B.C. Throne Speech full of distortions

B.C. Liberals' message a disgraceful display of prevarications

By John Twigg

The Throne Speech delivered Tuesday Feb. 9 in the B.C. Legislative Assembly by the B.C. Liberal Party government of Premier Christy Clark was a tawdry list of terrible distortions and other flaws and errors which hopefully signal that this regime's days in power are drawing near to an end, probably in the provincial election in May 2017 - unless the Opposition New Democrats once again blow a winning hand.
The speech read by Lieutenant-Governor Judith Guichon was such a pathetically poor effort that I have pasted in the whole text below and inserted my commentaries where needed to point out some of the worst errors in policy as well as some of the other flaws such as mis-spelling the name of the late Norman Levi, who was Minister of Human Resources in the Dave Barrett NDP government of 1972-75.
Media coverage overshadowed by puppy mill bust
But as bad as the speech content was, the overall circumstances were even worse, such as media coverage of its flaws being conveniently overshadowed by side issues, notably the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals choosing Tuesday to provide details to the major media of their bust of a horrific puppy mill in Langley last Thursday that on Throne Speech day had CKNW's open line shows roaring with outrage not at the cynical Clark Liberals but at the little-known puppy mill operators - who reportedly had been on the SPCA's radar since 2009 - and so relatively little media attention was given to the government's political problems such as the revelations of abuses by Realtors in Vancouver's over-heated housing market.
To its credit the market-leading Global TV newscast at 6 p.m. did lead with the housing scandal, usefully reporting that B.C. has no controls or taxes on foreign buyers of housing while Hong Kong and Sydney, Australia do have such controls, and not giving much credence to the Clark government's move to get the B.C. Real Estate Council to investigate its own bailiwick. (Later Tuesday she did concede that if the BCREC does fail to do a proper job then the province will step in, but really she should do so immediately.)
But generally the mainstream news media have merely been regurgitating the pablum fed them by the Clark Liberals' massive propaganda machine and the people who suffer from that are the citizens and businesses and voters and families in B.C. who must live and work in a badly underachieving province.
Problems? What problems? There's no problems here in B.C., the best place in the world with the best economy in Canada - which is the gist of the Throne Speech that you can read for yourself below.
Meanwhile as I'm writing this I've listened to U.S. Democratic Party Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders make a brilliant and amazing speech about how he intends to massively reform the whole U.S. economy and political system, and right afterwards Republican candidate Donald Trump spoke about how he too wants to make radical changes to the status quo, which quo is corrupt and dysfunctional beyond belief.
Whether you like or hate both or either of those candidates is beside the point because what they both represent is a broad recognition that radical reforms are needed now to address mounting problems in an increasingly unstable world, including that big-moneyed and self-serving special interests have captured the levers of power (e.g. via Hillary Clinton) - which is the stark opposite of the all's-well blandishments of the Clark Liberals in B.C. and the still-somewhat-milquetoast criticisms from the B.C. New Democrats now led nominally by John Horgan but still dominated by politically-correct apparatchiks who apparently persuaded Horgan to not go ballistic on Throne Speech day - i.e. using the same play-it-safe strategy that recently sunk federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair in the Canadian federal election.
So the world is going to hell in a handcart and Europe and the Middle East are teetering on the edge of a world war to end all wars and Canada is entering a myriad of policy turn-arounds under new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau but meanwhile we're supposed to think the most important challenge is to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and here in B.C. the top priority is merely to stay the course and make a few safe tweaks in policy and shuffle around a few of Clark's senior staffers (which she also did Tuesday).
No, the truth is that B.C. is in big trouble like every other place in the world, such as the global moves towards negative interest rates that business analyst Michael Campbell spoke about this morning at 8:35 a.m. on CKNW, but the policy recipes being presented by all of the parties in B.C. are bereft of solutions.
If you don't believe me, you can read it for yourself below:   
  

Speech from the Throne

The Honourable Judith Guichon, OBC
Lieutenant-Governor

at the

Opening of the Fifth Session,
Fortieth Parliament

of the

Province of British Columbia

February 9, 2016

Members of the Legislative Assembly, and fellow British Columbians.
It is a pleasure and privilege to serve the people of British Columbia – and to welcome you back to the people’s house.
I would like to acknowledge the wisdom, culture, and traditions of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations on whose traditional lands we are gathered today.
Some of the newest British Columbians are here with us today in the legislature. I speak for everyone in this house, when I say: you are welcome here. [Should be L Legislature and H House]
So many cultures are represented in British Columbia, but today quite auspiciously is the second day of the Lunar New Year. To those celebrating, we wish you a joyous and prosperous new year.

