Don't be fooled, Christy Clark doesn't want to be mayor of Vancouver, she wants to be premier of BC

"Don't be fooled -- Christy Clark doesn't want to be mayor of Vancouver -- she wants to be premier of B.C."

Bill Tieleman, 24 hours, Sept. 20, 2005

Okay so now Christy Clark is the Premier of BC --- here's what a few of her friends have had to say so far:

·         Mike De Jong, who finished last in Saturday's vote, said that "I think people are excited about the beginning of a new chapter. I think there is anticipation. Our first chance to come together after the election of a new leader and premier-designate. It's all good."

·         Asked about speculation about ministers leaving caucus, De Jong said that "all of the indications I have and all of my expectations are that this group is going to unite behind premier-designate Clark and move forward."

·         Colin Hansen, who is finance and health minister, said "I think Christy Clark is going to make a first-class premier and we're all ready to get to work."

·         “I’m very proud to be part of this caucus and to be part of Christy’s team,” Lekstrom told reporters, a beaming Clark at his side, during a break in the caucus meeting at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver.

Oh she does of course have plans that she intends to work on in the next while; here they are, just to name a few.

“Rather than just talking about where our tax rates are, where are we in terms of the total burden of costs that government puts on citizens? When you add in MSP premiums, hydro rates, and many of those other costs, where are we at?” Premier-designate Christy Clark, speaking to the media.

Early in the leadership campaign, Ms. Clark assumed the HST was already dead: “Let our MLAs do their jobs, and let our MLAs vote down the HST. Do it by March 31 and get it over with and get on with life in B.C.” That allowed her not to emphasize her own views on it. Later, she amended her stance by saying that the HST referendum, scheduled for September, should be held in June.

"You will certainly see some changes," she told reporters. "I think there's a lot of talent in the backbench, and we're going to certainly make sure that we draw on some of the folks perhaps that haven't been as busy in the past as they could be."

She's also mindful of the expectations (demands, really) of party unity. "People want change but we also want to have some stability in government as well ... so we'll see a little bit of both."

She would appoint a retired judge to review the sharing of gambling proceeds with charities and communities.

Oh ... and let's not forget what she WON'T do ...
She'd not appoint a retired judge to review the decision to waive $6 million in legal fees for the two ex-aides who pleaded guilty to corruption charges in the BC Rail case.

Things are certainly beginning to get interesting in our province ... and there’s a lot more to come.