Former B.C. United MLAS hope to hold balance of power as Independents

West Vancouver-Capilano MLA Karin Kirkpatrick is seen in an image from her Facebook page.

A handful of incumbent MLAs running as Independents after the collapse of B.C. United are hoping their track records and reputations will win them re-election, potentially shifting the balance of power in the legislature.

Only nine Independents have been elected in B.C. since political parties were first listed on the ballot 121 years ago. However, the five incumbents running this time around are hardly political outsiders, all having won their ridings handily in 2020 before serving as members of the official Opposition.

When Kevin Falcon announced he would be withdrawing all of the candidates that had been acclaimed for B.C. United, he threw his support behind the B.C. Conservatives in a move he explicitly acknowledged was meant to prevent vote-splitting on the right, setting up a tight, two-way race.

But Karin Kirkpatrick (West Vancouver-Capilano), Coralee Oakes, (Prince George-North Cariboo), Tom Shypitka (Kootenay-Rockies), Dan Davies (Peace River North) and Mike Bernier (Peace River South) are hoping voters in their ridings will choose a third option and vote Independent.

Kirkpatrick, who won her riding with 53.8 per cent of the vote in 2020, initially said she was not going to run for re-election after her first term. However, she re-entered the race after B.C. United was wiped off the ballot.

"Nobody should have to choose between an ineffective NDP government and a B.C. Conservative party that tolerates extremism," she said.

Coralee Oakes was first elected in 2013 and won her riding with 51.5 per cent of the vote in 2020.

Like Kirkpatrick, she has said her decision to run as in Independent was made to offer the constituents of her riding an alternative.

"Many feel abandoned, with fewer options to represent their values," she said when announcing her decision. "My loyalty has always been to the people of this region, and that will never change."

Unlike Oakes and Kirkpatrick, the other three incumbents seemed willing to consider running under the B.C. Conservatove banner – at least at first. None of them were ultimately tapped to represent John Rustad's party in their ridings, leaving them with no choice but to withdraw or run as Independents.

Shypitka said he was offered the chance to run in a different riding as a B.C. Conservative, but declined. Now he is hoping that he and the other incumbents will be in a power position if voters elect a minority government

"The likely outcome is that we will have the rare situation that our Independent voice will be the deciding factor in who becomes government," he said in a statement during the lead-up to election day.

First elected in 2017, Shypitka took 57.5 per cent of the vote in 2020. He did not face a Conservative candidate.

The two Peace River candidates are the only two of the five incumbents who faced a notable challenge from the B.C. Conservatives in 2020. Bernier and Davies each secured more than 50 per cent of the vote – but the Conservative candidates in their ridings took home more than 30 per cent. At that time, there had not been a sitting Conservative MLA since 2012.

Bernier has been representing his riding since 2013, and served as a cabinet minister for the B.C. Liberals. Announcing his run as an Independent, he said he did not want to "bend" his morals and values by running with the provincial Conservatives, describing some of the party's candidates as holding views that are "anti-women's rights,” “anti-climate change" and "anti-First Nations."

Like Shypitka, he has said he is hopeful several Independents will not only be elected but will have an impact.

"Imagine if a few Independents hold the balance of power this election. It could happen!" he posted on social media.

Davies, who was first elected in 2017, said he reached out to the B.C. Conservatives after the collapse of B.C. United, but did not receive a response. After deciding to run as an Independent, he said he was hopeful that he could become a "power broker" in the event of a minority government.

In 2017, B.C. elected its first minority government since 1952. The three MLAs elected for the B.C. Greens found themselves in the position of tilting the balance of power, entering into a confidence and supply agreement that enabled the B.C. NDP to form government.

With files from The Canadian Press

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