Vanilla

Premier Gordon Campbell held a press conference yesterday where he announced that will be stepping down as leader of the BC Liberals. Needless to say, this was a very unexpected move, which even the NDP wasn't expecting. While speculation is running rampant as to why Campbell chose this moment to step aside, its obvious that the backlash from the introduction of the HST played a large factor in his abysmal 9% approval rating. Public criticism over the past year or two has been focused squarely on Campbell's shoulders, which he indicated as a reason for his departure: “When public debate becomes focused on one person, instead of what is in the best interest of British Columbians, we have lost sight about what is important,” Mr. Campbell told a news conference in Vancouver. “When that happens, it's time for a change.”

HST issues aside, I think you have to give Campbell credit for being good at what he does. He started out as a developer in Vancouver in the 1980s and later won a seat as Mayor of the city. He later was part of the opposition for several NDP premiers (including Mike Harcourt and Glen Clark) and then finally became Premier. As Premier, he was in power for 3 consecutive terms showing that he had the confidence of the Province as well as his own party. Personally, I think that BC has done well economically relative to the rest of the North American (and Global) economy. We haven't felt nearly the negative effects that other provinces and states have since the recession hit in 2008. The housing industry is robust and growing, tourism is booming, there are several new university's that have been built, Skytrain has been expanded, and several new roads and bridges that were desperately needed. Plus they were able to cut the income tax significantly, which I personally am very glad about. Campbell is leaving his party with an internal approval rating of 84% and in my opinion, an economically stronger and more prosperous province.

At the end of the day, this is just a normal part of a game known as Provincial Politics, is it not? No one is perfect, not Gordon Campbell or any of his predecessors for that matter. Can you really say that Carole James cares that much more about BC than she does about simply being in a position of power? I doubt it. There was a time when Glen Clark was premier of BC, and people made such a big deal about the Fast Ferry's that he had to step aside, and he was NDP so it doesn't make all that much of a difference. At the end of the day, you can't make everyone happy no matter how hard you try!

At the end of the day, the real question is who will be the next Premier of BC? And for how long... Share your opinions below, I'm very curious to hear what you guys think!