With the provincial political parties in full-on election mode after the dropping of the writ last Tuesday, the race is on as we head toward the May 9 vote. This week, we present a primer on the main election issues and profiles of the three major party leaders.
A May 9 election primer
Voters in sa国际传媒 elect a new government on May 9, and the parties are already positioning themselves with platforms they hope will catch the attention of British Columbians.
After sa国际传媒 Liberal Leader Christy Clark emerged from her meeting with Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon at Government House on Tuesday, she quickly staked out her party鈥檚 position as responsible stewards of the provincial finances who will focus on creating jobs. She attacked the New Democrats as irresponsible free-spenders.
NDP Leader John Horgan, in contrast, said his party would fix education and health care, make life more affordable and create sustainable jobs. He said the sa国际传媒 Liberals have driven families to their financial limits with increases in fees and utility costs.
Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver promised a platform and a party with fresh ideas, untrammelled by the tired thinking of the two major parties. He is unrolling his platform in stages, including a promise of $750 million a year to build 4,000 new units of housing.
Here鈥檚 a look at some of the major issues:
Housing
The benchmark price for detached properties in Greater Vancouver stood at more than $1.5 million last May, giving rise to complaints about unaffordable homes as tent cities for homeless people sprang up in Victoria and Vancouver. The government imposed a 15 per cent tax on foreign buyers in Metro Vancouver to help cool the market and restore hope that home ownership was still achievable for people who feared they couldn鈥檛 afford to live in their communities.
Campaign finances
With no set limits on corporate, union or individual contributions to political parties, fundraising in sa国际传媒 has become known as the Wild West. The New Democrats blame the Liberals for continuing to fill party coffers while the party turned down six attempts to ban union and corporate donations to political parties. A special prosecutor has been appointed to assist the RCMP in its Election Act probe of donations to both major parties.
Child care
The NDP is promising $10-a-day daycare based on Quebec鈥檚 system as one of the major planks in its campaign. A shortage of child-care spaces, coupled with the added strains of sky-high house prices in sa国际传媒鈥檚 major cities, are making it difficult for young families, say the Opposition New Democrats, who believe affordable care is good for families and the economy.
Education
There鈥檚 peace on British Columbia鈥檚 education front, but the toll of a long-running battle between the government and teachers that saw a bitter strike shut down schools and a court case in the Supreme Court of sa国际传媒 could be a campaign issue. The NDP is pointing to years of turmoil, while the Liberals say they have brought stability to classrooms.
Pipelines
The federal government approved the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline last year, but the prospect of more oil tankers in Burrard Inlet near Vancouver is controversial. The Liberals say they fought for increased environmental protections from Ottawa and economic benefits from the company behind the project. But the NDP says the environmental risks are too great.
Economy
sa国际传媒 leads sa国际传媒 in job creation and its economic growth has put it among the country鈥檚 best performers for years, but rural regions are hurting. The promise of riches from proposed liquefied natural gas operations have yet to appear. Clark says good jobs help families and make strong communities, but the NDP says the government forgot about industries such as forestry to chase the LNG dream.
Minimum wage
The NDP, backed by the sa国际传媒 Federation of Labour, is promising a minimum wage of $15 an hour, while the Liberals have been implementing staggered increases that will bring the minimum wage to $11.35 an hour by September. The Liberals say the minimum wage has increased six times since 2011 and less than five per cent of workers in British Columbia earn the minimum wage.
鈥� The Canadian Press
Christy Clark, sa国际传媒 Liberals
Christy Clark is leading the sa国际传媒 Liberals into what she hopes will be her second consecutive victory as party leader.
Age: 51
Born: Oct. 29, 1965, in Burnaby, sa国际传媒
Education: Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Universite de la Sorbonne in Paris.
Family: She is separated from ex-husband Mark Marissen, a former senior strategist for the Liberal Party of sa国际传媒. Her son, Hamish Marissen-Clark, is 15 years old.
Political career: Clark was first elected in 1996 and was named both deputy premier and education minister in 2001. She became premier in 2011.
Personal career: While on hiatus from politics, Clark hosted a radio talk show on CKNW between 2007 and 2010.
Riding: Westside-Kelowna
Idols: Former sa国际传媒 premier W.A.C. Bennett, actor Mary Tyler Moore and Abraham Lincoln
Quote: 鈥淚 really regret that. Because I still want a cigarette every day. Every single day. It鈥檚 terrible.鈥� 鈥� Clark on her decision to take up smoking at the age of 12. She quit 17 years later after turning 29..
