XPost: bc.politics, van.general, vic.general   
   From: Cons"@cdn.ca   
      
   Before the NDP were defeated in 2001, the BC 'Liberals' under Gordon   
   Campbell, claimed that the government had 'huge deficits' to pass on to   
   them and taxpayers.  They lied.   
      
   Here's what happened:   
   _________________________________   
   [NEWS FROM 2001]   
      
   Remember the NDP’s Supposed $5 Billion 'Structural Deficit'?   
      
   The story behind the big headlines   
      
   [...]   
   So Gordon Campbell and his newly-elected Liberal government merely   
   followed history when they appointed Barefoot, Duholke and the others to   
   conduct an "independent" review of B.C.’s finances.   
      
   Tough case to make   
      
   But a unique challenge faced the Barefoot panel. The B.C. Liberals took   
   office at the beginning of June 2001, just two months into the new   
   fiscal year. The books for 2000-01 were closed, under audit, and could   
   not be retroactively altered.   
      
   Even worse for the new government, when the 2000-01 public accounts were   
   made public, they would show that the defeated NDP had left the biggest   
   surplus in B.C. history.   
      
   It would not be possible for the incoming Campbell government to claim   
   they had inherited a deficit from the New Democrats based on audited   
   financial statements.   
      
   Moreover, fiscal 2001-02 was already underway. But the budget estimates   
   had not been passed, and an ‘interim supply’ bill provided funds only   
   until the end of July.   
      
   The Liberals, therefore, had to return to the legislature and obtain   
   approval to spend monies for the balance of the fiscal period. How was   
   it possible to claim that the NDP had created a massive deficit when   
   they had been in power for mere weeks of the fiscal year, and the B.C.   
   Liberals for the remaining 10 months?   
      
   Barefoot, Duholke and their colleagues found an innovative solution to   
   this dilemma.   
      
   Unable to cite a New Democratic Party deficit for the past or the   
   present, they skillfully projected a massive shortfall for the FUTURE.   
      
   In other words, they ignored the previous fiscal year, 2000-01, and the   
   current year, 2001-02, and instead created a NDP deficit for 2003-04 —   
   three years after the New Democrats had suffered defeat.   
      
   The pattern was set for the new Campbell government to merely follow   
   history when they appointed Barefoot, Duholke and the others to conduct   
   an "independent" review of B.C.’s finances.   
   __________________________________________________   
      
   [NEWS FROM TODAY]  CBC News - Nov 28, 2012   
      
      
   B.C. deficit grows to $1.47B, says finance minister   
      
      
   B.C.'s budget deficit will grow to an estimated $1.47 billion dollars,   
   Finance Minister Mike de Jong revealed on Wednesday morning.   
      
   The new estimate is an increase from the $1.14-billion deficit projected   
   by de Jong in September, and an increase of $328 million from the First   
   Quarterly Report.   
      
   De Jong said the increase is largely due to the change in the completion   
   date for the sale of the Little Mountain property in Vancouver.   
      
   He also said revenue from personal and corporate income taxes was up,   
   but revenue from property tax, property transfer tax and coal mining   
   royalties was down.   
      
   Ministries were still working to slash $241 million in spending to make   
   up for a previously announced shortfall in natural gas royalties, he said.   
      
   Plans to replace the HST with the GST and PST on April 1 remain on track   
   said de Jong.   
      
      
   Balanced budget still planned   
      
   De Jong says he now has a lot of work to do before February to figure   
   out how to still balance the budget.   
      
   "Look at the numbers, look at the projections, look at the forecasts,   
   look at some decisions that have already been made and what those   
   impacts are," he said.   
      
      
   But the NDP says the government has its spending priorities wrong.   
      
   "On the one hand, you have a finance minister saying that times are   
   tough and we have to tighten our belts, and on the other hand you have a   
   premier saying it’s completely fine to spend untold millions of dollars   
   on a pre-election ad campaign to boost the Liberal party brand," said   
   New Democrat MLA Carole James.   
      
   "They’re spending a million and a half dollars on party planning for   
   Family Day; meanwhile, they plan to make reckless cuts to necessary   
   programs and services and sell off valuable public assets to try to give   
   the illusion that they are fiscally responsible.   
      
   "The Liberals continue to show that their priorities are completely out   
   of touch with the needs of British Columbians."   
   _______________________________________________________________   
      
   ROBBINS - November Poll   
      
   BC Women - When No means NO - NO to Christy Clark (88%), NO to Enbridge   
   (92%), NO to Kinder Morgan (92%), NO to Alison Redford, NO to being   
   Federal, YES to Government being a Bully   
      
      
   Question #1   
   Do your currently support the re-election of Christy Clark and her BC   
   Liberal Team for a 4th term next spring?   
   Yes 	   	9 %   
   No 	   	88 %   
      
   Question #2   
   Do you support the construction of a pipeline from Edmonton Alberta to   
   BC’s coast to transport crude oil to be shipped by tanker down the coast   
   to China?   
   Yes 	   	8 %   
   No 	   	92 %   
      
   Question #3   
   Do you support the tripling of capacity of oil company Kinder Morgan’   
   oil pipelines to the lower mainland of the province including the   
   tripling of shipments by tanker of this oil through Burrard Inlet to   
   consumers abroad?   
   Yes 	   	6 %   
   No 	   	92 %   
      
   Question #4   
   Alberta premier Alison Redford suggested in a CBC news interview with   
   journalist Peter Mansbridge that oil shipments down BC’s coastline are   
   not the business of British Columbians because the coastline is the   
   jurisdiction of Canada and not B.C. Do you support this position of the   
   Alberta premier?   
   Yes 	   	15 %   
   No 	   	77 %   
      
   Question #5   
   Do you consider yourself to be a strong federalist?   
   Yes 	   	18 %   
   No 	   	80 %   
      
   Question #6   
   In your opinion could government be considered to be a type of bully?   
   Yes 	   	82.5 %   
   No 	   	11.5 %   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)