Familiar faces and angry voters: Will B.C. elect an Independent MLA?

Vicki Huntington says two things are critical to be elected as an Independent member of the legislature in British Columbia — trusted name recognition and an angry constituency.

She would know.

In 2009, Huntington became the first Independent MLA elected to the B.C. legislature in 60 years and went on to become the first ever woman re-elected as an Independent, representing Delta until 2017.

Seven years later, she thinks the political landscape is primed to again to elect an Independent in the Oct. 19 election following the decision by BC United Opposition Leader Kevin Falcon shut down the party’s campaign.

Forty Independent candidates will be on the ballot, attempting to follow the path that Huntington blazed, including five former BC United incumbents: Mike Bernier, Dan Davies, Tom Shypitka, Coralee Oakes and Karin Kirkpatrick, who were left on their own after the collapse of the party.

Former NDP MLA Adam Walker, who was kicked out of caucus last year over a human resources complaint, is also seeking re-election as an Independent.

Huntington said in an interview that BC United “pulled the rug out” from under its candidates in August when Falcon suspended the campaign and threw his support behind B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad.

She said there may be enough voters who don’t feel at home with either the NDP or the Conservatives, and who are angry enough with Falcon that they’ll vote for an incumbent name they recognize.

“I think if they’re well known, if they did a good job at being in MLA, if people are as upset with Falcon’s activities as he deserves, then I think they will have a good chance of winning,” she said.

“In the case of the Conservatives, there’s a lot of nervousness in the province, both federally and provincially, I’d say. So, if an incumbent can understand whether the riding is nervous or whether they really are conservative, they should be able to … set up some sort of campaign that tells people what the difference is and how they can be represented.”

Huntington came to power in Delta after years as a popular local councillor and following fights with the provincial government over the community hospital and highway construction.

She beat Liberal heavyweight and former judge Wally Oppal by 32 votes.

Huntington said there is a misconception that Independents don’t have power in the legislature.

She said her budget was enough to hire two research assistants dedicated to the concerns of her riding, rather than having to share with many party members.

After negotiations with then-opposition house leader Mike Farnworth, Huntington was also allowed to ask two questions a week during question period in the legislature.

She said in established political parties it would be “unheard of” for a single MLA to get that many questions to ask specifically about their ridings.

“I had, on three or four occasions, members of the opposition and even a member of the government party come to me and say, ‘Vicki, I have a critical issue in my riding. I’m not going to be able to get up and ask a question — government can’t ask questions — Would you ask a question for me?'” she said.

“And in two cases, I did.”

But holding the mantle alone is not without its challenges, particularly when running an election campaign.

She said larger donors didn’t want to publicly put their name behind an Independent candidate.

“Obviously people were voting for me, but they didn’t necessarily send me money because, of course, it’s all public,” she said.

She said some of the former BC United MLAs may not have the same problem because of their established connections.

“You don’t get the big pockets giving you the money when you’re an Independent. Whereas this time, I’ll bet the big pockets are still helping,” she said.

Davies, who is running in the Peace River North Riding he represented as a BC United MLA since 2017, said his campaign was “fully funded” before Falcon’s decision, but as an Independent he has no access to the money which he says “was stolen.”

“I had already purchased my signs out of that fundraised money through the BC United, and they were right in my campaign office. So, I already had those signs,” he said.

“Not only did I have to go buy new signs, but some of my bigger signs, I had to repurchase with my own money, my newly fundraised money. I had to buy them back again from the BC United.”

Davies said his campaign also lost critical data that was held by BC United, including volunteer lists.

He said Falcon’s move left his campaign working “pretty much from ground zero again, or probably even a couple feet under,” but he has since rebounded under the Independent banner.

Davies said changes in election law since Huntington ran mean that large corporate donations are not available, but his constituents have been more than willing to open their chequebooks.

University of the Fraser Valley political scientist Hamish Telford said having six incumbent MLAs running as independents “is unprecedented” in a B.C. election.

He said in ridings where the governing NDP is not a factor — such as parts of the north — and the fight is between a Conservative and a former BC United incumbent, the Independents could have a “ground advantage.”

“They are known in the communities, they’ve campaigned before, they know how to do it. They know where their supporters are. But they’re facing a big Conservative wave,” he said.

“In other places, it’s going to be a three-way race. There will be strong NDP candidates, and with three-way races, it’s very hard to predict outcomes.”

Huntington said if two Independents win it would be enough to qualify them as a party in the legislature — something that could change the dynamic, especially if the election is close.

“So, you might see a new party come out of this, and you might see a concerted effort at a coalition within the legislature itself,” she said.

“And that changes the dynamic, because depending on how close the election actually is, the Independents, if they’re a coalition, could hold a balance of power in this legislature, and that would be very interesting.”

Davies said any talk of forming a party is a hard thing to consider before election day.

“First of all, what does the legislature look like after Oct. 19? How close it is, who’s sitting there as Independent candidates or Green Party candidates?” he said.

“You know the other thing, and this is the big one, I will only do what is right for Peace River North, and if that decision to form a coalition is what’s best for Peace River North, then so be it. If it’s joining the B.C. Conservatives, you know, obviously, after a conversation with (leader) John (Rustad), then that’s the decision that will be made.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2024

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press