B.C. politics exists under a very dark cloud

Welcome to B.C. It is a wonderful place with its immense diversity and the climate in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Many people from across Canada are drawn to the southern part because of the climate.

Few are drawn here because of the politics, I suspect.

It is a different place. The left and the right are both strong, and adherents of both live precariously among one another. If anything, the right overall has been dragged to the left rather than the other way around.

And the politics is a messy affair. That is not to say it isn’t messy in other places; it is to say that I have lived here for more than 20 years, and being somewhat of a political animal, I have observed this place up close and personal.

Canada, unlike our more open American neighbours, practises politics in a more “closed” manner. The “wink and the nod” pervades our political manoeuvrings as we dispense goodies across a particular jurisdiction. Our tendering system in many jurisdictions gets compromised, our justice system has such long lines of cases waiting to be heard that even the Supreme Court has had to step into the fray.

We frequently chastise the Americans for what we see as their awful system, all the while ignoring the warts and failures of our own. From incessant irregularities in the Quebec political system, to gross incompetence in Newfoundland, an Ontario government recklessly sinking our largest province into deep debt through stupid energy policies, with federal misdeeds almost too many and serious to mention, from the sponsorship scandal years back, the sickening corporate bailout of Bombardier (even after the company failed to pay back earlier “loans”) , the ever-bungling procurement of military planes, to the present prime minister, lauding the Chinese governance system, having public funds pay for partisan speeches, irresponsibly promising deficits, attempting to reduce democracy in our Parliament, to frolicking on a billionaire friend’s helicopter at Christmas and then sticking us with a $125,000 bill.

The U.S. media plays a big role here, but we choose to hear it and watch it. For example, the top television shows in Canada are all American. Our public broadcaster, the CBC, only has one show that breaks into the top 10 most viewed shows: Hockey Night in Canada.

None of the CBC’s vaunted, self-congratulatory shows — like our homegrown stuff, or even the news — ever make it in the top 10. The private CTV News beats CBC News regularly.

Now back to B.C. Its latest political misdemeanours (after the ferry fiascos, GST promises, B.C. Rail, leaky condos, Bingogate, LNG promises, Site C hydro and other) concerns the financing of political parties.

This exposé would not have arisen if not for newspapers and other local voices. It seems the B.C. Liberals, the governing party, had been accepting money illegally. Third parties have contributed money and recovered that money from their employers. This is illegal.

Now the Liberals, caught in the crosshairs, with the RCMP investigating, have disclosed that at least $92,000 was accepted improperly, and that this money is being returned. Apparently the NDP were caught in this as well, returning $10,000 for the same reason.

I guess the B.C. Liberals are trying to get ahead of the RCMP investigation. One should not suggest that by doing this it might soften the conclusions of the RCMP report, should we? I mean, this is Canada, this is beautiful B.C., not the United States.

You know that Canadian political phenomenon already mentioned, “the wink and the nod?”

I know, I know, we must await the RCMP inquiry. But given that the parties have as much as acknowledged guilt by returning money, it is not a stretch — is it?

Now we can only hope (we can still do this) that if the RCMP report finds illegal behaviour, that prosecutors will apply the full extent of the law.

Fingers crossed. Any bets?