B.C. residents across its various municipalities are one month away from voting in their local communities in civic elections, which makes rumours of a provincial snap election even more complicated.
Yesterday, during a press conference in Surrey, B.C. Premier David Eby didn’t rule out the chances of a snap election, and he has the perfect place to do it, as he will be making closing remarks on Friday at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conference just after 11 a.m.
Eby said he had no “immediate” election announcements but instructed his caucus to remain “election-ready.”
His only real opposition, B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay has been stumbling, losing a plethora of MLAs, but at the UBCM today, announced that she was staying on as party leader, despite pressure to do the opposite.
Now, UBCM President Cori Ramsay has issued a warning about the possible overlap between local elections and a potential provincial one. He stated the need for distinct local and provincial election periods.
“With rampant speculation that a snap provincial election is imminent, it is incumbent on provincial leaders to uphold the principle of separate periods for local and provincial elections,” Ramsay said in an email to the media.
“The campaign period for local elections is about to begin in 188 communities across the province. With over 3,500 candidates competing and with a wide range of issues facing B.C.’s communities, residents cannot afford to be distracted from local campaigns by a snap provincial election call.”
“At a time when B.C. is facing considerable economic and social uncertainty, overlapping elections would be a disservice to our citizens. One hopes that provincial parties would temper election rhetoric as local campaigns are set to begin, but the spiral of speculation continues,” Ramsay said.
Ramsay added that it is an “opportune time” to remember that distinct election periods are a “foundational concept for elections” in the province that shouldn’t be tossed away.
Ramsay said that even if the snap election were Oct. 24 or later, advance voting dates would still overlap with the local election period.
Despite the stress it might cause for B.C. voters, an election makes perfect sense for Eby, particularly due to the way the B.C. Conservative Party has stumbled, losing nine MLAs in less than a month. Eby’s approval rating is also looking much better than it has over the course of the year.
Are you prepared to vote in potentially two different elections this fall?