Blair Lekstrom to be the Next MP for Prince George-Peace River?

Blair Lekstrom

Perhaps it is my over active imagination where the following dinner conversation could ever take place. Maybe I am giving these guys too much credit for planning but, it seems quite feasible to me that the following imaginary Sunday evening family is more real than imagined. Humour me, and if you think my over-active imagination has strayed too far from the reality, let me know; add a comment. And if you think my imagined dinner meeting between Blair Lekstrom and Jay Hill I got it right, add a comment.

Here is the reality of the situation; BC Liberal MLA and cabinet minister Blair Lekstrom is taking a heap of heat in his home riding of Peace River South for the dirty way in which Premier Campbell and the BC Liberals have introduced the HST. Dirty in the sense that during the election campaign the BC Liberals said nothing about introducing the HST and its $1.9 billion tax shift. Anyway, Blair Lekstrom is taking a heap of heat in his home riding. So much so that MORE people sign the Stop the HST petition than actually voted for him in the last election.

Now if there is one thing a politician is always thinking about, that is the next election and what are they doing to help them get re-elected. So you can imagine Lekstrom is worrying about the HST backlash that doesn’t seem to be dying down in his home riding of Peace River South. He must have been wondering how long the legs would be on this anti-HST campaign. What to do, what to do.

If he resigns from the BC Liberal party and cabinet he is out of a job. Nothing sucks worse than being an unemployed ex-BC Liberal. Resign and sit as an independent MLA. Sure but the hopes of getting re-elected are pretty slim…and the word on the street is that Slim left town.

And here is what my over-active imagination came up with as a salvation for Blair Lekstrom.

Imagine a Sunday night dinner party at the Lekstrom home. Blair invites his good friend and political ally, the Conservative-Reforma-Tory Jay Hill over for dinner. After dinner they are sitting out on the porch watching the bug zapper kill skeeters and pondering Blair’s future. Blair says to his old (key word here, old) buddy, “Well Jay, I don’t know what to do. This anti-HST thing is really running wild up here. And Gordo has been no help atall. What the bejeez ya think I should do?”

The ancient Reformer Jay Hill leans in close and says, “I cin help yas outta this here jam.”

And young Blair perks right up.

Jay Hill says, “I’m gonna pack it in after this here session in Ottawa. I’m tired of flying back and forth across the country to do whatever it is we do in Ottawa. Soes I’ma gunna retire…I’m not runnin’ agin in the next election.”

And with that he gives Blair a conspiratorial wink. Blair looks puzzled.

“Listen young feller. You need to resign your cabinet post, resign from the Campbell Liberal caucus and tell anyone and everyone that you done gon and done it because you know the HST is turrible for the people in your riding. You are acting on their behalf.”

Big shit-eating grin on Jay Hill’s face. Blair Lekstrom still looks a little puzzled.

“C’mon young fellar! There is going to be a federal election this coming fall. You are the perfect man to pick up where I left off! You get the nod from my ol’ pal Harper and you are as good as golden, back in cabinet, back on the payroll, and let me tell you, the federal payroll is MUCH more lucrative (big old wink here) than the pennies y’all fight over out west here in Victoria. You are the next Conservative Member of Parliament for this here oil patch!”

Lekstrom leans in close and says, “You are one wily old sonofagun. I will get my people to schedule my press conference.”

Time will tell if my imagined dinner meeting was correct or not. I reckon I will be proven correct. Let’s just sit back and wait and see.