VICTORIA – On the occasion of Harvest Moon Festival –추석, New Democrat leader John Horgan made the following statement on behalf of the Official Opposition.

“September 27 is Harvest Moon Festival for Koreans around the world. On behalf of the New Democrat caucus, we extend our warmest thoughts to the Korean community as they embark upon a happy Harvest Moon Festival.  All British Columbians who enjoy and share Korean culture look forward to this celebrating occasion, and we wish them a joyful Harvest Moon Festival,” said Horgan.

Jane Shin, the New Democrat deputy spokesperson for multiculturalism said, “Harvest Moon Festival –추석is one of the ancestral memorial rites that have been done for thousand years in Korea. As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food. We are all aware of the Korean community’s contributions as they make British Columbia a better place. It is a time for us also, to acknowledge the important contributions Korean-Canadians have made and their commitment to greater respect, harmony, and a more compassionate community.

As you celebrate Harvest Moon Festival, we join with you in wishing for a peaceful, and joyous future.”

Happy추석!

VICTORIA – On the occasion of Harvest Moon Festival –추석, New Democrat leader John Horgan made the following statement on behalf of the Official Opposition.

“September 27 is Harvest Moon Festival for Koreans around the world. On behalf of the New Democrat caucus, we extend our warmest thoughts to the Korean community as they embark upon a happy Harvest Moon Festival.  All British Columbians who enjoy and share Korean culture look forward to this celebrating occasion, and we wish them a joyful Harvest Moon Festival,” said Horgan.

Jane Shin , the New Democrat deputy spokesperson for multiculturalism said, “Harvest Moon Festival –추석is one of the ancestral memorial rites that have been done for thousand years in Korea. As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food. We are all aware of the Korean community’s contributions as they make British Columbia a better place. It is a time for us also, to acknowledge the important contributions Korean-Canadians have made and their commitment to greater respect, harmony, and a more compassionate community.

As you celebrate Harvest Moon Festival, we join with you in wishing for a peaceful, and joyous future.”

Happy추석!

Premier Christy Clark’s two most-senior and highest-paid appointees are contradicting each other about who was responsible for firing seven health researchers and smearing them by saying they were subjects of an RCMP investigation.

One of those Clark deputy ministers must not be telling the truth. One of her deputy ministers is preventing us from knowing who terminated these researchers and why.

The premier must require her appointees to give evidence under oath so that the researchers, their families and British Columbians can finally get the truth.

ON THE RECORD:

While Premier Clark says that the Marcia McNeil investigation closed the book on this tragic affair, saying “it was a thorough review,” nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Ms. McNeill’s report only serves to underscore the need for government to compel those involved in the government’s decision to give full answers about their roles and involvement.

McNeill’s observations include:

• “Two of the most difficult questions I considered during my review were who effectively made the dismissal decisions, and what factors were considered. These questions remain unanswered.”

• “Although the Deputy Minister [of Health] signed the letters of dismissal for each employee, no one has taken responsibility for making the effective recommendation to dismiss the employees. Instead, those most likely to have made the effective recommendation all pointed to someone else.”

Graham Whitmarsh, appointed by Clark as health deputy minister and paid the second-highest salary in government, said of the firing decision and the role of Clark’s handpicked deputy minister to the premier, John Dyble: “You and I both individually and together briefed John Dyble on many occasions during the course of the investigation….he was involved in some of the key decisions and the timing of some of the key events.”

John Dyble, the premier’s deputy minister, claims to have played no role. The deputy attorney general said this about Mr. Dyble in a letter released three weeks after the McNeil report: “I have also been advised that while Mr. Dyble received a general briefing regarding the investigation, it was well in advance of the decision to fire the Ministry of Health employees, and he had no role in the final decision.”

Clearly, only one of these versions of events can be true.

The people whose lives were directly affected by the mistreatment of this government deserve answers. Linda Kayfish, the sister of Roderick MacIsaac, the researcher who took his own life following the firings, had only two questions: Who was responsible, and why.

Those questions remain to this day, and New Democrats believe a public inquiry is needed to get to the truth.

Instead of reducing the wait for assessments for kids with individual learning needs that can take up to 2-3 years, school districts are being asked to make more cuts and send the money to Victoria, again. MLA Rob Fleming asked the minister to explain why, despite repeatedly promising his government would fully fund all costs associated with a teacher’s settlement, he is now pushing it onto cash-strapped school boards to figure out.

