At least the Tories have on this year.

It's weird that the tories are learning lessons, and following the example of the Federal Liberals these days.

even that platform you link to seems to use te word "maintain" a lot ... which means, they are endorsing what Emerson and boys are doing.

It's not the size, it's the action. The Libs have been all talk and no action!

You are drunk - or don't live in BC if you believe that.

Seems to me there was more more funding, and Ministers in BC under Paul Martin than the Mulroney and Chretien governments combined.

Oh, yeah, they spent a lot of taxpayers dollars touring/campaigning in BC. Paying more incompentant Liberal MPs to sit pointlessly in Cabinet to create a sound byte is just a waste of money.

Paul Martin, like Brian Mulroney thought naming more Cabinet Ministers while ignoring the policy concerns of BC and favouring Central Canada as usual meant something to us. Both were very wrong.

Paul himself named his PMship a failure if he didn't eliminate Western alienation and he has increased it. He should have had the courage to appoint the elected Senators in Alberta and announce that any province that elects a Senator will have those people appointed.

Could it be that ... hey, do the Basi Boys still work on Paul Martin's Federal Liberal election campaigns??

george says: "Oh, yeah, they spent a lot of taxpayers dollars touring/campaigning in BC. Paying more incompentant Liberal MPs to sit pointlessly in Cabinet to create a sound byte is just a waste of money."

what a bunch of bs.

This government has done more for BC in 18 short months than any government in Canadian history. If you don't believe me, ask Gordon Campbell. He is the happiest premier in the country.

Let's see here:

- Kelowna Flighcraft deal worth almost 2 billion. Liberals made sure it went to the proper bidder. Harper's friend Mulroney screwed over the West with the CF-18 Contracts

- Rapid Transit to the Airport - $450 mllion

- vancouver Convention Centre - hundreds of millions

- moving the Canadian Tourism Commission to Vancouver, the first federal agency to be headquartered on the West Coast

- Kicking Horse pass investments

- $600 million for the Asia Pacific Gateway strategy

- Billions from the federal gas tax - something that British Columbians lobbied hard for, and succeeded.

- Billions for health care and child care

- more equalization money

Yeah - and Harper wants to SCREW BC with his childish idea of electing Senators. If you start electing Senators before BC gets its fair share of Senate seats, we will be so grossly unrepresented, it would give rise to BC separatism. Maybe that's what Stephen Harper wants. I am all for an elected Senate, but BC should have its fair share of members. Same number as Ontario or Quebec for starters. And not triple - E. There are five regions in this country - BC, prairies, Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic. The North is also important. but to treat all provinces as equal or to keep to the outdated representation formula prior to electing Senators is screwing BC more than anywhere else in Canada. Harper should know better.

If you want clout for BC in government, you have no choice but to vote Liberal.

I happen to agree the Liberals are best for BC. The Conservatives will remain alienated until they form government, but on the whole the Liberals have done more for BC than any prime-minister in recent history. Also I don't think a prime-minister from Alberta will be any more sympathetic to BC than one from Ontario and Quebec as BC is just as different politically from Alberta as we are from Ontario and Quebec. The West is really not monolithic as some thinkg and Alberta is really only the truly right wing province in the West, even though other provinces do elect right wing parties in large numbers from time to time.

Finally Harper on issues like Iraq, BMD, and same-sex marriage seems to be offside with British Columbians so I don't think electing someone whose values are different than yours will solve Western Alienation. He seems quite pro-American, whereas I tend to think of BC as being one of the more anti-American provinces.