Liberal leadership hopeful George Abbott, a veteran of provincial cabinets, cast himself as a populist Tuesday with an 18-point platform that includes calls for an independent review of BC Rail legal funding and a referendum vote on freezing the carbon tax.
But the Shuswap MLA, who stepped down as education minister to focus on the leadership race, said he was not seeking to reverse key policies of Premier Gordon Campbell as he attempts to replace him.
"I would never have considered any of the suggestions that I made to be ruptures with the previous government. I think they are very constructive suggestions, which will help to ensure that British Columbians feel greater confidence in their government," he told The Globe and Mail in an interview.
Mr. Abbott also said he was not trying to fix errors in policy, noting he does not believe governments make errors.
"I don't think governments make mistakes," he said. "Governments make decisions and then they learn from experience about how they might improve on those decisions."
Mr. Abbott is one of six candidates in the first leadership race for the BC Liberals in the 17 years since Mr. Campbell became leader. Party members are to make their choice on Feb. 26. Christy Clark, a former deputy premier, is leading the race in several public-opinion polls. She quit politics in 2005, but has taken a leave from hosting a radio talk show.
Mr. Abbott's platform, unveiled under the populist The People Are Coming slogan, includes a proposal to engage an independent third party to examine and report on the "appropriateness and reasonableness" of the legal settlement in the BC Rail case.
Mr. Abbott said the decision, defended by leadership rival and former attorney-general Mike de Jong, to cover $6-million in legal bills for the two accused who pleaded guilty has "eroded trust" among British Columbians.
"I know this bothers people. It certainly bothers me," he said of the deal during a Tuesday morning news conference.
Later, at a separate news conference, Mr. de Jong said there was already a review under way into the policy that led to the coverage of legal costs.
He noted that before he stepped down as attorney-general to seek the leadership, he ordered the review be done "as quickly as possible."
Mr. de Jong said the BC Rail legal settlement was an issue when it was announced but he said he had not heard anyone mention it during his leadership tour.
Mr. Abbott said in the interview that he was not seeking to undo the deal, but that there should be lessons drawn from the experience.
"I don't think it's a disavowal or any sudden rupture or departure from the past."
Mr. Abbott also said he wants a question added to the HST referendum on whether to freeze the carbon tax at 2012 levels. When it was introduced in 2008, the tax came with a schedule of increases through to 2012, with the assumption that it would be increased on a scheduled basis after that.
The HST vote is set for September, but Mr. Abbott wants it moved up to June if he wins the leadership race.
He said he supports the carbon tax, and only raised the idea of putting it to a vote because a referendum is already planned on the HST.
"We are not saying, 'Do away with the carbon tax.' We are saying, 'Hold it at 2012 levels.' We are arguing in the most common-sense way possible that we need to ensure that people who are our neighbours, as well as our economic competitors, don't gain a competitive advantage over important sectors in our economy because they refuse to participate in this important fight against climate change."
Mr. Abbott said there was "force and merit" to the view that carbon taxes must be high to deter the wanton use of carbon, but noted that, as the only North American jurisdiction with a carbon tax, B.C. might be taking on too much of the climate-change fight on its own with such a tax and unfairly penalizing carbon users in the province.
He ruled out simply promising a freeze of the tax after 2012, as leadership rival Kevin Falcon has suggested, because he thought it best for the public to join the discussion on the issue.
Mr. Falcon , who stepped down as health minister to seek the leadership, said he disagreed with a vote on the carbon tax. "It would overly complicate and make more complex a referendum that is already taking place on the HST," he said.
Ian Bailey