Latest / Political Capital with Rob Shaw / BC Ferries Tosses CEO Overboard | Political Capital Daily

Transcript

BC Ferries Tosses CEO Overboard | Political Capital Daily · Political Capital with Rob Shaw

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Political Capital Daily is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Airbnb.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Rural and smaller destinations are leading the fall tourism season,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: with searches on Airbnb up 30% across Canada. Tourism is
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: critical to British Columbia's economy, and Airbnb helps bring millions
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: of dollars to these communities every year. Political Capital Daily
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: also brought to you by Vancouver International Airport, YVR, connecting
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: BC proudly to the world and driving our economy here
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: at home. YVR operations support 28,000 jobs on Sea Island, 130,000
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: jobs nationally, and contribute $ 16 billion in GDP to Canada's
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: economy every year. Learn more at YVR.ca. Political Capital Daily,
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: also supported by Helijet. Your connection between Victoria, Vancouver, Nanaimo,
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: and the world. Now earn Aeroplan points with your scheduled
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: or chartered flights. For more, visit Helijet.com. It's Tuesday, October 27th, 2026,
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: and this is Political Capital Daily. Good morning on this
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: Tuesday morning that feels like five Fridays stacked on top
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: of each other. My God, this week coming out of
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: the election. The days are long. The days, the days
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: are long. Jeremy, as we begin my mental breakdown of
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: this week. So hard. And I don't know, I've lost
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: track of the days, but I'm pretty sure that Davey
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: Deby's time change must have kicked in because it's awfully
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: dark out there in the morning, Aileen. Am I correct?
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: When's the time change?
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: I think it's next weekend. Guys. And I think, isn't
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: it more like this is five Mondays in a row
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: instead of five Fridays?
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: We should ask. Someone should ask Premier-like Dirksen if he's
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: going to turn back time, if he's going to find
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: a way to take back all the things he used
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: to say. I don't know. He turns back the clock
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: on the turning back of the clock that was turned
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: back previously. He actually hasn't said anything about that.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: Maybe he could turn it back twice a year, and
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: then we could sleep in two times.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: Well, now that happens. is political strategy. That is how
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: you win votes. More sleep. I'd vote for more sleep.
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: This entire podcast is going to be about us getting
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: more sleep.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: More sleep every year. We just keep going backwards. Pretty
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: soon Pacific time is 16 hours behind the rest of
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: the world because we've gone backwards in time.
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: Worth it.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: Totally worth it. Oh, man, I just spend that extra
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: hour scrolling TikTok anyways. So what are you going to do?
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: It's Tuesday. The agenda in BC politics is all wacky
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: now because we're not in a campaign. There's no structure.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: The BC Conservatives are beginning their transition meetings in Victoria,
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: a whole bunch of people. Arriving into town, there are
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: going to be MLAs galore in Victoria this week. Outgoing
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: MLAs who were defeated or retired, new MLAs, people getting passes,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: people trying to figure out where the bathrooms are, people
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: lost down in that little room that has the cell
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: doors on it that used to be a jail cell,
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: people stuck in the restaurant. It's going to be a
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: fascinating week in BC politics. But there is nothing I
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: could flag for you today that is on the actual
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: agenda that We will talk a bit about some of
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: the items that came up in the news from the
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: last 24 hours here. The Conservatives' comments made by Premier
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: Alec Dirksen that he intends to repeal DRIPA from his
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: Sunday press conference, resonating through First Nations reaction. I'll just
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: play you briefly what he had to say about DRIPA first.
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: This is an exciting time for First Nations and our
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: partnership because I am completely committed to working with First Nations.
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: I mentioned it in our speech and I've said it
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: repeatedly over the last number of weeks. I am absolutely committed.
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: I think that there is a major opportunity for all
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: of British Columbia to succeed on what is going to
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: be a better path forward. I am still committed to
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: the repeal of DRIPA. It has not worked in this province,
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: and frankly, it has caused more problems to date than
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: I think potentially anything else. So I am committed with
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: working on a great path forward of respect, partnership, friendship,
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: and conversation.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: Union of BC Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stuart Phillip saying
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: to different media outlets on Monday that that is a
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: repeal of DRIPA by a Conservative government is a declaration
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: of war. with First Nations people, which is a strong statement, Aileen,
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: and the first reaction, the pushback to what we know
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: will be changes to Indigenous reconciliation policies that many First
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: Nations organizations are not pleased to see.
