North Shore MLAs on both sides of B.C.’s divided legislature were adjusting to a new political landscape this week and anticipating what their own roles might be in what will likely be an NDP/Green minority government.
Bowinn Ma, the newly elected NDP MLA in North Vancouver-Lonsdale said she’s eager to get to work, following the announcement of an NDP-Green deal on Monday.
“I’m really, really excited to have the opportunity to work for people,” said the rookie MLA, who defeated Liberal cabinet minister Naomi Yamamoto in an upset victory on election night. “Admittedly it’s frustrating to not be able to jump right in to making people’s lives better,” she said. “It’s not official. We have not formed the government yet.”
While NDP leader John Horgan and Green Party leader Andrew Weaver were announcing details of their agreement to join forces on Tuesday, Premier Christy Clark made it clear they would have to wait a bit.
Clark told reporters that she had “a duty to meet the house and test its confidence.” It will then be up to the NDP and Green MLAs to vote down the government when the legislature is recalled, which Clark said she intended to do “in very short order.”
Clark said in a news conference she doesn’t expect her 43-member Liberal government to survive a confidence vote, but added if there’s going to be a transfer of power “it shouldn’t be done behind closed doors. It should happen in public. It should happen in the people’s house.”
In their own press conference, Horgan and Weaver said it’s Clark’s right to recall the legislature, but added they hope she does so soon. Horgan said traditionally, the party that wins the election gets access to detailed transition documents created by public servants soon after the results are in. But because of the highly unusual political situation in B.C., “we haven’t had access to those documents,” he said – and won’t until after Clark’s government is defeated.
Ma said it’s too early to tell what her own role will be when a new government is formed. But she voiced frustration that Clark didn’t opt to step down. “I feel a majority of people voted for change,” she said. “For her to continue to hold on to power … I think that really does a disservice to the people of B.C. There’s a lot of work to be done. I would like to start now.”
On the other side of the political house, longtime West Vancouver MLA Ralph Sultan said Clark’s decision to have events unfold formally in the legislature is the right one.
“This is not something to be decided in a hotel room at midnight,” he said. “Parliament is parliament. I don’t think anyone has any illusions about what the outcome is likely going to be. … We can do the arithmetic.”
Sultan said Liberal caucus members were led to believe that a Green/Liberal deal was possible during the negotiations, before Weaver decided to side with the NDP.
“Mr. Weaver has made his bed. It’s increasingly coloured orange and not Green,” he said.
For Sultan, his upcoming fifth term in office marks the first time he faces the prospect of sitting on the Opposition benches. But the MLA said the situation doesn’t overly faze him.
“For Ralph the backbencher this isn’t exactly a new situation,” he said.
Sultan said while that means he’ll have less access to ministers to advocate for his constituents, he will also have more leeway in Opposition to “speak more freely and candidly” on North Shore issues.
Chief among those will be advocating for transportation improvements, he said.
Ma said getting to work on “affordability” issues is at the top of the list for her constituents.
Both Horgan and Weaver spoke this week about MLAs working more co-operatively in the legislature.
Sultan said whether that will actually happen remains to be seen.
“We’re all going to play in the sandbox and be friends. It’s a wonderfully noble thought,” he said.
