With 18 days left in a 23-year career representing her constituents in Prince George-Valemount as a provincial MLA, Shirley Bond gathered some of her closest supporters Tuesday afternoon at the Prince George Coast Hotel lobby.
In her first public appearance since last Thursday’s announcement that she will not be a candidate in the Oct. 19 election, on the heels of BC United Leader Kevin Falcon’s decision to withdraw the party from the race, the 67-year-old Bond vowed to continue to fight for better health care and reform of the criminal justice system, and said she intends to keep up her push for more provisions to ease the burden on seniors.
In the end, she said, she was not prepared to follow Falcon’s suggestion for his party’s MLA nominees to join with John Rustad’s BC Conservatives in a united front to defeat the NDP government.
“What I want everyone to understand is how important this part of British Columbia is and I want to see reflected in the policies and platforms of whatever parties there are, a priority for this part of the province,” said Bond.
“That has been the goal in my career and why I (initially) agreed to run again, because I wanted to see the tower built at UHNBC. I am deeply concerned about the state of northern British Columbia.
“I do think we need an alternative to the NDP, but my values and the things I care about I want to see reflected. The decision was made the moment I received the phone call and I would not have changed that. I spent more than two decades being part of a large coalition party and when Kevin Falcon decided that our campaign as a party would end … my family and I decided it was best for me to find other ways to serve northern British Columbia.”
Before Falcon pulled the plug, Bond said, she considered not running for office this fall but said her party needed her leadership and experience, and it was going to be her final term. She said her family, specifically her daughter-in-law Cristina, made it clear to her this should be the last race because “they wanted some Grandma left at the end of this.
“I grappled with running again in the first place and was convinced to run again… and when I got the call (from Falcon) it was clear to me I needed to make this decision,” said Bond. “Rumours had started much earlier in the day (Wednesday) and I was already receiving texts from people. I was completely unaware, I was working.
“Decisions like that don’t just impact the elected person, they impact all of us, our donors, our supporters, our sponsors, our door knockers and our staff. It was a tough morning. I truly do believe (Falcon) loves British Columbia and he wants what is best for the province and that’s what drives his decision. The part that I’m still working to grapple with is the how.
“I understand you can’t have those discussions in public, but there are a lot of people whose lives changed in an instant.”
She said Rustad has not offered her a position as a BC Conservative MLA nominee and she did not expect one, saying she would decline his invitation. She saw a petition urging her to run as an independent candidate but she would not give that serious consideration.
Asked to respond to Rustad’s views on climate change and gender diversity which distanced himself from the policies of BC United and led to him becoming the BC Conservative leader, Bond was reminded of the heat wave of late June 2021 which brought unprecedented temperatures to the majority of the province for several days.
“I think people who know me well enough know that I believe climate change is real, I’m deeply concerned about that,” said Bond. “I will never forget in my life what a heat dome did - it killed over 600 frail British Columbians.
“I’ve always described myself as a fiscal conservative with a social conscience. I do believe we need an alternative to the NDP.”
Asked what she considers the highlight of her career as MLA, Bond spoke of health care gains for northern BC that in 2004 resulted in UNBC getting a medical school to train doctors who stay in the region, and the opening in 2012 of the BC Cancer Centre for the North, which localized cancer care for the northern half of the province.
“I was just so tired of sitting on planes with people in tears and in pain as they left their loved ones somewhere else,” she said. “We need to see them continue to improve. We need more capacity at our cancer centre and we need to continue to train doctors and additional healthcare professionals.”
Bond gained respect across the political spectrum as one of the hardest-working MLAs throughout her career. She was often the first member of the Legislature to arrive for work in government buildings and was often the last to leave.
“The faith that was placed in me, sending me to Victoria multiple times, drove me to be fierce on your behalf,” said Bond.
“To the people of Prince George, I tried my best to never forget why I was in Victoria and more importantly, who sent me there. I have a deep love for where we live and the people who live here. Whether you live in Prince George, Dome Creek, Crescent Spur, McBride, Dunster, Tête Jaune Cache, McBride, Valemount or Mount Robson, you have taught me about why we live in the best part of British Columbia and are eternally grateful.”
Bond said she will miss the strategy sessions she first experienced as a newly elected MLA for the governing BC Liberals in 2001, which led to her years as a cabinet minister and her role as Canada’s first female deputy premier, and that continued as one of the “kids in the basement” as part of the official opposition once the NDP was elected in 2017.
Flanked by her son Chris, his wife Cristina and her grandsons Caleb and Cooper, Bond thanked the hundreds of well-wishers from all over the province of all political stripes who texted or phoned her and posted thank-you notes on her downtown office windows since she announced she would not be seeking a seventh term as MLA.
She acknowledged that despite all the time she spent away from her family - missing birthdays, anniversaries, sporting events and school presentations while away attending events or on the road to attend to her constituents in the Robson Valley or work in Victoria at the Legislature - her family never made her feel badly about it.
“It’s a terrifying thing to put your name on ballot and I still feel that way,” said Bond. “It takes courage to do that and I celebrate everyone who has that courage, especially in this day and age. The degree of personal criticism it is not like I’ve seen before.
“People say you develop a thick skin when you’re a politician. I can tell you it may appear that way on the outside but you still have to go home and look yourself in the mirror. The criticism of what you wear and how you eat and how you look is frightening at times. Many of us have had to have additional security added to our offices and many of us have had death threats. It is not a job for the faint of heart.
“But I still believe there is a role for good people to be called to public service. That’s what drives me, wanting to make change and make a difference. I will have to do that in a different way now.”
Bond singled out healthcare workers for bearing the brunt of an overburdened medical system and thanked them for holding the system together, referring to the need for more mental health and substance-use treatment centres. She vowed to pressure politicians to end the revolving door of habitual offenders and the catch-and-release policies that ties the hands of police forces. She also said she will continue to advocate for seniors facing long lines for care home spaces.
“I want you to know that right up until a week ago I was working on policies and plans to lay out for better care for seniors in this province, and that work won’t end,” she said. “I will find a way to continue to be a voice to speak up on their behalf, they deserve so much better.
“And of course, we need to build the (UHNBC patient care) tower and it must include a helipad.”
With less than three weeks left in her final term, Bond says she still has much work left to do and intends to “finish well."
“This was not how I envisioned my career ending,” she said. “I honestly thought I would choose the timing or the electorate would, but we are where we are. In order for me to be true to my principles and values, loyalty chief among them, my family have made the difficult decision that we have.
“Many have said to me that I am loyal to a fault. Perhaps that was more accurate than I considered when I heard that. It is hard to imagine that less than a week ago, my team and I were knocking on doors, making phone calls, raising money., talking to constituents, preparing a sign plan and we have hundreds of signs.
“I want you to know how sorry I am that you were as surprised as I was at the way our campaign ended,” she said. “Make no mistake about it, there are people who are happy that my career is ending, and there are those of you who know how much I’ve poured my heart and soul into this job. Prince George-Valemount deserves an MLA that is going to step up, speak up and be fierce and we need those voices now.”
