Darryl Plecas had every right to become Speaker

Darryl Plecas

Update: Darryl Plecas spoke to The Abbotsford News' Tyler Olsen about his decision to become Speaker, shedding new light on how it all happened and on his conversation with BC Liberal interim leader Rich Coleman the night before the Legislature resumed sitting. The whole story can be read here.
Darryl Plecas, MLA for Abbotsford South, surprised just about everyone today by running for and being elected Speaker of the B.C. Legislature.

He represents Aldergrove in the legislature, as well as a large portion of Abbotsford.

I think he will do a good job as Speaker. He has not joined the NDP or Greens - he is the Speaker, which is a non-partisan position and involves managing how the legislature operates.

I have run into Darryl many times over the years, going back to our days at Douglas College in the 1970s. His family has a long history in the Fleetwood area of Surrey.

He has had a great career as a criminology professor at the University of the Fraser Valley. He is a very thoughtful and ethical individual, and brings a lot to the table. His credentials to be the next Speaker are impeccable.

He was very unhappy with the way the BC Liberals managed the 2017 campaign and the way they tried to stay in power afterwards (see http://www.abbynews.com/news/exclusive-bc-liberal-mla-darryl-plecas-confirms-that-he-threatened-to-quit-party-if-clark-stayed-leader/.)

This office offers him the ability to get away from BC Liberal caucus discipline (he apparently has been kicked out of the caucus), but has not in any way taken away his ability to represent his constituents.

I understand how partisan BC Liberals would dislike this move. Rich Coleman, interim BC Liberal leader, said Plecas' actions in becoming Speaker atre "tantamount to crossing the floor."
They now have 41 votes in the Legislature, the equal to the NDP. The Greens have three MLAs and are bound to support the NDP by an agreement they have signed, so it isn't likely the government will fall anytime soon anyway. I have predicted that their agreement will last at least until the municipal election of November, 2018, when a vote on electoral reform is scheduled to go ahead. That is the biggest item on the Green agenda.
If the BC Liberals are casting blame around over a blown chance to get back into power, they need to point the finger at former leader Christy Clark. She gambled everything during a brief session in July to try and stay in power. She lost power in a confidence vote. She tried to talk the lieutenant-governor into dissolving the legislature and calling a new election. That gamble failed. Then she resigned her leadership and her seat a few weeks later, leaving a vacancy on the BC Liberal side of the tightly-divided legislature.
She had every right to quit, but it was her actions which caused the BC Liberals to lose their slim chance to stay in power - not those of Darryl Plecas.
The only criticism that should come his way is that he'd said earlier, on the record, he was not interested in being the Speaker. This is clearly a complete reversal, and he needs to explain more fully why he did a U-turn.
Since publication of this initial post, I've learned of a video made when he spoke to the Abbotsford News in late June, just before then-Premier Christy Clark called the legislature back into session and attempted to hold on to government. What he said is important, but so is the timing of when he said it.
A fascinating timeline of events that led to him becoming Speaker was also written by Rob Shaw of the Vancouver Sun. Both of these are worth looking at in detail.
A minority government in B.C. is a change from the usual. We haven't had one for 64 years. This is all part of that change. If it signifies a more non-partisan, hands across the aisle approach to managing provincial business, that is a good thing.