16 months to BC election - or this October?

[Urbane]

Acrimony, eh? John Horgan really is a snowflake who doesn't like a pesky opposition making suggestions. From Castanet:

Horgan says 'acrimony' between parties over the summer spurred call for snap election
Horgan claims 'acrimony'
The Canadian Press - Sep 22, 2020 / 4:29 pm | Story: 311344

B.C. Premier John Horgan says his decision to call an election started to crystallize in the summer when his minority government ran into legislative challenges.

Speaking in North Vancouver on Tuesday, the leader of the NDP acknowledged there has been “extraordinary co-operation” between Health Minister Adrian Dix and the opposition parties when it comes to tackling COVID-19.

But he said “contempt” and “acrimony” between the parties would divert focus away from managing and recovering from the pandemic, and the best way to “put the politics behind us” was to hold an election.

“We need to be sure that the public is with us and the best way forward is a stable government,” he said. “The prospect of us coming to budget time in February and having a confidence vote and having to be forced into an election in February and March was something that I didn’t believe was in the best interest of British Columbians."

Horgan assured voters that provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has made it clear to him that the election set for Oct. 24 can be held safely.

But Green Leader Sonia Furstenau disputed Horgan's explanation Tuesday, saying she told him as recently as Friday that her party is committed to a stable government.

She released a letter she gave to Horgan on Friday that outlines policy areas she believes require stronger action but that she saw as "the starting place to guide our further work together."

The letter says COVID-19 could not have been anticipated when the Green caucus signed an agreement propping up the NDP minority government in 2017, "but the response from all parties has been guided by the same commitment to collaboration and communication, with all three political parties coming together to serve our province."

She wrote that tearing up the agreement and calling an election risks undoing that progress.

"The more you let partisanship pollute public discourse, the less trust people will have in their leaders. And trust in our leaders will be essential for the difficult road ahead."

She said despite the "completely unnecessary" election, the Greens are ready for the campaign, adding that the party received a record donation on Monday in the tens of thousands of dollars.

B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson called for three televised debates during the provincial election campaign so voters can hear what each party has to offer.

Voters need information and debates are the best way to provide it during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilkinson said.

He said voters need to hear the visions of all three party leaders on issues including employment, child care and addiction.

"We're putting out the message to British Columbians that they need more information in this election. It's a pandemic election and we've never done this before," Wilkinson said, noting voters won't have access to party leaders at large gatherings like in typical campaigns.

Horgan said he would not be involved in a decision to hold the three debates, but he added he’s happy to talk to people in any format that’s safe and allows a full “airing of the issues.”

Furstenau said she fully expects to participate in the debates given what she described as the Greens "pivotal" role in B.C. politics over the past three years.

Wilkinson began the first day of the campaign by touting the Liberals' candidates so far, adding he expects to have an entire slate by the end of the week.

He said the Liberal party also expects to release its election platform in about a week, while Horgan said the NDP is also working on a platform that will be released prior to the election.

[Gone_Fishin]

This is a message to the no way am I voting for the NDP. They don’t give a rats whether you vote for them. They realize the Okanagan would vote Liberal even if they ran a shaved monkey as a candidate, so save your spew and venom, nobody cares.

So what you're saying is: Okanagan folks are pretty damned smart.

[cuba108]

This is a message to the no way am I voting for the NDP. They don’t give a rats whether you vote for them. They realize the Okanagan would vote Liberal even if they ran a shaved monkey as a candidate, so save your spew and venom, nobody cares.

So what you're saying is: Okanagan folks are pretty damned smart.

Hardly, what I am saying is the NDP needs to retain the seats they have and gain four more to achieve a majority. Obviously that won’t be anything in the Okanagan with it’s Evangelical and hill billy Conservatives. They will be looking at more articulate ridings that were lost by small margins.

I hardly consider folks who would vote for a shaved monkey as smart.

[Gone_Fishin]

I hardly consider folks who would vote for a shaved monkey as smart.

But they're smarter than anyone who votes NDP. They know a shaved monkey has more experience and knowledge about how to run a massive economy like a province than any NDP loser.

[The Green Barbarian]

Hardly, what I am saying is the NDP needs to retain the seats they have and gain four more to achieve a majority. Obviously that won’t be anything in the Okanagan with it’s Evangelical and hill billy Conservatives. They will be looking at more articulate ridings that were lost by small margins.

