trust to lead us through hard times. Who knows, maybe they're right, maybe they are just really bad during GOOD TIMES!

As to the picture above, I'm surprised Gordon Campbell hasn't taken credit yet for the entire Trans-Canada Highway - but we do have two more weeks of an election that seems to be heating up, just like the weather!

Four More Years
of This?

The posting below was originally published in February of 2007 at FreeSpeechCanada. This site has been inactive, in that there haven't been any new postings for quite awhile. This morning though I just happened to look through the back end and noticed that people had been visiting lately, probably due to following search results. So I got curious and had to see what it was that people were visiting there and found this article by Robin Matthews, which is at least as relevant today or more likely - more relevant, considering the "watershed" election facing us in two and half weeks. It certainly illustrates in Robin's incisive style exactly how the BC liaR government and ASSper media work hand in glove to work against the interests of the majority of the people of our province. Read it and weep!

More Deceit, More Lies, More Cover-Up. The Gordon Campbell BC Government and CanWest Global Press and Media.

by Robin Mathews

It doesn't stop.

One rotten deal (of many) has been cut off. The others continue. The attempted heist by Gordon Campbell/Alcan of the Nechako River has been blocked. The "suspects" were caught red-handed. Their deal? To give Alcan a contract guaranteeing, on-going, a profit of 1400% from energy sales to B.C. Hydro. Campbell fronted for the deal, publicly calling it a good deal for British Columbians (and trying to keep its terms secret).

The B.C. Utilities Commission ruled Campbell's claim false.

Campbell went to Kitimat, remember, didn't meet the Mayor or City Council. He ignored them. He announced a very large expansion of Alcan aluminum smelter capacity to come soon. That seems to be false, too. Alcan keeps saying that unless it gets the 1400% profit deal it may just freeze everything. Or go away. So Campbell's announcement was fog, fakery, flunkeyism.

What you see is what you get in this matter, unless you work for the Leonard Asper family at CanWest. What you have to see (if you're normal) is Gordon Campbell acting in flagrant breach of the trust placed in him by the people of British Columbia. That is not, however, ever, what you hear or read or see from any of the CanWest lap-dogs in B.C., including the Vancouver Sun's editorial writers.

Questions have to be asked about them all. Are they hired because they register below the moron level in I.Q. tests? Are they so indoctrinated they can't think? Are they so terrified of losing their jobs they'll write anything? Or do they have a clear design? The answers don't really matter. What matters is that British Columbians are misled, deceived, told half-truths, fed obviously false Gordon Campbell propaganda, indoctrinated with corporate bilge, and led away from seeing the primary breaches of the trust they have placed in the Gordon Campbell government.

Do the flacks at CanWest really do all that?

Try Vaughn Palmer, the man I call "Gordon Campbell's personal representative at the Vancouver Sun ": Senior (ahem) Political Columnist there. What can he say when Campbell is caught red-handed? How can he cover for his (real) boss in such a situation? To begin, Vaughn Palmer doesn't look at what is in front of his eyes. He refuses to admit Campbell led the dirty deal with Alcan after trying to keep it as a secret deal, kept from British Columbians. He won't admit Campbell is doing a wrecking job on B.C, Hydro.

He doesn't tell his readers Campbell had a golden opportunity to serve the Province. Campbell could have set to work to build B .C. Hydro to be the grand energy servant of British Columbians: ecology-smart, progressive, assuring low-cast manufacture and housebold use, AS WELL AS quietly pouring billions into the Province's general revenues to be used for education, health care, Kyoto concerns, and more.

Palmer won't tell his readers Campbell split B.C. Hydro into three parts, ruled it can't generate more power but has to buy it from private sellers like Alcan! Palmer won't tell his readers Campbell gave (in a secret contract) one-third of B.C. Hydro to Accenture, the dubious, off-shore, former dealer-with-Enron, to look after B.C. Hydro's billing, metering, and financial affairs.

Vancouver Sun scribe, Vaughn Palmer preparing his texts for the Can West Bible.

