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Christy Clark: 4 years as the B.C. Liberal Party leader

Christy Clark: 4 years as the B.C. Liberal Party leader

It's been four years since Christy Clark first became the leader of the B.C. Liberal party.

On the Coast asked its political panel, how has the premier fared and has she kept all her promises?

Bill Tieleman, former NDP strategist, columnist with 24 Hours and the Tyee

Balancing the budget

Yes the budget is balanced, but the drunken sailor is still spending money on capital costs. We've seen an astonishing increase in debt — it's projected to get to $70 billion.

Building relationships with unions

She started talking to unions for a change, which Gordon Campbell hadn't done in 10 years, and that's a smart move whether you agree with the politics or not.

Outside of that though, we've got the largest number of temporary foreign workers in the country.

Her leadership skills

She's a great campaigner, but she's not a great administrator. She's not a visionary.

Alise Mills, former B.C. Liberal Party strategist, issues management and political consultant

Balancing the budget

The balanced budget is the core of the B.C. Liberals' strategy and the brand that was established when Gordon Campbell became leader.

Since she's been in power, British Columbians have gotten used to prosperity in a way that we had not seen before - better jobs, better pay. There's now a better balance between social spending and tax fairness.

Her biggest mistake so far

Before the election there was a lot of trial and error. She was coming out as a candidate that was towards a centre federal Liberal audience and the party went into a bit of culture shock.

Her leadership skills

Christy Clark recognizes where her strengths and weaknesses are. It's quite amazing to see the talent that she's pulled in and the talent that's still there today.

Right now the political magic for Clark is a directionless, uninspired and passionless opposition.

Charlie Smith, editor of The Georgia Straight

Balancing the budget

The zeal to balance the budget has come at considerable cost, and one area is post-secondary education.

This is an investment in the future. We're in a knowledge-based economy and there hasn't been anywhere near as much interest in post-secondary education as Gordon Campbell had.

Putting 'families first'

Christy Clark has rolled back some of the more right-wing measures of Gordon Campbell.

She increased minimum wage quickly after coming in, she imposed a tax increase on high-income earners (which she's now rolled back), she also added the family day holiday.

Getting support from British Columbians

Politically she's very talented and that presents problems for the NDP.

On the policy side, she doesn't have the same level of curiosity as Gordon Campbell had. On the environmental side, she doesn't have the passion for environmental issues that is important for many British Columbians.

This interview has been edited for the web. To listen to the full interview, click on the audio labelled: Political panel: 4 years of Christy Clark