B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau says she will run in the riding of Victoria-Beacon Hill in the provincial election this fall.
Furstenau has represented Cowichan Valley in the legislature since 2017.
The Victoria-Beacon Hill riding is considered an NDP stronghold. It’s currently held by Children and Family Development Minister Grace Lore, and was previously held by former NDP leader Carole James.
Furstenau told a news conference in Victoria on Wednesday that the decision to return to the city and run in Victoria “is really rooted in what is best for our family.”
Furstenau said her son and his new wife live in Victoria and her younger son is attending the University of Victoria, which her youngest child also plans to attend.
Furstenau, who moved to Shawnigan Lake from James Bay in 2011 to work as a teacher, did not say whether she would step down if not re-elected in the new riding, saying that’s a decision for the future.
“I am focused on presenting to British Columbians an option for them to vote for something that they can believe in that they can be excited by, that they will have a feeling of hope and expectation that things can improve — because they absolutely can.”
On the social-media platform X, Lore welcomed Furstenau to the race, saying she looks forward to discussing the issues that the people in the community care about — housing, the climate crisis, reconciliation, health care and more.
“I hope that even when we disagree on exactly how to reach a goal, we can remember the common values we have on so many issues,” said Lore, following the B.C. Green leader’s announcement. “Anticipating some constructive debates!”
The provincial election is scheduled for Oct. 19. Under electoral changes that will add six electoral districts and raise the number of seats in B.C. to 93 from 87, the Cowichan Valley riding will be split in two. The new Juan de Fuca-Malahat riding stretches from Sooke to Shawnigan Lake.
Political commentator David Black, an associate professor at Royal Roads University, said the B.C. Green leader’s decision to run in Victoria might make sense for her family, but he fails to understand the political calculation.
“Her political identity is very much tied to the Cowichan Valley riding,” said Black.
Furstenau came into Green politics with an established profile as a community organizer and member of the Shawnigan Residents’ Association protesting a permit for a waste dump that was threatening the community’s water supply.
She was a Capital Regional District director and went on to be elected as an MLA representing Cowichan Valley in 2017, becoming leader of the B.C. Greens in 2020.
Black noted that Furstenau won her seat in 2020 by about percentage four points and she’ll be running in the Victoria-Beacon Hill riding where the governing NDP won by 25 points.
“So she goes from a riding where she’s well known, obviously with the profile that comes from being a community organizer, and more recently, the MLA and party leader,” said Black. “And she’s planning to move to a riding where the Greens lost by 25 points.”
The electoral math and current poll projections — which will undoubtedly change — suggest the NDP could win in the neighbourhood of 78 of 93 seats, said Black.
“I just I don’t understand the political calculation here,” said Black. “Politically, both for her and for the Green Party, this does not seem like a sensible decision.”
If Furstenau isn’t elected but remains leader, she would not be able to ask questions in the B.C. legislature or garner the attention she would if elected, he said.
If the Greens lose their Cowichan Valley seat and don’t pick up another seat, and are represented by only one member — Saanich North and the Islands MLA Adam Olsen — they would lose their official party status and the resources that come with it.
“This is a potential double blow for the party,” said Black.
“You could have a one-person party in Adam Olsen, who’s quite effective but who would essentially be a person without a party, no official party status, no resources and a kind of lone voice for the Greens in B.C. so I just don’t see the political good sense of this decision.”
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