Last week, Premier Gordon Campbell announced all new municipal capital projects receiving provincial funding will have to be reviewed by Partnerships British Columbia if they cost more than $20 million. The reason: perhaps he doesn't think local governments are competent enough to determine whether they need the government-owned company's consultation services? After all, the premier is a big believer in the doctrine of subsidiarity, which states: "It is wrong for a superior body to hold to itself the right to make decisions for which an inferior is already well qualified enough to make for itself.'"
Meanwhile, least one prominent New Democrat is questioning why his party hasn't made more of a ruckus about that announcement. Writes 24 hours's Bill Tieleman, "Surprisingly, the NDP opposition doesn't seem to have grasped the huge significance of Campbell's decision - that's the only way to explain the lack of a news release when one might expect them to scream blue bloody murder."
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Campbell's only giving P3's a helping hand.
On the one hand Campbell seems to be a big fan of subsidiarity (which sometimes ends up getting used as a euphemism for "downloading"). On the other hand, this announcement is part of a trend by which the Liberals have steadily been eroding local control over matters within local jurisdiction, with legislation like the Private Managed Forest Lands Act, a recent amendment to the BC Utilities Commission Act, and the Significant Projects Streamlining Act. And Campbell's campaign promise to introduce more regional transportation authorities remains unfulfilled, as his government looks at reducing still further the already meagre autonomy of the one such authority in the Lower Mainland.
Oh yes P3's, what about RAV, Mr. Premier? Isn't it true that the private sector pulled out of the P3 and now that public sector pension plans are being used to fund it? Isn't that a ponsie scheme?
Why did SERCo. bail out of the SNC Lavalin P3?
Why did European Banks refused to lens money for the RAV P3, unless the provincial goverment guarantee the loan? Why would not the banks assume any risk? Yes Mr. Premier why is that?
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