B.C. Election 2024: After the fall, where does B.C. United go from here?

There was a seismic shift last month after leader Kevin Falcon removed his party from the election campaign. What happens next?

Published Sep 23, 2024  •  Last updated 0 minutes ago  •  4 minute read

B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon Photo by Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press

There was a seismic shift in B.C.’s political landscape last month after the B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon removed his party from the election campaign.

Here’s a backgrounder on what happened and what this means for the once dominant right-centre party:

What happened to B.C. United?

Call it a collapse, a fall from grace, or the death knell for a party placing a distant third in the polls. On Aug. 28, Falcon announced he was suspending his party’s participation in the campaign so as to not split the centre-right vote.

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“What became apparent to me as I criss-crossed the province and heard from literally tens of thousands of people is the No. 1 major concern that they have is that: ‘If you guys don’t do the right thing and be the adults in the room and help bring together that free-enterprise, centre-right, common sense coalition, you are going to help elect an NDP government,’” he said.

“We cannot give the NDP one more day in power than they absolutely have to have, and that’s why I made the decision that I made as leader of B.C. United.”

Did B.C. United dissolve?

No. The party remains registered with Elections B.C.

The plan was to run several candidates in order to receive funding, but clarified on Sept. 20 that no candidates will be on the ballot.

B.C. United will be required to run at least two candidates in the next provincial election in order to maintain its status as a registered party.

What’s the difference between B.C. United and B.C. Liberals?

It’s the same party. There was a disastrous rebranding of the party’s name last year, a move championed by Falcon.

Some observers have pointed to this ill-fated exercise as a factor in the party’s collapse. As late as last month, internal polling by the party showed up to 30 per cent of British Columbians were not aware the party changed its name.

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What is the difference between B.C. United and B.C. Conservatives?

They’re both right-of-centre, but with different fortunes.

Despite the name, the B.C. Liberals — no affiliation with the federal Liberals — were the province’s Conservative-leaning party. Under former Premier Gordon Campbell, the party ruled B.C. with a majority from 2001 to 2017, including the 2001 election, when it won 77 of 79 seats, the largest landslide in B.C. history.

The B.C. Conservatives, on the other hand, haven’t formed government for nearly a century. The last time the party had a presence in the legislature was in 1975 when George Scott Wallace, in the riding of Oak Bay, held down the Tory fort with a single seat.

In the last provincial election, the party received less than two per cent of the popular vote.

The Conservatives’ fortunes started to change in the last year, buoyed in part by the popularity of the federal Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre.

Falcon might also be the author of his party’s downfall when, in 2022, he booted MLA John Rustad from the Liberal caucus after comments Rustad made on social media about climate change.

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Rustad became leader of the Conservative party in March 2023, giving the party a seat in the legislature.

Since then, the Conservatives have been bolstered by other defections from United, including Bruce Banman (Abbotsford South) and Elenore Sturko (Surrey South), Lorne Doerkson (Cariboo-Chilcotin) and Teresa Wat (Richmond North Centre).

Did B.C. United merge with the B.C. Conservatives?

No. In May, the two parties were in talks to avoid splitting the right-of-centre vote. The proposal, which included the parties not running candidates against each other in a riding, ultimately failed.

Falcon said Rustad rejected the proposal — rightly so, said observers, as the Conservatives, which were placing a close second in the polls after the B.C. NDP, would have little to gain from an election deal with United.

In December 2023, Falcon had rejected offers to discuss a possible merger, said Rustad.

After pulling his party out, Falcon threw his support behind the Rustad’s party and said United will withdraw all its candidates’ nominations to allow the Tories to draw from its pool of incumbent MLAs and candidates.

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What has happened to B.C. United candidates?

Here’s a list of B.C. United candidates that have announced their intentions.

These candidates will be joining the B.C. Conservatives: 

• Ian Paton — Delta South (incumbent)
• Trevor Halford — Surrey-White Rock (incumbent)
• Peter Milobar — Kamloops-North Thompson (incumbent)
• Scott McInnes — Columbia River-Revelstoke
• Dale Parker — Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
• Keenan Adams — Port Coquitlam
• Michael Wu — Burnaby North
• Kiel Giddens — Prince George-Mackenzie

These candidates will run as Independents: 

• Mike Bernier — Peace River South (incumbent)
• Tom Shypitka — Kootenay East (incumbent)
• Dan Davies — Peace River North (incumbent)
• Karin Kirkpatrick — West Vancouver-Capilano (incumbent)
• Coralee Oakes — Prince George-Cariboo (incumbent)
• Kevin Acton — Vernon-Lumby
• Michael Humer — Kelowna Centre

These candidates decided not to run after suspension of the campaign

• Todd Stone — Kamloops — South Thompson
• Shirley Bond — Prince George — Valemount
• Kevin Falcon — Vancouver — Quilchena
• Jackie Tegart — Fraser — Nicola

READ MORE: Voting in the 2024 B.C. Election: What you need to know | Important dates and timelines for the 2024 B.C. election

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