Two high-profile B.C. United MLAs have withdrawn from the upcoming provincial election following a decision from their party leader to throw his support behind John Rustad’s B.C. Conservatives.
Both Shirley Bond and Todd Stone, who have served as cabinet minister in what was then the B.C. Liberal party, say they will not be running in the next election. Meanwhile, Peace River-South MLA Mike Bernier says he may run as an independent.
B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon’s decision to pull his party from the upcoming campaign, which he announced on Wednesday, has given voters in the province a clear left-versus-right choice — but it’s also left almost two dozen incumbent party MLAs pondering their futures.
The suspension of the Opposition’s election campaign, consolidating its pool of potential candidates with the B.C. Conservatives, means dozens between both camps will lose party endorsement in their ridings.
Rustad takes questions on climate change, sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), wildfires and politics.
There are 93 ridings being contested in the 2024 B.C. election. The B.C. Conservatives have put forth 83 candidates, and B.C. United had announced 57. There are five sitting B.C. Conservative MLAs, whereas B.C. United has 23 sitting MLAs.
Falcon and Rustad say the two parties will jointly work out a process to field the best candidates for the Oct. 19 election, but the details have yet to be arranged.
23 year political career coming to an end
Among those who have decided to step away are Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond, who announced her decision to withdraw her candidacy Thursday.
The decision signals the end of a more than two-decade career in B.C. legislature, which started in 2001 and includes time served as the party’s interim leader before Falcon took the reins.
The campaign suspension was a “complete surprise,” Bond said in a press release.
“I have spent the past 24 hours with my family thinking about what my next steps should be. Together, we have decided that I will be withdrawing my name as a candidate in the upcoming provincial election,” she wrote.
Bond said she will speak to media in-person on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Stone throws support behind Conservatives
B.C. United MLA Todd Stone also announced Thursday he would not be seeking re-election in his Kamloops riding, and will be supporting Ward Stamer, the B.C. Conservatives candidate for Kamloops-North Thompson.
In a news conference Thursday, Stone said he made the decision earlier this week in order to support the coalition. Stone says he let Falcon know his intentions on Tuesday.
“I firmly believe there is a time for everything. It was the right time for me to enter public life back in 2013, but my gut tells me today that now is the time for me to step back,” Stone said.
Falcon said Wednesday he would not be running for re-election as an MLA.
Dawson Creek MLA may run as independent
Veteran party member Mike Bernier, who represents the staunchly Conservative Peace River South riding in the Dawson Creek area, says caucus members and staff were blindsided by Falcon’s decision.
Bernier, a three-term incumbent, says he still wants to represent his constituents and would likely accept an opportunity to seek re-election as a B.C. Conservative — but if the offer does not arrive, he says he might run as an independent.
“I haven’t been called and the assumption is that he [Rustad] probably doesn’t want me or my experience at that table,” he said in an interview with CBC News. “I’ll see if I get a call from John but I’m not holding my breath.”
Bernier said it’s his belief that voters in his riding of Peace River-South vote for candidates over party, so he would be talking to his family and supporters about whether he should stand in the next election.
He also said that while he understands Falcon’s decision, he is disappointed that it could spell the end for a party with a long history in B.C.
“But really, yesterday was a bit of a gut shot for a lot of us,” said Bernier, who made a policy announcement with Falcon for B.C. United on Tuesday. “We didn’t know it was coming that way and so we were definitely surprised, and felt a little bit abandoned.”
“We didn’t get anything from [Falcon] yesterday, other than ‘I made my decision, this is the right thing for the province, I’ll be making an announcement in five minutes'” Bernier said.
“It’s hard to put into words how crazy this has been,” he said. “I think this is a lesson for everyone in a lot of ways, that how fickle and crazy politics in British Columbia and Canada.”