With only 40 people bothering to show up recently for what I’m sure was an electrifying speech by disgraced former premier Bill Vander Zalm, it would seem common sense is finally prevailing in the drive for a recall of Kamloops-North Thompson Liberal MLA Terry Lake.
As someone heavily influenced by common sense, I could not be happier about this.
The intent behind B.C.’s recall legislation was to provide voters a mechanism to remove an MLA who had committed some form of personal transgression, such as committing a crime, engaging in personal misconduct or not showing up for work on a regular basis with no good reason.
It was not intended to be used to address policy differences between political parties or to re-fight previous elections.
In fact, we have fixed elections every four years that provide the appropriate opportunity for citizens to throw out specific MLAs, or even entire governments, over policy differences.
Wouldn’t it be common sense to not abuse our recall legislation and thus not penalize individual MLAs such as Lake for government policy that has nothing whatsoever to do with personal failings on his part?
Apparently, Vander Zalm, Chris Delaney and Kamloops recall organizer Chad Moats take great pride in thumbing their noses at B.C.’s recall legislation to suit their own political agendas.
There are also real costs to taxpayers of a recall campaign and subsequent byelection that would be held if a recall campaign was successful.
Elections BC would incur most of the costs due to efforts related to approving the petition, monitoring the process and verifying signatures.
The cost of an individual recall campaign and resulting byelection would be more than $1 million per constituency.
All of this cost so we can try to throw MLAs out of office over the harmonized sales tax, a tax on which all British Columbians are going to get a say during a referendum later this year anyway?
Wouldn’t it be common sense to spend more than $1 million in Continued on A6
Continued from A4
Kamloops on something more important, such as health care, education or environmental protection?
Apparently not if you’re Vander Zalm, Delaney and Moats.
Let’s not abuse the intent of recall and waste millions of dollars while we’re at it.
Let’s hold Lake and all provincial politicians accountable for their policy choices in the next general election.
In the meantime, perhaps Vander Zalm, Delaney and Moats could do more for society by channelling all that extra time and energy they seem to have on their hands into something worthwhile, such as rebuilding projects organized by the Kamloops Tangalle Friendship Committee.
It is my understanding Lake, the MLA they are so quick to try to recall, is in Sri Lanka this week doing just that as he volunteers with KFTC.
Todd G. Stone
Kamloops, B.C.
