The BC Greens interim leader, Sea to Sky MLA Jeremy Valeriote, warned British Columbia’s governing party not to wade too deep into populist rhetoric after the NDP evoked wartime imagery in Tuesday’s throne speech and vowed to “fight back” against threats from south of the border.
The Feb. 18 speech, marking the opening of the legislature for the first time since October’s provincial election, took a defiant stance against U.S. threats to Canadian sovereignty and hefty tariffs. Calling it the “most consequential time for our province since the Second World War,” new Lt.-Gov. Wendy Cocchia, who read the speech from the throne Tuesday, said British Columbians aren’t willing to back down.
“In the face of an unprecedented and unjustified threat to our economy, British Columbians are joining with all Canadians to fight back,” she read.
“We’ve come together to support each other and stand up for our country. We are saying with one united voice: We will never be the 51st state. Not now or ever.”
In a release, the BC Green Caucus applauded the government for acknowledging the pressing challenges facing British Columbians, but was critical of the party’s emphasis on U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats.
“It's easy to employ wartime analogies in the face of a fresh, headline-grabbing crisis, but a government with a real vision for the future needs to be laser-focused on delivering results to all the longstanding crises British Columbians are facing,” Valeriote said in the release. “We are in this situation because we didn’t look far enough ahead, so we need a plan that delivers long-term stability and security for British Columbians, and it must benefit people first rather than corporations.”
Valeriote goes on to say “reactive decisions” have left B.C. “vulnerable to global shocks like volatile markets and looming U.S. tariffs. Instead of scrambling to respond, we must build a diverse, innovative, and sustainable economy that centres community well-being, poverty reduction, and climate action.”
Acknowledging the challenges the U.S.’ protectionist policies pose, Valeriote argued that “we cannot let them overshadow the progress we’ve made in protecting our environment, strengthening our institutions, and advancing reconciliations with Indigenous peoples. This is not the time to lean into populism, it is a time for vision, action, and bold investment in a clean, green future.”
The Greens can play an outsized role in Victoria post-election, with their two MLAs giving the NDP a razor-thin majority in the legislature. In December, the NDP and Greens signed the Cooperation and Responsible Government Accord, through which the Greens “will work to establish community health centres, expand mental health coverage, build non-market housing, enhance renter support programs, expand public transit and advance environmental initiatives for future generations,” Valeriote said.
The cooperation agreement also includes a commitment to explore affordable regional transit, with “a focus on Sea to Sky corridor transit in 2025.”
It’s been a busy few weeks for Valeriote, who was named the BC Greens’ interim leader on Jan. 28, replacing Sonia Furstenau, who stepped down after losing her election bid in Victoria’s Beacon Hill riding. Both Valeriote and fellow Green MLA Rob Botterell have said they have no intention of running in the party leadership race. The BC Greens will elect a new leader in September.
