October 21, 2011
WHO DOES DIX PUT FIRST?
 
CHILLIWACK – Nycole Turmel’s complaints about Quebec being shut out of the shipbuilding contracts clearly show which province she and the NDP put first. The BC NDP is just a provincial franchise of the main party, and this raises a question: Who does Dix put first?
 
“The $8 billion contract to Seaspan ought to be cause for celebration, but despite his best efforts Dix can barely crack a smile,” says Chilliwack MLA John Les. “His federal boss Nycole Turmel is clearly upset that the NDP’s bastion of Quebec did not make the grade.”
 
Instead of congratulating Seaspan and Irving Shipyards for putting together the best bids, Turmel complained in Parliament, saying the Government of Canada was “picking winners and losers.”
 
“What a ridiculous thing to say,” says Les. “The best bids won – end of story – and that’s how it should be. The federal government took a transparent, forward-thinking approach in terms of the process for selecting the best bids, too, and I applaud that.
 
“All Turmel cares about, though, is staunchly advocating for the interests of Quebec. And Dix is silent on the issue. Not a peep out of him to stick up for B.C.”
 
Dix also kept mum when Turmel complained about the allocation of new seats in the House of Commons, which will see B.C. receive a fairer share.
 
“Fair representation for B.C. in Parliament is another area where Dix defers to Turmel,” says Les. “She tried to hold up earlier efforts to redress regional imbalances, and what did Dix do to stand up for B.C.? Nothing.
 
“Adrian Dix now needs to make a decision. Will the BC NDP sever ties with the federal party and put B.C. first, or will the BC NDP continue to take their marching orders from a Quebec-based boss who is focused first and foremost on the interests of that province?”
 
Visit John’s website at www.johnlesmla.bc.ca

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