To give credence to Premier Christy Clark’s throne speech would be to disrespect the will of the voters.
It has been a month-and-a-half since the May 9 election and more than three weeks since the NDP and B.C. Greens reached a “confidence and supply agreement” to bring in a new NDP minority government after 16 years of B.C. Liberal governance. The excitement across the South Island, where large majorities of voters cast their ballot for either New Democrats or Greens, has been palpable.
However, since it became clear that Andrew Weaver and the Greens would support a John Horgan-led NDP minority government, we have seen a concerted effort by Clark’s Liberals and their proxies to buy time and breed cynicism in the political process. This initially took the form of humility in the days after the election, but that period was short-lived.
Instead of allowing a quick confidence vote and graceful transition, Clark seems to be doing everything possible to throw us back into another election where the rich war chest of the B.C. Liberals and relative poverty of the other parties would offer her a distinct advantage. This has taken the form of actions such as grandstanding with an unnecessary cabinet swearing-in, stoking concerns around the choice of a Speaker and the stability of an NDP-led minority government, and attempting to drive discord between the Greens and New Democrats.
This process culminated in a Liberal throne speech filled with dozens of promises from the NDP and Green platforms that the Liberals had vigorously campaigned against only a few short weeks ago. In doing so, Clark and her caucus have opted to jettison the values they claimed to stand for in front of the electorate.
The goal isn’t to create a more stable British Columbia and it isn’t grounded in making our province a better place. Rather, this entire exercise appears to be an attempt to have the lieutenant-governor trigger another election to prevent a Green-backed NDP government from having an opportunity to govern.
In heartening news, this cynical campaign doesn’t seem to be having much impact on the views of British Columbians. According to Angus Reid, 71 per cent of British Columbians do not want another election and nearly two-thirds believe that the B.C. Liberals should concede defeat and allow the Green-backed NDP minority government to lead.
And from this same polling, it’s clear that voters are looking for a change in direction; they want spending on social programs rather than further tax cuts.
It’s time to set aside cynicism and to return to the genuine excitement that comes with a new government.
In addition to the accountability that comes with a minority government, the great deal of policy overlap between the Greens and the New Democrats, hopefully, means that it will also be a productive government. Both parties ran on universal child care as their top economic priority. This would be a truly transformational policy for our province.
And that’s just the start. From campaign-finance reform and proportional representation to increasing social assistance, ending the MSP and making our tax code more progressive, there is a broad shared agenda between the NDP and the Greens that will not only modernize our province, but make it fairer.
So let’s say no to the cynicism. No to a desperate and dishonest throne speech. And no to another election in which lopsided war chests might make all difference.
Instead, let’s respect the will of the voters and allow NDP-Green alliance a chance to move forward.
Rob Gillezeau is an assistant professor of economics at the University of Victoria.
