By Cheryl Jahn

No Independent MLAs surprising

Oct 23, 2024 | 2:51 PM

NORTHERN BC – The ballots say it all. A record number of independents at 40. But, despite the numbers, not one of those 40 grabbed a seat.

Mike Bernier was one of those names.

Bernier was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2013. In 2017, he was re-elected in his riding of Peace River South with 76 per cent of the vote, the highest a BC Liberal has ever been elected in provincial history. But he got a less of the popular vote on Saturday. Only 25 per cent. Nonetheless, he felt that, based on the sheer number of Independents running

“To see none of them elected or not even close. It was a little bit of a surprise,” says Bernier. “But it also reminded a lot of us when we talked afterwards that it wasn’t so much just the independents. It was quite a movement of change, and especially in rural British Columbia.”

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“We talk about sometimes how the polls might be wrong, but nine times out of ten, polls are right,” says Chris Beach, Political Science Instructor with CNC. “And if you look at this time, most polls were within the margin of error about the actual eventual percentage of vote, 44 and a half per cent roughly for each party. And the same time, political history says that independents rarely get elected.”

Other Northern BC incumbent MLAs that ran as Independents are Coralee Oakes who got 22 percent and Dan Davies who came in at 20 per cent

On August 28th, BC United Leader Kevin Falcon dissolved his party, pulling the candidates from the running. The day before, most of those who ran as an Independent in the election campaigned under the banner of the BC United. It gave those candidates very little time to get a platform in place.

“The fact that with basically one week before the election, we had to start over by no longer being B.C. United candidates,” says Bernier.

Chris Beach says that move by Falcon may have made a difference.

“The way that the BC United leader basically pulled the rug out from under all of his candidates across the province was a tough pill to swallow. And it put those soon-to-be Independents at a disadvantage,” says Beach.

But while the next four years have yet to determined, the Independent candidates, like Bernier, are spending time with family.