The NDP is putting a homegrown Squamish local up against the leader of the opposition.
On Monday, Aug. 19, the party declared it will run Callista Ryan against Kevin Falcon in the urban riding of Vancouver-Quilchena in the coming provincial election.
Ryan, who works as a public-relations specialist and has spent time working in the public sector, was raised and educated in Squamish. Now living in Dunbar, she was acclaimed as the NDP’s candidate after less than a year of association with the party, though she has long associated with student politics—most recently serving as co-chair of the BC Young New Democrats.
“I have always been pretty involved in politics generally, and was quite active in Squamish growing up, so I’ve always been generally engaged in a non-partisan manner,” she told Glacier Media in an interview.
Ryan said her experience in student politics inspired her to throw her hat into the ring.
“[With] my years of student government, youth parliament, youth engagement and politics generally, I wanted to bring that perspective not just to the riding but to the province,” she said.
Ryan, 26, goes up against seasoned politician Falcon, who has a long history in politics.
“As a young woman I think it's a really strong contrast, and I’m really looking forward to having my political debut in such a high-profile riding, and to really tackle two conservative parties,” she said.
While the challenges of going up against a seasoned campaigner such as Falcon are not lost on Ryan, she noted the challenges Falcon and his party are facing in the coming election.
“One of the things I’m interested in seeing is how the vote may split or shift with the rise of the BC Conservative Party as well," she said. "Anything can happen in politics … I want to serve as a strong option for voters and those that want to see something different in the riding.”
Falcon has weathered three provincial elections where he won his riding (then Surrey-Cloverdale) by more than 60 per cent. In Vancouver-Quilchena, he won by 58.61 per cent in a 2022 by-election, improving on the previous BC Liberal result.
“I know Falcon has done strongly in those elections, but that wasn’t against another rising BC Conservative party which is pulling ahead of the BC United Party, so we’re going to see how that dynamic plays out within the riding. I know the polling across the province is a bit more broad but it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out within the riding itself,” said Ryan.
Tactical choice
UBC political science lecturer, Stewart Prest, said even if the NDP isn’t historically strong in Vancouver-Quilchena, the polling, and the opportunities offered by a young candidate who already has experience in politics, suggests the NDP is betting on distracting Falcon from the wider campaign.
“I think Mr. Falcon really can’t take anything for granted at this point, so I think he will certainly be spending a certain amount of time in his own riding to ensure that he wins reelection, but at the same time, he is going to be divided,” said Prest.
“He’s going to be trying to hold up the vote around the province, so he can’t put too much effort into campaigning in that riding itself, and that does create an opportunity for someone with a lot of energy to maximize the ground game and really knock on doors and try to harness the ability of their volunteers to make the case to voters.
“Mr. Falcon is vulnerable given the weak numbers of his party in general, and the lack of success in establishing the BC United brand, so there are reasons to believe he is beatable even in Quilchena, as strong as it has been for the BC Liberals in the past.”
Vancouver-Quilchena has always returned a BC Liberal (now BC United) member to the legislature under its current borders since 1991. The NDP has never broken above 30 per cent of the vote in the riding, with the closest it got being the 2020 provincial election where candidate Heather McQuilan won 28.56 per cent. That election was noted as an NDP landslide election at the time.
“Choosing someone that is young and fresh and can bring energy to the race and make a strong contrast with Mr Falcon—that is what the NDP is hoping to do here, to the extent that they can make life difficult for Mr. Falcon," Prest said. "I think the NDP can conclude that’s never a bad thing.”
Looking to represent youth
For Ryan’s campaign, she said she wanted to lean into youth representation.
“There are a lot of students in the riding and a lot of young people living at home and they want to stay in Vancouver-Quilchena but even if their families have a family home, they still can't afford to buy [their own] home in the riding and raise their kids and start their lives there," she said. "That’s the feedback I’m getting in the riding, and people want something different, and I want to be that option for them and provide that new perspective.”
Squamish plays a large role in her life story, she said.
“I want to make sure everyone has a bright future, and growing up in Squamish was a big part of that.
“I grew up in a low-income household and had to navigate a lot of complex family dynamics. Amid all the challenges I faced growing up and my family had to overcome, I was able to grow into the person I am now, I was able to go to post secondary, pursue an education on a scholarship and come back to B.C. and start a really promising career, and that's because of the really strong community supports that I had growing up in Squamish."
She added she is a believer in the strong role government plays in supporting communities and individuals in tough times.
“Right now—it's not a secret—times are really tough on everyone … but one of the things I really want to address is how it impacts young adults and young families in their 20s and 30s differently. There’s not a lot of representation for younger British Columbians ... over 60 per cent of British Columbians are under the age of 40, and there isn’t a lot of representation for those in their 20s. I think it's really important that we have that representation in the legislature.
“Knowing how much government and community has helped me become the person I am today to get where I am, I want to give that back and provide that perspective in B.C.s legislature.”
Besides her experience in youth politics, Ryan serves as a director on the board of the BC Council for Families, and was the vice president for communications while working in student government at Western University in London, Ont. It was in that role she said she got first-hand experience in high-pressure situations, serving as the lead communicator at a time the university was confronted with sexual and gender-based violence on campus.
“I’m not afraid to stand up for what's right and to represent people and their needs, and I’m really looking forward to being able to do that as a young woman in an election against Kevin Falcon,” she said.
The BC Conservative Party is also running a candidate against Falcon in October: Dallas Brodie, who also represented the Conservatives in the 2022 by-election where she won 6.6 per cent of the vote to Falcon’s 58.61 per cent. At time of writing, there is no Green Party candidate.
The next election is scheduled to take place on or before Oct. 19.
