Minority governments aren't meant to last but if any minority government was going to last the whole 4 years, the NDP-Greens combo in British Columbia was that government.
So why mess with that success and call an early election?
Blaine Higgs in New Brunswick had to call an election because his party was in danger of losing control. John Horgan in British Columbia was in good shape with his NDP working well with the Green Party. The BC election will be October 24.
"We can either delay that decision and create uncertainty and instability over the 12 months … or we can do what I believe is always the right thing and ask British Columbians what they think," said Premier John Horgan.
The British Columbia election would have happened in 2021. The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is the "reason" why BC is moving up a year.
The NDP has 41 seats in the legislature, as do the opposition Liberal Party. The Green Party has 2 seats. There are 2 independent seats and a vacant seat. Andrew Weaver was the Green Party leader in 2017. Weaver cited a family health issue in stepping down as the party leader and personal matters for stepping away from the party and serving as an independent. Weaver is not running in 2020. Sonia Furstenau has been the new Green Party leader for only 9 days.
We noted in 2015 of the significant number of cabinet members in the Stephen Harper government not running for re-election. That was after 9 years in federal power. The NDP in British Columbia has 7 cabinet members who are not running for re-election: Carole James, Judy Darcy, Shane Simpson, Michelle Mungall, Doug Donaldson, Claire Trevena, and Scott Fraser. That is not a good sign in an election that didn't need to be called.
Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson is in his first election after becoming party leader in February 2018.
Provincial elections in Canada might not seem exciting to some readers. British Columbia knows how to bring excitement. Then BC Premier Christy Clark had more seats (43-41) in the last election but wasn't able to form government. In the previous BC election, Clark led the Liberals to a comeback victory but didn't win her own seat. Clark had to win a by-election to get back into the assembly in Victoria.
I met with @jjhorgan on Friday and told him he had a stable government. This election is completely unnecessary.
— SoniaFurstenau (@SoniaFurstenau) September 21, 2020
The NDP has chosen the pursuit of power over the health and safety of British Columbians. #bcpoli
The Green Party is powerful enough to make an impact but won't win power on its own. Sonia Furstenau has little chance of becoming the only current female provincial premier in Canada. British Columbia is the only province to technically re-elect a female premier in Christy Clark.
Premier Horgan is gambling on the province's strong response to COVID-19 in a drive to get a majority government. Horgan would be the first NDP leader ever re-elected in the province with a victory next month.
British Columbia transitions power from Liberals to NDP with Greens help
BC elects Liberal minority government for the moment
2017 British Columbia provincial election preview
British Columbia COVID-19 updates normally feature chief medical officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix. The updates won't feature Dix during the campaign. This is how non-political the updates are in Canada. During elections, there are separations since the politicians are in campaign mode so they can't be seen as participating in activities that mix incumbency with politics.
The New Brunswick election turned out well for the party in power, the Progressive Conservatives. Higgs took advantage of an inexperienced opposition leader. New Brunswick's COVID-19 response was even better than the one in British Columbia. The other parties in New Brunswick weren't going to support the government. The Greens in British Columbia were willing to support the provincial government.
Normally, an election at this time in the province could mean political ads during Vancouver Canucks games. The new NHL season won't be starting until well after the election.
Vancouver is a large city, a new experience in the pandemic elections. New Brunswick's largest cities — Moncton, Fredericton, Saint John — are all smaller than Halifax, which is way smaller than Vancouver.
For those who aren't familiar with British Columbia politics, the Conservative Party isn't a factor. As a BC friend told me once, the Liberals in BC are the conservatives.
Blaine Higgs wins a majority government for Progressive Conservatives in New Brunswick
New Brunswick is calling a provincial election in a pandemic
Canadian politics notebook: Upcoming elections in a pandemic
CanadianCrossing.com British Columbia coverage
2020 Canadian politics preview
CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage
Meanwhile Saskatchewan is watching all of this unfold for the province's scheduled election on October 26. Now that election will be the 3rd provincial election in 2020.
photo credit: CBC
Twitter capture: @SoniaFurstenau
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