It was an historic night in provincial politics on Tuesday. The B.C. Liberals were returned to power and Gordon Campbell became the first premier in 22 years to be returned to office.
But the Liberal majority is by no means comfortable for Campbell and the Liberals.
The New Democratic Party (NDP) made a remarkable turn around from 2001, going from two seats in the legislature to a whopping 33.
It's a clear message to Campbell and the Liberals. You may have won the election and you're still in power, but you have lost lots of respect in the eyes of the voters in this province.
The NDP resurgence shows that voters are dissatisfied and looking for a change - a change, we hope, for the better.
This shift in the legislature now means the Liberals have a clear opposition staring at them from across the floor in Victoria. It means better debate on the issues and, overall, better representation for this province.
Locally, Nicholas Simons won the NDP seat quite handily.
Liberal Maureen Clayton put up a strong fight, but Simons and the NDP clearly stole the show on election night.Green Party leader Adriane Carr is trying to say all the right things after a third place finish in this riding with nine per cent provincially and 25 per cent in this riding.
Carr has worked hard for the Green Party and its cause, but after Tuesday's election, one has to question where the party is heading in the future.
The voters of B.C. asked for change, and they got it Tuesday night.
The question now is, can the NDP continue this momentum? Can Simons live up to the promises he made to voters on the Sunshine Coast and provide us with better representation?
We look forward in the coming weeks and months to working with Simons and finding out the answers to these questions.
