Premier David Eby's narrow victory in the recent British Columbia election has prompted reflection and a renewed focus on the political landscape.
When Premier David Eby unveiled his new cabinet on Nov. 18, he poked fun at himself over a close election that nearly cost him his office. 'I would like to thank Elections BC,' he said.'They are going to provide us with updates throughout my speech — you are not going to miss anything.' Eby was referring to the fact that his single-seat majority government did not become declared reality until Nov. 8 — nearly three weeks after election day.
Officials first needed to complete the judicial recount for the riding of Surrey-Guildford where New Democrat Garry Begg had come from behind to retain his seat by 22 votes. Begg trailed Conservative Honveer Singh Randhawa by 103 votes, when British Columbians had gone to bed on Oct. 19. He started making up that difference once officials started counting mail-in and absentee ballots in the days that followed. But his victory — and with it Eby's fate as head of a majority government — was not certain until the judicial recount. While a one-seat majority is preferable to a minority, Eby knows voters sent him a message. His party holds 47 seats, eight fewer than at dissolution. New Democratic losses included not just backbenchers, but senior cabinet ministers. The Conservative Party of B.C. won 44 seats, nearly sweeping the Interior and making major in-roads in the fast-growing, ethnically diverse suburbs of Vancouver. Conservatives even gained seats on Vancouver Island — a traditional New Democratic stronghold -- and punctured an aura of inevitability and invincibility that surrounded New Democrats at the start of the year. 'When you have a near-death experience as a politician, it focuses the mind,' Eby told business leaders in early December.'This is the last time I want to hit re-fresh on Elections BC's website — ever
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