Falcon ends B.C. United campaign, throws support to Conservatives
Under leader John Rustad, B.C. Conservatives have overtaken B.C. United on the political right
The B.C. United Party is suspending its election campaign and encouraging supporters to join forces with the surging Conservative Party of B.C. with the goal of uniting the right-of-centre vote, its leader said on Wednesday.
At a joint news conference, B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon confirmed he will not be seeking re-election as an MLA as the two parties combine campaign efforts ahead of the Oct. 19 provincial election.
"I know that the best thing for the future of our province is to defeat the NDP, but we cannot do that when the centre-right vote is split," said Falcon.
According to the agreement, B.C. United candidate nominations will be withdrawn to enable the Conservatives to draw from B.C. United's pool of incumbent MLAs and candidates.
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad said with 50 B.C. United candidates and approximately 84 from his own party, a decision on a new slate of candidates was needed "as soon as possible," with the election six weeks away.
Ironically, it was Falcon's 2022 ousting of Rustad from B.C. United — formerly the B.C. Liberals — over anti-climate science claims that led to Rustad becoming leader of the B.C. Conservatives.
Ever since, the Conservatives have been climbing in the polls and are now out-fundraising B.C. United. In the past months, four B.C. United incumbent MLAs have jumped ship to the Conservatives.
But whatever their acrimonious past, Falcon and Rustad presented a united front Wednesday in Vancouver.
"I've known Kevin Falcon for 20 years, and while we haven't always seen eye to eye, we both know there is too much at stake to let past disagreements get in the way of defeating David Eby and the radical NDP," said Rustad.
Last week, a survey from Mainstreet Research put the B.C. Conservatives in the lead in terms of voting intention at 36 per cent support, ahead of the governing B.C. NDP at 33 per cent.
Speaking at an unrelated news conference, Premier David Eby said both men are trying to distance themselves from their record as members of the former governing B.C. Liberal Party.
"They are so embarrassed with how they ran the province. They both have changed their party names and want to avoid any association with the 16 years that they were in government," said Eby. "Whatever they change their name to before the election, they're still the same guys."
As official leader of the opposition in the B.C. Legislature, Falcon led the charge to change the name of the B.C. Liberal Party to B.C. United in April of last year.
The move has since been widely criticized as confusing to voters on the right, especially at a time when the B.C. Conservatives were benefiting from a surge of support for the federal Conservatives.
Falcon said the final decision to cancel B.C. United's campaign to support the Conservatives was made Tuesday night with the endorsement of the party's board of directors. The news was shared with caucus and candidates in a conference call, he said, and caught many staffers off guard.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't bring them into the fold," he said. "They were sensitive discussions."
Asked if this was the end for B.C. United as a party, Falcon replied: "Certainly for this election, yes."
Some B.C. United MLAs surprised by move
On social media, Caroline Elliott, the B.C. United candidate for West Vancouver-Capilano, cheered the development.
"The right thing is sometimes the hardest thing to do, but Kevin Falcon is putting B.C. first, as he's done throughout his career," said Elliott. "This is bigger than any one person. I'll be the first to stand aside in my local riding to support the best chance to defeat the NDP."
The right thing is sometimes the hardest thing to do, but Kevin Falcon is putting BC first, as he’s done throughout his career. This is bigger than any one person. <br>I’ll be the first to stand aside in my local riding to support the best chance to defeat the NDP. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bcpoli?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bcpoli</a> <a href="https://t.co/f5M5VGnwkF">https://t.co/f5M5VGnwkF</a>
—@NVanCarolineOther MLAs expressed surprise at the move.
Among them was veteran B.C. United MLA Mike Bernier, who summoned an emergency meeting among caucus members on Wednesday, saying elected members and party staff were both caught off guard by the announcement.
"I'm trying to figure out what's going on," he told The Canadian Press before the joint news conference. "My phone is blowing up. Kevin's ghosting me."
CBC News has reached out to Bernier and other B.C. United MLAs for their reaction to Wednesday's announcement.
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With files from Katie DeRosa, Akshay Kulkarni and The Canadian Press