The final winner between the NDP and the Conservatives is still to be determined, but one confirmed and undeniable result from the 2024 election is: BC Greens have fallen in public favour.
The Greens, as of the latest count as I write this blog, attracted 167,822 votes across BC … only 8.2% of the total ballots cast.
That’s far, far less than the 284,151 votes the Greens received in the Oct. 2020 vote … when they won 15.09% of the total.
Not only that, but Green party leader Sonia Furstenau also failed to win a seat this time.
Not even spin doctors could perform enough political plastic surgery to make any of that look good!
The NDP, meanwhile, captured 915,248 votes (44.6% of the vote) and the Conservatives won 892,427 votes (43.5%).
And although the final Official tallies are still to be announced by Elections BC, it’s clear: the Greens will finish last.
So I find it a bit “rich” for Furstenau and the Greens, with only TWO seats in the new Legislature, to be holding BC’s democracy hostage for the highest ransom they can extract to determine which party will take power.
It’s hard to conceive ANY concessions the Conservatives could/would make to create a “support” agreement with the Greens, but in politics … especially BC politics … ANYTHING is possible!
However, I believe whichever party ends up with even just one more seat than the Conservatives, that party deserves a chance to try to govern.
Period.
Now, readers of this blog will know I did not vote for the NDP this time.
However, when the voters have spoken, under our first-past-the-post electoral system, the party that ends up with the most seats should get the first chance to govern … without being blackmailed into a formal agreement by a minority fringe party that would extract from our democracy and our taxpayers a very high price just to take office.
In fact, Furstenau, her two elected MLAs, and BC Greens party executives/strategists should read their own 2024 Platform …
“For a democracy to work effectively, the government must
be accountable to the public, reflect voters’ choices,” it reads.
I agree. And so should Furstenau and the Greens now!!!
Nothing wrong with the two elected Greens wheeling and dealing with an NDP government for their votes/support in the Legislature to improve/modify/pass any proposed legislation … one of the benefits I see in having a minority government.
But, I don’t believe … given the Greens’ poor performance (both in seats and popular vote) … they have the right to use blackmail to force any party with a one seat lead to introduce/adopt Green platform policies, just to stay in power.
That’s not democracy; it would be blackmail.
Harv Oberfeld
(Follow @harveyoberfeld.ca on “X” for FREE First Alerts of new postings on this BC-based Blog.)