It was clear Thursday which party felt it won the B.C. election last month, despite the fact nobody picked up a majority of seats.
In the morning, the governing Liberals filed into the legislature for the swearing-in of MLAs as if they were headed for a root canal.
Government house leader Mike de Jong tried to lighten the mood by dancing with Premier Christy Clark in the middle of the chamber, but the occasion was mostly marked by polite applause and tight smiles.
By contrast, the NDP MLAs entered the house in the afternoon to the strains of All You Need Is Love and proceeded to whoop and holler every time one of their own stepped forward to take the oath of office.
Victoria-Beacon Hill MLA Carole James, who received a standing ovation, said the celebratory mood reflected the party’s optimism that, after 16 years in Opposition, it might finally be on the verge of forming government.
“We see that there’s an opportunity for us to truly be able to serve the people of British Columbia,” she said.
“You saw the excitement, you saw the camaraderie that’s building with the new team. It’s an incredibly exciting day on behalf of the people that we have worked so hard to serve.”
The NDP’s buoyancy stems from its pact with the B.C. Green Party to bring down the Liberals and install an NDP minority government after the house returns June 22.
The NDP have 41 seats and the Greens three, giving them a slim one-vote edge over the 43 Liberals in the legislature.
Clark acknowledged again Thursday that she expects to lose a confidence vote in the house, but she stopped short of calling the defeat inevitable.
“I never cease to be surprised about what happens in B.C. politics,” she said. “I’ve learned a long time ago never to assume what’s going to happen.”
Clark plans to swear in a new cabinet next week, bring in a throne speech and then see what transpires.
“I feel good about the fact that we won more seats and more popular vote than anybody else,” she said. “But if the government is defeated on a throne speech or on a vote of confidence, then I think we’re all prepared for that outcome, too.”
B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan said he’s anxious to form government and start tackling urgent matters like the softwood lumber dispute and the overdose crisis.
“We want to get going on those issues as quickly as possible,” he said.
“I can’t wait to get started and my colleagues agree with that.”
Horgan said the Liberals have unnecessarily delayed the transition. “It’s going to be six or seven weeks from the election before we know what’s going on; I think that’s too long, personally.”
Neither Clark nor Horgan would say what will happen with the selection of a Speaker.
It’s expected to be a contentious issue, since the two sides are separated by a single vote and nobody wants to give up an MLA to oversee the house.
De Jong suggested that it’s usually the government’s responsibility to make sure that someone fills the role. In this case, that would mean the Liberals would put forward one of their MLAs to serve as Speaker until the government falls. The NDP-Green alliance would then have to offer up one of its own for the next government. If that happens, that would leave both sides with 43 votes and put the Speaker in the position of breaking ties.
“There will ultimately be someone in the chair, and we’ll see how that plays out in the days ahead,” de Jong said. ‘‘There are some discussions taking place and I can’t really say more than that.”
Horgan said the 87 MLAs will select the Speaker once the house reconvenes. ‘‘I expect it will be an exciting day for that individual and an exciting day for British Columbia,‘‘ he said.