I love how people who can do math are "hill billies" and people who can't do math, can't govern, can't understand even basic taxation or economic policy, are "articulate". The NDP are the furthest thing from "articulate", or "smart", or "capable". They are a bunch of children. Really really dumb children.

I hardly consider folks who would vote for a shaved monkey as smart.

Then you shouldn't hang out in East Vancouver where they voted for the insanely stupid Jenny Kwan many times. Ironically, if the NDP started running shaved monkeys that would be a huge upgrade on their current talent pool of losers they dredge up every election. Just a terrible party from top to bottom. Just yuck.

[Urbane]

Les Leyne on the election call:

After six months of the NDP government pounding home a message about the need for total unswerving commitment and “100 per cent, all-in” focus on the biggest emergency in 100 years — COVID-19 — Premier John Horgan has switched gears and called an Oct. 24 election.

The call breaches two written understandings. One is in the law that stipulates a fixed date for elections (the next one was due Oct. 16, 2021). But there was always a workaround, and it’s the clause that recognizes the lieutenant-governor’s power to dissolve parliament any time on the premier’s advice.

A recent Liberal MLA resignation actually temporarily gives them more of a cushion than before. This most polarized province has never been more united this year. The legislature has hung together on every single pandemic issue. All the money requested was approved unanimously. Virtually all the steps taken have been endorsed.

But Horgan said last summer “it became clear to me there is a great divide between the two sides.”
He also noted more than a dozen MLAs want to retire. But so what? They signed up for four-year terms.

In other areas, there were two legislative differences with the Greens on matters of very limited scope. Hardly “instability.”

The NDP could still easily win on Oct. 24. But it would be a victory based on manipulating the extraordinary common commitment that’s arisen in B.C. and using it for their own purpose.

https://www.timescolonist.com/les-leyne ... 1.24207081

[cyruslosco66]

205000 requests for mail in ballots compared to 6700 in 2017.

https://twitter.com/brish_ti/status/130 ... 41216?s=20

[rustled]

205000 requests for mail in ballots compared to 6700 in 2017.

https://twitter.com/brish_ti/status/130 ... 41216?s=20

https://elections.bc.ca/provincial-elec ... requested/

I'm curious as to why. In all my years of voting, the only significant line-ups I've experienced were for municipal elections. There's usually no more than a handful or no line-up at all at the polling places for provincial or federal elections. That's been the case when I lived in northern BC, and down here in the South Okanagan.

What have others experienced?

[Veovis]

I'm curious as to why. In all my years of voting, the only significant line-ups I've experienced were for municipal elections. There's usually no more than a handful or no line-up at all at the polling places for provincial or federal elections. That's been the case when I lived in northern BC, and down here in the South Okanagan.

What have others experienced?

Same thing. Minimal line ups and wait times where I have voted whether it be federal or provincial elections. The only real reason for any difference and change is fear. IT's exactly that same fear that Horgan hopes will get him a majority, we can only hope it doesn't work.

Personally I hope the greens are removed from all seats and only NDP and Liberals get elected so that if we get another minority government we can't have a tiny minority making sleazy deals to gain power. Never mind that good ole deal was tossed out the first chance Jonny got as well huh? Tells you something about him and how he will govern that is certain.

[rustled]

Horgan blew what credibility he'd earned with me over the past three years by calling the election early and blaming the Greens. We now know we can't trust Horgan in any seat of a minority government - even during a time of intense upheaval, he has proven he will not put the best interests of British Columbians before the best interests of his party. So I'm hoping the people who voted NDP last time thinking they would stop Site C and shut down fish farms and generally do much, much more for the far left environmentalists will put a few more Greens in the legislature at the expense of the NDP, giving us a small but viable BC Liberal majority.

[Urbane]

Great interview . . . well, Neetu Garcha is great:

https://globalnews.ca/video/7358573/pre ... rgan-1-on1

[Urban Cowboy]

Great interview . . . well, Neetu Garcha is great:

https://globalnews.ca/video/7358573/pre ... rgan-1-on1

She did good, considering she was dealing with a slippery weasel.

[Carrs Landing Viking]

Great interview . . . well, Neetu Garcha is great:

https://globalnews.ca/video/7358573/pre ... rgan-1-on1

Horgan looked like he was going to implode. Good job Neetu.

[Carrs Landing Viking]

https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/311638 ... ing#311638

Every single British Columbian should be voting for this. Get rid of the most hated tax the NDP brought in.

[jimmy4321]

I hope this is wrong

https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/electio ... -columbia/