BC NDP and Greens ink new deal to stave off provincial Conservatives

The governing BC NDP and Green Party have hashed out a new agreement to bolster the NDP’s slim margin in the Legislature after the recent election. 

Deputy Premier Niki Sharma and the Green Party’s two newly elected MLAs unveiled the four-year deal Friday. 

The 2024 Co-operation and Responsible Government Accord is focused on common ground rather than points of contention, as it spells out agreed-upon measures and money around healthcare, housing and cost of living issues, transit, climate, forestry and electoral reform. In return, the two Green Party MLAs agreed to support the NDP during votes of confidence in the Legislature that could otherwise sink the government. 

The two parties are distinct and don’t always agree, but the deal lays out initiatives that both support, Sharma said at a press conference in Vancouver.  

“It's an agreement that finds shared values amongst our parties, and it's focused on improving the lives of British Columbians,” she said. 

The new confidence and supply agreement doesn’t prop up a minority NDP government like the last one crafted with former Premier John Horgan in 2017. However, it’s still a necessary measure for NDP Premier David Eby’s new government, said Stewart Prest, a political scientist at the University of British Columbia. 

“It takes the pressure off and allows the NDP to get on with the business of governing,” Prest said. 

The NDP won the recent election with 47 seats, closely followed by the B.C. Conservatives with 44. The Greens secured two seats. 

The NDP is going to have to sacrifice an MLA to act as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly — a role that typically does not get a vote in the Legislature — and the government needs the support of the two Green members to avoid stalemates on key votes. 

However, the Greens’ limited leverage is reflected in the agreement, which doesn’t push the NDP in any direction they wouldn’t want to go anyway, Prest said, describing the steps forward as “incremental.”

“We don’t see bold new directions from the government where the two parties clearly are going to be divided,” he said. 

“There’s a notable silence on LNG, a cap on [carbon] emissions, and environmental action in general.” 

Green MLA for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky Jeremy Valeriote, speaking at a press conference in Victoria, agreed the new agreement reflects shared priorities. 

“I'm pleased and a little bit relieved that we've agreed in principle to a cooperation accord that will help to ensure a stable, responsible, responsive government that works for people,” he said. 

Healthcare commitments in the deal include $15 million in additional funding and targets for expanding community health centres (CHCs) across B.C., and a further $50 million to bolster mental health supports, particularly youth and children’s access to psychological services. The government also agreed to end spousal clawbacks for disability payments in the next year. 

Measures to address the housing crisis include adding 30,000 units of non-market housing, with a 2025 target of 7,500 units. Funding for rental assistance programs would climb by $75 million in 2025. To address homelessness, housing for the most vulnerable with wraparound services will be expedited, with $30 million headed to a dedicated Heart and Hearth Fund. 

Measures reflecting the core priorities of the Green Party include NDP commitments to implement frequent, reliable and affordable inter-regional transit on key routes on Vancouver Island, Highways 1 and 16. The first route to get attention in 2025 will be the Sea to Sky corridor in Valeriote’s riding. 

The two parties also agreed to review the provincial climate plan, CleanBC, a year early with a commitment to increased transparency around the process, and $50 million annually for low- to moderate-income households to adopt electric heat pumps over the next two years. 

The government will move forward to ensure permanent protection of the Fairy Creek Watershed after dealing with legal issues in partnership with the Ditidaht and Pacheedaht First Nations. Blockades to prevent logging of the old-growth area on southern Vancouver Island were the longest in B.C. history, stretching between 2020 and 2022, and resulting in more than 1,000 arrests. A temporary logging deferral in the Fairy Creek region is set to expire on Feb. 1. 

Rob Botterell, Green MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, told Canada’s National Observer the Green Party is pleased with the comprehensive package of initiatives across multiple fronts.

The new agreement has provisions missing from the 2017 supply and confidence deal, including strong “agree to disagree” allowances and a yearly renewal clause that allows the Greens to hold the government accountable on agreed items, as well as issues not covered in the document. 

The plan has specific objectives that must be delivered next year, and the renewal process allows the Greens to push for new measures on a rolling basis, Botterell said. 

“We’re really pleased with the package of initiatives and that it's focused on items we can actually deliver in 2025,” he said. 

“There’s lots more areas where we would like to see progress and in a year's time, we'll bring some of those to the table.”  

Rochelle Baker / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada's National Observer