Premier Gordon Campbell, shown here opening the Osoyoos Visitor Information Centre in 2007, announced on Nov. 3 that he is resigning. Photo by Osoyoos Times/File - Click on picture for larger image
OSOYOOS TIMES-November 10, 2010
By Paul Everest – Osoyoos Times
The president of the Liberal Party’s Boundary-Similkameen Riding Association said he’s disappointed that Premier Gordon Campbell has decided to resign.
Rick Wilson, an Okanagan Falls resident who was elected as president of the association in August, said he was as surprised as everyone else when Campbell announced on Nov. 3 that he was resigning.
He added that he’s “not sure about the timing” of Campbell’s resignation and said the premier could have gone on to lead the Liberal Party a little while longer.
“He’s done a lot for the province,” Wilson said. “To go out on a sour note is not very pleasant.”
He conceded that Campbell likely wouldn’t have made it to the next provincial election in 2013, but said the premier still had about 84 per cent of party members supporting him at the time when the resignation was announced.
Wilson also said it’s going to be tough to replace Campbell.
The premier announced his resignation one week after a televised address where he defended the provincial government’s decision to bring in the controversial harmonized sales tax and announced a 15-per-cent tax cut on all personal income up to $72,000 for British Columbians.
Campbell’s approval rating had recently fallen as low as nine per cent and an Angus Reid public opinion poll conducted last week found that roughly 47 per cent of voters across the province would cast a vote for the NDP, compared to 26 per cent for the Liberals.
The poll, which surveyed 807 B.C. residents, also found that while two-thirds of British Columbians supported Campbell’s tax cut announcement, two-thirds of British Columbians also found Campbell to be “unconvincing” when he discussed the government’s decision to bring in the HST during the Oct. 27 televised address.
Wilson said he has no idea who might take a run for Campbell’s job but said the executive members of the party will be meeting within the next 10 days to decide when to hold a leadership convention.
He added that it will likely be spring before a leadership convention is held.
Campbell said he will stay on as premier until a new leader is chosen, a decision that some political insiders say may hurt the party.
The Angus Reid opinion poll states that three out of 10 British Columbians would like to see the Liberals form the next government, but with a different leader.
Wilson said he has no problem with Campbell staying on as premier and party leader until the leadership convention and having him stick around won’t hinder the party’s chance to begin the “healing process” with B.C. voters.
“He’s been a good leader,” he said. “Gordon has done a great job. He’s brought B.C. from being a have-not province to a have province.
“He has lots to do as premier yet.”
Wilson also said he’s not aware of any pressure from within the Liberal Party for Campbell to step down as has been reported in the media.
Campbell’s resignation announcement has also led to the cancellation of the party’s biannual general meeting that was to take place in Penticton on November 19 and 20.
Wilson said the party had as many as 40 resolutions to be debated at the convention.
John Slater, the Liberal MLA for the Boundary-Similkameen riding, said he was also shocked by Campbell’s decision to step down, adding that the resignation announcement has been tough on MLAs trying to carry out the government’s work.
But the caucus is banding together to carry on, he said, and Campbell is leaving a legacy that will help the party move forward.
“As one of 49 members, we have to work together and continue on,” Slater said.
He added that the premier’s decision has not interrupted his efforts to modernize B.C.’s Water Act.
Following a meeting of the Liberal caucus on Nov. 4, Slater said the party has to hold a leadership meeting within 120 days, but he hadn’t heard any rumours about potential successors to Campbell.
He said Campbell’s decision shows he’s trying to do what’s right for the province, not himself.
In his resignation announcement, Campbell said “When public debate becomes focused on one person, instead of what is in the best interest of British Columbians, we have lost sight about what is important.
“When that happens, it’s time for a change.”
Slater said such a sentiment shows that the 15-per-cent tax cut Campbell announced a week before was not about him trying to restore his popularity but was about trying to better the lives of B.C. residents.
As for how Campbell’s decision will affect the anti-HST effort, Slater said he doesn’t believe the resignation will bolster the campaign to have the tax repealed.
The HST is a stand-alone issue, he said, and the public will make the decision next fall about whether to get rid of the tax or not.
If they do want it repealed, he added, the government will have to work with the people to come up with another way to bring in revenues for provincial programs through means such as higher tax sales tax, increased income tax rates or higher taxes for businesses and corporations.
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