I can hear her now on election night … “I’ve been saying all along, we’d lose those by-elections”

Chilliwack - Hope Electoral map

You have to dig to find stories on the up-coming by-elections for Port Moody – Coquitlam, and Chilliwack - Hope, but today I thought I would take a look for what I could find regarding Chilliwack - Hope.   

I especially wanted to track the comments of Christy Clark as we went from the pre-writ period … through to her comments in recent days.

As you will see in the following snap-shots from stories, there seems to be a distinct pattern in her opinion of the BC Conservatives, and the role she expected they would play.

She first began by declaring the BC Conservatives to be a “spoiler”, going so far as to be “dismissive” of the party.  Then came talk of the possible “disastrous consequence” if Liberal candidates were to lose.

Premier Clark then said she was “stubbornly optimistic” as she has begun to “temper expectations” knowing that the BC Liberals will have a “tough time keeping both seats”

Here’s that snapshot of the stories I found, where these comments were made:

BC Conservatives could be 'spoiler' in coming Chilliwack by-election

Chilliwack Progress – Dec 21^st

"Governments almost always lose by-elections," BC Premier Christy Clark said … "Nevertheless, we're going to have an outstanding candidate … it's a two-way race between the BC Liberals and the NDP … the BC Conservatives can only act as a spoiler."

As Christy Clark calls two by-elections, she looks ahead to 2013

Globe & Mail – March 22^nd

Clark focused her remarks on the NDP and mentioned the Conservatives only when asked.   “We have to make sure our coalition stays together,” she said.  Ms. Clark was dismissive of the Conservatives …

BC by-elections could prove crucial to Liberals

Globe and Mail – March 26^th

Ms. Clark is stubbornly optimistic and talks of another Vancouver-Point Grey outcome. “I hope we will win both. We’re going to work really hard to win both,” she said.

Premier Christy Clark warns Chilliwack-Hope voters against voting NDP

Chilliwack Times – April 4^th

Clark went on to warn of a near-disastrous consequences if the BC Liberals do not retain power in the Chilliwack-Hope riding … and dismissed the Conservatives.

Clark back in the ’Wack to pitch job creation

Chilliwack Progress – April 4^th

“I’ve been coming to Chilliwack a lot because it’s really important that Laurie Throness get elected out here,”  … the Premier shrugged off a recent poll that suggested the small-c conservative vote has already split between the BC Liberals and the BC Conservatives.

Premier not over confident going into by-elections

News 1130 – April 10th

The premier appears to be tempering expectations for her party as advance voting begins Wednesday in a pair of provincial byelections.  The premier is letting you know the government will have a tough time keeping both seats in the legislature

So … Premier Christy Clark went from stating the by-elections would be a two way race between her governing Liberal Party and the NDP … to now stating that the government will have a tough time keeping both seats. 

That will be the finish, and end, of this tired and worn out government

Today, in the Vancouver Sun, newspaper Vaughn Palmer had an opinion piece entitled, “Liberals unlikely to win seats in newly called by-elections”.  Here’s the Coles Notes from that piece:

… The two seats in the legislature had been vacant for weeks … candidates were already nominated and running.

… Clark had visited both ridings on multiple occasions, making announcements, reaping media cover-age

… all that remained was for her to call the by-elections and make it official.

Still she hesitated. Her answers to questions about timing went from "soon" to "very soon" to "every day we're closer."  … "because I haven't called them yet."

… as to the chances of either one of those seats being re-occupied by a B.C. Liberal, the premier's hesitation provides the strongest evidence of the government's reading of the public mood …

The story goes on to say that;

… in Chilliwack, the Liberals cast about for "name" candidates to replace the departed MLA Barry Penner, before finally settling on Laurie Throness, a long-time political aide with strong connections to one of the evangelical churches.

There, too, they were upstaged in the battle of the political names, when the B.C. Conservatives nominated John Martin, a newspaper columnist (Chilliwack Times, the Province) and outspoken criminologist who takes special delight in baiting his academic colleagues for what he regards as an overwhelmingly small-l "liberal" bias.

Some of you may not know much about John Martin, if you do not live in the Fraser Valley.  If that’s the case, I’d encourage you to drop by his website.  You’ll find a number of media releases regarding various policies and ideas from the BC Conservative Party … and along with his thoughts on policies and plans of the current BC Liberal government.