BC Provincial Politics Thread

[rubecube]

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/b-...rtage-1.112945

Hate to say it but this might have locked up my vote for the NDP. It's not so much what they're promising as it is the Liberal response of "Everything is fine with post-secondary." Tuition is absurd in this province, and the cost of living makes it pretty much impossible to get an education without a well-paying part-time job, and that's even with student loans.

[mykalberta]

What is the tuition at UBC for a program like Engineering, Science, etc?

Just so I have an idea what "absurd" tuition rates are. I always absurd rates were places like Duke etc in the US. Not 7-10K/year etc.

Cost of living is a different argument IMO which I know is absurd in BC (well at least it was in 2004 when I had a job interview with BC Hydro).

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

What is the tuition at UBC for a program like Engineering, Science, etc?

Just so I have an idea what "absurd" tuition rates are. I always absurd rates were places like Duke etc in the US. Not 7-10K/year etc.

Cost of living is a different argument IMO which I know is absurd in BC (well at least it was in 2004 when I had a job interview with BC Hydro).

Not as absurd as the rest of Canada, surprisingly. I think the cost of living and the lack of well-paying jobs makes it seem worse.

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quoti...12a001-eng.htm

[d_phaneuf]

Election next week and the gap has closed ever since the debate

was 15+ points

now depending on the polls you read from yesterday it's between 2-9

May 10: Angus Reid: NDP 45 | LIB 36 | GRE 9 | BCCP 6 (808 surveyed) 9 points
May 10: Ipsos Reid: NDP 43 | LIB 37 | GRE 10 | BCCP 7 (May 8-9, online, 800 surveyed) 6 points
May 10: Justason: NDP 45 | LIB 31 | GRE 14 | BCCP 8 (May 8-9, online, 700 surveyed) 14 points
May 9: Forum: NDP 43 | LIB 41 | GRE 8 | BCCP 6 (May 8, Phone IVR, 1,147 surveyed) 2 points
May 9: Hill and Knowlton: NDP 41 | LIB 35 | GRE 14 | BCCP 8 (Online, 804 surveyed) 6 points
May 9: Oraclepoll: NDP 41 | LIB 37 | GRE 12 | BCCP 10 (May 5-7, Phone, 1,000 surveyed) 4 points

Liberal strategy manager said earlier this year that if they got within 10 by the election they'd win

[Matty81]

Should be intesting, I don't think the Liberals have a great shot at winning as while the gap has closed there isn't one poll that has put them ahead. Also the detailed polling I've seen has the NDP winning soundly in Vancouver and the Island and most of the Liberal support in the interior where they've come back in their strongholds, their vote doesn't look very well spread out.

That said who knows, it's BC and they've made it closer than most thought. With just 3 days left I think they ran out of time.

What has happened to make it close is that the conservative support has collapsed and gone to the liberals. Cummins was just brutal in the debate and the real right wing segment of the Liberals has been fearmongering pretty good that the NDP will mean the total apocalypse of the economy.

[Matty81]

Also those Forum polls the National Post does are fairly heavily skewed. 308 pointed out in one of their features that they are old school phone polls and forum self declared that the proportion of people who voted Liberal in the last election that they polled was a significantly higher percentage than actually occurred in the election.

The Post has gotten a bit better about trying to be actual journalists in the last few years but they can still do stuff like this occasionally, trying to influence the narrative by releasing skewed polls. (Forum polls are commisioned by the Post).

[d_phaneuf]

ya I still think it's an NDP win but it should at least be interesting

they could go full fear monger tactics over the next few days and I am guessing get a lot of the Con support who just effectively vote against the NDP

[rubecube]

Would not shock me at all to see the Greens grab two seats in Victoria. Weaver is extremely popular, and I think Sterk has a shot against the blackhole of charisma.

[Zarley]

Please, for the love of god, let the Liberals win.