Tributes

Since the chamber [C] was last addressed from the throne [T], we should take a moment to reflect on some of the extraordinary British Columbians we have mourned.
They include those who represented British Columbia at our finest, like Ted Harrison, Lorne Davies, Victor Spencer, Martha Farrell, Stuart Hodgson, and Dal Richards. [why no bios?]
Media figures Fred Latremouille [mispronounced], Ben Meisner, and Art Finley, and community leaders like Allen Hustwick, Thomas Baker, and Chief Clarence Jules. [no bios?]
In 2015, we mourned a former member of parliament [M P], Lyle Kristiansen, and five former members of this legislature [L], Peter Dueck, Ivan Messmer, Anita Hagen, Norman Levy [Levi] and John Slater.[bios?]
We owe a special debt to the brave search and rescue professionals and volunteers who rallied to the scene of tragedy, from the wildfires across our province, to Tofino and McBride. To keep us safe, they put themselves in harm’s way – and sometimes pay the ultimate price. We all mourn John Phare, the first-ever recipient of the Medal of Good Citizenship.
Finally, in 2015 we lost Bill Bennett, the 27th Premier of British Columbia.
For nearly 10 years, Bill Bennett served our province with distinction. We stand on the legacy he built every day, from the sites and facilities of Expo 86, to the Coquihalla Highway, and the expansion of our mining and clean hydro industries. Bill Bennett will be remembered for his achievements but also for the strength of his character, his principles, and an unflinching sense of duty to his fellow citizens.
 [That was Christy Clark - the real author of the speech - sucking up to the Bennett family, who rescued her political career, by presenting a very one-sided version of Bill Bennett's mixed history when the truth is he was divisive, widely hated and driven from office in some disgrace before he would have been defeated. Yes it is politically incorrect to speak negatively of the dead but Clark's overly-selective history errs in the opposite direction.] 

B.C.’s Distinctiveness In Today’s World

Steadfast, resilient, and the courage to get to yes. That’s the spirit of who we are as British Columbians.

[Empty rhetoric, selective and not-subtly partisan with that get-to-yes tripe.]

