Special to The Chief
With less than a month to go until the May 17 provincial election, former 樱桃视频councillor Lyle Fenton was officially nominated the New Democratic Party's candidate for West Vancouver-Garibaldi riding Sunday (April 17).
He won by acclamation at a well-attended NDP Candidate Selection meeting held at the Sea to Sky Hotel in Squamish. Fenton will be running against B.C. Liberal candidate Joan McIntyre and the Green Party's Dennis Perry.
Fenton threw his hat in the ring in response to his frustration with the current provincial Liberal government. He insists this election will be crucial to the history of BC. His top priorities are to protect health care and education.
"The health care system in Canada is superior to most," said Fenton. He feels health care in our province is in a state of demise and is moving towards a two-tier system.
"Those who have money will have health care. If you don't, you won't have health care. That's where we're headed. It's not an assumption, it's a fact."
North Vancouver- Lonsdale NDP candidate Craig Keating drove up from the North Shore to lend his support for Fenton's candidacy. Keating is the vice-president of the provincial NDP party and a North Vancouver councillor.
In his keynote address, Keating humorously mocked the provincial Liberal party's performance over that past four years. He said the government "consciously attempted to avoid its record and put out misinformation".
He credited the key conditions to the Liberals current prosperity to the current echo of the 1990s housing boom began under the NDP government, commodity prices set by the World Bank and federal transfer payments - things that are separate from the Liberal party's sphere of influence, he claimed.
Keating said he does not believe this government's prosperity is being evenly shared across BC.
According to Keating under NDP leader Carole James' proposed plan, there would be an additional 6,000 long term hospital beds by 2009, 1,500 new teachers on salary, no more arbitrary school closures and a balanced budget. Major public corporations like BC Hydro would be strengthened and kept by- and for- the public.
During a short question and answer period, Fenton and Keating agreed that to remove the Liberals from power, a vote for the NDP and not the Green party will be a vote for positive change in this province. They considered the Green Party as a business party without a proven track record.
