BC United candidates still reeling from the party’s implosion tried to chart their political futures Thursday without a map.
Cowichan Valley candidate Jon Coleman said it was a “gut punch” to hear Wednesday that the party was suspending its campaign in the Oct. 19 election.
BC United Leader Kevin Falcon announced Wednesday that he had inked a deal with B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad to withdraw the BC United’s nominated candidates in order to prevent a vote split favouring the governing NDP.
Coleman, a member of the Cowichan Tribes and the owner of Jon-Co Contracting, said he’s been “running like a freight train” campaigning since December so he’s going to take this time to take a deep breath and “regroup.”
“My hat’s off to Kevin for doing what he did, you know, stepping aside and looking looking out for British Columbia in one aspect,” said Coleman. “In the other aspect is, what’s going to happen next, right? How does it unfold from here?”
Falcon and Rustad said Wednesday that BC United candidates would instead be pooled under the Conservative banner, with nominations to be reassessed in light of the deal between the two leaders.
Neither leader would say outright Wednesday that previously chosen candidates for either party would be replaced, although it appears inevitable — BC United’s website says it has 57 nominated candidates and the B.C. Conservatives website says it has nominated 83.
Elections BC reports that 30 BC United candidates and 64 B.C. Conservative candidates have submitted nomination papers.
The Cowichan Valley riding already has a long-time Conservative candidate in John Koury.
In a social media message on Wednesday, Koury thanked Falcon “for putting the province ahead of his politics” and gave a big thank you to Coleman for “his service,” saying “we welcome all your volunteers and supporters into our camp.”
Coleman said he plans to move forward in the race, but in which direction he’s not sure.
“I’m going to spend this weekend with my family,” he said, “and make a decision on the future.”
If asked to run for the Conservatives, Coleman said he’d “probably go.”
“Looking at the big picture is, how many Aboriginal business owners get the opportunity to stand up for British Columbia?” he asked “In my view, there’s not enough.”
Dale Parker, the BC United candidate in Nanaimo-Gabriola, was in Gold River when he got the news.
The provincial public service worker rushed back to his riding to be available for his team of supporters and volunteers.
“It’s my understanding Falcon is going to be reaching out to us, but I haven’t heard from anyone,” Parker said Thursday.
Viraat BK Thammanna has been nominated as the Conservative candidate in the riding.
Parker said for four months he and volunteers have spent long nights and weekends campaigning. He’s invested a lot of time and personal money in his campaign.
Parker said he would represent the Conservative if the party it got rid of its more extremist candidates — but “if far-right-wing extremists remained, it would go against my values.”
He isn’t sure if Falcon made the right decision, but concedes he doesn’t have the same information as the leader.
“I trust he did the right thing for the right reasons,” he said.
In Courtenay-Comox, BC United candidate Bill Coltart, said candidates like himself were getting much of their information Wednesday and Thursday from the media.
That said, Coltart maintains that the province cannot afford another four years of NDP government and believes Falcon made his decision “out of necessity” once it became apparent that splitting the vote was not an option.
“We’ll have to see what happens,” said Coltart, citing the leaders’ agreement to choose the strongest candidates for each riding “regardless of whether they’re Conservative of BC United.”
There is already a Conservative candidate, Brennan Day, running in the riding.
Asked whether he’ll keep his name in the game for consideration, Coltart said that’s a conversation he has yet to have with his family.
“I haven’t thrown in the towel,” said Coltart. Running as an independent, given the right circumstances and running as a Conservative “we’ve taken nothing off the table at this point,” he said.
Some Vancouver Island candidates have already decided to end their campaigns, including Megan Brame in Esquimalt-Colwood. She said didn’t get into the race for power or acclaim but rather “genuine intentions to make the province better.”
She wasn’t alone. Several other BC United candidates — including veteran MLAs — announced the end of their candidacies.
Former minister and opposition leader Shirley Bond announced she was ending her candidacy in Prince George-Valemount, saying in a statement that Falcon’s move “came as a complete surprise.”
She said she had spent the previous 24 hours thinking about what to do, and would now spend “a few days to reflect and spend time with the family I cherish.”
Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone had earlier told a news conference in Kamloops he would not be seeking re-election and urged supporters to instead back Conservative candidate Ward Stamer, mayor of nearby Barriere.
Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier said he would run as a Conservative if asked, but was not ruling out campaigning as an independent.
Bernier said he was waiting for Rustad to ask him to run in the staunchly conservative Dawson Creek area riding, which he has represented since 2013.
“If he wants to have me, as I think I am the best candidate for Peace River South, then that means he needs to go to the person who’s been nominated for the B.C. Conservatives and say, ‘Sorry, you’re not running now,’ ” said Bernier.
— With a file from The Canadian Press
