BC Today – Daily Report November 2, 2020

Quotation of the day

“People wouldn't call me a fiery personality. That's just not me.”

Outgoing Finance Minister and deputy premier reflects on her steady presence ​ ​ at various levels of B.C. politics over three decades.

Today in B.C.

Written by Shannon Waters

After thirty years, Carole James bows out of B.C. politics Carole James has enjoyed a political career spanning three decades but says she never ​ planned it that way.

As she leaves political life, having watched her party grow from a three-person caucus to a solid majority government, James describes her experience as one of privilege and opportunity.

“When I say it's been a privilege to serve in these positions, I really do mean that — it's been extraordinary because they haven't been planned,” she told BC Today in an interview. “I was ​ ​ never one of those people who ran for school board in hopes of taking on another office — I ran because it was an opportunity at the time to be able to have an influence on an area I cared deeply about.”

James, who capped off her career in provincial politics with a stint as finance minister and deputy premier, cut her teeth at the School Board, where she was first elected in 1990, and served as president of the BC School Trustees Association for five terms beginning in 1995.

Her interest in education has endured: she has highlighted the implementation of ​ ​ post-secondary tuition waivers for former youth in care as one of the most rewarding accomplishments of her career.

Not always smooth sailing James lost her first bid for a provincial seat in 2001 but came back to win the Victoria—Beacon Hill riding by a decisive margin in 2005. Before securing her seat, James was elected NDP leader in 2003. She held the role until December 2010 when, facing criticism of her leadership from a group of NDP MLAs dubbed the “Baker’s Dozen,” she resigned. ​ ​

“People don’t have to like each other, but they have to focus on the work that needs to be done,” she said at the time. “I will not participate in slowing down that work.”

Some politicians might call it quits altogether after being ousted under similar circumstances, but James opted to carry on.

“I don't often take things personally — I can let things go,” she said. Several of the MLAs who called for her resignation became her cabinet colleagues in 2017, including , ​ ​ and . ​ ​ ​

Serving in cabinet as a former leader In the decade since she stepped down as party leader, James has become known for her geniality and cooperative approach to work in the legislature; there are few provincial politicians as widely well-regarded.

On the day she held a new conference at the legislature to disclose her Parkinson’s diagnosis and announce she would not seek re-election, the room was crowded with MLAs and staffers from both sides of the aisle.

Few will miss her more than Premier , who referenced James’ influence several ​ ​ times on the campaign trail.

For her part, James gives Horgan credit for putting two former NDP leaders — herself and Health Minister — in cabinet. ​ ​

“I don’t know that that has happened in other places,” James told BC Today. “I give huge credit ​ ​ to John for the work that he's done and letting both Adrian and I use our skills and use our abilities.”

And if the premier finds himself seeking outside advice from a level-headed source, James said she will be available, even in retirement.

“I'm not going anywhere ... I'm literally three minutes from the legislature,” she said.

As with her political career, James said she does not have much in the way of specific plans for her upcoming retirement. She had hoped to camp across the country with her husband, but the Covid pandemic has kicked that plan further down the road.

In the meantime, she plans to enjoy being released from the demands of public life and more time with her grandkids.

“I feel so, so lucky to have my grandkids in town,” she said. “They don't care how important you are, they don't care if people have been saying nice things or awful things — they just want your attention.”

As for advice for those MLAs about to enter the legislature for the first time, James says it’s important to remember that life exists outside of the house.

“Don’t forget why you ran … and don’t forget your family and friends,” she said. “You need people to remind you about real life when you think politics is the only thing that's important.”

Today’s events

November 2 at 3 p.m. — Online ​ ​ Dr. Réka Gustafson, B.C.’s deputy provincial health officer, and Health Minister Adrian Dix will ​ ​ ​ provide an update on Covid in B.C.

Topics of conversation

● B.C. reported 272 new Covid cases on Friday. There were 2,390 active cases (up 46) with 78 people in hospital (down eight), 25 of them critical (up one). One new death was reported, pushing the total to 263. ○ Three new health-care facility outbreaks were reported, and four were declared over for a total of 26 active outbreaks in health-care facilities. ○ Friday’s joint statement from the health ministry and provincial health officer also noted a new community outbreak at Suncor Firebag Oil Sands northeast of Fort McMurray, . A spring outbreak at an Alberta oilsands camp led to B.C. workers bringing the virus back home. ○ B.C.’s newest public health order, posted on Friday, allows medical health ​ ​ officers to “add further prohibitions, or impose more restrictive limitations or conditions” on gatherings and events in specific regions of the province. Dr. ​ Bonnie Henry’s order maintains that medical health officers are “in the best ​ position to assess local circumstances” and decide whether additional restrictions are needed. B.C. has so far declined to take a regional approach to public health restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.

