It's important to govern British Columbia by looking forward instead of backwards, unless it's a matter of reminding people about the 1990s, said Premier Christy Clark.

Asked this week about allegations that Liberal MLAs had organized a "mutiny" to force out her predecessor Gordon Campbell in 2010, Clark said she didn't know and that she's more focused on the province's future.

"You know what, the thing is, for me, and I think for British Columbians, is they want the government to be going forward rather than always be looking backward, and that's hugely important if we want to negotiate these tough fiscal times for British Columbia," she said.

"We have to try and keep our eye on the ball and look forward at what's coming next rather than try to puzzle through the tea leaves of the past," she said.

The thing is, Clark's talking points often include portraying the 1990s when the NDP formed government as a dismal time in the province. Indeed, she had done just that a few minutes earlier in the very same scrum.

"The risk of going backward to the days when tens of thousands of people left to find jobs because there was no work in this province is frightening," she said when asked about comments backbench Kamloops MLA Kevin Krueger had made about NDP Leader Adrian Dix.

"I think we do need to be concerned about economic growth coming to a dead stop in May 2013," she said. "I mean that's a very real prospect. That's what happened the last time the NDP were in government."

Would Clark's focus on the future mean we're done hearing about the 1990s?

"If the nineties have a danger of repeating themselves, then I think that's worthy of," she said, stopping mid-sentence before adding, "You know, the thing is, if you don't learn from history you're doomed to repeat it."

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Find him on Twitter or reach him here.