February 11, 2003

Caucus Intrigue and Accountability

BC's legislature reconvenes on Tuesday, February 11th, to hear a Speech from the Throne, receive a budget the following week and debate new legislation. Premier Campbell's biggest concern may be from the 75 Liberal MLAs who will be brought together daily to meet in his caucus room. There is much more opportunity when the House is sitting for malcontents to compare notes and complain about leadership failures.

Regular observers will note that most of the MLAs leave the House "to go about other business" as soon as the 15 minute question period ends. That's when they can chatter about how Geoff Plant handled the smoking judge issue and swap stories on what their constituents are saying about the Premier.

Question period, especially the way Campbell and the Speaker have neutered it, can be mild compared to caucus intrigues. Joy MacPhail and Jenny Kwan are allowed one question each with the possibility of a supplemental. Over half of question period is taken up by government backbenchers asking ministers to report on what a great job they have done. Their abuse of question period turns it into a joke instead of what the Auditor General has described as one of the most important accountability mechanisms for government. If that abuse continues while the government is mired in controversy and scandal, each of the backbenchers who waste valuable question period time may find their actions one more cause for public anger to be directed at them.