New B.C. premier David Eby looking for federal action on crime, health care

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British Columbia’s new Premier says he’s optimistic about a productive relationship with the federal government, but David Eby says he plans to be aggressive in pushing Ottawa to increase health care funding for provinces and territories.

“We will be uncompromising in our solidarity with our partners across Canada on the issue of health care funding,” Mr. Eby, who took over as B.C. NDP Leader in October and replaced John Horgan as premier this month, said in an interview.

“We’re going in with a hopeful spirit although, to be honest, with my colleagues across the country there’s a strong level of frustration on the health care front.”

Provincial and territorial health ministers met with their federal counterpart in Vancouver this month, but the gathering failed to produce an agreement despite Ottawa committing to an unspecified funding increase. The regional governments were seeking an additional $28-billion a year. Ottawa demanded a commitment to a national health data system, which it argued is necessary as an accountability measure.

Asked if he is going to bring a specific new approach to the file, Mr. Eby said he had his first conference call last week with the other premiers and territorial leaders on the issue.

“It’s going to be important for me to keep the energy up at the table, but also recognize where everybody’s at across the work that has already been done to try to move this file forward,” he said.

Mr. Eby inherited an NDP government that was first elected in 2017, first with a minority and then, in 2020, re-elected with a majority under Mr. Horgan. The new Premier had previously been the province’s attorney-general.

Mr. Eby said his to-do list in talks with Ottawa includes other issues than health care, though he stressed he doesn’t intend major shifts from what Mr. Horgan was already doing. “I think the agenda items and the priorities are the same,” he said. “The emphasis may be slightly different.”

Mr. Eby has already had a call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which he said was a wide-ranging conversation that touched on health care, housing, public safety and the economy.

He also said he would press the federal government on the need to review rules around bail, amid an intense debate about crime in the province. Crime has become another early issue for Mr. Eby, who released a public safety plan that outlined changes to address violent, repeat offenders. Mr. Horgan’s government also raised the issue with Ottawa.

At issue is Bill C-75, enacted in 2019, that called on police and judges to exercise a “principle of restraint” in setting bail conditions. Combined with Supreme Court of Canada rulings, the B.C. government has said it has become more difficult to keep repeat offenders awaiting trial in custody.

“Rule changes were made with the best of intentions, but have had negative impacts on communities,” Mr. Eby said.

The press secretary for federal Justice Minister David Lametti thanked Mr. Eby for his advocacy but defended Bill C-75, which includes measures that deal with bail reform. Chantalle Aubertin noted in a statement Sunday that the legislation took critical steps on criminal justice reform, including a reverse onus for bail for repeat offenders.

On other issues, Mr. Eby said the province is prepared to be a venue for testing federal programs in such areas as the federal housing accelerator program, which includes billions of dollars aimed at speeding up construction and increasing supply. And he said B.C. is interested in helping Ottawa in its critical minerals strategy to further develop the supply of minerals used for electric vehicles, smartphones, high-tech equipment and military hardware.

Political scientist Hamish Telford of the University of the Fraser Valley said Mr. Eby has a much more cerebral personality than Mr. Horgan.

“He’s a lawyer, so he knows how to marshal an argument and can be forceful when he’s made up his mind. But I think he really wants to keep the conversation rational, and negotiate in good faith and constructively.”

Dr. Telford noted that Mr. Horgan got off to a rocky start in relations with Mr. Trudeau’s government given his opposition to the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline, which Ottawa bought to ensure its completion. Once the dispute cooled down, Mr. Horgan and Mr. Trudeau settled into a largely effective relationship, Dr. Telford said.

Mr. Eby said he is in regular contact with his predecessor. “His background and insights into the federal government approach have been invaluable,” he said.

Kevin Falcon, the Leader of the Opposition BC Liberals, who are in the process of changing their name to BC United, said Mr. Eby should stop asking for more money for health care without also offering a blueprint for how the province would get better results.

He echoed Mr. Eby’s concerns about the bail changes included in Bill C-75 and said the Premier should make the case that leniency under the legislation causes chaos in British Columbia as violent, repeat offenders are continually released back into society. He also said the province should work with the federal government to give the private sector incentives to create housing.

Mr. Falcon, who was a veteran cabinet minister in the province’s previous BC Liberal governments, recommended that Mr. Eby work off a short list of priorities. “If you try to work 400 issues with the federal government, you’ll never get anything accomplished. They haven’t got the bandwidth to deal with all those issues,” he said.

Mr. Eby said patience will be key. “The challenge that I see always working with the federal government is they’re very big, slow-moving machines,” he said.