BC Premier David Eby: The Radical Reformer turned Reformed Radical shares a surprising change in direction

I have to admit that I was surprised when David Eby’s office accepted our shot-in-the-dark invitation for the NDP Premier of British Columbia to join me on the Goodman Report podcast. Even then, I wasn’t ready for how open, funny, self-critical and transformed the premier seemed in our hour together.

The surprises started with my first question, when I asked him about the recent budget and, especially, the deficit. The premier dropped his head, slouched in the chair and said, “Talk about a dumpster fire. I mean $13.3 billion. It’s just brutal.”

The worst part, Eby said, is that the next “really urgent” policy shift will be to cut revenue, because, “we have to get rid of the foreign buyer and speculation taxes.” He went on, “This is hard, because the (NDP) base loves those taxes. But people don’t realize how badly they have kneecapped the development industry. And, seriously, construction is the third or fourth biggest employer in B.C. Those taxes are killing jobs.”

Talking about the housing crisis in general, Eby also said he’s aware that you can’t help renters without helping – or at least not hurting – the people who build and own rental housing, which also requires a change in direction. “I get it,” he said. “Capping rent increases below the rate of inflation – that was just a dumb idea.”

When I asked the premier about other things he might admit as mistakes, he said, “Well, it’s politics. It’s hard. Like reconciliation: that’s a great idea. It’s really important. But UNDRIP? We’re really climbing down on that.”

On climate change. Eby said, “If you remember, the NDP campaigned against the carbon tax right from the start. The only reason we kept it was because (Green Party leader Andrew) Weaver and (then-Premier John) Horgan were, like, rugby buddies and we needed the Greens to take power.” Now, Eby has killed the carbon tax and, recently, reassigned staff from the Climate Action Secretariat to work on expanding fossil fuel infrastructure. “It’s like (former NDP cabinet minister and LNG lobbyist Moe) Sihota always says: the NDP’s best budget surpluses were floating on gas royalties from the northeast. We need more of that.”

When I noted that the NDP is still warring with Alberta over pipelines – quoting then-Premier Horgan’s promise to use “every tool in the toolbox” to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline – Eby said, “C’mon, I saw that toolbox; there was nothing in it but a dull pencil and a stale donut. Seriously, if the feds are still buying, we’ll get the next pipeline through even faster than the Trans Mountain.”

Finally, I asked how Eby expects to keep his job if he abandons so many policies the left holds sacred. And what came next was the biggest shock of the podcast. He said, “Well, the BC Conservative Party leadership vacancy opens a real opportunity. I mean, do the math. It would only take four NDP MLAs crossing the floor with me to give the Conservatives a majority.”

“We have a team in place and negotiations underway. And as one of my advisors said, I can switch parties and I won’t even have to change offices.”

We both laughed. After all: it’s April 1.

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