The Northern View: BC Conservatives Surge

It’s been a crazy few weeks for Canadian and BC politics, with shocking stories seemingly coming from everywhere, including the news that the once again upstart BC Conservative Party, now led by Nechako-Lakes MLA John Rustad, has overtaken the Official Opposition BC United for second place in the province.A recent poll put the NDP at 35% voter support, BC Conservatives at 27%, BC United at 22%, and the BC Greens at 13%.

This was surprising, if not shocking, as the century-old BC Conservatives haven’t elected an MLA since the 1970s and haven’t led the provincial government since the early 1950s. While political observers were just wrapping their heads around this latest poll and trying to make sense of it all, Bruce Banman, former Mayor and current MLA from Abbotsford, crossed the floor in the legislature, leaving the BC United to join Rustad’s BC Conservatives. This, in itself, could be a game changer:

The BC Tories now gain official party status with two sitting MLAs, bringing with it more speaking time in question period and subsequent media exposure; significantly more funding allowing the party to hire crucial staff going into next year’s provincial election; and presumably giving John Rustad a place at the podium in the prime-time election debates with all the other party leaders.