I would like to discuss a subject that is relevant for all politicians, myself included, which is debate during meetings of either:
1) Council/Regional District Board Meeting(s)
2) Joint Committee or Regular Committee/Commission Meeting(s)
3) Legislative Assembly or a Committee of the Legislative Assembly Meeting(s)
4) House of Commons/Senate or a Committee thereof Meeting(s)
During the June 12, 2007 meeting of the North Cariboo Joint Planning Committee Meeting, the matter of the "Gary Young" report which discusses in detail on how the CRD / City of Quesnel can address the issues of governance, financing of the North Cariboo Sub-Regional Recreation Budget was discussed
During the debate on this report, Director Mary Glassford (CRD Director for Electoral Area "I")
suggested that the City of Quesnel Council was "blackmailing/extorting" the CRD because of the on-going North Cariboo Sub-Regional Recreation Service Review
Now, while I understand we all say things, in the heat of the moment from time to time, we should never suggest that one governing body is blackmailing/extorting another body because of on-going actions of the one governing body. That truly lowers the decorum of the debate on how to solve issues, like the Recreation Function in the North Cariboo
Now, it appears she is still going at it as Director Glassford was still making a suggestion, on the radio, that Council in Quesnel was blackmailing the Cariboo Regional District over the North Cariboo Sub-Regional Recreation Service Review. We should remember, unlike MLA's in our Legislative Assembly and MP's in the House of Commons who have freedom of speech in the Legislative Assembly/House of Commons, as the case may be, Mayor/Councillors and Regional District Directors' do not have freedom of speech at their Council / Board meetings and one can be sued for libel for defamation of character. So, all local politicians need to be careful about the language they use when describing the problem at hand and how to solve it.
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