I'm not convinced we'll see another provincial election in short order, but if we do, Christy Clark just gave the Liberals the upper hand.
The NDP's tenuous grip on power has spurred speculation that British Columbians could go back to the polls in the near future, which up until last Friday would have likely resulted in a movie that we've all seen before. When you've got the same leaders shopping largely the same platforms, it's not inconceivable to think the outcome would also be very similar.
New Premier John Horgan can quickly put his stamp on government so the NDP has the ability to modify voter perception to some extent in the coming months, but the other two parties can only do so much at this time, meaning a snap election also has the potential to be a status quo election.
That all changed last Friday when the former premier announced that she'd be stepping down as Liberal leader at the end of this week. Clark's decision leaves a void at the helm of the party that ruled this province for the past 16 years, but it also paves the way for voteinducing change.
I'm not suggesting Clark was the sole reason the Liberals failed to win a fifth straight majority in May, but a change at the top, particularly if it comes after a leadership race, can breathe new life into a party, both internally and externally. And it wouldn't take much of a bump in Liberal support at the ballot box for the party's fortunes to change dramatically.
Given all of the above, and given the NDP had been relegated to the opposition benches for so long, I can't think Horgan will want to do anything to jeopardize his hold on power.
Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver also knows his sphere of influence diminishes considerably should one of the other two parties form a majority, so he's unlikely to rock the boat either.
It's in the best interests of both of them to make sure their alliance works for as long as possible because a Liberal party led by Todd Stone, Dianne Watts or a handful of others could prove to be too much to handle in the next election.
Having said that, when you've got a razor thin margin everything can go sideways in an instant, regardless of how hard the captain tries to keep an even keel.
