Politics in the B.C. legislature has become toxic. That has been perhaps Christy Clark's most astute observation since becoming premier at her
party's behest a year and a half ago.
But it's long past time that Premier Clark took that observation one step further, and tried to search out the source of the toxicity that has been putrefying the legislative environment in Victoria.
We're pretty sure that she would find it close to home.
An in-depth report in Monday's Province newspaper details the source of only one of the toxic spills that have been fouling B.C.'s democratic process - a source that Premier Clark can find in her own mirror. It turns out that one of the B.C. Liberals' own special versions of political toxicity, an attack website aimed at NDP leader Adrian Dix, has been funded at least in part from provincial coffers - which makes it a particularly smelly brand of toxicity.
Of course, Premier Clark might not approve - at least, no specific approval has been traced back to her. The tax-payer-payrolled people involved earned a verbal warning, and that's it.
In what appears to have become standard political protocol in B.C. - and federally, too, for that matter - there have been no serious repercussions for a serious breach of the public trust.
The cantafforddix.ca website scandal is just a natural extension of tax-funded advertising whose clear aim is really to promote the governing party.
The sad fact is that this sort of manipulation of democratic principles has become so ubiquitous, that the general public expects the same sort of behaviour after the provincial election in May - regardless of whether or not the anti-Dix toxicity is successful in changing the currently anticipated outcome. We've come to expect it from all politicians.
And Premier Clark's edict shutting down that "toxic" legislature in Victoria for nearly a year means pertinent questions won't be asked, and that only makes it all the more difficult to clean up the spill.
