Tag Archives: times colonist

March 25th – Market Update – Times Colonist

Below, are some letters to the editor responses to the recent Times Colonist newspaper editorial, warning of the serious impact of Bill 7. The Victoria newspaper is available throughout Vancouver Island, and is to be commended for bringing Bill 7 to our attention. See below:

“Opinion: Times Colonist March 25, 2025”


Times Colonist


With his financial record, don’t give more power

The recent letters and the editorial criticizing Premier David Eby’s attempt to grant himself dictatorial powers through Bill 7 are well justified.

Justin Trudeau tried the same thing early in the pandemic, but was forced to retreat by public outrage and solidarity of the opposition parties.

B.C. citizens need to apply similar pressure with their local MLAs.

The type of judgement that has seriously weakened B.C. by turning a $5-billion surplus into an $11-billion deficit in the past two years is not the kind of judgment that should ever be given unfettered power.

Dan Graham – North Cowichan

Rational oversight needed for Eby

With respect to the NDP government’s proposed Bill 7, it seems Premier David Eby is taking a leaf out of Donald Trump’s playbook by trying to use a declaration of emergency to give him and his cabinet dictatorial powers to bypass the legislature and enact any kind of policies and actions be they related to tariffs or other matters.

This is both unnecessary and undemocratic and is typical of the high-handed governing style of this government.

Further, on counter-tariff issues, I think it is dangerous to the country’s overall interest if provincial premiers start taking individual actions outside of a co-ordinated strategy led by the federal government.

This is why some kind of rational oversight is required.

Graham Williams – North Saanich

Alice in Wonderland has lessons for Eby

Re: “Provincial government’s Bill 7 is a disgraceful overreach,” editorial, March 21.

Premier David Eby has run amok with Bill 7.

As the Queen of Hearts was wont to say in Alice in Wonderland, “off with his (legislative) head.”

Sayonara, Mr. Eby.

Rick Lee – Victoria

Pass this legislation at your peril

Re: “Provincial government’s Bill 7 is a disgraceful overreach,” editorial, March 21.

I couldn’t agree more with the editorial. I have been an NDP voter but if this bill passes, not anymore.

I am tired of a political class that believes they know best and the citizens should just thank them for their superior brain power.

The opposition parties that garnered one less seat than the NDP will not be permitted to debate anything, but the government will consult with Indigenous peoples who represent about 5% of the population. This is not democracy, it is a power grab similar to the “executive authority” used by Donald Trump.

Wayne Cox – Saanichton

Stand up to our leaders, make them work for us

Re: “Provincial government’s Bill 7 is a disgraceful overreach,” editorial, March 21.

There is old adage that hard cases make for bad laws. The threat to Canada makes for a hard case but Bill 7, the Economic Stabilization (Tariff Response) Act, is the epitome of a bad law. Not only is it unnecessary, its very existence does more harm than good.

Canadians have come together in unprecedented fashion to stand up to American threats and President Donald Trump’s insulting attacks. Canadian premiers have been tripping over themselves to get in front of the crowd.

Ontario’s Doug Ford bills himself as Captain Canada, threatening drastic retaliatory acts, then withdrawing them for lack of practicality, then threatening them again.

Alberta’s Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe are effectively threatening to sell out Canada by seceding from the federation if we don’t surrender our energy, potash and agriculture. And B.C.’s David Eby wants to go all Viktor Orbán and pull an end run around our democratic institutions.

Meanwhile, our newly minted prime minister is struggling to show the world a coordinated approach, bolstering the military, affirming alterative foreign alliances, and promoting trans-Canada trade but it’s a tough gig without a mandate and herding a room full of cats.

It’s time the 90 per cent of Canadians who want to save this country stand up to their leaders.

Force Eby to re-holster his Bill 7, Smith and Moe to start pulling in the right direction, and engage in a federal election to choose a national leader with the experience, skill and mandate to realign Canada’s economic, social, and international infrastructure so we can survive this bad case, united and strong.

Gerry Klein – Maple Bay

This bill would destroy our democratic system

Re: “Provincial government’s Bill 7 is a disgraceful overreach,” editorial, March 21.

Section 19 of Bill 7, the “Economic ­Stabilization (Tariff Response) Act” allows cabinet (read Premier David Eby, who has total control of cabinet) to “make a regulation under this Part for one or more of the following purposes: (c) supporting the economy of British Columbia and Canada.”

Of course, almost any regulation could be justified under such an undefined non-specific broad purpose. This government recently determined that it was “good for the economy” to take away vested land-use rights from people operating perfectly legal short-term rental businesses.

What might be next under this new law? Eliminating other established and lawful activities to react to U.S. demands, or appease the American president would be possible under Section 19.

We shake our heads in disbelief at how executive orders can be made in Washington with no input or involvement of their elected congress and senate.

How are Section 19 regulations any different? This ability to “un-make laws” previously duly enacted by our elected representatives in the legislature is nothing short of the destruction of our democratic system.

