Good government and collective bargaining have one thing in common: their ultimate success depends on good faith. Diminish that good faith in any way and you set in motion a process that ultimately de-rails attempts to reach any sensible outcome.
In both instances good faith requires credibility. Without it, governments couldn’t build the necessary consensus within the constituent groups needed to make public policy function. And in collective bargaining, without credibility neither side would have the capacity to reach a deal.
As Finance Minister Colin Hansen prepares to table a revised provincial budget next week, he would do well to consider the results of a mid-August poll done by Ipsos Research. The poll canvassed the views of over 800 British Columbians during the week of August 8-12. It examined a range of fiscal and economic issues, all of which will have a direct bearing on the budget priorities tabled by Mr. Hansen.
To hear Finance Minister Colin Hansen describe BC's current fiscal situation you would think that he just discovered the word recession in his briefing notes. Somehow, despite almost a year of economic decline in every developed economy on the planet, Mr. Hansen had maintained that things in BC were different. Certainly our provincial economy was feeling the impacts of global economic problems, but in his February budget and throughout the May provincial election, his optimism that BC would do better than most seemed unassailable.
Several of our local faculty associations have received word that funding for Regional Literacy Coordinators is "under review" by the provincial government. This news comes on the heels of the July 9 update by the Minister of Finance, Colin Hansen showing a significantly revised budget picture from the one that the BC Liberals campaigned on in May.
Faculty associations are being warned that the funding for Literacy Coordinators may be at risk.
New mandates and new Members of the Legislative Assembly were obvious starting points for Premier Campbell as he announced the new line-up of Cabinet Ministers in Victoria. The challenge over the coming weeks will be for both the Premier and his new Cabinet to craft a legislative and fiscal agenda that addresses the urgent problems that our province faces.
In some respects, the new Cabinet has many familiar faces. Colin Hansen, for example, holds on to his post as Minister of Finance, a key position in the Cabinet given all the uneven economic conditions that BC is experiencing.
Credibility crunch undermines post-secondary goals
In both instances good faith requires credibility. Without it, governments couldn’t build the necessary consensus within the constituent groups needed to make public policy function. And in collective bargaining, without credibility neither side would have the capacity to reach a deal.
New poll points to renewed investments in public services
As Finance Minister Colin Hansen prepares to table a revised provincial budget next week, he would do well to consider the results of a mid-August poll done by Ipsos Research. The poll canvassed the views of over 800 British Columbians during the week of August 8-12. It examined a range of fiscal and economic issues, all of which will have a direct bearing on the budget priorities tabled by Mr. Hansen.
Funding problems overshadowed by deficit woes
Part One
To hear Finance Minister Colin Hansen describe BC's current fiscal situation you would think that he just discovered the word recession in his briefing notes. Somehow, despite almost a year of economic decline in every developed economy on the planet, Mr. Hansen had maintained that things in BC were different. Certainly our provincial economy was feeling the impacts of global economic problems, but in his February budget and throughout the May provincial election, his optimism that BC would do better than most seemed unassailable.
Troubling news from Victoria
Faculty associations are being warned that the funding for Literacy Coordinators may be at risk.
Deciphering the latest cabinet shuffle
In some respects, the new Cabinet has many familiar faces. Colin Hansen, for example, holds on to his post as Minister of Finance, a key position in the Cabinet given all the uneven economic conditions that BC is experiencing.