The candidate list for the upcoming B.C. election has a lot in common with many class lists across B.C. on the first back-to-school day.
That is, each is very much a work in progress. But some key names are being added, while others have fallen off.
Less than a week after B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon surprised candidates by suspending the party's campaign, three incumbent B.C. United MLAs running for re-election have formally announced their switch to the Conservatives.
Trevor Halford, Peter Milobar and Ian Paton are now candidates for the Conservative Party of B.C.
"It's great to have them as well as a number of their other candidates come over and join us as the Conservative Party," Rustad said in an interview with Black Press Media. "They share the same concern that we do, which is the very destructive policies that (Premier) David Eby has been implementing in British Columbia and they want to see change."
Both Halford and Milobar ranked among the most vocal critics of the Conservatives.
"Politics can be strange and a week can be a long time in politics," Rustad said, when asked about past criticisms of his party from Halford and Milobar. "If they had any concerns about who we were as a Conservative Party, I'm pretty sure they would not be running for us."
The formal inclusion of Halford, Milobar and Paton also likely means that a quartet of incumbent B.C. United MLAs — Mike Bernier, Dan Davies, Tom Shypitka and Coralee Oakes — won't be making the switch.
While Rustad offered anybody once part of B.C. United to help bring about a "common sense change" in B.C., not everybody will have an "opportunity" to run.
"I'm not anticipating after the three that we are bringing over any other moves unless something else happens to come up," he said.
Halford, Milobar and Paton will be running in their preferred ridings: Halford in Surrey-White Rock, Paton in Delta South and Milobar in Kamloops-Centre.
Some of these moves were easier than others. Conservatives had already nominated Dennis Giesbrecht in Milobar's riding. Giesbrecht's name has now appeared as the candidate for Vernon-Lumby, a riding currently held by New Democrat Harwinder Sandhu. Conservatives were still looking for a candidate in Delta South before Paton's switch, but had already nominated Bryan Tepper to run in Surrey-White Rock. Tepper will be moving to Surrey-Panorama, replacing Dupinder Kaur Saran, whom the Conservatives dropped as candidate.
Tuesday's addition of three former B.C. United MLAs now brings the total number of B.C. United MLAs running as Conservatives to seven — eight if the count includes Rustad, who used to be a B.C. Liberal before Falcon had kicked him out of the party some two years ago.
"I want to re-assure people that the Conservative Party of B.C. is not changing who we are," Rustad said. "We will continue to stand on our principles. We will continue to stand on the values we have been running for all along."
Others have questioned this. Former Conservative candidate Saran, who has announced that she will be running as an independent, her old party is "now a Liberal Party running under the Conservative banner."
Similar remarks also came from Rachael Weber after the party dropped her as candidate for Prince George-Mackenzie. Weber, who gained provincial notoriety for her comments about 5G causing COVID-19 and being designed as genocidal weapons, told Prince George-area media that the former B.C. Liberals have infiltrated the party.
Rustad chose forceful words when asked about these comments from Saran and Weber.
"That's just pure B.S.," Rustad said. "We are the Conservative Party, have been right from the beginning and nothing has changed. But when you look at it, compared to say 2001, everybody who is with us probably B.C. Liberal at one point in their background."
A handful of non-incumbent candidates have also switched over with some replacing existing Conservative candidates.
As of Monday morning, Keenan Adams (Port Coquitlam), Scott McInnis (Columbia River-Revelstoke), Michael Wu (Burnaby-North) and Dale Parker (Nanaimo-Gabriola Island, replacing existing Conservative candidate Viraat Thammanna) have switched sides. Wu's decision to join the Conservatives in Burnaby-North, where he was also going to run for B.C. United, also triggered a riding switch for Conservative candidate Michael Chandler, who moved from Wu's riding to Burnaby-East. The move was easier for Adams as the Conservatives were still looking for a candidate in Port Coquitlam. Another B.C. United candidate linked to the Conservatives is Kiel Giddens, B.C. United's candidate for Prince-George Mackenzie.
Ultimately, Rustad anticipates two or three more non-incumbent candidates to switch over.
Other incumbent B.C. United MLAs, meanwhile, continue to ponder their choices. Shypitka (currently Kootenay East) promised a major announcement over the long Labour Day weekend, but has yet to confirm his plans. Conservatives have already nominated Pete Davis for Kootenay Rockies. Davies (Peace River North) has also not yet confirmed his plans. Conservatives have nominated Jordan Kealy in that riding.
Bernier (Peace River South), meanwhile, is expected to run as an independent, while Jackie Tagert (Fraser-Nicola) has announced that she won't be running. Long-time MLA Shirley Bond, who held multiple cabinet posts with the B.C. Liberals, also announced last week that she won't be running in this election. Kamloops-area MLA Todd Stone, meanwhile, has retired from politics, but endorsed the local Conservative candidate.
As of Monday morning, this movement has led to some strange cases of double-vision with Adams, McInnis, Wu and Parker appearing simultaneously on the websites of B.C. United and the Conservative Party of B.C. These developments have also not gone unnoticed by the Conservatives' rivals.
B.C. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau Monday accused Conservatives of diminishing democracy and the will of local voters.
"They are moving candidates around like pawns on a chess board," she said.
Rustad dismissed the criticism. "The reality is we have never seen a situation like this in British Columbia before, where an official opposition party has folded and decided to suspend their campaign and not run candidates," he said. "Given that we are 47 days to the election, there wasn't just time to be able to go through any other process than what we did."
Premier David Eby last week openly appealed to B.C. United voters not satisfied with the Conservatives' roster. The B.C. NDP is also looking to fill out its candidates' list after Mitzi Dean, minister of state for child care, announced Saturday afternoon that she won't be running in the upcoming election.
Dean, who had served as minister of children and family development for more than three years before Eby dumped her from that role, was to run in the new Esquimalt-Colwood riding.
– With files from Sobia Moman
