BC Conservative Leader Condemns BC Liberal Attack on Canadian Democracy

Interim BC Conservative Party Leader Scott Anderson condemns the BC Liberal party's use of the term "illegitimate government" in reference to the NDP government of British Columbia.

In a video released on Twitter two days ago, Greg Kyllo, BC Liberal MLA for the Shuswap Riding, referred twice to the current NDP government as "illegitimate." Rich Coleman, interim leader of the BC Liberal Party subsequently retweeted the video.

#PropRep is nothing more than a power grab by the @BCGreens in exchange for propping up the illegitimate @bcndp #government. It will deny any voice in #BC beyond the lower mainland. Stand up for your right to local and involved representation, BC. #powergrab #greentail #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/zMi234t1xW — Greg Kyllo Shuswap (@KylloGreg) November 27, 2017

"It is one thing to be sore losers when a party loses an election to another party," said Scott Anderson, interim leader of the BC Conservatives. "But it is quite another to take that a step further and irresponsibly imply that the resulting government is in some way unlawful or improper."

The current BC NDP government is a lawfully elected government, formally sanctioned by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. That is beyond question.

"My concern is that this tactic of trying to delegitimize a duly elected political opponent is not just a vulgar attack on another political party - in this case the NDP - but an attack on our form of government," said Anderson. "It calls into question the foundations of our very democracy by suggesting that in spite of following the letter and spirit of the law, the result is still unlawful."

"Canada's parliamentary democracy is one of the most respected forms of government in the world," said Anderson. "It is responsible for maintaining an orderly transfer of power between parties since BC entered Confederation in 1871, and to delegitimize the results of that process is to attack the process itself."

"I can understand why one relatively inexperienced MLA might have an irresponsible slip of the tongue, twice, on a published video," said Anderson, "but to have that irresponsible statement endorsed and further disseminated by the interim leader of a Canadian political party is frankly outrageous."

"Neither I nor the BC Conservative Party are happy with the fact that BC is once again under an NDP government," said Anderson. "But we live in Canada, not in a banana republic, and I suggest that the BC Liberals try to remember that and behave with a little more decorum."

Anderson's academic background is in political studies. He is currently a Councillor for the City of Vernon.

For more information:

Scott Anderson, Interim Leader, BC Conservative Party

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BCConservativeParty/

Twitter: @Conservative_BC

Telephone: (250) 434-2550 | http://www.bcconservative.ca/