Gordon Campbell: Living Large On Taxpayer Millions

  To the average reader, Canadian politics doesn't really register on your collective radar, so I'll make this outrage short, sweet, and easy to read.

  This man here is Gordon Campbell and he was the Premier of British Columbia for 9 years, when he and his band of old Reform, Conservative, and social Credit buddies took over the Liberal Party and won 3 consecutive elections. It goes without saying that the party was Liberal in name only during this recently-ended period.

During this time, Gordon Campbell sold off many of BC's natural resources and privatized profit-making provincial corporations, selling all to his stable of cronies. There is now an inquiry into Campbell's corrupt sell-off of BC Rail, which was essentially given to a friend. People are rightly pissed at his selloff of BC Ferries, which went to another buddy, and the fact he sold 3 ferries to their manufacturer for 10% of their value. His party had numerous offices raided and members arrested for things which included registry violations. Gordon Campbell was convicted of drunk driving while in another country while in office and took a bribe to institute a wildly unpopular tax that mainly affects lower classes. During his time in office, hospitals and clinics were closed, teachers and therapists laid off, and homeless people forcibly relocated so the city of Vancouver wouldn't look so bad during the Olympics.

Times were bad when Gordo was in office. He was so hated that he resigned after massive protests. His approval rating the day he stepped down was 9%- the lowest of any politician in Canadian history. Gordon Campbell wound up with a pension that us mere mortals could only dream of, but he got the hell out of his seat, and we were happy for it.

Cue to today, when the Prime Minister of Canada, the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, decided it was time to appoint some diplomats. The usual faces, like Sanjeev Chowdhury, were shuffled to new locations and there were a few brand new diplomatic faces. And one of those was our pal Gordo. Yes, Harper named Gordon Campbell Canada's High commissioner in Great Britain; the second-most important diplomatic job in the country. It includes loads of fun in London, full medical and dental, a $1.5 million salary, and another pension which he can keep along with his existing one. The guy who financially mismanaged Canada out of billions of dollars and caused one province to crash while others flourished is getting the royal treatment.

Decisions like this one show you exactly how out of touch with everyday Canucks Mr. Harper really is. Dreadful appointments, adding "Royal" to our country's institutions, and turning the rare surplus into a deficit by giving tax breaks to the rich are just the beginning for our version of George W.


I understand that since P.M. Harper was voted in with a majority, he can do anything he wants; however, offering the most plum available post to one of the nation's most hated men will come back to bite you in the ass come next election. I can guarantee it.