Nothing is a greater demonstration of that spirit than the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement. [Debatable.]  One of the greatest acts of conservation in our country. One that establishes the certainty required for economic development. [Debatable; may be premature.] An agreement that enshrines human well-being and an opportunity for First Nations to benefit. [Wishful, TBA.]
To the leaders from our Coastal First Nations and the Nanwakolas, the public service, our forestry industry, and the environmental organizations whose hard work and determination helped achieve this agreement, you have demonstrated how British Columbians can come together around our shared values and show the world how we do business: with respect for where we live and for each other. [Like hasn't been done since B.C. joined Canada in 1871... and still doesn't.]
It is part of the story of what makes B.C. unique. [trite]
British Columbia’s economy leads Canada. [Debatable depending on how you choose to define the race, so far it's only briefly, and it's mainly because all of the other provinces have tanked, not because B.C. is surging forward on a strong burst of new and healthy energy from a brilliant plan broadly supported by citizenry.]
We have the opportunity to eliminate the operating debt in just four years, [we also have an opportunity to crash in ignominy, especially if say the LNG balloon pops or Site C has to be delayed or if exchange rate shifts kill our exports, etc. - and note she's talking only about the government's "operating" debt and hiding the fact that Crown corporation debts are soaring - some of which has been used to inflate the main government's revenues! True!!] paving the path towards a debt-free B.C. [what a bald-faced lark of a partisan political lie - how does she have the balls to make such a claim? Only because it's "a path towards" an impossible and impractical dream - unless other measures are added such as reviving the Bank of B.C. and empowering it to create a new currency.]
[new paragraph inserted here - this following quite important line was tagged on to the end of the previous paragraph as if it was an afterthought, but probably to help hide it too.]
In 2015, we led Canada by creating more than 50,000 new jobs. [Oh where to start? Leading another race of turtles? Not mentioning that last year's numbers were buoyed by a federal election. Not describing which types of jobs were involved, or what other related indicators say, or how or where they were created. This is such an important issue - arguably the single most important issue in B.C. politics - one would hope for a bit more detail - so you see how they do with it:]
This happened because of hard work and determination, a commitment to controlling government spending, balanced budgets, and a focus on building a strong, diverse, and growing economy that creates jobs and prosperity. [Sounds like mere high-school rhetoric to me, and several dubious claims especially that budgets have been balanced when really they were achieved with above-mentioned sleights of off-budget ledgers and other fiscal trickeries.]
Your government remains focused on the long-term goals set out in the BC Jobs Plan. Currently, 14 of the 19 targets have been met – and progress continues to be made on the remaining five targets. [Ho hum, of course we all know what those 14, 5 and 19 items are . . . not! Really it's hot-air propaganda.]
But these accomplishments – and the prosperity that British Columbians are working so hard to achieve – are at risk. [True.]
The global economy is fragile. Oil and gas and commodity prices have fallen drastically. And our country faces immense economic challenges. [All true.]
Consider our neighbours in Alberta – a province of similar size, and also blessed with natural resources. [Actually the resource arrays and economies of B.C. and Alberta are very different and not easily comparable, but the writer - Clark - clearly is hell-bent on scoring some cheap political points...]
Over the decades, Alberta lost its focus. They expected their resource boom never to end, failed to diversify their economy and lost control of government spending. [All debatable.]
So today, with the price of oil at historic lows, global markets shutting down, and the Canadian dollar falling, it has never been more important to stay vigilant. [Hogwash! It's always important to be vigilant!]
To protect British Columbia from global trends – we must continue to work hard with determination [oh? when did it start?], and resist the temptation to spend our way into trouble [hypocritical nonsense].

Strong Diverse Economy

Our island of prosperity [gross exaggeration - look at the homeless camps!] is a collective accomplishment [hogwash] that we can all take pride in. [Wishful partisan posturing] Because we built it together, brick by brick. [What about exchange rates? Aiding anti-union businesses?]
For example, about 80 per cent of B.C.’s unionized public sector employees are covered by agreements negotiated under the Economic Stability Mandate. [No mention of the teachers' debacle going to the Supreme Court of Canada...]
This happened because 250,000 hardworking men and women said yes, and gave themselves a stake in growing the economy. [Clark deserves some credit for being more collaborative than Gordon Campbell towards unions but that's not saying much.]
This is crucial. To grow and diversify our economy, we must have the courage to say yes. [Well yes, but B.C. needs a lot more than mere rhetoric, it needs vision and leadership in many fields eg local food and ,low-skill job creation that generally Clark has NOT been providing.]
Yes to recognizing that economic development and environmental protection go hand in hand. [True.]
Yes to planning for future growth and creating a climate where job-creating businesses can thrive. [True.]
Because a growing economy is not an accomplishment for its own sake. [Trite.]
It’s the only way to sustain, much less expand, critical services for a growing and ageing [sp] population.
It’s the only way to make investments in infrastructure, schools, and hospitals. [Not true, debt has worked well too, but revenues from economic growth IS a good way.]
It’s the only way to create real opportunities for families. [Again "only" is not true, but it is helpful.]
Your government’s strategy to increase international trade continues to pay real dividends. [Yes, but this has been the case since before B.C. joined Confederation - and it's not something the Campbell-Clark Liberals invented, indeed they arguably could and should be doing more of it than they have been, e.g. selling surplus water in bulk, e.g. promoting more in-bound tourism, etc.]
Total exports from B.C. are worth over $35 billion per year – an increase of 41 per cent since 2009. In that same time, exports to China have increased 116 per cent. Exports to India have increased 660 per cent. [It's a cheap trick to start a stat from a small base and omit the dollar figures, omit the context, etc.]
A major part of that success has been increasing the number of trade and investment representatives abroad. [Yeah but we probably wouldn't get much detail if we tried to FoI their names, qualifications and salaries, plus the budgets for consultants and insiders, and the partisan donations of trade-mission members, etc.] That number will increase again in 2016 with a new trade office in the Philippines. [News!!]
Of the 8 key sectors of the BC Jobs Plan, the fastest-growing is tech. It’s already employing more than 86,000 British Columbians, at wages 60 per cent higher than the industrial average. [Good, but it's not something the Clark regime engineered.]
Your government’s new BC Tech Strategy will attract and reward investment, create jobs, and provide more training. [This is one nugget that does deserve more details in the weeks ahead.]

