The B.C. United Party is suspending its election campaign and joining forces with the surging Conservative Party of B.C. in a move intended to unite the right-of-centre vote.
A joint news release confirming the move said that B.C. United leader Kevin Falcon will step down, and the two parties will merge campaign efforts ahead of the October 19th provincial election.
“I know that the best thing for the future of our province is to defeat the NDP, but we cannot do that when the centre-right vote is split,” said Falcon in a statement.
According to the statement, nominations of B.C. United candidates will be withdrawn to enable the Conservatives to draw from B.C. United’s pool of incumbent MLAs and candidates.
Under Leader John Rustad, the B.C. Conservatives have been climbing in the polls and raking in donations. Rustad has scheduled a news conference for 2:40 p.m. PT.
“I’ve known Kevin Falcon for 20 years, and while we haven’t always seen eye to eye, we both know there is too much at stake to let past disagreements get in the way of defeating David Eby and the radical NDP,” said Rustad, in a statement.
Last week, a survey from Mainstreet Research put the B.C. Conservatives in the lead in terms of voting intention at 36 per cent support, ahead of the governing B.C. NDP at 33 per cent.
Speaking at a clean energy news conference, Premier David Eby said both Rustad and Falcon are trying to distance themselves from their record as members of the former governing B.C. Liberal Party.
“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,” said Eby. “Whatever they change their name to before the election, they’re still the same guys.”
WATCH | Premier David Eby on B.C. United’s withdrawal:
When asked about the decision, Premier David Eby said that both leaders are trying to distance themselves from their record as members of the former governing B.C. Liberal Party.
Falcon led the charge to change the name of the B.C. Liberal Party to B.C. United in April of last year, but the move has since been criticized as being confusing to voters.
On social media, Caroline Elliott, the B.C. United candidate for West Vancouver-Capilano, cheered the development.
“The right thing is sometimes the hardest thing to do, but Kevin Falcon is putting B.C. first, as he’s done throughout his career,” said Elliott. “This is bigger than any one person. I’ll be the first to stand aside in my local riding to support the best chance to defeat the NDP.