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: Yes, and I think just like David Eby had a
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: very bumpy and challenging session most recently, the one that
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: went from about February to end of May, as a
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: result of the debate around DRIPA and reconciliation. I think
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: that Lorne Dirksen could be in for one himself. I
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: think that First Nations will fight it if one of
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: their first actions is to try to repeal DRIPA, and
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: that could lead to litigation and confrontation instead of negotiation
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: in the four-year mandate of Dirksen and the BC Conservatives.
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: So that is one that, of course, we will watch
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: and have lots to talk about in the months ahead
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: if that is their plan and they go.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Ahead with it. Another item that came up in the
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: news yesterday, which is interesting, and I do think has
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: political angles to it, although it's not overtly political in
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: the way that it was described, B.C. Ferry's firing CEO,
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: Nicholas Jimenez, who was brought into the job in 2023,
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: a very well-connected David Eby.
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: I'm not going to say appointee, but I'm sure that
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: as premier, he had a lot of role in getting
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: BC Ferries and the board chair at the time, Joy McPhail,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: to hire Nicholas Jimenez because he was the CEO of
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: ICBC when David Eby, who was the attorney general, brought
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: in no-fault insurance. And he was viewed as a kind
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: of someone who was going to come in and fix
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: BC Ferries. He had the premier's ear. Could he get
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: control of the sailing delays, the weights, the breakdowns, the problems?
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: And he is out now three years later. Into the job,
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: he will get a two-year severance. That's pretty good for
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: three years' worth of work at half a million dollars
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: a year, roughly. So the statement from the ferry board,
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: which couldn't be bothered to do interviews, because why would
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: you do interviews when you fire your CEO for basically
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: a monopoly ferry company that gets its money from the public?
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: Why bother? It's not like anyone has any questions. But
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: the lawyer-generated statement from the board says, went out and
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: said that the ferry is a lifeline for the province's
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: coastal residents. There is going to be a review to
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: define new ways to optimize the system and improve how
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: BC Ferries delivers services for customers and coastal communities. And
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: this is the part that stood out to me. Under
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: the Coastal Ferry Act, the BC Ferries undergoes a regulatory
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: review and contract discussions every four years to set limits
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: on fares and establish required service levels. Contract discussions with
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: the government, by the way. This is my add to that.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: For performance term seven, the board is committed to bringing
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: innovative solutions to service obligations with the government and working
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: with the incoming provincial government, the BC Ferry Authority and
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: BC Ferries Commissioner to ensure the system is reliable, safe,
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: and sustainable. So I don't know what your read on this, Aileen, is,
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: but extrapolating from that sentence, what comes to mind for you?
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: Well, first on Nicholas, I worked with him at ICBC.
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: I really enjoyed it. He's a good guy, and he
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: was at the helm there when the financial challenges were
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: fixed at ICBC, which EB famously called a dumpster fire.
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: And it was fixed by bringing in enhanced care, delivered
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: mega savings on car insurance, and then there were also
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: a bunch of rebates that drivers got in the following years.
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: So he did do a great job there, and I
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: don't really know what's behind that. the news that we
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: got yesterday but BC Ferries has had lots of issues
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: over the years and it's a common complaint by anyone
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: who lives in a coastal community in a ferry dependent
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: community I know you know just from my travels recently
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: I was on the Sunshine Coast when I knocked doors
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: BC Ferries was one of the top issues that I
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: heard at most of the doorsteps and that's because people
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: rely on the service to get where they need to
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: go it's really essential And same goes for Gabriola Island,
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: where I go to visit my folks. And that service
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: is actually pretty good because it is fast and frequent.
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: And so I don't really have a lot of complaints there.
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: Sometimes there can be lineups there when it gets really busy.
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: But you can understand why people would want a review
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: into it to see how the service could be improved.
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: One of the things that I've heard is about the
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: idea of a passenger-only ferry, for example. And so that
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: is sort of like an innovative or creative solution that
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: could be offered for some people. And I understand there's
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: actually a proposal for one that's actually an electric service
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: that would go from Vancouver to Gibsons and Bowen Island.
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: And it was actually in front of Vancouver City Council
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: last and Pete Fry voted for it. So those are
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: the sorts of innovative ideas that will probably be talked
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: about in this sort of review.
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think there might be three things going on here.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: One of them is the legacy of the decision to
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: buy those Chinese ferries, which was such a mistake and
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: went all the way up to the federal government, embarrassed
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: the prime minister, embarrassed two to three major cabinet ministers federally.
