BC United suspending campaign ahead of October election

BC United Leader Kevin Falcon says he is suspending his party’s campaign ahead of the upcoming provincial election.

In a statement shared by the BC Conservatives, Falcon is encouraging BC United supporters to get behind John Rustad and his party, “to prevent another four years of disastrous NDP government.”

Confirmation comes after various reports, as well as sources telling 1130 NewsRadio, that the party was preparing to make this move just eight weeks before the B.C. election, slated for Oct. 19.

Falcon says he spoke with the Board of Directors of BCU “who endorsed the decision that I’m making here today.” He added that he also shared the decision with candidates in a call earlier in the day Wednesday.

---

---

“It wasn’t an easy call and I knew it wouldn’t be. This is hard, it’s really hard, and I accept all the responsibility, good and bad, all the opprobrium should rest on my shoulders. That’s what leadership’s all about. But I also believe this: this is the right thing to do for the province of British Columbia. This is the right thing to do for that next generation of British Columbians who want to grow up in a province like we grew up in, where hope and optimism were not the exception but the rule. And that’s why I’ve made the decision that I’ve made today,” Falcon said in a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!

In a release, the Conservatives say BC United nominations for candidates “will be withdrawn to enable the Conservative Party of BC to draw from BC United’s pool of incredible incumbent MLAs and candidates.”

“As part of the agreement, the Conservative Party of BC has committed to review candidates based on an improved vetting process to ensure the strongest team possible going into election 2024,” the Conservatives said.

“I got back into politics because I wanted to build a bright future for my two daughters and for the next generation of British Columbians,” Falcon said in the release. “Today, I’m stepping back for the same reason. I know that the best thing for the future of our province is to defeat the NDP, but we cannot do that when the centre-right vote is split.”

Falcon himself will not be running in the upcoming election.

Questions have been raised about how Falcon was able to make this decision. In an email, BCU Deputy Campaign Manager Adam Wilson said he could not “speak to Caucus’ abilities.” However, he noted that “Under the Party constitution, the Leader of BC United has the ability to unilaterally revoke the nomination of any candidate at their discretion, at any point.”

A BC United legislator said earlier in the day that he had called an emergency meeting of the party caucus to discuss the future of B.C.’s official Opposition, with Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier adding he had been unable to reach Falcon amid reports the party is folding.

Bernier said there’s “obviously something going on” but was unable to say exactly what, adding his phone had been “blowing up” with calls from concerned staff and other MLAs.

The announcement about BC United’s future comes after the party saw challenges post-rebrand. The party has also consistently seen a dip in the polls, leaving the Conservatives as the main opponent for the BC New Democrats in the upcoming election.

In July, it was announced BC United was going to be referred to as “BC United (formerly the BC Liberal Party)” on the election ballot come October, with recent polling of BCU’s membership finding that about 30 per cent of supporters didn’t know BC United was the party’s name now. They either had no idea the party changed its name or they thought the Liberals were now the BC Conservatives.

When asked about rumours that have been spreading around B.C. political spheres Wednesday, Premier David Eby said the New Democrats are still committed to their promises — regardless of who they come up against in the election.

“For us, for me, you look at John Rustad and Kevin Falcon who worked as colleagues and partners in the BC Liberal Party for a generation. John Rustad was a BC Liberal MLA for longer than Kevin Falcon was. I really don’t see a huge distinction between them except that neither of them are running as BC Liberals this time because of their record. They are so embarrassed with how they ran the province they both have changed their party names and want to avoid any association with the 16 years they were in government. And I understand why that is,” Eby said.

“It’s a very tumultuous time, I would say, in B.C. politics on the right-hand side of the political spectrum. It’s still not totally clear to me who we’ll be running against in the next election, what they’ll be called. But, regardless, it doesn’t change our focus,” the premier added.

Hamish Telford, an associate professor of political science at the University of the Fraser Valley, says he’s surprised about the timing of the move.

“I am, frankly. I have never in my lifetime of studying politics, and it’s been a long time now, seen a party throw in the towel just before an election. This, I think, is unprecedented in a summer of unprecedented political developments in the United States, we’ve been thrown a new one in British Columbia. Clearly, the polls were telling us BC United, formerly the BC Liberals, were going down to a historic defeat, probably being wiped out completely. But at this juncture, having failed to orchestrate a merger back in the winter and spring, I thought they would fight it out. Evidently, that might not be the case,” he explained.

Telford admits some candidates may be relieved by this development, noting all the turmoil BC United has found itself caught up in over the last year.

“I don’t think any of them wanted to be the last person elected as a BC Liberal and to sit by themselves or with one other person for the next four years in opposition. Kevin Falcon got back into politics for one reason and one reason only: to be premier. He did not want to be the leader of a one-person party going forward so I think seeing that their re-election bids were likely going to fail, this probably comes as a relief to them,” he explained.

The other big question, Telford says, is how this will sit with BCU members who have not defected to the Conservatives.

“I think those people, they may have seen the writing on the wall, but nonetheless will be disappointed that what they believed to be a middle option between a left-wing and right-wing party is vaporizing right before their very eyes,” he said.

In a statement to 1130 NewsRadio, Elections BC says a party can voluntarily deregister under the Election Act.

“Once deregistered, the party cannot run any candidates in an election. If a party applies for deregistration after the writs of an election have been issued, the party is not deregistered until after the election. The writs for the upcoming election are scheduled to be issued on September 21.

“A party could also choose not to run any candidates in an election and remain registered. If a party does not run any candidates in an election it must run at least two candidates in the next election. Otherwise, it is automatically deregistered,” the email reads.

Elections BC says the Act does not regulate whether a party leader can suspend a campaign or whether this can be challenged by caucus, adding that would be an internal party matter for BC United.

“Under the Election Act, a party can withdraw its endorsement for a candidate up until September 28 at 1 p.m. Pacific. The party must submit a written request to the district electoral officer or chief electoral officer signed by at least two principal officers of the political party. If a party withdraws its endorsement of a candidate, and the nomination period is still open, there is the potential for a candidate to be endorsed by another party or to run as an independent,” said another statement.

-With files from The Canadian Press