B.C. Finance Minister Kevin Falcon steps down, won’t run in 2013
Wendy Stueck
Vancouver — The Globe and Mail
Published Wednesday, Aug. 29 2012, 1:33 PM EDT
Last updated Wednesday, Aug. 29 2012, 2:09 PM EDT
B.C. Finance Minister Kevin Falcon says he’s resigning immediately and won’t seek re-election in next May’s provincial election.
Though he will stay on as MLA, his resignation is another blow to the Liberal party's sagging fortunes.
Mr. Falcon, a failed contender for the Liberal leadership last year, has been signalling since last spring he was reconsidering his future since getting married and becoming the father of a daughter. He announced at a news conference Wednesday that he and his wife are expecting their second child in February.
“Those familiar with the role of a Minister of Finance know that the lead up to a budget and its delivery in February is a time of great stress and pressure," he said in a statement released to the media. "I am looking forward to participating in this exciting event, unburdened by the demands of the office.”
He said he told Premier Christy Clark of his decision this morning, saying he wanted to ensure she had time to choose a successor as the party heads toward a difficult May 2013 election.
“I think its very important for the premier to have a minister of finance who, throughout the fall, is putting together an administrative agenda ... that they are prepared to fight for during an election,” Mr. Falcon said at the news conference.
Mr. Falcon was a key member of Ms. Clark’s government and the coalition that she must maintain to have a hope of winning the next election.
Mr. Falcon, who placed second to Ms. Clark in last year’s leadership campaign, comes from the side of the party that leans Conservative federally, while Ms. Clark had always been federally aligned with the Liberals.
The Liberals have been badly faltering in the polls as some of her right-of-centre supporters flee to support the fledgling B.C. Conservative Party, and support for the Opposition New Democrats surges.
After the leadership vote in February 2011, Ms. Clark appointed Mr. Falcon finance minister, giving the Surrey-area politician the daunting task of trying to sell the hated harmonized sales tax to British Columbians.
Voters dumped the tax in a province-wide referendum and Mr. Falcon was dutifully overseeing the dismantling of the HST and guiding the return to the previous provincial sales tax, which he often referred to as a “stupid tax.”
Falcon represents the riding of Surrey-Cloverdale, was first elected in 2001 and then re-elected in 2005 and 2009. He previously served as the minister of health and the minister of transportation.
Prior to Ms. Clark’s return to B.C. politics after her stint in private life as a radio host, it was perceived that Mr. Falcon was being groomed as Mr. Campbell’s replacement.
Read more:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...n-steps-down-wont-run-in-2013/article4507630/
