BC Liberals denied majority Govt.

With all the ballots from the May 9 election officially in, B.C. Premier Christy Clark has been denied a majority government after the Liberals’ hope for recapturing one more seat evaporated on Wednesday. After three days of recounting ballots in two ridings, and adding in previously unopened absentee ballots across the province, Elections BC’s results showed no change in seat numbers for each of the three parties in the May 9 election – 43 Liberal, 41 NDP and three Green. Now, Ms. Clark must win the support of the Green Party caucus for a Throne Speech and a budget if she is to hang on to power. “With 43 BC Liberal candidates elected as MLAs, and a plurality in the legislature, we have a responsibility to move forward and form a government,” the Premier said in a statement. “Our priority is to protect our strong economy and to manage B.C.’s finances responsibly, while listening closely to British Columbians on how we address important social and environmental priorities and how we can make B.C. politics more responsive, transparent, and accountable.” If Ms. Clark fails to strike a deal with the Greens, the NDP will be ready for a confrontation that aims to topple Ms. Clark’s government. That could send the province back to the polls, but the New Democrats – who have not won an election in B.C. since 1996 – hope to negotiate an alliance with the Greens that would allow them to form a government. Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver has been facing increasing pressure from progressive advocacy groups to reject a pact with the Liberals in favour of the New Demo- crats under Leader John Horgan, but the bitter rivalry between the two progressive parties during the campaign might get in the way. Mr. Horgan told reporters on Wednesday he is optimistic his party will reach some kind of agreement with the Greens that would allow him to command a majority of votes in the House. He floated the possibility of approaching Lieutenant-Governor Judith Guichon with an accord that could avoid the need for Ms. Clark’s government to be defeated in the Legislature on a vote of confidence. British Columbia has not had a minority government since 1952. In a province long dominated by two political parties, this election result represents a dramatic change in the landscape with the rise of the Green Party. With just three seats, it has huge leverage in shaping what comes next. Even before the final results were announced, the Liberals and the New Democrats had dispatched teams of negotiators to meet with the Greens. Mr. Weaver has set out three “deal breakers” that include granting the Greens official party status in the legislature, and adopting campaign finance reform and electoral reform. Those talks are set to continue. The Greens oppose some central planks in the Liberal agenda, including the construction of the Site C dam and the expansion of the Kinder Morgan oil pipeline, which could make a Liberal-Green alliance difficult. If Mr. Weaver wins an agreement on his terms, the next provincial election would be executed under a proportional representation electoral system.