B.C. Election: Sparks fly between party leaders in only televised debate

Leaders of the three main provincial parties in B.C. took part in the only televised debate of the election campaign Tuesday evening.

There was no shortage of sparks as B.C.’s three political heavyweights squared off.

Hosted in Vancouver by Angus Reid Institute president Shachi Kurl, the debate featured BC NDP Leader David Eby, BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau, and BC Conservatives Leader John Rustad.

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The 90-minute clash featured B.C.’s most pressing issues, including housing affordability.

Rustad clarified his approach saying he would not remove rent caps.

“We’re going to work with communities, as opposed to David Eby’s approach of just overriding local governments,” Rustad explained.

Eby then accused Rustad of suggesting that delivering affordable homes is not the B.C. premier’s job.

“Our plan to get people an opportunity, it’s delivered 20,000 homes for people, and John Rustad says he wants to get rid of all those things,” Eby claimed.

Fursteneau weighed in, vowing to protect low-income renters.

“We have to stop protecting real estate investment trusts and investors who have made so much money,” she said.

The leader tackled numerous key points, but a recurring theme was Eby bashing Rustad for his uncosted agenda.

“John, you haven’t released a cost platform. An economist at UBC says your platform is written in pixie dust,” he said.

Eby also called out Rustad’s legislative track record and accused him and his candidates of funding anti-vaccine protests during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You said you wish you’d never have been vaccinated. And then when someone said, ‘Do you think that public health professionals should be tried like Nazi war criminals?’ You said, ‘Well, we wouldn’t do that in B.C., but we would support an international effort,'” Eby said.

“John, it’s embarrassing,” Eby fired.

Over the weekend, Rustad clarified his remarks on social media, saying he had “misunderstood the question” about the Nuremberg comparison.

The three leaders also clashed over the unregulated toxic drug crisis.

Furtusneau explained that she’s aligned with the province’s top doctor and would introduce a regulated drug supply.

“It’s interesting that David Eby says he listens to Bonnie Henry when it comes to COVID, but he rejects her advice when it comes to this public health emergency that has claimed 15,000 people’s lives,” she explained.

As the verbal jabs continued, Rustad looked to organized crime, reiterating his promise to bring back funding for a dedicated B.C. port police.

“David Eby said, ‘You can’t do that. It’s federal,'” he said. “Watch us. We’re going to make sure that we crack down on these ports.”

But Eby called into question Rustad’s plan for tackling crime.

“He’s not even going to enforce federal gun laws in British Columbia. He will direct the police not to enforce federal gun laws. It’s ridiculous. Now he says he’s going to get tough on crime? Give me a break,” Eby said.

While there weren’t many puzzling moments during the 90 minutes, there was a touch of a head-scratching moment when Kurl reminded Rustad of his promises beyond B.C.’s jurisdiction.

“We’re very proud of the fact that we just need to get rid of the stuff that sucks in B.C. Paper straws suck. I’m sorry. We’ve got to get rid of those. It doesn’t work for people in B.C.” Rustad said.

Nadine Nakagawa, New Westminster city councillor, will be on 1130 NewsRadio’s Election Night panel. She was keeping a close eye on Tuesday’s debate.

“I was interested to see John Rustad take, what seemed to be, a more moderate position than he has taken. In other instances, he seemed to be actually shooting for his more moderate side in that, and I think that did come across that he seemed exceedingly calm to the point of being quite dull,” Nakagawa shared.

Nakagawa says there were a number of comments and answers that caught her attention, but one of the most intriguing ones was when Kurl asked each of the party leaders about what they’d do to address the polarization in B.C. politics and whether would they admit they’re at least partly to blame for it.

“I think it was the biggest non-answer of the debate. What came up in that question was that nobody actually wanted to take responsibility,” she explained.

“And you know, some of the factors I think are bigger than just B.C., but clearly it is a province that has really different views on things like climate and vaccines.”

Nakagawa’s background is as a community organizer and activist so while she may be called “a progressive,” she says Rustad came across as measured but fared relatively well.

She did think he lacked some specifics though. Meanwhile, Nakagawa says the NDP’s David Eby was in tough, all things considered.

“I think overall, it was a challenge for him, because many of the things that they have done, and I think quite correctly, have improved. [But] for British Columbians, people don’t necessarily feel it.”

Advance voting opens Thursday, Oct. 10, before the provincial election on Oct. 19.

You can watch CityNews 24/7 live or listen live to 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver for more coverage of the debate.

-With files from Charlie Carey and Anthony Atanasov.