Key moments from the B.C. party leaders' debate
Provincial election is Oct. 19
The leaders of the three major B.C. political parties traded jabs in a televised debate Tuesday night that mirrored much of the campaign thus far.
B.C. NDP Leader David Eby, B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau and B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad faced off in the campaign's only televised debate ahead of the Oct. 19 provincial election.
CBC carried it live and the video is available for replay on cbc.ca/bc and CBC Vancouver's YouTube channel.
Here are some of the key moments of the debate.
Spending, sex education and vaccines
In his opening answer to a question posed by debate moderator Shachi Kurl about government spending, Eby said he believed that now was not the time to reduce services, and his party's policies would provide people support.
"I believe that people need support now through things like our middle-income tax cut, through affordable child care and car insurance," he said.
Rustad was asked a question about his past controversial comments regarding sex education in schools, climate change and the COVID vaccines.
The Tory leader has promised to remove sexual orientation and gender identity teaching materials in schools, stated that carbon dioxide should not be classified as a pollutant and said he regretted getting the "so-called" COVID-19 vaccine.
In response to the question, Rustad said that there were many things being said about him but that his party was "laser-focused" on British Columbians, and his promises to cut the carbon tax would provide families with cost savings.
NDP, Conservatives not looking forward: Furstenau
Furstenau said, in response to a question about why voters should consider her party, that both Eby and Rustad were offering either more of the same or a return to the past — referring to Eby's premiership and Rustad's run in the legislature since 2005, most of it as a member of the B.C. Liberals.
"We find ourselves now 23 years downstream from a B.C. Liberal government and seven years downstream from an NDP government that hasn't been willing to do enough to change things," she said.
While British Columbians are scheduled to head to the polls on Oct. 19, advance voting will also take place Oct. 10-13, 15 and 16.
Anyone who wants to vote on election day can choose the most convenient voting station on this list. Instructions on how to check your voting eligibility can be found here.
This was Eby and Rustad's first televised debate as party leaders, while it's Furstenau's second.
Eby and Rustad trade barbs
Eby used the debate to paint his main opponent, Rustad, as a conspiracy theorist who would cut government programs and provide tax cuts to the rich and powerful.
Rustad used his responses to charge Eby with weak leadership that he says has made the province more unaffordable and more unsafe.
Furstenau accused both leaders of being aligned on privatizing the health-care system and subsidizing the fossil fuel industry.
Corrections
- A previous version of this story stated that it would be David Eby's and John Rustad's first debate as party leaders. In fact, it is their first televised debate.Oct 08, 2024 5:36 PM PT
With files from Akshay Kulkarni and The Canadian Press