Category: Corruption

Above and beyond the rule of law

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Gordon Wilson should have been Premier of British Columbia. Instead, Vancouver power brokers of the 1990s wanted a more tractable person waiting to be Premier. Gordon Campbell replaced Wilson as Leader of the Official Opposition, David McLean and Jack Poole were among the money men who shaped the future of BC politics. Despite that setback, Wilson has lived an interesting life.

Just because the corruption plays out in public doesn’t mean it’s not corruption

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A week ago, Senator Chris Murphy said the Trump White House was “on its way to being the most corrupt in the history of the country.” That statement is wrong. The White House is not on its way; it has already arrived. Today’s car show at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is additional evidence. White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino livestreamed the event on X, the social media app owned by Musk. The Tesla share price increased more than 7% today, so the stunt added $55 billion to the company’s market capitalization. Members of the Trump crime family who knew about the car show likely profited immensely.

The rule of law matters

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Chris Murphy is the junior United States Senator for Connecticut. In 2024, The Guardian newspaper named him one of the Democratic Party’s rising stars, active in several policy areas, particularly healthcare, foreign policy and gun safety legislation. He delivered a scathing speech in the U.S. Senate about unprecedented corruption in the current administration. Canadians should pay attention to Senator Murphy. Trump has no desire for the continued independence of Canada. He views this country as a home for hewers of wood and drawers of water. It doesn’t matter that the phrase became outdated about 70 years ago. Canada has its own plutocrats waiting to steal from the common people. They may be inspired by the easy success of the Trump/Musk crime family.

New radical “conservatives”

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Ethics and morality have little to do with today’s self-serving radicals who falsely label themselves conservative. In too many cases, politicians promising responsible management of taxpayers’ assets have shunned prudent exercise of power. They tolerate extensive damage to the planet so that financial rewards can flow to corporate cronies and financial supporters.

Corruption – who cares?

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An earlier piece by Lew Edwardson recalled one example of public sector corruption. Such occurrences are so common that most pay scant attention. In British Columbia, we have government quietly granting subsidies worth billions of dollars to fossil fuel producers, more billions gifted by BC Hydro’s secret contracts for private power priced at multiples of market value, public land assets privatized at a fraction of fair market value, farmlands destroyed and innocent lives disrupted to reward political supporters…

The Faux-Feathered Falcon

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Led by the accomplished but politically naïve Andrew Wilkinson, BC Liberals were crushed in 2020 by John Horgan, a man who was an opposite of the Opposition leader. That led to BC Liberal influencers deciding an old reliable was needed to regain days when the region’s government was of business, by business, and for business. Democracy is targeted by rich and powerful groups determined to win at all costs. They are served by loyal agents moving in the halls of power. Guest writer Lew Edwardson remembers an issue that involved Kevin Falcon…

Liberal evasion

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Today, the Liberal who played a central role in casino oversight dodged questions about documents from Globe and Mail’s Justine Hunter. He also suggested he will refuse to reveal all that he knows to Inquiry Commissioner Austin Cullen. For Rich Coleman, it is not a matter of self-preservation. He aims to protect unnamed people who are vulnerable to violence if he talks.

Still too timid to act

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Freelance reporter Bob Mackin wrote that BC’s Legislature was a scandal waiting to happen and he quoted journalism professor and former Legislative reporter Sean Holman about the significant potential for abuse. Mackin blames excessive secrecy and lack of transparency…

Too timid to act?

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BC NDP’s unwillingness to appoint a Commission of Inquiry to investigate corruption in public administration is one more sign of timidity, a thing becoming the Horgan Government’s hallmark. We’ve seen much evidence of illegal money laundering at casinos and no significant penalties have been assessed against corporation or individuals. Business as usual continues and, good business it’s been for insiders.

Rafe & Scotty on Denman

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A preceding article contains two comments from readers who I regard highly. The contributions, from Rafe Main and Scotty on Denman, were to Overrun with dullards, bums, and hacks… Because they merit close attention, I present them here again for emphasis.

Indeed, power does corrupt

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Throughout time, elites have commanded portions of national economies that are disproportionate to their numbers within the populations. Of course, that is an inevitable result of different capabilities, opportunities, risk tolerance, dedication and fortune. The distribution of wealth and influence will never be equal but if the imbalance grows too large, particularly if opportunities are class-restricted, a civil society will not function. The elites may hold dominance for a period through force but history demonstrates that order will disintegrate in a society of severe inequality.

Time to end complicity with swindlers

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If members of the BC Legislature value ethical standards in business, they must revoke the LNG Project Agreements Act, the enabling act passed for Malaysian National Oil Company Inc.(PETRONAS). That company’s senior management answers directly to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is implicated by the FBI in misappropriations of more than $3 billion.

Prima facie

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Prima facie may be used as an adjective meaning: “Sufficient to establish a fact or raise a presumption unless disproved or rebutted.” Listen to Dermod Travis of Integrity BC talking with Ian […]

Pay to play

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I’m planning an article about campaign financing and the ludicrous conflicts of interest that exist when a government that manages public resources and taxation extracts millions of dollars in contributions from corporations […]