It was a moment in time, and they knew it.
Rob Shaw had been reporting from the B.C. legislature for the better part of a decade when he and Richard Zussman, then a CBC broadcaster, stood in the halls of Government House on a late June evening in Victoria, and watched as a province painted red for 16 years, turned orange.
Between the two of them, theyB次元官网网址檇 seen a lot, heard a lot, and reported a lot.
But, it was the historical decision made by Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon 52 days after an incredible election night that left the Clark-led Liberals failing to win enough seats to govern on their own, that the pair knew they were sitting on a story that hadnB次元官网网址檛 yet been told.
B次元官网网址淚t was fresh,B次元官网网址� Shaw remembers. B次元官网网址淭he government had just fallen, the Liberals were still smarting, Christy Clark was angry when we talked to her, going through this almost grieving process, and John Horgan had yet to become the kind of premier where youB次元官网网址檙e sort of walled off in your office.B次元官网网址�
It was, as they write in their first book together B次元官网网址� .
Released mid-March, the book has already sold out at bookstores across Victoria and Vancouver, sits in Amazon CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Top 50, was named the #1 best-selling B.C. published book, and the Globe and Mail called it a B次元官网网址淐anadian politics must-read.B次元官网网址�
Shaw, the Vancouver SunB次元官网网址檚 legislative reporter, sums it up as the story of B次元官网网址渢his bizarre journey that the province went on.B次元官网网址�
And itB次元官网网址檚 about people, he says. Real people B次元官网网址� Andrew Weaver, who loves cat naps, Pokemon Go and paintball, and Clark who they say provided B次元官网网址渁mazing windowsB次元官网网址� into who she is as a person B次元官网网址� who they wanted to describe.
What happened when two journalists sat down to write the story of the political battle for ? Stay tuned for my piece on and
B次元官网网址� Kristyn Anthony (@kristyn_anthony)
Since the ten-year reign of former premier Gordon Campbell crushed under the weight of an HST plan that viciously backfired, Shaw has watched people across the province slowly become more engaged in politics.
When a nail-biter of an election left the Liberals with 43 seats, the NDP with 41 and the Green with three, but with all the power, people saw for the first time, their vote had actual impact.
It was an incredible citizen uprising that engaged voters like never before, he says.
B次元官网网址淲e thought it would make sense to write the book for those people to show them this crazy period of time that we had gone through in politics.B次元官网网址�
It was Zussman (who now works for Global) who got the ball rolling, having popped into the press gallery one day, looked at Rob and said, B次元官网网址淲e should write a book.B次元官网网址�
They say they didnB次元官网网址檛 know what they were doing, had no idea how to start, and werenB次元官网网址檛 sure anyone would even want to read it. So they just took off and did it as fast as they could, Shaw recalls.
B次元官网网址淲e had all this material, we just had to go back and remember it,B次元官网网址� he says, describing how he dug through old tapes and notebooks to mine what would end up on the bookB次元官网网址檚 pages.
B次元官网网址淭hat was one of the most interesting parts,B次元官网网址� Zussman says, of piecing together hundreds of versions of the same stories. B次元官网网址淭he book really is the closest we could get to the truth as possible because you never really know if people could be pulling your leg.B次元官网网址�
Clark, Horgan and Weaver all agreed to multiple interviews as did current and former cabinet ministers and staffers. The pair also called on fellow reporters, veterans of the press gallery, who provided important historical context and advice.
With the nuance of varied voices, the two were able to reconstruct scenes and use dialogue where it was provided from sources. But, Shaw says: B次元官网网址淲e didnB次元官网网址檛 go down the gossipy route.B次元官网网址�
In total, over 70 people sat down with Shaw and Zussman over eight weeks last August and September.
B次元官网网址淲e were blown away when we started this project how much people wanted to talk,B次元官网网址� Zussman says. B次元官网网址淓verybody wants their piece of history to be told.B次元官网网址�
ItB次元官网网址檚 been 63 years since a government has fallen on a confidence vote in British Columbia, and more than 130 years since it has resulted in the opposition taking power without calling another election.
Shaw remembers feeling like he had a front-row seat to witness this incredible result that so very rarely occurs; he was struck by how it felt both B次元官网网址渙ddly normalB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渟o historic.B次元官网网址�
The book weaves the same thread, documenting the turbulent time with photos and words to paint significant moments like the ones between Clark and Guichon, and Guichon and Horgan.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not often that you have dialogue in those private meetings out in the public like this,B次元官网网址� Zussman says.
At its root, the project is one that both hope make the intricacies of government more accessible to people.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 really like politics,B次元官网网址� Shaw says. B次元官网网址淚 like the fact that government touches everything. The naked art of politics doesnB次元官网网址檛 really fascinate me.B次元官网网址�
Electoral politics may not matter to people, Zussman says.
B次元官网网址淏ut childcare matters to them, transit matters to them, housing matters to them, health care matters to them,B次元官网网址� he counters. B次元官网网址淪o I hope this book gives people a better insight into those people who make those decisions that matter to everybodyB次元官网网址檚 everyday lives.B次元官网网址�
Rob Shaw and Richard Zussman will launch A Matter of Confidence: The Inside Story of the Political Battle for B.C. tonight at MunroB次元官网网址檚 Books (1108 Government St.) at 7 p.m.
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