British Columbia’s New Democrats Strike Governing Deal With Green Party
(Bloomberg) -- British Columbia’s governing New Democratic Party signed a four-year alliance with the tiny Green Party after barely scraping a victory in October’s provincial election.
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Premier David Eby’s left-leaning NDP won 47 seats, 10 fewer than in 2020. Some seats were decided by razor-thin margins, which triggered recounts. The Conservative Party surged from decades on the margins to win 44 seats, replacing the previous center-right opposition party. The Greens have two seats.
Eby’s party has exactly enough seats for a majority, but BC’s legislative assembly also requires one member to become a speaker who presides over debates impartially and votes only to break ties. The NDP nominated its own caucus member Raj Chouhan to the role, meaning the party may need to rely on opposition lawmakers to pass some legislation.
The two parties previously agreed to govern together in 2017, when the NDP won a minority of seats. Three years later, the NDP ditched that deal and called a snap election, winning a majority.
Today’s pact — which is subject to annual renewal — is different because the government won’t lose the confidence of the legislative assembly without it.
“This agreement establishes the basis for which the BC Green Party Caucus will provide confidence in a NDP Caucus Government,” it says. The Greens’ house leader will “ensure the BC Green Party Caucus supports all confidence votes and agreed upon motions and Government bills.”
The document sets out a review of government environmental targets a year earlier than scheduled. It also calls promises an all-party committee to increase democratic engagement, which will revisit the question of proportional representation. British Columbians voted to reject electoral reform in 2018.
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