CKNW Editorial
for May 17, 1999

When, nearly two years ago, Premier Glen Clark linked the Nanoose Testing site lease to the salmon issue it seemed to many to be a good … or if not good … gutsy move. The federal government had shown so little inclination to understand the West Coast fishery that something dramatic had to be done. David Anderson, the new Fisheries Minister had considered it more important that he go on a personal fishing trip to Labrador with his friend Brian Tobin than defuse the picketing of the Alaska Ferry by angry fishermen. It was time for a wake-up call and Clark provided it.

And the Americans would understand linking irrelevant issues – after all their former and brilliant Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, literally invented the game.

The trouble is, two things have happened since. David Anderson has recovered from a bad start to become a very good Fisheries Minister in a job which would drive Solomon to strong drink. There is a strong chance that we will shortly have a pact with the Americans, the Alaskans’ attitude has changed substantially and the minister has zeroed in on conservation as the number one issue. He also grasps that conservation isn’t just not catching fish but also involves habitat protection. This metamorphosis seems to have utterly escaped Premier Clark’s attention. He, Clark, is no longer seen by British Columbians as the saviour of the fishery but more, quite frankly, as a nuisance.

The second thing that has happened us that Glen Clark and his government are not just on the skids, they have skidded. Worse for Mr Clark, he is seen as the main if not sole cause of this thump to the bottom. There is no need to itemize Mr Clark’s sins – let’s just say that both personally and as a leader he has let his party down so badly that it may be beyond repair except in the very long term. He has also, more importantly, let the province down.

Back to the lease. Leaving aside for the moment that every British Columbian knows that the feds would never dare expropriate land in Ontario or Quebec - especially the latter - this usually sensitive button is not there for Clark to push. People know that a very decent offer has been made for this lease and while they will, deep down, resent the fact that Ottawa is doing to B.C. what she would not dare do elsewhere, that just doesn’t seem to be the point … which is that Glen Clark is playing fast and loose in a game he doesn’t understand for the hopes of personal political gain and is trying to use BC latent dislike of Ottawa as his plaything.

There must be reasons why the NDP doesn’t drop Clark and cut its losses. Every day that goes by just makes things worse. In fact, as an old observer of these things – especially of the Vander Zalm years – I offer this bit of advice. When your leader is mortally wounded even the good things don’t help. Much of this is because the so-called good things are really not so good after all … such as a huge grant to a thriving trucking company. In fact what happens is that mortally wounded leaders lose their sense of timing and have a panicky feeling of urgency about them which leads to decisions aimed only at restoring the leader, not restoring the party or much more importantly, the province.

Clearly the only reason Glen Clark has not done the right thing by his party and resign has to do with money. If he leaves, his hugely expensive lawyer, now paid by the taxpayer, will become his responsibility and he can’t afford that. Therefore the NDP is stuck with him until he decides that his personal fortunes permit him to retire. In the meantime I can tell you the Liberals supporters with clout are delighted … for every day Clark stays is one more strong boost to Liberal fortunes.

Glen Clark has always been seen as a master politician. I’m not so sure. He was a brilliant Brutus when Harcourt was Caesar and he stole an election by outright lying about the provinces finances and maybe that’s smart. But his touch is gone. He is reduced to warming over old tricks and old tactics.

He lost his big fight with David Anderson, his policies have left the province on the verge of ruin, he is in personal trouble big time and there is no coming back once you’ve gone over the cliff.

The Nanoose lease issue only demonstrates to the province and the country just how hopeless a Premier Glen Clark has become.