Though still nominally premier, Christy Clark knows her government’s days are numbered. If she doesn’t resign, the BC Liberals will be toppled by a non confidence motion when the provincial legislature reassembles in June. Clark intends to continue as Leader of the Opposition. So what does the NDP-Green agreement mean for British Columbians?

What Does The NDP-Green Agreement Mean for British Columbians?

“The Lieutenant-Governor’s decision would be, should my government not meet the test of confidence in the House … she would ask, I think, the NDP, as the party that has the second-largest number of seats, whether they can govern, but she will make that decision,” said Clark.

Andrew Weaver responded, “I welcome Premier Clark’s announcement today that she intends to recall the legislature as soon as possible, so that we can move forward with creating a stable minority government that delivers on key issues for British Columbians. What is most important for me in her statement was that the Premier Clark has signalled her willingness to work across party lines as we move forward. This new form of politics is what voters asked for in this election, and we are committed to doing our part to make that happen. Our agreement to support a B.C. NDP government is an important aspect of collaboration in this new political era, but cross-partisan work is not limited to it.”

On his website, British Columbia’s next premier wrote, ” …To everyone who has emailed, tweeted, called, messaged or signed a petition in the last few weeks to tell us about the kind of government they want to see: please know that we’ve heard you loud and clear. This deal is happening because of you …'”

John Horgan also published the full text of the NDP-Green agreement.

Many of the specific trends were already expected.

 LNG

Noticeably absent from the agreement is any reference to “natural gas” or “LNG.”

The Green party is opposed to a massive build out of the “LNG industry that would (if it ever came to fruition) almost double BC’s emissions.”

“Projects must offer jobs and training for British Columbians, especially jobs for local people.

The people of BC must get a fair return for our resources.

Projects must complete a made-in-BC environmental assessment, and achieve the highest environmental standards while respecting our commitments to combating climate change.”

Education

The Government-in-waiting intends to invest heavily in education, fast tracking “enhancement to K-12 education.” They also intend to improve access, and reduce the cost, of post secondary education.

Making Life more affordable

“Design and implement a province-wide poverty reduction strategy that includes addressing the real causes of homelessness, including affordable accommodation, support for mental health and addictions and income security.”

“One aspect of the poverty reduction strategy is to design and implement a basic income pilot to test whether giving people a basic income is an effective way to reduce poverty, improve health, housing and employment.”

Affordable Housing

Many point to housing and residential construction, rather than fossil fuel investments like LNG, as the cornerstone of Clark’s economy. Between 2012 and 2016, the number of new housing starts rose from 27,465 to 41,843 a year. Vancouver’s housing prices reached all time highs.  The Liberal party benefitted, as 7 of their 10 largest donors are real estate development companies. British Columbia obtained $1.15 billion from the Property Transfer Tax in 2015.  According to Huffington Post, “25% of that came from transactions in Vancouver alone. If that $1.15 billion was reduced significantly, it would blow a massive hole in the provincial budget.” No wonder the government waited until August 2016 before taking action.

The Green party’s platform approaches this problem from a different angle (p 21),  “The availability of affordable housing is an issue for the working poor, welfare recipients and people who are seeking a place to rent. Lack of affordable housing has many consequences, including out-migration of the young, difficulty in retaining key employees, long commutes and traffic congestion, as well as the rise of illegal suites in detached homes, and young adults remaining in the family home into their late twenties.”

The new BC government promises to fight the housing crises by “increasing supply of affordable housing and take action to deal with the speculation and fraud that is driving up prices.”

LNG

Though Horgan opposes the Pacific Northwest LNG project on Lelu island, his party platform (pp 78, 79) supports the industry providing projects:

• Guarantee a fair return for B.C.’s natural resources.
• Guarantee jobs and training opportunities for British Columbians.
• Respect and make partners of First Nations.
• Protect B.C.’s air, land and water, including living up to the Province’s climate commitments.