Quotes

It is great to see that Vicki Huntington sees how much trouble Campbell and his South Fraser Freeway is in, and is fighting back. This province would be a much better place if all MLA's were as vocal in defending their constituents' interests.

Now that there is an independent elected in Delta South, politicians in BC have an opportunity to grow in wisdom and their understanding of democracy. There are those who think this is the testing time for Vicki Huntington. It is no more a testing time for her than for the two major parties. She has been tested through long years of public service. What is being tested right now is the major parties’ ability to listen to reasoned suggestions and criticisms of their parties’ plans.

The question is not ‘Is an independent MLA effective?’ Vicki’s presence brings a new opportunity for governing in BC. Listening to an independent is not like giving in to the opposition. Her presence brings several questions to the fore. Will the governing party listen? Will the opposition work with her or against her? Do both parties think all good ideas come from within their caucus? Is the purpose of the legislature to foster a constructive discourse on public business or is it to legislate one-party planning? I believe Vicki will give them the opportunity to publicly decide if the legislature is exclusive or inclusive and I have no doubt she will find a way to keep us informed.

The new (South Fraser Perimeter) road, part of the provincial Gateway program, will cut through a great deal of delta farmland and an historic area of North Delta. It is one of the many issues which gave independent Huntington the edge over Liberal candidate Wally Oppal in the recent provincial election. Many Delta residents feel the provincial government has run roughshod over local concerns as it improves infrastructure.

This riding went to an independent MLA, Vicki Huntington, who is one of the very few politicians who has remained true to her constituents. You may not always agree with her but you can, without any doubt, believe what she says and can trust her signature means something.

Vicki Huntington is keenly aware that, when the legislature opens today in Victoria, she won’t be just another new face on the backbench. Instead, she’ll be the first Independent MLA in nearly 60 years and, as such, the former veteran Delta municipal councillor can expect to find herself often in the spotlight. By virtue of having no party affiliation, she’ll likely draw more than a normal backbencher’s share of attention from the media and from fellow MLAs ... Such a position may, in fact, dispel a criticism that was circulated during and after the May 12 provincial election, that, as the Independent MLA for Delta South, Huntington would have little impact or marginal effectiveness in Victoria ... It was an argument that her main opponent, then-attorney-general Wally Oppal, used in his campaign. But a super-slim majority of voters in the riding didn’t buy it.

Imagine your MLA being responsible only to you and not some party leader and his cronies. We already have one independent in Victoria this year. Imagine 15 or 20 people whose whole responsibility is to the people who elected them.

It became clear that voters, at least the ones in this riding, were willing to use their democratic right to think outside the box, to reject the status quo that had passed as government ... In electing Huntington, traditional right-of-centre voters here told Campbell they weren’t impressed with his party’s approach. Whether he heeds such a message remains to be seen, but what is certain is that now she’s in Victoria, Huntington serves as a constant reminder of what happens when governments don’t pay attention to their constituents ... Her very presence should give others in the legislature a reason to pause, to ensure what they’re doing is in step with the wishes of those in their ridings.

In the polarized world of provincial politics, she says she wants to be a voice of reason, one that can be counted on to assess an issue on its merits and vote accordingly. She laughs when she recounts the freedom she felt when watching those around her forced to cheer or jeer speeches depending on what side of the floor they originated. She doesn’t have those ties, nor does she have that support network. Instead, she’s an independent, a reminder for government of how quickly things can change.”

Vicki Huntington, elected as an independent in Delta South, had worked on Parliament Hill, where all-party committees of MPs help shape legislation. But not in BC, she soon learned ... Legislative committees meet when the party in power wants them to. And that is hardly ever. The legislative committee on education, despite a ton of issues worth considering, hasn’t met in more than three years. ‘I think that’s a terrible waste of the intellectual capacity of the house,’ Huntington notes ... It is a waste. The breadth of experience and skills and local knowledge among the 85 MLAs is extraordinary. There are mill workers and doctors and business owners and social workers. Together, they could bring perspective to the province’s problems and opportunities.

We now enter a new experience of an independent candidate for Delta South, a first for our riding and the first time in BC in some 60 years. Others…have opined on what they think will be a wasted effort – an independent MLA in Victoria. Some have suggested those who voted for Huntington – almost 10,000 – are wrong. Politics teaches us the voter is never wrong. So, South Delta, it’s up to us to see we have not wasted our votes.

Don’t you think we should give Huntington the respect she deserves and give her a chance in Victoria? Who knows what she’ll be able to do? Her presence in Victoria will be a constant reminder to Premier Gordon Campbell the majority of Deltans are not happy with the way his government has treated us.

On her record to date, I’d predict she won’t betray the voters who backed her precisely because of her independence and integrity.

Huntington’s victory, which didn’t become official until the completion of this week’s judicial recount, was noteworthy for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact an independent has won a seat in Victoria for the first time in more than half a century. It would have been much easier for the former municipal councillor to run with the backing of a party, but she stuck to her principles, took a far greater risk and emerged victorious…

For now, I expect Huntington will set out to learn the basics of the legislative arena. I doubt it will take her long. She’s the daughter of a federal cabinet minister, a former political staffer and a five-term councillor with a record of topping the polls. After that, it will be fascinating to see what she can accomplish. But having missed the opportunity to stop her in Delta South, the Liberals would be wise to handle her with care.

It’s a lesson the parties should heed. Freeing MLAs from the tight reins held in the leaders’ offices would let them advance the specific interests of their constituents. Even if the decision ultimately went in a direction the community didn’t favour, people would feel they were effectively represented ... Joining a party does mean accepting its important principles; it should not mean taking a vow of silence on critical local issues.

Winning as an independent is a monumental achievement, one for which she deserves congratulations.

The election of Huntington is encouraging. No party leader or communications staffers will tell her what to do or say or how to vote. She only has to think about her constituents and her conscience. After a decade watching the legislature from the press gallery, that strikes me as a very fine thing ... MLAs are good people. That’s why they get elected, because the voters back in their ridings respect them and think they will do a good job representing them in the legislature ... And then they lose their minds. Not all of them, but most. They shout and heckle, like schoolyard goons, in question period. They reduce complex issues in the lives of the people who elected them to talking points ...Huntington doesn’t have to do that. She can speak for the people in Delta South, not a political party.

It would be wonderful to have most of the 85 MLAs in the legislature thinking about the people back in their ridings, not the other MLAs or the leaders’ offices or the communications staff and strategists. That’s the chance Huntington has.

Our system is based on parties and adherence to a set of shared broad principles is required. But that doesn’t need to mean that MLAs must shuffle along like zombies behind the party leaders. It won’t be easy. But British Columbians should be rooting for Huntington. She has the chance to change politics for the better.

True, she’s only one member. But other one-member political parties have been able to influence provincial politics well out of proportion to the size of their caucus.

The election of an independent MLA, for the first time in 60 years, is an encouraging development. Vicki Huntington was chosen by voters – at least pending a judicial recount – as the best person to represent their interests. She has a rare chance to show that an independent MLA, not bound by party discipline, can contribute effectively. There are no handlers and strategists to tell her when to speak or what to say or to urge caution. She is not bound to support everything the government does, or oppose it on every front ... Huntington can use her brains, experience and understanding of Delta South to form her own decisions about what is in the interests of constituents and the province ... It’s a wonderful concept.