CKNW Editorial
for February 12, 2001

I don’t think there can be any doubt but that the NDP is finished for a long time in this province. Liberal leader Gordon Campbell says that he expects them to be back at their traditional level of 30-35% core strength by election time but I don't think so. One would expect Mr Campbell to say these things to avoid complacency setting in within his party but the jig is up. For not only has this been a shockingly bad government from its start in 1991, it is riven with internal dissension. Proven vote-getters will not be running and Premier Dosanjh, seen as the man to heal the caucus and party wounds, hasn’t been able to do so. It looks very much as if Mr Campbell will have a landslide of record proportions … indeed it will be massive.

This poses a new set of problems for Mr Campbell. If there is no opposition, who digs out the dirt? Who makes Question Period work? Who nails the government during estimates? Who flays the government alive for real or perceived shortcomings in the Budget? Who does the bureaucrat leak the documents to? In short, who holds the government’s feet to the fire?

The media will do some of this to be sure. And I suspect that media outlets will have to beef up the Press Gallery. But the problem is a real one.

Closer to my hearts desire, how can any reforms be brought in? Mr Campbell has promised fixed election days … a good and long overdue reform but apart from that, all we really have is the promise of "free votes". With a massive majority you’d likely have that whether you liked it or not as backbenchers with nothing better to do would make some mischief. And therein lies another big problem for Mr Campbell … how do you keep all those idle hands from doing the devil’s work? If, as he promises, he has a smaller cabinet, say 15, and appoints 15 parliamentary secretaries that’s 30 all nicely tucked away … but what the devil do you do with the other 40?

Mr Campbell has promised to revive the committee system and that will take up some of the slack but there will still be an awful lot of unemployed government hands.

That part will be good for the media, of course, because from that group will certainly come some expert whiners and bitchers who will make good copy.

But back to the question of reform. The ad hoc committee upon which I sat has recommended an official of the Legislature, like the Auditor-General, to be responsible for helping a constituent assembly examine our constitution and recommend changes for later ratification by the people. I believe that these recommendations are valid and of critical importance. There is the argument that 100 people is too many but I reject that argument. Every area of the province must be represented and I believe that 79 people elected by their peers plus the people they choose to help them will bring forth the sort of remarkable wisdom that comes from men and women in concert when their collective sense of responsibility is brought to bear on a problem. Mr Campbell throws out the suggestion of a jury, selected at random … with the greatest of respect, how much better would be a group selected by their fellow citizens for the task.

To my knowledge, we have never had any reform of our system since 1871 other than adding MLAs and changes in the rules of how the legislature runs. Now is surely the time.

Gordon Campbell has said he wants to be remembered as the premier who made changes. What a golden opportunity he’s going to have. But to make changes that will have long term meaning, he has to look beyond fixed terms and free votes.

Members of our committee made a number of separate recommendations. These are, I think, worthy of thought. But what they really do is point out the dire necessity of being prepared to go back to square one and rebuild the way we govern ourselves not to make government more efficient – a dictatorship such as we have makes that possible – but to bring the people and their government closer together. How should we elect MLA’s? Should the premier be elected separately and appoint his cabinet from outside the legislature subject to the legislature’s approval as happens in the United States? What powers should legislative committees have? If the government and the legislature were elected separately, these committees could be very powerful and shine light into the inner workings of the way we are governed. The number of questions abound and here is the secret – if Gordon Campbell wants to make a difference he must put in place a reform process that has no constraints except the Constitution of Canada.

As his fortunes gallop along, as they have been for the past two years, the incentive for a new Liberal government to make change will wane and we can only hope that Mr Campbell becomes statesman enough to recognize this and push for the widest possible review of our system of governance possible.