A day before the writ drops on the provincial election, the former B.C. United candidate for Kelowna-Centre has declared he will run as an unaffiliated, independent.
Dr. Michael Humer has been left out in the cold, along with dozens of other candidates and MLAs, since Aug. 28, after leader Kevin Falcon, alongside B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad announced he was suspending the party’s campaign.
Humer made his announcement at a news conference on Sept. 20, with former B.C. United hopefuls Stephen Johnston and Ashley Ramsay. Johnston was the former candidate for West Kelowna-Peachland and Ramsay was the former candidate for Kelowna-Mission. Both have declared that they are also running as independents.
In referencing Falcon’s actions, Humer recalled former Quebec premier René Lévesque’s (1976-1985) “night of the long knives” comment following Canada's attempt to bring home its constitution in the early 1980s.
“I called it the afternoon of the big fork,” Humer said. "We got forked by Kevin.”
Falcon and Rustad had promised a riding-by-riding vetting of United and Conservative candidates to determine the best individual to run in the election.
“Understanding that it would be an opportunity to rebuild the coalition, bring the centre and right together in an authentic way to form a government to defeat the NDP,” Humer added.
As the days ticked by there was no communication from either party. Despite repeated calls, emails and text messages neither Humer, Johnston nor Ramsay received a call that they were chosen to represent their communities.
Humer declared the B.C. United candidate in February, said he was willing and encouraged to join the Conservatives if they called.
“But when it was obvious the fix was in, there was no ability or asking to bring everyone together and get some best alternative. I felt increasingly uncomfortable with that decision and knew that the courageous thing was to say B.C. deserves better so that’s why I got back in.”
Humer explained why he waited until today to announce why he is running as an independent.
“I’m terrified that on Monday the NDP is going to say, “Here is all the garbage on these conservative candidates you don’t have any choice, so sign us up for another four years'.”
He added that neither David Eby nor Rustad have shown they can or should govern the province, given what he called their extreme ideologies.
“What a beautiful time for the independent candidate, and the ideology they represent, which is what the people tell them in the ridings.”
According to Humer’s campaign team, there are 15 declared independent candidates running in the Oct. 19 election.
“This is a growing movement of giving voice back to the individual and to the voter,” Humer said. “So this is the option, basically this is the reset election.”
Humer was also asked about potential vote splitting.
“You disqualify the intelligence of the individual voter at the door that says you know what this is madness…and we’re going to stand up and say it must be done better.”
Humer stressed that he, Johnston and Ramsay are not running as a slate of Okanagan candidates, but they support each other.
“We not trying to create a new party on the fly,” he added. “We have to give them (voters) back hope, and we have to figure out about affordability, cost of living, public safety and healthcare.”
According to the Legislative Assembly of B.C. website, nine independent members have been elected MLAs. The first was Mary Ellen Smith in 1918. The most recent was Vicki Huntington, elected in 2009 and 2013. Before that, James Mowat was elected in 1949.
