On your Letters page (The News, May 17), Mr. Hawkes wrote “As the president of the Parksville-Qualicum riding association has recently stated ...he ‘wishes the party (BC Conservatives) was running under the Reform banner.’”
I hasten to repudiate the words attributed to me by Mr. Hawkes. They were neither written nor said!
In a personal e-mail exchange with him (he is a member (at last count) of the BC Conservative Party) I exchanged some views on current matters. He had written me about matters of concern to him and I replied as was my responsibility.
As a distant aside, I mentioned that I was a Conservative from the federal Reform stream and favored that name for political purposes. An entirely personal viewpoint.
My exact words were “Coming from the federal Reform party I would dearly love to see that name used by us and perhaps that will change, in future, as the outcome of discussion and debate, something that will be a very strong feature of our party.” That is very different in every sense from what Mr. Hawkes wrote.
I personally think reforms are badly needed in B.C. and that particular word conveys a useful message. Parties change names. The BC Liberals are said to be considering one themselves.
As to Mr. Hawke’s’ other remarks and his pining for a defunct federal Progressive Conservative party — one of a bygone age — I salute his persistence.
Nestor Gayowsky
President
Parksville-Qualicum Constituency
BC Conservative Party
Qualicum Beach