Former New Democrat MLA Charlie Wyse of Williams Lake is going to take another run for the seat in the legislature he lost to Donna Barnett by 88 votes in the 2009 provincial election.
Wyse was first elected as the Cariboo South MLA in 2005, an election he won by 114. He was acclaimed by the British Columbia NDP as the candidate for the Cariboo-Chilcotin on July 8.
Noting he’s not certain the people of the Cariboo-Chilcotin are looking forward to an election at this time, Wyse says he announced his intentions to run because Premier Christy Clark has indicated she is looking at calling an election before 2013.
“We’re prepared to go. For myself, I believe the things that are important in our riding continue to be missed and ignored in Victoria. My hat is in the ring.”
Since the B.C. Liberal government was re-elected in 2009, Wyse adds, it has failed to address critical issues of land stewardship, First Nations relations and job creation in the rural areas.
When you look at the issue of land stewardship and the harvesting methods being used with the beetle-killed pine, he says the government is ignoring the environmental impact and the effect these practices are having on other land users and sustainable jobs that they provide to the area.
There are issues around the land usage impacts the ranching industry, the hydrology (water table), as well as tourism, guide-outfitters and other land users who provide jobs for the area, Wyse adds.
He notes the relationship between the Cariboo-Chilcotin First Nations communities and the B.C. Liberal government continues to interfere with development in the area.
“The practice of having First Nations being the last obstacle in a development, rather than having the First Nations involved from the very beginning affects what does and doesn’t happen in the Cariboo.”
Wyse notes that mining projects in the region that have First Nations involved from the beginning,
such as those at Canoe Creek and Likely areas, are proceeding.
”With that type of approach, you end up increasing the development occurring in our area.”
As far as his position on the Prosperity gold and copper mine in the Chilcotin, Wyse says the issues remain the same as they were two years ago.
“The federal environmental review process confirmed the concerns regarding the environment that I raised back then as the MLA.
“And we still have the other issue in regards to First Nations. [After the federal cabinet denied the application], the provincial government immediately went directly to Ottawa and bypassed First Nations completely.”
During the lead-up to the 2009 provincial election, Wyse says the B.C. Liberals said there would not be a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), but then implemented it almost immediately after getting re-elected.
Premier Clark’s government defends the HST, he adds, so there hasn’t been a policy change on the HST in Victoria.
“We know that in the Cariboo, there are service industries and small businesses that have been profoundly affected by the HST.” The large corporations, which are benefiting from the approximately $2-billion tax shift from the corporations to consumers and small businesses, aren’t providing the jobs that the government predicted for the area, Wyse notes.
By first misleading the electorate and then implementing the largest taxation shift ever requires a review of the HST, he says, and it’s only because of the citizens initiative bylaw the government is forced to deal with the HST through the referendum.
Wyse says the NDP are also concerned about affordable housing for seniors and required support so they’re able to live independently.
“We also need to be looking at the funding of rural schools so that on an annual basis, they’re not continually being looked at for closure, and the school districts aren’t required to redirect their resources in order to keep these rural schools open at the expense of some other programs across the district.”
He says part of the reason he is running is so there are some alternatives and it isn’t just a matter of criticizing.
“There are some very viable options that will be in front of the people in the Cariboo-Chilcotin.”
As far as when those options will be made public, Wyse says that’s up to Premier Clark and when she calls the next provincial election.
“If the HST is extinguished, the government is forced to go back and revisit how sales taxes are provided in British Columbia. Then we’ll have an opportunity to talk about the various alternatives that can be looked at.”
