Opposition piles on after B.C. premier drops F-bomb during question period

The day after Premier John Horgan uttered an expletive during a heated exchange with the opposition in the B.C. legislature, the criticism continues from Liberal house leader Todd Stone.

“I was astounded to actually see a sitting premier of British Columbia, who was so agitated by what were very relevant and important questions, resort to using an F-bomb,” said Stone, who called the outburst unbecoming of the office that Horgan holds.

The expletive came during a tense back and forth about B.C.’s family doctor shortage.

“Those are important questions that the premier of British Columbia has a responsibility to answer, and it is our job as the official opposition to ask those tough questions. And to expect that when we do so, we’re going to get thoughtful responses, not F-bombs hurled at us,” said Stone.

The outburst was again raised during Tuesday morning’s sitting of the legislature, with Speaker Raj Chouhan saying: “Yesterday toward the end of oral question period, the level of decorum in this house declined to a level that has not been seen in the current parliament.”

University of the Fraser Valley political science professor Hamish Telford wasn’t shocked by the expletive, pointing out Horgan is known to have a bit of a temper.

“Busy, successful people tend to be impatient and short tempered, that’s just the way they are wired. But they conceal it most of the time in public, they’re putting on an act for us. But sometimes they slip,” said Telford.

He says while most people occasionally swear at work, they aren’t the premier of the province, and there aren’t TV cameras trained on them, adding, “So he got caught this time, and here we are talking about it.”

Telford doubts the opposition can make political hay out of the F-bomb alone, but added the issue that sparked it, B.C.’s family doctor shortage, is an important one.

“The topic was legitimate, and the government needs to be pressed on it,” he said. “And that’s where I think the public wants the politicians to focus, on real, serious problems, not minor verbal slips.”

Horgan later apologized in the legislature and sent a tweet suggesting if his mother were still alive, she would have washed his mouth out with soap. But Stone says ending the debate on the crisis in primary care with an expletive was no laughing matter.

“To have the premier respond the way he did in the heat of the moment, and then to make jokes about it after the fact to try to get himself off the hot seat, I think reflected a moment and a day where the premier of British Columbia was nowhere near his finest,” said Stone, adding “We hope to never see that again.”