Not so sure about that, BCRacer.
Her team did win a clear majority in spite of the polls. And, don’t give us that 22% stuff – if you don’t care enough to vote, you simply don’t count!
We have a system that enables all citizens to participate in a selection process – for those who choose not to participate, give your head a shake and get off your duff. Vote as if your vote is going to be the deciding vote! THAT is a dear privilege – and, think a bit of those who do not have this option.

nuffsnuff. Quit keeping the urban legend alive that people should vote for political parties, or people when they do not agree with anything that they stand for, or advocate.

50% of the people in BC did not vote, and a lot of them did so because they have no faith in the parties that ran in the election. Unfortunately politicians don’t get the message.

If our MLA’s represented the people who voted for them as opposed to the political party they belong to, then we might get more people voting.

As an example: What exactly did Shirly Bond, and Mike Morris say they would do for us in the ridings of PG Valemount, and PG MacKenzie??? Does anything come to mind other than the usual BS about LNG or job creation??? Not bloody likely. So who are they representing??

But, Palopoo, You seem to suggest that in order to oppose a party or an individual you simply stay at home! If you don’t vote, you don’t participate in the process. That process may not be perfect or the best, but it is the process we have today. If you don’t (want to) vote, you don’t complain. Like I said before, WE DO have a choice – others don’t.

Now the waiting begins to see what the lieberals have up their sleeve. No doubt there will a 180 on the proposed enbridge pipeline with some BS story how all Christy’s 5 conditions have been met.
Having to live with the liberals for the next 4 years is one thing…….trusting them is something totally different.

•Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation – John Rustad

WTF is that supposed to mean … Talk about a made up name for a guy that has never taken responsibility for a thing in his life

•Minister of Health – Terry Lake

A Vetrinarian …. everyone in BC will receive a Rabies shot next year … but if you break your leg you will be shot just like a horse

•Minister of International Trade and Minister Responsible for the Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism – Teresa Wat

I thought International trade was a federal responsibilty … yet I dont anything there for Domestic trade?

Unlike US, Canada is not a republic and the unelected monarch and unelected Lieutenant-Governors, unelected members of senate put constraints on the elected institutions in Canada.

Our democracy is half baked and an unelected premier is another strange byproduct of this system.

Great remark! We also have an unelected Prime Minister.

Even though there are more elections in the US (every two years) the Electoral College system is not exactly an example of real democracy either. Good thing we don’t have that kind of manipulative interference but of course our unelected senate more than makes up for that.

Didn’t Glen Clark at one time appoint a total unelected outsider to some Ministry in his government?

Can’t recall the finer details.

Here fishy, fishy!
Don’t forget Clark met privately with George “the missing link” Bush…

…got to run! Got a nibble and it is about to rain. Back to fishing :)

“Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half.”

“Democracy is being allowed to vote for the candidate you dislike least.”

By the way – for those complaining about Clark not having a seat, let us go back to Dave Barrett (former NDP premier) – who lost his Vancouver seat and sought and won a seat in Victoria – somewhere back in the 70’s. I suppose the right leaning voters of the day complained the same way then – with the same results. The premier won!

Ya its quite the system when an unelected person can be the premier and appoint the cabinet for government and rule with the impunity of a majority with no checks and balance on the power… but an elected MLA of the opposition that actually has a seat in the legislature not only have no say in the cabinet, but are only entitled to ask questions to the unelected premier through surrogates a couple of months of the year… questions the unelected premier has no obligation to answer.

That is the reality of the situation folks. Its not a truly elected and accountable government we have. Its a political party partisan love in that is above the legislature.

Palopu: “50% of the people in BC did not vote, and a lot of them did so because they have no faith in the parties that ran in the election. Unfortunately politicians don’t get the message.”

I’d say the majority of the people who didn’t vote don’t care who gets in. That to me tells me they’re mostly happy with the way things are.

Palopu: “If our MLA’s represented the people who voted for them as opposed to the political party they belong to, then we might get more people voting.”

Welcome to the political system, where elected members belong to parties, and must act together to change policy and govern in general. It’s been around or some time now.

Why are people still hung up on Christy Clark losing her riding?

Yes, the NDP put in a high profile candidate and spent a lot of time and energy to win that riding. Meanwhile, they forgot there was a campaign going on… and walked and talked the whole time as if they were already elected. We all know how that turned out.

So why not have the whole cabinet unelected then if its no big deal that the premier did not get elected to the legislature? Its a slippery slope when we allow a precedence like this.

Why even have the legislature then, why not just a popularity contest for political parties… whats the point of even having an MLA if we don’t have representative democracy?

Eagle: “Its a slippery slope when we allow a precedence like this. “

It is not the first time this has happened. As others have mentioned, it happened in the 70’s with Dave Barrett.

“whats the point of even having an MLA if we don’t have representative democracy?”

Representative of who? You? I don’t know if I want an MLA that has the same values you do. You probably wouldn’t want one that represents what I believe in. So who is the MLA supposed to represent?

Today Clark was sworn in as the Premier! After she wins a seat in the Legislature that’s where she will be. In the meantime she can run her agenda from the Premier’s office or from her home office.

All the whining is not going to make the slightest difference.

Time to move on! C’est la vie!

So why does the Premier need to be in the Legislature anyway ? It will only be in session a few days this year.

The system in Canada is an archaic colonial left over and it has turned into a joke especially in this age of internet where its flaws can be raised and scandals put under spotlight.

The notion of fusion of powers with no proper check and balances does not work and it should be transformed into one with separation of powers and more proper check and balances.

Univ, if you like the American system so much why don’t you move there? There is nothing more than ‘tradition’ in our system that states that a Premier or Cabinet Minister has to have a seat in the Legislature, or Federally, in the House of Commons. It is not ‘colonial’ nor is it ‘archaic’, but a wonderfully flexible system. And we DO have ‘checks and balances’ within it, and they CAN actually work better than anything the Americans have in their republican set-ups with formal Constitutions full of loop-holes.

For the record, the NDP, when they were last in government appointed at least one person to the Cabinet before he had a seat in the Legislature, Ed John.

In 1935, in Alberta, the leader of the victorious Alberta Social Credit Movement, Bill Aberhart, didn’t even seek a seat in the Legislature. He was later elected to it in a by-election.

Sir John A Macdonald, first PM of Canada, lost his seat in Ontario in an election, and was subsequently elected in a by-election to represent Victoria, BC.

And let us not forget the choice of the CBC for the “greatest Canadian”, the Father of Medicare in Canada, one T. C. ‘Tommy’ Douglas, NDP leader and Prime Ministerial aspsirant. Who was dumped by the voters in his home riding in Saskatchewan, and resurfaced through the by-election process as an MP for a Vancouver Island riding.

The fact is, anyone could be appointed PM or a member of the Cabinet. ‘Tradition’ is that they have a seat in a legislative body (federally, that could be the Senate, as well as the House of Commons), but there is nothing whatsoever that says that ‘tradition’ could not be broken. Christy Clark, if she had the confidence of her Party, or a majority of the elected MLAs, COULD be Premier for the full term of the government without EVER having a seat in the Legislature.