The Case Against Christy Clark

Premier still deserves public criticism

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark has been getting a lot of flack lately, and rightfully so.

In May she travelled to Asia to promote provincial trade deals but brought two real estate companies with her, leading to suspicions that she aims to drive up the provincial housing market even further by attracting foreign investment. That same month, she received high criticism in the media for her decision to give funding to private schools instead of public schools, although only the latter are shutting down due to financial struggles. It was also revealed that dinners featuring Clark charge attendees up to $20,000 simply to eat and mingle with the Premier, with one hosted by SFU chancellor Anne Giardini taking $10,000 from each guest and another in Kelowna accepting $5,000 for them to attend a private reception.

The list goes on. See “YogaGate,” Clark’s failed idea to shut down the Burrard Bridge so that a free yoga class could be taught there which wasted $150,000, or the $42-million in taxpayer money that was lost when she sold land to Liberal party donors for a fraction of the listed price as a means of balancing her budget for the 2013/2014 fiscal year.

Chair of fundraising for the BC Liberals Bob Rennie says that he has helped the Liberals raise nearly $5-million over four years, which has allowed the party to dig themselves out of election debt and save for the upcoming campaign. He calls the their pricey networking dinners “business as usual,” saying, “It costs money for those Vote for Me signs and it costs money to get the message across,” in an article in The Globe and Mail.

If paying $20,000 in dinner and “Vote for Me signs” is what Liberal money is going to, Clark and her government need to set their priorities straight. And that’s not even considering the offensively high amount that she invests in personal spending.

Considering that Clark has received over $277,000 from the BC Liberals over the past five years, as a top-up to her $195,000 salary, including $50,000 just since 2015, it’s understandable that she can be reckless with her cash. That’s a lot of money to have in-pocket, and it has to go somewhere.

One of Clark’s preferred areas of choice is private flights, which she has unloaded over half a million dollars on over five years, and other payments that racked up her $475,015 credit card bill. In the bill, it is written that $2,279 was spent at an oyster bar and $433 at Capilano Suspension Bridge, so at least the money is going somewhere productive.

She also sends her son to Vancouver’s most prestigious private school for boys, with tuition falling between $18,995 and $21,355 per year.

Meanwhile, the Liberal government has seen courthouses, jails, schools, emergency rooms, and legal aid offices close, as well as eight health ministry researchers mysteriously fired without any proof of an RCMP probe being conducted and no reasonable excuse offered from the Premier or her party.

All things considered, it appears that Clark is unabashedly biased towards the wealthy and unwilling to offer transparency in her government. What’s worse, in the midst of being criticized for such actions, her supporters have taken to playing the woman card instead of addressing her mistakes.

An ally of Clark’s, former Liberal MLA Judi Tyabij, recently wrote a biography about the Premier, describing Clark as “a highly charismatic, very attractive, very effective woman in politics.” The book, Christy Clark: Behind the Smile, alleges that she is criticized not for her political folly, but because she is a woman.

The host behind Vancouver’s fundraising dinner for the Liberals, Anne Giardini, says that Clark was criticized for the event because she is female, adding that women are “particularly targeted” in politics for spending.

While that may be true, it is not the case for Christy Clark. Making errors as a politician is one thing. Repeatedly committing wrongdoings without giving clear cause, looking to amend the situation, or accepting due responsibility is another.