British Columbia’s election campaign is officially underway, New Democrat Leader David Eby told a crowd of cheering supporters on Saturday during a visit to a Metro Vancouver suburb.
Eby’s own re-election bid officially launched on Friday, but Saturday marked the day Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issued the writ for the vote set to take place on Oct. 19.
Eby spent Saturday morning in Richmond, where supporters lined a local street and packed the room where Eby spoke while sporting the party’s trademark orange hue.
He said the province is facing many tough challenges, including affordable housing, public health care, mental health and addictions and the cost of living. But he pledged to be “laser focused” on tackling them.
“We can’t divide each other,” he said. “The only way we solve these problems is by working together. Here’s my commitment to you, to everybody in this room, to all British Columbians: we won’t rest until the job is done.”
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad kicked off his party’s campaign in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside at the neighbourhood’s CRAB Park, the sight of a long-standing, high-profile encampment for homeless residents.
He said the location was chosen because it showcased the industrial activity happening at the city port, as well as issues of homelessness and toxic drugs. Rustad spoke from a podium in front of the shoreline, with about 10 tents that remain in the park visible behind him.
“It is a stark contrast between what we’re trying to do for the people of British Columbia and where we hope to see hope for our future,” he said of the scene.
“B.C. is at a crossroads … the question is, are we going to fight for a future, or are we going to continue to manage decline?”
Rustad said his party would lay out the Tory plan over the next 29 days to address issues that he said the NDP have failed to solve, calling Eby’s leadership “weak.”
“There is hope that we can bring change, whether it is getting rid of the carbon tax, whether it’s the investments that we’re going to make in healthcare, whether it is the changes that we need to do to get treatment and recovery in place for people with addictions, or whether it is making sure that we get our economy going,” he said.
Green Leader Sonia Furstenau kicked off her campaign in Victoria. She said her party is committed to “greater collaboration” and “communication” to address issues in the province, adding the other two parties have been “focused on mudslinging” instead of problem solving.
She said the goal should be to solve problems of healthcare, education, social safety, infrastructure and affordable housing.
“We have to address these challenges. They’re all solvable, but we don’t solve them by going to our corners and pointing our fingers at each other and spending all of our time focused on who’s right and who’s wrong,” she said. “It is about working together.”
Furstenau said the party’s full platform would be released in the coming days.
Despite the fact the official election period only launched when the writ was signed, some political leaders got a head start on the campaign trail.
Eby began his campaign early Friday by getting on the party’s bus and heading straight to the Metro Vancouver city of Surrey, which is expected to be a major battleground for the New Democrats and B.C. Conservatives. He and the NDP’s campaign bus are scheduled to make several Lower Mainland stops on the first full day of campaigning, including North Vancouver, Langley, Burnaby and Richmond.
Rustad was scheduled to head to Vancouver Island after his campaign launch at Crab Park.
Furstenau remains in Victoria for what the party said will be its largest canvassing effort to date to connect with voters.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2024.
