Op-Ed October 6th, 2025
By Karin Kirkpatrick, former British Columbia Member of the Legislative Assembly.
British Columbians deserve a government — and an opposition — that puts people ahead of partisanship, integrity ahead of infighting, and solutions ahead of slogans. Yet in recent weeks, both of the province’s dominant political parties have let voters down.
The governing NDP has presided over ballooning deficits and worsening affordability and public safety challenges. The BC Conservatives, meanwhile, have turned inward, consumed by loyalty tests and internal turmoil rather than the serious task of holding government to account. For a province facing mounting economic and social pressures, this vacuum of credible opposition is deeply troubling.
Democracy only works when institutions — and the parties that compete to lead them — can withstand scrutiny from both inside and outside their ranks. When dissent is silenced and accountability dismissed, politics devolves into theatre rather than service. British Columbians are right to ask: who is minding the store?
This fall, the province plunged back into deficit territory — an estimated $11.6 billion this year alone — while public frustration grows over the cost of living, housing, and the state of essential services. A responsible opposition would be focused on the numbers, on the choices behind them, and on offering constructive alternatives. Instead, the noise coming from Victoria has been more about personality than policy.
Good governance is not a partisan ideal. It’s built on respectful dissent, honest reckoning with mistakes, and a good-faith search for solutions. Every political movement faces internal debates — that’s healthy. But when those debates turn into purges or echo chambers, innovation and accountability die on the vine.
What British Columbia needs now is a renewed political culture — one that values evidence over ideology, collaboration over confrontation, and the courage to admit when something isn’t working. A politics where elected representatives are empowered to ask hard questions regardless of party lines, and where every citizen feels their voice counts.
Across the province, I hear growing appetite for exactly that kind of approach. People are weary of the shouting, the slogans, and the sense that politics has become detached from real life. They want honesty about our fiscal reality, thoughtful approaches to complex issues like housing and health care, and leadership that treats respect as a strength, not a weakness.
That frustration — and that hope — helped inspire the formation of CentreBC, a movement built on the belief that good government begins with balance, evidence, and accountability. It isn’t about left or right; it’s about solving problems with integrity and common sense. And while new political efforts take time to grow, the enthusiasm of those looking for something more constructive in public life is unmistakable.
Whether renewal comes from within existing institutions or through new movements, it will depend on who steps up to deliver it — and whether voters demand better. Political systems change only when citizens insist on change: when they reward honesty, value collaboration, and expect more than slogans from those who seek their trust.
The turbulence of recent weeks should be a wake-up call. We can’t keep pretending that dysfunction is normal or that cynicism is inevitable. British Columbians are ready for something better — for integrity, substance, and cooperation to replace chaos and division.
Our province deserves nothing less.
SOURCE: VANCOUVER SUN