Vaughn Palmer won't tell his readers what you see - one third of B.C. Hydro in an all B.C.-owned distribution operation set up so British Columbians can't control it, can't get a decent profit from it, and must surrender to it all ability to sell energy wherever it wants (in the U.S. grid) for the profit of private owners Gordon Campbell has set up and is setting up.

Do you wonder how Vaughn Palmer can show his face in public? Do you wonder how he can go on writing the pap he does for CanWest? The answer may be that Palmer thinks he's on the winning team and when B.C. is destroyed, the friendly corporations will give him a private yacht to sail off the B.C. coast. He can call it "Lap-Dog" or "Fraser Institute" and equip it with a sound system that only transmits speeches by Gordon Campbell. Paradise! In the meantime, is Palmer following a carefully prepared design?

Consider Vaughn Palmer's column on the B.C. Utilities Commission ruling that stopped the dirty Alcan/Campbell/B.C. Hydro deal. Palmer reports on "the premier's rationale" for the dirty deal. It would supply energy needs (?) at "a competitive price". Pardon. 1400% profit to Alcan reflects a competitive price? Palmer has refused, ever, to say what the profit take would be for Alcan. Then, once again, Palmer pretends smelter expansion at Kitimat and the dirty deal were contained together in a pack.

They aren't. They never were. Then - to reveal the depths Palmer will sink to - he blames the failure of the deal on B.C. Hydro, which seems to have let Campbell down by telling the truth here and there. No, it said, B.C. Hydro doesn't need Alcan. No, self-sufficiency isn't involved in the dirty deal. (Indeed it is not. B.C. Hydro would be stunningly self-sufficient into the far future if it were put back together again, not privatized, allowed reasonable development, and given the chance to involve new ideas.)

Hydro appears to have fallen into "mistakes" that made it look as if the deal might not have been so bad after all. But the mistakes were easy to spot and the B.C. Utilities Commission spotted them. How did the mistakes come to happen?

Trust Vaughn Palmer. He asks questions. Did B.C. Hydro expect a Utilities Commission rubber stamp on the dirty deal? Was Hydro "going through the motions Š not caring to be a conduit for a subsidy-in-all-but-name for the aluminum smelter"?

Trust Vaughn Palmer. To avoid. Perhaps B.C. Hydro was tired of having its throat cut on behalf of Gordon Campbell's corporate friends. Could it be the people at Hydro knew (as Palmer pretends he doesn't) that the smelter "deal" was in no way tied to the 1400% profit deal on energy sales by Alcan to B.C. Hydro? So if Hydro supported the "heist" with a 1400% profit on it, there was no guarantee the smelter expansion would ever happen. The dirty deal would mean cozy, dirty profit for Campbell's buddies, but less than nothing for B.C. Hydro, Kitimat, or the B.C. people.

Gutless Vaughn Palmer refuses to finger Gordon Campbell for trying one of the dirtiest, smelliest deals in B.C. history. Instead, Palmer turns on the public servants in B.C. Hydro, already stretched on the rack by Campbell and his pirates. Palmer stands over the poor B.C. Hydro people with a lash. Bold, brave, courageous Vaughn Palmer. Is that bold posture by Palmer part of the design?

Readers who suffered that Parade of Palmer Political Pornography shouldn't be surprised that precisely six days later (Vanc. Sun, Feb 12, 07 A10) they were given another fog job, an editorial: "The Newspaper's View", titled "B.C. Hydro lets its customers down". The Newspaper's View we may take to be the view of Leonard Asper, the monopoly corporation's CEO. (CanWest papers write "Right" - whether the truth or not - or the writers don't last long.) The (faceless) editorial writers (like Vaughn Palmer) fell not on Gordon Campbell, but on B.C. Hydro. A coincidence? An accident?

The editors admit they earlier got things wrong. They thought the deal was great; it turned out to be lousy. But did they really get it wrong or did they pretend it was okay, hoping the dirty deal would go through without being noticed? Didn't they look into it - that important deal - those powerful, august managers of the Vancouver Sun? Didn't they know that with Gordon Campbell's knife in their backs, the B.C. Hydro representatives couldn't tell the truth about the sham deal they were being pushed into?

