PolitiCoast: The BC Politics Podcast

A bombshell resignation by  Chrystia Freeland has turbocharged the likelihood we’re witnessing the final days of Justin Trudeau’s Prime Ministership. Plus the BC NDP and Greens sign a new confidence and supply agreement. We also get a peak  at the province and country’s finances. And another byelection goes badly for the Liberals. Links Sean Fraser to leave federal cabinet as PMO...

Tensions in the BC Conservative caucus spills out into public view. Plus a round up of BC politics stories and the latest from Ottawa on the GST holiday and the long delayed fiscal update. Links Rift in B.C. Conservative caucus deepens as MLA defies party leader | CBC News BC Conservative MLA accused of being a Manchurian candidate, Rustad defends free speech amongst caucus Canadian premiers urge...

Health issues for NDP MLAs and MPs. Polling suggests the GST holiday lands with a thud. Foreign interference in the Conservative Party. Trudeau meets with Trump and looks at further immigration and gun control reforms. Links Children and Family Development Minister Grace Lore steps down to undergo cancer treatment | CBC News NDP MP Randall Garrison to step down due to health reasons – The Gl...

David Eby’s new cabinet is sworn in. John Rustad bestows opposition roles. But the legislature won’t meet till February. Federally, we have a GST holiday and $250 gift from Trudeau, if Singh will agree to the terms. And Trump threatens Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs on everything. Links New Chief of staff New cabinet ready to deliver on the priorities of British Columbians All NDP...

We remember John Horgan, look back at the final judicial recount results and preview an upcoming federal byelection. Plus labour strife for Trudeau, Singh promises to cut the GST on essentials, Liberal & Conservative bickering over housing grants and a cap on oil & gas emissions. Links Former B.C. premier John Horgan dies following battle with cancer | Globalnews.ca Surrey-Guildford Judici...

Elections BC is under scrutiny after announcing a missed ballot box and a number of ballots. Not enough to make a difference (as confirmed by the judicial recounts that concluded post-recording). A shakeup in the Premier’s Office. Fundraising shows the Conservatives overtook the NDP in Q3 fundraising. Federally, Trudeau pivots to address a second Trump presidency and bans TikTok from employi...

Pending two judicial recounts, the NDP clinched Surrey-Guildford in the closest BC election in recent history. Now all eyes turn to who will be speaker and how functional a one seat majority really is. New Brunswick proves the strength of anti-incumbency vibes, while Saskatchewan proves the polls can still fail. Trudeau fights off an internal coup and dissatisfaction from the Bloc. Links Feds spen...

Record-setting advance voting but who knows what that means for final turnout. The NDP last-ditch lawsuit flops. BC United rises from the dead, the Conservatives have a platform – and so do the Greens. Go vote on Saturday if you haven’t yet. Links Advance vote numbers Judge denies NDP hearing to force Conservative Party to use ‘B.C.’ | Vancouver Sun BC United hosts a party...

Recent allegations suggest Russia has been funding a network of far right content creators. The Tyee’s Jen St Denis fills in for Scott this week to discuss some of the provincial connections to these bombshells stories. Then we discuss David Eby’s about face on the carbon tax and how the Conservatives seem to be driving the narrative in this election. Links Follow Jen St Denis: Twitter...

The PM get’s caught changing his official schedule after the fact, bot farms are spotted promoting CPC events, plus a round up of the week’s BC politics. Links Final flight of Martin Mars water bomber set for Sunday – Victoria Times Colonist Terry Yung defaults to be BCNDP candidate in Vancouver-Yaletown BC United’s Poll Claims British Columbia – Province Wide Survey of Dec...

This week in “what’s going wrong for BC United”: Another MLA defects, polls paint a bleak picture, they’ve made a desperate plea to Elections BC to include “formerly BC Liberals” on the ballot and interim financial reports show they have the fewest donors. Meanwhile, the BC Government stands firm against West Van and delivers (insufficient) housing targets for t...

Fresh off the premier’s meeting, David Eby is angry at Ottawa and making amends with premiers like Danielle Smith. The BC Conservatives pitch privatization to patch over the problems in our primary care system. Federally, Seamus O’Regan steps down as Labour Minister, another minister is under the ethics spotlight and the grocery stores agree to a code of conduct. Links Trudeau outlines...

