December 13, 1999
The Future of BC Politics - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER - Let me use this column to digress a moment about the future of BC politics. Earlier, say a couple of months ago, I would have conceded that the NDP wouldn’t be around after the next general election. After their crushing performance in Delta-South and following that debate at Tupper, I think they still have a chance, albeit the slightest.
Getting fewer votes than the Green Party is embarrassing, but it doesn’t mean they’ll score the same number in a general election. Keep in mind that performance was just one by-election and even more vivid, one riding. One that happened to be a staunch Liberal riding, Bill Vander Zalm will tell you that.
If a general election were held today, the Liberals would form a majority government. Say 60% of the seats in the house. (Take note. The house he says, not popular vote; That’s too soon to discuss.) Then the NDP would form the opposition with 20% to 25% of the legislature and the balance to Reform BC. I’ll admit it looks awfully generous, but that’s what I think. Some pundits are saying Vander Zalm and Reform BC are dead. Vander Zalm will say the race is now between him and Campbell. I think both diagnosis’ are wrong. Simply said, as terrible and shitty the NDP is, they’ll manage to make it in, for two reasons.
Gordon Campbell freaks a lot of people out. He’s weird and terribly unnatural. The Zalm is weird and carries a hell of a lot of baggage. Need I remind you of Faye Leung? People will vote for the NDP for no reason but those. That’s the truth and that’s sad. Zalm should stick around. I think he’s sincere and I think he and Campbell and whomever the NDP choose on February 20th, will make a good race. The cards will be dealt and we’ll see exactly whom the people of British Columbia will endorse.
A leftover item from the NDP debate last week: During Joy MacPhail’s attempt to get the crowd hyper and in her corner; she meant to say, in her opening statement, something like, “Gordon Campbell and The Liberals have the people of BC, quaking in their boots.” What she did say, had she not realised her monumental slip, “Gordon Campbell and the Liberals have the people in BC, shitting in their pants.” The NDP and socialist ideology at its finest!
In Thursday’s column I forgot to talk about what the candidates actually talked about. As I said the questions were hokey at best, there was a lot of worthwhile ones on party policy, and I think that’s fair, because it was an NDP event. There was talk about their participation at WTO the week before, as well as snips at the media. One weirdo stood up and in most kiss-up style lauded the fast ferry project. At that point Dosanjh supported him and the gentleman’s stance, thus reneging on his opinion that he shared with my History 12 class a few weeks before.
One woman asked a rather hokey question on the trophy hunting of grizzly bears. But, the question did make the top of ‘NW’s newscast and divided the caucus. MacPhail was against it, as was Wilson, if I’m not mistaken. Dosanjh was not willing to change legislation to ban it and Evans was emphatically against banning it. It was moments like that, that made that evening worthwhile.
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