The state of local election campaigns remain unclear after BC United leader Kevin Falcon's stunning announcement that his party was going to suspend its provincial campaign, while encouraging supporters to unite behind the Conservative Party of B.C.
Tom Shypitka, the BC United incumbent for Kootenay-Rockies, said he was shell-shocked by the news.
"I was literally chairing a finance committee meeting when I heard all this stuff happen," said Shypitka. "Of course, I got out of the meeting as quickly as I could and walked into a hornets nest of activity, none of it positive."
As BC United caucus chair, Shypitka said he and other BC United MLAs had no idea talks were occurring between BC United and the Conservative Party of B.C. at the party level.
"This was all done at the party level," Shypitka said. "There were negotiations going on in the background, there was a lot of influential people in the province that were putting pressure on our party for what was perceived as more positive polling for the Conservatives, which I still contest greatly, but it is what it is.
"The bottom line is something had to give and the BC United party was the one that gave in and unfortunately the MLAs had no idea it was coming down. We’re kind of caught in the middle of this and we’re about as ignorant to what’s happened as the rest of the people in the province are right now."
The immediate future remains unclear, but Shypitka says he would "seriously consider running for the Conservatives in Kootenay-Rockies" and is waiting on a phone call from John Rustad, the leader of the Conservative Party of B.C.
Pending any potential conversations with Rustad, a path forward will likely form within the next few days, Shypitka said.
"I think it would be in days. I think the next couple days will be very telling, maybe even by the end of today," Shypitka said. "I’m waiting for a call from John Rustad. Maybe he’ll call, maybe he won’t. It seems like he may, I’m pretty sure he will. We just got to find out what being part of his team means.
"At the end of the day, I’m not just jumping into something that erodes any kind of concerns I have for this riding. If it's something that’s not genuine, if it’s something that’s not representative of Kootenay-Rockies, I don’t want any part of it.
"I’ll live and die by loyalty to this riding.”
Shypitka says he would be willing to help the Conservative Party of B.C. round out it's policy platforms if he was brought into the fold, referencing BC United policy platforms on wildlife management and mining.
“There’s going to have to be a lot of fence-mending a little bit, because quite honesty, I want to bring some more rounded platforms to the party’s page," said Shypitka. "I would love to work with John Rustad in developing some policy. We rolled out a really great wildlife policy, a really good mining policy, and I know John is one of those leaders who would accept constructive input."
He also adds that he has been fielding phone calls from constituents, including a flooded email inbox, encouraging him to run as an independent.
"People, I think, trust me that I'm never going to let them down, I'm going to fight for them," Shypitka said, "so as an independent, I'll have a lot of leeway to join whatever party that would represent Kootenay-Rockies, so I could make those alliances after [being] elected and the Kootenays would be represented in government, if I chose that path."
Shypitka was first elected under the BC Liberal Party banner in 2017 in a tense election that culminated with the BC NDP and BC Green Party forming a confidence and supply agreement in order to govern with a majority.
Shypitka won re-election in 2020 as the BC NDP alone captured a majority.
In the years that followed, the BC Liberal Party decided to rebrand to BC United amid an effort to distance itself from the federal Liberal Party of Canada.
"I was just in Silverwood, last week I went with my kids, and I was on a roller coaster called Aftershock and I think that probably sums up what I'm going through right now, there's a lot of aftershock of what's gone on over the last seven years," Shypitka said.
Kootenay Rockies Conservative candidate Pete Davis declined to comment on the changing political situation.
BC NDP candidate Sam Atwal said that while he was surprised by the news, ultimately he doesn't think it will change his campaign.
“We’re just going to keep focusing on the things that matter to people. We’re going to continue taking action on housing, health care and helping people keep costs down. Those have always been the focus and the focus has not changed," he explained.
He remained hopeful that the NDP might be able to capture some of the centrist vote from B.C United.
"There are BC United supporters that care about science, that care about being welcoming and inclusive. We have people who want good jobs for people. I’m out here looking for all that.," he added.
Falcon made the announcement during a press conference in Vancouver on Aug. 28 alongside Conservative Party of B.C. leader John Rustad, following a lengthy series of conversations that culminated in a agreement between the two sides the night before.
"John Rustad and I haven't always agreed on anything but one things is clear: our province cannot take another four years of the NDP," said Falcon, in a joint news release between BC United and the Conservative Party. "When common-sese, free-enterprise British Columbians are united, we get great things done. I'm encouraging all free-enterprise voters to come together and join me in helping elect John Rustad and the Conservative Party of B.C. in October."
The agreement will see B.C. United withdraw its candidates to give Conservatives a chance to draw from incumbent MLAs and other B.C. United candidates. Further, Conservatives, have agreed to review candidates based on an improved vetting process to ensure what a news release calls the "strongest team possible.
Rustad is a former member of the B.C. Liberal Party before it rebranded to BC United. He was kicked out of the party after boosting a social media post that questioned climate change science. He briefly sat as an independent before joining the Conservative Party of B.C. eventually becoming its leader.
"I've known Kevin Falcon for 20 years and while we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, we both know there is too much at stake to let past disagreements in the way of defeating David Eby and the radical NDP," said Rustad. "I've never doubted Kevin Falcon's commitment to our province and today, I applaud his decision to put B.C. first as he's done throughout his career."
With files from Wolfgang Depner and Gillian Francis
