Summer election? A look at whether voters want another B.C. election

CHEK

WATCH: A summer election is a real possibility in B.C. but do voters wants to head back to the polls? Tess van Straaten takes a look.

In the B.C. capital, provincial politics isn’t usually a hot topic in the summer but this year is definitely different.

“Well, it certainly is interesting,” one voter told CHEK News. “It seems like an unprecedented time for politics in B.C.”

“We’re watching it very closely,” a visitor from Alberta said. “Being an Albertan, we want pipelines to go through and everything seems to have come to a stop so it will be interesting.”

More than seven weeks after voters went to the polls ? 51 days to be exact ? we still don’t know who will govern this province.

“I found the financial update this week interesting,” political strategist and former Green Party adviser Norman Spector said. “No government and the economy is strong and getting better. Maybe we’re better off with no government!”

But dragging things out may have had a benefit. The B.C. Liberals are enjoying a bump in popularity following last Thursday’s throne speech, according to a new Mainstreet/Postmedia poll.

It has the Liberals up seven points to 45 per cent support while the NDP and BC Greens are each down five per cent to 34 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively.

The big question now ? do voters really want another election?

Another poll, this time by Insights West, found only 15 per cent were in favour of a snap election that would see voters heading back to the polls this summer.

“I don’t think British Columbians want another election,” Spector said. 

A snap election in the United Kingdom earlier this month certainly backfired for  Theresa May, who was seeking a mandate for Brexit negotiations.

Instead, the British Prime Minister watched her majority crumble into a minority and going to the polls in British Columbia anytime soon could be just as risky.

“I think [Christy Clark] would like a new election but she just doesn’t want to be the one to call,” Spector explained.

“I think the Greens certainly should fear it because they’d be in a tough position holding on to three seats and more importantly, the odds of them holding the balance of power in the legislature are next to zero.”

NDP Leader John Horgan at a town hall meeting in Victoria on June 28.

Tess van StraatenTess van Straaten

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