Here I sit in the armchair by the window, hair in a bun, eyelids low as I battle to keep them open after staying up past 1 am on an emotional see-saw watching BC’s historic election results roll in.
Watching people walk by on the street, I think about how ironic it is that my new riding of Courtenay-Comox could end up being so critical to the future of BC… The NDP and Liberals are separated here by a mere 9 votes.
9 votes. Remember that when someone tells you one vote doesn’t make a difference because yes my friends it does. The BC Liberals ended last night with 43 seats, the NDP 41 and the Greens 3.
We won’t know for two weeks if the NDP can hold this riding or not, as a judicial recount will be done and absentee ballots have yet to be counted. Because we have 19 Wing here, CFB Comox, many of those absentee votes will be base votes from people on missions, but included in absentee votes will be many snowbirds who spend fall winter and spring here, then take off back east for the summer.
It’s assumed that the Liberal candidate, Jim Beninger could turn it around if those absentee ballots are in his favour, because he was the former base commander. What may surprise some is that quite a few military personnel voted NDP or Green – when it comes to voting, personal values or issues can and do override military loyalty. Everyone here knows how important the base is to the valleys economy.
Either way, despite Clark continuing to serve as premier for the time being, the next two weeks will be spent in limbo while recounts and those absentee ballots are counted, all 176,104 of them!
One thing is clear with this result. The voters who turned out wanted change… but what kind of change they ultimately want remains to be seen. Right now we have a bit of chaos as many are still absorbing the reality of the situation. We haven’t seen a minority government here for 65 years.
Even before the writ drop and start of campaign I sensed the very real possibility of a minority government. I did an interview with CBC on that, as after 16 years of waiting for the NDP to get it together, I heard a lot of readers saying they wanted something new and Greens were gaining steam.
Yet when Trump layed softwood tariffs down and Clark swiftly switched gears in her campaign to capitalize on that fear, I thought perhaps we were likely to see a slim Liberal majority. And we may. But not yet.
The Greens have 3 seats now and that puts them in a power position with votes. I have tremendous faith in Adam Olsen and Sonia Furstenau who are strong people with a lot of integrity. The Greens presence in the legislature will be a good thing for democracy I think…unless some kind of agreement is reached where Weaver supports a Liberal government, which would be at odds with their overall ideology but has come up in discussion because of his past comments.
One thing also needs to be said that the NDP should heed. Voters sent a strong message to Clark who lost several ministers including Amrik ‘smirky’ Virk, Peter Fassbender and Suzanne Anton. But the voters also showed the NDP that they can no longer rely on simply being the only choice, or the ‘better choice’, because the Greens are not going away and I think they will only continue to grow and thrive in BC.
I learned a lot from my readers over the last few months and during the election. A lot of people knock twitter, but my following steadily grows and the people who follow me are incredibly diverse and cut across the political spectrum from left to right. The fastest growing group are between 25 and 45, and guess what? They share their feelings, their ideas, their concerns. It’s incredibly enlightening and gives me such important insight which clearly is point on.
A large majority of them don’t belong to any party, never have, and feel like I do. Stuck in the middle of these long-established parties that have little attraction to them. Centrist.
Some of those people chose the Greens to support this time and many were completely turned off by the tired Clark rhetoric of the nineties. As one young woman told me ” I was a kid in the nineties, that line doesn’t work on me.”
Clark supporters like Brad Bennett, BC Hydro chairman who accompanied Clark on her campaign in an obvious conflict, (* but hey that’s how they do it here in the Wild West*) looked clearly dazed in interviews last night, spewing out spin, trying to recoup but not doing well at either. And Clark? Her late night speech, Hamish at her side, was riddled with lines of working across party lines in an obvious attempt to regroup and make the best, but she looked stunned. At one point her facial expression changes briefly and you can see reality smacking her hard. It was painful to watch. ( not one word please about Hamish, he is a good young man supporting his mom)
Like Norm, I said before this election started that depending on what happened I may move away from blogging about politics. If the people elected Clark again, there seemed to be little sense in continuing. But there is still work to be done. And a lot of it.
All of these amazing people I talk with, all the people sharing their hopes and fears, their desires for simply wanting a commonsense way forward, they made me realize change is possible.
We saw more indies running, sadly none elected. We had some excellent candidates in YPP, Your Political Party. Two more Greens elected? That’s amazing. Inspiring. They all restored my faith.
The biggest issue however, remains voter turnout.
