CLARK SLIPS UP, SKIPS TRANSGENDER VOTE

There was no reason for premier to put money ahead of this issue

The scene in front of the B.C. legislature Monday provided a brief respite from the take-no-prisoners tone one expects between the two main parties with an election approaching.

Arrayed across the stone steps were government and Opposition MLAs, interspersed with leaders from the transgender community, all gathered to celebrate the pending recognition of gender identity or expression in the human rights code.

Down in front, holding one end of the tri-coloured flag of the transgender community, was Spencer Chandra Herbert, the New Democratic Party MLA who’d done more than anyone to keep the issue alive.

“Fifth time lucky,” he joked to reporters, riffing on the four times he’d introduced similar legislation, only to have the Liberals rebuff it as unnecessary.

Holding the other end of the flag was Premier Christy Clark herself, underscoring her role in steering the Liberals to make explicit what was already implicit: protection of transgender people against discrimination.

Nobody made any speeches. Nobody needed to. The optics spoke for themselves. It was a feel-good moment that actually did some good, politicians from both parties joining together to provide comfort to a much-putupon community.

When the house reconvened later in the day following the photo opportunity on the front steps, the government and Opposition joined in waiving the usual three-day minimum for legislative change and agreed to expedite passage by the end of the afternoon.

That set up a win-win for both sides. The New Democrats could point to the outcome as a case where principled, tireless opposition made a difference. The Liberals could highlight the role of the premier, embracing a worthy idea from across the floor, picking up the banner of human rights, using it to soften the government’s image and her own.

Except when it really mattered Monday, Clark wasn’t there.

Fast forward to late after- noon, six hours or so after the mid-morning scene on the front steps, when the final vote was called in the legislature to recognize transgender rights in the code.

The Liberal MLA who’d spoken most strongly against the change, Laurie Throness (Chilliwack-Hope), had vacated the chamber, having already signalled his intention to abstain.

Liberal Marvin Hunt (Surrey-Panorama) had declared his view that the change was unnecessary. Nevertheless, he stayed to vote, however grudgingly, in favour. Simon Gibson (Abbotsford-Mission) voted back in 2014 against a legislative change to expedite retroactive changes of gender identity on birth certificates. But this time he, too, was voting in favour.

Marc Dalton (Maple Ridge-Mission) had joined Throness, Hunt and Gibson in voting nay on that earlier occasion. But Dalton was on leave from the legislature this week and unable to declare himself one way or the other. Thus, when the division bells had finished ringing shortly after 5:30 p.m. and all those present and accounted for declared themselves in the traditional standing vote, the result was unanimous.

“Nemine Contradicente,” announced deputy clerk Kate Ryan-Lloyd, breaking out the traditional Latin (“nobody contradicting”) reserved for those rare occasions when measures pass without a dissenting vote.

Some 39 B.C. Liberals, 30 New Democrats and Independent Vicki Huntington voted in favour of the change.

But missing from the recorded vote was the name of Premier Christy Clark. Neither did she speak in favour of the bill during the afternoon debate, though other members of her government did so.

Turns out Clark vacated the provincial capital before the vote was called to attend a party fundraiser on the Lower Mainland. If that sounds dumb beyond all expectations, the premier’s staff would appear to agree.

“This was an entirely avoidable mistake and we are disappointed in how we handled it,” the statement from the premier’s office said. “Monday’s event was long planned, but it could easily have been re-scheduled. Premier Clark has made it clear that we need to do better.”

The “we” in this case being the premier’s office, not the B.C. Liberal party, which organized the fundraiser but does not exercise final control over Clark’s schedule.

The Liberal party refused Wednesday to disclose when or where the fundraiser took place, leaving one to guess whether she could have stayed for the vote in the house and still made it to the party’s money-grubbing exercise.

But the real blame line goes to Clark herself. She’s no innocent in these matters. She decides when to place herself at the forefront of an issue, particularly when it involves repositioning of the government.

She must have known what she was doing, grandstanding on the front steps of the legislature with the transgender folk, then skipping out on the debate and the vote to attend the fundraiser.

“It’s just gross,” Chandra Herbert said, rightly stung by the display of cynicism on a matter where he’d given Clark the benefit of the doubt. “It’s like putting your own party ahead of showing solidarity for human rights. It’s a historic vote for transgender people, and the premier skipped town to make money for her party.”

So, to recap, the premier set out to soften the image of her government and instead armed her critics with a tawdry display of cynicism.

She was there in the morning for the photo op on transgender rights. But when it came time to literally stand up and be counted on the floor of the legislature, she instead skipped out to raise money for her re-election.

The Liberals refused to disclose when or where the fundraiser took place, leaving one to guess whether (Clark) could have stayed … and still made it to the party’s money-grubbing exercise.