BC Liberals nominate Ben Stewart

[rustled]

Do we know who he will be running against?

[Urban Cowboy]

Do we know who he will be running against?

Probably another BCTF administrator wannabe, if NDP history plays any sort of role.

[Queen K]

Surprise, surprise! Guess they couldn't find anyone else foolish enough or egotistical enough to think the Okanagan electorate will continue to keep their heads buried in the sand forever.

Good old Ben stepped down last time in order to stroke Christy' ego. In return he got a plum position that required him to do nothing for a larger salary than he was getting as an MLA. Then just before this last election he resigns from his 'post'. Hmmm......could he have been forewarned about Christy' demise?

And the very best part is, he's going to whoop your NDP candidate's sorry butt in the by-election. Too bad so sad for the NDP clowns that keep thinking some union chump/chumpette has any chance against a smart, well-liked, hard-working businessman with strong family ties to the local area.

We'll see about that yet. Anything can happen.

[Gone_Fishin]

We'll see about that yet. Anything can happen.

Yeah, like the Peachland fire will extinguish itself in the next 3 minutes. But the smart bet would be 60% of the vote for Ben. The other 40% of voters are drunk.

[Queen K]

We'll see about that yet. Anything can happen.

Yeah, like the Peachland fire will extinguish itself in the next 3 minutes. But the smart bet would be 60% of the vote for Ben. The other 40% of voters are drunk.

Again. The Peachland fire comment is hyperbole, and having nothing to do with what may be a tight race. The real bet is that all bets are off in this hotly debated topic.

[WalterWhite]

We'll see about that yet. Anything can happen.

Yeah, like the Peachland fire will extinguish itself in the next 3 minutes. But the smart bet would be 60% of the vote for Ben. The other 40% of voters are drunk.

Again. The Peachland fire comment is hyperbole, and having nothing to do with what may be a tight race. The real bet is that all bets are off in this hotly debated topic.

Never say never - however Liberals aren't going to not vote for Ben simply because of his relinquishing his seat previously to Clarke, or because he's replacing her. Again, that's a common practice utilized by any and all parties.

[LANDM]

To answer your questions:
The candidate has to show an affiliation to the party first....to get nominated. Then to the electorate, if they get elected.
The people who show up to vote in an election will determine who is deserving of being voted in.
No. The liberal party should not bear the costs, any more than the Ndp would in the same situation.

So while running, a candidate has no affiliation to the electorate ? "Then to the electorate, if they get elected" ???

In a lot of cases that is completely correct that a candidate has no affiliation to the electorate before they get elected, sadly many don't even after. That, is perhaps why they take resigning to let a leader run in their safe riding, so well.

So what about the candidate that, after being elected, crosses the floor, or sits as an independent ?

"The people who show up to vote..... will determine who is deserving to be voted in."
No, they determine who is elected, period.

My comments were directed at the Liberal party in this circumstance, because this involves Liberals, BUT my comments concerned every and all parties, so don't get your shirt in a knot.

Your comments, of course, are your opinions.

Why would my shirt be in a knot?
You are the one that asked the questions.....I simply answered them.
If you simply wanted certain answers, why not ask them and say that only certain answers would apply?

To answer your question above, I don't have a lot of respect for candidates that are elected on a platform or party, and then switch. They are not answering to the folks that elected them.

[ferri]

*Do not start making this personal.

[WalterWhite]

In case there's any confusion and just to confirm, based on a few recent posts - Ben didn't jump ship and switch parties. He gave up his seat as MLA so the leader of his party would have one.

[maryjane48]

like a chump . i would have told clark to pound sand . in hindsite it was a mistake . . maybe some folks there will discouver a backbone and send ben packing

[Rwede]

The funny part is, Ben Stewart opened the door for the Premier who has served longer than any NDP premier in the history of British Columbia.

That's really gotta irk the 5-straight loser NDPers on here, so I completely understand why they spew such vitriol toward an honourable man who is going to win this by election hands down.

The NDP can take their pick of a lunatic SJW or a BCTF stalwart as they have the last couple of elections, which is the best they've been able to dig out of the manure pile which grows NDP candidates. Whatever dope they nominate will lose before they even get started.

[Raven1]

In case there's any confusion and just to confirm, based on a few recent posts - Ben didn't jump ship and switch parties. He gave up his seat as MLA so the leader of his party would have one.

He didn't "give it up"...... rather he was PAID to step aside.

[Rwede]

He didn't "give it up"...... rather he was PAID to step aside.

That's incorrect, and borderline libelous.

[WalterWhite]

In case there's any confusion and just to confirm, based on a few recent posts - Ben didn't jump ship and switch parties. He gave up his seat as MLA so the leader of his party would have one.

He didn't "give it up"...... rather he was PAID to step aside.

Please post any relevant info to back up your claim.

[Raven1]

From 2013..... just a little history

A former MLA who gave up his Kelowna riding for Premier Christy Clark has been appointed B.C.’s new Asia trade commissioner.

Clark named Ben Stewart to the post Monday, which is based in Beijing and comes with a $150,000 annual salary.

The premier said it’s vitally important for B.C. to raise its profile in Asia. The region accounts for 40 per cent of the province’s total trade, said Clark.

Stewart is uniquely qualified for the job, having been a former B.C. cabinet minister who built his family-owned Quail’s Gate Winery into a successful business with overseas markets, she said.


“We need a representative in Asia who is known to have access to power and government here in British Columbia,” said Clark. “That is a critical part of doing successful business in Asia.”

Stewart was re-elected MLA for Westside-Kelowna in the May provincial election. The premier lost her Vancouver-area seat to an NDP challenger. Stewart resigned his riding to allow Clark to run in a by-election, which she won. Stewart has since become an unofficial adviser to Clark.

More here: http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local ... a-1.675683