Independent.
Fearless.
Reader funded.
News
BC Election 2024
BC Politics

Falcon Folds, and BC Voters Face a Clear Choice

Despite past warnings about Conservatives’ extremism, BC United quits the election race and backs Rustad’s party.

Andrew MacLeod 28 Aug 2024The Tyee

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s legislative bureau chief in Victoria and the author of All Together Healthy (Douglas & McIntyre, 2018). Find him on X or reach him at .

With seven weeks to go before a provincial election, BC United Leader Kevin Falcon has folded his campaign and pledged support for his Conservative party rival John Rustad.

On a downward trend since changing its name from the BC Liberal Party in 2023, BC United had trailed in public opinion polls and lost MLAs, candidates and donors to the BC Conservatives.

“This is the right thing to do for the province of British Columbia,” Falcon said in a news conference in a downtown Vancouver hotel alongside Rustad and both parties’ presidents. “All of you who know me know there is nothing more important to me, my children and your children and grandchildren, than that we not give the NDP one more day in power than they absolutely have to have.”

Falcon said the best thing for the future of the province is to defeat the NDP and that would not be possible with a split in the centre-right vote. “On his very worst day John Rustad would be a far better premier than David Eby on his best day.”

There had been negotiations underway for some time, including previous failed attempts, but Rustad said the first time he and Falcon met about merging was at 9 p.m. Tuesday night and they worked out further details this morning.

Falcon said he had spoken with the BC United board and they had endorsed the decision. He also spoke with his party’s MLAs and candidates and said some will be unhappy about it.

Rustad said he wants to make sure everyone feels welcome in the Conservative party and that the focus has to be on defeating the NDP government. “When I travel around the province, people are saying enough is enough, they want change,” he said. “By doing this we are going to have the best opportunity possible to bring an end to these radical policies.”

By stepping down, Falcon was putting B.C. first, as he’s done throughout his career, said Rustad.

BC United will withdraw the nominations of candidates running under the party’s banner and it will be up to the BC Conservatives whether to bring them onto their slate.

“As part of the agreement, the Conservative Party of BC has committed to review candidates based on an improved vetting process to ensure the strongest team possible is going into election 2024,” the announcement said.

Rustad said the process would be done as soon as possible — but would take some time.

Both leaders declined to name any specific candidates who may be affected. “We’ll work together to assemble the best possible team of MLAs and candidates that can serve the best interests of British Columbians,” said Falcon, who won’t be running.

Falcon and other BC United MLAs have consistently criticized the views of Conservative Party of BC candidates and warned that they aren’t ready to govern.

In April, when previous merger talks failed, Falcon said, “Many of their candidates are, frankly, too extreme. I can't merge with a party that has candidates that equate vaccinations with Nazism and apartheid. It's just not going to work. Or candidates that say that getting a vaccine shot, COVID shot, is going to turn you into a magnet. That's not serious.”

Rustad became leader of the Conservatives a year ago after Falcon booted him from BC United over a dispute around climate change and party discipline. Polls began showing the Conservatives even with BC United last October and they have continued to gain support and close on the NDP.

Premier David Eby responded to questions about the rumoured opposition merger shortly before the news broke.

Rustad and Falcon worked “as colleagues and partners in the BC Liberal Party for a generation,” Eby said, noting that Rustad was a BC Liberal MLA for longer than Falcon was.

“I really don’t see a huge distinction between them except that neither of them are running as BC Liberals this time because of their record,” said Eby. “They are so embarrassed with how they ran the province, they both have changed their party names. They want to avoid any association with the 16 years they were in government, and I understand why that is.”

When Rustad and Falcon were in power, they raised BC Hydro rates, increased Medical Services Plan fees, imposed bridge tolls and managed to nearly bankrupt ICBC even though it had a monopoly on vehicle insurance, Eby said.

“Whatever they change their name to before the election, they’re still the same guys that did the same things as BC Liberals that they want to do again,” he said, warning of cuts to health care and education. “They want to cut, cut, cut when we need to build, build, build because this province is growing at a record rate.”

While the other parties are wrapped up in political intrigue, the NDP will remain focused on issues that matter in communities including affordability, housing and health care, said Eby.

“The choice will be quite stark, whoever it is that finally shows up on the ballot come October,” he said.

BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau released a statement saying that “democracy thrives on diverse voices” and that at least BC United took their role seriously, and that the BC Greens are the only party now offering real change from an NDP government that has drifted away from its progressive values.

“If people want change, it’s not going to come from a former BC Liberal cabinet minister like John Rustad, who protects industry profits over the province’s interests,” she said. “The BC Greens remain committed to providing the strong, progressive voice that puts the people of B.C. first.”

The election is scheduled for Oct. 19.


Want to get even more of The Tyee’s election coverage? Sign up today for The Run. It’s a free B.C. election newsletter full of smart voices unpacking key issues, fact-checking politicians and exposing disinformation to clarifying light. Go beyond the horse-race headlines and subscribe now.  [Tyee]

  • Share:

Get The Tyee's Daily Catch, our free daily newsletter.

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion and be patient with moderators. Comments are reviewed regularly but not in real time.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Keep comments under 250 words
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others or justify violence
  • Personally attack authors, contributors or members of the general public
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

Most Popular

Most Commented

Most Emailed

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Are You Worried about Trump’s Tariffs?

Take this week's poll