The forthcoming provincial general election promises to be significantly different from previous sa国际传媒 elections.
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First, the BC Liberals (who changed their name to BC United) will not officially be running. This party played a large role in sa国际传媒 politics for several decades. First elected to a majority in 2001, it ruled for more than two decades.
But, after losing the majority in 2019 it subsequently changed its name to BC United under the leadership of Keven Falcon. On Aug. 28, Falcon announced his decision to suspend BC United's campaign and encouraged all BC United supporters to unite behind John Rustad of the BC Conservative party.听 It was a shock to many political observers in sa国际传媒 and beyond.
The modern rise of the Conservative Party in sa国际传媒 began years ago with Abbotsford South MLA John van Dongen leaving the BC Liberals in 2012 to join the BC Conservatives. This defection provided that party with its first representation in the Legislative Assembly since 1986. But he quickly left to sit as an independent.
On February 16, 2023, John Rustad, MLA for Nechako Lakes, joined the tiny BC Conservative Party. He had been expelled from the Liberal caucus in August 2022 after he refused to undo his retweet of a comment casting doubt that climate change is caused by carbon dioxide emissions. On March 31, 2023 he was acclaimed the new leader of the BC Conservatives.
Rustad began rebuilding of the party into its current position as the major challenger to David Ebysa国际传媒 NDP.听 Rustad represents a far right-wing ideology and his ascendancy presages major shifts in sa国际传媒 provincial politics.
With the election just weeks away, both the NDP and the Conservatives are in full campaign mode. The NDP have shared a video of Rustad saying he regrets getting the 鈥渟o-called vaccine鈥 against COVID-19. He states clearly that vaccine mandates were 鈥渘ot so much鈥 about achieving herd immunity and stopping the rampant spread of disease as they were about 鈥渟haping opinion and control of the population.鈥
Rustad further commented that the temporary inability of unvaccinated doctors and nurses to work in B. C. was a 鈥渉orrendous problem.鈥
Premier Eby maintains that Rustad is promoting the idea that vaccines don鈥檛 work while, in fact, the COVID-19 vaccines saved many lives in sa国际传媒 Eby accuses Rustad of basing his positions and decision-making on 鈥渋nternet conspiracies.鈥
Rustad has spread unhinged views for many years. Even before he left the Liberal caucus, he shared a social media post that falsely suggested that COVID vaccines can alter human DNA. Rustad is now calling for the firing of the provincial Public Health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
Dr. Henry was the head of public health policy for the provincesa国际传媒 fight against the virus and I think itsa国际传媒 safe to say that no one envied her the job and the weighty responsibility it entailed. But, in case you think that public health professionals in Canada didn鈥檛 make a positive difference, COVID deaths in Canada have been less than 5% of those in the U.S. while our population numbers about 12% of Americasa国际传媒.
A final brief story. In 2023, Rustad delivered a talk to the 鈥淩eclaiming Canada鈥 conference hosted by a convoy spinoff group called 鈥淲e Unify.鈥
Rustad suggested that 鈥渃limate policy鈥 is to blame for mass starvation in the developing world and he warned the audience that children there are being forced to eat bugs.
I doubt that BC voters would support this kind of unhinged claim. I know that I cannot.
