This page is in three parts:
Composition of the BC Refed party executive at 30 Nov 08
President/Financial agent:
Dennis Shaw - Retired educator - Nanaimo
Secretary: Bruce Ryder - Small business - Nanaimo
Director: Mel Garden - Retired businessman - Royston
Director: Dave Harder - Businessman – Delta
Director: Dale Marcell – Businessman – Surrey
Leader: Mike Summers - Vanderhoof
List of Electoral District Reps (EDRs) (write or call for EDR info in your Electoral District, or click on “Contact Us” on main menu)
Why the party ran only 5 candidates in the 17 May 05 provincial election
Five long years of careful research and organization were needed to produce a coherent party policy. A lawful and workable plan was completed only weeks before the May 05 election. In those four weeks the party found and trained 5 good candidates who made voters aware for the first time ever, that a different system of government is possible. All the candidates attracted vote totals at least ten times the number of Refed members in their Electoral Districts. It is certain that an analysis of the election returns will show that Refed candidates spent less than any other party, and attracted more votes per dollar. All with no preparation time, no financial backing, and on the basis of just two or three all-candidates meetings. Since the May 05 election the party has found a qualified and experienced leader and the party executive recently put in motion a two year election campaign - two years of preparation this time, not four weeks.
Your candidates in May 05 were:
Nanaimo Linden Shaw, Parksville Bruce Ryder, Comox Valley Mel Garden, West Kootenay Glen Millar, and Powell River Allen McIntyre. An early kick-off of RefedBC’s 2009 election campaign is the opposite of other “minor” parties. The leaders of Unity and DRBC have quit, and Unity has folded (By “minor” parties is meant all parties other than the NDPLib party. No disrespect to other parties is intended)
The Beginnings of the BC Refederation Party
The BC Refederation Party was formed within weeks of the 2000 federal election and because of it. It became obvious to founder Gary Dalton that the federal government would never change its attitude to the West. After the first couple of meetings there was agreement that a movement in favor of doing something about this problem already existed in the West, and certainly in BC, so the next logical step was to harness that movement by forming a provincial political party. The initial name of Western Independence Party of BC was changed to Western Refederation Party of BC and now the registered alternate party name is also used - BC Refederation Party.
The party was never intended to “play the usual political game” of BC and federal politics. The aim of BC Refed was and is to change the political process from the familiar “make and break promises in order to gain power”, to BC Refed’s more principled approach, starting with giving the voters of BC a real voice in their affairs - all the time, as opposed to one vote every few years. Swiss voters have this right, and are a working example of how this can be implemented in BC.
The Nanaimo group fielded inquiries from all around the province, wrote the early sections of a party constitution, opened up for membership, and organized the response into constituency associations. Because the party intends to make substantial changes in the way the BC government handles provincial - federal problems, new procedures were needed and initial progress was slow as consensus was reached on a broad range of topics. Another reason for the slow but steady start was that the party’s “different” approach to provincial politics does not interest what might be called the everyday professional politician. Politicians attracted by positions of power in the current political system see no sense in switching to RefedBC’s system where the voters will have binding input on important issues - a system where the government would be more of a servant to the voters’ wishes.
However, the party is steadily attracting people who see the need for systemic changes. As a consequence, the beginnings of the BC Refederation Party are the result of the vision, planning and organization of ordinary people in British Columbia - people who have lives to live, but who still volunteered time to produce a new blueprint. That lawful blueprint will one day see British Columbians making more of the decisions for the province right here in BC, as opposed to bureaucrats in Ottawa forcing their will on the province. If that means taking away from Ottawa the ability to make those decisions for BC - if it means preventing Ottawa from exploiting British Columbians - if it means ending Ottawa’s power to run BC’s economy for Ottawa’s benefit, then that is what will happen under a BC Refed government in Victoria.
Five years after registration as the first provincial party dedicated to swiftly taking back BC’s provincial rights, as opposed to just talking about it, the party had members in 60 BC Electoral Districts out of 79.
The task for this new party now is to present to the BC voters the comprehensive, well-thought-out RefedPlan© that can convince British Columbians that they will benefit from making their own decisions in BC, rather than following Ottawa’s orders and paying through the nose for that privilege. The blueprint for lawfully achieving this is contained in the party’s booklet. Ottawa is the problem. Refederation is the answer. A majority of BC voters need to be persuaded that the BC Refed direct voting system, the control of our natural resources, the retention of all income tax revenues in BC, etc, - all these and more will permit British Columbians to benefit financially, and also be proud to be British Columbians. BC Refed welcomes enquiries from young people interested in systemic change. The upcoming generation of younger British Columbians will benefit most from a revitalized political system.
To make this a reality, wide popular support is needed. Consider joining the down-to-earth but innovative and growing BC Refederation Party today.
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