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: The Conservatives are against that. I don't know if they're
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: going to reverse it. It doesn't sound like it, but
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: they would have got rid of Jimenez anyways, just for that.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: I think by proactively offering what was essentially his head
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: on a platter to the government, the board is saying
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: upfront that they know that they have to change. The
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: second part of the wording in this is that they
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: tie this to going into government talks for funding and
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: service levels in the contract. And Jimenez, I talked to
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: him several times about the fact BC Ferries is financially
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: straightjacketed with three pillars on its stool between the price
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: of fuel, which it's limited in charging on, the ticket prices,
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: which it can't raise because government just gets hammered, and
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: the provincial funding, which government won't raise either. And so
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: those are the only three sources of revenue. And he
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: was trying to pitch a new funding model for BC
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: ferries to get out from under this. It's very clear
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: that if he had one and he was going towards one,
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: it's not happening now. And so this statement is all
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: full of, we need innovative new solutions because the ones
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: that he's been working on are toast and no, then
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: this current government isn't going to go for that. So
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: I think those are two or three of the things there.
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: And you know, it's, We are going to see this
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: in the health authorities, in the public sector agencies, in
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: the crowns, where either the heads of the crowns and
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: the board chairs are going to be fired or removed
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: or replaced. We saw it in 2017 when the government changed.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: And it is ever thus that major positions like this
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: get rejigged for people who the new government is willing
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: to work with or thinks have their best interests in mind.
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: And Jimenez was a David Eby appointee. And, uh, it's
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: clear that, uh, this government, uh, without saying, I did
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: talk to some conservatives yesterday and I said, did you
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: guys do this? And they're like, listen, we haven't even
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: had a transition meeting yet. We couldn't even come up
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: with a policy position if we want it. We did
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: not ask BC Ferries to do this. BC Ferries looked
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: at it and said, Oh boy, like we better get
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: in front of this thing. Let's try to, to curry
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: up some goodwill and out goes the CEO overboard. from
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: the ferry corporation. So we're back to square one on
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: our ferry financing. Well, yeah.
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: And the finances are a big challenge, obviously. And I
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: think that if the problems were easy to fix, they
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: would be fixed, right? Like there have been a lot
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: of reviews over the years. There was one done by
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: Blair Redlin. There was also an amendment to the Coastal
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: Ferries Act when I was working in Claire's office. And
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: that inserted in the public interest right into the legislation.
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: And so it's supposed to sort of guide the decisions
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: around BC Ferries. And then there was also another review,
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: the Coastal Ferries Visioning Report. And so like everybody agrees
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: that it should work better and everyone wants it to
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: work better. But the big challenge is how do you
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: actually make that happen?
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: I think, you know, someone's going to have to go back,
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: and I know why the New Democrats didn't bring it
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: back into government, because the debt that is on the
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: books for BC Ferries is separate from government. It's a
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: private company with one shareholder that's the province. And so
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: when you bring the debt, if you bring it back
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: into government, you bring the debt with it, you squeeze
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: out hospitals and other projects. But my God, no one
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: looking at the ferry system right now, the two different
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: boards plus an independent commissioner to make decisions on what
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: is essentially a public service, it doesn't work. Like, So
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: we're going to have to overhaul the whole thing, I think,
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: to get to the root of, you're right, the problems
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: are systemic and longstanding, and they're going to require some work.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: And the Conservatives haven't committed to that in the new government.
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: They've just talked about a new charter and some other things.
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: To be fair, no one's committed to that, but that
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: may be what it takes to kind of get to
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: the root of it, I think.
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: And they have to work well with the union. The
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: union represents the people who keeps these vessels going and
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: helps people get where they need to go on time.
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: And I think that Could be another upcoming challenge given
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: the new government, but we'll see how it goes.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: Holy crap, that was 20 minutes on BC Ferries. I
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: don't know how that happened. Let's take a quick break.
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: We'll be back in a minute here. Today's extended discussion
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: on BC Ferries and Political Capital Daily, free each and
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: every morning. In your pod box, thanks to our premier
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: sponsor this season, Airbnb. Travel on Airbnb supported 20,000 local
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: jobs last year across British Columbia. Guests are supporting their
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: local economy, whether they're traveling to the Kootenays, Colwood, Powell River,
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: or Invermere. And tourism dollars spent on Airbnb stays in
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: local communities, big and small, which supports jobs and small businesses.
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: Thanks to Airbnb for its support. Now back to the show.
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: All righty, let's just squeeze one more topic in here, Aileen.
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: We've got a few minutes. We do have caucus meetings
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: coming up for the BC NDP this week. Given that
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: David Eby has resigned as the leader of the party,
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: there will need to be an interim leader named. I
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: think that could happen as early as Thursday with a
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: caucus meeting set with a new reduced 28 person. Is
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: 28 off the top of my head, person, NDP caucus?