Instead of getting mad over people choosing Green over NDP, get mad at the half of eligible voters who stay home! Don’t get mad at people who are actually voting…get motivated to find out why over a million people in BC never vote.
Keeping that in mind, when only half of BC actually votes it gives Clark even less of a mandate when her seats are based on so few of the provinces inhabitants.
My readers, you, the people who follow on twitter, say time and time again you feel disenfranchised and removed from process. Government announces the project of the day…then does community consultations after the fact. Referendums for transit, but 9 billion dollar dam goes ahead without electorate approval. Integrity has taken a back seat, power has steamrolled principles. Politicians act as though they are above the law.
You get the idea. We need to change the process. We need to hold all these politicians accountable. Some learned the hard way this election that voters will only take so much. They key word is ‘we’. No one is going to do it for us. We need to do this ourselves, together.
Yes,change is not only possible my friends, it is coming. We just saw change happen overnight. More meaningful change takes time and involves engaging a lot of people. It’s not without work. We still may end up with a slim Liberal majority. But maybe not. But are you going to sit and do nothing? No. People are already asking me “What next?”.
You can argue, you can complain and you can fight it all you want with those entrenched institutions that no longer fit the way our world works… but it is coming…You can get on board and make it work..or get out of the way.
Westcoast Views with Laila Yuile 
Well said.
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Thanks Kim. 🙂
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ONLY – if the seat count remains the way it is today. If Clark ends up with a majority, no matter how slim, all her talk about “working together”, and “working for all the people of BC” will be her usual words without meaning, and NOTHING will change.
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Wrong. I think some people who thought..or hoped ..change was never going to happen are in a bit of a reality check too.
The green expansion threatens many ndpers who ..again…refuse to even comment here or share this. Their backs are up. 16 years is a long time and it was inevitable that many are looking elsewhere. Not because they arent capable of doing the job, but because they feel no connection and find some stances hypocritical.
Even with a Lib majority..if it happens..change is coming. Just watch.
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I would also like to here/see an analysis of Elections BC this time around as well. We heard some very concerning stories out of New Westminster. I understand preliminary objections were made by the NDP due to changes elections BC made to certain voting locations which limited accessibility for many seniors to exercise their franchise. People also complained about the extremely long lineups and down sizing of voting locations…..all of which one gentleman claimed was voter suppression tactics by elections BC. I think that claim has no merit, but people were certainly frustrated yesterday. I’m curious what took place in other areas?
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Two major disappointments for me;
Nearly 45% of eligible voters stayed away.
Based on the liberal numbers, a lot of voters either didn’t care about all the scandals or were uninformed about them.
The re-election of the Minister of Children and Family Development, Stephanie Cadeau, with a 5,000 vote margin reinforces my second point and is an ugly truth the NDP has to own.
Props to Elections BC for ensuring all the hospital patients got to vote.
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Yes agreed.
But ‘Jobs’ right?
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TFW jobs including that mine that will hire only Chinese citizen-imports for five years until they allow Canadian citizens to apply…..when you stop to think about it, as few do, it’s the same as the conditions that Chinese railway workers had, and like this case with China saying it has to be this way, it was Chinese labour contractors who set the infamous pay rate (that the rest of us get blamed for); British Columbians didn’t want Chinese railway workers, period. It was Sir John A. who forced that issue and who had to hire an American (Onderdonk) to do it as no British Columbia businessman wanted anywhere near it….so this is China imposing the same low-pay, bad-conditions and also working to exclude non-Chinese labour…..
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A thought I had while watching Tuesday night was also, how ironic that you recently moved there and now a tipping point possibility is immense. Weird how things occur, eh?
Another thought when I saw the voter turnout today was back to your previous “…Just Damn Well Vote” piece. 57%? Are you kidding? I realize that in a democracy one has the option of not voting to voice your opinion of the politics of the province, but I truly believe the majority who do not vote are too damn complacent. If you want the fruits of democracy you should get off your derriere and play a role.
I believe the Clark we saw speak Tuesday night was destroyed. Ya, she delivered the bit, she’s pretty good at that, but she was so heavily made up to cover the jolt her system had taken with the result. On Friday during her 5 stop blitz from Richmond to Prince George I was as close to her face as you were to your window and she still had the spark, wilted but still sparking. Tuesday night she appeared shaken after not bringing it home “for the boys”.
And don’t be conned folks, her “new way of doing things” line was the same sales job that she did on non-existent LNG and prosperity funds and all the rest. Her spots don’t change and never will. She was asked a mere few weeks ago, will you make a formal apology to Rod MacIsaac’s sister over your government’s role in what happened to him. Her response was that if that’s what she requires to get closure I will. That’s a leader? A person who takes responsibility for the most egregious acts?
