BC United Leader Kevin Falcon Suspends Campaign, Stuns Candidates

Stephen Johnston is suddenly a man without a political home and Loyal Wooldridge can now focus on one, not two contenders, on the right of centre.

BC United leader Kevin Falcon’s bombshell announcement Wednesday that his party will bow out of the race and throw its support behind the B.C. Conservatives has left candidates from both parties in limbo.

But while they come at the news from different sides, both NDP candidate Loyal Wooldridge and former BC United candidate Stephen Johnston agree it was a “bizarre” and “crazy” day.

For the last six months Johnston has been knocking on doors as the BC United candidate in West Kelowna-Peachland.

His future as a candidate is murky at best after Falcon unilaterally suspended the party’s campaign Wednesday.

“There’s a lot of hurt there. When you get blindsided like that — and I understand the need for secrecy — but it doesn’t make it any easier for a candidate when the rug gets pulled out from under you,” Johnston told Castanet News.

“People are hurting. I feel for both sides because there are so many unknowns for so many people right now. The sooner they can iron those out the better.”

The biggest unknown for most BC United and BC Conservative candidates is who will be in and who will be out.

“I choose to be hopeful,” says Johnston, who has yet to hear anything official about his riding.

“We all saw the press release yesterday and the fact they have agreed to work together to field the best team possible.

“I choose to believe they are going to operate with integrity and will do what they said they will. I choose to be hopeful that my name will come up if that’s the case.”

In West Kelowna-Peachland it will come down to either Johnston or former RCMP officer Macklin McCall who was chosen to represent the BC Conservatives in the riding.

While yesterday’s announcement was “messy” in Johnston’s words, it’s a move he said had to happen and one he has supported for months.

“It was a priority for me that the party’s come together. I actually drafted a coalition framework that I presented to Kevin in May and presented to John as well.

“It was so clear to me the way forward has to be together. We’re here now in a very messy and unconventional way, and we’ll just have to control what we can.”

For Wooldridge, the NDP candidate in the new Kelowna Centre riding, Wednesday was a “bizarre and wacky day” as he watched from the sidelines.

“I thought it was bizarre and unprecedented six weeks out from an election for a party to completely bow out of a race when they have nominated candidates that are actively campaigning and fundraising for them,” Wooldridge told Castanet.

“I felt really bad for the people who were working really hard for BC United and then to learn their future over a press conference which is telling about the backroom deal that went on.”

The announcement could have a profound impact for Wooldridge if you prescribe to the theory two right of centre candidates would have split the vote favouring NDP candidates.

Wooldridge does not agree.

“It wasn’t lost on me when I chose to run for the NDP that they have never won here and I knew it would be a battle right from the start.

“I never really banked on the vote split to be honest…I am running on my record and my understanding of the community, the issues and the solutions.

“While I know a lot of people are concerned about the vote split, I truly believe British Columbians and voters are going to choose the best candidate that represents the riding.

Wooldridge says the announcement Wednesday only serves to sow more chaos when he says we need stability instead.

He says the choice is now between two leaders.

“People are going to pay attention to the difference between the two leaders which is stark between Premier Eby and John Rustad.

“I believe people will do their research and they are going to see what each stands for and are going to choose appropriately.

The above is the detailed content of BC United Leader Kevin Falcon Suspends Campaign, Stuns Candidates. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!