The Sun editorial writers don't ask any embarrassing questions of Gordon Campbell. Like their fellow Lap-Dog, Vaughn Palmer, the editors go for the jugulars of B.C. Hydro representatives. Surprise? Not at all. Private corporate power in North American wants to destroy publicly owned B.C. Hydro. The Vancouver Sun editors (I say) are simply doing their job: misrepresenting the facts, covering-up for the dirty attempt of Gordon Campbell, working tirelessly to destroy B.C. Hydro. The editors even mislead on the "incentive" touted to get Alcan to expand smelter facilities at Kitimat. The editors call it "the $110 million incentive".

The "incentive" - with no binding demand that smelter facilities be built - was a two billion dollar, on-going sale of energy to B.C Hydro in a deal that would deliver 1400% profit to Alcan. If Vaughn Palmer's Lap-Dog column stinks, the Sun editorial is a disgrace to the (already craven) level of argument for which the Sun is becoming infamous. But we can end, fortunately, with a humourous note (for those who like Black Humour).

Apparently, concerned, caring, intelligent citizens have challenged the editors for the false, idiotic, mindless editorial: "BC Hydro lets its customers down". (It should, to begin, have been entitled: "Gordon Campbell's Dagger Found Between BC Hydro's Shoulder Blades".)

Apparently, the editors were sympathetic to the complaints. If I'm not wrong, they suggested they may have taken the wrong tack. It has even been suggested the editorial was written all confused and in a rush. Will the editors write an apology and tell the real story? Will they do something? Of course not. Don't be silly. After all, they work for the Asper family. After all, CanWest is a big, private, reactionary, monopoly corporation whose sympathies are with all the reactionaries in Canada (and the U.S.). B.C. Hydro must be completely destroyed, those reactionaries believe. "What", the editors might ask, "do you think we're paid to do? Do you think we're paid to serve British Columbians? To tell the truth? To report fairly? We work for CanWest. Remember."

Funny eh.

OK - Spit it Out
NOW!

As BC Mary points out this afternoon, thanks to an inquiry by a concerned citizen to Elections BC, there is no reason, AT ALL, for all the information recently released (after FIVE LONG YEARS and an FOI) from the Campbell government's secret vault to be unavailable to the public at this time.

According to M. Nola Western, CA -Executive Director, Electoral Finance & Corporate Administration, Elections BC:

The Election Act does not require registered political parties to make parts of their websites inaccessible during a campaign period. I am unable to provide any clarification on why some sites may appear to be inaccessible.

So, unless Gordon has sold the province to China, and doesn't intend to tell us until after the election, if ever, it's time the people had access to the information they need to make an informed choice on May 12.

Otherwise, all I can do is speculate about various scenarios that would be maligned as conspiracy theories. All the anti-NDP drivel at the BC Liberal Government Caucus website has been available all along, of course. It hardly seems right that gratuitous attacks by Liberal hacks should be available while actual PUBLIC documents are behind some StoneWall in the name of fairness(?)!!!!!!!!!!

GAG          
on this!!!!!

If you should try to go to:

http://www.bcndpcaucus.ca/en/bcrailcorruption

Maybe because you would like to see some of the 8000 documents that only took five years and a Freedom of Information request by a lawyer, MLA and justice critic for the loyal opposition party of BC, you might try the link above and this is what you find



In case you can't read the print (and refuse to click on the image to enlarge), I will make it easy for you and reprint the message.

Site off-line

This site is unavailable until the conclusion of the provincial general election May 12. Thank you for visiting.

I guess it would be inappropriate for the electorate to have access to PUBLIC documents dealing with actual ISSUES, during an election. Let's face it election time is when we are supposed to spend two days fixated on a picture of a young man's hand over the CLOTHED breast of a woman, whom one must assume is a friend of the young man. While we wallow in the licentiousness of these photos, also let us not even think about the fact that someone violated this person's privacy in a way similar to if he had complained about someone "exposing" themselves after looking into their bathroom window with binoculars.

