Premier Christy Clark says she tries to stay away from Victoria because it has a sick culture and no real people. Before we Victorians get all huffy, we have to take a deep breath and realize she doesnt mean everyone in Victoria.In the comments she made to a National Post reporter in May and which were reprinted this week, she clearly meant that politicians, civil servants and reporters are not real people. The clue was her lament about the unhealthy inside-the-beltway debate. In other words, she was talking about the legislature and everyone who hovers around it.Its clear that the warm feelings she once had for the big house on Belleville Street have cooled dramatically.Liberal house leader Mike de Jong said last week the legislature wont be recalled this fall. Instead, he said, Clarks new cabinet members will be crunching numbers for their ministry budgets and taking to the streets to consult ordinary British Columbians. Both those are important tasks. But so is standing up and being accountable in the house for the policies of the government, even if you dont like the sick culture.The house sat for 47 days this year, which leaves a lot of time for consulting with voters, but not much time for answering questions. Perhaps we should be pleased because this years total is almost double the 25 days our MLAs were in session last year. Of course, with premiers and opposition leaders coming and going, last year was a bit hectic.The fall sitting has not been a favourite with Liberal governments recently. Last year, they summoned the house for only one day in the fall. In 2010, the house didnt sit even one day in the fall. MLAs were out of their seats from June 3, 2010 until Feb. 14, 2011.When Clark was running for the leadership of her party, she was excited about bringing new respect to the legislature. She said she loved question period and the debates in the house. She wanted to bolster legislature committees and she wanted to find co-operative ways to help ensure that more private members bills were passed. What a difference a year makes. Since Clark became premier on March 14, 2011, private members have brought 30 bills to first reading. How many of them have passed? None.While the premier is right to push her new ministers to get a grip on their departments and put their budgets in order, voters can be forgiven for thinking that a major reason for avoiding the house is to keep the government away from too much examination in the run-up to next springs election. The sick culture and beltway debate sound a lot like people asking questions she doesnt appreciate.No one wants our legislators hanging around making laws just to keep busy. But when government legislation is not getting the serious examination it deserves, MLAs need some more time.Since February, the government introduced 35 bills, including 14 in the final month. As the clock wound down in the last days of May, MLAs passed important bills with less than an hour of debate. Thats not scrutiny; its lip service.Answering questions from MLAs, voters and reporters is not yielding to a sick culture, it is part of the premiers job.Clark says she wants to stay away from Victoria. If she continues to disdain the peoples business, the voters of B.C. are likely to grant her wish
