By Armchair Mayor

Have B.C. Greens really made any difference?

Jun 4, 2018 | 6:51 AM

KAMLOOPS — It’s been a year since the NDP and Greens teamed up to take power away from the BC Liberals and, to hear the Greens tell it, the past 12 months have been nothing short of fabulous.

The party held its annual convention in Kamloops over the weekend with what appears to be much confidence about building momentum.

Diversity of opinions is good but let’s ponder the past year and ask ourselves an important question — have the Greens really made any difference to the politics of the province?

Because if the events of 2017-2018 are any indication, I’m thinking the old two-party system might be worth another go.

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What have the Greens accomplished, really, with their three-member presence in the Legislature?

There was a pause in Site C, but only a pause. There’s growth in the minimum wage, painfully slow improvement in the doctor shortage, legislation banning corporate and union donations from election campaigns, and not much improvement in the fentanyl crisis or the housing shortage.

It’s also questionable whether the NDP would have done things much differently on any of those files if it hadn’t made that deal with the Greens a year ago.

The one thing that is very likely different with the Greens in the picture is the Trans Mountain pipeline debacle. I have a feeling that, on their own, the NDP would have found a way to retire from the field by now with at least a semblance of honour.

Am I saying the BC Greens are at least indirectly to blame for us taxpayers having to shell out $4.5 billion to buy Trans Mountain and likely much more by the time the expansion gets built, if it gets built?

Well, when it comes to pointing fingers, that’s as good a theory as any.

The big question over the next short while is going to be not whether the NDP-Green alliance can last, but how long before it starts falling apart. And LNG might just be the straw.

So, I ask again — how is B.C. better off with the Greens in the picture?

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.