Congrats to all 85 BC MLAs being sworn in today, regardless of party. It's a tougher job--and a much, much more boring job--than most candidates bargained for, but it's an important one, no matter how much Mike Smyth or Keith Baldrey sneer at backbenchers.
That said, the election of an independent MLA should send a clear signal to Liberal members: if you back terrible policy in your own riding, watch it. Maybe after eight years of relentlessly autocratic rule, Liberal MLAs who watched the Premier lose the bet in Delta South will force him to remember that it's not just the big donors that count. Local issues can matter, no matter what the spin doctors in Victoria say.
But don't hold your breath on that.
Across the aisle, NDP MLAs have a critical role in determining the future of the NDP in BC politics. There must be a strong shift away from reflexive and reactive opposition to a positive and progressive government-in-waiting.
Beyond the work they do in the Legislature and in the constituency, the New Democrat MLAs must reach out to the majority of eligible voters who stayed home on May 12. And they'd be well-advised to read this.
My great-grandfather was a United Church minister, and his eldest daughter, my grandmother, was a church organist for most of her life, so I have (sort of) some authority to say this: If you don't stop preaching to the choir, the pews are going to stay empty.
Congratulations to all 85 new and re-elected MLAs and their families. Don't get caught up in the pomp; you're still the same person you were before you ran. And above all, don't forget that your job is to represent your community in Victoria, not the other way 'round. And good luck with that. You'll need it.
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