David Eby promises more than 'just words' for British Columbians in 2023

Sometimes David Eby thinks about his time 15 years ago, working primarily on the Downtown Eastside for a legal advocacy organization, and coming to the conclusion that governments could be a more potent force for change than the courts. 

"That was a big insight for me, and I sure never imagined that I would be in this seat," said Eby to CBC News, in the middle of conducting his first set of year-end interviews as Premier of British Columbia.

"I feel a massive responsibility that comes with it to make sure the government works for people."

After a months-long NDP leadership race where Eby was presumed the overwhelming frontrunner and then acclaimed in controversial fashion, his government has moved aggressively in his first month as premier, from making announcements on health care and housing to reversing a controversial reform of autism funding. 

But he acknowledges that at this point, the province is much the same as it was a month ago. 

"British Columbians knew that in taking on this job that I would prioritize what their priorities are … [but] they have to see the impact of government's work," he said.

"Otherwise it's just words."

Overlapping crises 

In his interview, Eby talked about health care, housing, climate change, and many other issues his government hopes to enact new policies on over the next 12 months.

At the same time, Eby is aware that a big question for his government will be the overlapping concerns around public safety in city centres, homelessness and mental health supports.

Part of that is due to the B.C. Liberals, who for months have attacked Eby on his leadership on the issue as Attorney General.

Part of it is due to the results of the last municipal election, which saw mayoral candidates who focused on crime and safety win in Vancouver, Kelowna and Kamloops. 

But part of that is also due to Eby's own biography — going from someone who was once one of B.C.'s most vocal critics of potential police overreach, to someone now criticized for his increase in police funding and rhetoric on cracking down on "repeat offenders."

"When it comes to violent crime in our communities, everybody deserves a safe community," said Eby, showing no regrets for his verbal evolution on the topic.

"It's so vital for community members when they visit their downtown to feel safe when they visit, but also not to feel distressed about the safety of people living on the sidewalks."

Eby called them "complex issues," and while his government has made some initial changes, he promises more are on the way.  

"We need to have a fully well-rounded approach to this and that's what people will see," he said.

"They'll see us attacking this issue at the root causes, but also saying 'it's absolutely unacceptable to have violent offenders in our street causing havoc.' And we can do both of those things."

No election pledged

At the same time, speculation has grown that Eby might wish to call an early election, due in part to the government having billions of dollars in an unexpected surplus.

Stung by memories of being underprepared for the election called by Horgan in 2020, other parties have committed to nominating candidates early next year.

However, Eby is unambiguous at this point about his lack of desire to force a vote before the scheduled October 2024 election. 

"I was all across the province this summer. I didn't hear a single person say the one thing our province needs right now is an election, not even one person," he said.

"We've got two years of our mandate [left]. We've stewarded our resources well and we have the resources to address challenges that we face in our community to build a stronger province for everybody, and that's what we're going to do."

Going by his word, it sets the potential for a rather traditional 12 months in B.C. politics for the first time in years: no elections, no new historic emergencies, no premiers resigning.

Just policies, promises — and plenty of arguing in Question Period. 

"I think that the politicians are going to be at each other all the time," he said, responding to a question about optics and criticism from the B.C. Liberals. 

"The goal for me is not whether the other political parties like me or think that I'm good but whether British Columbians … are seeing the impacts of our government work. And that is how we'll be evaluating ourselves."