BC Green leader Sonia Furstenau loses seat on Vancouver Island
BC Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau is projected to lose in the Victoria-Beacon Hill riding in the 2024 provincial election, failing to secure the most votes and losing her seat to the BC NDP candidate.
She spoke to media Saturday evening, saying she was “so heartened” by the support she received.
“The Greens are still going to play a pivotal role in the BC Legislature,” she said. “It’s so important to me to thank everybody.
She also added a line questioning support for BC Conservatives.
“It’s a strange time in BC that during an atmospheric river people come out and vote for a party that’s denying climate change.”
First elected MLA in 2017, Furstenau became the Green Party leader in 2020 after the previous leader, Andrew Weaver, left the party to run as an independent.
Furstenau saw a big endorsement early in her campaign from former BC Coroner Lisa Lapointe over the Greens platform on addictions. Her platform also included higher taxation for high-income earners, and providing free public transit across the province.
While Furstenau admitted that she knew she would not become Premier this election, many online felt that she had “won” the only televised BC debate against BC Conservatives leader John Rustad and BC NDP Leader David Eby.
BC NDP candidate Grace Lore will be representing Victoria-Beacon Hill in the legislature next session. Lore claimed more than 11,000 out of 24,000 votes with 16 of 17 final voting ballot boxes reporting and five of six advance voting ballot boxes.
With files from Daily Hive’s Claire Fenton