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It was the lure of ice cream that first drew Christy Clark into politics.
As a child, the future premier of British Columbia would accompany her father as he knocked on doors around Burnaby during his several attempts for public office.
鈥淗e鈥檇 promise us ice cream,鈥� Clark, 51, said in a recent interview.
鈥淗i, will you vote for my daddy?鈥� she laughed, miming knocking on a door. 鈥淲ho鈥檚 not going to vote for a candidate, or who鈥檚 at least not going to say something positive?鈥�
Since then, Clark has enjoyed the sweet taste of her own political victories. She is leading the sa国际传媒 Liberal Party in its bid for a fifth consecutive election victory after she pulled off a come-from-behind win in 2013.
Beyond her father鈥檚 political ambitions, Clark鈥檚 family played a powerful role in shaping her approach to life and politics. Political debate was a mainstay around the dinner table.
鈥淭he only way for me to survive and succeed was to fiercely fight for what I believed.鈥� said Clark, the youngest of four children.
鈥淚 learned that at a very, very young age. If you didn鈥檛 cover your plate, somebody would eat your food.鈥�
Clark would apply those lessons during her time in student government at Simon Fraser University, which she said was 鈥渢he nastiest politics I鈥檝e ever been involved in.鈥�
She corralled a cohort of right-of-centre students to 鈥渂reak the stranglehold鈥� the left had on the school鈥檚 student society. Clark won by a razor-thin six votes, but was later disqualified after forgetting to pay a small fine because she failed to remove campaign material.
Andy Tomec, who covered Clark鈥檚 run at student politics for the campus newspaper, remembers her as a consummate politician.
鈥淚 think she got up in the morning thinking about politics, and I bet she went to bed thinking about it as well,鈥� Tomec said.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if she has an off button.鈥�
The budding politician鈥檚 charisma and disarming smile were renowned.
Mike McDonald, a longtime sa国际传媒 Liberal who directed the party鈥檚 2013 campaign, met Clark at Simon Fraser. They spent time as volunteers driving around the province before the 1991 election to recruit candidates for the upstart provincial Liberal party.
鈥淚 would identify who the prospects were and she would go close the deal, because you couldn鈥檛 say no to Christy,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he has that personality that a lot of people want to say yes to.鈥�
Those who were asked for comment on the premier say she is known for having a penchant for rough-and-tumble politics.
鈥淪he鈥檚 no shrinking violet,鈥� McDonald said.
Clark was first elected to the legislature in 1996 and became deputy premier and education minister after the Liberals鈥� landslide victory in 2001. She left government in 2005 to spend more time with her family.
After a failed bid to run for Vancouver mayor the following year, she hosted a radio talk show.
Tom Plasteras, who hired Clark for the job, remembers her work ethic.
鈥淭hings that tend to exhaust the rest of us energize her,鈥� said Plasteras, former program director at CKNW.
In 2011, Clark won the sa国际传媒 Liberal leadership as an outsider candidate with the support of only one member of the legislature. She became the first woman in sa国际传媒 to lead a party to victory two years later.
Clark enters this election with baggage.
The RCMP are investigating potential violations of political contribution laws by the two main parties, rosy forecasts that liquefied natural gas would herald an economic windfall have come up short, and there is opposition in the Lower Mainland to a pipeline expansion the government supports.
When she鈥檚 not working, Clark is an avid fan of musicals and plays, a passion she shares with her 15-year-old son Hamish, who she says has ambitions to become an actor.
But even when it comes to the theatre, politics isn鈥檛 far from her thoughts. Her favourite musical is Les Miserables.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a political show,鈥� she said, smiling.
鈥� Geordon Omand, The Canadian Press
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John Horgan, sa国际传媒 NDP
John Horgan, leader of British Columbia鈥檚 New Democratic Party, is a three-term member of the provincial legislature.
Born: Victoria
Age: 57
Family: Married Ellie in 1984; two grown sons, Nate and Evan.
Career:听 A former backroom NDP strategist from southern Vancouver Island. He was acclaimed party leader on May 1, 2014.
Riding: Juan de Fuca
Lives: Langford
Hobby: Refinishes furniture found at flea markets, garage sales or second-hand stores. He prizes his walnut dining table that was once covered in chicken manure and coats of paint.
