NDP Leader Isn’t Ruling Out Coalition with BC Greens
Prince George, B.C. – BC NDP Leader John Horgan weighed in on last night’s election result with reporters today though he wouldn’t say for certain if he and BC Green Leader Andrew Weaver are considering forming a coalition government.
“I spoke with Mr. Weaver last night. We talked about a range of issues – we talked about how we both agree that the BC Liberals have failed British Columbians in a range of areas,” he said.
BC NDP Leader John Horgan
“We both agree they failed on childcare, they failed on the housing crisis, we agreed they’re not prepared to defend out coast against increasing tanker traffic. We have a range of issues in common but my focus is on the people of B.C. and if others like Mr. Weaver want to join with me I’m happy to do that.”
And before he agrees on anything – he said it will likely have to wait until an estimated 176,000 absentee ballots are counted first.
“Sixty per cent people who cast their ballots yesterday voted for a change. They want a government that’s working for them and I look forward to the 176,000 ballots yet to be counted announced. We’ll know that by May 24.”
Horgan was also asked if he was disappointed that B.C.’s Lieutenant Governor asked Christy Clark to stay on as premier today while the province waits for the final results to be released.
“The majority of MLAs elected are not BC Liberals. We have 176,000 ballots left to count. I believe the decision is hanging in the balance and I can’t wait to see what happens on May 24.”
After yesterday’s preliminary vote count, the BC Liberals have 43 seats, the NDP 41 and the BC Greens 3.
Comments
This is going to very interesting ..
Yer right! Weaver don’t like Horgan too much, but politics makes funny things happen.
Possibly not the best article to post this comment on, but its striking the way the NDP & Greens pretty much took the lower mainland and Vancouver Island, while the Liberals took the Interior and the north with the exception of a couple of seats in the Kootenays. Somewhat like the US with red states and blue states.
Are our values so different that the Coast and Interior are like two different countries?
Interesting outcome, perhaps predictable after 16 years of the same party in power.
CL
Metropolitan people are often very different from rural folks. They can have different sensibilities and concerns than do people from less populated areas. They also tend to be better educated out of necessity and due to access. When you look at social data on urban vs rural people you start to see some interesting trends. For instance, there are more smokers in the north than in the lower mainland. Things like that which are indicative of environmental forces at play in behaviour.
Very interesting considering that the lower mainland has done very well under the Liberals yet voted against them, whereas the Heartland has done poorly and voted to keep them.
Lots of Red in the lower mainland. Just none on the Island and Coast or in the Kootenays. Funny story there as they are all peed about the price of BC Hydro and they are under Kootenay Power which is now Fortis BC and pay a couple cents more a kWh now than we do under BC Hydro when they used to be cheaper 15 years ago. Hate to tell them Fortis has nothing to do with Site C… but that is the orange wave for you
Horgan tapped into something when he focussed his campaign on “affordability”. In most of the urban ridings his party won, a lot of people are realising the Liberals have just given them ‘inflation’, not ‘prosperity’. In the more rural northern ridings the Liberals won, ‘inflation’ is still in disguise as ‘prosperity’ ~ it hasn’t revealed itself for what it really is, yet. But it will. This is not to say that Horgan, if he ends up as Premier, will be able to make anything more affordable than his predecessors were ~ probably the opposite will occur ~ but he did use the issue to great advantage. And perhaps maybe he’ll get some others thinking just how to bring on real ‘prosperity’ rather than disguised ‘inflation’.
The NDP focused on metro-Van because they knew that was their best way to a victory, even at the expence of loosing a few seats in the interior. That’s why promising to remove the tolls, give every renter $400/yr, plus build 114,000 social housing units. It turned out to be a good strategy for gaining seats which I suppose was their objective.
They only had money to remove the tolls for 3 years by robbing the money set aside to pay provincial debt, you have to figure that out yourself as they only tell you they will remove the tolls. Problem is the tolls right now leave about 150 million a year deficit so after removing tolls for 3 years the capital cost of the bridges will increase by 500 million and they will have 2 bridges with a debt of over 4 billion and still have to pay the 400 million a year upkeep.
400 a year off your taxes, nice, seniors and those on disability or social assistance don’t make enough to pay taxes to receive a credit on
Social housing is always good but how does 114k new units over 4 or 5 years create 200k new permanent jobs?
Just like daycare, how does that create 69k permanent jobs? Or even start to sustain itself?
All orange mumbo jumbo and their money tree rant of tax corporations – they have tons of money (until they get fed up and move)
Oh and every renter only means those in legal suites. Those in basement suites or other “illegal” rooms are SOL
Their platform was so full of holes it was sickening. Weaver had a better platform, unfortunately shutting down industry buys you a ghost town full of Prius’s
Note his tone, if they want to join with me. That isn’t a coalition – a coalition is joining together not “with me”. He does have that “us vs them” attitude and it shows even when he states those in the north of BC do not have the same perspective as him and the south.
Well said. Like dictatorial bosses who say “My employee” “My workers” etc. Horgans a pretty easy read.
No sense getting too wrapped up in the idea of coalition until all the absentee ballots are counted and/or judicial recounts done in a handful of ridings. The closest 2 of the 3 tightest results are currently held by the NDP meaning they can only lose, not gain should results be reversed when the dust settles. In the 2 tightest battles they have a 9 vote lead in Courtenay-Comox riding and 120 vote lead in Maple Ridge-Mission. Next closest is Coquitlam-Burke Mtn where the Libs have a 170 vote lead. Should the Liberals manage to get one of those closest 2 the NDP would have to erase the Lib lead in the 3rd or the Libs will have their majority.
The way Alberta’s #abpoli and news papers are painting OUR election , one would think they lost the election . Calling the BCGreens the tail that will be wagging the dog is quite apt . I liken it more to a Damocles sword hanging effortlessly over both their throats . May the 24th be with the greens !
I like to think Weaver has enough principals to forego a coalition with either party. With 3 Green MLA’s he can pretty much pick and choose who and what to support based on his party’s agenda.
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