Public will be served by some opposition in Victoria

Paul Willcocks

Heave a sigh of relief. You have an opposition. Left or right or in-between, you're better served by a legislature that includes an effective opposition, with representatives from all regions.

And that's what voters delivered.

The Liberals still have a healthy majority. As I write this the votes are still being counted, but it looks like about 46 seats of the 79 seats.

But now they face some 33 opposition MLAs, not just two, with an adequately funded research and support staff. It will make the legislature a very different place.

And a more difficult one for Gordon Campbell, who has had no experience in facing an opposition across the chamber's red carpet. The election campaign - when the premier chose only to meet Liberal supporters, in closed settings - reinforced the public impression that Campbell is not much interested in people with different views.

That's only one of several headaches Campbell faces. For starters, he has to put together a new cabinet - never an easy task. There's room for new faces, since so many cabinet ministers went down to defeat. But some of the best jobs are likely already committed to new stars like Wally Oppal and Carole Taylor.

The Liberals have a comfortable majority, and Campbell is the first premier re-elected in more than two decades.

But Campbell's campaign was criticized for its slow pace and defensive approach. He was generally seen as losing the televised leaders' debate, although he did better in the radio encounter. And despite some major advantages - a strong economy, appealing budget, and the machinery of government - the Liberals lost some 30 seats, and the NDP surged to within a few points of its record high of 46 per cent.

All of that - combined with memories of Campbell's 1996 campaign - will raise questions about whether he should lead the party into what could be a much closer election in 2009. Once those questions have been raised, potential leadership candidates begin thinking about their prospects and plans, a problem for any party.

Carole James comes out of the campaign having gained important ground. She proved an effective campaigner, and succeeded in convincing voters that the party has moved to the middle. Not all New Democrats think that's a good idea, but James' performance has given her greater ability to shut down internal attacks.

The big winners are the voters, who gain a legislature with a real opposition. Joy MacPhail and Jenny Kwan made a valiant effort, but for the last four years we haven't really had an opposition.

The public has been well-served by this election.

Paul Willcocks is a freelance journalist based in Victoria. He reads e-mails sent to willcocks@ultranet.ca

posted on 05/18/2005