B.C. NDP signed own 'death warrant' with Royal Museum project, Liberals say

As British Columbians continue to face affordability challenges and serious issues in the health-care system, opposition leader Kevin Falcon is making a bold prediction: that the Royal B.C. Museum project will be the end of the John Horgan government.

Since becoming a sitting MLA, Falcon has hammered the government on the $789 million project with phrases like "billion-dollar boondoggle" and "the premier's billion-dollar vanity museum project." Rounding the price tag up, the Liberals have whipped up concerns about why the project is so costly.

Thursday, on the last day of the spring legislative session, Falcon took it one step further.

"Mark my words, Friday, May 13th is the day that the NDP really have signed their own death warrant as a political party," he told reporters.

The prediction may be more of a hope, but Hamish Telford, an associate professor of political science at the University of the Fraser Valley, said there's a chance the project could provide the opposition fodder to embarrass the government.

"If it runs into further delays, cost overruns then yes, it could affect them like the fast ferries fiasco of the 1990s," said Telford in an interview with CTV News.

Telford believes the province has done a good job of handling the pandemic, and the decriminalization of small amounts of illicit drugs was another win. Yet, he said the museum project and health-care woes continue to dog the party.

On Monday, Horgan told reporters the health-care system was vibrant but "teetering."

The spring session also saw Horgan and his caucus under fire for hospitals closing emergency rooms due to staffing shortages, plus the ongoing doctor shortage and health-care delays.

For the Greens, transparency is another key issue. After accusing ministers of "gaslighting" opposition MLAs who asked for answers, the leader of the party, Sonia Furstenau, accused them of sticking to message boxes instead of admitting what British Columbians are facing.

During question period, she stood up and asked, "To the premier: Can he be honest about the state of affairs in this province?"

That prompted a passionate response from government house leader, Mike Farnworth.

"Questioning the integrity of any member of this house, particularly the premier, through a rambling statement without a question attached to it, quite frankly, I find offensive."

That prompted heckling and cheers, and a warning from the speaker for MLAs to "not cross the line."

The session ended with the government declaring victory for passing bills tackling racism and discrimination, to taking steps to cool the housing marking through a cooling-off period, and upholding a commitment to reconciliation. Both the Liberals and Greens disagree, saying the province hasn’t done enough to tackle affordability issues.