What will the B.C. election on May 9 bring -- an increase on the 55 per cent of eligible voters who cast ballots last time? An NDP government? A Green surge? Full disclosure: I don't enjoy the partisan bickering of political parties and their candidates. I don't belong to any political party. Like my MP, Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May, I have a pan-partisan civic spirit. What I am passionate about is democracy. And I defend it vigorously. That's why I am among a growing chorus of voters who think it's time for a change in BC.

To me, a democracy works well when the governing party shows humility, shows transparency, and is accountable to the people. The corporate Clark government has been none of that. The so-called B.C. Liberals aren't liberal. They try to run government like a business. B.C. is the only province without a poverty reduction plan. Not a word on this from the corporate premier. Clark likes to brag about B.C.'s strong economy, but she won't address the gross inequality in our province or the record number of children in poverty. In many communities, large and small, families can't afford the explosion in rental market fees or the high cost of child care. Parents have very little left after paying the rent. This is especially true for single parent families. Is Clark really for families as she says she is? Hardly. Her balancing of the budget is for show. Critics point out that it's done with deep cuts to social services and public education, and by raking in mega millions from BC Hydro, ICBC, and BC Ferries, while we citizens wonder why their rates keep climbing. One hardly gets a sense of provincial corporations providing services. It's more like a shock to the wallet in rate increases. B.C. Liberals appear to be the party of the one per cent for corporate donors who get a return on their investment. Add to that incompetence, and you've got their "triple delete" circus (in response to Freedom Of Information requests), and the firing of health researchers fiasco (and subsequent suicide of one researcher) in a string of scandals too numerous to cover here.