2024 British Columbia election thread

[Yommie]

Involuntary drug treatment could become an election issue in B.C.​

 

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RCMP National Union Wants a Focus on Bail Reform in the B.C. Election​

 

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NDP carbon tax shift draws laughter and derision from B.C. opposition

Conservatives say move hollow and won't affect the campaign, Greens call it an opportunity

www.sookenewsmirror.com

NDP carbon tax shift draws laughter and derision from B.C. opposition​

Conservatives say move hollow and won't affect the campaign, Greens call it an opportunity

Wolf Depner
about 5 hours ago

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Premier David Eby, here seen in January, said Thursday the carbon tax 'was driving away' some British Columbians in explaining his shift on the carbon tax. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns)
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00:04:56
The leader of the B.C. Conservatives said the dynamic of the provincial election won't change after Premier David Eby announced the B.C. NDP would eliminate the consumer carbon tax if Ottawa were to end its legal requirement.

But B.C. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau called the change an opening for her party.

"A lot of British Columbians are struggling with affordability and the political consensus that we had in British Columbia has been badly damaged by the approach of the federal government on this issue," Eby said Thursday. "Our commitment is that if the federal government decides to remove the legal backstop requiring us to have a consumer carbon tax in B.C, we will end the consumer carbon tax in B.C."




He added that his government would ensure that the big polluters pay a price on carbon to help fight climate change, but did not spell out how.

The announcement — which surprised many — led to charges of Eby flip-flopping, but also invited suggestions that he had robbed the Conservatives of a key election plank, since it had been campaigning to eliminate the tax.

"I don't think it does," B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad said Thursday. "I find it quite humorous actually that David Eby is actually running against his own government policy."


Eby's announcement came after federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh had hours earlier signalled his own opposition to the current version of the federal carbon tax in language that previewed Eby's promise to go after "big polluters."

Singh was trying to distance himself from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Rustad framed Eby's decision as being "torn between two lovers, between his boss federally (Singh) and between Justin Trudeau in terms of his policies."

Rustad further accused Eby of "being dishonest and disingenuous" because his promises hinges on Ottawa dropping the requirement. "So he's trying to make it sound like he is going to be providing people with relief on the carbon tax, when he is actually not doing it," he said.

He said it doesn't make a difference to the Conservative campaign.

"Getting rid of the carbon tax is only one component of helping people with affordability in...British Columbia," Rustad said. "There are additional measures that we need to take and I look forward to announcing those...likely next week, you will start seeing some major additional tax policy."


Furstenau, meanwhile, said the announcement shows the B.C. NDP's lack of environmental leadership. She said B.C. Greens are the "only choice" for voters who care about climate action and the environment.

"The B.C. NDP have proven that they are not interested in real climate action...they are not interested in actually protecting the tiny bit of old growth forest that remains in this province," she said. "They are interested in being on the side of industry, being on the sides of profits, and not being on the side of the people of British Columbia."

Climate change, she added, is not just some "theoretical thing that is happening in the future" but lived reality.

"We have the warmest ocean temperatures, we have the warmest global temperatures, we have the warmest 10 years on (record)," she said. "We are feeling the impacts (of climate change) in communities in B.C. again and again."

As opponents accused Eby of changing his position for electoral reasons, his subsequent comments suggested he is trying to walk a fine line.


Speaking on the Jas Johal Show late Thursday afternoon, Eby cited a recent conversation with unionized construction workers.

“They're saying, listen, 'our guys, they want to vote NDP, they want to support the NDP, but they're driving around, they're paying a lot of money for gas, and they're struggling,'” Eby said. “We got to keep people in the trade supporting climate action because it's a strong economic future for our province. And to be blunt, the carbon tax was just driving them away,” he added later.

These references to male blue-collar workers were likely not a coincidence. An Angus Reid poll published in late August found Eby appears to be losing ground among men older than 34 – the group most likely to be supporting the B.C. Conservatives.

Eby said his government "won't back down on climate". But he also created some distance to the idea of carbon taxation without denouncing the concept itself.

“I think that most people in British Columbia can have a look at the situation that people are facing in the province and say that the carbon tax is one tool, but it's not the only tool.

“Getting rid of the carbon tax on everyday British Columbians enables them to support a party that wants to take climate action, freeze them up to be able to afford their groceries, but also say 'we want to make sure that there's an environment here for our kids.'”

 

[Yommie]

BC United MLA scraps retirement to run as independent, citing ‘backroom deal’ | Globalnews.ca

Karin Kirkpatrick joins fellow BC United incumbent MLAs Mike Bernier, Dan Davies, Tom Shypitka and Coralee Oakes in announcing independent runs.

globalnews.ca

 

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Poll: BC NDP, BC Conservatives neck and neck

Mere days away from the start of the provincial election campaign, a new poll shows the BC NDP and BC Conservatives are still neck and neck.

vancouver.citynews.ca