Hours after the polls closed across British Columbia, a winner is still waiting to be declared in the 2024 B.C. election.
The BC NDP and BC Conservatives are fighting it out to pass the 47-seat threshold to attain a majority government, with the parties leading or elected in 46 and 45 ridings respectively.
Election day was marked by wet and wild weather as an atmospheric river pounded B.C.’s South Coast, temporarily closing some polling stations early in the morning. Those locations reopened shortly after.
Rustad optimistic more seats will turn blue
Addressing party members at the Rocky Mountaineer Station in Vancouver, Conservative Leader John Rustad said his team has built the “strongest Conservative Party that this province has seen in 100 years.”
“The beauty of this, this is a grassroots movement. This is just people, that salt of the earth, the hard-working everyday people in this province that have stepped up to the plate and said, ‘Yes, we can do things different.’ We can envision a province that can bring hope and prosperity for people across the province,” Rustad said.
“That is what we’ve been trying to do as a party. That’s what we have brought forward, and that, quite frankly, is why we’re seeing us still neck connect with the NDP, and we have not given up this fight yet. We are going to keep pushing hard.”
Rustad said that he believes more seats may flip in favour of the Conservatives, as “there is just a couple of seats within 20, 30 votes.”
“There’s still votes yet to be counted, and I am optimistic that the people in this province are hungry for that change,” he said.
“If we have the unfortunate situation of David Eby being in a minority government, he will not do a single thing that he has promised, and that is something I can almost guarantee. And we, as the Conservative Party of British Columbia, if we’re in that situation, we are going to make it as difficult as possible for this NDP to do any more destruction of this province,” he continued.
“We are going to continue this fight over the next days, over the next weeks, over the next months. If we have that honour of forming government, I can tell you something, we still are not going to give up. We’re going to fight every single day to try to make sure that we do everything we can to improve the lives of people in this province.”
Aisha Estey, president of the B.C. Conservatives, said earlier in the night that she expected a tight race for government, but was optimistic her party would pull ahead of the NDP.
Estey explained the election has “been the ultimate underdog story” for the party.
“Whether it’s government tonight or official opposition, we’re not going anywhere. There’s a Conservative Party in B.C. now finally,” she said. “We’re back.”
‘A clear majority for progressive values’: Eby said during party speech
BC NDP Leader David Eby took to the stage at his party’s headquarters just before 11:30 p.m. Saturday, expressing in the “hard fought” campaign, they knew every vote would matter, “and that certainly has been the case.”
“Now, we don’t know what the final count is going to be in the province, but what we do know is that there was a clear majority for progressive values,” he said.
However, Eby conceded that there was another message in the “narrowest of margins — that’s we got to do better.” He noted that the Conservatives “spoke to the frustrations” of British Columbians, including the cost of living.
“And that is our commitment to British Columbians, we’ve got to do better. We’ll support people with the cost of daily live. We’ll support them with affordable housing and a strong and prosperous economy and safe communities. We’re going to do that work,” he continued, as party members cheered.
“Let me tell you, I know that you deserve that British Columbians deserve. Our whole province deserves a premier that’s going to bring us together, not drive us apart.
“And I promise, I promise to be that premier.”
Eby alluded to possibly working with the BC Greens to form government, saying that he had spoken to Party Leader Sonia Furstenau. “There are many values that we share in common with the Green Party, and I am committed to working with them.”
“The campaign is over, but the work has just begun, hasn’t it? I recommit myself, I know we all recommit ourselves, to working for British Columbians. Every day that will be our sole focus — getting things done for British Columbians who are struggling out there, making sure that this is a province is where you don’t just get by, where you get ahead,” he said.
Green Party Leader loses seat after switching Vancouver Island ridings
Meanwhile, Eby and Rustad were re-elected in their respective ridings. However, Furstenau lost to Grace Lore after switching ridings to Victoria-Beacon Hill.
Fursteneau said it appears her party will play a “pivotal” role in the legislature after what is shaping up to be a very tight election.
She told supporters at an election night party that she is passing the torch and will be there to mentor and lead in any way she can.
Furstenau shared, “It’s a strange time in politics when, during an atmospheric river, people come out and vote for a party that’s denying the reality of climate change.”
Several more NDP cabinet ministers have retained their seats, while others will not return to the legislature.
Tourism Minister Lana Popham won in Saanich South and Jennifer Whiteside, the minister of mental health and addictions, has won in New Westminster-Coquitlam. Nathan Cullen, who served as the NDP minister of water, land, and resource stewardship, has lost the riding of Bulkley Valley-Stikine to Conservative Sharon Hartwell.
Education Minister Rachna Singh has also lost her seat to Conservative Mandeep Dhaliwal in Surrey North, and Dan Coulter, who served as minister of state for infrastructure and transit, lost the Chilliwack North riding to Conservative Heather Maahs.
Health Minister Adrian Dix has been re-elected in Vancouver-Renfrew, while Jobs Minister Brenda Bailey has won her race in Vancouver-South Granville. In Burnaby Centre, Municipal Affairs Minister Anne Kang will return to the legislature, and so will Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma in North Vancouver-Londsdale.
On Vancouver Island, Energy Minister Josie Osborne has won her seat in the riding of Mid Island-Pacific Rim. Lisa Beare, minister of post-secondary education, has also been re-elected in Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, while Citizens’ Services Minister George Chow won his race in Vancouver-Fraserview.
Meanwhile, Conservative candidate Brent Chapman has been elected in the riding of Surrey South. He defeated the NDP’s Haroon Ghaffar, who was the only other person running in the urban riding. Chapman was the focus of significant controversy and calls for him to be removed as the Conservative candidate over social media posts he wrote that called Palestinian children “inbred” and “time bombs” and for agreeing with a podcast host who described the residential schools topic as a “massive fraud.”
Conservative Leader John Rustad stood by Chapman, saying it would be up to voters to judge.
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–With files from The Canadian Press.