Anonymous website calls for BC United's Kevin Falcon to resign

Kevin Falcon's party, BC United, has dropped dramatically in opinion polls.

Days after efforts to broker a deal with the BC Conservatives fell apart, he was the target Monday of an anonymous online campaign calling for him to resign as leader

“Not the kind of situation that Kevin Falcon wants to see right now,” noted pollster Mario Canseco, the founder of Research Co., on Tuesday.

The group behind the website — which also posted online to a few dozens followers on X — declined an interview request, instead telling CTV in a statement, “We represent several members of the party who were both active in the BC Liberal days, and after the name change. All of us are members, some of us were staffers — but none of our group represents any elected official.”

The statement went on to say, “We are anonymous because we fear the kind of retribution that could come to us from Kevin and his team.”

Canseco said this might reflect the voices Falcon isn't listening to, adding "they've decided to take their case to the public."

In a statement, the communications director for BC United said the party doesn't respond to inquiries from anonymous social media accounts or websites.

"There is no evidence it is run by any former members of BC United, and is more likely another underhanded scheme from John Rustad's BC Conservatives after he torpedoed negotiations last week," the statement said.

Rustad’s office told CTV it had no idea who made the website.

Meanwhile, Hamish Telford, a political scientist with the University of the Fraser Valley, said Tuesday that Falcon needs to do something big to turn his party's fortunes around

"He needs to throw out his ‘hail mary’ pass, now," said Telford. "Put out that big idea that gets everyone talking about his policy."

Calls for other leaders to resign have succeeded — notably Carole James and Gordon Campbell — but one of the major differences in this case is that in those previous examples, Telford notes, those calling for resignations werent anonymous.

“Those are people who stood up, and face-to- face, to their leader and said you gotta go,” recalled Telford.

For now it remains uncertain who is behind the website — and if they’re even with Falcon's party. But it's a message no leader wants to hear, especially four months before an election.