The B.C. Green Party is not renewing the agreement for its two MLAs to provide support for the governing NDP’s one-seat legislative majority.
The Cooperation and Responsible Government Accord (CARGA) was agreed to after the 2024 election. It provides support on confidence motions from the two Green MLAs in exchange for the government moving ahead on select, agreed-upon Green Party priorities.
“The B.C. Greens entered the CARGA agreement in good faith because British Columbians needed stability and results,” said Rob Botterell, B.C. Greens MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, in a written statement released on Monday, Feb. 9. “But when the B.C. NDP failed to deliver on clear 2025 commitments — commitments they agreed to complete — it raised serious questions about their ability to execute, and it broke the trust that agreement depended on.”
The government has a one-vote majority, meaning any contentious votes could now require Speaker Raj Chouhan to act as a tiebreaker.
This situation is made more tenuous because two NDP MLAs have been unable to physically attend votes at times recently due to serious illness.
It was announced in the fall that Vancouver-Strathcona MLA Joan Phillip is addressing health needs, but her office remains open. Victoria-Beacon Hill MLA Grace Lore is undergoing colorectal cancer treatment, but she has still been voting remotely.
Eby said shortly before the Greens announced the end of the deal on Monday that those two would be able to vote in the upcoming session, which kicks off with the throne speech on Thursday. These MLAs can and have voted remotely.
“We have the votes that we need, including our members that have been struggling with serious medical diagnoses and treatment,” Eby said.
Eby made these remarks roughly 20 minutes before the Greens publicly announced an end to the deal. He said at the time that negotiations with the Greens were ongoing.
Eby’s office confirmed that he was informed about the B.C. Green Party’s decision at 9:57 a.m., five minutes before the Greens announced the end of CARGA via email. Attorney General Niki Sharma was leading the negotiations, with the premier’s office filled in after the fact.
B.C. Green Party Leader Emily Lowan said the final decision was made this morning by her and the two sitting MLAs, Botterell and West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Jeremy Valeriote.
The exact details of the negotiations are covered by a non-disclosure agreement signed by both sides.
These negotiations broke down, according to Eby’s office, because the Green Party refused to renew the agreement at “current levels” of confidence support, which requires the two Green MLAs to support the budget and throne speech, but allows them to make individual decisions on other legislation.
Why the Greens backed out
Lowan appeared in a news conference a short time after the announcement, flanked by the party’s two MLAs, to explain the decision.
She said the agreement began as a way to “stabilize” the NDP government and deliver “shared priorities.” But, she said, the NDP “simply failed” to deliver on party priorities such as community health centres, transit in the Sea to Sky corridor, and public coverage for psychologists.
“It is incredibly clear to me now that the gap between our parties is growing,” Lowan said.
At this stage, the Greens will support legislation the party aligns with, assessing on a vote-by-vote basis. This includes the throne speech and the budget.
Botterell said the party has not been briefed on the spring agenda and has made no voting commitments.
The government can opt to make individual bills confidence matters, and has done so in the past to encourage support, but the budget is automatically a confidence motion.
Botterell did not seem supportive of what the government has publicly revealed about the budget so far. Both Eby and Finance Minister Brenda Bailey have warned that spending cuts are coming.
“As the finance minister signifies an austerity budget, we want to be clear, the government’s economic situation is not an excuse to walk away from their duty to take care of British Columbians,” Botterell said.
The budget will be unveiled on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Is a provincial election now possible?
Sharma issued a statement saying the deal fell through because the Greens won’t rule out “voting with the Conservatives on confidence measures to trigger an election.”
“British Columbians don’t want an election – they want us to take action on the things that matter to them,” Sharma said.
The Globe and Mail reported on Monday morning that Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney discussed in casual conversation the possibility of an early federal election. With the Oct. 17 local elections scheduled for Oct. 17, Eby quipped that he did not see the possibility of those coinciding with a provincial contest.
“It would be exciting to have provincial, federal, and municipal elections all in the same week,” he said. “But I don’t see any prospect of that.”
Carney’s spokesperson also reportedly told the Globe, “We are not going to the polls,” in response to questions about the conversation.
While not openly calling for an election, Lowan, who does not currently hold a seat in the legislature, did not seem entirely against the idea — though she pointed out that, because the government still has a majority, the decision is ultimately still up to the NDP.
“I don’t have a seat in the house, so I don’t have anything better to do,” she said. “So I am laser-focused on election preparedness whenever that may be.”