B.C. MLA Karin Kirkpatrick re-enters election as an Independent

An incumbent B.C. United legislative member has reversed her decision to not seek re-election and has announced she'll run as an Independent in the riding of West Vancouver-Capilano in the upcoming provincial election. 

Karin Kirkpatrick has been a vocal critic of B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon's decision last month to suspend the party's campaign and throw support behind the B.C. Conservatives under John Rustad.

Kirkpatrick announced her retirement this year but now says in a statement that her decision to re-enter the race comes as a direct result of Falcon's actions, which would force middle-of-the-road voters to "swing to the left" in lieu of a centrist party.

She says members of her community told her they "don't want to vote for an NDP government but felt deeply uncomfortable" supporting the provincial Conservatives, citing Rustad's tolerance of what she calls "extreme views and conspiracy theorists."

West Vancouver-Capilano has been a stronghold for the B.C. Liberals — the former B.C. United — since its formation in 1991 and was previously held by longtime MLA Ralph Sultan for almost two decades. 

Kirkpatrick joins four other incumbent Opposition MLAs running as Independents, including Peace River South's Mike Bernier, Peace River North's Dan Davies, Prince George-Cariboo's Coralee Oakes and Tom Shypitka in Kootenay-Rockies.

In an interview with CBC News, Kirkpatrick says she wants to focus on the broad issues affecting the lives of British Columbians and not "wedge issues" that the opposing NDP and Conservatives are focusing on.

"If you look on the right and if you look on the left, there's a lot of scapegoating of vulnerable people in our communities," she said. "There's a lot of social conservatism, ideas about education and gender identification.

"And these are for most people, not the things that keep them up at night. What keeps them up at night is how are they going to find a place to live? How are they going to pay their mortgage?"

Kirkpatrick says there was a desire in her West Vancouver-Capilano riding for a candidate with a more centrist view, and she hoped that she and the other Independent candidates would have a voice in an elected legislature after October.

Stewart Prest, a professor at the University of B.C.'s political science department, said that it was difficult to forecast exactly how the new Independent candidates would perform in the election.

"To the extent that the B.C. United [Party] was already on the decline in terms of electoral support prior to, essentially, the dissolution of the campaign, it means that the impact of specific former B.C. United candidates running as Independents may be somewhat muted," he said.

Prest says that the candidates could potentially affect tight two-way races between the Conservatives and NDP or potentially three-way races when the Green Party is factored in.