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MLA Clovechok and Kyllo respond on ‘plagiarized’ letters

One constituent wrote the letters are so similar they would get any university student expelled
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Re: Liberal MLA columns bear a striking resemblance, letter to the editor by Tom Sigurdson.

As MLAs who work hard to stay active in our communities, it’s always encouraging to see engagement from constituents who read our columns and offer their own perspective on an issue.

Of course, we do not expect that everyone will agree with us — lively discussion about important issues is a sign of a healthy democracy. In last week’s letter, Mr. Sigurdson expressed his disagreement with our stance on Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) and criticized similarities between columns published in our respective local newspapers.

READ MORE: Community Benefits Agreements (CBA)

We do not think that it is out of the ordinary that as members of a strong and united BC Liberal Caucus, we have similar views on a subject. We frequently collaborate on issues that are common in both of our ridings, discussing how we can best approach an issue as we work for the good of our constituents. CBAs are a topic that we are particularly passionate about, as they will negatively impact workers in our ridings and worsen the crushing tax burden that British Columbians are facing under the NDP.

READ MORE: Letter: Columns by Shuswap, Columbia River-Revelstoke MLAs bear striking resemblance

What Mr. Sigurdson failed to mention in his letter is that while CBAs will lead to the employment of a few select unions that he represents, they will exclude the vast majority of the construction industry and many other progressive unions around B.C. CBAs will only serve to benefit a handpicked group of workers that the provincial government has deemed worthy for them to employ, increasing the bill for infrastructure projects for all British Columbians.

So yes, when John Horgan and the NDP put workers’ jobs at risk and make the cost of living unmanageable for British Columbians simply to help their union friends, it is easy for us see eye-to-eye and agree that something needs to be done.

Greg Kyllo, MLA for Shuswap

Doug Clovechok, MLA for Columbia River-Revelstoke