One of the products B.C. is known around the world for is agriculture. [True since the era of the Spanish explorers who preceded the British, and thank goodness Dave Barrett brought in the Agricultural Land Reserve and public opinion forced a series of private-sector regimes to more or less keep it.]
B.C.’s precious coasts have long been known for their abundant and sustainable seafood – and they represent our most significant opportunity to address world hunger. [Whoa! What's some vision doing in here?? This is true, but few people understand its importance; it's also true for bulk water, an industry the Campbell-Clark Liberals have studiously avoided touching while some scandalous litigation against alleged misfeasance by the B.C. government is awaiting a judicial decision.]
Last year, at $3 billion, was the highest ever sales of B.C. food and beverage products. This year, your government will continue its work to increase provincial revenues in agrifoods and seafoods to $15 billion a year by 2020. [That's a laudable and very ambitious goal - but 500% in about five years? How??]
Climate change [debatable] and increasing demands on water [elsewhere than in B.C.] are challenging global agricultural production, in particular in the US [U.S.] and Mexico [actually the water shortages are worse in Third World places] where much of our fresh produce is grown [grammar error]. Combined with the current low Canadian dollar, this creates rising food prices, which are putting a strain on B.C. families. [Trite, and a bit stale-dated, and somewhat of a blessing in disguise if more costly food imports make local in-B.C. food production more financially viable.]
Part of the solution to that challenge is reflected in the success B.C. agriculture is experiencing. [True.]
Already, your government has grown the size of Agricultural Land Reserve and modernized the operations of the Agricultural Land Commission. [Well this is debatable too; the Liberals' record on ALR is iffy.]
This year, your government will build on those successes by increasing its financial support for the Commission and moving forward with a tax credit for farmers that donate food to non-profits. And in November, the first ever provincial agrifoods conference will be held in Kelowna, focusing on food supply security for B.C. [This is truly good news and hopefully the start of better things, eg connect this with work experience, job creation and local food promotions.]
British Columbians recognize the value of our agricultural sector in ensuring our food supply security, and this is supported through the Buy Local program. [They could and should be doing ten times more.]
Your government will expand on these efforts by piloting work with industry, local governments, and community organizations to encourage and support British Columbians to Buy Local, Grow Local. This work will get more British Columbians engaged in growing food at home and in their communities. It will provide another source of fresh fruits and vegetables, and further strengthen the connections between British Columbians, our communities, and our agricultural sector. [Good but too long overdue, and inadequate.]

Red tape restricts growth, impedes flexibility, and makes life more complicated for families. That is why your government extended its commitment to a net zero increase in regulatory requirements to 2019.
Since 2001, there has been a 43 per cent total reduction in requirements – 155,000 needless rules removed, with more than 1,700 in 2015 alone.
More than 5,900 British Columbians have submitted their ideas on reducing red tape. Over the coming months, many of those will become reality. Right now, more than 200 red tape reduction projects are underway or completed. [Yawn - the red tape thing is a smokescreen; of course red tape needs trimming but meanwhile what about the gross waste in so many other areas, like literally billions of dollars lost on dysfunctional projects for computerization aka information technology? In fact the Campbell-Clark Liberals are guilty of numerous costly boondoggles so their zeal to fight red tape is gross hypocrisy.]

