BC Liberals won’t ‘prop up’ NDP government with a Speaker: De Jong

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – British Columbia Liberal House Leader Mike de Jong says it is not his party’s responsibility to provide a Speaker in order to “prop up” an arrangement to between the NDP and Greens.

New Democrat Leader John Horgan has suggested that if his party were to form a minority government with the support of the Greens, a Liberal Speaker could remain in the seat to avoid tie votes in the legislature. Horgan has said he hoped to take up the position before Canada Day.

De Jong says the request is “bizarre” and signals a sense of desperation on the side of the opposition.

He says he thinks the NDP and Greens are now realizing how unstable their government would be if they go ahead with plans to vote out the Liberals in a confidence motion.

De Jong also refuted their claims that the Liberals are dragging their feet to reconvene the legislature, saying the session is beginning early compared with other May elections.

Green Leader Andrew Weaver has criticized the Liberals for delaying the session and a confidence vote. But de Jong says compared with six other May elections in BC history, this session is starting early.

“We’re probably a week behind where we would normally be, but it took two or three extra weeks to find out what the final results were of the election. [It’s] pretty hard to convene the parliament until you know who is actually entitled to sit there.”

Once a Speaker is selected, de Jong says a priority will be to deliver the throne speech, followed by the required debate before the expected confidence vote for the Liberal government.

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