The election in B.C. last Saturday should have elevated the Green Party to the status of power broker. It failed. The Greens’ 15 percent of the popular vote should have provided 13 seats in the legislature. It provided a grand total of three.

The NDP’s 45 percent of the vote should have given them 39 seats. They were awarded 55. If they had won only the number British Columbians felt they deserved, they would have had to form a coalition with a small army of Greens in order to form a government. With their 55 seats they have a solid majority government and the Greens are relegated to the far reaches of the opposition benches.

The Greens accepted the result gracefully. They did at least maintain a 3-seat presence and one of these was on the Mainland, a breakthrough. And they managed with a leader who had only been in her position for a few weeks. On the downside, they lost their position as “coalition” partner with the NDP and any direct influence over the government.

NDP Premier John Horgan insists he intends to run an inclusive legislature where good ideas will be welcomed from any party or citizen. If he’s true to his word, the Greens may yet play a role in government, but they shouldn’t have to depend on the largesse of the NDP.