A major component of your government’s plan for a growing and diverse economy is the opportunity presented by LNG. [Here it comes - a tsunami of misleading claims to try to justify keeping the impossible promises that Clark resorted to in order to steal a win in the 2013 election.]
There are 20 active projects at various stages of development. Over 30 investment partners are involved, and between them, they have invested some $20 billion. [Let's see the list.]
There is no question that unforeseen [oh?? by whom?] global conditions are posing new challenges. Low global prices will have an impact on your government’s initial timelines. [No kidding...]
But government has done everything it set out to do to attract investment for the cleanest LNG in the world. As companies consider their best opportunities to reach final investment decisions, your government will continue to work to bring home the opportunity of LNG to B.C. [They have no other choice now, but some expert analysts (David Bond, David Austin) are convinced it's already hopeless so really what's happening here is Christy is desperately hoping to keep her little pony alive at least long enough for her to ride it again in the 2017 election.]
Success is not for quitters. Success demands steadfast attention, and resiliency in the face of global challenges. [Empty rhetoric, desperate politics. Disgusting.]
It is not a choice between keeping B.C.’s natural gas industry stable or deciding to grow it. We must begin to export, or the 13,000 people who depend on this industry today will be out of work. [Nonsense, there's still demand for B.C. gas in the U.S. but to get faster payoffs the industry producers - many of whom are major donors to the Christy Liberals - want in to lucrative Asian markets asap.]
As the world’s cleanest-burning fossil fuel, demand for LNG will increase, and with it, the price. [Hoping.]
And your government will ensure there is equity for future generations of British Columbians by establishing a Prosperity Fund, to leave an endowment for future generations, to pay down and eliminate the debt, and to invest in the services and infrastructure that British Columbians rely on to get ahead. [Dream on, it's bogus politics, but to try to achieve it the Clark regime is forcing B.C. Hydro customers to subsidize the Site C dam construction so Hydro will be able to provide cheap power to the LNG plants if/when they're built, not to mention capturing more water for provision to the NAWAPA project, which would help irrigate the above-mentioned drought areas in Californian and Mexican that grow the greens and other foods that we now consume in large volumes.]

Climate

As part of B.C.’s innovative clean energy and tech sector, LNG has a vital contribution to make in the world.
There is a lesson to draw from the UN climate conference in Paris: the world is changing. Developing and growing economies in countries like China and India are looking for cleaner energy to power their future.
B.C. has the potential to be a clean energy superpower, helping others reduce emissions – whether by replacing coal-fired plants with LNG overseas, or by supplying hydroelectric power to Alberta.
Being a vital supplier of the things our neighbours and trading partners need is exactly how we are succeeding today. It is equally the plan for tomorrow.
It means more jobs in B.C., and it means reducing global emissions.
B.C. was one of the first jurisdictions in North America to not only set a price on carbon, but to use that revenue to cut your taxes at home. [Actually the structure of B.C.'s carbon tax is full of flaws and holes, such as taxing schools and hospitals, and providing subsidies to companies doing fracking, but it still plays well politically and at least provides subsidies to low-income taxpayers - but it is bogus too.]
This is a truly revenue-neutral tax – not an opportunistic reach into taxpayers’ wallets. [Debatable.]
Your government will continue consulting with you before releasing a final Climate Leadership Plan later this year. [Oh yeah, sure, we've heard this before; it's a scam and will become a partisan political ploy with planks designed to squeeze the Liberals' partisan opponents moreso than actually doing real leading in substance, which is the opposite of the high-minded claims at the top of the speech. So really it's merely more hypocrisy. Shameful. Playing cheap politics with climate policy. Disgusting.]

First Nations

For over a hundred years, British Columbians have successfully created strong, vibrant industries, particularly in the resource sector.
But we have too often failed to ensure First Nations received their share of the benefits of a modern economy. [Ya think??]
We are now moving in the right direction. [Well not very fast and not very far, with lots of errors.]
In just seven years the Tsawwassen First Nation has planned residential, commercial, and industrial projects with the potential to inject over $1 billion in investment, and create thousands of new jobs. [Why no mention of the Massey Bridge over the south arm of the Fraser River? Strange.]
Since 2011, your government has invested in clean energy projects in 116 Aboriginal communities, like the geothermal heating and cooling system at Senkulmen Business Park on Osoyoos Indian Band land. [But so much more needs to be done, and the feds are nowhere to be seen.]
This year, your government will convene the third annual gathering of Cabinet with First Nations leaders from every corner of the province. [A taxpayer subsidized photo opp for a pre-election Premier.]
Your government will work with its partners in Ottawa on the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and also work with local communities and First Nations to move forward with its five point action plan for safe transportation options along Highway 16. [This is more classic Liberal rhetoric that glosses over a lot of dirty stuff, e.g. police inaction and corruption enabling horrific sex abuses involving organized crime gangs, that a genuine government in Victoria would have ended decades ago long before a bad-apple judge got a token conviction and incarceration. And why did the B.C. Liberals delay the new bus service for so many years and then finally deliver only a meagre service that local communities are required to pay for? It's another disgusting deceit by an unconscionable regime.]

