When Clark won the 1996 election, he had campaigned on two budgets he said were balanced but turned out to be significantly in the red. Dosanjh had to offer a personal apology after the government was sued by the owners of a family-owned northern lumber company. Parrett accused the provincial government of a coverup. Dosanjh was attorney general when the government decided to appeal the decision. The appeal was dropped earlier this year.
Mediation is in the works.
When New Democrats elected Dosanjh party leader, hopes were high. Dosanjh's personal popularity numbers were good, despite low poll results for the party. Balwant Sanghera, a New Democrat for more than 20 years, said Dosanjh provides calm leadership for a volatile party. Under Clark, the NDP moved at a breakneck pace trying to set an agenda that was big on flash, but failed to produce results. We need a very stable, steady person, a careful person.