Premier Christy Clark announced Tuesday that she will soon recall the B.C. legislature to test the confidence of the House but acknowledged her government is likely to fall under the new NDP-Green minority government.
That would mean NDP leader John Horgan would become premier of B.C., working closely with Green leader Andrew Weaver in a historic arrangement to lead the province.
The Liberals hold 43 seats, the NDP has 41 and the Greens three in the 87-seat legislature, which Clark said she plans to reconvene “as quickly as we possibly can.”
“Should the government fail the test of confidence in the House, as seems likely, I would be given the job as leader of the Opposition,” said a resigned-looking Clark at a news conference at her office in Vancouver. “And I’m more than ready to take that job on.”
If the incumbent government is defeated, Clark said it would then be up to the lieutenant governor to ask the NDP if it was prepared to govern the province. Clark added that she wouldn’t request the lieutenant governor allow another election.
“No, no, no,” said Clark, a half hour before Horgan and Weaver held a joint-news conference in Victoria that included members of both parties.
The two leaders, who announced their historic partnership Monday, signed the agreement as their fellow MLAs stood behind and applauded the new chapter in B.C. politics.
The agreement lays out a series of promises, including stopping the Kinder Morgan pipeline project, sending the Site C project immediately to an independent review, banning union and corporate donations from campaigns, implementing a province-wide “poverty reduction strategy,” establishing a “Fair Wages Commission” to work towards a $15 per hour minimum wage and eliminating Medical Services Plan premiums.
The agreement also calls for restoring funding to education, health care and a referendum on a proportional representation voting system that will occur in October 2018, concurrent with the civic election.
“This agreement establishes the basis for which the B.C. Green caucus will provide confidence in a B.C. New Democrat government,” the agreement states. “It is not intended the lay out the full program of a New Democrat government, nor is it intended to presume B.C. Green support for initiatives not found within this agreement.”
Horgan and Weaver took questions from reporters following the signing, with the NDP leader saying it was an exciting time for democracy in B.C. Both leaders said they were excited to work together on a variety of issues, including addressing affordability.
“There’s many shared values that we have with the B.C NDP,” said Weaver, adding that he got into politics in 2013 because he couldn’t stand to see the “dismantling” of climate leadership and the B.C. economy. “With the B.C. NDP, I find a partner that will actually position British Columbia in the new economy, create distributed jobs from north to south to east to west in a bottom-up fashion, putting people first.”
Horgan reiterated a promise from the campaign saying the NDP will eliminate tolls from Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges, despite Weaver saying they were good public policy.
“We believe they’re unfair,” said Horgan, adding that his government will work with the region’s mayors to improve transit.
@Howellings
