With under two months until the provincial election, the official Opposition to the BC NDP-led government just folded and will not be running this time around.
BC United and their candidates will not be appearing on ballots this October—including Party Leader Kevin Falcon.
Just after noon on August 28th, the news broke via a Global News pundit on social media.
Following this, The BC United and Conservative Party of BC made a joint media release announcing the end to BC United’s campaign.
In the release, Kevin Falcon says he wants those who would vote BC United to vote Conservative instead.
“I got back into politics because I wanted to build a bright future for my two daughters and the next generation of British Columbians,” said Falcon.
“Today, I’m stepping back for the same reason.”
He added all he cares about is to defeat the BC NDP in the upcoming election.
Because all BC United candidates will no longer be running due to the drop out, many will be joining the Conservatives in the upcoming election.
John Rustad, leader of the Conservative Party of BC says that despite past agreements, he is satisfied with the agreement formed between the two parties, echoing Falcon’s sentiments about defeating the BC NDP.
Earlier this year, Rustad and Falcon were in talks of a merger, but that ultimately blew up, resulting in the two party leaders exchanging a series of insults and harsh words.
Related:
- BC Conservatives gain some traction but Eby’s NDP still lead in the polls
- Conservatives and BC United reject offers to join forces in upcoming election
Following the announcement, BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau released a statement decrying the move.
“Democracy thrives on diverse voices, but BC’s political landscape is narrowing with the BC Conservatives entrenched on the right and the BC NDP drifting away from their progressive values,” Fursenau said.
“BC United at least took their role seriously, unlike these two parties, which have demonstrated little commitment to legislative processes or responsible governance.”
As voters prepare to cast their ballot, she urges them to vote for the BC Greens and says that Rustad is only interested in protecting industry profits rather than the province’s interests.
Earlier in the day, during a BC Hydro announcement, Premier Eby was asked about the rumour of BC United dropping out.
Eby replied by saying he sees no real distinction between Rustad and Falcon aside from the fact that neither are running under the Liberal Party banner, which he says is due to their political records.
“They are so embarrassed with how they ran the province, they both have changed their party names and want to avoid any association with one of the 16 years that they were in government, and I understand why that is,” Eby said.
“They increased BC Hydro rates by 80%, they increased MSP special health services premium ax every single year, they almost bankrupted our insurance company that was literally a monopoly.”
He added that they had a detrimental impact on affordability with bridge tolls and an average of $52 per day child care, which is now $15 per day.
“I would want to change my name too,” Premier Eby continued.
In the latest polls, the BC NDP are still poised to win the election with a majority government; however, the Conservatives are right behind them.
Despite the fact they only held five seats in the legislature for the last four years, compared to the BC United’s 23, the Conservatives may now stand a better chance at becoming the new official opposition or even winning the election.
The provincial election is slated to take place on October 19th.
