THE QPEE FOR EXCELLENCE IN EXCUSES
We know, we know, we're late. Ironically, the QPee blue ribbon judging panel was in Victoria last week for meetings, more meetings, schmoozing, chats, and chinwags.
Excusable: The QPees for being late.
Inexcusable: NDP Minister Selina Robinson complaining that processing Freedom of Information requests costs money. C'mon, Selina. You're better than that.
THE QPEE FOR EXCELLENCE IN SHOWING HOW IT'S DONE
On Wednesday, the BC Liberals focused in on Doug "Vaughn Palmer thinks I should be fired" Donaldson, rightly slicing and dicing the Forests Minister for his weak response to the crisis gripping the industry.
It's been a bad run for Doug, made worse by his performances in the House.
On Thursday, the BC Liberals thought they could build on that success by smacking around Dave Eby, after the Attorney General lost yet another court case - this one potentially costing the provincial budget some $400 million.
Problem: Eby has been steaming away in hot yoga for more than two years, waiting for an ICBC question from the Opposition. While working on his Cobra Pose, he waited to strike - and strike he did.
Eby is clearly tired of being embarrassed in court, and he took it out on the Opposition with barbs, subtle namecalling, and a new story of BC Liberal ICBC mismanagement.
Where Donaldson seemed hapless in trying to punch back, Eby landed haymakers.
THE QPEE FOR EXCELLENCE IN EXTRANEOUS EXPLAINING
During Eby's Thursday performance, he blasted former ICBC minister Todd Stone by offering "a brief story about a member who didn't have the stones to stand up today."
Nice line. Vaughn Palmer certainly thought so, but then kind of ruined it with his dad-explanation in the weekend Vancouver Sun:
What kinda cockamamie world do we live in that we needed that explainer?
THE QPEE FOR EXCELLENCE IN SHOWING THE BOSS UP
Eby's Thursday was several cuts above John Horgan's Monday effort. After being asked about FOI, Horgan swiped at Stone: "The good news is that now that we’ve heard from player 1 and player 2, we might get to hear from the member for Kamloops South, because he’s really good at this — deleting stuff."
It didn't really land. And didn't produce any coverage like Eby did later in the week.
Maybe Horgan needs more time in hot yoga to workshop his insults.
THE QPEE FOR EXCELLENCE IN OWING DOUG A DANKE SCHOEN
Before Doug Donaldson muffed his QP, the worst performance of the week was Municipal Affairs Minister Selina Robinson on Tuesday. She flailed under questioning about helping small businesses survive huge property tax hikes and couldn't offer a reason to oppose the BC Liberals' push to reform the tax assessment classes so cities don't have to tax thin air above businesses in future development areas.
She eventually settled on this as her defence: "Since we formed government, we’ve saved B.C. businesses more than half a billion dollars so that they could be more competitive."
In fact, the Business Council of BC reports that the NDP Government has DOUBLED the tax take from businesses since they took over:
Eventually, Carole James had to stand up and clean up the mess. Fortunately for Robinson, no one will remember her performance: Donaldson was even worse the next day.
Jordan Bateman has a long history of public policy work, championing small business and fiscal responsibility. Currently the Vice President, Communications & Marketing for the Independent Contractors and Business Association (ICBA), Jordan also served six years as the B.C. Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, and was a two-term Langley Township Councillor.
SWIM ON:
- Last week was the so-hotly-it-was-molten anticipated debut of Jordan Bateman's QPees.
- Aaron Sutherland brings the numbers to show that ICBC has overpromised and underdelivered on rate design.
- At UBCM, Premier John Horgan had an opportunity to reset tense relations with rural BC. That didn't quite happen.