Housing

All British Columbians deserve to share in the benefits of a growing economy. [Trite.]
This month, your government will take steps to ease the pressures of cost of living increases. [Oh?]
Your government will look into any allegations of improper behaviour in the housing market, and where appropriate, government will take action. [A late insertion due to a news media story a few days beforehand, and apparently just enough of a sop to dissuade the New Democrats from trying for an emergency debate, but make no mistake: the integrity of Vancouver's real estate market is in grave doubt and the Clark Liberals are doing nothing but trying to cover it up by assigning the broker foxes to investigate their own henhouses and delaying the report for a ridiculous 60 days and likely longer.]
Your government will also work to give British Columbians a better opportunity to enter the housing market, and encourage more housing supply. [Watch for some vote-buying gimmicks in the budget.]
There is no single solution, and no one level of government can do this on its own. [But B.C. has lots of levers, especially the property purchase tax and Realtor licences and suggesting it needs help from Ottawa is a cynical ploy that amounts to passing the buck.]
Your government will work with municipalities to reduce the hidden costs in home purchases, and to make those hidden costs clear and transparent to the homebuyer. [More misleading deceits, probably presaging a provincial attack on the development cost charges levied by responsible municipal governments.]
Your government will work carefully to protect the savings and equity that existing homeowners have painstakingly placed in their homes. [Which suggests that heretofore they haven't been doing so.]

Thriving Communities

For communities to truly thrive, we must care for those among us who need it. [Trite.]
British Columbia’s dedicated social workers work hard in the most difficult circumstances, touching the lives of thousands of people. [So why were so many of their offices badly understaffed??]
In the past year, 274 children were placed for adoption, more than 28,000 clients seen by Child and Youth Mental Health Services, and more than 111,000 licensed child care spaces funded. [Numbers without context is a form of distorting propaganda.]
The Ministry of Children and Family Development has begun the work of responding to the Plecas Report.
That work must begin with ending the culture of blame that exists for those public servants with the most difficult role. [Make me puke; they're back-handedly blaming the workers they're supposedly trying to defend; the truth is that counter-productive budget cuts have harmed thousands of children.]
As Mr. Plecas said, “if we could walk a mile in the front line social worker’s shoes, to drive five hours to a remote community only to be denied access…or attend at a home of a neighbour and have to remove their child because of violent threats – all the while fearing for their own personal safety – we might begin to understand the job.” Besides cultural changes, your government is committed to maintaining the stability Mr. Plecas deemed crucial, and hiring even more social workers than recommended. [Too little too late and blatant cynical damage control, probably designed mainly to dodge lawsuits for government negligence, but also to try to bury a scandal so the NDP can't use it in the next election.]
In the coming weeks, your government will announce more measures to further support both at-risk children, and our social workers. [Oh please, have they no shame?]

Safe Streets

In the Lower Mainland, there are too many sad stories – too many parents mourning children who didn’t come home.
Your government is taking action. The anti-gang unit has significant resources on the ground, working with Surrey and Delta police, with integrated teams and new police officers on the ground.
This is progress, but we need to do more. Your government will continue to work with its federal counterparts to secure more RCMP resources and officers. [How low can they go? Just awful. Organized crime has gone more or less unchallenged since before and after the atrocious Robert Pickton and Piggies Palace scandal and now to see this rhetoric?? They have no shame.]

