British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 election is four months away, but Premier David Eby staged a campaign event Thursday in Vancouver ahead of what he says is a personal count down B次元官网网址� next weekB次元官网网址檚 expected birth of his familyB次元官网网址檚 third child.
Eby said he and his wife, Cailey, are expecting a daughter on June 27, so he wanted to make an early start to campaigning for the Oct. 19 election by introducing four New Democrat candidates before taking a break to spend some time with his family.
He said Oct. 19 is B.C.B次元官网网址檚 fixed election date and June 27 is his familyB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渇ixed date baby.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淪o, some of you know what thatB次元官网网址檚 a reference to,B次元官网网址� said Eby. B次元官网网址淪o, weB次元官网网址檙e expecting a beautiful baby girl. I am taking a bit of time with the family, but these candidates are going to be out there knocking on doors out in the community.B次元官网网址�
Eby introduced four New Democrat candidates, former broadcaster Randene Neill, Baltej Dhillon, the first RCMP officer to wear a turban on duty, Indigenous leader Michael Moses and Vancouver community support advocate Sunita Dhir.
EbyB次元官网网址檚 early campaign start comes amid open battling between B.C.B次元官网网址檚 two right-of-centre parties, Opposition Leader Kevin FalconB次元官网网址檚 BC United and John RustadB次元官网网址檚 upstart B.C. Conservatives.
Falcon said the party has been stung recently by the loss of caucus members and candidates to RustadB次元官网网址檚 Conservatives. But these things happen in politics, he said, citing the NDPB次元官网网址檚 loss of former elected members Selina Robinson and Adam Walker.
B次元官网网址淵es, weB次元官网网址檝e lost candidates and MLAs, too,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭his kind of thing, unfortunately happens. But when the election rolls around, the public looks around.B次元官网网址�
Chris Moore, a business leader and former District of Sechelt councillor, announced Wednesday he will no longer represent BC United in the October election in the Powell River-Sunshine Coast riding and will instead run as a candidate for RustadB次元官网网址檚 Conservatives.
Former BC United MLAs Elenore Sturko and Lorne Doerkson recently crossed the floor and said theyB次元官网网址檒l seek re-election as Conservatives.
Prof. David Black, a political communications expert at Greater VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Royal Roads University, said the B次元官网网址渆xtraordinaryB次元官网网址� events unfolding between the Conservatives and BC United parties has heightened public awareness about the coming election.
People usually tune out politics during the summer months, but the feuding between BC United and the Conservatives is keeping the publicB次元官网网址檚 attention on the distant election, said Black.
B次元官网网址淭he structural realignment we are seeing on the right, I would argue, is bringing British Columbians, making them more attentive to an imminent election in B.C. than might otherwise be the case,B次元官网网址� Black said.
B次元官网网址淧eople are a little more aware of whatB次元官网网址檚 going on, aware of a fall election because of just all the political news, with defections and remarkably candidates nominated for one party saying, B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檓 going to run for the other party.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
B.C.B次元官网网址檚 fixed election date law puts governments in permanent campaign mode, which is underway in B.C., he said.
The province was the first in Canada to hold a fixed election date in 2005.
B次元官网网址淕iven the machinations on the centre-right now and that we are four to five months away from an election, it stands to reason that the B.C. NDP is campaigning,B次元官网网址� Black said. B次元官网网址淚 would argue the B.C. NDP campaign began well over a year ago.B次元官网网址�
Eby told the campaign crowd his government is making progress on health, housing and the economy and he wants that to continue.
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