B.C.'s Campbell has no plans to retire

CBC News Dec. 30, 2009

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell says he has no plans to leave office until his job is done. Campbell told CBC News in a year-end interview that he has no intention to retire before the next provincial election in 2013. "I've got a few years to go and if people give me the chance I intend to keep at work," Campbell said. "It's an incredible opportunity to serve in this job. It's a very exciting job. It's a stimulating job. It gives you energy every day when you get up, so I hope I get to carry on."

Campbell said 2009 has been a tumultuous and challenging year, His B.C. Liberal party won a third consecutive majority in May's provincial election. But within weeks it was clear that government revenues would be lower and the deficit far deeper than voters had been told during the campaign. Then in July, Campbell and Finance Minister Colin Hansen announced plans to introduce a harmonized sales tax in 2010. The HST would add a seven per cent levy to a range of products and services that are currently tax-free.

Opposition members and some former Liberals accused Campbell of not coming clean with the electorate about the deficit and the HST during the campaign. The premier insisted the HST announced in July "was not on the radar" for his government prior to the election. The Liberals' popularity began to plummet. "So, I've been through times when you make tough decisions and you're not popular," Campbell said. However, he showed no sign of backing down. "My mom always used to say to me, 'Gord, if you start something, you've got to make sure you finish it,'" he said. "I've got a few years to go and if people give me the chance I intend to keep at work."

But even some Liberals have expressed doubts that Campbell will be around for the next election. "I would be surprised if he ran again, simply because he's been in politics for 25 years now," said Victoria lawyer Clark Roberts, a former general counsel to the Liberal caucus. However, he said there is no pressure within the party on the premier. "The decision about whether to run in the next election is completely Mr. Campbell's," Roberts said.