The abrupt decision to shut down BC United's campaign and withdraw all of its candidates came as a shock to many, but perhaps none more so than the Party's own candidates, including Penticton's Tracy St. Claire.
Unlike many of the other candidates, St. Claire had a heads up going into the caucus call with party leader Kevin Falcon on Aug. 28 after the news began to break and she was contacted for comment.
Even with the advanced warning, St. Claire's questions about will happen next, when and how, remained unanswered.
"There's a lot of unanswered questions," said St. Claire. "It came as a total surprise. I was out door knocking this morning."
The next steps still aren't clear, but what drove St. Clair into running in the first place remains clear to her.
"When you're on the doors, you get to hear a lot of stories and all the reasons that I got into this race still exist," said St. Claire.
Earlier in the day while she was out knocking on doors she heard from a father who is desperate to find a treatment bed for his daughter who is struggling with substance use disorder.
"There's just nothing out there and not when people need it."
Real-life situations like those facing the father and daughter, who are existing within the gaps of government-provided health care, are what motivated St. Claire to get involved in politics in the first place.
"All those issues and all those reasons that I got into this haven't changed because of what happened."
Falcon stated in a press conference shortly after the call that the party was suspending its campaign and withdrawing all its candidates from consideration under the party banner.
He also promised that BC United and the BC Conservative Party under John Rustad would review all of the candidates fielded by both parties and they undergo a second vetting process.
Rustad however refused to answer questions as to whether the possibility existed that any previously announced Conservative candidates would replaced by United candidates in that riding.
In the Penticton riding that St. Claire had been planning to run in and replace outgoing BC United MLA Dan Ashton, the BC NDP and BC Conservatives both had candidates announced.
Amelia Boultbee, the BC Conservative Party candidate, declined to provide a comment and instead directed to a post she made on social media praising Falcon for his decision to suspend the party's campaign.
Tina Lee, the NDP candidate, responded to a request for comment on the situation by stating that her and her team are focused on connecting with locals and will to be their voice in Victoria.
"We welcome folks that have suddenly found themselves without a political home but simply will not put our province at risk of Rustad's cuts, cancellations, and radical viewpoints," said Lee.
St. Claire isn't ready to give up yet, but she also didn't say that she was considering running as an independent. For now, she plans to see how the candidate review plays out and think heavily about her options.
The idea of a possible Okanagan Alliance Party made up of disenfranchised BC United candidates has been floated for the region, though no candidate has put their name to it so far.
Regardless of what happens in the future for her candidacy, St. Claire made it clear that the issues that drove her to run in the first place still need to be addressed.
"I still feel very strongly about this and I came into it knowing that I could be part of the solution if I could be the people's voice, but I can't do that sitting on the sidelines," said St. Claire. "All I can speak to right now is my conviction, there's just so many balls in the air right now."
