BC Political Discussion: Election 2020 and Beyond

[Migrant_Coconut]

He already said no yesterday.

At any rate, a Unite the Right in BC can't win elections without flipping suburban Vancouver away from the Dippers... who as of last elections had cornered up to 60% of the vote.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

He already said no yesterday.

At any rate, a Unite the Right in BC can't win elections without flipping suburban Vancouver away from the Dippers... who as of last elections had cornered up to 60% of the vote.

Yeah the best thing the Conservatives and United can do this election (in less than 6 months) is to not run candidates against each other, and then join forces in the hope they have enough candidates combined to form a minority government. That means somehow making inroads in Metro Van and that's unlikely to happen.

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Yeah the best thing the Conservatives and United can do this election (in less than 6 months) is to not run candidates against each other

That ship has sailed, they've both announced a ton of candidates, Rustad has said that the Conservatives are going to run a full slate and I would be shocked if BC United didn't do the same. Not running a full slate is a sign of weakness.

[RedArbutus]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Wait, wut?! I really doubt either Falcon or Rustad would swallow their egos and go along with this.

Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West considering leading merged BC United-Conservative party
By Richard Zussman Global News
Posted May 15, 2024

Political winds of change are starting to blow and they are coming from the West.

Sources tell Global News that business leaders and political organizers have approached Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West about leading a potentially merged free-enterprise coalition party.

According to those sources, West is considering the option but it would require both current BC United Leader Kevin Falcon and Conservative Party of BC leader John Rustad to step down from their respective parties.

“(West) has hitched his brand on being a little bit populist, a little bit common sense. He has cast himself as an alternative to the NDP,” UBC political scientist Gerald Baier said.

“He’s young, he’s photogenic, all the things that make a leader successful in provincial politics. He does not have a reputation of being strident one direction or another.”...

... When asked broadly about merger talks on Tuesday, Falcon said his party is running 93 candidates in the next election. But he did acknowledge he would consider making some sort of deal if it meant defeating the BC NDP.

“What I care about is putting the interests of the province well ahead of my own interests and I will always do the right thing for free enterprise,” Falcon said.

“We have more in common than divides us, but we call all agree there must be a better government than the NDP for B.C.”...

https://globalnews.ca/news/10498519/...vative-merger/

What a gongshow. Just two years ago Brad West was tweeting that it would be a "cold day in hell" before he'd consider a leadership role in the BC Liberals. Now he's blaming living wage disparities on pronouns and engaging in a dance with Rustad. Populist grift is alive and well.

[RedArbutus]

Richard Zussman (followed by other reporters now) is saying that Lorne Doerkson will be defecting from BC United to the Conservatives, and that BCU MLAs are pleading with Doerkson this very moment to not go through with it.

https://x.com/richardzussman/status/1796584168132157460

There's rumblings elsewhere that there will be a "series of defections". Rustad holding a press conference at 1.00pm for a major announcement.