Vaughn Palmer: David Eby won’t admit it, but his government seemed adrift before White House provided focus
VICTORIA — Whatever else one might say about Donald Trump’s hit job on Canada, it did inspire Premier David Eby to shake off the hesitation that followed his near loss in the provincial election.
Eby initially vowed he would hit the ground running, postelection. Instead, what followed was a discouraging combination of evasion and indecision.
Mandate letters for the new cabinet were held up while the New Democrats engaged in protracted negotiations for the support of the two Green MLAs.
Ministers, with few exceptions, went to ground, their calendars vacant, their presence mostly undetectable. Even the usual message boxes were hard to obtain on the record, reporters found.
The agenda for the re-elected NDP government duplicated the one Eby proclaimed on being sworn in as premier in 2022: housing affordability, public safety, access to health care and reducing the cost of living.
Never mind that the government’s proposed solutions to those problems were much the same as the ones proposed in a broadly uninspiring election platform.
Never mind that the electorate was so unimpressed, it came close to handing government to an unproven collection of newbie B.C. Conservatives and ex Liberals.
All that changed as it became increasingly apparent that Donald Trump was determined to whack Canada with punishingly high tariffs on exports to the U.S.
Gone was the hesitation.
In its place was an activist premier, commanding the public platform as a solo act — twice a day if necessary to keep up with the torrent of announcements from south of the border.
Eby’s new agenda was focused on trade diversification, resource development, and cost containment. Surprising departures for a government that had been mostly concerned with spending public funds, even when it didn’t have the actual cash to do so.
The biggest departure from long-standing NDP policy was a vow to lift the regulatory burden and expedite approval of $20 billion worth of resource projects — mines, wind farms, pipelines — to offset the anticipated impact of the tariffs.
The regulatory burden in question was imposed and/or sustained by the New Democrats themselves through seven years of government.
Still, the premier named names for the first dozen and a half projects targeted for expedited approval, providing some basis for gauging his definition of “fast tracking.”
One of the mining projects on his list has been in the review process for six years. Another is in its fourth year and counting.
For now, the biggest potential hold up is obtaining consent from First Nations. The New Democrats can’t avoid consulting and accommodating the Indigenous peoples on whose territory those projects are located.
There’s room for Eby to expand the list beyond the 18 projects named initially. He made no mention of the possibility of proceeding with the second phase of the LNG Canada project, allowing a doubling of production at the export terminal in Kitimat.
It would readily fit with the premier’s objective of reducing dependence on the U.S. market for B.C.’s natural gas. The project also has strong First Nations support.
Shell and its four partners in the joint ownership of LNG Canada have not yet reached a final investment decision on proceeding with Phase 2.
The partners may also be waiting for the government to give a final direction on powering the expanded project. Phase 1 is powered with natural gas. Hydroelectric power would reduce emissions in Phase 2. But there is not yet sufficient hydro power and backup available in Kitimat.
Eby indulged in a few crowd-pleasing, media-coverage-generating stunts — like prematurely banishing bourbon and other “red state” booze from B.C. government liquor stores.
He took risks, too, like calling on British Columbians to avoid holidaying in the U.S. while presuming that the Americans would not reciprocate to the detriment of our tourism industry.
The premier seized the opening to suggest that the government might not be able to afford its $1.8 billion election platform promise of a “grocery rebate” of up to $1,000 a family, $500 for individuals.
He also reiterated the need for an “efficiency review” of government programs. He acknowledged that the review was a departure from NDP policy and said the need was greater given the tariff threat.
“We’ve been in government for seven years,” Eby told reporters. “The situation in B.C. in 2025 is not the same as it was in 2017. Having a look at all our programs, making sure that they’re keeping up with what we face now as opposed to the challenges we may have faced three or four years ago.”
He’s probably hoping that the public sector unions will take the hint from all this talk of austerity and lower expectations in this year’s contract talks.
All in all, the result was a freshened agenda for a premier who badly needed one after squandering much of the political and fiscal momentum he inherited from John Horgan.
Not likely will Eby acknowledge that these changes were prompted by Trump. But nor is it likely that he would have moved this far, this quickly, without the impetus provided by the devil-may-care occupant of the White House.