A sweeping change in government in British Columbia. From a narrow NDP majority to an overwhelming Conservative majority. For progressives, this is a tragedy. An election that wasn't scheduled until 2028. What was the Premier thinking? A quick win against a dysfunctional opposition? The search for a bigger majority? A renewed mandate?
Whatever David Eby was looking for, he didn't find it. Most voters stayed home, with only 48.1% voting (more than 58% voted in 2024). The Conservatives took fewer votes this time than last. According to CBC, in 2024, the B.C. Conservatives received just over 900,000 votes, with preliminary figures showing they had received over 860,000 this time around. The NDP went from over 950,000 votes in 2024 to just under 670,000 votes. So a lot of people stayed home.
With the Conservatives getting 48% of the popular vote (they won 48% of the actual votes cast, which was enough to decide the election out of a pool of 48% of eligible voters who showed up), they have received a supermajority with about 23% of the electorate's potential vote. While they earned a sweeping 64-seat majority in the legislature under the First-Past-The-Post system, nearly 77% of eligible BC voters either voted for a different party or did not participate in the election. This is the folly of the First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system.
Under a Proportional system, the results would have been closer to 45 Seats for the Conservatives, 35 for the NDP, and 12 for the Greens. 48% is not a majority, and so the Conservatives should not have a majority of the seats in the legislature.
There was a time when I would have been horrified by such an outcome. Still, having lived as many years as I have, and having lived through some of the worst governments, both federally and provincially, I know that however much I regret this election's choice, the government lasts only four years. Then the electorate gets to vote again. If they/we are satisfied, the government will continue, and if not, they will be tossed aside, and a new group will try.
A government can do a lot of good in four years; it can also do a lot of harm. I probably won't be at the pointed end of the harm, but that doesn't mean I have to accept it. It is incumbent on all progressives to watch, criticize, and act whenever harm is done. We must organize and work for a better outcome next time. We must call out injustice. We must form alliances with groups/individuals who may not have the voice that we as a collective do.
As a green activist I follow the Green Values: Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Non-Violence, Participatory Democracy, Respect for Diversity, and Sustainability. To this we add Personal Accountability, Active Participation, and Conscious Consumption. And for me as a labour activist, "an injury to one is an injury to all," the foundational labor slogan popularized by the Industrial Workers of the World.
Do not give in to hopelessness. Grieve the loss of what could have been, and then get active. While change is inevitable, how we manage it is not.
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