SPEAKER’S DEFECTION AIDS NDP
With Plecas, minority can breathe easy
Top B.C. New Democrats knew three weeks ago they had persuaded Liberal MLA Darryl Plecas to turn against his party and become Speaker of the legislature, a stunning turn of events that played out in the capital on Friday.
The sensitive behind-the-scenes negotiations to lure Plecas, the MLA for Abbotsford South, into the job were stickhandled by the NDP’s government house leader, Mike Farnworth. Over the course of half a dozen phone calls and meetings, Plecas and Farnworth hashed out the deal, with only a small number of New Democrats in the loop until the last minute Friday.
The ultimate impact of the move could be to lengthen the life of the minority NDP government, and give the New Democrats the necessary breathing room to pass legislation. With a Liberal in the job, the NDP can pass legislation without having to rely on the Speaker to break tie votes, a risk it faced if it had to appoint an NDP MLA as Speaker.
The origins of Plecas’ defection appear to be when he spoke up against Liberal leader Christy Clark at a Liberal caucus retreat in Penticton, held on July 27, shortly after the Clark government fell in a no-confidence vote. Plecas threatened to quit unless Clark resigned. Clark ultimately stepped down rather than fight Plecas publicly.
But many Liberal MLAs were furious at the Abbotsford MLA for attacking their leader.
Plecas went public with the story of his actions in Penticton to his local paper, prompting Farnworth to pick up the phone and call him, say those familiar with the negotiations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The two MLAs had lunch.
The NDP would be willing to support Plecas for Speaker if he wanted the job, Farnworth offered. Plecas expressed interest, and the two cut a deal over a series of phone calls before Plecas left for holidays in August.
Behind the scenes, the Liberals had no idea what was going on. Plecas hadn’t attended any caucus meetings since Penticton. He returned from holidays on Sept. 6, but failed to show up to another caucus meeting on Sept. 7, citing a doctor’s appointment.
Interim Liberal leader Rich Coleman got Plecas on the phone that morning. He thought he’d received assurance that Plecas would opt out of the Speaker’s job by submitting the required opt-out form by the deadline of 6 p.m. that day. Yet when the Liberals checked that evening, Plecas hadn’t opted out.
Coleman got Plecas on the phone again.
“I spoke to him last evening for an hour, he had indicated at 10 a.m. (Friday) morning he’d be sending in his form,” said Coleman. That didn’t happen either. Plecas skipped a planned meeting with Coleman at 9 a.m. Instead, Plecas went and sat alone in the legislative chamber, at a back desk, and waited for other MLAs to arrive.
When it became clear what was happening, Coleman stood in front of the Liberal MLAs at their 9:30 a.m. caucus meeting and said: “I hate to break this to you, but we’ve all been duped.” He told the Liberals to brace for betrayal by Plecas when they walked into the house.
At the same time, the NDP caucus was hearing about the deal for the first time as well.
Other than Premier John Horgan, and a small number of staff, Farnworth had not told anyone he had secured Plecas’ defection. Farnworth had instructed MLAs Raj Chouhan, Leonard Krog and Spencer Chandra Herbert — who were all interested in the job — to opt out, but didn’t tell them why.
When Farnworth told caucus that Liberal MLA Plecas would be the next Speaker, the New Democrat MLAs broke into cheers.
Inside the chamber, Liberals sat stone-faced as Plecas assumed the position. They refused to clap for him, and Coleman did not congratulate him in his speech.
Coleman would emerge from the legislative chamber fuming about Plecas’ betrayal. He likened it to crossing the floor to join the NDP or Greens.
“Effectively that’s what he’s done, he’s given another seat to the Greens and the NDP by becoming the Speaker and doing it by basically not being honest with his colleagues or me,” said Coleman.
The decision by Plecas “puts a little wind in the sails” of the governing NDP-Green alliance, said Max Cameron, a political scientist at UBC. “I think that this minority has a more workable minority in partnership with the Greens, which I think means its life expectancy just improved significantly,” Cameron said.
Typically, a minority government in Canada lasts 18 months to two years, but the alliance now stands a chance to achieve its goal of lasting its full four years, Cameron said.
With Clark’s resignation, an ordinary vote in the legislature now stands at 41 Liberals (not counting Plecas), 41 New Democrats and three Greens. Plecas, as Speaker, would not vote unless there was a tie. The Liberal seat count could rise back to 43 if the party wins the byelection, which has not been called yet, to replace Clark in her riding of Kelowna West.
Coleman said it was too early to decide whether Plecas would be allowed to remain a Liberal, but as Speaker he would not attend caucus meetings or party events in any event. The Liberal party said he remains a member, for now.
Green Leader Andrew Weaver said he had also been talking to Plecas about becoming Speaker and had referred him to Farnworth to continue talks.
Plecas’ sudden interest in the job came just two months after he publicly said he’d been approached and had flatly turned down the offers.
“The notion of us (the Liberals) putting up someone for Speaker under the current circumstances is ridiculous,” Plecas told columnist Mike Smyth at the time.
“In fact, I would go further to say that it would be an outright manipulation of the democratic process.”
He also told the Abbotsford News at the time such a move would be “very disrespectful of me” and “very dishonourable.”
Once considered a merely ceremonial position, the job of Speaker has grown in importance in recent years and is especially critical to the NDP minority government. Traditionally, the Speaker is a nonpartisan referee of the legislative proceedings.
Plecas will now get the Speaker allowance of $52,941 on top of his $105,882 salary as MLA.
“The best that one could hope for, and what’s appropriate to hope for, is that he understands his job now is to serve the institutional interests of the legislature as a whole,” said Cameron, the UBC political scientist.
“If he does that — and it is a remarkably important and edifying role for him to play — he’ll go down in history, potentially.”
Plecas refused interview requests Friday.
Effectively that’s what he’s done, he’s given another seat to the Greens and the NDP by becoming the Speaker and doing it by basically not being honest with his colleagues or me.
RICH COLEMAN, interim Liberal leader