Mr Weaver & company had best keep their wits about them. They would be wise, no matter what small differences may exist, to deal with a party and leader with whom they share myriad common interests than be enticed by a shiny prize, only to find they have dealt with a snake and been devoured.
This election does provide the possibility of a change and I applaud your optimism, Laila, but all of those operatives are still there in the shadows, plotting for those who put financial gain at taxpayers’ expense before people.
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What an insightful comment. And bang on.
Yes it is ironic. Great community here and I do have longstanding connections and have many new ones too. Very progressive entrepreneurial community, tends to lean left and demographics here are changing too. Many new young families moved into the Comox side same time as us last year, all from other areas too. A lot of young couples as well.
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I’m green, so I am pleased for them. I like ego hampered minority govts, so I am more pleased for BC. My ineffective but well fed MLA is a continuing disappoint in every way, so I am still displeased with her. What a ditz! Clark is Clark and still smiling vacuously so I am still disgusted with her and her house Slytherins. And half the people still don’t vote leaving me continuously confused and baffled. Despite the unusual outcome, I remain in much the same place as before…. hopeful still but getting older.
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Nice to bring along your own applause.
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Ok, time to get serious and start pushing his crowd before they start the endless posturing…
Here is the current rundown of the Democratic Green Party electees.
I defy anyone to say there is not outstanding cabinet material in this group. So much so, that many of them could easily do the combined jobs of two Liberals.
If Horgan-Weaver can’t immediately put together a credible, cohesive group that would clearly represent all British Columbians and withstand a snap election, then neither deserves to lead.
Clearly, there are so many decent, honest, folks on this list with similar socio-economic goals. People not yet tainted by lobbyists and big donors.
Never mind the tradition of rewarding an MLA just because they have survived many elections. Pensions will take care of that. Instead, look to the list and work with the talent handed to you by trusting, ordinary British Columbians.
Horgan-Weaver need to think outside the box, eliminate the Whip, big money, lobbying and hidden taxes. Bring back real FOI and honest watchdogs to prove there is accountability and to focus on the huge numbers of ignored BCers.
Guaranteed, the Liberals are already planning a new strategy for another election by 2019 and the Demogreens must come together quickly to prove they are worthy of a solid majority.
Furstenau and Olsen are two comets just waiting to be lit.
Get ‘er on Andrew-John.
NDP
Horgan Bains Beare Begg Brar Chandra Herbert Chen Chouhan Chow Conroy D’Eith Darcy Dean Dix Donaldson Eby Elmore Farnworth Fleming Fraser Glumac Heyman James Kahlon Kang Krog Leonard Ma Mark Mungall Popham Ralston Rice Robinson Routledge Routley Simons Simpson Sims Singh Trevena
Green
Weaver
Furstenau
Olsen
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It is interesting to see what will happen next i do believe if Weaver lines up to support the BC liberal gov his mlas will get skewered those ridings solidly voted for change.
As far as platform green and ndp have far more in common there needs to be a better balance in politics that represents and respects all sides this has not happened in the last 16 years at all a new approach is needed .
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Very interesting! Christy Clark is what she is and those that think she can or will “work together with anyone” had better be ready for a big surprise when they wake up and face reality! I would like to know where that statement came from. I keep hearing about how correctly things are being done by the Liberals – this leads me to think that maybe – just maybe – there are still some intelligence, scruples and integrity left among the elected Liberals. Is there a chance that two or three of them have had enough to entice them to “cross the floor” to join the NDP? That would end all this controversy and achieve what most voters wanted – Christy Clark gone! Being 79 years old has me questioning the motives of the generations following behind. We started with nothing – we made what we needed – we helped each other – no matter what – remember the old “barn raising”? That usually turned into a party! Then “Greed” was welcomed into the fold. Now we are not concerned about making what we, as a country need,but rather how much product we can make and sell for profit! Let’s be honest – what jobs are really needed for us to survive and what jobs are required only to fill the “greed”? My thoughts probably don’t fit with those of today but I must say it was much nicer growing up in the good old days! I can’t afford to live in this world! Thanks for the time!
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Maybe because I, too, am almost 70, I agree completely. The emergence of greed has ironically introduced more scarcity and poverty. That truth seems obscured these days. And what about integrity? Truth-telling? And ‘working for the greater good’? We really do NOT need this new way of seeing each other only in economic terms. We need to see the humanity, the society and the environment way ahead of the money. Money has morphed from a medium of exchange into a quasi religion and it is a formula for evil.
