BC Today – Daily Report October 23, 2020

Quotation of the day

“I take no credit for the position that British Columbians are in today.”

NDP Leader John Horgan says his party deserves no credit — and implies he deserves no ​ ​ blame — for the way the province has responded to the pandemic.

Day 33: Today on the campaign trail

Written by Shannon Waters

Horgan campaign NDP Leader John Horgan held the final virtual event of his party’s campaign yesterday ​ ​ morning.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Horgan said he shares concerns about B.C.’s rising Covid case counts and its first confirmed school outbreak but remains confident in the protocols in place to reduce the spread of the virus.

“I want to ... assure all parents that each school has a plan, each district is operating those plans and the province stands ready to help in any way possible,” Horgan said. “I know that there are protocols in place at every school in every district, and those protocols kicked in.”

Asked whether he deserves criticism for the province’s current Covid trend, Horgan said he takes “no credit” for the way the province has handled the pandemic to date.

“It's the dedication of public health officials, professional government employees, as well as the extraordinary sacrifices that British Columbians have made — we are indeed the envy of Canada,” he said.

The NDP leader also rejected the idea that the province should make masking mandatory, saying he believes “most British Columbians” are wearing masks when appropriate while businesses have the option to implement their own mandatory mask policies.

“Mandatory anything leads to an increase in enforcement, leads to frustration and hostility,” he told reporters. “If there is a renewed call from public health officials to review the mask protocols, I'm happy to have that discussion.”

Wilkinson campaign Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson was back in Delta yesterday, where he hammered Horgan’s ​ ​ decision to call the snap election and highlighted the potential for change in the province.

“Here is our chance to send John Horgan a message,” he said. “Here is our chance to turn British Columbia around because we're headed to a very difficult place.”

The Liberal leader also speculated that the 2020 election could see an unprecedented number of disqualified ballots linked to the high volume of mail-in votes.

“Some people will find it difficult to fill them out, some people will fill them out incorrectly,” Wilkinson said. “We do hope there's maximum turnout of voters so they can express their wishes and get the government they want.”

Furstenau campaign Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau was in Sidney yesterday, where she confirmed she plans ​ ​ to stay on as party leader even if she loses the Cowichan Valley riding.

“I have no intention of resigning after this election campaign,” she told reporters. “It has been a successful campaign by a number of measures.”

Furstenau again blasted NDP Leader John Horgan for his decision to “throw away what had ​ ​ been the most collaborative cross-party work done in the B.C. legislature in decades” to call a snap election. She referenced Dr. Bonnie Henry’s declaration that B.C. has officially entered its ​ ​

second wave of Covid cases as proof the province’s current needs would be better served with an active legislature.

“Instead of having MLAs in the legislature, being able to deal with this issue, address the needs of people and businesses … instead of that, we are in this unnecessary election,” she said.

End game: Leaders’ final push and ridings to watch With the election campaign coming to a close, what can be gleaned from where the party leaders spent their final days on the hustings?

NDP Leader John Horgan and Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson both spent this week in the ​ ​ ​ ​ Lower Mainland — the province’s most vote-rich region.

Horgan hit up Coquitlam—Burke Mountain, where the New Democrats are hoping to unseat Liberal incumbent Joan Isaacs, who won the riding away from NDP incumbent Jodie Wickens ​ ​ ​ by less than 100 votes in 2017. The NDP leader also made a stop in North Vancouver—Seymour, a seat the NDP has never held. The party appears to be trying to capitalize on Liberal Jane Thornthwaite’s disparaging comments about NDP North ​ ​ Vancouver—Lonsdale incumbent Bowinn Ma. ​ ​

Wilkinson returned to Maple Ridge, where the Liberals have campaigned hard in hopes of picking up a pair of seats. NDP Maple Ridge—Pitt Meadows incumbent Lisa Beare won her ​ ​ riding by just over 1,600 votes in 2017, unseating a Liberal incumbent. But the NDP’s Bob ​ D’Eith is running for re-election in Maple Ridge—Mission after he snagged the riding by a much ​

more modest margin, unseating two-term Liberal MLA Marc Dalton, who has since successfully ​ ​ made the leap to federal politics as a Conservative member of Parliament.

Wilkinson also made a stop in Surrey — a battleground region in 2017 with a total of nine seats, six of which went to the NDP. The Liberal leader spent two days in Delta this week, signalling that the party may be hoping to unseat NDP MLA Ravi Kahlon in Delta North while returning ​ ​ Liberal Delta South incumbent Ian Paton to the legislature for a second term. ​ ​

Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau spent most of the week (and the campaign) on ​ ​ Vancouver Island with a focus on holding onto her home riding in Cowichan Valley and Green MLA Adam Olsen’s Saanich North and the Islands seat. ​ ​

Furstenau also visited West Vancouver, where she promoted Green West Vancouver—Sea to Sky candidate Jeremy Valeriote’s chances of taking the seat from Liberal MLA Jordan Sturdy. ​ ​ ​ ​ The Green candidate placed second in 2017, but Sturdy won the riding by about 3,200 votes.

Other areas of interest With former Green Party leader turned Independent MLA Andrew Weaver out of the running, ​ ​ all parties are hoping to clinch the Oak Bay—Gordon Head riding — the only seat in the province that has elected candidates from all major parties over the years.

