Last week, Christy Clark resigned as leader of the opposition and party leader for the B.C. Liberals. She also resigned her seat in Kelowna West, triggering a byelection.
There will be a lot said about Ms. Clark's time as an MLA in opposition, a member of the early Campbell government in the role of deputy premier and education minister, and her sort of triumphant return to politics in 2011 when she became premier of the province.
I say "sort of" because let's not forget she narrowly won the May 2011 byelection in Vancouver-Point Grey and actually lost the seat to David Eby of the NDP in the 2013 election. She returned to the legislature via a resignation and byelection in Westside-Kelowna in July 2013.
In any case, from this somewhat rocky start in her role as premier, she flourished.
She has always been something of a fighter and being premier gave her full rein.
She demonstrated her tenacity and determination on many occasions.
For many people in the province, she has been an exceptional leader.
After all, she gave us five balanced budgets, growth in jobs and the strongest economy in Canada.
Or so the rhetoric goes.
I will forego commenting on how the budgets were balanced, why we had growth in jobs and what are the underpinnings of our strong economy.
Suffice it to say, things are not always as they seem and in reality the B.C. Liberals have done no better or worse overall than any other jurisdiction in Canada. They did not outperform previous governments either, despite their repeated claims.
It isn't really that she was a bad premier or that she was a good premier.
She was a very competent, dedicated, and hardworking individual who did a difficult job fairly well. Indeed, despite political differences, we all owe our elected officials a great deal of respect for taking on demanding jobs and doing them to the best of their abilities.
I might disagree with her approach but Ms. Clark was willing to step forth and lead. She had a very definite vision for the province and was driving us towards it.
Right or wrong, you can't argue with the conviction and dedication she displayed.
That said, in resigning her seat in the legislature, she also set in motion what could be the most contentious byelection in the history of the province.
She certainly guaranteed the survival of the NDP-Green Party government for the foreseeable future.
Suddenly, Premier Horgan has gone from having a one seat majority with the backing of the Green Party to having a two-seat majority - or a one-seat majority without the speaker of the house.
A "constitutional crisis," as it has been described, has been averted.
By resigning her seat, Ms. Clark has put the government in a position where they are not always in danger of defeat.
Conceivably, with the support of the Green Party, they could pass their legislation by votes in the legislature. The NDP-Green Party alliance is now in the position to govern.
At least until the byelection occurs and that is where things will get really interesting.
One more seat for the NDP or the Green Party would cement their position of power. If the NDP, they would be tied with the B.C. Liberals at 42.
One more seat for the Green Party would mean they are a new force to be reckoned with on the political landscape and could be the kingmakers for years to come.
On the other hand, Westside-Kelowna is about as safe a seat as the B.C. Liberals have.
A victory in the byelection would proclaim that while 60 per cent of the voters in the province rejected the B.C. Liberals, they are still a force. The tag-lines would say "We're back."
There is much at stake in the upcoming byelection and it will definitely influence provincial politics for the foreseeable future.
Then there is the question of B.C. Liberal leadership.
Who will assume the position? And how quickly?
If Ms. Clark is right in her assessment, the NDP-Green Party government alliance is not working or not capable of working, we could be back at the polls sooner than anyone would like.
Imagine holding an election this October with the B.C. Liberal Party leaderless. How would that work? Who would take on the mantle of responsibility? And would voters take the view that leaderless B.C. Liberals are not a viable alternative to an NDP government at this time?
Why October?
Because the government can only be defeated through a vote of non-confidence in the Legislature and the first sitting will not be until September.
Even then, it is likely to be a very short session.
The B.C. Liberals find themselves in a very awkward position - fighting a byelection and conducting a leadership race while waiting for a fragile government alliance to fall.
