BC United Leader Kevin Falcon says the BC Conservatives have rejected a deal to avoid vote-splitting in the fall provincial election. Falcon addresses a press conference at the legislature in Victoria, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
VICTORIA – The leader of British Columbia’s official Opposition says the BC Conservatives have rejected a proposal to avoid vote-splitting in the provincial election this fall.
BC United Leader Kevin Falcon says talks between the two right-of-centre parties concluded with Conservative Leader John Rustad ultimately deciding against a proposed “non-competition” agreement.
Falcon says in a statement that Rustad has “placed his own ambition” above B.C.’s interests and is risking the re-election of the governing NDP.
He says there were talks between two representatives of each party this month, most recently on Wednesday, and BC United had proposed a non-competition framework.
Falcon says the proposal included that the parties would not run candidates against each other’s members who were seeking re-election, and the BC Conservatives would run in 47 seats and BC United in 46.
But Falcon says despite common ground between the parties’ representatives, Rustad rejected the proposal on Thursday night and made no counter-offer.
Rustad has previously pledged to run candidates in all 93 electoral districts.
Other points in the BC United proposal included that the parties would not merge and that they would refrain from attacking each other during campaigning for the October election, Falcon says.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2024.
