When I was writing a column for the North Shore News, I
“sort of” endorsed the then NDP candidate in North Vancouver Seymour riding,
Maureen
Norton. It was a tepid endorsement at
best but I also foolishly predicted that the candidate had an outside chance
(thus you can see my electoral prediction skills are very poor).
When the results came in with a landslide victory for the
BC Liberal candidate, Jane Thornthwaite, I said to myself that in the future
stay away from endorsing any candidate and definitely keep away from
predictions.
Now four years later and when the NDP have won a
by-election in Chilliwack, “hell has frozen over” and anything can happen. And thus I am back to predicting the election
results.
So why would I look at the same riding and give thumbs up
to the current NDP candidate, Jim Hanson? Certainly the past charges of drunk
driving are far behind Jane
“Drunk-driving charge dropped against B.C. MLA
B.C.
Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite has pleaded guilty to one charge of operating a
vehicle with without due care, on Tuesday in North B.C. Crown prosecutors have dropped a drunk driving charge
against Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite, following her arrest at a roadside stop
last year during the Olympic Games.” CBC News
That should increase her chances in
one of the safest BC Liberal seats in the Province. But despite the fact that
she remains very personally popular in the riding, I kind of like the underdog
and if the polls remain the same I do believe a good NDP candidate can pull it
off. That candidate according to my good
friend and former Green Party candidate in the riding, John Sharpe, is lawyer Jim
Hanson.
Here we have a former Green
Candidate in the riding who garnered 12 per cent of the vote, working actively
on the NDP campaign because?
“The NDP's environmental policies, i.e.; Enbridge and
closer ties to average working people, are other reasons the NDP needs to form
the next government in B.C,” Sharpe told me in an email.
Sharpe said he isn’t mortgaging the
house on his candidate to win, but “even if the NDP come in as a close second
in NV-Seymour, it will resonate strongly in the staunchly conservative riding
and across the Province.”
Sounds a bit like a “faint hope
clause” but the history of this riding shows that stranger things have been
known to happen.
So if the good citizens of North
Vancouver Seymour are looking for good strong and caring candidate and they
just can’t hold their nose and vote BC Liberal, then give a second thought to
the NDP’s Jim Hanson.
You can follow Bill Bell’s ramblings
about BC Politics at https://www.facebook.com/groups/bcelection2013/
48 comments:
Go Jim go!
I don't believe the DUI charges are "far behind her", I think people are offended that she first admitted guilt, then used a technicality to get off. If we only had a respectable candidate in the City of NV as an alternative to Naomi.
You don't think Keating is respectable?
Respectable: Decent in behavior or character; conventionally correct in conduct.
,,,No, from what I have observed over the years, Craig Keating is not respectable. As a politician, maybe -- as a representative of people, definitely not!
Jim Hanson is a very nice person, and in my opinion is the best kind of candidate the NDP could run in NV Seymour... Having said that, he doesn't have a hope.
He certainly does have a hope. People are sick and tired of the BC Libs.
Even if I am sick and tired of the BC Libs I have even more disdain for the BC NDP
Are you referring to the 90s NDP? If you note most of those people are no longer there. It's a new party and I believe Adrian Dix is honest. He made a mistake 20 years ago, he admitted it and apologized. When is the last time the BC Libs apologized for anything? HST, Basi-Verk fiasco, BC Rail, etc., etc?
HST was a good thing. Thankfully they sold BC Rail. Adrian Dix committed forgery and should have served time. Apologize for what?
Hi. My name is Gary Hee. I once was a Conservative candidate running in the 2009 provincial election and was a FightHST captain in North Van District, NV City, and a co-captain in West Van. I moved to Surrey but I liked the people of North Van District for their quiet and friendly manner. This year is an exceptional one with the forth coming election and the Chinese New Year of the Snake. Because I am an auxiliary member of the Canadian (Lynn Valley) Legion, I hope to participate in the 2013 provincial election again as an Independent Candidate for the MLA position. You may see me again, more often seeking signatures this spring in March 2013. If I succeed in getting a minimum of 75 signtures from friends and neighbours in North Van. - Seymour Constituency, I hope to give voters a choice to represent them in a cooperative manner as opposed to all labour or all business. I like to build a strong secure community rather than live in an weak or dangerous one. I trust myself. I hope you might trust even if it is just a little . Thank you. Bye.
