Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Relations between Ottawa, Victoria cooling

After more than a decade of fairly good relations, things are likely to get a bit ugly between the federal government and the B.C. government.

With the prospect of Adrian Dix and the NDP taking over the reins of government looking more and more likely, the stage is being set for a clash of ideologies on a number of issues.

Chief among them is environmental protection, and more specifically, the proposed Enbridge pipe-

line in northern British Columbia. While the federal government's weakening of the environmental process is a cause for concern for New Democrats, it is the pipeline that really drives them up the wall. Dix and the NDP caucus are adamantly opposed to the project, and the Harper government is just as determined to see it come to fruition.

Last week, the NDP caucus wrote an 11-page letter to the joint review panel for the project, articulating its opposition to the pipeline. They cited a variety

of concerns, including fears the project could lead to a massive oil spill.

This wasn't just a throwaway position that could conceivably be changed later. This was a detailed, point-by-point rejection of arguably the number one industrial priority of the Harper government.

The importance the federal government is placing on the Enbridge pipeline cannot be overstated. It considers the moving of products from Alberta's oil sands to Asian markets as a cornerstone of the country's economic strategy for years to come.

Further evidence of the Tories' attachment to the pipeline project is its strange determination to paint the environmental movement as some sort of deranged cult financed by mysterious international sources.

This kind of demonization is going to be laughed at in British Columbia, where the importance of environmental protection cuts a wide swath across all party lines. This is the province that produced Greenpeace, after all, and it is where the environmental movement successfully forced massive changes in forest practices, among other things.

Environmental protection is a value ingrained in many British Columbians, and it's not surprising that opinion polls show there is more opposition to the Enbridge pipeline than support for it in

this province.

A big chunk of NDP supporters also hold strong environmental values and will be particularly offended by the Harper government's tactics. The federal

government seems to be drawing a line in the sand on this issue, making it clear that Alberta's interests trump those of British Columbia.

Placed against this backdrop, it's hard to see any chance of even a remotely warm relationship between Dix and Harper. Add to it the Tories' insistence on a crackdown on crime that will add cost pressures to the provinces and other ideologically based policies, and we have the perfect recipe for serious tensions emerging between Victoria and Ottawa.

As many predicted, now that the Tories have a majority government its right-wing ideology is shaping more and more of its policies.

This also creates a problem, but as well perhaps an opportunity for Premier Christy Clark. As Dix and the NDP inevitably find themselves criticizing the federal government more and more on various issues, it will be interesting to see where Clark comes down on those same issues.

She has yet to take a position on the Enbridge pipeline, insisting not enough evidence has been produced to allow for an informed opinion on it. I'm not sure how long she can stay on the fence, particularly as the issue heats up, as it undoubtedly will.

Clark needs to find an issue or two that resonates with the public if she has any chance of winning re-election. As the Harper government becomes unpopular in this province, will she distance herself from that government in a clearly defined way? Or she will cling to her failing attempts at appearing to be more conservative than she really is, to beat down support for the B.C. Conservative party?

Dix has already staked out his position when it comes to the Harper government, and it's likely one that will shore up his party's popularity in this province. Will Clark try to share that turf?

If she does, it will mean the cordial, even warm, relationship that has existed between the B.C. government and the one in Ottawa for more than a decade will be over. And if Dix does indeed become premier, that relationship will be icy at best and downright ugly at worst.

Original Article
Source: the now news
Author:  Keith Baldrey

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