A few comments from former BC Premier Rita Johnston

Yesterday in Victoria, Liberal party leader Christy Clark was officially sworn in as the 35^th premier in British Columbia.

Yesterday, I also had a chance to talk to Rita Johnston, a member of the BC Conservative Party’s Tactical Advisory Group (TAG).  Many of you will remember that back in 1991, as leader of the Social Credit Party, she became BC’s first female premier, and in fact the first woman premier in Canada.

Ms. Johnston had several things to say, not the least of which was that, “I am so far from Christy in thinking!”

That said however her advice, if it had been asked, would have been to try to preserve some continuity between the former cabinet, and the new one which was sworn in yesterday by Lieutenant Governor Steven Point. 

During our conversation she mentioned that all of the Liberal leadership candidates had worked very hard, each had a lot of support, and that she believed it would have been the right thing for each of them to be recognized with cabinet positions.

Rita said that, “She appears to have done that, with the exception of Moira Stillwell.  I would have thought Clark would have provided cabinet positions to all of the leadership candidates, at least in her initial cabinet.  I'm surprised that a woman would do that to another woman.”

“I can’t imagine how not including Stillwell in that first cabinet will help in bringing together a caucus and party divided after the recent leadership race.”

Although far from home at the moment, she said she is staying in touch with the TAG group by telephone, as well as making sure the folks she runs into, who are from British Columbia get the news, and a membership form, for the BC Conservative Party.

In Kamloops, I’m Alan Forseth