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British Columbia·This is Vancouver Island

Why politicization is both infuriating and boring to B.C. voters

As British Columbians prepare to head to the polls next month, three Vancouver Islanders tell CBC they’re sick of hearing negative campaigning and efforts to divide; what they want to hear is candidates sharing solutions.

Voters say they want to hear real solutions, not politicization

CBC News ·
A composite image shows three people: a smiling woman with a hair net, a man wearing a face mask, and a smiling woman in a black dress.
Aki Kaltenbach, left, in the kitchen of her plant-based seafood company in Victoria. Jules Sherred, centre, is a food photographer and cookbook author in the Cowichan Valley. Courtney Castledine, right, is a certified financial planner. All three intend to vote in the upcoming B.C. election. (Michael McArthur/CBC, Kathryn Marlow/CBC, Submitted by Courtney Castledine)

Some voters on Vancouver Island say they're sick of political campaigns that are negative and divisive. 

Speaking on the CBC podcast This is Vancouver Island, three island residents said they'll support candidates who present solutions and don't just politicize.

Fifteen of the 93 MLAs elected in B.C.'s October 19 election will be from Vancouver Island.

Courtney Castledine, who lives in the Victoria suburb of Colwood, said that when deciding how to vote, she wants to know what the candidates stand for, what sort of experience they have, and what they're doing in her community. 

What she doesn't want to hear? Negative campaigning. 

"That sort of thing that turns me off," Castledine told podcast host Kathryn Marlow.

"I just find it not constructive in terms of helping us move forward."

A composite image of three portraits featuring, from left, two men and a woman.
From left: B.C. NDP Leader David Eby, B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad, B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Aki Kaltenbach agrees. 

She lives in Victoria and said it's unhelpful when politicians try to pit one side against the other — and distracts from the actual issues. 

"It's frustrating because we know what's important ... to us," said Kaltenbach. "And so how are they going to solve some of the biggest problems we are facing?"

She said she wants to hear solutions to problems like climate change, affordability, and health care.

When she hears politicization instead? 

"The whole process is infuriating. It's frustrating and boring." 

Jules Sherred, who lives north of Victoria in the Cowichan Valley, said tone definitely matters when he decides who gets his vote. 

"I'm always listening to tone and messaging because I don't like name-calling. I don't like slinging."

But he offers one caveat: while he's generally for calm and positive campaigning, he does want to hear candidates speak up when a marginalized person or group is being abused or bullied. 

To hear more about what Islanders are thinking about as they decide how to vote in October, listen to the latest episode of This is Vancouver Island: 

26:58What makes islanders vote?
Candidates are vying for votes in 15 provincial ridings on the Island. In recent elections, voters in their 30s and 40s have been least likely to show up at the polls - so we ask three islanders in that age category why they vote, what turns them off certain candidates, and what helps them decide who to choose. Plus, VIU professor Paula Waatainen on how to talk to kids and teens about elections.

Islanders, this is a podcast for you. Life on Vancouver Island isn't all sunset strolls and forest bathing — it can be frustrating, isolating and expensive. We're going to talk about the good, the bad and everything in between. Hosted by Kathryn Marlow, every Tuesday.

Tune into This is Vancouver Island every Tuesday on CBC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.

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