[tkflames]

Originally Posted by rubecube

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/b-...rtage-1.112945

Hate to say it but this might have locked up my vote for the NDP. It's not so much what they're promising as it is the Liberal response of "Everything is fine with post-secondary." Tuition is absurd in this province, and the cost of living makes it pretty much impossible to get an education without a well-paying part-time job, and that's even with student loans.

My only word of caution with this, is be very careful about what the NDP is actually offering. I am fully on board with grants for skilled worker programs to cover portions of living expenses/tuition of a post secodary graduate. However, I moved to UBC during the last governmental change and remember the impact that the NDP "tuition freeze" had on the school. Everything was run down, the labs, equipment and buildings were over 30 years old etc. The school was no where near the world class facility it is today (especially in the engineering and computer science disciplines).

My concern with this promise is that if the NDP realize they cannot actually afford this program by pulling money from other areas, they will follow this route again. Hopefully they have learned from the past, but I think as a voter it is something that you should consider.

[Sylvanfan]

As much as I miss that gret Okanagan weather, it's times like this that I'm happy to no longer be a BC resident.

[Matty81]

The sentiment that one party or another will make our lives terrible or BC a bad place to live is a little over the top. People who get really into politics tend to demonize the other end of the spectrum, particularly the really extreme left and right wing people. Anybody who could possibly be the opposite is some kind of huge idiot and a place governed by them is worth moving away from. See: all the idiots in the states who talked about coming up to Canada after Bush got re-elected or the morons in Alberta who talk about separating every time the Liberals get another federal majority.

The actual difference between the two parties is way smaller then they're making it out to be, it's pretty much business as usual either way with some very minor tweaks.

I'm glad to see Alberta at least starting to have a viable second option as far as political parties because I think what's far worse than having two meh parties to vote for is having a political culture that's totally homogenous with no debate or meaningful challenges to the status quo, which is what Alberta was like for most of my life living there. Love lots of stuff about Alberta, but irregardless of where the one party is on the spectrum, that lack of debate was one of my least favorite things.

[flamesfan6]

kind of late... but vote! got 45 minutes left.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

As much as I miss that gret Okanagan weather, it's times like this that I'm happy to no longer be a BC resident.

The election in BC reminds me of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UthMHjoNyjA

They have zero chance of economic prosperity on any kind of scale, their policies are hardwired against it. They will always be in massive debt and it will always be some 'other' parties fault.

I've only been following in passing but I don't know what the difference between the two parties are, except that the Liberal leader is bit more of a simple populist. A Western Danny Williams who cares far more for the province than the country.

[nik-]

Are we still the boogeyman that's driving the election?

[Vulcan]

If the NDP win, I look for the typical downturn in the economy where business refuses to work with them. In the long run a change could be good as the NDP starts policies that stop shipping jobs overseas and hopefully takes back control of the Ferries and BC Hydro. Just my shot in the dark uniformed opinions.

[evman150]

BC Ferries is absolutely out of control. Million dollar morons running the show, and the BC Liberals sit by and LOL about it.

Really hoping for Andrew Weaver in Oak Bay-Gordon Head. Not much chance of the Green candidate in my riding (the leader Jane Sterk), but who knows.

Looking for David Eby to defeat Christy Clark in Vancouver Point Grey. That would be so delicious.

I'm thinking NDP - 51, LIB - 32, GRN - 1, IND - 1

Dix is just so hopeless. Should've been a blowout.

[d_phaneuf]

CBC isn't even hiding the fact it's an NDP cheering section so far

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Treaty rights are enshrined in both the charter under s.25 and the Constitution Act under s.35. A government could theoretically remove these with a constitutional amendment. It would also be political suicide to do so.

Political suicide? That might not be true forever, if more and more people feel held up by a privileged group, or feel those privileges are destructive.

[Inferno]

I'm not into politics but I hope whoever gets elected gives video game studios tax breaks so I can stay out here instead of moving out east.