Tourism and Small Business and Economic Development and Trade have traditionally been seperate ministties.

The Liberals put them together I think to show that economic development was not worthy of a solo ministry because the government would no longer provide development through direct subsidies to business.

Initally putting that bullying idiot Rick Thorpe in charge of the ministry probably was also meant to prove they meant business on that.

I don't think the government has backed off on refusing to provide direct subsidies to business but given that, it does make me wonder what the $200 million economic development fund is for.

Don't worry, the Libs still find ways of subsidizing their friends, they are just smarter about doing it then the NDP were!

C'mon Adam... you know what that 200 million dollars in the economic development fund is for. Can you say election slush fund?? You know, to appear to have the money to back up alot of the BS that the Libs are going to promise us in the coming months.

Whats more laughable is the attempt by the fibs to show that they're not the non caring ogres of the previous years, that somehow they've seen the light as it were and are the choice for people to vote for compassionate, caring government. Its enough to make you pray to the porcelain alter.

Yeah it's pretty dumb what the Liberals did (or didn't do if you look at it the other way) with the Tourism ministry by tacking it onto the Economic Development ministry they've treated a key BC industry very non-chalantly. I admit Virginia Greene is a good candidate for the Liberals, but with Campbell still in charge there would be only so much she could do. Besides she'd have to beat Gregor Robertson first a very strong candidate -- meaning this is very dependent (like Sean said) upon her winning in the first place.

Ironically should Carole James win he might get that portfolio as well considering his business background as an enviromentally friendly and fiscally prudent buisnessman. This would be important because the should either win they will need to balance fiscal and enviromental comptency with regards to the Olympics -- and if the NDP doesn’t want the Greens to draw centre-left leaning enviromentally counciouss voters they will need to take this into consideration. Also there’s some evidence that the Greens are drawing from the Liberals [liberal greens/blue-green coalition if you will]* too so perhaps Virginia Greene would be an asset for the Liberals with regards to that consideration.

*(the NDP and Liberals are now tied -- yet the Greens are still at around 10% and the NDP rarely gets over 41/42% so....)