Anon. 7:42
You are tunnel-visioned. Example, the Liberals lied in 2009 and told the electorate the HST was not on the horizon. WEEKS after the election they FOISTED it on the public. They lied and are a dictatorship.
Good lord, you wouldn't know a dictatorship if it bit you on the ass.
Rita Johnston, Kim Campbell and Christy Clark all had visions of being a leader. They all made the toughest decision to take on the toughest job in B.C. or in Canada. High hopes but little common sense. It amazes me that the three of them are so intelligent that they would pursue the road to "fix a sinking ship" without the proper "tools", e.g. skills.
Sorry ladies. No offence intended. Apology sent with respect.
Mr. Hee, what exactly makes you leadership material? From what I've seen you post thus far, I'll take the three women you dismiss any day.
Gary,
Are you an independent candidate in North Van Seymour if you get your 75 signatures from residents?
I lived in North Van from 1974 to 2011.Worked at London Drugs Computer Depts. for 13 years. I am married for 40 yrs, have son, daughter, & 2 grand children. Went to UBC Science Major. Studied Information Technology at BCIT ext courses. Worked in plywood industry, paper manufacturing, construction, fish processing, grocery and retail, municipal, federal govt., telecommunication, & President of a point of sales equipment distribution and consulting company in B.C. Born in Canada. Am 68 yrs old. Appreciate education, democracy and freedom immensely.
I am having discussions with a certain political organization. Due to requirements and Elections BC rulings, I best Not publicize the name until documents are authorized and released for public viewing. Protocols must be followed.
Addendum:
For 4 years and while I was the volunteer Block Watch Captain on Duval Road, North Vanouver, the school board closed down the Westover Community elementary school,by 2008. I spent 3 months waiting for the approved speed bumps to be paved which never happened until 2012 when the new privatized Brockton Preparatory School was granted permission. About that time, Jane Thorthewaite was involved in the administration of North Vancouver Schools trying to save money. To-day she is the MLA for North-Vancoucer- Seymour. With her experience, she can return the school back to public use and share the property equally with the rich and poor children of Lynn Valley. But now the Liberal government has blundered again because of the lease agreement.
Gary you have not demonstrated that you are electable. In the last election you (and your party) polled %4. You ran a lazy campaign that took minimal effort on your part. Your campaign signs were 8 1/2" x 11" pieces of paper stuck to sticks or taped on public infrastructure. They were incoherent and virtually unreadable. Your entire website, including your platform was just a list of hotlinked articles that highlighted things you didn't like, but you didn't even bother to articulate A) What was wrong, or B) What you would do about it. In the few cases where you proposed a solution, you don't seem to realize that MLA's don't have the ability to force a school board to do X or force the Municipality to do Y.
Spending any more of your own money would be a mistake.
I am all for the little guy with ideas participating in elections, but you haven't demonstrated ideas or effort in the past and it would be a mistake for any party to run with you at this time.
If you wanted to work hard and improve on last election you should be spending every evening improving your website and print materials, refining your message, gaining supporters, everything that a professional politician would do. Get help with your communications. The electorate will support visible minorities, but have zero patience for broken english, particularly in your written materials which should always be vetted through a natural english speaker.
Sorry for the Anonymous hatchet job, but there are so few opportunities to see the serious candidates compete, I hate to see it dominated by unprepared candidates.
"dominated" ??
When an All-Candidates meeting is only 90 minutes long and they have to divide the time amongst all participants fairly I find it very frustrating when 3 or 4 serious candidates get dominated by 3 or 4 half-ass'd ego maniacs simply want the spotlight and haven't done the work to get informed, establish a platform and work to get peoples votes.