Public Servants

To ensure tomorrow’s leaders are ready for tomorrow’s economy and opportunities, your government has worked with teachers to develop a new curriculum, new supports, and the training teachers need to bring it to life. [That's an exaggeration, it's actually overdue but first they chose to fight the BCTF.]
That is in addition to investments to address class composition, hire more teachers, and continue the work of seismically upgrading B.C. schools. [More untruths and phony spin.]
With 80 per cent of all unionized employees in B.C. under long-term labour agreements, including the longest period of labour peace ever achieved with B.C.’s teachers, British Columbians can count on uninterrupted service. [Unless the BCTF wins in Supreme Court; hopefully sanity will prevail if/when they do win.]
[new paragraph inserted here; Health is arguably the single most important issue in government, competing with job creation IMO, but here they've buried it underneath education and lumped it in with labour relations, so why would they do that; the answer is easy to deduce and it's not flattering: they're playing cheap partisan politics again with peoples' lives.] 
In the coming months, your government will work with the men and women on the front lines of health care, and reach a negotiated settlement with B.C.’s hardworking nurses. [Recently they suddenly hired about 1,500 nurses to fill what obviously were far too many vacancies in B.C. hospitals - but why?]
The service that most defines us as Canadians is health care. And despite a growing, ageing [sp] population – B.C. boasts some of the best outcomes in the world. [True - due especially to people.]
In 2016, your government will continue to invest in patient care and shifting needs, and continue its four-year plan to add 65,000 more MRI scans per year in B.C. [i.e. playing catch-up with false economies.]
Not all afflictions are visible. This year, the cabinet working group on mental health will take action to improve access and supports for British Columbians struggling with mental illness. [also overdue]
In the coming weeks, your government will also introduce legislation to modernize community care and assisted living. [Okay, we'll look at it when it comes; does this mean private-sector care homes that have been squeezing their employees will be forced to maintain better minimum standards? Hope so.]

New British Columbians

As we continue to grow and diversify the economy, and as we continue to give British Columbians the skills they need through the Skills for Jobs Blueprint, they will be first in line for the jobs that are already being created. [Another promise that's long overdue.]
But we should also remember immigration built this province. With the exception of our First Nations, every one of us is descended from immigrants. [Watch for more cheap imported temporary foreign workers.]
Today, British Columbia and Canada are proof positive that people from different cultures and traditions can live in peace and build vibrant, thriving communities. [Wishful thinking but not really true - there are thousands of First Nations people in B.C. still living impoverished lives in Third World housing.]
That is why your government is working with Ottawa and individual sponsors not just to resettle more refugees from Syria – but to welcome them. [First Nations should demand equal treatment.]

Standing Up For B.C.

My fellow British Columbians, these are uncertain times for the global economy. [Ya think??]
Your government will continue to stand up for B.C., for British Columbians, and for the communities and industries that not only built this province, but sustain our prosperity. [False rhetoric.]
Forestry is a crucial industry for British Columbia, and the [many many] thousands of men and women who depend on it.
And while the industry continues to thrive [oh? not everywhere, and mills are still closing], there are serious disagreements with our largest trading partner: the expired softwood lumber agreement, and the unfair US Department of Commerce ruling on Catalyst.
Both present a real risk to jobs. [Yep.]
Your government will work with its federal counterparts to renew the softwood agreement, and press for a full investigation of Catalyst to confirm they have received no government subsidies. [So much more could and should be said about what once was B.C. most important industry, but it's not here.]
The men and women who depend on B.C.’s mining sector are under threat from low prices for copper and coal – but they are also under threat from internal critics looking for an opportunity to see the industry closed. [And suddenly we jump to mining, another once-major but now-troubled industry.]
To those among us [oh, like who? your partisan opponents??] who look down on mining, I would say this: every consumer electronics product you own, every transmission line that connects the world to clean solar or hydro power – each is only possible with materials mined in British Columbia. [Quick Christy, grab that hardhat again eh, but about those transmission lines - how much were they over budget??]
Your government has introduced several measures to help the men, women, and entire communities who depend on B.C.’s mining sector. [Not to mention the mine owners who routinely donate millions of dollars to the Liberals or any cabal with the best chance of keeping the New Democrats out of power, and not to mention some particular captains of industry who have been especially close to Clark.]
Your government will also keep working towards securing the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement, which will create enormous new opportunities for British Columbia, and work with all members of this legislature to ensure we speak with one voice. [Oh sure - they can't even spell its name properly - there should be a hyphen in Trans-Pacific - but they're already trying to bully the Opposition into supporting it, let alone allow the people of B.C. to see for themselves what's in it before the government decides it's such a good deal, and many analysts believe it's a really bad sellout to global capitalists bent on forcing workers and local and provincial governments into a race-to-the-bottom on workplace standards and wages, etc., so for Clark to express such support beforehand is really unconscionable.]
Getting to yes on economic development does not mean cutting corners, or bowing to external pressure. [Methinks she doth protest too much and that's exactly what the Liberals have been doing.]
In the province that invented the concept of social license [really? when and by whom??], it means working with communities to ensure their concerns are addressed [hypocrisy to the nth degree] – and with proponents to help address them. [Sure, and I've got a bridge for sale....]
That is why your government will continue to stand up for B.C. with the Five Conditions for heavy oil pipelines – to ensure that any proposal achieves regulatory approvals, to ensure we have world-leading spill response on our coast and on our land, to make sure First Nations are participants, and to make sure B.C. receives our fair share. [Okay, that's more or less what most B.C.ers want, but not all. And it's a lot easier to say than it is to actually deliver, and may become hypothetical anyway - and not to mention that sending upgraded crude by rail from Edmonton to Prince Rupert - without dangerous and costly diluent and without costly risky new pipelines - is a much more practical solution.]

