The dramatic redrawing of the political landscape that occurred in the recent federal election is helping to push the BC NDP government and the national Liberal government closer and closer together.

The first tangible clue to this evolving relationship came into sight on April 7, just three weeks before election day. Liberal leader Mark Carney’s campaign team had been pestering B.C. Premier David Eby’s office for days, wanting to set up a meeting between the two leaders during the campaign.

On the one hand, such a request was unusual. Here was a Liberal party leader wanting to meet with an NDP premier at the same time that he was strategizing to bury the federal NDP on election day.

In normal times, Eby would have likely refused the request. But these weren’t normal times. Just a couple of days before his meeting with Carney, reporters asked Eby who he wanted to win the federal election.

“I’m on Team Orange,” he said, referring to the NDP’s trademark color theme, before adding a big “but” by saying his chief hope was to see “stability” as the main outcome of the election.

I and other reporters interpreted that “but” as a tacit endorsement of Carney continuing as prime minister. Tellingly, our interpretation was never challenged by anyone in the provincial NDP government.

It was clear........

© Georgia Straight