The polls may show BC United Kevin Falcon behind the upstart Conservative Party of BC, but for Leader Kevin Falcon other numbers are more important.
“If the BC Conservatives were genuinely enjoying that level of support, it would be reflected in their fundraising,” Falcon said. “They have raised $150,000 in the last 12 months. We raised almost $3 million…we did a big mail out on fundraising and we raised more money in one day in the mail returns we got than the BC Conservatives have raised in the last 12 months. That should you tell everything you need to know.”
Falcon made these comments Wednesday (Dec. 20) during his year-end-interview as 2023 comes to an end and British Columbians prepare for a provincial election in 2024.
Falcon said that the public is looking for a change in light of the province’s debt as well as the state of health care and education among other issues, with B.C. having become the most unaffordable province in Canada.
“We are going to be focused like a laser beam on reducing costs for families and that starts with the permanent elimination of the (15-cents-per-litre) provincial fuel tax…and the carbon tax on home heating,” he said. “We are going to make things less expensive for families, full stop.”
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Falcon started 2023 as the last leader of the BC Liberals, then became the first leader of BC United on April 11, when the party revealed its new colour scheme and logo.
BC Liberals had first announced their intention to rename themselves in June 2022 during a convention, when 80 per cent of delegates voted in favour of a change. While the BC Liberals are not associated with the federal Liberals, the name has caused confusion and senior party leaders have lobbied for a name change since the early 2010s.
B.C. Liberal leader Kevin Falcon celebrates after winning a by-election for a seat in the legislature in the riding of Vancouver-Quilchena, in Vancouver, on Saturday, April 30, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The name itself had emerged from more than 2,000 suggestions in trying to signal the party’s intention to broaden its appeal beyond groups, who had previously found a home among BC Liberals as the primary rival to the provincial New Democrats.
But if party leaders had framed the change as part of a process to create a big-tent-party, one third-place and one fourth-place finish in summer by-elections and the defection of Bruce Banman to the Conservatives in the fall raised questions about the change.
They have only grown louder with the rise of the Conservatives under the leadership of John Rustad, whom Falcon had kicked out of the BC Liberal caucus in August 2022 after Rustad had contradicted the party’s position on climate change.
Falcon himself acknowledged that it would take voters some time to adjust, but stands by the decision in pointing out that the party still has 10 months time before the next election.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” he said. “We will be spending dollars in a way that aligns with the time-line of the next election. We didn’t feel we needed to spend a whole bunch of money last year about the re-branding. We think that as we get out there and as our MLAs get out there and as people become aware of BC United as the coalition to defend the NDP, the public will become aware.”
That process will be no different than the one that eventually led to the election of ABC Vancouver under Mayor Ken Sim. Falcon added.
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“A year before the election, almost knew who they were, but by the time the election rolled around, almost everybody knew who they were. (By) the time, we get to the next election and the public is actually paying attention to provincial politics and rolling looking at what the choices are, they are going to look and say, ‘who is the best person to become the premier of this province and fix the challenges we face? Is it David Eby or Kevin Falcon and based on his track record, I think I have a very good chance to win the support of the public.”
B.C. Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon reacts to the budget speech during a press conference at the legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Some observers are less optimistic in predicting that BC United and the Conservative Party of BC will split the anti-NDP vote. Falcon does not see it that way.
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“People are confusing the federal Conservatives with this provincial party and that confusion will be cleared up by the time the next election rolls around,” he said. “That’s why I remain very confident. The polls, frankly, are almost meaningless these days.” Falcon takes that same attitude when it comes to his own numbers, including the recent Abacus Data polls that shows him with a net rating of minus 10.
“Pick a number, but something like half the province doesn’t even know who I am and I have been around for a while,” he said. “I think that’s normal because, if you think about it, most people don’t think about provincial politics right now…so I don’t spend anytime worrying about them (polls) or thinking about them. “
Falcon said he draws his feedback from his travels around the province, pointing to recent townhalls in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, drawing more than 300 and more than 100 people respectively. Those gatherings tell a different story than the polls, Falcon said, adding that he doesn’t “sweat them.”
He also closed the door on any formal cooperation with the Conservatives of BC.
“BC United is the coalition party…to defeat the NDP,” he said. “That hasn’t changed. We welcome all Conservatives and others who want to support us to join with us and I don’t join the parlour games and the discussions about that. I’m focused on winning the next election.”
@wolfgangdepner
wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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