Government minister with Trust in bailiwick says assertion a desperate attempt to deliberately mislead the public

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By Ian Cobb

A ‘press release’ issued by the BC NDP on April 28, says the BC Liberal Party is “planning to strip benefits out of Columbia Basin Trust (CBT).”

“Christy Clark needs to tell Kootenay (East) and Columbia (River-Revelstoke) voters if they intend to strip the region of vital benefits of the Columbia Basin Trust if they’re re-elected,” begins a press release issued by the four BC NDP candidates in the Kootenays, including Gerry Taft (Columbia River-Revelstoke) and Randal Macnair (Kootenay East).

The assertion stems from a statement made by Jim Postnikoff, BC Liberal candidate in Kootenay West, who “told a forum in Nakusp Tuesday  (April 25) that the Trust, which funds vital services across the region, should just be used to fund the BC Liberal platform,” the NDP release stated, divulging no other details.

“The Columbia Basin Trust is a model for community development and it assures that the regions who (sic) own the resources benefit from those resources,” said Kootenay West BC NDP candidate Katrine Conroy. “It’s incredible to think that Christy Clark’s Liberals want to take those benefits away from this region.”

“You have to wonder if this is another plank of the BC Liberals’ secret platform,” said Nelson-Creston BC NDP candidate Michelle Mungall. “We’ve already heard a Lower Mainland candidate talk about how she wanted to privatize health care, and Christy Clark refused to disavow those comments. And just a few days ago, another one of Christy Clark’s candidates said the BC Liberals are planning a review of the tax system to justify bringing in the HST again.”

The Columbia Basin Trust was implemented in the 1990s to return benefits to regions devastated by the original Columbia River Treaty in the 1960s. The trust fund was never intended to be included in general revenue, and certainly not to plug holes in the BC Liberal financial plan, the NDP said.

“Christy Clark hasn’t been working for the people of the Kootenays since she came to power,” said Columbia River-Revelstoke BC NDP candidate Gerry Taft. “We need someone like John Horgan – who was instrumental in the creation of the Columbia Basin Trust – to stand up for our interests.”

“The BC Liberals have failed rural B.C., and there are fewer people working outside of Vancouver than there were in 2008,” said Kootenay East BC NDP candidate Randal Macnair at the conclusion of the press release. “The fact that the BC Liberals are looking at emptying the trust shows they are completely out of touch with the people of rural B.C.”

Bill Bennett, who while retired as Kootenay East MLA remains B.C.’s Minister of Energy and Mines until a new cabinet is sworn in following the May 9 election, is also responsible for CBT. He provided e-KNOW with a response to the NDP press release.

“I can say with absolute certainty – and I will stake my personal reputation on this fact – the BC Liberal Party has zero interest in removing any benefits from the CBT. My colleagues recognize that the CBT is a wonderful asset to the people of the Columbia Basin, and we recognize this asset is well deserved after the flooding caused by the Columbia River dams built decades ago. I have given the NDP credit in the Legislature on many occasions for creating the CBT and it is therefore most surprising and incredibly disappointing that the NDP has stooped to this level. The NDP candidates quoted in this pathetic news release should be ashamed of themselves and should immediately apologize.”

Bennett said the April 28 press release is an outright lie.

“In all my years in politics, I have never seen a more dishonest, reckless and desperate attempt to deliberately mislead the public. The NDP news release about the Columbia Basin Trust is sickening and is a clear indication of just how desperate the NDP is to gain power again in B.C. I’ve seen them frighten seniors to get votes. Now they are trying to scare the people of my home region with an outright lie.

“The people of the Columbia Basin can rest easy that the CBT is strong today and that the BC Liberal Party supports the status quo with the Trust. After this debacle, voters in the Kootenays will know for certain that the NDP cannot be trusted. They will say anything, just like their leader,” Bennett concluded.

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