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: I've got to get these numbers memorized. 28 or 29,
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: somewhere around there. And 28. And so those folks are
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: going to have to select a new interim leader. There
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: are some names being bandied about. Do you think it's
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: going to be an easy choice or what sort of
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: things do you think people are going to be considering here?
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: Well, there's a lot of talent in the caucus, like
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: among the people who have been elected or reelected. I
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: think the interim leader is going to have to be
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: someone who has the support of the new and returning MLAs.
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: They have to be experienced, respected. They should also be
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: someone who does not want the permanent job. And then
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: they have to be skilled and dedicated enough to lead
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: the party through an exceptionally challenging time. They have to
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: boost morale of the MLAs and the staff and the
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: larger movement, and then also set the party up for
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: success until there's a new leader. We also know leadership
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: races can be divisive. So it is important for that
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: person to unify people in the meantime, and also be
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: a skilled leader opposition critic to hold the BC Conservatives
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: to account for the promises that they made during the election.
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: And I have been thinking on some names and having
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: some conversations, although I haven't actually asked anyone directly if they're,
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: you know, trying to get it or anything like that.
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: But there are some really long time MLAs in the
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: new caucus that I think would make sense in that role.
• 16:51
  Speaker 2: People who are very skilled, good leaders, good with people,
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: and also, you know, fixers and really get the job done.
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: And then, you know, there will be a separate group
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: of people, both within the caucus and outside the caucus,
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: who may be eyeing the opportunity for the permanent leader job.
• 17:10
  Speaker 2: And so those people would not be looking to become
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: the interim leader.
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it will be an interesting selection, because it is
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: occurring at a very difficult time for the party. And
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: there's gonna be a lot of hurt feelings and And
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: adjustments too. I remember when the Liberals came out of
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: power in 2017, one of the big adjustments that happens
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: when you go in opposition is you don't have staff, resources,
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: you're often doing your own things, photocopying your own stuff,
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: researching your own topics, and folks who have only ever
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: been ministers in a government or a government in the
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: Middle East have a hard time adjusting back down to opposition.
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: So some of the names that are being floated around
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: here are people who served in opposition under the NDP,
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: prior to 2017, could help it readjust back into that role,
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: which might make sense. Others are newer, more modern folks
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: who have only been ministers, but maybe bring more energy
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: and modernity to the idea of an opposition. So there'll
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: be a lot of meetings. Do you think EB himself
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: is going to show up at these meetings? He still
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: has an MLA. Does he have to kind of show
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: up for those type of things and sort of be
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: in the room to... People are going to be mad
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: at him, I think, is what I would expect. But
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: it's always kind of an awkward conversation situation when you
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: have a former leader who's still around do they do
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: they come to these things or not I don't know.
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: Because I haven't experienced that before.
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: But John Rustad in opposition he had to he had
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: to wrestle with that and.
• 18:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah and he had a day where he thought he
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: was leader and Trevor Halford also thought he was leader
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: so that was awkward.
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: And some people pull it off successfully Adrian Dix former
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: leader stayed with the party um you know it can
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: be done but uh it's uh it's gonna be a
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: A wild week in the halls of the legislature here
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: in Victoria. Okay. Well, you have learned more than you
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: ever wanted to learn about BC Ferries. You love BC Ferries.
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: I do love BC Ferries. I actually, such a fascinating
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: subject because everyone has an opinion about it. And on paper,
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: it doesn't seem like a hard thing, you know, like,
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: but it's, it is one of the most complicated things.
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: and biggest ferry systems in the world we run here.
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: And it's an incredible sort of accomplishment in a weird
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: sort of way.
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: And not enough federal funding for it. No, no, no.
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: And the arcades don't work, but don't even get me started.
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: I have 20 more minutes just on the arcades. How
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: can you have a, why can you have a guitar
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: hero there, but the buttons don't work, but you put
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: the loony in and then it doesn't work and your
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: loony's gone.
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: Do everyone listening to this podcast well on a BC Ferry?
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: No, you can't listen. There's no Wi-Fi on the BC Ferry,
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: so you can't, unless you download this.
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: You can download the podcast and listen.
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: That's right. Good luck with that. Go get a double-double
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: from the cafeteria. Okay. Thanks, Aileen. Thanks for being here.
• 19:51
  Speaker 2: Thanks, Rob.
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: Thank you to everyone for listening. Make sure you subscribe
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: to Political Capital Daily for all the latest, and we'll
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: be back tomorrow and the next day and the day
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: after that in BC Politics. Take care.