Quote: 鈥淵ou are stripping away and you see this beauty emerge from two or three or four layers of grubby paint,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 colour blind and the grain of the wood is something I can visualize.鈥�
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As a teenager, John Horgan was as far away from becoming a political leader in British Columbia as you could get.
He was shooting pool at Suzy-Q鈥檚, smoking cigarettes and playing the role of troublemaker at the corner of Douglas and Yates streets in downtown Victoria.
鈥淚 was a 14-year-old, 15-year-old who鈥檚 not doing what he鈥檚 supposed to be doing,鈥� Horgan said in a recent interview at the NDP鈥檚 downtown Vancouver office.
鈥淚 was hanging around with the wrong crowd,鈥� the NDP leader said. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 showing up at school. I was getting into trouble. I鈥檓 going to leave it at that.鈥�
It was only when a high school basketball coach took him by the collar and told him to report to the gym that he turned things around and devoted himself to sports and academics.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 really my deep dark secret. I could have gone one way and I ended up where I鈥檓 at,鈥� Horgan said.
His father died from a brain aneurysm when he was 18 months old and Horgan fought bladder cancer a decade ago. He said those personal struggles opened his heart, especially to society鈥檚 underdogs.
Horgan, 57, said he has no memories of his dad.
鈥淢y brothers, my mom and my sister would always tell me the stories,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y brothers would tell me stories about how he was a basketball fanatic.鈥�
Pat Horgan managed Victoria鈥檚 top senior men鈥檚 basketball squad in the 1950s and ran the score clock during local lacrosse games. Horgan said his dad would have been proud to know his youngest son played basketball and lacrosse in the same venues.
At six-foot-two, 250 pounds, playing team sports taught him he could make points without resorting to goon tactics.
鈥淚鈥檓 large. I didn鈥檛 have to do much,鈥� he said.
A Victoria news magazine once put his photo on its cover holding a lacrosse stick under the headline 鈥淭he Enforcer.鈥�
鈥淢y coach saw this and he came into my office and said, 鈥橦organ, you were a lover. You were never a fighter.鈥� I tended to stay out of the penalty box. I liked to score goals.鈥�
His mother became his role model as she struggled to raise four children alone, while instilling a willingness to help and stand up for others. Money was tight and, at times, food hampers were delivered to the Horgan home.
鈥淢y mom taught me if there was someone who needed help you should step in and help them,鈥� said Horgan, who grew up wanting to be a social worker. 鈥淚 was raised to be kind to people.鈥�
But his imposing presence and Irish verbal skills can come across as confrontational.
鈥淚鈥檓 passionate, for sure,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 always respond viscerally to bullying.鈥�
Horgan has two grown sons, Nate and Evan, and he says he never missed their hockey games or musical events.
He met his wife, Ellie, while they were students at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont.
Horgan was acclaimed NDP leader in 2014 after the party鈥檚 demoralizing 2013 election defeat. The NDP has been in Opposition since 2001.
Former premier Dan Miller, also known for a sharp tongue, said he doesn鈥檛 see a problem with his former chief of staff showing his emotions.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 anything wrong with having a bit of an edge, frankly,鈥� said Miller, who described Horgan as a problem-solver and a strong communicator.
鈥淛ohn has the ability to understand issues and concepts and explain them to individuals or the public at large.鈥�
Roy Banner said his friend often gets on the bus in his riding and holds impromptu meetings with passengers.
鈥淗e鈥檚 approachable,鈥� Banner said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 able to put things in peoples minds by the way he tells a story.鈥�
In his spare time, Horgan prefers reading science-fiction or watching Star Trek.
鈥淚 like to dive into something that doesn鈥檛 exist,鈥� said Horgan, who hitched up a pant leg to show off his Star Trek socks. 鈥淚 like to be completely detached from the world I听live in. That鈥檚 how I relax.鈥�
鈥� Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press
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Andrew Weaver, sa国际传媒 Greens
BC Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver is aiming for a historic breakthrough for his third-place party.
Age: 56
Born: Nov. 16, 1961, Victoria
Education: Bachelor of science in mathematics and physics from the University of Victoria in 1983, a masters in advanced studies in mathematics from Cambridge University in 1984, and a PhD in applied mathematics from the University of British Columbia in 1987.
Academic career: Weaver was a lead author on four scientific assessments by the United Nations鈥� Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the body that shared a Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007. He has been a University of Victoria professor for 20 years and has authored or co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers.