Well, if the voters of BC allow themselves to be distracted for the next three weeks from actual issues, maybe they will deserve to wake up in a couple years in the equivalent of a depleted gravel pit, after giving Gordo another four years to finish selling off everything of value that still remains in public hands!

I don't know why these documents have been taken down. If they NDP decided this was the proper thing to do, they simply don't understand what is at stake. If somehow the government of Gordon Campbell has engineered this, they need to be called on it. Whoever is responsible needs to explain their reasons for doing so - or is the whole election itself now sub-judice?

MoveForwardBC

I always felt that Gordon Campbell was a genuine martyr. I mean, here he is the Premier of the "Best Place on Earth," yet he forces himself to spend so much time in another location, one that can only be second best, at best - Maui! So I was amused when I found this in my inbox.

Burnaby, BC – Events that have coincided with Premier Gordon Campbell’s annual trips to Maui are the focus of the latest online election ad from MoveForwardBC.ca. The police raid on government offices, Campbell’s apparent epiphany regarding the environment, and Campbell’s infamous arrest for drunk driving are all inferred in the ad.



Titled “Gordo Five-O,” the new ad follows the provocative, humourous approach used in the “Gordon Campbell Hates You” ads to provoke discussion of core issues, including issues of leadership.

Gordo Five-O and Gordon Campbell Hates You, as well as other videos, can be viewed online at MoveForwardBC.ca.

BC liaRs line up
for the Greedn!

During one of my increasingly rare descents into the fluff and muck of the Mild One Online, other wise known as the Tyee, I came across a commenter who left a list of liberal "insiders" who had found new homes (and sources of income) with the hypocritically promoted Run of River, so-called "green" private hydro industry. This inspired me to find the source over at PublicPowerBC where a commenter/submitter going by murmar had taken the time to compile a list of liberal insiders and former BC Hydro execs who had moved into the IPP fold. I've left off the former BC Hydro employees, giving them the benefit of the doubt because:

1- they at least have a background in power generation/distribution

and

2- maybe they feel insecure working for a crown corporation so obviously under attack by the same government who has taken aim not only at BC Hydro, but also BC Rail, BC Ferries, BC Gas and the BC Healthcare System itself in its ongoing efforts to make an American for-profit model seem attractive.

murmar points out that:

While there is no direct evidence of conflict of interest, there seems to be a troublesome pattern of BC Governement and Liberal party insiders being employed by these power corporations. Many have inside knowledge of government policy and processes that probably could lead to the enrichment of the companies that many have moved to.

Mark Grant, BC Liberal executive director, resigns December 12, 2008 to join Rupert Peace Power.

David Cyr, former Assistant to BC Liberal Minister Mike de Jong, is now a director at Plutonic Power.

Robert Poore, recently worked under the Provincial Revenue Minister of the Province of BC, now is a senior director at Plutonic Power.

Tom Syer, who has held a variety of senior positions in the BC Government including Gordon Campbell’s Deputy Chief of Staff, is now a director at Plutonic Power.

Bill Irwin, after holding key positions in the BC Ministries of Land and Water, and Crown Lands, now is a director at Plutonic Power.

Bruce Young has held several high profile positions with the BC Liberal party and lobbied his own party on behalf of Katabatic Power is listed as a director of Atla Energy.

Stephen Kukucha, former senior policy advisor for the BC Ministry of Environment, is now president and CEO of Atla Energy.

Bob Herath, former Assistant Regional Water Manager for the BC Ministry of Environment is now with Syntaris Power.

Paul Taylor, after his work as President and CEO of crown corporation ICBC as well as high level positions in the BC Government, is now President and CEO of Naikun Wind Energy Group.

Michael J. O’Conner, former President and CEO of Crown Corporation BC Transit, now holds senior positions at Naikun.

