Saturday November 23, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 11:39 am]
Political analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
On the same day that the new BC NDP cabinet for the 43 BC Parliament was announced, the executive head of that spear was also announced.
The BC NDP Government Caucus Executive was appointed, and nominees announced for Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Deputy Chair of Committee of the Whole.
This small group of MLAs will lead the most sensitive and impactful decisions of the BC Government, working carefully to steer the slim-majority 47-seat NDP government to as many victories as possible.
Those victories are for the party as well as the people, as that is the way of politics.
Focused on priorities:
Even though three of the eight-member executive are brand new to being MLAs, and one is nearly-new, Premier David Eby has confidence.
“I’m proud of this capable and experienced team. They will be laser focused on the priorities of British Columbians,” said Eby in a news release announcing the executive council on November 18.
“This group will help our team deliver on the challenges British Columbians want action on: affordability, a strong healthcare system, safe communities and a clean and growing economy.”
Deputy Premier:
Eby has chosen his trusted Attorney General Niki Sharma as his Deputy Premier. They share a love of law as a mechanism for shaping the province and society.
Caucus chair:
Caucus chair Staphanie Higginson is a brand new MLA, though with experience as a former school trustee in leading school districts in their issues.
Stephanie Higginson (Ladysmith-Oceanside), was quoted in Monday’s BC NDP caucus news release: “I’m excited to be taking on this important role, supporting and empowering our team so we can all do our very best work to make life better for people in BC.”
BC NDP Government Caucus Executive:
The eight-member caucus has six MLAs from the Greater Vancouver lower mainland (including the premier) and two MLAs from Vancouver Island.
- Premier – David Eby (Vancouver-Point Grey)
- Deputy Premier – Niki Sharma (Vancouver-Hastings)
- Government House Leader – Mike Farnworth (Port Coquitlam)
- Deputy Government House Leader – Ravi Parmar (Langford-Highlands)
- Caucus Chair – Stephanie Higginson (Ladysmith-Oceanside)
- Deputy Caucus Chair – Rohini Arora (Burnaby East)
- Government Whip – Janet Routledge (Burnaby North)
- Deputy Government Whip –Amna Shah (Surrey City Centre)
Covering-off the north:
There is no MLA in the executive council from a riding in BC’s interior or north.
Eby seems to have tried, in part, to cover-off the northern areas by appointing Ravi Parmar as the Forests Minister.
This first week on the job, week Parmar was already in a snowy Prince George round of get-to-know-the-region visits in areas where forestry is important.
Parmar is also the Deputy House Leader, working with long-time MLA and now Government House Leader Mike Farnworth (and former Solicitor General) to learn the ropes and intricacies of managing the flow of affairs in the Legislative Assembly.
Speaker and deputies:
In addition to the caucus executive, Raj Chouhan (Burnaby-New Westminster) was re-nominated to be Speaker of the House.
Mable Elmore (Vancouver-Kensington) was announced as the nominee for Deputy Speaker.
George Anderson (Nanaimo-Lantzville) was announced as the nominee for Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole. Anderson is also the Parliamentary Secretary for Transit.
These positions will be elected by the house at the first sitting of the new parliament, which is expected to happen before year-end.
First full session likely leads with Budget 2025:
The first full session of the BC Legislative Assembly will start in February 2025, likely launching with Budget 2025. [BC Parliamentary Calendar]
The Finance Minister is Brenda Bailey, who as the previous minister responsible for jobs, economic development and innovation will already be primed to think about the economic side of things that need boosting in BC.
Overall political expectations are that Bailey will need to grapple with reducing the provincial deficit… the bookkeeping side of political things that most voters won’t pay attention. The overall population wants to see better services and supports and a thriving economy. It’s up to Eby and his government to decide if moving toward a balanced budget is the best way to achieve that right now.
===== RELATED:
- BC Conservatives announce their shadow cabinet (November 20, 2024)
- Eby’s fulsome NDP cabinet challenged by BC Conservatives but supported by BC Greens (November 20, 2024)
- Eby’s cabinet: tight at the top along with cross-ministry combos (November 19, 2024)
- Premier Eby appoints his cabinet for the 43rd BC Parliament (November 18, 2024)
- NEWS SECTIONS: POLITICS | BC PROVINCIAL ELECTION 2024
- GOVERNMENT PAGES: BC NDP CABINET, COUNCIL & PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIES