MLA Joan McIntyre met with B.C.'s new Premier-designate on Monday (Feb. 28), and despite the fact that she backed Kevin Falcon in the Liberal leadership race, said she's behind Christy Clark.
During a day of voting on Saturday (Feb. 26), the B.C. Liberal party chose Clark to succeed outgoing Premier Gordon Campbell. Clark received 52 per cent of the vote on the final ballot, beating out other first-vote candidates George Abbott, Kevin Falcon and Mike de Jong.
McIntyre, the provincial representative for the riding of West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, said she is ready to work with B.C.'s second female premier. She had 30 minutes of one-on-one time with Clark on Monday (Feb. 28).
McIntyre said she was disappointed Falcon didn't win, but said the second-place Falcon was gracious in defeat and he was talking about party unity after the results were announced.
"Everyone is moving, I think, with great speed to make sure that free enterprise is united," McIntyre said.
"We've got someone who wants to reconnect with the voters, which is what I've been saying we obviously have to do."
According to McIntyre, trust has to be built after the way the Harmonized Sales Tax was introduced, and confidence in the Liberal government needs to be re-established as people around the province are educated about the tax.
"She's [Clark] been talking about family first and I've been doing a lot of work on family in the caucus, and I've been the chair of the standing committee on children and youth," McIntyre said. "We're talking the same language."
McIntyre said she only knows what she has heard in the media about the timing of the next election.
"I think that [Clark] was pretty clear that two years and a bit was too long for her to not have a mandate," McIntyre said of the fixed election date in 2013. "I think she has ruled out a snap election."
McIntyre said the soonest she believes a general election will be called is this fall.
For Lyle Fenton, the president of the New Democratic Party constituency association in the local riding, Clark represents more of what British Columbians have seen from the Liberals in the past.
"Christy Clark carries a lot of baggage with the B.C. Rail corruption," the Squamish resident said. "I understand she had a relatively close family-type member involved and we had to pay off those who were convicted for their legal fees and shut it down."
When the B.C. Rail matter first hit the news with a police raid on the B.C. legislature, police visited the home office of Mark Marissen, a Liberal strategist and Clark's husband at the time, the Globe and Mail reported. No search warrant was served, however.
Fenton said his interest is in how the Liberals govern and less about the face leading the party. The local NDP constituency association doesn't have a candidate in place yet for the next election, he added.
