John van Dongen is now the first Conservative MLA to sit in current legislature in Victoria. and the first MLA to leave the BC Liberal party for another party since the BC Liberals became government in 2001.
He hasn’t been happy within the Liberals for some time, and his departure isn’t that surprising. He was not enthused when Christy Clark won the leadership one year ago.
However, it’s a body blow to the BC Liberals, as a byelection has just been called in Chilliwack. This is not far from van Dongen’s Abbotsford South riding. This gives the upstart Conservatives new wind in their sails, and could be a big factor in helping them have a good shot at winning that byelection.
In the other byelection in Port Moody, former mayor Joe Trasolini should easily win the seat for the NDP.
It will make for an interesting few months in B.C. politics and is yet another sign that the BC Liberals will go down to defeat in next year’s general election. The question now is, will it be a wipeout, as in 2001 when the NDP lost all but two seats, or will it be a three-way split as in 1991, which saw the BC Liberals supplant Social Credit on the right.
