B.C. election campaign ends with downpours, handshakes, tough questions

A whirlwind 28-day campaign has now ended, undoubtedly going down in history one of the most unusual election campaigns British Columbians have ever seen.

Continuing revelations of bizarre or outright offensive comments by Conservative candidates, an incumbent New Democrat government working double-time to try and convince voters they deserve a second term, and a Green Party working alongside a slew of Independent candidates – most political orphans after the implosion of the BC United party – have given voters much to consider ahead of general voting day. 

David Eby criss-crossed the Lower Mainland with five campaign stops in and out of heavy rainfall, courting Muslims disturbed by online comments made by a Conservative candidate but also posing tough questions to the NDP leader.

On Friday morning, he told reporters that he has no regrets about how he’s run the campaign.

“We have done all we can, we have left nothing on the table,” said Eby at a stop in Coquitlam. “It’s been absolutely critical for me to show up in this campaign, to be in front of British Columbians directly, to be available to answer questions because the challenges that British Columbians face are serious and they’re hard and they’re not solved easily with a tweet or a meme—they’re solved through hard work and plans.”

Eby was greeted by enthusiastic supporters in Coquitlam, North Vancouver, Surrey, and Maple Ridge, where the final stop of the campaign saw NDP supporters at four corners of a major downtown intersection cheering him on as passing motorists honked their horns in support.

Low profile for Conservative leader

The leader of the B.C. Conservatives didn’t have any public events on his schedule on Thursday, and his team eventually decided to allow journalists to a campaign rally in Surrey that was listed on the party’s website.

There was a strong turnout for John Rustad at the event, which he followed with visits to two campaign offices on the North Shore on Friday.

“The energy around the province is really quite something,” Rustad told supporters in West Vancouver Friday afternoon. “The grassroots movement that is happening across this province is just remarkable.”

Green leader continues campaign to flip riding

B.C. Green leader Sonia Furstenau is working hard to retain her seat in the legislature while running in a new riding; she’s now campaigning in Victoria-Beacon Hill after moving back to the city from the Cowichan Valley.

“I’ve stayed true to who I am,” she said Friday. “I wanted this campaign to be rooted in truth and hope and joy, and it has been."

Victoria-Beacon Hill has been an NDP stronghold for decades, but Furstenau hasn’t been deterred, with her supporters buoyed by her debate performance, widely described as poised, reasonable, and impressive.

Furstenau and her candidates have urged voters to support Green and Independent candidates to force a minority government. She argues multi-party systems are better positioned to serve voters and re-electing her and other Greens will help keep whatever party forms power accountable.

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