The federal government’s decidedly right-ward shift has some potentially big implications for B.C. and whichever party forms the next government here.
It also has the chance of making the political tightrope Premier Christy Clark has been walking when it comes to relations with the Harper government that much trickier to navigate.
Many have long wondered how right-wing Prime Minister Stephen Harper was and the early indications after the last election are that he has moved his government to a footing that is more to the hard right than anything seen previously.
No doubt emboldened by the fact that he now has a solid majority in the House of Commons, Harper seems prepared to shape policies more along ideological lines than anything else….
{snippety doo-dah}
…While most provincial finance ministers blasted (Federal Finance Minister Jim) Flaherty for his arbitrary cuts to their (future healthcare) funding, B.C. Finance Minister Kevin Falcon was warmly supportive, lauding the fact Flaherty had brought “certainty” to the situation.
It wasn’t hard to connect some dots here. The Clark government’s survival in the next provincial election is likely directly tied to ensuring it doesn’t lose significant support among conservative voters.
Therefore, fighting with a federal Conservative government is fraught with peril, which may explain Falcon’s positive reaction…
