One week after the surprise announcement dropped that the BC United Party is suspending its campaign, the now-former Kelowna-Mission candidate Ashley Ramsay has decided to create her own path forward.
On August 28, Ramsay and all other former BC United candidates learned on a video call with party leader Kevin Falcon that not only will the party be withdrawing from the October election, but that it will also be moving its support to its right-wing competitors, the Conservative Party of B.C.
The same day during a press conference, Falcon said the decision was made in order to not "split the vote," between BC United and the Conservatives to ensure the BC New Democratic Party is not re-elected.
"In cooperation with John Rustad, we (BC United) will work together to assemble the best possible team of MLAs and candidates to conserve the best interests of British Columbians," Falcon said.
The former United candidates were told that they would be contacted over the long weekend to be informed if they had been selected to replace the Conservative candidate in their riding. Ramsay said that for herself and all other BC United candidates in the Okanagan, the call never came.
Instead, Ramsay heard from the constituents in her riding.
She received letters, texts, emails and calls of support from the people who had stood by her not only as a former candidate but as a business owner and advocate in the community.
"There was overwhelming support to run as an Independent," said Ramsay.
"The voters told me they were voting for me, not the (BC United) party. I can't let them down."
On the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 4, Ramsay decided that her community needed strong, local leadership and voiced her decision to re-enter the race as an Independent.
"I was going to serve the community regardless. I was not going to wait around."
While BC United froze the election campaign funds that had been collected by the candidates, Ramsay said she is not concerned about the finances or the lack of party support.
"People are opening their wallets and we don't need a lot of money."
She has a team of hundreds of volunteers gearing up to door-knock and campaign on her behalf.
While she is running as an Independent, Ramsay is not alone in this journey of political uncertainty. There are seven electoral ridings across the Okanagan, with those who have lost their center-right candidacy due to the United withdrawal. Ramsay said she cannot speak for the political intentions of others, but did say; "We are in a strong position."
In B.C., if Independent candidates in at least two separate ridings win a seat in the legislature, they are able to form their own party. That means that if at least one other former BC United candidate steps forward to run as an Independent and both they and Ramsay win their riding, the pair would hold voting power in the legislature.
Ramsay said that she put her name down as a BC United candidate because she was committed to serving her community with the experience garnered from running businesses and raising a family in Kelowna. Now as an Independent, she intends to hold true to that commitment.
"You have to be the difference in your community that you feel your community needs. I have to support my community," said Ramsay.
