BC United suspending election campaign to avoid vote-splitting on the right

The party that currently forms B.C.'s official Opposition has called off its election campaign and is urging its candidates and supporters to unite with the BC Conservatives to defeat the governing NDP.

BC United Leader Kevin Falcon and BC Conservative Leader John Rustad held a joint news conference to announce the move, which they stressed was being made to prevent potential vote-splitting on the right after the Conservatives emerged from near-obscurity to blow past United in the polls.

Falcon said the decision was difficult and drew the ire of some in his caucus, but also described it repeatedly as the right thing to do. 

"There is nothing more important to me, my children, and your children and grandchildren, that we not give the NDP one more day in power than they absolutely have to have," he said, later adding that it is his genuine belief that a victory for the BC NDP will "destroy" the province.

Falcon likened the choice to ripping off a Band-Aid, saying it was preferable to continuing a campaign where defeat seemed all but inevitable and where people who turned out to BC United events told him they were struggling to throw their support behind a party that did not seem like it could win.

Rustad acknowledged that the move, less than two months before voters go to the polls, "created a lot of disruption." Like Falcon, he was explicit that the end goal is to defeat Premier David Eby and the BC NDP.

"I'm so thrilled and pleased that we're able to bring this together, even though I know it's very tough on a lot of people. But by doing this, we are going to have the best opportunity possible to bring an end to these radical policies, to the destruction that's happened in British Columbia, and to make sure that people can be positive about building a good future," he said.

What's next?

The nominations of all BC United candidates will be withdrawn and some will be invited to run with the BC Conservatives. Before it was taken offline Wednesday afternoon, the 2024 campaign website for BC United listed a slate of 56 candidates, in addition to Falcon. It is not clear how many of those candidates will end up on the ballot in October. What is also unclear is if some of the candidates currently running for the BC Conservatives will be replaced with incumbent MLAs or others who were running with BC United.

What is clear is that Falcon himself is not running, and he said any "opprobrium" over the decision and the party's performance should be directed solely and squarely at him.

His focus now, Falcon said, will be on working with Rustad and the BC Conservatives on selecting the "best possible candidates."

No details on how these candidates will be selected was provided and both leaders would not say when the process will be complete.

Falcon did say Rustad acknowledged that the vetting process for BC Conservative candidates has not been "as rigorous" as it has been for BC United.

Falcon has been a vocal critic of Rustad's Conservatives fielding candidates with extreme and controversial views. He has also attacked Rustad as too extreme and ill-suited for leadership.

Endorsing Rustad, Falcon said, is the right choice even if they align on "about 75 per cent" of issues.

"On his very worst day, John Rustad would be a far better premier than David Eby on his very best day. And I've never lost sight of that bigger picture," he said.

The rise of the BC Conservatives

The move comes after months of polling suggesting BC United, formerly the BC Liberals, has lost significant ground to the BC Conservatives. In the last election, the BC Conservatives didn’t send a single MLA to the legislature.

That changed when John Rustad was ousted from the BC Liberal Party by Falcon – for controversial remarks denying the role of carbon dioxide in climate change – and became the BC Conservatives' only sitting member.

In the lead-up to the election, there have been several high-profile defections from BC United to the BC Conservatives, with those MLAs citing the need to defeat David Eby and the NDP as the primary reason why.

Premier weighs in

The premier, at an unrelated news conference, commented on the development before it was made official – saying the BC Conservatives have an agenda the NDP staunchly opposes.

"They want to cut health care again. They're really clear about that. They don't want to build new schools for kids, they're happier with crowded classrooms. They want to cut, cut, cut when we need to build, build, build," Eby said.

"The choice will be quite stark whoever it is who finally shows up on the ballot."

Eby also said both Rustad and Falcon have spent most of their tenure in the legislature as BC Liberals and accused them of trying to distance themselves from that party's legacy.

"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," he said.

The B.C. election is on Oct. 19.