John Rustad is the rising star of B.C. politics, much to the discomfort of the NDP and David Eby
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It will take several weeks for the final counts to determine the official result in British Columbia’s raucous provincial election, but it is clear there is one big winner.
John Rustad.
The contrarian and, at times, reactionary leader of the B.C.’s resurgent Conservative Party has taken a moribund organization and brought it to within a hair’s breadth of forming government – all within a matter of months. Even if, as predicted, the party does not ultimately succeed in unseating David Eby’s incumbent NDP, Rustad will be a massive thorn in the side of the NDP as Official Opposition.
This assumes the Conservatives do not win in the final tally, which they still might. Final results are expected today. Reports the morning after the election show Eby’s NDP with 46 seats to the Conservatives 45, and two Green seats potentially holding the balance of power. B.C.’s government requires 47 seats to achieve majority status.
The voting pattern underscores the sharpness of the divide in B.C., a province composed of two warring philosophies. NDP support came almost entirely from the highly urbanized lower mainland, while the Conservatives were strongest in the more rural areas.
 David Eby, left, and John Rustad |
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It is a profound understatement to observe that Eby faces an awkward situation. To win the Green Party votes he needs to form government, he must rebuild bridges burned when John Horgan, his predecessor, ended a power-sharing agreement with the Greens in 2020, and won a majority in the ensuing election. You know there has to be some bad blood between the two progressive parties, although it is also clear that they will realize they have to play nice if they hope to keep Rustad out of power.
Eby, for his part, must do some serious soul-searching if he hopes to win back the trust of voters who are clearly furious over his missteps since taking over as premier. The Conservatives gained significant traction by attacking the NDP’s misguided and disastrous harm-reduction strategies, the sharp rise in the cost of living far outpacing incomes, and the perceived creep of ideological philosophies into the province’s schools.
Eby appeared to concede that point when he said the results “spoke to the frustrations of a lot of British Columbians. Frustrations about the cost of daily life, frustrations about crime and public safety.
“We’ve got to do better. And we will do better.”
Rustad, it should be noted, also has to do better. Had his team done a better job of reining in some of the more radical candidates, the Conservatives might have gained a handful more seats. It didn’t help that Rustad once questioned climate change (a position he has since recanted). And, although Conservative Brent Chapman won his Surrey South riding, a 2015 Facebook post in which he referred to Palestinian children as “inbred” and “time bombs” (which he has since apologized for) might have rippled through the minds of voters in other ridings.
If Rustad must settle for Opposition, he will have up to four years to show British Columbians that there is no room for such intolerance in his party. It is his only path to winning over the moderate swing voters and building the big tent he needs to gain power.
Some people think politics in Canada is boring. B.C.’s vote shows it is anything but. It is filled with drama, intrigue, unpredictability and passion. What I love about what just happened in B.C. is the clear demonstration that when voters are angry enough – and when a viable alternative is presented to them – they’ll mandate change.
It happened next door in Alberta when the NDP shocked the country in 2015 by sweeping into power. The strength of the NDP in Saskatchewan, where the conservative Saskatchewan Party has had a lock on power for four terms, is causing Premier Scott Moe sleepless nights as his re-election campaign falters.
And now, in B.C., the province of the so-called Left Coast is seeing the reverse happen. The once-arrogant progressive NDP of David Eby has been taken down a peg. If it holds on to power, it faces the uphill battle of winning back the trust of disenchanted citizens.
Democracy in Canada is alive and well. And, for nerds like me, fun to watch.
Doug Firby is an award-winning editorial writer with over four decades of experience working for newspapers, magazines and online publications in Ontario and western Canada. Previously, he served as Editorial Page Editor at the Calgary Herald.
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