We do not react to a loss of control south of the border by allowing ourselves to lose control.

Bill 7 must be stopped.

Elgin Bulova – Victoria

March 23, 2025 – Times Colonist

The concern about Bill 7 has had a North Vancouver writer (Caroline Elliott) observe the following, in Victoria’s Times Colonist newspaper. The Times Colonist is available throughout Vancouver Island and has an online version, too. See her commentary below:

Bill 7 enables Eby’s cabinet to do whatever it deems necessary to “support the economy of B.C. and Canada,” which is so broad it could include anything at all. – Caroline Elliott

Premier David Eby’s proposed Bill 7 would effectively suspend the democratic process in British Columbia for the next two and a half years.

Ostensibly intended to address the impact of tariffs, this autocratic bill — the Economic Stabilization (Tariff Response) Act — is not only unnecessary, but represents just the latest in a troubling pattern of disregard for democratic process by this premier.

This time, however, he can be stopped.

Eby, who formed government with the slimmest of majorities, is no doubt motivated by the prospect of avoiding uncomfortably close votes in the legislature as he pursues his own agenda.

As veteran columnist Vaughn Palmer puts it, this far-reaching legislation “would allow the cabinet to override provincial laws, regulations, authorities and even the legislature itself.”

Its extraordinary reach led Palmer to observe that, “in 41 years of covering B.C. governments, I’ve not seen a legislation as arbitrary and far-reaching this side of the federal War Measures Act.”

Conveniently announced immediately before the house recessed for a two-week spring break, Bill 7 enables Eby’s cabinet to do whatever it deems necessary to “support the economy of B.C. and Canada,” which is so broad it could include anything at all.

As columnist Rob Shaw explains, Bill 7 empowers cabinet to “amend any law, overwrite any policy, change any regulation, levy any fee, or gather anyone’s personal data with simply the stroke of a pen.”

Eby’s argument that Bill 7 is required to address tariffs is misleading. There’s nothing stopping him from convening the legislature at any time to pass any initiatives required to address the impact of tariffs.

Indeed, such extraordinary measures have not been implemented in any other province, or at the national level, despite the fact that these jurisdictions face the same tariffs.

But Eby’s disregard for democratic principles is not new.

Last November, he was denounced for reversing his commitment to hold a fall sitting of the legislature after October’s election. By not calling the house back as soon as possible, Eby avoided testing the confidence of the legislature, a crucial step in demonstrating the democratic authority of his government.

This act, rightly deemed by experts to be “an erosion of democratic norms,” meant the NDP had about four months, until February, to rule essentially unopposed.

Eby was also criticized for introducing the 2023 budget more than three weeks later than normal, delaying important matters of debate in a session he had already shortened by several weeks. This followed the cancellation of a week’s sitting of the previous session. This curtailed debate on two significant and controversial housing bills. These bills were aggressively pushed through.

One of those housing bills, Bill 44, is seriously undemocratic. It overrides decisions made by elected local governments by mandating the elimination of single family zoning in communities across B.C., nullifying official community plans (developed by elected councils on the basis of extensive public consultation), and eliminating the ability of local governments to hold public hearing processes on these matters.

This pattern goes back to the outset of Eby’s premiership. Eby was installed as NDP leader and premier without a vote among the party membership after his team successfully pursued the disqualification of his only opponent.

Time and again, Eby has demonstrated an “ends justify the means” mentality that sees democratic norms as optional in the pursuit of his agenda.

While rallying against President Donald Trump, Eby has consistently copied his methods.

It’s not too late to stop him.

There are 47 NDP MLAs, 41 Conservatives, three independents, and two Greens in the legislature. With the Conservatives and Independents set to oppose Eby’s deeply flawed bill, all NDP MLAs and the two Greens should think hard about how they will vote.

Will they support Eby’s efforts to deny their own constituents their elected voice in the legislature? Or, will they find their democratic conscience and stand up against this authoritarian bill?

In the likely event that NDP MLAs succumb to pressure from the premier, the Greens can still prevent the bill from becoming law.

By voting with Independent and Conservative MLAs against Bill 7, the Greens could render a 46-46 tie in the legislature.

The 47th NDP MLA serves as Speaker, and Parliamentary convention holds that the Speaker only vote in the case of a tie, and that they cast their vote to protect the status quo (i.e., against such radical legislation).

Proposing amendments to the bill, as the Greens have said they’ll do, is not enough. A message needs to be sent, loud and clear, that our democracy is not negotiable.

Unless NDP and (or) Green MLAs find it in themselves to stop Eby’s overreach, or Eby reverses course due to public dissent, it seems likely this shameless circumvention of democratic process will pass.

Let’s not give up our democracy without a fight. Tell your friends, speak up, and reach out to your MLA.

Demand they vote against Eby’s heavy-handed attempt to deny you your democratic voice.”

Stay tuned!