The election is over … ish?
As of this writing, the final count of the October 19 election wasn’t quite done but it appeared things weren’t about to change (pretty much guaranteeing that things did).
Change was what the election was all about. Politicians of all stripes should take heed across the country.
Here in B.C. we wanted a change. We weren’t sure the Conservatives were the change we wanted, but we voted for change anyway. If David Eby and the New Democrats want to govern, they have to change how they govern. If John Rustad and the Conservatives want to govern, they have to realize their electoral success comes from a desire for change more than an electorate enamoured with Conservative policies.
We may not be lurching to the right as much, or as quickly, as conservative parties may like, or wish. It’s easy to look at federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s popularity in the polls and think so.
However, we only need to look at recent election results in New Brunswick where the Conservative government there was soundly trounced electorally and traditionally Conservative Saskatchewan where the NDP have made inroads to see it’s not necessarily a swing to the right.
Here in B.C. we certainly moved to the right. However, the Conservatives’ success here seems more a desire for change. The shine is wearing off incumbent governments across the country, especially ones that have been around for while (hello, Justin).
However, the biggest challenge for Rustad will be keeping the MLAs he has and right now neither party can afford to lose an MLA. The ink isn’t dry on the ballot paper yet and Rustad already has two candidates who, in normal times, would be turfed from any responsible party for offensive comments.
It’s jaw-dropping to think that Brent Chapman was elected, handily, in Surrey South after comments he made were brought to light. Firstly he questioned whether school shootings in the U.S. actually happened, then a social media post from 10 years ago surfaced where where he disparaged Palestinians.
He has since apologized for both comments. However, I refuse to believe those views are reflective of people in Surrey South, leading me to believe residents voted for the party rather than the candidate. They voted for change.
In Juan de Fuca, Malahat, the Conservative candidate Marina Sapozhnikov made very disparaging remarks towards First Nations.
Rustad got turfed from the BC United Party for comments a lot milder than what his candidates have uttered. Maybe because he’s been on the receiving end, he’s more tolerant.
A more likely reality is politics and power. Neither the Conservatives nor the NDP can afford to lose an MLA. Don’t show up late for a vote … it could topple the government. We went through this in 2017 when the NDP first formed government with a razor-thin minority that relied on the Green Party. Here we are again.
Regardless of what happens now, we will be heading to the polls again sooner rather than later. Both the NDP and Conservatives have to change something if they want to govern with a comfortable majority.
Bill Phillips is an award-winning columnist with 35 years of experience in community journalism.