Longtime MLA Shirley Bond withdraws as election candidate after BC United shakeup

An MLA who has served B.C. for over two decades says she will not run in the next provincial election.

The news from Shirley Bond, who currently represents the riding of Prince George-Valemount, comes a day after her party — BC United — announced it was suspending its campaign, eight weeks before the vote.

She says she’s decided to withdraw as a candidate after Leader Kevin Falcon’s decision “came as a complete surprise.”

“I have spent the past 24 hours with my family thinking about what my next steps should be. Together, we have decided that I will be withdrawing my name as a candidate in the upcoming provincial election,” she said in a statement Thursday.

On Wednesday, Falcon said he would not be running and that he would be withdrawing the BC United nominations for the upcoming election, so the Conservatives would have a bigger pool of candidates to choose from. He encouraged supporters to back the BC Conservatives to bring down the NDP.

Bond was first elected MLA of Prince George-Valemount in 2001.

“I cannot begin to describe the honour that it has been to serve the people of Prince George-Valemount and the Province of BC as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, Cabinet Minister, Opposition Leader and Interim Party Leader over the course of two decades,” she said in a statement.

“I want to thank my family, friends, colleagues, the supporters and volunteers who have worked so hard on my behalf, even knocking on doors and making hundreds of phone calls this week alone. I will always be humbled and grateful for your friendship and belief in me. To my staff, there are no words to describe how much you mean to me and how incredible you have been in serving our constituents and province. I have been overwhelmed by the hundreds of calls, messages, and texts of personal support that I have received. I am sure you can understand I have not been able to respond yet, but I will try to connect with you in the days ahead.”

She says she will share more details on her future plans next week, noting she is currently spending time with her grandsons and family.

“For now, a few days to reflect and spend time with the family I cherish,” she said.

Her news came hours after BCU MLA Todd Stone announced he was stepping away from politics, and urged members to support John Rustad’s Conservatives.

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