July 18, 2000
The next Prime Minister from BC - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- Stockwell Day’s decision to seek the Okanagan-Coquihalla seat of MP Jim Hart in a by-election can be read a number of ways. Immediately the cynics amongst us, will see some sort of ulterior motive on Day’s behalf. Something fishy could be read into Day’s decision to seek a seat in BC, rather than in Alberta. Perhaps, it is good ol’ populism that drives Mr. Day into seeking a BC seat. Maybe he’s wanting to diversify his political base, as well as the base of his party, as Preston Manning and Reform hailed ever-so proudly from Alberta. Truth be told, the Central Canadian bias mongers will regard BC, as just another province, ‘out West’. We, in the Wet Coast, know it just ain’t so.
Stockwell Day has said he and his Val, lived in the Okanagan before and that two of his sons were born there. Remember that? When running for the Alliance leadership, one of the facts ever so trotted out was the fact he lived in almost every part of the country and had held every job imaginable. From auctioneer to preacher, Stockwell Day’s past life has been fodder for many of Canada’s premiere political pundits. In next week’s edition of Maclean’s, Fotheringham indicates an insight into Stock Day’s varied past, by saying that Alberta’s former Treasurer, has a short attention span. True.
The Tories, I have it on good authority are clucking around Ottawa right now claiming that Joe Clark forced Day out of Alberta and that Day is actually chicken about facing the ageing Joe in Calgary Centre. My read into it all is that Day is simply maintaining his “agenda of respect” towards Joe and avoiding a sharp vote split between the Alliance and the Tories, especially since the former PM is running in Alberta.
The goings-on in Canadian politics are interesting. Imagine if this weren’t the summer and the House were in session? The press would be going bonkers right now trying to cover this. I have no doubt that Stockwell Day will win. Prime Minister Chrétien has promised Day that he’ll call a quick by-election to get Day into the House, perhaps as soon as this fall. Pending of course, the possibility of a fall election, which would be absurd, since the Liberals would probably lose.
Joe Clark has also reciprocated Day’s agenda of respect, by saying the Tories will not run a candidate in the Okanagan-Coquihalla by-election. Poor Joe, as Barbara Yaffe of the Vancouver Sun has dubbed him, still thinks the Tories pose some sort of threat, thus this spurt of nobility from the boob who a week ago was taunting Day to face off in Calgary Centre.
British Columbia will play a part in federal politics, albeit a small one. Stockwell Day becomes the third candidate in the last 20-odd years to run for or as a Prime Minister from the fair province of BC. John Turner lost the election in 1984 here, as did Kim Campbell in 1993. Stock Day has to contend with that, as well as distancing himself from the ghosts of Alberta - the old Reform party and all that that great province built.
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