ADAMS: The invoice for David Eby’s arrogance comes due

Thirty-one days.

That's how long Premier David Eby has had to explain why British Columbians are voting today. A month of rallies, debates, and announcements, and the Premier still hasn't given a legitimate answer to the simplest question of the campaign: why now?

Nobody forced this election. The government had time left on the clock. Yet it chose to send voters back to the polls anyway, at real cost to taxpayers, and then spent the campaign acting as though voters owed it a win.

If the BC NDP loses badly tonight, and the polls suggest it very well may, it'll be a defeat the party walked into on its own. The Conservatives will probably form government, and I have my own concerns about that party, but Eby's time is up. And this downfall is one of the most deserved in Canadian politics.

If a premier is going to force taxpayers to pay for an early election, there needs to be a triumphant record to justify it. Look anyone who has sat in a B.C. emergency room overnight or spent years on a list for a family doctor in the eyes and tell them this governments record is "triumphant."

I doubt the average BC NDP MLA would have the courage to do so, and for good reason.

Rural ERs have closed with little warning, nurses and doctors are burned out and far too many British Columbians don't have access to a family doctor. I understand that you can't blame every problem in the province on one premier, but you can hold him responsible for how his government has managed them.

The Eby NDP has had years to prevent ER closures, and not only have they not fixed the issue, but they have also done absolutely nothing during this campaign to explain why anyone should believe their next set of promises won't be broken just like the last set of commitments he made.

Without a hopeful vision or a clear reason to demand another term, what British Columbians have received was a string of avoidable stumbles. The worst was the premier taking a spot in the province's $10-a-day child care program when his own family didn't need it. Granted, the premier donated $3,200 to the daycare, but with thousands of parents languishing on waitlists, it was seen by British Columbians as a tone-deaf move that perfectly mirrors the arrogance of this unnecessary election and of this premier.

As the campaign wore on, the NDP has aggressively attacked any position taken by Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson and CentreBC leader Elenore Sturko—often framing their views in the most extreme possible light. And after an all-party committee recommended a citizens' assembly on electoral reform, he notably shut down the idea with a message directed to Green Party voters: the debate is over because he says so.

A government that demands your vote without even trying to earn it has forfeited its right to be re-elected. British Columbians deserve better than a party that falls back on slander once its own record becomes a liability and can't even explain why it called an election because doesn't have a plan worth running on.

If you haven't voted yet, go. Pick the Greens, pick Centre BC, or pick the Conservatives. Pick whichever candidate fits your values and the needs of your riding. But whatever you do, send a clear message to a party that demanded a mandate without justifying it: this campaign has earned exactly what it deserves.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Provincial Times. Read our Content Policy here.