Governments don鈥檛 like the legislature. It鈥檚 noisy and messy and takes up time that could be used to run the province. And that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 dangerous for Premier Christy Clark鈥檚 government to brush off the fall sitting of the legislature. If people don鈥檛 squawk about it, skipping sessions will become a habit.
Clark said she is not going to be the kind of premier who closes the government off in Victoria to create and impose legislation on the people of sa国际传媒 without talking to them. She decided to skip what she called the 鈥渙ptional鈥� fall sitting so she could focus on setting up the rules for the hoped-for liquefied-natural-gas industry, balancing the budget, changing the laws on groundwater and discussing changes to liquor laws.
That鈥檚 more than a little disingenuous. Drafting new laws, setting up new taxation systems and fine-tuning regulations always involve discussions with the people who are affected.
Legislature sessions don鈥檛 make it impossible to consult people or do the behind-the-scenes work that goes into policy formation.
Of course, when the government is finished with all that work, it will end up creating legislation, which will be voted on in the legislature and 鈥渋mposed鈥� on the people of sa国际传媒 鈥� as all legislation is an imposition on at least some of the people.
Clark contends that her MLAs will be out in their constituencies this fall, talking about how to 鈥渄eliver on the goals鈥� her party outlined during the election campaign.
There is always value in talking to voters about what they want, but after only 36 days in the house, politicians have already had almost seven months free to consult voters, including the four weeks of the election campaign, when they appeared to be consulting furiously all over the province.
This week, Clark tweeted that she was enjoying a cabinet meeting in beautiful Kelowna. Meanwhile, New Democrat MLAs were flying into Victoria for a caucus meeting. The taxpayers, then, are paying for politicians to travel around the province to talk to each other.
To bolster the sa国际传媒 Liberals鈥� case, government house leader Mike de Jong said the government will use the time in the fall to 鈥減repare for a robust spring session.鈥� Does that mean that spring sessions in previous years were scrawny, sickly specimens 鈥� the products of insufficient nourishment?
De Jong stepped further onto thin ice by suggesting the government gets a bye because it just went through a provincial election in May.
鈥淲e have engaged in the ultimate act of accountability, called an election,鈥� he argued.
Elections are an essential part of the democratic process, but the government has to answer for its actions every day, not just once every four years. Between elections, the legislature is the forum where the government reports on its plans and its progress, presents its legislative program for approval and answers questions from the voters鈥� representatives.
Annoying as the chamber can be to a busy premier, it is not a meaningless impediment to government. Left to their own devices, governments 鈥� like people 鈥� will tend to talk to those who agree with them, rather than those who challenge them. Governments 鈥� like people 鈥� make better decisions when they are forced to listen to alternative viewpoints.
The legislature has sat for only 36 days this year, the lowest number since 2001. Last year, our legislature sat for 47 days, the same number as Prince Edward Island. Only Nunavut and the Northwest Territories sat for fewer days.
The sa国际传媒 Liberals are slipping into unhealthy habits. Like regular exercise for a healthy body, regular debate is necessary for a healthy democracy, even if it hurts.