During the last Federal Election one of the candidates at the Edgemont ACM actually stopped during the meeting to give an endorsement of one of the other candidates. He should have been kicked off stage for this, but it wasn't pre-meditated, he was just unprepared and gave up. There was also a libertarian candidate who regularly gets 1% of the vote, but takes up about 20% of the precious time at an all candidates meeting.
The expectation of a perfect politician is understandably the desired dream of every voter in B.C and Canada. In the past, many people complain about dishonest politicians. Are you perfect? You know a lot about politics as a judge of personalities. But, Dictatorship is what my Dad left behind him and Democracy is what he looked for. Today I get to enjoy his dreams. Why discredit other Canadians who appreciate the freedom that our war veterans fought for in Europe and Asia? Are you unhappy about your life? I'm not. Amen.
Canadian lives were lost in Afghanistan, the Queen of the North was lost in the sea off northern Vancouver Island, and millions of dollars are lost in political battles in our country, but the Canadian Charter of Rights does Not restrict poorer political candidates from running a low budget campaign in North Vancouver -Seymour.
Discrimination on the basis of the campaign spending of an individual is a sign of attacking his or her income status. Politics is for the poor and the rich, not just the wealthy.
Certain commentators are overly aggressive and reflect a character of toxic thinking and acidic speeches. This atmosphere only discredits this blogs reputation.
I suggest that the blog administrator monitor the tone of the comments more rigorously.
You want censorship, Gary? Limiting free speech is not an option. Also, the only time you make an appearance here is election time, so what gives you the right to dictate the tone of this blog?
Respectfully Gary you are off the post topic. I do not censor unless there is personal attack or defamation.
My suggestion is for you to become a registerd poster here on the log and post topics for discussion.
I would be happy to send you an invitation to do so. Just send me your email address to the email address on the home page.
All the best to you if you run in the riding.
John S.
There are various N. Shore political types that only show up here when there is an election.
They are extremely opinionated and tend to run roughshod over the loyal posters - then they evaporate and we don't hear from them until the next go around.
I doubt the majority find them very dominating as we've got their self-serving number and give them appropriate consideration.
Gary you've missed the point, I never suggested that you don't have the right to run as a candidate. I suggested that unprepared candidates waste precious time. Instead of arguing how much more prepared you are this time, you have argued that you shouldn't have to be prepared. Needless to say, you probably won't get my vote this time either.
I wasn't 'discriminating' against you based on your wealth, but based on your effort as a candidate. You didn't even write a platform, which would have cost you nothing but time. Instead you only hotlinked to other peoples articles. Laziness.
Part of preparing for a campaign is raising funds! Nobody expects you to be a millionaire, but if you have developed some interesting ideas, or represent a viewpoint that is not held by other candidates, then raising a few thousand dollars for a campaign is a cinch.
I am hard on politicians. If you were just Gary public citizen you wouldn't receive this lashing, but when you put your name forward for election, you should expect (and accept) criticism. You seem resistant to changing your past performance, so if I were vetting candidates for a party, I wouldn't come near you.
Good Luck in the election.
Incidentally John, I don't see how Gary was off-topic. This topic is about candidates for election in the North Van Seymour riding.
Anon 8:24, I stand corrected. Guess I was splitting hairs.
The present incumbant Jane Thornewaite might be reading these comments this month. Would she been interested in being invite to make some related comments about the her experience as a seasoned politician instead of us arguing over unrelated issues.
John:
Thanks for the monitoring routine.
Since, I am working on several important large projects and must leave this important space for Jim Hanson to make his comments. Today, is my last time to voice my views. Plus, I hope to serve my queen and country in a democratic free society.
Thank you to the other commmentaries for their views.
No insults intended.
Does anyone else have trouble making much sense of what Mr. Hee says???
Proof reading would help him tremendously. His writing is very disjointed and is, essentially, incomprehensible. If more time and effort were spent in communicating effectively, he might find some supporters.
I have nothing against Mr. Hee, but if the BC Conservatives want to be taken seriously they should certainly attract a stronger candidate. If they can't, then they shouldn't run a full slate of candidates.
Dialoguing with him is solely to give him enough rope.
