No one could/should ever
say that Canadian politics are boring. While they may be less bombastic than
those to the immediate south of us, our politics at both the national and
provincial level can be just as complex and at times full of backroom deals.
The convoluted dance that the British Columbia Green Party has just had with
its two prospective partners is a case in point.
Weaver, along with his
party of two other Greens, has within the last 24 hours made clear which of the
two partners they will be taking to the national stage. It should surprise no
one that in the final analysis, the BC Greens had no choice but to partner with
the NDP. For the Green party to ally
themselves with the B.C. Liberals – their provincial adversary in so many
battles - for any period of time would have offended far too many of the Green
supporters. On the surface, it would appear that the agreement between the NDP
and the Greens is, if not a match made in heaven, at least an arrangement that
will be not lead them back to that part of hell known as the powerless
opposition. But both parties need to be cautious of being seduced by the
glamour of it all. While Weaver may see their new “relationship” as an equal
partnership – they are in fact hooking up with a partner with a lot of baggage.
The Greens have allied themselves
with a political party that may “owe” certain interests – i.e. the unions. As
noted by the Globe
and Mail, the B.C Teacher’s Federation has already indicated that it will
be asking for more money for the school system. It is so easy to promise the
near impossible when one is on the opposition side of the legislature – it is
so much more difficult to deliver on all of those promises. Those who follow
Ontario politics know all too well how union supporters can turn against “their”
party when they don’t get want they want. I also note via Facebook, that the Union
of BC Indian Chiefs has said that it is time to implement all of the various
recommendations that have been made to at least try to rectify our rather disastrous
relationships with First Nation communities. I suspect that there are other
interest groups in the province who are assuming that they will have their
needs addressed. It is unlikely that everyone will get all of their issues
resolved. Compromises that may satisfy no one will need to be made.
The NDP need to
understand that the Greens have little to lose by being demanding in terms of
priorities and solutions. They will try to wave the whip for the next four
years or until such time as the NDP get tired of being bossed around by a three
person non-party. One has to wonder how stable the agreement to work together
will be when the NDP cannot quickly deliver on all of its promises, or how long
NDP backbenchers will sit quietly by while their issues are not being
addressed.
I support the concept
that that environment must be, if not the first thing that is considered when
discussing provincial policy, a critical component in any decision. I think
that means that the expansion of the Kinder-Morgan pipe line, the building of
the Site C dam and Liquefied Natural Gas projects in North Western B.C. are all
back on the table. It is hard to see how any of them can be approved. I am
however, most curious as to how the new government will generate sufficient
income to support its plans to expand health care and education funding while
maintaining a balanced budget. While it is tempting to suggest that (1) there
is some waste within the government that could be cut and (2) that some people
(the rich) need to pay their share (and more) – is suspect that is not enough.
The provincial of government will need to expand its income and clearly it will
not be from the expansion of any of the present industries. I cannot help but
remember the negative and unsupportive response of “big” business when Ontario voters
elected an NDP government.
The Greens are gambling
that the next four years will be smooth sailing and that they will get enough of
their agenda on the table to please their supporters, and to garner new ones;
The NDP party is gambling the same thing. I am not sure if both parties can be
winners at the end of this coalition.
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