Horgan’s Heroes: NDP to form government, what’s next for the party

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – Welcome to the wild, wild west. Just seven weeks after a contentious provincial election that saw the BC Liberals form a minority government, there has been another change in Victoria.

The BC NDP will now form government and John Horgan will become BC’s 36th premier, after Christy Clark and company fell in a non-confidence vote on Thursday afternoon. A new alliance by the New Democrats and Green parties defeated the Liberals in the legislature by a vote of 44-42.

Following the meeting, Clark went to meet with Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon and her to dissolve the Legislature, essentially sparking a snap election. Guichon, instead, opted to ask Horgan to form a new government after accepting Clark’s official resignation.

“She hasn’t granted that request, she’s chosen another path… I don’t know why, but she did and I certainly accept that result. And I, again, wish Mr. Horgan and Dr. Weaver the very, very best in the coming years as they operate their coalition government,” said Clark. “Over the last six years, I have learned to love British Columbia even more than I ever did before,” added Clark. “I’m so grateful for the job. To have been able to do this for six years.”

After getting the call from Guichon, Horgan emerged from Government House, where supporters cheered. He called the period since the May 9th election nothing short of extraordinary.

“It’s been a rollercoaster for all of us, for all British Columbians of all political persuasions. I’m grateful that today we were able to demonstrate in the Legislature that the Green and the NDP alliance, when it comes to matters of confidence, is strong,” he said. “There’s an enormous amount of work to do. It’s been 16 years since there’s been a transition in government, there’s been 16 years of challenges that have been created for many, many people. These challenges won’t be fixed overnight.”

He outlined the problems he and BC Green Party boss Andrew Weaver plan to tackle first, once Horgan is sworn into office. “The fentanyl crisis needs immediate attention, the softwood lumber agreement needs immediate attention, as does our public education system.”

Horgan says his party will receive transition documents today to begin the process of selecting a cabinet as soon as possible.

However, an NDP government faces a lot of hurdles, because even with the support of the three Green members of the Legislature, the New Democrats can only count on 44 votes in the 87-seat House, putting them in a precarious position.

The Liberals had held power for 16 years.

In a bid to remain in power, the Liberals adopted NDP and Green promises from last month’s election in their throne speech, including banning corporate, union and third-party donations to political parties and spending more on childcare.

Liberal MLA Steve Thomson resigned as speaker, following the minority government’s defeat.

After the provincial election on May 9, the Liberals had 43 seats, the NDP 41 and the Greens three.

Another election could soon take place

The next step for John Horgan is to choose his cabinet and to take a look at the government documents he’s receiving.

The NDP says it will take two to three weeks to transition into its new government role but the Legislature likely won’t be back until after Labour Day in September. Meanwhile, Victoria City Councillor Jeremy Loveday says he’s looking forward to working with an NDP-Green alliance with local MLAs.

“I’m really excited to have local representatives in government. We have a lot of pressing issues in this region and in our city. And I think it’ll be great to have their ear and to have people in government who know what the issues are locally and to be able to stand up and meet those needs.”

Once the legislature is re-called, expect things to be amicable between Horgan and Green leader Andrew Weaver, at least for the short-term says retired political advisor Norman Spector, who lent a hand to Weaver’s party during negotiations.

He says when it comes to Horgan down the road. “The odds are you’ll look for an election, but I think the Greens are of the view that he’ll show good faith and we will see which of those two prognostications prevails.”

Spector also expects Horgan will look for an opportunity to call another election sooner than later in an effort to eventually secure a majority government, perhaps as soon as one year from now.