The BC NDP don’t need the Greens to govern, and they showed as much in their new co-operative agreement. It’s a deal that gives the Greens little of what they campaigned on, outside of tentative progress on two health-care policies.
Both sides trumpeted the merits of the “cooperation and responsible government accord” on Friday, a “four-year framework for cooperation and responsible government” that is “subject to annual renewal at the sole discretion of each of the parties.”
The NDP got an agreement that the two Greens will vote alongside them on confidence and supply matters. The NDP has a one-seat majority, so it can pass legislation and maintain confidence in the legislature without the Greens. But adding the two Green MLAs creates a kind of safety buffer in case a New Democrat gets sick, misses a vote or leaves caucus.
In exchange, the Greens got a promise by the NDP to test drive integrated community health centres, and limited public coverage of psychologists for mental health issues.
“Instead of focusing on our differences, we chose to shine a light on our common ground,” said Jeremy Valeriote, the Green MLA for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.
“This is how government should work, and it's what British Columbians expect and deserve from their elected officials.”
The community health centres won’t be in every riding, as promised in the Green election platform. Nor will they replace existing NDP Urgent and Primary Care Centres. But if they improve any type of access to health care, they’ll be eagerly welcomed by many.
“I think there's a commitment to try this model and bring it along in parallel with UPCCs, knowing that one model will be better suited to some communities in some situations than others,” said Valeriote.
The NDP agreed to earmark $50 million “to expand public coverage of psychologists,” which is not nothing, but also not quite the same as funding six visits per year for every British Columbian as stated in the Green platform.
The rest of the agreement contained smaller items the NDP would likely have done on its own in the future anyway — increased shelter aid for seniors, increased rental assistance for low-income families, expanded regional transit, more funding for heat pumps and a review of social assistance and disability rates.
Missing was any action on the major policy positions that had formed the backbone of the BC Green Party over the last two years.
A ban on fracking of natural gas? Nowhere to be found. An end to fossil fuel subsidies or even a reduction in provincial support? Nadda. Cancelling permits for Woodfibre LNG (the main issue Valeriote campaigned on to win his riding)? Nope.
The best the Greens got was an agreement to move up a review of the CleanBC climate plan one year earlier than scheduled.
What about eliminating Freedom of Information fees, which the Greens said in their platform would improve government transparency? No dice, even though Rob Botterell, the new Saanich North and the Islands Green MLA, helped pen the original FOI law in 1992.
Did the Greens secure a back-down on involuntary treatment for those suffering addictions, after months of blasting the NDP for moving forward with the idea? Spoiler alert: Also no. The NDP, perhaps better reading the public mood on street disorder than the Greens, held the line on involuntary care.
“We will have different opinions about many topics, you raised one,” said Niki Sharma, the deputy premier, when asked about that issue.
The Greens similarly struck out on proportional representation. They are the only party still pushing for it after two failed referenda, mainly because they’d benefit the most from the change (as many as seven seats in the last election under pro-rep, instead of two).
The NDP would only agree to an all-party committee in 2026 to study improving voter participation in the electoral system.
“We have different perspectives as parties on where we’re at with proportional representation,” said Sharma. Translation: It’s not happening, no matter what the committee says.
On Indigenous reconciliation, the agreement was silent. Former federal attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, the first Indigenous person to hold that post, blasted the two sides on social media.
“I see the agreement between @bcndp and @BCGreens has no priorities related to Indigenous peoples and true reconciliation,” she wrote. “Absolutely shameful and unserious.”
For the Opposition BC Conservatives, the deal means the likelihood of an early election has diminished greatly. Leader John Rustad said of the Greens: “They got eight per cent of the vote in the province, and they’ve got to give their stamp of approval on everything that happens.”
Rustad accused Premier David Eby of veering “further left, further into the woke agenda, because that’s what the Greens wanted him to do.”
But it’s hard to see that in this agreement. If anything, New Democrats appear to have given the Greens the bare minimum, and refused to budge on most major issues. In return, they’ve picked up support they don’t need, but would prefer to have.
The Greens, with limited leverage and limited bargaining power, extracted limited results.
Rob Shaw has spent more than 16 years covering B.C. politics, now reporting for CHEK News and writing for Glacier Media. He is the co-author of the national bestselling book A Matter of Confidence, host of the weekly podcast Political Capital, and a regular guest on CBC Radio.
