Now that the dust has settled on the dramatic provincial election that saw the BC NDP win a slim majority, with 47 seats, the Conservative Party take 44, and the BC Green Party take two impactful seats, The Squamish Chief caught up with our newly minted West Vancouver-Sea to Sky Member of the Legislative Assembly, Jeremy Valeriote (rhymes with chariot).
At final tally, Valeriote won with 38% of the vote (10,438 votes); Yuri Fulmer of the Conservatives won close to 36% (9,762), and the NDP's Jen Ford snagged 26% (7,212).
What follows is a version of our conversation with Valeriote that has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: You are in Victoria now; do you get an apartment, or how does it work with you working at the legislature now?
A: I am just staying in a hotel nearby for the time being, and then I'll figure out a longer-term plan probably sometime in the new year. By my count, MLAs are here 18 weeks a year, four days a week, with probably some extra days. So, I don't really feel great about tying up a rental space for that amount of time. Plus, my parents live here, and I've got some other close family here, not that I'll stay with them, but it can always work in a pinch.
Q: What was your swearing-in ceremony like on Nov. 12?
A: I really had a lot of supporters, from the Sea to Sky, who wanted to attend, so I threw open the invitation, and I was surprised by how many came over—about 40 people. A bunch of family, my wife and daughters. It's one of the advantages of being a small caucus—there are only two of us being sworn in, so we could basically fill the place.
It was a bit like a wedding where you feel like it's an out-of-body experience, not really fully in the moment. But it was pretty moving, just having everybody on the floor of the chamber, which is pretty unusual, and just being able to see all those people who had helped me get there was moving. We had a nice meal afterwards, and we went out and did some karaoke with a few of the die-hard supporters.
Q: What is it like starting at the legislature? Is it a bit like the first day of high school trying to figure out where everything is?
A: I'd spent a total of about 10 days here over the last four years, getting my head around the role, getting to know the staff, and working with Sonia [Furstenau] and Adam Olsen, so I knew my way around the building to some degree, although I still haven't figured out where the bike room or the showers are, for bringing my bike.
For the first time ever, they ran an MLA School, which was a two-day orientation session, which was really good. In the past, it's been done by caucus. And I think it's partly Sonia's effort to get everybody on the same page and have the clerk's office give people a rundown rather than it being one caucus at a time.
That felt a little bit like the first day of high school—you're getting to know people from all over the province. That was great. It is good for building some collegiality and, hopefully, some collaboration.
Q: Now that you have had time to reflect, what are your thoughts on the results of the election provincially?
A: I think B.C. voters essentially said we're not really comfortable giving anybody a big majority, and the Sea to Sky went a different way, which I'm really happy about. Obviously, we didn't elect as many Greens as we were hoping to, and our leader Sonia Furstenau went down. That’s partly because of that binary choice that the media and the other parties offered people—"They're really bad, so you should vote for us."
It's definitely very polarized and very deadlocked and the results show that. I think it shows that voters want parties to work together.
Q: Many, including the media, said during your campaign that a Green couldn't have much power as the party wouldn't hold government, but here we are, and the Greens do hold sway. What can you tell us about the negotiations with the NDP?
A: Not much, just that they're ongoing. Nothing has been ruled out. We've got a pretty open discussion happening about what's possible that we could achieve working together, and that's going to take a little while to work our way through. Both parties are open to a range of different solutions and are really focused on delivering for people. What can we do that will give people some relief, show some progress, and actually get the province to where it needs to be?
We heard a lot of things aren't working. The health-care system isn't working. The cost of living is through the roof, and people are generally feeling insecure. Getting to work on those things will be a first priority.
Q: Two of the big things you campaigned on were moving to cancel permits for Woodfibre LNG and getting the corridor regional transit. What's your perspective now on those two promises?
A: There's a lot of work to do on regional transit, but I think all the signals are in the right direction. It was in the NDP platform. It was in our platform. And nobody's disputing that it is desperately needed and long overdue. I think that's looking really optimistic to finally move that into implementation. And Woodfibre LNG, we'll have to wait to see. I can't say one way or the other on that at this point.
Q: Do you think Sonia Furstenau will stick it out as leader past six months or so, given she doesn't have a seat and you and Botterell do?
A: We would like her to. Probably some taking stock, once we're in the role, is probably what's going to happen. I hope that she'll stay on, but obviously not my decision. We're certainly benefiting from her guidance and experience and support and we'll need that for a long time. She spent seven years here, and I've now spent about seven days, so a lot to learn.
Q: Given there are only two of you, it's a natural question to ask: would you want to take on the leadership role?
A: I'm not even thinking about that right now. I'm thinking about being a good MLA and getting some of the priorities of the Sea to Sky implemented. There's too steep a learning curve to even think about another role.
Q: What else would you like folks in the Sea to Sky to know?
A: I am just really grateful for all the support that I got. It is not easy fundraising and getting volunteers in this climate. And yet, people really stepped up. They saw the potential of electing a Green MLA and doing something different. It was going out on a limb for Sea to Sky voters to try something new when the narrative was that a Green wouldn't be able to get anything done, which proved to be misleading. People really took a chance, and I really appreciate that trust.
We want to honour that and give people comfort that they didn't go out on a limb for no reason and that it will have a lasting impact. I won't let people down.