Jackie Hamilton, formerly held various BC Government environmental assessment and regulatory management positions, is now a VP at Cloudworks Energy.

Geoff Plant, former BC Liberal Attorney General, now chair of Renaissance Power.

Supposedly we live in a democracy, but in a democracy the government is supposed to serve the people - NOT THE CORPORATIONS! Actually the privatize everything crowd empitomized by Thatcher, Ronnie Raygun, Bu$hCo, Pinochet, the PsuedoCons under Harper and our own organized criminal group lead by Gordo the Greedy bear more of a kinship with what we know as FASCISM!

When you consider what we, as a province, have given away during the last eight years of Campbell terror to CN (BC Rail), Kinder-Morgan(BC Gas), Accenture (functions of BC Hydro and BC Medical and maybe more), the attempt to sell the Coquihalla, the rights of wild salmon to get by farmed salmon sea-lice, every stream big enough to turn a turbine in spring freshet, and I could go on - Carole James' message about Taking Back BC, should resonate with people who aren't in a Canned Waste/Glowball induced coma!

I saw Gordo speaking at the Sun Run yesterday in regards to the pay out to star candidate Kash Heed, who voluntarily QUIT his job in West Van, yet still stands to collect $40,000. Gordo couldn't have been more sanctimonious about the sanctity of contracts. How's about the sanctity of contracts with the HEU or the financiers of the Olympic Village. I guess contracts are kind of like the JustUs system - depends on who is accused. It appears that if you are a BC liaR or supporter, you can count on dying in bed of old age before any charges against you are dealt with - and in the meantime they can't even be mentioned (sub judice priest) - that's the extra special good part, from their point of view, at least!

For more about the Rape of the Rivers Pirate Power scam see WaterWalk and BC's Watershed Election at Creekside.

The Calm Before
the Election!

The NDP Did It!

This morning on the CBC radio, the issue of privatized "run of the river" power surfaced. According to Rafe Mair, who was on a panel there this morning, this was a first, as he suggested that the Mother Corp had been ignoring this issue up to now. The energy minister for the Gordon Campbell Party was quoted as saying that the NDP couldn't criticize the wholesale giveaway of watersheds across the province as they had started private, ROR projects during their attempt to destroy the province before the CEO named Gordo rescued us all.

What the minister fails to point out is that there is a vast difference between allowing private developers to develop hydro potential and the situation we face today. Today the Campbell government has mandated that BC Hydro CANNOT develop these resources, but even more tellingly (and wrong), it has forced BC Hydro to sign long term agreements to buy power from these private, usually corporate, suppliers at prices double, triple and more both what BC Hydro can produce power for itself, or sell it for to even export customers. It is difficult to see the tactics as anything other than an attempt to force BC Hydro to lose money, and thus make it another acceptable candidate for privatization (or further privatization see BC Hydro connected to Accenture.... at BC Mary's this morning.

For more on so called "green" run of the river projects and links to other material see WaterWalk.


Is Vaughn Confused?

In Friday's Vancouver "not so stunning" Sun, Vaughn Palmer (the Dean of the Victoria Press Corp?) loosens himself up for the writ which drops tomorrow in Powering up the platitudes. The column deals mainly with the occasion of Carole James releasing the economic platform for her party. He gives her full marks:

..for releasing a fully costed election platform that allows voters to see where her spending priorities match her rhetoric -- and where they don't

But then he seems to stray right off of the reservation, and perhaps invoke the wrath of the dreaded Public Affairs Bureau when he later says:

The decision to go after the oil-and-gas sector represents a bit of a reversal from the previous NDP government. Under the leadership of then energy minister, later premier, Dan Miller, the New Democrats launched a major push to develop the industry with incentives for exploration and production.