Gary is running as an independent not as a Concservative
John,
Gary Hee said...
"I am having discussions with a certain political organization. Due to requirements and Elections BC rulings, I best Not publicize the name until documents are authorized and released for public viewing."
John in the last election Gary ran as a BC Conservative, and it looks like he is attempting to run for them again.
Most of my comments were to influence the BC Conservatives decision makers not to endorse him.
I would hope that serious-minded politicos realize that this is not an election to vote in protest. If you do NOT want a particular party to win, then vote for the one you think will have the best chance in your riding. Even if you have to hold your nose to do so, do not vote in protest for a fringe party. That unfortunately includes the B.C. Conservative Party which, in my estimation, has done more damage by their infighting than anything the Liberals have done to discredit themselves during their term in office. Sorry, Mr. Hee, but you just don't have the jam, and neither does the party you want to represent.
In my discussions with Gary recently, he said he would be running as as an independent.
Not surprising!
"then vote for the one you think will have the best chance in your riding"
?? I don't understand. Are you suggesting that since all of the parties are unpopular right now, that people should just support a likely winner?
That is the saddest political philosophy I have ever heard.
I tend to vote for the person, not the party. Last time I supported Jane because I believe she is a hard worker. This time, I still have to figure it out.
Jim Hanson is a good person who would likely become a significant part of the Government. Jane will be a tenacious fighter, but she will be mollified by her back bench status in the opposition party.
Maybe it is time for the LV Seymour riding to show their dissatisfaction with the current liberals by supporting an independent centrist candidate.
Well, that assumes that everyone in NV-Seymour IS dissatisfied with the Liberals. I am, but not so much so that I would vote for the NDP. And what good would it do us to vote for an independent candidate. If you think Jane will be an ineffective backbencher in opposition, what on earth good would it do us to have an independent representing us.
At this point, I think both major parties are problematic, but I prefer taking my chances on the Liberals.
Anon. 2:55
Would you like to have a game of poker?
I didn't say they would win, only that I'll be voting for them. Frankly Dix shares the poop out of me.
Ummmm, that should be "scares"....
Letter in today's Vancouver Sun:
Liberals accumulated lots of debt in their ‘golden decade’
When the Liberals came to power, B.C.’s debt was $33.6 billion. Through all the “good” times the governing Liberals claim to be responsible for, the debt will rise to $62.7 billion this fiscal year.
Even though they sold off many assets (some at maybe half their value) and underfunded many ministries, and greatly increased our debt, the Liberals are supposedly the better custodians of B.C.’s finances.
When former NDP premier of B.C. Glen Clark left government he was hired as a vice-president by a Vancouver company. The owner of this business? Probably the most successful businessman in B.C. (maybe Canada), Jim Pattison.
Why would Jim Pattison hire a vice-president from the ranks of an incompetent NDP?
LLOYD CREECH, Penticton
The BC Liberals accumulated that debt because they built out a massive amount of infrastructure in the Province and then had the rug pulled out from under them with the largest recession in the last 70 years.
Highways, bridges, skytrain lines, and convention centres are all big ticket items that cost a ton up front, but they will all pay us back over the next 40 years.
Jimmy Pattison is not only smart, he is the ultimate opportunist. Hiring Glen Clark was probably one of the smartest things he's ever done. He pleases the left, he rewards someone for their service to the Province, albeit somewhat questionable, and he gets a smart, educated member onto his team. Don't forget that Glen Clark was probably not that employable after his rather ungracious departure from the Premier's office, and he was given a remarkable second chance -- probably earning more money than he ever thought possible prior to his fall from grace. As for where Clark sits today on the issue of right versus left, and private enterprise versus socialism, you can swallow a lot of partisan opinion when the benefit to yourself is weighted heavily on the side of creature comfort.
Even though JP is a generous philanthropist, I think I speak the truth when I say that he would never jeopardize the health of his companies due to an attack of social conscience. GC has probably undergone an amazing metamorphosis in the argument of corporate profit versus equality for all, because corporate profit actually contributes to an increased standard of living for the general public.
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