John Horgan sailed serenely into the leadership of the sa国际传媒 New Democratic Party. No head winds, no choppy waves, no dangerous reefs. Now comes the hard part.
The ease with which Horgan achieved the post is also a sign of the difficulties the party faces. People weren鈥檛 exactly clamouring for the privilege of leading a party that seemed to be headed toward a majority government in the 2013 election before fizzling out at the polls. Instead of a majority, the party ended up with a net loss of two seats in the legislature. It鈥檚 not much fun being captain of a team that looks like a perennial losing team.
The party has been agonizing and analyzing since the election. A little introspection and self-evaluation can be useful, but gazing too much into the past is counterproductive when the NDP needs to have its eyes focused firmly on the future.
Acclaiming its new leader saved the party the expense and the hassle of a summer campaign and a September leadership convention, but a leadership campaign would have offered the opportunity to air policies and familiarize British Columbians with potential leaders 鈥� and the party brass would have had a reminder of the diversity of the province.
One of Horgan鈥檚 first tasks will be to find ways to unite and strengthen the coalition that is the NDP in sa国际传媒, with the two largest sectors being organized labour and environmentalists. The unions want jobs, and in sa国际传媒, that means harvesting the province鈥檚 natural resources. Environmentalists fear the adverse effects of unfettered mining, drilling and logging.
It would be difficult to reconcile the outer edges of the two sectors, but most people recognize there is middle ground, where British Columbians can have decent jobs while at the same time protecting and preserving the province鈥檚 magnificent natural legacy.
Former leader Adrian Dix gambled and lost in the 2013 election campaign when he suddenly announced his opposition to the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion. His own party was caught off guard and the voting public was spooked by a move that seemed spontaneous and a little whimsical.
Dix sought to inject civility in sa国际传媒 politics, within the legislature and on the campaign trail, but his failure to hold the government鈥檚 feet to the fire was also costly for the NDP. It鈥檚 fine to avoid gratuitous mudslinging, but the sa国际传媒 Liberals offered plenty of opportunity for legitimate criticism, the most notable being the cynical ethnic-outreach effort.
Horgan promises to be more assertive in his approach, which is necessary. No government should be allowed to develop a complacent attitude, to have an easy ride. But at the same time, he needs to ensure criticism is fact-based and doesn鈥檛 become shrill. Opposition for the sake of opposition alone tends to lose its effect.
The new leader needs to put together a cohesive, yet diverse, team. He has to come up with clearly articulated policies and present the NDP as a credible alternative to the sa国际传媒 Liberals, ready and capable of governing after the 2017 election.
When Horgan announced last October that he wouldn鈥檛 seek the leadership, he said a younger generation should be allowed to shape the future. It seems that no one from that younger generation was ready to take over, and Horgan can鈥檛 be faulted for reconsidering, but the party still needs the fresh energy and new perspectives he alluded to.
It鈥檚 easy being in opposition, a matter of objecting to and questioning government moves. Effective opposition goes beyond that. A party that can鈥檛 convince voters that it is ready to take over the reins of government, and do a better job of it, is doomed to be stuck forever in opposition permafrost.
