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Compare the New Era's last Two Throne Speeches

The February 12th Throne Speech marked the third legislative session and Throne Speech for the Campbell government. Least anyone misinterpret the speech, government promptly posted highlights from the Throne Speech to its website. Of course the highlights overlook key subtleties in the speech including recognition of hardships to come and further delay in the long promised Community Charter. The Charter first promised as part of the 90 day agenda has now slipped to a white paper with legislation in a year or more.

On July 24, 2001, Hon. Garde Gardom also read the new government's Throne Speech. In hindsight his opening words are now all the more important. The Lt. Governor began that speech saying:

"I wish to express my most sincere thanks and everlasting gratitude to British Columbians throughout the province for their many, many courtesies and assistance. I also wish to express everyone's thanks to former Chief Justice Allan McEachern. This May 18 he retired, following 21 years of outstanding service on the bench, ten years as Chief Justice of our Supreme Court and the past 11 years as Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal and Administrator for the province. His extraordinary intellect, insightful and evenhanded application of law and remarkable leadership will forever be an inspiration to all British Columbians."

On the day of the Campbell government's third Throne Speech, the news is full of the Ministers of Finance and Health criticizing former Chief Justice Allan McEachern for the arbitration award he granted to BC.'s doctors. If there is any fault the criticism should go to how government argued its case, not to the arbitrator.

It is important to understand that it is the Premier's office, and ultimately the Premier, that writes the Speech from the Throne. The role of the Lt. Governor is simply to read that speech.

The speech read by Hon. G. Gardom on July 24, 2001, said:

"On May 16 the people of British Columbia elected a new parliament and a new government. In so doing, they supported my government's sweeping vision for economic, social and institutional revitalization. This is a time of great promise for all British Columbians, led by a new government with a strong mandate for positive change, a mandate to usher in a new era of hope, prosperity and public service."

"Fulfilling that mandate won't be easy. It will take fortitude, it will take resolve, and it will take tenacity. It will require reaching out to British Columbians to involve them in the critical decisions and choices that will affect their lives."

During the seven months following those remarks, British Columbians have increasingly felt uninvolved and not consulted as government announced one cutback after another without "reaching out to British Columbians to involve them". Careful readers will note that the speech read by Hon. G. Gardom referenced a sweeping vision for revitalization, NOT sweeping change that would devastate every aspect of public services from environmental protection to essential health care, from child welfare to the forest service.

The speech read by Hon. G. Gardom said:

"It will require an unswerving commitment to the value of diversity of ideas and opinion. And it will challenge my government and our society at large to invite open, honest debate and constructive criticism, for the maturity to accept respectful public engagement must allow for respectful public disagreement."

Who would have then imagined a government pretending to be committed to "respectful public engagement" would rush contract breaking legislation through a weekend sitting of the legislature ending with the need to wake the new Lt. Governor at 4 AM on a Monday morning to proclaim the Act that passed in the dark of night.

The government's third Throne Speech rapidly read by Hon. Iona Campagnolo avoided any of the high minded principles so clearly articulated by her predecessor seven months earlier. Unlike either the New Era Document, or the speech read seven months earlier, the speech read by Campagnolo said "Fundamental change is needed to the size and scope of government." It went on to acknowledge hardships and when talking about health care, words about getting it when and where you need it were replaced with words about short term sacrifices.

The first bullet in the government's highlights refers to the hand picked BC Progress Board that will issue its first report in a few weeks. That will be the government's attempt to measure itself. The Board's report will require evaluation against not only against other Progress Boards (such as Oregon's) but also against words found in the first Throne Speech from the Campbell government. Those words continue to provide the most important standard for judging that government. Hon. G. Gardon read:

"Public trust and confidence in government must be earned, not through words but through deeds. Qualities of honesty, integrity and competence must be earned by degrees over the months and years to come. The size of my government's unprecedented mandate carries with it an enormous obligation to meet British Columbians' desire for a government they can trust and respect. And to fulfill that aspiration, my government appreciates that it must significantly raise the bar of conduct and performance in everything that it does."

The government that put those words into the mouth of the former Lt. Governor is increasingly known for deceit, lies, secrecy and amateurism. The words the current Lt. Governor was required to read suggest additional descriptions for the government such as single minded, stubborn, uncaring and reckless.