They are still counting votes in the BC election, and one of three outcomes could happen:

  • The BC Liberals could flip an NDP seat, such as Courtenay-Comox, and form a bare majority government
  • The BC Liberals could hang on to a minority
  • The BC NDP could flip a BCLP seat or two and form a minority government

At any rate, it’s worth noting that nearly 10% of the ballots in BC have yet to be counted. Absentee ballots are counted May 22-24, so all eyes will be on those results.

Meanwhile, the Journal of Commerce is digging into what it all means for construction and responsible resource development:

Chris Gardner being interviewed, via the phone, by a reporter.

Chris Gardner, head of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of British Columbia (ICBA), was excited about some of the new blood the Liberals brought into B.C. politics through the election, but he felt the uncertainty ahead could be bad for the construction industry.

“If this result holds, that would inject a level of uncertainty in terms of government policy and government priorities that we haven’t seen in a long time,” said Gardner. “It would throw doubt into a number of projects and initiatives.”

During the election, the ICBA supported the Liberals, touting their five straight balanced budgets, a top-level credit rating, low personal income taxes, the near-elimination of operating debt and the 220,000 new jobs created since 2011. They also were pleased with Clark’s efforts to get major energy and infrastructure projects started.

The George Massey Tunnel Replacement project, Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline and Pacific Northwest LNG, were just some of the massive, multi-billion dollar projects Gardner said could now be at risk.

Despite this, Gardner praised some new faces in the Liberal Party, including Jas Johal, Tracy Redies and Ellis Ross.

“Those three are all new and the BC Liberals have done a good job of attracting new candidates,” he said.