Capitalizing on voter frustration on a number of issues, the BC Conservatives took a big bite out of David Eby’s B.C. on Oct. 19. As we await final recounts, it appears the BC NDP will have 46 seats in the legislature – one shy of a majority government. The Conservatives meanwhile have 45, and the Greens have two.
If he is in opposition, Conservative Leader John Rustad said he will be looking for any and all opportunities to bring the government down and trigger another election.
Eby scheduled a press conference for Tuesday afternoon, after North Shore News deadline. Pundits say the most likely path forward is a series of ad-hoc negotiations and agreements with the two Green MLAs to pass budgets and throne speeches.
In short, we are in for a period of division and instability.
In the last term, the NDP adopted some transformative changes in housing, child care and health care, but like any policies, it takes time for the impacts to be felt. Perhaps longer than voters have patience for.
If the NDP are able to play nice enough with the Greens to keep government alive for a term of any length, they’ll need to deliver, and not just feasibility studies, funding promises and iterative changes. We’ve had seven years of those. They’ll need to deliver the concrete, literally and figuratively, and lots of it – the homes, transportation and health infrastructure that we need to make people’s lives better.
Despite having more seats in the legislature and a slightly higher share of the popular vote, they’re going to have to play like they’re down by a goal in the third period, because right now, Rustad has the momentum.
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