Premier Christy Clark will send her new majority government into the legislature this summer to pass a budget for 2013, she announced Thursday.
Clark told a gathering of newly-elected MLAs to get ready for a summer session that will focus on economic growth and tightened government spending.
“Every one of you worked for 28 days to give people something to vote for, and they did,” Clark told a room of cheering Liberal MLAs at a Vancouver hotel.
“Now, as I said, we have an obligation to deliver on that. Now it is time for us to get to work. So this summer, we’re going to call back the legislature. We’re going to pass balanced budget 2013.”
She didn’t provide a date for the legislature’s return. Clark lost her seat to the NDP’s David Eby in Vancouver-Point Grey. She’s previously said she wants to run and win in a byelection before recalling the house.
Clark said she’ll wait for the final vote count by Elections B.C. on May 27 before deciding where to run. One of her MLAs is expected to resign and make way for her byelection.
Clark urged her new caucus to focus on the economy, low taxes and controlling spending — key themes of the re-election campaign.
“There will be challenges, there will be pressures, there will be calls to spend money,” she said.
“For the next little while, our answer to most of those questions has to be no, not now. We have an obligation to the people. We made them a promise and that was we aren’t going to grow government, we are going to grow the economy.”
The Liberal government tabled its $44-billion budget in February, but did not pass it before the legislature adjourned for the election campaign.
The budget projected a $197-million surplus, along with targeted tax increases for high-income earners and businesses, sharply throttled government spending, and the sale of hundreds of millions in surplus government assets and properties.
Clark arrived to the rally of MLAs, and defeated Liberal candidates with a cry of, “We did it!” Her party pulled off a stunning election-night victory over the B.C. NDP, which was widely-believed to be ahead in popularity.
“So many people said it could not be done, so many people said that British Columbians would not choose a government that was going to put the economy first . . . and they were all proven wrong,” Clark said.
She thanked her candidates for running during tough times. Clark singled out longtime Oak Bay-Gordon Head MLA and cabinet minister Ida Chong, who lost to the B.C. Green’s Andrew Weaver. “If you want to see an example of integrity, someone who has always been available to the people that she serves, someone who was always passionately fighting for her community, ask Ida Chong.”
MLAs are expected to be sworn into their jobs in early June, with Clark shuffling her cabinet shortly after.
