BC Conservative MLAs rejecting David Eby’s pleas for Speaker nomination
By Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
BC Conservative MLAs have rejected every attempt by newly re-elected British Columbia Premier David Eby to court BC Conservative MLAs for the Speaker position.
Eby has had the BC NDP contact several opposition MLAs so he could maintain his slim majority government.
Multiple BC Conservatives have declared that they will not accept the role of speaker of the legislature, which would allow the BC NDP government to retain its majority.
Following the BC Election, The NDP secured a slim majority and now holds 47 legislative seats, just making the 47-seat threshold for a majority government. The BC Conservatives currently hold 44 seats.
The problem for Eby is that the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia needs to elect a Speaker, and if it comes from his party, he would lose majority status. The Speaker does not vote except in a tie-breaking scenario.
Elected members of the legislature need to put their own names forward to apply for the role, making the recently re-elected Eby government’s search for a new Speaker all the more difficult.
The BC Green Party secured two seats. If it offered one of its candidates, the Greens would lose official party status in the legislature.
When asked about any potential deals the Greens would make with the BC NDP, a spokesperson for the party, JoJo Beattie, confirmed with True North that conversations were “ongoing” and had nothing else to add.
During a press conference following the results, Eby said he would work with any opposition members who share his values, particularly by electing a Speaker from one of those parties.
“I know we’ve got some great candidates (for Speaker) on our bench,” Eby said. “I’m sure the Greens would be able to put forward a good Speaker, maybe the Conservatives. We’re not ruling anything out.”