Surrey MLAs from either side of the political spectrum are thanking former Premier Christy Clark for her public service following her announced resignation last Friday, to take effect Aug. 4.
“It takes a lot to get into public life and I want to thank her for stepping forward and I want to thank her for the work that she did,” said Harry Bains, NDP MLA for Surrey-Newton and the province’s new labour minister. “We disagreed on many, many, many issues but the fact that she was there, she was MLA, she was minister, then she was premier, I think she deserves our thanks and, y’know, thanks for what she did, stepping forward in public life.”
First elected in 1996, Clark is also resigning as Liberal MLA for Westside Kelowna, where a byelection will have to be held within six months.
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Not long ago, Clark told reporter at a press conference that she would be “more than ready and willing” to take on the job of leader of the opposition.
Marvin Hunt, Liberal MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale, said his reaction to Clark’s resignation was, “Well, uh, surprise.
“She’s done a fabulous job, I think, for the province and I’ve certainly been proud to support her in the past and of course wish her all the best in whatever her future, whatever lies ahead for her,” Hunt said.
Rich Coleman, Liberal MLA for Langley East, is the party’s interim leader until a new party leader is selected.
“What I’m hearing is within 28 days the president has to call an executive meeting to start setting the works up,” Hunt said. “I believe it’s going to be somewhere in the order of three to six m0nths I would imagine, something like that, is what I’m hearing.”