Former premier Gordon Campbell is among 14 people soon to be awarded the honour of the Order of British Columbia.
The office of B.C. Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point announced the 2011 recipients Friday, noting that Campbell would be receiving the award due to his standing as a “visionary, leader [and] proud British Columbian.”
Campbell left office earlier this year amid controversy over his government’s handling of the harmonized sales tax…
Well that announcement is crap, in a number of ways. Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point might have read the announcement but it was written by partisan Liberal hacks following a Cabinet decision to grant provincial honours to 14 individuals. Membership in the Order of British Columbia is conferred upon some outstanding citizens for service to the province – search & rescue organizer Tim Jones is a 2011 example I know – but honours are readily given to other citizens merely for service to the Liberal Party.
In 2009, Andrew MacLeod of The Tyee reported Liberal donors well represented in Order of B.C. ranks. According to MacLeod, six of the 13 appointees in 2009 were Liberal donors, none were donors to the NDP.
This year, one of the recipients is Luigi Aqualini, patriarch of the family with roots, along with partners from the Zen family, in the oft criticized business of providing sub-standard housing to people with sub-standard incomes. In the 2007 article, The Hellhole, Vancouver Magazine referred to the Aquilini reputation now being somewhat rehabilitated from when “the Zens and Aquilinis came under assault from the media, from the (now extinct) tenants’ watchdog, the Rentalsman, and from the B.C. Legislature.”
No doubt, a redeeming feature for the Provincial Cabinet when they considered Aqualini’s Order of BC award was the almost $300,000 in donations to the BC Liberal Party from Aquilini family businesses, according to records of Elections BC.
Another on the awards list was Ken Dobell, Gordon Campbell’s longtime guru and rainmaker. The guy Bill Tieleman called an “arrogant fool” is a multiple-dipper into the public purse who has enjoyed a lucrative career while at times having his hands on Gordon Campbell’s reins and at other times on his coattails.
Dobell, along with the cynical David Emerson, is unworthy of being in the company of worthy honourees. Emerson, a man very much of the business establishment, has had senior connections with numerous corporations that have been generous BC Liberal donors. Honourees Yuri Fulmer, Jim O’Rourke (through multiple corporations), Ralph Nilson and Baljit Sethi are also donors to the BC Liberals.
The Order of B.C. Advisory Council submits nominations for the award each year but the Liberal Cabinet makes appointments. The Advisory Council is little involved in researching candidates, that is left to government political staff and the Council’s role is primarily ceremonial.
I was surprised the Clark government rushed to pin a medal on Gordon Campbell’s chest. (See the comment by North Van’s Grumps.) Campbell departed in disgrace and the worst of his policies are only now beginning to be recognized. I hear that associates of the legacy-obsessed former Premier have been suggesting the billion dollar convention centre should be named for Gordon Campbell. Either that or the new Port Mann crossings. Campbell is already planning a collection of accolades in the form of honorary degrees. The forty plus institutions of higher learning in London, his current home, provide fertile ground for that hobby.
Chasing titles, awards and monuments is a long tradition in politics, throughout the world. Campbell might put his eye on the late Idi Amin, awards collector par excellence. His self description at end of career was:
“His Excellency President for Life, Field Marshall Al Hadji Dr. Idi Amin, VC, DSO, MC, King of Scotland, Lord of all the Beast of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea and Conqueror of the British Empire in General and Uganda in Particular.”
Myanmar dictator Than Shwe is another collector of medals, pins and assorted regalia. Unearned awards and gear just seem to go with despots and dishonoured politicians.
Add your name to this Facebook group if Campell’s Order of BC does not sit well with you:
Categories: Campbell.Gordon, Ethics
in-sights.ca 
Brilliant and apt.
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Henceforth it shall be known as the “Ordure of BC” award.
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Perhaps, Christy will tell Campbell to bend over. So she can pin Campbell's OBC badge to his butt, with a hard vicious jab. I would never hesitate, to do so. That's the perfect place, for Campbell's OBC.
We all burst out laughing, that scum like Campbell, is getting the OBC. Campbell must have paid a pretty penny for that one. There is no way a corrupt, rotten snake like him could have won the OBC.
Just imagine this, in our kids future history books. Shame, shame on Christy for participating in that farce. One more bad slur on you Christy, you are a hypocrite as well. Obviously the OBC, is now dirtied and corrupt too. It
The OBC, has no more prestige, and no honor left. The very day it was decided to give someone as evil as Campbell that honor. The OBC is dead.
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The only reason Campbell was cheated into this award was, to make him look good for the appointment of, High Commissioner to England. After all, Campbell has the most foul and dirty political record, ever known in the history of this country.
Harper needed someone with, no morals or ethics, to con Europe into accepting the dirty sands oil. Europe is none to happy with Harper, for giving them false statement's, regarding how toxic the dirty oil is. Campbell is the perfect candidate.
The Brits are shocked, that Canadian politicians, are permitted to lie, be corrupt, to thieve from their people, and cheat to win.
Every dirty tactic Campbell and Harper use, goes directly to England. In England there are two M'P's doing time in prison right now, for corruption and theft.
The English don't like politicians with dirty records. The paparazzi, aren't muzzled or bought off either, as they are in Canada. They know every detail of, how low in character, Campbell really is. He stinks to high heaven.
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Gordon Campbell was chased from office not only over the HST scandal, the HST was just the final straw. His government has done enough scandalous crap to hang one on every Liberal MLA and toss the lot of them, they are all collectively responsible. The OBC is so tainted now that deserving recipients will be ashamed to have their name associated with Campbell.
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Around 20 years ago, I organized a seminar about injury response for coaches and others in kids' sports. Tim Jones, for no reward other than satisfaction for doing a good deed, agreed to contribute his knowledge as a Paramedic. He has contributed selflessly to our community for decades, quite unlike the political hacks and influence peddlers on the awards list.
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So g** d*** appalling I think I will throw up. Here we have a Premier, chased from office over the now defeated HST debacle, receiving this award.
If there was any hint that we are NOT a Banana Republic, this offensive award has confirmed the notion.
Alas, poor BC, the public have been so ill-served by so evil of people.
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Closing date for nominations for the obc closed on March the 10th this year…… Campbell was in office as an MLA/premier till March 15.
Nominations for the obc CANNOT be accepted by the advisory committee if the person is an elected official at the time of the nomination.
And Campbell certainly was…. or maybe they're looking from November of 2010 when he offered his resignation as Leader of the BC Liberals… or maybe they were looking at the point in time when Christy won the Leadership…
What it does look like is that Christy Clark ignored the fact that Gordon Campbell was still an MLA and gave him the obc. I'd surely like to see Christy do the honourable thing and waffle on Gordon being a 2011 recipient.
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