A protest rally this past weekend served as another reminder that a whole bunch of New Democratic Party supporters are in for a rude awakening if their political party wins.
About 200 people gathered outside Premier Christy Clark's constituency office, demanding more government money for a comprehensive child care plan. If the NDP does indeed form the next government, I suspect a similar demonstration will take place outside leader Adrian Dix's constituency office.
That's because Dix has signalled he knows the government cupboard is bare, and has already indicated his plans for a province-wide child care program are dead in the water, at least for a while, because the money simply isn't there to fund one.
But the lack of an expensive child care system isn't the only issue sure to disappoint the various interest groups that support the NDP over the B.C. Liberals.
Teachers, for example, may get a slight pay hike from an NDP administration, but not one that comes anything close to what they've been demanding from the provincial government. And they'd be wise to lower expectations when it comes to funding for the classroom.
There will be some pro-union changes to labour legislation, but unionized public sector workers shouldn't expect any significant pay hikes any time soon.
And the NDP has decried the level of child poverty in this province for years, but again, I'll be surprised if much action is taken on that front for at least a few more years and the state of government finances improves.
Wait times in the health care system are not going to radically change no matter which party wins in May.
I suspect the NDP's election platform will commit more money than the B.C. Liberals' current budget, but even that amount will simply maintain the status quo.
One large constituency that usually supports the NDP may be particularly upset. That would be the environmental movement which, among other things, wants a ban on fracking to extract natural gas.
The NDP's energy critic, John Horgan, says his caucus has committed to a study on fracking, but that's about it. He's mindful of the vital role natural gas revenues play in paying for government services, from health care to education and I doubt an NDP government would do anything to stifle the money that can flow from that critical industry.
Governments of all philosophical stripes are becoming desperate for more revenues, which naturally sets the stage for a clash with environmentalists, as the extraction and sales of natural resources is the backbone of the B.C. economy.
About the only sector that might notice some significant differences between an NDP administration and the B.C. Liberal government is post-secondary education. Dix has made it clear he considers that skills training and student aid are his top priorities.
But that's about it folks. Things aren't going to change much after the May vote even if the party takes power.
The conundrum of what to do about B.C. Ferries is a good example.
The party's critic for that company was unable to offer any specifics for what the NDP has planned for ferry services in this province.
There was no commitment for increasing the tax subsidy for B.C. Ferries, or doing anything to reduce fares or make changes to service levels.
All of this means that, should Dix become premier, demonstrations outside his constituency office may be rather commonplace.
And those doing the protesting will be the same folks who voted for him.
Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global BC.
