Politics

20 Jul 2021 British Columbia’s Sesquicentennial: What’s Special About British Columbia?

Sesquicentennial. Now that’s a word you don’t hear every day. Sesquicentennial is the celebration of the 150th anniversary of something. Depending on your age and your interest in political history, you might remember some recent sesquicentennials. On July 1, 2017, Canada celebrated its 150th anniversary, complete with fireworks, festivities, and a hockey rink on Parliament Hill (upon which, to many Canadians’ chagrin, no hockey was actually played). British Columbia also has celebrated some sesquicentennials in recent years. One can make a strong case that there are three dates that mark British Columbia’s...

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22 Apr 2021 The Government of British Columbia’s Priorities for 2021

On April 13, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, Janet Austin, delivered the government’s annual Speech from the Throne and, a week later, British Columbia’s Finance Minister, Selina Robinson, presented the annual provincial budget. Both documents lay out the government’s priorities for the legislative year. In their Speech from the Throne and budget, the NDP government re-committed themselves to the pragmatic style of government that has characterized their administration over the past four years. It is clear that the provincial government and Christians prioritize very different issues. There were no announcements in...

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19 Apr 2021 Liberal and NDP Convention Debrief

Two weekends ago, both the Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party of Canada held their bi-annual conventions. Due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions, these conventions were held online this year, like the Conservative party’s convention a few weeks ago. Conventions are opportunities for members of political parties to come together, build the party, and prepare for the next election. Although conventions are attended by and intended for committed party members, the policies discussed and voted on at these conventions provide outsiders a blueprint as to what the party grassroots...

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22 Mar 2021 Conservative Convention Debrief

Last week, the Conservative Party of Canada held its bi-annual policy convention. Due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions, this convention was held virtually, enabling a record number of delegates to attend this year. Conventions are opportunities for members of political parties to come together, build the party, and prepare for the next election. At this virtual convention, delegates participated in campaign training, watched Conservative leader Erin O’Toole outline the party’s post-COVID-19 recovery plan, voted for national councillors (who help run and direct the party), voted on changes to the party constitution, and,...

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18 Mar 2021 Webinar: Christian Engagement in the Forgotten Level of Government

Topic: Christian Engagement in the Forgotten Level of Government Date and Time: March 31, 7:30 PM EST | 7:00 PM PST Christians who are engaged in politics tend to heavily follow federal politics and, to a lesser extent, provincial politics. But what about local politics? Should Christians be involved in municipal issues and public school boards? Join us on March 31st as we interview several Reformed Christians who hold (or have held) local offices and hear their thoughts about local political engagement. Register for the 7:30 EST webinar! Eastern Webinar Guests Dave Bylsma...

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27 Jan 2021 S-203: Petition for online sexually explicit material & PornHub developments

Download the printable petition! Petitions are a tool for political action. This might be obvious to some, but there are some advantages that not a lot of people know about. For example, the petition linked above on Bill S-203 - An Act to restrict young persons’ online access to sexually explicit material - for every 25 signatures received this issue can be brought to the attention to the House of Commons with a short speech. What if you can't get 25 people to sign? No problem. Just get those in...

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11 Jan 2021 Compassionate travel is essential travel

Published in Winnipeg Free Press NDP Member of Parliament Niki Ashton used her holidays to visit her ill grandmother in Greece. She should be commended for this act of compassion – instead, she was stripped of her cabinet critic positions and subjected to public shaming for choosing to travel when non-essential travel is being limited. Elected leaders travelling to exotic locations for their Christmas holidays during the COVID-19 crisis are rightly being called out for failing to practice what they preach. But it’s unfortunate that there has not been greater discretion by...

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13 Nov 2020 Inviting Your MLA to a Feast

The votes are tallied. The final results are in. British Columbia’s MLAs have officially been elected or re-elected. Now is the time to begin building relationships! So how do I build relationships? Building relationships requires work and patience. And, in some cases, a feast. (Intrigued? Keep reading.) A number of years ago ARPA developed a 12-Step Action Plan to guide you in building a relationship of trust and respect with your local government official. This plan outlines one step for every month in the calendar year that you can take to foster that...

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06 Nov 2020 What if British Columbia and Canada were governed by students?

Imagine a parallel universe in which British Columbia and all of Canada were ruled not by adults, but by students. Two weeks ago, British Columbians went to the polls to elect a new provincial government. A little over a year ago, Canadians also elected a new federal government. We all know the outcomes: the BC NDP won a solid majority at the provincial level, with the BC Liberals bleeding seats and BC Greens maintaining their support. At the federal level, the Liberals won a minority government. The Conservatives formed the official...

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25 Oct 2020 Fear God and Honour the Emperor: The Results of the 2020 BC Election

According to the preliminary results of the 2020 British Columbia, the BC NDP has won a major electoral victory. The NDP is projected to win 55 of British Columbia’s 87 seats. Of the five electoral victories for the BC NDP, this election gave the party a larger margin of victory than in the 1996 and 2017 and a smaller margin of victory compared to 1972 and 1991 elections. However, these are just preliminary results. Elections BC issued almost 725,000 mail-in ballots, or about 20% of all total votes, that remain to...

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