Perhaps West Vancouver -Sea to Sky MLA Jordan Sturdy knew the B.C. Liberals planned not to convene the provincial legislature this fall when he decided not to hand in the mayoralty chain in Pemberton until next year.
Not sitting in Victoria will certainly allow Sturdy more time to focus on both his riding and town - a lot of time.
By the end of 2013, the governing body of British Columbia will have sat for scarcely more than one month. We're pretty sure this type of commitment and work ethic won't help the bargaining between government and teachers or government and CUPE or government and anyone else who works but doesn't earn more than $100,000 a year.
Finance Minister Mike de Jong acknowledged Tuesday that criticism of the move was legitimate comment. Quoted by the Times Colonist, de Jong then stated that the May election was "the ultimate act of accountability" as if B.C. voters has given the Liberals a mandate to lock up the legislature.
We're pretty sure that had Christy Clark announced such a move in early May, it would have become an election issue, perhaps a defining one. Nothing makes voters madder than paying politicians perceived to be dead weights. Ask a few senators.
In fact, this cavalier move should give the NDP some populist ammunition should they care to capitalize: A reduction in MLA salary for every day the legislature does not sit compared to a 10-year average.
You would have to go back to 1991 to find a year when the B.C. legislature sat fewer days than 2013.