Ken, you CAN afford to live in this world – just not in the money-market that has become modern Vancouver. Get out, Ken. Get out now!
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I am not sure what the odds are but they must getting big for the probability of a BC Government credit downgrade. A drop in credit worthiness is not usually any indicator of what is to come but a belated grading of what has come to pass. The reason downgrades are notoriously late to the party has to do with the Government being the employer of the rating agency. You could rightly call that a massive conflict of interest condition.
The first “shoe” has dropped with all six major Canadian banks taking a knock down today. Due to irresponsible borrowing and contracting BC must be the next in line. In February the BC Auditor General did show people in BC just how much more our liabilities exceeded every other province in Canada but all that produced was a yawn generally, nothing by the main stream media and nothing by all party leaders and not much by most other candidates.
According to Statistics Canada the Canadian cost of living increase has been about 22 % since 2012. Here in BC and for the same period our cost increase for electricity has been +74%. BC Ferries would have been much the same as would have ICBC rates as would have been property taxes.
BC citizens need to process the reality that your worst enemies are your elected representatives. Because most of what governments are in charge of are monopolies, politicians know this and allow the exploitation of that condition but are never accountable.
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BC has been warned many times….https://lailayuile.com/2017/04/19/bc-election-2017-the-irony-is-rich-when-it-comes-to-clarks-concern-over-bcs-credit-rating/
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Grrr. If only Weaver had not pitched me under that goofy Green Bus, I remain convinced I could have taken North Vancouver Lonsdale and given Green a foothold on the mainland
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You should have some Scotch or rum to help you get through the election count. It makes it much more comfortable.
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Over at Keeping It Real, Harvey is proposing that the Greens would do better by propping up the BC Liberals. The point — as far as I understand it: this would allow them to keep their identity. Join forces with the NDP on their many common goals and Greens would not, perhaps, get their proper credit.
I don’t buy that line of thinking. The Greens want to ban big money, as do the NDP. Christy wants to “study” it.
Both Green and NDP want proportional representation. I can see the BC Liberals promise to study it… then shut it down, like Trudeau did.
Greens want Site C shut down. NDP wants to study it, with a pledge to shut it down if the numbers are right. Christy wants to get it past the point of no return.
If Greens and NDP combined forces for the first two, they would be tilting the landscape of BC politics in both of their favours. I say: push together to get the BC Lib bandwagon over the cliff — then go back to redefining their own platforms. Put the egos to the side, for the good of the province.
Of course, we have to see where the final count falls… but the back room discussions should be underway.
http://harveyoberfeld.ca/blog/propping-up-liberals-best-green-strategy-in-minority-government/
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What will happen this new ‘government’ will last 12-18 months (even if minority or a razor thin one seat majority), during that time the libs will replace Clark (I hope not Falcon) then have an election and the libs will get a majority. For some reason not enough people willing to elect an NDP government. Is the NDP a damaged brand? I also would expect the legislature to sit the absolute bare minimum too.
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I think you are right, the NDP are a damaged brand. Prolonged impotence and silliness will do that to you. And there is nothing NEW about them! Mind you, corruption and lying should have damaged the Libs brand and sent it to oblivion but have not….so, go figure. If a brand has been damaged, it may be Democracy’s. Democracy gets us corruption, elitism, cronyism and Trumpets. Not to mention apathy and confusion for the dim witted. I still prefer it but it is clearly NOT doing a good job as it is now implemented. Proportional Representation is better implementation but is it enough? I am starting to think only the Second Coming can fix this mess.
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If the B.C. Lieberals win Comox, Christy won’t have to care too much, but we will see something we haven’t seen in years, all the MLAs showing up for work when the Leg. is in session. That alone should be a fun show. Just think having to show up for work each and every day, of course it may only be for a few months each year, but just the same, Christy sitting in the leg, how awful for the poor woman. work every day.
In my opinion Weaver is so fully of himself he is positively preening. He thinks he is important and Christy is letting him believe that for now. If she has her majority Weaver won’t have party status, et.c he’ll have dick.
I don’t see the new MLA for Cowichan siding with the B.C. LIeberals regardless of how much Weaver would want her to. She has spent too many years dealing with the government and their indifference to the water quality issues.
It is very disaapointing that only 53% of the pop. voted at all. Without a voter turn out of at least 70% no single party can say they have a majority of anything, anywhere.
