Voter’s remorse? Not much, say British Columbians

A new Angus Reid poll shows a majority of British Columbians are just fine with the current chaos of government. But Christy Clark should go

A new Angus Reid poll also shows that most respondents want Premier Christy Clark to step down

Given the uncertainty of the current B.C. government (who is the premier, anyway?), you might expect voters in this province to be eager to head back to the ballot box. That’s not the case, according to a new poll by the Angus Reid Institute. Thursday’s throne speech will open the first session of parliament, and a non-confidence vote by an alliance of New Democrats and Green Party members is widely expected to defeat Christy Clark’s Liberal government as early as next week. But when asked what they think should happen next, 71 per cent of poll respondents indicated that they don’t want another immediate election.

What happens next is still a matter of speculation. As the NDP-Green alliance holds a sliver of a majority (a total of 44 seats to the Liberals’ 43), neither side is currently willing to give up a member to sit as Speaker, which is by strong tradition a non-partisan role. B.C. voters, however, seem content to watch the drama. Only 11 per cent admit to some buyer’s remorse, saying they would vote differently if they had another chance.

Here are a few more results:

  • More than one in three British Columbians worry that their own standard of living will be worse a year from now
  • Almost two thirds of B.C. residents (63 per cent) say the BC Liberals should concede defeat rather than use procedures to prevent the NDP-Green alliance from leading
  • A majority of British Columbians (62 per cent) would prefer to see Christy Clark step down as leader of the BC Liberals, including one third (32 per cent) of her own base