BC United leader Kevin Falcon’s announcement Wednesday afternoon that he is suspending his party’s campaign and urging all BC United supporters to join with John Rustad and the Conservative Party of BC in their quest to defeat the NDP government in the Oct. 18 election is sending shockwaves across the province.
Nominations of BC United’s registered candidates for the election will be withdrawn to allow the Conservatives to select from that pool of prospective MLAs in a united front to prevent the David Eby government from winning another four-year mandate, the parties announced.
The agreement between the two parties stipulates that the Conservatives will conduct an improved vetting process to assemble a team they believe will be strong enough to result in a change in government.
Shirley Bond (Prince George-Valemount) and Coralee Oakes (Prince George-Cariboo North), two of the three sitting MLAs who represent Prince George ridings, have declared they are running in the election as BC United candidates.
The third, Mike Morris (Prince George-Mackenzie), is stepping down after 11 years of serving his riding with the BC Liberals and BC United.
Kiel Giddens was chosen as the BC United candidate for Prince George-Mackenzie to run to replace Morris.
The 39-year-old Giddens was just about to begin a leave of absence this week from his job at Coastal GasLink as its B.C. director of public affairs so he could tackle his campaign full-time when Falcon made his unexpected announcement in a conference call Wednesday to all BC United candidates.
“It’s been quite the interesting day, B.C. politics can change on a dime and we’re known for our pretty wild political history in this province, that’s for sure,” said Giddens.
“There’s little I can say at this point, it’s still very early. Obviously the decision did come as a surprise, so I don’t know what it means to my campaign locally. I’ve been out knocking on hundreds of doors, I’ve been at events engaging with people and we’re getting significant traction on my campaign and felt that we were in a good place."
He said Falcon planned to reach out to each of the BC United candidates individually at some point.
“There’s still a lot of dust to settle in this whole picture to figure out what happens next," he said. "No matter what, I will be here for public service however I can. I don’t know anything right now. I was quite surprising to hear this news today, I was quite shocked.”
Giddens said he has not yet spoken to Rustad, who he knows from his early days working with the BC Liberals in Victoria as a volunteer, which began for him 16 years ago.
“I’ve known him for a long time,” said Giddens. “My desk when I first started out at the Leg was right outside his office and I know John and Kim very well. It’s a different beast for us here, for the politics to play out.
“I’ve been telling people locally we need to unite this centre-right and have been campaigning under the BC United banner to say that. I have stated I am willing to reach across and invite federal Conservatives and federal Liberals and anyone else who wants to beat the NDP. I made it very clear that we need to unite at this time to beat the NDP and get better governance in this province.”
Houston Mayor Shane Brienen was BC United's Nechako Lakes candidate.
The B.C. Conservatives have candidates in all three Prince George ridings, including Rosalyn Bird (Prince George-Valemount), Sheldon Clare (Prince George-North Cariboo) and Rachael Weber (Prince George-Mackenzie), while Rustad holds down the seat for Nechako Lakes, west of Prince George.
“I can’t say anything because there’s so much in flux right now,” said Clare. “The party is basically doing all kinds of things to look at this and I can’t say anything. The only one authorized to comment is John (Rustad).”
The Citizen is awaiting comment from Rustad.
Wednesday’s announcement was the latest setback in what have been turbulent times for BC United.
On June 3, South Surrey MLA Elenore Sturko defected from BC United to the Conservatives, following the lead of Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerksen, on May 31, and Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman, who crossed the floor from BC United last fall.
On July 29, Richmond North Centre MLA Teresa Wat joined with Rustad’s Conservatives from BC United.
Rustad jumped to the Conservatives in February 2023, after he was removed from the BC Liberal caucus for voicing his opposing views on climate change.
The BC Liberals changed their name to BC United on April 11, 2023.
“I got into politics because I wanted to build a bright future for my two daughters and the next generation of British Columbians,” said Falcon, in a joint BC United-Conservative Party of BC media release. “Today I’m stepping back for the same reason.
“I know the best thing for the future of the province is to defeat the NDP but we cannot do that when the centre-right vote is split.”
An Abacus Data poll based on a survey of 1,000 eligible voters conducted Aug. 14-16 showed BC United tied with the Green Party with just 10 per cent support from committed voters.
The NDP led the poll at 42 per cent, while the Conservatives were at 37 per cent.
In the joint party release, Rustad welcomed the news that BC United had dropped out, ending months of speculation based on dismal polling results.
“I’ve known Kevin Falcon for 20 years, and while we haven’t always seen eye to eye, we both know there’s too much at stake to let past disagreements get in the way of defeating David Eby and the radical NDP,” said Rustad.
“I’ve never doubted Kevin Falcon’s commitment to our province, and today, I applaud his decision to put B.C. first, as he’s done throughout his career.”
