With the dust now settled on British Columbia’s historically close election, Premier David Eby said Tuesday he hopes to recall the legislature for a sitting before the end of the year.
One of the crucial jobs for returning MLAs will be to elect a speaker of the legislature, whose job is to enforce parliamentary rules and keep the body functioning.
In a majority government, picking a speaker is usually a formality, with the governing party often choosing one of its own members to do the job.
But Eby’s NDP secured a bare majority of 47 seats, meaning if one of his own MLAs served as speaker they would be short a necessary vote to pass legislation. The speaker is permitted to vote to break ties, but by convention only votes to maintain the status quo.
That leaves the NDP looking across the aisle to fill the job, and has already fuelled intense speculation about who might be interested.
“The conversations that are taking place, with MLAs in the legislature, are underway, our goal is to work with any MLA that wants to make sure that this place works for British Columbians, on those priorities that I laid out cost of living, housing, health care,” Eby said.
“We’re meeting with the Greens today. We’re going to continue to have those conversations with them.”
The BC Greens elected two MLAs and fielded a platform that shares more common ground with the NDP than the Conservatives.
But Eby didn’t rule out the more intriguing possibility of a BC Conservative speaker either.
“The invitation is open to all MLAs,” Eby said.
“If you’re committed to these things as well as committed to ensuring that this province remains a place welcoming to everybody and where we fight racism, hatred, then I’m happy to work with you.”
That comment appeared calculated to target MLAs from the more moderate wing of the BC Conservative Party, after racist and Islamophobic comments by Conservative candidates became an election issue.
BC Conservative Leader John Rustad splashed cold water on that idea at a press conference of his own, saying he was aware that Eby had been “calling around” the new Conservative caucus.
“If David Eby wants to call me and say he wants to move forward with significant parts of our agenda, maybe there is something we could be talking about,” he said.
“But at this stage, I would not be looking at one of our members as speaker to support the agenda he ran on.”
At least one former BC United turned Conservative MLA has publicly said he won’t take the job.
Ian Paton wrote on social media that while he was “honoured” to have his name mentioned in discussions, he remains focused on “advocating for the people of Delta South and representing the interests of farmers and ranchers in Victoria.”
“Following convention, it is the responsibility of the party intending to form government to propose its own candidate for the role of Speaker,” Paton added.
While the contest between the NDP and the Conservatives was fierce and often bitter, there is recent precedent in B.C. for an opposition MLA accepting the speaker’s role to keep a divided legislature working.
After the NDP formed a minority government with Green support in 2017, despite winning fewer seats than the BC Liberals, Abbotsford South Liberal MLA Darryl Plecas agreed to take the job.
He was subsequently expelled from the party and served out his term as an independent.
The speaker’s job could also prove appealing to opposition MLAs for economic reasons. The role comes with an additional salary of $59,766 per year.
Eby has yet to set a timeline for the return to the legislature, saying Tuesday that Elections BC would need to complete its judicial recounts in two close ridings first.