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IN OUR VIEW: Time to compromise

The big problems facing B.C. haven't gone away just because we have a divided Legislature
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A minority or the slimmest of majorities is the likely outcome as recounts determine the makeup of the Legislature. (Black Press Media file photo)

Whoever has won the B.C. election hasn’t exactly been determined yet, and whoever will get to wear the title of premier won’t be rolling into Victoria with a powerful mandate.

Trust British Columbians to produce a near dead-even tie between the NDP and the B.C. Conservatives, with a pair of Greens potentially holding the balance of power.

With the final official count still scheduled for Oct. 26-28, and with a few ridings seeing candidates separated by fewer than 100 votes, it might be either the Conservatives or NDP who technically hold the most seats.

But no matter what shakes out of any final counts or recounts, it’s unlikely that either party will have a stable majority.

That could mean British Columbians are going back to the polls sooner than 2028. Maybe a lot sooner.

But we can expect a brief pause, at least. Six months to a year seems a likely minimum, if only because the parties’ coffers are empty and their candidates exhausted.

In that time, before one side or the other triggers an election, there’s still a lot to do. And that means something that may be difficult: compromise.

Here in B.C., we’ve had one recent minority government, from 2017 to 2020 under John Horgan’s NDP with support from the tiny Green caucus. But that was an exception.

The political culture of B.C. typically swings back and forth between right and left, with the voters punishing hubris and scandal by letting the other guys take the reins for a few terms. Few among our leadership have extensive experience at negotiating the passage of legislation when bipartisanship – or tripartisanship, as the case may be – is a necessity.

Well, they’ll have to learn fast.

One thing all three parties agreed on was that there are a few key issues that absolutely need to be addressed. The cost of housing, homelessness, the ongoing fentanyl crisis, the desperate need for more health care professionals, and the lack of teachers and classrooms in fast-growing areas are at the top of anyone’s list.

For however long this government lasts, and whoever leads it, they can’t let these issues just wait. 

As soon as the Lieutenant-Governor has sworn in a premier, they’ll have to reach out and find common ground. If they can’t, they’ll only prove neither party was really up for the job.

– M.C.