Sharma says Conservatives free to level elections complaints; BC NDP ‘focused on issues that matter’

The BC NDP responded to opposition leader John Rustad’s call for an independent review of last year’s election Thursday, saying it has no objections, but the governing party will be focusing on more pressing issues.

Attorney General and Deputy Premier Niki Sharma held a media event in response to Rustad, only a few short hours since the BC Conservatives leader made the call, and a former candidate announced his intent to file a court petition to invalidate the count in the Surrey-Guildford.

Ahead of the event, Sharma took to social media saying, “Rustad is free to raise his concerns with Elections BC. That’s his right. We are focused on addressing the issues facing the people of our province.”

She says those issues include U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s looming threat to increase tariffs on Canadian goods.

Rustad alleged that a team looking into the party’s loss found several irregularities, potentially altering the final results. Sharma says the BC NDP has a record of working with Elections BC to ensure that laws are upheld and elections are kept “fair and just.”

“And with the select standing committee process that the premier has announced, we’ll have another opportunity to make sure we’re holding the highest standard in B.C.,” said Sharma.

She noted that the BC Conservatives would not be directly involved the legal action concerning the Surrey-Guildford election.

“I do find it interesting that [Rustad] didn’t name the party in the court action that’s coming forwards. So they refuse to put their name to that court action…We as a government are focused on the issues that matter to British Columbians,” said Sharma.

She says she hopes Elections BC receives all the BC Conservative Party’s complaints and investigate as they would all matters raised.

“We have an independent system through Elections BC that has a variety of tools to ensure that everybody is following the rules, and we need to trust those systems and stand behind them.”

—With files from Charlie Carey