B.C. Liberals say they want to form minority government

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VICTORIA – British Columbia entered a new stage of political uncertainty Wednesday as the final vote count from an election held more than two weeks ago confirmed the province’s first minority government in 65 years.

But with the balance of power firmly in his grasp, Green Leader Andrew Weaver indicated he wants to end the confusion that has gripped the province since May 9 by trying to reach a deal with either the Liberals or the NDP on a minority government by next Wednesday.

“We’re committed to bring stability to this province and we’re committed to ensuring the decisions we make in the next few days are those that actually make government work in British Columbia,” he told a news conference.

“We recognize it’s important over the next week or so … to give certainty to British Columbia and that’s our target as we stand today.”

Weaver said he’s aiming for Wednesday or earlier to broker a working agreement with either the Liberals or the NDP, but he’s open to an extension if required.

“It’s not a deal breaker if we’re so close and we still need more time,” he said.

The Liberals finished one seat short of a majority, with 43 seats in the 87-seat legislature. The NDP has 41 seats and the Greens have three — a historic achievement for the party as it built on the lone seat held by Weaver before the election.
 
Midweek podcast: Who will lead British Columbia?

The final results of the 2017 B.C. election are now in, but there's still uncertainty about who will end up in charge of the province.

With the NDP winning the riding of Courtenay-Comox by 189 votes, the B.C. Liberals' final seat count stopped at 43 seats — one short of a majority — the NDP is at 41 and the Green Party at 3.

That makes party leader Andrew Weaver an important man to win over — and his negotiating team is already in talks with the other parties.

"It's not in our interest to form a coalition. We're not looking to have a formal coalition. I think that means our ability to actually hold government, whichever it be, to account is mitigated," he told The House.

The two biggest conditions Green Party leader Andrew Weaver has mentioned as necessary for his party's support in the legislature have been banning corporate and union donations and changing B.C.'s electoral system.

He could also play a crucial role in two projects with national implications, the future of the Site C dam and Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline project.

Weaver said he's already spoken to Liberal MPs.

"The Kinder Morgan decision had nothing to do with good public policy and everything to do with political horse trading," he said.

"It left us with a lot of federal Liberals who said we agree with you and that is one of the reasons why we voted for you."
 
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