Article content

Maybe Christy Clark should invest in an extra-large bottle of Liberal shark repellent right about now.

Hanging onto a majority in the B.C. legislature — even a razor-thin one — was Clark’s political life-preserver.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Mike Smyth: B.C.'s political drama has only just begun Back to video

But now that majority power has slipped through her fingers, Clark finds herself in treacherous waters — and it’s only a matter of time before the sharks start circling.

Elections B.C. finally confirmed Wednesday that the May 9 election resulted in a minority Liberal government — the first minority in 65 years.

It all became official when the final absentee ballots were counted in the riding of Courtenay-Comox, where NDP candidate Ronna-Rae Leonard beat Liberal Jim Benninger by 189 votes.

The Liberals desperately needed to take the seat (the NDP led by just nine votes on election night) to secure 44 seats and a bare majority in the 87-seat legislature.

It was not to be. The final result: The Liberals won 43 seats, the NDP 41 and the B.C. Green party won three. The Greens also won the crucial balance-of-power votes in the hung parliament.