● More than half of B.C. voters would have been “somewhat” or “very upset” if the BC Liberals had won the 2020 election, according to polling from Research Co. Nearly ​ ​ two-thirds of Island voters disliked the idea of a Liberal government while 38 per cent of voters in northern B.C. felt the same. ○ Federal Liberal voters were divided between the BC Liberals (31 per cent) and the NDP (25 per cent) this election, but 60 per cent of B.C. voters who cast a ballot for the Conservatives in the last federal election voted BC Liberal this year. ○ Sixty-two per cent of BC Liberal voters support the idea of the party merging with the BC Conservatives while 46 per cent of BC NDP voters think the orange party

should consider a formal merger with the BC Greens (less than one-third of Green Party voters support that idea). ○ If former Surrey mayor and Conservative MP Dianne Watts had been at the ​ ​ Liberal helm, 39 per cent of B.C. voters said they would have voted Liberal. For women, 42 per cent said they would have voted for a Watts-led Liberal party (she threw her hat into the 2018 leadership race, placing second). ○ The results are based on an online survey of 832 British Columbians who voted in the 2020 election conducted between October 22 and 25. The margin of error is +/- 3.5 per cent.

● Despite “a tremendous amount of speculation,” Liberal incumbent Jas Johal says he ​ ​ ​ ​ has not made up his mind about whether to run to be the party’s next leader. “There’s many ways to drive renewal in a party,” Johal told the Globe and Mail. “That doesn’t ​ ​ ​ ​ mean necessarily running for leader.” ○ If Johal does decide to run for the party leadership, he may end up doing so without a seat in the legislature. The initial count puts him several hundred votes behind NDP candidate Aman Singh in Richmond—Queensborough. ​ ​

● Another Liberal incumbent facing the prospect of losing his seat attributes his potential loss to the appeal of the local Conservative candidate. “The 15 per cent [of the vote] they took would have given me 50 per cent,” Eric Foster told Infonews of the initial ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Vernon—Monashee result. “That's the difference, no question.” Foster has a 183 vote lead on NDP candidate Harwinder Sandhu, a margin of roughly one per cent. ​ ​ ○ But Conservative candidate Kyle Delfing attributes his 2,830 votes to the Liberal ​ ​ party’s lack of appeal. “The Liberals continued to show their true colours this election and through the last three years, and the voting public chose to show their disdain for their business-as-usual attitude,” he said.

● The controversial Woodfibre LNG project may have played a role in the likely victory of Green Party candidate Jeremy Valeriote in the West Vancouver—Sea to Sky riding. ​ ​ Pending the final count, Valeriote is 604 votes ahead of Liberal incumbent Jordan ​ Sturdy. Valeriote told The Narwhal many voters in the riding — which includes the resort ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ municipality of Whistler — are opposed to the LNG project and worried about the impacts of climate change on local tourism. ○ “That’s a key one for Whistler and the whole corridor, the future of our winters,” he says. “The overall picture is a very strong consciousness that our impact on the environment needs to change, and I think that’s expressed in all these different issues.”

● British Columbians are the most likely to support provincial participation in a national pharmacare program, according to polling from Angus Reid. Eighty-six per cent of B.C. ​ ​ respondents supported the idea — second only to Quebec.

● A multi-million dollar settlement for victims of a former Kelowna social worker was ​ approved by a B.C. Supreme Court judge last week. Robert Saunders is accused of ​ ​ ​ stealing money from more than 100 children under the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development between 2001 and 2018, when he was fired. ○ The class action lawsuit, certified in July 2020, names the ministry as a defendant for failing to supervise Saunders or notify the victims once his fraud was noticed. The settlement agreement notes the ministry is “vicariously liable for the harm caused by Saunders.” ○ Saunders, whose whereabouts are not known, is not required to provide compensation through the settlement, but the province has the option to try to recover funds paid out as a result of the settlement from him.

BC Today is written by Shannon Waters, reporting from the Legislative Press Gallery.

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