John Cummins is at it again.
The former Delta-Richmond East MP carved out a reputation by speaking his mind during an almost 18-year career in Ottawa. These call 'em as I see 'em moments, which often mirrored what many voters were thinking, didn't endear Cummins to the establishment, both politicians and bureaucrats, in the nation's capital.
After almost two decades in that role, the longtime Conservative (and before that Reform and Canadian Alliance) MP retired earlier this year and turned his attention to provincial politics, running uncontested for the leadership of the B.C. Conservative party.
It's nice to see the new political surroundings haven't stopped Cummins from making these pronouncements.
Earlier this week he suggested instead of adding another two cents in tax on a litre of gas that both TransLink and Metro Vancouver municipalities look at trimming their budgets by one per cent. Such a reduction would avert the pending gas tax increase yet still help fund an increase in transit services, including the Evergreen Line.
I have to say it's refreshing to hear a politician talk about cutting budgets rather than focus on devising yet another way to extract more money from already beleaguered taxpayers.
Not surprisingly, the suggestion has already drawn rebuke in political circles, including one from Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, even though chopping a paltry one per cent from approximately $4 billion in combined budgets doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility to the average person.
I don't profess to know the inner workings of these budgets, but it strikes me, as it does Cummins and I suspect countless others, that it's not too much of a stretch to pare them ever so slightly to produce the desired savings. Perhaps that's too simplistic, but it's an approach most households take when faced with similar, albeit far smaller, financial predicaments.
Something tells me this type of reasoning will allow the fledgling Conservatives to gain more traction with voters, and the longer it takes Premier Christy Clark to call the next election, the greater force the party will become on the provincial scene.
It's funny, in an ironic kind of way, that the outspoken ways that got him in trouble with his superiors and often marginalized in Ottawa, could be the very trait that ingratiates him with B.C. voters
There's no doubt Cummins faces an uphill climb, but you can but he'll keep on calling 'em as he sees 'em.
