CKNW Editorial
for September 22, 1999

The decision by the NDP to postpone their leadership contest until February 20^th does indeed give quite an advantage to Gordon Wilson and in several ways.

The obvious thing is that Mr Wilson has more time to sign up members and to convince older members throughout the province that he really is one of them. As well, he can gain as much second round support as possible. He does this in two ways – first off he just presses the flesh and stands firmly for social programs blah, blah, blah and secondly he convinces people that it’s my way or the highway. By that time every reputable poll and some others besides will show that the best chance for the NDP rests with Gordon Wilson. That had an enormous impact on the Social Credit leadership race in Whistler in 1986 and it will have a powerful impact on New Democrats who, staring annihilation in the eye will be delighted at the prospect, however slender, of victory.

But it helps Wilson in another way – a subtle but very effective way. When the convention happens all will be acutely aware that the new Premier will have precious little time to get ready for the next election and that a hopeful budget and confidence in the economy will be key. It will be hard for someone directly associated in the minds of people with the NDP fiscal catastrophe to portray that confidence which makes yesterday’s mini cabinet shuffle good news … from now until then, Gordon Wilson will no longer be the Finance Minister and thus not in charge of the ministry that has gone more wrong than any other. It’s wrong to assume that taking Finance away from Mr Wilson relieves him of a great time burden – much of the work done in the ministry is done by staff and the main decisions are made by Treasury Board. This simply removes an albatross from around Gordon Wilson’s neck and makes him look better, or perhaps I should say less bad than if he had the Finance portfolio.

Lastly, in Wilson’s favour, two of his most serious opponents will be discredited. Ujjal Dosanjh, more and more as time passes, is being seen not as the man who blew the whistle on Glen Clark but the man who didn’t blow the whistle soon enough thus depriving the government of 5 ½ months of critical lead time with a new premier. Joy McPhail will be gradually and subtly (as subtle as things get in politics that is) put down as the Finance Minister responsible for the current budget mess. The subtle putting down will be done by, guess who?

Looked at from a strictly political viewpoint this decision to postpone seems pretty strange. By the time the new leader takes office, almost four years of the NDP mandate will have expired. There will be little if any chance for a May election and even one next Fall would be iffy. This would mean the government going right to the end of its mandate, nearly always fatal politically. Moreover, the longer it takes to change leaders, the more bad things can happen. Not least of the NDP’s worries in this regard is the Stockell case about the 1996 “fudge-it budget.”

Gordon Campbell is right. We don’t have a government right now as the Premier is merely a caretaker who doesn’t dare take any innovative initiatives – unless he does indeed intend running himself … which he steadfastly denies. The Legislature will not likely be called in until a month after the new leader is selected. As Campbell says, why should BC have to wait until the NDP gets it’s act together?

This is not a healthy situation either for the NDP or for the Province of BC. What we really need is an election so the air can be cleared and the process of revitalizing our economy – and ourselves, for that matter – can begin.