Category Archives: Politics

#BCPoli | The Speech from the Throne | Preparation for the October Election

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As of this writing, the British Columbian electorate are 241 days away from our province’s 43rd general election, set to take place on Saturday, October 19th.

Members of the British Columbia Legislature will sit for a total of 37 days in the spring session.


All 41 minutes and 2 seconds of Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin’s Speech from the Throne

The Throne Speech read in the Legislature by Lt. Gov Janet Austin on Tuesday kicks off a 10-week spring legislative session.

On Thursday, the government will unveil their budget, a compressed timeline in 2024 to accommodate a session that’s two weeks shorter than usual, in this the final session of the Legislature before the upcoming October provincial election.

In the Vancouver Sun, Legislative reporter Katie DeRosa writes, “The throne speech did give a hint that the 2024 budget is expected to be heavy on social spending “because leaving people to fend for themselves does not work. It did not work before. And it will not work now. It would mean deep cuts that weaken the services we rely on.”

In her speech — that was drafted in the Premier’s office —  the Lieutenant Governor began her address to British Columbians by emphasizing the actions government is taking, and will continue to take, to boost the number of middle-class homes available across the province.


On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a housing funding announcement with B.C. Premier David Eby, and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim to expand the province’s B.C. Builds programme, to construct between 8,000 & 10,000 units, on an expedited timeline, over the next 5 years.

Programmes like BC Builds were touted as a way the government is reportedly taking underused land, grant money and low-cost financing to lower the cost of construction. On Tuesday, the federal government announced it would invest $2 billion in additional financing into the programme, on top of the $2 billion announced by the province last week.

Lt. Gov Austin also highlighted expanding infrastructure the province is building to accompany the growing housing supply, including projects that are set to increase the region’s SkyTrain network by 27 per cent. Other priorities outlined in the Throne Speech included public health care, such as the addition of hundreds of new doctors and thousands of new nurses in the province in the last year.

Lt. Gov Austin also referred to the medical school being built at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus, which will be the first new medical school in Western Canada in more than 50 years. She also alluded to actions the government will continue to take to build on its ten-year cancer plan.

Relieving cost-of-living for British Columbians and leveraging B.C.’s natural resource sector were also mentioned as areas where action will be taken in the upcoming budget, set to be announced Thursday.  The Lt. Gov gave B.C. Hydro as an example, as it attempts to expand B.C.’s electrical grid, and the new E-One Moli facility in Maple Ridge where battery production will be ramping up in the province.


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the E-One Moli manufacturing plant in Maple Ridge to announce a billion-dollar battery cell production plant that will produce up to 135 million batteries each year as part of Canada’s push toward clean technology. (Justine Boulin/CBC)

References were also made to the government’s plan to manage the droughts and wildfires continuing to plague B.C.’s warmer seasons.

“The climate crisis is here, we have seen it all around us these last few years,” Lt. Governor Janet Austin said.

One of the highlights of Tuesday’s kick-off to the upcoming Legislative session were the cries — welcomed by Lt. Gov. Austin, mid-speech — of Azalea, the young daughter of British Columbia’s Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minister, Bowinn Ma.

The response to the Throne Speech by the Opposition B.C. United Party …

Todd Stone, BC United Member of the Legislature for Kamloops-South Thompson; Official Opposition House Leader; and Shadow Minister for Jobs weighed in with …

John Rustad, B.C. Conservative Party leader (pictured above) had this to say …

“It’s been 16 years of the BC Liberals and now the seventh year of the NDP and we have a crisis in housing, we have an affordability crisis, we have a health crisis, we have a crisis in drugs and crime. The province quite frankly is in crisis.

It’s about time quite frankly that people became the focus of governments rather than what we are seeing, which is ideologies and other types of approaches that have failed every time they have been tried.”