BC United suffers another embarassment, as do the BC Greens. Meanwhile, Eby takes on the federal government over immigration funding (we recorded before he criticized equalization payments too). Federally, Elizabeth May and Jagmeet Singh read the unredacted NSICOP report on foreign interference and have diametrically opposed takes on it – presumably one of them is correct. Links B.C. United...

Note: Apologies for the delay on this week’s episode. We completely blanked on uploading it over the weekend. David Eby distributes ICBC earnings in advance of the election. Only Victoria is set to meet its housing targets. Our province’s IT is under cyber attack. And we have the interim report of the foreign interference inquiry. Links ICBC announces $110 rebate to drivers, basic rate...

Ottawa struggles with whether or not to have people give guns to the post office and here in BC Eby asks the Feds to roll back decriminalization in public places. Links 2024 First Quarter Interim Financial Reports Available | Elections BC   Bill banning transgender athletes from publicly-funded sports quashed in B.C. | Globalnews.ca B.C. moves to ban drug use in public spaces, taking more steps to...

The Federal Budget is out. We break down what is in it and what it means for BC and Canada. Re-upload. Apologies, an incorrect version with an old episode’s audio went out. Links Former B.C. minister Mike de Jong seeks federal Tory nomination | CBC News Budget 2024: Fairness for Every Generation  Matt Gurney: What happens when Trudeau can’t blame the premiers, NIMBYs or disinfo? Why ra...

Trudeau wants rent to count toward credits scores, meanwhile Health Minster Dix is frustrated at his own ministry for the inability to keep ERs open full time.  Links ‘I’m frustrated, too,’ health minister Adrian Dix says of Prince Rupert ER closures BC denies Prince George’s request to opt out of short term rental bans Some strata hotels, motels to be exempt from B.C....

The Online Harms Bill, the PharmaCare Bill and more news from federal politics. Links Brian Mulroney, former prime minister who reshaped Canada, has died Government Bill (House of Commons) C-63 (44-1) – First Reading – Online Harms Act – Parliament of Canada Long-awaited online harms bill proposes higher sentences for spreading hate online | CBC News Online harms against minors a...

Selina Robinson is out as Minister of Post-Secondary Education. David Eby has strong words for Bell’s layoffs (but maybe little action). And a Throne Speech and Budget are coming up. Federally, Pierre Poilievre seems eager to shore up his right flank. This is Vancolour’s Mo Amir fills in for Scott this week. Links Find Mo: This is Vancolour | Twitter @vancolour | TikTok @vancolour Seli...

Ian speaks with Alex Usher about the current state of post-secondary education in Canada, with a focus on international students and the recent announcement of a cap on international student permits. They cover the number of international students in Canada, the financial challenges faced by post-secondary institutions, the power of the Minister of Immigration, private institutions and diploma mil...

Ian speaks with independent journalist Dustin Godfrey about drug policy in BC, including the recent injunction against Bill 34. They explore the decriminalization pilot project and the subsequent introduction of Bill 34, which restricts public consumption of illegal substances. They also touch on the negative impacts of criminalization, the provincial government’s approach to decriminalizati...

One bill introduced and one delayed in the legislature. Outside, BC United and BC Conservatives battle over who would tear up the province’s climate policies faster. Federally, Chrystia Freeland tries to save the Liberals skin with a fiscal update likely to appease no one. Links Katrina Chen announces her retirement Reaha Arora throws hat in the ring Legislative changes will bring fairness t...

Links Legislation introduced to rein in short-term rentals, deliver more homes for people | BC Gov News   Progress of Bills Freeland considering action on short-term rentals after B.C. announces crackdown   Legislation improves process for changes to police of jurisdiction | BC Gov News B.C. to roll out new legislation amid Surrey police saga B.C. to require flush toilets on construction...

Sparks fly as the BC Conservatives take their place as the fourth party in the BC legislature, Parliament has a new speaker and the CRTC is going to regulate podcasts. Links BC B.C. bringing in ban on drug use in public spaces | CTV News Proposed B.C. law makes drug use illegal in almost all public spaces | Vancouver Sun Rob Shaw: Conservative leader Rustad’s presence stands to alter B.C.&#8...

The BC Government releases the first batch of housing targets to disappointing reviews, David Eby isn’t happy that CSIS is reading the newspaper to him, and the Speaker of the House of Commons resigns for inviting a nazi. Links Targets released for 10 municipalities to deliver more homes for people | BC Gov News BC government orders City of Vancouver to add 29,000 homes over five years Boom...