October 11, 2017

Liberal Leadership: Stone Repents

From the Sun:

The former transportation minister said the Liberals ran a tight ship economically, but didn’t listen when it came to the needs of many communities, especially in Metro Vancouver where the Liberals were punished in last spring’s election.
“There is no downplaying this, we have learned some tough lessons as a party,” said Stone, who announced his leadership bid in Surrey, where the Liberals lost seats to the New Democrats.
The Liberals took the wrong path on transportation issues in the populous Metro area, alienating local politicians and residents on an issue that affects people’s daily lives.
“There was too much tension. Too much political calculation,” Stone said. “We need to stop telling local communities and regions what is best for them. We need to start engaging with them to improve places where we live, work and play.”

Well, do tell.
Tell us about that “political calculation.”  Tell us about those “tough lessons” that you learned.  If you took the wrong path on transportation issues in Metro, what is now the right one?
Tell us whether you’re still prepared to support a 10-lane Massey bridge.  And where that idea came from in the first place.
Tell us what ‘mobility pricing’ means to you, and whether you will support a proposal from Metro if that’s what the region decides.  Or how else you’d help pay for infrastructure.
Tell us about what ‘engaging local communities’ really means – and whether it simply comes down to us figuring out a way to tax ourselves for infrastructure while you use the Metro as a cash cow to fund it elsewhere in the province.
Tell us, in short, what you believe and why we should believe you now.

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Comments

  1. Interesting to see that he puts on the blame on the party, but doesn’t seem to take any personal responsibility for those failures.

  2. Crocodile tears.
    This guy issued statement after statement that amounted to nothing less than propaganda for the Cato Institute supporting gargantuan freeways over modest requests for adequate transit planning and funding in a city where half the population of the entire province lives, and generates half the wealth. The statements were factually wrong and countered decades of genuine evidence and research on the disasterous effects of car / freeway-based planning on cities and human health.
    He and several ministers — not to mention the ex-premier — treated local government like children and residents with arrogance. They have now paid the price. This calls for a 16-year time-out.
    This is also a lesson for the NDP-Greens to treat all cities and ridings with respect, or they will pay a price too.

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