Credit: BC NDP

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: So much for taking politics out of setting election dates

Sep 22, 2020 | 5:00 AM

KAMLOOPS — IF YOU LOOK UP ‘HYOCRITE’ in the dictionary, I’m betting you’ll find John Horgan.

The B.C. premier made a liar out of me by calling a provincial election yesterday. I’d given him the benefit of the doubt and predicted he wouldn’t let the temptation of power sway him to call a snap election.

I thought common sense would prevail. I couldn’t have been more wrong. We’ll go to the polls Oct. 24, so get ready for several weeks of totally unnecessary disruption to our lives.

Though I was wrong about calling an election, as predicted Horgan was unable to come up with any legitimate reasons for calling one. His excuse for breaking his commitment not call a snap election during the NDP’s working agreement with the Greens is that the two parties aren’t getting along as well as they used to.

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However, he isn’t able to name one instance in which the interests of British Columbians have been diminished by this alleged failure of the Greens to co-operate with his government. That government has become unstable is a myth.

His assertion that waiting 12 months until the scheduled fixed election date would be a waste of time is simply incomprehensible. Likewise, claiming the timing is good because we’re at the “beginning” of a pandemic — when everyone on this earth knows we’re in the middle of it — defies logic.

The capper, though, is Horgan’s totally ridiculous statement that it’s time to “put the politics behind us.” There surely can be no more political act than calling an early election so that you can take advantage of favourable polling.

So, the upshot is that fixed election dates — previously by the premier — are gone. Pre-set election dates were supposed to take the politics out of when elections are called. Horgan himself changed the date from May to October 2021. Now he’s put politics right back into it.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.