It paid off in a surge of activity and an enhanced revenue stream that helped the party balance its last two provincial budgets before leaving office. (emphasis -kc

I read that last line both in the hard-copy, dead tree Sun AND online, because I have to admit I was shocked, shocked I say. What about the fudget-budget, the economic mess that poor Gordo, CEO for All, inherited? I thought that was what I've been hearing for eight LONG years. Is Vaughn suggesting that indeed the NDP handed over not only a balanced budget, but had two at the end of the dark age nineties they created? - and that perhaps it was Gordo's first order of business upon taking office to cut taxes on the rich and corporations that caused BC to become a have not province and collect transfer payments from Ottawa?

What is Vaughn going to come up with next? Maybe that the Fast Ferries weren't so bad after all and should have been used on routes where their wake didn't disturb (rich) Campbell supporters by eroding their beaches. That if they were used on routes where they could utilize their speed they may have been at least as good as our imported German tubs that seem to need so much upgrading and repairs. He wouldn't mention that at least the folks that made the fast ferries paid taxes, shopped and supported the healthcare system in BC rather than Germany, would he? Though we know even Willy WoodenShoes Vander Zalm has mentioned that as he marched with the displaced shipbuilders of our province to protest the placing of the orders for new vessels with German shipyards.

Take Me Out to Dinner!

Perhaps if Gordon Campbell (or he could send his executive assistant to escort me) took me out for a fine meal I could consider voting for the liaR Party. Perhaps they could take me out to Al Porto Ristorante on Water Street for a dinner like that described in the Straight by Andrew McLeod. Dinner can get pretty fancy, especially with the tax-payers footing the bill, including tips - for example at the aforementioned Al Ristorante:

A group of 17 had the set dinner for $52.95 each, and between them they drained five bottles of Wild Goose Pinot Gris, three of the Columbia Crest Merlot, two of Penfolds Chardonnay, and three of the d'Arenberg The Stump Jump. That's 13 bottles of wine for 17 people.

They also ordered a martini, a cosmopolitan, a rum, three bottles of beer, and a glass of the premium Scotch whisky Lagavulin. And they went through 13 bottles of San Pellegrino mineral water for $103.35. All told, taxpayers paid $1,567.11, including taxes and a $235 tip.

That works out to about $92 per person. If the government was going to treat each of B.C.'s four million residents to such a meal, it would cost about $368 million. Luckily for the taxpayer, such extravagances aren't for just anyone. No, the guests at the feast were all Partnerships British Columbia board members, staff, and other movers and shakers in the public-private partnership world.

Ahhhh....public-private partnerships, the infamous PPP's - where the movers and shakers (staunch capitalists all) get to privatize profits and socialize the risk AND get a wonderful meal, courtesy of the generous tax payers of British Columbia.

So, I am proud to say - that as of yet, I don't even know who Gordo's candidate is in my riding - but I would consider (just consider) voting for him/her if I could take about 50 of my bestest friends to dinner at say the Wedgewood Manor at tax payer/BC liaR Party expense - we could at least discuss it over dinner. Corky used to be our guy, but he is retiring from politics and our area got moved into Katrine Conroy's riding.

First We Fire All the
This Lawyer!*

"....it's before the courts."

(Stone)Wally Oppal has, deserved or not, a reputation as having been a good magistrate when he was on the bench. However in his current role as the people's lawyer his performance has been questionable at best, or perhaps even mal-practice. When an individual retains counsel, the individual retains the right to dismiss that counsel if and when that counsel fails to act in the interest of the individual/client due to conflict of interest or fraud. As Attorney-General of British Columbia, Mr. Oppal's duty is to represent the legal interests of the citizenry, NOT the CEO premier, his cabinet (of which StoneWally is a member) or the BC liaR Party.

Perhaps the first criteria by which one can judge a lawyer's worth is by the validity of his legal opinions. Indeed, if the client receives bad advice regarding the merits of his case, the client then may merely waste financial resources pursuing an unwinnable case. Of course this may be no problem for the attorney whose primary goal is the collection of ever more legal fees, wasted or not. Since we, as taxpayers, pay not only the salaries of all MLAs and cabinet ministers, not to mention court costs for defending poor laws or fighting obstruction and obfuscation of cases dealing with the public interest, we are entitled to judge the performance of our A-G as the "paying" client(s)!