It would be interesting to see what % of people voted riding by riding and to see how many empty houses there are in some of those ridings and what impact that has on voting.
Perhaps the time has come to hold voting day on Sunday or a make it a Stat, like Christmas day. Voting day!
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I don’t know if anyone’s still reading this, but I just wanted to put my two cent’s worth in. I may be the only Okanagan follower of your blog, Laila, so I thought you might like to know how frustrated we are up here ‘beyond Hope’.
There isn’t a riding along the entire Hwy 97 corridor that wouldn’t have elected a ping-pong ball if one were to run as the BC Liberal candidate. To see Christy win in the Kelowna West riding over a terrific NDP candidate like Shelley Cook was just……….what’s the word? ‘Disgusting’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.
I don’t live in the Kelowna West riding, but I campaigned tirelessly for the candidate I thought had the best chance of beating the BC Liberal candidate in my riding. It should have been a slam dunk for the Green party candidate, since the NDP guy was not well-liked in this town, and the incumbent BC Liberal is, was, and always will be as useless as ‘teats on a boar’.
Many folks in the Okanagan have become discouraged after banging their heads against a wall of old Socred dinosaurs and the little dinosaurs they have spawned. The only Okanagan riding that could have rid itself from the barfly BC Liberal candidate there was Vernon. Had the Green and NDP joined forces there, Eric Foster would never have to worry about getting off his bar-stool to visit his constituency office ever again. But of course it was not to be.
One more thing before I jump off my soap-box and head on over to Oberfeld’s blog and tell him what I think of his ridiculous idea that Weaver should join forces with the Teflon Tart. If the Green party doesn’t soon find a cure for Weaver’s swelled head, they may very well lose any seats they gained this time around.
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Twice I have read that Weaver has a swelled head. Admittedly, he is an academic and a doctor as well. But egg-shaped heads are commonplace in that crowd. AND it is true that he looks smug when smiling but that is a natural affliction and should not be made fun off. A form of disfigurement, really. But all politicians adopt a glue on grin. Inane and always inappropriate. An inherent part of the sham. The real criticism to levy is: why is he smiling? Weaver still has to live up to his name and his status as a smart person to ‘weave’ some magic as a 5% player in a statistically controlled game. If he pulls that off, I will grin with him. If he can’t or doesn’t, he should stop with the toothy countenance. There is nothing in BC politics today that warrants anything but anger and tears. I doubt I’ll ever smile again.
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https://www.gofundme.com/Port2Court
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HAPPY CANADA DAY LAILA AND EVERYONE ELSE!
We get to celebrate our country’s 150th birthday and all the birthdays prior when the First Nations were building this country.
We get to celebrate a new provincial government. We got to bitch and complain about them for the last 16 years and no one was shot or thrown in jail because of it. We have much to celebrate today!
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Looks like the corn will be knee-high by mid-July—in spite of everything. Might seem anticlimactic alls there is left to do is listen to it grown on those lengthening, toripdly becalmed summer nights. For all that, the silo doesn’t fill itself, so here’s hoping the weather’ll be cooler by picking time.
Even some of my hayseed buddies have noticed you’ve been deftly paddling around these unusual political doldrums. Smart cuz there’s a whole limp-sheeted tub of pundit-fly infested baloney been floatin’ out there in the middle of it. Tried to make hay out of “instability”—even by riding around the deck saddled backwards—but Her Majesty’s cowgirl lassoed that brand down quicker ‘n’ a fly in bull-tail season.
Alls we can say now is: Christy lost with even the best doped horses money could buy. Still eerily flat-calm out there, though. Been around long enough to know it can’t last for long.
I’m hoping you and yours are enjoying the summer. Everybody deserves a break after this 16-year case of the blues. Our granddaughter assures us the holidays aren’t near over yet. And the baloney barge of speculation won’t be towed off just yet (it’ll surely sink first ripple it hits). What’ll happen to Christy and the BC Liberals? What parsimony will Horgan be forced to affect? There’s more than enough to take a pass on.
Looking forward to your thoughts on some of the big ramifications of this election—the recent one, not the one everybody says is gonna happen soon. Like, ‘s up with the palpable disillusionment with partisan politics, and why do people think pro-rep’ll bring relief, it being more partisan and all? What’s the significance of the Green-NDP alliance long term?
All the best,
Scotty
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http://thebreaker.news/news/site-c-boost/
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Hey Laila,don’t know if it means much but my soninlaws dad has been told not to show up for work at site c,,hope you get this
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