B.C. politics a go-go

Editorial

The new cabinet of Premier Christy Clark held a few surprises, not least of which, for many in the Jewish community, and reportedly to the woman herself, was the demotion of Moira Stilwell from cabinet.

Stilwell, who made an audacious run for the party leadership against Clark but dropped out before election day, was seen as a competent minister of advanced education and labor market development since her appointment two years ago. One commentator in Victoria’s Times Colonist said of Stilwell: “... she went out in a blaze of witty remarks that marked her as the undiscovered star of the race.”

The MLA for Vancouver-Langara, Stilwell is a radiologist and nuclear medicine physician and was head of nuclear medicine at St. Paul’s Hospital and others.

However, Stilwell did not fall as far as Colin Hansen, who last week was finance minister and, as of Monday, was simply the MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena. The former finance minister and veteran MLA was responsible for the implementation of the harmonized sales tax, which was one of the major controversies that brought down former premier Gordon Campbell.

Clark’s new cabinet is smaller than Campbell’s last, necessitating some unhappy cuts to incumbent cabinet members. But Stilwell was seen as a bright light in the party and one of the brighter minds. She is now parliamentary secretary for industry, research and innovation to the minister of jobs, tourism and innovation.

At the same time, while one Jewish politician was being sidelined, another was announcing hopes for a new job. Howard Jampolsky, a Richmond businessman, announced he would seek the Conservative nomination in Delta- Richmond East. The 18-year incumbent in the riding, John Cummins, announced recently he would not seek re-election in the federal election that could come soon after the March 22 budget. Jampolsky’s biggest challenge will be winning the nomination. If he can succeed at that, Delta-Richmond East is one of the safest Conservative seats in the country.

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