Can you believe it? Nearly four years have passed since Christy Clark became Premier.
She led her party to the 2013 election victory on a campaign that included the Debt Free B.C. slogan on the Liberal bus… but the B.C. debt has skyrocketed under her watch and is projected to hit $70 billion. Meanwhile, police and a special prosecutor are investigating alleged 2011 leadership election irregularities and the Quick Wins scandal.
Onetime chief of staff and manager of that 2013 campaign, Mike McDonald, is commemorating the occasion with the email below that was sent to BC Liberal members. Sean Holman wrote about McDonald’s background in a profile of Clark’s inner circle at this link.
McDonald is involved with another campaign these days with Kirk and Co., the BC Liberal-connected communications company that scored a plum gig with TransLink to convince the public to vote yes to a sales tax hike that would help fund the expansion of TransLink. That’s right, the manager of the BC Liberal 2013 campaign that promised a vote on TransLink expansion is working as a consultant to TransLink to “get you to yes.”
UPDATE (Feb. 26): The day before the anniversary of Clark’s leadership win was the annual Pink Shirt Day against bullying. A noble cause, championed by Clark and her former radio station, CKNW. CKNW reported on NDP MLA Selina Robinson accusing Clark of being a bully. Robinson said:
“The Liberals have power, they won government, and they are making lots of decisions, and order to hang on to the power, they make everyone else, those whose jobs it is to hold them accountable … feel bad, so that they are less capable of doing their job, which is holding government accountable. It’s bullying, and it certainly feels that way.”
“The comments that the premier is making regularly about NDP and NDP supporters castigating those of us who share similar values and have some policy ideas, casting us as lazy, or irrelevant … other words that she has used and often mocking her own son in that context, those are bullying behaviours as she characterized. So, it’s just become a little shallow when you’re faced with that, and you listen to that. And it’s heartbreaking and disappointing.”
That got me thinking about the 2013 documentary by Sean Holman, called “Whipped: The Secret World of Party Discipline.” It should be mandatory in senior high school social studies classes and I highly recommend you watch it too, at this link. In “Whipped,” Holman exposes a kind of bullying that has been allowed to carry on in B.C.’s government under successive premiers, including Clark, the “Pink Shirt Premier.”
A cautionary note: if you truly, absolutely want to wish the Premier well, you can do so by writing her office directly via premier@gov.bc.ca. What McDonald is trying to do is refresh the BC Liberal database. If you want to receive various and sundry spam emails asking for donations from BC Liberal executive director Laura Miller, ex-member of the Ontario Liberals’ gas plants gang, then go right ahead and fill it out.
From: “Mike McDonald” <contact@bcliberals.com>
Date: February 23, 2015 at 7:25:03 PM PST
To: XXXXXXX
Subject: SIGN THIS: Congratulations card for ChristyThis Thursday marks four years since Christy Clark won the BC Liberal leadership race and became Premier-designate.
Since then, our Premier has won a provincial election, delivered on the BC Jobs Plan with 74,000 new jobs, introduced Family Day, and led government through three consecutive balanced budgets.
Congratulate Premier Christy Clark today – add your name here and we’ll share it with her.
Sincerely,Mike McDonald
Christy Clark Leadership Co-Chair
2013 BC Liberal Campaign Director
“[she] led government through three consecutive balanced budgets”
“the B.C. debt has skyrocketed under her watch and is projected to hit $70 billion”
Can someone please explain how both of these statements are true?
Sure wish you were on Facebook – would love to share your articles!
well she did finally agree to stop mining for gold in the pockets of children living at 50% below the poverty line. of course it took 4 years of nagging, bitching and editorials from right/left/centre.
now that she has had her 4 yrs of infamy would she find an ice cube with her good friend, “hide in the closet” stevie, and sit on it. they are of no use to our country, so its time for them to go. Both have continued to contribute to the poverty of Children in this country, so before they do it to everyone else, …….
” police and a special prosecutor are investigating alleged 2011 leadership election irregularities and the Quick Wins scandal. ”
Well Bob, I was aware of the Ethnic scandal but I assumed the leadership election was done. Any idea what to expect or when ?
Love your articles. It’s great that some journalist do more than just put their name at the bottom of a Liberal media release.
Lauren Willes:
“Sure wish you were on Facebook – would love to share your articles!”
My goodness Lauren, just go to the title bar at the top of the page, highlight and paste it anywhere. This is what it looks like: http://bobmackin.ca/?p=2399
I don’t do Facebook, never will, yet can still “share” with everyone.
This so called leader,? has given the people of the province the finger time and time again ,the teachers is what she and her nose up do as I say Fastbender are obsessed with flogging them,by lying about operational (re)school boards they cut and play with the figures, then say that is it to bad if you disagree all this arrogance is starting to catch up with them and soon,maybe some Liberals will see the damage that she has done.