Re: The passages of 2015: Bill Bennett (B.C. Views, Jan. 6)
Tom Fletcher’s opinion piece needs some historical balance. From his right wing soap box, Fletcher lashes out at his usual targets: “militant unions and big labour left.” He praises Bennett’s “Restraint” program that slashed social services, gutted labor laws and made massive cuts to public schools while blaming teachers. This loaded the pain of a weak economy on the elderly, sick, young and vulnerable, a common occurrence in B.C.
Let’s not forget the biggest financial boondoggle in provincial history, the Coquihalla Scandal. Bennett used non-union contractors to allegedly keep the cost of the highway down (sound familiar to the Site C dam?). The cost rose from $375 million to near $1 billion, yet was kept secret from the public and the legislature.
To cover their tracks, Bennett’s government used no special warrants for additional funds, but rather a lot of contortions in a financial shell game to sweep the scandal under the carpet. Bill Bennett did some good things for B.C., but misleading the legislature would get you fired in many democracies.
Ted Roberts
Sooke
