Clark cheered on Canada Day despite stepping down as premier
Christy Clark was all smiles Saturday afternoon, as thousands of people greeted her with cheers for Kelowna’s Canada Day celebrations.
“On this Canada Day, on our 150th birthday, I want to say a very, very special thank you to everybody from Kelowna, West Kelowna, the Mission, everybody from Rutland, the whole community here in this Valley for your support,” Clark said during the Canada Day opening ceremony inside Prospera Place.
Clark resigned as premier of British Columbia after the Liberals were defeated in a non-confidence vote Thursday.
However, she intends to stay on as leader of the opposition and MLA of Kelowna West, she said.
“It’s really important that the new government recognize the province doesn’t end at the Lower Mainland, and almost none of the Interior or the North of British Columbia is represented in the government now,” Clark said to reporters following the Canada Day ceremony. “This area is going to need people fighting for it, and I’m going to stay here to do that.
“The wealth of the Lower Mainland depends on the wealth of the Okanagan succeeding and other parts of the province; my job is to make sure the Okanagan and the Interior and the North are heard so that we can keep B.C. strong, because the Lower Mainland can’t work without us.”
Clark said she and the Liberals plan to work with the NDP, but will not hesitate to fight back.
“We have the ability in the legislature to amend any bills that they bring forward to make sure that they are done right, and that they are done in a way that’s going to protect the interests of families and jobs and making sure we are delivering those programs now, now in 10 years,” she said. “Our opposition will be big enough and strong enough to make sure that we can shape those ideas in a way that makes sure they’re going to work. There (are) lots of things you can say we agree on . . . but making sure it gets done right is going to be the hard part.”
Despite the outcome, Clark said she had no regrets about the election campaign.
“I congratulate Mr. (John) Horgan on becoming premier — it’s a big job,” she said. “We have a strong economy, and I hope he continues to manage it well.”