A major shift in candidate lineups on the British Columbia election ballots is underway as the Conservatives take several BC United nominees into the fold, displacing several Tory candidates.
A number of former BC United candidates affirmed their plans this week to unite with the Conservatives in the Oct. 19 election against the governing NDP, following their party’s move to suspend its campaign in support of the Tories’ election bid.
Conservative Leader John Rustad said in a Sept. 3 statement that the migration of BC United candidates to the Tories “reflects a growing momentum” to unite the ticket after BC United Leader Kevin Falcon announced Aug. 28 he was shutting down his party’s campaign.
Putting their names on the ballot under the Conservative banner are former BC United MLAs Trevor Halford, Ian Paton, and Peter Milobar, the party announced in the statement.
Paton, the representative for Delta South, and Halford, the MLA for Surrey-White Rock, will maintain their candidacies in their respective ridings while Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Milobar will seek election in Kamloops Centre.
Other BC United candidates already added to the Conservatives’ roster are Keenan Adams in Port Coquitlam, Michael Wu in Burnaby North, Dale Parker in Nanaimo-Gabriola Island, and Scott McInnis in Columbia River-Revelstoke.
The addition of the new names has put some former Conservative candidates out of the race as the party decides who to keep on and where to place them as representatives. The shakeup has prompted several candidates to either run as Independents or withdraw from the race.
One of those candidates is Dupinder Kaur Saran. She recently announced her plan to run as an Independent in Surrey-Panorama, after stepping aside for Brian Tepper, the Conservative who had previously been set to run against Halford in Surrey-White Rock.
“As a candidate in Surrey-Panorama, I witnessed a Conservative candidate in Whiterock being bullied into leaving their riding & to choose either the Fleetwood or Panorama riding,” she wrote in a Sept. 2 social media post. “I could no longer watch this drama unfold & did the right thing by moving to a side, to make room for the Whiterock candidate. I will now be running Independent in my riding.”
Saran was not the only ousted Conservative to criticize the changes on social media. Rachael Weber, a former candidate for the Prince George-Mackenzie seat, took to Facebook Sept. 3 to announce her removal from candidacy. She said she is “seriously considering” running as an Independent.
“I believe this Conservative Party of BC is no longer Conservative but running under the guise of the name Conservative. They have allowed many BC United (Liberal) candidates to infiltrate the party and have lost sight of the real Conservative values we as Conservatives hold dear,” she wrote.
The merging of the two parties has been criticized by former BC United candidates as well. Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier announced his plan to run as an Independent in a campaign-style Facebook video, saying he “won’t stand by and let John Rustad and Kevin Falcon tell our region what’s right for us.”
Many BC United candidates “are keeping their feelings close to their chest,” Bernier said, predicting that there will be “an unprecedented” number of candidates who will run as Independents, because they “feel betrayed, and they’re not going to just let this happen.”
BC United’s Jackie Tegart, who has been MLA in Fraser-Nicola since 2013, will not be one of those candidates, however. She announced Sept. 3 that she was stepping away from the race.
Incumbents Shirley Bond and Todd Stone announced last week they would not run either.
Rustad said last week that although the process of combining the two parties had created “disruption” amid the process of choosing candidates, he noted the party would put together “a group between the two parties to do a review and make sure we are fielding the best team possible.”
Rustad said in his Sept. 3 statement that the new Conservative candidates announced this week “share our vision for restoring responsible, accountable governance."
“By bringing together strong conservative voices, we are building a united front ready to take on the NDP and restore common sense leadership to this province,” he said.
The statement quoted Milobar as saying it is “time for conservatives to unite and deliver change,” while Halford said the party represented a “clear unified alternative” to the NDP’s “disastrous governance.”
Reacting to the news of the merger on Aug. 28, NDP Leader and Premier David Eby said on social media he will be focusing on “what matters” to British Columbians, citing housing, cost of living, and health care issues.
Merging Campaigns
Falcon’s decision to end BC United’s campaign was prompted by declining support and rising popularity for the Conservatives.BC United MLAs who had defected to the Conservatives earlier this year include Elenore Sturko, Lorne Doerkson, Teresa Wat, and Bruce Banman.
In addition to Rustad, the Conservatives had 86 candidates listed on their website as of Sept. 4, with 93 ridings at stake in the election.
Rustad was expelled from the Opposition caucus by Falcon in 2022 when the party was still known as the B.C. Liberals. He became the leader of the Conservative Party in March 2023.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
