Love can be so fleeting. Just ask B.C. Premier Christy Clark.

One minute she's the toast of the province, sitting on a large majority, and then presto, one day it's all gone and she's fighting for her political life.

Ms. Clark's Liberal government is expected to fall this week, a fact that clearly pains a party that has been in power for 16 long years. And they plan to go kicking and screaming to the bitter end.

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For Ms. Clark, there is much at stake, not the least of which is her own survival. She would love nothing more than a snap election; another campaign, another chance, to restore things to their rightly order. She is hoping Lieutenant-Governor Judith Guichon obliges.

For weeks now, Ms. Clark and her top lieutenants have been doing their level best to create as much uncertainty and instability around the would-be NDP government of John Horgan as they can. On Tuesday, Liberal House Leader Mike de Jong sent a letter to the Speaker asking for a "clear and authoritative" description of the "rules and precedents" that guide the person performing the role in a tight Parliament.

The current Speaker, Steve Thomson, is expected to resign if the government falls on Thursday. This means the NDP would have to select one of their own to fill the position, leaving 43 NDP and Green MLAs on one side and 43 Liberals on the other. Clearly, when it came to passing bills, the Speaker would have to vote with the government to break any ties.

Which there would be often.

And it's the Liberals' belief this defies convention, and compromises and undermines the Speaker's office. Needless to say, the NDP does not agree.

Nonetheless, the overture to the Speaker's office from Mr. de Jong was completely strategic. The Liberals are hoping they get a response that suggests that the Legislature would become untenable under the governing scenario that would exist with an NDP government.

If that is indeed the advice the Speaker's office gives, it would no doubt make its way to Ms. Guichon and she would have to consider it when weighing her decision on whether to give the NDP a chance to govern or not.

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Of course, if Ms. Clark suggested to Ms. Guichon that because of the potential for stalemate at every turn there should be another election, the Lieutenant-Governor would doubtlessly heed her advice. The Premier is not expected to do this. But perhaps advice from the Speaker would be sufficient for Ms. Guichon to form the view that the parties need to go back to the voters to clarify things.

As I say, this is the preferred option for Ms. Clark. She just authored a Speech from the Throne laden with what amount to election goodies, likely valued in the billions. The Liberals have suggested there is more money available than was originally projected for the current fiscal year, which is no doubt true.

They don't want an NDP government to be able to enjoy it.

Ms. Clark also doesn't want to be in Opposition. She was there once, and while she was an effective pit bull, it's a slog and she knows it. It's even harder to pull off once you've been Premier for six years.

The longer the NDP stays in office, should the party get the chance to govern, the harder it will be for Christy Clark to hang on to power in her own party. And she knows that better than anyone.

There are already rumblings around the Legislature about one or two cabinet ministers putting out early feelers for staff in the event there is a leadership contest. For their sake, I hope Ms. Clark does not find out their identities because their hopes and dreams could be dashed in a New York minute.

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The other problem the Liberals face is the emergence of a conservative threat. The party has mostly been able to keep its alliance of liberal and conservative-minded voters happy. But Ms. Clark's decision to essentially adopt the Green and NDP election platforms in the Throne Speech has left many conservatives furious.

The Liberals do not want to give this group time to get organized in their anger and bolt for the BC Conservative Party. That is why an election sooner, rather than later, is not only what Christy Clark is hoping for, but what she desperately needs as well.