Liberals change tune in throne speech
Unimpressed, NDP-Green alliance says it will go ahead with plan to defeat government
VICTORIA — B.C.’s Liberal government delivered what is likely its last gasp in power Thursday, with a throne speech that borrowed heavily on ideas from opponents and pledged “humility” to voters.
But it won’t be enough to stave off the party’s defeat next week in the legislature, after the NDP and Greens reconfirmed their commitment to topple the Liberals on a confidence vote in the legislature.
The speech from Premier Christy Clark’s government was packed with more than two dozen policy reversals and new policies not contained in her party’s May election platform. It included major items the Liberals had campaigned against, such as a referendum on electoral reform and scrapping bridge tolls in Metro Vancouver.
“This is a product of listening to people and it’s a firm commitment if we gain confidence of the house we’ll act on,” Clark told reporters at the legislature. “It’s also one that if we get into an election we will run on, and one that we would implement should we be elected to serve another four years.”
The 22-page throne speech is more likely to serve as a future B.C. Liberal campaign document, because Clark’s government may not survive long enough to enact any of its promises.
NDP Leader John Horgan and Green Leader Andrew Weaver said Thursday they still intend to combine their parties’ votes and, with a one-seat advantage over the Liberals, defeat Clark’s throne speech and force her resignation as early as June 29.
“I’m hopeful all members will realize the sooner we put away the make-believe throne speech and come forward with a real throne speech the sooner we can get working on the issues that matter to people — education, health care, making sure we are addressing transit in the Lower Mainland,” said Horgan.
“Everything I’ve heard from the Liberals, we campaigned on.”
Weaver said he simply could not trust the last-minute Liberal party conversion.
“Do you trust a government that is suddenly, in the 11th hour, in the dying death throes ... suddenly change their feelings?” he said. “That lacks principle.”
Clark attempted to frame her sudden capitulation to policies she opposed as a listening exercise, after voters on May 9 — mainly in the Lower Mainland — rejected giving her another four-year majority term. The Liberals received 43 seats, one short of the 44-seat majority threshold. The NDP received 41 and the Greens three.
“It’s a genuine and sincere attempt to reach out to all members in the house,” Clark said of her speech, which was delivered by Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon.
The speech included major concessions, such as promising to eliminate all tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges — a $200-million NDP campaign pledge that the Liberals spent four weeks insisting was irresponsible, unaffordable and would imperil the province’s AAA credit rating.
Finance Minister Mike de Jong said the province can now afford it, because of an unexpectedly large surplus he will reveal next week in the B.C.’s year-end public accounts. Private sector economists have also upgraded B.C.’s economic outlook, he said. The new promises are likely to cost billions, though de Jong would not provide an exact figure.
“I’m sort of old-fashioned that way about not spending money until we know we have it and as information has come available we’re in the happy circumstance our economy has grown even more quickly than we thought in February,” he said.
That unexpected financial windfall may ultimately end up benefiting a new NDP government instead.
The throne speech promised a potential pause in the schedule for building the $3.5-billion bridge to replace the George Massey tunnel and a rewrite of the contentious law to allow Uber and ride-hailing services — both issues on which the Liberals were heavily criticized in the election.
New promises included $1 billion in new child care spaces, a rent-to-own housing program, a $100-a-month increase in welfare rates, and a ban on corporate and union donations that would extend to municipal elections.
On education, the Liberals pledged to restart a “Royal Commission on Education” for the first time since 1987 to examine the major reforms to the system, as well as review the per-pupil funding formula for school districts and fully fund new playground upgrades. The government would restore adult basic education programs and ESL courses, which had been cut in recent years.
Social reforms included a poverty reduction strategy — something the Liberals have argued for years was unnecessary. Children in government care would get basic income support from the age of 18 to 24 while transitioning to independence, as well as free post-secondary education.
On health care, the Liberals promised a minister of state for mental health — echoing the NDP pledge for a ministry of mental health — a reduction in surgical waiting times, more doctors, more residential care beds, a new hospital for Surrey and a previously promised cut to MSP rates.
Despite the concessions, Clark said her government retains its core principles of low taxes and not running a deficit. The Liberals refused to budge on their support for the Kinder Morgan oil pipeline expansion or the Site C dam, but did propose talks with private sector clean energy producers for more wind, solar and geothermal power projects.
The throne speech did not change the minimum wage (the NDP has proposed $15 an hour), the labour code or the grizzly bear hunt. The carbon tax would be increased one year earlier, and potentially be offset by provincial sales tax reductions in the future, though it would still reach the same previously promised $50 a tonne federal rate by 2022.