So how well is Wally doing, looking out for our interests?

It is difficult for this citizen to see the value to us of Mr. Oppal's continual refusal to answer any question regarding Patrick Kinsella, BC Rail, BC Hydro and any other government agency or crown corporation that Mr. Kinsella has been "lobbying" for (though he isn't a lobbyist - or at least not a registered one), indeed to the casual observer he appears to be representing the interests of Gordon Campbell - CEO of the Province. With all the cut-backs to legal aid in BC, perhaps it wouldn't be too much to expect the CEO Premier to hire his own representation.

But let us examine the value of Mr. Oppal's legal advice/opinions. Recently he had to turn to the media, as lame as it may be in BC, to explain the meaning of "sub judice." Other lawyers, well respected and successful ones in private practice, tended to disagree with Mr. Oppal's view of and (according to some) abuse of the principle of "sub judice." It seems as if only "enhanced" interrogation could bring Wally, Gordo or any others with any knowledge to explain anything to do with the sale/lease/giveaway of BC Rail. At StoneWally's request Gary Mason took the time to explain sub judice to the public, since the public's lawyer either can't or won't.

This week, the Attorney-General got into a heated exchange with a group of journalists in the halls of the legislature over the matter. Frustrated, Mr. Oppal challenged the media to do a better job of explaining sub judice to the public

That may have been a tactical mistake..

...../snip

According to Clayton Ruby, one of Canada's top criminal lawyers:

"When a trial is under way, fair comment is fine, expressing an opinion is fine, talking about the facts is fine," Mr. Ruby said from his Toronto law office. "You just can't act in a way that prejudices the public against Smith the litigant or Smith the defendant. So properly understood, it leaves full scope for freedom of expression.

"But politicians use it to avoid making any comment about a subject that is embarrassing and that is not the [sub judice] doctrine. That is just an abuse, but a convenient abuse.

"They're cheating and they're doing it as politicians often do: to prevent the public from knowing what really went on. And there's no reason for that to be accepted as valid. It's not valid."

If I was charged with a serious crime, I would love to have Clayton sitting next to me at the defence table in court.

Another way to judge an attorney is by how well his "opinions" coincide with the actual "law" or the law as defined by a judge in issuing a judgement. Here again Wally (as well as the previous A-G under the CEO Premier) fails the smell test. This government has wasted a lot of tax dollars defending laws that were found to be in violation of the Charter - a waste of time and money by any measure.
The legal advice of OUR lawyers proved lacking in the cases of tearing up the HEU contracts, its bad faith negotiations with the crown prosecutors and most recently the infamous and now stricken Gag-Law - Bill 42.

Vaughn Palmer captures Wally Oppal issuing worthless opinions in the Vancouver Sun for April 2. As Wally and the liaR hordes were pushing Bill 42 through yet another abbreviated sitting Wally opined:

The government was on solid legal and constitutional ground in its effort to severely restrict third party advertising in the run-up to provincial election campaigns, Oppal insisted. He was especially confident because he'd persuaded his colleagues to reduce the period covered by the near ban from 120 days to 60 days.

..../snip

Oppal told reporters. "I have no difficulty saying that in my view, 60 days is reasonable and will pass constitutional muster." Mind, he quickly added: "I can't predict what a judge may do."

Predicting "what a judge may do" is an important part of lawyering-kc

Of course we know that the law was completely overturned, but we still had to pick up yet more court costs as the government, through OUR lawyer, appealed for a delay (until after the election - go figger) in the judgement taking effect. If Wally was MY lawyer, I would be looking for replacement counsel. The people of Delta in particular and the province as a whole have a chance to not only replace our attorney, but our CEO and board of directors. This could be the last chance to save our province, before it is all in the hands of our CEO's corporate buddies, so hopefully people will pay attention!

We certainly don't want to have to say that British Columbia USED to be the Best Place on Earth!

* Apologies to William Shakespeare for this paraphrase from Henry VI - Part 2

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers".
- (Act IV, Scene II).