Experts see instability in the legislature after B.C. election
VANCOUVER — The final results of British Columbia’s election are still not in, but experts already see scenarios for an unstable provincial government that is unlikely to last a full four-year term.
Voters in B.C. elected their first minority government in 65 years on Tuesday, awarding the Liberals 43 seats, the NDP 41 and the Greens three.
Hamish Telford, a political scientist at the University of the Fraser Valley, said even if the Liberals take control by picking up an extra seat once absentee ballots are tallied, that would still leave the party with a razor-thin majority at 44 seats in the 87-seat legislature.
As the government, the Liberals would have to appoint a Speaker to preside over the legislature, which would thin their ranks, Telford said in an interview on Tuesday night.