Infrastructure

Controlling spending does not mean failing to invest in the future. There is currently more than $7 billion dollars’ worth of ongoing infrastructure projects. This economic stimulus is happening right now – without pushing B.C. into deficit. [That's because they're doing the capital projects outside the operating budget - which is simply a normal and proper way to do such things, but also a sort of gimmick.]
In addition to creating thousands of jobs, projects like the South Fraser Perimeter Road, Evergreen Line, and George Massey Tunnel Replacement [oh there it is! aka the Massey Bridge boondoggle] will reduce time spent in traffic burning fuel, get our goods to market, and people home to their families faster.
Not only are these projects an investment in our growing province – they are creating 150,000 jobs over the next 10 years. [Good, and there probably should be more of them, and better ones too.]
That is in addition to the significant investments underway at BC Hydro – $2.4 billion dollars every year for the next 10 years. That includes Site C, which will provide clean energy for our growing economy [actually that's debatable because experts believe it will be surplus power] – ensuring future demands can be met without increasing emissions. [Really it's part of NAWAPA - a longstanding conspiracy to irrigate the southwest United States with water collected anew in Canada.]
[Interesting how the big-ticket controversies were inserted at the end and not the beginning. And I haven't had time yet to determine which issues were glaringly omitted - maybe triple-delete repairs? Freedom of Information? Income tax tweaks? Lottery revenues? Transit? There's lots left unsaid.]

Conclusion

My fellow British Columbians, as we work to protect and strengthen our island of prosperity [oh good grief, how often must we hear this deceit?], we owe it to our children to remember we are the envy of the world because of choices made by the men and women who left the province in our care.
Steadfast. Resilient. And the courage to get to yes. [Oh good grief, again...]
We have the same responsibility.
To choose to stand up for B.C. [Only in photo opps?]
To choose hard work and determination.
To choose to keep our focus in the face of growing global uncertainty. [More should be done.]
To choose to create opportunity. [Much more could be done.]
To choose to give ourselves the ability to intervene in times of crisis. [What??!]
British Columbia is entering Canada’s 150th birthday as leaders in Confederation. [Not true.]
Let us continue to make the right choices today [not true] for a stronger, more secure tomorrow.
Thank you.

 [So it's another nadir in the history of B.C. politics. The rhetoric may sound good but the substance is full of holes and flaws, lacking in some areas and overstated in others. It's essentially more of a partisan political ploy than truly a blueprint for a positive new direction in making B.C. stronger and better. There is so much more that can and should be done, especially launching a new made-in-B.C. currency, enabling a new ferry crossing between Gabriola Island and Vancouver International Airport, adding a pontoon crossing near the Massey Tunnel, creating many thousands of entry-level and work-experience jobs, reforming tax structures to really help families, pushing local food, selling surplus water, offering universal child care, building more facilities for aging seniors, training more kids to be technologists, cracking down on polluters, settling treaties unilaterally with First Nations because Ottawa won't, promoting more tourism, advancing clean energy, reforesting.... etc.]