Premier targets rivals' merger rumours as B.C. election nears
Rival parties confirmed talks had been held over vote splitting that could hand David Eby a 2nd term
The latest legislative session in Victoria — a four-month grind that led to 25 bills being passed — ended this week with B.C. Premier David Eby celebrating his party's achievements and attacking his main political rivals.
Eby, who is seeking a second term in the provincial elections on Oct. 19, held a campaign-style final caucus meeting Thursday to review his NDP government's work.
But it also offered an opportunity to leverage talk of his two right-of-centre rivals — Kevin Falcon of B.C. United and John Rustad of the B.C. Conservatives — conspiring to prevent his re-election.
"John Rustad and Kevin Falcon let it slip that powerful interests were trying to arrange a marriage of convenience between them," he said.
"Well, I've got a message for those lobbyists, and for John Rustad and Kevin Falcon: The next election will be decided at the kitchen table, not at the boardroom table."
His remarks came after the leaders of the B.C. Conservatives and B.C. United confirmed emissaries from their parties had been in talks for months over ways to prevent vote-splitting in the upcoming election.
It resulted in questions over several days about a possible merger between the two parties, which both Rustad and Falcon repeatedly denied, saying both planned to run 93 candidates, a full slate, in the upcoming election.
But they did not deny there was an urgency in finding a way together to prevent vote-splitting that could hand Eby another majority, with Falcon saying, "the real enemy is the NDP government and four more years of that government I think will be, frankly, devastating for the province of British Columbia."
Falcon was irked that the talks had become public as it forced him to address the issue and ensuing rumours, such as Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West being courted to lead a merged party.
West rejected the idea, saying he was focusing on his family and mayoral duties — but at the same time, he didn't completely close the door on some kind of future political run.
Never a dull moment in BC politics eh? I appreciate the interest in my future, but my plan is to be the best Dad I can be to my two sons, the best husband I can be to my wife & the best Mayor I can be to the people of Port Coquitlam. <br><br>If that ever changes, you'll hear from me! <a href="https://t.co/zZKvZ69viX">pic.twitter.com/zZKvZ69viX</a>
—@BradWestPoCoWhat's in a name?
The apparent knock on Falcon's leadership was the latest blow to his election chances. Polls show him a distant third in popularity behind Eby and Rustad, who says a Conservative grassroots movement is growing in the province.
"We want a government that is going to deliver for people, to fight for the average everyday person," said Rustad. "And that's what I'm hearing time and time again, so I suspect the polls are going to be tight."
Political watchers say the party is also being buoyed from having the same name as the federal Opposition.
"It's kind of a lingering artifact of the name, that's part of the explanation," said UBC political scientist Gerald Baier. "People think in terms of Conservative, Liberal, NDP on a national stage. The Conservatives are surging in popularity nationally as well as within the region."
Baier said vote-splitting is a possibility this fall, but B.C. United has better infrastructure to attract and vet candidates than the Conservatives.
In February, the party began a $1 million spend in advertising, which features Falcon in ads during programming such as Vancouver Canucks games.
"I think they still have some advantages when an election actually happens or when people are more in the throes of an election. But clearly, they're feeling the heat," said Baier.
Rustad was removed from the caucus of what was then the B.C. Liberals in 2022, in part for boosting an online post casting doubt on the science behind climate change, before deciding to lead the Conservatives.
This week he seemed to relish being asked about the polls and merger rumours and Eby declaring his party "a real threat."
The attention is something his two-seat party has been lacking in the legislature. Neither he nor MLA Bruce Banman, another floor-crosser, were elected as Conservatives.
"This is going to be a very interesting race going into October," said Rustad.
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