Weaver has thrown his support behind the NDP, which is running former federal MP Murray ​ Rankin in the riding. Before Weaver, the seat was previously held by Liberal Ida Chong for ​ ​ ​ more than a decade; Liberal candidate Roxanne Helme is hoping to take it back. ​ ​

Another former federal MP, Nathan Cullen, is hoping to keep Stikine orange following former ​ ​ forests minister Doug Donaldson’s retirement. However, Cullen’s campaign has been dogged ​ ​ by controversy since his nomination — starting with the party’s rejection of Annita McPhee’s ​ ​ nomination in apparent violation of its own equity mandate — and the Liberals are running Gordon Sebastian, a Gitxsan hereditary chief. Donalson held the riding for three terms, besting ​ the Liberal challenger by just over 1,200 votes in 2017.

In Richmond—Queensborough, NDP candidate Aman Singh is hoping to beat out Liberal ​ ​ incumbent Jas Johal the second time around. Singh lost to Johal by 263 votes in 2017. ​ ​

Courtenay—Comox was only decided following the mail-in ballot count in the last general election. NDP candidate Ronna Rae Leonard was up by nine votes on election night and ​ ​ widened her lead to 189 votes by the time all ballots were counted. The Conservative candidate took 2,201 votes in the riding in 2017, and the loss of the seat cost the Liberals their legislative majority. The Conservatives are not fielding a candidate in Courtenay—Comox this time around.

The Fraser Valley has long been a Liberal stronghold, but the party is already down one seat in the region, following the resignation of Chilliwack—Kent incumbent Laurie Throness as a ​ ​

candidate for the party. Throness is now running as an independent and the Liberals are without a candidate.

BC Conservatives could splinter Liberal vote in the Fraser Valley Meanwhile, Liberal Langley East candidate Margaret Kunst has stirred controversy due to her ​ ​ stance against rainbow crosswalks and faces a heavyweight challenger in the form of Ryan ​ Warawa, who is running for the BC Conservatives. Warawa is the son of late Conservative MP ​ Mark Warawa. ​

In Chilliwack, a spurned Liberal candidate is running for the Conservatives against Liberal incumbent John Martin. Diane Janzen, a former federal Liberal candidate, took up the BC ​ ​ ​ ​ Conservative banner after the Liberals declined to hold an open nomination race in the riding.

Today’s events

October 23 at 9:30 a.m. — New Westminster ​ ​ NDP Leader John Horgan will campaign in the riding of Richmond—Queensborough “with ​ ​ candidates from several of the Lower Mainland battleground ridings.”

October 23 at 12:30 p.m. — Duncan ​ ​ Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau will hold a news conference. ​ ​

Upcoming events

October 24 — Provincewide ​ ​ British Columbians head to the polls for the province’s 42nd general election.

Topics of conversation

● B.C. broke the single day Covid case record set on Wednesday yesterday, reporting 274 new cases. There were 1,920 active cases (up 154) with 71 people in hospital (up one), 24 of them critical (up three). No new deaths were reported, leaving the provincial total at 256. ○ An additional two cases were confirmed in connection with the outbreak declared at a Kelowna school, for a total of five cases.

● More than one million B.C. voters have cast their ballots either by mail or in advance, according to Elections BC. That puts voter participation in the current election more than halfway to the total number of ballots cast in 2017 when 1.9 million votes were counted.

News from the campaign trail

● The NDP’s own diversity committee has raised concerns about “white leadership” and a ​ ​ lack of diversity in party power positions, the Vancouver Sun reports. An internal email ​ ​ obtained by the Sun outlines the committee’s efforts to alert NDP execs to a “need for ​ ​ IBPoC members in positions of power and inner circles.” ○ “We are not just here for damage control,” the committee wrote. ○ NDP provincial director Heather Stoutenburg told the Sun the party has “done a ​ ​ ​ ​ lot of work” to address diversity issues but admitted there is more to do. “We’re working to assess and improve our hiring practices with a lens on diversity,” she said.

● Former federal Green Party Leader Elizabeth May doesn’t think much of federal NDP ​ ​ Leader Jagmeet Singh’s recent appearances on the campaign trail in B.C. “I am so ​ ​ disgusted,” May tweeted yesterday, accusing Singh of “helping Horgan” campaign in ​ ​ ridings currently held by BC Greens Sonia Furstenau and Adam Olsen. ​ ​ ​ ​

Lobbying registrations

Consultants who registered, renewed or amended registrations from October 16 to October 22, 2020

● Mark Jiles, Bluestone Government Relations ​ o Clients: Motion Picture Production Industry Association, Western Hockey ​ ​ League (WHL), Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC, Self Design Learning Foundation, Live Nation Canada.

● Esmahan Razavi, Stephen Howard, Strategies 360 Canada ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Pembina Pipeline Corporation ​

● Anna Lilly, FleishmanHillard HighRoad ​ o Clients: Walmart Canada ​ ​

● Danya Vered, StrategyCorp Inc. ​ o Clients: Symvivo Corporation ​ ​

● John Moonen, John Moonen & Associates Ltd. ​ o Clients: Mountainside Quarries Group Inc. ​ ​

● David Molinski, OnPoint Consulting Inc. ​ o Clients: Cheona Health Inc. ​ ​

● Eric Dillane, Hill+Knowlton Strategies ​ o Clients: Diabetes Canada ​ ​

Organizations that registered in-house lobbyists from October 16 – October 22

● The Metro Vancouver Convention and Visitors Bureau (also known as Tourism Vancouver) ● Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of BC

BC Today is written by Shannon Waters, reporting from the British Columbia Legislative Press Gallery.

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