Political career: Weaver says former party leader Jane Sterk asked him to run three times before he agreed. In 2013, he was the first Green elected to sa国际传媒鈥檚 legislature, and in 2015 he won the leadership.
Current riding: Oak Bay-Gordon Head
Idols: David Suzuki, Tommy Douglas and Lady Gaga
Quote: 鈥淲e see too much politics being based on sound bites and too little being based on thoughtful analysis.鈥�
Andrew Weaver was teaching a class of University of Victoria undergraduates about climate science and public policy when he realized he needed to do more than just lecture.
The internationally recognized climate scientist, who was part of a team that shared a Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore, often asked students whether the present generation owed anything to future generations in terms of the environment it leaves behind.
Students usually agreed that their grandchildren deserved an Earth free of the worst impacts of climate change. But when Weaver asked whether they voted, they replied their votes didn鈥檛 count or that politicians were all corrupt.
鈥淵ou have the power to change the system,鈥� he remembers telling students. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e not engaged in it, you have no one to blame but yourself.鈥�
But Weaver could only say those words for so long without taking action himself.
He had spent decades contributing to science that proved climate change was real and it was primarily human-caused. As part of the United Nations鈥� Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, he鈥檇 authored multiple reports that showed clear scientific consensus on the issue.
Weaver had advised former Liberal premier Gordon Campbell on his groundbreaking climate plan, which included sa国际传媒鈥檚 first carbon tax. But he watched as politicians from all sides attacked the plan.
When he was asked a fourth time to run by former Green leader Jane Sterk, Weaver said yes.
鈥淚 said, 鈥橭K, Jane, I鈥檒l run. The reason why I鈥檒l run is not because I have this idea of being a career politician. I鈥檒l run because I have to practise what I preach.鈥� 鈥�
He didn鈥檛 expect to win in Oak Bay-Gordon Head in 2013, but he became the first Green elected to the sa国际传媒 legislature. He is a prolific writer of private member鈥檚 bills that have sometimes attracted Premier Christy Clark鈥檚 support, including a proposal to ban mandatory high heels in all sa国际传媒 workplaces.
Although he doesn鈥檛 see politics as a career path and has called for term limits for legislature members, Weaver has a knack for the political game. Despite leading a third-place party, he鈥檚 managed to grab a disproportionate amount of media attention.
Weaver鈥檚 friends say he is unusual in politics because he makes decisions based on evidence rather than on partisanship. Elizabeth May, the federal Green party leader, said she was stunned by how well he spoke to voters.
鈥淚 was realizing: 鈥楪ood heavens, Andrew鈥檚 actually going to be good at this,鈥� 鈥� she recalled with a laugh. 鈥淚 was kind of worried: Could a scientist make this leap? Science, in some ways, is kind of the opposite of politics. You have to be evidence-based.鈥�
In fact, it appears his scientific background has shaped his entire approach to politics. May recalled the controversy surrounding Cobble Hill Holdings, the company that had been issued a permit to dump contaminated soil near Shawnigan Lake.
鈥淲hat does a scientist do? Picks up his test tubes, goes to Shawnigan Lake and tests the water,鈥� May said. 鈥淗e gets his information and his evidence lined up before he takes a position on something.鈥�
Weaver found elevated levels of heavy metals, although the Environment Ministry has said their testing never showed contamination above the legal limit. After years of
community opposition, the province cancelled the permit in February.
Weaver said his scientific training has shaped how he works with staff and candidates. He doesn鈥檛 micromanage them, he said, because the secret to success in science is to surround yourself with the smartest people you can find and let them go.
鈥淗e really believes in the people around him,鈥� said Adam Olsen, the Green candidate in Saanich and North Islands and a former party leader. 鈥淲hen I come up with an idea, he says: 鈥楢dam, you go with full force at that. I鈥檒l be happy to support you.鈥� 鈥�
Weaver, 56, is on leave from the University of Victoria. He鈥檚 authored 16 scientific papers since he was elected.
Michael Eby, a climate scientist at the university, described his longtime boss as a talented salesman skilled at securing grants.
鈥淵ou have to be a very positive, proactive and hard-working individual to be able to keep promoting yourself and the work that you鈥檙e doing,鈥� Eby said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 very good at it.鈥�
鈥� Laura Kane, The Canadian Press
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