Columbia River Revelstoke MLA Doug Clovechok was hurrying back to Vancouver for a caucus meeting early this week, and still trying to absorb everything that has occurred since he was elected.
He says the events of last week, where the BC Liberals lost the confidence of the Legislature, were not unexpected but there were some aspects of it that surprised him.
“It wasn’t unexpected, as we figured Green was the new orange, but it is disappointing. At the end of the day, the BC Liberals won the election. We had the most seats and won the popular vote.
“I was surprised a little by the decision of the Lt. Governor. I fully expected to be in campaign mode now. But she decided to give this new Green/NDP government a chance. I don’t see how it can work. It’s not stable. Mr. Horgan and Mr. Weaver don’t even like each other much.
“It’s a simple equation. The NDP has to appoint a speaker, then it’s 43 to 43. The speaker is traditionally non-partisan, so it’s a tricky road ahead. And you have to look at issues between the NDP and Greens. Mr. Weaver has said, over his dead body will there be a Kinder Morgan pipeline. There are cracks there.”
One place Clovechok says there are no cracks are in loyalty to Christy Clark.
“There are no fractures there,” he said. “We as a caucus are standing behind her.”
And they will be one of the strongest oppositions in BC history, he says.
“I pity the person who becomes Finance Minister against Mike de Jong.
“I am going to be knocking on Ministers’ doors about the issues in Columbia River Revelstoke. Mr. Horgan has said he’s going to be non-partisan and I’m going to hold him to that.”
Ultimately, Clovechok says he believes there will be an election sooner rather than later. “I agree with the Premier. It’s not stable. It can’t last.
“The whole thing has been a fascinating experience and it’s still unfolding. I went from being the longest unelected MLA to a government MLA, Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, to an opposition MLA and I did it in a really short time.
“But at the end of the day, I’m still working on issues in this valley.”