B.C. Green Party leader / Cowichan Valley MLA Sonia Furstenau  had this to say …

All said, the David Eby government — despite the slew of ads from B.C. United that cross our dinnertime news programmes, and desultory commentary from the B.C. Conservatives and B.C. Greens — continue to sit in the catbird seat according to the polls, in what would appear to be a near wipe out vote for the opposition parties.

#CdnPoli | B.C. Family Day, and the Iterations of the Third Monday of February

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In most provinces across Canada, the third Monday in February is observed as a regional statutory holiday, known generally as Family Day.

Family Day is celebrated on the third Monday of February in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick.

Manitobans celebrate the third Monday of February as Louis Riel Day.


A portrait of Louis Riel hanging in the provincial legislature now recognizes the Métis leader as Manitoba’s first Premier. Premier Wab Kinew and Manitoba Métis Federation President David Chartrand unveiled the updated plaque below the portrait on Monday.

Louis Riel is acknowledged as a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people. Riel led his people in revolt against Canadian sovereignty in two resistance movements leveled against the Government of Canada and our country’s first Prime Minister John A. Macdonald, as he sought to defend Métis rights and identity.

In Nova Scotia the day is celebrated as Heritage Day; while in Prince Edward Island, the third Monday of February is celebrated as Islander Day.

Family Day isn’t a statutory holiday in Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Workers in those provinces and territories won’t have Monday, February 19 off work like employees in other parts of the country.

Québec has the lowest number of statutory holidays, tied with Manitoba. Yukon has the most holidays in Canada, celebrating 12 each year. Alberta, Newfoundland, and PEI celebrate 11 holidays, and B.C., New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, the Northwest Territories, Ontario, and Saskatchewan have 10.

Québec doesn’t observe Family Day as a statutory holiday because it celebrates Journée nationale des Patriotes on the Monday preceding May 23, as well as Fête nationale du Québec every June 24.


A very Happy #FamilyDay to all of the diverse one-parent families across Canada!
Today, the third Monday of February, is a day to celebrate and cherish your beautiful families. 💕

In modern society, where the pace of life can be relentless and demands on individuals are often overwhelming, the significance of family cohesion and bonding is more pronounced than ever. Amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life, the concept of a dedicated Family Day holiday supported by the government emerges as a beacon of acknowledgment for the pivotal role families play in shaping societies.


Vancouver City Councillor Rebecca Bligh, her partner Laura and their children celebrate Family Day

One of the hallmark benefits of the Family Day holiday is its capacity to foster inter-generational connections. In an era characterized by rapid societal changes and evolving family structures, the importance of preserving traditions and passing down values from one generation to the next cannot be overstated.

Family Day provides a platform for grandparents, parents, and children to come together, exchange stories, and impart wisdom garnered from their respective life experiences. This interplay between different generations not only enriches familial bonds but also instills a sense of continuity and heritage, reinforcing individuals’ identities and cultural roots.

While the intrinsic value of Family Day lies in its promotion of family cohesion and emotional well-being, its ripple effects extend to the economic realm as well.

Studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between employee satisfaction and productivity, with individuals who feel supported in their familial roles exhibiting higher levels of engagement and commitment in the workplace. By affording employees the opportunity to prioritize their families on Family Day, governments contribute to a more motivated and productive workforce, with holiday-related activities and gatherings injecting vitality into local economies, benefiting businesses across various sectors.

By promoting family unity, enhancing emotional well-being, fostering inter-generational connections, and boosting economic productivity, Family Day serves as a cornerstone for building stronger, more resilient communities.

As we navigate the complexities of the modern world, let us cherish and celebrate the bonds that unite us, reaffirming the timeless value of family in our lives.

Sunday Music | Tracy Chapman | 1988 |
Most Auspicious Début

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Arriving with little fanfare in the spring of 1988, Tracy Chapman’s eponymous début album emerged as one of the most important and top-selling records of the late 1980s, providing a touchstone for an entire progressive movement of change, while reviving the singer / songwriter tradition.

As with most promising singer-songwriters, comparisons are prone to discussion, and Tracy Chapman’s début garnered mass amounts of media attention.

