The last time a B.C. premier with a scant majority unveiled a new cabinet, it lasted 15 days.
That would be Christy Clark’s no-hope swearing-in after the close 2017 election. She won two more seats than the NDP, but then John Horgan inked a cooperation agreement with the three-person Green caucus, giving him the parliamentary edge.
So Clark’s fate was sealed, even before it was put to the formal vote. Convention required that she name a cabinet before the axe fell, so the swearing-in was a forlorn attempt to go through the motions.
The new ministers managed one paycheque before they walked into the legislature, lost a confidence vote and had to shuffle over to the opposition side, minus their portfolios.
(Conservative Party of B.C. Leader John Rustad was one of them, which shows you can never count anyone out.)
Premier David Eby has an even smaller margin than Clark did, but you wouldn’t know it by Monday’s swearing-in of his new cabinet.
It had all the usual ceremony and loads of enthusiasm. It’s rare to see someone put on probation be so excited about it.
Everyone involved gave the impression they plan to be around for longer than a few weeks. It is quite conceivable they will be.
For reasons unknown, Eby still hasn’t managed to reach a formal agreement with the two-person Green caucus, even though it’s been a month since the election.
“We’re in intense conversations with the Greens about how we can work with that party and the vision here is what British Columbians vision was, as I understand it, which is a parliament that works for them, that delivers on these priorities. They’re (British Columbians) not interested in the politics.”
He wouldn’t elaborate on the talks, but Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau was among the hundreds of guests at the ceremony, which speaks volumes.
Greens won’t put either of their MLAs up for nomination as Speaker. The NDP will renominate well-respected Raj Chouhan for a second stint in the chair. He will have to cast tie-breaking votes as the need arises.
Furstenau said the party is still interested in coming to an agreement with the NDP and talks are ongoing.
Greens later congratulated the government in a release that stressed working together.
Some formal deal for Green support would be welcome for the NDP, but it isn’t as crucial since Eby’s party counted one additional seat after election night and now has a majority.
Also in the mix is the fact that if Greens balk at any NDP moves, they could give the Conservatives another crack at seizing power.
So even if it is reluctant, Green support can cushion the NDP majority by an extra two votes.
Eby’s cabinet lineup is the usual three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle where geography, gender, race, skills, experience, messaging and a dozen other factors are all juggled until a team of some sort emerges.
One initial impression is that Eby will set a tougher tone on street disorder and public safety. He mused about it as a factor on election night when it looked like he had only a minority hold on power.
The new cabinet has two ex-cops in public safety portfolios.
Veteran retired RCMP officer Garry Begg, succeeds Mike Farnworth in the public safety portfolio.
Former Vancouver police officer Terry Yung was named to a newly-created role as minister of state for “community safety and integrated services.”
Yung’s experience includes working as a beat cop at Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Eby said it’s about incorporating frontline police experience into government’s approach to street crime and organized crime, which sounds like an idea long overdue.
The “integrated services” refers to the idea of ensuring officers on the street are up to speed on health care and crisis support programs now available.
Also worth watching is new Finance Minister Brenda Bailey. The Island-raised Vancouver MLA served previously as jobs minister.
Her first job is a crass one — she has to fulfill the vote-buying gimmick Eby announced during the election. He promised a $1,000-a-year tax cut for every family in the years ahead. For immediacy, it was made effective this year, by way of direct rebate cheques.
It will cost an estimated $1.8 billion a year, which puts B.C. that much further away from balancing budgets.
Former finance minister Katrine Conroy consistently downplayed balanced budgets. Eby said his new government’s new goal is to reduce them year-by-year over time, which will involve tapping the brakes on the NDP’s spending habits.
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