OTTAWA — A second B.C. Liberal MLA is poised to jump the Christy Clark ship in order to seek a position on Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s team in Ottawa.
The decision opens the door to a potentially problematic pair of byelections in early 2016 for Clark, whose popularity has slipped in recent polls.
Doug Horne, first elected in 2009 and currently deputy speaker in the legislature, confirmed Monday he’s close to announcing a bid for the nomination in Industry Minister James Moore’s soon-to-be-vacated riding. He represents Coquitlam-Burke Mountain in the legislature.
Moore, MP for Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam, announced earlier this month he won’t seek reelection this autumn because he wants to spend more time with his family.
“I haven’t made my final decision yet, but it’s something pretty far down the road,” Horne, 48, told The Vancouver Sun. “ ’I’m likely to do it’ is I guess where I’m at right now.”
Horne said the main holdup relates to his role as deputy speaker. MLAs are being recalled for a special summer sitting to pass legislation to ratify a deal between the province and Pacific NorthWest LNG on a $36-billion joint-venture liquefied natural gas project backed by Malaysian state energy giant Petronas. The bill would also enable future agreements on other potential LNG deals.
Horne is the second MLA to signal an interest in setting up political shop in Ottawa rather than Victoria.
Maple Ridge-Mission Liberal MLA Marc Dalton is engaged in a contested battle for the Tory nomination in Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge, currently held by veteran MP Randy Kamp, who is also retiring.
If one or both of the two men obtain their nominations and win their seats, Clark will then have six months to call byelections.
University of Victoria professor emeritus Norman Ruff said that while Clark has slipped in some polls, she’s probably not overly worried.
By early 2016 a strong budget and good news on LNG projects could put her in fine shape for midterm votes, according to Ruff.
“But if LNG does go sour, then the timing would be very bad.”
Horne said he’s not worried about the recent poll slippage experienced by his current boss, Clark, and his potential future boss, Harper.
Canadians will ultimately make their decisions based on leadership and their economic management skills, and both leaders will do well on those fronts, he said.
A staffer under former Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney from 1985-1990, Horne said he brings knowledge of both federal and provincial politics to the table.
“I understand Ottawa. James was a huge voice (for) British Columbia and made sure many of B.C.’s issues remained at the forefront, and obviously I believe it’s important to continue that.”
An Angus Reid poll last month found less than a third of British Columbians are happy with Clark’s performance, putting her near the bottom in a survey testing the popularity of all provincial premiers.
An Insights West poll done in May that looked at voting intentions suggested that 43 per cent would back John Horgan’s NDP, with 37 per cent favouring Clark’s Liberals. The Greens were at 10 per cent and remaining support was spread among other parties.
That online poll of 801 British Columbians is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, according to the pollster.