Of course, Joan Armatrading’s name is frequently mentioned (Tracy Chapman, however, shares little more than race and gender). Her vocal delivery is reminiscent of Joni Mitchell’s folk period; her sensitivity parallels that of Suzanne Vega. Yet Tracy Chapman is not quite so detached from her listener as these influential forebearers were and are (even today).


Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs playing to a rapturous audience at the 2024 Grammy Awards

Tracy Chapman is a fascinating storyteller, her world unlittered by pretense or façade. Consequently, much of the journey often overwhelms with sheer fidelity.

On June 11th 1988, a concert was held for Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday who was still imprisoned at the time for his anti-apartheid beliefs and activism.

Tracy Chapman, a largely unknown artist who had just released an album, and prior to playing on the stage at Wembley Stadium had played only clubs holding no more than 40 patrons, or as a street musician had performed in front of crowds of no more than 200 hundred, was asked to play Wembley as a “fill in” artist.

Stevie Wonder was scheduled to perform, too, despite not being officially announced, with the Superstition superstar arriving in London early in the morning of the concert. Heading straight to Wembley Stadium after his plane landed, his band were already rehearsing for his set which was due to take place after UB40 had finished their set. But disaster struck, with Stevie refusing to come on stage, leaving the organizers in panic — Wonder realized a crucial piece of his equipment was missing as he walked up the ramp to take the stage.

Although Tracy Chapman had already performed a brief set earlier in the day to a relatively sparse audience, with concert organizers pleading with her to fill the gap left by Stevie Wonder’s absence, a legend was born.

Behind the Wall was the second of what was supposed to be a three-song set.

As the legend goes, serendipity gave the world another glimpse of this commanding artist when Stevie Wonder’s team took their time to ready the stage for his concert, extending Chapman’s set to include almost the entirety of her début album.

With the crew setting up behind her for Stevie Wonder, alone on the massive stage at Wembley Stadium, guitar in hand, she allowed the echoing mic and the screaming of the initially inattentive crowd to amplify the quiet of the song. At first, a little insecure on the biggest stage of her career, as she sang with magnetic calm she built an atmosphere as intimate as each listener’s childhood bedroom, by the end of her first song, Fast Car, the entire crowd was listening in rapt attention.

The low verses mix bleak recognition with quiet hope before building to a chorus so wistful, so joyfully tender it can transport you to a time in your life when you were younger and maybe a little less scared. Most of the people watching her performance at Wembley did not arrive knowing Chapman’s power, and most likely had never heard of her before. But they experienced in real time her ability to lift hearts into people’s throats. She performed her songs the same way she had on the streets for years: alone and brilliantly exposed.

Not only was the Wembley crowd gobsmacked with Tracy Chapman’s performance — with the noisy crowd quietened by Chapman’s compelling presence on stage, and the strength of the songs she played — but playing two sets on the day offered her far more exposure, with an estimated global audience of 600 million for her second performance watching the concert on their televisions at home.

Over the years, we’ve witnessed the worst this world can throw our way, Chapman suggests on her début, at times through her working-class characters. But her music creates a world where no force exists without a counter. The worst of what we’ve endured, she also offers, makes righteous justice inevitable. It’s a worldview that many could appreciate.

By the end of the summer of 1988, a few months after the Nelson Mandela tribute, Tracy Chapman had a platinum selling album, and the singer was a major star.

Before the Wembley Stadium concert, Chapman had sold roughly 250,000 albums. In the two weeks following her performances, she had sold over two million.

In 1989 at that year’s Grammy Awards, Tracy Chapman won Best New Artist, Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and had been nominated — and perhaps should have won — for Album of the Year and Record of the Year for Fast Car, which was nominated as Song of the Year, as well.

In time, Tracy Chapman added a backup band. By then, however, Tracy Chapman was on her way to becoming a global phenomenon. The rest is history.


The wondrous Tracy Chapman and Eric ‘slow hand’ Clapton, 1999, performing Give Me One Reason