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BIG NORTH FREE PRESS - JUNE 2013
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etired MLA Pat Bell wasn’t a member of the Liberal Party a dozen years ago and wasn’t considering politics when friends approached him to encourage him to run for office.
Twelve years in the spotlight
DELYNDA PILON newsroom@pgfreepress.com
“They thought I could do a good job representing the interests of the community, and they approached me,” he said, adding at first he wasn’t interested. But the more he considered it, the more it seemed like a good idea. His wife, Brenda, told him they complained about politics and politicians, so maybe it was time to step forward. Taking up the challenge Bell put his name forward and won the riding. He added the Liberal Party appeals to him because its principles are based on the importance of free enterprise. “Human motivation is an amazing thing,” he said. “It helps people achieve the best outcomes in business and athletics. I think one of the challenges of the NDP is their approach does not drive or motivate people. They want to spread wealth across everyone, and when you do that, motivation is lost. Personal motivation is what it takes to be successful. If you work harder and put in the effort, you will benefit greater than someone who doesn’t.” That principle, he said, is core to his personal beliefs, and it leads to an economy strong enough to support a healthy social system. “I think that wealth created in any jurisdiction creates an environment that supports those who need it, health care, the environment and an education system.” He added during all his years in Victoria, he had not met a single individual who doesn’t care about those things, however personal political philosophies dictate the method to achieve those goals. “The method varies between different people,” he said. “How to do it differs. When I think about people who sat in opposition, I would bet on average we agree on 90 to 95 per cent of what
goes on in society, unfortunately in the political world people concentrate on points that are different. The motivation is similar, but the method varies as to what outcome is achieved.” Bell said he believes understanding competitiveness is key. One of his core beliefs is B.C. is competing against the world to attract investment and jobs, and the wealth that comes with that. “I am not sure the NDP understands that in the way I believe it exists,” Bell said. He added that is why the Liberals excel at building the economy. Bell said for his first two years as an MLA he was just finding his way around the legislature. For the first two and a half years he was the deputy whip, meaning it was his job to make sure people got where they needed to be so votes would pass. Then he became the minister sitting for mining, his first foray into cabinet, where he got to write the mining plan the province is still working under. “Geo-science B.C. came out of it,” he said. “And the Smithers School of Mining, two very positive steps.” In 2005, he was Minister of Agriculture and Lands. Again, he helped forge an agricultural plan for the province that is still used today. When it came to negotiating a land use agreement for the Great Bear Rain Forest, he brought all the stakeholders involved together under one tent. The move, and the positive conclusion of that, made front-page news all over Europe and North America, and is something he regards as one of his most significant
accomplishments. It was also an act they received a Gift to the Planet award under the World Wildlife Foundation. He then repeated the same thing at Haida Gwaii. “I got to know the First Nations well,” he said. “I feel we brought stability to the islands. They are now harvesting large amounts of timber again. The economy there really stabilized and improved.” In 2008 he took on the forestry portfolio, and targeted the Chinese market very quickly. The work paid off and while previously lumber went for $128 per 1,000 board feet, it recently peaked at $460. “Most people argue China made that happen. Now it represents about 30 per cent of sales.” Bell said a lot of work had already been done with China when he stepped into that position, leaving him a good founda-
tion to work on. Then the CEO’s of certain forest companies encouraged him to make a trades trip to the country, something he agreed to with the caveat each of them had to go as well. They did, and Bell said most would argue that was integral to their success. “In China, it’s a completely different way you do business,” Bell said. “Government officials are important. They blur the line between government and business.” He added altogether he completed eight trade missions to China. “China has given us real stability in the market place, adding another customer,” he said. However, it wasn’t something that happened overnight. After 18 months, the first time someone from the Liberal government began working towards the goal of selling B.C. timber
to China, there was no change in the market place. Bell said they were still working on the fundamentals, the building code, distribution and education. With no real success to show, they could have pulled out but instead stuck with the plan.
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“If we had pulled out then, we’d probably be in the same place today. These things take time. If I have one bit of advice to whoever follows me, it is you have to give plans and strategies time to work. “There is no instant success, and if give them time, if they are well-founded and built on good principles, the outcomes is good. “Provincial, municipal and First Nations governments are based on four year, two year and one cycles, That tends to drive short term decision making instead of long term planning.” He added the jobs plan, created when he served as jobs minister, will benefit the province long-term, and he’s pleased Premier Christy Clark is dedicated to the
plan, willing to see it through. Though Bell has retired due to health issues, he remains a dedicated Liberal, working hard behind the scenes during the recent campaign, supporting both local candidates, including Shirley Bond, a woman he said he admires as one of the hardest-working politicians in Victoria and someone he is happy to call a friend. If past protocol is a hint of future behaviour, Bell may be called upon to serve the Liberals again, this time as a private resident of B.C. He said he may do that, if called upon, but it will be as a contractor. He added neither he nor Brenda are interested in moving to Victoria. Both are committed to living in Prince George.
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