卑詩新民主黨黨領賀謹(John Horgan)

本周，聯邦政府漠視卑詩省民的意願，執意批准安橋公司的北方門戶輸油管計畫，一個會危及卑詩工作和本省天然美景卻獲益很少的計畫。

 
新民主黨持續反對這項計畫，亞省的重原油用巨型油輪運輸經過卑詩北方沿岸。我們知道卑詩需要藉能源產業，創造更多工作讓社區獲利，並保護我們的土地、空氣和水源。但是這項高風險的計畫，威脅到我們現有工作和所倚賴的環境，回報卻微乎其微：幾乎沒有永久性的工作，漏油危險可能導致環境和經濟慘遭破壞。

 
但是省長簡蕙芝不僅未站出來為我們的海岸、社區和工作說話，她的政府還暗地支持這項計畫。周一，簡蕙芝說這項計畫不符合她政府的條件，但是上周她的財政廳長卻告訴記者安橋輸油管計畫面臨「一些阻礙…但是我認為他們能夠克服。」簡蕙芝的重要顧問戴國衛也簽署公開信要求通過油管計畫。

 
卑詩自由黨當初放棄審核計畫的權利任由聯邦政府處置，並未堅持在環境評估與聯邦共享控制權。不能拿回控制權意味著，卑詩省民在審議過程參與發言的機會遭到剝奪。

 
發展卑詩自己的、較為乾淨的能源，拓展亞洲市場才是正道。若適當處理及保護我們的土地、空氣和水源，液化天然氣輸出將能創造好的新工作，尊重接納原住民意見共同讓卑詩社區獲益。

 
遺憾的是我們今天只見到更多卑詩自由黨的錯誤管理。即使他們目光狹隘把焦點只放在液化天然氣而忽略其他經濟產業，他們造成的延誤與失敗已經使這個機會出現危機。自由黨與能源公司密室協商，另一方面卻與原住民的關係陷入危機，延遲一年提出稅務方案。

 
他們也未能有效為液化天然氣出口爭取社會支持，拒絕進行科學評估液壓裂解法，開誠布公對大眾討論溫室氣體排放目標，用行動減緩我們土地、空氣和水源的危機。更糟的是，儘管原住民和社區一面倒反對安橋輸油管，自由黨卻無法阻止計畫通過，導致社會不安威脅到其他的投資機會。

 
我認為我們應該把握對卑詩省有利的機會，而不是追逐高風險低效益的計畫。這意味著平衡的能源發展，為卑詩創造好的新工作造福社區，尊重接納原住民意見並保護我們的環境。

 
卑詩自由黨不能代表卑詩省民阻止北方門戶輸油管，現在又導致液化天然氣的機會陷入危機。這些失敗傷害了投資者、原住民和公眾對經濟的信心，更傷害了卑詩在能源產業創造更多工作的能力。

新民主黨教育評論員范廉明(Rob Fleming)

2002年全省數千名孩童進入小學一年級就讀。當時的教育廳長簡蕙芝通過法令，導致課堂人數增多，有特殊需要學生的幫助減少。現在同一批孩童準備高中畢業，省長簡蕙芝及其政府依舊不尊重教師，把孩童和家長放在最後，在卑詩公立學校挑釁製造衝突。

這群孩童在學校時，卑詩最高法院─不只一次而是兩次裁定，省府的課堂人數和組成法令違反憲法。

第一次發生在2011年，省府沒有對判決上訴，省長還說「會確保我們從不同的立基與教師工會協商，正如同法院所建議的。」結果正好相反，一年後簡蕙芝政府引進立法，卑詩最高法院後來判決認為跟之前的立法「實質上完全一樣」。二次立法再度被法院判決違憲，法官還譴責自由黨談判不具誠意。

不僅卑詩公眾教育的紀錄未開展新頁，法院還發現卑詩自由黨企圖挑釁造成卑詩學校全面罷工，以滿足自己的政治利益。法院判決指出：「他們的策略是對工會施壓力，挑釁工會導致罷工。」

卑詩自由黨最近企圖激怒教師造成緊張關係升級，顯示他們的策略仍舊如出一轍。當需要出面領導與教師達成協議時，卑詩自由黨卻繼續玩弄政治把戲。結果再次導致教師將在本周投票，決定是否擴大抗爭行動成為全面罷工。

卑詩自由黨不僅缺乏協商誠意，還強制實施部分停工危及中斷學校活動，包括校外教學、畢業典禮、考試給分和成績單更新，導致學校體制內的每個人更加困惑。

一個真正希望學校制度穩定的政府，是不會在談判期間讓緊張關係升級，不考慮孩童及家庭因爭端而生活陷入混亂，也不會為了自己的政治利益而激怒罷工，拿我們的孩童當作人質。

我們有幸在卑詩省享受優異的公共教育制度，有優秀的老師教導培育孩童發展，他們值得受到政府尊重。新民主黨呼籲卑詩自由黨政府開始像個大人一樣行動，為他們所造成的教育混亂負起責任，腳踏實地努力工作與卑詩教師達成協議。