By Richard McGuire
Boundary-Similkameen MLA Linda Larson has been reappointed as Parliamentary Secretary (PS) for Rural Education to the Minister of Education, but it’s an appointment that may not last long.
The appointment was announced Monday at the same time as Premier Christy Clark announced a new 22-member cabinet.
The legislature is being recalled on June 22, but the government’s first step after the appointment of a speaker is to test the confidence of the house.
Together the NDP and B.C. Greens control 44 seats while the B.C. Liberals control 43.
Barring any surprises, the NDP and Greens are expected to vote non-confidence in the Liberal government, which would bring it down.
If that happens, it is expected that Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon would call on NDP Leader John Horgan to form a government.
The three Green MLAs have agreed to support an NDP government led by Horgan on confidence and supply matters.
This falls short of a formal coalition and the narrow margin of seats would leave an NDP government on precarious ground, as the absence of one or two MLAs could cause it to lose support of the house.
Larson was re-elected as the B.C. Liberal MLA for a second term with a strong plurality, but not a majority, in the May 9 provincial election.
She was named as the PS for Rural Education when the government announced in June 2016 funding to stop the closure of several rural schools, including Osoyoos Secondary School.
