BC Premier, Gordon Campbell, Resigns from office. 91% of the province approves.
But, in all honesty, given Campbell’s 9% approval rating and his recent attempt to buy back support with the voter’s own money, this isn’t particularly shocking. I’m curious what Terry readers think about his resign. I hope that with a new driver at the wheel, the provincial government might reconsider how it’s been funding provincial arts groups (i.e. see Spirit festivals aimed to reinvigorate the Olympic mania of Feb 2010):
In per capita funding, B.C. ranked last out of all the provinces in the most recent Statistics Canada survey, for 2007–08, when arts funding was higher than this year. It was pegged at $9.67 per capita, while Ontario was at $20.91 (third-lowest). (source)
One Response to “BC Premier, Gordon Campbell, Resigns from office. 91% of the province approves.”
I agree that Campbell should have resigned, but not because of introducing the HST. Done with better timing and debate, the HST could have been brought in successfully. And with the lack of funding to many provincial sectors, it’s hard to admit but, the HST would actually be a very helpful in solving some of our province’s financial dilemmas.
In my mind, Campbell rightfully deserved this drop in approval because of how he sneaked in the HST legislation right after an election and without warning, and then how his party failed to work out and make public how an HST tax would be beneficial to regular citizens of BC (it could fund the arts, and everyone ought to be aware of how our healthcare system, on its current course, is unsustainable). Although one can argue that Campbell was enacting potentially good economic policy, on the outside all it looked like was tyranny.